Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow or DC Comics. Obviously.

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You're Banging My Bedroom Wall

XXXI. Aftermath

"I changed my mind, Felicity," Donna said the next morning. "I don't like your boyfriend."

The kitchen in Felicity's apartment turned quiet immediately following her words. She stilled at the counter, her hand hovering over the chopping board as she stopped cutting the peppers for the omelet she was supposed to be making. Felicity deliberately puts the knife down beside the chopping board before turning to face her mother. "What?" she asked, sure that she heard her wrong because there was no way she just said that.

Barry took one look at her face before quietly taking over the chopping after moving down the counter away from her.

"Since Bear stopped me from asking my other questions, I had to find another way of seeing how serious he is about you, baby," Donna explained from where she sat at the breakfast bar. "And Oliver acted very strange when I started talking about you two getting married last night. He looked like it was the very last thing that he wanted, Felicity."

Felicity groaned, bringing her hand up to cover her face. She'd wondered why her mother had suddenly turned cold toward Oliver last night after dinner at the Queen's, but she didn't think it was this!

"Mom," she sighed, one part exasperated and one part relieved, and crossed her small kitchen to stand across from her. "That had nothing to do with the wedding stuff and everything to do with his mother."

Donna frowned in confusion, reaching across the counter in front of her to take her daughter's hands in her own. "What do you mean, honey?" she asked softly.

"Moira's been trying to convince us to get married and give her grandchildren since the day I first met her," she told her. "She's brought it up so many times that Oliver and I have already talked about marriage and weddings and stuff, even though we've only been dating for a few months, Mom." Felicity sighed, dragging a hand through her hair as she thought back to last night. "When you started talking about a wedding between me and Oliver, Moira looked like she was about to start planning one now based on what you were saying even though we're nowhere close to being engaged. And she kind of looked like she was going to try and recruit you to her cause."

Shocked, her mother stared at her with wide eyes and her eyebrows had traveled so high up her forehead that they threatened to disappear into her hairline. "But you just started dating a few months ago and neither of you are ready to get married."

Felicity nodded, dropping her head to rest on their clasped hands. "I know that and Oliver knows that and you know that, but Moira's dead serious about getting us married. Like right now."

"Oh, honey," Donna murmured, gently running a hand through her daughter's hair. "I might have made it worse didn't I? I'm sorry. All I was trying to do was find out if Oliver was committed to you and your relationship unlike that Cooper boy you dated."

She lifted her head and steadily met her mother's gaze. "He's very committed, Mom, much more than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ever was. And so am I."

Her mother closely watched her for a moment before a small smile spread across her face. "Good. I thought I was going to have to somehow corner Oliver and put the fear of God into him if he wasn't serious about my baby girl."

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Later that morning, Felicity and Barry slowly made their way through the various stalls of the open-air market set along the waterfront near downtown Starling while Donna wandered ahead of them, moving stall to stall and only stopping when she saw something that caught her eye. Visiting Starling City's famed open-air market was always at the top of Donna's to do list when she came to see Felicity. The last two times she had come to Starling a storm had hit the city and they were unable to go so Felicity and Barry thought it was the perfect place to spend the day with her.

"I still can't believe you spent your vacation with Mom," Felicity said to him when they stopped at a vendor selling handmade jewelry.

Barry held up two different pair of earrings for her to consider and she picked up a completely different pair from the table. "It wasn't that bad, though," he said with a shrug, buying the earrings she had chosen for his longtime girlfriend Iris. "She just had me help her at the bakery behind the counter and tried to embarrass me in front of her employees. I'd call that a successful vacation from my forensic work at the police department. Iris had to work all week anyway, since she was investigating some big story."

They continued moving through the market, stopping once for Barry to buy an overpriced green smoothie. "So that little freak-out you guys had last night wasn't about Aunt Donna's choice in interrogation tactics?" he prompted.

Felicity shook her head, spotting her mother stopping to admire some silk scarves ahead of them. "No. Oliver's mother has been trying to get us married since we started dating and we saw her get this look in her eye like she was about to start planning our wedding when Mom started talking about the imaginary one," she told him.

Her cousin stared at her in disbelief, his expression frighteningly identical to the one her mother had made when she told her earlier. "Well, at least you can't say your life's boring," he said after he finally recovered, taking a sip of his smoothie.

"Sometimes I wish it was, but then I don't think that would be my life," she sighed. They walked in silence for a few moments before Felicity spoke again. "So what do you think of Oliver?"

Barry glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I like him for you, Felicity. He's much better than that douchebag, What's-His-Face, you were dating last year. Oliver actually makes you happy—despite his wedding-crazy mother," he said, sipping at the last of his smoothie. "As long as he treats you well and doesn't break your heart or something, he's good. Hypothetically – not that I think this would ever happen since he looks at you like you hung the moon – if Oliver were to hurt you, I'd just find a way to frame him for murder since I don't think I could take him in a fight. I'd just leave that part to Sara like last time anyway."

The corners of her mouth lifted up into a small smile at his words. "Thanks, Bartholomew," she told him.

"No problem, Felicity," he said with a dimpled grin, slinging an arm over her shoulders as they finally caught up with Donna. "And don't ever call me that again unless you want me to resurrect those pictures of you from your goth phase in college and show them to Oliver."