Dropping In

[swoopyhair]

Once he'd gotten word from Noah that it would be safe, Peter was eager to visit Central City and see Claire. It was nice to hear she'd finally settled down, and something he expected to happen sooner or later. What he didn't expect, however, was to hear she'd gotten herself into a relationship. At least not so soon after moving in.

But he understood all too well what it was like to fall in love with someone at first sight. He was glad that it seemed to be going much better for his niece than it had for him.

There was also some lingering curiosity about the dream he'd had. The one where he was in that weird room with Claire and a bunch of people he didn't know - her friends, he would later learn after talking with Noah. He assumed he'd meet them eventually, though maybe not today. It would make sense if she wanted to introduce him slowly and let them build up trust in him. She'd never been so open with her relationships that he could remember - the last one he knew anything about had been with Gretchen and even then he barely had met the woman. Peter didn't want to push too hard and end up distancing himself from Claire all over again. He was all too aware that his involvement with Sylar had put a strain on them, and he wanted to use this time to try and set things right.

Claire had texted her address just after moving in, so he knew right where to go. But rather than teleport directly into the apartment, Peter popped into the hallway. He was planning to surprise her, and now that he was there, he hoped she was home so he didn't have to text her and ruin the surprise.

He knocked twice, then waited for her to answer.

Comments

[feelthelightning]

The answer was very immediate. Mr. Speedster really should know better than to answer doors as fast as he always did and it tended to start awkward conversations. Oh, I was just heading out, so I was at the door. Or, Oh, I was expecting someone so I was close by. But Mr. Allen was always so eager to be helpful and use his speed in his every day life that he forgot answering the door shouldn't be an immediate thing. Though, to be fair, most people to visit already knew.

So, when he opened the door nearly before Peter's hand left the wood, and met a face he didn't recognise, he was surprised. Barry looked briefly stunned. "Uh... hi?"

[swoopyhair]

The door opening immediately certainly was a shock. Peter was no stranger to speedsters, nor was Claire, but he hadn't known any since Edgar back at the carnival. And the unfamiliar face at the door was instant proof that he hadn't simply caught his niece on the way out.

So... was this her boyfriend? Had he moved in already? That worried him, but Noah had only talked about how great this guy was, and how Claire was happier than ever. If Noah had given his approval, that surely was a big deal, but Peter still wasn't sure what to make of it. Especially with the dreams he'd been having.

"Hi-- sorry--" Peter stammered, clearly caught off guard. "Maybe I should have texted Claire first, but I wanted to surprise her. I'm her uncle, Peter Petrelli. You, uh, you must be her boyfriend that I've been hearing so much about?"

The man's face was unfamiliar - he hadn't been in the dream where he made eye contact with the long-haired guy, nor had he been in any of the others that Peter could recall. He offered a hand to shake, brown eyes warm as he smiled.

[feelthelightning]

The name garnered instant recognition from Barry. Green eyes widened and he took Peter's hand. "Y-yeah! Barry Allen! I've heard a lot about you." He answered with a light flush high on his cheekbones. Claire's boyfriend still had a nice ring to it.

Barry darted out of the way (fast but still humanly fast) and gestured for Peter to enter. "Sorry! I try not to-- I mean, I can get Claire. Coffee?" He asked, gesturing to the kitchen.

[swoopyhair]

His smile widened as he shook Barry's hand, both surprised and pleased that Claire must have talked about him. Or maybe Noah had, but surely she would have, too.

"It's nice to meet you, Barry," he said, pulling his hand back and shuffling inside as he was let in. The offering of refreshments came with a sense of ease and familiarity that suggested Claire's boyfriend hadn't simply stopped by to visit.

Peter shook his head. "No coffee, thanks. Hey, if I'm interrupting, I can come back at a better time."

Beyond the body language and trying to take in Claire's apartment, he sensed something else. Barry seemed nervous, and it was taking all of Peter's self control not to read the guy's mind. Had Claire told her friends he was a telepath? His empathy was enough to feel how much love was there, though. Just in the way he blushed and said her name. It was sweet, really. She deserved love like that.

With that wave of emotion, Peter's heart started to race, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. There was something else, a kind of tingle that he recognized as his power absorption at work. But Barry wasn't an Evo, that much Peter knew for sure. Noah had told him as much. Nor had Bennet mentioned any other Evos in all of Central City, let alone Claire's building.

