Forget-Me-Not

[Oliver Queen]

She told him that she had used her 'skills' on him and he was almost about to make a few suggestions on what that could mean . . . but she went on to explain that it had been to keep him safe, and fix a few parking tickets. Which worked perfectly well with him. It sounded like she had quite a lot of power, and he doubted he even knew the half of it. What did surprise him however was the fact that she said he had never offered her a ride on his bike. He found that hard to believe. He knew ladies loved bikes and often used that as a lure or pick up. Though, she had pointed out that he and here were not like that so many his picking up women days had been fairly limited since his return. Interesting. He smiled as he passed her the helmet which she took, and he mounted himself on the bike, starting on the engine. He was going to have some fun with this.

"Hold tight then," he told her, a teasing smile on his face even if she couldn't see it very well. She climbed on top of the bike behind him, waiting for her to get used to the position, and to get a good grip and brace. When he felt she was ready, he began to take off. He moved through the parking garage at a steady pace, not going too fast or anything . . . but as soon as they were on the main road, he began to zoom off at a speed that was well beyond the limit. He just wanted to take her on a fast ride of her life.

[Felicity Smoak]

She pulled her pony tail out and put the band on her wrist before putting the helmet on. "Its heavier then I thought." She told him, while climbing onto it. "Where's your helmet?" But instead of answering, he took off going down the planks to exit the parking building. She found herself pressing closer, but excited for her first ride. "This is fun."

THEN they hit the open road! "OLIVER!" She yelled over the sound of the roar of the bike, holding tighter to his body before her, and pressing herself into his back! He didn't even have a helmet! She let out a sequel of both fear and excitement, as they zoomed through the city.

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver smiled, rather amused with this and her reaction to being on a bike for the first time. At least this was a memory he would actually remember; a first for the both of them . . . apparently. Feeling her tightened hold and saying his name with a mix of emotions, only encouraged him to drive with less restrictions. He weaved through the cars, and mixed with the speed he was going, it tilted the motorcycle so that it was almost near the ground. He had enough experience with this to have full control of it though. He wasn't dumb enough to jeapordize her life.

He even took this whole little drive a step further and raised the front wheel of the cycle for a bit, before it hit the ground again, causing them the feel a strong bump at the pressure the tire hit the pavement of the road. It didn't take them that long to reach their destination, and he brought the bike to an immediate halt when he had it parked. He casually climbed off of it, making sure it was locked before he turned to look at Felicity, offering his hand to help her off. "Well, how was your first time?" He asked, withn a slightly cheeky and smug smile, fully aware that he had made this a far more intense ride than it needed to be -- or perhaps should be, since he was fairly certain he had broken a few laws.

[Felicity Smoak]

"OLIVER!" She screamed as he brought the bike up from almost crashing them into the ground! How he managed to bring it back from that curve she'd never know! She had tensed up and thought she was about to lose her life! When he did bring it back up she began loudly laughing from the excitement--though from the ride or not dying she wasn't sure.

Felicity didn't even realize that they arrived until he suddenly stopped the bike, and she was pushed forward into him. Rolling off the bike, her legs shook, and she grabbed a near by tree to keep standing. Pulling the helmet off her head, she dropped it on the ground, and turned to glare at him--which promptly turned into laughter. "My body might be here, but you are going to have to reask that question when the rest of me catches up with us."

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver continued to smile when she seemed conflicted between being 'mad' at him or finding amusement in the thrill. Either reaction was normal. And he always looked forward to seeing them. "Fair enough," he replied, as he bent down to pick up the helmet. "By the time it does, we'll probably be back on the road," he said, only somewhat teasingly since it could be true. He opened the door to the restaurant for her and walked in after her, taking in the sites of this wonderfully familiar place. At least they came here.

That added some normalcy to the abnormal life he didn't remember. They took a seat as the menus were brought to them. He was already opening the menu, skimming through all the different options and feeling like he could eat every single item on here. "What do we usually get from here?" He asked her, wondering if his taste had changed. And well, since he didn't know what her taste was, wondered what she often got. Food wise, since he did recall her mentioning that they got milkshakes from here. Which, didn't sound too bad at the moment.

