Disclaimer: I do not own nor make any profit off of Arrow. It belongs to The CW, DC Comics, etc.

A/N: A story that takes place sometime during or after "Arrow Episode 9: Three Ghosts." Since there is a huge gap between Ep. 9 and Ep. 20, the 2nd and final Barry episodes, I figured something big had to happen in-between to make him go away for so many episodes. This is what I came up with. (Please remember this was before we actually met Barry on the show.) Here are the outfit inspirations for the story.

Chapter 1: A Special Night

The night was still extremely young when Oliver awkwardly ended his so-called date with Laurel, stiffly and silently ushered her out to a cab, and left the expensive restaurant only twenty minutes after arriving.

His next destination for the evening, he decided, was going to be somewhere decidedly unromantic. Considering his current shoddy mood, the fact it was two days before Christmas, and the very homey, atmospheric quality which had overcome the mansion, he determined Verdant to be the best place for his wishes.

Oliver felt quite relieved that Digg and Felicity were both out on their own dates that night. It would leave the foundry devoid of humanity so he could pound his frustrations out on the nearest available equipment without raising hackles or eyebrows. Laurel had become rather a touchy subject for the team, and after the few unfortunate times Oliver had put Laurel ahead of the team several months prior, he couldn't really blame his two partners for it. But that didn't mean he wanted to listen as they lambasted him when he was already in such a foul mood.

Sighing as he turned into Glades territory nearer the club, Oliver felt a little badly for thinking that way. Having some alone time should not be the reason for him to feel glad about his friends' absences. No matter how Oliver's own night turned out, Digg and Felicity deserved some time off regardless.

John had finally worked things out with Carly since their breakup almost seven months earlier, admitting to her in a roundabout way what bothered him so much. The former soldier was trying very hard to find a balance between his hate for Lawton and his love for Carly. Working through the emotions and the pain together, John and Carly were starting to heal a little and move forward from Andy's murder. The date Digg and Carly were on that very evening was the first truly romantic one in their tumultuous time together, according to John's estimate. It was well deserved.

Felicity, by contrast, had just started her first genuinely serious relationship two months earlier. In Barry Allen, Felicity had found a kindred spirit who was just as energetic and rambled just as much as the blond-haired IT genius. Their date that evening was of her own making, in the hopes of deepening the relationship with Barry on an emotional level.

The latter seemed to be caused by Felicity's occasionally sad and melancholic moods lately — in a way that made her feel badly even if the day was good — and Oliver didn't like it. This behavior on Felicity's part was very odd, because it appeared to happen entirely irregardless of how happy Barry made her. The only thing she would tell Oliver when he admitted his concern was a vague mention of her awkward youth and lack of experience in relationships. Even Diggle, who had become an occasional counselor for Felicity after the Glades tragedy, had been genuinely confused and worried about these unexpected moods, which made Oliver more concerned than ever. Given the stringent nature of their relationship thus far and his own shortcomings grating on Felicity so often, however, Oliver had learned not to press further for fear of her retreating from him.

Now, as he parked in the lot at Verdant and slammed the door shut behind him, the billionaire started to worry about Felicity all over again. In addition to his disastrous, Tommy-shadowed dinner with an oddly overdressed Laurel, this unusual darkness in the bright light that was Felicity just further degenerated his mood.

Walking to the back of the club with a distinctly violent stomp in his step, Oliver practically yanked the heavy door into a bind as he pulled it open and headed inside.

Barely half a step in, and Oliver stopped as suddenly as if he'd been body-slammed.

There was a very low blue light from the back of the lair, shining dimly out over the back half of the room. Immediately, he realized it was coming from one of the computers. No animal could get through the tight steel frame of the rebuilt club foundations, so it had to be a person waiting down there. With Digg and Felicity both out on dates, Oliver feared who could have made their way into the basement.

As he slipped down the stairs on silent feet, Oliver appreciated his excellent night vision. It was this very trait which enabled him to recognize the curled blond hair of the IT genius he'd been worrying about. She faced a black screen full of codes, but nothing was moving, so Oliver guessed had fallen asleep.

Tension eased out of his coiled body at once, and with a nearly inaudible sigh, he headed back to the lever for the main lights and flipped it up.

A gasp came from the computers as he turned with a startled gaze to face them, and he found Felicity staring over her shoulder with wide eyes. Surprised not only that she was awake, but also that she was wearing glasses rather than contacts, Oliver tried to determine what she was doing all alone in the dark. What disturbed him more than anything were the tears still wet upon her cheeks.

"Felicity?" he asked in concern, brow furrowing in an instant. All thoughts of his wasted date flew out of his mind and he made quick work of the distance between them, coming to her side with a hand already lifted to hover over her shoulder.

"Felicity, what's wrong?" he inquired, allowing his worry to show in the words.

Looking embarrassed, Felicity turned away from his piercing gaze and refused to answer.

