A/N: This has been a long time coming! It's my first multi-chapter Olicity fic, so bear with me. :) Like I said, the story is inspired by P&P, so things will be different. I also want to thank Nocturnalrites and awriterincowboyboots (on Tumblr) for being tremendously helpful during this process. You two are amazing!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and any other mistakes are made by me. :D

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one touched or breathed the same air as Felicity Smoak's computer, unless it is Felicity Smoak herself.

However, it's a truth only a few people know about, and when she comes back to her apartment only to find her laptop on, she's livid. Perhaps not exactly livid – it's more of a panic inducing moment followed by extreme nervousness and rage, coupled with an irrational fear of the computer running away and trampling over her, most likely stemmed from her kangaroo phobia.

Regardless, it's her computer and unfortunately her roommate, Laurel Lance, clearly forgot how much it means to her. Her baby is more important than food and sex, providing her such comfort and intense feelings she knows no dish or man can ever give her. Nothing could compare to how safe and dangerous she feels with her trusty laptop on hand, and Laurel's body hovering over it absolutely terrifies her.

"Sorry!" Laurel exclaims, softly shutting the lid and flopping back on their shared sofa, a look of innocence plastered on her face. "It's – I left my charger at Starbucks, and I had to apply for jobs, and I thought I could maybe guess your password?" She sighs and collapses on the couch, warily looking at Felicity. "Please don't be mad."

"Oh, I'm not mad." Felicity steps forward and dumps her house key on the table, slowly inching towards her computer and snatching it away as fast as she can. Hugging it close to her chest, she eyes Laurel and points a finger at her. "This is your first and only warning."

Laurel rolls her eyes and smiles as she raises her right hand and promises, "This will be the one and only time I'll touch it."

Felicity sighs in relief and sits next to Laurel, the couch dipping from their combined weight. She opens the lid and quickly types her password, asking, "Still haven't heard anything?"

"No," Laurel groans. She covers her face with her hands and sighs loudly. "I never thought I would be an unemployed lawyer for eight months."

"They don't know a good lawyer when they see one," Felicity reassures her.

Laurel scoffs. "I wish that was the case.

A grin creeps up on Felicity's lips once she relaxes on the couch. As she begins surfing the Web, she can't help but reminisce about their time spent together. It's been nearly six years since they've met – Felicity was a simple nerdy MIT girl who chanced upon a cool group of kids who had friends at Boston University, one of which was named Laurel Lance. They didn't start off as friends, but as they got to know one another their friendship solidified into something much better, and here they stand, living a decent life together in Starling City.

Felicity's grown quite close to Laurel's family, the Lances; Laurel tends to have a big sister complex surrounding her, and she took her under wing. Laurel's father, Quentin, is loud and caring, an extreme softie when it comes to his daughters, while his wife, Dinah Lance, is a refined and polished lady, her warm hugs reminding Felicity of the mother she could've had. Laurel's little sister, Sara, is an absolute firecracker, always getting into trouble but continuously providing laughs.

They've made her feel like she's a part of the family, and for that she's forever grateful. There are times when she feels she's imposing on their shared moments, but they always make a point to include her, no matter how awkward it makes for her. She's slowly coming to accept this is going to be her life now, and it makes her happy in all the ways she never thought possible.

As for Laurel, she's the confident and friend, dragging Felicity along to parties and networking meetings whenever they have the chance. When it comes to these two there's no backing down from anything, a sentiment they share. It feels good having someone on her side, and the emptiness Felicity had grown accustomed to dissipates as she spends more time with Laurel.

Currently, Felicity works as a computer consultant at Queen Consolidated, traveling often and visiting QC's various branches in different cities and countries, advising and teaching its employees how to use the programs she and her team designed. The gig pays well, and she's happy with her current situation. Her skills made her climb the ranks in a short amount of years, and by next year she might get another promotion, one which may bring her salary up to six figures. There aren't many things Felicity's proud of, but this is one of them.

Life is . . . good.

"Hey, I brought snacks from home. Do you want anything?" Laurel asks. She hops over to the kitchen and produces Twinkies and brownies, laying them out on the counter. "If you don't, I'll eat them myself. I'm always hungry."

Without thinking, Felicity stands up and softly pads over to the small kitchen. She watches Laurel apprehensively – the lack of job prospects was getting to her best friend. She could see the frustration clouding Laurel, but as of late it was turning into resignation. More often than not Felicity found several snacks and movies littered about in their apartment, a sad reminder of all that hard work Laurel did, slowly withering away.

