Sara is in Felicity's chair, as she paces. They're waiting for the others to arrive. Felicity knows that Sara thinks she's acting insane and maybe she is. But it finally felt like things were okay. She may not be the happiest about her day job, but it allows her to do her night job, which she does enjoy (in between all the danger and fearing for herself and her loved ones) and she has an amazing girlfriend who just moved in with her and things were going great. And while she knows that her mom learning about Sara had to happen eventually, she didn't think it would be so soon. Nor did she think her mom would find out the way she did; Felicity knows that telling her mom on her own terms is the only way she wouldn't be so worried.

She supposes it's her own fault. If she'd called her mom more often, then she wouldn't have to worry about unexpected early morning calls when Felicity's not around her phone, but Sara is. Or maybe if she'd told her mom a little bit sooner that she finds both sexes attractive... But it's not exactly something Felicity could just bring up causally. Just because she knows that her mom will be okay with it eventually, doesn't mean that she ever wanted to have the conversation with her. Plus, she figured it would be easier to do so if she was actually dating a woman. And yes, Felicity realizes now that is true, however, she may have been a little distracted until recently, but she really had every intention of telling her mom. She just thought it'd be nice to have a week or two of only Arrow related drama, so excuse her for not immediately calling her mom to make a big announcement. Not that Sara moving in is a big announcement, per say, more like it's just an announcement. Or maybe another word that means something similar. Because Felicity knows if she'd used the word announcement when telling her mom, the woman would automatically jump to the conclusion that Felicity was engaged; that's just how her brain works and while Felicity's not opposed to marr—

"Uh, babe?"

Felicity blinks at Sara, who has grabbed her wrist to stop the pacing. Looking around, Felicity notices that Oliver, Diggle and Roy are there, staring at her. When did they get there?

"Sorry," she says. "Just thinking."

"So what's up?" Roy asks. "Sara won't tells us anything."

"No crisis," she tells them. "So you can relax about that."

"Then why does Sara look so nervous?" Diggle questions.

"My mom is visiting this weekend," Felicity replies. "She found out that I'm living with Sara and said that if the relationship is that serious, she has to meet her."

Roy chuckles, while Diggle out right laughs.

"You'll be fine," Oliver assures Sara, pulling her in for a one armed hug.

Sara pushes him away. "I know."

"So what I need from you guys," Felicity says. "Is for you to deal with all things Arrow related from Friday afternoon when my mom arrives to Monday morning when she leaves."

"We can do that," Roy assures her.

Felicity holds back her laughter at Oliver's obvious annoyance that Roy responded before he could.

"He's right," he says instead. "We can."

"And you're not allowed to help out," Felicity tells Sara.

"Why not? I can just say I'm going to work," Sara says.

"And if you come back all bruised up?" Felicity points out. "How are we going to explain that?"

"She makes a good point," Diggle adds.

"Fine."

"Good," Felicity nods. "I'll set everything up so you guys can run things on your own by Friday morning. So if there's anything you want me to look into, now would be the time."

"I think we're good for now, since we found all the members of that gang," Oliver replies.

"All right," Felicity says. "Then I'll start setting things up."

…

It's been a while since her mom has visited. Felicity's been home, but her mom hasn't really been back since Felicity first moved to Starling City, insisting that she had to see where her little girl was going to live. Felicity would have protested more if her mom hadn't done the exact same thing to her brother when he moved into his first place.

"So when am I going to meet this girlfriend of yours?" her mom asks.

They're driving back from the airport and have already covered all the usual small talk about the flight and how Felicity isn't eating enough.

"Tonight," Felicity replies. "She's working right now."

"Shouldn't you be at work, as well?" her mom asks.

"Oliver was nice enough to give me the afternoon off," Felicity explains.

"Oliver?" her mom questions.

Felicity nods, eyes still firmly on the road.

"You call your boss, the CEO, by his first name?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Felicity retorts. "He calls me by my first name."

"I see."

Felicity sighs.

"And what does Sara do?"

"She's a bartender," Felicity says.

"Then why is she working at one in the afternoon?" her mom asks.

"Inventory," Felicity replies.

