.:23:.
"I'm kind of surprised you wanted to take a train to Starling rather than run there."
Barry turned away from his reflection in the window and looked at Cadence, raising his eyebrows. He lowered his hand from his mouth and turned his body to completely face her. He hadn't realized it would be so weird to anyone else. Then again being the fastest man alive had many perks. But sometimes he wanted to get some time to gather this thoughts as well as time to sleep. The train ride to Starling this time around gave him too much time to his thoughts—which moved as fast as his legs when he tapped into his speed.
He thought of the Rogues, the Black Flash, the Suicide Squad, the Assassination Bureau, his mother, his father, the CCPD, STAR Labs, and everything in between. But the only thing that was on his mind was why they were going to Starling in the first place; Oliver was alive. He was alive, just as Barry thought and never allowed himself to be pessimistic about. There was no way Oliver Queen would have been defeated so easily and finally the word got back to him that he was alive. Barry immediately jumped on the next train that would take them to Starling City, heart hammering like a caged bird. He could've gotten there within a few minutes but he needed the time to think.
Being a vigilante, responsibilities aside, was harder than he ever thought. Not just because of the danger he and others put themselves in every day, but because of the consequences he didn't allow himself to foresee. What would happen if there was a strong metahuman he couldn't defeat? What if the Reverse-Flash managed to kill him in battle? What would happen to Central City? What would happen to his family? Joe and Iris would be devastated and his father would then be in jail with no family left to see if and when he was released. Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison would be out of jobs, again, they would've lost a great friend, the city would lose the Flash, and they'd suddenly put two and two together to know how he was. And and and and…
"Barry?"
Finally Barry pushed his thoughts aside and looked up at Cadence as she sat across from him, legs crossed at the knee, hands in the pockets of a light jacket. "I just needed time to think," he replied. "About Oliver and what he's done for Starling City. They must've been helpless without him around." He ran his hands over his face leaning his head back against the head rest. "I talked to Felicity. I had to talk her down from the ledge a little bit. Team Arrow really broke up with Oliver willingly going to fight the League and not coming back. They did a great job trying to take down the city on their own but…it was hard for them. Knowing someone as strong as Oliver was gone and not knowing if he really was alive or not…"
"I guess that's what would happen if something happened to you," Cadence remarked, her eyebrow twitching upwards. "Central City really needs you. With more and more metahumans cropping up every day it's not something that can be taken lightly."
"I think you could handle it," Barry said to her.
Cadence smiled but didn't respond. Barry's eyes narrowed for a moment as he studied her. There was something wrong. He was sure of it. Even since Brady's birthday a few weeks before, even spending New Year's together with the rest of Team Flash she wasn't as bright and cheerful as she typically was and that worried him.
"Is everything okay?" He asked her. "You seem kind of quiet."
"Just thinking," She explained dismissively. "Nothing to worry about, Tholly." She blew her bangs from her face as Barry gave her a funny look. "I can see it in your face, you're starting to worry. There's nothing to worry about."
"You promise?" Barry asked her.
Cadence started to smile. "Promise. Besides, I think we spend a little too much time talking about me. You're always asking how I'm doing, how Brady's doing. What's going on with us…so what's going on with you, Barry?"
Barry thought for a minute, taken aback by her sudden change in conversation topic. "I don't know," he said honestly. "There are a lot of things going on, I guess. Not just with The Flash but in my personal life too? I don't know. Iris moved out with Eddie and I moved back in with Joe and I figured that it would've made me upset to know how real it was; Eddie and Iris. But I didn't feel anything at all." He shrugged. "Joe said I might've fallen out of love with Iris and I'm thinking he might be right. But then that makes me feel a little empty." Cadence crossed her legs the other way and continued to listen. "You were right earlier when you said I was afraid of being abandoned by her, too. But knowing that I don't feel for her the same way I used to, it's like everything that I held onto is gone. Even if it's still there."
Realizing how much of his guts he had just spilled, Barry tugged at the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat. "That doesn't make a lot of sense does it?"
"No, actually, it makes a lot of sense," Cadence said. She thought for a moment, tilting her head to the side. "It's like you broke up with her even though you two never went out. Your feelings for her were real, Barry. You can't take that away."
Nodding, Barry pulled at the collar of his shirt again. He didn't know why but he really didn't want to talk about Iris, especially with Cadence. He didn't want her to think that he was still chasing after her. Then again why would that bother him so much? Barry cleared his throat again, shifting his gaze down. Think of something else, Barry. Don't worry about that now. His eyes landed on his shirt and he said lamely, "for the occasion I probably should've worn green."
"Why? Your favorite color is blue." Cadence looked at him innocently, eyes widening slightly when Barry suddenly turned back her way. "What?"
How'd you know that? Barry tried to ask the question out loud but found in his surprise the words wouldn't form. He didn't think he had ever mentioned it let along have it up on his Facebook profile. Of which he remembered Cisco admitting that he had looked through all the while Barry was in the coma. (It couldn't have been that interesting of a profile, he didn't use it so much to connect with his peers rather than with academic colleagues and shared interesting facts he found online. And expressed his love for Lady Gaga of course).
Cadence smiled again, that peculiar smile. "I know a lot of things about you, Barry. At the risk of sounding like a stalker I know almost everything about you. I know your favorite color is blue. I know you'd like to eat cronuts more if it wasn't for the long lines to get them. Understandably, you're a bit of a mama's boy. Along with Lady Gaga you like to listen to Jason Mraz and Queen. Your lucky number is 9. You go to CC Jitters to hang out with Iris just as much as you like the atmosphere. You have dinner at Detective West's house nearly every night. Whenever you're brooding your face kind of…puckers." Her eyebrows lowered and lips lifted as if trying to imitate his expression. "Before moving and before the 'incident' you got back from your shift at the CCPD at about 7; two hours late because you're late to nearly everything as well as you would let Captain Singh talk you into working a bit longer. Whenever Captain Singh angered you, you would take balls of paper and throw them into the trashcan across the room to stave off your anger. When you were in your apartment you would usually have Instant meals for dinner, because you can't cook much, and watch Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Game of Thrones. You watch Lifetime in secret, claiming Iris made you watch it even though you did it on your own.
"You run your hands through your hair when you're frustrated, you're more sensitive than you would like to admit, and you have such a bit heart that you would help nearly anyone even if you're not strong enough to do it." Cadence shifted her eyes for a minute. "Oh and you like to walk around the park when it's a beautiful day and you're on a lunch break."
Barry felt his mouth drop open.
"When I was part of the Assassination Bureau I had to watch you for a long time, figure out your schedule, your circle of friends, and your normal routine. Through that time I got to know a lot about you. On the surface, anyway."
Wow. For a split second Barry was a bit horrified to know he had been watched for so long and didn't know about it. But then he felt comforted. He and Cadence had already gotten along because of being metahumans; it was a nice change to have met someone that knew everything he was going through while he worked through his powers. But to know there was some else out there that understood him in a more intimate way—he had to force himself not to blush at the thought—was something he didn't realize he needed. Iris had been the one to do that for him before, Joe as well, but they were his family. This was someone different. Something different.
And it made him feel more alive than ever.
"You know, I probably should find that to be really creepy," Barry said, finally finding his voice. "But now that I don't need to hide my love of Instant Meals anymore…"
"I figured you would be making some sort of a confession about watching Lifetime," Cadence teased. "And maybe about Hallmark, too."
"Oh. No. That's going to stay a secret," Barry said, holding up his hand. "If Cisco ever found out that I like to watch those movies along with the 'classics'"—he used air quotes around the words—"I don't think I'd ever be able to get him off my back. I don't know if you noticed, but he can get really intense about pop culture."
"I noticed." Cadence laughed back.
