By the time Barry came to, it was an hour later. He felt groggy and his chest felt as though he inhaled smoke. He took notice of the heart monitor on his chest. Glancing up, he saw a blurry Caitlin, Alicia and Cisco next to him.
"The Streak lives," Cisco said to him with a smile on his lips.
"You know how to give a girl a heart attack, Barry. You scared the shit out of me," Alicia said softly.
"You'd be dead if your lung cells didn't regenerate so quickly," Caitlin pointed out.
"Ugh, my chest feels like that one time I'd had a cigarette," Barry groaned before clearing his voice. Alicia smiled; she remembered when Barry had told her about that. He had been sixteen. "Yeah," he added. "Teen me lived for danger." He had a small smile on his face.
"This isn't funny you could have. . ." Caitlin started.
"I didn't," Barry cut his friend off.
"Well now that we have a sample, we will get to work analyzing it. Maybe we can get a clue as to who his human identity is," Wells said, interrupting the conversation.
"Or at least find a way to stop him from turning into a mist." Cisco paused for momentum. "The Mist! Okay, that's his name, end of discussion!"
Barry slowly sat up, removing the stick-ons from his heart monitor. "I have to get to the station," Barry mumbled.
"You should be resting," Alicia told him in concern.
"No, Alicia we have to talk to Joe. We need to tell him about this," Barry insisted to her. Getting up from the bed despite the protests of Caitlin and Alicia, Barry proceeded to grab the spare change of clothes that he kept at the lab at all times. Alicia stared up at the ceiling in exasperation.
"Does he ever listen to me?" she asked out loud.
"I heard that!" Barry called to her.
"Good, because I wanted you to!" Alicia said back, sticking her tongue out at him. Barry stuck his tongue out back. Sometimes they forgot that they were twenty-five years old and not six.
That evening at the precinct, Barry and Alicia were walking up to Barry's lab, looking for Joe. Alicia suggested that they stop at Jitters to calm Barry's nerves. After grabbing dinner from Jitters and picking up their usual beverage orders - matcha tea latte and hot coffee - they were at CCPD. They soon enough found Joe up in Barry's lab, looking through case files.
"Joe, we had him, the metahuman," said Barry. "We nearly had him. And we were wrong about him; he's not controlling air-born toxins. He can literally transform himself into poison gas."
"And I figured out that maybe the guy is supposedly dead," said Alicia, "because his name didn't show up in the database."
"Well that's new," Joe said. "The victim was a judge. We're going through some of her old cases and trying to see if there's a connection."
"Barry, what are you thinking right now?" asked Alicia in concern upon the sad look in Barry's eyes.
"That I wasn't fast enough. And you don't want to know what I am thinking right now." Barry went over to the window, staring outside at the night. "My father has spent fourteen years in a six-by-eight-foot cell for a crime he didn't commit. I couldn't save my mother but I can save him. I can be in and out of there before anyone even sees me."
"Okay, fine, let's say you succeed in getting him out of there, but then he is on the run for the rest of his life," said Alicia. "That's no life to live."
"Some things in life, Barry, you can't fight," Joe told him.
An hour later, Barry decided to go to S.T.A.R Labs and check on Caitlin. He knew that he'd probably scared the crap out of her earlier when he'd just taken off like that. Thankfully, he didn't have to look long to find Caitlin. She was sitting by his treadmill, her back to the door. Barry knew that she was extremely sensitive right now. He knew that part of her anger came from her grief; it was easier to come across as angry when she was in fact hurting deep inside. Barry and Alicia were both able to see past her anger and see the hurt; they were able to empathize with her and have compassion for her. Barry sat next to Caitlin.
"Hey," he whispered. "I'm sorry I scared you earlier when I took off like that."
"It's okay," Caitlin told him. "You. . . had to go. That was just the last thing Ronnie had said to me."
Barry took a breath and just stared at the treadmill. "My mother died fourteen years ago," he said. "I used to think that the further I got from it the less it would hurt. But sometimes. . . the pain. . . it's the worse than the day that it had happened. Some things you can't fight."
