.:25:.

Gorilla Pills

Music came softly from the speakers that sat around the room as Cadence gracefully did a series of sweeping motions that glided her across the floor. Keeping her head on a constant swivel she routinely brought her arms to her chest and opened them while spinning herself around. Then as the music changed to a brassy, big band jazz song her movements reflected it when she picked up the pace and danced across the floor even faster.

Finally, the song ended and she did a no handed front flip, landing cleanly on her feet.

Sitting in the corner of the room, Brady clapped appreciatively, a grin on his face. "That was great!" He said.

"Thanks, bud," Cadence replied. She took the water bottle he leaned over to grab and took a long sip. "Are you ready to get some breakfast?"

Brady smiled. "Can we get breakfast every time school is closed?"

"Sure, if you want me to run out of money." She ruffled his hair. "As it is, I've considered homeschooling you. Lately you've spent more time out of school than in it," Cadence said with a half smile. "But even I don't think I could handle that with my schedule. Ryder can't do it, Tess has different hours at CCU, and Harrison is always working at STAR Labs."

"So why can't I go there?"

"Because on the off-chance it gets stormed by the army Chief Paulson's trying to get together, I don't want you swept up in the raid."

"But Cisco and Caitlin will watch me and I can help them with their experiments and stuff." He brought a finger to his lips as he thought. "When I understand what they're talking about anyway."

"I know the feeling." She nodded to the laptop resting on his legs. "How's the homework coming?"

"Fine." He sighed. "I just wish them closing the school for a day for investigation would've kept our teachers from giving us homework."

"By the way this is going, if your school closes anymore you're going to have to use up days of your summer break to make up for it." Cadence laughed as Brady pouted even further. She reached out and ruffled his hair. "Let me get changed and we can go." Brady nodded and closed his laptop.

Cadence quickly got changed then went back to grab Brady before the two went to the Motorcar Diner. They spotted Cisco and Caitlin in a booth by the front door. "Hi Aunt Caitlin, hi Uncle Cisco!" Brady greeted, sliding into the booth across from them. He picked up the menu and immediately flipped it up in front of his face.

"Hey Brady," Caitlin returned his greeting with a warm smile. "How's it going?"

"Fine," he said.

"Are you tired of not being at school yet?" Cisco asked.

"Tired of the homework."

"I've heard nothing but him complaining about it since it was assigned to him," Cadence said .She steepled her fingers together. "I never liked homework when I was in school but even I don't think I complained that much." She glanced at Brady, who stuck his tongue out at her, then turned back to Cisco, her eyes lighting up. "So, how'd your date end up? Did you wind up getting breakfast after?"

"Is that really the code word we're going to go with?" Caitlin asked. Her nose wrinkled as she spread a napkin across her lap. Then she elbowed Cisco in the side. "You come up with better nicknames for metas, I don't think it'll be too difficult to get a new codeword."

Cisco held up his hand. "That's not important to me right now." He let out a long, loving sigh and rested his chin in his hands. "Our date was perfect. No breakfast, but we ended up talking after the movie and talked all night. We got kicked out of the restaurant because it was closing, then walked around the city until it got too late. I've never talked to someone like that before."

Caitlin snorted, lifting an eyebrow. "You don't remember the time that we had to finish a write-up for Dr. Wells and were so far behind we had to stay at STAR Labs all night?"

"Oh yeah!" Cisco's smile widened. How could he have forgotten about that? It was one of the all-nighters they had to pull and the first time he really got to know Caitlin after meeting her. She really showed him she wasn't the 'ice queen' that Hartley had made her out to be. "That was fun."

"If by 'fun' you mean, wrecking our sleep schedule for the next two weeks then yeah. It was a ball." Caitlin smiled. "No, it was kind of fun."

"So you and Kendra really hit it off, then?" Cadence asked. She eyed Cisco for a moment then smiled. She really didn't need to ask. Just by looking at him she could tell he was smitten. It didn't look like he was really listening to anything that was being said to him. Or at least the way he was wrapping his hair around his finger and sighing dreamily. Cadence lifted her hand to pat herself on the back. "Am I good wingman or what?"

"Wingwoman," Caitlin corrected her.

"That too."

Caitlin and Cisco laughed.

"What's a wingman?" Brady piped up.

"It's someone who helps their friend get the attention of someone they're attracted to," Cadence explained. "Like, trying to talk them up so the other person is more likely to date them."

"Oh. Ok." Brady nodded.

"And yes, you were a pretty good wingman," Cisco said. "We should go out on another double date soon." He rubbed his hands on the legs of his jeans. "Geez, my palms are still sweaty. Anyway, we just have to get a date for Caitlin and then we can all go out."

Caitlin lifted an eyebrow. "I don't need a date," She said.

"Oh, that's right. You have this thing going on with Harry."

Caitlin choked on the sip of water she had just taken, spraying Brady in the face. He cried out and quickly closed his eyes, blindly reaching for a napkin to dry himself off. Cadence laughed and held her hand up under the table, using her powers to dry him. Cisco reached out and patted Caitlin on the back as she continued to choke.

Finally, she managed to control herself and said, "I do not have a thing going on with Harry." She brushed her hair back over her shoulders, then in front again, trying to hide the pink hue that came to her cheeks. Even Brad was grinning at her, obviously not believing her.

"Mm." Cadence pressed her lips together to keep herself from laughing. "I'm still not going to call you my step-mom," she said. Cisco kicked her shin under the table and Cadence smiled back at him, throwing a wink as she did so.

"I was never going to—"Caitlin reached up and rubbed her forehead. Then she clasped her hands together and turned towards Cisco with gritted teeth. "I'm going to get you for this." Cisco merely grinned in response. "I'm just helping him get home and figure out the bio engineering behind his serum to slow Zoom down. Even you've noticed that he's not completely thrilled to still be here."

"Yeah, I don't think anyone missed that," Cisco said. He rolled his eyes and held up his hands defensively. "It's like he's completely unable to talk without pissing someone off in some way." He dropped his arms to the table, shaking his head. "Man, he's such a dick."

Caitlin shot him a disapproving glance and Cisco made a face back at her. Then Caitlin tilted her head towards Brady, who seemed bored with the conversation, now looking over his phone. Cadence laughed. "He's heard worse than that when we do chores. Don't worry about cursing in front of him."

"Yeah, my mom's a bad influence," Brady piped up.

Caitlin and Cisco laughed again. Then the group gave their breakfast order and changed the subject to the topic that was everywhere. "So have you heard anything else about Chief Paulson's plans? Last I heard, Mayor Bellows and the rest of his team were still trying to make their decision over the safety of the city's residents," Caitlin said.

"The residents are as safe as they had been before Barry became the Flash," Cisco said dismissively. He then motioned towards Cadence. "And, you know, before you tried to kill him. Ow!" He leaned forward to rub his leg when Cadence kicked him.

