[Barry's POV]

"Hey," I murmured quietly, holding a shivering Artemis in my embrace, several hours later, "It'll be fine. Nothing's going to happen to you."

She pulled away and looked at me with sad, brown eyes, her wet, cold hair clinging to the side of her face.

"I know," she replied in a low voice,"I'm just a little overwhelmed, that's all."

Her breathing soon turned shaky as she shuddered again, and I thought I saw tears fringe her lower eyelids. My suspicion was confirmed when she quickly wiped away at her inner eyes with the side of her hand, and gave me a weak smile in a supposed effort to hide her fear.

I closed my arms around her tighter, pulling her back in, and instinctively dropped a kiss on the center of her forehead before tucking her head under my chin.

It hadn't been an easy day for either of us...

###

I arrived for my weekly training procedures with Dr. Wells, Caitlin and Cisco around 5:15 pm that day, only to find Artemis' phone, wallet, keytag and a copy of the Picture News scattered around the entrance, along with the faint scent of car exhaust.

Worried, I quickly took the items into the Cortex, and asked the trio where Artemis could have gone, to which Cisco joked that she was going to go to the CCPN to murder Iris for writing that article.

"She left without her phone, keys or wallet?" I asked, holding up her possessions. Cisco's, Caitlin's and Dr. Wells' eyes all widened at the sight, and Cisco immediately ran security footage from the cameras at the entrance, depicting what could have happened when Artemis left an hour or so earlier.

We watched in horror as Artemis appeared on the screen, leaving STAR Labs, seemingly confused then turning startled as a smokey metahuman materialized in front of her, before bursting into a thick cloud of dark fumes. When the air finally cleared, all that was left of Artemis were the things she had been holding in her hands.

Instinctively, I rushed into my suit, and bounded out the Cortex through the tunnel hallway into the city, determined to find Artemis and throw Andrew Thompson into the Pipeline once and for all.

"What have you got for me?" I questioned, wanting a plan as I rushed into the city.

(Give me a second. I'm trying to find any traces of unnatural amounts of smoke within Central City,) Caitlin replied through my comm system.

"I don't have a second," I muttered, becoming aggravated, "She could be dead."

(Focus, Barry,) Dr. Wells chided, (He won't be downtown. There's no way he could hide there without citizens notifying the police. His smoke is too strong.)

(Check the rural county in Leawood. And maybe Red Forest Regional Park.) Cisco advised, (From what I can tell, big and open areas would be the best place to hide a smoke signal that strong without anyone knowing for miles.)

"Leawood. Got it."

With that, I charged through the city as fast as I could, heading northwest until the skyscrapers melted behind me. I dodged, darted and dashed over the cars commuting on the Central City highway - easily outrunning them by hundreds of miles - and made a run for the farming district. Within minutes, I had scoured through all 100 square miles of Leawood's rural county with no result to show for it.

"There's nothing in Leawood's farm county," I declared, disappointed, turning and zooming towards suburban Leawood, "Do you guys have anything else yet?"

(I'm sorry - we're not getting anything,) Caitlin responded with a heavy voice.

(He has to have taken her to Red Forest.) Cisco urged, (The STAR Labs's satellite's not getting anything anywhere else. The city's security systems aren't showing anything either.)

(Check Leawood itself first,) Dr. Wells prompted, (I've worked out an algorithm that would help narrow down where Artemis could be, and there's a rather high possibility that-)

"I'm already on it," I replied, zipping through rural-style homes and county buildings, searching every room, every closet, every inch as fast as I could, disappointment growing heavier inside me as each block proved to be devoid of Artemis or Smoke Ghost.

(Did you get anything?) a voice asked in my comms.

"No," I replied sorrowfully, though I refused to give up, "I'm onto Red Forest, now."

Red Forest Park had nothing.

Petersburg had nothing.

Englewood had nothing.

University Town had nothing. New Brighton had nothing. Chubbuck had nothing. Lawrence Hills, Mounds View, Danville, the South District - they all had nothing.

I had checked all ten districts of Central City, and Artemis was nowhere to be found.

It's as if she had disappeared from the face of Central City altogether, I thought to myself in intense fear.

I spent the next two hours or so searching again - double, triple and quadruple-checking, checking dozens of times again in the hopes that I might somehow have missed her, but my efforts showed nothing.

Panicking, STAR Labs alerted the police, and with my persistence, Joe had the entire squad pouring through the city, searching for Artemis, despite the fact that it was against protocol to have the whole department searching. Captain Singh himself engaged in the hunt.

Awashed with disappointment and overridden for fear of what could have happened, I careened back to STAR Labs. It was unlike us to... not find a metahuman at all.

STAR Labs was pretty apt at hunting down missing metahumans.

My speed was pretty apt at taking them down.

Andrew Thompson, however, proved to be pretty apt at kidnappings before going completely missing.

"I've been running biotoxin scans throughout the city for hours," Caitlin claimed in a hurt voice, as she typed something in one of the Cortex computers, "I don't know why we're not finding anything."

Silence, as everyone kept working anxiously. I frantically paced back and forth in the Cortex, trying to imagine possible places Artemis could be. How could I have missed her?

"I should have let her stay and help me analyze the biostructure," she murmured in a heartbroken voice, shaking her head in dismay, "This is my fault."

"You are not to blame," Dr. Wells replied without looking at her, keeping his eyes glued to the screen before him, "You couldn't have known this would occur."

"You're right. Caitlin's not to blame," I agreed, cold anger settling through me. I turned around and walked over to Dr. Wells.

"This is on you. If you'd just tell her what we're really doing here, she wouldn't need to leave. She could stay as long as she wants, and would have been safe in the lab, and could've kept working, and none of this would've happened," I seethed, frustrated. Dr. Wells pressed his lips together, and gave me an expression I couldn't read.

"That shouldn't be the focus of your concern right now," he replied, his voice controlled,"Right now, we need to focus on finding the girl, and bringing her back alive and safe. And Barry, you of all people know why Artemis can't know about you."

I continued breathing heavily for a minute, staring Dr. Wells in the face, before sighing.

Dr. Wells' warning had not made sense, but if he was right, and Artemis did want to bring me down, then she needed to be kept away from the Flash for as long as possible.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about her."

"We all are, Barry," Caitlin answered.

"Why would Thompson do this? Why would he take her?" I questioned, "And where could he have taken her that they can't be found?"

"Maybe they're not in Central City," Caitlin offered.

"Why Artemis, of all people, though?" I pressed again, "And why can't we find them?"

"Judging by the fact that Thompson had Iris's article in hand when he found Artemis," Dr. Wells answered, "I'd say he took her because he was purposely searching for her. This isn't some heat-of-the-moment abduction. Thompson had this planned, and Iris's article led him right to her."

"What would Thompson want with her, though?" Caitlin asked.

"I don't know..." Cisco murmured, finally speaking up, "Has it ever occurred to you all that Artemis has always been... I don't know... protective of him? She always said it wasn't his fault he was dangerous, or something like that."

"You think that's why he took her?" I asked in disbelief.

"I don't know," Cisco replied,"This isn't your typical 'Kidnap A Damsel In Distress To Lure In Her Hero' story. Whatever Thompson wants - it doesn't involve you. Artemis appears to be his sole target here."

I shuddered at Cisco's words, as horrifying scenarios of what Thompson could be doing to Artemis flashed through my head.

"That doesn't help us at all," I answered immediately, "It just makes the case worse - Thompson's gone into hiding, and Artemis is in danger, and we have no idea how to find them or how to save her."

"Maybe we should check surrounding cities?" Caitlin suggested, clearing her throat, "I mean - Central City has nothing. Keystone, Coast City, Evermount..."

"That might not be true," Cisco responded. Dr. Wells his wheelchair to face him, and Caitlin and I walked over to him.

"The South District," Cisco declared, showing us a map of the city. He zoomed in on the southernmost county, "Thompson's from the South, and had a job as an intern at a furnace factory in Factory Square. He has familial ties there, too. But see these dots?"

He typed in a program, and roughly ten or so blue dots scattered themselves across the district map.

"These are the only known security cameras in the South," Cisco explained, turning to me, "Which means more than 90% of the district is unaccounted for. Which means Artemis could be anywhere there, since we know for a fact that she's not in the other districts. And it would make sense for Thompson to take her someplace he knows well."