"Maybe I should come back," Peter said quickly, more gruff than he'd intended. He quickly winced at what a dick he sounded like, holding up a placating hand. Given all the discussion around how safe it was for him to be there in the first place, he assumed Claire's new friends would be in the know about at least his ability to absorb powers. "Uh, sorry. I thought Noah said I wasn't gonna have a reaction here, but I definitely feel one coming on."

[feelthelightning]

"I've been excited to meet more of Claire's family! The pleasure's all mine!" Barry's smile was warm and excited. "You're not interrupting! Really." He assured, then looked concerned. Yeah, it probably looked awkward what with him answering her door and all. He wondered how many of Claire's relatives knew they were living together, or if it was just Noah.

The change in the mood of the conversation concerned Barry, but he caught on quickly at the mention of Noah and having a reaction. Barry held up his hands placatingly and stepped back, as if the extra bit of distance might help Peter. "No, it's cool. You can stay. I'm not an Evolved Human." He said carefully. "But we anticipated there might be some kind of reaction. Claire's blood was tested against mine to make sure there were no negative effects so it would be safe for you to be around us. I'm what's called a Meta-human. We gained our powers after an accident and our DNA was mutated. So you might be feeling my powers." Barry explained quickly. "We keep our powers hidden here for the sake of our loved ones, so Claire and Noah didn't want to really text about it and leave a paper trail. Claire explained your ability and we each agreed to trust you."

They knew what they were getting into when they'd green-lighted Peter. But Barry was astonished how quickly his power sussed him out. Even while Barry wasn't using his speed. He thought he would at least need to be using it to get caught, but nope. He was impressed. Cait was probably the most hesitant of the three of them seeing as she'd only just come out with her ability to them all and given the severity of her power. That it came with Killer Frost. How would that affect Peter?

[swoopyhair]

Huh, so Noah knew more than he'd let on. Claire, too. She had mentioned Meta-humans, but neglected to mention she was dating one. It would have been nice to get a heads up, but he understood if she wanted to be protective of her boyfriend. She was always more secretive about other people's abilities than her own. Then again, she had also told him she didn't think he'd be able to absorb Meta powers.

Clearly she knew some Metas, given her caution, she just didn't tell him who the Metas were. She just said it'd be safe, and there shouldn't be an overload like when he absorbed Ted Sprague's nuclear ability all those years ago.

But Peter had far more control over his powers now. It was almost as though his ability had evolved, and maybe it had, through his work with Sylar. He felt stronger than he had before his original empathic mimicry was stolen, along with all those other powers.

"So Claire probably told you, my ability works through empathy," Peter said, then laughed softly. "You wear your heart on your sleeve. And you must really love her." It wasn't a criticism, in fact it was quite the opposite. "The faster I connect with someone's emotions, the faster I can duplicate their ability. Claire didn't seem to think it would work with Metas."

He put a hand to his chest. His heart was racing. If he didn't have Claire's regeneration, he'd be more worried about that.

"I think I'll be alright? Claire said Metas were more powerful than most Evos, and after that venom I had to reluctantly take her word for it. But damn. I haven't picked up anything this strong in years." As he pulled his hand away from his chest, he realized it was... vibrating. "Well, that probably explains my heart rate."

[feelthelightning]

Barry's blush deepened and reached the top of his ears. "I do. I love her a lot. She's my everything." He looked off to the side a bit flustered but he wasn't ashamed. Just embarrassed. "We weren't sure it would work, but we could at least tell it wouldn't be harmful."

His gaze travelled to Peter's hand as it started vibrating and he laughed. "Yeah. I'm a speedster. From what she's told me, your Evolved speedsters aren't nearly as fast as I am. Careful. It can be easy for that to get away from you." He nodded to Peter's hand. "Keep calm and try to relax. You'll start to feel the lightning rushing through you, reaching every nerve in your body, like a buzz of energy. That's the Speed Force." He held up a hand and let the electricity crackle across his fingers to show Peter. "It won't hurt you. But it might be startling at first."

[swoopyhair]

The empathy was more prominent in his powers now than it ever had been. He wondered if that was due to Sylar's methods of empathically absorbing abilities rubbing off on himself. With his original mimicry, he always needed to recall those he'd absorbed powers from to control them, with the exception of Claire's regeneration, once he'd fully activated it. Now the emotional aspect was more prominent. He needed some sort of connection to even absorb a power at all. The connection to Barry was through Claire, he supposed. She was still one of the most important people in Peter's life, despite the distance between them now. No wonder it had been so instantaneous.

