Chapter 4

Oliver was walking down the stairs to Verdant's secret basement when his phone pinged. It had, in fact, been pinging all morning, notifying him of various news alerts. However, they weren't the kind of news alerts he had set, and he had a feeling he knew who was responsible.

He eyed the blonde woman tapping away at the keyboard, eyes fixed on her computer. "Felicity, what the hell is a 'Belieber' and why am I getting email alerts about it?"

She swiveled her chair around to look at him. "Because I signed you up for alerts from a few entertainment media outlets. Consider it your daily dose of pop culture because I think I speak for everyone when I say you are so far out of the loop that you're on another loop entirely. For all our sakes, at least scan the headlines so you can have some idea of what's happening in the world – and not just the doom and gloom of Starling City crime lords, North Korean baby dictator tantrums or natural disasters."

Oliver tried to hold onto his irritation. There were times when Felicity tested his patience; usually he'd snap, she'd snap back and then it was over. Lately, though, he found himself more bemused and amused by her than anything else.

He sighed and leveled her with his best intimidating stare. "I don't have time for this."

"Oh, come on, be a good sport. What else is going on in the celebrity news world today?"

He turned his attention back to his phone. "Something about Kourtney Kardashian. I remember her – I thought she was a porn star."

"That's her sister, Kim Kardashian. And she's not a porn star – just the subject of a celebrity sex tape scandal turned reality TV star. It's really a sad commentary on American television viewing standards when showing your lady bits gets you a TV deal and launches your whole dysfunctional family into pseudo-stardom. Though it's still not as bad as the ones who think popping out kids like baseballs at a batting range entitles them to a TV show. Or worse, the Honey Boo Boo crowd." She shuddered slightly. "Actually, maybe there is an upside to being an island castaway for a few years."

Oliver maintained his serious expression for a few more seconds before he felt the smile tugging at his lips. "I have no idea what any of that means, so maybe you're right." He sat down in the chair opposite her and glanced at his phone again. "They mention a Khloe Kardashian too – how many Kardashians are there?"

"Way too many," Felicity replied as she turned back to the computer.

Oliver found himself studying her profile. There was something about Felicity that made him feel lighter somehow. Maybe it was the babbling that got the best of her at the worst of times, or maybe it was simply that Felicity was one of the few people he knew not burdened by tragedy. She was bright and open and utterly lacking in subterfuge; whatever she was thinking was usually what came out of her mouth. And even when she managed to hold her tongue, he could still read her.

For one thing, he knew she was attracted to him. She'd been a little more star struck before she realized that Oliver Queen was the Hood, but it was still there. He could see it in the way she looked at him when he was training, and he'd felt it in the slight tremor of her body against his during her unarmed self-defense lessons. Women had come easily to him for so long that he usually just brushed off the attention and moved on.

In the beginning, he'd used her crush to his advantage, turning on the charm when he needed her computer expertise. Now he ignored the signs of Felicity's attraction because he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around him. They were becoming friends, and Oliver enjoyed her company. Quite simply, she made him forget. When he was with her, she was usually talking nonstop. She talked about the challenges of being one of the few female IT specialists employed by Queen Consolidated. She talked about the office intrigues revealed by indiscriminate emails and dealing with her supervisor's ego trips. She even entertained him and Diggle one night by reading ridiculous dating profiles aloud as she weeded through her online dating matches.

Occasionally he asked about her dates. She had gone out with Gerwin the lawyer a couple of times, though so far it seemed to be strictly on a casual basis. She had also set up a few other dates, and it didn't take him long to realize that he checked his phone for messages a little more often when he knew she was out. He wasn't convinced that online dating was as safe as Felicity believed it to be, and that worry led him to check in with her at the end of date night on more than one occasion.

His phone pinged again, and Oliver realized that he'd been staring at Felicity for several minutes; something she was aware of if her tense posture was anything to go by. With a mental head shake, he stood and walked over to his weapons chest. When he felt her eyes upon him, he glanced back at her to find her looking at him with a curious expression.

He raised his brows. "Something on your mind?"

Felicity opened her mouth only to close it again rather abruptly. She shook her head but then said, "I was just wondering something, but it's totally not my business."

Oliver was intrigued by the slight flush making its way to her cheeks. "It must be interesting if it's making you blush. Just ask."

Her blush intensified. "I was just wondering if you'd ever made a sex tape – you know, back when you were the other Oliver."

