Greetings folks! This is just a little one-shot I wrote to pass the time between episodes. It is a oneshot with the idea of how Harry takes the first step towards becoming a speedster. Big thanks to my beta DoctorHarrisonWells who has taken at least two shots at various drafts of this story. Also, huge thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed any of my other stories. As always, not my characters and I make no monies from this. Questions and Comments welcomed! -CT
Jesse followed the smell of spaghetti down the hall towards the kitchen. She'd been back with her father for a little over a day. When he wasn't working on figuring out a way to save Snow, he was doing his damnedest to win the father of the year award. It was part of why he was currently in the lab kitchen trying to make her favourite meal from scratch. Stepping into the room, Jesse looked around and smiled. At the moment, her father was cursing under his breath as he tried to split his time between cutting fresh vegetables for a salad and keeping the pasta from boiling over. As he went to move the pot from the burner he swore and pulled a hand away, shaking it as if burned.
"Ritualistic flouring of the kitchen not going so well," Jesse mused as she stepped up to help him. Glancing up at her, Harry managed a brief smile for his daughter before once more looking harried and annoyed.
"That's an understatement," he admitted as he went to move the pot again. This time water splashed out and onto his hand, triggering a cry of pain and causing him to drop everything. Jumping back, Jesse watched as the pot, water, and noodles splattered across the floor and a look of irritation and horror flowed across Harry's face. "Ah, fu-"
"It's okay Dad," Jesse interjected before he could finish the word. She smiled as she looked him up and down. His clothing was covered in various ingredients, his jeans were now soaked, and he was still cringing in pain. "Go take care of that burn and I'll clean this up."
"No," he said, turning off the stove and then moving to pick up the pot. "My mess. I'll clean it up." It made Jesse smile.
"Dad, sit down and let me take care of you for the night," Jesse suggested. It earned her a look from Harry, who just shook his head.
"Sorry I messed this up," he breathed as he took a step back and watched her start sopping up the mess he'd made.
"Dad, dinner is no big deal," Jesse said with a shake of her head as she looked up at him. He looked away, a muscle flexing in his jaw. Cocking her head to one side, Jesse frowned. "You weren't talking about just dinner," she observed.
"Not just dinner," he agreed. Glowering at his burned hand, he went to the sink and started running some cold water over the red skin. Carefully pushing the noodles back into the pot, Jesse dropped a towel on the floor and stood. She headed for the fridge, dumping the noodles as she passed the trash bin and set the pot in the sink.
"I'll get you some ice," she informed her father, giving his shoulder a gentle rub before grabbing a small clean dishcloth and heading to the freezer. Wrapping several pieces of ice, Jesse approached her father and took his hand in hers. "Looks like second degree burns," she mused as she examined his hand. Gently she applied the wrapped ice to the angry red skin.
"Yeah, I can take care of it," Harry assured her. "I'm more concerned with the mess I made of dinner. Sorry, I'm just too distracted. I'm worried about Snow and Zoom." With an irritated sigh, he leaned down and started helping with the clean up.
"Let's go out to eat," Jesse suggested. Letting out a little huff of air, Harry rolled his eyes up towards her. "I know you're worried about being recognized, especially after what happened earlier this week, but it would be nice if we could just go out."
"I would love to, sweetie, but I'm a little strapped for cash right now," Harry replied. "Sorry." He pressed his lips together sadly and turned his attention back to the mess.
"My treat," Jesse suggested. Stopping, Harry sat back on his heals, gazing up at his daughter. "Like I said, my turn to take care of you tonight."
"That why you wanted me to let you keep working?" Harry wasn't certain how he felt knowing his baby girl was out there earning a living. They'd had a heated discussion about her continuing at her job now that she was back at the lab. Ultimately, Harry had agreed she didn't need to quit. He was trying to let her live her life. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so cranky." He let out a sad sigh as he finished cleaning up the last of the mess.
"Come on, Dad. Let's go out to eat," Jesse suggested again. "You've been working nearly nonstop on that accelerator for Barry. I also know you've been doing your best to try to figure out a way to get Caitlin back."
"My fault all this happened, ultimately," Harry argued. "Just trying to do what I can to fix my mistakes."
