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

Fumbling through it as we go along with how it works for Peter tbh. XD

[swoopyhair]

Once the monster froze, Claire's first instinct was to rush forward and grab Barry. Before she could take a step, the ice shattered and the monster was gone. She slumped into Barry's arms with a choking gasp. It was easier to breathe now, but her body apparently hadn't gotten the memo yet, because she was in such a panic.

"I- I took the V-9." Which, of course, he probably guessed, but he probably also would have expected her to fess up to him immediately like she did with everything else. "I'm sorry. I was desperate," she said, her voice much smaller now than it had been mere seconds before. "You would've done the same for me, your life for mine."

"Maybe slow it down on the dramatic self-sacrifice," Peter chimed in, as if he was any better about not sacrificing himself. He didn't react when Claire snorted a laugh. "We found another way." The Speed Force was pulsing through him again, he could feel it. His heart had begun racing faster, but it felt weaker this time. Maybe there was a limit, or maybe he needed to practice more.

"You guys good to run, or should I 'port us back to the lab?" None of them knew how long the V-9 would stay in Claire's system, but it had only been a couple of minutes, and it looked like she was still vibrating.

"I'm okay to run, but babe..." Claire looked to Barry with a frown. "You got pretty banged up out here. Should we just 'port?" She didn't have to say it out loud to make her intentions clear: she wasn't running again without Barry at her side.

XD Fair!

[feelthelightning]

Barry laughed weakly. "Yeah, I can tell." He held her close and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Breathe." He gathered her hands into his and brought them to his heart so she could feel his own fluttering pulse. "I'm good to run. I'm bruised more than anything. If he wanted to kill me, he could have. It seemed more like he wanted me to know I was powerless." Besides, he wanted to take that moment to run with Claire and keep an eye on her.

"Any of you heroes got any speed left in the tank? Joe's got a sich." Cisco asked over the comms.

So much for a casual run. Barry pressed a hand to his comm over his ear. "On my way. I saw both Jesse and Wally go down. Alchemy had this... stone. About the size of an orange; glows bright blue. Wally touched it and collapsed. If you're coming with me, don't touch the stone."

Peter doesn't have a clue yet, but I think I got it. :D

[swoopyhair]

"If you need backup, I can 'port to you once you're there. I... don't think I can run." His connection to the Speed Force had weakened, and he couldn't figure out why. It was something they could experiment with later - people needed them now. "Otherwise, I'll just go back to the Lab."

Claire leaned in more with a few slow, careful breaths. Between that, and Barry's comfort, she stopped vibrating. But she was still fidgety. Anxious.

"Don't touch the stone, got it. I'm with you." She nodded decisively. As far as she was concerned, nothing in the world could make her leave Barry's side at that moment, so she was glad he didn't try to stop her or tell her to go back to the Lab.

The Flash and Phoenix. If it weren't such a tense moment, the thought would have made her smile. Once Barry was ready, she'd be running right beside him, streaks of yellow and pink lightning through the streets of Central City.

Oh?

[feelthelightning]

"You should be able to run with us." Barry said carefully, watching Peter curiously. "You could see him, right? So you're channelling the Speed Force. Only Jesse and I could see him. Joe, the other cops, Wally, none of them could see him. I'm sure it's linked to the Speed Force. Unless..." Peter didn't hook into Savitar's speed, right? That'd be crazy! Didn't he say he needed an emotional attachment to borrow a power? "I'd you don't feel comfortable with it, I'll let Cisco know when we're there." He said and took Claire's hand.

Yellow and pink lightning. It was breathtaking together. He was so elated to be running with her that his own fatigue and aches were forgotten. He held her hand, just in case Velocity wore off mid run and he needed to extend the Speed Force to her, but it didn't happen. It was an amazing rush to be running with her.

When they arrived, Joe had a gun pointed at the robed figure with the plague doctor mask. The figure was holding an unconscious Jesse with a dagger to her throat. Wally was encased in some amber coloured organic chrysalis with the glowing blue stone near by. There was an open stone box with an empty inset that looked to be about the same size as the glowing stone. The scene was frozen around them thanks to their speed.

