Shift

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Alex knew that the moment Linda Park called Barry's phone she would be asking him out. The two were at STAR Labs training when his phone began ringing. He didn't answer it at first, she wasn't sure if he was ignoring it all together or just pretending not to hear it ringing. Alex had enough of his horrid ringtone and raced over to pick it up.

Barry's eyes were wide as she tossed his phone to him. Alexandra simply told him to agree to the date and left. Linda had asked him out a couple times before, but each time he declined. Third time really was the charm for her.

He didn't see her again for the rest of the day, even when he stopped by her apartment. Barry didn't know how she knew that it was Linda asking him to go out, or why she told him to say yes. Either way, he had agreed to the night out and even sparked the idea of going bowling.

Alex avoided her apartment and in fact ended up in Barry's childhood home. She was all caught up on the images they found and the blood that was tested. The fact that she had to learn all of that from shifting into the scarlet speedster offended her almost. It wasn't until she also learned that he planned on telling her that night along with the plan he formed to save his mother.

All day she had stayed and studied the images. If Barry wanted to save his mother and stop the Reverse Flash, then she would be all hands in. Even if that meant staring at the holographic pictures until her head began to hurt. There wasn't much to go off of and she didn't figure anything out that they didn't already know.

By eight o'clock that evening, Alex finally went back to her apartment and poured herself a drink. The glass had barely touched her lips when her phone rang.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a date?"

"Were you out running tonight? Like half an hour ago?" Barry's voice sounded concerned.

"No? Barry what's wrong?" Alex set her glass down. He didn't answer, and the only thing that could be heard over the phone was his heavy breathing, though she could swear he was muttering to himself. "Look, I'm coming to find you."

"No! No, I'm fine, Alex." Barry finally spoke. She was already standing up to head out of the door. He sounded worried, and it wasn't often that he did. Barry was always calm, he was able to maintain that personality when Alex couldn't. "There was another meta at the morgue. The police are on their way."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I've got to go. I'll meet you at STAR Labs in a bit," Barry assured. There was no need. She was already shifting into him as he hung up. Ever since she invaded his thoughts and found out about Linda, there was always a voice in her head that told her that she shouldn't. Barry had the right to his privacy and she completely ignored it.

He would tell her if he wanted her to stop, right?

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"Trigeminal headache?"

"Brain freeze, Caitlin. Please just call it a brain freeze," Alex strode into the cortex and snatched the red slushie from Cisco's hand and took a sip for herself. He cried out in protest and she rolled her eyes before sliding the drink across the desk. A picture of their newest meta was popped up on the screen. "Who's that? He's cute."

"Mark Mardon, aka Weather Wizard," Alex smirked, however the look Barry was giving her along with their conversation from early, she made a straight face. He was still worried about whatever he saw, she could tell. With all the time they had spent together training and elsewhere, she knew him well.

"I just remembered, during our run in with Clyde Mardon, I was tinkering with something to attract unbound atmospheric electrons. The only way Mardon can control the weather is if he can tap into the atmosphere's natural electrical circuit, and if we take that circuit away, clear skies."