A soft noise pierced through his awareness. Where was he? To him, it felt like he was confined in some silent solitude and he couldn't escape it.
The second thing he became aware of was the pulsing pain in his abdomen, he wanted to roll into himself and hold himself until the pain stopped but he fount himself unable to move any of his limbs. Barry hated being trapped in his head whether it was unconsciously or via meta-human. The more he became aware, the more he realised how much his head felt like cotton, it felt so soft but had it gave him a huge headache.
As he slowly came to, he started to feel his limbs ever so slightly, he could at least try and flex his fingers now which was good. Each time he did it though, he felt more and more pressure gather on his arms and he hated it.
It took Barry a solid 8 more minutes to fully come around, he almost plunged himself back under after realising the pain was never ending.
Blaine, Kurt, Niff, David and Wes were all surrounding Barry's bedsides, Caitlin, Cisco, Harry, Wally, Jesse, Iris and Joe were all standing back, as hard as it was for them, they knew they had to stand back for once.
A soft huff brought their attention to their previously comatose friend. His eyes were fluttering closed but he was there, awake and extremely weak, but there. The moment his eyes reclosed, Caitlin was at his side, trying to rouse him again. He was lightly whimpering and his eyes were fluttering but they stayed stubbornly closed. The pen light was hurting his head, making him try and push himself back under more but Caitlin never did let him.
The room was eerie silent, they didn't know what to tell him. It had been a crazy day and they would rather tell him once he was coherent enough to take it all in, they would rather prefer to only tell the story once.
"wh't h'pp'nd?" Barry mumbled quietly, he was looking at them all through half-lidded eyes and was trying so hard to help them focus on them. Joe walked over and moved next to his son's bedside, pushing some of his hair up and placing a kiss to his hairline, whispering some comforting words into his ear.
"Get some rest, Barry. You went through a lot and your body still needs time to heal" Caitlin answered, gaining Barry's attention.
Barry's eyes looked at Caitlin for a couple more seconds before they closed and his body went limp, scaring everyone especially Kurt and Wes. Joe brushed it off as his kid succumbing to sleep but the others couldn't, it still made them all feel uneasy but Caitlin assured them his body had caught up with his mind and that it would be a couple hours before he wakes up again. Nodding, Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand and sighed, glad he was going to be okay.
It had been a crazy day and now, all they had to do was heal from it all.
Hour 's ago:
The party had just begun, there was no signs of Team Flash, however, but they knew Barry was probably not comfortable with showing his face again. The OG New Directions were currently singing, bringing back some of their classics.
Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
A singer in a smokey room
The smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searchin' in the night
Streetlight, people
Livin' just to find emotion
Hidin' somewhere in the night
They all start bouncing up and down, punching their fists into the air to try and get the audience to bounce along with them.
Don't stop!
Don't stop believin'
Hold onto that feelin'
Streetlight, people, oh oh oh
Don't stop!
The crowd started clapping and they all had massive smiles on their faces, nothing could wipe it off of them.
Just then, something came flying through the wall right next to the door, but Stacey saw who it was and felt sick to her stomach. Barry laid in the rubble unmoving, he was bleeding everywhere and it was terrifying.
Wes and David ran towards him, trying to rouse the Scarlet Speedster but nothing happened. David tapped Barry's cheek but got no responce, his head lolling onto its side once it had been touched.
"Shit.. Stacey call Joe! We need to get Caitlin down here now!" Wes ordered, bringing Barry's limp head into his lap, brushing the hair out of his face.
Stacey pulled out her phone and dialed Joe, her head trying to keep her heart from beating out of her chest. Joe's phone went straight to voicemail.
"It went straight to voicemail" she said, her voice wavering between wanting to cry or wanting to hurt the son of a bitch who did this to Barry.
Finn, Mr Schue, Blaine and Cooper, who was visiting for the week, all ran towards them with towels so they could try and stem the bloodflow from the multiple puncture wounds on his body. Whilst Finn, Blaine and Cooper did that, Mr Schue turned and kneeled by the kid's head, applying pressure to the gaping hole at the back of his head. Was he scared if he had brain damage? Absolutely. Did he want to help inprison the guy who did it? Of course. Sebastian may have been a dick in high school but he still didn't deserve this.
"Merry Christmas, Everyone!" A voice cracked through on the speakers.
"I hope you enjoy the little present I left you. Don't worry, I'll be making my appearance very, very soon and then you'll be free from all of this. I assure you that " the voice disappeared, leaving a painful silence afterwards.
"We need to get the police involved!" Sue exclaimed, her phone already in her hand.
