Here is chapter ten! This is more of a filler chapter, but it involves finding out a little more information about Marla. Think of it as a little meet and greet!

I do not own CW's Flash or any character's or places mentioned.

Chapter Ten

Chinese and Twenty Questions

Marla

Barry was my "bodyguard" for roughly two hours before I got seriously fed up.

"I don't care if you think I need it! I don't need someone to protect me, least of all the Flash."

"Well, I don't care, no one is killing one of my Rogues." I growled in irritation, "You've got two choices, Marla. Either you stick with Barry and are free to run around the city, or you can deal with me and I'll make sure you can't leave wherever I put you. Your choice."

I huffed and glared at Barry, who waved at me from his spot on my couch.

Taking a deep breath, I made up my mind, "I'll stick with Barry."

"Good choice. Who knows, maybe you'll find out you have something in common."

Hanging up without another word, I looked back to Barry, "So… how does Chinese sound to you?"

That was how, fifteen minutes later, I ended up playing Twenty Questions as I ate Boneless Spare Ribs with white rice and Sweet and Sour Chicken with the Flash.

"Alright, first question: what made you want to be a CSI?"

Barry sighed, "When I was eleven, my mom was murdered. My dad was arrested and convicted for it, but I always knew he was innocent. I became a CSI to prove it and to make sure that what happened to me, didn't happen to anyone else."

I swallowed the lump in my throat before responding, "Wow, I, uh… I don't really know how to respond to that. I mean, I would say "I'm sorry," but I'm sure you get that a lot and it doesn't really help but, uh-" Barry cut me off by placing a hand on my arm.

"Don't worry about it, no one really knows what to say. Besides, my dad's out now, so I can finally move on, you know?"

I nodded, "I'm glad."

Silence settled between the two of us for a few minutes before he cleared his throat.

"How'd you get your powers?" Barry asked, shoving some Lo Mein into his mouth.

I shrugged, "I was singing along to my music when I got hit with the dark matter, ended up unconscious."

He nodded, seemingly impressed, "Huh. That explains a lot actually. You're turn."

I thought about it for a second, "If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?"

"Somewhere warm. I don't know where, but somewhere warm."

I nodded approvingly, "That's valid. Personally, I would pick New Zealand, but that's just me."

"Why New Zealand?"

"One, it's beautiful. Two, not gonna lie, I really want to see the Shire."

Barry laughed, "Pretty good reasons." He ate a dumpling before asking his next question, "If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?"

"Hot dogs or egg noodles."

"That was fast."

I shrugged, "My two favorite foods, not a hard question. What's your favorite season?"

"Spring. When I was little, I was scared of thunderstorms, so my mom would put on a musical to make me feel better. Every time it rains, I think of her."

"That's sweet! I love fall because it's not too hot or too cold, plus Halloween means free candy."

Barry laughed again, "Fair, very fair. Dogs or cats?"

"Both, but if I had to pick, I would pick dogs. Who's your best friend?"

"Cisco and Iris, but I could also include Felicity Smoak in that list."

"I know Cisco and I know of Felicity Smoak, but not Iris."

"Iris is the daughter of my foster dad, Joe. We've been friends since forever."

"Ladies man, huh?"

Barry blushed before stuttering, "I-I wouldn't… No! I'm not! I just happen-" He stopped defending his answer as I started laughing.

"I'm just messing with you, Lightning Boy."

Barry shook his head with a small smile, "Favorite color?"

"Purple. I'm guessing you like red."

"You wouldn't be wrong."

"Do you know any celebrities?"

"A couple."

"You gonna tell me their names?"

Barry shook his head, "Nope. What's your favorite movie?"

"Changing the subject, are we?" I smirked, "I'll get it out of you, eventually."

"We'll see about that. Now, c'mon, what's your favorite movie?"

"Treasure Planet. Hands down one of the most underappreciated Disney movie alongside Emperor's New Groove and Atlantis."

"Huh, looks like I got a new movie to watch."

I nodded vehemently, "You absolutely should! Do you have any hobbies?"

"Between my day job and being the Flash, I don't have time for hobbies."

I chuckled, "I call bullshit. You're the fastest man alive! How can you not have time for hobbies?"

Barry shrugged, "Just don't, I guess."