"Cisco - I've checked the South District several times," I protested, though I understood his point.

"Even with your speed, you're only one person," Caitlin interposed, "He could easily have been in a different area of the city while you were in South."

"That's true," Dr. Wells affirmed, "And there are hundreds of places they could be - in the slums, in Factory Square, the South Lake Neighborhoods, the WashTown. Barry, this could be our only hope."

I nodded, and bolted back out of the lab, sending loose papers flying everywhere.

I shot through Downtown and made my way to Central City's South District, the wind ripping through the exposed parts of my face and over my suit, my feet easily kicking the ground underneath me, the urban city rushing past me into a blur of lights, energy coursing through me, empowering me.

Running was my incurable addiction, and I couldn't seem to get enough of it. With my consistent training, I was now able to reach speeds of up to 600 miles per hour.

Once the slowest kid in gym - relentlessly ridiculed for my weakness, and now, I was the impossible.

Lightning crackled over me as I pushed myself to go faster - to find my friend, to save her from whatever wrath Thompson had in store for her - and eadrenaline surged through my veins, as I skidded to a stop, and addressed the gloomy, rundown part of town in front of me.

I had arrived yet again in the South District.

A word of advice to newcomers in Central City?

When looking to buy a home, avoid the South. When looking to go for a walk alone, avoid the South. When looking to raise a family or be with children, avoid the South. When carrying valuables on you, avoid the South.

In other words, if you valued your safety and enjoyed having your neck in one piece, avoid the South.

The South District was Central City's poorest and most dangerous district, contrasting sharply with the beautiful, safe and family-friendly remainder. Nicknamed the CC Ghetto, it was home to several thieves, molesters, assaulters, rapists, murderers, gangsters, thugs - you name it, the South probably had it.

The police focused their efforts here most often - the streets almost always lined with cops, and I too had chased down several metahuman villains here, but the South's civil war of good vs. evil was never-ending.

Artemis was tough, I'll grant her that, but even she wouldn't be a match for whatever lurked in the shadows here, especially if she was helpless against a metahuman.

I pushed the thought away and sprinted into the area of the town that contained the slums, and scoured through them again.

Nothing.

I jetted over to Factory Square and helped myself to a decent search of the factories, combing every building, every room.

Nothing, I thought, annoyed.

(Barry, any luck?) Cisco asked.

"No," I answered reluctantly, my heart plummeting. I turned and sped off towards the neighborhoods.

Again, nothing.

Now, WashTown.

Nothing.

(Keep going,) Dr. Wells pressed, though concern revealed itself in his voice, (We'll find her. Don't worry.)

I fought away any hopelessness, and braced myself, zooming over into the remaining parts of the town.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

"Artemis, where are you?" I muttered, kicking a can away from my foot. I sat down and hung my head, anguish searing my insides as I finally realized I had lost her.

A small beeping sound, like a ringtone, played in my comms.

(It's Joe,) Caitlin explained, answering the call, (Joe, Any luck?)

(We've got her,) Joe's baritone voice replied sullenly through the speaker.

"What?" I asked in astonishment, getting up.

(She's here,) I heard Joe say, (At Cloverleaf.)

(Is she safe?) Cisco inquired urgently.

(Joe, is she alright?) Caitlin questioned, full of an excited worry.

(I think so. She's fine.)

I heard several sighs of relief, and I broke into respiteful smile.

I wanted to see for myself, though, and no doubt about it - Caitlin and Cisco would too.

I ran back to STAR Labs as quickly as I could, and grabbed Caitlin and Cisco on either side of me, my arms around their backs.

"Ready?" I asked, an eager smile spreading across my face as I leaned forward, about to break into a run again.

"Barry, wait!" Caitlin pleaded, looking up at me with surprised eyes.

"Your suit!" Cisco answered.

I glanced down, and pulled my arms away from them, and exhaled.

I groaned, speeding off into a separate room of the Lab and quickly changing into my jeans, sneakers, plaid dress shirt and blazer, before appearing back in the Cortex between Caitlin and Cisco in mere seconds.

"Now?" I asked rhetorically. Caitlin and Cisco smiled at me. I turned around and addressed Dr. Wells.

"Sir?"

"I'll have my caretaker pick me up and take me home," he stated, smiling as he took his glasses off to wipe at them, "I'll commune with you over the phone once I'm there."

I nodded at him, strengthened my hold on my friends, before zooming off into the city. Caitlin leaned in and clung to my torso, while Cisco threw his arms up, a foolish smile spreading across his face as he let out a loud "Wooooohooooooo!"

The air tore through us, and I turned, entering Cloverleaf, running all the way up to Artemis' apartment, before stopping in her living room.

"We okay?" Cisco murmured in a hushed voice, "Nobody's shirt caught on fire?"

"Where is she?" Caitlin asked the present officers standing in Artemis' living room, no doubt having been a part of the search.

"She's down at the lawns," One of them replied, "With Singh, Eddie and Joe."

"Yeah, Barry, how'd you guys miss them?" Another officer asked.

"Thanks," Cisco and I said unanimously, ignoring the officer's question, before the three of us left the apartment, and peered over the concrete ledge to the lawns four stories below us.

Sure enough, Artemis was standing in a blanket, being interrogated by Singh, Joe, Eddie, and a few other officers.

Aside from her hair looking frayed, and the soot stains across her clothing and face, she looked perfectly fine.

"Come on," Cisco urged, and the three of us ran over and scampered down four sets of stairs, myself easily outrunning Cisco and Caitlin even at human speeds. Once reaching the ground level, we sprinted out towards Artemis, before I forced myself to a stop and gagged. Cisco and Caitlin did the same, and I could tell they were having the same reaction I had.

The air around stank disgustingly of a putrid fume - an unholy mixture of car exhaust, cigarette smoke, and rat poison.

And the rancor was coming directly from Artemis.

Seeing how much time she had supposedly spent with a metahuman who gave off those sickening fumes, it only made sense she'd smell that way too.

Closer to her now, I could see Singh, Eddie and the others have their noses scrunched up as a feeble defense against the remnants of the smoke. Joe was the only one with the courtesy to show respect.

Cisco and I looked at each other and nodded, and braced ourselves against the rancor as we broke into a run again. As we got closer, we could hear their argument.

"Look, I don't care what you're saying," Singh urged, "You need to tell us where the boy took you, and where he is now."

"Sir, you have to believe me," Artemis argued stubbornly, "I can't tell you whe-"

"Artemis!" Cisco shouted.

She turned and faced us, and a relieved smile appeared on her face as she turned towards us.

"Hey guys! I've been wanting to see y-"

I cut her off by quickly grabbing her and squeezing her in an overly-thankful hug, holding my breath against the reeking stench emanating off of her.

"Barry," she groaned after a few seconds,"My ribs - can't breathe!"

Realizing that I might finish off whatever breath Thompson left in her, I dropped her, only for Cisco to surprise her with a worried bear hug. He pulled away after a moment, and Caitlin took her turn, wrapping her slender arms around Artemis's figure.

"We were so worried about you," Caitlin moaned with tearful eyes, pulling Artemis in again.

"It's fine," she stated, stepping away, "I'm fine, now, guys."

"Artemis, where were you?" Cisco asked, "We searched the entire city for you!"

"Cisco - I'm okay!" Artemis protested, "It was all just a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding?" I muttered in disbelief, confused. Artemis opened her mouth to explain, but was cut off by Eddie.

"Look, your misunderstanding is a load of bull," Eddie declared angrily, "We need you to tell us where Thompson took you, and where he's hiding. He's a danger to innocent lives."

Artemis glared coldly at him.

"And his life isn't innocent, Eddie?" She retorted, "He's just a kid! He doesn't want these abilities!"

Did... Did Artemis just defend the metahuman who kidnapped her?

I turned to Caitlin and Cisco. Both wore faces of shock and bewilderment.

"Look, young lady," Singh started, clearly short-tempered, "His innocence is besides the point here. We need to know where he is. He's a threat to our civilians, and needs to be taken care of. Tell us where he is now."

"I won't tell you shit," Artemis grumbled, stepping away from the officers, "You're only going to lock him up."

"You are openly defying an authority figure and are failing to comply with police orders," Singh warned, "Tell us where he is, or we'll have to place you under arrest."

"Artemis, don't do this," Joe cautioned, "You can't protect Central City by hiding Thompson's whereabouts. We have to know where he is."