Well. He'd told her to ask. "It's possible. I did a lot of stupid things when I was drunk. I do remember Tommy taping a bunch of us skinny dipping one night, but we erased that the next day." He felt his lips twitching at the look of horrified fascination on her face. "Felicity, my return from the dead was one of the biggest news stories of the year. I think if there were a sex tape of me floating around out there, we'd probably have seen it by now."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."

"I haven't gone through my DVD collection since I got back though. If I happen to run across one, I'll let you know."

"Run across what?" Diggle asked as he walked into the room.

Felicity popped out of her chair. "I'm going. To the bathroom."

Diggle looked at Oliver. "Something I said or just Felicity being Felicity?"

Oliver shook his head in amusement. "I need to find Tommy and go over the entertainment scheduled for this week."

Felicity couldn't believe she'd asked Oliver if he'd ever made a sex tape. What was wrong with her? Sometimes she wondered if there was some kind of disconnect between her brain and her mouth, and this was definitely one of those times. The club was quiet as she walked towards the bathroom, and she didn't notice Tommy until she practically ran into him.

"Oh. Tommy. Sorry, I didn't see you." She stepped back and out of his path. She had only met Tommy a couple of times, and he still made her uncomfortable, especially now that he was aware of the secrets Oliver was keeping.

"No problem. How are you, Felicity?" Tommy asked politely.

"I'm fine. Oliver is downstairs if you're looking for him," she replied.

"We have a meeting scheduled for this morning."

And he didn't look happy about it, she noted.

"But as long as you're here, you can help me with something."

Confused, Felicity followed Tommy over to the bar. "Ok."

Tommy picked up a martini shaker and poured out a small amount of lime green liquid into a shot glass. "The bartender is mixing some new drinks for ladies' night, and we're thinking of making this one the house special."

Felicity eyed it dubiously. "I might not be the best person to ask because I don't drink a lot of hard liquor. I'm more of a wine girl."

"So is Laurel, but she liked it. It's not too strong if that's what you're worried about."

She picked up the small glass and tipped the contents into her mouth. "Oh – wow, that's kind of good."

"How about this one?" Tommy handed her another small glass of green liquid.

"I'm sensing a theme with all the green here," she observed as she tasted the second drink.

"Well, the name of the club is Verdant," Tommy pointed out rather sardonically. "Oliver's little joke, I guess."

Felicity set the glass down on the bar. "It's not the kind of thing he jokes about. Since you're supposed to be his best friend, you should probably know that. And I'd go with the first drink." She stood up but paused when Tommy spoke.

"You seem like a nice girl, Felicity. Why do you help him when you know what he is?"

She turned and looked back at Tommy. "I help him because I know who he is – and whatever you think, he's not a monster. Maybe you should ask him why he's doing this before you judge him too harshly."

"It's ok, Felicity. I'm well aware of Tommy's opinion of me."

Oliver's voice startled her, and she turned as he joined them at the bar. She grasped at a change of topic to break the sudden tension. "He just wanted my opinion about the new drink specials. I liked the first one even though I don't really drink hard liquor – not since that frat party where I did tequila shots and started licking the salt off my friend Lindsay's arm instead of mine. People thought I was bi-curious for the rest of the semester. Me and tequila – not a good mix." She paused as her common sense finally caught up with her tongue. Why, why, why did she always let Oliver make her so nervous that she babbled like an idiot? She cleared her throat. "But I wasn't."

Oliver had that expression on his face again as he looked at her, his head tilted slightly. "You weren't what?"

"Bi-curious. Or a lesbian. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I like men. I'm just gonna…" she waved her hand in the direction of the ladies room and walked away quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when the bathroom door closed behind her. She had just told Oliver Queen, who was essentially her boss, that she licked salt off her best friend's arm while doing tequila shots. And that was after asking him if he'd ever made a sex tape. She glanced at her watch; only 10:30 a.m. It was going to be a really long day.

Felicity scanned through her emails while waiting for Lindsay in front of Café Mondo, a little bistro in Five Points known for its excellent lunch menu. She had managed to mostly avoid Oliver for the rest of the morning after embarrassing herself in front of him and Tommy, and she'd practically run from the foundry at lunch time. Of course, she'd be back there in a couple of hours, but Oliver was rarely on site during the afternoon. And since it was Saturday, she knew he'd be busy with the club and patrol later. She might not see him again at all until Monday, by which time she hoped he would have forgotten any mention of bi-curiosity.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Felicity looked up to see Lindsay rushing towards her. Tall and slender with tawny blonde hair and brown eyes, she looked more like a swimsuit model than a newspaper reporter. She and Lindsay had been friends since freshman year at university and had even shared a dorm for two of those years. While Felicity had been content to spend most of her free time with her computers, Lindsay had always been the more outgoing of the two and dragged Felicity along for the ride.

