The Flash doesn't belong to me
The Kids Are Alright
Joe joined Henry at the dining table and passed him a cup of coffee. The men stared at their cups and then Joe took a sip. "That was really close," he said to his friend.
"Yes, it was," Henry agreed, "I can't believe it all worked out."
Joe shook his head replaying all the things that they had been through over the last few hours – Barry disintegrating right before their eyes, Wally and Jesse being knocked out by the blast from the particle accelerator explosion and then the reappearance of Tony Woodward. This was Central City; weird things happened all the time but a zombie…that was something else.
"A zombie going after Iris, can you believe it?" Henry asked, clearly he'd been following the same train of train as Joe.
"It's crazy," Joe agreed.
"I mean on top of everything that was happening, Barry being stuck in the speed force, whatever that is, Jesse being in a coma, a zombie had to appear."
"And not just any zombie," Henry reminded him.
"Oh no," Joe laughed, "a zombie that wanted my little girl."
"I sometimes wonder," Henry began, "if we're doing enough."
"To protect our children you mean," Joe finished for him.
"Joe, think about it," Henry told him, "we could have lost everything."
"Don't remind me," Joe replied, "don't even think about it."
"If Barry hadn't come back when he did," Henry said.
"Do you want to know the thing that scared me the most?" Joe asked his friend.
"Yes."
"When Iris asked if she could be the one to call Barry back when he was stuck in the speed force," Joe admitted. Henry wanted to speak but he knew his friend wasn't finished so he waited to Joe to speak again. "I knew that it was safe, I mean she wasn't really going anywhere but I couldn't help but wonder what if something went wrong."
They sat in silence for a while and then Joe added, "I was scared, there was a zombie that maybe wanted to eat our brains pounding on the door, but that wasn't my biggest worry."
"You were worried about what would happen if Iris was unable to bring him home, weren't you?" Joe asked him.
Joe nodded.
"You somehow think that if she hadn't been able to convince him to come home she'd be lost too."
"Yes."
"I think we're underestimating the bond between them," Henry said, "and for my part I'm glad she decided to be the one to bring him home."
"You don't think you could have done it?" Joe asked.
"I would have done my best," Henry said, "I don't know if it would have been enough to convince Barry."
"Well," Joe smiled at his friend, "luckily we'll never know."
"Yes, Barry's back, the Flash as well," Henry said, "and all our children are safe."
"Amen to that."
000
