Note: Sorry for the brief hiatus. I've been pretty busy with schoolwork and such!

Prompted by anonymous

Set somewhere between 1x09 and 1x12.

Rated: K+

~J.H.

Being a superhero was rarely good for one's sleep schedule. Between the extra training, making sure his friends were okay, finding and fighting metahumans, saving citizens from burning buildings, and worrying about Oliver and Starling City, regular sleep wasn't a regular thing for Barry.

That's why he was so relieved when he actually got to bed at a reasonable time and why he was so pissed when a phone call woke him up at 7:00 am. "Hello?" he says groggily into his phone without bothering to check who called.

"Barry, I need you down at the station," the voice—Eddie's voice—says from the other end of the phone.

Barry tries to keep the complaining out of his voice, but he can't help it, "Really, Eddie? Can't you do this one without me? It's my day off."

"No, Barry, we need you at the station now. It's about Iris."

He sits up, suddenly wide awake, "W—what about Iris?"

Eddie sighs in frustration, "One of those crazy superhuman guys took her. Took her right from home. Right from under my nose…"

In an instant, Barry finds himself at the station in his regular work clothes, forgetting that Eddie wasn't supposed to know about his speed. However, Eddie is, for the moment, too preoccupied to worry about how Barry got there.

"Hey," Barry immediately finds Joe, grabbing his arm, "What do we have?" Joe shakes his head, eyes on the ground. Barry decides not to press him and turns to Eddie.

The poor guy looks terrible. His shirt is untucked, his jacket thrown carelessly on the floor, and his usually-perfect hair is sticking up in strange places. Barry walks toward him, speaking as he goes. "Okay, Eddie, I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what happened." He tries to speak calmly, knowing that whatever happened to Iris, Eddie would probably blame himself.

Eddie sighs, running a hand through his already messy hair. He's staring at his phone—a picture of a smiling Iris staring back up at him. Seeing Eddie so worried, only makes Barry more worried. "Who took her, Eddie?"

"I don't know, Barry," Eddie snaps, "If I knew that I wouldn't be standing here right now, I'd be kicking his superhuman ass."

Barry's phone buzzes again, making him jump. He glances at, and Caitlin (complete with a picture of her looking over her shoulder and smiling) shines up at him. He answers immediately, praying she found new information on Iris's kidnapper.

"Caitlin, please give me some good new—"

"Good evening, Mr. Allen," a voice, low, rough, and accented, says evenly.

Barry feels his heart accelerate to a speed that's abnormal even for him. He steps away from Eddie's desk, out into the hallway. "Where the hell is Caitlin," he hears himself snarl. His voice has taken on a different tone, this one threatening, "I swear, if you hurt one hair on her head—"

The voice on the other end chuckles, "My, my. We haven't even been properly introduced, and already you're making threats to me? Where are your manners?"

"Where. Is. She,"

The voice sighs, "Alright, I see you're not in the mood. I'll tell you where I am under one condition: you come alone. Come with the police—even one officer—and I'll start cutting pieces out of your lovely doctor here."

Barry feels his jaw tighten; somehow, he knew that would be the condition. "Deal," he says, "Now where are you?"

"I have here at S.T.A.R. labs a very special woman—"

Barry doesn't care if he was finished or not. He'd already heard enough. Without bothering to say goodbye to Joe and Eddie—there was no way he'd put Caitlin at risk—he turns and runs to S.T.A.R. labs.

It's not hard to find them. They're on the roof.

When Barry sees them, he thinks he's going to scream. A large, completely unfamiliar man stands in behind her. Caitlin. Hands tied behind her back, a bruise forming on her forehead. She's being used to bait him. Again.

"Who the hell are you," he growls. He notices how he's holding Caitlin, and he's willing to bet he has a weapon to her back.

The man feigns being offended, "You mean your friend Oliver never told you about me? Goodness, I am hurt."

Barry feels his hands curl into fists as he glowers at the man. "Let her go. She has nothing to do with me or Oliver."

The man smiles, "You may call me Deathstroke. Oliver and I are old friends. His oldest friend, in fact."

"That I seriously doubt," Caitlin mutters, rolling her eyes. Despite the situation, he can't help but be proud of her. Here she is, kidnapped and terrified, used to bait him, and she refuses to just be victimized.

"What do you want?" Barry asks.

Deathstroke smiles a smug smile, "I want Olive Queen to suffer. That's all I've ever wanted. You're going to take me to him."

He tries to play it cool, but stick to the truth. In his experience, the best way to lie is to stick to certain truths, "I don't know where he is. He's gone."

Deathstroke sighs, "I was afraid you'd say that." Before either Caitlin or Barry can react, he pulls a gun out of his belt and presses it to Caitlin's head, "Take me to him, or I kill the woman you love."

Caitlin forces out a laugh, "What—me? You think Barry loves me? If you think for one second that he's in love with me, or that he would give up Oliver for me, then you're definitely not smart enough to beat him."

He chuckles quietly, "I won't make the same mistake twice, Miss Snow."

"What the hell are you—"

"Miss Smoak tried to convince me of the same thing. I used the woman I thought Oliver loved against him, and it didn't work. Like I said, I won't make the same mistake twice. This time, I've taken care of both women. You're choice, Mr. Allen. I've got a certain Miss West downstairs, and I've got Miss Snow right here." His hand tightens on the trigger, "When I pull this trigger, two things will happen. Of course, this woman will die. But, there's something you don't know—a good plot twist. I love a good plot twist."

"Just get to the point," Barry snarls.

"This trigger is also rigged—rigged to a weapon downstairs. A weapon that is threatening the life of Miss West."

He's already given Barry all the information he needed. Without hesitating, Barry launches himself at the two of them. As time seems to slow down, he takes a hold of Caitlin, grabbing her waist and pulling her away from Deathstroke before he can pull the trigger. Holding her close to his body, he runs from the building, stopping only when they get a sufficient distance away. He sets Caitlin down on a park bench before turning and running back to S.T.A.R. labs.

As soon as he reaches the building, he hears something. Voices. Eddie's, Joe's, and Iris's. his heart nearly stops—now not only is Iris in danger, but Eddie and Joe as well. Then, he hears what Eddie's actually saying, "…you have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you…"he's making an arrest.

Coming out of the building is first Deathstroke…handcuffed. Eddie is making an arrest. Barry breathes a sigh of relief as he sees Iris and Joe also exit the building. Knowing they'd be safe, he turns and runs back to the spot where he'd left Caitlin.

She hasn't moved; she's still sitting exactly where he left her.

Without thinking, Barry pulls her into an embrace, muttering, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

She hugs him back, tightly, "It's not your fault." Then, she pulls back, "Iris?"

"She's fine. She's with Joe and Eddie."

She leans back, "Okay. Good."

They sit there in awkward silence for another moment. "Uhm. I'll get you home," Barry says uncomfortably, standing and helping her to her feet.

"Barry?" Caitlin says. He looks at her. "I…you didn't have to choose me over Iris. I mean, you shouldn't have chosen me over Iris. You…when given the choice, you should first save the woman you love."

Barry thinks about her words for another moment before answering as honestly as he can, "I was."

"Was…what?"

He gulps, "Was…I was saving the woman I love. I was saving you."

Maybe a Valentine's Day one next…what do you think?

~J.H.