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

[namesthevillains]

Barry gently stroked his thumbs along the skin under her eyes. Just holding her like this was enough to remind him that she was still alive. So it wasn't just calming her. It was calming for both of them.

"You could. Potentially." Barry said with a smile. "But even speedster healing isn't enough to counter the deadly effects of V-9. So this is a long shot. And it only lasted in Zoom's system for about ten minutes before his metabolism burned it up. So it would be temporary." But it would be long enough for her to outrun Thawne and get a message to Barry for backup.

[infinite1ups]

Claire didn't make a move to pull away, only leaned in a bit to boop her nose against Barry's. It was good to see him smiling again.

"We know my healing is faster than yours, and... I'm pretty sure the antidote had more of an effect on me. That seems promising, but we should definitely test it first." Her trust was fully behind her friends. If they said it was safe, she'd believe them. If not, well. They'd figure something out. Peter or Sylar might be able to teleport in just fast enough to create a distraction and give her an out, but she'd hate to have them potentially make that kind of sacrifice.

Even Sylar, which was weird to think. Kindness and second chances, Eobard had said, comparing her to Barry. Maybe Thawne was right. But if Sylar ever went back to his old ways, she'd be the first in line to take him out.

The prospect of having any kind of real power - she still didn't see her regeneration as power - was thrilling. She reveled in the idea of actually being able to do something. For now, though, she kept those thoughts to herself. Being excited was understandable, but she didn't want to take that too far and make people worry that she might be even more reckless than usual. Her impulsive nature on top of superspeed was going to be a volatile combination.

[feelthelightning]

The boop made his smile brighten. He couldn't get over how happy she made him feel. He was pretty sure he never wanted to, either.

"It is, but I'm not risking it without testing first. V-9 was killing Hunter, which is why he wanted my speed. He thought it would cure him of the cellular degeneration. And it did kill Eliza. I watched her burn herself up. One dose isn't enough to kill, because Jesse survived when Eliza used her to make sure Harry didn't drug the V-9 with a sedative, but she overdosed and Caitlin had to flush the drug out of her system with a blood transfusion from Harry." He wouldn't say it, but Harry would have issues with this part of the plan too.

Barry was all for having teleporters rushing to Claire's rescue. His biggest concern was the fact that Thawne could cause far too much harm before she even knew he was about to do it. If she went into things with the same reflexes, she stood a chance to see him acting in time to actually get an alert out. But he was still confused by the warning. if Thawne wanted her dead, he wouldn't have warned her.

[infinite1ups]

She was already bracing herself for the onslaught of lecturing she'd hear from both Harry and her dad when they heard about this plan. Barry's belief in her was something to hold onto, something to keep her afloat. She kissed Barry's forehead, even more grateful for him than ever.

But Thawne had believed in her nearly as much, and she let him down. Wasn't it just a matter of time before she failed everyone else? She knew she wasn't being fair to herself, though. There was simply no way she would've expected to meet and fall in love with Barry so quickly and so easily. Not even Thawne could have predicted that with all his timeline manipulation, he'd been just as blindsided as Claire.

"So, what? We see what it does to my blood?" That seemed the least invasive and risky way to test. But she didn't quite feel confident. "If it's safe, I might have to try it out before I see Thawne. Get used to it, y'know? So I'm not fumbling and tripping over myself at breakneck speed. Then he'd just catch me."

He didn't seem to want to hurt her now, but there was no telling if he'd change his mind, especially if she suddenly got back in context with him again. That might just push him over the edge. She felt chilled at the thought.

[feelthelightning]

Barry nodded. "Testing your blood with the serum seems like the safest bet, but I'll have to ask Cait what she thinks. I'm not the doctor. And if it's safe, yeah. You and me will test it in the Speed Lab. We'll start you slow. Maybe on the speedster treadmill until you get the hang of speeding up and slowing down--when I first started running at super speed, stopping was something I had to get used to. Jesse can probably agree. You get going and you don't know how to slow down. Once you get the hang of that, we can work on agility training." Don't mind Barry looking super excited by the idea of training Claire to run with him. For some reason the thought of them running together without sharing his speed felt like a dream. Even if it would be temporary. Don't get him wrong, Jesse was an excellent Flash on Earth-2, and they worked seamlessly together, but this was his girlfriend. There was an emotional component to it. So he was hoping and praying that the V-9 played nice with her.

[infinite1ups]

Claire was every bit as excited about the idea of them training together. Despite the heaviness of the threat around them, and how nervous she was about seeing Thawne again, she was also downright giddy. Not just about having power, even temporarily, but that it's something she'd share with Barry. She was grinning in spite of herself.

