Dear Readers,

Finally, the final Olicity chapter is complete! Thank you to all the readers who reviewed and followed this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. You will notice that I used elements of dialogue, etc from their actual date even though the rest of it is not related at all.

To those who are interested, I will complete the Alicity component of this story shortly. There should be about 2-3 chapters which I hope to finish within the next 2 weeks, work and personal life permitting.

Regards,

LadyG

Oliver tugged nervously at the knot of his tie as he stared at Felicity's front door. He was nervous; a feeling he wasn't entirely used to experiencing around women. Usually he was the cool and collected one, his effortless charm the perfect go-to in any situation. As he'd come to realize lately, with Felicity it was different; every experience was new to him, every emotion a first. The truth was, she knew him too well and with her there was nowhere to hide. Interestingly enough, he wasn't even trying to anymore. He wanted her to know him, truly know him in a way he'd never allowed anyone to in a very long time. Anxiously running his hand down the front of his grey suit jacket once more, he couldn't help hoping that tonight would be the start of something he'd never dared to dream was possible.

Taking a minute to reflect, he thought about everything that had lead him to that exact moment: His decision to take Sara aboard the Queen's Gambit, the storm and the boat's ultimate demise, his father's death, the years of suffering and sacrifices he'd made, the harsh lessons he'd learned, his return to Starling City and the birth of The Hood. Those five years away from his family, his friends, his life, had been so devastating that at times he'd almost drowned in despair, but he couldn't deny that the man he now was was as a result of all that hardship and struggle. He didn't have a crystal ball or a time machine, he had no way of knowing how his life would have turned out if he'd never stepped on board his family's boat that fateful night so many years ago, but one thing was certain: He would probably never have met Felicity Smoak.

Who might he have been without knowing her? Everything he'd been through had shaped him and changed him into a man who was able to see the worth in other people. Someone who was driven by the need to make a difference in the world, someone who placed the needs of others ahead of his own, someone who'd very recently leant that love was a precious gift, one that was earned and when you were lucky enough to find it, you didn't allow fear to hold you back. He was ashamed to admit that the old Oliver would most likely never have paid Felicity much attention. He'd certainly never have been interested in getting to know her. He'd been too consumed with parties, popular people, drink and generally partaking in reckless and irresponsible behaviour to care much about anyone who didn't contribute to the playboy lifestyle. In retrospect it all seemed so pointless and he couldn't even remember what the appeal had been. A life of idle wastefulness had once been his dream. Now that could not be further from his reality. What a fool he'd been and may still have been had fate not had a very different destiny in mind for him.

Subconsciously, his mind cast back to the first time he'd met Felicity. In the bowels of the IT Department at Queen Consolidated, he'd thought to pull the wool over the eyes of some young novice who'd be so eager to impress the boss that they'd help him without asking any questions. Instead, what he'd received was a somewhat quirky woman, whose brilliant mind was linked to a mouth that tended to babble adorably while her keen sense of observation pierced through his bullshit without having to openly pry. Even now, he couldn't help smiling at the image of her, head cocked to the side, a red pen caught between bright pink lips, her gaze direct with a hint of incredulity as she listened to his ridiculous assertion that a spilled latte had been the reason he needed her help with his laptop rather than the glaring bullet holes that had littered it's surface.

That day, looking at her as she'd watched him with an expression that said, "seriously?" behind her black rimmed spectacles, he'd smiled for the first time in he couldn't remember how long. Genuinely smiled. He hadn't wanted to, but her reaction to his absurd claims had been as unexpected as it had been amusing and he hadn't been able to help himself. While he couldn't have known then what she'd eventually come to mean to him, in hindsight that moment between them had been the first time since his return from the dead that the seeds of trust had been planted between him and another human being.

Buoyed by the memory, Oliver, even more eager to see her as a result of it, gently rapped his knuckles against the white wooden door. Almost instantly it gave way and Felicity, his Felicity, was standing before him. The sight of her, poised and beautiful, knocked his breath from his chest. It wasn't that he hadn't seen her looking equally striking before, he had, many times over, but tonight however, he knew that the effort she'd made was as much for her as it was for him. The thought pleased him immensely.

"Felicity," he breathed, admiring the way her red v-neck dress lovingly hugged her curves in all the right places before coming to a halt just above her knees, her legs showcased to perfection in strappy gold high heels. Instinctively, he took a step towards her, his hands reaching up to gently cradle her face, their eyes locking together. Tempted by the attraction of her crimson lips, he was unable to help himself as he leaned down and claimed a soft kiss. "You look beautiful."