"I want to apologize," he said. Now Cadence looked confused. "For not really being fair in our friendship and talking about myself. You were right when you said I'm always asking about how you guys are doing but I don't talk about myself. I guess I don't want to because I don't want to be reminded of my Mom. It's been so long and I've really come to terms with it…but with the Reverse Flash being back it's like everything came flooding back to me. Then I start to think about that night over and over. What if I could've saved her? What if I ran in and got her to safety? Would Dad be in jail right now?" He shook his head. "You've been really open with me since we met and I haven't done the same."
"Don't worry about it," Cadence said with a wave of her hand. "I understand it can be hard to open yourself up. Especially with everything that surrounds all of us. I mean, I couldn't quite tell you that I was part of the Assassination Bureau when we met, right?" She sniffed. "I mean, I was being mind-controlled at the time, but…"
"I get it." Barry smiled gently. "You don't have to apologize about that anymore." Feeling the train shifting under his feet, Barry leaned over and looked out the window to find the landscape beside the train slowing down. "Hey, I think we're here."
Barry watched as the familiar Starling City landscape rolled to a stop and felt himself grinning. He turned to Cadence, finding she was smiling in excitement as well. The two waited for the train to empty out before using their powers to race to Verdant and down to the basement where the Arrow Cave was situated. Barry looked around the empty room, taking in the computer monitors and exercise equipment that was laid out.
"So they really don't sit around down here all day?" Barry asked in a low whisper, his voice coming out raspy amongst the humming of the machine. "How do they know if something is going wrong?" He suddenly had a newfound respect for Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison, who spent most of their free time at STAR Labs.
"You know what I'm wondering?" Cadence asked her voice slightly louder than Barry's. She placed her hands on her hips, looking around. "Why everyone is always going on and on about the lack of security at STAR Labs and we were able to just waltz down here."
"Thank you for bringing that to my attention." Barry smiled and turned around to find Oliver strolling their way, hands clasped behind his back. "I'll be sure to increase security so that we're not like STAR Labs where everyone can waltz in." He came to a stop and looked back and forth from the metahumans with a smile. "It's nice to see you, both."
"It's good to see you, too." Barry held out his hand and Oliver grasped it in his before the two came together in a man-hug. He squeezed him tightly, feeling Oliver let his defenses down and hug him back just as tightly. In many ways he saw Oliver as his older brother, not just because of their shared responsibilities to their cities, but because Barry was one of the first ones that had learned his secret. He smiled to himself, remembering how much Oliver had disliked him upon sight—probably partially because of Barry's flirting with Felicity—before growing to trust the younger man. Hearing that Oliver was dead, spurning him to go to the ends of the Earth to find him just reminded him of his work to get faster.
He needed to get faster to beat the Reverse-Flash. He needed to beat the Reverse-Flash to prove his father's innocence. His father's innocence would release him from jail and they could move forward. Oliver being back was the first step in that plan.
Finally, Barry took a step back and Cadence had her chance at a hug. Barry smiled as Cadence whacked Oliver on the arm, fretting over him in a way Caitlin did with him, and hugged him again. "What happened? When we heard what happened I went looking everywhere for you." Barry still remembered how tired he had become when racing everywhere he could think of that Oliver would have been fighting Ra's Al Guhl and came up empty-handed each time his heart sinking every time.
"Well, I don't believe you've gone as far as to search Nanda Parbat," Oliver explained. "Then again, that's not surprising as not many people are aware of where it is." He cleared his throat before strolling across the Arrow Cave. "Thanks for stopping by, there were a lot of things I wanted to bring up to you two that I'm sure you would be glad to know."
"How about you tell us what happened with you, first?" Cadence asked. She walked up to his side and tilted her head back to get a good look at him. Then she frowned and took a large step back so that she didn't have to strain to see him clearly, emphasizing their massive height difference. "Last we heard the League was attacking the city, not that you were going to go after them, 'Liver."
Oliver smiled a little at the nickname. "Yes, well, that was before they threatened Thea's life along with the rest of Starling City," he explained. "That was something I couldn't have happen. I knew it was risky but I had to go. Ra's did defeat me and as far as he's concerned I'm still dead." He turned around and faced Barry and Cadence, crossing his arms over his chest.
Barry's eyes widened in surprise and admiration. This was the man, the superhero, he could only hope he could become. Someone who didn't think twice about his abilities to save Central City even if that meant throwing away his own life. Someone who would do anything to come back from near-death. Someone who continued to be a beacon for the rest of the city. Oliver had told him before that he was the hope Central City needed, that he was the sort of hero people needed that Oliver could never be. Maybe it really was true.
"And I need him to think that as long as possible," Oliver continued. "You can tell the others that I'm alive again, for anyone else that doesn't know us it was like I was on vacation." He paused for a moment. "I let my team down. They had to fight to try and save this city as long as they could before I came back and I had no way of letting them know I was alive. I'm very lucky that they were able to forgive me."
Licking his lips, Barry took a step forward. "The last time Felicity called me, she said the team had broken up for a while. She didn't think you were dead…Roy and Diggle weren't sure."
Oliver closed his eyes briefly. He nodded. "In some ways I think it was better they didn't believe I was alive. They wouldn't have been targeted. Holding out hope…that can damage someone just as much as knowing the truth." He opened his eyes once more. "That's why I told Thea the truth. I had to tell her that I was the Green Arrow."
"How'd she take it?" Cadence asked. Her voice was nearly a whisper, feeling empathy for him.
Barry held his breath. Cadence had let Brady know from a young age about her powers and he had been very excited when she joined Team Flash. But the excitement of a young boy that continued to enjoy superhero antics was different than telling someone you had known your whole life. Joe had been scared and a bit distant with his abilities at first before he came to terms with it. But Iris…even Eddie…that was harder. He was keeping the secret to protect them. Maybe they'd take it well, he thought.
"Thea took it a lot better than I expected," Oliver said honestly. "She thanked me for everything I'd done for her and the city." He took a deep breath. "There are a lot of changes going on around here. Laurel has taken up the vigilante ideal as the Black Canary after Sara…" he trailed off, turning away for a minute. "Thea knows about everything we do down here." He bobbed his head. "Palmer Tech is running well."
"Wait, wait," Cadence broke in. "Palmer Tech? What happened with Queen Industries?"
Barry leaned towards her. "You don't really keep up with technological news do you?" She shrugged and Barry caught Oliver's eye as the older man smiled a little. "Maybe its better that you don't have the stake in the company anymore," he said slowly. "That way you can focus more on what's going on in Starling City."
"Well, there's a new member of the Suicide Squad I think you should be aware of. Her name's Carrie Cutter or Cupid as she was named—"
"—Good one," Cadence said with a smile.
"And some Vertigo is being distributed again," Oliver continued. "We had to give some to Laurel so that she could work through her issues and work well as Black Canary." He ran a hand over his face. "When I started this whole thing I never thought there would be so many people brought into this. But I guess no one had a choice."
"Oliver, your city would have burned to the ground without your help," Barry explained. He walked over to the older vigilante and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You keep saying you're not the kind of hope the city has to look to for guidance. You may not have started out that way, but you are now. And that's all that matters. Oliver, you've been through a lot and despite that you've managed to inspire everyone. Roy, Diggle, Felicity, Laurel…me. I wouldn't be The Flash without you." Oliver pressed his lips together and Barry could still see the doubt in his eyes. "I need to thank you more than anyone else and I don't think you'd ever take it."
"He wouldn't," Cadence broke in. "Liver can take a lot of things, but praise isn't really one of them."
Oliver grinned, laughing a little. "Thanks for that, Cade. It's good to know I have you on my side, too." He took a deep breath through his nose. "I meant what I said, Barry. When I said you could be great for Central City. You are." He looked at Cadence. "Both of you. So much more than you think. No matter what comes in your way you have to remember that you're not just working on your own, you're working together. And if you remember that, you can get through anything."
