A/N: I know, I know, I'm sorry! You all wanted Donna Smoak, and you get her - just not right meow. I kind of like this chapter though. Gives me the happies despite such a bummer topic. Also, HEY THANKS FOR REVIEWING! We reached 100 and that's very very super exciting thank you thank you thank you!

"My mother is here?" Felicity screeched, her heart monitor spiking violently. Her hand instantly went to her stomach incisions as the tension strained them and she looked with wild eyes to Oliver.

"What?" Detective Lance looked between Oliver and Felicity, who both seemed at war with what they should be doing. "Why would your mother be here? I don't even know your mother. It's his!"

"My mother?" Oliver stopped in his tracks, next to the window, assessing any threats he could see from inside and slowly turned to look at the detective. "She's here?"

"Yeah, listen, maybe I should go?" Lance took a step back towards the door he had just entered.

"Can I go too?" Roy suddenly became a lot more alert at the prospect of leaving.

"Can I?" Felicity muttered darkly.

"Everyone is staying where they are!" Oliver ran a hand over his face. "Detective, can you stay with Felicity? She's been out of bed probably longer than she should be, so maybe you can help her get back in."

"I'm right here!"

Oliver turned to Felicity, his dark eyes pleading. "Please."

She rolled her eyes but nodded, pointing a finger at him before he walked away. "But only because I am tired. And I was going to do this anyways."

"Thank you," he told her softly, his eyes communicating more than what he wanted to say. He turned to Roy. "You, stay here."

"Why can't I go?" He whined.

"Because if for some reason you run into my mother before I do, you will make the situation much worse."

He looked like he wanted to argue but instead just settled back into his chair at the table. "Fair enough."

Oliver stormed out the door, eager to find his mother and figure out what she was doing there.

His phone buzzed once and a quick glance told him it was Dig.

"What."

"We have a problem," Dig told him, not perturbed by his lack of manners at all.

"My mother."

"I just watched her get into an elevator. She's probably coming to you."

"How did she find out?"

"No clue. I checked the rags and the papers and there have been no mentions of you coming or going from here. Probably because you don't leave. If she knows you're here, it's not from the media."

"Perfect. Lance and Roy are with Felicity. Take the stairs and get to her."

Dig made a noise of affirmation and disconnected as Oliver stood in front of the elevator, patiently waiting for it to open and reveal his mother.

Not a minute later, the elevator dinged and the doors parted to reveal a rather harried nurse and Moira Queen, looking as put together as always.

"Oliver!" She looked genuinely surprised to see him, which caught him slightly off guard. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in a days!"

"I know, I'm sorry about that. But what are you doing here?" He asked, gently removing her arms that had clasped around him.

"I was with our accountant when the hospital called regarding our payment." Her eyes searched her son's face for any sort of clue as to what was going on. "Do you know anything about that?"

"The money is coming directly from my funds, mother. Not to mention it has been paid in full. Jack doesn't know anything about that."

She pursed her lips, not used to Oliver calling out her small lies.

"Well, I noticed some irregularities in your accounts and asked Jack to look into them. You spent almost 2 million here in the last week or so, which is a substantial investment. Given where your head has been lately, I was just trying to make sure that you were making sound fiscal decisions."

"You went into my accounts?" She had the nerve to flush slightly, but stood her ground, silent. "You need to leave."

"What is this place?" Moira Queen stepped around her son lithely, peering down the hall. It was quieter than any other wing, with only four patients on the ward currently, and none of them sharing a wall with Felicity. There were two nurses manning a station a few yards away, plus the one suited guard that stood watch over her door, but other than that, the hall was vacant. His mother's heels clacked loudly as she suddenly began to walk down the aisle.

Short of grabbing his mother's wrist to stop her, which he wasn't entirely above doing, all Oliver could do was keep up with her. When she paused outside Felicity's door, hearing the muffled voices of Felicity and Detective Lance, she turned to look at Oliver, her face showing recognition.

"You could have sent her to Cedar Springs, Oliver," she admonished. "Why keep her here? Locked up in a private wing?"

"Cedar Springs?" It took a moment before he remembered what that was: a rehabilitation facility a couple hundred miles away, in the middle of the mountains. It was where the rich and spoiled learned to cope with their lives without alcohol or cocaine or Vertigo. It was insulting, not to him, but to Felicity. "That is not what this is about."

