Flashette(Book Four)

12

     The piercing sounds of baby screams filled my ears, causing me to awaken quickly. I opened my eyes suddenly and sat up. I reached for the baby monitor on my nightstand and turned the volume dial down. My eyes slowly started adjusting to the light. I leaned for my robe on the edge of the bedpost and felt a hand grip my waist. I looked over to see Barry propped up on his elbow with a smile.
"Merry Christmas," Barry mumbled. I shrugged the robe on my shoulders and bent down to plant a sweet kiss on his lips.
"Tis the season," I said as I slid on my slippers and clicked the wake button on my phone. At least it was past 8am.
"I'm gonna go get them up", I said as I walked towards the door and reached for the knob.
"I'll join you," Barry's voice replied. I could hear him get up and remake his side of the bed. I looked back to see his red and white striped candy-cane pajamas. I smiled as I looked down and saw my same pair. Yes, we do have matching pajamas. We are couple goals.
Barry followed me to the twins' room where I slowly pushed the door open and our twins were sitting up in their cribs, their faces red and cheeks tear stained. When Barry and i came into their view, they immediately stopped crying. Both of them smiled wide and began giggling. I went for Sampson, and Barry grabbed Destiny. After we changed the two and got them into their pajamas to match Barry and I's, we brought them downstairs where we fed them and sat them down in the living room. Barry and I sat down on the couch and the twins were in their playpen. Under our Christmas tree was a boatload of presents.
"This one's from Joe and Iris," Barry said as he sat down next to me with a big box in his hand. He began to peel back the paper as the twins watched attentively. The gift was a "saucer". A toy you could put the kids in and they could bounce around in place. It had a whole bunch of toys around the seat so the children would never be bored. A note stuck to the gift said: "for those days when all they want to do is run". I smiled and looked at the saucer.
"Definitely going to use that", Barry said with a smile. "These two for sure are going to be a handful...". I looked over at the twins who were in their playpen, grinning widely as they tore up a piece of wrapping paper.
"Next gift is from Felicity and Oliver", Barry said as he handed me a small envelope. I peeled back the seal and took a look inside. Inside was a series of photos. The majority of the photos were of the twins' party after Earth-X, but some of them were from events such as our parties (one photo was of Barry hammered on Cisco's truth serum). Another photo was of all of the girls when we went out to dinner together. One photo was of Barry and I sharing a kiss at the twins' party, another of Cisco giving his speech, and the very last photo captured at the most perfect moment: the two streaks of blue and purple lightning.
"I'll remember that moment forever", I said as I showed Barry the picture. "Technically first steps...They do grow up so fast". Barry and I took turns opening the rest of our presents. The majority of what was left was gifts we'd gotten for the twins. We were going to have Christmas with the S.T.A.R Labs gang later on. At one point there were only two presents under the tree left: a small envelope from Barry to me, and a small box from me to Barry.
"Who wants to open first?" Barry asked as he reached under the tree and pulled the two gifts out from under the tree. He looked up at me and wriggled his eyebrows.
"How about at the same time?" I asked, holding out my hand to take his gift to me from his right hand.
"I want to see your face when you open mine", Barry said as he placed the small white box in his lap. "So how about you go first." I reached for the white envelope and took it in my hands. I then felt around the edges in an attempt to locate the seam that kept it closed. After finding it, I lifted it up and reached my hand inside. I felt a small piece of paper. I slowly lifted it out of the envelope and read it aloud.
"Good for one kid free weekend to...the Allen's winter cabin...BARRY!" I looked up at him excitedly and leaned over, throwing my arms out wide. I hugged him tightly.
"I'm glad you like it..." Barry chuckled. "Iris said she'd watch the kids, and I know we haven't had some alone time in a while, so I thought it would be nice to get away for a while".
"Thank you, Bar!...But when exactly were you planning on having this trip?". Barry shrugged his shoulders.
"It was something that I just learned belonged to my family, and it's open from November to March. We can go anytime, really". I was so excited. A kid-free mini vacation with Barry all to myself? Don't get me wrong, I love my family and friends, but sometimes you just need to get away for a bit.
"Compared to your gift, mine looks pretty sucky".
"It's not about the gift, Chlo. I already have everything i'll ever need right here," Barry said, pulling me in for a hug. "You gave me your love, this family...You are always doing things for me, so the least I can do is something for you". Barry and I shared a moment of eye contact in silence. After everythign we've faced, this was what I always wait for. That short moment of peace where it's just my family and I. I can enjoy their presence in serenity without worrying about outside interruptions.
"It's your phone," Barry said as my ringtone buzzed through the house. I groaned rolled my eyes. I slowly leaned over to grab my phone off the end table and read the caller ID.
"It's Caitlin. I'm going to take the call. Like always with these little interruptions, i'll get back to you later." I clicked the green call button and joined Barry again on the couch. Barry wrapped his arm around my shoulder and my back pressed against his side.
"Merry Christmas!" Caitlin's voice exclaimed on the other end of the phone. I smiled immediately at the sound of my best friend's voice. Her voice just radiates happiness and positivity.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Cait", I said with a smile. "Are you all having a holly, jolly S.T.A.R Labs Christmas?" I asked. Caitlin chuckled.
"You know it's always holly and jolly around here." In the background, I could hear Cisco, Ralph, and Harry arguing. "Do you guys have anything you want to say to Chloe and Barry?" Caitlin asked everyone on the other end of the phone. That end of the phone was silent for a moment before they all decided to chime in.
   "Chloe, you should be here to help decorate. You too, Slim Jim! Cisco's not very good," Ralph said. A small smile crept on my face. I looked over at Barry, who rolled his eyes at Ralph's greeting. I could tell all hell was about to break loose.
"What do you mean?" Cisco replied. "I've done research. It's exactly proportionate...You want to know what's terrible? Your multiple personalities. How can you be both scrooge and the grinch combined?". Barry and I shared a glance. At this point, I wish we were there to see this unfold. "...You're a mean one. No one wouldn't touch you with a 39 and a half foot pole". Barry and I were now full on laughing. Cisco strikes again with his movie reference knowledge.
