Okay, I've had this partially written since before Christmas, so I decided to finish the chapter and get it posted. I have been working on my other stories and plan to update some of those soon. Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I haven't been writing lately because my dog was deathly ill then I went on vacation. I haven't had the time or will to write. But, I'm back and hopefully can get the ball rolling with my stories.

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To say that Barry was nervous would be an understatement. He followed the corrections officer down the corridor of Iron Heights as he fidgeted with the blanket and pillow he was carrying. When they came to a stop outside one of the cells, Barry took a deep breath. The guard used his baton to bang on the iron bars of the open cell door, most likely to get the attention of whoever was inside.

"Snart! Say hello to your new cellmate." he said in a bored tone. Barry's stomach dropped. It couldn't be. Could it? He edged around the door and shyly stood in the doorway to the cell. Sure enough, sitting on the bottom bunk with a book was none other than Leonard Snart. Damn, they didn't plan for this. Snart's eyes widened when he saw Barry standing there in a prison jumpsuit, bedding clutched in his hands. A smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he asked, rising to his feet and setting the book on the bunk. Barry looked nervously at the guard, who shrugged and walked away. Before he was out of earshot, they heard him say something.

"Play nice you two." Barry made a beeline for the bunk beds and placed his things on the top bunk. He turned to Snart, ready to make a deal with the man to keep the secret he was hiding.

"Don't blow my cover. Please." he begged quietly. Snart arched a brow.

"What cover?" he questioned. Barry sighed.

"As far as anyone in here knows, I'm a petty thief named Sam Erickson. I got busted robbing an electronics store. You can't let them know I work for the CCPD. I'm undercover." Snart looked shocked for a moment before recovering and schooling his features.

"Why are you undercover? Aren't there entire departments dedicated to this? You're just a CSI." he said, just as quiet as Barry had been. Barry looked slightly nervous at that.

"I'm the only one at the CCPD that will work."

"Why?" Snart asked suspiciously. Barry's eyes flitted away before settling back on Snart.

"We've been getting complaints of a CO abusing his power here. Several inmates have been attacked and raped. We've noticed, after looking at the prisoners that he goes after that he has a type, physically speaking. I was the only one who matched that type." Snart narrowed his eyes at Barry.

"I don't like this. You haven't been trained in undercover operations. What are you going to do when he goes after you? It's not like you have easy access to backup in here and you can't use your powers without revealing yourself." Barry shrugged.

"Hopefully, it won't get that far. I'm just supposed to be bait and report back to my contact when he starts making advances if he does. There's no guarantee he'll even notice me." Snart looked Barry up and down, smirking.

"Oh, he'll notice you." he drawled. Barry's face and neck turned bright red. Snart looked toward the cell door and grabbed Barry's arm, heading for it. Barry let himself be led out of the door, but tried to find out where Snart was taking him.

"W-Where are we going?" he asked. Snart just looked at him over his shoulder and smirked.

"We're going to see someone, Sam." he replied. Barry was at least glad that Snart wasn't going to out him. They went down a flight of stairs and stopped in front of another cell. Walking in like he owned the place, Snart let go of Barry's arm and moved to sit on the bottom bunk beside its occupant. Barry gawked. He didn't expect Mick Rory to be here too. Though, given his history, he really should have.

"What's the Flash doin' here?" he rumbled. Barry's eyes widened and he looked at Snart accusingly.

"You told him?!" he hissed. Snart's smirk never left his face.

"We don't keep secrets from each other, Barry. I've kept my promise. I haven't told anyone else about your identity, not even my Rogues. But, I trust Mick. Like I said, we don't keep secrets. He won't tell anyone either." Barry ran a hand through his hair in irritation and blew out a breath.

"Whatever." he said. Rory chuckled at him but didn't say anything. Snart turned to the man beside him and began explaining what Barry had told him. Rory looked at Barry skeptically after Snart was finished talking, like he couldn't believe Barry could pull this off. Snart looked back to Rory and got his attention.

"Keep an eye on him when you can." he ordered.

"W-what?!" Barry sputtered, utterly shocked. "You can't possibly be serious! I can take care of myself, Snart!" Snart just gave a self-satisfied smirk.

"For starters, kid, you can call me Len and him Mick." he said, nodding his head toward his partner. Barry was stunned into silence and he just gaped at the two men for a moment.

"Why are you looking out for me?" he asked quietly. Len's expression darkened.

"They shouldn't be using you as bait. You don't belong in here and you're only going to get hurt." Barry studied the two men for a moment.

"Why do you care?" Instead of answering, Len just shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Mick was looking at his partner, a knowing gleam in his eyes. Barry was confused by the soft look in the arsonist's eyes. He suddenly had the urge to figure the two men out. He wanted to know what made them tick. Barry was pulled from his thoughts by a bell ringing in their cell block. He looked questioningly at the two men before him.

