Snowed In

By: DKM

Rating: K

Pairing: Oliver/Felicity

Season/Episode: Set in the future

Category: Humor and Fluff

Prompt: Oliver and Felicity get snowed in

Synopsis: With a blizzard blowing through Starling City, Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak have not choice but to wait it out in Verdant. But even inclement weather won't stop Felicity from having a good time. Silly shenanigans abound as she gets Oliver to loosen up a bit and have a little fun for a change.

AN: Another prompt from hopedreamlovepray because I was having a hard time focusing. It was meant to be a drabble but turned into a 12K full on short fic that was so full of fluff and cuteness, it makes up for the hell I put everyone through with Broken yesterday.

Disclaimer: My original idea, but I don't own the characters or the show or the music I used. Just trying to be creative.

She yawned. It was the only thing stopping her from putting her head down against her arm and falling asleep at that moment. They'd been down there all night running searches and data mining programs looking for the serial murderer that was currently plaguing the Glades. It seemed like the dead of winter always brought out the crazy ones.

"Go home," the soft voice behind her ear startled her back into attention. Felicity gasped as she spun around, her face nearly coming into contact with her boss's very sweaty and very naked chest. Closing her eyes for just a moment to clear her head, she glanced up to find him softly smiling down at her.

"Jeez, Oliver, don't do that!" Felicity practically yelled as she spun back around to her screens. Each one was at a various percentage, but none were above twenty-five. It was going to be a long night, but she wasn't about to leave the warmth of the lair for the cold winter weather that awaited her outside. "Someone seriously needs to put a bell on you…" she muttered before her brain could catch up.

The warm laugh that echoed off the old concrete walls almost made up for her lack of a brain-to-mouth filter, but it didn't stop Felicity from turning crimson. Her hand came up to slap her forehead before she squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to tamp down the growing embarrassment she suddenly felt. Still, hearing Oliver Queen, the perpetual brooding Grinch laughing, not just a short chuckle, but an honest-to-god belly laugh, was a sound so rarely heard that it made Felicity feel somewhat happy she'd been able to get him to loosen up a bit.

"A bell? Really?" he asked, leaning against her desk and watching her with those intense, albeit amused, blue eyes she had secretly fallen in love with.

"I don't think you understand just how stealthy you can be down here. It's downright scary sometimes," Felicity replied. "One of these days I'm afraid you might give me a heart attack."

"Well, that's definitely not my intention," Oliver said before pushing off the desk. Her eyes followed him to his workbench where his t-shirt lay as he left it earlier, before heading off to train with Diggle, who had long since called it a night citing the inclement weather that was apparently approaching Starling City.

"I'm just saying," Felicity shrugged before turning back to her computers. One of them suddenly had an alert pop up, which she quickly scanned only to find it was a false alarm. "Ugh," she moaned as her head fell against the crook of her elbow.

"Go home, Felicity," Oliver repeated just as softly as before. "It's Tuesday night and you should really get some sleep."

With a sigh, she finally relented. "Fine," Felicity said. "I'm going." Grabbing her purse from beneath her desk and slipping on the black knee length parka that hung from a hook on the beam behind her desk, she started to make her way out of the basement. Tuesday night usually meant a closed and empty club, so she headed upstairs instead of using the hidden door.

As Felicity threw on the faux fur lined hood to her coat and pushed open the door, she was greeted with a rush of cold air that nearly knocked her off her feet. Snow swirled around her face as she tried to keep the door open, but looking out all she could see was a wall of white. The wind howled past her as it bit the parts of her skin that were exposed. A glance down revealed over a foot of snow had fallen since she'd arrived and that the street still hadn't been plowed.

Making her way back down to the basement, she could hear Oliver call out to her, "Forget something?"

"Yeah," Felicity called back, angrily stomping down the metal stairs back into the lair. "The weather report."

As she walked past Oliver, she could see the confused look he gave her as she threw off her coat and hung it back on its hook. Turning to her monitors, she minimized the search program she was running and pulled up one of the local news feeds.

"The National Weather Service has declared a blizzard warning for Starling City and the surrounding suburbs until seven o'clock tomorrow evening…" the local meteorologists was saying as she motioned to the weather graphics on the screen behind her showing the intensity of the low pressure system that was currently pounding their hometown. "Over a foot of snow has already fallen in the last four hours with snowfall rates expected to exceed two inches per hour for the next six hours. This may be one blizzard for the Starling City record books, folks…"

"Is there really a foot of snow outside right now?" Oliver asked, looking slightly bewildered. As if on cue, the meteorologist showed a live shot of the city and the thick blanket of snow that covered it.

"It kinda reminds me of the Groundhog's Day Blizzard in Chicago a couple years back," Felicity absently mused as she sank down into her chair and stared at the screen. "They got something like twenty inches in a day and a half along with thunder snow."

"Thunder snow? That's a real thing?"

"Oh, yeah! You should have seen it. Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel was covering it… Totally scared the crap out of him. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen on TV. Hold on, I think it might be on YouTube…" Felicity replied as she pulled up another window and began typing things into the search bar. Within minutes, she'd found what she was looking for and proudly played it for him.

Again, Oliver's laughter filled the cavernous basement, but this time she watched him out of the corner of her eye. The smile that lit up his face made her heart melt. As she looked up at him, he said, "So, I guess that means we're stuck here."

"Yep… And I'm hungry. I hope you've got a fully stocked fridge here somewhere because I won't hesitate to eat you if push comes to shove…" Again, the brain-to-mouth failed spectacularly. "You know what, let's just go find something to eat before I fry my own tongue."

They headed upstairs, Oliver leading the way, and walked behind the bar into the kitchen. "There's always a fully stocked fridge here. The chef doesn't like it any other way," he said, leading her to the industrial refrigerator towards the back of the room. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

Felicity wasn't paying much attention to him as she glanced around the kitchen noting the fully stocked shelves of food wherever she looked. But one caught her eye. "Perfect," she murmured, grabbing a box of elbow macaroni before taking a pan off the drying racks near the sink. Filling it with water, she threw it on the industrial stove all while Oliver watched her with a fascinated gaze. The oven behind her was turned on as well before she headed to the refrigerator where he stood.

Pulling the doors open revealed anything and everything under the sun she could possibly ask for, but Felicity only needed a few ingredients: milk, cheddar cheese and butter. The rest of the ingredients she needed would come from the various cabinets near the stove. A sauce pan was added to the mix and soon she was whipping up their dinner.

Oliver was still watching as she stirred the pasta into the now boiling water before she shredded over two cups of cheddar. Throwing them into the sauce pan along with the milk and other ingredients, the sauce began to melt into one delicious glob of golden goo. With the macaroni boiling away, Felicity went to search for a baking pan to finish off her dish. When she found it, the pasta was drained, the cheese was added and the whole thing was topped with bread crumbs before going into the oven to brown.

"Wow, I never took you for a chef," Oliver said, startling her out of her cooking daze.

