El Paso
November 2, 12:02 MDT
Jaime sat down to eat his lunch on a bench outside his high school. He opened his brown paper bag and pulled out his ham and cheese sandwich. He only took a single bite before his phone buzzed once. He pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen, a message from Bart popped up on the screen.
Bart: BLUE! You free?
Jaime: Everything alright?
Jaime's phone started ringing and Bart's picture appeared on Jaime's phone. Jaime swallowed his mouthful of sandwich before answering the phone.
"Yeah?" Jaime said.
"You got to get over here quick!" Bart shouted into the phone.
"Are you alright?" Jaime replied in a panic and stood up, speed walking off campus. Thankfully he was allowed to eat his lunch off campus, so no one bat an eyelash when he wandered off and down the street toward the zeta tube.
"Me?" Bart asked in confusion. "I'm a little nervous and sick to my stomach. The doctors won't tell me anything!"
Jaime stumbled and had to throw out an arm to brace off a brown stone building. He began to feel nauseous and the color washed from his face. He felt shaky and sweaty, but he kept himself on his feet.
"What hospital are you at?" Jaime said in a shaky voice.
"St. Andrews Hospital," Bart sighed out.
"I'll be there as quickly as I can!" Jaime blurted out and hung up. He took off running toward the zeta tube.
"Blue Beetle," the female robotic voice said as it scanned Jaime from head to toe in its yellow light. "B 22." The zeta tube hummed to life and Jaime was transported to the Central City zeta tube.
Jaime quickly looked around and made sure no one was nearby. He then put on his armor and took off into the sky.
Your heartrate and breathing have increased, the Scarab said. Based on audio analysis, the Bart Allen did not sound injured.
"We don't know that!" Jaime spat at the Scarab. "Now point us to St. Andrews Hospital."
Jaime's visor focused in on a building on the horizon, surrounding it in a yellow circular target. He took off as fast as his jetpack would allow him, blue flames bursting to life behind him. Within moments, he found an empty alleyway and landed, retracting the armor back into the Scarab. He ran inside the emergency room and looked around. There was no sign of Bart, the Garricks or the Allens.
"Excuse me," Jaime said as he approached a nurse at the front desk.
"Can I help you?" the nurse asked while looking up over her glasses.
"My friend called me and told me he was here," Jaime explained. "Is there a Bart Allen here?"
The nurse brought up her patient list on her computer. Jaime thought she was taking forever, but she finally turned back to look at him.
"No Bart Allen came in here today," she explained. "There was an Iris West-Allen."
Jaime was now thoroughly confused. He furrowed his brough and scratched his forehead.
"Where is she?" Jaime asked.
"If you're not family, then I can't tell you." The nurse replied. "Sorry."
Jaime turned and walked out of the emergency room and back into the alley. He suited back up in his Blue Beetle armor.
"If she won't tell me, then I'll scan for her myself," Jaime told the Scarab. He extended his wings and hovered into the air.
Doesn't this violate your Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act? The Scarab questioned.
"What's that hermano?" Jaime asked, now being more confused than he was before.
I believe it is the acronym known as HIPAA, the Scarab explained. An act meant to protect the personal information of patients in a medical facility.
"Bart is in here somewhere," Jaime said. "Now scan the hospital for Bart and Iris."
Jaime turned his right hand into the Reach scanner and moved up the building one floor at a time, scanning for either Bart or Iris. When they reached the sixth floor, the scanner chimed. Jaime landed back in the alley and found the main entrance into the hospital. He found an elevator that took him to the sixth floor and rushed inside. Every second of waiting, either for the elevator and then the ride up the elevator, felt like an eternity. He had no idea who was hurt or the condition they were in.
Finally, the elevator reached the sixth floor, and with a chime the doors slid open. Jaime saw Bart pacing back and forth in the waiting room. Jay and Joan Garrick sat on a couch holding hands, but with smiles on their faces.
Visual scans match audio analysis, the Scarab said. The Bart Allen is not injured.
"Bart?" Jaime asked as he stepped off the elevator.
