Harry sat alone in the workshop, doing nothing of work. His mind was too cluttered with recent revelations to focus on the new task he was commanded to do.

Belén Palayta, in all her versions, remained a youthful beauty. Least that's what the Earth 2 version firmly believed. Though she felt she was the superior one for obvious reasons.

Datura tossed her mask at Harry, which the man scrambled to catch for some reason. He held the mask tightly between his fingers. "It was always you…" he whispered and looked up to meet a darkened, sinister face.

"Always me," she mimicked his tone dramatically.

"Why do you need Belén?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Datura started making small steps to the side as if she we're going to be circling him. "Belén is my doppelganger. I am sick. She is not. Do the math, will you?"

Harry examined her paleness which, due to her mask being off, he could see the stark difference between her and Earth 1 Belén. The Earth 2 doppelganger had noticeable bags underneath her eyes, her lips slightly chapped, and there were stains of dried blood above her lips.

"Your powers," he realized. The corpses they would find on Earth 2, specifically the botanical metahuman corpses left behind, weren't a random murder spree. Datura was searching for something within those metahumans. "Is that what's making you sick?"

Datura smirked and gave a small nod. "It seems my siphoning powers are stronger than I thought. I thought I could find a cure amongst botanical metahumans on Earth 2 but each time I absorbed their powers...I only got worse. But then…" she stopped walking and turned completely to face Harry, "...Zoom found a breach. He opened the portal to a new world...and I learned there was another me. A doppelganger."

"And that's why you had Al Rothstein, Atom Smasher, shoot Belén at her show…" Harry had heard about that story and thought it had just been a random cynical idea.

Datura once again nodded. "I needed to know whether or not my doppelganger was a metahuman like me. I succeeded. Earth 1 Belén Palayta was a botanical metahuman just like me. Well," she smiled to herself, "being weaker but I'll take what I can get."

"So that's how you knew everyone's identity. I assume they were your friends on Earth 2."

"Not all," she winked. "I met some after...I became this," she made a gesture at herself. "So now, here's the thing, you can tell everyone who I am but the moment you do you'll have to admit you've been helping me out this whole time. And then, you know, there's Jesse in the mix…" she paused when Harry glared. "So let's just be good and quiet. Oh, and before I leave, someone wants to talk to you."

Because really the last thing Harry needed, and wanted, in that moment was to come face to face with Zoom himself. He'd been keeping a silent watch over Harry and all his 'minions' until he deemed it ready for his interference.

Harry was tasked with stealing Barry's speed at all costs.

~0~

"No, seriously, I should go-" Belén was cut off with another kiss from Barry. He leaned her back against a table in his lab and kept his arms on either side to prevent her from escaping. Belén once more pulled away from him, slightly chuckling. "Show your professionalism, will you? You work here."

Barry smirked and looked at the doorway but of course there was no one around. "So you come in here all sad and you expect me not to try and make you feel better?"

Belén let her arms rest over his shoulders, bringing him closer again. "I expected words of comfort because my Mom refuses to talk to me...not a straight up makeout session."

"I saw no rules against it," Barry shrugged and casually leaned for another kiss.

While Belén loved receiving such kisses, she willed herself to pull back. "Seriously, someone can walk in. Like Joe, or Patty, or your boss--" she jabbed a finger on his chest, "-who can fully fire you for it."

"As long as it's not your mother, I'm okay."

Belén laughed to herself. "She scares you?"

"A bit, yeah…"

"Well, she's mad with me not you, so she probably likes you a whole lot more than me right now," Belén said with a sigh. Her mood was shifting again.

"Hey," Barry cupped her face, "We'll think of something okay?"

"Not if you keep kissing me we won't," Belén playfully gritted her teeth.

"Alright, I'm done…for now…" Barry cleared his throat and moved his hands to her waist, wrapping them around her. He could see that despite Belén playing games and being sarcastic, she was still overly affected by her mother's distance from her.

After revealing she was the Azalea, Veronica had refused to talk with Belén despite the latter's attempts to explain things in a better light. The problem wasn't that Belén hadn't told Veronica right away - Veronica had insisted that Belén keep the Azalea dead in order be safe. Belén, of course, would not agree to that. Thus, the cold war began between them. Veronica would not speak to her daughter unless Belén agreed to leave the vigilante side behind. Since it was nearing Christmas and things had yet to get better, Belén was struggling to maintain optimistic.

