AN: I feel like I'm constantly apologizing for taking forever to post. This time I'm binge-watching Legends of Tomorrow and trying really really hard to justify a chapter in which they make an appearance lol I mean, I did write in the Arrow...
So I really can't believe I'm at chapter nine! All my ideas are truly starting to come alive and I'm actually beginning to map out a sequel. Not gonna lie, I've never gotten this far in any of my fanfictions! And it's probably all because of you guys, so thank you.
CHAPTER NINE: BAD CHOICES & REAL LIFE
When Barry opened his eyes, it took a second to remember why he didn't recognize the color of the ceiling. This was not his room… he suddenly froze, slowly turning his head over to the sleeping form next to him, and sat up immediately.
The movement caused Faye shift in her sleep, but she didn't wake. Barry swallowed hard, slightly moving his leg and finding out he could feel the soft sheets against his bare skin. That last little shock knocked the remaining spider webs of sleep out of his head.
He was in control last night. Him, not Fate. Not Ella. He chose to go on a date with Faye, he chose to walk her home, and he chose not to leave. He chose to continue on with a near stranger with the knowledge he had no protection.
These choices led him to a near panic attack, lying naked in a near- not even near, a straight up stranger's bed, full of regret and confusion.
He was control, these were his choices, and he realized he could really make some bad ones. Maybe he did need Fate to control his decisions.
Barry tried to slowly get out of bed, to not disturb Faye at all, but like his decision making, he failed in that as well.
She rolled over to face him, a half smile on her face. "Well, wasn't that fun."
He tried to force a smile, tried to ease it into an apologetic smile. "Hey, listen. I'm late for work, I-"
"Barry, it's barely the crack of ass out there," Faye put in with an edge in her tone, though she kept up a relaxed position.
"Tell that to the bad guys. Yeah, I just got called in, yeah. Sorry. I'll, um, I'll see you later," Barry got out, as he picked up his clothes from around the room, attempting to pull on pants, but stumbling in the process. He gave up redressing and practically tumbled into the hall, where he used his superspeed to dress himself and then run out of the apartment all together, before Faye could even rip off her covers and follow him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ella had been bone dead tired after the day she had with Oliver, who understandably dropped her off back at the West household. Joe hadn't known when anyone was going to be home that day, so he ordered pizza and it was a come when you want it type of dinner. Having only thirty minute lunch break that Oliver strongly suggested NOT to eat anything heavy, she wanted it the instant she got inside.
Having learned that Barry had a metabolism that matched his superspeed, they had tested Ella immediately for the same thing. Despite the fact she didn't run, it turned out that shifting into lightning form took a toll on her body, as well the super healing, she had to eat a ton too. A literal ton.
Dinners in the West household were feasts meant for hundreds, not a short girl, a lanky forensic, and an aging police officer. Ella couldn't comprehend how they could afford all of it.
But nonetheless, she destroyed some pizza, though she majorly slowed down at her last pieces. Her bites came slower, the pizza limp in her hand, and her eyes drooped. Ella hadn't been this worn out since she was a child. Joe sat on the chair in the living room, a beer on the coffee table, quietly watching the TV.
"How was today with Oliver, Ella?" he asked suddenly, turning down the volume, and facing her. She slightly started, with a sheepish look on her face. Putting the pizza in her hand down, Ella turned to him as well.
"Good. Really good, actually… I, uhh, I think I'm going to be okay, Joe," she informed him, though hesitantly. Ella still couldn't believe she was saying those words, and mean them. They caused a small smile to form on Joe face.
"I think so, too, El," he replied, and then chuckled lightly, "I think the last time I saw someone fall asleep eating dinner was when Iris was a baby. Go to bed."
Ella laughed softly too and stood up. "Good idea."
"Those good ideas I occasionally have are why I'm here," Joe said. His smile grew, and as a direct result, the corners of his eyes crinkled.
She looked at the laugh lines a second longer, feeling happy he was in her life now. He looked at her in a way her parents never did.
They said good night to each other and she went up to her room. It took all of her strength to shower and change into pajamas, before finally, at long last, Ella fell into bed.
She did not notice that Barry never returned home that night.
Barry went home after waking up in Faye's apartment. He showered and changed, but the woman was right. It was just past dawn now and he had a few hours till he was needed at work, but the thoughts running around his mind made it impossible to think.
Finally, he crept out into the hall, and down to the kitchen. The house was quiet. Joe wasn't up yet, but Barry knew he would be soon, and unless Oliver calls Ella in for another impromptu training, she had nowhere to be. He realized then that he really didn't know if Ella was a morning person. He realized he really didn't know Ella well.