"I'm sorry, Joe," Artemis muttered stubbornly, shaking her head, "But I refuse to tell the police anything."

Singh scowled at her, and exhaled impatiently.

"Lock this joke up, Thawne," he ordered, turning away, "I can't put up with this for much longer."

Eddie unhooked a set of handcuffs from his police belt, and stepped forward. Fear flashed in Artemis's eyes, but she grimaced and remained still, submissively holding her wrists out to him.

"Stop!" I ordered, shooting a hand out in front of Eddie before facing Artemis, "Maybe Thompson's putting her up to this..."

"What?" Singh questioned, irritated.

"Thompson, sir," I stated, "He might have threatened her into not disclosing his hideout."

"That... that makes sense," Joe agreed.

I turned towards the worried, confused and stubborn woman standing in front of me.

"Artemis," I began, keeping my voice even, "If Thompson has threatened to hurt you or is forcing you to keep his whereabouts a secret, then you should know you're safe. Please tell us where he is."

Artemis's anger froze in her eyes, and she looked down and sighed.

"Barry, I'm sorry," she muttered, "I can't tell anyone where he is. I have to do this."

Puzzlement fleeted through me.

"Joe, may we have a word with our colleague?" Caitlin asked, noticeably upset. Joe nodded, and the three of us led Artemis away from the cops.

"What's gotten into you?" Caitlin admonished softly, "We're all worried for you, and want to make sure this doesn't happen again."

"We even had the Flash look for you," Cisco contended, "We didn't know what to do."

"Tell the Flash to stop looking, then," Artemis insisted, pulling away from us, "Because I'm fine. And Thompson's not going to hurt anyone."

"We can't just leave a dangerous metahuman unsupervised," I argued, growing angry, "He kidnapped you!"

"Oh yeah?" Artemis challenged, glaring into my eyes, "Last time I checked the Pipeline, the Flash wasn't locked up in the core chambers. You trust him blindly. Let me trust Thompson."

"Artemis, that's different," Caitlin urged, "The Flash isn't a-"

"Who do you think you are?" I interrupted, my anger getting the better of me, "You go missing for almost five hours - five whole hours, and everyone's worried - everyone. STAR Labs, Dr. Wells, the entire police department, and when you do turn up, you don't tell us a single word about where you were? Then you challenge us about the Flash - who's been losing his mind trying to find you?!"

Artemis glowered at me.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way," she snapped, "But I can't - and won't - tell you where he is. I need to keep him a secret."

Caitlin's phone rang, and she pulled it out, distracting us.

"It's Dr. Wells," she murmured, putting the phone on speaker.

(Hi - what's going on? Is Artemis with you?)

"Yeah, she's right here," Cisco answered, "And she's been a brat."

"Give the phone to me," Artemis demanded, her face lighting up with a smile, "Finally - someone I can talk to who I can trust."

Cisco's jaw dropped as he watched Caitlin give Artemis the phone. I watched her, shocked.

Artemis trusted Dr. Wells?

The Dr. Wells who she knew kept secrets from her? Kept her out of the Lab? Slightly despised her?

She wanted to talk to him, and not us - her trusted friends?

As if I needed more confusion today...

"Hello? Sir?" Artemis asked eagerly.

(MS. VAN KLEISS - HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW PANICKED WE ALL WERE?!) Dr. Wells roared, (WE'VE BEEN WORRIED RIGHT OUT OF OUR DAMNED MINDS, AND HAVE BEEN SEARCHING NONSTOP, AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO!)

"Are you done yelling at me?" Artemis asked after a moment, smiling brightly.

(You, young woman, have just given me the heart attack of the century - of the CENTURY,) Dr. Wells added, (But yes - I'm done, for the most part. Would you care to tell me what happened now?)

"I've just been given the opportunity of a lifetime," Artemis explained happily, before glaring at us, "Don't follow me."

With that, she walked away with Caitlin's phone, and quietly spoke to Dr. Wells a good distance away from us.

I involuntarily began pacing again, unsure of what to do.

"Someone tell me what the hell is happening," I grumbled, bringing my hands to my face in sheer frustration.

"Artemis went Taken 2 on us," Cisco explained, concerned, "Then she stitched her mouth shut. Then she decided she could tell Dr. Wells, instead of the police."

"Instead of us," I huffed, irritated.

"At least she's telling someone," Caitlin protested hopefully, "Even if... nobody can tell why."

Cisco sighed and shook his head in confusion.

Behind us, a car screeched, and we saw a familiar blue sedan park itself by the curb. Iris got out of the car, and ran to us, her face red, as if she's been crying.

"Where is she?" she pleaded, her voice cracking.

Caitlin gestured to Artemis, chattering happily with Dr. Wells two hundred or so feet away from us, pacing about in her blanket, clearly glad to be talking to Wells.

Iris charged past us, and made a beeline straight for her.

Artemis was facing the other way, and Iris grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, before pulling her arm back and shooting her fist forward, right into Artemis' unsuspecting face.

"Where were you?!" Iris wailed, as Artemis stumbled backwards, her hands clutching her face from Iris's blow, "I was so scared!"

"Iris," Artemis seethed, from behind her hands.

Panicked, I sprinted right for the women. Tonight was not going to be the night my love interests would kill each other.

Cisco and Caitlin followed behind me.

Artemis finally drew her hands away, and revealed a nose that was crooked at a painful angle along the bridge, blood gushing over her mouth and down her chin. She scowled deeply at the sight of her blood on her fingers, and glared at Iris.

"Iris West," she spat, quickly jolting forward and striking Iris across the face. Iris flinched, and held her hand to her cheek.

"Iris, if you hadn't made your debut in the paper, none of this would have happened," Artemis fumed, giving Iris the dirtiest look I had ever seen.

I quickly stepped in, and held my hands out in between the two women.

"Hey! Cool it!" I demanded, "Both of you!"

Iris broke into a sob beside me.

"I'm sorry!" she wept, "I didn't know this would happen!"

"You made your debut in the paper," Artemis breathed, still upset, before her anger immediately turned into unsuspecting surprise, "Iris, you made your debut in the paper!"

Iris gave her a curious look, tears still sparkling in her eyes.

"You're an official journalist now!"

To mine, Iris's, and Cisco and Caitlins' surprise, Artemis easily darted around me and enveloped Iris in a quick hug.

"Congratulations, Iris!"

"I, uhm, thank you, Artemis," Iris gushed, wrapping her arms around Artemis, "I couldn't have done it without you. I owe my success to you."

Cisco and I gaped in utter astonishment, as the two hugged each other.

"Amazing," I murmured in confusion.

"Did Iris and Artemis just hit each other?" Cisco asked, "And then hug each other?"

I reluctantly nodded.

Caitlin bent down and picked something off of the grass - her phone. She put it to her ear.


[Caitlin's POV]

"Sir?" I asked.

(Caitlin? What happened? Where's Artemis?) Dr. Wells asked.

"She... kind of got punched in the face by Iris," I answered.

(Is she okay?) Dr. Wells asked with surprising concern.

"I think so. She appears alright," I replied with uncertainty.

"My nose is probably broken," Artemis replied dazedly from Iris's embrace.

"Nevermind - her nose is broken."

(See to it, then,) Dr. Wells declared, (Is Captain Singh nearby?)

Eddie jogged over to us, followed by Joe. I glanced around to see if Singh was around, but couldn't see him.

"Did you just hit Iris?!" Eddie demanded, pulling Iris away out of Artemis's arms.

"Iris hit her first," Barry defended, though it was obvious to anyone he was still mad at Artemis.

"Yeah, do you not see all this blood, Detective?" Cisco retorted, putting a protective arm over Artemis.

Joe gasped at the sight of blood slowly gushing from Artemis's smashed nose.

"Joe, Dr. Wells would like to speak to Captain Singh," I announced, handing him the phone.

Joe nodded and took the phone, and walked away with it.

"Sorry," Artemis stated guiltily, "I was pretty pissed at her."

"You're not the one to apologize here," Iris assured, "I wrote and published an article about you in the paper, told the entire city where you worked and led a metahuman right to you, then punched you in the nose out of unrestrained anger."

"How come I'm the one threatened with arrest, then?" Artemis joked, facing Eddie.

Eddie broke into a smile, but it melted quickly.

