"Awh man." I huff, throwing out another burnt pancake, setting the batter on the pan once more, placing two pieces of bread in the toaster, cutting up fruits and berries.

I hum along to my music quietly, the smell of Jitters coffee overpowering the burning smell of the toast.

Suddenly, the smoke alarm goes off, causing me to gasp and runs towards the toast, and for me to slip on water right after I grab the plate, falling right into my ass, the toaster flinging the two pieces of bread up, both pieces landing on the surface of the plate I held, as I held it with both hands, looking down at the food in disappointment.

"What are you doing?" Nora's voice catches me off guard, as I sigh knowing that soon, Barry would come down too.

I huff in defeat, standing up straight, putting down the plate with toast on it, grabbing an empty one, putting the pancakes on the plate, "Well, I'm trying to make breakfast- and usually- Barry's the one doing stuff around the kitchen because I have only ever used boxed meals- but- today I decided to actually give it a whirl and make breakfast for everyone- just go back to bed."

Nora chuckles, "Like I could go to sleep after the smell of Jitters coffee."

Nora starts to pour herself some coffee, looking around at the mess I had made, "So, uh, I see you still know your way around the kitchen."

"What's happening?" Barry's voice fills my ears, as I looked up, his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, his hair slightly a mess from just waking up, a slightly tired but awake look on his face.

"Uh, hey, babe." I greet him, placing the plates of food on the dinner table.

"Good morning." A confused expression crosses Barry's face, noticing the huge mess.

"Um, I was thinking that we could have breakfast together." I looked at him, "Right? Like a family."

"I love it." Barry's lips form into a wide smile, his teeth shining between his lips, "Do you need any help?"

"No, no." I shook my head, "You guys just sit."

"Okay." Barry trailed off, as we all sat at the dinner table, "What do we have here?"

"Well- those are pancakes- and then there's some toast- and you know-" I trail off, "Well, the batter kind of got away from me, and the pancakes look deformed- but I mean- you can tell right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Barry nods, just happy to see that I tried, "I totally see it, yeah."

Nora positions her phone over the pancakes, snapping photos of it, catching my attention, "What are you doing?"

"Uh, I am just getting evidence that you make lumpy pancakes in every time period." Nora looks up at me.

Barry clears his throat, cutting into the pancake, "Let's try it out."

He places the bite into his mouth, the sound of crunching coming from him, as his expression changes instantly, only to switch back into happy when I looked at him, as he tried his best to force it down, "Mmm. Lumpy, but delicious."

I shot him a look, not buying it, slowly slipping my orange juice, then holding the glass, "Really?"

"Yeah- oh- whoa-" Barry pretended to be very pleased with the food, immediately washing the burnt pancake down with orange juice, the smile not leaving his lips, his expression over the top to keep me satisfied.

Barry continued to eat the pancakes, my attention now elsewhere, "When did you get a phone?"

"Uh, Dad got it for me a couple days ago." Nora simply told me.

"Mm-hmm." Barry forcefully swallowed, a smile on his face, his eyes landing on my expression that remained the same, confused and straight.

Barry's eyes widen, starting to quickly explain himself because they had left me out of it, putting another bite of the pancake in his mouth, mid-chewing, "Nora suggested it. I mean, I thought it was a great idea. We're always in and out of Star Labs, so I just- you know, it'd be easier to text and call."

"Yeah, Yeah- totally." I nod, looking down at the food I hadn't touched yet.

"You guys excited to cheer me on at the charity softball game?" Barry smiles at us.

"Softball, schway." Nora laughs lightly.

"I just hope- I don't get stuck in right field this year." Barry sips his orange juice.

"You, uh, gave your number out already?" I asked Nora.

"Yeah, just to the team and Sherloque." Nora nods, "Actually, this text message, I think, is from him."

"I don't think he's much of a texter." Barry shrugs.

"No-" Nora shakes her head with a chuckle, "He, uh, wants us to come to Star Labs, I'm gonna go get ready."

"You haven't had anything to eat yet." I looked at her once she got up.

"I'm not really a breakfast person." Nora says, leaving Barry and I at the dinner table.

I sigh in defeat, slouching in my seat, "You know, I thought having her here, we would finally have a chance to connect, but it's like every time we take a half-step forward, we end up taking six steps back."

"I-I mean, don't give up." Barry weakly smiles at me, "She'll come around. I have a feeling."

