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]

"Yeah, that asshole." Barry agreed. He looped an arm around her shoulders both for support and because he could tell she wanted to give Julian a piece of her mind. He did too, but not right now.

"That could work. I hope he doesn't have to know what kind of material it's made of to transmute it. Firestorm could do something similar but he had to be in contact with it and he had to know what it was to transmute it." The idea was promising, though. If Savitar's suit couldn't withstand the friction and heat... "I firmly believe there is just a person in that armour. Not some God. So if his armour can't protect him from the speed, he'll have to slow down. And that means he can be caught."

Barry shifted uncomfortably. "It's not that simple. These Metas were all Metas that existed in the timeline I created when I went back in time and saved my mother from Thawne. They're just normal people in this timeline. But in that one, Wally was Kid Flash, because I wasn't The Flash. So it's not like he's picking people at random. They're all lives I messed with by accident." The shame and regret was so heavy in his voice. Peter might sense the slightest bit of bitterness from Caitlin that she felt guilty even feeling towards Barry. There was contention over this timeline.

[swoopyhair]

"He just has to get close enough to touch," Peter said. "Which is a challenge in itself, but I'm inclined to agree with you. Savitar is just a guy in armor, whoever he is. Otherwise, I don't think a little blast of cold wouldn't have chased him off like it did."

Claire train of thought wasn't so easily steered off this track. "But that's part of it. He obviously has it out for you, and you said he hates The Flash, right? With Savitar being so fast, he'd obviously know about time travel and different timelines. Savitar could have been telling Julian who to target to make you look bad." She really felt like she was on to something, here. "Are there more people Alchemy hadn't gotten to before we caught him, and is there anyone Julian could have a personal connection to? He could have agreed to work with Savitar as some kind of revenge against The Flash."

[feelthelightning]

"If we slow him with ice and I speed Sylar in, maybe we could do it. But the ice didn't hold him long, so I'm thinking his armour is not just heat resistant but cold resistant. That ice would've stopped me for a good few minutes, even if I started vibrating immediately." This was starting to sound like the beginnings of a plan to Barry. Once out of the suit, maybe the ice would hit harder and Harry could dart him.

"I... don't know. Julian wasn't here before I changed the timeline. When I reset it, he was one of the changes that appeared. That's what happens when you mess with time. You can't put it back exactly as it was. And I messed with a fixed point, so things were going wrong. I just wanted to know what it was like to live with my parents for a while..."

That broke Caitlin's heart. As angry as she'd been to find out that Barry had turned her into Killer Frost, she felt bad for him. "From my memory, Julian's been here for almost a year. But to Barry, he's known him for a month."

[swoopyhair]

"Sylar can teleport the same way I can, if that helps." It was just enough of a plan to give Peter back a little of his optimism. He was proud of Claire trying to work on the angle with this Julian guy, too. It was hard to shake her once she got an idea in her mind.

Claire gave Barry an extra snuggly hug, then kissed his temple. "We'll have to talk to him," she said, determined. "Or... you and Joe, anyway. But it's not police brutality if I hit him, just saying."

"Claire." Peter had to try not to laugh, though. Her anger was kind of cute, in a way, even if he knew better than to underestimate her. "I get how messy time travel can be. That's why I don't do it, anymore. Stopping time, sure, but that won't be of any use to us now. I tested it with Jesse just before the SOS came in for you."

A testament to how crazy things had gotten, that both of them had forgotten to tell Barry about it until just now. Peter continued, "She ran around the track in the Speed Lab, but the friction of running through stopped time built up too much static electricity and caused an EMP."

"Yeah you know me," Claire murmured, giggling. Like the song. "Sorry, I've had that pop in my head every time someone said EMP. We wondered about it being something to use against either Savitar or Thawne, though. It knocked all of us on our asses and cut the power in the whole building."

[feelthelightning]

"It'll take some coordination, but that probably works better." Barry agreed.

He leaned into Claire's snuggles and laughed at her comment. "I'll talk to him when he wakes up. As The Flash. Find out what he knows."

