Author's Note: Thanks to anyone who has favorited/followed/commented on this story. For those hoping, for a warmer relationship between Oliver and Felicity, that will grow in time. If I start the story with them already completely comfortable with one another and verbally hinting at those feelings, then I don't have many places for the relationship to grow. That aspect of their relationship will gradually evolve as the story progresses. With that said, please enjoy the new chapter!

I was slowly beginning to grow cross-eyed and the irritating head-ache that pounded through my temples had me seriously regretting the fact that I had neglected to grab the half empty bottle of Aleve off my nightstand that morning. Minimizing the seemingly endless amounts of data scrolling across my screen, I placed my aching head in my hands with a low groan.

It was only the second day of my attempts to decrypt this mysterious file lurking in the Stellmoor databases, but it was giving me more trouble than I'd anticipated. It wasn't that I couldn't decrypt the thing (I mean, please, this is me we're talking about) but it was proving a hell of a lot harder to crack than I'd first thought. Whoever had encrypted this file hadn't been messing around. They definitely didn't want anyone finding out what was in there, but unfortunately for that person, I didn't give up easily. I would decrypt this file if it took me a whole bottle of pain pills to get through the head-ache inducing experience.

"Hey there, newbie!"

I jumped almost a good foot into the air at the sound of the enthusiastic voice that came accompanied by the slap of a palm against the countertop. I cracked my eyes open to take in the face of my grinning supervisor. "Hey," I tentatively returned his greeting before sneaking a quick glance at my screen to make certain I had removed any programs that might arouse his suspicions. When I saw the non-incriminating sight of my parents' smiling faces grinning out from the desktop wallpaper, I breathed a little sigh of relief.

"You look like your mom," Mike commented following my line of sight.

I gave a small smile at the friendly observation. My mom was one of the most precious people in the world to me, despite the fact that we didn't see each other too much these days with her and my dad living on the opposite side of the country. I just had to content myself most of the time with pictures and memories of our time spent together.

"Thanks," I finally remembered to respond to Mike's comment after a few moments of silent reminiscing. "Did you want something?" I turned my face up to his with a questioning look. Mike had left me to myself most of the time since I started a couple days before, barring the occasional question on my part, so I wondered why he would take time out of a busy work day to search me out.

The warm smile he flashed at my question caused an unexpected blush to heat the outer edges of my ears that were thankfully hidden by the hairstyle I'd chosen for that day. "Well, you looked about ready to chuck this computer of yours out the window," he said, apparently unaware of my embarrassed reaction to his attention. "So I figured maybe you could use a break. Well, more specifically, a break that included lunch with me. "

"Oh," was the only response I could think of to his invitation. I wasn't really used to being asked out on lunch dates. Ok, I was never asked out on lunch dates. That was why I wondered if there might be another motive to his asking me to lunch. A slight panicked flutter raced through my veins at the thought that maybe he suspected who I really was.

It was on the tip of my tongue to refuse, but not wanting to arouse his suspicions even further, I nodded my head jerkily in response to his invitation. "Ok."

"Hey, try not to look so enthusiastic," he answered with a friendly wink. "My ego might not be able to stand it."

That did manage to gain a small smile, and the panicked flutter of my pulse slowed the slightest bit. Maybe he was just being friendly. I asked him to give me just a minute, then I would meet him by the elevators. He agreed, and I took advantage of the few moments alone to clear away the program I'd been working on before disconnecting my jack and pocketing it quickly.

Mike met me at the elevators and we stood in companionable silence as the numbers over the metal doors lit up signaling the car's ascent to our floor. Once the bell dinged the elevator's arrival, the doors swished open, and we proceeded inside. Mike explained once we were inside that he thought we could try out one of the nicer restaurants the bigwigs frequented for their business meetings with potential clients. I nodded absently, thinking the location of choice might provide an opportunity for me to overhear a stray comment that could shed more light on this mysterious organization that was trying to buy out Oliver's company.

It turned out the restaurant he'd mentioned was only a couple blocks away, so we walked the distance together rather than hailing a cab. All the way to the restaurant, I let him keep up his friendly chatter while I tried to keep my responses to the bare minimum, all the time remembering Oliver's comment about my babbling. I didn't want to blow this whole undercover scheme due to my inability to keep my inner thoughts from spilling out my mouth. Thankfully, Mike did more than enough talking for the both of us, and by the time we entered the revolving doors of the restaurant I'd already learned where he went to school, his age, and how he'd gotten the job at Stellmoor.

Mike must have been to this particular eating spot before, because we were quickly shown to a table on the far side of the wide open space with a very modern décor that seemed to scream how incredibly upscale the place was. Suffice to say, it was a far cry from what I was used to, with greasy Chinese eateries and Big Belly Burger being my usual idea of a fancy meal.

