#we were all leaving my friends birthday and heard iris so we ran back in and ended up convincing a stranger-

[laswells-ashtray]

John, when drunk, is susceptible to certain songs. One of them being Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls.

He and Nikolai have gone out drinking together and been at the door to leave when John heard the start of that song and hauled them both back into the pub so that they could hear it.

John's slightly slurred rendition of the song was very endearing to Nikolai. However, the fact that they had three more drinks and then John boked in an alley on the way home was less so.

[phonecallwithsatan]

Letter

a.n.: SURPRISE another new character that does not fit with my profile photo. This is for my very dear friend who enjoys a certain Sarah Paulson. To anyone new reading this, welcome! To those coming back, nice to meet again. 

Reader and Mildred Ratched live a secret life in Lucia, California. All is well, truly, until reader walks in on something she did not expect. Angst central. 3.8k

★

“Go home, baby. Don’t worry about us. It’s fine.” Your partner of three years, almost four, was severely under the weather and looking even paler in the cyan outfit your shared job required as uniform.

You and Mildred were tucked away in a hallway where you could talk in confinement away from all the other patients and staff. You took a hand to her forehead and noticed how warm it was. You slipped the hand to her cheek and held it there, hers going up and holding it softly, sinking her head a bit into your palm.

“Call me a cab. You can take the Ford home.” Mildred heard some footsteps coming from down the hall and she quickly let go of your hand after kissing you ever so lightly as to not smear her red color on your black lipstick. You said goodbye and let go of your partner, walking away first with your white heels clicking on the linoleum floor with every step you took away. You hated these heels with a passion but it was part of the uniform. The black heels you adored were stashed away in the teal Ford you and Mildred shared. 

You smoothed out your dress while you were still walking and did not turn around when you heard Mildred walking after you a few steps behind. You were deeply in love but you still kept the relationship a secret from your coworkers. 

Once you got up to reception you located the phone and dialed the cab number. While it was ringing, you went up to your neck and touched the necklace Mildred gave you for your birthday a few months ago. You fidgeted around with the little heart that hung around your neck with a photo of you two inside of it. 

The attendant picked up after six rings. 

“Hi there, a cab at Lucia State Hospital, please.” You looked up and saw Mildred walk behind the desk by you and you smiled. 

“Alright, I have a driver headed there now.” She ended abruptly. 

You turned with the heels on your shoes to face Mildred.

“They said it would come shortly.” You tried reaching for her hand but she pulled back quickly. You had forgotten that no one knew. 

“Thank you, y/n.” Her quiet voice barely made it over to you and she could tell you were disappointed in the lack of physical touch. Seeing this, she decided to push your necklace back into your collar. Mildred looked to the side almost to pretend to be looking for the cab you had ordered her but you knew she was just checking for people around. 

You were tired of hiding, truly. But there was nothing you could really do. Besides it all, however, you were lucky just to have her. You turned to look at her point of direction and you saw the cab roll-up.

“I’ll see you later, M.” You turned back around and gave her purse over to take home. She opened up her purse and gave you the key for the Ford.

“Do you have money on you?” She nodded and you sent her off, looking over the desk as she walked away with confidence in her step even though she was hiding her own life away from the people she ate lunch next to.

The doors opened and you decided to get back to work. Only six more hours. 

★

Eight o’clock rolled around and you were ready to head home after saying goodbye to all your coworkers. You hadn’t heard from Mildred through a phone call so you decided to surprise her with flowers, just because.

You took the keys out of your purse and you walked to the car. As you reached it, you popped the trunk open and took out your beloved shiny black heels. You sat down in the trunk and slipped the white ones off, throwing them worthlessly and carelessly behind you. You snorted to yourself and decided to leave them there until tomorrow’s shift. You pushed your feet in one by one after closing either clasp on them and you closed the trunk when you were done.

Luckily, you knew how to drive well in heels too.

The engine powered up and you headed for the store that was closest to you and Mildred’s home. You were frequent there since you took the liberty to do most of the shopping for the house.

You loved this store because of its broad selection of arrangements, ranging from daisies to carnations, hydrangeas available any time of year, and iris’ that brightened up your home.

The Ford was parked close and you walked in headed straight to the florals. You were mesmerized by the selection as you ran your hands through some of the flowers, holding your purse close to you and your lips pursed slightly as you made your selection.

“Are we shopping for anyone in specific today, Miss?” You turned and saw the attendant come closer to you.

You heard Mildred’s voice in your head saying that ‘it’s a small town, don’t,’ and you decided to throw a white lie.

“My best friend. She isn’t feeling well.” You watched as the attendant unsubtly scanned your face. Her eyes flickered from your bold lipstick up to your piercing eyes, switching back and forth until you couldn’t handle it anymore. You cleared your throat and she finally responded.

“How about some tulips? White, maybe? Or you might like something… bolder.” You cocked your head to the side at that comment and you took a step closer to the attendant. 

“Maybe you could get me twelve stems of those red roses back there.” You turned a bit and pointed at a bouquet of roses behind the lady. She strained her neck to look and as she did her brows were furrowed. 

She began to walk towards them and she spoke once again. “Best friend, you say? Aren’t these a bit too much?” She took them out of their temporary holding space and you withheld yourself from snapping. 

Her back was still turned towards you as she wrapped them up for you. As she was, you took a twenty out of your wallet. 

As she turned around you noticed her still staring at you in a very unsophisticated manner considering she was a sixty-year-old woman working at a market for four dollars an hour. 

She handed you the roses and you pushed the twenty on the table beside you. “Keep the change, ma’am.” 

You turned slowly enough the see the look on her face and you smiled to yourself as you walked to your car with the roses in hand.  Mildred loved red. 

You placed them on the passenger’s seat and began the short commute home. You fiddled with the radio in the dark and you came home within minutes. As you were pulling into the driveway, you noticed a car you didn’t recognize. Maybe one of the neighbors was having guests over and they had decided to park on your side of the lawn. Strange, you thought.

You switched over from drive to park and you turned the key to the left. Your home was dimly lit, even at 8:30 when you two would normally have dinner or read together. Instead of lit up windows that faced the street you were greeted with two out of the three being dark.

You took the flowers and purse from the seat and you locked the car before opening the door of your home. You yelled out for Mildred who could have been anywhere in the house. A different black pair of kitten heels greeted you at the front door instead. Those were not yours and they definitely did not belong to Mildred.

“Mildred, baby? I’m home!” You yelled once more while kicking lightly at the shoes. Placing your purse down on the kitchen table, you followed the light down the hallway that was peeking out from the crack inbetween door and carpet. 

“M?” This call was quieter. It was surreal and realizing as to what was happening around you. It was barely above a whisper. The roses were still clutched in your hands as you reached for the gold door handle.

There was music playing from a stereo you had bought for the house. It was the first purchase you had made under this roof, and your lover was using it for someone else.

Infront of you laid Mildred and an unknown person in your bed. They were too busy to notice you walk in on their space. It seemed like that was how they prayed, in a shared bed that was no longer.

“Mildred, you deceiving wrench, you-” They turned around and almost like a movie deferred away from each other like two negatives. Her red lipstick was smeared all over the stranger’s face which even trailed down to her body. The sheets barely reached over her and a migraine began to form when you saw red trail down her neck to torso. Your hand flew to your mouth and your hand unconsciously gripped the flowers with a grip that was only familiar when you had to grab a patient.

“Y/n, hold on,” Mildred tried to explain but you moved faster and threw the flowers against the wall. Tears were becoming and you looked at the two that were still somehow entangled. 

The flowers flew apart from their wrapping and landed in different positions on the floor. You were screaming at this point. 

Your own lover. Your partner. Your lady. Your wife, even. This was your best friend, the person who hung up your jackets and the person who read outloud to you when your voice was gone. That same person didn’t even bother to change the sheets.

“You,” reached down and took the locket in your hands before tearing it off and walking over to them. “You, skank,” you shoved the necklace in the stranger’s face from inches away, “get the fuck out.”

She didn��t budge. 

“Now!” You screamed and you heard Mildred yell back. The stranger got up, naked and covered in red. You turned your eyes away.

“Don’t talk to Gwen that way, y/n-” she wasn’t able to finish her sentence because you slapped her. Hard and across the face. So hard that she turned to the right to stare at Gwen.

“I didn’t know Gwen was so close to you, Mildred.” You turned to Miss Gwen and you were almost unable to hold yourself back from attacking her.

“Gwen, get the fuck out before I figure out who’s ring that is.” The ring you were mentioning was on her left hand and was obviously not from Mildred. As much as you hated and despised her soul at the moment, she would never buy a ring like that one.

Gwen was practically sprinting at this point with clothes in hand. Funny enough, she was clinging onto the locket Mildred had given you.

“Y/n, hold on, please-” you interrupted her.

“Can’t you say anything else, M?” You closed your eyes the minute you called her by her nickname. Mildred was up from the bed and was frantic to cover her self up with the white sheets you two had slept and loved in.

You stared at her. You waited for an answer. But nothing came out. Just prolonged staring and smeared lipstick coated your eyes.

You walked up to her once more. You waited and waited, but nothing. She tried reaching for your hand but you repeated your earlier move and hit her once more. 

“Don’t you dare, Mildred. Don’t you dare and try to justify anything you have done.” Your finger was pointed towards her. 

You walked out of the room and slammed he door. You heard it open but you ignored it as you were halfway down the wall.

“Y/n, baby-”

“Do not.” You spoke clearly and commanding. You reached the closet that held some coats and you grabbed a few. You moved down and felt her presence float around you. 

You grabbed your purse and some shoes. You were not staying here tonight.

She grabbed your arm and you turned to look at the cheater who had accompanied your walk.

You two just stared at each other and her grip tightened. You shook your arm to let it loose but she would not budge.

You let your eyebrows relax and you mouth untighten. Her eyes stared deep into yours but you could just tell that there was nothing left between you two. Nothing could repair this. You shook it once more and didn’t break eye contact until she let go.

You slammed the closet door before walking out and you opened the door. Mildred followed.

She was saying something but it’s hard to register when the rage blows through your nose and ears.

You walked over to the car which you two shared and you threw your belongings in the back seat and the hopping in the front. You locked the doors before Mildred could get to you. You watched her through the window as she pleaded for you. You turned the key to the right and put the car in reverse. She ran to the back and held on to the trunk of the car. You could see her in the rear view mirror and she was not giving up without a fight.

Unknowing of what to do, you decided to scare her instead. Still in reverse, you pressed the break and the gas at the same time to rev the engine a bit and create a sound that would startle her. It worked, and she jumped to the side after you did that maneuver. Now that she was gone, you were able to safely back up.

Your tires squealed as you exited the driveway and you watched her sit in silence. The sheets had turned to brown shreds and all you could do is stare in amusement. 

There was nothing left as you continued down the road with your headlights shining bright and your rearview mirror regretfull. 

★

You had been driving all night from Lucia only to end up in a motel somewhere in Nevada.

You had gotten a decent nights, or days, rest and contemplated where you could end up staying for the rest of, well, life at this point. Luckily you had some cousins in Colorado. You were just hopeful that your now borrowed Ford would get you there with no problems. 

The room was alright as far as the hotel clerk would know and you were able to pay and leave.

The blue Ford was waiting for you patiently and it was ready to keep moving. You hopped in and searched for some sunglasses in the glove compartment. You were sort of just digging blindly.

Instead, you found a letter. You took it out and saw your name written on it in the one and only Mildred’s cursive handwriting. Your neatly applied black lips tightened a bit and you closed the glove compartment after successfully finding a pair of cat eye shades.

You spun around the folded letter a bit and you contemplated what to do. It definitley was not placed after yesterdays events, but not before. How long was this sitting here?

You decided to open it besides it all.

Ripping it open, the letter inside read as following:

Y/n,

Four years with you have been passionate, lustful, insightful, glorious, and most of all, beautiful. Maybe it was the eyes, or perhaps the words, but you’ve found a way to tie me down and I wouldn’t leave even if I was forced to. You could shun me, and I would still love you. You could spit, kick, loathe, hit, and run me over, and I would still come back. 

I had always thought that settling down with someone would mean protruding coprimises and mandatory family dinners, but you changed that, y/n. You’ve changed my perception of love and desire. The moment you walked into Lucia, I knew I had to have you.

I understand how difficult it can be to hide what we have but I want to change that. I don’t want to resist holding your hand when we walk past our neighbors and I don’t want to lie and say I’m living with my friend from High School. I promise you this isn’t forever, just temporary. Believe me, I will do everything to change that.

I want to give you this not because I have to, but because I want to. I can’t stand deceiving you so please believe me when I say that these words come from the heart and soul. Understand that, please.

I never knew I could care for someone this much. 

You’re my once in a lifetime; you’re the one, y/n. 

Always with love, yours truly, 

Mildred Ratched.

The inconsistent words made you laugh to yourself. 

You took the paper and crumpled it in your hands. Your windows were already rolled down and you threw it out the passengers side. It rolled around a bit but eventually settled. 

Placing the car in reverse, you backed out of your spot. You took your sunglasses and pushed them up a bit before placing the car in drive and running over the letter.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Arrowverse Science Fair AU

~2004 National Highschool (Gr. 8-12) Science Fair

Projects:

Felicity Smoak (Gr. 9) – Computer software to detect card counters. She may or may not have hacked into online card games to test it (this wasn’t included in/on her project.)

Cisco Ramon (Gr. 8 or 9) – Piano playing robot. He thought it played better than Dante. His parents didn’t agree.

Caitlin Snow (Gr. 9) – Analysis of physiological response to various stimuli. She wanted to find stimuli that would help kids cope with traumatic experiences (say crashing their bike or losing their father.) If she was able to find something that made her mom show some/any emotion that would be a bonus.

Barry Allen (Gr. 9) – Growing crystals (lots of different and cool ones). His project started out as an attempt to make something special for Iris for her birthday but turned into an elaborate project. It ended up being a good choice because 1) it reminded Barry of his parents (the first science experiment they did together was grow Borax crystals on pipecleaner and 2) it followed Joe’s ‘your science fair project must make, not destroy things’ rule instated after Barry’s Gr. 6 project.

Alex (Gr. 9) and Kara (Gr. 8) Danvers – Birds in my Backyard. Eliza had insisted on Alex getting Kara involved in her science fair project this year. Alex was excited to show Kara the science fair experience she enjoyed but wanted to pick a topic she knew more about that Kara (her knowledge of math and science was intimidating enough without the superpowers). Seeing Kara’s interest in birds they decided to study birds in their backyard. With Alex’s design and Kara’s powers they built tall post’s and attached bird houses and feeders with differing properties. They then monitored which kinds of birds built nests and ate from where (with some help from Kara’s flight and X-ray vision). Alex also picked 5 nests from different species to chronicle the embryo and chick development. Kara enjoyed doing the project and learning about birds from Alex. The actual science fairs, not so much but those were Alex’s favourite part. Note: Streaky was locked in the house for the duration of the project so he wouldn’t eat any of the birds.

Winn Schott (Gr. 11) – Pop-up room/ room in a suitcase. Being in the foster system for the last couple years inspired Winn to design a room that collapsed to the size of a suitcase for easy transport but could expand in less than a minute into a nice-sized, fully-furnished, sound-proof room, so no matter how many times a foster kid was moved around they always had their own space and stuff. Also good for camping, travel and special short-term events (like waiting in line at conventions).

Lena Luthor (Gr. 5) – Oxygen absorbing/releasing crystal that could allow breathing underwater. After her Mum drown when Lena was four, she was determined to develop a simple way for people to breath under water. She was able to do just that by synthesizing a substance that absorbed and stored large amounts of oxygen then released it slowly (so if someone held in in their mouth, they could breathe underwater). She was happy and excited that her mom and older brother were interested in her project but a little frustrated and concerned that they were so focused on its ability to absorb all the oxygen from a room (in a big enough amount). Although she supposed it could be used in that capacity to control/extinguish fires. Note: although in elementary school, Lena got to compete against the high schoolers since her project was so advanced for her age.

Sara Lance (Gr. 11) – The Biomechanics of Dance and Martial Arts. As punishment for skipping classes, then sassing her teacher and principal when they tried to discipline her for skipping classes, Sara had to complete a science fair project. To make the best of it Sara chose something that interested her. In hindsight she wished she hadn’t. Her project was so good she was chosen to represent her school at the state and national science fair.

Ronnie Raymond (Gr. 9-12?)- Structural design to minimize Superman related damage in Metropolis. Ronnie was proud of his project and had enjoyed analyzing the powers of Metropolis’ hero, but he lost any chance he had at winning when he decided to leave his project to go flirt with Caitlin. At least Kara, whose project was next to his, seemed interested.

Hartley Rathaway – something to do with sound waves

Lily Stein (Gr. 11) – designing and comparing different miniaturized forms of renewable energy sources. She had some help from her dad.

Patty Spivot – Recreation of crime scene evidence using food models. A bunch of her friends (her whole cabin actually) from her summer camp for those interested in law enforcement came to support her.

-       Maggie Sawyer – seemed really interested in the bird project

-       Ralph Dibny – found every project that said it was OK to touch. His favourite was slime. To Patty’s surprise he didn’t break anything.

-       Dinah Drake – hung out with Patty most of the time. Talked to Hartley, beside her, about his project on sound waves for a bit (seemed kinda interested). Patty joined her when she got into a conversation with Sara, across the way, and Laurel about the implications of her biomechanics project in fighting and self-defence. The rest of the time they talked about that Vince guy from camp Dinah thought was cute.

-       Eddie Thawne – he hung out with Patty most of the time too but did do a lap of the fair with Iris, who was there supporting Barry, when she accepted his offer to buy her something at the concession.

Notable events:

- Clark came to see Alex and Kara’s project and brought James and Lois with him. Kara and Clark (very subtly) tested the models on the project beside them that had been abandoned and were said to be superman proof/resistant. They were very impressed to discover the models did indeed stand-up to heat vison, freeze breath and super-strength leading Clark to believe the student had a bright future. James spent most of his time talking to Winn about his pop-up room project because, “Don’t you think these would be way better than cubicles, the Daily Planet should definitely purchase some.”

- Cat Grant, a young reporter from the National City Tribune pushing a stroller, came around and interviewed all the contestants because, “What better place to find the next world changing innovator or innovation” as she put it when she stopped to talk to Clark (more like flirt Kara thought). Alex used Clark distracting Cat as an opportunity to play with the baby in the stroller. This was the only time during the entire science fair Alex was distracted, except maybe when Maggie had come, but they mainly talked about the project like Alex did with everyone, which left Alex wondering why it felt different. During their entire interview Cat called Kara Kira, much to her annoyance. At least the baby seemed to like her. This interview sparked a conversation between Kara, Lois and Clark about journalism which Iris overhead while she was visiting Barry and joined in.

- Graduate students Ray Palmer and Curtis Holt were volunteer judges and ticket takers. Curtis wore a varsity jacket over his shirt and tie which covered his name tag, but at every project he judged he would describe every aspect as terrific, so the contestants started calling him Mr. Terrific. While judging Barry’s project they began a discussion about their favourite elements/minerals/gems. Barry couldn’t decide so joked he liked Barium. Ray shared his love for dwarf star alloy with a ‘quick’ lecture about its rumoured properties and potential uses. Curtis listed at least 10 compounds essential for modern tech as he flip-flopped back and forth trying to decide a favourite and Lex Luthor who was visiting his sister’s project beside them interjected that he favoured kryptonite. While taking tickets Curtis witnessed the following interaction. He asked Damian Darhk, who was carrying baby Nora, what brought him to the science fair. He responded with “These are the brightest young minds in the country and being young means they are malleable. So, there is nowhere better to recruit future talent for my enterprise.” Malcolm Merlyn, who was behind, him added “I know exactly what you mean with what the world’s coming to we’re going to need a bright mind to save it.” This led Tommy, who was accompanying him, to say “I thought we were just here to support the Queen’s.” Then one of the other judges, Dr. Harrison Wells aka Eobard Thawne in disguise, added “No your Dad is right. This world’s next HERO could be in this very room. I’ve already made a list of students to keep my eye on.” He pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. On it Curtis saw four names: Hartley Rathaway, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow and Ronnie Raymond. This led to a long conversation between the three men about numerous threats to society, the country and the world and the possible drastic solutions that would need to be employed to stop them. When they left Curtis turned to Ray and asked, “Was it just me or were those Doomsday Dudes really creepy?” “What” Ray replied his attention clearly being pulled from elsewhere. But before Curtis could answer a voice behind him said “Doomsday Dudes is a terrible nickname you should call them the Legion of Doom.” Curtis turned to find Cisco. “Just saying,” he continued, “anyway I heard there’s free Big Belly Burger for the contestants. When’s that coming?” Ray had missed the entire conversation Curtis was asking about because he had been making funny faces at baby Nora the whole time hoping to make her smile or laugh but she had just stared at him with her big blue eyes.

- Queen consolidated gave out a $1500 scholarship and a summer internship at the applied sciences division. This year Moira and Robert had made Oliver come and brought 9-year-old Thea. Oliver was tasked with watching Thea who ran around the entire science fair wanting to look at and touch all the projects even the ones with big ‘Do Not Touch’ signs on them. She spent at least an hour trying to get everybody around the robot pianist to sing and dance with her. Most people ignored her although she was able to get Cisco, Winn, Stein, Joe, Kara (who kept trying to get Alex to join) and to Oliver’s surprise Malcolm Merlyn all to sing with her and they were all surprisingly good. She also got many people to dance including the Lance girls. She even convinced Cisco to make the robot play some of her favourite songs from Disney movies. Barry was very happy that he was able to convince Iris to dance with him for a couple songs with just a little encouragement from Thea and despite Kara’s constant encouragement Alex only agreed to dance when Maggie asked. Oliver had to present his family’s award which went to Felicity. When her name was announced Donna yelled “Woohoo, that’s my daughter! Way to go sweetie!” which earned a whispered “Mom, ssshh” and accompanied eye roll from Felicity as she headed to the stage with her head down and cheeks flushed. When she got onstage Oliver presented her with her award and Felicity began to babble, “Thanks. This is so cool. I’m such a big fan of yours… well not yours… your company… your family’s company. But uh you seem cool too. I could be a fan of yours, but not like a creepy stalker fan just like a normal supportive fan, ya know. I’m sorry, I’m rambling, it’s just, I don’t know what to say. Your very handsome… and I just said that out loud. I’m so sorry.” She stops and whispers “come on Smoak, pull yourself together,” then takes a deep breath before addressing Oliver again, “Thank-you again for the award and I look forward to working with you, or for you. I’m just gonna go now.” Oliver couldn’t help smiling as she left and thinking that just maybe if she had been around when Thea was partnering everyone up to dance he may have just participated.

- Kara quickly got bored of standing by her project and started wandering around to talk to the other contestants. She spent a good chunk of time talking to Barry. Tried to join in on a heated debate between Felicity, Cisco and Winn about the best language to code in but quickly left when she had no idea what they were talking about. She ended up spending most of her time with Lena. They talked about their projects, their lives and interests and about dealing with new and scary situations especially when you feel different from everyone else and learnt that they were both adopted. However, the whole time they were talking Lena’s eyes kept scanning the room as if waiting for something to jump out and scare her. Kara learnt why when a woman Kara thought must be Lena’s mother showed up and menacingly questioned why she was distracting her daughter.

- J’onn came in disguise to check out the Danvers sister’s project

[zayray030]

Misunderstandings are Disastrous.

Summary: Oliver is a good person. He really is. So he doesn't understand why he's comforting a drunk Iris who thinks her husband's cheating on her. He's gonna kill Barry. OR Barry and the others have been acting really wierd for a month and Iris rightfully jumps to conclusions.

How did Oliver ever get put into these situations. He was a good man. Sure me might have killed a few people and cheated on a couple of people, but at the end of the day he tried his hardest to be a good person.

Do that's why he was extremely confused on why he was consulting an extremely drunk Iris about her place in Barry's life.

“I'm sure he loves you Iris. Why would you think otherwise?” Oliver asked, trying to get to the source of the problem. He's sure by the time Iris has finished he would be able to dig up at least 50 different times where Barry gushed about Iris, at least.

“Well it started a month ago…”

~A month ago~

“Hey babe!” Iris greeted happily when she saw Baeey in the kitchen. She had just come back from C.C Citizen and she really wanted to see her husband again.

“Oh, hey Iris. What are you doing here?” asked Barry distractedly, not looking up from his phone. Iris frowned slightly at his tone before smiling again and soldering on.

“Well I just got back from jitters after writing a really long article on the newest crime sprees that the Flash had stopped and I really wanted to come cuddle with my husband!” she said excitedly but Barry still hadn't looked up from his screen. “Barry?”

“Oh, um yeah, that's nice. Listen Iris, I have to go somewhere. I'll see you tonight.” said Barry before getting up and walking out. He hadn't even given her a kiss goodbye.

Iris just shook her head, thinking it was nothing and maybe he was recovering from another meta attack. Oh well, they'll cuddle tonight.

~A week after that incident~

“Hello, this is Barry. Please leave a message.” came Barry's voice from the phone. Iris sighed again and let her phone drop on the counter of Jitters. Iris had been acting weird all week and he had been ignoring all her calls and Iris was starting to get worried. Was he being mind controlled?

Suddenly, Iris heard the sound of the door opening and when she turned around she saw a very beautiful woman walking in and she couldn't believe who was behind her. Barry.

Iris felt something stir up in her chest but she pushed it down. Now was not the time to tune in with her emotions. She quickly looked around the room and saw a hidden spot where they wouldn't be able to see her but she would be able to and sat there.