"Such as Brady now having powers?" Cadence asked slowly. Oliver's eyes widened and she nodded. "Yeah, it turns out he was affected by the Particle Accelerator explosion, too. He's got the power of phasing."
"Phasing huh?" Oliver replied. "That could come in handy."
"For my nerves? Not really. For the rest of Central City? Sure."
The three continued their conversation for a few more minutes, catching each other up before Barry and Cadence went back to Central City. This time they forewent the scenic route back to Central City with the use of their powers. Instead of going to STAR Labs, Barry went to Iron Heights. His mind was blank as he went through the motions of security before being taken to the glass that separated him from the inmate.
He looked up as his father sat down in the seat across from him. He picked up the phone and placed it to his ear. "Two times in the space of a month, slugger," he greeted his son. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Nothing really," Barry replied. "I just wanted to come see you. To see how your New Year's went."
Henry smiled a little, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Well, no one died, so I'll bring that up to a big success. Other than that, they were pretty uneventful." He held up his finger. "Actually that's not true. There was a talent show here on that day, for entertainment I guess. And some people in here can really sing. You should've been here; you could sweep the floor with any of them."
Barry laughed. "I don't think so. My singing talents started and ended with the fourth-grade talent show."
"Barry, it wasn't that bad."
"The only thing that can top it was my tryouts for football." Barry shuddered, feeling the shame and embarrassment settle over him once more. "And I thought I would be able to block that out by now." He rolled his eyes as Henry laughed. "I thought everyone would've stopped laughing about that by now. You weren't even there."
"Oh, but I wish I was, slugger. I wish I was." Henry wiped away the tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry. But I think we all knew from a young age that you weren't very coordinated so I don't know why you thought you would try out for football." Barry gave him a look. "Oh, right. Because of Iris."
"Not everything I did was because of Iris," Barry defended himself. Okay, maybe there were some things. But that didn't mean you had to throw it back in my face, dad.
"Mmm, most of them, yeah." Henry took in a breath through his nose. He looked his son directly in the eyes and smiled, causing Barry to smile back. "But you always did have the habit of putting all of your focus on something as soon as you set your mind to it."
"I learn from the best."
Harrison looked up from his computer as he noticed the door to his office opening. He placed his hand on the computer mouse, ready to close down what he was looking at before he noticed it was Cadence coming through the door. He smiled at her. "Hello Cadence," he greeted his daughter. "What can I do for you, today?"
"Maybe you can keep Cisco and Caitlin away from me," Cadence said, pulling her hair behind her shoulders. "Since Barry and I got back from Starling City they've been all over me to try and figure out the extent of my powers again." She shook her head, lowering her gaze. "I really don't think that's going to help anything."
"It's not helping because you're not allowing yourself to get past the plateau you're stuck at," Harrison pointed out. He released the computer mouse and placed his hands in his lap. "If Barry is able to get faster by each passing day, why can't you?"
Cadence chewed her lower lip for a moment. "I don't know about you, Harrison, but the idea of having a seizure every time I try isn't very exciting to me." She shook her head. "I've dealt with them before. I can tell when they're coming on. I don't want to have to stop fighting because it's coming again. Besides, I don't think there are enough industrial fans in STAR Labs to help cool me down."
Harrison smiled to himself. It wasn't something he actually found entertaining rather than amusing that she thought they couldn't get her past whatever was blocking her. They weren't one of the most well known laboratories in the world for nothing (the explosion of the Particle Accelerator aside). "Well, hopefully this time around we won't need to worry about it." He pulled his wheelchair back and slid it around the desk until he was sitting next to her.
He studied her face, the perfect combination of hers and Tess's. Despite having to sit back and long to let her know he was there for her year after year now he could finally do something about his feelings. Kent and Maya now knew about her knowing Harrison and Tess were her real parents; now he didn't have to act like a stranger.
"What is going on in that head of yours?" He asked. "I don't believe it has much to do with your trip to Starling City to greet Mr. Queen." His hands clenched in his lap. "You haven't been yourself lately."
A smile tugged at Cadence's lips as she turned to face her father. "Barry said the same thing on the way there."
"Mr. Allen can be very perceptive when he wants to be," Harrison agreed. "Unless this issue has to do with Barry?" Cadence shook her head and he smiled. "I didn't think so." Reaching out, Harrison took Cadence's hands in his. He could feel her holding tightly on him, the way he hoped she would have done many years before. "Whatever it is I believe with our combined smarts we can figure out what it is."
"That's it," Cadence said. She shook her head. "That's the problem. I'm not smart. Not as smart as you and Caitlin and Cisco and Barry. I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm not doing anything other than helping Barry out on the battlefield. But what am I doing at STAR Labs? It's not like I can be a medic, Caitlin already has that job. You're the one that tells us what to do, knows how to push us forward and to keep our spirits up. Cisco is the one that designs the suits and continues to map out the city so all of you can help us figure out where to go. Where do I fit?"
Harrison squeezed her hands. He thought for a moment, unsure of the way he wanted to answer the question. As it was, he wasn't quite sure where she fit as well. She worked just as hard as Barry did, before she would stop herself, didn't complain, and had come up with some great ideas that had thwarted metahumans before. As she was still finishing her schooling he could understand why she would feel inferior to everyone else.
"Cadence, there's always a place for everyone to be," he explained. "No matter how long it takes for it to be found. There's a reason you're here in Central City even if you can't find it yet. Once you're finished with residency—"he broke off as Cadence snorted loudly. "What?"
"I was kicked out of residency," she admitted. "About a month ago. I spent so much time helping Central City that I continued to disappear from my shifts and coming in late and they couldn't keep me on anymore." She slapped her hand to her thigh, shaking her head incredulously. "Now I've been kicked out, I still have CPS coming to check up on me, I don't have a job, and I made it so that Snart and Mick could find us at a moment's notice because they know what I look like." She shook her head. "If I knew I was going to be this much trouble I might've stuck around Metropolis for a while."
Sucking in a deep breath, Harrison reached out and grabbed the arms of her chair and turned her to face him. She tried to lower her head and Cadence took her face in his hands, lifting it up so that he was forced to look at her. "Listen to me," he said in a low voice. "You are destined for a lot more in this life than you're giving yourself credit for. You have your powers for a reason. You came to Central City for a reason. You've been helping the Flash for a reason. Just because things aren't working out right now does not mean that you haven't been a big help. Without you, there have been many times that Barry might've failed against the metahumans we've seen. You're very intelligent, Cadence. Don't you dare question yourself like this again just because you haven't found yourself."
Cadence smiled a little, nodding.
Harrison smiled back and removed his hands from her face. As he dropped them back to his lap Harrison realized he was shaking. A plethora of emotions flew through his gut, causing them to tangle as they continued to fly through him. He felt rage and irritation for having to comfort her along with a sense of compassion and love for the exact same reason. For the past couple of months his emotions continued to fluctuate like a rollercoaster. A few times he felt intense hatred for everyone in STAR Labs and wanted nothing more for them to get as far away from him as possible but within the next few minutes it would switch back to his admiration for them.
Now he was feeling the same way about his daughter. There was something wrong and he really needed to figure out what was going on. Many times it was as if he had two different voices in his head; his and that one voice that continued to whisper and hiss at him when he was alone. As it was, he inwardly suppressed the urge to put his hands around her neck and choke her out as she was getting in his way. Closing his eyes, Harrison concentrated hard on the feeling and pushed it away, allowing the love he felt for her to come back.
