A/N: AND we're off for a new one. Wrote this story while on vacation and kind of thought I'd post it. Will have regular updates every week or so =) People who have read The Occupational Hazard might recognize some nicknames and extra characters ( I will update soon).

Oh Right, and we are almost completely disregarding Felicity's utter hatred for bringing people coffee and are just assuming she would if she really really needed the money at first. And would then stay on if she liked the rest of the staff.

Disclaimer: I dont own Arrow nor any characters in it.

Chapter One

x

In one of the back streets of the Starling City town centre, a small coffee shop called Beans Consolidated was enjoying its regular flow of Friday afternoon customers. The quaint shop was located on the ground floor of a red-brick three-story house with warm, mahogany brown doors and window sills. Stacks of books were presented in the window displays, with cups and saucers with either cake or sandwiches on top of them. Behind that, there were large tables surrounded by comfortable chairs and oversized chairs with small tables for customers who preferred being on their own.

Inside, all walls were covered by bookcases and there were tables scattered around the way to the counter. On the left side of the shop, however, there was an opening between two bookcases. The sounds of tinkering china and muted laughter, however, betrayed the many customers that were hidden behind them in the alcoves of the bookcase maze that followed. Upon taking a closer look, one would see that most customers were actually situated in that maze, taking random books from the shelves and reading them. The tables in the main part of the store were not at all empty either, though, since the shop had many regulars and most of them preferred to sit in the area around the counter, where they could talk to the staff. Many of them were drinking hot drinks with a book in their lap as they enjoyed their free time.

Groups were also welcomed in the shop, though, whether to work, read or just to chat. But to be honest, Felicity always made sure they were hidden away behind at least a few bookcases so they wouldn't disturb any other guests. She had been working in the shop for a few years now and knew like no other how irritating it was to be constantly disturbed while reading. So she made sure nobody would be disturbed by any unruly customers.

It was as simple as that.

At present, she was guiding the six newest additions to their collection of clients to table twelve, where the History section would hopefully keep them occupied enough not to disturb the others too much. She saw old Ms. Rochev's irritated glance at the group as she led them past her and gave the frail woman an apologetic smile.

When the group was seated, she took their orders and waved the paper at the counter as she emerged from the bookcase maze and neared the bar.

"Time to get to work, Digg!"

A large, coloured man turned around and took the paper from her. He continued whipping up some cream and gave her a look. She mostly ignored him as she fixed her apron.

"I'll have you know I've been working my ass off all day," he answered as he read it. Afterwards, he slid a tray across the counter with a mug topped with whipped cream and fresh cherries . "Now go bring this to that twelve year old."

He leaned to the side and looked past Felicity, winking at the brown-haired girl behind her. A second later, Felicity could hear Thea blowing him a kiss back.

"If you think texting Lyla is work, you've been doing a different job than I have," Felicity said, looking down at a paper as she pointed her pen at him.

Diggle groaned, throwing his head back.

"That was only once! Am I going to hear about this forever?"

Without answering, Felicity picked up the tray and looked to her left, where she saw Mr. Knyazev nodding approvingly. The regular always knew what was happening in the shop, from staff to customers. Smirking, Felicity sashayed past him and gave him a high five before she walked over to Thea's table. Behind them, Diggle groaned again.

"I should get a different job," Diggle sighed.

When Felicity arrived at Thea's table, the off-duty waitress was back to reading her magazine again and Felicity subtly put down the tray on top of the magazine. Thea blinked at the tray. After a second, though, she grabbed the mug happily, warming her hands with a sigh. She smiled up at Felicity, thankful.

"There you go," habit ordered Felicity to say. "Need anything else?"

Thea stared at the left side of the shop with a frustrated frown.

"Only for you to get rid of old Rochev over there," she said in an undertone, still staring.

Felicity was not phased at her dark tone. It was common knowledge Thea hated old Ms. Rochev. She would always say hi to her politely but she would mutter about death and destruction afterwards. The young Queen prodigy never really explained why, though, but Diggle said it was something to do with family drama. Personally, Felicity suspected Ms. Rochev had told Thea off for spilling a drink or something like that and had managed to attract the wrath of Thea Queen with that. But then again, nobody liked the family ever since they had mercilessly taken over all lawyer companies in town, so who was to say what really was the cause.

