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

As I rewrite a scene to include Claire and fit it in our timeline. XD

[iamnotuptight]

"You're my hero, you know?" Cait mumbled with a soft smile. She reached out to take his hand when he sat down and let exhaustion take her.

Killer Frost just wanted to live. She'd been forced into darkness for 30 years. That was enough to make anyone angry.


"No, we can't."

"What? Why not? I haven't done anything! You have no right to keep me here!" Julian protested.

"Have you been blacking out? Losing time?"

"No."

Barry sighed and sounded frustrated. That was the first thing Julian said that sounded like an outright lie. "Julian, I'm trying to help you, but you need to trust me!"

"And why should I believe you? You hide behind a mask and keep me locked in this secret Flash prison! Tell me why I should trust a word you say?" Did Julian sound scared?

Barry gave Claire's shoulder another squeeze then dropped his hand away from her, urging her to stay in the dark with a small gesture. "You know what, you're right." He stepped into the light again and pulled back his cowl.

Julian looked surprised at first, then like it made sense. "I should've known! I should've guessed it! The unexplained absences, your passion for Metas, your general thumbing your nose at authority. I'm sure you had a good laugh behind my back."

"It would've been easier if I could've told you before. When I stopped you from accidentally shooting that kid. You thanked me. You stopped hating me."

"So why tell me now?"

"Because you are Alchemy, Julian. I just don't think you're aware of it. Like Phoenix said, I caught you. You were attacking me and Wallace West, Joe's son. I personally took off your mask." Barry looked back to Claire, reaching for her hand for support. "Now, have you been blacking out?"

Julian looked between Barry and Phoenix, then his expression darkened. "Yes. It started when I was 20. My sister Emma died. It devastated me and really broke the family up, you know? Mum and da stopped talking; they barely stayed at the house. Then one night, I was home alone and she came back to me. She stood right in front of me, clear as day, ghost or vision, I don't know, but she was real. She told me about the Philosopher's Stone. That if I found it, it could bring us back together again and at that point, mate, I would've done anything to have her back. So I mounted an expedition to India. We searched days, weeks, nothing, and then we found it. Next thing I remember, I woke up in the hotel room. No memory of how I got there. And that's when the blackouts started happening regularly. There was a news report saying every other member of my team had been found... dead. I knew they'd blame me, so I ran. Fled to America."

Oh but I love this twist! Also totes assuming Cisco is still in the Cortex, lolol.

[infinite1ups]

Well, if there was any way to tug at Peter's heartstrings, there it was. Just like Claire, when he first met her. Except... he wasn't related to Caitlin.

He smiled down at her, waiting until her breathing slowed, growing deeper and more even. All the while he held her hand and stroked her hair. Once she was out, he gently and reluctantly pulled away. Not sure of where else to go, he popped back to the Cortex.

No sign of Barry or Claire. "Did they get back yet?" he asked Cisco. "I just came from Caitlin's. She's safe. And asleep."



Claire's chest tightened when she realized what Barry was doing. She almost shouted to stop him, but bit her tongue. He trusted her enough to bring her along for this, now she had to trust him. This went both ways.

She was grateful for the shadows, though, so she didn't have to let Julian see her scared. Not afraid for herself, as usual, but Barry. If that little fucker did something, she'd--

It turned out, she wouldn't have to do anything. Julian was talking and Barry's sudden burst of intuition was spot on. That was her guy, right there, her hero, her fiancé. Her future. She went from scared to bursting with pride in a instant, and when he turned for her hand, she stepped forward and laced her fingers in with his, smiling adoringly. But she didn't take her mask off. Not yet. She just felt better with it on for now.

Julian's story sounded a bit insane, but the more she thought about it, was it really any more insane than her own life? "Sounds like this stone is the cause, then," Claire said, calmer now. Barry just had that way with her. "We still don't know how it connects to Savitar."