It was something they could joke about now, but it still rubbed Cadence the wrong way. She had been stuck under the Assassination Bureau's ideas for so long that as time went on that there were many moments where she started to question her own mentality. She recognized the beginning of her mind being controlled by Leah Waterman, but she had gotten stronger as time went on so that it made it harder to resist. Not all of the jobs were done because you were brainwashed, Cadence reminded herself. Guilt rolled through her stomach like an ocean riptide trying to drag her out to sea. Unless she spoke to the others about the Assassination Bureau to her friends soon it would drive her crazy.

Or at least crazier than we already are, she joked to herself. It was possible. All of the stress of keeping her powers a secret for years and trying to figure things out in terms of who she was as a person and a hero was more taxing than anyone else knew. It was why she was so relieved when having met Barry, realizing he was having the same struggles.

"As far as I know, there hasn't been any advancement to the MRA," Cadence said. "Nothing that we've heard around the CCPD, anyway. Captain Singh won't let us talk about it and he tries to keep everyone clear of Chief Paulson whenever he comes by."

"That's not suspicious," Cisco said sarcastically.

"I was going to say the same thing," Brady said. He paused, tilting his head to the side. "But is he right?"

"Harry was saying the same thing," Caitlin said. She took in a long breath, shaking her head. "I was saying that of the metas we have in the Pipeline, and that anyone figuring out their powers would be a danger to anyone around them. Which is true, because of the lack of control. But he pointed out that thinking of things that way, would make it easier for people like Chief Paulson to only think of the metahumans as evil."

"Does that mean that he'd think that Leah is evil, too?" Brady asked. He flipped his hair form his face with a jerk of his head. "I mean, if they find out it was her that attacked. Her mom and dad are already scared of metas."

Caitlin waited until the waitress came back with their food and walked away before speaking again. "We already ran a lot of tests on her and there was nothing about her powers that showed any significant growth. And what she was doing with her powers, from what you described, had to have had a lot of power and control over it. If she was afraid of her powers at first, chances are she hasn't been practicing."

"Then how would you explain it?" Cisco asked. He took a large bite of his breakfast burrito.

"How would you explain that birdman you saw?"

"Birdman?" Brady repeated.

"Long story," Cadence said. She lifted an eyebrow and a slowly smirked at Cisco, who pointedly looked away. "Though I was curious as to whether or not you saw it again when you held hands or…when you gave her a goodnight kiss."

"Nice subject change," Caitlin teased.

"I thought we were meeting to debrief Cisco on every detail of his date."

"And that's why Barry is a good bro," Cisco said. "You ask one or two questions and then you talk about sports." He looked at his watch. "Where is he, anyway?" He thought for a moment, tapping his finger against his chin. "Who am I kidding? This is Barry we're talking about; he's either slept in or just running late in general." Cisco then wiggled his eyebrows at the fire metahuman. "What about you? Did you 'have breakfast?'."

"No and, honestly, I don't plan on it anytime soon," Cadence explained. "We haven't even had the conversation about whether or not to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend yet." She waved her hand. "We're going slow, remember?" But something about that nagged at her, something feeling very unpleasant. She couldn't quite tell what it was. Being with Barry made her happy, really happy and she liked to be around him as a friend, as his partner, and…and every sense of being 'with' him.

So what was holding her back on making it official?

"Barry doesn't go slow, mom. He goes fast and faster," Brady pointed out. He examined the waffles stacked on his plate before picking up the bottle of syrup and held it high over his head to pour into each indent of the breakfast food. It continued to puddle but he continued to pour. "He didn't even know you liked him, remember?"

Caitlin, Cisco, and Cadence all laughed at Brady's innocently honest statement. Then Caitlin slowly stopped laughing, dropping her hands to her lap. She stared straight ahead with a blank look on her face. Then, without warning, she lifted her hand and punched Cisco on the side of the face. Had Cisco been a few feet away from him it would've been a small punch, enough to catch him off-guard and force him to catch his balance.

But Cisco was sitting directly next to her and took the brunt force of the punch of her extended fist. Noise around the restaurant ceased as Cisco cried out in pain and surprise and tumbled from the booth while Caitlin calmly lowered her hand back to her lap. Cadence and Brady jumped in surprise, staring at their friend.

"Aunt Caitlin, are you okay?" Brady asked. He frowned when Caitlin didn't respond and stood up, waving his hand in her face. "Aunt Caitlin?"

"You're asking if she's okay?" Cisco demanded. "She just punched me in the face!"

Then Caitlin got to her feet and grabbed the end of the table, upending it. Dishes, utensils, and glassware flew around the table. Brady grabbed onto Cadence's wrist and phased the projectiles through them. Then he let go and the two slid from the booth to help Cisco to his feet, watching as Caitlin got up and walked out the room in long, calm strides.

"We have to go after her," Cisco said once he was on his feet.

The three raced out of the restaurant after her and looked down the street, finding she had already blended in with the crowd. But what caught their attention was the sudden screeching sound of cars coming to a stop and screaming. Following the sound, they spotted a large gorilla walking around the street corner.

"Oh my Grodd," Cisco whispered.

"Well if it isn't Barry Allen gracing us with his presence," Captain Singh said as Barry walked into his office lab. Barry turned away from his computer, pulling his ear buds from his ears and setting his strawberry smoothie aside. His eyebrows rose when he spotted his boss. He couldn't remember the last time Captain Singh had been in his office. "And on time no less. I can't remember the last time that happened."

Barry managed to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I got up early today. Had some stuff to do." Like run around the city to try and get up to a top speed to stop Zoom. The last thing he needed was to have his failures broadcasted all over the news and in front of everyone again.

Part of him hoped everything had happened at night, it would've given him some time to work through the embarrassment. But as the incident happened at the height of day, everyone saw it. That embarrassment and humiliation was part of what drove him to work harder to defeat Zoom. But like the last time, his nose started to bleed and he had to stop. After the bleeding stopped, Barry raced back to the West house and looked at himself in the mirror. Nothing about him looked different but he had certainly been pushing himself very hard. Having gone from breaking his back to running at top speed—or as close to his top speed as he could get—must've been putting more pressure on his body than he thought.

All the time he spent lying on his back in the medical bay, trying desperately to force himself to feel again did more to him mentally than he thought. He brought his feet into his lap, noticing how heavy his legs felt as he did so. Then he picked up a scalpel that sat nearby with the rest of Caitlin's tools and poked himself in the foot with it over and over again. And each time he became more desperate to feel something.

"Come on," he whispered to himself. He poked the bottom of his foot and watched blood come out before the wound healed up. Then he pricked himself again. "Come on, come on, come on!" And he continued to poke, becoming more vicious as the seconds passed, cutting into his skin, making a new mark as the last one healed over. "Come on!" Finally, he threw the scalpel across the room and flopped back onto the pillows behind him, pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes.

What was he without his speed? Without being the Flash?

Those thoughts consistently entered his head when he got too much time to himself. When he worried too much about where Zoom was hiding and what he was doing. When he wondered what it would take to get fast enough. And when there was enough downtime at work when he was waiting for tests on samples to finish.

