Driving through Vegas, Oliver was on the phone updating Tommy. Tommy was still with Laurel. She was calming down, slowly.

Laurel wasn't "murderously" angry at Oliver anymore and she was reassessing her life, with Tommy's help. Tommy thought she would eventually find out, for herself, that she and Oliver really wouldn't have worked out in the end.

Hanging up Oliver smiled at Diggle trough the rear view mirror.

"Tommy and Laurel. I missed a lot didn't I?"

"That's what happens when you are too wrapped around yourself, you lose perspective to all others around you."

"And I do think they would make a nice couple."

"So do you and Felicity and guess what, here we are in Vegas to meet her mother, who may or may not know she knew you and was your friend. Still, we are expecting her to volunteer information on her daughter's whereabouts to, in the worst case scenario, a couple of strangers."

"Your right. We should consider that Felicity might not have told her mother anything about me, same she did to me about her mother. The rule was, if she didn't talk about it we would respect that and don't ask about it like she did to us. In retrospect it was a dumb rule."

"Don't beat yourself too hard. I tried to find out more from her, it would be easy to protect her if I knew her background a bit better, she was like a shell."

"But I never even tried, Diggle. I never even tried. I took her for granted like a "thing" over a mantel piece."

Diggle was counting on Oliver to convince Felicity's mom into providing the information they needed. He was a public figure so not a total stranger and his love for Felicity was clear every time he talked about her, Diggle figured Donna would see that like he did.

He glanced at Oliver trough the rear-view mirror, his face turned to the life going on outside the window, his eyes searching, checking.

When Oliver wasn't actively engaged in the search he felt lost, Diggle could see so in his stance. When hope wavered his shoulders would slumber, ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly. Right now he was alert watching every face and looking at the crowd outside in the sidewalks.

News that Oliver Queen was in Casino's got to Donna before Oliver did. He was beautiful, sexy, recently made available, rich and the kind of man who doesn't frequent casinos. With all these attributes there wasn't a single employee that wasn't commenting on his presence, specially female's.

Donna smiled at her young co-worker, Missy, that was telling her about it.

"Donna, Oliver Queen. The Oliver Queen. And he looks so yummy."

Missy was just like her way back when, a dreamer. Donna let her be with her day dream's, life would wake her up when and if the time came.

She had a rude awakening when the love of her life walked out on her one day, without a word, after almost 12 years of happiness. She had the memory, and burden, of happy times but most of all she had Felicity, her treasure, her most precious gem.

Oliver Queen attributes were impressive, she had to admit, but like him many rich men when trough the Casino's floor never bothering to even look at the waitress serving them.

"He's coming inside, Donna. What should I do?"

Classic, all the talk of getting herself a rich man was harder to follow through in real life then it was in day dreams.

"If he sits in one of your appointed tables you go there, welcome the customer to Casino's, identify yourself and ask him what he wants to drink and if he wishes something to eat. The standard procedure you were taught to use with all customers, Missy."

Donna keep on smiling, she knew what was going to be Missy next request and she was going to say no. Missy needed to get use to wait on public figures or she would have a hard time working in here.

"Can you do it? Please."

The high pitched with panic voice almost made Donna falter in her decision.

"No I can't. Your tables, your customers to attend."

Oliver Queen walked to the counter. He really was something to look at. Donna was just a waitress and almost double his age but she had eyes to see and was free to appreciate, discreetly.

"He's going to the counter."

Relief filled Missy's voice. But then something surprising happen, the barman pointed at them, Oliver Queen looked at the pointed direction and nodded to the barman handing him something, a reward maybe.

Has Oliver Queen walked towards them and Missy almost fainted, Donna took these seconds to appreciate the wonderful specimen of a man he was. He definitely could make a woman commit murder for him, no wonder he was a well accomplished playboy.

"Mrs. Donna Smoak?"

Oh... what... did this just happen? Donna snapped out from her own little reverie in a flash. Missy, all flustered, babbled something incoherent and left.

"Yes that's me. I'm Donna Smoak."

