Multiverse Reborn: Flash

Chapter 6

"You seem to know your way around this place pretty well?" Barry asked Joe as they got off the elevator on the top floor.

"What, you think Iris and Jay are the only ones who visited you?" Joe asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Fair enough." Barry agreed as they entered the cortex.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Iris asked.

"I told him about my powers. I told you I wasn't keeping it from him." Barry said.

"I know, but I didn't think it would be this soon." Iris said, since she'd been hoping she'd have some time to prove herself as a hero before she told her dad about her powers. Now she'd have to do it now.

"Better to rip off the bandage quickly and get it over with." Barry said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Joe asked and Iris sighed, knowing Barry was right.

"Barry's not the only one with powers dad." Iris said.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked and Iris sighed.

"I have powers to." Iris said as she summoned a ball of fire into her hand.

"How long have you known?" Joe asked, unable to believe that his own daughter was a metahuman.

"A few months. That's the other reason why I've been spending so much time at Star Labs lately. Cisco, Caitlin and Dr. Wells have been helping me learn to control my powers so I don't burn the whole city down." Iris said.

"And now you want to do what Barry wants to do?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, I do." Iris said.

"Not gonna happen. I can't stop Barry from running into those sorts of situations since I'm not his guardian and Jay seems to be okay with him doing this for some reason, but there is no way you're going to put your life on the line like that." Joe said.

"Really dad, does that sort of hypocrisy come to you naturally or do you have to work at it. You put yourself in danger everyday as a cop and you're just a human. Now I have powers and I want to do the same thing you do and you're trying to stop me?" Iris demanded.

"I'm trying to keep you safe." Joe said.

"That's the same thing you said when you tried to get me to withdraw my application from the police academy, but this time, I'm not backing down." Iris said.

"Iris, you could get yourself killed." Joe said.

"Dad, I'm not a child anymore and I'm tired of you treating me like one. I'm an adult and this is my choice, not yours. I thought you might be able to be supportive, but I guess my first instinct was right." Iris said and Barry was half convinced that Iris was going to throw the fireball at Joe.

"Iris, listen to me." Joe said.

"No dad, I'm an adult and it's about time you started treating me like one. That means respecting my choices, even if you don't like or understand them." Iris said and Barry was honestly happy that Iris was finally standing up to Joe like this instead of going behind his back and having him find out in a worse way.

"I know you're an adult Iris." Joe said.

"Then why do you insist on treating me like I'm a child." Iris asked.

"Because it's hard letting go sometimes." Joe admitted.

"Guys, why don't we let Joe and Iris discuss this in private." Barry said and the others nodded.

"Why don't you come see the early prototype of the suit I'm working on for you." Cisco said and Barry nodded.

"Ms. West, why don't you take your father to the lounge for your conversation. The rest of us will begin working on training Barry." Wells said and Iris nodded as she led her father out of the cortex.

"So this is where you slept when you stayed here?" Joe asked as they entered the lounge.

"The couches are surprisingly comfortable." Iris shrugged as they sat down.

"Dad, I know this might be hard for you to accept, but I'm a grown woman now and I don't need you to protect me anymore. I need you to accept and support the choices I make, especially now, I need to know that you're in my corner." Iris said and Joe smiled.

"Of course I'm in your corner. It's just going to take some time for me to get used to the idea of you becoming a hero and putting your life on the line like that, but I promise that I'll back off on the overprotective dad thing a bit." Joe said.

"Great." Iris said.

"And while we're clearing the air, there's something I haven't told you either." Joe said.

"What?" Iris asked.

"Your mother is not dead Iris." Joe said as he told her the whole story.

"You lied to me my whole life about my mom." Iris said.

"Iris, I know you're likely hurt and angry at me." Joe said.

"I am angry, but not at you. I'm angry at mom for abandoning us. I understand why you did what you did, I probably would've done the same. She ran out on us and you were just trying to make it feel less like she abandoned me." Iris said.

"I didn't want to feel unwanted and unloved because of what she did to you." Joe said.

"I know. You and Barry, you've both worked so hard on helping me feel loved, plus Barry's aunt Joan definitely helped fill in the void that mom leaving left." Iris said as she placed her hand on her father's shoulder.

"You mean that?" Joe asked.

"I do. Dad, don't feel guilty about keeping this from me. She lost the right to be my mom when she decided that drugs were more important than being there. But I'd still like to find her so that I can finally get some real closure with her." Iris said and Joe nodded.

"I'll see if I can find her." Joe said.

"Thank you." Iris said as she hugged her father.