Unwanted Visitors

By: Rhuben

Summary – The Thawnes finally receive news on their son's welfare.

"You have to stay put. As soon as we get information, we will bring it to you."

Nathaniel Thawne was always one who could command respect. He could walk into the room and everyone would put their attention on him. They listened to him. If he told people to jump, they would do so before realizing what they were doing.

So, why was it hard to get an answer regarding the whereabouts of his only son?

Central City was being attacked left and right. Metahumans weren't something he was used to. There were no mentions of them when he was sworn in to office. But they were a reality now. Maybe not in Keystone, but as the twin city to Central City, they had to be prepared in case the danger traveled across the bridge. They came up in daily conversation – citizens demanded answers from the Mayor on how Keystone would keep its residents safe – a police patrol was stationed at the bridge on constant rotation, and new tougher materials were being used to build structures around the city.

Then of course, there was the gossip he was surrounded by whenever he was on the golf course. Anything he could do to take up his time. To take his mind off the fact that his son was missing. In his experience, he just had to golf with the right people and the information he wanted would just fall out of their mouths.

Off the record, of course. He could count on it.

Just like he could always count on a call from his son. Not this time. None of his phone calls were picked up. No messages were answered. He could only watch the news of the singularity clean up on TV, wait by the phone, and assure his wife that good news would come.

"Please, stay where you are," he was told over and over again whenever he called the police. "It is too dangerous to come to Central City right now."

"Now, you listen to me!" He would grip the phone so hard in his hand, he could hear it crack. His booming voice would thin out into a quieter, more dangerous tone. "This is my son we're talking about. Ok? My son."

"Yes, Mr. Thawne, I do understand. We are working as fast as we can to find every missing soul—"

"No, no, I don't think you do, my friend." He didn't care that anyone else was missing. Well, of course he did – it was a sad and terrifying situation for everyone. But he had no relation to them. Eddie was his only child. Sure, their relationship wasn't always the greatest, but this wasn't something he could throw money at. He didn't have any pull with anyone. There were no options. "My son is missing. My son. And all I get from you to is to hold on. I just can't do that!"

"Sir, please. We are doing the best we can. We have everyone at site working day and night. I assure you, we will let you know the second we get an update."

"Call me first thing." He would relay the number for the umpteenth time. "First thing."

"Yes, sir, we will."

He would slam down the phone and do as he was told. Stay put.

In his arm chair, he would spend hours staring into the corner of his office. Every name of every influential person he came across in his career would come to mind, and he would decide whether or not they were worth reaching out to. Could any of them help him find his son?

If there was one thing that Nathaniel had grown to expect in a position of power; it was having everyone do his bidding. Even if it seemed impossible. He was known for surprising people with getting everything he wanted. Now the most important thing he had ever asked for, he couldn't get.

And he didn't know what to do.

What did any parent do when their child went missing? How could they just not take control? How could they put so much control in someone else when their jobs were to keep their children safe? A stress free, problem free, love filled, all around happy life was the only thing he had ever wanted for Eddie, and now on two occasions he let his son down.

How many times had Eddie come to him complaining about bullies and having a hard time at school? How many times had he ignored his son's problems. Or insisted that people were just jealous of his wealth? Or assured him that they were just passing along their parents' anger over shutting down the factory and it would all blow over? A gift here, some money there, the ability to smooth talk any person that crossed his path, and Eddie no longer had anyone on his case.

It was no wonder Eddie did everything he could to make a name of himself. It had hurt when Eddie had insisted a career in politics was not for him. It hurt even more when he decided to go off on his own, choosing not to accept any financial support. And it hurt the most when he made the declaration that he didn't want his name to indicate whether or not he would be taken seriously.

Closing one of the Keystone factories was better for the city. He could justify it all he wanted, back it up with reports and data that had been passed over his desk as State Senator. But, he still had put so many people out of work, and so many of those peoples' kids went to Eddie's school.

Despite all of that, Eddie had done exceptionally well with the police department, and Nathaniel couldn't have been any prouder.

When things outside the four walls of the, massive, Thawne home was out of order, Josephine Thawne did her very best to keep everything in ship shape on the inside. After all, once her son came home, it would be advantageous for him to feel like his home had never changed. Not one bit.

His linens were freshly washed. Clothes were freshly pressed and hanging in his closet. Pictures of him lining the front hall, and sitting on the mantle were straightened, dusted, and free of any form of dirt. Free of any form of disarray.

"We'll get word soon," she would reassure Nathaniel, setting a glass of lemonade and a freshly made snack down onto the table in front of him. After raising his voice to the poor soul on the other end of the phone, he needed to soothe his voice.