Thea huffed in irritation when the old woman waved and Felicity smiled at the woman, waving back.

"When did it become socially acceptable to order someone's death at a coffee shop," Felicity wondered aloud. Then, she looked back at Thea. "Sure gives a whole new meaning to coffee being bad for your health. Anyway, no can do. Anything else?"

Thea shook her head.

"Unless you deal in instant boyfriends, I'm all done."

Felicity smiled at the brunette's fast reply. She glanced at the bar. Diggle was still busy making the order for table twelve and nobody seemed to want a refill. So she figured she could risk it. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Thea.

She leaned in and answered Thea quietly.

"I thought you liked the new guy? Diggle said he was model-material… Should I get you two scheduled in on the same days this week, on accident?"

Thea grinned and sipped her coffee. She played with her sugar cube with her other hand distractedly.

"He's- he's difficult," she explained.

Felicity leaned back.

"Oh," she said, not really taking her serious. Thea always said guys were difficult and then proceeded to date them anyway. She leaned back in. "Should I still schedule you in together though?"

Thea put down her mug and stared ahead in thought.

"Could you?"

Felicity nodded. Thea grinned in reply.

"I'll make sure to let my hand slip," Felicity said with a wink.

She was about to add to that when Diggle called her over. Shrugging at Thea because she knew how it was, Felicity stood and got back to work. By the time she had served the group of six, Thea had left the shop and every table appeared to be satisfied. The remaining customers knew that they could raise their hand or come to the counter and so she re-joined Digg behind the bar. He was cleaning and doing the dishes.

When she got there, she was grateful for the small break, but she soon spotted Mr. Knyazev with his hand up to get a new espresso to replace the old one. Shaking her head, she brought it to him, telling him off for drinking so much coffee even though she worked in the shop. It couldn't be good for an old man to drink that much coffee. After that, she joined Diggle again. He bumped against her amicably as she grabbed a tea towel and a plate to dry. He didn't say anything, though, so Felicity broke the silence.

"So what's up, brother from another mother?"

Diggle rolled his eyes and shook his head at the nickname.

"Nothing much, sister from another mister."

Felicity laughed at the inventive nickname and took the plate he was holding out for her. She remembered Thea when she looked around the shop and decided to get to the gossip.

"Hey, when does the new guy start his weekday shifts," Felicity asked.

"Tomorrow."

Felicity hm'ed and took a new plate from Diggle.

"Thea said he was difficult," she said, observing the customers in the shop. Diggle groaned, which made Felicity chuckle.

"Give it a month," he said. "She'll have him at her beck and call."

Felicity shook her head at the plate in front of her, pursing her lips in thought.

"He seems like a guy that can handle her. I say give it two weeks and they'll be dating," she answered.

Diggle moved his head thoughtfully from left to right, then shook his head.

"Nah, they won't. Let's make it a bet," he said. He grinned evilly when another thought hit him. "Loser has to drink a Vanilla Sky coffee."

Felicity groaned and put down her plate.

"Why did I ever tell you guys about that," she lamented.

Diggle shrugged.

"Oversharing is what you do," he pointed out. Felicity shrugged in acceptance. "But I don't like it either so it's a good one," he added.

The blonde pulled up her nose in disgust at the thought of the Vanilla Sky special. She remembered the first time she had tried the mix of vanilla and coffee that Moira had decided should be on the menu. The only reason she had not spat it on the ground that night was Moira's presence. But that night she had made sure to drink a glass of red wine to get rid of the taste.

"Seriously, whoever decided vanilla and coffee were a good combination should be punished," she said. Diggle chuckled in reply. After cleaning the last few plates, Felicity moved to clear the stack away and went back to the previous subject. "Anyway, it's on."

Diggle grinned and held out his hand. Felicity shook it with a smile.

Afterwards, they worked on moving back the clean dishes to their respective places and Felicity moved most of their food to the right side of the display so she could clean the other side. After a few minutes of silence, she walked through the schedule for the coming days with Diggle.

