This picks up at the end of episode 213, immediately following Oliver and Sara being together below Verdant in the lair. This is where I hope the story line goes when the show comes back in the US in late February. Thanks for reading, and please review. Also, if you like this story, feel free to check out my story "You deserve better than her" which was another tangent from the 206/207 episode mark.

Felicity arrived at Verdant early that morning, set to make some upgrades on her software. It was total escapism from the drama around Moira Queen and telling Oliver about Thea's paternity. She knew she had done the right thing in telling him, but Moira's words still haunted her...

If you won't keep my secret for Oliver's sake, you should keep it for your own. I see the way you look at him. If you tell him this, you will rip his world apart, and a part of him will always blame you. Oh he'll hate me for sure, but he will hate you too. We all have to keep secrets, Miss Smoak.

As she got out of her car she noticed Oliver's motorcycle and another car she didn't recognize in the back lot. She wondered why he would be there so early in the morning, assuming there was something major going down. As she entered the lair she came down the staircase as quickly as possible.

"Oliver, is everything okay?" she called out, her eyes searching for him. She pulled up short at the bottom of the steps as she caught sight of Oliver and Sara, clearly trying to dress themselves quickly. Their disheveled state and the blanket on the sofa were a clear indication of what had happened the night before, and explained that Oliver had not arrived to the lair early, but rather had never left.

Dumbstruck by what she was seeing, Felicity apologized for interrupting, then turned to leave hastily.

"Felicity, wait!" Oliver called after her, finishing pulling on his pants. She stopped at the bottom of the staircase, keeping her back to him as Sara escaped into the bathroom, giving a questioning look toward the pair.

"Felicity..." Oliver said beseechingly, reaching to place his hand on her arm.

"Don't!" she said in a pained whisper, shrugging off his touch. Felicity turned to face him, taking a calming breath at the sight of Oliver shirtless. "I didn't mean to intrude. I thought something was wrong when I saw the motorcycle..." her voice trailed off.

Oliver broke eye contact seeing the unshed tears in Felicity's eyes. Looking down and rubbing the back of his neck, he finally said, "this wasn't planned."

Felicity didn't move. She just continued to stare at him, wondering how she had found herself in this position with him yet again. Knowing she was ready to burst out sobbing she let a soft chuckle escape her throat. Oliver finally looked up at her.

"It never is." With that she turned and walked slowly up the steps, knowing he wouldn't follow.

Oliver turned, his chest aching and heaving at the hurt he had seen in Felicity's eyes. Seeing the tabletop with arrow shafts and other supplies on it in front of him, he stepped forward, sweeping his arm across the surface, throwing all of the items across the floor. Anger caused his hands to ball up into fists as he leaned on the table, head down in self-disgust. Taking a deep breath, he looked up to find Sara standing across the room, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"Everything okay?" she asked, knowing full well it was not.

"I just..." Oliver started, closign his eyes and shaking his head slowly, unable to find the right words to explain what he was feeling in that moment to her.

Sara came to stand on the opposite side of the table, prompting Oliver to look up at her. "I think we should treat this..." gesturing to the sofa, "as a one time thing until you can figure some other things out." She walked over to grab her jacket, letting her words sink in with Oliver. She probably should have been angry or jealous at his obvious feelings for Felicity, but after all they had been through on the island and since, she couldn't begrudge him finding happiness, love, or whatever it was with someone who was not tainted or damaged. She was still reeling over her own mixed feelings after the run in with Nyssa. The night before had been more of a release of emotion than anything with someone who she was familiar and felt safe with. She hadn't felt this safe in a long time.

She walked up to Oliver, placing her hand on his forearm. She waited for him to look up at her before dropping her hand. "Thank you, for helping me figure out how to stay."

Realizing he was wallowing in his own self-pity while Sara was dealing with her own emotions Oliver reached out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You're welcome," he said with a small smile.

Dropping Oliver's hand, Sara turned to head toward the staircase to leave. As she started up the first few steps she stopped to turn back to him. "You know I've seen a big change in you since the island, even since I was here last time."

Oliver cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing bad," Sara reassured him. "In fact, quite the opposite. You've picked the right people to surround yourself for this...mission. And whether you've realized it or not, I see that part of you that was broken on the island starting to heal. Frankly, I'm a little jealous," she finished with a small smile.

Oliver let her words sink in.

"Anyway," Sara finally said, "I better go. Time to face the family."

As she started to turn away, Oliver called after her. "Sara, you know you're always welcome here, to be a part of this. We can use all the help we can get."

"I know. Thanks, Ollie. I'll see you later."

With that Sara left, leaving Oliver to think about what she had said about how he had changed.

With the anger now tempered he started picking up the mess he had just made. He had just finished arranging the items just as they had been before when something sparkly caught his eye from under the staircase. Going over to it, he bent down, picking up a single solitaire diamond earring. Knowing who it belonged to he made a decision in his head. He threw on the rest of his clothes and shoes, then headed toward the exit.