"So, are you going to tell us where he is, or not?"

"Nope," Artemis quipped, wiping blood off of her face with her sleeve and smearing it across her cheek unintentionally, "Dr. Wells approves of what I'm doing."

Barry crossed his arms and gruffed in annoyance.

"Artemis," I called, getting her attention. I held up my hands, "I need to set your nose."

"You're going to what?" She asked.

"Cisco, hold her," I ordered.

Cisco quickly stood behind Artemis, and pinned her hands behind her back, to her surprise.

"What are you doing?" She asked with uncertainty, watching with wide eyes as Cisco stood behind her.

"Close your eyes," I assured, giving her a small but promising smile, "It'll hurt more if you struggle."

Artemis gulped, but obeyed, and I carefully aligned my fingers with the break on her face, before quickly grabbing it and fixing it in place with a clear, audible Crick!

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" Artemis cried out, collapsing to the ground, grabbing her nose and breathing heavily. Cisco tried to help her up, but she rose on her own, and smiled with her eyes shut, "That felt horrible - but I can breathe now. Thanks, Cait."

I smiled back at her and fished a clean handkerchief out of my coat pocket, and wiped away at the blood on her face. She took it from my hands and finished cleaning herself, before cringing at the sight of her own blood.

"Well, today was an interesting day," Eddie scoffed.

Barry scowled deeply, and crossed his arms, and watched as Iris stepped forward, apologizing to Artemis again.

His behavior was... extremely uncharacteristic of him, I noted.

Barry was one of the most composed people I knew, and always had control over his emotions.

Today, though, I saw a completely different side of him. He had turned angry, impatient, worrisome, and tempestuous.

He hadn't broken out like this even when Iris had been taken by Tony Woodward.

I walked over to him, and rubbed his back supportively. He exhaled quickly, and looked away.

"You okay?" I murmured.

"No," he whispered, "I spent all day searching with no luck. Thompson got away."

"We got Artemis back," I offered, trying to remind him of the positive side.

Barry sighed slowly.

"We don't know how she got back, or where she was, or what happened. She won't tell us anything. And I consider that a loss, not a victory."

I took a deep breath, and nodded, understanding his defeat.

Joe and Captain Singh returned to us, along with a third cop, and Joe handed me back my cell phone.

"You're free to go," Captain Singh stated, addressing Artemis, "Dr. Wells is under the impression that what we're facing is beyond our power, and you're the only one capable of dealing with it."

"Don't know how he managed to convince us," Joe muttered with a sigh, before giving Artemis a sheepish smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "You stay out of trouble, okay? The police has your back."

"Dr. Wells is Defense Attorney Wells, too?" Cisco inquired, facing Artemis in astonishment, "How did he let you get away with this? What on earth are you up to?"

Artemis smiled and shrugged.

"It's time for us to head back. We've spent quite a lot of time dealing with you today, Ms. Van Kleiss," the third officer claimed, "But this doesn't give you a free Get Out Of Jail card. Anything goes awry, you're behind bars. And even Wells won't be able to save you then."

"Understood," Artemis assured.

"Time for us to go too, then," Eddie stated, putting his hand in Iris's.

Iris turned and smiled at Artemis, before addressing Barry.

"Bear, you coming with us?"

Barry shook his head no, still scowling.

"Oh," Iris murmured, "I suppose you'll want to stay here. After all, you two must have missed each other a lot."

"Oh, we're not a two," Artemis answered quickly.

"Negative one," Barry muttered.

"What?" Artemis questioned, as her and Iris gave him confused looks.

"I said you're a negative one," Barry replied.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at him.

"Out of ten. You're a negative one out of ten."

"Oh...Oookay, then..." Iris mumbled, locking her hand tighter in Eddie's and wearing a new smile, "Guess you guys have some working out to do. See you at home, Barry. Goodnight, Artemis. Goodnight, Cisco and Caitlin."

We all mumbled goodbyes and watched the police leave with Iris, before Artemis sighed loudly and clapped her hands together.

"To be honest, today sucked," she declared, stinking of decay, "I'm going to head home. You guys wanna come too?"

"Of course," Cisco answered, as the duo hooked arms, "I am not letting you out of my sight again until I figure out what the hell is happening here."

Cisco and I walked on either side of Artemis, making small talk about Dr. Wells saving their butts, and Barry lumbered behind us, in his quiet sullen gloominess. I tossed him a worried glance.

It was unlike him to be so... moody, and I was willing to bet that Artemis was at fault for this.

When we finally reached the door of Artemis's apartment, she groaned and stomped her foot.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I was supposed to get groceries today. I have nothing to eat," she grumbled, "And I would have gone today, except for the fact that today hasn't gone as expected."

"No," Barry seethed in sheer frustration, stepping forward so he towered over Artemis. He pointed at her accusingly with his index finger, startling her.

"No. You know what you need to do? You need to take a shower. You smell like a dead rat. Afterwards, we're going to have a very long talk with you. It is not okay to get kidnapped, then defend your assailant, and leave us all worrying our heads off about you, while acting completely carefree and cool yourself. This is beyond absurd, and I am extremely extremely unhappy with how today has played out."

Artemis's fear melted into a harsh glare, and she straightened her posture, and pointed her own hand back at Barry, forcing him to back away.

"How about you lower your tone, huh, sunshine?" She demanded coolly, "Because I do not appreciate being yelled at. You can't talk to me that way, then expect me to play nice and friendly with you. Fuck off."

With that, she pushed her door open, and stormed inside, slamming the door right in Barry's bewildered face.

"You want me to - to fuck off?" He asked the door, "Fine. I will."

"Good," a voice replied from the other side, "Then we're both happy."

The easiness of her response unnerved Cisco and me, and Barry groaned in vexation. His hands laced themselves in his hair, and his rage revealed itself in his eyes.

"I cannot believe I tried to kiss you yesterday," he fumed, "You are the most impertinent, irritating and pretentious person I have ever met."

My insides jumped as the door opened, and Artemis appeared, offended.

"Oh - I'm pretentious now?" Artemis challenged, "At least I can make sense of my feelings, Barry."

Barry scowled at her, and Artemis continued venting, counting reasons off on her fingers.

"Don't play dumb. You've been giving me nothing but mixed signals. You're warm and friendly one moment, then you completely shy away and act as if I'm an alien from another planet. Then you start spending all this time with me and start growing on me, and then go mooney-eyed over Iris. Yesterday, you took me out on what was practically a date only to tell me it was platonic, then tried to kiss me, and now this morning you apologized and told me you don't want anything to do with a relationship til you get these so-called secrets cleared up."

Barry breathed quietly for a moment, before finding a response.

"Well, what do you want me to do, then?" He demanded.

"Leave," Artemis answered, "Don't talk to me again til you've got your mind sorted out. Until then, I want nothing to do with you."

Barry exhaled, obviously hurt by Artemis's remarks, but he gave a small, almost evil smile, that depicted consent.

"Likewise, Van Kleiss," he assured, surprising us all.

"I actually kind of hate you, Allen."

"Don't worry. It's mutual," Barry remarked in a light tone.

"Should we, um, leave you guys alone?" Cisco asked shyly, clearly uncomfortable in their dispute.

"No need," Barry answered, "I was just on my way out. I don't have any reason to be here."

He turned and walked away, footsteps heavy and arms stiff - still offended and upset.

Artemis huffed and threw the door closed, leaving me and Cisco outside her door, in a state of confusion.

"They're both overreacting," I stated.

"And hopelessly in love," Cisco affirmed, giving me a knowing smile, "We both know what to do with this."

"You get Barry," I answered knowingly, smiling back at him.

"And you deal with Ms. Mysterypants," Cisco affirmed.

"Ms. Mysterypants?" I asked, unimpressed.

Cisco shrugged and turned away.

"It's not the best I've come up with, but, hey, can you make sense of what's going on here?"

I sighed and shook my head no in agreement, and watched Cisco smile as he raced after Barry, who had long since disappeared down the stairwell.

I turned and pushed my key into Artemis's apartment's door, and entered.


[Artemis's POV]

A cold shower was what I needed most.

I stripped out of my stinking outfit and threw my clothes into my hamper, glad to be out of the stuffy, formal outfit, feeling relieved after hours of congestion.

I turned on the shower and stepped into my tub, letting the hard, cool drops cover me, before I sat down and hugged my knees, and closed my eyes, fighting to keep the burning tears down.

