So, I kind of love Jay. Until I get it out of my system, I may just right tiny chapters like this with assorted scenes that revolve around Jay and integrating to Earth-1 and Team Flash.

Jitters

Every coffee shop was a veritable hive of activity in the half-hour before work began, and Jitters was no exception. Customers bustled in and out, some sitting down with a mug to enjoy the distinctive aroma of a good cup of coffee, while others hastily grabbed to-go cups, and downed half of the cup on their way out. Murmured phrases of conversation between regulars and pleasantries from the workers floated upwards and mixed with the steam of the the coffee makers so that anyone sitting on the second floor could catch the odd word or two.

To be honest, Jay Garrick didn't exactly have the money to be spending on expensive coffee, but given the events of the past twenty-four hours, he felt that a minor celebration was in order. After six months of odd jobs, self-pity over losing his speed, and attempting to figure out who this world's Flash was, his prospects were beginning to look up. Caitlin had promised to put in a good word for him at Mercury Labs so that he could have a regular job in his field of choice, and he had finally made contact with Barry. Zoom was still out there, but at least now that he had delivered his warning, this world had a fighting chance.

Idly, Jay amused himself by watching wisps of steam curl in on themselves before finally evaporating into the air while he debated with himself over if he had enough motivation to go and pick up a copy of Central City Picture News. After a moment of contemplation, he walked over to the bin and snapped up a copy. When he walked back to the table, however, his table wasn't unoccupied.

Detective Joe West had sat down in the seat across from him, with an expectant look on his face. Inwardly, Jay sighed. This probably wasn't going to be good.

After a long drawn out silence from both men, Joe broke the increasingly awkward silence.

"I hear you're going to be spending quite a bit of time at Star Labs."

Jay nodded, trying to make sure he said the right thing. While he wasn't sure about the specifics about the bond between Barry and Detective West, it was clear that Barry looked up to him a lot. Anything he said to make Detective West nervous about his possible presence in Barry's life could be detrimental to forming a working relationship needed to take out Zoom. "I hope so."

The lines around Joe's mouth tightened. "You know about the last person who came to Barry and told him that he had all the answers?"

Jay nodded. "He told me that someone he idolized murdered his mother."

Glad that he didn't have to explain, Joe took a sip of coffee and continued. "Barry relies a lot on the advice and opinions of the people around him; he doesn't mind trusting other people to work out solutions for him if he thinks that they are more educated in the field where the decision needs to be made. He defers to Cisco in matters of engineering. He usually listens to Caitlin in medical matters. My concern is what area Barry decides you are an authority in."

Jay could appreciate forthrightness, and he responded just as succinctly. "I don't know what Barry thinks of me, and I don't know how Barry will come to view me. What I do know is the threat facing him, and I have foreknowledge of the metas coming through the breach. Instead of letting him explore aspects of his powers by himself, he can be coached to come into his abilities faster and safer with me there."

Joe almost rolled his eyes. "This isn't a job interview."

Jay gave him a half smile. "Sure feels like it is."

Both men gave a humorless chuckle that helped clear the air a little bit and break the tension. After a second long silence filled with long slurps, Joe tossed his empty cup in the wastebasket a few feet away. "Just know that Barry doesn't do anything halfway. He either locks you in a cell or offers to be a roommate. If you really want to do this, you can't go halfway either."

Jay laughed, a real one this time. "I decided it was a good idea to zip around in a red uniform and my Dad's old helmet to fight crime. I've sort of forgot how to do things halfway."

Joe's face had shifted to one of grudging approval. Apparently, he had liked what he had heard. "So, is Central City's baseball team still pretty good in your world?"

For a minute, Jay's face looked several years younger. "Yep. When I left, they were entering the playoffs for World Series. But the football team.. ," Jay shuddered.

Joe put his face in his hands. "Guess they must suck in every world."

Dinner

"Huh," said Barry, staring at the glass case containing the defeated form of his most recent foe . "Killer psychic starfish. I did not see that coming."*

Cisco made tsk'ing noises from behind him. "I'm pretty sure the laws of probability guaranteed that it would happen eventually."

