A/N: TADA! Another Tuesday, another chapter! This one is particularly long which will hopefully stem whatever anxiety that tonight's episode causes. Gah! I can't wait! And honestly, Tom Cavanagh should totally win an award for best villain in the near future. The clip they released yesterday from tonight's episode? Pure gold in terms of acting. Anyhow, thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favorited! I promise to continue publishing this on Tuesdays as regularly as I can until the story is over. The Flash may be finishing its first season tonight, but this story will keep going for a while still.

Enough talk though! Enjoy!

-BG

Cisco and Eddie had frozen in their tracks as the Reverse Flash suddenly reappeared and took down Snart. To their surprise, the Reverse Flash quickly checked for Barry's pulse before scooping up the unconscious speedster and with a scarce glance at the duo, was off in a blur of red lightning.

"Cisco." The mechanical engineer was jolted from his horrified trance by Eddie's voice as the detective took charge. "Tie up Snart and Rory."

Cisco quickly raced over to the work table, grabbing some cable ties to secure Snart and Rory with while Eddie searched Snart, finding a phone and dialing up Joe as quickly as he could.

"Detective West."

"Joe! It's me! I need you to trace this call!"

"Eddie?!" Cisco could heard a commotion on the other end of the line. "What happened?"

"Long story short, the Reverse Flash showed up and saved our asses by freeing Allen. Snart shot Barry though and the Reverse Flash took him God knows where." Eddie sighed, looking to Cisco for help. "It looked pretty bad, Joe."

"We have a trace on the phone. We'll be there shortly. Do not hang up. Tell me everything."

Eddie glanced at Cisco who took the phone from him. "Eddie managed to get free and tried to help Barry, but got caught. Cold was going to execute him and then suddenly the Reverse Flash was there. I guess he freed Barry and then distracted Snart and company long enough for Barry to regain his strength and take them out. The Reverse Flash left before Barry could stop him and Snart somehow managed to shoot Barry. He was going to kill Barry until the Reverse Flash took him down for good. Then he just took Barry and now we're on the phone with you."

There was a muffled curse from Joe. "Are Snart and his friends secure?"

"For the time being, yeah," said Cisco. He looked at Eddie, seeing the concerned look on the detective's face. "Joe, what are we going to do?"

"We'll discuss this when we get to you. I don't know what we can say right now, but we better figure it out quickly. Singh is going to have a lot of questions."

Cisco took a deep breath. "Ok. Where do we start?"

Harrison Wells lay Barry carefully out on the examination table, quickly gathering the supplies he needed to perform the surgery. He needed to stop the bleeding and get the bullet out, two relatively simple tasks that could go wrong at any time. He strapped Barry down in case the speedster woke before his work was done. Better to be safe.

Wells took in a deep breath and got to work, opening the wound and observing the damage. The bullet had managed to clip one of Barry's major arteries upon entry and was now buried in Barry's muscle tissue, thankfully away from his heart. Wells immediately set to work stitching the artery closed, unsettled by the amount of blood that had escaped already. The moment the artery was closed, he set to removing the bullet, being careful not to reopen the artery wound. He then sewed up the rest of the damage from the bullet. He checked Barry's pulse, tensing at the cold, clammy feeling of Barry's skin. Not good. The boy was going into shock from the blood loss. Wells was gone and back in a second, a fresh bag of blood in hand which he quickly set up in Barry's arm.

Wells did not stop until he had wrapped Barry in a shock blanket and set him up with an IV as well. To his relief, the boy's pulse began to improve rapidly and his skin was no longer clammy to the touch. Wells sat down next to the table with a sigh, watching Barry like a hawk. It reminded him too much of when he used to watch Barry while he lay in a coma for nine months. "Come on Barry… You can't give up now… We still have so much work to do…"

Wells finally looked at his hands, seeing all the blood. He needed to clean up before the Scarlet Speedster awoke. He stood, beginning to clean up the tools from the surgery. His hands were next. Sadly, Barry was still not awake be the time he had finished, leaving Wells to continue his waiting game. This was nothing in comparison to the past fifteen years however…

Joe pulled up with the rest of the police less than twenty minutes after Eddie had called them. Eddie and Cisco met them at the door, both looking worn and preoccupied. He stood with them as the other officers swarmed the building. "How long has it been since the Reverse Flash took Barry?"

