A/N: Okay, I have been very excited to write this chapter ever since jaitoddja13 requested it. It references the events of last chapter, just fyi. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! One note: I had to research this a little because I know absolutely nothing about it...so if I'm terribly wrong, please tell me!

Enjoy =).

"Any luck?"

Oliver started at the sound of the voice behind him, all his muscles tensing up reflexively, preparing himself in case there was a threat. However, a fraction of a second later, his brain identified the voice as Felicity's and he relaxed. "No." He got up and faced her, putting his hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Not yet," he amended his statement with a smile that was more for her benefit than it was genuine. "But we'll find him."

"I know." She smiled at him and he could see the trust in her eyes. Trust that he would find the Goblin before he could hurt her again.

It had been a couple weeks since the incident, and everything had mostly returned to normal. Mostly. If Felicity had been a little more reserved and Oliver a little more intense since the incident, neither of them commented on it. And with Lyla's pregnancy, Diggle wasn't around often enough to notice any of the changes in his two friends.

"Oliver?" Felicity asked, then hesitated, her eyes dropping to the floor. "Can I ask you something?"

Oliver hated the sight of her looking nervous around him and rushed to reply. "Of course. Anything." He said the words gently, but imbued them with meaning. He would do anything for Felicity without a second's thought. Anything to make her smile, to wipe the doubt off her face.

She wrung her hands a little and smiled unsurely at him. "Diggle isn't around much anymore and he was training me sometimes but we never really got very far and with the Goblin around and everything I just thought that I should know how to defend myself and not keep being the damsel in distress who needs a knight in shining armor," she babbled. Then her eyes widened. "Not that you're my knight or anything, and," she wrinkled her nose cutely. "I'm going to stop talking."

Realizing that he had a goofy smile on his face, Oliver cleared his throat and adopted a more serious expression to consider her request. He had a hard time keeping a straight face when she started babbling because it was just so...so her. And he loved it about her.

"Ahh, you want me to train you?"

She nodded emphatically. "Yes. To fight bad guys."

Oliver smiled, making his decision. "Sure, why not?"

...

The next morning, it took Oliver all of five seconds to decide that he had made a huge error by agreeing to train Felicity.

She walked into the lair at 6:30 am sharp and his jaw nearly fell open at the sight. She wore black spandex shorts that just barely reached mid-thigh, leaving long, bare legs tantalizing him with every step. A bright pink tank-top hugged all of her curves. As she walked towards him, he noticed that the bottom of the material tended to curl up, leaving a strip of bare flesh that was just begging for his touch. She pulled it down absentmindedly, but the image was still there, in Oliver's mind. Her hair was up in its usual jaunty ponytail, the only difference the black sweatband that prevented any blonde tendrils from escaping.

"Okay, I'm ready." She dropped her bag on the desk and rifled through it locating her water bottle and towel and removing them for easy access. "Oliver?"

"Huh?" Mentally, Oliver slapped himself for staring and not paying attention to what she was saying.

"Are you ready to train me?"

"Of course." He gestured for her to walk onto the mat, then followed her.

Felicity bounced in place experimentally, feeling the surface of the mat. Normally, he would have approved of becoming familiar with surroundings, but that particular movement was incredibly distracting.

"So, what has Diggle taught you?"

She shrugged. "Not much. We never hit a regular schedule."

"So, from the beginning then. I'm going to show you a couple easy, but effective moves to slow down or incapacitate your assailant."

"Sounds good." He didn't miss the slight hesitation in her voice, signaling to him that she was nervous about their activity.

Oliver smiled reassuringly at her. "You'll be fine. The first one deals with disarming someone with a gun. If someone's pointing a one at you, it's good to know how to take it from him."

He stood inches in front of her, marveling at the fact that, without her characteristic heels, she really wasn't that tall. In fact, she only went up to his chest. And she looked so delicate and beautiful, looking earnestly up at him, her expression focused.

He cleared his throat and pulled a gun out of his pocket. "No bullets," he smiled, showing her the empty chamber.

She smiled tightly too. "So, what do I do?"
Oliver took a step back and pointed the gun at her. Even though he knew that it wasn't loaded, it still gave him a moment of panic seeing it pointed at her, especially in his own hand. "Grab my wrist with your right hand and step towards me while turning…no, the other way," he guided her with his free hand so that she twisted herself under his arm and ended up tucked against his chest, still gripping his wrist. "Perfect," he breathed, struggling to keep his mind on the lesson and not on how Felicity's curves were pressed up against him and the scent of her floral shampoo was invading his senses. "Now, with your other hand, twist my thumb like this and pull on the barrel of the gun." He took her left hand in his, trying not to notice how perfectly it fit inside his and how soft her skin was. "And then you have the gun."

"What do I do next?" she asked. Was it just his imagination, or was her voice breathier than usual as well?

"Run. As fast as you can. Now let's do it again."

…

Two practice sessions later showed vast improvement in Felicity's abilities. However, Oliver couldn't say the same about his self-control. That actually seemed to be deteriorating the more time he spent with her.

Across the mat, Felicity was panting for breath, but her eyes were wary as she watched his movements. A couple strands of hair had escaped her sweatband (green, today) and curled around her face invitingly.

Oliver went on the offensive. He lunged forward, reaching for her waist to throw her, but she side-stepped quickly and grabbed his arm from behind while he was off-balance, obviously intending to try and flip him. He almost laughed, but stopped himself before he insulted her. Just the thought of little Felicity trying to throw him was ludicrous. Instead of laughing, he spun and caught her around the waist with his free hand, pulling her towards him until she was pressed up against his chest. He could feel her hot, gasping breaths against his bare skin, the sensation sending tingles through his body. The moment of distraction cost him, however, as she snaked her foot out and behind his, then pushed him backwards. Surprised, he stumbled backwards, tripping over her foot to land hard on his back on the mat. There was a upside to his fall, though - he hadn't let go of Felicity, who was now lying on top of him. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but his arm tightened around her. The way she moved against him arose so many desires, he just couldn't help himself.

"Are you...are you...okay?" she gasped out, raising herself just enough to peek up at his face.

In a movement so fast that she had no time to react, Oliver flipped them over so that Felicity was lying on the mat and his body was balanced on his forearms, hovering merely inches from her. "No," he replied, his voice pitched low with desire. "I'm not."

Felicity saw the look in her eyes, and she didn't hesitate to respond. Her eyes darkened and she tilted her head so that her lips were positioned invitingly. An invitation that he couldn't resist.

He lowered himself slightly, brushing his lips against hers in a light caress, as if asking for permission. She responded, bringing her arms up around his neck to pull him closer. He deepened the kiss in an explosion of sensation, feeling more than hearing her moan with pleasure.

Finally, he pulled back and rolled off of her with a groan of regret. "This is a bad idea," he said after they had both caught their breath. He wanted to be with her so badly, but with the life it lived, it was just...too dangerous. But if she wanted it, knowing the dangers, who was he to stop her?

"I like bad ideas," Felicity breathed, feeling across the mat until she found his hand and entwining her fingers in his. "I really like bad ideas."
Despite his reservations, he smiled and squeezed her hand. "Me too."

Please review!