Wish I could take credit for this twist. XD

[feelthelightning]

"Holy Hanna!" Cisco yelped and jumped, clutching his chest when Peter spoke. "I'm putting friggin' bell on you and Harry!" Not that it would really do much good on a teleporter.

He gestured to the Pipeline CCTV display he had up on the monitor. "Barry and Claire are getting to the bottom of the Julian-Alchemy thing. Turns out, he's being mind controlled by the rock...?" He ended it with an upward inflection because he was so confused by that right now. "Is Cait gonna be okay?"


Barry would never ask her to take off her mask in front of him. As a matter of fact, he was glad she hadn't. But her support was what he needed right now. He squeezed her hand to let her know that.

"Savitar? You've said that name a couple times now." Julian said, perplexed. "When I was doing research on the Philosopher's Stone, I saw mentions to Savitar, the Hindu God of Motion. What does a Hindu Deity have to do with all of this now?"

It takes skill to weave it into RP with extra characters and a different timeline!

[infinite1ups]

"Sorry!" Peter winced. He wasn't sure teleporting to the hallway and coming in through the door would be much better. Cisco's explanation left him just as confused as Cisco himself seemed to be, so he left that for a moment. "Yeah. I think Caitlin will be alright. She... asked me to hold onto her car keys; her car's still at the warehouse. I figure I can just 'port her there to get it when she wakes up."

He looked up at the CCTV display, brows furrowed. "Barry took his mask off? Why would he do that?" The whole point was to keep his identity a secret. Didn't he work with this guy? He hadn't expected things to get so much weirder in his absence. Maybe he should have. "But I guess it looks like they have it covered."



Sooner or later, Julian would figure out who she was. All it'd really take would be for him to see her out with Barry, and as long as he stayed in Central City, that was bound to happen. For now, she leaned in a little closer, glad to be able to give her support.

"Someone is using that name," Claire replied. Someone who's going to kill me, she wanted to say, but didn't. "We had reason to believe that he's connected to Alchemy, and is planning something terrible. But if you don't remember anything... there goes a solid chance at a lead." They were so close, she thought, and now they had nothing to show for everything they'd been through today.

Well, almost nothing. Maybe Peter would be able to help Caitlin with her Killer Frost problem, and that was something. Wait, that was it. Peter.

"There are ways to erase memories, I know a guy who can do it. But there are also ways to suppress them, to render them inaccessible without something like telepathy. Or, I suppose finding a way to heal the brain damage would do the trick, too." At least she was talking about brain damage in a clinical sense, and not insulting him. Progress! "Either way, it could be possible to help you remember what happened those times you blacked out."

You're too kind <3

[feelthelightning]

"It's cool, dude." Cisco dismissed. He was a bit of a drama queen, and easy to jumpscare, which was something Harry enjoyed taking advantage of because the young genius was so animated. But it wasn't genuine terror like it could induce with Caitlin.

"She probably thinks we don't trust her to stay put." He mused. But he was glad she was sleeping. He nodded answering the question. He held out a bowl of gummy worms to Peter. "Barry's got this way with people. He wanted the jerk to trust him and open up because apparently he doesn't know he's going all evil SCP-49 on everyone."


"Like what? I don't believe in all that new age homeopathic medicine and hypnotism rubbish." Julian said, sounding sceptical. Beside her, Barry snorted a short laugh.

"You've got a plan?" He asked her.

It's just the truth! <3

[infinite1ups]

"Her car was still at the warehouse, I could've just left them. But... it's hard to tell her no." Listen, he was quickly becoming smitten, okay? He just wanted to see Caitlin happy, and if she was happy because of him, that was all the better.

"So he doesn't know he's Alchemy," Peter mused. His train of thought was going more or less where Claire's was, in that moment. He watched his niece with a sudden bout of laughter. "Barry's got a way with her, too. She was ready to throw hands at the warehouse. Now she looks downright docile."