Felicity nearly jumped as she looked up to find him sitting across the prep table still watching her as she did something she thought to be so mundane. Then again, this was Oliver Queen, someone who had probably never cooked a real meal in his life, unless you counted the island, but she wasn't about to ask him any questions regarding that. So she just stared at him trying to find a reply, but he continued without prompt.

"Although I should have expected it... You don't half-ass anything," he added with a charming smile.

Smirking, Felicity turned back to the oven and checked the dish to make sure the top was golden brown. Pulling it out with a pair of pot holders she found on the prep table, she set it down on the stainless steel and said, "Dinner is served."

"How about we eat this by the bar?" Oliver suggested as he grabbed two plates from a nearby stack along with two forks and a large serving spoon.

"I wouldn't mind that," Felicity replied as she grabbed the dish and followed him back out towards the bar. She set it down on the polished wood surface beneath one of the pot holders while Oliver laid the plates beside it and turned around looking for something to drink. From one of the upper shelves he grabbed a bottle of cabernet sauvignon then two wine glasses from another shelf before uncorking the bottle and pouring some into each one.

Picking up his wine glass, Oliver said, "To being snowed in."

"Cheers," Felicity answered with a smile as she clinked her glass against his before taking a sip. "Mmm, this is going to go perfect with dinner," she added before scooping two heaping spoonfuls onto each of their plates.

"Oh, my god, Felicity, this is incredible," Oliver remarked after taking a bite. "Why is this not on the menu? I'll make a point to talk to the chef about that the next time I see him."

A rose blush began to spread over her cheeks. "Thank you," Felicity replied before trying to hide it with a sip of wine. She hopped up on top of the bar, something she'd always wanted to do, and settled the plate in her lap as Oliver followed suit, taking a seat beside her.

"I can't believe I didn't check the weather report when Dig mentioned snow before he left," Felicity continued, taking another bite of her macaroni. "I'm usually good about this kind of stuff because my best friend in college was a meteorology major and always kept me up to date on the latest weather. She would even text me when there was a storm coming. She was one of those crazy storm chaser people you'd see on TV who get way too close to tornadoes for comfort. But I can't really fault her. She's now working on some huge research project in Boulder with NOAA and the NWS."

"What's her name?" Oliver asked.

"Skyler Chase." She could see the incredulous look he gave her. "I'm not joking. Her name fits her to a tee. Sky and Lis… The dynamic duo… Able to hack servers in a single hour without getting caught. Our computer science teachers hated us while the meteorology department loved us. I managed to hack into the European weather servers and got them access to some really important weather model they didn't have access to while Sky set up a dummy website that would read the data and redistribute it to the students. Then we graduated and she got a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma while I came to work for your company. We've tried to keep in touch but both our work schedules are pretty crazy. And I just can't seem to stop talking tonight."

The amusement in Oliver's eyes told her he had no qualms about it. "Your nickname was Lis in college?"

"Out of all the things I just told you about hacking into a European weather server and illegally redistributing its data, you chose to focus on my nickname?"

"I knew about the hacking, the nickname just surprised me."

"Wha… How did you…?"

"I've done my homework on you, Miss Smoak. And frankly, I'm a little disappointed that hacking into a weather server was the craziest thing you did in college. Well, aside from the pot brownie."

"I still maintain that it probably would have been a lot more fun had the damn thing not been made with peanuts."

They both laughed before taking another sip from their wine glasses.

"You know, this is the first time I've seen snow in over five years," Oliver said.

"Really?" Felicity set down her wine glass and looked up at him. There was a distant look in his eyes as he spoke.

"Yeah, it was cold on the island, but it was never cold enough for snow. It rained a lot though."

Felicity simply nodded. She didn't press him for more information. That was more than enough for one night. Maybe if she was lucky, he'd keep going, but Oliver didn't. He let the subject drop with the next bite of mac and cheese.

"Well, there was that one time in college that we made snow angels in our underwear... but I'm guessing that didn't show up on your searches..." Felicity smirked as he choked a little on his next bite, happy that she could surprise him again.

He looked at her, wide-eyed for a second as he took another sip of his wine. "So no pictures then?"

His voice was lower than she expected and it sent a delicious shiver through her. "No way. We knew better than that. We also didn't have paparazzi following us around 24/7," she acknowledged after he winced slightly.

"I would have sent some over if I'd known you then," he smirked, finding his voice again, and she elbowed him as she took another bite of her food.

"Oh, I know of some of your exploits in the snow, Oliver Queen," she commented dryly, rolling her eyes. "Seems to me the press had plenty to do following you around." She winced then, realizing how that sounded and looked up at him in apology.

Oliver simply shrugged his shoulders. "It's true. I was a bit of a spoiled bastard back then."

Felicity tilted her head, staring at him from underneath her glasses while he took his last bite of food. "You're not anymore. I mean, I know people think that you are, but you're not. And I'm amazed that people can't see just how much you've changed. Not that I knew you then, but I would hope if I did, I would notice."

He looked at her then, his brow creasing softly as he chuckled. "Somehow I think you would have. But I'm glad you didn't know that me. I'm not proud of the person I was."

"I'm just glad I know you," she commented easily taking the last sip of her wine. "I mean, really know you. You're a pretty amazing person, Oliver Queen." She could feel his stare and blushed under its intensity. "What?" she asked quickly.

He chuckled softly before grabbing her now empty plate and setting it beside him on the counter along with his. "Nothing. I'm just pretty sure no one has ever said that to me before."

Felicity smiled and reached for his hand, giving it a soft squeeze before pulling her wine glass to her lips once more, only to frown when she realized it was empty. Oliver laughed at her expression and reached behind him for the bottle, holding it up and refilling both of their glasses, to Felicity's great relief.

"So what's for desert?" she asked, eyes twinkling as she glanced at him over the rim of her glass.

Oliver just smirked and jumped off the bar before disappearing back into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with two pints of Ben & Jerry's, one Chocolate Fudge Brownie and the other Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz. "I found these while rummaging through the fridge earlier," he said, handing her the coffee one along with a spoon.

"You'd better be ready for a long night, Queen, because I can see this coffee going straight to my head," Felicity replied as she doled out a large spoonful then stuck it in her mouth. Her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head as the flavor exploded over her tongue.

"Good thing we've got plenty of wine then," Oliver said, topping off both of their glasses with the remainder of the bottle.

"Nothing like wine and ice cream when you're snowed in," she said as she took a sip. "Ooh, I know what's missing!"

"What?"

"Music!" Hopping off the bar top, Felicity pulled her phone out of her pocket and headed for the DJ booth. Thankfully she'd created several new playlists the previous day and had loaded them onto the device anticipating the long nights she spent downstairs.

"Felicity…" There was a warning to Oliver's voice, but she quickly leveled him with a look that reminded him she knew her way around electronics like nobody else.

