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His fingertips just brushed hers when Felicity lost her grip and fell screaming away from him. The ocean a good fifty plus feet below, rushed and crashed against the rocks, and Oliver screamed her name, as she fell away from him, her eyes wide, disbelieving, her hand still reaching for him.

Uncaring what happened to him, he kicked off his shoes and jumped off the cliff after her. They would die together as he plunged toward the ocean's surf or he would save her. Live or die, he wouldn't be alone anymore and at least this death would be quick, if he failed her.

She fought the fall, which was good because it gave him a chance to catch up with her. Streamlining his body to make himself fall faster, he managed to grab her hand and jerk her body tightly to him, while they were still falling.

"Try to relax. Hold your breath," he said as he bent his knees just as they slammed into the frigid water, with him taking the most impact.

That was easier said than done. The impact knocked most of the air from his lungs, made it feel like he broken both legs, and he almost let go of her, but by sheer will, he managed to hold on to her.

Down, down, so down into the murky water, they plunged.

Thank God for high tide, he thought because somehow they hadn't been broken up on the rocks. But so much for good luck, as the rip tide snatched them and sucked them further down. He knew better than to fight the tide from cliff jumping on the island, both of them would drown if he did that. Yet, he needed air urgently, but only water existed, cold water that was dragging him and her deeper down.

Oliver faded away in his mind. He focused on slowing his heart, relaxing his muscles, not fighting to breathe, anything to give him a few more seconds.

He was not the Arrow or the hated Al Sah-Him. No, he was the man that loved Felicity Smoak. He was the man that would not let her die. They would survive this. Slowing his heart, he let his body relax and went with the tide.

Felicity tried to swim, kicking her legs, but he knew she was running out of air, and her panic was setting in. He understood, for he himself, desperately needed to breathe. His lungs burned, ached, and the terrible thought they were both going to drown passed through his mind. But he refused that thought, for he wouldn't let it happen.

She struggled hard against him, and he knew the very instant she stopped holding her breath and sucked water. He hated that he could feel her intake the water, feel her body's last small fight, feel her pure panic, then he felt her release him, her hands dropping away in death. He wanted to give up with her. It would be so easy to go. They could go together. All his pain and struggle would be over. He just had to breathe in the water.

Felicity had gone slack against him, but still, he wouldn't release her. He believed he could beat this. He had defeated Ra's, and the damn league wasn't going to take her from him now. No, not now. They hadn't been down long enough to kill her if he could just start CPR. Focus, he thought, don't breathe, she'll truly die if you breathe.

His chest hurt, his head pounded, carbon dioxide poisoning was slowly killing him, and black spots swam before his eyes, but he held on for a few more seconds.

Losing consciousness, his arm losing its grip on her, he knew he had lost but then at the last possible second, the rip tide spit them out, and with lungs that felt like they were busting, collapsing, he kicked hard, and they bobbed to the surface like a cork.

Grasping in huge gulps of life saving oxygen, he treaded water.

Felicity wasn't breathing, but he wasn't giving up. The cold water would slow the brain damage and the shoreline wasn't that far. Dragging her behind him, he made the shore and had barely pulled them out of the water when using trembling fingers, he felt at the base of her neck for her pulse. It was weak but still there, which meant he wouldn't have to do chest compressions, a good thing since he wasn't sure he could do chest compressions, as weak as he was becoming.

He turned her on her side and drained the water out her mouth. Turning Felicity to her back, he tilted her head back and lifted her chin, and then he pinched her nose and gave four one second breathes and watched her chest rise and fall.

Intent on breathing for her, he kept it up. Again, and again, he breathed for her. Two teenage boys had appeared from nowhere asking if they could help, and he barked the words, "911 get help."

Still, he went on breathing for her, even though her lips were blue and her skin pale. He begged her to stay with him. "Fight, Felicity, come back." Four more breathes. "Don't go. Don't leave me alone again." Four more breathes. "Fight, breathe for me."

Again and again, he breathed for her but got no real response. It had been too long his brain told him as desperation set in. His leg still bleeding, his chest hurting, he was past light headed. He felt again for a pulse. Was it gone?

His fingers trembled as he couldn't find it. "No," he screamed at her. "I just got you back, don't you dare leave me alone."

No response. Forcing himself, he started chest compressions. He could do this, NO, he wouldn't give her up.

He could hear the sirens now but his body was crashing and he just wanted to lie down. His body was failing him. No, he thought, if he could hold out, help would be here soon. One breath, two breaths, he was done, spent, he had no more, couldn't fight anymore. He'd failed her, but then Felicity suddenly inhaled sharply and came up coughing, gagging and spitting water. Her first words were, "Oliver! Oh, my chest hurts. If this is what a heart attack feels like I never want one. Who knew drowning hurt so bad? Oliver? Oliver?" Her voice high pitched when she said his name.

Smiling, as he collapsed beside her as he said, "Just breathe, Felicity, I'm right here. Breathe for me. I love you. Just breathe for me." Thankful he could stop CPR, thankful she hadn't died, he lay prone on the sand. He could see the sun going down, disappearing in a brunt orange splash into the ocean and it made him smile as he thought that was their first sunset, together. He'd planned they would watch their first sunset together on the ocean, but he was so weak that his eyes were closing and then everything went black.

#####OQ#####

He heard words like stat, internal bleeding, spleen, and clear, but everything was a fog and the pain, the pain prodded him to stay down, not to wake up.

