#####OQ#####

"You okay?" Felicity reached and touched his arm, glad when he gave a sharp nod. "I heard you had a slight problem." She touched his chest and felt the strong beat of his heart and wished they were alone so she could wrap her body around him. Every time he flashed now, she feared his blood pressure would spike, and he'd land back in the hospital or even worse in the morgue.

"I'm fi . . , good, Felicity."

"And learning."

"Yeah." He half grinned at her, and she smiled back.

"Awesome. Did you flash?" She looked deep into his sky blue eyes, her hands roaming his hard chest.

"No, I chewed ice."

"You did?" Her hand dipped lower down his chest.

"I did. Now, can we talk about this later?"

"Of course, when do you ever want to talk about your PTSD?"

Riley broke in. "But, you admitting the event even happened is a step forward for you. And yeah, you two, I'm still here so let's mind the PDA."

Jerking away from each other, both she and Oliver stepped back. Cheeks blazing, she couldn't stop smiling, since as all she could think was, Jesus, her man was seriously hot.

And finally he belonged to her. Winking at him, she put more room between them, with the words, "Frankly I like PDA."

He mirrored the regret in her eyes but grinned and nodded before he frowned as Riley continued, "But you didn't flash for long and found your way back. Oliver, you did well. You realized your memories were getting the better of you and you used ice to stay here."

Oliver stood and straightened his broad shoulders, his mask slipping firmly into place. "Adrian's the important one here now. Let's focus on him."

She rubbed his arm, but his mask remained even when she agreed. "You're right. Adrian's the one who matters right now, but you talking about what happened to you is a step in the right direction."

"Felicity's right. Little by little, baby steps. You need to remember you suppressing your bad memories led to your PTSD. And it's good to see you starting to deal with your problems."

Oliver glared hard at the man.

"Okay. Let's move this on. Can we let this conversation go for now?" She gave him a big smile, hoping the man would'd stop pushing.

Leaning forward, Oliver put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed whispering, "How about we ignore him? And I'll need some sweaty exercise in the very near future. You up?"

She giggled before she nodded, and whispered back, "Exercise, I'm more than willing to provide, and I can't wait to get home to."

Riley broke in. "You're going to have to make him accountable someday, Felicity."

Oliver gave her a small peck on her lips. "Riley, I'm standing right here, you know? And I'm very willing to be accountable anytime and any place."

She nodded her head and grinned. "Look, it's been a long day. And Oliver's right, Adrian's who we need to be thinking about here. How long do you think until Anna's done with him?"

"That depends on."

The gym door slammed against the concrete wall, with a bang, interrupting Riley.

Spinning on her heels, Felicity watched a woman stormed into the gym. Her blonde hair, a terrible bleached blonde hair job, her dark roots showing, the woman wore a short tight black pencil skirt and a red blouse that she personally wouldn't be caught dead in.

Ever.

Her brain scrambled to ID the woman and her eyes locked with Oliver's.

"Adrian's mom." He mouthed and she nodded.

"Yeah and she's showing way too much cleavage." Her hand flew over her mouth before she made a comment about the woman's overly made up face.

Less is sometimes better, especially as people age, and maybe Sharon Herron should rethink her makeup, she thought, though time had not been overly kind to Adrian's mom.

The woman's face held deep lines, right under her mouth. Plainly, Sharon had spent too many years frowning, just like the frown she sported right now, as she demanded. "What the hell has Adrian done now? That boy's going to be the death of me, yet. And where the hell is Ned Walker? NED WALKER! Get your coward ass out here." She placed her hands on her hips and screamed the man's name again.

Oliver stood and reached and took her hand and winked at her.

"Never a dull moment in this life, we're in." She winked back.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He pulled her to her feet, and she smoothed her red polka dotted sundress. Closing her eyes, she steeled herself for the upcoming ordeal, and then opened them and smiled at him before she faced Adrian's mother as her mind started clicking details, like the woman's full name.

Sharon Pearl Herron.

