sorry this took so long. Aunt is still kinda sorta maybe dying. (pro: not in coma. Con: still basically in coma)
also sorry this kinda sucks my motivation is like zero for these chapters. I have so much I want to do for the finale...
Also remember early chapters and how I was all " eh, plot, you know the plot, kittens? yeah, that is in full effect oh my gosh.
Chapter Ten
Taking cats on a road trip had to be fairly high on the list of "Really dumb ideas that will not end well," Cisco decided, though next to " try to take out a psychopathic speedster we have no way of actually fighting," it hadn't seemed like that much of an issue. Fuzzwhump seemed to have settled down, once they'd started driving. Or rather, once it had been determined that her being in a cat carrier was probably more dangerous than her tucked inside Cisco's jacket.
Cisco was glad she'd stopped being so nervous all the time, though she was still half glued to him, refusing to let him go far. They'd gathered in Iris's living room, bringing Faulkner along for the ride as he seemed to best understand what they said, to translate.
"To translate," Iris had repeated. "Right. Of course. Because we have to tell...cats...that something is going on. And that's a sentence I was pretty sure I'd never say."
"Yeah," Barry had countered "and I was pretty sure I'd never say " I think Harrison Wells murdered my mother" and yet here we are."
That hadn't been how Barry' d intended to reveal his suspicions to Iris, Eddie, Cisco, and Caitlin, but literally nothing had gone according to plan in months, so Cisco wasn't sure why anyone had even been surprised. In the moment of quiet as that all sank in, Cisco had spoken up from where his face was half buried in Fuzzwhump's fur, telling everyone about the had been a few moments of chaos, enough to rival the kittens that first week when Greebo had torn a bag of catnip to shreds and they'd all gone wild.
And then Faulkner had started typing. Fuzz saw. Not dream, real. Fuzz there. Fuzz warn. Not listen. Should listen. Wheelman bad.
Caitlin's soft swearing and "That explains so much," was lost to yet more chaos before Joe quieted everyone. With Goldie and Bear confirming everything, they needed a game plan.
Which was why Cisco had corralled Fuzzwhump into Joe's car to make the long drive to Starling City to try and get more answers and some possible proof that might hold up in court when it came to that.
"If she pees on the floor mat-" Joe warned as Fuzzwhump chewed on the seat belt.
"As long as we take a couple breaks, she won't." Cisco promised, looking down to boop Fuzzwhump's nose. "Right, Fuzz?"
She hissed at the lap belt, clawing at it a little until Cisco laid a hand on her back. "Settle, kitty, settle."
Never before had a 600 mile car trip seemed quite so long.
Fuzzwhump hated few things more than car rides. Wheelman was one of those things, yappy dogs were another, but Car rides ranked very high on the list, and she was glad to be out and free to perch in Cisco's hoodie pocket, her bottlebrush tail poking out. Still, she was on edge.
So when someone called her human's name and he left the Big Man, she tensed. Cisco stuck a hand into the pocket for her to latch on to and lick, trying to calm her, with mixed results.
It was a woman's voice, which was a little comfort to Fuzz. Still, it wasn't until Cisco pulled her out that she relaxed. The woman smelled like Worry and Sad, but she reached out a hand, cooing, and waited to see what would happen instead of just petting. Fuzz appreciated that, and decided that since her human wasn't scared, maybe it was ok. Maybe.
And then she heard "…Lunch?" and started to purr. Lunch was always a good plan.
"I think she likes you," Cisco said. "She doesn't like that many people."
"I heard she tried to rip one of Ray Palmer's ears off," Laurel winced, offering a French fry to the kitten, who after a moment accepted it.
"She's…protective," Cisco hedged, not wanting to get into the reasoning.
"Fair enough. I heard about that Snart guy. People say cats aren't like dogs, aren't as warm or loving. They're wrong about that."
"You should meet Scrap, Caitlin's cat. Someone—a general Eiling—tried to grab her and her fiancé once. It didn't end so great for him." Cisco paused. "Actually, I don't even know if he survived that."
"After meeting Santiago and Spike, I'm not surprised," Laurel shook her head. "So do you think you can... fix the thing?"
"Yeah. Before we leave, I'm sure. I brought some stuff to tinker with, so… yeah."
Fuzzwhump was annoyed at him for staying up all night to finish the project, too small to successfully drag a pillow over to his head when he slumped over at his desk, but the way Laurel beamed made it worth it.
"So how was everything in central city while we were gone?" he asked Barry as everyone met up, once again in Iris's living room.
"Having cats who can tell when someone is lying, and cats that can apparently read minds and-or body language on a better level and therefore tell if someone is actually a murderous doppelganger is really, really useful." Barry said rubbing a spot on his jaw that bore the final traces of a bruise.
"….what." Cisco flopped onto a patch of floor not occupied by cats, and was promptly accosted by Goldie and Bear sniffing at him.
"It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I don't think Everyman was expecting us to call him on his bull while he was pretending to be his granny." Eddie sighed, clutching a mug of coffee like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
"Or a cat growing to be the size of a Grizzly when he confronted Caitlin." Iris put in.
"Fun fact," Barry added, " Capt. Singh's cat can create really, really good illusions. Sometimes of people."