"Um, what can I do for you, Captain Singh?" Barry asked.

"I wanted to see how things were going with you," Captain Singh explained. He pulled out a chair that sat next to Barry and turned it around. He pushed up his sleeves and straddled the chair, resting his arms on the back of the chair. "What with everything going on with the metahumans."

Barry blinked. He tried not to look equally suspicious and horrified. As it was, his hand started to shake with nerves. They hadn't spoken about anything meta related since he had been captured by the Meta-Spiders. Why would Captain Singh go straight to talk to Barry about it? "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're the meta-human expert around here, aren't you? You're the one that always has some sort of a connection to them. Not only are you the first one to figure out the cases with them involved, but you have the connection with STAR Labs to get more information." Captain Singh leveled his gaze at Barry. "And you were the one who advocated for your father being innocent of the murder of your mother and had been right. Your insight is always appreciated."

It is? Barry's eyebrows rose even further. Then he leaned back in his seat. "Uhhh." He thought for a moment, closing his eyes. "I think…I think things are starting to be blown out of proportion."

"You do?"

"Yes. Dr. Wells—"Barry tried not to wince. "—He knows he made a mistake with the Particle Accelerator going online and the risks that came with it. But the Particle Accelerator was going to be innovative. No one knew it was going to end up with a bunch of metahumans—"

"—and the Flash."

"—A-and the Flash."

"And Flare."

"Actually, Flare wasn't in Central City when the Particle Accelerator went off and came in later."

Now Captain Singh's eyebrows rose. "That's interesting. I wonder how it was that she got her powers then." Barry shrugged. "Well, you have to admit their continued presence in the city has been particularly helpful despite the strong climate that seems to be coming against them now."

"I can understand the worries," Barry said slowly. "But too many people seem to be forgetting all of the good Flash and Flare have done. How many people would still be against them if they weren't around and crime became rampant? Or Captain Cold and Heat Wave continued to go on their criminal sprees?"

"That's a very good point," Captain Singh agreed. He cleared his throat. "What do you think about The Flash? Your honest opinion."

Barry did his best not to let a smug smile come to his face. He cleared his throat, using his hand to cover his mouth, and said, "I think he's been a good help to the city. I think people are really receptive to what he's doing. He's doing a great job to protect the city."

"Did I ever tell you that he saved me once before?" Captain Singh asked. He thought for a moment. "Well, a few times considering he's helped the CCPD. But I had been kidnapped by those Meta-Spider things and he and Flare came to help me out."

"Really?" Barry hoped he sounded convincing.

"Yeah. Just swooped in and took down the spiders in one fell swoop. Almost like it was nothing to them. And they've done the same for the rest of the city. I wish I knew who they were so I could personally thank them. And to let The Flash know I've been on his side since he first arrived in Central City."

Barry stayed silent.

"Whether or not this Registration Act goes through, The Flash is a hero to Central City and more people need to know that." Captain Singh watched as Barry tried to come up with a response to the statement. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to string the words together. Thankfully, he was broken out of the increasingly awkward situation ash when there was a knock on the doorframe and Patty stuck her head inside.

"There's something I need your help with," she explained.

Barry nodded and turned back to Captain Singh. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude—"

"No, I know there's more work you need to finish. Thank you for at least sharing your thoughts with me." Captain Singh got up from his seat and returned it to its original spot. Then he surprised Barry by holding his hand out to him. Hesitantly, Barry took it allowing his hand to be shaken. "I also wanted you to know that even though I don't say it a lot, I appreciate everything you've done for the CCPD since you started here."

"Uh, thanks Captain Singh."

Barry watched as his boss left his office and Patty entered. She looked over her shoulder at Captain Singh then turned back to Barry. "What was that all about?" She asked.

"Apparently Captain Singh appreciates the work I put in around here," Barry repeated. "I think that's the first time he's ever said something like that to me. I mean, I dreamt about it but I never thought the day would come." Patty laughed along with him. "So what can I help you with?"

"Right, I got some DNA from a crime scene Joe and I were on and I was hoping you'd help me run some tests on them," Patty explained. She carefully placed the coffees she was holding onto his desk then reached into the pocket of her jeans. With a flourish, Patty pulled out a plastic baggie with black hair fibers inside.

Barry took the bag and looked it over, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think this it is?" He asked. "It doesn't look much like anything other than…hair."

"That's the strange part!" Patty sat down in the seat that Captain Sing had previously occupied. "The crime scene was at a pharmaceutical company that held the neuro-enhancing drugs that were stolen. And these hairs were at each of the crime scenes. But they don't look like regular human hair. I figured it might be some sort of a meta."

"Like the man shark?" Barry asked.

"Like the man shark."

"Alright. Well, I'll run the tests and we'll see what comes up." Barry took the bag and started to set up his office to run the tests. With Patty not watching him, he used his super speed to get them started. Then he turned back and noticed the second cup of coffee that Patty had brought with her. "Is this for me?"

"Yes!" Patty nodded earnestly. "We still haven't been able to do a rain check on that coffee date we planned. So, I thought we could…you know, wait together for it to be finished." Barry slid down in his seat and took the coffee. Patty held hers out and he tapped his against hers. "So…see any good movies lately?"

"Yes, actually," Barry said. "I just recently went to see The Princess Bride."

"Oh! At that movie theater by the mall?" Patty's eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together, only after making sure she safely moved her coffee out of the way. "I love that movie. I used to watch it all the time when I was a kid." Her smile waned. "My dad and I used to watch it all the time."

Barry tilted his head. "Did…something happen to him?" Patty gave him a meaningful look. Barry sat up straight. A flood of sweat rushed to his armpits as he realized his faux pas. "I mean, if you want to talk about it. You don't have to."

"No, it's okay. I guess if there's anyone who would understand losing a parent, it's you." Patty cleared her throat. "Uh, actually. He was killed. I was going to take a deposit to the bank but instead I ditched work to hang out with my friends. My dad was at the bank that day when Mark Mardon robbed it. He…he shot my dad and my dad didn't make it."

"Oh, I'm sorry Patty."

"I mean, I'm over it," Patty said quickly. "It happened a long time ago. But then seeing some of these metahumans around, it makes me wonder what I'd do if I ever saw him again, you know?" She tightened her grasp on her coffee cup, threatening to punch holes into it with her fingertips. "But you saw the man that killed your mother, right? Your father was found not to be guilty?"

"Yeah, but that's an entire other thing," Barry said quickly. How else would he be able to explain what was going on with Eobard Thawne? Especially since Eobard Thawne had never been brought in to jail. And he never would be considering how he had been killed. But with no body to show for it and no way to explain where he had come from, Barry wasn't completely able to completely relish in his father being released. Now he understood why there were so many debates over the death penalty. "I had most of my life to get used to what was going on." He paused. "Actually, that probably isn't something I should try to compare."

"Yeah, but it's something you eventually can't help," Patty thought. "Like, every now and then I hear my friends talk about their parents and my mind immediately goes to, 'my dad was better'. Probably a way to cope."

