Violent Delights and Ends

Chapter 7 - A Piece Of News

Oliver does some investigation on the West's who had been looking into Barry's disappearance two years ago and ends up contacting Iris West to give her the news she'd been hoping for.

Oliver's POV

After the awkward meeting between my sister and Barry, I had a quick breakfast before I got in my car and drove to the precinct to talk to Captain Lance. I didn't have any prince meetings to attend to today so I could do some investigating about Barry's past. That's why I went to find my father-in-law in his office.
  "Hey. Sorry to disturb you, but I'm looking for an old police report." I said as I entered the office and closed the door behind me. The office was bigger since Lance became a Detective and it contained a brown work-desk with loads of work piled up. There was a computer and some newspapers and my father-in-law was sitting in his gray office chair.
  "I always have time for my favorite son-in-law" Quentin greeted me with a smile and I scoffed with a chuckle.
  "That's because you only have one." I replied with a smile. "Speaking of how are Sara and Nyssa doing?" I added and the captain handed me a postcard that he'd received from their latest trip.
  "They're currently in Paris fighting for justice for their kind, werewolves and witches." he explained and a smile crossed my face.
  Laurel's rebellious sister had always struggled more with her werewolf side than Laurel did, until she met Nyssa, a witch with just as many demons, considering she's the daughter of one very powerful demon lord.
  Then I changed the subject to why I was actually visiting my father-in-law in the first place. "Do you remember a Detective West and his daughter a reporter named Iris showing up here asking questions about a missing person two years ago?" I felt incredible stupid for even looking for these humans that I didn't know. But I did it for Barry. He deserved the chance to at least say goodbye to them or maybe even have them in his life again, depending on what happens to him after I've talked to the royal vampires tonight. But humans and vampires doesn't really hang out.
  "I might be able to find the report if you give me the name of this mysterious missing person." Captain Lance said while I sat down on the opposite side of his desk.
  "Barry Allen." I said quietly and wondered if I should've figured out his full name before I started to investigate his past. My father-in-law gave me a weird look before he started typing something on his computer.
  "Could it be this young man? Bartholomew Henry Allen?" Quentin asked while he turned the screen towards me. There was some information next to an ID picture of a very human Barry. He had green piercing eyes instead of red vampire eyes, rosy cheeks as if he'd been running late to whenever the ID photo was taken and his brown hair was a bit longer than it was now. He looked cute and most of his features hadn't changed when he became a vampire aside from the pale undead look. When I found myself staring at his picture for too and Lance noticed long I cleared my throat.
  "Yeah it's him." I replied with a nod and I could feel a heavy blush cross my face. "Do you remember what the West's were looking into when he disappeared?" I asked but I was very careful with not revealing too much just yet. Too many people knew about Barry's presence in our castle as it was and I didn't want to add another person to the list too soon. Even though Lance was one of the few people who knew about my other night job.
  "It was two years ago, and if my memory serves me right, I think they were here looking into the disappearance because they never found a body and they contacted other police districts in cities nearby and since Central is the closest big city, they came here." Lance explained while I was nervously tapping on the desk which he soon noticed so I stopped. "And oh there was another thing, the night after this Bart disappeared..." he continued but I interrupted him to correct the name.
  "Barry, but never mind." Crap, I was gonna blow this soon if I didn't stop. I hadn't seen Quentin give me that look of disapproval since I first started going out with his daughter. But he ignored my comment and my flushed cheeks.
  "...Something or someone, most likely a vampire, came into their home and almost drained the family's younger brother's body of blood. And he was sent to the hospital." Barry hadn't been lying about the part where Hunter had forced him to feed on who was probably almost like his brother-in-law. I clenched my fists under the table and took a few deep breaths.
  "Oliver. May I just ask why you're suddenly here asking about a case dating back two years ago?" Captain Lance asked and I sighed while avoiding his dark gaze. He wasn't a werewolf, Laurel had the gene from her mother's side so she was only a half werewolf. But William might still have the gene, we don't know until he triggers his curse when he becomes a teenager. I got lost in my thoughts for a second, before I remembered to reply to the police in front of me.
  "Because I know where Barry is, but I'll explain everything later, but I need to get to Central City first." I said and my father-in-law raised his eyebrows while I got up from the chair and started to make my way to the door.
  "Oliver. I'm not stupid. This young man disappeared and then a vampire attacked his latest address and now you're here asking these questions. He's a vampire isn't he and you've met him?" Captain Lance had left his chair and was now standing behind me. I could feel his stern gaze in the back of my neck so I slowly turned around again to face him while I nodded.
  "Yeah. And I know what you think because I've already been lectured by my mother and Thea for bringing him to the basement of the castle, but he was turned against his will and he never got a chance to say goodbye to his people so I'm just going to give him that chance." After Barry's breakdown last night I was hoping this would give him some sense of peace no matter what happens next.
  Lance scoffed at me before he scribbled down something on a piece of paper before he handed it to me. "This is the number to Detective West, I worked on a case with him once." he explained as I tucked the note with the number into my pocket.
  "Thank you." I said before I was about to leave the office only to turn around outside the door when I heard Quentin's sharp voice.
"But Oliver, don't do anything too stupid and reckless." My father-in-law's words cause me to grin while I walked away backwards.
  "When have I ever?" I responded and pretended to be innocent, but the captain just scoffed at me again. And after that final warning I left the precinct.
  Then I drove to Central City. I can't believe I'm driving six hundred miles for a bloody vampire I barely know. I thought while my head was spinning. But maybe I should reach out to Iris first? Because cops tends to dislike me for my past behavior. I used to drag Laurel into a whole lot of trouble with my werewolf friends before I became the alpha and well it doesn't make one popular with parents to host crazy parties and behave like a jerk. Especially not cops.
  As soon as I arrived in Central City I drove to the most famous magazine CCPN where I had found out Iris worked while I looked her up over coffee earlier. And had found her blog and where she worked.

Iris POV

My day began like every other day for these past two years had, I dove into my work with various articles to avoid thinking about him. Even if Barry have been gone for two years I still think about him every day and wonder where he is. Because I just have a feeling in my gut that he's not dead.
  The door to CCPN suddenly opened and in waltzed Oliver Queen, Starling's famous billionaire who's married to top attorney Laurel Lance. He wore a stylish dashing suit and he was even more handsome in real life. And he was approaching my desk while everyone of my colleagues stared at him as well.
  "Are you Iris West?" He asked and I almost forgot how to use words when this very famous and handsome man was standing in front of me.
  "Yes...um... I am." I replied when I finally managed to form words.
  "Could we go somewhere more private to talk?" The billionaire asked after he had tossed a glance over his shoulder at all the reporters who were silently staring at him talking to me and I raised an eyebrow. Then I nodded and got up from my chair and headed into a smaller office with the billionaire following me. He closed the door once we had stepped into the bright little office with white walls where there was two red chairs, a little table and black carpets on the floor. 
  "You should probably sit down." Oliver said with a serious expression on his face as he gestured towards one of the chairs. Since I had no idea what was going on I sat down and he took the other chair.
  Then the words came out of the blue eyed man's mouth that I'd been wishing for during the past two years. "Barry is alive."