"Less than half an hour," said Cisco, "Why do you think he took Barry?"

Joe grimaced. "I wish I knew the real answer to that, Cisco, but we can only hope it was to help Barry. I'll put out a notice to all the local hospitals and clinics to keep an eye out for the two of them." He turned away from the two for a moment as he heard the ever approaching voice of Captain Singh. "You guys up for this?"

Cisco nodded and Eddie followed suit. "Definitely."

"Mr. Ramon, Detective Thawne, maybe you can tell me exactly what happened here and where Allen is?" Singh stood in front of the trio, his expression grim.

Cisco glanced at Eddie who nodded and started them off. "After Snart came back here with Cisco and used Barry and I to force him to work on a project for them, I saw an opportunity for me to get loose and free Allen while the Snarts and Rory were distracted. It…it failed massively and Snart was going to kill me when suddenly there was this flash of red lightning that knocked Snart and Rory's guns away. Next thing we knew, the Reverse Flash was-"

"Hold it." The Captain gave Thawne a look of disbelief before turning to Cisco. "The Reverse Flash?"

"Basically, he's the Flash, but the exact opposite in every way," said Cisco, "He was the one responsible for the attack at Mercury Labs and the stakeout we had afterwards." Cisco glanced at Joe who nodded for him to continue. "He's also the guy that really killed Barry's mom…"

Singh whirled on Joe. "Joe, what does he mean?"

Joe sighed. "When we interviewed Barry after his mother's murder, he claimed that a man in yellow in a ball of lightning killed his mother and framed his father. I didn't believe him at the time until I saw what the Flash could do and then that the Reverse Flash was exactly like the Flash except he wore a yellow suit. We've been trying to investigate more, but it's hard when your only suspect comes and goes in the blink of an eye."

Singh grimaced, turning back to Eddie. "So this Reverse Flash...?"

"He distracted the Snarts and Rory long enough for the Flash to arrive and rescue us, but Snart got off a shot during the fight and it hit Barry. Next thing we knew, the Snarts and Rory were down and the Reverse Flash was scooping up Barry to take him somewhere. The Flash gave pursuit but…"

The Captain looked at the trio, his frown deepening. "I don't like being bullshitted, gentlemen. What is it that you aren't telling me?"

"Sir-" Eddie stopped and flinched as the Captain turned to glare at him. Eddie swallowed and looked away, fighting the instinct to look at Joe for aid.

"David, there's something else you need to know, but this isn't exactly the place for us to be saying it. Not with everyone around anyway," said Joe, hoping to smooth things over.

Singh crossed his arms. "You will tell me what it is right now, West or I am not letting any of you leave until I get an answer."

"Captain, what Joe is trying to say is that we all share a secret and it's not safe for us to speak about it to just anyone," said Cisco slowly, not even flinching as the Captain turned to him, "We can tell you and we will, just not right here in the open with all these officers around…"

Singh looked around the scene and beckoned for them to join him a ways away from the scene and away from the flurry of officers. The trio complied, following him until they were a safe distance away. "Ok. So tell me. What is it?"

"The Flash didn't come in after the Reverse Flash," said Eddie, "He was already there with us and the Reverse Flash freed him so that he could get Cisco and I loose and take down Snart while the Reverse Flash was immobilized by an ice grenade Cisco had been forced to build for Snart. The Flash tried to catch the Reverse Flash when he broke free, but he got away and in the process, Snart managed to shoot the Flash. Then the Reverse Flash came back and took out Snart before taking off with the Flash."

