A/N: Hey, so first I wanted to let you all know that I have changed the title of the story from Stranger to I'll Fight With You as I think that it fits better with the storyline and where I am planning the story to go. Secondly, I wanted to say thank you so much for all your love and support, I love reading your reviews and 250 follows wow! And a massive thank you once again to my brilliant beta rebekah99! I hope you all enjoy and please don't forget to review!
"Oliver! Would you stop sulking and just tell me what the hell happened?"' It was the high pitched sound of a feminine voice that brought him out of the depth of his mind. For the first time, he finally took in his surroundings, noticing instantly that he was slumped on his overly expensive couch in the family living quarters. An army of maids were rushing around him Thea, preparing for the return of Mrs Queen and Walter, who had announced their early departure after hearing of Oliver's episode. Abruptly jumping onto his feet, Oliver decided that enough was enough. It didn't matter what the team thought, of course he understood that Felicity was dangerous, but she would never hurt him. And he was The Arrow, for God's sake! It's not as if he was defenceless. Pushing past a startled Thea, he made his way towards the door and clambered onto his bike, blocking out the yells of confusion Thea cast behind him.
By the time Oliver made it to the foundry, Digg, Sara and Roy were guarding the entrance, having predicted his return.
"Well, looks like I was right! He didn't even last a day- hand over the money guys!" Roy joked, ignoring the scowls plastered over his companions' faces.
"Let me in now!" Oliver's 'Arrow' voice (as Felicity liked to call it) caught the attention of a group of intoxicated teens chattering away in the almost empty nightclub. It was only in the early hours of the evening, just before darkness had started to drift in. The low vibrations of the calming music from the speakers contrasted the club's normal noise level. Dragging Oliver by the arm, Sara guided him aside, away from the groups prying eyes.
"I don't know how many times we are going to have to explain this to you. From what we can tell, the Mirakuru in her is controlled by her emotions. Presuming her death triggered the change, she had Mirakuru running through her veins for less than an hour before she tried to kill Roy. She is a danger and, if Felicity got out, the whole of Starling City will be at risk. I don't care if you think I'm exaggerating but I am not putting my family's life on the line because you have feelings for her. So until we figure out a way to get rid of the drug from her system, you have to stay away. You saw what she did to Roy," Sara spoke without hesitation, knowing it was harsh, but putting the team's thoughts bluntly was the only way to get Oliver to understand.
Oliver blinked at Sara's abruptness and continued to struggle against her to get to the foundry. "What if you can't get the Mirakuru out of her?" he spoke, cautious of the answer, freezing at her response.
"Then we do what needs to be done. We put her down." Dig's gasp mirrored both Roy and Oliver's; they knew in any other circumstances they wouldn't hesitate to agree, but this was Felicity- pure, innocent, babbling Felicity. Surely this was not an actual option? But the stone-cold look in Sara's eyes told the team that it was. After several more seconds of struggling, it was clear Oliver was not going to be giving up any time soon, so the team gave up and watched as he rushed towards the foundry door.
Her bright, sandy coloured hair caught his attention immediately, causing Oliver to lose his footing and stumble down the last couple of steps. At the sound, the frightened blond turned towards him, a smile already playing on her lips as if she knew it was him before she laid her eyes on him. But this time things were different- there was no running into each other's arms, no desperate kiss. They stood in silence, the walls towering over them seemingly growing taller. Neither knew what to do, or how to react. Oliver felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips at seeing her so close, but he fought against it. Oliver's body ached to touch her smooth skin but he knew he couldn't. He knew he couldn't let himself get any closer; they were already risking everything just being this close to each other. Finally, Oliver gave in, taking a tentative step towards her but almost simultaneously the blond retreated backwards, equalling the distance.
"I don't want to hurt you. I can't." The words that left her lips came out in almost a whisper, as a look of hurt came across Oliver's face.
"You won't," he replied thickly, as he reached his hand out towards her shaking shoulder. Felicity sighed into his touch, allowing herself a moment of pleasure before stepping away once again.
