Okay, so has anyone noticed the degeneration of Olicity in the past two episodes? Oliver has been so cold towards Felicity! I know Olicity shouldn't happen too fast, but it sucks that they haven't had any "moments" and Oliver never laughs or smiles with her.

So I've decided to use this to my advantage and incorporate "Dodger" and "Dead to Rights" in my story to make it appear canon-ish. I've interpreted the two episodes in relation to Cupid's Arrow to make the Oliver/Felicity scenes appear consequential to what I've already written.

Because if you squint, it works scary well.

Also, there's no sex in this chapter. Sorry.

Felicity knew better than to delude herself. Of course he was only experimenting. Of course it wouldn't last. Why would it? She was just an awkward techie, definitely not Oliver's type. She shouldn't have even wondered if he was just trying something new. It was so obvious. It seems the old Oliver wasn't completely gone after all.

Things had been great on Valentine's Day, then a few days later when he spent the night. She wouldn't deny that it had been total bliss. But Felicity shouldn't have thought that meant there was something real between them; because there wasn't.

He got bored of her quickly. Very, very quickly. After he left her that morning, he didn't call until the next day, when he needed her help recovering data. He had been sweet to her as she typed away in the Arrow Cave, but he also only stayed for a few minutes. When she did her job and handed over the information, he was nice. But no kiss on the cheek, no invitation, not even a little playfulness. She thought he was just in a mood, maybe caught up in some recent family drama or something. But then, the day after that…

He said they should stay friends. Their involvement shouldn't get too complicated. He cared about her too much to see her get hurt. Yeah, whatever the hell that meant. But she was nice about it. She told him she understood. And she did. She knew she wasn't pretty enough, graceful enough, sexy enough… It was obvious from the start. But she was fine. She had him for a little while, right? So she completely shut it out. Poof. It never happened. They were only ever friends. No hard feelings whatsoever.

Felicity put on a brave face during their talk, but when she got home she barely made it to the kitchen counter before collapsing in tears. She put on "Smile" by Nat King Cole and played it at least ten times as she sobbed on her bed. It was the song her dad always sang to her when she was miserable, and it always cheered her up. If you smile through your fear and sorrow…

Smile, and maybe tomorrow…You'll see the sun come shining through for you…

It got easier as he got colder towards her. Their former intimacy has actually made it easier to stand up to him. She was able to get in Oliver's face about orphaning a ten-year-old boy, even when feeling him so close was painfully reminiscent. Feeling his heat, smelling his scent… she didn't let it get to her. And when he came to the IT Department to convince her he wasn't such a monster, it was kind of nice. It meant he cared what she thought, which she found surprising.

The "date" thing wasn't as easy, though. Diggle wasn't happy about how Oliver had treated Felicity, so he threw the "McKenna" thing out as bait, daring him to admit who he really cared about. Felicity went with it, having the same hope as Diggle. Oliver didn't deny having a thing for McKenna Hall, so Felicity pushed it and told him to flirt with her in order to but a chip in her phone. She and Diggle didn't actually want that to end in a date, but oh well. At least the date hadn't gone spectacularly.

Then she tried to throw him off, maybe make him feel like he'd missed out. So she got dressed up, showed off her legs. Curled her hair in that familiar way. She didn't even wear her glasses. And yet, he didn't even bat an eyelash. But neither did she, because that's what she had expected. She was socially awkward, but that didn't mean she couldn't play the game.

And the bomb collar… damn, that was scary. She didn't realize the Dodger would have one of those with him, or be able to just swoop it around her neck. She remembered the fear build in her as he pulled her hair gently out from under the bomb collar, like you would with a necklace. Such a gentleman.

She ran to Oliver. He was just… it was like he was numb. Robotic. Yes, he was determined to save her, and he did, but…

He didn't even come back to check on her. And he never mentioned the incident again, nor did he ever ask if she was okay. She knew it was a redundant question, but it would've been nice to hear. And where did he go instead? To make up with McKenna. Now their relationship was going strong. Yippee.

But still, she didn't let that get to her. She refused to be bitter. Felicity still got to be a part of the Arrow Team, and Oliver hadn't shunned her completely. Strangely, this kept her pretty happy. She figured that eventually the pain would disappear once she was fully able to accept that she was just Oliver's nerd, since that's how it should be.

Luckily, Diggle was being friendlier. She appreciated that he knew what was going on, but didn't bring it up. He joked around with her, which helped keep her mood light. And he offered to teach her how to defend herself. Felicity appreciated that, even though it wasn't fun to get thrown around. He knew that she must be feeling dejected since Oliver pushed her away, and he gave her a much-needed friend.

But there was a small moment where it seemed he couldn't help but speak up.

Oliver announced that he had to go meet McKenna, and Diggle said it probably wasn't a good idea to date a cop who was hunting him. Felicity flinched slightly, knowing that Diggle was nudging Oliver, trying to make him admit that McKenna wasn't a healthy choice. Oliver's reply felt like an arrow to the chest:

"Well, it's slim pickings for us vigilantes."

That son of a bitch. Did he have to say that so Felicity could hear him? And did he know how much it hurt that he barely ever looked at her, even when he was talking to her?

Felicity wondered if Oliver noticed or even cared that he never joked with her anymore, or that he was so cold and commanding. And it seemed that now he only paid attention her when he wanted her to work her geeky tech magic.

And this was a small sting, but he seemed to be getting more annoyed and impatient with her babbling.