Caitlin nodded. She knew that Barry was one of those few people in her life that were able to have empathy for her. "For so long. . . I've been terrified of going into the hole."
Barry looked at her. "What if I went with you?" He offered Caitlin to take his hand. She took it willingly and led him down to the accelerator pipeline. Caitlin stood there for five minutes with Barry standing behind her, close enough to put his hand on her shoulder.
"He saved so many lives that day," whispered Caitlin, her voice shaking with tears as she remembered herself screaming Ronnie?! Ronnie! "And no one will ever know what he did."
"I do," Barry whispered. "He was a hero."
Caitlin looked at Barry as the tears filled her eyes. She was about to cry. "I didn't want him to be a hero," she said shakily. "I wanted him to be my husband."
Barry nodded, feeling his chest aching for Caitlin with sympathy and compassion. Silently, he pulled her into a tight hug, stroking her copper hair. They stood like that for about a minute until they heard Cisco talking to them.
"Barry, Caitlin? You're needed in the cortex; we've got something," Cisco said to them.
Barry and Caitlin pulled apart and walked up into the cortex together.
Meanwhile, Alicia was strolling around S.T.A.R Labs. She'd started off following Cisco, but then she found herself following Wells. To be honest, even though he was helping her and Barry, there was something fishy about him that she just couldn't detect. He seemed to know exactly how to train Barry and Alicia, as if he's seen it before. She tried to tell herself that he was a genius, but she felt as though there was something deeper underneath, something ugly. Maybe it was just her being a detective. SVU or not, Alicia was a detective first by nature. She'd picked that up from her father. It was just her instinct and old habits coming back. It was part of why she couldn't stay away from a normal crime scene. She made sure to keep herself quiet as she followed Wells. He suddenly opened up a door in the middle of the hallway; it was hidden.
What? Alicia thought to herself. Why is that here? She stayed closely and leaned herself up against the wall. She caught glimpse of something: it was an odd-looking newspaper article that read the year of 2024. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a headline that said: Flash Missing: Vanishes in Crisis. Additionally, Dr. Wells was standing out of his wheelchair?! What? He was supposed to be paralyzed why was he standing up?
"Alicia?" Cisco asked. "We need you here."
Alicia quickly exited that hallway. She had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach as she walked into the cortex. Caitlin and Barry were already there. Before she knew it, Wells was there. Her main question was why was Wells staring so intently at that news article? Was that article actually from the future? She swallowed hard. Wells was making her suspicious, and when Alicia got suspicious, that led to her going in deep, maybe even too deep. She knew that that was where Barry, Dick and Joe worried about her, because when Alicia was working a case, she needed to get inside the criminal's head to understand how they think. Sometimes, her cases affected her emotionally; a couple of times, Joe or Dick had found her crying at her desk. Alicia knew that how she thought and how deep she went into things was dangerous, but she couldn't help herself. Instead of getting addicted to alcohol or drugs like her siblings after their father's passing, she got addicted to solving cases, to what she did for a living. It was the deadliest drug Alicia could have ever gotten herself into. She knew that she eventually needed to forgive herself for Danton Black's suicide, but, she couldn't find herself able to. Every time someone died, she felt as though it was because of her because she could have potentially prevented it. Alicia found herself snapping out of it when Cisco started talking. She saw Wells already there in the cortex.
"Guys, check this out," said Cisco. "It's a 3D molecular model of the gas we'd retrieved from Barry's lungs. It's Hydrogen Cyanide." He turned to Alicia. "Alicia are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I just didn't sleep too well last night," Alicia lied.
"What's interesting is what's mixed into the gas. It's a sedative," said Wells.
Barry's eyes lit up. "The night of the particle accelerator explosion, check and see if anyone was executed."
"Why?" asked Cisco.
"That sedative is given to prisoners of death row before they go to the gas chamber and breathe in Hydrogen Cyanide," Alicia said.
"There was someone executed," said Caitlin. "Kyle Nimbus. He was a hit man from the Darbinyan Crime Family. They turned on him and testified. Judge Theresa Howard was the judge at his trial and sentenced him to death."
