Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Chapter 1
There are a lot of moments in a person's life they never forget. A first crush, a first kiss, your first real friend, even the first time you got caught in the lie that took you hours to conjure up so your parents would never find out the truth. Somehow it always came back to bite you in the end. No one can escape the inevitable, not even Oliver Queen. He sat there nervously fidgeting in his black tuxedo waiting for his future to begin.
You see this was going to be an all-day affair because "That's the way the queens do these things" as his mother had so often reminded him. It seemed crazy to him to spend a year planning something that would only last a day, but in the end it wasn't really his choice to make when it came to planning. It was well beyond his control once his mother got involved. Still he stood there waiting and taking a deep breath as he remembered how this all started...

"Oh yes! YES YES YES! Of course I'll marry you, Oliver!" Laurel said, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. Oliver had an almost pained expression on his face as she let go and rushed over to his mother Moira to flash her new babble at her mother-in-law to be.
"It's lovely, dear," Moira smiled, dropping Laurel's hand and smiling at Oliver. She had already seen the ring since she was the one to pick it out. "Now, dear, we will have to begin plans immediately for an announcement to be posted in the newspapers, as well as a formal engagement party, and, of course, wedding plans as well."
Moira raised one eyebrow and walked over to Oliver, kissing him on both cheeks. "Now, darling, don't look so stressed. This is the natural course of things." She took his hand in hers and gently patted the top of his knuckles.
Oliver forced a smile. "We will talk about this later."
She nodded. "Now go with Laurel to her parents' home and visit with your future-in-laws. They are expecting you as I'm sure you know and you need to make the necessary appearances." She walked over to Laurel, who was talking to Moira's husband Walter and his sister Thea, as she beamed, fondling the ring on her finger.
Oliver took a deep breath and walked over to them and put on the smile that was expected of him. He was going to need to really practice this a little more before going to Laurel's family to make this official. Maybe, just maybe, when he was done doing the needed rounds his best friend Tommy would be able to rescue him with a drink or 10 at the club tonight….

"Oliver, I don't want to hear another word about it. You are a Queen and have the family name to think of. Your legacy to build. If your father was still with us he would tell you the same thing," Moira snapped at him. "You are 25 and cannot be running around like a teenager forever. You have been dating Laurel for a year now and she has a lovely family as well as a good career. It's time you settled down and began a family." Moira sipped from the glass of wine she had poured herself.
"I've already taken dad's place in the company alongside Walter. I know what you're saying mother, but…." Oliver clenched his jaw, trying his best to defend what he was about to say when the study door swung open.
"Knock Knock," Tommy smiled as he entered the room. "Mrs. Queen, looking stunning this evening." He said with his best Eddie Haskell tone, as he walked over to her, kissing her cheek. "I hear congratulations are in order." He turned his back to her and gave Oliver a gagging look and turned back to her with a smile. Oliver brought his hand to his mouth to cover the chuckle he couldn't help but have with Tommy's expression.
"Ah Tommy dear, lovely to see you here. You should have been here earlier for Oliver's announcement," She pursed her lips as she nodded. "I assume you will be taking Oliver out for the evening."
"That was the plan," Tommy smiled
Moira walked over to Oliver and gave him a stern look, "I'll not have another argument about this, Oliver." She turned to Tommy, "I trust you two will not be doing anything to draw too much attention to yourselves. Oliver," she said, as she turned to walk out of the room, "There will be a formal engagement announcement in the paper tomorrow. I don't want to see your named attached to any negative press on the day we post new of your engagement. And Tommy, do make sure you tell your father to attend the engagement party we are throwing in 2 weeks." She exited the room closing the door behind her.
Tommy exhaled the breath he was holding behind the toothy smile he had on his face. "You, my friend, need a drink!" he declared, as he headed for the door. "Verdant it is!" Oliver finally started to feel relaxed as he headed through the door after Tommy.
Tommy Merlin was Oliver's best friend, and he trusted him completely. They'd known each other for longer than either of them could remember and considered each other as brothers from another mother.
Oddly enough, this proved to be partially true when Oliver's father was taken gravely ill, and a family meeting had been called to order 3 years ago to resolve the family secret. Robert Queen would not have a scandal attached to his family name. He'd lived through this with his father before him and didn't want his children to be subjected to that, especially after he was gone and couldn't defend them.