Barry looked surprised. "Was anyone hurt?" Always his first concern. But Claire's giggle and song lyric made him smile. "It sounds similar to how we throw lightning. So it could be used as an area of effect attack. It's something I'm gonna teach Claire later. We run in a circle at high speeds and build up a charge until it feels like it's about to blow then give it an outlet and direction. Jay taught me how to do it... before we knew he was Zoom." Why was everything he knew learned from evil speedsters?

[swoopyhair]

"Harry and Cisco had some minor cuts on broken coffee mugs, but they're fine," Peter replied. "Caitlin and I patched them up." He gave Cait's hand a squeeze and smiled softly.

Making Barry laugh was always the ultimate accomplishment, in Claire's eyes, so she was clearly pleased. She was even happier about learning more speedster tricks later. Maybe she was swooning a little.

"It was pretty forceful," she recalled. "All of us got knocked down, including Jesse. I'm not sure if it's something that could be channeled in a specific direction like throwing lightning. Still a good thing to have in our bag of tricks." Bonus, it wouldn't be from an evil speedster.

Peter nodded in agreement. "And I'll talk to Sylar, see if there's anything else he's got that might be helpful. And I'll warn him that if he doesn't behave, I won't stop any consequences coming his way." That included ass kickings, being shot at, and getting dropped off in Antarctica.

[feelthelightning]

Cait smiled. Peter's hand was like a lifeline. "It's nice having help in the Med Lab." She said with a blush. "Cisco is less dramatic with Peter."

"It would be. I'll talk to Jesse about it when she wakes up." They had several angles to investigate in the mean time. But the mention of Sylar and consequences made Barry lament that he couldn't get to space without the Waverider. He could eject the man to the moon or something if he upset Claire.

Harry stepped out into the Cortex, looking exhausted. "Jesse's awake. She's okay." He informed and took off his glasses to rub his face.

"Go get some sleep." Caitlin said gently. The man hadn't slept yet and he was due to crash soon.

Harry looked defiant for a moment just for the sake of being defiant before he weighed his options and relented. He walked past Cait and Peter, stopping just next to the young man and touching his shoulder. Harry was used to telepaths and he was used to fighting off the privacy of his own thoughts with chaotic thought patterns, but he also knew if he focused on a thought strongly enough, it was likely to be picked up. The touch was a deliberate cue, because Harry didn't touch much. She hasn't slept either. Hopefully, if he got the message across, someone could convince Caitlin to go get some rest, too.

[swoopyhair]

"He only huffed at me a little." Peter chuckled. "But Claire was also distracting him, which helped."

Honestly, Claire would be as excited to see her pal Leonard Snart again as she would be to see Sylar dropped off in space. The bond forged in a bar fight was strong, okay?

She and Peter were both relieved when Harry came out and reported that Jesse was awake. Even in less than a day, it was quite obvious how guarded Harry was, so the contact was surprising to Peter. At first he thought Harry was going to say thanks for bringing Jesse back, but that had been Claire and Barry. He'd 'ported with Wally in that strange cocoon. But then a thought echoed in his head, Harry's voice loud and clear.

Will do. And he made sure there was no further mental contact than that. Everyone was entitled to their privacy, especially when it came to their thoughts. He'd find the right moment to bring it up with Caitlin, because he didn't want to call her out with everyone hanging around and embarrass her.

"I'm gonna go see Jesse, she might like a friendly face now," Claire said, kissing Barry before slipping out of his embrace to go to the Med Bay. She also wanted to check on Joe and Wally. "Hey guys," she greeted them as she entered, offering a smile. Her gaze was drawn to the chrysalis with Wally inside, and she truly didn't know what to make of it. "How're you both holding up?"

[feelthelightning]

Barry will hate if he's the one who has to break the news to Claire about Snart. It had hit him hard enough when Ray told him, despite being proud of the man Snart had become. Ray had handed over the Cold Gun after he'd told Barry.

