Hello dearies, we meet again or maybe for the first time? Either way, welcome to my newest adventure! As a quick orientation:
⁂ ⁂ ⁂ marks the beginning and end of a chapter and time jumps
⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ARROW ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ indicates a POV switch

I'm super excited to hear what you think! Happy reading and a fantastic weekend and peaceful holidays to everyone who's celebrating next week.

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Oliver shuts down his laptop after replying to the latest email from his agent, reminding him of the "incredibly important" round of interviews to promote his newest movie tomorrow. He's pretty sure that even if he tried to forget about it, he couldn't because of the daily reminders from his agent.

Even if he's not filming any new movies this year, he still has to meet some obligations. One movie he shot last year is coming out soon and so he has to make the rounds through talk shows and sit through countless interviews for the promotion of said movie. At least he was able to negotiate that he'd only do interviews in Starling, so that he doesn't have to travel much and leave his dog behind. So whoever wants to hear his opinion will have to come here.

For now at least, since he'll have to go on a press tour for the movie when the international premieres come around, but that's not for another few months.

It's all part of his attempt to reconnect with his roots here in Starling City, trying to repair all the burned bridges between old friends and even his family that his sudden rise to stardom and his move to Hollywood had created. But he knows that there are some things you can't fix, not after ten years.

With a sigh and a glance at his watch, he drops the laptop on his couch and turns towards his dog.

Time to forget about the pesky parts of his job, and enjoy some time with his best friend.

"Come one, boy, we're going for a walk."

Arcus jumps up from his favorite spot by the floor length windows and runs straight past Oliver, coming to a skidding halt by the door. He finds his favorite red rubber ball in the basket next to the door, keeping it securely in place with his big teeth, and sits down, throwing an almost impatient look towards his owner.

Oliver can't help but chuckle at his dog's antics as he makes his way over to him. The only thing missing is the insistent tapping of his paws against the ground to make him the most annoyingly persistent dog in the world. Then again, he's surprised that Thea or Tommy haven't taught him that particular trick already.

He grabs the leash from the basket and links it to Arcus' collar, leading him outside towards the bank of elevators. As if on autopilot, his dog takes up his usual position in the far corner of the waiting elevator car.

Oliver had trained him to do that after other tenants had mentioned feeling intimidated by the big black dog in the small confines of the elevator, despite his impeccable training. So Oliver now always makes sure that his dog is in the far corner and he stands between the canine and whoever else may come into the elevator.

As if on cue, it comes to a stop after only one floor, the doors opening to reveal a short blonde.

"Going down?" she asks in a cheerful voice.

He's left to just nod, plastering on a smile, when his voice is temporarily failing him.

She steps in, turning her back to him and facing the closing door. With her attention elsewhere, he takes the opportunity to let his eyes wander over her. From her black high heels, over her smooth legs and equally black pencil skirt, over the beige trench coat (Burberry, a voice in his head that sounds distinctly like his sister provides helpfully) to her blonde locks that fall over her upper back in natural curls.

From the few seconds he got to see her face, he remembers vibrant pink lips and azure blue eyes behind black-rimmed glasses.

She's cute. Beautiful even.

But not his type.

His musing is rudely interrupted by a hard jolt of the elevator car when it comes to an abrupt halt, lights flickering a few times before dipping the small space into complete darkness.

Arcus whines quietly around the ball in his muzzle behind his owner, pressing his nose into Oliver's leg like he wants to assure himself that he's not alone. One of Oliver's hands automatically drops down to the dog's head, petting him gently, while his other hand rifles through his jacket pocket in search of his phone.

"You guys okay?" The blonde's voice comes from right in front of him, her phone suddenly illuminating the dark space, making him squint his eyes together.

"We're good. You?"

"Apart from being stuck in a tin can 30 floors off the ground?" she asks, humor lacing her voice. "Sure, I'm peachy."

He huffs out an amused breath. "Glad you're enjoying yourself."

In the sparse light from her phone he can see her shoulders lift and fall in a shrug. "Better than hyperventilating or crying on your shoulder."