Moira and Robert admitted to infidelities that almost caused their marriage to end. Moira admitted to finding out about an affair that Robert was having with one of his young secretaries. She had turned to Malcolm Merlin, Tommy's father, for comfort. After a night they both never expected to happen, Thea was born nine months later. Robert raised her as his own and did not reveal the truth to Malcolm until Robert became ill. They revealed the news to Malcolm 2 years before telling the children the truth. Dealing with Robert's illness was going to be enough of a battle for Thea and Oliver to live through. They worked out the details the best they could to not overly disrupt the lives of their children. In the end, it was a struggle and tears were shed, but Oliver and Tommy grew even closer and felt as though they were real brothers since they now shared a sister they would love and protect.
Verdant was a club that Oliver and Tommy opened a year ago in an effort to avoid real work and responsibility. Why not, really, since they were known for their excessive partying and womanizing since they were 18 years old. Everyone knew the Queen/Merlin name for being the wealthiest families in Starling city, but Tommy and Oliver took it above and beyond. Young women were ready to do whatever it took to be seen on the arm of Oliver Queen or Tommy Merlin and neither of the two young men objected to it.
Quite the opposite actually. To put it mildly, there was never a lack of ladies to choose from and very few lonely nights for either of them.
It wasn't' until a year ago that Oliver was somewhat taken off the market, when he began dating Laurel Lance. She was the very pretty eldest daughter of Police detective Quentin and College professor Dinah Lance. She actively and openly pursued Oliver Queen and wasn't afraid to hide her interest in him.
Laurel was supermodel pretty and had a body to match. She used her looks to every advantage, taking on modeling to help pay for college and get her law degree. It was at a party celebrating a lingerie event that Oliver first met her. Any event that might house women in lingerie was an event that Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlin would attend.
Laurel spotted him from the bar and approached him, switching things around and buying him a drink. She tipped her glass before she sipped from it and winked at him when he looked over at her to salute his glass her way in a thank you gesture. That was enough to land them in her apartment later that night and not leave the bedroom for 2 days.
Now Oliver was not exactly a one woman man. He wasn't faithful to Laurel by any means. There were many times that Tommy got him out of a very sticky situation so that Oliver was never caught with his respective pants down. Laurel was also well aware of his extracurricular activities. She turned her head many times and forgave him repeatedly until six months ago.
Laurel took it upon herself to go directly to Moira Queen and plead her case. She proceeded to plead her case saying how the rumors of Oliver's cavorting around were beginning to make the Queen name look bad, and it was in their best interest to gain control over his actions. Moira agreed whole heartedly and took it upon herself to tighten the reins on her son as quickly as possible.
Oliver was then forced to take an executive position at Queen Consolidated and to be groomed to run the company alongside Walter Steele, his stepfather. With his new position came a higher social standard and the need to keep up appearances with his peers. This meant that Laurel would be the perfect model for his plus one at all the gala and fundraising events he would be attending. His mother kept a very close eye on him and Laurel kept him on a very short leash. Oliver couldn't even flash an eye at another woman if he tried.
It was with Oliver's new position in the family business that caused him to hand his part of Verdant to his younger sister, Thea. She was a mere 19 years old but understood what young people wanted in a night club, and she helped Tommy make it the premier club in the city. Anyone who's anyone was there and if they weren't, they wanted to be.
Tonight Oliver was taking advantage of Laurel's need to be around her friends and show off her ring, making them green with envy that she had roped one of the most eligible bachelors of Starling city and was now the future Mrs. Queen.
Tommy and Oliver entered through the VIP area of the club and headed straight for the bar. "Jill, we need an endless amount of alcohol brought to our table ASAP!" Tommy yelled to the bartender over the loud music as he pointed up to the VIP table they would be stationed at for the night.
They headed upstairs to the balconies' VIP area where they had a full view of the bar and dance floor. The waitress brought them up a bottle of tequila and two glasses. "Thank you, Stacey," Tommy winked flirtatiously at her.
"Of course, Mr. Merlin," She smiled and wrinkled her nose, giving him a wink back. "Let me know if you need anything else." With that, she turned and walked back downstairs to the bar.
Tommy watched her every step biting his bottom lip. "Did you see that, Ollie? Wow!"
"Tommy, be serious here. She's your employee," Oliver said with a laugh.
"Be careful what you say, Ollie. That waitress could be my future wife," Tommy laughed. "Besides, when did you start caring if they were employees or not? Let's not forget Tara and the compromising position you were in with her in the bar," He shook his head and smiled. "I still can't figure out how you got her leg…"
"Ok Tommy, I got your point," Oliver said, with a smile. "Those were definitely some good times."