He watched with only slight surprise as Barry went on to talk about lightning and something called the Speed Force. His hand was steady now as he held it up again, and he felt a surge of power that rushed through him. A few yellow sparks danced along his fingertips, drawing out a smile. Thank God he had better control now, ten years ago taking on a power this strong might have knocked him out, or worse.

"I've done speed before, and I've done lightning before, but this is way different. I'm not even moving and I can feel it. Edgar's speed was a brisk jog compared to this," he said, a bit strained but still pleasant, almost amused. His heart continued to race despite his best efforts to stay calm. "Does your heart always beat this fast? If I see this on the job it's a bad time for my patients, but is it normal for you?"

He couldn't recall it ever happening with Edgar's speed, and at the time he didn't also have Claire's regen to keep him stable.

[feelthelightning]

Barry watched him carefully for any signs that he might be panicking. It was easy for the Speed Force to overwhelm someone at first. He'd run headlong into a truck the first time. But he's been through this before and helped Jesse through it, so he had experience.

He watched the yellow sparks and smiled warmly. "Your connection will be strongest if you focus on something that makes you happy. Something you love. The Speed Force is all about happiness and love. Positive emotions. I run faster when I'm running for the people I love. It puts me in tune with the Speed Force."

He laughed. "Yeah. I was struck my lightning and hit with a dark matter wave at the same time. That's how I got my powers. It put me in a coma. The doctors didn't know how to deal with me. I kept flat-lineing on the monitors, but I was having seizures at the same time, which shouldn't be possible. I was taken back to STAR Labs by a man who knew what was happening to me with more precise instruments. My heart was beating so fast the heart monitors at the hospital couldn't read it and misinterpreted it as a flat-line. This has been normal for me since I woke up. My resting heart rate is around 120 BPM. depending on how fast I'm running, the highest we've clocked it has been 2400 BPM. You get used to it. I also have accelerated healing to repair any strain it causes to my heart. Not as fast as Claire's, though. Or as thorough. Pretty sure if I lose a hand, it's gone for good." It was interesting to see someone analysing their very first moments. He hadn't even gotten that chance with Jesse. Her power had shown itself on Earth-2 when she'd almost been hit by a car, then Harry brought her over.

"Claire's gonna be jealous." Barry said with a soft laugh.

[swoopyhair]

"Jealous of what?" Claire's voice rang through like a bell, and Peter glanced over with a smile. He watched the emotions cycle through her expression - delight and surprise at seeing him, giving way to concern and shock as it dawned on her what was going on.

"Guess I can absorb Meta powers after all," he said almost sheepishly. Before he could warn her about possible jolts while he got the lightning under control, she'd rushed forward to hug him. What else could he do but catch her?

It turned out to be the best thing she could do. The sheer force of her relief and joy at seeing him hit like a tidal wave of calm. His heart was still beating faster than normal, but no longer felt like it might race out of his chest. The sparks dancing through him seemed to settle as well. His tentative hold on her tightened into a proper hug until he pulled back to get a good look.

"I'm not that jealous," she returned playfully, moving to Barry's side. Her arm slipped around his waist. She looked so happy that it was impossible for Peter not to smile even more. "Maybe a little. At least until we get some more test results back."

There was a knowing glance at Barry as she said that. Clearly there was more for Peter to catch up on. "So you're really letting them test everything, huh? Noah said you guys had a lot more answers about how your power works. He seemed to think I might be able to get some answers too. But to be honest, I've been using Sylar's aptitude along with my empathy, so I feel a deeper understanding now than I ever have."

Claire frowned at the mention of Sylar, and Peter held up a hand. "Sorry. I'll try not to talk about him. He's staying in New York just like he promised. You don't have to worry about him, I swear it." He had a feeling Barry would know at least some of the history there.

[feelthelightning]

Just the sound of Claire's voice made him smile and his heart skip beats. "My team and I are all in scientific fields. And in order to make sure it was safe for you, and for us, some testing was done. But she's been doing other tests against Meta tech to make sure she stays safe. I hate the idea of something getting to her." Something like Thawne. Or this God of Speed. But he wouldn't mention those or the vision. Not unless Claire wanted to.