[Felicity Smoak]

"Don't be mean!" She teased, and walked in and claiming a seat. She didn't pick up the menu but looked around for Carly before sending her a smile and wave! They were in her seating range so she could wait on them. With his not-memory they should have sat some place else but it would have looked too weird.

His words brought her surprised face to his. Her smile faded, but then she pushed another on her lips--this one clearly not as real as her other one. "Your hungry?" She asked, trying to play it off. "Why did you build up a need for food?" Teasing him was easier since they had bonded recently, but she wanted to see what he would order and eat. Not tell him how much the island wrapped him. "I think your a big fan of the fries." It was said in a more knowing tone, rather then guessing.

[Oliver Queen]

She seemed surprised that he was hungry and couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. "Why do you say it like that?" He asked, both teasingly but also genuienly curious. Was it really a surprise that he ate? Did he starve himself or something? Oliver didn't know what his habits had become since the Island. He only knew the person he remembered being and that person loved food. She said that he was a fan of the fries and well, that sounded about right. "Good. Guess some things didn't change then," he said, glad that he could at least recognize some qualities of himself. While he may not want to be or even acknowledge The Hood -- or whatever he called himself -- he still had to live as Oliver did.

And that was part of what he had needed her help with; to fill him in on how he now lived his life as Oliver Queen, so that it wouldn't look inconsistent. And hopefully, no one else would notice that he had lost his memory. Though right now, he didn't want to talk about the more serious things. He just wanted to relax and talk about things that two people would normally talk about. "Seems like you know everything about me," he said, setting the menu down and looking at her. "And I don't know anything about you," he added. Well, apparently he did know but didn't remember, so he made sure to try and keep his tone light, not wanting to create any sort of seriousness or tension to their conversation. It was also a prompt for her to tell him about herself. "Other than the fact that you went to MIT," he added, since he had just found that out earlier tonight.

[Felicity Smoak]

Why did she say it like that? Because Oliver--the post island one--didn't eat much. He wasn't used to eating big meals, and while he could put away some food, he didn't do it often. So to hear him admit he was hungry made her wonder if she was wrong. If he didn't eat because he was focused. Too much so. Maybe she should have taken better care of him. "Just surprised. No reason." Every reason.

Then he asked about her and she found herself giving him an embarrassed smile. "Oh! Nnnnoooo . . . . " She ended on a laugh and looked around like suddenly she didn't know anything about herself. "Lets seen, I like mint chocolate chip ice cream. I have been playing with computers since I was seven. I have no social skills, no pets, and ironically have never smoked." Smoak, smoke. Ironic.

"Did I give you enough detail to get over the weirdness of not knowing someone who is your friend?" Thought she knew another way to help him get over it. "How about I tell you something, that I never told the other you?" She bit her lip for a moment, and then grinned. "I secretly read trashy romance novels to help me forget about the chaos of a busy day--even before I met you."

[Oliver Queen]

He listened to her -- more attentively than he sometimes did with women -- as she began to give small facts about himself. He smiled as he did so. No wonder she was good with computers; she had be building them for so long. "Well for what it's worth, your social skills seem fine to me." She babbled, but he found that more amusing than annoying. She was interesting. Intelligent. Unpredictable. And it made him actually enjoy her company, rather than it being forced because she was the only one who knew the truth about him -- in many regards.

"It's not that weird," he assured her with a friendly smile, meaning his words. He felt, comfortable in her presence. He wasn't sure whether that was due to the fact that they were getting along, or if it was because they had known each other for so long that it was just ingrained in him.She then went on to say that she read romance novels. He wasn't too surprised to hear that. Didn't most women? What did surprise him was that she was telling him. "Really now?" He asked, his voice intrigued. He slightly leaned forward in his chair. "What's the steamiest scene you've read?" He asked, just wanting to hear her explain it . . . and partly seeing if she would. If nothing else, maybe it would bring a slight blush to her cheeks.

