A/N: So I can only think of one response to the feedback I've gotten from this story: the Olicity fandom is hands down the best, most supportive, and most amazing fandom there is. I love each and every one of that you read, reviewed, reblogged, followed, and favorited. You all make my day. Seriously.

Here's the next chapter! Bringing in Olicity's #1 cheerleader on this one. Because who doesn't need more Diggle in their day?

I will also say, I try to keep behavior as canon as possible – meaning you probably won't see I love you's or kisses in my fics unless I mention that the timeframe is different. I like playing with the characters right where they are at.

Let me know what you think!

We have kept a light on through the trouble

Treaded water – in a sea of tears

Now I'm shooting arrows across your night sky

Trying to land in your atmosphere

If we can make it through the storm

And become who we were before

Promise me we'll never look back

The worst is far behind us now

We'll make it out of here somehow

Meet me in the aftermath.

"Glaring at that thing isn't going to make her recover faster."

Dig's sharp tone did nothing to deter him from directing his barely restrained fear at the machine currently helping Felicity breathe.

Seeing her lying unconscious in a hospital bed had been difficult enough before. Knowing that a piece of machinery was keeping her breathing, keeping her with him – that was enough to set him over the edge.

He stroked his thumb over her delicate wrist yet again, letting her slow but steady pulse vibrate through his entire body. Closing his eyes, the feel of her heartbeat began to soothe his fraying nerves, a constant, steady beat reminding him that she was still here.

Leaning forward in his chair, Oliver brushed a strand of hair away from her pale face, bristling at the sight of the tube forced between her colorless lips and down her throat. The doctor had already come by again to explain how the machine was working, how it was pushing oxygen through her lungs, enabling her body to not work as hard while it healed. It all made sense, but he couldn't help the way his heart twisted at the sight.

The silence was getting to him.

Felicity and silence didn't go together. She was life, joy, color. All of those things usually encapsulated in an intelligent ramble, punctuated by a blatant innuendo and a blush that crept up to her hairline. He had never told her how many times one of her long-winded rabbit trails pulled him out of his own mental spiral. How many times her innuendos had been his only reason to crack a smile all day. How the fact that she still blushed reminded him of the incorruptible goodness he was fighting to save everyday.

"She's a fighter, Oliver. She is going to be fine."

With a grunt, he opened his eyes, cutting his gaze across her prone form to where his partner sat on her other side. Despite the soothing words, Oliver could hear the anger Dig was suppressing. And based on the hard look he was receiving, that anger was directed at him.

"Detective Lance called the Arrow on my way here. Wanted to check in on her, let you know that they managed to get Tockman in custody."

Oliver's breath left him heavily, eyes turning back to the woman beside him, "He came by the other day, said she called him to let him know exactly where he had been holed up." A swell of pride momentarily overwhelmed the fear that had been dominating his mind since the doctors had pushed him and Sara from the room. He squeezed her hand just a bit tighter, the corner of his lip turning up just a bit as he observed her. "She did it."

"That she did. The SCPD is still processing the crime scene, trying to piece together what actually happened. Felicity will likely be the only way to get the full story. Though they did find traces of her blood."

Oliver's eyes shot upwards at that, filled with the raw rage that had been bubbling underneath the surface. Dig didn't seem to notice, continuing, eyes still on Felicity.

"From what they can tell, there was a scuffle and she ended up underneath one of the server towers. I imagine that's what happened to her leg and probably explains the concussion as well."

A set of concerned and angry eyes glanced to the leg encased in plaster before meeting in the middle over it. Oliver winced internally, imagining her pinned beneath a server like the massive ones she had at the club. His other hand began tracing up and down her arm unconsciously. "How on earth did she get out of there, Dig?"

For a moment he saw the weight of it all on his partner's face as he sighed, eyes turning to glance over her injuries, "I honestly don't know. Adrenaline? You and I both know how hard you can push when you have no other choice." A pause. "She's tougher than we give her credit for, Oliver."

He nodded. He knew it. He had seen it before.

While the rest of them hid their mental and emotional pain and damage beneath a layer of physical strength, Felicity took the opposite approach. She wore her emotional vulnerability like a mantle, offering herself to all those around her openly. It was what drew him to her. Her honesty, though often ill-timed and inappropriate, wasn't just a positive characteristic, it was who she was. He didn't question her motive or her support. It was there, unwavering and comforting. Her loyalty wasn't a question. It was a guarantee.