"Get the stone in the box without touching the stone. I'll get Alchemy. Then we'll call Peter about Wally."

[swoopyhair]

Peter couldn't really explain, and there wasn't time, so he just let the two go. It pained him, letting Claire go running into danger, but he had to trust that Barry would protect her.

On top of that, he knew, he had to learn to trust that his niece could take care of herself in these situations. How many times had she saved him, now? How long had she been out there on the road without having to be rescued by anyone? He wasn't being fair to her, and he knew it.

Claire allowed herself a quick moment to enjoy the run with Barry, her hand in his, yellow and pink lightning crackling around them. It truly was unlike anything else she'd experienced, getting to feel and use the power of the Speed Force all on her own. Sharing it with Barry made it even sweeter. Her adrenaline and even her spirts were high.

Whatever lay ahead of them, they could face it.

Her eyes scanned the room as Barry laid out the plan, assessing what she might do. Well, that explained why she shouldn't touch the stone. Poor Wally. Surely they'd be able to help him, but she didn't know how. Would she have been able to pick up the stone with gloves, if they'd been completed? She wasn't sure. It wasn't like she had a handkerchief, and she didn't want to bog things down with questions, so she acted on instinct.

Picking up the box, she attempted to scoop up the stone, or perhaps trap it between the lid and the bottom half. She was hesitant to try nudging it inside with her boot. Barry had said not to touch it, after all. While not exactly the most graceful maneuver, it seemed to be the best tactic. The damn stone slipped a few times, but she kept trying.

After about the fourth or fifth try, she caught a good hold, enough to keep the stone trapped as she lifted the box. With a careful turn, the stone slid back into the inset, and she snapped the lid shut.

"Thank fuck," Claire sighed, then looked to Barry.

Before she could say anything else, Peter popped in beside her, and she gave a startled squeak. With clairvoyance he could find anyone, so again he'd simply found Claire. "Sorry," he said, then quickly pressed on. "What do you need me to do?"

His eyes widened as he caught sight of the... glowing crystal trap, and the box in Claire's hand. That had to the stone Barry had warned about. He had half-expected his niece to touch it just to see what happened, and was pleased to be wrong.

Honestly, she might have been tempted if it were anyone else who had warned her.

[feelthelightning]

Barry disarmed Alchemy quickly and snatched Jesse from his hold while Claire got the stone under control. The moment she snapped the box shut around the stone, Alchemy collapsed like a puppet whose wires had been cut. When they slowed down and Peter appeared, Joe jumped too, surprised to see everyone.

"Joe." Barry said and he moved without further prompting, cuffing Alchemy. Barry zipped to Claire's side, still holding Jesse in his arms. "Peter, can you 'port Wally and his... cocoon to the Med Lab? Phoenix and I will run Jesse and Alchemy back to STAR." Barry looked around... but it looked like Savitar killed the other cops, so he didn't really need to use Claire's pseudonym.

He reached out and squeezed Claire's shoulder. "You did amazing, by the way."

[swoopyhair]

Phoenix. That was still going to take some getting used to for Peter. But... it suited her, in a way. She really looked the part, and she truly had done well here today. Minus trying to sacrifice herself.

He nodded at Barry, approaching the cocoon uncertainly. Whatever the team could do to help, he had no idea, but he trusted they'd figure it out. So without wasting more time, he laid both hands over the hard crystal and teleported directly into the Med Lab.

"Hey Joe," she managed a small smile, but it was hard to be too cheery in a room with dead cops. "I don't know how much juice I have left," she warned. She felt like she could get back to the lab, at least. Jesse still being unconscious had her worried, so it was hard to take much joy in Barry's compliment. They could celebrate when they got back to STAR and everyone was okay.

Running with Jesse and Alchemy was decidedly less enjoyable than just running with Barry. But she was eager to get back and besides, there'd be more opportunities. They'd still have to train together so she could learn the full extent of her new, borrowed abilities.

