Not How The Story Ends

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver paused his actions when she spoke of how he needed sleep. It was not those words that caused him pause however. It was when she said that he was not ready to trust her. That sooner or later he would have to. He was well aware that he had trouble trusting people but . . . there were a select few that he could say that he trusted. She was among them. "I do trust you, Felicity," he said in a soft tone. "But this environment is unfamiliar to you and for good reason." Because she should never had to have experienced anything like this before, and he hated that he was the reason she was experiencing it now.

"I'm going to protect you and keep you safe, but in order to do so, you need to let me do what is necessary." And that included allowing him to keep watch and her getting rest. With the speed and distance they would need to travel, it will be physically taxing on her. It would be physically taxing on anyone. Anyone, who had not trained for this sort of thing. And as she had said, this trip wasn't 'relaxing' unlike the last one. They were running for their lives. They were put here, placed directly in danger.

[Felicity Smoak]

She knew that he was trying to do what he thought he must, but she didn't want him to die just so she could live. "For tonight I will agree." Because there was no way she could talk him out of it while everything was so frightening. He was on alert, and nothing could turn that off. "But tomorrow, or the next night you will have to find somewhere safe enough for you to sleep."

Because when you were tired you made mistakes. She knew that he was strong and could go longer without sleep then she could, even with her staying up at night to help him. He had trained his body here to be alert at all times and being back here unwillingly had to be hard for him in ways he would never speak to her about. Moving so that she bent down next to him for a moment, she rested her hand on his shoulder. "Because I wont loose you either." With that she gave him a little pat and moved deeper into the cave to look around. It was her first time in one! Might as well have a peek.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver wasn't going to argue with her, but nor was he going to comply. He would get sufficient rest, such as moments like these. But he was not going to lower his guard. It was too dangerous and risky. He watched her as she came closer to him for a moment, saying that she wouldn't lose him either. "You won't," he assured her in a low, soft voice. His purpose was to get her off the island, and the best way to do that, was for him to go with her. He had already established that Slade was not the negotiating type. So the only way she would get off, was if the both of them did. And if for some reason that was not possible . . . well, she was priority.

He saw her move deeper into the cave, and his mind went through all the different possibilities. He had not done a thorough inspection of the place. What if there were loose rocks that fell while she was walking? What if there was some form of wildlife? Or what if someone was waiting deep in the cave for them to come? He couldn't risk any of that, so he rose to his feet, tucking away his daggers and carrying one of the spears in his hand. He hurried after her, gently touching her arm as he got close. "Be careful," he warned her. His gaze went to the dark path ahead, gripping the spear so that he was ready for anything -- or anyone -- that may pop up. He wasn't going to let her out of sight.

[Felicity Smoak]

Oliver came up beside her, and this touch made her wonder what he noticed. She hesitated for a moment but tried to make a joke of it since e had not told her to be quite--surely that meant he had not saw anything dangerous and was just be careful? "Careful is my middle name." Sometimes. "Well, it's really Meghan which means little pearl, but they are careful." And not alive.

She heard something by her head, and her hands came up to protect it as something dark jumped down and moved past her in a flutter, just as she finished talking. She dunked and put her head into Oliver's chest seeking protecting just as the bird or single bat or whatever it was flew past them and out into the light. Looking up and pulling back, she fought a grin. "Maybe I will just follow you."

[Oliver Queen]

Felicity went on to assure him she was going to be careful . . . in her typcial way of explaining things. Which, Oliver did not interrupt. When she was startled by the creature, as a reflex he put one arm around her as she buried her head against his shirt. He had his weapon gripped, just in case. "It's ok," he assured her. "Its just a bird." Lowering his grip on her, he stepped to the side, peering further down into the darkness. "Stay close." As just to be sure of that, he took her hand in his and began to walk furhter down into the cave. His vision was easily adapted to darkness, so he was still able to get a sense of what was around them. But he didn't want her to get lost so kept a good grip on her hand, so that he could feel her close to him. He had a feeling he would be able to hear her to.

He didn't like taking her so deep into the cave but leaving her exposed near the entrance wasn't a good idea either. He had previously decided not to let her out of his sight, and he was well aware that either way, she would still be placed in danger. Though it seemed on a more general scale, that the closer she was to him, the more danger she was constantly placed in. It was not something he was going to let happen again once they got off this island, not matter what that entailed. "You doing alright?" He asked, since he couldn't see her and thus, couldn't read what emotions were evident on her face.

