CHAPTER ELEVEN

MAY 10TH, 2061

CENTRAL CITY

THAWNE RESIDENCE

Eobard opened the door to his room with a tired look on his face. He tossed his bag on the chair and fell onto the bed. It had been three days since he had won his fight against his bullies. And now, it was safe to say that things had gone better for him since then. They didn't trouble him and they didn't make fun of him at all. For Eobard, that was a huge achievement in his book considering how much his bullies had been a thorn at his side for months.

He smiled as he remembered the shocked expressions on the faces of the other students when a footage of what he did to the bullies got released in the school. Everyone had been speechless and amazed on how he had handled them. Giana, a girl that Eobard harboured a secret crush for, told him that she was very impressed at what he had done. She had even asked if they could spend some time together. Eobard had not hesitated and had said yes. He remembered Gana's beautiful smile as she told him that he was a hero to all students and living proof that there was someone there to protect them from the bullies.

A hero.

Just like the Flash, Eobard added mentally.

A smile appeared on his lips as he stared at the ceiling, glad of how he was following in the Flash's footsteps. Becoming a hero for the defenseless ones who needed help and saving them from those who used their superior abilities for their own benefit.

A knock on the door interrupted him from his thoughts and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a blonde-haired woman in her mid-thirties. It was Athena Thawne. His mother.

"How's my baby doing?" she asked as she closed the door behind her.

"Mom, I'm not a baby." Eobard whined. "Hell, I'm going to college after next summer."

Athena smile as she sat on the bed next to him. "Eo, you are my son and that's means you are my baby. My only baby." she told him playfully. Then rubbing her hand on his leg, she asked, "So how's my baby doing?"

Eobard rolled his eyes but still answered her question. "I'm great, mom. Everything is turning out to be perfectly perfect." he said with joy.

Athena looked at her son with an eyebrow raised and a quirky smile on her lips. "Really? What happened that everything has suddenly become perfect? A week ago I thought you said that, 'The whole world is against you.' Oh wait, did you get a date with Giana?" she asked the last part with genuine excitement. She knew of her son's crush on Giana Albert, the mayor's daughter, and how much her son really cared for her.

"You could say so." Eobard told her in a shy tone.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" his mother squealed, clapping her hands in excitement like a girl. She pulled her son up from the bed so that he was facing her. "Tell me everything. Don't leave a single detail out. I'm warning you if you do...well nothing would happen but still, don't leave out a single detail."

Eobard chuckled at his mother's excited attitude and for a moment, felt like a teenage girl or young woman sharing secrets with her best friends. But he brushed off the feelng by telling himself that this was his mother, his best friend and his lab partner, the woman he could share everything with.

So he told her all that had happpened from the moment that he had dealt with the bullies and the events that followed after that to the time that his schoolmates found out and were now looking up to him as their hero. His mother listened with pride as her son narrated the events of the last few days to her. Her son was growing and becoming a hero to others as well. He was becoming a man and a symbol for others. The man she wants him to be. A hero.

"...and Giana told me she wanted to know if we could spend more time together and that she was glad that I was living proof that there are heros who would stand up and protect the good ones from the bad ones." Eobard ended.

His mother stared at her son, pride swelling up from her chest of the person he was turning out to be. She engulfed him into a hug. "Thank you." she said.

"For what mom?" Eobard asked a bit confused.

"For growing into a better man, Eo." she told him. "You are the type of person I have always wanted you to be. Kind and intelligent but using it to stand up when the time is right. For that reason I would like to thank you."

His turned into a smile as he listened to his mother's words. He patted her back in a swell of happiness. "You're welcome mom."

PRESENT DAY

ALLEN RESIDENCE

Caitlin opened her eyes slowly to meet the light rays of the sun as it made its way to the blinds of their bedroom window. She felt an arm around her waist. It was Barry's. His light snoring telling her that he was still asleep. She snuggled closer to him in search for his warmth, making sure that she didn't wake him up. After all that had happened in the past week, Barry deserved some sleep. In fact, she wished that she, Barry and Bart could all go for vacation together.

It had been one week since Barry was fired and so far, she could see that Barry had taken his sack from the CCPD quite comfortably well. He was mostly focused on searching for more evidence to free his father from jail. He was also trying to figure out how Darryl Frye was related to his mother's murder, a theory which he was trying to prove. Barry was so absorbed in trying to find evidence that his father was not guilty that he barely slept. Normally, he didn't work this much but Caitlin figured out that he felt that he was closer than ever in getting the evidence to free his father from jail. And honestly, she had to agree with him. The way Darryl had reacted when Barry had used the mirror device to show him what had happened on that night was enough to justify that he knew something about Nora's murder. And even though Barry might not tell her, Caitlin felt that he wanted to release his dad before Chrismas, hence, the reasoon why he was searching tirelessly.

