Broken

Rating: M (for later chapters)

Synopsis: The moments when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable are the moments when we need those that mean the most to us. Sometimes just knowing someone is there to help you through the pain gives you the strength to pull through. She became the strength he needed when life felt hopeless.

Pairing: Oliver & Felicity, Thea & Roy

Characters: Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Thea, Roy

Season/Episode: Between Season 1 & 2

Category: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Smut

Disclaimer: (the usual, don't own, idea was mine though)

AN: Reposting this story after it got taken down on my other profile. Hope you enjoy it the second time around as much as the first time.

Chapter 1: Trying To Fix You

"Breathe, Felicity," she whispered as the dust settled. A string of aftershocks from the earthquake had just rocked the foundry. Felicity Smoak had been stuck down there for several hours, communication being lost soon after the first round of shaking stopped, alone and without a link to the outside world. The two people she trusted most were nowhere to be found.

Having cried tears of fear and anger, Felicity knew it was time to get the hell out of this place just in case it collapsed on top of her, although she doubted that would happen. She knew most of the damage had been caused on the east side of the Glades. Knowing didn't stop the survival instinct from kicking in.

The secret side door didn't budge when she tried to press her weight against it. It was probably blocked, but she kept trying. After ten minutes of shoving, it still wouldn't move, so she decided to try the main door up the stairs that led into the club. Again she was met with resistance. The more she tried, the more it frustrated her to think she was so weak.

No, I might be small, but I'm not weak.

She'd proven it time and again on the mats, taking down opponents as she trained with her boss and his bodyguard. If she put her mind to something, there was nothing that could stop her from achieving it. That's how she managed to graduate at the top of her class in both high school and college. Getting through a door was going to be a piece of cake, dammit.

Felicity headed back downstairs to try the side door once more, this time giving herself a running start. Using her left shoulder as a battering ram, she hit the metal door full force only to bounce back in agony when something popped. She'd done a number on her shoulder, she was certain. But the door had jarred open.

"Yes!" Felicity used her good arm to fist pump the air. "I still do it," she added, putting her arm down and peering through the crack in the door to see it was blocked by a large piece of sharp edged steel. Using her back and legs this time, she pushed against the door with all the strength she had. It continued to inch open.

For a few minutes, Felicity sat back against it to collect herself and rub her aching shoulder. She needed to get out of here and find out what had happened to her friends. Having not heard anything from Oliver or Diggle these past few hours was making her uncomfortable at best, scared at worst.

It was that fear that helped Felicity focus on the task of getting the door open. A few more good pushes and she'd managed to get it open enough to fit her body through. But getting past the sharp metal wouldn't be easy. She slowly began to step over the beam, but her dress caught on the jagged teeth causing her to lose her balance and fall onto it.

The searing pain of metal tearing through flesh shocked her, and for a moment Felicity though she was going to die. Taking a deep breath, she eased herself away from the beam. A quick glance down at her right leg showed the extent of the damaged the serrated edges had caused. There was a deep gash along the side that stretched from her thigh to her knee. Blood dripped from the wound and she stripped off the pink cardigan she'd worn to use as a makeshift bandage.

Staggering from the door, Felicity surveyed the damage around her. People rushed past trying to get away from the devastation while she looked on in horror. This was beyond the scope of even her overactive imagination. The Glades looked like a war zone. Death and destruction lay scattered around her. Buildings crumbled, fires raged, and people cried out for help. All she could do was stare.

In her short twenty-five years of life, Felicity had never been through anything like what she'd been through that night. Heart and mind racing, she realized her friends were still out there in the thick of it. She didn't know where they were, if they were okay, if either one (or perhaps both) were hurt, or if something worse had become of them.

Felicity banished the last thought from her mind. This was not the time to be thinking about that. They were warriors, brothers in arms. If anything happened to one, the other would be there to help. At least that's what she told herself in order to calm her already frazzled nerves.

