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

[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.

Oh noooo. I'm so sorry. <3

[infinite1ups]

When Barry stopped, it caught up with her that she'd spilled the beans. She gently clapped a hand over her mouth and groaned.

"I'm sorry. I was gonna let her tell it. But like Cisco said, the Vibe kinda took over." Claire shook her head, hand dropping back to her side. "She didn't hurt me. Her hands were super cold, though. Probably cold enough to hurt someone who isn't me. We gotta go easy on her, she's so scared." Cisco hadn't been there when Cait was breaking down. Obviously that was still affecting Claire.

She slipped her hand in with Barry's, giving a soft squeeze. "Both sounds nice. And all the rest. I mean, I don't love that we seem to have a buffet table of baddies all around, but I do like that I'll get to work with you and everyone else." Her smile came back, though it was a little less bright. She was trying to hold onto that optimism. "We're gonna be okay. All of us. The double dates and holidays and game nights, we're going to have it all. A dog and a cat." Okay, that part made her especially happy.

It's okay. <3 I'll live.

[feelthelightning]

"Yep. That's about the reaction I'd expect." Cisco said as she covered her mouth. They'd been keeping that secret so well. He hadn't been in the room when Claire and Killer Frost spoke, but unlike Barry, he'd pulled up the security feed as soon as the motion alarms went off. Which, unfortunately meant Harry knew already. If the man didnt already recognise Frost on sight, he could have blown it off, but Harry knew Earth-2 Killer Frost, so it had only taken a frame of seeing her white hair to know. He'd mad the genius promise not to say anything until he figured out what was going on. So, even if Cait hadn't agreed to tell everyone, Harry would still be in the know to help them.

"I'm sure she's scared. She was almost killed by her Earth-2 doppelgänger when Zoom held her captive. She's terrified of Killer Frost." Barry said gently.

"And just as terrified of becoming her." Cisco added.

"We've had a laundry list of baddies in the past. It's nothing we can't handle." Barry said softly and brought her hand to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. Back up the elevator to the Cortex, would be an awkward couple conversations. But they would be there for Cait and he was there for Claire to defend her decision with Thawne. No matter how many white board erasers Harry threw their way.

Hope you're feeling better now. 💚

[infinite1ups]

"This just goes to show that it really is hard for me to keep anything from Barry," she said with a chuckle. She was surprised it had taken her this long to let it slip, honestly. But, as far as she could see, it would be fine. Caitlin said she was going to tell everyone anyway. They could all support her. Maybe she could even get Peter or Tracy to help - Peter with his empathy and control over his abilities, and Tracy being adept at using her own cryo powers.

Claire could handle a few erasers. Though she was worried about facing the inevitable disapproval from both Harry and Noah all at once. Noah might bend a little easier, because he knew better than anyone how intractable she could be. But Harry would probably be harder to sway. She was happier than ever to have Barry's support. It was priceless, having someone who believed in her so strongly.

"I've had it too easy for too long, time to get my head back in the game. I don't want to say I missed it, but... it's nice to feel like I have a purpose again. Something bigger than just myself."

Yeah, I've been good today. Ty! <3

[feelthelightning]

"Remind me not to confide in you if I'm planning Barry's surprise party." Cisco teased.

"I'm sure you had a purpose. You just didn't realise it." Barry told her confidently as they stepped out of the lift into the curved hall just outside the Cortex. He could see Harry had made his way up from the lab after Cisco had run out on him. Jesse was standing against him, leaning her shoulder into his side while he had an arm wrapped around her. Cait was with them. The mood was heavy, so it was likely Jesse and Cait filled Harry in on the info left by Thawne.

<3 glad to hear it!

[infinite1ups]

"Probably for the best," Claire agreed, giggling some more. "Just ask me to make a cake and don't tell me what it's for." Because there was no way she'd miss out on making her boyfriend a birthday cake.

"I was pretty aimless for a few years, but in a weird way, I think it helped. I needed to... be my own person and find myself, you know?" It had helped her grow up a little, and while she still had a ways to go, she was in a much more stable place now than she had been right after her Ferris wheel jump.

She gave everyone a smile as they entered, especially Caitlin, because yeah, it was fairly obvious that they'd all had that talk. It made her feel kinda bad to have missed it, but she was also so proud of Cait.

"Hey guys.“ The smile on her face hadn't quite reached her voice, but she wasn't all doom and gloom. "Hell of a day, am I right?"

"Claire." Her father's voice cut through her awkward attempt at humor. "The vision, did you see anything?" He looked almost desperately at Barry and Cisco.

[feelthelightning]

Neither Cisco or Barry could actually meet Noah's gaze. Like kids who got caught after curfew. But Cisco spoke up, "It's... I mean, nothing concrete to prevent it, but it's true. We have a few bits to go off of. The way Thawne described time..."