And then there was Bart. Since that day at Ferris Air Field when he had lost control of his speed, he was more quiet and rarely talked that much. In fact, he didn't even use his speed in their penthouse anymore like he used to. She felt that it was because he was scared of his speed going haywire again and creating destruction. Caitlin still kept on trying to let him talk about it each night before he slept, but he would just close his eyes and try his best to fall asleep. Caitlin would end up soothing him and kissing him on the forehead, telling him that it would be okay and that he would soon get a hang of it.

She sighed and checked her alarm clock.

7:11am.

A week ago if she had seen this, she would immediatelty jump off the bed and hurriedly prepare for work, but ever since Barry had otten fired and Bart had his speed go haywire, she had resolved to have a slow morning to spend some time with her family. They were both going through problems of their own and were both quiet about it. She just hoped that she could get through to them and help them.

Then Caitlin suddenly remembered that Barry had agreed to meet with Cecile so that they could present their case to court and seek for a trial for his father. That meant that she had to wake him up.

She gently nudged the arm that he had wrapped around her. "Barry, wake up." she said softly.

She received no response from him and so she turned around to face him. "Barry, wake up." she said a bit louder this time.

Her efforts were rewarded when Barry opened his eyes and closed them again. "What is it Cait?" he asked in a gruff voice.

And that is when it her hard.

The smell.

His smell.

Morning breath.

Normally, she could withstand his early morning breath, but as for today, it was too much. Too much that she immediately felt nauseous. She immediately got up from the bed and sprinted to the bathroom, waking Barry up fully in the process. She hurriedly got to the toilet and threw up. She continued to throw up when she felt a gentle hand on her back.

"It's alright, Cait. I'm here." It was Barry. Supporting her while she threw up in the toilet. She felt a wave of relief when she felt his presence, but her stomach had other ideas for her as she continued to throw up for the next few minutes until nothing more could get out of her stomach.

"Are you okay? Do we need to get you to a doctor?" Barry asked her worriedly.

"I'm fine." she answered. "There was just this smell and it made me so nauseous. But apart from tat, I'm good." Her hair was now completely out of place as she lay on the tiled floor trying to get some air to breathe.

Noticing that she seemed to be searching for air to breathe, Barry gently helped her off the floor and led her to their bedroom and to their balcony.

"Let's have a seat." he told her as he led her to the chairs they had at the balcony. "You need some fresh air to help reduce the nausea."

Caitlin smiled as Barry helped her sit on a chair. "Thanks, Barry." she genuinely said.

Barry smiled back at her. "You're welcome." he replied. A chilly air suddenly passed by, reminding Barry that winter was almost here. He immediately went into the bedroom and picked up blankets to warm Caitlin. He came back a few seconds later and tucked her into the blankets.

"I hope you know that I have to go to work this morning?" Caitlin told her boyfriend.

Barry nodded his head. "I know that perfectly well." he said, tucking her in. "And that's why I am going to prepare breakfast while you relax."

Caitlin smiled. "Thanks, babe."

"No need to thank me, Cait." he told her. After making sure she was tucked in, he kissed her forehead and headed inside to prepare dinner.

When Barry got to the kitchen, Bart was already there setting things up for breakfast. Barry smiled as he admired his son. He was a natural cook like Barry and most at times, had prepared breakfast when they used to be the only ones together.

He walked up to him and ruffled his hand through his son's hair. "Good morning." he said.

"Morning." Bart responded, not losing focus on his cooking.

"How was your night? Sleep well?"

Bart nodded his head. "Huh-huh."

"That's great." Barry said, looking at the ingredients in front of Bart. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes." Bart answered, his eyes not wavering from the task he had at hand.

Barry nodded his head. "That's great." Barry said. "Looks like you are already a little chef."

"I've always been a little chef, dad. Compared to the other stuff I've cooked, this is nothing. We both know I have made better foods for breakfast."

Barry smiled as he nodded his head. What his son was saying was true. He had prepared tastier and more delicious meals than pancakes. And it made Barry proud, considering the fact that he had been the one to teach his son to cook from the age of five, a feat that he had accomplished with ease.

Then Barry suddenly remembered that Caitlin was at the balcony waiting for her breakfast. He decided that she might need company. And there was no other better companion than Bart.

"I think you might have to let me take over." Barry said.

Bart stopped immediately to look at his father curiously. "Why?"

"Your mom threw up this morning," Barry told his son, "I figured you might want to be with her while I make breakfast."

Bart didn't hesitate and immediately left the kitchen, and headed up the stairs to Barry's bedroom. Barry smiled as he watched his soon leave. To Bart, Caitlin was his mother. He held a bond with her that even Barry himself didn't share with him. He loved her so much that he even he told Caitlin every secret he had. He couldn't even lie to her. And that was why Barry had told him. Because he needed to be with his mother and check on her.

"Barry, Ms Raatko is in the elevator and will be arriving shortly." Gideon said, interrupting Barry from his thoughts.

Barry walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the door. Over the past week, Nyssa usually came over to share breakfast with Barry, Bart and Caitlin. Her reason for doing so was for her to have a closer reltionship with Bart. She intended to help Bart gain control over his speed but she wanted Bart to be a bit more familiar with her before she started.