[Felicity Smoak]

Oliver took her hand and they walked deeper into the cave. Felicity could not see much so she stayed close to him ad let Oliver lead them where he wanted them to go. "Do you hear that?" She whispered, thinking she heard some running water. Was there a water source in the cave? That would make it easier to rest and get their fill of water wouldn't it?

Felicity moved closer to him, and she could feel something under her foot. It was the ground but it moved . . . or trembled. "Oliver?" She felt them try to move back but before they could the ground gave way and she felt them begin to fall.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver paused when Felicity asked if he heard something. He did. But he wasn't sure if they hearing the same thing. For Oliver could hear and feel another presence. He could the ground weakening, and heard her say his name just as he was about to react. She went down first, and he managed to grab her arm just as he began to fall down too. Luckily, he was able to grab hold of the edge of the hold, clinging onto the ground of the cave, as they were dangling in the air. "Hold on!" He instructed in a strong voice. He kept a firm grip on her hand, getting ready to pull them up . . . when the other presence he had previously felt, made itself known. A wolf emerged from the darkness and with the light that was not seeping from the broken ground, he could clearly see the beast.

In all the action, Oliver's spear had fallen in the water, and with one holding them up, and the other holding Felicity . . . he had no other way -- nor the proper brace -- to gain the advantage over the wolf--ves. Two more came forward, growling and baring their teeth. They looked hungry. And Oliver was not going to help them out with that. "Felicity, we need to drop. Get ready!" He continued to grip her hand, unsure if he would be able to keep hold as they fell, but he was definitely going to try. He looked down at the heavy currents in the water. There were no rocks directly below them, so he just needed to be sure they fell in the right spot. "On three!" He warned. "One!" And then he let go, falling straight into the water and as he feared, lost his hold on Felicity.

[Felicity Smoak]

They fell, but she felt herself come to a midair stop and hang there. Lifting her other arm she held onto his hand with both of her's. "Felicity, we need to drop. Get ready!" "Drop!?" She looked down, "Don't drop me!" Then she looked back up and saw the wolves. "Oliver!" "On three!" "Don't let me go!"

"One!" FALL! She had not been ready, and felt herself let him go from the surprise, as she let out a short scream from the fall. The water rushing over her head cut it off, as the current pulled her rushing down the way it wanted. She managed to come up for air a few times, but the current was holding her down. She also noticed the top of the cave getting lower making it harder to have room to even come up for air with! "Oliver?!" She screamed his name hoping he would hear over the current, but she was pulled down before she could wait for a reply.

[Oliver Queen]

He could hear her protests, but dropped anyway, because they didn't have a choice. He could hear her scream as they crashed into the water. He immediately swam to the top, looking around for her. "Felicity?!" He called, wanting to make sure she didn't hit her head or anything. He saw her head pop up for a moment before the strong current pulled it down again. He began to swim over to where she was, managing to grab something of great importance on the way: her glasses. He shoved them into his pocket, not sure if they would break or not, but needed both his hands free. He dived under to try and find her to grab a hold of her, swimming under the heavy waves that would leading them toward what he could only assume was a huge fall. He swam back up for air, and to see if she had surfaced.

"Felicity?!" He tried again, unable to hear her. And when Felicity was quiet . . . well, something was definitely wrong. He managed to catch a glimpse of her blond hair before it went under again. He rapidly moved toward her, the currents pushing him along, but he needed to claim the direction he went. He dived back down, this time when he came up, was clutching Felicity as tightly as he could. She was facing him, facing forward, and he held her as close to him as possible. "Hold tight," he told her, unable to see the rest of the water because that was the end of it. They were about to go over the fall but this time, he would go down with her. "And hold your breath," he added in a low voice and with her faces so close, he could say it directly in her ear. With that, they went over the fall, as he kept a strong hold of her, and tried to angle themselves so that when they fell, the hit would be as minimal as possible, and avoid all the dangerous spots below.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity felt someone grab her, and when she came up, saw him. "Oliver!" Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held on as tight as she could without choking him. It was a testament to how strong he was that he could keep them both above water and she had trouble enough to just keep herself. It also said that he might have faced this type of thing before while here.

Holding on she did as she was told, and felt them begin to fall over the edge, while she inwardly screaming. When the landed in the water below she felt the slightly painful impact, and it made her let him go--though thankfully this time Oliver did not. Once he got them to the surface again, she inhaled and tried looking around, though everything was slightly unclear. At least the water was calmer here, and now they were outside the cave. "I can swim." Letting him go, she moved toward the maybe shore line.

