Slayer Compound

Morning

In his room, Barry laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been precisely a week since his encounter with Zoom. Barry would never forget the feeling of helplessness that had enveloped him when he woke up in a hospital bed.

Hospital, a week earlier

Barry's first sensation upon waking up was pain in his side. As he came to, he saw he wasn't alone. A dark haired woman in a Doctor's uniform was by his bedside, looking over some charts.

"Good, you're awake," she said as she saw him.

"Where-where am I?" Barry asked, realizing how dry his mouth was.

"At the nearest hospital," Barry looked over to see Giles sitting in a chair near the door. "We got you here as quickly as we could once you passed out. This is Leslie Tompkins, an old friend of mine. Someone I call when someone of your…abilities needs medical attention."

"You're lucky Mr. Allen. Were you not able to heal at such an impressive rate, you would be dead," Leslie told him.

Barry took a moment to process this when he realized something alarming. Barry sat up, reaching down and grasping his legs as he realized something alarming.

"Barry? Is everything alright?" Giles asked as he saw the look on Barry's face.

"Giles…I can't feel my legs," Barry said horrified.

Slayer Compound

Now

Barry's paralysis had faded over the weak, which Leslie had attributed to Barry's healing factor. Barry threw the sheets off him and gingerly put his feet on the ground, letting his toes register the feeling of the floor. He'd made a full recovery.

Barry wasn't sure how long he sat there, deep in thought when the door to his room opened. Barry looked up and was surprised to see Buffy standing in the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, I was just checking in, I didn't think you'd be up yet," Buffy said as she saw him. "But how are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm able to move without a cane now," Barry said, trying to sound upbeat about it. "Is there any news?"

"Not any that we can use. Amy and Zoom have been laying low since…" Buffy trailed off awkwardly. "We've had a few rumored sightings but nothing that's given us any leads."

Barry nodded, not surprised. Zoom reminded Barry of crime lords back home. Zoom had wanted to show his strength, and he had. Now he was just bidding his time until he made his next move.

"How are you dealing with what happened with Zoom?" Buffy asked carefully, looking at Barry in concern.

"I'm fine, really," Barry said but the words sounded hollow even to himself.

"Barry, trust me, if anyone is going to get what you're going through, it's me," Buffy assured him.

"I honestly doubt that," Barry said, looking away from her.

"There are a lot of opponents I've gone against, but the biggest was Glory. She was a god, a literal god," Buffy said and Barry looked at her in disbelief. "Yeah, that was my reaction. The first time I fought her, it was like I was the little girl I was before the Slayer. I was a fly to her. I've gone up against a demon wearing my ex-boyfriend's face, had my powers taken away from me, but I had never felt so helpless before that moment. So I do get it Barry. Zoom, he beat you down like no one has before, made you feel helpless. Am I right?"

"Yeah," Barry said lowly, unable to really look at Buffy. "It was…I don't know. Humiliating I guess. I've had people beat me as the Flash, but I'd never had someone beat me into the ground before. If Faith hadn't been there…"

"But she was. And you're still here. And now we can get you ready for the next time you face Zoom," Buffy said and he looked up at her. "Zoom's faster than you, I can't make you faster. But I can make you ready for him. You feel up to that?"

"Where do we start?" Barry asked and Buffy smiled.

"Meet me in the gym after breakfast," Buffy said before walking out.

Barry stared after her, wondering what Buffy had planned. Barry almost didn't want to know.

After eating breakfast, Barry made his way to the gym. As he entered, Barry saw Buffy wasn't alone. To his surprise, Faith and Robin were there with her.

"So uh, what's going on guys?" Barry asked as he looked around, fighting the impulse to turn around and walk away.

"Like I said, we're getting you ready for Zoom," Buffy said simply, looking over at Robin.

"Kid, you're fast, faster than anyone we've ever seen. That'll help you against most opponents. But against someone like Zoom, you need more," Robin told him.

