.:12:.

"Barry. Barry. Come on, get up."

For a moment, Barry jerked himself awake, practically flying into his routine to get ready for work as he was sure he was late. His arms and legs flailed before familiar laughter reached his ears and he calmed, planting his face into his pillow. Letting out a long sigh, he turned his head so that he had fresh air to take in, and opened an eye to see Iris sitting on the side of his mattress, one hand pressed to his shoulder having obviously shaken him to wake him up.

His touch sent warmth through his body and he turned until he was sitting up, pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes. "Iris…" he shook his head and let out a long yawn. "What time is it?" At Iris's smile, he turned his gaze to his clock and let out a low moan when he noted what time it is. "Oh Iris, not now. Aren't we too old for this?" He turned onto his side and pulled his blanket up over his shoulder.

"No. No way!" Laughing, Iris leaned forward and pulled his blanket down once more. "It's tradition, Barry. We do this every year!"

"Yeah, but every year I didn't have my own apartment, and Barry likes to sleep in. Even on Christmas."

"Since when?"

Since the Particle Accelerator exploded giving me my powers. And because of those powers my mind now moves one hundred times faster than it did before making me hallucinate every now and then if not being able to get a good night's sleep. And when I do sleep my thoughts are filled with so many different things that I can barely keep them straight. So since then I guess. But Barry didn't say that, he couldn't say that. There were too many things he wanted to be able to say to her but didn't have the opportunity to do so, all because he knew how much danger it would bring. But he wanted to tell her so badly; there weren't many secrets they kept from each other (though there were a few things he was sure that he would take to his grave) through their entire lives.

"Since I've been putting in extra hours at the precinct," Barry mumbled, eyes still closed. "Captain Singh has been riding my ass for the past couple of weeks." That was partially true. He avoided the Captain as much as he could due to his recent outburst due to Bivolo's whammy, even then he didn't seem to have forgotten about it. Not only did he have his normal runs to crime scenes to help out any way he could, but Captain Singh seemed to make it his personal mission to give Barry ever piece of evidence to test in existence.

"Well…before he decides to call you and Dad in, we have to do our tradition, come on!" Iris grabbed onto the crook of Barr's elbow and dragged him out of bed and into the living room of his apartment. He noticed two brightly wrapped gifts sitting on the table and suddenly realized that Iris was indeed in his apartment. His eyes widened as he planted his feet on the floor.

"How did you get in here?" He asked.

"I have a key, Barry." Iris pushed him onto the floor in front of the couch and quickly sat down across from him, dragging the boxes into her lap. "Come on, open your gift."

"When did you get a key?" Barry seriously didn't remember that.

"Dad made me a copy when you gave him one, Barry. You have a key to our house; you have a key to yours. Now open it!" Iris reached out and slapped Barry on the shoulder, effectively waking him up. He rubbed his eyes once more and finally looked over at Iris, waiting for the expression on her face when she opened her gift. And he stared at her; she was already completely dressed and ready for the day in a long-sleeved gray sweater, a red and green plaid skirt, black tights, and matching shoes. Her makeup was minimal (or natural, or whatever girls called it) and she looked just as beautiful as he always thought her to be. "If you don't open your gift, I'm going to open mine, first!"

Barry didn't get the chance to move before Iris reached out and grabbed onto the small box that rested in his hands and yanked it into her possession. He laughed lightly. She was never one to wait patiently to open gifts. Unlike Barry who at least didn't wake up both of his parents until after breakfast, she was most certainly the kind of child that had woken up at all hours of the night trying to sneak a peek at Santa Clause, secretly unwrapping corners of gifts to look inside, and tricking Joe into telling her what she was going to get.

"I'd hate to see what happens to the guy that forgets to get you a gift for Valentine's Day," Barr remarked.

Iris paused in her unwrapping and gave Barry a long look before smiling a little. "Eddie would never forget that," she said, mentioning the foil that had been placed into his life before he had woken up from his coma. "Would he have issues figuring out what to get me? Probably. But that's exciting; I'd never know what he'd have waiting for me. The surprise is always the best part." Barry stared at her, wondering if that meant it was bad thing that he knew absolutely everything about her and she quickly reached out, taking his hands, sensing his distress. "Barry, I'm so happy to have you in my life. You're my best friend and the fact that you know such trivial things about me is the best."