[Felicity Smoak]

Oliver told her that her social skills were not that bad, but she knew other wise. "That's because your my friend. I'm more at ease with you, but when I get around other people--especially if I feel intimated--I say the dumbest things." But after working with Oliver for so long she felt more at ease with him, and less nervous.

Speaking of nervous--his comment caused her belly to twist. "I am not about to talk about THAT with YOU." She admitted more to him then she ever would have, and should have. "You should just file that under things you can forget." Teasing him memory loss, she hoped it would be alright. The other Oliver could take a joke, and she hoped this one could too.

Carly came up and gave Oliver a half hug, telling him she was so alive he was alright and that tonight his food was on the house to welcome him back. She said 'John' had said he was back and she was hopeing he would come by. 'What do you feel like today?' Carly asked, and Felicity smiled. "We'll just get my normal, but Oliver is hungry today. Make his the big one!" Carly smiled and patted his shoulder, 'Good! You need to eat more!'

[Oliver Queen]

Felicity told him that she was at ease with him and that was why he couldn't see that socially awkward side to her. Made sense. They had after all apparently been friends for a while. She went on to express her refusal to talk about 'that' with him, hoping he would forget what she said. He just continued to smile, clearly amused. "Not a chance," he told her. "After all, we're friends, right. So consider this just me getting to know my friend." And what sort of scenes she liked from trashy romance novels. The conversation was interrupted when one of the waitresses came and gave a bit of a hug to Oliver. He played it calm, receptive of it and was glad that Felicity had given him a heads up. Carly. Right. Diggle's sister in law who he was currently dating which . . . was interesting. Oliver wasn't judging though. It wasn't as if he had the best selection of available women he hooked up with in the past. He smiled at her, thanking her the meal on the house and made a mental note to leave an extra large tip for her.

It was when Felicity told her that he wanted a big meal, and Carly said that he needed to eat more, that Oliver thought back to Felicity's own reaction to when he said he was hungry. He ordered a large meal, burger and fries, not too fussed about what was in it. He felt like eating unhealthy right now. After the workout he got, he had needed it. Thanking Carly, acting as if he knew exactly who she was, he watched her walk away before looking at Felicity. "Did I used to starve myself or something?" He asked curiously, unsure why it was such a big deal that he ate. If he had been running on rooftops and chasing bad guys, wouldn't he needed to eat a lot?

[Felicity Smoak]

Ignoring the more embarrassing parts from before Carly, Felicity tried to explain why everyone was so surprised that he would be hungry. AND she tried to do it without speaking as if she was another person. "Your very . . . driven--which is good--was good for who you were. Sometimes you were so focused you forgot, or didn't notice the food around you."

And the sadder part of the tail, "Also, on the island there wasn't exactly a horde of Big Belly Burgers." Everything was small meals when you could get it. "I don't think you were used to eating large meals." Waiting to cheer him up she put on a smile, "but your hungry now, so we are gonna fed you!"

"Plus! On the house! . . . which as a billionaire might not matter, but it's pretty cool for a broke IT girl."

[Oliver Queen]

Hearing how he was, that he didn't even focus on anything else long enough to eat, was all the more glad that he had decided to walk away from that lifestyle. It wasn't the life he wanted to live. It sounded horrible, lonely and depressing. She added a bit of a joke -- though it was true as he didn't expect there would be Big Belly Burgers on the island -- and he tried not to think too deeply on what else he had deprived himself of when he was living the life as a vigilante. "Doesn't sound very healthy," he concluded, since he wasn't sure what else to say on the subject. He didn't know what he did to himself but it just sounded like it was a lot of self inflicting pain. And if that was the case, then a part of him hoped his memory never returned so that he wouldn't have to think about such a time.

She instead, focused on the fact that they were getting a free meal, though it was her last words that caused him pause. "You're broke?" He asked. He wasn't say that to sound judgmental or anything else but . . . a part of him wondered if it was because of him. "Is that cause I'm not doing . . . what I did before?" Meaning, being the vigilante. That was the best way he could phrase it. If they did all this together, then surely she would have some sort of income coming in. Had his decision caused her financial hardship? He didn't know much about her situation, since he hadn't really stopped too much to think about how his decision was affecting her. He did feel bad, but not enough to change his mind about it.

