Thea was so focused on her phone and the online baby story that she didn't even notice Oliver paused in the foyer of the Queen mansion until she bumped into him.

"Whoa... what's going on Ollie? What happened?"

She watched him look around the large area filled with priceless antiquity that was lovely but impersonal.

"I just realized this isn't what I want."

Thea looked around not understanding what he meant, "What do you want?"

"A home."

Footsteps were heard on the hardwood floor before Moira appeared on the doorway. The always composed Queen matriarch looked distressed and only the sight of her children safely at home managed to calm her down.

She was against Thea leaving the mansion so soon after being found by the police, but her daughter has always been stubborn. She got that from her mother.

"You have a home Oliver." she finally spoke, after few moments of silence during which she took in the sight of the siblings standing side by side.

"I know but..." he started, but quickly lost the train of thoughts.

Instantly Thea leaned towards her brother, and leaned her head on his shoulder. The sweet smile she gave him may have seem innocent but both mother and brother knew her too well not to suspect she was up to something.

And that was proven correct when Thea looked straight at Moira and blurted, "He has a bit of an existential crisis after seeing the love of his life hold a newborn baby."

"Does that mean Laurel is safe? That is wonderful news. But where did you find a newborn baby?"

Oliver blinked a few times in confusion, trying to understand why his mother was mentioning his ex-girlfriend. At the same time Thea wasn't sure if she should grin that her brother didn't corrected the title she gave Felicity; or frown at her mother for mentioning Laurel right now.

"Laurel is fine." Oliver finally responded, "I'm guessing Lance took her home."

"You're guessing?" now Moira was the one confused.

"I meant Felicity Smoke." Thea said with a sigh, "You know Ollie's formed EA. The quirky blonde with glasses and no mouth filter? Yeah, her."

"Thea, sweety, Miss Smoke was nothing more than your brother's secretary. She isn't-" Oliver interrupted his mother before she managed to complete the sentence.

He had a pretty good idea what she was going to say. He knew his mother didn't like Felicity, or maybe didn't approve of her. Either way she would describe her as unimportant, replaceable, maybe a gold-digger. But she wasn't that.

Felicity was vital to him.

To both the CEO and the vigilante.

And he decided maybe it was time to come clean with what was remaining of his family. Completely clean.

That included telling Thea certain things about her parentage as well.

The drive to the Foundry was quiet, and few times Oliver even glanced in his sister's direction just to make sure she was still there and didn't escape the car. He didn't remember when was the last time he saw her so silent.

But he also understood her silence. She still had a lot to process, after all the revelation from last night was a really big one. Their mother was against it, but Oliver ignored her protest. Moira was still desperate to hold onto her old secrets, and Oliver was tired of them. Tired of lying to his friends.

So he told Thea the truth about her biological father.

The dark circles under her eyes, that she tried but didn't actually succeed to hide with make up, told him she didn't have much sleep last night. Truth be told neither did he.

Every time he closed his eyes he could see her. The golden hair, blue eyes behind glasses, the colorful clothes and fingernails. And what he liked the most about her; the wide smile. The smile that she used to give him... the smile that he missed so desperately once she left. Once he practically chased her off with his stupidity.

He kept making the same damn mistake over and over.

And then he had done it one too many times.

The sight of her leaving the Verdant that night, the words she said, still haunted his dreams.

"Would you have told me?" the question caught Oliver by surprise, and he once more turned to look at his sister, noticing she was looking out the window and not towards him, "If Slade haven't revealed your secret, would you have told me?" she clarified.

"I didn't plan to." he was honest with her, she deserved it after all the secrets that were slowly destroying their family, "You saw a bit of what I'm faced with every time I put on the hood. Slade took you cause you are my sister. During mom's trial..." it was difficult for him to relive that particular moment when he broke the promise to Tommy, but not just cause he felt like he let his friend down. It was the memory of how close she was to death.

"Ollie?" Thea noticed the look on her brother's face. He looked... tortured.

"During mom's trial there was that incident with the Count." he reminded her.

Right away she nodded, she remembered that day clearly, and how angry she was at her brother for leaving when their mother needed them to be there for her. Support her during the hearing.

"The Arrow... you killed him."

"I had no choice that day." he whispered so silently she barely heard him.

