A/N: Okay guys, so I know I said that this would be the last chapter, but as I was writing today, soooo much happened and these characters just wanted to keep going. So this will be the penultimate chapter and the next one will be the final one. Enjoy :D

Chapter Fourteen

"I want a code name." Felicity announced as she walked in the door of their new apartment. There were still boxes everywhere, but Oliver was proud to call this place home.

They'd been hunting for the right place for the past six months and as soon as he and Felicity had walked in the door, they'd both fallen in love with it. It had three bedrooms, one of which was being used as Felicity's office, but what Oliver loved most was the kitchen.

It was huge, giving Oliver plenty of space to create the meals he'd found were a hit with Felicity. His newfound love of cooking was a surprise, but a welcome one. He'd never known that it could be so therapeutic either.

He grinned up at his fiancée, relieved to have a real reason to take a break from putting a corner bookcase together. Seriously, it was a bookcase, how hard could it be? "So how was work?"

Felicity shrugged out of her jacket and dumped her handbag into a nearby chair. Another thing Oliver had learned about her, she was messy. "It was great and don't change the subject."

He waited for her to come to a stop in front of him before wrapping his arms around her waist. "Why do you want a codename so badly?"

"Seriously? For protection. You and Digg both have one; I think I deserve one, too."

"I didn't say you didn't deserve one, honey. I was just wondering where the sudden urge to have one came from."

She smoothed her hands up his arms and linked her fingers together behind his neck. "I was thinking about it last night. That hacker could've easily gotten my identity when he hacked our comms. We're just lucky you never actually said my name out loud."

Oliver nodded, remembering how scared he'd been when he realised that they'd gotten into Felicity's system and that she had been alone in the Foundry at the time. It had worked out in the end, she'd locked them out and found their location, and Oliver had delivered them to the police. But still, she was right.

"Okay, you're right."

"I am?" she frowned. "Huh, I expected more of an argument."

He chuckled. "Disappointed?"

"No. Okay so… what's my new name?"

One eyebrow popped up. "You want me to think of one right now? Felicity, I'm gonna need a little time. It needs to be just right."

A warm smile graced her face as she leaned in and kissed him. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"Not nearly enough."

She murmured the words against his lips, grinning wider when he returned them. Closing his eyes, he lost himself in her kiss, the touch of her hands stroking the hair at the base of his head and the way her breath caught when she pulled back slightly.

"Oliver," she whispered. "Your phone's buzzing. Either that or someone's really happy to see me."

His nostrils flared at her innuendo, but he chose not to comment on it. "Ignore it; it's just Tommy making sure that I'm ready. He's texted three times already."

She patted his chest and stepped back. "That reminds me, I have to go get ready, too."

"We could just stay home?"

"Oliver, if I miss my own bachelorette party that your sister has planned down to the last detail, I will never hear the end of it."

He sighed dramatically. "Fine."

"Hey," she said softly, scratching her fingers through his stubble. "This time next week, I'll be your wife and you'll be my husband."

Those words never failed to make his heart beat just a little faster. Her husband. My wife. "I can't wait."

She turned back at the doorway to the stairs. "Oh, by the way, honey. I think it would be a great idea if we didn't have sex until the wedding."

Oliver's jaw dropped as she giggled and left the room, leaving him standing there staring after her.

It was harder than she'd thought it would be, Felicity acknowledged as she walked up the steps towards the Queen mansion's front doors two hours later. She'd been serious about them abstaining for the rest of the week, but keeping her hands off Oliver was going to be a trial. At least she had the wedding to keep her distracted.

Although, if he pulled the sort of tricks he'd done earlier, she just might not survive. As she was getting dressed in their bedroom, he'd come in and begun changing his clothes, making sure to take his time when removing his shirt. Her eyes had involuntarily followed every line of muscle, every dip, and dimple that just begged for her attention.

She knew he knew that it was getting to her, and that made her even more determined to follow through on this. She smiled as she knocked on the door, remembering the look on his face when she'd decided to play him at his own game.

She'd chosen his favourite red dress of hers to wear, and combined it with loose, curly hair and five-inch heels. His hands had twitched as if itching to reach for her and rip it all off. Her smile widened as she recalled how his look of longing had quickly been replaced with annoyance and frustration when she'd left the apartment.

