Darkness had already fallen over the city, as the people moved through the shadows and entered an inconspicuous looking door before having to stop in front of a fortified metal doorway. With practice easy that belied just how often she had repeated that action already, Felicity entered the code to their new very secret and much improved lair, ignoring that her boyfriend still looked back over his shoulder, ever paranoid that they would be seen entering the building. As if they hadn't taken more than enough precautions to prevent somebody following them, lest it be said that they didn't learn from their mistakes. Nobody wanted to have to put together yet another new lair, because the previous one had been compromised.
Normally the couple spent, and by default also their dog, were the first to arrive for yet another night of crime fighting in a city, where new gangsters seemingly grew on trees, judging by the frequency of new arrivals, but today another one of their team members was already there.
Calling out a quick hello to Laurel, Felicity went to power up her babies, check whether somebody sat on her chair, something one shouldn't do without permission or you'd get to hear the loud voice - and nobody wanted that, and like a loyal puppy that their dog certainly never was, Oliver followed her, only to tug on her ponytail, as soon as she had sat down.
"So, your mom called," he told her, still tugging her hair although she tried to bat away his hands. A futile action, as they both knew very well, but she continued to be annoyed by his actions although secretly she found his not so obvious way of showing her affection very endearing and he continued to pretend that it actually hurt when she managed to hit him. Win-win for everyone involved, especially for their other team members, who told them on more than one occasion that PDA's involving the exchange of bodily fluids were prohibited in their working environment. (A rule that Oliver normally hated, but on occasion was really glad about, seeing as it also applied to Roy and Thea. Not that it ever kept the two troublemakers from simply breaking that rule, no matter if an overprotective brother was around or not. Sometimes Oliver missed the time when Roy actually feared him a little.)
Felicity swiveled around in her chair, essentially preventing Oliver from messing up her hair even more. "Why did she call you? I'm her daughter." Even if they were nothing alike.
Oliver, having already had that particular discussion countless times, ignored her and said, "She wants to come visit again sometime in the next weeks."
Taking a deep calming breath and exhaling again Felicity continued to stare at her boyfriend, before turning to her computers again and saying, "I swear she likes you more than me." It wasn't the first time that her mother had called Oliver when she wanted to discuss something that concerned all three of them. Most of the time Felicity made fun of Oliver because it was clearly to see that Donna was nuts not only about her daughter being with a (former) billionaire, but also nuts in general. It didn't matter that their mother-daughter relationship had actually improved over the course of the last years, Felicity knew that her mother was not what other people liked to call normal.
"What can I say? Parents like me," Oliver tried to explain, but he looked a bit embarrassed by the fact that his hopefully future mother-in-law took such a fancy to him and didn't even try to hide it whenever they saw each other in person. Although he had to confess that Donna's inclination to flirt with him in Felicity's presence was a cause of great entertainment for everybody involved.
His words caused Laurel to laugh out loud and get involved in the conversation. "Oh yes. My father loved you. Absolutely. Even before the whole getting on the yacht with Sara thing."
"Your mother liked me," Oliver tried in vain to win the argument, but really, he should have known better than to get into an argument with a lawyer in the first place. Especially when her last name was Lance.
"My mother tolerated you," his former girlfriend corrected him again, causing his current girlfriend to snicker behind him. Traitors. All of them. Before he had a chance to voice his thoughts Felicity had Laurel's back. It probably was better like that. If he tried objecting now it would only cause the two women to join forces against him. He had learned that particular lesson the hard way. Nothing united the women in his life like the opportunity to make him see the errors of his way.
"See?" Felicity perked up again. "My mother is the exception. But we all know she is not what I would call normal."
"Felicity, I wouldn't exactly call you normal."
Major mistake, he told himself, as Felicity narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could make it known just how much she didn't like what he had just said, Laurel interjected, "All right, you two. Stop it right there. I don't want to get in the middle of a fight between you?"
That had happened one time to often. For all the two were in love with each other, they tended to have very loud arguments, without regard if any of the other Team Arrow members were in the vicinity. And mostly those arguments were followed by equally intense make-up sessions. There were some things that should stay within their walls of their own home, was the consensus the rest of Team Arrow came to. Not that Oliver and Felicity always shared that view.
"Is Thea coming in today?" Laurel expertly changed the topic at hand. She had seen far too much of what the couple saw as making up. It was more making out like teenagers on their first unsupervised date.
