Chapter Two: Goodbye!

"Love says: I've seen the ugly parts of you, and I'm staying."

-Anonymous

Six Days Earlier…

When Oliver went to the Lair – great, now he was thinking in ridiculous Felicity terms – later that night, her resignation letter seemed to be burning a hole in his left jacket pocket, and he was dreading the confrontation that was surely going to happen with Digg. He had spent the better part of that day avoiding his black-driver-sidekick-friend in the hopes of catching Felicity and explaining things to her. It appeared that nothing was going to go as planned today. He went down the Foundry steps heavily and with a dread building up in his chest; he knew that what he and Sara had done was wrong, but he wasn't ready to face the consequences – or the firing squad named Digg – just yet.

He didn't have a choice.

The Foundry appeared to be empty at first, but Digg slowly came out of the shadows behind Oliver, blocking off his escape route through either the stairs or the side-alley door. Digg had cornered him quite well. The look on his friend's dark face was harsh – the lines of age showed more thoroughly than ever before, his mouth formed into a grim stiff line, and his body was tensed as his arms wrapped around his chest in a defensive manner. This was it.

Oliver had though that he could guess what Digg was going to say, but later when he'd look back on that particular moment he'd recall that he truly did not know any of his friends as well as he'd thought. Digg continued to stare Oliver down, his eyes hard and calculating before he decided to finally speak.

"You know, when I first found out you were the Hood…" Oliver flinched at the old name that the public had given him, it reminded him of how he used to do things, the killer he'd been before Felicity and Digg had reformed him. "I used to think you were nothing more than a mindless vigilante, a killer who thought he was above the law. Someone who did things for your own selfish needs. But, after you convinced me to join your cause I started to think, 'Hey, he's not as dark as I thought. He's just trying to survive each day and do what he can as little as he can.' When Felicity came onto the team, she was the one who really convinced me that what we were doing made a difference." Oliver frowned at Digg's words. "Yeah, that's right. It wasn't what you were doing that convinced me to stay, it was how she saw you and what she thought you were doing that convinced me that maybe this was the right thing to do."

"Digg, I know…I know that she makes me better, and I know that what I did was wrong…" Oliver's voice was thick with unmasked emotion, but Digg chose that moment to interrupt.

"Wrong? Dude, it was beyond wrong! It was sick! You saw her face as clearly as I did when we discovered you and Sara down here this morning. It's Laurel all over again. Last year you chose Laurel over helping me, and now you've chosen Sara over Felicity. It's always going to be them, everybody else be damned." Digg made a move to leave when Oliver finally broke.

"I didn't choose Sara. It was a mistake and it won't happen again. I promise. I'm going to make this right!" Oliver said with fierceness in his voice that Digg rarely saw anymore. It made Digg pause.

"That's what's so ironically tragic and sad about this situation. I know that it was a mistake that you regret, Felicity knows it, too. But, the thing about your promises Oliver is that you rarely keep them. Not for us anyway. You'll keep them for Laurel and maybe Sara but rarely do you keep your word with me and Felicity. Do you remember what you said when she joined us? That we'd both keep her safe. I've done my best, but you…Sometimes, protecting her, means protecting her from yourself Oliver. You've twisted that girl around so much that I doubt she's the same person anymore. You're willing to lead her on but never act on what you feel, always keeping her at arm's length. How is that fair? How is that kind? How is that being a hero?" Oliver had turned his back on Digg by then, his hands braced over Felicity's desk as his eyes clenched shut over hearing Digg's painfully true words. "You did choose Sara over her. Maybe not Sara personally, but what she represents. You chose your past over your future."

Oliver whorled around to face Digg, his body tense as he spoke, "My past is the problem Digg! I've had to do things that I can't tell her about, because – God! – the idea of her looking at me with disgust over the things I've done terrifies me. Sara…she understands me."

"Seriously! That's your best excuse for what you've done to her! Oliver, Felicity knows what you've done. I haven't told her anything that you've told me, but you've revealed enough in her presence that she was able to figure most of it out herself. And guess what? She's still here! She never cared about what you did in your past, but you seemed determined to repeat it! She knows you Oliver, the real you, and she doesn't care. It's you who's determined to push her away and not fight for what you want. She calls you a hero, but in order for you to be a hero – you need to have courage – and you, Oliver…you're coward."

Oliver's entire body bulked at Digg's words.

