AN: This chapter get's a little steamy towards the you enjoy! :) Thanks for all the lovely comments too. They make my day!

Oliver had dropped her off at he foundry and him and Sara went to meet Lance at the crime scene. The next day she spent hours trying to locate the Skeleton Key. She worked She was mentally exhausted already from the night before and apparently psychically exhausted because someone was shaking her awake. She jumped. "What!"

"You fell asleep in your chair," Oliver said softly. She yawned. "You should go home."

"Can't," she said as she pressed her hand to her aching back. "I'm cross referencing Walczak's known associates with decryption experts on the NSA watch list but it's taking some time."

"All the more reason you should get some rest," he said pleadingly and she sent him an irate glare. "Don't give me that look. I know you can take care of yourself but you look exhausted and what kind of fiance would I be if I didn't take care of you?"

"A fake one."

"We should talk about that."

"I understood, it's was easier to explain that you got your fiance pregnant than your blonde secretary." She patted his arm. "It's okay."

He groaned. "Felicity...that's not what it was." She bit her lip and tilted her head.

"Pray tell."

"Our relationship...it defies explanation, I didn't want to say you were my girlfriend because that doesn't begin to explain what you are to me. Girlfriend is what you have when you're in high school and we're way past friends."

"I'll say. I've got the stretchy waisted pants to prove it."

"Finac'e...it.."

"Makes a claim." He watched her for a moment his face contemplative.

"You're not a possession Felicity but...yeah."

"I get it..."

"No one will dare to say anything to you if I've claimed you."

"Just as long as your sister doesn't try to plan the wedding I think it'll work for awhile. Imagine that...you'd actually have to marry me." She chuckled. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes dark, his face inscrutable.

"Never said I wouldn't." A strangled sound came out of her mouth. She didn't get to say anything because Sara and Digg came down the stairs. She sighed in relief.

"Any luck?" Digg asked.

"Not yet, working on it," she said as she rubbed her eyes and walked over to her desk and leaned down to look at her computers. "Whoever killed Walczak in addition to finding creepy uses for clock parts is very good at covering their tracks," she finished on a yawn. A second later she was being lifted. "What the- Oliver put me down!" She protested the whole way as he carried her over to the cot. He sat her down softly and pulled the blankets up over her legs. "What are you doing? I can't sleep, I don't have time. That key isn't just a code breaker, in the wrong hands it's a weapon."

"And you're no good to us dead on your feet. Go to sleep Felicity." She started to sit up but he took her shoulders and pushed her back down. "Your computer will beep when the search result comes up right?"

"Yeah...but."

"Get some rest. I'll wake you in a little while."

"But..." He kissed her forehead and gave her a 'stay right there' look. She sighed and grumbled under her breath as he walked away. But she did go to sleep. How could she not? Oliver's pillow was pressed to her cheek and she was surrounded by his scent. She slept peacefully until a beep pulled her from her sleep. She jumped up the blanket dragging behind her until she grabbed it and threw it back to the bed. She hurried to her computers and hit a few keys but the search results still weren't up. What had woken her was the another robbery alert. Oliver came up behind her.

"What going on?"

"It's happening again."

"Suit up," he yelled to Sara. She gave him the address and they soon left. She put her comm in her ear and shortly Oliver was talking.

"They're already gone."

"I think I have an idea where," she said as she glanced at her computers, her fingers flying. "The Skeleton key operates on a OFDM wireless system. I'm picking up a transmission in the alley."

This guy and his goons were really getting on her nerves. First he hacked their transmission, then the DOT and rerouted a train to collide with a bus. Luckily Oliver had been able to stop it.

Sara had been able to get a sample of the guys blood from her staff and that gave them a way to track him down. William Tockman, a former encryption engineer at KORD enterprises. He was stealing money for a sister who needed a lung transplant. He was dying of MacGregor's syndrome and didn't have anything to lose. Those were the worse kinds of criminals. She gave Oliver the address and he and Sara went after him again, but this time it ended up being a trap.

"He's piggybacking off my hack. It's a trap. He's trying to break into our network!"

"I'm not trying," a gravely voice came through her speakers. "I am. Where are you? Are you home? Are you safe? Or somewhere you think you're safe? Somewhere without windows for anyone the creep through?" She gasped. "Underground perhaps?" Her eyes widened. "You think no one can get to you, no once can touch you in the safety of your hidey hole?"