A feeling of a hand on his shoulder made Oliver turn towards his sister. The gently touch that meant the world to him.

"Because he was a bad guy." she pointed out.

"Because he had Felicity." Oliver corrected her and Thea gaped at him, "He held a syringe full of Vertigo at her throat and was going to inject her with it. She would have died of overdose before help could arrive. I made a promise to Tommy before he died that I would stop killing. That day I broke the promise."

The rest of the drive was spent in complete silence. Both siblings were lost in their own thoughts up until Oliver parked behind Verdant and reached for the doorhandle. Before he could open the driver side door Thea took hold of his right hand, and he focused on her instead.

"What use would have been if you have kept your promise and she died?" she asked seriously, and Oliver leaned to his right and pecked her cheek.

He knew it was her way of saying she understood that sometimes he had to make the most difficult choice and end someone's life. And she didn't judge him for it.

The only reason Roy Harper didn't end up lying flat on his back on the cold concrete floor of the Foundry was the Mirakuru that was still in his system. Because she might be small, but Thea was a force to recon with. Especially when she tackled a person.

"You just say me hours ago." Roy pointed out with a laugh.

"I know. But I wasn't sure if you'll still be here." she explained and instantly he wrapped his arms a bit more tight around her, but not tight enough to cause her pain or leave bruises.

"There is no where else I would rather be." he whispered in her ear, ignoring the snort coming from Diggle who just walked by the hugging couple and heard what he said.

"You could have stayed at the mansion yesterday, Roy. Even Ollie said it was okay."

Dig looked at his friend and Oliver shrugged. He did say it cause he knew it would make his sister happy. Their mother probably not so much. But he had a feeling Roy Harper might before a permanent fixture in his sister's life, so their mother will just have to get used to the teen and his presence.

"I know, but I stayed here instead. The cot is actually quite comfortable, and the Internet connection is really fast so I watched a movie... why are you two looking at me like that?"

Thea turned to see what her boyfriend was talking about and noticed Oliver and Diggle were gaping at Roy.

"You used the computers to watch a movie?" Dig asked carefully, glancing towards the stairs like he expected someone to appear there.

"Look, I know they are actually used for the Arrow business and all, but-"

"Think she will use her loud voice?" Oliver grinned when Dig turned towards him and asked.

"What's going on?!" Thea wanted an answer, and she wanted it now.

"Let's put it this way... just cause I paid for the computers it does not mean they are mine." Oliver clarified, causing Thea to roll her eyes.

"They are Blondie's?" Roy asked, "I forgot her name... met her in the hospital yesterday."

"Felicity." Dig said with a nod, "They are her babies. So start praying she doesn't give you an hour long lecture with a PowerPoint presentation on why you should never use them for something that isn't Arrow related."

"She sounds scary." the teen muttered. "Doesn't look that way."

"Looks can be deceiving." Dig responded with a grin. He had successfully scared the snot out of the kid.

"I wasn't sure she if was a part of the team." Thea commented once she took a seat in the computer chair and started to spin in it slowly, "How long was she working with the Starling city vigilante?"

"Longer then she knew." Diggle grinned, and when Oliver groaned explained, "Since your brother handed her a laptop with bullet holes in it, told her it doesn't work cause he spilled Latte on it, and she helped him. The excuses just got more ridiculous after that."

"Seriously?" Thea laughed, "It seems to me you were looking for reasons to seek her out, Ollie."

Before Oliver managed to respond to his sister's taunt Roy interrupted him, "But she wasn't here when you brought me in. In fact no one even mentioned her."

Dig turned towards his friend, silently telling him he was the one that should explain that one.

"I messed up." Oliver finally said with a sigh, after few moments of silence, "And she left. Even quit in QC."

"What did you do?" Thea asked right away. She only met Felicity properly last night and instantly liked the quirky blonde.

"I hooked up with Sara... and she caught us down here, and-"

"God, Ollie..." his sister groaned, and he frowned at her, "Because it ended up so great the last time you decided to hook up with Sara Lance... You are my brother, and I love you most of the times, but you are an idiot if you don't realize a relationship with Sara is only good to destroy another, possibly better, relationship."