All it took was plugging in a couple of wires and cables and she was ready to hit play. The first song that came over the speakers happened to be one of her favorites at the moment, Imagine Dragons "On Top Of The World." It had a happy and upbeat tempo that instantly made Felicity shake her hips as she headed back to the bar.

Oliver watched her the entire time, his gaze settling on her swaying hips until she was right beside him, wine glass pressed to her lips. "I like it," he said with a grin.

"Then come dance with me!" Felicity grabbed his hand and tried to pull him with her, but he wouldn't budge.

"I'm not drunk enough for dancing," Oliver replied, tipping back the contents of his wine glass.

"Then maybe we should get you drunk enough," she suggested, running behind the bar and selecting a bottle of vodka from one of the shelves before turning around with two shot glasses in her hand. She poured some in each before handing him his and said, "Nostrovia!"

"You know it's pronounced 'Na Zdorovie'," Oliver corrected. It earned him one of Felicity's deadpan stares and a shake of her head.

"Are we seriously going to argue semantics right now, in the middle of doing a shot?" The irritation was clear in her voice as she held up her glass. Oliver tapped his against it before they downed the vodka in a single gulp. "Wooh!" Felicity yelled as she slammed her glass down on the bar and went to pour another.

"Whoa, slow down there, Alkie," he replied, taking the bottle away from her before she got carried away with the shots. She pouted, pushing out her bottom lip in an exaggerated frown that made Oliver crack a smile. "Fine, one more, then that's it for the time being," he relented, pouring another shot into each of their glasses.

"Salud!" Felicity toasted before tipping her head back and taking the second shot with ease. "Drunk enough now?" she asked, setting her glass down on the bar and eyeing Oliver with a grin. Oh, she was definitely feeling the alcohol, and it felt pretty good.

Still grinning, he simply shook his head once, but replied, "Alright, fine, I'm drunk enough now." Felicity jumped up and clapped her hands together before scurrying out from behind the bar. She grabbed hold of Oliver's arm and nearly dragged him to the middle of the dance floor as the song continued.

'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay
I'm on top of the world, 'ay
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt
I've been waiting to smile, 'ay
Been holding it in for a while, 'ay
Take you with me if I can
Been dreaming of this since a child

They laughed and danced a silly little dance, hips shaking, arms flailing and Felicity singing along with the song. The alcohol buzzed through her system making the whole experience one euphoric moment that she would never forget. Oliver loosening up on the dance floor was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen, and when he grabbed her hand to twirl her around, she felt her breath catch in her throat. This was the most carefree she'd ever seen him and it made her even more determined to get him out of his shell as much as possible.

The song changed and suddenly the blush rose on Felicity's cheeks again. She'd forgotten she'd put boy bands on this playlist when the Backstreet Boys started singing "Larger Than Life" over the speakers. From behind her she could hear Oliver's deep rumbling laughter. "Felicity Smoak!" he called out to her. She turned around slowly, her eyes downcast as she tried to hide her grin but couldn't. "You're nothing short of surprising."

Felicity tipped her head up and replied, "Well, I aim to please!" She collapsed into a fit of laughter on the floor, holding her sides as Oliver sat down beside her.

"I figured you for an 'N Sync fan," he said while leaning into her shoulder.

"Nuh-uh! BSB all the way!" she shot back. "But 98 Degrees had them all beat with their love songs. That and Nick Lachey was just so damn hot!" Felicity mockingly fanned herself as Oliver chuckled beside her.

"I think every girl with a pulse loved boy bands back in the day, even my sister," he replied. "I still remember the time my mom made me take Thea to the 'N Sync concert. That was the worst night of my life! I tried to get Tommy to come too, but he flat out refused, even after I told him we could drink as much as we liked."

"Aw, poor baby," Felicity pouted, but it came out more like she was mocking him, which, to be honest, she was. "Although, picturing you front row at an 'N Sync concert is pretty funny. I can see you all angry and brooding and completely bored out of your mind while you sister is screaming with joy beside you."

"And you would be absolutely right," Oliver said. "What about you? How many boy bands did you go see in concert?"

"Um…" She paused for a moment, feeling uncertain about whether to tell him about her teenage years or not, but considering that he'd already told her several things about his life today, Felicity finally answered, "I didn't go to any. I watched them all on HBO or whatever channel they happened to be on, but that was the extent of it. I wasn't exactly what you would call a social butterfly. I didn't even go to prom."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold on a minute, you didn't go to prom?" Oliver asked in utter disbelief. Felicity simply shook her head as she gazed down at her boots. "I don't even know how that's possible. Someone as pretty as you…" He stopped then as she glanced up at him wide eyed.

"I wasn't that pretty in high school…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to push back those awful memories.

"You still should have gone to prom."

"Right, and have the entire senior class torment me for having awful acne and braces? It was bad enough I looked like that in the yearbook. I didn't need the added mental scars of looking like an ugly dork in a dress," Felicity huffed. Tears began to sting her eyes and she went to stand, but Oliver's hand caught hers. When she looked at him, she could see the anguish in his eyes that he had no right to carry.

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.

"It's not like it was you who tormented me in high school," she sighed as her shoulders slumped forward, the tension slowly easing out of her.

"I probably would have, though," he begrudgingly admitted, looking away from her. Again, Oliver was carrying a weight not meant for his shoulders and Felicity immediately felt the need to rectify the situation.

"But you wouldn't do that now," she softly said. It was her turn to squeeze his hand. "The person I know today would definitely have asked me to dance when he saw me sitting alone on the edge of the dance floor, if I had bothered to go."

As if fate knew what they were talking about, the Backstreet Boys song ended and a slow song, Felicity's favorite song, began to play. Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply" had always been one to melt her heart, something that seemed to easily show on her face as a small smile graced her lips and her eyes became slightly distant.

There were always good memories associated with this song in her mind and whenever she heard it, she couldn't help the grin they brought to her lips. It was the song that had been playing in the background during her first kiss.

I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy
I'll be your hope I'll be your love
Be everything that you need

Oliver was on his feet in seconds, pulling her up with him. They stood facing each other as a slow smile crept onto his lips. "Felicity, can I have this dance?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.

The blush deepened on her cheeks as she nodded and stepped into his arms. The left banded around her waist as the right locked with her fingers and took the lead. "Just a warning," Felicity said. "I don't know how to dance."

"So there is something Felicity Smoak doesn't know how to do!" Oliver exclaimed, immediately lightening the mood. "Just follow my lead."

Nodding, she tried to, but having coordinated feet was something she lacked along with a brain-to-mouth filter. Several times she stumbled and stepped on his toes. "Ugh, I suck at this," Felicity muttered as the song's interlude began.

"Stand on my toes," Oliver instructed.

"What? No! I can't do that!"

"I'm wearing steel toed boots. You're not going to hurt me. Besides, you're light as a feather."

With a sigh and a shrug, Felicity did as she was told. She reached up, her arm wrapping around his neck to keep from falling. The arm he had around her waist tightened as he easily began to move with her. Together they swayed to the slow melody of the song, the lyrics floating down from the speakers as Felicity closed her eyes and let her head fall to his shoulder.