"There's a telepath in the building," said Claire, matter-of-fact. She nodded at Barry, still looking into the cell. "If those memories are locked in your brain somewhere, he might be able to find 'em." Peter could do literal hypnosis of a sort, she was pretty sure. Considering what Parkman had been able to do to Sylar... it was a powerful ability, and she was grateful that her uncle used it responsibly.

"Say he doesn't find anything, no harm done. If he does, though?" She hesitated, frowning. Ugh, why did she care? Because warning Julian was the right thing to do. "If he does find something, it might be distressing for you to remember."

<3

[feelthelightning]

"You're such a sap." Cisco laughed. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you I'll Breach you into a black hole dimension if you break her heart, right?" In reality, he was happy the two were being so cute and that she was finally seemingly with someone decent again.

"He doesn't. Or, he didn't. Guess he does now." The laugh was cleared up quickly and Cisco grinned. "They're a powerhouse couple."


"I need to know. Alchemy's been terrorising people! If... if I've been hurting people, I want to know about it!" Julian said defiantly, even if he looked almost on the verge of tears. He was leaning close to the glass.

"What Alchemy's done, that's not your fault, Julian." Barry said gently.

"Tell your telepath, I'll do whatever it takes. I need to know if I was the one who killed my team. If... How many people I've hurt."

"Peter's here if you need him." Cisco said over Claire's comm since Barry didn't have his on anymore. "Cait's asleep." He informed.

[infinite1ups]

"I already know, there'll be a line of folks waiting if I screw this up, including Claire," said Peter with a laugh. It was a lot of pressure, to be sure, but he felt more optimistic about Caitlin than he had about almost anyone else he'd gotten involved with.

She was calling the shots, it was all at her pace. He was just happy to be in her orbit.



"I get it. I figured it was only fair to warn you." Claire jumped a little as Cisco's voice came through her comm. Eventually, she'd get used to that. Not today.

Caitlin being asleep was good news. She'd wait to tell Barry. "Can you send him down, please? We need him to read Julian's mind. He, uh. He has permission. Julian is on board with this plan."

Because she knew Peter wouldn't do it otherwise.

[feelthelightning]

"It'll be a long ass-kicking line, for sure." Cisco agreed playfully. When Claire answered him, he looked up. "They said Julian wants you to read his mind. He's given his consent."


"Are you sure you want to be here for this?" Barry asked Claire softly. "I'm so proud of you and everything you've done today. You can step back if you need to." She'd been through a lot for her first day as Phoenix and if she needed to collect her thoughts, he wouldn't blame her.

[infinite1ups]

Peter was a little surprised by that. He figured someone who hated Metas wouldn't consent to such a thing. But it was kind of an outrageous situation, maybe Julian was desperate. He nodded, ready to focus on Claire and 'port to her.

"I'm seeing this through," Claire said, quiet but confident. Though she did blush a little at Barry saying he was proud of her. It didn't feel like she'd done enough. Peter would be doing the hard part now. She gave Barry's hand a squeeze. "I'll be okay."

Of course, she also wanted to stick close with him. They were safer in the Lab and in the Pipeline than just about anywhere, but wasn't taking any risks right now.

Peter appeared next to Claire, running a hand through his hair as he looked around. Huh. It really was a containment area for problematic Metas. His eyes quickly focused on the task at hand, nodding to Barry and Claire, then peering into the cell at Julian.

"He doesn't remember anything Alchemy has done," Claire explained quickly. "I thought the memories could be in there still, he just can't access them. Unless it's all been erased, like The Haitian can do."

Her uncle nodded, and stepped closer to the cell. "If it's not there, we'll know pretty fast. How long has this been going on? It could be a lot of suppressed memories to go through." He wasn't sure if Barry wanted to let Julian out for this, but fortunately it would work through the glass.

"If you're ready, just try to relax and open your mind. Whatever thoughts or memories come, don't try to fight them, it'll probably just give you a headache." And with that, he began to gently probe Julian's mind, focusing on anything related to the stone, or to the Alchemy mask. That seemed like the most logical place to start.

