Two days passed, before Oliver and Felicity both admitted something must have gone wrong, Diggle should have been there by now. Felicity reluctantly fired up the laptop, knowing they could run out of battery any moment.
An email from Diggle was waiting for them, explaining that Brother Blood had taken control of the Starling City Airport, grounding all planes. It had taken the SCDP over 24-hours to get it back, finally capturing the man, only to discover it was Sebastian Blood after all. According to Diggle's email, he was sending it from the plane and would be there as soon as possible.
"You were right about Blood," Felicity said, as she closed down the laptop. "How did you know? He seemed like a good enough guy. You know, when he wasn't berating you to the press."
"I had a hunch," Oliver said, sounding angry. "I should have known he wasn't to be trusted."
"Who could have predicted this?" She said with a shrug, standing up. "More practice today?"
For the last two days, Oliver had been teaching her all he knew of archery. She could hit the target three out of five times now when standing completely still. The day before Oliver had tried to teach her how to roll and shoot. It had not gone well.
"Or we could enjoy our last day free from civilization," he said.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Felicity asked, already smiling.
"Don't suppose you'd be down for some skinny dipping?" His face tried, but failed to hide his amusement.
Felicity ignored the blush in her cheeks, tilting her head in her best 'yeah right, Oliver' face.
"Okay, no skinny dipping," he laughed. "How about I show you the island?"
"Haven't I already seen the island?"
"Not like this, you haven't."
The hike took over half the day, but by the time they reached the top of the mountain Felicity knew it had been worth it. The vista before her was breathtaking. She could see the whole island, just by turning in one spot. The dark blue of the Pacific Ocean stretching out into the horizon on all sides.
"I know this place was literally hell on earth for you," Felicity said, turning to look at him. "But come on, this is gorgeous."
"Yeah," he said, fighting the smile on his face as he always did when he found her amusing. "It is beautiful."
They sat down overlooking a bay, eating berries Oliver had collected along the way. He pointed out any landmarks he knew, showing her the abandoned military facility where Diggle would land the plane.
"You know," Felicity said, her eyes lost on the scenery. "As much as I miss technology, it has been kind of nice to be away."
"Kind of nice to know someone else can save Starling City too," Oliver said beside her.
"Thinking about hanging up your hood?" She asked.
"Do you think I should?" He asked her in earnest, causing her to turn and look at him. His eyes held hers, waiting for her answer.
"Do you want to?"
"Somedays I do, somedays I don't."
"What about today?"
"Today," he said, a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth, "Today I do."
"Enjoying your impromptu vacation time?" She asked, nudging him with her shoulder.
"Actually," he said, looking back over the bay. "I have been. I can't remember the last time I was able to enjoy a leisurely hike."
"You mean one where your life wasn't on the line?" She asked.
"Yeah," he said, nodding before his voice grew serious, "But I was given a second chance at life and sometimes I wonder if I'm living it to the fullest."
"You've saved the city more times than I can count," Felicity reassured him. "I'd say your life has purpose."
"But sometimes I wonder if it has meaning," he almost whispered it, his eyes unfocused on the endless ocean before them. "I have to give up so much to don the hood. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it."
"It's worth it," Felicity said with conviction.
"Is it?" He asked, turning to look at her. "Putting my life and everyone I love in danger?"
"You protect everyone you love," she said.
"Not everyone," he muttered, before standing. "Looks like we have a storm coming in," he said, pointing to the dark clouds that had risen behind them.
The rain set in about an hour before they made it to the cave, leaving them both cold and shivering. Oliver worked on getting the fire started, while throwing instructions over his shoulder at Felicity.
"You have to get out of those wet clothes," he said. "Wrap up in one of the blankets and come sit by the fire."
Felicity did as she was told, knowing he knew more about survival than her. He kept his back to her, not moving until she came and sat beside him, huddled in a blanket. Once the fire was blazing, he went off into one of the shadows, coming back to sit next to her, huddled in his own blanket next to her.
"Thanks for showing me the island today," she said.
"You won't be thanking me if you get pneumonia," he snorted, as outside thunder clapped loudly, the illumination of lightening visible through the cave entrance. "I have a bad feeling this might interfere with Diggle's rescue mission."
