Barry's Apartment, an hour later.
Barry just zoomed back from Los Angeles after a patrol, and was stunned to find his door open, the light from the hallway shining into his room. The man ran into the room, and closed the doors behind him. It was when he listened for the door to latch, that he suspected that someone had broken the knob. He then turned on the lights and looked around the room before running around at super-speed to make sure that nothing was stolen.
Upon seeing that everything was where it was supposed to be, the young man stood in the middle of the room and took off his cowl. The door was still slightly ajar, so he sped into his small closet, and changed before zooming back out to the middle of the room.
'Nothing was taken,' he thought to himself as he looked around before walking over to his cell phone, and then calling the apartment manager. Barry told the man what happened, but all he did was tell the speedster to wait until tomorrow. Sighing, Barry disconnected the call and frowned. He looked actually wanted to meet up with Buffy and the others at the Bronze, but with the break-in, he felt it would be better to simply remain at home. There was a part of him that was telling him to head to the desert with all of his belongings, and it was something he had considered as he looked at the folded tent, and then at the air mattress.
'I can leave the bicycle here,' he thought to himself before making the decision to head for his earlier camping spot until his door was repaired. He placed his drawings in a bag, along with some food and beer, before placing on his suit once again, and then running out of the apartment to the earlier campsite. He then set up his things before heading back to the apartment. One he reached his apartment again, Barry looked back at his bike, and then gave a small smile on his face before picking it up off the ground very slightly, and then ran off to the campsite.
Once he made sure that everything was set, Barry ran all the way to the Bronze – all the while wondering why it was that someone would break into his apartment. He had already checked everything, and he hadn't left anything incriminating in his room, 'maybe whoever it was thought I had some money?'
Shaking his head, Barry ran as fast as he could, and soon arrived a block outside the Bronze. He stopped and walked towards the warehouse in the distance from which he could hear the sounds of thumping as drum beats travelled through the air and hit his ears. The young man walked past several cars when he saw a group walking towards the front entrance.
"Buffy!" he yelled as the short blonde haired young woman turned around with Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow.
"Hey," said Buffy surprised as she saw Barry walking towards them with his hands inside his pockets. It was then that Tara and Willow waved at him, while Xander motioned towards the Bronze, and said 'welcome'. Anya then nodded her head at Barry just before pulling Xander into the club, telling him that they had to find a place to dance.
"See you inside," yelled Xander as he was being pulled into the Bronze by Anya. Tara walked up to, and then grabbed Barry's arm before she and Willow pulled him towards the entrance, with Buffy smiling a little as the two girls walked arm in arm with Barry.
Buffy walked next to Willow when she felt a hand on her shoulder just as they passed a dark alley. Turning her head, her body ready to fight following the two vampires she dusted earlier that night, the four of them stared at the bleach haired Spike.
"Hey," said Tara waving her hand at Spike, while the vampire stared at Barry before nodding his head.
"And you're Cary, right?" asked Spike before saying that Buffy had mentioned him when they were talking back at the house.
"Barry," he replied, "my name's Barry."
"Right," Spike said before turning to Buffy.
"What do you want, Spike?" said Buffy as she placed her arms over her chest.
"Just to talk," said Spike before looking over at Willow, Tara, and Barry, and then back towards Buffy, "in private. I have some information that you need to know about… very important, information."
"About?" asked Buffy as she narrowed her eyes at him while Willow and Tara, who guessed that it was something supernatural related, pulled Barry away. The young man told Buffy that he'd see her inside the Bronze. The blonde slayer nodded her head before turning back to Spike as the three of them walked away. Spike then looked at Barry as he entered the Bronze, before nodding his head at the Slayer, asking her to follow him into an alleyway so that he could talk to her in private.
"Just tell me what you want to tell me," said an exasperated Buffy as she placed her hands on her hips,
"One thing I want to tell you," said Spike as he took a step forward and placed a hand on her left hip. The Slayer looked down at this hand, and then back up at Spike with a frown on her face. She grabbed his hand, pulled it off her hip, and then twisted it while the vampire yelped in pain… and a smile on his face.
"Tell me what you want to say, or I will break that hand, Spike," Buffy said while Spike looked at the last couple who had just go into the entrance. They walked in, and then Spike turned to Buffy and heard even more people coming their way. He licked his lips as he stared at Buffy's, and then looked up into her eyes. He could see fire engulfing Buffy as he grabbed her with his free hand… and then pulled her into the alleyway, and then against the wall before once again saying that he couldn't stop thinking about her.. and that anybody she chose was not the right person for her.
"You need someone who…"
"Shut up," hissed Buffy as she pushed the vampire away, "I don't love you, I don't want you that way. I kissed you as thanks, and…"
"I showed you what Riley was doing so that you won't be hurt," said Spike as Buffy rolled her hands into fists, "and what I am going to tell you now is so that you don't get hurt by someone else. Not by that Barry guy."
"What are you talking about?" asked Buffy as she gabbed Spike by his collar and then spun him around, before slamming him against the opposite wall.