Bart looked up and a smile spread quickly across his face. He rushed forward, at a normal human pace, and wrapped Jaime in a tight hug, pinning his arms to his side as he usually did.
"Blue!" Bart practically yelled in the waiting room. A few other people looked up at them, but then went back to their own groups.
"What's going on here, hermano?" Jaime asked. Jaime broke off the hug and held Bart at arm's length. Even though Scarab said Bart wasn't injured, Jaime did a once over with his eyes, just to make sure for himself.
"Grandma…I mean Iris," Bart quickly corrected himself as he winced at the mistake he kept trying to fix for months now, "was having a lot of pain, with Barry off on a mission, the Garricks rushed over and brought her here."
"Which ward of the hospital is this?" Jaime asked and looked around. There were a lot of families in the waiting room, which isn't uncommon for any hospital waiting room, but it seemed like there were a lot of older couples watching kids or single guys looking worried and pacing about.
"Maternity Ward," Joan said as she approached Jaime with Jay trailing behind. "Want to come sit with us?" Joan motioned over to a couch they had procured when they arrived.
"Sure," Jaime answered with a smile. They all took their seats, Jay at one end holding Joan's hand and Jaime at the other end of the couch sitting next to a vibrating Bart. "Dude, I thought you were hurt!" Jaime whisper-shouted and gave Bart a light elbow to the ribs.
"What?" Bart winced slightly and rubbed his ribs before looking at Jaime.
"You told me to 'get over here quick,'" Jaime quoted Bart back to him. "When I asked if you were alright, you didn't give me an answer either way, just that the doctors wouldn't talk to you and you were enfermo."
"In what now?" Bart furrowed his brow, trying to figure out the Spanish word.
"Sick," Jaime rubbed his temples. "Sorry, I fall back to Spanish when I'm flustered."
"No problemo," Bart smirked at Jaime.
"You could have just said it was Iris, or she went into labor or something," Jaime sighed, finally relaxing and letting his adrenaline wear off knowing that Bart wasn't hurt.
"Sorry Blue," Bart said a slight blush coming over his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I kind of got swept up in all this. After all, gotta make sure dad and Aunt Dawn are crash or I may be feeling the mode soon."
"I didn't think about that," Jaime mused as he scratched his chin. "Any word from Barry?"
"None yet," Jay chimed in. "The League is sending a replacement for his mission, so he'll show up as soon as he can."
Jaime sat his hand down on the cushion of the couch and leaned his head back. Scarab?
Yes Jaime Reyes? The Scarab responded.
Are you able to scan Iris from here?Jaime wondered.
Without deploying my scanner, I can only confirm that Iris West-Allen is in the building and is alive, the Scarab replied.
Good enough for now, Jaime thought back to the Scarab. He felt a hand on top of his hand that pulled him out of his conversation. He looked down and saw Bart lacing his fingers into Jaime's. He lifted his eyes and was met with Bart's warm stare.
"Is this alright?" Bart asked hopefully, making sure to whisper and keep their hands out of the Garricks' sight.
"Sí," Jaime replied and a smile spread across his face. He rotated his hand so they could grip each other properly, instead of Bart grabbing the back of Jaime's hand.
"I wasn't sure since we haven't told anyone yet," Bart said.
"We'll tell them soon," Jaime whispered back. "With all the wizzes on the Team, I'm sure some of them have figured it out."
"I mean telling our families," Bart clarified, keeping his voice low but being a little more pointed in what he wanted to get at.
"Oh," Jaime sighed as it all dawned on him. "How about after Iris gives birth? I kind of don't want to take this day away from her and Barry."
"Sounds crash," Bart smiled and leaned his head back.
Jaime could tell that Bart's nerves were calmer now, he wasn't nearly as fidgety as he was before.
The elevator chimed and Barry came stepping out of it, combing his hair down from running as fast as he could to get there. Jay, Joan, Bart, and Jaime stood up to greet him. Jaime and Bart let go of the other's hand as they stood.
"Any news yet?" Barry asked.
"Nothing yet," Jay said with a smile.
"We aren't technically family," Joan reminded Barry. "We can't get updates."
"Head on back there son," Jay said and pat Barry on the shoulder with a firm hand. "I'm sure she's waiting to kill you for being late."
