AN: I just want to make a huge shout out to my beta Tdgal1.

Last Chapter's song was: What is this Feeling? - Wicked Cast

Last night had been hell. Actual hell. After Laurel crashed their guys' night out, only to be followed by Sara, Oliver had retreated home to his personal bottle of whiskey. There was absolutely nothing on Earth that would make him stay in the forsaken club one more minute. So, as he walked into the hallowed halls of QC, he was excited to go to work. It gave him an excuse to be free from everyone and everything. He could just hide in his office, play some games, relax – "Oliver!"

Never mind. Crap, the contract. Walter was bound to know he lied now. Maybe that was why the British man was waiting for him in the lobby. Like a predator waiting for its prey.

"Hi Walter," Oliver mumbled in return.

"I wanted to talk to you about Palmer Tech." Here comes the judgment. Oliver nodded his head as they walked into the elevator.

"I just received the authorized contract this morning. It was quite inclusive to all our needs and well put together. Of course, there are a few things that we still need to work with them one, like the financials and rights to the programs."

Oliver was speechless. He hadn't done anything for the contract. If anything, he hindered the process to get it written. With a smile plastered on his face, Oliver nodded his head, thankful that at least Walter knew what he was doing.

"Since you did such a great job with the meeting and coordinating, you wouldn't mind taking point on this would you?" Walter looked genuinely pleased.

"Um… sure?" Oliver was completely lost. Thrilled he was back in good graces, Oliver still had to wonder how a 'well put together' contract was delivered.

"Great. Well, I have some things to attend to today. But make sure you reach out to them with our counter offer. I'd do it today if I were you. Be proactive," Walter stepped out of the elevator and gave Oliver a final nod before turning and heading to his office.

Wonderful. Now he oversaw this whole project. What did that even mean? Did that make him a project manager? That wasn't in his job description, or was it? He would have to look at his job summarization when he got back to his office or maybe he could Google it. This was turning out to be worse than the previous night. Worse than Laurel accusing of him sleeping with Felicity. Oh God, Felicity. He would have to talk to her again. This was terrible. Missing his stop, Oliver found himself back at his office as his hard at work assistant stopped to flirt with him.

Ignoring her advances, he was determined to hide and play his games on the computer. Maybe he would check his email. Moreover, he needed time to think about how the contract even came to be. It sure wasn't due to his workings, so either Walter was lying to him. Doubtful. Maybe that Palmer guy had something to do with it. Plausible. That guy needed the contract for his company to grow. Then there's the last option; Felicity. Clearly, she didn't do it, especially after last night's nightmare. His thought process was broken off when his cell phone starting ringing. One look at the screen told him it was his father calling.

"Hi dad."

"Hello Oliver. How are you doing?" his father sounded remarkably calm. Usually when he called Oliver, he called to yell at him.

"I'm doing alright. Why that sudden phone call?" he was sure his voice conveyed confusion and concern.

"I just had the most interesting chat with Mr. Steele about you. Apparently not only did you go to the meeting we asked you to go to, but you also landed a well put together contract with the company." His father's voice sounded perplexed seasoned with a touch of pride.

"Yeah. It was weird actually doing work, but it got done," he figured he had already dug the three feet, might as well go the full six.

"Good, son. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am that you've stepped up and taken some part in your leadership role. Great job, Oliver." That was definite pride he could hear through the phone.

"Thank you, dad," his father never complimented him. The whole phone called was surreal.

"Listen, I have to go back to my meetings. But, when I get back, I'd love for us to do something." Now this was the tone of voice he was used to. The sound of half-hearted promises and excuses.

"Alright. Bye, I'll talk to you later," and with a click the call was disconnected.

It was strange having his father call out of the blue. It was a nice turn of events, but it was still weird. Robert Queen was almost always too busy to talk to him unless it was due to something he had done wrong. Maybe things were turning around for his dad. Or maybe it was because he did what he was asked. Well, technically he didn't. He still needed to figure out who actually did it for him. Regardless who did it, he needed to call the Palmer guy. Hopefully he wasn't a pompous asshole.

"Hello. Is Dr. Palmer available? This is Oliver Queen from Queen Consolidated. I'm calling about your contract," he had called the main building and a woman's voice welcomed him. Well, looks like some of those speech classes had imprinted on him.

"Looks like you're in luck, he actually just got out of a meeting. I'll transfer the call now." Oliver played with the phone cord while he listened to the dreaded elevator music.

"Hello, Dr. Palmer speaking." Oh yes, he most certainly had the voice of an asshole.

"Hi, It's Oliver Queen from Queen Consolidated."

"Hi Mr. Queen! It's so great to hear from you. I was just thinking about the programs your company wants. I think you'll be incredibly pleased with what we have to offer." This guy sounded like an idiot with his too cheerful tone.

