A/N: Hi! Again, thank you all so much for the kind words!

I hope you like where this is going

UNTOUCHABLE

Untouchable like a distant diamond sky,

I'm reaching out and I just can't tell you why

I'm caught up in you, I'm caught up in you

The dance went on for a few weeks.

He would pop up at her office in QC with a favor to ask, whether it was to trace an old "friend" or a shipment of arrows; one time even to override a program's security that she was sure wasn't part of a scavenger hunt. Still she never called his bluff, simply quirking an eyebrow at him to make it clear she wasn't buying his made-up stories.

It surprised her how at ease he made her feel. He was cautious in the words he spoke, fewer than the old Oliver used to say, but still a slew of half truths, she had to remind herself. There wasn't the expected awkwardness between them, mostly silence as he watched her work and a few muffled laughs when she ran her tongue; a trait that hadn't left her over the years.

Yet it wasn't lost to Felicity how his eyes lingered on her face longer than necessary, how a warm smile took over his face every time they met, how he delayed leaving and swallowed the words that threatened to be said. Instead his blue eyes would pierce through hers, weakening her defenses, making her question why she was putting up walls when it came to them.

When he was gone and she was left to ponder on it she always came back to the same answer. She didn't know him, she never really had.

Oliver Queen was a riddle that seemed to get more complicated by the day. Back then when they were barely out of college he had appeared simple enough; the nature of their relationship, if it could be called that, was fun and effortless. But the rug had been pulled from under her, his impending marriage making her re-examine her memories as a web of lies.

Now as he came back to her again and again she didn't see the same boy but a man weighted down by his choices, still covering himself up with one façade after another, and she was terrified to buy into it only to find herself lying on the ground again.

There were many questions she was itching to voice, the ones that had been eating at her since he had gone away, and many more to try and figure out who this new Oliver was. Yet every time she would bring something up a lie would leave his lips with an apologetic look thrown her way, making her drop the idea all together.

So Felicity tried to keep him at bay, playing a part as much as he was playing his; until Walter was gone.

He had been one of the few people in her life that had treated her without kid gloves, honesty and trust above all. Even when Moira had tried to get rid of her, surely after finding out she had been digging up her affairs, Walter had put his foot down, defending her for her loyalty and talent. In a world where everyone appeared to be something they weren't, Walter Steele had been sincere, direct. If there was something Felicity could do to help him she would take the chance.

She wasn't sure exactly how telling Oliver about the notebook would help but there was something about him that drew her in. Though she didn't trust him with herself, he sure knew how to keep a secret.

So she called him up and asked to meet somewhere quiet, implying her office wasn't safe enough. As he suggested the manor Felicity blushed, thankful he couldn't see her reaction through the phone; memories of the night she had spent there, though fogged from the alcohol, were still fresh in her mind.

Big Belly Burger then, he had said.

She smiled timidly at him through the windows before entering the little shop, pleased to find it relatively empty. His gentle smile fell as he noticed how nervous she was, fidgeting with something in her hands.

"Hi"

"Hi… Thank you for meeting me here, I was… nervous to come to your house" she said, biting her lower lip. He nodded, knowing all too well what she was talking about.

"It's ok" he stated, fighting the urge to reach a hand, to touch her, like he'd wanted to do so many times before.

"The thing is, I've been debating whether or not to share this with you for weeks… can I trust you?"

The insecurity in her voice cut though him; he fisted his hands on his lap to avoid reaching for her.

"Oliver, I'm not an idiot. You've dropped some fairly ridiculous lies on me, and...yet I still feel like I can trust you. Why is that?" she asked, a humorless smile on place.

"Because I can't really lie to you, even when I know it's for the best" he pronounced before he could stop himself. It was the truth; when he came back he couldn't help himself, reaching for her help on his vigilante cases, trying to keep her out of the loop and failing miserably when it came to excuses. With everyone else he was able to balance the double life he was leading now, except with her. He had lied and deceived her enough in the past; he couldn't do it anymore. Still both Dig and he knew it would be dangerous to bring her into his battle, that she shouldn't face the dangers they put themselves through.

Yet in the dim light of the shop, blue eyes locked, he wanted to tell her everything. About himself, his father, the arrow. But would she walk away? She kept him at arm's length, still thinking of him as a cheater. Adding murderer to that list surely wouldn't help. No, there was still more of him she needed to know and believe before he could unveil the whole vigilante persona to her.

So holding her gaze he muttered four words that he desperately wished she would believe. "You can trust me".

She hesitated for a moment, blue eyes studying his face and, finding nothing but seriousness, decided to take a leap of faith.

"Have you ever seen this before?" she breathed, handing him the brown notebook.

He knit his eyebrows, examining it carefully. It seemed his other life had caught up to her before he could make the choice to bring her in.

"Where'd you get it?" he asked, eyes still locked on the list before him.

"From your step-father." She told him all about it, everything Walter had asked her to find and what she had uncovered and he listened quietly, though she could see how tension overtook him, white knuckles now clutching the book at the mention of his mother. She covered his hand with hers, easing the tight grip, worrying for his safety as much as the only lead she had on finding Walter.

"You know something about this." It wasn't a question, he had made it clear by his reaction upon spotting the notebook and there was no feeble lie he could throw at her right now.

"I do. I'll look into it, I promise." he reassured her, the last promise he had made to her still clear in her mind. Felicity nodded, knowing this one seemed more plausible but silently wishing he would someday fulfill his previous one.

He hadn't forgotten either.