[Felicity Smoak]

"Have you looked in the mirror? You are incredibly healthy, Oliver." She told him, knowing tat she had often seen him shirtless, and knew how defined his body was. "Besides, we made sure you didn't forget for the whole day." We being her and Diggle, who often made Oliver slow down and not take this so hard.

He questioned her snarky comment about being broke, and she regretted it. She wasn't broke, but she wasn't as well off as she had been at QC. All the bills were paid, but there wasn't often enough to go out often for meals. "No! It was a joke!" She held up her hand gesture as if she could stop his words. It was hard to explain the idea behind being broke to a billionaire. "You never paid me for that. It was voluntary. I wanted to do it because I believed in the cause. I was just making jokes."

[Oliver Queen]

He had looked in the mirror. And all he saw were massive scars that he had no idea how he had gotten. He didn't feel healthy, or even think he looked healthy. But he obviously wasn't going to say anything about that. Each scar held a memory he was probably better off not knowing. The more she spoke of the three of them having worked together, the closer they all sounded. He wondered if he could get away with Diggle not knowing about his memory loss. Something told him the answer was no though, because if Felicity picked up on it so quickly . . . why not Diggle too.

Her next words suggested that he had taken her words too literally. He assumed she would tell him . . . though money always seemed to be a touchy subject. Still. He wasn't going to bring an awkward topic into the conversation. Or one that could potentially bring up unease. "You sure volunteered a lot of your time," he commented, as their 'missions' seemed like a 24/7 type of thing. "How long have you been working at Queen Consolidated for?" He wondered. He had never seen her before, so he was curious to know how long she had been there.

[Felicity Smoak]

He asked her about her time at QC, and she smiled at the change of subject. "I got hired about five years ago, right after college. Walter Steele was the man who hired me, through not directly. He had sent a notice to the school telling them of some job openings, and my school sent him my information and he passed it on to HR."

Which was kinda cool for her, to know that as a college student a CEO had seen her name--even if he might not remember seeing it. "A few years later this rich kid came down and asked for my help with his laptop. Said he split a late on it, but it was covered in what looked like bullet holes. . . . " She paused and glanced around, before lower her voice. "That was when we met, and you saved Walter's life from an assassin named Deadshot . . . Walter was always nice to me. Not many people put up with my social skills, but Walter did--you did."

"Helping you did as much for me, as it did for you. I was more confidant, had purpose, and . . . . I felt apart of something for the first time."

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver listened to her explain the story of getting hired. Walter. That was something that he was rather shocked to find out when he had returned; that Walter and his mother had gotten married. Not only that, but they had also gotten divorced. Walter had always been a good man, and a good friend to his family. It seemed he also had a knack for hiring someone skilled, since that was how she got her job. She then went on to describe their own first meeting, causing Oliver to smile at the thought of bringing her a bullet hole infested laptop. How odd that sounded. It was when she went on to explain that he had saved Walter's life from an assassin, that Oliver felt his smile begin to fade. More so when she said how much helping him had done for her, and how it gave her purpose. He didn't know what to say to that. Normally, he didn't care about other people's feelings. Well, not all the time anyway. So what was this nagging guilty feeling that he felt? Abandonment? Fear of disappointing others? When did he ever concern himself with worrying about whether he was a disappointment. Well, apparently he did now.

"So you're saying that now you don't feel like you have purpose?" He asked, unable to keep the lighter tone to the conversation when she had brought up such things. "I'm not going to change my mind," he said softly, but surely. "And I don't want you to have the expectation that I will." He didn't know if that was what this was about. But either way, he just wanted to make it clear. He enjoyed spending time with her, but as this Oliver, not crazy vigilante Oliver. She had helped him clear out the Arrowcave, or they were in the process of doing so, but he still wanted to be sure she understood his exact position when it came to being the vigilante. "Whatever I was, is in the past." He wanted to move forward from it. Not hear about all the good he had done -- for others and himself -- and all the good he could be doing every time he put on the hood. "And I'm sorry if that means that I have somehow failed you, or others." Fail. Now why did that word suddenly have such strong meaning to Oliver? He couldn't understand it, he just felt that there was something about this word . . . something about it that had driven him.