"I'm sure we will," after all, something was better than nothing.

"I assume you found Ms. Smoak helpful?" The obvious delight in Palmer's voice graded on him but he did not understand why.

"Yeah, Felicity was… helpful," the pieces were somewhat starting to fall together.

"Fantastic! She is just a Godsend. We really didn't start taking off as a company until I recruited her out of MIT. Felicity leading the negotiations will benefit both of our companies. Are you the one to contact?"

"Yes, I am." Oliver held his head in his hands. Seeing more of Felicity ensured more awkward moments. This was not okay.

"So, how about you stop by later today? Felicity is free this afternoon."

"I can make that happen." What choice did he have?

"Great! I'll let her know to expect you later today." The overly cheerful doctor hung up, leaving an unsatisfying deadline in his wake. Oliver transferred from holding his head to banging his head on the desk. Seeing Felicity was not on his to do list.

He needed to pretend to do his work now that another meeting had been called. Maybe he should look at the contract that apparently Felicity had written. After several failed attempts at logging in on his computer, he opened his mail. 3925 unread messages and an alert that his mailbox was full. Something else to ignore. A prolonged problem was a deniable problem, right? The contract was well written; so incredibly well written that he had no idea what it was even talking about. After a solid five minutes of trying to decipher the legal and technical speak, he gave up and decided he had earned himself a lunch… brunch break.

"Yes Janice?"

"I have a copy of the rights and trademark for the software contract. Ms. Smoak sent them over after our conversation," she held up a decent sized pile of papers. Another heavy worded document that would go over his head. The frown on his face growing deeper with each paper that waved in the air soon changed to a tight line of confusion.

"When did you talk to Felicity?" his head tilted, as he asked the question, which was a turn on for Janice apparent from the tomato blush on her face. "She called after your meeting had ended. We only talked briefly. She asked me if I could send over the document of needs from QC along with the latest Information Technology report. I went ahead and called the departments, used you name by the way, and sent them right over to her. I assumed you were aware," he head was bowed and her voice soft by the end of her explanation.

"Oh… those documents! Of course, I knew," he played along. He was getting used to this business lying. She immediately perked up and smiled.

"Well, Ms. Smoak was very helpful. I can't even begin to explain how thorough she was. Such a sweetheart too." Felicity was a sweetheart? Was he the only person she treated like an idiot? What version of Felicity did he see?

"Of course. Thank you, Janice," and yet another piece of the puzzle had been placed. Yet the picture became even more unclear. He needed to solve this puzzle one and for all. With a final smile towards his overeager assistant, he headed to the parking garage to go to Palmer Technologies.

Felicity sat at her desk angrily stabbing the keys on her keyboard. She was working on the new APEX software and was stuck on one algorithm that just didn't want to be solved. "Ms. Smoak," Gerry's head popped into the office.

"How many times have I told you to call me Felicity?" she responded on impulse.

"Right… Felicity. Mr. Palmer said he wanted to see you," Gerry had guarded her door as if she was a princess in a tower after receiving her request to be left alone. Apparently, that extended to her boss as well.

"Did he say why?" Felicity stood up from her desk preparing to go to Ray's office, or rather, his workroom.

"I believe it was over the QC contract." Gerry said stealing a glance at his watch.

"Okay. I'm going to head up now. Feel free to take a lunch break." Realizing the time, Felicity added in the suggestion. She often forgot meals as she worked; but Gerry did not need to do so.

"Glad you actually were aware of the time," Gerry smiled and joked teasingly.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Thanks, Gerry."

Felicity just nodded her head and smiled. Gerry was great and it was days like these that made her really appreciate him. She had showed up to the office around five a.m. and immediately went to work on the coding of APEX. Gerry, the ever-trustworthy assistant, showed up around six a.m. with a new cup of coffee. That man was a lifesaver.

Ray wanted to talk to her about the contract. Maybe he found out she had lied to multiple people at Queen Consolidated to make it happen. She wasn't really left with a choice. She had to get the information! Janice, Oliver's assistant, had been more than helpful once she had told her that Oliver was on board with everything. Janice was nice and didn't even stop her rambles. In a way, it was nice to know at least someone was competent at QC. The Human Resources contact was so sweet that he didn't even complain when she started to talk about cybermen. He seemed confused but gave her everything she needed. Efficiently, she drafted the contract sending it over to QC's CEO, Walter Steele. She loved the man's British accent and he was so nice. She barely got the copy on Ray's desk before Caitlin and Sara forced her from the office.

Their night out started off shaky and ended with an emotional throw-down. It was horrid. That Laurel girl playing the clingy girlfriend and calling her a tramp because of her jealousy had really been the icing on the cake. A pedophile? Really? Was that comment necessary? Oliver Queen was a known playboy so why would that girl even stay with him? How could you possibly expect a dedicated relationship from him? Felicity just didn't understand. It almost made her regret her choice to put effort into writing the contract.

