Barry knew that they were in trouble. The meta that threatened Central City had no apparent motive, all they wanted to do was terrorize innocent people to get the Flash's and Vibe's attention. It worked.

Now, Barry ran his fingers along the rocks that surrounded them, searching for a loose chuck that would eventually lead their way into freedom. He tried to ignore how the dust threatened to choke him as he worked, yet couldn't prevent coughs from shaking his chest.

He knew that if he would use his abilities, he could phase through the rocks and get out of here. He couldn't use his speed, all thanks to the meta dampeners on his wrists.

The metahuman had caught them by surprise, making the heroes think that there was a hostage in this cave, and as soon as they came in, the meta slapped some dampeners on their wrists and the roof collapsed on top of them. They were outsmarted.

A small metallic shatter could be heard when Barry stepped closer to a pile of rubble, and Barry looked down to see Cisco's Vibe goggles, broken under his feet.

No. Oh, no.

Cisco. How could he forget about Cisco? His friend was caught right under some rubble when it fell, while Barry saw it coming and managed to get out of the way.

Barry made his way to the pile of rocks that had congregated, and, after checking the stability above it, began digging wherever he could. He scolded himself for not looking for Cisco right away, some friend he was.

Finally, he could see small pieces of clothes, and he dug as fast as he could, noticing small pieces of metal as he did so. It must have been a man-made cave. He soon found poles and wires that proved that fact. Barry wasn't sure if that should've scared him.

Barry took off a couple more rocks until Cisco's bruised face could be seen, covered in dust and small pebbles, his eyes closed. Barry, thankful at the discovery, gave a small sigh of relief and uncovered Cisco's arms and legs, his hands freezing when he saw Cisco's chest, the suit covered in blood with a metal pole sticking out of it.

No. No, not now!

Barry looked around frantically for something that could slow down the blood that spilled out of Cisco's chest, slowly but surely, and couldn't find a piece of cloth. Desperate, he ripped off a piece of his own suit to the best of his ability and pressed it gently against the wound, increasing the pressure when it became apparent that Cisco couldn't feel it. He was still out cold.

As he did so, Barry tried to activate his own com and Cisco's, in an attempt to contact Team Flash. Neither of them worked, and Barry knew that it was up to him to save Cisco's life, at least until they were found.

It didn't take long for Cisco to shift where he laid, groaning as he painfully returned to consciousness. Barry hovered beside him worriedly, running his hand through Cisco's hair, trying to get him to wake up.

In the dim light of the cave, Barry could see Cisco's dark eyes flutter open painfully, first confused, then lighting with recognition as he locked eyes with Barry. Cisco's mouth opened wordlessly, but Barry rested his hand on his shoulder, quieting him.

"Hey, shhh, it's alright. Just don't talk or move, okay?" He said softly, trying not to scare his friend. "I don't want it to get worse."

But, like many times in their friendship, Cisco didn't listen. He tries to get up, but Barry pushes him down gently, knowing the more he moved the worse it would be for him.

"B…Barry?" His voice was rough and scratchy, and Barry couldn't help but wince.

"It's okay, just don't move. You're hurt. That meta tricked us, and now we're trapped underground. I just need you to listen to me."

Cisco nodded slightly, wincing at the movement. "Okay."

Barry, accepting the response, turned back to the blood that pooled around the pole, trying his best to stop the bleeding. Cisco cried out as Barry pressed a little too hard, and Barry gasped.

"Dude, I'm so sorry—"

"'s fine." Cisco muttered, tears falling down his cheeks at the pain, and Barry pulled the suit away from the wound.

"Can you tell me...what happened?" Cisco managed to ask, gasping, and Barry looked at the pole worriedly.

"A pole. You have a pole in your chest. You're bleeding a lot, and I don't know how to stop it."

"So, I've been impaled? Ouch." He laughed dryly, a small smile on his lips for an instant, but Barry knew that he was just hiding his fear. Barry didn't know how to comfort him, or help him in any way that needed to be done. If only Caitlin were here instead of him.

"I don't know what to do, Cisco." Barry said, wiping his own tears from his eyes with his wrist, and his fingers were covered in blood. "I know that you need help, but I don't want to make it worse."

"Barry, stop, your worrying is making me worry. Just...try and stop the bleeding."

"I have been trying but it's hurting you!"

