Hi! here I am with a new story. As always, just remember that English is not my first language. Big thank you to my amazing beta patty_spallen, who also made the image! Let me know what do you think about this story!
As always, I don't own anything, otherwise this would be the script!
Open Your Heart To Me
Barry suddenly opened his eyes and his body jumped. Immediately, the machines he was linked to started to make loud noises. He just got the time to see he was in STAR labs, in the hospital bed, before being surrounded by familiar faces.
"Hey Barry, calm down! You're safe" said Dr. Caitlin Snow with a firm tone, silencing the machines.
"How are you feeling, dude?" asked Cisco. Barry raised a hand to rub his face. He was still sore everywhere.
"I feel like a cosmic motorcycle just ran over me." he mumbled attempting a grin which immediately changed to a grimace of pain. Yeah, he was really hit by a motorcycle, and in a very bad way. Joe smiled.
"Yeah, well, I think you'll be okay soon. I'll call Iris to let her know you woke up" he said exiting the room.
"How long have I been knocked out?" asked the speedster lying still. He was in pain, he probably didn't finish healing, yet.
"Just an hour, because you are you. That bike got you really badly." answered Cisco. Barry didn't reply anything, but he knew as soon as Wells was there they would have to argue a little.
"Can you sit up, Barry, please? Slowly!" asked Caitlin helping him, still looking around him to check if he was ok. With a little effort but a lot of pain, Barry obeyed Cait's request and Dr. Snow took a little light to look at Barry's eyes. He blinked a couple times, but then he kept his eyes open to let Caitlin do her job.
"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked.
"I was supposed to stop that metahuman with the motorcycle, but then she took off her helmet, I froze and then she hit me" said Barry in a flat tone. Caitlin bit her lower lip.
"Any headache?"
"Yep."
"What's your ex math's teacher's name?" she asked again.
"Really, Cait?" he retorted. She snorted.
"Yeah, ok. You do obviously have a concussion, but it's not huge. The main part of it already healed, in a few hours you will be ok. Are you sore?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Broken ribs?"
"Yes, at least four. Some other cracked, and you have a perforate lung. Again, we are talking about you, so I'm not really worried. But if I were you, I would rest for a while. You need to heal completely, and Wells is furious. When you're better we need to talk about what happened." She said helping him to lay down again. He didn't want to talk about what happened, after all, everybody already knew. But he knew that they couldn't avoid the subject.
"Are you ok, man?" Asked Cisco. Barry shrugged his shoulder and brought a hand to his face with a sigh.
"She took me by surprise, that's pretty much all. I know she wasn't her, but I couldn't do anything." he said. His voice was still, but Cisco knew better that that. He squeezed Barry's shoulder.
"Don't worry, we got this. At least now we know what we should expect from all of this." he said, and Barry simply nodded. He wasn't feeling like talking.
"Try to rest, Barry. We'll talk about it later." said Caitlin smiling reassuringly at him. It was obvious they were simply postponing the problem, too, but also they were going to find a solution, and Barry was really glad to not be alone in this. Cait and Cisco left him and he closed his eyes, but he saw a woman took off her helmet showing a really too familiar face before driving her bike right toward him.
"Physically as good as new." announced Caitlin after running her tests on Barry. For a moment, the room was filled with a an uncomfortable silence, but Wells walked in few moments later.
"Ah, the sleeping beauty is finally up." he said bitterly. Cisco glared at him, as well the others.
"Harry, shut up! Really, this is not the right moment!" he said.
"Hell yes this is the right moment! He let a metahuman go only because he still doesn't get that those are not his friends! How could you be so stupid?" he exclaimed furiously. The other's reactions were immediate, a lot of angry protests came from them.
"Tell me, Wells" started Joe standing between Harrison and Barry, his back to the young speedster, acting as a shield. "If you were after a meta whose identity is a mystery and when you're about to catch it and they take off they're mask revealing to be your daughter, totally by surprise, can you attack her or will you hesitate as Barry did?" he asked. Harrison seemed to think about his words.
"If I'm really certain that she's only the doppelganger and not my daughter, I could attack her" he replied then.
"oh, really?" Joe retorted with sarcasm. Wells took off his glasses with a sigh.
"Ok, ok, you're right. I'm just pissed because we were about to get her but she's still out there helping Zoom and now he knows that she can easily win over Barry 'cause he doesn't understand what a doppelganger is!"
Cisco shook his head. "Harry, please. You're ridiculous right now, and if this comes from me it's a lot, believe me!" he said still glaring at him.
"He's not totally wrong, though." said Barry avoiding their gazes. "I shouldn't have hesitate. I should have stopped.."
"Hot Pursuit?" supplied Cisco helping him. Barry smiled at him, grateful.
"Yeah. I should have stopped Hot Pursuit." he repeated.
"Maybe, but I honestly don't think this is all your fault. We'll figure out a way to stop her, I'm sure about that. And now we know what she's like, right? For the next time we'll be prepared." said Caitlin rubbing his back in a comforting motion. He nodded but stayed silent.
"What are you thinking about, Barry?" asked Iris sweetly, coming closer to him. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Nothing important, it's just.. I'm very confused right now, and I have a lot of mixed feelings I can't really place." he admitted. "But more than anything I can't help but wonder if that was really the Earth Two version of her or not." he said.
"Hey man, I know she was pretty happy with her gun, but here she doesn't have a gun and she would especially never hurt you! Not intentionally." reasoned Cisco, earning an elbow in his side from Joe.
"Ok Barry, that's enough." said the man then. "I hate to start this with you, especially because the more we tell you to do something, the less you will do it, but this is for you. Did you hear anything about her or from her, recently?" asked him. Barry looked at Joe, surprised.