Ray Palmer was the reason she pushed down her annoyance and wrote the contract. - Why should Ray, who had worked so hard to build up his company, lose a possible client due to the ineptness of someone like Oliver Queen? Once she had decided to write the contract, it wasn't a very far leap to the mission of protecting Oliver as well. While she may hate the man-child, she could relate. She had gone through her rebellious stage in college and that was with the added bonus of being forced to mature faster than others her age. With a single mother who worked as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas, it was a miracle Felicity could even attend MIT. The full ride scholarship helped, but it didn't cover her cost of living. Working two jobs gave her the responsibility and drive to grow up. Then, after a few events in college, she was forced to change her ways again.

Maybe Oliver just hadn't had the need to grow-up yet. Not everyone was granted life altering circumstances that force one to change their ways and mature. She might not be able to change Oliver, but she could give him a chance. Clearly, he had put some type of effort into the project due to his father. It was a start. She just hoped she wouldn't have to work with him ever again. Her random act of kindness had been submitted for the quarter.

"So, you'll be working with Oliver Queen for this project," Ray announced from his workstation. He was talking while fixing some type of processor on his workbench. Felicity had to blink twice to even comprehend what he said; and it still didn't make sense. Her whole face screamed confusion and disbelief.

"I said that you and Oliver would be working on the project. I talked to Walter at QC and he agreed with me that you two would be the best option to keep communications between the companies open. Besides, you both did so well on the contract. There's barely any changes that need to be made from a technical standpoint which doesn't happen very often. Anyway, Walter was going to talk to Oliver and advise him to come over this afternoon, but you might want to visit Walter at some point as well. He said you were welcome anytime." Ray had put down his mini screwdriver and was now leaning against the table with his arm. He flashed one of his charming smiles towards her after finishing his spiel. Felicity, however, was much more agitated. This had gone from a calm and relaxed day to a rainstorm.

"I have to work with him?" It was very rare for Felicity to be at a loss of words. Yet, this seemed to be one of those instances.

"I mean, you don't have to. But, it would be preferred. Yes," Ray's face started to match hers of confusion. Ray had no idea what happened between her and Oliver; so, his confusion was earned.

"Oh. Okay. I can do that, I guess. Thanks for putting me in charge of this. I should probably get back to work though," Felicity gestured towards the door. Really, she was thankful for being put in charge of the negotiations. It was the first large deal she had been in control of. The fact Ray put her in charge really meant something to her.

"No problem Felicity. I trust you," Ray nodded in her direction then turned back to swearing at his processor.

It wasn't that she was placed in charge of the project that made her mad. Not even putting up with Oliver for the entire project. What it came down to was the fact this was just her fault. She had no one else to blame but herself. What was she doing trying to give that guy a chance at growing up? She certainly didn't want to try to help him mature and change. That wasn't her job; she wasn't a life coach. One thing was for certain. No more acts of kindness for her. No, the little old lady would have to cross the street by herself before she put Felicity in charge of her end-of-life care.

Instead of going back to her office, she opted to go to Queen Consolidated to meet up with Walter. The man was nice enough on the phone, she could start easy and work her way up to Oliver. Leaving a note on Gerry's desk, she jumped in her precious mini cooper and took off to QC.

Queen Consolidated's building was much taller than she could've imagined. It was a literal skyscraper. She hoped that she could even find Mr. Steele's office. The security kiosk was the first sight that welcomed her through the overly large glass doors. She politely introduced herself to the large men behind the desk and was immediately granted a security badge. The location of his office still confused her, even after one of the security fellows in the back had tried to explain to her where it was. He had apparently given up because he resorted to offering her an escort up. She quickly agreed due to the fear of getting lost in the labyrinth. So, there she sat. On the edge of her seat in the CFO's office meeting with the man himself.

"I just wanted to introduce myself in person and see if there's anything else we could do for you as a company," Felicity summarized. She might have been talking for a prolonged period before hand, she might not have. She wasn't sure at this point.

"Thank you, Ms. Smoak. Your diligence and attention to detail of this process has been astonishing. I can definitely see why Dr. Palmer recommended you. You are quite a remarkable young woman. Huge accomplishment for your position at your age. I must say, I am impressed," his voice was so smooth it could slice butter.

"Thank you, Mr. Steele. I've worked quite hard to get where I am," her soft but firm voice could be heard echoing in the large office.

"It shows. I think Dr. Palmer has alerted you, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm planning on putting Oliver Queen in charge of QC's liaison with you," Water leaned back in his chair.

"I was informed. Yes," her face reflected her ever present confusion; Felicity pondered if her face would be permanently stuck this way.