[thefutureflash]

Julian was about to comment on just how cosy Barry was with the Phoenix girl, but then Peter popped in and he closed his mouth. He moved right up to the glass when Peter did, not sure if the other needed close proximity or not, but he'd provide what he could.

"About ten years on and off." Julian admitted.

Barry wouldn't mind opening the cell at this point, given that they knew Julian wasn't willingly becoming Alchemy, but they didn't know what triggered the change, so he left the cell shut for now.

Julian nodded and closed his eyes. "Go for it mate." He tried to relax and not fight whatever memories would bubble up. But Peter would find nothing. There were gaps, not like erased memories, but like Julian had been unconscious. With Peter in his mind, he might hear a voice, like a siren song. It was luring Peter into a part of Julian's mind that seemed void. It would start to sound familiar, like Nathan. It would say everything he wanted to hear, keeping him occupied for as long as it could.

On the outside, Julian jolted, his eyes snapping wide, and his voice was wrong. Metallic and raspy. Claire would recognise it as the same voice she heard from Savitar. "Barry, Claire." He greeted. "You should be on your knees. It's only right to bow before a God."

[swoopyhair]

Peter focused on the gaps for a moment, just to determine that they weren't due to memories being erased. No, they simply weren't there. Julian had no recollection of Alchemy's actions through some other means.

As he tried to pull his mind away and sever the connection, he heard that voice. Nathan's voice.

"Hey, kid." But it couldn't be. Nathan was dead. He didn't know about Julian's sister and how she had been used as a lure in the same way. He did know that tricks like this were common with telepathic and illusion-based abilities. "Bet you thought you wouldn't see me again, huh? You're doing great without me, I'm proud of you, but we were always better together. Think of all the good we could do, Pete."

The strain on Peter's face was obvious as he tried to resist that siren's call. Nathan was gone, and he'd never known Julian. This wasn't real, damn it! But he couldn't deny it was good to hear his brother's voice again, after so many years.

Claire's first instinct was to go to her uncle, maybe to drag him away as though putting physical distance between him and Julian might cut off the telepathic connection. She was pretty sure it didn't work that way, though, and she didn't want to risk causing harm to either of the two men.

But then that voice stopped her in her tracks, and she froze. After that initial panic, she realized quickly the voice was coming from Julian. Savitar was channeling through him.

Claire didn't move. As Phoenix, she felt braver than she already was, and Barry was with her. She could do anything, including standing up to a self-proclaimed god without flinching. "What do you want? Why are you doing this?" If this was her chance to get answers, she was jumping in it.

[thefutureflash]

"Hey, don't be like that. I'm dead, sure, but not gone. You just need to get the Philosopher's Stone. It can set everything right. It will even save Claire." The stone, in its stone box would appear as an image in Peter's mind sitting on a table in Cisco's lab.

Barry instinctively put himself between Julian and Claire. "You're not a God." Barry snapped back.

"To be a God you just have to make people believe in you." Savitar retorted then looked at Claire. "I want revenge. I want back everything that was taken from me. I want to make Barry Allen suffer. Barry, you thought Thawne or Zoom were your worst foes? No. It's me. To Barry. We've only just met, but to me, we've know each other a lifetime. You'd think Thawne would've taught you not to mess with time, Barry, but you didn't listen. And I'm the consequence. I'm sorry you have to pay the price for his mistakes, Claire. I truly am. But he won't learn his lesson unless he loses everything he holds dear."

Barry moved to the glass, hitting it with his fist, glaring with a level of anger he only showed to Thawne. "You won't touch her!" He pulled his enraged gaze away from Julian. "Is there a way to break Peter's telepathy without hurting them?"

[infinite1ups]

"That sounds...stupid..." Peter muttered, still mentally tied to Julian. What did a stone have to do with getting his brother back? It sounded off, somehow. Magical. He didn't believe in magic - and no, abilities weren't the same thing.

