Leah

Later that day, Cisco and I went over the math and everything else needed before putting our heads together to design the machine. There was many times where I had my back to him and he would sigh. It wasn't until he threw the metal object that was in his hand and growled that I turned to see what he was doing. He sat in one of the office chairs, his back still to me, with his hands covering his face in frustration.

"Hey," I walked forward and placed both of my hands on his shoulders. I couldn't help but notice how broad they were, and he was definitely gaining muscle in that area. Shaking the thought away, I asked, "Why are you so frustrated?" I gently began rubbing his shoulders, trying to get rid of the tension he had there.

He sighed, "I don't know why I'm trying…" My hands stopped in surprise. I thought he would want to help Ronnie. Before I could accuse him, he added, "I'm the reason Ronnie is like this in the first place, what the hell makes me think I can SAVE HIM…?"

"Cisco," I placed my hand on the office chair and turned it where he was facing me, leaning over him so my eyes were leveled with his and he was forced to look at me. I placed both hands on either arm of the chair and remained standing like that, looking at him sternly. "That was not your fault," I told him. "Ronnie asked you to close that door. You were only doing what he told you to do."

"I could've reopened it… We had time…"

I shook my head. "If you had opened that door, EVERYONE would've died that night… You're not the bad guy here, you're the hero. You saved everyone. What happened to Ronnie wasn't because of you, it was because of the explosion. I know you. I know you would've opened the door if you could've, but you did the right thing by leaving it closed…"

He frowned, shaking his head. "How can you say that?" His voice was small and strangled like mine had been last night. "I did this to your brother."

I continued to shake my head, looking him dead in the eyes. His eyes were so brown, it reminded me of chocolate. I love chocolate.

"No, you didn't. But you are going to be the one to save him, because if anyone can build this machine, then it's you."

I smiled as soon as he laughed, the sound was so contagious and light. One of my favorite things about him. It was a good thing he was a goofball.

"You have too much faith in me, Lele."

"I don't think you have enough." I giggled, "So I have enough for the both of us."

He just smiled this time, staring into my eyes with his warm ones. For a second, he leaned forward and I thought for sure that he was going to kiss me. He stopped just as his forehead touched mine and I closed my eyes, surprised at how warm his touch was as his hands landed on the ones I had perched on the arms of his chair.

"Leah…" He whispered and it sent a new kind of rush down my spine. My eyebrows knitted together as he added, "You probably shouldn't stand that close…"

I leaned my head back and opened my eyes to look at him again, still confused. "Why? Do I smell or something?"

He nodded, "You smell- smell good, though."

"You've never had a probably with me standing this close before…"

"I've never kissed you until a month ago, either," he pointed out. The bluntness in his comment sent a rush of color to my cheeks and I had to blink a few times to think straight. "You keep standing that close and I might do it again."

The smirk on his face was growing and I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. "Are you… Are you flirting with me?"

"Too soon?"

"Um…"

"Why is it working?"

"I think so." I was surprised at my honesty, but he had been honest with me also.

His cheeks were slightly turning pink, too. "Interesting… Never worked before…"

"Well, you've also never kissed me until a month ago, so…" My eyes went wide at my words. "Well, it worked before then, I just never showed it…" What was I saying?!

His eyes seemed to sparkle as though I just struck something intriguing. "So… You like it when I flirt with you?"

"Shut up." I quickly stood up and avoided his eyes. His eyes were evil- they made me say weird things- things I only keep to myself. Why was I being so honest now?!

"We have to talk about it, eventually."

"T-talk about what?" I reached over and began to work on the quantum splicer again, working on the last few bolts and screws. I had to focus on saving my brother, I didn't have time for this. We were so close, almost done. This could be it, I could have Ronnie back within the next 24 hours. The lights flickered briefly and I rolled my eyes. I have to remember to fix those at some point. I felt him walk closer to me. "Talk about the car accident? I know as much as everyone else about why it crashed…"

"No," his voice was close, his whole being was. I could feel his presence from behind me, the warmth radiating off of him. He was always warm. I remembered the way he had held me the night before and I had to shake my head to focus on the object in my hands. What is this thing, again? Trying to focus on the topic at hand, I felt him poke at my side. God, I hated being ticklish, it was so unfair. "Leah, we have to talk about the kiss."

