Hi! Here goes chapter 10 and I can't believe I've written this much! The other day I finally wrote the idea for the final chapter and, though there are still a couple more before that one, the story is all outlined now; all there's left to do is write it out :)

Hope you enjoy it!

FADE INTO YOU

In your heart, in your head,

in your arms, in your bed under your skin,

Til there's no way to know where

you end and where I begin

Things slowed down after that, much to everyone's surprise. Though the danger of the undertaking still lurked over them, everything else seemed to fall back on track. For now, with no new leads on Walter or the disappeared dark archer, Oliver had his personal life to work on.

He and Thea were finally in speaking terms, though their conversations stayed mostly about the club, and her new boyfriend –that Oliver promptly had Felicity run a background check on–.

With Tommy now on their side, sidetracking Lance from his aggressive hunt for the vigilante became an easier task; and having his best friend to fall back on after a tough day was no small victory either.

The only hiccup came when Helena took a small detour on her way out of town, after Diggle and Oliver had threatened her, to warn Felicity of Oliver's short-comings. She had popped up at the IT department –as if she weren't a wanted assassin– and scared her straight, surely as retaliation to Oliver, before fleeing the country. How she had found her in the first place, they didn't know.

Saturday came and with it Verdant's opening night. With his public façade on, Oliver walked through the wild crowd, having to stop to shake a few hands and take a picture here and there. As much as he disliked that scene now, it had to be done; his cover depended on it.

The throbbing bass deafened him temporarily, the once welcoming sound now felt overwhelming. He scanned the crowd searching for an out when he spotted Tommy across the room, his head tilting to the side in a 'follow me' sign. He took a much needed break from the act and met him by the bar, where his best friend greeted him with a glass of bourbon.

"I really hope you're not serving this, or we'll go broke." He joked tasting the familiar drink and drawing a chuckle from Tommy. "You have no idea how much I needed that" he added downing the glass.

"I could tell, pal" Tommy shared patting him on the back. "You looked like you were going to punch somebody."

"If only I could." He muttered eyeing the crowd, wondering how he used to enjoy this.

"Well, that would certainly fit with the old-Oliver behaviour." He refilled their glasses and laughed at the tension clear in his best friends' face. "I know it's been quite a while since you've done this, but you know you're supposed to be enjoying yourself, right? Like with body shots, and dancing…"

Oliver simply shot him a look that made his smile widen. He much preferred the room empty with the exception of a particular blonde, as they had been not that long ago.

"… or not" Tommy went on, finishing his drink. "So I guess there wasn't much dancing on the island?" Little by little he tried to get Oliver to talk about that experience, truthfully this time. So far he'd gotten bits and pieces of stories that sure ran deeper that he let on; something about a man with an arrow, and a soldier who taught him how to fight. Other day he got him talking about what he ate on the island, drawing a few laughs that made his day.

"You guess right." Oliver shared refilling his glass.

As the liquid burned down his throat his eyes landed on Felicity. Across the room she walked round the throng of dancing bodies, eyeing the place warily before scurrying away beneath the staircase, surely craving the safety of their hiding spot.

Settling his drink down he didn't even heard Tommy's joke regarding his hypnotized-Oliver-face whenever Felicity was on his radar before following her trail. Though the welcoming feel of the lair was only a few feet away, he got stopped twice on the way over, delaying his escape.

When he finally descended the stairs Oliver found her by his desk, his compound bow in her hands.

"I thought you believed archery to be ridiculous." He voiced by the bottom of the stairs, humor clear in his tone.

Felicity jumped startled, unaware of his presence, and dropped the bow on the table as if it was on fire.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to… I don't even know; I was curious." Her voice came hurried as she fidgeted with the edge of her cardigan. The last time she had held it flashing before her eyes; how much had changed since then.

"It's okay." Oliver shared approaching her.

She bit her lower lip, a telltale of being nervous, eyes straying upwards focusing on the music beating through the roof.

"A nightclub. Who would've thought it'd work in this part of town?"

"It seemed a good excuse as any. I already had the place, it's something the old-Oliver would do and noisy enough so we could work without being noticed."

"You know, Diggle hates it when you talk in the third person like that" she chuckled. "Well, it looks great. Not, that I know lots about clubs or that scene really, but it's packed." She added to avoid giving into the tension that just seemed to overpower the room whenever they were alone.

"It is. Tommy did a great job." Her smile widened having seen their friendship coming together again.

Silence overtook the room again, the booming sound of the speakers upstairs barely filtering through. Felicity's eyes danced around him, afraid to lose herself in his stare, being more than aware she had his full attention. A beat passed before he moved again, closer until she was expecting his touch, already debating what to do next. Still he stopped by her side and put his bow away, stealing a glance her way before reaching inside his chest from where he pulled a smaller one and a set of simpler arrows.

Blue eyes followed his every move, fingers now clutching the rim of the table to keep herself still. She looked up and finally met his eyes when a hand outstretched the bow her way.

"Try this one; it's lighter." His voice was warm, inviting; an encouraging smile played at the edges of his mouth.