Tommy poured two glasses of tequila and handed Oliver one. He held up his glass to toast. "Here's to sleeping with only one woman for the rest of your life. I'm glad it's not me!" They each saluted each other and downed the alcohol, quickly refilling their glasses.
By 10:30 pm, the club was packed and the dance floor full. Oliver looked longingly over the balcony at the swarm of people that covered the dance floor. He took another sip from his glass and thought about all the ways his life was going to change. His head suddenly started to hurt.
"Are you ok, buddy?" Tommy questioned him, concerned. "I thought this was a celebration because honestly, you look depressed. You know it could be worse. Laurel's not bad on the eyes. Yeah she's a little stick in the mud and a fun sucker, but..."
"Tommy Merlin," A woman's voice interrupted his sentence. "Did I hear the word suck come out of your mouth?" the blond said, as she sat on the edge of the table and took the full glass from him. She smiled at him, downed the drink and set the glass back down in front of him.
Tommy quickly stood up and hugged her, pulling her off the table. "Sara Lance! I didn't know you were home from school. How are you? We were just talking about your sister."
Sara was Laurel's younger sister, and she was always known as the rebellious one. It always attracted Oliver to her, honestly. They even had a heavy make out session on one of her school breaks, but it ended before it began since Sara stated that she wasn't into her sister's type and thought it would be a little too messy to go there.
Stepping out of Tommy's embrace, she shook her head and laughed. "Yeah, that explained the word suck being used then. She tends to suck the life out of anything that might look remotely fun in any way shape or form." She turned to walk over to Oliver. "See," she said, leaning in to give him a hug. "Look at Ollie here. He's in a vegetative state and they've only been engaged for how many hours." She smiled jokingly at him. "Lighten up, Ollie! I was just kidding."
"Don't let old Ollie here fool you. He may not show it yet, but he's thrilled beyond belief to be leaving the fun behind," Tommy pulled a chair up to the table for Sara to join them. "So when did you get back in town?
"About two days ago. A couple friends and I decided to take a celebration trip after graduation to Cabo. It was our last hoorah before real grown up life begins," Sara said with a happy head shake. "So Ollie. Are you ready for the wedding planning to begin?"
Oliver sighed "I.."
"Oh shit! Hold that thought! Crap I totally forgot!" Sara jumped out of her seat and leaned over the balcony rail searching the crowd. She stopped, smiled and waved frantically. "I'll be right back." She made her way down the stairs and met with two other girls taking their hands and dragging them over and up the stairs and over to the table where Oliver and Tommy sat.
"Boys, this is Nyssa," Sara said with a smile, biting her lower lip. "Nyssa is my girlfriend."
Tommy and Oliver both looked slightly shocked. Sara was in no way a virgin when it came to men and from the stories they had heard she was quite the handful.
"Wow, I mean it's good to meet you, Nyssa." Oliver smiled and shook her hand.
"Yes, very nice to meet you, Nyssa," Tommy said, still stunned. He leaned into Sara and whispered in her ear, joking "I'll pay to watch." He laughed as Sara smacked his arm.
"Lovely to meet you both as well," Nyssa said in her British accent.
"Oh and this is Felicity. We're celebrating the new job she starts next week," Sara pulled the short blonde out from behind Nyssa.
The blond stumbled slightly forward and stood up straight, giving a closed mouth smile and a small wave.
Oliver got up from his chair and their eyes met for the first time. "I'm Oliver Queen." He said, flashing his best billionaire smile. His mind and heart started to race. What was happening here? Maybe this was the tequila talking, but suddenly a very clear vision of Felicity standing in front of him and vows being said, children being born flashed through his head. It was unreal and for what seemed like an eternity they just stared at each other. He stepped forward to shake her hand, feeling that if he at least could touch her just this once, he might have clarity, and he could catch his breath again.
Just as he was about to shake her hand, Tommy stepped forward and took her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. She turned to him and the connection was broken. Oliver sighed heavily.
"I'm Tommy Merlin, and it is so nice to meet you," He smiled as he joined his hands together and moved behind her. "Please join us." He lead her to the chair he was sitting in and then grabbed some other chairs for Sara and Nyssa to sit on.
Oliver sat down across from Tommy, slightly annoyed that he had interrupted his moment. "What are you ladies drinking tonight?" he asked, trying to start any kind of conversation that he could think of so he could talk to Felicity.
"Margaritas, of course." Sara yelled over the music pumping
"Then Margaritas it is," Tommy motioned for Oliver to join him, walking over to the bar to get a pitcher and glasses to the table for everyone.
