Hey everyone! I know it has been a long time since I updated but there are valid reasons why. I finished my AA and moved on to my bachelor's degree at my current school. I am now in the last semester of that so I definitely have more time to write. Also, about around the time I stopped updating, I had actually stopped writing a lot in general and mainly just reread all of my WIPs. This year, with my upcoming graduation and beginning to work on some of my original stories, I have gotten back into the swing of writing. Due to this fanfic being the first one I had actually completed, I really wanted to continue to update it and share the full thing with all of you.

A quick recap so you feel like you don't have to reread the whole thing if you don't want to:

Marla is a meta-human with the power to sing people asleep which she uses to rob banks. Leonard Snart is interested in this ability so he gets her his deal with the Flash to make her one of his Rogues. Marla figures out Barry is the Flash. Marla went to Star City to see the Arrow in action and he threatened to put an arrow in her if she ever came back. Someone in the Irish mob arranges a hit on Marla and Barry is tasked with protecting her (not that he refuses) when other Rogues or Snart can't. Barry and Marla play 20 questions and, at the end of the night, Barry asked Marla out on a date when everything was dealt with. Marla got a call from her parents to be invited (and/or forced) to come to dinner and she asked Barry to come along (and/or forced him to come so she wouldn't be alone).

In this chapter, we get to meet Marla's family and you get to find out exactly why she hates visiting home. I hope you guys enjoy it!

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

Chapter Twelve

Meet the McKinnons

A Week Later

Marla

"Remind me how I got dragged into this, again?" Barry messed with his tie.

Rolling my eyes, I fixed it for him, "My mother invited me to dinner and I realized that there was no way in hell I was coming back here by myself. I thought of you because you're the only of my friends without a criminal record, and I don't know Caitlin or Cisco all that well."

He smiled with a shake of my head, "Fair enough." He moved to walk up to the door when I held up my arm to stop him.

"Please don't say anything about asking me out, I'd rather they like you first before anything else."

He grinned, "Planning on keeping me long-term, McKinnon?"

I scoffed jokingly, "In your dreams, Allen."

He knocked on the door and we were greeted by my brother.

"Marlina. You look well." I rolled my eyes at the formality as we walked inside.

'Yeah, it's only me. You know, the sister you haven't seen in over three years?'

But, despite my inner thoughts, I smiled, "Hey, Mason." I gestured to Barry, "This is Barry."

"Ah, the friend that Mother said you were bringing." He held out his hand to Barry, "Mason McKinnon."

"Barry Allen."

I heard a laugh that also sounded a bit like a scoff, "And here I thought you weren't actually coming."

I forced another smile on my face as I looked at my sister.

"Hi, Melanie." I nodded to her fiancée, "Hey, Brandon."

"Good to see you, Marla! It's been a while."

"You really did bring him!" I internally groaned at the entrance of my parents and Mason's wife, Hannah.

I pushed Barry in front of me, fully intending to use him as a human shield, "Okay! Big introduction time! Everyone, this is Barry Allen. Barry, these are my parents, Dawn and Michael. My older brother Mason and his wife Hannah. And then my sister Melanie and her fiancée Brandon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, thank you for having me."

"It's good to meet you, Barry. I'll admit, I was surprised when Marlina asked for you to come, she's never been very forthcoming about us meeting her friends." Father stated.

'Because you're all crazy. I will be shocked if Mason hasn't already run a background check on Barry.'

"It's no matter now. You two arrived just in time, dinner is nearly ready."

As we followed them to the living room, Barry grabbed my arm, "Marlina?"

I felt a sour look cross my face, "My full name. As soon as I was old enough, I asked people to call me Marla. Do you have something to keep your energy up? I don't think we have enough food for a speedster."

He patted his jacket pocket, "I have a protein bar, it's been Ciscoed."

"Ciscoed?"

"It's what we call something that has been modified specifically for me by Cisco. Though, Caitlin had a hand in this, too."

I nodded in understanding as we were both handed a glass of wine to bring us to the start of the obligatory small talk that all wealthy families seemed to make a staple in their lives.

"I'm glad to see you're all right, Marla. We were worried when we heard about the Particle Accelerator explosion." Brandon said.

I held in my scoff, "I was lucky to make it out relatively scratch-free."

"What about you, Barry? Were you injured in the explosion?" Mason asked, taking a sip out of his glass.

Barry cleared his throat with a nod, "Uh, yeah. The explosion created this wave of energy, it was strong enough to knock me out. Nothing bad though."

My eyes narrowed when he let out a hum, "That so? I was under the impression that you were in the hospital for a few weeks."

"Like I said, the blast wave knocked me out."

The room was silent until the maid, Christina, came in, "Dinner is ready, Mister and Missus McKinnon."

"Thank you, Christina."

Dinner began silently until it seemed that Brandon was the only one who actually wanted to get to know Barry.

"So, Barry, what do you do for work?"

