This chapter ended up huge so I split it and now you get two! Yay! I am so excited to write the next chapter, I'll be working on it tomorrow. Thank you all for your awesome feedback and reviews. You guys rock! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 6

Cisco stood frozen on the spot, his brain racing so fast it made speech impossible.

"Please, Cisco, I don't know how badly he's hurt and we can't let the police find him. Please help me get him out of here." Iris was practically begging, having mistaken Cisco's silence for indecision on whether to get involved or not.

He blinked, wrestled his thoughts into submission, and went with the most obvious idea: Lying.

"Okay. I'll help. I'll get my car and we can get him out of here. I'll take him to S.T.A.R. Labs; we have medical equipment there. You can go home and everything will be fine."

Iris had been shifting the cardboard out of the way so they could pull The Flash out. Hearing this, she stopped mid-motion and straightened up. "Wait, you think I'm just going to let you take him without me? No. I need to make sure he's okay. And no offense, but how do I know you won't take him straight to the police station? I'm coming too."

Cisco adopted a hurt look. "I wouldn't do that. You can trust me."

"I'm sorry Cisco." She apologized, even as she shifted her body into a protective position in front of The Flash. Cisco noticed. Obviously she wasn't that sorry. "But if I don't come, you can't have him."

They stood at a stalemate for a few moments as Cisco figured out his next argument. "Look, we don't have much time before he gets discovered, are you really going to sit here and argue about this?"

Her face shifted into a very stubborn look. "Not if you don't make me. I found him first. I'm coming. What makes you think you have more claim over him than me?"

Cisco opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and closed it for good. There was nothing he could say to refute that particular argument that wouldn't be a very bad idea. Finally he admitted defeat.

"Okay fine." He grumbled. "I'll get my car."

"Where is it?"

He pointed. "A block away that way."

"We should take my car."

"Why?"

"Because it's parked out in front of Jitters. If anyone on the force recognizes it as my car and wonders where I am it could raise suspicion."

Cisco nodded. "Fine, go get it and I'll pull him out."

"You need to go get it."

Cisco groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to grab him and run away while you're gone, you know." He didn't mention that if he thought he could do it, he definitely would.

"No, too many people on the force know me. If you go get it we have a better chance of getting out of here without being recognized."

He had to admit she was right. He held his hand out for her keys. "Which car is it?"

She told him, handing him the keys. He set off the long way around the block to avoid the police as much as possible. In the darkness he pulled off his watch and stuffed it in a pocket. Once he was out of earshot he pulled his phone out and dialed Caitlin. She answered on the first ring.

"What's going on? You hung up on me! Did you find him?"

"Yes, but there is a bit of a snag. Iris found him first."

"What?"

"Yeah, and she won't let me take him without her coming too. I'm getting her car and we'll bring him back."

There was a moment of dead silence on the other end. Cisco could easily imagine the expression on her face. His thoughts were vindicated as her voice lowered to a whisper and she practically hissed in his ear. "You can't bring her here! Are you crazy? There is no way that does not end in disaster!"

Cisco's nerves, already stretched to the breaking point, snapped. "We only have a few minutes before the police are all over the area! He's unconscious! We don't have time for anything else! If you have a better idea, I'm all ears!"

Caitlin's sigh was full of misgivings. "Fine. Hurry up, his vitals are worrying me."

Cisco was rounding the corner, walking as casually as possible as multiple police cars came into view. "Make sure that anything that could give us away is out of sight. I don't know if I can keep her away from him once we get there."

Caitlin was already using one hand to seal off the small room that held Barry's suit dummy. "I'll take care of that."

They hung up. Caitlin went into a flurry of activity, all the while muttering about people being reckless and taking chances. She was so glad that Dr. Wells had gone home for the night.

Cisco spotted Iris's car and muttered to himself as well. "Even when he's in the suit she's still his…something."

He approached the car and got in, trying to look appropriately curious and innocent to the few policemen who looked his way. He started the car, put it in gear and pulled out, doing his utmost to drive casual. He drove two blocks down just to be safe, then turned left and left again into the alley, turning off the headlights and slowing down. As he crept up on the appropriate dumpster, Iris stood up from where she had been attempting to pull The Flash out. He left the car running, got out and helped her pull him out all the way. Cisco made sure he took the shoulders since he could lift more, but also because it kept Iris further away from Barry's face. He felt like he was walking a tightrope over a pit of alligators. Between the two of them they managed to wrestle him into the backseat.

