.:16:.

Iris practically leapt to her feet when Barry came through the door of the West house, more than ready for some dinner. His mind raced a mile a minute of everything that had been going on; the Reverse Flash was back and he was only so far away from being able to confront his mother's murderer, there was a Black Flash on his tail, Brady had metahuman powers that were just starting to show...

All he wanted was to be able to sit down and have a good meal. He could have done the same for himself with Big Belly Burger or quickly rip through one of his mother's recipes for dinner, but he wasn't excited to be in his apartment at the moment. Not alone. Not when so much time to himself made him wallow in his own self pity and frustrations.

"Barry!" Iris said as soon as he stepped through the door.

He turned towards her and smiled. A familiar face that wasn't stuck in the issues going on with STAR Labs. Thank God. "Hey Iris," he greeted her warmly. She rounded the couch and grabbed onto him, hugging him tightly to which he returned with as much enthusiasm. He barely let go by the time Iris grabbed onto his arm and dragged him over to the couch. "What's going on? You seem really anxious about something." His eyes widened when he was practically forced onto the couch.

Iris started to smile and then started to laugh. Barry look at her funny, unsure of what to do or say until he had the full story. But he couldn't help but smile as he waited for her. She seemed so happy. He hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time. "Eddie asked me to move in with him," she finally managed to say. Barry tilted his head to the side, eyes widening as he took in what he had just been told. "I said yes. I mean, I practically live with him already so…" she twisted her fingers together as she waited for Barry's response.

He let out a startled laugh. "You guys are moving pretty fast aren't you?" He asked. His smile immediately faded when he saw how offended Iris looked over his statement. Way to go, Barry. You just hurt your friend when she's trying to tell you something important. At least try to act cool. He turned away for a moment, trying to compose himself. Still…it was kind of odd that the jealousy he expected to rocket through his body only ignited a small flame. It wasn't as crippling as he thought it would be.

Iris reached up a hand and pulled her hair back out of her face. "Well, it's been a year," she said honestly. A year filled with ups and down she had never expected. She tilted her head to the side and watched Barry for a long moment, her nose wrinkling as she continued with, "Eddie thought you might feel weird about it…but…" She trailed off, gently shaking her head.

The idea had been so preposterous she couldn't believe she was bringing it up with Barry. Barry didn't seem to understand what it was, tilting his head to the side, eyes shifting back and forth. Finally he asked, while slightly stammering, "Why would he say that?"

Iris couldn't help herself. She laughed before covering her hands with her mouth. Barry stared at her, eyebrows falling. Iris waved her hands. She wasn't laughing at him, he needed to know that. It was just so preposterous. "He thinks you like me," she finally managed to say. "Romantically." She started to laugh again. "Honestly, it sounds weird suggesting it…"

A long silence stretched between the two of them. Barry slowly turned away from her, wondering how to deal with the situation. He did like her…but was that it? Did he just like her? He had loved her at one point, when he was a kid, when he was growing up, before he was struck by lightning…what was he supposed to do with that now? Iris continued to watch him.

"Barry?" She reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm.

The movement, the warmth of her skin seeping through his sleeve snapped him back to attention. "He's wrong," Barry said. He turned back to Iris and took a deep breath. "If I've seemed weird before its just this year has gone by really fast and I guess I didn't realize how far in your relationship you guys were."

"That's what I told him." Iris clasped her hands together and gently rocked back and forth, swaying almost to a rhythmic beat. "Good. Good. Because you're my best friend, Barry. And that would be weird." She smiled at him and Barry smiled back at her.

"Yeah, it'd be really…weird," he agreed. "But that's great," he added quickly. "That you and Eddie are going to be moving in together. That's a really big step. I mean, now you're going to be around each other 24/7." He smiled teasingly at her and Iris rolled her eyes, reaching out and shoving him on the arm.

"Shut up, Barry." Shaking her head, she stood up and tilted his head back towards the dining room, where Joe was setting up the table. If he had been listening in on the conversation, he didn't show it. Instead, he pulled back his seat at the head of the table and draped a napkin in his lap. Iris and Barry quickly joined him and the three talked about everything but the two topics of conversation they were trying to avoid.

