Oliver wakes with a start and gasp. Reaching around, he searches for his blonde beauty. When his hands come up with only cold sheets, he sits up panicked. Looking around for the first time, he realizes he is no longer in their bedroom, but his old bedroom.
His senses increase ten-fold immediately. He looks around the room like an animal out of its element. Before he can think to much about it, there is a knock at the door.
"Oliver?"
His mother's voice cascades through the door. A few seconds later she cautiously comes in.
"Oh you're up" she says in surprise.
He stares at her in shock.
"I just came in here to make sure you were up and not late."
"Late? Late for what?"
His mother just gives him an exhausted look.
"For your shadowing. Did you drink to much last night, again?"
"What? No, no, it just slipped out of my mind."
Sighing she just says, "alright, well your father is leaving in 30 minutes."
"I'll be down there."
When she leaves, he thinks to himself, 'What the hell is going on?'
On the other side of the city, Felicity slowly stirs into consciousness and begins to whisper.
"Good morning my Love."
But when she feels an empty space beside her, her awareness hit her full force.
"Oliver?"
Looking around the room, she notices that she is no longer in the bed she fell asleep in, but the bed that was in her first apartment.
"What the?"
Getting up, she goes to the living room and sure enough she is in her old apartment. Going straight to her tablet, she picks it up and turns it on.
"March 15,2007? That's impossible." She says in disbelief.
Before she can think anymore about it, her phone goes off. On the screen it reads in bold letters, 'FIRST DAY of WORK'.
"Work?" she whispers confused and then it dawns on her, 'QC'. Today was her first day as a tech expert. Anxiety is gnawing at her, and she tries to calm herself down with a pep talk.
"Ok Felicity, it's going to be ok. The number one rule to time travel, is don't change the past. So that means go to work."
Without further thought she goes and gets ready for her day.
When Oliver gets downstairs, he is met to his father reading a newspaper and drinking his morning coffee. The scene before him gives him chills. Seeing his father in the flesh after 10 years brings nothing but happiness.
"Oliver, I'm glad to see your extravagant partying last night has not affected you waking up for work this morning."
Remembering that he woke up in his pre-island body, he fills up the act.
"Well I know this is important to you."
Hearing the sincerity of his son's voice, Robert looks up for the first time. Seeing that Oliver really meant what he said, he gives him an appreciative nod.
"It is." Not pushing his luck, he goes back to reading and simply says, "let me finish this page and then we'll go."
"Can't wait" Oliver mutters grabbing a freshly made muffin, courtesy of Raisa.
"Alright let's go, we have deals to make and people to manage."
When they step into the building, Oliver is in absolute awe. It's everything he remembered. The gold floors, extravagant desk and high ceilings. It is so clean and chique.
"Are you going to stand there, or are we going up?"
Coming back to Earth, Oliver simply nods and follows his father into the elevator.
When the elevator closes, the door to the lobby and in comes a flustered Felicity in a pink blouse, black midi skirt, and 2-inch black heels.
"I can't believe I ever dressed like this" she mutters under her breath.
Thirty minutes before, she was rummaging through her old closet and was very frustrated by the small amount of choices of clothing.
When she gets up to the front desk, she tells the polite man her name.
"Hi my name is Felicity Smoak, it's my first day."
"Section?"
"IT"
After finding her badge, he hands it to her and she heads for the elevator.
'Wow, I forgot how sleek this building was' she thinks to herself.
When the doors open to his father's office, Oliver continues to take in every detail, soaking it in knowing that all of this will be gone one day.
"Good Morning, Monica"
"Good Morning Mr. Queen & Mr. Queen."
"Come on Monica, how many times do I have to tell you it's Oliver" he says in his signature charming voice.
"Yes, I'm sorry, Oliver" Roberts secretary says blushing.
As Oliver sees her blush, he remembers that he had slept with her at one time, and that causes him to give off a bit of a guilty look. Oliver knows once upon a time, he would have been revealing in the fact, but now he feels absolutely disgusted with his younger self. Considering the fact that he couldn't fathom the idea of sleeping with anyone but Felicity. But Robert ignores it and gets straight to the point.
"What's on my agenda today Monica?"
"Yes, Mr. Queen, you have a meeting with the board at 10, and then a meeting with Kord Industries at 1, and then a presentation with one of the new projects at 3."
By the end of her sentence, Robert is already to his desk, reading a file.
"Alright Monica, thank you."
"Your welcome Mr. Queen."
And without another word, she is back at her post outside of his office.
When the elevator opens to the 15th floor, Felicity is immediately taken back to her first day. She remembers being in awe of this being her first real job. Breaking from her reverie, she hears someone calling her name.
"Ms. Smoak"
Turning around she sees a face she hasn't seen in years.
"Walter?" she whispers. "I mean, Mr. Steele. Hi."
"Hello" he says warmly. "I just wanted to make sure you got in ok and were getting settled."
"Oh yeah, I got in great. I got my badge" she says holding up the badge, "So yeah great."
"Well good. Do you by any chance have a minute, there's someone I would like to introduce you to."
Thinking back to her real first day, she can't remember being introduced to anyone, but takes it in stride anyway."
"Uhm, yeah sure."
"Brilliant, follow me" he says leading her onto the elevator she just came off of.
When they arrive to the top floor, Felicity is now very confused.
"Um, Mr. Steele?"
"Right this way" he says leading her out of the elevator. When they turn the corner, Felicity knows exactly where she is, and her anxiety shoots up like a rocket.
As they walk closer to the office she sees in front of her, she passes what use to be or what would be her desk.
"Hello Mr. Steele."
"Good Morning Monica."
As they continue to get closer, she sees the man she has only ever seen in pictures and heard stories about. Robert Queen, himself in the flesh. What quickly captured her attention though was the fact that there was already someone occupying his time.
Before she can tug on Walter's shirt to tell him that he doesn't have to do this, Walter speaks.
"Robert, I'm glad you're here, there is someone I would love for you to meet. This is one of our brand-new IT specialist, Ms. Felicity Smoak."
At the sound of her name, the man in front of her immediately turns around, and sure enough blue eyes meet blue.
The man before her is the very man that she had been searching and praying for since the moment she woke up in the past this morning. And the sight brings shock and joy to her face.
"Felicity?" he whispers in the voice meant specifically for her.
"Oliver" she says in a relieved sigh.