Dedicated to Leticia28 my first reviewer :)

A/N: I honestly have no idea how this would go down in the show, but here's my version. Enjoy!

2014

September 9th

La Maisonette, Starling City, 21:02 PM PST

Felicity listened intently as he retold the first day of Hong Kong to her. Her face grew severer as he went on, as she mentioned before he did not have many 'happy stories' when it came to his five years away. When he was done she picked up her wine glass and took a swig, put the glass down, and then picked it up again for another. She was taken aback at first, this was literally the first time she was hearing this, and it was a pretty heavy story, it gave Oliver even more depth than he already had.

"Amanda Waller's on the List." She told him after the shock had passed. Thinking of what he had to do to survive, to trust this woman who was holding him hostage, the complexity of the situation where he was off the island but not completely free. Being surrounded by civilization and technology but being prohibited to use it, still trapped. She never liked Amanda Waller, perhaps even hated her knowing that she initiated the drone strike on Starling and defined it as 'necessary causalities', but also knowing what she had done to Oliver made her mad, though she didn't show it.

"My father knew her, I don't know how though."

"I wasn't sure if you were going to go after her. But I completely understand if you do." Oliver could see her mind working. He had anticipated shock, but apparently it had also made her angry and upset that Amanda had done this to him and she wanted to get her back for it. "She's definitely a high-profile target; if you want to, we'll need at least a few months to—"

While he was curiously flattered that she wanted revenge, he did not want her to become a vengeful person, even for him. He reached out and squeezed her hand to stop her. "Felicity, I don't want to talk about Amanda Waller. And I don't want you going after her". Gently, he stroked the smooth skin of her hand with his thumb, she relaxed. "I told you because I wanted to be honest with you. You should be able to trust me wholly and that means opening up to you. I've never told anyone about Hong Kong, but I need too, so that I can heal, and what better person to tell than you?" He said smiling softly, grateful to have her here with him.

She sighed and returned the smile, "Alright". Tentatively, she moved her fingers upwards to thread them through his—

He noticed something strange behind Felicity, the maître d' was sweating profusely, nervously glancing at his watch and then at Oliver's table, and repeated those movements, once, twice, thrice…and then he was sprinting out the restaurant door.

Oliver knew in a spilt second what was going to happen. Blood freezing in his veins, he was standing and leaping towards Felicity, shouting, reaching for her, he dragged her by the arm—and then he was holding air.

An explosion threw Oliver ten feet away.

The sheer force of it knocked him into the wall. On the verge unconsciousness, deaf, blinded by smoke and in pain, he only had one thought before the void consumed him.

September 9th

Diggle's Apartment, Starling City, 21:43 PM PST

John Diggle kissed Lyla on the lips and then placed a protective hand on the swell of her stomach. He was about to lean in for another when Lyla leaned back and frowned at the television screen. The couple was sat on the couch enjoying one another's company, lovingly squabbling about baby names and when they should tell Lyla's mother she was actually pregnant.

"Oh no" she muttered, staring at the screen, John turned to see what had diverted her interest. There was latest news update concerning a gas leak explosion at some fancy restaurant in uptown Starling, which occurred barely half an hour ago.

Then his cellphone rang.

John stood to get it from the hallway desk, "We're not done discussing this" he told Lyla, smirking.

"We are not naming our child 'Justice By Diggle'!" She called to him as she laughed. Diggle smiled at her and hit the answer button, not seeing who it was, but not needing too.

"Foundry. NOW! Get Roy!"

...

Minutes before…

La Maisonette, Starling City, Unknown Time

Oliver woke with a start, sitting upright, but his body was aching madly in protest so he lied back down. He was used to getting hit on the head and returning to consciousness quickly. Choking on smoke, he coughed, it was total deafening silence. The explosion had done a job on his eardrums. It was odd, seeing the chaos surrounding him but not able to hear it. He tried to get onto his feet but was only able to get onto all fours. His clothes were shredded and soot-strained, singed black in parts, a piece of shrapnel stuck out of his arm.

