A/N: Hey I'm back. So it's been about two years and by now you all hate me with a deep passion. I don't blame you. Funny story, I have no idea where I was going with this. I can't remember at all. So I'm going to continue this, but I make no promises on what it's going to be or what it was supposed to be.

So new summary: After being attacked by two enemies in the police station. Barry's secret is exposed to the police force. After being seriously injured and tortured Barry is having difficulties with being the Flash. It takes the help of his friends, family and an unexpected ally to get him back in the game.

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Chapter 3

They finally arrived at STAR LABS and Oliver helped Caitlin wheel Barry into the lab and down to the hospital area. Barry was barely hanging on and despite their best efforts he was still losing a great deal of blood. Wells was already in the room and had set up some equipment that he knew Caitlin would need to help Barry.

"We need to get him up on the bed." Caitlin ordered as they got Barry next to the bed.

Oliver went and helped Caitlin transfer Barry over and Barry did his best not to scream out. The pain was getting really bad for him and he didn't know how much longer he could hold on for. He had broken bones, intense pain inside his stomach and he was freezing. He felt like he would never stop shaking he was so cold.

"I need you to take his and your jacket off. You need to hold him to start getting his body temperature up." Caitlin ordered Oliver before she went off to grab the few things she needed. Felicity stood back not wanting to be in the way. She knew the others would be here soon and very shortly the place would be crowded.

Oliver knew what Caitlin meant and he didn't even argue. He immediately went and removed Barry's jacket before removing his own, but he kept his mask on, because he didn't know who would be coming into this room. He wasn't comfortable with everyone knowing his identity, even if they knew Barry's. Once Oliver and Barry were both shirtless, Oliver got onto the bed and pulled Barry slightly into his arms and against his chest. Barry let out a groan and he squirmed from the pain.

"I know it hurts Bar, just hang on a little longer. It's almost done." Oliver said gently trying to soothe Barry.

"It was so bad Oli. I killed him. I killed a man." Barry said with a shaky voice as his emotions were barely hanging on.

"You did what you had to to survive. We'll get through this Barry" Oliver said knowing just what torture and killing can do to a man. He was worried about Barry, because Barry wasn't hard like him. Barry cared deeply about people and was just a good guy through and through. He didn't deserve any of this.

Caitlin came back over to Barry ready to go when the others finally arrived at the lab. THey all ran over as close as they could to see Barry. Eddie, Roy, Cisco hung back while Joe and Iris ran over to be beside Barry.

"It's okay Son." Joe said.

"I need to operate on him. Barry, I can't give you anything for the pain or to knock you out. You're body will burn right through it." Caitlin said sadly.

"Will it though? He doesn't have his speed back yet from the cuffs. Can't you try to give him something?" Joe asked not wanting to put Barry through anymore pain.

"I can try, but I make no promises on how long it will last." Caitlin agreed as she went over to grab the two needles she would need.

"It might work long enough for you to be able to make the more difficult repairs." Wells said as he did some quick math in his head.

Once she was ready Caitlin injected the needles as she spoke. "Cisco, I need you to go and get all the blood you can from storage."

"Got it." Cisco said as he jogged out of the room and down the hallway.

The others stood there and slowly watched as Barry's eyes close and his shaking stopping.

"He's out." Oliver said as he moved away so Barry could be flat while Caitlin worked on him.

"I need to do this fast. Do you have any training?" Caitlin asked Oliver.

"Tell me what to do." Oliver said not even hesitating. He didn't have much training where medical was concerned, but he had patched up his own body and friends before. He could do as instructed.

"Come on the other side and help me see and control the bleeding. I can do the rest."

Oliver put on some gloves and moved over to where Joe and Iris were. They had no choice, but to back up and Eddie wrapped his arms around Iris as she shook slightly from shock and fading adrenaline. Cisco came back in with the blood and started to get Barry hooked up to one of the bags along with an I.V. bag to help get some fluids back into them. The others had no choice, but to stand around and watch as Oliver and Caitlin worked on healing Barry. It was a good three hours later when Caitlin stepped back and let out a sigh.