"Like how you hate paisley?" Barry teased.

Iris threw her hands into the air incredulously, as if she had the conversation many times before and was using her last words of life to get her point across. "It's an annoying pattern! If you're going to make something look like a flower petal, actually make it look like one. It looks like an amoeba."

His laughter filling the small apartment, Barry leaned back, crossing his arms in anticipation. Iris giggled as she finally unwrapped the box and gently opened it. The smile on her face immediately morphed into an expression of surprise then shock, then disbelief as she held onto the small ring. She nestled it in her palm like a baby bird, using her other hand to turn it this way and that, examining it closely.

"My mother's wedding ring," she breathed.

"Well, it's a copy," Barry quickly explained. He ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, you lost it…on that field trip to the zoo in the fifth grade. And I remembered that you cried and cried for days. When, really, it wasn't your fault that you lost it, it was Bobby Kinkirk's fault. But you still blamed yourself for it."

"And you got me another one?" Iris asked in disbelief.

She looked up at Barry with wide eyes, then back to the ring, then back to Barry. She slid her hand along the metallic chain that went with it and held it up above her head, allowing the light that streamed through the window to catch the side of the ring. She lowered it to her lap and leaned forward, throwing her arms around Barry's neck.

"Oh Barry, thank you!" Iris held him tightly. "This is…this is seriously the best thing anyone's ever got me!" She continued to hold onto him and Barry reached up, hugging her back just as tightly. The two continued to stay in their embrace, Barry allowing Iris to get through the emotions that were more than likely to be running through her body. "You're the best, Barry." She leaned back, still holding onto his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I mean that. You always do so many sweet things like this; you're always there for me. And I can't thank you enough for that."

"You're welcome, Iris," Barry replied sincerely. He smiled back at her, holding her gaze a bit longer. "Here." He held out his hand and Iris placed the ring into his hand. She then turned, pulling her hair up so that Barr could bring the necklace around and fasten it around her neck, fingers gently brushing against her skin. She lowered her hair back in place and slowly turned around. He gave her a funny look when he saw how scrunched up her nose was. "What? I thought you liked it!"

"It's not the ring," Iris said slowly. "It's my gift to you. It seems so silly compared to what you just gave me."

"No. I'm sure it's fine." Barry picked up the heavy package that Iris had given him and unwrapped it. His eyes widened themselves when he saw the microscope that now rested on his lap. "Wow!" He cried, looking it over.

"It's supposed to be the best one on the market and I wasn't sure if you already have it so if you do or if you don't like it, you could always—"

"No. Iris. It's perfect. I love it." Barry grinned as he continued to look all over the microscope, inspecting each and every component that went along with it. "Thank you." Now he gave her a hug and she smiled, patting him on the back.

Leaning back, Barry continued to look at the microscope. It was very similar to the one he used to have in his childhood bedroom. But this was definitely a much newer, better, and more expensive model. It wasn't that his parents were in tune to his interest in the sciences; they allowed him to talk about whatever he wanted. Henry being a doctor helped so that he had the education to understand nearly every question Barry turned his way about biology, why something was the way it was, or why some medicines helped people more than others. Nora was the kind of woman and mother that allowed her only son to explore whatever it was his heart desired. This brought many birthday and Christmas gifts of science experiment kits, planetary artwork, and even a telescope that he used nearly every night to look at the stars and the moon…and the one time he managed to watch his neighbors due to pure curiosity (Which was very quickly put to a stop).

It was hard to think that so many years had gone by and Christmas with the Wests was now becoming his new normal. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate everything they did for him, but…his father was still in jail and his mother was still dead and there wasn't much that he had managed to do in terms of proving that his father was innocent. It was always Christmas time that made things harder for him.

"Do you want to go visit him today?" Iris's voice broke into his thoughts. "We have plenty of time, you know Dad wouldn't mind."