Unconsciously her hands lifted and rested against his forearms, a blush sweeping up her neck and across her cheeks. "Thank you."

She smelled wonderful, like fresh vanilla and sunshine; light and feminine, and for a moment he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, relishing her proximity to him. How had he ever thought he could suppress the myriad of emotions coursing through him as he held her against him? At that moment it seemed impossible. He stared down at her, his stomach tightening in knots.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just-"

She chuckled a little uneasily. "Nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Line forms behind me," she said, pointing a thumb over her left shoulder self-consciously.

He exhaled loudly. "Am I being crazy? I mean, what do we have to be nervous about?"

"Well, we've already exhausted every topic that one would normally talk about on a first date and a second date and a third date, and every date, actually, and I've already seen you shirtless." Her eyes closed momentarily, as though she couldn't believe she'd just said that. "Multiple times... Shirtless, all the time," she finished, the shade of pink in her cheeks deepening by the second.

Equally amused and charmed, he cleared his throat. "I think you'd better get your purse while I wait here."

"Right."

He watched as she turned and disappeared behind the door. Taking a deep breath Oliver steadied his nerves. There was a lot to be said and if they stood any chance of making this relationship work, then he couldn't hold back anymore. All cards on the table. That was what Felicity deserved and if he ever hoped to be worthy of her, then he needed to lay it all on the line, regardless of the outcome.

Rejoining him, she pulled the door closed behind her. Offering her his hand, he felt a surge of pleasure when she placed hers carefully in his. "I'm ready," she whispered.

Innocuous words, but they both knew it held a much deeper meaning. Squeezing her hand, he reciprocated. "So am I."

Rubbing a hand across her midriff, Felicity shook her head as their waiter offered her a selection of delicious looking desserts. "No, thank you. I'm stuffed." After the amazing meal they'd just shared, she was high on the intimacy of their setting and the company of the amazing man sitting opposite her. Not someone capable of half gestures, Oliver had persuaded the restaurateur of the most exclusive eatery in town to close his doors for the night and allow them exclusive reign over the place. In the cosy, candlelit ambiance, they were completely alone save for the lone waiter who discreetly popped in periodically to see to their comfort.

Satisfied, Felicity sat back and watched as Oliver chatted to the young man clearing their table. He looked relaxed and happy and she couldn't stop the hope that burgeoned at the thought that she may be the cause of it. Since she'd met him she'd seen his struggle to hold onto his emotions, always guarding them so fiercely, many times to his own detriment. But lately, it hadn't escaped her notice that he'd been trying to be more open, more tolerant and understanding of everyone in the team, most especially her. She knew he cared about her, that maybe there was something happening between them, but she was too afraid to label it.

Of course, she loved him. Her heart squeezed painfully as she watched him smile. She'd been in love with him for so long, it was hard to pinpoint the precise moment she'd known it to be true. Meeting him had given her life a new purpose, a way out of the mundane trappings of a predictable corporate existence. Being able to fight at his side, to contribute to making their city a better place, meant more to her than she'd ever imagined it would. The first day she'd met him, she'd been so taken aback by his unexpected appearance at her desk that she'd made a complete hash of things. Naturally she'd heard of his return, but she'd never thought to actually meet him. Then when she did, within the first five seconds she'd reminded him that his father was dead, that he wasn't and that she was probably a complete idiot. He'd caught her off guard and quite honestly, he'd been the last person she'd expected to see. Her first thought had been that blue jeans and a dark grey sweater had never looked as good and thankfully, she hadn't verbalized that. Luckily, her faux pas hadn't cost her her job, but had instead, started her on a strange journey that had eventually lead to her sitting across from him in an empty restaurant wondering if he could possibly ever feel about her the way she felt about him.

Engrossed in her private musings, she was startled when his gaze suddenly collided with hers. Her heart skipped a beat.

Oliver cleared his throat. "By the way, there are still a few things you don't know about me," he said, a little uncomfortably.

Sitting upright, she replied, "Please. Name one."

He shifted slightly in his seat, his hand reaching to straighten his blue tie. "The five years that I was away…. I wasn't always on Lian Yu."

"I thought so." She'd always suspected there was way more to the story than Oliver let on. She'd never pushed him for answers because she'd respected his need for privacy. But he seemed to want to talk about it and if so, she was more than willing to listen. "Where were you?

