A/N: Ok, so I am SO SORRY it took so long. I've been crazy busy, and my muse abandoned me for a bit. Taught me a lesson about starting things, that's for sure.

This will likely be my last story for a while; I have deliberately not watched anything since Heir to the Demon in order to make sure I wasn't changing my story and it kept in the direction I wanted. I really hadn't intended this to be sooooooo freaking long, but once again they got away from me. I do apologize for any inconsistencies, I'm absolutely blaming pregnancy brain.

This is not beta'd, none of the recognizable characters are mine, I make no money off of this. That cover it? Yeah? Ok, well, as always, please enjoy at the least, review at the most. Thanks once again for your patience!

Barry flashed Felicity to the hospital.

"Help! I interrupted a mugging but not before she got shot!"

The ER rushed into action, taking her straight into surgery, leaving Barry to give the admittance information. Barry pulled his phone out to text Oliver.

'Felicity has been mugged, was shot. At Starling Memorial, she is in surgery now.' Barry put his phone away, hoping Oliver understood that he was setting all of their cover stories in place. Even if part of him would love to see Oliver squirm for breaking Felicity's heart over and over again. Barry leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Waiting wasn't his strong suit, but that's all there was to do now. Plus, he was sure he'd hear the roar when Oliver arrived.

He wasn't wrong. Diggle and Oliver arrived about 45 minutes later. Fortunately Felicity had listed Oliver as an emergency contact, because if Oliver's tone had been anything to go by, he was willing to buy the hospital and fire everyone who was denying him access to Felicity. Diggle managed to restrain Oliver when he found out Felicity was still in surgery, and guided him to where Barry was waiting.

"What the hell Allen?" Oliver demanded, and Barry knew then that Oliver was every bit as in love with Felicity as she was with him. There was concern and fear in Diggle eyes, yes. But Oliver looked like a wounded animal in search of its mate. He was practically oozing fear, panic, guilt, anguish. Barry cocked his head a bit to the side as he realized Oliver had no idea how to deal with those, so he resorted to anger. He therefore didn't even bother asking Oliver to clarify.

"The explosion in Central City hit as a storm did. I was dealing with a leak in my apartment, the next thing I know I'm waking up and its been two months. The nurses told me Felicity was a frequent visitor, and when I was able, I went to go catch a train to come say thank you. I found that I...ran...a bit faster than I used to."

"A bit?" Oliver choked out. Barry glanced around, and seeing no one around, replied,

"So far as I can tell its near speed of light. Felicity has been helping me."

"Thank you, Barry." Diggle interjected before Oliver could say anything else. "You very well may have saved her, and I cannot thank you enough for that." At this, Oliver deflated, collapsing into a nearby chair and leaning his head back against the wall.

"I hope I did, because that is not something I think he can handle" Barry muttered, looking at Oliver. Diggle followed his gaze, and an understanding passed between them. "I told the hospital I interrupted a mugging."

"It's a good cover sorry. Thank you, Barry." Diggle repeated softly. Barry nodded his acknowledgment, and all three men settled in to wait.

Sara took Laurel to her apartment, neither saying a word other than Sara asking if Laurel was ok. Laurel had nodded, still in shock. When they got to the apartment, Sara checked for additional threats, and noticed the police officers her dad had to have convinced needed to guard Laurel.

"You know who he is, don't you?"

"Who?" Sara asked, turning to look at her.

"The Vigilante, or Arrow, or whatever he's going by now."

"Yes."

"Who is he?"

"It's not my secret to tell."

"You killed that man."

"He took you, and he was going to kill you. Yes, I killed him." Sara stated matter of factly and lifting her chin in defiance, as if daring Laurel to condemn her. She was surprised to hear Laurel switch topics yet again.

"That girl. Oliver's assistant. She works with the Vigilante also. Is she ok?" This time it was Laurel who was surprised to see...regret? sadness? concern? flit across Sara's face. "Tell me."

"Felicity uh." Sara took a deep breath. "Felicity threw herself in front of you before that psycho shot you. From what I understand, she's still in surgery."

"Why would she do that?" Sara smiled, and there was sadness and admiration both in the smile.

"Because that's just who Felicity is. She makes her choices based on what she feels is right, and no force on this earth would ever convince her otherwise," Sara said and Laurel felt as though Sara was not just talking to her when she said that. "I'll go. Dad has put some officers around, you know how protective he is. Nothing else is going to happen to you. Sorry I wasn't here to prevent it this time." Laurel seized on that, trying not to think about the woman who was currently trying to recover from saving her, or think too hard on the identity of the Arrow, because she had a feeling she already knew. And at this point, she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"How long, Sara?" This time Sara didn't need to ask what she meant.

