You Bring Out The Worst In Me~

[nevergetshome]

It had been some time ago that Thawne had gotten the results of Claire's blood. He messaged her and to his surprise the text kicked back. A phone call told him the number had been disconnected. It only took a little bit of research with Gideon to get her address from this time period only to find out she'd moved. Recently. And where had she moved to? Of all places in the world but Central City. The hometown of his foe. A place he spent fifteen years of his life. It was time to visit his old rival.

Silent observation was key. He kept his distance, but immediately, he felt something interesting. Barry Allen was having trouble handling the Speed Force. The fumbles were small, but enough that he could feel them when Barry faltered. Ahh, so this was around his encounter with the Chameleon. That made sense. What drove a dagger into his heart though was to see Barry Allen and Claire Bennet together. After he'd shared everything with her. Told her how Barry ruined his life. Even if he never said Allen's name, he called him the Flash, and she clearly knew who he was. How could she betray him?!

Just one more reason to hate Barry. One more thing Barry stole from him. One more reason to destroy The Flash. He'd have to teach them both a lesson.

There was a knock at Noah's hotel door. Harrison was standing politely on the other side, waiting for Noah to answer.

Comments

[callmenoah]

Miss Claire once again made him stop and think. Claire hadn't explained, but he saw the look in her eyes. Similar to when Barry had mentioned red lightning. That hollow, pained look when she talked about having met Eobard Thawne.

Noah looked down at the envelope. She had admitted to letting Thawne take samples of her blood, and he knew that Harry and Caitlin had been studying samples as well. For the Chameleon venom antidote, as well as to find out more about the potential interactions between Meta and evolved human physiology.

Now he was doubting himself, and most of all, doubting the man in front of him. Was this truly Harry Wells? It was obvious, talking in the lab, how much he cared for Claire, but he had never referred to her by her first name, in a way that was obviously deliberate, given how he addressed everyone else.

"You turned around on the last name thing pretty quickly with Claire," he commented offhandedly, with more amusement than suspicion. He was holding onto the benefit of the doubt, and if this was Thawne, it wouldn't do to get hostile. "She has a way of charming people like that. I know more than anyone - she did it with me first. I'll make sure she gets this, and she can share the results with us if she wishes. Thank you, Dr. Wells."

Tempted as he was to snoop, he was going for the trusting optics now.

[nevergetshome]

"Well, she did introduce herself to me when we first met without a surname. Miss Claire only seemed appropriate." That would probably make zero sense to Noah, but it did to Thawne. He didn't have a surname to work with at first and by the time he did, she seemed to like the way he addressed her, so he kept it up.

"She does seem to work her way into even the coldest of hearts, doesn't she?" He dipped his head in a slight bow. "No. Thank you, Mr. Bennet. You raised a remarkable young woman."

[callmenoah]

"Ah, she has a habit of that, after her public jump. She doesn't get recognized as much anymore, but she still gets a little paranoid. I think she gets that from me." The last bit he added with slight self-depreciation. His careful, cautious nature had seeped into Claire in the worst ways, at times. It had prevented her from connecting more than a few times in the past. Noah was relieved it hadn't prevented her from settling in with her new found family.

He nodded, giving a thin smile to the praise. "Her mother might be a little more responsible for that charm. I taught her how to stay safe and protect herself." Even if sometimes it seemed those lessons hadn't fully gotten through. Her caring heart got the better of her, and the desire to see and encourage the best in people. He didn't doubt that was what drew her to Thawne.

As much as Noah tried to relax, he still couldn't fully let go of his suspicion. Not with all these things that kept reminding him of this Thawne character. "I'm curious about why you'd bring this to me and not wait for her to be available. She and Barry would be going back to the lab sooner or later. Surely this could wait?"

[nevergetshome]

"She told me about her penchant for causing a scene. And I expressed my distaste for her lack of self preservation." She'd been more forthcoming with her love of heights and jumping with him than Harry, but that was probably for the best.

