Persie stood before her bedroom mirror eyeing her appearance critically and obstinately ignoring Wally's smirk reflected back at her from the bed behind her. "Will they like me?" she asked softly, pulling at a freshly curled lock of hair and scrutinising her makeup hoping it wasn't too dramatic yet there was enough to do its job of subtly highlighting her best features; her eyes. She both loved and hated her eyes. Most people said she had her father's eyes yet she thought that perhaps she had a bit of both her parents. Her mother had similar eyes, that often changed in different lights and situations, often looking like the ocean reflected in her father's eyes.
"Of course they'll like you." Wally said with a little laugh. "Who couldn't love you?" She let a little smirk stretch her lips. "Do you love me?" she asked, a pout on her lips.
Wally was suddenly behind her, arms sliding around her waist and lips pressing beneath her ear. "I love you more than food." he replied in a low voice.
Persie swooned dramatically. "More than food!" she gasped with a smile. "That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me!"
Wally snorted as she giggled and pulled her hand away from her hair, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "You look beautiful." he murmured. "Are you ready to go now? You'll be fine. I promise."
She nodded and let him seize her hand and pull her out of her apartment and to the car. They drove to a zeta beam mostly to keep up appearances and then took the beam to a spot about half an hour outside where Wally grew up and took the car that was ready waiting for them. He smiled at her, amused at her anxiety and squeezed her hand before pounding on the bright red door of a very ordinary house in the middle of a very ordinary suburban street. The door was opened by a blonde woman who shared Wally's intense green eyes. The eyes darted from Wally's face to her own and then to their joined hands, the smile on her face widening to such a degree that Persie felt her own ache in sympathy.
"Wally!" she greeted happily. "And is this the lovely Persie we've heard so much about?" she didn't wait for an answer, shoving Wally aside and pulling Persie into an unexpected hug. Persie scowled at Wally over the blonde's shoulder but he only grinned and mouthed 'told you so'. "I'm Wally's mother. Call me Mary." Mary pulled back, holding Persie by the shoulders and looking her up and down. "And you are even more gorgeous than Wally described." she said and Persie felt her face heating up and she could see Wally snickering behind his mother.
Mary looked prepared to keep talking but then a tall only slightly plump man with warm brown eyes and thinning yet still incredibly red hair appeared beside Wally. "Let the poor girl breathe, darling." he said cheerfully. "I'm Rudy's. Wally's dad." he greeted, holding out a hand for her to shake.
Persie took it, determined to make a good impression. "It's very nice to meet you. Your son talks about you a lot."
Mary turned to her son suspiciously and Rudy laughed loudly. "Does he now?"
Persie nodded, returning the man's contagious smile and ignoring Wally's mildly panicked expression. "Yes. He raves about your cooking."
Rudy's laugh somehow got louder as Mary and Wally blushed identically. "I like you, Miss Jackson." he said, stepping aside to let her inside. "Let's introduce you to the rest of the nuthouse." Wally took her hand again and ignored his mother's delighted sigh as he led her through the house to the kitchen where a group of people were gathered. When they entered everyone fell silent and Persie shifted nervously. Taking the cue for what it was, Wally pulled her forward to the table where two men were seated, a red haired twin in each man's arms. In the kitchen, separated from the dining room by a waist high bench top, two women stood together giggling like school girls, Mary easily joining them.
"This is Persie." he said into the almost silent room. "Persie, that over there." he pointed to a blonde man with the red haired girl on his lap, her hair pulled into two pigtails on either side of her head and a blinding smile on her face. . "Is my Uncle Barry, yes he is the Flash." he added before she could ask. "The babies are my cousins Don and Dawn and that is Jay Garrick." he added, indicating the older man who looked like the perfect kindly grandfather bouncing a giggling Don on his lap. "He was the first Flash and he's kinda everyone's grandfather." a small teenager zoomed into the room and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist in a crushing hug while Persie fought the reflex to throw him off. "That's Bart." Wally continued, tugging on the boy's arm until he pulled back to reveal a messy mob of brown hair and amber eyes beaming up at her out of a pixie- like face. "He's from the future." Wally nodded seriously at her incredulous expression. "Made a time machine but couldn't get himself back."
