Falling Slowly [Barry Allen]

Chapter 28

"Where'd Katie go?" Barry asked, pulling his mask off of his face as he strode over to the rest of Team Flash.

"I believe Ms. Marshall is taking a small break," Wells said vaguely.

"She probably just went to the bathroom or something," Caitlin interjected. She didn't want to tell Barry about the small confrontation between Katie and Wells.

"That's weird," Barry continued. "We were supposed to go out after my training was finished. I hope she's feeling okay."

"She's probably fine, Barry," Cisco reassured him. "You know how girls are..." He made a circular motion with his index finger near his temple.

Caitlin and Barry chuckled lightly at his remark.

However, Wells must've felt he needed to make another comment to Barry Allen regarding Katie Marshall, just to drive his point home.

"Maybe Ms. Marshall just couldn't handle watching you train the way that is necessary."

The wheels in Barry's head slowly began to turn, and he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Dr. Wells... What did you say to her?"

The look in Wells's eyes was cold and hard. "I told her exactly what I've told you before, Mr. Allen. Although she is a bright young woman, I don't believe she has what it takes to be a part of our team, and you telling her our secret was foolish, especially considering how little time you have actually known her. She could hardly even watch you train today, Barry. What makes you think she can handle the pressure and the responsibility that goes along with your secret identity?"

This was the first time Barry had been genuinely angry with Dr. Wells. Although he could see the point that the doctor was trying to make, he couldn't fathom the fact that Wells had just told his girlfriend that she wasn't fit to be a part of his life.

"First of all, it's not our secret. It's mine to tell if I want. And I'm sorry, Dr. Wells, but you don't have the authority to tell Katie that she can't handle being with me. I believe that's my decision to make, but thank you for your concern," Barry said, some attitude creeping into his tone.

But before Wells could respond, Barry turned to his friends. "I've gotta go find her. I think my training is finished for today. I'll call you guys later, maybe we can all go out together or something."

As he finished the last sentence, he took off at full speed in the direction of the West residence.

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As soon as he arrived on the scene, Barry knew something wasn't right. With closer inspection, he noticed there was a small red mark on the front door.

Lipstick? Barry thought. He looked more closely at the substance, and realized that his original assumption had been false. The red substance on the door wasn't lipstick.

It was blood.

His eyes widened, and his phone was to his ear with Joe's number dialed in seconds.

"Hey, Bar. What's up?" Joe answered.

"Joe, Katie's missing. She left my training early, and she's not at your place. I have a really bad feeling, Joe. I don't think she's safe."

Barry didn't know how or why he felt that way, but it was undeniably there, in the pit of his stomach.

"I'll tell Eddie and we'll have the CCPD on it right away," Joe said. "Get here as soon as you--"

In a gust of wind, Barry had changed clothes and was standing in the precinct, directly in front of Joe.

"--can," Joe finished. An exasperated chuckle escaped his lips, but he was all business again in a blink of an eye.

"What could've happened to her?" Barry asked.

"Slow down Barry," Joe calmed him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Just because you don't know where she is, doesn't mean that she's missing."

An intern from behind the desk in the lobby came scurrying up to Joe and Barry, a phone clutched tightly in her small fingers. Her eyes were frightened, and her hands shook as she wordlessly handed the phone over to Joe.

"So," a scratchy voice said through the speaker, "I've heard from a little birdy that you're a friend of The Flash."

Joe's eyes turned to Barry, silently turning the speaker on so he could hear as well.

The voice continued, "Well, I need you to give The Flash a message for me," the voice projected through the speaker, and Barry's eyes widened.

"Captain Cold," Barry mouthed the words noiselessly so Joe would understand. He nodded slightly and spoke into the phone.

"What do you want, Snart?" Joe demanded.

"I want a simple trade is all," Captain Cold said nonchalantly. "I want for The Flash to show up at a location of my choosing, alone, and unarmed. In return, I offer you the life of an innocent. Actually, you might know her, Joe. Her name is Katie Marshall."

Barry's fists clenched, and Joe gripped one of his shoulders tightly to keep him from running off.

"Where are you keeping her?" Joe asked, surprisingly calm.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never figure out. Hopefully I see your Crimson-colored friend soon. Tell him to meet me at the Central City dock at this time tomorrow, or this girl doesn't make it out of here. And don't try to trace this call or sending reinforcements, because I have my eyes as well as a few spies of my own. I'll know if you try anything."

The line went dead, and Joe looked at Barry.

"Joe, what am I gonna do?! Cold has Katie, and there's nothing I can do."

"I'll get Eddie and the rest of my team on this case right now. But Barry," Joe said, gripping his shoulder a little tighter, "don't run off to face him yourself. It's a trap, alright? Are you listening to me, Bar?"

Barry's eyes were far away, calculating every move that needed to be made. His anger was clouding his judgement, and Joe knew exactly what was happening in his mind.

"Barry Allen, you listen to me," Joe commanded, shaking Barry's shoulder and snapping him back to reality. "If you go running right into Snart's trap, and he hurts you, or worse, how do you expect to get Katie back? You won't, Barry. So you need to play it smart. You're her only hope of getting out."

The anger slowly faded from Barry's eyes as he realized that Joe was right for about the millionth time in his life. He needed to find his girl, but he needed to do it the right way.

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A/N: Hey guys!! You guys said that you liked the chapter length, but would like posts more often, so I'm gonna try! I'm really close to graduation, so it might be tough for a while. Hope you guys like it so far! Let me know what you think/like/dislike in the comments. And if you have any ideas for the story, feel free to comment or message me. :)