Maybe it's just the low light and the way the shadows dance over her face, but he could've sworn that he saw her biting her lip to keep from saying more. But instead, she moves over to the control panel, pressing the emergency button to contact help.

After a brief discussion with the elevator company in which they're told that there's an unidentified system error and to sit tight for half an hour or so, he hears the blonde sigh and chuck her heels off, letting them clatter to the ground while she leans against the wall and slides down until she sits on the floor.

He runs a hand through his hair and decides to follow her lead, positioning his body between his dog's lying form and the blonde who's placing her phone face down on the floor, the beam from the camera's flash illuminating the elevator as much as possible.

"Since it looks like we'll be stuck here for a while, I'm Felicity," the blonde pipes up after a few seconds of silence, stretching out her hand.

He grabs it and shakes it with a smile. "I'm Oliver."

Her lips stretch into a sheepish smile. "Full disclosure, I already knew that. And I don't mean that in a creepy 'I've been stalking you' kind of way."

For some reason he can't suppress the smile spreading on his own lips. "How do you mean it then?"

"I'm pretty sure everybody knows you. Or at least, knows of you. You're kind of hard to miss. I mean, you'd seriously have to live under a rock to not have heard of Oliver Queen, big movie star and even bigger womanizer," she says in a 'duh' kind of tone.

He can't help but wince at that last bit.

"Then again," she quickly corrects herself, maybe because she saw his reaction. "That's what all those stupid tabloids say. I don't put too much stock into some hear-say from 'reporters' and 'publishers' who just try to come up with a new scandal to sell more magazines. I'm sure in real life you're perfectly normal. Or as normal as you can be with all those awards under your belt."

Of course he doesn't know her well enough to gauge if her words are true or if she's just saying that to suck up to him, but looking at the way her cheeks fill with a little more color and how she's nervously wringing her fingers, he decides to give her the benefit of doubt.

He tilts his head a little to the side, regarding her with a playful grin. "So, you'll just stick with the 'big movie star' part of your assessment of me?"

Her eyes widen for a second, before she takes a deep breath and flattens out her hands against her thighs. "Yes, yup, I'll definitely stick with that part," she replies and grins at him. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a fan of most of your work. I almost had a heart attack when one of the other tenants from my floor welcomed me and asked if I had already met you. Thought she was just pulling a prank on me. Guess she wasn't."

A self-satisfied smirk plays on his lips at hearing her say she likes- wait, what?

The smirk falls from his lips instantly. "You don't like all of my work?" He tries, but fails to keep the defensiveness and maybe a smidge of hurt from his voice.

She hums her agreement, holding his gaze. "Oh, you had a stellar run in my book for quite some time. Your movies, the way you talk to fans on Facebook, your charity work and, of course, your Calvin Klein campaigns. I mean pheeww," she breathes out and pretends to fan herself with her hand. "Talk about good girls going bad at the sight of that. But then, then you just had to go and make that god-awful Robin Hood remake set in the modern world where you end up with that despicable, stuck up lawyer bitch who's played by one-dimensional-actress-what's-her-name who couldn't act out basic human emotions even if her life depended on it? Ugh, it's been two years and I still hate that movie so fracking much. But that stupid wannabe actress was just such a piece of work and-"

He stares at her for a second as her words wash over him, mouth hanging open in shock at her candor, before it finally feels like a dam bursts and uncontrollable laughter tumbles from his lips and a wave of pure joy ripples through his entire body.

He tries to calm down, he really does, but whenever he looks up and sees her wide eyes he loses his shit again. His real, belly-deep laughs and heaving breaths mingle with Arcus' barks who's looking at him with his head tilted to the side and a questioning look in his dark brown eyes, rubber ball long forgotten on the floor.

Oliver feels something wet run down his cheek and when he lifts his hand to wipe it away, he realizes that it's a tear. This complete stranger is making him laugh harder than he's done in a long time just by being brutally honest.

Who in the world is this woman?

Behind his swimming vision he finally manages to lock his eyes on her for a longer time, watching as her expression goes from surprise to irritation and anger. A part of his brain that isn't swept up in the tsunami of joy tells him that she probably thinks he's laughing at her. Her lips curl into a pout, her eyes narrowing at him, scrutinizing him for a few long seconds, before she shakes her head a little and her whole face lights up with amusement.

