The Speedster and the Telekinetic

25

Iris had called me today and told me that she had broke the news to her dad about Wally, and from what she told me, Joe was devastated to find out about his unknown son. Barry went to go talk to him in the pipeline and I stayed behind with Caitlin, Cisco, and Jay. Soon, Barry comes up and walks over to me and I look at him with concern. "Is Joe ok?" I ask him and he nods. "He's kind of ok about it. He blames himself for not being there for Wally because he grew up without a dad." Barry tells me and I fold my arms as I frown. "But it's not his fault. Francine made that decision to keep Wally a secret from Joe." I say with a shrug and Barry nods. "He was telling me the story about the time Iris' appendix burst, remember that day?" Barry asks and I nod. "How could I not remember? Watching one of your best friends being rolled away into an ambulance. The second time I watched that it was after you were struck by lightning." I say and Barry nods. "Yeah. Well, he said about a drug bust that him and Singh made about 10 years ago. He said that after that, they went for a steak lunch for a job well done and as they were ordering, his got this feeling in his chest, like his heart was being squeezed." Barry says and I nod.

"He knew something wasn't right. His paternal instincts were acting up." I say and Barry nods then continues with the explanation.

"He said that he called our school and the nurse said that she was just about to call him to tell him that Iris was headed to the hospital. He said that he knew it. That he could feel it in his heart."

"It's natural for a parent to feel that way for their kid. Remember when I twisted my ankle during PE sophomore year?" I ask Barry and he nods. "After my x-rays were taken, and I was waiting for the doctors to tell me the news, my dad said that he felt like something happened while he was working. When they said it was a fracture my dad was really worried and I had to do physical therapy, but it was just a little piece of bone that was fractured off the ankle with my tendon. It hurt like hell, but my dad was really worried that he would baby me, remember?"

"Yeah. I'd always help you upstairs and downstairs because you were scared to use your crutches on the stairs." he says.

"Yeah. But what I'm trying to say is that, he was just a concerned dad. Joe may blame himself for not knowing about Wally and not being there for him, but he's been there for Iris, and that's all that matters, right?"

"That's kind of what I told him." he says with a smirk and I smile.

"Great minds think alike."

"Great "couples" think alike." he corrects me and laugh as he wraps his arms around me and kisses me.

Soon the others walk in and the screen turns to static and we hear singing. "Flashy the red-nosed Speedster had a very shiny suit. And if you ever saw him you would see a birdie, too." Jesse sings as he appears on the screen and I turn to Barry who looks at me and we both look back at the screen. "Merry Christmas, kiddywinks! I'm back." he starts to say and I furrow my brows as I stare at the screen remembering the last time Barry and I dealt with him. "Citizens, you know, the holidays can be a time for gentle reflection on the year past, our ups and downs, our triumphs and heartaches, but don't forget, they can also be a time for disemboweling our enemies." he says and I glare at the screen. "We don't have a Trickster on Earth-2." Jay says as Jesse keeps talking. "Lucky you." I say to him as I keep my eyes glued to the screen. "No. My stocking won't be completely stuffed until it's filled to the brim with bloody Flash parts. What do you say, speed freak? You and your little birdie wanna roast chestnuts?" Jesse says and I fold my arms and tighten my grip on my arms. "I can't believe we have to deal with this psychopath again, and on Christmas. Not only that, but he's with Mardon, too." I say and really irritated at the fact.

"Are there any clues as to where he is based on the video?" Barry asks.

"None that I can see." Cisco says walking up to the computer to analyze the footage.