"No, I've already gone and seen him recently; he's doing as well as you can be in jail." Barry sniffed and sat up straight. "Let me just get changed and then we can go over to see Joe and Eddie and have a great Christmas, okay?"

"Okay."

Barry got off the floor and went into his room. Closing the door behind him, he used his powers to move around the room, putting on his clothes. He wished he had time to do it before Iris had come over, so that he could've cleaned up the apartment a little bit. He wanted nothing but the best for her. But she hadn't seemed to have noticed that it didn't look like he slept there a lot as it was, and she was barely at the West house either…Barry shook his head. He knew going to the house meant he was going to put himself in the position to watch Iris and Eddie cuddle and enjoy their holiday together as a serious couple.

You've got to get over it, Barry; he could practically hear Caitlin's voice in his head. She had tried giving him that kind of advice ages before, when he would continuously visit her as The Flash and yet…much like most of his past he couldn't let it go. But then, when he had been whammied and heard what Cadence had said…"I don't think you really love her, I think you're afraid of being abandoned by her" had caused him to react very badly.

But one thought that constantly went through his mind was whether or not he reacted badly because no one understood his and Iris's relationship…or if it was because it was true.

Don't think about that now, Barry, he said to himself. It's Christmas, you should be happy. Mom would want you to be happy. He smiled and left the room, finding Iris on the couch, looking at the picture of the two of them that Eddie had looked at when he visited the apartment months before. "I love this picture," Iris said as she looked it over.

"So do I, it's my favorite one." Barry pulled his jacket of his shoulders and motioned for Iris to follow him as they left the apartment. At that moment, as he locked the door behind him, he realized they would be walking the entire way back to the West house and wanted nothing more than to tell her about his powers so that they could get there faster. For someone that was notoriously late, he really did enjoy being able to get places at top speeds. He looked over as Iris looped her arm through his.

"Merry Christmas, Barry." She smiled up at him.

"Merry Christmas, Iris."

One the two returned to the West house, Iris immediately went back to her task of declaring where everyone was going to sit and in what order they were going to open gifts. She then passed around mugs of Grandma Esther's special eggnog, causing Barry to once again hate the fact that he couldn't get drunk, before sitting down in her seat—which just so happened to be Eddie's lap—and turned her attention to her father.

"Daddy, open your gift first!" She declared. "It's from me and Barry!" She bounced up and down on Eddie's lap in anticipation, causing the blond detective to change his position in the chair.

Barry smiled a little as he noticed Eddie's expression of pure surprise then lowered it when Eddie turned his way. "She really gets into the holidays doesn't she?" He asked him, causing Iris to lightly whack Eddie on the shoulder.

"Oh, you have no idea." Leaning back against the couch, Barry crossed his legs at the knee and made a show of taking another long sip of eggnog. The taste of alcohol within it made him smile but it passed through his system seconds later. "To Iris, Christmas is New Year's, her birthday, and Halloween all rolled into one."

"Halloween?"

With a short sigh, Iris whipped her head around and gave Barry a pointed stare. "We dressed up for the pageant once! Just once. It's not a big deal, okay?"

"Not a big deal for you, maybe," Joe said, eyes placed on the gift that he slowly and painstakingly unwrapped. "You're not the one that had little kids chasing you around, tugging on your beard and pantsuit, demanding that they get this toy and that toy for Christmas. And wondering where Rudolph was."

Eddie laughed loudly at the image. "You mean you had to dress up as Santa? That's so funny!" Joe glared at his partner and he immediately choked off his laughter. "I mean, it's not funny at all. I bet you were a great Santa…Joe." He cleared his throat and picked up his mug of eggnog, holding it up so that it covered his face. "What'd you get, Joe?"

Joe turned his attention back to the gift and opened it fully. He laughed appreciatively as he held up the large Christmas sweater that sat in the box, causing Iris and Barry to grin. "You'd think by now I would expect to get one every year. You know you really tricked me last time where it was a tie instead."