"These are some fancy digs," I spoke once we were seated, momentarily forgetting my resolution to keep the babbling to a minimum.

"Yeah, well, I know some people," Mike flashed his mega-wat smile at me before shoving the menu in my direction and ordering me to get whatever I wanted. The cost would be on him. I tried to keep my jaw from gaping open at the astronomical prices I caught sight of on the menu as he slid it forward, but I wasn't sure I was entirely successful.

"What do you have to do to pay for this stuff? Sell your liver on the black market?" I wondered aloud, again forgetting that pesky rule about not babbling.

Mike didn't seem to mind though. "My liver's safely intact, Aubrey," he laughed while using my assumed name. "Don't worry. Just get whatever you want."

In the end, despite his assurance that money wasn't a problem, I settled for one of the cheaper options on the menu, a salad that probably cost more money than I made in one day. As we handed the menus back to the waiter, I was momentarily distracted by the sight of a familiar face. Glancing across the restaurant, I caught a glimpse of Oliver as he and a woman I recognized as Isobel Rochev entered the restaurant before being whisked away to a more private area towards the back.

Before they disappeared though, Oliver's blue eyes narrowed a fraction before they swung to me like a guided missile. When his eyes collided with mine, I felt a heavy force of emotion hit me as I immediately forced my gaze away in order to keep my companion from noticing that anything was odd about the exchange. Unfortunately, it was a wasted effort as Mike's gaze swung in the direction of where mine had been moments before. I only stared at the white linen on the table top as he glanced behind us, hoping the whole time he wouldn't notice my odd reaction to Oliver's presence.

"I guess it's true what they say," Mike spoke a couple seconds later, pulling my attention away from the folds in the expensive table cloth.

I shot him what I hoped was a dumb look in order to keep him from sensing my panic. "What's true?"

"The rumors about Stellmoor merging with Queen Consolidated," he clarified before taking a sip of ice water. "Not that Queen has much choice. After all that running around avoiding his responsibilities as CEO, not to mention a mother linked with a mass murderer, he's lucky to retain a controlling share in the company."

That comment surprised me. "You mean he's not losing the company entirely. I thought Miss Rochev was known for absorbing companies completely. Definitely not sharing them with the former CEO."

Mike gave me an impressed look at that comment. "You really have done your research," he commented with a nod of approval. "Sure, Isobel takes over companies most of the time, but it seems Queen was able to get backing from someone willing to pay for the other majority shares. So she'll have to share the spoils of her victory this time, it would seem."

I felt a small sense of relief over the news that Oliver had managed to retain at least half of the controlling shares, but one other part of Mike's comment had perked up my interest besides his news about Queen Consolidated. "Isabel?" I questioned him with a quirked eyebrow. "You're on a first name basis with the Vice President of Acquisitions?"

"I've worked pretty closely with her on several occasions," he admitted with a shrug of indifference. "Research into other companies can prove rather vital when one corporation is on a campaign to become top dog. Not to mention, she knows I'm the best at what I do."

That explained the reason money was no object for him. He must have been a lot higher up in the company than I had suspected a first. While the news of his elevated position was a surprise, it wasn't entirely unwelcome. Maybe with just the right bit of friendly persuasion, I could learn some information from Mike that could help Oliver regain sole leadership of Queen Consolidated rather than having to share it with a ruthless woman who devoured less fortunate companies without a thought.

One bowl of very expressive salad later, I had learned a few interesting things from Mike regarding Isobel and various past actions of the company but nothing interesting enough to help Oliver. A bit frustrated at my lack of progress, I rose quickly from my chair, excusing myself before making my way to the ladies room near the back of the restaurant.

Washing my hands at the brightly lit vanity several minutes later, I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to pay much attention to the sound of a door opening and closing with a soft thud. The next thing I knew, a strong hand clamped on my shoulder before I was whirled around face to face with Oliver Queen. I reached a still damp hand to my chest in an effort to still the erratic beating of my heart.

"Oliver!" I had to content myself with whispering furiously at him to keep anyone outside from hearing. "Could you maybe, just once, knock instead of scaring me to death? And you can't even use the excuse about this being the IT department because this is definitely the ladies room."

"What are you doing Felicity?" Oliver interrupted my stream of words, not even bothering to apologize this time for nearly scaring several years off my life.

I was momentarily baffled by the question. "Do you mean the eating lunch part or coming in here? Because I would think peeing is pretty self-explanatory."

"I mean what are you doing eating lunch with Mike Degrand," he spit out my lunch date's name as if it were a dirty word.

