"Well, it seems to me that the best relationships – the ones that last – are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is...suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with." (Scully, The X-Files)

It was around 7 p.m. and Felicity had just started searching the FBI database for information on their latest target when she heard him enter the lair. Luckily she'd gotten semi-desensitized to Oliver's hotness by this point so the mental image of her jumping his bones wasn't as vivid as it used to be when she first started working for him after hours in the foundry. With her eyes fixed on the screen she barely noticed as he sank down in the office chair across from her and even jumped a little when he spoke with a strangely unfamiliar voice.

"Hi", he whispered under a little snort finally causing her to look up.

"Oh my god…," she exclaimed sincerely shocked by his appearance. "You look terrible!"

Oliver's eyes were surrounded by dark circles, his skin seemed even paler than usual and his nose was puffy and red from all the sneezing.

"Thank you, Smoak. I feel better already," he teased and gave her a weak smile that was followed by a severe coughing fit.

"Wow, you're seriously ill," Felicity noticed in astonishment as if she had trouble wrapping her head around the simple fact that Oliver Queen could indeed catch a cold. It never really occurred to her that despite all the superhuman and hazardous things he did night after night he was human after all.

"How is the search coming along?" Oliver inquired eager to change the subject once the coughing had ceased.

"Good, I guess. I haven't located the target yet, but there's a fairly good chance I'll…," Felicity stopped abruptly as Oliver grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" She literally sprang to her feet catching the sleeve of his shirt before he could slip it off.

Oliver flinched slightly as her cold fingers brushed against his aching skin.

"Getting ready to work out," he answered nonchalantly and gave her a crooked smile which again turned into a full grown cough attack.

"No way!" Felicity was surprised by the sobriety of her tone. "You're not going to work out! You're feverish!" She exclaimed and as if to make a point brought her right palm to his forehead.

"See! You're hot." Felicity felt her cheeks turn pink before she'd even finished the sentence. Quickly she withdrew her hand. "I didn't mean hot as in…you know… hot, hot…not that you're not hot…! Ugh! Why couldn't she keep her cool around him for at least five seconds? Felicity had two MIT-degrees and was counted among the top IT-specialists of the state. Still she babbled like a lovesick teenager whenever she came close to him.

"Thanks for noticing," Oliver said without even bothering to hide his goofy grin. When he proceeded to take his shirt off Felicity resolutely buried her fingers in the sheer fabric.

"I said no, Oliver!"

Slightly startled by her determination her opponent stopped undressing and looked at her directly. It was only then that Oliver noticed she wasn't wearing her trademark glasses. Felicity's eyes seemed soft despite the determination they were showing. Gradually his gaze travelled lower along her jawline and for a split second it took him all of his willpower to avert his eyes from her bright pink lips.

"Oliver, please," her voice had a pleading edge to it. "Take the weekend off and get some rest. The bad guys will still be bad guys on Monday. Call Tommy and tell him to fill in for you at the club and I'll take you home."

"You drive a hard bargain, Smoak you know that?" Oliver said his voice now softer than before. Slowly but firmly he brought one hand over hers to remove the slender fingers that were still tangled in his shirt. Wow. Her heart started racing erratically. Skin to skin contact was definitely something Felicity hadn't gotten used to by now.

"Okay, I'll call Tommy on one condition," Oliver announced out of a clear sky. "You spend the weekend with me."

Felicity's mouth fell open: "Excuse me?" Where the hell did that come from?

"Well," Oliver winked at her mischievously. "Walter and Mom are gone for the weekend. Raisa has taken a few days off and Thea spends some time at her friend's place. With everyone gone for the weekend I'll need someone to take care of me," he declared dryly as if inviting her to stay with him was the only logical thing to do.

For about three seconds Felicity looked absolutely dumbfounded. It was just typical for him to baffle her like that. She knew just too well that Oliver Queen loved irritating people with his playboy charm, perfect abs and gorgeous smile, but this time she wasn't going to play his game. If Oliver thought he could wriggle out of this, he was wrong.

"Okay," Felicity said and smiled at him sweetly. "I actually don't have plans for the weekend." She said offended that the possibility of her having plans didn't even seem to cross his mind. But then again he didn't strike her as the kind of guy who cared about these things. Oliver Queen was used to getting his way, but this time there were going to be strings attached. "I'll stay at your house and take care of you until you're better. But if I do, things are going to run my way," said the blonde ignoring his amused chuckle. „No training, no researching, no bailing out on me! Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Oliver replied meekly and grabbed her coat from the chair. For a quick moment Felicity took pride in the fact that she had stood her ground even if her victory most likely involved a weekend full of embarrassment and inappropriate babbling.

She was glad Oliver finally admitted that even the Hood needed to rest from time to time and if that meant she would have to nurse him during the weekend she was more than happy to do just that.

Queen residence

The confidence Felicity had felt at the lair was gone the minute she walked past Oliver into his family's home. Queen Manor wasn't like any house she'd ever seen let alone set foot in before. Certainly her parents weren't exactly poor, but this place was simply – she was searching for the right word – enormous.

"Wow, pretty impressive", Felicity admitted as Oliver gentlemanly took her coat and placed it on the wardrobe.

"Well, this is all my mother's doing", Oliver explained as he guided her across the entrance hall through the main floor and into the extensive living area. In the dim light of the chandelier his face looked even more livid than before and Felicity had to fight the sudden urge to kiss the pale skin exposed at his collarbone. It wasn't the first time that the IT-specialist fantasized about being with her boss in a very non-platonic, very sexual, very sweaty kind of way, but seeing him like this, sniffling and coughing touched a part in her heart that Felicity didn't know existed.

"Let's get you to bed, Queen." She said firmly and very gently shoved him towards the stairway.

"Wow, I didn't take you for the bossy type, Smoak", he teased causing her to slap his arm in a playful manner. Oliver tried to contain the smile that was tugging at the corners of his mouth. This was going to be an interesting weekend after all.

Twenty minutes later Felicity stood at the kitchen counter chopping vegetables for a homemade chicken soup. She certainly wasn't the housewife type, yet she enjoyed the occasional cooking session with friends or family. Not that Felicity's had time for it after she'd started working with Oliver and John. In fact she wasn't doing anything anymore apart from working. So why exactly was she here with Oliver on a Friday night again? A frustrated groan escaped her lips. Why wasn't she out dating, flirting or simply having a good time with her friends? For God's sake, it'd been months since she actually dated someone, months since she...well. Felicity deliberately ignored the familiar tingle in her groin area as the images of her last intimate encounter popped up in her head. Walter was back, he was safe. The job was done. So why the hell was she still helping Oliver to cross names off the goddamn list? Carefully the young woman pushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and poured the vegetables into the hot broth. This wasn't going to work any longer. She couldn't put her life on hold anymore. Sooner or later Felicity would have to talk to Oliver about this, but clearly now wasn't the right time. She gave out a long sigh and slowly took off the apron.

While the soup was simmering the young woman went upstairs to check on Oliver. He certainly was different today, not his usual brooding self. Felicity couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something had changed. Oliver seemed untypically relaxed and when she came to think of it, he almost seemed…happy.