"Don't make this any harder than it already is." Felicity had had the exact same conversation with the others as she had heard Oliver have with them moments before he came into the foundry. She knew the Mirakuru somehow latched itself onto her emotions and, during her fit of rage that had sparked out of nowhere, she felt her humanity drain from herself. As much as the feeling terrified her, she was even more petrified of herself if she hurt Oliver. "I have no control," she argued, trying to make Oliver see that she was doing this to keep him safe.
"Then let me show you," his simple reply changed the tension quickly. Oliver knew he couldn't ever be with Felicity again after what had happened. No, he didn't care about the Mirakuru; it was the fact that he had almost got her killed. If it wasn't for this drug then he would have lost his light. So who cares whether she hurt him? It was the drug, after all, that brought her back to him, so whatever pain it caused he would happily take. But, right now, he refused to let this girl be put in any more danger than necessary- he wouldn't let any harm come to her. He had to keep her safe, even if that meant letting her go.
Stripping off his shirt, he made his way over to the training mats and watched as her bouncing ponytail left his vision, immediately dimming the room as she left to change. Oliver had learnt to channel his emotions through pushing his body past its limits. For him, training was a way to fuse off any worked up rage, a way to escape from the struggles of the world and a way to master complete control, with only the sound of your pulsing heart beating to listen to. Oliver was determined to teach Felicity control. It was his fault she had died and triggered the Mirakuru, so they would get through this- together.
When Felicity returned, the pair went through basic movements, stripping any complex moves away to focus on basic structure and technique. After every slight stumble, and every time Felicity's punch landed virtually on the edge of the pad, far from its target, Felicity felt a boiling heat swirling in the pit of her stomach. Pushing the anger down, she tried again.
"This is useless! Everything is different now," Felicity had just about given up, her words coming across in an almost shout.
"Hey, just stop for a second, okay? You need to keep control. What do you mean, it's all different?" Oliver placed a calming hand on her arm, pulling back as soon as he felt sparks tingle across his now heated skin. He couldn't be with her, he had to keep away. Slumping to the ground, Felicity looked up as Oliver mirrored her movement, crouching down beside her.
"This is going to sound crazy, but it's like all my senses are heightened. It's hard to focus on one thing in particular, everything is kind of smushing together-"
'Smushing?' Oliver interrupted with a shake of his head, a grin spreading across his face.
'You know, like… mushed together… You know what, it doesn't matter. The point is, it's all getting a bit much so I can't concentrate on anything," she finished, exasperated.
Oliver didn't reply, he simply took her extended hand and pulled her upright. He returned a minute later carrying a small wooden bowl, water splashed over the edges as he walked towards her. Oliver was completely unaware of the wet trail he was leaving across the floor- his gaze was held, enticed by her smile.
"Oh no not the dreaded bowl!" She joked, pretending to be horrified at the sight. A small glimmer of happiness broke the tension but just as quickly as it came it vanished.
"I'm guessing Roy has told you all about this then,"' he smiled at her exaggerated head nods.
"He whines about it 24/7!'" Her feminine laugh caused the corners of Oliver's mouth to curl upwards slightly.
…
Several hours had past and Felicity and Oliver were in the same position following the same monotonous routine. Oliver was sat beside her, staring at the salmon ladder and every now and again would get up and refill the bowl. The others had come and gone- Roy's laugh could still be heard bouncing off the walls when he had seen Felicity's unamused face sending death stares at the bowl. After repeatedly feeling his gaze drift towards the Felicity, Oliver grew impatient.
"Let's spar." His voice was sudden in the silent hours of the early evening and startled Felicity. She didn't need to be told twice and jumped up, putting as much distance between the bowl and herself as possible and joined Oliver back on the training mats.