"Because true courage means acting in spite of your fears, but you won't. Felicity has more bravery then any of us." Digg made his way towards the stairs, he was halfway up when he turned back to face Oliver and said, "She liked to call us Team Arrow. But we'd have to be a team for that to work. This isn't a team, Oliver, because being part of a team means you help each other – you protect each other – but it's never about us as a whole, it's always about you; your wants, your needs, your selfishness. And for some reason…Felicity's always the one who gets hurt by your thoughtlessness. You can try to fix this, and I hope you do, but don't ever hurt her again Oliver. Never again." Digg was determined to leave with those words, but Oliver was just as determined to dig himself into an even deeper hole.

"That's why I have to keep her away, Digg. Everyone close to me gets her. First Laurel, Sara, then Tommy…I don't want to hurt her!" Oliver was bordering on hysterical by that point.

Digg turned to face him one last time. "Oliver, you've been playing that hand ever since you got back from the island the first time around. You play the martyr but you're not one, ok? You spend all of your time blaming yourself for things that you had no control over instead of facing the things you are at fault for. Yes, you hurt Laurel when you cheated on her. But blaming yourself for Tommy's death or how Sara turned out. Hell! Blaming yourself for even taking Sara on the Gambit when she made the decision all on her own. She chose to betray her own sister by sleeping with you. Stop trying to hold everyone else's blame and start worrying about what you actually did, the wrong choices that you and you alone made. Holding yourself away from Felicity hurts her more and causes her more pain than any of your past or present enemies are capable of." Those were Digg's final parting words.

Sara had been about to come into the Foundry through the side alley door, but when she'd heard the verbal fight between Digg and Oliver she'd paused. When it was all over she shut the crack in the door and slowly made her way to the end of the alley where she propped herself against the dirty brick wall. Digg's words echoing through her mind, "your selfishness…your thoughtlessness."

She hadn't spent a whole lot of time with the team, but it had been so obvious of the relationship…the bond between Oliver and Felicity. She was pretty sure that last night Oliver had even let Felicity's name slip through his lips during their…sexual indiscretion. Sara hadn't paid much attention at the time – nor was she bothered by it – since she'd been thinking about Nyssa the entire time. What did that say about them? That they were willing to screw each other while thinking about someone else. She hated what her life had become.

Laurel's earlier words from the night before ran through her skull like a chant, "You caused mom and dad's divorce, you slept with Ollie…my boyfriend, you stole my life!" Sara had felt so sorry for herself that she'd never once considered what her actions had done to others. She had been so afraid of what people would think of her, if her family would love her after what she had been though and all the horrible things she had done…her. That's all she ever thought about; even before the island she'd been selfish – Hell! – she'd agreed to run away with her sister's boyfriend!

Sara Lance thought about Felicity and found that she was jealous of the bright-independent-IT-Girl. Not jealous of her relationship with Ollie or his love for the girl, but because she was everything that Sara wasn't. Felicity was kind, just, honest, and – Digg was right – braver than any of them. She had once again hurt an innocent with her thoughtless actions and she hated it; she'd thought that when she had left the League that she had turned over a new leaf. It seemed that she was just as lost as she was before she had gone onto the Gambit with Ollie and she hated it. She wanted to be good…she wanted to be better.

It wasn't until later when Digg had left the Foundry to check up on Felicity that he learned that she had resigned. A part of him was glad she hadn't let Oliver off so easily, but another part dreaded what was coming, because the truth was they couldn't do what they did without her. That same part of his mind placed an immense amount of blame on Oliver and Sara – their team was falling apart.

Digg returned home to Lyla and proceeded to drink himself into oblivion. There was also a small part of him that blamed himself, that he hadn't protected Felicity enough from Oliver. He knew that her feelings for Oliver were of the romantic variety, but he'd figured it would be better to let the two of them figure things out on their own, but after watching her get hurt time and time again by Oliver it grew harder and harder not to put himself in the middle of their strange connection.

Roy snuck into Digg's apartment a few hours later. Usually the kid would stay with Thea at the Queen manor or she'd stay with him at his house in the glades, but ever since Roy had joined their little posy (and because of the threat of the Mirakuru in his blood) they'd all agreed that he needed to be watched 24/7. Felicity had been the first to offer Roy a permanent place to stay at her apartment, but Oliver and Digg had been adamant that wouldn't be a good idea – afraid that Roy would lose control and accidentally hurt a defenseless Felicity. It would be slightly weird if Roy lived under the same roof as Oliver, plus it would put a damper on his sexual relationship with Thea…constantly having her brother watching over him like a hawk. So, the responsibility had fallen on Digg to offer a place for Roy to stay. It made sense, he and Lyla both knew how to fight and could protect themselves should Roy happen to lose control. So, the kid had moved in a month ago and things had been going well for them.