Today had been... so stressful.

"Ms. Van Klees?" a low, raspy intoned. I slowly opened my eyes, awaking from my unconsciousness.

Someone was trying to call my name.

"It's Van Kleiss," I answered in a mumble, managing to see the white beams of sunlight pouring in from a window, "Rhymes with 'ice'."

My eyes opened wide, and I made a sound between a surprised miff and a yelp, as I saw the worn down gray walls and ceiling above me, and felt a hard mattress underneath me, a pillow that was too soft and beaten under my head.

I was not familiar with these surroundings.

Alerted with fear, I shot straight up, and tried to control my panic.

"I'm sorry," the voice apologized. I slowly turned my head in horror, wanting to scream, wanting to cry, wanting to leave, wanting to go back to the safety of my friends and STAR Labs, after taking in what I saw.

Andrew Thompson was seated a good distance away from me, a water cooler to his right. Looking dark and phantom-like as ever, covered in gray ashes from head to toe, scowling.

He slowly got up and filled a paper cup with the water, and I shivered in fear as he walked towards me, holding the cup out.

I tried to back away, but the bed I was on was pushed up against the cracked wall of a huge room, the only door on the opposite side, where Thompson was.

I squealed in horror, as the boy got closer to me, a sad expression on his face.

"Don't hurt me," I begged, "Please. I can help you."

The boy smiled reluctantly - the air around him suffocatingly thick with smoke, and he placed the cup in my hands.

"That's exactly why I brought you here. Drink," he ordered, before backing away from me.

My hands shaking, I lifted the cup to my mouth, and took the smallest sip. The water tasted and smelled of smoke, and I tried not to frown as Thompson watched me.

Thompson pulled out a copy of the paper, and flipped it open to Iris's article, before taking a seat beside me on the bed, the air around him ashy and gray with small fumes..

"You're a biochemical engineer," he murmured, "A physicist."

"Yeah..." I answered in fear.

"You work at STAR Labs, too. You've had experience with metahumans."

"No... I just work with their tech. I'm not involved in their metahuman work."

"Oh..." Thompson murmured, frowning gently as he looked away.

"That doesn't mean I'm incapable of helping you," I stated, "I remember you from the first time you, umm, kidnapped me. You were afraid. The police targeted you because of your powers, but they didn't see that you couldn't control them."

"Oh, I can control them just fine," Thompson interrupted nervously, giving me a tiny smile, "How else do you think I brought you here?"

I frowned.

"Controlling my powers isn't the issue here, Ms. Van Kleiss. I want you to help me get rid of them. I want my life back."

###

I reached over to the dial in the wall, and turned it, forcing the water to become icy cold as it washed over me, and at a faster, more intense rate, as the flashbacks continued.

Thompson had shown me where the accident had happened, and how he had become Smoke Ghost.

###

"MIT, huh?" he asked with a friendly smile, leading me downstairs to where the building opened up into a factory for building gas-powered furnaces, "That was one of my dream schools."

"You're a student?" I asked, following him through the abandoned floor.

"I was a student. I was a freshman - an electrical engineering major at Central City University. I was a Dean's Scholar."

"Wow," I responded, though I knew little of CCU. Still - the boy had had a promising future.

"One of my professors hooked me up with an internship here. And I loved it. I worked with a man named Kyle Clemson - he was an engineer of industrial design, and I was his assistant. We designed a plasma-powered furnace that would be more gas-efficient and would save hundreds of dollars per year, and would life easier here in the South. Most of the people here are poor, so it had great promise."

"I'm sorry - did you say a plasma-powered furnace?"

"Yeah," Thompson replied, smiling proudly, "I designed a plasma-inducting system that would charge on its own and would balance out the burning fuel - letting the furnace run several years longer than a regular one, and use only a fraction of the energy."

"Again, wow," I remarked, smiling at Thompson as he led me to a small workspace, "You're pretty smart, then."

"Ehhh..." Thompson joked, "Probably not as smart as you, but yeah, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. I love engineering."

"Same," I agreed, smiling at Thompson as he led me into an abandoned lab within the factory.

"Personally, I never cared much for the particle accelerator. I had a lot of work to do when Harrison Wells had his huge opening ceremony when he turned it on. Clemson and I were here, working on our own project. We had finished designing our plasma furnace, and - I don't remember everything clearly."

"Tell me what you do remember, then," I urged kindly, feeling sorry for the young man.

"Clemson and I, along with another intern, powered our furnace on that night, and on TV, Harrison Wells turned his accelerator on at the same time. But, as you know, it exploded. STAR Labs is pretty far away from here - it's on the other side of the city. The three of us tried to turn the furnace off before the blast from the explosion would hit us, but we were panicking, and that didn't help our case at all."

I stood and continued listening.

"Clemson was at the operating system, I think, and the other intern was working away with the wiring. I tried to take out the plasma inductors so I could turn the furnace off physically. When the blast hit, all I remember is the furnace exploding right in front of me. Next thing I know, my body was on fire, the inductors have shattered in my hands, and have covered me with the burning plasma, and Clemson and the other intern have been electrocuted to death. When the police arrived, my body felt as if it was liquid - except it was still smoking - and they thought I killed them. I've been on the run since."

Pity washed through me. Here was a young, capable boy - a genius, really - with a burden he didn't deserve.

Realization settled heavily in my torso as something clicked in my brain.

"The plasma," I murmured, looking up at Thompson, "The plasma exploded, and - combined with the dark matter fallout from the particle accelerator - it must have bonded onto you on a molecular level, Andrew."

Andrew looked at me with a heartbroken expression.

"That's what made you a metahuman. You have the ability to change states of matter because plasma can do the same, and your power over smoke must come from the furnace exploding into you."

Andrew looked down, and held out his hands. By will, they turned wispy, black smoke easily coming off of them as he saw himself in a new light.

"You're right!" he exclaimed, "It's a combination of the plasma, the smoke, and the dark matter from the particle accelerator!"

I coughed.

Andrew's smile melted as he willed for the smoke to disappear.

"Sorry! I forgot!"

"It's *cough* okay! *cough*"

We were interrupted by a loud zooming sound outside. We quickly walked over to the lab's open window, and several stories below us, saw a red blur racing down the street.

"No! Not him!" Andrew whispered, fear fleeting through his eyes.

"It's the Flash," I murmured in amazement, watching as the speeding being zipped into the building across the street from us, his bright yellow lightning sparking behind him as we heard a thunder of footsteps - he was running through the stories in the building.

He was looking for something.

STAR Labs must have sent him to come for me, I realized.

Before I could react, Thompson grabbed me and pulled me in beside him, and smoke dissipated around us. Holding me and shrouding us in clear smoke, he jumped outside - hovering several feet in the air - both of us barely visible.

Not being able to see myself scared me, and Thompson tightened his hold around me as, below us, the Flash darted out of the other building and ran into the furnace factory. I could hear him racing around inside, soon passing through the room we had just been standing in.

"Hey!" I protested, once the Flash left and Andrew flew back into the room, "That was my ticket home!"

I punched the boy in the arm out of fury, and the dark fumes strengthened themselves around us, Andrew scowling at me in surprise. He took a deep breath, and the smoke calmed down.

"You can't trust him," Andrew answered, "He's dangerous. If he finds me, he'll kill me."

"Kill you?" I questioned.

"I'm a wanted criminal. The cops search for me day in and day out. He's working with them - if he were to find me, and run at top speed and punch me in the face, I won't have a face left."

"Do you know if he's killed before?" I asked quietly, remembering the murders of Nora Allen and my mother, Ariadne Van Kleiss.

"I wouldn't think so," he responded, "The city worships him like he's some hero. If he killed someone, he'd be wanted dead, too. Funny how fate works. I have powers - but I'm a wanted man, needed to be captured. He has powers - he gets to run loose, run free, nobody searching for his secret hideouts."

###

Poor Andrew was just as afraid of the Flash as I was, though we had differing reasons why. I stayed in the shower for a few more minutes - enjoying how the cold turned my body numb, waking me up, though I still had trouble breathing, and was wheezing with every breath.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the tub, and wrapped myself in a towel, before clothing myself. Tired beyond reason, I plopped face-down on my mattress, too exhausted to lie down properly under the blanket, head above pillows and whatnot.