"Felicity!" Oliver yelled through her comm.

"But I can." His final threat rang through the air before her computers exploded and her comm went silent. Diggle grabbed her and pulled her to the middle of the room, using his body to shield hers from the sparks that were flying in every direction. The room went dark.

(((Arrow)))

Fifteen minutes later Oliver came running into the foundry, threw his bow down.

"Felicity!" She turned and before she could say anything he about tackled her to the ground while giving her a hug. It took her a moment but she finally wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm okay." He pulled back taking her face in his gloved hands, searching for any signs of her being hurt. "Digg got me out of the way." Oliver sent Diggle a glance that was half thank you and half anger that he had even had too. He sighed.

"How bad is it." She pulled away and started to sit down on the floor but her skirt kept her from being able to sit down as normal. Digg noticed and grabbed her arms and helped lower her to the floor.

"Thanks," she turned to Oliver. "Tockman used the skeleton key to penetrate our firewall and re-code our security system." She threw a piece of burnt computer to the floor. "Basically he our system to commit suicide and it did." She turned a piece of computer that was now unrecognizable over in her hands. "Bravo Clock King," she whispered. Oliver crouched down on the floor next to her and squeezed her shoulder.

"It's not your fault," he told her quietly.

"Really? Who put up the firewalls? That's right! Me! I couldn't stop Tockman. The one thing I'm supposed to be good at...I'm failing at miserably."

"Felicity-" He started.

"I've got a lot of work to do." He sighed, squeezed her shoulder a final time and got up. He explained to Digg about how Sara had stopped Tockman's accomplices before they could get away with the cash and how he was probably going to be looking for another score. Oliver called Walter and asked him to liquidate some of his shares and put it in his vault at Starling National.

A couple hours later Tockman took the bait. She was alone in the foundry, Sara having left for dinner with her family, she had asked Oliver to go with her as a buffer and after she assured him it was okay he left, Diggle had gone to pick up Big Belly Burger when she got the alert. What should she do? She was fed up with the Clock King. He had to be stopped. She had to get to the bank, she couldn't use her computers but she could use theirs, but she wouldn't go in alone. That wasn't even an option. She picked up her phone and called Diggle. He answered on the first ring.

"You need to get to the bank now."

She hung up and texted Oliver. Maybe she could at least stop Tockman from stealing any more money. She ran to her mini and drove to the bank. She and Diggle met up.

"You shouldn't be here," he exclaimed.

"I'm the only one that can stop him."

"Felicity-" She cut him off.

"I have to do this John! This man came into my domain, he ruined my network, he threatened me! I will stop him. With or without your help...but I would really like it since I'm you know..." she pointed to her stomach and then to her muscles. "And I don't have biceps the size of bowling balls," she babbled. Digg grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bank. She started using the banks computers to trace the Skeleton Key's signature when Oliver and Sara showed up.

"What are you doing here?!" Oliver yelled in his gravely Arrow voice. He turned to Diggle. "Get her out of her. NOW!"

She pulled her arm out of John's grasp as he started to drag her away. "No," she said firmly. "I have to stop him. The only way I can do that is if I'm here."

"Absolutely not." He said as he started moving towards her himself, she could see in his eyes that he was going to forcibly remove her. But then the bank alarms went off. He swore under his breath as he turned to Diggle. "Don't leave her," he turned to Sara and she nodded understanding his silent request for her to stay there. They both stood over her shoulder as she went through the banks computers. Tockman hacked in and announced he was there and focusing on the gas mains. She turned to Digg in panic.

"He shut down the main gas release. If it explodes it'll blow up three square blocks."

"It has to be stopped manually," he said quickly.

"Go," she yelled.

"No, I said I wouldn't leave you."

"Digg you have to."

"Go," said Sara firmly. "I'll protect her." Digg looked at them for a second in indecision before he started running. She read through the information on her tablet and realized Tockman overplayed his hand. That gave her a way to track him down.

"Stick close to me," Sara whispered. Felicity followed closely behind her as they walked into a abandoned warehouse.

"Wasn't planning on going anywhere else. I mean you're a ninja, why would I?" That's when she heard it. Footsteps. Tockman came running around the corner and raised his gun at them.
"Easy," Sara said."You have to stop. This is wrong."

"You don't even know why I'm doing this. The money isn't for me, its all for her," she screamed, his face contorting, his arm holding the gun waving wildly.