Talk about a true southern name.

Pasting a smile on her face, she extended her hand. "Hi, my name's Felicity Smoak. Nice to meet you, Ms. Herron."

"You can quit the 'I'm glad to meet you act.'" Sharon waved her hand, then crossed her arms and thrust out her chin. "Since I'd bet from the way you're dressed, you're with Protective Services. Okay, who filed a complaint this time, my ex-mother-in-law, my daughter, or that damn woman next door, who wants us to move? If it's that bitch tell her it's not happening, since my grandmother left me the house, and I paid the damn expensive taxes, which means the piece of shit house is mine for at least another year."

Oliver looked wide eyed at Felicity as she shrugged. And she'd be sure to look up who liked to turn the woman in on a regular basis just as soon as she got near her tablet or a computer. "Ms. Herron, I'm . . ."

"I know." The woman waved her hand like royalty. "I'm well aware you can't tell me who reported me."

"Ms. Herron. Look, I'm not with Protective services."

"You're not?" She looked mystified. "Oh, wait. You're Felicity Smoak? Coach Queen's?" She snapped her fingers. "Right. You're Coach Queen's fiancé?"

"Correct. And you're Sharon Herron, Adrian's mom."

"Well, nice to meet you but what the hell has Adrian done now? And how much is it going to cost me? I work for a living, you know? And let me tell you, Coach Queen, no matter what Ned says, you're not cutting him from the team."

"Cutting him from the team?" He tilted his head and frowned. "What?"

"I mean it. You can't cut him from the team. No matter what's he's done this time."

"I . . "

She interrupted. "He's a good boy. Believe me. He's been trying his best to learn to play soccer. He watches the stuff all the damn time on YouTube, and he practices with that damn soccer ball constantly. Broke my best lamp practicing, but I forgave him, since he's trying to be good and do right. But my boy's hell on shoes. He can't help it. It's his big feet. His toes keep breaking through the soles."

"He practices?" She watched Oliver blink a couple of times and she grinned.

"Yeah, all the time, and I don't care if he's not good at soccer yet. You need to give him a chance. He likes soccer. He tries. I haven't seen him this excited about something in like ever."

"He practices?"

"I said he did." The woman looked at Oliver strangely, and Felicity elbowed him and smiled as Sharon said, "I swear, you try to cut him and I'll go to Judge Franks. I'll stop you. I mean it. My boy's not off this team. My father, God bless his soul, was a lawyer, and I still have connections in this town. And trust me, I'll use them. I'll call in my markers. You are not going to throw him off the team."

"Mom!" Adrian walked out of the office, looking shocked.

Anna followed on his heels.

"Ms. Herron." Oliver gentled his voice. "I'm not cutting Adrian. Believe me. He's not off the team. You've misunderstood."

"It's another kind of problem, Ms. Herron. Why don't we step into this office?" Anna motioned.

She turned. "Adrian, don't tell me you've gotten some girl pregnant after all those conversations we've had about safe sex and condoms?" The woman rubbed her eyes then ran a hand through her bleached hair.

"MOM! There are other people present." The teen nodded his head toward Oliver and her. "And thanks for the vote of confidence that I'd knock some girl up like Glover did your stupid ass at seventeen."

"Adrian!" Several people, including Oliver and Anna, said at once but she noted the teen didn't back down.

"What? Everyone knows she only married Glover because she was pregnant with Amber before she turned eighteen. But, Mom, maybe, if you paid any attention to my life at all, you'd know I don't even have a girlfriend."

"I didn't think you were dating."

"Didn't know you cared, MOM!"

"Look, I can't win with you. If I asked you about what's going on in your life, I'm snooping, and if I step back, I'm ignoring. At least there's no baby's in your future. That's a relief, since I'm hardly ready to be a grandmother and you're not ready to be a father. But that doesn't answer what's going on with you? And why Ned would bother to call me."

The woman crossed her arms and tapped her left foot.