"A year. You're a magnet for danger. Especially when you were working with the DA." And with that Sara turned to leave.

"Stay," called Laurel. Sara looked back, and Laurel saw for the first time clearly the hope and fear on Sara's face. But she stayed. There was a lot to be worked out, but they'd have to do that together.

Lance would later be thrilled to learn his daughters were mending their relationship, but right this particular moment he was in the precinct's lab running the prints he'd pulled off the arrows. He knew from experience that it could take a while, so needless to say he was shocked when he got a hit immediately.

He damn near fell over when he saw the name "Oliver Queen." He was bombarded with emotion, primarily disbelief. That soon gave way to anger, and then resignation. It made so many things make sense. The Arrow willing to jump through hoops to keep Laurel safe. Why he was anywhere near when Tommy Merlyn died. Felicity's new role as Queen's assistant. The timing of it all. Sara was on the same island, and he had a decent inkling of what she was capable of.

Lance stood there a few moments, conflicted as to how he wanted to proceed. On the one hand, every time Oliver Queen got inserted into their lives, it was destructive, even if he had sensed Oliver trying to do better. On the other, what The Arrow was doing was vital to the city's wellbeing. Hell, he'd gone after his own mother thinking she was corrupt, so he had a very clear sense of right and wrong. He just didn't always agree with Queen or his methods. Making his decision, Lance quickly deleted the results. He would have a chat with Queen later.

Oliver leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, worn out. He tuned out the other two men, not wanting to hear their condemnation and recriminations. Unfortunately, every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Felicity's too pale and still form bleeding out in his arms.

"Not your...fault. Love you, you know."

"Because that's just who Felicity is. She makes her choices based on what she feels is right, and no force on this earth would ever convince her otherwise."

The two conversations played on repeat in his head though he'd ripped his com out after Sara said it. He knew Sara was telling him the same thing Felicity had. Oliver felt his despair grow as he realized Felicity could have been using her dying breath to offer him absolution and love he came nowhere near deserving. The longer they waited, the more of the last several hours played in his head.

"Not your...fault. Love you, you know."

"Ironic that Ivo's daughter would sacrifice herself to save you kid."

"Where's Merlyn? Gone..."

"Ivo's daughter. Merlyn gone."

"Love you, you know."

Felicity bleeding, moving, throwing herself in front of Laurel.

Over and over and over again until Oliver wanted to scream with the sheer unfairness of it all. Ivo's daughter or not, she was the purest of them all, and did not deserve to be having to fight for her life the way she was. He was reaching his breaking point when Diggle calling his name finally penetrated the hell he was creating for himself. Oliver opened his eyes to look at him.

"Yeah." Diggle sucked in a deep breath when Oliver opened his eyes. They were normal to an outsider, he was sure. Being side by side with Oliver allowed him to see the anguish clearly. This went beyond Tommy. Those two had never truly reconciled true, but Tommy also never really knew the post island Oliver. Felicity did, and there was love beyond what he thinks even Oliver understood. Barry was right, Oliver would not be able to handle it if Felicity didn't pull through.

"Barry told the hospital it was a mugging gone bad. He knows what forensic counter measures to take," Diggle suddenly stopped at the distant sound of footsteps.

"Oliver Queen?" Came a voice a moment later. Oliver shot to his feet.

"Yeah, that's me." "Ms Smoak is out of surgery. It was very close, but it looks like the bullet missed her heart. Not by much, but fortunately by enough that we were able to repair the damage. The rest is up to her." The surgeon said to him.

"Can I...can WE see her?" Oliver asked as he felt Barry come up to join him and Diggle. Taking a look at the three men practically vibrating with worry, the surgeon took pity on them.

"It's late. Yes, you can all see her, but only one will be allowed to stay. She's still coming out of the anesthesia, and is being given medicine to manage the pain, so she may be out of it for a while yet. Follow me." And with that, the surgeon started heading to a recovery ward.

When they reached Felicity's room, Oliver almost buckled under the urge to bolt. She was here because of him. Diggle must have sensed it because he put a hand on Oliver's shoulder, prompting him to move fully into the room.

