Chapter 2: Reacquaintance

The day after they got the call, Iris and Joe hopped onto the first train to Starling City, with enough luggage for a week.

Apparently, Barry had been found on the same island as Oliver Queen, whose own rescue had broken news on every local channel on the coast. They had survived there together for ten years, and understandably had gotten extremely close. At Oliver's insistence, Barry was being treated at Starling General alongside him by the same doctor. They had refused to separate.

Joe and Iris, far too thankful to have Barry back, had agreed to go to Starling in lieu of having Barry transfer to a hospital in Central City. Instead, they had packed their bags and booked a room at an affordable hotel, after Singh had granted them leave to tend to Barry. Once they got to Starling, they checked in and dropped their bags off, before calling a taxi to take them to Starling General. They were both shaking when got there, knowing they were about to see Barry Allen, for the first time in ten years.

When they arrived, the receptionist gestured to an elevator and told them, "Eleventh Floor. It's a private suite."

Iris and Joe blinked, before nodding their thanks. Soon, they were on the eleventh floor, and were greeted to the sight of a middle-aged white couple, conversing with a doctor of Asian descent. The three noticed them and beckoned father and daughter over.

A gray-haired man held out his hand. "You must Joe and Iris West. Barry's foster family."

Joe took it and gave a firm shake. "We are. And you must be the Queens."

The woman beside him spoke. "I am Moira, and this is my husband Robert. We're Oliver's parents. And this," she placed her hand on the doctor's shoulder, "is our family's personal physician, Dr. Lamb. He treated both Barry and Oliver." Joe and Iris gave their greetings, and then everyone looked expectantly at the doctor.

He sighed. "I'll be blunt – both Oliver and Barry did not come home unscathed. Oliver has a significant percentage of scar tissue on his body, and several fractures and breakages that never healed correctly. Barry is the same: scar tissue, fractures, and breakages. Both are mildly malnourished, though a regular diet will change that soon enough." Dr. Lamb surveyed both the Wests and the Queens with a sympathetic gaze. "I caution all of you: the loved ones you lost, might not be the ones they found." He warned.

It was decided that they would all enter the suite one by one, as to not overwhelm the two former castaways. Moira was the first to go in.

She opened the door and hesitantly walked in. On the bed, there was an unfamiliar, dark-haired young man, who briefly looked up at her, watching her curiously. This must be Barry.

And at the window –

Moira Queen lost her son when he was sixteen years old. The man standing at the window could not be him. He was taller, more muscular. His facial features were more defined. A stronger jaw. A little bit more facial hair. His hair was much shorter. His skin darker. And his eyes…it felt like his eyes were staring into her soul. They were so much older.

Then he smiles at her, popping dimples, and then he says, "Mom." and Moira knew.

Moira Queen felt tears well up in her eyes once again as she embraced her long-lost son. "My beautiful boy."

Iris opened the door next, and with her first step, she saw him.

When Iris West was fourteen years old, she lost her best friend, her closest confidant, and one of the two most important people in her life. And now…

Barry was…different, which was only to be expected. He was taller now – much taller than her, maybe even taller than Joe. His limbs were longer. His hair was shorn, no longer lightly slicked back. His face had lost a lot of the baby fat, though he still looked very young. His body had filled out, and while he wasn't too muscular, it was clear he was no longer the gangly teenage boy who used to babble to her about the impossible. Under different circumstances, Iris would've called him handsome, and maybe try to hook him up with one of her friends.

But all she could think was: Barry.

His expression was wearier, far more guarded than it used to be. But he was smiling at her, his familiar grin stretching across his face, and Iris felt her heart skip a beat.

Barry stood, and went to her, until they were face-to-face. He spread his arms out, and said, with a hint of softness, "I promised you, didn't I?" he joked.

Iris felt her eyes turn to glass again, and she gave a choked laugh as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. "Took you long enough, Barry."

An overjoyed Robert and Joe soon followed. Once all the greetings were exchanged, Barry and Oliver looked towards a connecting door in the suite, which began to open.

A young woman, about as old as Barry, appeared through the doorway, wearing a simple t-shirt and a pair of jogging pants. She had long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes, a slim figure, and a modest bust. Peeking out behind her legs was a young boy, no older than twelve, with black hair and similar eyes.

Everyone blinked.

Moira was the one to bite. "And you are?"

The girl smiled softly at her. "I'm Kara Danvers. This is my cousin, Clark Kent. We were stranded on the island alongside Oliver and Barry."

At Oliver's request, everyone had been invited to stay at the mansion. For Barry and the Wests, it was only for the week, until the returned to Central City. For Kara and Clark…undetermined, much to the Queens' befuddlement. The Wests took a taxi back to their hotel to pick up their luggage and cancel their reservation. Barry, however, had gone on ahead with Oliver, Kara, Clark, and the Queens to the latter's mansion.