Iris felt her heart crack the more she sat there and watched Barry talk to the beautiful woman and laugh with her. Insecurity shot up in her and so did jealousy but she squashed them down. Barry would never cheat on her. He was too loving for that. But Iris couldn't help but think of those times where Barry seemed almost bored with her and she felt her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She rubbed at her eyes quickly. No! She would not jump to conclusions about her loyal husband!

But Iris couldn't help but feel her heart crack even more when she saw Barry give the woman a hug longer than strictly necessary and saw the woman kiss his cheek. Iris held back a sob until Barry walked out with a woman and only then did she bring her hands to her face and sob.

~A week after that~

“Sorry Iris, but today is meta day.” said Cisco sadly as he and everyone else got ready to go out in town.

“Find a really cute girl that Barry told us about,” said Ralph. Frost slapped him over the head. Or maybe it was Caitlin. Who knows?

“Oh?” Iris said quietly, taking a step back from everyone hurt and betrayal rippling through her.

“What this dumbass means is that we're just going to pick some clothes that we can wear without our powers getting in the way and Barry met this really nice woman who can make clothes like nobody's business.” said Frost, with her usual cold tone but it was surprisingly gentle when directed at Iris.

“Yeah, what the ice lady said. Plus, I really want to buy some more jackets.” added Allegra.

“Okay, that's cool. Um, have a nice day.” said Iris awkwardly as everyone walked out to the elevator. While Iris was walking away she heard something that caught her ears so she stayed back slightly.

“Christ that was close.” muttered Cisco.

“Next time don't be so obvious. Barry doesn't want Iris to know and I agree. She deserves it.” snapped Frost.

“Yeah! Don't ruin it. He doesn't want her to know until the last minute possible and we're going to respect that.” agreed Allegra and Iris could imagine the small glare she must have on.

“I'm sorry but I feel weird when I lie to Iris.it doesn't feel natural.” argued Ralph.

“Well Joe, Wally, Cecile, Jackie and Kamilla are willing to do it so pull one for the team, Ralph!” said Cisco as the elevator doors closed.

Iris felt her heart crack again at knowing the fact that her own family and friends were willing to sit back and watch her husband go behind her back. Iris knew she shouldn't be jumping to conclusions but it was getting harder and harder to be able to deny the fact that her husband might be cheating on her.

After all, the evidence and the strange interactions have been proof enough that maybe, just maybe, that Barry is cheating on her and the others are supporting this. Iris quickly ran to the canteen and flopped down on one of the couches and sobbed her heart out at this new revelation.

~Currently~

“... and other odd things have been happening across star labs and whenever I hang out with the others they're just so secretive and they keep sending me these looks and - and-” and Iris could no longer keep her tears in and sobbed out.

Oliver quickly put an arm around and tried to soothe her like he would soothe Thea when she got scared, nervous or upset and let her cry on his shoulder.

“It's going to be okay, Iris.” he said softly while also vowing to kill Barry for his stupidity. “I'm going to need you to take this drink for me. It'll make you sober but won't give you a hangover.” he said gently as he took out a small vial full of red liquid.

Iris nodded slightly, still sniffling slightly and drowned the drink in one go. Oliver looked into her eyes and saw her pupils go back to their normal color and huffed out a breath of relief.

“Hey, you better now?” he asked gently.

“No.” she answered and Oliver could understand that. He just wished that Barry could think twice before he did something dumb like this again. It's as if anything Oliver taught him went through one ear and out the other.

“Understandable. Come on let's go.”he said gently before calling over a waiter to pay the check. Iris didn't protest like she usually would and just stood up and shivered slightly, her shirt dress and heels doing nothing to keep her warm. Oliver shrugged off his jacket and placed it around her shoulder.

“Can we go to star labs first? I left my laptop there by accident.” she said. Oliver nodded secretly elated that he was finally going to where he wanted Iris to be in the first place.

After Oliver had paid for all of Iris's drinks they quickly got into his limo and drove off. For the most part of it Iris was quite apart from the occasional hiccup and Oliver just kept bouncing his legs, nervous. With how bad the others had been he was sure it was going to be a complete disaster.

When they got to star labs Iris briskly walked in, wanting to get out of there as quick as possible and went straight to the Canteen

It was completely dark when they walked in and Oliver held his breath as Iris switched the light on.

“SURPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRIS!!!!” Everyone screamed the moment the light was turned on. Iris jumped back, fear in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared as she saw the scene.

There was a huge banner that said ‘Happy birthday to Iris Ann West Allen’ in big, bright, bold colours and there were steamers all around along with cakes and candy all on plates. The normally pristine area was filled with so much decoration and there was a mounting of presents on a table at the corner of the room. Drinks were placed everywhere and all her friends where crowded around the front.

“Do you know how long I've waited?” asked Cisco as he sighed a sigh of relief. Oliver just shook his head thinking over and over that this was a bad idea.

“Iris?” Barry asked when he noticed his wife had gone silent. Everyone had turned to the small woman and they could see tears collecting in her eyes.

“So you aren't cheating on me?” she asked quietly. Everyone paused in their laughter and turned to stare at her. Why did she think that?

“What? Of course not, Iris! Why would you think that?” asked Barry speeding over to his wife and tilting her chin upwards. Oliver shook his head again and groaned quietly in his hands.

“You kept on ignoring me and when you did talk to me you sounded so cold and dismissive and you guys kept avoiding me and I saw you hang out with a pretty women and ignore my calls and I saw her kiss your cheeks and i-” Iris lost the battle with her tears and started sobbing in her husbands chest.

Over Barry's shoulder, Oliver could see everyone's guilty and ashamed faces.

“Iris, baby, I so desperately wanted to tell you about this but they wouldn't let me talk to you. They even had to lock me over on Cynthia's earth just to keep me quiet. I so desperately wanted to call you and give you all the attention you deserve but they took my phone away and knocked me out.” said Barry to his wife, soothing her doubts away. Well, most of her doubts anyway. It'll take more than a few words.

“Oh.” she said quietly, but tears were still streaming down her face.

“We're so sorry Iris. But if Barry was cheating on you, which he isn't, I would never stand by him. I would tell you straight away and post every ugly picture I have of him in the Citizen.” said Kamilla, coming to her sister figure and giving her a hug.

“And plus, I would burn his face off.” added Allegra, joining into the hug.

Slowly everyone began giving Iris apologies and telling her one hundred percent that if Barry tried anything with her they would without a doubt, one hundred percent, end his existence.

By the end of it the only person not in the hug was Oliver but Iris fixed that soon enough by pulling out a blind arm and waving it around signalling him to come over and dragging him over.

“Now come on, birthday day girl! It's time for you to party and dance the night away!” cheered Sara pulling Iris to the dance floor and Iris let out a small giggle and soon mostly everyone was on the dance floor.

“How the fuck do I make this up to her?” Barry quietly asked Oliver, Kara and Kata

“It's going to take time. A few words can't change what she's thought about for a month. Therapy is a good idea and reminding her you love her every time you talk to her. And also, when throwing her a surprise party, don't you dare ignore her.” said Oliver. He had recently begun to see Iris as a sister and he wasn't going to stand around and see her upset.

“I mean I got her tickets to go to the best spa in America so I think it's best to think that maybe she needs a good day to relax with friends.” said Kate, as if she was challenging Oliver. Oliver just scoffed and smirked.

“Well I got her a free day to whatever thing she what's from the Queen beauty spa.” countered Oliver and before those two could get into a fight Kara stepped in between them.

“Oh, no, no, no. This day is Iris's special day and none of us is going to ruin it. We already ruined her month by making her think that Barry was going to cheat on her. So Barry, a way Iris could forgive you is if you put your speed to use.” said Kara not realising the double meaning to it until Oliver and Kate cracked up. “Oh, shut it.” she snapped.

“Anyway, what Kara said. You're practically a human vibrator. Put that to use for her birthday gift and make sure she stays happy. After that we're all going to grovel at her feet like dogs for ruining her mental state.” Kara finally got out after she'd finished laughing.

“Couples dance!” yelled Cisco dragging Kamilla to the dance floor. Barry sped over to his wife and danced with her. Everyone's eyes were kept on the couple and they felt their eyes glisten. Those two have gone through so much, they deserved this little money between them.

The night was spent partying and dancing with Iris opening up presents and everyone apologising. The ones who couldn't get drunk kept an eye out for everyone. By the time the night was over Iris had happy tears in her eyes and most of her worries had subsided. Her feet ached and all she wanted was a night with her husband.

“Come on, let's go. Let me give you your present.” he whispered into her ear and she could see Kara blush bright red from where she was talking to Oliver and Kate.

“Yay.” she said quietly and he quickly picked her up bridal style and ran out with her. Iris faintly heard everyone calling them goodbye and she relaxed into her husband's chest.

He opened up their dorr and gently ran then to their bedroom and gently placed her on the bed.

“Let me show you just how much I love you, baby.” he whispered into her ear and Iris just nodded before gasping softly.

Maybe an entire month of worrying whether your husband was going to cheat on you wasn't good but Iris couldn't deny the after effect was very nice.

At least that's what she told herself when she woke up to her naked body sore all over and her husband's smug smirk.

[rose-demica]

Barton’s Best Birthday

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers

Series: The Fall of Loki, Sister Agents, NON-COMPLIANT with The Rise of Thanos

Pairings: Clint Barton X Iris Coulson-Fury

Iris Coulson-Fury and Clint Barton have been denying their feelings for a while, but Iris has a plan to fix that, and it just so happens to fall on the Master Archers Birthday.

The gang throws Clint a surprise birthday party.

Note:

This is it! The idea that originally started me on my Marvel Journey. Originally a one shot, it has become my longest running work in progress, with a few dozen one shots, and many attempts at a full length story.

Clint sighed, another year, another birthday, everyone treated it like just another day. He hadn’t expected much, just a happy birthday from those agents he called his close friends. It was as though they had forgotten, the one day he had hoped someone would finally remember.

Iris, Vaile, Tierré and Natasha chuckled to themselves. They were all huddled in Iris’ room, preparing themselves for the planned night ahead. Iris ran her hands down her tight fitting dark black dress, checking her makeup before looking at the girls. Natasha wore skinny black jeans and a rich red dress top, Vaile and Tierré dressed similar, Vaile in dark blue skinny jeans and golden yellow dress top. Whereas Tierré had light blue skinny jeans and a rich green dress top. Natasha handed her best friend a pair of black heels, watching as the agent wound the delicate ribbon used as a strap up her legs.

"Hawkeye won't know what hit him." Vaile smiled, reaching over with a makeup brush to add just a touch of sparkly gold to the edge of each eye, only making her gold eyes stand out more.

Iris tried to hide her nerves, she knew the whole plan rested on her, she had to get Clint to agree to go out, when they all knew how dejected he was after they 'failed to remember' his birthday.

"Knock 'em dead." Tierré spoke encouragingly.

"It's Barton. He'd follow her anywhere." Natasha shrugged, all had realized Clint's not-so-secret crush on Iris, and hers on him. What frustrated the trio was the fact that it seemed neither Clint nor Iris saw as they did.

"Wish me luck." Iris smiled brightly, stepping out of the room, leaving the girls to add the final touches to their own outfits. She moved easily around the helicarrier Mark 37, or M37 as they all called it. Her footsteps made no sound, and the tall pin prick heels she wore were no hindrance. She paused outside Clint Barton's door, taking a deep breath and knocking. She heard grumbling as he moved to open the door.

"Iris." His eyes ran down her body, his jaw nearly falling open in shock, before he controlled himself. Iris frowned disapprovingly as she took in his casual sweatpants and loose Shield shirt..

"Please don't tell me you forgot?" She pretended to be annoyed and hurt. Clint quickly racked his brain for what he could have forgotten, what could have made her dress like... that.

"You promised you'd come to that stupid dinner thing with me. Pretend to be my boyfriend. Unless... Teirré did ask you for me right?" Clint shook his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry, don't worry about it." Iris turned to walk away, only making it a step before his warm hand closed around her arm.

"Don't be silly Ri. Of course I'll come." Clint turned her to face him, only to see her brilliant smile.

"You're the best." She reached up to hug him, and he hugged her back just as tightly.

"Let me just change." Barton turned and walked back into his room, pulling his shirt from his body as he went, leaving Iris with a teasing glance of rippling muscles.

"Tierré, you forgot to ask." Iris hissed into her earpiece. Saying the code words that would swing their plan into motion.

"Roger, we’re ready to go when we get the word." Teirré replied, her smirk nearly hearable.

"Jeans and a button up okay?" Clint asked, walking back out with a leather jacket slung over his shoulder. Iris' eyes ran down his body. A black button up shirt covered his torso, but did nothing to hide his bulging arm muscles. Low slung denim jeans were loose, but still hugged his legs in a way only he'd ever pull off. He had a gun and holster at his hip, but no one would question him if they noticed it.

“You look...” Iris paused, unable to find the word she was looking for.

“I agree totally.” Clint smirked, reaching his spare arm around her to hug her tightly, pressing his lips to her cheek.

“We should get a move on.” Iris moved her arm, trailing her fingers down the arm around her almost teasingly. He tangled his fingers through hers when she reached his hand.

“Let me go then.”

“Make me.” She squeezed his hand softly. Both agents pulled away very quickly when they heard footsteps approaching, turning and silently walking away before anyone else even realised they were there. Neither said a word as they walked, remaining inconspicuous, even as they stood out among the other agents. They both went straight towards the deep purple quinjet that stood waiting in the hanger. They both got into the two pilot seats, working easily as a pair to get ready for take off.

“Home Base, this is Purple Leader, Papa Lima One Zero Seven Two, requesting permission to take off.” Iris shot Clint a smile, beating him to talk into the radio.

“Iris. Where do you think you're going to at this hour?!” Coulson spoke before Maria could okay the order.

“Dad, it’s 5pm. I’m going out to dinner.” Iris rolled her eyes at her adoptive father's words.

“You taking your sisters? Other agents? Romanoff?” Fury added,

“Barton’s coming with. The girls have plans or something.” Iris replied, handing her adoptive fathers intrusive questions with ease.

“No. Absolutely not.” Coulson and Fury both spoke.

“I’m an adult you two, you can’t stop me from going out to dinner with a friend. Can I have clearance, or am I just leaving?”

“You have clearance Purple Leader.” Maria cut in before either director could speak, having been shocked speechless by their adoptive daughter. Quickly the duo took off.

“Where are we going?” Clint asked, sparing a glance to see her in the dusk light.

“Surprise Barton.” She smiled slyly at him, controlling her quinjet with ease, pausing only to reach over and knock his hands off his controls.

“Relax and enjoy the ride.” She ordered, feeling his fingers brush against hers softly as she pulled them back to rest on the controls. Her skin tingling where he had touched her.

Clint leant back slightly in his chair, trying not to stare at Iris. His gaze drifted to her long olive toned legs, black ribbon was wrapped tightly up to her midcalf. He wished they were together so he could reach over and trail his fingers along them. He could imagine himself doing so, pausing mid thigh at the edge of her dress, she'd squirm slightly in her seat, wanting more.

"What are you thinking about?" You, me, us. He thought, wishing he had the courage to say it out loud.

"Where we could possibly be going." He lied, looking up at her and smiling, Iris smiled back, before looking back out the window. Determined not to give anything away.

“Iris-”

“You really don’t like surprises do you?” She cut him off, flicking him a teasing smile.

“Not a big fan.”

“Well I’m definitely not leading you into a trap, I wouldn’t be able to fight in this.” She took a hand off the controller to gesture at her clothing. Clint bit back a groan as his imagination showed him exactly that. The agent fighting anyone who would dare attack them, her dress only hugging her body as she fought with precision and an ease that others dreamed of achieving.

“I bet you could.” He glanced over at her with a lazy smirk.

“Yeah, but showing off how much skin as I did so?” She countered, not realising what her words were making his brain do. Barton! Snap out of it! She’s Fury and Coulson’s daughter! He mentally scolded himself, trying to derail his chain of thought.

“We’re nearly there. I’ve organised someone to meet us with a limo.” Clint picked up the hint of nervousness in her voice, and reached over to gently rest his hand over hers.

“Whatever evil plan your brain has come up with, I’m certain I will love it.” He reassured her, already realising that it wasn't just some 'stupid dinner'. He smiled softly when she entwined their fingers, refusing to let her go even as she landed the quinjet. He felt her hands shake slightly, and pulled her hand to his lips.

“What has got you so nervous Ri? You’re the best agent I’ve ever met. Are you scared of one night?” He asked softly, she turned to face him, tears in her eyes.

“I’m terrified you won’t like anything I’ve planned. I want this to be the best night of your life.” Her voice shook slightly, the tears threatening to spill over. Clint reached over to rest her hand on her neck, pressing his lips to her forehead. “Pull it together Iris, this whole night is riding on you.” He caught her whispering to herself. Slowly he pulled away, hoping out of the quinjet, and walking over to her side. Opening the door with a smile.

“I feel like a teenager on his way to Prom with the most beautiful girl in school.” He whispered, more to himself than her.

“Then I’m the lucky one who got the handsomest man in school.” She replied with a soft smile, he reached up, his hands resting softly on her waist as he picked her up and placed her gently on the ground. She balanced her weight carefully on her heels so as to not sink into the ground. She hooked her arm through his, leaning into him slightly. He saw the pure white limo, waiting adjacent to the road. The driver waiting in a midnight black tux by the door. Without even asking her, he started walking towards it, careful to avoid the roughest parts of the field for the girl on his arms benefit.

“Mr Barton?” The driver asked, eyes raking over the pair, trying not to frown disapprovingly at what he saw.

“That’s me.” Clint replied, raising an eyebrow at the driver's attitude. “I really do feel underdressed.” He spoke to Iris, she only rolled her eyes at him.

“Trust me, I’m overdressed.” The driver opened the door, and Clint released her arm, motioning for her to enter first. “That’s sweet and all, but I’m wearing a dress. You go first.” Clint laughed, but obliged anyway. Hopping in the limo and scooting over to make room for her.

“Where are we heading to now?” He asked, as the door shut. Iris didn’t answer at first moving to sit opposite him, her long legs folding over one another elegantly.

“That’s a surprise Barton.” She smirked mischievously, watching as he leant back against his chair. She had opted for a more classic looking interior, knowing Clint wouldn’t like any of the newer, flasher interiors. Black leather seats cool against bare skin, but comfier than they looked. There was a radio and mini-bar, but other than that it was bare. It suited the odd couple perfectly.

“Not even one hint?” He leant forward, his arms resting on both his legs as he looked upwards at her.

“That would be telling, and I’ve been trained to keep secrets.” She winked at him, and he chuckled.

“I was trained in the art of torture Miss Coulson-Fury. Are you sure you want to try me?” He returned her playful banter with ease.

“You won’t make a word pass my lips.”

“I can make you tell me all your secrets. Plead for mercy.” He reached forward with his left hand, trailing his index finger up her calf slowly, tracing the ribbons, his eyes never left her face, watching as she held her mischievous smirk. She couldn’t stop the near silent moan as his finger pushed over a sensitive spot. Clint’s lips twitched upwards. He was a master assassin. He knew the others thought he was oblivious to Iris’ feelings for him, but he knew they were there, he knew she was fighting them. Trying to remain a professional at all times. Trying to do what he was failing to.

Iris saw his lips tug upwards in a sly smirk, and fought the smile that tugged at her own lips. She knew the man before her had feelings for her, feelings he struggled to keep under control when they were alone together. She felt the same way. She hoped tonight would end all that, she hoped it was just pent up lust that needed an escape, for both of them. If everything went right, they’d be out of each other’s systems by morning. If everything went right they’d be there old professional selves in no time at all.

“I’m not begging.” She teased, starting to move her legs out of his reach, but his other hand moved quicker to stop her movements.

“Stay perfectly still and you will be.” His fingers continued their slow climb up her legs, twisting and twirling as they left trails of what felt like blazing fire. True to his request she didn’t move her legs again, her hands resting in her lap. His hands stilled their movements, and he leant back in his seat, watching her. His arms were slung back over the seat.

“Suddenly I find myself wanting to be surprised.” He remarked, watching her carefully. Her face gave nothing away as she shrugged.

“As you wish.” She could tell he wasn’t expecting that reaction, but she had gotten so used to his teasing touches and flirty remarks that she had learnt to deal with the aftereffects of the way he made her feel.

“Can I move?” She waited for his nod before untangling her legs, leaning forward to touch his leg. She pressed her index finger to his ankle, before slowly and torturously winding her way up along the inside of his calf muscles, her eyes flicked up to his face, noticing that ever present smirk had slipped from his perfect features. He had no idea how to act, he definitely hadn’t expected her to turn around and do it to him. Her finger had just the right pressure against his skin, and he tried not to groan at the way he felt. She trailed her whole hand up the rest of his calf until she reached his knee, pulling away totally to sit back in her seat.

“And I thought the Master Archer would have the better hand skills.” Iris teased, waiting as she felt the limo slow and come to a complete stop. “After you.” She smirked, motioning towards the door as it opened. Wordlessly he did so, turning back to offer her a hand up, which she accepted gracefully.

“I will get you back for that.” He whispered in her ear as he reached around her to put his jacket over her shoulders before she could feel the cold.

“I’m counting on it.” She replied, easily slipping her hands into his jacket, before entwining her fingers with his.

“Ma’am Coulson-Fury?” Clint looked up as a young man in a dark tux approached.

“Aye.” She replied,

“Your table is this way Ma’am.” He turned and walked off, expecting them to follow. Iris did without question, tugging Clint’s hand to keep him by her side.

“The managers thought it was an odd request, but after we complied we understood perfectly.” He paused by a candle lit stairwell on the outside of the building.

“Please, go right up. My name is André and I’ll be your waiter tonight. Entrées are already up and waiting for you.” Clint seemed confused, but followed Iris up the spiral staircase anyway.

“I do hope you’re hungry.” Iris suddenly stopped, facing him with a frown.

“Starved.” He interrupted, before she could say anything else. She smiled, and he moved his arm to wrap around her loosely, continuing to climb what seemed like an endless spiral of stairs, all lit softly by candle light.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to impress me.” He teased, bumping her with his hip softly. She didn’t reply, she had no need to, letting him go to continue walking up the last few steps alone. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the spectacular view that was waiting for him. It was a 360 degree view of the city and its surroundings. To his left he had the bustling Manhattan ports and beautiful ocean views, to his right the idyllic countryside, and behind him New York took main stage in all her bustling glory. Iris gave him a few more moments to admire everything before stepping up to join him.

“If I ever forget tonight, it’s because I’m under some weird spell and you should definitely beat me out of it.” He spoke before she could say a word.

“Come eat Barton, the views not going anywhere.” She tugged his arm, drawing his attention to the table in the middle of the rooftop. Set with glittering silverware on top of a rich red table cloth.

“I ordered in advance. I hope you don’t mind?” Clint pulled out a seat for her, motioning for her to take it and pushing her slightly under the table before moving to the opposite side to take his own.

“Not at all.” He smiled at her before looking down and the dish in front of him. It was a seafood chowder, served with toasted garlic bread off to the side. The meal passed quickly and easily, both not really believing how... easy it was to be together, to be themselves. By the time dessert came, Clint was wondering how he’d ever managed to resist doing this sooner. His leg brushed against hers under the table, and she quickly looked down at her food, trying to hide a slight blush.

“Ri.” He called her gaze back up to his.

“Thank you for tonight it was-”

“It’s not over yet Hawkeye.” She cut him off, “If you’re ready we can head to the next destination.”

“Another secret?”

“You betcha.” Clint stood, taking another look around at the view, making sure it would forever be ingrained in his brain, before turning to face her. Only to notice she was paying him no attention, whispering something into the earpiece he suddenly realised she was wearing.

“Please tell me you sorted out the limo and everything?” He overheard her say.

“Don’t tell me to relax Talia, this night has to be perfect. I’ve spent so long planning it!” She hissed into the earpiece.

“Can you even go a few hours without talking to those girls?!" He demanded, unable to help the feeling of jealousy that suddenly came over him. She turned instantly, not expecting to be caught.

"I can but-"

“But?"

"They were-" Clint ignored her, starting the long trek back down the stairs.

“Clint-.” He heard her call behind him, but she was clever enough to make no move to follow him, knowing he just needed space.

“Talia, I blew it. He’s gone. I’m sorry.” She spoke into her earpiece.

“Don’t you dare. We worked far too hard on this night, to make everything so special. You go after him.” Talia ordered, motioning for another agent to try and get hold of her partner.

Clint felt his phone ring in his pocket, pulling it out only to see Natasha’s number flashing upon the screen. He thought about ignoring it, but then realised she would only call back persistently until he answered.

“What Tash?” He snapped,

“What do you think you are doing!?” Three females screamed at him.

“Hi Tierré, Hi Vaile. I’m walking home.”

“Are you crazy!? Iris has been driving us mad for the past few months trying to get every single little detail perfect. Spared no expense, she flew in that limo from France for Pete’s sake, and you’re walking away!?” Vaile spoke before the others could,

“Then the limo driver was a total failure, and she called us to try and get it sorted so you wouldn’t have to deal with him again, so everything would be perfect for you!” Tierré added furiously.

“If you don’t man up and face her. I’ll beat you up myself.” Natasha hung up the call, leaving Clint feeling like he had just been punched in the gut, he was racked with guilt. She had done all of this for him, worked tirelessly so he could just walk away? He turned, only to see her walking down the stairs towards him.

“I’m a fool.” They both spoke at the same time. Iris standing a step above him.

“I should have listened.” They both spoke again,

“Iris, I’m sorry, I over reacted over nothing.”

“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called the girls in, it was stupid of me.” He reached forward, wrapping his arms around her tightly, a hug she only returned.

“Where to next?” He asked softly, missing her knowing smile.