"He's a little on edge because he hasn't heard anything from Gypsy." My mouth formed an "oh", as I processed Caitlin's words. His behavior was starting to make sense. "He got her a gift, but hasn't heard anything back."
"That would explain his PMS-ing," I replied. Caitlin giggled.
"He got her a gift and everything, but he hasn't heard back," Caitlin replied. My mouth formed an "oh". That explained a lot. "Other than that, nothing else new here. Do you have any other holiday plans?".
"Just finishing opening up some presents here. We're spending some time together, and then making our way to Joe's for the West family Christmas party later tonight. You're all invited, of course". I heard shuffling on the other end of the phone. Someone was getting closer to Caitlin.
"Even little old Ralphie?" I could hear Ralph ask over the phone.
    "Yes, Ofcourse," I replied.
    "Yes!...I mean...Good... If not I would've been spending it with my Nana."
"Awe," I responded. "That's sweet! Why did you make it seem so bad?". Ralph paused.
"She's cool and all, but she doesn't' remember me. Every time I see her I have to explain my whole life story and how i'm part of her family".
"Look at you, caring for your Nana. Even at her worst, you're still giving her your best." Ralph snickered at my words. My eyebrows furrowed.
"No...I'm just doing it for the inheritance money. I'm the only one who comes around, so she kind of has to give it all to me." I rolled my eyes. I should've known Ralph with his hidden agenda. He wasn't the love type, even if it was for a family member.
"And there it is...Classic Ralph," I could feel Ralph's ego beaming through the phone.
"The one and only!...H-Hey! I--wasn't done!" Ralph's voice got quieter. Caitlin must've walked away, taking the phone with her.
"Other than some decorating and a minimal amount of meta-monitoring, that's everything going on here. I'm going to run out with Harry and get a cup of coffee later at Jitters if you want to join".
"You know Barry and I are always up for some Jitters Java. Just text us what time, and we'll be there!".
"Great! I've gotta get back to these guys, but i'll see you later."
"Bye Cait! Merry Christmas!" I responded before hanging up the phone. I looked back over at Barry, who was attentively watching the twins in their playpen.
"Sounds like business as usual at S.T.A.R Labs. Wouldn't be Christmas without them arguing at some point". I smiled. Though they could be a handful at some point, I loved them all.
"Now how about your gift?," I responded as Barry's gaze redirected towards the little box on his lap. He picked it up and placed it to his ear, shaking it. I held out my hand and gripped his arm, stopping him.
    "Barry! Don't-".
    "Oops...Sorry..." he replied as he placed it back on his lap. He untied the little box I wrapped around the box and tore away the wrapping paper. He lifted the top off the white box to reveal a silver necklace. After figuring out what it was, he examined it carefully. At the bottom of the necklace was a small charm. The front had one of both Destiny and Sampson's footprints on them. On the back was my handprint. Barry looked up from the necklace with a smile.
"I know you're not the necklace type, but I thought you would like it. Now you can take a piece of us wherever you go."
"I love it!" he exclaimed, placing the chain around his neck and clasping it. The charm rested right above his heart. He looked down and admired it for a few moments. "And I love you...", Barry responded, planting a passionate kiss to my lips. "And I love all of you," Barry said, looking over to the baby pen next to the tree where Destiny and Sampson were rolling around in a sea of torn wrapping paper.
"We love you too," I responded as I rested my head on Barry's shoulder. He intertwined his fingers with mine and we continued watching over our twins.
Barry and I took the day to spend with ourselves and the twins. We played with the babies, watched some tv, even had some "alone" time when the twins were asleep...All things we haven't able to do peacefully for a while. We were so caught up in everyone else's lives that we weren't focusing on our own.
The bed shifted as Barry rolled over and wrapped his strong arms around me. I could feel his bare torso against my clothless back. He placed a kiss to my neck and shoulder and I smiled.
"How's that for a Christmas present?", Barry asked. I rolled over slowly and met his bright green eyes. They were still full of passion and lust.
"We haven't been able to do this for a while," I replied. I placed a hand to Barry's chest and traced his muscles. "I'm just surprised the kids are still asleep. We fell asleep for a while, too. Usually they'd be awake by now. It's been a few hours".
"I would've thought with all the screaming in here they'd be wailing". My eyes widened. I don't know why comments like that from Barry still surprised me. We were married, we have kids of our own. We were both adults.
"Barry!" I responded with a playful slap to his muscular chest.
"What?" he replied with a smug expression. Maybe I realized I didn't like these comments because I knew Barry's vulgar mind was right. There was no point in fighting it. "And if you're up for more, there's always plenty where that came from," Barry smirked. He leaned in slowly towards my lips. I leaned in to meet his lips. Before he reached them he changed his direction and kissed behind my ear. I melted into his touch. Before things got too far I sat up.
"Consider that an IOU. We have to meet Caitlin for coffee and then we have the party."
"Consider it the afterparty", Barry responded before pecking me on the lips and rolling back over to his side of the bed. I sat up from my side of the bed and began picking up my clothes that were dispersed all around the room. I didn't hear anything from the twins' room, but I still checked their room to make sure they were okay.
After checking on the twins (who were still sleeping soundly), I began getting ready for the rest of the night. We were meeting for coffee and going immedietely to Joe's party, so I decided to put on my Christmas party outfit. I showered quickly and brushed my hair. My hair ended up drying curly from the shower, so I didn't have to do anything special with it. I then trotted over to my closet and picked out my outfit: a long red sweater with black leggings and heeled tan boots. I left my hair down and adjusted my outfit in the mirror.
"You're lucky we have plans," Barry stated as he appeared in the mirror behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed my body into his. His hands rested on my stomach. "If we didn't...I'd get you outta that real quick," Barry whispered in my ear as he looked me up and down in the mirror.
