A/N: This is a companion piece to 'Above and Beyond'. PLEASE read that one first! When I finished 'A&B' I had questions about Oliver's motivations. So I started thinking, and I realized I needed to know why he did what he did. I don't typically write from Oliver's POV, it does not come naturally to me. I decided to push myself. Also, The Dirty Martini kind of challenged me to have something posted.

So, this is Oliver's POV of 'Above and Beyond', which I will again ask you to read first. It will not a be a point for point re-telling. Mostly hitting the high points, especially for the moments of Oliver's that we didn't get to see before. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Oliver thanked the bank manager and waited until he stepped out of the room before he began looking through the numerous drawers.

There had been quite the collection of jewelry amassed by the Queen family in the past century since his great-grandfather had made his fortune in the railroads. Every subsequent generation had added more pieces, including his parents.

As he pulled open the different velvet lined drawers he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. He wasn't exactly sure why he was even here to begin with.

When he'd told Digg to turn the car around and head to the bank, he'd seen the questions in the other man's eyes. Digg had accompanied Moira Queen here enough times prior to an event, briefcase holding a million dollar necklace handcuffed to his wrist, to know that the bank Oliver had directed him to wasn't the one where the Queens had their financial accounts. But Digg didn't say a word, he merely turned the car around.

Oliver's main motivation for this trip was he needed Felicity to be safe. Logically she knew her plan was sound, and their best option. She'd slowly shown him that busting down doors and shooting arrows at everything that moved was not necessarily always the best choice. There were other ways of enacting justice.

His initial reaction was to say no. In fact, that's all he had said. Just, no. Two hours of sparring with Digg got a bit more out of him.

He knew enough about Mason to know he was slime, there just wasn't ever enough evidence to take him down. Felicity's intel was good, her plan was solid, even though at that point he hadn't heard all of it, he had a pretty good idea of what it would entail. If it had been anyone except her Oliver would have signed off on it immediately.

Digg had locked eyes with him and said, "You can't treat her any differently. You do and you'll lose her."

The definition of 'lose' was ambiguous, and Oliver knew Digg had used the word on purpose.

So he'd gone back out, and listen while his bright, naive Felicity laid out exactly how she planned on pulling off this mission. Except she never once mentioned the fact that she'd basically be prostituting herself to make it happen.

She was to the point and professional, like she did this sort of thing all the time. But he could hear the tremble in her voice and how she clenched her hands under the desk so he wouldn't see them shake.

When she was done she waited quietly. He could see the hope and the fear in her eyes. He looked to Digg, who was staring at him, reminding him of all they had discussed earlier.

He shut his eyes tight and looked to the ceiling before he agreed.

He'd spent two days ignoring the impending mission. Digg and Felicity had been working together on the specifics and he'd left it up to them. And now, less than forty eight hours before she was going to throw herself at a man he'd like to introduce his arrows to, he was in a bank vault, going through millions of dollars worth of jewelry.

Keep Felicity safe.

This was the mantra that ran through his head on a loop that he couldn't shake.

She would be on the comms, and have a panic button, but he needed more redundancy. He told himself that's why he was looking through earrings, and necklaces, and even a tiara or two from days gone by.

Yes, he could hide a GPS tracker in any number of places, including an earring she already owned, but...he needed this to be something from him. He needed it to count. He just wasn't sure why.

The piece he chose was almost overlooked. It lay in a drawer with several other small pieces, most of which were outdated, or too old for Felicity. Just as he was pushing the handle back in the jewelry shifted and he spotted it.

Slowly he drew the drawer back open and reached in. It was perfect. A small hair clip. Not so big it would draw attention, but special in it's own right. Diamonds and metal work formed a scrolling floral design, highlighted with pearls and one central ruby.

It was in his breast pocket before he could think on it any further.

"Get what you came for?" Digg asked as Oliver climbed back in the car.

Oliver responded by giving him another address. When Digg pulled up in front of Youngston and Sons jewelers he gave Oliver a hard look in the rearview mirror. "I hope you know what you're doing, man."

"Be back in ten." Oliver said in reply and slid out.

The shop was exactly as he had remembered it from his childhood. He didn't think he'd stepped foot inside in a decade. His father had brought him here a few times, and he recalled him talking about quality and workmanship. A small bell jingled as he pushed inside, the space dark except for the well lit cases.

An older man came out of a back room and squinted at Oliver, the light from the door making him appear in silhouette. But when Oliver got closer the man's face lit up with recognition.

"Young Oliver!" he exclaimed, wiping his hands on a cloth before he extended one for Oliver to shake. "It has been a long time." He assumed this was Youngston the elder.

"Yes sir, it has." Oliver responded, finding himself at ease.

"What can I help you with?" Oliver appreciated that the man did not mention his time on the island at all.

Oliver gave him a small smile and pulled the hair clip from him pocket. He laid it on a square of velvet and waited as the man turned on a light to shine on the space.