"Felicity, dear," her mom says. (Felicity prepares herself, because she knows what's coming.) "I know I haven't met this woman yet, however, are you sure that a bartender is the right choice of partner?"

Felicity knows her mom means well—having two children that are geniuses has made her a bit judgmental—but even without her back story, Sara would still be worth it. (Though Felicity thinks that non shipwrecked Sara probably wouldn't be interested in her) Thankfully, they've decided to stick as close to the truth as possible.

"Sara's been through a lot," Felicity answers. "She just returned from the dead a few months ago."

"Oh. She's the young woman, who..."

Felicity braces herself, because while her mom isn't a genius, she's not an idiot, either.

"So you work for Oliver Queen who returned from the dead and now you're dating the woman who was on that boat with him?"

"Um, yes."

"I see."

A full five minutes of silence pass. Felicity knows because she can't help but glance at the dashboard every few seconds.

"Instead of going to your apartment," her mom eventually says. "Why don't you show me your office?"

"You want to go to Queen Consolidated?" Felicity squeaks.

"I do," her mom nods.

"All right."

Adjusting their route and changing direction, Felicity tries to remember where Oliver is supposed to be today. Introducing her mom to Sara was already going to be a big deal; Felicity had hoped that the weekend could pass without having to introduce Oliver as well. She's pretty sure he won't be in and prays that she hasn't forgotten anything.

It turns out that she hasn't forgotten anything, but that it doesn't matter. She can hear them arguing the moment they step off the elevator. She sees Diggle in her chair, trying to ignore them. She stops her mom just outside the glass doors and waves Dig out.

"...unbelievably selfish use of..."

"How long has that been going on?" Felicity asks.

"About fifteen minutes," he replies.

Felicity sighs. "Mom I'd like to introduce you to John Diggle. Dig, this is my mom, Nora Smoak."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Diggle," her mom says.

"You as well, Mrs. Smoak."

"And what exactly do you do here, Mr. Diggle."

Felicity sees Diggle give a small sigh. Like her, he's mostly okay with their secret identities because they're so rarely in the office, but having to actually say it out loud is something Diggle dislikes even more than Felicity does.

"I'm Mr. Queen's bodyguard and driver," he replies.

"Mr. Queen," her mom says.

"Correct," he affirms, looking confused.

"My daughter referred to your boss by Oliver," her mom explains. "And the fact that you do not, makes me curious."

Felicity feels herself blushing and knows that Diggle is just barely holding back a teasing grin. "I do address him as Oliver when we're in private, but in public, both myself and Felicity call him Mr. Queen. Just as the both of us refer to her as Ms. Smoak."

"Oh. And what exactly is going on?"

"Mr. Queen is having a discussion with Isabel Rachev about some issues within the company," Diggle answers.

"Do their discussion usually involve such... volume?" her mom asks.

Diggle nods and somehow manages to keep a straight face. "They're very passionate about the company."

"I see."

A moment later Isabel Rochev stomps out of the office and breezes past them without a word. Unfortunately the elevator doesn't immediately appear.

"Nice of you to join us, Ms. Smoak," she snarks.

"Mr. Queen gave me the afternoon off," Felicity replies, not wanting Rochev to realize her mom is standing there. Felicity's sure she'd say something cruelly inappropriate on purpose.

"Of course he did," she snarls. "One of the many perks of sleeping your way to the top, I'm sure."

Or she will anyway. Felicity really should know better.

"How dare you," her mom interjects.

"And who might you be?"

"Nora Smoak."

Rochev chuckles. "Come to see all the benefits your daughter receives as Queen's personal assistant."

"My daughter went to M.I.T.," her mom defends. "She worked very hard and earned her place here."

"I'm sure she has," Rochev smirks. "Though the fact that she has absolutely no training as an executive assistant, makes a person wonder."

Thankfully the elevator doors open and Rochev steps inside. However, before the doors close, she sticks her head back out. "And Ms. Smoak, don't doubt for one moment that we don't all know that both you and Ms. Lance are currently warming his bed."

The elevator doors click shut and though she can't see her, Felicity knows that Rochev was wearing a triumphant smirk. Mortified, Felicity doesn't know what to say.