"T-the one that happened a month ago?" The computer screen next to me flickered slightly as Cisco poked at my side again. I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from squealing out loud. I could hear the soft chuckle he was trying to cover. So rude, so unfair.

"Yes, that one," I could hear the smile in his voice. He pinched my side again and I had to grab the table from falling over, letting a giggle slip.

"Cut that out," I turned to face him and tried to take a step aside, but I froze mid-step as he placed both hands on the desk behind me, trapping me in place. "W-what are you doing?" The lights flickered again and there was an odd buzzing noise from the computer.

"Talking," he said confidently. If I wasn't so nervous, I might've noticed the way he glanced at the computer. The computer was the last of my worries right now. "Can't we talk?"

"About this…? A-at work…?" I couldn't stop myself from stuttering. Why was he being so confident about this all of a sudden? It wasn't until he grinned that I realized he was teasing me and it was working. I pouted, "This is rude."

He shrugged, "I thought it was cute."

That's when he leaned in and placed a kiss to my cheek, real close to the corner of my mouth. There was a large pop behind us and I squealed, jumping forward and smacking right into his chest. His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me back as I looked up to see what had happened. One of the overhead lights on the ceiling had exploded and what was left of it was blinking on and off, doing its best to cling to what was left of its life.

"W-what was that?" I asked, breathlessly. I turned pink when I realized his arms were still around me. My hands were still placed on his upper arms and I couldn't help but notice the muscle in his biceps. Quit it, Leah. I looked up at him, hoping he didn't notice that I was staring at his arms to see him looking at the light in awe. "Cisco? What is it?" He chuckled as though he was happy to see the glass on the floor and the sparks fly from the broken lightbulb. "It's just a broken light, Cisco, not Jesus…"

He grinned before looking down at me and shaking his head, "No. It's so much more than just a broken light, Lele."

Before I could ask what the hell he was talking about, Caitlin's voice sounded over the speaker, "Cisco, Leah, we need you. Now." Her voice disappeared for a second before she added, "Bring the quantum splicer."

"That sounds urgent," he pointed out, finally removing his hands from my waist. As he stepped away, I couldn't help but feel the absence of his hands. He reached over and grabbed the quantum splicer, glancing at the light one last time with a chuckle before walking past me.

"It's. Just. A. Broken. Light."

"I'll tell you about it later!" He called out as he headed out the door.

I sighed and followed him out. Walking down the hallways that were so familiar. I knew this whole place like the back of my hand, I could easily walk these halls blind. I finally made it to the main lab room and saw Cisco, Caitlin, Barry, and Wells all bent down over a computer. Joe West stood on the other side of the desk, looking just as distressed as the others. I hadn't seen him since Barry was in that coma for nine months.

"What's going on?" I asked, walking up behind them.

"We're looking for Professor Stein?" Cisco explained, typing away furiously at the keyboard in front of him.

My heart sunk. "W-w… Looking? How did you lose him?!"

"He must've snuck out when none of us were looking," Joe said. "He took my gun…"

"He's about two hundred miles from the city… He's going to get rid of himself so he doesn't explode the town…" Wells mumbled, running a hand over his exhausted face.

"He can't!" I squealed, feeling my heart pound in my chest. I just got him back again and now a bullet to the head was going to permanently take him from me?! No way!

"That's why we need the quantum splicer now!" Caitlin explained, "Is it finished?" Cisco nodded and handed it to her. She crossed the room and threw on her jacket, holding the machine close to her as if it was a lifeline.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cisco asked as we watched her.

'With Barry to stop Professor Stein."

"No way, it's too dangerous." Barry said.

"Yeah, well, you don't know how to work the quantum splicer and I do." She told him, stepping towards the door, "So, I'm going with you."

"I want to go." I spoke up.

"I can only carry one of you," Barry pointed out. "I have super speed, not super strength."

