A/N: FLUFF ALERT. All the heavy moments of the last few chapters and Donna and everything and I gave everyone a little bit of a break. This is just as much for me as it is for them. Writing all that drama can be...draining. Writing stuff like this - very fun. Very light. Very happy.

In exciting personal news for me, I got a job~~~ which is GREAT NEWS for me [and my bank account]. I took a year off from my finance job to write a book or three (which I have not finished because I'm the world's GREATEST PROCRASTINATOR YAHHHHH kill me I need to finish them gosh) and strangely enough, a year from the day I left my last job, I gave a verbal acceptance of this new job. SO THERE IS JUST A LOT OF HAPPINESS EVERYWHERE, GUYS. I HOPE YOU'RE ALL HAVING AMAZING SUMMERS. Although school already started here, so it might be over. If you're starting school, I hope that's great too. I hope everything is great. Life is great.

READ ON!

The rest of the day went by without incident - and distinctly less crying - much to Felicity's pleasure. She still wasn't cleared to go out of the house and be around crowds, unfortunately, which made for an awkward situation when her mother's go-to 'feel good' activity was shopping. But they made it through the day more or less intact. Felicity excused herself around four to take a nap, as they were supposed to be heading down to Verdant around six, and she had strict instructions to not eat anything beforehand.

Whatever she thought the surprise was going to be from Thea, all her ideas were quickly dismissed when she found out that Lance was going to be at the club that evening as well - it apparently was a full on Team Felicity get together. Nothing her mind came up with fit the scenario that was okay for Team Arrow, her mother, and the entire Lance family to be together for. Her mind was racing with possibilities as they piled into the town car that was being driven by Dig (much to her mother's delight.)

"Thea?" Oliver called out as he pushed open the door to Verdant, casting a slightly apologetic look towards Donna. Chivalry be damned, he wasn't about to let the two of them wander into a dark, empty club before him. There was a dim glow coming from the bar area, but he wasn't about to push his way in blind.

"Ollie!" A voice called out to him before the overhead house lights flickered on and the entire floor became illuminated.

Thea and Sara were behind the bar, both of them grinning happily at the sight of the three of them.

"Roy said he saw some more of those little heat lamps upstairs," Thea told them, all while Sara took a small step backwards and pointed knowingly down towards the lair. "He should be down soon. Come sit, come sit! You must be Felicity's mom!"

They made their way to the bar, both Oliver and Donna somehow striding along as if they owned the place - which was only true in one of their cases - while Felicity took her time, trying to gauge the responses from everyone.

Oliver clearly knew what was happening that night, but that didn't really make her feel much better about the situation. She knew he would never put her in danger but even he could never foresee how nights with her mother would turn out.

"Well, this is cozy," a familiar grumbly voice sounded from behind her. She turned and saw Detective Lance and Laurel making their way into Verdant slowly, neither accustomed to attending the club with any sort of regularity.

"Detective! Hi! Hi, Laurel." She gave a small smile to both, hoping that her and Laurel were past whatever animosity lingered from before. The answering smile gave her hope that they had both indeed moved on.

"Sara told us to come down here for dinner, is it just a dinner thing?" Laurel wondered aloud, greeting her more fully with a warm hand on her arm.

"I have no idea," she told them honestly. "I was just told to show up."

"Looks like the whole gang is here," Dig noted as he and Lyla walked in, exuding an air of comfortability that the Lances didn't have. Dig had been waiting for Lyla's arrival outside after dropping them off.

"Felicity, you're the guest of honor! Why are you so far away?" The youngest Queen beckoned her over to the bar.

She meandered over, noting the place cards with everyone's names on them in front of certain seats at the bar. She took her designated spot and had to laugh at Sara's eye roll.

"I had nothing to do with those," Sara whispered to her with a wink. "She's like a tiny whirlwind of planning."

"I can hear you," Thea piped up. "And I will choose to take that as a compliment. Everything is settled, so Roy - yup, right over there on the end, thanks!"

Donna Smoke took the corner seat at the bar, with Felicity next to her, followed by Oliver, Dig, Lyla, and Roy on the very end. On the other side of Donna was Quentin and Laurel, who was laughing softly at something her sister had said until Thea called them all to attention.