“The second to last destination of the night.” She pulled away, looking at him carefully. “You sure?”

“Couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.” They journey back down to the limo went quicker than the climb up. Another driver stood waiting for them, looking alot more professional than the last. Clint paused, planning to ask Iris if she would like to go first, but before he could ask, she’d lightly shoved him towards the door. gracefully climbing in after him and taking her seat.

“It’s only a short drive this time.” She spoke before he could, feeling the car start to move. Clint watched her, her body tensed with every passing moment spent in the car, he could tell she was worried about the next stage more than anything.

“Call the girls.” He sighed, her eyes flicked to his, shocked.

“No, I have no need for them, Tonight is about you, everything else will fall into place.” She replied, leaning forward to rest her hand on his knee.

“Plus, there’s nothing they can fix. This is the one part of my plan that has room for human error.” She sat back, glancing outside the window. Clint moved to sit beside her, his hands moving to gently soothe the tense muscles in her neck. This time she couldn’t stop the moan that left her lips, her head falling forward slightly to allow him better access to her neck.

“I take back that earlier Master Archer comment.” She whispered, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long while. Clint chuckled, never ceasing his movements.

“Where are we going?” He asked quietly,

“This nifty little club one of the girls told me about.” Iris replied, leaning back so her back rested against his muscled torso.

“Why?” He asked, his hands moving to her shoulders. He didn’t need to look at her to know her eyes were closed, mind, body and soul loving what his hands were doing, concentrated fully on the soothing feeling.

“It’s a surprise Barton. Patience, only a few more minutes.” She replied, knowing it wasn’t the answer he was looking for, knowing he had hoped she was relaxed enough to let it slip.

“I will get the answers from you Miss Coulson-Fury.”

“I have no doubt about that. The question is; when?” Clint was saved having to come up with a response when the car pulled to a stop. The door opened instantly, at Iris’ request, he climbed out of the car first, turning back instantly to offer her a hand up. She accepted with a smile, before nodding to someone he hadn’t noticed. When Clint turned back, taking in the view and where he was. He was shocked.

“Nifty little club?” He asked, unable to believe that he was standing on a red carpet, right outside Manhattan’s newest premiere waterfront club.

“Come on, I hear the party’s about to start.” Iris tugged his arm gently.

“You sure I’m not underdressed?” His eyes landed on every suited male around them.

“I’m sure. Here.” She slipped out of his jacket, helping him put it on. Wordlessly she slipped the gun holster and gun off him, handing them to someone else. When Clint turned, he saw two suited agents standing either side. "I called in a favour. No one comes here without bodyguards." Iris spoke before he could ask.

"And we've sworn that not a word of what happens here tonight will ever pass our lips." One of the agents added.

"They believe it's a mission." Iris reached up to whisper in his ear, hooking her arm through his silently the pair headed for the front doors. Barton was too stunned at the location to notice Iris signal one of the agents, who instantly sent a message. They reached the doors, which opened automatically to let the pair in. The armed bouncers simply waving them through. Clint felt Iris tense ever so slightly as they walked down the short corridor lined with media and photographers.

"We aren't famous, they'll ignore us." Barton guessed the reason for her tension. As agents the last thing they wanted was to be compromised. They reached the doors just as the music dimmed, lights redirected to the stage. Where the DJ was calling for everyone's attention.

"Allow me." Another armed bouncer spoke, opening the doors for the pair. Instantly the lights flashed over to Clint.

"SURPRISE!!" Thousands of voices called out, yelling and cheering.

"Happy Birthday Hawkeye." Iris whispered, watching as the lights went back to normal. Illuminating the highly decorated room. Streamers hung from the walls. Balloons littered everywhere. Some floating above heads, others tied to walls and tables. Some even scattered on the floor. There was a huge 'Happy Birthday' banner strung from one end of the room to the other. A few tables were laden with snacks, the bar open with four bartenders standing behind it to serve drinks. All eyes were on Hawkeye, and he could honestly say he was surprised, keeping secrets on the helicarrier was nearly impossible, especially from him.

"Alrighty, now our guest of honour has arrived. Let's start the party!!" The DJ brought the music backup to his normal levels, pulling the attention away from Hawkeye.

"You-" Clint turned to Iris.

"Surprise." She laughed, so relieved that her plan had worked perfectly.

"Happy Birthday Hawkeye." He turned to see Natasha, Vaile and Tierré standing behind him.

"You were all-"

"Helpers, it was all Iris' plan." Natasha cut him off.

"Way to throw me under the bus." Iris laughed, joining them. Together the group headed out to the dance floor.

Hours past, Clint receiving more birthday wishes than he ever dreamed about. The cake was huge, in the shape of a bow and arrow, and fed the entire gathering with enough to spare. There were speeches, words that made Clint laugh, thankful for the words said about him. He'd thanked them all in return of course, making playful jabs at the woman who had pulled it all off, and her team.

"Here." Clint turned, only to see Iris standing in front of him with a bottle of his favourite beer.

"Thank you. For all of this." He smiled accepting the drink, his fingers brushing over hers.

"Our night isn't quite over yet. Come find me when you're ready to go." She smiled, before disappearing into the slowly thinning crowd.

"Cleaning crews due in a few hours. Bills taken care of, presents are-" Natasha stopped as Clint approached the table his four friends sat at, taking the last seat next to Iris.

"Hey, that's everyone." He glanced around the empty Club. Before leaning back in his seat, accepting the beer Iris pushed towards him.

"Remember we leave 1500." Vaile spoke to Iris, finishing her drink and standing.

"I'll be there." Iris replied, as the other two stood also.

"Goodnight you two." Natasha teased, as they left as well.

"Thank you." Clint said again, resting his hand on her arm.

"It was my pleasure." She replied, facing him. "I have one more surprise for you." Clint ignored her words, leaning forward and kissing her. He didn't care for the repercussions, he just knew he couldn't deny his feelings any longer. He didn't want to. Iris couldn't help herself, kissing him back. Hands moving up to tangle in his hair. His hands moving to her waist. Reluctantly she pulled herself away.

"If I keep kissing you we'll never leave." She whispered, as he kissed her again. Neither able to get enough of each other.

"Let's go then." He whispered, abandoning his drink. They both stood, walking back out to the waiting limo. Wordlessly they started the short drive. Pulling up a mere few minutes later. The door was opened, and Clint hoped out, turning to offer her a hand up, pulling her into his body when she accepted.

"Ma'am." The driver handed her a set of keys.

"Thank you." Iris whispered, taking the keys and allowing the driver to leave.

"Come on." She placed her hand over his, entwining their fingers and leading him into a huge apartment complex. They headed straight for the elevator at the end.

"All the way to the top." She smiled at him. Inserting the key in the button for the penthouse suite and turning it.

"We'll be alone. No one can get in without the key." She handed him the key, and he slipped it into his pocket. Arms wrapping around her. He was about to kiss her when the door opened, and she shoved him gently out. The first thing his eyes went to was the huge floor to ceiling windows, and the views of both the harbour and the city below. He didn't hesitate when he heard her walk up behind him. Spinning so his lips came crashing down on hers, her lips molded against his, kissing him back just as feverishly. She stepped forward, forcing him to move back until his legs hit something and he fell back, landing on the bed and pulling her down with him. His hands finding the zip on her dress...

Iris awoke first the next morning. Clint's arm slung loosely over her waist. Silently she slid out of bed, pulling out the bag she had hidden there and dressing, pulling out a pre-written note, placing it on the pillow. Before shouldering the bag and leaving silently.

[gojngdown]

some special things at the tøp concert that i loved

- preshow: a girl taught me The Handshake, the merch line rapped car radio, the whole venue started chanting “JOSH DUN JOSH DUN” people in the pit were throwing around alien balloons and sang happy birthday to someone, someone threw a bandito jacket on stage to the guy in awolnation and he wore it, ofc the chanting of “TØP TØP” deafened ears

- wdbwotv: “turn on the lights, i wanna see them”

- before taxi cab tyler did a piano riff no one had heard before and later he asked us to send it to him if we recorded it (i did, no reply lol) but we might have gotten a taste of a new song

- josh took off his shirt and he put the la dodgers logo on his chest in red marker

- tyler told us a story before the iris cover “this song.. well um so josh ran away from home. how old were you josh?” “nine” “josh was nine and he ran away from home, he had a broomstick with a bag tied to the end with all his belongings.. and he was walking down the street, he didn’t even go a block... and then a car passed by him-“ “and it was blaring this song” “yeah it was blaring this song, and josh just felt.. inspired, you know, so this song was playing the first time josh ran away from home and it inspired him to go back home” during the bridge of iris tyler yelled “COME BACK HOME, JOSH”

- during the entirety of the iris cover tyler laid on his back and stared at the ceiling while playing the ukulele

- during my blood a girl fainted in the pit so tyler stopped the whole song to help her out

- leave the city: “i want to hear you sing it” so we sang most of the song actually

- before trees “he’s my friend and yours, give it up for josh dun on the drums” *cheering* “that wasn’t loud enough come on JOSH DUN ON THE DRUMS” we all went ballistic and josh was bein smiley it was cute

- they did the THING!!! where they looked at each other during the bow and just aww ok

- “we’re twenty one pilots and so are you”

[singledarkshade]

What Happens In Vegas

Summary: On a weekend away to Las Vegas, with a group he barely knows, Rip Hunter meets the impulsive and capricious Gideon Ryder. When she persuades him to go for one drink after dinner, Rip’s life suddenly takes a turn he never expected. He might be insane but he’s beginning to like it. Author’s Note: For TimeShip Week, Day 4: Trope Day - Have a favourite trope? Friends to lovers? Sharing a bed? Coffeeshop meeting? Character whump? Whatever it is, have Timeship live through it. For @incendiaglacies on her birthday, this is the first of two fics today. Hope you enjoy.                                 ********************************************* The headache pierced her skull the moment she tried to open her eyes. Becoming aware of her surroundings, she realised three things very quickly.

Firstly, she was in a bed. Although she couldn’t remember precisely at that moment how she got into the bed, this was a relief considering once she’d woken up in a bathtub, and her last clear memory was of a large cocktail.

Secondly, she was naked which meant the fact that thirdly, there was a naked man beside her, and it was definitely a man, even more worrying.

Shifting slightly in the hope of getting out of the bed without waking whoever was with her, a strange pressure on her hand made her force her eyes open. Adorning her left hand, on the ring finger, was a gold wedding band.

A small squeak of surprise escaped her, and she clamped her lips down tightly hoping she hadn’t woken the man sleeping beside her. Relief filled her hearing only a murmur from him but nothing else.

Slowly, being very careful not to wake whoever she had somehow married, she eased out of the bed grabbing a t-shirt off the chair she assumed belonged to her ‘groom’. Pulling it on she headed into the bathroom, pausing to grab a bottle of water out of the mini bar. Closing and locking the door, she looked at herself in the mirror.

“What happened last night?” Gideon Ryder whispered to her reflection, “What did you do this time?”

                                *********************************************

  18 Hours Earlier

  The airport was busy.

Rip Hunter sighed, wondering how he’d been talked into coming on a ‘Bachelor’ weekend in Las Vegas for a man he barely knew. He still wasn’t sure how Martin had persuaded him to come along, though in retrospect it was all Clarissa’s doing. She had arranged for Jonas to be staying at his grandmothers for the weekend to make sure Rip had no excuse to get out of it. So here he was at a stag weekend, and he was going to call it that no matter what anyone said, for Clarissa and Martin’s soon to be son-in-law.

To add to the ‘fun’ Lily, the bride, was having her hen weekend (again he was not using the American term) at the same time in the same place. This made a large group of rowdy people Rip did not know many of, despite his acquaintance with Lily and the Steins.

“Rip,” the groom grinned to see him, “Great to see you made it.”

Giving Ray a small smile and nod, he took the ticket the other man handed him then stood studying the people he was going to be spending the weekend with.

The people he knew were Ray and Lily, aka the bride and groom. Martin and Clarissa, parents of the bride, Lily’s friend Iris along with her boyfriend Barry and her father Joe, who was a friend of Ray.

So, that was seven members of the group at least he recognised. There was a man standing with Ray, square-jawed with gelled brown hair. Digging through his memory Rip guessed this was the best man, Neil, Nate or something like that. There were several more people standing around talking, but Rip had no idea who they were, he assumed he’d be introduced to them at some point.

Rip had met Lily three years ago when she had been in London for a six-month secondment in the same lab he worked. She was also renting the flat next door to them and Rip, knowing she knew no one had befriended her, mostly because his three-year-old son liked her. When Rip moved to Central City, after Lily persuaded him to take the job he’d been offered, she’d introduced them to her parents who basically adopted him and Jonas. Clarissa then became very good friends with his mother when she moved to be close to them the year before. Which Rip deduced was another reason he ended up in the airport that afternoon.

Sudden calls and laughter came from the group when a woman, petite with her long chestnut hair flying behind her jogged over to them dragging a case behind her. Rip wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her as she ran to Ray. The groom hugged the woman tightly, Lily did the same before she was handed a ticket.  Shaking himself when their flight was called, Rip grabbed his bag and followed on.

  Gideon rolled her eyes as Sara teased her about being late. It wasn’t her fault she had to finish some coding, got caught up in her work and almost missed the flight.

Okay, maybe it was.

She had been looking forward to this weekend since Lily had told her about it, almost as much as she was looking forward to their wedding. Ray was her oldest, dearest friend while Gideon had utterly adored Lily from the moment they met. Moving to Central City had been a spur of the moment decision six months ago and she had not regretted it. Moving closer to her best friend came with a large group of new friends.

Which meant the fact she was sitting on the flight next to the one person within the group she had never met just typical of the day she was having.

“Do you want some help?” he asked, as she stretched on her tiptoes and tried to get her bag in the overhead locker.

Gideon smiled at him, “Yes, thank you.”

He took her bag, motioning her to slide into her seat and placed it in the locker before shutting it and taking his seat at her side.

“You must be Rip,” she smiled sweetly, studying him and deciding she liked how he looked. He was attractive, not classically handsome but interesting, she liked his beard and there was kindness in his green eyes. Gideon believed that a person’s eyes was the gateway to their soul and their truth was in there.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I’m Gideon,” she introduced herself, “I work with Ray, and we went to university together.”

Rip nodded, “I remember Ray mentioning you when you moved here.”

“Don’t believe everything he told you,” she said with a smile before adding cheekily, “I am much, much worse.”

  The plane journey was, to Rip’s surprise, very enjoyable.

Gideon was smart, beautiful with a wicked sense of humour. She kept him amused with stories of how she met Ray and the crazy things she’d done at University. In some ways she reminded him of Miranda, except Miranda wasn’t quite as impulsive or anarchic as Gideon appeared to be.

His mother would use the term ‘force of nature’ while Rip thought of her as flighty. Although for a short time it would be entertaining, he wasn’t sure he would be able to put up with someone who lived their life in such a chaotic fashion for any length of time.

They landed in Las Vegas and Rip fetched Gideon’s bag down along with his. She gave him a smile but was caught by Lily and the other ladies to get off the airplane leaving Rip to follow on. He wandered along behind the chattering group as they headed to the bus Ray had hired to take them to the hotel, sliding into the seat at the front he hoped they’d get to the hotel soon. He wanted to check on Jonas. It wasn’t often he left his son overnight and wanted to make sure Jonas was alright. Even if he was staying with his grandmother, Rip still worried.

They reached the hotel and Rip followed the group, relieved that Ray had organised all those not part of a couple to have their own room.

“Okay,” Ray handed everyone their keys, “We’ll meet for dinner at six. I’ve booked us a private room to eat then anyone who wants can head to the casinos.”

Rip checked his room number and joined Gideon and a woman called Amaya in the lift. The moment that he was inside his room he called his mother.

“Hello dear,” she greeted him, “How is Las Vegas?”

“Warm,” Rip replied shortly, “How’s Jonas?”

Mary Xavier chuckled, “I’m fine, Michael. It’s so kind of you to ask.”

“Mother,” he growled annoyed, especially when she laughed at him. She was the only person who still called him Michael, despite the fact he’d legally changed it years ago.

“Jonas is fine,” she told him, “I am perfectly capable of watching my grandson for a few days. I raised you after all, and you were a hundred times worse than he has ever been.”

Rip frowned but didn’t get a chance to retort as he heard his mother call to his son.

“Hi Daddy,” Jonas greeted excitedly, “Are you having fun on your trip?”

No matter how angry, sad or exhausted he was Jonas could make him smile.

“I am,” Rip assured him, “Ray has booked us into a nice hotel. I’ll send you some pictures and I’ll bring you a present home.”

“Yeah,” Jonas replied before telling him, “Grandma said we’re going to the movies tonight and to the zoo tomorrow.”

Rip chuckled, “That’s sounds like fun. Be good for her.”

“I promise, Daddy,” Jonas said adding, “And you’ve to have fun.”

“Did Grandma tell you to say that?”

“Yep.”

Rip laughed, “Love you, Little Man.”

“Love you too, Daddy.”

As they hung up, Rip smiled. His son was everything to Rip and, despite his mother’s insistence he try to meet someone, Rip needed nothing more in his life than Jonas.

                                  *********************************************

  Gideon fixed her hair then smoothed her dress out before she grabbed her bag and left her room to meet everyone for dinner.

They were in one of the best hotels in the city and the rooms were luxurious. Gideon had spent an hour having a nap on the huge comfortable bed before soaking in the bathtub she could have done laps in filled with bubbles.

Stepping into the corridor, she saw Rip walking just in front of her, dressed in black denims and a light blue shirt, Gideon enjoyed watching him walk in front of her for a few moments before she called his name.

“Gideon,” he greeted her with a smile, “You look lovely.”

Smiling back, she slipped her arm through his seeing surprise at the gesture, “Thank you, Rip. You look very nice yourself.”

They walked together through the hotel towards the restaurant.

“Did you have a nice afternoon?” Gideon asked him as they walked.

He nodded, “Yes. Settled into my room and called my son.”

“Your son?”

Rip smiled, one of pride and adoration, “Jonas. He’s staying with his grandmother this weekend.”

“How old is he?”

“Six.”

Gideon tilted her head thoughtfully, “He is very lucky.”

“Why do you say that?” Rip asked confused.

“Because of the way you smile when you talk about him,” Gideon told him, “It’s clear that he has a wonderful father who loves him.”

Before Rip could reply, they reached the private room Ray had booked for dinner. To her disappointment they were somehow the last to arrive so there were no seats together. Aware he only knew a few people within the group, Gideon grabbed the final chair between Sara and Amaya leaving the seat beside Clarissa for Rip.

  Dinner was delicious and Rip enjoyed the meal as well as the company. Being beside Martin, Clarissa and Lily meant he felt comfortable because it was a familiar situation.

Rip glanced over at Gideon throughout the meal several times, seeing she was in the centre of the group which didn’t surprise him. She was obviously someone who thrived in company. After dinner they split into smaller groups with some heading to the casino, while others went exploring. Rip smiled hearing Martin jokingly berate Ray and Lily for sneaking off for a walk alone before he and Clarissa headed for the casino.

Checking his watch Rip mused over whether he should go for a walk before heading upstairs or have an early night. It was rare he got to relax and just read his book in peace. Keeping up with his son was a lot of work, Jonas was always full of energy until the moment he simply crashed but Rip wouldn’t trade him for anything.

“Not going to the casino with the others?” Gideon’s voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Rip shrugged, “Not really my thing. What about you?”

“I can count cards,” she shrugged “I promised Ray I wouldn’t get us kicked out of the hotel so I’m staying away from temptation.”

Laughing Rip nodded, “I’m sure we all appreciate that.”

“We could get a drink, if you want,” Gideon suggested.

Rip hesitated, “I was just going to head to bed.”

She gave him a bemused look, “Seriously? You’re in Las Vegas and you’re going to turn in early?”

He shrugged.

“Do you ever have fun,” Gideon asked, “Or are you always so serious?”

Feeling a little defensive, he replied, “I have responsibilities. I have a son.”

“Is he here?” Gideon pushed, “Or is he being watched by his grandmother?”

“That…”

“One drink,” she smiled charmingly at him, “Join me for one drink and have some fun for once,” Gideon stepped into him challengingly.

“Fine,” he sighed, “One drink.”

Gideon grabbed his hand, giving him a mischievous smile, “I know exactly where to go.”

  Gideon bit her lip in amusement watching annoyance cover Rip’s face when he realised, she’d dragged him to a cocktail bar where one drink was the equivalent of at least three.

“What do you want?” Gideon asked with a smile.

Rip frowned at her.

“You promised to have one drink with me,” she reminded him, “You didn’t specify where.”

Shaking his head, Rip sighed, “You are trouble.”

“I’ve been told that,” Gideon shrugged, “I’ve also been called impulsive, reckless and impetuous.”

“All of which seem to describe you very well,” Rip told her.

Gideon smiled replying, “Well it’s better than being stuffy, repressed and boring.”

“I have responsibilities,” Rip reminded her sharply.

She shook her head, “You have excuses.”

Rip grimaced slightly.

“Have one drink with me,” Gideon said softly before he could argue, her hand gently stroking his arm while she looked up at him through lowered lashes, “And have some fun. Your son doesn’t need you just now.”

Rip looked at her and Gideon was caught again by his eyes. She smiled at him and, taking his hand, pulled him towards the bar.

  Rip had no idea how Gideon had persuaded him to stay out with her, but they were now in their fourth bar of the night, possibly fifth. Or was it the sixth? And he was a little more…tipsy than he had been in many years.

Gideon was sitting at his side moving to the music, throwing back the rest of her drink she grabbed his hand tugging him to his feet, “Dance with me.”

Having given up saying no to her about three bars ago, Rip let Gideon pull him onto the dance floor. Wrapping an arm around her waist he smiled as they danced, her enjoyment infectious. Rip was fascinated by Gideon. She was just incandescent with life and the room lit up every time she smiled. The music changed to a slower song and Rip drew Gideon closer to him, feeling her body press against him, warm and soft, his hand tracing her curves. Looking into her eyes Rip felt himself drawn to her and let out a sigh of pleasure as their lips touched. Their kiss was slow, deepening quickly until Gideon moved away. Still holding his hand, she pulled him out of the bar. Rip pressed her against the nearest wall just outside the bar, needing to kiss her again. They broke apart and started back to the hotel, stalling a few blocks away when Gideon tugged him to her once more.

Hearing noise close to them, Rip saw they were outside one of the many chapels and the greatest idea came to him. Gideon grinned at Rip when he led her inside.

  Gideon’s back pressed against the door of Rip’s hotel room as Rip continued to kiss her.

“Key?” Gideon murmured as Rip brushed his lips along her neck.

“Back pocket,” he replied, moaning when she slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans before she pulled out the key.

Gideon managed to open the door and they stumbled inside, Rip kicking the door closed behind them. Their kissing continued and, now they were in private, Gideon started to undo his shirt sliding her hands along his skin making Rip moan.

“I don’t,” he started, cut off for a second when she kissed him again, “I don’t have any protection.”

Gideon grinned at him, “I do. I grabbed some while you were paying for my ring.”

“You’re amazing,” Rip said, placing a kiss on the wedding ring on her finger.

Pulling away from him, Gideon undid her dress allowing it to fall to the ground motioning Rip to her. He caught her in another kiss as she pulled him down onto the bed.

                                  *********************************************

  Gideon drank the water feeling slightly better, her memories of the previous evening were coming back as her headache subsided slightly. A knock on the door made her jump slightly before Rip’s voice came.

“I know this is awkward,” he called softly, “But the painkillers are in the bathroom and I need all of them.”

Opening the door, she found Rip standing wearing one of the hotel’s complimentary robes. His eyes squinted when the light from the small window hit him.

“Here,” Gideon picked up the pack of painkillers before passing him the bottle of water she was holding.

Popping two pills quickly, Rip finished the water before murmuring, “Thank you.”

She held up her left hand, “Well, I suppose that is what a good wife does.”

Staring at the ring he tried several times to speak with nothing coming out.

“Are you alright?” Gideon asked after several minutes of watching him.

Rip shook his head, “I’m trying to get my head round…did we?” he gestured between them then to the bed.

“Definitely,” Gideon nodded with a smile, “Rip,” she rested her hands on his chest, “It’s not a bad thing. My memory of last night is getting clearer and it was a lot of fun. Which, if you recall, was the reason we went out last night. So that you could have fun for the first time in years.”

Rip rubbed his hand over his eyes, “Gideon, fun but not…”

“Sex is fun,” she said when he trailed off sliding her hands up to his shoulders before wrapping her arms around his neck, “And we had a lot of both last night.”

Taking a hold of her wrists and releasing himself, Rip held onto Gideon’s left hand to look at the ring, “I’ll contact my lawyer when we get home and organise an annulment.”

“Why?”

Rip stared at her incredulously letting her hand go, “Because we can’t be married, we met yesterday.”

Gideon wrapped her arms around him again, “I thought I was a goddess whose body you wanted to worship for the rest of your life.”

“You are…I mean I…” Rip stammered, the memory returning to him and a blush creeping up his neck.

“Answer me one thing,” Gideon said softly, “Was what you said a lie? Just pretty words for the woman in your bed that you conveniently forget the next day?”

“I don’t do that.” Rip whispered.

“Then maybe instead of pretending it didn’t happen, we see where this goes?” Gideon told him.

Rip moved closer, drawn to her but before their lips touched, he pulled away, “I can’t just suddenly be married.”

“Why not?”

“I have a son, Gideon,” he reminded her, “I can’t bring an unknown person into his life and tell him this is his new step-mother.”

“I doubt he’ll mind since I am a genius who writes computer games as a hobby,” Gideon smiled at him before she whispered, “I don’t want this to end.”