She hesitated for a moment before taking a hold of it, their fingers brushing lightly in the process.

Oliver walked back then, taking his suit jacket off and dropping it off on her chair. Felicity busied herself studying the weight of this bow and heading hesitantly towards his practice wall. She had seen countless times his whole 'arrowing ping-pong balls to the wall' routine and his accuracy never failed to impress her. The dents on the wall marked where the arrows had struck, with an amount of strength and speed that proved just how deadly Oliver could be.

Taking a hold of one of the plain arrows she looked over her shoulder at him. At his slight nod of approval Felicity turned back around and raised the bow.

"So, Helena…" she begun, lightly holding the arrow on the string. He knew this was coming, his hurried departure to deal with the elusive brunette not going unnoticed. Ever since Helena had paid her a visit he was expecting Felicity to bring it up, at least what she had told her.

"Yes…" Oliver offered, subtly giving her consent to ask away.

"She sure was a character. How did you meet her? Not to meddle, she just doesn't seem the type of person you would've just stumbled upon before. I mean, beside the obvious arrowing people angle you guys don't seem that much alike."

He frowned not really getting her point of view. "We're more alike than you think. She's rich too, not the best parent figures either."

"Yes, I know" she conceded, letting him know she had in fact looked her up. "But she's… evil." Voice laced with sadness as she finally drew the bow, concentrating on the target.

He processed her words for a moment, taken aback by her distinction. Oliver was still fighting himself with the notion of being anything other than a killer and she, without knowing him for that long, seemed to see the light buried within him so clearly it was scary. Around her he felt better, wanted to be that man she saw, instead of the shell of the man that had came back from purgatory not that long ago.

The sound of the vibrating string as she released the arrow brought him back to the present. Felicity huffed in frustration as the arrow landed a mere foot away from her.

"Helena is... an old associate." He shared while she retook her position, barely pausing to look his way over her shoulder.

"From the island?" she asked after a full minute had passed, taking another shot, the arrow falling again close to her feet. Not enough pressure.

He pondered the question while pulling his shirt sleeves up. "Sort of... from after."

"And you guys dated." It wasn't a question. Helena had made it more than clear that she knew most of Oliver.

"Not really." He added through gritted teeth, those memories not ones he would like to recount.

"Oh"

Though hesitant he seemed inviting, the wall he usually surrounded himself with barely there. That gave Felicity the courage to inquire further.

"Were there others, women in the island -or after the island?" She tried to sound casual, eyes focused on the bow still in her hands.

A pensive silence followed her question as she anchored her feet and tried her best to aim.

"One" he finally said and she released her hold on the string, the arrow tumbling to the floor.

A hushed 'fuck' left her lips and if he hadn't been so acutely focused on her every action he would've missed it. Still it wasn't clear whether her response was due to his answer or the frustrating try at archery.

Whatever it was troubled her enough to lower the bow and, after picking the arrow up, lay it down on the desk by her right with a thud.

He stepped forward then until he stood by her side, callous fingers tracing the arrow tip. Felicity turned around and studied the sorrow that clouded his features now, eyes glued to the arrow though she was well aware he was miles away.

"Oliver, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

He looked her way then, allowing her to see the grief swarming in his blue eyes; still a smile played at the edges of his lips.

"It's ok. She's a good memory, most of the times."

Silence enveloped them again as he searched for words and she waited patiently. When he spoke again his voice was even, eyes lost in the distance again.

"Her name was Shado. She was Yao-Fei's daughter." Felicity nodded in return, remembering what Oliver had shared about his savior and first mentor. He paused again, the taste the use of past tense left in his tongue being unsettling. "After he died she came with me and Slade. We were a team. By then I was still… useless, as Slade would say. I didn't know how to fight, running away was my default. Then she taught me how to shoot an arrow."

His lips curled in an almost smile then, memories flashing before his eyes as if it had been yesterday.

"It wasn't easy, I'd never been a good student. But she was patient and with time I got the hand of it; after many days of slapping water that is." A low chuckle escaped him then, which brought a smile to her lips; though the meaning was quite lost to her the sight of an amused Oliver never failed to brighten her up.

"You know, she had this saying: 'an arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward'. At first I thought she was just trying to teach me to shoot; but one day when death seemed so near she explained. 'When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming'."

His voice lowered, so much so that she had to lean in to listen to the last part. Still the emotion was clear in his tone, moisture forming in his eyes.

Felicity took a step forward, a hand covering his before she could think it twice. He was still clutching the arrowhead with such strength it would surely leave a mark, the tension leaving him only slightly as her hand fell on his. Blue met blue, the knot in her stomach untangling at the warm smile that he flashed her then, smoothing worried lines off his forehead.

"You asked me the other day if I had any happy stories from that time… she's it."

Time stood still as her fingers ghosted over the back of his hand until he turned it upwards and interlaced it with hers. The tenderness of that touch sent tingles all over her skin, eyes still glued to his, lips rising in a smile of her own.

"I'm glad you had her." Felicity's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, lost in the intimacy of that moment.