"Seriously?" Felicty asked, not sure if she should feel happy about extra alone time with Oliver or sad that she would have to go longer without a proper toilet.
"Seriously," Oliver confirmed. "And here I've been dreaming of a hot shower all day."
"Me too," Felicity said, before rushing to explain further. "I mean, obviously not a shower with you. A shower with me, by myself, alone in my apartment."
He was smiling when she glanced his way. They sat there for a while in companionable silence, letting the fire heat them.
"Why didn't things work with you and Barry?" Oliver asked, not looking at her. The question surprised her. Barry had been a 'no go zone' for them. Each agreeing separately it was better if he stayed out of her personal life.
"I don't know," she lied. Of course she knew. Barry had been great. Barry had been kind. But Barry had noticed what Felicity refused to acknowledge: that she was in love with Oliver.
"He was the first guy you've dated since you started working for me," Oliver said, keeping his eyes on the fire.
He was wrong of course, she had dated plenty but had kept it from him and Diggle. Not because they couldn't be trusted with the information, but she just couldn't handle Oliver pulling a big brother move. The way she felt about Oliver was so far from brotherly that she knew she couldn't handle it if he suddenly started treating her like Thea.
"Just haven't found someone who would understand my crazy lifestyle," she stated. Which was another lie, Oliver would understand her life perfectly. But Oliver wasn't interested.
He sighed next to her, finally turning to look at her, "I want you to be happy. I don't want my life decisions to interfere with your private life any longer."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," he paused, searching for the right words. "When we get back, maybe you should return to the IT department."
"No," she said, refusing to look at him. "I made my decision long ago and you don't get too decide when I stop."
"Felicity-"
"No, Oliver!" She said, turning to pin him with her fiercest stare, "I'm not leaving you. You would never leave me if I needed you. And I would never leave you, because you need me."
"Felicity-"
"And don't tell me you don't need me Oliver Queen," she said, jabbing his shoulder for emphasis so he would look at her, "Because you need me."
"I know," he said, leaving Felicity to wonder when they had gotten so close, less than a foot separating their faces. "I do need you."
Then he was leaning in or maybe she was leaning in too, their lips meeting in the middle. It was soft, tender and it wasn't enough. Felicity reached out her hand, carding it through his hair, pulling him in closer, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss.
Oliver moaned and Felicity knew it was the single greatest sound she had ever heard.
Feeling confident, she straddled him pushing the blanket from his shoulders, eliciting another moan from him as her fingers explored his skin. As he pushed the blanket from her shoulders, she distantly became aware that they were both only in their underwear, but not caring when his mouth moved to suck on her earlobe.
She wanted nothing between them, reaching behind her unclasping her bra letting it fall down her arms while he continued to kiss down her neck. Realizing what she had done, he stopped abruptly pulling back to stare at her breasts. She watched as his hand that had been at her waist moved agonizingly slowly upward before cupping her, his thumb running over her already hard nipple.
It was her turn to moan, having dreamed about this moment more times than she could count. Her moan got his attention, his eyes meeting hers again, dazed in lust. Time froze for half a second, before he moved, pulling her back into a searing kiss, moving to lay her down on to their discarded blankets.
"Oliver," she sighed, as his mouth left hers in order to suck on one of her nipples. His other hand grabbed her ass before smoothing down her leg to her knee, spreading her legs wider to accommodate his hips. She let her hands explore him freely, cataloging every scar that marred his body. Then her hands reached his ass, roaming around to the front, dipping below the waistband to wrap her hand around his hard length. Felicity wanted to bathe in the gratification of knowing she had done this, she had made him feel this way.
But before she could do anything, he was pulling away, his hand wrenching hers away from his body.
"Felicity, we can't," he groaned and in the fading firelight it looked as if he truly regretted it.
"Yes, we can," she said desperately, reaching for him. This was her shot. Somewhere in the very back of her mind she knew he only wanted her because she was the only thing available. That without the island, this would never be happening. But she couldn't bring herself to care. She had wanted him for so long, maybe finally having him would purge him from her soul. Maybe she would leave this island no longer in love with a man who would never love her back.