"I think I may have something you can do around here," he finally said. "I believe it was Mr. Allen that suggested it first and you mentioned it?" Cadence tilted her head to the side. "You could be the physical therapist. Not only could I benefit from it because I don't typically trust my own doctor…" he chuckled to himself, glancing down at his motionless legs. "But it'll certainly help Barry bounce back from his encounters with metahumans. I can't help but notice he's become a bit slow in that area."
"I thought I was the only one who noticed," Cadence remarked.
Harrison smiled.
"Thanks Harrison," She said, standing up. "That really helped." She looked like she wanted to say something else, looked like she wanted to take a step towards him; to give him a hug maybe? But then she gave him another smile and started to leave the room, only stopping when Harrison's cell phone went off.
Reaching into his pocket, Harrison illuminated the screen. That same unknown caller. He didn't need to answer to know who it was. He reversed his wheelchair and parked himself behind his desk. His computer regained his attention. He was coming close to a breakthrough; he just needed to find it.
"Who was that?" Cadence asked curiously.
"No one," Harrison said. He squinted against the glare of his computer. "It's a wrong number."
The next morning started with something no one at STAR Labs expected; to be brought out to Harrison Well's house. However that wasn't where the day started. It started out as a typical one with Caitlin and Cisco watching the streets of Central City while Cadence and Barry raced around, sending their aid in as many ways as they could.
"Guys, watch out it looks like they're going to split up!"
"There's an intersection coming up. Hurry."
Cadence glanced over her shoulder at Barry as the two raced down the streets of Central City, chasing after the four members of the Royal Flush gang. The gang sped down the streets on their revving motorcycles, hoping to lose the two metahumans and the police that followed along behind them. Even as the lights changed to a red one, the motorcyclists continued to breeze through the streets. The fire metahuman and speedy metahuman came to a stop, twisting back and forth.
Breathing heavily, Barry brought his hand up to his ear piece. "Guys, which way do we go?" He asked.
"Left," Caitlin said at the same time Cisco said, "Right!" There was a brief pause before they did it again, "Right!""Left!"
"Stop! Stop!" Barry cried, quickly growing desperate. "You're telling me two different things."
"This is taking up too much time," Cadence declared, her fingers on her comm-link as well. She turned and got Barry's attention. "Split up left and right and then they can give us directions on which way to go to catch these guys."
"You got it," Barry replied. The two high-fived before taking off down the streets once more; Cadence taking the path to the left and Barry taking the one to the right. With Harrison, Caitlin, and Cisco's help the two managed to bring the four Royal Flush gang members together into one intersection, causing them to stop before running into each other. Barry then zipped around them, taking the keys out of their motorcycles, leaving them powerless before Cadence sent out a cloud of smoke, causing them to pass out.
Then the two arrived back at STAR Labs with wide grins of encouragement. Reaching up, Cadence pulled off her goggles before giving Barry a high-ten. "Great job out there," She congratulated him.
"Couldn't have done it without your help," Barry replied. The two laughed as they walked through the doors of the cortex and Barry and Cisco exchanged a low-five. "Woo! I'm the man!"
"A man that had help," Caitlin reminded him.
"Hey, I just gave Cade her props," Barry reassured her. "You just weren't there to see it."
"But good looking out, Cait," Cadence said, putting her arm around her best friend's shoulders. "Sometimes it's hard to get some recognition with the male ego around here." She smiled cheekily at Barry, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Yes, yes, you two certainly deserve the congratulations," Harrison said. He came to a stop beside them, beaming. "You worked very efficiently together."
"This calls for a picture," Cisco declared.
Barry immediately shook his head. "Pretty sure rule number one of being a superhero is not taking a picture in your super suit without a mask on." He turned to Cadence and leaned towards her, causing her to smile and lean back out of the way. "Right, Cade?" He laughed as she reached out and pushed his face away from hers.
"That was an accident," She defended herself. "I didn't think Mick would actually take off my goggles like that. And so far nothing is happened so I think I'm an exception to the rule."
"Oh come on," Cisco broke in. "Please? This is just for us. To document all this."
"Brady's gonna be jealous he missed out," Cadence surmised.
"Envious," Barry said. "The correct term would be envious."
"Whatever, Barry. You're just 'envious' that you're not faster or stronger than me." Barry's smile immediately faded, causing Cadence to laugh again.
"That's not a good idea. We can't have the evidence of what we're doing get in the wrong hands," Caitlin protested.
"Who knows? Maybe people in the future will want to know how 'all this' happens," Harrison said. Caitlin gave him a stunned look and he shrugged in reply, moving his wheelchair to get into place for the photo.
Barry reached out and plucked Cisco's cell phone from his hands. "Alright. But we all need to be in the picture."
"First let me put on some make-up," Caitlin said, placing a hand on her cheek.
"Oh, me too," Cadence added, a pained expression on her face. She leaned to the side and looked into the reflective surface of a nearby table. "All that working out, I think I sweated it all off."
"Get a life, Cait. No one in the future cares about your makeup, Caitlin," Cisco said. He walked around the table and put his hands on her shoulders to steer her into position despite Caitlin's protests.
"Mm-mm," Barry agreed. He then turned to Cadence. "And besides, you look great even without wearing makeup." He grinned and focused the camera app on everyone, making sure they were in the photo in the right spots. "Okay, everyone ready? 1…2…3!" With aid of his super speed he set the timer on the shutter function in the camera, raced behind the group to get in the picture, the camera flash went off, and he raced back to catch the phone before it fell. "Awesome!"
"Does that count as a selfie?" Caitlin asked, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.
"Absolutely," Barry said. He chuckled, tossing the phone over to Cisco. Then he stopped in front of Harrison. "Thanks for talking us through things out there. I think Cadence and I would've been stuck if it weren't for you taking the reins from frick and frack over there." He tossed his head over to his friends, who were looking over the photo.
"My pleasure." Harrison smile. "Well done. I have to say it was a bit of a rush pretending to be a—"
"—a hero?" Barry broke in. "Yeah, well you're good at it."
Barry watched as Harrison's smile slowly faded. He continued to watch him then opened his mouth to say something. But his cell phone rang, cutting him off. Barry zoomed over to it and picked it up. He looked at the screen and saw it was Joe. "Hey Joe," he greeted the detective, bringing his phone to his ear.
"Are you at STAR Labs right now?" Joe asked.
Barry immediately felt his stomach clench. Something had to be going on. "Yeah, why? What's up?"
"You need to get to Harrison Wells's place. It looks like someone broke in."
Barry relayed the information to Harrison and while Caitlin and Cisco rushed to get the man home, Cadence and Barry changed back from their suits into their street clothes. Then Barry hurried up to the crime scene, arriving at the outskirts and walked up to the scene as if he had just arrived. As he walked up the gravel driveway his mouth dropped open at how extravagant the house was. How can someone in Dr. Wells's condition live here by himself?
The second thing he noticed as he and Joe went inside was all of the glass that littered the floor. Then the others arrived and Harrison shook his head as he wheeled himself into the house. Barry turned and watched him as he navigated through the glass. Cisco and Cadence looked around in surprise while Caitlin stood off to the side, tightly holding onto her purse and glancing at Harrison every few seconds.
"I'm sorry about your house," Barry apologized to Harrison.
"Don't be," Harrison replied. "It's just a pranker. Not only have I been receiving calls from them for the past couple of days but there are many people that don't believe I've suffered enough from the Particle Accelerator explosion. I guess someone made good on their word."
"Yeah, but no one deserves this," Caitlin pointed out. She looked up at the sky-light, wincing when she realized it was now quite literally a sky-light.
"As it is I don't think the police should've been called," Harrison said. He blinked up at the sky-light. "I'll be a little chilly for a couple of days."
"But you can't stay here," Caitlin protested. "Not when this has happened. Whoever it was may come back."
"Then I'll get a hotel reservation."