"Okay, so let's get this straight. That's you, Thea and … Roy," she asked, doubt evident in her tone. She hadn't met him and didn't remember names very well. Diggle nodded. "Roy- on Tuesday. I'll be here tomorrow and Sunday… Think you and Thea will manage Monday on your own?"

Diggle nodded, the corners of his mouth threatening to turn up.

"With you out of the way everything's bound to end up rainbows and sunshine," he teased. She mock-laughed with him, annoyed. "Nah, we'll be fine. Thea has worked here since she was fourteen, let's be honest. It's only the last few years that she's actually gotten paid."

Felicity agreed.

"And you'll manage with both on Tuesday," she asked. Diggle nodded. "Even though that Oliver guy is meant to come by for a first visit?"

Diggle shrugged.

"He must know Roy is new so he'll cut us some slack if anything goes wrong. Plus, Roy's from the Glades. He's happy enough to have a decent job at all so by the time Oliver comes by, he'll have it down pat."

Felicity once again agreed. Actually, she had heard about Roy's living conditions earlier from Thea and had been surprised Moira had hired him. It must have been a really good interview because Moira usually preferred to hire people from other areas. Felicity hadn't even met him and he had already impressed her, she realized.

But the fact that Roy didn't want to make mistakes, however, didn't mean he wouldn't. Just like the fact that Oliver cutting them some slack on the day itself, did not mean he would not mention what had happened, later. No, she was not naïve enough to think that. She'd had plenty experience with people being different from what they seemed to be at first. The fact that Moira trusted her son not to change the shop too much, didn't mean she did. Or that Felicity trusted him at all, for that matter.

Around three, Diggle had joined in the back to help with the administration so Moira could get to baking. Meanwhile, the store was experiencing a lull between customers and so Felicity grabbed her tablet and read on in Brave New World, her latest addition to her dystopian collection. It had been recommended to her by Sin, a girl who often visited the shop. Sin never got coffee and kind of used the shop as a second home, but she had been accepted because she was a good friend of their ex-colleague Sarah. By the time Sarah stopped working, Sin had already become a fixture at the shop so nobody minded her being there. Either way, since Sin recommended it to her, she had started on it.

Not that Felicity had a lot of time for reading, normally. In the time between her part-time job at Walker's Incorporated IT-department and this waiting job at Beans Consolidated she was usually reading meeting notes. But on the job, she often read on her tablet. Mostly dystopian but also some really early science fiction books.

And now that there hadn't been a new customer in fifteen minutes and everybody else seemed content, she could finally get round to reading a bit more. Felicity happily lost herself in the book within seconds.

Ten minutes into Huxley's beautifully crafted world, though, Diggle drummed his fingers on the counter on her right like he always did.

"Shut up, Digg. I'll help Anatoli in a minute. He better wait until I finish the page," she said, irritated.

She swore Anatoli Knyazev was addicted to coffee. No, she was sure. He came to the shop every day for hours and every half hour he would raise his hand to get a new espresso while he worked on "super important documents" for his company. That, and he asked for her number every day without fail. Really, he was a sweet man. But not when she felt like reading.

Diggle coughed.

She rolled her eyes without looking up from the tablet.

"I'm sure he is happy to hear that, but I'd like a coffee too," a deep voice replied.

Her head shot up and she looked like a deer caught in headlights when she saw the man across from her. It took a moment for her to realize that no, this was definitely not Diggle. This man had short, blonde hair, a scruffy stubble and eyes a hue of blue she hadn't seen before. And he was smirking at her, to boot.

She realized she had been gaping and closed her mouth with a snap.

"Um- Sorry. I don't… I thought you were Diggle," she said, pointing at the man. She took a pause to breathe. "Right. What can I do you for?"

The man's smirk got wider and she felt a lovely sensation spread through her body. Then she realized what she'd said.

"I mean- give me a second," she said. He tilted his head to the side as she took another deep breath, counted to ten and calmed herself. Then, she smiled. "Right. What would you like to drink, sir?"

He smiled genuinely, this time, and it made her stomach churn.

