Okay, so I know I have one other story that is still in progress, but I am kind of having a writer's block on it... It was originally meant to be a one shot but a bunch of people asked for more chapters. I have been jotting down some ideas for it and I promise I will finish it. This one just popped into my head though and you gotta write it when you think it!

I'm not really sure where I am setting this story... Definitely after Oliver admitted how he felt about Felicity, but before all the stuff with Rha's Al Ghul. Definitely AU. Tommy never died and neither did Sara. Laurel is not the Black Canary. I miss Tommy and Sara definitely grew on me. Just couldn't bring myself to allow them to be dead I suppose.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ARROW, ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS OR MAY BE AFFILIATED WITH ARROW.

Chapter 1

Choices

"Oliver, come on!" Felicity knew she was whining a little bit, but she wanted this too badly to care.

"No. No way. Not happening." Oliver wasn't even giving her his full attention as he put his bow away.

"It's my li-" Felicity began what was becoming her mantra, but Oliver interrupted her as he finally turned and did give her his full attention and a glare along with it.

"Don't. Not this. Me training you is my choice. And my choice is no." Oliver said vehemently.

"Why can't you just help me?" Felicity huffed.

"I am helping you! You are already too involved with all of this!" Oliver had raised his voice and threw his arms up at the last part.

"What?! We are not even going there! Let's forget the whole Arrow part of it for just a moment, please. I am still a 25 year old woman living in a city. A crime ridden city no less. A dangerous, crime ridden city. I would think that if I had a friend, he would want me to know how to fight. I mean I do have a friend, well a couple. You know that. I just meant, well I meant if I had a friend who really cared about me- I mean you do. I know that. I'm just say- Three, two, one. I'm just saying you should want to teach me how to fight for everyday life. Not just for the nighttime activities. Oh, my god."

Felicity was now blushing furiously after her rant and Oliver felt his agitation slide away and had to stop himself from smiling. He took a step closer to her and quieted his voice as he put one hand on her shoulder. His eyes met hers and he let out a deep sigh.

"Felicity, I'm sorry. It's just that-." Oliver closed his eyes for a moment and took another deep breath before opening his eyes and starting again.

"You are important to me. You're the light in the darkness, Felicity. I already hate that you're exposed to so much violence. I just don't want to make it worse. I feel like training you to fight is asking for trouble, for something to happen to you. And I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. I just couldn't." Oliver finished the last sentence in a whisper.

Felicity gave a small smile and put her hands to Oliver's cheeks. "Hey, nothing is going to happen to me. I just want to be able to defend myself in case I ever need to. I can't always rely on you to be there every time."
"I want to be the one to protect you." Oliver said as he placed his hands over hers on his cheeks. He brought his head down until his forehead was touching hers.

"Fine. I'll let this go. For now. But only because you finally opened up to me about how you feel." Felicity said with a smirk as she pulled away from him and turned to get her coat and purse. Oliver dropped his hands to his pockets and just watched Felicity.

"I'm guessing you want to train for a bit since it's been kind of a boring night with crime, so I'm going to go upstairs and spend some quality time with Thea." Felicity added a small wave as she backed towards the stairs to Verdant.

"Don't stay out too late, I hear your boss is very serious about punctuality." Oliver said with a mischievous smile.

"You know, I heard that too. But, I only worry about it on the days when he decides to come into the office. I also heard he doesn't usually say too much about any habits his EA may have because he kind of relies on her to do everything." Felicity said with a full grin.

Oliver couldn't help but laugh as he turned towards the salmon ladder with a shake of his head.

Felicity was enjoying her glass of red wine from the supply that Thea was always sure to keep on hand just for her. They had gotten close after the whole undertaking situation and Felicity was always giving Thea advice on how to deal with things Roy had said or done. Thinking of Thea always brought a smile to Felicity's face. She hadn't been close with many people growing up, and the ones she had gotten close to had always ended up disappointing her. Thea had become what Felicity always thought having a little sister would feel like. She was loving every moment of it. She turned in her chair at the bar and couldn't help the smile on her face from getting bigger.