"I'd ask what that huge smile is for but I don't think I want to know the answer," Diggle said, standing in the open doorway, looking rather handsome in his black shirt and brown leather jacket.

Felicity felt her face flush. "Digg, hey. Aren't you supposed be out getting my fiancé drunk right about now?"

He smirked at her and moved aside for her to enter. "The night is young. I was just overseeing some security updates. You look lovely, by the way."

"Aw, thanks. You do too. Handsome, I mean, not lovely. Not that you're not lovely."

Diggle chuckled and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "The ladies are all in the living room. Have fun tonight, you deserve it."

"I'll give it my best shot, which if I know your wife, there may be a lot of those involved."

"Just don't let her near the tequila, please."

Felicity raised an eyebrow in question.

"Lyla loves tequila," he explained. "But it most definitely does not like her. And I really don't want to be on clean up duty tomorrow."

"Got it, no tequila. Oh, while we're on the subject, can you please make sure Oliver stays away from the Foundry tonight?"

Diggle frowned as he checked his watch. "You have something planned down there?"

"No, I just want him to take one night off and not worry about the city and what's happening out there. He needs this, Digg."

His face softened as he stared at her. "You know, when I first met you, I knew that you were going to be good for this family. I just didn't realise how good. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him, you know that right?"

"Well that's good because he's… well, he's my whole world, you know?"

Diggle nodded, pulling her in for a one-armed hug. "I know. Now get in there and enjoy your evening and I'll make sure Oliver does the same."

She waved as he stepped out into the cold night air, throwing her a wink before closing the door. She could already hear Thea talking as she turned to head for the living room.

"Well it's about time you got here," Thea said, standing up to greet her. "You're half an hour late."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got held up at work."

Lyla handed her a glass of pink champagne. "Wow, Applied Sciences is really keeping you busy, huh?"

She took a quick sip, enjoying the way the bubbles tickled her nose. "Yeah but I love it. It's challenging, and I have so many ideas too. But of course, you can always blame your brother for my tardiness if you want."

"Well you're here now, that's all that matters," Moira said, practically grinning from ear to ear. "You look wonderful, dear."

"Thank you Moira, so do you. Are you sure you don't want to join us tonight?"

Moira waved a hand at her. "Oh no, that's quite alright, sweetheart. Thank you for the offer though."

Felicity nodded and sat down on the sofa next to her. Since Moira hadn't been feeling too well over the past week, Thea had opted to have a few drinks here and then head out to a couple of clubs later on. But honestly, if she had the option, Felicity would've been just as content to stay at the mansion all night.

"Okay ladies, here's the plan," Thea said, clapping her hands together. "Drinks here with Mom, then we'll head to Verdant. From there we'll grab a bite to eat and then… well; we'll see where the night takes us."

"Thea," Moira said with a warning tone in her voice. "Please remember that you're only eighteen and therefore not legally able to drink."

"Mom, I'm only taking her to a couple of strip clubs, not that many." Thea replied, biting her lip to hide a smile when Moira spluttered her drink as she took a sip. "I'm kidding, Mom. I'll behave, I promise."

"Don't worry, Moira, Lyla and I will keep her in check," Felicity said, grinning widely when Thea narrowed her eyes at her.

"Traitor," she grumbled under her breath, making Felicity chuckle. "Okay, well at least I can have some champagne here, right Mom?"

Moira rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes, but not too much."

"Awesome, I'll go get another bottle."

Felicity held a hand out to her. "No I'll get it, Thea. I need to go to the bathroom anyway; I'll grab it on my way back."

"Cool, but don't be too long. We've got some serious partying to do."

Felicity laughed and shook her head as she left the living room, that girl was going to cause some major trouble tonight, she was sure of it.

She took the fastest route to the nearest bathroom through the foyer. Just as she passed by the front door there was the lightest knock. Frowning, she glanced around, waiting for a maid to come and answer it but when no one appeared she shrugged and headed over to do it herself.

Felicity gasped, staring at the blonde woman in front of her. "Mom?"

"Oh Felicity, I'm so glad you're here, I wasn't sure and this is a really big place-"

Felicity raised a hand to cut off her ramble. "What are you doing here? How did you even know I'd be here?"

Donna Smoak paused and looked at her daughter. Her hand shook a little as she raked it through her long, blonde waves, though Felicity thought she'd imagined that part. What on earth did her mother have to be nervous about?