"Can we just... stop dissecting my private life for a moment and focus on something more important?" Oliver pointed at his friend, "Like the Diggle baby that still doesn't have a name."

"Oh, she has a name." Dig responded, deciding to give Oliver a break and not insist they continue the conversation about his mistakes, "And since both my ladies are doing great the doctor said they could come home today. So there will be a dinner in their honor tonight and you are all invited. Then we will announce my little girl's name."

Thea grinned, a celebration dinner was a perfect reason to buy gifts for a baby. Not that Thea Queen needed a reason to go shopping. She never shopped for a newborn before, though. But they was okay. Clothes were clothes, just smaller.

Lyla observed the odd group of people in the apartments she shared with her husband with a small smile on her face. They were quite a bunch of different individuals. A billionaire vigilante, his younger sister the heiress, the girl's boyfriend a ex-thief, and a bubbly computer specialist. Two of them she only met yesterday, but they were already dear to her.

The dinner went great, especially since she wasn't the one who cooked it. Oliver surprised her earlier by showing up at the apartment hours before he supposed to and made their meal himself. Said it was his gift to the new mom. He did however tried to get Johnny to help.

Her man only responded that this was Oliver's gift, and therefore he can do it himself.

The Starling city vigilante just shrugged and went to peeling the potatoes.

And it was a general consensus that this was the best meal they all ever had. The company certainly helped in that conclusion.

At the moment Oliver was casually sitting on an armchair with a beer in his hand, seemingly listening what she was saying. But Lyla was a trained ARGUS agent. She wasn't an idiot that didn't notice his focus was elsewhere.

Namely on little Andrea Diggle. And the woman that was holding her.

Roy noticed it too. He didn't know Oliver Queen that good, but he was certain he never saw that dreamy look on his face before. Hoping his girlfriend, and Oliver's sister, would be more familiar with the dreamy look her brother currently sported he slowly reached for her hand and squeezed gently, attracting her attention without attracting Oliver's.

She glanced at him instantly and with a small move of his head he pointed out at the man in the armchair. The young girl looked at Diggle and raised her eyebrow.

And the former soldier just sighed and shook his head.

He was getting tired of Oliver and his inability to just express his emotions in a less creepy way, cause at the moment he was looking at Felicity like a man dying of thirst and she was the oasis his life depended on.

"It's getting pretty late." Thea finally pointed out. She had a plan and hoped her brother was smart enough to catch on, "Could you give me a ride back to the mansion, Ollie?"

Seeing that Roy and Felicity were both getting ready to leave he simply tossed his sister the car keys, "You can give yourself a ride, even drop Roy at his place now that he is no longer staying at the lair."

"And you?" she asked innocently.

"I'll walk Felicity to her hotel, and then catch a cab." his response made the blonde woman gap at him, not expecting him to say something like that.

"That's not necessary." instantly Felicity tried to change his mind.

But tonight she worked against two Queen's, and she stood no choice. Especially not against Thea who was a woman on a mission.

"Oh, it's very necessary." the young heiress said with a wide smile, before winking at her brother. She gave him an in, not it was up to him to fix what he messed up. And she dodubted he would be given several chances to do so.

Diggle agreed with her. As he and Lyla watched the pair walk away, in the direction of the hotel Felicity was staying in, he muttered under his breath, "Last chance, Oliver."

Lyla only laid a hand on his shoulder. She knew he was rooting for the two people he cared about finally do something about that mutual attraction everyone around them noticed, but they themselves somehow remained blind to it.

The vase with sunflowers that arrived together with her breakfast order surprised Felicity. But it shouldn't. Not really.

The slow walk back to her hotel last night made it quite obvious to her that Oliver was trying to patch up things between them. He was a perfect gentlemen, even lend her his jacket cause her thin sweated didn't really help with the chill of the evening. But then again Oliver was known to have impeccable manners when it suited him.

And last night he went all out as he asked her about her life after she left Starling. Felicity indulged his curiosity. She told him about the choice not to stay in Gotham after all, and work for Wayne enterprise. About the offer to work for Ray Palmer in Coast city. About her choice to return to Starling once she realized she missed her home.

The hopeful look in his eyes didn't escape her notice. It actually caused an excited tingle down her spine and Felicity desperately tried to block it. She had no reason to feel anything, absolutely anything, just cause Oliver seemed happy at the prospect of her returning to the city.