Harry was probably the most guarded of the entire team. Even Caitlin was leagues more open in comparison, so it wasn't surprising that Peter had picked that up about him in such a short time. The confirmation was met with a light squeeze of Peter's shoulder before he let go then kept walking towards the elevator. That was why he hadn't wanted to say it out loud. He didn't want to embarrass Caitlin or make her feel like she should persist.

Barry followed Claire like a lost puppy, not wanting to lose contact with her just yet.

Jesse was sitting on the cot and smiled when Claire came in. "Hey! I'm fine. Dad already fussed over me, but I'm good. Really. Did we stop the bad guy?"

Joe just waved at Claire, not offering much of an answer as he sat beside Wally's chrysalis.

[swoopyhair]

Barry... will more than likely have to tell her. Eventually.

With Harry headed to the elevator, and Barry following Claire - which Peter wouldn't judge, because he would have followed Caitlin exactly the same way even if she hadn't asked him to join her - that gave ample opportunity to broach the subject. He brought her hand up to kiss the back of it, humming thoughtfully.

"Seems like it's been a hectic day around here," Peter mused. "How about you rest for a while, too?" He wouldn't push the idea of sleep, but a gentle suggestion to rest couldn't do too much harm, he hoped.

"Well..." Claire hesitated. Her arm slipped around Barry's waist. He was quite the adorable puppy following her around, she couldn't resist. "We got Alchemy, he's in custody. But the God of Speed-- Savitar, he's still out there. Peter hit him with a cold blast and it froze him for a few seconds, then he ran off. We've been brainstorming better ways to stop him, and trying to figure out how the heck this is all connected."

She sighed, looking over to the cocoon. "Now I guess it's just a waiting game. Do we know how long this process takes, from the other victims?"

[feelthelightning]

That will be bad news for another day.

Cait blushed and fidgited, tucking her hair behind her ear. She wasn't uncomfortable by any means, just shy with all the affectionate kisses. "Oh, I can't. What if something goes wrong with Wally? I was up all night running tests with V-9 and working with Harry on my power dampener, if I slow down at all, I might fall asleep. And if there's an emergency while I'm asleep, I'd never forgive myself..." She was spiraling.

Jesse pouted. "Sorry I wasn't any help at all. I saw him going to stab Barry and panicked. But I'm glad you guys got Alchemy."

Barry was happy to be snuggled against Claire again. But at the question, he frowned. "No. We haven't actually seen the process. Only found the husks."

[swoopyhair]

"I'm a paramedic," Peter gently reminded her. "Handling emergencies is part of my job description. Plus the rest of us here, we're all pretty good at handling catastrophes. It's okay if you catch a few Z's. Better than working yourself to exhaustion at a critical moment, right?"

He trusted Caitlin completely, but exhaustion could lead to mistakes even with the most capable of individuals.

"I'm glad we were able to save you," Claire said, smiling at Jesse. "I... panicked too, to be honest. It all happened so fast that I can almost hardly believe it's real. But, not bad for my first time suiting up. I just hope Wally will be okay."

[feelthelightning]

She trusted Peter to make the right call if an emergency cropped up, but it still felt like she was abandoning her post. Caitlin struggled with her own work ethic for a moment until his logic won over. "Fine." If any one else had been in the room that knew her, they'd be able to tell him how much of a miracle this was.

"But if anything happens, call me and I'll rush back here." She leaned up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. "I wanted to give you my number anyway." She had to let go of his hand so she could fetch a sticky note from Cisco's computer and jotted down her phone number. "Oh! Did anyone tell you, Harry and Jesse are cellular deadzones? Since they're from Earth-2, they vibrate at a different frequency and it messes with cell signals. So you won't have reception near either of them."

Jesse smiled back. "Thank you for getting me back here! Dad said you used V-9! How'd you like running? Also, looks like the suit fits! Wish I could've been awake for all your epic heroness!" She looked over to the cocoon, smile falling. "Me too."