It's fascinating to watch. Her skin smoothens out, the little wrinkle between her eyebrows disappears and her pink lips curl into a smile that quickly goes from hesitant to completely genuine and full blown.

But what's really remarkable is what happens to her eyes. At first, they regard him with a wariness and some uncertainty, but when her lips start to curl into a smile, her eyes change completely. It's like they start to sparkle, to dance with carefree mirth and laughter.

He's never seen anyone smile so… fully and completely.

When he's finally able to calm himself down, he wipes away his tears and turns to her. "I'm sorry. I swear I wasn't laughing at you. It's just…" He chuckles and shakes his head. "I don't like to talk like this about co-stars, but that woman was so unbelievably awful and a real piece of work. But because her dad is this big time studio boss nobody dares to ever speak the truth about her complete lack of acting skills. What you said just perfectly hit the nail on the head and hearing someone be as candid as you just were is really… rare. And refreshing. You caught me off guard," he admits with a soft smile.

"Being candid is one way of describing my babbling tendencies," she replies with a groan and a blush to her cheeks.

"So you do this a lot then? Being brutally honest about a man's career? I do, by the way, appreciate your hidden compliments in your babble. But to be fair, they photoshop those campaign pictures quite a bit."

She scoffs. "I would've maybe believed that before meeting you in person, but now? Nope," she says, vigorously shaking her head. "You're just as beautiful in real life. No, wait, I mean handsome. You're very handsome and… manly." She vaguely points her finger at his body and whispers, "So, so goddamn manly."

Fine, so maybe he puffs his chest a little at her admission and obvious appreciation of his looks. Who's gonna blame him?

"You sure know how to inflate a man's ego, Felicity," he shoots back smoothly.

The color in her cheek returns and he's secretly pleased with being responsible for that. "So," she says after clearing her throat. "What's your dog's name?"

Not so subtle topic change, he muses, but lets it slide.

He ruffles his dog's head. "This is Arcus."

Felicity smiles over at the dog whose ears perk up at the mention of his name. "That's a really nice name. If I'm not mistaken that's Latin for 'bow'," she mentions casually, surprising him once again.

"It is," he agrees. "My sister gave him to me three years ago and had already decided that that would be his name. My favorite sports team is the Starling City Archers, so you might get an idea how she came up with the name."

"What kind of a breed is he? I don't think I've ever seen a dog like him."

"That doesn't surprise me. He's a Hovawart. I haven't met very many people who've heard about this breed. It's not very common in the US."

"Tell me more about it?" she asks and seems to be genuinely interested.

"Uh, yeah, sure. The Hovawart is an old German breed. From what I've read, mentions go back to the 13th century. They were used to protect families' properties and that's also were the name comes from: 'Hof' is German for 'yard' or 'farm', and 'wart' means 'guardian'. Arcus here, much like his conspecifics, is very loyal and intelligent and generally very gentle, but he's also very particular about who's allowed into the 'pack'. While he absolutely respects my commands, he's less inclined to accept them from others. Only my best friend and my sister have some luck in that department."

"Have you taught him any tricks?"

"He can do a few things. I'll show you once we get out of here."

"Shouldn't be too much longer now," Felicity quips.

He glances down at his watch, eyes widening in surprise. "Yeah, wow, it's already been half an hour. But that also means that we've been talking about me for almost 30 minutes. Tell me something about you."

Is it just his imagination or is she blushing?

"Oh, you know," she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Not much to tell."

"Come on, Felicity, I'm at a complete disadvantage here. You seem to know quite a bit about me while I only know your first name and that you live in the building."

She tilts her head to the side a little; smart, inquisitive eyes darting over his face. They're so expressive that he can barely resist squirming under her intense scrutiny. What is she trying to determine? If she can trust him? If he's really interested or just making polite small talk?

"Please?" he adds with what he hopes is a charming and trustworthy smile.

She sighs and nods. "Well, I guess it's only fair. My last name is Smoak and I moved to this building a little over a month ago."