But it was very difficult to pretend she was completely unfazed by the attention he was giving her last night. She felt important to him again, like she did before when she was his girl.

A knock on her door startled Felicity and she opened them without asking who it was. If it was Dig she would be getting a lesson about safety, she was quite certain about that.

But it wasn't. It was the other member of the original Team Arrow.

"Good morning." Oliver said with a wide smile, "I hope you had a good night rest."

She watched his suspiciously, trying to figure out what was going on, but he was just standing there all calm and collected, while she was trying to do something about those butterflies in her stomach and failing miserably.

"Morning. And yes, I slept well." she finally responded.

"I didn't." the next words out of his mouth surprised her and Felicity frowned, "Can I come in?"

She moved slightly and opened the door a bit more, welcoming him inside her room. It was fairly simple, nothing like the suites he was probably used to. No unnecessary luxury for her, not until she got a permanent job.

"Thank you." she blurted, causing Oliver to turn towards her and look at her curiously, "For the flowers, I mean. I like sunflowers."

"I remember. You said you prefer them over any other cause they have a purpose, and aren't just for decoration." the fact that he remembered something she said over a year ago made her smile instantly. It was yet another proof Oliver could be sweet when he wanted to.

"So, what kept you up at night?" she asked and, when he looked confused, added, "You said you didn't sleep well."

Oliver nodded but remained quiet. She could recognize that look on his face easily. He was trying to find the right words, so Felicity remained silent too until he was ready to talk.

"I had a lot of my mind, I guess. Yesterday was... I finally... I mean..."

"Usually I'm the one talking in fragmented sentences." Felicity pointed out with a small smile. He was nervous, and she wanted to make him feel more comfortable.

"Have dinner with me." Oliver finally blurted.

As a response he received a gasped, "What?"

"Felicity Smoak, would you have dinner with me?"

"Can I know why? Why now?"

Felicity watched as Oliver slowly turned away from her, intentionally avoided her eyes. Instead he looked at just about anything in the room, from the few prints that decorated the walls to her breakfast that was slowly getting cold.

"Because I am smart enough to know when I made a mistake, but stupid enough to do it in the first place." he muttered, "I am asking for a chance Felicity, one final chance, to make things right."

"And you think a dinner is the way to do it?"

"I don't know... when it comes to you I don't really know. Because this is the first time I actually care about what you want, and I-"

"What I want is not to be the second choice." she interrupted him and Oliver's blue eyes snapped at her, "I know it's selfish of me, because there will always be more important things, I just want to be someone's first choice. I never had that before."

"Then let me put you first." he practically begged her, "Give me a chance to show you... I'm scared Felicity. You know it's not easy for me to admit this out loud, but sometimes I am terrified. The thought of you getting hurt because of me, because of what we do... and then you walked in the Foundry that night and got hurt. Not because of me, but by me."

"I threw a tantrum worthy of a toddler and abandoned you and everything we did." Felicity was ashamed of how she reacted that night. She didn't react like an adult human woman, she acted like a kid that couldn't accept the fact she didn't get what she wanted.

"And you had every right to do so. You needed to leave so you could come back when you were ready. And that is what this is all about." he slowly approached her and gently took her hand in his, "About being ready."

"What are you ready for?" Felicity's voice was meek.

"Dinner. And a bottle of red wine I still owe you." he responded and, when she looked up, their eyes locking, smiled brightly like he always did when it came to her, "I'm ready to be both Oliver and the Arrow. I'm ready to be with someone I care about."

Dig had a grin on his face the whole time while he was driving Felicity to the location where Oliver was waiting for her. Not that she could know that since she had a silk scarf tied around her eyes.

"You can stop smirking." a comment from the back seat made him look in the rear-view mirror.

"How can you tell?" he just had to know.

"I agreed to dinner with Oliver. Did you also win money in a bet too?"

He snorted, "No one wanted to bet. We were all certain you would agree to the date."

"It's not a date, it's dinner." she pointed out.

