Shielded Arrow (Oliver and Felicity -Olicity- Fanfiction) ~2nd book in the Saga~

Chapter 41

Oliver kicked his door open and climbed the steps with Felicity in his arms. He was speeding the whole way over and Oliver barrowed Diggle's car for a short time. He was sure that Diggle would have no problem riding his bike, he had been asking about it for months.

Felicity was still knocked out when he laid her head on a pillow that was on his couch.

Oliver went to his desk and opened the drawer to grab scissors. He tugged her shirt down to cut her out of all the sweaty, bloody clothes she was in. Oliver wasn't going to go through the process of lifting her head up and trying to take off her shirt and happening to wake her up. She needed her sleep like Shado said.

Oliver snipped open her shirt and noticed that she was braless. He wasn't worried about staring, he knew that he would admire her beauty for a moment. Oliver noticed how lifeless Felicity's body looked, almost like a ghost. Felicity's chest looked like skin and bones, Oliver hoped that it wasn't as serious as she looked like. He unbuttoned her pants and dragged them down to her ankles along with her wear.

Oliver move on to more serious matters like getting her into the tub. He carried her into the bathroom and set her down slowly against the back. He quickly turned on the warm water; it wouldn't be too long before the tub filled up.

While he was waiting, he went back down stairs into the kitchen to cook up some coco to help warm her insides. After the warehouse, she needed to be thrown into the desert for a day or two. When the coco was warmed up, he sprinted back upstairs to grab her his long sleeved button up t-shirt to throw on when she was washed, and a thick quilt to wrap her in when she was done.

Oliver walked back into the bathroom, and set two drinks by the side of the tub.

"Drink this, baby," Oliver didn't know where he got the pet name from, but he kind of liked how it rolled off the tongue so easily. How it sounded so natural, he planned to use it a lot in the future if Felicity didn't mind.

He put his hand in the water and touched Felicity's shoulder. Felicity opened her eyes with struggle and took a sip of the water Oliver had also gotten; Felicity had to be dehydrated. Felicity shook her head hazily when Oliver had offered her the hot chocolate and she put her arms around her after she shivered.

"It's warm, baby, are you sure?" Oliver asked just to be sure. He knew she needed her sleep, but he knew that staying hydrated also took priority.

Felicity nodded with her eyes and took a sip of the warm coco. She was surprised to find that it didn't burn her tongue.

"Are you well enough to rinse and wash off?" Oliver asked carefully. He knew that Felicity slept better when she showered and was clean.

Felicity didn't answer as Oliver gulped. He didn't really want to wash Felicity after what he had learned, he still needed some time to process her secret, but he would if she wouldn't.

"I don't... sleep..." Felicity murmured and Oliver grit his teeth together.

I can do this without thinking about making love to her... I can do this without thinking about it... Oliver thought, reaching for the soap. He lathered it onto her pale skin; the dirt and dried blood was already starting to come clean off of her body. Being Oliver Queen, it was hard to keep his thoughts clean, but it was Felicity of all people, so he would respect her body like he respected her.

Oliver washed and rinsed her hair and as he drained the tub. Oliver picked up her wet body against his and set her back on the couch to dry her off. When he was through with that, Oliver put Felicity inside his white plain button up shirt and brushed through her hair. He squeezed it out and moved her one more time. He didn't want her lying in water that was now on his couch, and placed her on top of his sheets, throwing the thick quilt over her.

Oliver sat back in a chair and watched her sleep until his own eyes started to droop. That's when he walked back into his bathroom and cleaned himself to get some rest. After tonight, he was thinking about going into hibernation with Felicity.

***

Felicity was too tired to toss and turn, but it didn't mean she wasn't having a nightmare. Flashes of the past day roared through her mind, endless pain, secrets revealed and blood spilling everywhere. Felicity woke up screaming and shaking when night's rule was still out on the town, Oliver's name the first on her lips. Oliver's eyes snapped awake, the simple blanket that was keeping him from shivering was tossed off of as he jerked upward and ran to Felicity's side.

"Hey, hey," his hands gripped her elbows as she screamed again. "You're safe, you're safe, Felicity. I'm here, Felicity, you're safe..." Felicity's arms gripped her neck, eyes, ears, trying to heal what her mind remembered but her body forgot. "Breathe, baby, it's okay," Oliver's soft voice made Felicity's vision come into focus.

Felicity wanted to scream and shout incoherent things, but when he leaned in close so she could clutch onto him she didn't have to. Felicity gasped and sniffled and wiped away the tears.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I'm sorry I have nightmares, I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry..."

"Hey," Oliver crooned, "you never once complained when I had nightmares. You lit a candle, and even bought me a dream catcher, do you remember that?"

Felicity nodded as he pulled away. Oliver reached into his bed side table and grabbed the lighter. He lit a candle that he used when he proposed yesterday. "There, the candle will absorb your fears."

Felicity huffed a laugh, "Using my own words against me, eh?" Oliver shrugged and rubbed her leg that was under the quilt. "I'm sorry I lied to you, I'm sorry I went to New York, I'm sorry for everything - it's all my fault," Felicity choked.

Oliver bent down and kissed away her tears and laid her head back onto the pillow. "Don't say that," he whispered in a calming voice trying his best to soothe her.

"It's true," Felicity testified to what she had done. "I locked up Arthur Light, and because of that he wanted revenge... He learned everything about me, including my father who just happened to be pissed at you. When Arthur twisted Johnathan into thinking that you got me pregnant and let me for dead, Johnathan was furious to he teamed up with Arthur and did his dirty work. Then, in the trickery of Arthur, he got him hooked on some kind of drug, right? This is all my fault..."

"I thought you didn't remember any of that?" Oliver asked.

"Bits and pieces are coming back," Felicity looked at the candle like it was her salvation.

"We don't choose our family, Felicity," Oliver ran his fingers through her hair. "I mean, my mother helped Malcom Merlyn kill five hundred and one people. If you really want someone to blame, you can blame me, this all started with me, Felicity."

Felicity shook her head, "I'm not buying it... You have the Guilt disease, you feel like everything in the world is your fault even when it's not."

Oliver shifted and looked down at her, "If I hadn't killed Slade, then Johnathan wouldn't have been pissed - like you said - and he wouldn't have left your family, indefinitely." Oliver sighed and told her gently, "He didn't choose to leave you, his plane crashed onto the island and Slade and Johnathan bonded over book club on Sunday's and ravage killings to stay alive. When I killed Slade, Johnathan was beside himself in fury and rage. He didn't return home because he wanted revenge and when he finally got off that island, he didn't come back home to you because of that reason..."

"Yeah, but he did eventually, and when he did, he killed your mother," Felicity pointed out.

"Yeah, because I killed his brother," Oliver fired back quietly.

Felicity peered into Oliver's blue eyes. They seemed confused and conflicted, Felicity couldn't help but feel guilty about that.

"I don't hate you that you almost killed Arthur, Oliver," Felicity brother up the evitable.

"You don't?" Oliver asked with confusion. "Why?"

"Because that doesn't really compare to what I did," Felicity sat up. "You should hate me, Oliver, you should be furious with me for lying to you about my baby."

Oliver smiled and touched the corner of her lips. "Our baby," he corrected with an easy smile. "Go to sleep, Felicity," he whispered as she snuggled back under the covers and laid her head back onto the pillow. "I'll watch over you," Oliver saw Felicity snuggled into his palm.