Hi guys! Thanks again for your amazing responses to this little story; I wasn't expecting it to be so well received, to be honest. This episode features Team Arrow because who wasn't disappointed they didn't show something like this on last week's episode of Arrow? So here's my attempt to fix that. A special thanks to everyone following/favoriting and to silverwolvesarecool, PSML, ForgottenDreamer98, Sarah, Idril of the Mountains and Leah for your reviews; this story is almost completed, and I really appreciate everyone who has joined me in this ride :)

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

United

When she opened her eyes, she couldn't hide the radiant smile on her face; it appeared every time she looked at him, but especially when he was sleeping and looked more vulnerable than when he was wearing his green suit. To her right, Oliver was profoundly asleep, but of course her boyfriend was so perfect he didn't snore. One of Oliver's Queen many virtues, she thought. Sighing happily, she got up from the bed and picked up her clothes, spread all over the room. It wasn't like when Oliver and her were living alone - now they shared the house with Ray, and given the fact that he had been her boyfriend for some time, she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, although she hadn't heard him and that could mean he could be still asleep.

It turned out he wasn't, as she discovered some minutes later (when she had already dressed up); she found him in the kitchen, hands busy between bowls and frying pans. He turned before she said anything, as if he just knew (Jedi-like, she thought) she was standing behind him. And he was even wearing an apron! At that moment, she would give a hand, an arm or even a leg to watch a cooking competition between Ray and Oliver, although she didn't think Ray could ever beat him because everything Oliver ever cooked turned magically into gold.

"Pancakes?" Ray asked happily, showing her the bowl in one of his hands.

She smiled and was heading to the kitchen to give him a hand when Ray made a noise with his mouth to make her stop.

"You don't want my help?"

"Nope" he turned to pay his full attention to the pancakes. Leaving the bowl in the countertop, his eyes focused in the frying pan, being extra-careful not to burn its content. "Your technology knowledge is admirable, Felicity, but you're an awful cook"

"Wow, well, okay. I'll leave you on your own then" suddenly, she felt really stupid standing in the middle of the house with absolutely nothing to do. She looked around the gigantic house. She sighed and lowered her shoulders. "I guess I'll just set the table" she smiled when Ray didn't object.

Some minutes later, when she was leaving the forks and knives on the big wooden table, she heard noises coming from the bedroom she shared with Oliver before hearing the shower in the bathroom. She got lost in her thoughts, imagining her amazing and muscular boy completely naked, his body wet. When she returned to reality, her face got red when she realized Ray was looking at her with arched brows and a confused face.

"Give me the pancakes, I'll serve them" she said, pretending the last seconds never happened.

After setting another plate for Oliver, she took the remote of the tv and left it on the table after turning it on. While the screen filled with sound and colors, Felicity got next to Ray and took with his hands the plate full of delicious pancakes. She was on her way to the table when she raised her head and looked at the screen.

Then, she froze as her world paralyzed.

"Oh my God" she mumbled, eyes on the screen, unable to look anywhere but there. She was so shocked she didn't even realize she wasn't holding the pancakes anymore; a cracking sound arrived to everyone's ears but Felicity's.

"Felicity?"

Ray called her from the kitchen but she didn't hear him. She also heard a noise coming from the bathroom, but she didn't listen. All she could see was the video being displayed on the channel that was currently on their TV - on the video, a gigantic figure in a red suit was holding a lifeless body in what appeared to be an office. She didn't need time to recognize the unconscious figure (because no, he couldn't be dead, absolutely not) because she had known him for some time, before the S.T.A.R. Labs accident that gave him his powers. She didn't recognize the other figure, the one wearing a darker, more distorted and creepier version of the other's man suit, but what she was watching was enough to make her feel absolutely terrified.

"Felicity, what is…?" Ray asked behind her. "Oh"

As she met Ray's eyes, she recognized in his the same concern and fear she was sure was in hers. She turned to the TV again, covering her mouth with her two hands, while reading the letters that appeared on the bottom part of the screen: "Central City's despair: the fall of its hero". She hardly noticed Ray's arm around her shoulder, but she did noticed how her ex took the remote (he had also forgotten about the pancakes they would never got to eat) and turned up the volume.

"… and nothing has been heard since then of The Flash's location and current status. Our reporter James Johnson is in Central City, we'll connect with him as soon as new details are heard. I think I speak for everyone when I say our hearts are with the city - we hope your hero stays safe…"

Felicity saw ray turning off the TV when they started talking of another completely different topic that didn't interest them. She turned when she heard a noise behind them and met Oliver's concerned, scared and angry eyes.