"Hong Kong, .for one." His mind seemed to wander for a second. "And I have been thinking a lot recently about my time there. The choices that I had to make."

She couldn't even begin to imagine what he'd been through and the toll that must have taken on him. "Those years sound like they were full of a whole lot of suck."

For a minute he seemed distracted, his eyes fixed on a distant mark somewhere behind her. As quickly as he'd mentally checked out, he shook himself and re-joined the present. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little out of my element." She knew that opening up didn't come naturally to him and she loved him all the more for trying. "The entire time that I was gone, I could never… completely trust someone. And when that goes on for so long, you stop seeing people for people. You see... threats. Or targets. And when I decided to come home, I-I just didn't know how to turn that part of me off." He gave her a faint smile and her heart turned over. "Then I walked into your office. You were the first person that I could see as a… a person. There was just something about you."

Touched, and a little self-conscious too, she deflected humorously, "Oh, yeah, I was chewing on a pen."

"It was red," he replied, without missing a beat.

She gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. "I can't believe you remember that."

He reached across the table and grasped her hand, slowly linking their fingers. Felicity watched, fascinated as his big, tanned hand enveloped hers, his palm rough and calloused against her own smooth skin. She'd never felt anything as wonderful. "I remember everything about you."

Her stomach flipped over. "Oliver-"

He interjected, "Do you remember when I told you that because of what we do, I didn't think that I could be with someone that I… that I could really care about?"

Her heart was racing a mile a minute, the blood rushing to her ears. "Yeah, I remember."

His eyes held hers captive, soft and earnest, hope and something else, something she was too afraid to name lurking in their depths, causing her breath to catch in her throat. "So maybe I was wrong."

Her fingers curled around his, their warmth seeping into her bones. Hope blossomed, big and bright, but still she held back, needing to be sure. "What exactly are you saying? Because Oliver, I don't want to misunderstand or think that you mean one thing when in reality you're actually referring to something completely different."

His throat moved, but no words came out. He's afraid. Incredulous, she realised that he was uncertain of her. His hand gripped hers almost painfully, but she hardly noticed. She needed to know the truth. "Felicity, what I'm saying is that I don't want to… hide anymore. I don't want to be safe, for my emotions to be compartmentalised, for things to always be simple and easy. Sometimes life is about getting dirty. I never thought I'd ever say this, but… I want messy and I want complicated and I-I want that with you."

She closed her eyes as the words seeped through her, their meaning warming her from the inside out. She'd waited so long to hear them, dreamt of them, never believed they'd ever be uttered to her.

The reality was far superior to even her greatest dream.

Misinterpreting her silence as doubt, Oliver's voice took on an edge of panic. "I know I've been the biggest jerk around. I-I've taken you for granted and I've tried to dictate how you live your life and made decisions about your future without consulting you. But Felicity," his voice cracked, his eyes pleading, "all I've ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy. I know I've gone about it the wrong way and instead of consulting you I was high handed and demanding. I'm sorry-"

Her eyes filling with tears, she whispered, "Oliver-"

He didn't seem to hear her. "…about this crazy emotional rollercoaster I've had you on. It wasn't fair and my only defence is my own fear. Fear of someone actually seeing me for who I am, knowing about all of the things I've done and running hysterically in the opposite direction. I guess it was just easier to keep things simple – casual relationships with women who needed me more than I needed them. That way, there was no chance of me ever becoming emotionally involved." He was staring down at their linked hands, his thumbs lovingly stoking the backs of hers. "Those five years messed me up, Felicity. They made me distrustful and vengeful and angry and…blind." His eyes rose slowly to meet hers and her heart slammed against her ribs at the raw emotion she saw in them. His eyes glazed with moisture, he wasn't hiding from her anymore. This was the Oliver she'd only rarely seen glimpses of, the man she loved with all her heart and soul. A lone tear slid down her cheek. "That blind stupidity and stubbornness almost made me lose sight of the most important thing in my life, the most important person." He rose from his chair and moved around the table to kneel beside her. Even if she'd wanted to speak, at that moment, she was incapable of uttering a word. "You see, unlike those meaningless relationships I thought I wanted, where I was the one that everyone else depended on, I realise that now I'm the one that's dependent on you. Not in a way that makes me weak, but in a way that makes me strong. I need you. You, Felicity Smoak, I love you."