"Yeah, I used to think the same way," Barry agreed. "Especially when I was really missing my mom."

"Do you ever find it funny when other people trip over themselves when they mention their parents around you?"

"Like they think I'll fall apart at the mere mention. Yeah, all the time."

"Or even when they mention guns. I got that a lot when applying to work as a police officer. Everyone was like 'but your dad was shot to death'!" Patty rolled her eyes. "Like I didn't already know that."

"It was worse when people would be overly sympathetic." Barry laughed. "Like, they'd constantly ask me how I was doing. Or they'd look at me sympathetically or something. Which is weird because I did still have my parents. My dad was still around even though he couldn't go to events and Joe was able to fill in. So it wasn't like I was missing anything."

"Exactly! But then they continue to make things worse as they try not to talk about what happened to our families." Patty laughed. Then she set down her coffee and she laughed again. "It's so weird; we're talking and laughing over our murdered parents. Not many people would think that's normal."

"I've never been able to say I was normal," Barry pointed out. "So it doesn't really bother me."

"Me either. So, uh, maybe we can talk again soon. Like, after dinner or something? Or maybe even a movie, too. We can go see another movie classic that'll air in the theatre after the Princess Bride leaves. Or maybe just go see Princess Bride. I know you saw it recently, but I haven't seen it in forever and…" Patty trailed off, noticing Barry's sudden change in expression. "What? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"A ghost?" Barry repeated. Finally broken out of his uncomfortable silence, he shook his head, trying to collect his thoughts. "No. It's, uh, it's something else." Patty waited. "Patty, it's not like I don't like you. You're great. And we have a lot in common." Barry thought for a moment, noticing it was the same thing that Cadence had said to him before. "But, you need to know—"

"—that you don't feel the same way," Patty broke in. "That I…feel about you."

"Wha-? It's not…no, I…" Barry stumbled over his words. He closed his eyes, letting out a long breath through his nose. "It's just that I'm seeing someone already," he explained. "I'm going out with Cadence. We haven't really said anything because we don't want it to be, like, a big deal or anything. We're kind of taking things slow."

"Oh."

"But I'm really flattered. I think you could—"

"No, Barry, it's okay," Patty said quickly. "It's not like you have to like me back or anything. I just thought it was a good idea if you knew." She started to say something else but Barry's phone started to vibrate. He looked at his phone and noticed the message that was coming through, his eyes widening. "You look like you're busy."

"Sort of," Barry said.

"I can just stay back and wait for the test results."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's okay. If you have something you need to do."

"Thanks." Barry started to leave the room but stopped. He turned back to Patty. "Really, Patty. I'm sorry."

Patty smiled back at him. "It's okay. I promise. I'll be fine."

Barry nodded and left his lab. He waited until he was out of the doorway before racing from the CCPD to STAR Labs. He walked into an intense conversation as soon as he arrived. Cadence quickly filled him in on what was going on while Cisco continuously scoured the maps of the city to try and get a lock on Caitlin and Gorilla Grodd.

"He's not anywhere in the sewers, so where else can a big ass gorilla go?" Joe asked. He placed his hands on his head, pacing the floor of the Cortex. "How would no one else see him?"

"No one said anything about not seeing him, dad," Iris pointed out, leaning against the computer desk. "Just that nothing has come in. But do you really think there's going to be people who believe someone when they say they saw Grodd coming back through Central City? He left remember? Why would he come back?"

"A classic case of revenge," Cisco explained. He lifted his hand to his cheek; pressing against the shiner that had appeared from Caitlin's hit. "Why else would any of these things come back?"

"Okay, but why would he want Caitlin?" Cadence asked. She crossed her arms, lifting one hand to rub her chin. "Caitlin was one of the nicest people to Grodd from what you guys told me. So what would he gain from taking her?"

"From what Joe has said, he's been taking neuro-enhancers. If that's the case and he's as smart as you all have been saying, then he probably is aware of Caitlin's scientific background. Considering what he plans to do, she may be able to help him." Harry ran a hand through his hair, standing behind Cisco, watching him intently. "If there's been sighting we can probably approximate his location."

"We have to get her back," Cisco declared.

"We will," Harry said.

"Um," Brady said. His eyes narrowed for a moment. "Caitlin acted the same way Leah had when she attacked at the school. Do you think Grodd is doing the same thing?"

Barry whipped around to face him. He grabbed Brady's shoulders and knelt down to his height to look him in the eye. "I need you to tell me again, everything that happened when you were at school. And what happened with Leah." And Brady explained, all the while Barry listened hard. "Yeah, that sounds like Grodd was there too."

"What would Grodd want with a bunch of little kids?" Harry asked. Even he sounded incredulous of the conclusion Barry came to. His lips pressed together as he tried to think about it.

"Probably the same thing that he wants for everyone else; revenge." Cadence sighed heavily, pushing her hair behind her shoulders. "They went running down into the sewers to find him last year when Grodd was nothing more than a rumor around the city. Their disturbance over his 'home' must've held a big impression on him."

"Or the fact that they had a hand in trying to take him down," Barry said.

"Don't worry, we'll get Caitlin back," Iris said. "Just as soon as we figure out where Grodd is holding her. I'll start looking through my blog to see if there are any tips about it."

"And I'll look through the CCPD's database for any tips that came in," Joe agreed. He motioned to his daughter and the two left the cortex.

Barry let out a long breath, running his hands through his hair. He turned back to Cisco, who continued to sit close to his computer screen, running over maps. Then he exchanged a concerned glance with Cadence. If Grodd had no problems taking possession of little kids then there must be something he was up to they weren't getting. Going a step further and taking Caitlin as well meant it was something big. But what?

Barry turned his attention to Brady, who took the cup filled with strawberry smoothie that Barry had set on the desk on his way in. Brady almost had it to his mouth when Barry stuck out his hand and grabbed it. "Strawberries," he explained, noting Brady's allergy.

"Oh." Brady looked annoyed as his stomach growled. "I'm hungry! Caitlin didn't let me eat my waffles!" Barry looked at him for a second then raced out of the Cortex, coming back a second later with a chocolate muffin in hand. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

Caitlin…

Caitlin's head twitched to the side and she looked over to the side. She blinked twice then gasped, glancing around the room. The dilapidated room with holes in the walls and windows boarded up. When did she get there? The last thing she knew she was in the Motor Car Diner having some food with her friends. She stood up from the chair she had been resting in and winced, rubbing her neck when it started to twitch with pain.

Caitlin. She looked up and gasped, seeing Grodd standing directly in front of her. Caitlin always kind. It took a second for her to realize he was speaking telepathically to her. Need help. How did I become Grodd?

Caitlin thought for a moment. She closed her eyes, taking a step back from Grodd. He was as intimidating as he always had been. "You became Grodd because of the Particle Accelerator. Because of the dark matter in the explosion."

Repeat, Grodd said. Make more Grodd.

