Laura was bored.
Well, bored was a bit of an understatement.
Laura was restless.
The past week had been rather productive in terms of her day job. All pending case files and paperwork for the week were done, which had earned her wishes of a well weekend from Joe and Eddie. The two detectives had been swamped for weeks, and the relief was evident on their faces when she dropped off her work on her way out. Her night job was also doing well – Barry took every call Cisco and Caitlin threw at them during the day, making sure that at least one of them stayed at the lab, and they worked together at night, coordinating through the coms. However, tonight, Barry was on a date with someone named Linda Park, a reporter for Central City Picture News, and Laura would have been lying if she said she didn't enjoy the blush that spread across his face when Cisco teased him. However, while Laura knew that it would only be a matter of time before she would be back to the grind again, she'd been rather relieved to have some time off.
Unfortunately, that feeling had only lasted about two hours.
"Hey there, handsome."
The man in the ski mask whipped around in the darkened front of the store, jumping at least three feet into the air when he saw Laura. He'd been heading towards the back when she'd walked in from the door he'd left open, and to say that he was surprised to see her was an understatement. He raised the gun in his right hand, but his hands shook so hard that Laura easily grabbed it out of his hand, disarming it just as her instructor at the precinct had taught her. The magazine fell out of the gun and hit the ground the moment she pressed the release, making a clattering noise that seemed deafening in the empty building, and for several long moments, the two of them just stared at each other in the darkness.
"You're under arrest?" Laura offered with a shrug, and before she could even blink, the man had barrelled past her and was out the back door.
"Oh, for Pete's sake. Why do they always run?" She muttered under her breath before turning on her heel to take off after him. Training both at S.T.A.R. Labs and at the precinct had proved useful in building up her endurance, and Laura was only mildly surprised to find that she had little trouble keeping up with the robber. Still, fear was a powerful determinant, and frustratingly, the man managed to stay one step ahead of her the entire time as she chased him through alley after alley. However, when both her lungs and her legs started to burn, Laura stopped, letting the man run forward for a few counts before she aimed a quick shot of cold right at the middle of his back. He went down like a rock the moment it hit him, unconscious before he even hit the ground.
Looked like the target practice was paying off nicely as well.
By the time she dragged the robber back to the bank and iced him safely to the wall, Laura was ready to call it a night. She briefly considered spending the night to herself, curled up on her couch with a bowl of popcorn and a movie, but she knew full well that Caitlin and Cisco would probably break down her door and drag her out if she did that. She'd never been the most sociable person, though she was grateful for friends that tolerated a minimal degree of introversion. However, just as Laura stepped out into the alley behind the store, the familiar sound of a police siren caught her attention.
"Cisco? Should I be worried?"
"Hold on…ah, man."
"What is it?"
"Looks like the alarms at Concordance Research went off – again. I swear, if they would just let me take a look at their system-"
"Cisco, I'm fairly certain that the last time you 'looked' at Concordance's security system you nearly set the director's hair on fire and flooded his office. And that was before you managed to shut off all the power in the building for a whole week."
"Wh-how did you find out about that?"
"Please – by the time you got back, everyone knew about it, and then they kept talking about it for another three weeks. There was no way I could have not heard about it. Anyways, forget about it. How do you feel about breaking out the projector tonight when I get back?"
"Interesting…caramel on the popcorn and Empire Strikes Back?"
"Caramel on the popcorn but we're watching A New Hope – you know you always get excited after watching the Cloud City duel."
"Deal. I'll let Barry know you need a pick up."
She could practically hear him smiling all the way back.
"Looks like your date went well."
Barry's head shot up as Laura spoke, and she chuckled at the utter shock that fell over his face. It had become a regular occurrence that on their days off, either one or both of them would meet Cisco and Caitlin at Jitters before heading off to their second 'job'. From the moment she'd stepped inside, however, her partner had been staring off into the distance with a blissful look on his face. He hadn't even noticed when a whole minute had passed of her simply standing there and watching him, the grin on her face growing with every passing second. When he finally recovered from the sudden shock, Laura could have sworn that her fellow lab tech looked sheepish.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Hey, I may not go on many dates, but that doesn't mean I don't know what it looks like when one goes well."