"Thanks," Barry sighed as he made his way to the nurse's desk and was let back into the patient rooms.
Hours must have passed, or at least Jaime assumed that's how Bart and Jay felt from being speedsters. For people like Jaime and Joan, only about 45 minutes passed by. For Scarab, the exact amount of time that past was 44 minutes and 32 seconds.
"They're here!" Barry came out, still in his hospital gown.
"Well no doy!" Bart said with a large smile on his face.
Jaime elbowed Bart but smiled just the same.
"Come on back," Barry said and led the group back to Iris' room. Iris sat on an inclined hospital bed, looking drained with bags under her eyes. Two babies laid in wheeled basinets next to her, one wrapped in a light blue blanket the other wrapped in a pink blanket.
"Did you pick names yet dear?" Joan asked.
"I kind of think that ship has sailed," Iris sassed and smirked. She glanced over at Bart. "We are going with Don and Dawn, but we still have a bit of discussion for middle names."
"Plenty of time to work that out," Jay beamed. "Just get some rest now."
"And don't worry about Thanksgiving this year hun," Joan said. "We'll take care of everything."
"There's no need for that," Iris replied.
"Nonsense," Joan said with a smile. "You'll be just getting into your routine and possibly still in pain to be handling all that moving and lifting."
"You guys are welcome to have it at our house though," Barry said. "We have more room. We'll also be inviting Artemis and her mom."
"Can Jaime come?" Bart asked out of the blue.
"What?" Jaime asked as he blinked, rejoining the conversation.
"He's more than welcome to come," Barry said.
"He just has to ask his parents first," Iris added.
"He'll ask," Bart chimed in.
"Ok," Joan said. "Let's give Iris and Barry time to bond with their kids and time to rest. We will see you later." Joan ushered everyone out of the room and back into the waiting room.
"Guess I gotta go home to ask about Thanksgiving," Jaime sassed Bart.
"Can't wait to have you over!" Bart exclaimed.
"Do you know what Thanksgiving is, ese?" Jaime asked.
"No clue," Bart scratched his head. "But I figured since they were inviting other friends, I was able to invite mine."
"Just send me the detail when you get them," Jaime smiled as he knew that Bart didn't know the details about past holidays.
El Paso
November 24, 10:35 MST
"Mijo!" Bianca called out from the kitchen.
"Yeah?!" Jaime responded from upstairs, trying to pick a nicer outfit for Thanksgiving. He finally settled on black dress pants and a blue polo shirt.
"I'm not shouting to you!" Bianca called up.
"Coming!" Jaime said and quickly changed and came downstairs.
"I got the churros done," Bianca said as she placed the desert in a Tupperware container.
"I wasn't told to bring anything," Jaime replied, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"You can't just go to someone's house for Thanksgiving without bringing something to eat," Bianca sassed her son and handed him the container. "Now get a move on, you don't want to be late."
"You sure it's alright that I miss Thanksgiving?" Jaime asked.
"It's completely fine," Bianca replied. "I have a shift at the hospital tonight anyway, so I got everything prepared and instructions left behind for your dad to reheat." She glanced over everything she left behind for Alberto to do. "It's probably best if you aren't home anyway. I'm also going to make sure the bread and peanut butter are low enough for your sister to reach."
"Good thinking," Jaime chuckled. "See you later tonight." Jaime kissed his mom on the cheek and walked out of the house and towards the zeta tube.
Central City
November 24, 11:50 CST
"Everything on the table?" Joan asked from the kitchen.
"Everything looks perfect dear," Jay answered from the dining room.
"So, Jaime is coming?" Artemis asked Bart.
"You bet he is!" Bart answered enthusiastically.
"He does know that this is supposed to start at noon, right?" Paula asked.
"He's always late," Artemis answered. "At least that's what Nightwing has always said."
The doorbell rang.
"I got it!" Bart shouted and ran at superspeed to the front door. He opened the door and saw Jaime standing there with a Tupperware container. "You didn't have to bring anything."
"My mamá said I had to bring something for Thanksgiving," Jaime shrugged as Bart took the container from him.