When Roy came home to a drunk Digg, he'd been really shocked – Digg always seemed to be the most calm and in control out of their little gang-trio. So, Roy being Roy, he sat down across from Digg at the kitchen table – Lyla had gone to bed a few hours earlier – and grabbed himself a drink. Digg didn't stop him. Roy struck up a conversation, teasing Digg about his state of drunkenness, talking about guy things, Roy's struggle with his Mirakuru infected blood, and eventually about that night's events. In his inebriated state, Digg told the kid…everything.

The next day Roy would not show up to his training session with Digg and Oliver in the Foundry, instead he had spent the day with Felicity – offering her a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, and an ear to listen to her babble and rant.

Oliver soon realized that Roy knew what he and Sara had done when later that week, during a particularly brutal training session, that Roy had taken a great pleasure whenever he landed a particularly painful hit on Oliver. He'd always come away from their training with a body riddled with bruises; Roy was happy for getting back at Oliver, Digg was unsympathetic, and Sara was absent – to ashamed to show her face to any of them – spending most of her time trying to better herself, and reconnecting with her sister.

Team Arrow was no more.

One Hour Before Felicity's Confrontation With Tockman…

Digg had just left Felicity's apartment, she was still sipping on her glass of wine while letting a few silent tears of frustration and anger run down her face, when she got a call from an old acquaintance of hers. Dr. Banner was a good man and a good professor. Felicity had met him one day when he'd come to MIT with Tony Stark to give a talk on computer artificial intelligence. She knew he was the Hulk and had gone to him for help on the Mirakuru problem that had been plaguing Oliver when they'd first gone up against Cyrus Gold. She'd asked Dr. Banner to try and work on an antidote for the Mirakuru, but had so far been unsuccessful. However, when he'd called her up that night she had been very surprised that he'd gotten a hold of a small amount of it.

So, there she was in his lab – which was located under his basement in his house in the Palisades (a very nice area of Gotham City that was just a twenty minute drive away from her apartment in Starling City) – both looking at the small vile of green goo.

"How did you find this?" Felicity asked.

"Well, once I'd analyzed the blood sample you gave me that was infected with the Mirakuru; I broke down all the components of the sample and was able to figure out exactly what was used to make it. I was trying to track down the ingredients in order to recreate and hopefully alter the foundations of the Mirakuru so that I'd be able to create a cure. One of my contacts for a couple of the more illegal ingredients had it and offered to give it to me. I figured with a pure copy of the Mirakuru that was not connected to human blood would help offer some answers for a cure, but I was wrong. I figured you'd want it. Maybe give it to your friend Barry Allan. Might be able to be more successful in creating a cure than I am," answered Dr. Banner in a friendly voice.

"Thanks, but Barry is still unconscious. But, I'll take it anyway. I'll give it to him when he wakes up." She placed the small vile of Mirakuru – it was only a few drops of it – into the front left breast pocket of her jean jacket before she left to make her way home. She was halfway back to her apartment when her tablet, which was sitting on her front passenger seat, turned on, dinged. It was the location of Tockman. She changed the direction of her car and raced to City Hall. She forgot all about the small vile of Mirakuru that she had in her possession.

(Previously) Present Time…

"Life asked death, 'Why do people love me but hate you?' and death responded, 'Because you are a beautiful lie and I am a painful truth.'"

-Anonymous

Felicity sat at her desk in Queen Consolidate. Ever since she had given Oliver her resignation letter six days prior, she had been working late every night going over the possible applicants to who would be his new Executive Assistant. It was just after 9:00PM, the sun had set an hour or so ago, when she heard a faint sound coming just down the hall. A faint "click-clack" like stilettoes against the marble floors.

"Hello?" Felicity called out in the dark shadows of the CEO floor that surrounded her. The hair on her neck stood on end, and her skin prickled in anticipation.

The clacking continued towards her desk, but she couldn't make out any figure in the darkness that surrounded her. She cursed herself for not putting all the lights on, the only light was coming from the small office lamp on her desk – it's small glow illuminating only a few feet surrounding her and the desk.

