A/N: All of your favorites, follows, and reviews hastened the process on chapter two. Probably your plan all along, you sneaky bastards. But seriously, thank you. Chapter three will take a little longer so don't even try buttering me up. For now, your reward sirs . . .

"It's not easily accessible. At least not like the Foundry."

Felicity wasn't sure when she had started thinking tactically, but somewhere between finding Oliver Queen bleeding out in the backseat of her car and moving equipment into the new Arrow Cave, it had become a habit like constantly looking over her shoulder, triple checking her locks at night, being afraid of men with eye patches, and the counting.

Eleven days ago, Slade Wilson had set Starling City on fire. Correction, eleven days ago, they had saved the city, together.

Ten days ago, they were on what felt like a never ending plane ride.

Nine days ago, they left Slade Wilson ranting in a cell on Landmine Island.

Eight days, ago Oliver went back to patrolling the once again ravaged streets, stringing up looters and rapists and other petty criminals all too willing to take advantage of their broken city.

Seven days ago, Oliver had plans to put his fist through a wall after Roy told him Thea had still been in the city during the attack. Felicity's hand on his elbow calmed him, somewhat.

Six days ago, Digg made Oliver take a break, donning the hood himself with Roy as backup, insisting that Oliver wouldn't be any good to Starling if he didn't let his knee heal properly. Now there was uneven pattern of much begrudged turn-taking.

Five days ago, Felicity lied to Roy, again, when he asked about Oliver's knee.

Four days ago, Oliver finally let her go to Verdant with them to help salvage gear and sadly very, very little tech.

Three days ago, they found a perfectly harmless but completely terrifying hobo sleeping under the stairs at the Foundry, and Oliver used his loud voice to tell her she wasn't allowed to go back there.

Two days ago, she tried to visit Detective Lance at the hospital only to be turned away. He was still in the ICU.

One day ago, Digg delivered a mismatched collection of visibly not new computer equipment to their new HQ. And the counting was the only way Felicity was able to keep track of the days anymore. Eleven seemed both too few and too many given, well, everything.

Thirty minutes ago, she had starting rambling while trying to make something of the wires, towers, and monitors strewn across the table in front of her. Oliver, seemingly consumed in a task involving a box full of arrowheads sitting just three feet away, hadn't said a word to stop her. She knew he had more than enough on his mind, but talking was to Felicity as brooding was to Oliver. They were both hopeless.

"Is there even another way out of here? And what about these ceilings? I don't think they're high enough for the salmon ladder. Can you even salvage the salmon ladder? It's probably permanently stuck under Verdant. Unemployed and no salmon ladder. What will I – you do all day? You can't just sit here in this cold, clammy, beige colored hole. Wow. It really is like a cave. Complete with caveman computers. Ugh. Not that I'm not grateful. I am. Grateful. Lyla didn't have to – borrow these from ARGUS. But most of them need to be completely rebuilt which, yes, I can pretty much do in my sleep. I don't even mind sacrificing tiny pieces of my soul to the greater good. Even you can tell some of these are older than Roy. Oliver? Where has Roy been sleeping?"

Oliver blinked back to awareness at the sudden silence. Felicity had stopped talking, to take a breath he hoped. And he was all too aware that he had taken refuge in the sound of her voice. It echoed more against these concrete walls instead of floating upward and dissolving before it had reached the apex under Verdant. But he relied on it more now. He wrapped himself in it. Like when he stumbled in after a long night, peeled off the hood, and pulled on his sweatshirt. It was a comfort, a reassurance that he shouldn't indulge. Not when it could cost them both. Not when he had so much to do. So much and no idea where to start, again. Square one, again.

Like so many times of late, Felicity had put him at ease, enough to think aloud. "We could go back to the list? Same corrupt elite are still profiting from the chaos." He couldn't help grinding his teeth just a little as he extended his bad leg, stretching out the stiffness that had quickly set in. He knew Felicity was listening. She was looking right at him with her serious face boring down on him until she was sure she had truly captured his attention. She stepped closer, hands poised to make a point. She lowered her voice.

"Where is Roy sleeping?" It was the second time she had asked that.

"Felicity, I have no ide-" He stopped himself sucking in his bottom lip, biting down on it with a nod. She already knew that. Her hands moved to her hips as he rose up so they were toe to toe. Her eyebrows were arched expectantly.

He looked at Roy and Diggle at the other end of the room. They were attempting to set up the med-bay. Diggle watching in amusement as Roy tried to tap into any residual super strength to bend the metal legs of the gurney back into shape.

"You could try telekinesis." Digg offered.

"You could try," Roy countered.

Almost smiling, Oliver looked back at Felicity her eyes begging him to see something. Felicity, Digg, Roy. They were all still here. They were still a team. His team. His responsibility. They had all been dealing the best they could but their collective frayed edges were starting to show. She wasn't straightening her hair or painting her nails. Diggle was unshaven for the first time since Oliver had met him. Roy didn't have any product in his hair, and of course there were the dark half-moons under his eyes, too. All their eyes. Okay, Felicity. You win. He thought.

He leaned in so Felicity couldn't see the smirk as he whispered, "Take Roy home with you," in an almost Arrow-like timbre.

Her voice caught just half a breath in her throat. "Excuse me?"

"Ask him to stay with you." I win too. She stared blankly back at him. "You have a couch. I don't."

She about winced. "Sorry."

"Please?" He rested a hand on her shoulder but it wasn't quite the gesture it was before. It used to be right. Now, it was too much. Or maybe not enough. It was confusing. But Felicity never pulled away.

"Okay." She agreed. And smiled, the smug smile of self-satisfaction adding, "Because you're right. We should take care of each other first." With that she was happy to turn back to her pile of computer guts. When she started humming he knew she was safely ensconced in her own world. Remarkable. Then, he crossed the room to Roy and Digg.

"Harper!" Making Roy jump was one of the small joys Oliver consciously allowed himself.

"Boss?" Since he'd woken up, Roy was the picture of obedience, though keeping his many street charms. Oliver hadn't expected it but he appreciated it.

"Felicity needs to ask you something. Say yes." For the time being, it made things a little easier. Roy simply nodded and walked toward their IT girl. Oliver heard him drawl a "Hey, Barbie." He was sure Felicity would put an end to that, soon.

And now Oliver got to be the smug one. His self-congratulations cut short by Diggle's all-seeing, all-knowing expression. Oliver tried to look innocent which had been a hard sell pretty much since birth. "Roy needs a place to stay," he shrugged.

"What do you get out of it?"

"Roy. Gets a place to stay." He was not playing into Digg's hand today.

"Right."

"Let's get back to work."