Author's Notes: This was chapter from HELL to write, I tell you! HELL! Partly because my stubborn muse kept grumbling that the last chapter was wrapped up so nicely that she refused to cooperate in continuing this fic.
I ask myself the same question that you all are most likely wondering... What the hell happened? My offhand remark of posting this chapter "... today or tomorrow," turned into a wait of almost six months! The military is a harsh mistress, my friends, but this is an excuse, I know.
I can only apologize most humbly and promise that I will NOT make such statements in the future without having the certainty to back them up. This is most likely why I will never make a career out of writing...
I made this chapter slightly longer than my usual fare as a peace offering... and a thank you to everyone who was kind enough to leave a review. Though I don't reply to every single one, I do read and enjoy them all... and they really do inspire me to write! (Even if its only one sentence at a time...) but in any case, I believe this chapter is over-due.
The Attachment:
The weather had turned cold in D.C.
While residents of the nation's capitol usually enjoyed mild winters with light snow, Evelyn found herself shivering despite wearing all her warmest articles of clothing. She pulled the lapels of her thick beige overcoat closer to her neck, but didn't rise from her seat on the freezing concrete bench outside the Smithsonian Zoo.
The scents of old newspaper and cheap, permanent marker threatened to overpower her even as she drew a sharp slash through yet another ad in the job listings of the Washington Post. A weary sigh took on the form of cloudy vapor before her eyes. It seemed as if she had applied for everything from waiting tables to stocking supplies after-hours, and still she came home, exhausted and discouraged every night.
She had awoken the morning after meeting the Flash with a renewed sense of purpose. With him as her inspiration, she had printed several copies of her resume at the public library and spent the rest of the day filling out applications.
'This really isn't the day and age for someone to not have internet access,' she decided, after waiting in line to get her thirty minutes of allotted computer time.
Over the next three weeks, she had been called in for various interviews and her newly found confidence had withered back to normal levels. Stuttering her way through one interview, and drawing a complete blank in the middle of the next (Why anyone would need the merits of a pencil explained to them was still unhappily beyond her), Evelyn was now praying for any job that paid even six-hundred a month.
Meticulously, she folded the periodical along its well-worn creases and stuffed it into the somewhat ugly, orange corduroy messenger bag at her side. She worried about the scant savings left in her bank account. If she was careful and only spent money on bills, she might be able to get by on rent this month, but as for the next...
Luckily, the groceries that had filled her cupboards over the past few weeks were only now running out. Her neighbors had been kind enough to offer different recipes to help her in the kitchen, and she now spent whatever time she had between interviews experimenting with food. She found that she actually enjoyed cooking, once she got over the initial fear of setting something on fire; yet another thing she wished she could thank the scarlet speedster for.
Recalling that she had recently applied for food stamps, Evelyn decided it was probably a good idea to buy some bread, water, and cat food on the way back home.
She set off on foot for the grocery store nearest to her apartment – a good ten blocks from the zoo – and absentmindedly reached into her bag for her wallet to make sure she had her EBT card with her. Taking her eyes off of the path in front of her turned out to be a mistake. She let out a squawk of surprise as a rather large body collided with hers, elbow catching her in the process, somehow.
Her breath came in a painful wheeze, but the only thing that concerned her was that the small, plastic rectangle she'd been holding was no longer in her hand.
"'Scuse me miss, but I think you dropped this?" Feeling her face grow hot, she meekly accepted the proffered card while trying her best to avoid the man's stare.
How embarrassing! Now this complete stranger knew she was barely out of her teen years and already living on food stamps. 'Hopefully he didn't look too closely...' Cautiously raising her eyes to thank him properly before making a quick run for it, Evelyn felt her whole jaw go unattractively slack.
"FLA-!"
"FLAVORED ICE?" Effectively shocking her into silence with his random shout, the Flash's civilian counterpart had an expression on his face that reminded her strongly of a mischievous boy... A little too pleased by his own cleverness.