Claire was just as angry as Barry, listening to Savitar go on and on, so smug. She stepped forward, eyes blazing. Thawne messed with time, too! Savitar himself was messing with time, the goddamn hypocrite. Why was Barry being singled out?

"Save your fake apologies. I'm not a tool for your revenge or your stupid lesson," she seethed. "We're going to stop you, and it's probably not going to be pleasant for you."

But she wasn't sure how to help her uncle. The best thing she could think of was just to take his hand. Some gentle reminder of reality. "Peter, c'mon..." she murmured.

It wasn't Claire's voice that broke through to him, nor her voice. It was the wave of anger hitting his empathy, from both her and Barry. Particularly from Barry, who was far less prone to that sort of rage. Peter tore his mind away from Julian's with a grunt, and staggered back a couple steps as the connection severed. He panted to catch his breath, a hand on his chest. "Something... Is messing with his head," he managed to get out. "It tried to mess with me. I heard Nathan." His voice cracked on his brother's name, and Claire rushed in to hug him.

"I'm sorry," Peter said brokenly, clearly trying to hold himself together. With his arms still around Claire, he looked to Barry helplessly. "No memories. I didn't get anything. It's like it never happened for him. Like it happened to someone else, and his body was just along for the ride."

[thefutureflash]

"Are you?" Savitar asked as Julian inclined his head. "Because things are being set in motion just as planned. Your death isn't a tool for a lesson, it's a necessity for my emergence. For me to be, you will die and since I am here, your fate is sealed." Savitar sounded so sure that it sent chills down Barry's spine and made him ill.

But then Peter was free and Julian was staggering away from the glass like he'd been hit, blinking rapidly and shaking his head. He stumbled into a sitting position and leaned against the wall.

"I'm starting to doubt Alchemy even exists, then. Savitar could just be hijacking Julian like he just did and using him like a puppet." Barry said, reaching to put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "You said you heard Nathan, your brother? Like Julian heard his dead sister. He was using you as a link to the stone. Probably through your Empathy, since we have it locked up." Barry moved to open the cell. The doors parted like a clam shell but Julian didn't get up yet.

"What if I hurt someone else?" Julian looked scared.

"I don't think you will." His anger was still bubbling close to the surface, but it wasn't directed at Julian. He didn't have an outlet for it. His mind was screaming at him to just run until he collapsed to get it out of his system but he didn't want to worry Claire.

[infinite1ups]

Claire wasn't swayed. Her fate was in her own hands, no matter what anyone said. She was damn tired of people acting like they had a say in determining the course of her life. First Thawne, insinuating that her relationship with Barry was his doing, and now Savitar saying she was doomed to die at his hand.

"Yeah. I think he used my telepathy to connect with me. I was bonded with Julian while I was looking for memories, it left me vulnerable." Peter frowned, head tilted. "Nathan was talking about me bringing him back with this... Philosopher's Stone. It could bring him back and--" He pulled back suddenly, holding his niece by the upper arms, looking from her to Barry. "He said the Stone could save Claire. Do you think that's true?"

"Just a lie to make you do Savitar's bidding," she said sullenly. "Exactly what he did to Julian." Her eyes were sad as she looked into the cell.

"I'm so sorry, Julian. You've been going through this for so long." It showed just how cruel Savitar was, dangling Emma's memory before him like a carrot to a horse. Sure, he could be a jerk, but he didn't deserve to have his grief used against him in this way.

Finally she turned to Barry. She didn't need Peter's empathy to sense how angry he was. A gentle hand lifted to touch his cheek. "Hey, look at me. I'm not dead yet, and I'm not gonna be dead. Not for a long, long time. We can stop him. We will stop him."

[feelthelightning]

"It was a lie to get you to touch the stone, mate." Julian said sympathetically. "That was when my blackouts started. As soon as I touched the stone. He used my sister to get me to do it. No doubt he's trying to use any leverage he has to manipulate you."

