Okay, so I just thought I'd address something up here. A few reviewers asked why I didn't have Oliver stay at the hospital with Felicity. Part of it is based on my recent trip taking my friend through the ER, where they admitted her, finally got her in a bed and then shooed me out the door. The other part was, in earlier chapters, Felicity says really clearly to Oliver that she needs him to trust her judgement and listen to her- so he does. Felicity and Oliver are working on rebuilding trust and what Felicity needs is for Oliver to listen to her requests and care enough to respect what she asks of him.

I own nothing. I'm a poor teacher going to an advance screening of Avengers: Age of Ultron with every intention of using spoilers as a weapon to control the teenagers. Because I am evil.

After a night of being shaken awake and asked demanding and irrelevant questions, the gentle way that her arm was stroked until she opened her eyes was a relief.

"Good morning Oliver," she muttered, her voice thick with sleep. She ran a hand over her face, trying to clear sleep from her eyes. "What time is it?"

He greeted her with a small smile. "It's a little after 8," he answered.

Felicity yawned, shifting so that she could sit up. "Visiting hours haven't started yet," she pointed out.

Oliver chuckled. "I couldn't let your bagel get cold."

Felicity rolled her eyes. Of course Oliver had charmed his way into the hospital an hour early.

"How's your head?" he asked.

Felicity shrugged. "It's still sore," she answered truthfully. "But better than yesterday, so that's good. But the headache that comes from not wearing my glasses probably isn't going to help." She hadn't seen her glasses since she woke up and she was fairly sure they'd been ruined in the attack.

Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled out a black glasses case. "Your regular ones were pretty beat up, but I grabbed your spares from the foundry on the way over."

Felicity slid them onto her face. They didn't sit quite as comfortably as her regular pair, but they would certainly do in a pinch. "You said something about a bagel?" Felicity prompted.

Oliver held up a paper bag from her favourite bakery. "They're not giving you scans or anything?" He confirmed.

Felicity shook her head as she snagged the bag off him. "Nope," she answered through a mouthful of food. "The headache is still there, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was, so I should be fine after a few days. So now I get to enjoy my bagel." She wrinkled her nose and smiled at him, the picture of typical Felicity optimism. "Did you speak to Thea?" she asked.

Oliver's face fell slightly. He shook his head. "She's not answering her cell," he answered. "It could be nothing…"

"But it could also be a big something," Felicity finished his sentence. "I know that you know that she can take care of herself just fine, but that won't stop you worrying, will it?"

"Nope," Oliver replied.

"Are you going to brood all day?" Felicity asked.

Oliver's lips twitched. "I do not brood."

Felicity scoffed. "Oliver, don't kid yourself. If there were a land called Broodtopia, you would be their king. You would be Oliver Queen, the brooding King." She giggled over her own joke. "You clearly don't find the royalty puns as funny as I do," she surmised. She shrugged, taking another bite of her breakfast.

"It's cute that you think I haven't heard every single one in the book," Oliver replied.

"I dyed my hair red briefly in college," Felicity mused. "The Smoak and fire puns I endured were enough to tempt me into dyeing it black," she looked at her half eaten bagel and back at Oliver. "I'm really sorry, I would totally offer you some, but I'm starving."

He didn't need to say a word to make it clear that he was borderline offended that Felicity would even offer.

"Please don't tell me I'm eating for two," Felicity cautioned him. "I already feel like a whale and I'm only going to get bigger from here."

Oliver smirked. He'd certainly noticed the growing curves of Felicity's body… she was a petite woman at the best of times, but he wasn't sure that she'd appreciate if he fist pumped whatever deity that was listening that his girl was, in her own words "all belly, butt and boobs". He'd taken great delight in learning each and every changing slope of her frame, secretly glad whenever her shape changed, which was frequent. He never thought he'd be the kind of man to find a pregnant woman sexy; but there was no other word for Felicity.

"Besides," she continued, barely even noticing Oliver's silence, chattering between bites of her bagel, "the whole eating for two thing is completely ridiculous and untrue. The Bug is tiny. Realistically, the kid just doesn't need that many calories," she paused, her eyes narrowing as she studied Oliver's face. "Are you listening to me?"

… He hadn't been. Not even a little bit. "Sorry, I got distracted by you," he answered truthfully. "You're beautiful."

Felicity coloured. "I have a bruise on my head, I didn't get to brush my teeth after I puked everywhere and I'm in a hospital gown that shows my entire butt when I stand up," she replied, leaning over to put the greasy paper bag on the wheel-y table in the room. "I think those Lazarus Pits impacted on your vision."