And then he smiled. Donna had experience going for her but that was a powerful weapon to resist. If looks and money didn't work he could turn a woman in to a puddle of mush just with that smile.

"I'm Oliver Queen."

"I know who you are, you're Mr. Queen." she must have said something funny because he smiled again. This time almost like a private smile that didn't quite reached his eyes.

"Your daughter said the exact same words to me the first time I met her."

"You know my Felicity?"

"Yes."

He looked around; people were staring at them, eagerly curios.

"Is it possible for us to talk privately?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me just tell my super I'm taking my break now."

In no time they were sitting in a small booth on the back of the restaurant.

"Being you know my Felicity. Can you tell me why she was so upset the other day?"

She knew Felicity was upset then, her lame excuse didn't cute it, has always. Donna always knew when her baby girl was hiding something, she was a mom it came with the territory. Now that she had Oliver Queen himself sitting in front of her she was sure she was right and that this guy had something to do with it.

Oliver was a bit off his game. He didn't know what he expect Felicity's mom to be like but it sure wasn't this.

This woman was sassy and blonde just like Felicity and yet so very different. Right at this moment he could almost see his mother, Moira, when she asked him to justify himself for some wrong doing, right there in front of him, in Donna.

But, quite differently from what he usually did to Moira, he had the sinking feeling that with Donna honesty was the only way to go, especially because it was clear Felicity didn't talk to her mother about him.

"Probably me."

He saw a spark in her eyes he couldn't tell exactly what it was which, in this case, was good thing.

Oliver's answer made Donna's entire protective mother instincts come to life. She didn't care who the hell he was, if he had hurt her little girl she would make him wish he never had been born.

"What did you do? Did you hurt my baby?"

Her eyes were fierce, Oliver reacted immediately. If there was one thing Oliver learn from Moira was never to pick a fight with a mother protecting her child. He recoiled a little bit and his tone got apologetic.

"I didn't know. You have to believe me Donna. I would never hurt Felicity if I knew what was going on with her. But I never knew she never told me."

Donna eased a bit. Oliver looked sincere and the way his eyes sadden and his voice faltered when he spoke Felicity's name could only mean one thing. He had feelings for her baby, and he was hurting. Besides she knew Felicity. Even Donna had a hard time extracting anything from her and she had years of practice. Most of the time Donna inferred what was going on with her daughter by the way she looked, moved, smile and reacted. Donna took advantage of being a woman and of being tuned to her baby almost perfectly. She knew any other person wouldn't get very far with the task of getting Felicity to share her feelings.

"And she hurt you back didn't she?"

She touched his hand lightly because she felt he needed a human touch.

"She left, Mrs. Smoak, she was just gone."

"She left without a word?"

Donna didn't believe that to be true. Felicity wouldn't do that. She would never do what her father did.

"I was getting married, Mrs. Smoak. She thought she was doing the right thing. Turns out she wasn't. I miss your daughter more than anything. I need…"

Oliver's voice faltered and Donna couldn't help but sympathize and relate to this man in front of her. Right this moment she could see beyond the playboy fame an see the man in love, heartbroken, fighting for his happiness. And Felicity was his endgame, her baby girl.

It was right there and then that Donna let Oliver in to her heart, right there alongside Felicity. He would treat her right, Donna was sure, and love her like she deserved to be loved. Donna would help as she could to get him reunited with her baby girl.

"Felicity was here a couple of days ago. She was very tired but I knew something else was up."

"May I ask what did Felicity tell you?"

"She made up some cocked-up story about getting a job far away from here and that she would be away for a long time. Which she knows hurts me, in my soul. So she promised to keep in touch. Promised she would never leave me."

"Can you get in touch with her? An emergency contact?"

"No. She will contact me. If she's on the run so she won't be using a phone."

"We tried to trace her trough the phone she used in Starling. Unsuccessfully."

"She knows how traceable they are. She is an expert at tracking people, I'm told, and she can hack into any network she needs to, ask almost all my co-workers she get's them out of tickets and fines all the time, which makes me even more popular around here."