"You look pretty tasty too, Mr Allen," I whispered as I turned to face him. I put a hand up to his cheek and took it away slowly, teasing him. He looked down and examined his outfit: a button up red and green plaid shirt with khakis and his signature converse.
After we were both ready to go, we walked down the hall to see the twins were ready for us. They both stood up in their cribs, using the front bars for support. As soon as we entered the room their faces lit up. They bounced up and down and squealed as we picked them up and placed them on the changing tables. They both wore matching onesies with little Santas on them.
When everyone was dressed, we walked the twins down the stairs into the living room where Barry got the stroller out from the closet and placed the diaper bag in the bottom. I bundled up the twins and placed them both in their stroller. Barry helped me put on my long trench coat after putting on his own. When we were ready to go, we stepped outside into the night air. The night wasn't too cold, but it was too beautiful to waste. We decided to walk to Jitters. It was only right down the street.
"What a beautiful night," I responded as we walked along the sidewalk. It was only a few minutes before we reached downtown. Downtown Central City at night was breathtaking. Store signs and streetlights were lit, the air was calm, and it was surprisingly quiet. Barry was pushing the stroller with my arm interlocked in his.
We stepped off the sidewalk and crossed the street, the Jitters sign coming into view a few shops ahead. In contrast with what was a peaceful night, a dark suited figure appeared in front of the Jitters doorway abruptly and shattered its glass doors. Glass shards errupted and flew throughout the air like snowflakes. Barry and I turned around quickly in an attempt to shield the twins and ourselves from the scene. The twins began to wail. We quickly speeded over behind one of the cars parked in the line. I managed to get the twins quiet while Barry kept lookout. I could see faintly the figure look around quickly before stepping inside the broken doors.
"I don't think they noticed us."
"We have to do something, Caitlin's in there." Barry nodded along with my comment as we stood up and backed away slowly from the parked car. We knew we had to get back to S.T.A.R Labs and help them. Caitlin's been trying not to use her powers as often, so she was in a very vulnerable state. We knew we had to act fast, so we cautiously began making our way to S.T.A.R Labs.
"Lookout!" Barry shouted into the darkness as he pushed the twins and I behind a parked car. A blast of some sort hit the concrete a few feet from where we were previously standing and created a small crater in the center of the street. "Stay here," Barry commanded as he sped away quickly and returned in his suit. He now stood in the center of the street, parallel to the mysterious figure who shot us. I peered over the edge of the car to see the figure suspended in the air by some sort of floating chair. He had tubes coming out of his head, connected to a helmet he wore. I watched from a distance as Barry tried to fight him off. He struggled greatly. I wanted to help so badly, but I wasn't going to leave the twins here. Things were happening so fast it was hard to process exactly what I should've done.
"BARRY!", I yelled as I watched him fly through the air. He fell to the ground with a groan and struggled to stand. The twins were beginning to cry in distress once again, and I tried to keep them quiet. All of the sudden, the car in front of where we were hiding was lifted up and I was exposed. The man in the chair used these mechanical arms (kind of like Marvel's: "Doc Oc"), and threw the car off into the distance. I clutched the stroller's handle and turned them away from the figure. The man grinned widely.
"Hello Chloe....Sampson...Destiny...Having a fun: 'Baby's first Christmas'?" the man asked with a laugh. I shifted positions and stood in front of the stroller, protecting them. I couldn't quite figure it out, but there was something familiar about this villain. He reminded me of someone i've seen before.
"Chloe, GO!" Barry exclaimed. I turned my head to see Barry had regained his balance. I could tell he was preparing to fight. "Get them somewhere safe!".
"I'm not leaving you alone!," I replied, shaking my head.
"If you stay, you continue to put them at risk. What choice do you have?" Barry asked. I watched as he sped around the scene and jumped off a parked car. He managed to latch onto the floating chair. He raised his hand into a fist to punch the figure, but one of the mechanical arms grabbed onto his head and stopped him.
"BAR!" I yelled as the man floating chair drifted away, taking Barry with him. I shushed the twins, who were now sobbing lightly. I quickly called S.T.A.R Labs and speedily made my way over there.
"Barry was taken!" I exclaimed as I ran into the cortex with the twins in the stroller. I could see the team were already dealing with something. Everyone was in the cortex, and Cisco was frantically typing at his computer. I noticed Harry in the corner with a few bruises and an ice pack resting on his head.
"What happened to you?" I asked. Harry took the ice pack off his head and rubbed the sore spot.
"So was Caitlin..." Harry said as he held an ice pack to his head. "Amunet took her".
"That was the figure that attacked Jitters! Barry and I saw her before he was taken". After my comment, Ralph took a few steps forward.
"Totally not a coincidence or anything that two of our team members were taken at the same time...". He shuffled through a few loose papers on the table, looking productive.
"No really, Captain Obvious", I said to Ralph sarcastically. "Two very vital members to our team, you might add".
"There has to be a way to find them."
"Have you tried using the satellites to track Caitlin's Cryokinetic energy or speedforce readings from Barry?", I asked, proposing an idea. Cisco looked up from his computer and shook his head.
"I tried vibing for Caitlin already and didn't get anything, but I can try vibing for Barry," Cisco said as he stood up from his chair and took a few steps from his desk. He placed his hands on his temples and shut his eyes. The room went silent. As if out of a movie, Cisco was suddenly thrown from his position and flew across the room. It looked as if he was possessed by some sort of ghoul. I jogged over to him and helped him up. He groaned.
"You okay?" I asked as I helped Cisco to his feet. He rubbed his head.
"I think it's safe to say that I won't be vibing anytime soon". I helped Cisco get to a chair, and he sat down in it slowly.
"Did you see anything?" I asked. Cisco shook his head.
"I can't seem to find him, wherever he is. This hasn't happened before". My eyebrows furrowed. Barry must've been somewhere untraceable if even Cisco couldn't find him. It was safe to say that whoever this floating chair person was isn't going down without a fight.