"Hello?" Her voice cracked then as a shiver of fear went through her. When she didn't get an answer back she decided that she wasn't going to stick around to find out if whoever it was happened to be a burglar. The memory of what had happened with the Count flashed through her mind as she quickly gathered up her papers and put them in her desk and then grabbed her plane and casual jean jacket. As she put it on she felt something small and hard in the pocket just over her heart. She felt against her breast pocket and was shocked that she had forgotten about the small vile of Mirakuru that she had placed there the night before. Her mind caught up with her and she came to the possibility that whoever was hidden in the shadows here on the CEO floor with her at Queen Consolidated could have found out she had a sample of the Mirakuru and had come for it.

Felicity froze when she realized that the clacking sounds had stopped, but her fear returned when she heard the very familiar voice that echoed through the glass walls.

"Working late, Ms. Smoak?" said Moira Queen as she slowing came out of the shadows and approached Felicity like a predator would its prey.

"Um…yes. I was just looking through some applicants for the Executive Assistant position." Felicity tried to keep herself calm and unintimidated by Moira Queen, but it was very hard particularly since she knew fully well what this woman was capable of.

"Yes, I'd heard you had resigned. Still, that does little to comfort me when it comes to solving the problem you've caused." Moira said, she appeared to be calm on the surface, but underneath her cool exterior was a volcano boiling with rage.

"Problem?" Felicity asked as she felt the cool glass of the window next to her desk hit her back. She realized that Moira had backed her against the glass wall of windows that showed the entire view of Starling City.

"Yes, you told Oliver the truth about Thea's father. What's to stop you from telling my daughter?"

"I have no intention of telling Thea. That's up to Oliver, and I know he has no intention of telling her, so you have very little to fear."

"On the contrary, I fear you a great deal, Ms. Smoak. You appear to be a simple enough girl with very little confidence, but I underestimated you. Your intelligence and your loyalty to my son pose a great threat as you have so carelessly proven. Now, I intend to eradicate that threat." Moira's voice became a hiss. She had been paying one of the many guards that worked for the Queen family to follow Ms. Smoak, and when she had learned that her son's secretary – Executive Assistant – was working late all on her own tonight, it seemed like the perfect time to act. "Your curiosity has cost me a great deal, and you know what curiosity did to the cat?"

Felicity knew fully well what Moira Queen was implying, but she refused to let this psychopath intimidate her. "I'm no cat, Mrs. Queen." Moira smirked. "Listen, you can threaten me all you want. Bully me, push me around, but no matter what you do…you can't deny the truth – it always comes out. You are a cold hearted monster and your children deserve so much better." Or at least Thea does, Felicity thought.

Moira let her anger get the best of her, it roiled up along with a sharp bolt of adrenaline at the mere thought of making Felicity Smoak pay for destroying her family. The glass windows of Queen Consolidate were thick and built to withstand the harshest of treatment, but nothing could withstand Moira's rage. That's why it was so easy to do what she did next. She gathered all her strength, hate, and anger…and pushed as hard as she could against the younger woman.

The glass shattered, cutting through the back of Felicity's jacket and blouse, leaving a trail of crisscrossing scratches over her back. The backs of her legs slid against the ragged edges of the glass that still held to the window frame. She felt her body go backward, felt the cool night air against her flesh, as she crashed through the window. Her blood curdling scream could've been heard for miles.

The impact of her body hitting the cement ground below the 36th story window she'd been pushed from gave way to the small glass vile of Mirakuru. It broke into a cluster of sharp little knives, cutting through – and some even puncturing – the jacket, blouse, and skin over her left breast.

A small black cat limped over the large dumpster next to Felicity's unconscious form. It had recently been in a fight with another alley cat, its paw cut open and bleeding. It jumped from the dumpster and landed clumsily onto something soft. A few drops of blood from its injured paw fell onto the broken form it now sat on.

Feline blood mixed with the few drops of Mirakuru before sliding through the open tears of Felicity's blouse and jacket and landing on the open cuts of her chest, seeping through her open skin, flooding her bloodstream, and then gradually entering the cavities and crevices of her heart.

It took a few hours, but her shattered and fractured bones healed, her skin pulled taught over her bones, her waist synched itself inward making her hips and chest more pronounced; her hair unstrained and reformed into its natural curls, her darker natural hair color tried to break through the hair die she wore. Felicity Smoak changed back into the woman she was so very long ago. Her canines pointed just a bit more than usual, her nails grew longer than how she normally wore them, and her eyes – as they snapped open with life – were tilted to mirror those of the cat that was startled off of her stomach where it had been sitting.