"Okay, enough wallowing," Jesse decided. "I"m taking you out for dinner. Let's go." Looping her arm in his, she dragged Harry out of the kitchen and towards their shared bedroom. "First, you get a quick shower, tend to that burn, and changed into clean clothes." She pushed him towards the small dresser they were sharing. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Harry opted to just go with it, grabbing fresh clothing from the dresser and heading to the bathroom. There he found that Jesse had set out some after burn ointment. Smiling to himself, he put his clothes down and started getting ready for a shower
Half an hour later he found himself sitting down at a little outside table at some restaurant Jesse had picked out. Seated across from him, Jesse was grinning as she looked around. For his part, Harry was slumped in his chair, hat pulled down low, and desperately hoping that nobody would recognize him. Still, the smile on Jesse's face made it worth the risk. She was clearly enjoying herself as she sipped her drink and let the breeze dance across her face.
"This is nice," Jesse mused happily.
"Yes," Harry agreed. His eyes darted around them and his shoulders raised up a little higher. "Sorry we can't relax more."
"Dad, I'm just glad we're together as a family again," Jesse informed him. Licking his lips, Harry gazed at her and nodded.
"Yes," he agreed with her. "Sorry I dragged you away from your apartment." Grabbing a breadstick, he tore it in half and debated on which end to gnaw on first. "I'm very proud of you, making it on your own like that." He nibbled at the piece in his left hand.
"Thanks, Daddy," Jesse grinned widely. Not only was she pleased to be with father, but his eating habits were amusing her. "Don't worry about the apartment. I'm just glad we found you in time."
"Me too," Harry agreed, pausing in his nibbling as a hand drifting up to a bruise along his jaw. "If you guys hadn't arrived when you did, Griffin probably would have finished himself off using me as a punching bag." He shrugged and reached out to pat her hand. "Thank you, for dinner tonight. How did you find this place?" He gazed around the little outdoor patio, frowning as he noticed somebody dressed all in red slowly stalking down the street. Getting a sinking feeling, he put his bread down.
"A friend," Jesse answered with a shrug. Harry's watch went off, catching their attention. "That can't be good," the younger Wells observed, looking around the street.
"No," Harry agreed. "Jesse, get inside." Standing, he grabbed his daughter at the elbow and started pushing her towards the safety of the indoors. The person dressed all in red continued stalking forwards, resolving into the clear image of an angry looking woman.
"Dad, what are you going to do?" Jesse watched her father worriedly.
"Be the man you want me to be," Harry informed her. He started towards the street, pausing to tell the other people seated on the patio to move indoors. "Go inside. Now," he snarled at the tables. Oddly enough, the couple and family he spoke to headed inside. "Huh, that worked," Harry mused to himself.
Taking a deep breath, he jogged out to the street, slowing down as he approached the woman all in red. "You didn't do them any favours," the female growled at him. "They're still going to die." Shifting his weight nervously, Harry glanced towards the restaurant.
"I have no idea who you are, or why you seem intent on hurting anyone," Harry began. "But my daughter is in there so I can't let you do whatever it is you're planning." Stepping out farther, he placed himself between the woman and the building behind him.
"Move," she growled out. "My quarrel isn't with you."
"If you intend to hurt any of the people in that building, then I'm afraid you're wrong," Harry countered.
"I said, move!" Shouting, the woman made a swiping motion with her hands. Crying out, Harry staggered back, a hand going to his face. Blood dribbled down his cheek from a new cut. Oddly enough, the pain didn't go away. Instead, it remained as though he had something lodged in the wound.
"No," Harry snarled back. He had no other options. In order to protect Jesse and the others, he had to be out there running the distraction. Jesse was smart enough she would have called the police and the lab, so Harry just need to run interference for a while.
"I will hurt you," the lady in red snarled.
"Go ahead," Harry challenged her. Once more she slashed at the air. This time, Harry made a run for the other side of the street. It did him no good as pain exploded in his side, making him cry out and collapse.
"Daddy!" Watching from the front window, Jesse saw her father drop and darted out to his side. Kneeling next to him, the female Wells looked up at the woman in red. "Dad." Pulling his hand away from his side, Harry frowned at the blood covering it.
"Jesse, go back inside," Harry commanded, pressing his hand into the wound on his side and struggling to his feet.
Ignoring her father's orders, Jesse glared at the attacker. "I've called the police," she informed the woman. "They're on their way."
