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[captaincaveman]

Early in the morning, Barry was already at work at CCPD, Claire would be greeted with a knock at her door. Wells, in his classic black attire and black baseball cap to hide his face was standing at her door. He wasn't wearing his glasses and had the collar of his jacket popped to help conceal his face. In one hand he was holding a Jitters carton with two to-go cups of coffee.

Assuming she opened the door, the very first thing he did was raise his free hand in a show of surrender and say, "It's me, Harrison--or Harry, not... you know..."

Comments

[infinite1ups]

With Barry gone, she wasn't expecting visitors, so the knock was a bit startling. She froze all over again when she opened the door. Thawne didn't have her address - just as she'd promised, she changed her number, and only kept his contact in her phone so she could alert Barry and the team if he contacted her.

What if he found her? The possibility had been hinted at, after all.

Claire's worries were immediately waved away as Harry announced himself. She visibly relaxed, and stepped back to let him in. But she did make a point to lock the door after him just in case. At least there was an easy explanation for why he hadn't texted first.

"Hi. Sorry, I-- guess I'm jumpy even at the best of times," she played it off with a quiet laugh. "You just missed breakfast, I'm afraid. It's good to see you. How are you feeling?" She motioned to the kitchen table so he could put the coffee down or sit if he wanted.

[captaincaveman]

Once inside, he flattened the collar of his jacket out and plucked his glasses out of his pocket, putting then back on his face. "No need to apologise. Jumpy is understandable. My... face probably doesn't help matters." As much as that hurt him to say, seeing as it was his face and not even actually Thawne's by any right.

He followed her and checked the cups, one said Harry on it, the other was unnamed. He held the unnamed one out to her. "Allen said you like it sugary and flavourful. Hazelnut latte." His was just straight coffee with some creamer. Boring, yes.

"Breakfast? Oh, no, that's okay. Ramon brought me a breakfast burrito." Harry literally lived at the Lab. "I'm better, thanks to you and Snow. I heard you were attacked by chameleon. Rather," He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, setting it on the table. Inside was the shard of glass that went missing from the crime scene. "The blood on the glass was unique. Not Meta. But the cells kept regenerating and I had a hunch it might belong to you. I didn't tell Allen, but apparently that's already happened. How are you two kids so bad at keeping secrets?" Disappointed dad voice.

I was *wondering* when that glass would pop back up. xD

[infinite1ups]

Why yes, she did smile like a goof when he mentioned Barry passing along how she liked her coffee. "Thank you," she said, taking a sip as she sat down. Her curiosity was the piqued by the envelope, so she took a look inside.

"We pulled that out of my hand." Claire recognized it immediately. "Yeah, I threw my drink at the chameleon as we were fighting it off. Damn thing got me good, Leonard saved my ass."

She set the envelope back on the table in favor of the latte. "I, uh, very quickly found myself in a situation where keeping secrets from Barry was not an option. But thank you for not telling him - I wanted him to hear it from me."

XD Yeah, Harry's had it the whole time.

[captaincaveman]

"Leonard? As in Leonard Snart?" There was a long suffering sigh and a similar look to match on his face. "Allen failed to mention Snart was back in town." But if he was saving people, Harry wouldn't complain too much. At least not right now.

"I try not to tell secrets that aren't mine to tell." He gave her a pointed look. "I came here to talk about another secret." Harry set his cup down on the table and held out his hand, making an impatient grabbing gesture at her, "Give me your wrist." If she complied, he'd slip what looked like a duplicate of his watch out of his pocket and onto her wrist, buckling it in place. To the laymen, it looked like an expensive smart watch. Which, it was, but it was so much more. It had the Meta-human alert app on it, just like his. "It's programmed to ignore Allen and Ramon. If Thawne shows up, you hit the panic button on the side. It's tied back to STAR Labs."

[infinite1ups]

"Snart was trying to keep it on the low, I think."

She at least had the grace to look sheepish, as Harry took her hand and strapped the watch device onto her wrist. Her cell phone and laptop were about the most technical she got, except for the handheld game she sometimes played, so this was highly fancy to her.

"What do you mean, ignore Barry and Cisco?" she asked, head tilted.

[captaincaveman]

"Of course he was." No love lost between Harry and Snart.

"The Meta-human alert app." He tapped the face of the watch and the actual watch screen lit up, showing her a few app selections, the alert app was prominent. He tapped it. "It will chime and come to the forefront of the screen when a Meta is close. This should tell you if Thawne is coming. It will also tell you if Thawne is pretending to be me." Look, he cares, Claire. He just shows it in overprotective ways. "I'll have you know, Ramon thinks I'm insane for insisting we set up the server here on this Earth because I couldn't tell him why."

