A/N: A little late for Halloween, but I had been working on this story for a few weeks and decided to post it anyway. It's shorter – maybe 5 chapters (depending on editing) and I'll post maybe every other day to every couple of days. It's finished but I'm still doing some editing. It's pretty Felicity centric, and will end with an Olicity pairing. Rating is T for the moment, but I might add to one of the later chapters and alter the rating if necessary. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1

Felicity took a deep breath and couldn't help blinking against the heavier than usual eye makeup and false lashes she'd applied. The dark liner contrasted well with the blue and purple shadows she'd blended, making her eyes pop. She ran a tentative finger over the small jewels pasted at the corners of her eyes and wiggled her nose, feeling her nose ring shift a bit with the movement. She'd slicked on a neon blue lipstick that matched her nails, and she pulled the lipstick tube out of her purse to add another layer. The visor mirror reflected someone else entirely, and the transformation was still a little shocking.

The neon blue, purple and black bustier she wore was tight and more revealing than she was used to, so she looked down once more to make sure her girls were safely tucked in. A black, tulle micro mini, ripped fishnets worn over purple and black knee socks, and chunky black, furry ankle boots completed the odd look. She'd gathered her hair back in a half ponytail reminiscent of Japanese anime characters, leaving a few strands down to frame her face, and hair extensions had been added in shades that coordinated with her outfit.

Here goes nothing, she thought, gathering her nerve and exiting her mini cooper. The few other times she'd gone undercover, she'd had Oliver and Diggle in her ear. Tonight she was on her own, something they would definitely not approve of, but her friend needed her help. She walked down the block and kept a careful eye on her surroundings, aware that she was drawing attention from random men on the street. The underground cyber goth club she was going to was located on the fringes of the Glades, so the neighborhood was sketchy at best. On the corner, she spied the Japanese noodle shop Josh had told her about. The stairs to the right led her down to the basement level.

She knocked on the green door. When it opened, a girl who looked suspiciously like Wednesday Addams stood on the other side.

"Anno domination."

As secret club passwords went, she thought it was a little silly. But Wednesday stepped aside to let her enter with no questions. She was in; she couldn't help giving herself a little pat on the back. The club was dark, lit with what appeared to be neon bulbs, and Euro techno beats pulsed through the speakers.

Instead of one large room, the club was comprised of several rooms connected by short hallways. Couches and tables were scattered throughout, and they were all crowded. Some people were dancing while others were busy with tablets and laptops. She heard snatches of conversations about coding and hacking as she walked, keeping an eye out for her target.

Thirty minutes later she spotted him. And just as Josh had predicted, she didn't have to do a thing because he came to her. Blonde cyber goth girls were apparently his type, and she had committed to the role. But the plan was to keep it short the first night and just lay the groundwork. So after spending an hour talking code with her new admirer and promising to return, she left.

Felicity texted Josh to let him know she was on her way to the cyber café. The evening had started out a little nerve-wracking, but now she felt almost hyper and knew it was the adrenaline. Before meeting Oliver, she was pretty sure she wouldn't have been able to pull this off. She was almost looking forward to going back out even if she was afraid she looked like a goth version of a Bratz doll.

Felicity parked her car outside the cyber café and got out. She saw Josh standing at the door and waved, thankful that Halloween was close. People would probably assume she was in costume for a party.

"Felicity?"

People did not include Diggle, though. She turned and saw John standing behind her with Lyla, whom she hadn't seen since their trip to Russia. Both of them were staring at her, but John's expression of incredulity was almost comical. He was never going to believe she'd dressed like this for a Halloween party.

Crap.

Five days earlier…

Thank God it's Friday, Felicity thought as she turned off her computer and gathered her things. And she was actually leaving the office at a reasonable hour. Ever since Oliver's return to Starling City the previous year and her subsequent change in job title, she hadn't had too many early nights. Between her secretarial duties and her gig sidekicking for Oliver's night job, she spent more and more of her evenings holed up either in Oliver's office at Queen Consolidated or in the basement of his club.

Even though Thea was running most of the day to day business at Verdant, Oliver kept up a presence there in order to help his sister. Felicity kept waiting for the day when Thea discovered their secret lair in the basement. But so far she had shown no interest in his comings and goings. The fact that they had a way to enter from outside helped, of course, but she still considered it a risk.

Oliver walked out of his office as she slid her jacket on. "Going home?"

"Yes. You and Diggle are taking a night off from crime fighting, right?"