Why does that name ring a bell?

"Where did you live before?"

"Different part of the city. I'm originally from Vegas, but got the opportunity to attend university in Boston where I started my own company in my senior year. I stayed in town for the next years to see it grow and we were actually doing really well, expanding into other cities and taking on more and more corporate clients. But that was mostly concentrated on the East Coast, so I figured it was time to start a new chapter. Starling City was strategically speaking the best choice to embark on this new endeavor."

"What is it that your company does?"

"Different things. All IT-related, though. The biggest chunk of work is probably corporate cyber security, and internal communication and database systems, but we also have some software for the mass market, like our antivirus software SmoakScreen, and our newest additions are a few gaming apps."

He grins when it finally clicks in his head. "SmoakSolutions! That's why I thought your name sounded familiar. I can't tell you how much my agent and I appreciate SmoakScreen. Like some of my fellow actors I've been hacked a few times, but they've never managed to break through your firewall. Your software is an absolute lifesaver."

She beams at him. "I'm glad to hear that, even though I can't help but feel bad that because of my work no one has been able to see your nude pictures," she says with a playful wink.

He barks out a surprised laugh. "What, my underwear ads aren't enough for you?"

"Well, you said it yourself, those tend to be photoshopped," she shoots back without missing a beat, eyes shining with mischief.

"And you assured me that I'm just as beautiful in real life," he reminds her, pointing his index finger playfully at her.

She presses her lips together, not quite able to hide her smile. "Touché."

Their lighthearted moment is interrupted by the insistent buzzing of his phone next to Felicity's on the floor. One look at the screen tells him that it's his best friend. "Sorry, I gotta take this," he says apologetically.

He untangles his feet and rises up from the floor, his legs protesting the sudden movement after being inactive for a while, but he doesn't want to be completely rude and just talk to someone else in front of her. So when he gets up, he shoots her a quick smile and turns away from her, facing the corner of the elevator.

"Hey, Tommy."

" Hey, man, so glad I could catch you."

"What's up?"

" I'm sorry to do this to you, but I can't look after that fleebag of yours tomorrow. There's a problem at one of our subsidiaries in Metropolis and my dad told me to go handle it. I'm driving to the airport as we speak and I won't be back until sometime next week."

"You've got to be kidding me. I was counting on you! What the hell am I supposed to do with him?" he hisses, trying to keep his voice down.

" Ask Thea to look after him. She's the one that got you into this mess when she got him for you."

"She's in Europe with my mother this week which is the reason why I asked you in the first place."

" Then just call one of those dog sitting services. It's just for a few hours."

"It's not just for a few hours, it'll be for most of the day. You know as well as I do that he's not gonna trust some stranger he's never met before." The downside of the unconditional loyalty of his dog.

" Dude, I really am sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just pulling up to the airport. Talk to you later."

Oliver barely hears the beep on the line indicating his friend hung up over the angry string of expletives running through his head. He slams his eyes shut and takes a deep breath, barely resisting the urge to slam his fist into the cold steel of the elevator wall.

The one time he really needs his friend's help…

With another deep breath and a clenched jaw he turns around and instantly freezes at the sight before him.

At some point during his conversation with Tommy, his dog had snuck away from his feet and maneuvered his considerable body mass over to where Felicity is still sitting on the floor. He's lying on his back, all four paws dangling in the air while his head rests snugly in Felicity's lap, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. His eyes are contently fixed on the blonde woman who's talking animatedly to him in a hushed voice. Her one hand is scratching over his chest in a small circular motion while her other is doing the same on Arcus' head.

"What the hell are you doing?" Oliver can't stop himself from asking, his voice raised and carrying an underlying accusation.

Felicity stills immediately, head shooting up and wide eyes meeting his. "I'm sorry! I… I didn't mean to… overstep?" She sounds confused and defensive.

"I wasn't talking to you," he quickly corrects, pointing his finger accusingly at his dog who turns onto his belly now, looking up at Oliver with innocent eyes, burrowing his nose in Felicity's thigh.