The smile that replaced the grimace on Barry's face was almost worth the minute she had spent standing in front of him. Just as the morning rush started to pick up, the rest of their small team entered the building. Caitlin looked pleasantly rested, just as Laura suspected she would be, though the tired rings underneath Cisco's eyes weren't exactly a surprise. As she followed Caitlin and Barry up to the second level of the café, Laura took a second to glance back at Cisco, grinning at him knowingly from a step above.
"You watched the entire series after we left, didn't you?"
"I couldn't help it!" Cisco replied with a mock scowl, and Laura rolled her eyes as she continued up the stairs. She was starting to regret choosing A New Hope for the movie last night; she should have known that any Star Wars movie would have gotten him riled up. Though there was no particular series in the movie collection at S.T.A.R. that Cisco didn't get excited over.
As the four of them found seats at an empty table upstairs, the topic of conversation switched to Barry's date. Cisco and Caitlin did their best to get their point as plainly across as they could, which was almost worth the way that Barry's face went redder than his suit when Cisco started listing everything he would have to do to 'cool down'.
"Guys, come on – it's just a second date!"
"Second date? With who?"
The way Barry's head shot up when he heard Iris almost gave Laura whiplash, and she snuck a knowing glance at Cisco before turning her attention back to the pair.
"Uh, Linda. Linda Park, the sports reporter."
Laura could have cut the tension in between Iris and Barry with a knife, and as Iris awkwardly congratulated Barry on his date with Linda, Laura felt like that would have been the best option. Luckily, for the rest of them, the moment passed as quickly as it had arrived. However, when the conversation finally hit a lull, Cisco's phone rang sharply, and as he turned away to answer the call, Laura turned her attention back to Barry and Iris. She couldn't quite place what silent conversation was going on between them, and even as Barry turned to sneak a glance at Cisco, Iris' gaze still lingered on Barry's back.
"Hey, sorry, but I gotta help out a friend." Laura and Barry shared a glance as Cisco suddenly stood up, pushing past Iris and making headway for the stairs.
"Everything okay? We just got here."
"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I'll see you guys later, okay?" And without even a glance back, Cisco was gone. For a moment, Laura didn't know what to think; it wasn't like Cisco to leave so abruptly without an explanation. Still, she couldn't but feel as if something else had caused him to leave. However, just as Laura turned back to her friends, the news reporter on the nearest TV caught her attention.
"Breaking news today – late last night, Concordance Research scientist Quentin Quale was attacked. Dr. Quale is currently suffering from several third-degree burns, and has been admitted to Central City Hospital in critical condition. In other news, several eyewitnesses have claimed to have seen the so-called 'Burning Man' in the area around the time that Dr. Quale was attacked."
"That's all for now. We'll be back right after the break with more on the situation."
The Burning Man. That's what the whole city was calling Ronnie – or Martin Stein, if Hartley's information he'd so generously gifted them was plausible. The jury was still out on that one, unfortunately, considering the fact that he had tried to kill them all. And several civilians.
Still. Quentin Quale, the scientist Ronnie – or Stein – had attacked, was now in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and there was still no word on whether or not he would make it through surgery. As much as Laura wanted, hoped, for there to be another way, Dr. Wells was right; in his current state, the Burning Man was a danger to Central City, even if he wasn't acting on malicious intent. No matter who was in control of Ronnie's body now, something needed to be done before he hurt anybody else. They could only hope that it wouldn't come to that.
"Cait? You in here?"
The room was dark and quiet as Laura cracked the door open, but she could make out the silhouette of Caitlin's form curled up against the opposite wall. Caitlin jumped a bit in surprise as light flooded into the room, and Laura felt a knot of despair form in her chest when she saw that Caitlin's eyes were wet. Without a word, Laura closed the door behind her and took a seat beside Caitlin on the floor, keeping her distance but sitting close enough for Caitlin to bridge the gap if she wanted to.
It was a while before her friend spoke.
"I don't know if I can do it."
"Find Ronnie?"
"He's – he's not Ronnie anymore." Laura winced at the frigid tone in Caitlin's voice, but she didn't back down.
"I…I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you at Christmas."
"…you know when he spoke to me, that night? It was almost as if there were another person. It didn't sound at all like Ronnie – but I thought it was just because he was, you know-"
"Different?" Laura finished, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah. But now I-we know better. Now we know that Ronnie isn't in there."