Oliver reluctantly took a step away from his girlfriend and answered, "Roy is in town, so they are spending some time together." He even managed to note sound like the overprotective older brother that he was, who didn't like his little sister spending time with a guy. It didn't really matter that he actually liked Roy and that if he ganged up with Thea they were able to kick his ass in a fight. She would always be his little sister.
"Roy is in town and he's not here?" Laurel looked up from the weights she was just putting away and leveled Oliver with a suspicious stare. Looking at him for a few moments, trying to read the expression on his face she then turned to Felicity, knowing it would be much easier getting an answer out of her. "Did Ollie hurt him again?" Felicity didn't even stop typing, she just nodded her head, causing her ponytail so swing enthusiastically. "Really?" Laurel sighed exasperated. "How long is it going to take for you to let it go?" Moments like these were why she was glad she wasn't Oliver's girlfriend anymore.
"Don't worry, I set him straight," Felicity let her know and she could have stopped there, but in try fashion she didn't. Oliver and Laurel both had learned to recognize the signs of oncoming babbling and while Laurel wished she had popcorn for what was surely to be a very interesting - read embarrassing for Oliver - tangent, the man in question just groaned and stepped away from them, not sure he wanted to hear what his girlfriend was about to say. "I mean, he always was straight. At least as far as I know. Did you have an experimental phase? I mean, I'm like 99% sure that you had a threesome at one point, being a frat boy and all. Even if you dropped out of all 4 colleges you went to. And from what I heard about him, Tommy would have been the perfect guy to do something like that with. I mean, what girl can say no to both of your ridiculously beautiful faces? Surely not me, or-"
"Dig is coming in," Oliver finally interrupted her, deciding that enough was enough and that he really didn't want to answer whether or not Tommy and he teamed up, especially in front of his former and current girlfriend. And that was without thinking about the fact that Laurel also had been with Tommy. Sometimes he thought to himself that it would be a good thing to go looking for new friends. "And there he is," he announced Diggle's arrival, before Felicity could continue with her train of thought and take Laurel with her. Never before - at least that week - had he been so glad to hear he footsteps coming down the stairs, heralding his friend's arrival.
"Jealousy really doesn't become you, Ollie," Laurel told him, and with that he decided enough was enough.
"And here I thought green was my color," he said, taking his bow and suit in order to finally start their nightly patrols.
Laurel's laughter and Felicity's muted snickers followed him all the way to their little locker room. "Did you just joke?" he heard Laurel say and for a moment - but not for the first time - he regretted not making sure that the room was soundproof. It would have saved him from hearing the two women making fun of him, amongst other, not so child friendly things.
"And we were all here to hear it. Monumental occasion." Of course his girlfriend would jump the band wagon.
"We should make it a national holiday. Put it on a t-shirt. Alert the newspapers." His only saving grace for now was that Diggle hadn't joined them. At least so far.
"Oh, I know the perfect place to get t-shirts custom made. We could send a few to Team Flash in exchange for some STARlabs merchandise." Felicity clapped her hands in excitement and Oliver half feared that she would actually go through with it.
"Really funny, you two," he told them as he stepped out of the locker room and leveled the halfway ready Black Canary with his patented Arrow glare. "Suit up before I go without you."
Laurel didn't need to be told twice. She had learned from past mistakes when she actually thought he was exaggerating and took her time with getting ready. Hurrying to close the last of her numerous clasps she grabbed her weapons, waved to Felicity and Diggle and followed the Arrow up the stairs.
Shaking his head Diggle put his Glock on the table and sat in the chair next to Felicity.
"Can you man the comms? It should be a fairly quiet night and I finally got through part of the encryption that's been driving me crazy," she asked him and she knew it was a proof of how much she trusted him in general that he was allowed to work on her computers at all. He liked to chalk it up to the fact that he was the only one who didn't constantly change the height on her office chair and didn't use her fancy set up for online shopping or to play computer games. He also learned the hard way that the only person to eat and drink near the computers was Felicity herself.
"Are you sure you still want to babysit Sara tomorrow?" Diggle asked Felicity after he had fitted himself with an ear piece and tracked the Arrow's and Black Canary's movements through the night.
"Of course," Felicity beamed at him with far too much enthusiasm, if you asked him, considering that she voluntarily spent time with a three year old that wasn't her own kid, "I'm looking forward to some time with my little hacker-to-be."
"She's not going to be a hacker."
Felicity smiled at him indulgently, as if to say 'Of course not'. All that was missing was a patronizing pat on the shoulder. "We will see about that."
"We all know there is only one way Dig and Lyla's kid can turn out," Oliver's voice came over the comms. "Can you tell Lance there is a package waiting for him at the corner of Fifth?"