[infinite1ups]

Well, that was handy. She was going to have a hell of a time explaining to her dad, and hopefully convincing him, that she was deciding to wear some kind of Apple watch now. Unless maybe it still worked when she kept it in a pocket. She'd have to see.

For now, there was a slightly more pressing issue of confusion nagging at her. She could tell it was Harry's way of showing his concern, and she appreciated it more than she could verbalize at the moment. Those disappointed dad looks were brutal.

"Harry... Did Barry tell you he knows about me and Thawne? Is that what this is for? I had to tell him, as soon as I pieced it all together. I couldn't have lived with myself if I kept it from him."

[captaincaveman]

"Allen did mention that Thawne was back in play, so I assumed you came clean. But he didn't mention to anyone else why he knew and I can't tell anyone why I know, so I'm in a tight spot. I just want you safe. I know you're technically invincible, but if anyone can figure out how to hurt you it's that man. And he will if he finds out about you and Allen." Did you ever think you'd have a third dad looking out for you, Claire?

"The panic button will alert Allen and the Cortex in STAR Labs. The watch has a GPS tracker in it. I'm sure you could probably surmise that, but it's only something that gets activated from STAR Labs, you're safe. I have the very same tech in mine and so does Jesse." Give him a moment to breathe. He finally let go of her wrist and picked up his coffee again, taking a long drink from it as if that would reset him.

"I'm... I don't do apologies well. But, if I'm being... gruff, I don't mean anything by it."

[infinite1ups]

She didn't mind collecting another dad, not in the slightest. It made her even happier with her decision to move to Central City, rather than somewhere else, finding herself already surrounded by people who cared so much.

"You don't have to apologize," Claire assured him. "I get it. And I'll be careful."

That wasn't a promise she made lightly, given her impulsive, often reckless nature. But the stakes were higher now than ever. She couldn't afford to get too sloppy. The coffee wouldn't do anything for her, but there was something about the familiar flavors and the feel of the cup in her hand that was grounding, at least.

Her attention turned again to the device, the screen lighting up as she touched it. Probably didn't have any games, she reasoned. Harry would probably give her another one of those looks if she asked.

"Barry and I talked about having y'all run some tests on me at the lab. Well, on my blood. I can't imagine there was enough on that glass for to do much more than help you realize it was mine." She wasn't as well-versed with the science brain, she stumbled over the terminology sometimes, but she was still a quick learner. "We want to test the... compatibility of evolved human blood with that of a Meta-human. To make sure it's safe."

I'm SO SORRY for this...

[captaincaveman]

"Compatibility?" Harry looked baffled for a moment, then almost as if a light bulb lit up. "You two are moving fast, if you're already thinking of kids." Farbeit from him to tell them when they can or can't have kids, but that seemed soon, even for a whirlwind romance.

no I left it purposely vague just in case of comedic purposes and it paid off LMAO

[infinite1ups]

Claire was mid-sip of coffee and very nearly spit it all over herself. She put a hand over her mouth, swallowed, and coughed.

"No, what--" and then another cough, which seemed to sort her out. "Not that. Some evolved human abilities can be affected by other evolved humans. We want to see if it's possible that they'd be similarly affected by Metas. My uncle, he absorbs abilities from others. It could get dangerous if he takes on too much, or something he's not ready for. I want to make sure it's safe before I invite him to visit."

While she'd had abfew passing marriage fantasies already, kids with Barry hadn't even crossed her mind up until that point. But... maybe one day... if he wanted, it was something to consider.

[captaincaveman]

The relief in Harry's features was probably just as comical as Claire's near spit-take. Girl, you're going to turn him grey faster than he was already going and you weren't even his actual daughter nor was Barry his son!

"Ah." He said and cleared his throat. "That makes more sense. I can help with that, for sure. When would you like to come back to the Lab with me and Snow? I know you haven't been officially shown around just yet and Allen has been eager to get you there."

"I will say, there's a big difference between running biological tests and doing gene sequencing compared to testing actual powers. I'd need to have an understanding how this ability works. Is it passive or something that he engages? There could also be a concern with the dark matter in Allen's DNA, which would also be a concern if you two do decide to have kids."

[infinite1ups]

They were moving fast, Claire knew, but not that fast. She was pretty sure for now they both had too much going on and outside of that, wanted time to focus on each other.

