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

[iamnotuptight]

Cisco blushed and Harry raised an amused eyebrow. "Anything that can shut him us is worth noting." Wells said with a smirk.

Jesse looked giddy. "Well, Claire is like a big sister! If that helps! Also, I totally love seeing new powers! Especially when they're not trying to kill me! Show off all you want!"

"You don't want anything to do with mine. They're a pain." Cisco said flatly. There was still that hatred of them because of Thawne.

"Trauma bonding?" Caitlin asked meekly. "Do any of your powers... terrify you?" Her tone was careful, but fear rolled off her in waves as strong as Barry's love.

I forgot I gave him TK and electro until I looked at my list. XD

[swoopyhair]

There was a look of pride on Claire's face that almost rivaled Harry's when Jesse called her a big sister. But then looked like if she'd been holding something, she might've thrown it at Cisco, Harry-style. "Hey. Your powers saved our butts when you breached in to stop Hartley. And the God of Speed Vibe gave us a lot of info to work with," she reminded him. Peter realized she was probably talking about the day Noah had asked him to be dropped off in Central City. Noah filled him in later and mentioned something about her being attacked, but that she was safe.

"Precog powers can definitely be a pain," Peter agreed. "I've had two different kinds. The paintings were more helpful, but I don't have that one anymore. Dreaming the future can be confusing as hell." Breaching sounded useful, though. Similar to teleportation, but easier to move a crowd, he guessed.

He was close enough to Caitlin to really feel the emotion in her words, and it almost made him want to reach out and comfort her. But he didn't want to make her uncomfortable because she seemed so skittish. "They have in the past." His voice was quiet as he answered honestly. "I had a nuclear power, I was afraid I was going to explode and destroy New York if I couldn't get it under control. And when I first took Sylar's power, I was terrified I'd become like him. Intuitive Aptitude comes with a... hunger, an obsession with knowing and understanding everything, with gaining power and knowledge. It's part of what made Sylar what he was. I know from experience how hard it is to keep under wraps. Now it's held back by my empathy and the way it's caused the Aptitude to evolve into a more emotional one than analytical."

Peter took a deep breath and seemed to relax some. "But the rest of my powers are part of me now, just as the people I've gotten them from are part of my life. It's how I remember them, and their impact on me." He held out his hand, and with a gesture, lifted the container of brownies off the table and rotated them in the air before setting them back down. "Telekinesis from Sylar - it's not even his original power, but it's so deeply a part of him now, that I was able to absorb it. I got electrokinesis from him the same way, because he got it from someone we both knew."

[iamnotuptight]

"Yeah, well you don't know what it's like to be told you're only special because a murderer who you trusted killed you and gifted you powers!" Cisco snapped back, not even meaning to let that out. It... just came out. When Harry swatted him upside the head for being dumb, he flinched harder than he should have and Harry froze. He knew immediately what his mistake was; looking like Thawne.

Harry whispered a soft "...sorry." to Cisco and left the younger genius' side, moving to the far back of the room, almost like putting himself in time out. But he was trying to give Cisco breathing room from the trauma his face causes. And it helped, as much as it pained him to admit. Cisco lowered his shoulders a bit so they were no longer hiked up to his ears.

Cait nodded her agreement with him on the matter of fearing powers. "Some powers... need to be suppressed." She said softly. "I'm glad you were able to get you Aptitude power under control. Something like that sounds scary to live with. Knowing you could be a ticking timebomb..."

Cisco seemed to relax more when the brownie box floated around and he watched it settle. "That seems pretty nifty."

[swoopyhair]

It felt like everyone got tense from a moment, which confirmed Peter's suspicions that this was deeper than the usual banter. He watched as Claire moved to Cisco's side and gave his arm a gentle, comforting squeeze. "I know what it's like to be told I'm special by a villain who killed me and took my power," she said sadly. "Not quite the same, but I know how being special can feel like a burden."

Peter was hit with waves of bitterness each time the word special came out of her mouth. The hurt she felt at his closer relationship with Sylar really cut through. It was still a betrayal to her, as it probably should be.

Not to mention, what a betrayal it was to Nathan. His brother. The man Peter supposedly idolized. What a mess.

As if he didn't feel bad enough, he noticed how Claire looked away when Peter showed off the telekinesis. How many times had Sylar attacked her with it? He'd used it to saw open her skull, got God's sake. Sorry. He gently thought the word into her mind, but she didn't look at him.

