A/N: I'm not dead, I promise! Life has been sooo hectic, but I'm going to try to get my butt in gear and start updating my stories.

~x~x~x~

Barry and Len walked into Jitters. Len walked over to the counter and talked with his co-worker in hushed voices for a moment before returning to the table Barry sat at. He set down two cups of coffee that he had had the barista who took over for him make.

"So, how did you know what that red dot was?" Barry casually asked as he took his cup and blew on the contents. Len stiffened at the question. "I mean, usually a person wouldn't immediately know that it was a laser sight. But, you did." Barry was genuinely curious. Len stalled by taking a sip of his drink before answering.

"My uncle was in the army. He taught me about weapons." That seemed like a believable lie, though Len detested lying to Barry. It was necessary for both of their safety. He just hoped Barry didn't look too deep into his cover. If he did, he would surely see that his new identity didn't have an uncle. Len was taking a risk by making this story up, but it was the only thing he could think of to explain his familiarity with weapons. Barry contemplated this information for a moment before speaking again.

"That makes sense. Thank you. You know, for saving me and all." Barry coughed to hide his reddening face. "If you hadn't been there, I'd-"

"Don't." Len cut Barry off. Barry looked at the man questioningly. "Don't think about that. I was there. You're fine." Realizing that the motive for what Len said was most likely fear of what could have happened, Barry gave him a gentle smile. In a bold move, he moved his free hand across the table and took hold of Len's. Len smiled softly back and turned his hand up to return Barry's grasp. Suddenly, Len's face took on an unsure look, like he was nervous about what he was about to say. Barry cocked his head to the side, much like a puppy, and smiled to encourage the other man to speak.

"So, I know we've only been on one date and only met a few days ago, but-" he trailed off for a moment, looking away, before turning icy blue eyes back to Barry. "Would you like to take these coffees back to my place and meet my sister and best friend?" Barry's face lit up. He positively beamed at Len.

"Of course!" he said, squeezing Len's hand in his grasp before letting go and standing up. "I'll go get to-go cups for these." Len watched as Barry walked to the counter and talked with the barista. He smiled to himself. He could truly say he was happy when he was around the younger man. Something about those clear, green eyes that radiated joy and contentment. He was so good. So innocent. Len pulled himself from his thoughts and stood as Barry turned and headed back to their table, cups in hand. He had a huge smile on his face as he crossed the store and handed Len his cup.

"Shall we?" he asked putting his arm out for Len to hook his around.

~x~x~x~

They walked to a large, nice looking apartment building on the more modest side of town. They went inside and rode the elevator to the third floor before getting off and walking halfway down the hallway. Len stopped Barry for a moment right outside the door to apartment 3F.

"My sister, Mariah, can come on a little strong sometimes. I'm warning you now. And, Jason can take some getting used to, but he's a great guy. They're my family." Barry smiled gently. He put a hand on the one Len had on his arm.

"I'm sure I'll love them. After all, they are your family. Besides, you've already met Joe. Talk about coming on strong. Did you know he wanted to run a background check on you before we went on our date?" Len quickly looked away at that so Barry wouldn't notice him blanch. The last thing they needed was a cop running a background check. He would have to be more careful around the detective.

"Ready?" Len asked quietly. Barry nodded, brilliant smile on his face that assuaged all of Len's fears. He pulled his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. As soon as it swung open, Len had to let go of Barry's arm so he could catch Lisa, who had flung herself at him.

"Mariah?! What-" Len was cut off by Lisa releasing him only to sucker punch him in the arm. "Ow! The hell was that for?!" he yelled. He could hear Barry snickering at the display beside him and shot the man a glare. It wasn't half as bad as the glare Lisa was currently leveling at him, though.

"You jerk! I saw you on the news at a shooting. Are you okay?!" At some point, no doubt after hearing the commotion, Mick had meandered to the door to see what was going on. His eyes landed on Barry and he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine, Trainwreck. I was there...to help." he said, eyes shifting to Barry. That was the moment that Lisa noticed they weren't alone. Her eyes widened and looked back and forth between Len and Barry.

"Is this-?" she began. Len nodded and cleared his throat.

"This is Barry. Barry, this is my sister, Mariah, and best friend, Jason." Barry nodded politely in greeting and held his hand out to Lisa for a shake. She looked at his hand and back up to his face before making a decision and pulling him into a hug. Barry's eyes went comically large at the unexpected embrace and he hesitantly hugged the woman back. When Lisa released him, Mick walked closer and stared for a moment. Barry gulped, seemingly intimidated by the man's bulky frame. After a moment of analyzing, Mick smirked and cuffed Barry on the shoulder in a friendly gesture, knocking the man off balance for a moment. Barry smiled and brought up a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

"It's nice to meet you guys. Alex had told me a lot about you." He turned slightly pink when Lisa smirked at him.

"I'm sure he has." she purred. "All good things, I hope." Barry just nodded and looked to Len. Len cleared his throat before trying to explain to Lisa why he was on the news earlier.

"Sis, sorry I worried you. I saw the news reporting on the incident at Jitters, but something didn't feel right. So, I walked over to the crime scene to have a chat with Barry."

"He saved my life." Barry added. Len sighed and rolled his eyes because he wasn't planning on telling Lisa the whole story.

"What? How?" she asked. Not realizing how tense Len had become, Barry explained.

"Some guy shot a random person on the street. He was in one of the big buildings downtown. When Alex got to the scene, he noticed a laser sight on my head. If he hadn't come when he did, I'd be in the morgue right now." Lisa's eyes took on a scared, almost hysteric look. And, this was why he wasn't going to tell her...

"Was it-?" she didn't finish the thought out loud, but Len caught on to what she was asking. Lewis. Was is Lewis.

"No." he assured his sister firmly. "It was just some guy who wanted to take out first responders. That's all." Lisa let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and calmed herself. Barry looked between the siblings, bewildered at the exchange. Who were they so scared of that she had a reaction like that? He wanted to know, but he didn't want to medal in something that wasn't his business. After a moment, Mick spoke up for the first time.

"Why don't we move this to the couch?" he asked in his gravelly voice. As everyone moved toward the living room, Mick veered off to the kitchen. "Hey, kid, you want a beer? If you're legal, that is." he laughed. Barry narrowed his eyes in a scowl at the large man.

"I am an adult, you know." he muttered. Mick laughed outright.

"Yeah right, Jailbait." Barry's face turned crimson as he sat beside Len and began mumbling some colorful insults. Len huffed a surprised laugh at some of the words coming from the younger man's mouth before his expression settled into a smile. Lisa, seeing the interaction, grinned knowingly at her brother. She could tell this man made him happy. She just hoped that this happiness lasted for them.

~x~x~x~

Barry smiled as he walked home that night. He was over the moon. He, Alex, Mariah, and Jason had spent the afternoon and evening talking and watching cheesy horror movies. It was the most fun he'd had in a long time. He really got along well with Alex's family. Sure, Jason teased him some, but he could tell it was light-hearted and meant for fun, no real malice behind his words. There were a few things about the three that were piquing Barry's curiosity, but he would wait and see if Alex would open up to him. Maybe he could have Cisco look into them and see if they were in any trouble. He really didn't want to do that, but they were afraid of someone and Barry wanted to help. As if on cue, Barry's phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. Speak of the devil.

"Hey Cisco, what's up?" he asked.

"We got a bank robbery going down, dude." the engineer said, excitedly. Barry laughed. Looks like duty called.

"Where?"