"My schedule is pretty open now, at least until my dad comes to visit in a few days. I can go to the lab whenever. Barry is excited for me to meet everyone, as far as I can tell." She smiled fondly as she spoke. It was painfully obvious how madly in love she was with Barry whenever she mentioned him.

"And I can answer anything I know about evolved human powers. Peter absorbs powers automatically, but he has to actively use them once he gets control - except for my regeneration. That just happens." Claire blushed again at the second mention of her and Barry having kids, but quickly focused up. "He mentioned the dark matter being a factor. There's another evolved human who can steal abilities by, uh, looking in their brains. I need to know he's not a threat to Metas."

She briefly looked down at her cup, sighing. "He's... My Eobard Thawne, to put it the way I told Barry."

[captaincaveman]

Harry finally sat down at her table. He didn't want to stand there being a tall, gangly, imposing figure in her kitchen. He tapped a finger over his lips as he thought. "Your father is visiting soon. This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with giving him a scare over your own safety, would it? If I found out Jesse was attacked by a Meta as soon as she moved to a new city, I'd be there, guns blazing in an instant."

"Does this Peter just channel them or permanently copy them? If it's just a proximity based channel, it might be fine. If it's a full blown copying power, it might alter his DNA, which is where we'd have the issue with dark matter. Once integrated into someone's DNA, it mutates them into a Meta-human and that's where the Meta powers come from. If his DNA mutates by absorbing dark matter from a Meta, he runs the risk of developing new powers rather than borrowing the Meta's powers he's trying to absorb." Now, the next one, he didn't like the sound of at all. Looking into their brain sounded concerning.

"Your..." He hated those words even more. "Where do you kids find these psychopaths?" Harry sounded irritated, but it wasn't at Claire.

[infinite1ups]

Claire couldn't help but wince at how easily Harry telegraphed that. He really was just like her dad. "Well... yeah. I think the chameleon incident sped up his visit. That, and he probably wants to check Barry out 'cause I haven't shut up about him since we met." It wasn't really like her to be so wrapped up in someone, and Noah knew that better than almost anyone.

"It's permanent. He still heals like me even though we're a thousand miles apart. The other abilities he can channel. The official name for his power is empathic mimicry, so that might give you an idea about how it works. The dark matter is my main concern, I don't know if it'd be dangerous for him to be around a Meta." Presumably there could be Meta-humans in New York. If Peter had been unknowingly in proximity with one, there didn't seem to be any signs of adverse affects. But she wouldn't risk it.

"In my defense, Sylar found me. He got what he wanted, though, so it's not likely he'll come after me again. Except maybe to be a nuisance," she huffed. It was her turn to be a bit of a grump. "But if he's back on his killer bullshit and finds out he has a whole new buffet of powers to choose from? It'd be a nightmare."

[captaincaveman]

"Allen hasn't shut up about you either, so I can see why he'd be concerned there, too." Harry said easily. He never hid the fact that he was frightfully protective and they'd already determined her and her father shared similarities to himself and Jesse. He'd just rely on Barry to be himself in the face of it all. Because it was Barry that had cracked his shell.

"Empathic mimicry. Let's get you to the Lab. Well, finish your coffee first." He really was eager to see how her regeneration held up against a blast of dark matter and if it had any ill effects on her cells. Plus, the longer the STAR Labs van was in the parking lot, the more nervous he felt.

"Let's hope he can't take from Metas then or I'll have to become an expert on Evolved Humans real fast and I'm not sure you want to spend that much time around me."

[infinite1ups]

"I don't know that he's concerned about Barry, so much as curious? He's really never heard me sound this excited about someone I've dated before." Sure, she'd talk about her relationships, but she wasn't one to gush about them until now. Noah was certainly concerned about the Meta-human situation, though.

Claire took a long pull from her coffee and set it down with a soft laugh. "Oh, c'mon. You're not that bad. And heck, I'm just as curious to learn about all this stuff as you are. My dad knows a lot about evolved humans, I'm sure he'd let you pick his brain while he's here. I know he'd like meeting you." And to thank Harry for looking out for Claire, no doubt.

[captaincaveman]

"You're both good kids and from what it sounds like you both need a pick-me-up in life." He wasn't certain about her situation entirely, but if she had her own Thawne, she needed it too.

"I'm insufferable to be around at best." Harry said with a little mischievous smirk. He was egotistical and short tempered. There was a part of him that was convinced that the only reason Team Flash put up with him was because he was brilliant and they needed his wealth of knowledge. But that came from a place of deep self-loathing. Jesse said Team Flash made him happy and she was right. "You'll regret agreeing to spend time with me in the lab after an hour, mark my words." Just ask Cisco. They share a lab space. "I won't pass up the opportunity to work with your father so he can catch me up to speed."