Bart grinned at Persie, squeezed her tightly around the middle again before sprinting out of the room. "The red head." Wally continued indicating the women in the kitchen. "Is my Aunt Iris, Barry's wife with Joan Garrick, Jay's much better half." chuckles echoed through the room at what Persie gathered was a long running joke.
"Come in here, Persie love." Joan called. "Let's hear some of Wally's secrets!"
Persie smirked at Wally's almost terrified expression and she pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "I've got a lot!" she warned as she sashayed into the kitchen.
oOo
By the time they all sat down for lunch, Persie found that she as actually enjoying herself. It wasn't as though she'd thought that Wally's family would be awful but she hadn't actually expected that they'd all get along. She didn't have the best record with families so far after all. Wally's mother quite obviously loved her and his aunt and pseudo grandmother had both expressed their relief at her difference from Wally's ex. Persie quickly found she had been roped into helping with cooking the monumental lunch able to feed three speedsters and two who were quickly discovering that aspect of their powers. And when she blurted it out she was assured that the women were cooking because no one else could and the take-out people were growing suspicious. She was also informed that the men would be cleaning up-no excuses. When Persie and Iris had entered the dining room, arms laden with bowls, Iris had raised one imperious eyebrow at the empty table and seconds later it was laid. Iris winked at her and promised to teach her everything.
The doorbell rang once the last plate was set down and Persie found herself astonished that the table had actually held all that weight. Barry rolled his eyes good-naturedly and suddenly there was another place set on the other side of Wally who had leapt up to go ad answer the door. He was back and seated beside her in mere moments. She eyed him oddly but he just grinned at her through a mouthful of food. Persie grimaced and smacked him upside the head. Mary laughed and Iris grinned at her, Joan practically radiating pride. A man about their age entered the room with a charming smile on his handsome face. His blue eyes shone mischievously and his hands were thrust deep in the pockets of his no doubt designer jeans. He greeted the entire family with hugs
and kisses on the cheek and when he finally reached her she stood and they both eyed each other carefully. Nightwing. She realised. She knew he easily recognised when she realised who he was and she could see in his eyes that he knew who she was as well.
"I assume you're the brofriend?" she asked with a smirk, ignoring Wally's tortured groan.
The man blinked and then grinned brightly. "Dick Grayson." he said, holding his hand out to be shaken. "And you must be Persephone."
"Persie." she corrected, shaking his calloused, long fingered hand. "Wally talks about you a lot. Most of it good."
Dick laughed as they both took their seats on either side of Wally who looked happy yet slightly worried at their easy friendship. "Well let me tell you he never stops talking about you. I have heard many a spiel on how your hair shines on the sun and how your eyes were like pools of the sea."
Persie laughed and Wally flushed furiously as he punched his friend in the shoulder and his family laughed. It was probably one of the best lunches that Persie had ever had. Being able to witness how a real family interacted was...incredible and judging by Dick's understanding smile, he got it too. She had loved her mother with all she had but most of their time together was marred by Smelly Gabe and then once he was dead, Persie was almost always at boarding school or camp and once she met Paul, even though Persie loved him, nothing compared to a large happy family with hardly any burdens. Persie had been shocked that the subject of hero work had come up at the dinner table. In her own home it was almost a taboo subject because that easily led to the subject of demigods which made Persie incredibly angry and sad, Nico furious and Paul usually broke something. Sitting here, with this family was exhilarating.
The image of them all smiling and laughing around the table, Bart eyeing his grandmother carefully as he tried to steal the last potato from her plate and Iris, without even looking down, slapping his hand away and piercing the potato in the same movement stayed in her mind as she and Wally pulled up in front of her house.
"I had a great time, Wally." she said earnestly. "Your family is amazing."
Wally grinned and nodded. "They may be nuts but I love 'em." he murmured, leaning over to kiss her. Persie laughed into his mouth and slid her hands over his shoulders to pull him closer. "I love you." Persie whispered once they pulled apart, resting their foreheads together.
Wally smiled at her and kissed her once more. "I love you too."
When Persie entered the apartment it was with a smile on her face that made Nico look at her as if wondering whether she were drunk. "You ok, Perse?"
Persie nodded. "Yeah. I'm just perfect." she breathed happily.