Oliver stood up and crossed the room, sitting down next to Felicity on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him, brushing his lips across the crown of her forehead. "I can see just fine," he answered. "When do you get to leave?" he asked.

"Apparently Dr Mason is in the middle of a delivery, so I've gotta wait for that to finish before she can come discharge me," Felicity answered. She grabbed Oliver's hand, placing against the spot where she'd felt intermittent kicks. "It freaks me out a little bit that the next time we leave here, we're leaving here with an infant."

"The thought regularly keeps me up at night," Oliver responded.

Felicity's hand came over Oliver's, her nails tracing patterns against the back of his palm. "I think I like the Bug right here," she decided. "I've decided that they might need to just stay where they are, forever."

"Forever?" Oliver echoed.

"It makes perfect sense," Felicity argued. "I always know where the Bug is. They can't get tangled up in a nefarious kidnapping plot as the kid of either The Arrow or Oliver Queen," she paused. "Oliver, we'll have to babyproof the Cave!"

Oliver chuckled, silently relieved to see that Felicity's brain still seemed to be moving a thousand miles a minute. "Why is the baby coming into the foundry?" he asked.

Felicity tilted her head back to study Oliver's face. "Because that's where I'll be," she answered. "Do you think I'm bailing on our agreement because I'm toting a minion?"

Oliver knew he'd probably only stick his foot in his mouth if he answered without considering his words. "You can babyproof the foundry if you want to," he agreed.

"I knew you'd see reason."

With that, Felicity tucked her head into the crook of Oliver's neck. "I'm still really tired," she confessed. "I haven't felt this tired in months."

His hand traced up and down her spine. "You're recovering from a traumatic brain injury," he reminded her. "It'll take it out of you. I've spent days sleeping off concussions."

"And they just would not stop waking me up," she whined. "Why couldn't they just let me sleep?" Felicity yawned. "I'm taking a nap today," she decided. "Please don't wake me up."

"I won't wake you up," Oliver promised. "You can nap all day if you want to."

"Napping will be the best thing for you," Dr Mason interjected as she walked into the room. "From what I can see, this is nothing more than a run of the mill concussion. The risk of a brain bleed is pretty minimal, especially because your headache has decreased even though you haven't taken pain medication this morning."

"Those are things that I like hearing," Felicity answered, sitting up straight and facing the doctor.

"All you can realistically do is rest, at this stage," Dr Mason continued. "But you'll need to take it easy. Avoid computer screens, because the glow will just make your head hurt more."

"I work in IT," Felicity interjected.

"You'll find that your brain doesn't tick quite as quickly as it usually does," Dr Mason reminded her. "So you might want to take a few days off work. Take it easy. You need to let your brain heal. So at least for today, no cell phones and no TV, either."

Felicity resisted the urge to huff. She needed to track down Thea and any time she wasn't near a computer screen was more time that Thea had to sneak away from where Felicity could find her. She looked over at Oliver. She honestly couldn't tell what he was feeling by looking at him, and she couldn't tell if that was because she was concussed and functioning on minimal brainpower or because he was deliberately shielding her from his frustration. She didn't know what was worse. "I'll call my boss," she answered. "No sense me going into work if I can't actually do anything."

Dr Mason nodded. "That's a good move," she answered. She handed Oliver a sheet of paper. "If she starts displaying any of those symptoms, bring her straight back to Emergency," she told him.

Oliver scanned the list, face serious. Felicity hadn't doubted that Oliver was going to watch her like a hawk for the next week and now Dr Mason had gone ahead and empowered the behaviour.

Felicity rubbed her forehead. "Is there anything else?" She asked.

Dr Mason nodded. "I think it might be worth us pushing back your appointment by a week," she suggested. "From the scan last night, I can see that there are no major issues and I'd rather you be resting rather than travelling into my office for something that can wait."

"I'll call the office and get it changed," Oliver interjected.

Felicity narrowed her eyes, her gaze switching between the two of them. "You're creating an alliance against me, aren't you?"

"Where did you get an idea like that?" Oliver asked, his tone far too innocent to be serious.

Felicity narrowed her eyes, "Whatever," she muttered. "I'm not even going to fight this."

It had taken Felicity exactly five days to feel like her normal self again. It had taken her exactly four more days to convince Oliver that she and the baby were fine and no he didn't have to hover over her.