Rip rubbed his eyes, “I can’t believe I’m actually considering this. I’m not…”

“Impulsive?” Gideon suggested with a smile.

He frowned at her.

“How about this?” she stepped into him once more, “I meet Jonas and, if we get along, then we tell him that we’re together. And we try for six months.”

Rip sighed shaking his head, “This is insane.”

“Maybe,” Gideon told him, “But sometimes being impulsive takes you where you never expected but where you’re meant to be.”

Closing his eyes, Rip sighed again, “I’m insane.”

“Then we’ll be insane together,” Gideon grinned, as he gave in and wrapped his arms around her waist, “Now we have,” she peered round him to see the clock, “Two hours before we’re due to meet everyone else at breakfast. Do you want to go back to bed? Or that shower looks like it could accommodate the two of us?”

At her mischievous smile, Rip surrendered to her kiss wondering what the hell he’d got himself in to.

  Gideon slipped out of Rip’s room about twenty minutes before they were to meet everyone else for breakfast. Finding something to wear she hummed happily to herself before reluctantly taking off the ring she wore.

To her surprise she wanted this marriage to be real.

Even yesterday morning if someone had told her she would be married, Gideon would have laughed in their face. She was what Clarissa termed ‘a free spirit’ who didn’t like being tied down, although tied up was sometimes an option, and her longest relationship had been a month. Mostly because she was dating the woman she was travelling with and it didn’t seem to be a good idea to break-up up with her until they returned home.

But from the moment she’d met Rip Hunter, Gideon was fascinated by him and she couldn’t say exactly what it was about him that captured her. She wouldn’t say she was in love with him, it had been less than a day since they met, but there was without question something special between them.

The night they’d spent together had been incredible, she felt a connection to him that she’d never felt with anyone ever. It was going to be difficult pretending that they hadn’t spent the previous night together around the rest of the group.

Dressed and ready, she hid the ring, placing a soft kiss to the wedding band before putting it away. She hoped that she’d get to wear it soon.

Leaving her room and starting down to the restaurant, Gideon smiled when she met Amaya.

“Morning,” the other woman greeted her, “How was your night?”

Gideon smiled thinking back before replying, “Interesting.”

  The breakfast was fantastic. Gideon was ravenous but considering how much energy she’d expended the night before, and earlier that morning, it was no wonder. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to sit next to Rip, who was in deep discussion with Martin.

The two groups split after breakfast. Ray and his party heading to play paintball for the afternoon while Lily’s group were spending their time in the spa for a day of pampering.

Rip caught her hand at the reception and pulled her into a small alcove hidden away. He didn’t say a word just kissed her. Sliding her arms around him Gideon sank into the kiss, sighing softly when they parted.

“Enjoy your day,” Rip murmured, continuing to brush his lips to hers.

“You too,” she managed, despite how light-headed she felt.

Rip squeezed her hand once more before he slipped away to join the others. Smiling to herself Gideon wandered to the spa to join ‘the girls’.

  Rip fixed his gear overhearing the conversation he knew he wasn’t meant to on the other side of the lockers.

“Why am I getting landed with him?” Joe demanded.

“Rip has never played before,” Ray told him, “And, being a cop, you’re the best shot. Gives him a chance and we also get a chance against you.”

Joe sighed, “Fine but I’m only doing this because it’s your wedding.”

Shaking his head slightly, Rip closed his locker and headed to join the others. Martin had decided not to play but was waiting for them in the bar.

“Okay,” the man in charge Matt, grinned at them, “You all have your teammates, so we’ll send you out at two-minute intervals to find a hiding spot. Then when you hear the buzzer the game will start. You earn points by hitting your opponents and lose points every time you get hit. The winners are the team with the highest score when the buzzer sounds ending the game. Have fun.”

Rip and Joe were sent out third, he followed the other man as they headed to a small wooden structure up the hill.

“Okay,” Joe said softly, “Just try to keep up with me and don’t get shot. I want to win after Barry’s comment that I’m too old to play.”

Rip nodded.

“Shoot in their general direction to keep them off balance,” the other man continued, “It’ll give me a chance to take them out. But,” Joe added before Rip could say anything, “I will buy you a drink for every time you manage to hit anyone.”

Nodding again Rip got himself situated and waited for the first buzzer to sound. The moment it did he saw Joe go on high alert so started to scan the area.

“I see Nate and Barry coming,” Joe murmured, “Be ready.”

Rip gave him another nod. The moment the two men came in sight Rip fired and both men moaned in annoyance as their jackets were splattered in red paint.

Turning he saw Joe staring at him, and Rip smiled amused, “That’s two drinks you owe me.”

  Gideon let out a sigh of pleasure as the beauty therapist gave her a head massage while the face mask did its work. She’d had a fantastic full body hot stone massage and once the facial was over, she would join the others for a manicure and pedicure.

She would have preferred to play paintball, but Lily wanted to be pampered on her weekend away so here she was. Fifteen minutes later she was led to the room where the rest of the group were sitting, some already having their nails done, all holding a glass of champagne.

“Gideon,” Sara smiled, “You have perfect timing.”

A little bemused she slid into her seat, “I do?”

Sara nodded, “We’re talking about how the guys are doing at paintball.”

“And you’re still bitter they didn’t let you play,” Iris noted with a chuckle.

Ignoring her Sara continued, “Well there is only one of the guys none of us other than Lily and Clarissa knows. Except maybe you, since you sat beside him on the flight.”

“You’re talking about Rip,” Gideon realised.

Sara grinned, “All Lily says is he’s a nice guy. So, give me something other than that.”

“I can’t,” Gideon shrugged, “All I got from him was that he is a nice guy. Seems to be a good father too, from the way he talks about his son.”

Caitlin laughed, “Why do you care, Sara?”

Sara shrugged, “I just…I’m wondering.”

“You mean you know everything about the others,” Iris laughed, “So you want to know everything about him too.”

“It’s always the quiet ones who have the darkest secrets,” Sara said before she grinned wickedly, “And are the most fun in private.”

Gideon frowned slightly, hiding it by taking a sip of her champagne. She rubbed along her finger where the wedding ring had sat overnight not liking this conversation but knowing if she said anything it would pique Sara’s curiosity more.

“Don’t tell me you’re after Rip?” Amaya demanded, “Sara, I thought you and Leonard were still a thing.”

Sara laughed, “I’m just curious. Besides Leonard isn’t here this weekend.”

“I’m not sure you can persuade him to have fun with you, Sara,” Gideon said softly, “From what I know, Rip is far too responsible for that. He went to bed early last night to read his book.”

“How do you know that?” Amaya teased.

“Since Ray begged me not to go to the casino,” Gideon told them, shaking her head in annoyance as the others laughed, “I asked Rip to join me for a drink. He went to read his book instead.”

“That’s depressing,” Sara sighed.

“Then change of conversation,” Iris decreed, “Let’s talk about Lily’s wedding.”

  Gideon and Lily were sitting in the bar after their treatments when the men arrived back, the rest of the ladies had split up with a few of them heading to the casino and others up to their rooms. Joe chuckling to himself as he walked at the front of the group.

“I didn’t lie to you,” Rip argued as he and Ray followed on behind Joe.

“You said you’d never played paintball before,” Ray reminded him.

Rip nodded, “And I hadn’t. You never asked me if I could shoot.”

“What happened?” Lily asked as they joined them, grinning happily at Ray kissing her hello.

Gideon smiled when Rip sat at her side and gently brushed his fingers to hers while Joe walked past the table.

“We won,” Joe told them from his position at the bar, “Despite Ray trying to even the odds partnering me with Rip, who’d never played before.”

“I take it that didn’t go as planned?” Gideon asked amused.

Rip grinned at her.

“Oh, it did not,” Joe laughed, placing a glass of beer in front of Rip, “One of the many I owe you.”

“You owe him?” Lily asked confused.

Joe shook his head, “I promised I’d buy one drink every time he hit someone. Then he took out every single one of the others several times.”

“How?” Ray demanded before reminding him again, “You said you’ve never played.”

Rip shook his head amused, “I hadn’t,” he nodded to Joe, “I might not collect all these over the weekend.”

“We’ve got the wedding too,” the other man said, “I will see you all at dinner.”

“How did you do it then?” Ray demanded.

“My mother has a friend, Jonah who runs a recreation of an Old West town,” Rip told him, “Growing up I spent a lot of time there after school and during the summer holidays where he taught me to ride a horse, and to shoot the eye out of a sparrow.”

Ray frowned, “And you didn’t think to tell me that?”

“You didn’t ask,” Rip reminded him.

Lily hugged her fiancé who was still looking put out.

Finishing his drink, Rip stood, “I think I will follow Joe’s example. See you at dinner.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Gideon said, “I am not staying here while they stare lovingly at one another for the next few hours.”

Lily waved her away, as she snuggled into her fianc�s arms making Gideon roll her eyes.

  Gideon sighed while Rip kissed her neck as they lay on the bed in his room.

“You know you smell like peaches and cream,” he murmured.

“From my treatments,” Gideon replied, “Though I would have preferred to play paintball with you all. It would have been much more fun.”

Rip grinned, “I don’t know. The thought of you naked covered in oil sounds fun to me.”

Gideon looked at him shocked, “Mr Hunter, I do not believe you just said that.”

“Mrs Hunter,” he kissed her again, “You’ve got a lot to learn about me.”

Wrapping her arms around him, Gideon grinned, “I’m looking forward to finding out everything.”

Rip stalled in his ministrations, “Are we being stupid? There is no way this can continue after this weekend.”

Gideon stroked his cheek, “Rip…”

“I am falling for you,” he breathed, “But when we get back I have Jonas and you have your own life.”

“Rip,” she pressed a finger to his lips, “I don’t know if things will turn out the way we want but for the first time in my life I’m not thinking about how to end this without it being awkward when we run into each other at the wedding. I want to spend every moment I can with you, I want to meet your son, I want to spend my birthday with you, I want to spend your birthday with you, I want to spend Christmas with you, I want…”

Rip kissed her again cutting her off, “I want all that too. For the first time since I lost Miranda, I see a future with someone new.”

“You can tell me about her,” Gideon said softly.

Rip smiled, “Another time. Right now, I want to learn more about you.”

Gideon grinned as his lips descended on hers once again.

                                  *********************************************

  “Be good for Grandma,” Rip reminded his son at the end of their conversation.

“I promise, Daddy,” Jonas told him.

Rip smiled, “I will see you tomorrow. I love you, Jonas.”

“Love you too, Daddy,” Jonas replied.

Hanging up Rip smiled to himself, before he frowned worried. He had no idea how Jonas would react to Gideon, or the fact they were married.

He was insane agreeing to this, but Gideon was amazing. Smart, witty, warm, caring and beautiful. She made him smile in a way he hadn’t for a long time, made him feel things he hadn’t in years, and he feared tomorrow. But Rip was determined that if this was his last night with Gideon, then he was going to enjoy it.

Rip quickly checked himself in the mirror and nodded at what he was wearing, smart but casual. Stepping out his room, he turned hearing a door close and stared at the woman walking towards him.

Gideon was wearing black leather trousers, a fitted red top, a leather jacket and black heels that he no idea how she was walking in.

“Wow,” was all Rip could say as she strutted, and that was the only word for it, towards him.

Gideon stopped in front of him and turned giving him a full view of her outfit, “Do you like?”

“We could skip dinner,” Rip murmured, “And whatever else we’re meant to be doing tonight.”

“You don’t know?”

“I’m barely remembering my own name,” he replied, “You look…”

Gideon laughed as he trailed off, “Later, Mr Hunter,” she slipped her arm through his, “Our friends are expecting us.”

  “Hey,” Lily called when they reached the lobby, “Gideon, can I talk to you?”

“Of course,” she said confused.

“We’ll catch up, Rip,” Lily told him before she took Gideon’s arm moving her away.

Confused and slightly worried, Gideon asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Look,” Lily said, “I love you, Gideon. You are one of my dearest friends but so is Rip.”

“I know that,” Gideon replied bemused.

Lily nodded, “So I’m telling you now not to play with him. You don’t do relationships, we all know that. Rip is widowed, with a son and he doesn’t do flings.”

“Lily…”

“Be friendly,” Lily cut her off, “But everything else is out. Okay.”

Gideon took a breath, “I promise you that I am not after a fling with Rip. We have become friends after we sat together on the plane and spent some time talking yesterday.”

Lily stared at her for a few minutes before nodding. They headed to join everyone for dinner and Gideon smiled to see that Rip had managed to save her a seat. She slid in beside him, fingers brushing against his as she thought over Lily’s warning.

Again, dinner was wonderful. Ray only got the best for the people he loved after all and this weekend was filled with them. Afterwards he had organised front row tickets for the concert of one of Lily’s favourite bands. Gideon manoeuvred herself to ensure she was sitting by Rip throughout the evening, which was easy enough to do as she stayed by the Steins who were the only people Rip really knew within the group.

  “So,” Sara said when they reached the hotel again after the concert, “I am heading to the bar, who is coming with me?”

Several people nodded.

Sara moved and grabbed Rip’s arm, “You’re coming,” she stopped him arguing, “For one at least.”

“One only,” he agreed, “I have to pick my son up tomorrow when we get back.”

“A good reason,” Sara grinned at him before turning, “Gideon?”

Smiling at her friend, Gideon replied, “I’m only having one, I had a few too many last night. Maybe two.”

Rolling her eyes Sara moved the towards the bar, Gideon chuckling when Joe passed a drink to Rip.

“How many of those do you owe him?” Gideon asked curiously.

Sighing Joe replied, “A lot more than I want to admit.”

Rip gave an amused smile and took a seat with the others listening to chatter around him. It had been a long time since he’d done anything like this, not that he really did but at college he and Miranda had a group they went out with. Nowadays any time he had an evening free, Rip usually enjoyed the peace and quiet or had to do something for work.

Finishing his drink, he turned to Sara, “And I am going to retire now.”

“You had your drink,” she nodded, “I’ll give you that but I expect you to be more sociable at the wedding and maybe have two.”

Chuckling he gave a slight dip of his head, “We’ll see. Goodnight, everyone.”

He heard calls of goodnight and caught Gideon’s eye as he left, she gave him a smile and mouthed five minutes to him.

Smiling to himself Rip headed up to his room.

He’d packed everything he could before they went out that night, so sat and read some of his book while he waited. A soft knock preceded Gideon whispering his name. Opening the door, he smiled when she slid in and kissed him.

“Have I mentioned how good you look?” Rip murmured, sliding his hands along her legs.

Gideon grinned wickedly, “You like the leather, I’ll remember that.”

Laughing at his slight blush Gideon pulled him close once more.

  Gideon woke slowly the next morning, her head pillowed by Rip’s chest, her arm thrown across his waist and her legs tangled with his. As she cuddled closer to him, Gideon hoped that things went the way she planned today. She wanted to wake up this way every day.

“Morning,” Rip sighed softly.

“Morning,” she snuggled closer, “This is perfect.”

Rip hummed softly, “Yes, it is.”

“I don’t do this normally,” Gideon whispered.

“What?”

“Staying till morning,” she confessed, “Unless I’ve drank a little too much. I’ve never wanted to but from the moment I met you, I want to stay. I want to wake up with you.”

Rip hugged her closer, “It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up with someone and I’m hoping I get to do this from now on with you.”

Gideon kissed him, pulling him close and sighing as Rip gently stroked her back.

“Today will go our way,” Gideon whispered to him, “I know it will.”

Rip nodded, “Jonas will love you because how can he not?”

Gideon kissed him again and nothing more was said for a long time.

  Fixing her hair in the mirror, Gideon smiled when Rip wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Smart idea bringing a change of clothes with you,” he murmured.

Gideon chuckled, “Well, I wasn’t sure it would be as easy to sneak out this morning so this way if anyone sees me leaving then I’m not wearing last night’s outfit.”

“I’ll put it in my case and you can get it later,” he told her.

She kissed him again, smiling at how much she liked being in his arms. Moving back she checked the clock and frowned.

“It’s almost time for breakfast,” she said, “Are you coming?”

Rip caught her hand and pulled her into another kiss.

When they parted, he smiled, “Now I am.”

                                  *********************************************

  The flight home was quiet, there were several hangovers amongst the group. Rip was seated with Joe, while Gideon was sitting with Sara.

Reaching the airport Rip grabbed his case and followed on with the almost silent group. As everyone started sorting out who was getting a cab with who Rip turned to Gideon.

“I can give you a lift home if you want,” he said.

Lily frowned, “You don’t live anywhere near her.”

“But my mother does,” Rip reminded his friend, “It’s easy enough to take a quick detour on the way to pick up Jonas.”

“That would be wonderful,” Gideon smiled sweetly, as though they hadn’t already discussed this, “Thank you, Rip.”

They said their goodbyes and started to the car park where he’d left his car. He had promised Jonas that he would pick him up as soon as he could after landing. Rip knew his son would have the time calculated within ten minutes of when Rip would be there.

Reaching the car, Rip put both their bags in the boot before climbing into the driver’s seat, Gideon was already sitting in the passenger’s seat waiting for him.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly when he sat in silence not making any move to start the car.

“Just worrying,” Rip told her.

Gideon turned him to look at her, “Jonas is going to like me. And we are going to make this marriage work. I believe that.”

“You do?”

She pulled out the chain around her neck which held her ring, “I’ve got it ready to put on.”

Rip kissed her, “Let’s go.”

  Gideon sat playing with her ring as Rip drove. It didn’t take them long to reach a small house sitting in a neat garden. The moment Rip parked the front door opened and a small blond-haired boy came running out.

“Daddy!!” Jonas cried happily.

Rip got out the car and caught the boy in a tight embrace, Gideon watched them with a smile. She’d listened to Rip talk about his son during the weekend and knew he loved Jonas but seeing them together was heart-warming.

“Jonas,” Rip said turning the boy to see her, “I want you to meet…”

“Giddy,” Jonas called in greeting running to her, “Why are you here?”

Rip stared at her before turning to his son, “You know Gideon?”

Biting her lip she nodded guiltily at the same time Jonas gave a nod and grin.

“We met when Lily brought him to the office a few weeks ago,” Gideon explained sheepishly.

Rip rolled his eyes, “Trouble.”

She smiled relived when he took her hand and drew her inside the house as Jonas pulled him along. The house was warm and neat with pictures of Rip and Jonas dotted around, some included a woman Gideon assumed was Miranda.

“Grandma,” Jonas yelled, “Daddy is here.”

An older woman, with dark hair and sharp eyes appeared from the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel. She opened her mouth to greet her son pausing when she caught sight of Gideon.

“Gideon, this is my mother Mary Xavier,” he introduced, “Mother, this is Gideon Ryder.”

“Hello,” Gideon said softly.

“Michael?” Mary asked, steel in her voice.

Rip swallowed nervously and gave her a weak smile, “I have something to tell you both.”

Gideon watched in amazement as Mary simply pointed to the living room and Rip moved them into it. He took a seat on the couch pulling Gideon to sit at his side and lifting Jonas onto his lap while Mary took a seat in the chair across from them.

“So,” Rip said softly, “Gideon and I met on the plane to Las Vegas, she is one of Ray’s oldest friends, we went out after dinner to get a drink and…”

“And?” Mary encouraged.

“Gideon and I got married.”

Jonas turned to Rip, “Married?”

“It means Gideon is going to live with us,” Rip told him, “And she’ll be part of our family but you are still the most important person to me.”

“Michael,” Mary stated sharply, “A moment in private. Now.”

  Rip winced at his mother’s voice and placed Jonas on the couch beside Gideon, giving them both a smile, “I’ll be right back.”

Following the woman who raised him into the kitchen he spoke before she could, “Mother, I know this seems insane, but I want this.”

“Michael,” she frowned, “This is ridiculous. What on earth are you thinking? Do you think Jonas is going to be fine with some random woman suddenly in his life?”

“Gideon is not a random woman,” Rip defended her, “She is kind and caring, she is brilliant and funny. Jonas already knows and likes her. He��ll be fine.”

Mary shook her head, “You’ve known this woman, what? Two days?”

“Do you remember what I said the day I met Miranda?” Rip asked softly.

“What does that have to do with this?” Mary demanded, a frown on her face.

Rip sighed, “I said I would marry her. It took me three weeks to get the courage to talk to her, another month to ask her out but she did marry me.”

“That was a different situation, Michael,” Mary argued.

“It’s not,” Rip replied, “From the moment I met her Gideon made me smile and, for the first time since Miranda died, I can see a future with someone else. I know how crazy this is. Trust me I know but…” he gave a small smile and slight shrug, “I want to try this.”

Mary hugged him tightly, “I have worried about you from the moment you lost Miranda. And I have wanted you to find someone to make you happy again. If you think that Gideon will then I will give her a chance.”

Rip smiled, “Thank you, Mother.”

  Gideon watched Rip and his mother leave the room before turning to the six-year-old boy sitting beside her.

“It’s really nice to see you again, Jonas,” Gideon told him with a smile after they sat in silence for a while.

Jonas grinned at her before asking, “Are you my new Mummy now?”

Hesitating Gideon wished Rip was here to answer this question, but she took a deep breath and rested her hand on Jonas’ arm.

“Not exactly,” she said softly, “But I hope we’re going to be friends so that maybe one day you will think of me as your family.”

The little boy took her hand, “Daddy is smiling because of you. I like when he smiles.”

“I like it too,” Gideon replied, “I’m going to make sure both you and your Daddy smile all the time.”

“So,” Rip said from the doorway, “How about we go get some lunch before heading home?”

Jonas bounced up, “Yeah.”

He grinned at his son, “Say bye to Grandma and we’ll get going.”

Gideon smiled as she watched the little boy bound away before she turned to Rip, “Well?”

“She’s not happy but she’s agreed it’s my decision,” Rip told her.

Relief filled Gideon and the tension she was carrying left her. Rip wrapped her in his arms for a second, letting her go he reached around her neck and undid her chain removing the ring. Taking her left hand, he slipped it onto her ring finger.

“We’re doing this?” Gideon asked with a smile.

“If you’ll have us?”

Nodding she stretched up to kiss him, “Always.”

[killervibe]

Chapter 2: The Clique

Caitlin couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe, she wasn’t even sure she could manage to blink, frozen numb. Her fingertips were white against her binder, gripping tightly to her notes as if it were her last strand of sanity.

 She couldn’t do it. Not by herself, not when her hands were trembling and she was refusing to believe the truth, and she had to do it to protect him, and she had to stay where she was, walk the halls, wear her mascara, as if it won’t soon streak down her face—when all she wanted was to go back to yesterday and do it all over.

 She fumbled with her cardigan, still shaking as she hung it on the hook, the school still too warm to wear anything but short sleeves. And when careful hands were on her back, spinning her around, her heart caught in her throat.

 Cisco grabbed her hands, searching her face, his eyes were red-rimmed, and he had bags under them, a deep frown etched over, and she did that, she put it there.

 “Caitlin, what’s happening, I don’t understand, why did you send me that text?”

 Caitlin swallowed the lump in her throat, parting her mouth, but it was like her voice box had been ripped out, and she was helpless but to watch him stare at her, desperate for answers.

 “Sweetheart,” he said softer, tone inflecting, and she flinched as he shook their joint hands. “Talk to me, please. It’s okay that you’re scared about something but please don’t push me away, I’m here.”

 She tore away her gaze, feeling hollow inside, scooped out with nothing left for her to offer him. “These past two weeks—“

 “—Were amazing—“

 “—Were a mistake.”

 He dropped her hands, horrified. “What?”

 She couldn’t even recognize her own voice, when she continued, dull and stone faced. “They were a mistake. It never should have happened. We’re not a good fit, and should stay apart. I don’t like you the way I thought I did anymore.”

 “Like?” he choked out, tears rimming under his big eyes. “You love me. I love you , since before I even knew what it was.”

 She shook her head. “No. I’m done.”

 Cisco’s hand went to his mouth, like he was trying to hide the sickness he felt. And Caitlin had to take her bag and walk away from him, leave him alone in the hallway to go to homeroom, so she did, forcing her feet to shuffle away, legs heavy like lead.

 Mrs. DeVoe called attendance, and it was like every eye was on her, fear crawling up her skin. Caitlin stared down at her desk, waiting for her name to be called when Becky Sharpe sat down next to her.

 “Hi, Caitlin,” she said cautiously. “Thanks for coming to see me but I was fine, just my usual, bad luck, you know.”

 Becky had a bandaid over her nose, and Caitlin wanted to point out that it would do nothing for the break or to reduce bruising, but decided not to.

 “The meeting wasn’t about you,” Caitlin said, flat. “It was about me. I broke up with Cisco.”

 Becky’s eyes widened. She missed what followed, the aftermath, having had left early to be driven by her grandmother to the emergency room.

 “Why?!”

 “Because I had to.”

 She squeezed her eyes shut, nauseous, and only opened them to raise her hand when Mrs. DeVoe finally called out her name.

“But you told me he loves you,” Becky whispered when call was over. “Why would you give that up?”

 Hearing those words brought bile to Caitlin’s throat, and, suddenly, like a tidal wave, Caitlin was hit with terror over what she’d done. She scrambled from her seat, half grabbing her bag as she bolted, leaving her binder behind.

 Her teacher yelled after her to demand where she was going, and the chattering classroom hushed over, craning their heads in unison to stare.

 But she didn’t care, couldn’t care, wouldn’t care.

 She nearly tripped in her shoes, and crashed violently when she cut a corner, her shoulder jabbing harshly against an edge as she sprinted to the ladies washroom. She threw her expensive bag onto the dirty floor when she got there, things smashing inside, and put her hands in her silver streaked hair, trying to breathe. She stared at her reflection in the badly washed mirror, and couldn’t recognize herself. The black on her eyelids, over her nails clashing terribly with her yellow summer dress.