"Well... I can handle a crash, at least," she teased. "I'm not worried about that part. And I've always been a pretty good runner." Sprinting, especially, but even before the regen she had decent stamina for long distance. "I'm... probably way too excited about this, to be honest. If it's something we can use when we really need it? Every little bit helps, and I don't know..." She sighed. "It'd be nice feeling like I can do something more than take damage."

[feelthelightning]

"Oh, I can too! My first crash was how we discovered my healing factor. I broke my wrist when I lost focus while running."

"You sound way too happy about that, dude." Cisco said with a soft huff of a laugh. He was starting to calm down. "I remember that spill. You were on the abandoned airfield with me, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells. That prototype suit I whipped up was hideous!"

"It was!" Barry laughed.

"I... miss those days. When we were an innocent team and Wells wasn't evil and the worst you had to worry about was tripping over your own feet." Cisco looked a bit dazed.

"I saw the yellow lightning around myself as I ran and it reminded me of the night my mother was murdered. I saw yellow and red lightning in the house in a ball around her. I lost focus and if you stumble at 400 miles per hour, you can't recover your footing. You're gonna meet the pavement." He explained. "But you don't need speed or regen." Barry brushed her hair out of her face. "You're perfect."

[infinite1ups]

As Cisco and Barry talked about those early days, she beamed, trying to imagine it. "Aww," I kinda wish I could've been around to see that," she said with a grin.

Claire understood why it'd be important to keep her focus while moving that fast, even with her regen. Her smile dimmed a little as Barry explained, but it was quickly back in full force when he brushed her hair back. That had her blushing faintly, she could feel the warmth on her cheeks.

"I dunno about perfect," she returned sheepishly. In truth, Claire wasn't sure who she'd be without her regen. Actually... she'd just be dead. Dead at sixteen. A victim, with or without her regen. Not good enough. But now she didn't have to be. Now she could fight back. "If that monster thing is coming for me, I need every advantage I can get. I know I can't do it all alone, but I don't like everyone fighting my battles for me. I should be able to defend myself."

So many others had risked themselves for her. It was why she was so adamant about taking whatever hits she could take. She would never feel like she'd repaid that debt.

"Between maybe being able to have speed for a bit and Cisco's Phoenix project, I finally feel like I have that chance. I'm really grateful for both of you."

[feelthelightning]

"I wish you could've been too." Barry admitted with a warm smile.

"Okay, lovebirds, get a room." Cisco laughed good naturedly and gave Barry a playful shove. Barry chuckled, but that sadness was still there under it all.

"That's the thing about a team. You're not alone. And we're not fighting them for you. We're fighting them with you. We play to our strengths. I'm fast and CSI. Cisco is tech and beaches. Cait is our doctor and medical expertise. Harry is sort of a jack of all trades in the knowledge skill time--"

"--and our resident damsel in distress." Cisco added.

Barry rolled his eyes but smiled. "Joe helps on the real world side of things, trying to keep the public safe from Meta affairs. Cisco has ideas about your Phoenix suit. And if this whole Velocity 9 thing works out, you have a ton of field options. But," Barry cupped her face again to make his point clear. "You don't need to be on the field to be helpful. Cait, Harry, Joe, and usually even Cisco stay back in the Cortex when I'm dealing with a threat. Being on comms is just as important. When I'm out there I don't have time to do equations or research. I only have time for questions. Harry, Caitlin, and Cisco are always there on the other end to answer them. A clear head who knows how I think but can make the right decision in the moment, that is invaluable." He tipped her chin up and kissed her softly. "So field or on comms, you will be perfect. Because despite what you think, you're perfect in my eyes, with or without powers."

[infinite1ups]

There had been others around her from fairly early on, but it never really felt like a team. Well, parts of it had. Peter in particular made her feel like she was part of something bigger than herself. They all had their parts to play. Claire often fulfilled that damsel in distress role, even if she was fighting to save herself alongside those trying to save her.

She'd been so young for so most of it, still a teenager. Barely out of high school, barely able to start her life as an adult. It took months of arguments for Noah to finally have some faith that she could handle herself out on her own. The threats against her had just been too numerous, and too great. That was before she put a huge target on herself by exposing her ability publicly. Her decision to hide in plain sight by living on the road had been the right call, and she knew just how lucky she was that it worked out that way.

Barry's reassurance was helpful, yet it wasn't. His belief in her warmed her heart, as usual. Hearing about what everyone else brought to the team, though... Claire couldn't help but see how it highlighted her lack of expertise. Or rather, her lack of a specific field where her knowledge was focused.