Half an hour of throwing drilled techniques at each other and Felicity still wasn't tiring. She knew that soon she would have to stop and it had nothing to do with her new ridiculously high fitness levels. It was more to do with the fact that her entire vision was filled with Oliver's sweating body and it didn't help that he was topless. Channelling her attention back to the techniques that he had taught her, she leapt forward, trying to catch him off-guard. But Oliver was quicker and easily slid out of the way. Slipping into a clench position, he swept the supporting leg from under her, throwing her towards the ground. Running on pure instinct, Felicity grabbed onto his shoulder blades, her new force pulling both of them to the ground. Oliver gulped, feeling her warm breath against his cheek. His arms were either side of her shoulders, supporting his body in a plank position so they were almost touching but not quite. Oliver could feel the warmth radiating off her stilled body. He fought an unbeatable battle against himself, but, giving in, he caught her quick glance towards his lips, their blue eyes joining together. As soon as they linked, he realised his mistake- Oliver knew he wouldn't be able to look away again. He needed Felicity in his life- it was verging on impossible to not be with her, to not be able to touch her even a simple hand on her arm in support or to brush away a loose strand of hair. Oliver knew that as soon as he looked into her eyes, he was gone.
Felicity struggled half-heartedly against his grip and enjoyed the close proximity for a few more seconds. Before it looked like she was purposely delaying her escape, she fought her body at the pull to stay this close and knocked Oliver's arms from under him, making him loose his balance. Felicity cursed herself at not having thought her plan through the second she felt Oliver's startled body toppling onto of hers, sinking into her warm skin. Her body caught on fire at the touch of his cheek against her chest. Panic set into her, she was sure she would lose control any second now. Felicity pulled herself away suddenly, jumping up, her feet carrying her to the other side of the foundry. Facing the blank wall she blinked, furiously, trying to regain her composure.
Oliver quickly followed, brushing his hand along her shoulder. Spinning her around, Oliver reached upwards gently, wiping away the tears slipping from her eyes. He hated himself for making her like this. A dull ache pitted in the depth of his stomach when he realised he had hurt her, she was crying because of him.
"Felicity, we need to talk-"' he started, taking a step closer towards her. Oliver saw her visibly flinch as his hand made contact, his finger froze halfway through trailing across her cheek as he gaped up at her with wide eyes, realising what he was doing.
"Don't. I don't walk to talk, which, for me, I know is a little unprecedented. But, as soon as we talk, it's over." Felicity let her breath escape her, struggling to find the words, "I heard what the others said to you and I can tell by the look in your eyes what you are going to say." Taking a step backwards, Oliver felt the floor being ripped out from under him.
"I'm so sorry," he told the ground, unable to bring himself to look her in the eye. Doing this hurt him enough without seeing her tears.
"Urrgghh! You're so annoying, you know that, right? I knew you were going to do this. I knew the second I was with you, the moment anything happened to me you were going to do this." Felicity's outburst took Oliver by surprise, she heard him try to interrupt but carried on regardless, "I'm an adult, Oliver! I have the frickin' Mirakuru in me which means that, even if I do get hurt, I'll be healed by the next day!"
Shaking his head, Oliver replied. "It doesn't matter. Felicity, you died! I held your body in my arms- do you know what that is like? Knowing that you died because of me? There are so many ways you can get hurt; being with The Arrow isn't safe. Even if you do heal, I don't know if I will be able to see you get hurt which means you're a distraction."
"I'm a distraction?" The words physically angered Felicity and, as much as she was trying to control herself, she felt everything start to slip away.
'No, no, no! That's not what I meant! Look, I thought I could be me and The Arrow, but I can't. Not now. Maybe not ever..." Anger bubbled inside of her, hurt cutting away at her insides.
"No! This is not fair. I don't care whether I'm with Ollie, the millionaire playboy, or Oliver Queen, the CEO of Queen Consolidated, or The Arrow, the masked vigilante that became the city's own guardian angel. I don't want to be with just Oliver Queen, I want to be with all of you. Whatever danger it puts me in, I know it will be worth it. You always said I was your light, that I made your life worth living. But let me tell you, what you want us to do now? That's not living, that's hiding. You want me to hide from the truth, hide from anything that could possibly harm me. My Dad, he's out there looking for me and you think me being associated with The Arrow will put me in danger? Well, let me tell you something. That is nothing in comparison- you don't know what he is capable of. I've learnt one thing in those years I hid in abandoned buildings, on the run, covering my face from anyone I passed. And that one thing is that you can't stay hidden forever." Oliver closed the distance between them, lifting his thumb up he carefully wiped away the single tear trail running down Felicity's face. Leaving his finger lingering there a moment too long he felt a blinding heat pass over him. His eyes drifted from hers, falling unto her lips in desire. He gently moved his hand across her soft skin until it was resting on the back of her neck. Leaning in, the feeling of his body a centimetre from hers sent a shiver down his spine. Her eyes watched his innocently, and Oliver could see her mind whirring at 100 miles per hour trying to calculate his next move. To be honest, Oliver wasn't even sure what it would be. Would they stay safe and hidden or would they take a blind leap of faith?