###

Andrew asked if he could show me other areas of interest - his hideout - the room at the highest level of an abandoned slum building, before he had to go ghost again - the Flash had returned, and was noticeably upset.

He didn't know me personally - why did he want to find me so badly? Was it because he actually wanted to kill me, like he had done to my parents? Or was it out of worry, for Caitlin, Cisco and even Dr. Wells?

"No doubt about it - he's looking for you," Andrew mentioned, "STAR Labs probably thinks I kidnapped you."

"Seems like they've got the police thinking the same," I muttered, and we watched as police cars poured into the streets, the sky turning deep blue behind us, signifying the arrival of the night.

"Look," he started, "I don't want for this to be forced. I'm not going to hurt you, or kill you, or do anything bad to you - but I desperately need your help. There's nobody else who will take me in."

"Wow. Did I mention I work at a lab where we study metahumans?"

"No. I'm not going anywhere near that place. Wells took my life away - It's his fault Clemson and Gray are dead, and it's his fault I'm living this kind of life. I hate him with a passion. If you take me there, I might not be able to restrain my anger - or my smoke, for that matter."

"What?"

"My smoke - it's controlled subconsciously. You told me so the last time we met. My fear causes smoke, as does my anger, my rage, my sadness. I didn't know it then, but you pinpointed it perfectly. After I found that out, I've been able to control my abilities better."

"How come you're always smoking, then?"

"Hmm?"

"You're always smoking. You've never stopped, during the entire duration I've been here. Can't you stop the smoke?"

Andrew sighed wistfully.

"I'm sorry, Artemis," he stated sadly, "But this is the best I can manage."

Even at the moment, smoke was slowly whirling around his thin, muscular frame, making him look like a teenaged poltergeist. If I stood too closely to him, I wouldn't be able to breathe.

"Well, Danny Phantom, I respect that. Thank you... for trying, I guess. But don't worry," I assured with a smile, "I will get you your life back. I will help you, and clear your name."

Andrew smiled earnestly at me, and blushed.

"You know, I'd hug you, but you'd suffocate," he joked.

I scowled, and his smile melted as he saw my reaction.

"Err, sorry."

I broke into a sheepish smile and shrugged.

"It's fine, kid. I'm just messing with you. Although, yes, I would prefer not to die."

"Artemis?"

"Yeah?"

"I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

Andrew loomed closer to me, all signs of easiness gone from his expression. He looked at me with hazy gray eyes, a deep scowl set on his ghost-like features. I gulped, and backed away.

"Don't tell anyone about this," he warned ominously, "Not a living soul."

"I - I won't. You'll be safe. Nobody's going to find you," I promised, before realizing something, "But Andrew?"

"Yes?"

"If one thing goes wrong, I'm going to turn you in."

"Say what?"

"You hurt me, you hurt anyone, you slip - and I'll give you up. If you want me to help you, I need to know nobody will get hurt."

"You honestly believe I'm going to go hurt people?" Andrew asked in disbelief.

"No," I acquiesced, "But the city already trusts one metahuman who has been involved in a murder. I can't do the same."

"What?" Andrew gasped, "The Flash is-"

"It's just a hunch," I cut in, "I don't have any proof. Don't be running out trying to stop him, or whatnot, or he'll punch your face off," I reminded with a smile.

"But I need for you to not have any attention at all, if we want this to work."

###

With that, I had promised to visit Andrew a few times a week.

It was a miracle, really.

I needed an answer to solving my metahuman problem - how to use vankleissium to take their abilities away, restore them to their human forms - and a metahuman had willingly volunteered as a test subject.

I had told Andrew what I planned to be doing, and he whole-heartedly agreed.

"You're the scientist here," he answered with a smile, giving me full consent to use his DNA to study the effects.

Andrew had later used his ghost form to drop me off back at Cloverleaf before going back to his hideout in the South District. Joe, Eddie, Captain Singh, and a few other police officers saw me appear, and immediately began grueling me with questions, after giving me water and a blanket - the kind given to trauma victims - and checking to see if I was okay.

Then, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco arrived, each one of them panicked and frantic with worry.

Then came Iris, who was so upset, she punched me in the face and broke my nose.

I had broken my promise to Thompson and told Dr. Wells everything - except for where we had been. Dr. Wells was actually rather impressed and consented to my crazy plans, and promised not to tell anyone.

I felt horrible betraying Andrew - but I needed Dr. Wells to be on board with me. I had to show him I deserved to stay at STAR Labs, or I'd never have the means to help Andrew in the first place.

Dr. Wells had talked the police into leaving me alone, and saved my entire operation, saved me from relentless interrogation and jail.

I owed that man so much, I realized. Without his help, none of this would be possible.

Barry had been pissed I had been missing, though, and lashed out at me. I lashed right back - annoyed with him for being so demanding. I let out some of my anger regarding his confusing advances too, though, and he stormed off, angry beyond measure.

I covered my face with a pillow, wishing Andrew had just suffocated me, and I hadn't actually told Barry to fuck off.

Impertinent.

Irritating.

Pretentious.

Barry, you were absolutely right...

Reckless.

Impulsive.

I wondered what else Barry thought I was.

I told him I hated him, and didn't want to see him again, and he told me the feeling was mutual.

God, I was a hopeless loser.

I flipped over to my stomach again, unsure of what to do with my tangled nerves, when I heard sounds outside my room.

I closed my eyes and sighed as I got up, and grabbed a handtowel, before opening the door.

"Hey, Artemis," Cisco chirped, seated next to Caitlin at my kitchen counter.

"Hey," I mumbled back, rubbing the towel through my hair, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We thought we'd stay and make sure you didn't get kidnapped again," Caitlin assured, giving me a kind smile.

I sighed and smiled.

Cisco gave me a strange, curious, almost awestruck, look.

"Do I still smell like, what was it Barry said? A dead rat?" I asked, worried.

"Oh - no!" Cisco assured, "I was just... mesmerized by your hair."

"My hair?" I questioned, not believing him, continuing to run the towel through the black mess.

"Yeah, it's the first time I've seen it not in a bun, or something."

"It's gorgeous," Caitlin complimented. I pressed my lips together in something between a smile and a grimace.

"It's wet. It's a huge, uncontrollable mess when it's dry. Trust me - it needs to be tied up."

"Hey, take it from me," Cisco said, winking as he pointed to his own black hair, "You need to let loose from time to time."

I laughed, before breaking into a surprise cough, followed by wheezing.

"Erhm - sorry," I squeaked, coughing again, "I'm a wreck at the moment."

"Artemis, are you alright?" Caitlin pleaded, worry shining in her eyes.

I nodded, before noticing the smell of freshly cooked vegetables and melted cheese wafting through the air.

"Food?" I asked hopefully, turning my head and noticing the oven light on. I strode over, and opened the oven door. Inside was a wide glass dish, covered in aluminum.

"It's lasagna," Cisco explained, "Barry made it for you."

My heart skipped a beat, before breaking into a million pieces.

"Barry did this?"

"He also grabbed some groceries for you," Caitlin added, "You did say you didn't have any food."

I heard a small slap, followed by Cisco crying, "Ow! Jesus, lady! I told you I'd stay out of her fridge from now on!"

I turned and opened the fridge door, and the remains of my broken heart crumbled completely, and plummeted right down to my feet.

Vegetables, fruits, milk, OJ, eggs, meats, canned goods...

I closed my eyes and scowled.

"Guys? On a scale of one to ten, how mean was I to him?"

"Negative one," Cisco joked.

"He'll be alright," Caitlin answered, "He felt just as bad for calling you names, if it makes you feel better."

"In his defense, though, we were all scared out of our minds," Cisco declared, "And people do and say strange things when they're not clear-minded. His favorite damsel, in distress, all alone, captured by a scary metahuman..."

"Hey - I don't play 'damsel in distress'. I got out just fine. I didn't need help."

"To be honest, that's probably eating away at him too," Caitlin offered, "Barry likes being the protective, caring one. You're confusing him, being all independent and headstrong."

"Didn't know he preferred weak-minded girls," I retorted in a mutter.

"He doesn't. He just likes having things in his control," Cisco explained, "You? Definitely not in his control. You go missing, and scare the living daylights out of him, then tune him out when he tries to care for you? He lost it."

"Am I supposed to apologize for being able to take care of myself?" I asked in disbelief.