At that question, Thawne adjusted the glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. It had been a while since he'd worn the damn things. Even when he was used to them, he took them off every free moment he had. "I thought it might provide some light reading for her while she's relaxing. Something to keep her mind active. I included a small drive with test data I took on certain applications she asked about as well. Interactions with Meta samples."

[callmenoah]

"I've been trying to do that for years. Seems the message is finally sinking in. At least until it comes to taking a hit for someone else. I don't think there's any stopping her from that." Harry had now experienced that just as Noah did.

He knew well of Claire's interest the topic, as did everyone else at this point. So the contents didn't fully surprise him. What surprised him was the apparent secrecy, and again, why Harry was bringing this to him, instead of simply waiting for her to visit the lab, or bringing it to her apartment. Even in their time off, Noah was certain Claire and Barry would have welcomed a visit from Wells.

"Ah, I'm sure she'll be excited to see this, in that case. She'll probably be a little disappointed you didn't bring it to her directly, but I'm sure she'll forgive you - she's awful fond of you." If Noah only knew...

[nevergetshome]

"She has so much in common with our dear Mr. Allen. Both so eager to help others. Both ready to see the good in people. Both willing to take a potentially fatal blow for those they love. I really should have seen this coming." The last part was almost said more to himself.

Oh Noah, if only you knew. And if only you hadn't just painted a target on Harry as well. "I'm sure she will. I should..." He gestured to the door. "get back. It was lovely chatting."

[callmenoah]

"Seen what coming?" The words came out before Noah could stop himself, because the phrase just felt so out of place. He looked again to the envelope in his hand, keeping himself calm as he tried to gauge whether there could be some kind of threat inside.

Nothing Harry had done was over the top suspicious, but all of these little oddities were starting to add up. It was a tough call, though, because he'd only met Wells the one time. He couldn't say for certain whether or not this was 'normal' behavior. Would Claire even be able to? He thought he might have to ask her, share everything he could recall from this conversation, and see what she thought. Barry, too.

"Good to see you, of course. I'd hate to keep you from your work too long."

[nevergetshome]

"Their draw to each other." He said simply, with a wave of his hand. If he did choose to open it, he wouldn't find a threat. Not a direct one. The threat was more implied.

"Thank you, again." He tipped his head and started for the door.

[callmenoah]

"Claire did mention you told Barry about being saved by a wonderful young woman. Knowing her, she took that compliment to heart." Was probably bragging about it, as humbly as she could. He didn't blame her. "They really do seem perfectly matched. I worry about what she would've gotten herself into had they not met when they did."

You, Thawne. Noah was talking about you.

He walked Harry to the door, now more relaxed. Maybe he really had just been paranoid. "See you soon, Harry. I'll get ahold of Claire and make sure she gets this. Thanks again."

Once alone in his hotel room, it took every ounce of Noah's self-control not to open the envelope himself and snoop. But, presumably, part of this included Claire's private health information - or at least the closest they'd have to it given her lack of a formal medical history. Technically, it wasn't any of his business to read it. If she wanted to share, he was all ears. But by rights, she should have the first look.

So he grabbed his room card and car keys, then headed out to make the short drive to Claire's apartment. He already knew she was home, so he didn't bother to text ahead of time. In a text earlier, he told her he might drop by when she offered him some of the homemade soup she'd made. As much as she had clearly enjoyed getting a few days to play hooky and be home sick, he knew she'd be extremely relieved to get the all clear from the lab.

He parked in the neighboring garage and made his way up to knock on the door.

[feelthelightning]

So, that was how she met them. Likely a case of mistaken identity, he assumed, given his stolen face. But he didn't comment on it. Just offered another tight lipped smile. A soft, "Mm'hm." Of agreement. Then he was off.

Thawne rejoined with his Mirage and the faraday cage dropped from around the building. He waited until he'd walked a block away before speeding off.

Barry had been speeding around the kitchen, making breakfast for Claire when the knock at the door caught his attention. It might seem to Noah like the door opened before he even finished knocking, but that was just Barry's super speed reflexes.