"What the hell was that all about Tommy?" Oliver questioned him, irritated.
"I know. Did you see that blond?" Tommy said, grabbing his chest. "I think I met my future wife."
Oliver shook his head "Didn't you just say that about Jill the waitress earlier tonight." Oliver scoffed. "Really Tommy, she's a friend of Sara's and you know you don't want to piss her off by hurting one of her friends. I mean she is a black belt and can more than likely kick your ass if need be."
Tommy raised his eyebrow and looked at Oliver. "Ahhhh… I see….." Tommy nodded with a breathy laugh.
"What?" Oliver asked with a confused look on his face.
"You're doing that thing you always do." Tommy shook his head with a half smile and turned to the bar to grab the picture and glasses.
"What are you talking about Tommy?" Oliver questioned. "What thing? I don't have a thing I do."
"Actually you do." Tommy stated. "You do this thing whenever we spot a girl and you want her for yourself." Oliver clenched his jaw and turned away sucking his lips in. "See! You know I'm right!" Tommy smiled widely. "You see something you like and I like, then you make some excuse so that I don't make a move and then whoosh you swoop in and make your own move."
He watched as Oliver looked down shaking his head and smiling. In his head he knew Tommy was right. That was exactly what he was doing. It was a game he had mastered. He would always find a way to win the girl if it was someone they were both interested it. It was too easy now, but now that he was engaged the game was done. He sighed heavily feeling the loss.
"Ha! I knew it." Tommy nudged him "Come on Ollie, let's get back to the lovely ladies before blondie forgets about me."
"Not before you say hello to your sister first." A voice yelled. Turning around they faced a Thea Queen arms crossed, head tilted with a half smile on her face. "I can't believe you come to my club and don't even call me to say you're here."
"Hi Thea." Oliver said walking over to her and hugging her.
She gave him a squeeze and put her hands on his shoulders to look at him. "Congrats Ollie."
Oliver sighed as he looked at her with an almost pained look. "Yep. I take it Laurel already called you?"
Thea Laughed. "Of course she did. She texted me a picture of the ring and already asked me to be in the wedding. All I can say is buckle up because this is going to be a bumpy ride." She gently patted his shoulder and then turned to give Tommy a hug.
Still holding the Margarita picture and glasses Tommy gave her an open armed hug. "I was wondering if you were going to come here tonight." She smiled. "Margaritas. And who are we entertaining this evening?" Thea asked as she scanned the room.
Tommy grinned sheepishly. "Thea, I'm hurt."
"Which one Tommy?" Thea folded her arms across her chest waiting for an answer.
"The blonde." Tommy blurted out. "You can't blame me Thea. She's gorgeous."
Thea rolled her eyes. "Go then before you lose your window of opportunity." She smiled and shook her head. "And don't worries I'll make sure Jill keeps everyone's glass full." She shook her head and watched them disappear through the crowd and back up the stairs. "Trouble." She mumbled to herself and turned to go back and manage the bar.
Tommy monopolized Felicity for the rest of the night making her laugh and smile. He laid on the Merlin charm pretty thick even to the "I can read palms line" as an excuse to touch her hand.
Yes Oliver was watching intently as he chatted with Sara and Nyssa. All three girls laughed and shared their college memories and then decided it was time to hit the dance floor. "You coming Ollie?" Sara asked taking his hand.
Oliver gave a tight lipped smile. "I think I'll sit this one out at the bar."
Sara smiled and squeezed his hand, let go and followed Tommy and the other girls down the stairs and to the dance floor. Oliver followed them down the stair case and headed to the bar.
"Scotch neat please." He ordered as he leaned against it watching Tommy and the girls move around the dance floor. He took the glass in his hand and swirled the liquid around. Feeling a little melancholy for all the things he would be missing he looked down at the glass he downed the drink and set it on the bar. Maybe Theas office was open and he could go in there for a few minutes and forget about feeling left out of the fun.
When he got to the office he grabbed the doorknob and gently pulled. "Crap, it's locked." He mumbled to himself. Turning around he leaned his head and back against the door and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stayed there for quite a bit thinking of an excuse to tell Tommy so he could leave when he was interrupted by someone.
"I take it this is not the ladies room?" The blonde said sucking in her lips feeling slightly uncomfortable for interrupting the moment she could see he needed.
Oliver looked up to see Sara's friend standing in front of him. The brighter light of the hall way really brought out how blue her eyes were and how beautiful she really was. Oliver took a second to catch his breath and stood up.