"I'm talking to that little treacherous bastard," he grits out, glaring down at Arcus who has the audacity to move up his head and lick Felicity's hand.

"Oh?" she huffs out, even more confused than before, glancing down at the oh so innocent dog practically sitting in her lap by now.

"Here I am, talking to my best friend, claiming that my dog doesn't warm up to strangers quickly and that that's the reason why I'm in a major pinch for tomorrow, and then I turn around and see him snuggling with you even though he doesn't even know you," he exclaims frustratedly, throwing his hands up in the air.

"And that's a bad thing?" she asks, looking utterly adorable with that little confused crease between her eyebrows and his giant dog sprawled over her lap.

"Yes," he insists decidedly. "No. I don't know."

Even more frustrated than before, because he doesn't know what to do or say, he plops down beside her. Much closer now than before his phone call, almost close enough that their shoulders are touching.

"It's kinda hard to explain," he finally settles on, voice calm and measured again.

"Well, it looks like we still have some time, so why don't you just try?" Just like before, her voice is full of genuine interest and patience and Oliver finds himself actually wanting to explain everything to her. So he does.

"Arcus is an amazing dog. He's kind and loving and the best dog I could ever ask for," he starts off and then stops, deciding to go back to the beginning. "I already told you that Thea gave him to me three years ago. He was still a puppy, but he didn't come from a breeder. Thea found him in an animal shelter she volunteered at and instantly fell in love with him. Some of her fellow volunteers found him on their doorstep without any clue where he came from or why he was there or what had happened to him. They warned Thea and me that there could be unforeseen underlying psychological issues that stem from his first few weeks in his life. But by that time, I had already fallen in love with him, too, and was determined to give him the best home possible."

He looks up from where Felicity's nimble fingers are gentle raking through his dog's fur, the rhythmic motion soothing both owner and dog in a way that he hasn't experienced before. He swallows heavily and meets her steady gaze that is silently encouraging him to go on.

"Usually he's not great with strangers," he continues with a thoughtful frown. "He's not hostile or anything, but he tends to just ignore everybody who's not me, Tommy or Thea. For a while in the beginning, I could just bring him to set or press conferences and he'd just stay in my trailer or lie down by my feet and sleep for the duration of the interviews. But for some reason he started being more difficult this past year. He gets really antsy when I leave him alone for too long and I had to stop bringing him to interviews because he kept barking all the time."

"Hmm, sounds like this little troublemaker doesn't like sharing his daddy's attention," Felicity surmises.

He chuckles in response. "Yeah, and seeing him like this with you comes as a complete surprise to say the least. Even Tommy and Thea still have to bribe him with treats every time they come over to look after him."

She grins widely at him and then whispers conspiratorially, "Don't tell anyone, but being a dog whisperer is my real occupation, the IT stuff is just a front."

"Ha, I would actually believe that," he agrees playfully, motioning down at his dog who is still as happy as can be in her lap. It's even more surprising that Felicity doesn't seem to have any qualms about having a big, 110 pound ball of fur using her as his pillow.

Before she can continue their banter, the lights flicker back on and a jolt goes through the elevator car, bringing it back to its normal speed, carrying them slowly but surely to the ground floor.

Oliver stands up and holds out his hand for Felicity to take. She smiles gratefully at him and makes sure Arcus is free and clear of her legs before letting Oliver pull her up into a standing position.

She's much smaller than he remembers; the top of her head is barely reaching the same level as his chin. He lets his eyes glide down her body, finally reaching her feet. Ah, there's the missing puzzle piece.

She's about to let go off his hand when he tightens his fingers around hers, drawing her attention to his face.

"Your shoes," he reminds her.

"Oh, right, duh" she says with a huff and bends down to step back into her heels one by one, balancing her body with the help of his hand. "Thank you. I guess chivalry isn't dead after all."

He beams down at her. "I try my best, Miss Smoak."

"And your efforts are very much appreciated, Mr. Queen," she retorts without missing a beat.

And then the doors of their metal cage finally open after, he glances down at his watch, an hour and four minutes and they're being welcomed into the lobby by the building manager and the doorman who are fussing over them to make sure they're okay.