"There's something else in there," Barry prompted. He smiled, remembering how that tradition had started. Combined, he and Iris didn't have a lot of money to get Joe a gift and they had seen that Christmas sweaters were on sale. As the years continued it was all they could afford to keep buying him. Once they had gotten their own jobs and were able to afford better gifts for him and each other, they still continued to give him a sweater as well. This time it had a large blinking nose on the front, perfect for the CCPD Ugly Sweater contest.

Joe pushed the tissue paper aside and smiled as he picked up the watch that sat at the bottom of the box. "Whooo." Eyes squinting, Joe lifted the watch up towards the light and looked it over. "Seems to me that you need this more than I do, Bare."

"I've gotten a bit better at my punctuality," Barry defended himself. "It's just…things come up sometimes." He and Joe exchanged knowing glances.

"Okay, Eddie! Your turn!" Iris cried. She brought her hand up to her neck, holding onto the necklace as Eddie took his gift from her and started to open it. "I want you to know that my asking you for your shirt size doesn't mean that your gift is necessarily shirt related."

"Did I also forget to mention that she is terrible when it comes to giving hints?" Joe added.

Eddie laughed appreciatively. "This is the girl that couldn't help but tell me she had decorated my apartment so that it was more accessible to a female." He gently tapped her on the thigh, causing her to giggle and twist away from him. "I don't mind having her around, but I mean a man's place is his man cave, right?"

Bad choice of words. Barry slowly moved his hand up to cover his face as Joe's face turned stony. One thing Eddie probably hadn't anticipated when dating his partner's daughter was how easily the cop father could take offense to something or read something so wrong it didn't make a difference if Eddie tried to save himself. This time around, Eddie was smart enough to quickly change the subject.

"Hey." He reached up a hand and gently tapped the necklace around Iris's neck. "Where'd you get that?"

"Oh! Barry gave it to me. It's a replica of my Mom's wedding ring that I lost ages ago."

"Wow." Eddie nodded. "That's a great gift, Barry." He turned towards the speedy metahuman, looking him up and down for a moment before picking up his gift. "I just hope mine can top it. Why don't you open yours, Iris? Before I open mine?"

Distracted by the prospect of receiving another gift, Iris grabbed the medium sized box that easily fit the palm of her hand. She tore off the wrapping, flipped open the lid, and stared down at the diamond necklace that fell out into her palm. Her eyes turned as round and as bright as they had at Barry's gift. Even Joe let out a low whistle.

"Aww. Eddie, it's beautiful! I love it." She quickly put it on and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the lips. "You must've saved up so much for it."

"Well, anything for you, baby." Eddie glanced over at Joe. "Iris."

Now she crossed her arms over her chest, causing Barry to laugh. "What's wrong with you?"

"Everyone is getting me better gifts than I got them," She declared. "Even Eddie's shirt is dumb."

"I thought you said it wasn't a shirt," Barry pointed out.

"I lied." Her snapping at him made Barry hold his hands up defensively, though exchanging a look with Eddie and Joe made the three men burst out laughing, causing Iris's pout to deepen. "Well, since you all are going to laugh at me, I guess I'll go and get some more eggnog. Feel free to make fun of me as I leave the room." She made a show of sticking her nose in the air as she went, though Barry saw her smile as she trotted off to the kitchen.

Joe got up from the couch and walked over to Eddie and patted him on the shoulder on his way to the Christmas tree to get the next round of gifts. "You better know what you're getting yourself into, son. She goes crazy around the holidays. Once you're in you're in for the rest of your life."

"But she does a great job with Halloween," Barry defended her. He smiled with pride. "Best house on the block for the past four years."

"I'm looking forward to it," Eddie said honestly. He cleared his throat and crossed his legs the other way. "Look, guys, I…I just wanted to thank you both." Barry's eyebrows furrowed together, waiting to hear what the detective had to say. "When I first got to Central City from Keystone I had a lot that I wanted to prove. I wanted to show that I could be one of the best detectives that could come to this city."

"And if I remember correctly, that caused you to have a lot of enemies," Joe pointed out with a half smile.