Cisco was clearly incredibly uncomfortable and Harry knew it wasn't just the Vibe that had him I'll at ease. So he cleared his throat to cut the young engineer off and pulled away from his daughter. "Thawne used the words 'time is malleable' and he isn't wrong. But it's delicate and complex." Harry fetched a box of dominoes from Cisco's gaming desk, (totally not stealing this perfect visual from HR) and tossed them at Barry, who caught on immediately and used his speed to line them up in a perfect line. "If I knock over the first domino, we all know exactly what's going to happen. The whole row goes and we end up with a predicted outcome. But if we alter the path," the physicist picked up a couple of the dominos leaving a few that had been placed unevenly or were slightly askew. Then, he knocked over the first domino, and the first gap still continued on the path but the second gap threw the tumbling domino off the table and stopped the chain, leaving the last domino standing unscathed. He held up a hand in a sort of shrug. "Time isn't set in stone. Fixed points can't be changed without catastrophic outcomes, but those are few and far between. If we can alter the right event leading up to this prediction, the outcome will change. We've done it before with Ramon's Vibes." Harry scooped up the dominoes and stacked them back into the box.

[infinite1ups]

She knew her dad could be intimidating. Demanding, even. But to her, seeing afraid and helpless was worst of all. Intimidation and demands meant he had a plan, or could come up with one.

Noah Bennet had always been the man with the plan. Now he was learning to rely others more than he ever had. The visual explanation was exactly why he liked Harry Wells so much. He wasn't completely out of his element dealing with time-travelers, but Eobard Thawne whad certainly proved himself to be more savvy about it than Hiro Nakamura ever was. It didn't escape his notice, however, that Thawne was issuing them a warning.

"Seems to me," Noah said slowly, thoughtfully, "like Thawne wants to save Claire, in his own twisted way. Why else would he tell Claire about this?"

"I'm going to find out," she interjected before she could stop herself. Better to rip off the proverbial band-aid. "I'm going to talk to him." And then she shut up, because she knew she'd just dropped a bomb.

Her father, to her surprise, didn't say anything. It made sense to him, as much as he hated to admit it. But she sounded like she had a plan - no doubt she'd discussed this with Barry and Cisco before making their way back into the Cortex. He decided to give them a chance. Besides, Harry would put up enough of a protest, he already knew. She seemed to heed Harry's warnings, at least a little. Maybe he'd have better luck.

[captaincaveman]

The boys felt horrible more than intimidated. Telling someone that, yes, their daughter was going to die unless they could come up with the impossible and save her was not an easy thing to say. Especially after witnessing it. Cisco was glad Noah had declined to see the Vibe, because seeing Barry react to it was bad enough.

"I may share a face with that bastard, but I can't even begin to guess his motives here." Harry stubbornly refused to say Thawne was showing any signs of humanity by warning Claire. It had to be a trick or somehow self interested in some way. So, as predicted, when Claire said she was going to talk to him, Wells was quick to shoot her a stern look.

"I must still have a punctured eardrum." He said slowly. Almost coldly. "I could swear you just said you were going to talk to that psychopath. I obviously didn't hear you correctly, Bennet."

Jesse crept up behind Harry and tugged on the hem of his sweater. "...dad." She said softly.

"That man just sent a silent threat to us that he can get to your father, that he's been in the building, I've been bending over backwards to make sure he stays away from you, and you want to seek him out?"

Barry knew that very tone and he went rigid beside Claire in response to it.

[infinite1ups]

Noah was glad he'd declined as well. He'd seen her die enough, even if she'd come back. There was no way he could bear the sight of seeing her not get back up again. As Harry's ire was stoked, he reminded silent - anything he could add would only be repetitive.

Even just holding Barry's hand, she felt him stiffen. She leaned in a little closer, more to support him than seeking out any of her own. As much as it hurt to hear Harry sound so cold, she could handle it. She had to.

"You heard correctly." She was carefil to keep her tone even. No sarcasm, no brattiness. "I need to ask him what else he knows. He has to know more if he was able to send me the newspaper. Maybe he knew Cisco would Vibe it." Then, more softly, "I'm going to ask him why he's trying to save my life."

And she was going to apologize, but she didn't dare say that out loud. There was more, this part she couldn't keep to herself because she was certain Barry or Cisco might say it anyway, and she didn't want to make it look like she had any questionable motives.

"It might be our best, or only chance, to find out more about how to stop this. And... it could be a chance to get Thawne locked down. To protect Barry." She was trying to save her own life, sure, but that was just as important, if not more so. If it somehow came to giving herself up to save Barry... Claire didn't finish that thought, but it probably showed on her face.