When he finally said the words she realised that they'd never really been important. She'd known it all along, she'd just been too afraid to believe it. He'd shown her, in a hundred different ways over the last few months, proved it to her time and again. Even letting her go, thinking that she wanted to be with Adam was testament to how deeply he loved her. Only Oliver would sacrifice his own happiness for the people he cared most about. It was one of his most endearing and also most frustrating traits.

"I'm not expecting you to say it back, or even to feel it. I'm just asking for a chance to prove to you that I'm worthy of you. The fact that you're here tells me that you can't think me a total lost cause, right?" His attempt at humour while rendering himself completely vulnerable to her rejection struck her at her core. Gone was the charm, the self-assurance, the pride. The Oliver Queen she knew protected himself against any and all emotional ties, his armour seemingly impenetrable. Yet here he was, on his knees before her, open and exposed. For me. He's doing it for me.

With a sob, she launched herself at him, pulling him upright as her arms encircled his neck, her lips crashing down on his. She knew she'd caught him by surprise, but he recovered quickly, his arms enveloping her in an embrace that she hoped would never end, his lips crushing hers in a kiss that promised to set them both alight. Greedy and demanding his lips clung to hers desperately, his tongue plunging deep into the moist cavern of her mouth, his hands moving up to hold her head hostage. Her hands roamed restlessly across his shoulders, drawing him closer to her, enjoying the heat of his body as it permeated hers. Her lips would be bruised in the morning, but she didn't care. Not when she'd waited a lifetime for this moment.

Then, as frantic as the kiss had started, it changed, became softer, deeper, more intimate. His hands changed position, cupping the back of her head tenderly as his lips melted against hers. She moaned. Or he moaned. She couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was both of them. All she knew what that her body was on fire and the only one capable of extinguishing it was the very man responsible for the inferno. Her stomach, already a riot of butterflies, exploded with feeling as she felt one of his hands wander down her back and around the curve of her hip. Grasping his shoulders tighter, she pushed closer, unable to believe that he was finally hers - to touch, to kiss, to love.

His breathing ragged, she whimpered when Oliver lifted his lips from hers. "Wait. Does this mean…?"

She laughed, lightheaded and deliriously happy. "Yes," she confirmed, punctuating her words with sweet kisses. "I love you, Oliver. I've loved you for so long."

He closed his eyes savouring the words. "I'm sorry for being such a fool."

She shook her head. The time for apologies was over. They needed to look to the future. "What matters is that you've more than made up for it," she smiled.

"Felicity, there is so much you don't know, so many things-"

She placed a finger against his lips to silence him. "I know. I know there are things that you'll tell me that will be shocking and painful and perhaps even a little scary." She felt him tense against her. "But nothing would ever make me love you less." Her eyes remained focused on his. "I love you. I love who you are and every experience you've been through, good and bad, have contributed to you being you. So while I can't take away all the horrible things that happened to you, I want you to know that I'll always be here to listen, without judgement or censure. You're not alone anymore. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on these remarkably broad shoulders." She ran her hands possessively across them for emphasis. Mine. His relief was tangible as he gathered her against him, their laughter mingling softly. "I'm here, Oliver, and I'm not going anywhere."

Lifting her off her feet, he turned them in a slow circle. "Have I ever told you that you're remarkable?"

She pretended to think. "A time or two. But a girl never gets tired of hearing it."

"Then I'll be sure to remind you often," he promised as he leisurely set her back down, just as Andrew Belle's soft, raspy voice started singing the opening line to In My Veins. Felicity reared back to look at him, but his eyes registered equal surprise.

Impressed, she nodded. "Now this is service."

Smiling down at her, he adjusted his hold. "May I?"

Melting into his arms, Oliver brushed a stray bang behind her ear. "Digg's going go crazy."

She laughed. "Yes, he most certainly is."

"I owe him so much. If it wasn't for him, I don't know if I'd be standing here right now."

"Thank God for Digg," she teased, snuggling against the front of his suit jacket.

Lifting her chin to look at her, he lowered his lips to hers once more. "I promise you'll never regret this. I love you, Felicity."

Looking into his eyes, she realised that it didn't matter how they'd gotten there, only that they eventually had. "I know."

Sighing contentedly, she her eyes fell closed as her lips joined with his. It had been a long and sometimes painful journey, but finally they were together and deep down she knew with certainty that from that day forward, they would never be apart again.

Oh, you're in my veins and I cannot get you out….