What are you supposed to do when the metahuman that kidnapped you looks exactly like your boyfriend?

Pairing: Joe/Implied Female Reader (You) but if you don't mind being called team mom then gender neutral.

TW: Graphic violence and descriptions of blood.

(Bear with me as I try to figure out which layout I like to start my imagines with. I am leaning to this one but I'm not sure. Sorry!)

Hey, how's it going? Can you meet me down on Adelaide Street? Can you talk for a moment? There's no way to say this that easily and everything I said, I swear I meant it. I need to tell you that this isn't your fault and I know that I'll probably regret it. And it kills me 'cause the worst part of all.

"Joe?" Your voice echoed back to you in the silent park, nothing but the whipping wind and the dancing trees to keep you company. Pulling your coat tighter around you, you were questioning whether or not to leave. It was odd to get a text so late at night from your boyfriend Joe. You had been together for a while and knew that he preferred calling or appearing at your door in the middle of the night opposed to a weird text message telling you to meet him in the nearby park. Deciding that it was a little too dark, a little too mysterious for you, you turned on your heel to go home only to run smack into Joe's chest.

"Oh!" You exclaimed, grasping his shirt as he held you by the arms to keep you from falling. "Joe? You scared me."

He was silent, tilting his head to the side as he eyed you calculatingly. What was he doing? Cocking an eyebrow, you glanced behind you in confusion. He was practically staring a hole through you.

"Joe, what are you doing? You are scaring me." When his lips spread in a grin, you knew something was horribly wrong. This was not your Joe's smile. This was dark, void of any love or kindness. "You're not Joe."

"Oops." With a quick hit, you were unconscious on the pavement.

Is that I hate to hurt you but I got to be honest, I can't give you what you need/ Oh, you deserve more than I can promise and I'm just tryna, I'm just tryna, Baby, I'm just tryna be honest, yeah. I'm tryna be honest with ya. You know that I'm sorry but I'm tryna be honest with ya.

"Let me go." You hissed, blood bubbling at your split lips as you spat at the man who looked so much like the one you loved but was little more than a monster.

"Tell me who the Flash is."

"How am I supposed to know?" You were Joe's significant other, of course you knew. But you weren't going to tell him that.

"Everyone in this city knows that the Flash works with Joe West. How could he have the amount of closed cases that he does otherwise? Plus, something tells me the Flash would do anything to get you safe for dear Joe." He was inches from your face, knife glinting in the darkness and you had a decision to make. While your hands were bound behind your back, whoever this actually was obviously did not get his knots badge in boy scouts – or girl scouts. You didn't know this guy's actual gender but as long as he was wearing Joe's face, he was a guy to you.

You could get your hands out but then what? You were hurt. Badly. You had cuts along your body, your stomach and thighs mostly but your arms had been victim too. Your lip was busted, one of your eyes swollen and everything ached. But you were full of adrenaline, feeling like your whole body was buzzing and you could do this.

Reeling your head back, you slammed it into his with enough force to make your eyes water and your vision blur. Sliding your hands from the ropes, you grabbed the knife while he was still disoriented and pointed it at him. With a snarl, he was on top of you and it all was so quick. His hand going around your throat, the other pinning your arm down but the training course that Joe had practically forced you into was handy as you pushed with your knees to get the guy off balance, plunging the knife into him. It was silent for a moment, nothing but his shocked eyes staring into yours as blood trickled from his agape mouth. Then you pushed him off of you.

You wanted to run immediately, you didn't want to look at the man you'd had to kill but his body started cycling through the different forms he'd had and you couldn't look away 'til his original form looked up at you.

You were going to be sick.

It was a blank face, not a single detail and you didn't want to know why. If you did, you might go insane and you needed to focus on getting out of there. You couldn't think about it.

You had already memorized your surroundings. A large, empty office building like structure with only one exit and a bunch of metal tables filled with various tools. The man had destroyed your phone and keys, stolen the jewelry off your body but had laid it prone on a nearby table. Snatching the necklace Joe gave you, you limped numbly to the door. You could not look back, not if you wanted to walk out of here.