He grabbed her arm as she raised it to open the door.

"This doesn't concern you. You need to leave." His voice was getting dangerously close to Arrow-level growls.

"You haven't been home for days, you're spending all your time with your EA who is addicted to god know's what, and you look terrible! I am your mother! If this doesn't concern me, then I don't know what does!"

On some rational level, Oliver knew that his mother was just trying to look out for him, to protect him the best she could. However, that level was buried very, very deep inside of him, and he felt the familiar as of late feeling of his self control slipping.

"I am not letting you walk in there. You're going to go home and we will talk about this later."

She looked like she was going to argue with him. Her eyes darted down to where he firmly but gently held her wrist in his hand and back to his face which was steely with resolve. However, before she could formulate a sentence, the door in front of them opened, revealing Roy's wary face.

"She said you guys could come in instead of arguing at the door," he rushed to say at Oliver's furious look.

Moira Queen tossed her son a triumphant smile and walked into the room as if she owned it, which, to her, was not far from the truth. Oliver took a deep breath before following behind his mother, wondering what on earth Felicity was thinking, inviting her into her room like this. This room was supposed to be a sanctuary for Felicity, a quiet, relaxing, healing place. None of those words were associated with his mother.

"Hi Mrs. Queen," she greeted softly if not kindly.

Oliver rushed to her side, seeing a fine sheen of sweat on her upper lip from the strain of getting back into bed. His eyes roved over her, taking a mental catalogue of any possible injuries.

"I'm okay," she assured him quietly. "Just moved too fast is all."

He knew his worries were unfounded; Felicity had done three laps around the ward with her physio guy Steve earlier that day before their Scrabble game. (Steve had tried to get Oliver to walk five feet in front of them the entire time and he almost did it, just to see Felicity laugh like that again.) She was recuperating nicely and had the stitches on her neck removed the day prior, although they were still covered with those clear bandages she hated so much, and was scheduled to have the ones on her abdomen removed the coming weekend. She was doing well, and now they had their first setback in the form of one Moira Queen.

"Hello…"

"Don't be upset with Oliver. He was just doing what he thought was right." Her eyes lingered on his body, standing stock still next to her. "It's kind of his thing."

Instead of responding, Moira looked around, taking inventory of the room. "Detective. What a surprise. Are you here questioning Ms. Smoak?"

Felicity smiled at the collective tightening of jaws and fists in the room. The situation wasn't ideal, but it was starting to be a little funny to her.

"I'm not," the detective bristled. "Actually-"

"Actually, he was just on his way out." Felicity prayed that Lance understood what she was trying to say and when he nodded curtly at her, she knew he had gotten her message. She hadn't meant to be rude, but she didn't really want him around to see this.

"My shift starts in a bit. I'll see you later, kid."

She mouthed 'thank you,' not surprised when Roy stood up as well.

"My shift starts soon too."

"Your 9 p.m. shift at the club?" Oliver asked lightly. It was only 2 in the afternoon, but he wanted to watch Roy squirm.

"...Yup. Hey, detective, think you can give me a ride…?"

"I'll take him." Dig's deep voice came from by the door. He didn't look like he just ran up several flights of stairs, but Felicity and Oliver noted the slightly elevated breathing rate and the glare he didn't even bother to try and hide from Oliver. He walked to Felicity, giving her a light kiss on the forehead before turning to leave, muttering good naturedly past Oliver. "20 flights of stairs and he just lets her in the room…"

Finally alone, Mrs. Queen focused her attention on Felicity. She felt like she was under a microscope, with all of her flaws being picked apart. She nervously glanced towards Oliver, who was staring stonily at his mother.

"I have cancer," she blurted out suddenly. "I know you think I don't. Or think I have some sort of problem, based on what you were saying to Oliver. Not that this isn't a problem, because it is. It's not great. But yeah. I uh, don't have a problem problem. I mean, they give me morphine but I'm really careful about using it too much..."

Oliver's eyes drifted to the ceiling momentarily before he felt like he could face his mother. He honestly wasn't sure whether he wanted Felicity to stop or continue speaking at that point in time.

