The two came out the elevator, Iris moving to Barry first.
"I'm glad you're okay." A hug, the two hadn't seen each other in a week, but kept it brief so she could turn to the new comer.
"You must be John. You know what's going on?"John gave a nod, and Iris extended a hand to shake.
"I'm Iris Allen. Thank you for helping my husband."
"Pleasure's all mine. Heard good things about the team here."
"From Oliver?" Caitlin chimed in as she came closer.
"From him, Yeah. And from a less personal source called the telli." The news. Right.
"Well, lets not waste time. You know what Aliens we're up against?" Iris prompted.
"Right to the point. I like this one." John smirked, hands in his pocket,
"But it's not Aliens yer dealing with, luv. Or I guess, in a way, it is. Depends on who you talk to."
"That's...not very helpful." Caitlin.
"Trust me, yer gonna wish you were dealing with Aliens."
"Then I guess it's a good thing they've got one to help." Barry lit up when he saw Kara pop in.
"Hey, they called me just before you vanished. I thought maybe I could help?"
"Yeah, it's great to see you! How have you been?"
"Oh, same old same old. Congrats again on your wedding!" Barry and Iris answered in unision,
"Thanks!" Caitlin brought it back,
"Okay, back on point. It's not Aliens? Or might be Aliens?" Kara chimed in,
"We kinda prefer "extra-terrestrial"...right. Not important right now. Missing people! Which by the way, Kryptonians? Totally against kidnapping."
"Hey, where is Cisco?" Barry wondered why the last of his team he had seen wasn't here to greet him on his return. "He was just...behind me..." Caitlin looked around her, but he wasn't there. Urgency entered John's voice,
"...okay team, first priority meeting, unless you want to disappear and stay gone. You need a safety lesson. Now."
"But what about Cisco?"
—
Cisco had been in the lab, fiddling with the interdemensional tracking devices he was making, when a sweet feminine whisper reached out to make him jump and drop the small device. He let out an exhale.
"Cisco." Wait, the voice sounded familiar.
"Gypsy?" Synthia hated her real name being used.
"What have you been messing with?"
"What do you mean? And where are you? Since when can you-" He was suddenly in the Vibe state, as if pushed down into it. That place between places, always initially disorienting him. Gypsy was there, waiting for him.
"You're in danger, Cisco."
"Awe, you do care! But it's fine, babe, nothing I can't handle." She didn't look convinced in the face of his dashing grin.
"You have no idea what you've done." She insisted. Okay. Ominous.
"Aaaaaare you gonna...tell me?" She sighed. She held out a hand. He reached for it without even thinking, her fingers closed and pulled him to her in a fast embrace. He thought it was a sweet show of concern (Synthia was an intense woman), until the voice in his ear spoke.
"Dae ye still wan' be taken tae th' leader?" It was too late for him to refuse, he was falling, and then he was out cold into the blackness.
—
Cisco was asleep. Without dream, blissful darkness that began to fade away into sensation. The sensation of gentle fingers, running through his thick locks of hair in an absent minded rhythm. As he began to wake up, he felt like he was laying on something soft and plush, but not his pillow. A strangled murmur crawled out of his throat as he began to stir, craving the weightless comfort of slumber to return. Eventually his eyes had to open, noticing his head was propped on a lap. He glanced up to see his girlfriend's face smiling pleasantly, her fingers playing with his messy locks of hair. It felt nice. And he instantly knew it was wrong.
"You're awake." It had her voice too, but he crawled away from the woman quickly. He wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. She looked just like Synthia but...felt wrong. The look on her face was gentle, relaxed, nurturing. The wrong kind of confidence played in her eyes.
"Who are you?" Of course he sounded unhappy, some...thing was impersonating the woman he loved.
"Oh God, don't be a Thing kind of problem..." the horror of body-snatching Aliens wasn't far-fetched given all they had encountered before, the nightmarish thought making his stomach tie in knots.
"You are more observant than most of your kind, Traveler. Does my form displease you?"
