A/N: How did you like that last chapter? Good? Bad? Well your reviews either way have been greatly appreciated. I'm having such a good time with this long – term FF and I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it work. Alas! It's coming along pretty well. I'll be winding down in a chapter or two…or three…soon…and I hope you stick around until the end. Here's chapter four. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the wonderful characters or the totally awesome show that is Arrow. The CW does.

Chapter 4: The Game Plan

Oliver smiled when Felicity's arms wrapped around his waist, her cheek coming to rest on his back. The Queen mansion was quiet, everyone still asleep upstairs in their rooms. Oliver and Felicity tried to move around without making any sounds, trying to enjoy their time alone before the rest of the family woke up and the house became loud and bustling. Oliver moved around slowly, Felicity still holding onto him. When the eggs and toast were finished, he turned himself so that he stood facing her.

"Good morning."

Their kiss was sweet and simple, Felicity's favorite. She smiled when he pulled away.

"Good morning to you too. Remind me to bring more clothes to leave here? These were my last pair of pants in your drawer."

He laughed and brought his own arms to wrap around her small frame.

"Okay. Felicity?"

She chuckled as quietly as she could manage.

"Yes Oliver?"

He shrugged and brought her closer.

"Bring more clothes to leave here. Those are your last pair of pants in my drawer."

She continued to laugh, trying to stay quiet, and he joined her, their voices mixing together in perfect harmony. Felicity reached around Oliver and grabbed breakfast, kissing him one more time before biting into her toast. She grabbed his hand and brought him into the living room, pushing them both down and leaning into him. She turned on the television and pulled her legs underneath her, shifting her weight and getting more comfortable against Oliver's strong frame. He slung his arm around her shoulders, opening his mouth to accept a forkful of pancakes he had also made. They watched cartoons, just like children, and after a few minutes, he looked down at her as she smiled at something on the screen.

"Felicity?"

She met his eyes, a smile still on her face.

"Hmm?"

He placed his lips on her forehead just as he saw Thea making her way down the stairs. He brought his eyes back down to hers.

"I love you."

Oliver made his way down the stairs of the Foundry and stopped short when he saw Felicity's computers. She was supposed to be there. She was supposed to be sitting, typing away, her hair in a ponytail and her glasses perched on her nose. Oliver shut his eyes, trying to wipe away her face from his closed eyelids. She was gone and now there'd be no one sitting at the computers. He winced, his body still recovering and when Diggle cleared his throat, he looked up behind him.

"You should go home."

Oliver clenched his jaw and shook his head, tossing his things on a nearby metal table.

"Going home isn't an option Digg. I need Malcolm to think I'm still stuck in The Glades.

He shed the green leather and quickly changed into jeans and a gray shirt. Feeling more…normal, he turned to face Diggle, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He'll realize you're gone Oliver. I left a trail of men when I came to get you. And you left an even bigger trail when we escaped."

Oliver smirked slightly and Diggle's eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

He continued to smile, Diggle's annoyance growing.

"It's just…the training is doing some serious good Digg. Like you said, you left a trail of men coming into the warehouse. What was it? Twelve guys at least?"

Diggle cracked a smile, his first one since hearing about Felicity's death.

"Fourteen."

Oliver's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You counted?"

Diggle shook his head, still smiling.

"I knew you'd say something about it."

The two men stood quietly after that, the smiles falling from their faces.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

At that, Oliver got up and tried to preoccupy himself. Diggle sighed, knowing just the thought of Felicity was too much for him right now.

"I never told her."

Diggle stepped forward, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Told who what?"

Oliver turned to face him once again, this time his face masked with pure sadness.

"I never told Felicity I loved her. And now she's dead Digg. And I never told her."

The older man put a comforting hand on his shoulder, his face also washed in sadness.

"Then you fight for her Oliver. You take down Malcolm. You stop the Undertaking. Felicity is watching over us. Over you."

Oliver inhaled sharply, feeling the urge to cry again. But he promised himself that'd do what Diggle said. He's take down Malcolm and make him pay for what he'd done.

When they heard a door slam upstairs in the club, Oliver frowned and took the stairs two by two, Diggle right behind him. Reaching the top step, he punched in the code and pushed his way through the door to find Tommy at the bar.

"Tommy?"

His ex – best friend looked up, his face clearly stating he didn't want to talk to Oliver. He rolled his eyes and turned away as Oliver placed his hands on the table top.

"Can we talk?"

Tommy turned, his eyes unforgiving.

"I thought you were in Italy."

Crap. Oliver sighed deeply and stepped forward.

"I…was. I cut it short."

Tommy rolled his eyes, knowing he was lying, and turned back to some paperwork in his hands. Oliver rolled his eyes as well as he became frustrated with each growing moment.

"Tommy, I know you hate me. I know. But this is important. Tommy!"

He turned and met his eyes.

"I need to talk to you Tommy. Please."

The club was filled with silence for a few minutes, Tommy's thoughts swirling in his head. He looked at Oliver's face, the face of his best friend, the face of The Hood, and decided he'd be the man Laurel always knew he was.

"Fine. Talk."