"Well come on in Blue!" Bart welcomed, once he realized he'd forgotten to say it. He stepped to the side and let Jaime into the house. "Guess who's here?!"
"Let me guess," Artemis teased. "Jaime?"
"Woah," Bart gasped in amazement. "You're really good at guessing."
"He's the only one who wasn't here!" Artemis sassed. "By the way Jaime, nice to see you again."
"Nice to see you too," Jaime chuckled.
"So, this is the young Blue Beetle?" Paula asked and wheeled herself to face the archway.
"Did you tell her?!" Jaime elbowed Bart in the ribs.
"Don't blame him," Paula chuckled. "I'm a former villain, I can figure things out for myself."
"Everyone here is either a hero, retired hero, retired villain, or married to a hero," Bart said while rubbing his side with his free hand. "No need for any secret ID's today!"
"Artemis," Paula started, "Want to give Iris a hand with the twins?"
"Sure thing mom," Artemis got up from the couch and made her way up the stairs.
"Let me run these churros to the kitchen and get them a plate," Bart took off at super speed to the kitchen.
"So," Jaime started, being in an awkward situation with a woman he hadn't really met before, "Which villain were you?"
"I was Huntress," Paula said, sitting a little straighter in her wheelchair. "Met up with Crusher, had Jade and Artemis, then got paralyzed and spent six years in jail."
"I'm sorry," Jaime said in shock. "I didn't mean to-"
"There's no need to apologize," Paula said and put her hands up to stop him. "I don't mind sharing my story to anyone who needs a reminder of what the life can do to you."
"What life?" Bart asked as he reappeared in a blur next to Jaime.
"The superhero life," Paula clarified. "Or in my case, the supervillain life."
"All work talk again?" Artemis asked as she reappeared from the stairs holding a baby.
"It will end as soon as you pass me that baby," Paula promised as she held her hands up. Artemis passed the infant over to her mother. She then went back upstairs.
"Which one is this?" Jaime asked and leaned down to look at the baby.
"It's clearly dad!" Bart interjected. "Can't you tell by the dashing good looks?" Bart pointed between himself and the baby.
"Stop calling him dad!" Iris said while walking down the stairs, holding onto Barry's arm for support. Artemis walked behind them holding Dawn in her arms.
Jaime chuckled and felt Bart's elbow collide with his ribs.
"Not cool!" Bart exclaimed.
"Enough talking in the living room!" Joan called from the kitchen. "The table is set and everyone is here. Sit down and let's begin."
Everyone moved to the dining room table. Barry took the head of the table, with Iris to his right. Don and Dawn laid in basinets just behind her. Joan sat next to Iris, Jay next to Joan, Paula wheeled herself up to the other end of the table. Bart sat to the left of Barry, with Jaime next to him, and Artemis in between Jaime and her mother. The table was lined with food, a whole turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, corn, green beans, rolls, and carrots. They were all informed that pumpkin pie, apple pie, churros, and ice cream were waiting for them in the kitchen.
"Where are Mr. and Mrs. West?" Bart asked while looking around at the table.
"They went to my parent's house for Thanksgiving," Iris answered. "They didn't want a superhero reminder this year."
A somber quiet came over the group. This was the first year without Wally as part of their table. Jay said a blessing for the food and everyone began filling up their plates.
"Dude," Jaime whispered to Bart as the conversation carried on around the table. "This seems like a family gathering. Not really a whole lot of friends here."
"What do you mean?" Bart asked, completely missing the point of the question. "Artemis and Paula are friends."
"Yeah," Jaime sighed. "But they are practically family, with Artemis and Wally being together."
"But we're together," Bart countered and gave Jaime a smile.
"We know that," Jaime replied. "But no one else knows that."
"Oh, some of us know that," Artemis leaned over and whispered to Jaime. "You don't go undercover without picking up a few skills in observation beforehand."
"What?!" Jaime whispered a little louder than before, looking over at Artemis. "How long have you known?"
"Not long," Artemis admitted. "But I'm also not around Bart all too much. I'm usually involved in stealth missions; Bart here isn't too concerned with being unseen."