He smiled, as he often did because of how much he loved his job, "I'm a CSI for the Central City Police Department."

My father looked up, seemingly interested, "Really now? Tell me, what did you study in school?"

Barry took a sip of water before answering, "I was a double major in Chemistry and Physics before moving on to study Criminology."

"Oh! That must have been difficult!" Mother exclaimed.

Barry shook his head, "At times it was, but it was definitely worth it."

"What do your parents do?" Melanie asked.

I placed a hand on his arm as his smile fell slightly, "Uh, my dad was a doctor and my mom was a real estate agent."

"Was? Did they retire?"

Barry nodded, "Uh, yeah. They did."

"So, how did you two meet?" Mason asked.

I smirked slightly, "I was in a bank when it was robbed, Barry was there to collect evidence."

Barry grinned, "Gotta say, I think you were the only one not freaking out."

I laughed at the memory of him asking me about what happened, having no idea that I was the only one who knew.

Mason cleared his throat, "I'm going to be blunt for a moment. Barry Allen, just what are your intentions with my sister?"

I glared at him, mouth agape, "Mason! Jesus Christ, we're not even dating!"

He rolled his eyes with a scoff, "You really expect me to believe that? Come now, Marlina, you bring over an unknown man that we've never met before claiming to only be friends when your behavior with each other says something else entirely. Not to mention, you don't have any friends."

I crossed my arms indignantly, "I have friends!"

"Like who?"

"Doctor Caitlin Snow, a trained scientist and neurosurgeon as well as a bioengineer, Cisco Ramon, a mechanical engineer, Iris West, an investigative journalist, and I believe you're all familiar with Hartley Rathaway."

"Of Rathway Industries?" Mother asked and I nodded, "Well, now, if you truly aren't dating Mister Allen, then he would certainly be a good match."

I chuckled, "Maybe if he wasn't, I don't know, gay."

Father sighed, "Your mother is right, Marlina, you are twenty-five years old, you ought to be thinking of the future."

"You're not seriously talking about marriage?" I rolled my eyes.

"You're mother and I were married around your age, as were Mason and Hannah. Not to mention Brandon and Melanie became engaged on her twenty-sixth birthday."

"I'm not my siblings."

Melanie choked out a laugh, "That much is certain."

I shot a glare at her from across the table as Mother went on, "If not Rathway then what about Moira and Robert's son, Oliver? He's available isn't he?" She clapped slightly, "That might be a good reason to visit Star City! It has been far too long since we've seen Oliver or Thea."

Barry choked on his water. I patted his back while he calmed down before he cleared his throat.

"Sorry about that, you caught me off guard with that." He let out a breath of air, "I'd wait on the Oliver-thing, pretty sure he's got feelings for my friend Felicity."

Mason's eyes widened, actually surprised for once.

I smirked, 'Take that, you arrogant ass.'

"You know Oliver Queen?"

Barry nodded, "We've been friends for a little over two years now. He's a cool guy once he actually lets you in. Felicity is great too, a lot like me actually, now that I think about it."

I gasped in mock horror, "Oh, God, there's two of you?!"

He laughed, "Yeah, right. That's more like her and Ray Palmer."

"You know Ray Palmer, too?" Melanie asked.

He nodded, "Ray's easier to make friends with than Oliver, he's very open and trusting."

"Any other famous friends I should know about?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Uh, Thea Queen, Malcolm Merlyn, I knew Doctor Harrison Wells, Doctor McGee at Mercury Labs, Laurel Lance… probably some other people I'm missing."

Everyone was silent, not expecting Barry to be so well connected, I imagine.

Brandon was the first to recover, "So, what made you want to be a CSI?"

Barry sighed, "I, uh, I knew this kid when I was younger. His mother was killed and his father went to prison for it despite being innocent. I just wanted to make sure no one went through that kind of pain again."

"That's very noble of you." Mother commented.

Barry shrugged, forever modest, "It's just what I do."

Mason chuckled, "I have to ask, Marlina, do you have any famous friends? Or are the ones you listed your only friends in Central City?"

I grinned, much to his confusion, "I got some of those, they're just not famous in a good way."

"What do you mean?" Melanie asked, "Who are these friends of yours?"

My grin widened, "Mark Mardon, aka Weather Wizard, Shawna Baez, aka Peek-a-Boo, and Leonard Snart, aka-"

"Captain Cold?" Father sputtered, "You're friends with a known thief?!"

I nodded, "Pretty much, yeah."

Hannah, who had been silent the entire dinner, cleared her throat, "Perhaps it's time for dessert."

"I think that's a great idea." I muttered.

"Christina can take care of that." Father tried to interject as I began to clear the plates.

I rolled my eyes, "She's got enough going on."

Working together with Brandon, we began to get the plates cleared. As I was about to walk back out to get the leftover food, Barry walked in with them.

He waited until Brandon left before putting them on the counter, "You okay?"