Oliver returned to the Foundry, completely deflated. Tommy didn't believe a word Oliver had said about Malcolm. He threw his accusations back at him, even hurting him when he said he wished Oliver had died on the island. He knew his friend was just angry but it stung nonetheless. The only time Tommy's harsh eyes softened was at the mention of Felicity dying at the hands of his own father. But the look of belief was gone in him before Oliver knew it. Diggle had left only moments ago, telling him his mother needed a ride to Queen Consolidated. Oliver nodded, letting him go, but made sure he knew not to mention anything about him "being back from Italy". Sitting in the Foundry now, he hoped Tommy wouldn't say anything to his father either. And he hoped that somewhere in his best friend, there was a shred of belief. Oliver sat in silence and looked around his lair, Felicity coming to mind again. He shut his eyes once more, wishing his thoughts of her would just go away. But they came in a barrage of memories and Oliver knew they'd never cease. He loved Felicity. And she was dead. He'd remember her every day until it hurt to breathe. He walked to her computer station and ran his hands over the keyboard, imagining Felicity's hands. He sat in her chair and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table in front of him. There weren't any pictures, pencils, or remnants of Felicity's time there. The station was neat and clean which was surprising because her desk at Queen Consolidated was a mess. He laughed at the memory of her sitting in the IT department, papers and Chinese food take out cartons scattered haphazardly. And then he remembered her in that gold dress when they dealt with The Dodger. And the red dress when she went undercover at the underground casino. Every memory of her hurt Oliver to his core and he stood up quickly, sending the chair he was sitting in crashing into the opposite wall. He tried to think of something to do, something to preoccupy him, but he couldn't think of anything. He had to stay here so that no one would spot him. He knew Malcolm would discover he had escaped but for now, he had to come up with a way to stop the Undertaking and put an end to Malcolm Merlyn. When Oliver got an idea, he pulled the chair back and texted Diggle, asking for the information to Felicity's computer. In seconds, his phone beeped, a password appearing in a reply. Oliver quickly typed it in, the computers coming to life. He scanned the screens, feeling Felicity around him, and got to work. She wasn't there anymore but he promised himself he'd stop Malcolm. He'd stop the Undertaking. He'd do it for her.

Hours had passed and Oliver leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose. He combed through every piece of information, coming up with a solid plan he needed to share with Diggle. He had sent a text half an hour ago and Diggle responded quickly, telling him he'd be there as soon as he could. Oliver heard movement upstairs in the club and frowned when he looked at the time. It was almost midnight. Who can that be? His instinct kicked in, grabbing a gun nearby and making his way up the stairs quietly. He entered the code to the door and moved in between the shadows, staying on high alert. When he pulled his gun up and jumped out of the shadows, Tommy turned and his eyebrows rose.

"Really? You're gonna shoot me? I thought we were friends."

Oliver sighed and lowered his weapon.

"What are you doing here? It's late."

Tommy stepped forward, his hands in his pockets, a shamed look covering his tired face. Oliver frowned.

"Tommy? Is everything okay?"

The two childhood friends stepped closer to each other and Oliver could see pain Tommy's eyes. When he looked up, Oliver could see tears. And Tommy never cried.

"You were right."

Oliver stood, unmoving, and Tommy inhaled slowly before continuing.

"My father. Everything you said he did. It's true. He told me. He trusted me with everything today. He thought he could get me on his side. He told me about the Undertaking. He said he wanted to level The Glades. He told me about the warehouse. He told me he knows you're The Hood. He told me about…Felicity. Oliver, I'm so sorry. About everything. About what I said earlier – "

Oliver stepped forward, his hands up as he tried to stop Tommy's rambling.

"Tommy. It's okay. It's okay! You know now. That's what's important. Does he know I escaped?"

Tommy shook his head.

"No. He still thinks we're fighting. He still thinks I hate you."

Oliver nodded solemnly.

"Good. He still thinks I'm in the warehouse?"

Tommy nodded again.

"He's going back to check on you tomorrow. You need to make a move before then. You need to surprise him and beat him Oliver. His plans…it'll kill thousands."

Oliver saw Diggle enter through the back entrance, stopping short when he saw Oliver and Tommy. Oliver stepped forward to address Diggle.

"Digg, get ready."

He nodded and headed downstairs. Oliver turned back to Tommy and motioned to the door.

"Go home Tommy. Go be with Laurel. I'll take care of anything. Just stay safe."

Tommy nodded and watched Oliver walk away. He stepped forward and called his name, Oliver turning around to face his friend.

"Oliver…about Felicity?"

Just hearing her name made his heart ache but he ignored the pain.

"Look Tommy, I don't want to talk about her…"

Tommy shook his head.

"I know you love her. I've known for awhile. You're not exactly subtle. It's just…"

Oliver's eyebrows rose as he got impatient.

"What Tommy? She's gone. I can't do anything now. I missed my chance."

Tommy sighed deeply and frowned.

"Oliver! Just shut up for a second! I'm trying to tell you…"

Oliver waves his hands in the air.

"What? What Tommy?"

Tommy stepped forward, his face serious.

"When I met with my father today, he showed me a secret room in his office. It's where he keeps all his weapons. His bows, his arrows, his knives, everything. And he showed me something else. Someone else."

Oliver's heart rate quickened at the mention of 'someone'. Tommy took a deep breath.

"Felicity is alive. My father is holding her at Merlyn Global. She's alive Ollie. Felicity is alive."

BAM! Didn't see that coming did you? Maybe you did. I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. I'll update with chapter five soon! xoxox