"Uh.. not really. I mean, we exchanged a few texts, small talk and everything.. and sometimes she called me if she needs some help with scientific things for her lessons, but that's pretty much it. The last text is at least a couple weeks old." he answered.
"Forgive me, but I don't really get what the problem is, Barry. I mean, you miss her, she misses you. She knows the biggest part of the truth and is ok with that. What in the hell are you still doing here?" asked Cisco.
"It's not that easy!" protested Barry.
"Why? She could handle the whole thing, you know that!"
"But she could get hurt or worse, killed, and I was the one who couldn't handle that. At least, if she's away, I know she is actually safe!" Barry almost yelled, but it didn't scare Iris.
"You never told her that! And this is something that hurts you. Guess what, Barry? It hurts Patty, too! I understand your fears, Barry, I really do. But you need her. Maybe not here physically, maybe know that she is somewhere waiting safely for you will be enough. Do you really think Zoom can't find her? She's still in danger. But if she knows the whole truth maybe she can do something to avoid trouble." she said. She was as stubborn as only a sister could be.
"I think she's right, Allen." Said Wells. "I know I told you not to tell her anything if you want her safe. But anyway she already figured out that you are the Flash, so this is pointless. At this point, Miss West is right: if she knows everything, that could help her and hopefully you, too. You could focus better on what we have to do here." he continued. Cisco glared at him.
"What Harry is trying to say is that maybe you would have less things to worry about." He said. Caitlin, who was silent until that moment, placed a hand on his forearm.
"You know, Barry, you have a chance that both Iris and I would kill to have, and you are here, wasting it. Please, just go and talk with her. It's going to help you. You are not the same since she went away" she said. The subtle mention of Ronnie and Eddie hit him, and if Cait's intention was to make him feel more guilty than he already did, she got him on that. He raised his head to look at his friends and family, his gaze was on Iris and Joe: after all, they were the ones who knew Patty better, after him.
"Do you think she wants to talk to me?" he asked somehow shyly. Iris smiled and repressed the urge to hug him.
"I'm totally sure." she said. "And I'm also sure she never really needed your help, she called you because she misses you.. We may have talked a few times." she admitted.
"What are you waiting for, Barry? Just run to her. And please, this time don't stop to simply peek at her through the window or from across the street or whatever. Talk to her!" Said Joe. Barry looked at him trying to hide that he was blushing furiously.
"How do you know that?" he asked, Cisco snorted.
"Please, Barry. We all know that you run to Midway City to watch her, every now and then. And believe me, dude, that's pretty creepy!" he said, making Joe laugh. Iris and Caitlin smiled at the Latino's words, but they didn't comment on that. They knew what Patty meant to Barry and how hard the whole situation was for him, how he regretted letting her go, knowing that his secret was out and she accepted that. Yes, he told them his reasons more than once: it was because of her dream and safety. But he didn't really believe his own words, and he truly missed her. Sometimes he was so overwhelmed from everything that he only wanted to breath, and the way he found to do so was seeing her. So his not-so-hidden trips to Midway City became usual to him. They were always for a few minutes, just in time to see her exiting from a cafeteria with a coffee, entering or exiting from the building where she shared the apartment with two other girls, a glance of her entering the school, talking with a short girl with red hair and glasses, who Barry knows is Patty's roommate. He never tried to call Patty's name or talk to her, though. All he wanted was to see her, safe and happy, doing well. It helped him to ease his pain and to understand he did the right thing. But he was tired. He needed her. His friends were right, he could barely focus on anything, and considering his night job that was really dangerous. Barry sighed and rubbed the back of his head, but hope, fear and excitement started to rise in him.
"Do you really think I should go?" he asked then.
"What are you still doing here? Come on, go!" said Caitlin gently, nudging him. He looked down to see he was still wearing sweatpants and sweater, so he disappeared and was back a few seconds later, wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a cardigan sweater, just how he knew Patty liked.
"Do I look ok?" he asked nervously, ignoring the annoyed "really?" from Wells, the groan from Cisco and the chuckle from Joe. Iris smiled and stepped forward to flatten a fold on his cardigan.
"you look very handsome." she said. He still had some bruises on his face, but in very little time those were going to disappear, they knew that.
"Don't worry, Barry. She couldn't really stay angry at you." said Caitlin. Barry nodded and was ready to speed away when Wells called him.
"Hey, Allen? Just remember to bring her flowers. Maybe white tulips, if you want to apologize with them. Or roses. Every woman loves roses." he said, and silence followed his words while everybody looked at him like he was a ghost.
"What?" He then asked.
"Who are you? What did you do to Harrison-Dick-Wells?" exclaimed Cisco. But Wells rolled his eyes, and that was the last thing Barry saw before speeding away.
Barry checked the watch on his wrist nervously. He was standing near the front exit of the Midway City university, where Patty was at the moment. He knew she was going to get out shortly. He was carrying a little plastic bag and a huge bouquet of white tulips and red roses, that Wells and the little old flower lady suggested. People were glancing at him, somebody with curiosity, some girls sighing because that was oh-so-romantic, but Barry was blind to all that, too nervous to keep attention somewhere. He was playing and replaying in his mind a kind of speech, to keep himself busy and focused, or he knew panic would have made an appearance. Suddenly, he saw her. She was leaving the building talking with the same short girl he already saw. Before even knowing what he was doing, Barry found his feet moving forward to take him near Patty, and he felt his own mouth open.
"Hey, Patty!" he heard himself said. Immediately, he wanted to slap himself. Really? He thought. You don't see each otherformonths and the first thing you say to her is 'hey Patty'? he mentally cursed himself. Patty and her friend stopped to look at him. The girl frowned behind her glasses, while Patty's eyes widened in surprise when recognition hit her.
"Barry!?" she said. It was barely a whisper. Was that a dream?