But the day she pulled him aside to tell him about Thea's parentage, he saw a glimpse of something else. He saw that she wasn't a fragile, idealistic woman that had been sheltered from the darkness. He saw that beneath her emotional vulnerability was a strength forged from facing her own fires. It had been present in her gaze when she told him about her parents, a mix of dull pain and strength that told him she had weathered far more storms than her cheery disposition let on. And instead of hardening herself and closing herself off to those around her, instead of adopting a mask of indifference and self-protection, she gave all of herself, putting him and their mission first, taking care of them all. Despite facing the same darkness, she chose to be light.

She was remarkable in every sense of the word. And brave. And essential.

Then why did she feel like she had to prove herself?

The thought had been flitting around his mind ever since Sara brought up the idea. It honestly still didn't make any sense to him at all.

Glancing up at his stony-faced partner, Oliver bit his lip in consternation, hesitating for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Sara…she mentioned that Felicity was trying to prove herself."

The words felt heavy in the room, adding weight to the tension already tangible between the two conscious members of the original team.

The grunt he received in response was as unsettling as the glare he was leveled with moments later.

"You're an idiot."

Oliver's eyes flashed, "Excuse me?"

Dig wasn't deterred, leaning forward to kiss Felicity's temple before standing to face Oliver, "You heard me. It took Sara mentioning that for you to stop and think? Are you that blind?"

Eyebrows furrowed in indignation, Oliver stood, softly placing her hand at her side to stand as well, "Dig – "

His partner's hand rose in the air between them, "No, Oliver, you're going to shut up and listen. Not because I think you deserve an explanation, but because she deserves better."

The tension increased as Oliver crossed his arms across his chest, casting a confused glance to the woman laying to his left.

"Did you even think about how you and Sara would impact her?" Oliver's eyebrows rose, surprised that Dig was going there. "And no, I'm not talking about whatever the hell the two of you have going on. I'm talking about the team. What we do. Day in and Day out."

Dig gestured widely to their topic of discussion, "Did you even notice how quiet she's been?"

Oliver dipped his head, wracking his brain for clues he might have missed. Anything that might give him a hint as to what Dig was talking about. Apparently that question was rhetorical as Dig plowed ahead.

"She asked me why we even needed her, Oliver, now that we had Sara."

That threw him for a loop. "What the hell Dig? Sara's not replacing Felicity. Why on earth would she think that? Think that we don't need her?" The thought made his heart ache more than he cared to admit in that moment.

Dig shook his head, "Again, you're an idiot. A blind one, at that. Who have you asked for advice on operations lately, Oliver? Hell, when was the last time you actually even talked to her, other than to bark an order out at her like she's some random employee. Last time I checked, she is a bit more than that to you."

Stung by the accusation, Oliver stepped forward, eyes narrowing, "If you want to say something to me Diggle, just say it."

One eyebrow rose and Dig held his ground, "All you've done with Sara is replace one Lance blind spot for another. I see Sara's value on the streets, I do. She's a great girl. But that particular blind spot is causing you to be a complete ass to the one woman who has been here all along. And you're so blinded by everything going on, you don't even see it, man. She's been the one under fire all week from Tockman. You didn't see her face when the servers started blowing. She took complete responsibility for that, Oliver. She's the one who felt like a failure. I don't have to tell you what that feels like." Dig's voice took on a new edge as he took an additional step, putting the two men were toe to toe. "For a man who supposedly understands women, it's pathetic you didn't even see what was happening right in front of you. And this, her in that bed, that's what happens when she doubts her value to this team, to this mission, to you. She goes out to prove that she's still needed. That she can keep up. That she can contribute as much as you, me, Sara and Roy. That she still matters with Sara in the picture. That she's not replaceable."

The words may have been said calm intensity but the message behind them hit him like reinforced steel to the center of his chest. Rocking back on his heels for a moment, his eyes bore into Dig's. The intensity there was unrelenting and a battle of wills waged between the two men before the weight of his words swept over him and his eyes shut.

He didn't move when he heard his partner murmur something softly to Felicity and then the door was closing, leaving Oliver alone yet again.

A/N: Reviews make my day! Tell me what you like and what you don't!