Claire had never really thought about how pretty pink and yellow look together until today.

[feelthelightning]

"I've got you. If you start losing steam, slow down and I'll come get you." He handed Jesse off to her, mostly because Jesse was already wearing streamline gear and wouldn't be hard to manage like Alchemy in his robes. He ran beside her all the way back to STAR Labs where he broke off and dumped Alchemy in the Pipeline. He met with Claire in the Cortex and helped her get Jesse to a medical bed.

Caitlin jumped when Peter popped in with the cocooned Wally. She moved things around to make more room and tried getting any kind of readings she could off of the thing.

Barry tossed Alchemy's plague doctor's mask onto a table, looking frustrated. But his primary concern was Claire. "How're you feeling?"

Cisco was quick to retrieve the box from Claire and Harry ran to Jesse's side, ignoring everything.

[swoopyhair]

"Sorry," Peter said again. At least under normal circumstances he could send a message before he popped in, now it was more important to get there quickly. He knew the others understood, but he still felt a little bad about startling Claire and Caitlin.

He made sure the cocoon was secure and wouldn't fall over before turning to Caitlin. Claire burst into the correct before he could say anything.

The timing was good, because Claire felt herself starting to lag. Fortunately, Barry was there with the assist just in time, getting Jesse to one of the Med Bay beds.

"I'm okay," she said softly, but the worry was obvious in her tone. Not for herself, but Jesse and Wally. She felt drained, and a bit hungry. Nothing that felt bad enough to let it detail any attention from where she felt it ought to go. A hand rested on Barry's arm as she lingered close. "What about you?"

Peter focused his attention on Caitlin again, rolling up his sleeves. "I'll help however I can." He was hers to command in that moment.

[feelthelightning]

Cisco tossed Barry what looked like a protein bar with STAR branding on it. He opened it and pressed it into Claire's hand. "Sit down. Eat this. They're not the best tasting,"

"Hey! I do my best, okay?" Cisco shot back.

Barry waved him off. "but it will cover all the energy you just burned." She'd run enough that her body, even with its usual high metabolism, would have chewed through any glucose left in her system. If she wasn't careful, she'd take a nosedive soon. He kissed her forehead softly. "I'm okay. I feel like I took a tumble at light speed, but nothing's broken. I'm more upset by who is sitting in our Pipeline right now."

Cait looked between Jesse and the chrysalis, weighing her options at his offer. "Can you hook Jesse up to a heart monitor and BP cuff for me, while I..." She gestured helplessly at Wally. "The cart on the left is calibrated for speedster biometrics. She picked up a device that looked a bit like a curling iron, but emitted a soft light along the length of it and ran it over the crystalline shell. The wire ran back to a computer that started to show readings. The longer it sat, the darker and more opaque the cocoon became.

[swoopyhair]

Peter got to work tending to Jesse, trying his best not to get in Harry's way. The it was routine enough work that he could do it in just about any circumstance. This was hectic, but he'd been in busier ERs.

"She seems stable," he said, once the monitors were hooked up. Still unconscious, but not critical.

Stubbornly, Claire didn't really want to sit, she wanted to help. But as she started unwrapping the nutrient bar, she started to feel a bit dazed, so she thought better of arguing. Nope, she totally didn't almost stumble into her seat, she was fine.

Once seated, she took off her mask and tried not to sulk as she ate. Instead she just looked tired and worried, which she was. While the bar was pretty mid (sorry Cisco, maybe she could help workshop that), it was still better some of the more questionable gas station protein bars she tried on the road.

She missed the speed already. The rush of lightning, running with Barry, feeling powerful. Now she truly felt weak, but she knew that was just because of the glucose crash.

"What can we do for him?" Peter asked, motioning toward Wally and the cocoon that, to his horror, looked like it was solidifying further. "I could probably break it," he did have super strength, after all, "but that might be too risky."

