A/N: Harry's house on Earth-2 is exactly like Joe's house on Earth-1

Harry didn't take his eyes off Irina as she walked around his office looking at everything as if she were on a tour of an art gallery. Jesse was watching her too, but Harry didn't like how happy his daughter's expression was. Jesse was too trusting of people, it was clear to him that this woman was bad news.

"Are you done gawking like a first grader on a field trip, Ms. Adler?"

"Call me Irina."

"No."

Irina stopped looking over the tools and gadgets on his workbench and caught his eye. She studied him for a moment then shrugged. "Your office is very nice, though I do have to say I'm a little surprised at how spartan it is."

"Dad keeps it that way on purpose," Jesse chimed in, "or else he ends up throwing things that are important."

Harry shot his daughter a look to get her to be quiet, not that it had ever worked before. "We want answers, Adler, so either say something or get off our earth and out of our lives forever."

Irina crossed the room to Harry's desk and sat on the edge of the smooth, clutter-free surface. Harry frowned, but Irina didn't seem to notice. "My name, as you know, is Irina Adler. I come from Earth-221 and, as you saw when you were decrypting my message," Irina waved her hand to the various boards that lined the walls of the office where Harry and Jesse's decryption calculations could still be seen, "I am very smart."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest. He was no longer wearing his pulse rifle, but it remained close at hand. "Yes, yes, we know all of this already. Get to the point. How can you possibly help us and why," he paused for a second, considering the extremely calm reaction he was getting from Irina, "do you want to?"

"You are a very direct man, Harrison-"

"Don't call me that." Harry didn't like how friendly she was being after knowing him all of an hour.

"So it seems that I need to be equally so. I am a multiversal detective. I specialize in finding things in smart ways and I have a special knack for the unexpected. You are in need of smart people for this team you're assembling, I not only can help you find them, but if you let me help you I promise that the people I find will be exactly what you need." Irina stood up and walked over to Harry until they were so close they could touch. "One thing you can count on, Harrison, is that I always get my man."

"Don't call me that." Harry didn't exactly want to trust this woman, there was still a lot he didn't know about her. It seemed oddly convenient that she would show up and say she could help him assemble a team when, by all rights, she shouldn't know anything about the team. Unless she was from the future and he really had written his name on that card, but that opened up an entirely new can of worms – or multiversal catastrophes to be more precise. Still, he was beginning to see that she might prove useful to him. After all, just being able to use her cryptograms as an intelligence test would help him greatly narrow down the list of candidates for Jesse's team. His gut told him she was up to something, but almost frustratingly, it wasn't telling him she was dangerous.

Harry pulled the card she'd left for him from his pocket. "How did you get my handwriting and signature on this?"

"Please, allow me a few secrets," Irina demurred. "Just know that no matter when or where you are, you can trust me."

Harry frowned again. He wanted answers. He wanted to know if she was a time-traveler. On the other hand, if he did know it could throw the whole future into chaos. There was no winning here. The card had been a scintillating tease to get his attention, and it had worked like a charm.

"I think we should trust her," said Jesse. "Dad, it took both of us two and a half days to solve her cryptogram, she can help us find the best people and put the team together."

"And let's say that I agree to your proposition, what do you get out of it." As the old Earth-2 saying went, there was no such thing as a free breakfast.

"The thrill of the chase." Irina said it with such conviction that a person could almost believe that it was the truth.

Harry didn't believe it for a second.

"And the right to the title of the greatest detective of the multiverse." Irina's expression hardened from her previously gentle smile to one of fury. "Only one other has worked more cases than I have, and I'll be damned if I let Sherloque get the last laugh."

Irina's sudden flare of anger assured Harry that she was being genuine about that part at least. Whoever this Sherloque was, what was between them was personal.

"So, what do you say?" The fire ebbed away and Irina was once more unruffled.

