Within Seconds // Barry Allen

Out/In the Circle

With his speed in mind, Barry had suggested he run through the entire city.

Cisco disagreed, saying a very scientific sentence that basically meant it would take a long time, and it would be faster to set the S.T.A.R. Labs computers on the task.

Barry ran into the Cortex, changed, and came to a stop in front of the computer desks.

His mouth didn't open, but by his grief struck eyes, Parker got the message. He needed her.

"Mute the jail microphones," Parker whispered, low-key to Cisco as she stood.

Barry grabbed her hand and she tugged him along to their meta-human jail.

Parker plopped down onto the platform, facing the wall. Barry sat opposite from her. He grabbed her hips and nuzzled his head into her neck, tightly engulfing her.

Parker's arms wrapped around his shoulders, stroking the nape of his neck soothingly. Her eyes were closed, clearly not the only one enjoying the comfort.

"Are you crying because of Wells or because of your dad?" she mumbled.

It was a silent surrounding, and she tried not to raise her voice too loud. Barry did the same.

"Both."

Parker breathed a deep sigh into his shoulders, eyes slowly shutting. She felt his pain, on a different, less personal level than he did, but it was there.

Parker was just as frustrated with the entire Dr.Wells/Reverse-Flash mystery. The whole thing had a big WTF stamped on it.

Unlike she normally would, she didn't give up easily on the challenge. It was a mystery that needed to be figured out, in order to save lives. That couldn't be given up on.

Shoes clicked against the floor. The door to the Accelerator slid open, allowing Joe West to join the couple. By the look on his face, he knew the news already.

Barry held his head up to see who arrived. He broke from Parker's embrace, sliding his knees back to rest his elbows on them.

He looked to Joe, hopeful. "Do you think my dad is still alive?"

"Of course," Joe instantly answered. "The Trickster took your Pops as leverage. He might be crazy, but he's not stupid. Everyone upstairs is looking to find him."

"So, I'm just supposed to leave my father's fate in the hands of a man who may have had something to do with my mother's murder."

Parker tilted her head, ensuring him the answer he didn't want. She understood his hesitation, she couldn't fix it. Nobody could, or not yet, at least.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Barry snapped. "Wells is a murderer, but he's helping me. Why has he helped me catch so many criminals? Or saved Ronnie? Why didn't I see this?"

Joe shrugged. "I spent a tenth of as much time with him, and he almost had me believing him."

"Almost," Barry repeated, dropping his head in shame.

"Whatever he is.. Whatever he wants.. he's still Harrison Wells. You love science, he is science-- it's like you made best friends with Einstein."

"You're saying I wanted to be tricked."

"I like to think you were blinded by your admiration for him," Parker explained.

"You have always been the person who scouted for the best in people. I've been a cop for twenty five years, all I can see are the lies, the thoughts that people think I don't see.. I wish I could be you. As fast as you are, that's your real power. Don't let Wells take that from you.
Look, I don't know why he's helping us. All that matters is that he is."