A few days later, Laura and Barry were still recovering from their fight with John Dawson. What remained in their system of his venom had left them both weak, her more so than Barry, and while the rest of their team had been eager to learn of its lasting side effects, the two of them were just happy to still be alive. Of course, Caitlin had once again found an opportunity to lecture them in their defeat, which made the days of recovery at S.T.A.R. Labs just a bit more unbearable than they could have been.
Despite nearly dying, however, Laura was overall feeling pretty good about herself. Not only had she helped close a case for the CCPD while she was healing, but she was starting to get a lot better at using her powers. If she concentrated hard enough, she found that she could manipulate the cold to form solid shapes, but the only thing she had managed was a lump the size of her fist resembled a two-year old's attempt at a snowman. Still, it was nice to have something to do on besides mourning the loss of her old life - or fretting over the fact that John Dawson was still out in Central City. He hadn't shown his face since their encounter, but with powers like those and a desire for revenge that strong, something was bound to happen soon. Hopefully, they would be prepared when he did.
"Hey, Laura?"
"Yeah?"
"Cisco just texted me and asked if he should buy an ice cream machine for the lab."
"Why…no. No. I've told that boy a thousand times, I am not becoming his personal snow cone machine."
"To be fair, he did say ice cream, not snow cone."
"Pick a side, Barry."
"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Hey, you said you wanted noodles for lunch, right?" When she nodded, Barry sped away in a bolt of yellow lightning, sending papers flying everywhere.
If he kept this up, they'd need to start putting paperweights all over the lab.
To be honest, Laura was starting to enjoy her new life. The job with the CCPD was paying off, even though she hadn't yet been out in the field, but she was becoming attached to her little corner of the lab. Hanging around with Cisco, Caitlin and Barry had also opened her up a bit more, to her pleasant surprise; she was trading Cisco's sarcasm with a wit that occasionally left him fumbling for a retort, and talking to Caitlin about the tests they were still doing on her was starting to get her closer to her withdrawn teammate. For the first time in her life, Laura could confidently say that she was making friends, and that she was starting to like it.
On another note, Frostbite was starting to gain popularity in Central City. Iris, apparently, was quite the avid blogger about metahumans and the like, and her alter ego had made its way on the pages of her blog a few times, though not as much as the Flash did. Cisco's name for her had stuck, though most of the major news companies were just calling her 'that weird ice chick who hangs out with the Flash' and focusing more on her partner than anything else. In any case, it was nice to get some recognition, even if some of it was divided and clearly biased.
Almost half an hour after he'd left, a gust of wind alerted Laura to Barry's arrival, and she shook her head in exasperation when she saw just how much food he had in his arms as he stepped through the doorway. Her own lunch was just barely visible underneath the horde of Big Belly Burger bags that he set down on his desk, but he eventually managed to dig out the steaming takeaway container from the Chinese restaurant down the street and pass it over to her. "I know that it's not technically your fault you have the fastest metabolism in the world, but I cannot stop hating you right now."
"What can I say? It's a gift." Barry smirked at her as he began to eat, the smug look on his face giving her the urge to at least flick him in the forehead, but Laura was interrupted in her endeavours by the elevator door opening. On instinct, both of them looked up to see who was coming, and Laura was pleasantly, if not at all, surprised to see Iris walk in. She hadn't seen the other woman much since their last encounter, since most of her social calls to the CPPD were to either see Barry, her father, or Eddie. Still, she gave the other woman a quick smile, which was returned, before her growling stomach reminded her of the food sitting before her.
"Hey, Barry, Laura. I just came by to say hi to Eddie, but Dad said you guys would up here, so I thought I'd drop by."
"Thanks, Iris. Hey, by the way, I saw your new post the other day."
"The one about the new metahuman? John Dawson, right? To be honest with you, I'm actually a bit surprised the Flash hasn't caught him yet."
Laura and Barry shared a quick, furtive look as Iris idly looked around the lab. From what he'd told her, despite Joe being in the know about their abilities and alter egos, it was important to keep Iris as in the dark about that part of their lives as possible. She wasn't sure she agreed with them on that part, but it was their secret to tell, not hers. Luckily, Iris didn't seem to have noticed their silent exchange, and Laura leant back into her chair when she turned around, allowing herself a moment's respite as Barry cleared his throat. "I mean, the guy killed someone, Iris. He's not going to be that easy to find." Iris just shook her head, smirking at Barry as if he were naïve enough to doubt, well, himself.