[infinite1ups]

Admittedly, she hadn't been a target of Sylar's in years, but that didn't mean the mental and emotional scars weren't still there. Not to mention the rest of her past that Harry didn't know about. Barry was exactly what she needed, but never would have admitted to needing.

"I don't believe that for a second. Our first meeting wasn't ideal, but even now I don't find you insufferable in the slightest." Claire wasn't convinced that any time in the lab would change her mind on that. The fact that Barry tolerated him said a great deal. As nice as he was, as genuinely good and eager to help? She didn't think he'd want to keep Harry around if he was truly that bad. There was a cheeky grin as she added, "Once you and my dad get together, though... that might be too much Disapproving Dad Energy in one room for me."

[captaincaveman]

To be fair to both her and Barry, most didn't realise just how much darkness Barry put up with either. The two had a lot in common.

"You possess that same irritating penchant for insisting on seeing the good in people." He huffed and took another long drink from his cup. He barely slept most nights, so the man ran on caffeine. Her next comment, though, earned her a stern glare. "Disapproving Dad Energy? Now you definitely sound like my daughter."

His features softened some after that. "How are you feeling after that fight?"

[infinite1ups]

Claire just beamed at the first two comments. "I'll take all of that as a compliment," she said, playfully smug. Harry clearly thought the world of Jesse, so of course it'd feel like Hugh praise to be compared to her.

All those cliches about how opposites attract were thrown out the window when it came to her and Barry. They were just different enough to make things interesting, but at their core, she felt more in tune with him than anyone.

"I'm all healed up, good as new." It was obvious that Claire was touched by his asking, even as she was trying to stay causal about her answer. If Harry and the team at STAR Labs we're meant to help her, though, she needed to be honest. "But, it's... probably gonna keep messing with my head for a while. Nothing has made me that physically vulnerable in a long time."

[captaincaveman]

Harry didn't only think the world of Jesse, she was his world. When Zoom abducted her he couldn't breathe. His world crumbled around him. So it was the highest praise coming from him.

"You heal faster than Allen. I can promise you that, anything that affects you in the future, I will find a cure for." He wouldn't outright say it, but he could heavily imply just how much he cared for the whole team. "So, you're safe with us. And if something happens to me, Snow is brilliant. She'll do the same."

[infinite1ups]

"I've been immune to everything else before. I... experimented a lot." She had a feeling that was going to earn more disapproval, but she'd learned plenty from it, so she had no regrets.

Claire was already thinking of Barry's friends as her own, a new found family on top of the family she already had. Naturally Harry implying he wouldn't be around didn't go over well with her. "Oh, no. Nothing's gonna happen to you. I'm not losing anyone when I just found y'all."

[captaincaveman]

She was right. It earned her another of his patented dad frowns. "Are we talking illicit substances or dangerous substances? Because I'm not going to harp on you for trying weed, but if you started drinking battery acid, you and I are going to have a talk."

Team Flash had a tendency to do that. They were one big found family with two dads. "First of all young lady, this isn't my Earth. I can't stay here forever. I have--" A life? Did he though? Friends who will miss me? Nope. "A lab to run back on my Earth. And if that's not enough, I'm one of the few humans on the team with a pretty large target on my back thanks to Thawne." He knew he wasn't invincible. Sure, he wasn't an easy target, just because he was a pretty skilled marksman and he didn't go anywhere without the pulse rifle. But throw someone with powers at him to catch him off guard, and he was just as easily killable as the next rando on the street. If Barry hadn't been there the first time Joe saw him, he'd have three bullets in his chest, just because the detective thought he was Thawne. Caitlin and Jay saved his life when Patty shot him in the heart because she thought he was Thawne. Grey nearly beat him to death because he thought he was Thawne. There's a pattern here.

[infinite1ups]

"More illicit than dangerous. Definitely not battery acid, sheesh. It was harder to get ahold of poisons than I expected." Yes, Claire did sound disappointed that she couldn't easily poison herself. "Sadly, my pot brownies had no effect. However, I did learn that I'm immune to being roofied!" The latter she discovered outside of her experiments, but she wasn't going to mention that part.

At least one more dad was on his way. And now Harry was hitting her with the young lady. She almost giggled out of pure affection, but held it in at the last moment. "Okay, your Earth, that's fine. I'll just have to put a bigger target on myself, then."