*Not Edited*
Spencer and Barry spent the remainder of their drive to STAR Labs in complete and utter silence. The blonde tried focusing all of her attention on the road so her mind wouldn't wander to Barry's admission and what exactly it meant. It hurt Barry that she had moved on? In all her attempts to be sure of her own sanity, she forgot that Barry's feelings for her were real too. And even if they weren't supposed to end up with one another, it didn't mean his emotions just turned off. He was healing just like she was. And she needed to remember to be more respectful of that.
When they arrived back at the labs, they found Caitlin, Cisco, Stein as well as Iris standing in the cortex.
"Yo," Cisco called out as they entered the room, "The sample you gave us?"
"Yeah?" Barry raised an eyebrow as they walked over to them.
"Not sand," Cisco informed them, "Definitely human cells."
"Yeah, I know," Barry sighed as he looked over the photos his friend projected to the monitor, "It's not him, I get it."
"I hate to say it, but I think this Earth-2 theory is starting to make sense," Cisco stated, crossing his arms.
"For real?" Barry questioned, tiredly.
"What, you think Jay is lying about the Sand Demon?" Iris asked him.
"I don't know. That's my point," Barry shook his head, "But I'm not gonna just believe some guy that walks in here and says a few things that sort of check out.
"Sort of? He was he was right about Zoom," Cisco pointed out.
"We don't even know anything about Zoom," Barry scoffed, "What is Zoom? Is Zoom even real? Right now, that's just, you know, a story around a campfire," He turned around to face Professor Stein at the monitors, "I mean, have you discovered a breach yet?"
"Not yet, but we know how to now," He admitted to Barry.
"Have you found one thing to suggest that Jay is a speedster?" Barry asked, turning to face Caitlin, "Is the Speed Force even in his system?"
The brunette bit her lip, "It doesn't appear to be, no."
"See? We are scientists," He gestured to Iris, "You are a journalist. We test, we prove, we report. That's what we do. Except right now, nobody here wants to do any of that except me."
Right about now would be the time Spencer would jump in and say something, try to calm him down, ease some sense into him or try to get everyone on the same page. Four pairs of eyes locked on her, expecting her to do just that. She met each gaze apologetically and gave them one brief shake of the head. She held her look with Iris, silently telling her friend it would be up to her.
Iris gave her a thin smile before glancing around at everyone else, "Can we have the room for a minute?"
Barry let out a nervous breath as everyone made their way for the exit of the cortex. He caught Spencer glance back at him and he attempted to read her expression. Truth be told, he wished he could talk to her alone; sort out this mess with Jay with the only person he felt comfortable enough to do so. But they weren't back in that place yet and he just hoped it wouldn't take too long to get there.
~
Everyone gathered back in the lab when Joe called Barry to tell him Patty had been taken by the Sand Demon. After his talk with Iris, Barry was more willingly to let Jay help them- and to be honest, it might be the only way to get her back.
"We're looking for any structures that promote humidity. Greenhouses, grow rooms, anything of the sort," Jay instructed them from the center of the cortex, "His body will literally start to fall apart if he becomes dehydrated."
"Like dry sand," Spencer commented.
"Exactly," He nodded, "Sand Demon always attacks on two fronts. He creates a diversion, then strikes when you're distracted."
"Okay, then what do we do?" Barry questioned.
"We use your speed to get to him before the distraction can happen."
"Jay, how do I stop somebody who can slip through my fingers?"
"The way I was never able to," Jay stated simply, "With lightning."
Cisco clapped his hands together in excitement, "Yo, are you about to pull a Zeus right now?"
"What are you talking about?" Iris asked out of confusion.
"Barry's gonna hurl lightning from the energy he creates when he runs," Jay explained.
Caitlin smiled, "Because lightning plus sand equals-"
"Glass," Barry finished.
"Time to learn something new, kid," Jay smiled.
Barry hummed softly, shaking his head, "All right."
Cisco beamed, making a lightning bolt sound while motioning his hand quickly. This amused Barry until he noticed Joe pacing anxiously in the hall.
"Give me a sec," He called out to everyone, heading for his foster father.
Spencer bit her lip before taking a step closer to Jay, "How safe is this little plan of yours?"
"As long as Barry follows my instructions, he should be fine," Jay assured her.
"Should?"
Cisco stepped up from behind her, rubbing her shoulders, "He will be fine, Spence. Don't worry that pretty little head of yours."