I looked at Caitlin just as she turned to me. I would've fought and argued to have gone to see my brother, if it wasn't for that desperate look in her eyes. She wanted to see her fiancée just as badly. So, of course, I caved in and she could see it in my face. She smiled and I nodded to Barry to go ahead and take her.

"Bring him home," I softly said to them.

"I will," they simultaneously said before Barry lifted Caitlin off her feet. With a breeze rushing through my hair, they were gone just like that.

I heard Wells speak from behind me, "They'll bring him back, Leah."

I nodded. I felt Cisco's hand slip through mine and I squeezed it.

Here's to hoping.

Time Skip

We couldn't see anything. The only reliable source we had was the earpiece that Barry had and I used it to listen closely to what was going on. Barry and Caitlin had shouted a few times to get the Professor's attention and keep him from killing himself and Ronnie. I could faintly hear Caitlin explain the quantum splicer as she handed it over to him.

All my hope disappeared when I heard Barry tell us, "It's not working!"

I turned to look at Cisco, my eyes watering once again. We had failed. Part of me wanted to yell at him and tell him it was because he distracted me with all the tickling and kisses, but I knew that wasn't true. This wasn't his fault. The universe just simply didn't want me to have my twin in my life. And I hated the universe for that.

Cisco squeezed my hand as Wells spoke up, "Barry, you have to get out of there. Now."

I could hear Caitlin crying and trying to stay, but it didn't last too long. The sound of the explosion was gut-retching and it made me want to pull my hair out. So close… We were so close… Now both the Professor and my brother were dead. I couldn't stifle the sob that escaped me and I leaned forward and buried my head in Cisco's shoulder as he brought a hand up to hold my head, the other hand still squeezing mine. I didn't care that Wells was there. I was heartbroken. Again.

After a few minutes of listening to my quiet, muffled sobs, my boss spoke up again, 'Barry? Caitlin?" He waited a few more seconds and then tried again, a little more urgent, "Barry?" I stopped the crying to listen. Please, tell me we didn't lose Barry and Cait, too.

I let go of the breath we were holding as Barry's voice echoed in the room. "We're good."

"Oh, God…" Caitlin said, "The explosion… We must be exposed to tons of radiation…"

"Wait a minute…" I felt Cisco's shoulder move as he leaned closer to the desk. I looked up to see him checking his computer, eyebrows knit up in confusion. "That's strange… The Geiger counter in Barry's suit, it's reading less than milliard."

"That's normal," I said, lifting my head off his shoulder to look at Wells in surprise.

"There's no radiation," Wells pointed out.

The minutes after that felt like eternity. I heard Barry and Caitlin head back to check on the after math. Caitlin called out Ronnie's name a few times. Then there was silence on Barry's end and I was itching to know what was going on, but I forced myself to stay quiet and wait.

"Ronnie, I think there's someone who would like to hear from you," Barry said. After that, there was this muffled noise, like static coming from Barry's earpiece.

I looked just as confused as Cisco until I heard his voice.

"Leah?"

It was Ronnie. My twin brother, Ronnie. It sounds crazy, but this time, his voice actually sounded like this. It was always his voice, but the tone and pitch was just right this time. When you have a twin, you tend to notice these little things. And as soon as I heard it, the waterworks started again, except this time I couldn't stop smiling.

"R-Ronnie?" I managed to call out through the tears.

He let out an airy chuckle and it was the best thing I had heard in a long time.

"I'm coming home, sis." He announced. "I'm coming home."

Time Skip

I was too antsy to stand still. I stood in the hallway with Cisco by the elevator, waiting for Barry, Professor Stein, Caitlin, and Ronnie to get back. I was practically jumping out of my skin as I paced back and forth, taking Cisco's arm and reading the time on his wristwatch every few seconds. He would just chuckle and shake his head.

"What's taking them so long?" I whined, still pacing near the elevator.

He laughed and it echoed down the narrow, long hallway. His eyes were brighter than I've seen them in a while. "Relax, they should be here soon."

"Not soon enough," I pouted, actually jumping up and down this time.

"You're going to break your heels," he chuckled, looking down at my four-inch black heels. I also noticed the way his eyes slowly raked back up my body before he met my eyes again. He was so bad at being discreet about checking me out. Unless he wasn't trying to be sneaky about it, then he was doing a good job.

