Chapter 7 FLASHPOINT: Felicity

AN: Many thanks for the kind support for the first alternate timeline chapter! I know it's confusing but these AU chapters have been a blast to write and I very much appreciate the positive feedback! It's very cool to mix up the familiar in a new way so I hope you guys enjoy this little story inside the story!

*Please see Chapter 2 for SPOILER ALERT and DISCLAIMER!*

/

"She's not your usual type, you know?" Tommy shook his head but still clapped a friendly hand of support on Oliver's shoulder. He had no problem with changes. There were a few he had made too after all.

Turning to meet Tommy's eyes, Oliver was still smiling as he replied. "I know. Maybe it's time for a change."

Tommy grinned when he gave a final bit of advice. "Just don't make her your chili, okay?"

/

Felicity felt their eyes on her or his eyes at least. Since she had been working closely for him, Oliver Queen watched her a lot. His eyes were bright, intense, and seemed to see right through her. Having a gorgeous guy watching her wasn't exactly a hardship to her way of thinking though...what really bothered her was her response to him watching her. Her heart raced, she blushed, she rambled even more than normal, and even worse she really liked it. She liked his eyes on her too much for her own comfort. She liked him too much for her own comfort really.

"Get your head in the game, Smoak. There's work to do - focus on the job."

Setting up quickly, she did focus on the computer system and tried to ignore the man. It had taken a lot of time to connect his network to theirs and she needed to ensure the system was securely encrypted. The plan had seemed insane to her at first. She had believed the bad press and had judged Oliver Queen to be spoiled playboy - too pretty for his good (and apparently hers too). There was more to him than that though. She thought there might even be more than the others saw too. There was depth and darkness in his eyes that drew her in even more than his beautiful smile. She found herself hoping for more from him, wanting more from him.

A message alert buzzed and drew her attention back to work. Her phone rang almost immediately afterwards and her sharp tone was a testament to her frustration with the interruptions.

"Oracle, I'm working on it. It has to be tested first." Felicity listened intently as the other woman provided a last minute change in instructions.

"I can't guarantee this will work. Plus if he doesn't accept the truth and doesn't want—"

She paused when there was a knock on the cabinet beside her head. Surprised, she turned to find a brown haired young man waving a small disc in front of her. His cocky grin was almost hidden by the red hoodie but she easily recognized him. Her greeting was a warm smile before she swatted him in the chest. Turning to insert the disc, she spoke again into the phone.

"Yeah, Arsenal just delivered it. I'll do what I can but if they attack here instead of Central City then we're going to be in trouble. Is Arsenal—"

Felicity heard the answer even as she turned to find the space next to her empty once again. He always managed to appear and disappear so easily. Even after working with the Justice League for the last few years, demonstrations of super skills always surprised her and made her a little jealous. She was just Felicity Smoak after all. The conversation continued for several more minutes and required her attention.

"Got it. The Arrow and Black Canary will handle. I need to finish this now." Hanging up before the woman who was technically her boss replied, Felicity pocketed her phone and went back to work.

As always, time flew while she did her night job. Computers were her safe place - her happy place, actually. It hadn't always been that way but providing IT support to heroes had a way of changing a girl. Her thoughts wondered briefly over the various plot twists she couldn't have predicted in her life. Without meaning to, she found herself again considering the enigma of Oliver Queen. She knew he wasn't just a pretty face and she hoped he didn't blame her for the lies…omissions, really…when he finally was told the truth.

This time the knock was at the door instead of the cabinet but Felicity still jerked up and cracked her head on the table. She plopped down and closed her eyes while trying to gently probe the new injury.

"Felicity." Oliver knelt beside her and brought a hand to her cheek to force her to meet his eyes. He smiled gently when she did open her eyes but simply stared at him. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Felicity forced herself to blink and focus on his words, not his face, not his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just hit my head, not the first time. Occupational hazard."

Rising up slightly, Oliver tilted her head down to inspect the injury. The silky smooth strands falling through his fingers distracted him for a moment. When he tugged slightly on one, she groaned in response. She started speaking before he could find the words to apologize.