Barry watched as Harrison wheeled off to get some privacy and turned back to Cisco who was looking around in wide-eyed wonder. "This place is sick," he said. "I can't believe we've never been here before."
"You've never been here before?" Barry repeated.
"Never," Caitlin quickly agreed. She shrugged sheepishly as the others all turned to her. "I-I mean, he really likes to keep his private life…private." She turned and looked at Cisco as he looked back at her. His eyebrows lowered and then immediately shot upwards as his eyes widened.
"Oh!" He cried, clapping a hand over his mouth.
"Oh, what?" Cadence asked, tilting her head to the side.
"No—nothing. Just, I thought I might've steppe don some glass." Cisco explained. He shifted his foot and placed it down on another pile of glass. It crunched loudly. "But then I remembered I was wearing shoes so…yeah." He pointed at Cadence. "You've never been here before? Tell me you've never been here before." Now he smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, I've been here a few times," Cadence explained. "I guess sort of a field trip for our 'father-daughter' bonding times." She rolled her eyes at her own joke. "But Cait's right. He really does like his privacy. It's why he lives in the middle of nowhere. I keep telling him that in his condition he should move somewhere else but he's stubborn."
"He might've been here with Tess," Caitlin pointed out. "Before her passing."
"Yeah," Barry agreed, throat going closed. "It would be hard to move away." He remembered how forcefully he was taken from his own him. How much he resented the CCPD for placing him with Joe and Iris when he wanted to stay home in case one of his parents came back. Getting rid of his mother's possessions was the worst part. Having to part with everything that tied her to the house, to his life was harder than anything imaginable.
"Hey Bare?" Barry turned to find Joe calling to him. "Do you mind checking this out a bit? See what caused the glass to come down? Eddie and I have something to discuss." As Barry nodded his eye shifted over to Eddie. Eddie looked back at him with a strange expression in his eyes that continued to deepen as he looked at Harrison from time to time.
Rather than questioning it, Barry walked into the middle of the room where the glass lay and looked up towards the sky. It appeared that every pane had shattered and rained down below. What could've done this? He asked himself, mind immediately going to a metahuman. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Barry looked up to find Cadence standing above him with a pair of latex gloves in her hands. Barry smiled his thanks as he took the gloves, his fingers brushing over hers, and pulled them on. He checked to make sure no other CCPD officers were watching before he started to piece some of the glass together. Maybe if he got a big enough pane he could see what had caused it to shatter.
He got halfway through one piece before Harrison's voice caught his attention. "I wouldn't bother with that, Mr. Allen. We all know what it was that caused the glass to break. Or in this case, what it wasn't."
Barry twisted around from his crouched position. Harrison sat nearby, blue eyes boring into his. The long eye-contact let him know his initial thoughts were indeed correct. "Meta?" He asked.
"Meta," Harrison agreed. He brought up his hand and started to rub his thumb over his fingers. Noticing the movement, Barry's eyes flicked over to Cadence and found she was doing the same thing, at the same tempo as her father. "As it is, I already know who did it. Hartley Rathaway?"
"As in the Rathaways who were just attacked by Snart and Mick?" Cadence asked. It was then she noticed the irritated expressions on Caitlin's and Cisco's faces. They had shown up as soon as Harrison mentioned his attacker. "Okay, I already apologized about Mick seeing my face you don't need to—"
"I hate that guy," Cisco growled.
"I don't usually partake in the feelings of intense dislike against other people, but I'm inclined to agree," Caitlin said.
"Wait." Barry placed his hand on his forehead, rubbing his temples. "Who's Hartley Rathaway?"
"The prodigal son as it were," Harrison said dismissively. "And it appears he has a score to settle with me."
"Got it." Barry gave a thumbs up. He could tell just by the look on Harrison's face that he wasn't going to get anymore information out of him that day. His assumption had been correct. Once Joe and Eddie returned from another portion of the house, Barry explained to Joe it was a metahuman behind Harrison's attack. With Joe's quick thinking and explanation to Eddie, they were able to get back to STAR Labs with little to no incident.
Harrison immediately disappeared into his office while Caitlin moved to her computer, immersed in whatever it was that she was looking through, Cisco went to clean up Barry's and Cadence's suits, walking away while berating the two for getting their suits 'dirty', and Cadence disappeared from the Cortex saying she needed to call and leave a voicemail with her work. Barry ran his hands through his hair then stretched his arms over his head before turning to Caitlin. He watched her for a moment, seeing her chew her bottom lip then asked her about it.
"Are you okay? You're doing that biting your lower lip thing when you're thinking about something."
"Me? No! I'm fine. I'm…fine." Caitlin turned back to her computer and started to breeze through a few pages. Then she whipped back around, crossing her arms as she pouted. "Cisco says I have no life."
Startled, Barry started to laugh. "He said that when you wanted to put on make-up for a picture, Caitlin. Not in general." He paused. "You don't…do you?" He laughed as Caitlin pouted even further. "I don't mean the insultingly, anyway."
"I do have a life! I cook and I eat…" Eyebrows rising, Barry crossed his arms. This was going to be good. Caitlin started to pace as she thought about what else she did. "And I read…" she motioned towards the computer. Then she turned back and pointed to him. She scratched the back of her head. "And I help you…"
Barry couldn't help it. He laughed again. "So what you're saying is you do everything that has nothing to do with having a life."
Caitlin smacked him on the arm. "You don't need to be rue about it."
Now grinning, Barry held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm not doing any better than you. My social life consists of running at superhero speed and Netflix."
Caitlin smiled and laughed along with him. "We are quite the pair, Mr. Allen," She said, turning back to her computer. Barry agreed and stepped up behind her, glancing at the screen. "F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.," he read aloud. "What's that?" Without giving Caitlin a chance to respond he reached over and sped-read the entire document of over 300 pages, taking in everything with a fine eye. Once finished, he turned to Caitlin, who was chewing her lower lip again. "Does this have to do with Ronnie?" He asked.
"It's something he said to me before he told me to stop looking for him. I had to know for sure. I'm not sure what I had to know. But…I did."
"I understand. But Caitlin, if he doesn't want you looking for him…."
"I'm not looking for him!" Her voice took on a sudden icy tone. "I'm just trying to understand."
"Okay, okay." Barry held his hands up and backed away from her. "But you know, after the whole circus thing and what's going on with Harrison, I think we all need a break. A night off. So let's go out and get something to drink tonight."
Caitlin twisted around in her seat. "But you can't get drunk," She pointed out.
"I know. But I could use the company. Let Cisco know, I'll catch Cade before I check out that carjacking. They can't get too far that I can't catch them, right?" He grinned and walked out of the cortex, taking long strides as he went. Turning a corner he found Cadence hanging up her phone and turning to him. She gasped loudly when she caught sight of him and teleported backwards. "Oh, sorry."
"Don't do that, Tholly!" She cried. "You fucking scared me to death."
"Or you're a little jumpy," Barry teased. "The clowns must be getting to you." He crossed his arms. "Listen, are you doing anything tonight?" Cadence shook her head. "I was thinking of going out somewhere, to a club or something. Just to have a night off, to have some fun. Do you want to come?"
For a moment Cadence looked at him in confusion, then her eyes lit up and she smiled. "That sounds like a really good idea, actually. Thanks. I'd love to go."
"Great." Barry started to step around her then turned back, snapping his fingers. "Oh wait. What about Brady?"
"I was just going to take him over to Ryder's place," Cadence said. She sighed. "He said he wants partial custody over Brady but I don't think that's a good idea. Not yet. So I'm going to give him visitation rights, and what time is as good as this to use him as a babysitter right?" She smiled again and Barry found himself smiling back.
He couldn't help it.
Her smile was infectious.
