"Family: An anchor during rough waters."

It was clear that it was going to take a little bit for everyone to get used to how things had changed. It wasn't just a change between them as friends or as people, but it was going to be a huge adjustment for Oliver and Felicity who not only had been separated for three years but were now also this family suddenly. All he could do was stand back, try to help where he could, and just be there for them.

"I just need a few minutes alone," Felicity said.

As happy as she'd seemed to see them, she had been affected by her imprisonment. Felicity had become used to being locked away with just Tommy. It was weird to think that Oliver and Felicity had a child, but at the same time…it was right. Things weren't going to be easy for them, John knew, but everything took time.

Oliver had been good so far at giving Felicity what she needed and asked for, but he knew it was hard on his friend. Things weren't easy though. Oliver had been living in the Foundry, a ghost for the most part to the rest of the world…he'd been mainly living as the Arrow. Now, he needed to switch gears and live as Oliver Queen. Priorities had to shift, which Diggle knew would be easy enough for him. Felicity had always been his priority.

There was a knock on the door.

Over the last two weeks, his home had been grand central station. Lyla had told him to just give them all keys, but that didn't seem like a better idea. He watched as Oliver moved away from their guest room, the one that Felicity and Tommy had been crashing in, before Diggle moved to answer the door. On the other side, he found Roy and Thea standing there.

"Okay, so I found the BEST place," Thea said.

"I told her not to do it, but she doesn't listen," Roy added quickly. "She's stub—" Diggle didn't miss the death look that Roy received. Why weren't these two married yet? "Feisty…I was going to say feisty…"

Smirking, Diggle closed the door behind them and watched as Thea made a beeline for her brother. "Okay, so it's perfect. I mean, I know that things are a little weird…and stuff…but it's perfect."

"Slow down, Speedy," Oliver said quietly.

The group moved over to the couch and Thea launched into her discussion about the 'perfect place'. "It's got like five—"

"Six," Roy corrected.

"SIX bedrooms," Thea adjusted a moment later. "And like five bathrooms. I mean, I'm sure that sounds like A LOT of bathrooms, but trust me…it's important to have that many bathrooms."

"We don't need six bedrooms," Oliver said. "We need three."

"Three? Really?" Thea asked and seemed a bit irked. "Let's be honest. You're going to really need TWO."

Diggle just sat there listening quietly. Oliver would come over and spend the day with Felicity and Tommy, but he never stayed the night…well not after the first night that he slept with his back up against the door. Thea kept thinking that things would just slip back to normal, but both he and Lyla were a little more sure that it was going to take a lot longer before Oliver and Felicity slipped into something more than friendship.

Three years.

"Okay, fine," Thea said a moment later. She was obviously not pleased. "I already signed the paperwork—"

"Wait. What? I'm confused," Oliver blurted out.

"I tried to stop her," Roy voiced.

"Thea, that's a lot of bedrooms for three people…" Diggle pointed out. Thea meant well, he was certain, but what was she thinking? He was going to have to talk to Roy about texting him when things like this happened. "I think Oliver's right, three would have been sufficient."

"Think about it. This place is six bedrooms, five bathrooms, gym room, garage, huge backyard…and did I mention that there's a basement?" Thea asked.

"Don't worry, there aren't any bats…" Roy teased. "I told her that we should just talk to Ray about getting back Queen Mansion."

"He'd do it," Oliver said quietly.

A lot of crap had gone down over the years, losing Queen Consolidated and with it…Verdant and Queen Mansion had all been collateral in dealings with Isabel Rochev. Ray Palmer, though, had bought the company and had control of the other properties associated with what was once Queen Consolidated. The man cared about Felicity, maybe had feelings for her, he really wasn't quite sure. He really didn't know the man, but one thing he knew for sure, he'd do anything for Felicity. "Oliver's right," Diggle spoke up.

Thea just sighed. "BUT, if we got back the mansion, would everyone move in?"

Diggle just stare at the youngest Queen sibling. "Was that your plan?"

"Don't forget the built-in Arrow Cave bit," Roy reminded.

"It's not such a bad plan, is it?" Thea questioned.

"Don't you think that would be a lot?" Oliver asked. "It's a lot of house. It's a lot of people in one place. We already see each other a lot."

"It IS a lot of house. Mom always had staff, but I thought about that," Thea said quickly before anything else could be said. "If we only use one wing, we could do it all ourselves…maybe have a maid service come in like every week or so…you know, for the deep cleaning."

"Deep cleaning?" Roy asked. "Do you even know how to use a vacuum?"

"I've seen commercials…looks easy…" Thea shrugged off. "Never seen a vacuum at your place."

"Have you SEEN my place?"

The two just exchanged looks.

This was why he didn't need TV. Roy and Thea were good enough that he just didn't need it. His life was far more intense than any reality TV. "Okay, so you guys know that Lyla and I—"

"Come on! Instant babysitter!" Thea said and pointed to herself. "I mean, you already know how good I am with Sara…"

Diggle just looked over to Oliver, waiting to see what his whole take on this was.

"Ollie?" Thea asked a moment later, obviously picking up on the fact that this really wasn't anyone else's decision.

"I'm just not sure, Thea," Oliver told his sister honestly.

"You haven't even talked to Felicity yet!" Thea complained.

That was true.

The point really was that Felicity would be the deciding factor for a lot of things, though Diggle wasn't sure how Lyla would take the idea of them all living together in Queen Mansion. Sure, he could think of a lot of pros right off of the bat, but there were cons too. He just wasn't sure that that was what they all needed, especially since it wasn't like they were all singles or what not. There were children involved now.

"She wanted some space, Thea," Oliver explained gently and softly. "Let's just give it to her right now."

Right now, it seemed like even though Felicity had been gone for three years that Thea was determined to not only move them ALL in together but also mend the relationship between her brother and Felicity. There were miracles in the world, but there were some things that only time and patience could heal. Felicity, Diggle was sure, was one of those things.

TBC…