"I'm not afraid of anyone," the woman responded. Screaming, she attacked the air.
Standing next to Jesse, Harry cried out in pain as something seemed to drive into his leg. The same thing happened to the calf of his other leg and he collapsed, struggling to stay conscious against the onslaught of continuous pain. Why wasn't it stopping? He could understand the initial spurts of pain, but the unstopping agony was horrible. She had to be a meta, which meant he had to protect Jesse and everyone else. "Just hang on Daddy," Jesse whispered in his ear, a hand on his shoulder. Standing tall, she faced the unknown meta. "I'm not letting you hurt anyone else."
"Move!" Punching the air, the woman in red strode forwards, looking surprised when Jesse staggered back, but held her ground. "Go!" This time Jesse collapsed, falling to the ground next to her father.
"Jesse!" Seeing the pain on his daughter's face was all the encouragement Harry needed. Ignoring the constant agony piercing his body, he launched himself at the woman in red. Even in pain, the woman wasn't much match for him in close quarters. She seemed unable to use her power up close. They rolled on the ground, Harry crying out in torment as he tried to get the upper hand. On the ground, Jesse groaned and sat up. Seeing her father engaged in the hand-to-hand fight, her eyes widened. In the distance, sirens sounded and grew closer. "Jesse, get out of here," Harry ordered as he managed to land a haymaker and knock the woman out. Clutching at his bloodied side, he staggered to his feet, headed away from the sirens.
"Dad," Jesse rushed to his side, slipping under his arm on his uninjured side. "Come on, we need to get you out of here." Instead of answering, Harry only managed to groan as he staggered towards the car. Since she'd been taken, they were using Snow's. "I need the keys," Jesse nagged her father as they got to the vehicle.
"Pocket," Harry managed to gasp out. Struggling, he got his hand into his pocket and tugged the keys out. With Jesse's help, he got into the passenger side, clutching his injured side.
Getting into the driver's seat, Jesse paused to examine her father. The cut on his face was still bleeding, as was his side. It also looked like he had blood flowing up and out of injuries on his legs. "Dad, we need to get you to the hospital," Jesse observed.
"No, back to the lab," Harry gasped out. Flailing with his hand, he managed to get ahold of his seat belt and get it buckled. "Go." Frowning, Jesse spared her father one more look before starting the car and pulling out onto the road. "Don't speed. We don't need the police pulling us over."
"Yes, Dad," Jesse huffed. Still worried about the amount of blood he'd lost, she headed for the lab. "Are you awake?" She asked her father as they pulled up in front of the building a few minutes later.
"Huh?" Fighting through the haze of pain that was his body, Harry tried to focus on his daughter.
"Come on, Dad," Jesse said, parking the car, turning off the engine, and jumping out. "Let's get you inside." He was barely moving now, his clothing sticky with blood and colour draining from his face. "Lean on me," the younger Wells instructed. Mumbling something, Harry followed her orders, barely able to hold himself upright.
They made it into the labs, the elevator, out of the elevator, and were shuffling towards the cortex when Jesse started calling for help. "Cisco!" She hoped he was there. It seemed he was always there, trying to figure out a way to get Caitlin home. "Cisco! I need some help!"
"Yeah, what?" Cisco asked in irritation as he approached them. Seeing the blood covering Harry, his eyes went wide and raced up to help take some of Harry's weight. "What happened?"
"Meta," Harry managed to gasp out.
"She attacked the restaurant where we were having dinner," Jesse explained. "He needs a doctor," she added. They entered the cortex and once they had Harry leaning against the medical bed, Cisco slipped away.
"I know one we can trust. Let me just get clear of the deadzone you two make," Cisco said, pulling out his phone. He went into the hallway while Jesse helped her father onto the bed.
"Jess," Harry began, fighting to ignore the fire of pain. "She hurt you." He tried to sit up on the bed and check his daughter, but the young woman simply pushed him back onto the mattress.
"I'm fine, Daddy," Jesse assured him, holding him down with one hand while she tried to examine his abdominal wound with the other. "Just scratches and some bruises. Nothing worse." Gasping in pain, Harry fell back into the pillows, watching his daughter move around and get supplies. "We need to get your clothes out of the way," Jesse said, trying to focus on what needed to be done. Without waiting for her father to respond, she pulled his shirt up, trying to forget that it was his stomach she was examining. "This is going to need stitches." Grabbing a gauze pad, she pressed it firmly over the wound, drawing a cry of pain from her father.
