flashpoint_heroes | You Bring Out The Worst In Me~

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.

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From:

feelthelightning

Sadly, the poison had run deep. Before Eobard tampered with time.

"Visions?" He asked, looking sympathetic. "That's horrible. I... might know someone who can change the future." He said very carefully. "It's a long shot. A very long shot. But if I can figure out how to get a hold of him, I might be able to ask." He had no idea if Thawne would even help him. He had no reason to. Hell, he didn't even know why Thawne had stopped his own evil self. Spitting cryptic bullshit about redemption. But maybe...

"Yeah. Cop, remember? Sorry, I did a background check on you when I heard the news. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't hurt Bar. A lot of "redacted" stuff, but I found some footage of a ferris wheel. Attempt number, you kinda lost count. I just thought you were a Meta."

From:

infinite1ups

"Won't be the first time I've proved a precog wrong," she said with a shrug, but then once again her suspicions were raised. The way Eddie said it... that phrasing brought one person to mind, immediately. Claire's voice was a little harsher than she intended when she asked the question that every fiber of her being needed to ask, "Who?"

Eddie's admission of looking her up was as touching as it was unnerving. "Streisand Effect. We delete the video, it goes back up. Nope, not a Meta. Evolved human, or Evo for short, I guess." She'd originally hated the term Evo, but now she was coming around to it. "I hope what you did find was convincing enough. There's no way in the world I'd hurt my Bear."

Now some of Becca's articles about her and other Evos were out there on her Red Files blog. It was the one 'interview' Claire had ever done after that initial media frenzy the night of her jump. A small effort to put out some pro-Evo stories, to combat whatever negative press might be around.

If Eddie was talking about Eobard the way she guessed... Claire didn't know what to make of that. She regretted asking so rudely, but she needed to know.

From:

feelthelightning

The demand in he tone caught him by surprise and it showed. "A--" He stopped short. The man wasn't a friend. "relative of mine is a Meta." He answered. "He helped me with... something a year ago. I was supposed to die, apparently. He gave me a new chance at life. That's why I think he might be able to help you." He said carefully.

"I didn't find anything incriminating. That's what I was hoping for." Eddie answered calmly, smiling at the nickname.

From:

infinite1ups

The worst of Claire's history would have been erased for good, thanks to Rebel. Not that she had any dark secrets she hadn't already told Barry about, or at least had alluded to.

"Eobard," she breathed the name out at that description, almost on instinct. Her face went a bit pale. So Eddie knew. Eobard saved Eddie because of her, and her belief in him. She still couldn't bring herself to admit it. Did he know about Barry and Iris? She was just as afraid to ask that.

"I know him." He deserved to know that much, especially because he'd find out eventually anyway. "I'm not sure he'll help. At least... not more than he already has. He sent a message from the future about it."

Eobard's timeline meddling was self-serving at its core. He needed Eddie to survive, to ensure his own existence in the future. Claire's influence had caused Eobard to spare Eddie instead of just killing Barry. Sure, Eobard kept popping up as time remnants or whatever, but surely that wouldn't last forever. There had to be some sort of deadline, right? A point of no return where Eobard Thawne's existence could no longer be tenable. So long as Eddie stayed with Iris - or, barring that, Eddie didn't get with whoever enabled him to continue the line which produced Eobard in the future... maybe that was something they could work with. It was still a little selfish, on Claire's part, but now the success of Iris and Eddie's relationship also could serve a larger purpose.

She wasn't quite ready to let it slip to Eddie that there were already plans in place for her to talk to Eobard. Barry's continued abscene was starting to make her worried, and that nervousness could make her rambly. "What is taking so long? Where the hell is Barry?"

From:

feelthelightning

Eddie nearly choked on nothing when she breathed that name. He recoiled and then looked around as if the name might summon the man in yellow. "You know the Reverse-Flash?" He asked quietly. So, he'd also meddled in her future too. It was strange.

"He said he was trying to... do better." Thawne said, but he sounded sceptical. "Don't worry, we'll find a way. Bar never fails." He promised. Which, wasn't true if he'd actually died in the original timeline. But best not to bring that up again.

He started to pull out his phone when she expressed her agitated worry. "I'll call and see if something happened--" But with a gust a wind, Barry was at Claire's side again.

"Hey, sorry! Julian saw me with Joe and decided to give me a piece of his mind." Barry looked so very annoyed.