She didn't know how long they stood like that, breathing each other's air, reading the emotion in the planes of their faces. Still when he broke the silence it felt too soon.

"Your stance."

"What?" His smile widened at her confusion.

"Your stance is the problem; why the arrow falls down."

"Oh." Guess we are changing topics. It was welcomed, since his gaze felt like too much; still there was a small part of her that was hoping for more.

"May I?" Oliver offered with a hand outstretched.

Felicity didn't really trust her voice so instead she nodded. He came to stay behind her as she turned towards the target again, wondering how the bow hadn't fallen from her grasp before as she had completely forgotten about its existence, too lost in him.

Then Oliver's hands were on her. Running up her spine to straighten her up and leaving a shivering trail in its way, as his knee nudged her knees apart until her feet were shoulder-width apart. The other enclosed the hand that held the bow, placing the once discarded arrow on the between the nest and the string.

She followed his lead, complying with every direction he dictated; though, being honest, she was more focused on how his breath fanned over her sensitive skin than in what he was saying.

His left hand skimmed down to her waist then, lightly turning her sideways until she stood with the right angle to the target. Next his right one was over her grip on the tail of the arrow, accommodating her fingers properly, before the thumb that rested at her lower back arched her back forward. A trembled sigh left her lips at the contact, too intimate, searing her skin even through the two layers of clothing that separated them.

"Good" he whispered behind her, his voice low and gruff as she'd only heard a long time ago, after he'd just woken up. "Now raise and draw the bow; but relax." As if that was possible right now.

As if illustrating his words, the thumb began to softly stroke her back in what were supposed to be soothing motions. Still her muscles went taught and she sucked in a breath, barely being able to hold the current running through her body at the moment. If someone had told her archery would be this arousing she would have snorted in disbelief. Yet there he was, proving her wrong.

His right hand released its hold on her fingers to lower her elbow slightly and then fell to her side, lightly grasping her hip.

"Pull the bow back a little, the string almost has to touch your lips. Like that."

He sounded breathless, as heady as she felt right now. Felicity couldn't help then stealing a glance at him over her shoulders. As their eyes met she saw her desire mirrored in his darkened blues. In the emptiness of the lair that act felt more intimate that she could've ever imagined, as if Oliver was sharing a deep part of himself with her.

Focusing back before her she took a deep breath, picking one of his dents on the wall as a target; though right then she was happy with simply being capable of standing on her own two feet.

Oliver's fingers tightened on her hip, and she could almost feel his encouraging smile against her neck.

"Good; now shoot."

As her finger released its hold on the string, the arrow sliced through the air and plunged into the wall with the utmost strength.

"That was good" he let out, closer to her ear that she expected, goose bumps taking over the bare skin of her neck. Her throat suddenly felt very dry, more than aware that Oliver didn't move an inch even after she had released the arrow and put the bow down beside her. Felicity closed her eyes trying to fill her lungs, the room feeling too hot, blood pulsing through her veins in an erratic rhythm.

"Oliver…?" she breathed through shaky lips, not really knowing what she was asking, completely lost in the feel of him around her, still yearning for more.

"Hmm" he simply hummed against her ear, warm breath tickling her skin again with every shallow breath he took.

That was it; he was giving her an out. Last time he had been the one to take that step, capturing her lips in an earth-shattering kiss. And she had walked away, whispering she wasn't ready. Now the roles were reversed; though the same all-encompassing feeling took over them she had a choice.

Felicity closed her eyes in a futile attempt to gather her thoughts; logical thinking wasn't really an option when Oliver was around, especially as his fingers dug into her waist, his front deliciously pressed against her back. A bet passed as her right hand grasped his over her hip.

"Fuck it."

The hushed curse left her mouth in a rush before she turned around in his arms and captured his lips in hers, two pairs of blue eyes shutting in pure ecstasy.

Thanks for reading!

This was quite a feat to write, but once I found my footing it was really fun. I know the 'teaching how to shoot an arrow' theme is quite delicate, since he did it on the show with Helena; but here we see that his relationship with said crazy lady isn't the same and, obviously, that scene never happened. In this cannon Felicity is the first person he teaches how to shoot and particularly with his old bow.

I'm no expert in archery, so I've googled the technique and hope it's been applied correctly. Forgive me for any mistakes in this matter.

I know this cliffhanger is a bit rude but the word count was getting out of hand, and otherwise I wouldn't have uploaded in a while longer –decent and interesting kissing scenes take me forever to write–. I promise that next chapter picks up right where this one left off!

By the way, the quote about the arrow, that Shado used to say, was taken from this 9gag post: /gag/aD0PLAx I felt she was quite an inspirational and centered person, who had a lot of influence on Oliver's transformation.

Lastly, I apologize in advance because I'll probably won't be updating in the upcoming weeks. This semester at college finishes soon and I've got loads to do (it's my birthday on Sunday and I'll spend it between text books in my room, so yeah, not the best of times).

Anyway, thank you all so much for your ongoing support and encouragement. Until next time!