"Ahem, thank you! So, we are here to celebrate Miss Felicity Smoak." Thea actually paused and then encouraged everyone to give a brief round of applause, which only served to make Felicity blush like crazy. "We'll work on the very sad clapping skills later. Right now, we are going to eat. But before then, Sara has something for you, Felicity."

"I just got it in a day ago from Africa," Sara told her with a small smile. "I've got some pills for everyone else -"

"What kind of pills?" Her father interjected, looking every bit the cop that he was.

"Everything's legal," she assured him, before daintily picking up a napkin and unfolding it gently in front of Felicity, sliding it towards her.

"Uh...you shouldn't have?"

She actually had no idea what she was looking at. It was about the size of the top her thumb, bright red and shiny. If she didn't know better she'd say…

"Is that a grape tomato?"

"It's a fruit. Miracle fruit, actually."

"And the miracle is that...it looks like a tomato? Wait, does this solve whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable? Because I have read a lot of different studies on this and I know logically that science has decided that it's a -"

"It's not a tomato," Oliver cut her off. "But it will help you."

"The protein in it coats the tongue. It'll change what you taste, how you perceive certain things." Sara was trying not to look proud of herself, but she really was.

"But everything tastes metallic to me," Felicity pointed out. Several moments passed when everyone traded looks, unsure of what to say. "Oh! It'll make them not taste like that anymore!"

She felt the same familiar heat of embarrassment crawl up her skin once more at everyone's soft laughter. Chemo brain was definitely a thing, and moments like this were not all that uncommon for her nowadays. She routinely forgot words now, or would lose track of a sentence after starting it, which wasn't a wholly new experience for her, but it was a change of pace for her to stop her own rambles because she forgot what she was talking about in the first place.

"So," she picked up the small fruit, rolling it between her fingers. "What do I do with it? Just eat it?"

"Make sure you chew it and try to get the juice all over your tongue, coating it."

"That's what-"

"I urge you not to finish that sentence, Roy," Oliver cut him off instantly. "I'd hate to have to smack you in front of my sister."

"And then...what? You guys just watch me eat?"

"Don't be silly!" Thea bounced up behind Sara. "You'll have it for the whole meal, but I thought we could all take the pills afterwards. They make sour things taste really sweet - Sara said you can eat a lemon like an apple after you have one! It'll be fun to have a little tasting party."

She couldn't stop the smile that was spreading over her face at the look of anticipation on everyone else's. They were genuinely excited for her to try this, and she had to admit, the idea of a crazy tasting party did sound a bit fun.

"You'll all do it? Even you?" She turned to look at Oliver, who looked to be biting the inside of his lip in order to maintain a straight face.

"Yes," he sighed, trying his hardest to look put out. "Even me."

She beamed at him, popping the fruit in her mouth and biting into it. It didn't taste like anything she had really encountered before; she had expected it to be really sweet for some reason, but it was actually a little bland. She made sure to swish the juice around her mouth, briefly sticking her tongue out at Oliver, who rolled his eyes but fought a smile.

When she finally swallowed, she looked up at Sara expectantly.

"How do I know it worked?"

"You eat something. Thea had Italian catered in from that place with the fettuccine you like so much." She pointed to a hightop table behind them, plastic dishes sitting above racks with heating lamps on underneath them.

They all stood up then, chatting happily, filling their plates with various pastas and garlic knots ("Maybe this time you could catch any flying pastries that come flying at my face this time, Oliver?" She teased mercilessly) and then they sat and Felicity knew all eyes were on her.

She pulled her bowl of salad to her first. She had been struggling with the way almost everything tasted recently, but some things were worse than others, with onions being on that list. She thought it had something to do with the smell not reconciling at all with the flavors in her mouth. It was disconcerting and made them something of a chore to eat.

She speared a plastic forkful of lettuce, onions, and radishes, all dripping with a healthy coating of ranch dressing and took a bite.

"And?" It was actually Lyla who looked most excited for her reaction.

She chewed and swallowed patiently before trying to silently convey to Sara, who still stood behind the bar, all of her gratitude. "This is amazing!"