Yeah. Me too, was all he got in response.

"It comes in handy," Peter said to Cisco, his tone lighter.

'Super handy for cutting my skull like a can opener," Claire muttered. It looked like she had more to say, but she bit her tongue.

Peter did his best to ignore it and stay positive for Caitlin. Clearly these questions and comments were coming from a place of experience. "Anything can be manageable with enough practice. Some are just more difficult than others, but I know a lot about controlling powers, so does my mentor, Claude."

He held up his hand again, grinning suddenly. "If you think teke is cool, check this out." With a look of concentration etched on his face, Peter's hand seemed to go invisible, but upon closer inspection, reflections from the lights in the room could be seen in the shape of his hand and arm. They were enttiely made of water. "I can do ice too, but I think this looks more impressive."

[iamnotuptight]

"Sorry, I didn't mean to downplay what you went through." Cisco apologised and smiled weakly at her. "Maybe it's not the same, but it's just as hard." Cisco flinched again when he heard what had been done to Claire. "Maybe don't tell Barry about that..."

Caitlin withdrew more and shook her head, pressing her lips together into a tight line. "You say that, but you haven't met my alter ego. Not everything is manageable." But she watched Peter's new display with curiosity and awe. She almost reached out to touch, but stopped herself. When he explained she withdrew her hand even faster, snapping it back to clutch the snowflake shaped pendant. "Water? That's interesting. We haven't encountered any Metas yet that can manipulate water like that. We had Nimbus who could turn himself into Hydrogen Cyanide gas, but not water vapour and the Mardon brothers who could control the weather, which included rain, but that's still different."

"On my Earth, we had a hydro-physiological Meta-human named Silas Waters. Went by Slick. He could do the same thing." Harry said from his corner of the room.

Caitlin rubbed her fingertips over her pendant. "I can do ice too. Well, not really me. My alter ego can." Her eyes welled with tears. "Everyone always said Ronnie and I were like fire and ice. And Ronnie turned into Firestorm and I'm turning into Killer Frost. Fire and ice." A broken sob escaped and she covered her mouth like she hadn't meant to let it out. Jesse zipped to her side and held her.

"Ronnie, her fiancé, died closing the singularity caused by Thawne when he tried to get back to his timeline a little over a year ago." Cisco explained.

And as soon as she'd started to heal, Jay showed up and she fell in love again only to lose him then be betrayed by him. She walked over to the comms console and took off her pendant. She picked up Cisco's coffee as icy fog rolled off her hands and her breath could be seen. The cup frosted over and she tipped it upside down, letting the frozen cylinder of coffee fall into her palm. Her hair started to bleed white and she quickly put the necklace back on, forcing the change to reverse. She put the frozen coffee back in the cup.

For a moment, as her hair had started to change, it would almost be impossible for Peter not to hear the angry voice in Caitlin's head clawing for control. Frustration and cold rage at being suppressed and ignored. Frost wanted blood. She wanted freedom. She wanted to destroy Caitlin.

"Hey! That was fresh, hot coffee!" Cisco lamented.

[swoopyhair]

"You didn't downplay anything," Claire said, quiet but firm. "It is just as hard. Two things can be true: what Thawne did to you sucked, and where your powers came from doesn't make you any less incredible." She bonked her head against his arm affectionately. "You're the best Bestie-In-Law ever."

Peter let his arm go back to normal, intrigued by Caitlin's reaction, and then deeply concerned. Alter ego...? But then she was taking the necklace off and he realized its purpose immediately. He winced at himself for implying ice powers weren't impressive, but he also got the impression she wouldn't take offense given how terrified she was of her own powers.

And with the onslaught of vitriol that hit him telepathically, he understood why. The voice in his head was decidedly not the Caitlin he was getting to know so far. He looked stunned for a few seconds, then quickly composed himself. She was already worrying about this enough, he didn't want to make her feel worse. But the concern was obvious on his face. Not pity or fear toward her, it was a genuine desire to help, mingled with a touch of helplessness because he didn't know how to help her.

"The necklace suppresses your power," Peter observed. What he really wanted was to ask if it suppressed the voice he heard, but he thought he'd rather save that for a private moment. The Company would have killed for that kind of tech back in the day, he thought suddenly. He hoped his mother's plan for a New Company was truly headed in a better direction - even if it was, something to control dangerous powers would still be useful.