"Okay, there's a doctor on the way," Cisco said coming into the room. Seeing all the blood, he started to turn to leave.
"Cisco, I need you to grab some bandages and bind the wounds on his legs," Jesse ordered. "The bleeding is slowing but it doesn't seem to be stopping." Realizing the the pad she was holding had been bled through, Jesse simply added another to the stack and started taping them in place. "Cisco, move it!" There was a note of panic in her voice which made the young engineer jump and then rush to grab bandages.
"Oh, this is not pretty," Cisco declared as he glanced at the torn open skin before covering it. "What exactly was this meta's power?" The engineer winced as whimper of pain escaped Harry's lips.
"Some sort of telepathic attacks," Harry gasped out. "I think she was using her mind as a weapon." He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes against the pain.
"How much blood has he lost?" Cisco frowned at the amount of blood already on Harry's clothes and body.
"Just hold the bandages in place!" Jesse wasn't sure what else she could do for her father. She wasn't a medical doctor. For the next ten minutes she and Cisco did everything they could to control the bleeding. Harry did his best to stay still, but he couldn't help shifting and trying to escape from the pain. It was a long wait.
Henry Allen rushed through the halls of S.T.A.R. labs. He'd been staying close to Central City since Zoom had put Barry temporarily in a wheelchair. When Cisco had called to tell him they needed his help, the doctor's mind kept going over the worse possible scenarios. By the time he burst into the cortex, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what he would find. "Cisco!" The engineer wasn't immediately in sight.
"Dr. Allen!" Cisco rushed out of the medical bay, his hands covered in blood. "In here!" Nodding, Henry followed the young man back into the room. "We've been trying to stop the bleeding, but we only seem to be able to slow it down," Cisco explained as he went back to putting pressure on Harry's leg.
"Dr. Wells?" Henry asked, shocked and relieved to see that his patient wasn't his son, but the Earth 2 denizen.
"He's been bleeding since it happened," Jesse informed the man. She didn't know him, but he was somebody Cisco trusted, so she would as well. "It was a meta-human. She slashed me too, but my blood has already clotted."
"Alright, let me have a look," Henry said, stepping up and next to the young woman. "Doctor Henry Allen, by the way. Who exactly are you?"
"Jesse Wells," she watched worriedly as the newcomer pulled back the bandage on Harry's abdomen. "Can you help him?"
"I hope so," Henry answered. "You've been keeping pressure the entire time?" He carefully examined the wound, prodding carefully.
"Yes," Jesse agreed. As Henry continued his examination, Harry cried out in pain, sweat pouring down his face, and his breath coming quickly. "It's okay, Dad, the doctor is here." Grabbing a cloth, Jesse wiped some of the sweat away and worried at the loss of colour to his skin.
"Hurts," Harry whimpered out. "Pain won't go away. Doesn't fade." He bit his lip, trying to distract himself from the agony of his injuries.
"This is unusual," Henry observed. "I can't pull the skin together. It's like somebody is forcing the wound open and keeping the blood from clotting."
"He said a meta did it with her mind," Cisco informed the doctor. As he talked, Joe, Barry, and Iris arrived.
"Yo, Cisco, we have info on a new meta for you," Barry called out as he put down the bag he carried. He'd been provided with blood samples from the meta that the police had arrested at the restaurant scene.
"In here," Cisco called out. Before he could say more, Harry cried out in pain as Henry attempted to stitch up one of the physicist's many lacerations. It made Cisco cringe while Barry and Joe exchanged looks.
"I don't know what to do," Henry said, coming out. "We can get an IV started, but we need to stop the bleeding. Whatever that meta did to him, it's preventing me from sealing the wounds." He came to a stop as his gaze fell on his son. "Barry."
"Dad!" Barry blinked in surprise and then smiled. "Wait, what?" Rather than hug his father, Barry looked around confused.
"Harry took on a meta and I called your dad for medical help," Cisco explained.
"Wait, you mean the Wells family are the people who stood up to the woman in red?" Joe asked, looking in at the injured man and his worried daughter.
"Yes! What do we do to help him? We need to stop the bleeding." Jesse declared.