"I told you she wouldn't understand. She only cares about herself." Adrian turned toward Anna, shaking his head.

"We have to work to make her understand. Now you need to calm down, Adrian. Give me some time to talk to your mother. Ms. Herron, please. I'd like to have a word in private with you." Anna waved toward the open door.

"Then make me understand. What's going on, Adrian? Ned said it was important. Ned, who's been back three years and has never called, not once. Then today, out of the blue, he's blowing my phone up? What the hell's going on?"

"Why are you worried about my probation officer calling you?" Sharon's son frowned and Felicity noted the woman didn't attempt to meet her son's eyes.

But her face colored. "I'm not. I . . . I'm just concerned, worried about you, since he called."

The woman bit her lip, reddened more and then straightened her spine. And she knew enough about people to realize Sharon Herron's body language said she was indeed worried about Ned Walker.

She looked at Oliver and he shrugged, clearly clueless.

"You don't ever worry about me, Mom. Not for years. Why now? What's going on?" Adrian narrowed his eyes at his mom.

"Ned . . . I mean Mr. Walker has never called me about you. So when he does, of course, it worries me."

"Well, maybe you should spend some time worrying about me since I'm . . ."

"You're what. Go on spit it out."

"Fine you want to know. I'm a cutter."

"A cutter?"

Adrian thrust his chest out. "Yeah, I like cutting myself. And I've been for doing it for the last two half years. But then why would you care? You're never home, anyway."

Sharon visually deflated. Felicity noted that the fingers the woman speared through her bleached hair shook. "What are you talking about?"

Anna stepped forward. "Ms. Herron, your son's self-harming. He's been cutting his stomach for years, hiding it from everyone, and now, we have to help him stop. All of us need to help him learn better coping skills, and we need to get on the same page here and help Adrian get better."

The women moved faster than Felicity thought she could as she crossed the room and jerked Adrian's shirt up. "Let me see. Jesus, what have you done? My baby."

"Stop, Mom! Stop, I'm not a baby." He pushed her hands away.

"I know that but, oh, Adrian, how could I have missed this? How could you have done this?"

The door banged open, slamming hard into the brick wall, and Ned entered, smelling like cigarettes, with a slight flush on his face. But the instant he spotted Sharon Herron, he looked at his shoes like they were the most interesting things in the room as he froze on the spot.

Slowly, he looked up and as she watched, Ned's eyes swept with longing over Sharon, and the woman turned and self-consciously blushed. Again, Felicity watched her hands tremble as she smoothed her hands down her black skirt, and as she watched, Ned locked down his look in a heartbeat, erasing it from his face, like it had never been.

Looking at Oliver, she watched him arch an eyebrow at her.

"Did you see that?" She whispered, recognizing Ned and Sharon's soulful exchange, since she and Oliver had worn that same look for years.

He nodded and she looked back at Ned's now hard, unforgiving face.

The man narrowed his eyes as he glared at Sharon. "Well, look who's finally here. I would have bet against you showing but it's nice of you to honor us with your royal presence."

Pain flashed across Sharon's face but the woman covered the look well, tucking it quickly away. Yet again, Felicity recognized the emotion for what it was, since she and Oliver had played that painful game for years. Turning her head she caught his eyes, and he gave her a small grin and winked at her.

"Why wouldn't I come? After all these years, you finally graced me with not just one but several phone calls."

Ned blew hard through his nose. Then, he growled the words, "I'm just surprised since you've missed every monthly meeting I've set up with you since Adrian's been on probation. I'd almost think you're avoiding me on purpose, Mrs. Stein."

"It's Herron and it's Ms. And you sent a piece of paper. You never called."

"When you go back to your maiden name? It was Stein on the court papers."

"That's none of your business." She looked down at the floor and her finger twisted her dyed hair for a second before she jerked her hand back to firmly clasp the bright pink bag she had thrown over her shoulder.

"You still missed all the meetings." He growled the words.