But the mention of Sylar put Barry on edge. He held Claire closer and there was a small spark of anger buried there. Yes, he knew a little bit of what Sylar had done, but not all of it. He just knew Claire didn't want him around. "And if he does show up, I'll personally drop him off in Antarctica to let him know he isn't welcome." Barry said protectively.

[swoopyhair]

"Team... I'm guessing those are the new friends Claire's been talking about in our texts." So Barry was protective of her. No wonder Noah liked him. But Peter couldn't deny that he liked it, too. They couldn't always be around to keep her safe, and she did have a unique talent for finding danger.

As much as he regretted bringing up Sylar, he was still somewhat pleased with Barry's reaction. Despite all the progress they'd made, Sylar could be an ass even at the best of times. It had come to blows more than once, but the two worked well together, so they kept at it. He hoped Claire might be able to come around and soften her stance, but he would understand if she didn't.

"I'd almost pay to see that," Peter returned easily, and Claire gave a little laugh. "Sylar wouldn't be able to catch you if he tried. I'm sure Claire was all too happy to point that out."

She nodded. "Damn right. I don't want to see him, but he's the least of my worries."

"So I've heard. Noah says regen isn't enough anymore. He seemed pretty rattled that something could affect you so strongly. I can only imagine how it was for you. I'm sorry I couldn't be here." He looked to Barry. "Thank you, for taking care of her."

"We didn't know if it was safe yet. I didn't want to risk you having a bad reaction when were both stable. We just had to take another dose of the antidote and let it run its course." Claire lifted her hand to brush the hair back from her face, and a sparkle caught Peter's eye.

A ring. Not just a little trinket, that much was obvious. "I'm sorry, should I have brought a bottle of champagne to congratulate you guys?" he asked playfully, gesturing toward her hand.

[feelthelightning]

"Yeah! Claire's been working with my friends, Cisco, Caitlin, Harry, and Jesse. They've grown attached." Barry said with a fond smile in Claire's direction. "She's trying to steal my best friend!" He pretended to sound miffed by that. "And she's already wormed her way into even the grumpiest hearts at the Lab." His affection for her was smothering.

Barry laughed. "She did. As soon as I brought up mach speeds, it was decided I'd win the race." He said proudly. At least against Evo speedsters. Too damn bad it didn't matter against Thawne. That was definitely why Meta speedsters had healing abilities. The speeds at which they ran would destroy their bodies otherwise.

"Of course. I'll always take care of her." Barry hugged her with one arm, resisting the urge to kiss her. "I love her too much to let anything happen to her."

And then Barry was blushing furiously. "W-well. No one knows yet. It just happened." He stammered.

[swoopyhair]

"She has a way of doing that. Nathan would've attested to it." And his brother had done so, though unfortunately it was usually out of Claire's earshot. Her relationship with her biological father hadn't been ideal. The look on his niece's face when he brought up Nathan made him immediately regret it, so he pushed forward. "Yeah, Evo speed is very limited, by comparison." There was no Speed Force for evolved humans. "But now that I seem to be borrowing your speed, I'm curious to see what it can do."

As far as Peter could tell, Barry's love for Claire was the real deal. He didn't have Sylar's ability to detect lies, but with empathy and telepathy, he could generally figure out when people were being dishonest. His original assessment about Barry seemed spot on. He'd never seen Claire look so happy. So... in love. She had always kept her relationships private, surely none of them had been this serious.

Barry was her hero now, he supposed. That was for the best. He hadn't been much of a hero, these last few years. It was lucky enough that she thought as highly of him as she still did. Now was his chance to do better - whatever she needed, he was there.

She was blushing too as he called out the ring. Peter held up both hands, grinning. "I can keep a secret, don't worry. But I'm glad to be the first one to congratulate you." He reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "You deserve it, Claire."

"How long are you staying, Peter? I know you're usually busy with work."

That was a surprisingly complicated answer. "I'm not sure, actually. I took leave from the hospital. I'll be helping Ma and Noah with Company stuff. And I want to help you. I've, uh. I didn't want to bring this up so soon, but I've been having dreams. Some good, but mostly... not so good. You guys have something going on, don't you?"

His heart sank as he watched Claire look to Barry with fear in her eyes. "Go ahead, babe," she said with a nod, then fell quiet. Whatever it was, it looked like she didn't trust herself to keep it together while she told him.

I need you to know, I giggle every time I see his screen name.

[feelthelightning]

Barry grinned. "We could always go for a run. But I'd want to make sure you start out easy first. Tripping at Mach 3 is pretty hazardous to your health. We can start slow, then once you've got the hang of it, we can race." He promised. This was also something he was going to do with Claire.