Taking the brownie box and loudly ripping it open, Felicity glances up at Laurel and probes, "What movies did you watch today?" She shoves a brownie in her mouth, the thick chocolate making it difficult for her to chomp down and swallow. Jesus.

Humming and breaking a piece of her Twinkie, she tips her head to side and contemplates. "I was planning on watching 80's movies I've never seen, but then I thought I should start watching Breaking Bad." She pops the piece in her mouth and chews loudly, her head still in deep thought. "Then I realized it would make me want to change career paths and be a DEA agent, so I started watching Law & Order." Almost immediately her nose wrinkles in distaste, and she drops the Twinkie on the counter, sighing. "But it made me sad."

Felicity slows down on her chewing and eyes Laurel, unsure of how to continue on the conversation. She doesn't want to tell her she went to the HR department and asked if they were hiring any lawyers. Cindy, the HR supervisor, was happy about the suggestion, but once Felicity showed her a picture of Laurel, Cindy brushed her aside and said she was "too pretty."

Shrugging, Felicity takes another bite from her brownie and suggests, "Maybe you should stick with Dora the Explorer."

"Ha ha," Laurel responds, certainly not amused. "What should I do? I passed my bar eight months ago, and I haven't heard back from anyone." Throwing her hands in the air she dramatically adds, "What did I ever do to deserve this punishment?"

Desperately trying to hold back her tongue, Felicity closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. There are some . . . tendencies Laurel displayed, and it didn't bode too well with her. Felicity grew up in bad circumstances, fighting tooth and nail to get here. She hardly complained – she's beyond grateful for the way things turned out, but Laurel dealt with different conditions. Her best friend didn't have everything handed to her, but she occasionally felt she was the victim, when in fact it was reality catching up to her. Still, she chooses not to say anything, knowing it would make matters worse. Besides, Felicity couldn't stand Laurel moping around.

Suddenly feeling tired, Felicity kicks off her heels and stretches her back, ignoring Laurel's reflections. "I'm going to take a nap. See you in a couple of hours." She doesn't miss Laurel rolling her eyes at her flimsy excuse.

She turns and heads for the bedroom, not paying Laurel any attention. "When you wake, you'll know where to find me!" Felicity hears.

Groaning and absolutely not prepared to listen to Laurel's wallowing, she yells back, "Cool! Save me a spot!"

"Sure thing! Right next to me on the couch!"

"Did you hear about Mr. Queen's son visiting QC?"

Yawning and glancing up from her glasses, Felicity questions, "What about his son?"

McKenna Lucas, the department's secretary, clicks her tongue and leans on the desk, getting ready to spill the gossip. "He's coming back after a five year stint in Hong Kong and Moscow." Sticking a piece of gum in her mouth she adds, "Some say he's reformed himself after his father died, and he is quite the catch." She raises an eyebrow. "Plus he's got his eyes set on the CFO position, so he's going to be even more loaded."

Snorting, Felicity says, "Good looking or not, I still remember when he peed on a cop car and made the headlines every single day." She leans back in her chair and muses, "You know, I kind of miss those days. Oliver Queen's antics made watching TMZ surprisingly fun."

"You're no fun," McKenna admonishes. She shrugs and glances at Felicity's calendar before asking, "Hey, weren't you and Laurel planning a vacation next week?"

Felicity sighs and spins in her chair before responding. "Well, I have to head out to Metropolis in two months, and Laurel's being . . ."

"Annoying?"

Guilt courses through her, because yes, Laurel could be annoying. Not bad annoying but older sister annoying. While it could be endearing, as of late it's turned into a nuisance. Laurel needs someone to vent to – which Felicity doesn't mind – but she's not equipped to handle emotional issues that don't deal with drunken mothers and money problems. What's going on with Laurel is tame compared to a multitude of other things. Still, she doesn't want to spend her limited time in Starling City getting frustrated for something as silly as this.

Nervous and unwilling to admit she feels that way, Felicity chews on her lip and waits. McKenna eyes her carefully and slightly judgmentally, her exotic facial features smoothing over and getting ready to call her out. Giving up, Felicity exhales and groans. "Does it make me a bad person if I do find her annoying? She wasn't always like this. And I get why she's feeling this way – she worked nonstop at a nonprofit place with no law degree, and now that she's an actual lawyer no one wants to hire her." Felicity taps her foot for a moment and muses, "I did tell her to get into IT. People are always hiring computer nerds."

"Please, after seeing how much you work on your computers and the endless hours dedicated to having no social life?" Felicity's brows furrow at McKenna's statement. "I'll stick with my secretary job, thank you very much."