"Speak of the devil and she will appear." Felicity said lightly.

"Hey now! Is that anyway to talk about your best friend and future sister-in-law?" Thea teased.

Felicity spit out the drink of red wine she had been about to swallow as Thea laughed and handed her a napkin off the bar.

"Jeez! I was just teasing. Well, kind of. We all know how the two of you feel about each other. We're all just waiting for you two idiots to figure it out." Thea said as she gave Felicity's back a few good pats.

"Thea! Oliver and I are just-"
"Friends. Yeah, yeah. Friends who give longing glances and like to keep everyone asking 'will they?' 'won't they?'. Whatever. I know my brother already told you how he feels about you." Thea said smugly.

"Okay. Yes, he did. But then he turned around and said that being with me was too dangerous." Felicity said the last word with air quotes. Not very good ones, seeing as the glass of wine she was currently on was her third. Felicity had always been a bit of a lightweight.

"What an idiot. Felicity, I know it doesn't seem it, what with my brother's nightly activities, but he does get scared. And you scare him. Well, what the two of you have scares him anyway. Everything will work out with the two of you. I promise. Now, I came over here because I have a strong feeling that it's time for you to go home and go to bed." Thea helped Felicity with her coat and gave her a hug goodbye.

"He'll realize, Felicity." Thea whispered in her ear before flitting away to speak to a few other customers. Felicity smiled at her back as she walked away, thinking about what a good job she had been doing running Verdant. She turned and walked out the side door to avoid the crowd of people still waiting in line to get in out front. She leaned against the door for a moment, closing her eyes and relishing in the cool night air after being in the warm club. She thought about what Thea had said and her interaction with Oliver in the foundry earlier. Felicity sighed one more time, hoping Thea was right as she pushed off the door and headed toward the front of the club to hail a cab. She had taken three steps when she heard what sounded like a can hitting the pavement. Felicity stopped and spun on her heels to find the source of the sound. She didn't see anything and put a hand over her heart as she told herself she was probably overreacting after the conversation she had with Oliver and the effects of the wine. She shook her head and turned back around. She had only taken a few more steps when what felt like two metal bands clamped around her. One around her waist and the other to cover her mouth. Felicity's first instinct was to panic, but she tried to tamp it down and think rationally. Which was especially difficult after three glasses of wine in a short period of time and on an empty stomach. She tried to kick behind her with enough force that he would be startled long enough for her to break away and yell to someone for help. The attacker acted as though he had predicted what she was going to do and hauled her closer to him and farther into the alley. Felicity tried screaming as loudly as possible with his hand over her mouth.

"Ah ah, calm down now sweetheart. I only want to have a little bit of fun." The man said it with amusement and utter calm as he rubbed his cheek against her hair. Felicity continued squirming and trying to break free until he clamped the arm around her waist tighter to the point that she began having difficulty drawing breath. He did this until she had calmed down a bit and then released a small amount of the pressure and she drew in as deep a breath as she could. Felicity whimpered as she realized she wasn't going to be able to win this, but she kept trying.

Before Thea had walked over to Felicity she had sent a quick text to her brother after she had decided Felicity needed to go home.

Hey bro, I have one smoaking hot EA/sidekick that belongs to you. She is in desperate need to go home. I am about to send her on her way. Maybe a certain millionaire bachelor could just happen to meet her on her way and escort her home? You're welcome. Thank me later.

Oliver let out a slight chuckle at his sister's text but he couldn't disagree with what it had said. He grabbed his jacket and the keys to his Ducati and made his way up the stairs. He saw Thea moments after closing and securing the Foundry door. He make quick steps towards her and placed a hand on her arm to turn her attention towards him.

"Where is she?" Oliver asked while simultaneously searching the club for her.