[Oliver Queen]

He felt the heavy impact of the distance they dropped as they hit the water. It was not too painful for him, so his thoughts were consumed with Felicity's well being. He kept one arm securely around her as he used the other to swim toward the surface, away from any of the heavy currents, though they were a lot softer down here. She told him she could swim, so he reluctantly let her go, but did not go too far from her. He stayed quite close in fact, in case she lost her orientation or anything, he was ready to grab hold of her again. He held her to the surface before getting onto the ground himself. He sat at the edge, quietly taking a few heavy breathes from the unexpected fall . . . two unexpected falls at that.

Assuming she too would be short of breath, he leaned toward her, putting his hand on her cheek as he titled her face to see if she was wounded, if she had hit anything when they fell, or if she showed any sign of a concussion or well, anything at all. He looked at her for a few moments before he was satisfied, though knew his touch lingered longer than needed, as if really needing to convince himself that she was alright. He finally lowered his hand back to his side, rising to his feet and quickly looking around their surroundings to see where they were and if anyone was nearby.

[Felicity Smoak]

She made it to the edge, and then just laid there while trying to breath for a moment. She felt Oliver's hand touch her, and she let him turn her face toward him. Felicity gave him a little nod to let him know she was ok, before turning back to look at the water fall from afar . . . which she could not see well.

"I lost my glasses." She told him, knowing that made her even more of a hindrance here, being she could not even look at where she was going very clearly. Pushing herself to a stand, she looked back at him. Her vision was just good enough that she could make out his face, and almost see his expression but it wasn't completely clear. Anything much farther then him was a blur of colors. "I'm sorry."

[Oliver Queen]

She mentioned her glasses and that was when Oliver realized that this would probably be a good time to give them to her -- and make sure they weren't broken. That would have just made his effort to save them, futile. It was however her apology that he focused on for the moment. He turned to face her, taking a few steps toward her. "Felicity," he began to say in a soft voice. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for." He didn't want to hear her apologize, or want her to feel like she should apologize, for anything. Because if anyone should be feeling any sort of guilt, it was him.

He was responsible for, all of this. He was the vigilante. He was the one Slade hated. He was the one who was responsible for Shado's death. She didn't deserve any of this. And she had no reason to be sorry. He took her hand in his, opening it as he reached into his pocket and pulled out her glasses, gently placing them in her hand. He took the opportunity to quickly look over them to make sure there were no cracks. Incredible. Her glasses were rather durable. They could withstand a lot, as past experiences showed. "Looks like they survived," he said, speaking aloud his thoughts.

[Felicity Smoak]

Oliver got sweet on her, and told her that she didn't have to applogize for anything but she knew that with her not thinking to protect them, she had made them weaker on the island. Then she felt him lift her hand and put something in it. Surprise lit her face as she opened them up and put them on her noise! She could see again!

Smiling brightly and wonderfully big she looked up at him. "You saved my glasses!" She said with more then a little admiration in her tone. Oliver never failed to amaze her, and you'd think his awesomeness would get old but nope! He still managed to be all super human and do everything while she struggled not to trip over her own feet! "Oliver Queen. Hero is glasses owners everywhere." Putting her hand on his arm she leaned up and kissed his lower cheek, (or jaw as he was taller then her) then turned to look at the waterfall and her smile faded. "I went over THAT and lived!?"

[Oliver Queen]

He slightly smiled at her excitement, little tagline she created for him, and her genuine gratitude. He remained still when her lips touched his cheek, finding a great comfort in the short embrace and . . . remembered why it could be nothing more. If anything, them being here on the island, was a constant reminder of that. He knew he shouldn't lose focus. He shouldn't let his feelings cloud what was best for her. He followed her gaze, looking at the water fall that she was shocked they had fallen from and lived to tell. "You did. Though I'm more surprised that your glasses survived the fall," he said, only somewhat kiddingly. Her glasses were the epitome of unbreakable.

"It was either that, or wolves." He had made the decision to go into the water. Though at least they now knew what exactly resided in the cave. He turned to look at her again. "Are you alright though?" He had done a quick check on her as soon as they had fallen, but now that she seemed to have her breath and be able to talk, he wanted to hear if she was harmed anywhere that he could not see.

[Felicity Smoak]

"Of course there would be wolves on the island!" It was meant as a joke, but Felicity also knew that it was just one more thing to have to avoid. "What would an island named after hell be with out landmines, wolves and people trying to kill you?" It would be safe then and not called hell.