Spencer rolled her eyes, sliding out of his grasp to face him head on, "You're just too caught up in fanboying to think about anything else."
He smiled proudly, "You know me so well, Hathaway."
She chuckled, "But I wonder how I could have ever let myself spend so much time with you to do so, Ramon."
~
"I've searched all the vacant buildings in Central City and none of them fit the description that we need," Caitlin sighed in frustration.
"And I've looked at any draw upticks on the electrical grid," Stein responded, "Nothing out of the norm, I'm afraid."
The two of them, along with Spencer and Cisco had been searching for Sand Demon for the past hour with no luck.
"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Spencer groaned from beside Caitlin.
"We gotta do whatever it takes," Cisco muttered without anyone realizing. When he stood up, he startled them out of their thoughts, "I'll be back."
The three of them shared confused looks before Stein offered to go check on, stating he seemed distraught.
"Do you think he's okay?" Spencer asked her friend, slumping into one of the chairs.
Caitlin shrugged, taking the seat next to her, "I'm not sure, honestly. He's been acting a little strange since we've all be been back."
"Maybe that's it. I mean it's been strange on all of us I would say," Spencer stated.
Caitlin nodded. "How have you been readjusting by the way?"
The blonde bit her lip, thinking about her conversation with Barry from earlier- the two having not seriously spoken since. "Alright I guess. It's a little strange but at the same time like falling back into old habits. It is hard though, knowing the last time we were all here we lost Ronnie and Eddie." She finished the thought softly, frowning as Caitlin casted her gaze to the floor, "Are you okay?"
Caitlin nodded, pulling her head back up to face Spencer, "Yeah, I am. Better than I thought I'd be. I did a lot of healing the past few months but now I think what's best is to be back helping the city."
"I'm with you on that one," Spencer smiled. The pair sat in a brief silence before the blonde chuckled lightly, "I have so many unanswered voicemails on my phone from parents, you have no idea."
Caitlin's eyes widened in interest, "Seriously? Was it because of your absence that last six months?"
Spencer shrugged, "I guess. I never mentioned it to them- it's really none of their business what I do anymore. It hasn't been for years so I don't know why they're suddenly concerned now."
"Are you ever going to call them back?" Caitlin inquired.
"I don't know," Spencer sighed, "I might just call them to let them know I'm not dead but I really don't want to talk to them at all. Like ever."
"Yeah, I feel you there," Caitlin nodded.
Spencer squinted, "I didn't think your parents were as bad as mine."
"No, I was actually still talking about you parents," Caitlin chuckled, "From the various times I've met them, they've scared the hell out of me. And Cisco."
Spencer barked out a laugh, "Well, you two sure do a good job of hiding it."
"We have to stay strong for you!" Caitlin explained, laughing along with her.
"Thank God I have you two." Spencer shook her head as their laughs died out, "You two are like my pseudo-parents."
Caitlin's eyes practically fell out of her head, "Are you suggesting Cisco and I are like some sort of married couple?"
Spencer cackled again, throwing her head back in her chair, "No! I meant nothing by the comment. I swear of you two dated, I don't know what the hell I'd do. Ew."
"Okay, good," Caitlin let out deep breath, a faint laugh escaping.
"I know nothing will happen there because you seem to be interested in somebody else," Spencer hummed, curious to see how her friend would respond, "A certain Flash from another world, perhaps?"
Caitlin looked at Spencer hesitantly from the corner of her eye, "I don't know what you mean."
"Bull," Spencer scoffed, dragging out the vowel, "I see you making heart eyes at him. I mean the dude is ripped, first of all, so I don't really blame you. But when you interact with him, you seem like you've got what looks to be the beginning of a crush."
Caitlin blushed and refused to make total eye contact with her. The brunette played with her hands anxiously before thinking of what to say next. "You don't think...it's too soon for me to have feelings for someone else after Ronnie?"
Spencer paused, thinking it over. It did still sting to think of Caitlin with someone else, but she couldn't really expect her friend to remain single forever like they were waiting around for some miracle to bring Ronnie back. Miracles like that hardly happened and it already did once.
"Cait, no one could ever replace Ronnie," Spencer began softly, reaching to take her friends hand in her own, giving it a tight squeeze, "We both know that. But last time you went through this, you were completely closed off from everyone. I don't want you to do that again. And Ronnie wouldn't either. And only you can determine when its right to move on. Whether it be soon, with or without Jay, or later with whoever, I will support you no matter what."