"Who?" Eddie looked to Barry.

"Uh... just some new CSI guy." Except he wasn't new. Not according to everyone else. But he had to remember that Eddie had been pulled from before Flashpoint, so he didn't know any of the changes to the timeline that Barry had caused. Only the ones Thawne had caused. What. A. Headache.

From:

infinite1ups

She just nodded at the question, and what Eddie said about Eobard trying to do better, almost looking regretful about it. Eobard must have said that before he found out she was with Barry. Now how many lives would he ruin because she had betrayed him? But, she thought, it was better that Eddie was alive than not. He seemed like a good guy, even if he did raise her suspicions sometimes - which, she had to admit, wasn't terribly hard to do.

The relief on Claire's face as Barry whooshed back to her side was obvious and instantaneous. She slipped her hand in with his and immediately looked less tense. "Ugh, I should've guessed you'd run into Juilan. For a moment I forgot he existed." The fortunate thing was that she had no idea how new Julian actually was, and she didn't really care to know. The two things she knew about him - that he annoyed Barry and hated Metas - were more than enough to ensure he wouldn't be on her good side and therefore she wouldn't care to know anything more.

"He's a jerk," she grumbled, then looked to Barry. "Is everything okay at work, though?" Technically, he'd be cleared to come off of leave now. If he was going back tomorrow, she planned to spend the day at the lab, unless her dad needed her for something. Being home by herself all day would drive her crazy. "Eddie and I were just chattin' about stuff." She briefly shot Eddie a friendly smile. "He's pretty cool."

From:

feelthelightning

Barry gave he hand a squeeze and laced their fingers, bumping his shoulders with her playfully. He could feel her relax and it made him happy.

"Yeah, he's... God, I hate him." Broken record much? Eddie almost looked amused that there was someone Barry hated like that.

"I can't believe there's actually someone who gets under your skin." Eddie teased.

"He's the worst! You have no idea!" Barry said dramatically. But he smiled at Claire. "Yeah, everything's okay. Singh's glad I'm doing better and he said he'll be happy to have me back to work."

Eddie smiled. "And I think she's pretty cool too." He admitted.

From:

infinite1ups

Barry was usually so cheerful and sweet that it was almost a little amusing to see him so irritated, but then it also had the added effect of making Claire angry on his behalf. It was probably for the best if she never met Julian, or else she might get Barry in trouble. The shoulder tackle she'd launched at Hartley sounded like a good place to start, the more she thought about it, so she quickly forced herself to start thinking about something else.

Besides, she could hardly stay annoyed for too long when Barry was smiling and Eddie was returning the compliment. Maybe he wasn't that sus, after all.

"It's been really nice to meet you, Eddie, but I think I'm kinda starving," Claire said, suddenly shy, gently nudging Barry's side with her arm. "I promised this guy spaghetti. But hey, remember-- don't forget the power of a bouquet of flowers," she added, teasingly. A not so subtle hint about his potential plans to stay in Central City a little while longer.

From:

feelthelightning

"It's been a pleasure, Claire. I think I'll take your advice." Eddie said with a smile and gave Barry a clap on the shoulder. Barry offered him a nod then scooped up Claire yet again, running off with her.

The world whirled around them and they were back home in no time. He carried Claire up to their couch, sitting down with her in his lap. His stomach growled, but he just needed a moment with her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect to see Eddie. That was a surprise. And sorry I took so long at the precinct. I hope things went okay with you and Eddie. He's a Thawne, but he's not like the Reverse-Flash at all. He's actually a good guy."

From:

infinite1ups

Claire was pleased by that response from Eddie, and even more pleased when Barry scooped her up and took them home. She cuddled right in on the couch. Honestly? She needed a moment, too.

"Hey, it's okay." Her voice was soft and reassuring, with a kiss to his cheek. "It was a little awkward at first, but yeah. He's a good guy."

She was hesitant on the next part, but she truly couldn't hide anything from Barry. "Mr. Detective could tell I was stressed. I didn't tell him everything, of course, but I did tell him vaguely about the threat looming over me. He offered to help, so... I think he might be staying a bit longer, instead of going back to New York." A content little smile warmed her features, though it was a touch sheepish. "I suggested he surprise Iris with flowers. 'Cause, y' know, it worked when you surprised me on our first date."