"Fine," she retorts childishly. McKenna smiles knowingly and Felicity continues, "I'll stick with my totally awesome job where I got to live in Singapore for five months."

"Oh, now you're showing off."

Sniggering, Felicity raises an invisible glass and exclaims, "Can't help it!"

McKenna chuckles heartedly and adds, "And no, it doesn't make you bad person if you feel that way about Laurel. Sometimes . . . things change, and we can't help it."

Her happy mood suddenly disappears. "Yeah. Thanks, McKenna." The secretary smiles fondly, tapping on the door before leaving. For some reason Felicity starts to feel uneasy about something that has yet to come, and she's not prepared for what's to come.

It's eight in the evening, and during this time Felicity prefers to stay indoors, curled up with a bottle of wine and ice cream. Tonight, however, Laurel is insistent they, McKenna, and another friend – Jessica – go out. At the present Laurel is completely dressed whereas Felicity lounges on the sofa.

She doesn't want to go. At all. She would rather talk through the night or do something silly, not get buzzed and spend an hour dressing up for no one. Going to the clubs was – is – never her thing, because more often than not Felicity spends the rest of the night clutching a porcelain throne in the most glorious manner.

Right now Laurel's not taking her excuses, and as she tugs on Felicity's arm she finds herself giving in.

"Please?" Laurel quits and towers over Felicity, her heels digging holes in their carpet as her hands rest on her hips. "You're always traveling, and when you're here you're tired."

"I know," Felicity moans. "It's just – I feel I'm too old for that . . . stuff," she finishes, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. Clubbing is so juvenile.

Laurel gasps. "I'm twenty-eight – does that make me old?"

"No, not at all," she responds awkwardly. Her friend clicks her tongue in irritation, still waiting for Felicity to get up. "Can we just make a fort and have a sleepover instead?" Wishful thinking at its finest.

Scoffing, Laurel lunges for Felicity and pulls her up. She yelps at the sudden movement and cries, "Ow, my arm!"

"Who cares?" Laurel snaps. She's got Felicity all the way up, and once Laurel starts pushing her to walk forward, Felicity retaliates by putting no pressure and collapsing in her arms. "Ugh, Felicity!" Laurel huffs behind. She giggles at her childish act.

"You told me to get up, and now I'm up." Felicity steps back; she's standing on her own now. Turning around and facing Laurel, she places her hands on her shoulders and deadpans, "Pushing me into the bathroom won't work."

Laurel swipes Felicity's hands off and crosses her arms. Whatever eye shadow Laurel carefully put on glitters under artificial light, and Felicity suddenly feels terrible she's being moody. "I may be twenty-eight, but you're acting like a twelve year old." Something flickers across Laurel's face, and her lips turn upward, forming a devilish grin. "Besides, when was the last time you slept with someone?"

Visibly balking at her statement, Felicity sputters out, "OK, that is a very inappropriate question!" There was no way in hell Felicity was going to tell her how nonexistent her love life was. The least she can do is embellish it.

Clearing her throat and sticking her head up in defiance, Felicity lies, "And I have had sex. With foreign men. Lots of them. Bearded, not bearded, short and tall. All kinds of foreign men."

"Really."

"Really. " Laurel's not convinced. "Maybe I would rather go clubbing where the men are well-behaved and handsome, not gross and American." She stops for a moment, unaware of how truthful that statement is.

Groaning at Felicity's excuse, Laurel states, "That is some serious bullshit, Felicity." Out of nowhere, Laurel nearly stomps her foot and cries, "Look, if you had a social life, then I wouldn't have asked! C'mon Smoaky, just once. Please?"

Hearing Laurel plead breaks her. Quite frankly, there's no reason for her not to go, and truth be told she does want to get slightly drunk. Work has been tiring and time-consuming for Felicity, and the least she can do is hangout with her roommate and friend.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity acquiesces and says, "Fine. " Laurel squeals in delight, but before she can drag Felicity in her room, she warns, "You win this round, but I won't be easily swayed next time."

"Yeah, whatever."

Loud music pumps through the club, creating a massive headache for Felicity, which will only get worse once she starts drinking. She, McKenna, Laurel and Jessica have been sitting in a booth for the past forty-five minutes, idly chatting and avoiding dancing altogether. Felicity would do anything to prevent random strangers press their pelvis against her body without permission, and that means drinking martinis while sitting down.

Seeing that it's a Friday night the club is packed, the air humid and a cacophony of drunken laughter and techno music floating about. Felicity sighs and leans back on the booth, incredibly uninterested. Sensing her boredom, McKenna smiles and questions, "How's the project coming along?"