Even with the door closed and the lights shut, Laura could see the anguished expression on Caitlin's face. She'd experienced loss early on, but at that age, a child could hardly comprehend the semantics of life and death. But to lose the person you loved the most, only to find out that the person they were had been erased, was something that Laura couldn't exactly fathom. With a sigh, she reached out for Caitlin's hand, and felt a swell of relief in her chest when Caitlin took it. Laura didn't pull back when Caitlin reached out for a hug, and let herself be pulled in close. If she felt her shirt grow damp where Caitlin's face pressed into her shoulder, Laura didn't have the gall to mention it. When Caitlin finally pulled away, her eyes were still shining, but there was a small, watery smile that hadn't been there before.
"Thank you, Laura."
"Anytime."
Martin Stein, Laura had to admit, was a very accomplished man. Even Dr. Wells' face didn't hold its usual iron-clad cynicism as his eyes roamed over the display of trophies in the Stein's dining room, though Laura was certain that it had been replaced by jealousy. Unlike most recipients of the Conway Prize for Scientific Advancement, there was no trophy case to hold the awards where they sat on the server, though the house itself was understated, yet seemed had a rather tasteful air, unlike Dr. Wells' home.
As far as public record went, the Steins had never had children, and the large house just seemed to be for the two of them, though Laura had to imagine that a marriage that had lasted over forty years could fill a house all on its own. Still, it felt empty in a way, and the pinched look on Clarissa Stein's face as she spoke about her husband told her a great deal about their relationship.
As Barry and Clarissa talked, Laura made her way through the rest of the main floor, glancing briefly at the many pictures that still decorated the house, even a year after Stein's disappearance. She wondered what it must be like, to love someone so deeply that you could hardly bear to let them go. In the living room, the patio door was cracked open, and Laura snuck a glance back to make sure everything was still okay before making her way outside. The first thing she noticed was that there was a faint burning smell, just barely noticeable in the cool air of spring. There were only a few things that could be burning at this time of year, and Laura was fairly certain that Clarissa neither smoked nor lit bonfires. It wasn't that difficult for Laura to find the source of the scent, just a few feet behind a hedge on the edge of the property.
Burnt circles of grass littered the area behind the edge, almost making it look like a warzone; as if landmines had been laid there. If she thought hard enough, she could imagine a pair of footprints between the circles of scorched grass. When she finally looked, it was no surprise that Laura could see that the spot was in direct view of what could only be the master bedroom, the hedges providing cover for whoever might have hid there.
And Laura had a pretty good idea who that was.
"It appears that both Ronnie and Professor Stein have something in common – they both feel drawn to the women they love." Dr. Wells mused from the front seat of the van, his voice slightly muffled by the telltale crinkling of a Big Belly Burger wrapper. After the discovery of the burn marks, Laura had returned to the house to learn that Stein had indeed come back about a month after the particle accelerator exploded. Of course, his wife hadn't recognized him, but that was guaranteed, considering the fact that he was inhabiting another man's body. Clarissa had been more than happy to offer them her help, although Laura couldn't help but wonder if their search for both men would ultimately dash the burgeoning hope in the older woman's eyes.
"But why would he come back here?"
"Well, this is his home. Not the actual house, I mean, but Clarissa? Clarissa is Martin's home. And like any animal, all humans have an instinctual desire to go home again."
Laura swept a quick glance over the street from where she sat on the park bench, her eyes catching sight of Caitlin and Dr. Wells through the van's windows. She'd voluntold herself to be the one to stay outside the truck while they waited, since it was still chilly enough out for either of them to catch a cold. Also, waiting for Stein to show up had left her more than a little restless, and Laura had been pacing up and down the block for the past hour to keep herself occupied. The lights in the Stein's house had gone dark some time ago, and even as the rest of the neighbourhood had gone to sleep, there was no still sign of the so-called Burning Man.