[swoopyhair]

"If anything pops up and we need you, I will." He couldn't promise for certain, but his medical knowledge was strong enough that he felt confident he could handle anything that came up. Then again, he didn't really know what to expect when Wally finally came out of that cocoon. It seemed as much a Meta-human emergency as it did a medical one.

Peter took the sticky note and pocketed it, then tilted his head at the new information. "I remember learning about the frequency thing. Barry and Claire explained the whole multiple Earths thing to me. I'll keep that in mind if I have to call you. And if you need anything, I'll probably be here. Or... I mean, I can teleport, I can be anywhere in a second." Was he blushing? Maybe a little. It was his turn to be flustered when she kissed him. "Sweet dreams."

"I did," Claire admitted sheepishly. "Oh, I loved running. It would've been a lot more fun if, you know, it wasn't a crisis. But running with Barry was just the best, I can't wait to do that again." She smiled up at Barry, then looked down at herself. "Yeah, Cisco did such an amazing job, I gotta tell him! I really felt like Phoenix out there."

[feelthelightning]

Now they were both blushing. "If you need to teleport in for any reason, I sleep decent. So you have my permission to bypass the front door." In an emergency, she could be 'ported back to STAR in her pyjamas without much embarrassment. At least Barry had seen her in her sleepwear before. If they needed her, Cisco would give Peter her address. She smiled warmly and reluctantly pulled away from him to go gather her purse and keys to head home.

Jesse looked excited. "It's such a rush, isn't it! I'm sure we'll have you on the track in no time! Crisis-es aside, of course. I guess that makes you officially part of Team Flash, now. There's always a crisis initiation." She joked. "Dad's was Zoom, mine was Magenta, yours is Savitar."

"Magenta was one of the Metas Alchemy made. She's just a kid with an abusive dad and a split personality like Killer Frost. The personality, Magenta was going to use her powers to destroy an entire hospital to kill her foster father. Jesse saved the day while I talked Frankie back into control of herself." Barry explained, resting his head against Claire's shoulder. "She has ferrokinesis."

"Magneto." Jesse supplied.

[swoopyhair]

It worried him, letting her drive after pulling an all-nighter, but he didn't think it was his place to speak up. "I have clairvoyance, so... I can find you if anything happens." Peter paused and winced at himself. "I mean, I won't try to find you unless it's an emergency or something. I'm not trying to be a creep. Drive safe."

Now it was his turn to feel a little like a lost puppy. But Caitlin getting some rest was way more important than his own comfort.

"I do feel more a part of the team than ever," Claire admitted, relaxing even more as Barry rested against her. Suiting up had a lot to do with that. "You're really good at talking people down in a crisis, babe." She knew from experience.

It had been a while since Cisco had taken Alchemy's stone away, she realized. "What do we do with the stone Alchemy had? Do you think maybe we need it to break Wally's cocoon somehow?"

[feelthelightning]

Cait laughed softly. "I don't think you're a creep." She clarified so he wouldn't feel so awkward. "Thank you."

Barry bumped his nose into her neck. "A good friend of mine told me the lightning chose me for that reason." Oliver had called him a guardian angel of Central City, something the Arrow could never be to Starling City. Barry wasn't sure he believed Oliver couldn't inspire, but he was grateful for Oliver's constant and unwavering belief in him.

"I dunno. I'm sure Cisco will hit us up when he has some information on it. I'm a little surprised Wells went to bed instead of down to the lab. Jesse must've really done a number on him."

"He was exhausted. I think the adrenaline crash wiped him out once he saw I was fine." She said.

[swoopyhair]

Peter looked relieved, and pulled out his phone, and the sticky note. "I'm... gonna, text you my number now, so you have it in case you need anything." He was far enough away from Jesse that his cell signal worked fine. Though he was curious to see if technopathy could bypass, that, he'd wait for another time. They'd all been through a lot for one day.

But the fun thing about the ability to communicate with machines was that he didn't have to type out text messages, or tap the screen for anything. He made a new contact for Caitlin and sent her a quick 'hello' with a smiley face.