"And now it's iced coffee," Claire piped in cheekily, clearly hoping to break up the tension.

Peter's focus was still on Caitlin. "I have... so many more questions. But I don't want to overwhelm you or anything." He shifted awkwardly, a sheepish smile forming. "I could always 'port for a coffee run, too."

[iamnotuptight]

Cisco gave her a short one-armed hug. "Bestie-In-Law?" A range of emotions swirled across his face like a storm: confusion, realisation, excitement, surprise, then disappointment. "Wait! Did you and Barry get married and not invite me?"

Cisco was a lot less quiet than Cait had been, so that caught Harry's attention and he keyed into the conversation the best he could from where he was.

"It does." Caitlin answered with a nod. "Harry made it for me last night. We've met... who I'll become from his Earth if we let Killer Frost out. So I've been wearing Meta suppression tech that Cisco and Thawne made, but... it wasn't strong enough and it needed to be charged regularly. Harry solved both those issues for me."

Cait held the pendant tightly in one hand, close to her chest. "If I become her, there's no coming back. I'll become a monster." She took a breath and composed herself, letting go of the pendant. "It's fine. You can ask me anything. I'll try to answer."

Cisco waved off the offer for coffee. "Nah." Though he had chuckled at Claire's joke. "Anger Management over there always brings me a new cup when he gets one for himself and the guy lives off caffeine. I legit think he'd actually die with out coffee."

Harry took that as a sign that he was no longer causing Cisco distress and gravitated close once again.

[swoopyhair]

"No way! I'm... jumping the gun a little," Claire answered playfully, lifting her hand to show Cisco the ring. "But close enough, right?"

"There's no separating Killer Frost from your power? Does the necklace suppress her as well? When you took it off... I heard her. Is that in your head all the time?" Peter asked gently. He was very much trying not to read Caitlin's mind now, whereas before he couldn't shut out that barrage of icy rage even if he'd had the presence of mind to try.

Niki Sanders had her an alter ego, he remembered. Her sister, Jessica. But eventually Niki learned to access her enhanced strength without Jessica having to take over. He couldn't recall exactly how she'd done it, though. Jessica hadn't truly been evil, just far more ruthless than Niki had been.

Peter wondered if he might be able to help with telepathy, maybe find a way to suppress Killer Frost. But it was something he wouldn't attempt without Caitlin's permission, and only if they had a set plan for what he was going to try to do. He knew all too well how telepathy could break a mind, and he didn't want to risk harming her in the process. "My bad, I know that's a lot at once. Answer what you can," he added, reaching to gently squeeze her arm. Sorry, Cait, he's just as touchy as Claire.

There was a laugh at the Anger Management nickname, and she offered Harry a smile as he moved closer to join them. "I was so right to get ahold of Becca. No shade to Jitters, but she makes the best coffee I've ever had. She's on a hunt for her blog now." Claire knew Peter was totally on his I can fix everything mood now, so she was letting him go along with that. "You really think Barry and I would go and get hitched without you guys? We're not that impulsive."

[iamnotuptight]

Cisco's bright smile was back and he practically bounced in his spot as he looked at the ring. "Congrats, dude! That's awesome!"

Jesse smiled at them and zipped over to look at the ring with a bright grin. Even Harry offered her a smile of pride.

"There isn't, no. Every time I use the frost power, it starts to pull me under and pushes Killer Frost to the top." Cait took the questions in order. "It does suppress her. I only briefly hear her when she starts to take over. Then it's like I'm under water." She looked down. "I'm sorry you had to hear her... she's so angry." Cait offered him a smile when he squeezed her arm. "It's okay, really. I've been through a lot recently. Cisco, Barry, and even Harry have all supported me through it." She just didn't want to turn into Killer Frost and cause them pain in return for everything they've done to help her.

"What other powers have you got?" She asked with a smile.

"Wouldn't he? You have met the man you're engaged to, haven't you?" Harry asked playfully and leaned against the console.

"You're secretly evil." Cisco pouted at Claire and blushed.

[swoopyhair]

Getting to officially share the news with her friends made Claire even happier. Even the day's emotional bumps couldn't keep her down.