The onions tasted just a little bit sweeter than she knew they would, but there wasn't even a hint of the metallic taste that she had been struggling with so much lately. She knew that everyone was waiting for a more in depth review, but for the first time in a long time, her stomach was making itself very known and she felt like she could eat anything!

"Well, I guess now that that's out of the way, everyone else can dig i-"

The scraping of a fork on a plate distracted Thea suddenly, and all eyes were drawn to Roy, who, just like Felicity, had his mouth filled with food already. He stopped mid-chew, eyes wide, taking in the situation.

"Oh, was I supposed to wait?" He mumbled around his mouthful, eliciting a few groans and a lot more eye rolls as everyone else picked up their forks.

"This is so good," she told Oliver for the tenth time in the last ten minutes.

"I can see that," he smiled at her. "But no rush, you know. Don't want to make yourself sick."

She heeded his words, opting to take a sip of her drink instead of shoveling more food in her face. She was so happy with the way everything was going. Detective Lance, her mom, and Laurel were currently discussing some of the crazier laws in Las Vegas, laughing pretty hard at some of the stories that they all had firsthand experience with. Thea and Sara were eating behind the bar, with Thea leaning over near Roy, occasionally stealing a bite off his plate and Sara relaxing in front of them, chatting amicably with Felicity, Oliver, Dig, and Lyla.

"How long does this thing last?" Felicity asked Sara when there was a lull in the conversation between them.

"Fruit lasts about an hour, the pills - kind of like a broken down fruit with just the proteins in it - only about twenty minutes or so. Completely natural and healthy."

"How did you hear about these? Did Nyssa send them?"

Felicity couldn't help but see the dark cloud that passed over her friend's face at the mention of her on-again off-again girlfriend.

"I saw them when I was...traveling, but they were mostly used to sweeten wine. The locals got a good kick out of having travelers taste them and then try to eat fruits. I looked it up when you were talking about things not tasting right and I guess its pretty common practice for people undergoing chemotherapy to use them. I only got a few berries in and they don't last long, but I'll see about getting them from a U.S. supplier if you think they work."

"Oh, I think they work," she laughed, patting her full belly. "I can't remember the last time I ate this much!"

"Three weeks ago at the winery," Oliver noted absently without looking up from his pasta. At the sudden silence, he looked up to see Felicity staring at him with a soft smile on her face. He really was incredible sometimes.

Sensing that it might become a moment between the two, Lyla tried to restart the conversation with Sara.

"So are they from your friend Nyssa?"

Felicity knew that there was no way for Lyla to know the history there or to even be as well-versed as she was in the nuances of Sara's facial expressions, but she still darted her eyes instantly to Sara, trying to gauge if she was okay. She smiled tightly, it not quite reaching her eyes, but kept her voice neutral.

"Actually, no. Nyssa and I are...we're taking a little break," she told the group at large, attracting her father and sister's attention.

"Really? Why?" Laurel had thought they were doing so well last time she heard.

"Just for...well, we'll see. She's going through something back home and I can't really be there for her like she needs me."

Felicity felt her stomach drop. She couldn't be there for Nyssa because she was there for her. She didn't think it was fair at all for her to have to choose between the two of them, but she knew that her own opinion was that Sara needed to go be with Nyssa. The two of them had gone through so much together, it wasn't right that it was Felicity's illness that was keeping her in Starling. She knew that this wasn't the time or place to have that talk with Sara - but it was definitely coming soon - and she sensed a few pairs of eyes on her, waiting to see her reaction to the news, so she plastered a smile on her face, picking up her fork again.

"Well, whoever gave you these berries, I would like to send them a very sincere thank you card. This is awesome."

"Alright, everyone ready?" Thea had cleared off all the plates once everyone was done, replacing them with clean appetizer plates, and was looking every inch the hostess she was destined to be.

"This tastes weird," Donna noted as she pushed the dissolving tablet around her mouth.

"I still don't know if a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable," Roy commented.

"Lord save me," Dig muttered under his breath, but his frustration eased into a smile as Lyla slid a hand onto his lap.

"I think this is fun," she told him and the group.