It seemed her thoughts had a snowball effect. Once the ball got rolling, it was hard, if not impossible to stop. Different scenarios of what had befallen her friends began to overtake rational thought until panic set in. Taking several more deep breaths, Felicity tried to quell the fear running rampant in her mind.

A hand on her right shoulder caused Felicity to scream and turn violently. It took her several moments to realize the face that stared back at her wasn't someone trying to mug her in the midst of the chaos.

"Oliver!" she cried out, nearly jumping into his body as her arms wrapped around his waist and she buried her face in the soft leather of his jacket. "Oh, thank god you're alive." The tears had already begun to well at the corners of her eyes.

As she pulled away and glanced around, Felicity realized something was amiss. "Where's Diggle?" Her fears suddenly came rushing back as she looked up at Oliver's face and saw the ever growing emptiness in his eyes. "Oh, god…" Felicity's hand came to her mouth as she tried to swallow back a sob.

Oliver blinked, his distant gaze disappearing when he realized what she'd just inferred. He shook his head as his hands came to rest on her shoulders and replied, "No, he's fine."

Relief flooded back as she breathed a deep sigh. "Don't scare me like that," Felicity muttered before glancing back up at him. The emptiness had returned to his eyes. That's when she noticed the faint trail of dried tears running down his dusty cheeks. Something had gone wrong. She'd never seen him cry before.

Although it made her wince to raise her shoulder, she took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Oliver, what happened?" Felicity softly asked. She watched him swallow hard, his blue eyes shutting and remaining closed as if he was trying to gather the energy to tell her. When they opened again, pain had consumed them. He looked lost, hopeless even, as he stared back at her, unshed tears threatening to spill over as he leaned into her touch.

"Tommy..." It was all Oliver needed to say. Felicity felt the wave of sadness crash over her. Although she never got a chance to know his best friend, she'd caught enough about him to see he was someone Oliver cared about and that the last few weeks of their friendship had been strained. She couldn't begin to comprehend the pain he was in right now having lost someone he'd known most of his life. As a pair of tears slid down his cheeks, she wiped them away with her thumbs as she pulled him back into her arms.

There really wasn't anything Felicity could say to console him. Right now Oliver needed a shoulder to cry on, and she gladly offered up her good one without a second thought. Running her hands down his back, Felicity felt something warm and sticky beneath her fingers. She pulled her hand away to find it covered in red.

"You're bleeding!" Felicity stepped back and gave him a quick once over. Just below Oliver's left shoulder was a large red stain. It became obvious to her the injury was a through-and-through. "I need to get you to a hospital."

Oliver shook his head. "It's not that bad," he said, but as her fingers slid over it, the sharp hiss of his breath told her otherwise.

"Oliver..." Felicity was getting ready to argue with him, but his hard gaze put an end to it immediately.

"All the hospitals in the area are full. I can take care of this myself. Right now, we need to get out of here," Oliver said. Somehow he'd managed to rake in his emotions, his eyes becoming dark and distant once more. Turning, he began to walk down the street, and she noticed he was favoring his right side.

"Hey, slow down," Felicity said as she came up beside him. Her right arm wrapped around his waist as she ducked under his shoulder, letting it rest around her neck while they walked towards his bike. Although the weight pressing against her left shoulder felt painful, she wasn't about to let on she'd also been injured.

The grateful look Oliver gave her was unexpected. It took Felicity's mind off her own pain as she smiled up at him knowingly. "We'll take my car," she added, hoping it was still where she'd left it.

About half a block away, the little red Mini Cooper sat parked in its usual space. By some miracle no one had broken in or even touched it. Felicity fished her pockets for her keys and unlocked the door. Helping Oliver into the passenger's seat, she walked around to the trunk and pulled out the bag of first aid gear he'd practically forced her to keep there in case of emergencies. This was the first time she'd ever been so happy to see that thing in her life.

Hauling it out of the trunk proved to be a daunting task as her shoulder protested the weight, but Felicity managed to get it into her back seat and rummaged around until she found a towel, hydrogen peroxide, and some bandages.