"Answer me, Mom. What are you doing here?"

"I uh, I came to see you, silly."

"Why?" she asked, folding her arms, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing her rattled. "You haven't contacted me in over a year. So why now?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in? It's freezing out here."

As if sensing that Felicity wasn't going to just fall into her arms like she expected, Donna's expression tightened. "Is it wrong for a mother to visit her daughter? Especially when her daughter forgot to tell her something as important as she's getting married?"

Oh, so that was it. She'd expected as much, but she couldn't deny it stung a little. "How did you find out about that?"

Donna scoffed, pulling her jacket over herself tightly in what Felicity knew was an attempt to guilt her into letting her in. "Honey, you're marrying a Queen. We do get the news in Vegas you know."

"So that's it, you hear I'm marrying a rich man and hop on the first plane here? You're so predictable."

"Well actually-"

"No, I don't want to hear it," she said, grabbing the door. "I have nothing more to say to you."

"Felicity, please…"

She paused for a second, allowing herself a moment to feel the pain of the past year with no contact. "Go home, Mom. I don't want you here."

She closed the door on her mother and braced her back against it, taking a second to breathe deeply. She had to get her emotions under control, Thea had planned this night, and she wanted it to be perfect. Acting like her world hadn't just shifted would be difficult, but she was determined to have a good time. She was not going to let her mother's sudden appearance ruin her girls' night.

"I have to be honest, Tommy. When you said we were going out for a night to remember, this wasn't what I pictured."

Tommy turned to his brother and narrowed his eyes. "You totally thought I was taking you to a strip club, didn't you?"

Oliver shrugged, because yes, that's exactly what he'd thought. "Well, yeah, can you blame me?"

"Fair point, but I'll have you know I put a lot of thought into this."

Oliver had to admit he'd had his reservations when he'd first found out, but after a little encouragement from Digg and Tommy, he found himself having fun. A lot of fun.

"Be honest, you thought it was a terrible idea at first, didn't you?" Tommy asked as he removed his gear and started getting dressed.

"No, not terrible. It's just… you do realise what I do at night, right? Did you really think you could win a game of paintball against me? Or Digg for that matter?" he said quietly, to avoid Walter overhearing. But he was deep in conversation with Digg anyway so it didn't matter.

Tommy shrugged. "I was well aware that I was going to lose. That was not the point of the evening."

"Then what was?"

"Because of what you do at night, I wanted you to have a night where you could use those skills you've gained for fun. To take yourself out of the fight and just focus on having a good time. You're getting married, and after everything you've been through, you deserve this."

He really had put a lot of thought into this, Oliver realised, feeling proud of his brother. It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture, one that showed that their bond was still as solid as ever. It also showed him that Tommy now accepted him, all parts of him, the brother he'd been before the island and the man that had returned in his place.

Tommy's grin faded a little at Oliver's silence. "But hey look, if you really want a strip club, it's not too late to find one. Although I will have to tell Felicity that it was your idea, that girl can get crazy scary when she's mad."

Oliver chuckled, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "No, I don't want to go to a strip club. I'm just… I'm glad that you did this. I had a great time."

Tommy stared at him with a knowing expression. "You wanna go find the girls, don't you?"

Oliver huffed out a laugh. "Am I that obvious?"

"Very, but don't worry," he laughed reaching over to pinch Oliver's cheek. "I won't tell anyone how adorable you get when you miss your fiancée."

He swatted his hand away. "Knock it off, Tommy. I'm not missing her… exactly. I just hope she's having a nice time that's all."

"Uh-huh, sure." He turned his attention to Diggle and Walter. "Hey guys, how about we head to Verdant and meet up with the girls?"

Diggle nodded. "Sounds like a plan, although, they may not be too happy with us crashing."

Tommy flashed him a toothy smile. "It's not crashing if we're invited."

Oliver frowned. "Invited?"

"Well, I may or may not have spoken to Felicity last night and she said that if we wanted to, we could join them for a drink or two. But she was very insistent that it was only one or two. I think after that we'll be sent packing."

Walter chuckled. "Well as lovely as that sounds, I am going to have to take my leave gentlemen. I have an early meeting that I must prepare for, and unfortunately it can't be rescheduled."