"I wasn't waiting long. It takes longer to find parking now that I can't go through the park," Felicity replied, hugging her friend.

Lindsay grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the entrance of the café. "Speaking of which, I started following crime reports for this area after your mugging, and here's the weird thing. Crime is down by a third from last month's reports – no explanation. The SCPD does regular patrols in this area, but they were doing that before. So then it occurred to me that it might have something to do with Starling City's hooded vigilante – a few people claim they've spotted him around here in recent weeks."

It wasn't the first time Lindsay had brought up The Hood – not a surprise given that she was a reporter. Thankfully, her interests ran more towards politics and corporations than stories of vigilantes lurking about the city. But as reports of The Hood's activities increased, Felicity wondered if that would change.

"It's possible," Felicity replied after her friend added their names to the waiting list. "And on a different topic, I have another date tonight."

"Gerwin again?" Lindsay made a face. "I still can't get past that name. I mean, picture it – you're in bed, in the moment, and then what? 'Oh Gerwin, yes!'" Lindsay made a mock "O" face.

Felicity couldn't help laughing at her friend. "Come on, he's a nice guy. A little serious, but nice."

"Felicity, you don't need 'nice' right now, you need to get laid," Lindsay commented. "People at Starling City Retirement Center see more action than you."

"Felicity?"

Felicity froze before turning to see Oliver standing behind her. Within moments, she felt the telltale blush creeping up her neck and cursed her fair skin. "Oliver – hi." Had he heard Lindsay? Something about the expression on his face told her that he had. And worse, his mother was right behind him. "And Mrs. Queen – or Mrs. Steele? It's nice to see you."

Moira Queen stepped forward and held out her hand. "Moira is fine. Have we met?"

"Felicity works in the IT department at Queen Consolidated," Oliver explained. "She's also the one who set up my router at the club, and she designed Verdant's website."

Felicity shook Moira's hand, trying to think of something to say. When a throat cleared behind her, she remembered Lindsay. "Oh! Sorry. This is my friend Lindsay Parker. She's a reporter for the Starling City Register."

Oliver smiled politely while Moira said, "I think I remember you from the governor's fundraiser last month."

"I was there, and I asked you some questions about the Queen Foundation and the projects you're sponsoring this year," Lindsay replied. She glanced curiously between Felicity and Oliver.

Felicity knew Lindsay must be wondering why she hadn't mentioned helping Oliver out at Verdant. When Oliver first appeared in the IT department requesting her help, she couldn't wait to tell her friend about meeting the Oliver Queen. But after learning of his alter ego, Felicity had decided staying mum was better than accidentally giving away too much information.

"That's right." Moira glanced at Oliver, who was still looking at Felicity. "Our table is ready. Are you still waiting?"

Felicity nodded. "We weren't expecting it to be this busy."

"You could join us if you like," Moira offered.

"Oh – no, we couldn't intr-"

"That sounds like a great idea," Oliver interrupted her.

"Good – I'll let them know we're a table of four now." Moira stepped away to speak to the hostess.

Felicity crossed her arms and shot Oliver a look that clearly indicated her annoyance.

Lindsay glanced between the two of them and said, "Felicity, you never mentioned helping Oliver with the computers at his club."

"She comes in a few times a week," Oliver said. "She's the best IT specialist at Queen Consolidated."

"Well, it's good that you recognize her value," Lindsay commented, casting a speculative look at Felicity.

"I think the table's ready," Felicity said. "Your mother is waving us over."

Oliver swept out an arm. "After you, ladies."

Felicity was far too uncomfortable to eat her lunch as Lindsay chatted amicably with Moira and Oliver about some of her recent news stories. She pushed the food around on her plate, taking a bite here and there. Oliver and Lindsay both looked at her occasionally since being quiet was a total departure from her usual habit of runaway monologues.