"Do you always talk this much," he asked, his deep amused voice making her bite her lip on the inside.

"No. Today is a good day" she answered, sarcasm coming to her easily. The man's smile grew wider. "Anyway, what can I get you?"

He looked behind her for a long moment. Then he seemed to have decided.

"A black coffee, please."

She nodded and scribbled it down on a pad with the pen she had stuck behind her ear, earlier. Black coffee. A masculine choice. Okay.

"Anything else?"

He looked at the display and pointed at the muffins.

"A cheese muffin, please."

Or maybe not so masculine.

"To go, I take it," she asked, staring at the man.

God, he was pretty. He was wearing a green shirt that fit his broad shoulders perfectly and his deep voice did things to her she didn't think a mere voice could do.

"No," he answered. "I'm sitting down, but you seemed pre-occupied so I came to ask you instead. I'm sitting down at table three."

She peered at the table in the distance and saw a long black coat hanging over a chair. She smiled apologetically and nodded.

"Sorry, I was reading. By all means, sit down and I'll get you your coffee and muffin as soon as I can."

He nodded, shot her another glance and then turned and walked away. He sat down at his table and paid her no more attention. Cursing herself, Felicity turned around and readied his order as fast as she could. On her way to him, she passed mister Knyazev, whose hand was indeed up in the air again.

"I'll come by in a second," she told him in passing. The man waved his hand in acceptance.

When she got to the stranger's table, she slid the tray on it effortlessly and pointed at his purchases.

"One Cheddar cheese muffin and a black coffee. Sorry for the wait."

He turned his head and still seemed in thought when he glanced at her. When their eyes met, though, he came out of his trance and smiled politely.

"Thank you," he said in acknowledgement. "Are you new here?"

Felicity couldn't help but feel a bit affronted. She was practically managing the staff by now, after all.

"Only the last four years," she answered with a clipped voice and an annoyed smile.

That made him chuckle.

From where she was standing, Felicity could see Anatoli Knyazev waving and she gave him a stern look before turning back to the matter at hand. Knyazev dropped his hand abruptly in the background.

The man in front of her shook his head, still smiling.

"I didn't mean it like that. I haven't been here in a long time but I never saw you when I was a regular."

That sparked her interest. She moved her weight from one leg to the other and looked him up and down.

"You were a regular? I mean, no offense but you don't look like the type that reads."

When she realized that might have been a bit offensive, it was too late. Also, she became occupied by the realisation that if he was a regular , she might be able to find his name in the system.

"Maybe," he said. "But I do. And I like coffee. This was my second home for a while."

He looked straight at her when he said that. She had to look away, wondering if he knew how well she knew second homes and everything that came with them. His smile caught her eye, though, and when she realized he was smiling at her she felt her skin tingle. Suddenly a bit nervous, she wanted to end this before she embarrassed herself. She smiled back in a polite manner and nodded in understanding.

"Well, it makes sense. We've always got a place for beauti- bibliophilic, men. Bibliophilic. Yes... I'll leave you to it, then," she said.

The blonde turned around abruptly and all but ran towards mister Knyazev. When she got there, she caught her breath before talking. The old man watched her with an amused smile on his face.

"Yes," she asked. "An espresso for you?"

The man shook his head, eyes twinkling.

"No, I just wanted to ask for your telephone number," the old man said.

Felicity looked at the ceiling in exasperation and back at the man again. Next to his table, Miss Rochev was wheezing. The blonde glared at the old woman first, then smiled at Anatoli. She had to give it to him, at least he tried.

"Maybe another day," she answered. "An espresso for now?"

The old man pushed his mug towards her, nodding sadly.

"Don't worry," he seemed to be saying more to himself than to her, "I'll get you sometime."

Felicity smiled and picked up his mug.

"I don't doubt you for a second," she told him.

She got round to making him an espresso pronto, hoping to catch another glimpse of the stranger when she was done, but the ringing doorbell caught her off guard and when she turned, the man had left. His money was on the table.

And though Anatoli and Miss Rochev tried to cheer her up afterwards, she still felt a bit lost after the encounter.

A/N: AND, what do you think?

Review please!