Ok people, here it is…the final chapter! This one will be without a doubt the most angsty, drama filled chapter out of the bunch, but that's how it should be! The way Felicity saves Oliver in this final chapter is different than all the others, which you will see as you read through it! I hope you enjoy it, and thanks again so much for all the reviews and love on this little story!

Oliver wasn't sure when it happened. Maybe it was the first inappropriate ramble, or the first time she dismissed one of his stories as a lie, or maybe it was the first time they stood nose to nose locked in a heated discussion. Whenever or whatever it was, Oliver Queen had fallen in love with Felicity Smoak. He had tried not to. Lord knows he had tried so hard not to. It was wrong, he knew, to subject her to his life. To bring her into the danger that he faced each and every day, knowing very well that she could be hurt or worse, killed. But Oliver also knew that Felicity was loyal, and as soon as he had revealed the truth of his identity to her, he knew that she would never turn away from him. That was one of the reasons why he had ultimately brought her in. Someone that faithful, that smart, and that remarkable, could only be an asset to his mission.

And she was. But she was also so much more. What began as a simple friendship had somehow become a dependence. He looked back to the previous year when he had done everything alone and couldn't fathom going back to that. Diggle was his brother in battle but Felicity was more than a partner. Before all he had seen were names, all he had cared about was crossing them off the list, but Felicity had proved to him that he could be more.

When all he knew was kill or be killed, she showed him that there was another way.
When he thought he was nothing but a monster, she showed him he was a hero.
When he was lost in his darkness, she pulled him out with her light.

She proved to him day after day, that there was more to this life than names, lists and mission. She had proved to him that he deserved better and in the end, he believed her. Felicity Smoak had saved him, not just from criminals, police or crazy ex-girlfriends. No, Felicity Smoak had saved him from the darkness in his heart. She had saved him from the reality of his past and showed him the possibility of a future. She had saved him from the self-doubt, the internal demons, and self-deprecating thoughts. Felicity Smoak had saved Oliver Queen, and not just part of him. She had saved every part of him, from the Ollie that his family knew to the Mr. Queen his business partners knew to the vigilante that everyone only thought they knew.

But now, she was gone, and he had no idea why. After their kiss in the hospital, not much had changed, at least not to those on the outside. His heart however, had exploded the moment their lips had met. The fear he held in his heart over losing her melted away to the warmth of her lips. The love he had for her bubbled over when he pulled back and watched her lips curl into a small smile. He had spent the following days with her in her apartment, helping her get adjusted, holding her at night when she slept, and watching her wake in the morning.

In was the happiest he could ever remember himself being, and then one day it all fell away. He had arrived at Queen Consolidated to find her desk empty and a note from her, resigning her position and requesting a transfer back down to the IT department. He had traveled down the 18 floors in a hurry, only to be told that she had taken the entire week off due to illness. He tried calling her every 30 minutes, even excusing himself from meetings throughout the day, only to be met with her voicemail. The Foundry was just as empty when he arrived later that evening and it took everything he had not to barge through her apartment door looking for her. Diggle had assured him that he had spoken to her and that all she had said was that she needed a break. Ok, a break he could handle, but what he couldn't grasp was why she hadn't come to him. It was as if she was hiding from him or worse, pulling away from him completely. But why?

The week drug on and no matter what Oliver did, he couldn't get his mind off of Felicity. He dreamt of her smile and her vibrant colored lips. He felt her next to him in his bed, even though she had never occupied it. He found himself in her favorite coffee shop each and every morning, praying that she would be there as well. He stared at her empty desk at work and sat in her empty chair in the lair. It had been a week without a word from her, and his resolve was crumbling. Digg told him to stay away. He said Felicity had begged them to give her some time, but Oliver had given her a week, and the truth was that he couldn't take anymore. He needed to see her. He needed to feel her skin under his fingertips and her breath against his cheek. He needed to kiss the pulse in her neck and know she was safe. Not knowing what was going on was slowly driving him insane.

Oliver didn't hesitate when he approached Felicity's door. Using the key she had given him last week, he entered the apartment quietly, still slightly unsure of what he was going to say to her. He found her standing in the kitchen, her back to him, clutching a mug of tea judging from the tea kettle still sitting on the stove.

"Felicity?" She jumped, her mug dropping to the floor and shattering. Oliver would have laughed had it not been for her trembling hands and fear filled eyes. He took a step closer to her, freezing mid step when he noticed the bruise that was fading beneath her eye. A bruise that from the look of it had been around for about a week.

Everything slowly began to fall into place. The unexpected time off, the sudden avoidance, the bruise…Oliver found himself squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his hands into fists at his side, trying to control his rage. When he finally opened his eyes again, Felicity was bent down in front of him picking up shattered pieces of her mug. Oliver slowly lowered himself to her level, his hands coming to rest on her arms. He gently coaxed her to stand, taking the broken pieces of glass from her still trembling hands and tossing them into the sink.

Felicity's eyes were downcast, and Oliver brought his hands up to her face, gently cupping it in his hands to tilt her head up. He tried not to focus on the bruise, but his thumb found it, and he unconsciously traced it, watching as Felicity's eyes fell closed once more.

"Felicity, talk to me," he pleaded, but she just shook her head. "Please…"

Suddenly, she broke, collapsing into Oliver's arms. Oliver hugged Felicity close, whispering comfort into her ear and stoking his hand through her un-kept hair until nothing but silent tremors ran through her body. Oliver led her to the couch, pulling her onto his lap and draping a blanket over her bare shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Felicity whispered into his chest.