When they arrived, the driver started to unload the luggage while another servant went to help him. Robert knocked once, and the large ornate doors open to reveal the foyer. Oliver studied his old home, taking note of any changes, and catching sight of the pictures on the table in the front. Barry, Kara, and Clark did the same for a moment, before watching him. Suddenly, Oliver looked up, and saw a familiar face standing towards the back near the staircase.

He smiled as he made way towards the figure. "It's good to see you, Raisa."

The Russian maid beamed at him. "Mr. Oliver. Welcome home."

A door slammed open, and Oliver looked up at the staircase. He strode to the bottom, and felt his breath catch. He had expected to see a seven year old, and saw a teenager instead.

It had been ten years. He had lost so much time with her.

Thea Queen bounded down the stars, and threw herself around his waist. Oliver reached down, and hugged her close.

"I knew it! I knew you were alive!"

Oliver smiled. "You were with me the whole time."

After a long embrace, Oliver had introduced Thea to his companions, and had suggested she take Clark on an adventure around the mansion. Thea, despite wanting to spend more time with her brother, had noticed the shy boy's demeanor, and agreed. Barry and Kara had already dropped what little personal items they had in their own rooms, and now all three were standing in Oliver's old room.

"She wasn't lying. This place hasn't changed a bit." Oliver remarked, taking note of the small bit of dust layering his old mirror.

Kara hummed in agreement. Barry gazed around the room, and smirked. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about having to get a new bed." he drily remarked, gesturing to the large, California King-sized divan.

They both laughed at that.

The door opened.

"Mr. West. Miss West. Welcome. Your rooms are already prepared." Robert nodded to them, and then to Raisa. "She will take you to them."

Joe bobbed his head, and he and Iris followed Raisa up the stairs. Robert watched them for a moment, and turned back to the doors, and froze.

"Hello, Robert. Sorry for dropping by so unexpectedly. When Tommy and I heard the news, we cancelled all our appointments and drove here as fast as we could." Malcolm Merlyn smiled at him, his son waving at his godfather beside him.

Robert shook his head robotically. "No…no trouble at all, Malcolm. I assume you and Tommy will be staying for dinner?"

Malcolm smirked and smoothly replied. "Of course."

Oliver greeted the Merlyns enthusiastically, seemingly oblivious to the tension between his godfather and his parents, and happily introduced Tommy to his new companions. Soon, it was dinner time, and everyone was seated. At one end of the table was Oliver, with Tommy, Joe, Barry, and Iris on one side, and Thea, Kal, Kara, and Malcolm on the other. His father sat at the other end, and his mother was to the side, next to Iris.

Dinner had started out quietly at first, though Tommy, still a troublemaker at heart, tried rouse up some conversation by talking (read: flirting) with Kara.

"So, you were stuck on an island for ten years with this bozo." The Merlyn scion jabbed his thumb towards his newly-returned best friend. "I imagine you had to keep him from doing a lot of stupid things." Tommy chuckled.

The Kryptonian smiled tightly at him. "Oliver and Barry saved mine and Kal's life. We owe everything to them." She hedged tensely.

After that, a large tension settled on the room, as everyone stopped eating. Barry and the Wests kept quiet, shifting uncomfortably. Oliver looked down towards his food. Robert and Moira stared at Kara, while Malcolm glared at his son. And Thea –

"Kal?" she asked skeptically.

"It's my nickname!" The aforementioned child piped up. "My full name is Clark Calvin Kent!" he spoke, and shied away when everyone's attention turned towards him.

Iris, relieved as the tension dissolved, grinned at him. "I like it." Kal blushed.

Just then, Raisa tripped over a floorboard and nearly spilled a fruit bowl. Oliver quickly caught her and it, almost instinctively. Malcolm's eyes sharpened at that.

Quick reflexes.

"My apologies, Mr. Oliver." the maid bowed.

"Think nothing of it, Raisa." Oliver waved her off.

Dinner continued with idle chatter, until dessert arrived, and Robert asked the magical question.

"So, what do you four plan to do now that you're back?"

At that, the four survivors froze. Barry was the first to recover. "Well, once I'm revived, I'm planning on going back to Central City with Joe and Iris. I'll study for my GED, and after that, I'm thinking of going to the local college." he explained.

Kara followed him up. "Kal and I are staying here in Starling City. There's nothing for us left in Kansas. If it's alright with you, Mr. and Mrs. Queen, would like to stay here until we can find a place of our own. It shouldn't take too long – our parents left us a hefty inheritance." She turned towards the Queens apologetically, who waved her off, stating it was no problem at all and that they could stay if they need to. Anything for a friend of Oliver's, especially one who stuck by him for the ten years he was gone. "I'll probably study for my GED as well, and then get a job."