"I should go try again," Belén said quietly. "I should go try talk to my Mom again - she's still downstairs, no?"

"I...I think…" Barry nodded, "...but I think you should give it a rest for today. You just talked to her earlier and she…"

"Blew me off, yeah," Belén recalled quite clearly.

"Tomorrow you can try again, with new ideas and fresher mind."

"Okay," Belén gave in, deciding there wasn't enough energy and patience left in her for another round with her mother. It was also rather embarrassing trying to play it cool among the other cops when her mother left her in the middle of a conversation. "I should go. I have to go train with Shivhan then I told Iris I'd do some Christmas shopping with her later today." She turned to get her purse from the table. "I've got a full day."

"Ooooh," Barry hugged her from behind, "Christmas shopping already? Are we going to buy me cool things?"

Belén smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I was thinking some nice duct tape for that big mouth of yours."

"Well-" Barry said, a bit offended, "-as long as we're thinking about each other."

Belén smirked and slung her purse over her shoulder then turned to face him. "I love you, but you talk too much and...it makes me want to hit you with a book."

"Uh, do I need to remind you of your nickname in college? What was it again?" Barry pretended to think. "Motor-mouth-Belén! There you go!"

Belén laughed. "Yeah, alright, I was trying to be funny. You know I'll definitely do my best to get you something 'cool'."

Barry's face softened and could not resist to give her another kiss. "You know I'm only playing too. You don't have to actually buy me anything."

"I think we both know it's not obligatory, but we like seeing each other happy, so…" Belén kissed him one last time then backtracked towards the door. "I'm going to the mall...and finding you something…cool."

"And I will do the same when I get out of here," Barry promised.

"You better," Belén warned him and meant to finally leave when she stopped suddenly and called out, "Hey, I was thinking about inviting Patty and Shivhan over to your place for Christmas. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Barry actually mentally reprimanded himself for not thinking about that earlier.

"I just thought...well, Shivhan says she doesn't have family in the city, so…"

"No, yeah, it's really okay," Barry reassured.

"Okay. Bye!" Belén beamed and went off, thinking she would stop by Patty's desk before leaving to invite her then go off to meet with Shivhan.

~ 0 ~

Belén sat cross-legged on the ground of the training room with her eyes closed. A few feet in front of her was Shivhan who was doing the same thing. They'd been attempting to get Belén through to the Green. But that was hours ago. It was no surprise that Belén was beginning to get antsy and disappointed she hadn't made any progress.

"Belén, stop moving," Shivhan hissed after hearing the small shifts from Belén. "The first time you get through to the Green you have to be still and calm."

"I know but I'm tired of sitting like this," Belén groaned and opened her eyes. "I've got nothing."

Shivhan sighed because she knew Belén was right. She opened her eyes and threw a look at the training room. "This stupid room isn't the type we need. Don't you guys have like a greenhouse or something?"

"Greenhouse? For what?"

Shivhan now threw a look at Belén. "For you! You're a botanical metahuman. You should have a greenhouse here, or something akin to it so that you can meditate and just...be one with the source of your powers."

Belén liked the idea. It would be nice to have a place for herself to be at peace, or at least to practice. "I don't have that here because I never thought of it," she admitted.

"Hm, well maybe it's time to start thinking about yourself a little more." Shivhan started getting up on her feet. "I know you guys are really big on the whole 'team' thing but sometimes...there is nothing wrong with thinking about yourselves individually."

"I mean, we do, just…" Belén stopped when she realized Shivhan could be right. They were just so used to the team dynamic that none of them had really stopped to consider each other's individuality.

"Let's try again later," Shivhan held a hand out for Belén. The ombre-blonde took it and got up on her feet. "Maybe a fresh clear mind will do the trick."

Belén nodded.

~ 0 ~

Belén and Iris got straight to work on their Christmas shopping as soon as they met up. Iris was winning the game when she claimed two presents for her father and Barry, while Belén had barely gotten a perfume she thought Caitlin would like. Belén had always been a slower shopper in comparison to the great Iris West. As they stepped out of yet another store, both having bought items for Cisco, Nina, they headed to find another.