"I think you better start from the beginning," Joe rubbed his forehead. "Or maybe…later. Cisco and I found Dr. Wells. The real Dr. Wells. Dead ten years, in a shallow grave near the site of the wreck that killed Tess."
Caitlin make a choking noise, and Fuzzwhump lifted her head to peer at the woman. "Then who have we been dealing with this whole time?"
"In the dreams he said his name was Eo—something. It's fuzzy."
(Yes! Fuzzy! Fuzz there, when Not Dream happen.) Goldie purred.
"You mentioned these dreams before," Caitlin said. "But—they can't have been—" With Bear in the room, she could not finish the sentence.
"Well, now seems like a good time to tell you that I time traveled. And, uh, "reset" a timeline. By like a day and a half." Barry paused. " I went back to … uh… Right before Fuzzwhump started trying to kill Wells."
"So…" Cisco swallowed hard. " You think that they maybe aren't dreams? But that—That I figured something out and he killed me, and somehow I remember it? And my cat? Wait. Fuzzwhump is that why you've been so clingy?"
She didn't understand, only purred at him, rubbing her face against his wrist.
"How is this our lives?" Iris muttered to Goldie.
"Um." Cisco looked up, a rather pained expression on his face. " So if they're memories. Maybe we can…use them."
"How?" Barry asked. "I tried to use what I knew about the day that never happened and it…didn't go so great."
"If we can find out what Wells was willing to kill to hide…what Cisco figured out…"Joe shook his head.
"We could get a confession on camera." Cisco said, softly. "Guys, I have a really bad idea."
As if everyone could read his mind, there was a sudden chorus.
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting…."
"This isn't an episode of Scooby doo."
"Meow."
Cisco would not be dissuaded.
Roughly the amount of time it took to empty a baggy of kitty treats after Sco went to bed surrounded by people, Fuzzwhump started to panic because he was talking, but then his heart stuttered. He cried out and she shoved her head into his hand, squirmed free again and pressed her face against his chin, shrilling until he woke up.
He clutched at her, trembling.
"No," Joe said firmly. "We know what happened now, we'll find some other way, some way that doesn't risk your life."
"I trust you guys," Cisco said, once he had his breath back. "Does anyone have any better ideas? The longer we know and don't do something, the—he'll find out."
"I still don't like it," Caitlin said, "But…Maybe if we tweak it some."
"How?"
"You don't just have Fuzzwhump with you and Barry and Joe and whoever waiting. Scrap should be there, she'll understand if I tell her too."
Cisco nodded, "And I can fix the Trap, reverse it. A Shield instead of a cage."
Barry threw up his hands "Do I get a say in this? Because if there is any other way to do this—I already let you down. Twice, even."
Cisco let Fuzzwhump curl her tail around his neck. "You won't again. I trust you. This is our best shot."
Barry's phone rang. "It's, uh… Wells."
"Answer it," Joe sighed. "We'll finish this plan—a better one—later. Don't do anything stupid."
Barry zipped out a second later, Cisco and Caitlin and their cats following to go to STAR Labs, cats in tow.
"I'm going to go," Joe told Eddie and Iris. "And now that you both know as much as I do—be safe. Iris, do not go digging any more without one of us, please." He still couldn't shake Captain Lance's statements from his memories, knowing that the man had lost one of his daughters.
"Joe," Eddie followed him out. "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about, about—"
"Eddie, it has to wait. Later, we'll talk, but right now, I can't. Got too much to think about as it is. My life used to be simple."
Eddie touched the ring box in his pocket, glancing back over his shoulder at Iris, and sighed. "Tomorrow?"
"Sure, tomorrow."
Goldie meowed.
"My name is Eobard Thawne," said the man currently advancing on Cisco.
"Meow." Goldie popped her head out from under the desk.
Cisco blinked, fear dissipating, as Everyman—why was Caitlin allowed to name things?—had precisely four seconds to try to hit him before being tackled by a half dozen cats and a pissed off Joe.
His heartrate had almost returned to normal when Well's voice rang out from the intercoms.
"You know, I should have seen that coming. Of all the things I planned for, trained for, anticipated…Cats were not on that list. But it's no matter." He laughed, and Cisco felt Fuzzwhump, slightly relaxed, go stiff with pure feline hatred. "I am almost impressed you thought this would work, though. I know you, I know all of you, how you think, how you plan. What good would a confession really do you—detective? Yes, I know you're there. With no proof, no evidence, witnesses who saw the real Harrison Wells at—what was it, a dinner party, I believe, the night of the killing. Sloppy. But—admirable, in a sad kind of way. You know what I am. You've seen what I can do. And I am always one. Step. Ahead."
There was a rushing noise then, and quiet, even as Barry shouted—"Why? Fight me, if that's what you want, fight me!" and got no answer.
Upstairs, Caitlin screeched as Faulkner, sitting beside Frieda, began to jab at the keyboard.
Bear. Say. Trouble. Wheelman. Took. Puppy. And. Ris.
this is the part where I pretend not to beg for comments but I'm sick and work sucks so just tell me if you liked it. if you didn't pretend you did? what's my life I don't know Barry makes shitty life choices and so do I.
Kittttens!