Caitlin shook her head again. He wanted her to create more Grodd, to repeat the process that had turned him into a sentient gorilla in the first place. She had no idea how to do that let alone wondering why he would want her to. What was it going to do if there were other gorillas out there that could do all the same things that Grodd could? Caitlin cleared her throat. "Grodd, you hurt a lot of people."

I hurt no one.

"You took over Leah. You made her attack her friends."

They attack first.

Caitlin's eyebrows came together. When had that happened? Oh, right. When they saw Grodd in the first place. Brady and Conner had snuck down into the sewers to track him down and ended up attacking him out of fear and want to get away unharmed. "Grodd, they're children. They were afraid."

Me, afraid, too. Grodd lowered himself onto all fours and walked closer towards Caitlin. Caitlin shook along with the floor with each of his steps. He moved around her, eyes narrowing into dark glints. Me afraid of everything. Need more Grodds.

"They weren't trying to hurt you. You shouldn't hurt other people just because you were scared."

Flash scared.

"I don't know how many people wouldn't be scared seeing a massive gorilla that is able to talk to them," Caitlin said. She managed a small smile. But then it faded when Grodd turned her way. "Grodd, I want to help—"

You won't help.

"Grodd—"

You don't care.

Grodd growled loudly and brought his hand up above his head. Caitlin reacted quickly and brought up her hands, sending out an icy blast into Grodd's face and arms. Icicles formed on Grodd's coarse hair and he grabbed them, ripping them out. He pulled his hair out all the same, making Grodd screech in pain. Caitlin turned and started to run, slapping her hands over her ears when Grodd let out another almighty roar. Still, she continued to run.

Grodd caught up with her, swinging his arm towards her. "Ugh!" Caitlin grunted as he struck her in the back and sent her flying off her feet and into a nearby wall. She fell to the floor and looked over at Grodd who watched her as well. "Grodd, please…"

If you no help, you enemy.

Caitlin closed her eyes. She pushed herself up to her knees. "You…you may not know this but…one of the main differences between my brain and yours is…" she wheezed, trying to catch he breath. "Is the white matter and connectivity in the brain cells. The chemicals you were treated with as an infant were meant to overcome those differences and cause an explosive growth of both. Like what humans experience in their first few years of life. Maybe these chemicals can duplicate it and we won't need the Particle Accelerator."

You get powers too. Grodd walked over to Caitlin and she squeezed her eyes shut, turning away. He audibly sniffed her for a few seconds. You smell different. Something has changed. You hurt me. Caitlin swallowed hard, now trembling from head to toe from her fear.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she said. She trembled harder as the words hit her. She hadn't meant to hurt him at all. But she had done it anyway. Much like she was afraid of for all of the other metas that were slowly working their way to dealing with their powers. Exactly what Chief Paulson was afraid of in terms of the metahuman presence in the city. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

You will pay…

But instead of striking her down then, Grodd turned and walked away from her. He wasn't going to hurt her yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't preparing to do it.

"Anything yet?" Barry asked Cisco.

Cisco shook his head, pressing his face into his hands. He sucked in a sharp breath and closed his eyes. He needed to save Caitlin and he was letting her down. He promised he would never let anything happen to her and he couldn't keep that promise. Now there was nothing he could do to track them down. What was it that was escaping him? Making it so hard for him to figure out what should be so simple? He'd done it numerous times before.

But that was when you had an idea of where to start, Cisco reminded himself. This time around he was completely in the dark. Cisco lifted his head when Barry rested his hand on his shoulder, gently shaking it. "Don't worry, man, you'll figure something out soon."

"In the meantime, we have to figure out what to do when we do find them," Cadence said. "Going in with a punch isn't going to work. He's stronger than anything we've faced before. Even your speed and my teleportation isn't enough to stop him."

"We could set up a trap," Brady suggested. "Like…a giant net or something."

"We're going to need something a little more sophisticated than a giant net," Barry said to him. "But the idea of a trap is a good one." He stared to pace. "But what could we do?"

Cisco leaned back in his seat and suggested sarcastically, "Maybe we can get a bunch of bananas and leave them somewhere hoping he'll find them?" He scratched the back of his head. "Or maybe, because he's so sentient, he's moved onto Bananas Foster." Despite the circumstances, Cadence laughed, making Cisco smile a little. "At least I still have my sense of humor. My brains seem to be lacking."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Barry tried to say.

"Or maybe not hard enough," Harry remarked. His voice was low and hoarse. "Come on, Ramon, you work hard in every other aspect of your life. There must be something you can do here to find her."

Cisco glared at him. "Do you think I'm just sitting here for my health? I'm doing everything I can! We thought Dr. Wells had shut down the program for the intelligence tests to keep him from being tortured but it turns out he turned the Particle Accelerator on to create a 1500 pound mind controlling gorilla that he could manipulate. As if he could see that coming." Cisco suddenly sat up straight and snapped his fingers. He turned to his friends. "We're looking for places that Grodd could be, why don't we use that to figure out where he's been?"

Harry pointed at him. "An algorithm to extrapolate Grodd's location from places we already know he's been."

"Exactly!"

"What?" Brady asked, nose wrinkling.

"It means they may have found a way to track down Grodd," Barry said.

Cisco nodded and leaned over his computer, typing rapidly on his keyboard. It took a little bit longer than he thought it would, to change the algorithm that was already set up on the computer. But after long, tense minutes of his changing the source codes to it, the algorithm came to life. The maps on his computer changed rapidly, spitting out numerous pinpoints on the computer screen, with only one spot that hadn't been touched. "A-ha!" Cisco pointed, flattening his finger against the screen. "The bell tower."

"That's a good place to put her," Cadence remarked with begrudging respect. "How many people would think to go up there? That place has been abandoned for years."

"So…how do we get to her and get Grodd out?" Brady asked.

Barry continued to pace for a few minutes, his hand on his chin, other hand supporting his elbow as he thought. His mind worked in overdrive, trying to figure out the best way to go about it. Cadence was right, brute strength was not the way to go against Grodd. They needed a plan. The last time they faced him it had been a formidable fight and they came up with a plan that worked on the fly. Grodd was smart, he could control anyone telepathically. That was the first thing they needed to knock out. Then they needed to find a way to take him down. Grodd had taken a bunch neuro-enhancing drugs from the pharmaceutical company so…Got it!

"The drugs Grodd stole, they have to be similar to what was used for Grodd in the first place," he explained. His voice started to move rapid-fire as he moved through his ideas. "What if we use that against him to…to give him a shock to his brain? Anyone who got mind-altering drugs in their system would be susceptible to it. He wouldn't be immune."

"Right and then that would give us the chance to be able to get him out of the bell tower and put somewhere…relatively safe," Cadence agreed. She gave Barry a high-five.

"Okay, so how are we going to get Caitlin out of there? Now that we know how to get to Grodd," Cisco said. Silence then moved around the Cortex. Cisco pursed his lips as he thought about it. He looked around the room for a long moment and his eyes settled on Harry. "Who does Grodd trust more than Caitlin?" He asked.