She found her mind wandering as she watched Oliver eat. It was clear that he enjoyed his food. He had ordered the spinach and ricotta stuffed chicken rolls with vegetables, and she watched as he carefully cut his bites, his strong hands handling the utensils with deft ease. He ate with enthusiasm, a look of enjoyment on his face. She wondered what he had eaten on the island – fish? Other animals? Whatever he had survived on for those five years, it had taught him to appreciate good food. And according to her dating philosophy, he probably appreciated other things just as much because if eating was now a sensual experience for him… her fork clattered against her plate when she realized he was looking straight at her. He took a slow bite and smirked at her. What was he, a mind reader?

Felicity took a sip of her water in an effort to cool down and realized that Moira and Lindsay were both glancing between her and Oliver now. There was no way in hell Lindsay was not going to ask her a boatload of questions about Oliver once they left. Moira broke the silence by asking Felicity about her work at the company, and Felicity actually managed to answer coherently and without embarrassing herself for once.

When they were finished, Oliver picked up the check despite Felicity's protests. While he was busy paying the bill, Moira turned to Felicity. "It was lovely to meet you today, Felicity."

"You too, Mrs…. Moira," she answered.

And then Oliver was there. "I'll see you on Monday?" When she nodded, he smiled at her before turning to Lindsay. "It was nice to meet you. If you ever want to visit Verdant, I can have your name put on the VIP list."

"Thanks. I'll take you up on that."

Oliver ushered his mother out, and Lindsay was silent until she and Felicity had walked a block in the opposite direction. Then she slapped Felicity on the arm.

"Ow!" Felicity glared at Lindsay. "You know, you should really try to curb those violent impulses."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Like that hurt. And if it did, you deserve it. I cannot believe that you didn't tell me that you're hanging out with Oliver Queen a few times a week."

"Ok, we are not hanging out, we're working. Or I'm working, and he's usually not even there."

"Felicity, you were watching him eat, and since I know all about your theories on men's eating habits and how they relate to the bedroom, I know exactly what you were thinking about. And who could blame you? He is… wow."

Felicity threw up her hands. "Ok, so my mind went there. But you know what this is like? It's like Tyler Manning all over again." It had been a while since she thought about Tyler Manning, but the parallels couldn't be ignored.

Tyler Manning had been a star forward on the Starling University basketball team when Felicity and Lindsay were students there. And when Tyler started having trouble with his grades, Felicity had been assigned to tutor him during her junior year. Tyler was a sports star on campus, but he was also a genuinely nice guy well-liked by all of his peers. And Felicity fell hard that semester. Even after he no longer needed her help with his studies, he'd remained friendly toward her. As a result, her crush had persisted until the day he graduated.

They walked in silence for a few moments. Lindsay spoke first. "Speaking of Tyler, you know he plays for the Lakers now. I saw him when I was in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, and he'll be here in Starling City next week for a game. He asked about you."

"Of course he did because he's a nice guy. But it doesn't mean he ever thought of me as anything but his tutor," Felicity responded in an exasperated tone. "And I can fantasize about Oliver all day long, but that's about as likely to happen as the sky falling tomorrow."

"I don't know – you guys looked like you were having a moment there for a little while. Even his mom noticed," Lindsay observed.

Felicity rolled her eyes. "He was just teasing me because I blurted out my dating philosophy theories one night after that blind date you set me up on." She sighed. "Can we just talk about something else? Like what I'm going to wear on my date later?"

"You never mentioned Gerwin's eating habits. Thoughts?"

"He kind of has a routine, and he's a little fussy with the napkins. If I had to guess, I'd say he undresses, folds his clothes, puts them away, and then joins you in the bed – possibly with his socks still on since he's always complaining about restaurants being drafty."

Lindsay laughed. "God help you. Come on, let's go shopping. And we're meeting Tyler when he comes to town – no arguments. You're over that anyway."

That was true, Felicity thought. It wouldn't bother her to see Tyler now, and it might be fun to meet him again when she wasn't suffering from a silly crush. And if she could get over Tyler, she could figure out a way to get over these unwanted feelings for Oliver, too.

A/N: I just want to thank everyone again for the reviews, follows and favorites for this story. It's a gratifying welcome to a new fandom, and I really appreciate it. I'm still replying to reviews (about halfway done now) and I will get to all of you. If you have questions or constructive criticism for the story, feel free to leave it in review or PM form and I'll reply as soon as I can.

Up Next: Oliver gets a little more personal with Felicity, Felicity has a very bad date, and Tyler Manning comes to town. I'll get it up soon!