 How could she be so stupid? How could she think she could do both, one foot in each circle, like she could be the middle of a venn diagram. And why was she there in the first place? Why did she ever choose to ever think for one minute anything less than she knew was true?

Her mind was all over the place, not even able to hold onto a single train of thought. And then she couldn’t even do that, couldn’t even stand up anymore, shaking in this pathetic bathroom badly in need of renovations. Her chest was heaving and she tried to calm down, clutching her locket but broke down into sobs instead. Her back went sliding down one of the doors of the stalls.

 This was it. There was nothing left. Nobody left. And everything is her fault. She was alone now. Utterly alone. No Daddy, no mom, not really, no Barry or Cisco. That’s gone forever. Broken, worse than last April, far worse, because she looked into his eyes and told him nasty lies, tore his heart in two, stomped on it and just walked away instead. And how could he ever love her again?

 Who does she turn to now? And who would even care?

 Only Lexi and her minions, and maybe Becky Sharpe, who was nice enough to hand her a kleenex when she needed one yesterday, but for all intents and purposes, didn’t really know her.

 And, Lexi’s confession yesterday shook her. Caitlin threw up when she heard it, the fear in Lexi’s voice, and she knew that girl was defensive but she never knew why, didn’t understand why. And—She didn’t want to believe it, she really couldn’t dare, but what was Caitlin supposed to say, in the light of a second accusation? To let someone pour their heart out over their trauma and just brush it off like Lexi wasn’t sobbing when she’d told her what happened last Spring.

 And so maybe she were the true loser here after all. And maybe she was blind to what everyone else saw, what the whole school warned her of last year that she turned her head from until she listened, and maybe letting Cisco back into her heart was weaknesses, or a desperate attempt to hold onto her innocence, before everything once dear to her was poisoned forever.

 And she—She knew deep down this wasn’t right. That there was something wrong, but she didn’t know who to believe anymore, who to trust, but Cisco, liar or not, cheater or not, her boyfriend or not, was still Cisco and so she’d do anything she could to keep him safe.

 And she wasn’t safe for him, she was the opposite.  Caitlin wasn’t about to risk that, to put his everything on the line. So she had to give her phone to Lexi, and let her type in the words in the cafeteria before school started as the girls ate breakfast, after Lexi carefully asked why she hadn’t done it yet.

 And when Caitlin said because she couldn’t, desperate to cling to the one good thing she had left, Lexi asked for her phone to protect you Caitlin, come on, we have to look out for each other. It’ll hurt today, but make you stronger. We can get through this together. Caitlin’s lip trembled, but she forced herself not to feel, not to look, unlocking her passcode, which wasn’t Cisco’s birthday anymore, because she changed that last May, and she buried her head in her arms on the table and stared at the graffiti scribbled there until Lexi said done.  

 Caitlin had taken her phone back, after that. Slid it into her pocket, put it on airplane mode and refused to see what came after.

 Footsteps drew nearer down the hall then stopped. Caitlin looked up miserably when the door creaked open, bracing herself for whoever was about to see her in such a state.  

 It was Iris, and she stopped abruptly, her hand paused over the front zipper of her messenger bag, taking in the scene.

 “Caitlin?” Iris hurried to her side, crouching down in her cute flats. “What’s wrong?”

 Caitlin sobbed again, couldn’t help it, because she missed her but she missed Cisco too and how could she miss someone after screwing up her entire future with them?

 “We broke up,” she gasped, burying her head in her hands. “We’re even now.”

 “Oh my god, what?” Iris exclaimed, pulling her up. “Why?”

 Caitlin’s mouth thinned in a straight line, and she pawed at the paper towel dispenser, trying to clean her face.

 Iris went digging back into her bag, retrieving a makeup wipe.

 Caitlin took it gingerly.

 “Why won’t you talk to me anymore? Or to Barry?”

 Caitlin ran the cold tap, and stuck the towel over her eyes, water dripping down her arms, as she took a shuddery breath.

 She couldn’t tell Iris anything, Iris who was now the girlfriend of Barry, the best friend of Cisco.

 The warning bell rang. Iris picked up Caitlin’s abandoned purse.

 Caitlin reached for it, but Iris held it back.

 “Look,” Iris said. “If this is about Lexi—“

 “It’s not!”

 “If this is about Lexi,” Iris continued, unafraid of being snapped at. “You should know she’s not the kind of person you are. She’s superficial, Caitlin, she’s all about playing games. It doesn’t matter how much she says she likes you, she’s the only person who wins.”

 “This isn’t a game!” Caitlin wailed, the paper towel still damp over her forehead. She wished it were simple as that. That she could quit and put away a board into a cardboard box, and get back to real life, the one where she weren’t losing. “You don’t understand anything!”

 Iris grabbed Caitlin’s wrist, jerking her hold on the paper down so she’d no longer hide her face. Caitlin startled, looking up at Iris staring sharply at her, eyes falling to her grip. “I don’t understand because you won’t tell us.”

 Caitlin recoiled, yanking her hand back. “Stop pretending to care.”

 She stalked out of the bathroom, breathing in shakily, telling herself to suck it up, and rushed to her first period class.

 She walked into the science lab, trying to tell herself to calm down. It was chemistry. She was good at chemistry. And it was the first class of the semester, so most likely they’d review something really basic, like ionic compounds. She’d handle it. She’d totally be able to make it fine.

 She’d be okay.

 Caitlin kept repeating this in her head over and over until she half believed it, no longer on the edge of another panic attack.

 She lined up against the wall with the rest of the class along the radiator, her classmates chattering as the teacher finally called them to attention.

 “So,” Ms. McGee began. “As you can see this is the chemistry lab and we only have twenty five stations. This means every student will be assigned a partner for the remainder of the year. You will share equipment, perform experiments, write lab reports as well as complete two semester projects with your partner.”

 Someone rose their hand. “Can we choose our partners?”

 “No, it’s alphabetical order. Now let me do attendance. As your names are called I will direct you to the assigned work station.”

 Caitlin was suddenly more alert, something going off at the back of her mind. She peered around at her classmates, looking for Becky, Lily or Ronnie, already calculating that she’d be paired with one of them.

 The second half of the alphabet was prattled off. “Ronald Raymond?” The teacher looked at the remaining students, and Caitlin stepped back, shocked. Ronnie had never missed a day of school, rivalling Cisco for perfect attendance.

 “Hmm,” their teacher said. “Well, he’s absent so Mr. Ramon, why don’t you take station sixteen instead?”

 “Becky Sharpe, table two with the student teacher. We’d like to prevent further incidents, yes?”

 Caitlin’s eyes grew with horror, at what that meant. “Miss Snow, you can go join Mr. Ramon.”

 “What?” Caitlin blurted out, and the entire class went quiet, staring at her.

 Cisco stopped tying his lab apron, looking up at Caitlin, weary, like he went through the longest day and they’ve barely started first period.

 “Will that be a problem?” Ms. McGee prodded.

 “Can’t I work with Becky?” she pleaded, shooting a glance at Becky, who had already somehow managed to spill three separate beakers, giggling nervously as the student teacher watched her like a hawk. Caitlin cringed. Her nickname was definitely not uncalled for.

 “Miss Snow, I assigned you to table sixteen. I expect you to go there.”

 Cisco remained quiet, and Caitlin felt stuck in her spot, glued to the floor.

 “Miss Snow? Today please.” She looked back at her clipboard. “Lily Stein, table seventeen…”

 Caitlin forced herself to shuffle her feet forward and sat at the stool. She dropped her bag to the floor and stared at the table blankly.

 “Caitlin?” Cisco whispered. He put a hand to her shoulder, and Caitlin watched his hand there, just casually resting on her skin, like it belonged there.

 It did.

It didn’t.

 “This is just a class,” she forced out. “We’ll do our labs and that’s it, okay?”

  “Caitlin.”

 She looked up sharply, tears welling again in her eyes. “That’s it, okay?”

 He held out her lab apron and she took it because she had to, then tied her hair up in a ponytail.

 “So what,” Cisco said after awkward silence. “We’re just not even going to talk anymore? What the hell?”

 They were going to do a simple experiment, testing out the equipment by boiling water with bunsen burners. Caitlin tried not to yawn, she’d been using bunsen burners since elementary school. She thought this was AP Chem.  

 “Oh the silent treatment,” Cisco noted when she didn’t reply, chuckling to himself as he turned on the bio-sink tap. “My baby sister knows that game very well.”

 Caitlin took out her pencil case and dumped its contents out on the table, her lucky eraser falling out onto the floor, having shaken the bag a little too forcefully.

 Cisco got it for her, placing it in front of her on the table. “You look very pretty today,” he said, and his hair rustled a bit underneath the band of his goggles. He blew at it, pulling his curtain of hair out of his face. “You always do.”

 Caitlin furrowed her brows, digging her lead pencil into the paper, answering question one about required materials to perform the experiment in full sentences instead of the suggested point form.

 “You should really tie your hair up. It’s a lab hazard.”

 Cisco frowned. Caitlin returned to the worksheet.

 Cisco plugged in the burner, and placed the beaker of water onto the platform, drumming his fingers against the desk as the gas flame ignited.

 The water was just starting to boil when he took her hand. “Caitlin, what did I do? Did I hurt you? Because yesterday at lunch, it was like you could barely keep your hands off me, we were so happy, and I don’t understand what’s happened since.”

 Did he hurt her? Does she even know who he is anymore? Does she really believe what Lexi said? What Cisco did?

 It didn’t matter, she decided. In order for this to work, she had to act like he did.

 She stared at his hand over hers. Soft, and gentle and she pulled it away, unable to believe she couldn’t have him anymore.

 “I can’t—” she choked, her stool screeching back as she grabbed the handle of her bag and made a run for it yet again, throwing her apron onto the floor of the lab and bursting out the door, sprinting down the hallway.

 She didn’t go to the bathroom this time, just kept going, turning corners until she made her way out the back door, ending up in the field.

 She didn’t want to be here. She couldn’t be here. Not in chemistry class, not in the hallways, not even in that school. Her hands went to her face, but bumped against the hard plastic of the safety goggles, and she yanked them off. She took out her phone, wanting to dial her driver to pick her up, but hesitated.

 Her driver would tell her mom she skipped school.

 So she went to the App Store and downloaded Uber.

 She dug through her bag for her debit card, realizing she forgot her binder in her homeroom class, and her compact mirror had smashed, shards littered at the bottom. She dug out the card from her wallet, walking distractedly to the bleachers as she organized her contact information, setting up her account and plugging in her payment method.

 There weren’t any rides nearby, the closest car a good sixteen minutes away. She sighed, and raked her hand through her hair. The field was all but empty, a small gym class doing laps around the perimeter. She didn’t think she’d get caught, that people would find her here, but she wouldn’t know. Didn’t know what happened to runaways. She had always followed the rules. She had always done everything right, academically, anyways.

She’d get a detention. Or, her eyes widened, a suspension. A call home. Oh god, she was going to get yelled at. But it was too late to go back. Forget chemistry class, she wasn’t sure she’d even be able to show her face there again, her cheeks going red with downright mortification. She had talked back to Mrs. McGee, the teacher who she was eyeing on writing her letters of recommendation for Harvard.

 She could only hope Cisco didn’t get excused to come find her, because she really ran out of words left to say.

 Caitlin fidgeted, rubbing her exposed legs and missing her sweater left in her locker, wishing the minutes to go faster, staring at the icon of the blue mazda coming to pick her up from this hellsite so she could go home.

 She didn’t notice the person walking up the silver steps of the bleachers from the other end, though she should’ve, the aluminum creaky, going taunt underneath her feet at the weight of another body making their way down her row.

 “Hey, Caitlin.”

 She squinted up at Eddie Thawne, the sunlight filtering through his blond hair, smiling down at her with his boyish charm. He threw his Adidas sports bag beside her and made himself comfortable, their knees grazed for a moment, Eddie casually leaning his elbows back on the bleacher behind them, stretching out his legs.

 “You have free period now, too?”

 Caitlin lied and nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. “Hi.”

 They sat in silence for a minute, watching Wally West outrun his entire Sophomore class out on the field.

 “Listen, Eddie…”

 “You did the right thing.”

 “I don’t think so.”

 “No, you did.”

 Caitlin looked at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “But it wasn’t my place. I did it to hurt Barry, but who I really hurt was you.”

 Eddie shook his head and rolled his eyes like it was nothing. But it wasn’t nothing because he wouldn’t look her in the eye, his foot tapping against the bleacher in a measured beat she knew was a nervous tick.

 “I never stood a chance. My head was in the clouds, dreaming up futures with her, thinking we’d go to schools together and stuff. It was naive as hell. You saved me from a lot of trouble this year.”

 “But you still love Iris.”

 “Yeah.”

 Caitlin sighed and Eddie saw her shiver in her sleeveless dress. He rummaged through his bag and passed her his varsity jacket. She took it because she was freezing, slipping her arms through the giant sleeves with a murmured thanks.

“No sweat,” he said, giving her an appraising look. “New haircut?”

 “You can say it.”

 “Wasn’t gonna!”

 “My dad hated it. Said it looked like I was--” she stopped and gave out a weak half laugh, rubbing at her own eyes, frustrating that all she could seem to do today was cry. “I was auditioning for the role of a space martian in an Ariana Grande music video. I didn’t even know he knew who Ariana Grande was.”

 Eddie laughed out loud, his voice rich and friendly. “I didn’t even know that you knew who she was. Everytime I see you, you’ve got your head stuck in some book.”

 “I’m not that bad.” She scrunched up her nose. “Cisco loves that stuff.”

 Her phone vibrated, saying her ride was 5 minutes away.

 “How are things with Cisco?”

 And she had forgot, for a moment, why she was out here skipping class for the first time, skipping school without an early dismissal.

She looked away, staring at the green grass. “We’re not together anymore.”

 “That’s too bad. You two were pretty solid.”

 “Yeah.”

 “Hey, I always knew Ronnie Raymond had a thing for you.”

 Caitlin’s eyes widened. “...Uh. Yes, but—”

 He saw her alarm and waved his hand at her, as if to say like, chill, I’m not telling you to get married.

 “You should think about it. We deserve a second chance, you know? Iris isn’t my future. Maybe Cisco isn’t yours.”

 Caitlin didn’t want to believe that.

 Caitlin’s phone beeped again, she jumped up in the sun in another boy’s jacket, eyeliner smudged under her eyes, unsure what to do.

 “I have to go—Uh, study.”

 She tried to school her face neutral, like she wasn’t about to walk off the school property and get into a weird car with a weird driver she won’t know, hoping she wasn’t screaming I’m gonna ditch school for the first time right now because as you can clearly  see, even if you are too nice to comment on it, I am an emotional wreck.

 “...On the second day of school?”

 “...Yeah,” she replied lamely.

 She begun to shrug off Eddie’s jacket, but he waved her off again.

 “Nah, keep it. We’re getting the new ones after practice today. You can give it back during another free period.”

 “...Oh. Alright. Bye Eddie.”

 Eddie slid on his sunglasses,  “See you later.”

 ~.~

 Uber wasn’t so bad. Her driver was steely quiet just like her own chauffeur. It was awkward, but she supposed that was the way it ought to be.

 Caitlin climbed the steps to her house two at a time but paused at the entryway. There was mail in Caitlin’s mailbox. Flyers and enveloppes shoved haphazardly into the black rectangle with her address number embossed in golden script. It was jarring, she wasn't used to it, as silly as that sounded. Usually, she’d come home to find everything pristine, the mail already picked up by one of the house staff, and anything delivered for her already sitting neatly on her bed.

 She reached in and took them out of the box, sorting through them. Most of it was junk, but there were lots of bills. Some for her mother, but most of them were addressed to her father, which panged her heart. One or two international cards with stamps in the corner were in the mix, and Caitlin realized they must’ve been late condolences from business partners of Tannhauser Industries.

 She paused when she found a blue envelope with her name on it and maneuvered her hold on all the other items under her arm. Ripping it open, she found a sunny little card which read “I promise not to ask you how you are. Instead I’ll entertain you with gossipy conversation and weird memes.”  

 She nudged the edge open with her thumb, and read the rest. Her eyes began to burn with tears when she recognized the handwriting she’d been lying to herself that  wouldn’t be inside.

  Caitlin,

Saw this at a Hallmark where I was passing time after dropping Rosita off at her Ballet class. I knew you’d like the tea bags after that debate we had over whether black or herbal tasted better. Also, I think you deserve a card. I’d mail you one everyday but I’ve been informed back in 8th grade by a certain someone that was obsessive. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I Love you &  hang in there.  We’ll do this senior year thing together and it’ll be better than last time, I promise.

Cisco

 Caitlin swallowed harshly, and sat down hard on the steps.

 This isn’t fair.

 Her breath caught as her fingers ran along the ink of his message but she couldn’t even look at it anymore, so she closed it, and covered her eyes with her palms. A sob slipped out, and then she couldn’t stop.

The front door opened, and a voice startled.  “Caitlin! What are you doing home?”

 Caitlin looked behind her shoulder, but no words came out. Molida’s surprised, stern face softened. Caitlin’s housekeeper hurried down the steps, sitting down next to her.

 “Miss Snow, what happened?”

 Caitlin exhaled shakily. “I couldn’t do it anymore. So I left.”

 Caitlin leaned into Molida’s side easily, her hair splayed against her shirt. Molida was warm and sturdy, with her arms wrapped around Caitlin. She may be the only person she had left in her corner. “Caitlin, I don’t understand. You’ve never skipped school.”

 Caitlin looked up, meeting kind eyes and noticing the curly hair braided down her back. Molida had pen ink on her right hand, and three rings on the fingers of her left. She forgot how young she was. Only about fifteen years older than herself, and, Caitlin thought, not for the first time, that maybe her life would be better if Molida was her mother instead. She sort of was, in a way. Having started working here ten years ago. Caitlin was only seven then.

 “I didn’t want to. But I couldn’t stay.”

 “And why not?”

 A car rolled leisurely down the street, and they both turned their heads to watch it pass by the gate. The sun was beating down stronger, and Caitlin no longer felt cold.

 “I wasn’t ready to go back.  It was so bad, please don’t make me go back.”

 “Caitlin, it’s school. You love school, and you need to--”

 “You’re not listening to me! I said, I can’t.”

 “Excuse me?” Molida gave her a long, evaluating look. “...Okay. You’ll stay home. But I have to call your mother. And then I’ll call the school to excuse your absence.”

 Caitlin bunched the sleeves of Eddie’s jacket into her hands, biting her lip, staring down at the pavement. She didn’t deserve that kindness, not after the way she snapped at her.

 “Caitlin, I just want to help you.”

 There was no way. Absolutely no way she could. Not with all of it. Not everything. Not...Not what really mattered. What really happened.

 But her heart was twisting apart like a fraying rope, and she was tired and scared, and exhausted. Her hand went to her locket around her neck, trying hard not to think about the two people in it, the two she had now lost permanently, in very different ways.

 Caitlin stood up silently and so did Molida, gathering the mail.  Caitlin shielded her eyes with her hand from the glare of the sun, meeting her gaze. “I don’t think you can.”

 ~.~

 Caitlin didn’t know how she got here.

 “Do you want another one?” Shawna asked, handing out a fresh red Solo cup. She wore a purple crop top, and skintight black jeans. Caitlin’s eyes lingered on silver rod of her belly button piercing, unsure whether to be awed or horrified. That couldn’t have possibly been painless.

 “Well, Snow? I’m trying to be generous, here.” Shawna’s eyes were a little glossy, her hair frizzier, half falling out of the bun she’d had it piled high on top of her head.

“Of course she wants,” Lexi swooped in, taking the cup and placing it in her lap. Caitlin’s fingers curled around the cylindrical shape, staring down into its contents.

 Caitlin sat stiffly on the couch of Tony Woodward’s parents’ home. She’d had three drinks already, two cranberry vodkas, the only alcoholic drink she’d learned she enjoyed at Lisa’s older brother’s birthday party last month.  It wasn’t awful, but even she knew it was badly mixed, leaning heavily to the side of pure liquor. Her third drink was the half warm cup of beer thrusted at everyone who entered the door that made her grimace the entire time she tipped it down her throat. “What is it?”

“The hell do I know,” Shawna laughed, “I didn’t mix it.”

 Caitlin glared at her.

 “Oh come on, liven up. Isn’t that the point? Remember how fun it was, at Len’s party?”

Caitlin didn’t know, honestly. She was so drunk she barely remembered. Cisco kept giving her odd looks when she never took her sunglasses off the next day.

 Becky Sharpe intervened, holding her hand out from the other end of the couch. “Hold up, if Caitlin doesn’t want to drink anymore then we let her do that, right? Like, I don’t drink anymore because I get alcohol poisoning from, like, one beer. So she’s fine. We can be sober buddies.”

 “What the hell is the point of coming to a Tony Woodward party if it’s not to get trashed?” Shawna yelled. “You need to stop being such a prissy ass, Caitlin!”

 The girls all stared at her expectantly as Flo Rida pulsated through the bluetooth speaker.

 And it was like. Okay. So Caitlin was new at this, but it’s not like she was an alcohol virgin, right? She’d take dainty sips of wines from her dad’s cup at home occasionally, and she did drink two weeks ago and Leonard Snart’s party.

 It’s just, it was a school night.

 And when Lexi came over, pulling her out of bed and fixing her hair, telling her she knew what would cheer her up, she didn’t say no. She wasn’t even sure if she could say no. But what was the use analyzing that? She didn’t say it anyway, so what was the point? It’s not like Caitlin was in the mood to start playing around with pushing her limits with these girls.

 She peered down into the cup.

 Alcohol made people forget heartache, isn’t that what they said?

 Caitlin took the glass and drank it all, then asked for another.

 And then another.

 ~.~

 “So when are you going to tell us whose jacket you’re wearing?” Lisa demanded, shrieking into Caitlin’s ear. She had finally returned from making her rounds with her lipstick smudged, making out with everyone who’d let her.

Caitlin blinked, looking down at her attire. “Oh my god.” She grabbed Lexi’s arm, shaking it. “Oh crap. It’s Eddie’s!?” she couldn’t believe she forgot. Why hasn’t she taken it off!? Everyone is going to start assuming stuff oh crap. Crap crap crap.

“Oh. My god??” Lexi jumped up and down on her seat cushion. “Spill the deets!”

 Caitlin took another gulp from her cup and frowned, thinking hard. “Well, I think--Like. He was just being nice, you know. And he….gave it to me.”

 Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a little woozy. Was that what happened? It was, right?

 “When?” Lisa implored.

 Caitlin opened one eye. “This….morning?”

 “Oh, my god. Ohmigod he likes you!”

 Caitlin used Lexi’s arm for support to pull herself up. “No Because Iris! Doesn’t matter because Cisco.”

 She reached for her cup again, but maybe it was Lisa’s. Oops.

 “I thought you two broke up?” said Becky.

 “No!” Caitlin exclaimed, getting up on her feet. “Like, listen, okay. I can wear this jacket if I want. Because me and Cisco aren’t like, infinite anymore. Not for now. Maybe never.”

 “That’s right,” Lexi enthused, raising her solo cup to toast. “You’re an independent woman!”

 Lisa whooped, toasting with Lexi.

 “It’s stupid. It’s all so stupid. Why would we be infinite?” Caitlin ranted, starting to pace. “Every smart person talks about infinity like it’s a thing you know, like it’s real but they never got there. Infinite is like...Not….Achievable, so why are they lying?”

 “That’s so deep,” Lisa fawned. “But I don’t get it.”

Caitlin nearly tripped, sloshing her drink over the rim. This place was so crowded. And it was crazy because she didn’t care about any of these people. It’s like what Shawna said. She was such a nerd. She didn’t branch out and talk to people. No wonder she had no friends! Look at all the people here, they were so cool and interesting, and they weren’t Barry and they weren’t Cisco so maybe she could start scratch.

 Yeah. Caitlin was going to start scratch. Central City High School was pretty big, and half of her graduating class was crammed in this very house.

 She decided to share this revelation. “Okay! But, I think it’s like--Just because, like. Some things don’t work! Okay! Sometimes they don’t! And you have to accept that! You just start over! Like that song!”

 “Oh!” Lisa tilted her head, snapping her fingers and humming an indecipherable tune under her breath, trying to jog the words to memory. “I know! Thank U, Next?!?”

 “Yes!” Caitlin clapped her hands. “Thank U, Next. You know? You just,” Caitlin stopped abruptly bumping into Jake Puckett.

 His eyes went wide. “Snow? What are you doing here?”

 Okay why is everyone asking her that. Is she like, on the non invite list or something. As if, Tony Woodward could make a list.

 Jake’s eyebrows climbed higher, laughing with disbelief.

Ooooh no. She said that out loud didn’t she. She gasped, covering her mouth. “Ohmygosh. That was so rude.”

 “I like you drunk.”

 “I’m not drunk,” Caitlin asserted, “I’m--” She realized who she was talking to. “Hey! You. You….Gross….Ugh! Stop bothering Cisco! You’re not allowed to talk to me.” She shoved him hard out of her way, and he let her, surprisingly, turning on his heel. letting her go.

 She made a beeline into the kitchen to get something for her throat, still grumbling about that jerk. Her throat was burning and she wanted water. But this wasn’t her fridge and this wasn’t her kitchen and she didn’t know where the nice glasses were. Also. She wanted ice.

 But finding water was actually really hard, people were stuffed against each other around the table with liquor and she ended up with two more cups of stuff she spent that last hour and a half drinking.

 Caitlin gave up after aimlessly searching for about five minutes, slouching her head over the counter by the stove.