"Cancer?" Moira echoed. "But Oliver...you led me to believe…"

"I didn't lead you to believe anything. This has nothing to do with you, and I asked you to respect that."

"It has something to do with me, Oliver. You put your life on hold, asked Walter to step back into his role at QC, you haven't been home in days, I think I deserve to know what's going on in your life."

"I thought you were on vacation!" Felicity exclaimed.

"It is...a type of vacation."

"Oliver!"

"Felicity, dear...I didn't know."

She just shrugged. "It's okay. I mean, you know my name, which is something. Usually you just call me 'Oliver's assistant,' or 'EA in a short skirt," she explained. "We've learned a lot today I think."

"I'm so sorry, it's just...is it…?"

"Treatable? Yup. Although we haven't really gotten to that fun stage yet." Oliver slid his hand into her's at that statement. Felicity was more shook up about starting chemotherapy that week than she led on.

"Do you need anything? Is your family here?"

It might have not seemed strange to Oliver, but for Felicity, seeing Moira Queen slip into a maternal role was more than a little unsettling.

"I'm okay. Oliver's really taken care of everything, pretty much."

"And your family?"

She couldn't help her eyes once again drifting to Oliver. "I've got everything I need, Mrs. Queen."

"Very well then. Oliver, if you could, um, walk me to the elevator? I'll get out of your hair and let you relax, Miss Smoak. I'm sorry for intruding today."

"S'okay."

Oliver looked like he didn't want to go anywhere with his mother, but he eventually obliged after a quick squeeze to Felicity's hand. He was gone for only a minute before walking back in and shutting the door, leaning against it.

"Well that went well," he breathed out sarcastically.

"I think she's thinking about liking me."

"Who couldn't?" He smiled as he made his way back to her bed, settling in his chair next to her.

"Oh, lot's of people. Some people don't find this," she waved her hand in front of her mouth, "endearing, if you can believe it."

"Get outta town."

"It's true." She bit her lip. "I don't want you to fight with your mom over me."

"It has nothing to do with you, Felicity."

"Still. I didn't know you asked Walter to come back to QC, and you're always here and everyone says you look tired which you know what that means and -"

"Hey," he cut her off before she could get too riled. "I'm here because I want to be. And Walter is helping out at QC, but I'm not gone forever. I'm going to help out in a more advisory role. But yeah, for the next few weeks, I'm on vacation with you."

"Aren't your usual vacations on some private beach somewhere, with models bringing you drinks with little umbrellas in them?"

"I don't remember the last beach I was on having drinks with little umbrellas, but I could be wrong."

"Sorry. Sorry. I just. You're here, all the time. It doesn't seem like much fun for you. And I guess I just want to know...why?"

"Felicity…" He dragged his chair closer to her bed. "Seeing you in this bed, in pain - it is about the furthest thing from fun that I can imagine. But that's not why I'm here."

"Then wh-"

He took her hand and cut her off with a look. He was struggling to get the words out but for the first time in their relationship, Felicity didn't feel the need to fill the silence with words. She was going to wait this one out. Wait Oliver out.

"Of all the places that I've gone, all the people that I've met…" His voice was quiet, serious. "I've never met someone like you. Someone with as much passion and life and...you're really vibrant, you know?"

"It's the lipstick."

He smiled again, her favorite type of Oliver smile - like he couldn't believe his body had betrayed him into curving his lips up and actually showing some sort of enjoyment. It wasn't a huge smile, but it was the one she preferred over all others. It gave her some sense of satisfaction, like she had snuck up on him and made him happy, against all odds.

"Out of all the people I've lost, I never...I never even considered something like this. Something like cancer. That would come and steal people away. Steal you away."

"They estimate that 1,500 people per day are diagnosed with cancer which is... not important and not what you were saying at all. I'm not going anywhere, Oliver."

"I know. You're going to fight this and you're going to win."

"I will live to fight another day. And then you can rescue me when I get into trouble."

"Always."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, both content just holding each other's hand and existing. Felicity eventually asked the question that had been burning on her lips for the last week.

"Oliver, I know we haven't really talked about it, but how are we going to...with Team Arrow and stuff."