"SUE, YOU CANNOT GET THE COPS INVOLVED! ARE YOU INSANE?!" Finn yelled, causing everyone to jump at his outburst but the ones who knew why he said it calmed down quicker and sighed, they all knew they couldn't get the cops involved.
"And the hell why not?" She questioned, a smirk playing on her face as Finn was at a loss for words. It wasn't his secret to say but he couldn't let the cops get involved.
He took a deep breath and looked at Wes for support,"because.. he-he's The Flash.. He's Central City's protector"
Sue started laughing whilst everyone else turned to Stacey, wanting her confirmation on it all. They knew the moment she looked down that it was true; Sebastian Smythe was the Scarlet Speedster and he needed their help.
"You've gotta be joking", Sue laughed, "how on Earth is that little scrawny meerkat the same guy who saved thousands of lives in that City?"
"He got struck by lightning the night Dr. Harrison Wells' particle accelerator exploded. 9 months later, he wakes up and that's the same time The Flash started showing up" Jeff explained, feeling smart.
"He's really the Scarlet Speedster?" Cooper whispered to Blaine, who had crouched beside him once Mr Schue stood up and walked towards Sue.
Blaine nodded and continued to apply pressure to Barry's head, noting how it was slowing down and was clotting. Wes held one of Barry's limp hands to his chest, rubbing small circles into his wrist.
"That doesn't prove anything!" Sue argued back, her head whipping towards the unconscious man on the floor.
"Yes it does. I had to go to Central City for a shoot in their precinct, where Barry worked, and I was in their coffee shop, Jitters, and it was getting robbed. The Flash stopped it, the same exact build as Bas, same voice and acted awkward like Bas does in certain situations. He looked at me, his voice became different and he looked terrified" Cooper explained, his voice trailing at the end as he looked down to the suddenly stirring man.
Finn, Cooper, Blaine and David held down the stirring man as he started to move his head around but he still hadn't opened his eyes and had smiled or even spoken to them. Just as Jon went to speak, a sudden gust of wind startled them all.
A man in a yellow suit stood before them, his eyes a crimson red colour and he was vibrating his body so no-one could see who he was. Thad knew who he was though, he knew about this all and he didn't want to be in that room any longer.
"Surprise"
Back in Central City, Team Flash were shocked as to what had happened. Barry had taken down Zoom but in the process, got his ass beaten by the Reverse Flash and now he was back in Ohio and they needed to get back there and fast.
Iris had tears in her eyes, her soon-to-be boyfriend was bleeding out somewhere in Ohio and they had no way of getting him the medical attention he needs.
Joe was quiet, he was thankful that Zoom was finally dealt with but now they had to deal with Eobard Thawne.
Cisco was in shock, he hadn't expected for Thawne to just swoop in like that and kidnap the Scarlet Speedster but he had, and Barry's GPS wasn't functioning properly, it's not like they needed it though, they knew Barry was back in Ohio, it was Eobard's side of the entire plan and now, they had to pray that everyone would be okay.
Caitlin was scared. Scratch that she was petrified. Her captor had just taken off with her best friend. She didn't even know if he was alive, she knew his vitals were weak and now that Cisco's phone had died, she had no idea how she was supposed to know if he was alive. Her phone, along with Joe's, was back at the Lab, they didn't want any noises giving them away.
Harry was too focused on keeping his daughter safe then checking on the others and seeing how they were coping. They needed to hold themselves together for the entire world's sake. Barry's more so.
Jesse was focused solely on Wally, he hadn't experienced anything like this and it must've been nerve wracking for him, especially after just getting his dad back from Zoom.
The group were silent, but the world around them wasn't including Iris' cellphone which started to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered it immediately, putting it on loud speaker.
"Why hello there, Team Flash! " Thawne sneered from the other side of the phone, clearing finding this amusing.
"Where's my son, Thawne?" Joe bellowed, reaching for his gun on his belt after hearing some rattling from their side. He heard Thawne chuckle before ending the call, not even giving them any indication that Barry was alive.
"Call Oliver. We need him"
The first thing Barry was aware of was the pounding in his head. He vaguely remembered getting thrown into a wall but the rest was a blur. He could hear voices poking through the fog in his brain but he couldn't pinpoint any names. He moved his head onto its side, surprised at how no-one was crowding around him to help but as he went to sit up he realised he couldn't. Barry's eyes jolted open and his head darted around the room, it wasn't helping with his head but he didn't care. He'd be healed up soon.
"Welcome back, Mr Allen" A voice sneered, making Barry jump amd his head snap towards where it came from.
Barry's eyes hardened. He stared at Eobard Thawne as he made his way around each of his friends, he hated how they were involved in it all.