The Man in Yellow and Iris's moving. The Man In Yellow for very obvious reasons; if it were to come up Barry was sure he would find himself racing out of the house and chasing down every leady he could get to find his mother's murderer and take care of him himself. No matter how badly it had gone last time. But Iris's moving was an even harder topic to broach; not only was Joe against the two of them dating at first—simply because they had kept it from him—but things had becoming awkward at times where Eddie would step his boundaries with Iris when Joe as nearby. But she was also Joe's only daughter and because she was leaving the house to move in with someone else…it had to be hard for him to wrap his head around.

But dinner went well, taking Barry's mind off of everything that was causing him grief, if even for a half hour. It all came to a head, once more, when they had finished dinner and Joe was getting ready to set up for dessert. All throughout dinner, from Iris's vantage point, she had a clear view of the front window, where she had seen the Man in Yellow during Christmas. Every now and then she turned her attention back to the window before being brought back to whatever it was Joe and Barry were saying to her.

"Is there something interesting out there?" Joe asked with a light laugh as he placed a glass pan of peach cobbler into the middle of the dining table. "You look like you're waiting for the ice cream truck."

"Ha ha." Iris rolled her eyes as Barry and Joe laughed. She knew what he was referring to and it still made her embarrassed every now and then. "No, it's just…" she took a deep breath knowing she should have said this before and that waiting so long was probably going to make the other two upset. "I think…I saw the Man in Yellow," she said slowly. Barry immediately whipped his head towards her, eyes widening. "During Christmas. I thought I saw him outside the window. But I wasn't sure until the reports coming from Mercury Labs and my blog…." She trailed off as Barry turned back to Joe, who froze when pulling off oven mitts. "I would've said something sooner, but I didn't know if I really saw anything. I'm sorry, Barry."

"It's nothing you need to apologize about," Barry said quickly. "If you weren't sure, you weren't sure." But in his mind he had another worrying thought. If The Man in Yellow came here, he knows who I live with and who's important to me. He's been following me much longer than I originally thought…since before he showed up at my lab. He looked at Joe and he must've had the same thought, for he quickly pulled off his gloves and reached for his jacket.

"I'm sorry, baby, but we have to get going," He said to her. "This might be something we can use down at the CCPD."

"I understand," Iris agreed. She stood up, clasping her hands together, watching as her family readied themselves to leave the house. "Be careful, okay?" Joe leaned over and gave her a kiss on the side of the head and a hug before the two left the house.

"So where are we headed?" Barry asked as he and Joe hurried down the front steps towards the Detective's cruiser.

"Mercury Labs," Joe replied. "If we're going to trap this Man in Yellow, then we're going to need some bait." Barry nodded, taking in a deep breath. He was starting to shake. This was it; they were going to figure out how to capture the man that had made his life a living hell. When they arrived at Mercury Labs they immediately found Dr. McGee and slapped a piece of paper in her hands. Barry watched as Dr. McGee looked over it.

She snorted as she took in the search warrant that was placed in her hands. The words 'search warrant' popped out amongst everything else on the page and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the preposterous item she had been handed by the CCPD. Lifting her gaze, she looked back and forth between Joe and Barry. "If Judge Hankerson was going to sign this, he would've done so already." She slapped the paper back into Joe's hand and started to turn on her heel. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

Barry resisted the urge to use his speed to grab onto her arm, to whirl her around and slam her against the wall, forcing her to take the papers and let them take the Tachyon prototype. Everything rested on being able to take the device, capture the Man in Yellow, and convict him for killing his mother and sending his father to jail. But he held still. He couldn't allow his anger to get in the way of everything he had worked for.

Thankfully Joe was much more composed. He took the paper in his hand and shook them at her. "Look, I'm sure you don't want this investigation to get even more public than it already is, do you doctor?" He watched as she slowly turned back around and glared at the two. Barry would have been intimidated if it wasn't for the anger that continued to roll through his body.

Finally, Dr. McGee rolled back her shoulders and her lips tightened. "This has Harrison Wells written all over it in big black letters," she spat, her disdain for him evident in her entire being. "I'm not giving you my prototype."