He met Claire's gaze and for once, he didn't look punchable. He just looked tired. "Thanks. Are you Claire?" He put together that the telepath was probably talking about her. "Has he done something to you?" Because he said save her, so something was up and since she didn't look in distress right now, maybe she'd been poisoned or something? Her pep talk with Barry confirmed it. "Let me help. It's the least I can do for all the damage I've caused."

Barry looked her in the eyes, his lightning was crackling just beneath the surface. "We still don't know how to stop him. In the vision, he said I trapped him in the Speed Force for an eternity. Maybe that's why he needs someone like Julian to interact with the stone. That could be why only speedsters can see him. He's still trapped. When you iced him, you slowed him down enough that he couldn't fight the pull of the Speed Force." He took Claire's hands, spirit lifting a bit.

[infinite1ups]

Peter took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair again. "You're right. He sure found the best damn way to do it."

"Yeah, I'm Claire." She couldn't stop the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Barry's fiancée." Just because she loved to be able to say it, and would say it at every opportunity, thank you very much.

"Savitar... kills me in the future," she sighed. "Supposedly. So he says. But for us, it's a future that hasn't happened yet. I'm still kicking, and I'm not so easy to kill permanently. You're already helping, to be honest. We know more now than we did ten minutes ago, so thank you." No, sarcasm, no sass. Truly, she was grateful.

As Barry looked down at her, lightning in his eyes, Claire took off her mask. No sense keeping it on now that Julian knew who she was, and she wanted him to see her true self. He didn't need Phoenix now, he needed Claire.

"So we keep him on ice. Or find another way to trap him, somewhere else. We have options. You're not losing me." And they were apparently recruiting an army of friends to help them by the day. So long as none of them had to die for her, she was fine with it. She leaned up for a soft kiss. "The only lesson here is Savitar learning not to mess with me."

[feelthelightning]

"Didn't know you were engaged. Cheers, mate." It wasn't like they were work friends. He actually didn't like Allen, so he didn't expect to know anything about his personal life.

"In the future? Time travel?" He sounded sceptical. But he did just find out he was being used as a puppet to do crimes he'd been trying to solve, so... maybe it wasn't that hard to believe.

Barry gave her a chaste kiss in return. He lifted the earpiece of the cowl to his ear so he could hear Cisco and asked, "Is there a way to destroy the stone?"

"Dude, the thing reads like it doesn't exist. I wouldn't know how to destroy it or if it even had ramifications."

"Cisco doesn't know." Barry relayed. "Let's head to the Cortex."

[infinite1ups]

"Yeah, time travel. And... precognitive visions." That was a rough bomb to drop on anyone, but Julian was taking it well. It made sense though, considering the Alchemy thing and that he knew about Metas.

Barry seemed calmer now, and that had Claire relieved. She was angry about it all too, and she'd be lying if she said didn't find his passion incredibly appealing, but it would be better for them both now to keep from getting too distracted by rage.

"What if it's like the One Ring and we can throw it into a volcano?" It was a serious suggestion, even if it was phrased in a way to keep the mood light. "Nothing is truly indestructible. But I guess we should be careful and try to find out if there are any consequences for destroying the stone."

[feelthelightning]

Julian followed them as they walked back to the Cortex. He'd never actually been in STAR Labs, not many people could say they had, but he was surprised to find it as empty as it was. Then again, the reputation plummeted after the accelerator exploded. So maybe no one wanted to work here anymore.

Cisco perked up when they walked in. "I heard a Tolkien reference." He grinned. "I'd say we should try, but I also have no idea if the thing will blow up. I've tried every device in my lab and I can't get any kind of reading off of it. It doesn't friggen exist! But I guess that makes Beautiful Mind here our Gollum." He nodded to Julian.

[infinite1ups]

STAR Labs was quickly feeling like a second home to Claire. She hoped whatever facility her dad and Angela picked out for the New Company would feel the same.