"Who is that guy?"

"I don't know" her voice trembled. She knew Oliver hadn't been referring to Barry.

"I'm gonna call Thea to tell her I'm postponing today's meeting with the campaign manager. We're leaving for Central City"

"I'm gonna call Cisco and Caitlin" she mumbled, heading with Oliver to their bathroom to retrieve her phone. As Oliver had found him first, she saw him leaving the room and talking in the living room to his sister, whereas she just stood there, typing on the tactile screen with trembling fingers. As she was waiting for anyone to answer her, she sat on the corner of the bed, realizing she was alone as she looked around the room. She gave a startle when she recognized Cisco's voice. "Cisco! What happened? Where's Barry? Is he okay?" All the color that hadn't left her face when she had watched the TV left when as she was hearing Cisco's words. "Isn't he supposed to have super healing?" she knew she sounded desperate, but it didn't matter. Her mouth opened but no word came out of it until a moment later, too in shock to find coherent words that could make actual sense. "We're coming. Me, Oliver and Ray. Yeah, I said Ray. Turns out he wasn't dead, just shrunk"

She ended the call before Cisco had the time to answer. They would have plenty of time to get up to date, when they were all reunited under S.T.A.R. Labs roof and the three of them had seen Barry with their own eyes. As she exited the room, she saw Oliver on one corner still talking to Thea on the phone, whereas Ray putting on his A.T.O.M suit.

"What are you…?" she asked him, leaving the phone on the table.

"I'm officially dead, so it would be weird to use my credit card to book a seat on the train"

"I can go by train; Oliver can take you with his motorbike"

"And wouldn't it be weirder" Ray rolled his eyes, with an almost smile curving his lips upwards.

"I guess you're right" she shrugged her shoulders and watched in silence as Ray finished dressing up. It didn't look the same when Oliver gave her a ride with the motorcycle than if it happened with the two men. It wasn't long until Oliver met them in the middle of the living room. "What did Thea said?"

"She's got us covered"

"You told her Barry's secret?!"

"No" Oliver furrowed his brows with confusion. "She has also watched the news and she knows I know The Flash"

"Okay then,… so, let's go, right?" Ray sighed and looked at them. Felicity nodded at him and followed him with her eyes as he headed towards the balcony and took flight.

Five minutes later, Oliver and Felicity were perfectly dressed up; it was a miracle, she thought, she was able to walk so fast despite wearing heels and still feeling her legs trembling because of the continuous state of nervousness she's been in all morning since she watched the TV. Fortunately, there were available tickets for the next train to Central City and they had the exact time to get them and take the train without missing it. Felicity sighed and set her eyes on the window without seeing anything in particular, leaving her bag on her lap.

"I can never forget the black hole that opened in my heart when I was told Barry was in a coma. I mean…" she looked doubtful at Oliver; she didn't want him to get jealous because that was then and now they were an actual couple, but she needed to talk or she would get really crazy. "It was the same I felt after you went to fight Ra's. Or after the explosion at Palmer Tech. I just…" she turned her head and closed her eyes with fury, trying in vain not to cry. "I mean, what is wrong with you guys? It just seems that after we recover one of you, it's the turn to lose another one!"

She covered her face with her arms, the back of her hands in her front. She was really worried about Barry after what Cisco has told her on the phone, despite the Latino had told her he was showing signs of improvement. She got sick every time she started to think what it took to leave someone with Barry's abilities in such a state, more dead than alive. She noticed a firm grip on her knees - Oliver's hands.

"We are not losing Barry, okay?" it was his gentle, delicate tone that made her look at him with pleading eyes.

"No, we're not losing him this time, but what happens…?" a noise coming from Oliver's mouth silenced her. She looked around, at first thinking she had been talking too loud and she had been exposing Barry's secret to the other passengers, but she discarded that option when she saw the people around them wasn't paying any attention to their conversation.

"Don't think about the future, Felicity. Today, let's worry about today. We'll see what comes tomorrow"

"I just… some wounds never really heal, I guess" she looked at Oliver conspicuously; she wasn't thinking only about Barry anymore, she was also imagining Oliver's corpse with Ra's sword piercing his cold skin. She shivered. She realized Oliver must have guessed that too, as he got up and sat next to her.