"As for me," Oliver said, after taking a big gulp of water. "I will also be aiming for my GED, though after that, I don't know. I want to reconnect with everybody first before making any big plans."

Malcolm made eye contact at him, and ignored the way his stomach curled. "Not planning to be a layabout, are you, Oliver?"

"No, no Uncle Malcolm. It's just…" Oliver hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "I lost ten years of my life with all of you. I don't want to miss anymore."

The week passed. They all came back from the dead.

And Barry was heading home.

"Don't be a stranger, alright?" Oliver told him after their embrace ended. Beside him were Kara and Kal, who had already said their own goodbyes.

Barry smiled. "Never."

On the train ride back to Central City, Barry and Iris had managed to snag a compartment of their own. Joe was in another, fast asleep. Iris was reading a book on one side. Barry had been reading one himself, for a bit, but had not set it down, looking at his best friend thoughtfully.

"So, did something happen between you two?"

Iris looked up from the pages, and sighed. She closed the book and set it down in her lap. "You noticed, huh?"

"I'm not blind, Iris." Barry replied lazily. "What happened? Is it because of me?" he stated the last part sadly.

Iris almost shook her, head but thought better of it. "It started because of you," she admitted, "but if it had just been you, we would've eventually moved past it." She took another deep breath, and continued her story.

"There's no easy way to tell you this, but you need to know. Barry, when your dad found out about what happened about you, he tried to commit suicide." Barry's expression became pained at that. "He was stopped before he could succeed," she reassured him, "but he was placed on suicide watch for a while. As for me, I was on the outs with Joe. I blamed him for what happened to you."

"Iris…"

"I know, I know. No one could've seen something like that happening. It wasn't anyone's fault. But I still blamed him – it was because of him that you tried to run to China. Your dad's suicide attempt is what convinced me that you were right about him, that he was innocent and…Barry, I knew you wouldn't be happy if he died before he could get out. So, I started visiting him, trying to give him a reason to live again. We bonded."

"Two years after you…disappeared, Joe decided enough was enough and tried to bridge the gap between us. I didn't want to, but Henry convinced me to. He said that you wouldn't want us to be fighting over you."

"And he's right." Barry interjected.

"He was." Iris confirmed. "So, we tried. And we might've succeeded, had it not been for a project at school."

Barry's eyebrows raised quizzically at that. "A school project."

"A school project. Barry…my mom is alive." Barry's eyes widened. "And when I went to see her…my little brother opened the door."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Iris laughed bitterly. "After that, I stayed long enough to graduate, and moved out, to Keystone. Majored in Criminal Justice, and then entered the Police Academy."

"You're a cop?" Barry asked in wonder.

"Yup," Iris responded, popping the 'p' and flipping open her wallet to show her badge. "Top of my class. Got transferred to the same precinct as Joe soon afterwards."

Barry frowned. "Then why haven't you transferred out?"

Iris blinked. "What?"

"Iris, if things are really that between you and him, why haven't transferred to another precinct? I'm sure whoever's in charge would understand what's going on between you two and push in the paperwork, if only to cut down the tension in the station."

"Central City is my home, Barry. And…" Iris looked away. "I guess I wanted to prove myself to him. Prove that he isn't allowed to control my life."

Barry was the one to sigh this time. "Iris, you don't need to prove anything to anyone but yourself." Iris opened her mouth to speak, but Barry stopped her. "Now, I'm not going to try and convince you to make up with Joe. Whatever is going on there is between you two, and if you want to stay mad at him, that's your choice. I just hope this doesn't change anything between us, because I'm going to stay at his place for a while. Not for long – just until I can get back on my feet."

Iris shook her head. "I understand, Barry, and I don't mind. It'll just be a little weird, being in that house again after so long."

Barry looked at her, really looked at her, and nodded his head. "I know how you feel." Iris sat up a bit at that. He would know, wouldn't he? After all, it had been even longer for him.

"So, anything else I need to know?"

Iris smiled, genuinely this time. "Well, I have a boyfriend. His name's Eddie, and he works at the same precinct as us. He's Joe's partner." At Barry's pointed look, she playfully swatted at him. "I'm not dating him to get back Joe, Barry. I really like this guy. I think he might be the one." She exhaled blissfully at that.

Barry smiled back at her, though there was a hint of sadness to it, not that Iris seemed to notice. "I'm happy for you. And I can't wait to meet him."

The feels. Part I will be more feels, until we get to the action towards the end.