He joked about her glasses ten asked if she was alright, making her turn to look back up at him. "Yeah, I'll make it. Nothing that a little sunshine wont cure." Her eyes fell over him and she thought again about how well his shirts fit, over his . . . . self. Bringing her eyes up to his she smiled, "You make it down ok? You had a lot ot carry with me, my glasses, and yourself." His very impressively hot self.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver found himself once again fighting the urge to smile. She never failed to amuse him, not matter how little he may show it, or how much he tried to resist smiling. That was part of the reason he enjoyed her company so much. Because she always amused him; she was one of the very few people that could make him smile. And she was also one of the few people who knew exactly who he was, and accepted him for it. Well, more than accepted; assisted. He could truly be himself around her, and that was refreshing. "It certainly does live up to its reputation," he agreed. And the dangers that she had listed, weren't even the half of it. Well, at least when he was on the island. Now that he had some idea of what was on it, he could be better prepared. Even with Slade's men running about, hunting them.

He looked at her as she asked if he was ok. "I'm fine," he said confidently. "I can't say that this was my first fall." Another that came to mind was when he had been 'dead' and then revived, and woke up from unconsciosuness when he was underwater. That, had been rather frightening. So at least this time he was conscious and able to see what was happening. Plus carrying her down didn't cause any additional strain or inconvenience. "When you're ready, we should get moving." Find a place for shelter being it got dark, since he doubted there would be enough time to return to the cave before the sun set. Plus they were both drenched at the moment, and she would get colder as the air cooled in the evening. They needed to find a place to dry off. He didn't want her to get sick.

[Felicity Smoak]

He joked about the island living up to its name, and she nodded in agreement. It really did, and she was seeing more and more of that now- -at least more then last time. Maybe it was like the Bermuda Triangle.

Oliver said he was fine, but she wondered if he would admit to it here. Admit to not be fine. He better. This was no time to lie just to be stronger. He also said they needed to move. "When your ready I will be." She would not slow him down. She cringed at her wet shoes but knew there was no help for it, and moved to stand next to him. "You lead, I'll follow."

[Oliver Queen]

When she said that she was ready whenever he was, that meant that they would start moving now. If he wasn't mistaken, there should be another cave coming up, a much smaller one that the other. After having spent so much time on the Island, Oliver was familiar with most of it. She stood alongside him, saying that she would lead as he followed. But, that was not how Oliver wanted to travel. He would lead the direction, but not walk in front of her. Don't let her out of your sight he reminded himself. He casually took her hand in his, and began to walk, only staying a couple steps ahead of her so that he could keep an eye on the ground and ensure she didn't step on anything -- like a trap or a landmine. Plus, he wanted to help give her support as they moved. Though she showed no signs of it, he could only imagine how tired she must be, unused to this environment. They didn't even have her little makeshift water bottle any more.

He abruptly stopped for a moment, blocking her path as well as he stood still and silently. Something was near. But it wasn't a person. The sounds were too quick and not heavy enough to be a person, or even a wolf. Oliver kept his gaze forward, but very sligthly turned his head to the side so that she could hear him. "Close your eyes, Felicity," he instructed, keeping his voice gentle and calm. Why? Because he was about to catch them dinner. His mind went back to Yao Fei, and how he had made him kill a pheasant. Oliver knew why he did it -- he was even grateful to him for it -- but at the same time, it had taken Oliver a great deal of time to be able to do it. And to move past the guilt of killing an innocent animal. He hadn't even had the appetite for it. It had taken a toll on him -- but obviously not for as long as it would have otherwise, since he had far more traumatic incidents that shortly followed that one. He didn't want Felicity to have to see it. Just in case.

He gave her hand a light squeeze before releasing it. "I'm right here," he assured her so that if she couldn't see him, she could hear him. He only took a couple of steps away for her, expecting her to stay in the same spot. She could lose sight of him, so long as he did not lose sight of her. He looked in the distance, seeing a rabbit scurrying about. It was far enough for Oliver to be able to hit. So he quietly took out one of the daggers, and in one quick motion, threw it towrad the rabbit as it was about to run away, killing the animal instantly.

[Felicity Smoak]

Oliver took her hand again and Felicity felt so much safer from that. He did it more here then ever before, and she knew it was because of where they were. He worried for her like she did for him. They would survive this. If they did, she would be braver. Maybe even tell him how she felt. For that to happen, she needed to define it herself.

When he said the worse words she dreaded to hear, Felicity cringed and wondered who he was about to kill. When he let her go, she pulled her hands to her and waited.