"Yeah- I guess so." I sat up, cutting into the pancake, finally taking a bite of the pancake, Barry staring at me, slowly sipping his juice.

I cringe at the taste, letting the food sit in the side of my mouth, "Well, not if I keep making food like that."

"Hey, no, this really is good." Barry quickly sat up, "It is. I mean, it's a little, like- dark, but It's really good."

"Oh my god- you poor thing." I looked at him, a pout on my lips, not getting myself to swallow the bite, grabbing his hand, "You sat here and ate your entire plate-"

"No, Zee- I'm serious- this was really- good-" Barry held my hand, looking at me.

"Really?" I stare at him, not buying it.

"Yeah-" Barry stammers.

"No- stop-" My pointer finger comes forward as I pointed right at him, my chin resting on my arm, "I'm not going to listen to you lie to me any longer."

"Zee-" Barry began, "It was good- it really- filled me up-"

"You lost your appetite because of how bad it was-" I pout, sitting up, "You know what, next time, I'm just gonna have you make the breakfast- I'm such a disappointment in the cooking department."

"Yeah, maybe that's for the best-" Barry mutters, causing my jaw to drop, my hand hitting his arm instantly.

"I was kidding-" Barry lets out a small chuckle, kissing my hand, "Don't hit me again, please-"

"I knew the food sucked-" I pout, my entire tone changing as if I was a five year old, my eyes scanning the food, the non chewed bite still sitting at the side of my mouth.

"Babe, it was really good-" Barry began to try and convince me otherwise once more.

"It's fine- I'm going to make you a banana." I let go of his hand, standing up, grabbing our plates.

"You're going to make me a banana?" Barry questioned, looking at me in confused, a small smile on his face indicating that he thought I was cute.

"I'm going to make you a banana." I told him, marching towards the kitchen.

"Thanks." Barry calls out after me, a small laugh following.

-

I walked into Star Labs a little while after Barry, dressed in a long sleeve white shirt that was tucked into black jeans, my legs warm as ever due to how hot it was outside, my legs exposed due to the amount of rips in my jeans, my hair straight, Barry's watch on my wrist, white slip on vans on my feet, as I held a small bag, a cinnamon bun resting in the paper bag that I had gotten from Jitters.

I walked over to Barry, holding up the bag, a small pout on my lips, "I got this for you because of the sucky breakfast you had this morning."

Barry smiles, kissing my head, taking the bag from me, wrapping an arm around me, everyone attention diverted towards Sherloque Wells.

"Wait, no, I asked for everyone." Sherloque points out, "Where is the little, uh-"

Barry chuckles, "Cisco is laying low at his parents' house while he heals up."

"Well, that's not very brave on his part." Sherloque says, "I will have a conversation with him next time I see him."

"So, Team Flash." Sherloque began, "How will this handsome, master detective of all the multiverse, Sherloque Wells, pay off his debt to us and catch this homicidal maniac together? Well, we'll begin by asking ourselves a few obvious questions. How he became a meta-human?"

"Well, power manifestation varies." Caitlin interrupts, "The particle accelerator-"

"I don't think we're interrupting Sherloque, right?" Sherloque stops her, "Sure, but you bring up a good point, Dr. Snow. What do we know so far about this Cicada?"

"Well, we know that he's killed two people and almost a third." I started, crossing my arms.

"Exactly right." Sherloque wrote on the clear board, "If I could gently be a little more specific, not just people, right? Meta-humans."

"Also, Joe said he got the feeling that Cicada's a dad." Barry continued for me.

"Right." Sherloque nods, writing, "Cicada parent."

"His dagger dampens powers." Nora stares, finishing for us.

"Not just dampens the powers, right?" Sherloque spoke, "He commands this dagger, right? It is like an extension of himself."

"Maybe they acquired their powers at the same time." Caitlin suggests.

"Yes, very good, Dr. Snow. So, acquired powers together." He nods, "So there we are, Team Flash. Very simple. We unravel this puzzle, and we have a pathway to tracking Cicada."

"Cool, or we just answer a much more basic question, like what's up with his weird mask?" Ralph finally spoke up.

"Huh?" The sound instantly falls out of my mouth, looking at him, "The mask conceals his identity. That's what it's for."

"What I'm suggesting is, if we find out what the mask is for, we'll find out the man underneath much faster." Ralph sets out his pitch.