"I'm actually a bit stumped on a couple present ideas," Belén admitted. Iris nodded but Belén missed the solemnity in the woman's face. "Like, should I get something for my mother? Maybe it could break the ice between us. And then there's Barry. You know, I joked that I would buy him duct tape for his big mouth but when I really think about it I don't actually know what to get him. I mean what do you buy for-" she then whispered, "-the Flash?" her voice returned to normal volume afterwards. "Last year I didn't get him anything because of my father's death and he got me something really sweet. I need to make up for it. Maybe you could - oh my God Iris!"

Without her knowing, Iris had started to silently cry.

"Yup, I ramble too much - it's my curse. You should have slapped me to stop," Belén took Iris to a nearby bench and sat them down. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry," Iris sniffled, clearing her face. "I-I didn't want to do this here. I w-wanted to find...to find Barry for...some advice…"

"Stuck with me, I'm afraid," Belén comfortingly rubbed Iris' arm.

"Don't say that," Iris raised her head and took in a small breath. "You've been my best friend for a long while now."

"If you want to tell me...what's going on...I'll be glad to listen…"

Iris nodded. "You remember when you told me that I should investigate Francine?"

"Yeah, and you did," Belén recalled. "But what's that got to do with it?"

"I was so mad with everyone when I discovered that Barry was the Flash and you were the Azalea-"

"Also remember that," Belén awkwardly cleared her throat. "Which I totally understood because of MY my experience."

"Well now I understand," Iris' slumped her shoulders dejectedly. "When I found out about this...I didn't know what to do."

"Found out about what?"

"When Francine came back, my Dad told me not to trust her and he was right. I didn't know how much. When my mother left us, she was pregnant. She had a son. Joe's son. My brother."

Belén's eyes widened, completely shocked. She then got to wondering how Iris could hide it along for so long...and how she'd managed not to burst with the secret. "Um, w-what's his name?"

"Wally," Iris felt even worse when she spoke her brother's name for the first time. "Wally West. When I found out, I told Francine to leave and never come back and to never tell my dad, but…"

"It's eating you up, isn't it?" Belén could easily see for herself.

Iris nodded her head. "I feel... I feel like this is hollowing me out. Every time I look at my Dad, I feel like I'm hurting him. I don't... I don't know what to do."

"I think we both know that you DO do know. But you're scared so that's why you're here telling me about it," Belén put her arm around Iris' shoulders. "I get it. Telling a secret is not easy. Not that big anyways."

"If I tell my Dad it's going to kill him."

"It won't," Belén disagreed. "But listen, you wouldn't have to tell him alone. I mean, I could be there if you'd like or...or if you prefer it to be Barry - who I'm sure would support you if you told him - then you can take him."

Iris thought about telling Barry, thinking it would be better. She just knew that she needed to tell her dad about Wally because it was leaving her like an un-dead woman.

"C'mon," Belén got up from the bench and helped Iris by picking up her bags along with hers. "We can shop tomorrow. You need to get this done tonight because I want a fully rested Iris for tomorrow."

Iris smiled and cleared the last of her tears from her face. "But you're not finished shopping."

"Yeah, well, you can make it up to me by helping me decide what to get Barry. But tomorrow," Belén warned. "Tonight it's about you."

"I-I think I need to talk to Barry first," Iris decided, and thankfully Belén was 100% behind her.

~ 0 ~

Shivhan had lived alone almost as soon as she started college. Even when she dropped out, she found a job quick and endeavored to support herself. It wasn't that her parents never offered to help, it was simply because Shivhan preferred it this way. She liked being on her own. Unfortunately, those customs now made it a bit difficult for her to get along with others.

Shivhan came straight into the cortex without so much of a noise to make her presence known. It wasn't until she slammed a hand down on the desk, making Cisco and Barry jump in their chairs, that she had made herself known.

"Dude!" Cisco gawked at such a rude mannerism, not that Shivhan cared.

"We need to talk about renovations in this place!" her straight-to-the-point manner made her seem even ruder, but the truth was that she was very direct. She didn't like beating around the bush.

"Renovations?" Barry repeated, appearing to be much more calm than Cisco. The latter always seemed to have an air for dramatics.

"Yo, you just got here!" Cisco frowned. Shivhan rolled her eyes as he went on and on about her being the newbie in the group and that therefore she needed to follow a process or whatnot. "You don't go asking us to tear things down!"