"Me too," Laurel agreed. "Are you doing it too Sara?"

The woman in question stuck out her tongue in response, the shrinking pill evident.

"I feel stupid," Lance grumbled, but he too lightened up as Donna Smoak swung an arm around him, squeezing him.

"The things we do for our kids, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed, notably happier.

"Alright! First up - pickles!"

Thea went around, placing pickles on everyone's plate before Detective Lance was the first one to take the plunge.

"Cheers," he said, holding it up before taking a bite. Everyone mimicked him, including the look of shock that crossed his face. "Whoa. What the hell?"

"This is some weird shit," Dig agreed, even as he continued to eat the pickle.

Felicity didn't think she was getting the same exact experience as everyone else was, due to her tastebuds being altered by chemotherapy to begin with, but even she could tell that the pickle's vinegary aftertaste was nonexistent. Despite knowing it was a dill pickle, it tasted much more like the bread and butter variety that she would sometimes eat out of the jar.

The women, while less outspoken, all were very impressed and awed by the fruit's capabilities as well.

"Okay, okay, what's next?" Laurel asked excitedly, not even bothering to finish her pickle.

"Crackers and goat cheese," Thea announced, passing around a box of table crackers as she smeared a little cheese onto everyone's plates. Lyla hesitantly scooped some up, not normally a big fan of goat cheese, but she couldn't control the moan of appreciation she let out at that.

"It tastes like frosting!"

"What? No way, give me some more babe," Roy urged his girlfriend. "I want like, a lot."

"Okay," Laurel giggled. "This is pretty cool. I don't even understand it, but this is awesome."

"Does it taste good to you, baby?" Donna asked as she licked her fingers clean. Felicity nodded happily. Sweet and creamy, the cheese was definitely the best frosting she had ever tasted in her life.

She turned happily to Oliver, who was delicately putting his half-eaten cracker back on his plate, next to his pickle that was missing the most perfect bite from it.

"Enjoying yourself?" She teased, rolling her eyes at his precision.

"Always," he smirked, reaching up and using his thumb to dab off the tiniest bit of cheese on the corner of her mouth. His eyes darkened as he swept his tongue over his thumb, licking it clean, and Felicity was pretty sure she had just gotten turned on in front of her mother and his little sister.

"Next up, citrus!"

Tiny slices of lemons, limes, and oranges were arranged neatly on their plates, and they all took turns exclaiming how incredible the newfound taste was. The lemon was suddenly the sweetest lemonade they had ever drank, the limes tasted candied, and the oranges resembled orange soda than the tart juice they were known for.

The tasting continued with onions and hot sauce and broccoli and potato chips that baffled them all but still tasted incredible. It wasn't until Detective Lance mentioned meeting an informant did Felicity realize that the night had gotten much later than she had anticipated.

"Okay, one more before you go Detective, please?" Thea batted her eyes at the man and he had always been a sucker for sweet girls, so he resettled himself back in his chair and waited patiently. Thea smiled and nodded to Sara, who started setting up shot glasses.

"You trying to test me, kid?" Quentin asked his daughter gruffly, nodding to the glass.

"Relax, dad. I assure you, you've never had a shot of this before and you'll never want it again."

"Pretty sure my sponsor would disagree, but let's see what you've got," he muttered.

A familiar clear bottle was brought out and Sara expertly doled out portions to everyone sitting, plus herself and Thea.

"Oof." Donna leaned back as she got a whiff of the small cup in front of her.

"You can't be serious," Dig accused. "I can hardly smell this stuff, let alone take a shot of it."

"Have I led you astray yet?" Thea asked with mock outrage. "Ollie, tell them how trustworthy I am."

"Thou shalt not lie," he said with a smirk, before uncharacteristically tossing the cup back. Everyone watched with bated breath as he placed the glass down and seemed unphased. "Tastes a bit like apple juice."

They all slowly started to take their drinks, some sipping carefully, others (Roy) downing them quickly. Felicity winced as she swallowed hers, scrunching up her face as she looked at Oliver.

"Think that one was a bit different for me than it was for you guys. That, or my berry is wearing off."