"Given the blood loss, and proximity to her heart, we half expected her to flatline. She never did. This ones a fighter," the surgeon said before closing the door behind her. The three men vaguely heard that tidbit as they stared at the normally vibrant and talkative woman lying in front of them. For a few long moments, the only sound in the room was the impersonal beeping of the machines monitoring Felicity's vitals.

"What happened?" Barry finally dared ask. Oliver didn't look at Barry when he said,

"My past."

"Do you think Merlyn will come back to..." It was Diggle that voiced the concern that was on their minds.

"If he does I'll kill him. I sent Roy to guard Thea. She can't know..." Oliver finally turned to look at Diggle and Barry.

"You can't...kill him. Thea...you'll never...forgive...yourself," Felicity managed, surprising them all.

"Felicity," Oliver said, whipping his head back to her, his hand coming up to cup her face.

"Stop. Not...your fault. I'll be...fine. Barry, sorry...for giving your secret away...too," Felicity smiled weakly and started nodding off again. Suddenly her eyes flew open. "Laurel ok?" Oliver gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Of course that would be what she was concerned about.

"She's fine. Rest."

"Ok. Hurts."

"I know." Felicity closed her eyes again, letting the medication take over. Oliver dropped his hand and turned back to look at Diggle, overwhelmed. Barry seemed to understand that Oliver needed time, because while he longed to make a snarky comment about Oliver letting him know when he was done breaking Felicity's heart, it would do no good. He opted instead to say,

"I have to work in the morning, and it would be difficult to explain how I got here so fast. Please let me know if you need me to take watch. She's my friend too." Oliver nodded, Diggle thanked him again, and Barry was gone.

"You don't get to run again Oliver," Diggle said. Oliver stared at him. "When this is over, you don't get to run. You will lose her forever if you do."

"She's here because of me."

"She's here because she made a choice. You insult her to presume otherwise. That woman there is stronger than any of us have likely given her credit for. She knows the risk, and she still chose you, chose this life. Just like I chose to go after Lyla, just like I choose to stay."

"But she's not safe..."

"None of us are! It's the way it is! No one is EVER completely safe from danger. So who are you really trying to protect, Oliver. Felicity, or yourself? I heard what she said. Did you? It's your choice now. Abandon her and make your fears come true, or stay and try to be happy. It's on you now man. I'm going to go get some rest. I'll be back in 8 hours to take watch." Diggle had almost made it out the door when Oliver softly said his name. "Yeah?"

"Thank you." He nodded his acknowledgment, and shut the door behind him.

Oliver stared at the spot Diggle had stood, at a loss. Felicity being Ivo's daughter was a huge complication, as he was responsible for the man's death. Felicity dealt with a lot, was it fair to ask her to forgive that? Even if she could, was it fair to ask for her to deal with his issues?

Oliver looked out the window, scanning for threats. He didn't think Merlyn would come after Felicity, his end game was Thea, and right now he needed to trust Roy. He flirted with the idea of telling his mother that Merlyn was after Thea, but he wasn't sure he could trust her methods of keeping Thea safe. In the end Thea's safety won out and Oliver called Moira as the Arrow.

Oliver checked in with Roy after securing his mother's promise of security, then paced around the room, unable to really look at Felicity. He went on alert every time the nurses came in to check on Felicity, but he soon found himself being aware of the timing. His brain kept looping Diggle's, Sara's, Slade's and Felicity's words until they were all a jumbled mess. He was looking out the window for threats again when he heard the sounds of someone entering the room off schedule. Oliver whipped around, immediately going into a defensive, battle ready stance.

"How is she?"

"Detective Lance," Oliver said, relaxing his stance and slipping his Oliver Queen mask in place.

Lance, for his part, couldn't understand how he'd missed it before. The changes were subtle, yes, but they were definitely there.

"She's doing much better. She's woken up briefly, and the surgery went well."

"Do you know what happened?" Lance asked, knowing full well that the reports had no record of Felicity being in the warehouse. Whoever had gotten her to the hospital had done so damn near instantly from what he could tell. Lance also deliberately kept Felicity out of the report, to protect her. Laurel was explainable in the report for motive, Felicity was not. Mostly, he just wanted to see if Queen had any tells.

"The hospital told me it was a mugging gone wrong," Oliver lied smoothly. And it was smooth. Lance smiled.

"You're good. But you and I both know that's not what happened." Oliver froze.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you have any leads on Merlyn?" Oliver stared at Lance, understanding dawning. Cocking his head to the side, it was clear Oliver was debating internally about something before the mask came crashing down. It was then that he saw just how exhausted Oliver actually was.

