Every Breath You Take

7

He didn't like how his ancestor's doubts would affect Carrie's self-confidence. He couldn't afford to have her doubt herself and her abilities. It would throw off his plans!

...he also wanted to go and find Danton Black and kill him for touching what was his; accidental grab during a free-for-all brawl or not, Carrie was his.

Stagg was still speaking with Joe when 'Harrison' arrived. And he couldn't help but clap sarcastically at Stagg's bold proclamation of hoping Black came by now that he had doubled his security force.

"Spoken like a true philanthropist. Or humanitarian," he said as he wheeled his chair over to where the two men stood. "I have difficulty remembering what you are pretending to be, Simon."

"Harrison," Stagg's lips curled down in distaste. The elevator behind him dinged its arrival and the 'humanitarian' held out a hand in his directions. "No, no... Don't get up."

"Ha-ha," he mocked, watching as Stagg entered the elevator.

Once those doors closed, he turned sharp eyes to his ancestor, who was looking at him with an arched brow and pointing at the closed elevator doors. "Another fan of yours? Doctor?"

"Hardly," he snorted. "Can we talk, Detective?"

As they moved away, Joe stripped off his suit coat. "So you were right. Carrie's not the only one who's special. This guy that tried to kill Simon Stagg today, he---"

"---spontaneously replicated." he glanced up at Joe, catching the detective's surprised look. "Yeah, we know. Carrie told us."

They came to a stop by Joe's desk and Joe looked at him. "...did you know about Carrie?" Joe sat on the corner of his desk and Eobard had a feeling of being subtly interrogated. "When she was in her coma and you came to ask me about taking her to STAR Labs? Did you know what she could do?"

He made a soft laugh and leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. "I has some suspicions she might have been....affected."

"Mmmhmm," the hum just vibrated with suspicion as Joe fiddled with the buttons on his sleeve-cuff.

He dropped his hands from behind his hand, leaning on the arm rest of his chair, doing his best radiate truthfulness and earnestness. "Joe, I was never looking to become the senior member of a secret crime fighting unit." he pointed between Joe and himself, "But you and I both know, that with what's going on, with STAR Labs helping her she might be the best – the only – chance this city has right now."

"I'm more interested in protecting my daughters," Joe frowned at him as he picked up a metallic ball paperweight from one of the neighboring desks, inspecting it. "But right now Carrie's more interested to fly herself into the fire right along side you."

"No she's not," he replied, setting the paperweight back. "Not any more. She's quit."

He looked at Joe, taking in the stunned expression. "She didn't tell you?"

"...no, I haven't seen her since she threw me out to take on Black by herself," Joe admitted.

"I'm sure its only temporary," he replied. "From what I've seen that girl can be all sorts of surprisingly stubborn concerning the things she's set her mind too and no one can talk her out of it...but the next time she does suit up...Fsssh!" he thrust a hand forward, mimicking Carrie's speeding charge. "She'll run headlong into danger and she will fail. Why? She doesn't think she's capable. Doubt...doubt is her true enemy, Joe. Not whatever is lurking out there. And as long as you doubt her, she will doubt herself." He backed his chair up and added, twisting the knife just so: "And for the record? I happen to care a great deal about her too."

As he guided his chair away, he fought to keep the grin off his face.

-----

-----

Oh the look of surprised disgust on Stagg's face when he turned around the see the 'cripple' sitting there in his office doorway....

"Wells? Who the hell let you in here?"

"You having a party out there?" he asked sardonically.

"I'm sure you saw the news – former employee of mine tried to kill him," Stagg said with a snort, picking up his glass of bourbon, taking a sip of it.

"A former employee with the ability to replicate," he corrected and his lips quirked. "Who faced off against a person with super-speed."

There was something in Stagg's eyes that made his back teeth grind.

"You've seen him too, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have."

"Extraordinary," Stagg breathed as he rose to his feet, circling around his desk as he approached the 'cripple' in the wheelchair. "The power that man possesses...its like the gods of old. Mercury on earth! Could you imagine what it would be like to control that sort of power?"

Oh he could. Because he was. Not just Carrie's power but his own. Stagg was still rambling on though. Rambling about wanting to harness Carrie's abilities.

"---the man in the red mask is the key," Stagg told him. "And I'm going to get him."

Eobard took off the glasses that were part of his identity as Harrison Wells, "Its not a man in a red mask."

Stagg looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Her name is the Flash. Or at least, she will be one day."

He rose up from that chair, much to Stagg's growing disbelief.

"What the hell?!" he spluttered as 'Wells' towered over him.

The knife Eobard had hidden plunged into Stagg's body, directly into the heart. His eyes were dispassionate as he watched the shorter man cry out in pain, clutching the hand holding the knife.

"You can't have her. No one can have her. You see...she is mine. And she must be kept safe." Eobard informed the dying man as he twisted the knife and yanked it free.

He watched the corpse hit the ground with a sense of satisfaction.