"You haven't told anyone, have you?" Jaime asked.
"No," Artemis almost seemed offended with the question. "I'm not in the business of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. I'm fully supportive of whatever makes you both happy, so when you guys do tell everyone, I'll be there to help you guys."
"Thanks Artemis," Jaime sighed. He felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He wasn't entirely sure how everyone would take him and Bart being together. He knew that his mother was supportive, and more than likely his father as well, but his more distant relatives were more…traditional.
Your worries are unfounded, the Scarab said. The opinions of other humans not involved your actions should not matter.
Easy for you to say, Jaime thought back. You're just a piece of alien technology.
Yes Jaime Reyes, the Scarab replied. A Scarab whose every action has been judged by others and a Scarab who does what it thinks is best regardless. You cannot control what others do, you can only control what you do.
"Jaime?" Bart asked, shocking Jaime out of his conversation with the Scarab.
Jaime looked around and noticed that everyone was looking at him with the slightest bit of concern on their faces. He still spaced out when he and the Scarab had their conversations.
"Sorry everyone," Jaime said with a blush creeping up on his cheeks. "Scarab had a few things to talk about."
"All good things I hope?" Barry asked with his usual smirk.
"Yeah," Jaime said and put a smile back on his face. "Nothing to worry about."
"Ok," Artemis said. "Time to say what everyone is thankful for. I'll start and then we'll just go around the table. I am thankful for this amazing family. I don't think I could have made it through this year without you all."
"You're always welcome here Artemis," Iris said soothingly.
"Especially if you help out babysitting," Barry added, getting a laugh from the table.
"I guess I'm next," Paula chimed up. "I'm thankful that Artemis will finally be getting her degree this coming year."
"Thanks mom," Artemis sighed. "Make me sound like I put my schoolwork off."
"You kind of have been," Paula sassed. "But that's all in the past now, and your bachelor's degree is just around the corner."
"I'm thankful for another year with my beautiful wife," Jay said and grabbed onto Joan's hand.
"I'm thankful that your metabolism has started to slow down," Joan said and playfully tightened her grip on Jay's hand. Everyone got a good laugh in.
"I'm thankful for my family," Iris said. "Even though it expanded as quickly as it did."
"I'm thankful for my family as well," Barry added. "The more people there are, the more love we can give." Barry leaned over and kissed Iris.
"I'm thankful for this chance to chill-hang with all my family and friends!" Bart shouted. "It's totally crash to be able to see everyone and get in on these old holidays!"
"I guess that leaves me," Jaime said, voice getting caught in his throat. "I'm most thankful for Bart. He took the time to come to the past, keep me from the Reach, and then save me from the Reach. I also guess it's time to tell you all something." Jaime reached over and took Bart's hand, lacing his fingers in with his own. "Bart and I have started dating."
The table burst into cheers and congratulations.
"It's about time!" Artemis rolled her eyes but was happy for them.
"How long has this been going on?" Barry asked, completely blindsided by the news.
"I thought something was different," Jay mused.
"No you didn't!" Joan sassed her husband.
"Am I missing something?" Paula asked, not entirely sure what had been happening the last couple of months.
"I can't believe you let this meal go on as long as you have before saying something!" Iris jabbed her finger at Bart.
"I wasn't sure when Jaime wanted to say something!" Bart defended himself.
"It's alright Bart," Jaime comforted Bart and rubbed his thumb across the back of hand. "I'm good with telling people now. Not sure how all of my family will take it, but it's time to tell people."
"Anyone decides to get in your face about this," Artemis leaned over to them. "You let me know and I'll make sure it's the last opinion they share."
"You most certainly will not!" Paula scolded. "You finish your degree before you start enacting social justice! I'm so happy for you two!" Paula's demeanor changed to a softer tone when talking to Jaime and Bart.
The rest of the meal passed without any incident. The babies slept through the meal, only stirring once desert was nearly finished. Iris excused herself to feed them, Artemis helping carry one of the babies up the stairs. Paula wheeled herself into the kitchen, she refused to sit by and do nothing, so she helped wash the dishes with Joan. Barry and Jay worked their way into the living room and turned on the tv to the football game. Soon Jaime and Bart were the only ones left in the dining room.