"No matter what you do it's going to hurt." Cisco replied, blinking rapidly as if to keep himself awake. "It hurts a lot already, and I'm willing to go through more pain if it means I have a chance of living."

Barry bit back the next words that threatened to come out of his own mouth. He didn't want Cisco knowing that his chances of survival seemed low. And that the amount of blood coming out of him was too much.

Cisco forced back a groan that pushed its way up his throat, speaking up once again.

"Barry?"

"Yeah?"

"I...I'm probably going to get an infection. The amount of dust in here, plus the pole itself is just a disaster waiting to happen. Our best bet is you phasing out of here and getting help."

Barry held up his wrist, the metahuman dampener bright against his dirty skin. "No powers, dude."

Cisco's eyes widened. "Can you get it off?"

Barry nodded. "I'll try."

With that, he went to work, finding a hard piece of rock to hit against the device. Without a second thought, he slammed his wrist on the rock repeatedly, ignoring the impact of the rock against skin. After trying for a good couple of minutes, he gave up, the dampeners still firmly on his wrists. He went to go try again, but a moan stopped him, and he turned back to Cisco, who's leg began to thrash uncontrollably.

"Hey, Cisco, stop moving!" He exclaimed, rushing to Cisco's side and pushing his leg down, but the smaller man looked up at him, desperate.

"It…it hurts. "

"I know, I know." Barry said, running his hand through Cisco's hair gently. "You just have to hang on, okay? Help is on the way."

Cisco swallowed back a groan, closing his eyes against the assault of pain that threatened to drown him, his leg unmoving, except for the occasional twitching. Barry could see layers of sweat cover his friend's brow, and he tried to wipe it away. As soon as his hand hit Cisco's forehead, he could immediately feel the burning heat coming from his skin.

"Oh, man." He muttered under his breath. "You have a fever already."

Cisco's breaths became softer, and panic filled Barry's mind, forcing him to cup Cisco's face in his hands and lightly slap him.

"Cisco, wake up, please. Just open your eyes for me!."

Cisco moaned quietly, but managed to pry his eyes open, eyes that seemed empty of life already.

"Cisco?" Barry asked worriedly, and Cisco managed to give a small smile.

"Hey. I'm still here." His voice was getting softer, and tears burned behind Barry's eyes.

"Stay with me, okay? Help is on the way, and I'm getting really worried."

Cisco gave a small nod. Barry didn't let go of his head, in fear that as soon as he left Cisco would die, and glanced back at Cisco's torso, knowing that with an injury like that he didn't have much time.

He should've been better. He should've checked the area before running into the cave, he should've suspected that this was a trap. Now Cisco was the one that was going to pay.

"Barry?" Cisco asked weakly, and Barry shook the unwanted thoughts from his head.

"Yeah?"

"Could…could you…just talk?"

"Talk?"

Cisco frowned, coughing. "Nevermind, it's…it's stupid. Sorry."

Barry mentally kicked himself. Of course Cisco was apologizing, Barry shouldn't have questioned him.

"No, it's fine. I was just thinking about how I should have checked if it was a trap."

Cisco gave a small laugh. "The meta isn't smart, Bar."

"But, he was. And now…"

Cisco didn't need to hear what Barry couldn't say. He knew that he was dying. At this point he could barely feel his legs. All that he now experienced was the occasional burst of pain from his chest and the unrelenting fire that burned his limbs.

"I need to thank you, Barry." Cisco suddenly said, and Barry looked at him with interest.

"For what?"

"For…for being there. For being nice."

"Cisco, I would never treat you otherwise, you're my best friend."

Cisco took in a deep breath, struggling to speak, and Barry didn't even stop the tears that spilled down his cheeks.

"Listen, dude, you don't have to thank me for anything. I promise. You've done so much for me, I'm the one who's thankful."

Cisco's breath became ragged, and his eyes began to drift shook him again.

"Cisco? Cisco?!"

He didn't respond. Barry watched in horror as Cisco's chest movements began to slow, and Barry frantically tried to wake him up.

"Cisco! Wake up! Please!"

A banging was heard from outside the cave, and Barry could hear people trying to break through, but all of his attention was on his friend, his friend that was dying right in front of him. Cisco's head lolled in unconsciousness, another quiet groan coming from his lips.

"Flash!"

Barry's head shot up when he heard Joe's voice, the older man approaching him from a hole in the rock wall. Joe's eyes were wide with worry, and Barry's lip trembled.