I stared him down for a few more seconds before letting him off the hook, "Fine. What's your next question?"

"Favorite TV show?"

"Avatar: The Last Airbender, Danny Phantom, and Kim Possible."

"God! Those shows were the best!"

"The younger generation has no idea what they're missing!"

"Gotta say, I relate to Danny now more than ever."

"With the whole double life thing?" He nodded, "Makes sense. Though, I'd compare you more to Zuko."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion, the egg roll he was about to eat forgotten, "Zuko? Why?"

"You've both been through a lot where your parents are concerned, both of you have something to prove – don't even deny it, all heroes have something to prove – and you're both very attractive." I winked at Barry before letting him gape like a fish out of water until I took pity on him and asked him my next question, "Are you a morning person or a night owl?"

It took him a second to answer as he was still recovering.

With pink tinted cheeks, he managed to say it, "I've never really, uh, been a morning person, but being the Flash has made me a night owl." He cleared his throat and took a sip from his soda before continuing, "What's your favorite book?"

I bit my lip, this was probably the hardest question he had asked yet. I did a mental list of all the books in my library, and there were a lot, but I still couldn't come to one conclusion.

"I love all the books I read, so I don't really have a favorite. It's like asking a parent to pick their favorite child, you just can't."

Barry nodded, "I'll accept that."

"Can you cook?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I try to cook whenever I get the chance, but, again, day job and being the Flash doesn't give me time to."

"Well, I'm basically living off Ramen and takeout right now, so feel free to cook for me whenever."

He laughed, "I'll keep that in mind."

Barry's laugh was really nice. It made everything feel so much lighter just by hearing it.

'Funny, sweet, smart, can cook, good looking… Man, whoever lands Barry is going to be the luckiest person ever.'

"Hello! Earth to Marla!" Barry waved a hand in front of my face, "What are you thinking about there?"

I smiled genuinely, "Whoever lands you as a boyfriend is going to be extremely lucky."

His face turned red again, "O-oh! I, uh, um…" He cleared his throat, "Uh, you do… Um, I mean, do you like musicals?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Wicked is one of my favorites."

"I like Singing in the Rain myself, but to each their own."

"Have you ever been in love?"

Barry chuckled nervously, "Getting kinda personal aren't we?"

I shrugged, "I want to get to know my babysitter. Don't avoid the question." Barry took a deep breath before nodding, "Oh? Who?"

Barry shook his head, "That's two questions! My turn."

I groaned, "Aw, come on!"

Barry smirked, "Sorry, Marla. What does your love life look like?"

I scoffed before giving him a pointed look, "I'm in a happy relationship with multiple fictional characters."

Barry laughed, "Like who?"

It was my turn to smirk as I leaned forward slightly, "Zuko." Barry's eyes widened slightly, the red shade color of his face deepening, "So, who are you in love with?"

"I… I wo-wouldn't say I'm in love with her, anymore. So no one?"

I clicked my tongue, "Tsk, tsk, Barry. You know very well what I meant."

"Um, well, uh…" He sighed as he came to term with the fact that I wasn't letting this go, "Iris. I was in love with Iris. It was one sided, though."

"She's blind, then."

"So, uh, how… how do your powers work, exactly?" Barry's voice rose in pitch as he tried to change the subject.

'So that's what happens when he's uncomfortable, I guess.' I smiled, 'Cute.'

"When I sing "I Dare You," I can make people fall asleep. No idea why they can't remember anything." I decided to give Barry a break, "If you could have any power besides super speed, what would it be?"

Barry was obviously relieved when I didn't ask any more questions about his love life that his whole body instantly relaxed, "I would say either flying or super strength, that would be pretty cool."

"I think I would want to be able to teleport. I'm a very lazy person, so it would be extremely helpful.

Barry smiled slightly, "Cool. What made you dye your hair?"

I shrugged, "Wanted to screw with my parents, they were obsessed with have the perfect family. Dying my hair blue was my way of regaining some semblance of control."

Barry winced, "Yikes. That sounds horrible."

I nodded, "Oh it was!" Remembering my parents made my mouth dry, so I had to take a sip of my soda before I could continue our game, "Other than science, what was your favorite subject in school?"

"Math."

I snorted, "Nerd."

He rolled his eyes, "Not much of a math person I take it."