"How do you know him?" I asked, suddenly feeling a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach at what Oliver was about to say.

Oliver shook his head in response to my question. "I don't know him, but I do know what he does and how he's partially responsible for Queen Consolidated losing half of our shares to Stellmoor. It's his job to sniff out the companies Miss Rochev demolishes for her own gain. Part of that job entails very detailed research into each absorbed companies records, including those of its employees."

All the blood drained from my face at his words, and the feeling of panic from before was now back in full force. "You mean, he knows who I am?"

"I don't know that for sure, but, Felicity, it's a very good possibility," Oliver answered, his face grim. "Why are you here with him in the first place?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my frayed nerves and pull it together. "He said I looked like I needed a break, so he took me here for lunch. I thought at first he might have suspected something was off with me, but since we got here, he's only talked about himself. He's barely asked anything about me."

"That could be because he already knows everything there is to know about you," Oliver offered, the frown still in place. "Or he could just be a self-absorbed jerk."

"Or he could just be a friendly guy who talks too much," I reasoned, still not willing to admit that I could have misjudged Mike or his intentions.

Oliver didn't look as if he agreed. "You need to be careful with him Felicity."

"You keep saying that," I sighed, letting my head loll wearily against my chest.

I felt Oliver's fingers reach out to grasp my chin and turn my face upward into the harsh light of the room. "That's because it's true. If you…" he trailed off then, just looking into my eyes with an intensity that almost tempted me to look away, but I didn't, resolutely holding the hard stare.

"If I what, Oliver?" I asked gently, prompting him to finish the unspoken thought.

I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was battling some sort of inner debate to release the thought into the universe. After a moment of charged silence, he finally spoke again. "If you got hurt because of me, I don't think I could forgive myself."

"Oliver," I reach out to encircle the wrist of his hand that still held my face up into the light. However, as soon as my fingers touched his skin, he abruptly withdrew his touch and stepped away.

"Just be careful, Felicty," he repeated the order harshly before turning on his heel and exiting the room.

I stared at the closed door for what seemed an eternity after he left, absorbing the words he hadn't wanted to say. Maybe, just maybe, I meant as much to Oliver as he did to me. As soon as the thought entered my mind, I shook it away. I had more important things to do right now other than speculate about Oliver Queen's feelings. Looking back in the mirror, I smoothed my hair that had been a bit ruffled by my encounter with Oliver and exited the room with my shoulders squared back as if I were ready to do battle. Considering what Oliver had revealed about Mike, I might very well be walking into a battle of wits I hadn't been aware of before.

Once I got back to the table, Mike had already risen and was holding my coat for me to slip into before we made our way from the restaurant. As we walked along the busy streets, I kept stealing glances at the man beside me, looking for signs of a malicious monster that I hadn't been aware of before. But every time I glanced in his direction, I could only see the open, friendly expression on his face that had been there from the start. Once he had deposited me safely back to my desk, I came to the conclusion that my new supervisor was either an actor worthy of an academy award or he was really the nice guy he appeared to be. For the sake living to a ripe old age, I really hoped it was the latter.

It was fully dark by the time I was finally able to leave work that night, but I walked along the dimly lit sidewalk with an extra spring in my step despite the late hour. I had achieved a good deal of success with the encrypted file after my impromptu lunch date, hence the reason for my late departure. Though I hadn't cracked it just yet, it was only a matter of time before the information was unlocked.

Accompanied by these positive thoughts, I continued to walk along towards the city bus stop where I would board for my journey home. The light from the streetlamps began to dim as the lights grew fewer and far between the farther I walked from the corporate buildings. After my conversation with Oliver earlier that day, my happy thoughts began to gradually recede as I began to feel a bit uneasy in my surroundings with the looming shadows against the brick-faced buildings appearing a bit more ominous tonight than they had the night before.

Telling myself, I was imagining things, I pulled my handbag more closely to my chest and pressed on through the dark. I was almost to my destination, when I had begun to think that all of my worrying had been for nothing. Just as I began to breathe a sigh of relief, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of a new fall of footsteps behind me. As the little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, a little voice in the back of my head whispered that perhaps I wasn't as safe as I had thought.

Cautiously, I turned back to find a broad-shouldered figure looming up in the darkness. Just as I was hoping that the silhouette was merely a homeless person who had been born with the misfortune of being abnormally large, my heart sank as a single ray of light from a solitary street lamp landed on the gleaming barrel of a wicked looking gun.

Once he realized he had my attention, the massive hulk finally spoke in a strange accent I couldn't place. Once I heard the words that left his mouth, though, the odd accent was the least of my concerns. "Please don't scream, Miss Smoak. It will all be so much worse for you if you do."

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