"You don't have to apologize. I can feel it, how much it worries you, how hard you have to work to hold her back." He paused, eyes almost pleading, head tilted. Peter could do the puppy look too, it seemed. "I don't know how to help, but if there's anything I can do... I'll be here in Central City for a while, and even when I go back to New York I'm only a teleport away. Almost as fast as Barry."

He smiled more as he considered the question. "I think I've covered all of them-- oh, I have enhanced strength. Saying so feels too much like bragging, though." His hair fell in front of his eyes as he ducked his head shyly, and he lifted a hand to brush it back. "And I showed Barry and Claire this one, but not you guys."

Then his body almost seemed to wave and shimmer as he vanished into thin air. He picked up the coffee cup with Cisco's frozen coffee so that it looked like it was floating in midair. Then after a few seconds, he shimmered back into view and set the cup down. "I can share that one with another person, too, but I have to be touching them."

"Aw, Harry. I'll be the first to admit the temptation to run off to Vegas is pretty strong... but it wouldn't be the same without our family," she said with a content sigh. "And really, We've got too much else going on to be planning a wedding on top of it. None of that has even been a conversation. I've been too busy giggling every time I call Barry my fiancé." And sure enough, there was a giggle.

Claire grinned innocently at Cisco. Full on cheeseball mode. "How can you look at this face and call me evil? I'm wounded."

[iamnotuptight]

"I don't know. Barry can travel faster than light when he wants, but teleportation is pretty instant." She said with a smile. There were too many people in her life who could do the puppy dog eyes. It just wasn't fair. "The only help for me is a Meta-human cure, I think." It may sound like an offhanded comment, and that was because she wanted it to sound that way. No one knew she was actively trying to find a way to develope a cure. Cisco had suspicions but wasn't about to actually snitch on her.

Caitlin watched him shimmer out of sight with fascination. Cisco's attention was drawn to the floating cup with a wide grin. "Barry's gonna kick himself for missing out on all your power demos." He said.

"I'm sure you kids will find time to plan." Harry promised.

"Easily." Cisco answered with defiance. "Wounded? Keep those crocodile tears to yourself." He teased. "Why don't you meddle with Harry's love life? Or Caitlin's? Or Jes--" Harry shot him a venomous look and he hung on to the name altering it part way through for the sake of his own life! "--us? Jesus? I was totally gonna say Jesus. Not Jesse. Nope. Never. Why," He laughed nervously. "would you think I was gonna say Jesse?" Cisco dipped behind Claire so she was between him and Harry. "Save me!"

[swoopyhair]

"I appeared in the parking lot just in time to see Barry running up the side of the building," he explained, "I focused on Claire to 'port in here. So he got me by a few seconds." It was also Peter's first time at STAR Labs, now that he was familiar, he could pop right into the Cortex, and that'd shave off a second or two.

He laughed quietly. "That kind of speed is nothing like Evos, it's still blowing my mind a little. But do you really think a cure is the only option? I mean, if there was another way, would you want that?" If she was truly set on a cure, he knew he shouldn't push too hard. Asking once couldn't hurt too much, he hoped.

Claire laid a dramatic hand over her heart, mock-pouting at Cisco. "Who said I'm singling you out, huh? I have other friends. But I'm not sure if I know anyone good enough for Jesse. If anyone hurt her, I'd help him hide the body." She looked to Harry with that last bit, then she put on the innocent smile again. And yeah, she did shift more so Cisco could hide behind her. "You, though... I'm actually not sure. It's hard to guess what you might be into, but I might have had an idea or two."

She already had thoughts about the way Peter was looking at Caitlin, and she wasn't touching that. It was hard to tell if that look was his natural inclination to help someone who was struggling, or something more. With Peter, it could go either way.

Peter grinned at Cisco, shrugging. "I don't mind demoing again. He's seen invis and TP now, and he has his own lightning. Only difference is mine is blue." Nope, he wasn't warned about that being bad.

"Right! We don't need a demo of that," Claire said quickly.