"Mr. Ben-- Noa-- Claire's dad, sir!" Barry fumbled as he opened the door. The smell of pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs was likely thick in the air. He held up a finger to indicate he needed a moment, and zipped away in a gust. He pulled the eggs off the stove, turned it off and zipped back. "Sorry! I was making breakfast for Claire. Come in!" He gestured with a smile.

[callmenoah]

The door opening immediately could only be Barry's super speed, and it was something of a relief to see. After their strict instructions to take it easy, which for Barry meant doing things at a 'normal' pace, for him to be doing something as mundane as making breakfast using his power, that could only mean that they really were clear of the toxin.

"Noah is fine," he said, smiling warmly. The kid had all but moved in, it looked like. It was little wonder, after the last few days of downtime together. But they deserved this. Noah stepped in and closed the door behind him, the envelope from Harry tucked into a pocket in his suit jacket. He decided he'd wait for Claire joined them in the kitchen to mention it.

For now, he stood out of the way while Barry worked. "She must really like you, to let you take over cooking duties." It was almost teasing, but gently so. "Is she... sleeping?" He had always known Claire to be an early riser, and after her regeneration manifested she seemed to sleep less and less. "She'd usually be up by now."

He wasn't concerned, it was actually the opposite. Relief, tinged with slight surprise and confusion. This Barry Allen was a miracle worker or something. "I heard you got the all-clear, and now I suppose I'm seeing it, too. How do you feel?"

[feelthelightning]

"Noah." Barry agreed and smiled warmly. He returned to a few tasks in the kitchen. "Have you eaten? I can always still make more. No trouble at all!" He offered.

"She's asleep, yeah. We agreed to share cooking. I sort of wrestle breakfast duties from her. My speed makes cleanup easy and I like being able to gave breakfast ready for her when she wakes up." God, was he blushing? Stop that! He just wanted to pamper Claire in every way he could.

"We did." He got a text from Caitlin this morning saying that their most recent Labs showed that the toxin was completely gone. But even Claire didn't know that yet. "Cait texted me earlier. Word gets around fast." He laughed.

[callmenoah]

"I had the breakfast at the hotel. Surprisingly not too bad." The smile remained fixed on Noah's face. It warmed his heart to know Claire had someone who loved her this much, and was so enthusiastic about taking care of her.

The comment about word going around fast suggested that Barry hadn't found out that long ago, himself. Noah supposed it might warrant some kind of explanation, so he pulled the envelope out of his jacket. "Dr. Wells stopped by my hotel room, said he didn't want to interrupt you kids and your downtime. Asked me to bring this to Claire, said it's more results from some lab work he ran for her. Something about running her blood against Meta samples."

Despite his temptation, the envelope was still sealed.

[feelthelightning]

"Do you at least want coffee?" He asked, gesturing to the machine brewing for himself and Claire. He was speed plating food for the two of them. It might seem like an excessive amount of food for a normal person on each plate, but both had heightened metabolism and he'd just burned quite a bit just making breakfast.

"Cait let Wells out of the Lab?" He asked with a soft 'huh' after, but shrugged it off. "I'm surprised he didn't stop by. Harry's not really known for his social etiquette." To most, the man came off as rude and inconsiderate, but it was more just his lack of ability to grasp social cues.

"I can check and see if Claire's awake."

[callmenoah]

"I was just as surprised," Noah agreed. "I even asked why he didn't bring it to her directly. He seemed adamant about not disturbing you two. Probably for the best, if Claire's still not up yet."

"I'm up, I'm up. You're here early." His daughter's voice wasn't quite a grumble, but by the sounds of it, she hadn't been awake for too long. Sure enough, she was still in her pajamas when she shuffled into the kitchen; oversized t-shirt and flannel pants, hair in a messy bun. Possibly Barry's shirt, but Noah was definitely not thinking about that. The sight of her now reminded him of weekend mornings back in Texas. Bittersweet memories, but more on the sweet side. She smiled at him, but went to Barry for a hug first. "Good morning, darlin'. Mornin', Dad."