"I just wanted to make sure that you're alright," said Spike as he looked into Buffy's eyes while not making a single move, "I wanted to make sure that Dawn was alright too… and Joyce. All three of you… I knew that I had to check up on your new guy, and…"
"He's a friend," said Buffy.
"Riley was a friend until you started shagging him," said Spike as Buffy pursed her lips, and she reached under her jacket, only to reveal a stake in her hand.. ready to strike while she locked her jaw glaring at Spike, "I'm trying to protect you before you get to know this guy, and then you…"
"Don't say it," growled Buffy.
"And then you shag him, and then you find that he has some secret that he's been keeping from you," Spike replied, "I don't want to see you hurt like that again. Who knows how long Riley kept that away from you, and I don't want to see you go through heart-break again."
"What are you talking about?" asked Buffy as she kitted her eyebrows together.
"I followed Barry to his apartment," said Spike as Buffy's eyes went wide before she spun around and then threw Spike, who went sailing into the air, eventually slamming into the opposite wall of the alley before falling to the ground. He slowly got up to his feet while Buffy strode towards him in anger.
"How dare you!" exclaimed Buffy as she pushed Spike into the wall, "who are you to…"
"If I didn't," Spike interrupted Buffy while putting his hands into his black overcoat, "then I wouldn't have found out that he's been keeping a secret from you. A pretty big one… he's the Streak."
"What?" asked Buffy, confusion etched on her face, "what are you talking about? No, he's not the Streak, and…"
"I saw drawings on his wall, Buffy," said Spike as the Slayer stepped back slightly, "you know my eyesight is really good… even at night. We can see in the dark, and I saw the words Central City… the same city that Dawn told us the Streak was from. The same place that you had Red check out when we took the Lil'Bit home; the same place that didn't exist."
"Get away from me," hissed Buffy before she spun around and strode off. She put the stake underneath her jacket and then clenched her hands into fists just while she strode towards the entrance. She heard Spike behind her, telling her that she was going to come back to him; that he loved her. Buffy looked over her shoulder at the vampire who stepped back into the darkness before she reached for, and opened the door into the noisy interior of the Bronze.
She knew that Spike had his own issues, and that he would kill them all if he could without the interference of the chip in his brain. But Buffy also knew that the kiss he returned back when she was pretending to be the Buffy-bot was indeed real, but she didn't love him. But she pushed that thought out of her mid as she looked around the club; to her left was the dance floor where people were enjoying themselves and caught a glimpse of Xander and Anya dancing. She then took a few steps forward while looking around, and then saw Barry siting with Tara and Willow.
The Slayer saw them listening intently to what he was saying, and then saw Willow frown while Tara patted his hand. Buffy remembered what Flash said about being from another Earth, and being unable to find a way home.. and that he needed to keep his secret identity away from others so that anyone couldn't harm his friends to get to him. However, Buffy knew that she had issues with trust, which was most glaring when she was dating Riley before finding out that he was with the Initiative, and then came the incident with the Vampires drinking his blood for pleasure.
And now there was another person who was trying to hang out with them with a very big secret. At least if what Spike said was the truth.
'There is a part of me that knows Spike's telling the truth, he's twisted enough to do something like break into someone's house,' thought Buffy to herself, 'but then again, it could be simply something like jealousy that there's another guy who would most likely be in our lives since mom told him to drop by at any time. And besides, he doesn't seem to be the whole superhero type…. But then again, I'm supposed to be the peppy cheerleader. But… nah, Spike's just jealous... and it's not like I can just ask him if he's the Flash, or anything.'
"Buffy," she whispered to herself while waving her hands about, "just calm down. Even If he is… he saved you and the others… he saved Dawn when he had the chance to return home using her blood. Just take it easy."
'But…' thought Buffy before she could take another step when she felt the lump in her left pocket. It was the phone that the Flash had given her in case she ever had to call him once again. Buffy kept it with her always, in the event that she was facing too many enemies with her friends, and needed an extra hand. Buffy had an idea as to whether Barry was the Flash, or not. She took out her phone, and then dialled the only number in the phone's memory. With the sounds of music around her, Buffy took out her phone, and speed dialled the number. She hoped that Spike was wrong as the phone rang, and she placed it to her ear. She watched as Barry leaned to one side while reaching into his pocket. Buffy saw the young man get up while pointing to the bar area before walking away, and placing the phone to his ear.
"Buffy?" asked Barry in his distorted voice when he stopped talking upon hearing Willow and Tara call out Buffy's name. He, with the phone still on his ear, turned and stared at Tara and Willow waving at Buffy, who was walking towards them. Barry had heard the same song that was currently playing in the Bronze from Buffy's end, and he saw the young woman turn off the phone while looking at him.
"Oh boy," he whispered as Buffy told Willow and Tara that she'd be right back while looking right back at him. She walked around them, and up to Barry with her hands clenched into fists.
"Hi, Barry," said Buffy as she looked up at the young man, "or should I call you Flash?"