Felicity's mind made up, she reached for him again, pulling him into another kiss, even better than the last. She thought she had convinced him, thought she could feel his resolve melt but then her hand moved down his chest and he was pulling away again.
"Felicity," he ground out, sitting back on his heels. "We don't have any protection."
She was unable to keep the frustrated groan from escaping as she threw her head back against the hard ground, closing her eyes. He had a point, one even she couldn't get around. Normally she was on the pill, but being on the island meant she hadn't taken it in days making it ineffective. Not to mention the fact that as much as she loved Oliver, there was really no way of knowing where he had been or when he had last been tested.
"It's probably for the best, this," she opened her yes as he paused, seeing he was gesturing between them, "It isn't a good idea. This island and what it does to people, it's dangerous. We don't want to do something we'll regret later."
She groaned again, rolling to her side in search of her bra, a shirt, or possibly a hole to climb into. What she found was his shirt, mostly dry from being in front of the fire. She put it on without a backward glance, crawling into the bed they shared, wondering if she would ever be able to look him in the eye again.
Oliver was gone when she awoke the next morning. He had left her the last of the nut free granola bars and full bottle of water. Felicity dressed slowly, not wanting to face the day. She was just sitting down to use the last of the laptop battery to check on Diggle's progress when the unmistakable sound of plane roared over head.
She ran from the cave, crashing head long into a shirtless Oliver, who caught her before either of them fell.
"Dig's here," he said, as she kept her eyes on his shoulder.
"I heard," she said, pulling back from his grasp, needing more space.
"Felicity," he began, but she cut him off, not wanting to hear his apology for the night before, not wanting to have him confirm he regretted it.
"It was nothing," she said, still unable to meet his eye. "We're two healthy adults alone on an island together. It was bound to happen."
And before he could come up with any response she'd rather not hear, she turned to go back into the cave to retrieve whatever belongings she had.
Their walk to the plane was silent, neither speaking until they cleared the jungle onto the landing strip. The Queen's private plane was parked before them, Diggle waiting at the base of the stairs. They all had smiles on their faces as they approached, Diggle reaching out to pull Felicity into a bear hug.
"You alright?" he asked when he pulled back, his hands on her shoulders to examine her. She nodded, the betrayal of tears forming in her eyes. Noticing them, Diggle looked over her shoulder at Oliver, "You guys okay?"
Unable to answer without breaking down, Felicity moved past him, up the stairs of the jet. If Oliver responded, she didn't hear what he had to say.
They landed in Starling City with no fanfare, Diggle having told everyone that Oliver had had an emergency business meeting in Japan and Felicity had, of course, gone with him. Felicity sat in the back of the plane the whole way feigning sleep, over hearing snippets of conversation between Diggle and Oliver.
Oliver refused to answer any questions about what had happened on the island, instead wanting every last detail about what had gone on in their absence. Diggle spent most of the flight filling in Oliver on all he knew about Brother Blood.
It was raining as they exited the plane, a lone car waiting to take them home. Felicity and Oliver sat in the backseat, not talking until Diggle pulled up in front of her apartment building. She thanked Diggle, exiting out into the rain before Oliver could say anything. She slipped into the foyer of her apartment building, not realizing Oliver had followed her in until the doorman's eyes lit up in recognition looking over her shoulder. She tried to ignore him, pushing a little more forcefully on the elevator button than she meant to.
"I'm safe now. I don't need you to see me to my door," she said over his shoulder, hoping it would work. He followed her anyway, not speaking until he closed her apartment door behind him.
"Felicity, we have to talk," he pleaded.
"No, Oliver," she said, putting on her most authoritative voice, "We do not."
"What happened last night," he began, ignoring her.
"I get it," she cut him off, her voice rising, "You regret what happened last night. There was a fire, we were practically naked and things just happen. I understand. It will never happen again."
He looked as if he had just been kicked in the stomach, his face surprised by her outburst.
"That island took everything from me," he said, quietly. "I can't lose you too."
She slumped, losing all her energy, "You won't."
"Promise?"
Felicity hated him a little bit in that moment. Hated that they both knew her answer before she even uttered it. Hated that she was committing herself to a life of as member of his team, nothing more.
"I promise."