chosenbylightning | For @farfromstanford - Reunited and it feels so good..

For @farfromstanford - Reunited and it feels so good..

It's funny how technology makes the little details of life easier. Your phone wakes you up, calendar acts as your reminder so you don't forget where to be and when. And sometimes? Sometimes it's pretty amazing when an old friend from college finds you on social media and wants to catch up. Jessica was brilliant and Barry was a couple of years ahead of most of his peers, placing him in advanced college courses with students that had at least five years on him. It might have been daunting if he hadn't been enjoying it so damned much. Intelligence was rewarded in college, it didn't get you bullied or into trouble with the popular kids.

Okay, so it also helped that he was far enough away from Central City that most people didn't know his father was in prison (wrongly) for the murder of his mother.

Barry had immediately replied to Jessica's friend request, which started a series of messages that quickly became video calls and almost daily online chats. They talked about work, about their lives, Barry even told her about the lightning strike, but not quite what happened after he woke up, and his new friends. Star Trek marathons with his best friend. Talking to Caitlin over drinks and the infamous Karaoke Incident.

So when Jessica asked if she could visit, he instantly agreed. Sure, Barry could run there in an hour or less, but it'd be nice to see her and introduce her to his friends. She might even be able to charm a smile out of Harry.

.. and maybe he'd bet Cisco fifty bucks to that effect.

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The flight isn't any longer than most she gets to take, but it definitely feels longer when your knees and the seat in front of you make friends because the snoring and drinking guy sitting in said seat has managed to find the farthest possible position for leaning the seat back. No warning. No apologies.

She's really glad she had that blood Mary in her hand and not on the tray table.

Jess was ecstatic to have seen Barry pop up on her 'People You May Know'--Same incredibly charming smile in that profile picture. A smile that could melt the coldest of hearts, and even melt fire if possible. He'd been an amazing, sweet, way smarter than she'd ever hoped to be fella who just happened to be taking the advanced bio class with her.

So, maybe it's a bit of a surprise that they'd spent so many hours talking after he'd accepted her request. After all, it sounded like he had one heck of a busy life in Central City. To be fair, it wasn't like Jessica wasn't making use of her time--it was just never time for herself. She's amazed she'd asked to visit. Take some of that vacation time that was stacking up. Might as well spend it with someone awesome, right?

After a shower to knock down the funk of air travel and a couple of time zones, Jess is texting Barry:

[I'm at the hotel. I'll meet you at the bar next to the lobby. :)]

[Super excited!]

For once, Central City does the Flash a personal favor and there are no crises looming on the horizon. He's just finishing up work at the lab, making sure he's completely caught up before taking a few days off work to show Jess around the city when the text comes in.

Can't wait!! I'll see you in
Wait. He has to travel at normal speeds, right? Right. about ten minutes.

And ten minutes later (he got there in thirty seconds, but even with his speed he somehow barely manages to be on time) he's walking into the bar trying to smooth out his hair and catch sight of her. Aha. Right there. Blonde curls and a smile that could light up the entire room. Barry is grinning broadly as he approaches, reaching for a hug. "Hey stranger. Been a long time."

Her water is forgotten as Jessica hears a familiar voice and turns to greet Barry with a bright smile. "You're telling me," she says, sliding out of her seat to embrace him. "We should really put the internet into use more often."

Pulling back, Jess can't help but give him a quick once-over--especially since he feels a lot firmer than he did so long ago. "Central City seems to be treating you pretty well, Barry. You look great."

"Hey, I think it's done pretty good by us so far," he smiles and sits beside her, ordering a cup of coffee. "It got us back in touch."

"Thanks," and there's that little duck of his shoulders. The lightning had given him strength in addition to his speed, but he still had those moments when he felt like the skinny kid. "I started running last year."

"So we have a whole week. Where should we go first?"

'Running', he says. Nobody gets that toned from running. She's not about to argue the point with him, and she laughs quietly at his question.

"Well, I know I have to see STAR Labs, since every good nerd absolutely has to." Jess gives him a wink and grins before taking a sip of her water.

Hey, he'd like to think his poker face is getting better.

It's not. But he's trying. Oliver makes it look so damned easy sometimes.

"Come on. We'll grab a couple of Flash's at Jitters and head over. If I don't come bearing coffee Cisco and Harry will be at each other's throats." A smile. "They really like each other but it's.. just Harry's way of showing affection. He's a little.. grumpy."