"He'll be okay. He's going to need a lot of rest and fluids, but his body will heal. His speed should be returning shortly as well so within a couple of days he'll be back to full health."

Everyone let out a sigh at the good news.

"Good, that's good. What now?" Joe asked.

"I just need to set his bones so they heal straight, other than that he'll be asleep for awhile." Caitlin answered as she and Oliver removed their bloody gloves.

"Ok good. Eddie, we need to get back to the station and make sure a lid is kept on this. We can't risk everyone in the city knowing who the Flash is." Joe said.

"No of course. They'll be wondering how he is." Eddie said with understanding in his voice.

"We need to find Hartley." Cisco said.

"See if you can track him down. Arsenal and me will handle him." Oliver said.

"We're on it." Cisco said as he knew that Felicity would be joining him at the desk.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Joe said to Iris.

"I know. I'm gonna sit with him. You also have a lot to explain to me later." Iris said with an edge to her voice. She was not about to ignore the fact that her own father hadn't told her that Barry was the Flash. And once Barry was feeling better she would be talking to him about it as well. They weren't supposed to have secrets between them, that was their unspoken rule to each other.

"I know. I love you." Joe said as he placed a kiss to Iris' head before moving back.

"I love you too." Iris said.

Eddie went over to her and gave her a hug before he headed out with Joe to take care of the disaster the police station was no doubt in. Iris went over and pulled a chair up so she could sit beside Barry. Even though she was upset about him lying to her that didn't mean she wanted him to be in pain or to suffer what he had today. He was her best friend, her brother, she wanted him to be okay, to be happy and healthy. She never wanted him to go through any of this. Iris didn't know how Barry was going to handle what he had been through, but she did know she would be there for him through all of this. She wasn't going to let him bottle this up and try to pretend like it didn't happened. She was going to be there no matter how bad it got.

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Eddie and Joe arrived at the station to find it a complete mess. There were a few officers cleaning up the blood that was on the floor, others were taking pictures, and they were both certain that up in Barry's lab there would be more officers trying to see what was done to it. Captain Singh was standing in the middle of it trying to keep everything organized and back on track. They still had active cases they needed to work regardless of what had happened here today. Eddie and Joe both headed over to the Captain so they could make sure that Barry's identity was kept a secret. Eddie was still many levels of confused and shocked by what had happened here, but he also knew that Barry was Joe's son and Iris' best friend. He was going to make sure Barry was okay, no questioned asked.

"Captain, a word please?" Joe said.

"Gonna need more than one." Captain Singh grumbled as he headed into his office with Joe and Eddie following him.

Eddie made sure to close the door so they would have some level of privacy.

"How's the kid first?" The Captain asked.

"He'll heal. His speed isn't back yet, but that's a good thing for right now. Caitlin was able to administer some pain medication and a sedative so he didn't feel anything. He's asleep right now and once his speed comes back within a day, he'll be fully healed physically in two days time." Joe answered.

"Good. Let him know that he can take off as much time as he needs." The Captain said.

"I will."

"How long have you known?" Captain Singh asked getting down to business.

"Since a few days after he woke up from the coma. He got his powers the same way these other Meta-Humans did. When he found out he wanted to help people and we both thought it would be best to keep this quiet." Joe answered.

"And you didn't know." Singh asked turning to Eddie.

"Ah no Sir, not until everyone else did."

"And how are you feeling about this? The Flash attacked you that one night. What the hell happened?" Signh asked looking to get all of the answers that had been left unsaid for so long.

"That wasn't his fault. He was wammied by another Meta-Human and it changed his attitude. Eddie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Joe explained.

"And I forgave the Flash for it a long time ago. Knowing what I do now, it makes sense what happened and I don't hold that against Barry. He's saved a lot of lives, a lot of police lives." Eddie added.