"It doesn't make it right," Sara said while lifting up her hand. "Just let her leave," she said while pointing at her. "You wouldn't want to hurt a pregnant woman would you?"

He raised the gun higher. "No, but I will hurt you."

She didn't even hesitate. Maybe if she had she would have made a different decision but all she could think of was the Lances losing her again when they had just got her back and how Oliver would blame himself. She pushed Sara out of the way, both of them falling to the floor. Her arm stung but she was mostly numb because of the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Oliver was going to kill her...well if Tockman didn't do it for him. Sara rose from the floor shielding her from him, raising both her hands up.

"Just leave," she pleaded with him but he only said. "Tempus Fugit, time flies" and raised his gun again. She gasped and raised her uninjured arm to press a button on her tablet making his cell phone explode. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Oliver was yelling into the coms, asking what was happening. He was starting to sound desperate because no one was answering him. Sara helped her up from the floor and she brought her hand up to her ear to turn her com on.

"Oliver," she said. She heard him sigh in relief. "It's over."

(((Arrow)))

He had to deliver the men to the SCPD so he got the the foundry while Sara was patching up her arm. It was just a graze so all she did was disinfect it and put some gauze and tape over it. His anger boiled as he watched Sara placed the bandage over her arm. "You shouldn't have been there tonight." Sara finished and slipped from the room.

"You're right, but I was, we stopped him and it's over."

"You could have been killed! You promised me Felicity!"

"Well I wasn't. What was I supposed to do Oliver? Let Sara die? I wasn't going to let her family lose her again."

"But you would let me lose mine?"

"Oliver-"

"No, Felicity you acted irresponsibly tonight. You put yourself in danger and as long as I'm alive it won't be happening again!"

She raised her chin in defiance. "You can't tell me what to do," she yelled.

"When you're carrying my child I can!" He screamed. She took a step back.

"So that's what this is about. I'm just a member of your team, just the mother of your child, I'm nothing but a pack mule to you. Carry the goods then when it gets too difficult to take care of you just get rid of it."

"Felicity-"

"I'll save you the trouble." She grabbed her jacket and stomped out of the foundry.

He scrubbed his hand over his face and punched the dummy. How could she think after everything that all he care about was the baby and not her? She had to know how much he loved her. Didn't she? He realized he wasn't the best communicator but he thought that when he had kissed her in her bedroom and asked her "You know how I feel right?" that she understood.

He had to do better.

He had to make her understand.

Whatever it took.

(((Arrow)))

"I don't deserve you," he turned away from her but he didn't pull his hand from her grasp.

"See? That right there is what I'm talking about. You deserve me Oliver, you deserve so much more than me."

He didn't deserve anything, especially her. She believed he could be a better man, more than just a killer. He wished he could just get a glimpse of what she saw when she looked at him. What made her look at him the way she did? With so much love, hope, and faith all in her sea green eyes. She was truly remarkable and he loved her. Desperately. He needed her like he needed air.

His eyes dropped to her painted lips and he wondered what they would feel like under his, what they would taste like. He wanted to know and nothing was stopping him. He raised his hands and cupped her cheeks and when his lips pressed to hers he sighed into her mouth. This must be what heaven felt like. She tasted sweet, like honey and her light floral perfume danced on the edge of his senses. Her lips moved against his and he angled his head to deepen their connection. Her hair was soft under his course hands and her skin felt like velvet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer causing him to groan. He had kissed a lot of women but they didn't hold a candle to what he felt when Felicity's lips molded with his. He couldn't get enough of her and when they parted for air he knew he needed more.

He cradled her face in his hands their lips still touching, hot breath mingling, both breathing heavily. He wasn't willing to let go of her just yet. They stayed in the moment for what could have been seconds or minutes. Finally he pulled back to look in her eyes. He wished he could give her a fraction of the happiness she gave him.

She had to know how much he cherished her, how every time she smiled she took some of his darkness away, how every time her eyes met his his heart fluttered in his chest, how when she babbled all he wanted to do was shut her up with a kiss. He wished she could see herself the way he saw her.
"You're wrong, you are more than I could ever deserve in a lifetime Felicity."

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you Oliver," her hands fist in the fabric of his henley. He finally understands it all, right in this moment.
Everything he's been through, from being a selfish playboy, to being tortured on the island, becoming a killer, to coming home and becoming a vigilante, all of it has led to this moment. She is the reason he is here right now, she is the person he would go through hell again for as long as he ended up back with her. She is his soul mate, his reason for existence."Then you'd understand."

