I hope this satisfies those of you who wanted to see Felicity stand up to Oliver and hold her own. For me, despite his tendency to make the most appalling decisions in his personal life, I do honestly believe that he cares about her. Sometimes the best way to remind someone of what they have is when you suddenly take it away.

Thank you for taking the time to read and review. You don't know how much I appreciate it. :)

LadyG

"What's going on between you and Donner?"

So much for beating around the bush. Placing her fingers at her temples, she prayed for patience. "Firstly, his name is Adam-"

"Oh, sorry," he interjected. "I wasn't aware that you two were on a first name basis already."

Felicity took a deep breath, ignoring his sarcasm. "His name is Adam," she repeated. "And there is nothing going on between us."

Oliver opened his mouth, but she held up a finger to silence him. "And even if there was, it wouldn't be any of your business."

He gaped at her, running a hand distractedly over his short hair. "None of my business? The guy's a snake! Why would you even be entertaining someone like him?"

Walking up to Oliver, she poked him in the chest with her index finger. "You are not allowed to tell me who I may, or may not socialize with. If I want to talk to Adam or anyone else for that matter, I don't need your permission."

"He tried to jail my mother!" Oliver's voice rose, incensed.

"He was doing his job!" she countered stubbornly.

His eyes narrowed, his voice dropping an octave. "Now you're defending him?"

Felicity rolled her eyes. "You're being completely unreasonable. Technically, Laurel prosecuted your mother and you're still friendly with her."

By the way his jaw tightened, she could tell that she'd hit her mark. "That's different."

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, she asked, "How?"

"I don't trust him," he ground out. The soft glow of the computer screens highlighted his angular features to perfection. Felicity resolved to stay on point and not allow herself to become distracted by her unrequited attraction to him.

"How you feel isn't relevant," she started, grabbing her purse and stuffing her keys inside. She needed to occupy her hands or she was likely to throttle him. She cleared her throat. "I don't see you sending your new girlfriends past me for inspection."

"What?!"That clearly touched a nerve.

Felicity's chin rose. She refused to cower. "You heard me. I don't pick the women you date. You don't get to have a say in the men I choose."

A strangled laugh filled with disbelief escaped into the air. "So now you're dating the DA?"

Did he think she wasn't good enough? Irritated, she felt her hackles rising. "What? No. I'm trying to make a point."

He leaned in closer to her, his voice dangerously low. "Here's my point: I forbid you to see him again."

Felicity's mouth dropped open, fury building up inside of her at an alarming rate. She couldn't believe his arrogance. "This is not about you, Oliver. This is about me! A concept that must be pretty hard for you to grasp since you can't seem to focus on anyone's needs beyond yours. I may work for you, but you don't own me!"

Oliver looked at her sharply, shaking his head. "I've never treated you that way."

Felicity dumped her purse back onto the desk, placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Haven't you? I'm an IT specialist. That's my job, what I'm trained to do. But right now, I'm your personal assistant. A title that's only marginally less patronizing than calling me your secretary! All done without so much as a courteous consultation! Do you want to know what that makes me?" Angrily, she shoved a lock of hair out of her face. "Let me tell you. The laughing stock at Queen Consolidated!"

"Felic-"

She didn't give him a chance to respond. She walked past him, filled with restless energy, and stopped in front of his case of arrows. She was trying to control the myriad of emotions coursing through her before turning back to face him. "And don't tell me that we know the truth, because that doesn't make me feel less ridiculous while I'm ordering your favourite sandwich for lunch!"

Oliver unzipped his black jacket, worn casually over designer blue jeans and a white Henley. He threw it in the general direction of a workbench although neither of them noticed when it missed its mark and landed in a heap on the floor. "You know I value your contribution here, Felicity. In order for us to be able to do the things we need to, you have to be close to me. That's the only reason I moved you upstairs. We've discussed this," he explained, as though she were a child.

Her gaze flashed at him. "No, we didn't. You decided it and I was just expected to smile and accept it. I used to be admired by my colleagues, Oliver. Now they all think I'm just another dumb blonde chasing after you."

Oliver looked dumbstruck. "They do not." She noticed that his words were said with less conviction.