"I just barely sent her on her way. She usually goes out the side door to avoid the crowd out front. The one that's always there ever since I took over, just saying." Thea said it with a laugh as Oliver rolled his eyes with a smile and headed out. The second he opened the side door, Oliver's senses went on high alert and he turned to his left and reacted without even thinking. He had barely taken in the scene before him, Felicity pinned against the wall with a man holding her there, one of his hands against her mouth and the other in the air, preparing to strike her. Oliver charged and tackled the man away from her with a howl of rage. He began punching the man repeatedly until he had stopped moving. He hadn't stood a chance. The only thing that kept Oliver from continuing was the thought of the woman on the ground behind him. Oliver turned and lunged towards her. He put one hand to the side of her face and turned her towards him, while he used the other one to pull his cell phone from his jacket.

"Oliver." Dig's greeting told him that he was ready for whatever Oliver needed. He had to take a deep breath before continuing. He pulled Felicity in close to him.

"John. It's Felicity. We're at Verdant. There's a guy in the alley I need picked up. Yesterday. Take care of it and meet me in the foundry."
"Calling Lance now." Dig didn't question Oliver. Oliver checked Felicity over for injuries and found a large bump on the back of her head and a cut on her temple.

Oliver whispered Felicity's name as he cradled her in his arms. He quickly dialed Thea as he began to lift Felicity in his arms.

"Well, hello big brother. How is our Felicity?" Thea answered.

"Thea. I need you to clear out the club. NOW!" Oliver demanded. He hung up before she could respond, but he knew that she would do as he asked. He shifted Felicity in his arms and Thea opened the side door. Her eyes widened as she took in Felicity's appearance and as they walked inside they heard the sirens coming down the alley. Thea glanced at the man on the ground and her eyes widened even more, if that was possible, at the condition Oliver had left him in. She gave the cops one last look before shutting the door and locking it as she hurried after Oliver. She lanced at Roy ushering the last few people out the door on her way. She had cut the music and told everyone there was a family emergency.

Oliver could feel Felicity moving in his arms as he set her on the metal table. Thea followed down the stairs to the foundry closely behind them. Oliver began cleaning the cut on Felicity's temple and put a couple butterfly bandages on it. When he pulled back, he realized she was watching him.

"Hey. How are you?" Oliver asked quietly.

"I'm okay. A little bit of a headache." Felicity tried to give Oliver a small smile. Thea couldn't wait any longer and pulled Felicity in for a hug.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Thea began firing questions at her until Oliver gave her a glance, silently asking her to back off a bit. All three of them looked towards the stairs as John and Roy came down them. John made a beeline towards Felicity and asked Oliver what happened as he checked the cut on her head. Roy went straight to Thea and put his arm around her waist and let her know that he had gotten everyone out and locked up upstairs. She kissed his cheek as a thank you. Oliver discussed with everyone what he knew about what happened and Felicity filled in all the blanks. They checked Felicity over one more time and once again asked if she wanted to go to the hospital but she refused. Roy and Thea each gave Felicity a hug and told her goodbye, glad that she was all right. As they were saying their goodbyes, Oliver nodded to John to step away from the group so they could talk.

"Did Lance get him?" Oliver asked anxiously.

"Technically, yes. He is in the ER right now, you did a good number on him." John said with a slight smirk.

"He deserved more, but Felicity was my number one priority." Oliver said darkly.

"Well, he has a long list of priors, all of them pretty serious acts of violence against women." John said with a hard edge. He had to take a breath to calm himself before continuing.

"I was able to keep Felicity's name out of everything. No one will know it was her except for us. So she doesn't have to worry about the police or the press hounding her."

"Thank you John." Oliver clapped him on the shoulder.

"Not a problem. How is she? Really?" John said as he raised hie eyebrows at Oliver.

"Physically, she's going to be okay? I'm pretty sure she has a slight concussion and I am definitely going to be keeping an eye on her. And not just until she's better." Oliver said self deprecatingly.

"Oliver you can't blame yourself for this. It had nothing to do with Arrow. It had to do with a beautiful 25 year old woman who was leaving a club."

"She asked me to train her. She asked me and I said that I wasn't going to because I was afraid that training her to fight would be asking for something to happen." Oliver said quietly.