"No. Absolutely not," Caitlin answered, smiling, "Your strength is probably what we all like best about you. But apologize for telling him to 'F' off."

I cringed on the inside, and nodded my head. The oven beeped beside me, and Cisco raced over and served me a hearty plate of lasagna, despite my protests, and the two kept me company for an hour or so.

They were amazing people, I realized with a deep sigh (followed by wheezes), and I was lucky to have them as friends.

"Heard the Flash was looking for me, too," I brought up. The duo looked at each other, before facing me.

"Yeah, of course he'd look for you," Cisco answered, as if it was obvious, "We're his friends, and one of our friends went missing - not to mention that she was taken by a metahuman who was and still is at large. It's his duty as protector of the city to look for people in situations like that."

"Answer me this, though," I interjected, "Do I know him in real life? Do I know him personally?"

"We cannot 'answer you that'," Caitlin replied softly, with a solemn smile.

I leaned back and crossed my arms in defeat, and huffed.

"Well, why not?"

"It's not our secret to tell, Artemis," Cisco described, giving me a pitiful smile. Him and Caitlin both rose from their seats, and walked over to me, enveloping me in a group hug.

"Promise you won't get kidnapped if we leave you?" Caitlin murmured.

"Promise," I repeated, resting my head on her shoulder.

"Good," Cisco maintained, ruffling my wet hair, "Because if you do, Barry will kill you."

"Not if I kill him first."

"Ahh, young love," Caitlin sang with a dreamy sigh, cupping the side of my face in her hand.

"We better see you at work tomorrow," she threatened warmly.

"And you better tell us what happened out there today," Cisco added.

"I can only promise one of those things, and it is not the second," I replied, watching disappointment settle in their eyes, "Sorry, guys. I love you, but this is top secret. It's a Mission Impossible kinda thing."

"Is it?" Cisco inquired, narrowing his eyes at me. I smiled and nodded.

"Well, then," Caitlin replied.

"See you at Mission Command, then, Agent 007," Cisco jested, both giving me hugs before reluctantly leaving.

I smiled as I watched them leave, and softly closed the door, before helplessly crumpling to the ground, tears gushing from my eyes uncontrollably as sobs heaved through me.

I felt horrible - though to be honest, today hadn't even been that bad.

Thompson, though he looked terrifyingly ghostly and demon-like, had not hurt me, and actually propelled my plans at STAR Labs forward. He was just a friendly teenager, scared by his circumstances, who wanted his old life back.

Dr. Wells had praised me.

The police had let me go.

Iris had apologized for writing that stupid article, even though it brought her success.

So why did my insides hurt so much?

Because of Caitlin, Cisco and Barry.

I made them worry. I scared them. Then acted like a douche about it by refusing to tell them what happened, only to stress them out more.

I had rudely snapped at Barry.

Barry, who had the nobility to leave me with a fresh home-cooked dinner, and had gone out of his way to restock my empty fridge, after I recklessly insulted him.

Barry cared for me - and I had been immature and selfish, and hurt his feelings.

I didn't deserve his friendship.

I got up and slumped my back against my door, filled with remorse, as anger flushed through me. At some point, I fell into a fitful sleep, uncomfortably curled up right there on my living room floor, my back against the front door.

I woke up with a headache, and sighed deeply.

Another shower.

Another shower, and I would feel better, and I'd also lose the rest of this cigarette-scented stink.

Maybe it'd clear out my airways, too.

I returned to my haven in the bathroom in my bedroom, and took another shower - this one warm and comforting.

And short, in stark contrast to the earlier one which had lasted an hour or so, scrubbing out the smokey rancor.

I turned off the water and emerged and redressed, and curled up in my bed, when I was startled by the sound of... was it knocking I heard?

I jumped and walked to my bedroom door. Thankfully, the knocks are coming from the front door.

Knock knock knock!

Who on earth could it be?

It had to be past 11 pm...

When did Caitlin and Cisco leave? 11:30ish? 11:45? 12, even?

One last knock was heard, this one sounding slow and unsure, as if the person on the other side doubted I was inside.

Forgetting how stupid it would be to open the door in the middle of the night, after getting kidnapped, I scrambled to my feet and ran into my living room, and opened the door.

"Hey," I greeted quietly, adrenaline shooting from surprise at the sight of my unexpected guest.

"Uhh... hey," Barry responded, before looking down at the floor, awkwardly biting his lip.

"Barry, it's past midnight," I stated in quiet astonishment, though I was glad to see him, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep," he claimed solemnly, "I need to apologize to you."

"Umm... now?"

"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking," he muttered sheepishly, "But the guilt was just keeping me awake."

"Lucky for you you're not the only one drowning in self-reproach," I murmured, "I'm the one who needs to apologize, not you. I was being childish."

"Mind if we argue who's really at fault inside?" Barry asked, giving me a small smile as he stepped forward.

"By all means," I responded, returning the tiny smile as I stepped out of the way for him, "Though I should warn you - I was captain of the debate team back in high school."

"Of course," Barry conceded, "Although you should know forensics have quite the skill at arguing their cases as well. We know our stuff."

I closed the door and followed him to my couch, sitting beside him, resting my head against the back as I looked to him. He reached over and turned on the lamp on the side table, and a small burst of gold light shone through the room and washed over his silhouette, revealing a stressed Barry Allen.

"You know," I began awkwardly, looking down at my hands, "I wanted to thank you for bringing me dinner. And getting me groceries. It really was very kind of you."

Barry looked over at me, and gave me the smallest hint of a smile.

"You didn't need to do that, especially after I said those th-"

Before I knew it, a finger had gently pinned my lips shut. Barry leaned in toward me.

"After you spoke your mind?" He asked.

I scowled at him, and pushed his hand away from my face.

"The food was nothing. Trust me. You gave me quite the reality check earlier, about how I've been acting."

"I'm sorry," I retorted, "Were you the one who disappeared without notice for half the day at the hands of a ghostly metahuman, then acted like a brat about it?"

Barry raised an eyebrow.

"No... That was someone else," he murmured with a knowing smile, "I was the one who said things to you I shouldn't have..."

"Like telling me I smell like a dead rat?" I teased. Barry grimaced. I smiled and hit his shoulder.

"Hey - it's fine. I kind of did spend five hours with a guy who reeks of foul smoke, so, like, I understand," I joked, before muttering under my breath, "Even if comparing me to a dead rat did kind of kill me on the inside..."

"I heard that."

"Congratulations."

Barry smiled at me, and leaned in, gently brushing my wet hair away from the side of my face.

"I've been thinking..."

"Go on."

"My secrets aren't helping either of us."

"And?"

"And they're getting in the way of an otherwise honest liaison between the two of us."

"And?"

Barry sighed.

"And to be frank? I wouldn't... really mind taking Iris and Eddie out to dinner," Barry murmured, watching me for a reaction. I was at a loss for words, and struggled to speak my mind.

"So you're saying you -"

"Wouldn't mind losing the bet."

My idiot brain finally processed his hints, and my little heart flittered, skipping a beat.

I too leaned forward, towards Barry. He watched me patiently. Nerves jolting with a strange energy, I smiled and hung an arm over his shoulder.

"So... you'll tell me your little secrets? The ones about the Flash?"

Barry's smile softened, and he sighed, before looking at me funny.

"Are you wheezing?" He questioned, leaning in closer to listen to me breathe.

"No," I lied. The wheezes were that audible?

"Come on - let's go for a tiny walk," he said, pulling me up to my feet and opening the front door, before closing it behind us. I watched in shock as Barry smiled, and led me outside the apartment building in the dark night.

"I'm going to give myself a deadline of two weeks to tell you. And - I had something to give you tomorrow, actually," Barry explained, "If I don't tell you by then, then I'll stop with the advances all together."

"You're just going to give up?"

Barry sighed.

"I'm sorry - but the way things are constructed -"

"Let me guess - I'm going to get hurt, attacked, an arm amputated, killed or worse - get kicked out of STAR Labs?"

Barry gave me a guilty smile. I sighed and continued walking.

"To be honest, I really want to know why I'm supposed to be in so much danger here, and why I can't know anything about it but you, Cisco and Caitlin can. You told me the Flash wasn't a threat. Is he?"

"No. He's not."

"Then why can't I know about him?" I asked quietly, "And how does this supposed legend, who I still believe might be a murderer, happen to keep us star-crossed lovers apart?"

