A/N: So this started out as something that was going to go in my "Worth of a Kiss" collection, but then it grew three heads and started going in a different direction than I intended, so I've decided to make it a story of its own. This is the first time I've posted a chapter of something without being 100% sure of where the story was going, so fair warning.

Incentives

Chapter One – Midnight Deadline

He walked across the room and snapped his bow into its case.

"Any luck?" Digg asked, looking up from where he was cleaning a gun.

Oliver held up the piece of computer hardware he'd managed to steal from the office of Bruce Kristin, a man they suspected was doing some underhanded bookkeeping for the Triad. It had been in a locked drawer, and he hoped that meant it would tell them something. "Got this."

He moved forward to where Felicity sat at her monitors, and plunked it down on the table. "I need this decrypted, like yesterday."

She blinked up at him, and the look on her face told him he'd done something wrong. It took him a second to process and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Sorry," he said. "I just mean it's important."

"As opposed to all of the unimportant stuff I do for you?" she said raising an eyebrow. There was a bit of a grumble in her tone, but he could tell that, thankfully, she wasn't actually mad. He didn't really have time for mad Felicity.

"There are rumors floating around that the Triad are planning something big, so just get what you can, as fast as you can," he said. Then taking a breath he added, "Please."

"Please is a start," she said, plugging the hard drive into her computers. "Though it wouldn't kill you to throw in an actual incentive once in a while."

This time he did roll his eyes, and then scowled when Digg chuckled and said, "The girl does have a point."

Oliver shook his head. "Fine," he said, looking down at Felicity. "Hack it before midnight and I'll buy you a pony."

She grinned, and just like it always did, the sight of it pushed back some of the darkness in his life. Then she stuck her lip out with fake petulance, "I don't want a pony."

He folded his arms and leaned back against the table. "Okay, then, what do you want?"

"Oh," Digg interrupted. "Go big, girl. Don't forget he's loaded."

She began typing on her keyboard and tilted her head as if considering. "Diamonds might be nice," she said, her voice making it obvious she was teasing.

He couldn't resist. And after all, Digg was right, he was loaded. "Done."

She froze and her eyes went wide as she turned to him. "I was kidding! Really I meant buying us ice cream or something."

Now he did smile. It was just so her. He'd met very few women in his entire life who would petition for ice cream over diamonds. "Ice cream is good too," he said.

He went off to change and clean up. As he came back into the room he checked his watch. It was 11:35 and she was madly at work on the keyboard.

"Any …" he started.

She held up her hand, her voice absolutely serious. "Shush, I have twenty-four minutes."

Oliver looked at Digg who just laughed. "I'm heading home. You'll have to let me know how the great ice cream race works out."

Oliver nodded at his friend as he walked out the door, and then moved to put some of his equipment away. About fifteen minutes later he heard a triumphant, "Yes!" He turned to see Felicity spin around in her chair, her hands raised in triumph. "Eight minutes to spare."

"Nice work," he said, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. He'd thrown out the midnight deadline just for something to say, and was truly impressed that she'd managed to break into the files in less than an hour. He stood up and came to stand next to her. "What did you find?"

She turned back around to face the monitors. "Looks like an electronic ledger of some kind. There are dozens of accounts here, but the most recent payments seem to be to a clothing store in Adams Heights. And unless Mr. Kristin has serious thing for ties, $10,000 seems like a lot of money."

"You have an address?" It was mostly a rhetorical question, Felicity could always find an address. Felicity could probably find the exact coordinates of Hell if he asked her to.

"73 Crimson Park," she said. She called up the store's website, "Looks like they don't open until ten tomorrow."

"Doesn't mean there isn't anything going on there tonight," he murmured. "Especially if they're a front for the Triad." He let out a sigh, "Shouldn't have changed."

She looked up at him. "You want me to call Digg back in, just in case?"

He shook his head. "No, text him a head's up, to be safe, but I think we can handle it."

She smiled a little and he wondered why. "What?" he said.

"You said 'we' could handle it," she said, shrugging a little. "It was nice."

Oliver walked to the cabinet that housed their communication equipment and came back holding both of their earpieces. It was something she normally did, but he felt the need to make a point. As he turned back to her and placed it in her outstretched hand he said, "I go where you send me."

Her smile widened. "Then I should send you to Waterfront Creamery. You owe me ice cream and they have the best sprinkles." Then more quietly she said, "And it would certainly be safer."

"You never know," he said, moving to pull his suit from the display case. "They could be a mob front too."

"Maybe we need to go on an undercover mission and check out that possibility," she replied.

He didn't respond, his brain already shifting to the mission in front of him. An hour later, he'd broken up a meeting between some lackeys from one of the Triad factions and the owner of the clothing store. They had been planning the delivery of something to the store's storage unit, but they were all too low on the Triad organizational chart to know what or when. Still, Starling City would have three less criminals to deal with, and he supposed that was something.

It wasn't until he'd climbed into to bed, very late, that he remembered his conversation about ice cream with Felicity. Tomorrow, he thought, that was one promise he could keep.