Barry let out a low sigh, exchanging a glance with Joe. He had kept information he had on Dr. McGee to himself, just as minor observations. He didn't think he would have been able to use it to blackmail her in any way. Still, this was more important than anything else he had ever done and if he had to stoop so low, then so be it. "It was quite the tour of your facility, Dr." He had to keep from jumping when Dr. McGee shot her narrow gaze over to him. "You were fine to let us dumb cops walk around. But I majored in physics and I saw a whole lot of stuff that science showcase magazine would love to hear about." His eyebrow rose in challenge as her eyes narrowed even further. "So should I call the editors directly or just leave a few posts on their website?"

There was a long pause.

Dr. McGee stared at Barry and he stared back. Finally, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out just as slowly. "You'll have the tachyon device within the hour." She looked Barry up and down with disdain. I see why Harrison holds you in such esteem, Mr. Allen. You two are so much alike."

Barry kept from rolling his eyes as Dr. McGee walked off. He wasn't going to leave before he got that device. He watched as Joe moved from his side to his front, chuckling under his breath. He even went as far as to look after Dr. McGee once more before reaching out and pointing at Barry with the papers that were still nestled in his grasp. "Nicely done."

Barry smiled for a second, and then it faded once more. It would have been more entertaining, more fun if he had been able to enjoy himself. He didn't think he was going to be able to smile for a while. "Joe, do you have a second?"

Barry whipped around to find Eddie walking their way. He let out a low sigh as he watched Eddie. The guy that was going to move in with his best friend, the girl he had known for forever. The girl he…loved. He couldn't stand to be around him at the moment, even more so than he had when he first figured out that he and Iris were dating. If only he hadn't been in that coma…

"Not now, Eddie," Jo said quickly. He put his hand on Barry's shoulder and started to walk the two away. "There's something we really have to deal with right now."

Eddie ignored his statement and came to a stop in front of Joe. He swept back his jacket and placed his hands on his hips. "I read the witness statement, the Flash was there. I know you have something in the works. I have a task force approved to capture him and I want in." Barry immediately froze. They had been talking about a task force within the CCPD for a while. Ever since Bivolo had come around. He had no idea Captain Singh had allowed the task force to go ahead. This was certainly not good for him. "I'm not asking permission, Joe," Eddie added when he saw Joe open his mouth to protest. "If my task force isn't part of this I'll go to Captain Singh."

Joe sucked in a deep breath and looked over at Barry who tried to keep his face calm. He clenched down on his back teeth and continued to stare straight ahead at Eddie, hoping not to let anything show in his face. Now he knew how Oliver felt with all of Starling City and the SCPD constantly putting a bounty over his head.

He felt like a trapped rat.

"Fine," Joe finally said.

Caitlin tilted her head, allowing her hair to fall out of her face as she looked over Cisco's shoulder at his computer screen. Facts and figures swirled by as Cisco's fingers moved over the keyboard at breakneck speed. Finally, he stood up and nodded to everyone in the room. "The Tachyon device is in place," he announced, glancing at the still frame that had been taken of the Tachyon device in the middle of their trap. "As soon as we start putting out the signals that we have it, then we'll have the Man in Yellow in here faster than any of us can blink."

Barry nodded, his hand gently resting over his mouth as he listened to the explanations going on around him. He had been moderately silent since he and Joe had returned with the device. Harrison's eyes lit up as soon as they came back with the device and he had quickly told Cisco to set up the trap they were going to use. Now that it was completed it was his and Caitlin's job to be sure the trap stayed working.

"So how do we advertise that we have it?" Cadence asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are we supposed to go around with a neon sign that says that we took it?" She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. "Though something tells me that this guy probably already knows."

"If he's been watching Barry, he has," Brady piped up. He spun the soccer ball that he had brought with him to STAR Labs, in his hands while trying to make work of the conversation going on around him.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Harrison agreed with a nod. "But we can't assume. As for the trap we'll be setting…we'll take care of that."

Cisco bit his lower lip as he exchanged a glance with Caitlin. Dr. Wells had already given them the explanation that Barry was not going to help them capture and interrogate the Main Yellow. He would be too emotionally invested into the fight and wouldn't make the best decisions regarding what to do with him if they managed to catch him.