She was trying very hard not to be distracted by Oliver, who was flouncing around shirtless as he trained relentlessly, sweat running down in rivulets over his body. The horny pregnancy hormones she'd heard so much about had hit her thick and fast and the sight of so much of Oliver's tanned skin was not helping her maintain her cool.

Felicity forced herself to look at her computer screens. She tapped a few keys, running yet another trace on Thea's cell, praying that she'd finally turned it on. She'd been running facial recognition through every camera she could access, but the world was a big place and Thea could be anywhere by now.

The computer let out a beep. Felicity let out a sigh of relief. At last… she had a location. She frowned. That couldn't be right. According to the GPS signal on Thea's phone, she was in the club. "Oliver," she called out. "I don't want you to freak out, but Thea's GPS just went active. Apparently she's upstairs."

"What?" Oliver responded, moving so that he could see Felicity's computer screen.

"I've been running traces on her phone since I could stand to look at a computer screen. This is the first time I've ever seen it active."

Oliver stiffened. Apparently he'd heard something that Felicity hadn't. She watched his fingers tighten around the staff he'd been training with.

"Guys, relax," Thea called out, stepping out of the shadows with her hands raised, looking exhausted but alive. "It's just me."

Without being aware of what she was doing, Felicity stood up and crossed the room, pulling Thea into a tight embrace. "I am furious with you," she hissed, her arms hooked around Thea's shoulders, squeezing her tightly enough to cause pain.

"I can see that," Thea replied, hugging her back equally as tightly. She pulled away and moved towards her brother. "Hey, Ollie," she greeted him, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet as she gauged his reaction. She let out a squeak when he hugged her. "Gross!" she cried out. "Oliver, you're all sweaty!"

"Deal with it, Speedy," Oliver teased her, as if she hadn't been missing for nearly two weeks.

Felicity looked at the Queen siblings with unguarded fondness. She'd never had a sibling, and the warm and easy way the pair of them interacted now that there were no secrets filled her with happiness that she'd never be able to articulate.

Thea playfully shoved her brother away and sobered. "I guess I have some explaining to do," she sighed.

"I'll say," Oliver agreed, pulling a grey hoodie on as he cooled down. He nodded towards the couches that had been brought into the foundry in his absence. He linked his fingers with Felicity's and pulled her over, giving her a look that told her not to protest.

Thea didn't sit down. She paced, chewing on her thumbnail. "I'm really sorry," she blurted out. "I shouldn't have run off like that."

Felicity resisted the urge to sigh. She could see that Thea was upset. "What actually happened?" She asked.

Thea flopped down into the free seat. "Merlyn happened," she answered. "It was him that attacked you. That's why I kept telling you to tell the cops it was just a random mugging. He's still supposed to be dead, remember?"

"I remember," Felicity answered.

"What did he want?" Oliver asked. He'd remained silent thus far, but he was desperate for answers.

"Me, I guess," Thea answered. "He kept telling me that I'm his daughter and he cares about me," she drew a shuddering breath. "But I think we all know that's not true."

Felicity remained silent. She wanted to reassure her and tell Thea that of course her father loved her, but Malcolm Merlyn was a monster. It would be better if he didn't love her at all.

"If you love somebody, you don't turn them into a murderer," Thea growled. She was clearly trying to sound fierce, but failing miserably. She was trying desperately to cover up her pain. "And then he hurt you, Felicity, just because you were around me. And I was so scared for you and for the baby. I was scared he'd use you guys to get to me because he's sick and that's what he does, so I thought it would be better if I tried to draw him away, so I left."

Oliver moved so that he was sitting beside his little sister and drew her into his side, kissing the top of her head and whispering to her.

Felicity squeezed Thea's knee. "Looks like sacrifice is a Queen family trait," she pointed out. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again, young lady." Felicity's tone was stern, but her fierce protectiveness could be heard a mile away.

Thea gave a watery laugh. "I won't," she replied. She grew serious. "What does this mean?" she asked.

"In terms of what?" Oliver clarified. "Thea, you know this doesn't change a thing for any of us."

"I know that, beetle brain," Thea replied, poking Oliver in the side. "I mean in terms of Merlyn. He knows you're alive."

"Which means he probably thinks you killed Ra's," Felicity pointed out. "He thinks he's gotten away with it all."

"I don't know," Oliver answered. "I don't know what we should do. Merlyn isn't hurting anybody right now."

"But you also don't want him on the streets. Who knows what he might try and do," Felicity responded.

"I don't," Oliver agreed. "But I'm also not sure that starting a war with him is the answer."