Harry ran through all the possibilities in his head. It didn't seem like this Adler was connected to any Earth-1 shenanigans, so there was that. Right now, the likelihood that she would be an active threat to him or Jesse was low, not zero. Still, his intuition told him to trust her for now, and that was one thing he never went against. "Alright, Ms. Adler, let's see how good of a detective you really are. But remember," he took a step closer to her bringing the space between them to almost zero, "I'm not going to take my eyes off of you."

Irina smiled coyly. "I wouldn't want you to."

Jesse didn't know what it was about Irina, but that woman was under her dad's skin in a way like no one she'd seen before. It might have been the combination of brilliance and boldness, but whatever it was her dad was unsettled. At their home that evening Harry and Jesse were sitting in the living room after supper. Harry had turned on a movie like he did almost every night, but despite the film being one of his favorites she could see he wasn't paying attention at all.

When Harry's favorite scene passed and he didn't tell her his favorite bit of movie trivia for the hundredth time, Jesse knew something was wrong. "She really got to you, didn't she?"

Harry didn't quite seem to hear her for a moment but a second later he looked at her. "Hm? What? Did you say something?"

"Irina, she's really bugging you, isn't she?" Jesse had seen her father like this before, but almost always because of some physics problem, not a woman.

"It's not that she's bugging me, it's that she's hiding something and I want to know what it is." Harry looked back at the screen where the movie was still running as if seeing it for the first time. "Oh, did you know that when they were making this movie-"

"The actor actually fell three stories but miraculously survived. They used the footage of him falling in the final film." Jesse finished.

"Hm, I suppose I've told you that one before." Harry looked back at her. "Why are you so eager to trust this woman? Just because she can fit a good CV on the back of a business card?"

"I want to trust her because my instincts tell me that I should." Jesse scooted closer to her dad and rested her head on his shoulder. "And I think yours do too, or else you wouldn't have even allowed her into STAR Labs."

Harry put his arm around Jesse and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You might be right, honey, she doesn't seem like she wants to cause problems, yet." He turned his head to look at her directly. "But I want you to be careful too. Don't tell her too much. Don't show her your powers. We still don't really know what she wants and until we do we can only trust her so much."

Jesse rolled her eyes. "Dad, you make the simplest things into these grand conspiracies."

"I just want you to be care-" Harry started.

"To be careful, I know. I promise that I will be. But remember, if anything goes wrong I can handle it." Jesse repositioned her head to rest more comfortably on her father's shoulder. It felt like she had been having some version of this conversation with her father for years now.

"You don't know that." That was her dad, always looking at the bad side of things.

"Yes, I do," Jesse insisted. She missed being around someone who never doubted her capability. Her thoughts drifted to Wally. He always believed in her in a way her dad never did.

"How?" Harry's voice was skeptical.

"Because I'm the Flash."

The next day started out full of hope and possibility for Jesse. Her and her dad, along with Irina Adler, would be starting the interview process to choose the members for her own Team Flash. Of course, in her case it was Team Quick. The previous day, Irina had written out a simple cryptogram and it was sent to all of the potential candidates. Everyone who had solved it correctly was on the docket to be interviewed. So far, they had a dozen candidates. Harry had made her promise not to tell Irina about her powers just yet, and she supposed that it was probably wise for the time being, but she wasn't sure how long their story about an "advanced research team" would continue pulling the wool over Irina's eyes. Sooner or later the best detective in the multiverse was going to catch on.

Entering STAR Labs, Jesse went directly to her father's office to see if he was ready to start the first round of interviews. Five of her friends were in the running for positions on her team, she hoped that they would accept the spots once they found out what it really was.

Jesse paused for a second in the corridor that led to her dad's office. A plaque on the wall read Dr. Harrison Wells and she focused on those words as she mentally rehearsed her arguments for the fight she was sure they would be having in a few short hours. She was going to have people she wanted on her team no matter what her dad said. Feeling as ready as she ever would she pressed the release on the sliding glass doors and walked in.

She was more than a little surprised to see that Irina was already there, standing quite close to her dad.

"Good, you're here," said Harry, his attention immediately on her, Irina forgotten.