"Felicity right?" He stated more than questioned. "No this is not were the public bathrooms are. They are actually on the other side of the club.
"Oh…well I guess I should let you get back to what you were doing. You look like you want to be alone, so I'll-" she pointed with her thumb towards the door she came in.
"NO!" Oliver practically shouted shocking her a bit. "I mean you don't have to go right away, I mean, I'd like it if you stayed."
Felicity tilted her head in confusion.
"What I mean," Oliver stammered. "is that there is a private bathroom here and it's kind of nice to talk without the music pounding. It makes it hard to hear what anyone is saying. Not that you have to stay, I mean you can go if you want to, I mean it's a free country you can do whatever you want. I mean. Do you know what I mean?"
Felicity's smile widened. "Usually it's me babbling uncontrollably. It's nice to know it happens to someone else sometimes." She joked. "I actually was just going to the ladies room to get away from the noise for a bit so if you don't mind I'll stay here."
Oliver's lips curled into a smile. He motioned to the wall next to him. "I've got plenty of wall space if you'd like to lean next to me." Felicity obliged and walked over to the wall next to him, She leaned up against it and turned to face him.
"So….Felicity?" he questioned drawing out her name as if to ask her full name.
"Smoak." She blurted out
"Well, Felicity Smoak, what brings you to starling city?"
"Um, well, I just finished my masters and I got offered this great job heading the IT department. It was either come here or go back to Vegas and I honestly had no desire to go back to Vegas." She said turning her head to look down for a second as if to forget a bad memory.
"Masters degree already. You must be super smart." Oliver smiled. "I didn't finish college myself. Tommy and I used our time for other activities."
"Yes. I heard about some of them. Something about a cop and mistaking his leg for a bathroom." Felicity joked.
Oliver looked down in embarrassment. "Yea….Is there anyone on the planet that doesn't know that story."
"Probably not. If it's on the internet, anyone can find it." Felicity laughed. "So, I hear you're getting married to Sara's sister. You're a lucky man." She said looking down and then back at him. "She's really beautiful."
Oliver looked down then up at the ceiling. "Yeah. The wedding is next year." He looked back at her with a pained expression.
"I know I don't know you or anything, but you don't seem very happy about it. I mean I'm not trying to judge your or anything, oh please don't take this the wrong way. What I'm saying is that I know if I was engaged I wouldn't want to be standing in a hallway alone. Technically I know you're not alone because I'm here, but I'd want to be with my fiancé and not at a club talking to me a total stranger and here I am babbling. I'll just stop now."
Felicity turned to Oliver and sucked her lips in again to stop herself from blurting anything else out. Oliver just looked at her and smiled shaking his head. "I guess you do ramble a bit."
"I'm sorry." Felicity apologized and turned to look down. "I didn't mean to offend you or say anything out of line. I hope I didn't and I'm sorry if I did."
She turned to look back at him to see the expression on his face wondering if he was pissed at her for the minor rant she just did. Instead she saw Oliver smiling at her as if to say thank you for the honesty. A small piece of hair fell in her eye and Oliver reached up to put it back behind her ear. They got dangerously close and their faces turned serious. Felicity could see Oliver looking at her lips as she licked them readying for what felt like a kiss about to happen. His hand started to drop to her jaw line to bring her closer. They were both holding their breath in anticipation, when suddenly they heard a door.
Oliver quickly took his hand away and rubbed his neck putting his other hand in his pocket.
"There you are." Tommy said sauntering over to her and taking her hand.
Felicity's heart was going a mile a minute and she took a deep breath. "I got lost looking for the ladies room and I found Oliver here. He let me use the private bathroom instead."
"Yeah, I needed a break for a second and low and behold along came Felicity." Oliver stated. Wow was that a true statement he thought looking at her. His chest felt tight and all he could think about is how close he came to kissing her.
"Well then, let's get you two back to the party." Tommy walked towards the door to open it and lead them through it.
Felicity walked over to Oliver and leaned in to him. "Thank you for the use of the bathroom." She smiled and then whispered to him. "I hope you find your happy." With that she disappeared through the door Tommy was holding open.
Oliver looked at Tommy. "I'll be right there." He said waiving him on. Tommy smiled and went back into the club. Oliver stood there for a second and rubbed the back of his neck. He turned to the wall and faced it putting both hands on it. He took a deep breath and shook his head.
Felicity Smoak had turned his entire world around in a ten minute conversation. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but he really wanted to find out. He took another deep breath and headed towards the door. Yes Felicity Smoak was definitely something else. Something else indeed. He walked through the door and back to the club.