"Yeah, uh.. hi?" he said faltering. Curiosity, other than surprise, started to appears on Patty's feature while she moved closer to Barry. She would have smiled, but she couldn't believe he was really there.
"Hi yourself. What.. what are you doing here?" she asked forcing herself to be calm and trying hard to control her tone, so her voice didn't break. But a light tone in it betrayed her, giving away that she was somehow touched from his presence. Barry glanced at the flowers he was still holding before returning his gaze to her.
"I… I wanted to see you and... Here, these are for you" he babbled handing her the bouquet of tulips and roses. Her lips curved in a soft smile and when she took the bouquet her hands brushed lightly against Barry's. They both stiffened a little at the contact: even if it was light it was enough to bring to the surface every single feeling they tried to hide for months, and they were both grateful for wearing long sleeves, so they didn't have to think of a way to hide the goosebump that formed on their arms. Patty brought the bouquet to her nose, both to smell its perfume and hide her blush.
"They're so beautiful." she murmured. "Thank you!" She added then, looking directly at him with her big smile. But it faltered when she noticed a few bruises at the corner of Barry's mouth. She frowned and her grip tightened around the flowers.
"You're bruised! Are you sore?" she asked with concern. He smiled and shook his head.
"No, don't worry about that. I'll be okay really soon." replied Barry. He couldn't tear his eyes away from hers, they were like locked there, outside of her school, with people and noise all around them. But they were in this weird bubble made up only of them, their feelings and memories and nothing seemed to exist besides them. What were they doing so far away from each other? Why they did even break up? Those were questions they couldn't help but ask, now that they were face to face again and their feelings toward each other returned stronger than before. Somebody coughed violently near them, startling the couple.
"Uhm, hey! I am sorry to interrupt, really, but the more I look at you two, the more I'll need a dentist for all the cavities you give me. Patty, why don't you two go home? I'll go to the library, and Amy is working till late, so nobody will bother you there. Okay? Okay! Bye you guys, have fun!" Quickly as she spoke, the girl who was with Patty disappeared. Barry blinked in confusion, and Patty shook her head.
"Barry, you just met Rachel, my roommate. If you are asking, yeah: she's as crazy as she looks or sounds." She said. Now that the spell was broken, things were a little more tense and awkward between them, while they were standing facing each other silently. Barry cleared his throat.
"Well, yeah, uhm… I came here because I was wondering if you want to talk with me. Like, really talk. I brought also ice cream." he said rising the plastic bag he still had. Patty bit her lower lip to stop her smile.
"Which flavor?" she asked, but her eyes were twinkling: she already knew, and that was a really dorky and sweet gesture. Barry grinned.
"Vanilla, of course!"
"Flowers and ice cream! You really know how to win me over." she joked winking at him. He shrugged his shoulder before offering her his arms, which she took without a second of thinking, guiding him along the street to her home.
"It seems like I can win you over, but I can't really do a good job as boyfriend." he said bitterly, walking at her side.
"Everybody makes mistakes, Barry. You had a lot in your mind, now I get it completely, or almost. And I'm sure you're going to do a lot of explaining or you wouldn't have run here, would you?" she said calmly. Barry nodded, but looked around nervously.
"You're right. I'll tell you everything, but I'd prefer to do it in a private place." he said, and Patty reassured him they were close to her apartment, ignoring that Barry already knew it. Five minutes later Patty was putting the flowers in a vase, while Barry was scooping the ice cream in two bowls that they brought to the couch.
"That's weird, your bruises are gone!" exclaimed Patty tugging her legs under her body. He nodded.
"Yeah, I told you I would have been okay soon. This is another side effect of the lightning: super speed and super healing. And you saw me now when was already okay, only a couple of hours ago I was unconscious on a hospital bed" Barry said nonchalantly. Big mistake.
"YOU WHAT!?" exclaimed Patty panicking instantly.
"You… ? And nobody told me! What happened? How…" she babbled incoherently, but Barry stopped her.
"Wait, calm down! I'm sorry if nobody told you, but I'm fine, really! We are very used to that, and anyway that wasn't a big deal" he said.
"that wasn't a big deal? Bartholomew Henry Allen, are you serious right now? I can't believe it! What if… God, I can't even think about that!" she said. Barry couldn't decide if Patty was more angry or more panicked, but to be really honest he didn't even want to find it out.
"Hey, hey, breathe! I'm so sorry, Patty. But I'm okay. That wasn't the first time I got the worst in a fight, anyway I heal so fast that it's hardly a problem. We don't get scared about this anymore, that's why nobody told you." apologized Barry. Patty closed her eyes for a moment and let go a long, trembling breath, probably to calm herself down, before replying to him.
"Okay, look, maybe you're used to it, but to me it's new. I know I broke up with you and moved miles away, but that doesn't mean I moved on from you or that I'm okay with the whole situation or that I don't lo -care about you anymore!" she said, blushing at the slip of her words. To prevent herself from saying something else, she took a spoonful of ice cream.
"I still care about you, too, Patty" whispered Barry. She couldn't really tell if he did understand her slip and used the same word to not make the situation more uncomfortable than already was, but when she looked at him she understood that he meant a lot more than simply care. She frowned.
"so why didn't you stop me?" She asked, and Barry sighed.
"It's a long story. I'll start from the beginning, ok?" he replied. She nodded her head and he told her everything. He started from the singularity, which opened the breaches to other worlds, creating the multiverse, he told her about Zoom, his goal and his cruelty, the nightmares all of that brought him, the fear of losing her because he was still not fast enough to stop the blue speedster. He told her about the whole doppelganger story, and how Zoom used people with the same aspect of Barry's friend to confuse and hurt him the most.
"… then she took off her helmet and I couldn't really react. It was you, Patty. How was I supposed to hurt you?" he said, ending his story.
