A/N Hey everyone! sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I got ambushed by houseguests this weekend which left little time for writing. If it helps the final chapter is pretty long :)

I'm thinking of continuing this into a sequel if there is interest, might take me a little bit to get to it however because I have an unfinished Torchwood fic that I REALLY need to get off my back first. So let me know and add me to your followed/favourite authors to get the latest updates :)

Thanks again for all the lovely reviews! I hope this lives up to everyone's standards :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

When the ceremony was finished the wedding party and their dates mingled outside the gazebo waiting for instructions on where to go for photos. The mother of the groom had thought ahead and packed a cooler of drinks for the young people since they would be missing the cocktail hour.

"Feeling better?" Oliver asked "The worst parts are over." He grabbed a water bottle, opened it, put a straw in it and passed it to Felicity.

"Thanks." She took a sip realizing it was the first non alcoholic or caffeinated drink she had all day. She convinced herself that was the reason she was feeling a little giddy and lightheaded. "There are still the photos but that shouldn't be too bad. I don't have to be the center of attention for those. In fact the more I blend in the better." She took another sip. "How did I do? Could you tell I was freaking out? Was I shaking?"

"You were the picture of poise. You even managed to make it both up and down the aisle without incident." He joked.

"Yeah I guess I got off easy. I could have had to dance my way down the aisle to Chris Brown." Oliver looked at her not getting the joke. "I seriously need to make you watch more Youtube."

The photographer herded the group to a spot under some trees where they would have the lake in the background. Oliver and the rest of the non-wedding party stood behind the camera and watched as they went through the traditional portraits. They eventually moved to a few sillier shots, including one of all the girls doing their best Charlie's Angels poses. He smiled as Robin requested a photo with just Felicity. It was obviously some sort of inside joke as they each took off a shoe and gently put them on each others' heads. Robin said something to her and they both burst into full laughs. Oliver realized he had never heard her laugh like that before. He'd seen her smirk, and gotten the occasional chuckle but she had never really laughed in front of him before.

Felicity glanced over and saw that look on Oliver's face. The one that meant he wasn't really there. He was somewhere far away, somewhere he couldn't explain. She hoped one day he would find someone to talk to about it. In the meantime, a simple distraction would do. "Oliver" She called out to him. He didn't respond. She tried again a little louder and still got nothing. Third time she decided to try something different. "Ollie!" He snapped to attention and she tilted her head to signal for him to come over. "I need to lean on someone to get this shoe back on." He offered her an arm still slightly thrown by the use of his youthful nickname. He also realized he didn't mind her calling him that. In fact, he kind of liked it.

"Ok everyone!" Candi called out "Time to head inside for entrances. Guys and girls not in the wedding party will find your seats at tables one and two."

"That's the most useful she's been all day." Felicity snarked as she finally got the strap tied on her shoe. She let go of his arm, stood up and straightened her dress.

"Ready?" Oliver took her hand and looped her arm through his.

"Ready, but I don't need help walking; really , the shoes aren't that bad. Plus if they get bad I have emergency flats on the bus."

"I know." She looked up and saw him smiling down at her.

"So you're just doing this- oh." She blushed again as realization that he wanted to get closer to her dawned.

"That ok?" He asked. She nodded as she almost physically bit her tongue to avoid saying something and scaring him off. "Good." They walked over to the rest of the group and split off to their assigned spots for entrances.

The bride and groom were sitting at a table for two which meant the wedding party was settled among the rest of the crowd. There was one table for the bridesmaids and their dates and one for the groomsmen and theirs. Felicity and Oliver were seated as far away from Candi and Jason as possible at a round table, flanked on the left by Todd and his wife Janna and on the right by Melissa who had brought Eric. "So how did you two meet?" Janna asked. Felicity had been a bit cryptic about her connection to Oliver during the bachelorette party.

"We work together." Oliver stated matter of factly. He chose his words carefully.

"She works for him." Candi added, putting stress on the 'for'. Oliver gave her a look somewhere between a smile and a grimace. It was the same look he used on his family's more annoying associates.

"Well technically she works for Queen Consolidating so no." Oliver tried to keep his voice calm and light. Felicity was glancing from face to face at the table trying to gage how this was going. She knew exactly what Candi was trying to do. She was an expert at taking something good happening in your life and punching it so full of holes that it was practically ruined. She never understood how someone as sweet as Robin could be friends with someone like that. "But I needed help with my laptop one day and brought it in to the I.T department. I met Felicity and she did such a wonderful job that she's been helping me with some side projects in her spare time." He looked over at her "She's the best tech in the whole organization."

"Well someone has to do it. You are far too mean to your computers. It's painful, abuse even, to just stand by and watch." Felicity added.

"Has she given you the latte speech yet?" Todd asked. The table groaned while Oliver looked surprised

"Wait, she does that to everyone?"

"At least once, more than that if she has to help you fix the computer afterwards." Melissa commented.

"Hey, only you can prevent fried motherboards. I mean seriously how hard is it to use a lid or keep a spill zone between laptop and latte?" Felicity defended.

