Felicity had the perfect dress to wear on her date with Tommy. Pairing it with her gold sparkly heels and her trademark glasses, It was a black short tight dress with cut outs at the sides and shoulders and the back was mostly open with a few strips of fabric allowing her soft porcelain skin show. She stood in front of the mirror taking one last look because she heard the doorbell. Felicity looked at the clock by her bed and saw that he was right on time for the date. She grabbed her clutch and opened the door. She knew she made the right decision when he saw his eyes trail down her legs and quickly back to her face.
"Hi Tommy."
"Felicity…you look…stunning," Tommy breathed out.
"Thank you. You clean up nicely yourself."
He smiled, "Ready to go?"
She nodded and locked the door behind her before walking to his car, where he opened the door for her.
"Well, aren't you just such a gentleman."
"The one thing my dad did teach me right was open up doors for ladies."
She grinned as she buckled her seat belt and they left for the restaurant.
"So tell me everything there is to know about Tommy Merlyn," Felicity said after they ordered.
"Well, I'm an aquarius, only child, barely graduated from Yale University with my business degree thanks to my father's funding, own the night club with Oliver, reputation as a playboy no longer entirely valid, and my favorite color is blue. What about you?"
"I'm a Leo, only child, double master degrees from MIT in computer science and cyber security at 20 thanks to a full scholarship, from Vegas, and favorite color is purple."
"Vegas, huh? I've had some good times in Vegas with Ollie," he supplied.
"Oh, I believe it. I never really liked it. I grew up with a single mother who worked long hours as a cocktail waitress so I spent a lot of time in the casinos, watching people and doing homework. It's where I learned how to count cards and I am; therefore, banned by a few out there."
"Felicity Smoak, card counter, interesting."
They received their order and fell into pleasant conversation. Tommy was quite charming, surprisingly easy to talk to, but he appeared a bit sad when talking about his relationships.
"How did you meet Oliver?"
He hummed, "I…uh, I've known Oliver since I was eight. I practically grew up in his house. My mother was killed and my father just shut down. His family took me in and treated me like a second son. All of us went to school together."
"Us?" Felicity responded.
"Oh, Laurel, Oliver and I. Laurel and Oliver have been together off and on for years. Neither one of us were great boyfriend material back then. Oliver actually slept with Laurel's sister Sara before they broke up in college."
"What!" she said with saucer sized eyes.
"Oh yeah. But Ollie, he changed a lot after his mom died. He finished his degree, started at the company, stopped partying as much and owns half the club with me. I think he wanted to make her proud. She always liked Laurel."
"And now, they are engaged?"
"They aren't engaged," he got loud, "Where did you hear that?"
"Oh, just idle gossip at QC I guess. I overheard it in the elevator and the way Laurel acted, I thought maybe they were."
"Laurel can be intense. But she's a great person. We actually dated for almost a year a couple years ago before she got back with Ollie."
"Woah, what? You used to date Laurel? Sounds like an interesting story."
Flashback-3 Years Ago
Tommy Merlyn was walking into a local coffee shop called Jitters when he ran into a familiar face.
"Laurel?" he asked.
The tall brunette looked in the direction of the voice and a smile spread upon her face.
"Tommy!" she hugged him, "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. I thought you were living in Central City now."
"I got the ADA position here. It allows me to be close to Dad and it was better money than I was making there," she replied.
"That's fantastic! Welcome home. We should celebrate. How about I take you out this Saturday? There's this new place by the river."
Tommy always had feelings for Laurel. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he ever met but she only seemed to see his friend Oliver. But that ship had sailed when Oliver slept with her sister five years ago. Now was his chance to make a move and he wouldn't miss it.
"You mean The Bistro? I've been dying to try that place. Saturday sounds great."
Six Months Later
"Tommy," he heard Laurel's voice on the phone.
"Laurel, what's wrong? You sound strange."
"My heat."
"I'll be right there!"
After a blistering round of heat sex, Tommy and Laurel laid in bed. Her head was resting on his shoulder as his fingers were running through her long locks. The room smelled of sweat, sex, and vanilla candles. Both were content now that her heat was over and Tommy waited until then to ask her.
"Laurel, would you move in with me?"
She sat up and turned to him, "What?"
"Laurel, I love you and I want to be with you and live with you. Would you consider it?"
"Tommy, we've only been together for six months," she responded.
"I've been in love with you for years."
"Years? What are you talking about?"
"You were either with or broken up with Oliver and I felt so weird about making a move on my buddy's girl when you ended things time and time again. Then, he slept with your sister and you moved to Central City; I just figured it wasn't meant to be. But when I saw you at Jitters, I had to take the chance. I, honestly, expected you to say you just wanted to be friends but now we've been together for almost a year and I want to spend so much more time with you."
Laurel smiled with tears in her eyes, "Okay."
Four Months Later
"Detective Lance, a Tommy Merlyn is here to speak with you."
Quentin Lance rolled his eyes. Thomas Merlyn and Oliver Queen were thorns in his backsides as they were growing up. The Queen boy was constantly hurting his daughters and while Merlyn was the better of the two, it has been hard for him to ignore the past of the troublemaking playboy who wants to own a night club that is dating his oldest daughter.
"Send him over."
Tommy walked into the station over to his girlfriend's father. His mother's ring burning a hole in his pocket.
"Detective Lance, could we talk privately?"
They walked in the direction of a private room.
"What's going on Merlyn?"
Tommy wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, "Sir…I…uh, I would like to ask your permission to ask your daughter to marry me."
Quentin laughed, "No."
Tommy shook his head in surprise, "Excuse me?"
"I said no. You've only been dating ten months, been living together for four months, and for all I know you haven't been faithful. I am not about to let her go through what she did with Queen by marrying a playboy that will live off her money and do who knows what."