[feelthelightning]

Harry tried to stay out of Peter's way while still being as close to Jesse as he could. Once Peter had her all hooked up, he settled on his knees beside her bed and held her hand. He wasn't about to let her go, even for the few seconds it took to get a chair. "Don't do this to me again, Jess." Harry whispered. She'd spent time in a coma once already, because of him, and he knew this was different, but he couldn't help the fear.

Barry hovered around Claire, worriedly as she stumbled her way into the chair. He rubbed her shoulders. "You really were amazing out there." He added again.

Cisco took the stone box down to his lab for the time being, keeping it safely closed.

"I don't know." Cait answered. She felt out of her depth here. "I can't penetrate this shell, but it is giving off biological readings." She put the scanner down. "It's showing identical readings to the husks CCPD has been finding of the previous victims in the Alchemy case." Her lips were pressed into a thin line. "If you crack the casing, it could kill him. If these husks are like butterfly cocoons, Wally could be..." She threw her hands up. "In the previous cases, the victims were having dreams of a life where they were Metas. Barry said it's from the timeline he created, called Flashpoint. Then they heard Alchemy's voice telling them where to meet him. That he could give them their lives back. Wally was having those dreams. Joe agreed to let him set a trap for Alchemy. That's why he was there. If this is what Alchemy did to the others... he's turning Wally into a Meta. This thing is rewriting his DNA."

[swoopyhair]

"I was just followin' your lead," Claire said, partly our of modesty, and partly because she didn't feel like she actually helped anyone just yet. Jesse was still unconscious, and Wally was still in that cocoon. She desperately wanted to go be near Jesse and Harry, but she wasn't feeling steady enough. Barry already seemed worried enough about her, she didn't need to go tripping around the lab. As she nibbled at the energy bar, her free hand lifted to rest on one of Barry's at her shoulder. "Is Joe on his way here?"

Peter only knew so much about this Alchemy situation, but what he did know wasn't promising. It sounded like they might just have to wait out this process, and he didn't necessarily like that. "Didn't all of the other victims die? Or... maybe there's something that freaky mask guy did to kill them, and we stopped him in time." He really hoped that was the case. This was another of Claire's friends through Barry, he thought - he didn't know Claire and Wally hadn't actually met yet.

He laid a hand on Caitlin's shoulder. "Take a breath, you're doing fine. We'll be here to help him when that thing breaks."

[feelthelightning]

"You weren't following anyone's lead when you stopped Savitar. That's his name. The God of Speed." Barry tucked her hair behind her ear. "Joe's on his way. He doesn't let me run him anywhere. But he'll be here as soon as the speed limit allows." He looked to the Med Lab, but it was already a little packed. And he knew it would get worse when Joe did arrive.

Cait looked shocked for a moment. She realised he wasn't part of the information pipeline they had just yet. "No. Actually, they're almost all still alive. ...they just mostly turned into killers." So, not really promising. "I guess calling them Alchemy's victims is probably misleading. But one was a teenaged girl who hadn't been bad. She'd used her new powers to defend herself against her abusive foster father. She almost went down the wrong path, but Barry and Jesse stopped her and talked her down. So, I call them victims."

She stopped and took a shaky breath, collapsing onto her stool like she list all her energy. "Thank you. And thank you for taking care of Jesse. I'll... probably need your support when Joe arrives. He's Wally's father."

[swoopyhair]

"Savitar." It sounded less weird than calling him the God of Speed, she supposed. "Peter stopped him. I just... yelled at him. But I guess it was enough of a distraction." Claire wasn't letting herself take much credit for anything, at least not until she knew everyone would be okay. Besides, Savitar was probably still going to come after her. They hadn't stopped him at all, and now he'd probably want to kill her more.

But, there was one thing in which she could allow herself to find a little joy. Claire smiled faintly up at Barry. "I liked running with you," she said, almost shy.

It was a relief to learn that most of Alchemy's victims had survived the process, but the reality wasn't a that much more comforting. All killers? Whether that was Alchemy's influence or not, Peter supposed they'd find out when Wally emerged from that cocoon.