It was Felicity that took matters into her own hands. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips briefly against his. Her eyes once again looking up at Oliver's expectantly, blue against blue. It was Oliver's choice to make, desire tingled across her spine, her impatience growing at her need for Oliver's answer. The breath hitched in her throat as he cupped her cheek, a small trail of fire being left in its wake as he moved his hand towards her lips. He traced his thumb gently across her bottom lip and soon it became all too much. Leaning towards her, he plunged his lips into hers. Passion ran wild, every problem, every obstacle, long forgotten about in this one moment. The pure perfectness of the moment only lasted a blink of an eye as Oliver's mind caught up with him. Stepping back sharply; an icy coldness replaced the fire. He pulled away, his expression fuelled with guilt; he was supposed to keep her safe. And just like that every single heated desire vanished.
"I'm sorry, I can't. I was supposed to keep you safe. You need to stay away from me. This was a mistake, I gave in and I'm sorry" At this, a long forgotten rage boiled inside of Felicity.
"You can't keep pushing me around Oliver! You either want to be with me or not," she spat at him. The uncontrollable fury suffocated her, leaving her powerless. Before her mind could register her movements her hands were placed on his shoulders, pushing him away from her. Felicity pushed him with every ounce of rage and pain he had caused her, channelling her movements. "STOP DANGLING MAYBES!" Felicity watched in horror, rooted to the spot on the floor as if she was tied down. She felt a band in her chest snap as his defenceless body flew through the air. With a thump, he landed roughly against the glass cabinet that contained The Arrow suit. The case shattered at the weight of his body, deadly shards of glass littering the floor. She rushed over to the unmoving heap.
"No .. please…. Oliver, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-" Sobs choked out the final words of her cry. She fell beside his unconscious body, cradling his head to her chest. Running her hands across his cheek her tears fell silently onto his chest, running along his scars.
Oliver awoke, gulping down air, his mind whirring at what had happened. The team was right, it wasn't him putting her in danger, it was the other way around. Oliver had refused to believe the girl that made him smile could be capable of such destruction. He was stunned, unmoving as Felicity held him in her arms. They stayed like that as seconds turned into minutes but she still couldn't let him go. Oliver had assured her he was fine and was now currently trying to convince her that it wasn't her fault. He was half way through explaining about how the Mirakuru had affected Roy when a sharp trilling sound cut him off. Untangling himself from her arms, Oliver paced over to where his phone was vibrating against the desk. A startled expression appearing on his face at the sound of Detective Lance's voice asking for The Arrow. Looking towards Felicity she responded with a nod.
"Go and find out what he wants, I'll sort this out," she said, gesturing towards the mess on the floor. Witnessing his hesitation, she followed up with a more forceful voice, "Go."
...
Darkness began to sweep over the city, leaving only the dim street lights to make the abandoned street corners glow in the early evening. A winter breeze wiped against The Arrow's bare cheek but it was nothing compared to the cold he had suffered through before. Keeping his back turned away from the waiting figure, he discreetly switched on his voice modulator. The gruffness of his voice, made Detective Lance jump as he waited for his hooded friend.
"Detective, what do you want?"
"Well, it's nice to see you're as charming as ever," his comment caused a muffled huff from The Arrow as he gestured to continue, "Take a look at these." Lance reached forward, handing the vigilante an official looking brown folder, "It's the police file from the night you let the Reaper Brother's slip through your fingers," His last comment caused a growl to emerge from the Arrow's mouth, although little did he know that it was due to the icy memories of Felicity's blood soaking through her clothes as she lay lifeless in his arms. The Arrow pulled out the middle sheet of paper and gasped. There, in the centre of the page was a blurred picture of Felicity, possibly taken from a street camera.