[iamnotuptight]

Cait made a silent 'o' with her lips then giggled. "Did you say the word race? He must've hit some pretty high speeds if you did. But he still has to run slower when he's carrying someone. Not just the drag force, but the damage to their body." Her smile was warm, a sharp contrast to her buried powers. "I'd like to say Barry is a special case, but we don't have too many data points to compare him to. I mean, we have Jesse and the real Jay Garrick, who's been doing this thing for a while. But I never clocked him. Jesse is fast, but Barry's top speed is just the tiniest bit faster. Then again, he's had his power longer than Jesse, so he's trained more. Reverse-Flash and Zoom are different cases, and both faster than Barry. But of them, Reverse-Flash is the fastest." The light and excitement in her eyes when talking about her research into Meta powers dimmed at the question. "...I hadn't thought about it. It's not like I can miss something I never got used to having. How useful could ice powers be?"

Harry smirked approvingly. But Jesse huffed and punched her dad's arm in protest. Harry's smirk faded when Claire declaired that she was hunting for him too. "Just don't." He said flatly, but when Jesse elbowed him, he added a bit more gently, "I have no interest in 'getting back in the saddle' as it were."

Jesse touched Claire's shoulder and she'd feel the sudden shift in the world around them as everything froze but them. "Dad... sorta saw mom as his soulmate. I bet you had no idea he was that kinda romantic. Sorry about the Flash Time, but he'd get mad if he heard me talking about mom. It's been a decade and he still won't let himself get over her death." She dropped them out of Flash Time.

Thank goodness for Claire's objection, because both Jesse and Harry seemed to instantly get antsy at the mention of blue lightning.

"Zoom's lightning was blue. It's how he got his name. He kidnapped my daughter to use as leverage for four months. When I didn't do exactly as he wanted, he tortured me with that lightning. Threatened to do the same to my Jess." Harry said slowly.

"He never touched me, dad. I promise." Jesse assured him.

"So, understandably, Jesse and I might have a strong reaction to sudden displays of blue lightning without warning." Harry gave Claire a grateful look for her immediate thoughtful understanding.

I see what you did there!

[swoopyhair]

"There was a bit of a challenge in seeing who would get here first," Peter admitted sheepishly. "I don't doubt he was showing off a little."

"We did a sonic boom!" Claire interjected, obviously still thrilled about the experience. Then, she sighed wistfully. "I can't wait to go faster."

That didn't surprise Peter at all. Thankfully, he trusted Barry and everyone here at the lab to keep Claire safe. Sometimes that meant keeping her safe from herself. He heard a stray thought from her, something about going faster than she had with Thawne, which immediately concerned him, but he decided to ask her about it later, in private.

Outwardly, he was also grateful for Claire's warning. He hadn't planned on giving a demo of the lightning anyway, since everyone here was already familiar with it. But it was helpful to know for the future.

"Good thing I figured you guys didn't need to see it, and then Claire spoke up. You guys have some real doozies when it comes to bad guys. I'm sorry you had to deal with that." Peter shook his head, then smiled at Caitlin. "Hey, no pressure. It's just a thought. Ice powers can be pretty useful," he said. A hand came up, the moisture in the air starting to crystallize as he channeled his cryo ability. "I got it along with the water from Tracy Strauss. She works in DC, helping to make sure the government doesn't come after us again. I think she'll be occasionally consulting for the New Company too, so you might see her around Central City eventually."

"Tracy's good people. She saved my dad and I when we got buried alive in a trailer, 20 feet underground. She used her water ability to tunnel down to us, then we swam up. It was a close one for my dad," Claire said, frowning. And then she'd immediately disappointed him by going against what would have been his dying wish.

It was hard to regret the jump as much now, after hearing about the multiple Earths. All of her choices brought her here, to Barry, and all of these people she loved so dearly. She wouldn't undo a single thing.

In truth, Claire hadn't considered anything too seriously, when it came to Harry. She remembered his reaction when the topic of Jesse's mom came up. Jesse pulling them into Flash Time only confirmed what she already knew, and she gave her "sister's" shoulder a quick pat before they went back to real time. She wasn't even that surprised to hear about Harry being a romantic - that kind of grief was the kind that came from a deep love. "Don't worry," she assured Harry, "I really didn't have any plans, just a silly thought. Before I met Barry, I genuinely believed I'd never get married or any of that. Now look at me."

Claire gave Cisco a nudge. "Sorry Bestie, you're at the top of my Spreading The Love pyramid scheme," she teased. "And, while I'm convinced y'all will be adorable, I also selfishly kind of want to see what you make of all her weird ghost hunting gizmos with your tech wizardry."