"What exactly is she implying, Felicity?" her mom asks. "And who's Ms. Lance?"

"That would be Sara Lance," Diggle answers. "And it doesn't matter what she's implying Mrs. Smoak, because it's untrue."

"But everyone in the company thinks so?" her mom questions.

"Hey, Dig, where di— Oh. Hello."

"Mr. Queen," her mom says, offering her hand. "I'm Nora Smoak, Felicity's mom."

"Oh, of course," he replies, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Smoak."

"Normally, I'd concur," she says. "But I've just heard some rather disturbing things about my daughter."

"If you mean from Ms. Rochev, then I apologize," he tells her. "She doesn't particularly like me and she takes it out on Felicity."

"I see."

"Why don't we all step inside, my office," he offers, opening the door.

Felicity leads her mom in and Diggle opens the glass door to Oliver's office.

"Please have a seat," Oliver says. "Can I get you anything? Water? Sadly, our coffee machine's had a horrible accident."

"No thank you," her mom says. "We won't be staying long. I'm sure you have work to do."

"Nothing that can't wait," he replies.

"I'd like to ask one thing then," she says. "If I may."

"Of course."

"Why exactly do you choose my daughter as your assistant?" she asks. "I know it wasn't because of whatever Ms. Rochev was implying, because I know my daughter, but I am curious."

"When I first... returned, I had a technical related question and I asked your daughter for help. Felicity didn't treat me like other people had been. And I guess that just stuck with me. And then when I became the CEO, I wanted someone who... hadn't been a part of my step father or mother's time here at the company. I wanted someone who would be on my side and my mind immediately thought of Felicity. And even though it's not what she went to school for, I knew she could do it."

"And it wasn't because you hoped that spending so much time together would lead to something more?" her mom asks.

"Definitely not," Oliver replies. "Felicity is too special for a simple office affair."

"Well that's certainly something we can both agree on," her mom says.

"And on that note, we should go," Felicity interjects, jumping up. "Not that this hasn't been fun, because it hasn't, but, really, we should go."

"Felicity, don't be rude," her mom admonishes.

"Felicity's right, Mrs. Smoak," Oliver says. "After all, I did give her the afternoon off."

"I suppose that's true," her mom agrees, standing. "It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Queen. Mr. Diggle."

"You as well," Oliver says, standing. "I hope you have a lovely weekend."

"Thank you," her mom replies as both Oliver and Diggle walk them to the elevator.

"I'm beginning to understand why you don't call as often," her mom says after the doors close.

…

Stating that cooking is not one of Felicity's strong suits, her mom insists on making dinner. While this is a true statement, Felicity knows it's more about her mom wanting to ask questions and not have Felicity distracted. You accidently cause one small kitchen fire and suddenly you can't be trusted in the kitchen.

"So how long have the two of you been living together?"

"A few weeks," Felicity answers.

"And were you ever planning on telling me?" her mom questions.

"Eventually."

"I hope you know I meant no disrespect earlier about dating a bartender," her mom says. "It's just that I worry about you wasting your potential, especially lately. While being an executive assistant is an excellent job, I just don't understand how you can be okay with it as someone so intent to become the head of the I.T. department last year."

"It's complicated, mom." (Understatement.)

"I was worried you only accepted the position because you had a crush on Oliver Queen," her mom continues.

(So her crush was so apparently obvious that her mom could sense it over the phone?)

"It isn't."

"I notice that you didn't deny your crush," her mom points out.

"I may have been attracted to Oliver," Felicity admits. "But it's never been anything more than that. And Oliver's never taken advantage of it."

"He does seem to care about you," her mom admits. "And even though I was upset that I found out about your new relationship on accident, I was also glad. It meant that you weren't waiting on the sidelines waiting for Oliver Queen to notice you."

Felicity sighs.

"It's just that your brother was just offered a job at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—"

"I know, mom."

"...working directly with the Associate Laboratory Director of Fundamental and Computational Sciences."

"I know, mom," Felicity repeats. "He already told me." (Bragged, actually)

"I'm just worried that you're losing your competitive edge," her mom adds.

