Tommy squared his shoulders and stepped into the QC lift.

He swivelled, stilled and waited. Nothing happened. Brow furrowing in confusion, he looked to the floor buttons. Unlit. Shaking his head slightly in self-deprecation, he angled forward and pressed the floor to Oliver's offices. Damn, he was off. Shirt-inside-out, odd-sock-wearing, keys-left-in-fridge off.

He refused to admit why. Adamantly declined to join the dots with the way his mind, when he failed to steel his focus, meandered to thoughts of an unhelpful, not-exactly-platonic nature. A flash of teasing, perky smile. Huge, challenge-filled eyes. Blur of short, fanned hair and smooth, nut-brown limbs.

'Quit it, Merlyn,' he muttered, re-squaring his shoulders.

The smooth flatness of her midriff was her latest torture device. Highlighted yesterday in the kitchen, when she pulled up the hem of her shirt and asked his sage advice about whether she should get her belly button pierced. He'd coughed on his orange juice a little, eliciting a hearty back thumping from Raisa, but recovered pretty well, he'd thought. Though now, he couldn't remember what his answer had been. Hopefully yes.

'Yep, this has gotta stop.' To himself.

'Tommy?' A female voice made him jump. 'You are aware that talking to yourself is the first sign of craziness?'

'God?'

'Funny, Merlyn.'

Tommy looked around the still-empty-of-other-passengers lift. The she-voice had a point.

'So, ah, Thea? Any reason you're spying on me in the lift? I assume you're up in the security control room right now?'

'Correct! I'm visiting the guys up here. We became friends after the last ah-' cough '-security door incident on the roof. Tommy, wave and say hello to Derek and Antonio.'

'Fellas,' Tommy gave a hand-raise-and-nod at the camera as the lift level binged. 'Thea. Alrightly then, I'll, ah' he pointed towards the opening doors, 'be going now.' Followed by a weird stride-skip thing.

'Jesus Merlyn, get it together,' he pep-derided, widening a smile as he swaggered into Oliver's office, noticing a Felicity-less desk as he passed. 'Where's your goodness of blonde?'

Oliver gave him a look. 'She's just finishing a few things up at her place. We'll pick her up on the way. You packed and ready?'

Tommy had been looking around the office distractedly, 'Hmn? Yep, buddy, all packed.'

'You okay?'

'Never better. Why?'

'You just seem a little...wired.' Tommy thought his friend was kind not to mention his unshaven face and dark-circled eyes.

'I'm fine.' Tommy's voice broke a little. Unhelpful. He cleared his throat. 'Really, I'm fine.'

Oliver looked at his best friend - eeking odd. 'You sure, man?'

'Fine. Great. Late night, or early morning - depending on which way you wanna look at it. Redheads, right?' Tommy picked up a frame of the Queen family, and jerkily replaced it.

'Oooohh, crashed another low self-esteem support group last night, did we Merlyn?' Thea sassed as she sauntered into her brother's office. Collared black lace top, cut to bottom rib, low slung tailored pants, floral heals. Apparently she'd decided against the piercing, her metal-less belly button on clear display.

Tommy caught himself staring and swallowed, before launching into the habitual fray.

'Yeah, they missed you there last night, Thea. A few of the girls were asking where you were.'

'Ha, you're a riot, Merlyn. Though the rolled out of the gutter look may not get you past security at the Gala tonight.' Thea couch-flounced and reclined in her usual spot, eyeing Tommy from the ground up. 'Are those odd socks?'

Inwardly groaning, Tommy decided he didn't have repartee in him, and subject-changed.

'So Oliver, what's the latest on the date-night status with Felicity?'

Thea swung up to interested. 'Oh yeah! She's been cagey with me all week. Spill.'

Oliver looked to the two keen-bean brunettes. Kids on Christmas morning had nothing on these two.

'It's just been really busy with work this last week or so-'

'Lame!' Thea.

'Gonna die alone,' Tommy joined in.

