Hartley stood in front of the mirror. He let the cool water from the flowing tap engulf his hands as he felt the tips of his fingers tingle and go numb. With a swift flick of his wrist he let the water splash his face before he roughly rubbed it in, an unsuccessful attempt to lessen the stench of her perfume that clung to him.

He looked up to the mirror. "Seikō wa gisei ga hitsuyōdesu." He smiled grimly. 'Success requires sacrifice' he translated in his head. He couldn't abide her but he had to continue in order for the plan to work. He had to use her to discover his identity. The Flash. He snarled at the name of Harrison's new pet. The thought of being so easily replaced boiled his blood.

He took a deep breath and washed the jealously from his system.

Later they both hunched over a laptop each. She sat at the head of the bed her legs crossed and eyes fixed on the mac that rested on her lap. Hartley sat at the foot of the bed, he sighed silently before turning and smiling in her direction. "Anything?"

She took a quick glance in her direction, returning his thin smile, then she looked sharply back at the bright screen. A strand of hair drifted over her shoulder and rested on the edge of the black metal surface. She coolly tucked it behind her ear. "Nothing on the police radio yet." She gently put her laptop to the side and crawled forward resting her chin on his shoulder to look at his screen which showed a live satellite picture of the city. "What was it you were doing?"

He rolled his eyes softly but before he could utter a word her laptop beeped making them both jump. She leapt back to the laptop. And blurted out the location of the disturbance. Hartley fixed his eyes to the map and a second later saw the flash of yellow he had been waiting for. "Got him." He snarled and zoomed in the image, slowing it down and replaying it. She crawled across the bed and rested her chin on his shoulder once more. They both watched in earnest at the clear origin of the light.

"Central City Police?" She quizzed. Hartley smiled.

ooooooooooooooooo

"Yeh Cisco I'm on my way." Barry smiled and hung up the phone. He took one last look at the building where he worked and sped off down the street. When he arrived at the scene it was obviously not your average crime. The radio had said it was a domestic disturbance but something wasn't right. He didn't take the time to check the room, his attention was drawn to the man crumpled in the middle of the small lounge, he held his eyes crying out in pain. Without a hesitation he picked him up and ran him to the hospital.

He had only just taken of his suit when Joe called him. "Bare, we need you to check out the crime scene."

Cisco was picking up the papers that had scattered when the speedster passed through just minutes ago. Barry laughed gently through his nose at the mock-evil look his friend was giving him. "Which one?"

"Don't give me 'which one' I know you've just been there, the homeowner appeared in the hospital seconds ago." He cried "You catch the culprit?"

"No, I scoped the area but no sign, something wasn't right though. I'll be there in a second." He grabbed his coat and then paused, a smile covering his face. "Literally." In a blast of lightning he was gone, scattering the loose papers in Cisco's hands. He sighed and began collecting the papers together again.

Joe walked in on Barry whilst he was examining the scene. His foster son was crouched beside a beach wood chest that was against the wall. His brows were creased as he stared intently at the piece of furniture. It was only when closer Joe could see why it was so interesting.

The lightly coloured wood covered the entire cabinet except for a slightly darker patch in the middle. What was most striking was the shape of the patch. "It's shaped like a man." Thought the cabinet was just over waist height there was a clear out line of legs, a body and hands on the wood. "Theories?"

Barry's eyebrows creased further as he turned to look at Joe. He sighed,"I think there was a massive source of light it could have lightened the wood and been blocked by the man, causing the shadow." He stood up, disappointed and shaking his head. "That's all I've got."

At that point Eddie walked in, clearly after being on the phone. "The hospital called, the man's got what seem to be mild sunburns." His eyes widened in disbelief. "And he's blind, for life." He paused and took a quick sweep of the room before turning to the young forensic scientist. "Any idea what happened."

Barry shrugged. "I'll gather as much evidence as I can but..." Eddie nodded, also disappointed. The detective's phone buzzed and Barry briefly saw a picture of Iris pop onto the screen. There was a sudden twinge of annoyance but it faded almost instantly when he thought of Linda. He honestly liked her. So much so he didn't even mind Eddie taking the call outside, but he did see Joe raise an eyebrow out of the corner of his eye.

When out of earshot Joe leaned into Barry. "Meta?" He asked, followed by a knowing sigh.

All Barry could do was nod. "Probably."

Joe gave Barry a lift back to the station seeing as Barry still didn't own a car. Joe used to offer to pay for one and he used to argue that he had to earn it. In light of recent events owning a car was extremely pointless due to the fact that he could run wherever he wanted in a fraction of the time and effort it would take him to drive.

The two bundled into the open office, downstairs from Barry's lab, laughing at a new cheesey joke that Joe managed to make about the Flash. It didn't take long for the smile to be wiped clean of Barry's face.

She stood there bold as brass. Her white and blond hair draped over the same chocolate coloured jacket. All colour drained from his face. That's when she saw him. That's when she discovered the identity of the Flash, through his fear.

...

AN: hey, sorry I haven't written in a while I hope its worth the wait *laughs nervously*. And please review and favourite and follow (oh and I don't know Japanese so if it is inaccurate then it's google's fault) :)