"No. He disappeared in the chaos. She was...Felicity was dying. She became priority." Queen moved to Felicity's side, his hand reaching for hers.

"Any idea if he'll come back for her?"

"She's not his endgame. Thea is. He just figured she'd be easier to get to if I was out of the way. Revenge, I'm quite sure, was a nice benefit," Oliver said almost absently as his thumbs made gentle circles on the back of Felicity's hand. Lance tucked the both the action and eference to Thea away, much more interested in why his daughter was involved in this mess than he was in the implied Queen family drama.

"Why'd he take Laurel?"

"The mastermind of this is Slade Wilson." Oliver let go of Felicity and rubbed his hands over his face. "He was on the island with us. He, uh...He taught me how to survive. The serum that's been causing the super soldiers has been coming from him. I'd injected him with it when he was dying, hoping it would save him. It wound up twisting his mind when the woman he loved...got killed."

"He blamed you for that." A haunted look entered Oliver's eyes at Lance's astute deduction.

"Yeah. Yeah he did. He knew Laurel was who I had been holding on to while I'd been on the island."

"Why take both of them and keep them alive? Why not just kill them both?"

"Revenge. I had to make a choice once. Shado or Sara. I put myself between them offering myself instead, but the person felt I chose Sara. He killed Shado as a result. I was going to have to choose again. Best revenge, I'm sure he thought."

"Dare I ask?" Diggle dryly asked as he stepped into the room. Oliver looked at the clock and realized it had been 8 hours already. Damn.

"Exactly how many people know?" Lance asked, though not truly surprised to see Queen's driver was clearly involved with the Arrow.

"Too many," the other two men said in unison.

"Laurel doesn't. I was doing what I could to keep it away from her," Oliver said. Lance nodded his thanks, then decided to tell him how he knew.

"You left your prints on the arrows. You're in the system Queen, from when money didn't work fast enough. Lucky I took them and not someone less friendly to the cause." Oliver closed his eyes in obvious frustration as realization hit as to when he'd done that.

"I'd have...deleted them anyway."

"Felicity!" Oliver said, his eyes flying back open.

"Hey kiddo, how you feeling?" Lance asked with a gentle smile.

"Like I got shot," Felicity tried to joke. Seeing the somber expressions on the men in her room, she sighed and tried to sit up. Oliver rushed to her side, gently helping her into a sitting position. It was clear to Lance that Oliver was worried, yet he could tell there was anger there as well. "I'm ok, he got me here in time."

For Oliver, everyone else in the room faded away when Felicity had spoken. He was relieved that she was awake and ok, but suddenly angry at her for trying to leave him. He'd made mistakes, dammit, but they were partners. And you don't just try to check out on your partner.

"Don't ever try anything like that again," he growled. Lance watched with increasing interest (and amusement) as Felicity simply touched her hand to Oliver's arm, calming him.

"I'm ok, Oliver, and so is Laurel. Detective, Sebastian Blood was working for Slade Wilson. If Merlyn left my babies alone, I can send in an anonymous tip so there aren't any questions about the legalities of the information," Felicity said, her voice stronger but still scratchy.

"So Laurel was right?" Diggle piped in.

"Yes she was. He seems to have done the recruiting and injecting, but it was all on Slade orders."

"Well, I'll check in with you later then. Get better soon, and...thank you," Lance said. He didn't know what else to do. What do you say to someone who was willing to die for your kid? Turning to Oliver, he asked gruffly, "Mugging, you said?"

"Yes," Oliver confirmed.

"Alright then. Ms. Smoak, if you remember anything about your attacker, give me a call. I'll keep you updated about the...investigation." With that, Lance left. Sensing the charge in the air, Diggle excused himself to get coffee. Once they were alone, Oliver began pacing again. Felicity broke the silence.

"Is Slade dead?"

"Yes," Oliver bit out.

"I'm sorry," Felicity started to say. She stopped when she saw the fury on Oliver's face.

"What exactly are you apologizing for?"

"I didn't tell you I was investigating Blood. I'm sure it wound up tipping Slade off, the way my luck has been recently. Not to mention you had to kill again." Felicity spoke haltingly at first, her voice sounding mostly normal, but it was obvious she was trying to find the right words.

"You're apologizing for that?" Felicity looked at Oliver, confused. She hadn't done anything really wrong, what was the issue here?

