#laurrynetwork

His phone vibrated. It was a text message. From her.

- “I miss you.”

“I miss you too” he thought with a sad smile. “Come on, Allen, tell her that! … you are such a coward… you ran away… she doesn’t even know why you avoid her!….. maybe–” in the middle of his rambling she sent another message.

- “What are you doing?”

And another one.

- “I mean, are you busy?”

And one more.

- “Come see me.”

- “Now?” - he finally replied.

- “Yes”

He stared at his phone for a few seconds deciding if wanting to see her was stronger than the fear he felt.

- “Please”

It was.

- “Where are you?”

- “The lair”

In two minutes he was there.

She jumped in shock but smiled when she saw him.

- “You have to stop doing that.” - she said, trying to look serious.

- “You asked me to come… how did you expect me to get here?”

- “You could stop at the door and ring the bell.”

- “There’s no bell here.”

- “That’s not an excuse. Also, why haven’t you hugged me yet?!” - now absolutely offended, so he grinned and did what she asked.

They spent the night talking and catching up on the weeks they hadn’t seen each other. They wandered through the streets and ended up at her apartment. They watched a movie and fell asleep in the couch. They woke up at the ending of the movie.

- “Barry.”

- “uh?” - he replied turning to face her, which made him frown, since she looked a bit upset.

After struggling for a while, she asked - “Barry, why have you been avoiding me?” - He opened his mouth to deny that, but before he could, she added - “And don’t tell me you haven’t. Don’t lie to me.”

He looked down at his hands, noticing he couldn’t evade it anymore. He sighed and looked at her again. - “I… I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”

Before she could even realise what he had said, Barry had run away (literally), afraid that she’d reject him or laugh at him.

When he got home he got a text message.

“I’m only gonna be gone a fewdays, so Marianne is gonna come over,” She said as she packed her things intoher suitcase, “You like Marianne, remember?” She shouted to her father asshe pulled out some clothes.

Quentin stuck his headin. “I don’t know why you insist I need a babysitter. I’m going to befine,” He promised.

She shook herhead. “Well, I just want to be sure. Marianna is gonna make sure you eatand go to your AA meetings. It’s gonna be good.” She promised as she kissed himon the cheek. “Trust me, if you can do this, it’ll be good for all of us,back on the path of normalcy,” She smiled.

He chuckled. “That whatyou told yourself every time a camera was in your face?” He asked. 

It struck a nerve. They nevertalked about it. They never talked about Tommy and Oliver, because it alwayslead to a fight. It lead to them not speaking except when she was peeling himoff the bars and being clinical with him. She didn’t want to talk about it now. She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. What matter is you’re gettingbetter and I have to be off to my seminar in New York City. This is a big one.”She told him, trying not to let her voice crack.

She got off the plane andsmiled as she saw Iris West. “Well, if it isn’t the devil in heelsherself, seriously heels on an airplane?” She asked as she kissed Laurel onboth cheeks.

Laurel smiled. “Younever know when you’re gonna be surprised by something or someone. Always haveto look your best,” She said and nodded her head.

Iris didn’t know how shecould do it anyway. “Well, come on. You are going to finally meet Barry.You’re gonna love him. He’s here for that seminar, the heroes and vigilantesone.” 

Laurel nodded. “I’m herefor that one too. It’s good for public justice law degrees. And I had a littleextra money,” She told Iris. That money she’d worked and paid for it. Stupidcameras and photographers. Least she could do was tell her side, make her moneyoff of it. 

Iris took her hand and walkedher through the airport, “Well come on, we are going to the New York PublicLibrary,” She said as she pulled Laurel into a cab and smiled. 

“So what’s going on withyou?” She asked Iris as the cab took off from LaGaurdia and into the streets ofNew York City.

Iris shook herhead. “Honey, I am more interested with what is going on with you. I meanyou’ve been distant. I mean I know the whole Oliver thing couldn’t have beeneasy, but we didn’t see you and your dad at the National Police Officer’s ball.That’s a big thing. You guys love to do that. And you could have met Barry thisyear, we finally managed him to get him to go.” She said as punched Laurellightly.

Laurel laughed to keepherself from the thought of it. The National Police Officer’s ball. That. Sheforgot about that. “We were busy this year.” She told Iris. “I finallyconvinced him to go to AA.” 