"More commonly referred to as ice cream? Sorry babe, but don't you think it's the wrong kind of weather for that? You wanna get some coffee instead?" he continued in a more normal tone of voice, watching her face carefully for signs of recognition.
She recognized him all right, though his attire made him blend into the crowd nicely. He was dressed casually in dark blue jeans and a thick, clover-colored sweater. Over this, he wore a black leather coat with soft inner lining for extra warmth. In other words, he still looked like a model, but at least the bulk of his clothing concealed the superhero physique underneath.
Choosing to believe that her expression of blank shock was a positive sign, he took her nerveless hand and wrapped it comfortably in the crook of his arm. This had the pleasant effect of drawing her warm body close to his as he gallantly lead her down main street.
Once they had made it a few feet, he leaned down to whisper cheerfully.
"Toldja I'd be around! Well, maybe I didn't say it in so many words but - " His face fell at the girl's continued lack of response. "Evey? Aren't you glad to see me?"
How could she even begin to answer, without sounding like a hero-worshipping loon? 'I'm ecstatic to see you and terrified at the same time, which doesn't even make sense considering I've spoken to you for all of two days.' Or she could try: 'I'm not sure if I feel glad or not, but those green eyes of yours have the weirdest way of making me feel safe, drowsy, and sick to my stomach, all at the same time.'
"The truth?" She finally spoke up. Drawing a breath to steady herself, she chanced a look at his face and felt a strange aching in her chest. She had honestly thought she would never see this man again. This man who had first saved her life, and then inspired her to change it for the better, without even trying. Maybe that was why she felt such a connection with him, despite knowing him only for such a short time.
"I don't think I've ever been more happy to see anyone, period..."
Flash felt stupid for being so pleased by her simple admission. He was a superhero, wasn't he? He was used to leaving lasting impressions on the people whose lives he saved, on a regular basis. At the same time, though, it was as if he felt good on a different level. Flattered in the way that any normal guy would be if a cute girl were to pursue them.
Although she hadn't exactly been the one to jog halfway across the country to see him, so that might not count as pursuing. 'No, definitely not, though a guy can dream...'
He compared the whole episode involving this meek, doe-eyed girl with reading the beginning of a novel in the middle of a busy airport, and accidentally leaving the book behind. Trying to balance his responsibilities as the Flash while wondering whether or not she would keep her word, was like trying to think of claiming his baggage when all he wanted to do was find that same novel somewhere and continue reading.
"You know," he began in a deceptively light tone. "You're the only normal person who knows about my secret, Evey."
She flinched slightly as the invisible weight of those ten little words dropped on her shoulders, with all the insinuations and potential hardships they carried. Unconsciously loosening her grip on his arm, she asked the only question that seemed to matter at that moment.
"Is that why you came back?" She regretted asking the moment the words had passed her lips. She imagined them sounding more and more pathetic the longer they hung in the air and wished desperately for the ability to recall them.
"Partly," he admitted finally, not liking the way she seemed to recoil. "I couldn't just forget about it, y'know? So I figured while I'm here checking on you, I could take you out for some coffee. It's the least I can do since you're keeping my secret and all."
She was relieved that he didn't think she was a clingy stalker, at least. At the same time, she couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit disappointed that he had come out of hiding only to ensure that she was still trustworthy. Evey self-consciously fiddled with the strap of her messenger bag.
'Stop that!' she commanded herself when she felt the corners of her mouth dip downward. What had she expected? For the Flash to step out of the shadows and confess that he couldn't sleep for missing the socially-inept woman he'd saved, and wanting nothing more than to confide in her? Funny, she had never before considered herself a conceited person. If anything, she often believed the opposite extreme to be her main flaw.
As the pair strolled leisurely past a flower shop and jewelry boutique, she resolved to enjoy the time she had with him and try to make it enjoyable for him as well. She shouldn't expect anything to come of this visit, nor should she be too depressed come the end of it.
She shouldn't expect him to become attached...