(Felicity loves her mom, she really does, but the fact that she encourages her children to compete against each other is her least favorite thing about her childhood. She knows she should try to be more understanding, it couldn't have been easy trying to be a single mom and deal with two genius children.)

"Just because my priorities are shifting slightly, doesn't mean you should worry," Felicity tells her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" her mom questions.

"It means that Oliver is trying to use his money to make the city a better place and I'm helping him," she replies.

"And that's why you accepted the position?"

"Yes."

"I see."

Felicity sighs.

"It's just that you had so many plans when you graduated, Felicity, dear," her mom says.

"There's still plenty of time, mom," Felicity tells her. "And I'm happy. Shouldn't that matter?"

(Felicity wonders if her mom would be impressed or horrified to know the number of places she's hacked that have been declared unhackable. Marcus might be a genius with numbers, but she's a genius with technology.)

"Of course it does, dear."

…

Felicity's nervousness about her mom coming is not helping Sara. Though she has opened up quite a bit, Felicity still doesn't talk about her family that much beyond the basics and random childhood antidotes. Because Felicity never pushes Sara to open up about her time at Nanda Parbat, Sara hasn't really brought up Felicity's reluctance to talk about her family. Felicity is Sara's safe space, and that's made it easier for her than she thought it would be to open up about her past. However, Sara's never considered Felicity's childhood as something that her girlfriend needs to open up about. She just assumed that when Felicity eventually introduced Sara to her mom and brother, she'd learn more. But now, seeing Felicity's anxiety as Friday approaches, Sara's not sure.

It's occupying her mind as she spars with Oliver, Thursday afternoon, which is probably why he's able to get in between her defenses a few times.

"Are you okay?" he asks after the third time.

"I'm fine."

"Because you seem distracted," he points out.

"Maybe."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she replies.

"Sara..."

"I'm not sure talking about Felicity with you is the best idea, Ollie," she tells him.

"Oh." He grabs a towel and tosses it to her, before grabbing another for himself. "We're still friends. We should be able to talk about these things."

"Are you sure?" she asks. "I don't want to make things tougher for you than they already are."

"What do you mean?"

"Oliver," Sara says. "Come on. I've known you for too long not to notice."

"It's fine," he replies. "I'm fine. And it doesn't mean I can't be there for you."

"You're sure?" she asks, sinking onto the mat.

"I'm sure," he tells her, joining her.

Sara sighs. "I'm worried about this weekend."

"About meeting Felicity's mom?" Oliver questions. "That's natural."

"It's more than the simple nervousness over meeting the parents though," Sara explains.

"Because of your past?"

Sara nods.

"Which is why we figured out a cover story for it," Oliver tells her. "We knew it'd be something we'd have to deal with eventually."

"You know what I find the most amazing about my relationship with Felicity?" Sara asks him.

"Um..."

"The fact that she thought she might not be enough for me," Sara says. "That because she can't flip through the air or use half a dozen weapons like you and I can, means that I wouldn't be interested."

"When there are so many things that make her extraordinary," Oliver continues. "Remarkable. Irreplaceable. Astonishi—" Obviously feeling her stare, he stops. "Well, you know."

"Exactly."

They're quiet for a long moment before Oliver says, "I'm confused. What's the problem exactly?"

"The problem is that I'm meeting Felicity's mom and I'm just a bartender who returned from the dead," Sara explains. "Did you know that Felicity's older brother is a genius too?"

"Uh, no."

Sara nods. "He has two PhDs and is doing all kinds of impressive things in government labs."

"Oh."

"And I haven't even finished college."

"That wasn't your fault," Oliver points out.

"Even if I had, I still wouldn't be at Felicity's level," Sara argues.

"But Felicity doesn't care about stuff like that," Oliver counters.

"Her mom might."

"So?" Oliver responds. "Felicity does what she wants. She always has. It's one of the things we love about her."

"I know."

"If her mom doesn't approve, it isn't going to change anything between the two of you," Oliver adds. "That I'm sure of."

"I'm sure of it too," Sara replies.

"Just remember that Felicity loves you, then you'll be fine," Oliver tells her. "Be the Sara she fell in love with, minus the martial arts and weapons."

"Thanks Ollie."