"What?" Barry asked when he noticed all eyes turning his way. As bright as he was, Barry very quickly realized what it was that no one was saying. He shook his head defiantly. "No. No. I'm not staying back. I'm not going to be the only one that's not working to catch this guy. I have to be here. I'm the best chance at doing it."

"Thanks," Cadence said, frowning in offense. Cisco didn't blame her. It wasn't too long before that Barry was saying he needed her by his side to help take down the Man in Yellow. Now he was giving everyone a massive slap in the face by saying he could basically do it all himself.

"Look, dude," Cisco said slowly, lest he became the target of Barry's wrath. "We're not saying that we don't think you can help. We're just worried about what you could do if you ever get him. We can't run the risk that you lose control over this guy."

"You're strong now, Barry," Caitlin agreed. "Much stronger than you've ever been before because of your abilities. You were a kid when he killed your mother." She gazed at him sympathetically. "You were powerless back then. Now that you have all of this power what's going to stop you from exhibiting it on him?"

"Do you get it?" He murdered my mother and sent my father to jail. This is my fight!"

"Not today."

Barry's shoulders slumped and he slapped his arms to his sides as he looked around the room, finding no helpful face turned his way. He then looked to Harrison for help and the man merely looked back at him, his blue eyes boring into Barry's blue-green ones. Finally, Barry understood he wasn't getting any help from his friends when he really needed it. Angrily, he grabbed his coat and stormed out of the Cortex.

"Barry doesn't seem happy," Brady remarked.

"I wouldn't be either," Cisco said. "If someone that I thought had killed my mother suddenly showed up again, no one would be able to stop me." He paused, thinking about Bette and how she had showed up in the Cortex. Not only did it prove they really needed to work on their security within STAR Labs, but it had been very confusing. She came back to see him, to talk to him, and yet he didn't know if he believed her.

Not to mention that throughout their conversation he expected to be attacked by Breathtaker, Mindboggler, Incognito, Stratos, and everyone from the Suicide Squad. He never understood true fear until he felt the anxiety of not knowing whether or not he would turn around to find a fist flying into his face. If it were someone that was able to move as quickly as Barry…he wouldn't be able to handle it. It was tarrying to know that someone who was clearly trying to get rid of The Flash was running around.

All of a sudden there was a rustling sound and Cisco turned to find Caitlin quickly walking out of the Cortex, holding a hand up over her face. Harrison leaned over to watch her, and then he leaned back and looked up at Cisco. Cisco nodded and pushed away from the computer desk and hurried after her. He could hear Cadence and Brady coming along behind him as they followed Caitlin's high-heeled steps. Finally, they caught up to her down in the cortex, sitting just outside of it, her face in her hands.

"Caitlin," Brady asked as he walked over to her. "Are you okay?" He leaned in to peer at her face then frowned as he leaned back, reporting to Cisco and his mother, "she's not okay."

"Thanks, bud," Cadence said with a light laugh, ruffling his hair.

Cisco had an idea he knew what was going on with her. There wasn't much mention of anyone coming in from someone's past was bound to flood her with memories. "Caitlin, don't worry. Now that we know he's out there we'll find him."

"Why?" Caitlin shook her head, turning her attention to her friends as they stood around her. She dabbed at her eyes though tears continued to fall. "So he'll be in there with the other metas?"

"I don't know if you remember, but you guys didn't put me down in the Pipeline when you had the chance," Cadence pointed out. "Why would you do the same to Ronnie when you know that he's not like…the way we saw him?"

Cisco understood what Cadence meant. They knew Ronnie, the real Ronnie. Not the guy that was struggling with whatever it was he could do and was keeping everyone away from him. If Ronnie had attacked Caitlin and Cadence before, and he had kept himself from attacking her again when they found him down in the basement…there was Ronnie still in there somewhere.

"He's probably just struggling with his powers," Cadence continued.

Caitlin smiled a little, as if she hadn't heard them. "I used to play this game in my head, what would I give up for another minute with him. My house, my career, or the rest of my life? Today, I finally got that minute and I wish I hadn't. Seeing him like that, what's he's become…dear God. I wish he had died that day."