"Lunch." Len stated simply, standing from the bed. Barry followed the two men and flow of convicts through the corridors to the cafeteria. They got in a line to get their trays and food and Barry passed the time by observing his surroundings. The walls were a dingy, white color, the same way they were throughout the entire prison. There were long tables lining the room in rows and prisoners were milling around and finding a place to sit. They huddled in groups and talked amongst themselves, sometimes shooting dirty looks at other prisoners. Barry startled from his thoughts when the person behind him shoved him forward roughly.

"Move!" the guy sneered. Barry looked in front of him and noticed the line had moved quite a bit while he had been studying the room. Barry ducked his head and walked forward, stopping right behind Mick.

"Sorry." he mumbled to the man behind him. Mick turned around and raised a brow, eyes flicking between Barry and the other man.

"Problem?" he rumbled. Barry looked up quickly and answered.

"No." It seemed like Mick didn't quite believe him, but he turned back around and held up his tray for the kitchen crew to put food on it. Barry did the same and tried not to wince at the pile of gross-looking mush that was plopped down. Once they had their food, Len lead the way to a table at the back of the room. They sat down at the end of the table Len and Mick started eating. Barry just eyes his highly suspicious "food" and pushed it around his plate with his spoon. When Len noticed, he smirked.

"Not hungry?" he asked. Barry glanced up with a sour look on his face.

"It's not that. Just...are you sure this can be classified as food?"

"You get used to it. Go ahead, try it." Len urged. Barry scowled at his plate and picked up a tiny bit of food on his spoon. He closed his eyes as he put the bite in his mouth and chewed. He slowly opened his eyes when he fully tasted it.

"Okay, so it's not that bad." he confessed. Mick laughed and Len's smirk stayed put. Barry smiled at the two men across from him. The food wasn't the only thing that wasn't that bad, it seemed. A moment later, Barry was taken aback when an arm was thrown around his shoulders. He looked to his right and saw a smarmy looking convict grinning at him in a way that unnerved him.

"Who's the pretty, new thing?" he asked Len and Mick. Barry looked at the two men and was surprised to see that Mick was glowering at the man and Len had a threatening, cold expression on his face. Barry tried to edge out from under the man's arm, but he tightened his hold when he felt Barry moving.

"None of your business." Len said slowly in a scary low tone. The man just smirked. Did he not know how dangerous Len was?

"Aww, c'mon. Won't you share?"

"Leave." Mick growled, making to stand up. The man jerked away from Barry, mumbling under his breath.

"Whatever." he said, walking away. Barry took a deep breath and let it out. He looked up at Len and Mick, who were following the man's movements with their eyes.

"Thank you." he said. That brought their attention back to him. Len shrugged.

"Things like that are going to happen in here. Especially with your looks." At that, Barry blushed.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked. Len smirked again, a look of wonder in his eyes. Did Barry really not know how good he looked? It was Mick who spoke up, though.

"You're very pretty, doll." he said. That caused Barry's face to darken and his brain seemed to short-circuit as he stuttered for a moment, unable to get anything out. Len and Mick just shared a look, endeared by the fact that Barry was so humble.

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Later that night, after lights out, Len was laying on his bunk thinking about the turn that day had taken. On the one hand, it was always a delight to see Barry, on the other, though, the kid was in danger here and it would take a lot from Mick and himself to keep him safe. They would do it, though. He'd be damned if he let something happen to Barry. It seemed he had quite the soft spot for the Scarlet Speedster. Len was torn from his thoughts when a small, distressed sounding moan came from the bunk below him. Len raised himself up on an elbow and listened. A whine sounded, followed by the sound of Barry thrashing around. He must have been having a nightmare. Len threw the covers off of himself and hopped to the ground. He crouched down beside the bottom bunk and peered into the darkness, just able to make out Barry's features in the light filtering through the bars. Barry's brow was furrowed and he wore an anguished look. He was whimpering, throwing his head side to side and kicking his feet slightly.

"Barry." Len whispered. When that got no answer, he gently nudged Barry's shoulder. The small noises and moans Barry was making began to get louder, turning into words.

"No! No!" he whined. Len laid his hand along Barry's cheek, the boy unconsciously turning into it. He caressed the cheek and called for Barry again, a little louder this time. Barry woke with a gasp, jolting up, tears in his eyes. Green eyes found Len's blue ones and Barry launched into the older man's arms, sobbing into his chest. Len just held on as tight as he could, making little shushing noises and rubbing Barry's back. A few minutes went by and Barry was finally able to pull himself together. He sniffled as he pulled back from Len's chest. Len started getting up to go back to his bunk when Barry grabbed his wrist. He looked down into the sad, desperate eyes of the man in front of him.

"Don't go." Barry whispered. "Stay, please." Len thought for a moment before nodding.

"Scoot over." he said, nudging Barry's shoulder. Barry gave a little smile and moved against the wall, pulling the covers back so Len could get in. Len crawled into the bed, which was much too small for two grown men, and faced Barry's back. He considered his situation for a moment before making up his mind and gently wrapping his arm around Barry's waist, pulling the startled man against his chest. Barry was stiff for a moment but soon relaxed into Len's embrace. Len held him until the younger man's breathing evened out and Len himself was lulled into a peaceful sleep. Neither stirred again for the rest of the night.

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