Oliver pulled back from her, forcing her to sit up so that he could look at her face. She scrubbed her hands over her cheeks, wiping away the last of her residual tears.

"Tell me what happened," Oliver said as he took Felicity's hands in his own. "Tell me who it is I need to hunt down for this." He knew his voice had lowered into a growl, but he didn't care. His composure was wavering with each glance at the fading purple and blue bruise.

Felicity took a deep breath. "It was a mugging. I fought back, which earned me a nice accessory," she winced as Oliver's hands tightened around hers. "He took my purse and left, nothing more. Well, other than the shiner."

"Why didn't you call me?" Oliver couldn't hold back the hurt in his voice. Did she think he wouldn't help her? Did she think he wouldn't protect her? The questions twisted in his gut.

"I called Detective Lance. He took my statement and brought me home. The guy was apparently an idiot. He tried to use my credit card two hours later and was arrested. I got my stuff back and he's in jail. There was no need to call you." Felicity was looking down again and Oliver quickly recognized she had been avoiding eye contact since he'd arrived.

"Felicity…" but suddenly Felicity was standing, pacing back and forth in front of the couch.

"I just needed a few days Oliver. I wanted the bruise to heal before I came to you, before I told you."

"You could have let me help you."

Felicity shook her head fiercely. "No. I can't…I can't do this anymore, Oliver."

Oliver's breath caught. She couldn't do this anymore? He had suffered through an entire week without her and could barely manage it, the thought of going through any more without her made him shudder.

"Felicity, please…"

"No!" Felicity shouted, pressing her hands into his chest to stop him from reaching her. "I can't be a liability anymore. I can't be the weak link. I won't be the one to be used against you. I won't add to your guilt, Oliver. I can't do it!" Tears were streaming down her face again and her hands were fisted in his shirt.

Oliver brought his hands up to cover hers, slowly prying her hands from their death grip on his shirt. He searched her face for understanding, but all he saw was pain and worry. "Felicity, I don't understand what you're saying."

"I couldn't even protect myself from a mugger. A low life mugger, Oliver. Not some serial killer, or a trained professional, or genetically altered soldier. He was an idiot who only wanted my purse, and I couldn't protect myself. If I can't protect myself from men like that, then I don't belong on your team." She pulled away from him again to resume her pacing. Oliver stood still as a board, still unsure of what she was getting at.

"You carry everything on your shoulders. Every bad outcome, every injury, every death…it's all your fault even when it isn't. It's what drives me insane and makes me love you all at the same time." Oliver froze at her words, but Felicity wasn't stopping. "I won't add to that guilt. I clearly can't protect myself, which means that one of these days I am bound to get hurt. Even though I know in my heart it will have nothing to do with you, I know that you will still blame yourself. I know that you will still place that burden on your shoulders, and my pain and my choices are not yours to carry Oliver Queen."

Oliver crossed the room and grabbed Felicity before she could make a move to push him away. In his haste to have her in his arms he didn't even bother to be gentle. His lips crashed down on hers and just as the realization of what he was doing struck him he felt Felicity's hands snake around his back and pull him closer. Her fingernails were digging into his back and if he hadn't been so focused on the way her tongue was tracing his lips he might have actually thought it hurt.

"You are the most selfless and remarkable woman I have ever met," Oliver said, still trying to regain his breath. His entire body was coursing with electricity from the way her lips had moved across his and he had to fight the urge to throw her over his shoulder and lock them in her bedroom.

Felicity opened her mouth to speak but Oliver held up a hand, stopping her. "You had your turn, now let me have the floor." Felicity smiled at him slightly before stepping back and sitting on the couch.

Oliver rubbed a hand through his hair, trying to find the right words to make her understand. "Felicity, you are not the weak link, in fact, there is nothing remotely weak about you. You gave purpose to our team. You are smart and tough and loyal. You are the glue that holds us together, that holds me together, and I can't lose that. No, I won't lose that. You are not a liability, Felicity. Yes, being with me makes you a target, but you are not my weakness. You are my rock, my strength, my light at the end of the tunnel. Felicity Smoak you have saved me, over and over day after day, and if you let me, I want to prove to you each day that I am in fact the man that you believe I am. I need you, Felicity, I need you and I have never needed anyone."

By the time Oliver finally chanced a glance at Felicity, all he noticed were the tears. These tears were different from the ones she shed earlier though. Gone was the fear and worry and pain. Instead, her tear filled eyes were light and a small smile was on her lips.

"So, what exactly are you saying?" Felicity asked, standing in front of him once again. Her hands trailed up his chest, sure and steady, before wrapping around his neck.

"I'm saying that I love you." Oliver was surprised at the firmness of his voice with such significant words, but then again, he wasn't surprised at all. This was right, it had always been right, even though it had taken him a while to see it.

"You love me?" Felicity asked, disbelief in her voice. He was ashamed at the doubt in her question. She never should have had to question those words.

"I love you," he repeated, dipping his head down to her ear.

He said it again, hearing the intake of breath as his lips brushed against her ear. He said it again, even when her lips were on his and she was pushing him back into her room. He said it again, even though Felicity was sound asleep in his arms.

Oliver planned to never stop saying those words. Oliver Queen was going to love Felicity Smoak until his last and final breath, and even longer if he was able to.

Well, that's it! Thanks again for going on this little story journey with me. It's been so much fun!