Felicity walked back over to the passenger's side and bent down slightly. Her right leg protested, but she bit her lip in order to control the pain that shot through her body. Thankfully Oliver was still too preoccupied with his own pain to notice hers. To distract herself, Felicity soaked the towel with the antiseptic before she glanced over at him to find his gaze fixed on her, that distant look still in his eyes.

It was hard to watch him shut down like this, but Felicity understood. She didn't know how she'd react to finding out her best friend was dead and imagined it might be something like this. But Oliver had lost so much in the past five and a half years. This was truly where the disconnect lay. She couldn't relate, but she would try to comfort him as much as she could.

Right now, though, her attention was focused on his wounded shoulder. Felicity felt her heart begin to race as she reached for the zipper of his jacket. Glancing up, Oliver's slight nod was all the permission she needed to slowly pull it down. Gently, her fingers slipped it from his left arm, but the sharp breath he took as he pulled away from the sleeve was enough for her to pause. She glanced at him again to make sure he was alright, and with another nod, Felicity continued until he was out of his jacket.

Beneath the green leather was a grey t-shirt stained red. She gasped realizing just how much blood Oliver had actually lost. The stain was the size of a dinner plate and dripped down his side until it reached the hem of his shirt, the back mirroring the front. A half dollar sized hole sat in the middle of the mess. Felicity thought her heart would beat right out of her chest as her fingers peeled back the cotton to reveal torn and bloodied flesh. Biting her lip, she knew what came next wouldn't be pleasant.

With great care, Felicity eased the hydrogen peroxide soaked towel against the wound. The half growl, half cry that escaped Oliver's throat as he clenched his fist was enough to startle her. "I'm sorry," she lamented, her voice nearly cracking as she tried to hold back the sob threatening to escape her own throat. It was painful to watch him suffer. Felicity never liked this part of the job. Having to patch Oliver up usually fell on Diggle's shoulders, but with him not here tonight, the responsibility was hers.

"It's fine," Oliver replied, his jaw clenched as she began her task of cleaning up as much of the wound as she could.

Felicity worked quickly and diligently, making sure she didn't hurt him too much. Although Oliver was no stranger to pain, she didn't like seeing it cross his handsome face. Taping a bandage to each side of the wound, she threw the blood soaked towel into the trunk then wiped her bloodied hands with another. For a moment, she thought about patching herself up as well, but an explosion rocked a building a few streets over sending debris flying through the air and landing very close to the car.

In near panic, Felicity jumped into the driver's seat and peeled out of the parking space, tires squealing against wet pavement. She weaved through mangled streets and debris as the sun began to rise over the city. The clouds had turned shades of pink and purple by the time they reached the outskirts of the Glades. Oliver pulled out his phone and began to punch coordinates into the GPS.

Throwing a glance in his direction, Felicity could see his pale features as the sun peeked out from behind skyscrapers. The exhaustion, both physical and mental, was evident from the dark circles under his eyes. She reached over and placed her hand over his. Oliver gave her a sideways glance as the ghost of a smile came to his lips. He twined his fingers with hers and they continued on the path the GPS took them.

It was painful driving with her left hand, but there was nothing more she wanted than to feel his touch right now. Felicity hadn't realized just how much she needed the warmth of his hand wrapped around hers until it actually was. It gave her the peace of mind she'd desperately been searching for as she clawed her way out of the foundry. Knowing Oliver was alive, albeit injured, allowed her to breathe more easily.

With the sun hanging low in the sky, the road opened up as it wound along the coast, the ocean to their west and stunning mountain views to their east. Felicity had never been this far out of Starling City before, but she welcomed it after the night's events. It was the breath of fresh air she needed to clear her mind of all the death and destruction. The only reminder was the man seated beside her in all his beautifully broken glory.

