A/N: Thought with the new season I should start a new place to put all the new drabbles I'm surely going to be writing with each episode that comes out.

For this one I needed some explanation for why Felicity was in on that meeting.

Enjoy!

Felicity had done the research on Isabel Rochev because she knew Oliver was going to need every tool in his arsenal when he went up against that woman. He'd looked over it in the car, his brows drawing closer together with every sentence she'd compiled on the long list of companies left in Isabel's wake.

He'd shut the folder with more force than necessary and laid it on the seat between them, his hand resting on top. There was a long pause as he stared out the window, and when he finally spoke he didn't look at her. "I need you there tomorrow."

"What?" she blurted out, not understanding what he meant.

"At the meeting with her." he said tapping the folder once as he turned sharp eyes her direction.

Felicity looked at him in disbelief, "Oliver...I'm sure you'd rather have the CFO or the board members there instead."

"I don't know them. I don't trust them." he said pointedly, and everything he wasn't saying made her chest fill with pride.

"Okay," she said softly, her fingers twitching against her will, as if they were going to close the six inches between them and touch his hand, but she curled them into her palm and adjusted her glasses instead.

She wasn't going to dwell on what it did to her to hear Oliver say he needed her - that he trusted her over people whose actual jobs were to advise him on matters like these. She still felt like they were on precarious ground with him, not sure if he was going to be around the next time she looked up. But he'd come back, and for now she'd be happy with that.

There were some strange looks when she showed up on the executive level the next morning but she ignored them and pretended like she was supposed to be there. Isabel Rochev was exactly as she appeared and Felicity spent as little time as possible with her. When she'd introduced herself there had been an obvious sizing up.

"What exactly is your position at Queen Consolidated?" Rochev asked,

Felicity swallowed hard and felt a brief flare of panic, a member of the IT department wouldn't have the need to be in on that meeting. "I'm Mr. Queen's...Executive Consultant." she said, amazed at how easily the lie rolled off her tongue.

Isabel arched one perfectly manicured eyebrow. "I'm afraid I missed that on the org chart." she said smoothly,

"It's a relatively new position." Felicity countered and fought to control the flush she could feel creeping up her neck as the woman eyed her

"I'm sure it was...well earned." the meaning in her tone wasn't lost at all.

Felicity gave a small tilt of her head and excused herself when a member of the Stellmore team stepped up to talk to Isabel.

She saw Oliver approaching through the glass doors and pushed it open as he neared. "Good you're here, they're in the conference room and no one's eating the bagels." she told him as he stepped past her.

He nodded but before he could enter she laid a hand on his arm, "You should probably know that I just gave myself a really big promotion and it's possible Isabel Rochev thinks we're sleeping together." she pressed her lips together and gave him her most innocent smile.

When he didn't respond her hands began to wave in front of her. "I'm sorry. It's just...I'm an IT girl, I shouldn't be here. She asked what I did and...I panicked. I told her I was your Executive Consultant. I don't even know what that is. I made it up. Is it a thing? And then...well, she's a very calculating woman and her eyes are just like piercing into your soul when she looks at you. So she, of course, just implied that I hadn't exactly gotten the job due to my stellar work ethic and the fact that I'm a genius but rather for my prowess in the bedroom, which isn't to say that I don't have any prowess in the bedroom, but she specifically implied that it was your bedroom, and...oh god, I'm still talking." Oliver's eyes held hers as he reached out to cup her elbow and she had to work fast to convince herself that the slight darkening she saw in his eyes was due to the lighting in the room and not for any other reason.

"Felicity, it's okay. I don't know what an Executive Consultant is but considered yourself hired." his smile was genuine and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Just as he turned to enter the boardroom he stopped and looked back at her, "I missed your rambles. Now how about we go save this company."

He opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him. She walked in, head just held a little bit higher, and when Isabel Rochev caught her eye and tried to stare her down Felicity didn't blink.