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Properly armed with both coffee and treats, Barry and his guest are better received at STAR Labs. Cisco gives his best friend absolutely no end of grief for not bringing such lovely company by sooner and Harry simply takes his coffee, huffs and goes back to work.

"Okay," Barry allows. "So he's the human version of grumpy cat."

Cisco is nothing short of adorable, and Harry...

Harry's about as friendly as, well... Grumpy Cat.

Jessica leans over to Barry in full conspirator mode. "I fully admit that I am now terribly compelled to scratch him behind his ears." She grins behind a sip of some of the best coffee she's ever had, and wonders if Jitters has bags for her to take back home. "He'll either become putty in my hands or claw my eyes out."

Edited (Missed a key.) 2016-05-18 11:59 (UTC)

Cisco is completely charmed and more than happy to give Barry hell because he hasn't brought Jessica to visit before. Grief that Barry takes with his usual grace and a smile because it had taken them too long to reconnect.

He very nearly snorts his coffee as Cisco cackles in delight at the idea of Jessica scratching the cranky scientist behind the ears like an oversized cat. "He's more a throwing things kind of guy when he gets frustrated. Erasers. Markers. The occasional book."

There's a smile that Jessica possesses that can mean one of two things: Either she's got a plan to take over the world, or she's incredibly hungry. In this case, it leans more toward world domination. "It's a good thing my softball days haven't completely left me. How is he at dodging?"

Yeah, maybe it's a little mean considering she doesn't really know the guy, but if Harry is prone to pitching, he should be aware of incoming retaliation.

Jess looks at Barry. "So, what are you guys working on now?" It's an innocent enough question. He'd told her about the accident (though she did remember it coming across the wire on the news), and it looks like STAR Labs hadn't been shut down entirely.

Cisco elbows Barry sharply. If he doesn't propose, Cisco just might.

"We've been working on a metahuman tracking app," Barry answers as Cisco wanders off to annoy Harry with whatever happens to come to mind. "Helps CCPD track activity in the city. Soon as someone reports it, we can use the STAR Labs satellite to track the location and confirm whether it's legitimate or just a hoax."

A small grin. "I mean, the Flash can't be everywhere at once."

She smiles, albeit a little enigmatic. When they had reconnected and started talking via email, text, video chat--the occasional phone call she'd make during the day-- The Flash had been brought up a few times, in addition to metas. Granted, some word had made it to her part of the world about people like The Flash and Green Arrow, but it had never affected her in any way, not really. They were interesting to read about, at least.

"That's a pretty cool thing. Maybe a little too 'Big Brother' for me in some ways, but I get the necessity of it." Her elbow finds his arm in a gentle nudge. "I'm sure the Flash appreciates it."

"Well it's not like we're actively tracking them," Barry clarifies. "Not all metahumans are bad and not all of their powers are dangerous. But there are some that the police have to deal with and sometimes they need the help of our tech."

Or the Flash, but hey. Details, right?

A slight roll of his shoulder and a smile. "We do what we can to help."

It's an easy smile for Barry, as it's always been since the first day they'd had that crazy advanced bio class together, and she felt ridiculously old. College students didn't generally seem to care about age, only that they were passing the class and they knew everybody was in it together. For better or worse.

She was sad when graduation came, and the pair of them went their separate ways. Emails and numbers had been exchanged, but between finishing her doctorate and her boards, the 'We should totally keep in touch' never came. That is, until one fateful day of 'People You May Know'.

"It's good work you do." Jess would like to say, And I would totally come here to help because this is just awesome and I want to be cool like all of you!, but she has her patients at home. And she's nowhere near awesome enough to get on the STAR Labs list. Even then, what could she possibly have to offer other than the occasional lollipop and Captain America band-aid? "I have to say that there never seems to be a dull moment in this town, just from what you've told me. Makes San Francisco on a bad day look boring."

Jess was going off to be an amazing doctor and Barry had gained acceptance to Midway to become a forensic specialist. They were both off chasing their dreams and while he sometimes let his thoughts drift back to those days in college, life kept him pretty focused.

Then the particle accelerator exploded and life grew ever more complicated.