From:

feelthelightning

Barry stroked his fingers through her hair slowly. "She'll like that. You kept those flowers until they wilted. I'll have to get you more soon." He leaned in and kissed her between the eyes. "I'm glad he's willing to help. I just hope him being here doesn't cause trouble." He didn't know any of the details of the mess with Eobard and Eddie. He just knew the basics and the result, so maybe things would be fine.

"You didn't tell him you were planning on talking to Thawne, did you? That may not be the best idea." He tipped his head so his cheek could rest against the top of her head. "Iris wants to treat us to dinner. I invited her over here instead to spare us her cooking. But maybe with Eddie staying, we can double-date and go out to eat somewhere which will solve the problem."

From:

infinite1ups

She beamed at the kiss, the snuggled in more so Barry could rest his head on hers. There were some worries in the back of her mind that Eddie staying could be dangerous, but she didn't know exactly what the threat might entail or what to do about it.

"Eddie was talking about asking Eobard for help, actually," Claire replied with a shaky sigh. The part about Eobard saying he was been trying to do better, that was haunting her. "I shot that idea down. Figured he'd find out one way or another eventually so I told him I know Eobard. but I didn't tell Eddie anything about our plans. I just said I didn't know if Eobard would help more than he already has, and mentioned a message from the future. I didn't go into details."

Claire pulled back to meet Barry's eyes with a worried frown. "I didn't just put Eddie in danger, did I? Or Iris? He just-- there was this look in his eyes, like he really didn't want to leave. And he seemed genuinely concerned when I mentioned my life was in danger, so I thought it'd be nice. Two birds, you know? He gets a little more time with Iris, and maybe his detective skills can be of some help." She tried to smile again, but she was still worried. "And we can definitely double-date."

If that went well, maybe she could show Iris a trick or two in the kitchen. It'd be nice if they could be friends, and if Claire could let go of all those jealous feelings. That'd stick it to Eobard, combating all his hate and conflict with love and friendship. The prospect of two different double-dates was exciting too. Barry had turned her into such a romantic, she could swear - now love was in the air!

"Did you know Eddie looked me up when he heard we were dating?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

From:

feelthelightning

Barry lifted his head in alarm and looked down at her with shocked, wide eyes. "Why would he suggest going to Thawne? How would he go to Thawne?" He didn't like any of that, actually. It not only meant Thawne had changes the timeline, but when he'd done so, he'd directly talked to Eddie. How much did Eddie know?

"What? No. You didn't put anyone in danger. Eddie's the kind of guy who probably already had his mind made up to stay. Let me tell you something about Eddie; before he even knew I was the Flash, he wanted to arrest the Flash. He hated the idea of a masked vigilante. Afraid I could just use my powers to turn against the people I was helping since I hid my face because there would be no repercussions. But when I was fighting Snart and Rory, Snart had me dead to rights. I was on the ground and Snart and Rory were over me with the Cold and Heat Guns about to finish me off and Eddie jumped in with a ballistic shield. He blocked their fire and saved my life. He didn't know who I was, he didn't even like the Flash, he could have died there. But he did it anyway. Eddie impulsively acts on his desire to do the right thing. He would have helped anyway."

Her next admission made him laugh. "You know, I'm surprised Joe didn't do the same thing. He was Joe's partner. Detective Pretty Boy Joe used to call him before they actually became friends. But he tried to treat us like family."

From:

infinite1ups

After hearing that, Claire felt a lot better about trusting Eddie. She was less pleased to hear about Snart nearly killing Barry, but she knew the two had made up after meeting Leonard. Clearly they'd worked it out, and Lenny had to be on their side if he was nudging her in Barry's direction.

"I told him about visions of me dying, keeping it vague. He said he knew someone who could change the future, about figuring out how to get ahold of him. I immediately guessed Eobard, 'cause who else could it be?" Her expression darkened some, and it seemed she was trying not to get choked up. "I think Eddie knows the Reverse-Flash saved him. He... he mentioned something about Eobard saying he was trying to do better. That was the way he was with me, when he thought I could help him. But I don't know what he told Eddie, beyond that."

The trail of manipulation just never ended, and it kept creating new paths to make her feel guilty. She couldn't feel too guilty about Eddie's life being saved, but if anything bad happened now, she would feel at least partly responsible.