A small smile crept its way onto Caitlin's face. She gave their conjoined hands another squeeze, whispering a quick, "thank you".
Spencer nodded and like clockwork, they were interrupted by the men, plus Joe and Iris, stomping back into the room. Cisco had somehow figured out the location of Sand Demon and Patty, where both Barry and Jay were about to head. They deducted the meta was bound to use some sort of bomb to slow down the Flash, so Jay was meant to be a diversion. He had his suit but now he just needed his helmet.
Caitlin retrieved the silver kettle helmet with gold wings on the side and presented it to Jay with a smile.
"Never thought I'd see that again," He chuckled, taking it from her, "It was my father's, from the War of the Americas."
"Did you just say War of the Americas?" Cisco questioned, both he and Spencer standing off to the side in deep confusion and interest.
"I wish you would have just told us you lost your helmet," Barry spoke up, ignoring him, "Would have saved us all a headache."
Jay allowed Caitlin to place the helmet back on his head, him adjusting it to perfection. No one could fight the smiles that made its way on their faces.
"Well," Barry spoke again, "You sure you want to do this, Flash?"
"Yeah," Jay smirked, stepping toward him, "Let's go see what you're made of Flash."
The two clutched arms in a handshake, the team watching on in admiration.
"Dude, this so dope," Cisco whispered so only Spencer could hear.
She chuckled, whispering back, "You are such a dork."
"Don't act like you're not fangirling about all of this," Cisco nudged her side.
"Okay, fine. Maybe a little."
~
The two superheroes left the cortex shortly after, leaving the rest of them to gather around the monitors as Cisco pulled up the security feed of the abandoned building. He alerted them that it was go time and Jay made his move. He and Sand Demon threw a few punches, the meta catching onto Jay's missing speed.
"Slick's distracted," Cisco called out, "Go, Barry."
A whir of yellow light flashed into the feed, Barry first heading to get Patty to safety. He managed to untie her from her chair, but the movement, despite it's speed, still managed to set off the bomb, sending him, Patty as well as Jay to the ground.
"Jay!" Caitlin called out at the same time Spencer shouted, "Barry!"
"Patty's alive," Barry stated into his comms, his breathing heavy.
Spencer kept her eyes glued to his vitals, his heart rate rapid.
"Must be my lucky day," Sand Demon chuckled, his voice heavily accented, "Zoom sent me here to kill you. Now I get to kill The Flash from two worlds before I go home."
Everyone flinched as they watched meta use his powers to take hold of the Earth-2 speedsters neck.
"He's choking Jay," Caitlin gasped.
"Barry, you gotta do something now," Iris spoke into the mic.
Spencer nodded, "Yeah, whatever Jay taught you Bar, you can do it."
They heard Barry take a deep breath before they watched him circle the meta and Jay through the security feed. This confused Sand Demon who let Jay go. After a few more seconds of running, Barry stopped and used every bit of energy he had to hurl a lightning bolt in the meta's direction. It him square in the chest, turning his whole body to glass before he flew back and shattered to pieces.
Spencer let out a breathy laugh, "He did it."
Cisco nodded, hype from the success, "I knew it. And it was awesome."
~
The team celebrated their victory briefly before Barry was bringing Jay back into the lab. Spencer allowed Caitlin to take the lead on checking the other speedster's wounds, sending her friend a discreet wink as they headed for the medical bay. Everyone cleared out after that, thought Spencer hung back a bit to clear her thoughts. She walked around the building, briefly speaking to Stein and Cisco who were in Cisco's lab before rounding her way back to the cortex. When she arrived, she found Barry speaking to Jay instead of Caitlin which slightly caught her off guard. She was about to turn around and leave, but Jay had already caught her eye over Barry's shoulder.
"Hey, Spencer," He called out, making Barry turn his head in her direction.
"Hi," she replied, slightly nervous. She jutted her thumb in the direction of the door, "I was just leaving."
"So was I," Jay smiled. He stood up and walked passed Barry out of the med bay and into the cortex. He threw Spencer a small wink before leaving the lab completely.
The blonde bit her lip and took the remaining steps into the center of the cortex where Barry met up with her.
"Hey," He stated softly, making it clear neither of them were sure of what to say.
"You were pretty badass out there tonight," Spencer decided on saying to end the awkwardness. She inwardly applauded herself when she saw Barry smile at her comment.