"Ah, this is a lovely piece." he said softly, picking it up and turning it over in his hands.

"I'd like to have it cleaned please." Oliver said

"Of course. I believe some of the settings could be tightened..."

"Whatever you think needs to be done. I do need it as soon as possible though."

"I can have it done by the end of the day." the jeweler assured him

"Excellent." Just as Oliver turned to leave, the man called out

"Is there anything else, Mr. Queen. We have many services beyond cleaning and repair. Engraving...resetting...anything you might wish."

At the word engraving Oliver turned. "Engraving? Would it still be ready today?"

"Yes, of course." Youngston fumbled behind the counter and handed Oliver a slip of paper and a pen. "Write down what you would like engraved here."

Oliver didn't hesitate. It was impulsive, and it was without thought, and he would spend the next week struggling with why he did what he did. The pen slid easily over the paper as Oliver wrote the message he wanted carved into this piece for Felicity and passed it back to the jeweler without reading it over.

"Very good, Mr. Queen." Youngston said, his eyes read over the paper but his manner betrayed nothing.

Oliver said nothing to Digg the entire way back to the club and Digg remained silent as well. He felt like he was in a daze. Like his actions had been done by someone else controlling his body. As soon as some rational part of his brain tried to go down a path to analyze what he had done he shut it down and pushed it away.

The clip was ready when promised. Neatly presented in a small blue box, Oliver purposely did not turn it over to look at the inscription. He spent most of the day Friday installing the GPS tracker. Even then he avoided the words. He never let his eyes focus on them.

As the hours ticked down he buried himself in the training room. The focus and repetition exactly what he needed to try and ignore everything that had happened and had the potential to happen.

He stepped into the main space, freshly showered, blue box in his pocket and spied Felicity from across the room. He was momentarily struck dumb. He'd seen her dressed up before, but never like this. The skirt was short, the front was low, and the heels were high.

There was a flush in her cheeks as she handed Digg her bag. Oliver watched from the side as she busied herself with the tech. Her hands weren't as sure as the usually were, he noticed. It took her longer to link the ear pieces. He wanted to take them from her fumbling hands and do it for her, but he could't make himself cross to her.

Digg came back with her bag. As he explained to her what he'd given her Oliver was doubly glad he'd gone ahead with the tracker. A knife Felicity would probably drop if she tried to use, and a panic button that would only work if her purse was on her, were not ideal backups.

She was heading to the printer when he halted her. "Here," he said gruffly and handed her the box. She stopped dead when she spied the small blue box, but took it as he held it out.

"What is this?" she asked, looking at him in confusion. He knew she'd noticed his behavior the past week, but she hadn't said a word; strange behavior for her as well.

"Just open it," he ordered. He could't watch her do it. He couldn't see the expression on her face as she looked at the hair clip for the first time because that would make all of this very very real. He turned to his weapons, making himself focus on checking the arrows in the quiver, and loading the bow in the bag.

He heard her sharp intake of breath, "Oliver...I don't..." he knew she was confused, hell, he was just as confused as she was.

His face and demeanor were completely neutral, "I installed a GPS tracker in it. If for some reason you get separated from me I'll be able to find you." he cringed internally as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He hadn't mean to say 'me', he'd meant to say 'us'. He also hadn't meant to sound so affected.

She also didn't have much luck schooling her voice when she replied, "It's beautiful, Oliver. Thank you, I'll take good care of it."

He finished stowing everything he might need in his bag and turned to look at her. She still stood, almost frozen, holding the box.

Oliver let the bag drop to the floor and took three long strides to stand before her. He could feel Digg's eyes on his back as he slid the clip from her hand. Her hair was finer than he expected, the strands slipped through his fingers as he pulled it back and placed the clip.

Finally he allowed himself to look at her, and for just a moment he let her see how concerned he was for her. Her eyes softened as she reached up to grasp his wrist. "Don't worry, I'll bring it back in one piece." she whispered, and his heart leapt in his throat because he knew she wasn't talking about the clip.

"You'd better, it's important to me." his voice was rough, and everything was starting to go further than he wanted it to go right then. They needed to focus on the mission, and keeping her safe. He spun away quickly and grabbed his bag. "I'm leaving now. I'll be outside the party all night if you need anything and I'll be on the comms as well." he said unnecessarily, and before she could respond he was up the stairs and gone.

As the night went on he slowly began to realize that he was also completely unprepared for what would happen. Digg was the one that talked Felicity through the evening. Oliver only interjected a few times, mostly keeping silent because as soon as Mason approached her a red fueled rage crawled up from Oliver's belly and let itself out.

He hid in the shadows and listened while one of the smartest women he knew dumbed herself down for a piece of shit that was wholly unworthy of her. And she did it for Oliver. To help him. To help his mission.

When she left for the night, having successfully completed her objective he saw Felicity and Mason standing out front.