"You do realize that it wasn't really me, but just my evil twin, right?" she asked. Patty had been silent while he spoke, interested in his story and finally putting all the pieces together. She never doubted his words, much to his relief, and all she said was asking few further questions here and there, staying silent and listening to him for the most part of his speech. Until he told her how he got hurt earlier that day. Barry rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, yeah. I think part of me knew that. But another part was so surprised and… honestly, I don't know. The only thing I could think about was 'this is my Patty. What if it's really her but Zoom did something to her?'. And I couldn't hit you. I didn't react at all. Then she ran over me with her motorcycle, and well… you know." he said sheepishly. Patty bit her lower lip.
"I'd laugh if the whole situation wasn't so weird, absurd and dramatic. Like, seriously? An evil twin from another earth who almost killed you, The Flash, with a cosmic bike or something like that!?" she said summarized the story in a few words.
"Well, if you laugh at it instead of getting angry at me thinking I'm giving you only crap I can't really complain about it, can I?" he replied with a small chuckle.
"seriously, though, are you ok?" she asked with a concerned tone, but he brushed it off.
"Yeah, yeah. It actually happens all the time. It was more the surprise of finding out that was you." he said. "I miss you. Yeah, I know now you're rightfully mad at me, and I know I could have told you the truth or stopped you. But I really need you to understand why I made my choices." He said again, and she sighed.
"It's been months, Barry. I'm not mad at you anymore. And anyway I had always been more hurt than anything else. I mean, you know I was really serious about us, so I didn't deal well at all with the break up, you know? There were times where I thought you were here. Sometimes it was like I could even see you here! Just a glimpse, but…" she stopped mid-sentence seeing that Barry was blushing and looking away, and she gasped.
"Oh my God, you were here!" she exclaimed.
"well.. yeah. Okay, before you say anything, I know this is creepy and I had no right, but I missed you so much and I didn't deal well with the break up, too. And sometimes it was so hard and overwhelming that all I needed was to see you and.." his rambling stopped when a pillow suddenly hit him straight in his face. Patty giggled.
"Hey, you were panicking for nothing, I had to stop you!" she said in her defense. She tried to shake away the thought that only few months back she would have kissed him instead of throwing him a pillow. That was always their favorite way to stop each other's rambling.
"Take a breath, we can start slowly from the beginning. So, you said you came here sometimes?" she asked, and he nodded shyly. She smiled.
"That's cute. I mean, yeah, it's creepy. But coming from you I know you had good intentions. Why have you never tried to talk to me?" she continued.
"I was embarrassed and scared. It's not that easy, Patty" he sighed. "I came here because I needed to know you were happy and safe, just to remind me I did the right thing letting you go. Sometimes being away from you is so difficult, added to what is happening in Central City, that I can't focus on anything."
"So Iris wasn't kidding." she stated. Barry raised an eyebrow looking at her with a questioning look.
"What? I told you I missed you too. And Joe was my partner, I called him a few times, sometimes I had the chance to talk with Iris who told me you weren't you. And I'm keeping informed on what The Flash is doing, so I saw he went through a rough time, even if I didn't know the cause of that." she said rapidly in a slightly accusing tone. Barry raised his hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay. I knew you talked to Iris, I didn't know she spilled the beans about everything." he clarified. "I had a hard time. I'm still having it, to be honest. You were the only positive thing I had, and suddenly I didn't have you anymore. Plus, the rules of this damn game keep changing every day, never in our favor. I'm just tired." he confessed. It was pretty much unnecessary, because Patty could read everything in his eyes: she could see how much hurt and fear he was carrying, how much guilt. His shoulders, also, were curved, and she remembered Iris' words clearly about him taking all the weight of the world. Patty felt her heart ache, and all she wanted to do, in that moment, was to hug him and tell him everything was going to be ok. And she did so. Automatically, Barry wrapped his arms around her, while hiding his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. In that moment he lost it: he started to cry in her shoulder, not ashamed about it. Patty just held his body, murmuring lightly to him, letting him pour out, one hand moving up and down his back to rub it in a comforting motion, the other firm at the back of his head, her fingers were through his hair. His grip was tight around her, but she didn't complain at all about it, it was somehow reassuring.
"I'm so sorry." he said a few moments later, leaning back.
"Don't be. That's ok" she replied sweetly. She raised a hand to wipe away Barry's tears, then she rested it on his check, gaining a watery smile from him.
"You're too good for me." he murmured, but Patty shook her head.
"It's just that now I understand you better, Barry. I'm not that good. I'm here in another city, after all"
"It's for a good reason." He retorted taking her hands in his.
"Maybe you're not totally safe, but here you are safer than in Central City." He knew his words were true, but there was a sad note in them, nonetheless.
"I can hear a big 'but' coming." commented Patty, and he nodded with a sigh.
"But it's not easy and I'm not happy about the distance thing. I don't know what to do, Patty. I want you in my life. I need you. But at the same time I don't want to put you in more danger than you already are, and I don't want to ask you to sacrifice something for me, or.. well, I really don't know."
she shifted sitting cross legged in front of him.
"Ok, how about we look through the whole situation together, one step at time?" she asked, and he nodded, albeit a little confused.
"How much time did it take to run here?" she asked. He frowned. That wasn't the first question he was expecting, but answered it anyway.
"uh.. about five minutes, I think. I didn't really check the time, and it depends on how fast I run. It's not much, anyway. Why?"
"See? That's really a little time. If we want to be together or try it, the distance is not a huge problem." she said.
"But… we want to?" He asked. A look of panic crossed her features for a moment. Was that too much? Too fast? Did she misunderstand him?
"Well, I don't know. Do you want to?" she asked.
"Do you?" He retorted.
"Barry!" she hissed exasperated. He chuckled.