[Felicity Smoak]

"So you're saying that now you don't feel like you have purpose?" His question caught her by surprise but she answered honestly, "I'm learning to find new things to bring meaning. Working on self re-discovery and things." Mostly by helping Diggle, and working on helping people that way.

"I'm not going to change my mind," Was that what he thought she was trying to do? Cause she had only been trying to explain things from her point of view, and how they had come to work together. About their history. "And I don't want you to have the expectation that I will." "No, I know--" "Whatever I was, is in the past."

"And I'm sorry if that means that I have somehow failed you, or others." She moved to sit back in her chair, and watch him for a moment, before speaking. "I know. I shouldn't have brought it up. I apologize. I was only trying to give some context with our history." Felicity made an exaggerated oops face before looking around, wishing the food would come to save her from this awkward moment with Oliver.

And she was trying not to let her emotions show on her face. The hurt from the reminder, and him talking about her purpose, then not coming back. "Well that got serious." She tried to joke it off, but her tone slipped at the end. "Not that we can't be serious." Oh! Oh no! Here is came. "We can be anything we want." That sounded coupley. "Not 'we' we, but as in you and I . . . separately . . . . " Licking her lips she bit them and closed her eyes. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver wasn't sure what he had been expecting her to say . . . but she had apologized for bringing it up and he appreciated that. He was curious to know more about their past but it seemed that majority of it revolved around his life as the vigilante, and that was something he wasn't sure he wanted to keep hearing about. He was curious about it of course, but the more he heard about it, the harder it would be to move on from that life. While he was trying to think of the words to say in this moment, she spoke of how this conversation had turned serious and then . . . seemed to babble. Which, was something Oliver found amusing -- as he had already established. He looked at her, before letting out a small chuckle and how her words had just spiraled to something she felt was awkward. Enough to close her eyes and seem to recompose herself.

"How about we're just Oliver and Felicity," he suggested, continuing to smile. He didn't want their conversation to be heavy and tense. So he was willing to move on from it, as he had said what he felt the need to at the moment. "I know that we may not have met had the circumstances been different, but let's just focus on the present. On who we are now." He was mainly talking about himself since he was leaving the vigilante life, and wanted her to know that he still wished to be friends with her. That leaving the vigilante behind didn't necessarily mean he wanted to leave her behind. Besides, they seemed to have a strong bond.

[Felicity Smoak]

"How about we're just Oliver and Felicity," Felicity didn't speak up and try to tell him that was who they were, and never had they ever been anything different. Oliver could have come to her as the Hood, and scared the hell out of her while asking for her help. Instead he had come to her as Oliver, asked her with kindness and a charming smile.

He had not teased her, or mocked her, or ignored her. She liked that Oliver. She liked being of value to him. Felicity liked her beginning with him, liked their friendship, and that trust he had given her. Things she would never have with this Oliver, because once he got his feet on the ground, and his head caught up--she would no longer be of value.

It was hard to see a friendship between them lasting. He was a billionaire. Liked fast cars, fast girls, and owning the city. She was barely getting by, IT girl who worked 40 plus hours at a friend's company that he ran from his apartment. He liked action, she was a drama girl. Everything they could have had in common disappeared with his memories. "Yeah, we can totally do that." She told him, trying to make sure it sounded like no big deal.

[Oliver Queen]

She said that they could do that, and Oliver continued to smile. He liked that, starting over in a sense. So that there would be no expectation for them -- mainly him -- to be something he was not. "Good," he answered, glad that they had gotten that out of the way and that he had said all he needed to say. They could put that topic to rest. With perfect timing, Carly came to serve them their food and Oliver looked at the delicious burger that was just waiting to be devoured. He wasn't going to be some hero wannabe who didn't eat enough because he was too distracted with other things. He was going to be Oliver Queen, who ate when he was hungry and did whatever else he pleased.