"Where's Joe? Maybe CCPD found something," I proposed. "I called him right before I got here".
"We didn't," Joe's voice trailed down the hallway along with the sound of his footsteps. After a few moments Joe appeared in the cortex with a stack full of papers. He placed them down on the horeshoe table infront of what my computer. "DeVoe was the first person we checked, considering Barry's recent fascination with him. DeVoe practically begged us to search his house. No sign of Barry there". I stood, thoughtless for a moment. Barry's wherabouts genuinely perplexed me.
"Don't forget, you're in the presence of a master private investigator," Ralph said, raising a finger in the air and puffing his chest. We all looked at Ralph skepticly.
"What? I've had a ton of missing persons cases. Consider me an expert." I rolled my eyes at his words.
"Once there was a wife who ended up faking her own death", Ralph mumbled to Harry, who wore a look of uninterest. "She just used that as a cover to move to Arizona". Cisco turned to Ralph with a sarcastic expression.
"I'm sure Barry didn't fake his own death and move to Arizona".
"There was another case I had similar to this, a women couldn't find her husband...." Ralph said with a chuckle. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"How is this funny?" I asked, crossing my arms. Not that his stories were the main focus right now, but I wanted to see his response.
"She ended up having amnesia and didn't recognize him! The best part about it all: he was home the entire time!", Ralph exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "And I still got paid! Twice!". I could tell Ralph was very proud of himself. These were the kind of habits we were trying to break him of. Time and a place, just like when you're teaching a child. At times, that's what it felt like when teaching Ralph the ropes...Raising a child.
"Not that this is any time for jokes or mediocre stories, can we get back to the task at hand?" I asked in an attempt to redirect the group
"Seriouslly, knock it off!", Cisco said with a raised voice. Ralph's head quickly darted in Cisco's direction. I placed my head in my hands. This is not what I needed to deal with right now.
"You need to say something, Ramon?" Ralph challenged, taking a few steps towards Cisco.
"Yeah, I do, Ralphie boy," Cisco said as he stood up from his seat and met Ralph in the center of the cortex. They were now up in eachother's faces. Before it escalated, I stepped inbetween them and broke it apart.
"Cool it, gentleman...". Cisco gave Ralph a stern stare and turned around to sit back in his seat.
"If he messes with me again I swear i'll breech his ass to----".
"Cisco", I warned. Cisco stopped mid-sentence and began typing at his computer once again. Ralph remained in the same spot. "Two of our teammates are missing, can we please keep it together and find them?". Ralph sighed. Both Harry and Joe nodded, and Cisco gave no response. His silence was all the answer I needed. I knew that all he wanted to do was find our teammates. He was very protective of them all. I get where he was coming from with Ralph, too. It's taken a lot of my strength not to speed Ralph somewhere and leave him, just to teach him a lesson or to. But like all of us did at one point, he's learning.
"I guess..." Ralph responded. "But i'll do my pondering elsewere. I'll be in whatever room is furthest from here. I need a break..." Ralph said as he walked towards the exit of the cortex.
"Speed lab is that way Ralph," I called down the hallway. Ralph's figure came back into view. I pointed to the exit on the other side of the cortex by where Harry was sitting. Ralph nodded.
    "I knew that!" he responded before walking in the other direction, passing us, and dissappearing down the other hallway to the speedlab. Everyone dispersed shortly after Ralph. Harry went to his lab, and Joe went to examine Barry's abduction sight. Cisco and I were the only ones in the cortex.
"You know there's still a tough choice to make," Cisco said as he continued typing on his computer. "Ralph may be good at stalling, but you're not. The satellites can't find both of them, and i'm sure you know that by now. As the team leader, you make the tough choices." I sighed and looked up at the monitors. Displayed on them were all we knew about Barry and Caitlin so far: abduction sights, captors, witnesses, last locations. But none of this information proved useful. It felt as if we were running in circles.
"I made the choice, we look for both," I stated. Cisco shook his head.
"Our technology can't handle both. It's either one or the other." I stepped away from the table and paced the room for a few moments.
"You're asking me to choose between my husband and my best friend. Most likely if I choose to save one, the other one dies."
"Unfortunately, yes. And the more time we lose, the greater risk of losing them." The room fell silent as the tension between Cisco and I began to rise.
"C'mon Sally!" Ralph exclaimed as he walked into the cortex, breaking the silence and easing the tension. "Find Caitlin and Barry!". Ralph joined Cisco and I's side and began pressing buttons. "Don't be a bum! Get to work!". He was clearly in a different mood, but I wasn't going to push.
"Ralph, are you alright?" I asked, looking him over. He fixed his shirt and looked up at me with a smile.
"We have a job to do! C'mon!".
"Are you yelling at my satellite?" Cisco asked, agitated. "And her name isn't Sally".
"I'm sorry...I don't know how to process guilt..." Ralph's head hung low for a moment. "Humor is my cover for expressing emotions. I just wanted to say i'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. I've been kind of a dick lately".
"You're not the only one at fault here. I'm sorry too," Cisco said softly.
"If i'm being honest here, I haven't had friends in a long time. If you were my old group of friends you would've left me by now. I suck at being a friend, and me being annoying isn't helping".
"Thank you for being so open with your emotions Ralph, but we are part of a team, and we have a job to do", I replied to his apology. It wasn't that I didn't care or wasn't gratefu for him finally coming to his senses, but we were on a time sensitive schedule.
"And so do you as team leader," Cisco replied, looking up at me. I gulped. At this point, I made my decision. It was a hard choice to make, for sure.
"Barry and I have faced a boatload of metas and kidnappings. I trust Barry to take care of himself. Caitin is in a very vulnerable state right now if Killer Frost mode hasn't been activated."
"So..." Cisco replied, awaiting my response.
"So...We're going after Caitlin. Turn off the speedforce satellite." Cisco's fingers immietely danced along the keyboard in a wave of chimes and ringing noises from the satellite. It was almost as if he knew my decision before I spoke it aloud. He could read my mind like that sometimes.