"What about you?" Joe asked. "Reports I got said the woman was injured too. Are you still bleeding too?" Frowning, Jesse looked at her arm where she'd been slashed by the meta.
"No. The bleeding has stopped and the cuts are scabbed over," Jesse said, holding her arm up. "How is that possible? What makes me different?"
"Maybe it's because you're from Earth 2," Iris suggested.
Jesse shook her head, "No, we're both from the same Earth. It has to be something that I've been exposed to and Dad hasn't." There was a moment of silence and then Jesse's eyes went wide. "The Velocity 9! That has to be why I'm immune to whatever she did to Daddy!" Whirling, she faced Barry, Joe, Iris, and Cisco. "Please tell me we have more!"
"Jesse, that's a bad idea," Barry argued. "We had to give you a blood transfusion so it wouldn't kill you." Another moan of pain sounded from Harry, spurning Jesse onward.
"So? We're a match. He gave me blood and I can give him blood," Jesse rushed. "Where's the V9 Daddy and Caitlin cooked up for Trajectory?"
"She took it all," Cisco informed the female Wells.
"Then we make more," Jesse declared. She went into the room with her father. "Dad," she began, leaning over her father. Letting out a painful breath, Harry tried to focus on Jesse. "Dad, I need you to tell me how to make the Velocity 9."
"Huh?" Harry squinted at her, trying to focus past his pain.
"Just tell me how to make more V9," Jesse ordered again. "Now!" Too out of it to really think, Harry started mumbling instructions. Looking to Barry, Jesse grinned as the CSI nodded and started moving to follow the older man's instructions.
A little while later, Henry looked up as Jesse and Barry entered. "I have him prepped for a blood transfusion and I got an IV going in his other arm. The bleeding still isn't stopping. Are you sure you want to do this?" The doctor looked back and forth between his son and his patient's daughter.
"You can't stop the bleeding?" Jesse held the injection ready.
"No, I can't," Henry admitted.
"Then this is Dad's only chance." Stepping up, Jesse took a deep breath and jabbed her father, injecting him with the V9. When it was finished she pulled the hypo away and watched her father closely. "What should happen?"
"Well, you started foaming at the mouth and like seizing," Cisco supplied. They all watched the shallowly breathing Harry closely. Just as their shoulders started to slump, Harry coughed and foam started frothing up from his mouth. "Yeah, like that," Cisco said. "How long do we wait before we start the blood transfusion?"
"At least as long as it took before you started mine," Jesse countered. "Maybe a little longer." She watched her father closely as Henry and Barry rolled Harry onto his side.
"We can't wait too long," Barry lectured. After a few tense minutes, Jesse nodded and sat down so they could start the transfusion.
Later
Harry groaned as he slowly awoke. His head hurt as did his side and legs, but they weren't screaming in agony like before. A vague recollection of Jesse ordering him to tell her how to make something surfaced in his memory and his eyes fluttered opened. "Gah!" He pulled back farther into his pillows in shock as Cisco leaned down close to see if Harry was awake. "Ramon!"
"He's awake!" Cisco cheered, smiling brightly as he stood up straight and Harry opened his eyes and glared. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Harry."
"Ramon," Harry groaned. Letting out a huff, he let his gaze flit around the room. They landed on Jesse, who was seated in a chair next to his bed. "Jesse," he whispered her name, pleased to see her sitting up and apparently unharmed. "What happened?"
"You nearly bled to death," Henry said, stepping into Harry's line of sight. "If you're daughter hadn't figured out what allowed her to counter the meta's powers, I don't know that the bleeding would have stopped." He smiled gently at the other man.
"Dr. Allen. Thank you," Harry croaked out. Reaching out, he took Jesse's hand. "Thanks sweetie." He managed a weak smile before letting his eyes close.
"Next time," Jesse began. "Don't try so hard to be Daddy of the year." It pulled a small smirk from Harry but he didn't open his eyes. "Rest now, Daddy." She watched her father drift off to sleep. Smiling, she squeezed his hand and nodded her thanks to the rest of the team.
"So," Joe began, gazing into the room where Harry and Jesse were having their moment. "I thought she wasn't supposed to have any side effects since Harry gave her a blood transfusion." Barry and Cisco exchanged looks as they both realized Joe was right.
"Huh," was all Cisco managed.