"Come here"

To be honest, she didn't actually move, but didn't complain either when Oliver's arms pulled her next to him, her head on his chest. What was the magic in hearing a beating heart to calm her nerves? She was sure even the fiercest of lions would calm down if his hear was put next to his mother's chest… although that was something she wasn't even going to try, for sure.

"Barry's been through a lot in his life, but nothing has ever slowed him down. Not even a nine-month coma. He'll pull through" she sobbed while heard him talk; the fact that he was stroking her hair with one hand while the other was on her back was having a soothing effect for her heart.

They made the rest of the trip in silence, lost in their thoughts. Felicity knew that although Oliver was the silent type of guy, he was also concerned about Barry, but she said nothing to him. She didn't actually know how he was able to maintain that calmed and confident façade, but it was something she admire - while Oliver was like that, she had had her own crisis in the train. The perks of Oliver five-year mysterious disappearance, she thought.

It was unbelievable, she thought, that Central City was as vibrant and happy as ever, as if nothing had ever happened with its hero (except if she looked at the newspapers covers, of course - they had all the same photo of the creepy guy in black holding The Flash as if he were a fish he had just caught). That was something Star City or Starling never were; it was never as dark as Gotham, but it was close. And now, with Darhk, it was darker than ever - she wondered what Captain Lance was expecting when he allied with a man named like that. Oh, yeah. The "desperate measures for desperate times" thing.

"Hey guys!"

She felt Oliver's grip on her arm to stop her. She shook her head and looked confused to where Oliver was looking, and their eyes watched Ray landing next to S.T.A.R. Labs entrance, next to one of the building's corners that wasn't so in front of everyone's sights.

As the three of them were together again, they made their way into the building in silence. Felicity noticed the lack of personnel in the main entrance; she knew S.T.A.R. Labs hadn't been the most popular laboratory in the city since the particle accelerator explosion almost two years ago, but now, after the former owner's death (which was technically Harrison Wells but it wasn't really him but a guy wearing Well's meat suit pretending to be him after killing the original one - what was wrong with the world, really?!, she thought), it looked… solitary. As in "the secret lair of a superhero about which no one in the city suspects about" kind of solitary.

When they got outside the elevator, everything was silent. Felicity looked confused and nervous at Ray and Oliver, but since they let her take the lead towards the cortex, she was the first to enter the room. At first, she saw no one. But then she looked at the med bay and saw the figures of both Caitlin and Cisco hovering over a bed - Barry.

She was on her way there when a noise came from behind. As she turned, Ray and Oliver got in front of her defensively, but still she could see a blond, tall man that wasn't definitely Eddie because he was dead.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"We can ask you the same thing" Oliver asked. Ray nodded, his arms crossed on his chest.

"I know you" the blond man said with surprise, his face still serious. "you are the man in the iron suit they talk about on TV"

"Ray Palmer. And you are…?"

"Jay Garrick" Jay extended one arm to stretch Ray's hand, but Felicity noticed he didn't do the same with Oliver. "I guess it's true, then" She didn't really understand what was true, but maybe Ray did and that's why he didn't ask so she decided to keep quiet. Besides, now Jay was looking at Oliver in a not-really-friendly way, the same as Oliver, so she had other things to worry about.

"He's Oliver Queen" she decided to say before Oliver could screw up and they ended up in a fight because she hadn't signed up for a fight, but for visiting a friend. However, she wasn't expecting the shocked look Jay had after hearing her. "What? You thought he was dead?" Jay nodded. "You should probably watch the news more often. What earth do you come from?!" she asked with sarcasm, rolling her eyes. Three years ago it was normal the shocked look after seeing Oliver Queen alive in front of you, but now? That Jay-guy must have been a real lab rat isolated from the world or something, she thought.

"From Earth-two" Felicity (and she was sure Oliver and Ray too) looked at Jay with confusion. Was it a joke? Jay turned to Oliver. "Aren't you related to Robert Queen, are you?"

"He was my father" Oliver said. "Why are you…?"

"OH. MY. GOD" a voice coming from the med bay's entrance made everyone turned, the previous conversation suddenly forgotten. "Two superheroes from one earth and another one from another earth!"

"Hello to you too, Cisco" Felicity rolled her eyes, but she felt her lips curving upwards.