Ella spent the time to silently get to know him. Barry had no idea she was doing that, so she had a head start. She's always had a head start on things, though. She always knows things, or maybe things just don't come as a surprise to her? Barry didn't know.
Barry didn't know and he had the nerve to say there was no way in hell he'd be with her?
That was one of the many things he contemplated as he started the first pot of coffee and Joe came trudging into the room.
"Hey, Bear. Didn't see you come home last night," Joe said, though nonchalantly, as he pulled open the fridge, and rummaged around in there for food.
"I don't have a curfew anymore, Joe," Barry automatically snapped, before wincing. "Sorry. You don't want to know."
Joe glanced up at him, with an eyebrow raised. "I might not want to know, but do you need to tell me?"
Barry considered quickly, but decided against it. Joe would chastise him about not using protection, which he was already doing himself- actually the whole night he was chastising himself on- and what good would that do?
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though."
"Okay. You know you can talk to me anything. I was once twenty five... I understand the concept of one night stands. Did a couple myself, you know."
"How did you-" Barry tried to cringed the question out. However Joe cut him off.
"Unfortunately dads just have this sixth sense and, you know, you didn't come home last night. Do I need to give you a talk about safe sex again because I will-" Joe began, but this time Barry cut him off.
"No, Joe, no. Please… just no." Though maybe he did. Another wave of regret swept over Barry.
"Okay." Joe didn't sound entirely convinced though, and Barry just wanted to get away from this conversation.
"Listen, I'm going to stop by the lab before coming into work. See what Oliver's up to today, you know. So, I'll just see you at the station."
"All right, Bear… be safe," Joe replied, before Barry ran off, and the choice of words caused Barry to cringe again.
When Barry arrived at Star Labs, he found Cisco in the weapons room. He held flesh colored fabric in his hand and followed Barry back to the main room.
"Ella texted me yesterday, said she was coming by this morning," Cisco said as they walked.
"Is that for her?" Barry asked, his heart clenching at her name. Cisco eyed in him for a moment, causing Barry to feel self conscious. Did Faye leave a mark on him? Was there a hickey beginning to form? He rubbed his neck, slightly paranoid.
"Uh yeah. I figure she can't go around with her Bolt gloves to help her stay in control… these are made to be unnoticeable," Cisco explained, showing him the gloves. They were small and slinky, like they would fit her hands like a second skin. "And we kinda have to cover up the sparks on her hands as well." He shrugged, but Barry just nodded.
"She's really going to like them," He tried to stay nonchalant, but apparently he was failing. He fell into silence, trying to push down the guilt he felt, but Cisco could see right through him.
"Okay man, what's going on? You, like, flinched when I first mentioned her name and now you're just acting all weird. Did something happen last night?" Cisco asked, bringing Barry to a stop in the hall.
Barry sighed loudly at Cisco's question, running a hand over his hair. "Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah, it's that obvious," Cisco responded, raising an eyebrow for Barry to explain.
"I, um… well, I met a girl recently and I went out with her last night."
Cisco nodded slowly and said, "The one you met with Ella?"
"How'd you know?" Barry questioned, but Cisco just shrugged, clearly not going to explain. So Barry put in, "At least I don't have to endure walks of shame anymore."
Cisco looked away from Barry for a second. This conversation wasn't out of line in their friendship, but Barry knew Ella had won the hearts of everyone at the lab and he had just admitted to sleeping with someone, though everyone knew how Ella felt about him. How he was going to feel about her… Barry knew he had his friend torn between friendships right now.
"Didn't stop Joe from noticing though. It's been seven years since I was in high school and his sex radar is still going strong." Barry realized then he needed to share his worry, share his regret with someone. He continued on walking to get to the main room, feeling antsy just standing in one spot when he came to this decision.
"Got the safe sex spiel again?" Cisco finally said, looking back at Barry, a note of amusement in his voice. "Every time I bring up a girl to my mom, same thing. You'd think after ten years of it, they'd realized we get it."
Barry winced and looked away, as Cisco caught on as to what exactly happened last night. "Or, maybe not-" They rounded a corner then, nearly running into a distraught looking Ella.
"You whore," She accused softly. "You whore!" Her voice rose as she repeated herself. "I knew you were… but I never thought… you…." Ella's lip suddenly trembled and she swallowed, hard. "Faye stole everything from me. Everything. And I don't mean you, Barry," Her voice caught on the last word. "My grandma's bookstore. My home." Her voice had dropped again and Barry wished then she was yelling at him again. "You were in the apartment, right? You-you probably slept with her in my bedroom," she said, trying to turn her sob into a bitter laugh, but she didn't really succeed.