"Ow, I need an aspirin or something." Felicity could smell his cologne when his movement forced her face close to his neck. She wanted to lean forward and press further into his body. It was a difficult temptation to resist.

Oliver gentled his touch and found a small lump but no blood. He smoothed her hair down and eased away reluctantly. "No blood. I think you'll survive."

"No doubt." Felicity confirmed despite feeling her face heat. She had no problem working with a team of heroes but the man in front of her always seemed to fog up her brain.

When Oliver only stared at her she found herself speaking again. "Really, I'm fine but thanks for trying to save me from the table. If only you could save me from myself. Are you sure there's no bump, no concussion causing me to ramble uncontrollably?"

Oliver's lips twitched when she snapped her mouth shut after sighing. He didn't tease her but did stand up and offer her a hand up as well. Maintaining his hold, he spoke softly as his thumb traced small circles on her hand. "No concussion, but you are remarkable."

With her face flaming hotter, Felicity still laughed before squeezing his hand and responding. "You haven't seen anything yet!" Knowing he couldn't fully understand, she pulled her hand back. She needed to continue and she couldn't do that while touching him.

"Your system is fully secure now. If you have any problems though, you know how to reach me. I really have to leave now, Oliver, but hopefully we'll work together again in the future." Felicity wasn't referring to QC but when he frowned slightly she knew it was time to leave before he could question her. Considering how much she rambled around him, she just might share more than either of them would appreciate. She gathered her bags and left him standing in the IT closet. Only after she made it out onto the street did she pause to breathe. Her internal monologue chastising her responses to Oliver was interrupted though.

"Bout time you made it out. We have another change in plans."

Felicity jerked her eyes open to find the same young man back at her side. Dropping the code names, she still hit him again when she spoke. "Roy! I thought Barbara said you were leaving—"

"That's the change. Central City is under attack by someone called Onomatopoeia. He injured Virago before sharing his name on our comms. Come on, we need to get to work." Roy provided the update before moving to his motorcycle.

After they arrived at the hidden Starling City headquarters for the JLA, both went to work gathering intel. Felicity then continued her searches while Roy started training. She studiously ignored his climb to the rafters while she reviewed and shared the data streaming in from Central City. They hadn't been able to locate the new villain but two more JLA members had been targeted already. The general public remained in the dark about the existence of the hero organization but apparently someone knew as both were attacked at home.

It was nearly morning when Roy woke Felicity up with a light shake. He spoke while she felt around for her glasses. "You do know you have an imprint of the name Mercury on your face, right?"

Felicity struggled to wake up as she had never been a morning person. "What? Roy?"

"Yeah, it's me, Sleeping Beauty. I've got to hit the gym and you need to get to QC for your day job." Roy set a coffee cup next to her with a grin. "Stay in contact. If Onomatopoeia moves this way next, things are going to get interesting real fast."

Felicity guzzled the caffeine and only stopped to breathe and ask a question. "You're still training Thea Queen, right? How is she doing?"

"Not bad considering Merlyn never trained her. Let's just say she fits the Wildcat Gym name nicely." He paused and stepped forward to speak more seriously. "Dragon's still training Oliver Queen. Heard he's got his own issues. Stay safe."

Felicity thought about the Queen siblings and wondered how both would handle what was coming next. "Make smart decisions, Roy."

"You too, Blondie." Roy teased before slamming the door behind him.

Felicity prepared for work and reviewed the information for the client meeting Robert Queen had requested she handle since she was the Team Leader on similar existing projects. It would be the first time she had worked with the military but the opportunity was too exciting to resist even with her current workload. The government contracts would push the envelope of their existing technology and could potentially benefit the JLA as well. Their contact's name was John Diggle. She had researched him thoroughly and had been impressed by his service record. His ex-wife's connection to ARGUS was of concern but she always let Barbara handle Amanda Waller. There was enough for her to worry about with the JLA's real enemies so she ignored frenemies like Waller as much as she could.

Her thoughts remained focused on her day job but even with various tasks vying for her attention, Felicity still continued to worry about the issues facing the JLA as well as what the future might hold for Oliver Queen.