Out of Time {Arrowverse A/U}

Chapter Five- An Old Friend

I took my coffee from the counter and thanked the waitress as I went to exit the coffee shop.

"You know, if you're going to disappear for thirty years you could at least call when you get back." An undeniable voice said from behind me.

I turned and neatly spilt my coffee. "Thea Queen, it's been awhile."

I saw tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she looked at me. "Look at you, you haven't aged a day."

I shrugged. "Well, I was in twenty twenty one two days ago."

She chuckled and wrapped me in a tight hug which I returned. "I missed you so much."

"I'd say the same but you know."

She scoffed. "Right, you saw me two days ago."

"Walk with me?" I asked her. "We can catch up."

She smiled. "What? You think I'm going to track you down just to say hi and leave?"

"So, is that a yes?"

She walked with me towards the door. "Of course it is."

"After you left, it was really hard." Thea started after about a block of walks through downtown Central City. "I stuck with the team for awhile before it became too much and I headed back to Star City."

"Why'd you go back?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "It just felt like the right place to go. After awhile, Roy and I got back in touch."

I nearly spit out my coffee. "And how did that go?"

"It was hard at first, but relationships are hard. You know that better than most." Thea said. "Full of compromise and forgiveness."

"Trust me, I've had one girlfriend and she might be the most complicated woman I've met." I said to her. "I couldn't imagine life without her though."

She laughed. "It was weird for Nora and Bart. Having the memories of the other timeline when you were here and the memories of the new timeline when you weren't."

"I think eventually I just gave up on trying to make it make sense."

"Ditto." Thea said to me. "So, how's it feel being an uncle. Do you feel different?"

It took a second for it to click in my brain before I choked on my spit. "You have kids?"

She smiled. "Two, actually. A boy and girl."

"How old are they?" I asked interested as we turned into the residential are of town.

"Well, Ollie is twenty four. He graduated this year from the University of Star City, he's going to be a nurse."

"Superhero?"

She laughed and shook her head. "In his own way he is. He's going to be saving lives, just without the risk."

"And your daughter?"

"Seventeen. Hunter Moira Harper." She said laughing. "You know with two superheroes as parents you'd think we'd be there heroes."

"You're not?" I asked confused.

She gave me a proud smile. "You are, Roy used to show them footage of you when they were growing up. They thought Spiderman was the coolest thing since dinosaurs."

I got choked up and cleared my throat. "Will I get to meet the rest of the family?" I asked.

Thea shrugged before laughing. "We'll see how long it takes you to disappear this time."

We walked in silence for awhile before I finally cracked the egg.

"You never picked it back up did you?"

Thea looked at me confused. "Picked what up?"

"Come on, don't play dumb. You're my best friend, I can tell when you're lying."

She rubbed her injured arm embarrassed. "I knew you'd be disappointed. It just felt wrong, I guess. I mean you moved on, and when you did. So did I, left the hero life behind me."

"I'm not disappointed." I said to her. "It's your choice."

"That reminds me." Thea said holding an arrowhead out in her palm.

"What's this?" I asked grabbing it.

"Apparently, my Queens aren't the only one who's a big fan." She said chuckling.

"William?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head and laughed. "The other one."

"Mia?" I asked shocked. "I've met Mia already, she didn't act like I was her hero."

"You're not, her father is. But she's a big fan." Thea said. "And to be frank, you met her when her brother was kidnapped and at her fathers funeral. I'm sure meeting you wasn't exactly at the top of her list."

"I'll make sure I get this back to her."

My phone buzzed.

"Get lost?" Bart had texted me.

"On my way." I texted back.

"Hey, I gotta swing. I'm crashing at the West-Allen's for the time being."

She laughed. "This is me anyway." She said looking up at the apartment. "Come by anytime, see you around Spidey." She said giving me a hug.

I hugged her back before I flicked my wrist and caught the top of the building as I swung myself into the air.

It was good seeing Thea again, she got her happy ending. I just hoped it would stay that way.

Thinking about it now, Team Flash was all but gone. No Flash, no Frost, no Joe and Cecile, Cisco had been long gone, Allegra and Chester.

I came to the future expecting everything to be the same as I left it. I guess when you disappear for thirty years that's not possible.

Was I wrong to come here?

Should I have stayed?

A part of me wanted to take that Velocity Ten and run all the way back where I was comfortable.

But I knew I couldn't do that.

Not now.

I had to at least give it a chance her.

Change is never easy. No matter how much you want it to be.

I was so caught up in my thoughts I didn't even realize I had overshot the apartment and missed the building with my webs and I was free falling to the street.

I quickly webbed the side of the building and pulled myself into it.

I counted up the windows to make sure I was crawling into the right apartment as I used my hands to open the window and crawl inside.