"I'm sorry for not telling you about Barry. He wanted to get control of it before he told you..." She said slowly, testing the waters. Oliver shook his head. "Ok, Oliver, I'm confused. What is wrong? Laurel is ok, Slade is dead, Blood is going to be caught as was Merlyn. Why are you clearly not taking this as a victory?"

"Merlyn got away. Because you got yourself shot! You almost died Felicity! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Seriously. You're going to blame me for getting shot? I was thinking about you! I was thinking of the guilt you'd feel if you had to choose. I was thinking of how you and Sara would feel if anything happened to Laurel. Well, mostly you, but still. I was thinking of a backup plan so you didn't have to, you ass!" Oliver stalked over to Felicity, his temper and fear finally getting the best of him. Leaning down, he claimed Felicity's mouth with his. Stunned, it took her a second but she responded, enthusiastically. When she did, Oliver pulled back.

"You left yourself out. You never thought what I'd... You can't...you can't do that again." Searching his face and hearing the unspoken "to me,"Felicity finally settled on,

"Alright, Oliver. Now. Who is Ivo?" Oliver looked at Felicity, and she could see the war. He opened his mouth to reply when the nurse came in saying,

"You're awake! My goodness! I was going to check some things, but let me go get the doctor." The nurse left, and Felicity looked back to Oliver, who was staring at her rather intently. He finally leaned in and kissed her tenderly, reverently and, she thought, a bit desperately.

"When the doc leaves, I will tell you." Oliver pulled back, and moved to accommodate the doctor he heard coming towards the room.

The visit took longer than he anticipated, and Oliver spent that time second guessing his decision to tell Felicity the full truth. In the end, he remembered her fear of telling him about Thea, which is what kept him from bolting. She might make that decision for him, but after everything...she deserved to know.

"The guilt is all over your face, Oliver. Why did you kill him?"

"Ivo was one of the ringleaders of the island. He was searching for the Mirakuru. I believe at first his intentions were pure, the stuff clearly has medicinal value, but the longer the search took...by the time we had found it, it was no longer the science. He was cruel, ruthless in his quest to find it. Seemed to enjoy it, actually. It came down to him or me, and well. Clearly I chose me." Please don't have heard what Slade said, Oliver thought.

"And Slade said I was his daughter," Felicity said matter of factly. Shit.

"That's what he said. I don't see it."

"It's possible he was right. It doesn't matter. He took off so long ago...and if he was the way you say he was, then sounds like he did me a favor. Little scary to think I share his genes though, who knows what I'm capable of then?" Felicity mused.

"No, don't," Oliver said sharply.

"Don't what, Oliver?"

"Don't compare yourself to him. You do good things, you. You aren't like him. You're not cruel for no reason, you don't enjoy other people's pain." Felicity cocked her head a bit to the side.

"Oliver, I used to help you kill people," she said softly. "And I ignored that consequence for a long time."

"They were bad people, Felicity. And we stopped doing that." At that she smiled.

"Precisely my point Oliver. You weigh yourself down with all this guilt, and belief that you deserve every bad thing that comes your way. You did what you had to do, and the only person who blames you for that is you."

"When did you get so wise?" Diggle's voice came from the doorway. Oliver and Felicity both looked over to see him holding a bouquet of brightly colored flowers and her tablet, a relieved grin on his face.

"When I started spending all my time around you tall, dark, handsome, brooding hero types," Felicity smiled back and both men were happy to see it. Digg moved into the room and leaned down to give her a hug.

"I'll...go call Barry," Oliver said. Diggle looked at Oliver, curious, but Felicity just nodded.

"Get some rest Oliver. Knowing you, you haven't slept yet. You can't afford that." Oliver looked at Felicity, but there was no condemnation, no censure, no anger in her eyes. There was what he'd always seen, even if he chose to not recognize it. He nodded, feeling incapable of words at that moment. He nodded to Digg, no words were needed there. Then, he left, knowing Felicity was right about sleep.

"You let him off easy," Digg murmured.

"He has enough guilt. I had faith in Barry and all of you to get it taken care of. Either way, he needed the closure."

"You're too good to him."

"He needs someone to be. I love him, what else can I do? I know I can't, won't wait forever but. Besides, the man Oliver killed is not the man I remember, and it sounds like it was necessary."

"And that is why this team works, and I will never understand how you can do it." Came Sara's voice from the doorway. Felicity smiled.

"We all have our way of contributing to the greater good. If Slade was correct then I have my fair share of fathers sins to pay for. This is just my way. I'm not a fighter like you three are."

