Found But
Still Lost
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Takes place sometime after the season finale for The Flash.
On a pleasantly cool day for one Linda Park, Sports reporter for Central City Picture News and former girlfriend of one Barry Allen, her life would take an odd little turn and it all started when she took out the trash to the curb while on her day off. She got a fright when she turned around, only to see a rather hairy man in a tattered trenchcoat that had clearly seen better days. The man himself seemed to be in bad need of a shower too judging by the smell and dirt on him. "Oh! You scared me!" She told the man while clutching her fast beating heart.
"Sorry.. Never mean to scare people." He muttered in a daze as he shuffled onward and the girl honestly felt sorry for him.
Though she had to admit his face despite all the hair and his voice sounded oddly familiar. So familiar in fact it reminded her of Barry. Someone she hadn't seen in a good while for some strange reason and Iris could never seem to give her a straight answer without looking close to crying about it. Which had really worried the girl quite a bit too. But she left it alone despite not wanting to and any discreet digging of her own hadn't turned up anything that would explain the reaction from Iris.
"What I'd do for Summer Lovin'. Old bones just can't handle this air." She heard him mutter loudly in a sing song voice that had her eyes going wide in surprise as she would recognize that voice anywhere. But how that man was Barry was beyond her!
Rushing in front of him to stop him from leaving, something he wasn't entirely happy about since she scared the bejeezus out of his old self. "Barry! What happened to you!?" She asked him concernedly as she hugged him and not giving a crap about how bad he smelled, much to his eternal confusion.
"Ehhh? Who's this Barry? And what'cha mean what happened to me lil lady? Ain't it obvious? That dag nab Life don't like me! I'd take it over my knee if I could but its a wily one!"
She pulled away feeling even more concerned about the way he was acting. Could he possibly have anmesia somehow? But even if he did, Linda knew that couldn't explain the look he currently had as something like that would take a few years at least. "Babe, you're Barry. Remember? Barry Allen? My ex boyfriend? You work at the police department?" She hoped that somehow rung a bell for him but the lost look in his eyes told her otherwise.
Though what he asked her next surprised and flattered her quite a bit. "Wha? Ex boyfriend!? Why would this Barry fella ya think I am break up wit' a purty girlie like you?" As really, what sense did that make!? None, that's what! And his years of living made him an expert on that subject thank you very much!
Yeah, he doesn't remember his love for Iris right now. But I bet if he met her he'd fall all over again. She thought somewhat bitterly even though she knew she wasn't being entirely fair to Iris.
"Well you were in love with someone else." The Sports reporter finally told him.
The shocked look he gave her caused the girl to laugh. "Say what!? That just sounds stupid! I don't like this Barry fella cause he sounds dumber then a rock."
That just caused her to burst out into full on laughter until her stomach started to hurt and tears of joy came to her eyes. "Oh.. Ha ha! Oh that's… Ha ha! Hilarious!" The amnesiac just looked on with an amused smile on his face.
"Happy to help pretty lady." After saying that, he started to walk again but Linda quickly stopped him.
"Wait! Don't go!"
He sighed in response. "I am not Barry person you speak of pretty lady. I am just an old man that wonder about." Really, couldn't she see that!?
Linda shook her head negatively at him, refusing to believe a word of that as she had the proof right in front of her! "Look, why don't you come inside with me okay? I can make a call and then we can go somewhere really nice that can help you okay? Please babe?" She pleaded and despite his wanting to keep on walking to wherever, the man couldn't tell her no. He'd been raised better then that! At least he thinks was anyway.
"Oh, okay pretty lady." He responded and in his movements a part of the upper area of his jacket moved and to Linda's stunned surprise she recognized the lightning symbol of the Flash!
Oh. My. God! She thought stunnedly, as she guided him back to her house and feeling like everything made sense to her now. Especially when it had to come to how odd he had acted at times and claimed it was police stuff.
She, like everyone else had realized the Flash had gone missing when he had gone to stop that wormhole from sucking them all up. But never in her wildest dreams did Linda think that the red clad Speedster and her ex were the same person! It made her wonder just what Iris knew since the girl had clearly been distraught over not only her boyfriend's death but Barry's disappearance too. But how could he have survived something like that? What could have caused his anmesia and that he would look as bad as he does now? Linda didn't know but she had a feeling STAR Labs could possibly know.
Once getting him inside and getting him to sit on her couch, she raced into her bedroom and grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed Iris' number. "Come on girl, pick up!" She muttered as the phone rang.
And finally, after what felt like forever, Iris answered. "Hello?" She asked groggily and making Linda wonder if she had been sleeping still in the middle of the day.
"I just found Barry!" Exclaimed Linda as she preferred to just jump right into why she had called.
"Wh-what!? How? When? Where? I mean no one's been able to find him for the last two months!"
Linda could hear the heartbreak in the other girl's tone and it made her heart clench in sympathy. "I was taking out my trash and then boom! From almost out of nowhere there he was. But Iris? He um… He doesn't have a clue who I am or who he even is." The sharp intake of air was her only clue on how Iris had just handled that.
"Oh God..." Whispered Iris heartbrokenly as tears started to come down her face.
"I'm getting him to STAR Labs as soon as I'm ready to go." And provided Barry himself wasn't being too difficult about things.
"I'll get my dad and we'll meet you there." The fact she hadn't asked why before abruptly hanging up told Linda all she needed to know about the other girl knowing Barry's secret.
45 Minutes Later at STAR Labs
After a somewhat frustrating trip for one Linda Park, she and her ex finally made it to STAR Labs. The trip there had been equal parts amusing, heart breaking, and frustrating to the point of wanting to pull out her own hair. Amusing cause of how silly he was being, especially when he thought himself an old man. Heart breaking because of him not having any idea about himself, her, or anyone else and having trouble accepting what she told him. Frustrating because he kept turning the volume of the radio up loudly, sticking his head out the window and howling, and wanting to stop at various places cause he thought they were interesting. That and before they left it took her a good 10 minutes to get him to wake up after he fell asleep on her couch. Thankfully there had been no snoring.
The sight of the building that housed her intended destination had caused her to breathe a huge sigh of relief. You are a sight for sore eyes! Rejoiced the girl in her head.
"Looks all big and wrecked. You sure this is a nice place to be?"
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him, she told him that it was in fact a very nice place to be. And that it was just needing some work done. "Work is very good I'll have you know. It keeps the kids off my lawn. Wait, do I have a lawn?" He asked in confused wonder and causing her to laugh a little.
"Did you and this Barry fella ya think I am do anything on it?" Linda looked at him in shock over that sudden and surprising question.
"Ummm… No, no we didn't."
"Hmmph! Not adventurous either!? Not sure I like this guy and I just can't be him either cause of that." He sternly told her as they got out and she had to ensure he didn't wander off too far.
"Lawns are great fun ya know. Even if ya do get a water hose to ya!" The old looking man muttered a few choice words about that that had the Sports reporter laughing her butt off again despite the seriousness of the situation.
Once she got him inside, she was greeted by a white haired man with glasses by the name of Dr. Martin Stein who helpfully brought her and the anmesiac Barry to the Cortex. His straight down to business no nonsense style was a stark contrast to her ex's and it had proved amusing for the girl too. Once at their intended destination, a sudden blur crashed into Barry with all her might as she tried to hug the life out of him! He stood there confused while everyone else watched on with sadness on their faces.
Author's Notes: Something that came to mind recently and I had thought of just adding it to my Possibilities fic but I decided differently instead. Haven't really seen anything like this be done and hopefully you guys enjoy my take on what could have happened. Chapter 2 is already in the works as well! With that said, R and R!