"I know he has. I just can't believe it's Barry. He's late for everything. But it also makes sense why he would be. He's busy fighting crime and keeping people safe. We need to get a lid on this. I wanted to make sure that's what you wanted to do. Or if Barry was considering other options."

"No we need to keep this quiet. If the wrong person were to find out, there's no telling who could be hurt. It's bad enough that Leonard Snart knows who he is. At least he's smart enough to keep it quiet. We can't run the risk of an enemy out there going after Iris to get to him."

"I had a feeling that's what you both wanted, but needed to confirm it. Everyone here today won't talk about it. I'll make sure of it. Do any of you need anything?"

"No I think we're good. We need to find Hartley, Cisco is working on trying to track him down." Joe said.

"I'd like to be out there looking at his old spots, maybe we can find him. What are we going to do about the General?" Eddie asked.

"I'll be handling the Army. Joe, any information you can give me on whatever sector the General was running I'd appreciate it."

"I'll have Cisco send you everything they have on him. I know the General has been looking to create superhumans for an army. He captured the Burning man, or Firestorm, a few months back, but Barry was able to get him back. We thought he was in charge though, he seemed to be answering to someone."

"Get me the info and I'll work my contacts to see what I can find. For now if you both are up to it, go out and start trying to track down Hartley or anyone who might know him. We need him off the street as soon as possible, there's no telling what information eh got from Barry's computer or that he won't tell people who he is."

"We're on it." Eddie said.

"I know this day hasn't been easy for you Joe, if you need time off you can take as much as you need." Singh said with sympathy in his voice.

"I appreciate that Cap, but right now I just want to make sure Barry is safe."

"He's a hero and a good kid. You should be very proud. Not many people would have made the same choice to help as he did. He could have turned into a criminal like the others did."

"It's not in him to harm someone or go against the law. I'm very proud of him, even if what he does terrifies me."

"We'll keep him safe. I'll talk with everyone and then you can head out." Singh said as he headed for the door.

The three of them walked out into the main area of the station and Singh's voice rang out.

"I need everyone's attention. Grab the officers that are upstairs."

An officer headed up the stairs to grab the others and Singh headed over to where the elevators were so he could speak and address everyone. After three minutes the whole place was filled with the police officers that had been here for the events today. Singh could see the worry on their faces and he couldn't blame them. They had all experienced something terrible here today, something horrible within their home. This was supposed to be a safe environment where they could work. It wasn't supposed to turn into a hostage situation where one of their colleagues gets tortured almost to death. It would affect them all and Singh knew it would take time before everyone would be back to normal

"I know you all are tired and disturbed by what took place here today. I know you've all been worried about Barry. Let me start by saying that he is expected to make a full recovery." Singh started and at the news that Barry would be okay everyone started to clap. Once it calmed down slightly Singh continued. "Barry is one of us, whether that is as a CSI or as the Flash, he is a member of this family and we protect our own. I am ordering a lockdown on the Flash's identity. It does not ever leave this station. It would put not only Barry at a great risk, but Joe's daughter and his own life. No one is to mention this to anyone. Do I make myself clear?"

A yes sir could be heard throughout the station and Singh knew that none of them would have ever said anything to begin with. He had made sure to surround himself with great police officers and detectives. They were some of the best this city had to offer and none of them would have risked a member's life.

"Hartley is still out there. We don't know what he was able to take off Barry's computer and he still knows Barry's identity. We need to track him down and bring him in. Those of you that do not need to be here, I want you on the street. Find any old friends, family, his old stomping grounds. We need to find him before he does something we can't stop. The Flash is down for a few days at least, so it's up to us to keep this city safe while he recovers. Let's not let him down. Dismissed."

The station went back to work in that moment, some officers left to start canvassing the area, along with Joe and Eddie. The rest stayed behind and continued to work the station and get it back in order. It would take some time to get everyone back on track and for this incident to be behind them, but they would come out of this stronger than they went into it. At least Barry wasn't alone anymore.