I want to stand with you on a mountain
I want to bathe with you in the sea
I want to lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me

At that moment, the world seemed to stop so that they were the only two in it. Felicity sighed, burrowing her face into his neck as she inhaled the scent of very expensive cologne, worn leather and sweat, something unique to Oliver. It was a scent she only got a whiff of every so often when he stood too close to her downstairs, but now she was enveloped by it.

So engrossed in the moment, Felicity let go of his other hand and wrapped her other arm around his neck as well. This was what it felt like to be the prom queen dancing with the prom king, she thought to herself with a smile. Eyes closed and head still resting against his shoulder, she let her mind wander to what it might have been like had he asked her to prom. But her daydream was cut short when Oliver cleared his throat and said, "Song's over…"

Felicity nearly jumped out of his arms, tripping over her own feet in the process. As she braced for impact with the ground, his arms easily caught her and kept her upright until she regained her footing. "Thank you," Felicity mumbled, unable to look up at him. She wanted to slap her hand across her forehead again for getting so caught up in her teenage dreams that she didn't notice the music had switched over to Taylor Swift's "22".

"So, uh, what do you wanna do now?" Oliver asked as he let her go.

Smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in her jeans in order to regroup, Felicity finally replied, "I dunno… But I think another drink is in order. I'm losing my buzz." In all actuality, she was losing her ability to fight the desire that had suddenly sprung up after their slow dance. She really wanted to kiss him for being such a sweetheart and asking her to dance after finding out about the prom fiasco. That deserved something more than just a thank you, but for now it would suffice.

Besides, the last thing Felicity wanted was for their night to get awkward so early on. That would mean sitting in silence in front of her computers watching the progress bars slowly tick away as Oliver was off in some corner training. No, she liked seeing him carefree and happy, and was determined to keep him that way until the storm passed. This may have been the only time they ever got to just be themselves for a night without a worry in the world.

Before heading to the bar, Felicity made her way back to the DJ booth and grabbed her phone again. The distraction the music provided had run its course. Besides, something told her that all the pop stuff was getting a little annoying for Oliver from the way he'd stalked off rubbing his forehead with his hand. She could even hear his sigh of relief when she turned the music off and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, she glanced up at him with soft eyes and a kind smile.

"Another shot of vodka for the lady?" Oliver asked with a glint in his eye as he picked up the bottle.

"I'll take a Jack Honey on the rocks this time," Felicity answered. It earned her an uptick of his brow, but he didn't say another word as he poured her the drink she requested then pouring one for himself as well.

Swirling the ice around in her glass, Felicity leaned back against the bar top and glanced around the place she considered her second home. After all the time she spent there, she'd never really looked at it. In passing, yes, but she never really took in the details, or the enormity. "This place is bigger than you think when you really look at it…" she muttered mostly to herself as she took a sip. "You could probably get lost in here for days…"

Then the perfect idea of what their next activity should be hit her. Felicity slammed down the rest of her drink and yelled, "Hide and seek!"

Oliver choked on his whiskey a little before he let out a strangled, "What?" in response to her outburst.

"We can totally play hide and seek here! I mean, c'mon! Look at this place! It's huge!" Felicity continued as he mulled it over.

"You know, that's not such a bad idea…" he replied thoughtfully. "This could be a great way to teach you a few things about escaping an enemy."

"Oliver Queen, you need to lighten up!" she grumbled. "It's a game, not training. Don't ruin the fun!"

"But I…"

"Grumpy Cat says no!" She waved her finger in his face, her eyes narrowed with a stern look to indicate she wasn't about to let him ruin her good time. "Tonight we're having fun. No working, no training, just good old fashioned fun! And since we're establishing some ground rules, I'd like to add no hanging from the ceilings, no bows and arrows, no night vision, no tripping wires, and absolutely no GPS tracking. No scaling walls or jumping from high places and scaring me to death either. Oh, and don't go anywhere near my computers or servers!"

Oliver stood silent for several moments just staring at her, taking in all of the information until finally he replied, "So what's in it for me?"

"A good laugh? A fun time? A break from being the Hood? Something to do for the next fifteen hours while we wait out the storm? Take your pick."

"You are not giving this up, are you?"

"Not a chance in hell, Queen."

With a sigh, he relented. "Fine. Who gets to hide first?"

"Coin toss?" Felicity suggested as she stuck her hand in her pocket looking for the quarter she'd gotten out of the vending machine at QC earlier that afternoon. Pulling it out, she flipped it over to show Oliver it wasn't a trick coin then said, "You call it," as she threw it up in the air.

"Heads."

The quarter landed on tails and Felicity squealed with delight as Oliver rolled his eyes. "Countdown from 100," she called over her shoulder before running off into the darkness.

He closed his eyes and began counting down. "100… 99… 98…"

There were so many places to hide from upstairs in the VIP lounge to downstairs in the basement. Felicity had to make a quick mental map of her surroundings, searching for a spot where Oliver wouldn't find her, but that was nearly impossible considering he knew the place like the back of his hand. She mulled over her options for a few moments as she sprinted from one dark corner to the next until she settled into a crevice where Oliver was in her line of sight, but he couldn't see her.

Then inspiration struck. Since he had the upper hand with his knowledge of the place, Felicity decided it would probably be better to follow behind him as he searched for her, keeping her distance and a close eye on him. Oh, yes, this was the best idea she'd had in a while, she thought with a sly grin.

"5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Felicity, I hope you found a good spot!" Oliver called out as he stood for a moment just gazing out in the direction she had initially gone. His eyes looked left while she'd made a hard right before sneaking behind the bar then curling up in the corner she was currently watching him from.

A grin curled up along Felicity's lips as she watched him head towards the VIP lounge. She wanted to clap her hands together for finally getting the upper hand, but realized she'd give away her location if she did. So she watched and waited for him to run up the stairs and begin peeking into his office before dashing out from her little spot to find a new one.

Once Oliver had finished his sweep of the VIP area, he headed back downstairs and started behind the bar. Felicity was already in her new spot, a secluded little alcove beneath the stairs with the perfect view to watch him from as he poked his head into her first hiding spot and continued on. The grin on her face widened.

This little game continued on for the next half hour as he methodically searched each nook and cranny of the club level trying to find her as she moved from one spot to the next, always in the shadows somewhere behind him. She wanted to tease and taunt him, but something told her to keep her mouth shut.

Oliver let out a frustrated growl as he continued his sweep and headed towards the basement door. His hand paused there for a moment, hovering over the keypad before he turned around.

That's when Felicity realized her mistake. In her search for the perfect spot, she'd forgotten to set up a decoy. Mentally she chided herself before letting out a huffed breath. Oliver froze instantly and she knew he'd heard it. Damn that man and his super senses! All of a sudden she felt like a trapped animal. As his eyes roamed over the area, she tried to duck behind the crate she was standing next to, but something told her he already knew where she was.

