Author's Note: So its been awhile since I updated this fic. When I started it I was just finishing my Legal Studies degree and found that my Muse had been mortally damaged by all the legal papers I was required to write. I reread what I had posted and was upset, as well as frustrated. I used to post fanfic under another name for years, and not only did I enjoy writing, but felt as though I had done a pretty good job of it. So, never one to give up, I have rewritten the already posted chapters.
Chapter One
"You killed him." Struggling between being stunned and nauseously disgusted, Barry Allen tore his eyes from the dead body on the ground to the unaffected man leaning against the wall with what could only be described as a bored expression on his face. "Why did you do that?"
"He broke my little sister's heart . . . again." Sneering down at the man in question, Leonard's mouth pinched. "I hope you're not going to get all squeamish, and back out on our little prearrangement."
"You're kidding." Unable to keep his eyes from straying back to the dead body, Barry shallowed hard before running a hand over his head. "Snart, you just killed your Father."
"So, we are doing the squeamish thing." Scratching the side of his head with his gun, Leonard let out a long sigh of frustration. "Barry, I really had hoped we wouldn't have to go that route. It could really hurt our little arrangement."
"Our arrangement?" Barry croaked. "You're a murderer Snart. That man." Pointing, wide eyed at the body on the ground with a shaky hand, Barry stared in disgust. "He raised you."
"And what a great job he did." Leonard nearly purred. Seeing Barry wasn't going to back down and was working himself up into what was most likely be the world's biggest hissy fit, Leonard raised a hand to stop him while heaving weary sigh. "Consider what I just did as delayed self-defense."
Taking a step over his father's corpse, to stand toe to toe with Barry, Leonard contemplated the man in front of him. After everything, the Scarlet twit still believed the world was black and white. He would've laughed, but the last few days had been hell, and all he wanted to do was get the hell out of dodge. "If that doesn't work for you, then perhaps you can close your eyes for just a minute and consider all the atrocious things that miserable lump of flesh was going to have me do. Are you so naïve to believe he was going to stop here? That I'd be forced to do this one last job for him and be on my merry way?"
"But we got the bomb out of Lisa's head." Barry argued. "No one had to die."
"I am going to give you some free advice Barry." Drawling out the other male's name, more as a reminder he knew the Flash's real identity, Leonard spun on his heel and made his way back to the abandoned bag. "Weaknesses can be exploited. This game is much easier when you don't have any weaknesses to be used against you. The ole man," Leonard's lips twisted as he nodded down at his father's corpse. "He had my number. Lisa is one of my weaknesses. What can I say? I love my family."
Picking up the bag and slinging it over his shoulder, Leonard headed to the end of the hallway, but was intercepted by Barry. "I can't let that happen Snart. We had a deal. You didn't kill, not anymore."
"How I see it, our arrangement is still intact. That piece of trash was unfinished business, and I keep mum on your identity."
"You have to pay for what you did."
A flash of anger moved across Leonard's face, forcing him to take several deep breaths before he was safe to speak. "I have. More than you'll ever know."
"That's not what I meant."
Heaving a sigh, Leonard shrugged. "The only place I'm going to is my underground lair."
"What?" Blinking, Barry frowned. "You have a lair?"
"No Barry." With a long-suffering sigh, Leonard shook his head. "I don't have a lair. Lairs tend to be permanent, I'm not much of a long-term kind of guy. Shocking I know. Basically, it boils down to this. I learned the hard way to have a backup plan in place. From the second you stepped into this building your pretty mug has been recorded. . . all-of-it."
"The surveillance was disabled." The second the last word slipped from Barry's lips he paled slightly, as he mentally went through his part of the con.
"Ah, yes, there it is. I see reality is setting in right about . . . now. I got one of those techno freaks helping me out, good kid, a little weird but he's loyal. When our valiant CCP eventually arrive, and Barry they will, they'll find either one of two things."
"And what is that?"
"If I get to walk out of here with a stern lecture and slap on the hand, they'll be disappointed to find the feeds were tampered with."
"What's option number two?"
Shaking his head, steel blue eyes narrowed, as Leonard's smirk grew. "Not a good option for you Barry. Number two, it'll show me, my old man and the CCP's beloved CSI tech nerd getting really, really rich."
"You wouldn't." Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, Barry laughed hoarsely. "Of course, you would."
"I would." Leonard brushed past Barry. "Send Lisa my love."
"Killing your own Dad." Letting out a long whistle, Cisco leaned a hip against his console and eyed the pretty brunette across the room. "I know he's Captain Cold, but dude that's really cold, as in-"
"Please don't say it." Caitlin pleaded.
"As in Cold Hearted." Cisco finished with a huge cheesy grin, that withered when Caitlin gave him a look.
