Conveniently, the CCPD wasn't too far away from STAR Labs, so Joe and I were able to walk there. I kept my head down, not wanting to draw attention to myself. I also didn't want to end up having any awkward conversations with Joe. I could see that he was already heartbroken, I didn't want to cause him any more pain. He'd been through enough as it was. 

I thought back to when I passed out, which seemed to be a reoccurring experience for me over the past few weeks. Except, this time it had been different. The feeling that those haunting images left me with seemed almost too real to be just another nightmare. It was as if I had been there in person, looking around the creepy building. The thump of my heart, the pain as I hit my back against the wall, the fear that was evident as it coursed through every cell of my body... It was too real to be just a dream. I strained, trying to remember the last thing I saw before waking up. I knew it was an important piece of information, something that could help me find whatever it was my brain was telling me to search for. I just didn't know what to look for or why I needed it. 

We continued walking until we found ourselves outside a grand, elegant, cream coloured building. Although I had never been here before, a sense of recognition washed through me, informing me that we had arrived at the Central City Police Department.  

Out of instinct, I began to climb the staircase up to the building's entrance, running up the stairs two at a time. I'd made it up only a third of the flight before I felt a tug on the back of my shirt, pulling me back down the staircase. I turned to face Joe with an annoyed expression etched on my face. 

"What?" I asked, irritated.  "I thought you wanted me here." 

He glanced up at the building for a moment and shook his head slightly. 

"Look," he started, his voice cracking. "I do want you up there. It's just...".

"What?"

He looked down at the floor. "My daughter."

"Iris? What about her?" 

He looked up again, a startled expression across his face. "How do you know her name?" 

"I-" I started before stopping myself. I honestly had no idea, the name just flew out of my mouth. "Does it matter?" 

Joe shrugged. "Probably not. Anyway, Chase, I need you to promise me something." 

"Anything," I said sincerely, folding my arms. 

"Don't tell Iris who you really are. It'd break her heart and I don't want to put her through that. I'm sure Barry wouldn't want that either." 

I froze slightly. "Is she going to be in there?" 

"I dunno. She doesn't work here, but she often comes to visit during her breaks. I'm just telling you this as a precaution." 

I nodded. "Fair enough. Don't worry, I won't tell her. Scout's honour." 

Joe smiled sadly before turning and making his way up the stairs, adding "and keep your head down!" He gestured for me to follow. 

I did. 

***

After a somewhat depressing elevator ride up to the second floor of the police department, I let out a sigh of relief as the doors slowly chimed open. However, that feeling was soon replaced by anxiety as soon as they opened, revealing a room full of people. It wasn't until hen did I realise how nervous I actually was, pretending to be someone I'm not. I tried telling myself not to worry, that I'd convinced others before. Only, playing Gavin was completely different. He was a made up persona, one that no one had encountered before. Being Barry Allen would be a lot harder. These people had known him, had respected him, for God knows how long. They knew how he spoke, how he acted. One false move on my part and everyone would know that there's something wrong. 

I realised that if I stood in the elevator for too long I'd draw attention to myself, more than I wanted. I took a deep breath and sighed, cautiously making my way out of the lift and obediently following Joe's lead. I shoved my hands in my pockets, hunching my back slightly as I looked down, avoiding the growing stares of Barry's colleagues. I weaved my way through a room of tightly packed desks, pouring all my focus into not tripping over stray cords or the legs of tables, chairs or people. Falling over would cause even more unwanted attention and embarrassment, things I had no desire for. 

Joe finally stopped outside a door, looking over at me before knocking lightly on the wood. I quickly read the tag bolted onto the door. Director David Singh. 

Great, I thought. Joe's lead me right to the head's office. 

The man that answered definitely looked like an office superior. His sleek, black hair was cut short and spiked, contrasting well with his longer beard. Although he wore a stern expression, along with a grey three piece suit, his eyes seemed kind and knowledgable, like he'd seen too much danger and pain to last a lifetime. He glanced at Joe momentarily before his gaze trailed over to meet mine, his countenance becoming soft. 

He looked at me for a while before voicing his thoughts. 

He cleared his throat. "Mr Allen", he said, his tone mimicking the harsh expression he originally wore. "Quite a long vacation you took there."

Ladies and gentlemen, it was now time for the untalented Chase Davenport to play a convincing part of Barry Allen.

I nodded, smiling sadly. "Hey, Director Singh."

Seriously? I thought. 'Hey?! That's the best you could come up with? 

Amazingly, it seemed to work. 

Singh nodded and smiled back. He stepped towards me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I couldn't help but try to back away, earning a concerned look from the director, but eventually let him. 

"Allen, be honest. Are you OK?" 

I opened my mouth to reply, but thought better of it.

In the end, I simply shrugged.

He nodded sympathetically. "Go home and get some rest then. I don't know what happened to you, but I won't get into it until you're ready. Besides, we don't need you back in the force for a while, so I understand if you want a couple of weeks to get your head back in the game."

"Thanks." 

He smiled and slapped me playfully on the back, returning his attention back to Joe. 

I let out a sigh of relief, not paying attention to what the two older men were saying to each other. Instead, I looked around a bit. As I explored the floor, I received a couple of nods of acknowledgement from a couple of other cops, but, thankfully, not too much attention. One man did come over and slap me on the back, while another smiled and said that I'd "somehow graduated from looking like a twelve-year-old to a fourteen". I didn't know how to respond, but I figured it was a bit of an inside joke and simply laughed half-heartedly. 

I made my way over to a bronze plaque hanging on the entrance wall near the elevators. The words engraved on it had caught my interest: Truth. Liberty. Justice. I smiled as I studied the engraved figures, illustrations that closely resembled romans dressed for war. 

"You alright kid?" 

I looked over my shoulder to see Joe. 

I was about the reply when an image behind him caught my eye, a sick feeling washing over me. 

I found myself overcome with a sensation of nausea, the same dizziness that had sent me into that nightmare only an hour before. I attempted to step towards the wall to steady myself, only to lose my footing and collapse into Joe's readied embrace. 

"Oh my God, are you alright?" 

I shook my head weakly. 

"What's happening to me?" 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Sorry it's been a while guys... I've recently started watching the show Criminal Minds and have discovered that I actually really like it, so have been unhealthily binge watching it. 

Anyway, hopefully this chapter was alright! I'll admit that it's not my best work but hopefully it's enough to convince you all to continue reading :) 

OH! AND BY THE WAY, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T ALREADY HEARD, TOM FELTON WILL BE JOINING THE SEASON 3 CAST OF THE FLASH!!! OH MY GOD I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!! :D