"Right," he confirmed. "I promised Thea I'd make an appearance at the club. Apparently we have celebrities in town and they'll be stopping by."

"And John has a date. He's being suspiciously cagey about the details though." She'd asked repeatedly only to have John raise a brow in response.

"I think it's his way of teasing you about your incessant curiosity," Oliver said with a smile.

He was leaning against the corner of her desk, and she was momentarily distracted by how handsome he looked. Usually by the end of the day he'd lost his tie and jacket, and he also favored rolling up his shirt sleeves. Today was no exception, and it wasn't the first time she'd caught herself staring at his muscular forearms. Eyes up, she reminded herself.

The way he looked at her with just a hint of amusement told her that he'd noticed. She hoped she wasn't blushing. "I'll wear him down eventually. Never underestimate the power of my tongue."

When his brows lifted, she realized how dirty that sounded. "I mean my mouth – with the words, and the way I talk people to death until I find out what I want to know." She was definitely blushing now, and she raised her hand to adjust her glasses in a self-conscious move.

Thankfully, he chose to ignore her unintended innuendo. "So what are your big plans for your night off?"

"Dinner with a friend from college," she answered, glancing at her watch. "Maybe some shopping. Halloween is coming, and we still need costumes for a Halloween party one of her friends is throwing. I could go minus a costume, but her friends belong to a cosplay group, so I'd probably be the only person there not wearing a costume."

"What is a cosplay group?"

"Costume play – you know, where people dress in costumes and role play? Some of those guys won't break character for anything when they're in the role. One of my college boyfriends was very into Star Wars, and I spent an entire weekend with a cosplay group he joined dressed as…"

"Let me guess – the infamous Princess Leia costume?" he asked, referencing the gold costume that had sparked millions of male fantasies.

"Actually, I was an Ewok. It was a very confusing weekend." He laughed, and the sound made her smile. "I'm not into cosplay, but I promised Sabrina I'd go to the party with her."

"Hang on and I'll walk down with you."

He went back into his office to get his jacket and briefcase. As she watched him, Felicity wondered if he enjoyed his nights off. He hadn't been seeing anyone seriously since taking over CEO duties for Queen Consolidated, but she knew there had been a couple of discreet relationships. She thought the current one might be that model he'd been photographed around town with a few times. She knew part of it was about maintaining an image, but she still felt a little pang every now and then. It was silly and she knew it. Felicity might be the girl he turned to for everything else, but she wasn't holding out much hope that he'd suddenly see her as more than a friend.

Oliver stepped aside, allowing her to enter the elevator first before following her in. The ride down seemed to be taking longer than usual, and she found herself staring at the numbers lighting up. Then suddenly the elevator jerked to a halt as the lights went out.

"Whoa." She reached out to steady herself against the elevator wall. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Oliver said.

"Shouldn't there be an emergency light coming on?" She reached out to feel for the emergency alarm and instead encountered Oliver's chest. "Sorry."

He didn't say anything, but she felt him move nearer. He was close now – so close she could smell his expensive cologne, and she sniffed appreciatively. Felicity stiffened when his hand found her waist and slid down to her hip until she realized he was just trying to move past her to the phone that was somewhere on the wall to her left.

"This is Oliver Queen. What's going on?"

Oliver's hand was still on her hip as he spoke, and it was distracting. She shifted in agitation and then jumped when his fingers squeezed in what he probably thought was a reassuring manner. And it might have been reassuring if she hadn't had fantasies about Oliver in this very elevator.

"Okay, thanks."

She heard a click as he hung up the phone. "There's a blackout that looks like it's affecting the entire downtown area."

Definitely not what she wanted to hear because that meant they had no ETA on a solution. "So there's no way to know how long it will take the power to come back on."

"No, but we do have a generator. They're checking now to see why it didn't turn on when the power went out."

His hand was moving up now. What was he doing? Then it became clear as he grasped her arm and guided her back to the wall. They slid down together and sat in the floor. Felicity toed her shoes off and tried to relax.

"What kind of costume were you thinking of wearing?"

She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. "I don't know. I like pandas."

"I know."

She was sure they had never discussed her love of pandas. "How?"

"You used to wear those panda flats. But I haven't seen them in a long time."

"Oh." Felicity was surprised he remembered her panda flats. "I still wear them, just not to the office. They're not exactly what people expect Oliver Queen's executive assistant to wear."

"I liked them," Oliver commented.