"And..." Cisco said as he frantically typed at the computer. "System is searching....Got it! East wing of St. Alexander Hospital," Cisco pulled up the location on the map and we all looked over it.
"Make sure Joe is on standby," I noted, nodding at Cisco. Cisco typed a moment more and traded places with Harry, who took over for this mission as our overwatch. I then turned back to the rest of the team.
"Everyone, suit up." I sped quickly into my suit and looked back at Ralph. Cisco was on his way to the suit closet and proceeded to change. "Ralph, you have your suit?,"I asked. He reached into his pocked and grabbed the small barbie sized piece of cloth.
"I never leave without it", Ralph replied jokingly as he put on his suit. Cisco put on his goggles and nodded. He held out his fist and created a breech, which we all hopped into.
After stepping out of the breech we all took a moment to examine our surroundings for any signs of immediate danger. It's clearly been rundown for years. Mold was setting in, many windows were broken, lights barely operated, and bugs crawled around the walls and ceilings. We walked around cautiously, looking around the scene for any sign of Caitlin.
One room in particular that we stumbled upon looked different from the rest. There was an array of machines in the center of a room that surrounded a table. As we got closer, we could see an iv drip and a needle hanging over the edge of the bed. It appeared to be recently administered.
"Someone's clearly been here," I said as I looked over the rest of the details. Heart rate and vital machines beeped softly. A clipboard was also found on the floor with some sort of illegible writing on it.
"No sign of them elsewhere," Ralph said as he entered the room, looking around. "Maybe she's not--". Ralph's words were cutoff by a car horn and a loud crash outside the building. I jogged to the window to see Amunet, Caitlin, and a stranger battling it out in the street. Caitlin and the stranger were cornered by Amunet, who was walking toward them with her fist in the air. I turned to Cisco quickly.
"Caitlin's not Killer Frost, and Amunet's going to kill her. Get us outside, quick!". Cisco held his fist in the air quickly and made a breech. We all hopped through and were taken outside to where Caitlin was.
Time went by slowly as metal shards shot out from Amunet's fists and into the air towards Caitlin and the strange figure. I sped in front of the two and caught the shards while Cisco shot a blast at Amunet. She flew back and remained on the ground.
"Are you a time traveller? That hair is straight from the 90s" Cisco said as he stepped towards Caitlin and the figure. I turned to her after ensuring Amunet was secure.
"Are you alright, Cait?" I asked as I dropped Amunet's metal pieces to the ground.
"I'm aright. Glad to see you guys," she said with a smile.
"Did you think we were going to leave you?" I asked, pulling Caitlin in for a hug. Her heart was beginning to beat normally. I could tell this confrontation with Amunet (especially because she didn't have her powers), scared her. "We're Team Flashes. We'll always find you." Caitlin patted my back.
"And like a dog, i'll always find my way back home," a familiar voice stated jokingly. My heart lept at the sound of his comforting voice. I turned around and smiled widely at the figure who approached us.
"BARRY!" I exclaimed as I sped quickly into his embrace. It was so comforting to be back in his arms again. "I hope you don't think I deserted you. We could only save one of you, Caitlin was vulnerable, and--". Barry stopped me from my anxious rant. Despite me thinking he'd be even the slightest bit upset, he smiled. He looked deep in my eyes and stroked my cheek. His fingers peeled back the top of my mask and he pulled it down, my messy brown hair falling into my face.
"I get it. You don't have to explain your decision. If I were in that position, I would've chosen her too. As much as I would've wanted to pick you, I know you can hold your own," Barry's hand rested on my cheek.
"There you are," Joe's voice stated as he approached the group. Barry removed his hand from my cheek and we move in the direction of Joe's voice. "Harry had me on standby a few blocks down. I'm glad to see everyone's alright". Joe looked over at Barry and smiled. At this point, the rest of the team joined us, and we were huddled in a small circle.
"We looked all over for you. Not even my vibes were working."
"I was in some kind of trap made by DeVoe. He was the one who attacked us earlier."
"How did you get out?".
"I phased so fast, I was able to escape. I tried fighting him again, and he took me on a little ride in his chair around the city. Broke a few windows, almost got hit by a few cars...We were flying over the river and I managed to break his chair. He plummeted into the ocean along with the chair, and I didn't see any sign of him after that."
"His dissappearence makes sense. CCPD's been trying to track him, and we can't find facial recognition on him or his wife anywhere".
"I'm sure we'll definietly be hearing from him soon," I replied. "People like him don't necessarily go down that easy." The team nodded in agreement at my words.
"Especially because he seemed to be very interested in me and my powers. Who knows, maybe he'll go after Chloe next".
"And when he comes back, we'll be even more prepared. For now, let's just celebrate this victory. Both of our teammates are back once again, and here is where they shall stay," Cisco looked over at both Caitlin and Barry with a smile. Caitlin leaned into Cisco's side and gave him a hug.
"I must admit, your flotation feature of the suit really came in handy. It saved my ass".
"Gotta be prepared for every situation," Cisco said with a smile.
"Though you can't really prepare for an evil Meta-collecting Mary Poppins and a 'Doc-Oc'/'Modok' wannabee", I replied.
"Seems more like a Thanos type to me," Cisco replied. The rest of the team furrowed their eyebrows and looked at us with confused expressions. They didn't understand our Marvel references. Cisco and I were the biggest nerds here.
"What a better way to put you in the Christmas spirit!" Cisco said, jokingly.
"You're right...It is Christmas," I noted. With all of today's events, it didn't even seem like Christmas.
"Speaking of...We were supposed to have our Christmas party tonight, but I didn't have time to decorate the house," Joe replied. "If you still want to do Christmas...". I cut Joe off.
"Are you kidding?" I asked. "Ofcourse we still want to do Christmas!".
"Alright...I'll see what I can do in this short amount of time."