 Becky found her there moments later. “Hey, it’s getting late. I’m gonna head home. You wanna come?”

  “Ughhhh.”

 “....Is that a yes?”

 She wanted Cisco to take her home. A violent shudder went through her, and she bit her lip, fighting the urge to cry. She doesn’t understand why her head feels so funny and why she’s here and why the music is so god awful and loud. And why isn’t Cisco picking up her calls? She sent him twelve snaps and he hasn’t opened any of them so she deleted the app and then unfollowed him from Twitter. She looked up to tell Becky but she was gone.

 Lexi walked in then, worming her way though the crowd. She glanced at Caitlin, then turned to Shawna who was closely behind her. “Oh my god. She’s a mess.”

 “This is all your fault!” Caitlin yelled, banging her first against the table.

“Caitlin, you drank too much. God, when I said to have some fun tonight I didn’t mean for you to embarrass us.”  

 “I’m not!” she insisted, hiccuping loud sobs all over again. This wasn’t fun anymore. What was she even doing here? Was she out of her mind? She just wanted Cisco and she wanted to go home .  

 Tony peered in. “Is that Caitlin Snow screaming? Can she shut up? This house is loud enough, I’m afraid a neighbour is going to call the cops or something.”

 It was as if Tony wished it upon itself and it immediately came true.

 “Oh hell,” he cussed.

 Loud voices starting making a ruckus over the music and the bluetooth was immediately disconnected. Kids started to scramble, ditching their friends in an attempt to run out undetected, and four policemen stormed in like it was a raid.

Shawna grabbed Lexi by the hand, pulling her through the back door in the kitchen.

 Caitlin stood frozen, eyes wide with terror.

 A police officer looked down at his notebook, “Alright, where’s Woodward? I know this is his house--” he looked up and nearly dropped his pen.“Caitlin?”

 She looked up at officer West. That was a mistake. The look of disappointment on his face made her want to disintegrate.

 “Change of plans,” officer West said to his partner, jabbing his thumb out at Caitlin. “I know this one. She’s a friend of my kid.”

 Iris’s dad exchanged some words with his coworkers, then walked with Caitlin out of the house.

 The cold air hit her too hard, like she had just stepped off a rollercoaster at a Six Flags. She swayed, woozy, and she had to rely on the large hands guiding her into the cruiser car. “Do you have your phone?”

 “Its dead,” she slurred.

 “Alright.” He strapped her into the backseat. Caitlin shrunk into herself, fisting the seatbelt, and hiding her face into the leather material. She felt like a criminal.

 The ride was very quiet. Caitlin stared out the window watching all the lights whizz by.

 Eventually, about five minutes from her neighbourhood, Officer West spoke up.

 “Caitlin you are a minor. And you’ve consumed a hell lot of alcohol at an illegal house party unsupervised with a whole bunch of rough kids. You’re smarter than that.”

 “I called Cisco. He didn’t pick up.”

 Officer West adjusted his rearview mirror so he could look at her.

 “Why didn’t he?”

 “He hates me.”

 “Why on Earth would Cisco hate you? Lovers’ spat?” He chuckled, but quieted when she didn’t answer. “Caitlin?”

 “He hates me.”

 “Kid, I don’t think you’re hearing what you’re saying. That boy is so ridiculously in love it hurts my eyeballs to watch. There’s no way that’s true.”

 That angered her. Because she was hearing what she was saying, perfectly fine. And maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day very soon, Cisco’s blinding optimism she had fallen in love with will wither away, and for what she’d done to him, for the way she’s breaking the years they shared, there was no doubt in Caitlin’s mind that he was going to grow hate.

 “Don’t you think I wouldn’t do something crazy unless my life was falling apart?”

 Officer West paused, and pulled over on a side street. He twisted backwards and removed his black beanie.

 “Caitlin. I know you’re struggling because of your father. You have real, raw pain in your heart and I understand that. My father died too when I was young and I was only left with my mother. But you need to handle grief in another way. A way that won’t put you in danger or isolate you. One with support and people who actually care.”

 Caitlin blinked rapidly, her eyes welling with tears.

 “But Grandma Esther loves you and Iris. You were still loved.”

 Officer West’s face twisted. “You don’t think your mother loves you?”

 Caitlin’s shoulders started to tremble and she pulled her legs up, dropping her head to her knees, unable to voice her thoughts aloud.

  Nobody does anymore.

 Joe made a grunting sound, and turned back around, turning on the windshields to wipe away the sudden rain.

 “I'm gonna bring you home.”

 ~.~

 Officer West got buzzed in through the gate and Caitlin’s mother came running down the front steps, meeting them down the driveway.

 She gasped when she saw Caitlin and the state she was in. Her hair matted to the left, eyes incredibly red and puffy. And to make matters worse, she was still in Eddie Thawne’s jacket.

 “Carla, did you know your daughter was not at home?”

 Her mom crossed her arms over her satin robe, her reading glasses perched on the top of her head. “Our housekeeper informed me she had skipped school. It was my impression she was still here until half an hour ago.”

 Iris’s dad frowned. “You never realized she wasn’t home?”

 Mom shot him a look of disdain. “Officer West, I’m certain you’ve been in my home.”

 “Yes I have,” he replied, without a beat.

 “Then you know how large it is, and how easy one can slip away. Clearly, my child has lost the privilege to be entrusted with such responsibility of entering and leaving without permission. That ends tonight. Where were you?”

 Caitlin shivered in the cold, eyelashes still clumped together from tears, as she looked up at her. “...A party.”

 Her mother narrowed her eyes. “ Did Francisco put you up to this? And is that why you skipped? Some kind of senior’s prank? I don’t find that funny, Caitlin.”

 “Cisco had nothing to do with this,” she said, tired. Caitlin pushed past her mother, “I told you I’m not speaking to him anymore. And I don’t want to talk to you either.”

 She ignored whatever angered retort her mother threw at her back, going up the long driveway to go inside.

 Caitlin was certain she was going to throw up, but she never did. She went to her bedroom and walked past her mirror. She paused, staring at her own reflection, feeling sick in a different way from the twisting in her stomach. She still had the black over her eyelids, and the black on her nails and the gaudy yellow sundress she now hates over the stupid varsity jacket.

She yanked it off, throwing it to the ground and pushing it out of her sight. It didn’t belong on her. She shouldn’t have taken it. It felt like cheating. It was wrong. And it was wrong to get drunk and it was wrong to go to the party and it was wrong to skip school and it was wrong to yell at Molida and it was wrong to snap at Iris and it was wrong to embarrass Cisco in front of the entire chemistry class. It was wrong to think she was worth one penny to him anymore, and it was wrong to miss his touch and his goodnights in her ear before drifting off to sleep like every night since he’d first learned how to use Armando’s ancient iPhone in the seventh grade.

 But it wasn’t wrong to break up with Cisco. Her bottom lip trembled, and she turned her head away, unable to even look at herself.

 She crawled into bed, curling into a ball on her side, with everything else still on. Even the lights.

[xfandomimagines]

SUPERHERO JEALOUSY (A BARRY ALLEN IMAGINE)

Requested by Anonymous:  Hellooo, can you please write an imagine where Barry and the reader are bf/gf but the reader works for Oliver Queen in team Arrow so she has to spend a lot of time with Oliver. Barry gets jealous and then one night at a party he loses it and becomes possessive but the reader reassures him and tells him that she loves him, not Oliver :)

Gender: Female

Notes: I started writing this back when it first came through before I disappeared so I quickly finished it off. I’m not very happy with it but ehh, I needed to get it done and uploaded. I hope y’all enjoy it anyway!

{REQUESTS ARE OPEN}

“Y/N, armed robbery on 4th, we have to go!” Oliver yelled at you, cutting your conversation with your boyfriend, Barry, short.

“I’m guessing you have to go?” Barry asked.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. Our Skype calls always get cut short.” You apologised. Recently, every time you and Barry tried catching up some emergency popped up for one of you, mainly you recently. Long distance relationships sucked, especially ones where you were both superheroes, even if one half had super speed.

“It’s fine, go hang out with Oliver.” Barry said, his tone slightly bitter. You knew the interruptions were bothering him, they were both of you, but he sounded almost jealous that you had to help Oliver. Instead of worrying, you decided to try and pass it off as a joke.

“I will, we gonna go kick some criminal butt!” You joked with a laugh. Barry didn’t seem to find it that funny. “Hey, I’ll speak to you once we’re done, okay?”

“Yeah, I love you.”

“Love you too.” You sent him a smile, and then ended the call, running to get changed. You were one of Oliver’s sidekicks, The Shadow, a girl dressed all in black who could wield swords better than anybody and who could never be found or caught, hence the nickname. You quickly pulled on your black leather vest and combat trousers, catching your swords when Felicity threw them to you and strapping them to your back.

“Are you and Barry ever going to get a chance to have a full Skype call?” Oliver said, when you both were situated on his motorbike heading towards the crime.

“I hope so. Send a note to all the criminals in the city ‘Please don’t commit crimes between 8pm and 10pm on Thursdays, The Shadow is trying to spend time with her boyfriend’.” You laughed, your hair blowing out behind you as you rode. Oliver laughed along with you and continued riding.

  You were extremely happy. It had been two weeks since your failed Skype call with Barry, and him and the rest of Team Flash were heading up to Star City for Felicity’s birthday party at the weekend. This would be the first time you would be seeing him in person for a few months, as you’d both been extremely busy and you couldn’t wait to spend some quality time with him. The only issue is Barry had been acting weird, like he was jealous that you were spending so much time with Oliver, but you were friends and you stopped crimes together, of course you would spend time with him, you didn’t get annoyed that Barry spent a lot of time with Iris and Caitlin.

Finally, the night of the party rolled around and you were eagerly awaiting Barry’s arrival. All of your friends from Star City and the Legends were already here and you were just waiting for Team Flash to arrive. You had already spent the last half an hour perking up every time the door opened, and getting disappointed every time it turned out to be someone else, which Oliver found amusing.

“I’m sure he’ll be here any minute, Y/N. He’s probably just running late.” Oliver comforted, chuckling to himself at his own pun. Just then, the door opened and you saw Cisco and Caitlin enter. Knowing Barry wasn’t going to be far behind, you finally cheered up and as you saw him enter behind the pair you ran towards him.

“Barry!” You yelled excitedly, launching yourself at him. If it wasn’t for Barry’s speed you probably would’ve both been on the floor at that point, but he quickly managed to grab you in his arms and hold you close, a hand running through your hair.

“As sad as I am to break up this reunion can the rest of us actually get in?” Harry deadpanned from behind you and you quickly apologised, moving out of the doorway.

“I’ve missed you so much.” You told him with a grin when you were finally out of the way and settled on the couch.

“It’s true.” Oliver confirmed, walking over. “All I’ve heard these past few weeks is Y/N moaning about how this night couldn’t come quick enough. Seriously, I’ve been close to killing her.”

“Shut up.” You laughed, not noticing how sour Barry had turned at Oliver’s arrival.

“I’m here now so why don’t you take a break from it and leave us alone?” Barry suggested, darkly. Oliver noticed this and stepped back.

“I guess I’m going to say hi to Caitlin and Cisco.” He said, leaving you both alone. You frowned, but quickly forgot about it when Barry seemed to perk up again.

All night, you noticed that every time you spent time with Oliver, Barry would appear and get possessive. He would either get extremely close to you, constantly touching and flirting, or be really short and moody with Oliver. Or in some extreme cases, both. At first, you passed it off as him wanting to spend as much time with you as possible but you noticed he never did it when you were talking to anyone else.

Things finally hit boiling point, when Oliver interrupted your make out session in a corner, to tell you that there was an incident downtown and that he needed you to quickly head out and help him.

“Cisco’s taking over for Felicity so she doesn’t have to miss her party but we need to go.” Oliver said quickly, and you glanced over at Barry apologetically. As soon as Barry saw your face, it was the last straw.

“Take someone else with you.” He ordered.

“I’m sorry?” Oliver asked in disbelief.

“You heard me. Why is it always Y/N? There’s so many other people here who can go out and help you but you always have to ask her. You know it’s been so long since we were together, yet you want to rip us apart, is there something I don’t know?” Barry shouted, and you stared at him in shock, while Oliver went on the defensive.

“Barry, I don’t know what your problem is but you have been off with me all night. I want Y/N with me out there because I trust her, I know she’ll have my back. It’s got nothing to do with you, and I certainly don’t have any feelings for her.”

Barry scoffed. “Yeah, that’s likely. Every time we try to talk you’re always there interrupting us.”

“Because there’s an incident and we have to head out! I’m not having this conversation with you Barry, Y/N are you coming or not?” Oliver turned to you. You looked between the two, not knowing what to decide. Defending Star City is what was right, but Barry was fuming and you knew there’d be an argument brewing if you went.

“I’ll go with him. You stay here.” Wally offered, and you smiled gratefully at him. Once Oliver and he had left, you gave Barry an angry look and stormed into one of the spare bedrooms, knowing he would follow you.

“What the hell was that?!” You shouted when you were alone. “How dare you accuse me off cheating on you? Oliver is my friend and crime fighting partner that is all.”

“I’m sorry! I got jealous, you and Oliver spend so much time together, and it feels like I never get to talk to you. I miss you and I just wish that we weren’t interrupted by our obligations to protect our cities.” Barry admitted, sinking on the bed in defeat.

“You think it doesn’t bother me too? It does, Barry. Every time we get cut off I hate it so much. I was so excited to finally be able to spend time with you tonight, but you ruined it by getting so possessive every single time I tried to talk to Oliver.” You said. You sat next to him, taking his hands in yours. “I love you. No one else. You’re all I ever think about.”

“I know. I love you too, so much.” Barry told you and you smiled at him softly.

“Next time, promise me you’ll talk to me when you’re like this.” You asked him and he nodded. “Now I think you owe Felicity and Oliver an apology.”

Barry sighed. “I didn’t mean to ruin her party.”

“I know you didn’t.” You rubbed the back of his hand with your thumb and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Apologise to them, make it up to me and maybe I’ll let you off and have some fun tonight.” You smirked, standing up and pulling Barry with you.

“I think I can manage that.” Barry grinned, and with that you both re-joined the party.

[eternlmisery]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder (Rewritten- 7/?)

Read also on ao3 | Read Rewritten on ao3 

“How is Iris doing?” Leonard asked as he walked inside Sara’s apartment the following day; the short blonde looking at him from her spot on the sofa. She was still in a sports bra and shorts and she really looked like she wasn’t in the mood for an early morning. “Don’t kill me. I bear coffee and bagels.”

“Give me; I’ve only been asleep for two hours.” He handed her the coffee as he sat on an armchair and sipped his own hot beverage. Sara let out a moan; thankful that Leonard had memorized how she took her coffee.

“Is the CSI okay?” Leonard asked and Sara sighed; reaching for the bagel that Leonard had set on the coffee table.

“His heart keeps failing… It’s like the doctors can’t figure out what is happening to him. But he appears to be on a coma and they have him on life support. Iris and her dad are just wrecks; they don’t know if he’ll ever wake up.”

“Dr. Wells’ groundbreaking device did more harm than good… Not surprised. Even though I think it killed Scudder and Dillon.”

“Seriously?”

“Mick left bright and early to see if they were still there and all he saw was blood. He is actually looking to find where they have other safe houses. We are probably spending Christmas tracking them down and taking care of them once and for all.”

“Actually this sounds much better than Christmas with my family.”

Leonard lifted an eyebrow at her confession.

“I sense something is bothering you. Go on…”

“It’s the first time I’ll spend the holidays with my family since I came back and it’s just that… I am not one for an awkward dinner and then people singing me happy birthday when officially… I’m dead.”

“What? You told me your birthday was during Winter but… Christmas?”

“I absolutely hate being a Christmas baby so please don’t remind me. The point is that they expect me to come back and act like everything is okay and somehow these past years never happened… But they’ll never look at me the same way. I’m the reason my family is ruined and now I’ll have to act like that’s okay and be all smiles in the same table as Oliver and Laurel and my parents.”

“You can always say that you have to stay here and you, Lisa, Mick and I can go grab some beers and get drunk.”

“Tempting, but I’ll never hear the end of it from my mom if I don’t show up. Especially after I skipped Thanksgiving.” She pointed out and Leonard frowned. He knew that Sara loved her family, but acting like her years away from them didn’t change her would be very difficult for her.

“Whatever you want, Canary… Just know that if you want to trade a homemade meal for Big Belly Burger and beers I’ll be here.” Sara smiled at him softly; understanding passing between them and she kept drinking her coffee with the same smile until she glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned.

“I have to get ready; I have a class in one hour at the university. Wanna join me for another cup of coffe… tea for you, of course..?”

 “Is he hot?” Iris asked Sara as they drove towards the train station. It was the day before Christmas Eve and Iris was kind enough to drive Sara there so she wouldn’t have to leave her own car on the station for almost three days.

“Stop! He is just a friend and only that…” Iris turned from the steering wheel and looked at her with raised eyebrows. “But yeah he is very hot.”

“So, are you gonna make a move on him or not?” She questioned and the blonde snorted. She had told her about her past a little bit, but made sure to leave out certain details (like being trained as an assassin, her being friends with criminals and being a vigilante).

“Again, he is just a friend. Besides… I don’t think it could ever work between us. You and Detective Pretty Boy on the other hand…”

“Oh, look! We’re here! Too bad we have to cut this amazing conversation short.” Iris looked at the watch on her wrist. “You have a bit until your train arrives; want me to stay and keep you company?”

“No, it’s okay. You go back to Barry and your dad. They need you right now.” She answered and pulled her friend for a hug.

“Give Oliver, Felicity and the rest of their friends our love. Barry will appreciate all of them being so worried about him when he wakes up.”

“I will. Take care of yourself.” Sara stated before grabbing the gym bag she had used as an impromptu suitcase, and going out on the cold winter night. She chose to travel late in the afternoon so she would arrive home to Starling at a logical time.

She started walking towards the platform when suddenly she felt footsteps behind her. They were faint and careful and somehow eerily familiar, and then she heard that god-damned drawl.

“Think you were gonna leave without saying goodbye?” Asked Leonard Snart who smirked as soon as Sara turned to look at him.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Keystone City; tracking Dillon and robbing people blind?” He chuckled as he approached her and they sat on two of the empty seats on the train platform.

“I was, but word got around that someone saw that bi-… I mean, Rosalind… in Central, cashing a liquor store. Mick is checking it out right now.” Leonard paused looking at Sara with a smirk. “But I wanted to say goodbye to you properly.”

“I hope you won’t totally fall apart without my presence for three days.” Sara told with and he smirked.

“I might. Lisa wants me, her and Mick to try to cook and get drunk and last time Mick almost set the entire building on fire.” The blonde tried to stifle her laughing. “I’m not joking! You might come back and I’ll be flambé.”

“And that would be the most tragic cause of death for Captain Cold. Poor Len.” She explained as Leonard cracked a smile also.

Suddenly she heard the sound of the train along the rails in the distance and she turned to Leonard; standing up and grabbing her bag.

“That’s my ride.” Leonard put his hands in the pockets of his black skinny jeans… letting out a breath and contemplating what his next move should be in his head. “See you in three days.”

And then she was dropping the bag on the stone floor and wrapping her arms around his waist; pulling him in for a hug. Leonard felt himself freeze at the odd comfort of her touch but he soon relaxed and melted in the sweet embrace they shared. His chin rested on her forehead and she nuzzled her face on the crook of his neck. Sara was the first to pull back upon realizing that she actually had to board the train in order to go to Starling.

“I… I’ll see you when I get back.” She told him as she quickly retrieved her bag and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Leonard still stood there with his hand limp on each side… just staring at her in wonder.

“Yeah. Uhm, have a safe trip and have fun.” Leonard muttered and took a step back, and further away from her. “Don’t vigilante a lot without me.”

“Cross my heart.” She answered as she ran towards the train, leaving the thief once again alone. How could the blonde be a few feet away and already make him feel like he misses her?

But Mick was right.

Feelings were bullshit and he was better off without any.

So he turned and started walking towards the exit; not noticing Sara who was staring at him from her seat inside her train…

Because even though her body was going to Starling City, her mind and heart would be left in Central… safely stored in Leonard’s eyes…

 “Come on, we have to get drunk! It’s the night before Christmas, Lenny!” Lisa shrieked as she hit her brother on the shoulder. The older man glared at Lisa; ignoring her protests. “Please don’t tell me you are in a mood because Sara is in Starling City… It’s literally been one day and I saw you texting her like ten minutes ago.”

“Can you drop it?” He snapped at her as Mick walked out of his bedroom and looked between the two siblings. He raised his eyebrows; knowing that Leonard had been grumpy from the moment he heard Sara would have been going to Starling for the holidays.

“Snart, stop being a downer and grab a jacket and shoes. We are going to drink so much you won’t even remember blondie’s name.”

Lisa smiled at him; grabbing her own leather jacket and sitting next to Mick until leonard finally decided to get ready.

Three hours and many many drinks later, the three of them were almost black out drunk in Saints and Sinners. Lisa was playing pool with a couple of the patrons of the bar (and totally kicking their asses), while Mick and Leonard sat close by with a second bottle of whiskey in their table.

“She’s really grown up hasn’t she?” Mick slurred all of the sudden as he observed Lisa who was cheering because she won. Again.

“Glad you noticed it after all this time, Mick.”

“I mean, we’re old.”

Leonard started laughing; dammit Jack Daniel’s.

“Yes we are. But we still kick ass.”

“I’m not having a mid-life crisis man.” Mick told him and re-filled his glass. “It seems like yesterday we were robbing that toy store and getting her dolls for Christmas because Lewis was too much of a dick to get her anything.”

“She is better than us. Always been. She has empathy, even though she wants to act like she doesn’t. Reminds me of mom.” Mick turned and looked at him, understanding that the alcohol was making him say things he usually wouldn’t.

“She just didn’t have many options what do with her li-.”

Leonard’s phone, which was placed on the table started buzzing; interrupting Mick. It was right after three so it could only be a couple of people. Glancing at the screen he noticed the name of the caller and a smile appeared on his face.

“Yeah yeah go and talk to blondie.” Mick prompted as he downed another glass and shook his head.

After accepting the call and moving towards the bathrooms, he brought his phone to his ear.

“H’llo.” He drawled but it came out mostly like a messed up word. He heard a small laugh from the other end of the line.

“Merry Christmas Grinch.” Sara told him, but he could tell from the tone of her voice that she was saying it good heartedly.

“Season's Greetings, Mrs. Lance and Happy Birthday.”

“Are you drunk?”

“No. Nope. I have very tall alcohol tolerance if you must know!” Sara snorted.

“It’s ‘high’ not ‘tall’, but you already know that because you aren’t drunk.” She answered as she looked out of the window of Laurel’s guest bedroom. “How are you spending this holy night?”

“Mick and Lisa dragged me to Saints and Sinners for our annual drunken night before Christmas… Or is it morning now? Whatcha doing up so late?” He asked as a lady bolted by him and then proceeded to throw up in one of the toilets. “Don’t worry just a lady puking a few feet away.”

“Sounds like a blast. We have time difference now, remember? It’s 1:04 here and we just came back from a great dinner. My mom kept asking me about the university and Oliver and I exchanged a very awkward handshake. He couldn’t even look at me and I think that he may or may not be hooking up with my sister again and I’m totally over this whole situation.”

“Would you like him to be hooking up with someone else?” His voice sounded strained; like he was trying to hide his anger.

“You mean me?... Of course not. I have been over Oliver for a long time now…” She took a big breath. “In fact I have my eye on someone else.”

“Oh, and who that lucky fella or lady might be?” He mumbled as he leaned his head against the wall.

“Well let’s say he really likes the cold.” For a moment both of them didn’t talk. They stayed silent; realizing what had just happened.

“Lance, I-.”

“Sara! Are you still awake?” He heard a voice from the background that probably was Laurel’s.

“I gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Please don’t get stabbed in an alley or something.”

“Good night.”

Leonard felt his heart literally pounding on his ear, as he turned towards the bar and walked back to his table where Mick and Lisa were now both seated. As soon as they noticed his doubt founded face they smirked.

“What happened loverboy?” Mick asked him as Leonard snorted and moved towards the bar; ordering a bottle of vodka which the bartender who had become accustomed to by now, handed to him with a smile. It was commonly known between the three of them, that Leonard only drunk vodka when he had something very important to think about or something was stressing him.

“Uh huh, did the pretty canary not want Lenny?” Lisa said in a cheery voice as she squeezed her brother’s cheek. “Cause if ya want to we can take a train right now and go there to kick her ass for not liking you!”

“Calm down sis. All is well.” Leonard told her and even though Mick knew that his best friend was lying; he didn’t say anything… knowing better than to open a conversation like that in front of Lisa. She was just as protective towards Leonard as he was towards her and sometimes her love for her brother could easily cloud her vision when it came to people who hurt him.

But Sara hadn’t hurt him.

She had just admitted that she was interested in him too and suddenly nothing was simple anymore. A part of him hoped that the next morning he would forget all about it, but then he wanted to remember this… Sara was closer to him than ever at that moment. Even if she was 600 miles away… She was there.

She was there.

In his mind, in his heart and in his very soul… Sara Lance had made a complete sap out of him.

“Lenny?”

“Yeah, what?”

“Everything okay?” Lisa’s eyebrows had furrowed as she looked at her brother’s face concerned.

“Yeah… Merry Christmas, Lis. Merry Christmas Mi-… He passed out?” Lisa cocked her head to the side and nodded; looking at Mick who had just fallen on the floor flat on his back. “Well, wanna carry him to the car and get some Big Belly Burger on the way back?”

Lisa smiled; that toothy, happy and excited smile he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“I would love that Lenny.”