"Thawne," Barry's voice was strong, he needed to be for the others, "let them go. You need me, you got me. Let them go"
"Hmmm.. I thought about doing that," he chuckled, "but then I realised they would go to the cops and I'm already a wanted man after I confessed to your mother's murder"
Everyone's eyes buldged out of their heads. Seriously? Of all people to hold them hostage it just so happened to be a serial killer? Damn their cursed luck. Kurt didn't believe any of the Barry-Sebastian stuff but after this, he believed it whole heartedly. Sue was silent, she was stuck next to the Dean of Dalton and Mr Schue.
"I think we best call the Green Arrow, considering I know your little Team have already called him. " Eobard smirked and was gone in a flash, appearing moments later with some duct tape. He ran around the room and applied duct tape to everyone's mouths.
He grabbed Barry's cellphone from his pocket and entered the password, searching for Oliver's name and clicking on it. He put the phone on loud speaker.
Team Arrow had contacted the Legends who had contacted Supergirl and her team after hearing that Eobard had Barry. They all had retreated to S.T.A.R Labs and were waiting in the cortex silently for Harry and Jesse to return with Wally as they went to get some coffee from Jitters for everyone.
Oliver's phone ringing broke everyone out of the silence they were in. Oliver fished for his phone and his eyes lit up at who it was; Barry.
"Barry.. You okay, kid?" Oliver's asked immediately, not realising it was Thawne.
"Barry Allen is alive, Mr Queen " Eobard said, you could hear his dislike to Oliver in the way he said 'Mr Queen'
"Thawne.." Oliver said, his eyes going into slits just at the mention of his name. He had gotten everyone's attention so decided to put it on loud speaker, he knew he was on loud speaker as he could hear everything from where Thawne was.
"The one and only" Eobard returned.
"I want to hear it from Barry. I want to hear Barry say he's okay" Oliver requested, as long as he heard it from Barry then at least he could believe it himself.
After hearing that, Thawne turned to Barry and ripped the tape off, pressing the phone near Barry's mouth and glaring at him.
"Oliver.." Barey breathed out, he didn't care that they knew who he was, he just wanted to get out of here and forget this ever happened, maybe Ray can make something to wipe their minds.
"Kid.." He heard Oliver sigh in relief, "you okay? Be honest with me, Barr"
"I'm okay, Ollie.. I'm a bit scared but I'm more scared for the people who are listening to our conversation right now" Barry admitted, hearing Oliver curse. But hey, at least it wasn't Barry's fault entirely.
"We're on the way, kid. We've got the Legends and we've even got Supergirl on her way, we're gonna get you out of this" Oliver said.
"Times up.. See you all very soon, Mr Queen" Eobard ended the call and moments later everyone had the tape taken off and were very angry. Eobard could see he was fuelling their anger so he said he was paying someone a certain visit and that he would be back within an hour or so.
"I think we all demand an explanation, Smythe or should I refer to you as Allen? Considering you are the son of Nora Allen" Sue said, exposing Barry.
"You're Nora Allen's kid? The same woman who was murdered in her home? You were the eleven-year-old boy to witness it all?" Kurt exclaimed, feeling guilty about not believing Barry.
Barry was silent and looked down at his bound wrists, he didn't want to talk about it. It hurt too much. He remembered his mom dying in his arms after he had gone back in time, he remembered watching Ronnie die after he and Martin Stein had split in the middle of the singularity after he had contained it just enough. He remembered Eddie shooting himself in the chest just before the singularity was caused, he had died a heroic death all for him to live and marry the love of his life. Where was Eddie's recognition? Where was Ronnie's? They didn't get anything yet here he was being the cause of it all and getting the key to the city from the mayor. The freaking Mayor gave him— Bartholomew Henry Sebastian Smythe-Allen— the key to the entire city. It made no sense.
"Barry.. That's your name, right?" Will asked, he noticed how Barry had retreated into his head after Kurt's questions and he wanted to help make the kid feel as relaxed as he could.
He nodded," what the heck happened tonight? Why did you look like you were attacked and beaten and left for dead?"
"As you know, I'm the Flash" Barry started, his voice no longer confident," I was racing this guy, his real name is Hunter Zoloman and he killed my father just 4 days ago.."
Gasps could be heard throughout the entire room as the truth was finallg being revealed. It seemed extremely farfetched but it was all true and that's not even the crazy part about it all.
"He challenged me to a race on the day of my father's funeral. He had something planned and he had heard about my alias as 'Sebastian Smythe' so he used that against me but I refused to race him until we figured out his plan" Barry explained, trying to control the burning in his eyes from the tears.
"His plan with the magnatar back in Central City?" Santana recalled, remembering the conversation they had with all of those smart people and Joe and Iris.