Felicity, he thought in desperation. Sluggishly, his hearing returned, beginning as a distant high-pitched ringing sound that gradually loudened and then it was back as if the volume in his head was turned to maximum. Oliver crawled and searched for her.

There was wailing, screaming, and groans of pain and helplessness. The smoke alarm was ringing incessantly and there was a fire somewhere in the restaurant. Debris and shattered glass carpeted the floor; he saw a waiter trying to free his colleague from beneath a table, other than that it was grey, oppressive smoke obscuring everything within five feet of him. He crawled beneath a table and saw a red dress and blonde head; he immediately stood, ignoring the wooziness and rushed to the body.

It was Felicity, covered in soot, bleeding from her head. Heart in his throat, he crouched reaching for her neck; unsure of what he would discover, unsure of how he would react if she was dead.

There was a pulse. Relief crashed through Oliver. Not waiting a second longer, he scooped her up in his arms and navigated through the ruins.

2009

Hong Kong, Unknown Time

He was restrained and thrown into a car; the Chinese guard pointing the gun at his guts the whole journey in case he tried anything funny. They took him to an abandoned apartment building and sat him down on a chair inside; the guard positioned himself behind him. There were green construction sheets lain over steels works like curtains, and from between them Amanda Waller emerged. Her stilettos clacked the concrete; she had her hands behind her back holding her authoritative posture. She wore a triumphant grin that said I won, I own you. It made his chest burn with rage. He swallowed his anger though as she stood right before him.

"That was a very good attempt, but next time I won't be so nice."

Oliver glared viciously up at her, "You should know that I will never stop trying to escape" he growled.

That wiped the grin off her face, she leaned to his face glaring right back, "and you should know it's extremely easy to kill someone the world already thinks is dead." He had not a single doubt that she meant the threat. He yielded for then but he swore on his father's grave that he would never stop trying. They weren't going to let it be easy for him but if he wanted to escape successfully and live, he needed to bait his time and formulate a solid plan. Not without much difficulty, and not without a scathing glare at her, Oliver relented and leaned back in the chair submissively.

Pleased with herself, Amanda turned to the guard and ordered; "Maseo, please escort Mr. Queen to his quarters". His name was Japanese he realized. With a curt nod from Maseo they were off.

His quarters was the same apartment he awoke within, there was a dojo adjacent to his room that he didn't notice before, stocked with training equipment. Maseo unrestrained him and left him alone, but he knew that he wasn't truly by himself. He went inside the dojo and inspected it, there was a camera watching him from one corner, and he wondered who was on the other side. Just then the sliding translucent door to the dojo opened and inside stepped Maseo, not dressed in his suit but in semi-casual clothes.

"Are you here to kill me if I run?"

Maseo barely acknowledged the cynical edge in his tone; he wore the same authoritative posture that Amanda had. He said monotonously; "Yes. But in hindsight, I am the lesser of two evils, Oliver, may I call you that?"

He found that hard to believe. He had not expected the agent would be even the slightest bit jovial with him, but Oliver was not having any of it. He snorted, "Call me whatever you want, because according to you people I don't exist anymore".

Maseo stared at him as if waiting for him to say or do something, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Have you finished your whining?" Asked the agent, Oliver glared at him and folded his arms, Maseo took this as a sign he was done 'whining' and nodded. "Good. I am also here to teach you the skills you will require to complete the tasks she designates to you."

"And what exactly would those tasks be?"

"Tasks only ghosts can perform." Ghosts. The ominous nature sent a shiver up his spine, the possibilities were truly endless. He would be the one doing the dirty work A.R.G.U.S didn't want to get their hands on. He'd deduced that they were a spy organization, underhand and ruthless if Amanda was any judge of the type of personnel they hired. These were the type of people who were careless when it came to human life as long as it served its purpose for the 'greater good' or whatever diabolical goal they aimed to achieve.

"There is a possibility for her to release you once the work is done, whereby you would be free to go home" Maseo told him though it did not insatiate his agitation, the word 'possibility' rang alarms bells in his head. Could he really trust Amanda to hold up her end of such a deal? And did he really cause that much chaos on the island that he was now the equivalent of a disposable tissue to her?