"Do you mind if I invite Dominic?" Caitlin asked as we were about to disperse. The team looked back at her with puzzled expressions. We were all thinking the question: "Who's Dominic?". Caitlin cleared her throat and looked behind her. We all followed her actions, and noticed the same boy Caitlin was fighting alongisde when she was battling Amunet.
"Amunet wanted me to preform a procedure on him, and you all helped me save his life. He would've been dead if you hadn't come." Dominic looked up from his position of sitting on the curb. He noticed us all glancing over at him and waved nervouslly. We looked back at eachother.
"The more the merrier," Joe replied. "I mean, it is Christmas". I took a step forward.
"Then let's have ourselves a merry little Christmas," I said to the team as Barry slung his arm around my shoulder. "We'll debrief at S.T.A.R Labs and then head over to Joe's." The team nodded.
"Sounds like a plan," Cisco said as he made a fist and a breech appeared in the center of the dimly lit street. Cisco observd as the team stepped inside and was taken to S.T.A.R Labs. "Hey, where's Ralph?" Cisco asked after Joe, Caitlin, and Dominic stepped inside. Barry and I were the only two left. Barry and I looked around the scene with furrowed brows. We shrugged our shoulders.
"Propably went to the bar for his Christmas for one. He did feel pretty bad about his behavior today...".
"I didn't even notice he slipped out".
"I'm sure we'll get another 3am call," I replied before stepping into the breech, followed by Barry and Cisco. The breech closed behind us all as we huddled togther in the cortex. After taking off our suits we discussed everything that happened. Caitlin explained that Amunet took her so she could perform an operation on Dominic. He had a chip in the back of his neck that gave him telepathic powers. Amunet thought he'd be too powerful, so she kidnapped Caitlin so she could use her medical expertise to remove it. After her experience was discussed, Barry talked about his. He was abducted off the street and taken to some blue lit room of DeVoe. Inside the room looked empty, but there were little cameras where DeVoe could see different aspects of our lives, mostly Barry's. We later found out that DeVoe's been watching us for a while now. That could explain his possible obsession with Barry since the beginning. After all the details were discussed and recorded, we all decided we had enough of this for one day. It was Christmas after all! Eventually we went our seperate ways and met back at Joe's house. Barry and I had to stop at home to change, pick up our presents for everyone, make sure the twins were all taken care of, and then go to Joe's.
We stood at the familiar door for a moment after knocking. A few seconds later, shuffling was heard behind the door. It opened, and a wide smile appeared on Joe's face.
"C'mon in, guys!" Joe exclaimed as he stepped back and allowed Barry and I to step inside. Barry placed down the bag of gifts he was carrying under the tree. Cisco stopped him and they preceeded to have a conversation.
"Come to grandpa," he replied as he leaned in and gave both Destiny and Sampson kisses on the cheek. "Lemme take one of them for you," Joe responded as he reached for Destiny and lifted her from my grip. She wriggled and squirmed as he settled her in his arms. I smiled looking at him. It made my heart warm knowing he was going to do this all over again. Any kid would be lucky to have Joe as their father...I certainly was.
"I thought you didn't have time to decorate," I noted as I looked around the room in awe. Aside from the well lit, ornament heavy Christmas tree, tinsel, bows, garland, lights, and red/green items were everywhere. There were Christmas figurines, an assortment of food, fake snow, and even Santa Clause is Comin' to Town" was on in the background. Joe shook his head.
"I didn't." He continued playing with Destiny as I looked at him with confusion.
"If you didn't, who--".
"Merry Christmas!" a voice boomed as it emerged from the kitchen, cutting me off. My eyes went wide at the sight. To my surprise, it was Ralph. He held a plate of cookies in his hand. He wore a Santa suit and puffed out his belly to replicate Santa. Joe joined the rest of the team on the couch, leaving me along.
"Just like a bowl full of jelly," Ralph joked as he put the plate of cookies on the table and joined me on the landing.
"That's why you slipped out. I was wondering where you went," I said as I looked around the room once again with a wide smile. For once, he was thinking about someone other than himself.
"I realized that I don't always say or do the right thing. You guys deserve better from me for allowing me to be part of your team." He looked down at Sampson and smiled. He held out one of his arms and stroked Sampson's arm, causing Sampson to smile. "Besides, i'm supposed to be setting a good example here," Ralph kept his eyes focused on Sampson.
"Do you want to hold him?" I asked, looking down at Ralph. Ralph looked up quickly and took a small step back.
"I-I don't know...I'm not really good with kids...I--".
"C'mon!" I insisted. "It's Christmas! Besides, he hasn't had the chance to properly meet his Uncle Ralph". Ralph looked up at me with wide eyes.
"U-Uncle...". I nodded.
"You're an important member to this team, Ralph," I reassured him. "You're important to member to all of us...To Barry and I...To the twins...And though you may get on our nerves sometimes, you're going to always be a member of this team." Ralph's expression turned soft. I could see that part of him was starting to turn around. He was starting to finally realize what it meant to be a part of a team. I changed Sampson's position in my arms and held him out slowly to Ralph. Ralph reached out his hands reluctantly, but eventually took Sampson from my grasp. He cradled Sampson in his arms almost perfectly. Sampson didn't even cry or make a sound. Instead, he smiled as he looked up at Ralph.
"See...You're a natural!" I said as I looked down at him. Ralph's eyes remained focused on the baby in his arms. He chuckled at my words. He looked up at me with a small tear in his eye. I've never seen him like this before.
"Are you alright?" I asked. Ralph nodded and bounced up and down a little.
"Yeah. I've just never felt this way before," he responded. "I'm not really one to admit it, but--".
"I get it..You'll have a family of your own someday."
"Maybe in the future, but that's not what i'm talking about...You guys make me feel like i'm part of the family," he responded, glancing over at the rest of the team.
"Because you are," I replied, placing a hand on Ralph's shoulder. He looked up at me with a smile.