Caitlin popped into the cortex with cream for Barry's arm. Despite the fact that it was nowhere close to the most serious injury Barry had ever sustained in his career as superhero/klutz/someone who runs at the speed of sound with his shoes untied, she was concerned about the possibility of the injuries from the starfish's suckers going untreated.

Jay tapped the side of the container and watched the starfish change color in anger. "Well, at least we know that Zoom didn't send these guys after you."

Barry cocked his head, puzzled. "Then how did you know that they were physic starfish before we even went out there?"

Jay shrugged. "I fought a much larger version of these guys on my earth. Big enough to carry spears and everything. I'm guessing that the versions on your earth are smaller."

Cisco stopped looking up starfish diets in Wikipedia. "Hold up. You fought a massive Starfish who carried a spear and had psychic powers on your world?"

"Yup."

"Sweet."

Barry was intrigued. "Did you also use quicklime to stop..it?"

Jay nodded, happy with the audience. "A lot of buckets of it, yeah. Took forever, and I hadn't really felt so ridiculous in my entire life. I was just trying to run in and out of the creature's mental sphere of influence with buckets of quicklime. By the way, it's a he. Called himself Starro the Conquerer."

Barry just threw up his hands, the international gesture for I give up.

Cisco grabbed the glass container and moved to take it to a freezer where Starro couldn't reproduce. "We should totally just start comparing stories. See if we know anyone in common between our two worlds."

Before Jay could protest, Barry's eyes lit up. "Yeeeessss. We are doing this, and we are doing this tonight. I volunteer Joe's house."

Which is how Jay found himself dragged into Barry's living room carrying a salad that he picked up from the supermarket. While he had been investigating Barry to decide if he was the Flash or not, he had spent a scary amount of hours staking out his home. However, this was the first time he had been inside, and he couldn't help himself but stare at everything that his eyes could soak in, even as Barry, the perfect host, took his jacket and offered him a pop.

In his own world, he had been single, and lived in a tiny apartment that he didn't use much anyway due to his extracurricular activities. In this world, he lived in an even tinier apartment due to his lack of a credit score, bank records, social security number, or pretty much anything that legitimate landlords required from their tenants.

The room was warm and bright, both by design and the obvious signs that a family had made their home here. Multiple photographs littered the tables and walls. Earlier ones displayed Iris, Joe, and a woman who was presumably Mrs. West. Then Barry began appearing in the photos. One of the biggest ones in one of the nicest frames showed Iris on a snow sled, shrieking with laughter and Barry face down in the snow next to her for no apparent reason.

Caitlin came up behind him and linked her arm through his. "You might want to come to the table. Barry will never say it, but he wants to begin eating. I'm surprised he didn't already start."

The mood of the house was already starting to affect him, because his heart already felt lighter. "Well, let's not keep him waiting." He hefted the salad that he held in his other hand for emphasis.

The discussion began as more of a, "Do you know so-and-so...no? Darn," but quickly progressed into a discussion of situations that Team Flash had gotten mixed up in before he came.

"Seriously? A gorilla?" he asked, incredulously.

Caitlin held up a hand. "You are okay with starfish, but not Gorillas?"

Joe looked a little scarred at the mention of Grodd. "Worst night of my life," he muttered.

Barry's fork contained a huge helping of lasagna stopped its journey halfway to Barry's mouth. "Just be glad you didn't get it has bad as Eiling did. Hey, maybe next time one of Eiling's goons comes around, we can threaten to toss them into a pit with Grodd. See if they believe that we'll do it."

Joe narrowed his eyes. "No," he said, very firmly.

"Yes," said Cisco, at the same time.

Full and contented for the first time in recent memory, Jay leaned back in his chair with a satisfied little noise and watched as a piece of Iris's potato casserole was catapulted through the air and smacked Barry in the face, who promptly grabbed a piece of asparagus and hurled it right back without hesitation.

Family, thought Jay. That's what this felt like. It felt like family.

*This is a thing. Starro was the first villain that the Justice League ever faced. I demand that Starro becomes a thing in the show.

Suggestions are welcome!