'-Sooo,' Oliver spoke over the top of them, 'I've invited Felicity as my date to the Gala in Gotham. As our first official date.'

'Nice,' head-nodded Tommy. 'And you get to stick it to Bruce-baby at the same time.'

Tommy earned his second look from Oliver.

'Don't you mess this up, brother dear, by pulling the same-old jealous shit with Bruce Wayne. This girl is totally into you, and more than you deserve, so don't blow it,' Thea auto-warned.

Oliver smiled, shaking his head, and walked over and kissed her on the top of hers.

'I won't, don't worry, little sis.'

'Uh huh,' Thea monotoned, unconvinced, already plotting a back up plan.

A suited Dig walked in. 'So, you all good to go?'

Oliver clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder. 'Yeah, thanks for driving us on a Saturday. We're picking Felicity up on the way.'

'Happy to help. Glad she's - ah - taking some time off outta town.' Dig's eyes glimmered with something close to approval.

'We're working too, Dig; there's a bunch of meetings on Monday,' Oliver half-hearted his CEO-with-the-mostest.

'I'm sure it'll be a - productive trip.' Dig remained straight-faced, but Oliver could hear the grin. 'Miss Queen. Can I assist you with your bags?' Dig nodded towards the four matching electric-orange suitcases in the corner.

'Jesus, Thea - we're only going for a weekend,' Tommy voiced what all the men were thinking. 'Though if the plane goes down, I guess we can use them for beacons.'

Thea placed bare hands on bare hips. 'Firstly, Merlyn, I believe in being prepared.'

'And secondly? You don't believe in luggage limits?'

'We're on a private jet, Tommy, there are no luggage limits.'

'Physics may disagree.'

'Secondly,' she continued pointedly, 'I am not afraid of living the cliche. As a feminist, I find it empowering to own the fact that I like to dress well. For myself.'

'And if the way you dress happens to attract guys like bees to honey?' Tommy was already regretting getting into it.

Thea felt the tone shift, and her teasing faltered a little.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

Oliver, forgotten, could feel the fight brewing between the two, and stepped between them.

'How about we continue this on the plane. We're already running a bit behind.' Grabbing bags, he shepherded his sister to the lift, a warning glare to Tommy back over his shoulder.

'Sorry,' Tommy mouthed. He was off-game and tetchy. Though still refusing to acknowledge what was going on with him. Probably because it was the worst thing ever.

Tommy grabbed the last of Thea's blinding-orange cases, and walked to the lift, suitcase wheels squeaking a little mournfully in the silent dimness of the office.

Felicity took another deep breath as she stood up from her couch, and began pacing the living room again. All nerves. She'd re-packed twice, tried some coding, even contemplated popping 'mood relaxers'; but her belly was still butterfly-run and focusing on deep breaths was all she could think of to do.

Holy shit. She and Oliver were actually going on a proper date. Finally. Barring natural disasters and madmen. Madpeople.

Dig was 'minding the office' for the weekend, and she prayed for a quiet time in Starling. They were due for an ebb, after they had spent a fortnight tracking down and capturing the latest tyrannical loon to threaten the city. Seriously - Mr Impactor - what kind of name was that?

Plus, he'd foiled her and Oliver's date plans for the last two weeks. Asshole.

As Felicity circled past the window, she could see the dark limo pull up in front. The door opened and Oliver stepped out, looking as GQ as always.

'Never gonna tire of that,' Felicity girled.

She waved at him from the window and walked to her front door, pulling on her red wool coat and grabbing the handle of her aqua capsule-looking-suitcase-thing.

He knocked as she opened the door, and they both spent a full ten seconds just grinning at each other.

'Hi.' He broke first.

'Hi.'

Oliver stepped forward and gave her a sweet kiss on the mouth. She leaned into it and was just about to put her hands to the back of his neck to pull him closer when Thea's voice pierced through.

'So, not surprised.' Thea was looking back and forth between them as they untwined. 'But the pilot just called and a storm front is moving in, so we have to go now if we want to depart before they ground planes.'

