+ ARROW, LINE AND SINKER +

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"I Could Be The One"

By: Avicci feat. Nicky Romero

Do you think about me when you're all alone?

The things we used to do, we used to be

I could be the one to make you feel that way

I could be the one to set you free

Do you think about me when the crowd is gone?

It used to be so easy, you and me

I could be the one to make you feel that way

I could be the one to set you free

I could be the one to make you feel that way

I could be the one to set you free

I could be the one to make you feel that way

I could be the one to set you free

When you need a way to beat the pressure down

When you need to find a way to breathe

I could be the one to make you feel that way

I could be the one to set you free

If you never see me when the crowd is gone

It used to be so easy, can't you see?

I could be the one to make you feel that way

I could be the one to set you free

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Rating: T – MA for language and adult situations.

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Summary: The tragedy at The Glades has greatly affected both Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen. How will they move on after knowing what had occurred, especially how it affected the people that they cared about? Will they eventually realize that they could find mutual comfort in one another? Olicity. Set after the Season 1 finale. Rated M for later chapters.

Disclaimer: This story is pure fanfiction. I don't own any of the recognizable characters from the show "Arrow".

Author's Note: Hello, lovely readers! I've been posting fics since 2003, but this is my first Arrow fic! I've been lurking around for a while, so I thought it was time to post a little story. My OTP is totally Olicity, so here's my take on their relationship starting in the second season! As usual, I'm just writing this as it comes, so I hope it turns out to be an enjoyable read and something to keep you entertained until the new season begins. Please review, save, fave, etc.! I'd love to hear your feedback on this. Happy reading! xx IFHD

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Chapter 1: Aftermath

She had failed this city.

Felicity continued to cry at her computer as the realization burned deep within her. The atrocity at the Glades that Malcolm Merlyn had masterfully orchestrated was on every news channel, and she couldn't help but watch every moment of the pandemonium. The pandemonium that she didn't stop. I should have known there was a possibility that there was more than once device! She yelled inwardly. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Though she continued to mercilessly chastise herself, the alarm in her body finally overtook her consciousness. She now felt the continuing quake beneath her feet and hear the rubble that rained down above her. She cursed to herself. Finally wiping her tears away, fixing her glasses, and ripping her eyes from the computer screens, she stood from her desk and bolted towards the stairs.

As she reached the first step, however, a piece of concrete plunged from the adjacent wall. It grazed her shoulder before smashing into more pieces upon the ground beside her, but the impact was strong enough that it knocked her backwards. With a yelp, Felicity lost her balance and fell hard to the ground. Though her head hit the floor roughly, she had somehow managed to brace for the impact and jut her elbows out before she entirely tumbled.

Waves of pain rushed through her entire body, and all she could manage at this point was to cry out. This really wasn't the way I planned to die, she mused. I thought it'd be more acrobatic, like jumping and rolling to save a cat from being run over or something. She then made an irritated noise. This is serious, Felicity! Why are you thinking about morbid things?

She then felt another tremor and took a cursory glance at her surroundings. She discerned that, directly above her, another piece of concrete was threatening to fall. Felicity fought to roll over, but found that her body wouldn't comply.

Her eyes widened as the slab slowly slipped downwards, amassing with it the certainty of her death.

She shut her eyes then, crossed her arms above her head, and braced for the impact.

What she felt next, however, wasn't hundreds of pounds of concrete, but strong hands pulling her out of the way. She then heard and felt the piece of ceiling violently smash to the ground to her left. When she opened her eyes and peered upwards, a familiar face greeted her.

"Diggle!" she said in half exclamation, half sob. When she embraced the large, dark-skinned man in delight, a groan escaped his lips. Felicity pulled back immediately and surveyed his state. "Hey, you're hurt."

Diggle nodded simply, then motioned his head towards her arm. "So are you. Come on. We need to get out of here."

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The first few minutes of the drive to Felicity's apartment was silent, as both she and Diggle were still in shock about the entire situation. Though Felicity was sure that the soldier-turned-Vigilante-partner had seen his share of chaos and destruction, it was the first time that she had witnessed them, of this magnitude, firsthand. She could discern Diggle assessing her inconspicuously, and she attempted to stop her tears at that very moment.

"Oliver," she began, her voice quivering. She eyed Diggle with worry. "Is Oliver alright?"

"He's alive," was all that Diggle recounted. The muscular soldier let out a sigh, then met her stare. "Look, Felicity. I want you to go home, clean and dress your wound, rest, and lay low for a while, alright?"

Protest raced through her body then, and she exclaimed, "Wait, lay low? But what if you and Oli..."

By this point, Diggle stopped the car at the side of the curb, then pointed towards her home. "We'll be fine, Felicity. You've been through a lot, especially tonight. Just rest and recover, and we'll brief you in the morning. I promise."

Felicity hesitated for a few moments, but finally nodded and stepped out of the car. As she closed the door, she peered through the open window at her friend and said, "You take care of yourself as well, Dig." She awkwardly gestured to his blood-stained chest. "I think you'll need a new suit."

He let out a scoff, but smiled and nodded. "Goodnight, Felicity."

Felicity managed to trudge her way up the four flights of stairs and into her apartment. Upon entrance, she threw all of her belongings on the ground and rested her face in her hands. As she walked to the washroom and surveyed her state in the mirror, she realized that, coupled with smeared makeup and dirtied and torn clothing, her entire body was trembling.