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It wasn't until well after midnight did Barry finally start to wake up. The first thing that registered in his mind was pain. It was nowhere near the amount of pain if had been previously and for that Barry was forever thankful for Caitlin and his friends. Still the pain was enough to make it difficult to move at all, even something as simple as opening his eyes seemed like an olympic task. Slowly Barry opened his eyes only to see a blurry world. He blinked them a few times and he was finally able to make out the shape next to his bed as being Joe. Barry meant to say hello,but it came out as a small groan instead. The noise immediately caused Joe to wake up as if he had been on alert this whole time for any signs of trouble. Once Joe saw that Barry had his eyes slightly open he moved closer and took Barry's right hand gently in his.

"It's okay Son. I'm right here."

Barry cleared his throat and tried to speak again.

"Joe, what happened?" His voice came out hoarse and weak, but Barry was just glad that it came out at all.

"You're going to be okay. Caitlin operated on you and was able to fix everything. She said that your speed should be back within the next couple of days and you'll be all healed up. You just need rest right now."

"Hartley?" Barry asked as his eyes got heavier.

"Don't worry about him. We're still looking for him. Oliver is out right now with the kid in the red hood looking for him. I already spoke to the Captain and he made sure everyone that was in the station wouldn't be releasing your name to anyone. What happened will stay in house and we'll find Hartley and put an end to this. I promise you. You just rest for now."

Barry gave a weak nod as his eyes slid shut. He knew he should be asking more questions, but he was too exhausted to do anything about it. He allowed the darkness to take over and pull him under for a few more hours of peace.

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In a side booth at Saint and Sinners sat Leonard Snart. He was alone tonight as Lisa and Mick had gone out to satisfy other needs. Snart had no interest in going anywhere tonight, but the lack of food in the house gave him no choice, but to go out and grab something for dinner. At least at the bar he could get a decent steak and sometimes he heard some gossip or useful information about anything that was going on within Central City. This was his town and he was going to make sure he wasn't going to be caught with his pants down. Ever since the Meta-Humans started to appear things in town had been different. Not just with the Flash. Snart had already taken care of that little problem and he wouldn't have to worry about the Flash as long as he kept Lisa and Mick from killing anyone, not an easy task where Mick was concerned. Now that Snart was no longer fighting with the Flash he was finding himself to get bored. He always loved the thrill of the heist more than the actual act of stealing. It allowed his mind something to think about, something to plan and work out. It was a challenge and each challenge got bigger and bigger for Snart. Now he was at the top of his game and ran this town he was getting bored, he even had gone as far as watching Barry fight a Meta-Human once night hidden in an alley. The kid was getting to him. Snart knew the kid was young, but he had no idea just how young he really was until he learnt his name. After that Snart went into research mode and found out everything about him. What disturbed Snart the most was just how close they could have been reversed. Barry's father had gone to prison for killing her wife and Barry would have ended up in foster care if it had not been for the Detective. Whereas Snart, there was no mother to protect him from his father's abuse. There was no outside adult to watch over them. All Snart had was himself. It was his job to protect himself and his sister from their father's abuse and his drunken friends. Had Snart had someone else there to take care of them, he may never have gone to juvi that first that. He could have gone to high school and then University like he had always dreamt of. Him and Barry were both given a similar situation and they were both given a different outcome, but one single thing different and their roles easily could have been reversed.

Snart found that Barry fascinated him, he was interesting in how he thought and acted. He had no sense of self-survival. It was all about saving people and helping people even if it could kill him and had seriously injured him in the past. Snart for the life of him couldn't understand why. He understood the concept, but why someone would ever do it he had no idea. But Snart was all about survival ever since he was a small child and anything foreign to that he didn't understand. Yet part of him, a very small part of him, often wondered what it would be like to join in on the fight. It looked like a new challenge at times, a new adventure, something Snart desperately wanted more days than not. He wanted to be challenged and forced to figure something out. His mind needed that and more often he wasn't getting it with the heists. The danger of getting caught had long since passed with his skill level. The only time he felt alive again was when he was fighting the Flash, but that was over with now. He was a man of his word and he wasn't going to go back on it now. He would just have to find a new way to challenge his mind and find interesting, because thieving has long since gotten old.