"I want to be Legolas, but I'm too short," Claire returned with a dramatically wistful sigh.

Peter followed along with him, hands in his pockets. "Technically, I have the ability to understand how things work, but... I don't think it's a good idea for me to get anywhere near that thing."

What her uncle didn't say spoke volumes to her, and when she sighed again, the dramatics were far less feigned. "I don't need telepathy to know you're thinking about Sylar. Wouldn't the stone tempt him just as much as you or Julian?"

"Would it? I don't know what the hook would be for him. I don't know if he's lost anyone he cares about that much." And even then, Sylar was probably the one to kill them himself. Not so easy to sell that they're looking for a happy reunion with him.

"I don't know if I can risk that, on top of everything else." She thought she was handling the situation well, given the circumstances, but the idea of Sylar losing control of himself to Savitar was enough to make her shudder and sneak in closer to Barry. "Maybe if we have no other options...."

[feelthelightning]

"You might have to fight Green Arrow for that one." Cisco teased. "But I think you have the aesthetic down better than he does. Though, he will make you shoot targets to claim the title. Guy's a little competitive."

"It's all fun and games until someone gets shot in the back with an arrow just because they "heal fast"." Barry said with air quotes around the words.

Then he listened to the back and forth between Claire and Peter carefully. "Didn't you say it tempted you with the ability to save Claire's life, too? It might offer him something else he wants, even if he doesn't have a loved one to bring back. I'm not saying a hard 'no', but we have time, don't we? If he's trapped, maybe we keep that in our back pocket, just in case. How close do you have to be to figure something out? What about Sylar?" Barry held her close, like he could shield her from the discomfort of the subject.

[infinite1ups]

"I have decent aim. And consider: fire arrows." But she paused her daydreaming about cool weapons to look at Barry, concerned. "He shot you? Bet. Some training and practice, I could give him a run for his money." Green Arrow sounded like the most boring hero moniker, so she already had him beat there.

Claire absolutely did not need fire arrows, as far as Peter was concerned, but if talking about it kept her mood up, well... He didn't have the heart to stop her.

"It could probably tempt him with power, then. That's one I've been working on with him, but it's a delicate thing. He has to be close enough to look at and examine the thing. And given that this thing seems sort of, uh, mystical in nature? I'm not sure it'd work at all." Peter rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, thinking about it a little more. "It's too bad he has to touch an object to turn it to gold. He cab also, like, disintegrate things, which doesn't require touch. But until we know any possible ramifications about harming the stone, it's not a good idea to try."

"I sure as hell don't think he'd be that desperate to save me," she said dryly, tucked under Barry's arm.

Peter sighed. "You might be surprised." Claire suddenly looked ill, and he quickly pressed on. "He's made progress. But something that can cater its approach to him like that is too risky. A last resort."

[feelthelightning]

"Decent aim?" Cisco repeated, aghast. "Girl, do you know who Hawkeye is in Marvel Comics? Arrow climbs a salmon ladder for fun and has the aim to shoot speedsters."

Barry lifted his hands in surrender. "You don't need fire arrows... but he does have them. And yeah, he shot me when he trained me. He uh... also shot me when Bivolo whammied me and I went all rage mode, but he was the only one who could stop me back then. I'm... not letting him train you." Barry wouldn't mind if she learned to shoot like Ollie, but he wasn't going to watch Ollie put her through Oliver Boot Camp.

"I wonder if he could turn it to gold faster than it could be a problem." Barry mused, but he was still not sure any of this was a good idea just yet. "Thawne will know more, I'm sure." Now it was Cisco's turn to look as uncomfortable as Claire.

"Can't we just throw them both in a black hole? And by them, I mean Thawne and Sylar, not Thawne and the stone." Cisco asked. But maybe throwing the stone in one too would be nice. "Maybe all three."

Barry snorted. He kisses the side of Claire's head and held her close.