"There's not a ton out there about me, but he did find the footage of my Ferris wheel jump," Claire admitted, trying not to cringe. "Rebel helps a lot to get the worst stuff deleted - not that I'm really trying to cover anything bad up, but there are a bunch of mean articles that have been written about Evos in general, not just me. My friend Becca has a blog she uses to put out good stories about us. She also writes about crime stories, spooky stuff, and anything weird. Which... reminds me, I gotta send Cisco her info."

From:

feelthelightning

"Thawne must've told Eddie everything, then. Or, at least his own version of everything. He shouldn't know he died otherwise. He shot himself as a spur of the moment decision just before Thawne could kill me. He did it to stop him and save my life. It wasn't planned. We didn't even know it would come down to that. I destroyed Thawne's way home, and he lost it. Decided if he couldn't get what he wanted, he'd destroy everything. We fought and he was faster, stronger, and more skilled than me. I lost completely. Thawne's biggest weakness is his love of his own voice. He was telling me how he was going to kill me and everyone I loved when Eddie grabbed the gun. Because if he died, then Thawne wouldn't exist to kill me." Barry looked a little haunted retelling that story. "I don't buy for a second that someone like that is trying to do better. Or ever could." And this was coming from the man who saw good in Leonard Snart.

"Hey, I'm not worried. I don't think there's anything in your past that would make me think poorly of you." Barry kissed her softly. "You're everything to me."

"You might give her Cisco's number too. If I know Cisco, he'll probably assume he's not good enough and never message her."

From:

infinite1ups

"He did say he intended to go back and kill you, but saved Eddie instead." Because of his belief in her. Eddie had gotten the nearly same manipulation tactic as she did. She wondered if Eddie had been told it was 'supposed' to be Iris and Barry, too. It would sure explain that pained look in his eyes, the look that had made her suspicious. "I'm glad Eddie's alive, though, and I hope he somehow ends up getting to stay here. He seemed upset to have to leave Iris."

Claire melted as Barry kissed her, then snuggled in once again. She still couldn't bring herself to talk about that part of the timeline out loud. What was the point, anyway? Barry wanted to be with her, that much was obvious. It wasn't fair to expect him to prove that to her over and over, just because Eobard kept getting under her skin.

"I've told you most about what I worried about telling, anyway." The whole Building 26 mess was slightly concerning, but she took comfort in Barry's reassurance. Fortunately her distrust in the government - and to an extent, law enforcement - didn't run that deep.

"Yeah, I was gonna swap their info. It's funny, she'll probably think the same thing, but she'll be way too curious not to message him," she said with a chuckle. Once they got talking, Becca might think she didn't deserve someone as nice as Cisco, but Claire was confident they'd complement each other well. And compliment, for that matter. She softly kissed Barry's neck. "I think it's spaghetti time, and I think somethin' sweet, too. Wanna bring some goodies to the lab to share with the gang tomorrow."

From:

feelthelightning

The muscles around Barry's eyes tightened as he considered those words. Sure, that sounded like a comforting thing, but Thawne could just as easily have been trying to garner good will. "I'm relieved Eddie's okay now, too." He makes Iris happy and Barry just wants her to be happy. Once upon a time, Eddie had been a complication, but... not anymore. He'd always love Iris, but he wasn't in love with her like he used to be. He hadn't been since he met Claire.

Barry smiled, with a little shiver, lifting his shoulder to hide the goosebumps the kiss to his neck caused. "Looking out for my best friend, my foster sister, me and the rest of the gang? You're just too perfect! You sure you're not an angel?" He teased and lifted them both off the couch, setting her down gently on her feet. "Do you need me to grab any ingredients from the store? Then I can help you bake. Which really means I'll just get in the way and get covered in flour or powdered sugar while looking adorably helpless because I don't really bake."

From:

infinite1ups

Part of her was afraid she might never get over the knowledge of that other timeline, and that some part of her would never stop doubting, even just a little. But at its core, that fear was mostly chalked up to her overall fear of losing Barry. It was her responsibility to deal with that on her own, she thought.

"I could be asking the same thing about you," Claire teased, filing his reaction to her kiss in her memory for another time. "You take such good care of me."

She headed into the kitchen, poking around in the cupboards and fridge for the things she'd need. "Looks like we've got everything we'll need, actually. How about brownies? It's hard to go wrong with chocolate."