"You are all dressed up and wearing contacts. Oliver is all dressed up and wearing suspenders." a groan coming from the woman on the beak seat made him smirk again. Guess he did win fifty bucks after all, cause Oliver didn't believe that Felicity had a thing for him wearing suspenders. The boy was obviously blind if he didn't notice how she looked at him that night after he took off his suit jacket.

Or actually how she tried not to look at him.

Totally transparent.

"Still not a date." Felicity muttered quietly under her breath, before something he said finally registered in her mind. The very thought of Oliver wearing the certain accessory slowed down her processing capability, but there was nothing she could do against it, "Who is this 'we' you mentioned? 'We were all certain'?"

"Oh just me and Lyla... and Thea... Roy." he checked her reflection in the mirror before saying the final name, "Mrs. Queen."

If the scarf wasn't covering her eyes Dig was certain they would be open wide and gaping at him in shock. Cause he pretty much just told her Oliver's mother knew about the date and also approved it. Well, he didn't said she approved, but Moira Queen was oddly on board with her son asking Felicity out on a dinner.

It was even her idea to make it a bit more special tonight, a bit more personal and away from the public eye. And there was no better place for that then the one Dig was stopping right in front.

Felicity turned when the back door opened and moved to exit, a large hand gently reaching for her elbow and helping her out.

"Can I take the scarf off now?" he asked impatiently.

"Not yet."

"Can I at least peek?"

Dig sighed, "I received strict instructions. No removing the scarf, no peeking, no anything until it's time."

"You're no fun."

"I can life with being no fun. But if Thea Queen finds out I didn't followed the basic instructions..." Felicity's laughter cut him off and Diggle had to smile at the sound. He missed her presence, her brightness, and her laugh.

It will be great to have her back in Starling and in their lives. And most likely in the team.

"Don't let me fall." she gasped after he started to lead her towards their final destination, and she tripped before they even entered the building.

"I won't, I promise."

Oliver heard their footsteps, stood up from the chair he was sitting on, and went to meet them. His friend did his part, it was time for him to take over.

Felicity turned towards Dig when she felt him release her hand. She couldn't see him but she could hear him pulling away, "What...?"

"Felicity." all Oliver had to do was say her name like he did before and instantly he had her complete attention. She forgot all about their friend standing somewhere behind her, about the fact she had a scarf on her eyes and didn't know where she was, about the nervousness she felt in the car.

Suddenly he was right there, and all she could focus on was him. His presence in her life.

"Oliver."

He took her hand in his and Felicity bit her lower lip to prevent herself from gasping. For someone who had such rough hands his touch was incredibly gentle.

"Thank you for coming, for agreeing to dinner."

She wanted to grin at Diggle, tell him that she was the one who was right. That it was a dinner, and not a date.

Instead she honestly said, "There is nowhere else I would rather be."

The small fairy lights twinkled all around them, creating a magical atmosphere. Felicity never saw anything more beautiful than the carefully planed and executed date for two, in the large wooden gazebo in the garden of the Queen mansion.

It was obviously Oliver had help, there was no way he could have done all this himself. And she was okay with that. Because he personally did the most important aspect of the dinner.

The meal they were currently enjoying.

"So not only are you handsome and rich, you can also cook." she sighed, "You, Oliver, are the member of the group that is being hunted till extinction by women all over the world."

He gave her the sweetest smile in response, one that made her literally lost her breath, before he responded, "I am only interested in being hunted by one woman. And she already caught me... just that neither of us knew it."

A bright blush colored Felicity's face. There was no way she misunderstood what he just said.

He meant her.

"I can't cook." she suddenly blurted, "One time I put eggs to cook and forgot about them, and all of the water evaporated and the eggs cracked in the empty pot. The whole apartment stunk for hours. It was awful."

"I couldn't either, but I was forced to learn. Now I enjoy it."

"Maybe you could teach me." she said coyly.

A wide smile spread on Oliver's face. It wasn't just an offhand request for cooking lessons, it was her way of saying she'll continue being a part of his life.

"I would happily do that as soon as I find the place I like."

Felicity frowned, looked towards the mansion, and then back at him, "Place?"

"I'm moving out. Told my mother about it, about wanting my own place."

"How did she take it?" all of her dealings with Mrs. Queen were short and not particularly pleasant.