After assuring them countless times that no harm had come to them, they're finally allowed to leave, which is definitely a good thing, judging by Arcus' insistent tugging on his leash. Poor guy's bladder is probably about to burst.

Oliver follows his dog as he makes a beeline for the closest tree on the sidewalk in front of their building, finally relieving himself. He whirls around when he feels a tap on his shoulder, coming face to face with Felicity who's grinning up at him.

"Urgent business?" she asks with an amused smile.

"Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to just run away from you, but nature was definitely calling."

"That's what I figured." She breaks eye contact then and starts fidgeting with the zipper of her coat, biting her lip in silent contemplation. Not for the first time in the last hour he wonders what is going on in that pretty head of hers.

She clears her throat and looks back up to meet his eyes. "I really don't mean to force myself on you or overstep any boundaries, since, even after being stuck in the elevator together for the past hour, we don't really know each other, but you said you were in a pinch with Arcus tomorrow and since he and I seem to share some kind of bond I thought I could offer…"

She trails off and lifts her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose with two perfectly manicured fingers. "You know what? Never mind. This was a stupid idea. I'm just… gonna go and leave you two to… do your thing." She motions vaguely towards the park entrance on the other side of the road, and gives him a tight, awkward smile before turning around and starting to leave.

His brain takes a few precious seconds to piece together what she just said. Did she really just try to offer to look after his dog tomorrow?

He's pretty sure she did.

Could he actually trust her?

Her instant connection with Arcus is undeniable and completely unprecedented to this point, but just because his dog felt comfortable to be petted by her doesn't mean that he would actually listen to her commands while going on a walk without Oliver being present. Or that she'd be able to control a 110 pound dog that she has no experience with. So even the sheer idea of the whole thing is ludicrous.

Right?

Right!

And yet, a voice in the back of his head is telling him that she'd be the best option. The chances of some stranger from a dog walking service hitting it off with Arcus like she just did are slim to none. He can't not go to the interviews tomorrow, but he's also under strict instructions from his agent to not bring his dog. And finally, his two other dog-sitting options, Thea and Tommy, are both out of town.

So, really, what other choice does he have? It's at least worth a try, right?

"Felicity!" he exclaims suddenly and whirls around to follow her.

He spots her a mere thirty feet ahead of him just as she's in the process of getting into the backseat of a sleek, black town car, a seriously built African-American man in a suit holding her door open. She stops midway and awkwardly scrambles back into a standing position. He would've probably laughed if he wasn't so busy not tripping over his dog or his leash while making his way over to her.

"What's up?" she asks, uncertain smile playing on her lips.

"Uh, I… were you just offering to look after Arcus tomorrow?" he stammers out and wow, isn't he one smooth bastard?

"I was about to when I realized that it was highly unlikely that you'd take me up on it and I didn't wanna make it any more awkward than my rambling already made it," she explains with a little huff.

"Well, if your offer still stands…" She nods eagerly, bottom lip caught between her teeth. "Then I'd be happy to talk about it a little more. Maybe the three of us could go for a walk together and see how that goes and then just… go from there?"

"Of course," she agrees immediately, unknowingly lifting a huge weight that had settled on his chest with the eager and happy smile that appears on her lips. "Do you wanna do that now or later?"

"If you got time you could join us now, but I don't want to keep you from going wherever you were headed to," he assures her, motioning to the car.

"Ehh, I'm sure Mr. Diggle won't mind getting back to his crossword puzzle for a little while longer," she says, throwing a cheeky grin to the other man who nods his head good-naturedly.

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you on your walk, Ms. Smoak?" 'Mr. Diggle' asks, giving Oliver a sideways glance full of skepticism.

Felicity quickly puts a reassuring hand on the other man's crossed arms. "Don't worry, Dig, I'll be fine."

She turns back to Oliver then and starts digging into her handbag, grinning happily when she finds a pair of black and white ballet flats. Without hesitation, he holds out his hand to her again to help her while she's changing into her new footwear.

"Thank you again," she tells him and lets go of his hand once she's done.

"You're wel-" His eyes drift down to her feet. "Wait, are those pandas?"

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