"It's not for me!" she snapped and moved around the desk so that she was closer to the middle of the room. Her eyes laid on Belén's suit as she continued to explain. "Belén is having a harder time accessing the Green than I thought she would. It has come to my attention-" she turned around, her dark hair bouncing with her, "-that she does not have any room in this building to practice."

"What are you talking about? We literally have a room dedicated to training," Barry pointed out but instead of having Shivhan agree she pointed a sharp finger his way with quite a matching face.

"You have a room dedicated to your training! It's spacious for you to run in. Plus, you have that stupid treadmill or whatever-"

Cisco practically jumped out of his chair at the mention of his special treadmill. "-you are not going to diss my treadmill!"

"That's not the point!" Shivhan's voice shook with frustration. "Belén is a botanical metahuman. You do know what that means right? She needs nature around her. Plants? She needs a greenhouse. You know, a room where she can connect with the origin of her powers?"

"Where are we supposed to get a greenhouse?" Cisco frowned. He looked at Barry for some support but it appeared like the speedster was beginning to see what Shivhan was talking about.

"Having something like that would probably help Belén a lot," Barry reasoned. "And it is fair that she have a room just for herself here. One of the things she was really upset about when she moved out of her house was the fact she had to leave behind her garden."

"Every botanical metahuman needs to have a greenhouse-like place," Shivhan crossed her arms. "And since Belén can't focus around here...she needs one stat. We can build one here. You guys have a ton of empty rooms."

Barry nodded. "I'm in."

Shivhan smirked. "Excellent. Because you're going to be using those quicky skills of yours to help me build. You, Cisco, are going to help with the architecture. I'm thinking it'll be a fine Christmas present so neither of you tell Belén anything!"

Cisco shrugged. "I guess so. So does that mean you'll be getting us all Christmas presents, then?"

Shivhan's smirk faded away and turned into a frown. "Did you save me from Datura? No? Didn't think so," she wiggled her fingers goodbye and headed out of the room.

"She's a little on the rude side, don't you think?" Cisco made a face that really made it hard for Barry not to laugh.

Luckily, he got a text from Iris to distract him. "Sorry, gotta go," he got up from his seat. "But, uh, have fun with that architecture stuff with Shivhan."

~ 0 ~

Datura sat at the edge of a rooftop, overlooking Central City during its busiest days of the year. Christmas was approaching fast and people were hustling to get everything they needed. Christmas lights had already been put up to decorate the streets and it was really only a matter of time until snow arrived.

Poison Ivy's heels were heard from a distance, but Datura didn't tear her eyes from the city. Even as her ginger partner stopped a short inch away from Datura, the latter kept her gaze directly ahead. She knew exactly what Poison Ivy was going to say and she wasn't interested in hearing it. But of course, that would never stop Poison Ivy.

"Are you sure that was wise? Letting Wells see your face?"

Datura's eyes flickered to her mask sitting right beside her. Still, she showed no degree of regret. "Ever since I told Wells who I really am...I feel like I don't have to wear that thing so much."

"Well," Poison Ivy started sitting down next to her, "You never did. Wearing that mask was your choice."

"You know why I had to do it," Datura muttered as she picked up her mask. "Being Belén Palayta is a curse for me...back home. Here, it's my salvation."

Poison Ivy rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic-"

"-oh don't start," Datura snapped. "You know exactly what I left behind. Wearing the mask is just the little bit I can do repair a little of everything I did back home."

"You better not be going soft on me, Datura." Poison Ivy shifted so that she was facing her partner. "You are Datura. One of the most feared metahumans on Earth 2. Close to being Zoom's second hand. That is who you are."

"I know-"

Poison Ivy raised a hand to stop whatever Datura was going to say. "-no, I feel like with this impromptu revelation you're going to forget who you are. You stopped being Belén a long time ago. You are not her. She's dead. But Datura doesn't have to die too."

Datura took a moment to embed those words into her head. She knew Poison Ivy was right. She couldn't spend time thinking about who she used to be. She was a villain - a respected, feared villain. "I am...Datura..."

Poison Ivy raised her head as she watched Datura repeat that sentence over and over for the next minute. "Yes, you are. Don't you forget it."

"Not with you around," Datura briefly smiled. She looked down at the mask in her hands for a few seconds then placed it on her face. "I'm taking Christmas off. Zoom's starting to come around for Wells so I say...let's go home and have a very, merry Christmas...our way."