“Good,” Irissaid. “You’re a strong woman. I don’t think I could have done that on myown.” She told her as she looked out of the window. “Look at this place,man. This is a lot different than Central City.” She gasped.

Laurel fidgeted with herfingers as she heard Iris gasp about Central City. “So how’s my mom?” Sheasked, without looking up. 

Iris looked at herfriend. “Barry took her class. You know it looks like she’s settling in.”She said as she looked back from the window and to Laurel, who lookedheartbroken over the fact that her mom left her. Her mom left her to deal witheverything when it was really bad.

Laurel nodded and took abreath. That was what she did. That’s what the doctors said to do. When therewas extra stress, nod and take breath. Nothing can ever be as bad as it soundedlike it was gonna be. “I’m glad that she’s settling in. She hasn’t called,so you know, I don’t know, but it’s good, you and Barry keeping an eye onher.” 

Iris nodded. “Barrythought it was the least he could do.” Iris said and kissed Laurel’s foreheadand let them finish their journey in relative quietness. 

When they got to the readingroom, she smiled. “Barry Allen,” She chuckled as she put her arms aroundhim for a hug. “God, you’ve grown up to be so handsome. Joe is alwaystalking about you and how smart you are,” She smiled as she put her bag downand sat in one of the chairs. 

“Well, the good doctors havebeen good to me,” Barry rambled as he sat down in one of the chairs and lookedat her. “You look beautiful.” He remarked as he nodded. “So are youexcited about the seminar?” He asked. “It looks like it’s’ gonna be prettycool. You know there gonna have some really cool criminology classes.” 

Laurel nodded. “Yeah, Imean, it’s gonna be some class. You know these heroes are popping upeverywhere?” She asked him. “I heard there was even one saving people inCentral?” 

“What about Starling? I heardthat there was this girl in a black mask beating up rapists.” He said,impressed. 

Laurel chuckled. He had noidea that it was her. She looked over to him and looked away, “That’s nothow this works and you know it, Allen. You didn’t answer my question about thehero in Central City, so you don’t get an answer about the woman in black.” Shetold him as she impossibly smiled.

“Oh, so there’s a way thisworks now?” He asked. She simply raised her eyebrow and he looked down at hisfeet and smiled too. “Yeah, there is a guy. Or at least that’s what thenewspapers are saying. Quite frankly, I think it’s all kind of hokey. I meanwhat do we have that really needs a hero?” He asked, with a laugh. “Nowyou.”

She shrugged. “Yeah,there’s this blogger who chronicles this Lady in Black who’s helping sexualharassment and rape victims. It’s pretty incredible. I mean you just see herhug these girls.” She told him and the electricity between was different. 

Iris rolled hereyes. “Get a room guys,” 

Laurel’s eyes buggedout. “We’re...we’re not...flirting,” She stammered. The thought wasincredulous. 

Iris looked to Barry wholooked just as wigged out by the thought. “We’re just prepping for theseminar,” He insisted as he waved his hands in the air. “I mean that womanin black is amazing. I mean, Laurel hasn’t even talked about the time that thisgirl has put child abusers in their place. This woman is unstoppable.” He saidwith this starry look in his eye.

Laurel grinned as she tookout a folder and opened it. “How about this guy in red?” Sheasked. “He, according to one of his watch blogs, and he has about a dozen,he stopped a tornado. Which sounds impossible, but they had pictures of himstanding next to the storm and then one of him without a scratch, no tornado.And the metadata says they were taken less than a minute apart. That should notbe possible. But the data doesn’t lie.”

“You guys could not be moreperfect for each other.” Iris laughed. Her phone went off and she looked atit. “Look, I would totally love talking about your hero vigilante thing,but Matt just texted this address for this coffee place he wants me to meet himat. And I have a really good feeling about this one.” She said.

Laurel nodded. “Go,we’ll take the subway to NYU.” She said. “Talk about vigilantes some more.Tell Matt I said Hey.” She said and kissed Iris on the cheek, leading her outof the library.

“So you guys talk aboutMatt?” Barry asked as he scratched the back of his head.

“We talk about a lot ofthings. Things that include you and Matt,” Laurel said as she text her dad. Shelooked over to him, “What are you jealous?” She asked, with a little bitof a chuckle. 