Earth One, a day after the discovery that Black Siren was imprisoned at Star Labs.
While Barry and Buffy were looking at each other, the Slayer waiting to hear an explanation, there was a roar in one of the buildings in the warehouse district in Central City. A being covered in fur was running behind a motorcycle being ridden by a young woman dressed head to toe in red, a hood covering her head. She accelerated the motorcycle as she made a turn into another street while the bi-pedal wolf-like creature followed her by running at incredible speed… not as fast as the flash, but enough to remain a cars distance away from the motorcycle.
"Red hood," said a young man's voice in her ear piece.
"Speedy," said the young woman was she made another turn, keeping the creature following her away from innocents while hoping that this was just another freak created by the Particle accelerator explosion, and not what Cisco referred to as the Wolf Man, "Speedy's my code name."
"But that… okay, okay," said Cisco as he smiled at the computer in front of him while tracking Thea, "how about, the Red Arrow?"
"Cisco," growled Thea as she made another turn into a prearranged location where she glanced up at the rooftops and noticed Joe holding onto a rifle that contained a vial of enough tranquilizers that could put down an elephant. It was something they needed after she had come across the same creature last night, the night of a full moon.
"Sorry, sorry," said Cisco before telling Thea that she was in position, "Dr. McGee and Caitlin have the cell ready for our guest, at least until he becomes human again. Oh, and you're at the place… you know what to do now."
"Is Wally ready?" asked Thea skidding her motor cycle to a stop, got off the vehicle and then took out her bow, and three prototype stun arrows that would release an electrical charge once the skin was penetrated. In the meantime, Wally gave a thumbs up to Cisco before running to the treadmill.
"He's ready," Cisco said.
"Do it," said Thea as the growling, six-foot-tall, muscular, Wolf-man was rumbling towards her. Once it was a few meters away from the archer, a blot of lighting ran down the street and then circled the creature. The 'Flash' used the lightening generated from 'running' to block the creature's view while Thea raised her bow, and pulled back on the arrows. She then let them fly once the creature swiped its claws through the image of the fake Flash. The weapons then stuck themselves into the flesh of the creature, pulled its head back, and then howled.
"That's a cliché," mumbled Thea listening to the howl as she took out a remote and pressed a button that released a massive charge into the creature itself.
"Thea, move!" said Joe as he aimed the weapon at the growling creature that was slowly stepping towards Thea before stumbling onto the floor.
"The charge is gonna last for another ten seconds," said Cisco as he looked at the computer while Wally ran back into the Cortex and stood behind Cisco. They were now looking at the video from a nearby camera as the creature lunged at Thea, who moved to one side at the last minute. It was then then that Joe fired a tranquilizer dart into the creature's back. With the charge already weakening the creature, the tranquilizer was far for effective than earlier that night when they fired two darts.
"Cisco," said Thea into her ear piece as she gave a thumbs-up to Joe who stood up nodding his head at the young woman, "we're heading back, who knows when this guy…. Whoever he is… becomes human again. Well, if he becomes human again."
"We'll find out who he, or she, is when you and Joe bring the wolf-man back," said Cisco, "Tina, Wally, and Caitlin will wait at the 'C' entrance."
"Great," said Thea as she approached the sleeping creature before Joe spoke to her over the earpiece and said that he was on the way with the STAR Labs van. Thea looked down at the creature, and told him that she wasn't going anywhere before saying that Oliver was not going to believe this.
It would be nearly thirty minutes later, after both Thea and Joe struggled to get the wold-man if the back of the van, that the both of them headed to STAR Labs where the creature was taken to a cell. Tina McGee, Caitlin, and Wally simply stared wordlessly at the creature in the back of the van lying unconsciously on the floor.
"You have got to be kidding me," said Wally as she kept his father and Thea place the creature on the gurney while Cisco was telling them that there was no way he was coming to check out the creature, especially since he could become one if he was scratched.
"I believe you have nothing worry about, Cisco," said Tina as she, and Caitlin rolled the gurney into the building. In the meantime, Thea pulled her hood back, and then smelled her uniform before turning away in disgust.
"I smell like wet dog," said Thea with a frown while Wally chuckled before saying all he had to do was run on a treadmill. Thea put her hands on her hips and glared at Wally while Joe said that he needed to have his suit dry-cleaned. They then headed back into the building, with Joe saying that he'll get dinner with Iris who should be getting off work, and with Wally. It would be later that night that once Thea had taken a shower, and then dinner with the others in STAR Labs, that she stood in the Pipeline staring at Laurel who was sitting on the floor of her cell and leaning on the wall behind her while eating a burger.
"Nice to see you again, Thea," smiled Laurel, "it's been what? A day? A little more?"
"Let's talk, Laurel," said Thea in a shirt and jeans as she stared at Laurel.
"About what?" Laurel asked while arching an eyebrow.
"Everything," Thea said as Lauren smiled and placed her burger on the take-out bag before grabbing some fries, "I want to know everything about you."
TBC.