Employee of the Month

Fanfiction
Title:	Employee of the Month
Author(s):	ihatepeas
Date(s):	January 24, 2014 - present
Length:	50,623 words (22 chapters)
Genre:	Teen (rating), AU, Angst, Humor, Romance
Fandom:	Arrow
External Links:	at AO3
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Employee of the Month is an AU Felicity & Quentin-focused and eventual Olicity fanfic by ihatepeas.

Summary

AU in which Detective Lance gets a new partner--Felicity Smoak. Includes canonical moments and follows season 1.

Main Characters List:

• Quentin Lance
• Felicity Smoak
• Oliver Queen
• Laurel Lance
• John Diggle

There are appearances by various other Arrow Characters including Tommy Merlyn, Thea Queen, Walter Steele, and Moira Queen.

Author's Notes

"I used to just read fic, but I couldn't shake this idea, and no one else was writing it. I'm on deadline for my own novel, so if this story begins to interfere with that, updates will slow, but it's a nice change of pace from the novel, so I hope to keep up with it." (January 24th 2014)

"I am not going to make excuses or apologize for how long it's been because, frankly, I never expected to write fic again. I extricated myself from the fandom when it became too toxic for me, and I turned my focus back to work on my novels...I didn't expect to finish this chapter, and I didn't expect to post it, but finish it I did. Though it felt like it took forever. I'm not promising anything, but I do feel like I'm not quite ready to let this story go yet." (May 22nd 2017)

Reception & Comments

On AO3, as of Febuary 17, 2022: it has 215 comments, 140 bookmarks and 817 kudos at AO3.

"I just wanted to let you know I'm reading this because curiosity got the better of me :P ...and I really like it. (I thought giving Felicity a cat named Jpeg was brilliant, too--like, dangit, why didn't I think of that? ;) )"

"I wish I had something more to say other than I find this super-delightful, and I really love this take on Felicity! But I'm just enjoying the ride, I think you're doing a great job of setting the scene. I look forward to reading more. :)"

"I do like the dynamic between Felicity and Lance as partners and how they are getting into a rhythm. The chapters are definitely getting more exciting and i like how you're weaving the original story line into your universe. Although one thing i'd like to see is more Oliver/Felicity (i'm sure practically everyone's saying that). I do understand why they haven't had too many interactions so far and the ones you've written so far have been just enough to tease us. I like the wink Oliver has given to Felicity as both himself and the hood (i know those were in previous chapters but it's still relevant/cute!) It'd be interesting to see Oliver's perspective of their interactions and the conversations he's had regarding Felicity. Oh! I'm loving the interactions between Thea and Felicity too :) Great chapter! Loved how long it was too"

"Felicity and Detective Lance being brilliant together and a Doctor Who reference. Could this series start off any better? Oh wait, the author is a Lizzie Bennet Diaries fan. You and this story are just awesome."

"Loving this series - I just love the job change for Felicity - making her a detective is really interesting and I'm really intrigued in reading more."

"WHY didn't I read this fic before now???? I'm kicking myself, really. Because you make Felicity as a cop work so well, and all the interactions with Quentin are just so great. The combination of gruffness and tenderness he has towards her is perfect. And the slow burn between Felicity and Oliver, and how things are heating up in the last few chapters? I was doing chinfists SO OFTEN. And then the ending of this chapter!!! I had a bad feeling about Felicity's experiences in IA that lead to her transferring to Major Crimes, and the appearance of the {spoiler} made that bad feeling get exponentially worse. Waiting with bated breath for the next chapter!"