Donna Smoak stared at the clock in the small Star City coffee shop. It was just after noon, about three hours since she'd left Felicity's loft after finding her daughter otherwise engaged with the Green Arrow. She wondered whether three hours was the right amount of time to allot a city's vigilante for boinking your offspring or if she should wait a little longer before going back to see her. Felicity's laugh behind the bathroom door had sounded so happy that she'd hated to interrupt. In the last year, her daughter had been shot, lost her job, and separated from Oliver Queen; if anyone deserved a little fun, it was Felicity. In finding that fun with the Green Arrow, however, Donna was pretty sure Felicity was making a mistake and needed a good talking to before things went too far. Donna had nothing against occasional, casual sex; just not with masked, save-the-city crusading types who were surrounded by danger. Plus, the fact that the Green Arrow had revealed his identity to Felicity suggested that this thing – whatever it was - might not be so casual. And Donna didn't think there was any chance it would end well.
After quietly exiting the loft, she'd immediately sought out Oliver. She needed to know if he had already learned of Felicity's extracurricular activity, and - if he had – whether he'd decided that reconciliation was now out of the question. If he was still in the dark about her recent fling, then Donna had intended to tell the boy to get his ass in gear and figure out how to make things right ASAP. Time was a-wasting. Everyone in the world could see that the two of them were right for each other and she wanted her daughter back in a happy, healthy relationship – not one loaded with risk and danger. Oh, yeah…and she eventually wanted grandkids, too.
Unfortunately, when she'd gotten to Oliver's office one of his interns had told her that Mayor Queen had not come in that morning and had, in fact, cancelled all appointments for the day. When Donna had pressed for Mr. Queen's whereabouts, the pimply-faced kid had merely shrugged his shoulders and given her a who knows? stare. Either his staff was trained not say anything, Donna had thought, or Oliver played hooky fairly regularly and they had given up inventing cover stories. She'd felt a small prickle of fear. Suppose Oliver already knew about Felicity and The Green Arrow or…worse…had found someone else, too, and was spending the day with her? As much as she knew he loved Felicity, a man could only wait so long before looking elsewhere. She'd tried texting him several times but so far hadn't received a reply.
After leaving Oliver's office she'd taken a walk, done a little shoe shopping, and had eventually spent the last hour drinking coffee in this small, cheery shop, growing anxious and over-caffeinated. Every time she was about to leave and head back to the loft, she imagined finding Felicity in the throes of ecstasy with a tall, well-built man who wasn't Oliver and decided she'd wait another half hour. As she started on her third latte (she really should have switched to decaf), her eye was drawn to the news bulletin on the flat-screen television hanging on the wall next to the menu board. Whatever the story was about, the man featured looked vaguely familiar. She pushed aside her coffee and paid closer attention.
"William Dennis, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Palmer Technology, was arrested last night for possession of illegal drugs and an unregistered firearm." The news reader's voice was bland, as if Fortune 100 Board Chairmen were arrested every day. They must teach that voice in broadcasting school, Donna thought. Now she knew why she recognized the man, though. William Dennis was the jerk who'd fired Felicity from her well-deserved position as CEO of Palmer. Donna remained indignant about that, almost six months later. Her daughter had done an amazing job carrying on Ray Palmer's legacy and in return the Board had thrown her out without so much as a thank you; albeit, with a decent severance package. And now it appeared their Chairman was a gun-toting druggie. No wonder he'd made such a stupid decision. Donna got up from her table and stepped closer to the television to better hear the news bulletin.
"Star City police received a tip around 7:30 pm yesterday that Dennis was seen in the executive offices of Palmer Tech with a gun. When the SCPD arrived at Palmer, they found Dennis in possession of an unregistered handgun as well as a syringe of Vertigo. He was taken into custody and released this morning on $100,000 bail. A spokesperson for Palmer Tech told Channel 10 News that the company is awaiting additional facts before making a statement. Our sources tell us that the police were tipped off by the Green Arrow, although they could shed no light on the reasons for the Star City vigilante's interest in Dennis. While the Green Arrow has focused primarily on street crime lately, he has been known to target corrupt businessmen and politicians, leading to questions about Dennis's activities. Stay tuned to Channel 10 for further updates."