"Yep.. I won the race. But then Thawne appeared and well here we are" Barry shrugged, wincing when it pulled on his bounds.
Oliver was pacing. Yes, he had heard from Barry that he was okay but there was an entire party going on! God knows how many civillians were inside with them, and he had to get them all out safely? He didn't sign up for that.
"Oliver, stop pacing. You'll put a hole in the ground!" Sara demanded, she was sick and tired of watching Oliver pace for the past 8 minutes.
Leonard Snart stood next to his sister. They were both actually quite worried for the Scarlet Speedster, they had gotten quite attached to the man and they didn't want any harm to go his way. Snart prefered to hurt the speedster himself and he sure as hell wasn't going to let the man who had controlled the kid's life since he was 11.
Diggle stood next to Lyla, thinking of so many possibilities that could happen to the man he's grown to consider his little brother. He may always get nauseous after getting supersped places but he was still thankful for Barry being able to just stop by.
Kara waltzed in moments later, her sister and her team following behind her. She remembered Oliver showing her the CCTV footage of the fight between Barry, Oliver and Firestorm against Thawne and even she admitted that he seemed tough to beat and that's saying something considering she's the girl of steel.
Team Flash were staring at the empty mannequin as they tried to keep their emotions in tact. Their best friend was in trouble and here they were just silently waiting for something to happen. Joe had gone off to lie down after being held captive by Zoom he was exhausted but he requested to find out any information immediately. He of course was scared for his foster son but he knew Eobard Thawne by now, he had spent his entire life devoted to his kid and he hadn't hurt him once, only when he figured out the truth so he trusted the man who killed Barry's mother to keep his boy safe.
"I wonder if Barry is wearing the nanotech I made him?" Ray questioned, not realising this was key information he had failed to share.
"NANOTECH? YOU GAVE BARRY NANOTECH AND FAILED TO MENTION IT? " Felicity screamed, Barry was her loveable dummy and she wanted him back safe and sound as soon as possible.
Ray gulped audibly, " umm.. sorta? he has a new suit that can appear by touching his wrist either with his finger or against something hard enough"
Sighing, Felicity stormed over to her ex-boyfriend and stamped on his foot with her heel and she would've slapped him if Oliver hadn't gotten in between them.
God, she's glad that her and Ray broke up otherwise she would've done a lot more then just stamp on him.
Barry hated his life. He hated having to tell the entire story to people. This was torture enough for him, screw being physically abused by their captor just make them relive the worst parts of their life and you'll break them for good.
It had been over an hour since he last saw Eobard Thawne and his body still hadn't quite healed yet. His head was still pounding and he knew he had a concussion but he was surprised that the pain hadn't lessened yet. His ribs weren't set so he knew they wouldn't heal correctly and the puncture wounds he had were becoming irritable and were making him feel ill so they were bound to be infected.
Everyone had gone into an awkward silence after hearing Barry's life story and he didn't care, he was too focused on trying to get out of these cuffs before anything else. If he was able to get his hands free then he could speed them out of there and then him and Thawne could finally battle just them two.
Barry was trying to focus on vibrating his body but nothing worked, whatever was in the cuffs was dampening his powers and maybe a sedative was installed as well because he felt increasingly tired afterwards.
"I see you've discovered the sedative in the cuffs" Thawne said, appearing in the room with someone who had a bag on his head.
Barry nodded, he felt too weak after trying to escape, "nice touch to the cuffs"
"Cisco gave me the idea after he invented the cold gun" he said simply and yanked the bag off of the guys head.
"HUNTER?" Barry yelled once the bag was off of his head.
"I want everyone to meet my son.. Hunter Clarington.. he's from the future and has been messing with your lives since he travelled back with me"
After much discussion with Ray, they managed to hack into the 'unhackable' technology and heard everything that was being said, they didn't dare make a sound incase they were overheard.
"HUNTER?" They heard Barry yell, Oliver could tell the kid was trying to hold himself together.
"I want everyone to meet my son.. Hunter Clarington.. he's from the future and has been messing with your lives since he travelled back with me" the room was silent. Oliver had heard stories from Barry about his high school days and how he and this Hunter Clarington had become quite close and turns out he's the son of the man who killed Barry's mother. Oliver was gonna kill him. He was not letting the guy who was his little brother get betrayed like that.
They muted their comm and Oliver went and grabbed his gear, no-one questioned him as they knew that Oliver did that when he was angry. When Oliver walked back in in his full vigilante uniform he claimed to be going to go save Barry and walked away, using his comms to request for Barry's vitals to be played in his ear.
