A/N: It's so wonderful to see that people are still reading this! You guys are awesome. This should be the last chapter of the story to wrap up some loose ends, but if you guys want, I'll consider writing an epilogue. Also, sorry for the long wait between chapters...it's taken me awhile to get everything wrapped up to my satisfaction!

Felicity tugged slightly harder than was strictly necessary, and Oliver groaned. "You deserve it," she told him, though more with fondness than with actual anger. After watching the police find the League members tied up and sporting their FBI rap sheets, Roy and Sin had left to go back to...well, Felicity didn't know what they were up to other than watching Thea until Oliver went to pick her up. He had tried to go there immediately, but Felicity and Diggle had forced him to return to the bolt hole instead so she could try to patch up his wounds before he made them worse. At the moment, she was winding a long bandage around his ribs. It had only been a couple hours since the fight, but she could already see an ugly bruise forming and she was pretty sure that he had several broken ribs. Not that she was staring at his shirtless chest or anything, it was just that-

"Felicity?" Oliver asked, and she started guiltily as she realized that she was definitely staring at his shirtless chest instead of wrapping the bandage. Oliver grinned and ran a finger along her heated cheek, but then thankfully changed the subject. "How did you get out of the car?"

"You mean the car you locked me in?" she asked, reminding him that that conversation was far from over. "Broke the window," she muttered, leaning closer to him to wrap the bandage around his back. Conveniently, it also hid her face from his scrutinizing gaze.

Unfortunately, her vague explanation didn't seem to placate him. "How?" he pressed.

"With my boots," she explained lamely. "In a...kicking...motion. At the window. Besides, it wasn't like we could use the car again after you jammed all the doors shut, so it really isn't a big deal and-"

"So you called Ray," Oliver interrupted her, his face impassive.

"Am I really that bad of a liar?"
"It's a miracle I wasn't positive of your identity sooner," he returned.

"Okay," Felicity leaned back, eyeing his bandage. It wasn't as good as if she'd managed to convince him to go to a hospital, but it should do. As long as she could make him take it easy, which given his history, seemed an almost impossible task. "Fine. I called Ray and asked him to bring the FBI printouts and smash the window. Oh, and get me the taser, which saved your life, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Oliver interlaced his fingers with hers, and pulled her hand to his mouth so he could kiss her fingertips. "Still, involving Ray was risky."

"I trust him," she murmured, her attention more on Oliver's mouth than on the conversation. "And it's not like you left me much of a choice."

His heated gaze met hers, and her breath started to speed up. "I'm sorry."

WIth an effort of will, she pulled her hand from his grasp and leveled him with a glare. "No, you aren't. You'd do it again."

He sighed and leaned back slowly onto the couch. "Yes I'd do it again, and gladly if it meant keeping you out of danger."

"See, that needs to change. If this is going to happen," she gestured to herself, "then you can't be sidelining me anytime you think that it's going to get dangerous. Everything we do is going to be dangerous! What's the point of pulling a heist if there's no danger involved?"

"Felicity, I don't think this is a good idea." Oliver didn't meet her gaze, but she could see that he had clenched his jaw.

"What isn't a good idea? You...you told me you loved me." Somehow, this conversation was starting to hurt more than the betrayal she had felt when he had locked her in the car. She felt her future crumbling in front of her eyes. How could she go back to IT - to the boring, monotonous life she had been living before becoming Artemis? Sure, she could continue on her own, but the thought of the emptiness without Oliver there beside her made her stomach clench.

"I do." He reached for her, and she allowed him to pull her onto his lap, careful not to jostle his ribs. "Felicity, I love you." The look in his eyes - there was no way she could doubt what he was saying. "I just don't know if I can keep up with this life. When it was just me, and the thrill of the heist, everything was great. But recently there was a murder, Thea was kidnapped, I went to prison, you could have been hurt… Nothing is worth all that."

"What about your debt payments? And didn't Dig promise Roy a bunch of money to help out?"

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "I'll figure something out."

"We'll figure something out," Felicity corrected him. "Because I love you too, and I'm not going to let the idiot I fell for bumble through without me. No matter how much he wants to leave me out of it. That is definitely not happening again, and I don't even-"

She cut off as she noticed Oliver watching her, a strange look in his eyes. "Say it again?" he asked, his voice rough.