As Caitlin and Dr. Wells continued to talk, Laura thought back to earlier that morning, when Cisco had gotten that odd look in his eyes before rushing off. She hadn't heard from him all day, which was a first; whatever he was doing, he was most certainly trying to keep it a secret. A secret that he apparently did not want any of them to know about, which was even weirder. However, as much as she wanted to confront him, to call him and assuage her curiosity, Laura knew that she would have to wait to get her answers. Besides, if Cisco found it important enough to keep it from all of them, even from her, then perhaps they were better off not knowing. And maybe, given enough time, he would tell them what exactly it was.
However, as she was about to begin yet another trip up the block, a vaguely familiar roaring sound broke the calm silence. She hadn't heard that sound since the Reverse Flash had decided to spring a surprise kidnapping on her, but it wasn't too difficult to figure out who it might be. A quick glance up at the sky showed her a flaming projectile soaring through the darkness towards the Stein's house, before disappearing behind the property and leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.
"Laura-"
"I'm on it. Caitlin, call Barry." She replied as she tugged on her goggles and her gloves, sprinting across the street towards the gate that led to the Stein's backyard. In the middle of the yard stood the man that had once been Ronnie Raymond, his head and hands smoking with the remnants of flame, his eyes concentrated fully on the window she knew belonged to the master bedroom. As Laura approached, however, the man's face snapped sideways to face her, and Laura balked momentarily at the unbounded rage in his eyes before it shifted into confusion.
"Professor Stein?"
"Who are you?" Caitlin was right – it was Ronnie's voice, his face, his eyes – but the man inside Ronnie's body was most definitely not him.
"Professor, please," Laura called out, careful not to raise her voice too much, holding up her hands in a gesture of surrender, "I'm not here to hurt you."
It did no good; Stein snarled something at her and Laura took a step back as he went up in flame, a soft white glow emanating from her hands as a shudder of fear ran through her. Even from where she stood, she could feel just how much heat was behind those flames, and she barely had enough time to duck before a trail of searing fire flew her way. The ball of heat and light hit her square in the chest, but it was quickly extinguished by a frantic burst of cold. Unfortunately, by the time both her vision had stopped swimming and the stinging underneath the scorch marks on her jacket had died down, Stein was already gone. A spike of fear shot through Laura when she heard a car alarm cut off by the roar of fire, and she ran out into the street just in time to see Stein take off, a familiar red-clad person clutching on to him.
Barry.
"Start the van!" Laura shouted down the street at Caitlin, and as the van flared to life, Laura sprinted towards it, flinging open the back doors and throwing herself inside. As soon as the doors were closed, Caitlin floored the gas pedal, forcing Laura to hold on to the built-in shelves as they followed the blazing trail of fire. Sprawling neighbourhoods changed into blocks of warehouses as they followed Stein, though none of them were paying attention to where they were going. All three of them held their breath as they watched Stein take Barry ever higher, before a brief flash of light sent Barry falling towards to the unyielding asphalt.
"Shit!" Laura wasn't sure which one of them had said it, but the tight worry in her chest made way for panic when Stein pulled Barry up just a bit only to have him slam right into the windshield and roll over the roof. That panic, however, was quickly forgotten as Caitlin brought the truck to a screeching halt.
They were almost too late; Stein was alight and looming over Barry, defenseless on the ground, but he stopped at the sound of Caitlin's voice. As she stood there, Laura thought she saw a flicker of recognition in Stein's eyes. Then the moment disappeared as quickly as it came, and Stein was once again shooting through the sky, leaving nothing but smoke and heat in his wake.
"Well…that was terrifying." Barry groaned after a second, the front of his suit charred and burned so much that Cisco would certainly have an aneurysm.
Laura nearly bust a gut laughing, then punched him as hard as she could in the shoulder.
The bewildered look he gave her was most definitely worth it.
Clarissa Stein was by no means an unintelligent woman. Even though she hadn't applied herself as readily to the sciences as her husband, she was still quite versed in Stein's projects. It was clear in the way her expression shifted when they sat her down in her living room the next day that she suspected something larger than her husband's disappearance was going on.
She had been more than a bit apprehensive as Caitlin and Dr. Wells had launched into the watered-down version of events, and she had every right to be. But despite any reservations they might have had, she still had a right to know what exactly had become of her husband, minus a few details here and there. Her expression remained doubtful for most of the conversation, until Caitlin took a shaky breath and brought up Ronnie, the similarities between their situations far too explicit to be ignored.
