Note: As promised, I am posting a second chapter today. I hope you enjoy. I look forward to hearing from you.

Felicity's first day at her new job had been satisfying, if uneventful. Other than seeing Dr. Hamilton when she first arrived, she'd had no interaction with her new employer. She had her own office in the basement of the building where Dr. Hamilton had his lab. She seemed to be destined to spend her life in basements.

"Mom, it's me. I guess you're not calling me back - so, thanks for that. I can't believe I'm about to say this to you in a voicemail, but you're leaving me with no choice. If you ever discuss me or Oliver Queen with a reporter again, we're done. No more phone calls. No more visits. No more money. Mom, how could you?" Felicity put her phone away and punched the code for the lair's entrance. She'd been dreading facing Oliver all day.

"How was the rest of your first day?" Dig asked, looking up from his desk.

"It was good," Felicity offered. "It's not the most challenging stuff. I didn't need to break any federal laws, but there's a lot to do, so, job security - which is good." Felicity looked around the lair. "So, where are Oliver and Roy?

"Roy's not coming. He heard from somebody who heard from somebody that Thea was at a club in Central City - so, he went to check it out."

Felicity pursed her lips. "Hmmm, I'm pretty sure if she was at a club this weekend my WebCrawler would've found it. I'll check my parameters again." She sat down at her desk to check on her search results. "Did Oliver go with Roy?"

Diggle moved from his desk to lean against hers, arms folded across his chest. "He's out to dinner with Laurel. On a date."

Felicity stopped typing. "A date, date or I'm hungry, you're hungry, date?"

Dig sighed. "I think he is trying to do damage control."

"Damage control?" Felicity scoffed.

"He feels responsible for you being subjected to the press. He tipped off the paparazzi that he and Laurel were going to be out together tonight."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "He doesn't mind getting Laurel in the papers?"

"I don't think Laurel minds being in the papers." Dig grinned.

"Meow." Felicity made clawing marks in the air. Dig was never going to be Laurel's biggest fan.

Dig laughed. "No, I mean she's acting D.A. If she decides to run for office, the free press can't hurt."

"I don't know if Oliver Queen is the man to be seen with in public if you're trying to run for office." Felicity joked. "Of course, he doesn't pee on cops anymore, so that's a plus."

"He just runs from them now." Dig took a deep breath. "So, Felicity. Can we talk about your mom?"

"There's nothing to talk about. My mom is my mom. I've had my whole life to learn she's not the bake you cookies kind of mom."

"What kind of mom is she?" Dig asked turning her chair to face him.

"The kind who tries to get her daughter's alleged billionaire boyfriend to fork over some money."

"What does she need the money for?"

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what it is this time. Bookies, booze, pills, all three."

"Must've been tough growing up like that."

"Not really. I didn't know any different. I thought all moms were the same. It wasn't until I got older that I realized it wasn't normal." An alert went off on her monitor. "It's Vic, he's calling someone." Felicity rested her head on her hands. "I feel really awful about spying on him."

"You'll feel worse in jail."

"I don't know." She really wasn't sure. The more time she spent with Vic the more she liked him and the guiltier she felt. She was building a relationship on a lie. There was no way this was going to end well.

"Who's he calling?"

"Maybe a source?" Felicity didn't recognize the name and started running it through her databases. "James Murphy, he works at the courthouse."

Turning her attention back to Dig. "How's Lyla?"

"Good." Dig smiled. He opened his wallet and handed Felicity a picture of an ultrasound.

Felicity squealed in delight. "The baby looks just like you."

He laughed. "Felicity, the baby doesn't look like anything."

"Definitely your chin." She held the picture alongside his face. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, I couldn't tell." Dig gently tugged on the end of her pony tail.

"Am I going to get to throw you a bachelor party before a baby shower?"

"You want to throw me a bachelor party? A look of horror on his face.

"Do you really want Oliver to plan it?"

"I don't think I could keep up with Oliver."

"I'd be less worried about former billionaire playboy Ollie's bachelor party than shipwreck survivor Oliver's idea of a bachelor party."

"I won't worry about either. Lyla and I have done the marriage thing once - it didn't work out."

"Yeah, but John, it's different now, right? You love her."

"Felicity, love isn't our problem. I never stopped loving Lyla. It's the living together part we struggle with."

"But, you love her and the baby." Felicity knew she sounded naive but this was Diggle, the absolute best man she knew. If he couldn't figure it out, what chance did any of them have?

"I know you know that even when two people are in love, life sometimes gets in the way. Love isn't always enough." She knew he was referring to Oliver and what happened between them in the mansion. Diggle had been furious with Oliver for using her as bait. Dig told her he wasn't angry that Oliver had placed her in Slade's clutches but that he had taken advantage of her feelings for him. Felicity told Dig that it didn't happen that way, but she couldn't explain to him what had transpired between her and Oliver any better than she could explain it to herself.

"It should be." Her own father left before she was four. She really only remembered the pain of him leaving. She felt protective of Dig's baby and only wanted him or her to remember being loved.

"There are a lot of things in this world that should be that just aren't."

"So, a date, huh?" Felicity said turning back to her screen.

"Yep." Diggle said returning to his desk.