A wide smirk came to Poison Ivy's face fast. "That's the Datura I know." She got up at the same time Datura did. "So, who do we terrorize first?"

"Let's decide when we're back home," Datura smirked just like she usually would. After all, she is Datura.

~ 0 ~

Belén pulled open Jitters' door for herself and Caitlin. The two went straight for the counter to order coffees and some pastries.

"So, how'd things go with your Mom today?" Caitlin asked once they were seated and waiting for their things to be dropped off.

"Umm...same as usual: bad," Belén shrugged. "I'm officially giving up for today. It's a problem for future-me."

Caitlin chuckled lightly. "Well, at least you're taking it one day at a time."

"Eh, not like I have much of a choice. I feel like I could convince my mom things are going to be fine if I just...could talk to her...and show her what we do. But she doesn't want to know anything about STAR Labs right now."

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Caitlin assured. "You always find a way."

"Mm," Belén hoped to keep coming up with new ideas. "Enough with this grim subject. It's Christmas. Christmas is coming! Have you finished all your shopping yet?"

Caitlin tilted her head to think about all that she'd bought and after a minute she was proud to nod her head. "Yes! How about you?"

"Almost," Belén bit her lip once she thought about the other problem she was facing. "I'm having trouble coming up with a decent present for Barry. Shopping for everyone else has been super easy. Even Cisco, Harry, and Joe were-" she snapped her fingers, "-super easy. But then this dork of scientist over here has me going crazy! I've no idea what to buy him."

Caitlin titled her head for a minute, thinking of ways to help Belén. Despite her last relationship being her fiancee, she believed she still had some old tricks up her sleeve. "Maybe you're thinking about this wrong. Why not instead of buying something, you...make something?"

Belén stopped to consider the new idea. "Make?"

Caitlin nodded her head. "When Ronnie and I had our first year anniversary, Ronnie surprised me with this metal craft that he had made on his own. He engraved our names on it and said that it would hopefully be hung up in our home one day."

Belén's hand flew to her heart as she 'awed'. "That is so sweet. But I can't do anything metal-wise. What could I do for Barry with my skills?"

"I"m sure you can figure it out," Caitlin smiled. "You're the aerial dancer - that screams creativity from a mile away."

"Yeah, I guess," Belén bobbed her head to the side. "I just...want it to be good. Last Christmas I didn't get him anything because of what happened to my Dad. Plus...we're dating and this is our first Christmas together...I want things to be good."

Caitlin had only half a second to smile before Barry himself walked in through the doors. He saw her first then Belén and headed for their table.

"Hey," he greeted Belén with a kiss on the side of her head. "What are we talking about?"

"Just...Christmas," Belén gave a light shrug of her shoulders in an attempt to be casual.

"I'm going to check on our drinks," Caitlin slid off her chair and headed for the counter.

"Hey Bells, I know we haven't really talked about Christmas with everything that's happened..." Barry shifted on his chair to better face Belén, "I know it's difficult because of what happened last year with your Dad..."

Belén gave a small nod of her head. "You mean my Dad being murdered by Thawne? Yeah...that's..." she sighed. She suddenly wished she had her mug of coffee in front of her so she drown it.

"I would understand if you want to skip Christmas altogether."

"No, I...I don't want to skip it," Belén bit her lower lip while she briefly considered Barry's words, but even then she had to reject it. "Yeah, I might be a little down during these next days but...skipping Christmas? That would make me feel even worse. Besides," she started smiling for some reason, "I need to put up my Christmas tree with my star. That's a Palayta tradition." She bumped Barry's arm with her own. "So you want to maybe come help me sometime?"

"What?" the speedster blinked.

"My Christmas tree. Do you want to help me set it up?"

"I thought you just said it was a Palayta tradition...?"

"Yeah, but my Mom isn't talking to me, my sister's in jail, my dad and my brother are dead and..." her smile spread and softened, "Plus...I may or may not love you and would like to include you in this tradition?"

Barry deadpanned her but a few seconds later, his own smile was threatening to appear. "May or may not?"

"May or may not..." she casually shrugged.

"I would love to do that, Bells," Barry leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You want to do it tomorrow?"