"You're not my girlfriend, so yeah, your form displeases me." He shot back in nasal snark. At least she was talking and not attacking him. That gave him enough ease to look around the place. They were in a forest. The trees reached so high above he couldn't see the tops. And yet sunshine rays came down warm and brilliant and sparkling. They were in a patch of grass so lush and so fresh, it had to be fake. Scattered rocks dotted the area around them, covered in plastic looking moss and carved in strange swirling patterns. Above them were whisps of giant brightly colored silks that hung on fishing line thin wire down to the ground, lights twinkling around the silks.
"I see," the woman's voice changed, it became a cavern surrounding them, an iridescent ripple taking hold, "then there is little point to keeping it." He turned in time to see a shimmer radiate over her, the way heat waves rise off dessert roads in the summer, and her form changed. Long black hair spilled down around her, so long it would reach the ground if she stood. White flowers were woven into it, all but glowing with life. Her skin was pale, not white, porcelain with a shimmer, her eyes carved from labradorite in reflective blue-green above plump red lips. Snow White couldn't hold a candle to her. Her dress was white and flowing, both translucent and modest simultaneously in a tradition Indian saree style of draped layers and intricate gold embroidery, tiny gems that matched her eyes laid into the woven patterns and swirls.
"Who...what are you?" He didn't mean for it to sound breathless. He didn't realize he had sunk to his knees in the grass, or that looking at her made a line of tears run down his face. God. She was beautiful. It hurt to look at her, and it hurt more to think about pulling his eyes away. If he did, would she disappear? Would he ever be graced with a sight like this again? Just the idea of loosing this moment felt like a literal stab to the heart that made him wheeze out his air and double over. A touch of amusement reached her smile as she answered,
"You wished my attendant take you to her leader. Here I am." The familiar accent returned, a girl hopping over to them by bounding between the rocks on cloven feet beneath a flowing green dress. Blond curls draped down her back over pointed ears and grey skin as she laughed and spoke up.
"Rejoice! Here sits Titania." Cisco understood instantly, his eyes widening.
"Holy-"
—
"Faeries?" Wells was uncertain, but Kara lit up.
"I love Tinkerbell!"
"Luv, Tinkerbell isn't exactly what to expect. Your boys here have been popping holes between realities, and other things have noticed the weaknesses left behind."
"Okay, then how do we get in?"
"You don't want to. My advice? Cut your losses, and I'll close that sucker back up."
Barry couldn't accept that.
"We're not going to give up on those people."
"Cisco is missing now. If you think they grabbed him there's no way we can forget about it." Caitlin agreed readily. Kara still wasn't following,
"I don't get it, what's so dangerous about faeries? Don't they grant people wishes?" John gave something between a snort, a scoff, and a laugh.
"I gamble with literal lords of hell. If a faerie shows up to play cards you might as well fold. These tricksters make Loki look like a toddler."
"Do you?" Iris folded her arms.
"Do I what?"
"Fold. When a Faerie shows up, do you fold your cards and walk away?" John stared at her in surprise, before a slow smirk spread over his lips.
"No. I suppose I don't." Too stubborn to. Iris could tell.
"Then what's the game plan?" Caitlin had that touch of edge to her voice again. Frost wanted to come out and play.
John had to think about that.
"If you lot want to go into faerie and get yourselves worse than dead, fine. I'll give you some tools to help, but I'm staying out here. I can give you a few hours. Then I'm shutting the doors you opened." They stared at him.
"...You're too scared to go." Iris didn't pull the punch, but John shrugged it off like a heavy weight boxer,
"You should be." Karra piped up,
"But, what is so dangerous? I don't get it. All the stories I've heard-"
"Are bunk, luv." He ran a hand over his face with an exasperated sigh.
"Right. Rules. Don't thank anyone or take anything offered to you. Don't accept any help or deals. Don't eat or drink anything. Don't trust anything you see. Find your people, get out." The group exchanged looks with each other, the gravity properly settling in. John let them, then pipped up,
"So. Who's going to Fairy?"
—
AN: don't worry folks, still plenty of twists and turns planned for our heroes. It's gonna be a faerie good time. ;p
Who ever knows what the blonde faerie is gets a shout out next chapter when it gets released. :)