XD Puns are funs

[iamnotuptight]

"Barry's one of the kindest people you will ever meet, but he can be kind of a showboat. Only in good fun, though. Not when there are real stakes." Cait admitted. She smiled at Claire's excitement over the sonic boom.

"That's my boy!" Cisco said excitedly. "The sonic boom is so bad ass, right?! Not gonna say Barry's confidence at Mach speeds is all me, but... It was." Cait rolled her eyes at Cisco but said nothing on the subject.

"We've also got some pushovers too." Harry admitted. "A couple have reformed into heroes. You're only hearing about the worst of the worst."

"And... I did get Killer Frost to help us save Barry and Jesse on Earth-2. She even fought Zoom to help us escape. So there's that." Cisco added. It made him wonder if maybe Killer Frost could be reached. He knew Caitlin was terrified of her but she'd helped them even when she didn't have to. It was never part of the deal to defend them against Zoom.

"Why were you buried alive in a trailer?" Jesse asked with alarm in her tone. Perhaps the better question was 'how' did that happen. Cisco pointed at Jess and nodded as if seconding her thought.

"I also wanna hear about these ghost hunting gadgets." Cisco said, intrigued.

Claire's name just works so well for it too!

[swoopyhair]

"It was so cool!" Claire practically squealed with glee, then immediately looked a bit bashful. "We set off a couple car alarms, but I'm sure it's fine."

Naturally Peter didn't want to push Caitlin into doing anything that made her scared or uncomfortable, but he was starting to believe that maybe he could get through to Killer Frost if he just tried. It wasn't something they had to rush into trying, though. He wanted to get to know Caitlin more first. Her safety and comfort were the priority, whether she kept her powers or not.

"Samuel Sullivan - the leader of the Carnival I almost joined." Did she mention she almost joined a Carnival? "He was luring Evos to work at the Carnival because having more evolved humans around him bolstered his ability to control the Earth. Not, like, the planet Earth, but the literal ground. He planned to open up a big sinkhole and kill a bunch of people. My dad and I were trying to stop him, along with Peter. Samuel found out and trapped my dad and me," Claire explained. "But one of Dad's old Company partners, Lauren, called Tracy to come and help us."

"We ended up stopping Samuel, with help from Hiro and Ando. Sylar helped, too. He saved my friend Emma," Peter added, ignoring his niece's displeasure at hearing about anything good Sylar had done. It would have been all too easy for Sylar to kill Doyle, or to kill Emma for that matter, but he'd refrained. Just as Peter was now refraining from mentioning that they'd stopped Samuel from revealing Evos to the world with a mass murder only for Claire to out herself immediately after.

Claire was all too happy to oblige Cisco before her uncle took it upon himself to mention that, because it was on her mind as well. Her friends were smart enough to do the math: an event at a Carnival, plus her Ferris wheel jump, equals...

"Becca's got these devices that can allegedly detect or channel ghosts? And this thing that somehow helps them communicate with the living. I spent the night in an abandoned hospital with her once. Never again!" At least she could laugh about it now. "I went in as a skeptic. But even without the doodads I was hearing whispers in some of the rooms, and I swear I felt something brush up against me when she was in the hallway. Didn't sleep for almost a week after."

It does!

[iamnotuptight]

"Psh! I mean, sonic booms can shatter glass, so that's probably the best outcome, honestly. The damage we had to pay for when he stopped Girder the first time he went Mach 1.1 down a busy street. I'm glad Wells was paying for it at the time and not us or we'd still be working it off." Cisco said casually. "He's a lot more careful about where he hits those speeds so the boom doesn't break things. Or eardrums."

"Why am I not surprised you actually considered running away to join the circus?" Harry asked dryly. Claire, he's gonna put you in a padded box and only let you out under supervision at this rate.

They definitely would've put two and two together. At least Harry would have. And his scolding would have continued. "Ghosts are a hoax." He said confidently. But Cisco looked fascinated and intrigued!

[swoopyhair]

"Pretty sure if we went much faster than that, we'd need to be suited up, right? I mean, it gets kinda toasty." Claire asked, almost uncharacteristically cautious. She was mostly worried about Barry's safety and making sure her clothes didn't burn up, rather than her own well-being.

"Harry, please. The carnival. I'd never join a circus, I hate the way they mistreat the animals. And I hate clowns." The two of them would both need supervision! Harry had as many mishaps as she did, in the short time she'd known him.