"That I'll never let you leave me out of anything again? I'm glad you agree because I just know that..." Felicity knew that she was babbling as the words kept tumbling out of her mouth, but the way he was looking at her...it made butterflies run rampant in her stomach and made it hard for her to concentrate.

"No," Oliver finally broke in, the hint of a smile around the corners of his lips. "Not that part. The part before that."

"The part where I called you an idiot?" Felicity stalled, biting her lip slightly. She did love him - she knew that - but it had just slipped out without her noticing until he had called her attention to it. Now, she felt exposed and wished that she had had time to psyche herself up to it instead of blurting it out in the middle of reprimanding him and during a serious conversation. She felt her cheeks start to flush red and wished that there would be some sort of interruption, but for a change, no one burst in to ruin the moment. At Oliver's exasperated look, she rolled her eyes and dragged up her courage. "Fine. I love you, okay? Despite all the disguises and craziness and dumb descisions - mostly yours, by the way - I love you. Are you happy now?"

"Very," Oliver replied in a low rumble that had her catching her breath. Then, surprisingly, he laughed.

"What's so funny?"

He chuckled again. "I just never thought that someone could say I love you with so much indignation."

"I guess I can see a little humour in our situation," she admitted, thinking of how crazy and complicated her life had become since meeting Oliver. "But that isn't really what's on my mind right now." Leaning down, she brushed her lips against his teasingly, and was rewarded with a low growl.

Just as she was about to deepened the kiss, the door banged open, revealing Diggle in the doorway. "Great," he grumbled, seeing her sitting on Oliver's lap pulled up against his bare, bandaged chest. "Stop...whatever you're doing...and turn on the TV. Channel 5."

Of course now was when he chose to interrupt, now that things were getting good and heated. However, the urgency in his voice caught her attention despite her internal complaints. Carefully getting off Oliver without hurting his ribs as best she could, Felicity grabbed the remote and flipped to the channel, catching a reporter partway through the news report. The perky young reporter was sitting at her desk, and behind her was an image of the three League members in handcuffs, being led away by the local police force. "...anonymous tip led Detective Lance to a hugely successful arrest of three high-profile criminals wanted by the FBI in multiple countries. In related news, fugitive Oliver Queen, who was previously thought to be the Arrow, has been cleared of all charges." Behind her, Felicity saw clips of the original video footage that she had been working on and then had sent to the police to finish the job. It was clearly the League, and there was even a glimpse of Ra's face under the trademark hood.

Oliver hung his head, and then looked up again, catching her attention. "It's over," he muttered, and she was surprised to see a touch of moisture in his eyes. "I'm free - I don't have to run or hide anymore."

Felicity squeezed his hand gently, then returned her attention to the news report. The reporter continued, "Detective Lance has issued an official apology on behalf of the police force to Mr. Queen, which includes a pardon for his prison escape. The trial for these three criminals will be held…" Felicity tuned back out as the report went into less important details.

"I guess that's it, then," Diggle said with an uncharacteristic smile. "Now out of my bolthole. You two have caused more than enough trouble, and I'm going to lie low for a good while. Maybe take an extended vacation." The words were curt, but Felicity could see that he cared about them more than he cared to admit.

"Thanks man," Oliver said, standing to clasp Diggle's forearm, "for everything. I'll never forget what you did for me."

"Just don't tell anyone," the informant threatened, returning the gesture. "And stay out of trouble, now."

"We'll see," Felicity said with a wink.

It only took them a couple moments to grab their stuff and finish their goodbyes to the man that had saved them time and time again.

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Felicity asked as they walked out. She had Oliver's arm around her shoulders and was supporting a small amount of his weight. Likely it didn't make too much of a difference, but his ribs were in rough shape and she wanted to feel useful.

For a second, Oliver considered her question. Finally, he replied, "I think so. Diggle's not the type to stay away for too long, even if giving him that Pollack means he's rich now. Besides, he's the best informant in the business. We'll see him again. Now," he changed the subject, "I would really like to get my little sister away from Roy and Sin. As much as I trust them-"

"-which is barely at all-" Felicity broke in with a chuckle.

"-which is barely at all," Oliver agreed, "I don't want Thea hanging out with them more than she has to. Roy is good to his word - he's had to be to be successful as a fence, and that requires a peculiar code of honesty. I just don't want Thea getting any ideas."