"I'm so geeking out right now!" Felicity rolled her eyes again when Cisco ignored her; the Latino greeted the newcomers and Felicity returned the hug. She noticed Jay had sat down again; he must have thought they weren't intruders after witnessing Cisco's reaction, but she would have to ask Cisco and Caitlin him anyway. Thinking of Caitlin made her look to the med bay again, and Cisco caught her. "He's doing better. He woke up an hour ago"

The sighs of relief from everyone filled the room, and Felicity had almost completely believed it… until Oliver broke the silence.

"What's wrong?"

Felicity felt anxious. Had Oliver said wrong? What was supposed to go wrong, Barry had super healing, all he had to do was waking up and he had already woken up, so…?

"Zoom broke his spine, among other bones" he grimaced "And he couldn't feel his legs when he woke up"

"I want to see him" she said. Her eyes were wet and hurt, but she couldn't allow herself to cry. She was just a normal girl with nothing to complain about, not when the fastest man alive couldn't feel his legs. It would have been even funny, she thought, it was even ironical.

Cisco lead them to Barry's room, and the three of them followed Cisco. Caitlin exited the room after they entered, giving them space, but not before hugging each one of them, especially Felicity, with whom she had befriended in the last year. Cisco then left them alone with Barry and the three of them took positions around his bed: Ray sat on the chair next to Barry, Oliver stood stoically next to his feet and Felicity sat on the bed and grabbed Barry's hand with one of her own.

Saying he looked bad was an understatement. There were no bruises to see (they had already healed, according to Cisco), but it was shocking seeing him with the nasal cannula and the neck brace, and wires attached to his bare chest to control his breathing; all of those objects were a sign of how critical the situation had been. But all Barry did when he saw was smile at them.

"Hi guys" he said to the men. Then he turned his head to Felicity as much as the brace let him and his smile got bigger. "Hi Felicity. I wasn't expecting you to com…"

"Damn you, Barry Allen!" she punched him in the arm with little strength; he seemed fragile and she didn't want to hurt him, but she still felt in the need to punch him.

"What was that for?!" he asked her confused with one arched brow. Felicity was about to reply when Ray interrupted her.

"We wanted to come as soon as we heard about you"

Felicity's heart dropped when Barry's face changed. Before he just looked vulnerable, but on the mend; now, after Ray's words, he looked completely defeated. She even felt bad for punching him when Barry lowered his head.

"It's everywhere, right?" he sighed. Felicity wasn't sure if he did remember the moment or he knew after Cisco and Caitlin had told him, but she didn't ask. Instead, she squeezed his hand, as if to emphasize the support she wanted him to realize she always gave to him. For a moment, she thought Barry would crumble right in front of them; she was even ready to hold him, but suddenly Barry changed his mood and appeared to be as happy as he usual self as he turned his head to Ray: "By the way, Ray, welcome to the land of the living once again. How does it feel to be a walking dead?"

The room filled with laughs, even Felicity's, although she didn't miss the fact that Barry's eyes were now trying to ignore her. She knew he knew she knew he couldn't lie to her, and that was a not-too-nice way to run away from issues that did already exist and were not going to disappear by ignoring her. On the other hand, she reminded herself to be empathic; not only had Zoom (that was what Cisco had called the guy in black, and it was a surprisingly suitable name for such a creepy and evil individual) broken him in every way possible, Barry had just woken up and he needed time to recover both physically and emotionally - and the second ones were the ones that always took longer to heal.

"To be honest, I haven't had the time to get used to it. But I guess it's cool to have a normal size again" Felicity rolled her eyes. Now she wanted to punch Ray; the guy had just been rescued after being held captive by Darhk for months and there he was, making jokes about that. Unbelievable! She refrained herself, thought, as she knew she would make herself more pain than she could ever do to him as he was wearing his A.T.O.M. suit. "And it seems I came back at the right time"

"What do you..? Oh" Barry's happiness disappeared once again. "You don't have to do that. CCPD has everything under control"

"You don't actually believe that, right?" everyone looked at Oliver, who had remained in silent until that moment. "What happens when another metahuman attacks your city?" Felicity got a little angry at her boyfriend when Barry lowered his eyes with shame.

"What Oliver means is… you don't have to be ashamed, Barry. You just have to let us do our job". she replied, smiling at his friend.

"But guys… you already have Star City"

"But it has Diggle and the rest of the team to watch over it, not to mention the SCPD" replied Oliver, more empathically than earlier. Felicity looked at him with a smile and nodded. "That's what friends are for, Barry. We stay here. United".