Donna frowned. So the Green Arrow had tipped the police off about Dennis last night and then found his way to Felicity's loft sometime later? She wondered whether the two events were connected. Up until this morning, Donna hadn't given much thought to her daughter's relationship with the vigilante beyond the fact that it put her in danger. She'd always imagined the two of them exactly as she'd seen them during Darhk's missile attack a few months ago – fighting desperately to save lives in the midst of a crisis. She'd never thought about them having down-time and everyday conversations about things that were going on in their lives, like Felicity's job or favorite pizza toppings. It seemed too mundane, too regular. Had Felicity told the Green Arrow about Dennis firing her and had he, in return, tried to do her a favor by investigating the man?
Donna continued to stare at the television screen even though the news reader had moved onto another story. When Felicity had told Donna that she worked with the Green Arrow, Donna had assumed the assistance was one-sided; Felicity lending her technical genius to The Arrow. After all, what could a man whose best qualities appeared to be archery skills and well-fitting leather pants bring to a young woman with a Mensa IQ and an aversion to all things pointy? It had never occurred to Donna that the Green Arrow might care about Felicity's well-being and help her out with one of her personal issues, like proving the man who had fired her was a law-breaking jerk.
It was almost enough to make Donna like The Arrow…almost, but not quite. If only he hadn't stopped by Felicity's place this morning to collect on his good deed, she would have been willing to think of him as a decent guy. Mind you, Felicity had certainly sounded like she was paying up happily, but still…
Donna narrowed her eyes and glanced once more at the clock: 12:30. Three and a half hours was more than enough time for the man to get his groove on, she decided, no matter how much stamina he had. She picked up her purse and the bag containing the kate spade sandals she'd bought (on sale), and left the coffee shop.
Traffic was light, and before she knew it she was standing once more at the door to Felicity's loft. She was about to enter with the security code again when she opted instead for the doorbell. It just seemed safer.
She had to wait a minute or two after ringing the bell. There was the faint sound of footsteps from somewhere inside, followed by a brief and very masculine, "I got it." She sucked in her breath. The Green Arrow was still there! Good God, the man must be intending to spend the entire day with Felicity. And now Donna was about to meet him. Would he be masked? Or - if unmasked - would she recognize him? She felt a small, nervous shiver run down her spine and told herself to be tough as she heard the steps nearing the door. She swallowed hard as it was opened…by none other than Oliver.
"Oliver?" Donna felt her jaw drop. She wasn't sure whether it was in shock or relief. She had steeled herself for the green-hooded vigilante and here instead was a familiar, welcome face – although not one she'd expected to find in Felicity's home. She was immediately torn between being delighted that he was with Felicity, and worried that he'd arrived early enough to catch her daughter in the act with The Arrow.
"Donna," Oliver replied, a broad smile on his face. He appeared relaxed; not at all like a man who'd just discovered the woman he loves in bed with a masked vigilante. In fact, he looked happier than she had seen him for a long time. Despite the smile, however, something seemed a little off about him - although she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was.
He stepped away from the door and gestured inside. "Please, come in. It's good to see you…it's been a while."
"Thanks." Donna walked into the loft and immediately glanced around, as subtly as she could. The place looked bright and orderly, the way Felicity usually kept it. There was no quiver of arrows at the foot of the stairs and, as best as she could tell, no random pieces of clothing scattered in the second floor hallway. Well, that explained Oliver's smile - the Green Arrow must have cleared out before he got there. Felicity was not in sight, but Donna could hear movement upstairs.
She turned back to study Oliver – who was still grinning like a kid. It took her a few seconds to figure out what was different, but she finally pinned it down to his clothing. He was dressed casually in a tee shirt and sweat pants. The shirt looked normal enough, but the pants were snug and much too short. They reminded her an awfully lot of an old pair that Felicity used to wear, when she spent the evening at home with a pint of mint chocolate chip after a particularly bad day. They came down to just below Oliver's knees, exposing much of his calves above his bare feet. It was tough to tell with sweats, but the pants also looked like they might be on backwards.
Oliver's eyes followed hers as she examined him. If he noticed her reaction to his appearance, he didn't comment on it. Instead he said, "I'm sorry I didn't answer your texts earlier this morning. I…misplaced my phone and only found it a few minutes ago."
"Oh," Donna replied, still wondering about his clothes. Then, something clicked and she shook her head. "Wait a minute. You lost your phone earlier this morning and just found it in Felicity's loft…now?"