"Mhm," Belén's smile was genuine, which led Barry to believe that this Christmas could be a change for her. Last year so many terrible things happened to both of them. It was only fair that this year was perfect for them.

Caitlin was coming back with hers and Belén's drinks, but just as she set them on the table her face morphed into surprise as something (or rather someone) caught her attention at the entrance. "Oh my God..." she whispered.

Belén and Barry looked over their shoulders and saw Jay coming towards them. They hadn't heard from Jay in a while now. As the Earth 2 speedster approached them, the trio could tell that even he was uncomfortable.

"Hi," Jay awkwardly waved a hand. Like him, Caitlin did the same. "I, uh, thought I'd find some of you guys here."

"You were looking for us?" Belén raised an eyebrow, almost tempted to say 'since when' considering his choice to leave them was very clear.

"Yeah, um..." Jay paused for a second, as if to think, "I...I'm here to apologize about...everything. I left when I should have helped you guys. I know Datura and Poison Ivy have been causing havoc in the city and I could've done my part to help you guys. I could've stayed back and helped you train, Barry. I'm really sorry."

The trio exchanged looks amongst each other. They were all really taken aback by this sudden repent, but they knew they were in no position to reject Jay's presence. Besides, they liked Jay. He was actually a good guy and kind of helpful when he wanted to be.

"You're lucky it's Christmas," Caitlin was the one to speak up, but even as she did it quietly no one could take away the big smile on her face.

"Yeah," Jay chuckled but in the same awkward manner from before.

"You're welcome to come back, Jay," Barry said afterwards. "We could always use your help."

"Thanks," Jay nodded at them.

~ 0 ~

Cisco wanted to be angry with Shivhan, he really did, because the woman had practically torn apart a room after only just joining their team. However, she was turning out to be a good architect and engineer. He stood at the entrance of the room while Shivhan fervently worked to spread her vines across the room. She'd been at this the entire day now.

"So when exactly is this room supposed to be done?" Cisco asked out of genuine curiosity. With Barry's help, Shivhan had already replaced the ceiling with glass to allow genuine sunlight into the room. The white concrete floor was replaced with brown tiles meant to give the room a more 'nature' look.

"If I continue working like this then, maybe by the end of the week," Shivhan raised an index finger and made purple flowers bloom around the glass ceiling. A couple vines formed around the glass until it hung down like streamers.

"You know you can take a break, right?"

Shivhan stopped working and glanced sideways. "I know," she smiled. "I just...don't really have anything better to do. I don't work until tomorrow night."

"You're actually going back to the ruddy place?" Cisco made a face.

"I'm not supposed to?"

"No, I meant...you know...why bother going back?"

"Because I need a job, Cisco. Plus, that neighborhood needs Black Orchid. I'm not abandoning them."

Cisco nodded. He could understand that. In fact, he respected that but it still left some other questions unanswered. "So I've been checking who you are..." he only briefly stopped when Shivhan gave him a questioning side-glance, "I need to know that you're not going to betray us, alright? It's happened." Shivhan rolled her eyes and continued to work. "You went to college and...you dropped out."

Shivhan's back was to Cisco so her momentary look of shock that Cisco learned this detail was well hidden from him. "So what? Lots of people do it. Sometimes college isn't for you."

"Except you were so close to graduating. You were on your last semester..."

Shivhan stopped and turned sideways with an irritated expression on her face. "So what?" her tone hardened.

"It's just...you had everything to graduate, so...I'm just a little confused how you went from top art-major to..." Cisco made a weak gesture at Shivhan's current state. "Bartender?"

Shivhan humorlessly laughed and stormed up to him, completely missing the fact Cisco had backtracked several steps out of fear. "I said college wasn't for me - why are you so interested in this!?"

Cisco had to lean away from Shivhan (not that it made Shivhan give him any space). "I was just curious-"

"-well stop!" she snapped. "I'm not evil, I'm not going to betray you or anyone else! So leave me alone!" she moved past him and stormed out of the room.

~ 0 ~

Harry would never get used to be 'summoned' by these horrendous Earth 2 metahumans. He cursed the day he got involved with them, but here he was back in the same alley Datura often appointed him to...only this time he wasn't meeting the poisonous metahuman.

Zoom stood before him in his pitch-black suit and monster mask. "I've given you enough time, Wells. What's it gonna be?"