"I know a place that we can go, I've been there a few times. It's really cool." She paused. "Were you going somewhere?"
"Car theft. I can handle it. See you tonight."
"See you."
Opening her bathroom door, Cadence was followed out by an avalanche of steam. She tied her hair up into a towel as she crossed to her closet. There was a quiet knock on her bedroom door. "Come in!" Cadence turned around to find Brady standing in the doorway, looking at her in her bathrobe before walking over to the bed and sitting down on the end. "What's up, bud?"
"Ryder said he'll be here in twenty minutes," Brady reported. "He texted me. He said he's on his way." He looked her up and down then frowned. "Where are you doing?"
"Getting ready to go out," Cadence replied.
Brady's eyes immediately lit up and a bright smile stretched across his face. "On a date?" He asked. Before Cadence could respond he was already dashing to her closet. "Can I help you pick out an outfit?" Cadence winced and turned away, expecting to find Brady running head-first into the solid door, but he slipped through it as if it weren't there. "Brady!"
He stuck his head back through the door, looking curiously at her. "What?"
Stunned, Cadence leaned over and opened the door. "Nothing."
"Okay!"
Amused, Cadence sat down on her bed and watched as Brady walked in and out of her closet with hangars of clothes. He held them up to her and the ones he deemed were passable he tossed to the bed and others he replaced to the closet.
"What about this one?" Brady held up a gold dress. Cadence opened her mouth to say something but was cut off once more. "No, it's too formal. Don't worry, I'll find something good."
"Take your time, bud, take your time," Cadence said. She reached over as her cell phone started to ring and quickly answered it. "Hey Cait, what's up?"
"What's up is that I don't really know what to wear," Caitlin said. She sounded more stressed than usual. "What do you wear to a club? I haven't been to a club in a long time. Is it supposed to be really fancy? Or more casual with jeans? And what about my shoes?"
"Wait." Cadence briefly closed her eyes, a sinking feeling in her chest. She reached down and placed her hand on her stomach. No, she hadn't gotten punched. So why did it feel like it? "What are you talking about?"
"Going out to the club tonight. You, me, and Barry. Cisco was going to come too, but then something came up. I think he's still reeling over the whole thing with Hartley being back. I mean, I'm not happy with that either but I want at least one night off, you know?"
"Yeah… I know…" Cadence tightened her grip around her phone. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "This place we're going it doesn't matter what you wear. Just whatever is comfortable. I'm sure you'll look great."
"Thanks. I guess I'll see you there?"
"Yep and I'll give you my full appraisal when you get there, Cait. I promise." Cadence laughed. Did it sound as hollow as it did to her? She hung up the phone, frowning. Then flipped around to face her son. "Hey, don't worry about anything too fancy. But it needs to look good, alright?"
"Got it!" Brady gave her a thumbs up and went back inside the closet. Cadence turned back to her phone and picked out another number. She started speaking as soon as the person on the other end picked up. "Hey, are you doing anything tonight? Do you think you can make a trip out to Central City? I can come get you." She smiled when she got the response she was waiting for. "Great, I'll be there soon." She hung up her phone once more turning back as Brady held up another hanger. "Perfect!"
"I think so, too," Brady said with a proud grin. He looked over as there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it."
Cadence quickly dried herself off with her heating powers, styled her hair, and slid into her outfit of an x-shaped crop top and matching skirt. To stave off getting cold at any time, and to tone down the stylishness of the outfit she added a plaid shirt tied around her waist and sneakers. Then she picked up her wallet and keys and met Brady and Ryder at the front door. Brady turned to her with a wide smile.
"You look beautiful, Mom!" He said.
"Thanks." Cadence leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she straightened and addressed Ryder. "I should be back by about eleven or so, feel free to bring him by then."
"You got it," Ryder agreed. He smiled warmly at her. "You really do look beautiful, Cadey."
"Thanks."
"Mom?" Cadence turned her attention to Brady as he was tugging on her arm and she kneeled down towards him once more. Brady looked over at Ryder before placing his hands on his mother's shoulders and leaned toward her ear. He whispered, "Do I have to be on my best behavior?"
Cadence grinned and whispered back. "No, make him work for it."
Barry cringed as he heard a man warble away at a song on the karaoke stage. He hadn't been out in a long time, but he knew when someone was a bad singer. Spurred on by his alcohol consumption the man had hogged the mic for at least the last ten minutes and he was starting to get a headache. As well as a newfound appreciation for his own singing skills. Resting his hands on the table, Barry leaned back to check the door and found himself face to face with Caitlin. His jaw dropped a little when he saw her out of her normal professional attire and in a dress and matching shoes.
He must've been staring for Caitlin suddenly looked panicked. "What?" She asked, sitting down next to him.
"Nothing," Barry said quickly. He leaned back, rubbing his arms. "But you look…really nice," he finally.
"Well, I don't always dress like a high school principal," She explained. Wincing a little, Caitlin pulled her chair out of harms' way as a throbbing beat took over the sound system and a dance floor opened up. Barry smiled. He could see why Cadence would choose a place like that; it certainly had the younger crowd in mind.
"Have you seen Cade?" Caitlin asked. She started to look around. "She said she was going to meet us here."
"No, not yet," Barry replied. "I was just about to ask if you've seen her…" he trailed off as he caught site of Cadence coming through the door of the club, smiling her thanks to the guy that was just leaving, pushing the door open for her. Cadence looked around for a moment then her eyes caught Barry's and she waved, walking over. Barry felt his mouth dropping open again. Caitlin looked over at him, then at Cadence, then back at Barry, smiling to herself.
Cadence waved again once she reached them. "Hey!" She greeted cheerfully. "Ah! Cait, you look awesome!" She leaned over and gave her best friend a hug. "Much better than I thought considering how much you were worrying."
"You look great, too," Caitlin replied, hugging her back.
"Yeah," Barry agreed. "You look…amazing," he finally said. Then he frowned. Was amazing the right word? There had to be something better that would explain himself but he found himself at a loss for words.
"Thanks." Cadence glanced at the three chairs around the table before reaching over and pulling up one more. "We need another chair," She explained before sitting down, making sure her belongings were tucked carefully into her purse.
Now Caitlin frowned. "But I thought Cisco wasn't joining us tonight?" She said. Barry nodded, still not finding himself able to say anything. Not that it would have been coherent anyway. But as far as he was concerned, Cisco had turned them down for that night.
Cadence's eyes shifted over to Barry's and flickered for a second. "I wasn't talking about him," she said. Then Barry's eyes widened as he watched Roy drop down into the seat next to Cadence and smiled at everyone. "Roy wasn't doing anything tonight either so I popped over to Starling City and got him."
"I hope you guys don't mid me tagging along," Roy apologized.
"No way," Caitlin said quickly. "The more the merrier."
Clearing his throat, Barry sat up straight in his seat. "Right," he agreed. "The more the merrier." He looked up as a tray of drinks was set in front of them. All of a sudden Barry hated his powers even more than ever before. He really needed a drink. While Roy and Cadence took their drinks and had only a small sip, Caitlin picked up her tumbler, toasted herself, and drank the entire thing in one gulp.
"Uh, you might want to pace yourself, Caitlin," Roy warned her, tightening his grip on his own glass as he watched her. "You never know how you'll react to things sometimes." Cadence just watched in surprise as Caitlin lifted her hand to call for a waitress.
"Excuse me! But I would like to start a tab." Barry gave her an incredulous look as Caitlin beamed back at him.
Cadence, on the other hand, tilted her head back and laughed loudly. "God, Cait, you said that like you're borrowing a book from the library." Using air quotes she said, "Are you going to start saying 'swag' and 'yolo' and 'bae' too?" She smiled teasingly at her friend to show no offence.