When Nathaniel started in on his meal, Josephine would smooth his hair and place a kiss to the crown of his head. Perched in the chair next to him, she would take his hand, and they would discuss what they had done the day before, and what they would do that day. Who they would meet up with, where they would go, what they would get done; all the things that would keep their mind off of their missing son.

An empty seat at the kitchen table, in church, at any social function was a normal occurrence. Occasionally, it would be punctuated with an update from Eddie. How his job was going, the lovely girl he had met, the girl he had fallen in love with, the girl he wanted to marry. They had even taken the time to meet Iris West a few times over the course of their relationship.

Josephine sighed, and Nathaniel gripped her hand just a little tighter. That poor girl. Iris West certainly was one of the most extraordinary people Josephine had ever met. There was a change in her son whenever he was around her. Maybe not noticeable to anyone else, but he was her son. She knew that he had fallen in love. Really fallen in love.

He called more. Gushed more. Dare she say, he even seemed to smile more. More so than when he was struggling in school. Struggling with bullying, struggling with understanding girls. He certainly had come into his own. Was making a name for himself. The distance between his old and new lives just as wide as the river that split Central and Keystone City.

Only now, that space was more evident. Eddie had always said they didn't need such a big house, she would remind herself as she walked from room to room. Maybe he had been right. When not in school, Eddie was often holed up in his room. Nathaniel would be in his office. She would be in the kitchen. Social events and meals would call them together.

There was always the calming thought that her son was out there. Not anymore. No one could find him. And with that uncertainty, came the off kilter feeling that if things weren't just right, then they never would be again.

Maybe if the house had been more inviting, more open to discussion…

There were too many "maybes", and too many "What ifs" to go through. She just had to be patient. Everything would be perfect. They would have their family together again. The family he had always wanted to have. The family he had always mumbled about under his breath. If he just came home, he would have it all. She would make sure of it.

"I was thinking we could have dinner out on the back patio tonight," Josephine said, lifting her fee hand to place it over her husband's. She gently patted his hand. "Melissa told me about this fabulous personal chef she had hired for Valentine's Day last year. I think it would be marvelous."

"Honey," Nathaniel used his free hand to grip his napkin, dabbing at his lips. "I think that sounds wonderful." He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Maybe I'll even break out a cigar."

Josephine closed her eyes. She could almost smell that smoke now. He punctuated every special occasion by lightning one. Their wedding day. The first night they had moved into their first home. The night he was announced as the new state Senator. The birth of their son—

"Josephine?"

Slowly, Josephine relaxed her grip on her husband's hand. Nathaniel was staring at her, eyebrows creased in worry. "I'm ok," she reassured him. "I'll just go put on some music. It's so quiet in here." It had always been quiet. But this silence, Nathaniel's quietness, the lack of a phone ringing, no knocking on the door, it was all way too loud.

Pushing her chair back, Josephine gave Nathaniel another smile, slipping out of the room. Letting a sigh escape from her, she stepped towards the den. But movement on the other side of the frosted glass stilled her. Abstract shapes slowly made their way closer and closer towards the door. Navy. White.

Swallowing, Josephine took quick steps towards the front door, calling for her husband over her shoulder. She threw the front door open, startling the two men who had just rang the doorbell. The delayed sound reached her ears, indistinguishable amongst the words that were slowly, gravely, coming from the men who stood in front of her, hats clutched tightly in their hands.

She felt Nathaniel's hand on her shoulder. She felt it tighten. He was too quiet. She couldn't find her voice.

"Mr. and Mrs. Thawne, may we come in? We have some news about your son."

Josephine felt her arms moving, motioning for them to enter her home. She heard herself apologizing "for the mess" as they crossed the threshold. The front door was firmly pressed shut. She offered a beverage or something to eat like she was supposed to. The offer was politely declined.

She was delivered the bad news and suddenly, her home felt too small. Like it was caving in around her: cluttered, out of place, unpresentable. Wrong.

A/N: We never met Eddie's parents in the show, so I wondered how the two of them, as former public figures, would react to the news of not only his disappearance but of his death in their own ways.

This can also be considered a "deleted scene" from my Blindsided series of Flash fics, In a Flash and Out of Focus. I named Eddie's parents Nathaniel and Josephine, in this series. After writing chapter 15 to Out of Focus, this idea had come to me and wouldn't leave me alone. (I don't want to give away anything in those two stories, so I'll just leave it at that).

Thanks for reading.

-Rhuben