What Brings Us Together (A Ralph Dibny/ The Flash Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Fifteen: Good People Don't Destroy Lives and Call It Noble

After a while Caitlin came in.

"I farted," Ralph told her, "I'm not sure everything is still where it's supposed to be down there."

"Drink this." She told him, holding up a beaker. I was currently sitting on the table by Ralph's bed.

"What is it?" He asked. "I don't just drink stuff. My body is a temple."

"Clearly. Drink it."

"I wanna know what it is."

"It's seventeen percent alcohol."

"You should have lead with that, sister." He took it from her, downing the blue liquid. "Ugh. What was that."

"It's a serum of Sulfur, Zinc Oxide, and Steric Acid to cross-link your polymerized cells."

"In English."

"It's going to fix you." I translated. He groaned and then his limbs retracted back into place, knocking down a bunch of stuff on the table where his arm was laying in the process.

"Oh! You did it. I'm cured."

"Well, not cured. All I did was introduce a stabilizing enzyme to reset your body to default shape through vulcanization."

"It's like muscle memory." I translated again.

"Muscle memory, huh?" He stood up. "How far back memory, do you think?"

"I don't know, uh, think about the shape you want to be and just...be it." He looked down, lifting up his under-shirt to reveal his stomach. All of a sudden, his beer gut compressed into abs. He laughed.

"Ha. I'm back. I look like a Hemsworth."

"Yeah..." They both looked at me and I realized that I had said this out loud. "Yeah? Iris what do you need." I got up, walking quickly out of the room.

~~~

Eventually, Caitlin and Ralph moved into the Cortex, and I sat in the corner, pretending to go over files in order to block any questions about my stupid comment earlier.

Maybe there is something wrong with me dating wise. I mean who says that?! No wonder I've never had a boyfriend guys don't look at me like that! I'm awkward and I say stupid things.

"You're blackmailing the Mayor?" Barry asked, coming into the room.

"Classic Barry Allen, enters room and accuses wildly."

"We know about the photos Ralph." Joe told him.

"Bellows told us everything.'

"Hey, I'm not the one who told him to step out on his wife." Ralph shot back.

"That's your defense? It's his fault that you're extorting him?"

"Isn't that a little easy for you to say? Your fancy lab, your good job, and your hot girlfriend? People like me are just trying to get from one bill to the next. And I wouldn't have to be living like that if you hadn't cost me my job." Ralph walked over to his suit jacket and started putting it on.

"You got yourself fired!" Barry exclaimed. "You tampered with evidence, you framed that guy!"

"Because he was guilty! And he was gonna get away with killing his wife and then you let him go! I was a good cop, I was a good detective! I lost everything." he looked around at us, his eyes flicking to Caitlin, then Iris, then coming to stop on me. "The Mayor's got a lot of money," He tore his eyes away from me back to Barry, "He can afford to spare a little. Consider it the pension you cost me."

"Good people don't destroy lives and call it noble. They also don't sexually harass their coworkers so much that they feel uncomfortable leaving their office by themselves." Ralph looked at me, meeting my eyes. "Over twenty complaints of Sexual harassment against you. You were dirty then, you're dirty now. Live with that." Ralph walked around Barry, going to leave.

"You're not going anywhere." Barry said, grabbing his arm.

"Get off me." Ralph took a swing at him, but Barry ducked, punching him once he came up. His fist sank into Ralph's face right where his mouth was. Ralph moved from side to side, taking Barry's arm with him. "Are you kidding me?" He mumbled. Barry finally managed to yank his hand out of Ralph's face. "Thanks for ruining my life twice, Allen."

"Ralph..." I started. "Ralph!" I sighed.

~~~

I went out immediately looking for Ralph. When I couldn't find him I decided to take to the skies and see if I could track him down.

"Come on Ralph. Where are you?" I landed on a roof when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I took it out, looking at the screen.

Unknown number

I'm sorry.

I knew immediately who it was.

Ralph, where are you?

City Hall. But don't come here.

You're meeting the Mayor again aren't you?

Yeah. But only to give him the pictures. I don't care what Allen says, I'm not dirty. However, if anyone has cause to think that, it's you, and I'm sorry for that. 

I kicked off of the roof, flying towards city hall when my phone rang. I grabbed it, answering it.

"Hello?"

"Laura, the Mayor's detail just tried to kill us. I think he's gonna go after Ralph next." Barry's voice told me.

"Crap. I'm on my way to him right now, he's at City hall." I saw two people standing in the alley by City hall, so I landed discreetly on a fire escape, jumping down just in time to see the Mayor fire a bullet into Ralph's head. "RALPH!"  I was utterly shocked however, when I saw the back of his head stretch out and then snap back into place.

"Bullet booger. Super gross." He said, turning around to look at me. "Laura! What are you doing here?" The Mayor raised his gun again, when a flash of yellow lightening had Ralph standing beside me and the Flash in front of us, holding the gun.

"Sorry Mr. Mayor. It's over." Suddenly there was a flash of blue light and all three of us were sent flying through the air. I landed hard on the pavement between Ralph and Barry.

"Laura, you ok?" Ralph asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Die, Plastoid, Die!" Breacher's voice said. "You will not infest this world as you did mine, Plastoid."

"Plastoid. Is he talkin' to me?" Ralph asked.

"Breacher, stop." Barry warned. Breacher blasted us again, but this time, Ralph grabbed me and pulled me on top of him to keep me from coming in contact with the ground.

"He dies speedster." The side door opened, revealing Joe, but he barely got out the door as the Mayor picked up the gun and forced him inside. He blasted Barry into some trashcans and then turned towards Ralph.

"Look, you don't have to do this," Ralph said, trying to now move me behind him.

"Yes I do." He raised his hands to shoot and I jumped into action, making a forcefield around Ralph and I just as Cisco vibed in in front of us.

"What the...what the heck?!" Ralph asked. "How are you doing that?! Now that I think about it, how did you get here so fast?"

"I'm Skyrocket." I told him.

"You're kidding." I shook my head.

"Nope."