"What is this?" The sudden protectiveness in his voice took Lance by surprise.
"What, do you know her or something?" His question was met with a scowl; sighing, he continued, "It seems that the psycho Reaper Brother's set a trap that night. Left in what looked like the remains of some kind of sick, torture room was this picture, half burned. I had Kelton search all known data bases with no such luck to find anything on this girl. I believe she was the intended target. Anyway, yesterday I met with one Mr Oliver Queen and that was when I got my first glimpse of the girl. I don't know what it is about that boy that causes all females to fall under his spell but, judging by the way they acted around each other, he obviously cared for her. All I know is that her name is Felicity. I've searched everywhere but can't even find a last name, it's like she doesn't exist…" Lance continued to talk but Oliver was far away, the horror of somebody wanting to hurt Felicity blinding his vision.
Shoving the file back into Detective's hands, The Arrow scowled and stalked away. Firing an arrow onto the building opposite, he leapt from the roof, swinging into the quickly blackening sky.
"A 'thank you' wouldn't have hurt," Lance muttered into the near night air.
Oliver barely flinched at the sound of Thea entering the main lounge of the Queen mansion.
"Hey mopey, what ya doin' ?" She nudged him playfully only earning a glare back. "Where's Felicity? I miss my smiley brother. I'm beginning to think that you are keeping her hidden from me. Ollie, you have to learn to share you know!" Thea continued to tease him despite his absent response. "Fine grumpy, I'm going," she announced, and flounced back out of the room as quickly as she had entered, her hair flowing dramatically behind her.
Oliver sighed as he noted Diggle approach from the doorway, having heard his lack of conversation with Thea. "I heard Detective Lance gave The Arrow a call," he stated, suddenly worried at Oliver's misery. Exhaling, Oliver twisted round on the enormous sofa so that he was facing Dig.
"He wanted to talk about the night that Felicity-" Oliver felt his tongue suddenly turn heavy, his mouth dry as sandpaper as he struggled to finish his sentence. Following Dig's understanding nod to carry on, he spoke with more precision now. "Apparentl,y the building went up in flames shortly after we left. He said the only thing the police could salvage from the wreckage was a barely distinguishable picture of Felicity. They are working on the theory that the Reaper Brother's had set up a trap, the intended victim being Felicity. We were wrong, they weren't trying to capture The Arrow; they were after Felicity."
Dig followed Oliver's statement, his thoughts trying to process what was being said.
"How did she take it? Does Felicity think it was her father?'" His eyes watched silently as a guilty, pained expression fell over Oliver. "You haven't told her?" His question came out forcefully, taking on the role of an accusation. "Look, I know you want to protect her but, from what I have seen, Felicity is one of the strongest people I have been around. She deserves to know the truth, no matter how much it will hurt her." Dig could still sense Oliver hesitation and guessed that he was leaving something out. Witnessing the brief flicker of fear in Oliver's eyes made Dig shiver; if Oliver had shown him a glimpse of his true emotions then something was very wrong. "You're scared she's going to leave, aren't you?" His mind slotted the jigsaw together and Oliver's uncomfortable shifting confirmed his suspicions.
"Felicity already believes that she is putting the team in danger because of the Mirakuru- I don't know how she will react knowing that two of the most dangerous men to walk the earth are after her." Oliver's blue eyes became crushed, the fear of losing the one he loved becoming too much.
Hating seeing his friend like this, Dig placed his hand on Oliver's knee and asked quietly, "Why are you so sure she will leave?"
"Because that's what I did." His chilling reply froze the silence in the room for a second.
"Hey, you have to tell her, man. For all we know, the cops could be wrong."
"You think they made up the evidence?" Hope fuelled Oliver's voice.
Forcing their eyes to meet Dig answered. "All I'm saying is that the picture could have been planted after the fire. We don't know. But I do know that being The Arrow means you gain a lot of enemies and I wouldn't put it past them to do something like this." Giving Oliver a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, Dig pushed himself from his crouching position and began to walk back towards the doorway.