"He must've been affected by the dark matter while he was being gassed," said Wells.
"Wait, he said to me he's got one more name on his list. Check the arrest record, who caught him?" asked Barry.
"Barry," Caitlin said. "It was Joe."
"We have to find him," said Alicia, going over to where he suit was. "Barry, call him right now. If he doesn't pick up, call Eddie!"
Barry nodded and proceeded to call Joe. He called his foster-dad several times. After calling Eddie, he found out that Joe was at Iron Heights, visiting his father.
"He's at Iron Heights," said Barry.
"Okay, suit up let's get going," Alicia told him, pulling her hair back into the high ponytail she'd been wearing for those few weeks.
"Barry," Caitlin said. "I reverse-engineered an antidote to the toxin; I hope you won't need it."
"If Nimbus attempts to kill Joe, of course I'll need it," Barry said. "Alicia, meet me there. Go now!"
"I don't know how to get in there without getting caught!" Alicia said.
"It doesn't matter I've been figuring out how to break in there since I was eleven. Just follow me," Barry told her before going over to where he stored his suit.
Joe entered Iron Heights prison, intending on talking to his old friend for the first time in fourteen years. He felt ashamed that he hadn't been to see Henry in so many years. For all those fourteen years, he'd hated Henry for the murder of Nora. Now, now he knew what Henry and Barry had saw that night was real, that they were not being delusional. Joe had spent so long trying to send Barry to therapy, putting him on pills, making him talk to people, who just shut Barry down and didn't really listen to him. The idea that Joe had done all of that sickened him deeply. He approached Officer Emerson.
"I'm here to see Henry Allen," Joe told the guard.
"Sign right here, please," Emerson said.
"Thank you, Charles," Joe said, nodding sincerely as he entered the visitation area. He sat behind the glass pane that separated him and Henry. Joe just sat there and waited. When Henry finally arrived, he had a hard, bitter expression on his face, which Joe was expecting. His heart ached as he looked at the man that he had hated for so many years. What a waste of emotions that had been now that he knew Henry was innocent.
"What are you doing here?" Henry asked immediately. "Is Barry all right?"
Of course, Henry's first question was that. He still loved his son so, so much. Barry was Henry's whole world. "He's okay," Joe said, quick to assure Barry's father.
"Then to what do I owe this visit?" Henry asked bitterly, the anger evident in his voice.
"I know I should have come to see you sooner," Joe said, his voice laced with regret.
"I guess you weren't up for a little chit-chat with the man who murdered his wife in front of his own son," Henry whispered angrily. Joe had never heard such disgust in Henry's voice before.
"Except I know now that you didn't kill your wife," Joe told him.
Henry's facial features changed when Joe said that. His posture changed.
"Some new evidence has come to light," Joe said. "I am pretty sure Alicia had told you during one her visit here. I can't go into detail, it's just. . . look, the important thing is. . . Alicia and I are reopening the case. I'm gonna find out who really killed Nora, and I promise you Henry, I'm gonna get you outta here. I am so sorry."
"It doesn't matter that you didn't believe in me," Henry told him. "What matters is you always believed in my son."
Alicia beat Barry to Iron Heights. Barry got there within seconds with the antidote. Following Barry through Iron Heights, running behind him, they walked in just in time to see Nimbus had already gassed himself into Joe. Instantly, Barry knelt next to Joe and injected him with the antidote. Joe was able to get his breath back before he whispered, "Get him."
Barry nodded, silently telling Alicia to stay with Joe until help came. Alicia knelt by Joe, however, when she tilted her head up, she saw Henry staring at her. He knew.
"Alicia?" he whispered to the cop.
Alicia nodded and got up to talk into the phone. "Yeah, please don't say anything to anybody, Henry," she said.
Henry nodded. "Of course, sweetheart; was that Barry?"
Alicia nodded honestly. "You need to keep this a secret Henry. Please."
Henry nodded his head as his promise. "I will protect both your guys' secret, Alicia, I promise, honey. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me, angel."
"Thank you so much," Alicia whispered as she heard a guard going in. "I have to get outta here I need to help Barry."
