CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: UNDERWATER

You were the air filling my lungs
Till you sunk into the ocean
I followed you the storm around you
And I've got lost out there

Breathe, breathe I can no longer
Breathe, breathe underwater
Breathe, breathe I can no longer
Breathe, breathe underwater
Breathe, breathe I can no longer
Breathe, breathe underwater
Breathe, breathe I can no longer
Breathe, breathe underwater

Underwater
Underwater
Underwater
Underwater
Underwater

Drifting away and it kills me
I am my worst enemy
I call for you, my only rescue
Cause I got lost out here

"Merlyn, table for two." Oliver said to the maître d' as he unbuttoned the jacket he'd literally just buttoned five seconds ago after stepping out of the town car that had dropped him off. Felicity had made reservations at a small Italian restaurant in downtown Starling City. She'd mentioned the Gnocchi here was 'to die for'. As she realized just what exactly she'd just said, she dove headfirst into rambling about how she obviously didn't mean that literally. Oliver had smiled fondly at the nervous blush that had appeared on the apples of her cheeks. He'd missed that. Missed her. Her rambling always managed to make him smile. It was a part of her, and even though she sometimes desperately wished for a cure for her non-existent brain to mouth filter, Oliver wouldn't change it for the world.

"This way, Mr. Queen." The man said after checking the reservation, knowing exactly who was dining in his restaurant that night and leading him through to the back. Felicity sure had given this some thought, Oliver thought as he was lead to a more secluded area. He spotted her before she saw him, dark red bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she was playing with her necklace. He recognized the baby blue gemstone hanging around her neck. It had been his gift to her on her sixteenth birthday. She still wore it. His heart swelled at thought.

The royal blue dress she was wearing made her skin look iridescent in the low lighting. Her hair was down again, just like the previous night, this time curled like you'd see in old movies but subtler.

Her face lit up when she noticed him walking up to their table and he could only imagine the love-struck expression he'd been sporting while staring at her in awe. Felicity stood up from her chair to greet him, warm smile on her face.

"Sorry I'm late." He apologized as he pulled her in for a hug.

"Turns out, none of your suits fit anymore after five years." That was a lie. His mother had made sure he had enough clothing that fit him. He'd been scouring the internet for intel on Adam Hunt.

She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head a little. "It's okay, you haven't kept me waiting that long."

Their hands lingered as they got seated. "You look gorgeous, by the way."

Felicity blushed, looking down at their entwined hands, thumb softly stroking along his index finger. "Thank you, you look not so bad yourself in your brand new suit."

He laughed. He actually, really, laughed. It was a soft laugh, but a laugh. It felt good. He would have given it more thought, analyzed the way she was able to bust down all the walls he'd built around his heart, if a waiter hadn't come to take their drink order and Felicity pulled her hand out of his grasp. It was a simple question, really. And one he already knew the answer to. He loved her. But, he wasn't ready to admit that. It was too dangerous considering what he was doing every night.

Oliver asked for a scotch and before he could turn to Felicity, she asked for a water.

"Are you sure? The alcohol might help with the..." He asked, putting up a hand to stop the waiter.

"Nerves? Yeah, no, it's not gonna mix well with the three benzos I took earlier." She replied, lips pressed into a firm line as she ducked her head in slight shame.

"Oh.." Oliver said, letting the waiter leave this time.

Felicity sighed, linking and unlinking her fingers on the table. She met his gaze for a second, only to blush and look away again.

"This is crazy." She said. "We've known each other for almost twenty years, why are we so nervous?"

Oliver shrugged and smiled softly at her from across the table. "It's been a while."

She nodded. "Yeah, it has."

The waiter came back with their drinks, breaking a slightly awkward silence.

"Listen…" Felicity said when he was out of earshot. "I don't wanna force you into anything you're not ready for yet. I know you probably need some time and I really don't wanna jump to conclusions here, but I get it if you're not ready for a relationship or anything. But just, don't cut me off completely okay? I need you in my life… and I can't go through losing you agai—"

"Felicity." He whispered, pulling the brakes on her rambling. "Let's just enjoy dinner and take things one day at a time."

She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and nodded in agreement. Smiling, she reached for her glass of water and lifted it up.

"To a fresh start." She said.

Oliver smiled and took hold of his own glass. "To a fresh start." He echoed, clinking their glasses together.

After dinner, they took a long walk through the park Felicity had suggested the night before. It was beautiful at night, street lamps casting a soft glow across the path. Felicity said the park was the one good thing that had come out of this particular mayor's term in office. He'd passed away after a heart attack, probably because he ate his weight in greasy food every day. The city had been lacking competent mayoral candidates, so it had been a choice between Mr. Greasebag and Mr. Racist. That had been easy enough.