It was daylight when you opened the doors, shocking your eyes and blurring your sight as you stumbled through the open doorway. You hadn't expected that. Though you knew he'd had you for a few days. A sharp beeping noise grabbed your attention and you held the necklace in front of your face, your other hand holding you steady on the doorframe. It had only beeped once, quiet in a crowd but you were completely alone. There was a red dot glowing in the center of the diamond and you had never been more happy that Joe was overprotective.

Sliding into a crouch, you held the necklace between your shaky hands and pressed the bundle to your chest as your butt hit the dirt. Barry would find you. You were alright.

Hey, can you listen? I swear to you, there's nobody else. You're gonna say that I'm lying when I tell you every feeling I felt was honest and sincere and that you were different. And when we kissed I felt like that kid in love, yeah. And I know that I'll probably regret it, I might wish I never said this at all.

You didn't know what was more shocking; that the team actually brought you to the hospital and not Star Labs or that you were surrounded by them when you opened your eyes. Iris and Wally were sprawled on a couch, Iris with a book and Wally snoring. Cisco and Caitlin were tapping at something, probably trying to upgrade the equipment around you. Barry was leaning on the door, still in his Flash suit but his hood was down and he had his eyes closed.

Joe was sitting in the chair beside your bed; one of his hand propped his head so he could see you, the other rested next to yours but wasn't touching the marred flesh.

Some little piece of you knew this was Joe, that though his eyes were closed, when he opened them he would be the Joe you knew. But you didn't think about that. All you knew is you were in pain, confused and looking at the face of the man who'd hurt you over and over 'til you plunged a knife into him.

Despite your dry throat, you were able to let out an ear-piercing scream that sent the Team into a frenzy. Wally all but fell off the couch, Iris giving herself a paper cut in shock. Caitlin froze and Cisco threw the tablet in the air, fumbling to grab it. Barry had the hood over his head, his body thrumming. Joe was reaching for his gun, his sharp eyes on you as he reached out a hand.

But you were still screaming, shoving the covers away as you looked at him in fear. Anyone could have seen the heartbreak on your boyfriend's face as you tried to get away from him. Then you were falling off the bed, Barry was still too shocked to stop you so your butt hit the floor with a jolt that had your body tensing but you used that to scoot yourself 'til you were in a corner, knocking the IV sideways and ignoring the cold that seeped through the open backed gown.

"Hey, you are safe. You are alright. It's me, Barry." He pulled the hood off, moving as slowly as he could with his arms up as he attempted to get to you. But you screeched, shaking like a leaf as you pointed at Joe. "No, it's not the meta. It's not. This is Joe, your Joe."

But you didn't believe him, whimpers and pleads falling out of your mouth but they were unintelligible to the group.

"You have to calm down so I can fix your IV, okay?" It was Caitlin who grabbed your attention. Friendly. Nice. Cait. She was moving to the stand, picking it up slowly but not enough to make you suspicious. She was being careful, but not acting like you were a caged animal. "Can I look at your stitches, make sure you didn't pull them?"

"Out." You pleaded, turning your face instead of answering her and pushing your nose into the corner. "Out."

"You can't leave the hospital if I don't check your wounds." No, she wasn't listening. Shaking your head, you tried to hold in your tears as memories played in your head. Slaps, kicks and punches. A glinting knife, smile on a face that shouldn't have hurt you.

"Out!" You screamed, grasping at your hair and staring directly into Barry's eyes. He would understand.

"Do you want a doctor? They can give you something. For the pain, yeah?" No. No. No!

"OUT!" When your eyes met 'Joe's', you were surprised to see he understood. Was he your Joe? No, you couldn't be sure.

"She wants me to leave." Holding his hands in front of him, he gave you a pained smile but started to move to the door under your watchful eyes.

"Dad!" Not even the call of his daughter could stop him. You were scared, he had to respect that. He had the footage of him 'attacking' you, they had all heard about the body Barry found. If you were hurt enough to kill someone that looked like him, you were scarred in a way he couldn't understand.

"No, she needs help. Okay? Help her." When his form disappeared from your sight, you had a thick feeling in your throat like you'd made the wrong choice but you weren't sure why. You were obviously more relaxed, legs unfurling and shoulders untensing.