He stared blankly at her for a few seconds. "Yes. I guess I left it in the kitchen when I came over to help Felicity…," he hesitated.
"Move furniture." Felicity's voice came from the top of the stairs. She smiled down at them – almost beaming at Oliver - and then quickly descended to the first floor. Like Oliver she was dressed carelessly, wearing an oversized shirt and old yoga pants. Her hair was uncombed and Donna was pretty sure there was no bra underneath the shirt. "I wanted to rearrange the bedroom," Felicity explained, "and Oliver came over this morning to help me move things." When she arrived next to Donna, she added, "Mom, I'm sorry about the airport. I had it on my calendar to pick you up. I just got so carried away this morning with the…furniture moving, that I forgot."
Donna frowned. She knew for a fact that Felicity had been carried away by something (or someone) else entirely this morning, but with Oliver standing there she couldn't exactly call her daughter out on the fib. Besides, the grin on Felicity's face looked awfully similar to Oliver's. They kept glancing at each other happily, as if they'd just received the best news in the world. Seeing the two of them together and clearly delighted with each other was almost enough to make her not want to poke at things…almost, but not quite.
Because nothing added up, and that bothered her. Donna might not have Felicity's technical genius, but even she could read a clock and do simple math. She'd left the loft a little after 9:00 and gotten to Oliver's office by 9:45. He'd already called in by that time to say he'd be out for the day, and he didn't respond to her immediate text. And now he was telling her his silence was because he'd misplaced his phone somewhere in Felicity's loft. By Donna's reckoning, that meant less than 45 minutes for Felicity and the Green Arrow to trip the light fantastic in the shower, the Arrow to clear out of there with all his gear, and Oliver to arrive and lose his phone. And while that might be technically possible, the satisfied glow her daughter was wearing suggested that her needs had been taken care of by more than a stand-up quickie under hot water.
No, there had to be a better explanation. Donna studied Oliver once more; the square jaw, the well-formed biceps, the long, strong legs…and the large feet. She'd never met the Green Arrow up close, but from what she'd seen in news clips, the two men certainly shared similar physical characteristics. A thought popped in her head – which she quickly dismissed as being completely impossible. Well…maybe not impossible, perhaps more like improbable. Or maybe just really surprising. She looked into Oliver's earnest blue eyes. She'd never thought of him as being a huge risk-taker despite his reputation for wildness when he was younger, but people had unexpected depths. He certainly kept himself in great shape. And it would explain the timing and the clothing.
She turned to Felicity. "Hon," she said brightly, "have you eaten?" When Felicity shook her head, Donna added, "Then why don't you and I get lunch? I'm starving. Oliver," she gave him a sideways glance, "looks like he needs to go home and get into his own clothes. I'd ask you to show me how you've rearranged the bedroom, but I think we all know that you weren't up there moving furniture."
Felicity flushed, and the grins that she and Oliver had been exchanging disappeared, replaced by worried frowns. Donna's suspicions were confirmed. After a long moment, Felicity said slowly, "Okay, Mom. I'll just go upstairs and get dressed…I mean changed." She gave Oliver a meaningful look. "I'll still see you tonight? At the…thing…with Curtis?" Oliver nodded, all traces of a smile gone. After one more glance at him, Felicity headed up the stairs towards her bedroom.
Donna turned to Oliver, who was now regarding her cautiously. His mouth opened and closed several times before he finally said, "Well, I'll be going now, Donna. It was…nice…to see you and I'd really like to talk more, but I can see that you're busy with Felicity. I'm sure we'll have to chance to catch up in the next few days. Enjoy your lunch." Being mayor must be changing him, Donna thought, because that part about wanting to talk more right now was a politician's statement if ever she'd heard one. In reality, Oliver looked like he couldn't get out of there fast enough.
She smiled at him. "You can count on it, Oliver. I'm anxious to hear about all your activities."
Oliver gave one more desperate glance up the stairs, even though Felicity was out of sight, then quickly left the loft. As the door closed behind him, Donna thought about how she should approach the topic with her daughter. She was more surprised by Oliver than Felicity. Over the last couple of years she'd learned that Felicity was willing to take risks in unexpected areas. Oliver, on the other hand, had seemed more cautious and surprisingly domestic. His care of Felicity during her convalescence had been heartwarming and Donna had imagined him keeping house as her daughter ran Palmer Tech. And now, to discover this?