Oliver began to stalk towards her hiding place, his eyes trained on the darkness as he looked for any sign of movement. Felicity sunk down close to the floor hoping she'd be able to sprint out when he got closer, but that meant she no longer could see him. Taking a deep breath, she tried to listen for his footsteps, but the man moved like a panther.

Counting to five, Felicity decided to make her move and jumped out from behind the crate just as Oliver reached it. She screamed, ducking beneath the hand that went to grab her then made a run for it. There was no way she stood a chance in hell against his speed, but she had to try. Bounding out towards the middle of the dance floor, Felicity snuck a peek behind her to find him right on her tail. Her short legs were no match for his long strides.

It wasn't long before Oliver caught up, his arms wrapping around her as she screamed before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "Game over, Smoak!" He triumphantly lifted her off the ground as she continued to laugh and struggle to free herself from his grasp.

"Put me down!" Felicity giggled before her feet touched the floor again.

"So is it my turn?" Oliver asked, arching an eyebrow, his arms still tightly holding her to him.

She craned her neck back to look at him, her eyes narrowing. "Will I ever find you? I'm not sure I like my odds... when I don't have a GPS tracker on you."

When Oliver let her go, Felicity stood there for a moment thinking of a way to even her odds. "Oh, I know!" she cried, and he cringed at the look of triumph in her eyes. It was her "I've just cracked the code" face. "A bell!"

Oliver's face fell and he glared at her. "No."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Oliver, you move like a ninja and you're extracurricular activities include hiding from other people on a regular basis. This makes it fair... unless you want to be hiding for hours while I search this entire warehouse."

Oliver kept staring at her, completely unimpressed until he finally sighed, "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Nope!" She replied, popping the p sound.

"Remind me to work with you on your tracking skills," he grunted, and Felicity had a brief flash of searching for Oliver in an abandoned warehouse while he timed her, watching her every move, as she tracked him. There was something thrilling about the idea that worried her, but she pushed it aside instead focusing on their game.

"Do you even have a bell?" he asked, gritting his teeth on the last word.

The grin that covered her lips had him groaning. "I'm sure we can find something." Felicity sprinted out of sight and he heard the door to the basement being unlocked. She returned a few minutes later with the sound of jingling metal following her.

"Tada!" she sang, holding out her hand. A silver bracelet with what appeared to be several hundred little round silver and black disks hanging from it circled her wrist. She shook her arm to show him just how annoying the sound could be.

"Felicity I am not wearing a bracelet." The glare in his eyes would intimidate the most fearsome criminal, but she just smiled.

Grabbing his wrist, she quickly looped it around his arm and before she knew it, she was pressed against his front, his face inches from hers. "You're going to pay for this." His breath tickled her skin and she gasped at the promise of his words, knowing whatever that payment was it wouldn't be bad.

"You better run and hide, Queen," she called after getting her breathing back under control and squeezing her eyes shut. "100… 99… 98…"

Oliver rolled his eyes. He could probably stand there until she hit twenty and still find a spot where she'd never find him, but that damn bracelet she'd put around his wrist made it much harder considering it jingled every time he move even slightly. So he made a run for it, his "bell" ringing loudly in his ears. Oh, Felicity was definitely going to pay for this in some way, shape or form, most likely on the training mats if he got his way tonight.

But Oliver was enjoying these little games she came up with. It was the most fun he'd had in months, if not years. He realized he really liked spending time with Felicity. She was a joy to be around and brought laughter and sunshine into his dark world with her loud outfits and constant babbling. Having her around this past year and a half had been more fun that he cared to admit.

"30… 29… 28… I don't hear that jingle anymore so I'm guessing you found your spot." Felicity's voice quickly knocked him out of his musings. "I'll keep going though… 27… 26… 25…"

'Damn it,' Oliver thought, realizing that stupid bracelet was really making it difficult for him to find a good spot, so he decided to do something about it. He had about 20 more seconds to hide. Stripping off his t-shirt, he wrapped it around his wrist then did the exact opposite of what her "rules" stated. He scaled a support beam and ended up on one of the steel girders that spanned the ceiling. There was no doubt in his mind she was going to be pissed when she looked up, but she'd put a "bell" on him, so everything else was off the table, at least in his mind.

"3… 2… 1… Oliver Queen, here I come!" Felicity bellowed as she opened her eyes and glanced around the open dance floor. "Well, I know you didn't go downstairs so I'm guessing you're here somewhere," she continued babbling as she began her search of the club level of the old foundry. She took the same path he'd taken, checking all the nooks and crannies as she walked around the VIP area then the club level, but not finding a trace of him.

"Where the hell are you?" she muttered after nearly half an hour of searching. Felicity hoped he hadn't done what she told him not to do. But this was Oliver Queen, a man who broke rules left and right. Glancing up at the ceiling, she found him sitting on the steel girder, a wide grin on his face, but most notably sans shirt. It was wrapped around his wrist muting the sound of the bracelet she'd made him wear.

"Oliver!" Felicity scolded as she stomped her brown suede boot clad foot on the ground. The angry glare in her eyes only served to make him chuckle as he dropped down from the ceiling and landed about two feet away from her. As he hopped up into a standing position, her face came within inches of his bare chest.

"Um…" Her words died in her throat as she watched his muscles flex under his tanned skin. "You can't…" His eyes twinkled with mischief when he looked down at her and she swallowed.

"I can't what?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, her eyes falling to his shoulders and downward.

"You cheated!" she finally huffed, her face bright red. "I said no ceilings…"

"But you didn't say anything about taking off shirts and using them to muffle sounds, did you?" he quickly added and she gritted her teeth wincing.

"I didn't…" The answer hung in the air for a moment as Felicity reached over to the bar and took another sip from her wine glass. This was definitely one of those "I need a drink" moments.

"I need a break," she added, grabbing her wine glass and heading towards the door to the basement. Felicity needed a couple of moments to compose herself before she could face Oliver again. Checking the progress on her computers was the only thing she could think of doing at that moment. Besides, she was curious to see how her search was going.

With a second bottle of wine in her hand swiped from the bar before she left, Felicity made her way to the basement, Oliver closely following behind. She could hear him unwrapping the shirt from around his wrist as the sound of jingling metal began to ring in her eyes. The smile that crept onto her face was one of amusement. It disappeared the moment he tapped her shoulder. Turning, she realized he'd simply draped the shirt over his shoulder.

Oliver plucked the bracelet from his wrist and handed it back to her. "That was fun," he said, giving her a warm smile before punching in the code for the door. Stepping aside, he let Felicity in ahead of him as she pocketed the jewelry and stepped down the stairs.

The air was much chillier down there than it had been upstairs. She wrapped her arms around her waist then took a seat at her desk. Progress on the searches had been slow. None of them were above thirty percent. Felicity sighed heavily as her arms tightened around her waist. It had been a mistake to wear the flimsy vintage navy t-shirt today. But it had looked great with the jeans she'd put on after her work at QC.