"Okay, I'm following. But what exactly do you mean by 'more'?" Barry asked, not sure where they were going with this.

"Aint it obvious? We're gonna teach you how to fight," Faith said with a grin.

"…huh?" Barry asked confused.

"I saw you're fight with Zoom, mostly anyway, hard to keep up even for me. Part of the problem is definitely his speed. But Zoom is a better fighter than you," Faith pointed out.

"We can't do anything about the difference in speed, but we can make you ready physically against him," Buffy explained and Barry frowned, thoughtful.

"Just promise me you're not gonna shoot me in the back," Barry said and got three odd looks in return.

"I'm sure there's a story there, one I definitely want to hear, but we're not going to shoot you in the back," Faith promised.

"Okay then, where do we start then?" Barry asked, feeling out of his depth.

Fighting had never really been something he was good at, even as The Flash. His speed and brain usually made up for his lack in brawn. But they did have a point; Zoom was physically stronger than him as well as faster. And it couldn't be any worse than Oliver shooting him in the back.

"Well, first, we need to know where you are right now. So, Faith and I are going to sit back while you have a sparing much with Robin," Buffy said as she looked over at the man. "And no using your speed."

"So basically the plan is for you two to watch while I get my ass kicked," Barry said dryly.

"Don't worry kid, I'll go easy on you," Robin promised him.

The words were meant to be reassuring, but there was a glint in Robin's eye that made Barry a little uneasy. Barry just got the feeling that Robin didn't like him that much. And from the glance Faith shot Robin, he wasn't alone in that feeling.

But he said nothing as Buffy and Faith sat down on a nearby bench, leaving Barry and Robin standing in the center of the room. Robin gestured Barry forward and Barry took a deep breath before rushing over to Robin at normal speed. He tried to strike Robin in the face but the other man easily caught his arm and punched Barry in the abdomen. Barry stepped back with an 'oof', nearly falling on his knees from the blow.

But he pushed through it. Barry tried to send a punch to Robin's abdomen but Robin easily dodged before elbowing Barry in the back. Barry stumbled forward before Robin knocked him off his feet with a well-aimed kick to Barry's ankles. Which is how Barry ended up landing painfully on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

So much for going easy.

"Haven't you ever been in a fight before you got your powers?" Robin asked, seeming surprise at how easy this was.

"Yeah, lots of them. They just usually ended with me in dumpsters or shoved into my locker," Barry muttered as he got back to his feet.

The 'sparring session' went on for a few more minutes, with Barry unable to land a single hit on Robin. After Barry was knocked on his back two dozen more times, Buffy finally spoke up.

"I think we've seen enough, haven't we F?" Buffy asked as she glanced over at her sister Slayer.

"Have to agree B," Faith said, looking like she was trying not to grimace.

Barry would have sighed in relief if he'd had the energy. Instead, he accepted Robin's hand up and got to his feet. As Robin dropped his hand, Barry was unable to shake the feeling that Robin enjoyed that a bit more than he should have.

"So, what's the verdict?" Barry inquired.

"You have little fighting ability outside the basics. You have no form, although you do show an aptitude for showcasing the environment," Buffy noted.

"In short, you suck," Faith said bluntly.

"Thanks for telling me what I already knew," Barry said sarcastically, embarrassed.

"Like I said, this is about trying to help you," Buffy told him. "So we'll get to work fight away. A few hours a day, you'll work with Faith and Robin on building up your skill. Next time we face Zoom, you'll be ready."

As he saw the look of hard determination on Buffy's face, Barry began to feel a bit optimistic about the situation. Zoom was undoubtedly the toughest opponent he had ever faced, and Amy was another problem all together. But with his new friends, he would be there to meet them the next time they showed their faces. And he would be ready.

More or less a filler chapter to show Barry dealing with what happened with Zoom. While his defeat over Zoom affected him, it wasn't as bad as in the show because he wasn't paraded around Central City and broadcasted to the world.

Can't say for certain when I'll update again, but it will dig more into Zoom and Amy's plan.