"Can I?" Caitlin questioned, moving to you at your nod. Bunching your gown up, she was pleased to see none of the more important gashes had been harmed. "Would you mind if Cisco were to help me put you on the bed?" You had reacted violently to the Flash, so she didn't think Barry was a good choice.

"Yeah." You whispered, letting the man hook an arm under yours as Caitlin helped you get your balance as he pulled you into a standing position. Leading you to the bed was simple, helping you get into not so much.

"You have to get back in." Caitlin was insisting but you were staring at the small blood stain from the smaller cuts that had reopened. They didn't want to have to bring in a nurse, especially if Joe was having to hold them off out there. They would have to if you didn't cooperate.

You could remember a stain like that on a cold chair, in a dank room with a dead man. It was like a suckerpunch to the face. You had been so strong, physically and emotionally – mentally you were a little screwed with knowing if Joe was Joe or Joe – but you were in pain, you were tired, and you were safe. With a full body tremble, you collapsed into Cisco and he gave an affronted huff 'til he realized you hadn't passed out. You were sobbing.

Oh, I hate to hurt you but I got to be honest. I can't give you what you need. Oh, you deserve more than I can promise and I'm just tryna, I'm just tryna, baby, I'm just tryna be honest, yeah. I'm tryna be honest with ya. You know that I'm sorry but I'm tryna be honest with ya.

You were the team mom. Or at least, that's what they dubbed you. You weren't a meta, or a genius, or a cop, you were normal. You had a normal job, a normal life, a normal upbringing, but were surrounded by the extraordinary. But you didn't blink an eye. Barry was hurt? You were there to hold him. Iris and Wally were arguing? You were there with a stern but loving solution. Cisco was having nightmares? You would talk with him all night if you had to. Caitlin was struggling with the pain of losing her husband, or her crazy ex-boyfriend? You were there to love her. And it was their turn.

You were like a shell of yourself and while it wasn't enough to repay you for all that you'd done for them, they weren't going to leave you. They were going to help you. They were going to love you.

"Are you sure that you are alright with staying here by yourself?" Iris asked for the who-knows-how-many time. She put the small duffel she had packed for you on the hospital chair, scooting it within reach as she fixed your blankets.

"Ris," You smiled at her, grasping her hand in yours. "I am fine. You have a city to save. Find the meta, put him in the pipeline and then bust me out of here, okay?" You were almost fully healed. They were simply making sure you didn't have side effects from the concussion and that your wounds didn't get infected. You had been there for longer than you would like but you were getting restless.

"Alright." She sighed, smiling at you. "I will blackmail them to get you out of here if I have to. We miss you at the cortex. There are some officers outside your door if you need anything, and your phone is here. I put my-"

"Iris." You cut her off, "I know. Now go." You shoved her a little and she laughed, kissing your cheek and heading for the door. Her heels stopped clacking as her hand met the door handle, a pensive look on her face. Regarding her curiously, you let out a sigh as you realized what she was about to do.

"Joe says to tell you hi and that he loves you." She didn't wait for a response, knowing she wouldn't get one as she slid out the door and you could hear her heels click down the hall. Letting the smile slide off your face, you fell into the silence you were slowly getting a little too comfortable with. You were putting on a brave face for your friends, knowing that if you didn't you'd break and they would blame themselves so you loved the moments when you could simply exist.

You had yet to see Joe, not since you first opened your eyes and screamed the place down. He hadn't tried and you hadn't asked. You were still having nightmares about the man who'd hurt you – though, it was easier to separate him from Joe when you had his name; Leo Logan – and having to kill him to get away, although no one blamed you for that. They had told you they had no idea where you were, if you hadn't of gotten out they might not have found you.

Along with the nightmares, you were living in a constant state of fear that you were dreaming, that you were passed out somewhere in a ditch and not safe. It was confusing. And what about your relationship? Sure, you loved Joe with all your heart but would you be able to look at him and not see Leo?