"I thought you said it was Allen who had been shot…," said Singh.

Eddie looked at Joe and Cisco, sharing in their pained expression. It was now or never. "That's correct, sir."

"So Snart shot them both?"

"No!" said Cisco, who was clearly done and emotionally wrought by everything that had happened, "Snart fired one shot at one man. He shot Barry who is the Flash."

Singh froze, looking between the three of them, incredulously. "Allen? Allen is the Flash?" His eyes landed on Joe. "…how long have you known?"

"Since the incident with Clyde Mardon at the farmhouse this past October…" Joe grimaced. "Clyde was…changed like Barry by the particle accelerator. He could control the weather and almost killed Eddie and I with his powers. Then Barry showed up and rescued us from Mardon before stopping him from attacking the city with a tornado."

Singh took a deep breath, glancing skywards for a moment. "So you're telling me that not only is Allen the Flash, but that he was shot by Snart and is now God knows where in the hands of the Reverse Flash who is likely the man who murdered his mother?"

Joe nodded, the other two men joining him. "That pretty much sums it up…"

Singh grimaced. "Why can't this ever be easy…?"

Joe merely nodded in understanding. "I need to go call…a friend of the Flash's… See if he can find out anything for us."

"You mean the Arrow." Joe flinched at Singh's words. "I may be new to this whole situation, Joe, but it doesn't mean I can't figure some things out on my own." Joe hesitated. "Go. Call the Arrow. If the Flash's absence is noticed, this city is in for a whole lot of trouble and I wouldn't mind the help."

Joe nodded, leaving the group to make the call. "Mr. Queen, it's Detective West. We need your help. It's Barry. He's been taken."

Barry woke slowly, his senses coming to him in bits and pieces. He tried to move, finding it both painful and restricted. What had happened? Where was he?

Barry forced himself to open his eyes. The ceiling above him was dimly lit and largely plain concrete save the occasional pipe running across it. He tried to sit up, failing as something held him down. He looked down, seeing the medical restraints holding him down to an examining table. Then he saw the bandage on his bare chest. A flood of memories came back to him. Snart had shot him. He'd been about to die. Then the Reverse Flash had been there. And-

Barry turned his head swiftly as he realized he was not alone. The Reverse Flash sat in a chair next to the table, looking startlingly calm. His red eyes were focused entirely on Barry.

"You need to be more careful, Flash. You can't die just yet." The distorted voice echoed throughout the room, chilling Barry to the core.

"What happened? Why am I here?" said Barry, straining at the straps around him until a black gloved hand grabbed his arm tightly and stopped him.

"You were bleeding out. I saved your life. You're fortunate that I still find it necessary to let you live." The Reverse Flash stood, tightening the restraints ever so slightly. "I don't advise struggling. Your stitches may open again."

"Why save me?" said Barry, "You clearly want to kill me."

For a brief moment, a blurred yet clearly sadistic smile crossed the Reverse Flash's face. "Oh, you have no idea how much I would love to end you right here, Barry Allen. To let you watch as I pulled your heart from your chest… To see that spark fade from your eyes…" He raised his hand, letting it vibrate as he lowered it to Barry's chest, halting centimeters from touching Barry who was starting to squirm. "But it's not time yet. You're still needed."

The Reverse Flash pulled his hand away, leaving Barry to let out a shaky yet relieved sigh. Barry swallowed, watching as the Reverse Flash proceeded to circle around to stand at the foot of the table. "Needed for what?"

The Reverse Flash let out a dark chuckle. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Barry. For now, I advise that you find a way to get some rest. You've had quite a trying day. I'll be back in a little while. Hopefully by then your healing factor will have kicked in and we can have a more…interesting conversation…"

The Reverse Flash was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Barry alone. He immediately began carefully pulling at his restraints, finding them secure and unrelenting. He tried vibrating his hands, trying to wear out the straps, but failing miserably.