He thanked Carly as she told them to enjoy and Oliver was already getting ready to dig in, taking a bite out of his burger. His absence from everything had made him miss these little things. Though at the time, it was not what had been foremost on his mind. For nothing compared to how much he missed Tommy. But, he was not going to think on that right now. He was just going to enjoy his meal and try not to let anything else ruin the mood between them.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity smiled up at Carly when the food came, and reached for the ketchup, before adding it to her plate. "So in case Carly comes back over here when things are slow, I will give you the short story of you and Diggle. When you first came back from the island, you got kidnapped." With Tommy, but she thought she would leave that part out. "Your mother hired him, but for . . . . reasons . . . you didn't want anyone that close to you."

While she talked, she opened her burger, and pulled off the pickled, before reaching over to toss them by his, and then pull away his onion rings. She then pushed her little cup of slaw toward him, as she passed him the ketchup. "He was your body guard, and when you were arrested--for being the hood--he dressed as the hood and got you of trouble."

Because they were not supposed to talk about that. "I know we just agreed to not talk about that, but after that I am done. I swear. You gave him hell in the beginning though. I wasn't there, but Dig said you kept disappearing--one time from the back seat of a moving car." Something that pissed John off then, but was amusing now. "

"He runs his own body guard business now, so if you ever need one--call us."

[Oliver Queen]

Oliver listened -- and watched -- Felicity as she seemed to know his preference; as if they were so natural to her. He took the pickle, as she took the onion rings. Then gave him both the colselaw and ketchup, which he accepted gratefully. Interesting. Despite his small appetite, she still seemed to know quite a lot about him. He turned his full attention to the story about Diggle and him. It didn't overly surprise him that his mother hired a body guard. Though still; as soon as he had come back from the island, he had been kidnapped? That sounded rather intense. Though it seemed that he and Diggle were good friends too, especially if the man took on his role as the Hood to help Oliver for . . . whatever reasons. He didn't want to ask the details.

He knew she was just trying to give him some context. He gave a slight smile, hearing that he had apparently given the man hell but being elusive. No wonder Oliver told him the truth. Though, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear that story. "Did you tell him?" Oliver asked, wondering if she had already talked to Diggle about Oliver's loss of memory and that he would not be returning as his position of The Hood. Or was that a conversation that Oliver would need to have with him. "What did he say?" Oliver continued, going along with the idea that she may have mentioned it to him. Was the man disappointed? Oliver didn't remember him, but the way Felicity talked about him -- and all three of them -- it was pretty evident that they were all very close.

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity had not even realized what she had done with the food, and so only paused when Oliver asked about Diggle, with a fry half way to her lips. Diggle . . . . The man who disapproved of her allowing Oliver to live in quote 'a delusional fantasy that will not help anyone and could get him killed'. Which wasn't really what Oliver needed, or wanted to hear.

"He's annoyed he is trapped in Gotham for a few more days, and is looking forward to coming back and talking to you." She told him, not telling him about Digs disapproval. "I didn't want him surprised, so yeah, I told him--I mean, some things you can't hide from some people. I'm not sure how he will feel when he gets back." It was as side stepped as she could do.

[Oliver Queen]

She had first side stepped the question, and then been ambiguous. He didn't know if that was her way of saying Diggle was alright with it, or he wasn't alright with it. Oliver had a feeling that he would find out when the man returned. Felicity hadn't seemed too upset with his decision -- not that he could visibly see anyway -- so he wondered if Diggle would be the same way. Or was it 'The Hood' or nothing?

"I'm really looking forward to that conversation," Oliver said sarcatically, but in good humor. He took a bite of his burger, trying not to think about that right now. Instead, he was just going to focus on the delcious taste of his food. Chewing and swallowing, he continued to speak. "Is there anyone else who needs to know about my, situation?" Oliver asked. Anyone else that he wouldn't be able to hide his memory loss from, or anyone else who knew he was The Hood that could hinder his plan to leave that life behind? If they were talking about it now, he wanted it to be the last conversation they had regarding his alter ego.