"I don't know how much of a secret it's supposed to be. It's just new. It's up to Claire when she wants to tell everyone." He leaned into her with a rub of his shoulder against hers.

He was happy to hear Peter would at least be around for a little bit. But the new subject was a downer, and the immediate drop in his mood could be seen just as easily as his love for Claire. Peter was right, Barry really did wear his emotions on his sleeve.

"We... Vibe had a vision. He saw Claire killed by a metal monster calling himself the God of Speed. He's faster than me and we think it is a permanent death for Claire. We also got a warning about him from someone from the future who might be a reliable source. At least, he is as far as information goes." Barry did not like talking about this, but he wouldn't make Claire say it.

I'm so glad! It's his most iconic look. XD

[swoopyhair]

"We're bothengaged," Claire interjected with a giggle despite the mood drop. The way she leaned her head against Barry, it was obvious how much she relied on him for support. "You can decide who we tell and when just as much as I can, silly. But I'm also happy to be low-key about it."

She darkened again as Barry explained what was going on, and while it illuminated some things, it didn't make Peter feel any better. "I think I dreamed about that. In the dream, I'm trying to catch Claire and 'port her away, but she slips out of my grasp just as I'm hit with a white flash." He paused, frowning as he shook his head. A permanent death... but how? "I'm pretty sure I had dreams about some of your friends, too. The guy who was looking at me, a guy who was holding some kind of device and scowling. And the rest I couldn't really see their faces."

"That was Harry scowling, probably," said Claire with obvious fondness. Then she added, "I'm glad you're here to help us. We're going to stop it."

"Damn right we are," Peter assured her. "Nothing's killing you so long as I'm still breathing. Whatever it takes, I'm here to help you guys."

[feelthelightning]

"We are! But you... I don't know. It feels more... It's always more... I don't want your dad to shoot me." Barry fumbled over his thoughts, finally getting to the crux of the issue. "I mean, I can catch bullets, but still."

Barry looked solemn and closed his eyes against the emotions he was feeling. "The white flash... you were probably hit with his lightning. I've never seen lightning like that before. His Speed Force is something I've never felt." He looked up after a moment, surprise in his eyes. "Wait, if he was close enough to hit you in your dream, you had to be close enough that you would've been able to feel his power, like mine, right?"

He scrubbed his hand through his hair with a heavy sigh of frustration. "I don't suppose you've seen anything in any of your visions about a guy in a plague doctor mask? I think he might be connected to this God of Speed. It's... it's a long shot. But," He looked at Claire almost apologetically. He hadn't really brought up Alchemy much because he hadn't wanted to worry her. But if they were related, this could be even bigger.

"Harry's-- Doctor Harrison Wells is the grumpy one. Seven PhDs. He's a tech genius and a physicist. Claire's also saved his life twice now and he's sort of adopted her in his own grumpy way. My friend Vibe, he's the one with visions, you two had visions of each other. It knocked Vibe on his ass. Some kind of feedback loop of visions with the way Vibe's work. He'll introduce himself to you properly at some point." He tried to fill in a couple faces at least.

Barry looped his arm around Claire's shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her temple. "So long as I'm still breathing, too." He promised. "We appreciate your help, Peter."

[swoopyhair]

Claire laughed again, and Peter couldn't help but smile. Trust her to still find humor even when faced with an existential threat. "It's not ye olden times, babe, you don't have to ask his permission for my hand in marriage," she said with a grin. "I figure people will find out as we see them, I'd rather tell them in person than over the phone, that's all. Well, except my mom. But I'll FaceTime her later."

"My mom should be coming within the next week or so, I'll let you tell her," Peter chimed in, amused. "She said she had a precog dream, but it was a good one. I'm just glad she didn't see what I've seen."

He considered Barry's questions, then shook his head. 'A plague mask, no. And I didn't feel anything in the dream like I was taking on a new power. Maybe that metal monster was too strong, or there was something blocking my ability. All I know is getting hit with that flash knocked me right out of the vision."

Claire looked just as confused as he felt. "But if you're there when I die, we didn't see you in the vision. How could that be? Are there branching timelines of the same event?" she asked.

He smiled sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Uh... I think I have an idea how." And with that, he vanished from view, just for a few seconds before he appeared again in exactly the same spot. "Claude's back, so I picked up his invisibility."

