Mamma Smoak

I was writing a Christmas themed shot, but then the midseason finale happened and I had to take a time to wallow in my angst and this little baby was born.

Donna Smoak was rising her hand to knock on her daughter's door when it opened, showing a man's back.

"I'm sorry, honey, I would love to stay a bit more, but work calls…" he was saying and Donna noticed the blonde head and the neat ponytail in front of him. He was talking to her daughter.

"Oh, I wished you could stay, but maybe later we can still pass by..." she said with a caring smile and the man kissed her forehead.

"We will see.." he replied, his lips quirking at the corners with fondness.

Donna wondered who the man was, while he turned around, stepped back, surprised when he saw her and then smiled, bowing his head a bit like a gentleman.

"Good morning." He said politely and Donna replied with a huge smile.

"Mom?" Felicity called from behind her, making her get out of the daze that the man had put her under. He was already reaching his car and disappeared from her view.

"Happy Birthday!" Donna screeched, when she turned to look at her daughter, making a lot of the people inside cringe at the loud noise.

Donna hugged her daughter fiercely, her hands rubbing her shoulders and Felicity squeezed her back. It was nice having her mother here.

Donna entered the house, noticing the people inside.

There were John Diggle with his daughter and a woman who was probably his wife, there were the young man Roy and a young thin woman with short hair, she could see a man running around in a red shirt with plates while a group of two women and a man laughed at him, and on the corner a light brown haired woman and a man with dark hair.

Donna's eyes flew over the people searching for someone in particular.

"Welcome, Donna…" a voice said from her left and the man she had been searching for appeared from the stairs.

"Oliver, hello…" she said softly and the man's brows rose with barely concealed surprise at her cold demeanor.

"Mom, let me introduce you my friends. John and Sara you already know, and that is Lyla, John's wife, then Roy with Thea, she is Oliver's sister, oh and Barry is trying to make himself useful, then there's Caitlin, Iris and Cisco, and Laurel and Ted. Oh, and Ronnie is outside, taking care of the barbecue…" Felicity said and for no known reason, the man named Cisco started laughing uncontrollably, while Caitlin sent him a cold glare that shut him up immediately.

Donna walked into the group, waving and smiling at them, her bubbly personality contagious to everyone around her. She pulled Felicity next to her, whispering in her ear.

"And who was that polite man?" she asked.

"Oh, that's Captain Quentin Lance, he is Laurel's father. He has been a good friend for a long time, taking care of us, really…" Felicity replied with a fond smile and Donna's grin decreased. Her daughter was talking about someone else's father but she could feel Felicity wished he could be her father too. Donna sighed, not for the first time damning her ex-husband to hell.

When the back door opened and another guy entered, Donna's mouth hanged open.

"Wow, you're hot…" she whispered and this time not only Cisco, but Roy as well, started laughing. She looked at them, trying to understand if they were making fun of her, but something in their demeanor told her there was a hiding meaning in their mirth that didn't include her lack of filter.

"I'm Ronnie…" the man said with a smile, while carrying two big plates filled with meat.

Caitlin closed the distance between them to help him.

"Careful, it's hot…" he said, and this time even Caitlin chuckled softly.

Felicity's friends were a weird bunch, Donna thought.

When everyone sat at the table, Donna's eyes lingered over Felicity and Oliver, their pinky fingers touching over the table, him always making sure she had everything she wanted, helping her carrying the birthday cake and kissing her cheek way longer than anyone else. Donna knew what was going on, and she didn't know if she should be mad, worried or relieved.

When people started getting up from the table and Oliver, former playboy, former CEO Oliver, offered himself to do the dishes there were snickers around the table and John Diggle grinned at him openly.

Donna mingled with everybody, talking with Thea about her beautiful outfit, discussing Sara's milestones with Lyla and Diggle, letting Roy know he was still handsome, hearing a bit about life in Central City, her curiosity peaked when members of the group revealed they worked in the particle accelerator thing, hearing about Ted's next fight that would happen in Vegas and her promising to go watch it. Felicity smiled at her mother, so easily charming all her friends.

Felicity turned to see Oliver clean the last dish and he winking at her. She blushed, knowing what he was trying to convey, but before she could do anything, Thea called her enthusiastically.

Oliver watched her go to his sister and a second later, Donna occupied her spot. She gestured at him to follow her and he traded a look with Diggle, who was smirking even more than before.

Oliver followed Donna to the stairs and then climbed after her.

When she stopped in front of Felicity's study, she opened the door and gestured for him to enter first. Oliver obeyed, feeling like a child that was going to be punished for stealing from the cookie jar.

When he heard the door close, he turn to look at Donna. Her eyes were cold blue and he swallowed.

"Are you sleeping with my daughter?" she asked and Oliver coughed in shock, his eyes widening. "I'm actually not waiting for an answer. I know you are, and if you are it means that whatever happened last year, she forgave you for that… But you have to know what it was like…" Donna said and Oliver tensed.