He opened the door to find Nyssa in black jeans and a blue long sleeved shirt.

"Good morning." Barry greeted, standing aside for her to pass through.

"Morning." Nyssa said, entering into the room. "How's it going?"

"Great." Barry said. "I'm actually preparing breakfast. Cait was nauseous this morning so I thought I could cook breakfast while she relaxed."

Nyssa nodded her head. "Mind if I help?" she asked.

"Sure." Barry said, taking a pan and placing it on the stove. Nyssa could see his chiselled muscles clearly due to him being shirtless in front of her. She didn't know why but it was making her uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time, which was weird considering the number of shirtless men she had seen during her time with the League of Assassins.

"There's something that I have been meaning to ask." Nyssa told him, wanting to distract herself from his body. "Did we know each other in the old timeline?"

A week ago, after Nyssa had brought Bart home after his speed testing, Barry had told Nyssa about life in the other timeline and how Barry knew of the source of Bart's speed. At first, Nyssa thought that Barry was making things up, but as Barry continued to narrate it to her, she started to put in together the pieces of the puzzle and get a clear picture. She now understood why Barry and his team were training, why Oliver had decided to bring together Team Arrow and how he knew some of the events before it had occured. After Barry had told her everything, Nyssa agreed not to tell anybody and also agreed to try her best and not keep secrets from Barry.

"No, we didn't know each other. Well, not personally." Barry said, answering her question.

"What do you mean by 'not personally?'" Nyssa asked, looking at Barry curiously.

Barry broke the eggs into the bowl. "You were more of a friend of Oliver's in the old timeline. I only saw you twice in my whole life back then. The first was at Laurel's funeral and the second was at Oliver's funeral as well."

Nyssa felt a pang of pain in her heart when Barry mentioned that Laurel and Oliver had died. To Nyssa, they were the only friends she had apart from Sara and Barry. She considered the rest to be comrades and fellow soldiers. No wonder Barry told her she didn't have a life because clearly, she didn't.

"So how did you know who I was before I came here?" Nyssa asked, watching Barry cook. She had forgotten that she had told him she would help with the cooking.

"I knew of you because I had heard of you from Oliver, Sara and Diggle." Barry answered, taking the frying pan and placing it on the stove. "But let's not talk about that."

"Why?" Nyssa asked, wondering what his motive was for avoiding the topic.

"Because the only thing I could learn about you from them was a cold, hearted bitch who hated her dad and was the wife of Al-Saheem. But since you came to Central, I got to know who you really are." he said.

"And what's that?"

"A kind, strong-willed woman who has been through a whole lot of pain and wants to redeem herself. And a woman who will do anything to protect and help those who are in need. A woman who has made right choices despite the environment she came from. A woman who will do anything to protect her friends even though she thinks she doesn't have any. A woman who, behind the walls she has raised up, is a good person. A hero. That's who I think you are Nyssa."

Nyssa stared at Barry as he mentioned what he thought of her. She felt a flush from her cheeks and she knew she was blushing. She could feel different waves of emotions overwhelm her. Feelings that she couldn't describe. Feelings that she had been experiencing for the past few weeks whenever Barry told her something he liked about her. A few drops of tears fell onto her cheeks, causing Barry to grin at her playfully.

"Is the almighty Nyssa al Ghul crying?" he said playfully.

"Shut up or else I'll make sure you reak more bones than you can count in our next training session." Nyssa threatened.

Barry smiled as he shaked his head. "I don't think you will do that." he told her.

"Why not?" Nyssa asked curiously.

"Because you like me too much to hurt me." Barry said confidently. Nyssa gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Ow!" Barry yelled playfully.

"That didn't even hurt." Nyssa said.

"I know," Barry told her, "but it's fun when you play along."

Nyssa rolled her eyes at his statement and made Barry chuckle more.

"Come on. I thought you said that you were helping me make breakfast." he told her.

Nyssa shaked her head but went to the sink to wash her hands in order to help him. And for the rest of the time that they spent together cooking, Nyssa kept sending glances at him, inwardly admiring him more and more. And at that moment, she knew that she was slowly falling for Barry Allen, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Meanwhile, Caitlin and Bart were at the balcony cuddled together and staring at the beautiful view of the city. When Bart had arrived from the kitchen to the balcony, Caitlin had opened the blankets and hand gestured for Bart to sit down beside her. Bart had immediately done so without saying a word but that was okay for Caitlin. All that mattered was spending time with her son. Thankfully, the chair was big enough to take two people so they didn't need to squeeze in order to be comfortable.

After what seemed to be about ten minutes, Bart decided to break the comfortable silence between them.

"Dad said that you threw up." he said to his mother.

Caitlin nodded her head. "Yep, I did." she confirmed.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"Don't worry, baby. I'm great." Caitlin said, brushing her fingers through his hair. "I was just a bit nauseous. It's nothing much."

"Really?" Bart asked, placing his right hand on her forehead to gauge her temperature.