Is this the beginning of what they call post-traumatic stress disorder?

Felicity attempted to clear her head, rid herself of her clothes, and stepped into the shower. She turned the water on with a swift twist of her wrist, and as the thousands of droplets hit her shivering body, she began to cry, to release everything that she had held within her. Tears mixing with warm water, she attempted to scrub off the day's dirt. If only I could have done something more, she sobbed. If only I could...

With renewed vigour, she shut the shower off, stepped out, and quickly wrapped a towel around her body. Marching from the washroom to her bedroom, Felicity hastily picked out new clothing and tossed them all upon her bed. As she finished placing gauze around her wound and was about to change, she heard behind her:

"Hey."

Felicity froze on her spot. Still wet and soaking the wooden floors beneath her feet, she cautiously turned her head towards her new visitor. "O-Oliver?"

Oliver quickly realized her undressed state and politely averted his eyes. "I...I um...hey."

"Hi," Felicity replied breathily. Her head wavered to the side. "W-wait, you know where I live?"

"The address wasn't hard to find. You do work for me."

A moment of comfortable silence passed between them. However, Felicity quickly felt her face redden at the realization (better late than never) that she was only clad in a towel in front of Oliver. Hurriedly wrapping the towel more tightly around her body and picking off her clothing from her bed - starting with a teddy bear bra that she hoped he didn't notice - she slowly retreated from the room and sputtered, "Sorry, could I just...um..." she motioned to her clothes. "You know..."

Oliver's head reared back. Though no smile appeared on his face, he quickly nodded. "Yeah. I'll be in your living room."

When Felicity thought she finally looked presentable for company, she joined Oliver in the adjacent room. She saw that he was sitting on her couch, body entirely tense, eyes staring into nothingness. His arms shot out and gripped his knees, his jaw tough and squared. To Felicity, he seemed like a volcano ready to erupt.

She bit her lip. Walking to her kitchen, which faced the living room, she resolved to make both of them some tea.

"You're hurt."

As Felicity looked upward, Oliver stood and approached her. Without another word, he took her arm from the kettle, rolled up her short sleeve, and assessed her wound.

"It's nothing," she tried to appease him, "it's just a scratch."

Though Felicity attempted to retrieve her arm back, Oliver tensed and gripped her wrist. Her bright blue eyes landed to where his hand wrapped around her arm, then trailed upwards to meet his. Felicity gulped, realizing then the intimacy of their situation. Well, platonic intimacy, she thought, ...if that actually existed. Oliver's face was mere inches from hers when he admitted, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Felicity."

She felt her insides instantly warm at this and the feeling of his hot breath on her skin. Though, she fought the gripping sensation within her and breathed in deeply to remain calm. She still had to get over the fact that Oliver was in her damn apartment, let alone now too close for comfort! "No, Oliver, you had other things to do and people you cared about to..."

"Hey," Oliver began, calmly moving her to face him entirely. He placed his hands on her elbows. "I care about you..."

Felicity felt her heart stop at this.

Oliver finished with:

"...you're not just a co-worker, but a friend. You know that, right?"

Felicity managed to swallow the growing lump in her throat and fight away her growing discomfort. "Y-yeah. Of course I do, Oliver." When she noticed that his harsh expression didn't abate, she questioned, "What happened?"

Oliver released her. At this query, his light eyes became misty, though he used all the self-control he had within him not to shed any tears in front of her. Instead of directly replying to her, he resolved to turn upon his heel and walked towards the door. "I'll tell you about it later. For now, just rest."

Felicity's eyes followed him as he retreated and closed himself off to her once more. Just like he always did. She felt a tinge of frustration, then quickly followed him and gripped his upper arm. "Hey, I know both you and Diggle want me to rest and calm down or whatever, but I think I deserve to know what's going on!"

Oliver stopped walking, let out a curt sigh, and said, "We will tell you what happened and what's going on, but I don't think you can handle much more right now than..."

At this statement, Felicity strode forward in order to speak with Oliver face to face. With clenched fists as her sides, she met his eyes in defiance. "Look, what happened out there," she jutted an index finger to her window, "was because I was stupid enough not to think of..."

A look of realization passed through Oliver's face then. His body instantly softened. He took a step forward and cupped Felicity's face in his large hands. He felt her tremble at his touch, though he ultimately intended to soothe her. With a shake of his head, Oliver stated, "What happened is not your fault, Felicity." The softness in his voice was now armed with conviction. "What you did saved so many lives - more than I could have saved in one night. Don't you see that?"

"But the other device..."

Oliver quickly shook his head and interjected, "I will not let you blame yourself for something other people have done to this city. Do you hear me?" He gave her a light shake for good measure when she didn't automatically reply to him. "Felicity, do you hear me?"

Felicity was close to tears at this point. She bit her bottom lip, then gripped Oliver's large wrists. "Yes." She moved back from him then, one slow step after another, and reached for her front door's handle. "But I will not just sit here, comfortable in my home, while that is happening to so many people out there." She opened the door before her. "Do you really think I'm going to sleep tonight?"

Oliver threw her a bewildered look. "Felicity...what are you doing?"

"Something." She answered simply, walking through the threshold. "I'm going to help rebuild this city, Oliver." She beckoned her head towards the exit. "Aren't you going to come with me?"

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A/N: What did you all think? Let me know! =D xx IFHD