Barry sank his head back down to the table, struggling not to lose it. He could still hear the hammering of his heart as the Reverse Flash brought his hand closer and closer to his chest and to ripping his heart out. He should have been dead. He should have been dead so many times over today. But he wasn't dead. He was very much alive and as far as he knew, he would stay that way so long as the Reverse Flash felt the need to keep him alive.

Barry looked up at the ceiling with a heavy sigh, trying to process everything. The Reverse Flash had showed up and saved Eddie, Cisco, and himself. He'd further more come back to save him when Snart had shot him. If the Reverse Flash was telling the truth, he'd also performed surgery on Barry to remove the bullet and save his life yet again. Barry shook his head in disbelief. Despite every horrible thing that the Reverse Flash had done, he had put aside his hatred for him to save his life even if it had been for some perverse selfish reason.

Barry glanced around at the sound of what sounded like footsteps, half expecting the Reverse Flash to appear out of nowhere. No one came. What if no one was coming? What if he was trapped down here forever? Barry shut his eyes, a feeling of discouragement swelling in his chest. This was not his day. First he'd been held captive by the Rogues. Then he'd been shot. Now he'd been saved by his greatest enemy and was entirely at his mercy. If there was ever an instance of going straight from the frying pan and into the fryer, it was now.

Barry focused on the ceiling, taking in a deep breath. He needed to calm down. There had to be a way out of this. He wasn't dead and he wasn't exactly helpless against the Reverse Flash. If he got the chance to run, he would take it and for that, he was going to need all of his strength. He closed his eyes, focusing on a steady dripping noise some distance from him. First he would sleep. Then he would figure out how to escape.

Harrison Wells arrived at his home just in time to be able to get the front door as Joe West rang the doorbell. He was glad that he hadn't had the opportunity to sleep yet, giving him a proper disheveled appearance as he admitted his visitor. "Detective West. Is there any news?"

"I'm afraid so," said the detective with a sigh, "It seems that the Reverse Flash came and saved the day for once or at least partially. Cisco and Eddie are safe and recovering, but Barry's been taken by the Reverse Flash."

Harrison made sure to stiffen appropriately in his chair. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently the Reverse Flash helped Barry get free to help Cisco and Eddie. Snart managed to shoot Barry however and the Reverse Flash ran off with him. We don't know anything else, but we think he took Barry to save his life."

Harrison swallowed, doing his best to act scared and confused. "I don't understand… The Reverse Flash tried to kill him last time they met, not to mention trying to kill us."

Detective West shook his head. "I wish I knew why myself. Cisco said that the Reverse Flash stopped Snart from finishing off Barry, checked his pulse and then took off with him. From that, we can only hope the Reverse Flash means well. I mean, I'm sure he would have lorded Barry's demise over us somehow otherwise."

Harrison gave a short nod of agreement, suppressing the urge to laugh aloud at Joe's assumption. Of course he would have loved to destroy Barry Allen and everyone who cared for him. But that couldn't happen just yet. "Is there anything I can do, Detective?"

"No," replied Joe, "Not at this time, thank you. I need to check back in at the station now, but if you need anything."

"I'll make sure your number's the first on the list," said Harrison smoothly as Joe started to leave, "Detective." West paused as he stepped past the threshold. "We'll find Barry. And if Cisco is right, we may find ourselves indebted to the Reverse Flash, as terrifying and as troublesome a prospect as that seems."

Joe merely nodded. "Good night, Dr. Wells."

"Good night, Detective." Wells watched the detective walk back to his car and pull away before shutting the doors and allowing himself a good chuckle. Sometimes the game was just too much fun. Now to get some rest before he left Joe his little present tomorrow and returned to his captive.

Wells couldn't suppress the grin that overtook his normally stoic features at those words. Those two words that were so simple yet so possessive that they made the Speed Force within him burn. Yes. His captive.

His Barry Allen…