The deafening sound of glass shattering around them brought both Oliver and Dig to their feet in a matter of seconds. Adrenaline pulsed through them as they charged towards the source of noise. There, standing in the hallway, were three figures, dressed in full back. Noticing their similar attire to the League sent an icy shiver down Oliver's spine. The three immediately engaged in contact, lashing out at Oliver and Dig. Clocking his surroundings Oliver noticed one of the mansion's bodyguards lying in a heap, soaking the dark carpet a deep red. Within seconds, Oliver knew this was Arrow business. The figures moved like shadows and Oliver could tell by their moves that they had had serious training. Two of the masked intruders were circling Oliver. Blocking a jab to the chin, Oliver fiercely grabbed hold of the man's arm, kicking his foot into his knee. At the sudden unbalance, the man toppled forward. Using this distraction, Oliver launched forward, throwing the man across the room. The sudden crash of the windows glass from upstairs caught Oliver's attention. Using Oliver's moment of distraction to his advantage, the figure landed a punch, causing droplets of blood to dribble down Oliver's face from his split lip. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he let his instincts take control. Dodging blows from the skilled attacker, Oliver slid an arm around the man's neck. Applying the lock, Oliver watched as the air began to drain from the man's lungs. Feeling the new dead weight in his arms he rushed to join Dig who had taken several injuries already.
Thea. The realisation dawned on him. Thea was upstairs and so was the fourth intruder he had heard breaking the window. Movement twitched in the corner of his eye as the first intruder began to stir. Oliver threw himself behind an upturned coffee table as an antique looking dagger flew past his chest. Grabbing the dagger from the floor he saw the man's body still as a shot from Dig rippled into his chest. Making sure his partner could handle himself, Oliver raced up the stairs towards Thea's room. Her terrified scream sending blood and rage rushing through his body. Forcefully kicking in the door, he flew into the room.
"WHERE IS SHE?" the intruder roared at the shaking girl. Wincing, Oliver saw his sister pinned against the wall, a steel blade pressing into her throat. Violent tears rushed down her paled face, terror clouding over the usual youthful glint in her eyes. "Step any closer and she dies" the intruder's dark voice sank its claws into the fear pulsating through the room. Without thinking, Oliver let his killer instincts take over, his sole focus on saving his sister. Oliver threw the dagger forcefully at the man's neck, watching it sink quickly into its target. Thea gasped in horror as the man's lifeless body slumped on top of her, the warm red liquid from his neck drowning her clothes. Throwing the man's body from hers, she backed away, panic stripping away at her. Looking across the room at her brother, she saw the dulled, emotionless look in his eyes- the look of a killer. Oliver tried to step towards his terrified sister but she cried in fear.
"You killed him," her words twisted a knife into Oliver's stomach. He never meant for his family to find out but he didn't have a choice. Thea was barely able to look at her brother. Of all the things she knew Oliver had done, he was hardly innocent, but the empty look in his eyes told Thea that he had killed before. Thousands of conflicting emotions flooded through her, focusing on the dead body sprawled across her bedroom floor and suddenly it all became too much. Oliver watched in pain as his sister retched in the corner of the room. Placing his hand on her arm he tried to hold back her loose hair but instead a cold shiver shot through Thea's core and she brushed him away harshly.
"I didn't have a choice. He was going to kill you," Oliver reasoned, attempting to defend his secret as The Arrow. Seeing the way Thea looked at him had been a chilling realisation. If Thea believed he was a killer then it wouldn't take long before she matched the dots and figured out he was The Arrow.
However, moving forward, Thea wrapped her arms around Oliver and sobbed into his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry!" Her words took him by surprise. Swiping a lock of fallen hair from her face, he looked down at her in confusion. "I'm sorry for teasing you before about hiding Felicity from me. I'm glad you kept her away," Thea's words came out muffled and disjointed as she cried harder, her tears soaking through Oliver's jacket. The next sentence that left his sister's mouth tore at Oliver painfully. "The intruder said... he said he was after Felicity. He was going to... He was going to kill her."
A/N: Thank you all for reading and following the story it means a lot! I am really excited to write the next chapter and introduce Moira's character, I loved the dynamic between her and Felicity on the show! Please let me know what you think so I can direct my writing to what you guys enjoy! So please review!