"I can assure you, Bart, I am great." Caitlin assured.

"But what made you puke?"

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know. Or maybe, I do but I am not sure if it actually makes sense."

Bart raised his eyebrow. "I don't understand."

Caitlin sighed as she kept brushing her fingers through his hair. "This morning, when I tried to wake your dad up from bed, I was attacked by his morning breath and it caused me to puke." she narrated.

Her narration was met with silence from Bart, before a few seconds later, he burst out laughing. "M m morning breath?" he asked in a hearty laugh.

"Don't make this more funny than it already is." Caitlin said, trying her best to be stern.

But her words did no harm as Bart continued to laugh. "Mor...ning b...b...breath." he manage to say before he burst out laughing.

Caitlin shaked her head but did not utter a word. Instead, she allowed Bart's laughter to ring in her ears melodiously. She had not heard him laugh in the past week and this was the longest conversation she had had with him since that day he had returned from the Ferris Airfield. Hopefully, he didn't go back to being quiet again. She loved it when he was this conversative and chatty.

"I wonder how your friends will react when they find out that you behave like a baby around me." she said coyly.

Bart immediately stopped laughing and looked at her with a bewildered expression on his face. "You wouldn't dare, would you?" he asked.

Caitlin chuckled. "Maybe." she said with a smirk on her face.

"If you do, I'll tell dad about your boyfriend." Bart said jokingly.

"You know I don't have one." Caitlin told him, wondering were he was getting that idea from.

"Oh yeah? You do." Bart said confidently, causing Caitlin to be more confused than ever. "He has blonde hair."

Caitlin creased her forhead thoughtfully. "I don't know who you are talking about." she told him.

"He has blue eyes." Bart continued. "He's awesome, smart and cute. Plus, he's a ladies' man."

Caitlin rubbed her forehead thoughfully as she tried to figure out who it was. She was just about to give up when it suddenly dawned upon her who it was.

She smiled. "Let me guess. Is he young?"

"Very young." Bart confirmed, glad that she was getting the idea of who it was.

"Is he charming?"

"Very charming. More like, the most handsome specimen in the world."

Caitlin giggled at his statement but controlled herself as she played along with him. "Is he smart?"

"Yep."

"And is he short?"

"NO! He is tall. NOT SHORT!" Bart said. He hated being called short.

Caitlin just giggled more. "I wonder what your dad will say when he finds out who my new boyfriend is."

"He will be in shock." Bart said.

"And I wonder how he will behave if he finds out I am eighteen years older than my new boyfriend." Caitlin added.

"Yeah, I wonder." Bart said with a smile.

Caitlin gave a hearty laugh before pulling Bart to her a giving him a big kiss on his cheek.

"Mom!" Bart complained. "That's gross."

"Really?" Cailtlin said, looking at him skeptically.

"Um, you missed a spot." Bart said, gesturing to his other cheek.

Caitlin shaked her head but gave him another kiss on his other cheek. "There."

Bart smiled before lying back on his mother's bossom, continuing to stare at the city. After a few minutes of silence, Bart broke the silence again. "Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie."

"If something ever happens to me or to you, I just want you to know that you are the greatest mom of them all." Bart said.

Caitlin's lips curved into a smile. "Thanks, baby."

"You're welcome, mom." Bart said, snuggling closer to her as they stared at the view of the city. The weather was getting colder and colder by the second, but Bart didn't want it to ruin their moment. So he had an idea.

Focusing on his molecules, he vibrated them to give his mother warmth from the cold weather. Caitlin, who knew what he was doing, didn't say anything but instead, brought him closer to her, snuggling him to her side. Her lips curved to a smile, a feeling seemed to take control of her numerous times this morning; because she was glad she was accomplishing one thing off her list.

Helping her son to open up to her more.

Barry opened the door to the balcony, the tray of food being balanced on his left hand. His face lit into a smile when he found Caitlin and Bart cuddled together and watching the city. It reminded him of how he used to stare at the night sky with his mother when he had been younger. He knew that Bart and Caitlin had a special bond for each other but as he watched them looking at the city, he knew that it was much more stronger than he had imgined.

'Was this the sort of family that he wanted?' he asked himself mentally. 'A family with Caitlin and Bart?'

He made his way to where they were and placed the tray on the table.

"Who's ready for some pancakes, omelette, bacon, eggs and my all time special breakfast recipe?" Barry asked them in an excited tone.

"ME!!!!" Bart yelled. And in a twinkle of an eye, he got up, brought in more chairs and sat on one and started gobbling the food into his mouth hungrily.

"Be careful. It's a bit hot." Barry warned.

But Bart didn't pay attention to him. All that mattered was filling his stomach, and nothing was going to stop him.

Barry took a plate of pancakes and walked to Caitlin. He sat down beside her, his eyes not leaving Bart.

"You know he tends to be an animal when he's hungry." Barry said, taking one of the pancakes and feeding it to Caitlin. "He doesn't even care if the food is hot."

"Yep." Caitlin said after munching her food happily. "He gets that a lot from his dad."