…

Standing in front of the entrance to Roy's current 'office' (aka shady warehouse), Oliver took deep breaths of fresh air and contemplated how it felt to be a free man again. He hadn't been able to show his face outside without a mask since Ra's had stepped into his life, and it felt like forever since he had felt the sun on his bare face. Having Felicity beside him and no more secrets between them felt almost too good to be true. Now, all he needed was to get Thea back, find a new job (he doubted that his old job would take him back considering he sort of stole the boss's girlfriend), get back on top of his debt payments as best he could without resorting back to stealing, and finally get some extended time alone with the woman he loved. Hopefully, life would return back to normal quickly. As much as he loved the rush of adrenaline when he was pulling a job, he found that he missed the quiet moments and the little things, like eating breakfast with Thea before she went to school.

"Ready?" Felicity asked, tugging him towards the door. She was so beautiful, with the sun lighting up her blonde hair and a half-smile on her lips as she looked at him.

Oliver nodded, and pushed open the door, bracing himself for a negotiation with Roy that he was sure would end with the fence extorting more money out of him in exchange for his poor, terrified sister. He hated that he had left her with Roy - he was hardly a good influence and she was so young and probably scared, but he hadn't had another choice. Hopefully she would understand and forgive him.

The scene that met his eyes was something he never would have imagined.

Thea was settled comfortably onto the couch, her boots on a dusty box and her head thrown back as she laughed. She looked happier than Oliver had seen her in months, and the reason for her happiness was easy to see. Roy had his arm hooked around her shoulders, and he had traded his typical standoffishness for an easy charm. Oliver started to see red, and he felt his hands clench into fists.

"Breathe," he heard Felicity whisper softly in his ear.

Taking her advice was difficult, especially as Roy leaned in closer to his baby sister, but he did his best. A couple deep breaths helped his vision to clear and his hands to relax, and he managed to enter the room without storming in to strangle the fence.

"What's going on here?" he asked mildly, trying his best not to look murderous. From Felicity's small snort of amusement beside him, he figured he had failed pretty badly.

"Nothing," Thea explained quickly, pulling out of Roy's arms and jumping off the couch. Her cheeks were stained a faint pink. "Roy was just telling me about some stories about his work."

"His illegal activities," Oliver corrected disapprovingly.

"You're one to talk!"

"We've leaving," Oliver cut the conversation off abruptly. "Come on, Thea."

"One moment," Roy ordered, striding over to them. "I think you owe me a fair amount of money. Throw in a little bit more, and I'll keep my silence and your and her identities." He jerked a finger over at Felicity.

Oliver put a protective arm around Thea, keeping his body between her and the fence. "You'll get your money. I just need some time." Honestly, he had no clue how he was going to get that money. The Pollack was the last expensive piece he'd had, and that belonged to Diggle now. Another score would work, but he didn't want to get Thea involved in any more illegal activities. However, not paying off Roy would make him a very dangerous enemy who already knew Oliver's identity and the people he cared about.

"You can have your time, Arrow," Roy said, surprising Oliver with how agreeable he was being. "Just don't take too long or I'll have to come collect." Then, with a wink to Thea, he added, "I'll be seeing you."

With a low growl, Oliver pulled Thea out of the warehouse, but not before she giggled and waved at one of the most dangerous men in the city like some kind of lovesick fool.

Hopefully her infatuation would end soon, but judging from the look in her eyes and the mirroring look in Roy's, he might just have to learn to get along with the fence and try to keep Thea out of all his schemes.

…

That evening, Felicity snuggled closer to Oliver on the couch of her apartment, pulling the blanket farther up her shoulders. With Oliver and Thea's current situation, Felicity had decided to let them stay with her since he had not been able to keep covering his lease with everything happening. Besides, that gave them more time together, even if his sister was staying in the spare room.

"This is nice," he told her, his fingers entwining with hers. "Normal." The TV played some fluffy, romantic movie in the background, but the two of them had been much too distracted with each other to pay attention.

"I guess I can admit that not being in mortal danger for a change is kind of nice," she admitted with a small smile. "At least for a little bit."

Oliver sighed. "Felicity…"

"I know." She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. They needed to finish the conversation they had started about their future, but it didn't mean that she was excited about it. "I just barely had a taste of it - the thrill, the adventure - and I don't want to give it up. Not yet. Not when I was starting to get the hang of it."