"The Flash is going to find him, just you wait. Oh, Barry, that reminds me, you're way overdue for family dinner this month. Dad says either you're coming tonight or you're working overtime for a month."
"So, I'll be there at 7?"
"Yup. Hey, Laura, you know, if you want to come, I'm sure Dad will be happy to have you."
Laura, who had just started to tune out the conversation, looked up suddenly at the mention of her name, her mind racing to try and find out what she had just missed. However, when nothing came to mind, Laura convinced herself that her best option was to agree with the last thing Iris had said. Iris seemed to light up as she nodded, and Laura prayed to whatever deity existed out there that she had not made a big mistake.
"That's great! I'll tell Dad to set an extra place. See you guys tonight!"
And as Iris departed, Laura was left sitting there in shock, completely unsure of what she had just gotten herself into.
"What...what did I just agree to?"
"Well, you just agreed to have dinner with our boss, who's also sort of my dad, his daughter, and her boyfriend. And me."
Well, crap.
Twenty minutes to seven, Laura was starting to wonder if a glass or two of the fine white wine she kept in her kitchen would help stop her hands from shaking. Probably not, but it would most likely make put her mind at ease somewhat. Still, she decided against having a drink, and simply tried her best to not freeze every surface she touched as she waited for Barry to arrive at her apartment. Since getting home from work, she had spent at least an hour desperately thinking up a way to simply erase that fateful nod, but she was the one who had gotten herself into the mess in the first place. There was no backing out of this, so her only option was to go ahead and make the best of the situation.
In any case, it was going to be one hell of an interesting night.
When Barry finally knocked on her door, Laura was seriously considering knocking back just even one glass of wine to steady her nerves. The black pants and the simple blue blouse were reasonably appropriate for a dinner with the detective and his family, but she couldn't stop herself from checking herself in the mirror a few times and downing a few glasses of ice water every two minutes. "Can we go now? I think I'm going to pass out." Barry immediately looked concerned, before he realized that what she was feeling was mostly nerves.
"Hey, listen. Joe likes the fact that you're always on time and Iris thinks you're great. You've met Eddie. You're friends with me. It's going to be fine. Just don't, you know, freeze whatever you're holding."
"Hey, listen. Joe likes you, mainly because you're always on time, and Iris thinks you're great. Plus, you've already met Eddie. It's going to be fine, as long as you don't, you know, freeze whatever you're holding."
That was obviously going to be a problem, considering that there was a large patch of frost forming on her purse where she was gripping it tightly, as well as on the bottle of wine she'd picked up for the Wests on the way home. "I really should have been paying more attention."
"No kidding. Come on." Barry grinned, trying and failing horrendously to hide his amusement with her distress, and Laura grabbed on to him, the world blurring the second after she closed her door. Seconds later, both she and Barry arrived at a small, two-story bungalow in the suburbs of the city, painted forest green and white. As she tried to get her hair back under control and check if anything had caught fire, Laura caught a wistful look in Barry's eyes that spoke of a happy childhood with the West family, a bright smile accompanying it. From what he'd told her, Joe had been taking care of him since the day his mother had died. He was practically part of their family.
"Laura, Barry, right on time. Dad's just getting the roast out of the oven." Iris greeted them at the door seconds after they knocked, graciously accepting the wine, and Laura followed Barry inside with a smile to Iris, her senses instantly filling with the smell of the roast Iris mentioned. The Wests' home was small, but there was a cozy feeling that struck Laura with a sense of love - of family. As Barry went to join Joe and Iris in the kitchen, Laura made her way into the dining room, where Eddie was idling with a beer, apparently engrossed in a picture sitting on the sideboard, containing a younger Joe and two kids that had to be Barry and Iris. She allowed herself a smile at the wide grin on her partner's younger face before turning to the detective. "Detective Thawne?"
She must have startled him, because he jumped nearly three feet in the air when she spoke, but once he calmed down enough to recognize her, Laura saw the detective visibly relax.
"Sorry, Sanders. I was just - I wasn't paying attention."
"Don't worry about it. I guess I should learn to be a bit louder."
"It's fine, really."
They lapsed into awkward silence for several seconds.
"So, how are you things with you and Iris?"
"Pretty good, actualy. How are you fitting in at the CCPD?"
"As well as can be expected, I guess. By the way, I've been meaning to ask; have you and Detective West managed to catch those bank robbers yet?" Laura could distinctly remember the detective had seemed particularly eager to have the forensic analysis done as quickly as possible, so it seemed only logical to ask.
"No, not yet. Joe thinks that it might be some new metahuman, but to be honest, my money's on Snart."
