Again guys, a massive thank you to all the reviews and omg the response is amazing! The next update won't be until Friday night or Saturday at some point. Again Irish time. Have some college work to do. Please keep reviewing I love to hear what you guys think. Hope you are enjoying the story and don't find it to be a let down. Hope you enjoy the this chapter. I am so excited to write the next!
Oh god, had she been that obvious? "I have no idea what you mean?" she replied in the most convincing way she knew how. He responded with a laugh, "oh don't worry, I doubt the rest know. Don't forget I was in the army. I had to play attention to detail. I mean sure, anytime you were asked, "who's your mother?" all you'd say is you can't say". She should have known that Dig would one way find it out. Now all she had to do was convince him he was wrong. "Dig, I can't say who she is. I mean if I did what's to stop my dad from starting the relationship before it's supposed to. It'll end up with me never being born!"
"Yea, but I won't say anything if you tell me." Why'd he want to know so badly? "Well from my experience once one person knows everyone knows. You're just reading too much into it Dig." She responded.
"Okay well if it's not that she's your mam that what is it?" He asked, not convinced that he is wrong. From his point of view he can understand why people haven't made the connection between the two. For starters, Felicity was blonde, Nicole was a brunette. Appearance wise they were similar, only when you really looked at them but not so similar in the obvious way. It's been a long silence since Digs question and he could see her trying to come up with an answer. When the silence got unbearable he asked. "Look I don't want to pressure you into talking, and if you did tell me the truth it would remain between us. You just look like you have something to get off your chest. Maybe she isn't your mam. From the sounds of it we are close in the future, so talk to me." Finally making eye contact she sighed, "Okay lets ta-" as she started the others walked in. "Later" Dig mouthed. With that she nodded and went to greet the other.
Dig, Oliver and Roy were out patrolling, leaving Felicity and Nicole down in the foundry alone. It was a quiet night so they each decided to split and take separate sections.
"I still think he should have let me go with him. That would have convinced him in the future that I can take care of myself." Nicole had been complaining ever since her dad left with the others. She had hoped that he would have agreed to let her out, esp with how quiet it was, but no, still no luck, no matter the time. "You know Oliver, he never likes putting people in danger and you're his daughter, he's not going to risk your safety" Felicity responded while swinging her chair around to get a better look at Nicole. "But it's not like I'm not trained. Dig and Roy have been training me for months. Or at least they will train me for months….it's really confusing to know what tense I should be speaking in." Felicity just laughed. Nicole continued, "I mean look there's nothing happening there tonight, I could easily be out there."
"Well again, it's Oliver, he doesn't want any harm coming to you" Felicity said. "No matter what happens he always finds a way to blame himself. So you could be out there or even in here and get hurt and he'll still think it's because of him." She continued.
"I know it's one of his biggest faults in the future. I mean there is so much that happens, that he has no control over and to him it's his fault. He either didn't see it coming, wasn't there or wasn't fast enough."
A voice broke through the coms, causing Felicity to jump, "Hey Felicity?" Oliver spoke. "Yea, what's up?" She put the coms on speaker so Nicole could hear. "You know we can hear everything you and Nicole are talking about right?" he replied causing the two to laugh. "We are on our way back" he responded as soon as he could get a word in through the laughter.
"So will we ever find out who your mam is?" Roy called running down the stairs. This again! Frustratingly Nicole replied, "For the last time no! If I tell you guys who she is then what's to stop Oliver from forming the relationship before it's suppose to happen." Oliver, walking down behind him intervened, "you heard her Roy, and I've been trying to get her to tell me for the past week. Can you at least say if I know her?" He was hopefully she'll answer this "No because if I say yes they you will be comparing me to all the women you know, and if I say no, you'll compare me to the women you meet. So no, I will not tell you if you know her or not!"
With that they all went about the foundry in their separate ways. Nicole tried to occupy her with something so Dig wouldn't question her. She was too slow and was pulled to the side where no one could hear them.
"Well" he asked. "I think we can talk now, everyone is occupied with their own stuff to take notice." He gave a look over to everyone else. Nicole followed he glaze. "Not here, let's go get food and talk then." He nodded in agreement and they said bye to the others.
She couldn't hold off no longer. Since she has gotten there, she longed for someone to share this with and now that she had some she felt as though she could say nothing at all. Where to start, how her parents got together, who her mother was, or her plan to change the future? Would he approve of her decision, or regret ever asking her in the first place?
Instead of her telling him, she would simply ask him what he wanted to know. "Well for starters, who is your mother?" For the first time she's been back she's been nervous. Taking a deep breath, she responded, "You're right, it's Felicity" He smiled. "Yes I knew I was right! I knew they would end up together." He was proud of himself for solving the mystery, though he can't share it with the others, one of the agreements that he made to make Nicole tell him. "Oh believe me, it wasn't easy for them, with dad with the whole, "because of the life I lead" nonsense." It felt nice for her to get this all out in the open to finally talk about it. "Oh I bet, but hey they make it in the end. But that doesn't explain why you are fine with Oliver and not Felicity." This was the bit that was really troubling him.
"Well for starters when I came around you and Oliver were there, no Felicity in sight. When she did appear, you and Oliver didn't know we so I doubted she would." She responded. "But it still doesn't make sense. You're okay with me and Roy. Why not just treat her like part of the team. No need to make yourself uncomfortable." Diggle still not getting it.
Again Nicole took a deep breath and looked away, tears starting to form. After a moment she spoke. "It's not that I am not okay with her there or handling the fact that I've to treat her like any member of the team. It's just that" she took a pause to breathe. "It's just that, she's dead in my time."