Barry turned his head away from Hunter. He couldn't believe it. He had been betrayed by the guy who he thought was like a brother to him. Everything made sense though:
•how he randomly showed up
•looked older then all of the other Warblers
•was obsessed with P.E.D and running
•why his appetite was always extra
Everything made so much sense and he couldn't believe he had been played like that. The betrayal hurt him a lot, and if he had opened his eyes then maybe he would've seen it himself.
"To think. I thought people could change. But here you are, still the same double crossing bastard who forced us into steroids and managed to get us wrapped around your little finger" Thad said, he was fuming along with the rest of the older Warblers.
Hunter didn't even smile. It was clear he wasn't happy with himself but he still didn't bother to tell people, he still let it be revealed like this and it still had a domino effect on everyone.
"You're a traitor, Clarington" Nick added, giving Hunter the dirtiest stare he could muster.
"As much as it generally pains me to admit it, you were all dead to me the moment I met you all," Hunter turned to Barry," especially you, Sebastian Smythe"
"You sick son of a bitch" Finn said, he didn't care for swearing in front of some freshmen, or was how he felt and I think they deserved a good curse right now.
"How could you do that to them? I thought the Dalton Academy Warblers were a family! Once a Warbler, always a Warbler, right?" Santana yelled.
"SHUT UP!" Hunter yelled, watching his dad speed around the entire room and put tape on their mouths to shut them up.
Barry hoped that the others would be here soon. He didn't know how much more he could take of all of it.
It had been hours since Barry had last seen any of his family. He knew they were alive at least but it still scared them now that there was two Thawnes' walking about.
After Hunter had been exposed, he had left and started walking around the academy so that left Thawne with the hostages. Barry knew that Thawne wanted to so desperately take their personal vendetta to where he could physically hurt him but that wasn't Thawne's motive. He wanted to break the Scarlet Speedster, he didn't want him to be hurt.
He had removed everyone's except Barry's tape and he told them all to start talking to each other otherwise he would start hurting people, more specifically Barry.
To think, they were holding a Christmas party but now look. They were in a hostage situation, that's not even similar to Die Hard, and the people who were holding them hostage just so happened to hate Barry. There was no way he was making it out in one piece. There was no way in hell that was going to happen.
The door slammed open and what was being held made Barry's blood run cold. It was a lot of equipment, more specifically it was a lot of equipment to torture someone. Barry's gaze met Cooper's and he could see the fear on Cooper's face, it matched Barry's.
Everyone stopped breathing as they emptied out all of their weapons in front of Barry, he wanted to beg for them to not hurt him but a) he had tape on his mouth and b) what was the point? They would do it anyway.
Thawne picked up a butcher knife and walked towards Barry's face, he placed it against the kid's face but didn't apply any pressure, he let it dance across his face and enjoyed the red lines appearing as Barry moved his head to face everyone. They saw how he was clutching his fists tightly. Thawne dragged it across Barry's face again, this time, making sure it left more then just some red lines. He watched the kid flinch under the metallic object and smirked, he was finally getting the chance to take down Barry once and for all.
Cooper wanted to take the pain away from him, as did Jeff, Thad, Nick, Wes, David. Every person watching wanted to put that pain into themselves, to spare him the physical pain as they knew he had gone through so much at such a young age.
Barry felt the blood drip down his face and start covering the suit he was wearing. He had been using Ray's nanotech suit so he was able to wear this underneath and still manage to take his suit off. Ray's nanotech suit! How did he forget about that? Hopefully his team was on their way right now, if they've only just started torturing him then they must be planning some big stuff.
Barry felt all the wind get sucked out of him as Eobard put him in a chokehold and held him against the table, he didn't know why Eobard wanted him dead that badly but he did and now, he was trying to suffocate him. Damn what the hell does he do in the future to piss him off?
He could hear everyone begging him to stop, to stop hurting him, to stop holding them captive but soon his could only hear his heartbeat in his ear. He hadn't even realised that his wrist was pressed really hard against one of the bonds until his suit activated, giving him the luxury of oxygen.
He hadn't even noticed his eyes had drifted shut until Oliver somehow managed to join Team Flash's comm channel. He was vaguely aware of Oliver calling Barry's name and how his oxygen levels were low but he was already starting to drift away.
"BARRY!" Oliver's scream was the last thing he heard before his eyes rolled into his head and Gideon had alerted Team Flash.
Wes turned to look at Blaine once Barry had gone limp, it scared it him a lot, but he knew that his team would be here soon and that they would get him the help he needed. These past 24 hours were seriously confusing.
After receiving Gideon's alert about Barry, they all ran into the Waverider and started flying to Ohio. Although Cisco couldve vibed them there, they hadn't made a plan yet and at least they could keep Oliver from walking off as they had picked him up on the way.