Shrugging, Felicity responds, "It's a bit difficult. We're trying to reinvent how credit card information goes through an entire system, and basically we're starting from scratch." McKenna politely nods her head as Felicity rambles on. "The team is trying to create a new channel to put all that information through, and if we don't figure it out, someone else will." Suddenly self-conscious about her rambling, Felicity blushes and waves it off. "Sorry, I just get excited when I talk about it. And it's been hard."

"Don't apologize!" McKenna takes a sip from her daiquiri and smiles affectionately. "I like that you're passionate about your job." Inhaling deeply and relaxing on the booth, she adds, "I started working at QC when I was twenty, and here I am at twenty-seven. I've seen more men in that department than I have in my lifetime. It's about time a woman as smart as you shakes things up."

Warmth blossoms inside Felicity's chest and she grins, feeling proud. "Thanks. Now if guys would stop getting intimidated by my wealth of knowledge . . ."

McKenna scoffs loudly. "Boys are so immature. Don't waste your time on those who can't handle someone as wonderful as you."

"I second that," quips Laurel. She scoots closer towards Felicity, Jessica in tow. Smiling brightly, she wraps an arm around Felicity's neck and begs, "Now that we agree men are stupid, what do you think about getting on the dance floor?"

"Uh, no." The moment she finishes saying it, all three women protest loudly, begging her to come along. At one point both Laurel and Jessica are pulling her arms, and when she can't take it any more Felicity finally relents. "OK, OK I'll go!"

"Yes!" Laurel exclaims. All four of them head out to the dance floor, and before long Felicity finds herself dancing along absentmindedly, moving to the rhythm and laughing as she does so. It feels good to finally let go, and despite her pumps pinching on her toes Felicity succumbs to the sensations.

She doesn't know how long it's been, but eventually she tires and decides more alcohol will help. "I'm going to the bar. Anyone want something?"

"Ooh, I do!" Jessica replies. She steps away from Laurel's clutches, and grabs onto Felicity's arm, leaning in close to her ear. "At the rate Laurel's going, she's going to be super wasted. I haven't seen her like this in a long time," she notes. A brief flicker of anxiousness gets to Felicity, but once she turns around and finds Laurel safely dancing with McKenna she calms down just a bit. There's no need to worry.

Felicity chooses not to respond and instead leads the way, dragging Jessica with her. "So, how's work for you?" A large man bumps into her and fails to apologize. "Rude," she mutters under her breath.

"Huh?" Jessica yells back. A man suddenly distracts her friend with his good looks, and Felicity does her best to yank Jessica away. "What were you saying?"

Felicity repeats, "How's work?" Talking in clubs could be such a nuisance, and for some reason there's a lot of traffic around the bar. "It's impossible to walk here," she notes.

Jessica nods in agreement. "There are a lot of people bunched over on the right. " Felicity stops walking so she can get a look, and at the same time Jessica cranes her neck upward, sneaking a peek.

"Do you see a place where we can walk through without getting pushed over?"

She shakes her head. "Not at the moment, no." Jessica places a hand on Felicity's arm, halting her steps. "Seems like people are surrounding a couple of guys. Might be famous, " she observes while standing on her tiptoes.

Thankful for her five-inch heels, Felicity follows suit, and sure enough she finds two handsome flocked by a plethora of women. "Or maybe it's their inhumanly good looks that's garnering a lot of attention," Felicity says drily. She's about ready to make another run for the bar when Jessica suddenly gasps in excitement. "What is it?"

Her friend is apparently too busy to respond, but when Felicity asks again Jessica excitedly tells her, "It's Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn!"

"Am I supposed to find this interesting?" She would be lying if she isn't a little bit curious, but she's not going to waste her time waiting around to see if she can get a glance. Now that Felicity's developed a healthy buzz, dancing seems to be a fairly good option as opposed to clamoring around Tommy and Oliver.

Jessica playfully pushes Felicity and gushes, "No one's seen Oliver in five years, and Tommy is absolutely adorable." Jessica cranes her neck forward a bit and abruptly decides, "Let's go say hi!"

She does not care about these celebrities who never worked a day in their lives. "Are you crazy? I'm not going to push my way through just to meet a couple of billionaire playboys who happen to have tons of money and looks like Greek gods." There are more pressing concerns than meeting party boys, such as trying to have a bit of fun on her first night out in months. And honestly, Felicity doesn't understand the appeal.

She's about to say another scathing remark when Laurel unexpectedly appears, wrapping both arms around Felicity. "What's the holdup?" Laurel's cheeks are flushed from drinking and dancing, and now that she's being unnaturally touchy-feely it must mean she's had a few to drink.

