A/N: This was the scene that convinced me to change this to a standalone story. It's about 1,000 words … of Oliver…in a jewelry store. It was either cut it, or give in to the fluff and write a larger story. The fluff won.

Incentives

Chapter Two – One of a Kind

The next day was Saturday, so theoretically it should have meant a day to breathe, or at the very least a day where he could focus solely on dealing with their new Triad problem. Unfortunately, there was an investor in town who insisted on being glad-handed at QC at 11:00. It meant both he and Felicity had to make an appearance at the office, though he was determined to see that she got her well-earned ice cream the minute they were finished. If there was one thing about being a masked vigilante, it usually worked best after dark.

As he was grabbing his watch from the tray on top of his dresser the sight of his diamond cuff-links reminded him of the other part of last night's conversation. Without thinking too much about it, he picked up his phone and dialed Digg's number. "Would it be a problem for us to head out an hour earlier?" he asked.

"Is something wrong?" Digg asked.

"No, I just need to pick something up," Oliver told him.

When he climbed into the back of the car twenty-minutes later Digg looked back at him. "So where we going?"

"Pioneer Plaza," Oliver said, giving him the name of one of Starling City's most high-end shopping areas.

Digg let out half a laugh and looked back at him. "You swap bodies with Thea this morning?"

Oliver gave him a look. "Can we go?"

Digg nodded and negotiated the traffic as Oliver flipped through e-mail on his phone. Felicity had done something miraculous with it so that the e-mails at the top of his inbox actually tended to be the most important ones.

When they reached the two blocks of exclusive shops Digg called back. "Which one?'

"Third one down, right side," Oliver said, putting the phone away. He waited for the moment that Digg realized where they were going.

That moment came about two seconds later. "You are not serious," Digg said, as he looked up at Starling Custom Jewelers.

Oliver grinned. "You're the one who told her to go big," he said, and before Digg could reply he was out of the car.

As he entered the small store filled with dizzying array of well-polished glass cases the sales clerk greeted him instantly. "Good morning, sir." The woman was probably ten years or so younger than his mother, and her eyes went wide as she looked at him. "Oh, hello Mr. Queen. How can I help you?"

The question caused him to freeze and for a couple of long seconds he almost forgot the whole thing. It wasn't that he didn't know how to buy jewelry; he'd been in this same store only two months before buying something for Thea. And, in his pre-island days he'd thrown diamond solitaire earrings at women as his standard way of "apologizing" for acting like an ass. Laurel had gotten two pairs in six months once. That had not gone over well.

And, he realized as he stood there, Felicity certainly deserved better than some sort of recycled, throw-away gesture.

"I'm looking for a gift for a friend," he said finally.

"Very good. Man or woman?" the clerk asked.

"Woman," he said firmly.

The clerk gave him a knowing look. "Of course, Mr. Queen. That kind of friend, I understand."

He opened his mouth to protest and shut it again when he realized that he'd managed to reveal more than he wanted to with just the tone of that one word answer. It implied that… The clerk said his name, and he looked up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "What was that?"

"I asked if you had something particular in mind. Are you celebrating an occasion of some sort?" she asked.

"No, not really," he realized it wasn't a helpful answer. Shaking his head, he said, "Just something to let her know I appreciate her."

"Alright." The clerk said, and there was the tiniest bit of a sigh in her voice. "What about a particular form? Earrings, bracelet, ring?"

"Not earrings," he said quickly, "and not a ring. That's just a little…"

"Too soon?" the clerk finished with a teasing smile.

"Yeah," he said. Then he mentally kicked himself - that was twice now he'd involuntarily responded in a way that suggested Felicity was his girlfriend.

"That does narrow it down a bit," the clerk said, though he could tell she was still expecting more information. When he didn't respond she said. "Perhaps you could describe her for me? Her style or personality?"

Why was this so hard? He hadn't thought it would be hard. Tilting his head he said, "Colorful, bright." He clenched his teeth. "Sweet."

The clerk's smile got more genuine and he wondered why. In a less business like tone she said, "I have a handful of one of kind pieces in today, maybe one of those?"

"Yes," Oliver said. If there was one thing that described Felicity it was one of a kind.

He followed the clerk around to another display case and looked at several pieces before he finally saw the right thing. "That's it," he said, as sure now as he had been uncertain two minutes ago. Who knew there were pink sapphires? And that they could pack ten diamonds into something that was less than an inch in diameter?

As he slid his credit card across the counter he sincerely hoped Felicity never found out exactly how much he paid for this necklace with its small flower pendant. The clerk handed him the flat rectangular box with a smile. "I hope she enjoys it, Mr. Queen."

"So do I," Oliver said.

With a sigh of relief and a surprising sense of anticipation he stuck the box in his coat pocket and walked back outside. Opening the back door, he caught Digg's raised eyebrow.

"Took you long enough," Digg said.

"Just giving you time to finish that crossword puzzle," Oliver shot back. He took a deep breath as they pulled away from the curb. Hopefully, the ice cream would be easier to buy then the diamonds had been.