AN: So, I meant to get this up on Monday, however RL and a heavier workload than I had expected delayed this! Sorry!

It's not time for the long awaited meeting between Felicity and Oliver. I really hope that I managed to get her babbling down properly! Reviews feed my muse, so I'd love to hear what y'all think! (No flames, but constructive criticism is very much welcome!) This is not beta'd, but I've read through it about five times. If you see something, please drop me a line and let me know!

Chapter Seven: Brain to Mouth Filter Disengaged

When Oliver got back to the manor, he found Walter in his office chuckling to himself. He raised an eyebrow as the man, who just wave his hand for Oliver to sit in the chair in front of his desk. "Did I miss something?"

"Ms. Smoak. She muttered something about our system being so old that it hurt her soul. But, she had a point. I don't believe that the system has been upgraded since prior to your disappearance. She has been down there since around ten, but hasn't called me once. She offered to build us a system to our specifications."

"Really." Oliver nodded his head slowly. It would be helpful if they could do that. It would mean that he could link up with the main Bratva servers in Russia to keep communication as direct as possible. That gave him some reservations though. If the woman was able to build something like that, then he would fully have to take her into confidence and everything that he had found out about her indicated she liked to be on right side of the law. Leverage. I would need leverage against her. I need to speak to Alexei to see if he can recommend someone good to gather intel on her. Great, I'll just add that to the never ending list. "Does she seem to be the type that would startle easily?"

Walter shook his head.

Oliver smiled. "Good. I have a laptop that I want her to look at and after your comments about her feelings on our system, this should be the best test to see how she would react," he said as he rose from the chair, intent on retrieve the laptop he had purposely spilled a latte on that morning. This was after downloading a multitude of things to ensure that the computer looked like he was actually using it.

He walked quickly down to the basement where the computer equipment was, a room that he hadn't even thought about in years. He really had no memories of that room, it hadn't been interesting enough for him as a teenager and with only one person down their monitoring the security feeds it had not been amusing enough as a child. He grabbed the laptop from the table he had left it on and walked into the room to find a blonde woman muttering to herself, completely unware of his presence. He cleared his throat. "Felicity Smoak?" he asked, causing her to turn around. "Hi. I'm Oliver Queen."

She took the red pen that she was chewing on out of her mouth. "Of course. I know who you are Mr. Queen," she said as her mind whirled. His pictures didn't do him justice and she was just grateful to whomever had cut his hair, because the longer hair that he'd had five years prior made him look like a boy and he was obviously not a boy any longer.

"No. Mr. Queen was my father."

"Right, but he's dead. I mean he died, but you didn't which means you can hire me to help upgrade this antiquated system that probably hasn't seen even a Microsoft update since 2009, just to listen to me babble. Which will end in three…two…one."

He didn't even fight to keep the smile off his face as he laid the lap top on his desk. "I'm having some problem with my computer, which I spilled a latte on."

"Why?" she explained, eyes widened in horror as she saw the obviously fried laptop, the most expensive model on the market. "Oh my poor baby, what did he do to you?"

"Can you fix it? I mean, I was downloading some documents to help me get caught up and in the loop at QC, and I would really love to have my version that has all the corrections and highlights on them."

"Really? I heard that you were never interested in running QC. Wasn't that some sort of running battle between you and your father?" Felicity felt her eyes widen in shock at the random thought that had just popped out. "Oh, frak. I'm sorry. Please ignore me. My brain to mouth filter is obviously defective. You don't have to answer that question. I will get this information to you as soon as possible."

Oliver watched as her face turned bright read before letting out a chuckle. "I don't mind. It's an understandable reaction. No, I never wanted to run QC, but I feel I owe it to my father to see if I can live up to his high expectations."

"You want to honor his memory," she surmised.

"Yes."

Felicity nodded. "Then pull up a chair and give me a few minutes to see if I can recover anything."

Oliver did just that and watched as she focused on the work, taking the time to really study her. She didn't look like any IT person he had ever seen, with the bright pink lipstick drawing attention to her. The glasses that she wore did nothing to hide her blue eyes, instead drawing his attention to the intelligence that shined through. He watched as her fingers (nails colored in an eye-popping blue) quickly disassembled the case and she began to hook up various wires to it.

"Well, the good news is you didn't completely fry the hard drive. I think I can recover all the information. Do you have an email address you want me to send it to so that you can download it to whatever new computer you get?"

Oliver actually laughed. "I actually don't remember the password to my email."

