Chapter 102

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"Iris," I said as she began to pace. "You're creating a new track."

"Let's just call it, Barry," Iris said as she stopped. "She's not coming."

"Again," I added.

"She's probably just helping with Jenna so Joe and Cecile can sleep in," Barry said.

"It's not that early," I told him pointedly.

"Not all of us teach school," Barry pointed out.

"Nora's been helping every day for the past two weeks?" Iris asked.

"They look really tired," Barry reasoned. "They do."

"Would've loved help with that when the twins were born. Even now, since it took me over five hours to get them to go to sleep," I muttered and then the alarms went off. "Of course the alarms have to go off and wake up my children who will now be cranky little redheads..."

"Tripped alarm at Central City Art Gallery," Iris said as I glared at the direction the alarm was coming from. "Someone stole a Monet."

"At least they have good taste," I said.

"At 10:00 a.m.? That's bold," Barry said.

"It's not that early," I reminded him. Barry just rolled his eyes and ran off, Iris didn't even stop to make sure I was following her before running to the cortex.

"CCPD's en route, suspect heading west on Ruger," Iris said as we got into the room. "The thief just turned on to Ramirez off of Fifth."

"Almost there," Barry said. "He's not carrying anything."

"Because he handed it off to someone else," Nora's voice said.

"Nora?" The three of us asked.

"Uh, where's he headed?" Iris asked.

"I got him," Nora proclaimed. "I can stop someone on a motorcycle."

"No, Nora, let Barry help-" Iris said, but Nora cut her off. "Okay, I know you did not just cut me off, miss thing."

"Miss thing?" I questioned Iris.

Iris shrugged, "are you going to scold your daughter."

"I will when she gets back," I said as the baby monitor started emitting sounds of hysterical children. "Assuming I have those two settled down anytime soon."

"Why is she so difficult?" Iris demanded. 

"She's learning," I reminded Iris with a sigh. "Not only that, but she has her father to look at. Nora wants to be a hero like Barry, but she's not Barry."

"You're saying she isn't a hero?" Iris asked.

I smiled, "she's a hero alright. Nora just hasn't had the experience of having people always trying to help her when she's being a hero. Nora has spent her life trying to understand who she is, that she blocks out the people who love her because she's been hurt." 

"I don't remember Barry being this difficult," Iris muttered.

I gave her a look, "you didn't see him at first. My father was an evil jerk, but Barry didn't always listen. When he figured out something was wrong, Barry did exactly what Nora did. It took him a while to figure out that we were all on his side and that we would stick with him."

"So basically, Nora and Barry are both difficult moronic speedsters?" Iris asked.

"Pretty much," I agreed. 

~*~

"This is why we train, Nora," I heard Iris say as I walked in to see Nora in the hot seat with Barry and Iris looking at her. "Every single day. Not when you feel like it, not because you're mad, and why you always have someone in your ear when you're in the field to help you."

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