Diggle confirmed and quietly kept guiding the two vigilantes through the night, occasionally alerting them to crime in their vicinity.
Felicity stretched her back for a moment and spun around in her chair, needing a moment from starring at code. "You can't cancel our girl night now. I'm looking forward to watching Disney movies all day and I already polished our tiaras." For a split second Felicity thought about getting a third tiara so that Oliver could wear one too, because let's face it, he would do everything for her and also for Sara and he was a Queen.
"Wait. You are serious about this. Sara can be a handful right now," he warned, just thinking about what his girl had been up to in the last few days. Nobody had told him how exhausting being a parent could be.
"You named her after an assassin, what did you expect?" Felicity pointed out and he had to admit that she was right, as usual. "And she is the daughter of two highly trained military people."
"Don't tell me I didn't warn you," he told his friend and apparently very willing babysitter. Deciding he should warn her he told her, "She started hiding things. In the beginning Lyla and I didn't notice. But things just keep disappearing and she won't tell us where she hides them." Diggle wasn't sure if he imagined it, but along with Felicity's giggle and Laurel's snort he also heard Oliver laugh over the comms. "Lyla even used her interrogation stare on her. Didn't faze her one bit."
"That's precious!" Felicity cooed.
"You are laughing now, just wait until your kids are getting into trouble." Oh, he so was looking forward to that. "And with Oliver as a father you know that trouble is guaranteed." Not to mention her not-so-angelic mother. If the kid of two highly trained military people and vigilante sidekick resulted in a hell raising kid, he didn't want to imagine how the kid of a highly skilled hacker slash vigilante IT support and a former ARGUS agent, Bratva member, billionaire playboy vigilante would turn out. To be honest, he couldn't wait.
Felicity looked at him, face ashen, as if it was the first time that thought had occurred to her. "There will be no kids." She shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely no kids," She said again, as if to reassure herself. "Rantanplan will be our only child. Our only, albeit very furry child." Now Diggle was sure that he heard Oliver laugh in the background. Interesting development.
"Whatever you want to tell yourself so you can sleep at night," he decided to indulge her.
"You know that we can hear you, right?" Laurel's voice was heard.
"Ooops."
Not soon after that Laurel and Oliver announced that they were on the way back. On the inside Diggle was still laughing about the shocked look on Felicity's face, but he knew better than to let her see that. As she was so fond of reminding them all, Felicity was able to end them all without getting up from her chair.
Using the few precious minutes were it was just the two of them, without anybody else listening in, Diggle fished for the small data drive that had been burning a hole in his pocket all evening. "I have something I want you to take a look at, if you can spare a moment."
Felicity was just turning off the last of their - her - computers. "You know for you I'd spare a moment even if I didn't have one," she sent him a curious smile. "What is it?"
"This." Diggle carefully handed the device over to her. "Lyla gave it to me. One of her old ARGUS contacts came into contact with H.I.V.E. and since he knew that she was looking into it for me he passed it on to her. It's not much, but maybe combined with everything else we know…"
Felicity fiddled with the drive in her hands, before looking at Diggle with a thoughtful expression on her face. "You haven't told Oliver about this, have you?" He would have told her. And Diggle wouldn't have waited until nobody was listening to them to give it to her.
"Not yet," he confessed, not sounding the least bit apologetic.
"John, aren't you usually the one telling everybody else to talk to each other?" Oh how the tables had turned. Normally Diggle was the sounding board whenever a member of Team Arrow needed someone to talk.
"We both know that Oliver still feels responsible for letting Lawton get away that very first time. Doesn't matter that I got everything Lawton knew about why Andy was killed." The woman could only nod in agreement. They all knew the extent an Oliver Queen guilt trip could assume, let alone an Arrow guilt trip. "And now he feels responsible for not getting more out of Ra's about H.I.V.E."
A shiver raced down Felicity's back just by hearing he-who-shall-never-be-named-again's name. But she knew what Diggle tried to tell her. And she would have his back, just like he always had hers and Oliver's.
"And you also don't want to have to explain why you are getting his girlfriend involved in a potentially very dangerous thing," she tried to get him to smile. "More dangerous than being on Team Arrow, which is dangerous enough in itself," she sighed. "Leave it to me, John. I'll have a look at it." For a moment she hesitated before pocketing the device. "But if this is a thing that could come to bite all of Team Arrow in the butt we'll have a team discussion about this, agreed?"
Who was John Diggle to argue with that?