She told him about the growing poverty and disintegration of once such proud buildings. It wasn't pretty. The economy was having a hard time and the Glades was scarier than ever. Crime rates were through the roof and the local mafia gangs had grown more powerful over the years.

"When Robert died, The QC stock rates dropped like flies on a hot summer day. Investors pulled out of projects, mergers weren't finalized and there were a lot of cutbacks. Your mother was grieving but also had to keep the company alive." She explained over coffee in the pavilion overlooking the lake in the center of the park.

Wrapping her hands around the steaming mug, Felicity sighed. "It was a rough time for all of us."

"What happened?" Oliver asked, watching her intently.

Felicity smiled into her coffee. "Walter swooped in with his British accent." She chuckled.

"He saved the company, so be nice to him" She playfully pushed at his shoulder, making him smile a little.

The rest of the walk back to her car, they talked about happier things. Her job at QC, the apartment she bought when she'd saved up enough to move out without her father's help, her favorite new TV-shows that he had to watch, the best places to get coffee in the morning, and where they had the best cinnamon rolls.

Oliver listened to her attentively, commenting on things he thought were interesting or funny, but really he was just glad to have her arm through his, her hand at his elbow as she huddled close against the cold.

Her car was parked around the back of the restaurant, where'd they'd created a small parking lot for their customers. The bright red mini cooper was easy enough to spot, even in the dark. He walked her to the driver's side, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

"Are you sure I can't drive you home?" She asked, digging into her purse for her car keys.

Oliver shook his head. "Thanks, but there's a car waiting for me."

She smiled softly. "I had a really nice time tonight."

"Wanna do it again sometime?" He replied, teasingly raising an eyebrow, grinning. He couldn't help it. He'd missed her so the past five years and her smile was as beautiful as ever. He needed to see it again, to never fade. He'd told himself his mission was to come first, and if that meant putting a stop to relationships or break hearts, than that was what he was going to do. He already found himself tempted to break that resolution. Because of her.

Felicity let out a breathy laugh. "Definitely. Call me with that shiny new phone of yours."

Nodding, Oliver pulled her in for one last hug goodbye. He allowed himself to close his eyes for one second, take in the sweet smell of her shampoo before pulling back. Both of them lingered, faces closer than expected. Felicity's gaze met his, blue against blue. She didn't move to pull away, a hand moving from the back of his neck down his throat, a single nail scratching lightly. Their breaths forming foggy clouds in the cool October night air, mixing together in their closeness. Everything inside him screamed at him to put a halt to this, but he couldn't.

"Oliver.." She breathed.

Her presence was intoxicating, and that's probably why he only heard the swish of a tiny, pointy object flying through the air when it was too late. Felicity's eyes went wide for a split-second, before rolling to the back of her head. Her eyelids fell shut as she went limp in his arms.

"Felicity?" He called out desperately, hand moving to the side of her neck, quickly locating the tiny needle. He pulled it out, tossing it to the ground. He cursed at himself for not paying more attention, letting his guard down.

"Felicity?! C'mon, wake up!" He said, gently patting her cheek.

He was so busy keeping her safe, that he couldn't protect himself and soon, he felt the prick on the side of his neck and everything went black.

Oliver came to when he was being put down in a chair, his arms pulled behind his back, straining painfully because of the force that was used. He couldn't see anything, everything was black and even though his brain was still a bit fuzzy from the drug they'd injected him with, he was pretty sure there was a bag over his head.

He began to focus on keeping his balance, trying to get the drug out of his system by pure force of will. He listened carefully to their abductors, hoping they'd give away anything that would give him an advantage. He heard the buzzing of a taser and the bag was yanked off his head.

The sudden light was blinding, causing him to squint and blink a couple times before everything came into focus again. They were in a dusty warehouse. The air was cold, his breath condensing as he looked around the space frantically, searching for Felicity, making sure she was still alive.

"Mr. Queen!" One of the masked men said, buzzing the taser so close to his face he could feel the heat the electricity generated.

Oliver ignored him, finally spotting Felicity. Her hands were tied around her back, the zip tie looking painfully tight. She was lying face first on a wooden pallet, blonde hair fanning out over her face and onto the dirty ground. She looked cold, her skin pale, knees scabbed as she lay there so uncomfortable. Oliver's stomach twisted in a knot. They weren't going to get away with this.

"Did your father survive that accident?" The man said.

Looking around, Oliver counted his opponents. One, two, three armed men with machine guns, and the one with the taser.

"I ask the questions and you're going to give me the answers." Taser said, losing his patience with his abductee.