He shook his head. “No,to be honest, I don’t think Iris really sees me that way. And why would she? Imean we’ve known each other our whole lives.” He shook his head. “No, tobe honest, I was just wondering what you guys talked about. I mean she’s toldme so much about you, but I feel like I barely know you. Even though we’vetalked a couple of times.” He said, softly.

Laurel shrugged. “Ithink you me better than you think you do, Mr. Allen.” She said. “I meanobsessed with Vigilantes from each other’s cities. It’s gotta be a sign,right?” She asked him.

“Yeah,” He said, out ofbreath. “I guess so.”

He hadn’t thought about itthat way. She had his pictures after all. Pictures of him saving people and shetalked about the guy in the red and the watch blogs with such passion. She hadabsolutely no idea who it was, but she just accepted what was in front of her.It had been a long time since he found someone like that.

He picked up his bag and shepicked up hers and they headed out of the reading room, leaving some people whowere actually in that room to read. He looked at her. “Do you think thatwe’re living our lives vicariously through the watch blogs?” He asked her.

She shook her head. “No,I think having heroes, real heroes out there, it reminds us why we do what wedo. Forensics and courtrooms, those are places that anyone can train to be ahero in, right?” She asked him.

He blushed. How little theyknew, the man in red and the woman in black. They stood next to each other,inspiring each other every day. “Yeah,” He told her. “Invisibleheroes.” He said as he took her hand and walked her to the subway.

They went the whole way toNYU like that, hand in hand, it felt weird, but also sort of nice, like theyhad skipped all the awkwardness and gone to the best bits.

A chipper student named Lenasat at a table covered with a NYU banner and sign in forms. “Hi y’all,welcome to NYU’s seminar, Heroes, Vigilantes, and the Legal System, where y’allfrom?” She asked.

Laurel chuckled toherself. “You’re not from here, Lena, are you?” She asked.

“No, Miss, I am not. This ismy first year in the north. I’m from the great state of Texas. But I’m happy tosee you here, where are you from?” She asked as she blinked like a baby doll. 

Laurel signedin. “Starling City Law School.” She said. 

“And you, sir?” Lena asked.

Barry shook hishead. “Central City University.” He said as he signed his name onto thepiece of paper that was provided on her big able.

Lena gave them a tote bagfull of stuff, “Y’all have a good time at the seminar now, y’all,” Shesaid and Laurel couldn’t help but laugh at the woman as they left to roam thehalls.

“She was being nice,” Barryinsisted.

Laurel shook herhead. “Please I know a woman with money when I see one. I’ve been aroundthe rich long enough and there is no way that she should be at that table withthat accent like that unless she did something absolutely filthy.” Laurel saidas she shook her head.

Barry shook herhead. “So do you think we’re gonna have any brushes with some of the NewYork heroes?” He asked.

Laurel thought about it for aminute, “I don’t plan on doing anything that crazy. You?” She asked him.

“Probably not,” He said as hesmiled to her. “So where are you staying?” He asked. 

She pointed over to theMarriot down the street. “There,” She said, “But I actually wanted toexplore around here a little bit,” She told him with a shrug. 

He nodded. “Right, well,I’ll see you at the hotel then. Iris and I are in 323 and 324.” Barry practicallytripped over his own two feet before looking where he was going. “I’ll seeyou.” He said.

“I’min 328,” She blushed and went the other way and snickered to herself. That boywas cute, even if it seemed like she would have to save him like a kitten in atree. That didn’t make her automatically pull away though, so he did somethingright. 

Laurelsaw him sitting there and smiled. “Well, aren’t you talk of the town,” She saidas she looked at the big circle of people that formed around him.

Hepatted the seat next to him, indicating she should sit and she did. “We werejust talking about NYU’s guardian angel from last night, did you hear aboutit?” He asked her.

Sheshook her head and smiled. “No, I walked around last night, but it was prettyquiet.” She told him.

“It’sgreat,” His whole face lit up and he became suddenly very animated. “Thiswoman, dressed in all white, and carrying a crossbow, she comes out of nowhereand attacks this drunk frat boy who is pushing himself onto this woman thatobviously doesn’t want him and is desperately trying to get away while he getsmore aggressive. It was just amazing,” He said.