"After that, I'd have to disagree." Felicity went to shrug, then hissed in pain.

"Well that was painful. That is going to make my job such a bitch. Ugh, and I do not even want to hear it from Isabel." Sara just gaped at her.

"You get used to it," Diggle grinned.

"Do you? Really?"

"Hey, in the room people. Hurting but not unconscious."

"Thank God for that," Barry said. It was Felicity's turn to grin.

"Told you you'd be able to control it. Thank you."

"I'd have really rather not found out the way I did, thanks." Oliver hung outside the door, hearing the easy conversation between everyone. Even Sara and Felicity, which was odd considering the tension in the last couple of weeks. Women were so weird, and he almost envied the easy understanding it was clear now had been reached. He turned to leave, confident in Diggle and Sara's ability to keep Felicity safe. He needed sleep, especially if he was going to catch Merlyn.

Sleep didn't come easy to Oliver. His instinct was to keep watch over Thea, even if he'd checked on her a number of times before attempting to sleep, and that warred with his need to go back to Felicity and hide her from the world so she could never get hurt again. He finally fell into a fitful sleep plagued by nightmares of Barry not getting Felicity to the hospital on time, the surgeons not being able to save her. Her belief that he wouldn't choose her, and loving him anyway. His life without her.

He woke with a gasp some hours later. Oliver looked frantically around his room for a moment, trying to orient himself to his surroundings and make sense of recent events. He looked at his phone, but no alerts waiting for him. Heading for the shower, Oliver contemplated his next move. It was as the hot water cascaded over him that he realized what everyone had been trying to tell him. He'd seen better than most how short life is, and he'd been spending the better part of a year ignoring the best thing that could have happened to him. Oliver was done with that. He was opening the front door to leave when he was greeted by Detective Lance.

"You have a problem." Oliver felt his heart drop at that.

"Felicity ok?"

"Yeah. She sent me the information about Blood, but she found something else. I was with her when she found it, and since I have to get your statement about the 'mugging,' I told her I'd send you over when I was done."

"Well, I don't have much information about the mugging. I got a call she'd been shot because I'm listed as her emergency contact. What did she find?"

"She'll tell you. Good thing it's the weekend. You'll have a chance to do damage control."

"What?"

"I respect what you've been trying to do, Queen, which is why I'm going to let her tell you. And I'm going to offer some advice. Stop ignoring what you have. I learned the consequences the hard way."

"Thank you, Detective." Lance nodded, and left. Oliver rushed to the hospital. Heading to Felicity's room, he finds Diggle is the only other occupant.

"Lance find you?" Felicity asked as he came in. Oliver walked to Felicity's side, casually kissed her like it was something he'd been doing for years, and asked,

"Yes, told me there's a problem?"

"Um, yeah. Could be," Felicity quickly recovered and handed him her tablet.

"Slade had another partner. He really hated you, and had plans to rip apart every part of your life." When Oliver saw what Felicity had found, he frowned.

"Isabel? He was working with Isabel?"

"Yeah. The plan was to strip you of your wealth, your friends, your love. He had said something to Merlyn about it, which is why I checked. Lance said the evidence here will be enough to arrest and likely convict her, but it will destroy the company's image. Again."

"Unless..."

"Unless you confront Isabel. Get her to sign over her shares before this goes public. Queen Consolidated would be yours again and you wouldn't have to worry about her trying to take over any more. "

"It's going to come out anyway."

"But if you get control first it looks more like a failed hostile takeover, increasing investors faith both in the company's viability and your capability as CEO. Caught unaware you look like you had no idea, which is an open invitation for investors to bail, try to take over themselves, or both." Oliver smiled, pride evident in the curve of his lips.

"You sure you don't want to be CEO?" Felicity laughed.

"No, I just want a good tech budget." Oliver let out a surprised chuckle.

"At this point, you can have just about anything you want."

"That's a dangerous statement to make, Oliver Queen. Do you know what I'm capable of with an unchecked budget?" Diggle watched the two of them with an amused smirk on his face. They were finally acting like a long established couple, and Digg supposed in some ways they were. He was glad Oliver had apparently made his decision, but had some reservations about Oliver's true readiness. There was a lot left unresolved, but something told Digg they'd figure it all out. Hell, at this point that unresolved tension was going to clearly be resolved and now they had more resources, which would be invaluable going forward. So for now, he'd enjoy the happy moments with the two people closest to him. After all, they were what made what they did all worth it.

~Fin