The sympathy that grew in Clarissa's eyes as Caitlin spoke was the turning point.
"I'm sorry – I don't believe I got your name, young lady." Clarissa spoke up from where she sat beside Caitlin in the passenger seat, looking back at Laura. The tracker Barry had managed to slip on to Stein during their scuffle had led them to the far end of the city, where houses were scarce but warehouses and overpasses were in abundance. Caitlin had theorized, as she'd cleaned Barry's bruises and helped Laura with her burns the night before, that Stein had chosen such a secluded place to keep himself isolated, seeing as that part of the city was where the homeless community was abundant.
"Laura Sanders, Mrs. Stein."
"You know," Clarissa's eyes were distant for a second, before she returned from her thoughts and met Laura's eyes through the rear-view mirror once more, "I believe I knew an Elaine Sanders while Martin and I were dating. Are you by any chance related?"
Laura hesitated for a moment, suddenly aware that each of the three persons in the car were now focused on her. "Yes, actually. She was my grandmother, on my mother's side."
"Ah, yes, I remember now. I received a letter about her daughter's birth, but I was never able to make it – Elizabeth, was it?"
The rest of the conversation was clipped and awkward, as Laura could feel her teammates' curiosity grow each time she answered yet another one of Clarissa's questions, doing her best to keep the information as superficial as possible. She knew that it was a mere coincidence that Clarissa Stein and Elaine Sanders had known each other, but Laura was beginning to deeply regret ever climbing into the car in the first place. Luckily, Caitlin must have sensed her uneasiness, because when they arrived at their destination, her friend immediately took Clarissa by the arm and began to walk ahead of them. The woman was easy to talk to and by no means an unpleasant person, but Laura was reluctant to have a conversation with Clarissa if all she wanted to talk about was her family history. And there was no way that was happening in front of either Barry or Caitlin.
"You never told me your grandmother knew the Steins." Barry piped up from beside her, looking a bit concerned, and Laura shrugged her shoulders, shoving her hands in her pockets to keep herself occupied. Her uneasiness was also causing frost to form over her fingertips, and it probably wasn't best to have that seen in public.
"I honestly didn't know. Most of my grandparents were dead by the time I was born, and my dad's dad died when I was three." Everything she said was true, at least as far as she knew. Elaine Sanders had been dead and buried by the time Elizabeth Reynolds had even met her future husband, before Laura had even been a thought in their minds. Her grandfather on her father's side was only a blurry face, gigantic bear hugs, and the memory of thick strawberry milkshakes shared in a crowded diner on Friday nights. It was one of the few times in her childhood that she didn't mind reminiscing about, and that was saying something.
"I'm sorry, Laura."
"Hey," she sent him a pointed look, more to keep herself from saying anything further than to chastise him, "it's okay."
He didn't look entirely convinced, but she was relieved that he didn't push further.
They walked in comfortable silence for a bit longer before they finally found what they were looking for, hidden underneath a small section of overpass. As they watched, Stein climbed his way out from under the corner that he had evidently made his home, the thought making Laura sympathize with the once accomplished professor. With his back turned, it didn't seem as if Stein even knew they were there, though making themselves known was not appealing, considering that it still stung where he had burned her.
Eventually, though, it was Caitlin who took the first step towards him.
"Professor Stein?"
"I thought – I thought I told you to stay away from me."
"I know, and I will," Caitlin stepped forward just enough to make herself heard, "but there's someone here who would like to talk to you."
When Clarissa called out her husband's name, tinged with disbelief and hope, it was almost as if a flip had been switched in Stein's mind. The anguish in his voice was apparent as he spoke of the 'other' – of Ronnie – but Clarissa's touch seemed to calm him , to bring him comfort. She was most definitely still apprehensive, but there was a certain ease with which she stepped forward towards her husband as he croaked out her name. They held each other with a tender familiarity, years of being by each other's sides making them fit together like puzzle pieces. His hands shook where they clutched at hers, and when he pleaded for their help, eyes displaying nothing but vulnerability and desperation, Laura knew that they had a lot of work ahead of them.
But at least it was a start.
Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I was on vacation for three weeks in July, but now I'm back. I hope you really like this chapter, and remember, reviews are always welcome!
Thanks for reading!
PS: Who's excited/terrified about season 3?