"You just can't keep away from the low handing fruit." Rolling her eyes at her co-worker, Caitlin folded her arms over her chest, while turning her attention to where Lisa was still rubbing at her neck. "I can't imagine what's going through her mind."
"Probably for the best." Dr. Stein muttered under his breath, before taking a seat in the corner.
Tilting her head to the side, Caitlin studied the other woman. "Her brother just killed their father."
"You act like you knew him or something." Lisa sneered, her pretty face lifting to study her audience, her cobalt blue eyes moved slowly from each one to the next. A flare of agitation flashed over her features, as her feelings of gratitude dissolved into smoke. They didn't get it, they never would, because they didn't live through the nightmare she and Lenny had. Apparently fishing a bomb out of her head, wasn't proof enough that Lewis Snart was a rabid beast who needed to be eliminated.
"The fact that you'd think I'd be anything but relieved shows you've never met a real monster. My Father, he was the worst of them, Lenny did the right thing."
"How can you say that?" Caitlin's mouth fell open, as she tried to process the other woman's words.
"Quite easily." Lisa muttered, suddenly reminded as to why she rarely got along well with others. Standing up from the stool she'd been sitting on, smirking when Caitlin took a slight step back, Lisa squared her shoulders and leered at the uptight do-gooders. "Lenny did all of you a favor, one less villain to chase down."
"There were other ways." Cisco countered.
"Like what?" Lisa's cloy tone mocked him, before a brittle smile spread over her lips. "Anger management classes? Probation? How about a decade in Sing Sing? None of that stopped him from putting a bomb inside my head. No matter how many jobs he blackmailed Lenny into doing, no score was going to be enough."
"Your father, he was still human." Caitlin challenged.
"Debatable." Lisa hissed.
"Why are you arguing with her?" Taking off his glasses, Dr. Stein looked around the room as though they were wasting time. "Just like her brother, she's – "
"Trash?" Lisa snorted. "Or perhaps vile, corrupt, evil?"
"I was going to say damaged." Almost looking contrite, Dr. Stein leveled a look over at the younger Snart.
"Oh stop, you're gonna make me blush." Lisa purred.
Moving from Caitlin's side, Cisco took a few cautious steps forward. "Why are you acting like this, like you're – "
"Evil?" Caitlin simpered.
"Not evil." Cisco swung his head toward his teammate and friend, then back to Lisa. "Was it all an act?"
Her face turned blank. "What act?"
"Where you almost acted human." Looking as though he'd been personally betrayed, Cisco's eyes plead with hers.
"Almost human?" The words were slowly spoken, and for a brief second Lisa Snart almost appeared to be hurt. Inside, memories from another time threatened to break out of their cage. She was not going to let her momentary moment of weakness give these people the advantage. "That right there is why you all will eventually lose."
"What are you talking about?" Moving past Cisco, Caitlin looked affronted by Lisa's announcement.
"You people think everything is black or white, right or wrong, good or bad. You've made up these stupid rules -."
Eyes flaring, Cisco moved closer to her. "Stupid rules? Not killing another human isn't a stupid rule. It's the most basic rule there is."
Narrowing her eyes at Cisco, Lisa felt a burning desire to wipe the condensation from his face, preferably with a lot of pain. "Basic rule?" Lisa sneered. "I'm not the monster who turned a large portion of the town's population into megafreaks."
"That was an accident." Cisco stammered.
"Doesn't matter." Lisa crooned. "Do you know how much damage was done that night? How many people died in that blast? How many lost their homes, their jobs, basically almost everything?"
"We didn't intentionally set out to hurt anyone." Caitlin defended.
"The way I see it, you and all the other science geeks did a very bad thing, which you never really paid for. That is how it works right? You hurt someone, do something wrong, you are a very bad person?"
"But unlike you, we're trying to correct what happened."
Clapping slowly, enjoying how easy it was to enrage the uptight princess. "And on behalf of the city, we would all like to thank you, excellent job you're doing. Do you ever wonder, how many lives you ruined that day? Those megafreaks-."
"Humans, Megahumans." Caitlin cut her off.
"Whatever" Lisa snapped. "You stand there and look down your pointy little nose at me, at Lenny, when instead you should take a long look in the mirror. I may be a thief -."
"And a criminal, and a killer." Caitlin snapped.
"I'm also a survivor." Her lip curling back into a sneer, Lisa moved easily in her stiletto boots closer to where the other girl stood trembling. Whether in anger or fear, Lisa couldn't tell, not that she really cared. "Unlike you people, I have the ability to tell who the real monsters are, from those who are like me and Lenny. And until you can, you will lose every single time."