McKenna comes from behind and stands next to Felicity. "Yeah, where are the drinks?"

"There's a holdup because Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn are here, and Jessica wants to say hi," Felicity explained.

Both McKenna and Laurel's eyes go round. "No way!" Laurel exclaims.

"We should definitely speak to them – I haven't seen Oliver in five years. He was always very nice to me when he would visit QC," McKenna casually mentions.

Three pairs of eyes are suddenly fixated on her, and she fidgets under their glances. McKenna never told Felicity she met him. "What? I've been working at QC for seven years. I was bound to talk to him at some point."

Suddenly determined, Laurel hooks an arm around Felicity's and Jessica's, tips her head a little up and declares, "We're going to go meet them."

"I'm right with you," McKenna pipes.

Sensing her fight is futile, Felicity sighs dramatically and motions for Laurel to lead the way. Her friend jumps a little, and everyone – minus Felicity – excitedly walk towards the boys. There's a small hint of nervousness getting to Felicity; she doesn't have social anxiety, but her unfiltered mouth often lands her in hot water.

The closer they arrive the more they realize it's impossible to get within a ten-foot radius. Needless to say Felicity's relieved, and she not so subtly suggests, "Maybe we should head back?"

"You are so transparent," Jessica jokingly responds. She flips her ebony hair and breathes deeply, preparing herself for the big introduction. "We have to go. This is the one and only time we'll ever meet them, and besides, between the four of us they're bound to be interested in at least, well, me."

McKenna snorts. "Presumptuous much?" Laurel cackles and Felicity can't help but smile widely. "Let me introduce you three since I already know Oliver."

"Lead the way, Your Highness," Felicity mockingly responds. Laurel and Jessica snicker but McKenna chooses to ignore it, and instead confidently takes them to Oliver and Tommy. The closer they get the more glamorous everyone seems, and Felicity feels uncomfortable surrounded by wealth and arrogance. They are at an upscale club – if there even is a thing called upscale clubs – but she didn't expect people to take it so seriously. Her friends, however, don't seem to mind at all.

Soon enough they've gotten near to where there's a half-formed line to meet the guys. Halting her steps, McKenna motions for the girls to stay back and wait for a moment. There are only a couple of people blocking their way, but Felicity can't pretend she doesn't notice two very handsome men smiling and laughing. An abrupt thought crosses her mind: Oliver is, in some way, her boss. Wouldn't this be unprofessional?

Panic hits her, and without thinking she spins and worriedly tells Laurel, "This isn't a good idea – I work for Oliver's company! Meeting him at a club is unprofessional!" She glances back and thankfully sees the men are still occupied. "I can't do this."

"Why not?" Laurel takes a step forward and crowds Felicity, inadvertently pushing her towards Oliver and Tommy. "If you make a good impression he might mention you to a senior manager and get you a higher paying job."

"I don't need Oliver Queen, resident idiot and self-proclaimed panty dropper, to help me get a job," Felicity snaps. She opens her mouth to say something else when Laurel mouths her to shut up, grabs her shoulders and spins her right back around, putting Felicity face to face with the man she just insulted.

Perfect.

She's not sure if he heard anything she said. Nonetheless, her skin erupts in flames and Felicity finds herself unable to concentrate. McKenna side-eyes Felicity, silently telling her she heard everything. Guilt crashes onto her and all she wants to do is run away. God she could be extremely careless. If she was worried about meeting Oliver in an unprofessional environment, then she should definitely be worried about losing her job. "Shit," she mutters under her breath.

"Mm hmm," Laurel whispers. She's absolutely done for.

As Felicity nervously concentrates on anything besides the two men in front of her, she hears McKenna shyly ask, "Oliver?"

Still focusing on the ground, Felicity's completely unprepared for a booming and cheerful voice. "McKenna? I can't believe it!"

Felicity's gaze snaps up and focuses on McKenna, her friend, hugging Oliver Queen. When they pull back Oliver beams at McKenna, and she finds herself zeroing in on their absurd situation and Oliver Queen.

He's good-looking – perhaps more than that, but she's not willing to admit it. The suit Oliver's wearing is pitch black but fitted immaculately on him. His stance screams confidence and arrogance, and Felicity finds herself marginally irritated. He's got a small amount of stubble peppering his very defined jawline, and his cerulean eyes, blaze with intensity. For a moment Felicity thinks he's not the vapid man he's reputed to be.

"I was worried you were one of my exes for a second!"

Nope, he's still as idiotic as he always was.