"No, it pretty much keeps us on our toes," Barry agrees. Cisco has wandered off to annoy Harry and with their coffee finished, it's time to continue their tour of Central City. "Hey, there's a festival going on down near the middle of the city, do you want to check it out? Plenty of food booths, good beer, we can have lunch and a walking tour of the city?"

Yes. He knows he'd just eaten breakfast and before leaving Cisco not-so-subtly shoves a bag full of protein bricks at him. "Hypoglycemic," Barry offers, tucking the bars into his messenger bag. "And Cisco is a total mother hen."

"Dude, I can still hear you!"

"Don't threaten me with a good time," she declares and can't help the bubbled up laughter at Cisco's huff at Barry's well-meaning jab.

~*~

Ah, festivals. Food and people and oh hey--beer ain't so bad, either. But Jessica isn't going to get soused. At least not on her first day in Central City and after not having seen Barry in ages.

She snags a bite of the poutine she'd purchased and chases it down with a sip of really good stout. "You know, who would have thought that fries, cheese curds, and gravy would be so damn good together?" Another bite before pointing her spork in Barry's direction. "Canadians have this down to a science."

The weather is absolutely perfect for a day like this too, sunny and cool with a freshening breeze blowing in off the water. A good day to simply relax and be happy with a dear friend while showing off his city.

Poutine however, gets a slightly wrinkled nose as Barry finishes his second falafel of the day. "If you say so, something about gravy and french fries just seems odd. And what the heck is a cheese curd anyway?" He tips back his beer, taking a sip. Breathe. He can soak in the day and simply be Barry. No crises, no destruction on the horizon, just a sense of contentment.

Which, naturally, is when the universe decides to interrupt with the harsh sound of shattering glass and a child's terrified wail. Barry doesn't speed in the direction of the sound but he does drop both food and drink to race towards it rather than away.

As much as the day and the moment and company are being enjoyed, the cry of any child would have Jessica on her feet--especially after the preceding sound. Delicious food and delightful beer forgotten, the blonde falls in step with Barry to find the source of the distress.

Two blocks away, they come across a group of festival-goers surrounding the webbed pattern of glass on the sidewalk. In the middle of it is a tiny girl of possibly five years, her dark hair in pigtails and wearing a sunshine yellow pair of overalls with matching sneakers, sobbing her eyes out and clutching an action figure that Barry might recognize to her chest like there's no tomorrow.

A few people try to talk to her, try to ask her what happened, but they're only met with more tears. Jess is watching her reaction and noting nuances that a doctor or a parent might take an interest in, but not the average bystander trying to comfort an upset kid.

"Barry," she says, giving her intervention a few moments. "I think she's deaf."

Barry's heart aches for the little girl. He's never liked seeing kids upset or unhappy and he wants nothing more than to calm her down and find some way to make things right. Then his eyes catch on the bright red figure in her hands and inspiration strikes. Aha.

"How's your sign? Mine is rusty as all hell but I can probably wing it," he offers.

While his plan might out his identity to Jess, Barry isn't terribly worried about her finding out. Jessica has always been a good friend and he has faith in her ability to keep his secret if it comes to that.

She's starting her slow approach to the child before Barry can stop talking, if only because the people surrounding and closing in aren't really helping the situation.

Jess looks over at Barry with a quiet smile before turning her attention back to the little girl, trying to see if she has any visible lacerations or shineys in her hair from the glass which, oddly enough seems to have encircled her on the asphalt. "It's one of the first things I made the attempt to learn out of my undergrad. I want every kid to have the same level of care from me, whatever their challenge might be." Deaf, blind, developmental.

"I have a feeling you have an idea." Barry always has ideas. That was definitely part of his charm.

"Yeah, I might have something in mind," he grins at Jessica before dropping to one knee before the crying little girl whose terrified sobs have tapered off into hiccups. "You like the Flash?" his sign is slower than his words and he stumbles over finger spelling 'Flash' but it's clearly enough to get her attention.

The little girl nods, clutching the figure closer to her chest and Barry's smile only grows brighter. "You know, it's okay to be scared. Even the Flash gets scared."

Her eyes go wide and Barry presses on, hoping his sign isn't botching things too badly. "Even he needs help sometimes." He reaches out to touch the little plastic figure. "So I bet that even though you're scared, you can be brave like the Flash and ask for help. My name is Barry. My friend is a doctor. Will you let us help you?"