"This is it!" With an exaggerated look of pride, he stopped them at the entrance to a small cafe lounge nestled between shops. The irony was not lost on her, for this was the exact same cafe she had bought tea in, the morning before she met the Flash. He caught sight of her bemused smile and grinned.
"It's cute, right? I thought you might like it." Holding the door ajar, he winked at her flirtatiously. "A beautiful young lady should never have to open her own door."
Her face felt unbearably hot, but she ignored the comment and made her way inside. 'Mostly because I have no idea what to say to that.' He hurried in after her and chuckled a bit at her rosy cheeks, which only served to make them flush a deeper red.
"May I help you, sir?" The cashier was a tall, blond teenager with alluring green eyes highlighted by black liner. Though she didn't appear as if she had mastered the art of make-up application yet, Evey thought she looked very pretty in a young, edgy kind of way. She also thought the girl was watching her red-headed companion in a way that could be construed as more than polite interest.
If he noticed, however, he did a good job of hiding it.
"What're you going to get, Evey?" Fighting the desire to squirm under his quirky green gaze, she squeaked out her order. Good Lord, but it was difficult to think when you had the man's full attention.
"I'll have a tall chai tea. Could you put a shot of vanilla in it for me, please?"
"That'll be an extra seventy-five cents." Was it her imagination or did the cashier's voice sound a bit frosty? Surely she imagined it, for when the girl brought her gaze back to the red-haired man's, she smiled brightly. "And for you, sir?"
"I'll just have a hot chocolate. Caffeine and I don't really get along." A man in a business suit standing in line behind them chortled quietly and attempted to disguise the sound as a dry cough. The Flash didn't seem to care. That, or he simply didn't notice.
Paying the cashier and then guiding Evey over to an unoccupied booth, the Flash removed his jacket. She quickly followed suit and was busily disengaging herself from the confines of her scarf when he spoke.
"First thing's first, my real name's Wally West... And you can go ahead and make fun of it if you want but I promise I've already heard it all."
"Nonsense. Alliteration was always my favorite part of English Literature," she teased, bravely. Brave for her, at least, though she figured why not? She would probably not see him again after this. He rewarded her with a boyish grin.
"I figure talking about my secret in public probably isn't a good idea, but I've never been in a situation like this before so I don't really know what the rules are. You'll have to help me out with that." His concern rang true, even if it was phrased awkwardly to avoid others overhearing his words. Evelyn worried her bottom lip in thought.
"What if we use a code whenever we talk about it?" she wondered aloud. "Like, what if we called your... uh... Alter-ego, Red? Or you could come up with a better name if you think that sounds too corny."
"'Red' sounds better than 'Flava-flav', which was gonna be my suggestion." He watched, almost in amazement, as the grave young woman sitting opposite him collapsed in helpless giggles. She struggled to breathe through her merriment, feeling tears leak from her eyes.
It wasn't that she found the joke hilarious. She was just surprised that she had understood the reference, and that he had said it so matter-of-factly.
"Right," she wiped her eyes and smiled. "And whenever we talk about what it IS you do all day we can call it-"
"Bagging groceries," he supplied, catching on to the game. "As in 'Mr. Red bagged so many groceries today that he almost hurt himself several times...'"
Someone at the next table over cleared her throat noisily. Evey was pleasantly surprised when Wally actually flushed a bit. She thought it cute that his freckles almost seemed to disappear into the blush. He grimaced at her. He hadn't meant for it to come out sounding so perverted!
"Maybe 'bagging groceries' isn't the phrase we wanna use. It could sound, y'know, suspicious to anyone who doesn't know what we're talking about."
"You really think so? I wouldn't consider bagging groceries-" she dropped her voice to a whisper. "- heroic – but it IS your secret."
The blond cashier appeared, holding a tray with two decorative and lightly steaming mugs. It was difficult to tell from her point of view, but it looked to Evelyn like the girl might be scowling for some reason.
Wally had the most charming look of bafflement on his face. How anyone could frown at that was beyond her.