"It's really cold down here, have you ever noticed that?" Felicity rambled as she took another sip of her wine hoping the alcohol would help warm her up a bit. She ran her hands up and down her bare arms as Oliver stepped away. He returned a few moments later holding a blanket. Her eyes went wide as another idea suddenly hit her. "Let's make a blanket fort!" Felicity blurted out with glee.

"A blanket fort?" Oliver sounded a bit skeptical as he threw it over her shoulders and cocked his head to the side.

"Don't tell me you've never built a blanket fort!"

"Uh, no..."

"Oliver Queen, you've been missing out on one of life's greatest pleasures!" Felicity shot out of her seat, the blanket falling from her shoulders and pooling in her chair. "Okay, first we need to make the foundation," she instructed, rolling her chair across the floor to where there was open space. She grabbed a few more chairs and set them up in a square. "Okay, now we need blankets and pillows."

Scurrying around to the cabinet where they kept their extra supplies, Felicity threw open the doors and grabbed as many blankets and pillows as her arms could hold before returning to the chairs. "We need more," she said, running upstairs to see if there were any in the VIP area.

Oliver just shook his head and laughed as he watched her. Within minutes Felicity came hurrying back, several more pillows filling her arms. How she made it down the stairs like that baffled him, but he knew when she put her mind to something, it was going to happen, no matter what.

"I need a few more things," Felicity added. Rummaging through her desk, she pulled out a box of rubber bands and safety pins. There were a few more things she pulled out, but from his vantage point, Oliver couldn't see what they were. She left them on her desk before coming back to where her blankets and pillows were scattered across the floor.

"Are you gonna help me or what?" The deadpan expression on Felicity's face made him chuckle once more.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Lay out a couple of blankets on the floor. Because it's concrete, I think a layer of insulation would be a good idea. If the floor was carpet, then I'd forego that step, but I don't like freezing my butt off," she rambled before grabbing several blankets and heading back to her desk. She began to string them together with the safety pins and rubber bands as Oliver did what he was told.

An idea quickly hit him as he muttered, "I'll be right back." Oliver headed upstairs to grab several couch cushions from the VIP rooms before heading back downstairs. On his way, he stopped by the bar, grabbing the remnants of their dinner along with the two tubs of ice cream. By the time he reached the basement level, Felicity had already begun to drape the blankets over the backs of the chairs until they formed the beginnings of a tent.

"I think you'll find these way more comfortable than blankets on concrete," Oliver said as he dropped the cushions at his feet.

Felicity let out a delighted squeal as she picked them up and threw them beneath her tent. "You're a genius!" she sang before arranging them neatly on the floor until the entire thing was made up of couch cushions. Pillows were then thrown on top of them until they were haphazardly strewn across the comfy floor creating a warm and cozy little next.

"I think it's done," Felicity said proudly as she glanced over at Oliver to find him smiling and shaking his head.

"You never cease to amaze me," he replied. She could feel the blush rise on her cheeks, but he continued, "This is actually pretty cool. Good job, Smoak. Now what exactly do you do in a blanket fort?"

"Well, I used to read a lot in mine, but since you're here, I think a movie is in order," she answered. Her laptop was brought out from its bag and set on her side of the fort. "Get comfy. I'm gonna grab some drinks and some snacks." Felicity scurried to her desk grabbing the things she had taken out of it earlier along with the bottle of wine she'd scored from the bar.

"M&M's, popcorn, Doritos, left over mac and cheese, ice cream and wine…" Oliver said dryly as he lay out against the couch cushions. He had already kicked off his shoes and was relaxing against a mountain of pillows as he waited for her to return. "I like the way you think."

"Chocolate comes from trees, trees are plants, therefore chocolate is a salad. And the popcorn and Doritos come from corn, which, again, is a plant, so you see where I'm going with this," Felicity replied. It earned her another warm laugh from her companion. She could get used to Oliver's laughter. The sound sent warm and fuzzy feelings through her body, a sensation she was really beginning to enjoy.

Handing the food over to him, Felicity headed towards the makeshift kitchen she'd set up in the corner near her desk to pop the popcorn and grab two Solo cups for their drinks. She poured the contents of her wine glass into one as the kernels popped away in the microwave. There was a bowl under the table she would use when the boys were out doing their missions. She dumped the popcorn into it then headed back to the blanket fort.

Felicity toed off her boots before kneeling and crawling to her side of the tent. With the limited amount of space they had beneath the blankets, only about a foot separated her from Oliver. She set the rest of the food between them before handing Oliver his cup and grabbing her laptop from where it sat at her feet. Scrolling through the comedy section of her Netflix account, she spotted the perfect movie to round out the rest of their night.

"'The Hangover'!" Felicity practically yelled as she clicked on the title and brought it up full screen.

"What's 'The Hangover?'" Oliver asked somewhat skeptical.

"Simply the funniest movie of all time!"

"Never heard of it."

"How have you not… Crap, that's right... It came out in 2009, while you were..." By some miracle Felicity managed to stop herself from finishing the sentence. But she could see the somewhat saddened expression in Oliver's eyes as he glanced at her before his gaze returned to the screen. "Anyway," she continued, "it's hysterical. I won't give away too much, but I promise you it's probably going to end up being one of your favorite movies after you've seen it."

Oliver shrugged, "Aright, let's watch it then."

Felicity hit play and before long, the mood had lightened once again back to its fun tone. She watched Oliver as much as she watched her computer screen taking in his reaction to the ridiculous antics of the group of guys in the movie. The genuine laughter that erupted from him gripped something deep inside her, causing happiness and yearning at the same time. She loved seeing him so carefree; so light. This evening had provided glimpses of the Oliver Queen beneath all the burdens and nightmares. She decided then and there that she was going to make sure she got to see this side of him more often - if for no other reason than to give himself a break.

She'd always thought snow had a magical quality to it. It could blanket even the ugliest things and make them look pure and new again. And on this night, it had given her a glimpse into something she was finding out she desperately yearned for - Oliver Queen, himself.

"Okay, Tommy and I never woke up to a tiger in our hotel room - but we did wake up to our share of trashed rooms," he winced, chuckling as he tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Felicity rolled her eyes, "Shocking." A moment later she felt a piece of popcorn hit her on the side of her face. Her eyes widened as she turned to him, but soon narrowed at his innocent expression. "You do not want to start a food fight with me, Oliver Queen."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, but managed to keep his next popcorn kernels to himself.

"Besides, there's no wasting precious movie food."

"Another rule, Miss Smoak?"

It was her turn to throw a piece of popcorn, only with his fast reflexes he managed to catch it in his mouth.

"Show off," she muttered.

As the movie continued, Felicity sank back into the pillows. The popcorn bowl was still sitting between them and as she reached over to grab a handful, her fingers brushed against Oliver's. It seemed they had the same idea. The simple touch was electric. Her eyes shot a glance in his direction to see he was gazing at her as well, the intensity in those pale blue pools sending heat pooling low in her belly.