"It's true. I was a little overzealous towards my goals. But I was always taught that once I made a goal, I had to reach it. I've had bosses and co-workers tell me I wasn't going to amount to much because they knew who my Dad was and what he had done, and they thought I was just going to turn out the same way. I had a huge chip on my shoulder that I tried to knock away bit by bit, day by day. But I enjoyed what I did. I know I didn't make a great first impression when I got to Central City but it was because I had such high hopes for things here." He turned to Barry. "I barely got a chance to know you before your accident but I saw how much you meant to Iris and Joe and everyone in the precinct and I wanted you to come out of your coma as much as anyone else did so I could meet you and I have to say that you have met everyone of my expectations."

"Thanks…Eddie."

Eddie then turned to Joe. "And I want to thank you, Joe, for giving me a chance at being your partner. I know we started off pretty rocky and everything but…you still gave me a chance. With the CCPD, with being your partner, with Iris…which I know can be pretty awkward as well." He laughed nervously. "But you've been a lot more to me than just a partner, you've been my friend." He looked back and forth between Joe and Barry. "I don't have a lot of family in Central City; as a matter of fact I haven't spoken to my Dad in a long time. I just called my Mom this morning to wish her a Merry Christmas and I still couldn't talk to my Dad because I didn't agree with the things he believed. Being invited over here…knowing I have some people here in Central City that I can turn to is probably the best thing I could have for Christmas. So I wanted to thank you. Both of you."

"You're welcome, Eddie," Joe said.

"Merry Christmas," Barry added.

Joe made the first move and got up, clasping his hand into Eddie's before pulling him into his arms, slapping him on the back as he hugged. Barry then stepped up next and hugged Eddie was well. It was the last thing he had ever imagined, hugging Eddie Thawne, but as long as he was dating Iris and would be Joe's partner, he was going to be a fixture in his life. Besides, Eddie wasn't so bad, he was entertaining for the most part; he had a good heart, and seemed to make Iris really happy. And nothing was more important to him.

"Merry Christmas."

"No way! This is Amazing Spider-Man issue one from the 1963 1st Series!"

"I take it that's a good thing…?"

"A good thing? Do you know how much it costs? Almost 3,500 for this issue alone! Oh, I don't…I don't know how to thank you. I don't even know where you got this. I just…I need a minute to breathe."

Barry laughed to himself as he walked through the doors of the Cortex and found Cisco, Caitlin, Brady, Harrison, and Cadence all sitting in a circle, packages wrapped and unwrapped around each other. He shifted the stack that was in his hand and waved to his friends. "Hey guys," he greeted them, laughing harder when he saw Cisco leaning back in his seat, fanning his face with his hand. "What's going on?"

All of a sudden there was a low pumping sound and something struck his forehead, bobbing there. Lifting his eyes, Barry found a yellow Styrofoam dart sticking off his forehead. "Barry!" Brady shouted, his voice echoing along the walls and rafters. "Look what my Mom got me for Christmas!" He shook a massive toy gun in his hands. "It holds up twenty-five darts and can fire three of them a second. Isn't it cool?" He waved it around again and fired it towards the wall, placing three darts along the wall.

Harrison reached out and slowly lowered the gun. "Considering we have very expensive equipment around here, I think we should save the testing of this toy when we're out at the air field." He turned towards Cadence, who shrugged.

"Okay." Brady shrugged and turned back to Barry, his excitement unquestionable. "She got me a bike, too." He turned towards Harrison and smiled at him. "And Harrison got me a skateboard."

"A skateboard?" Barry repeated, joining his friends.

"Unfortunately it seems to be a fad sport that seems to defy time," Harrison commented with a half smile. He rested his cheek in his upraised palm. "I have too many people that seem to enjoy my front porch and sidewalk as their own personal skate park. I figured I'd add to the carnage."

"That sounds so responsible," Caitlin said with a teasing lift to her voice. She and Harrison exchanged a glance as she brought her hand up to her ear and started to gently tug at the bright blue earrings that hung from her earlobes. He brought his hand over his wrist to cover the glittering watch that reflected the lights of the cortex from its face.