Laura's heart stuttered painfully in her chest. She wondered, stupidly, if she'd heard him wrong.
"Sn - sorry, did you say Snart?"
"Yeah, Leonard Snart. Have you not heard of him?"
Laura didn't know when she'd stopped breathing. All she knew was that she'd heard Eddie say the name of one of three people she'd hoped she'd never see again, and then the world had gone silent. She wasn't even aware that Eddie was still talking. Only when Joe entered the room, Barry and Iris on his heels, did Laura finally find her way back to reality enough to muster a wan smile, and she was grateful that no one took notice. However, even as she sat down at the table, Laura still found herself painfully numb, unable to do anything but run over the seven words she was quickly starting to dread in her mind.
Leonard Snart was back in Central City.
"Detective West?"
"Oh, Laura; what can I do for you?"
Laura still wasn't quite completely over her shock about what Eddie had told her, but once dinner was done and the table was cleared, she'd made her way into the kitchen, where Joe was just staring to clean the dishes. Barry had joined Iris and Eddie in the living room, where they were talking over some cold beers, although with Barry it was just for show, since apparently any alcohol he consumed had no effect on him whatsoever. She was fairly certain that they wouldn't come looking for her if she stepped away for a while, which gave her just enough time to talk to Joe in private.
"Did - did you get a chance to read my files?"
Before Joe's eyes even met hers, Laura already knew the answer. Without saying another word to each other, they quietly slipped out into the backyard through the back door, where the lights in the garden made the entire space glow warmly in the dark. Still, Laura couldn't bring herself to enjoy the sight, knowing the conversation that was about to cime.
"Yeah, I did...you should know that Leonard Snart's back in town." Relief and shock flooded Laura so quickly she was surprised she didn't collapse on the spot, but as the sensations faded, she supposed it made sense. If Joe was going to fire her, he would have said something earlier, something she had been dreading since the moment he'd walked into S.T.A.R. Labs. Still, it looked like there was more the detective wanted to say.
"I know, Eddie told me. It's just…"
"Yes?"
"I'd like to take a look at his files. His records. Anything the CCPD has on him."
"That's going to take some time. And I'm going to need to pull some strings. I'm honestly not sure that I'll be able to get you everything."
"It doesn't have to be much. I just want the basics."
"I might have something up in my study. And, by the way, you don't need to worry. I haven't told Barry or the others about it. You tell them whenever you're ready."
If she would ever be ready.
"Thank you."
"Listen, Laura…I'm sorry about what happened. With your mother and all."
"It's - it's fine, Detective. It was a long time ago."
"Still, it can't have been easy for you. And please, call me Joe."
"…is there anyone else who knows?"
"Just me and the higher ups. I left the information with Captain Singh in case he wanted a look, but he said as long as you get the job done right, he won't ask any question unless absolutely necessary."
"Thank you, Det-Joe. I really mean it."
"No problem."
"…can I help you with the dishes?"
"Oh, definitely."
Laura huffed out a sigh of exasperation as she tossed the file Joe had slipped her before she'd left on to the coffee table. Even with a few glasses of wine in her system and relatively calm music playing throughout the apartment as she curled up on her couch, sleep still evaded her as the nausea that had set in at the Wests' house tore her stomach apart. Nor could she stop the frost from forming on the glass where her fingers clenched around it.
Leonard Snart had come back to Central City. He was probably still in the city at this very moment. That was definitely not good. The last time she'd seen him - the last time she'd seen them - well, she didn't have the strength to think about it. With the alcohol having torn down the defenses she'd long ago built up in her mind, images of that fateful day flashed through her mind: pain - sorrow - anger. It was always the same, no matter how many times or how many ways she looked back on it. There were very few good memories from that part of her life, so few that she could hardly tell the difference between good and downright miserable. The one thing those memories all shared was pain.
And now that Snart was back, things were going to get ugly. He was a wanted criminal in almost every state in the country, having made a name for himself as a world-class thief, and she was connected to him, if one had the patience and the time to find out exactly how. If Barry or the others found out, well, she couldn't even begin to fathom how they would feel about it. Part of her wanted to be positive about that hypothetical, but something told her that if - if - they found out, nothing would ever be the same between them again. With a heavy sigh, Laura put down her glass and started to clean up, but hours later, even as she laid in her bed, struggling to fall asleep, one thought continued to consume her mind entirely.
He was going to destroy everything.
Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I can't believe I've already gotten to Chapter 10, so I hope you guys enjoy it!