Felicity knew that if she didn't stand her ground now, he'd always assume that he could run roughshod over her. No matter how she felt about him, how her heart ached every time she saw him, the only way she was ever going to get over it, was by learning to stand up for herself. If he couldn't love her, then she would make darned sure that he respected her.

"Don't they?" She laughed humorlessly. They were standing so close; she could smell the combination of his aftershave and that scent that was uniquely his – masculine, clean, fresh. "You don't hear the whispers, do you? You don't see the sly looks; you don't have to ignore the crude remarks. But despite all that, I did as you asked with minimal protest because it was for the greater good. Because that's what I do; I look at the bigger picture, I take one for team and I try not to be selfish." On a roll, becoming more emotional with every word and yet unable to stop the bitter tirade, she continued, "But those sentiments don't apply to you. You get to do what you want regardless of the consequences as long as it benefits you."

"That's not true!" He drew a ragged breath and she could tell his mind was racing, measuring her words, perhaps searching for any semblance of truth.

Flabbergasted at his ignorance, she fought to hold back the tears burning at the back of her throat. "Diggle and I don't even have personal lives because we're so focused on keeping your secret safe. But you? Oh, you have more than enough going on in your private time to make up for the sorry state of ours." She raised her hand and started ticking off fingers. "Let's see. Helena, Laurel, Isabel, Sara. Have I missed anyone?" Felicity knew she was out of line, but she didn't care. She was just so tired of hiding her feelings and suffering in silence. "While you reap the benefits of no-strings liaisons, I've endured a different fate. Humiliation, Oliver. Constant humiliation." She hated that her voice shook with angry tears. "My professional life is a joke."

A lone tear tracked down her cheek. By the stricken look in Oliver's eyes she could see she'd struck a chord. She'd hurt him. Seeing that suddenly let all the wind out of her sails. She wasn't mean by nature. She never set out to cause anyone pain and she hated that their relationship had reached this point. But perhaps it was necessary too.

It wasn't his entire fault either. If she hadn't been so upset, she'd have owned up to her role in creating this mess. She'd allowed him to take her for granted because of her feelings for him. He'd hurt her time and again because she'd allowed him to and not because he's been acting intentionally. The obvious solution was that they needed to set some boundaries and Oliver was never going to be the one to do it. That left the task to her.

He stood completely still, his eyes locked with hers. The silence between them stretched uncomfortably until Oliver finally asked, "Why now, Felicity? Why haven't you ever told me any of this before?"

Because I can't stand the thought that you'd rather be with anyone other than me.

The gentleness in his tone was nearly her undoing. She knew he cared about her. He just didn't care in the way she'd always hoped he would. She knew Oliver wasn't really as callous as she'd made him out to be. Was he oblivious, arrogant and single-minded at times? Yes. Was he deliberately cruel? No. But that didn't mean that her words had no basis in truth. "I guess because I never thought I'd have to spell it out. You used to be really good at getting me. Perhaps you just don't anymore."

He looked completely out of his depth. If the deep frown between his brows was any indication, she'd given him a lot to think about. "I don't know what to say."

Sniffing, she dabbed a tissue to the corners of her eyes. "Oliver, it's late and I'm tired. I think enough's been said today." She picked up her purse and swung it over her shoulder.

"Can I give you a ride home?" he asked softly, watching her, his gaze guarded.

"Err, no, thanks. My car's outside."

With a small smile she brushed past him on her way out. He caught her arm. She could feel the warmth of his touch right through her shirt. "You know this conversation isn't over, right?"

She nodded.

"No matter what decisions I've made, Felicity, I want you to know that I never meant to disregard the feelings of my favourite IT girl." The smile he gave her suggested he was trying to lighten the mood.

A week ago, that comment would have resulted in a smile but at that moment, it made her sadder than ever. Crossing her arms over her chest protectively she whispered, "The fact that you still seem to think of me as a girl is perhaps the entire problem, Oliver. I'm not a girl, I'm a grown woman. I have been since the moment you met me. Apparently you're the only person incapable of seeing that."

Feeling as though a weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders, Felicity walked past him and out of the foundry.

Long after she'd left, Oliver still couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just lost something he hadn't even realized he'd had.