I shook my head, "Nope!" I popped the 'p,' "I don't like it, and it sure as hell doesn't like me."

Barry raised his hands in peace as I moved to sit cross-legged, "Fair enough. What was your college major? Assuming you went to college!" He corrected himself.

I laughed, "I was an English major, actually. Much to my parents' great pleasure." I made my voice sound sickly sweet so he could tell I was being sarcastic.

"Parents not a fan of English?"

"Not when they're both lawyers followed by a brother who's a doctor and a sister who's a successful model. When I told them I was going to college to become an author, they quickly made sure I knew that they wouldn't be paying for any of it."

Barry winced again, "Damn. That really does suck, and kinda sounds like Cisco parents. They're not thrilled that he became an engineer when his brother is a well-known pianist."

I nodded, familiar with the idea, "What makes you want to help people?"

He shrugged, "Like I said, I want to make sure what happened to me, doesn't happen to other people. I don't want people to lose those they care about."

"That's really sweet, Barry. But, I don't know, doesn't it get exhausting taking on all that responsibility? I mean, you're basically making yourself responsible for everyone's family."

Barry shook his head, "It is exhausting, for sure. But… I don't know… Seeing people filled with hope, knowing that there's someone out there who can help them, it makes it all worth it."

I bit my lip as I thought about what he said, "Well, like I said, I think it's sweet. I don't know if many people could do that day in and day out."

He laughed slightly, "Well, I'm not most people."

I chuckled, brushing hair away from my face, "No… You're not. You're better."

We sat in silence, just staring at each other. The more I looked into his eyes, the brighter the green became. My heart kept increasing in speed and intensity until I was sure it was about to burst out of my chest.

Barry licked his lips before looking away, clearing his throat and taking another sip from his soda, "So, uh, did you grow up in Central?"

I coughed briefly and shook my head, "Uh, no, actually. I'm originally from Coast City."

His eyes widened with a short laugh, "Wow, uh, now that's quite the trip."

I forced out a laugh, "Yeah, I really wanted to get away from my parents and all the plans they had for me. Seriously, they had every moment planned for me and my siblings. My sister is engaged to the guy she's been dating since her Freshman year of high school and my brother is married to my father's law firm partner's daughter. And both he and my mother wanted to send me off to Yale and set me up with the Dean's son, who just so happened to be Pre-Law."

Barry sucked in a breath, "Yikes. I can't even imagine." He blew out some air, "I don't even think Cisco's got it that bad, and I've met his parents. I thought they were hardcore."

"No one truly knows the meaning of hardcore until they dine with Mister and Missus McKinnon." I shook my head with a scoff, "But anyway, enough about my parents and my painful backstory, back to twenty questions. Who made your suit?"

Barry nodded, seemingly happy enough with the change of subject, "Cisco, actually. He makes all the toys; and he names all Metas."

"Like I said, I have a friend of yours to thank for the name Siren."

Barry's gaze went from happy to uncertain in a matter of seconds, just as his smile dropped into a thin line, "You don't have to answer this, but I am really curious about it."

I sucked in a breath before releasing it in a puff, "I hate when questions start like that… "You don't have to answer this, but…" Let it out."

Barry sighed, "Why… Ugh… You said that robbing those banks-" I groaned but Barry pushed past it, "was a necessity. Why?"

"Like I said, my parents refused to pay for my college education, and out-of-state tuition is expensive. I got some scholarships, but not enough so I had to take out loans. And, let's be honest, if you have student loans from college, it's impossible to pay them off while also living comfortably. And, by that, I mean not eating Ramen all day, every day."

"I wish I could say I relate, but I don't. I mean," he scoffed quietly, "I was in-state, full ride through academic scholarships, not to mention the SCPD hired me pretty quick after I graduated."

"If you were in my place, and didn't have your very trustworthy moral compass, wouldn't you do the same? I mean, have you seriously never considered what you could be capable of with your powers if you were even just the slightest bit different?"'

He nodded, "I have thought about it and, honestly, I probably would've done the same."

I tossed up my hands, letting the fall gently back into my lap, "There you go, then. Now, the question I have been dying to know the answer to: who would win in a fight? The Arrow or the Flash?"