McKenna laughs and tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. Taking quick peeks at Jessica and Laurel, she sees Jessica trying her hardest not to faint, while Laurel calmly observes the scene unfolding despite the amount of drinks she's had. If I could take a page from Laurel's How Not to Make a Fool Out of Myself handbook, that would be fantastic.

Standing on Oliver's right is Tommy; he's got the same charm as Oliver does, but he looks much more casual and friendly. His hair is a deep shade of brown, his baby blue eyes glimmering under the artificial light. He's definitely the funny, but less famous, of the two. It's obvious Tommy looks up to Oliver, but at this very moment he's staring at Laurel as if she fell from heaven.

"How've you been?" McKenna inquires.

"Good, excellent," Oliver replies enthusiastically. "I'm having a some trouble getting used to American ways after spending time overseas." His eyes sweep over their little group and he asks, "Who are your friends?"

"Oh, right – that's Jessica," McKenna starts off as she points around the group, "Laurel, and Felicity."

"Nice to meet you." Oliver nods in acknowledgement instead of shaking hands, and as he does so his eyes touch on each person's face in turn. For a second Felicity forgets about the insult she blurted out, but once she does she blushes immediately. She still has no idea if he heard her insult, so she prays he didn't hear anything, but now that her face is turning in to a tomato she knows she's attracting the wrong kind of attention. Oliver Queen might think she's in love with him, which is definitely not the case.

Tommy is the first to extend his hand out and says, "I'm Tommy, by the way." He shakes Jessica's hand first, then McKenna's, and when it's Laurel's turn he beams shyly. It's kind of cute how nervous he is to simply shake Laurel's hand, but her best friend – completely unperturbed – returns the gesture without a single afterthought.

Once he reaches Felicity she grins and says, "Nice to meet you, Tommy." He looks pleased with her response, and she can't help but want to give him a hug. He seems sweet.

"How was Hong Kong and Moscow?" McKenna asks. "I'm happy you're back, Oliver. Starling City hasn't been the same since you've left," she adds earnestly.

Oliver leans forward and says, "Thank you." He fidgets with his glass and continues. "It was . . . different, but I'm glad to be reunited with my partner in crime," Oliver says while clapping a hand on Tommy's shoulder and shaking him. They laugh simultaneously, and a little bit of Tommy's drink spills from the enthusiastic gesture.

Felicity's about to come up with a lame excuse to leave – this is turning out to be exceptionally boring – but Jessica livens it up a bit and asks, "So you're not here to become CFO?"

She can't help but snort loudly; Oliver gives her a quick and puzzled look before he returns his attention back to Jessica. Leave it to Jessica to bluntly ask someone she just met if the tabloid rumors are true. "Uh," he begins, "I – well, it is my family's company, so . . ."

In a strange turn of events, Jessica is the one who made the conversation go into awkward territory, not Felicity. She's pleasantly surprised and proud of herself for not screwing things up. And, it seems as if she's incredibly lucky tonight, considering that Oliver has yet to mention her outburst.

"God, Jessica," Laurel says. "That's a corporate lawyer talking over there," she explains to Tommy and Oliver as she attempts to clean up Jessica's faux pas. Jessica simply shrugs and idly looks around.

"What about you?" Tommy sincerely asks Laurel. He's entirely concentrated on her, something Felicity finds incredibly charming, and for a split moment she can see the two of them being head over heels about one another.

Laurel takes a deep breath. Felicity can almost hear her thoughts, and she knows Laurel's still sensitive about not getting a job yet. "I'm . . . in the process of searching," she responds vaguely.

Tommy's eyes pop and he excitedly offers, "Oh, my father's company is –"

"Don't even bother," Jessica cuts in. "She's not into the sneaky and slimy world of corporations."

In an instant Tommy's face falls, but he recovers quickly. "Yep. Corporate . . . level stuff is . . ." He exhales and makes a hand movement akin to an explosion, indicating that corporate stuff is indeed stuff.

"Basically, he doesn't know how to tell you he knows zilch about law," Oliver explains.

Tommy opens his mouth in protest. "Hey, I know some! Just not all," he replies sheepishly. Felicity quickly glances at Laurel and sees her crack a smile. Perhaps Tommy's ignorance will work in his favor.

"Well Oliver, Felicity actually works at QC as an IT consultant," McKenna supplies. She beams at Felicity, almost as proud as a mother, and adds, "She's one of the brightest consultants and researchers at your company."

A deep flush creeps up on Felicity's face. She doesn't like to brag about her talents, mainly because people didn't find it interesting, and she would rather let her work speak for itself. It's not that people didn't appreciate it, but they had a difficult time reaching the same level of enthusiasm as Felicity. It makes her self-conscious for some reason, and she chooses not to speak about it to those who wouldn't understand how much it means to her.