Oliver walked over to him, holding out his hand for Walter to shake. "Walter, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for my mother. For all of us, actually."

"You never have to thank me, Oliver. We're family. It's what we do."

Oliver swallowed hard and nodded as Walter said his goodbyes and left.

With a clap of his hands, Tommy was ready. "Okay, let's go find your girls. And who knows, I might even find one of my own."

Never in his younger years did Oliver Queen think that going to a club would not appeal to him. But as he tried to avoid the gyrating bodies on his way to the bar, some of them scantily clad and purposefully pushing up against him, he had that feeling now. Diggle was right behind him but he'd lost Tommy somewhere between the door and the dancefloor.

Spotting Thea, Oliver changed course and moved over to where she was standing at a table with Lyla.

"Speedy!" he yelled to make himself heard over the thud of the music.

Startled, she whirled around and then pinned him with a glare. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here."

"Great to see you too, sis," he replied, kissing her on the cheek. "Where's Felicity?"

A frown appeared as Thea looked around and then at Lyla, who shook her head. "I have no idea. She went to the bathroom but…"

"But what?"

She checked her watch, her frown deepening. "That was about twenty minutes ago. I'll go and find her."

Oliver nodded as she started to walk away. "I'll check the bar."

She wasn't there, and when Thea returned with the news that she wasn't in the restroom either, Oliver began to worry. He had made many enemies in his time as the Arrow, and though he'd tried to keep Felicity as anonymous as possible in his mission, he couldn't help but fear that someone might've gotten to her.

No, that was ridiculous, no one knew about her. They couldn't.

But still, that nagging voice just wouldn't shut up.

"She's not outside, man. I checked all the cabs too, no one has seen her." Diggle said, returning to their table.

Oliver closed his eyes for a second before a thought occurred to him. "I'll go check my office. Stay here in case she comes back."

He waited until Thea wasn't looking, and then headed in the direction of the basement. He was halfway down the stairs when he finally saw her. Releasing the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, he made his way down to her. She was sitting at her desk, her feet tucked up underneath her, and her chin propped up on her hand.

"Felicity?" he said quietly, trying not to startle her.

"I needed a few minutes to myself," she replied, her eyes focused on her other hand that was holding a glass of red wine.

"What's wrong, honey?" he asked, laying a gentle hand across the nape of her neck.

A dreamy smile pulled at her lips. "Mm, I love when you call me that. Makes me feel all goosebumpy."

Okay, so she was drunk, which wasn't surprising since she was supposed to be celebrating. But usually when Felicity was drunk she became very handsy and this… this was something different. She seemed so sad, and it made his heart ache as he pulled up a chair to sit in front of her.

"Talk to me, Felicity. What's going on?"

"My mother showed up at your mom's earlier." Eyes still focused on her wine glass, Felicity drew in a deep breath. "I don't even know how she found me."

"What did she say?" he asked, an urge to protect surging up inside him. Felicity had told him what had happened between her and her mother and he knew that seeing her unexpectedly would be enough to cause this exact reaction from her.

"Doesn't matter, it was all lies. She read in the news that I was marrying you." A bitter laugh escaped her. "She even had the nerve to act hurt that I never invited her to the wedding."

Oliver gently removed her wine glass and placed it on the desk behind him. Linking his fingers through hers, he waited until she looked at him. The sadness in her eyes cut right through him. "Maybe she is, honey."

"I haven't spoken to my mother in over a year, Oliver. She hasn't cared up until now, so why should I invite her to the most important day of my life?"

"Because it's the most important day of your life," he said, holding a hand up to stop her from blowing up at him. "Listen to me; I know that she hurt you. I know that this is all still painful for you, but Felicity, she's your mother."

"So what? That gives her the right to come back into my life now? After everything she said to me?"

She pulled her hand out of his grasp and rolled her chair back. He watched, waiting patiently as she got up and started pacing in front of him. He wanted so badly to help her, but this was something that only she could work through.

"It isn't fair," she said, more to herself than to him. "She can't just turn up like this and expect me to fall in line."

She stopped and looked directly into his eyes. "She told me it was my fault, Oliver. It was my fault that she'd been alone for so long after my father died."

"But you know that's not true."

"Do I? I mean, I was six when he died. I only remember bits and pieces, but what if it's true? What if it was something I did that made her think she couldn't be with someone? I mean, was I that big of a burden to her?"