Barry laugh, a full laugh this time as opposed to the short and small laughs from before – which was somehow even better – before answering, "The Flash, of course."

I raised an eyebrow, "You sound so sure of yourself. Is it possible that this was already tested?"

He nodded, "It has been, and the Flash won. Though, the Arrow would say differently because there were no witnesses." I chuckled, "Who's your favorite Rogue?"

I hummed, "It's a tie between Mark and Shawna. Mark's kinda become like an older brother to me while Shawna's become like a sister. Hell, even Hartley is like the spoiled younger sibling. So, they're each my favorites, in their own ways." I chuckled, slightly evilly, "Who was your first kiss?"

Barry sputtered, "What?! What is it with you and my love life?!" I shrugged, to which he shook his head, "Becky Cooper, my first girlfriend."

"Awe," I cooed, "cute!"

He rolled his eyes with a shake of his head and a small smile before glancing at me from the corner of his eye, "Any celebrity crushes?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, "Not sure yet, I'll let you know."

"What do you mean?"

I tried to hide the blush in my cheeks by creating a curtain with my hair as I drank from my soda, "Well, uh, the Flash is kinda a celebrity, right?" I cleared my throat quickly, "So, uh, have you ever wished you weren't the Flash?"

Barry stared at me for a moment longer before answering, "Sometimes when the weight of the world seems to be too much. Then, I remember what I'm fighting for… who I'm fighting for." He sat up a bit straighter and turned to face me better, "If you didn't have your powers, what would you be doing?"

"Trying to make an honest living. I would never try to rob a bank without powers, that's just stupid." I tried to avoid Barry's gaze, but the piercing green made it impossible, "Are there any other abilities you have?"

"I heal really quickly and I can eat as much as I want without getting fat." I snorted, "I'm serious! I can also move the cells of my body so fast that I can run through walls as well as throw lightning." His smile dropped and his face developed a more… thoughtful expression, "Before you knew I was him, what did you think of the Flash?"

My mouth went dry, "Oh, uh, I… uh… I thought that he was probably the best thing to happen to Central City." I gave him a little shrug, "I still do. I always felt like the Flash brought comfort to people. He is someone that can protect the police when they need it or fight the enemies the police can't." I took a deep breath, "Do you have any weaknesses?"

Barry chuckled quietly, "There's a reason Snart and I are enemies. Speed and freezing cold temperatures don't get along. And, I don't know if you'd call it a weakness, but my metabolism is so fast, that I can't get drunk or take any medication."

I winced, "Oof. I'd hate that."

"I'm always the designated driver. Sometimes I wish I could just drink and forget about the day, but then there's times where I'm glad I can't."

"There's gotta be some perks." I smirked slightly.

Barry sighed, "Are you flirting with me because you know it throws me off, or because you actually like me?"

"A little of both. One more than the other. Would you still be babysitting me if Snart didn't ask you to?"

He grinned, "I would, actually. I mean, I wouldn't make it so you knew I was, but I would probably follow you around the city, make sure you were safe."

I didn't bother to hide my flushed cheeks anymore as I placed my hand on Barry's, "Thanks. I know I keep saying that I don't need protection, but it does feel nice to have someone looking out for me."

He nodded, "I figured as much." He looked down at his watch and let out a low whistle, "Wow, it's late. I should probably get going, I do have a day job. I'll swing by here first, though, to make sure you're okay."

I nodded and walked him to the door, "Sounds good, Mark should be here soon, anyway. Have a good night, Barry."

He smiled brightly, "Good night, Marla." Just before he was completely out the door, he paused, "Y'know, I still have one question left."

I raised an eyebrow with a smirk, "And just what would that question be?"

He grinned widely and far more brightly than any other smile I had seen from him, "Do you want to get dinner some time?"

I bit my lip before answering, "Maybe when I not being shot at."

Barry nodded with a laugh, "I think that might be a good plan." He let out a deep breath, "Good night, Marla. For real, this time."

"'Night, Barry. See you tomorrow."

All right, so a little Barry-Marla bonding time! Here's a sneak peak into the next chapter!

"Tell you what, I'll go if I'm allowed to bring a friend... His name is Barry and, before you ask, he is just a friend. Great! See you then... How do you feel about meeting my parents?"

As always, reviews are welcome and constructive criticism is appreciated.

See you next time!