He stared at her in wonder for a moment, taking in every detail. She was his. He was finally beginning to understand. "I think I'm starting too," he said before he couldn't resist anymore and leaned down to capture her lips once more.

Except it wasn't only once more, how could he ever get enough of her? He wasn't sure a thousand lifetimes would be enough time with her. It was all finally sinking in. She was it for him.

Somehow they found their way outside Felicity's hand entwined with his. He opened the cab door, paid the driver in advance and gave him directions to the mansion before he climbed in the back and wrapped his arms around her again. They must have necked like teenagers the whole way there because he didn't remember a second of the drive. They both climbed out of the cab and as it drove away he pulled her against him and gave her a searing kiss before taking her hand and pulling her into the house. It was late and no one was around. They both laugh as he pulls her down the hall.

Before they get there he can't help but kiss her again. He pulls them into his room and barely gets the door closed before he had her in his arms again. She pulls his lips down to hers and every logical thought is gone in an instant. It was only her.

He pushed her against the door and her arms wrap around his neck, her fingers start playing with the hair at his nape. He tilts his head deepening the kiss, his tongue sweeping across her lower lip making her groan into his mouth.

His fingers run down her fabric clad spine and all he can think is he wants to feel her skin against his, she must have the same thought because she starts unbuttoning her cardigan, lips never parting his hands move to help her pull it from her shoulders but it gets stuck and they're laughing again.

He pulls his lips from hers and helps her remove the offending piece of clothing. He balls it up and throws it across the room where it'll stay forever if he has his way.
He stalks back towards her and she gives him such a heated look that a strong wave of desire swoops through him. And then her face is in his hands again, his lips are crashing down on hers and he's turning them and walking them deeper into the room until they bump into the dresser. He vaguely wonders if he hurt her but her lips are hungrily devouring his so he must not have. Several moments later he pulls away causing her to whimper. He sends her a smirk as he sweeps his arm across the dresser scattering the contents. She gasps as he grabs the back of her thighs and lifts her easily onto the dresser making them even. And then his lips crash to hers.

She sighs, pressing her body closer to his. His hands roam over her face, her arms, her back, her ribs. His whole body was ablaze. His lips make a path down the column of her neck starting at the shell of her ear, she gasps when he hits a soft spot behind her ear and she leans her head against the dresser mirror giving him better access. He smiles as he rubs his stubble against her neck and she shivers.

All he cares about is the way her lips felt against his and the way her body melded with his perfectly. She rakes her nails through his scalp making a groan tear from his throat. Felicity starts tugging at his shirt, he gets the message and pulls it over his head, she places her hand over his heart and he wonders if she can feel how wildly it's beating. She must know the effect she has on him, especially now.

Not once does he think what they're doing is a bad idea. He want's her and he want's this. But he has to know.
"Are you sure?" he asks her. She looks at him, her eyes clear and filled with desire.

"I'm only sure of one thing," she replies and grabs his neck and pulls his lips down to hers. All he wanted was her. He lifts her and she wraps her legs around his waist. He lays her on the bed softly and leans over her looking into her eyes as he runs his hands through her hair.

What they do next isn't just sex, it's releasing two years of pent up emotions. It's a first and last time wrapped into one. It's two bodies moving as one, like long lost puzzle pieces finally finding each other, soft touches, brushes of fingers on burning skin, lips pressed to every inch of each others bodies, whispered declarations of love that couldn't be heard over the sound of pounding hearts.

It wasn't fast and frantic, time filled with harried movement, it was slow, languid,every moment being savored, gentle. It was a world away from meaningless because it wasn't, it meant everything. It changed everything.
This was making love and he was just dipping his toes in the ocean that was Felicity Smoak. It was overwhelming, his senses are in overdrive. Having so many emotions, happiness, hope, tied to another living breathing being, she had his heart and there was no getting it back.

She closes her eyes, exhausted, he strokes a finger down her cheek and presses one last kiss to her forehead as she turns to him and snuggles into his chest. He wraps his arms around her and when he's sure she's asleep he whispers it into her hair.

"I love you."

He woke up on his cot panting, his clothes soaked in sweat. He had a dream. "But it was so real," he thought.

What if it was?

What if it wasn't a dream…but a memory?

He remembered.

There's was only one way to be sure.