Laurellooks down at her hands, a little bruised, but shook her head, and wrapped herhands around her paperwork. “Crazy night,” She told him. “Kind of sounds likethe woman in black. But she’s in Starling,” Laurel said.

“Yeah,sort of,” Barry said, slightly mesmerized. “I think the woman in black wouldlike this woman in white. But I don’t think they’re the same person. The womanin black, she doesn’t carry a crossbow.” He told her. “Besides, the woman inblack just oozes something.”

Laurelshrugged. “Whatever, I saw this hero guy last night who stopped a studentgetting hit by a drunk driver,” She said.

Barryblushed and looked away. “What makes you think this guy’s so real? I mean couldhave been a hallucination?” He asked her.

“BecauseI saw him. And I got a picture of him on my phone,” She told him confidently.“Bet you don’t have any pictures of the woman in white,” She said. She’d beenconfident that there were no cameras around when she went out. You couldn’thelp people talking, but cameras were another thing entirely.

Still,when she saw the guy saving students, she knew he had to be documented for thisseminar. She had to show him off. She showed him the picture. It was a littleblurry and you couldn’t really see his face. It was obscured by a mask, butwhat you could see was that he pushed a car backwards to help this poor girlwho deserved nothing more than to live.

Hesmiled at the picture. He’d been testing his powers in Central City, but hewanted to try it in the big city. Sure, Central was fun, but he had freaks todeal with there. He wanted to see if he could after real crime. And sure, maybea drunk driver wasn’t the hardest thing to go after, but he saved someone inthe big city. He saved someone who would have just been another statistic. AndLaurel had been there to get his picture. And she didn’t even know it was him.He didn’t know what she would say if she knew it was him. She’d probably callhim a freak. He knew he sometimes felt like that, but he liked her. And hedidn’t want her to think that about him. So he kept quiet.

Hetook out his laptop and grinned at her. That was a good picture of him. Shedidn’t even know it, but that was him. The man in red and that man in herpicture, same guy, same him. “I’ll see your blurry phone camera picture andraise you, what will no doubt be lauded as an iconic picture for the historybooks, when they start talking about citizen heroes.” He said as he turned itaround and showed her, what he didn’t know was a picture of herself, holding abow, looking regal.

Theahad told her to try archery. That it would really change her life. And it did.She looked so menacing with that bow. But Barry looked at that picture like shewas a goddess. Maybe that was why she did it. Because she looked both etherealand vaguely threatening. The guy practically pissed his pants when he saw hervery sharp arrow pointed at his junk. She had shot him in the thigh, a muchless painful spot, but still painful enough for him to remember the lesson.

“Wheredid you get this?” She asked him, galled that this picture had gotten out.

Hechuckled. “You weren’t the only one in the presence of superheroes last night.”He told her.

Shenudged his shoulder and grinned. “You were holding out on me, Allen,” Sheteased. “So any idea who this woman in white is?” She asked him, a little eagerto know if she was even a suspect in any of this.

Heshook his head. “Whoever she is, she’s amazing. And she’s new. So she’sprobably local. I mean a woman like that who wasn’t, it would be extremelyrare.” He told her.

“Yeah,I get it.” Laurel smiled. He had absolutely no idea. She liked the woman inwhite persona, but it didn’t quite fit. Black was more her color. Always hadbeen. “So, I have a Superhero Registry Pro Con lecture in about half an hour,you want to come with?” She asked him.

Henodded. “Only if you tell me who this guy you saw last night, what’s your guessabout him,” He said as he got up.

Sheshrugged. “Don’t know, but he was kind of buff,” She said to him as they walkedout together.

Heliked that she didn’t know and the she wouldn’t know. She described him asbuff, which would not be the first word he used to describe himself. But heneeded to protect her, he thought, her and Iris. Those were his firstpriorities. Everyone else came second.

“Sowhat side of the lecture are you going into it on?” He asked.

Shedidn’t even have to think about it. “Definitely con. Superhero registry seemslike a terrible idea. And a way for the government to militarize people who mayor may not want to be militarized or put on a list.” She told him.

“You’vethought about this a lot,” He remarked.

Shelooked at him. “And you haven’t?” She asked him.