They were scared for Barry. When Gideon had alerted that Barry was unconscious and thag his oxygen levels were low they were terrified, god knows what was happening to him right now.
They prayed Barry could hold on for a little bit longer, they hoped he could stay with them for that long.
Barry's eyes fluttered open. He remembered what happened but he didn't want to. The inside of the mask was spinning a lot and the outside world was spinning in the opposite direction to him, it made him feel sick. He still had the tape on his mouth and he wish he could command Gideon to take it off but of course how would that work if he can't speak and Gideon is voice activated?
He could hear someone's voice, it sounded like Mr Schue's but he didn't care, he was more focused on trying to rouse his head. There was this ringing in his ears that was making it even harder to make out what was being said as he roused his head.
"—arry?"
"—an you hear me?"
He felt a hand in his chest and start to rub it up and down really quickly, making his head go onto its side as he lost all strength to keep his head in place. He had completely forgotten about the sedative embedded in the cuffs.
Thawne and Hunter had appeared after a loud bang was made in the hall. They saw Mr Schue trying to help Barry but they didn't exactly care, it's not like he knew how to open meta-human power dampening cuffs.
Oliver ran into the room, Sara, Kara and Cisco following. They saw Barry and Oliver ran to him but was beat by Thawne, who grabbed him by the collar and somehow deactivated his mask, and he held Barry's face inches away from his own, an evil smirk playing on his face.
"Now, everyone gets to watch the fall of the Scarlet Speedster!" Eobard sneered, vibrating his hand just above Barry's chest, enjoying how he was squirming and trying to scream.
Barry felt his wrists run raw as he felt them dig into the cuffs, he was trying everthing to get away from Eobard's vibrating hand but couldn't. He was stuck. His screaming was muffed by the tape he had covering his mouth, he took a second to see everyone's eyes widen and then he felt the plunging pain in his abdomen. He last heard everyone scream as he had black dots fill his vision as his eyes rolled into his head and he fell limp against the table.
"BARRY!" Oliver yelled, grabbing his bow and arrow and firing straight at Thawne.
He wasn't going to let Thawne get away with hurting Barry. He would kill for the kid if he had to. Oliver smiled when the horse tranquilliser arrow just so happened to hit Thawne but he flashed away before he could get grabbed. Sara and Cisco started to untie everyone as Kara and Oliver battled Hunter.
Mick, Ray, Rory, Lisa and Snart all appeared and helped grab some of the civilians and help them exit the building safely, they knew Barry had a past with them and they knew Barry wouldn't forgive himself if anything were to happen to them.
Mr Schue was still with Barry, trying to wake the kid up and help stop the bleeding in his abdomen. His hands were stained in blood but he didn't care, the kid was bleeding out in front of him and he couldn't let that happen.
Hunter used his speed and threw a lightning bolt at Kara but she caught it and threw it at one of Oliver's metal arrows and when it hit Hunter it electrocuted him enough for Oliver to shoot him with a horse tranquilliser. Once Hunter was down, Kara used the meta cuffs and applied them to Hunter, making sure they were secure enough before handing him off to Harry and Wally so they could get him back into the pipeline at S.T.A.R Labs.
Oliver ran towards Barry, lightly nudging Mr Schue out of the way and pulling the tape off of his mouth, making it easier in case he coughs up blood.
"We need to get him out of here!" Oliver yelled, scaring Nick, Jeff, Wes, David and Thad as they refused to leave, as did Sue but she never actually did care about the meerkat so she couldn't care less about what happens to him.
"What? How bad is it?" Wes questioned, standing next to Cisco.
"Let's just say he'll die from blood loss if we don't!" Oliver answered, still trying to rouse Barry. He felt his skin start to go clammy and was releasing he's going into hypovolemic shock.
"We need Caitlin! He's losing too much blood and going into hypovolemic shock! Sir, elevate his legs and keep an eye on his breathing whilst I go and find a towel to try and contain the blood flow. One of you," Oliver pointed at Thad, Nick, Jeff, Wes and David," keep trying to wake him up. We need him awake for this!"
They all got into position, all 5 of the guys around Barry's head, whilst Mr Schue held Barry's legs up and kept a close eye on his breathing which was turning slightly laboured.
"Mr Queen, his breathing is going quite laboured" Will informed Oliver, who had just returned with the towel and pressed really hard on the wound, getting a whimper out of Barry and his right hand to try and batt his hands away.
"Shhh.. i know.. I know, kid" Oliver whispered, grabbing Barry's gloved hand and pressed it gently against Barry's chest.