Watching Barry dissuade the little girl's fears is a special thing (well, Barry is pretty special, but that's a whole other conversation). Despite the slow and deliberate speed with his fingers and one or two hiccups, Barry's signing is actually pretty good. The tension of the little girl begins to melt away.

Jess squats down next to Barry and smiles gently at the girl. She does keep her sign a bit slower--there's still big tears in those big eyes; the pediatrician would like to make sure both the girl and Barry can see. "My name is Doctor Moore, but you can call me Jess." That Flash toy is hugged a little tighter. "Are you hurt?"

The girl debates this for a moment. Dark hair bounces as she shakes her head. Jess offers a sweet smile. "Good. That's good. What is your name?" Oh-- hesitation. No parents, no strangers. Good girl.

A glance at Barry with a brief smile. "It's okay. You don't have to say right now, sweetheart. Can you tell us where your parents are?"

Smart girl. Barry shares a smile with Jess before turning his attention back to the little girl who's shaking her head, tears threatening again in her eyes. "Hey, it's okay. We can help."

Joe would absolutely kill him for this, but.. "You know," And Barry's expression is one that could only be called conspiratorial, as if he and the little girl are sharing a deep secret. "I think I saw some lightning pass by on the streets."

Which gets her immediate and undivided attention, eyes wide as she waves her Flash figure at Barry, nearly shoving a small plastic hand right up his nose. He laughs and nods. "That's right! And hey.. me and the Flash? We're pretty tight. I bet if you go with Jess to find a policeman, I can probably talk him into saying hello."

Wild hope replaces fear and the little girl nods.

Yep. Joe was going to kill him for this and Harry was going to give him ten kinds of hell. But it's a little kid. He's got to.

Before Jess looks up Barry is slipping through the crowd. He's going to have to get his spare suit from the station, but it's not that far away and when you travel at over 1500 miles an hour it only tacks a few extra seconds on to the trip before he's off again, looking for Jess and that little girl.

Well, sure. Barry had talked about the Flash, and it's not like the red streak hadn't not been mentioned in the local papers or on the internet. She's well aware that STAR Labs had been working with the Flash and the local police to help with other metahumans, but it's the first mention of Barry Allen being 'pretty tight' with the guy.

Curious how Barry is up and moving before she can say anything.

Question tucked away for later, Jess turns to the little one. "Is it okay if I lift you up and get you away from the glass?" Wee arms lift up, most of the suspicion and fear having been swept away by the promise of the real-life counterpart of the small red figure being clutched by a tiny hand. Jess imagines that it must've been pretty scary to have a large pane of otherwise tempered glass come crashing down--hell, she would have been terrified. But what's puzzling Jess is the fact that it's actually shattered and splintered on the sidewalk.

Not exactly what it was supposed to do.

The tiny girl is hoisted up as Jessica stands and treads carefully over the broken shards just as CCPD arrives--no doubt alerted by the silent alarm on the inside of the 'closed for festivities' business. Once cleared of the glass, Jess puts her little companion back down on her feet and is immediately being tapped at for attention.

The blonde crouches down to eye-level. "What's up, buttercup?"

That gets a giggle, at least. The child tucks tiny Flash under her armpit before signing:

"My name is Effie."

Cisco is already lighting up the comms about potential metahuman activity near the festival and Barry should do a quick sweep to make sure everything is clear. The rest of the festival is clear of trouble and Barry takes a moment to flash by Joe to confirm that he's in the area should something unexpected happen again.

With business taken care of, he's got a promise to keep.

Jess was at the first aid tent with the little girl, who was perched on a table, swinging her feet and playing with her figurine, occasionally casting glances around looking for her promised visit. Her eyes grow as big as saucers when the streak of yellow lightning comes to a halt just before her.

Being able to vibrate certain parts of his body comes in handy, particularly when Barry needs to conceal his identity. As he walks into the tent he can keep his features blurred just enough that no one can make out who he is and Barry boosts himself up on the table to sit beside her. "Hi there."

Logically, Jessica knows that she's supposed to expect at least Barry to show up letting her know that he's got a call in to The Flash (or at least STAR to reach out to him) to help a little one in a sticky situation. She isn't sure why she didn't really expect Central City's own hero to plop right up on the table next to Effie. But there he is.