"I have the utmost confidence in you two. The contract you two managed to draft was impressive considering how quickly it was done," now it was Walter's turn to wear a mask of subtle curiosity mixed with doubt.

"Oliver was helpful in his own way. I couldn't have done it without him," she wasn't entirely lying. She wouldn't have received any of those documents without name dropping Oliver Queen. Not wanting to talk poorly about Oliver in front of his boss, she quickly realized she may have gone too far. Mr. Steele's face looked so dubious. She internally winced after reading his expression.

"Yes, well, I'm sure this project will go by smoothly and efficiently between the two of you," he settled after reading her reaction.

"Our programs speak for themselves, but, I'm sure this will be a great experience for everyone," she settled on those words. There wasn't much left to say, so she stood up taking his final words as a dismissal. He stood as well and reached out his hand for a handshake. She took his hand with her usual delicateness and flashed him what she hopped was a reassuring smile.

"One more thing Ms. Smoak; I do hope you are aware of Oliver's lifestyle choices and that you won't be privy to any of his latest endeavors." Mr. Steele mentioned quietly, yet sternly, with a serious look.

She almost laughed at his statement, but was immediately set into a cloud of uneasiness when she realized he was completely serious. She nodded her head in deference and walked out of his office, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

Oliver finally made it to Palmer Technologies after stopping for a quick bite to eat. He did a once over on himself and settled on the idea that it could be worse, then walked straight into the building. Security didn't give him such a hard time this round, but it was probably due to the fact he was following their rules. Remembering Felicity's comment, Oliver alerted Gerry, her assistant. "She's ready for you, Mr. Queen," the timid man announced.

Oliver nodded his head in thanks and walked into her office.

"So, I hear we're business partners now," he greeted her. He noted she was hard at work. A concentrated look was on her face as he entered.

"It would seem so," she threw him a smug smile while putting down her work.

"Does this mean we'll be working with each other from now on?" Did she even want to work with him? Why did she do all that work without even taking the credit? Oliver wondered about Felicity Smoak.

"Working on a project as a team seems to require us to," her voice was soft and gentle.

"You managed to draft a contract, purchase agreement, and copyright notice without me. You're probably better off without me." For a second he saw the agreement on her face before she put her 'business' face back on.

"While yes, some things would be much quicker without your presence, I do need your participation in our negotiations," she was outright chuckling now. Her laugh flowed through him like a river.

"I guess I should show up and work a bit…" Falling back on his charm, he smiled as he commented.

"Probably." Oliver was used to girls showing desire when he flashed his smile but Felicity seemed unfazed by his charisma.

"Probably," he nodded in agreement. Her smile was infectious. Dear God, was he falling for this girl? Why did he have to fall for the one girl who was utterly and completely out of his league? But she had to feel something for him, right? She was the one who protected him from losing his trust fund. He realized their laughs had calmed down to silence. He had been stuck in his thoughts and she seemed to be as well. She was looking at him with an indistinguishable look. It wasn't the doe eyed looked he usually got from girls, this look he couldn't quite make out.

"So, about that contract…" he studied her face and received a nod of encouragement to continue his sentence, "we should probably talk at it."

"We probably should," her voice was almost inaudible.

"Walter thinks I actually had a part in it," another small nod, "and it even earned me a positive call from my father. You covered for me." Oliver paused and Felicity added.

"and did all your work."

"That too. Which begs the question, why?" She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.

"It's simple. The purchase and advertisement is good for Palmer Tech. I did what I had to make sure it went through." Her lips were moving saying one thing, but her face was telling a completely different story. She was hiding something; he just didn't know what.

"That's it? That's the only reason why?" he was going to get the truth out.

"That's it," her back had straightened and her face went back into the position of a no-nonsense business woman.

"Well then. I guess I'll just say thank you and leave it there," he recognized that position of hers. All the girls he had cheated on give him the same body language when they had caught him and were clearly the one leading the conversation. This was like being in a relationship without any of the benefits. Any at all.

"You're welcome; we appreciate your business," she was smirking. Oliver saw the way she looked at her computer hinting that she needed to return to it.

"I should probably go back to my office. I have some work to do," he stood up and moved towards the door.

"Right I'm sure your shooting game is truly missing your presence." She wore the largest smile that he had seen on her to date.

"What?" he laughed.

"If it's on the internet, I can find it."

With those final words of wisdom, Oliver went back to his office and in determination to prove Felicity wrong, prove his father wrong, hell, prove everyone wrong, he decided he would work. That girl was going to give him a run for his money. Which was saying something considering how much money had had, or rather what his parents had. He threw himself in his desk chair and opened his email to look for the budget reports that he was constantly sent and ignored. Maybe he could look at it to see if it made any sense and sign off on it. Yes, Oliver was starting to put forth effort.