She lowered her head and started to cry. Cisco leaned over and wiped her tears from her cheeks before sitting down next to her and putting his arm around her. Caitlin leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder as the tears started to fall in sobs. Cisco brought up his hand and gently patted her hair. Cadence sat down on Caitlin's other side and gently rubbed her arm as Brady kneeled down at her front, wiping away her tears every now and then.

The four continued to sit there, comforting each other. Not only for Ronnie, but because of everything that had been going on the past couple of days. For Brady's new powers, for the Man in Yellow, for Ronnie not being the same they had remembered, for Barry having to deal with the man that had murdered his mother, for all of this coming around at a time when they should have been excited about the holidays. Caitlin's crying finally subsided to sniffling and she used the heels of her palms to wipe at her eyes.

"Thanks guys," she said quietly, braving a smile. "I guess I didn't know how much this was affecting me."

"We can't blame you for it, Cait," Cadence said. She rubbed Caitlin's shoulder and smiled softly. "Anyone that had to go through what you did would probably be as upset. He was your fiancé." She reached out and used the flat of her palm to push Caitlin's chin up. "But what you have to remember is to keep your chin up because this gorgeous face deserves to shine."

"Thanks, Cade," Caitlin said and gave her a hug. She then turned to Cisco and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "And thank you, Cisco. I know Ronnie meant a lot to you, too." He smiled and nodded silently. Ronnie had been his best friend…but unbeknownst to everyone else he had cried nearly as hard and as much as Caitlin had when they first received the news of Ronnie's passing and since then. His family made fun of him for nearly everything he did, choosing instead to focus on his brother's achievements and successes. So Cisco pulled in on himself and the work he did at STAR Labs, choosing to grieve in his own time and by himself whenever he got the chance.

"We'll get through this together, Cait," Cisco said. He grasped her hand. "We're a team and we have to help each other."

"Right now we have to help Barry," Brady pointed out from where he was standing quietly at the side. Cisco nodded in agreement and motioned for the others to follow him. Once they arrived back in the Cortex they found Eddie and the CCPD standing around his computer with guns drawn. "What's going on here?" He asked slowly.

"The new CCPD Task Force is going to help us out," Joe said after a moment of silence.

"CCPD Task Force?" Cadence echoed. She tilted her head to the side and watched as Joe and Eddie exchanged grieved expressions. "What for?" She asked slowly.

"For The Flash," Eddie explained. "There are too many instances around here that The Flash has been a part of and the CCPD wants to capture him." He lifted his chin towards Cisco's monitor. "If The Flash has to do with the Man in Yellow that everyone is talking about, then we're going to be there."

"No!" Brady protested loudly. "You can't do that! The Flash has been helping this city, not hurting it."

"Ever since The Flash came to this city there has been nothing but trouble and people getting hurt," Eddie pointed out. "We're trying to remedy that." He turned his attention back towards Cisco's computer, where he noticed a video feed placed on what looked like a cage where the Tachyon device sat on a pedestal in the center. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"If anyone is looking for Tachyon particles, they'll be drawn in to us," Cisco explained. "Especially after we send out pulsing waves of its power. The Main Yellow won't be able to resist and will know we've got them."

With that, there was a sudden shock of red lightning that moved across screen and the Man in Yellow appeared on screen, within the cage that had been set up. As soon as the Man in Yellow went into the cage a force field was put up, trapping him inside. The Man in Yellow immediately started to bounce off of the walls, trying to get out.

"We got him," Cisco breathed, unable to believe it. We really got him.

"Let's see what we caught," Harrison said. He pulled back his wheelchair and turned it around, heading towards the elevator with Joe, Eddie, and the CCPD following him, leaving Caitlin, Cisco, Cadence, and Brady in the cortex to watch everything unfold.

The group hurried down to the holding room and as the elevator doors opened police streamed in, their guns pointed towards the containment field. The Man in Yellow shot back and forth for a few more seconds before coming to a halt, watching them.

"Cisco, lights please?" Harrison called as he wheeled towards the cage. Cisco did as he was told, illuminating the area and Harrison smiled, placing his hands in his lap. "Detective Thawne, would you like to read him his rights?" He called in a mocking tone.