"See, dad?" Laurel leaned over and patted her father on the shoulder. "Pretty sure your sponsor wouldn't care about that."

"I don't really see myself telling him - or anyone - that I just drank a shot of vinegar." He shuddered just thinking about it. "And on that very strange note, I've got to be going. Donna, did you need a ride back to your hotel?"

"That sounds fabulous! Thank you!" Both took their turns saying goodbye to the group, kissing their respective daughters on the cheeks before taking their leave.

Once they were gone, it took no more than five seconds for Roy to start up.

"Lance and Felicity's mom, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"I'm never going to 'K-I-S-S' you ever again if you finish that song," Thea warned, taking in the looks of the three daughters that were staring at Roy with disgust. "Not to mention what they might do to you."

"Gross, Roy," Felicity moaned.

"Now that they're gone, there is one more thing we have left to try - if you're up for it, Felicity," Sara offered.

"There is? I thought I took out everything! I researched this really well and bought everything you said to!"

"You didn't need to buy this, you already had this," Sara told her, leaning down under the bar and opening up a small fridge there, pulling out two tall cans, opening them with a satisfying hsss!

"Beer?" Laurel questioned as she scooted down a few seats, now sitting next to Felicity in her mother's vacated spot.

"Not just any beer," Sara poured it out evenly into cups as she placed them around the bar. "Most beers taste pretty bad with the fruit. IPAs are awful, and no one wants to make light beers taste even worse. But this - this one gets better."

"It's a damn good beer by itself," Dig told her doubtfully as he lifted his cup. "Hard to get any better, actually."

"Just try it."

Even Thea had to gasp at that. "Whoa. I don't usually like dark beers, but just - whoa."

"It's pretty good," Oliver agreed, to which Roy loudly scoffed at.

"Pretty good? It tastes like a chocolate milkshake!" He said what everyone was thinking.

"This is seriously just straight Guinness?" Laurel asked as she picked up an empty can, examining it. "That's wild."

The beer only taste mildly sweeter to Felicity, who was now sure that the effects of her berry were wearing off, but it didn't put a damper on the night at all.

"I'm really glad we did this," she told Sara and Thea. "Thank both of you guys so much, seriously. This was awesome."

"I've been wanting to try out my sweet hostess skills on a group of more than Ollie and my mom, so I'm happy to help!"

"I'm happy if you're happy, Bug. And I was serious about getting you more, if you want some."

"I do, yes! That was - it was just great. I'm not even hungry, which I kind of was just getting used to being all the time."

She tried to turn her head and hide the yawn that was just barely escaping her mouth from Oliver, but, of course, nothing ever went unnoticed by him.

"It's getting late," he announced, standing up. "Thea, Sara, did you guys need any help cleaning up?"

"I think we should be good - Roy is going to help us, aren't you, babe?"

"Uh...sure." He looked up from where he was eating a spoonful of goat cheese straight. "Sounds good."

"Great," Oliver acknowledged before helping Felicity into her coat. He took the time to whisper softly in her ear. "I was going to volunteer Roy anyway."

Sara came around the bar and lined up to give her a hug after Thea.

"So glad you had a good meal, Bug."

"The best," she whispered into her ear, rubbing her back ferociously, trying to convey her gratitude. "Once I get the all clear, why don't we do something, just the two of us? Would that be okay?"

Sara pulled back and gave the woman a look.

"Of course that's okay. I can't wait. Just tell me when and where."

She said her goodbyes to everyone else, unable to hide the yawns that were coming in fairly quick succession by now.

"Did you have a good night?" Oliver asked her as he took her hand in his and rested it between them. A simple gesture with a loaded statement behind it, but she didn't question it, just squeezed his palm lightly.

"The best. The absolute best."

A/N: Y'all. Miracle fruits are exactly that - miracles. Not just for chemo patients, although they are SERIOUS life savers, but man oh man - regular taste buds have a party with this stuff. My friends and I had a tasting party (cleverly titled 'Miracle Fruit Madness' by yours truly, ya welcome) and it was just...batty. But seriously awesome. They're available online for sale so if you're ever in the mood, go pick some up. They're great. SEE, I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING WAS GREAT