"Well, then fix it. Train her. Teach her to defend herself, Oliver." John walked away after saying it so Oliver didn't have a chance to reply. His sister came over and gave him a hug goodbye and told him she would be calling to check in on Felicity in the morning so he better take care of her. He thanked Roy for his help with the club and watched the two of them walk out of the foundry together.

John hugged Felicity and kissed her forehead gently before coming over and patting Oliver on the shoulder.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you, John." Oliver gave the older man a smile.

"You guys are family. I would do anything for you. All you have to do is ask, Oliver."

Then it was just Oliver and Felicity in the foundry and he made his way back over to her. She was now sitting up with her legs dangling off the side of the table and a glass of water in her hand. Oliver took her all in, thinking she looked as though she was ready to drop, and thought she still looked more beautiful than ever in his eyes. He came over and plaved a hand on either side of Felicity where she sat, getting in her personal space. Felicity brought her eyes up to Oliver's and tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"I'm going to take you home with me. If that's okay with you?" It was hard for Oliver to ask and not demand, but he would try. For her.

"Yeah. I didn't really want to be home alone anyway." Felicity said it so quietly, Oliver had to strain to hear her.

"And as soon as you're feeling up to it, we're going to start training three nights a week. We'll work our way up to five nights a week." Oliver said it briskly.

"Wait, what?" Felicity couldn't believe what she was hearing. She must have hit her head harder than she thought.

"I should have listened to you earlier tonight. If you had been trained, you would have been better prepared tonight. You were right when you said I can't always be there to protect you. I'm still going to try my hardest to always be where you need me, but for the times that I can't, I want to feel confident than you can carry your own." Oliver said ashamedly.

Felicity sighed and cupped his cheek in her hand, bringing his eyes up to meet hers. She gave him a smile and without over thinking what she was about to do, she moved her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck and pulled him towards her until his lips met hers.

At first Oliver was shocked enough he didn't respond, but as soon as he got his bearings back, he gently put his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. They broke apart after a few minutes, both of them breathing hard, and Oliver silently helped her down off the table. Felicity was clinging to his shoulders as he slid her down his body until her feet touched the floor.

"Oliver?" Felicity hesitated.

"What is it?" Oliver wanted her to feel that she could ask him anything.

"What about your mom? Is she going to be okay with me staying at your place? I get the feeling that she doesn't like me much." Felicity had trailed off at the end, letting Oliver know how insecure she felt about his feelings toward her.

"My mother, she -. She just doesn't trust easily. So she tries to come off as cold as possible, but I know that when she gets to know you, she's going to love you as much as I do."

Oliver waited for that to sink in, not really believing himself that he had just said the words out lout. He had told Felicity that she was important to him and that she meant a lot to him. That she was remarkable and that he needed her. They had shared a fair amount of lingering looks, secret smiles, and warm touches. He had even kissed her a few times and told her not to ask him to say he didn't love her. But even then the words 'I love you' hadn't come out of his mouth. He knew the exact moment that she realized what he had said. Her eyes widened and for the first time since he had met her, she was speechless. His genius EA, sidekick, partner, was speechless. Then, before he even knew what to expect from her as a reaction, she jumped into his arms and hugged him to her tightly.

"Oliver, I love you too." Felicity said it through tears.

"Then let's go home." Oliver loved saying those words to her.

A few weeks later...

Oliver had been training Felicity for the past few weeks and she had been doing extremely well. He had also been extremely protective of her, and once he had told Tommy what happened, Tommy had also become a bit overbearing. She hardly ever went anywhere alone, and when she did it was in crowded places and during the day. Over the past week or so, Oliver and Tommy had finally begun to back off a bit and give her some space to herself. Felicity was surprised that she actually missed their calming presence. Not that she needed them around her all the time, because she was definitely confident enough in herself and her fighting abilities at this point, that she felt she could take care of herself much better. She just thought that the two of them always breathing down her neck would make her feel smothered and was shocked to find that she missed them pestering and antagonizing her all the time.