Instead of replying Eddie stared. He stared at the Man in Yellow as it sat inside the cage. Everyone had been right. Everything that he had been told about the Man in Yellow was true. He had been briefed on Barry's case since he first started with the CCPD, knowing that his partner was now the foster father of the boy as well as the father of the girl he had had his eye on. Much like everyone else he put it off as a little kid that had been spooked by his mother's murder that he created a story to keep his father from going to jail. But now he owed Barry and apology.

As Eddie stared, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and found Joe inching his way forward. Licking his lips, Eddie held out his hand as if trying to keep his partner from taking another step forward. But Joe was too far away to stop him. "Joe!"

Joe continued to take a few steps towards the containment field. "You son of a bitch," he murmured under his breath. "Fourteen year ago you murdered Nora Allen! You turned an innocent boy's life into a tail spin! Why the hell did you come back here?! WHY!?"

Voice booming around the room, Joe's chest rose and fell as he tried to fight his emotions. Rather than addressing him, the Man in Yellow turned towards Harrison, keeping his glowing red eyes focused on him. Finally, the Man in Yellow lifted his hand as if to wave towards him. "Dr. Wells, we meet at last."

"What do you want with the tachyon particles?" Harrison's blue eyes narrowed behind the lenses of his glasses but he didn't allow the Man in Yellow to faze him.

"My goals are beyond your understanding."

"I don't know...I'm a pretty smart guy." Harrison tilted his head to the side and studied the Man in Yellow for a long moment before bringing his hands up and running them through his hair. Then he twisted in his seat to look at the police officers that stood behind him. "But you seem to be forgetting that you're the one that's at a disadvantage here. So it'd be a good idea if you cooperated." He watched as the Man in Yellow started to send himself against the walls of the cage once more. "It is very interesting to see that you have the same abilities as the Flash. That was my inclination for the creation of this containment for you."

"Oh, but I'm not like The Flash," The Man in Yellow said in a low, gravelly voice. He clenched his hands into fists. "I'm better than the Flash. I'm faster than the Flash. Some would say…I'm the Reverse Flash." With that, there was a sudden streak of red lightning that shot around the room, taking down the CCPD. Joe, Eddie, and Harrison watched, whipping their heads around, watching as the men that were made to protect and serve the city were knocked down like dominoes. Then he went over to Joe and grabbed him around the neck, throwing him aside onto the ground.

"Joe!" Whipping out his gun, Eddie turned towards the Reverse Flash and found him staring directly in front of him. Rooted in fear, Eddie swallowed heavily as the Reverse Flash stood so still in front of him that his red eyes bored into the Detective. Then his mouth slowly curled into a smile before he knocked Eddie's pistol out of his grasp and shoved him hard in the chest, knocking him over.

The Reverse Flash then turned his sights on Harrison and grabbed him out of his wheelchair, dragging him into the containment field. The Reverse Flash punched Harrison across the face, sending him rolling across the ground. With his fast speed, the Reverse Flash continued to pummel the renowned scientist with blinding speed, blood splattering across the containment field.

Back in the cortex, the four friends reacted in surprise and fear "Harrison!" Cadence cried.

"Dr. Wells!" Caitlin cried at the same time.

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Brady asked.

"Turn off the containment field," Caitlin snapped before Cisco could answer. She pulled her phone from her pocket and sent off a quick text to Barry.

"If I do that, then the Reverse Flash will get away!" Cisco shot back. But he knew it was the best option for them to keep Harrison from being harmed any further. There was a sudden burst of heat at his side and he looked over at Cadence to find the veins in her arm illuminating with an inner light her features twisted into a snarl. Then her eyes flickered with an inner flame. "What are you—"Before he could finish his sentence Cadence teleported out of sight.

The fire metahuman teleported down to the room just as the containment field was lowered. She shot forward and sent a flaming punch towards the Reverse Flash. He caught it in his hand and pushed her away. She skidded on the ground, keeping her balance with a firm placement of her feet, and launched herself back towards him, sending a wave of fire into his face before following it up with a blast of heat from her eyes that caught him in the chest, knocking him backwards.