"Really? I know I definitely don't behave like an animal when I'm hungry." Barry said, taking a bite off one of the pancakes.

"I can prove it to you." Caitlin said with a coy expresion on her face. She pressed her body onto him, letting her nipples poke his bare chested skin through the fabrics of her nightie. She placed his hand on the bolder of his sweatpants. "Are you hungry?"

"Very." Barry said, pressing his body to her more. "You up for it?"

Caitlin smiled coyly. "I thought you had to a meeting with Cecile today?"

"I know, but I'm up for a quickie. What do you say?"

Caitlin's lips widened at his words, her body aching with desire for him. "Bart?"

"Yesh, mom?" Bart answered with the food in his mouth.

"Your dad and I have some business to attend to. Could you finish our breakfast for us?" Caitlin asked, taking Barry's hand.

"No problem."

"Also, Nyssa is downstairs. She'll be taking you to school today. Your mom and I have some business that we will like to finish imediately." Barry told him.

"Sure." Bart answered, taking the food and placing it on the tray. He walked over to Caitlin and gave her peck on the cheek. "See you later, mom." he said before walking away.

"See you too." Caitlin replied. "Love you."

"Love you more." Bart answered, walking through the doorway and into the penthouse. The moment he left, Barry and Caitlin ran to the bedroom and locked the doors of their bedroom and the balcony.

"Now let's get this over with." Barry said, carry Caitlin and wrapping her legs around him. "Wanna be the boss?"

Caitlin smiled mischieviously. "Oh yeah." she answered and she smashed her lips against his into a wild, hungry kiss. Barry kissed her back, wild and hungry, and carried her to the bed, their moans filling the room with their hungry love-making.

UNKNOWN LOCATION

James Forrest, Director of the Forensics Division of the CCPD, sat on the couch, waiting nervously for his partner in crime to arrive. He looked around the room skeptcally, taking a mental note at the place. He was not a stranger to this place. This was a place that Darryl laid out his plans to obtain a new trophy.

His stomach twisted into a knot as his mind mentally identified Darryl's term for trophy. He needed to breathe. How had he gotten himself into this? How had he become part of this disgusting act? How would Sheryl, his wife, react when she discovered what her husband was doing?

James stared at the police badge that he held in his hand. His eyes were fixed on the words on the badge. Words that were meant to define who an officer was supposed to be.

Truth. Liberty. Justice.

He sighed heavily as the words kept ringing in his head. He didn't withold any of these qualities anymore. He was someone who represented the opposite of these words.

Lies. No liberty. Injustice.

This is what he was today and there was no use turning back. If he did, Sheryl will no longer see tomorrow again. Jack and Hannah will be in their graves. They will all be gone. Dead. And he will be the one to blame.

He rubbed his hand on his forehead nervously. Why did the world have to be so cruel? Why did it have to be so unfair to him? Each and every day, these questions kept on ringing in his head like a bell. It was getting to a point were James was scared he might not take it anymore. A point were he feared he might have to take away his own life.

But should he do it?

All of a sudden, he felt a chill in his spine, prompting him that someone had entered the room. He didn't have to turn to know who it was. Over the years, the chilly feeling always came back whenever he was around.

Darryl Frye.

"Look who decided to make it early?" Darryl said, a smirk on his face as he placed the papers he was holding on the table. He sat on the couch that was opposite to James's own. "How are doing?"

"Great." James answered. Over the years, he had learnt how to mask his fear of Darryl. He didn't need the man to know that he still held his ability to make Darryl scared. It was one thing that made James feel he had a bit of control over him. But deep down, he knew that Darryl was still the boss of this game and he was just a pawn in Darryl's hands. "So you asked that we meet today. What is it that you want to discuss?"

"Ah, straight to buiness I see." Darryl replied cockily. "Don't worry, everything will be revealed once Floyd arrives. Just have a bit of patience and we will set the ball rolling."

James stared at him with a cold face that masked his inner feelings of dread and fear. If Floyd was coming, then that meant something. There was going to be blood on the job.

Lots and lots of blood.

CC JITTERS

Barry removed the files from his bag and placed them on the table. Cecile, who was also sitting was also sitting with him, picked up one of the files and opened it.

"So these are files that is filled with evidence that my father is not guily but innocent." Barry told her, gesturing to the files he had placed on the table.

"And you had time to document all this stuff." Cecile said, reading the file she was holding. "I'm impressed."

"Don't be Cecile. Honestly, years of writing paperwork for Singh really paid off." he said to her.

"Yeah, Joe told me how accurate he wanted his paperwork to be."

"No detail should be left out." Barry added.

"Yep, and not less than three pages."

"Sometimes, I wonder how cops had to narrate dude who steal ladies' purses and bags." Barry told her.

"Honestly, I don't know." Cecile said, laughing about it.

Barry smiled as he recalled the first paperwork he had done for Singh. "I remember my first paperwork in the force for Singh. There was a robbery at a local store, and I had managed to get the case covered. Singh told me to write about the case and I wrote ten sentences."