Oliver's hands strained against his ties, refusing to give the man what he wanted. Turning around, the man shrugged at his partners before pressing the Taser to Oliver's chest. He grunted in pain, but he wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Did he make it to the island? Did he tell you anything?"

The searing pain of the electricity running through his body again left him panting, breathing hard through gritted teeth, spit flying at his abductor. Not that he cared, the anger inside him roared like a caged lion.

"Yes he did." Oliver muttered. "He told me I was going to kill you."

Reaching consciousness to what felt like the worst hangover ever, wasn't exactly how Felicity had imagined her night ending. She groaned as someone shook her body, giving her headache extra fire. Then she remembered. Walking back to her car. How close he had been and how alluring his lips had looked. How she'd wanted to kiss them to find out if they were as soft as she remembered. The prick in her neck and the darkness as her knees had given out. Oliver. Where was he? Was he hurt?

Her eyes flew open to see him hovering over her, concern in his eyes. One of his hands was on her cheek, his free arm holding her against him. She looked around frantically, eyes still adjusting to the sudden light, her headache rearing its nasty head at her temples.

"Oh thank god you're awake" he breathed in relief.

Felicity held on to his jacket as he helped her sit up. She winced when she moved a little too fast, reaching for her head. She could feel a bump forming under her fingers.

"Hey, are you okay?" Oliver asked, worry in his voice as he moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her neck to steady her.

Felicity nodded, slowly. "Yeah…what happened?"

"Abduction. They wanted money. "He responded, as if it was the most natural thing to happen. Which, well, it wasn't exactly uncommon for rich people to get abducted for money.

"I called the police, and the ambulance will be here any moment." Oliver said, reaching for her cheek, wiping away some smudged make-up.

They sat huddled close, Felicity hadn't let go of his jacket. "Are you okay?" She whispered.

"Yes. Not even a scratch." He smiled softly as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her head onto his shoulder, the sirens getting closer and closer.

"Way to ruin a great night." Felicity muttered, brushing some dirt off her knees.

Oliver let out a breathy laugh and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Minor letdown, but I still had a great evening."

She looked up at him, a warm smile on her face. "You did?" She asked.

Nodding, Oliver squeezed her shoulder. "You were with me. How could I not?"

Felicity blushed a little, looking down at her hands as they let the silence fill the empty warehouse as they waited. It wasn't for long because something was bothering Felicity. Something was off. She was missing something she couldn't figure out. And she really did hate mysteries.

"So, if they wanted money, how did we get free? Because god knows my dad would never negotiate with criminals, not even for me." She looked up at Oliver, his jaw clenching and unclenching before he met her gaze.

"There was a man in a green hood. He saved us." He said with a small smile tugging at his lips.

The day after the abduction both Oliver and Felicity –who had stayed over, too shaken up to drive or be in her apartment by herself- were asked to give their statement by none other than detective Quentin Lance. To say it was an uncomfortable meeting between him and Oliver, would be understatement of five years stranded on an island. They sat in the main living area of the Queen mansion, Oliver and Felicity side by side, Moira and Walter on the opposite couch for moral support. The detective had laughed at Oliver's 'crazy' story about a man in a green hood. Felicity had been running her fingers over the bandages on her wrists absentmindedly when he turned to her.

"What about you, sweetheart? Did you see a man in a green hood?" He said, raising his bushy eyebrows, doubting Oliver's story without a word.

Felicity shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I was out the whole time."

"Alright." Lance sighed, standing up. "You just rest up okay?" He said to her, ignoring Oliver before turning around to leave.

"Detective?!" Oliver called out, pushing himself off the couch.

The man stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

"For what it's worth, I'm really sorry about Sara."

Lance harrumphed, shook his head and was out the door. Moira and Walter were quick to follow, muttering something about a job interview they needed to attend. Normally, that would catch Felicity's attention, because what kind of a job was so important that it needed both a former-CEO's and current-CEO's attention? But, today she'd been zoning out a lot, still pretty rattled after the abduction.

"Well that wasn't awkward at all." She murmured as the silence between her and Oliver stretched on.

Oliver clasped his hands together, forearms leaning on his knees. "Does he hate me?"

They both knew exactly who he was talking about without even saying his name. Felicity drifted out of her fuzzy state. The question seemed to wake up her brain, call it into action. She turned to look at her best friend. His jaw was clenched, the lines on his face more pronounced.

"He has no reason to, it wasn't your fault the Gambit went down." Felicity said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I couldn't save her." He sighed in resignation, running his hands over his face.