The raw pain in her voice hit something deep inside him and he could no longer sit back and watch her go through this. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to sit sideways on his lap. With both arms wrapped tightly around her, he felt her shudder.

"I don't think she meant it that way, honey. There were probably a lot of reasons why she never dated again, but you weren't one of them."

"You can't know that for sure, Oliver."

She sniffled and leaned her head against his. He knew that this was painful for her but the alcohol wasn't helping the situation. She wasn't thinking clearly at this point and her emotions were taking over.

"I've been replaying our last conversation over and over in my head," she whispered. "I didn't like her new boyfriend, he was… creepy. I met him when I went back to Vegas to visit Mom and the things he said to me were just… awful. But she chose him over me when I confronted her, she told me that I was just jealous that she'd finally found someone who wanted her."

He stroked her back in soothing circles. "She was hurting, Felicity. So were you. I'm not excusing what she said, I know that it hurt you, but raising a daughter alone couldn't have been easy."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"What I'm trying to say is that maybe she said things in the heat of the moment. Things have a way of coming out when we're angry that we don't really mean. When Tommy found out my secret, he called me a monster, and that hurt. But you don't really believe, deep down, that she meant those things, do you?"

A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. "I don't know. Why would she choose her boyfriend over me? I told her that I ran a background check on him; he is not a nice guy. But…"

She fell silent as he reached up to wipe away her tears. "But what?"

"She was drunk that night, when we fought. I thought that maybe if I gave her a little space, she'd apologise and we'd be fine. But she never called, Oliver. I came back to Starling City and she never called. Not once."

Oliver sighed, unsure of what to say to that. "Maybe she was ashamed that her daughter had run a check on the man she was in a relationship with. She must've trusted him. Maybe being confronted with the truth that he wasn't what she thought was hard for her."

"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse a year of no contact, Oliver."

"I know, but did you ever call her? Maybe she was waiting for you to get in touch. Could all this be a case of the both of you waiting for the other one to call, neither one willing to give in first?"

She pinned him with an irritated look but he could see in her eyes that his words were striking a chord. "You know, your logic is really annoying sometimes."

One corner of his mouth lifted into a half smile. "I know. Why don't you give her a call?"

Letting out a shaky breath, Felicity shook her head. "I can't. I basically slammed the door in her face earlier. I'd be surprised if she isn't on the first plane back to Vegas already."

"She came all the way here to see you; I don't think she'd give up that easily. Not if she's anything like you, and something tells me that she is."

Felicity fell silent again, her gaze focused on their interlinked fingers. He smiled when he saw her tracing a pattern on his ring finger where his wedding ring would soon be placed.

"Honey," he whispered, kissing her temple, "give her a call. Make the first move."

She turned her head to look in his eyes, one hand coming up to rest against his cheek. "I love you so much, you know that right?"

He nodded. "I know. I love you too. And, if it's okay with you, I'd really love to meet the mother of the woman I'm about to marry."

Her smiled faded. "Slow down, I haven't even reconciled with her yet."

The fact that she'd said yet meant she was at least open to the idea of trying, and that was all the progress Oliver could ask for right now. Part of him wanted to protect her from having to have that conversation, but he knew that it needed to happen.

"Tell you what, I'm gonna go back upstairs and tell Thea that I found you, before she starts calling in the cavalry. You stay down here and call your mother, and come up when you're ready. Okay?"

She nodded and stood up in front of him, smiling as he pulled her in closer. Running her fingers though his hair, she leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss so gentle it made him melt. "I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Take all the time you need."

Once he was gone, Felicity sat staring at the phone. Twice she picked it up and then slammed it back down again. She knew Oliver was right; one of them had to make the first move. She just didn't know why it had to be her. But then, thinking that way was the reason this had gone on for as long as it had. She knew her mother wasn't the type to reach out first, instead choosing to sit and lick her wounds and dwell on it.

She drew in a deep breath and rubbed her hands together. She could do this. Without allowing another thought to stop her, she quickly picked up the phone and dialled.

"Felicity?" The shock in her mother's voice was easy to read.

She opened her mouth to reply, but froze. What was she supposed to say? How should she start?

"Uh hi. Hi, Mom."

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so glad you called. I hated the way we left things earlier."