Yet, Felicity, noted the woman refused to meet Ned's eyes. "I work, you know? I'm busy. I don't have Navy retirement to live on, and I have a kid to support. But then you never cared about that, have you?"

Riley laughed and shook his head. "Jesus, this like being back in high school. I wish you two would finished this thing between you and be done with it."

"There's nothing to finish." Both, Sharon and Ned said heatedly at the same time.

Riley snorted. "Right! You two have thrown sparks ever since we were in elementary school. He put gum in your hair and you kicked him in the balls in JR high, and he dropped like a stone. And both of you have gone out of your way to not be in the same room for the last couple of years. Why is that?"

Silence answered him and she and Oliver looked at each other again.

Sharon recovered first and as Felicity watched, she realized the woman had frosted over. It was like Adrian's mother had just bathed in ice. Her face turned into a stone mask, her back straightened, and she narrowed her eyes and she spat the words. "That's none of your business and like in our school days, Riley, you don't know what you're talking about, so I suggest unless one of you are talking about this cutting my boy's doing, you better shut your damn mouth."

Ned growled, "Not my place but I can tell you that your boy's got a problem you need to be made aware of. But it would probably be best if Ms. Anna or Adrian himself explains it to you."

"Ms. Herron, Adrian, if you could step into this office, we could talk more about this." Anna motioned toward the door she'd just walked out of.

"My boy!" She hissed. "You're darn right he's my boy and always has been. Yeah, just walk away, Ned Walker, since that's what you do best. See if I care."

"And the ice queen has entered the building." Ned muttered, and Sharon turned on him.

"How dare you call me that?" She moved to slap him but he caught her hand.

"I dare plenty." He thrust her away from him.

"You always were a jerk, Edward Hawthorne Walker."

Ned stiffened and Riley snickered.

"Hawthorne?" Oliver questioned.

"Yeah, my mom was a Nathaniel Hawthorne fan. And all of you better forget you ever heard that name, especially you, Adrian."

"Nathaniel Hawthorne who?" Oliver scratched his head. "Seriously, Ned, your middle name is Hawthorne?"

"Yeah, it is." Riley grinned. "We had a hell of a good time teasing him when we were young."

Felicity shook her blonde head. "And since I know you never made it to Advanced Lit, Oliver, Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist, born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He wrote dark romance and short stories."

Ned spat the words, "Right, hey, Sharon, remember the The Scarlet Letter? Maybe you'd recognize the similarly between you and Hester?"

"Damn you, Ned. You're the one you left me high and dry. You promised me." The woman lunged toward Ned and pushed hard against his chest but he caught her and drug her bodily against him.

"Now things are getting interesting." Riley leaned forward in his seat. "She always did try to push him around."

"Sharon, trust me now's not the time or the place to rehash old times."

"Let me go. Damn you. Like there has ever been a time or a place with you. Besides you're the one who broke your word to me."

"Mom, please stop. You're going to get me in more trouble than I already am." Adrian stepped closer.

"Oh, I haven't even started making trouble yet. And he wouldn't dare do anything to you, would you, Ned? After all you've not said one word in all these years. Why would you start now?"

"What's going on?" Felicity asked. "I feel like I just stepped into a mystery, without any clues. Riley? Anna? Ned? A little help here."

"Shh," Riley said, "This is about to get good. They were old flames in high school and beyond."

"Oh, OH. That makes more sense then. Somewhat? But I thought Sharon married someone else."

"She did. She accidentally got pregnant by the high school quarterback trying to piss Ned off by dating him. Worked too. He was roaring mad." Riley nodded. "Unfortunately, the relationship with Grover didn't last. And she ended up giving the baby to his mom. Adrian, who she had five years later, she kept."

"Oh. That makes a little more sense."

"Well, I'm glad this is making sense to you, since I'm lost," Oliver scrubbed his face, and she turned her attention back to the disagreement in the middle of the room.

Ned had paled. "Sharon, that's not what happened. I wrote you more than once. You're the one who didn't write back. And when I came back you had Adrian, so clearly like normal, like Hester, you didn't wait."