[reggiesflannel]

Only a Kiss - Jack Maynard Imagine

Summary: whoever said there was anything harmless about a little game of truth or dare?

Word Count: 1547

"You did what?" Oli squawked as Joe took a shot after admitting that he had jacked off whilst someone else was asleep in the same bed as him. "What kind of person does that?" he cackled, throwing his head back as his entire body was shaking with laughter. 

Joe simply shrugged at him before turning towards Caspar to ask the next question. 

You weren't sure how a casual evening watching a movie with the boys had somehow digressed into shots of tequila and truth or dare, but it had, and all the boys were revelling in it, taking advantage of all the information that was coming to light in the absence of cameras. 

You, on the other hand, were just enjoying the spectacle, having exempted yourself from the arena given that you were the only girl and therefore too much of a target amongst these boys. You were simply laying across the carpeted floor of Oli's living room with your head in your boyfriend, Jack's lap while his fingers ran through your hair subconsciously.

You closed your eyes as you focused on the feeling of Jack's fingers massaging your scalp, a feeling of total relaxation sweeping over you as you felt yourself slowly drifting off to sleep. A loud South African voice pierced through your dreamless state of subconsciousness.

 "I dare you to kiss Y/N!" Caspar Lee's loud voice reached your ears, your eyes snapping open to see a grinning South African and a very reluctant Conor Maynard avoiding your gaze. 

"I'm not playing! So he'll just have to snog Josh or something, who knows where that mouth has been," you teased him, gently prying Jack's fingers away from your scalp before he ripped your hair out of your head. Your stomach dropped when Jack jerked himself away from you as if he had been burned.

"Oh come on, Y/N!"

"Yeah don't be a spoilsport!"

"Just give us a peck!"

You should have known better than to believe that a simple "I'm not playing" would have satisfied the boys, their grinning faces letting you know that the only way you were getting out of this was if you kissed your boyfriend's older brother.

"Lay off it, will ya? She doesn't have to!" Conor's voice piped up, his blue eyes that matched Jack's looking straight to you. Jack, on the other hand, hadn't said a word, and in fact, wouldn't even look you in the eye, and because of that, you did something that probably wasn't your wisest decision.

"Fine, I'll do it, we're all friends here, right?" You burst out, looking between Conor and Jack briefly, noting the shocked and reluctant expression on Conor's face that contrasted with the livid look on his younger brother's face. 

"It's just a kiss, nothing personal," you waved off, already rising up on your knees and getting ready to crawl over to Conor.

"Fucking unbelievable," you heard Jack mutter under his voice but pretended you hadn't, instead focusing on Conor and the very reluctant look on his face as he glanced from your determined face to Jack's murderous one. "Talk about loyalty ..." Your boyfriend was continuing to mutter behind you, giving you the push to finally crawl forward to where Conor was currently kneeling.

"Don't be getting any ideas, Maynard, this is just for the dare, nothing more," you grinned at him, noticing the similarities between his bright blue iris' and Jack's slightly darker ones and starting to feel the dread clawing at your chest. 

Taking a deep breath, you leant forward and pressed your lips to his firmly. His lips were soft but not as soft as Jacks, and his hands that were on your waist were gentle but missing the rough callouses that were on Jacks hands. Still, you were determined that you weren't going to stress over this, so when Conor slowly moved his lips against yours, you let him, your hands resting on his shoulders as you kissed him slowly. 

You counted to five in your head before pulling back sharply, avoiding his glance and extracting yourself from his grip. You avoided everyone's eyes as you pushed yourself up to your feet and left the room as quickly as you could, eager to escape the stares of the seven boys that were all staring at you in varying states of disbelief.

You didn't stop moving until you were in Oli's spare bedroom, the reality of what had just happened hitting you all at once, the panic and anxiety squeezing and crushing your chest with alarming ferocity. 

You had just kissed your boyfriend's brother on a dare. You knew Jack didn't want you to do it and you had done that anyway. Jack was furious with you. Jack was not going to want you anymore.Y

ou were in your own little self-deprecating bubble, pacing back and forth in an attempt to argue your way out of your own head - unsuccessfully I might add - so much so that you didn't even hear someone walk in the room behind you, nor did your senses pick up on the very distinct aroma of Hugo Boss Cologne that you had brought Jack for his last birthday.

It wasn't until he spoke up that you even registered that he was in the same room. "You just fucking snogged my brother," his voice piped up, the layers of anger and betrayal cutting into you like a knife.

Spinning around, you were taken aback by the fiery look in his eyes, "You didn't say anything though, you just pushed me away, you could have said something and I wouldn't have done it," you mumbled, your eyes focused intently on your socks as you avoided meeting his eyes again.

"I thought it was a fucking given!" the volume of your voice caused you to shrink back, "I thought you were loyal enough to not snog my motherfucking brother! You're just like the rest of them, though, you only see me as a gateway to get to him," he spat at you, the distaste and anger radiating off of him. It was his words, however, that caused you to look up in alarm. 

"Excuse me?! Have you forgotten that you literally used me to sleep with my sister the first time we met?!" You fired back, glaring at him as you crossed your arms over your chest, "You know me better than anyone, you should know that I would never do that to you!"

"I thought I did but I just saw you fucking snog my brother in front of all of our mates!" He yelled, throwing his hands up in the air and turning away from you, the muscles in his back rigid and tensed from the argument.

You looked at him for a moment, studying his angular jaw and the muscles in his forearms, right down to his long fingers that were curled together tightly. Taking a deep breath, you stepped towards him, placing a hand on his back gently and watching in relief as his muscles unclenched slightly under your palm.

Trailing your hand down, you wrapped your arms around the back of his waist, resting your cheek on the back of his shoulder blades as he sunk into your arms slightly. "I'm sorry," you whispered, "I should have just told them no, I should have known it would upset you, but you pushed me off and then didn't say a word, so I thought you didn't care, I thought that it wouldn't bother you and that bothered me, and I'm just really sorry, Jack," you whispered, your fingertips drawing patterns on his stomach lightly.

Letting out a soft and reluctant sigh, he turned around in your arms, wrapping his own around your shoulders and resting his chin on top of your head. "Sorry I pushed you off," he mumbled as he buried his face in your hair, "Of course I'd care if you kissed Conor, you're my girl," he emphasized, pulling back and using one hand to push your hair out of your face, the other tilting your head up.

"And I will be for as long as you want me," you murmured as you stood up on your tip toes to press your lips against his lightly.

Jack let out a small groan, his hand pushing through your hair and holding onto the back of your skull to hold you in place. Smirking lightly as he pulled back, he trailed his mouth down the edge of your jawline to your neck, and then slowly moved down your neck until his lips brushed over the spot that made your breath hitch.

Grinning to himself, he began sucking on that spot with all he had, enjoying the breathless whimpers and stomach clenching moans that slipped through your lips, your head tilting back to give him maximum access. He nibbled on the spot lightly, your fingernails sinking into his bicep and leaving crescent shaped scars in their wake.

After what seemed like a lifetime, he pulled back, the biggest smirk you had ever seen splashed across his swollen lips. Gently, he brushed his thumb against your neck, his smirk deepening at the small hiss you released, jerking your neck away from him.

"Now nobody will be able to doubt that you're mine."

[killervibe]

Bells and Veils

Chapter 1/2: And On This Day

Notes: Happy Birthday @mosylufanfic!!!! Hope you’re having a great day! And now...Wedding fluff. You can also find this fic on ao3

Caitlin was supposed to be paying attention so that she didn’t up and fall on her big day, but it was kind of hard to listen, what with the way Cisco was looking at her.

“And then, Miss Snow, you’d take an entrance here.”

 Cisco squeezed her hand as Joe asked a follow up question to their wedding planner, wondering where exactly he should be standing to take Caitlin’s hand, if he should be waiting for her at the steps of the cathedral as the limousine pulled up, or settled nicely inside.

 Caitlin let Cisco tug her close against his chest, swaying her back and forth with his tanned arms wrapped around her waist. She tilted her head up at him with shining eyes, reaching her hand up to cup his cheek. “You ready for tomorrow?”

He squeezed her tighter, humming happily, and she gave him a slow and languid kiss.

 Their wedding planner cleared her throat, and they had to jerk apart with identical blank faces, both having heard nothing she had just said. Caitlin pushed her fingers against Cisco’s airy lightweight shirt, making space.

 “I’m sorry?” Cisco said with a charmingly guilty smile, his hands finding their way around his fiancée, yet again. He rested his chin over Caitlin’s shoulder, promising to be attentive this time.

 Caitlin bit her lip, reddening at their rudeness, but too giddy to really apologize.

 Their planner, Mrs. Fumera, hugged her clipboard to her chest, enamoured. “Oh, you two. It’s alright. The ones in love are always like this. I was just asking if you decided if your friend was going to sing or not.”

 Kara, who had been sitting in one of the back pews of the cathedral with Dr. Tannhauser, catching up with Iris, rose her hand.

 “Oh, I am!” she insisted, getting up quickly, her voice echoing in the empty space. “Hope this one goes better than the last one I sang at.”

 Cisco pointed a glare at Supergirl. “Ha ha ha,” he laughed dryly, “Very funny.”

 “What happened at the last wedding?” Mrs. Fumera asked innocently, tilting her head.

 Joe ushered the wedding planner to the front of the sanctuary, and distracted her with questions about seating arrangements.

 They had picked a destination wedding on a whim. Or rather, having it in Spain was a whim, getting married as far away from Central City as possible on the other hand, that was deliberate.

 “So,” Caitlin said, looking around the large room already decorated with flower arrangements and candles. “I say, we have a bubble bath after the rehearsal dinner, and test out those jets.”

 Cisco quirked an eyebrow. “My room doesn’t have a jacuzzi.”

 Caitlin frowned. “Yes it does, when we checked in this morning. It was all there.”

 Cisco kissed her frown off her face. “That’s your room. My room is on the third floor.”

 Caitlin blinked. “What?”

 Cisco’s hands went to her breezy yellow summer dress, playing with its belt. “I can’t see the bride on the day of the wedding, it’s bad luck.”

 Caitlin laughed in disbelief, swatting his arm. “Stop it, that’s silly.”

 “I’m serious. Think about it, don’t you agree that our wedding day—” Cisco stopped to grin, unable to help it, and Caitlin kissed him again.

 They had waited for this so long. To finally have their moment, where there were no heroics required, or drama or timelines to fix. When both of their parents were able to simply get along, and all of their friends could manage to squeeze their schedules to align for this one weekend, this one perfect weekend. The beginning of the rest of their lives.

 “Our wedding day, should begin with me waking up next to the man I’m going to marry,” Caitlin said eventually, carding her fingers through his hair. “Don’t you think so?”

 Cisco let out a little groan, “Yes, of course I’d like to do that, but—”

 Mrs. Fumera turned around, calling them to come up to the altar. Caitlin linked their arms together to walk down the long aisle,  but did not let that prevent them from finishing their discussion.

 “But what?”

 “But imagine this, okay?” Cisco pointed to the altar several feet away where Joe was pretending to be extremely interested in how Mrs. Fumera planned to have the white carnations and gardenias positioned just so. “I’m standing up there, probably half a mess because there you are right here,” he stopped to wave wildly at the pews as Caitlin raised an amused eyebrow.

 He had clearly thought this through.

 “And you’ll be looking like a goddess, okay, I know you will because you’re you, don’t deny it—And we’d have not seen each other since right after tonight’s dinner. So our emotions are all heightened and we’re feeling tingles in our toes and then…” he trailed off, glancing to the right, where Wally and Jesse were doing some sort of odd speedster thumb wrestling match.

 Caitlin leaned against his shoulder, “Then what?” she probed, half sold.

 He tore his gaze away, quickening their pace to make it to the front. “And then, we’d be right here. In front of our friends and families, and we’d know there’s nothing that would keep us apart ever again. Because from the moment we leave this spot tomorrow, we’ll be husband and wife.”

 Caitlin turned, unlinking themselves so that she could try and be discreet in blinking back tears. Cisco was always so thoughtful, and with the intensity of his gaze, she almost felt too much love, if it were possible. 

 “And,” Cisco added, hushed, only for her ears, “Then our wedding night would be the most spectacular night of all. What do you think?”

 Caitlin blushed when he drew back, and Mrs. Fumera gave them an expectant smile.

“So, this is where the matron of honour will help you up the steps, Caitlin, for the vows and, oh, Mrs. West-Allen, Dr. Tannhauser, would you come here please…?”

 Caitlin tucked a loose tendril behind her ear, sweat accumulating at the nape of her neck where her ponytail sat heavily. She pulled it up from where it fell over her shoulders, twisting it out of the way. She caught Cisco still looking at her, his eyes piercing but playful, raising an eyebrow as he rocked on the back of his feet, nodding along to something Kara was whispering conspiratorially to him behind Mrs. Fumera’s back.

 Caitlin nodded, kissing her jacuzzi romp fantasy goodbye, and her fiancé lit up, smiling wide. She supposed she could wait two days longer until the Honeymoon.  

 ~.~

 “...And although I doubted my little boy would ever truly grow up to be such an accomplished man, and despite the fact I still barely understand what it is he and his friends do ,  I do know that loving Caitlin had always been the best decision he’s made.”

 Cisco blushed into his dinner plate, “Oh geez, Mama.”

 Their closest friends and family all rose their glasses to cheer, repeating Cisco’s mother’s toast.

 Caitlin had changed from her flowy yellow summer dress to a satin blue one, a little more formal. Paired with strappy wedge sandals and her hair loose against her back, Cisco’s mother had called her the prettiest angel, to which Cisco quickly agreed. She pushed her fork around to chase the last of the cheesecake as Cisco’s foot played footsie with hers underneath the table.

 Iris leaned in on her side, waving a fan to dispel the heat. The restaurant they chose had air conditioning, but something about the Spanish heat simply lingered, even into the night. “This is such a nice party Caitlin, your mother put in a lot of effort.”

 “She dropped a lot of money, you mean,” she replied, but there was no bitterness in her voice.

 She knew her mother was trying to make up for all the years she had been absent in Caitlin’s life, and although they still had disagreements, never quite exactly seeing eye to eye, even after the ordeal with Caitlin’s father, she still tried. And Caitlin appreciated it, how she booked the best venues for their events, and even paid for some of Cisco’s extended family’s flights who wouldn’t have afforded it otherwise.

 A few more of their friends gave lighthearted toasts, saving their real speeches for the next day. There were a few jabs here and there, all tweaked with odd inside jokes which left a few guests from outside their crazy Metahuman world a little lost, and soon Caitlin was beginning to yawn.

 Mrs. Fumera ran up to them in her tie-dyed ensemble, her weave looking a little worse for wear in the humidity. “You two go back to the hotel, the car is waiting out front. In fact, I want the whole wedding party all rested up for tomorrow.”

 Cisco took the planner’s cue, standing up and pulling Caitlin’s chair out from the table. She grabbed her clutch and fell into a conversation with Barry as they followed Cisco and Iris poking at each other down the narrow cobblestoned streets of Seville. 

 “Cait,” Barry began, shifting the weight of sleeping Nora, her face curled up in the crook of his neck. She was two and a half, and was going to make the cutest flower girl along with Jenna and one of Cisco’s second cousins. “I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you.”

 There was a bit of wind, blowing hair around her face, and when Caitlin looked up at the sky she was able to see the moon and stars. They kept walking down the road towards where their town car was parked and her eyes naturally fell back to the one she loved, his suit jacket already slung over his shoulder, top buttons undone as he walked backwards, making some point in a debate Caitlin was too far away from to understand.

 Cisco caught her gaze and winked.

 She twisted her fingers in the strap of her purse, going back to Barry’s words. “You really believed in us?”

 “Yeah,” he admitted, and the car pulled up just at the corner, opening its doors.  “I knew it from the start.”

Caitlin hardly believed that. She sure as hell didn’t know from the start, still heartsick for Ronnie, unsure if she could ever see herself moving on from the gaping hole in her heart he left there.

 And it’s funny, how much she leaned on her best friend all the way back then, when all he wanted to do was make her smile, to lessen her pain, and she used to always think how blessed she were to have someone like Cisco in her life, without an inkling to how true that would ultimately be.

 She was blessed to have Cisco in her life. And she thanked the multiverse for giving them the chance to slowly fall in love over the years, every day.

 What Barry told her was sweet, and she told him so. 

 Iris, already settled against the leather seats, reached forward to grab her daughter from her husband, and Caitlin climbed into the car next to her fiancé.

 She buckled her seatbelt and leaned against Cisco, letting him lazily stroke her side.

 He kissed her forehead, and she, like Nora, fell deeply asleep.

 ~.~

 A half hour later, they had made it back to their hotel. They parted ways with Barry and Iris, all with excited smiles and promises of early morning wake-ups.

 Cisco and Caitlin lingered in the hallway, talking animatedly about something Ralph said during the dinner. It was late—but not too late. The hotel was quiet, empty because the majority of the guests staying there were still out mingling at their rehearsal dinner, so they were the only two making their way down the long carpeted corridor.

 All too soon, they were in front of Suite 506, Caitlin’s room.

 She let out a big sigh, and fumbled in her purse for the keycard. She fished it out and looked down at it, twiddling it between her manicured fingers.

 “I don’t want you to go.”

 They’ve never slept apart. Not in years, unless one or the other was abducted or on an extended mission, in which case, they never slept anyway, kept awake with worry. And she knew Cisco was a romantic at heart, he did things that were out of the ordinary, he liked to be extra, showering her with affection, but all she wanted was to spend her last night with her fiancé with him, falling asleep to his heartbeat, listening to his whispers in her ear.

 Caitlin blinked up at him, biting her lip. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”

 She waited for his reply. He was wrestling with it on the inside, the way his brows furrowed and he traced circles into her wrist, where their hands were clasped by her hip, and she thought, just maybe, he’ll change his mind.

 But she should have known what he’d say, how when he had an idea he was stubborn with it, and carried it through until the end. Cisco cupped her face in his palms, kissing her gently. “It's only a few hours.”

 “Okay,” she whispered against his lips, then pulled away. “I love you.”

 He swooped in to kiss her again. “I love you too. I can’t wait to marry you.”

 Caitlin felt fuzzy warmth spread all over, a little weak at the knees. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

 She wrapped her arms around him, and he held her tightly for a moment, then pushed her gently away.

 Her keycard swiped against the passlock, and it clicked open with a green blink. Her hand pushed on the handle, and she twisted around as she stepped forward, committing this to memory, so that she’d remember it. “Goodnight.”

 “Goodnight princess.”  

 She turned, and the lights to the suite automatically flicked on when suddenly a hand drew her stumbling back, the door closing firmly again with a mechanical click.

 “Wha—”

 Cisco swallowed her words when he put his mouth over hers, kissing her with urgency. She huffed a surprised laugh, startling as she was pushed against the white door, her head knocking against the room numbers. But she wasn't complaining. 

 She moaned, dropping her clutch on the floor to grab his hair, kissing him back. He was peppering kisses all over her face, and Caitlin’s eyes were screwed shut, heart full of joy.

 “I knew you couldn’t do it,” she teased, and he growled, kissing her silent. “I’m not backing down,” he mumbled, between firm presses to her neck, “Just need something to last me the night.”

 She slipped her tongue into his mouth, slowing their franticness, letting herself be trapped against the wall, stuck there, with her back digging against the handle as his hands pulled at the folds of her satin dress. She sighed shakily, getting lost in the feeling of Cisco's warm, soft mouth. 

“Okay,” he laughed, pulling away. He darted close once more to kiss her where her lips were still parted, shining wet. “Okay that’s enough. I’m good to go.”

 He tried to drop their hold, stepping away from Suite 506, but Caitlin worried her bottom lip between her teeth, letting frost keep their hands glued together.

 “Nooo,” she whined. “Cisco stay.”

 He was laughing, his shirt all screwy and hair wild with flyaways, following her eyes with his, unable to get over how funny she was being.

 And she knew how she sounded, she did. But that did not let Caitlin stop. Let her have him. He's hers to hold anyway. 

 “Baby, I have to go. Think about how good it’ll be, tomorrow night, bottling this all up.”

 She tried to flatten his shirt, her hands all over his chest. “Think about…” she drawled, “How good it’ll be right now.” She kissed him right where his heart was, over his shirt, and she felt the way he shivered. She could win this, she knew she could, so she tangled her fingers back in his hair, whispering into his ear. “Think about, what we could be doing if you’d just come inside.”

 “Are you trying to seduce me the night before our wedding?” he quirked an eyebrow, but his jaw dropped open when she mouthed over it, fingers light over the stubble she knew he’d be shaving off come morning.

 “Is it working?” she asked hotly, before kissing him again.

 He walked them backwards, back against the wall, and she let her eyes close again as—

 She was no longer in his arms.

  “Hey!”

 Caitlin blinked, confused, then realized she was left alone in the hallway.

 “Cisco?” she called, peering around the corner, and found him with his hands on his knees next to Barry.

 “Why’d you do that?” Cisco exclaimed, catching his breath, recovering from the whiplash.

 “You’re the one who told me to!” Barry balked, throwing his hands up in defence. “You said if you weren’t in your room in twenty minutes to come find you!”

Cisco groaned, pressing his hands to his eyes. Caitlin picked up his suit jacket and her purse, which had been unceremoniously dumped on the floor.

 If he had asked Barry to whisk him away should he fall into temptation, then it meant he really wanted to follow through. Caitlin sighed in resignation, shaking her head at their antics.

 Cisco was right, they had the rest of their lives to be together. She handed Cisco his suit jacket.

 “Goodnight Cisco,” she said with a tone of finality. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Barry.”

 “Goodnight,” they both said, and Cisco left her with one last soft kiss.

 Caitlin made it into her suite without interruption, and closed the door softly behind, smiling to herself.

 She glanced at the clock, now that her mind was clear, and realized she still did have a few things to get together before she could fall into bed. She pulled off her heels and unzipped her dress, changing into sleeveless pyjamas and shorts.

 In the cabinet was the garment bag with Caitlin’s white dress.

 She remembered when she told Cisco she was going to go shop for it with Iris, a few months ago now.

 He sat quietly at his workstation, fiddling with his tools. When she asked him what was the matter, he had kept his eyes on his desk, saying, "You don’t have to buy a wedding gown. You have one already.”

 Caitlin paused at that, setting herself down at the chair across from him, feeling his heaviness. He was genuine, he honestly wouldn’t have minded. But the wedding dress that was in a box in her attic was not going anywhere. That was for an older version of herself, another Caitlin Snow. Not the one she was now, and she told him so. That she wanted a new dress, for a new marriage, for a new (but old) love, just as good, if not better, as her last.

 She came out of her thoughts with a wistful sigh, and opened the zipper of the bag, running her fingers along the silk and lace, pressing her forehead against the wood, imagining the day ahead of her.

 Now, to prepare for her wedding.

 ~.~

 She settled into bed an hour later, snuggling against the thin sheet. Her mind was racing, even if she didn’t want it to, her shower doing little help as she thought up worse case scenarios.

 It wasn’t her fault, but was it really that much a stretch to be afraid that Gorilla Grodd may crash her wedding? Or that her mother and Cisco’s aunt would throw a temper tantrum? Or worse, Caitlin gulped, her father would break out of prison to fight Joe for the right to walk Caitlin down the aisle. She was starting to feel some of Cisco’s anxiety. The last time she got married her husband exploded.

 Oh god, she needed to sleep.

 She was about to get up for a drink of water in the mini fridge when her suite door clicked open.

 Her back went stiff, and she tightened her hold against her pillow, keeping her frost on standby.

 “Hello?”

 It was too dark to make out what was happening, only that light spilled out from the hallway, and a shadow of a silhouette made its way in.

 She threw an ice dagger at the door, but it was met with a vibe blast, neutralizing in the air, and she sighed a breath of relief.

 “Cisco,” she whispered, perplexed. “You said you weren’t—”

 “Shh,” he said, padding his way forward, and she still couldn’t see him, but his voice was closer, so she reached to turn on the lamp.

His hand stopped her, covering the switch.

 “Nuh uh,” he said. “Turn around. It’s midnight now. Bad luck.”

 Caitlin wanted to grumble, but she couldn’t, grinning, and obeying by turning to her other side, facing the curtains. He slipped into the bed, his socks brushing her calves as he fit himself against her back. She grabbed his arms under the covers to wrap them around her torso, and she felt the pillow dip as he rested beside her, his hair falling over hers.

 “Hi,” he said, after comfortable quiet.

 She rolled her eyes in the dark, and stopped biting her tongue. “ Cisco. It was your dumb idea.”

 “It’s not dumb, just takes a lot of restraint. Restraint, I’ll admit, that I don’t have much of right now.”

 She settled into his embrace, and her mind finally eased.

 “You sleepy?”

 She nodded, and he told her to close her eyes and relax. It was easy now that he was here. He began to whisper in the dark, sweet nothings into her ear, soothing her. It was gooey and romantic and made her want to turn around and see his face.

 “Tomorrow you’ll wake up, and it’ll only be a short few hours until we exchange wedding vows. On paper, you’ll be Mrs. Ramon, but you’ll always be Caitlin Snow to me. And then we’ll be newlyweds, so we’ll have to be obnoxiously cute. Like, I want to give Barry and Iris a run for their money, you feel me? I feel like we deserve it, after all those years we had to put up with. We’ll be on our honeymoon and we’ll get to use that jacuzzi you want so bad, but we’ll also spend time in the ocean, and on the beach with sand and umbrellas and sunglasses."

 He paused, rubbing up and down her arm as Caitlin curled her fingers into the pillow.

 “Don’t stop,” she protested weakly.