"I don't think I'll have much to offer on comms," she said finally, with a self-deprecating laugh. A bunch of scientists, a cop, her dad with all his experience, and Claire, the college dropout. "Coming up with plans and stuff while we're all here bouncing ideas off one another is one thing, but having the answers in the moment? I'm not sure that's me."

This time it was for the right reasons, she thought. Meredith's lesson had finally gotten through, after all these years. It felt sort of like an internal healing, a sense of peace that came with her desire to do good with the people she cared about because it was the right thing to do, not to get revenge against the villains who hurt her.

"I mean, I learned most of what I know about evolved humans from my dad. He still knows more than I do, and that was arguably the one topic where I might have an edge. But I can follow directions fairly well when I have to. I can also think on my feet when when plans go belly up. It takes a lot to really scare me and a lot to keep me down. I'm more useful out there."

That was supposed to say "skill tree"...

[feelthelightning]

"I think you're selling yourself short. But I'm also not telling you to stay out of the field either. What I'm saying is you have a spot at both. You don't have to have powers to be part of the team and having powers isn't all someone is good at. When I'm alone on the field, Harry acts as my analytical brain, Cisco is tech, so he's my eyes. Cait tries to be the conductor between them and me, but she freezes up under stress. When Iris is in the Cortex, she's the nerve centre. She takes over for Caitlin because she knows how I think and she knows when to listen to science or hope. Harry's biggest flaw is his scientific mind. It's his strongest asset, too, but he can forget to allow emotions in. Cisco is too soft."

"Hey now." Cisco argued with a pout.

Barry just smiled and continued. "He lets emotions overwhelm him. I need someone there who can cut right down the middle and make the call. Like Iris does. Because you get me. You know what's at stake. You know what you'd do if the roles were reversed. You are my heart. And I always follow my heart."

"That is the cheesiest thing you've ever said and you've said a lot of cheese, Barry." Cisco chuckled.

Barry ignored his teasing. "But, Cisco can also breach you onto the battlefield instantly if I need Phoenix at my side. You're versatile. And you'll be able to eventually meet the Green Arrow and Supergirl and join in on our team ups!" Or, she will once he figures out how to stop this metal monster. Because they were going to have a future! They were going to fight together and team up and have more cute dates and have cuddly down time. "Because with you and your powers at my side or your voice in my ear, you'll always be with me."

I never got a notification for this ;-;

[infinite1ups]

Maybe she was selling herself short. When she thought back on the things she'd done, there was a long list, and some of it was pretty badass. But she was mostly risking herself in those moments. Now, Barry was basically talking about putting his life in her hands, and that terrified her. For once she didn't let herself get intimidated by the mention of Iris. Thawne wouldn't get the satisfaction of driving a wedge between herself and Barry. They were stronger than ever.

"I signed up for cheese," Claire chimed in with a soft laugh, a giggle meant to downplay how nervous she was. "Maybe I'm soft, too. I can also get pretty deep in my emotions. Controlled by them sometimes, it's part of my worst impulses. But... I'll always be more careful when it comes to you, that's a promise."

Healing factor or not, she'd never purposely endanger Barry - or anyone - the way she did herself.

She was suddenly reminded of when she met Eobard, what she told him. This time when she laughed it was a little more genuine. "You know, I told Thawne I wasn't going to put on a suit and play hero." He'd probably take that as a betrayal, too. "To be honest, though, I didn't think it was something I wanted until it became a real possibility. Now it feels right. Where I belong, with you, and our family. Phoenix. That's... pretty damn cool."

Her dad wasn't going to like it much, particularly the plans for her to be out in the field. Claire thought he might not have as much of an issue with her on comms. She'd made up her mind, though.

"Should we tell the others what we learned and what we're planning? And probably be lectured by at least one dad in the process..."

It's okay! I just figured you were busy! <3

[feelthelightning]

"When Dr. Wells hired me into STAR Labs," Cisco began. "he said it wasn't just my genius he hired me for, but my humanity. And now I can see the irony in that coming from him but he had a point. We need a level of emotion or we're just cold. Caitlin was never good at processing her emotions, but she's learning."

Cisco laughed. "Yeah, Barry has that effect on people. I was just the nerd making the tech. Now I'm sometimes the battle nerd. It's mad freaky! And hey, if you're not feeling the name Phoenix, we can change it. I'll only be a little heartbroken." He chuckled.

Barry shook his head, looking amused and then kissed her forehead again. "I think we'll get a lecture from Harry and your dad at the very least. But we should probably face the music." He stood back up, pulling her up with him, not wanting to let her go just yet. He was still a bit unsettled.