"Damn you. I did. I waited for months. You promised me you were going to come back for me. I waited. You promised me."

"You're the one who didn't answer my letters."

"I did . . . I wrote you, told you but you left me high and dry and preg . . ." She slapped her hand over her mouth as the color drained out of her face.

She pulled away from Ned and he hesitated but he let her go, even though clearly she could see Ned didn't want to release her, and Felicity realized what Sharon had started to say.

Riley grinned, clearly enjoying this exchange, and she grabbed Oliver's forearm and squeezed.

"Damn it, Sharon. What did you just say? Are you saying that you were. . ." Ned's face whitened.

"Stop! Don't say it."

"No, finish what you were going to say, Mom." Adrian's tone turned deadly. "What are you saying?"

"Don't act like you don't know about him. Don't act like you haven't ignored him all these years."

The rest of the blood drained out of Ned's face as he turned to Adrian and looked.

Felicity noticed that Ned truly looked at Adrian and the man frowned.

"Mom, this is not about you. Why is it always about you?" Adrian moved to stand beside Ned, and Felicity inhaled sharply seeing the resemblance for the first time.

"Okay, I don't have a clue what either of them are talking about." Oliver shook his head.

"Hush, and look at them." Felicity replied.

"Ms. Herron, could we have a word in private." Anna tried to intervene.

Felicity tapped his arm repeatedly as it clicked in her head.

"What?"

"Look at them, Oliver." She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture and thrust the screen at him. "Don't you see it?"

"What?"

"Ned and Adrian. Look at their stance, their faces and their gestures." Felicity cut her eyes at him and waved her hands.

"Shit, your right." Riley stood on his blades. "Ned, wow, he looks just like you. He's the spitting image of you when you were young."

"No way." Ned shook his head.

"Shut up, Riley." Sharon hissed. "Ned walked away. He doesn't get to claim him. He's mine and mine alone. And he always has been."

"Mom? What are you talking about?"

"Shit, Adrian, when's your birthday? What month?" Ned harsh tone filled the air.

"Don't tell him. It's none of his business. Come on, let's go home." Sharon ordered.

"April 5th."

"Adrian. Damn it. You shouldn't have told him."

Ned's Adam apple bobbed, repeatedly, his voice turned deadly. "It's okay, I could have looked it up. But, shit, let me be wrong, but I'll guess the year to be 2000."

"Yeah, that's right." Adrian growled.

Ned flipped around and faced her, his face white. "Sharon, you didn't? Tell me you didn't? Jesus, is he mine?"

"You're the one who walked away and left me to raise him by myself. Damn you, Ned. You didn't come back for me. I waited and you deserted me."

"Fuck me. I did not. I got told to stay away. I . . . fuck me." And Ned dropped like a stone to the floor, and this time Adrian's beefy arms barely managed to catch Ned's body before he hit his head on the concrete floor.

"Hell, no." Riley said. "He's Ned's? Sharon? What the hell? And I supposed you screwed around on him again?"

"Shut the hell up, Riley, before I kick you in the balls, blades and all. He's the one that left me pregnant and alone. He promised he would come back and he didn't. I did the best I could."

"Mom? Seriously, Ned Walker's my dad? What the fuck? I thought you said my dad came and went? That he was a drifter?"

"Language, Adrian." Anna said.

"I can explain, Adrian. I waited for him. I loved him. Jesus, I still love him." Sharon nodded as she knelt beside Ned on the floor and her face softened.

Oliver looked at her and nodded to Ned on the floor. "Wow, look at that. Fainting must be in the genes."

She nodded and said, "Yeah, like father like son it seems."

Adrian looked at his mom then he laid Ned gently on the floor, and he jumped up and rushed out the door.

"Wait, Adrian. Come back. Let me explain."

But it was too late, Adrian was gone, the door slamming hard against the locker room wall.

#####OQ#####

Look forward to hearing from you! Happy New Year.