Her gaze turned back to Barry with a cheeky grin. "Watch it, babe. I already want to kiss you enough without covering you in sugar." She giggled as she washed her hands, then got started on the meatballs. "Pretty sure you're just about the only person who could get in my way in the kitchen and I won't get annoyed. And... I'd rather you were close, I'm still kinda anxious after everything today. Is that okay?"

From:

feelthelightning

"Brownies sound perfect." He smiled warmly as he followed after her into the kitchen.

That little 'threat' made his warm smile turn more mischievous. There might totally be some spilled sugar in the future. But for now, he looked around and watched her preparing meatballs. His grin widened. A little gust of wind and he'd washed his hands, dashed around the kitchen, prepped all the meatballs for her, having just watched her make the first one, and set them out for her. "That's perfectly fine with me. So long as you don't mind sharing the kitchen with me." He said and held out the plate of mixed and formed meatballs like a proud kid.

From:

infinite1ups

It was a simple enough process, once she'd seasoned the meat and chopped up some onion to mix in. Before she could get the words out to tell Barry she had it handled, there was a pile of meatballs on a plate. Okay, maybe she should have expected this. How could she possibly say no to that face? It simply wasn't possible.

"Show-off," she laughed, getting a pot ready on the stove to cook them, and another one with water for the pasta. "But it's your kitchen too, now. C'mon, we'll get these cooked right along with the sauce." Nothing fancy, just a shortcut homemade recipe that was still better than the stuff in a jar.

Claire oiled up the bottom of the pot to sear up the meatballs, humming thoughtfully. "Ever since my family's house burned down in Texas, nowhere ever really felt like home. For ten years I kept looking for that feeling," she said, gently stirring in the pot with a wooden spoon.

"I finally found it."

From:

feelthelightning

Barry washed his hand and vibrated them dry, letting the heat generated evaporate the water. Then he looped his arms around Claire's waist from behind, leaning in to rest his chin on her shoulder as he just hugged her.

"It's our kitchen. Our home. I couldn't be happier to share this space with you, Claire." He turned his head and kissed the line of her jaw softly. "I know this seems like it happened fast, but I've always been a believer of love at first sight. That probably sounds ridiculous. But I knew I'd love you. And I do love you. I will always love you." Says the Paragon of Love.

From:

infinite1ups

She leaned back in Barry's embrace with a content sigh, head tilting just slightly as he kissed her. It was kind of hard not to get misty-eyed, actually, but she held it together.

"Nah, it doesn't sound ridiculous. I don't know about love at first sight, I just knew I'd regret it if I didn't go talk to you. And I knew right away this was something special. I mean... we had literal sparks fly the first time we touched." Claire giggled at the memory.

"I love you, and I love the life we're building together. I thought I might never get to have this. For all I talk about making my own future, and not believing in fate, I know this is where I'm meant to be."

From:

feelthelightning

He was so happy where he was right now. Which made that devastating vision hit so much harder as it lingered in the back of his mind like a bad taste in his mouth. But moments like this made him incredibly happy.

Barry laughed a soft little huff of a sound. "You know, they say sparks fly when you meet your soulmate." He teased and nuzzled into the side of her neck. Now, he wasn't sure if he believed in soulmates, but it was easy to joke about.

"This is definitely where you're meant to be."

From:

infinite1ups

For the time being, at least, Claire was happy enough that it beat down the negativity in her mind: her doubts, her fear of that vision, everything. Perhaps without even knowing, everything he was saying was exactly what she needed to hear.

Were they soulmates? She wasn't sure such a thing existed - not to mention that her belief in her own soul was in doubt sometimes considering how much she'd died. Still, she couldn't deny she felt a draw to Barry that was somehow bigger than herself, bigger than the two of them, from that very first day.

"Soulmate? Hmm. You're my Bear." She grinned as she kept on with the cooking. Having his arms wrapped around he didn't hinder her progress whatsoever.

This wasn't the 'normal life' she'd lamented about not having back when her regen had manifested. This was something better. A purpose, a place to belong, and people to belong with - not just Barry, their family - all entwined together.

From:

feelthelightning

He had no idea that Thawne had planted so many doubts in both Claire and Eddie over the same thing. Or that it was putting a strain on his friendship with Eddie and possibly starting Iris off with negative points. It would just make him hate Thawne more to know.

"Your dad calls you ClaireBear, but I can't take that. You, Claire Bennet, are my Home. Right here." He nuzzled into her neck and kissed over her pulse. "The eye of my storm."

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Flashpoint: Heroes

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