"Obviously the lightning chose you 'cause you're amazing. But... I'm probably biased." Claire couldn't stop a grin from spreading across her face. It just happened automatically whenever Barry got cuddly with her like this. "I'm glad Harry's getting some rest."

She was about say more when Peter wandered into the Med Lab alone. "Caitlin's gonna go get some sleep," he said, hands in his pockets. What else was he supposed to do with his hands if he couldn't hold hers? He missed her already, dang it. "I told her I'd let her know if there's any emergency. But I'm pretty sure I can handle it and let her rest."

It reminded him that he hadn't really set up a place to stay in Central City. Really, he could just teleport back to his apartment in New York to sleep, when it came to be time for that. "I can hang out for a while, just in case. And even when I go, I'm just a 'port away."

[feelthelightning]

If peter could modify the frequency around enough to bypass the noise deadzone created by Harry or Jesse, he probably could use his ability to compensate and get messages through the scrambled deadzone.

Cait was surprised when she got a text right on cue without Peter seemingly doing a thing. She checked her phone and smiled fondly, saving his number before she left.

Barry chuckled. "You're totally biased."

"I dunno, you're pretty amazing! You guys saved me and my Dad! Maybe I'm biased too." Jesse laughed, looking up when Peter entered the room and waving. "Hey." She greeted then nodded. "And you got me here too in case you need help! We can let Caitie and Dad sleep. They need it."

Barry smiled, lifting his head from Claire's shoulder. "So... you and Caitlin...?" He asked playfully. "Has that been going on all day?" Look, he missed a lot while at the precinct and setting up an ambush for Alchemy.

[swoopyhair]

"It seems neither of them slept last night. Caitlin insisted Harry get some rest, but Harry..." Peter had to laugh a little, because it had been so unexpected but a real testament to how much the man cared. "He, uh, shared his concerns about Caitlin getting some sleep via telepathy. So I gently suggested she get some rest."

Claire just beamed. It was exactly the kind of subtle show of caring she'd come to expect from Harry. While still being a little petty about it, after Caitlin called him out for not sleeping. That was her family, and she adored them.

Peter blushed though, as Barry questioned him about what was going on with Caitlin. "It... just started happening, really. We had a few tense moments and she seemed to lean on me for support," he explained, running a hand through his hair. "I'm following her lead, 'cause it's been a while since I've been really involved with anyone, and I know she's been through a lot recently." He hesitated, then decided to go ahead and say more. "She floated the idea of me staying in Central City. Said she had contacts at the hospital in case I wanted a paramedic gig there. I'm considering it, mostly because I know I'll be hanging around a lot anyway helping my ma and Noah with the New Company."

"And visiting me!" There might still be some tension about things, like her suiting up as Phoenix, and the Sylar thing, but Claire was so happy to have her uncle back in her life as a regular fixture. "I think you and Caitlin are cute together."

"Yeah, and visiting you." Damn it, he was blushing again. "The last thing I expected happening when I 'ported in today, but I'm happy to see where things go. I'm being extra careful, not just because I feel like you'll all kick my ass if things go wrong. I really do like her."

I did NOT expect you to post that early! I wasn't bothering to watch my notifs. I'm sorry!

[feelthelightning]

Barry laughed too. "It'd kill him to actually admit he cares out loud." He shook his head. Lord forbid Cait find out Harry was worried about her in turn. He might combust. Right down to being a petty tattletale.

"You know she's only ever had two serious relationships. The first left her a widow, the second kidnapped her after faking his death and tried to keep her like a prize. She's a strong woman, but there are some deep scars she's still mending. Since Zoom abducted her, she startles easily, so try to announce your presence around her like you would a patient with PTSD." Barry wouldn't deny that they were cute. But he was also worried about Caitlin. But if she wanted him to stay, she must really like him. At least he knew Peter wouldn't turn out to be an evil speedster.

"Pretty sure Cisco will Vibe you into another dimension I'd you hurt her." Jesse said seriously. "And Dad will try to shoot you."