Oliver had closed his eyes, but she could still feel his fingers tightly tangled with hers. Felicity knew he was desperately clinging to whatever semblance of normalcy was left in his life. Even if she'd only been a part of it for the last few months, it made her feel special knowing that Oliver Queen turned to her when he needed help with not just computer problems, but the private things he would hide from everyone else.

It blew Felicity's mind that they had formed such a strong bond in such a short amount of time, but she trusted him. Yes, Oliver had lied to her in the beginning about why he needed help, but when he'd come to her, shot and bleeding, she knew he truly trusted her just as she'd always trusted him. The lies fell away and what was left became a friendship she would cherish for the rest of her life.

An hour passed in silence as Felicity followed the GPS on Oliver's phone until it told her to take an exit off the highway into a small roadside town. Driving along the main thoroughfare, many of the quaint little stores were shuttered at this early hour except from the small diner and the coffee shop.

'Mmm, coffee,' Felicity thought, but Oliver needed to be attended to, so she decided to forego her morning cup of joe and continued on her route.

The town soon disappeared in her rearview mirror and Felicity found herself in the midst of a lush green forest on either side of the road. Every so often she'd get a peek of the ocean through the trees, but it wasn't until about twenty minutes later that it finally opened up to expansive blue waters and sugar sand beaches.

"Your destination is on the right," the GPS chirped from the cup holder, startling Felicity back into reality.

Glancing in that direction, she saw a short gravel driveway that wound up to a relatively small white and grey painted house that sat on the water's edge surrounded by sand and ocean. As she pulled up to the front door, Felicity couldn't help but take in the beauty. Although the house appeared small, she could see it was still two stories high with a vaulted roof and a patio out back.

"Oliver," she murmured, lightly squeezing his hand. His head bobbed up as his eyes fluttered open. Felicity smiled as she gazed at him. "We're here." Oliver nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand. She came around to his side of the car and wrapped her good arm around his waist helping him up. Together they walked the short distance to the front door before stopping.

"Do you have a key?" Felicity asked.

"Under the green potted plant," Oliver answered.

Leaving him to lean against the door, she glanced around the front stoop and quickly spotted it. Pushing the pot over slowly, she found a silver key taped beneath the base. The door was soon unlocked and together they stepped into the warm confines of the house.

It looked even bigger on the inside, with an open floor plan and windows that had panoramic views of the ocean. Everything was painted in shades of beige, from the walls to the furniture, giving it a light and airy feel. To her right was the kitchen, also decked out in beige marble countertops and stainless steel appliances, to her left the dining room with its small country table that sat four comfortably, and out front was the living area where a beige couch and sofa set facing each other with a white painted wooden coffee table between them. She guided Oliver to the couch, setting him down on the soft cushions before heading back to the car to grab the first aid kit.

When she returned, Felicity found him lying across the couch, his shoes kicked off on the floor beside his feet and his head nestled against one of the matching throw pillows. Flinging the curtains closed on all of the windows until it was nearly dark inside the room, she returned to Oliver's side with the bag painfully slung over her right shoulder. No matter what she tried, she couldn't escape her pain. At some point, Oliver was going to have to find out. Right now, Felicity needed to go through the first aid bag and see what else she had.

A pair of scissors, gauze, cotton pads, bandage tape, syringe, saline solution and antiseptic wipes came out of the bag. They were neatly laid out on the coffee table before Felicity stood up and made her way to the kitchen to wash her hands. When she returned, she donned a pair of gloves before taking a seat on the table across from Oliver. His eyes were still closed making her wonder if now was a good time to deal with his injury or if she should just let him sleep.

"You're staring," he muttered before glancing up at her.

Felicity jumped but recovered quickly after taking a deep breath. "Sorry," she replied. "Do you think you can take off your shirt so I can take care of… that?" she added, waving her hand over the blood soaked portions. Oliver sat up gingerly and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt. As it lifted off his body, she spotted the myriad of black and blue bruises that spanned his torso.

"Oliver," she gasped, her eyes growing wide as saucers as her breath caught in her throat. Whatever had happened that night, it must have been brutal. Felicity's gaze flicked up to find that cavernous distance in his eyes separating him from the rest of the world.