"I just might," Caitlin said with a smile of her own. "We're supposed to be having fun, right?"
"Amen to that." Cadence clinked her glass along the side of Caitlin's and drank half of hers. She put the glass back on the table just as the song switched. "Oh! I love this song!" She turned to Roy and grabbed onto his hand. "D'you want to dance?"
"Yeah, sure." Roy took her hand and the two became swept up on the dance floor. Dancing much closer together than Barry would've liked.
He found himself scowling as he watched the two talk and laugh each other, still moving to the beat of the music. Of course Roy was a good dance. And it was no surprise Cadence was; too, she had been a cheerleader at one point. And as she had told him there was a part of her that liked to party and it appeared she was letting it out tonight. How much of her past has she told him? He asked himself, continuing to watch.
"I knew it."
Barry whipped his heard around to look at Caitlin, who continued to grin at him. It was then Barry noticed she had taken another tumbler from the waitress, who was now empty, and had a shot lined up in front of as well. "Knew what?" He asked.
"You like Cadence," Caitlin said. Her words slurred a little but Barry could hear the unmistakable school-yard taunt in her voice. "You like Cadence. It's so obvious, Barry. Even Cisco knows you like her." She paused. "I'm not sure about Dr. Wells though. Brady thinks you might. But he's young so what does he know?" She laughed to herself and sucked down another drink. "You know what? I think she likes you, too. And I think she's liked you since she met you. It's the perfect couple don't you think?" She leaned over into Barry's face, bringing her finger to her lips. "But shhhh! No one's supposed to know?"
Barry watched in horror as she picked up her shot and downed it. "Uh, Cait, don't you think you're hitting this a little too hard?"
"No sir, Mr. Allen, I don't think I'm hitting it hard enough!" Caitlin flagged down another waiter and Barry ran his hands over his face. There was no way she was going to stop her; she was already too far in. Barry hardly looked up as Cadence and Roy joined them at the table once more, both laughing. Barry felt himself bristle even further when Cadence laid her hand on his shoulder before sitting down. "What's so funny?" Caitlin practically screamed across the table. Her eyes widened. "Whoa? Was that an echo?"
"No, Cait. It was you," Cadence replied. She pressed her lips together and held a hand up in front of her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. "Uh, she doesn't really drink much does she?"
Roy stared at Caitlin, watching as she started to sway back and forth to an imaginary song in her head. She was in danger of falling out of her seat, but managed to pop back up every time she was close to falling completely over. "No, I don't think so," Roy agreed. "And I've seen people in the Glades get pretty messed up at times. She's hammered."
"Already?" Barry asked in disbelief.
"Looks like a lightweight to me." Roy started to laugh, reaching out his hand to keep Caitlin upright. "I think she'll be okay. But she's really going to be feeling it tomorrow."
"Well, at least she's having a night off," Cadence said slowly. She looked over at Roy and started to laugh as well. Barry couldn't help but soon found himself laughing. He stood up from the table, saying he would get Caitlin some water before she managed to completely pass out.
At least that's what he told himself. Either way, he moved away from the table as quickly as he could, plopping down onto a stool at the counter. He caught the eye of the bartender and nodded. "Hey, could I get some water please?" He asked. The bartender turned away from him, cleaning out a glass and speaking to another patron. "Excuse me? Hello?" Barry turned back around as he heard his name called into a microphone and watched as Caitlin stood on stage with a microphone. Cadence stood on her other side, looking as horrified as Barry felt.
"Mr. Barry Allen, come on down!" Caitlin called. "Or up! Come up here!"
Cadence grabbed onto Caitlin's microphone and pulled it over to her mouth, pressing her lips against it. "For the love of God, Barry, if you care about me even a little, please get up here," she practically growled. Barry could almost see the smoke rising out of her ears. He hurried up on stage to the last microphone.
"Look at him go so fast!" Caitlin cried before bringing her hand back to her mouth and shushing loudly. Cadence gave her a smile and pushed her head to turn her the other way.
"I think this is the only way we'll get her to shut up," Cadence said as Barry took his microphone. "She said she would cry if I didn't get on stage with her and judging by her appearance I wouldn't put it past her." She cleared her throat as the song started up. "Roy's keeping our table."
"I didn't ask about Roy!" Barry snapped at her, suddenly annoyed.
"I was just saying!" Cadence snapped back.
The two looked at each other before jerking back, cringing as Caitlin started to sing ridiculously off-key, "Summer lovin' had me a blast! Summer lovin' happened so fast!" Cadence wiggled a finger in her ear as Barry tilted his head to the side.
He took his microphone as his part came up. "I met a girl, crazy for me." Oh, how ironic.
Then it was Cadence's turn. "I met a boy, cute as can be." Her voice wasn't fantastic and she wouldn't brag about being a singer at all, but at least she could sing on key and stay in tune as well.
"Summer days, driftin' away to oh oh, those summer nights!"
The three continued to sing and despite Caitlin's voice causing Cadence unnecessary pain and torment as she had to stand so close to her, the three continued through the song with as much enthusiasm as possible. Soon Barry found himself pulling his microphone off the stand and really belting out the song as Cadence and Caitlin sang along with him. Finally the song ended to a smattering of applause and Barry practically dragged Caitlin off the stage and back on the floor.
"What'd you think?" Caitlin practically screamed in Roy's face once they went back to the table. "I was good, wasn't I?"
"Oh, well, you were really something," Roy said politely in return.
"Yeah, I was something," Caitlin agreed. She then turned to Barry and poked him arm. "But you…you mister, you're the fastest man alive and you can sing?"
"Yeah, I thought you said you didn't sing or dance," Cadence said, turning to him with an expression he couldn't quite place. It was at least more pleasant than the way they had snapped at each other while up on stage. "I knew you were lying about dancing, but I wasn't so sure about singing, Tholly. What else have you lied to me about?"
"I don't call it lying more than being modest," Barry defended himself. "I really didn't think I'd ever need to sing in public ever again so…" he shrugged and turned his attention to Roy. He could at least be welcoming. "What about you? Do you sing?"
Roy shrugged. "Not really. Mostly to myself."
Lifting his head, Barry looked around the club to find someone to close their tab. Just in case Caitlin started to get the feeling of wanting to drink again. He caught the waiter's eye and held up his hand. The waiter turned his way but walked right by the table before Barry could stop him. He tried again when the waiter came back the other way before throwing his hands into the air. Finally, when a waitress came by Cadence reached out and grabbed onto her arm. "Hey Suzy, can we tap out? We're going to be heading out soon."
"Aw, you're not going to do another number for us?" Suzy asked.
"Already been here for a couple of hours, kind of want to get back and see my son."
"No problem Cadence, I'll close your tab."
"Thanks."
Barry sucked in a breath and rested his arms on the table. "Looks like you've been here a lot," he said.
Cadence smiled and nodded. "I used to come here all the time. Not so much anymore, but it can still be fun. And trust me when I say I'm never going to let Caitlin live this down." She turned to Caitlin and her eyes widened when she spotted Caitlin slumped over with Roy holding her up. "Uh, Roy—"
"—we need to get her outside now," Roy said.
"I'm on it." Barry grabbed her arm and raced her out of the bar as Cadence paid their tab and she and Roy followed them. Thankfully, Barry got Caitlin outside just as she started to projective vomit. Roy made a low groaning sound as he watched her.
"And I thought heaving after Oliver's workouts was bad," he remarked.
"Yeah, but this is someone who isn't used to her alcohol rather than continuously being gut-checked by Oliver," Cadence pointed out. "We should probably get her home right now." She looked at Barry and he nodded before zooming out of sight with a light gust of wind. Cadence reached out and grabbed onto Roy's arm, teleporting him into Caitlin's apartment just as Barry and Caitlin arrived. "Told you I was faster."