"Of course not. Five years is a long time and really to be safe you should change your password every thirty days. But, that's not my point. How about I store it on this computer for now and I can upgrade this one for your personal use, because, yeah. I'm going to have to start from scratch with this system. I mean, the security cameras have like the worst resolution to them, so if I'm going to upgrade those, then that means a completely new system."

"Felicity, breathe. You obviously know what you are doing, so whatever you think is best. We want the best security system, so just make it happen. Money is not an issue."

Felicity nodded again, trying to figure out why she was babbling so much. Yes, it was part of the character she had set up, but she hadn't rambled on random subjects so much since her first few weeks at the CIA. "Okay. Yeah, sure. I can do you…I mean I can do that for you. Oh my god. I'm just going to stop talking now."

Oliver grinned as he watched twin spots of red bloom on Felicity's cheeks. "Thank you and I will leave you to your work now. Just get Walter the list of equipment that you need and we will get it for you."

Felicity kept her mouth shut as she nodded, not wanting to risk a random word babble again. She watched as Oliver grinned again before turning and leaving the room. "Well, that was awkward," she muttered after the door closed. She shook her head as she turned back to the computer and the list of equipment that she was compiling to make the Queen's the best system for them.

#

Oliver couldn't keep from smiling as he walked back upstairs. Walter was right. Felicity Smoak was a very unique person. He shook his head as he phone buzzed with a text message. He glanced down and noticed it was Alexei requesting a meeting, so he quickly changed his course for the garage so he could drive down there.

Thirty minutes later, he was pulling up in front of the garage and pulling off his helmet. After stowing it with the bike, he walked inside to find Alexei and his mechanic waiting for him. "У тебя есть новости?" he greeted the man.

"Да," Alexei returned before switching to English. "I have a name for you. This man was part of your father's acquaintances and should prove valuable to you as a resource."

"Is he clean?"

"I would do nothing to endanger the life of a Captain. Especially one with such high regard from our Pakhan," Alexei said as he held out a folded slip of paper.

"Then I thank you and wish you the best health," Oliver returned before opening the paper. As he read the name on it, he fought to control his shock. "This man is truly Bratva?"

"Да."

"Interesting. I thank you for the information, but at what price?" he asked, knowing that the Bratva usually worked on a bargaining session.

"Free of charge for the new Captain."

Oliver inclined his head, not totally surprised at the gesture of good will. He had been warned that the locate Bratva might be willing to give him some information for free, but he also knew that it was likely that he would be asked for a favor at some point down the road. He was more than willing to take the gift for what it was and not end up in debt to Alexei prior to getting established. "Until we meet again," he said before turning and leaving, his mind spinning. Quentin Lance is Bratva?

When get got on the motorcycle, he knew he wasn't willing to go home until he'd had a chance to consider all of the possibilities in his mind. He felt almost as shocked as when his father had told him about the Bratva. Quentin Lance was a Starling City police detective, one of the best by all counts, but more importantly, he was the father of Laurel Lance. Oliver's ex-girlfriend. The one he broke up with on the tarmac before getting on a jet headed for Russia.

He had avoided thinking about Laurel since he came back. He knew that his actions as an immature boy had really hurt Laurel, but the other part of him didn't want to drag her into this life. Ever since he'd met her in elementary school, all she had talked about was becoming an attorney to prosecute the criminals. Does she know that her father is part of the Russian mob? He shook his head slightly as he slowed down for a light, the floodgate of memories opening as he recalled her tear streaked face asking him why he wanted to break up with her. The Oliver he'd been had only answered that he was too young to be tied down, but looking back he realized that he wasn't in love with her. He loved the idea of her. A beautiful woman who loved him and was willing to put up with his roving eye. No matter what, Laurel had always taken him back.

He snorted as the light turned green. Why did she put up with me? That question was one that had plagued him for years. Laurel could have any man that she wanted. She was smart and beautiful. He did not deserve her, then or now. He also knew that the man he had become would do more harm than good in a romantic relationship with Laurel, especially if she was still willing to put up with the bullshit like she had with him. That's the problem, he thought. No matter what, she was always willing to put up with any lie that I told. As a Bratva Captain, I can't afford that. Any woman that I eventually end up marrying will have to be someone that is willing to call me out. That woman will need to be someone that will make me accountable for my actions toward her and Laurel never did.

It was as if a light had come on over his head as he made that realization and he felt some relief at finally putting his relationship with Laurel at rest. Now, if can make it through a meeting with her father without bloodshed.

AN: Russian Translations. Thank you so much to nerrisdk for the translations! We all know how spotty Google Translate is! :)

У тебя есть новости? – You have news?

Да. - Yes