He unfolded his arms and paced the length of the room, the reality of his situation sinking in, he was still bitter about being forced to work for her, and he was essentially putting his fate in her slippery hands. But he had to play along. "But for now, I'm stuck here. I'm not wearing chains but I'm still a prisoner."

Oliver was fixed with a cold, emotionless stare. "Yes, if you want to put it that way."

He stopped pacing and narrowed his gaze at the agent, "So you expect me to be Oliver Queen the—what? The international assassin?"

And then Maseo gave him a piece of wisdom that stuck with him for years.

"A man cannot live by two names."

"What does that mean?"

"In your case, I believe it means not having any choice".

2014

The Foundry, the Glades, 22:32 PM PST

Through the red haze in his vision, and the merciless headache hitting his head like a hammer, Oliver was amazed he was even capable of driving a car. He nearly crashed the vehicle into the basement wall, but hit the brakes in time. He rushed to the backseat and bundled Felicity up in his arms.

Oliver set her down gently on the metal table at the center of the lair. He felt utterly powerless, unable to do much else in his state of mind, he held onto the edge of the table, staring at her, panic seizing him as she still had not come too. Oliver banged his fist, leaving a dent in the metal, fury devouring him. Roaring, he took out his phone, nearly crushing it in his hand, steadying himself he dialed. When Diggle answered Oliver said only four simple words;

"Foundry. Now! Get Roy."

It was in that instant when Felicity stirred, her eyeballs moved beneath the eyelids and her shoulder jerked.

"Felicity? Felicity! Can you hear me?"

She was trying to say his name. "I'm here", he gripped her hand, holding on. After what felt like hours later, her eyelashes fluttered open, blue eyes staring at the ceiling and then they saw him.

"W-What happened?" She mumbled.

"Bomb in the restaurant." He managed to tell her through the thickness in his throat.

"A-Are you okay?" She whispered, blinking slowly as if her eyelids weighed tons.

He nodded stiffly. She finally got a hold of her bearings. "Are we-are we in the Foundry?" Felicity tried to sit up, but groaned and clutched her bloodied head, he settled her back down.

"Not too fast, I think you have a concussion." Oliver let go of her hand and went to retrieve a first aid kit. He dampened some cotton and began to tenderly wipe the dirt and blood from her forehead, all that anger he'd felt was anger at himself, for allowing this to happen under his watch, in his city, to slip right under all their noses. He checked her vitals, and they were stable for now but who knew what internal damage she might have, she could've died. That ball of guilt he'd felt earlier today grew sickeningly and gnawed him from the inside out.

"I'm so, so, sorry, this is my fault. You got hurt again, because of me."

Seeing the pain clouding his countenance, her disorientation vanished within a heartbeat and she bolted upright. "What?" She asked, loudly and with the typical argumentative tone Felicity solely reserved for disagreements with him. "No it's not—"

Feet pounded on the stairs and Roy called, "Hey what's the emergen-Oh my God! What happened?!"

"Bomb".

Roy touched the blonde's arm, "Are you alright?"

Felicity nodded, and touched her forehead stunned to find the side of her face awash with sticky blood when she pulled back.

"Who did this?" Roy demanded infuriated. Roy might have tiffs with Felicity, but he would never allow harm to come to her.

"I don't know. I don't know" Oliver muttered, at a loss, turning away being unable to look at her, and paced with three quick strides across the length of the basement.

He heard the basement door open, and saw Diggle climbing down, he hoped John had forgiven him; he needed all of them more than ever, even if he didn't want to admit it outright. "Have you guys seen the news?" John stopped in his tracks, in shock and worry he rushed to Felicity, "—Damn, are you guys okay? Were you inside the restaurant?"

Oliver gave a shaky sigh, "Close, too close." He could only managed broken, short sentences. Oliver squinted and held his nose bridge trying to gather his memories, the maître d, what he looked like, what would've happened if he hadn't noticed the signs on time…

"You think the bomb was for you?" Asked Roy.

"Hold up, bomb?" John exclaimed as he tended to the IT girl, "they're saying it was a gas leak."