I purposely slipped out of my shoes, making myself shorter than him once again. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head as I giggled. I kicked the shoes against the wall so no one would trip over them and began pacing again. And I got to thinking… Cisco helped me make that quantum splicer. He helped me save my brother. I so meant it when I called him a hero earlier. He may not be widely known like The Flash, but he doesn't need to be. He's my hero.

Without warning, I walked over and wrapped my arms around him, laying my head against his chest and giving him a nice squeeze. He seemed stunned for a second, not exactly knowing what to do, and I couldn't help but smile at how his heart was pounding against my ear. But then he came to his senses and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, laying his cheek against my head.

I could feel his jaw move as he asked, "What's this for?"

"For being a hero," I stated, not letting go. I took a deep breath, instantly filled with his 'Cisco-smell"- I don't know if he wears cologne, but he always has this familiar smell to him that almost resembles that of machinery… and a little bit like sweets. I smiled and reminded myself to buy him a bag of candy for later. He so deserves it.

His hand came up to my hair and he ran his fingers through it. I closed my eyes at his touch and immediately melted into his embrace. I loved it when he played with my hair, it was one of my weaknesses.

"I wouldn't call myself a hero…" He whispered, trying not to disturb this soft moment between us, "But I'm glad I could be helpful."

"You're always helpful," I whispered back, my eyes still closed. "One of the most helpful people I know… You're amazing."

I felt his chest rumble as he gave a soft laugh. His hot breath blew against the top of my head and he continued to run his fingers through my hair. I leaned into his embrace more as he leaned back against the wall. If we had been lying down, I could've totally fallen asleep in his arms at that moment. SO much had been going on, I was so tired, and he was so comfortable, warm, and familiar.

I finally had to pull myself away as I felt my limbs start to fall asleep. Any longer and my legs would've given out. I wiggled my toes to wake up my left foot as I looked up at him. He smiled sheepishly, looking a little tired himself, before reaching up to place a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. He didn't remove his hand, though, he let it lie there against my cheek. His eyes softened then, and I was brought back to the moment where I was lying on the hospital bed and he had his forehead against mine. I hadn't noticed the look at the time, but it was the same one he had given me before he kissed me.

I was almost sure he was going to kiss me again as he leaned in. Using his soft hand, he brought it down to my chin to tilt my head upwards. I let him as I close my eyes, expectantly. I was crazy. We hadn't even discussed what the first kiss meant to us, and yet here I was wanting him to kiss me again. Yearning to feel his lips against mine.

However, his lips planted themselves against my forehead. I still smiled, though. Typical Cisco, always rationally thinking for me, especially when I'm not doing much thinking at all. Kissing right now, without discussing how we felt would be stupid… But forehead kisses were still pretty nice, too. I rested my hands on his biceps again and he held me still by the waist as his lips stayed on my forehead for a while. His fingers squeezed my hips tightly as if he was afraid I was going to pull away. I'm not moving until you ask me to, Cisco.

When he pulled away, I smile up at him, repeating what he had asked me earlier, "What was that for?"

He had his signature half-smile on and his eyes were staring deep into mine. Sometimes I wondered if he could picture himself drowning in my eyes, the way he looks at me. I pictured swimming in his pool of chocolate before he spoke up.

"Because I like you, Leah."

Although his look was playful, his voice was serious. He was still gripping my sides, holding me close to him, and I still had my hands on his upper arms. I wanted so badly to rest my head against his chest to see if his heart was beating as rapidly as mine, but I froze. I should've assumed he felt this way, considering he had kissed me and all the times he has held me or stared at me, but I had never wanted to get my hopes up. However, hearing him say it out loud was much more satisfying than just assuming it.

I didn't have time to say something. Not that I knew what to say. I was surprised that he had confessed right then.

But the elevator opened and we stepped away from each other. Suddenly, my mind was on a whole other track. One thing at a time, that's how my mind works.

And right now, it was focused on the bright blue eyes that met mine as the door revealed my other half. My twin.