Only Because I Need You

Paternal Reunion

Savitar slowly felt himself return to the world of the awake. He groggily peeled open his eyes. Metal. That was all he could see, grey, shiny metal. He felt his chest deflate. The familiar smell of musty air and oil filtered through his nose. He knew without a doubt that he was in the pipeline once again. He could feel the warmth of the cuff that encased his wrist. A groan escaped his lips, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. A sharp pain flared across his stomach, causing him to screw up his face. He gingerly pulled up his shirt, only to be confronted by layers of bandages. He dropped his shirt back down and rolled his eyes. He could only wonder what lay beneath.

His bleary eyes scanned the room. He believed he was in the exact same cell, but he couldn't be too sure. They all looked the same. He swung his legs down from the top of the creaky bed he had been placed upon. He felt a slight pang of pain as all his blood rushed to his head. His throat felt dry and unused. He was willing to bet he had been unconscious for a few days at least. He narrowed his eyes, scanning his brain desperately to try and remember what happened. Fragments of his memory remained embedded in his mind, but little else. He remembered Caitlin asking him for help, to which he had begrudgingly agreed to to do. He also remembered running around the tornado with Barry, watching it slowly unwind, but aside from that he could only remember panic and pain. A lot of pain. He could remember a fear so strong he was choking on it. That was all.

He ground down on his teeth. He had helped them and look where that got him. He was once more thrown into the pipeline to be locked away forever. He leant on his knees, placing his head in his hands. A slight pain developed in his temple. He had helped them and it was all for nothing. He hadn't even had the chance to escape. Why hadn't he had the chance to escape? He raked his mind for memories, emotions, anything, but he came up dry. He huffed. His efforts had been in vein. Of course they had. It seemed to him, that everything he did was in vein, that he would have no reason to continue fighting because he was constantly knocked back. He shook his head violently as though he could shake those very thoughts from his skull. No, he could not give up. Throwing in the towel was for the weak and he was not weak. He would make Barry Allen suffer, even if it meant Iris West had to die.

Caitlin fidgeted with her fingers. She bit down on her lip, taking in deep breaths to calm herself. The Cortex was unusually quiet. Cisco and suited up Barry were sitting beside her, behind the main desk in the cortex. Not a word was uttered between them. Caitlin felt her stomach tickle. She sat back in her chair. Why was she nervous? She had no reason to be nervous. Cisco was tapping away at his keyboard, finding things to occupy his attention no doubt. The Flash on the other hand, he was running his fingers along the inside of his cowl. His lips were pressed together and he was slowly rocking himself back and forth in his chair.

Caitlin pulled her eyes away from the pair. They had not spent any time together in too long. They needed to do something fun together. Perhaps karaoke? No definitely not. She had a fuzzy memory of the last time she tried karaoke, and it did not end well. Maybe she could convince them to see a movie with her. Then again, that wasn't really spending quality time with one another, it was just staring at a screen in the presence of others. Then she had a stroke of genius. They had never visited a theme park together. It was perfect. It was fun, engaging and they were spending quality time with each other, "um, hello?" A gruff voice cut through her musings.

She turned to the main entrance. There he was, Captain Kirkland. His skin was more sun kissed than Caitlin remembered from the photos, but it was definitely the same man. He was not wearing his uniform, instead he was wearing more informal attire. His blonde hair was slicked backwards and he wore a crooked grin, but it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes wore a different expression all together. They were sunken and weary. They were the eyes of a man who had experienced loss on a scale grander than most, "hi , thanks for coming," Caitlin jumped up from her seat to run and greet the man. Her co-workers stood as well, Cisco even gave the Captain a slight wave.

"Not a problem," he told her back, his voice was like crackling velvet. She shook his hand, he had a strong grip and his hands were weathered and torn. He had seen his fair share of work. She invited him further into the Lab, to which he warily followed him, "may I ask to what I owe this pleasure?" He raised an eyebrow, but his warm smile never left his face.

"Well, Captain, that is something you have to see to believe," the Flash told him. The Captain's eyes flicked over to the scarlet speedster. For a moment they seemed to brighten, but Caitlin swore it was just the lighting.

The man raised his eyebrows, "do proceed," he gestured with one hand for them to continue talking.

"Your wife and son went missing a few years ago when the particle accelerator exploded," Cisco added abruptly, a shadow passed over the Captains face, but he said nothing, "Well we found your son, but he is a bit different from what you might remember,"

The Captain's eyebrows raised further, his mouth hung slightly open, "you found Sonny?" His voice cracked with emotion. Caitlin felt for the man, he had spent years believing his beloved son and wife were dead, only to be called upon by some people he had never met who were telling him that in fact his son was alive.

"Yes, we did," The Flash assured him. A small smile had begun to wriggle its way across the Flashes features. Caitlin could see it, even if it was concealed by his mask.

"Is he Okay? Where is he?" The man's eyes scanned the room, his face was split with shock but stitched together by joy.

"He is fine, and he will physically look no different from when you last saw him but he is now a meta human," Caitlin explained, the man's eyes landed on her. She could feel a smile of her own warming up her features, "he has the ability to control both time and space now,"

"I see," the Captain murmured, "but he is still Sonny, yes?" His eyes glitter with hope.

"He is, but we have to ask if we can keep him in the facilities until we know the extent of his power. His powers could potentially have disastrous effects if used incorrectly," Barry explained.

The Captain was silent for a moment, his smile crept slightly lower on his face. He nodded his head and a whoosh of air escaped his lips, "that's quite alright, as long as he is safe,"

There was a rush of air in the Lab, and before Caitlin knew what had happened, Sonny was standing in front of his father. The small boy looked around in slight panic and confusion. His big round eyes scanned his surroundings before landing on the Captain. His eyes widened, "Dad?" He squeaked. The Captain, who was slightly dazed himself, nodded his head. His eyes glitter softly. He knelt down to Sonny's level, not uttering a word, and pulled the small boy into his chest. Caitlin felt emotion prick her eyes. Moments like that were the very reason she loved her job.