Jesse's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, but she couldn't discern anything unusual. "Yeah, are you ready?"

Harry scooped up a stack of papers from his desk, Jesse recognized them as personnel files. On the spines of the files she could just make out a few names she recognized, a thrill of excitement went through her.

Harry went to the door and ushered her and Irina through it. "I've arranged for us to be in the upstairs conference room."

...

Harry shot down the first interviewee hard. Everything from his clothes to his degrees were wrong, according to Jesse's father, and he would be absolutely unsuitable. Jesse didn't like hearing that, the boy was one of her friends from university, but she agreed that her dad did have a point about the compatibility of his theoretical degrees with the more practical aspects of her work. Irina didn't have much to say about him either, so for Jesse, that settled the matter.

The second and third applicants went similarly, though Irina started making a stronger case for offering each of them a position. Jesse pressed as well, but it seemed to no avail. By the time the fourth interview ended, Jesse was starting to smell something rotten in Norway.

"Dad?" Jesse said as they waited for the fifth interviewee to arrive, "Are you saying that all these candidates are bad because they're my friends from university?"

"No, of course not," Harry said, as though her accusation was ridiculous.

Jesse didn't buy it for a second, not from her control freak of a father. "Then why are you having so many problems with the candidates that I chose?"

"I don't have a problem with these candidates, the problem is that they aren't good candidates," Harry deflected. "I can't help it if your friends just aren't up to par."

Jesse closed her eyes and let out an annoyed breath. "Dad, you're purposely sabotaging my team and it's not even assembled yet."

"I am only looking out for you, Jesse, those people were not the right people for the team." Harry stood his ground.

This was the fight Jesse had known was coming. A part of her wanted to just get up and storm out. What use was she here anyway if her dad was just going to try and control everything to go exactly the way he wanted it. She might as well save them both the time and just cut to the chase.

"You really are unbelievable, you know that?" There they were, the fighting words.

"Jesse," Harry began.

Jesse didn't want to hear it, didn't want to hear how he was just trying to keep her safe. She didn't care. Razor sharp words were on the tip of her tongue when Irina interrupted.

"I think your father was right, so far."

Both Jesse and Harry were caught a little off guard. "What?" they both said at the same time.

"The candidates we've looked at so far haven't been the right ones." Irina looked between the pair of them. "They're lacking that special spark."

Jesse frowned in disgust. Here she was, outnumbered by people who didn't want her to have a say in her own team.

"However," Irina added, "I have a feeling that this next candidate just might be the one we're looking for." Irina caught Jesse's eye and gave her a sly wink.

A wave of hope rushed over Jesse, she might just get what she wanted after all.

"Are you sure?" Moira asked, not believing her ears. "Dr. Wells wants to talk with me?" Her eyes darted back and forth between Henry Hewitt, the receptionist who had hailed her as she came to work that morning, and the card in her hand telling her to go to a specific conference room immediately. "But I didn't do anything."

Henry shrugged. "I guess you must have ticked him off in some way. I'd say goodbye to your internship." His tone was teasing but his words struck a chord.

Moira struggled to keep her emotions in check, she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks and her throat tightening at the thought of losing this position. This meeting wasn't necessarily a dismissal from her internship program, was it? She doubted that Dr. Wells would want to meet with her personally to fire her. But what could it be? Her gut told her it wasn't good.

Henry's expression softened a bit. "I don't think he's mad at you. Maybe you're just being assigned to a new project."

Moira gulped, trying to keep her composure. "I haven't done anything wrong," she squeaked out. She wasn't entirely sure if she was trying to convince Henry, or herself.

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Henry gave her an encouraging look.

Moira gulped again. She felt like she was being asked to go before a firing squad. She wondered if they'd give her a blindfold.

"You'd better not keep him waiting," Henry prompted as he pulled his headphones back into place.

Moira nodded, steeling herself. Swallowing hard she turned on her heel and marched off to the conference room indicated on the card in her hand.