"Sometimes it is just easier to go to Best Buy" Jason fake whispered.

"You bite your tongue Jason Jones! Those no good hacks can't even get rid of a virus without wiping your whole system!" Jason merely winked at her leading Felicity to toss a sugar packet at him. Her aim was a little off however and she ended up hitting Candi instead. "Oh, sorry." Candi just smirked.

"That's ok. Maybe hanging out with Oliver will refine your social graces." She then excused herself, and Jason, to visit the bar. Felicity pursed her lips together trying to quell the annoyance that was building.

"You ok?" Oliver asked.

"Just ignore her Felicity." Janna said "She's probably still pissed Robin asked you to be Maid of Honor first."

"Yeah well the wedding's over now so there isn't really a reason for her to keep being so... her." Felicity downed the last of her wine.

"Ok new topic!" Melissa announced. "What do you think of this Hood guy?" Felicity and Oliver glanced at each other before Oliver grabbed the wine bottle and poured them another.

Once dinner was over, and therefore contact with Candi no longer mandatory, Felicity began to relax. She and Oliver spent most of the night hanging out with Janna and Todd even getting in a little group time on the dance floor with the bride and groom. As one song ended and another started Oliver leaned over. "I should probably check in on the club. Want to hit the bar?" The bar was outside in the foyer therefore making it possible for Oliver to attempt a phone call. She nodded and they headed out. They wandered to the bar and Oliver pulled some cash out of his pocket. "A vodka tonic and whatever the lady wants." He ordered and smiled at Felicity. She was pretty sure this was the most she had seen him smile ever. Then again that could just be the wine. "I'll be back" He headed outside dialing the club's number. She grabbed herself another glass of red wine and waited patiently at the corner of the bar with it and Oliver's vodka tonic.

"Isn't it a little cliché to go after the boss' son?" Felicity rolled her eyes. Why wouldn't the damn woman just leave her alone? Felicity turned around to see her frenemy standing behind her.

"Isn't it a little cliché to hate the nerdy chick for no reason? Seriously Candi, I don't know what I did, when I did it or whatever but I'm sorry ok? Can you go back to pretending I don't exist because I'm pretty sure we get along best when that is the case." She took a sip of her wine to steady herself.

"You are such a fake. At least I'm honest about my feelings and tell the truth."

"There is telling the truth and then there is being a- you know."

"You only think that because you don't want to hear it. And the truth Felicity is that it is never going to happen. At the worst he pities you, at the best you're a time filler between socialites. Just google him, you'll see how this will end." The sound of a male throat clearing caught both ladies' attention. They turned to see Oliver standing there, not amused.

"Google? You have all this insight into my personality because of a few articles and blog posts?" Oliver stepped between the two facing Candi. "Here's something else you probably read. I've been through some stuff lately. Stuff that really changes a person, and in my case, makes me not an easy person to deal with. So it takes someone pretty strong, pretty special." He turned around and looked at Felicity, her face have frightened and half in awe "to put up with me." He stepped towards her and grabbed his drink. "Want to go back in?" Felicity nodded. Oliver put a hand protectively on her back and guided her back into the reception not even glancing at Candi as they passed. They sat down at a random abandoned table and sat silently watching the crowd for a minute or two.

"So this is the moment where I should be trying to play it cool and tell you that I totally had that under control and I was going to put her in her place, but I wasn't. So thanks." Oliver turned to her and smiled.

"Anytime. I didn't say anything I didn't mean or wouldn't say again." He took her hands in his. "You're not a time filler, at all." The music around them slowed to a ballad. Oliver got an idea. "Come on." He tried to guide her to standing but she hesitated. He flashed puppy dog eyes at her until, taking one last sip of wine for courage, She stood letting him lead her to the dance floor.

They swayed gently to the music. It was song about new beginnings and trusting how you feel. He looked down at her and sensing his gaze Felicity looked up at him. They stayed that way until he mustered up the courage and placed a small, soft, kiss on her lips. He pulled back and they shifted position so that she was resting her head on his shoulder where it stayed for the rest of the song.

At the end of the night he parked the Audi and walked her to her door. "That was probably the best day I've had in a long time. Thanks for bringing me." He said while she searched for her keys.

"Yeah, I mean minus the crazy fake friend tearing a strip out of me. Though that did lead to you doing so to her which was pretty cool." She pulled her keys out and turned to face him. "It was nice to have a relatively hood-free day, with you." She blushed slightly. He stepped into her space.

"It was." He kissed her again, a little longer and a little less timidly than the kiss on the dance floor. He stepped back. "Goodnight Felicity." He turned to leave.

"Oliver?" He stopped and turned back. "Think we'll get another one of these? A day without it?"

"We will. They might be a bit few and far between for now, but we will. Think you can handle that?" The unasked question being, could she handle him.

"I think I can." She smiled. "Call me tomorrow?" He nodded as she unlocked the door and went inside.

Oliver amused himself on the walk back to the car with the idea that he now had two missions in his life. To complete his father's list, and to not screw, whatever this thing he had going with Felicity was, up.

*END*