"We walking, or do you want a breach?" Cisco asked.

Nope, DW was just being a brat apparently

[infinite1ups]

"For all his bullshit, he's good at reading people. Likely how he's so good at manipulating them." How he had manipulated her. It still hurt to think about. But then, why had she wanted to believe in him so much in the first place? He told her what he was from the beginning. A villain. A murderer.

She foolishly thought she could help Eobard. Save him. When she saw him again, she was going to have to be careful not to fall into that trap again. If his goal was to get her away from Barry, surely he'd try once he had her there in front of him.

"Are you kidding? Phoenix is cool as hell, and it's not something people would easily guess is about me. I'm sticking with that." As Barry helped her up, Claire got to her feet at his side, an arm around his waist. She wasn't quite ready to let go, either. "I don't mind walking," she said with a smile. A few extra moments before having to face those lectures. Her dad and Harry for sure, she thought. But she also knew Joe wouldn't be pleased to hear about the plan, either.

"You guys alright?" Claire and Barry were both a little clingy at the moment, but she still saw fit to check on Cisco, too. Seeing that Vibe for a second time no doubt shook him up as much as it did her.

DW does that... D:

[feelthelightning]

"I guess. I just hate giving him any kind of compliments." Cisco almost sounded like he was pouting. Almost subconsciously, his hand reached up to rub his chest over his heart. But her delight in the moniker brought his mood back up again.

Joe would hate hearing that they'd be putting any of the kids in danger and he'd hate that Thawne was involved in any way, but he was more understanding and less volatile than Harry. He would surely tell them to be careful and make sure that was what they thought was best.

"You mean, am I actually gonna be able to sleep tonight? No, probably not. Every time I close my eyes, I see that monster and hear Barry's voice." Cisco said with a shudder. "Am I physically hurt? No, I'm physically fine. The Vibe didn't hurt me."

Barry nodded his agreement as he walked down the hallways with them. "I'll be okay." He finally said, but it didn't sound as convincing as he wanted it to. "What about you? You... saw your own death. That can't be okay..."

[infinite1ups]

"I try to think of it as more... recognizing his strengths, so we can avoid them." If she'd only been more wary of him in the first place... But then, that wouldn't necessarily have prevented her from meeting and falling in love with Barry, then becoming a target for Thawne anyway. Sure, Eobard said he changed the timeline, but he'd say anything to get her to break up with Barry now.

Claire shot Cisco a grin. "Aw, we gotta get you a cuddle buddy. Works wonders for chasing the nightmares away." She gave Barry a squeeze where her arm was around him. He had her sleeping more now than she had in years. Then her tone turned slightly more innocent. "I might have a single friend or two..."

Her head leaned against Barry's side. She wasn't entirely convinced by his answer, no. "Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, it's not the first time someone's predicted my death. I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere." If everyone else was scared and uncertain, she'd just have to be brave and confident to make up for it. They all had enough brains to put together to figure something out.

In truth, she was more nervous about the prospect of seeing Thawne again, and about getting lectured by Noah and Harry, because those were the most pressing matters, currently. Cisco's Vibe wouldn't be for almost a year - they had time to plan, and they were already being proactive about it.

[feelthelightning]

"Chill, girl! I'm just fine without a cuddle buddy! The last time I tried the dating scene, I fell for Captain Cold's little sister. To be fair, I didn't know she was Snart's sister. Aaaand it was all a setup to capture me so I'd rebuild the Cold Gun after I destroyed it, but she was hot, okay?!"

"She also seemed to actually like you. She came to you for help when their father broke out of prison." Barry said and Cisco huffed.

"Point is I have bad taste and am not allowed to date."

Barry laughed but when she leaned more into him, he rubbed her other shoulder and held her tighter. "Who predicted you death last time?" He sounded worried all over again.

[infinite1ups]

"A trial run couldn't hurt anything," Claire teased, giggling. "I'm just saying! I wouldn't set you up with someone who'd hurt you." And if it turned out that way, she'd kick the girl's ass, friend or not. "What're you into - fellow smarty-pants, or more sporty types? Brunettes, redheads?"

She relaxed more as Barry rubbed her shoulder, then sighed. "My grandmother. And there was this painter in New York, Isaac Mendez. Unfortunately, I never got to meet him, but I saw his paintings of me. There were so many, and while they were... accurate, he clearly never predicted anything permanent."

[feelthelightning]

Cisco damn near blushed as he fumbled the questions. "I dunno! I'm-- I don't have a type. I'd just have to see if we hit it off, y'know?" Lisa had done everything she could to be his type. Posed as a fellow engineer, in town for a symposium at Mercury Labs. "...I guess I like nerdy types. But that's not a deal breaker. Ya know?"

