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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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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