"Okay, okay. Yes, Patty. I want to, I really do. But I'm afraid"
"Of what, exactly?" she asked.
"Of everything. Look, you were my first really serious girlfriend. I spent years in the friendzone, thinking I was in love with someone who never loved me back. You canbhardly call relationships what I had, and they never lasted long. Then I met you. You are.. so adorable, so smart, funny, beautiful. You are so you. You make me feel complete and I was really happy with you. When I became The Flash I started to wonder if my double life would have ever allowed me to have a normal life and I thought that it was impossible, but with you, it did seem actually possible. I think I never really felt that way, and it scares me. But overall I'm afraid to put you in danger. Whoever is near me is not safe. A girlfriend would be an easy target." Patty cleared her throat, taking a little more time to recover from the shock that Barry's declaration brought her, along with some guilt: so Barry was really serious about them and their relationship. And she accused him more than once to just be playing around and just having fun. She knew for some time that part of his behavior was because of his double life, and he was already forgiven for that. She wished she had known how deep his feelings toward her were, so things could have been different. She pushed away her thoughts to carry on the conversation with him.
"What about Joe? Cisco? Caitlin and Iris? They're your friends and family, aren't they in the same danger I would be?" she asked, and Barry nodded.
"Yeah, they are, unfortunately."
"And what's the difference between them and me?" she asked again. Barry opened his mouth to answer, but found himself closing it without saying a single word. What was the difference? Sure, he loved his friends and family while he was in love with Patty, but that didn't mean he would have put less effort in saving one of them because they weren't his girlfriend. And she was really able to take care of herself, just like the others. Sure, maybe she could easily find troubles, but once she knows the truth she could also avoid problems easily.
She smiled watching Barry's expression.
"I'm waiting for an answer." she joked with a wink. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, you're right. There's not a real difference." admitted Barry.
"No buts coming? How so?" she joked again, but seeing his uneasiness she dropped it immediately.
"Ok, look, I'm here anyway, right? You told me that makes me a little safer."
He nodded. "Yes. Probably not completely, but still more than in Central City. I know you can take care of yourself even there, but we are talking about metahumans. They don't play fair, and I can't live with this fear" he was desperate, and Patty's expression softened.
"I get it, Barry. If I was in your shoes I would probably do the same thing you did. If that makes you feel better I promise I'll stay here, ok? And when I'll come back to Central City for my breaks with school I'll tell you." She said sweetly squeezing his hands. He smiled and nodded, relaxing a bit. Patty was leading the conversation, making it easy on him, she let him explain himself, wasn't mad and was comprehensive. That was just perfect. But something didn't quite sit with them and the whole situation.
"May I ask you something, Barry?"
"Sure"
"If there wasn't that danger, what would you have done? With us?"
he thought about It for just a split second before answering her.
"I would have told you that I'm The Flash. I was already going to do so, but we were always interrupted, and the last time I came to tell it to you, you drop the I'm-moving bomb. From there it was just a matter of time before telling you about the whole multiverse thing. Anyway, even if you would have known all of it, I don't think I would have stopped you from coming here. I mean, this is your dream and anyway I can easily run here. What's the point of denying you something like that?"
"And what's the point of denying you me now?" she retorted. Barry thought about an answer, but he didn't find one, so he frowned.
"Are you taking classes also in psychology?" he asked with a light pout, making her giggle.
"Nope, Rachie has a major degree in psychology, I learn from her. But don't try to change the subject!" he rubbed his face. It was really obvious how torn he was.
"What can I say, Patty? You're right. We can work through it, and there's not a real point in what we are doing, except.."
"Except that the danger is real, here I'm safer and you are scared. Yeah, I got it." She concluded for him, with a light sigh. He nodded and bit his lip: his motivation became weaker and weaker. Patty raised Barry's chin with two fingers, forcing him to look straight at her.
"I just want you to be happy, Barry. Yeah, you are The Flash, you are a hero, but before that you are a human. It is normal to have fears, needs and feelings, you understand that, right?". He simply nodded.
"You don't have to carry the weight of the whole world, Barry. Sure, you can do a lot, save a lot of people, but you can't save everybody or solve every single problem of this world. Some things are beyond your power, you need to understand that. And you need someone who helps you, too." she continued. And she was right: yeah, Barry wasn't alone, he had his friends with him, but they weren't enough. He needed more, he needed someone to come home to, someone who made every single problem to disappear. He needed Patty. A sweet, caring, understanding girlfriend exactly like Patty was.
"I want you." he busted out suddenly. "Here or at home, now I don't really know. All I know is that I can't give up on us and I just want you back in my life." he said. There was a desperate note in his tone, and she smiled softly at him before throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
"I want you back, too." she whispered when Barry's arms, automatically, came to wrap around her, pulling her body closer to his. Barry closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the feeling of having her that close to him again. He opened his mouth to say something, but the ring of his phone startled them. He took it out of his pocket.
"Sorry, it's Cisco, I have to take it." he apologized before accepting the call, listening to what his friend had to tell him. He closed the call a few moments later, with a unhappy expression.
"Well, I was going to ask you to stay for dinner, but it seems like you can't." commented Patty, and Barry looked at her with a guilty look.
"Oh, I'd love to, but.." he started to apologize, but she shook her head with a small smile.
"Hey, don't need to apologize, Flash. Duty calls. Just promise me you'll be careful, ok? And maybe text me or call me when you're done.." she said in a serious tone, getting up from the couch. He imitated her.
"I will, don't worry." replied Barry. They were approaching the door slowly, to postpone their goodbye as much as they could.
"So…" started Barry, Patty facing him.
"So..?" she repeated with a smile. He looked a little embarrassed.
"Uhm.. where does this leave us?" he asked sheepishly, blushing in embarrassment. He somehow remembered him as a teenager dealing with his first crush, and Patty couldn't help but giggle a little.