"Oh" is all Oliver says. Once again he gives a polite nod, and Felicity can practically feel his disinterest. "Cool. What are you working on right now?" he asks.

Felicity gathers whatever strength she has left to smile – she can't help it. She's aware she's judging him far more than anyone else she's ever judged, but he has been more attentive than she expected Oliver to be. Although she does not want anyone, especially Oliver Queen, to advance her career for her, Felicity can see he's serious about his company. And while she doesn't plan on seeing him again – employee or not – she is proud of her work.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity begins, "I can't really get into the semantics, but we're trying to create a better and safer credit system for retailers. You know, so millions of people don't get their credit card information hacked." Briefly she looks around and sees everyone somewhat absorbed in what she has to say.

Now standing a little straighter, Felicity describes, "It's all very complicated, and the amount of money that'll go into making a two centimeter chip will be absolutely astonishing. Besides, I have to create coding that's impossible to break in the world of sophisticated hacking, but sometimes just for fun I'll hack into the codes my team created, and when I do break it we have to redo it. Not that I hack for fun – I could do it, but I don't. I definitely don't. Especially not at QC."

It takes her a few seconds to realize that yes, she did indeed ramble off and most likely managed to bore everyone in a minute flat. Even worse she admitted she and her team plan on using a lot of money for this project, something Oliver's probably not excited about, and she fessed up to hacking. Anxiety hits her, and she suddenly wants to bolt out of there for making a fool out of herself. No one wanted to hear what she was doing at work, "Sorry," she squeaks.

Much to her surprise, however, there's a small smile on nearly everyone's faces – even Oliver's. She's not sure if it's from genuine interest or they're simply trying not to hurt her feelings. Regardless, Felicity feels the need to apologize once more, but before she can Tommy cuts her off. "That's a really cool thing you're doing, Felicity. I just hope Oliver has enough money to give you all the funding you need," he jokes.

A chuckle emanates from everyone's lips except for Oliver's; he's too busy glaring at Tommy. To his credit he keeps quiet, but his eyes flicker around. He's probably bored out of his mind.

"If I were you, Oliver, I would definitely keep a tight hold of your money. Felicity has a thing for splurging on electronics," she hears Laurel say. Felicity frowns, because telling Oliver Queen she's a shopaholic when it comes to technology isn't the best way to make her boss feel good about his investments. "But she knows how to take care of them," Laurel adds as she beams at Felicity. "Oh wait – except the one time she threw her Xbox controller at my stalker-ish ex, but she missed and it hit the wall," she recalls.

Planting a hand on her forehead, Felicity complains, "Not only did I admit to hacking, but you're making me sound like I have anger issues." She's not sure if there's a word that can adequately describe the extreme level of embarrassment she's feeling.

Felicity's positive her time spent at QC is finished.

Over to the side she hears Jessica say "Jeez" and through her peripheral vision she can see McKenna give her a suspicious look. Thankfully, McKenna tries to do some damage control on her behalf. "For what it's worth, Felicity is excellent at her job. But she does have a knack for eating all the ice cream and denying she had any part in it."

"That's it, I'm going to get a drink," Felicity says amidst a sea of laughter. Not wanting to appear rude, she halts her steps and smiles widely at Tommy and Oliver. "It was very nice meeting you," she says out of courtesy. "And I would never waste your billions of dollars," Felicity assures Oliver. Realizing she's making the situation a thousand times worse, Felicity immediately spins on her heels and doesn't bother to wait for a response – she has to get out of here.

She practically bolts over to the bar, and once she gets there her midsection collides with the counter. "Ow," she mutters. She takes a peek over to her group and sees Laurel chatting with Tommy, while McKenna is engaged in a conversation with Oliver. Jessica, of course, is nowhere to be found. Crisis averted – somewhat.

"Bad night?" When Felicity glances up she sees a cute bartender watching her carefully, an amused expression on his face.

Shrugging, Felicity says, "More like I've embarrassed myself to the nth degree." She leans against the counter and smiles at him. "I tend to have that problem."

The bartender laughs a little and starts rummaging around. "For what it's worth, you and your group of friends have been talking to the celebrities much longer than anyone else. Take comfort your embarrassment managed to hold Oliver Queen's attention," he says, putting things in perspective for Felicity.

"Well, my goal in life is not to gain Oliver's attention, but I guess this means I won't be seeing him anytime soon," Felicity casually mentions. "Even if I work at Queen Consolidated."