The anticipation was too much! She felt too afraid to not look! Opening her eyes she did not see Oliver hunting a man...but an animal. She closed her eyes tight, this time less afraid and more bracing herself, even going as far as to cover her ears just in case. She knew this was how he survived, but she also knew she would not have made it five years.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver hurried over to the now dead animal and pulled the dagged from it. He wiped the blood from the blade on the grass, and picked up the animal with his free hand as he tucked the weapon away. "You can open your eyes now," he told her, standing just a couple feet away, waiting for her to join him. "It's not too much further," he added. He wasn't going to make a big deal about the rabbit that he was currently clutching. Instead, he looked around for certain plants, tearing them and putting them in his pocket. They would help with the taste a bit. Something that Shado had taught him. It was the best improvising of cooking herbs they could do out here on the island.

As they walked forward, he also began to pick up a few sticks that would be good for a fire -- since they had left their previous selection in the wolf infested cave. It wasn't that much longer until they reached their new destination. The walk had helped them dry off a little, but most importantly, they had gotten there before it was dark. It was a much smaller cave than before, but it had enough space for him and Felicity. It didn't go as deep as the other cave; the end of the cave wall could be seen. Just to be sure though, Oliver went in first, to make sure it was clear. "It looks safe," he concluded, setting down the sticks and meat onto the ground before extending his hand to her to help her inside.

[Felicity Smoak]

Don't look at the rabbit! Don't look at the rabbit! It was not someone's mother. It wasn't a baby. Don't think about the rabbit. It was the chat that she was trying not to think of. Instead she was trying to think about anything else but the rabbit. It shouldn't bother her that much, but she'd never see something killed up close. Knowing he expected her to eat it later, made it harder.

Picking up a few sticks, too, Felicity followed Oliver to the cave, and dropped them in with his pile. "I don't think I will go exploring this time." She joked, and then looked around for something to do to help out. There were some bushes a few feet from the opening of the cave and they had what could be blackberries on them. "Are those safe to eat?" She asked point at them. "Can I pick some?"

[Oliver Queen]

"That's probalby for the best," he said when she said that she wasn't going to go exploring again. Falling from a cave, over a waterfall was certainly enough excitement for one day. Not to mention the fact that they had woken up here and been on the run from assassins. Yes. Defintiely enough excitement for the day. Right now she -- they -- needed to rest. She then asked if they were safe to eat, and Oliver turned to see what she was referring to. Blackberries. He walked over, picked one and popped it in his mouth. His face slightly twisted into a cringe as he closed his eyes for a bit. He then remained silent for several moments, as if waiting for something. Finally, he opened his eyes to look at her once more and spoke. "They're fine," he answered. "Not fully ripe yet, but they're safe." Because he wasn't dead. Because he had eaten one and was still breathing. That was the best way to tell if they were safe or not. And he'd rather take the risk on himself than her.

Leaving her to pick as many berries as she wanted, he then returned to their collection of sticks and crouched down on the floor, beginning to set up the fire. Every place, every event, every incident . . . reminded him of something from the five years he'd spent here. Right now, he was reminded of his first attempt to start a fire. Slade has watched him for two hours before finally offering him the lighter, claiming that it had given him 'entertainment'. How different things were now. He didn't have a lighter on him, but he was able to start a fire. And with the concealment of the cave, the smoke would not be easily spotted.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity watched as Oliver went up to them and picked one up, and then ate it. So safe! It was then his face twisted, and her heart fell out! No! Wait! What was happening? She took a few steps closer, just as he opened his eyes and spoke. She was both relived, mad and amused. As he passed her to go to the cave she used both her hands to repetitively smack at his arms, "You! Are! Not! Funny!" That was just mean!

Moving forward she found a large plant leaf and turned it over to make a small but manageable way to carry more. Picking them she filled it up and then took it back to the cave. Settling down he picked one up and through it at his head--so of course it missed and hit his shoulder. "If you knew they were safe, you could have just said so."

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver thought he was a little bit funny. He knew very well that he could have contained his reaction, but with the grim situation, he wanted to bring her mind to ease -- as much as he could under such circumstances. She picked her berries and then returned to the cave, sitting in front of him as she chucked a berry at him. He looked at the spot on his shoulder it hit and then looked at her as she told him that he could have just said they were safe if he knew they were. "I didn't," he admitted, a bit of a cheeky smile forming on his lips. Had they been poisoneous he would have just moved as quickly as he could to gather the necessary ingredients for the remedy. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd done so.

"But at least now the mystery is solved," he said, as he picked up the berry she had thrown at him and ate it. He then proceeded to get the fire started, rubbing the sticks together to get a little spark, just enough for the rest to catch fire. It wasn't much. Just a small campfire that probably wouldn't even last them through the whole night, but at least it was something for now. A little something to help her dry off since they were still damp from their little swim. "Come closer to the fire," he urged. With the minimal heat emanating from it, she would have to sit close to it.