"Well, I won't say we are back together, yet. Too easy, mister!" she said poking at his chest with her index finger. "But I will call it a phase in which seeing someone else is called cheating!" she concluded in a joking tone. He chuckled and they stayed silent for a moment.
"Seriously, though, we can just decide to try and see what will happen. Sound good?" she asked, sliding her hands in his. He mirrored her smile and nodded, squeezing her hands.
"Do you think…?" started Barry, but a twinkle in her eyes stopped him midsentence while she guided his hands to frame her face, exactly the way they did at their first date. Barry's grin grew wider when he moved forward to kiss her. It started slowly and innocently, their intentions were something like a peck or just a little more than that. But as soon as their lips touched, something exploded in them and between them. The world faded away, everything around them disappeared and it was like coming home. Soon Patty found herself with her back at the doorframe, Barry's body pressed against her and his grip firm, despite the fact she could feel his hands shaking, while he deepened the kiss. The spell was broke moments later, when his phone started to ring away and he broke the kiss with a frustrated groan.
"You need to take it?" asked Patty, her tone muffled, suffocated by Barry's.
"Just ignore it. It's probably Cisco" he murmured between kisses at her neck. She shivered and Barry's lips were soon on hers again. But the phone kept ringing, and she sighed.
"You should answer. This is probably important." She said when he, reluctantly, let her go. He sighed and took the phone out of his pocket once again.
"What's up, Cisco?" he answered in a flat tone.
"Dude, what are you doing? NO, wait! Don't answer that! Get your pants on, tell your girlfriend you will see her later and come here!" The Latino's voice was loud enough to be heard also from Patty, who bit her lips to prevent herself from laughing, both for Cisco's words and Barry's priceless expression. The speedster didn't even get the chance to reply to his friend who already hung up the phone.
"You should go. The City needs its hero."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Be careful. And call me whenever you need me or just want to talk, ok?" she said. He grinned.
"I will. And it's the same for you, Miss Spivot. Just give me a call and I'll be here in a flash." he replied winking at her and making her giggle.
"I have to go now, but I'll call you later, ok? See you soon." he said before placing another light kiss on her lips, then she stepped back without giving him the chance to deepen it again, or she wouldn't have let him leave.
"See you soon." she repeated. He smiled and then disappeared in a blur.
Patty was still there, in front of her apartment door, all smiley and twinkly eyed when a familiar voice startled her.
"What was that!?" the voice asked. Patty turned in its direction, panic crossed her features when she saw her roommate and friends looking at her with curiosity.
"Rachel! Hey! Uh.. it was… just a kiss?"
"Oh, thank God, it was just a kiss! I thought I just saw your boyfriend run away at a not human speed! But no, it was only you two making out." She replied, her voice full of sarcasm. Horrified, Patty grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her inside their apartment.
"Please, Rachel, promise me you won't tell anyone about this! You are not supposed to know!" she begged her. Hell, Barry just opened up with her and immediately a close friend of her found out his identity? Bad thing and bad timing.
"I promise, Patty. Don't worry." She said calmly. "I don't care how fast he could run. And I'm from just outside Central City, remember? I know about metahumans. I'll keep my mouth closed." She continued, and Patty relaxed: she could trust her.
"I'm sorry. It's just that a lot happened and I don't want to screw it all up." she said and her friend smiled."
"Ah-ah! So things happened! C'mon, girl, you have to tell me! I heard you decided to try a relationship, I was out there. Tell me, tell me!" the shortest girl grabbed Patty's hand and guided her toward the couch, but stopped in her track before sitting on it.
"Hold on.. can I sit here or you two did stuff?" she asked.
"Rachel! We only talked!" exclaimed Patty and pushed her friend to make her fall on said furniture. The girl laughed and sat cross legged.
"Hey, I saw how fast things got heated with just a kiss! You two went from a cute couple of dorky, innocent kids to a couple ready to jump each other bones in a heartbeat!" she said, making Patty blush furiously. She didn't even try to stop her friend.
"How long have you been out there? How much did you see?" she asked instead and Rachel shrugged her shoulder.
"I was already there when you came out. I didn't want to enter and interrupt you guys or walk in on you.. you know."
Patty slapped Rachel on her arm.
"You're unbelievable!" she exclaimed, but her friend just laughed.
"Come on. He's hot. He's a cutie and travelled all the way here to bring you flowers, talk to you and apologize. When you saw each other out of school there was so much love I felt uncomfortable!" the girl said in her defense. Patty cleared her throat in embarrassment and half-hid her face behind a pillow to hide her blush and her wide smile. But Rachel knew better that that.
"Aaaaww, you're so cute! C'mon, tell me! I want to hear everything! C'mon! I promise I'll make Amy stay away when he comes here to visit!" she pleaded. Patty sighed: her friend was too curious and stubborn to give up, so she didn't have choice but to tell her what happened with Barry. Fortunately, it happened that her crazy roommate was also one of her closest friends she had in Midway City, so it was only a matter of time before she would tell her the whole story.
"Well, he also brought ice cream. Vanilla ice cream, and you don't need me to tell you what this means." she started, and Rachel grinned.
"We just talked. A lot. He…"
And minutes later the story was complete, leaving the two young women all sighs and smiles.
"I really hope this is gonna work, Patty! You're so cute and perfect it hurts! I don't care what you said, you are back together. And both of you deserve to be happy" Rachel said at the end, hugging her friend. Patty grinned in her shoulder, hugging her back.
"Oh, I think we can make things work!" she replied confidently.
8 years later.
"Daddy, catch me! I'll jump out of the window!"
"Don't you dare, Joseph Henry Allen!"
"You hear what mommy said, bud. We can't."