Felicity and Oliver were playing with fire, and she was going to make her opinion of the whole thing very clear over lunch.
Oliver poked the button in the elevator anxiously on the way down to the lair. It had been a long afternoon worrying about what Donna might or might not have figured out. She certainly didn't have Felicity's genius and she could be scatterbrained at times, but she was intuitive and she had common sense. She could put two and two together. And he and Felicity hadn't had much time or energy to come up with a story before Donna had arrived at the loft. After round 3 (or was it 4?) on the kitchen table, they'd both been pretty spent.
He'd eventually decided to go into the office rather than continue to stew over things alone. It hadn't helped much. He must have read the same proposal three times with none of it sinking in, and he'd stared blankly during the Zoning Commissioner's presentation for expanding Star City's parks. All going to the office had achieved was making him later to the lair than he'd wanted to be.
Felicity had sent him one short text around 3:00: It's not good. She hadn't expanded on it. Oliver had desperately wanted to know more, but discussing his secret identity over text messages was not secure so he had had to wait until he could see her in person. He kept reminding himself that a number of people were aware of him being the Green Arrow and it had worked out just fine, but having Felicity's mom in on the secret seemed like a bad idea. She would worry and – worse – she might let something slip.
And now his heart was racing as the elevator doors opened.
Felicity was alone in the lair, sitting in front of her computers. Unlike most evenings, she wasn't typing, or even looking at the screen. Her elbow was on the table and she was resting her forehead in her hand, staring down at the floor.
"Well?" Oliver said without preamble. There wasn't much sense in trying to work up to the discussion; they both knew the issue. "Did your mom figure it out?"
Felicity lifted her head to look at him and sighed. "She certainly came up with an explanation," she said grimly. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
Oliver frowned. Why didn't she just say it? "Which is?" he asked impatiently.
Felicity grimaced. "That we're having a threesome."
He nearly choked. "Excuse me?"
"You, me and the Green Arrow. We're in a threesome. That's my mom's explanation for what she saw today."
Oliver stared at her. "I think I need to sit down." He rolled one of the other chairs next to Felicity's and sank into it. "How the hell did she come up with that?"
Felicity shrugged – a little desperately, Oliver thought. "It actually makes a weird kind of sense when she presents all her facts," she said in an overly calm voice. "From her point of view, it's pretty logical. Apparently, she came into the loft this morning when you and I were in the shower. She saw the Green Arrow's stuff scattered around and decided to leave." Felicity took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose before continuing. "She then went to the Mayor's office to talk to you…as Oliver Queen…only to be told that you were out for the day. She texted you, but you didn't answer." She studied the glasses in her lap for a few seconds before lifting her eyes to meet Oliver's. "Finally, she came back to the loft to find Oliver Queen wearing my sweatpants and to learn that he'd…you'd misplaced your phone somewhere at my place. She worked out the timing to realize that you – Oliver – had to be there around the same time as the Green Arrow." Felicity exhaled heavily. "Since she didn't see you when she came by the first time, and both of us looked happy the second time she showed up, she decided the three of us must have been in the shower together. She also decided that since Oliver and the Arrow are about the same size - and God help me, I don't how to explain this without using both your names – Oliver must have lent his clothes to the Green Arrow so that The Arrow could leave without wearing his leathers. That left you – as Oliver - no choice except to wear my sweatpants." By this point, Felicity sounded as if she didn't know whether laugh or cry. "Ipso facto - a threesome."
Oliver sat there, silently. What could he say, really?
"The worst part of it all," Felicity continued, "is that I'm not sure whether Mom is horrified or impressed. You know she's always thought me too serious, too bookish. To find out that I'm in a threesome with the city's mayor and its vigilante – both hot men – well, she looked like she wanted to hug me and slap me at the same time. One minute she's telling me I'm an idiot, and the next she's asking whether threesomes are everything they're cracked up to be. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."
Oliver sighed. It certainly was a predicament, although he was relieved to know that Donna wasn't running around telling people he was the Green Arrow. And there was a kind of ironic humor, when you thought about it. After all, Felicity did just sleep with both men. After a moment, he reached over to take one of Felicity's hands. "Maybe we should just let her keep thinking it," he said slowly.