Maybe it was a good thing, considering that she was about to put him through yet another painful round of wound cleaning and redressing. But it concerned her, seeing that look. She was afraid he was shutting down again, pulling away into some inner world of self torment and torture.

"Hey," Felicity whispered, trying to refocus his attention. But Oliver kept his eyes fixed somewhere far beyond her. She placed a gloved hand against his cheek and his gaze fell on her again. Giving him a soft smile, she said, "If you need to talk, I'm here. I might not know what to say, but I'll listen. You don't have to be afraid to tell me anything. I'll never judge you."

Oliver sighed, "I know. Maybe in time, but… not right now."

Nodding, Felicity understood. Their relationship was built on trust and patience. She wasn't about to rush him into telling her anything about that night. This experience had been traumatic for both of them. Maybe they did need some time before opening up, but right now, there were more pressing matters to attend to, such as the blood soaked bandages over his left shoulder.

As Oliver sat, Felicity delicately flushed out the wound before cleaning it with the antiseptic wipes. Her eyes would flick back and forth between his face and his shoulder to make sure she wasn't hurting him too much, but all she saw was an emptiness that was quickly consuming him. "I'm almost done," she announced, trying to get his attention. It worked momentarily, but he returned to his darkness soon after.

Taping the last bandage to his bruised skin, Felicity peeled off her gloves and let them drop to the hardwood floor where the rest of the discarded medical supplies had piled up at her feet. "I want you to lie down and get some rest, okay?" she told Oliver before gathering up the trash and heading to the kitchen to dispose of it.

When she returned, he was already laid out on the couch, eyes closed, arm resting across his forehead. Felicity decided to search for a blanket before tending to her injuries. A wooden staircase headed to the second floor of the house. She followed it up and found herself in the master bedroom.

The view up here was just as spectacular as the view from downstairs. The panoramic windows bathed the room in soft sunlight. Maybe later she'd bring Oliver up here and let him rest in the large California king bed instead of the small couch downstairs. Felicity had half a mind to curl up in it herself, but she knew he would probably need something throughout the day and instead focused her attention on finding the blanket she'd set out to look for.

A large walk in closet was off to the right of the bed. Felicity opened the doors and found racks of men's and women's clothing hanging inside. Above them were shelves stacked with extra blankets and pillows. Using her good arm, she tried to pull a few down, but could barely reach high enough to even touch the wooden shelves. This was the disadvantage of being five-foot-four.

Felicity tried again, this time leaning her left shoulder against the wall before standing on the tips of her toes. The pain made her cry out, but she managed to grab the edge of a set of blankets and pillows. They tumbled to the floor allowing her to easily pick them up and carry them downstairs. Later on she'd go through the closet and see if there was anything in there that would fit Oliver, but for now, the blanket would do.

After throwing it over him, Felicity sat down on the sofa opposite the couch. She grabbed the antiseptic, a towel, a roll of gauze, some cotton padding and a roll of tape out of the first aid kit before gently peeling back the blood soaked cardigan from her leg. The gash had already begun to clot, but Felicity knew it needed to be cleaned out as well. Having watched the pain Oliver had gone through she knew this was going to hurt like hell.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Felicity gritted her teeth as she wiped the towel down her leg. With Oliver asleep on the couch across from her, she couldn't take the chance of alerting him to her own dilemma. Tears streamed down her cheeks while she held in the sobs that threatened to overtake her. The pain was worse than that in her shoulder, but it began to ease when the blood had been wiped away leaving the cut clean and ready for bandaging.

Just as she had done with Oliver, Felicity placed several strips of the cotton against the open wound before rolling it up with the gauze and taping it to her leg. It was over, she thought to herself as she took yet another deep breath. Lying back against the armrest, she closed her eyes; the exhaustion she'd somehow avoided suddenly fell on her shoulders like a dead weight. In moments she was asleep.