"Can we do it anyway? We'll be so fast mommy can't notice us!"
"But I can hear you, Nora Marie Allen!"
"Uh-oh! Full names, we are in trouble!"
Barry chuckled when he saw his son and daughter hiding behind his legs when Patty entered the room.
"You could bet you are in trouble, missy! You know I don't want you two to jump out of the window, even if Daddy's good at catching you!" she said to the little girl before sitting on the couch, closing her eyes with a sigh. Barry was immediately at her side.
"Hey, what's up? Is it the baby?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Patty entered her 4th month of pregnancy some weeks before. She was still suffering from morning sickness, every now and then, and other side effects of the pregnancy. Plus, she spent the whole previous week in bed, because she felt too awful to do anything and some stab of pain in her womb zone scared them, even when it revealed to not be something they should worry about.
"Yeah, but it's nothing important. Even with the twins I wasn't at my best, remember?" she reassured him squeezing his hand. He nodded, but the worry was still in his features.
"You will tell me if you aren't feeling well, right?" he asked.
"Of course. But you know I can handle everything. I'm married to you, after all." she said jokingly, leaning forward to peck at his lips. He smiled and kissed her, indulging a little longer, but she stopped him a few moments later.
"Even if I really would love to spend the day cuddling with you, we have two 4 years old speedsters to take care of and their birthday party to prepare. The others will arrive soon." she sighed, resting her forehead against her husband's.
"Do you want to go to lie down a little bit? I'll get the little monsters ready and find them a safe game to keep them busy." he offered, and Patty giggled.
"I'm all for the you'll get them ready and busy, but you know I can't go to bed now."
"Please?" he begged. "I know there's a lot to do, but I can manage it. Anyway Joe will be here soon to help us. I don't want you to be sick or…" he was silenced by her finger.
"Stop it, Barry." she said. "It is normal to not feel well in my condition, but I'm gonna be okay and so will this Baby. You heard what Cait told us, there's nothing to worry about. Promise." she continued caressing Barry's check. He smiled and nodded before capturing her lips in a kiss. A few seconds later they both heard the doorbell and almost immediately their children squeaked with excitement.
"Hi grandpa Joe!" they heard little Joe said.
"Hey there, mini me! Hi princess!" Said Joe "Where are your daddy and mommy?" he asked closing the door behind him.
"Living room!" shouted Barry from his position.
"Kissing." added Nora, gaining an "ew" from her brother, which made Joe, Barry, and Patty chuckle. The older man entered in the living room, little Joe sat on his shoulders, Nora on his right hip, and his smile faltered when he saw patty, sitting on the couch, a little paler than usual, and Barry kneeled down in front of her, their hands on her swollen belly.
"Hey, everything ok?" he asked concerned, letting the children go so they ran away. Patty nodded and stood up.
"Yeah, we're fine. It's good to see you, Joe." she said hugging the man. Barry imitated her, but soon his arm was around Patty again.
"She's not at her best today. I told her to get some rest, but this beautiful head is stubborn." explained Barry winking at her, who replied by sticking out her tongue at him. Joe chuckled.
"You married her six years ago, Barry. You should know that by now" he said patting the younger man's shoulder, but then he turned to his daughter-in-law.
"I know he does have the tendency to freak out over anything, but I have to admit that you are actually pale. Maybe it is not a bad idea if you lie down for just a bit." he said, but Patty shook her head.
"Nonsense. I'm fine. It's just that a lot of smells still give me nausea and I get tired easily, but I can do pretty much everything. Or at least everything my overprotective husband allow me to do." she replied turning and marching toward the kitchen. Joe and Barry exchanged a look before following her with a light sigh: there were no point in trying to discuss with her.
"All right, Mrs. Allen, let's pretend I believe you when you say you are fine. But at the first wave of nausea or whatever you go to rest, are we clear? Don't make me have Barry handcuff you to your bed!" Exclaimed Joe. A smirk appeared on both Barry's and Patty's faces and he turned to not laugh while Patty answered calmly to Joe, who looked at them with wide eyes.
"Guys, that was a threat, not a suggestion!" he said again, and the younger couple couldn't help but laugh.
"Why not? We don't even have to be careful, she's already pregnant" joked Barry.
"Yeah, and you know we wanted another baby, so we tried really hard…" she played along with him, but Joe covered his ears.
"TMI! I don't need to know! Please, guys, you are still my son and my ex partner! Can't you let this old man believe you two reproduce by mitosis?" he exclaimed with a horrified expression, but he soon found himself shaking his head: with a last giggle, Patty leaned back in Barry's arms, to accept his cuddles, his lips automatically found her temple while his hand was immediately on hers, caressing her bump.
"I swear, you two nauseate me! After all this time you still can't keep your hands off each other for a moment and feel this need to cuddle every two seconds!?" he said. That was actually true, and all their friends used to make fun of them because of that. And as always, Barry shrugged his shoulder.
"What we can say? We're in love. It doesn't just fade away when you meet the right one. And there's a reason we are at our third child"
"Speaking of children, didn't you say you were going to get them ready and busy?" Asked Patty detangling herself from his arms. He nodded.
"Hey little monsters! The first who comes here will get an extra cookie!" shouted Barry toward the stairs. There was a blur, then two voices exclaimed "First!" together. It was just a moment before the twins started to fight with each other, both claiming to be the first. Barry didn't even flinch, and soon he was holding each child with an arm.
"You know what, guys? The first who get dressed will get an extra cookie, too. Hold on tight to daddy!" he exclaimed and soon the three of them disappeared upstairs. Joe chuckled.
"They may be your carbon copy, but for sure they took from Barry in the appetite department." he commented, gaining a smile from her.
"Honey, make them wear Cisco's bracelet, please!" she yelled a few seconds later.