"It wasn't".

Diggle grimaced as he plastered gauze on her forehead, "Why the hell aren't you at a damn hospital?!" He shot him a withering look he knew he deserved.

Why the hell aren't we? How could he be so stupid? They were both in civilian clothes after all, "I wasn't-I thought maybe—"

"You could find who did it before they got away" Roy finished for him since Oliver couldn't answer the soldier's rebuke properly.

He felt marginally better with his entire team here, but he was so tense that he could feel every knot in his joints, winded like an iron spring. Oliver nodded stiffly at the solider directly in the eyes, silently telling him he was wrong to have exiled him. "You're right Diggle, take Felicity to the hospital."

She finally spoke up, but it was to protest, "No, no, I'm fine". Felicity stood relatively steadily, she was still a bit dazed, but she waved their concerns away.

"No. You're not." He told her, his tone brokering no argument, except hers of course.

"Someone tried to kill you. I'm staying and helping."

Roy studied their outfits, his mentor in suit and tie, the IT tech in a pretty red dress, no glasses, he pointed to the two of them; he hadn't placed the context just yet, "Why are you guys dressed like that?"

"Not the point, Roy" Oliver growled dangerously whilst staring the blonde down, half-pleading half-commanding her to stand down.

Usually Felicity would've argued, focusing on him intensely the entire time, but she didn't this time and instead stepped to her computers, "I'll search camera footage of the restaurant."

Oliver stood between her and the tech and growled at her authoritatively, "Felicity, you need to go the hospital, you're hurt. I'm NOT asking, I am ordering you to go with Diggle—" and he immediately knew it was a mistake.

She flared up in anger, "just let me do this Oliver!" She shouldered past him to the computers, "I was almost killed too and I want to find the bastard who did it just as much as you do." She rounded on all three of them, stabbing a finger. "So none of you come near me unless I say so." She warned ferociously.

Every single man in that room put their hands up and backed away a few steps.

Who knew she could be scary?

Oliver was not pleased, his knuckles were white as he stared holes into her back, she could feel the stare but chose to ignore it. Diggle and Roy exchanged a glance but there was obviously no swaying the IT girl. A minute later she got what she was looking for. "This is the footage right before the explosion." Carefully-as if they were approaching a mother tiger protecting her cubs-they crowded behind her. There was a video of Oliver and Felicity chatting at a table.

"And there's…us, wow this is really weird, watching the two of us, sitting there…talking, on a date. Um, I'll keep rewinding it." The other two men in the room made no comment (though both of them inwardly groaned "it's about damn time").

"Stop, there." Said Oliver pointing. "He was acting suspicious, and I immediately knew what was going to happen, he ran out the door not even a second before it went off."

"I'll run facial recognition". All but the IT girl stepped away as she went to work 'borrowing' from the FBI and NSA databases.

"Who do you think planted the bomb?" Asked Diggle. Oliver suddenly felt the hot blood trickling down his sleeve and onto the floor due to the piece of metal, and remembered it was there, he started to strip and bandage it.

"Someone out to get Oliver Queen."

"Hey, guys" Roy said trying to get their attention as he watched the TV but no one was listening, "um, guys?"

Digg went on to contemplate the big question on their hands, "It's gotta be someone who knows your secret. I mean how many people out there want to kill Oliver Queen the broke-billionaire?"

Oliver rolled his eyes.

Roy lost his patience, and shouted at them, "Guys! Hey! Look!"

Everyone turned, and what they saw shocked them to their core that for ten whole seconds the attempt on Oliver and Felicity's lives were totally forgotten.

"No." Oliver breathed, his pulse skyrocketing. A reporter stood outside a swanky apartment block, where a teenage boy had died due to an overdose of Vertigo, half an hour ago. Memories from the last two years rushed through him.

"How is that possible? You killed the Count" said Diggle in bewilderment.

"I did." He said, grinding his jaw, he had put three arrows in the Count. "Someone else is making it again."

"We should hit both of these tonight before the trail gets cold" Roy advised, repeating a lesson Oliver had taught him about tracking and investigating targets. Diggle disagreed, "We can't spread ourselves thin". Both of them were right, but in the end it was his team, his call.

