"What's happening?" I ran into the Med Lab with Barry as Ralph was trembling uncontrollably on the bed, Killer Frost and Cisco struggling to keep him held down.

Killer Frost looks up at us, "Give us a hand!-"

"What happened?" Barry questioned as him and I joined, trying our best to hold our friend down.

Cisco looks at us, exhaling deeply, "Ramsey."

"Come on, Coach, we- we still gotta go on that road trip, right?" Killer Frost's voice shook and varied.

Killer Frost stares at Ralph with eyes filled with horror, "He's gonna die."

Barry looks up at her, "Frost, how do we save him?"

"I don't know! I can't fix this." Killer Frost bursts, then steps back, breathing heavily, "Uh, maybe Caitlin can."

Slowly, her hair fades back along with her eyes, Frost disappearing while Caitlin appeared.

"Welcome back." I pushed Ralph's leg down as it kicked up at me, "What do we do?"

Caitlin got right to work, looking at the screen behind her, "Ralph's elastic cells aren't mending like they used to, Ramsey must be getting stronger."

Cisco looks back at her, "So- Ralph can't heal himself?"

"No-" Caitlin faces us and points at Barry, "But, maybe you can."

Barry was confused, "What?"

"Your speed healing is the only thing we've seen that can repair damage this severe." Caitlin came up with a theory, "Maybe if we gave him a blood transfusion, that would fix him."

"What are you saying?" Barry stammers, "I- I could give Ralph my speed healing?"

"Theoretically, temporarily, yes." Caitlin nods, "I don't know, we're sort of in uncharted medical territory here."

Caitlin then adds in, "But- your blood type is O-negative, so you're a universal donor."

I looked between them all in alert, "Whatever it is- just do it before we lose him!"

"Guys, Ralph is elastic." Cisco reminds us, "No needle can puncture through his skin!"

Barry looks up in thought, "I can phase him."

"Will that work?" Cisco looked at Caitlin for confirmation as she nodded, "Do it."

-

I walked into the Med Lab the next morning after just going home to change, seeing Barry asleep on the chair next to Ralph's bed.

He refused to leave his side.

I had changed into a pair of medium ripped skinny jeans, a black cropped t shirt that ended where my jeans began, wearing one of Barry's flannel's overtop, leaving it unbuttoned, my hair straight as I wore a white beanie over it and white sneakers.

I held two coffees, setting mine down as I ran a hand through Barry's hair gently, staring at him admiringly.

Barry's eyes open, sitting up from the slouched position he was in, a small smile on his face when he saw me, then looked at Ralph, "Hey- how is he?"

"He's stable, thanks to you." I handed him the coffee, looking at Ralph as I placed my hands on my hips, "We contacted ARGUS and they're gonna move Ralph to a secure medical facility for recovery."

"Cisco and Caitlin are prepping for transport right now." I told him as he set the coffee down, staring at the ground with a worried expression on his face.

"Hey, don't worry." I noticed the look on his face, "He's gonna pull through, Ralph's a fighter."

"It's not that." Barry whispers quietly, then looked at me, "What if I hadn't been here?"

"Ralph's fight was nothing compared to what's coming." Barry crosses his arms and looked back down, "Crisis is only two days away."

I crouched in front of him, "And we're all ready, I promise."

"Zee, if I haven't prepared the team-" Barry covers covers his face with his hands, sighing deeply.

"You have prepared us, Barry, more than anything." I grabbed his hands and held them, "I know what happened to Ralph put you in some doubt, but don't let it to you."

"You've done the work." I squeezed his hands lightly, "We're ready- for whatever's coming our way."

-

"Drop what you're doing!" Iris chirps when her, Kamilla and I walked into her office where Allegra sat, "The Citizen has a new story."

"I can't believe I agreed to do this on my only day off." I muttered tiredly after being with Barry at Ralph's side all night.

"Oh, relax- I know my dad will give you some extra days off." Iris hit me gently with the photos in her hand, then puts them on her desk for Allegra to see, "Look at these."

Allegra held a newspaper in her arm, hiding it from us as she stared at the photos, "Where did you get these photos?"

"I pulled them from a bow tie camera." Kamilla told her, a proud smile on her lips.

"Long story." Iris interjected, "Look, the point is, this is the same guy that kidnapped your cousin Esperanza and turned her into a meta-assassin against her will."