Cecile nearly spluttered the coffee over the table but she managed to control herself. "Ten sentences?!" she said, laughing a bit harder. "I can imagine Singh's face when he saw your paperwork."

"Honestly, it's not about the face. It was how he yelled at me in front of almost every officer at the precint." Barry told her.

"Yeesh. That must've been embarrassing, huh?"

"You have no idea." Barry confirmed. "Thankfully, I got help from Joe and some of the other officers. But it still goes down as one of my worst days at the force."

Barry smiled as he remisced all the good times he had spent with the force. "Cecile?"

"Yes, Barry." Cecile responded, her eyes not leaving the documents she was reading.

"Do you think I'll ever make it back to the force?" Barry asked her. It was a question that had been bothering for some time now. "It's just been a week ever since I left the force and I miss being a CSI already. Yesterday I woke up thinking I was atee for work but Caitlin had to remind me that I have been fired."

Cecile listened to Barry attentively as she set the files aside. She inhaled deeply, thinking of what to say to make him feel better. "Barry, I am going to be honest with you. I don't know if you'll ever make it back to the force, which I pray you would, all I can tell you is that right now is that you need to focus on getting your dad out of jail. Maybe you'll make it back, maybe you wouldn't. But will it matter if your father is still in prison for a crime he didn't commit?"

Barry shaked his head. "No. It wouldn't matter."

"Exactly. I know how much you want your dad to be free before Christmas which is when?"

"Next week."

"Exactly. Chrismas is just a week away. Already, we have enough evidence to give us a boost ahead to get him out of prison. If all goes well, we'll be having a welcome party for your father next week. So all I wamt you to do is forget about your role as a CSI for now. The moment your dad is out pf prison, it wouldn't be neccessary. Okay?"

Barry nodded his head. "Okay." Barry responded. "Thanks, Cecile."

"You're welcome, Barry."

UNKNOWN LOCATION

"I hope you have a good reason for bringing me here all the way from Poland." Floyd said as he walked into the living room.

Darryl got up from his seat, a cunning smile on his face. "Floyd my man!" Darryl exclaimed. He opened his arms wide to give the other man a hug, but he was stopped by Floyd's right hand.

"I'm not in the mood for reunions, Darryl. I'm only here to do my job." Floyd said with a cold expression on his face.

"Oh come on now, Floyd. Is that how you talk to your big brother?" Darryl said with a smirk.

"Quit the pleasantries, Darryl." Floyd said coldly. "I have to get my target in the next few days before I go to Malta. Do you mind quitting the dilly dallies and go straight to the point?"

"Always ready to begin work. I like that attitude. It's one quality I love to see in my partners and employees. It means that the job is gonna be quick, smooth and most of all, done perfectly."

He took a bottle of scotch and poured it into the glasses. Sitting on the couch, he took one of the glasses and gestured for James and Floyd to take one each. James complied and took one, with the intention of drinking it to settle his nerves. Floyd on the other hand, sat down on another couch, his legs wide apart, and waiting impatiently for Darryl to begin the meeting.

Darryl took a sip of his scotch before setting his glass on the table. "I want to thank both of you for coming today on such a short notice. I apologise for not giving both of you the heads up three weeks earlier as it is our custom. My reason for doing so is because we have an emergency in our hands." He took out a photograph from his file and tossed it on the table. "Barry Allen."

James immediately choked on the scotch that he was drinking. "Excuse me, Darryl. Are you talking of Barry Allen in the CCPD?"

"No, not that one dumbhead because he got fired last week." Darryl said sarcastically. "Are you blind or what? Can't you see his face on the picture?"

James took a look at the photograph on the table. Sure enough, it was Barry Allen, and James could feel anxiety washing over him.

"Darryl he's just a kid." James said, trying to convince Darryl to change his mind.

"He's 29. The way I see it, he's an adult."

"He has a kid."

"So? You didn't give a shit about that when you fucked his mother." Darryl replied coldly.

James hand suddenly started to shake as memories of Nora Allen flashed in his mind. Why did Darryl have to bring this up at this very moment?

"Seems like I cut a knife right there, James." Darryl said in a dramatic tone. "If you want to talk about morals don't forget all that we have been doing in the last eighteen year. I wonder how Sheryl will react when she finds out all that her beloved husband has been doing all these years behind the scenes. The women, the blood, the crimes and so much more. How do you thin she will feel? And what about your kids, Jack and Hannah and the teeny, weeny baby in Sheryl's belly? How do you think they will feel when they find out that their father, their hero, is nothing but a fraud. A murderer. A rapist. How do you think they will feel?"

James stared at the floor silently as Darryl's words kept ringing in his mind. How would his family react when they found out what he has secretly been doing all these years? How would they react when they find out he was not the hero that they pictured him to be?

"Are you guys done? I have a lot of things to do and I don't want to waste my time watching some fucked up shit of drama." Floyd said, checking his watch with an annoyed expression on his face.