"Now's not the time, Cade," Barry said, holding Caitlin by her elbow.
The scientist groaned and brought her hand to her stomach. "Are we still running? Vodka and super speed are a terrible combination." She groaned, leaning over even further. She looked up at Roy as if she couldn't place her. "Hey, Little Red Riding Hood, a little help here?"
Cadence laughed and Roy rolled his eyes at the nickname before taking Caitlin's other arm and helped her to her room. Once they were inside they put Caitlin down on her bed and Cadence reached out, taking off her high-heels, gently placing them aside.
Then before the three could stop her she reached behind her and started to unzip and pull off her dress until she was half naked. Barry and Roy immediate turned away from her, shielding their eyes as Cadence grabbed onto Caitlin and stood her up. "Okay, Cait, before you give us all a show why don't we get you into your pajamas, okay?" Cadence led her over to the closet.
"Oh come on," Caitlin slurred, pushing Cadence away. "There's nothing wrong with this freedom. I'm just expressing myself." She lazily pointed to Barry and Roy, who had now slowly turned back to her. "Besides, they're guys. They should sneak a peek."
"Sneak a peek?" Roy repeated incredulously.
"Sneak a peek at my goods," Caitlin said, to Barry's, Roy's, and Cadence's bewilderment. She smiled down at her black lace bra, adjusted it with her hands, and then clasped her hands together. "That's alright, go ahead and look. As a matter of fact!" She turned and pointed to the fire metahuman who jumped at the sudden mention of her name when Caitlin cried, "Cade!" Caitlin moved over to her side. "Why don't you show them your goods too? Take off your top, let them see." She poked Cadence on the arm as if there were a hidden release button that would soon render her naked.
"Ok!" Cadence walked forward and placed her hands on Caitlin's arms, turning her around and starting to remove her from the room. "Let's get you into bed."
"That's a good idea, because those boys must be gay! I mean, they didn't even think about looking at us, Cadey. And we're very attractive women. Very attractive. But I say, to hell with them and to hell with men." She stopped walking and turned back to Cadence, eyes still wide with drunken innocence. "What do you say to going to Vegas and getting married?" Before Cadence could respond, she grabbed the sides of the metahuman's face and kissed her. "What do you say to that?" She asked, once the kiss ended and she backed away.
If Cadence had been thrown off by Caitlin's affection, she didn't show it. Instead, she turned her back around and started to push her once more. "I don't think I remember you proposing to me, Cait" Cadence said with a light laugh. "And if that's what you were doing, then you need to work on it more before I give you my answer."
"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Caitlin insisted, dragging her feet on the ground so that the two came to a stop. "What happened to the plan of ruling the world and only using the men as breeding stock?"
"Breeding stock?" Roy and Barry repeated in unison.
Cadence waved them out of the room. "We can do that plan later, Cait. Come on, I bet you're really tired."
"Oy, she's not the only one," Barry muttered.
Cadence closed the door to Caitlin's apartment and made sure it was locked before turning to Barry and Roy. "I don't think she's going anywhere and if we're lucky she won't remember any of this so we can use it for blackmail later." She wiggled her phone in her hand, laughing to herself then looked at her watch. "I have to get home; Ryder's dropping off Brady soon." She turned to Roy and opened her arms, giving him a tight hug. "Thanks for coming; I hope you had a good time."
"Oh, I certainly won't be forgetting about this night anytime soon." Roy grinned. "Thanks for inviting me."
"Thanks for coming," Barry piped up, almost as an afterthought.
Roy nodded to him then turned to Cade with a sheepish smile. "You think you can get me back to Starling? I don't want to spend so much money and time to get all the way there."
"No problem." Cadence grabbed onto his shoulder and teleported to the Glades. She bid Roy goodbye once more then teleported to her apartment. She jumped, finding Barry leaning against the front stoop, waiting for her. "Would you please stop that? And don't you have your own home to go to?"
"I just wanted to ask—"
"—you always want to ask something, Barry," Cadence interrupted. "Can't you ever go a day without asking something?"
"—I wanted to ask if I did something wrong? You've been really cold to me all day and I don't really get why. Did I do something wrong? Did I offend you in any way?"
Whether it was her own irritation or some of the drink she had that night, but she found herself not holding back. "Other than do the same thing that all heroes do and get my hopes up?" Barry looked at her in confusion and she shook her head. "I don't even know why I jumped to that conclusion anyway. It's only a matter of time before you leave like all of the others so why would I want to do that? To myself or Brady? It's good that we're just friends, we don't have to worry about things going beyond that and getting all screwed up." She stepped around him and started to walk inside.
Barry's voice stopped her. "I'm sorry, I don't…I don't understand."
Squeezing her eyes shut, Cadence turned back around to face him. Her eyes flashed. "I don't expect you to, Barry." Barry frowned when he realized she didn't call him by her nickname for him. "I don't expect anyone to get it. Your last relationship was, what, two or three years ago? But at least you were still around Iris, who you were in love with, to get the feeling of being wanted. Barry, not being in a relationship for a long time can hurt more than being punched. It makes you feel unwanted. The longer you feel unwanted the more you start to long for things; for a hand to hold, for a hug, for a simple touch, a kiss, the sense of security that you can only get with another person…." She shook her head. "I'm the queen of first dates, people head for the hills once they find out I'm a mom and I've come to expect it, so I didn't ever dare to bring anyone into my or Brady's life."
"And then I met you and I realized you could be someone I could bring into my life. Not just because we were working together at STAR Labs, but because of everything. And it was great to see Brady warm up to you so quickly. He's my main priority and who I judge people off of. For once I thought I could push all of that aside and…" she felt tears come to her eyes.
It was happening again, just like usual. She put so much of herself into other people and in return she ended up alone and hurt. I should just accept that this is the way my life is going to be, she thought, feeling her wall come flying back up, hardening into concrete. Until Brady's old enough. He's going to be so disappointed.
Barry took a step towards her, his blue-green eyes boring into hers. And she stood transfixed. Was there something there? Something he wasn't telling her? Cadence mentally shook herself. No, don't fall for that. You always do.
"And?" Barry prompted, almost in a whisper.
Cadence was broken out of her thoughts. "And nothing."
"Cade-"
"You didn't do anything wrong. I did it to myself." Cadence turned again. "Goodnight, Barry."
Cadence felt her temper flare, her body temperature immediately rising when she felt Barry's hand on her arm, pulling her back around. But as soon as she opened her mouth it fell shut when Barry's lips pressed against hers.
A/N: I know, this was an obscenely long chapter. But Barry and Cade kissed! Woohoo! Finally! (I know that's what my sisters were saying about it, haha). And things with Roy may have seemed to end sort of abruptly, but it's not the end of course, I don't brings things up/in without there being a reason for it. But yes, they finally kissed!
And, as you can see, Hartley is finally in the mix. I'm soooo excited for that part as well as mixing him in with Firestorm, and the Rogues, and the Black Flash, and the end of the show. But I'm more excited for the time travel part and you'll see why one it gets there. ;)
What did you guys think? Favorite part? Least favorite? Also, any guesses for Brady's metahuman name yet? I know I haven't shown his powers much yet, but there's more of it in the next chapter. And SnowWells is coming back in the next chapter, too.
In case the anonymous reviewer is reading this too, considering what you've said on Sparks Fly: I don't care. I don't let negativity like that bother me anymore. If you have something constructive to say then you can say that, if you want to contact me in any other way then please get in touch. But whatever is driving you to bash mine and my sister's story is something you need to handle. Also, yes she's there to be a love interest because it's a romance story, that's sort of the point. Please try reading the stories first rather than make rude/mean/unnecessary comments that prove you're basing your unnecessary reviews off of appearances.
Cheers,
-Riles