"I wouldn't say it was ghosts, but there was something there. Some kinda energy. Something awful." Thinking about it now made her shiver, arms crossing over her abdomen. "Bex writes about real stuff too. I have some of her books."

Peter was still thinking about the sonic booms. With Edgar's speed, he could run from New York to Boston for clam chowder on his lunch break, but he hadn't created a sonic boom in the process. He looked to Jesse curiously. "I can stop time. Would that even effect you?"

[iamnotuptight]

"You would." Caitlin confirmed. "The friction at Mach speeds sets clothing on fire. For some reason you seem to be protected when Barry keeps you close, personally, but that doesn't count for clothing. Mild wind burn is the worst I've even gotten, when in reality, my skin should burn up just like clothing. I assume it has something to do with the Speed Force."

Harry rolled his eyes like a teenager. And put a hand on his hip. "They're both horrendous places to work." He insisted. Look, he didn't consider himself a risk factor because he'd already lived his life.

"I'd love to read them!" Cisco said excitedly.

Jesse looked curiously to Peter. "I'm not sure. We could always test it! I can move so fast, it looks like time is standing still around me. So it'd be interesting to test in the Speed Lab! If you're willing, I mean."

Cait moved a bit closer into Peter's orbit. "I can be handy just in case anything goes awry. I'm used to dealing with speedster mishaps."

[swoopyhair]

Thinking about Barry running with her was the best way to get rid of those heebie jeebies from remembering the haunted hospital. "I don't feel the burn in a painful way, but I definitely feel the warmth. And I know to keep my face down." See, Harry? She wasn't always careless.

"The carnival would've been nice without Samuel, I think," Claire said thoughtfully. "A traveling bunch of people who just wanted to entertain and make everyone happy. In a way, that inspired me to hit the road. Well, that and my bio-mom."

Jesse's offer was one Peter was ready to jump on. He nodded, smiling with a boyish excitement that wasn't too different from Barry. "That's be cool. I'm assuming the Speed Lab is for testing how fast you can run? Or some other kind of monitoring...?" He looked to Caitlin with that same wide smile, though perhaps a bit softened. If he could show off more for Cait, all the better. "Hopefully there won't be any mishaps, but I'd love it if you joined us."

Claire smiled at Cisco, nodding with subtle enthusiasm. "I'll hit up my bookshelf later and let you borrow 'em. The real topics are good, but my favorite of hers is the one about Bigfoot and the Chupacabra and stuff. It's so interesting how those stories came about."

[iamnotuptight]

"That's probably wise." Cait said with a warm smile.

"It is!" Jesse said proudly. "It's sort of a new addition to STAR Labs, but it's been a fun one!" She wouldn't mention the change to the timeline. That was a whole other issue that didn't need to be addressed right now. "Race ya there?" She teased.

Caitlin smiled. "I'd be more than happy to join you. This way." She started leading Peter towards the hallway while Jesse zipped through the hall at super speed.

Cisco elbowed Claire gently in the side, waiting for the trio to leave earshot. "I've seen Caitlin all twitterpated before. That's her twitterpated smile." Then he nodded for them to follow. "But I'm excited to read those books!"

[swoopyhair]

Peter laughed at the teasing challenge. While he still felt the tingle in the back of his head when Jesse raced through the hall, he couldn't access the power he'd absorbed from Barry. Instead he walked with Caitlin, glad to let her lead the way, and steal a moment with her in the process. "Never thought I'd see a place made for testing abilities like this. I... didn't think anyone would care enough to bother."

Maybe it gave him an idea of what Claire hoped to achieve by going public. But he hated the idea of conceding that point to her. For all the Evos who'd enjoyed coming out and living openly, there were even more who felt even more pressure to stay hidden, and he blamed her. Never mind that if not Claire, it would have inevitably been someone else. Better her than another Samuel Sullivan. Not much better, though.

Claire lingered back with Cisco, a thoughtful look on her face as she watched Peter and Caitlin trail after Jesse. "Peter's really charming, I don't blame her. I'm not sure what he might be thinking here, though. It looks like he likes her, but he also lights up when he thinks he can help someone. I think the Killer Frost thing got to him."

It'd be a little funny if while she was purposely trying to set Cisco up, Peter and Caitlin worked themselves out. At the same time, though, if this just was his hero crap and he ended up hurting Cait somehow, Claire would personally kick his ass, family or not.