Yet, he fought the dreams. Back in the water the flashes of memory haunted him. Felicity smiling as she unbuckled her seat belt to kiss him. He wanted to stop her, but heaven help him, he wanted that kiss.

Don't, he screamed, we're going to crash. The car spun, flipped. Everything out of his control, he couldn't stop anything as everything swirled together.

Light, water, Felicity falling away from him, pain, loss, emptiness, worse than anything he'd ever felt. He struggled, his limbs heavy as she hung from the guard railing, lost to him. Reaching, he watched her fall away from him, fall into the ocean below lost to him.

He jumped off a cliff after her falling, falling, falling so fast and picking up speed. He couldn't stop falling.

Back on the mountain, he watched Ra's sword plunge into him, killing him. His last thoughts were of her kiss, her light, just her and the air rushing past him and falling.

The damn water surged up to swallow him, and he couldn't breathe for the damn water. He hated the water. Felicity drowned in his arms, dying, heaven help him. She'd died, lost to him, and he came roaring out of the dream screaming her name repeatedly.

"Mr. Williams, you need to calm down. We're going to sedate you if you don't calm down."

Hands were hauling him back into the bed.

Beeps and alarms were going off, and he realized he was in a hospital. "Don't touch me," he roared at them. "Where's Felicity? Felicity?" He screamed her name over and over.

The nurses tried to calm him, but he would have none of it. She'd died in his arms.

Where was she?

He couldn't remember.

She was gone.

Help him, where was she?

He pulled tubes out and wires off, fighting the nurse's hands, and one woman tried to sedate him when Felicity rushed in the room and screamed, "Oliver, I'm here. Right here! Stop fighting them. You're going to pull your stitches out. Can't a girl go get some coffee? You were out like a light when I left."

Freezing, he shook his head, and said sadly, "I thought you died."

She flew into his arms, comforting him, touching him, and proving that she was still there, still breathing and real.

"Shh. . ., I'm here. I'm fine. I'm right here, with you. You're going to be okay. We're okay. We're alive. Stop fighting. Please, just give us a minute," she said waving the nurses away.

"I'm awake?" he said, as his hands trembled, as he reached to touch her face, to feel her warm skin. "You're real?"

Bobbing her pony tailed blonde head, she gave him one of her wonderful light filled smiles and his heart almost exploded.

"You drowned?"

"Sure did. It sucked too. Remind me to never do that again. Off the bucket list as of right now." She smiled at him again, while she talked with her hands.

He smiled back, but then she always made him smile.

But he had to ask, "Did we fall off a cliff and into the water?

"No, I fell. You big idiot, you jumped off a cliff after me. You do have a death wish, don't you? And do you know what is more stupid?"

"No." He reached and touched her smooth face again, reassuring himself that she was real. He needed her desperately to be real.

"When I saw you jump, even though I was falling," again her smile that lit what was left of his soul up, as she added, "I wasn't scared anymore. I knew you were going to save me and that you were coming for me."

His hand stroked her cheek, and he met her eyes and said, "I will always save you, Felicity. I will always come for you or die trying." He breathed in the scent of her and his heart slowed down. The panic recessed.

"Well you almost achieved the dying part, and I know you will come for me that's just one reason I love you, Oliver."

"I love you too."

"Rest, you need to rest. You lost a lot of blood, spent hours in surgery. It was touch and go there for a while there. I thought you were the one who was going to die."

He was crashing again, going. He want to stay awake but couldn't. He said, "No too tough for that. Stay with me. Just let me hold you. Please, keep the dreams away. You always keep the dreams away."

"Okay, I'm right here." She said with a sigh, as she pulled her face away from his hands and then laid her head on his chest, her hand over his heart. Rubbing him softly, she seemed to touch his very soul. How he loved her touch. It seemed to heal him, and he smiled.

"Mr. Williams, huh?"

"No one's looking for him."

"Dig here?"

"Him and others. We're safe for now."

Sleepy, he noted the plain silver ring on her finger, and he reached for it, rubbing it between his fingers. He hated to ask, but everything was surreal.

"You're married to me, right? Cause I'm not up to fighting a jealous husband right now."

She sighed and then gave a giggle and said, "You're jealous enough without adding another person. Really, you don't remember?"

"Everything is still jumbled like I'm drugged up."

"You are drugged up, Oliver, and yes, we're married. This is supposed to be our honeymoon."

His grin huge, he said, "I'm happy right now, Felicity, and I don't know how to be happy, but I'm trying, okay?

"That's the pain pump talking, Oliver."

"No it's not just the drugs. I came very close to losing you, and I'm not running or pushing you away this time. Dragging you closer, not letting go, ever."

She smile her wonderful smile at him and said, "Now that's what I call being tough. And Oliver, I know this supposed to be our honeymoon, but I want you to promise me no cruises ever? I don't know if you know this but I really hate water as of today."

He laughed and said, "It hurts to laugh. But that's a deal. I hate boats and water too."

"Shhh, now rest. I have a lot of things I want to do with you when you feel better." She leaned into his ear and whispered, "Naughty things. Really naughty things."

"I can't wait," said Oliver as Felicity moved to gently kiss him. She tasted like home, he thought. I have finally come home. And he drifted to sleep, with her in his arms, and this time he didn't dream. And it was a wonderful thing.

And this was not the end but the beginning!

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Thanks for the read. Please talk to me if you have time.