"Seriously?"
He squeezed her hand gently. "It's kind of true, after all, and it's always easier to stick to the truth. You did sleep with the Mayor and the Green Arrow at the same time. If your mom can handle that idea, why try to come up with another explanation?"
She stared at him. "You know we all hate it when you refer to yourself in the third person, right?"
Oliver smiled. "Yup, I know it."
"And I'm going on record as saying I don't think this is a good idea. I'm not so sure Mom can handle it. Okay, so she won't slip up about you being the Green Arrow, but what if she slips up about our supposed arrangement? Is that any better?"
"People are usually reluctant to talk about sex in their personal lives, especially anything that's a little…kinky. I don't think she's likely to say her daughter is sleeping with two men simultaneously. She'll be too afraid of damaging your reputation."
"You've met my mother, Oliver…"
Oliver smiled. "Yes, I have. And I'm still pretty confident about this one."
Felicity sighed. "And I'm just supposed to spend time with her, knowing she thinks I'm the filling in the middle of an Oliver-Arrow sandwich?"
He gave something between a laugh and a snort. "There are worse things." Something suddenly occurred to him, and although he was afraid, he had to ask it. "Does this mean that last night and this morning wasn't a fluke? That it will happen again? That we're on the way to being…close…again? I was thinking you might have just been grateful for the rescue from Dennis."
She rolled her eyes. "Four times, Oliver? Once might have been gratitude, but four times? Do you really need to ask?"
He smiled, relieved and happy. She hadn't said all was forgiven yet, but that was pretty damn close. He replied lightly, "So it was four. I lost count."
"Yes, it was four. A very good four, too."
"I'm glad to hear it."
She was smiling back at him warmly. So warmly, in fact, that it was giving him ideas. After a moment, he said, "You know, if you don't see much happening in the city tonight," he gestured toward the computer, "we could go back to the loft and try for five."
"Try for five what?" Curtis's voice emerged from the elevator, causing them both to jump in their chairs. Felicity slid her glasses back on her face and the three of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Curtis began to grin broadly. "So I was on target last night when I told you two to go find a room? You finally kissed and made up?" He shook his head gleefully. "It's about time." When Oliver and Felicity said nothing, he added, "Well, what are you both still doing here? Take the night off." He made a shooing gesture toward the elevator. "Go home. Celebrate. The bad guys will be here tomorrow."
Felicity sighed and didn't move. She glanced wryly at Oliver. "As much as I'd like to follow your suggestion, Curtis, my mother is in town and staying at the loft. She arrived this morning and it puts a bit of a…" she hesitated, "damper on things."
Oliver frowned, some of his cheer disappearing. He'd been so happy about Felicity still having feelings for him that he'd managed to forget about Donna for a few short seconds. If he went back to the loft with Felicity now, there was a good chance Donna would be waiting for them and want to talk about the alleged menage a trois. It was a conversation he didn't feel like having tonight – and maybe not ever, if he could help it. It was cowardly, he knew, but he kind of hoped Felicity could deal with her mom alone on this one.
Curtis, unaware of Donna's theory, rolled his eyes. "There are always complications with you two. Why don't you call Quentin Lance and have him take your mother off your hands for the night? Give you lovebirds some alone time."
Felicity shook her head. "Unfortunately, Mom and Mr. Lance aren't seeing each other anymore." She glanced at Curtis thoughtfully. "What are you and Paul up to tonight?"
Curtis held up his hands. "Oh, no, no, no. I'm thrilled you and Oliver are getting back together and I'll help when I can, but don't ask me to play host to your mom. That's going above and beyond."
Felicity slumped back in her chair. "Yeah…I suppose that is asking too much." She looked at Oliver ruefully. "Well, I guess we should go back and face the music? Maybe it won't be that bad."
Oliver slid his chair a few inches away from hers. "I don't know, Felicity. It's your mom's first night in town. I was thinking you should spend some time alone with her. I can catch up with both of you over dinner tomorrow."
Felicity's eyes narrowed. "Oliver Queen, this isn't a great way to begin our new relationship – leaving me to face danger on my own."
He smiled apologetically. "I know. I'm being a chicken. I promise I'll be by your side tomorrow night, though."
"I'll hold you to that." And Felicity rose reluctantly from her chair and headed for the elevator.