Salvation in a Feisty Blonde

Slade Wilson looked at his surroundings. The running walls, the smell of waste and not to mention the rats. Those were taking a toll on him but if he wanted his plan to succeed he had to bear with it.

"If you are going to change your base of operations to this sewer permanently, I might have to rethink my role in this team."

"Isabel, humans are predictable. They never imagine that some can thrive in darkness and flourish. Is it done? Is Thea alone?"

"I gave her the papers for Verdant's closure and asked her to move out in a couple of days. She looked heartbroken. And Oliver did not come to his mother's funeral so Thea might be more broken than ever."

"Good. We need her broken to fulfil my promise to Oliver. I left her to cry over her mother, to see the pain I saw when Shado died and when I cradled her in my arms. Thea needs the pain and the hatred so that she can channel that against her brother. What about the blonde?"

"I saw her at the funeral; she was waiting for Oliver. Though down the lane, I would love to attend her funerals."

"Fool, I told you no one touches her."

"Felicity, Felicity, Felicity. Everyone is smitten by her including you. What is so special about her, Slade? Tell me!"

"Don't raise your voice at me, woman. Felicity is mine; I have some unfinished business with her. Now come, I have a present for you."

Slade put on the red and black mask on Isabel and looked at his Ravager. He knew then that she was going to shed blood, blood which will drown Oliver and the people he loved. Slade walked up to his bag and took out a photo. A young girl with beautiful brown curls and eyes ever so blue stared back at him. He looked up from the picture and saw his Shado staring back at him; looking ever so alive and whispering to him, telling him what she desired and that's when he knew he had another promise to keep before the streets of Starling City ran blood and fire.

Felicity finally found him. Sure, it took Digg and her a visit to Argus and a stare down with Amanda Waller and some touching of really cool next generation processors; let's not forget that but they did find him. Felicity knew that the man sitting with his back to the pillar was changed; he was more broken than ever but Felicity was more determined than ever to pick up those broken pieces, no matter how much it hurt and bring them back together.

"How did you guys find me?"

"We had some help. Oliver, what is this place?"

"I come here when I need to be alone. It's over, Digg. It's done. I watched my mother die in front of me. And I won't let Slade hurt the people I love anymore. I will surrender."

"No, it's not over. I don't believe that. Oliver, please don't go."

And with that Felicity took Oliver's hand in hers and looked up into the eyes of the man she loved. It was true she loved him as a partner, as a friend and she loved him because of the man he was. She knew Oliver loved her too, not the kind of love that could make the world stop or oceans flare; Oliver loved her for what she was, his friend and partner. Felicity was content being his partner and that's why she took his calloused hand in hers not noticing how their hands moulded together like they belonged with each other.

"You don't just give up Oliver. If I gave up I would have been a cocktail waitress like my mother in Las Vegas, never would have attended college and moved 10,000 miles to Starling City to meet a guy in a Hood who could tell me that I was more than just an IT girl."

Oliver was taken aback. How could his girl ease his pain just by looking into his eyes? He could see the pain, the worry and the pleas in her eyes, all for him. All for the man who had no light left in him to harness. But he knew that Felicity would never believe that. She will hold onto him, she won't let him go and she will give up every inch of her radiance if it meant getting Oliver back from the darkness he could not seem to break free of. And that's why Oliver had to surrender. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he needed to protect her light from Slade. From anyone who might try to hurt her that's why he gave her the lamest excuse he could.

"Felicity, someone once told me that the essence of heroism is to die so that others can live. Slade wanted to take away everything from me and he has. All that's left for me now is to die."

And with that Oliver took in every detail of Felicity's face, her sunshine hair, her lovely eyes and her tempting lips. He wanted to have her picture in his mind before he died, to never forget the woman who was his salvation. And that's when he let her hands go.

Felicity looked at Oliver's retreating back but she knew that Oliver wanted to live. She saw it in his eyes. This was the man who Oliver had become and even now when he saw no hope, Felicity knew it in her heart that Oliver wanted to live, to live with guilt, to live with pain but live, not just breathe and that's how Felicity ended up wrapping her arms around Oliver's back and stopping him in his tracks.

Oliver looked at the hands wrapping around his chest from the back and felt his heart skip a beat. But what Felicity whispered to him next left him numb.

"I know, Oliver, that right now everything is dark. But just hold on, will you? You don't have to give yourself up to protect the ones you love. We can do this together. We will find Slade and make him pay. But we will do together, the three of us the way it has always been."

Oliver felt it, felt her, her warmth and her love and it left him speechless. He knew that if he turned around and looked at her, he would never leave. That's why he untangled Felicity's arms from his chest and without glancing back, he walked away.

Felicity understood him leaving but she would never let him give up on himself. She would never allow that because she was not just an IT girl. She was a part of Team Arrow and heroes always find a way, so do their sidekicks. The plan to stop Oliver was already forming in her head when her phone buzzed. The picture of Thea stared back at her. The girl whom she had comforted and the one who needed her.

"Hey, Thea! What a surprise!"

"Felicity, Are you busy? It's just that I didn't know who to call."

Felicity felt rather than heard the panic in Thea's voice.

"Thea, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Felicity, I know that we met yesterday and this might be even more startling but can you come to Verdant? Isabel came by and gave me a closure notice for the club. I don't know why I called you but can you come?"

"I am coming, Thea. Just stay there. I will be there in 20."

"And Felicity, thank you."

Felicity cut the call and smiled. Things might be getting bad, but she was becoming hope for one particular Queen. And that's how Felicity found herself in Verdant 20 minutes later after telling Digg her plan to stop Oliver's noble idiocy.

So here you have it Folks! The second chapter. Thanks for all the reads and reviews and I know that all of you are going to try to figure out what Slade has up his sleeve so please do try and give some ideas too!