"One of these photos, this one, shows our mystery man getting out of his car." I said blandly, pointing at the photo and playing with Barry's watch I wore, "I traced his plates and tracked the car to a rented parking space at a nearby lot."

Iris nods, smiling, "So- now all we have to do is to wait for him to show up."

"Cool." Allegra nods, her eyes glued to me, "Just checking, are there any other stories you wanna work on first?"

"What could need our attention more than this?" Iris answers, despite Allegra's eyes on me, "Your cousin was a victim, Allegra, and now some secret organization is using her- I mean, how many others are they using?"

I simply agree, "She's right."

Kamilla nods, "We need to help them."

"Right, I mean, no one wants to find out what happened to Esperanza more than me, but-" Allegra looked at me once more, "Is this really what matters the most to you right now?"

"As I was dragged here against my will, I don't have any other choice at the moment-" I grabbed the photos, "While Iris and Kamilla see if they can recover any other photos- you're stuck with me."

Allegra exhales deeply, "You're the boss."

-

I stood behind the man as he got out of his car, placing my hands on my hips, "Hello."

The man lightly jumps when he turns, seeing me.

"My name is Zee Allen." I introduced myself formally, "I'm a Detective at CCPD, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

"Yeah, right." He eyed me, then walks past me, "Sorry, not interested."

"Hi." Allegra stood in front of him, making him stop, "Same department, same question- she's legit."

If only I knew she was going to eat up how I made her my assistant for the day.

"What the hell's going on here?" He looked between us, "I don't have time for this, I'm late for work."

I clear my throat, placing my hands on my hips as I stood next to Allegra, "Which is where, exactly?"

He walked past us, "None of your business."

"Is that so?" I turned with Allegra as she handed me the folder with the photos in it, "I'm the Citizen would like these photos without any comments."

He stopped, turning to face us, "What photos?"

I opened the folder and showed him, smirking, "I'm sure your employer will love the free exposure."

He sighed and reached into his blazer pocket, "All right, have it your way."

I was quick, Allegra's eyes widening when she watched him, exposing the gun that rested on the holster attached to my jeans, "Easy, I've got a gun."

"And I have a business card." He shot me a look and pulled it out, handing it to me, "Maelstrom Couriers, the premiere name in high-end transport."

I look at him, "Transporting what exactly?"

"Whatever the wealthy would prefer to keep under the radar, specialty items mostly." He told us, "That woman in a coma was a government job."

"Meister's party, well, that was more like designated driving for billionaires falling off the wagon." He patted the case in his hands, "Today, it's priceless family jewels."

Allegra sighs, "You're an Uber for the uberrich."

"What I am- is late." He pointed out.

"My apologies." I sigh, "Sorry to bother you."

"That was a bust." Allegra sighed when we turned away as he walked away, "But- the bright side is, we have time for other stories we might be putting off. Got any in mind?"

It seemed like she was hinting something.

"No, I don't." I looked at her, "But- If my day off is going to be spent doing this- I don't want to move off of this yet."

-

"There must be something that points to where Esperanza was taken- there's always something." I repeatedly clicked my pen, shaking my leg, staring into nothingness, seated in Iris' chair at her office, "Barry did say that there were a lot of shady people at that gala, maybe one of them might be a new lead-"

Allegra trails off, her stare glued to me, "Or we could talk about how your husband is the Flash."

The pen slips from my hands, as I looked up at her with wide eyes, "How did you-"

Allegra confesses, "Nash Wells told me."

"I'm gonna kick his ass-" I got up, then looked at her, "But, before I do- is this the story that you've been trying to tell?"

When she doesn't reply, I pinch the bridge of my nose, "Allegra, Barry's identity- you can't expose him- that's the point of having a secret identity-"

"No, not that." Allegra stops me and clicks a key on Iris' laptop, revealing the article that was unwritten, "This."

I stare at the screen, my mouth opened, not knowing what to say.

"I know you told Iris to hold off on writing this until you said to." Allegra called me out quietly, then sighed, "You've been avoiding it all day."

I stepped back and turned my back to her, shaking my head, "It's not time for that yet."

Allegra set the computer to the side, "Well, according to this, it will be in two days, and call it a hunch, but I don't think you're planning on letting her write it then either."

I don't reply.

"I ever tell you why I wanted to be a reporter in the first place?" Allegra questioned, "It was because of your article about the Streak- when you first became a reporter at CCPN."

I looked at her, small tears filling my eyes, "Back then, I didn't even know my best friend was under the mask."