"Sir, I have been completely faithful to Laurel. I have loved her since I was twelve years old but she was always with him. I have done everything to grow up. I want to open up a business. I want to provide for her and do what's best for her."
"What's best for her? What's best for her is to work on her career and settle with someone who can prove that they are more than their past of boozing, partying, and sleeping around."
"I'm not Oliver, sir. I truly love your daughter. Please, I want to spend the rest of my life making your daughter happy."
Quentin just shook his head and walked out the door. Tommy was so upset he walked out the station and found the nearest bar. Laurel had to be called because there was no way he could get home on his own. It lead to a massive fight. He said he was tired of being compared to Oliver Queen and how she only wanted him because he wasn't available at the moment. Tommy told her that her father would never approve of some playboy and she should find somebody worthy of her perfect world. Laurel moved out the next day.
Present
"By the time I decided I didn't need his approval, Oliver was back. He asked me if I knew what was going on with Laurel. He said he wanted to make amends for all the stupid shit he put her through. He didn't know about us living together or spending a heat together. They found each other, started dating about four months after he got back. I tried to work at Merlyn Global to prove myself but it last about a year and a half until I couldn't stand it. I asked Oliver if he wanted to start a club. We used our connections to make it great as you saw and he's been the perfect boyfriend."
Felicity sat stunned. Laurel's behavior suddenly made more sense.
"Tommy, I am so sorry."
"No, I am sorry. That was a lot to talk about on a first date and like three years ago."
"I think I get her behavior now though."
"Her behavior?"
"At the club the other night, she seemed a bit jealous. My friend thought it was because I was getting attention. I think my friend was right. Tommy, I don't think she is over you. She shared a heat with you. As an Omega myself, sharing that is a big deal."
"I thought you were an Omega. Laurel used to use the supplements that dimmed her scent until we decided together that she could stop. I learned the difference between a true Beta and an Omega on supplements because of it. There's a slight difference."
"I've been told that. She must be back on the supplements though because I don't notice her scent. That says something."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't believe I am doing this. I mean the purpose of dating is to find my Alpha. Not try to convince him to go get his ex back from the guy I am trying to enter a business merger with but I am."
"I followed none of that," Tommy sat blinking his eyes at her babble.
"You said she stopped taking the supplements with you and you were with her during a heat cycle before you were together a year. She is obviously back on them but Laurel has been with Oliver for nearly two years. What does that tell you?"
He sat and pondered, "He's never been with her during a heat. I know Ollie he would have told me."
"Tommy, as much fun as you are and as wonderful talking to you has been and as much as I want to spend time getting to know you, the romantic Omega in me knows you aren't supposed to be with me. You need to be with Laurel. I am the wrong Omega for you."
"Friends, then?"
"Definitely."
Felicity and Tommy eat their meal and at the end of the night, Felicity kisses him on the cheek and they promise to go out again as friends.
As Tommy turned to leave, Felicity said, "Tommy, I hate seeing people in pain but I think that by not fighting for Laurel, you are causing more pain than Oliver would feel if she ended their relationship. She had already chosen you; you just didn't realize it in time. Go get your girl."
A week later, Felicity, Oliver, Ray and Robert were at Palmer Tech signing papers for the merger.
"Mr. Palmer it was a pleasure meeting you. I think we will all be very happy with this merger," Robert said.
"Likewise, Mr. Queen but please call me Ray," he replied shaking his hand.
"Miss Smoak, lovely meeting you. You have quite the brain."
"It is my curse, sir," blushing at the memory of her babble earlier in the meeting.
"Nonsense, it's a blessing and please, it's Robert. I think we all might as well call each other by our first names. Oliver, I'll be down in the car."
Robert walked away and entered the elevator as the rest of the applied sciences teams and executives filed out the door. Oliver was planning on asking Felicity to join him for a drink to celebrate the merger, no ulterior motives until her overheard something that caused his gut to roil.
"Felicity, I was wondering if you would join me for dinner this evening?" Ray asked.
"Oh, to celebrate the merger?"
"More like a date," he replied.
Felicity beamed at Ray, "I'd love to."
Oliver pushed down the strange feeling down and cleared his throat, "Ray, looking forward to doing business with you," he held out his hand.
Ray and he shook hands and he didn't fail to notice the slight wince in Ray's mouth when his grip was a tad bit more than necessary.
"Felicity, I'll be seeing you next Tuesday. I better join my father now."
Felicity watched him walk away before returning her attention to Ray, "I think that went well. I'm going to leave a tad early though to prepare for dinner."
"Absolutely. I will pick you up around seven thirty if that is okay?"
"Seven thirty, it is."
Felicity grabbed her purse from her office and hurried to the elevator to go to Caitlin's floor. When she reached Caitlin's lab, she waved at her friend to get her attention.
"Felicity, what's going on?"
"Oh my god, Caitlin! Ray asked me out on a date. An actual date. And he used the word date to define the thing that he asked me to and I am freaking out because I don't know what to wear. So, I need you to leave early with me and rush to the nearest boutique to get the perfect outfit. You know I need a really good date after the whole Tommy thing."
Felicity called Caitlin the next day after the date with Tommy ending tragically with her telling him to go after the girlfriend of another man that he was obviously still in love with. They reminisced about the days when dating was easy over lunch. But she really wanted to have a good date with Ray and not just because he was her boss. He was everything she could ever want. Ray was able to follow her babbles and nearly matched her in intelligence, handsome like a Disney prince with the perfect smile to match.
"Breathe, Lis, breathe! You can't go on a date if you are dead."
Felicity took a deep breath, "So are you coming or what?"
"Let me grab my purse and tell someone I'm leaving."