The bartender stops making a drink and hands it to Felicity. It's a gin and tonic, something she didn't even want, but she supposes it's something she needs. "It's on the house," the guy says. He winks before leaving off to take care of other customers.

She takes a sweet sip and lets the alcohol burn her throat, but she welcomes the feeling. Not wanting to dance, Felicity heads back the booth they inhabited earlier, but upon reaching there she finds it occupied by another group of friends. Rolling her eyes and feeling tired, Felicity searches for another place to sit down but with no avail. Finally, she pathetically resorts to leaning against a wall underneath a set of stairs leading up to the lounge. It does, however, give her a great view of the club; in a minute flat she spots Jessica dancing exceptionally provocatively with another man, and McKenna is occupied with a man as well.

As Felicity works on her drink she spots Tommy making his way over to her. She automatically panics and wonders why he would even bother to talk to her. Step by step he comes closer, and Felicity seriously debates on running in any direction so she can avoid small talk. In fact, she wonders why he's even coming here. I guess it has to do with Laurel.

Just as it looks like he's making a direct beeline for her, Tommy surprises her and goes in a completely different direction. When Felicity finally stops panicking and follows Tommy with her eyes, she sees him by the stairs talking to someone. And, as luck would have it, to Oliver.

Felicity's shrouded in darkness and she's safely tucked beneath the stairs, but she has a good visual on the boys. Stepping a bit closer, Felicity attempts to zero in on their conversation, because she's particularly nosey and particularly bored.

"Where are you going?" Tommy asks Oliver. His friend is already halfway up the stairs, but Oliver goes back down to converse with Tommy.

"Needed a breather. Besides, the owner of this club has a very expensive bottle of champagne, and some really hot Russian models," Oliver says as he wiggles his eyebrows. "Join me!"

Tommy laughs and glances behind him for a moment. "You haven't changed a bit," he tells Oliver.

"Once a playboy, always a playboy," Oliver proudly proclaims. Felicity's mouth turns in disgust, and she wonders why she's even listening. Ugh.

"Yeah, I got that. I . . . think I'm going to stay back for now," Tommy says. He shoves his hands in his pockets and waits for Oliver's approval for some reason.

It takes a couple of seconds for Oliver to understand why he's staying back, but once he does a grin forms on his lips. "It's because of the lawyer, right?"

"Well, the unemployed lawyer," Tommy clarifies. "She's smart and really passionate, although she probably thinks I'm an idiot."

"Not to mention really hot."

"Oh yeah, that's a plus." They giggle like children and Felicity rolls her eyes so hard they start to hurt. She hopes Tommy isn't doesn't see Laurel as a toy, because that's the last thing Laurel needs in her life. But, if Laurel didn't like Tommy she definitely would've let him know. Perhaps he's the better guy between the two.

"Hey, why didn't you talk to the other girls? They seem nice and interesting," Tommy suggests. He's relaxed now, but it's obvious he's anxious to get back to Laurel.

Felicity can see Oliver shake his head before saying, "Nah, not interested."

Tommy frowns. "Not even the employed lawyer? What about McKenna?"

Snorting, Oliver replies, "McKenna? No way. She's nice and all, but we're casual friends. And the lawyer spends too much time reading tabloids."

"Right. Wait, what about the blonde? The one that works at QC?" Tommy suggests.

Talk about unthinkable: Felicity and Oliver? What a colossal disaster. Felicity's extremely close to gagging at the mere thought of them. There's no way in hell she would ever be with him, let alone even entertain the thought of it.

It seems Oliver has the same sentiment as her until he says, "Too smart and nerdy. She's not really my type. And she talks too much."

He said what?

If Felicity weren't currently in incognito mode, then she certainly would've gasped loudly. Too smart and too nerdy? It's an issue for Oliver? She's not offended that Oliver doesn't thinks she's attractive, but if Oliver finds intelligence a nuisance, then it's a wonderful thing he doesn't like her. And, if it's how he prefers his women, he has whatever coming to him.

Despite spending five years away, Oliver Queen is still the same brat he always seemed to be. She just – she can't wrap her head around the fact that Oliver has a problem with smart women. It's absolutely all right for him to search for a decent lay without giving it a second thought, but to completely dismiss a woman because she passed Algebra and he didn't? What a demeaning thought. She's had enough of him.

Annoyed, Felicity leaves her safe haven now that it's been spoiled by Oliver's comments. As she walks away, she realizes Oliver Queen is still a vapid and loathsome boy who does not deserve the CFO position at QC. She officially really, really dislikes him.

Felicity takes one final gulp from her drink and moodily thinks What a jackass.