A/N: Hi! First off I want to thank everyone who gave this story a shot, which are, up until now, over 400 people. That's a whole lot more than I expected! And a very special thanks to the one's that followed or added this story to their favorites, and to the anon that reviewed.

So I usually wouldn't update this soon, but as you've been awesome here is a (rather short) chapter. Enjoy!

SPOILERS 2x08 and 2x09

Then he almost died.

She felt the life go out of her seeing Oliver lying still in the debris, motionless, barely living. Everything became a blur as the simple thought of losing him made her heart break. Yet she couldn't fall apart, she had to keep fighting. She turned to Barry, desperation running high. She held Oliver's hand in her own, trying to call him back to her. She fought the tears that threatened to escape her eyes, clouding her vision. And breathed in relief when his eyes fluttered open.

What came after that didn't matter: his pulsing rage against Barry, his pained eyes feeling betrayed. Nothing mattered because he was alive, breathing, next to her. From that moment on she tried to be around him as much as she could. Even though keeping a safe distant would help dissipate his anger towards her she couldn't stay away. She needed to touch him, in every small way possible: a hand to his arm, a caress to the scar on his cheek. With every move he made she felt he would come undone, fade away.

She even dared to hug him, throwing her arms around his neck when he came back safely, consequences be damned. He hugged her back, pressing a firm hand on her back. There was no Barry, or Dig, only him, safe, around her. She needed to feel he was still there.

It didn't help matters that he was hallucinating and, in true Oliver fashion, refusing to stand down. She tried using her loud voice and stare him down… or up, given their height difference. But he was relentless. She occupied herself working with Barry, enjoying his company but trying her best to help them and keep the boy's flirtation at bay. Still one eye was always on Oliver, worrying about every step he made. More than once she caught him looking at her, eyes a bit lost, a deep furrow between his brows. She had dismissed it to the poison. Maybe he was hallucinating about Shado.

She felt a jealous pang when he told them about the island girl. Later on she'd credit her fiery response to being taken by surprise. But looking back she admitted to herself that the mental image of Oliver with somebody else bothered her, more than she would like to admit. So the angry glares Oliver threw at Barry whenever he was standing close to her made her feel slightly better, even though they were probably fueled by Barry knowing his secret.

Barry. Though short, his stay in their world changed her. It reminded her of how easy it could be; just liking someone and them liking you back. Easy, simple. No unspoken words, or buried feelings. Still there was something holding her back, pulling her away. Or rather someone. Even if the possibility of Oliver seemed far away, stuck in her imagination, she couldn't let go and move on. The old Felicity would call her foolish, but how she had changed over the past year…

So she let Barry go, as bittersweet as it had felt it didn't break her down. She ended the phone call, turned around and faced her hero.

Thank you for reading! Please like/comment. Encouragement or constructive criticism is always welcomed :)