Barry's eyes opened but they fought to stay open, his eyes were closing soon after until Oliver applied even more pressure onto the wound causing Barry's eyes to shoot open. They were clearly having trouble focusing and the recognition of the people around his head had yet to set in.
"There you go, Barr. Stay with me, okay? We're gonna get you outta here, Caitlin is on her way, okay? Just hold on a little longer" Oliver wanted Caitlin here now but she had to tend to the kid in the wheelchair, Oliver could've sworn the kid's name was Artie or whatever but he didn't care, Barry was his top priority until help could get here.
It took Barry a couple of moments to understand what Oliver said through the fog in his muddled head but he did nod, squeezing Oliver's hand as hard as he could.
"Hey, you alright?" Nick asked, squeezing Barry's shoulder when he felt Barry tense.
"Yeah, never been fucking better, Nick" Barry replied a little bit later, the blood loss catching up with his head.
Nick chuckled lightly, he was still the same guy, even when he's bleeding out on a table, he can still make sarcastic jokes.
Caitlin ran in moments later, Professor Stein and Jax following behind her, carrying all sorts of medical supplies. She informed Jax to take Mr Schue's place at Barry's legs and for Martin to take the group's place by Barry's head. Cisco made sure they all got out of the building safely as he took one last look back at his best friend.
"And then Caitlin operated on you and here we are now" Thad said, sitting in the chair next to Barry's bed. Caitlin couldn't move Barry to S.T.A.R Labs so they set up something in Dalton's medical room and hooked Barry up onto an IV and let him rest.
"So Hunter seriously got away?" Barry asked, still having a hard time understanding how in gods name Hunter had managed to escape. I mean he was handcuffed in meta-dampening cuffs!
"Apparently the colours on the cuffs matter or whatever so he got away. Harry and Wally are both okay though so don't worry" Thad explained, chuckling slightly at Barry as he saw how sluggish he was.
"Go back to sleep. You need it you big idiot" Thad said, rubbing small circles on one of Barry's bruised wrists.
"M not tired.." Barry mumbled, his eyes shutting momentarily but then blinked back open.
"Go to sleep you bastard" Thad ordered, giving the best 'dad' look he could give but couldn't help laughing at himself.
"Fuck off, dickhead" Barry mumbled quietly, his eyes drifting closed without him realising.
Thad smirked as his best friend finally drifted back off to sleep, at least Barry finally knew what happened now.
It had been a couple of days since Dalton's Christmas Party and everyone was returning to Dalton for a final goodbye before they split for Christmas. The New Directions were invited as well so they could get back with the Warblers and get everything out in the open after what had happened.
I mean, they watched someone they grew up with get tortured by the man who killed his mother and then someone he thought he could trust stabbed him in the back, it was quite the day.
The Dean was about to start her speech once everyone had sat down and cleared her throat," I know that you're all probably wondering about everything that happened during the Christmas Party and I, for one am thankful to be alive. What happened was there was a hostage situation which almost turned into a murder but it didn't. And to give us some more info, I introduce Detective Joseph West"
Everyone clapped, Iris smiled from where she stood located at the back of the hall with the rest of Team Flash, including Caitlin who claimed to leave Barry asleep in one of the beds.
Team Legends had returned in the Waverider to see Barry but they had left shortly afterwards, only wanting a quick visit, Kara had been called back to Earth-38 and she promised to come and visit once it was no longer hectic and well, Oliver wasn't going to leave Barry's side anytime soon, that's for sure.
"For those who were present during the Dalton attack, I am truly sorry that you had to witness that. I know it is not my fault or anyone's other then the people who did it but it will be forever in your mind, whether you suffer from PTSD following the attack or whether you just get nightmares. Myself and the rest of LOPD as well as CCPD will be hunting those criminals down and bringing them to justice" Joe spoke, he hadn't mentioned anything of Barry's condition because he didn't want to. It made him feel sick knowing how he almost lost his son for the third time in the hands of Zoom.
"If you ever need to talk about it, there will be councilling sessions you can attend or you can book private sessions for just you and someone you trust" Joe added and ended his speech, but before he did, someone yelled, "WHAT ABOUT BARRY? HOW IS HE?"
Iris shifted uncomfortably, she didn't even know how Barry was, only Caitlin, Thad, Oliver and her father knew how he was and it was killing her not knowing how he was.
"Actually, we are not permitted to explain how he is, but we do have a performance from Mr Blaine Anderson to help ease all of your minds" The Dean concluded, moving off of the stage as Blaine stood up and was followed by the Warblers. They got into position and started to sing.
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.