"I love you, Felicity," Oliver told her earnestly, "and I want you to be happy, but I don't think I can keep living that kind of life. What if my actions catch up to me again? I put Thea at risk, and that's not okay. I love the thrill, too. Besides, what kind of example am I being to her now that she knows the truth? That it's okay to break the law as long as no one catches you?" She could see real longing in his eyes, but also determination to change. "She deserves better. I'll figure out some other way to stay on top of the debt payments and still get her through school. Somehow." He sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes and looking so tired. No matter her personal feelings on the matter, she couldn't force him to do anything that would leave him feeling so terrible. Besides, she didn't like going behind the law, no matter the thrill. She still felt terrible about what she had done to Ray and his company, and maybe Oliver was right. Maybe it wasn't worth it, and she should just return to being the head of the IT department.

Felicity stayed silent, giving both of them time to think and allowing her eyes to wander back to the TV. The movie was just ending, and the final scene of the lovers kissing passionately was replaced by a breaking news flash. The headline read "Escaped Serial Killer - Reward for Information." The reporter was saying something about how the criminal had escaped from a high security prison in Prague, but Felicity tuned him out as she was suddenly hit by an idea. An idea that sounded absolutely insane, but might make them both happy.

"Oliver," she started slowly, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, "it's not over for Artemis and the Arrow."

Oliver looked over at her quizzically. "I don't-"

She pointed at the TV. "It's perfect," she continued, her vision for their future becoming more and more clear. "We have the skills and the practice, and those rewards are an awful lot of money. And sure, some of those criminals are dangerous, but so are we, and any lawbreaking wouldn't be just for fun or to steal something expensive, it would be to get dangerous people off the streets before they could hurt anyone. Really, any laws we break would be for the greater good. Can't you just imagine chasing a forger across Europe, setting a trap for a murderer, breaking into a place before a thief before they can steal anything? It's perfect for us! What do you think?" she asked breathlessly.

Oliver blinked slowly, and let out a long exhale. Her heart plummeted. He was going to say no, and there was no way she could do it all alone. "I'm in," he said at last. "As long as you're with me and we aren't breaking any laws we can't explain away."

Felicity squealed and launched herself onto his lap, forgetting about his injured ribs until he let out a huff of pain. "Sorry," she squeaked.

"Maybe we should wait until I'm healed until we start?" Oliver asked teasingly, but his attention was completely focused on her lips, and his gaze was starting to make her feel tingly all over.

Slowly, she ran her tongue over her lower lip, ignoring his question completely. It didn't take long before he took her up on her invitation, pulling her close and kissing her breathless as a toast to their future together, both and Oliver and Felicity and as the Arrow and Artemis.

…

The next morning, Felicity crept out of the apartment early, before either Oliver or Thea were up. First, she texted Ray with some weak explanation of her behaviour that he wouldn't believe, an apology (which she hoped he would accept), and her resignation. It wasn't very professional to text, but she didn't want to face him again and have to continue defending that she was actually at some murder mystery scavenger hunt costume party. Besides, he was a good man and she had involved him enough - it was best to stay away from him from now on.

Next, she made a call that she had been meaning to make for some time, but hadn't wanted to do it with Oliver around in case he got his hopes up for nothing. On the third ring, a woman's voice picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Is this Laurel Lance from the DA's office?"

"This is. What can I do for you?"
Felicity smiled. "I would like to hire you to represent my client. He's been paying off some family debt unfairly, and I heard that you're the best in the city to deal with this kind of situation. Are you interested?"

"I think we can work something out," the woman agreed, and Felicity's smile widened. She wasn't going to tell Oliver and Thea until she had worked out the details with Ms Lance, but she was confident that she could work something out so that Oliver wasn't buried in debt that he had had no part in creating. It was the final thing that needed to be taken care of before they could leave the city and travel on their new life path.

The call ended after setting up an appointment to discuss the case, and Felicity reentered her apartment with a spring in her step and plane tickets to Prague pulled up on her phone.

It was time for Artemis and the Arrow to shine.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I think I've tied up most of the loose ends in this chapter, so hopefully it's been satisfying. I have some ideas for an epilogue, but let me know if there's anything you'd like to see (and if you even want an epilogue!).

PS - Thanks to WinterRain36 for the idea for the future of Artemis and the Arrow!

Thanks for reading and for sticking with me for so long!

~Caitlin51