Felicity bristled a little at that, because in truth, she did feel guilty for slamming the door on her own mother. "Why did you come to Starling, Mom? I need to know the real reason."

Donna huffed down the line. "Well it certainly wasn't because you're 'marrying a rich guy', as you put it. I came because I missed my daughter."

"If you missed me so much, why have you been silent all this time?"

She was surprised when her mother's voice trembled. "Because I didn't know how to reach out to you, hun. I was so ashamed. Travis and I are no longer together. He uh… he cheated on me."

Colour me surprised, she thought. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mom."

"Are you? I know you didn't like him." It was a genuine question, not an accusation, but still Felicity didn't like the tone.

"I was only looking out for you. That sleazebag came on to me when I was there and I couldn't stand the thought that when I left, you'd be alone with him. I know that you loved him, but he wasn't good enough for you."

"I know."

"But I am sorry that he hurt you. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"How could I?" Donna scoffed. "How could I face my daughter after defending him? You were right all along and I was so ashamed. Not because of the cheating, but because… I said some horrible, unforgiveable things to you. I just didn't know how to reach out after that. I didn't think you'd ever forgive me."

Felicity felt the tears build up again. "I need to know something, Mom. Was I really the reason that you never dated again after Dad?"

"Oh no, sweetheart. Never. Well, not in the way that I made you think and I am so sorry for that. I never really dated anyone because I could never be sure that they were good enough to be around you. You were my priority, Felicity. But after you grew up and left, I was lonely. Travis was the first guy I'd dated in such a long time and I think that made me blind to his faults."

"Oh, Mom," she murmured, feeling sad for her mother. It must've been hard to be alone all those years. She'd gotten a taste of it, being completely alone, over the past year and it was something she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. Well, except maybe Travis.

"When you told me what he'd said to you, I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to believe that I wasn't naïve enough to pick the first guy who'd shown me attention and not see what he was really like. But I guess I did, huh? And I ruined our relationship in the process."

"No, none of that was your fault, Mom. You did nothing wrong." Felicity bit down on her bottom lip. "And yes, what you said hurt, a lot, but you didn't ruin us."

"Oh, my sweet baby girl. I've missed you so much!" Donna cried.

The tears were openly falling now, and Felicity couldn't find it in herself to care that they were dripping onto her dress. "I've missed you too. So much. A lot has happened to me recently and I… well I just really needed my mom."

Donna fell silent at that for long enough to make Felicity wonder if she was still there. But then she sniffled.

"Felicity, there is nothing I can say to take back the last year, but I am so sorry that I wasn't there for you. It kills me that you needed me and I couldn't even pick up the phone. But, if you're willing, I would really like it if you told me now. I would love to hear about the man you're marrying, too."

"Well that's a long, long story, Mom."

"Oh, okay. I understand."

The disappointment in her voice made Felicity flinch. "No, I didn't mean that I don't want to tell you. Just… not over the phone. Maybe you could come here?"

Donna let out a relieved sigh. "I would love that, hun. Where are you?"

Felicity chuckled. "Well, I'm actually having a bachelorette party. I would really love it if my mother could be a part of that, too."

"Just tell me where and I'll come."

Feeling lighter than she had in a long time, Felicity relayed the address and said her goodbyes. She stared at the phone for a few minutes, wondering if all that had really just happened.

All the anger and hurt dissipated, leaving hope in its place. She was finally going to see her mother, and this time, it was going to be great.

Oliver checked his watch again, hoping that he'd done the right thing by leaving Felicity alone downstairs. But when he saw Thea freeze, he knew she'd appeared behind him. He felt her hand stroke over his back before she linked it through his arm and nuzzled her cheek into his jacket.

"You okay?" he asked, noting with a smile that she seemed much happier.

"I'm great. Thank you for that."

"I told you, you never have to thank me for anything."

Thea stepped forward, grabbing Felicity's other hand. "Felicity, I am so sorry."

Felicity frowned. "What for?"

"I called your mother. I told her we were having a party and she should come. I didn't realise it would upset you that much. I just thought that she should be at your wedding. I knew that things were a little rough between you two, but I didn't want you to miss out on having her there. It's important. I mean, I would give anything for my dad to be at mine but…"

Felicity tilted her head and smiled sadly as she pulled Thea in for a hug. "It's okay, I'm not mad."

"Really?"