Felicity and Oliver had spent a few days together after the attack and had talked about what they felt for each other. Oliver had decided to finally listen to Felicity and reason, and understand that she was affiliated with the Arrow whether or not they were dating. She reminded him how many villains knew that she not only worked at his company, but that she was his assistant during business hours and off hours. She also reminded him that the Arrow did have a lot of enemies, but so did Oliver Queen the millionaire. Oliver agreed that she was going to be in danger whether or not they were together, as long as she worked with him, so they may as well be happy and spend their time together. Felicity had made a very valid point when she said that the more time they spent together, the more they could look out for each other. Oliver really hadn't been able to argue with that type of logic and hadn't had any other choice than to give in. Not that he had wanted any other choice. What he had wanted was Felicity, and now that he had her, he was never letting her go.

Once Moira had realized that Felicity wasn't just another girl to him, and that she truly meant something to him, she had begun acting much kinder towards her. Moira found that Felicity was really growing on her, especially after she saw just how much Felicity did for Oliver on a daily basis, in and out of the office. They were so in sync with one another, people on the outside looking in would think they had been together for years. She began to see a side of her son that she had never seen. Oliver had always seemed happy, but she had known deep down that he was just acting out. Moira admitted to herself that she had raised spoiled children who didn't have much concern for others or for how their actions affected others. Then, Oliver and her husband had disappeared and been feared dead. Thea had spiraled out of control and Moira had no clue on how to fix what was damaged in their family. She didn't think they would ever be the same again. A mother never gets over the loss of a child. Then Oliver was back, and with him came a new attitude, not only toward others, but towards life in general. Thea had gained control of herself and her actions, especially when she had met Roy. Moira had thought he was just another of her phases, a bad influence, but he had proven to be an excellent young man who was very protective towards Thea. Oliver had found Felicity and she had done something for him that none of them had been able to do since his return, and that was smile. Genuinely smile. A lot. She found herself wanting to get to know the girl more and more.

Tommy had developed quite the soft spot for Felicity and had begun thinking of her in the same way he thought of Thea. As a surrogate little sister. And he could tell she was the perfect match for Oliver, and was glad he had finally seen and admitted it. He could see how good she was for his best friend, and it made him want the same thing. Tommy wanted to fix things with Laurel, but she had been extremely distant since Sara had come home alive and well. Sara had revealed herself to be the Canary and had begun helping Oliver and Roy take the crime right in Starling City and the Glades down. Laurel had developed a bit of a drinking problem. She had gotten pretty bad for a while, confronting Felicity about her relationship with Oliver. Felicity had handled it and Thea had walked in and helped out. It was a good thing Oliver or himself hadn't been around for that. She had been better in the past week, finally accepting everything going on around her. He figured if he gave her a bit more space, she would come around and find her way back to him. And then they could have what Oliver and Felicity obviously did. Either way, things were looking up.

Sara groaned as she hit the mat. She turned and looked at Felicity in shock, not able to believe that she had been able to take her down. Oliver was clearly training her well and Felicity was clearly working her ass off to do well. Sara pushed herself up and gave Felicity a smile.

"Nicely done, Lis." Sara said it with a touch of pride.

"Really? Thanks. It only took me about a hundred times of hitting the mat first!" Felicity finished with a laugh.

"Seriously. Oliver is training you amazingly." Sara couldn't believe he had agreed to it in the first place, but was glad he was putting forth the time and effort to teach Felicity everything she would need to know.

"It's definitely a lot of hard work. So, I heard you got Thea to give you a job waitressing at Verdant." Felicity said happily.

"Yeah, it was really sweet of her. I did have an explicit warning that I was to stay away from her brother romantically or I would lose more than just the job. Even though, I promise the two of you wouldn't have had to worry about it. That's over. Been over." Sara said putting her hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

"Thea can be intense when it comes to her big brother, that's for sure." Felicity said with a laugh.

"I think it had more to do with you than it did with her brother." Sara said as she returned the laugh.