She winked at him and Oliver couldn't help smiling. Felicity's mom was turning out to be a very nice and fun lady to be around.

"If I know Felicity, and I do, I will probably get an internal Casino's message or something along those lines, she can just send a online message from everywhere she wants."

"Wait? She's a hacker?"

"Oh yes a very good one. She got in trouble because of it. That Cooper guy. You know about that right? Oliver, may I call you Oliver, I'm so sorry to ask but how much of a friend were you?"

"I guess not very good one has I never once ask her about herself, her past and her family." a faint and sad smile crossed Oliver's lips

Again Donna touched his hand, this time it lingered enough for her to say.

"Are you sure you didn't? She is elusive, my Felicity. She dodges that kind of questions since she was about 10 years old. And you can be sure she would never have answered any of the questions even if you did ask them."

Entangling both her hands in front of her over the table Donna proceeded.

"Where was I? Oh, I know, hacking. She's started on computers when she was about 6 or 7 with her father and she just build from there."

"Her father. Who was he?"

"I think the better phrasing is "who his he" for I don't think his dead. He left us when Felicity was 9 years old, the cops were after him for something a family member had done and they were trying to pin it on him. He was happy with us but his family would never let him go. Even now if he showed up he would be arrested."

"A mob family?"

"Don't really know, he never said his family real name, for our protection, but he was as low as one can get in the organization. He's a computer genius that was his main expertise. At the time that wasn't really as relevant as it is now."

"Any chance Felicity could contact him for help?"

"Don't think so."

"Any friends she could go to?"

"I don't know any. You probably know more about her friends than I do."

"Any place she would want to go? A favorite city? Something like that?"

"Felicity didn't like Vegas but she likes warm weather and loves the ocean breeze."

She missed her little girl so much.

"Mrs. Smoak you talked about Cooper. You should know that he's also after her. It's possible he may come here too."

"So Cooper is back. That stupid low life. Don't worry he won't come here; if he does I'll be sure to get Casino's Security on him. And please, Oliver, call me Donna."

It was time to leave and join Diggle. They had a lot of information to process.

"Thank you Donna. I leave you my card. Please, when Felicity contacts you, tell her I'm searching for her. Tell her I won't stop searching for her. And afterwards call me."

"Yeah sure. I'l tell her"

It didn't escape Oliver notice she didn't promise to call him back but he hoped she would.

He joined Diggle in his hotel room. Dig had been talking to the Casino's Security Team with his army buddy now private security guard.

"Their security systems are amazing, Oliver, we could even see a pin drop in there."

"You found Felicity?"

"Yes and no. We did watch her arrive, talking to her mom, she then moved to the casino floor and sat on the blackjack table. You should have seen the guys faces as they watched Felicity successfully cleaning the table; they totally missed it, she was smooth and cool, winning and losing, they didn't even caught up to what she was doing until she was cashing in the chip's and they saw the amount. I think she set a record."

Dig was amazed and even proud of her. Her skills of deceit were high and after Oliver had got him up to date with his conversation with her mother he had the sinking feeling Felicity knew more about running, hiding and surviving then most criminals.

"We saw her sit on a table, write the letter she sent you and posting it. Then she got in to a crowded bathroom and never came out."

"How is that... never mind I know."

She changed her appearance. They were now looking for a ghost.

"Don't beat yourself down just yet. I told you there security systems were good. Turns out a lot of the cheaters and count carder's use disguises so, it took sometime but, they manage to ID her getting out of the bathroom. And I'm happy to say our girl made a small, but crucial, mistake this time. Security cameras on the parking lot were updated and replaced last week, with the old cameras we wouldn't get it but these ones are top notch. We got a license plate and with it a name Megan Smoke. My guys are already searching for the car. Based on your conversation with Donna I will asked them to focus on south bound roads."

"Dig, can Cooper get this information?"

"That's the problem he probably already got it. There was an unauthorized access to the server last night, the security footage from that day was the only thing downloaded."