He handed Claire the envelope as she got to him for a hug. "Good morning, honey. Dr. Wells brought that by my hotel for you. Some lab results, to do with your samples and Meta samples." As his other arm was wrapped around her shoulders, he felt her tense up next to him.

She looked a bit pale, but was clearly playing it off, masking with curiosity as she looked to Barry. But she didn't rush to open the envelope, and in Noah's eyes, that was telling. "I thought they weren't testing the samples together until the results came back toxin-free," she said quietly, as though she was trying not to sound worried. Her implication and concern couldn't be more obvious to Noah, and he was kicking himself for not trusting his instincts more and following up on his suspicions.

[feelthelightning]

"That's weird." Barry mumbled, but his attention was quickly dragged from that thought at the sound of Claire's voice. His whole expression lit up.

Barry hugged her back, sneaking a quick kiss to the side of her head. Even all ruffled in the morning, he thought she was stunning. "'Morning."

Her subtle reaction was enough to alarm Barry to. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist to show her she had support with him beside her. "Cait texted me a few minutes ago. We're clear of the toxin." He said gently. But that didn't explain when they'd had the time to do all this testing on clean samples. Every sample of Claire's blood they would have until the most recent would be contaminated.

[callmenoah]

Claire stayed close to both of them. Noah's focus was more on her well-being, but he did notice that she still seemed to need him in her moment of worry. From the look of concentration on her face, she was working through everything she'd just been told.

There was relief, obviously, but it was also evident that she couldn't shake her concern. It almost looked like fear in her eyes, and his heart sank. "Dad, are you sure it was Harry?" she asked, frowning.

"Shit." Noah's blood ran cold as all those little red flags combined into a big red banner. "He said he gave you a heads up, but you were asleep. Honey, I'm sorry. That son of a bitch really does have an explanation for everything."

Claire nodded, hands shaking as she turned the envelope over. "I don't know if I want to open this." She had her brave face on. It was faltering, though. He felt a stab of guilt as he watched her blink back tears. Understanding why - Thawne showing up at his door was a threat all by itself - only made him feel worse.

"It's up to you. But we're both right here." Noah gave her shoulder a squeeze. She shuddered with a deep breath, then carefully opened the envelope.

[feelthelightning]

Barry's hold on her tightened as she asked her father that question. Thawne. It made him angry to think a out, even if Noah hadn't been hurt. Thawne was screwing with Claire. If he didn't know she needed him right now, he'd already be gone, running the streets looking for the bastard.

Inside the envelope would be exactly what Thawne said. Test results in her bloodwork. Detailed analysis on her DNA, every protein and molecule in her blood down to details most instruments couldn't even pinpoint in this time period. The samples were dated the day she met Thawne. There was also a small clear jump drive looking device that had a blue light and silver accents inside the envelope. Barry froze beside her at the sight of the device.

"That's... shit! Shit!"

He pulled out his phone and called Cisco. "Evacuate the lab! Thawne's been in the Time Vault!" When he hung up, he looked at Claire. "The information on that drive can only be read at STAR Labs."

[callmenoah]

Claire was trying her best not to cry. He'd never seen her look so terrified and so guilty all at once. She looked through the paperwork, only glancing up when Barry expressed alarm at the device Thawne had included.

Noah couldn't fully guess what she might be thinking, but he knew she was blaming herself for this threat. Not just the threat to him, knowing that Thawne could get to him at anytime and there was nothing anyone could do about it. But now also to the lab.

Noah looked to Barry curiously. "Time Vault?" He knew Claire well enough to know she'd need another minute before he could ask her anything. She looked like she might fall apart if she tried to speak. "What does that mean? What did Thawne do?"

[feelthelightning]

Claire was the only thing keeping him still. He held her tightly, both arms wrapped around her protectively now. She needed to know she was safe. He was here with her.