Barry smiled as he crossed his arms, and continued walking.

"You make life very interesting, you know that?"

"Two weeks, Allen. I want the truth. Everyone's keeping things hidden from me, and its eating me alive. I hate it."

Barry sighed.

"I know. I know, and I want to change that, but I just can't figure out how."

"And now you're here with me at 2 in the morning, both of us confused out of our minds, and now I'm walking around Cloverleaf barefoot, in my pajamas."

Barry widened his eyes as he looked down.

"Oh - god!" he exclaimed, "Sorry! Sorry - I should've thought of that."

I smiled back at him expectantly, and he led me back to my apartment.

"You want something to eat?" I asked, once we were back inside, "Late night sna-"

"Don't ask me if I want something to eat. You always feed us," he affirmed.

"Guilty."

"So, Artemis..."

"Yeah?"

"Tell me something."

"What's up?"

"Can't ignore the elephant in the room," he joked, before turning serious, "What happened out there today?"

My smile melted.

"You keep your secrets about the Flash," I affirmed, "I keep mine about Smoke Ghost. It seems like a fair deal."

"Artemis, no. This isn't funny," Barry cautioned, "Thompson's killed people before."

"And the entire city worships a metahuman I believe is involved in a murder. They're both murderers, by that account," I challenged.

Barry scoffed.

"The Flash is not a murderer. He's never killed anyone, and he never will."

"I hold the same to be true with Andrew Thompson, then."

He fell silent.

"Enough of this," I declared, "Sorry for being so... pretentious... but that's what I believe. Andrew is innocent, and I will bring him justice."

"You don't need to apologize for being pretentious," Barry started.

"And I'm sorry for being irritating and impertinent too, and I'm especially sorry for being a snob and telling you to fuc-"

In a single, easy step, Barry strode forward and covered my mouth with his hand.

"For the last time, it's okay. And I never meant to yell at you," he allowed, genuinely feeling guilty, "I'm sorry. It really was unlike me- I just - I was unbelievably worried, and scared. We spent all day looking for you, and the Flash had searched every inch of the city, and nobody knew where you could have gone."

"I- I know," I answered in a low tone, "I actually saw the Flash looking for me, today."

"You saw him?"

"Yeah. Several times, actually."

"So you were in Central City," Barry realized, "Where? Tell me."

"I can't," I held, "He's going to hurt Thompson, and Thompson's scared of him."

"Artemis -"

"Barry, you have to understand," I pleaded quietly, "I know what I'm doing. I can't tell anyone where I was. Thompson's not here to hurt anyone - he's just scared. And he's promised to comply. I trust him."

"Artemis, if anything happens to-"

"If anything happens to me, I'm handing him right over to the police. End of story. I've given him an ample amount of warnings," I conceded with a smile.

Barry studied my face, trying to gauge whether or not I was lying.

"At this point, he's more afraid of me than I am of him," I joked, though I was certain Thompson would never hurt me, even though he terrified me.

Barry exhaled and held his arms open, inviting me into a hug.

I stepped into his embrace, and hugged him, folding my arms between us, my hands at his shoulders.

"If anything does happen, though," he stated, "Promise you'll call me, not the police."

"Call you?" I asked, looking up at him in confusion, "Why?"

"Let's just say it's easier for a CSI guy to get to a scene by himself than it is for a hoard of cops to gather together in a car, and whatnot."

"You don't carry any weapons, though," I retorted, confused, "No offense, but what good are you in any danger? Last time, with that SilverShock guy, you just vanished and scared the living daylights out of m-"

Barry put his finger to my lips again, and bowed his head down, softly kissing my cheekbone. He pulled away, and looked to me.

"No 'buts'. You will contact me if anything happens."

"Alright?" I conceded, though I was still confused - and now I could feel my face flushing pale with surprise.

"I don't care what it is - metahuman attack, armed robbery, neighborhood kids playing pranks on you. Call me, not the police."

I frowned at him...

Nothing about Barry was making sense...

"For the record," I reminded,"If nothing happens in two weeks, I'm out, You give me answers and tell me everything you know about the Flash, or I'm giving you the cold shoulder."

"Mhmm," Barry replied, smiling down at me.

"I'm serious!" I protested, "I am brutal when it comes to shunning people I don't like."

"Of course," he allowed, relaxing his posture as he slipped his arms down to my waist, pulling me in closer.

"Barry Allen, do not underestimate me," I warned, though I was smiling, at ease with him. He cupped my neck with his hand, and pulled me towards him.

"Just stop talking for a second," he murmured, placing his arm under my shoulder blades, hugging me against his tall frame. I sighed and buried my head in the crook of his shoulder, fear easily melting away from my insides, being replaced with a newfound worry.

For starters, who was the Flash, and why did he have such an impact on Barry and I being together?

Why did Dr. Wells believe I couldn't know about him, that we were in danger of each other?

And why did Barry trust him, even though I had proof the Flash was there when my mother was killed?

Why on earth did the Flash want me dead?

Why did everyone trust him?

Why did the city show him so much favoritism, and shun Thompson - who was just a harmless kid?

Why was nobody ready to hear Thompson's story? Why was the entire city turned against him?

How on earth did I manage to get caught up in this mess?

Something bit away at me. I had been involved in this mess since long before I was born.

My parents with their work, the death threats they had been receiving long before I had been born, the speedsters killing them, me moving to the city where the red speedster from that night was...

Fate hated me. And it hated my family.

My voice cracked in my throat, and I suddenly fought to keep the hot sensation down, needily pressing my forehead against Barry.

I would not cry... I would not cry... I would not cry...

Barry pulled away and held me at arm's length.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently.

I shook my head no, before looking away. Anywhere - the wall, the floor, the countertop tiles, the picture frame of my parents...

Anywhere but at him - one of the main sources of my confusion - the man I liked, the man who kept crucial secrets from me, the man who offered me his protection.

"Hey," he murmured, delicately putting a hand to my cheek, "It'll be fine. Nothing's going to happen to you."

"I know," I assured, my voice turning shaky.

Get it together, Artemis.

"I'm just... a little overwhelmed, that's all."

Too late. A tear escaped, pressing out of my eye, but I quickly fought it away with the side of my hand, refusing to show weakness. I tried to smile, hoping Barry would buy it.

He studied me, before pulling me in again and dropping a soft, comforting kiss on my forehead, and tucking my head under his chin protectively.

I closed my eyes, and grabbed the fabric of his shirt at his sides, feeling horrible as I broke down in Barry's arms, weeping like an idiot.

Weeping out of confusion.

Weeping out of fear.

Weeping because I had been weak, and a metahuman had easily abducted me. A metahuman who didn't mean to hurt me, but nonetheless, I worried how easily one who did want to hurt me could - the Flash, or the yellow Flash...

Weeping because I wished things would make sense, and because I wanted peace.

I wiped my tears away, and looked up at Barry.

"Barry?" I murmured, "I need you to tell the Flash something."

"What is it?" he whispered urgently, his hand holding the back of my head.

"Tell him Andrew Thompson is not a threat. The boy is terrified of him. Tell the Flash to stay away from Thompson, and if the two ever do come across each other, then tell the Flash not to hurt him. He's just a boy."

Barry thought for a second, and slowly nodded.

"Okay. But if you want me to tell the Flash that, then you need to know the same is true for him. He is not a danger to this city."

I paused, and looked into Barry's green eyes, unable to read the emotion they were conveying.

"Fine. Innocent until proven guilty, then," I conceded stubbornly, "But I still don't believe he's a good guy."

Barry sighed deeply, and closed his eyes, as if my words were hurting him.

"It's better than nothing, I suppose," he murmured, though I didn't understand what he meant. He took my hand in his own, and we walked out of my kitchen. I slipped my feet into some shoes, and we left my apartment, walking in the silence of the night to the gate, hand in hand.

"Alright, you should go back now. I parked the car across the street," Barry murmured, and we gave each other one last slow, lingering hug, before I looked up at him, pulling away half-way, and sighed.

"One last thing, Bear?"

"Mmm?"

"Tell the speeding bastard he can't stay away from me forever. I'm going to find out who he is, and I'm going to figure out what happened the night our mothers died, and why he was there. I'm going to show the city he can't be trusted."


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Chapter 13 is on its way! :)