If his cause weren't so noble—albeit obscenely violent—she would've quit. But she needed their help finding Walter, and they really needed a geek, anyway.

"I think you need some more practice."

Felicity turned around in her office chair, wondering why Diggle wanted to kick her butt—or, as he called it, teach her self-defense.

"Am I doing that sad zoning-out thing again?" He said that every once in a while her eyes would glaze over and she'd look depressed, and she didn't want Oliver to see her that way. Luckily, he wasn't in the Arrow Cave at the moment.

Diggle shrugged. "I think you need to do something more distracting."

"I'm getting better, Dig."

"I know," he walked away from the mat. "You've been great at hiding it. I'm still worried, though."

"About me?" She turned back around and faced her computer. "You've got bigger things to worry about than my feelings. I'm really not worth fussing over."

"You were pretty pissed when Oliver invited McKenna to the factory while we were still in the basement. It made you very determined to hack that phone."

"I'd been at it for a while," she replied, staring at her screen. "I just really wanted to get it done."

"Because you knew that as soon as you did, Oliver would have to leave and end his date."

Felicity adjusted her glasses. "Not necessarily."

Diggle stood next to her. "You don't have to keep everything bottled up like Oliver does."

She sighed. "Why does he have to date her?" Her gaze met his. "I mean besides the fact that she's obviously beautiful. Even if she wasn't hunting the Hood, she's still a cop! How does that make any sense? He could never trust her with his secret. Did you think he'd really go through with it when you dared him to ask her out?"

"Did you?" He leaned on the desk. "I know I didn't expect him to go after her so fervently. And I think having her in the factory was risky. I'm not sure what he thinks he's doing."

"'Well, it's slim pickings for us vigilantes.'" She quoted in a deep, mocking voice. "He acts like she's the only eligible girl, like I'm not even…" Feeling tears, she shut her eyes.

Diggle put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I can hear him upstairs," he warned quietly. "Don't let him see you cry."

"Hide every trace of sadness… Although a tear may be ever so near…" she sang just loud enough Diggle to hear.

He chuckled and patted her shoulder just as Oliver descended the stairs.

Oliver had been told many times that he was a bad liar. It was true; unless he was really motivated, like when it came to keeping his secret. He even fooled a lie-detector test to protect it. But that wasn't the only thing he found he could lie about. There was also Felicity.

His time with her had been… perfect. Too perfect. He thought he could just have fun with her and forget his responsibilities for a while, but he hadn't expected to like her so much. Just those two nights with her, and he was officially whipped. He wanted her so badly it scared the hell out of him, because then came the fear that if he let her get close to him, she would get hurt. He couldn't help feeling that being with her would put her in danger, make her a target, no matter how hard he tried to protect her. He knew it was irrational, but look what happened to Laurel. He had feelings for her, and he'd already had to save her a few times. And to think what might happen to Felicity… well, it already happened, didn't it?

The situation with the Dodger had confirmed his fears and justified his detachment. Seeing that bomb around her neck… if he hadn't shut down emotionally, he would've lost it. He had been so scared, horrified at the thought of losing her. But he buried those feelings and did what he had to in order to save her.

Then he went to make up with McKenna instead of checking on Felicity, because otherwise he would've crumbled and admitted to Felicity that he loved her. But he couldn't do that; McKenna had become a necessary distraction at that point. If he dove into a relationship with her, then he could keep distance between him and Felicity. That's why he agreed to ask McKenna out in the first place, even though he knew Diggle and Felicity had only been messing with him by encouraging it.

If he could push Felicity out of his life completely, he would. But she was too damn valuable to the team. So he continued to get colder and more commanding, willing her to only see him as a boss. He hated it. He missed her. But he thought it was the only way to keep her safe.

The Arrow Cave was quiet as Oliver descended the stairs, except for the sound of Diggle chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Oliver asked as he reached the last stair.

"Felicity is a surprisingly good singer." Diggle answered.

That reminded Oliver of the time he heard her sing the Big Bang Theory theme song, and he pushed the thought away. "Next guy on the list is Roger Wentworth. He won't be a problem, so you two can go home if you want."

"Are you going to kill him?" Felicity piped up, peeking over her computer. "Not that I have any say in how you handle people on the list, I was just wondering because he has grandkids. I mean, he's a really bad guy, but—"

"As I said, you can go home." Oliver interjected, sounding aggravated as he walked towards his big green box.

Diggle glanced at Felicity, who was biting her lip. He could tell she was holding back tears again.

Suddenly, she stood up and grabbed her coat and bag.

"Bye, Dig," she said before ascending the stairs. "And happy hunting, Oliver!" she called before closing the door behind her.

Felicity needed a moment before starting the car; otherwise her vision would be blurred by tears as she drove home. Why did he have to be such a dick to her? What did she do wrong?

She rested her head on the steering wheel, reminding herself that given time, things would get better. All she had to do was put on a happy face and wait for Oliver to come around.

Smile, what's the use of crying? You'll find that life is still worthwhile… If you just smile.

I hope this makes you view "Dodger" and "Dead to Rights" in a new, interesting light. And hopefully I didn't overlook anything glaringly contradictory.

Fear not, for this is not the last chapter! There will be more… eventually. And things will get crazy.

Also, Felicity had a song in this chapter, and I think Oliver does, too. His is "Arms" by Christina Perri. Yes, very girly, but unless I'm misreading the lyrics, I think it fits really well with his feelings.