"Joe…Cisco….I…I can't…"

Joe ran over to Cisco's side and pressed his fingers to Cisco's neck, checking his pulse.

"He's alive, but barely. Barry, put on your cowl so the medics can come in."

Barry nodded numbly and put his cowl on, knowing that he couldn't stop them from finding out who Vibe was. But, that didn't matter. He just needed Cisco to survive.

"Come on in, stat! Vibe's injured!" Joe called, and about three medics came streaming into the small space, pulling Barry away from Cisco. Joe led Barry out of the cave, and the speedster squinted at the bright light that shone in his eyes. Joe helped Barry sit down on a car trunk and Barry let him, exhaustion flooding his veins but fear beating it, keeping him awake with adrenaline. He looked down on his hands, which were covered in blood, and resisted the urge to puke. Joe noticed his expression and got a water bottle, first pouring it onto his hands sparingly, and then tilting his head back gently, helping Barry drink some water.

"You're in shock, Flash, do you want to go back to base?" Joe asked softly, but Barry shook his head.

"No, I have to be there for him."

"Flash, I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do for him now. It's up to the doctors." Joe's eyes were filled with sadness and a fatherly love that Barry appreciated. He nodded reluctantly, and Joe helped him into the car and got behind the driver seat himself.

Barry couldn't help but feel like a horrible friend as he headed back to Star Labs while Cisco was put on a stretcher, surrounded by medics but still so, so alone.

%%%%%

Barry sat beside Cisco in the hospital, holding his hand firmly. He had finally taken a shower and changed, even got the meta-human damper off, but that still didn't take the feeling of dried blood on his fingers away. He couldn't help but feel guilty, he should've been able to help him. But, he knew that he had to be thankful.

After two emergency surgeries, 18 hours of extensive care, and many antibiotics, Cisco was going to be okay. He had lost a lot of blood, and gone through extremely serious infection, but the doctors were able to save his life. There would be a long recovery process. Barry knew that Cisco could handle it. He was Cisco Ramon, one of the most adaptable men Barry had ever known.

Cisco opened his eyes weakly, and Barry smiled, gripping Cisco's hand with a bit more eagerness, happy to see him awake.

"Hey, Cisco. Welcome back."

Cisco managed a smile. "Hey, dude. I guess I'm not dead?"

"Nope, not yet. You're still stuck here a little longer."

"I wouldn't say that I'm 'stuck', I actually like living."

Barry laughed, and Cisco's eyes brightened, but still showed a bit of confusion.

"What happened? I honestly don't remember much."

"You got impaled by a metal pole, when we were trapped in the cave. The medics arrived just in time, you were nearly dead. You've been through a lot of surgeries, and, well…."

Cisco immediately could tell what Barry was trying to say, his scared expression shared everything he needed to know.

"I died, didn't I?"

Barry nodded, tears brimming in his eyes. "Four times. I didn't think that you would make it."

Cisco sighed, knowing that no matter how old he got, or how old he was, he would always be dodging death. He was bound to dance with death until he finally lost.

Cisco looked back up at Barry, pushing the thoughts from his mind.

"I'm fine, Barry, I'll be fine."

Barry sobbed, gripping Cisco's hand harder. "I just…you were dying right in front of me and I couldn't help you!"

"Shh, Barry, you did help me. Without you I would've died. You kept me alive. And I couldn't be more grateful."

Barry wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to compose himself. Cisco decided that it was best to distract him, and get reassurance about what was really bothering him: his identity.

"How many people know about Vibe now?" He asked, and Barry sniffled.

"About 6. Three of the medics, one doctor and two nurses. But, apparently you saved the daughter of the doctor's life, so he convinced everyone to keep it a secret. Your secret is safe."

"Good. I don't know what I would do if it wasn't."

"Let's not worry about that, because I'll stop that from happening." Barry said bravely, and Cisco laughed, wincing at how it hurt him. Barry's eyes widened, his mouth opening to no doubt apologize, but Cisco waved him away.

"I'm fine. I just don't think that all of our identities will be kept a secret forever."

"No, I guess not."

The two fell silent, each of them wanting to speak up but unsure of what to say. Cisco smiled softly.

"You know you're my BFF, right?"

Barry grinned. "Absolutely. And I'm yours, no matter what.."

"And, if we're not supposed to be friends in any other universe or timeline I would personally find a way to change that."

"I know you would, Cisco. I know."