As she came to the conference room door her steel began to crumble. Her career was flashing before her eyes. If she was dismissed from this internship her chance at doing groundbreaking work in medical bioengineering was over. She'd never work in the industry again, not if STAR Labs had dismissed her.

At least this was one of the conference rooms without glass walls so nobody passing by would witness her breakdown when she found out she was being fired. Taking a deep breath, all the courage she'd ever felt in her life quickly evaporating, Moira knocked timidly on the door. There was no response from inside. Moira raised her hand to knock again but froze, her hand hovering in the air near the door. If no one was inside waiting for her, then maybe there had been a mistake and she wasn't wanted after all. Maybe she could just slink away and avoid notice while she finished out her internship. She hesitated, her hand wavering, her heart racing.

Using every last ounce of courage she had, Moira gave the door a brisk rap.

Irina sat at the table in the conference room alongside Harry, Jesse and Moira. It was supposed to be an informal interview to see if Moira had, as Harry put it, "the right stuff" to be a part of the team he was putting together to work with his daughter. Irina hadn't yet quite figured out what this team was for, but she knew she would find out. Until then, all that mattered was finding the right people to work with Jesse. More important than skills were the right blend of personality and courage. This was almost too easy.

Harrison started the interview by asking Moira to recount her education, relevant experience, and current work at STAR Labs. All the while Irina studied the young woman, her eyes occasionally flicking over to Jesse to see her reaction. Jesse's body language said it all. She kept giving Moira encouraging looks and nodded when she thought Moira was saying something well, shaking her head microscopically when she thought Moira was on the wrong track. She wanted her dad to approve of Moira because she already liked her.

Irina suspected, however, that Harrison was unaware of the friendship between his daughter and this woman. It seemed that, as close as the father and daughter were, there were some underlying trust issues between the pair of them. She didn't know if she could do anything to repair that, but at the very least she could help Jesse out and convince Harrison that Moira was right for the job.

"Do you have anything to say?" Harrison turned to her now that his own interrogation was done. His body language wasn't very encouraging. He hadn't been impressed by Jesse's friend.

Irina leaned over the table locking eyes with the young intern. "My dear girl," she said, "do you know why you're here?"

Moira's eyes darted from her face, to Harrison's, to Jesse's and back again. "No," she shook her head, "I don't."

"You're here-" Harrison started, but Irina cut him off.

"You're here because we've seen how talented you are. We want you to be a part of a special team where you'll work closely on futuristic endeavors with the young Ms. Wells. Before your interview we weren't certain of your suitability for the job, but you've proven beyond a doubt that you are indeed the best person. Are you interested?"

"Of course-" Moira started, her face relaxing now that she realized this was a good thing.

"Wait," said Harrison, "we're not-"

"Yes, we are," said Jesse. "Moira is perfect for the team, I agree with Irina." Turning to look at Moira, Jesse said, "So, do you want the job?"

"Yes-" Moira started again.

"Jesse-" Harrison cut her off for a second time.

"Is correct," Irina jumped in. "Moira is the perfect candidate, and if you don't get her on the team now you risk losing her."

"I want her on the team, Dad," Jesse said resolutely.

Harrison looked like he was thinking about being stubborn about this, Irina could almost see the exact objections forming in his brain, but his eyes flickered between Jesse and Irina for a long second and he changed his mind. "Fine, Moira you are on the team." Quietly, though, he murmured to his daughter, "She doesn't have the guts to do what you're asking of her."

Irina smiled at her little victory. She rose from the table and reached out to shake Moira's hand. "Welcome to the team, we'll be in touch with more details in the coming weeks."

Moira rose, glancing between the three of them as she shook Irina's hand limply. "Thank you for this opportunity," she said without any real conviction.

As the intern left the room Irina turned to Harrison who had the files of all the interviewees on the table in front of him. Even though he was frowning, Jesse seemed relieved and mouthed the worlds thank you to Irina from behind her father's back. Irina smiled. "That was wonderful, who's next?"