Hi everyone, how are you? Merry Christmas. This will be a short story showing Oliver and Sara's first date, and it will be in a universe in which Laurel did not call the cops when Sara went to see Oliver at Tommy's party and Sara and Oliver got to know each other and ended up together instead of Laurel and Oliver. This will be set before the Gambit "accident".

Disclaimer: I don't own "Arrow" or its characters. They're the property of DC, Warner Brothers, the CW, and the "Arrow" showrunners.

"Going somewhere, Oliver?", his mother Moira asked him as she watched her son put on his best jacket and tie.

"I have a date with Sara Lance this evening mom. We met at Tommy's party three weeks ago and got to know each other very well. She's a great girl, someone I really like, and she feels the same way about me. Tonight will be our first date", answered Oliver as he finished putting on his jacket and was now trying to tie his necktie. Seeing his difficulty with that task, Moira walked up to her son and helped him tie up his necktie properly.

"Would this Sara Lance by any chance be one of the daughters of Detective Lance?"

"Yes mom, and she's also Laurel's younger sister", responded Oliver to Moira's inquiry. After thanking his mom for her assistance, combing his hair, and then inspecting himself to make sure he looked presentable, he left his bedroom and headed down the stairway of the Queen Mansion, eager to get on with his date, one he was genuinely looking forward to. There was something different about Sara compared to all of the other girls he dated. All of those girls were shallow, mostly cared about his wealth, and didn't mean anything to him except as meaningless one night stands. Sara however was not like those girls. Sure she was a bit rebellious like him and also a bit of a troublemaker, but Oliver found her to be down to earth, smart, and a girl who genuinely liked him for him instead of how large his pocketbook was. Not only that, but Oliver felt that there was also chemistry between himself and Sara and wondered if she just might be the one for him.

"Please be careful with Sara, honey and treat her right", his mom implored him while following him down the steps. "The Lances are very close friends of ours and Detective Lance happens to be very protective of his daughters, especially Sara. He and his family are very nice and I don't want there to be any trouble with him or between our families."

"Don't worry mom, I promise I'll be careful with Sara and treat her properly", responded Oliver as he turned to Moira and sought to ease her worries. "She's not like the other girls I've dated which makes this a new experience for me. I'm genuinely interested in seeing where this goes and have no intention of ruining it."

Moira sighed, but decided to trust her son and accept his words. She could also see that he was being honest just by looking into his eyes. Apparently there was really something about Sara that had Oliver acting differently than he normally did when talking about someone he liked. She only hoped that things would work out alright and would hate to lose their family's friendship with the Lances over her son doing something reckless like breaking Sara's heart.

"Would you like me to call the car around for you Oliver?", Moira asked him as he headed towards the door.

"No thanks mom, I'll be driving my own car tonight", responded Oliver, a statement which floored his mother. Sara must have been a pretty special girl for Oliver to want to take his own car instead of the limo. Oliver then turned to his mom once more, kissed her cheek goodnight, and then walked out the door, went to his car, got in, and then, after stopping during his drive to purchase some white roses, continued on towards the Lances home where Sara was currently waiting for him.

ARROW

After having arrived at his destination, Oliver parked his car right next to the front door of the Lance home and then, after scooping up the roses and then getting out, made his way towards the front door and rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door opened and Sara stepped outside. She wore a beautiful yellow strapless dress that reached down to her feet along with a silver necklace around her neck, and her straight blond hair hung loosely down to her shoulders. Never had Oliver seen a sight more beautiful in his life.

"Wow Sara, you look absolutely amazing."

"Why thank you, Oli", she responded to his compliment with a warm smile. "And you yourself look very handsome." She then noticed the yellow roses he was holding and asked him, "Would that lovely bouquet by any chance be for me?"

"Indeed they are. I hope you like it", responded Oliver as he handed them to her, really hoping that Sara would indeed appreciate the roses he'd picked. The reason he had picked white roses was because for some reason, the color white seemed in his mind to reflect her as a person. He didn't understand it or what that color would mean for Sara's future, a future that neither of them were obviously aware of, but to him, the color white felt right for Sara and so he'd chosen accordingly.

"They're absolutely beautiful Oli, I love them", responded Sara with great happiness as she held the roses, reassuring Oliver that he had made the right choice.

"So are you ready to go Sara? I have our table reserved at the restaurant we'll be going to."

"Very much so, please lead the way", Sara answered eagerly as she tucked her arm under Oliver's and allowed him to lead her to his car. Once there, Oliver helped Sara into the car and then moved to the driver's side and got inside after which he began the drive towards the restaurant where they would be spending their first date together.