"I can assure you we'll have nothing like that again. Isn't that right, James?" Darryl said, coldly.

James nodded his slowly. "Yes, Darryl." he said barely above a whisper.

"Good." Darryl said with a smile. He turned to face Floyd and handed him the file he was holding. "Your job is to get rid of them, especially the Allen kid."

"I thought you said he was an adult." Floyd said, opening the file and taking out the pictures from it.

"That's what I said and that's who he is." Darryl clarified. "The kid and his friend made some tech that could retrieve information from the past using a mirror."

Floyd creased his forehead. "I don't get it." he said, a bit confused.

"You don't need to get it. All that matters is that the kid has found a way that could end our moments of happiness away from jail." Darryl said with a serious expression on his face. "If we keep him hangin' for a moment longer, he'll put two and two together and discover our... rituals."

Floyd nodded his head slowly as he listened to the Darryl. "I see. And what does this have to do with the others?" he asked, referring to the other people in the photographs. They were pictures of all those who had been present during the day that Barry presented the mirror device to justify his father's innocence.

"Oh, they are those who were present when Allen brought up his fucking mirror device. If Allen is to die, they will easily put two and two together and know that I was involved and I don't want that kind of attention on me. Therefore, they too have to go." Darryl explained before taking a sip of his scotch.

"I see." Floyd said taking a look at their photographs one by one. He was just about to put them down when he suddenly noticed the picture of a brunette haired woman holding hands with Barry Allen. It was then that he remembered seeing the woman in one of the other photos and he scanned through them and identified the one he was looking for. It was the same brunette woman but this time, she was in the park reading a book. There was a dry stain on the photograph and when Floyd looked at it more closely, he nearly puked when he realised what it was.

"Oh, fuck!" yelled Floyd, throwing away the photograph. "For fuck's sake man. Why did you have to put your fucking dick on the photo, man? Couldn't you have put it anywhere else?!"

Darryl creased his forehead in confusion and picked the photograph from the floor. A smile popped from his face when he realised what it was.

"Sorry about it man. Seems like I forgot to keep it inside my wallet." he said, folding the photograph neatly and putting it in his wallet.

"Isn't that Allen's girlfriend?"

"Oui, monsieur. That she is." Darryl answered, drinking the last of his scotch. "She is my problem to deal with. Not yours. And you know how I deal with my problems?"

"Fucking rape them and then kill them." Floyd answered in disgust.

"Exactement, Floyd. And don't talk about it as if you haven't done the same. Hell, even James here has done the same."

"And we both regret doing so. If we had the chance, we would have made sure we didn't do it." Floyd said angrily.

Darryl could only chuckle at Floyd's response. "Very funny, Floyd." he said, before getting up from the couch. "Anyway, that's all for now. I'll deal with Dr Snow while both of you handle the others."

"What do you mean by both of us?" James asked in confusion and dread.

"Killing them one by one is going to raise a whole lot of suspicions on me given the fact they all know how it ended last week." Darryl explained as he put on his coat. "So what we are going to do is that you are going to make sure that they are all at the same place at the same time for Floyd to deal with them."

"How I'm I going to that?" James asked, more confused than before.

"I don't know. That's up to you." Darryl said, before making his way out of the room.

"And when do you expect me to get the job done?" Floyd asked, putting the photos into the file.

"I want it to be done by the end of the day. The more space we give them, the more risk we give to ourselves." Darryl answered. A few seconds later, there was the sound of the door being shut leaving Floyd and James alone in silence.

"You ready?" Floyd asked James after a few minutes of deafening silence.

"Let me get my stuff and then we're ready to go." James said before drinking the rest of his scotch and leaving the room to collect his stuff. Floyd felt a buzz in his pocket and took out his phone. Darryl had left him a message and after reading it a few times over, he looked at James sadly.

Once you're done with the job, take care of James. It is time he met with his ancestors.

And at that moment, Floyd knew that once he was done with this job, he needed to end things with Darryl. Or else he will be meeting the same fate that James would soon be facing.

CENTRAL CITY COURTHOUSE

Barry fidgeted his fingers nervously as he waited for Cecile to present his father's case to be brought up in court. They had sorted out how they will present the case to court but they first needed to sign up for the trial.

Barry had asked Cecile if she could slot the case for it to be presented to court tomorrow and her reply was that she would do her best. But Barry didn't want it to be her best. He wanted it to happen. In fact, he wanted the trial to happen today but he knew it wasn't possible. He needed to be patient.

Patience.

It was a quality that had been a problem for him as far as he could remember. It went as far as the old timeline and stretched even into the new one. This was because as a speedster, time slowed down for him. And when he was anxioulsy waiting for something, time also used that moment to fuck with him and his powers.

But then despite this being a challenge, Barry had resolved in the course of the last two weeks to master patience and withold it. The reason was because Barry had been monitoring how Thawne behaved in order to determine how to fight him and Barry noticed that patience was something that Thawne had complete control over.