Barry noticed Caitlin's hand movement and his eyes trained on the earrings. "Wow, those earrings are nice, Caitlin," he complemented her, passing around his gifts. "Did you get them today? Are they new?"

She froze in her movements, eyes growing wide as if caught in a lie. She shifted her glance towards Harrison once more—who smiled, seeming to enjoy the situation she had put herself in with a knowing smile—before turning them back to Barry. "What? No! I'm not…they're not. No. You see…"

"Geez, Cait, it was just a simple question," Cadence pointed out. "I don't think a tongue twister is needed as a response."

"It's not that it's just…" she cleared her throat. "They were given to me by someone very special." She managed to regain her composure as Barry grimaced. Obviously he had hit a nerve when asking about it, when it was probably something that had been left for her before Ronnie had passed. He hadn't meant to bring it up. "It's fine," she added quickly.

"Oh well, is Cisco okay? I don't think I've ever seen him so stunned."

"Barry, you don't understand," Cisco said slowly, breathlessly. He continued to stare at the ceiling. "This, this right here…"—he motioned to the comic book that lay across his chest in a plastic cover—"is the best thing I've ever gotten in my entire life. Forget birth. Forget the LEGO replica of the Millennium Falcon in my room. This is the best."

"I think you'll be singing a different tune once you see what I got you," Cadence said with a bright smile. She practically bolted out of her chair as she handed Cisco a large, wrapped square. Then she returned to her set and sat Indian style, hands clasped together in her lap, biting her lower lip as she waited for Cisco's response. Brady leaned into her and the two giggled together as they waited.

Barry smiled.

Once Cisco opened the gift he let out the loudest scream Barry had ever thought was capable. Then he leaned across the circle and hugged Cadence tightly, rocking her back and forth before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. Thank you so much. And it's really his signature right?" Cadence laughed and nodded as he continued to hug her. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"Well, what is it?" Caitlin demanded impatiently.

"Yes, I'm sure we'll all interested to know what it was that has caused you to react so positively," Harrison commented, wiggling a finger in his ear. "Especially after your reaction to the comic book that Dr. Snow and I have given you."

Barry looked over at Cadence, hoping to get a hint as to what she had given Cisco. She caught his eye and winked at him, bringing her finger up to her lips. Barry held her gaze for a moment then smiled as he shook his head. It was the similar gestures in the picture that Oliver had sent him as a gift; one of him and Roy in Starling City holding up a sign that said Arrow – 0, Flash – 0, and holding a finger to their lips as a reminder of the secret they were to keep. His smile widened and he turned to Cisco.

"She got me, Superman's autograph!" Cisco declared. He turned the framed photograph around to reveal a picture of Superman in flight with a message scribbled in the corner. "SUPERMAN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW COOL THAT IS?!"

"Uh, not as cool as The Flash," Barry defended himself.

"Or Flash Fire," Cadence added. "Sheesh, it's like no one in this city knows who I am."

"But we know who you are and we appreciate you," Caitlin said, causing Cadence to smile and laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear, almost shy. She turned to Barry and held up a bright blue box. "She got me a jewelry box."

"That's great, Caitlin," Barry said to her. He looked at Harrison and hesitated for a moment, his eyes shifting back and forth between the three generations that sat together on the side of the circle. With the way their revelation had come through, he wasn't sure how the holidays were going to transpire between them. "Did…did you uh…?"

"Oh yes." Harrison smiled. "I was pleased to receive a live recording of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra's renditions of classical composers' works." He laughed. "And it was a fitting gift as I, in turn, gave her a gift that incorporates piano as well."

Barry looked around for her gift but she shifted his attention. "Well, I can't forget your gift either," Cadence picked out a box from underneath her chair and handed it to Barry. He took it and lifted it to his ear, shaking it a little. Then he pulled back the wrapping and held his breath as he opened the box.

"Wow." He stared down at the leather bag that sat in his lap. It was similar to the one he had before, bringing along with him on every case, what he brought to Starling City the first time he met Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle…the same bag that had been destroyed when he was struck by lightning. "Where did you…I don't…"

"And I thought Caitlin was the only one who could get tongue-tied," Cisco murmured, causing Caitlin to elbow him in the side.