It felt like her heart shattered into a million pieces at his confession. She knew there wasn't anything he could have done to save Sara. She had to believe that. The Oliver she lost would have done anything to save her, even risk his own life. Deep down she knew he was different now, he'd changed. A lot. She could feel it. See it in the way his shoulders were always tense, back rigid and face stoic. She didn't need to be a psychologist for that. Truthfully, it had only been two days since their reunion, but she'd always been able to read him like an open book. Scooting a little closer to his side, She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to be there for him as much as she could, and maybe console hers inner demons too.

"What about Laurel? Is she doing okay?" Oliver asked quietly.

Felicity nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah. I mean, it was hard at first, she lost her sister, but with time she started to accept that there wasn't anything she could have done. She blamed herself more than you, or me, even though I was the one to suggest Sara go with you to China."

She sighed and lifted her head off of Oliver's shoulder. He turned to look at her, sad blue eyes meeting hers. Smiling softly, she squeezed his arm.

"She's doing well. Went to law school and she's in a steady relationship. In fact, Tommy invited us to a surprise party for her birthday tonight."

"Tommy?" Oliver asked. She knew what he was asking, if it was the same Tommy he had befriended all those years ago.

Felicity nodded. "Tommy Smoak."

He smiled a little at the memory of his friend from college. "That's wonderful. I'm glad they're happy."

Felicity squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him. They sat like that for a while in comfortable silence, both unsure of what to say next. The distance and hesitation between the two of them was obvious. They loved each other, but they couldn't just pretend those five years hadn't happened and go back to the way they were. It was awkward and difficult, because they both wanted to be with the other so badly, it was like not being able to breathe without having the other close. It had always been that way.

"So, where's this party?" Oliver asked after a while.

"In that building with the giant globe hanging from the ceiling on 42nd and Park."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. 42nd and Park, right across from Adam Hunt. He couldn't have planned it better himself.

"Oh, Right! So sorry, you have no idea what I'm talking about, it was built two years ago. You'll know when you see it." Felicity blushed, putting a hand against her forehead in embarrassment. Oliver chuckled and shook his head a little.

"It's okay." He murmured, smiling at her.

Felicity looked at her watch and winced. "Being questioned by the police has been really fun, but I really should get going if I wanna make it to the party in time."

Nodding, Oliver stood up from the couch, extending his hand to help her up. Her sprained ankle was still a little bit wobbly, especially in the heels she was wearing. She had assured him it was fine, blabbering on about how if she wouldn't be wearing heels she would be absolutely tiny next to his seemingly taller, wide-shouldered, even more Greek god-like, statuesque build. She blushed bright red after that one.

"Let me drive you home?" He asked.

Felicity smiled and nodded. "I would like that."

He offered her his arm after Raisa handed her her coat and purse. She gladly took it, her hand resting in the crook of his elbow much like the night before. As they walked out of the house, they were stopped by Moira and Walter.

"Oliver! Felicity! Hold on a moment." Moira called. "I wanna introduce you to someone."

Turning around, Oliver put his hand over Felicity's, subconsciously making sure that she wouldn't let go, that she would stay by his side.

"John Diggle." His mother said with a soft smile, putting a hand on his upper arm.

"He will be accompanying you from now on."

Oliver froze for a second, his eyebrows flying up into his hairline. "Mom, I don't need a babysitter." He said laughingly.

"Darling," Walter came to stand next to his wife, a hand on her lower back. "Oliver is a grown man, if he feels he doesn't need armed protection, we should…"

"No, I understand." Moira said, cutting off her husband. Oliver peered over his mother's shoulder to look at the imposing man that would be his bodyguard. Moira's voice softened, but only her children knew that meant she wasn't asking them if they were okay with it, but sternly demanding they do what she say.

"But this is something that I need." She said, blue eyes holding Oliver's gaze.

And that's how Oliver ended up with a bodyguard he really didn't need. Instead of driving with his regular driver Joe, he and Felicity sat in the back of the Bentley in silence as Mr. Diggle drove them to her apartment.

"Alright. I'll see you tonight, then." Felicity said with a smile when the car came to a stop in front of her building. "Please try to be on time."

Oliver rolled his eyes "I am always…"he trailed off when he saw the smirk on her face.

"Despite being drugged and abducted, I had a really nice time last night." Felicity whispered, taking his hand. Oliver smiled softly and squeezed her hand a little in return.

"I did too." He murmured.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr. Diggle get out of the car to open Felicity's door for her.

"I'll have Joe bring your car around." Oliver said.

"Thank you." She replied, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek just as Mr. Diggle pulled open the car door. She got out, thanking him before turning around in her heels, sending a quick wave to Oliver. Then she disappeared into her apartment building. Mr. Diggle shut the door with a thud and got back into the front seat.

