Chapter 7

Under three minutes from the Waverider touching down saw Barry and Wally being gently shaken awake. It had not been a terribly long trip, but Kendra, keeping watch, couldn't blame them for falling asleep, the Flash's long limbs tangled in the blanket and around the toddler. When they'd first learned what had happened, she'd thought Martin Stein was going to have a heart attack or set something on fire. From what she'd seen in the lab room, that horrible woman standing over a tiny child with a knife...it had to have been a hell of a few days. Still, the trip was over and they had family waiting, worried sick, so she laid a hand as softly as she could on Barry's shoulder.

"Hey, we're-you're home."

Barry jolted awake, literally going tense and clutching at Wally.
"I won't let y-Kendra?" His panicked gaze cleared as he seemed to remember. In his arms, Wally stirred.
"We're at STAR Labs," Kendra explained. "I know you're probably tired, but your team-well, they'll want to see you're ok. I know when Carter-wasn't dead, I didn't believe it until…." she trailed off. "C'mon."
Barry staggered to his feet, Wally clinging to him tightly, arms around his neck. Kendra offered herself as a crutch as Ray popped his head in and zipped a little too quickly to Barry's other side; Barry flinched.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't think-" He winced, but Barry shook his head.
"It's ok, Ray. Thank you."
Ray nodded, and Wally smiled at him before shoving his head back under Barry's chin.


When at last they disembarked, Sara and the rest of the team keeping a close eye, paranoid to the core for little reason other than it was what had saved their lives, Barry swayed. Iris, Caitlin, and Cisco waited in front of STAR Labs' door, wearing identical expressions of worry, apprehension, and elation. When she saw her nephew and closest friend, Iris bolted, wordess

She pulled them into a hug, sobbing.
"Oh thank God I was so worried, I thought you were-that I'd never-oh, thank God."
"Auntie Iris!" Wally cried from the middle of the hug, twisting to try to put his arms around her and failing. "You're squashing me." Iris pulled back enough for the toddler to grab hold and pull her in close again.
"I was so worried," she repeated. "Tell me you're ok."

"We're here." Barry said, and that was enough. Caitlin and Cisco joined the group hug then, though Caitlin steered it inside.
"I don't know what happened, but if you're up to it, I need to make sure you're ok," she said, apologetically, looking at the medbay.
Seeing the way Wally and Barry both shuddered, she shook her head. "It can wait, if you can manage some food now?" she chewed her lip.

"Yes please, Auntie Caitlin," Wally said softly. "Uncle Barry said we could have hamburgers."

"We'll start with soup. Then I think we can do that," Caitlin said, relieved. "Um, Cisco-"

"We got it, doc," Snart drawled, leaving one of the other rooms. "You should really up your security, honestly. You got a kitchen?"

"You cook?"Cisco asked.
"I dabble. Soup's not exactly rocket science, and even if it was I got a couple of people who could manage that. which way." Caitlin pointed, and Snart left, followed by Mick and oddly enough, Jax and Sara.

"Do you trust them with that?" Iris asked. "I mean they did kidn-" she cut herself off as Wally stiffened.

"They saved my life," Barry said, still dizzy. "They saved Wally." He blinked, swaying harder, and Cisco shoved a chair under him, one with a large fluffy cushion. "Iris, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I'm so, so sorry about-about Joe, and…" tears escaped, but it was safe here. Wally gave a small sob, but Iris rocked him gently.

"It wasn't your fault, none of this was your fault," Iris assured him. "It was Eiling's, and when I get my hands on him, he'll wish I'd let the others burn him." Barry hadn't heard such hatred in her voice since-ever. It didn't scare Wally, though, he just continued to cling like a wet kitten to a warm brick.
"But-if I'd been more careful, Joe would still be-"
"Barr, dad's ok." Iris realized what he was saying and shook her head. "He's pissed and he's on pain meds, but he's going to be fine. He's in the med bay, Caitlin had him moved. Crap, Cisco, could you wake him up? He'll want to see you for himself."

"But they said, they said Gran'pa was dead, they took me 'way and yelled and said…" Wally whimpered.

"They were wrong, Lightning Bug. They lied, Wally. Grandpa's just fine."

"And you cussed," he finished.

"I did," Iris agreed. "I'll put a whole dollar in the swear jar. Why don't we get you some clean clothes and some shoes?"

Wally shook his head. "Don't wanna leave Uncle Barry."


In the end, they pulled out another chair and more fluffy pillows and blankets, but Wally elected to sit on Barry's lap while they drank soup from Cisco's mug collection. Joe was helped out into the main room, shaking off the support and walking under his own power, his arm in a sling. He hugged them one armed, and they returned it, getting stronger and stronger with each mug of soup-it was lucky that Snart had apparently gotten practice at cooking for a group.

Ray and Cisco took the collar that was still tight against Barry's neck to pieces, Cisco promising to find a way to counter such a device if anyone ever tried anything again.

"Which they won't, not after what Iris has planned," Cisco put in as an afterthought. "She was torn between "Feed him to wild bears" or "make an example of him." I personally still think we could do both."
"I'm sorry I lost the shoes you made me," Wally cheeped. Cisco shook his head.

"I'm just glad you're safe. I can make more shoes, with better trackers this time."

"But they were lava proof. "

"The new ones can be lava-proof too," Cisco promised.

While Joe and most of the Legends team went to deal with the survivors of the attack on the Facility, arrest warrants and files Ray had recovered in hand, Caitlin and Cisco set to making over one of the offices into a recovery room, pushing two cots together to make a larger bed, since Wally still refused to be separated from either Barry or Iris-not that they'd dream of forcing the issue.

Wally was glad to see that "Ms. Knife Angel", Uncle Basil, and "The bird angels" stayed around.

"We might as well. Technically, we're still legally dead, and it looks like you guys could use some bodyguards for a while," Sara had pointed out as she passed Wally a fourth mug of hot chocolate. Barry was on his fifth.

It was hard to argue that.

The short rest on the Waverider had not really been enough, and soon Barry found himself drifting off again, Iris close by, Wally tucked under his arm, with a small army of friends keeping careful, protective watch.


:) Awwwww.