Harry glared at the metahuman. Here he was without anyone to celebrate Christmas with and yet it wasn't enough. Zoom was now tasking him with an even more hideous plan. "I know what you're doing," he declared. "I've figured things out, just like I've figured out who Datura is."

"What you do with Datura is none of my concern," Zoom said dismissively. "I told you what I need and what you'd get if you follow through."

"But that's the thing, isn't it?" Harry dared to take a step forwards. "The reason you need me to steal Barry's speed is because Datura can't do it. She's sick. She can't siphon everything like she used to."

"If Datura wants to remain alive then she will figure out a way to cure herself," Zoom also took a step towards Harry. "But whether or not she lives or dies, I will get Barry's speed. The only question is will you do it for me?"

"You've been sending villain after villain from our Earth in order to force Barry to get faster. Because the faster and and stronger he is, the more Speed Force runs through his body. You're fattening him up like a Christmas goose. And how the hell am I supposed to take all of that out of him?"

"You're Harrison Wells. You'll figure a way out."

"Let me see her first," Harry commanded and instead of threatening him or even beating him, Zoom disappeared. A mere second later, he returned with a Jesse in his hand.

She was dirty and tired and full of tears. "Daddy!?" she ran to Harry and threw her arms around him.

Harry clutched her in his hold. He never thought he'd be able to hug her again. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Please don't let him take me back there!" Jesse was sobbing uncontrollably. "They're all crazy! Datura's insane and she keeps-"

But Zoom took her away and put her right back in her cell all in the span of two seconds. "Now decide. In return for your daughter's life…"

Harry's arms were still in the air hugging the space Jesse had been. Without a second thought he answered, "I'll do it. I'll help you steal The Flash's speed."

~ 0 ~

Belén had just finished spreading the last branch of her Christmas tree when she heard a key being stuck into apartment door. A few seconds later, Barry walked in with quite the face.

"You talked to Iris," Belén assumed. It was an inevitable conversation after all.

Barry gave a nod. He shrugged his jacket off and tossed it to the couch. "I cannot believe she has a brother."

"Yeah, you and me both," Belén folded her arms over her chest. "I was surprised and even more that she was able to keep it a secret for this long."

"I don't know how Joe is going to react to all of this," Barry admitted. "I told Iris I'd be there when she told him, but...that's about as much as I can do." And it made him feel useless.

Belén could basically read his mind at this point in their relationship. "You're doing everything you can," she walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, giving a gentle rub as a massage. "Ultimately it's Iris who has to tell Joe the truth."

"I know, but-"

"-and by you being there, you're giving her the support she needs in order to do it."

Barry met her smiling gaze that remained on her face until he smiled too. "I guess you're right..."

"I am," Belén's smile widened. She leaned on her toes to kiss him on the lips. "And your life is a lot easier when you remember that."

Now Barry chuckled. Yeah, he definitely loved her. Which is why it was even more troubling when he remembered that he still didn't have a gift for her this Christmas.

Belén tilted her head slightly when he became silent in his thoughts. "Do you think you want to help me with the tree? Or do you want to hold off on it-"

"-no, let's do it," Barry cut her off because this was really the only thing that he wanted to do that night.

"Are you sure? Because I definitely understand if you want to-"

Now it was Barry who kissed her. "It's almost Christmas and it's our first Christmas as a couple so you bet I want to put up a Christmas tree with you."

A bright blush appeared on Belén's face under his longing gaze. "Okay," she said with the biggest smile.

She took his hand and led him to the boxes she'd already set in the living room. Between the two they unwinded the lights, though for some reason the knot Barry started with got bigger instead of smaller. Belén laughed at his clueless face but she soon regretted it because wrapping it around the Christmas tree proved to be a bigger challenge for her rather than him.

"How did this happen!?" she practically stomped her foot as she put both her wrists in front of her. The lights had wrapped around her wrists instead of the tree.

Barry wanted to laugh really loud but she also looked incredibly adorable which made him want to kiss her senseless. "Belén, I don't even-"

"-do something!" she cried frantically.

Barry dropped his end of the Christmas lights and sped around her to quickly unwind the lights from her wrist. Eventually, the lights dropped to the floor and left Belén free.

"That was not funny," she pointed at him afterwards.

"Kinda was from my end..."

"Just wind the stupid lights already!"