"I mean- that's a pretty good idea-" I began.

Sherloque cuts me off, "37 times I have caught Cicada, right? And not once was this mask angle very useful, right?"

"But- I mean, if we can find the company that has a requirement to wear those masks- we can cancel out chances of other people being Cicada." I backed Ralph up, "You guys should give it a shot."

"You know what? The more hours I bill you, the less money I owe you." Sherloque sips his tea, "So, if you want to spend your hours pursuing the mask angle, well, then be my guest."

"Okay, great." I nod, "Sounds like a plan."

"We got to get going." Barry grabs my hand, handing me the bag that held the cinnamon bun in it, shooting Sherloque a thumbs up, Nora following us, "Good stuff."

"I hope you score a touchdown." Sherloque sips his tea.

Barry chuckles, as we made our way out, "It's softball."

"Ah, score a basket." He calls out after us, causing me to let out a fit of giggles.

-

"Wow." I gape at the other team as we stood out in the hot day, I leaning against the fence, eating some cut up watermelon, looking at Barry who was crouched down in front of me, playing with his glove.

"Look at these guys." Barry stood up, "They think they're so much better than us."

"Because they are, Bar." I lightly giggle, "I mean, without Captain Singh or Joe- you guys are pretty much screwed."

Barry turns towards me, pouting, "It's not fair that you're faking a sprained ankle just so you don't have to play."

"Softball- just isn't my thing, babe." I smile innocently, picking at another piece of watermelon that sat in the foam cup in my hand, the piece butchered by the fork, as I placed it into my mouth.

"So- you can fight evil metas, along with super villains and be a complete badass on the field but- you can't play sports?" Barry asks me, "Come on, you were such a better sport in high school."

"Hey-" I point at him with my fork that held another piece of watermelon on it, "Fighting crime is already exhausting."

"Fighting crime is already exhausting." Barry mocks me, leaning over, stealing the piece of watermelon from me, eating it.

"I'll be cheering for you on the sidelines." I smile innocently, winking at him, picking at my watermelon again.

"I know you will." Barry exhales, his eyes scanning the field, "Huh."

"Huh, what?" I ask, looking in the direction he was looking in.

"Jonesy isn't here yet." Barry takes notice, "Hey, Detective Rowell, what do you think? Maybe third base for me?"

"Right field, Allen." Detective Rowell told him.

"Babe, I love you, but leave the hot corner to someone who can actually field a ball, okay?" I told him, feeding him another piece of watermelon.

"Play ball!" Someone from the field yells, Barry looking at me with a pout.

"Come on." Barry huffs, giving me a kiss, then slowly starting to walk towards where he was supposed to be in position.

"Good luck!" I call out, "You're going to nail it."

"Right field. Not the hot corner, but-" Barry stands in position, looking around, "Guys, come on!"

I sat down with the others, eating my fruit, watching Barry play, laughs leaving our lips every now and then.

"Wow, he really is slow." Cecile laughs, watching.

"Yeah, Papa Joe told me all the stories about what an awful athlete Dad was growing up." Note recalls.

"Well, believe me, they're true." I sip my drink, "I swear- gym class was the death of him."

"Let's just be grateful that he has coordination - when it counts." Caitlin laughs lightly.

Nora's phone buzzes and chimes, her attention instantly diverted towards her phone screen, causing Cecile to speak up, "Hey, what is that, Nora?"

"There is this really great app called Spyn Zone." Nora plugged in, "The push notifications let you know the second anything happens in the city."

"Like Iris' Website?" I question, looking over her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah, kind of." Nora shrugs, "It's just a lot more up to date than that, and it's, like It's really cool. This girl's, like, really in the know."

"Oh-" I looked up from the phone screen, "Spencer Young. I know her."

"Really?" Caitlin questioned.

"Yeah, I see her all the time working on her laptop at Jitters." I nod, "She actually was a junior reporter at CCPN when I worked there, everyone thought we were related because of the last names and man was that annoying- but either way, she didn't last very long."

"Why not?" Cecile asked.

"Well, she wanted to be famous and make a name for herself, but she didn't care how it happened." I roll my eyes, sipping my drink.

"Well, I think she's cute." Nora shrugs.

"Yeah, I mean, she may be cute, but she's never fact-checked a thing a day in her life." I mutter, putting down my drink.