Felicity quickly pulled her hand back into her lap as her focus returned to the movie, but she could still feel Oliver's eyes on her. "What?" she asked, hazarding another glance.

"Nothing," he replied, turning his focus to the movie instead.

Rolling her eyes, Felicity reached into the bowl and grabbed another handful of popcorn. Her favorite scene was coming up, the scene where the boys got tased, and it quickly grabbed her attention. She laughed wholeheartedly when Phil tried, without success, to convince the little girl not to electrocute him and cringed when Alan got it right in the head.

"Remind me to never be on the receiving end of a taser," Felicity said as she grabbed for her Solo cup of wine.

"Trust me, it's no fun," Oliver replied. She gazed over at him to see he was cringing as well.

"And how would you know?"

Now he just looked shocked. "Really? You know about my winter exploits, but you don't know about the taser incident?"

Felicity put down her wine, immediately intrigued. "No… Am I gonna need to stop the movie to do an internet search?" she asked. "Or are you going to tell me?"

With a sigh, Oliver began, "Tommy and I were being stupid one day and decided to try our hand at petty theft."

"Ah, the bored rich really can be quite stupid sometimes," Felicity quipped. It earned her a hard stare. "But, please, continue with your story."

"Anyway, we decided to steal a friend's car. Half an hour into our joyride, we see flashing lights. Mind you, we're in a Lamborghini Gallardo, so we can easily outrun the fuzz, but then Tommy got all freaked out so we pulled over. Well, the cops thought we were going to flee so they're yelling 'STOP! LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS!' And Tommy looks like he's about to piss himself while I'm trying to be all cool and collected." There was a glint in Oliver's eyes. He chuckled before continuing, "We get out of the car, hands up, and then Tommy decides he doesn't want to spend another night in jail so he tries to run. I, in turn, try to go after him. Long story short, we both get tased and it was the worst five seconds of my life."

"Oliver Queen," Felicity said as she pinned him with a stern gaze, "You're an idiot." He burst into a fit of laughter as she continued to stare at him in disbelief. "First off, that was not petty theft, that was grand larceny. Second, why the hell would you run from the cops? Hasn't television taught you anything? Oh, wait… I just remembered who I'm talking to… Never mind. Third, how the hell did I miss that in my search? Getting tased by the police would have stuck out like a sore thumb the second I came across it."

"Might have been because we were technically still underage when it happened and then our parents had our records sealed," Oliver answered.

"Still, it should have shown up somewhere in the media!" Felicity paused the movie to do a quick search, but he just stared at her.

"I guess your hacking skills aren't that great, Miss Smoak," he jested with a sly smile playing at his lips.

Felicity's mouth dropped open and her eyes narrowed at him. "Oh, no you didn't!"

"Oh, yes I did!" Oliver challenged as he rolled closer to her.

The popcorn bowl was pushed aside as she growled, "You are so going to pay!" Felicity lunged at him, hell bent on making Oliver take back his words, but he grabbed her just as easily and held her to his chest.

"Not as much as you!" he shot back.

Oliver was on top of her in seconds, giving Felicity little time to realize what had happened. His fingers grazed her sides and suddenly she was exploding in a fit of laughter. This was not something she had anticipated and quickly went on the defense trying to find some way of either getting him to stop or retaliating. Her hands flew to his sides as well, and she quickly realized Oliver Queen was just as ticklish as she was.

They were both shrieking with laughter, holding out to see who would buckle first as they rolled around on the soft couch cushions until Felicity finally screamed, "STOP! Can't… breathe!"

Oliver's hands grabbed hold of hers and pinned them above her head as she panted beneath him, her face a deep shade of crimson and tears leaking down her cheeks. He took his time drinking in her subtle features from the way her hair had become disheveled and hung loose from her ponytail, fanning out across her pillows to the way she gazed up at him with pure joy in her bright blue eyes. Never had she looked more beautiful than at that moment.

Letting go of her one of her hands, Oliver brushed a few errant strands of hair away from her forehead. His touch and his smile sent waves of electricity pulsing through her body. Felicity's breath caught in her throat and although she desperately needed oxygen, she could feel her lungs pause for a moment. Gazing up at the gorgeous man just inches from her face was far more thrilling than playing hide and seek had ever been.

She swallowed when his head dropped lower, his breaths falling across her lips. Her heart still raced in her chest from their little tickle fight, but it beat even faster now watching him as he stared down at her, the intensity in those pale blue orbs catching her off guard when she realized there was far more than just curiosity staring back at her. No, his eyes had darkened and when he licked his lips, she knew where his thoughts had strayed. They were in the same place as her own.

Oliver took a deep breath, his hand coming to rest against her cheek as he brushed his thumb over her chin and then her lips. He watched as Felicity shifted beneath him, her eyes widening with shock and something more, something darker. When her eyes fell to his lips, he knew without a doubt what she was thinking.

There was absolutely no hesitation when he bridged the gap between their lips. The sound of her gasp made his smile widen as he watched her eyes fall shut. He savored the sweetness of her cherry lip gloss for just a moment longer before pulling away. Her eyes were wide when he gazed down at her again, pupils blown so the irises took on a shade of cobalt that nearly matched her t-shirt.

It was the last thing Felicity had expected out of their night, but she wasn't complaining. Actually, the only thing she could complain about at that moment was the fact that Oliver had stopped kissing her. So she decided to rectify the situation. Her fingers wrapped around his neck and pulled him back to her lips. This time, it was his turn to gasp, only he moaned as well and she took it as an invitation to slip her tongue into his mouth.

The hand that had been grasping hers released and suddenly his fingers were tangled in her hair. His other hand ran down her side until it rested against her hip where her shirt had begun to ride up. Calloused fingers fell against soft skin and made her jump at the contact. It was more electric than his lips pressed to hers and she immediately groaned. As their tongues tangled, the hand that had been resting against his neck ruffled through his hair as the other ghosted down his spine and came to rest at the small of his back.

Pulling away when their need for oxygen became overwhelming, they both stared at each other, wide eyed and panting for breath. "Well, that was…" Felicity muttered, looking for a way to describe what just happened.

"Amazing? Incredible? Crazy? Stupid? A mistake?" Oliver tried to guess as the emotions ran wild in his eyes.

"I was going to say unexpected, but I won't rule out amazing or incredible. Definitely not stupid or a mistake," she said with a warm smile. "A mistake would be the last thing…" Felicity was cut off from her ramblings when his lips fell to hers once more. A happy sigh escaped her throat when his hands cupped her face, his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks.

That was it, the moment Felicity Smoak fell head over heels in love with Oliver Queen and vice versa. Her head spun as he continued to kiss her, his lips soft and warm and gentle as they explored her mouth. With another contented sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him flush against her.