"A BREAK-UP CUBE?" I could hear Cisco yell in the distance. I turned around and noticed Cisco sitting on the sofa with a device in his hands. My heart dropped. Wally would've been better to have here to help him deal with this. He wouldn't come over from Blue Valley at this time of night.
"We better go see what's going on," I replied, looking back at Ralph.
"Alright...but Uncle Ralphie wants to hold onto this little fella for a little while longer. Go sit with Barry," Ralph replied. I smiled at him and stroked Sampson's cheek before stepping off the landing and sitting next to Barry on the couch. Ralph entered a few moments later, pulling up a chair and bouncing Sampson on his lap.
"What's gotten into him?" Barry asked, looking over at Ralph. He contiued playign with Sampson.
"Don't worry, you're always going to be Sampson's favorite," I replied, Barry's glance refocusing on me. "I think Ralph just had a change of heart." Barry looked over at Ralph once again before we focused on Cisco, who finally figured out how to work the cube. Harry tried multiple times to warn him about opening it now, but he insisted. Cisco wanted answers, and he wanted them now. I had a bad feeling about it. But Cisco went along with it anyways.
"If she's gonna break up with me, I want to hear why. We're all friends here," Cisco said as he pressed the button on the side of the cube and a hologram of Gypsy appeared. She was wearing a very short Christmas dress with long thigh high black boots. She wasn't dressed for a breakup. I had a feeling I knew where this was heading.
"Somebody told me you've been a very naughty boy this year, Cisco...." Gypsy's voice boomed throughout the room. She said these words in a seductive tone. Now I see why Harry suggested he open this box later when he was alone. Cisco gulped at the realization. "Why don't you come over and jingle my bells, huh?" she asked, looking up seductively and slowly lifting up her dress. My eyes widened. Ralph covered Sampson's ears jokingly. Cisco pressed the off button and the hologram disappeared.
"Sweet baby Jesus," Cisco whispered, staring off into the distance. I had seen this male behavior before. I could see from his face, body language, and changing facial expression that he was feeling her energy.
"Told you it wasn't a breakup cube". Barry leaned closer to me and nibbled my earlobe.
"Where can I get one of those?" Barry asked. I pushed him away. "What if I jingle--", I cut him off.
"Hey!" I replied. We were surrounded by family and friends. I wasn't going to debate this here. I looked back at Cisco.
"And I promise. If you use the same button later, it's not going to be a silent night," Harry whispered to Cisco. We could all hear him clearly. I winced at the thought.
"The same could be said about you, sweetheart," Barry whispered in my ear. I pushed him away playfully once again.
"Joe, do you mind if I--" Cisco started.
"Take that to your house...Definitely," Joe said, uncomfortably. He got up from his seat and helped Cisco gather his presents. Joe then helped Cisco find his coat, which Cisco didn't even put on. The moment Joe opened the door, Cisco was off. At the same time as Cisco made his exit, Dominic appeared in the doorway.
"Hey Dominic!" Caitlin waved. Joe stepped aside and let him in. Joe closed the door behind Dominic and joined us back on the couch. Dominic stood for a moment, looking around the house. He draped his coat over his arm.
"Thank you for having me...Wow! This house is--"
"Bitchin?" Barry chimed in, jokingly. Everyone laughed.
"I was going to say: festive". He took a step off the landing and sat in Cisco's now vacant seat.
"Thanks for the compliment, but who are you again?" Ralph asked.
"You would've met him earlier if you didn't leave so soon," Caitlin replied. "He's the new meta you helped save." Ralph nodded slowly.
"Yeah...Plus, I can read your mind...", Dominic responded. Ralph looked down at Sampson, and then back at Dominic. Ralph clearly wasn't feeling friendly towards Dominic. In all honesty, you have to warm up to him.
"Good! Then you know that there's not enough room for the two of us, and i'm the newest member of this team." Dominic smiled at Ralph's comments.
"I'm not here to compete or fight crime with you guys. I'm just here to help brainstorm some ideas about my powers. Dr Snow said you could help me."
"How about we eat and open presents?" Joe asked, easing the tension between the two. "There's a whole bunch of snacks, and Ralph prepared some food for us in the kitchen".
"I guess I did learn something from Christmases with Nana," Ralph replied with a chuckle. I giggled at this classic Ralph behavior. He was finally starting to be a real member of the team. Everyone piled into the kitchen and grabbed a plate of food. We then settled back in the living room and passed around gifts. We took turns opening presents and sharing many laughs.
"And this next one is from Ralph..." I said as I read the label of the small box. I looked over at Ralph, who wore a small grin. I peeled back the wrapping paper and my hand covered my mouth as I looked at what was inside. I didn't even want to lift it out of the box. We all thought the break-up cube wasn't enough awkwardness, Ralph certainly delivered. Inside the box was a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs. I looked up at Ralph, who shrugged. He continued bouncing Sampson on his lap. We really had a moment there, for a bit. Classic Ralph strikes again.
"All that working at CCPD and I noticed you didn't have a pair," Ralph noted. "Besides, happy couples should always have a pair on hand. You never know," Ralph said with a wink in Barry and I's direction. I put the handcuffs back in the box and placed it in the pile of gifts.
"What did you get?" Joe asked, curiously, as he looked up from Destiny laying in his lap. The team looked around at each other awkwardly. There was already too much awkwardness tonight.
"Amazon gift cards," I replied quickly. "We do buy a lot of baby supplies on there," I covered. Joe nodded. "He bought us two...A pair...".
"You'll certainly use those," he replied, looking down at Destiny.
"They sure will," Ralph responded, wriggling his eyebrows. My eyes narrowed at Ralph, who continued with his smug grin.
"Moving on, I have another one for the little kiddos," Joe said as he handed a bag over to Barry and I. Barry took the wrapping paper off the top and revealed two baby blankets inside. One was pink with a small teddy bear plushie in the center, and the other was yellow with a small duck plushie in the center. Barry got up from his seat and handed one to Sampson, and the other to Destiny. They took them with wide eyes.