Barry shrugged and once again used his speed to wind the lights around the Christmas tree. When it came to the ornaments, Belén seemed to have a better hold on them. She had an idea of pairing up red, gold, emerald-green and pink with a dash of silver spheres.

"I know they're odd colors but they're our colors," Belén said as she finished putting the last sphere on the tree. "You know-" she stepped back and set her hands on her hips while she gazed at the tree, "-as in the Flash and the Azalea?"

"I love it," Barry grinned. "Makes me feel special."

"That was my intention," Belén sarcastically said before heading for the only box that still held something inside. She pulled out a golden beaded and sequined tree topper and and held it gingerly between her hands. Its gold glimmered even when it wasn't lit by the electricity. It had a pattern of a flower in the middle of the star with sparkling silver beads outlining the shape. "You know this is the Christmas star my Dad had as a kid in Italy...with his family." Belén spoke after a couple minutes. Though with all her memories of her previous Christmases, she didn't even realize she'd stay silent for a while. "He said his mom, my Nona Enger, used it for her family when she was little."

"So it's been in your family for a while, then," Barry could see by the way she held the star so carefully that it still held raw pain for her. It was the same star she hung last year and he doubted she'd ever used a different star for the rest of her life.

"Yeah," Belén bit her lower lip and looked up with fresh tears in her eyes. "Sorry, I'm..."

Barry moved closer to her side and slid an arm around her waist. "Hey," he pressed a kiss to the side of her face. "I know it's hard. It was the same thing when I spent my first Christmas with Joe and Iris instead of my parents."

"How did you get through it?" Belén drew in a shakey breath. "I thought I'd be fine but now it's just...hitting me..."

"That's how it goes. It's not until you do all these traditions that hits you," Barry brought her closer to him. He gazed at their Christmas tree with a small smile. "But I started to realize that just because my parents weren't there anymore, it didn't mean that the traditions had to stop. It actually meant we could create new ones."

Belén nodded her head and looked up at him with a meaningful smile. "I'd love to create new traditions with you."

Together the two walked up to the Christmas tree and, just like last year, Barry picked Belén up so that she could put the Christmas Star up on the tree. He then moved around to plug in the lights. When he did, the Christmas tree twinkled with a series of colors, including its golden star.

There was a pang in Belén's heart, a sad bitter one that reminded her the last time her father helped her put the tree together. Before that, there were good memories with her father and Rayan. How things could change in such little time. But, when Barry moved to stand beside her again, that sad bitterness started fading. The touch of his hand interlaced with hers created a whole new feeling: a warm, joyful one.

She turned her body so that she was facing him and gingerly placed her hands on his face. "I really love you, you know that?" She then leaned forwards and kissed him for a good while.

Barry could feel her smile against his lips, but the more they kissed the less he began to feel it. And to be honest, he himself forgot about their usual smiles and sweet words. Something else was keeping them together and it seemed to get stronger the more time passed. Belén's arms had been wrapped around his neck but one hand lowered to the top buttons of his flannel shirt. At the second button she undid, Barry caught her intentions and - on instinct - pulled away with wide, blinking eyes.

"A-are you-" but once he saw her eyes, he couldn't finish his words. There was a different type of longing look in her eyes that he honestly was not interested in shutting down.

A small smile came to Belén's face as she leaned on him, one hand on his face and the other lingering over the third button of his shirt. "We've been together for a year...I think we might be a bit overdue, right?"

Her roguish smile was so damn alluring that Barry thought it had to be a sin to take it away. "I didn't know there was a due date or anything, but..." With one swift movement (and perhaps his speed), he had taken off her sweater and chucked it over to the living room.

"Nice," Belén briefly looked at her spaghetti strap shirt she was now left in. "Interesting." She leaned on him again and finished undoing the rest of his shirt's buttons. "I'm going to like this interesting."

Barry could honestly say the same thing. He picked her up and let her wrap her legs around his waist. He pulled her into another kiss and took them straight to her bedroom with the intention of kissing her senseless and more.

Author's Note:

Christmas in August! But that should be fine, right? I did split the Christmas episode into 2 chapters just because I felt there was a lot of things going on to be placed into 1 chapter.

I know I'm biased because I'm the author but I'm actually really liking Shivhan. I don't know whether or not to make her a one-time character or keep her around for later stories. What do you guys think?