Oliver walked down the steps of the foundry to find Felicity and Sara sparring and found himself mesmerized by the sight of it. Felicity was doing remarkably well in their training sessions, even though most of them ended up in the bed that she had bought him for nights he slept in the foundry. She was a quick study and he felt much more confident about her abilities to defend herself. But like he had told her before, he still liked being the one to protect her. The girls broke apart when they saw him and Felicity walked right up to him and kissed him. He loved that she now felt so confident and secure in their relationship. She said she was going to the bathroom to change and that left he and Sara alone.

"She's doing really well, Ollie."

"Yeah, she's pretty remarkable." Oliver said it still staring at where Felicity had just been standing.

"You are so far gone, boy." Sara laughed.

"And man enough to admit that I know it." Oliver returned with a smile.

"I'm glad. It's been a long time since I've seen you this happy, or even happy at all. She truly brings out the best in you. That light that has always been hidden away inside of you. That's good, hold on to that and never let go." Sara said it wistfully, which caused Oliver to furrow his brow at her. Before he could call her on it, Felicity stepped out of the bathroom freshened up and ready to go upstairs.

"You coming up with Oliver and I, Sara?"

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes to get myself all ready." Sara stepped around Felicity and took her place in the bathroom.

Felicity made her way over to Oliver and they both gathered their things and prepared to all go upstairs together. They just finished getting ready as Sara came out of the bathroom. They were all chatting as they made their way up to the club. Sara gave Oliver and Felicity a wave as she made her way over to the bar. Oliver and Felicity went and found a table to sit back and relax at. It was one of the quieter nights, with no live music and just some soft music playing through the speakers and low lighting setting a romantic mood. Twice a week, Thea would slow everything down and the club actually became a quieter place where couples came to relax. Felicity felt it was a great advertising opportunity. It was showing everyone she owned a diverse place and that's what would keep people coming.

About an hour later Oliver saw John walk in and told Felicity he was going to go check in with he and Roy, see what was going on in the glades and city. She asked if he wanted her to come and he just kissed her quickly and told her that he wouldn't be long unless something was up, and if it was he would text her. She nodded and smiled at his retreating form. She was sitting enjoying her drink and doing small tasks on her tablet when he felt a presence near her table. She assumed it was Oliver and looked up with the smile she only reserved for him.

"Well that was pretty quick." She stated as she looked up and the smile froze on her face. Not Oliver.

"Well I had to work up the nerve to come over here, sweetheart. You're a beautiful woman and that can be an intimidating thing." The man oozed player.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were my boyfriend, who should be back any minute." Felicity didn't try to hide the disdain from her voice. She was just not in the mood for this crap.

"Well, he must not be a very good boyfriend if he left a sweet looking little thing like you over here all by yourself." He winked after he spoke and Felicity rolled her eyes.

"Listen, I'm just not interested, okay? So quit wasting your time and walk away before your pride gets hurt anymore." Felicity was becoming extremely agitated. She looked around the club for Oliver, hoping he was back from downstairs so he could go all jealous and 'arrowy' and get this guy to back off, but unfortunately he wasn't anywhere around. She sighed as she realized she was going to have to handle this douche on her own.

"You really need to go find some other girl to try and pick up, okay? Not only am I taken, I'm not in the mood for this crap." Felicity didn't give him the courtesy of looking at him this time, wanting him to take the hint that he was being rejected. She felt a hand on her chin as the stranger pulled her face up to look at him. She couldn't believe this guy had the balls to lay a finger on her.

"You're being kind of a bitch. I think someone needs to show you how to treat a man." He growled as he tightened his hold.

"You have three seconds to get your nasty ass hand off me before I really lose my temper." Felicity growled out as she stood. His hand fell away from her face and she smirked as she thought maybe he finally got the message. That is, until he pushed her against the wall and forced his mouth against hers.