"Nice girl." He said as he revved up the engine. "You've known her for a long time?"

Oliver squinted at him through the rearview mirror. He'd heard the hidden meaning behind the his words. He was trying to see what Oliver was made of, if he had even slightly changed since he'd come back from the island. If he had managed to get a girl into bed after two days of being home. If admonished playboy Ollie Queen was actually in there, somewhere, or if there was more to him than booze and boobs like the media liked to portray him. Even now.

"Almost twenty years. She's my best friend." He replied with a tilt of his head before moving his gaze out of the window, looking at his city from behind the bullet-proof glass.

"Speaking of Felicity." Oliver started. "I want her protected."

"You are my priority sir." Mr. Diggle said simply.

Oliver scoffed. "I survived five years on a deserted island. I can protect myself. She can't and I want her safe. Whenever she's with me, she's your priority, is that clear?"

"Crystal." Mr. Diggle replied, exasperation evident in his tone.

"So? What do I call you?" Oliver asked, putting his hand on the door handle, scooting a little closer to the side.

"Diggle's good. Dig if you want."

"Are you ex-military?" He asked before pushing open the door.

"Yes, sir. Three tours in Afghanistan. I've been working in the private…." He didn't hear the rest of the sentence after dropping out of the car and kicking the door shut again. He rolled onto his chest and got to his feet as quickly as he could, sprinting to the sidewalk and leaping over a fence. He really didn't have time for being babysat. He had wrongs to right.

Later that night, with Laurel's party in full swing, the birthday girl dancing like crazy in the middle of the dance floor, Felicity couldn't help searching the crowd, searching for Oliver. She sipped her cocktail, looking down at her phone to check the time when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Shouldn't you be having fun instead of sulking by the bar?" Tommy asked.

Felicity let out a breathy laugh. "Shouldn't you be proposing to your girlfriend instead of sulking by the bar with me?"

Shaking his head, Tommy leaned over the bar and ordered a beer. "She's pretty drunk, It's probably better if I wait."

Felicity hummed in agreement, taking another sip of her cocktail. Tommy leaned back against the bar, fresh beer in his hand. Originally, Tommy's plan was to propose after Laurel graduated from Law School. That plan went down the drain when the news of Oliver's return had surfaced that night. Then, Laurel had been so swamped with work that it didn't seem possible to take her out for a nice dinner or do something special. Felicity was sad to know that It wasn't happening today either. Now that Laurel finally wasn't stressing about work, she was not stressing a little too much, with a little bit too much alcohol.

"So who are you waiting for?" He asked.

She shot him a glance and he nodded understandably. "I knew it."

Felicity put her phone away and turned towards her friend. She sighed softly, putting down her drink on the bar.

'It's weird…He's been back home for three days and I already can't do without him."

Tommy shook his head, putting a hand on Felicity's shoulder and leaning in close. "That's not weird. That's love."

With one last smile aimed in her direction, he melted into the crowd of moving bodies. Felicity watched him wrap an arm around Laurel's waist, who turned around in surprise. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing him passionately. Felicity smiled to herself, for her friends being so happy together. Tommy hadn't been wrong. She did love Oliver, much more than she'd care to admit but those five years weighed heavy on her chest, made something so uncomplicated seem so intricate. She looked at the time again: 10:30 PM. It wasn't unusual to start a night out that late, especially not considering their teenage years, but still, she worried that he wasn't going to make it.

The sigh of relief she let out when she finally saw him walking into the room –suit all neat, jaw all scruff and his tan skin– should have washed away all her doubts. She smiled at him from across the room and he made his way over.

"Sorry I'm late." He said when he reached her side, pressing his lips to her cheek.

"This time it was Thea who didn't have anything to wear." He grinned.

Felicity chuckled and shook her head a little. She spotted Thea pulling some of the friends that were tagging along onto the dance floor.

"You're forgiven." She said into his ear, loud enough to be heard above the pounding music.

Smiling, Oliver held out his hand to her. "Wanna go dance?"

She watched him for a moment, staring into his eyes, trying to decipher what was hiding behind the familiar blue. "I thought you didn't dance?"

He smirked at her "I'm willing to make an exception for you."

Laughing, she let him lead her onto the dancefloor. Her worries eased off of her body with the beat of the pulsing music and Oliver's hands on her hips. The party continued into the wee hours of the night. There was laughter, alcohol and a lot of calorie-burning dancing. When it was time to go home, Oliver dropped her off at her apartment, a snoring Thea resting on his shoulder.

The next morning, Adam Hunt getting attacked by the man in the green hood that had saved their lives the day before was all over the news.