"Are you starting to understand why I don't come home often?" I rubbed my eyes tiredly, "I shouldn't have dragged you into this. I knew that despite what I said, they would assume we were dating and then my stupid brother would look you up… and then my mom with the whole marriage thing-" He put a comforting hand on my upper arm.

"I would have been here, regardless. Remember, I'm supposed to be protecting you." I smiled despite my current situation, "Your brother might be acting like an ass, but I'm still glad you brought me, y'know, let me into this part of your life…" He let out a low whistle, "By the way, was not expecting you to be rich."

I shrugged with a small laugh, "Yeah, well, I figured I knew pretty much everything about you. It was only fair."

He grinned, "Actually, it would be fairer for you to meet my dad and Joe."

"I already met Joe." I pointed out.

He shook his head, "Not really, you saw him, but you never really talked to him."

I sighed, "Okay, fine. You joined me for dinner at the McKinnon's, the least I could do is dinner at the West house."

We walked back out into the dining room and sat down just as the deserts were being put down.

"So, Marlina, are you still working at that music store?" Mason asked.

I took a deep breath before I nodded, "Uh, yeah, I am."

"Writing not working out for you?" Melanie asked mockingly.

My body tensed as I forced a smile, "I've got a work in progress going at the moment."

"About what?" Hannah asked.

I paused, "Shit. Didn't think anyone would want to know."

"Uh, it's about Bloody Mary. Y'know the game with the bathroom mirror."

"So a horror novel, then?" Brandon asked.

"Yep, that it is."

My father scoffed, "Yet, it is a work in progress. Not to mention you have no idea if it will even get published or if anyone will buy it. That is why you should have gone to Law school. At least then you would have a degree in something that you can actually earn money from."

I stared at him and bit my tongue to prevent myself from snapping at him. Parents were supposed to be supportive of their children, yet they were anything but. I didn't know why I was surprised, it had always been like that.

"With all due respect, Mister McKinnon," my head snapped to look at Barry, "I think it was smart that Marla didn't go to Law school. I mean, to me anyway, it's better to get a degree in something you'll enjoy doing rather than something that will just earn you money."

Mason chuckled, "Do you also believe that it is wise to cling to the past?"

My eyes narrowed, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I groaned, "I knew it! You ran a background check on him."

He shrugged as if there was nothing wrong with that, "I would like to know who my sister brings to family dinners, is that a crime?" He raised an eyebrow at Barry, "So, about that story, you told us, the one about that kid you knew?"

Barry sighed, "That was actually about me. My mom was murdered when I was eleven, my father was convicted but, last year, he was proven innocent."

The room fell into a tense silence. Barry kept his emotions in check, but I could the anger and sadness that was starting to show in his eyes.

I clapped my hands dramatically, "Thank you, Mason. Thank you for reminding everyone here why none of you have ever met my friends. And thank you, Mother, Father, and Melanie for reminding me why I don't really come home. You know, since I'm just going to be judged the second I walk through the door." I cleared my throat and grabbed Barry's arm, "Now, if you don't mind, Barry and I will be leaving now. Don't worry about getting up."

Pulling Barry up, we walked to the front door. Brandon followed us and stopped me before I was fully out of the house.

"It was good to meet you, Barry, really. I hope we see more of you around here. It'll be almost refreshing."

Barry shook his hand with a small smile, "It was good meeting you too, Brandon. Congratulations on your engagement, by the way."

Brandon pulled me into a hug, "You know I always love seeing you, Marla. And, for the record, I agree with Barry that it was for the best that you didn't go to Law school."

I smiled and nodded, "I'll see you later, Brandon."

Once the door was shut, Barry picked me up and ran us to the train station.

I bit my lip when he didn't say anything.

"Is it stupid to ask if you're okay?"

He shook his head with a sad smile, "Honestly, I am okay. I really am. I was expecting something like that." He shrugged, "The way Mason was asking me questions and the fact that you said that you thought he would look me up made me ready for him to call me out on something. I just…"

"Wasn't expecting it to be about your parents?"

He nodded, "You could say that."

"Well, I'm excited to meet your dad!" I exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

Barry's brightening smile made me realize that my plan worked, "He's gonna love you, trust me. Actually, everyone will."

I shrugged, "Wouldn't be too sure about that."

He chuckled, "It's only because, right now, they only think of you as Siren, you just need to introduce them to Marla."

So Marla's family kinda sucks, to say the least, but I hope it does give a little insight into why Marla is the way she is.

Here's a preview of the next chapter!

"We'll see, McKinnon, we'll see."

Wally noticed the bag in my hand, "I heard you mention cupcakes?"

"Not homemade, but yes, cupcakes."

"Sweet!"

"Not until dinner." Joe reprimanded, "Both of you." He gave Barry a pointed look.

The Scarlet Speedster raised his hands in defense, "I didn't do anything!"

"You were thinking about it."

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

See you next time!