Snart was brought out of his thoughts when a conversatio caught his attention over at the bar not too far from him.

"So the Flash really is out of commission?" A biker that Snart knew went by the name of Rider. They had a few dealings with each other over the time Rider had been in town, five years now. There was never a problem between them. Rider always made sure he stayed out of Snart's way when he was told to.

"That's what the kid said. He was braggin' all about it." Jackson answered, another biker that had been in town for three years.

Snart didn't have a problem with bikers, in fact he sort of liked them. They at least understood the pecking order and had no problem knowing their place and staying there.

"What's this now?" Snart asked and both bikers turned to look at him.

"You'll like this Snart. This kid, calls himself the Pied Piper, whatever that fucking is. Was braggin' down at Gun and Saloon about how he helped talk down the Flash along with some Army General. They did it right at the police station of all places. Tortured him right there for hours. Looks like we won't have to worry about the Flash for a while." Jackson laughed.

"The Pied Piper you say. Well that is interesting. Wonder how they found the Flash at the police station." Snart said coolly, but already his mind was putting the pieces together.

"Just said he could always find the Flash. He wants to go after him again once he's all healed up. Got some beef with him, fuck who doesn't? Man, I would have loved to see that. Maybe he'll never recover and we won't have to worry about the Flash anymore." Jackson said with a smile.

"Was it bad, the torture? Did they get him good?" Rider asked with his own sick smile.

"Accordin' the the kid it was. Blocked his speed and had his hands cuffed behind him. Kid said the Army guy wanted to use him as a human experiment. Shit I should find him myself and hand him over. Might be an award for it." Jackson said.

"Now, now, you both know that the Flash is mine. I would hate for you to have an unfortunate accident." Snart said in a deadly tone and the two bikers knew he wasn't playing.

"Of course man ya. But if you ever change your mind on that, we'll gladly take him off your hands." Jackson said backtracking now.

"How long ago was this kid at the bar?" Snart asked instead.

"A couple of hours ago."

"He'll be back there. He'll be a legend for helping to take down the Flash." Rider said knowing that Snart would want to talk to him.

"He'll be something alright." Snart said as he got up and headed out of the bar.

He didn't know how he felt about all of this. He never wanted Barry to ever go through something like this. Snart knew a thing or two about being tortured, he had grown up in that world. Barry was too innocent, too pure for it. Snart didn't know how he felt about any of this, what he did know is that someone else knew the Flash's identity and that wasn't a good thing. Snart was a man of his word and he could keep a secret better than anyone, this Pied Piper kid was a whole other story. Snart knew this was something he would need to handle and handle quickly, before Barry's face was all over the news.

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The next morning at STAR Labs everyone was there to check in on Barry. He had slept the rest of the night after waking up and he was starting to feel better. His speed was finally slowly starting to return and he was hopeful that come tomorrow it would be back fully and he would be back in perfect health once again. Oliver and Roy had been out all night trying to track down Hartley, but they had come up empty. Barry knew that Hartley would have gone underground and there was nothing they could do about it right now. They would just have to wait until a lead came up for them to chase or the police found him by some luck. Barry knew he should be worried about it, but right now he was just exhausted. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep in his own bed and hide from the world. He needed to be alone so he could get his mind straight and get his emotions figured out. He just wanted to be left alone.

"We need to start heading back home. We can't leave the city unguarded for too long right now. Let us know if you need anything." Oliver said.

"We will. I appreciate your help in all of this..You saved my son's life, I'll owe you for the rest of mine." Joe said sincerely.

"There's nothing to owe. It's what we do for each other." Oliver said as he went over to Barry and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Take care of yourself and I'm only a phone call away should you need to talk."

