A/N: Hey, just a one shot that I was thinking about. I was thinking of writing a collection of one-shots like this, kind of. Would anyone read that?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about this except the concept…I think…

I hope that you enjoy it and let me know what you think. If you like it, hate it, stuck in limbo…whatever it may be.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop Oliver pushes himself further until he reaches her apartment building. Worried that something is really wrong with his IT girl, he climbs the fire escape to peer inside of the window. She hasn't answered her phone since she left the office in a hurry a few hours ago. As he climbs the last step he can just make out some of her room from the slit in the curtains. The lights are on low in her room and he can just make out some of her speech. This is definitely not what he expected to find when he'd decided enough was enough at the end of his patrol.

Six Hours Earlier…

Felicity is sitting at her desk shuffling some papers around. Oliver is staring at her through the glass doors, as he's been doing more and more frequently lately. Luckily he'd catch himself most times before it had been an inordinate amount of time. Last Tuesday he hadn't been so fortunate, wasting close to forty-five minutes just watching her through the glass doors of his office out to her desk.

It's not like she was doing anything interesting in particular. He'd been entranced by her flowing golden hair that billowed around her shoulders. She'd brought back one of her pencil skirts and a light pink button down, half sleeve top with some frilly things around the buttons near her chest. The mixture of professionalism and flirtation that her wardrobe offered was very much appreciated by Oliver. Whenever this happened he'd try to tell himself that they were friends and co-workers. There could never be anything else. He couldn't mess this one up, she was too important. So no matter how strong his sudden need to touch her, in any sense of the word, or run his fingers through her hair, he had to temper himself.

Dead puppies, clowns… (He shudders) ugh, clowns. Who doesn't hate clowns? Evil.

With a new scowl on his face at the thought he finally pried his eyes away from her beautiful, working form, seemingly trying to get some work done. It was hard because today she was wearing a blue sundress that made her eyes pop to life with vivid color. Just as he'd finally begun to complete actual work Felicity came barreling through the doors that separated them, bag in hand and paused at the door frame. Her eyes were glued to her phone and she seemed in distress.

"Oliver I'm sorry, but I have to go there's a personal matter that I have to take care of." There was definitely a hint of distress in her voice but she was turning midsentence and never made eye contact. Already half way out again, Oliver finally found his voice again, automatically on alert.

"Felicity! Hey, what's wrong?" He was genuinely concerned by her erratic behavior. However, she didn't bother turning around, just looked over her shoulder a beat while she said in a hurried manner "I'll call you later, I promise. I really have to go right now."

With that she broke into a run down the hall. She ran right past the elevator and to the entrance to the stairwell. As he lost sight of her around the corner he deduced that she must be taking the stairs down, which would be painful just for that fact, but excruciatingly painful for her considering the shoes that she had worn to the office that day. Hopefully she didn't trip and hurt herself on the way down. He'd jumped to his feet when she'd promised to call later, fully intent on stopping her to help, but he'd managed to kick his chair down and the sound caused him lose track of her as she bolted away. It only took a few minutes for Oliver to make his way over to the staircase to follow her. Even if she didn't want his help he would give it, and he really did want to make sure that she hadn't tripped on the stairs and broken her leg or her neck. Although, if she broke her leg she'd be forced to accept his help, not that he would ever want her to be hurt, it was just a fact. It was a moot fact, because he lost track of her by the time he got down five flights. She was nowhere to be seen.

That had occurred at two that afternoon. When he hadn't heard anything from her by four o'clock he send her a text message, or several, asking if she was alright, but had heard nothing in response. At seven he'd been at the club and tried to call her. Every time that he tried it went straight through to her perky voicemail. Thinking better of himself at his sudden want to track her phone, he didn't want to risk messing up something on her computers. She might still come to the lair and I don't want my hands severed for touching her babies without permission. He would never admit that last part out loud because he still maintained the fact that he was the one to buy them for her, but in the safe zone of his own brain, he knew who wore the pants in their relationship.