He knew what she was going to say, Donna was going to mention the period of time known by the team as The Unmentionable. The time that scared Felicity more than he could ever do with his presence, the time that made her hang in his hand longer than normal every time he would go out of the room for the next three months after his return, the time that made her need to know where every one of them was, the time when she gave them traceable necklaces, that they were made swear would never be taken, even during the shower, because who knows if someone was lurking in their bathroom.

"Last year, on Felicity's birthday, I decided to make her a surprise. I took four days off and traveled here to spend them with her…" Donna sighed, rubbing her temples, like it was still painful to remember. "She would get up in the morning, make breakfast, go work for a few hours and then she would be back. She would watch TV with me, and eat dinner with me, and drive me around, but that person, in her skin, in her clothes, it was not my Felicity. She had no life in her eyes, she was a robot, purely acting on logic, her heart frozen in some painful state. I saw John and Roy once, they were trying to make her do something, but she kept shaking her head, like a child, her lips firmly shut and her eyes downcast. She never said your name, she never received a call from you and she received a lot of calls, from those women Caitlin and Laurel, and from John and Roy and that man Barry, but she wouldn't answer anyone. She would shut her phone and keep on, her voice the same tone be it talking about an accident or about the plants of her neighbors. I've never seen her like this, this shell of a person made me wish I could open her head and see what was inside her mind. It scared me like nothing else, not even being kidnapped did, because I was watching my daughter disappear in front of my eyes. And then, on the third night, I asked about you. I said your name… and she broke. This wonderful, bright, genius woman, always happy and perky and so in control of herself, totally broke in front of me and the shell that was scaring me disappeared to be replaced with someone in such pain I wondered how she was still alive, how could her heart still beat. And she would say over and over, he is gone… And I immediately thought that you were dead, but I couldn't ask her that, and I haven't seen anything on TV… so I let her cry for hours and hours… I saw my baby cry while I could do nothing to help her, only watch, only rub her back and kiss her hair…" Donna told him, the tears running down her cheeks, her hands wiping them quickly.

"Donna…" Oliver whispered, his voice chocked in his throat. He had never heard about how bad it was. Apparently, Dig, Roy and Felicity had made a vow to never disclose what happened while he was away, dead and undead at the same time, since their lips would seal whenever a conversation could turn that way, without a conscious thought.

"I left two days after that, after Felicity telling me she would be fine. She almost threatened me so I would go. And then, I got John's number and I called him, right on the airport, after she left. It was easy taking it from her phone and that, more than ever, could tell you about her spirit. I asked him what was happening and he told me you were missing in an accident on the mountains, that they were keeping it away from the news... I couldn't understand why, wouldn't it be better to have everyone knowing? But I knew, I knew there was something dangerous and secretive about that story, something that couldn't be disclosed… And I respected that secret… Until John called me, two months later to tell me you were back… I never asked how or why, and I won't do it now, but I want you to know, Oliver Queen, that no matter how many billions you have in your bank account, nothing can pay for my daughter's suffering and if I ever suspect you hurt her on purpose you better watch out, because I'm not only a dumb blonde. I could get you in real trouble with some whispered words on the right ears…" she threatened, her blue eyes colder than ever, and Oliver felt his palms sweat, not because he was afraid of her threats, but because he was afraid of what could cost Felicity his absence again. He shivered when his mind created images to illustrated Donna's words and he let his body fall to the couch, his hands supporting his head. He shouldn't be showing weakness, he had no right, but it was like there was a weight over his shoulders he couldn't support right now.

Donna sat beside him, her hand over his shoulder.

"I never knew… that it was that bad… they never told me…" he confessed and Donna sighed.

"My daughter is too stubborn for her own good and those boys downstairs look just the same, you too by the way… I don't want to know what happened, I respect your need of privacy. The only thing I want you to know is that I wouldn't wish it to anyone to see their children like that… that's an image I can never forget, and I just hope you won't ever see your child like that, because I'm pretty sure that child is going to have Felicity as a mother and I don't want my grandchild to suffer like her or his mother did…" Donna said, and by the end she smiled softly at Oliver's dumbstruck expression.

She rose from the couch and extended an arm towards him.

"C'mon, they probably already missed us and I don't want anyone thinking I want to steal my daughter's boyfriend…" Donna chuckled and Oliver cleaned his cheeks quickly, erasing any trace of tears.

"Fiancée, actually…" he whispered and she beamed at him. "I asked her at midnight, but we are still keeping it a secret…" Oliver disclosed and Donna hugged him.

"Make her happy, Oliver, it's all I can ask and remember, a cocktail waitress can really prepare some deathly drinks…" she whispered, before stepping in front of him, opening the door and yell a question about who wanted some special cocktails from a Vegas true born.

Oliver couldn't discern if she was telling the true or not, but since making Felicity the happiest woman on earth was his prime objective, starting with the hand made, personalized ring he choose for her, he decided not to worry about that.

And Donna is back. I can't make myself write a full angst shot about Felicity finding out Oliver "died", but it doesn't mean I'm not a masochist and I'm not reading and crying at other people's works, because I totally am.

So, what did you think about Mamma Smoak? Oliver should really be worried about her, just like her daughter, if she ever decided to turn to the dark side, it would devastating for anyone that crossed her paths... ;) Luckily for us, she won't (at least I hope not...)