"He ain't the only one." Joe said from across the room. "You heal like Claire, right? Then I don't got a problem shooting your ass if you hurt that girl."

Barry laughed at Joe's input. "She clearly likes you too." He agreed.

Aww, it's okay! I was wide awake wayyyy too early today. XD

[swoopyhair]

Peter was far too used to men like that, who were more closed off with their emotions, unlike him wearing his heart on his sleeve. His empathy was stronger than ever, so it wasn't as difficult for him to navigate those relationships anymore. Harry seemed like a good man, and he fully understood why Claire had grown so attached to him as yet another father figure.

He listened as Barry explained more of Caitlin's history, and his heart sank. "I noticed how jumpy she is," he agreed. "Which is good to know so I remember not to pop in without warning. She, uh... she did give me permission to 'port into her home, though, if needed. I told her it'd only be for emergencies, or if she asked me to." Given her past, it was a huge step toward trusting him, and he wasn't going to take it lightly.

"I'll kick your ass if you hurt her too," Claire chimed in, grinning. It didn't surprise him a bit, nor was he mad.

"You can all get in line if I screw this up. I'd deserve it," said Peter, huffing a soft laugh. "I have the same regeneration as Claire, since I got it from her. Only difference is I still feel pain."

But it was only fair he got a little teasing in on his niece. "You can rest assured we won't be moving as fast as Claire and Barry. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow they come around telling us they ran off to Vegas in the night."

Claire giggled, blushing crimson, but then emphatically shook her head. "Nope. Cisco would never forgive us. Not gonna happen."

Wayyy too early. XD And I need to get back to sleep.

[feelthelightning]

Harry would disagree with that assessment. He though of himself as a terrible person, but he was trying to do better. But if you asked anyone else, they'd agree with Peter. Which is why Harry doesn't get a say.

Barry looked surprised by that. Only because it was Caitlin. They were all being less guarded with Peter because they trusted Claire. He was almost certain if Peter had just been someone in off the street to help them, they would all be more wary after the number of times they'd been burned. "She trusts you." Barry said earnestly. "But I'd still try to warn her if you can before you pop in, however you can."

He did smile, though, when Claire joined in and Peter agreed he'd deserve it. He heard Jesse giggle too. But that quickly turned into a blush and awkward squirming beside Claire. Sure enough both the statements and Barry's reaction caught Joe's attention.

"Is there something I should know?" From across the room he couldn't really see the ring. "You go off and have a shotgun wedding without me and I'll box your ears, son."

Now it's too late for me to nap. ;-;

[swoopyhair]

"I was planning on it. I don't often show up without warning... except today, 'cause I wanted to surprise Claire," he said sheepishly. She knew he would be showing up sooner or later, and Noah told him Claire's friends had given the green light, so Peter figured it would be safe enough.

"We're not having a wedding unless everyone's there," Claire said firmly, and then she was blushing even more, flustered enough that it took her a moment to get the next words out. "No shotgun weddings and no eloping. The regular kind. Barry proposed last night, Joe. There's no date set, but it's happening... eventually."

Planning a wedding would be a nice break in between figuring out how to stop Savitar from killing her. Having the wedding would be quite the proverbial middle finger, too. To Savitar and to Thawne. Try to talk her into leaving Barry? She'll double down and marry him.

"And now I'm taking the idea of having the officiant dress up as Elvis under consideration. Maybe a leopard print wedding dress," she added cheekily. Don't worry, Barry, she's joking.

And I can't fall back to sleep...

[feelthelightning]

"I'm glad you did show up." Barry said with a smile. Not just because he helped save Barry but because he made Claire happy. And he'd wanted to meet him anyway.

Joe got up and walked over to them. He took Claire's hand with a smile and looked over the ring. "Congratulations, you two. It's fast, but I know both you kids make each other happy. Does your father know yet?" The happy dad energy would be a lot stronger if he wasn't so worried about Wally.

"Elvis?" Barry looked helplessly to Peter almost asking if she was serious. Because he couldn't tell her no.