Kisses continued to pass between their lips as Oliver rolled back to his side of the cushions taking her along with him so she was now lying across his chest. He could see her eyes growing heavier by the minute and glanced at his watch to find it was well past nine in the morning. They had both been up for well over twenty-four hours at this point so he didn't fault Felicity when her lips stopped moving against his. He rolled over once more, this time so they were both on their sides and his arms were wrapped tightly around her tiny frame. Surprisingly, sleep came easily to Oliver as well that morning.

The final snowfall total had reached twenty-seven inches by three that afternoon, an impressive amount for all who lived in Starling City. They'd never seen that much snow, which prompted county-wide school and business closures along with several main roads being nearly impassable due to drifts reaching heights of well over five feet in some places. But once the clouds cleared and the last rays of the sun peeked through, snow plows had been deployed to begin clearing the streets.

Although John Diggle was no stranger to snow, the amounts that fell in those last twenty-four hours had even the seasoned veteran impressed with Mother Nature. But it also had him worried. The last phone call he'd received from Oliver or Felicity had been just after he'd left the foundry the previous day. He'd known the storm was coming, had told Felicity about it as well, but he had a feeling she'd lost track of time. There was no doubt Oliver had. The man still had no concept of time even though it had been over a year and a half since he'd been off the island.

It prompted Diggle to brave the elements that afternoon after his street had been plowed and head to Verdant to see if his friends had survived the night. He figured they'd probably fallen asleep there, but it was now hedging five in the evening and still no phone call from either of them. The thought was slightly unnerving, but whatever their reasons for not calling, he'd get an answer one way or another.

He just wasn't expecting the scene that greeted him when he stepped down into the basement. There, in the center of the room, sat a giant tent made out of blankets. Diggle couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his throat as he walked towards it, fully expecting Oliver and Felicity to be curled up beneath it probably watching a movie.

And again he would have his expectations blown out of the water. Peeking inside, he saw they were definitely in there, but they most definitely weren't watching a movie. Instead, what he saw made him grin. Oliver lay on his back, fast asleep atop a mountain of pillows with his arms rightly wrapped around Felicity, who happened to be curled up over his chest, her head resting just below his chin.

Diggle cleared his throat, but neither of them moved. He did it again, this time a little more loudly, but still didn't get much of a response from the duo. Finally, he decided to give Felicity a slight shake.

"Mmmm... Five more minutes," she mumbled, her arms tightening around Oliver's waist as she snuggled closer into his warmth.

Diggle had finally had enough. "Um... guys," he said, hoping at least Oliver would wake up.

Felicity's eye's fluttered open at the sound of the familiar voice. Her gaze shot to the man standing outside their little cocoon of blankets and pillows. For a moment, nothing really registered, then she looked down to find herself practically lying on top of Oliver with her hand resting against his chest and his arms banded around her waist. She jumped back, but not before hearing Diggle chuckle from outside the fort as Oliver's eye's snapped open and locked with hers.

"What the f..." he began to mumble before glancing out to find Diggle staring at them.

"Shit..." Oliver muttered, placing a hand over his eyes as the headache from his hangover finally hit him.

"Shit is right!" Felicity ground out, holding a blanket over her fully clothed body before she realized that they'd just fallen asleep and nothing had actually happened between them. Vivid images of their make out session flooded her mind and she shook her head trying to clear her thoughts of the heat that suddenly pooled in her abdomen.

"At least you're not naked," Oliver jested with a sly grin. From outside he could hear Diggle stifling a laugh while Felicity glared at him.

"You're such an ass, Oliver Queen," she hissed before throwing the blanket at him and leaving the warm confines of the fort.

Although her head throbbed from all the liquor she'd drunk the night (was it night or was it early morning?) before, Felicity made an effort to try and not to let it get to her. She stretched out, muscles slightly sore from disuse then made her way to the bathroom. Aspirin and water were her second stop before she headed back to the blanket fort.

Oliver was already sitting where it hung open, his legs stretched out in front of him as he leaned back against his elbows. She shoved him aside, but he grabbed her wrist and brought her crashing down into his lap instead. With a whoosh, the breath was forced out of her lungs when she landed. He caught her with ease, gently laying her across his legs as his arms came to wrap around her waist and shoulders.

"What the hell, Oliver?" Felicity grumbled, fighting to free herself, but he wouldn't let go. She was still slightly angry at his earlier comment about not being naked, but mostly, she was trying to hide the fact that her feelings for him had skyrocketed overnight. The longing she'd felt the previous night had turned to desperate need now as he held her close, his arms locking around her. Truth be told, she really didn't want him to let go and was afraid of what he had to say.

"I think we need to talk about last night," he said. With Diggle having gone out to shovel the front entrance of the club so they could more easily make their way out, Oliver and Felicity were alone once more. And this time, they were very much sober.

"What about last night?" she replied, her eyes narrowing at him. Felicity thought she knew where this conversation was going, but after the previous night, she should have learned to expect the unexpected when it came to Oliver Queen.

He merely smiled at her, his blue eyes soft and warm as they gazed into hers. When his hand came up to stroke her cheek, she gasped at the contact, her eyes widening with shock and surprise. But what he said would prove to be the bombshell. Almost timidly, Oliver asked, "Can we do it again?"

"Do what again… exactly? The part where we played games and did silly stuff or the part where you kissed me?" Felicity retorted.

"The kissing part," he answered.

"Oh…" She felt the color rise to her cheeks as the flashbacks of his lips pressed against hers filtered through her mind. Her heart fluttered in her chest when she realized this hadn't been a one time, one sided thing between them. Oliver had felt the spark too. A smile slowly crept onto her face as Felicity replied, "That depends."

"On what?" Oliver looked almost anxious as he stared down at her, his eyes wide and searching and so full of hope that it took her breath away.

"On how long we have before Dig comes back," Felicity finally answered.

"Who cares?" And with that, his lips descended to hers, capturing her mouth in a soft, chaste kiss. She sighed, her arms wrapping around his neck holding him as close as possible. Just as he was about pull her back into the tent, a ping from her computers startled them.

"The searches are done!" Felicity exclaimed as she surged out of Oliver's arms and went to see what they'd found.

Taking a look at the screens, there was a plethora of data that needed to be sorted through, although one name stuck out: Jonathan Winston. "Found him!" she said, doing her little fist pump. Oliver's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back flush against his chest and causing her to gasp once more.

"That calls for a celebration," he murmured against her ear before planting soft kisses along the shell.

"But there's a lot of data to go through," Felicity weakly protested as she was pulled back into the tent.

"Later." Oliver's lips had found hers again, only this time she had no intention of stopping him. Turning into his embrace, Felicity finally gave in, her fingers sinking into the soft cotton of his t-shirt as she held onto him tightly. Suddenly she was very grateful that Mother Nature had decided to trap them in Verdant those past twenty-seven hours.

'I'll take another snow day if it ends up like this,' she gleefully thought, her lips never straying from those of the man beneath her.