"This is amazing, Cadence." Barry looked up and smiled at her, she smiled warmly in reply. He held her gaze for a long moment then quickly turned away to get gifts, passing them out. "I'm sorry, mine's not as good as yours." He cringed with sudden embarrassment, realizing how Iris must have felt.

Cadence took the gift and opened it. She tilted her head to the side for a moment then started to laugh. Hard enough that her face turned red, allowing her blue-green eyes to stand out even further. She then turned the gift around.

"Darts?" Cisco looked as confused as Caitlin felt. "You hate darts. You had an entire rant against darts."

"I hate snow, too, but that didn't stop Caitlin from giving me a ski trip for my birthday," Cadence pointed out. She turned the game over in her hand, smiling down at it. "Besides it's a joke. Thanks, Tholly. I love it."

"Great." Barr grinned and nodded towards the others. "I hope you guys like your gifts, too. Dr. Wells, I brought you some of Grandma Esther's special eggnog, though I can't say with total honesty that most of it is actually eggnog."

"Yes!" Cisco declared, punching the air. "We're drinking that now."

"It's Dr. Wells' gift, Cisco," Caitlin said quickly. "He's the one that decides what to do with it."

"I'd be glad to share it with you all," Harrison said with a slight tilt of his head. "Besides, I think I can say for all of us that Barry was the gift that we got this year. For his abilities and for being someone that's really special to all of us." He placed the thermos in his lap and wheeled backwards so he was clear of the carnage of open gifts. "I'll go get the glasses."

Barry smiled and nodded as Cisco and Caitlin opened their gifts from him—one of Oliver's arrows and a leather purse that Iris had helped him pick out—then went over to Cadence, who was showing Brady the different tactical styles with Nerf gun could shift into. "So, Brady, what did you get your Mom for Christmas?"

"A necklace," Brady replied with a proud smile. "I saved my allowance for weeks to buy it." Raising an eyebrow, Barry glanced at Cadence. She held up a hand and mouthed 'gold plated' in reply and he nodded. "Oh, and I gave her her pom-poms."

"What?" Barry laughed as little as Cadence shook her head. "Pom-poms?"

"Yeah, the ones she used in high school? I gave her back her pom-poms. She said she hadn't used them in a long time and I called Grandma and asked her to send them over!" He beamed over at his Mom, who smiled back at him. "She said one day she'll show me some of the old routines she used to do."

"Boy, I'd love to see that." His eyes widened when he realized his mistake. "Wait. No. That's not what I meant. I didn't mean to imply…you see what I meant was…I mean, I'd like to see it, but not like that!" He stopped, bringing his face into his hands as Cadence continued to laugh quietly while Brady continued to look back and forth between the two, confused. "I didn't mean…"

Cadence finally managed to compose her laughter. "Don't worry about it, I'll take it as a compliment. There were pictures with the pom-poms and other stuff from high school and it was fun seeing it all again. Unlike most people I actually liked high school." She reached out and ruffled Brady's hair. "And I like my life now. I've decided to stop dwelling so much; living in the past has never seemed to work out."

Giving her a knowing smile, Barry asked, "Ryder told you that I ran into him didn't he?" She nodded. "What did he get you for Christmas?"

"Child support." The response made Barry start in surprise. "Yeah, all the child support that he missed over the years. I guess he's serious about not wanting to live in the past either so…" she shrugged. "I guess we'll see how that goes. Besides, I'm a lot happier now."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because I've got you guys."

The two looked eyes and grinned at each other. "Merry Christmas, Cade."

"Merry Christmas, Barry."

A/N: Before anyone asks, Cisco's, Caitlin's, Harrison's, and Cadence's Christmases will be shown as well, they just weren't done in this chapter. But now that a happy/fluffy chapter is done, now comes the Reverse-Flash, the Rogues, the BlackFlash, and the plots of Caitlin, Cisco, Cadence, Brady, and Harrison as well as the ending of season 1. There's so much I'm excited to get to; season 2 especially.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Cheers,

-Riles