The Reverse Flash staggered backwards, removing his hand from his face as it smoldered. He took a step towards her and there was a sudden bolt of yellow lightning that crashed into him and rushed from the room. Cadence shielded her face from the wind that blew back towards her before she hurried to Harrison's side, taking note of the now missing Tachyon device. "Harrison," she said, falling to her father's side. "Harrison, are you okay?" She started to lift him up but he waved her off.

"I'm fine," he said, struggling to form his words around a bruised jaw. "Go help Barry."

Barry and the Reverse Flash shot up through a panel of glass, arching through the air before landing in the parking lot. Barry grunted as the Reverse Flash grabbed his arm in mid-air and threw him down onto the hood of a nearby car. He could hear the sound of a door being opened and looked over just in time to find Caitlin, Cisco, and Brady running out to the parking lot. Then he was grabbed by the front of his suit and flung to the ground. The Reverse Flash turned as if he was going to go after the three of them and Barry leapt off the car and zoomed forward, striking him in the back. The Reverse Flash turned and started to punch him again, with Barry doing his best to fend him off.

Cadence teleported to the Reverse Flash's other side and started to punch and kick him as well. With two metahuman fighting him the Reverse Flash had to consistently shift his attention back and forth against the two of them. Though he didn't appear to be fighting Cadence as hard. Just like their last encounter he would knock her away with well placed shoves before turning back to Barry and fighting as hard as he could. Finally, Cadence held out her hands and they erupted into flame before the flames twisted and turned, converting itself into a flame sword. She swung it hard and caught the Reverse Flash on the side of the head. He punched Barry hard in the chest, knocking him flat on his back then turned around to make work of Cadence.

The Reverse Flash turned around just in time to get hit directly in the face with a soccer ball. He fixated his glance on Brady, who sprinted over to the ball that rolled away and tapped it with his feet. He rolled it up to his knee and bounced it high in the air, kicking it when it came back down, and struck the Reverse Flash once more. The Reverse Flash was struck one more time as the ball came back; coming up high and Brady did a bicycle kick to knock it back. Finally, the Reverse Flash shot forward and moved to strike Brady.

"Brady!" Cisco cried.

"No!" Caitlin added.

Barry and Cadence flipped around and watched as the Reverse Flash flung his fist forward into Brady's chest. Rather than the young boy being knocked backwards or harmed, his fist went through the center of Brady's body. There was a prolonged silence as Brady slowly opened his eyes and found the Reverse Flash staring at him, as if in disbelief. Cadence and Barry looked at each other and turned back towards the Reverse Flash, launching themselves towards him once more. The Reverse Flash brought his hand back from Brady and turned back around, sweeping his arm and catching the two metahumans across the chest, knocking them to the ground. He then went to Barry and grabbed him around the throat, choking him, pulling off his hood, and delivered a solid punch to his face, knocking Barry flat on his back.

There was another rush of flame that came from behind him, knocking the Reverse Flash backwards. He got to his feet and snarled at the newcomer before turning his attention to Barry. "We'll meet again, Flash," he growled before zooming out of sight.

Caitlin took a few steps forward. "Ronnie!" She called.

He held up a flaming hand and she stopped in her tracks. "Don't look for me again," he growled before taking to the skies in a rush of flame. He arched through the air, smoke trailing behind him before disappearing behind a nearby building.

With both foes gone, Cisco, Caitlin, and Brady hurried over to Cadence and Barry, helping them off the ground. Cadence immediately wrapped her arms around Brady in a tight hug before exchanging a hug with Cisco, Caitlin and Barry as well.

"Are you guys okay?" Cisco asked, examining the two of them.

"Yeah," Barry said. He painfully rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I'm fine. I heal fast, remember?" He managed a small smile though needed to lean heavily on Cisco. "We should go see how Dr. Wells is doing." There was a lot to talk about, especially with Ronnie's return. But Dr. Wells was their main focus at the moment.

As the group turned towards STAR Labs and started to head inside, Cadence commented. "That's not fair though."

"What's that?" Cisco asked.