"Terrible nickname," he muttered good-naturedly, but she just smiled happily at him not outright refuting it. "Dig and I are working on some stuff. Sterilizing the whole lair, making sure that you'll be able to go there when you're up for it. You probably won't be able to enter through the club anymore, but we will make it work."

"What? Why not?"

"Well, after your treatment, your neutrophils will be low, and it'll be best to stay away from crowds like the club and the mall and stuff. If we can sterilize the foundry as much as possible, then you should be able to come and go as you please."

"What are neutrophils?" She was almost positive that hadn't come up in any conversation with her doctors or nurses.

"White blood cells that make up your innate immune system. A low count is called neutropenia and will make you highly susceptible to infections." He recited the words perfectly, looking pretty proud with himself.

"No one here has been reading US Weekly, have they?"

"We'll make it work, Felicity. Between me, Dig, Roy, and even Sara when she gets back, we'll make it work. You're not failing the city by being sick."

"I don't fail much of anything. I have an excellent grade point average."

"Let's see if your vitals are excellent today," her favorite nurse, an older black woman named Mary, with her gray hair piled on top of her head, spoke from the door as she skirted around the security that was still stationed there.

Oliver and Felicity shared another smile before he pushed his chair back, allowing the nurse to do her job.

"How's Thea?" It was early evening on Thursday, the day before Felicity's chemotherapy was supposed to start, and Roy was keeping her company until Detective Lance got off shift with dinner. She had kicked Oliver and Diggle out earlier, citing the fact that they were both practically vibrating with energy. She told them to go spar or work out or beat up some bad guys before they came back, since she knew that they'd be around plenty the next day.

"She's good. A little bummed that her mom saw you in the hospital before she did, I think, but I guess the club has been keeping her really busy or something."

"Tell her not to worry about it. I'm gonna be in here for at least the next week or so before they discharge me, and then I come back every time I need more chemo, so there will be plenty of times for visits then."

"Still. She's been kind of weird about this whole thing. I can't believe she hasn't been by yet."

Felicity knew that Roy was only looking out for her, and she pushed his shoulder lightly. "Don't worry about it. I don't take it personally. One member of the Queen family needs to actually have a job." He smiled at that. "Help me get up to the table?"

She was doing a lot better in getting around on her own, but she had a tendency to get tangle up in her wires and tubes, and appreciated anyone's help in guaranteeing that she didn't accidentally tug anything. It didn't hurt per se, but the sensation of something under her skin pulling was enough to make her feel a little queasy.

"What's dinner tonight and do you think he brought enough for me?"

"The way the detective buys food, I'm sure there's enough for this whole hospital. And I think it's Italian tonight, which is perfect because I am starving. They said I shouldn't eat past 7 so I hope he gets here soon. I'm surprised he's not back yet, actually."

"Speak and ye shall be heard." Detective Lance walked in with two pizza boxes and a stack of metal tins with various other kinds of takeout balanced on top. "Sorry I'm late." He bent and kissed Felicity's cheek as he put down the food. "Ran into Laurel."

"Is everything okay?" Felicity asked as she uncovered the first tin, almost moaning in appreciation of the fettuccine in front of her.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Just wondering where I've been is all. Don't worry, I didn't say anything about you."

"You don't need to lie for me, Detective. Especially not to your own daughter," she told him as she speared a shrimp on her fork. It wasn't kosher but it was so, so delicious.

"Nah, don't worry about it, we're both busy." He quickly folded a piece of pizza and took about half of it in one bite, spurring Roy on to do the same. "No entourage today?"

"She sent them away to burn off some energy," Roy answered for her while her mouth was full. His was too, but that didn't hamper his response at all.

"Queen's been pacing around like an animal lately so that makes sense. Good for him to go do...something."

"I don't think it's that creepy that he hangs out here all day," Roy remarked as he pulled another piece of pizza out of the box. When he met Lance and Felicity's stares he just shrugged. "Oh, were we not saying that and just thinking it?"

"He's just being a good guy."

"Hah. Would your boss ever do this?" Lance asked Roy.

"Well, technically Oliver owns the club. So he kind of already did. And if we're talking my direct boss, which is my girlfriend, then yeah. Probably."

Lance sighed, pointing his finger at the pair sitting in front of him. "The two of you need to have some normal friends."