"Dr. Wells--Eobard Thawne, built STAR Labs. When he did, he built a secret room out of future tech into the wall as a sort of bomb shelter to hide in. It's where he kept his Reverse-Flash suit and it has a high tech interface. Thawne is from the future. The space is called a Time Vault." Or 'freaky ass braille room' to Cisco. He hadn't brought Claire there yet.

"It means Thawne's been in the Lab and we haven't even realised it. Because he built the place, and because he's a speedster, he knows the layout and can phase through walls and doors, so we can't keep him out. Nothing can keep him out." So it wasn't exactly like the lab was a security risk. Everything was a security risk. "I don't want the team checking the Time Vault without me there. Thawne can kill them all in a nanosecond if he wants to."

But as he said that he held Claire tighter. "This isn't your fault. It's mine." He assured her. He glanced down at his phone. "Cisco says everyone is out, safe, and accounted for. And Jesse says Harry is Harry." He frowned after that. She checked the Time Vault on her own. It was thankfully empty, but he hadn't wanted her to take that risk. She wasn't as fast as he was and he wasn't fast enough to outrun Thawne. "Everything's clear at the Labs."

[infinite1ups]

That support was exactly what Claire needed now. Suddenly it was like the world was spinning out under her, and Barry's arms around her were keeping everything from unraveling. Her dad's voice grounded her too, and the gentle assuring squeeze he gave to her shoulder.

Conflicting emotions swirled through her: mostly fear, but then the crushing guilt. Underneath the obvious threat, Thawne had kept his word. She was certain of it. Those documents contained everything they'd discussed and more, probably anything she could want to know about herself. While she didn't fully understand what little she'd read, she knew enough to know it was what he said it'd be.

Sure, he'd be making threats without her, because he hated Barry. But she had made it so much worse.

Except for the drive, she couldn't begin to guess what was on it. But then, that was the threat, wasn't it? That was what tipped Barry off about Thawne having been in the Time Vault. Even if it was more to do with her test results, the knowledge that Thawne had been at STAR Labs far outweighed her search for answers.

And yet, there was another stab of guilt as Claire felt a small sense of... mourning. Before meeting Barry, she'd been looking forward to getting together with Eobard and discussing these results. That was gone now, and in its place, a greater sense of danger than ever.

Her fault. Thawne would've come back eventually, she knew, but he was here now because of her.

There was at least some relief as Barry announced that everyone was safe. Though her entire body still felt heavy, and her head felt like she was underwater.

"I have to admit I'm out of my depth here," she heard her father say. His voice sounded distant. "But I don't want to leave you to face this without me, Claire."

Noah could be just as self-sacrificing as she could. But as much as she wanted to send him away, to keep him safe... how? Thawne could go anywhere in the blink of an eye. There was nowhere for any of them to hide.

"It is my fault. I know he's here for Barry, but he's gonna be worse because of me." Surely it had to be some kind of miracle that she wasn't breaking down in tears. God, she wanted to, but that wouldn't help anyone.

"Don't. This man is more dangerous and obsessive than Sylar ever was. He would be doing this regardless. The only thing that changes is now we can be here for Barry," Noah said. His voice softened as he smiled at them both. "Especially you."

Claire looked up at her dad, then at Barry. She had a plan of sorts forming, but she would need to be careful in how she shared it. "Did they grab that speedster dart thing?" Now she had to think fast, because she couldn't say exactly how she knew about that. "I-- I was asking Cisco about potential ways to stop Thawne just in case, and he mentioned this tranq that could take him down temporarily, long enough to contain him."

There. Not an outright lie, and zero mention of Caitlin. Though Claire couldn't deny some frosty powers might help to slow down a speedster - even a miniscule delay in speed could be enough to let Barry get the upper hand over Thawne.

[feelthelightning]

"We're all out of our depth with Thawne." Barry admitted and that sure did hurt to admit. In truth, he never did beat him. Eddie did. Then he came back as a time aberration! A man who can't exist, yet just won't stay dead. It still made Barry furious to think about.