"Another gorilla, duh," Brady said.

"Besides that," Cisco said. "He'd trust Harry." Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Dr. Wells was the one who worked with Grodd as much as Caitlin did. And Dr. Wells was using Grodd earlier, keeping him in the sewers. He would be the first person Grodd would listen to." He then turned and pointed to Harry. "Who better than the doppelganger of him? Get the Reverse-Flash suit, slap it on him and trick Grodd into thinking the real Dr. Wells is there."

"He doesn't have any powers though," Cadence reminded him. "If something goes wrong we can't guarantee nothing will happen to him."

"If it means saving Caitlin and making sure Central City is safe, then that's a risk I'm willing to take," Harry said. Cisco turned to look at Barry. Barry held his breath as he looked back at him. Cisco nodded and Barry nodded back.

"Okay, but we'll have to move fast."

Someone coming.

Caitlin looked over as Grodd narrowed his eyes towards the doorway of the bell tower. They had been sitting in silence since he had attacked her. He made no move to apologize yet Caitlin could tell he felt shame. He plopped himself down in the corner of the room and with his shoulders slumped, much like a regular human. If it wasn't for the copious amount of hair that covered him, Caitlin would've thought she was talking to a human.

But no, Grodd was a metahuman. Another meta-animal that they had come across, along with the meta-spiders. Where did he fall underneath the MRA? Was he one of the others that deserved their rights or was he one of those that needed to be put away for the rest of his life?

Maybe Chief Paulson has a point, Caitlin thought. She was broken out of her thoughts when the door to the room opened. She gasped, seeing the Reverse-Flash standing in the doorway of the room. How? There's no way he's back.

Father, Grodd said, looking at him.

It was then Caitlin got a good look at Harry. She recognized him as he looked at her. His eyes didn't glow red, he didn't have the same menacing stance, menacing aura that was held when Eobard was showcasing his powers. Caitlin continued to watch him. Harry looked back and forth between Grodd and Caitlin. Caitlin widened her eyes at Harry and he shook his head.

Harry walked further into the room. "You don't need her," he said to Grodd. "You have me now."

Caitlin nice, Grodd replied. He took a step back from Harry. Caitlin always nice.

"Yes, she is," Harry said. He continued to walk towards Grodd, moving inch by inch. Shifting closer to the gorilla in front of him. "But she doesn't know how to make you. I'm the one who created you. I can continue the plan you have, to create more sentient gorillas. You don't need her." He held out his hand, moving it towards Caitlin.

Caitlin looked back at him, now confused. Her eyebrows came together and she looked over at Grodd. Grodd looked back at her. Caitlin took a deep breath and slowly started to inch back towards Harry, eyes wide, pleading. Harry flicked his head.

Caitlin started to run.

Everything happened all at once.

Grodd first noticed that Caitlin was getting away. He roared loudly and moved to go after her. Harry leapt to the side and grabbed the needles filled with neuro-enhancers. He flipped them up into his hand and struck them into Grodd's leg. Grodd's painful cries increased in volume. Then Caitlin suddenly stopped running, coming to a standstill and staring in a trance as she had before.

"Go! Go!"

Barry, Cadence, and Brady moved in from the doorway all at the same time. Barry wind milled his arms to create a wind vacuum and Cadence sent a wave of ash into the wind, making the room fill up with smoke. Under the cover of the smoke, Brady crouched low and pulled a piece of ammo out from the pocket of his cloak and loaded it into the Shadow Shot. He shot the ammo into the ground and upon connection a high-pitched squeal emanated through the air.

Grodd backed away from the sound, bringing his hands up to his ears. He stumbled, falling to his knees. Caitlin reached up and slapped her hands over her ears, now broken from Grodd's trance. Cisco ran in and grabbed onto Caitlin's wrist. She jerked in surprise, suddenly finding him in front of her as smoke filled the room.

Cisco coughed, bringing a hand up to his mouth. "Come on, we don't have much time!" The two started to leave the room but Grodd immediately moved to block the way. He swung his arm and struck Harry, knocking him against the wall. Caitlin gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. "For real? The medicine should've knocked him out."

"He must've evolved more than we thought," Caitlin said. "He said he wanted to make more sentient gorillas. The amount here must be enough for only one. Maybe two at the most. We have to get out of here." Grodd turned and surged forward, catching Caitlin around the waist and charged his way through the boarded up windows to the street below.

Caitlin screamed as the world whipped around her.

"Caitlin!" Cisco shouted after her.

Barry stopped his movements and raced out of the window and down the side of the building after Grodd. In a series of teleportations, Cadence moved Brady, Cisco, and Harry all out of the bell tower. Cadence carefully placed Harry on a bus bench, noticing the blood that leaked out from the waist of his suit. She moved her hand to heal him but he stopped her. "Go help Caitlin and Barry," he said. Cadence hesitated. "I'll be fine. Just go."

Cadence nodded and she turned back to Cisco and Brady, who were waiting for her and grabbed their wrists, teleporting after Barry, Caitlin, and Grodd. Barry raced around the city with Grodd right behind him. He tried to keep his eyes on Grodd as he went, watching the gorilla run up the sides of buildings and fire escapes as he went. This was the last thing he wanted to have happen again, to have it all happening out in the open, where everyone could watch him.

Barry brought his hand up to his nose, double-checking that he wasn't bleeding again. All of a sudden, flashes of memories filled his head. Images of when he went against Zoom and how easily he had been defeated. Startled, Barry came to a stop and with his momentum, tripped over his feet, falling to the ground. A car horn blared and tires squealed as a car swerved out of the way to keep from hitting him. Barry got back to his feet in time for Grodd to land on the ground behind him and swipe his arm, sending Barry airborne.

He crashed onto the ground, stunned. Grodd walked over and pressed his foot down onto his chest. "Barry!" Caitlin cried.

Flash my enemy, Grodd replied. He lifted his foot and stomped on Barry again. Caitlin pressed her hands down onto the hand wrapped around her waist and her hands and eyes glowed blue. A chill filled the air and ice formed over Grodd's arm. Grodd roared and flung his hand, sending Caitlin flying through the air.

She arched through the air, flailing her arms as the ground came closer to her. Bamf! Cadence teleported into the air and grabbed Caitlin, teleporting back to the ground. Cadence carefully lowered Caitlin down from the bridal style carry in her arms and set her on the ground. Caitlin let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks," she said to Cadence.

"Haven't let anyone hurt you yet, don't think I'd start now," Cadence replied. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, he hasn't hurt me," Caitlin said. "He doesn't see me as his enemy. He keeps using his arms to attack, that's his biggest weakness, but his power is too hard to contain."

"That's why we're going to send him to Harry's Earth," Cadence said.

"What?"

"I'll explain later."

Cadence teleported to the top of a street lamp and used it to jump on top and leapt off. She used the momentum to teleport again and strike Grodd hard in the side of the face with a flaming fist, teleporting again before he could hit her.