A solid knock at your door startled you, a small nurse you knew as Debra walking in with your pain medication. Giving you a bright smile, she helped you sit in a straight up position. She didn't start a conversation 'til you'd had your pain meds and were getting your gauzes changed.

"We can remove the stitches from the laceration above your eyebrow tomorrow, the rest are going to need a few more days but we can probably let you out of here within the next while." You knew Caitlin was going to flash her fancy credentials and move you to Star Labs at some point tonight but Debra didn't need to know that. "Perhaps that detective can get some sleep then."

"You mean the uni's?"

"The what?"

"Uniforms. A detective wears street clothes, badge and gun. Uni's are the ones in the full uniform." Debra looked up from where she was cleaning your deepest gash, eyebrows furrowed over deep brown eyes and blew a piece of raven coloured hair out of her face.

"No, it's a detective. Both of them are. Uh," She rolled to her clipboard, checking the names they had for safety reasons and 'aha'd' when she found them. "Patty Spivet and Joe West." Choking on your own spit, you tried to steel your face with a nod. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I didn't expect to have detectives on the case. That's all." It was silent as she finished her work, checking to make sure she had done them all before removing her gloves and getting her clipboard.

"Do you need anything else?" Giving her a smile, you shook your head before faltering as she started to leave.

"Actually," She paused, turning to look at you. "Could you send one of the detectives in? Joe, if you can."

Nodding, she pulled open the door and stuck her head out as you tried not to talk yourself out of this.

Oh oh oh, I don't want to see you cry, Oh oh oh, swear that I don't want to see you cry.

Debra was quick to move out of the way as Joe barged into the room, hand on his gun as he swept the place. Closing the door behind her, the nurse left you alone. Joe, having found no danger, turned to you with concern.

"What's wrong? Are you alright? Do I need to call Caitlin?" He questioned, hand moving from where it rested on his gun to his phone and your heart ached. He thought the only reason you would talk to him is because you were hurting or something was wrong. Something was wrong but with that picture, not with you. What was more startling was the fact that you didn't have the slightest reaction to his face, like the face Leo wore was little more than a mask.

Leo had been angry, eyes an empty darkness and smile a twisted sneer whereas Joe, your Joe's, was an open book. He was expressive. While his eyes were a dark brown, they twinkled in the fluorescents despite the bags underneath them. His smile was small, lifting the corners of his lips enough for his teeth to peek out but it was as fake as the one you'd given to Iris earlier. He was exhausted.

Realizing you still hadn't answered him and he was getting antsy, you shook your head and held your hand out instead. He blinked at it. Then he blinked at you. Then he looked at your hand. Wiggling your fingers at him, you waited 'til he put his tentatively in yours. He wanted nothing more than to gather you in his arms and hold you impossibly tight but he couldn't do anything to hurt you more than he'd already let you get hurt. But the moment his hand hit yours, you were dragging him into you and holding him tight.

All you needed was the one touch to know this was your Joe, that you had, had to do something that you could never forget but you were safe. If you looked close enough, you could see the little mistakes the meta had made. He hadn't gotten it completely right when he had stolen Joe's face. Leo had been less muscled, some of Joe's freckles missing and the skin-tone was even a little too dark. The more you looked at Joe, the less you saw Leo's version and that calmed you more than anything as you held the trembling man in your arms.

"I can't do this alone." You admitted, voice a thick mess with unshed tears. Putting a hand on his cheek, he only leaned back enough to see your eyes.

"You aren't alone." He promised, "I'm here. I'm not going to let you get hurt."

"You can't promise that Joe."

"No but you deserve for me to try."

"I don't want you to get yourself hurt in the process."

"Honestly, I would do whatever I had to, to keep you safe."

"I know." Is all you said, pulling him into you by his soft cheeks and kissing the man you loved. You were safe. You were with Joe.

Cause I hate to hurt you but I got to be honest, I can't give you what you need. Oh, you deserve more than I can promise and I'm just tryna, I'm just tryna, baby, I'm just tryna be honest. I hate to hurt you but I got to be honest, I can't give you what you need. Oh, you deserve more than I can promise and I'm just tryna, I'm just tryna, baby, I'm just tryna be honest.