"Barry's gonna love hearing about this, but I think he'll be sorry he missed it. Then again, I'm sure Peter will be happy to test it with him, too," she said, smiling at Cisco.

Your reply is damn near clockwork. XD I stayed up for it <3 Sorry mine are so chaotic.

[iamnotuptight]

"Dr. Wells designed this whole building. Or... rather, Eobard Thawne did. But Harry has one almost identical on his Earth. Though ours is more geared to training and assisting a speedster. We started out as sort of a rag-tag group protecting ordinary people from the Metas we created to a facility designed to both protect against the misuse of powers and the assistance in learning to work with powers. We've rehabilitated some. We've helped strays. I think it helps that it's run by people who are or understand Metas. That and the CCPD knows we work with The Flash, so they trust us to handle things." Caitlin explained as they walked. This was starting to feel to her like when she first met Jay, or, Hunter. He'd been so kind. They'd clicked and he'd been interested in the Lab. In her work. The sudden shock of fear hit her so hard it stole her breath away but she tried to play it off as a chill. There was so much trauma left behind by Zoom.

Cisco nodded. He understood that completely. "I don't know what to do about Killer Frost." He admitted. "We'll have to see if that pendant keeps her under control. I'm not as afraid of her hurting us as I am of losing Caitlin. Killer Frost hates Caitlin as strongly as Caitlin is terrified of Killer Frost. But like I said, I've gotten through to Killer Frost before. So I don't think she's as heartless as she claims to be."

Cisco watched Harry head into the hallway. "You kidding? Barry's gonna wanna test himself against all of you uncle's powers!" Cisco said with a laugh and opened a breach into the Speed Lab. "Short cut, Bestie-In-Law?"

Best way to spend my bus ride to work! XD It's all good. Rest well! <3

[swoopyhair]

Peter was right, however accidentally. Something like this was exactly what Claire would have hoped for by going public. Resources to help people, with and without abilities. Working together. Maybe it had seemed like a pipe dream as a teenager, but STAR Labs was that pipe dream come true.

He noticed the way Caitlin seemed to suddenly tense up. Or freeze, if he was going to borrow the pun. A hand reached on instinctively to rest on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay? I know all that back there must have been kinda heavy for you."

Claire chewed on Cisco's words for a few seconds. Between Cisco and Peter, and all the rest of them, maybe they could get through to Killer Frost. It'd be up to Caitlin, though. If she wanted to find a way to be rid of her powers, that was her right. It was yet another reason she wanted to go public, hopefully to enable someone working on research with the goal of to giving Evos, and now Metas, that choice.

"Peter will be so game for that," Claire laughed, delighted as ever by both the breach and the nickname. "Always! Ha, can't wait for Barry to hear us Bestie-In-Lawing at each other, he'll love that too." She stepped through into the Speed Lab eagerly to meet the others. They'd definitely beaten Peter, Caitlin, and Harry, but she expected to see Jesse zipping around the place.

Hope you had a nice ride!

[iamnotuptight]

She was glad Claire was working with them and she knew Barry wanted them to work in tandem with The New Company so it followed the same path as STAR did in helping Evos and keeping everyone safe. To her, it seemed like Noah was on the same page, especially seeing as his daughter was an Evo, so she had faith.

This time the tough made her jump a duck out of it, like a cat dodging being pet. Jay, stop! Please! She brought both arms up around herself and chewed on her lower lip as the memory screamed through her head. "Y-yes! S-sorry! ...sorry." She was wound tightly like a spring with a storm of emotions and trauma woven to the core. After a moment to compose herself, she moved back into physical range of Peter and seemed to find some comfort in his presence.

"I'm... sorry about that. I just... Zoom terrorised us all in different ways." She admitted. "It's only been a couple months since he..." When did she become so vulnerable? Oh, right. When Zoom destroyed her. "Talking about Killer Frost is surprisingly easier than talking about Zoom." She offered a sad smile.

Cisco grinned at Claire then followed her through the breach. It closed behind them and they were met with the familiar sight of yellow lightning zipping around the elevated circular track on the outer perimeter of the room. Jesse wooshed to a halt beside them when she saw them, smiling like a loon.

"Hey, guys! I guess Peter and Caity get third place!" She teased.

"Harry's on his way too, but I bet he's gonna get coffee first." Cisco added.