Oliver and John were laughing at a story Roy was telling about something Thea had done as they all walked back up the stairs. There was nothing even remotely exciting going on, and Oliver was actually happy about it. That meant he could have a relaxing night with Felicity. The wistful smile was still on his face as he exited the basement and looked to the table where he and Felicity had been sitting. It turned into a frown when he saw a man he didn't recognize standing in front of Felicity, who didn't look pleased. He quickened his steps to get to the table quicker. He had a bad feeling about this. He was halfway there when he saw the stranger shove his Felicity into the wall and kissed her. The jog turned into an all out sprint. He was ten steps away when he saw Felicity's knee come up and kick the man. Hard. When he pulled away in pain and shock, Felicity took the opportunity to right hook him in the face and follow it up with a left to the lower stomach. Oliver stopped in his tracks and just watched, shocked, as Felicity waited for the man to double over in pain so she could take the opportunity to cup her hands together and bring them down on his back while she lifted her right knee and he crashed down onto it. Oliver actually felt some pity for the drunk loser as he fell to the ground. His eyes met Felicity's as she stepped away from the man and caught her breath. He made his way over to her as two of the security guards of the club helped the man up and out. Thea must have seen what went down and called them in. Without saying a word, Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity and pulled her in to him tightly.

"I am so proud of you." Oliver said with so much pride in his voice.

"I did it, Oliver. I did it!" Felicity hugged him to her tighter.

"Holy crap, Felicity, you took that guy down without breaking a sweat!" Thea couldn't stop staring at Felicity with disbelief.

"Yeah, that was pretty nice work, Blondie." Roy said it with a smirk sent in her direction from his spot next to Thea.

Felicity turned to John and saw he was smiling at her but he hadn't said anything yet.

"John?"
"I am just trying to deal with the fact that I guess you don't need me as much anymore." John had said it with an almost sad tone.

"John, I will always need you around. Just not to protect me quite so much." Felicity hugged him to add some extra reassurance.

"Damn, Lis! We just heard about what happened! Are you going to be the city's next vigilante!?" Tommy and Laurel had come running over to them and Tommy was only half joking when he said it. Laurel gave Felicity a look of what could have been interpreted as respect and added a light smile.

"Glad to see there's another woman in this group that can take care of herself."
"Uh, wow, well. Thank you, Laurel." Felicity stammered out a response. She had been struck almost speechless by the compliment, no matter how small it had been.

Sara came over and just stared at Felicity for a moment without saying a word. The two girls grinned at each other and Sara reached out for a hug. Felicity responded in kind and when they were close enough, Sara whispered "You are still cute." They both pulled away laughing.

The group talked about what had happened for a while longer before the group started going their own ways. Diggle went home, Thea and Roy went back to work, along with Sara. Tommy and Laurel stayed and danced for a while longer. Oliver and Felicity just held each other for a while before heading home.

They were laying in bed, cuddled up together, when Oliver spoke.

"Felicity?" He whispered.

"Oliver?" She said in the same tone.

"I'm really proud of you. I love you so much." Oliver hugged her tighter and she turned so she was facing him.

"I love you too, Oliver. So much." Felicity nestled into Oliver's neck and he wrapped his arms tightly around her and put his chin on the top of her head. He had never felt so content in his life. Felicity made him feel things that he hadn't thought he would ever feel again.

When Oliver had come home from the island, he had come home broken and incomplete. There were parts of him that had been missing and he hadn't thought he would ever get them back. That he would ever be able to be normal. Felicity had come into his life like a whirlwind and made him feel things he hadn't felt before, no matter how hard he tried to stop them. There was something about her that set her apart from every other woman, every other person, he had known. Oliver had taken the longest and most winding road possible to find his way to her, but he wouldn't change it for the world. The most important of things were always the most difficult to obtain. That was what his father had always taught him, so he was glad the road to Felicity had been long, winding, and difficult. Because he knew it had all been worth it and he would do it all over again. Oliver knew that he was ready to settle down and spend the rest of his life with Felicity. It wasn't going to be easy, with him being the Arrow and everything, but they would find a way to navigate through it. They always did.

Okay, guys, there you go! I know it was a really long one shot but once I started writing, I just couldn't make myself stop. I hope you all enjoyed it and reviews would be greatly appreciated. I am always fine with varying opinions, but please, if you are going to criticize anything, make it productive. Thank you! And I know Oliver was a bit OOC in places, but I am kind of okay with it :) Anyway, until next time readers, keep on reading and writing and watching Arrow! Thanks!