"I think they like them..." I noted as I looked over at the twins, who cuddled and played with their blankets tightly. "Thanks Joe."
"Anything for my grand-babies," Joe replied with a smile. We spent the rest of the night munching on holiday treats, opening more gifts, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. It's been a long time since we've gotten together and had a worry free night to ourselves.
A few hours later the night was coming to an end. Everyone took turns saying goodbye and thanking everyone for their gifts. After Barry and I said alright to everyone and the twins had their chance to say goodbye we headed home.
"As always, another fun and successful...At times awkward, West Christmas party." Barry chuckled at my words as he closed the door to our shared bedroom. He just got back from putting the twins to bed. He then took off his coat and placed it in his closet, turning his attention back to me.
"They're going to sleep so nice with those new blankets," Barry noted as he stepped away from the closet. I changed at this point, and was leaning my back against the headboard. "They're going to have a silent night, but you're not," Barry responded as he climbed into bed and sat on top of me, strattling my legs. He planted a passionate kiss to my lips. "Why don't we put Ralph's gift to use?" Barry asked in between kisses.
"This morning wasn't enough?" I asked as I placed a hand to his chest.
"I can never get enough of you," Barry responded before beginning to kiss me lower and lower. He started at my neck and began trailing down my stomach. Barry's head shot up quickly and we both glanced towards his nightstand as his phone began buzzing.
"Who's calling at this time of night?" I asked as Barry climbed off me and reached for his phone.
"Caller ID's not showing up. Hold on," Barry replied before answering the phone and placing his phone up to his ear. I faintly could hear the conversation on the other end of the phone.
"Dominic?" Barry asked with furrowed eyebrows. "What are you--". Barry stopped and listened to Dominic's words. I was confused as to why he was calling at this hour. Maybe something happened? I thought to myself. Maybe Amunet came back. "DeVoe?" Barry asked out of the blue. His expression changed quickly. He was at one point confused, but also frustrated. He said DeVoe's name with grit. I was so confused. "How is this possible?".
"Barry, what's going on?" I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, concerned. Barry held out a finger and placed it to his lips.
"If you hurt my family!" Barry exclaimed through gritted teeth. "I swear--". Barry grew silent again. I could tell this was a very intense conversation. "What do you mean i'm going to need someone to miss me while i'm gone? What did you do?" Barry asked, furrowing his eyebrows once again. He threw his phone down on the bed suddenly and frantically ran around the house. I followed him out into the hallway and down the stairs into our livingspace. I was curious and wanted to know what was going on. Barry didn't give me any answers.
"What happened, Barry?" I asked as I frantically followed him around the house. "Who was that?" I asked.
"It was DeVoe...He's planning something," Barry examined all rooms in the first floor of our house. Checked cabinets and closets, checked for open windows. "You need to go back upstairs incase he's here, make sure the twins are safe."
"Ok," I responded as I walked back upstairs cautiously. I reached the twins' bedroom door and opened it up slowly. I was relieved to see they were both sound asleep. I stroked their heads and looked at their peaceful expressions.
An erruption of yelling and wood breaking filled my ears. The twins heard the sounds too and were awoken from their slumber. They began to cry, and I picked them both up and plotted down the hallway to the top of my stairs. As I looked over the railing, I could see my living room was filled with CCPD officers. They all had flashlights and guns pointed at Barry. My head spun and my emotions swirled. My eyes widened at the horrific sight.
"What's going on here?" I asked as I reached the bottom step and approached Captain Singh.
"Barry Allen, you're under arrest for the murder of Clifford DeVoe," Singh said as he pushed past me and handcuffed Barry, who knelt in the center of the room. His hands were behind his back and remained there as an officer handcuffed him.
"Bartholemew Allen, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..." one of the officers continued as he read Barry his rights.
"I think there's a misunderstanding, he didn't do anything," I spoke, feeling hopeless. "We were at a Christmas party a little while ago, and he was just with me in our bedroom taking a phone call".
"That doesn't explain why Clifford's body was found here." I looked around the house for a moment.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. Barry and I had checked the house, nothng was here. One of the officers pointed his head to the small area behind our Christmas tree. I peered quickly around the corner and gasped at what I saw. DeVoe's bloody body lay there, a white kitchen knife buried in his chest. I stepped back from the body and looked over at Barry, who listened to every order the police gave him. He stood up with his hands behind his back and his gaze met mine. His eyes were full of sadness. We both knew in our hearts he didn't do this. I could tell this same situation reminded him of his father. The same thing was happening to his own children. The only difference was they were too young to understand. Barry didn't deserve this...Our family didn't deserve this torment. This was what DeVoe must've been talking about over the phone. He didn't want to physically manipulate Barry or hurt him, but mentally.
I stood their motionless, eyes full of tears as CCPD officers walked Barry out of our shared home. The twins screeched as they watched their father walking away, surrounded by that group of unfamilliar police officers. I could see the cop cars and flashing red and blue lights through the reflection of our glass front door. Other officers remained in our house to clean, process, and transport the body.
"Captain...Please...There must be somethng you can do," I pleaded as I walked towards him. "Barry's a forensic scientist, you really think he would do something like this?" I asked. Captain shrugged his shoulders.
"I wish there was something I could do. But as of right now, my hands are tied," Captain responded, pushing past me. He walked behind the officers who carried DeVoe's body bag. He closed what we left of our broken door behind him after everyone left. At that point, I began to cry along with the twins. I stood in the center of my living room, clutching the twins tightly and sobbing.
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    UPDATE FOR YOU GUYS!! How's everyone doing? I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy as we go through these tough times.
     I'm back with another chapter! Thank you for 208K reads on the first "Flashette" book! It means so much to me that you guys enjoy reading these books, and thank you for making them a part of your lives! Lots of love to my #FlashetteFam! More updates to come! If there's anything you want to see or just want to talk about the series, leave a comment below! Happy reading, and i'll see you in the next update!
-Flashette1❤️⚡️