"Ronnie has fire powers like I do…but he can fly and I can't." She managed a smile, showing that she was joking, trying to lighten the tension, and the five laughed quietly.

Caitlin frowned as she looked over the chart in her hands, then at Dr. Wells. It didn't appear that the Reverse Flash had done as much damage as she expected. It had to have looked worse than it actually was. Even as he sat on the examining table, propped up with pillows, he appeared as if he was on vacation.

"His attacks seemed very vicious, but you aren't as injured as I thought you would be," She remarked. Lowering the clipboard she turned to face Harrison completely. "Then again, you did lose the ability to stand and to walk long after the accident. That's a miracle in itself."

"I guess we'll never know," Harrison said, spreading his hands. "Some things do tend to remain a mystery no matter how hard we try to figure them out."

Caitlin's gaze moved towards the ceiling for a second, trying not to focus on Harrison's form. Lying on the examining table in a black wife beater and his matching black slacks he had scrapes, cuts, and bruises lining his arms, collarbone, and face she flashed back to watching the Reverse Flash pummel him, Cadence, and Barry with blinding speed and efficiency. She knew he was able to stand and to walk and had some sort of abilities she wasn't completely sure of, and that he would be okay, but still…

"Now, if you want to talk about something that's a bit more of a mystery to me, maybe you'd like to explain that Ronnie Raymond is still alive," he said and gave her a pointed look.

Caitlin chewed her lower lip and let out a sigh. "I asked everyone not to say anything. Cadence and I ran into him when we were Christmas shopping and then Cisco, Brady, Cadence, and I found him in the basement…I didn't mean to not say anything. But when I saw him like that. I needed time to see if I could make him whole again. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Harrison said quickly."Don't you dare apologize; I don't know what I would've done if I were in the same predicament and Tess turned out to be alive." He paused, swallowing hard at the mention of his deceased wife. "I don't know what I would do. But, in this particular case, I do promise you that we'll bring Ronnie back."

Caitlin nodded, touched by the promise he gave. And yet she couldn't help but wonder whether or not she truly did want him back. What if they couldn't fix him? What if he was always going to be the man…the monster they had seen that day? What if he didn't get better? She couldn't…didn't want that guy in her life. Not when it wasn't her Ronnie. She had agonized over it since the first day she saw him. And now here was someone she had grown closer to, telling her that he would do whatever it took to bring her former—or current?—fiancé back into her life.

Ronnie had told her not to look for him again.

She could do that.

Caitlin lifted her gaze and her eyes locked with Harrison's. He kept his eyes steady on her as she broke eye contact, looking at her feet, and then looked at him again. He was still watching her.

Oh screw it. Caitlin stepped forward and grabbed Harrison's face, kissing him hard. He made a muffled sound of surprised, her hands pushing his glasses askew, and he turned his face into her grasp. Her lips moved over his and she moved her hands to his shoulders, pulling him hard towards her. Then she realized that he was trying to recover and she quickly took a step back. He seemed to read her mind as he said, "It's okay, you can't hurt me," through heavy breaths.

Caitlin nodded and kissed him again, allowing herself to open herself up to the passion she was feeling. She felt Harrison's hands on her waist then move to her shoulders, pushing off her medical coat, allowing it to fall to the floor. Then his hands were back on her waist, this time pulling her up onto the examining table where she straddled his waist. They continued to kiss and she placed her hands on his stomach, on the bottom of his shirt and kept her hands there. Harrison, sensing her hesitation, grabbed the bottom of his wife beater and pulled it up over his head, casting it aside without a second glance.

He brought his hand up to Caitlin's cheek and rested it there, gently stroking his thumb across her skin. She gazed at him and smiled bashfully, lowering her head. He lifted her chin and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

For the first time in a long time Caitlin allowed herself to forget about Ronnie.

A/N: So an anonymous user on tumblr asked if I would add in more Snowells to the story so I hope this was good for you. If you're on tumblr follow us on purple-and-red-ribbons. We post about our stories, The Flash, and we'll also take prompts and questions about the stories.

Now that the Reverse Flash debacle is over now I can move onto Rogues. I've been really excited for this plot. Thanks for the patience in how long it's taken me to update.

Cheers,

-Riles