"Hey, I got you," he assured Caitlin, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "I think Jesse's gonna be okay, once she wakes up. She must have really gotten her bell rung. I thought speedsters could heal?"

[feelthelightning]

"You saved me. Peter saved you." He was having none of this. The ice had run Savitar off, but she'd stopped Savitar from continuing his barrage and Barry's body was very grateful for that.

"Running with you was like a dream." Barry admitted with a blush. It was difficult to let himself revel in it too much right now, with Wally encased and Jesse out cold, but he'd loved it! "Next time we do that, we're doing it without an emergency so we can savour it."

Caitlin smiled weakly. "I agree. They do. Not as fast as you and Claire, but that's why she doesn't have any visible injuries. I'd bet he just hit her hard enough to knock her out. She should be okay. In my experience with Barry, he can drop off for a few hours when he's been clocked too hard, without having any actual damage. I'd be worried if she were actually still bruised when they brought her back." Since her vitals were fine and she didn't have any visible head trauma, Cait wasn't so worried. She could tell Harry probably made the same assessment, even if he was watching her like a hawk.

[swoopyhair]

That got her. Claire grinned in spite of herself. "I... did save you. I'll always save you." She caught his hand and kissed the knuckles. "Next time, we're definitely having a fun run. With pink lightning! I don't know how it got like that. It was yellow at first, when trying to get control of myself 'cause my heart felt like it was gonna run right outta my chest. I thought about you and that helped me calm down."

There wasn't much they could do for either of their patients at the moment, so Peter was content giving Caitlin whatever support she needed. "Can I get you anything?" he asked her, fingers stroking gently over her hair. "Coffee or something, while we wait?"

[feelthelightning]

"I've never seen pink lightning before. But it suits you." Barry pulled a chair up beside her and sat down, making sure his hand didn't tug free of her hold. "You ran for love." It sounded just as cheesy in his head but he was okay with that.

Caitlin leaned into his touch, letting her eyes close for a moment. "No." She admitted then seemed to hesitate. "Just... don't stop doing that."

It wouldn't be long before Joseph came running through the Cortex and into the Med Lab. His hands were on his head, panic in his eyes as he saw the cocoon. "He's--he's still in that thing? Why haven't you cracked him out?" He sounded less than rational right now and it made Caitlin freeze up.

"Detective!" Harry snapped without looking up from Jesse. "Young West is mid transformation. If Snow broke the cocoon now, it could kill him." Someone had been paying attention, even as he sat there worrying about Jesse. "We just have to wait."

[swoopyhair]

"I ran for you." Claire was doubling down on the cheese. She leaned in closer as Barry pulled up a chair next to her. "Savitar was hurting you... I had to stop him. Cisco at least yelled for me to get my suit. How's it look?"

There hadn't exactly been time to strike a pose in the mirror, but she knew immediately that it was comfortable and did exactly what it was made to do - she expected nothing less from Cisco, knowing his work. "Only thing that wasn't ready was the gloves." Claire wiggled the fingers on her free hand, maybe admiring the ring on her finger just a little bit in the process.

Peter smiled, keeping his hand working through Caitlin's hair. As Joe burst in, understandably upset, Peter slid in closer to offer her more support. He'd felt her tense up. Fortunately, Harry was on top of things.

"The waiting part kinda sucks," Peter said softly.

[feelthelightning]

"You did." He gave her hand a squeeze. "It looks great! Can't say I'm sad about the gloves right at this moment," he admitted and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it gently. "But if I know Cisco, those gloves will be ready in no time." Especially after they had a panic test run of the suit itself.

He startled when Joe barrelled past them even though he knew to expect it. He sighed and held her closer.

Caitlin was eternally grateful for Peter's support. Even for Harry's fielding of Joe's ire.