"You drive. I called Caitlin; she'll look him over when we get there." Cisco grunted as he tried to fold Barry's legs into the car so he didn't slam the door on them. At the very least he could keep Iris out of the backseat with him and farther away. She didn't argue and headed for the driver's side. Cisco took a moment to take his coat off and drape it over Barry's head and shoulders, disguising him slightly to anyone glancing over from a nearby car and hopefully Iris too. Then he got into the front passenger seat and Iris drove two more blocks down the alley before she dared to turn the headlights on and enter the main road. They drove for a few minutes in silence before Cisco felt it was safe to breathe a sigh of relief.

Iris was focusing on driving exactly the limit. She was not going to get pulled over with a red-suited hero out cold in her back seat. But she took a moment to send Cisco a grateful smile. "Thank you Cisco."

Cisco nodded. "Okay, so what exactly happened back there? How did you get in an alley with The Flash behind a dumpster?" He caught himself quickly. "That is The Flash, right?"

Iris thought a moment. She didn't want to reveal too much about her relationship with The Flash. Too many people in the know could be dangerous for both of them. "I was pulling a late shift at Jitters and I was on the roof cleaning the tables. I heard sounds in the alleyway below and when I looked, he was standing down there. And the wall…just came alive." She shook her head. It sounded ridiculous.

Cisco turned her way, trying to make his keen interest seem more like dubious curiosity. "It came alive?"

"Well, yes. One minute nothing was there and the next this huge man just appeared. He charged The Flash and slammed him up against a brick wall. That's how he got hurt. The Flash started running but I could tell he wasn't doing very well, so I didn't think he made it that far. I went down to find out. And then you showed up." It was pretty close to what had happened, with a few crucial details omitted. Iris was pretty proud of herself.

Cisco sat back in his seat. His mind easily filled in Iris's information with his own details.

It made sense. But Cisco wasn't stupid. He knew that Barry's voice had been disguised when he talked through his comm earlier, which was not normal unless he was standing by someone he was worried would recognize his voice. Usually, that was Iris. But while Cisco was aware that there was probably more to Iris's story, he didn't dwell on it. He was already fascinated with the new information on this metahuman. Possibilities swirled in his head. He held off on a name though, it was a bit early. He needed Barry to tell him anything else he knew, maybe that would help. He turned to check on Barry's very still frame, hoping that his healing ability was still top notch. Barry was his friend, and Cisco had to admit that he was still a bit worried that he had been unconscious for as long as he had. In addition, he was headed straight into S.T.A.R. Labs with Iris. He tried not to let his stress show too much on his face.

Iris on the other hand, had no problem with that. She took her eyes off the road long enough to look back too. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"I hope so." It was all he could say.

They pulled into the parking lot at S.T.A.R. Labs. Caitlin was already waiting with a small mobile gurney. Iris pulled as close as possible to the front door to make the transfer easier, and Cisco jumped out immediately. Before Iris could even turn the car off and get out all the way, Cisco and Caitlin had The Flash on the gurney and were heading inside. Cisco was already rattling off the method of injury to Caitlin, who seemed to be in full doctor mode. Iris rushed after them down the hallway. When they got to the doors that led down the hallway to their main lab, Caitlin turned to head Iris off. She put up a hand to stop her and spoke quickly while Cisco pushed the gurney through and closed the doors.

"Maybe you should wait here-"

Iris cut her off instantly. "No, I'm coming too. I need to make sure he's-"

"We'll take good care of him. If he needs anything we'll make sure he gets it."

Iris realized how fast her breathing was and tried to slow it down. "But-"

Caitlin leaned forward and put a hand on Iris's arm. "He wears the mask for a reason. Let us help him with that. Let me stabilize him and respect his privacy. I'll come get you when I'm done."

Iris studied her face. "You won't take his mask off?"

Caitlin looked her in the eye. "I will protect his identity in every way I can."

If anything, it was the compassion Iris saw in Caitlin's face that helped her to believe it. She gave a resigned sigh. "Okay. Thank you."

Caitlin smiled with genuine understanding. She went through the doors and closed them behind her. Iris leaned back against the wall.