'Okay. Ready to go?' Oliver clasped his hand over her case-handle and held out his other one.

Felicity looked at him with baby-doe-with-glasses-eyes and took his warm grasp, feeling the sameness and the difference of things all at once.

They walked to the car and she climbed in first, Oliver not letting go of her hand until she was seated. She felt her palm turn cold as he went to the back of the car to put her suitcase in the boot.

Thea climbed in after her as Felicity said her hello to Tommy and Dig.

'How's it going Felicity?' Tommy responded distractedly, glancing at her and Thea before returning his gaze to the window.

Thea rolled her eyes. 'Don't worry about him. He was showing some girl the error of her ways last night and he's woken up a little cranky.'

Felicity looked at Tommy, expecting a rejoinder, and gave him a slightly worried look when he rubbed a hand over his mouth and continued his window-stare.

The door opened and cool air swooped, as Oliver sat himself next to Felicity and buckled in.

He re-took her hand and absent-mindedly blew warm breath on her chilled fingers, looking around the car cabin with energy. Felicity felt her stomach flutters migrate - everywhere - and for the hundredth time wondered how much longer she could be around Oliver without jumping him. This was getting insane.

Oliver, oblivious to Felicity crossing her legs and swallowing hard, took in his dejected-looking friend and cross/hurt-looking sister. 'Okay, I hate to say it, but it's a worry when I'm the positive one. C'mon guys, we're gonna have fun this weekend. Tommy, there will be a whole new pool of women for you to ah- swim in, and Thea, Bruce will be the host, so you'll get to indulge your girl-crush a little more.'

Felicity laughed out loud at Oliver's heavy-handed cheerleader attempt. Tommy and Thea were both looking at him in akin-to-offended.

'Oh Oliver,' Felicity sniff-laughed affectionately, 'maybe don't try to help.'

'Girl-crush!' Thea outrage-d.

'I'm not some kind of man-slut, you know. I can be serious,' Tommy righteous-ed.

Oliver side-eyed Felicity. 'What just happened?'

Felicity dissolved into helpless giggles, turning her face into Oliver's shoulder. She held up one, red-tipped hand, 'Sorry, I'm sorry guys.' She choked a little as she tried to regain her composure.

'What Oliver was trying to say,' she soothed, 'was that we have an amazing weekend ahead of us, and I'm sure, after we've all had some rest on the flight, and a good lunch, that we'll be feeling alot better. Bruce is really looking forward to our visit-'

'How do you know that-' Oliver asked. And was ignored.

'-and Tommy, I cannot wait to see what you've got planned for the dance floor tonight. If it's not too bold, can I request the first dance?'

That managed to break a small smile from Tommy, and an indignant 'hey!' from Oliver.

'And Thea, honey?' Felicity continued, her work not done.

'Yeah.' Arms crossed, still frost-bitey.

'It's no fun if you're not having fun.' The two women locked eyes, understanding.

Thea's face softened. 'Okay.' Thawing.

Felicity nodded in happiness.

'Great. Dig, let's go.' She settled back into Oliver's side and felt him turn his head to whisper into her hair.

'I don't understand. You said the same thing I said, right?'

Felicity smiled and turned her face up to look into his confused eyes. 'Oliver, your heart is amazing.'

'And?'

'And nothing.' She raised up and sealed her mouth to his. Pulling back, still spun that she was allowed to kiss him when she wanted, she noticed a sheen of her pink lipstick on his lips and raised two fingers to wipe it away.

'You can't just kiss me when you want me to feel better,' Oliver observed.

'Did it work?'

'Yes.'

'So why not?'

Oliver's blue eyes gleamed.

'Because it makes me want to-'

'Room! Get a room!' Thea's eyes didn't flick up from her phone but her tone was prisoner-less.

Tommy chuckled.

Felicity felt a flush up her face and re-settled in her seat, her side heated by his side, mouth dry and sticky.

Oliver turned his head and murmured through her hair again. 'Later.'