Cisco and Brady took the time to grab Barry by the arms and pull him off to the side away from Grodd as Cadence fought him. Once they were in the clear, Cisco reached into his pocket of his leather jacket and tossed the object he pulled out to Brady. Brady caught it in his hand and looked at his curiously.

"A yo-yo?"

"Push the button on the side and throw it towards the streetlight on the other side of the street," Cisco explained.

Brady did as he was told and let out a cry of surprise when the yo-yo flew across the street and wrapped around the street light with the leftover tether attached to his fingertip. "Cool!" Brady ran forward and pulled on the end of the yo-yo string and was lifted off the ground as the yo-yo retracted itself. Using that momentum, Brady swung around Grodd, tying him up in the tether.

Grodd roared, struggling to get out of the coiling tether. Cadence continued to teleport around Grodd, sending blasts of fire into him, all the while moving from his reach. Once Brady finished tying him up, he grabbed Grodd's foot and phased the two into the ground until Grodd was up to his chest. Brady then phased up from the ground and moved far enough away to be safe and started to rapid-fire pelt him with ammo.

Bending back and forth, Grodd managed to work his way out of his constraints. He spun his body halfway to the side then turned back and with a powerful brush of his hand, caught Cadence across the front as she came in for another shot. She flew across the street and Barry zipped over to grab her.

"Perfect timing as usual," She said to him.

"I can't be late all the time," Barry said setting her down.

Cadence shook out her head. "Caitlin's right. His power is all in his hands, so he defends himself the same way. But we keep falling for it. There has to be something else can do to wear him down before sending him to Earth-2 once Cisco gets that speed canon thing going."

Barry glanced at her. "I'm thinking of a lightning bolt."

"You got it."

Barry and Cadence high-fived and Barry took off, starting to run in circles around Grodd. Grodd slammed his fists on the ground, trying to smash Barry as he went by, But he was always a second too slow. As Barry went, electricity trailed off his body, crackling through the air. Faster and faster he went, until the bulbs of the street lights started to flicker until they burst, adding extra electricity to the bolt Barry was creating.

Cadence pressed her palms together as her hands erupted into flames. The fire ball in her hands increased in size until it started to crackle with electricity. Barry came to a stop and flung a lightning bolt towards Grodd, which Cadence added her pyro-electrokinesis into the blast as well. It struck Grodd, blasting him off his feet and into the building behind them. Concrete tumbled to the ground as Grodd worked his way out of the hole he created.

"He's too strong," Cisco said.

"What are we going to do?" Brady asked.

"We have to stop him," Caitlin said.

Cisco threw his hands into the air. "Like we haven't been trying that before. H-hey—where are you going?" Caitlin walked towards Grodd. "Grodd, stop!" She called. Grodd turned her way. "You're hurting my friends!"

Friends, Grodd's enemy.

"They're my friends. They're trying to save me from you. We know what you want, you want a home. You want to be around more gorillas like you, to stop being lonely .And we can get that for you." Grodd watched her carefully. After a second he started to walk towards her. "Please just let us help you. I was always nice to you. I'm your friend. You can trust me."

Grodd trust Caitlin.

Grodd continued to amble towards her. Caitlin looked over at Barry and nodded. He super speeded forward and grabbed Caitlin, pulling her to safety just as Cisco flipped the switch on the speed canon. A breach opened up behind Grodd, starting to suck him in. Grodd cried out in surprise before he was completely pulled into the breach.

Barry came to a stop and set Caitlin on the ground next to their friends. They came together in a group hug. They sent Grodd to safety and the rest of them were safe, too.

Harry winced as Cadence brushed her hand over the wound that sat on the lower side of his stomach. "Ow," he murmured.

"Geez, you're as much of a wimp to pain as my dad," Cadence remarked. She rubbed her hands together to create friction then stuck her palm against his stomach. He flinched away from her, then relaxed after a second, allowing her to heal him. It took a few seconds before there was a red-orange flow that surrounded the gash. When she pulled her hand away it was completely healed.

Caitlin smiled and pressed her hand to Cadence's shoulder. "You're a great assistant, Ms. Nash."

"I don't know if I'm an assistant more than a one-off helper," Cadence said. She smiled warmly at Caitlin. "You can handle all of this on your own, you don't need me around. You don't need any of us around to help you, Cait. You proved that today."

"I don't know about that," Caitlin said modestly.

"No, she's right," Harry agreed. "You were the one who figured out what it was that Grodd truly wanted. And you figured out how to keep him from hurting you." He nodded. "If you ever figure out your powers, you'd be a force to be reckoned with." He glanced at Cadence. "Much like the rest of Team Flash is."

"Then I should be thank you, too," Caitlin said. "For at least trying to distract Grodd."

Harry took in a breath, glancing down at the gauze that Caitlin had wrapped around his ankle and wrist. He may have had his most extensive wound healed, but that didn't mean he was completely wound free. "I guess that means I'm part of Team Flash, too."

"I guess so."

"And that's my cue to leave," Cadence said. She backed out of the medical bay. "Cisco told me he'd run through some of the other gadget ideas he had for Brady so I can approve or disapprove of them. I think I heard something about a Shink Bomb."

"A stink bomb?" Caitlin repeated.

Cadence held up her hand. "No, a shadow, ink bomb. It releases a shadowy vapor in the room along with blowing ink in a ten food radius. I could already see the gleam in Brady's eyes when he heard about it and I think I may be getting a call from the principal soon." She waved to the two before leaving the Cortex.

Caitlin chuckled to herself and turned back to bandaging Harry's wounds. She was just putting her medicals supplies away when she caught sight of Harry's gaze. He looked pensive and almost a little sad, head tilted in the direction that Cadence had just left. Caitlin gently nudged him on the arm. "Hey, are you okay?"

Harry nodded. He turned his head and stared at the ceiling, eyebrows coming together in an almost angry expression. Then he closed his eyes. He shook his head back and forth. "I haven't been completely honest," he said. "With you or with myself. Of why I want to get back to my Earth so badly."

"To stop Zoom," Caitlin said.

Harry shook his head. "Not just to stop Zoom. There's something much more dear to me than needing to stop Zoom." He swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing. "I need to get back to Earth-2; I've been re-creating the technology over there to get back as soon as possible. I need to keep the promise I made to myself. To her."

"Her?"

"My daughter," Harry said. "Jesse."

Caitlin gasped and dropped her hands away from his wound. She looked at Harry for a long moment, the gears spinning in her head. The she understood it. "She's Cadence's doppelganger isn't she?"

Harry's eyes shifted to the side for a moment and looked back at Caitlin.

He nodded.

Barry arrived back at the CCPD, rubbing his neck. "I can't believe we have to go back to work as if nothing happened today," he said. "The rest of the day is going to go by so slowly."

"You're the Fastest Man Alive, Tholly," Cadence reminded him with a roll of her eyes. "How can any day go by slowly?"