"Done" replied Barry with a big smile and a wink. He put down the twins, freshly washed and dressed, and then handed two cookies to each of them.
"Thank you, Daddy!" they said.
"You're welcome, guys. When you're done here we can go to play a little, ok? Your uncles and aunties will be here soon, mommy and grandpa Joe need to be here to get things ready."
"Uncle Ollie too?"
"Yeah. With Auntie Felicity, Tommy and Livi. Everybody will come." he replied to his son.
"Can we play 'out of the window' with Tommy and Livi? Please, daddy!" asked mini Joe flashing his best puppy dog eyes at Barry. Since both the twins inherited Patty's blue eyes, to Barry it was always hard to say no to them. But Patty was pretty much immune.
"Absolutely not!" she said before Barry could even open his mouth. "Don't you dare, Barry! I know you can catch them, but you won't let our children do something so dangerous!"
"You heard mommy, guys. We can't, and I'm too old to not listen to her and sleep on the couch." replied Barry making Joe chuckle and mutter under his breath that finally they really seemed a married couple.
"You're not old, daddy!" protested Nora hugging Barry's leg. He raised her with a smile and threw her in the air.
"Thank you, princess." he said kissing the giggling girl's cheek when she was again in his arms.
"Can we play 'out of the window', now?" she asked then, making all the three adults laugh.
"We can't sweetie. You know mommy gets worried when we play that. You don't want her and your little brother to be sick, right?" he said, and Nora shook her head, her blonde pigtails bouncing.
"Good girl! C'mon, give mommy a kiss! You too, mini Joe, let's go and play a little." Barry said walking near his wife, so Nora could kiss her cheek.
"A kiss for daddy, too!" he asked to Patty, leaning forward. Nora, who was pressed between her parents, giggled and squeaked. Joe tried again to make Patty rest a little, saying that he was able to manage himself and anyway Iris was on her way with Scott, but she refused. But as a clue, the doorbell rang. Barry gave the little girl to Patty before running to get the door, and soon some enthusiastic greetings could be heard. When Patty and Joe entered the living room with the children, they saw that not only Iris and Scott were there, but also Oliver and Felicity with their own kids.
"Oh, look! The birthday monsters are here!" exclaimed Scott kneeling down to hug both mini Joe and Nora, who ran to him in human speed, thanks to Cisco's bracelets.
More greetings followed that, more guests came to celebrate "little Spallens' birthday." They all wanted to come early in order to help Patty and Barry get everything ready. Due to the previous week of pain, Patty was banished from doing any activity, so she was on the couch with Felicity, Cisco and Dig, while their friends and family were split up doing different things: somebody was cooking, somebody was playing with all the children, somebody was adding the final touches here and there around the room.
Hours later, the twin were in the middle of the room, all smiles, encircled by everybody, ready to open their presents. Patty was watching them with a loving and happy smile, her side resting against the doorframe. She was so deep in thought she didn't notice Barry approaching her from behind until she felt his hand on her bump and his lips on her neck for a quick peck. She turned her face to meet his gaze, and none of them had to ask what was in the other's mind: they simply knew.
It was destiny, or maybe just case, but that day wasn't simply their children's birthday: exactly eight years before, Barry appeared in front of her school in Midway City, with a bouquet of tulips and roses and a bag of ice cream. It was the day he opened his heart to her, completely, with all his feelings, his hopes, his fears, and she accepted all of that. It was the day they decided to give their relationship another serious chance. And like it happened the first time they got together, their relationship grew really fast and strong, and after two years together they got married. That was obviously a big step and a big change for both of them, and Patty was rewarded with a big late in her menstrual cycle, so much that they started to seriously think they were going to be parents. It wasn't planned, but weirdly they felt more excitement than fear. Needless to say that they were really disappointed when it revealed itself as a false alarm. The good thing that came from that was to show them they were somehow ready to become parents, and they decided to give it a try. It took them a little more than a year and a hormonal help prescribed by Caitlin. It was not only successful, it gave them the twins. There were a few signal here and there, but when the children started to crawl around, it was quite obvious they inherited their father's superpowers. Barry used to joke about it, saying that if it wasn't for the super speed, super healing and hunger, he couldn't have the certainty to be the father, since they were exactly like Patty. Not that he minded it.
And there they were, four years later. Their friends settled, their family bigger. Barry was still The Flash, but he got enough help to assure him he could go home to his wife and children every night. It was something that always warmed his heart: entering his and Patty's bedroom to find her asleep in the middle of the bed, the twins cuddled at her sides. Even if he tried really hard, he was never able to not wake her up, and once Nora and Joe were in their beds, it was their turn to cuddle until they fell asleep in each other's arms.
"I love you." muttered Barry in her neck, his hand finding Patty's on her belly and squeezing it. Patty smiled, knowing he meant so much more with those three simple words. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she got the chance to do so two childish voices were calling them.
"Mommy, daddy, look! Auntie Rachie and Uncle Cisco gave us this!" Joe was showing them a box almost as big as him.
"A chemistry set?" asked Barry with a smile.
"Yup! Look, daddy! We can work like you and mommy!" exclaimed Nora excited.
"You sure can! That's amazing" cooed Patty.
"Can we play with it now?"
"What? Don't you want cake?" retorted Barry to his son. And the chemistry set was soon forgotten, as well as two extremely cute teddy bears dressed as The flash and Green Arrow - courtesy of Roy and Thea, and a bunch of other toys and clothes, while the children ran to the table, waiting for the cake. Patty moved to follow Iris and Caitlin, already in the kitchen to take the dessert, but before reaching them she turned to face her husband. She cupped his cheek with a hand and raised on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.
"I love you too." she said with a small smile and a wink. She meant a lot more than that too and both of them knew that, and she walked toward the kitchen followed by Barry's loving gaze and smile.