"And back then, I was just a troubled kid in Iron Heights, but your article, it made me believe in the impossible, that maybe someday I could be like you, chasing stories, uncovering the truth." Allegra stepped closer, "I looked up to you, because you gave me hope when I had none."

A tear fell from my eye.

"I don't know how you're gonna bring yourself to let her write this article." Allegra began, "I just know- you're never going to forgive yourself if you don't."

-

"Thought you all would want to see this." Joe slips his hands into his pocket and sighs deeply as we stood at the crime scene later that night.

Kamilla snapped some photos as Joe stood in front of me, "Witnesses heard the explosion but didn't see much else."

"And there's no evidence that someone was here?" I placed my hands on my hips, "There's so many cameras on this lot alone."

"And not one of them caught anyone entering or exiting the scene when this all went down." Joe exhales deeply before walking away, "It's like a ghost did this."

Kamilla looks between Allegra and I, "So- the guy you questioned was killed in the same lot you questioned him on the same day."

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, "Yeah."

Allegra inhales sharply, "It gets worse."

"This blew away from the scene." Allegra held up what looked like a pin, "I thought about turning it in to the cops, but I only saw it because there's some major UV energy coming off this thing."

Iris looks at her, "You can see that?"

Allegra looks at me, trailing off discreetly, "Boss, this really feels like a job for your husband's friend."

"Don't even bother." I mutter tiredly and cross my arms, "Iris and Kamilla know Barry's the Flash."

"Seriously?" Allegra was slightly offended but didn't care as much, "Since when?"

Iris shrugs, "For a while."

"Last summer." Kamilla shrugs also, "Cisco used to be Vibe."

"Apparently, this mystery goes a lot deeper than we thought." I exhale deeply, "And it's a lot more dangerous."

"I could take it up on my own and get you the info for your paper," I began, "If you guys wanna walk away-"

Allegra cut me off, "Not a chance."

"That makes two of us." Kamilla sides with her.

Iris nods, "Three."

-

"Barry?" I ran into the cortex, pulling off my beanie and placing it on the desk as I rushed over to the desk he stood behind, "Oh my god- are you okay?"

Barry's voice was monotone, as he doesn't even look up at me, "Oh, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner-" I apologized, staring at my husband who hadn't bother to even glance at me, "I was caught up on a lead- but, the minute I got Cisco's text- I dropped everything and came as fast as I could."

Killer Frost looks at me, "You flew here?"

"Yeah." I nod, catching my breath.

Barry's answer was simple, still not making eye contact with me, "Really, I'm okay."

I looked back at Cisco and Killer Frost in confusion as he speaks, clearing the air, "Your husband had an infection- it messed with his brain quite a bit, but we handled it."

"Well, I'm not going to leave your side for the rest of the night." I walked around the desk and stood next to Barry, looking at him for some sort of reaction.

He doesn't react.

I clear my throat, "What you working on?"

Barry continues to type, "Just running some diagnostics, little maintenance."

"Why don't you ask Cisco?" I suggest, "After the day you've had, you need to get some rest- and I mean, we could spend some time together."

Barry looks at me for the first time since I've arrived, but there was something in his eyes that stroke an unsettling feeling in me, "Why are you asking so many questions?"

This wasn't Barry.

"I'm a Detective- I guess, I didn't turn off that switch yet." I played it off, then stepped back, "I will let you get back to work."

Barry doesn't do anything, as I slowly walked away from him and toward Cisco and Killer Frost, standing in front of the console.

"Guys." My voice came out as a whisper, catching their attention, "That's not Barry."

Cisco and Killer Frost were suddenly suspicious as well, as they slowly walked around the console and came by my side.

Barry's back was to us as he held a tablet in his hands, making the fear intensify in my chest.

"Hey, Barry." Cisco stepped up for us, slowly inching closer to him, as Barry goes still and doesn't reply.

"Hey- Barry." Cisco repeats and puts a hand on his shoulder, but pulls back immediately when Barry suddenly turns in a growl, his eyes gone all black, his mouth stained with it also.

Ramsey.

Before any of us could react, Barry ran through us, his lightening laced black, sending us all flying and out cold.

the black lightening was such a good fit for that scene, like oh my

and when barry was screaming at the speedforce and blaming it for all his pain and suffering? that scene was literally art.

grant gustin really shooked us with his acting

literally, my wig has flown to antarctica

anyway, go read skinny love !!!

and thank you for 134k !!!

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