"You know Claude?" Claire was utterly shocked, and frankly, so was he. But then he dimly recalled the man's history - he'd been partners with Noah at The Company.

"Yeah, I found him back in New York, just after I met you in Texas. He helped me learn to control my powers. At the time neither of us realized we both knew you." And Peter added, laughing, "He was glad he didn't have to go through training me again."

"So you were in Vibe's vision, but we didn't see you 'cause you were invisible. I wonder how close you actually were, though. Even Barry couldn't move fast enough to get too close." She stopped suddenly and her frown deepened as she leaned into Barry again. "Unless I have more than one encounter with the God of Speed."

"I don't know. All I remember seeing in that dream was you and that monster. My only focus was saving you. There was another We'll figure this out," Peter promised. "There was another dream I had with lightning, but it was red. I thought maybe it could've been my friend Ando, but it definitely wasn't. Does that mean anything?"

The look on Claire's face didn't give him much hope.

[feelthelightning]

"I know that." Barry chuckled weakly. "I just mean he's protective if you and he barely knows me and all I've done is bring trouble into your life." Why yes, he blames himself for Thawne and Chameleon. And it's obvious that this God of Speed is going after her to hurt him.

The invisibility made him jump a bit then grin. He was always amazed to see new abilities! Especially when they weren't being used against him. "That certainly can come in handy." He admitted. But he agreed, if Peter didn't see him, then something was odd about the vision.

"It's possible we've already altered the timeline and he saw a new variation..." Barry hated that idea even more. It would mean altering the event would be harder than just a small domino. They'd have to be more strategic about what they changed and how. Or find a way to stop this monster before it could happen, which was a harder feat, given they didn't have much to go on. He'd need to talk to Jay soon. Like, today, soon.

But two words jerked him from his thoughts like he'd been struck by lightning again. Red lightning. Barry's blood ran cold and he paled. "Thawne." He went rigid at Claire's side. But he had to tell himself that just because Thawne was in a vision didn't mean anything just yet, since Claire was set on talking to him. "What did you see specifically?" Barry asked cautiously.

[swoopyhair]

"I was getting myself into trouble just fine before I met you," Claire gently reminded him. It wouldn't be like her at all to blame Barry, Peter knew that much. "It could be the God of Speed is toying with me and doesn't kill me the first time I see him, or maybe I got saved once, but not the second time. Or... yeah, we already altered the timeline." Peter noticed her gaze flicker down to the ring on her finger.

"Maybe we did. You weren't wearing that in any of my dreams." He regretted bringing up the red lightning, if only because he hated how much the topic seemed to pain both of them. But at the same time, it was helpful to confirm that this was something they knew about. Or, he supposed, someone.

There was that sad little smile that had endeared her to him in the first place, as she offered a small explanation. "For lack of a better way to put it, Eobard Thawne is Barry's Sylar. But he's worse than Sylar. He and I also have a short history, before I met Barry. He... manipulated me. Made me think we could work together to learn about Evo and Meta powers. I thought I could help him. Kind of like you're helping Sylar." The shame in her eyes broke his heart.

Worse than Sylar? For Claire of all people to be saying that, it had to be bad. But why in the world did she think she could help this guy? He must have really gotten to her. Expert level manipulation. He shuddered at the thought.

"There was a streak of red lightning, and a yellow blur. Just... standing in a parking lot I didn't recognize, with this looming presence. He didn't seem to notice me, he was watching Claire walk toward him. I couldn't stop her." Peter frowned, tilting his head. "Is he another speedster?"

[feelthelightning]

"Maybe he didn't know you couldn't be killed so easily. So his first attempt was just a stab?" Barry said hopefully. But if the guy still used a syringe, then that was unlikely. Either way, he hated all of this.

"It's not your fault, sweetheart." He could hear the shame in her tone. He didn't blame her for being manipulated by Thawne. They'd all been manipulated by him before. "...he killed my mother when I was eleven." Barry sounded so small. "And framed my father for her murder. All because he couldn't kill me as a child. So he tried to break me instead. Now he just continues to terrorise me and has made it his life's mission, his words, to find a way to kill me. One that doesn't affect him. Without me existing in the past, he doesn't have his powers in the future." With Eddie dead, Eobard had been cut from the timeline, so it didn't matter anymore and he'd been free to kill Barry without consequence but with Eddie alive and Eobard restored to the timeline, he's at risk of losing his powers again. So now he's in a bit more danger with Thawne than he was before.