Tears shone in Ella's eyes and Barry looked away, unable to take the hurt he saw there. Unable to take that he was the one that put it there. God, Barry could really mess things up.
Cisco had frozen at the mention of Faye's name. He saw Barry's mouth open to reply, but whatever the response was became background noise. "Faye?" He interrupted, completely shocked. "Faye is the girl you met?"
Both Barry and Ella shot Cisco a look of disbelief, like why does this matter at this very second? But from the look on his face, they realized instantly it mattered a lot at this very second.
"Buzzed hair?" Cisco asked, and they both nodded. Ella sniffled. "Red lips?" More nods.
"Oh my God, I should have told you…" Cisco said in horror. Ella let out a deep breath, trying to stay in control, as clearly this just got bigger than Ella and Barry's love life. "I met Faye last week. She's a seer. She's been helping me with my vibes."
In an instant, Ella's rage of emotions was clamped down with the news of Faye being a seer. What was her game then? Apparently she had known Cisco had vibes. What does she know about Barry? About Ella? Her anger with a hurting heart was replaced by worry with a hurting heart in an instant.
"Oh, I knew it was too good to be true," Cisco chided himself for the hundredth time. "She had only one condition: not to tell you guys. I'm such an idiot." Embarrassment over his mistake colored his tan cheeks. "And you just…" He shook his head, unable to finish the sentence, but he had been talking to Barry. Ella could finish the sentence in her mind. And you just slept with her…
"She had this line about respect and that this was still her secret to keep even if you guys could be trusted," Cisco continued, though Ella nor Barry blamed him. If anything, Ella was sure it was Barry to blame. As Cisco rambled on, her anger towards Barry grew. He finally finished, "I should have known. Why would a girl like that be into a guy like me?"
"Because you're a good guy, Cisco. And Faye is anything but good," Ella put in, finally checking back in to reality. "At least you were smart enough to not get into her pants."
Barry shook his head, unable to look at either of them. "El's right. I gotta go… I gotta go talk to her."
Ella pulled out her phone at his words, trying to feign nonchalant at Barry's agreement. "And I have an interview in about fifteen minutes. I'd like to get there early to make a good impression, you know."
"Well, divide and conquer then. Barry, you see what Faye's motive is, and Ella, you go get that job. So far you're the only one who didn't fall for Faye's lies, you deserve to have something good happen today," Cisco said, sounding resigned, but suddenly his eyes perked up. "Oh, yeah. Made these for you last night." He straightened out the tan gloves he had bunched in his hand. "For, you know, everyday life."
A true smile broke out across Ella's face, momentarily forgetting about her heartbreak and newfound confusion. She quickly pulled off the purple ones currently covering her hands and slipped the nude ones on. They were like a second skin and they hid her sparks. They gave off a slight velvet look, but Ella would totally take it.
"Thanks, Cisco!" She said, throwing her arms around his neck. "I mean what I said," Ella whispered in his ear.
They pulled away and Cisco couldn't fight the grin on his face. "Where are you interviewing?" He asked,
"CCPD," Ella answered smugly.
"What?" Barry choked, taken aback by her answer.
"Well, they have a front desk receptionist opening, don't they?" She answered with a sly grin.
"But he… knows. You think he'll hire you while he knows you're the Bolt?" Barry asked, recovering from his shock.
"Yeah, I do. He'll be able to keep an eye on me and I'll be a good first defense if anything were to go down. Plus I got mad talent answering a phone and directing people to where they need to be," Ella answered, a well rehearsed response. She had given this a lot of thought.
"Well, that's perfect!" Cisco replied excitedly, before adding, "Break a leg, El. You'll do great."
Despite all the thought she gave for applying for this job, she second guessed it many times as Ella was waiting to be called back. She had arrived ten minutes early. The officers had a rotating schedule of manning the front desk and the one currently performing the duty called Singh to let him know she was here and directed her to sit down at the benches against the wall. Ella could totally do this.
But then why was she felt with such dread as she waited? Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. Maybe Singh would mind that she's the Bolt-
"Miss Peterson?" The man at the desk called her name. She looked up. "Captain Singh will see you now."
"Thank you," Ella responded as she followed the officer back. He knocked on the Captain's door for her before entering and introducing her, but it was clear he'd been unable to find her identity as his eyes widened for a second at the sight of her.
"Uh, thanks, Rodrick. I got it from here," Singh said slowly, cautiously. He eyed Ella with a slightly suspicious look.