Patience had given Thawne the chance to plan well and wait for years to be able to create the particle accelerator, deal with the Legends, attack Barry and the other heres during his wedding with Iris and when he was planning his escape in the future. And it was an impressive feat to Barry because speedsters usually didn't have patience due to the enlongated period of time they experienced.

The sound of the door opening interrupted him from his thoughts and Cecile came out with a smile on her face.

"Tomorrow at 10 your dad is going to be in court to prove his innocence." she told him gleefully.

Barry lips curved into a smile. "Thanks, Cecile." he said, giving her a bone crushing, hug. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"Honestly, Barry, you could've done it without me." Cecile told him with a smile.

"Still, thanks a lot for helping me." Barry said sincerely.

"You're welcome, Barry." Cecile said. "Now, let's go and tell your dad that his days in jail are numbered."

Barry smiled, unable to hide the excitement and glee inside him. He was really going to get his father out of jail. He was going to do it without the need for a confession from Thawne. Everything will be alright soon. He just needed to be a bit more patient.

CENTRAL CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL

Bart stared outside the window absentmindedly. Today was exactly one week since the day at the Ferris Airfield. Around this time, he, Lita and Garfield had been waiting patiently for their names to be called for the "science competition." They had been so eager to witness Bart's speed and when they witnessed it, it was chaos.

He closed his eyes, trying to forget what had happened that day but he could not forget. It was impossible. Instead, images of every single time he had hurt someone were attacking him mentally. He tried to shove the images away but it didn't work. Instead, they kept on repeating themselves over and over again in his mind.

He remebered how he had injured Lita's hand the first time they discovered his powers. He remembered the damage he caused at the Ferris Airfield. The van that had exploded, his friends getting injured, everything he passed by getting destroyed...each and every single image was repeating itself over and over again and each time, they were escorted with words that kept ringing in his head.

You are a monster.

Monster.

The one thing he had vowed not to become was the thing he was turning into. The person that he had swore to Bruce not to become was the person he was becoming.

A monster.

Then the images kept replaying faster and faster in his mind. So fast that Bart had closed his eyes so tight to reduce the pain he was feeling in his mind. It was unbearable. He couldn't stand it. He was going insane. The images were now pounding his brain over and over again. He couldn't take it any longer. He fell off his chair and onto the ground, then pounded his head on the floor for the images to go away.

"Bart, are you okay?" a voice asked worriedly. He couldn't see who it was but he could tell that it was his teacher, Ms Hayford, who was anxiously enquiring what was happening to her student. He could feel the other students crowding over him and it started to make him feel very uncomfortable. But that feeling was only temporal because the pain in his mind shot up again, this time pounding him with much force that he thought his mind was going to explode.

"BART WHAT'S GOING ON?!" a voice yelled. He didn't know who it was but this time, the voice was putting more damage to his mind.

He couldn't stand it.

The pain.

It was too much.

He pounded his head harder on the floor for the pain to go, but it rather made things worse for him. His eyes suddenly turned bloodshot and he was shaking uncontrollably. He could feel the lights of the classroom going on and off.

"What on earth is going on?!" someone demanded.

But this time he couldn't tell who it was. All he could feel was people staring at him and he didn't know why he could feel people starin at him when he was supposed to see them staring at him.

Then he felt a touch on his shoulders. And he felt a swirling feeling inside him, wanting him to let go. Demanding that he should let go. But he didn't want to do it. He didn't want to let go. If he let go he knew what could happen. Or worse, what would happen.

"What's going on?" "Is he okay?" "What happened to him?" "Is he going to die?"

He could hear the voices of people all around him very loud in his ears. So loud that it was as if they were yelling instead of whispering?

"Bart. Are you okay?" a voice asked him worriedly.

His eyes managed to catch a glimpse of who it was. It was Nyssa. His father's friend and his gym teacher. But what was she doing here? Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head and the world turned black.

STAR LABS

Caitlin opened the door out of the labs and hurriedly made her way to the car park. She had just received a message from Nyssa that Bart had fainted in school after having what seemed to be a headache. According to Nyssa, the lights in the school had gone haywire which had caused bulbs to explode. This had happened at the exact same moment that Bart's headache had occured, meaning that it was as a result of his powers.

Caitlin said a silent prayer hoping that her son was okay. She took out her car keys from her bag and opened the door to her car. Suddenly, she felt something heavy hit the back of her head, causing her to fall down to the ground. And just as the world was turning black, she sawa looming figure over her. But just before she could see who it was, the world became black.

Hi guys. Sorry for the long delay in update. The next chapter will be coming out in a few days and we'll get to see our long awaited Barbar Gordon and Bart's first fight with our new villain, Darryl Frye.

Next chapter will also tell us how Floyd and Darryl came to know each other and Darryl's link with Nora Allen's murder.

Barry will also take on Floyd without his speed. Meaning we get to see Barry do some martial arts at last.

I also want to know your opinion on Nyssa's crush with Barry and if I am doing a good job with Barry and Caitlin's chemistry.

Also, happy independence day.

See you soon :)