"I never shoulda let him do this! I knew it was a bad idea! That boy's been jealous of Jesse's speed the moment she showed up here with it. Bar told me he was a speedster in that other timeline and I knew better than--"

"West! Please, just..." Harry didn't really have a suggestion. He just wanted Joe to calm down.

Caitlin shifted slightly and stood up. "I'm... gonna check on Barry." She nodded towards the door, hoping the fact that she hadn't brushed him away would let Peter know he was welcome to follow her. As a matter of fact, she wanted him to. She just needed away from Joe's emotional energy right now and she wasn't even an empath.

[swoopyhair]

Claire was all too happy to get a little extra cuddle in. She kissed Barry's cheek, flushing at the compliment even though she'd been fishing for it.

She felt bad that there was basically nothing they could do except wait. She'd never been particularly good at that.

Peter took the cue from Caitlin and followed her out to the Cortex, gently closing his hand around hers. He should probably check on Claire, now that her speed had worn off. But she seemed to be fine, thankfully. Though he didn't have to ask - or read her mind - to know she'd be disappointed to be back at regular speed.

"You guys alright?" Claire asked as they joined Barry and her.

Peter nodded and lingered close to Caitlin. "Yeah, think it was just getting tense in there. Understandably so."

I'm pretty sure Peter is becoming Cait's emotional support person

[feelthelightning]

"You make a beautiful Phoenix." Barry admired her.

Barry wasn't any better at waiting. He hated it even more once he got his speed. It drove him nuts! So he could sympathise.

Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief and held his hand. "Thank you." She whispered to him softly once they were out of the lab. She approached Claire and Barry, smiling warmly at them. "Joe was being a bit much, but I get it. What about you two? You feeling okay, Claire?"

Peter's absolutely fine with that. <3

[swoopyhair]

Well, that just made Claire blush more. "And we make a good team," she said heart-eyes on full display. "The Flash and Phoenix."

"Anytime," Peter murmured, quickly dropping a kiss to the side of Caitlin's head. It was incredible, how much she was already trusting and relying on him for comfort. He hadn't expected it at all when he first popped into Central City, but he couldn't be more pleased it was happening.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Claire replied with a nod. "Was starting to feel the crash, Cisco's energy bar thing sorted me out. But... I might see if he'll let me workshop the recipe with him. I'm a baker, after all."

She looked to the Med Bay. "Is Harry okay?"

Re: Peter's absolutely fine with that. <3

[feelthelightning]

"That has a pretty nice ring to it." Barry admitted happily.

Caitlin blushed and tried to quell the flutters it caused. She was a nervous ball of energy that was now also a flustered ball of energy. She hadn't forgotten the quick little kiss to her forehead before he'd teleported away, either. She opened her mouth to speak, but only croaked ineffectually, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "I-I'll leave that between you and Cisco." Please ignore her blush, Claire. It's not really there! God, please ignore it! She isn't completely enamoured with your uncle! Nope! "Can I um... take your pulse? To make sure things are normal?" She held out a hand hoping Claire would offer up one of her wrists. At the question, she glanced back at Harry. "He will be. When Jesse wakes up. Jesse spent some time in a coma before she manifested her powers. It left him understandably scarred."

[swoopyhair]

Most of the time, everyone ignored how flustered Barry got her, so Claire would of course return the favor for Caitlin. She offered up her free hand, her pulse indeed back to normal. The V-9 was out of her system, and Barry's presence was calming, as always.

"I didn't feel any negative effects while I was running, either," she went on to say, knowing that would also be important to share. "Once I got used to it, I was fine. I was as fast as Barry!" She was going to be riding this high for days, at least. Nothing had ever felt so invigorating, or so rewarding. It'd only feel more rewarding once she was absolutely certain that Jesse and Wally would be okay.

But knowing she'd saved Barry... that was a sense of joy and relief beyond measure.

"So we got Alchemy, but surely this Savitar is gonna come back, right?" Peter asked, finding himself curious now that he'd stopped to reflect on the afternoon's events. "We might need a bigger cold blast, or something to combo it with, next time."