Once alone, Ella took a big breath, about to break the ice, but he spoke first: "Ella Peterson, is it then?" He sighed loudly as she nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"What are you doing here?" He asked warily.
"Your job opening. Front desk receptionist," she answered quickly, but it took a long moment for him to respond.
"I'm not exactly sure what you're expect-"
"Look, Captain. I'm a rookie. I'm green. I'm… a newb, or whatever, but I'm being trained. I'm being trained by the Flash and the Arrow. And I.. I'm in control now," Ella cut him off, trying to sound confident but she sounded more surprised than anything.
"Having the Arrow as your reference doesn't help you much," Singh said, running a hand over his face.
"But he's good at teaching control and defense, and with these," She held up her hands, causing the captain to lean in and look, "These are dampening gloves. Barely noticeable, but I can't lose control with them on. I'm completely and utterly safe!"
"I can't believe I'm having this conversation with the Bolt..." Singh muttered, shaking his head.
"Thank you, by the way. Thank you for keeping my secret," the words exploded from Ella's heart. She hadn't intended to really talk about it. Though it'd be best if she didn't cause attention to herself, but she found it felt good to say them. "I didn't ask for this… I got shot in the lung and died, but apparently the Flash has these super healing powers, and he saved me. I was in a coma for eight months and the day at the warehouse-"
"Stop right there… I will get fired for this," He groaned before adding, "You did save mine and my husband's life."
Did he feel like he owed her? That was unexpected, but a grin spread slowly on Ella's face. "You do realize the Flash is just a normal guy. Somewhere, right now, he's doing a normal job. He needs one just as much as you… just as much as me. Him-I-we need something normal, please. I won't fail you. I swear to protect this station- this city with my last breath," She finished passionately. Then a beat later, she said, "But it's not like people are knocking down your doors for this job."
"I know, I know. Yes, yes… you got it. You start tomorrow morning. Go, now get out of my sight, Peterson," Singh said, causing Ella to stand up in excitement.
"Yes! Thank you! You don't know what this means...!" She exclaimed. Finally, something good out of all of this. Suddenly Ella wondered how Barry was doing with Faye.
"Yeah, I do, Peterson. I don't think you know the extent of what this means."
Barry stood outside 'It's Your Fate' Bookstore, not believing just last night he was upstairs in the apartment. Why didn't he think of how this had Ella's old home? That this had been her bookstore, her grandmother's bookstore? Even back in high school, Ella had been seen working behind the counter in Addie's. She practically ran it, even then. Mrs Winter's just worked during the school day. Ella would come home immediately after school and start her shift, the counter piled up with schoolwork.
He had really screwed up.
With a sigh, Barry pulled out the door. It dinged as he walked in. He looked around, thinking how much it was the same and how much it was not the same as from back when him and Ella were kids.
"Took you long enough to figure it out."
Barry's head jerked to the direction of the voice. Faye was walking down the stairs from the apartment.
"I guess Cisco was so tired of being in your shadow that he really did not want to tell you."
"He said you wanted your secret-"
"To be respected? Nah, best friends are suppose to tell each other everything. I mean, obviously you feel the same way. You told him about us," Faye cut him off, coming to a halt at the end of the staircase.
He didn't know how to respond and finally was about to sputter out, "There is no 'us'."
"Well, there is definitely an 'us' in the equation. Whether me or you, or me and Sebastian," She replied, with a taunting smile on her lips.
"Sebastian?" Barry could barely breath out the name. Dark mess of curls, coffee, pleading eyes… Daddy, don't leave yet.
"You remember the dream I got my friend to give you the other morning, yeah? Me, you, Sebby. That's the life we could have, Barry, if you just give in now," Faye said, taking a step closer to Barry, who was frozen by the door.
"Give in to what?"
Faye took another step closer. "Me."
"Who even are you?"
"I'm Fate."
The birds were singing, the grass was green. Ella was ready to get on with her life, to overcome this obstacle. It still hurt she didn't have the bookstore, but she knew her grandma would still be proud of her, and what her to give her all into whatever job she had.
These past couple of weeks have gone so fast for her. Waking up, losing control, learning control, heartbreak… and also the fact she could literally turn into a bold sped it up for her even more. So she walked back to the West household after leaving the station.
She took it slow, trying to steady the racing thoughts in her mind. Ella was only two blocks away from CCPD station when suddenly her shoulder was cracking against pavement in a dark, trash filled alleyway.
Somebody had attacked her, pushed her into this desolate alley. With a groan, she used her other hand to push herself into a sitting position, and she looked into the soulless beady eyes of the speedster in black.
"Hello, my love."