Mason was almost flush against her, his fingers playing with the fabric of her dress as they said goodnight.

Felicity may have seemed unaffected, but he could see how tightly she held her shoulders, and when Mason reached a hand up to brush over her face she stuttered backwards every so slightly.

Oliver almost revved the engine on his bike and drove over the well manicure lawn to mow down Mason. He forced himself to put his helmet on and get ready to follow her back to Verdant.

He watched carefully as Felicity pulled out of the long driveway and made her way through the curving roads of the neighborhood.

"I'm right behind you." he told her, unable to tramp down his feelings on what he'd just had to witness.

"On my way back." she replied, the tension in her voice all too noticeable.

He had parked the bike and was opening the driver's door for her before she had even tried to exit the car. When he opened it she jumped a foot. "Phase one complete." she said, trying to hide her nervousness.

He didn't respond. He held out a hand for her to take and she gave it to him automatically. Oliver didn't release her until they'd taken several steps, but he still hadn't said a word.

Digg greeted her when they arrived and Oliver tried not to listen as she detailed her night. When he heard her try to laugh off how Mason had had his hands on her he froze and then headed straight to the training room, purposely slamming the door behind him.

He could feel the anger rising in him. Without pause he stripped off his shirt, picked up the wooden sticks and began a punishing routine on the form.

He lost all track of time. When he was focused on hitting the form in the right spot there wasn't room to think about anything else. He was forced to push everything else from his mind. It was an escape. A hideout. A bandaid for his bigger problems. And he knew this, but right then it was his only option.

When she pushed the door open and watched him he was aware of her presence. He continued on for a few more minutes before stopping.

Everything he'd felt from that night came rushing back and he had to have it under control before he looked at her. So he took his time. He put the equipment away, and grabbed a bottle of water and a towel before he finally turned around.

She leaned against the door frame. Curls looser than they had been earlier in the night, heels missing. There was a pinched look around her eyes that he'd never seen before.

"I don't like it." he blurted out as he approached.

He'd taken her by surprise he could tell. She licked her lips before she responded and he couldn't help noticing as her tongue peeked out for just a second. "Why not?"

His pace slowed as he neared her. Something rose between them, and the air stilled. He took his time answering. He couldn't tell her the truth because he didn't know the real reason himself. So he settled on a version of it.

"You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk. That's what Digg and I are for."

Her eyes flashed for a second, and he knew he saw right through his bullshit. "Well, if either of you were his type I would have gladly stepped back. But in this case I was the person for the job. We're a team, this is what we do." This was his Felicity. Not the one he'd had to listen to all night. This was the Felicity he'd first met. Who questioned him, and challenged him, and made him think.

"I still don't like it." he knew it was a poor argument, and she knew it too. But she didn't push him.

"I just came to give you this back." she held the clip out towards him.

His response was immediate. "Keep it. I want you to use it again."

She pushed it towards him again, "It obviously costs a fortune, and it belonged to one of your ancestors. I'd hate to lose it."

He didn't know how she knew it was a Queen family piece, but he had an idea that Diggle was responsible.

Oliver took a half a step closer and closed his hand over hers, the clip pushing into both their palms. "It's just some junk costume jewelry I put the transmitter in, that's all."

He didn't know where the lie came from, and he regretted it as soon as it was out of his mouth.

Felicity leaned her head to the side and gave him a look, "Oliver, this piece is easily worth several thousand dollars. I don't own much good jewelry, but I know it when I see it. This is not junk. Besides, there's an inscription on it from another OQ."

His heart was in his throat at her words. That damn engraving. Of course she'd seen it.

The hand he'd covered was pulling away and he let her go, but when she opened her fingers he took the clip from her and held it up.

The control. The control it took to keep his voice even was more than he used when firing deadly accurate arrows. But he had to. He could't afford to give anything away right then. "All my love, always. OQ." he read aloud, as if he was seeing it for the first time. Although in reality he was.

He couldn't look at her. "Must have been my great-grandfather. Another Oliver, it's where I got my name from." The lies just kept coming. But he was too far in now.

Felicity wasn't giving up. "Which is yet another reason why you should hold on to it. I shouldn't be responsible for something your namesake gave your great-grandmother." she protested.

It was impossible not to look at her now. She stood before him, eyes wide, silently pleading with him to tell her the truth. But right now he didn't know what that was. All he knew was he needed her to keep the clip. He needed her to wear it. He needed her to be safe.

Slowly he took her hand again, trying to ignore how he could feel every point of contact between them. Without blinking he laid the clip back in her palm and closed her fingers around it. Neither of them were breathing. "I want you to keep it." and this time he let the control fall.

He didn't move while she inched back from him, letting her hand slip from his. But she kept the clip. It wasn't until he heard the heavy metal door slam shut announcing her exit that he finally allowed himself to move.

With heavy steps he approached the salmon ladder and eyed it like an enemy before he attacked it.

He wasn't going home that night.