No-one has realised that Barry had been sat at the piano the entire time until someone started to play it. Iris looked at Barry with tears in her eyes, he was alive, and playing the fucking piano of all things
Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
Blaine ran over to the piano after seeing who was playing it, he had tears in his eyes himself and hugged the life out of Barry. He thought for sure that Barry would've died, especially after hearing he flatlined twice.
And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
The Warblers were on the stage clapping their hands and getting the audience to clap along themselves. Someone went over to the piano and took over for Barry so he could get up and accept the hugs from the Warblers as he sang with them.
And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go? So why don't we go?
Oh, this could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know
Iris' eyes locked onto Barry's and they both smiled, a pathway cleared up and she ran into his arms, he spun her around and held her tightly as she cried into him. When he put her down she kissed him with so much passion, they could hear Blaine whistling with Nick and Jeff whilst others started cheering and laughing.
The entire auditorium had come alive within seconds as the Warblers started singing again, this time a more upbeat song that got everyone clapping and dancing along and even the New Directions started singing with them.
This hit, that ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold
This one for them hood girls
Them good girls straight masterpieces
Stylin', wilin', livin' it up in the city
Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent
Gotta kiss myself, I'm so pretty
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called a police and a fireman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire man
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Say my name you know who I am
I'm too hot (hot damn)
And my band 'bout that money, break it down
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
Saturday night and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch (come on)
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Before we leave
Lemmi tell y'all a lil' something
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Come on, dance
Jump on it
If you sexy then flaunt it
Well it's Saturday night and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch come on!
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch uh
Don't believe me just watch
Don't believe me just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up (say what?)
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up
Uptown funk you up (say what?)
Uptown funk you up
It may not be the same as the Christmas party but these little moments were what Barry missed most of Dalton. Just letting loose and having fun with his best friends. He missed singing and seeing as he had a clean bill of health he had an idea but clearly he wasn't the only one who did.
Joe Hart approached Barry with Sam, Artie and Mike. They all wanted to sing and they knew Barry's voice would go perfectly with the song they wanted to sing.
"Come perform with us" Joe said in front of Joe West, Iris, and Barry.
"Sure, why not" Barry shrugged, getting a smile out of Iris who grabbed her phone and got in the best position she could so she could film Barry singing and dancing with his friends.
You're insecure, don't know what for
You're turning heads when you walk through the door
Don't need makeup to cover up, being the way that you are is enough
Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know, you don't you're beautiful
That's what makes you beautiful
Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Everyone was clapping along with them, including Oliver, they all really were enjoying themselves as a school now, whether they still go there or not, they were all there for each other in the darkest times and still fount time to have a smile on their faces.
Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know, you don't know you're beautiful
Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know, you don't know you're beautiful
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know, you don't you're beautiful
You don't you're beautiful
That's what makes you beautiful
The song ended and they all got a standing ovation and Barry even picked up Artie so he could get some praise as well. He hugged Joe, Sam and Artie all at the same time and just had the brightest smile on his face.
They may have seen some terrible things but they still managed to pick each other up and bring smiles to everyone's faces and that's what Barry adored about Dalton and well Ohio in general, how everyone cared for each other.
It was the day Team Flash had to retreat back to Central City. Team Arrow had gone the day before after seeing everyone so happy.
Barry was standing outside Dalton saying his goodbyes to the people who were like his neat friends. He was sad to leave them all but he knew he had to go back and defend Central City at some point.
"You have got to come visit us some time. Also, when were you gonna tell us Marley was Supergirl?" Nick asked, hugging Barry very tightly, he was glad he could go that without bursting something in Barry's body now.
"Well, I didn't think it was very nessecery, okay?" Barry answered after getting his breath back.
"Bye-bye, twink" Santana said sadly, she was in one of his old Dalton lacrosse hoodies and was hugging him with a Santana death grip.
"How about we FaceTime later, yeah?" Barry whispered to Santana, her face lighting up in the crook of Barry's neck. She nodded and reluctantly let Barry go so he could hug Blaine and Kurt.
He hugged Blaine first and then moved onto Kurt," well.. see you around, Gay Face"
Sighing, Kurt gave Barry a hug and he returned it immediately. They had grown quite fond of each other after the whole hostage situation and Barry realised how much they had in common.
"Take good care of that girl of yours" he warned Barry which made him laugh but he agreed to it.
As Barry got into the car with the others, no-one noticed that Hunter was standing on the roof of Dalton, an evil smile playing on his lips as he watched the car disappear in the direction of the airport.
"I think it's time we go have some fun in Central City"
Well I have officially finished this book! Probably not the ending you lot wanted or whatever but it took me so long to write / this is by far the longest chapter I've ever written in my history of writing things and that's saying something.
Please RR as I would like your thoughts on if I should make a sequel to this or not.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the book like I did so bye :)