"Well, I'm glad he never predicted anything permanent. You're not staying dead. You're not dying ever again if I can help it." Barry said adamantly.

[infinite1ups]

Cisco's blushing and fumbling was, unfortunately for Cisco, a nice break in all the doom and gloom that kept following them around all day. Or maybe not so unfortunately, if her matchmaking worked out. Her voice took on a sort of sing-song quality, "I have someone in mind. Y'all would be adorable."

She grinned up at Barry. "I'm okay with little temporary death if it's to save someone who won't come back as easily, especially one of our team. But other than that... I'm being more careful. No more dying." That was a decision she'd make every time, and no one could stop her. Not Harry and all his scolding, not even Barry and all his love for her. It was clear her mood was improving, at least for now, because her teasing had turned to Barry, too. "Even gonna let you go all hero and save me."

[feelthelightning]

Cisco smacked himself in the face and let the hand slide down his face with a groan. He wasn't nearly as put out as he pretended to be. "Fine. Show me wha'chu got, wingman." He teased.

"Isn't that something else Phoenix are known for? Being born a new from a fiery death." Not that Barry wanted any kind of death for her, but so long as she kept coming back, she lived up to the name. "You just make sure you always come back. Because, remember, I'll always chase after you. That includes into the void."

[infinite1ups]

The delight on her face only brightened when Cisco agreed. "Ah, see, now that's perfect. A Phoenix has wings. I'll do a little phone number swapperino." Claire giggled again.

"The Phoenix is reborn from the ashes, yeah. I've often felt weirdly drawn to fire." She shrugged, still grinning. "Dying is a last resort from now on, and I'll make sure it's something I can come back from."

But then she remembered something, and her smile finally faded some. "Barry, if I did actually die, what if it messed up other people's lives to bring me back? You wouldn't-- would you?" What Killer Frost said had stuck with her.

[feelthelightning]

"You're just the worst." Cisco teased with a smile. But despite all the levity, he instantly closed off and stopped walking when she not so subtly brought up the timeline shenanigans. Dante, his brother, was dead because Barry had screwed with time.

Barry's step faltered like he'd been punched in the gut. For a moment he looked hurt, but he quickly covered it up. "...I learned my lesson. Altering the past is too risky." Jay Garrick made that abundantly clear when he tried to fix Flashpoint a second time. "I know that now. It affects more than just the one thing I'm trying to change."

[infinite1ups]

In truth, she hadn't asked to be hurtful. It was her impulsive nature shining through, the words spilling out before she let herself stop to consider how they might react. Barry's answer was what she hoped to hear, though, and she nodded. "Sorry, I was just reminded of something from down in that cell with Caitlin. I mean, not Caitlin. Killer Frost. She... came out, her voice was different, saying that you'd change the timeline to get your happy ending and damn everyone else." Claire hugged him a little tighter around the middle. "But you just proved her wrong, so that's good. I didn't want to tell Cait and freak her out, but that was really unsettling. I don't want anyone to have to sacrifice to save me, and I don't want Caitlin to become Killer Frost."

Even if it means she dies. Maybe she'd find some way to come back on her own, maybe not. Barry could eventually move on and find someone else to love, though the thought made her chest ache. She took a deep breath and forced all that negativity out of her mind.

"We're going to be okay," she continued, almost stubbornly. "It'll take lots of hard work, but we can beat all these stupid bad guys. We have so much to fight for, like our family dinners, and movie nights and stuff, adopting a dog or maybe even a cat. A whole future together, all of us. Oh!" Claire looked to Cisco, lighting up again, "And we can have double dates!"

I need these migraines to chill.

[feelthelightning]

Barry full on stopped and pivoted to face Claire. She'd asked him to let her handle Caitlin, so he'd trusted her with Cait entirely. He hadn't snooped. Nor had he even known where they'd gone when the two ran off. "Wait, she became Killer Frost in front of you?" Why, yes. That was panic in his voice. Cisco seemed torn as he watched Barry react. "So it's true? She's becoming Killer Frost. It's all true?" Thawne hadn't twisted the truth at all.

"Dude, we were gonna tell you. The Vibe just seemed more important." Cisco defended.

"Did she hurt you?" Barry asked worriedly. He wouldn't blame or hold Caitlin responsible for it, but he needed to know.

Barry tried to let her optimism calm him down, like he usually tried to do for others. "...we could adopt both." He admitted. "We'll figure all this out. With this God of Speed, with Thawne, with Caitlin, with Alchemy. ...and double dates." He agreed.