"You'd be surprised." Barry looked over as Patty walked their way. "Hey, Patty. Patty!" Barry came to a stop, his eyes widening. "I'm so sorry, I got caught up in a…thing and—"

"Its okay, Barry," Patty said, holding up a hand. "I understand how things around here can be. It's all so hectic and cases seem to come up so quickly." She looked at him curiously then over to Cadence, who was already making her way to her office after waving at the detective, saying something about work she needed to do before Captain Singh got to her. "Like this case we were going over with these weird hairs. The test results came back and, funnily enough, they were from a gorilla."

"A-a gorilla?" Barry repeated. "Wow."

Patty laughed. "I know; I had the same reaction. What would a gorilla want with those kinds of drugs? But then there's this gorilla that was just rampaging around the city and it kind of makes sense." She paused. "Well, not completely, but it makes sense." Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "It's good that the Flash and Flare were there to stop it. They had a new friend with them, too."

"Shadowhunter," Barry said automatically. He cringed, realizing his mistake. "At least, that's what I'm hearing rumors that his name is. Could be something less cool. I don't know who comes up with this stuff." Patty continued to look at him funny. Barry sighed, his shoulders shrugging. "About what we talked about earlier—"

Patty held up a hand. "Barry, it's okay, really." She took in a deep breath, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "I mean, yeah, it sucks. I really do like you, Barry but…if you're happy then that's cool. And you and Cade look really happy." She braved a smile. "My mom and dad always said if you wanted to spend your time with someone, maybe eventually marry them, you want it to be your best friend. And I can honestly say that you and Cade. You bicker like an old married couple sometimes."

"I wouldn't say that," Barry said. Though he knew it to be partially true. "I wasn't lying when I said you're a great girl. You really do deserve the best."

"Yeah," Patty agreed. "I do." She took a step forward and placed a hand on Barry's neck, swooping in to give him a kiss. She smiled at him when it ended. "I'll see you later, Barry."

"Bye." Barry watched her leave, smiling to himself. He walked to Cadence's office. He made a face when she shoved something into her desk drawer as he came in. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she said quickly. She brushed her hair back behind her ear. "What's up?"

Barry continued to look at her suspiciously but said, "You know how you said you knew Patty liked me and that you thought I should go out with her?" He watched as Cadence nodded, suddenly looking worried. "Well, she asked me out today."

Cadence blinked in surprise, then lowered her head. "Oh." She shrugged and made herself busy, walking around the office to clean up. "Well, if you want to go on a date with her that's fine. I already told you that you could."

"Well, we kind of already did. When we were hanging out and having coffee earlier today. It was cool, we talked about some stuff. She asked me out again, but I said 'no'."

"Oh?"

"And she kissed me."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I just…I couldn't lead her on like that. She's great but I don't feel the same way about her."

"Oh."

"The way I feel about you."

"Oh."

Barry laughed. "Can you say anything other than 'oh'?"

Cadence shook her head. "I don't think so. Though, usually, guys don't complain about it." She flashed him a wicked smile and Barry rolled his eyes, becoming flustered. "Thank you for telling me the truth, Tholly. That took a lot of guts and it means a lot to me that you could be honest about it. I hope she wasn't too upset."

"No, actually, she was really supportive." Barry watched as Cadence continued to clean then sped through the office, cleaning everything up for her. He came to a stop, pulling at the collar of his shirt with a smug smile. Cadence looked around the room, rubbing her chin. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing other than you put some of my files in the wrong spot," Cadence said. She waved a hand. "But it's okay. You sure she wasn't upset." Barry confirmed it. "Okay, good. The last thing I want to do is hurt her in any way. It's like you said, she's a good friend. And I don't ever plan on being on the wrong end of her gun. Have you seen her in target practice?"

"Last I checked you were faster than that," Barry said. He looked over Cadence's shoulder. Cadence followed his gaze and the two moved at the same time. Cadence leapt backwards onto her desk, holding her hand over the drawer that Barry leaned forward to try and open. "Come on, what is it?"

"I told you, it's nothing." Cadence laughed as Barry struggled to pull the drawer open.

"If it's nothing you wouldn't be hiding it."

"How do you know it's not your Christmas gift?"

"You're a mom, Cade. You're so organized with everything that you'd have to have everyone's Christmas gifts in here. And I didn't see any of them when putting up your stuff." He backed away from the drawer, holding up his hands. "Fine, I'll just suffer for another month of waiting."

Cadence's eyes gleamed. She jumped off the desk and used her foot to nudge a foot stool out from beneath the desk to in front of him. Then she stepped up onto it so that she was Barry's exact height and looked him in the eye. "No one said you had to suffer," she said, draping her arms around his neck.

Barry caught her hint and wrapped his arms around her waist as they kissed.

In the alley outside the CCPD, Snart looked over at Mick who walked around the corner, looking over his shoulder. Snart uncrossed his legs and pushed himself from the brick wall to ask. "Did you get it?"

Mick nodded, pulling out the side of his jacket to reveal a file folder under his arm, held still by his fingertips at the bottom of his jacket. "I got it."

"Good. Let's go."

A/N: So now we've got an answer to the whole Patty/Barry/Cadence thing. I think it's very much like Barry, honestly. Plus, I was able to get a scene with just Cisco, Cadence, and Caitlin, which I haven't shown since Flash Fire, if I remember correctly. So what do you think of the continued attacks in these chapters? I think it speeds the story up a bit as it goes on.

Plus, some more scenes with Brady fighting along with the others. I hope it wasn't too rushed and you liked my changes with it, especially exploring Caitlin's powers and her mentality with it. Got some more story plots coming up next chapter.

Please remember to review, I'm serious about my writing and my stories, and if you have anything to comment about, anything to mention, or anything to say, I would love to hear it and it motivates me to write more. I respond to every review I get even if it's anonymous.

Review Replies

josephguy217: That always made me laugh on the show and I knew I needed to bring it up again. I'm glad you like their relationship.

Ethan: I mentioned it in this chapter, pretty straightforward so I hope it answers it. Ryder was saying it more jokingly than actually being annoyed by Barry and his powers. Barry's nose bleeds will be explained soon.

jocelynstilinski: Glad you like them! At the moment, I'm planning on the musical episode but I always turn episodes on their ear so it may not be 100% like it.

yummers: Yay, so glad you loved it.

highlander348: Yes, they'll have another race soon. Actually, they'll be fighting again soon, which you can take however way you want.

DarkHelm145: You're right, final scene was joker.

OMG: Yes, it was.

PowerHero432: And you see now that it wasn't her powers that were doing it but Grodd, and that no one knew it was her. But her story isn't done yet. Yes, Cade does have a soft spot for her. More of this will be explained when she finally talks about her past with the AB.

spinquin142: Yeah, Chief Paulson's not going to be too happy after all of this.

babyj: A lot for me to think about, thank you so much.

For those wondering our stories are updated every week (generally the same day) at the least. So this'll be updated again next Wednesday.

Cheers,

-Riles