"Talk to me," Oliver tried, gentle but insistent as he finally laid his hand on her shoulder.

The words seemed to open a dam for Felicity, who emitted a single breathy sob before covering her mouth with both sets of fingers. When she began to tremble, Oliver didn't hesitate to grasp both of her shoulders in his palms and turn her towards him.

"Did someone do something to you?" he questioned firmly.

Unable to speak through her tears, the small blonde just shook her head.

Sighing a little frustratedly at his friend's silence, Oliver glanced down to think of a new approach. It was then he noticed Felicity was wearing the red and white pumps she had been breaking-in the last several nights. The same high heels she had been planning to wear for her date. Glancing back up at her, Oliver tried to see if she was still wearing any kind of formal clothing. Beneath the blanket Felicity had pulled around herself, he just caught sight of heavy red lace over a slightly satiny white fabric. Not casual wear, he would bet.

Suspicion filled Oliver's mind and he asked in a very deadly, quiet voice, "Did he hurt you?"

The shake of Felicity's head was less certain this time, more cautious, as if she wasn't sure what constituted 'hurting' her. With that tiny hesitation, Oliver saw red. In an instant he was on his feet, all prepared to Hood up and teach a rough lesson to the idiot who had hurt his IT girl. Not bothering to consider the ramifications of calling Felicity 'his' in any way, Oliver moved to the case containing his suit.

"No!" the woman herself choked out through continued tears, her chair squawking as she jumped up from it. "Oliver!"

"I will not let him get away with hurting you," he growled, reaching to open the case in spite of her plea.

"No, please!" Felicity tried again, suddenly wedging herself between Oliver and the casing before he could pull it open. The sight of the tears drying on her face only angered him further, but he wasn't about to move her forcibly after she'd already been hurt.

"Barry didn't touch me, I swear!" Felicity finally got out, her voice wobbling yet certain as her hand landed on his chest for restraint.

"I asked if he hurt you and you weren't even sure about it," Oliver insisted, hoping the blonde hadn't become a statistic of denial.

"He never hurt me physically!" she countered, biting her lip as she looked up at him. "He… he said he never… wanted to see me again. That I was just… using him until I… got… until I got…"

As she spoke, Felicity degenerated to tears again and slumped where she stood against the case. Deflating a little as he realized where this might be leading, Oliver stepped away and cautiously drew her with him, stepping towards the swivel chair to settle her back into it, blanket and all.

Oliver settled on the floor at Felicity's feet, taking her red-nailed fingers into his own, and asked slowly, "What happened?"

"He seemed happy and sweet whenever I mentioned this date," Felicity said quietly, unhappily, not even bothering to swipe away the buildup of moisture in her eyes. "It wasn't until we got to the restaurant tonight that he acted so… so…"

Incapable of finding an adequate word for Barry's behavior, Felicity shook her head and went on, "He always compliments my appearance, even if it's just to say I look nice, but tonight he didn't say anything. He barely looked at me until the waiter came to take our order. It was like he'd seen something terrible, but I didn't understand what it could be. All through the appetizer, he just picked at the food and wouldn't talk to me. He just grunted as if he couldn't stand actually speaking to me."

Now that she had finally started talking about her night, it appeared Felicity couldn't help herself from continuing, and Oliver wasn't about to stop her.

"Then the waiter came with the entree," she pressed onward, "and Barry made some comment about my choice of restaurant. I honestly just didn't hear him very clearly, because I noticed someone on the other side of the floor who looked like my old roommate. I realized it wasn't her, so I turned back and asked Barry to repeat what he said. He was actually angry with me for it. And then he told me I just wanted to stare at my boss."

Felicity looked almost afraid to tell him the last part, and Oliver understood exactly why. Frozen in place, he pieced together the way the evening must have gone with uncomfortable precision.

"You were at… The Palisades?" he eventually ground out awkwardly, withholding a wince.

"I kept hoping that after tonight we'd be a couple, not just dates on call. I wanted it to be a really special night," Felicity cried quietly, tears falling more rapidly from her eyes. "I didn't know you were going there, I promise I didn't. I would have chosen somewhere else if I 'd known."

Oliver sighed heavily, comprehending very easily how Felicity's date had gone so bad. And why she was apologizing for something ridiculous like not picking a different restaurant. The very idea that she was apologizing for it proved her emotional condition was very fragile for the time being.

"Barry saw me across the floor with Laurel," he concluded knowingly, unhappily. "We must have been sitting near the woman who looked like your old roommate. Is that it?"

"I glanced over to check," Felicity wobbled, swiping at her cheek unsuccessfully. "Then I saw you and Laurel three tables away from that woman… I tried to explain, but Barry was so jealous and he wouldn't listen… He thinks we're—"

"I know. I'm sorry," Oliver reassured Felicity, kindly shushing her and squeezing her shoulders through the blanket still caught in a white-knuckled grip between her delicate fingers.

A/N: To be continued.