"Thanks Oli, for everything." Barry said with a weak voice.

"Let us know when you get Hartley." Facility added.

"We will. We won't stop looking until we catch him." Eddie said already knowing that the whole police force was out looking for him.

"If you need a more secure place to contain him let me know. I can have him on the island where he'll never escape." Oliver added.

"Might need to take you up on that." Wells said.

Facility went over to Barry and have him a gentle hug and a kiss to his cheek as she spoke.

"Take care of yourself and call me in a couple of days to let me know how you are doing."

"I will. Drive safe." Barry said weakly as he felt his eyes getting heavier.

"We'll get out of here so you can get some sleep. Feel better Barry." Roy said.

"See you guys and thanks." Barry said.

"Anytime." Oliver said before the three of them headed out.

"We're gonna head out to and get back to the search for Hartley. You call if you need anything." Joe said to Barry.

"I'll be fine. When can I go home?"

"Later on today if your vitals are still good you can. With your speed slowly returning I don't see a problem with it." Caitlin answered.

"Call me when he can leave and I'll pick you up. I don't want you going anywhere on your own until you're healed up." Joe said.

"We'll make sure he's okay. We're not going anywhere." Cisco said.

"Alright, I'll see you later son." Joe said before he bent down and kissed the top of Barry's head.

Him and Eddie headed out to try and track down Harley so they wouldn't have to worry about him spilling his guts about who the Flash is. They also had the problem of not knowing who Eiling was working for. They needed Hartley to get some answers so they were better prepared and ready for the fight that might be coming their way.

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It was eight o'clock that night when Barry was curled up in his own bed. He had finally gotten rid of everyone an hour ago and he was finally alone like he had wanted to be for the past two days now. Whenever he was awake all he could think about was the pain he went through and how there was an audience of respected police officers and detectives watching it. Barry knew that he had nothing to be ashamed of and yet he felt exactly that. He had no idea how he was ever going to be able to show his face around work again. He had no idea how he was ever going to be able to put on his red suit and feel safe again. And worst of all, he had no idea how he was going to live with knowing he took a man's life. Self-defense or not, he shot and killed someone and now he was going to have to live with it. He had become a killer, something he never wanted to be.

Barry couldn't hold back the tears anymore. His whole body and mind hurt, it had all been too much for him. Now that he was finally alone he was able to let the pain out. Barry didn't know how long he had been crying curled up on his side, but he was snapped out of it by the sound of his door opening. He didn't hear anyone pulling up so he knew it wasn't Joe. Barry turned to see who had walked into his room and he was shocked to see that it was Snart. He didn't have his parka on, but a black leather jacket and he didn't have his cold gun strapped to his leg either. Barry had no idea what he was doing here, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He just wanted to be left alone.

"Go away." Barry said with a shaky and weak voice.

Snart gently closed the door and took in the sight in front of him. There was Barry curled up in his bed with his eyes red and puffy, tearing going down his face. A face that was covered in bruises and scrapes. So were his arms and his hand was in a brace of some sorts. He was still very injured despite being able to heal quicker. Snart had just wanted to come by and see for himself that Barry was alright or going to be alright. He didn't expect to find him still so injured and broken. Snart went over and leaned against the wall so he could face Barry.

"I'm not here to hurt you Barry." Snart said gently.

"Then just go and leave me alone. Please just leave me alone." Barry said as more tears filled his eyes against his wishes.

"I'm not here to placate you and tell you it will all be okay just by positive thinking." Snart started.

"Then why are you here?" Barry said sounding even more tired now that it was clear Snart wasn't going to leave.

"To tell you that I know it will be okay. One day, you'll be okay with what happened. That I know how you feel."

"How could you possibly know how I feel right now?"

"You know my father was a dirty cop that turned thief."

"Ya."