Oliver already knew what he was supposed to choose, but Felicity asked anyway, "So what should I search for? Bombing or Vertigo?"

He took a deep breath, "Vertigo, check if the DEA has anything." She nodded, capturing his gaze for a brief moment, aware how hard the decision had been for Oliver. To him, the city will always come first, always she thought with a mix of empathy and disappointment.

"I'm pulling up DEA case files. Got it." She sifted through irrelevant information before she found what they wanted.

"Ok, first it was isolated cases in the South West, from Albuquerque reaching as far as Seattle and then Gotham City, but none in Starling. It was initially thought to be leftover supply from the Count's production after he escaped from Iron Heights." A map indicated the cities and number of cases, "But then, the cases got more frequent."

"They busted several labs cooking the old version of Vertigo, and managed to trace the production line back to Starling, but they don't know who's manufacturing the chemicals they're using."

"And the first incident of someone using it here was tonight" Diggle completed. No one said anything for a moment, Vertigo might be a drug, but to everyone in that Foundry it was a living, breathing nemesis.

"It's back" Roy intoned, breaking the silence.

"There's more" she retrieved a document containing chem lab reports, "A new ingredient, this was the sample encountered in Gotham City. It contains a modified form of a nerve agent, unpatented, illegal, black market, you name it." Could this get any worse? He was right.

"This stuff completely alters the chemical make-up of Vertigo, making it nearly untraceable in the bloodstream after usage. It could become an entirely new drug." By then Oliver's head was pounding, he held his face in his hands. For the past five months, he'd been coasting basically, but now he was shaken awake, in the most violent way possible. "They have to be getting the chemicals from somewhere in Starling" he told her.

"I'll keep searching; I think you should all gear up in case I find anything." That he could do instead of standing and doing nothing. Roy and Oliver got their equipment, they helped each other load the quivers but Oliver's mind was thinking about what Diggle said last night. Diggle was right.

"About what?" Roy asked, having heard him voice the thought out loud.

"It doesn't matter."

"Did you find anything?" Diggle wanted to know after they were dressed.

Felicity huffed out her cheeks, her mind straining through dozens of in-depth searches and hacks but she was coming up with blanks, "I'm trying; whoever's making Vertigo again has gotten clever."

"But it's on the streets, this is just like the Count, we find the dealers and work up the hierarchy. Roy—"

"I'm on it!" Said his protégé a foot out the door, flipping his hood on. Roy was the best chance of them finding it, Oliver wanted to join him but Diggle nudged his head towards Felicity, urging him to go to her first. John had cleaned the wounds and cuts, and due to the halter dress she wore Oliver could see the goose bumps on the skin of her exposed back and arms. He brought a blanket to her and wrapped it around her shoulders but did not let go, she glanced up at him.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you."

She didn't say anything but in her eyes he saw forgiveness. "How's your head?" He asked.

"I'll feel better when I go home, once this is done." She added as an afterthought before he could tell her to leave again. Oliver asks me on a date and this is what happens, just my luck really. Felicity tried to remember the date before the explosion; Hong Kong, Amanda Waller, Oliver trying to be romantic, nervous Oliver rambling like I do. She smiled at how sweet he was. When she thought about it, it was actually going really well, it was almost kind of funny how things turned out—or maybe that was the concussion talking.

"That wasn't even the worst date I've been on" she said to him, but it was clear he was still blaming himself for it, and nothing she could say could change how he felt. It hurt her to see him reeling in guilt. He let go of her shoulders and stepped back, she felt cold again, even with the blanket around her.

"You deserve better than that. I thought you would be in danger when I was the Arrow, but now you're in danger when I'm Oliver Queen too? I was meant to be killed in that explosion and you might have died with me."

"It's not your fault" she reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time, "we couldn't have known."

Roy's comm came online, Felicity looked away from Oliver, she wanted to discuss what 'they' were after what happened at the restaurant but it was definitely not the right time, but when would it ever be?

"Roy?" She prompted into her comm unit.

"I found something".