"Thank you," He chuckled lightly, "I do try."
"So, I guess you and Jay are okay now?" She asked.
He nodded, "Yeah. I realized I can't just not trust everyone I meet because of Wells- or Eobard, whatever."
"God, that guy just continues to ruin the lives of everyone, doesn't he?" She shook her head, letting out a small laugh.
Barry scoffed. You have no idea.
They fell into silence again and both of them quickly realized how much they hated the awkwardness that came with the quiet. So, Spencer took it upon herself to fix the situation.
"Barry, about earlier..."
He shook his head, making her stop, "You don't have to say anything. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I've just been really stressed out with everything that's been going on."
"I get that," She nodded vigorously, "And the last thing I want to do is add to that stress. So I'm sorry I was pressuring you into talking about something you were uncomfortable with."
Barry bit his lip, nodding to accept her apology. "I want you to feel like you can talk to me, Spence," He finally said after a beat, "But it might be a while before we can talk about stuff like that."
"I understand that. And I want nothing more than for things to go back to how they used to be," She told him honestly and he agreed with her, "But I also know things like dating will probably always be a sore subject to talk about."
"Yeah, probably," He replied softly, "So how about we just avoid it entirely and try getting back to the friendship we used to have?"
She smiled brightly at the notion, "I would love that."
He smiled back, "Good."
"But one more thing before we outlaw dating talk for good?" She spoke up, making him raise his eyebrow in intrigue (and slight nervousness). "I just want you to know nothing ever happened between me and Roy this summer. I haven't been with anyone since..."
Spencer trailed off, but she didn't have to finish for him to understand what he meant. And he wasn't going to lie, it felt great to hear. Because even if she had gotten over him, she hadn't done it by getting under someone else.
"I think it goes without saying but same here," He chuckled, cheering himself on mentally when he saw her smile in response.
"We're gonna be okay," She stated definitely, feeling as if the statement was true. She took the steps to close the gap between them and pulled him in for a tight hug. He squeezed back, desperate for the comfort her embrace always gave him.
As long as I have you in my life somehow, he thought, I'll always be okay.
~
The next morning, Spencer was back in the cortex of STAR Labs, standing beside Barry, Caitlin, Jay and Cisco who along with Stein was explaining something they found from their research about the breaches to Earth-2.
"It appears that while we were indeed successful in closing the singularity, there was an unfortunate side effect," Stein informed them, standing beside a monitor that displayed a map of this city.
"What are you talking about?" Barry questioned, beginning to worry.
"Using electrophotography, Cisco and I were able to search Central City for any signs of energy entering our Earth from another dimension," the professor went on explaining, "From any "breaches", as Mr. Garrick described them."
"But, of course, there isn't just one breach," Cisco rolled his eyes at their unfortunate luck, "There's 52 of them scattered throughout the city."
Spencer, Barry and Caitlin's expressions dropped, growing both anxious and annoyed at the news.
"These breaches are pockets of time and space folded into and upon itself," Stein continued, "But the most significant breach of all appears to be this one."
Stein nodded for Cisco to press a button which zoomed in on a bright glowing breach on the screen.
"And where exactly is that located?" Caitlin questioned.
"It's here," Stein answered, "Inside STAR Labs."
"Great, just what we needed," Spencer muttered sarcastically, sharing a tired glance with Barry who just gave her a tight smile.
Stein spoke up again, "And just beyond that breach is an entirely different..."
Everyone's gaze snapped back to the man in front of them, whose speech sputtered out before he completely dropped to the floor. As fast as they could without super speed, the group sped over the man and leaned down beside him.
"Professor?" Cisco called out, "Professor!"
Spencer looked to Barry who was crouched down beside her, his face mirroring the panic and confusion she felt. He shook his head, none of them knowing what was happening to poor professor Stein. But one coherent thought did make its way into her brain.
This had to be related to Firestorm.
~
Author's Note: Guys I snuck in another chapter before school starts and before I finished my assignments. I don't know if that's good or bad lol. I hope you liked it even though it's not the most exciting chapter. But it'll get better from here I promise. Let's just say extra protective Spencer is coming up which will help Spencer and Barry get back into their old relationship and hopefully push them towards some sense...but also maybe not. You'll just have to wait and see.
Don't forget to leave some comments! Special thanks to all of those who wished me a happy birthday- you guys are the best! Love you allllllll!
xoMegan