"He is. And he's also faster than me. ...you need to keep away from him, Peter. He's dangerous. And the Negative Speed Force is dangerous. How far do you have to be for your power to absorb anothers' power? Because you need to keep that distance from him. Claire has decided to talk to him and see if he knows anything about this God of Speed. But we're not sending her in without a defence. We think he might have been trying to protect her by sending the warning, so... beyond all reason for Thawne, he might actually care about her." Barry was still not sure Thawne could care about anyone but himself.

[swoopyhair]

"The thing grabbed her, I tried to reach and pull her back, but the lightning hit me." Peter shook his head at the memory of that dream. Barry's continued explanation about Thawne didn't help matters at all. How had Claire gotten herself mixed up with a man like this? Clearly it was before she met Barry.

Even Sylar cared about some people. He had an unhealthy attachment to Claire, despite not seeing her for years, as much as he tried to hide it. Maybe it was similar. Even with his empathy and Sylar's aptitude, Peter couldn't fully understand how minds like that truly worked.

"Pretty close. But it's more of an emotional thing than a proximity thing. It used to be that I only had to get close. Now, I need a kind of... empathic hook to really start absorbing the power," he explained. "Just getting physically close isn't enough, I need to connect. And frankly, I'm not sure I could connect with either of your speedy villains."

He had half a mind to tell Thawne off, though, messing with his niece like that. It was hard to be worse than Sylar, but evidently it was possible.

"You think it'll be safe to talk to this guy?" Peter looked to Claire, curiously. She had been holding onto Barry like she was trying to hold him together, while he talked about Thawne. It was hard to meet her and not care about her, he knew from experience. She was just a seemingly random cheerleader when he'd gone to Texas to save her, throwing himself into certain doom to save her and save the world, but she'd made such an impact on him even before he learned she was his niece.

"I think so. He's warning me. Ultimately he wants me to leave Barry, which obviously I won't, but... he doesn't want me to die. If he did, he'd just do it himself, or keep his mouth shut and let the God of Speed do it." Her voice still held that layer of guilt, and it tugged at Peter's heart. She sounded like she did when she came to him after her Ferris wheel jump, that deep feeling of knowing she fucked up, but she didn't know how to fix it.

"The Negative Speed Force. Sounds pretty self-explanatory, I think," Peter said, then he sighed almost in exasperation. "And time travel is in play. Of course it is, if you can run that fast. Just when I thought we were done with the butterfly effect. Technically I can teleport through time as well as space, but I almost never do it anymore."

He ran a hand through his hair. It was getting long in the front again. "So, what's the plan? You ring this psycho up and meet him for coffee?"

Claire shrugged, and Peter noticed she seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Whatever happened with Thawne, she was torn up about it. He hated the guy already. "We're still figuring that out, along with some other plans to get more info. They're probably working on stuff now at the lab, as we speak."

That was supposed to be "a bit LESS danger with Thawne than he was before. XD

[feelthelightning]

Barry glanced at Claire and gave her arm a squeeze. Her support helped keep him whole. "I'm gonna see if Vibe can't Breach me over to E-3 today do I can talk to Jay. We need some answers." He wasn't sure if they were going to overload Peter with the Multiverse stuff just yet, so he abbreviated for the sake of his sanity.

"Thawne is full of hatred. It's what hooked him into the Negative Speed Force in the first place. Hatred of me. He's a sociopath. I can't imagine what it must be like to be an Empath around someone like him, so... be careful if you encounter him. The feeling you get from the Speed Force, the warmth and love? His is the opposite. I can feel it when he hits me with his lightning. It's cold and angry. It's pure rage."

Barry nodded. "He had no real reason to warn Claire. Unless it was a desperate manipulation tactic to gain her trust. But his manipulation tactics are usually a lot more well thought out than that. He manipulated the entirety of Central City for fifteen years. He manipulated Cisco, Caitlin, Ronnie, and Hartley for years. He even had me thinking he was my saviour for over a year when I got my powers." Fortunstely, it sounded like Peter hadn't seen Thawne's face, so he didn't have to worry about any confusion with Harry for the time being.

"Claire still has his number, I think? You can use my phone, so he doesn't have your new number. Or the STAR Labs phone. But if Peter saw you meeting him, it's safe to say Cait has good news for us at the Lab." There was some light in the dark.