And Jess smiles like a goof. C'mon. It's not like she's ever really met a superhero type before.

As for Effie? You couldn't have found a happier kidlet if you tried. She throws her arms around the guy, kind blinking for a moment at the vibration he's emitting, but she signs up at him, her little hands going a million miles an hour (or looks like): "I love you, Flash! Can you make me go fast, too?"

These are the moments that Barry loves the best. Not just running, not just tapping into the speed force and feeling it crackle like something alive around and inside of him. But the way he can make a scared little girl feel better simply by being there. He's not going to stop smiling for days.

The hug is returned and he laughs brightly at her enthusiasm and her joy. This? This is one of the days when it's completely awesome to be the Flash.

"I think we can," he answers, bringing her little hands up to feel the vibrations in his neck as he speaks. "Down to the park and back?" Effie nods enthusiastically and wraps her arms around his neck without hesitation. Barry wraps her up carefully, meeting Jessica's smile for a moment. "Be right back."

And in an instant they're gone. Two seconds later, they're back and Effie is wearing a crown of daisies to boot. Barry sets her back on the table with a smile. "You keep being brave, okay? Stay with the nice doctor until she finds your family."

How amazing it must be for Effie! To meet her hero. To be able to run at crazy speeds (Jess secretly wishes that Flash came with seatbelts or bumper pads, but he's helping a city--gotta be okay, right?)! How pleased she is with the flowers in her hair when she and the Flash both return. The tiny girl looks as though she might just cry when Flash is telling her goodbye, but the quivering lip tightens up when he tells her to keep being brave. Effie reaches out for a big hug and thanks him about five more times and asks if he can come back to play someday.

It's the 'brave' part that piques Jessica's attention, considering she and Barry Allen had only just talked to Effie about being brave because the Flash was brave. Interesting. But anyone would tell a little lost girl about being brave, right?

Right?

In spite of her maybe overthinking things, Jessica smiles very sweetly at Flash, signing for Effie as she speaks. "Thank you, Flash. This means a lot. Glad you and Barry are so close."

Those overflowing eyes very nearly do Barry in. He loves kids and the chance to sit down and play with one would be pretty tempting, but he also has to be very careful with his identity and keeping it hidden. So he returns the hug with a bright smile and nods, promising that he'll see her when he can. It's a promise he means to keep.

Another quick squeeze for Effie and he's straightening up as Jessica speaks. A smile and a nod and he's off in a rush of air, back to the station to change and then a block or two away where he can amble back towards the tent, brightly grinning as Effie starts waving excitedly at him. "Hey there! Looks like I missed all the excitement, huh?"

"Sure did," comments Jess, moving to brush back a curl that had escaped one of Effie's braids as she smiles at the girl. "Flash took her on a very exciting trip. And appears to be really good at daisy crowns."

She grins, offhandedly offering, "Kinda hot, too."

Effie's all smiles and hugging her Flash action figure before signing to Barry. He's so fun! He told me to be brave like you said, too! Is he your bestest friend?

"I see that," he grins at the flowers in her hair and Effie's excited signing.

He's also totally not blushing at Jess's comment. Nope. It's just, you know, warm and all. Barry smiles and waits for those little fingers to stop flying. Yes he is. He's one of the good guys, and you know what? I just bet you'll see him again.

"Joe said he can probably tap into local surveillance tapes, we can probably get an idea of what happened to our brave little trooper here," he laughs as Effie hugs her Flash action figure again and grabs at his hand to tell him the entire story all over again. "Any luck on finding her parents?"

"Not a peep." She frowns and crosses her arms. In Jessica's experience with worried parents, they ask a million questions, wondering how their child is, what they can do and so forth. The fact that no one has approached CCPD puzzles her immensely. It's entirely possible that Effie's parents are also deaf, but that would be all the more reason to worry. There are a lot of people at this festival.

"I'm really getting worried, Barry." She turns her face away from Effie, trying to keep the girl calm (her lip reading is better than average for the age). "Why hasn't anyone come forward? Contacted CCPD? They're everywhere."

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense," Barry agrees quietly. He shifts to sit beside Effie again. "Maybe she can tell us what happened. It'll take CCPD and Cisco a while to get through the footage."

Barry smiles at Effie. Can you tell us what happened? How the glass broke, or how we can find your family? Anything would help.

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