"What people don't know is that he was a drunken monster. Started after he got out of Iron Heights that first time. After my mom gave birth to Lisa she had enough and took off. You had Detective West when your parents were gone to step in and take care of you. To protect you. I didn't have anyone. I had to protect Lisa from him. He was horrible when he was drunk, but worse sober. When I was ten he thought it would be a fun goal for himself to see if he could break every single one of my bones within that year. He got close, back and neck are the only two he missed thankfully. When he was bored he would torture me sometimes for hours sometimes he would do it for a week straight, let his buddies join in. All depended on what I did wrong in his eyes. Sometimes it was as simple as just existing and sometimes it was because I wouldn't help him on a heist. My point in all of this is Barry, I know how you feel and I know it will get easier to live with."

"Leonard, I had no idea. Why would he want you to help him on heists? You were just a kid." Barry asked feeling pain for Snart and a better understanding of why he was the way he was and so protective of Lisa.

"He's an idiot and a very bad thief. He gets caught all the time and doesn't learn from it. Always has to have a backup plan for when things go wrong, which they always do. I was five when the teachers started to figure out I was different. We're similar in another way Barry."

"You're a genius. I should have seen that before. You calculate everything on a heist, you read people too well." Barry said with understanding in his voice.

"I've always been good at seeing an object and figuring out how to take it apart. When I look at something my mind just breaks it down to the bare bones. Don't know why and no one ever figured out what it was. We didn't have any fancy tests like you do now a days. Found out in my thirties that I have an eidetic memory. At least that one had a name for it. Ever since I was a kid my old man found ways to utilize and take advantage of my mind and he didn't like it when I said no. After that first stint in Juvi that he set me up for, I just gave up. Was kicked out of high school, lost my scholarship to a University for early acceptance. And the rest you know."

"That's crazy. I had no idea Leonard. How did you get passed it?" Barry asked as he wiped his cheeks to try and get his emotions under control.

"Believe it or not, Mick. I met him on my first stint. I was fourteen and the smallest kid in there by far. Some of the older kids wanted to make sure I knew it. I was jumped by five of them. I tried to fight, but that was never my thing. Too interested in the book that I was reading then lifting weights. One of the kids pulled out a shiv and I thought that was it. Until Mick stepped in and saved my life. No one messed with me after that. I got out in six months, but Mick was there for two more years, he's got two years on me. He got out at eighteen and the first thing he did was come by to see me. My old man was seconds away from killing me. He had stabbed me three times and was moving to stab my neck when Mick grabbed his wrist and broke it. He beat him almost into a coma. He took me to a clinic to get patched up and then he took me and Lisa home with him. I used to get night terrors, couldn't control it no matter how hard I tried. PTSD from ten years in Hell. He used to sit with me at night just so I wasn't alone. Him being around made me feel safe and I found that if I felt safe it was easier to handle. He taught me how to fight and how to shoot. He protected me from my own mind and from anyone else that ever dared to do anything to me. I got hit I didn't even have the chance to hit back, because Mick was already doing it. You can't do it alone Barry. You need to have someone there that makes you feel safe, and it helps if they understand."

"Do you still have PTSD?"

"Some days are harder than others. It's not something I talk about, but I have some mental health issues from it. Sometimes I have to take some medication to get me through rough periods. But I always have Mick and at the darkest times he pulls me through. You need to find someone who will pull you through."

"Thanks Leonard."

"No problem Barry. Get some sleep, you know where to find me if you need to talk."

Barry just gave a nod and Snart headed out of the room and Barry felt slightly better knowing that maybe he wasn't so alone with these feelings after all. It helped to know that someone within the city knew how he felt. Barry knew he had Oliver that had experienced torture and killing someone, but Oliver was in a different city six hundred miles away and he had his own problems to deal with. Barry didn't know what to think about what Snart had told him, but at least he wouldn't be alone in his feelings. Right now he needed sleep and then tomorrow he would try and work out what he was thinking and all of the new information he had just learnt. For now he would be thankful that he was back in his own bed and maybe tomorrow wouldn't look so dark.