"But what about the League?" Thea interjected. "Surely they haven't forgotten about him?"

"Ra's isn't the kind of man who would forget about any kind of slight," Oliver agreed. "And he's also the kind of man who thinks a lot about honour. Using your daughter to do your dirty work, particularly when that dirty work hurts his daughter is hardly going to help Merlyn's case."

"So what does that mean?" Felicity asked. "Do we have a plan of attack?"

Oliver sighed. "For now, I think we do nothing."

"Nothing?" Thea echoed.

"We can't risk inviting the League into Starling, not when we have no idea what Merlyn's next play is."

"We need eyes on Nanda Parbat," Felicity decided. She moved over to her computers, her fingers clicking on keys as she began to hack her way into several satellite systems. She let out a sigh and grabbed her earpiece, stuffing it into her ear as she opened a secure line to make a call.

"Hey girl," she trilled when she heard the line connect.

Oliver and Thea exchanged a look as they listened to the casual way that Felicity was chatting as she ran three different hacks.

"Bug and I are doing well, thanks for asking," Felicity hummed. "There's plenty of kicking action and the hormones everybody warned me about are making life very exciting."

"Felicity," Oliver began to interject.

Felicity held up a hand, silently indicating that he shouldn't speak. "Yeah, I did call for a reason," Felicity admitted. "I need to access your satellites. You know I wouldn't ask if it weren't important."

She listened for a few minutes. "Okay," she agreed. "Send it to me and I can take a look at it. Not a problem." She typed out a sequence, turning her head to study one of her screens. "I'm in."

After listening for a few more seconds, a smile crept across Felicity's face. "Of course," she agreed. "Look, I really can't chat right now, but I'll call you soon, because you absolutely owe me an update on the man candy situation," she chewed on her lip and studied the screen. "Just promise me this," Felicity requested. "Should you see a bunch of guys who are dressed like they're extras from Ali Baba and His Forty Thieves, don't engage. Seriously, just run."

She looked up at Thea and Oliver and shrugged. "Uhuh," she answered. "Thanks again for this. Right back at you. Bye." She tapped the button on the side of her ear piece and tugged it out. "Okay, I have NSA, ARGUS, CIA and SHIELD satellites keeping an eye on Nanda Parbat," she informed them. She typed out another quick sequence. "And I've set up a tracking algorithm that is going to keep a look out for any known League associates and their movements. If they go anywhere near a camera, we'll know about it."

"Who was that on the phone?" Thea asked, clearly still baffled by the strange mixture of business and pleasure she'd just heard.

"Rising Tide contact," Felicity replied. "She's in deep with SHIELD these days. You're not the only two people in the world who know a guy."

"So why would you tell her before you hacked her?" Thea asked.

Felicity scoffed. "Hackers etiquette!" She answered. "If you know somebody has access to something that you don't, you ask for it," Felicity explained. "It's just how hackers work."

"And if they won't give it to you?"

"Oh, then you take it," Felicity answered. "But I knew Skye would let us in. There was never any doubt there."

"Right," Thea answered. She was still a little bit shell shocked by the fact that sweet, innocent looking Felicity, who wore flouncy dresses and pink lipstick was some kind of computer hacking goddess with a well hidden criminal history. She found it easier to accept her brother as The Arrow than to remember that Felicity was a secret badass.

"You know, I didn't mean to scare you, leaving like that," Thea murmured. "But you were lying there next to a trash can and then you couldn't feel my niece or nephew moving and I was so scared that he'd come after you next and hurt you to get to me and Ollie that I thought that running to where he can't get to you was the best thing I could do in such a crappy situation."

"I know," Felicity answered. "I knew something had you pretty freaked. But I also knew you'd come back."

Thea smiled. "Good," she answered.

Felicity quirked an eyebrow. "But, I think you've got some apologising to do,"

Thea frowned. "Ollie disappeared for five months…"

"Not talking about Oliver," Felicity interjected. "Roy's been moping for a week." She observed Thea's cheeks flush. "Don't even pretend you don't know that he's still madly in love with you."

"I know he is," Thea sighed. "But after all this…"

Felicity rolled her eyes. She was certainly related to Oliver Queen. "Talk to Roy," she insisted. "He's been through something similar. Don't be some kind of noble martyr. Nobody likes that guy."

So, I have a lot of Roy related feelings. I also have a lot more 3x20 related feelings (that I've written pre-emptive fic about, hint hint). Let's talk about these feelings. Let's hug it out.