✓ | 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 ❪ leonard snart ❫ ¹

thirty-three.

"I offered to send you- You both abroad when you were in college." Joe recalled, sitting down on a stool.

"Yeah, I know. I remember."

"Me too." Chloe nodded smiling at the memory, she couldn't leave the city - or close to the city - even if she wanted, she needed to stay by her family.

"I- I couldn't take off." Barry shook his head, "I mean, the truth is I'm stuck here... in Central City. Fear has kept me in that living room for 14 years." Barry glanced at Joe.

"Joe, I- I was mad at you for being scared. But I mean, the truth is I was the one that was scared." He paused looking up at Joe and glancing over at Chloe. "I've been afraid of the man in yellow for my whole life. That's why I lost."

Chloe sniffled from her seat, looking to her brother, her eyes watery, "I feel like this is my fault-" Barry and Joe both opened their mouths to protest, Chloe held her finger up. "No- No. . I need to tell you both this." She inhaled softly, "Ever since I watched that thing. . Kill our mother and that I couldn't do anything to stop him..." She glanced at Barry a tear falling from her eye, "And when I saw him standing over you. . It brought me back to that night and how useless I had felt, and I froze again and now I feel like I could've done something more, I'm not a kid anymore. . I have super powers for crying out loud!" She laughed humorlessly, "I could kill him with a snap of my fingers if I wanted, but I froze because I've been living in fear of him coming back and killing you or Joe or anyone in our lives-" Chloe paused again, thinking about how she had brought Leonard into this unintentionally . . . She didn't want him to get hurt either. Chloe sighed and continued, "I don't want to live in fear of him anymore. I can't live in fear of him anymore. I'm finally living for myself and I think you are too Barry. . And I don't want that to end because of this man in yellow who's been haunting my life for 14 damn years-" She looked up to her brother and father figure, tears shining in her eyes. "I don't want to be afraid anymore."

Joe looked to them both, trying to figure out a way to say this.

"When you both first moved in with us, I couldn't thought it was going to be too much. I'm already a single dad. Finances were tough.  And you're both a little girl and boy who lost their mother." Joe paused dragging a hand over his mouth, chuckling, "But, man, was I wrong." The sentence caused Barry and Chloe to smile softly. "Within two weeks, you both had changed the whole dynamic of the house. Suddenly the house was filled with this. ." Joe paused looking for the right word, "Light. . This energy. I mean, you both brightened up everything. You'd both see anymore darkness than any man or woman will in a lifetime, and you both never let it dim your souls. So there I was thinking that I'm changing your lives by taking you in, but. . The truth is. . you both changed mine."

Barry and Chloe had small smiles on their faces.

"So don't you ever lose that light now, Barr, Chlo. The world may need the Flash and later it may need Electra, but. . I need my Barry and Chloe Allen." All three of them had tears in their eyes as Joe stood up, "Let's go home."

"Yeah." Barry mumbled as the Allens were pulled into a hug.

          BACK AT THE West house hold, Barry and Chloe walked in too see Cisco, Caitlin, Iris and Eddie.

"Hey!" Joe called.

"Oh!" Cisco made a weird greeting as Caitlin stood up.