"Boys!" Barry called from the living room. "Aren't you going to watch the game with us?"
"I'm not a huge fan of American football," Jaime admitted to Bart.
"There are different types of football?" Bart asked.
"American football doesn't even use their feet," Jaime complained. "At least not most of the time. True football, or what other's call soccer, is a game almost entirely made up of players using only their feet."
"Ok?" Bart scratched his head, clearly confused.
"It doesn't matter," Jaime chuckled. "Remind me to take you to an actual football game."
"Will do!" Bart exclaimed and grabbed Jaime's hand.
"Want to go for a walk or do you want to socialize?" Jaime asked.
"A walk sounds kind of moded," Bart whined. "But I'd be fine to simply walk with you." Bart peeked his head into the living room. "I think me and Jaime are going to go for a walk."
"A walk?" Artemis teased as she came back down the stairs. "It must be true love to get a speedster to move that slow."
"Let's go Jaime," Bart said bashfully as a blush crept up onto his face.
"I'm only teasing, jeez," Artemis rolled her eyes as she made her way into the living room.
Jaime and Bart made their way out of the house and walked towards Central City's Park, hand in hand. The statue of the Flash welcomed them into the park, its tall white finish gleaming in the sun.
"It's totally crash we decided to tell them!" Bart said as his fingers laced with Jaime's.
"I'm happy to finally tell them too!" Jaime sighed.
"What made you decide now?" Bart asked, still beaming at being able to hold Jaime's hand in front of other people.
"Scarab was talking to me about not being concerned about other people," Jaime admitted. "I guess I just needed that extra push. Plus, hearing Artemis say she knew helped too."
"Remind me to thank the Scarab for that!" Bart exclaimed and leaned his head against Jaime's shoulder. "So, why haven't we mentioned it to your family?" Bart picked his head up as he thought about Jaime's family.
"I think mom and dad would be fine with it," Jaime mused. "Milagro too, I just don't know about either of my abuelas. Both of them are very stringent Catholics."
"Catholic?" Bart asked, not knowing about the past religion.
"Sorry," Jaime chuckled. "Sometimes I forget that you aren't from this time. Catholics are a religious group, a branch of Christianity, but more focused on traditions and tend to lean far to the right…by right I mean politically and I'll explain that later. They like to dislike people who aren't straight, but that isn't true of all of them." Jaime could hear himself rambling as he attempted to explain what he meant. "I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but generally old religious people look down on people who aren't like them, if that makes sense."
"Got it," Bart answered. "Remind me to read up on religions later."
"Will do cariño," Jaime said. He stopped walking and used his free hand to lift Bart's chin up to face him. He leaned down and kissed Bart, a warm and tender kiss.
"What does car-neeno mean?" Bart asked, breaking off the kiss as his mind moved a mile a minute.
"It means love," Jaime chuckled. "Like a term of endearment, not like love as an abstract thought, that would be amor. Now mind going back to the kissing?"
Jaime and Bart leaned back together, smiling into their kiss. The smell of Bart's Apollo Axe bodywash filled Jaime's nostrils and the taste of sugar and cinnamon made Bart vibrate with excitement. They could have stayed that way forever, if it wasn't for another teen pointing at them and talking.
"See!" The blonde-haired boy excitedly shouted to the black-haired boy next to him. The blonde boy was wearing an orange t-shirt with some summer camp plastered on the front and a Pegasus, while the black-haired boy wore a similar shirt, just black and with a skeletal Pegasus. "Told you no one cares if boys kiss!"
"Guess we should head back to the house," Jaime chuckled as he stepped out of the kiss.
"Guess so," Bart chuckled in reply.
They lingered a little bit longer, enjoying looking into each other's eyes, before finally walking back towards the Allen household.
"Good first Thanksgiving?" Jaime asked as they approached the front door.
"Totally crash!" Bart said and leaned into Jaime.
Spanish Translations
Enfermo- Sick/Ill
Abuela- Grandmother
Cariño- Love/Sweetie/Dear
Amor- Love