Less danger! More good news! :D

[swoopyhair]

Peter was understandably confused at the mention of 'E-3' and Claire must have picked up on it. "Earth-3," she said, amusement shining beneath the darker mood. "There are, uh, multiple Earths. I got the lecture hall explanation, but hell if I could explain it any better than Jesse and Harry did. Basically our Earth is the nexus, and they're all connected. Some abilities like Vibe's Breaches can get there, and Meta speedsters can run through paths that connect the Earths because they're fast enough to navigate inside without getting lost."

Multiple Earths. Of course, that might as well be a thing. He didn't dare ask about aliens (No one tell him. It'll delight Noah to be the one to drop that bomb.)

"Full of hatred, but trying to save Claire's life? Could it be so he can kill you himself?" Somehow he wasn't surprised when she shook her head.

"No, he could've gotten to me already, if that was his goal. He did threaten my dad, though. And everyone at the lab. I don't know why he'd make an exception for me. To him, me being with Barry is the ultimate betrayal. All of the hatred in the Negative Speed Force... it's because he hates Barry. But I'll use my phone to contact Thawne, once we get those plans finalized. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with some future tech way to find my number, anyway."

And that, Peter thought, was one way Thawne was worse than Sylar. There was a lot of hate in Sylar's heart, a lot of rage. And while for a time it had been focused at Angela Petrelli, even he could learn to let it go after a while. As much as Sylar had gone after Claire, it was never to this extent, he didn't think, but there was also a lot he'd missed while his niece was at Arlington. Peter had thrown himself into his paramedic work to an almost obsessive degree, and had been that way essentially until now, except for when he and Sylar worked on training with their powers together.

This was the first extended break he had from the hospital since Claire's jump. It was strange to think about.

He watched Claire perk up at the mention of good news at the Lab, and it made him smile in spite of himself. "Can we go?" she asked, a bright grin spreading across her face. "I wanna bring goodies for the gang, and see if there's anything I can help with."

Maybe it's safe to test the V-9... I could train with Barry! Despite keeping his telepathy under control, every now and then he caught stray thoughts, and that one from Claire was curious. It made him happy to hear her so excited, but he wondered what kind of training she could be doing - it was slightly concerning. He decided not to ask, instead concluding that he'd learn what it meant soon enough.

Peter knew he needed to learn to trust his niece's judgment. She'd obviously matured since the Sullivan Carnival, and Noah had even tried to tell him so. They'd kept in touch mostly superficially; every time she reached out to visit him in New York he'd been busy, and once she found out about his involvement with Sylar she'd distanced herself. As much as that stung, he understood why, and understood that he deserved it. He was grateful she was giving him another chance.

"I don't mind tagging along if I'm not intruding, or... I don't know. I've never been to Central City. Anything worth checking out?"

Thawne wouldn't want to lose his speed again.

[feelthelightning]

"So yeah... I run through streets, time, and dimensions. Surprise." He said sheepishly. "Oh, and walls. I can vibrate my cells to the frequency of air and run through solid objects." But so can Thawne, which was a problem. Thawne taught him everything he knew about his power except how to throw lightning. Zoom taught him that one... funny how all of his abilities came from villains pretending to be friends. That stung. A lot. How he managed to trust anyone anymore was a miracle. Even Harry had betrayed him at first. Did he just have a 'Gullible' sign on his back?

"The best I can do is; all these universes exist in roughly the same spot but vibrate at a different frequency causing them to separate their dimensions. So, they're infinite. Harry and Jesse are from Earth-2. It's kind of like, every decision that could ever be made has a different outcome and that has its own universe. Harry... can't leave STAR Labs because Thawne is sort of his identical doppelgänger and is wanted for murder. So, Harry will be arrested if he's seen by anyone. He's genetically identical to the Harrison Wells from this Earth, who... Thawne killed and body-snatched because he saw me in the future working closely with Harry and assumed it was Harrison Wells. It's a lot." More guilt that he held close to his chest. It was his fault that Harrison Wells was killed.

Barry knew she was right, but he still didn't want her to so willingly give him her number. But it was her call. No pun intended. He also hated that she was right about Thawne being able to get to her if he really wanted to. Barry would've at least seen him coming, and they would sure as hell fight, but not much can stop him.

"Yeah, we can. Wanna grab the brownies?" He said with a warm smile. "And you're more than welcome to join us, Peter. I know Vibe was eager to meet you."