"Go," Henry whispered, smiling at her.
Alicia nodded and ran out of the prison to find Barry running around in circles, tiring Nimbus out. Once Nimbus was in his human form, Alicia punched the criminal in the head and he passed out.
"Nice work there, Allen," said Alicia.
"Same to you, Galloway," Barry said around a smile. "Let's wait for Joe at the hospital."
Alicia nodded, taking off in a run and flying, watching as Barry grabbed Nimbus to put him into the pipeline cell. As Alicia flew, she thought about what Henry called her; he called her an 'angel.' Maybe that was what she should be called: the Angel.
Later, at the hospital, Joe found himself watching Barry and Alicia asleep in chairs next to each other like newborn kittens. When they finally came around, Alicia and Barry were both yawning, stretching their limbs.
"It's been a while since I've watched you sleep, Bar," said Joe warmly.
"Rescuing you is exhausting," Alicia said tiredly, smiling sleepily.
"Alicia, I don't think I have ever seen you that at peace," Joe whispered.
"I haven't had peace in a really long time," Alicia admitted. "Ever since my dad died, I-I haven't had a feeling of peace."
"I really do miss being about to ground you, Barry," Joe said around a chuckle.
Barry smiled warmly at his foster-dad. "Joe, I could have saved my dad tonight. I could have broken him out, but you were right. I-I don't want him on the run for the rest of his life in hiding. We'll get him out the right way."
Joe nodded. Alicia leaned her head on Barry's shoulder, smiling. However, that was the moment Iris and Eddie walked in, and Barry and Alicia decided to leave Joe alone with Iris. Walking out into the hallway, he looked at Alicia.
"I want to visit my dad," he said to her.
Alicia nodded. "Want me to come with?"
"Yes." Barry nodded. In a flash Barry was out of the hospital. Alicia took off in flight the minute she got outside. They got to the prison in a matter of a minute. Walking in, they both requested to see Henry. They sat across from Henry on the other side of the glass, smiling.
"Hey, Slugger, Alicia," Henry said warmly to the two.
"Hi, Henry," Alicia said around a smile. She was happy to know that her and Barry's secret was safe with Henry; that Henry knew and was willing to keep it quiet.
"How are you two?" asked Henry.
"We've been okay," Alicia told him. "Just-I've been working through the evidence from Nora's case. Let me tell you I had a field day looking through everything."
Henry smiled sadly at Alicia. She cared so much and was such a sweetheart. She was stunningly beautiful inside and out and it showed.
"Dad, I've been thinking a lot about Mom," Barry admitted. "I-I just miss her, a lot."
Alicia nodded in sympathy. She missed her own father every day.
"Did I ever tell you about the time you'd learned to walk?" Henry asked Barry.
"A couple of times," Barry said. Alicia felt her eyes glazing with tears.
"Well, I was actually nervous, because you were late with walking," Henry said. "Everyone else's kids were walking. Your mom told me, 'He will walk when he has somewhere to go.' And then you ran right into her arms; you had a place to go," Henry whispered, smiling at the memory.
Alicia wiped away her tears. She secretly envied the relationship Barry had with both Joe and Henry; he had two father figures in his life despite not having his mother.
"Alicia are you okay, sweetheart?" Henry asked her.
"Yeah, it's just. . . you know my dad died when I was sixteen," Alicia said tearfully. "I just wish I can have this. I mean, Barry I would kill for two more minutes with my father. My brothers and sister, too, want that more than anything. It's seeing this that makes me realize that I would never take my mother, sister or brothers for granted, ever."
Henry smiled at her gently. "Well even though I'm not your dad, and Joe isn't your dad, we both love you like our own."
"That's enough for me," Alicia said around a tearful smile.
A/N
highlander348 I can promise you that Alicia's powers will develop over time. She will have faster flight, she will get stronger, and her healing factor will get stronger. This chapter hinted at her hero name: the Angel. I just finished with chapter 24 in this fic. I'm hoping to have every chapter for this fic done before my spring semester, maybe even by Christmas.