"Your dad's right, Claire. Don't do this to yourself. He'd be here anyway. He'd find some way to make me miserable." He looked up at Noah briefly. "I'm glad he didn't hurt you."

The mention of the dart made Barry look back to Claire in surprise. "The dart is tricky. It has to either be delivered by a speedster manually or he has to be distracted. We catch bullets. Darts move even slower and Thawne's been hit with something similar before so he won't be arrogant enough to ignore it. But, I'm willing to bet, Harry has the dart sniper slung over his shoulder right now. What's your plan?"

[infinite1ups]

She was going to keep doing that to herself, unfortunately. No matter how many times anyone told her not to. Even Barry. The guilt would continue to gnaw at her for a long while, at least until they found some way to end this. If that was even possible, considering the man wasn't even supposed to exist, yet kept popping up.

"I don't have a solid plan yet," Claire admitted. The truth was, she didn't even have a vague plan that anyone would approve of. She could hear Harry's arguments in her mind most of all. "It's good to know we have that in our back pocket. Better than nothing."

Noah looked disapproving already, because he was familiar with how his daughter dealt with problems like Thawne. He knew how her 'plans' often went, but for now he didn't say anything. It wouldn't do to shoot her down before she'd officially offered anything. They had to keep up some semblance of hope, because he could tell she was still dangerously close to breaking down.

She knew the look on her dad's face as well as he knew her penchant for reckless plans. Okay, maybe it'd be best to take a step back and try to come up with something more concrete. At least she'd still have the reckless stunts to fall back on.

"Maybe we can plan better after breakfast," she suggested sheepishly. Time for the defense mechanisms to come back up. She grinned up at Barry, clearly teasing, "You did slave away over the stove for what, thirty seconds to cook all this? I'd hate to let it get cold."

[feelthelightning]

Barry nodded. He shot Cisco another speed text. "Jesse's gonna run a couple laps around the building and make sure it's completely clear before everyone settles back in." He didn't move until she was ready to and even then he didn't let go of her until she was at the table.

"Hey, food still takes time to cook. But I can rapidly warm it back up." He said and rubbed his hands together until the yellow lightning crackled around them. "I guess I'm a walking microwave." He was trying to add levity despite feeling like he wanted to race out of his own skin. He brought her her plate and set his own down. "We can visit the Time Vault if you want and see what's on that drive." It really did take everything he had not to run out there right now and try to find him. If he weren't worried about Claire, he probably would have.

[infinite1ups]

Barry showing off his powers made her smile, as always. Part of her was tempted to reach out, to see how it felt compared to Elle's blue lightning, but she refrained. Maybe at the lab, but not at the breakfast table. "You're like Pikachu," Claire pointed out, delighted.

Yes, it was silly, but she needed this. A slice of whimsy and normalcy in the midst of tumultuous times. "Adorable, yellow sparks. It all checks out to me."

Noah shook his head with a soft laugh. Pikachu was just about the only one of those little creatures he knew. Mostly, he was glad to see Claire holding it together. Though part of him did want to remind her that it was okay if she couldn't. It would be far better to give herself the time she needed to feel her emotions now than when in the middle of a situation.

"You kids enjoy your breakfast. I'm going to step into the other room and make some calls," Noah announced quietly, then quickly continued. "Nothing serious, just checking on things in New York."

Claire felt more relaxed at that, and gave her dad a nod in response. She was worried about Peter. Angela, too. If Sylar was hanging around and was willing to protect them, she might be a little nicer to him. Maybe.

"I think... maybe the Time Vault after breakfast," she said to Barry once they were both seated and Noah was in the living room. Just the first few bites were already taking the edge of and helping to settle her a bit more. Okay, so having a boyfriend who was as good a cook as she was? Pretty awesome, actually. "It's gonna drive me crazy - well, crazier - to wait too long."

She needed to know what was on the drive. Desperately. That would help to solidify any plans she might be forming.

"Thank you for making breakfast, babe."