She had said that she'd call him when she was finished with whatever it was that she'd run out to do. So he resigned himself to waiting for a proof of life call. He had waited until Dig came in at nine. Unfortunately Dig hadn't heard anything from her since that morning when she'd begged him to handle a coffee run for her (Which he thankfully had done. She says that she is a complete mess without a cup of coffee in the morning, but he knows that it does nothing to her ability to work it just makes her really cranky.). Even though the thought of Felicity contacting Dig before himself would've hurt, he was equally upset by the fact that she hadn't checked in with anyone throughout the day and now her cell was off. He couldn't track it even if he dared. To say that Oliver was worried would be an understatement. To say that he was hair grippingly stressed would be a better description.

"Isn't this an odd change?" Dig had stated while Oliver was unconsciously pacing the floor of the foundry after trying and failing to occupy his time with anything else that he could get his hands on. Since he'd been there he had started to sharpen his arrows, look over case files for possible targets, and tried working out solo before he managed to give up on all of them. He was worried about Felicity and annoyed at himself at the same time. Why was this bothering him so much? She was a grown woman, her own person, she didn't need to share every facet of her life with him. He certainly kept things from her. Was this how she felt when he would give her the run around on his plans? It had taken a minute for him to remember that Dig had said something.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well your pacing the floor worried in the foundry, while Felicity is out there in the real world. It's usually her swirling her chair worrying about you out there." The half smirk that adorned his face hadn't gone unnoticed by Oliver. Which he proceeded to follow up with, "Calm down, man. She's a big girl. She can take care of herself. Been doing it for twenty-something years already without you rushing to the rescue." That simple fact both reassured and hurt him at the same time. Although he didn't respond, he did pause his pacing and motioned for Dig to spar with him. Hopefully he could beat up Dig to take his mind off of this incessant nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

They worked out until Dig called time around nine-thirty. Both parties sweaty and panting for breath broke apart and cleaned up. At ten Oliver was suited up and heading out to patrol the streets of Starling City. After an hour of not being able to concentrate he completely gave up all notions of Arrow work for the night. He let Dig know that he was giving up for the night for a 'personal matter' and set off in the direction of Felicity's. Dig didn't fight him on leaving, because he was tired too. Oliver could just see him shaking his head slightly and smiling when he told Oliver over the comms, "Alright, tell her I'll see her tomorrow, and keep me posted." Then the comms went dead and Oliver could finally allow his brain free access to concentrate on what he'd been trying to push out all day; Felicity.

Now as he stood there on her fire escape what he saw was both breathtaking and worrisome at the same time.

Felicity was sitting on her bed leaning against the headboard holding a tiny hand within her own, while simultaneously rubbing soothing circles against the child's stomach. She was telling some kind of story, clearly trying to put the kid to sleep.

"Now, Yertle the Turtle, that marvelous he is king of the mud that is all he can see. And the turtles, of course, all the turtles are free. As turtles, and maybe all creatures, should be." Then she stilled her hand and listened to the sound of even breathing. When she was sure that they were asleep she raised the hand that had been rubbing circles along the child's stomach to her mouth in an effort to muffle the sobs that began to overtake her. All the while keeping the child's tiny hand grasped inside her own.

As he witnessed her reading he had so many questions run through his head. Who was this kid? Why did Felicity have them? Was this why she ran from the office earlier? Why hadn't she just told him? Did she think that he was a monster who hated kids and wouldn't let her leave? While the logical half of his brain worked overtime to figure out what was happening in the life of his IT girl, the other half was trying to tramp down the waves of emotion that were being unleashed just beneath the surface. Glancing this tender moment made him realize what an amazing mother Felicity would make. He'd always known that she was an empathetic, gentle, and loving woman. She'd been there to comfort him too many times to count. What he hadn't counted on when he climbed that metal ladder strewn horizontally across her building was the new dream that erupted from within him. He wanted this. He wanted a family to come home to. A tender, loving wife and children to love unconditionally. But not just any children though, blonde-haired, blue-eyed children who looked everything like their mother. And not just any wife, he wanted a computer generous who would keep him in line and comfort him at the same time. One who could read him better than even his sister and mother could. A family where his wife puts their children to bed and the next minute helps him break into government databases to catch criminals who pollute their home.

He wanted Felicity to be his family in a million more ways than she currently was. He wanted her in every sense of the word. Although he was still grasping the full extent of the earth shifting under his feet, he knew that he needed to continue exploring this development later. Right now he needed to open the window and step through, because on the other side his family needed him.

Thanks for reading and Have a great day!