They were quiet after that, but Felicity was starting to feel agitated. The air was warm, and Oliver's scent seemed to fill the space. She really should find out what kind of cologne he wore. She could spray it in her bedroom and further fuel her Oliver fantasies. Not that they needed fuel.

She'd thought she was getting over her crush for a while. She'd even dated a nice guy named Brad for a couple of months. But they had broken off their relationship recently, and her closeted feelings for Oliver had a maddening way of resurfacing when she was spending all of her free time with him.

As if reading her mind, Oliver said, "Digg mentioned you're not seeing Brad anymore."

"No. But we parted on good terms. We're both too busy, I guess." It was true. She didn't mention that Brad had also been suspicious of how much time she spent with Oliver because it served no purpose. If it came down to it, she'd pick working with Oliver over any other relationship. It was that important to her.

They were quiet again. Just when the silence bordered on uncomfortable, the lights flickered on and the elevator jolted as it once again began its descent.

"Oh thank God." Felicity stood up and stepped back into her shoes. "I kind of hate elevators."

Oliver stood as well. "Well then I'm glad I was with you."

In the lobby, security guards and employees were gathered in front of the flat screen TV mounted on the wall in the waiting area. It was turned to channel 52, and the blonde reporter – Felicity could never remember her name – was reporting.

"The blackout affected the entire downtown district of Starling City and though it was short, we're receiving reports of looting and shoplifting at many area stores."

"Wow, the criminal element wastes no time," Felicity said. "We were in the elevator for what? Thirty minutes?"

Oliver glanced at his watch. "Not quite – more like twenty." He squeezed her shoulder as he walked by her to speak to the security guards.

He'd been doing that more often lately – invading her personal space. At first she hadn't even noticed it because the progression had been so natural, and they'd been working together for a while now. The first time it was brought to her attention was when she caught a glimpse of them walking together on a news report. Oliver's hand had been on her back, guiding her as they walked into a downtown restaurant for a business dinner.

Since then she was a lot more aware of it. Hyper aware, actually. She should probably start dating again, or take up a new hobby. The scene on the TV caught her attention and she turned her attention back to the news report.

"And in breaking news, the blackout also affected the Starling City Police Department and Iron Heights Prison. Reports of a small riot at Iron Heights are coming in now. Kelly Edwards is on the scene at the prison now. Kelly, what can you tell us?"

"As you can see, Bethany, it's a little chaotic here. Police, firefighters and EMTs arrived a few minutes ago, and they're bringing out a few injured prison guards. Tear gas was used to subdue the rioters, and I've been told they're all back in their cells."

Behind the reporter, Felicity could see people milling about. Two EMTs were assisting a woman wrapped in a blanket, and she was surprised to see the woman was Laurel Lance. Felicity knew Laurel worked for the District Attorney's office now, so she supposed she was there on business. Still, the other woman seemed to have the worst luck when it came to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Oliver had rejoined her, and she knew he must have noticed Laurel when he pulled his phone from his pocket and walked away to make a call. Despite the fact they were supposed to be long over, he had a tendency to run to her aid; yet another reason Felicity tried to control her not so little crush.

Another reporter was on the screen now reporting from the District Attorney's office.

"Shortly after the lights went out, the DA reported that a fire broke out in their file storage room. At the moment they're uncertain if any files were taken, but they do seem to believe it's related to the blackout."

"If the two are related, wouldn't this be classified as an act of cyber terrorism?" Bethany asked

"That's exactly what some are calling it, Bethany. One paralegal I spoke to said that she saw a message on her computer just before the blackout – 'This blackout courtesy of Ab501ut3 Cha05.'" The reporter spelled it out. "That appears to be the handle used by the hacker who's taking credit for this event."

"Chris Andrews , reporting live from the DA's office," Bethany said. "We'll have more on this developing story coming right up."

Felicity's hand came up, covering her mouth. She barely acknowledged Oliver when he returned to her side. "What's wrong?"

She turned to him and cleared her throat. "Nothing. Is Laurel okay?"

"Yeah, and I talked to Thea and Diggle. Thea's closing the club for the night, and Digg said things are a mess right now – traffic and everything. It might be better for you to just go home for the night. I can follow you in my car."

She nodded and reached into her bag for her keys.

"And see what you can find out about what happened. Laurel said they're calling it cyber terrorism – someone called 'Absolute Chaos' is taking credit."

"Yeah, okay." She nodded, but a pit opened up in her stomach. She didn't need to research it because she knew exactly who Ab501ut3 Cha05 was. Now the trick was going to be tracking him down so she could figure out how he'd gotten himself into this mess.