"She's doing something right, she has three times as many followers as Aunt Iris does on her blog, so-" Nora shrugs, getting up, walking away, calling out to us, "I'm gonna go get something to eat."

"Geez-" I stole some popcorn from Cecile, a small laugh coming from Caitlin and Cecile.

"Cecile? What's wrong?" I look down at Cecile as she was staring at Jonesy as he walked onto the field.

"Something's not right." Cecile says quietly, "Something's not right."

Barry was now out of focused and staring at Jonesy as she walked onto the field, Cecile standing up quickly, "Hey, somebody stop him!"

"Everybody move!" Barry instantly yells right after her, people staring to scream, Nora running in, in her suit, grabbing the bag from Jonesy, tossing it into the air, a bomb exploding, three cops grabbing onto Jonesy instantly.

Barry rushes over to Nora, Nora looking confused as ever, Jonesy being held by three cops.

Eventually, we all gathered, sounds of sirens filling the streets, as I was stood with Caitlin and Nora.

"Bomb squad finished their sweep." Barry comes over to us, "They said it's all clear."

"Nora, how did you know what was happening?" I question, my arms crossed, as I was stood with Nora, Barry and Caitlin.

"I don't know." Nora stutters, "One minute I was going to get food, and the next I was in the outfield with Dad."

"And you don't remember anything else?" I ask her, her phone chiming, her attention falling into her phone screen, "What's that?"

"A notification from Spyn Zone." Nora reads.

"Already? That was fast." I look between everyone.

"Allen, CSI time." Detective Rowell calls for him.

"Uh, we're up." Barry looks at us, "We'll meet you back at Star Labs- as soon as we can."

"Yeah." I nod, kicking my boot in the sand, Barry and Nora walking over to the scene.

"Trouble with the boot?" Caitlin laughs at me.

"I can't wait til we get back to Star Labs so I can take this off-" I groan.

-

"Spencer?" I call out politely, walking over to her in Jitters, as she was seated at a table on her laptop.

"Zee Young, wow. Long time." Spencer chuckles, staring at her with slight wide eyes in shock that I even came over to talk to her.

I clear my throat, glancing at the ground, "Actually, it's Allen now."

"Married that CSI guy you were dating, huh? Got hitched with that cute CSI. All right, all right." Spencer teases, "How are you?"

"Uh, yeah." I nod, "Good- I'm doing- good."

"Any kids yet?" Spencer questioned, typing away on her phone.

"Um, no- no." I shook my head, looking at her.

"You know, I followed your lead." Spencer packed her things, "Started my own blog, left CCPN. Metas are clickbait right now, right?"

"Yes, which is why I wanted to talk to you, actually, off the record, of course." I followed her as she walked.

"Yeah, for sure." Spencer said, "What's up?"

"So, uh, recently a really good friend of mine found a source who thinks that metas are being targeted." I began.

"Ooh, juicy." Spencer comments, "Who?"

"Well, no one knows, not even CCPD." I went on, "But these metas, including speedsters like The Flash and XS, they are all in danger."

"XS." Spencer stopped, "That new lady speedster has a code name."

She gasps, "Oh, like her size! Right, extra small. Did you coin that?"

"No, no." I roll my eyes, "Look, the point is, writing articles about XS could make her a target."

"Or it could make her famous." Spencer reasons, "I mean, people are already obsessed with her and my app even more. Besides, a little threat never stopped you from writing about The Flash back in the day."

"That was different." I stare at her.

"Because it was your blog?" She questioned, "What do as I say, not as I do?"

"Look, stop, okay?" I told her, "Before someone gets hurt."

"The only one who's going to get hurt is you if you get in my way." Spencer looked at me dead in the eye, before turning, walking out of Jitters, leaving me speechless.

-

We had figured Spencer was behind all of the crisis that's been going on. Considering, a fire had emerged at CCPN, Barry somehow ending up in Vegas, I walking Nora through the whole mission on my own, which was successful, Spencer coming out with an article about it, seconds later.

Now, Barry and I sat in the Star Labs van, outside Jitters, as we had sent Nora inside, with the watch that could detect who a meta human was and who wasn't, one Harry Wells built, and comms in her ears, so Barry and I could guide her.

"All you need to do is get within five feet of her, hit the button, in and out." I instruct.

"I know!" She snips, shutting me up instantly, walking in.

I turn off the comms, sighing, "You see what I mean? Half-step forward, six steps back?"