"We're friends with each other," Felicity pointed out.

"Right. The hacker and the mugger. A match made in heaven."

"Hey, Roy doesn't even steal anymore! Right, Roy?"

"Roy never stole in the first place, especially when he is in conversations with cops, Felicity," he gritted out.

"Sometimes I forget he's a cop."

"Well, I doubt he ever does."

Lance squinted and shook his head, but he had to force a smile down. "Nice try, kid." He didn't mind hanging out with the reformed mugger so much anymore. He was good for Felicity; he let her take care of him, which in turn made her more willing to accept everyone else trying to take care of her.

"Well on that note, Roy needs to get to work."

"Don't let Dig hear you talk about yourself in the third person. He hates it when Oliver does it."

"Because it is weird and unnerving." Dig walked into the room, his eyes firmly fixed on the pizza on the table. Oliver walked in behind him with a younger nurse who was doing nothing to hide the appreciation she had for his body as she stayed a step behind him.

He rubbed her shoulder in greeting as he took Roy's recently vacated seat next to her.

"Pizza?" She offered, despite the fact that she hadn't bought it. "No olives, I promise."

He smiled in gratitude as she said bye to Roy and let the nurse take her vitals.

"Dr. Fox will be by in a little bit to go over everything you need to know about starting chemo tomorrow. Remember, no eating past 7 and try to get some rest tonight." The nurse smiled at Oliver. "Goodnight, Mr. Queen."

With such a formal reminder of what was coming the next day, Felicity felt the fettuccine she was previously enjoying so much sit heavy in her stomach. The next day her life changed. The surgery was - well, it was surgery, but it wasn't as life-altering as this. She barely even missed her spleen these days. A surgery is something everyone went through now and then. If it had only been that, she'd be recuperating this weekend and then returning to work on Monday. But chemotherapy was a different beast altogether. It was going to make her nauseous and tired and make her hair fall out, and that was only what she knew from watching Grey's Anatomy reruns. She could only guess that the other, less-glamorous symptoms would rear their head in time.

"Everything okay?"

She must have been silent longer than she realized for Detective Lance to call her out on it. Oliver and Dig were a bit better with her quiet lapses, choosing to ignore them until she came out of them on their own, but Lance never gave her that luxury. He was a big fan of confronting issues head on.

"Just a little apprehensive is all."

"That seems normal," Oliver assured her. "You don't know what's going to happen. But you're not going to figure it out by not eating, so…" He nudged her elbow, encouraging her to pick up her fork.

"Yeah," Dig agreed. "You didn't even have a garlic knot yet."

He tossed one to her, a gentle throw really, one that she would've normally caught if she hadn't been so tied up in her own head. But as it was, she looked up just in time to see the offending baked good hit her square in the forehead and bounce into her fettuccine.

Oliver's hand instantly went over his mouth, his eyes trained on Felicity. Lance looked like he couldn't tell if he was supposed to smile or be angry at the turn of events, and Dig looked more than a little contrite.

"I...I thought you were going to catch it."

"Did you just throw a garlic knot at my head?"

"At you. Felicity, I threw the garlic knot at you, to catch it." He looked genuinely worried that she was upset with him.

She lifted her hand to touch the offending spot on her head, took one look at her grease-coated fingers after barely touching her face and she couldn't help it. One laugh bubbled up out of her, and then another, and then before she knew it, she was giggling. Lance was the next one to join in, his guffaws shaking his shoulders, and Oliver followed suit, his laughter much more subdued but still apparent. Dig was the only one who looked like he truly couldn't decide if it was okay to laugh or if he should apologize more.

As the laughter eventually subsided and Felicity picked up her fork to continue eating, she realized that the heavy feeling in her stomach hadn't dissipated. She wasn't even sure that it ever would. She was always going to be afraid of the unknown, and she would always be terrified of what this disease and its treatment was doing to her body. But in that moment, before she got her body pumped with poison, before her body was truly ravaged with the effects of the disease, and she just simply sat and ate dinner with 3 of her favorite people in the world, she realized that maybe it was okay that she was afraid. She didn't have to be fearless. She just had to keep living for days like this. Moments like this. This was what she was fighting for.