"How could I be? You were right, it is important. So thank you, for reaching out to her. I think you did us both a favour actually, because I'm not sure who would've called first if you hadn't."

Oliver rubbed her back gently, feeling so much pride in his bride-to-be at that moment. The way she loved his family always struck him deep. They adored her, too. Thea looked up to her as a sister, and her gesture of bringing Felicity's mother here made him so proud of her. She might only be eighteen, but she had a more mature head on her shoulders than he had at that age.

"So stop worrying," Felicity said, hugging her a little tighter. "You did a good thing."

Thea pulled back and dabbed at her eyes. "So does this mean we need to put an extra chair at your table next Saturday?"

Felicity threw an arm around her shoulders and laughed, and it was the best sound in the world to Oliver. "I think if we didn't she'd just sit on the floor so…"

"I can't wait to meet her."

Me too, Oliver thought.

"Well, you're in luck, because she's here."

Oliver turned in the direction she was pointing, and it didn't take long to notice the striking resemblance of the woman walking towards them. Donna Smoak was not at all what he'd pictured. For one thing, she was younger, and her hair was the same shade as Felicity's, cascading down her back in soft waves.

When she latched eyes on Felicity, an ear-piercing scream rung out so loud it could be heard over the music. She threw herself into her daughter's arms, both women sobbing as they hugged tightly and murmured apologies to each other.

Eventually, when they separated and turned towards him, Oliver saw just how alike they were. Felicity had her mother's eyes, and her smile.

"Oliver, this is my mother, Donna. Mom, this is Oliver, my very soon-to-be but not soon enough, husband."

Oliver chuckled, reaching out a hand but Donna swatted it away and threw her arms around him. Her hug was surprisingly tight. "I'm uh, I'm very happy to meet you, Donna."

"Oh please, honey, the pleasure is all mine."

He saw Felicity roll her eyes as Thea, Tommy, Lyla, and Diggle all came to stand beside her, curiosity burning in their gazes. "Mom? Mom!"

"Yes, honey?"

"You can let go of him now."

"Oh, sorry." She stepped back and extended a hand towards him. "I'm so happy to finally meet you, Oliver."

A small laugh escaped him as shook her hand.

"Oh my," Donna said, catching sight of the others in their little group. "Felicity honey, you didn't tell me you were surrounded by such handsome men."

"Well, that is my middle name," Tommy said with a grin that made Oliver shake his head at him. Tommy met his gaze and smiled wider, loving the fact that he could still annoy his brother. "And just think, I could've been your son-in-law if Felicity hadn't changed her mind and decided to marry my brother."

"Excuse me?" Donna said, blinking fast.

Oliver cringed as Felicity's face fell and Tommy realised what he'd said. He looked back at Felicity with a wince. "I'm guessing that part hasn't come up yet?"

Felicity gritted her teeth. "No, it hadn't."

Tommy mouthed an apology and slinked back to his place beside Diggle, actually, a little behind Diggle, and Oliver couldn't help but laugh.

"Felicity? What is he talking about?" Donna asked with a frown.

"Like I said, it's a long story, Mom. Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it later. For now, why don't we get some drinks and enjoy what's left of the evening?"

"I am down for that!" Tommy said, making a hasty retreat to the bar before anyone could say anything.

As everyone turned to head in the same direction, Oliver stayed where he was, watching his fiancée. The sadness he'd seen earlier was gone, and the happiness sparkling through her eyes made her so beautiful.

"Oliver?" He snapped back to attention to see Felicity holding a hand out to him. "Are you coming?"

He let out a happy sigh and took her hand, raising it to his lips. "I love you."

She tilted her face up to his and kissed him. "I love you, too."

Donna clapped excitedly beside them. "Oh, you two are adorable! Let me get a picture!"

"Mom, no!"

"What? I have a lot to catch up on, now smile you two."

The rest of the night passed in a blur for Oliver, because he only had eyes for Felicity. Seeing her so happy calmed something deep inside of him. She made the darkest parts of his world light up and he honestly didn't know what would become of him without her. He couldn't wait to marry her; he would do it tomorrow if it hadn't already been planned out.

But one thing was for sure, keeping his hands off her would be a trial in patience. One he was not sure he'd pass, but he looked forward to trying to change her mind. In fact, he relished the challenge.

Next Saturday couldn't come fast enough.

To Be Continued...