 So he continued, “And of course we’ll share a lot of kisses and spent a lot of time in bed, late mornings where we’ll have to drag ourselves out in the last twenty minutes before breakfast closes, looking exactly like we spent hours with each other, which is exactly what we would've been up to.”

 His voice dropped lower, hushed, as he grew reflective. “One day we’ll start a family, and our family of two will turn into a family of three, maybe four...Maybe more?" He trailed off, pushing his luck. 

 "It ends at four," she said strictly. He chuckled against her neck.

 "What if we get a pet? Then it's five." 

 "Four, Cisco." 

 "Fine. Potentially four, but for now...for now it’s just us. Me and you, Caitlin, and that’s more than anything I could ever ask for, everything I ever dreamed.”

 Caitlin tried to turn around, but he held his hold, kissing her neck. “Go to sleep, the sooner you do the sooner it’ll begin.”

 She drifted off as Cisco got up, and stepped into his blue swirling breach.

 Caitlin didn’t keep track of the passage of time, only that she had felt like she'd been sleeping for years when the hotel phone rang.

 She pawed at it, half asleep as she answered. “‘Lo?”

 “Caitlin,” breathed the other line.

 “Cisco?”

 “I can’t sleep—”

 She rubbed her eye with her fist.  “Come over then.”

 “I can’t.”

 “...Honey.”

 “I just want to hear your voice.”

  Well, she thought. Her voice was slurred, thick with sleep, but that seemed to be what he wanted. “I’m too tired to talk much.”

 “That’s fine,” he soothed, quiet. “—Um, don’t hang up. This is enough.”

 A few minutes of silence, nothing but their breathing, and eventually, the phone slid out of her hand, falling against the pillow. She slipped into a dream, knowing he was still with her, with his phone cord tangled in his hands, two floors below.

 ~.~

 The flashes were bright in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly as she felt blinded.

“Look to the ground, Caitlin.”

 She listened to the photographer, casting down her gaze. She was sitting on a bench in front of the wide balcony of her suite.

 It was early, and they’d been taking pictures of her since the bridesmaids got dressed, minutes after Caitlin had scarfed down the last of her breakfast, the rose Cisco had left with her room service meal now in a vase. She had woken up with the hotel phone lost under the sheets, and when she fished it out, his even breathing greeted her ear.

 She looked at her shoes. They were white pumps with traces of blue and silver pearls and snowflakes along the heel. Something blue. And not to follow any tradition, but because she felt, even if she had to conceal her Frost this weekend, she should still honour her in a discreet way. She had spent close to six weeks walking around in them, trying to break them in. She bit her lip, remembering Cisco laughing when he noticed her wearing the heels around Star Labs with her lab coat, the only part of her outfit she had let Cisco see before today.

 “Your lipstick!” the photographer complained, and she had to refrain from rolling her eyes as Felicity wiped the lipstick stain off her top teeth, Iris on the other side, with more of the shade.

 Mrs. Fumera was checking things off her clipboard, talking a mile a minute, rushing back and forth between her room and Cisco’s, until finally she announced she was going to inspect the venue before the first guests arrived, hurrying off as the photographer bent down with their giant camera, taking more pictures of her face.

 Her dress was long. Like, really long. She knew it was when she picked it out and her mother pursed her lips. It was a cathedral wedding, Cisco’s mother had insisted one, and it would’ve looked silly to have a short dress, or one without a train. The veil too, Mrs. Ramon insisted.

 Caitlin went a little pink. She was going to be a Mrs. Ramon today, too.

 She ran her fingers along the lace as more flashes went off. Yes, it was long but it was beautiful. Caitlin fell in love with the lace sleeves and romantic swirls. And Iris spent almost two hours on her hair, kneeling on the hotel bed with bobby pins in her mouth, pulling every loose strand from every part of her head, styling it up.

 Someone knocked on the door, and Jesse let them in. It was Barry. He was dressed in a tuxedo, carrying in Nora in her adorable flower girl dress with one arm, his other hand pressing his phone to his ear, nodding something over and over. He put Nora down when she saw her mother and she sprinted to Iris.

 “Well if it isn’t my baby girl looking so sweet!” Iris cooed.

Nora, whose hair was up in a little curly poof, stuck her fingers in her mouth, staring at Caitlin.

 “Pretty,” she mumbled around her thumb.

 Caitlin smiled, and patted the little room left on the bench, and Nora climbed up to sit next to her.

 Barry approached after hanging up from his call, his jaw dropped slightly.

 “...Cait,” he said, and she found it comical, the way she saw tears in his eyes. “Oh, Cait. Oh Wow. Cisco’s gonna—Man, he might faint, I don’t know.”

 Caitlin’s heart skipped a beat at hearing his name

 He wrapped his arm around Iris, who looked at him with a judgy face. “He won’t faint.”

 “He might,” Barry argued, unsure. “I just got off the phone with him. He’s dressed too.”

 Caitlin’s mother rearranged the way Nora was sitting on the bench, crossing her legs at the ankles, and pulling her thumb out of her mouth before telling the photographer to take more shots.

 Caitlin squinted at the bright light again.

 Kara snickered. “It’s like you’re allergic to the flash.”

 Everyone in suite 506 turned to Kara, unimpressed, especially the photographer, and even her mother rolled her eyes.

 “What? It’s a funny joke!”

 Wally came bounding into the room, hitting Barry on the lapels of his suit. “Dude, the limo’s here, we were looking for you.”

 “I was dropping Nora off with the girls!”

 “Yeah,” Wally said, throwing Jesse a wink. “For ten minutes. And you could’ve done that in less than ten seconds,” he faltered, realizing the photographer was in the room, “Metaphorically speaking.”

“Wally,” Iris said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

 “My point is, Cisco is like, losing his shit over you—”

 Caitlin covered Nora’s ears from his swear, a second too late, heart leaping in her chest once again.

 “— Wally! ”

 “Uh—Sorry Nora! Let’s gooooo!”

 Wally shoved Barry out the room, and it wasn’t lost on Caitlin, when she saw a blur of red and yellow lightning, that they were, quite literally, making a mad dash out the door.

 ~.~

 She was waiting for it. That buzzing feeling people described when they were so happy it was like they were drunk. She hadn’t before, not as they ushered her down the steps of the hotel, carrying her train so she wouldn’t trip, or when guests from the hotel stopped and stared. Not when she climbed into the limousine with Joe, who was waiting for her in the lobby with a handkerchief pressed to his sweaty forehead. She didn’t feel that then.  She was clutching her bouquet, silent during her ride.

 She wondered what Cisco was thinking right now. Knowing him, he was probably talking his friends’ ears off, getting ready to stand up at the altar. He did that. When he was nervous or excited and everything in between. He’d talk and talk and talk and—Her thoughts cut short.

The next time she’d hear his voice will be when he’s marrying her.

 The limo turned a corner, and she saw the cathedral through the window, catching through the sunlight streaming in her veil, just how big it was, and bells were ringing and—Oh.

 Yes. Elation unfurled like a sail in the wind in a tight corner of her heart. She felt it now.

 Caitlin began to smile.

 Joe nudged her shoulder, sensing her realization that they were moments away.

 It was like the time was rushed, like Barry’s speed. One minute the car was parking, the next, Joe was taking her hand. She tried to remember the things their wedding planner had instructed yesterday while she and Cisco were fooling around.

 She took in a deep breath.

 “You ready?” Joe asked her, and the double doors were opening and there was organ music and there was rustling as guests stood up and all her friends were already at the front where, she couldn’t see them exactly, it was too big, too far away, she remembered all the steps she and Cisco took, arguing about his silly superstition as they made their way up there, but she knew who it would be, in what order, even. Ralph, then Harry then Wally, a gap for Dante, Barry, then—

  “Yes,” she breathed, choked up.

 Then Cisco.

 It only took another ten steps for everything to fall away around her, her vision zeroing in to the front, when she saw him in the distance. 

 And it was peaceful, and easy. All she was doing was walking towards him and, maybe Cisco’s stupid superstition, wasn’t quite so stupid anymore.

 She saw the exact moment he saw her, truly saw her, his mouth opening with a silent gasp, eyes first wide, then softening, teary and shining like starlight.

 Caitlin was starting to shake, and Joe took his time as they walked down the aisle, but Caitlin wanted to be with Cisco already, wanted to be close and lock eyes with him as they held hands.

 Cisco looked so good, more than good, absolutely dark and handsome and amazing, with every extra step she took.

 Caitlin wasn’t sure what she’d say, when she’ll finally stand in front of him. Squeak, maybe, and stammer over him with a giant blush. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. His long hair in messy perfect waves over his shoulders and wearing a crisp three piece black tuxedo. And his beautiful smile. The one she fell for, simply beaming for her.

 Distantly, she felt Clarissa Stein touch her arm as she walked past her pew, and she forced herself to look at her, only for a second, before they made their way back up to him.

 When she got to the three steps, Joe kissed her cheek over the veil, and let her go. Nora, Jenna and Cisco’s little cousin Elena tossed flower petals for extra emphasis, getting a little carried away until Barry reached forward to whisk them out of the way. Iris took Caitlin’s bouquet, and Kara kept her steady, climbing over mic wires fastened to the ground.

 The music stopped abruptly, and the guests sat down as Kara stepped towards the mic to sing, but Caitlin didn’t notice, because suddenly Cisco was right there, drinking her in, a tear streaming down his face. She reached forward, wiping it away.

 “Cisco," she murmured.

 He stepped closer, trembling fingers reaching up to remove her veil delicately, letting it fall over the back of her head so he could see her face.

 He leaned in close, whispering into her ear, “You take my breath away.”

 She closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as he stroked her cheek. A strong wave of emotion flooded her, and she tried her best to hold herself together.

 “I love you,” she said back, looking up with tears. He took both her hands, brushing her knuckles, and mouthed the words back.

 The melody of Kara’s song ended, and the minister began the ceremony.

 The entire wedding party held their breath.

 But the minister didn’t vaporize in midair.

 Nobody screamed, no evil Metahuman turned up. The world didn’t implode.

 The officiant just kept talking, and Caitlin realized at the same time Cisco did, that this was actually going to happen.

 Everything went smoothly, Caitlin and her personalized vows, which she had memorized, and had rehearsed, folding and refolding the slip of paper she had written them on until she didn’t need the creased disaster it was anymore. She was surprised that her voice never wavered, but silently pleased.

 And then Cisco’s, which were honest, and witty but thoughtful, and surprisingly eloquent. She laughed a few times, and when he stopped to swallow, heart caught in his throat when he mentioned the day they first kissed, Caitlin brought his hand up to her lips and kissed his fingers.

 Baby John, who was no longer a baby, held out the rings.

 Cisco took the wedding band off the cushion, and Caitlin outstretched her hand.

 The officiant fed Cisco the words slowly, and he repeated them. 

 “With this ring, I thee wed." 

 Cisco slid the ring onto her finger.

 Caitlin took the second band on John’s pillow, smiling gratefully at the boy, and did the same.

 “With this ring, I thee wed.”

 The officiant held out his hands. “The bride and groom will now perform the candle ceremony.”

 It was something Cisco had sat Caitlin down about, and wanted. This wedding meant a lot to his family, his parents especially, knowing this would be the only marriage they’d get to throw for their child, after Dante’s passing. And so they wanted to invite their whole family, and include their traditions, hence the cathedral wedding and the veil and the candle ceremony.

 The candle ceremony was a beautiful concept, one Caitlin readily agreed to partake in.

 Iris and Barry handed each of them a lit candle, and the officiant held the larger third. They tilted the candles together, sparking the third one aflame, and it burned bright between them.

 “Cisco and Caitlin will now extinguish their own lights, for the two have now become one.”

 Caitlin was discreet with hers, eyes going blue, and a single strand of hair streaming silver under her veil, blowing her candle with a cold front and a quiet hiss.

 Cisco smirked, knowing it was what she’d do, and blew his to smoke as well.

 Her frost went back to hide. It was a blink and miss it, only should they know what they were looking at would a guest realize what had happened, and the officiant didn’t seem to notice, either.

 Ralph took the candle from the officiant, setting it off to the side.

 It was the moment they were waiting for, and Caitlin could hardly wait, grinning at Cisco as they were announced to the cathedral.

 “I now pronounce you husband and wife!” He nodded to Cisco, who was almost bouncing on his toes with excitement, “You may now kiss the—“

 Cisco swooped in, kissing her senseless. She gripped the shoulder of his tuxedo as he dipped her in front of the crowd, kissing him the best she could through the giant smile on her face.

 It got really loud, their friends were cheering around them, but Caitlin just wanted more. She gasped into his mouth and Cisco helped her back upright, only so she could throw her arms around his neck and kissed him harder.

 They had to stop, so they did eventually, and the organ music was playing again as Cisco tugged her down the steps, into the back room where they signed their marriage certificate, Barry and Iris following along as their witnesses.

 She signed with a flourish, more extravagant with her handwriting than usual, adding her happiness into the penmanship, figuring it was fit for the occasion.

 Soon they made their way back down the long aisle, waving to the guests leaving together.

 It was very hot outside, Caitlin felt it the moment she stepped out, and they waited for the procession of the rest of the wedding party.

 “Caitlin,” Cisco finally said with awe and a special tenderness, now that they finally had a moment alone. He looked like he was in a dream, eyes glossed over with a gobsmacked expression.

She put her hand on his face, and tucked a loose strand of his hair behind his ear, admiring her new ring where it sat snug.

 “We did it,” she said, and he only laughed, pulling her to him by the waist, and kissed her again.

 Barry went speeding out, jumping at them, and gave Cisco a big hug.

 “That was amazing! My best friends just got married!” he cried, yelling out to the street. A passerby raised an eyebrow at his volume, but it was hard to miss what was going on, what with the bells clanging and the church spilling out with guests in formal wear.

 Iris lifted the material of her dark blue matron of honour gown as she crossed the large doors, smiling fondly at her dorky husband.

 “Calm down a little?” she teased, but she too looked very excited, fussing over Caitlin’s hair and smoothing out any ripples in her bodice before the photographer tried to take more pictures.

 The limousine honked, and Mrs. Fumera stomped in her five inch heels, shooing them onto the road. It took all of her bridesmaids to push her train into the car. They buckled their seat belts and drove off for more pictures in the Spanish sun.

 She rested her head against her husband’s shoulder and closed her eyes as the engine revved up, hearing the cathedral’s bells in the distance even for miles after they drove away.

 She just married her love.

 Caitlin didn’t care anymore. They could take as many pictures as they’d like.

[singledarkshade]

Small Miracle

Part Three Rip stepped onto the bridge of the Waverider knowing that this was probably the last time he would ever be here. Jonas was being watched by Caitlin at the moment, she had brought him a colouring book and crayons which were received by Jonas with a huge hug.

“Gideon,” he called.

“I am here, Captain,” she replied.

He let out a sigh because this was going to be the hardest part of leaving, “I just wanted you to know how much I...how...” he trailed off not sure how to express what she had meant to him over the years.

“Captain Hunter,” Gideon spoke up, “I know that you have chosen to leave the Waverider.”

“And I need you to keep looking after the Legends,” he told her.

“No.”

“Gideon...”

“You are my Captain,” Gideon reminded him, “I helped the Legends while you were missing as I knew that was what you wanted but you are my Captain.”

Rip sighed, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

“I have made contact with the Gideon program within the Time Vault in Star Labs,” Gideon continued, “She has agreed to take over the Waverider and I shall transfer to Star Labs.”

“Gideon, the Waverider is your home,” he whispered. Silence answered him, “Gideon, please talk to me.”

“It is my duty to ensure my Captain is safe,” she reminded him, “To protect him above all others and I have made my decision to stay with you.”

Rip knew he should tell her that she should stay with the Legends. He could order her to and she would obey him but he couldn’t because Gideon had always been there for him. She was his best friend and the thought of leaving her for good hurt so badly.

“Are you sure, Gideon?” he asked softly, “It will be a completely different existence to the one you know.”

“I am aware of that, Captain Hunter,” Gideon replied, her voice just as soft, “But I cannot leave you.”

“I will have to discuss this with the Star Labs team,” Rip told her, “This is their home and it is ultimately their decision.”

There was a pause before she replied, “I can agree to that.”

Rip took a deep breath, “Thank you, Gideon.”

“It is my pleasure, Captain Hunter.”

 “You want to what?”

Rip winced at Barry’s look of astonishment that was shared with Caitlin and Cisco. This already wasn’t going well. Jonas looked up from his spot in the other room for a moment before he went back to drawing when Rip smiled comfortingly at him.

“Gideon has requested to stay here with me,” he explained, “She can transfer to the Time Vault here in Star Labs and the Gideon program here will take over the Waverider.”

The other three continued to stare at him.

“I did mean to ask why you don’t use her,” Rip said to keep the conversation going, “You have access to an advanced Artificial Intelligence who could run this entire complex and stop all the people who manage to enter this building who shouldn’t.”

“You mean the AI the Reverse Flash brought with him,” Cisco noted, “The evil guy who tried to...”

“I’m intimately acquainted with Eobard Thawne and his machinations,” Rip cut him off colder than he intended, wincing at his own tone, “My apologies, Cisco.”

Cisco waved him away and Barry took over, “Since the technology is a bit beyond what we have I’m sure you can understand why we wouldn’t trust it.”

“Her,” Rip corrected automatically, “Well I can check the program and ensure there are no surprises, which if she is taking over the Waverider I wouldn’t be comfortable until I did anyway.”

“Then your Gideon would take over here?” Cisco mused, “Who we know isn’t evil, I’m all for that.”

Rip turned to Caitlin and Barry, “And you?”

“This might be a bit of an intrusive question,” Caitlin said softly, “But is there a reason why you need the specific Gideon program from the Waverider here?”

Rip hesitated before replying, “To you Gideon is just a program but she has cared for me for over thirteen years and she is more than just an AI. She knows me and I know her. She is, in a way, my family.”

The three of them looked at one another before they nodded.

“Then if you can fix it,” Barry told him, “We’ve no problem.”

  “How is this going to work?” Cisco asked as he stood with Rip in the Time Vault, Caitlin was watching Jonas at the moment while Barry had headed into work.

“I will do a full analysis of your Gideon programme to ensure that there are no hidden codes or surprises that could hurt the Legends,” Rip explained with a shrug.

“I’m still not sure why your Gideon is transferring here while the one we had is going onto the Waverider,” Cisco told him.

“Gideon is very loyal to me,” Rip replied.

“Captain Hunter,” the Gideon program from the Time Vault greeted him, “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Rip smiled slightly, this Gideon had a different voice which made it easier to distinguish them.

“Okay, Gideon,” Rip said, “I am going to shut down your systems so I can do a full analysis. I promise that you will be brought back online and we should be able to do the transfer by the end of the week.”

“I understand, Captain,” Gideon replied.

Rip nodded and opened up the main control panel, he quickly checked a few things before looking back up again.

“Here we go, Gideon,” Rip told her, “I promise I shall wake you.”

“Thank you, Cap...”

Cisco looked at him, “Well?”

“She’s offline,” Rip replied, “So I’m starting a full systems check. This could take some time.”

“What was the talk to her about waking up?” Cisco asked.

Rip shrugged, “Gideon, my Gideon, once told me it felt like dying when she was shut down so anytime I’ve had to do it, which wasn’t an emergency, I’ve reminded her she will wake up.”

“Cool,” Cisco mused.

Rip chuckled before he turned to the younger man, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Where is everyone else?” Rip asked, “Because I know there are more to your team but since I’ve been here I’ve only seen the three of you.”

Cisco chuckled, “Well Harry is back on Earth-2 with Jessie but he’ll be back soon. He misses me.”

Rip laughed rolling his eyes slightly, “And the West family?”

“Iris, Wally and Joe are visiting Great-Aunt Ida,” Cisco told him, “It’s her eightieth birthday. They’ll be back in a few days and you’ll meet them then.”

“Is Barry running up to join them each night?” Rip asked.

Cisco snorted in amusement, “No. Ida and Barry don’t like each other.”

“You’re kidding?” Rip asked in astonishment, “She doesn’t like Barry? I thought everyone liked Barry.”

“She made some comments about his dad being in prison,” Cisco explained, “So, they avoid each other.”

                                  *********************************************

  Rip knew it was coming.

In all honesty he was surprised it had taken so long but when it did happen he had no idea what to do.

Somehow Barry and Cisco had managed to find a set of books which had been the favourite of Jonas since he had first heard them. Even though he was more than capable of reading them himself Miranda would still tell him the stories, which she had memorised, each day at some point.

Rip picked one of the books smiling at the way Jonas’ eyes lit up when he saw them. He started to read stopping when Jonas shouted.

“No.”

“Jonas?”

“That’s not right,” Jonas cried, “You’re doing it wrong.”

Rip frowned confused, “Doing what wrong?”

“The voices,” Jonas told him indignantly, “Mummy does the voices, I want Mummy.”

Rip grimaced, “I know, Jonas.”

“I want Mummy,” he screamed pushing the papers and crayons off the small table, “I want Mummy.”

Trying to calm his son Rip reached out, “Jonas.”

“No,” the boy screamed pushing him away, “I don’t want you, I want Mummy.”

“I know,” Rip tried to soothe him, “I know...”

Jonas threw the book, “Go away. You’re never here.”

“I know I’ve not always been here for you,” Rip said softly, “I am now.”

“The bad man wouldn’t have hurt Mummy if you were there,” Jonas accused, “It’s your fault Mummy’s gone.”

  Cisco winced when he entered the room to hear Jonas blaming Rip for his mother’s death, seeing the man look like someone had punched him in the gut. They’d just been walking past when they heard the child yelling. Jonas suddenly ran over to Caitlin who looked stunned at the way the little boy attached himself to her.

Cisco motioned Caitlin to take the boy with her and he’d look after the father.

Caitlin gently drew the child out of the room and Cisco moved to where Rip was sitting anguish covering his face.

“Come on,” Cisco tugged the other man to his feet, “Let’s get out of here for some fresh air.”

Rip moved without resistance and allowed Cisco to lead him out of Star Labs.

“I don’t know what to do,” Rip whispered after they’d walked several blocks in silence, “He hates me.”

“He’s six,” Cisco reminded Rip, “His mom has just died and his entire world has just been turned upside down. Give him and yourself a break.”

Rip sighed, “I knew this would be hard but he’s right. I was never there for them. I was the part-time Dad. I came back for a few weeks at a time and was there to do the fun stuff while Miranda dealt with the real stuff, the tantrums, the bad dreams. I don’t know how to do this.”

“Who does?” Cisco asked.

“Miranda did.”

Cisco grimaced at the despair that filled Rip’s voice before clapping the other man’s arm, “Let’s get some coffee.”

  Cisco checked his phone when they reached Jitters. Caitlin had text him letting him know that Jonas had calmed down and was sitting drawing again. He glanced over to where Rip was getting coffee still looking completely ashen.

“Mr Ramon,” a familiar voice made him turn.

“Hey, Professor Stein,” Cisco greeted him before turning to the woman at his side, “Clarissa, it’s great to see you.”

Stein smiled at him, “And you.”

“Martin,” Rip appeared suddenly holding a tray with four cups.

“Cap...Mr Hunter,” Martin greeted him before he turned to his wife, “Clarissa, this is Rip Hunter. Rip, this is my wife Clarissa.”

Clarissa gave one of the warm smiles that Cisco had learned long ago meant that you were now one of her family and you better get used to it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Rip smiled, offering his hand to her.

Clarissa took his hand in hers, “And you. Is your son here?”

Cisco winced but Rip’s expression didn’t change from the pleasant smile.

“He’s being watched by Caitlin for the moment,” Rip replied.

“Well, I hope you will both join us for dinner on Sunday,” Clarissa told him, “Since Martin is home then I was planning on doing something special.”

Cisco grinned, “Does that mean you’re making your fabulous chocolate ice cream cake?”

Clarissa laughed, “Of course, Cisco.”

At the confused look Stein gave Cisco chuckled, “Since you’ve been away Clarissa has had us over for dinner once a month, assuming nothing else is happening.”

“Thank you for the invitation,” Rip spoke up, “We will try to be there.”

A beep made Rip hand Cisco the tray before checking the small device he had in his pocket, “The system check is complete. I should get back and start the second level analysis on Gideon.”

Stein frowned, “What are you doing with Gideon?”

“So cool,” Cisco spoke up, “The Gideon in the vault is switching places with the one in the Waverider.”

“What?” Stein demanded in a harsh whisper so not to be overheard, “You’re taking Gideon and replacing her with the one Eobard Thawne left behind? Who knows what surprises he left within her? This is technology that no one at Star Labs is qualified to work with.”

“Which is why I am doing a full systems check,” Rip replied coldly, “Because I am qualified to work with the technology.”

Without another word he grabbed the tray before he marched out and Cisco winced stopping Stein from going after him.

“Let him be,” he said, “Jonas had a bit of a meltdown earlier. It’s not been a good morning for Rip.”

                                  *********************************************

  Rip sat against the wall in the Time Vault. Jonas hadn’t looked at him when he placed the hot chocolate he’d got for him on the table. Caitlin assured him Jonas was fine so he’d come back here to do some work.

Except he couldn’t focus.

“Is there anything I can do, Captain?” Gideon, his Gideon asked through the communicator.

Rip let out a long sigh, “What am I doing, Gideon?”

“You’re taking care of your son,” she reminded him.

“He hates me.”

“No, he doesn’t,” she replied.

Pulling his knees to his chest Rip dropped his head onto them, “I’m terrified, Gideon. How do I raise him?”

“You be the wonderful man I have always known,” Gideon reminded him before adding, “And I am always here, Captain when you need to talk.”

He smiled slightly, “Yes, you are Gideon and I am more grateful than you can ever know for that.”