Oliver placed both hands on the table in front of him and leaned forward, his eyes watching her closely. He wanted to see her reaction to his idea, and hoped she would find it as appealing as he did.

"She was the one who suggested it, offered really. I'm taking a three months leave from QC, she will be the acting CEO in the meantime."

"Where will you go?" Felicity instantly asked. The thought of him leaving Starling city now that she was back was... not pleasant.

"Anywhere I want." Oliver said with a shrug, "I had this dream of just getting in a car and driving away. No destination, no plans... just a long road ahead... and you next to me."

Felicity leaned back in her chair. The idea sounded so appealing, so perfect. But there was another long road ahead of them, the proverbial one they needed to travel until they fixed things between them.

"And the Arrow? What about him?"

"I told you this morning I want to be both Oliver and the Arrow. The truth is I forgot what it felt like being Oliver Queen, just the man... without the hood."

Felicity nodded, she understood what he meant. And with each passing moment his plan to just drive away seemed more and more like the best possible idea for the two of them. Oliver basically admitted he cared for her, maybe even felt something more for her. And she was certain she loved him.

Leaving Starling for a few months might be just what they need to clear the air between them without any distractions or audience. And it's not like she had any plans for the future anyway. She was currently without a job or home.

Matching Oliver's pose, and also leaning forward so their noses were few inches away she grinned wickedly and asked, "So, you want to give me a ride of my life?"

Oliver grinned back. Felicity's sexual innuendo's were hilarious. But when she said them intentionally... that's even better.

"There are quite a few cars in the garage. Pick one and we'll test drive it tonight."

First personalized postcard they sent was right away attached to the fridge with an arrow shaped magnet. And every time he saw the image them smiling at the deck of a ship in front of Niagara falls, of all places, Diggle had to smile as well.

Second postcard attired at the mansion. Thea screeched like a banshee when she saw it and ran to show it to her mother. Both Queen women agreed there wasn't a more beautiful sight than Oliver and Felicity holding hands while standing at the edge of a cliff in the Grand Canyon. Moira also made a mental note to yell at her son for doing something so dangerous.

One postcard had a Las Vegas address written on the back and Donna Smoak had the surprise of her life when she saw the photo. Her little girl had some explaining to do. She had no idea Felicity knew Oliver Queen. And why were they holding hands while at the same time hugging a giant sequoia?

The one Walter received had a simple 'Thank you' written on it, and the gentle man instantly smiled. Oliver was a good man, and Felicity was a bright young woman. They both deserved to be happy, and if they could be happy together than that is even better. He heard from Thea that they were traveling together, and from the elegant lines and glass structure of Eero Saarinen's Kresge Auditorium in the background behind the smiling couple he concluded they decided to also visit MIT.

That was the only communication exchange for almost three months, until Felicity received an e-mail from Thea with the subject 'family home' that several attachments to it. It confused her at first, there was no reason for Thea to send her photos of the Queen mansion.

But it turned out the small gallery the Queen heiress put together was of an empty three bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood. It featured a large kitchen with state of the art appliances, an incredible en-suite bathroom and a big walk-in closet, and it seemed one of the rooms was designed to be a study cause it had a built in shelves.

When she mentioned to Thea she was going apartment hunting after the trip she didn't expect for her self-proclaimed best friend to do it for her. And pick something like this. It was quite lovely, but Felicity had no doubt it was way over her budget.

"She didn't find it for you." Oliver informed her when she showed him the pictures, "She found it for me. Although, I'm hoping she actually found it for us."

"You want to live with me? Or me with you." Felicity asked for clarification right away.

"Yes."

She remembered what he said that night during their first date, that he was looking for a place of his own. But during the months they spent on the road it was becoming very clear he was in it for the long haul. It wasn't anymore about living on his own away from the mansion and the memories that sometimes seemed stiffening.

Now it was about living together and making their own memories, their own plans for the future.

"It looks beautiful." she opened the first photo in the mail again, "With a few wisely picked pieces of furniture and some splash of colors on the walls I think we could turn it into a home. What do you think?"

Oliver merely closed the laptop in her lap, and set it on the coffee table, before kissing her passionately. He tried a few drugs when he was younger and dumber, but none was as potent and as addictive as Felicity's kisses.

"I think wherever you are... that's where I found my home."