EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔, 𝒋𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒂𝒔𝒔 ❜
chapter no. 013!
IT WAS THE NEXT DAY, AND PIPER LITA STOOD BEHIND THE COMPUTERS IN THE CORTEX. Cisco's arms were wrapped around her from behind as they watched Barry, Caitlin, and Jay piece together a Christmas puzzle on the floor.
"This is going to take until the New Year to finish. Can I please use my speed?" Barry whined exasperatedly, looking over to Caitlin, who was sitting next to Jay. She shook her head.
"No. We're doing this the way normal people do."
Piper snorted at the annoyed expression that crossed Barry's face.
It'd been a quiet and uneventful day so far. Piper wasn't working and spent her time at S.T.A.R. Labs with everyone else, explaining why she'd been M.I.A. for nearly a month and apologizing for completely cutting everyone off. The team had understood, whereas Jay remained silent and unopinionated.
Erin was originally going to come with her but decided to spend her day off buying Christmas presents and visiting Iris at Central City Picture News. Piper told her about what happened the night before at the West house, and Erin was immediately concerned, calling the reporter and telling her she was coming to see her the next day. The two women had spent much time together, something the redhead had noticed but didn't comment on.
"Are you going to the holiday party at Joe's?" Cisco asked suddenly, causing the woman in his arms to look at him.
"Yeah, Barry invited me this morning," she answered. The long-haired boy smirked, wiggling his brows at her in a suggestive manner, and she rolled her eyes.
Out of nowhere, a rapid beeping came from one of the computers, the alert stemming from Central City Square.
Barry's head shot up. "What's that? Is that Mardon?"
"That's definitely him," Piper answered, pulling out of Cisco's arms as she clicked on the monitor screen. "Atmospheric pressure just dropped two-hundred hectopascals."
The fellow speedster walked to where she stood, looking over at the screen. "Where?"
"Central City Square," Cisco replied, pointing at the screen.
"The tree lighting ceremony..." Caitlin gasped, her eyes widening. "There are thousands of people there."
The two speedsters glanced at one another, similar thoughts running through their minds. Piper reached up and clicked her necklace, her iconic purple suit popping out. Jumping into it, she sped off, the scarlet speedster right behind her with the Weather Wand in hand.
"Hey, hotshot, you must show me that necklace when you get back. I've been trying for two years to figure out the Flash ring," Cisco spoke into the comms, causing the redhead to roll her eyes, turning down a street. Narrowing her eyes on a dark figure that stood on top of a building, her lenses zoomed in, focusing on the figure as her facial recognition program ran his face through it. She heard a clicking sound as it confirmed that it was Mark Mardon.
Running up the building, she jumped, landing perfectly on the rooftop. The man turned his head, a wicked smile taking over his face. "Ah, I heard that the Flash finally got a girlfriend. Maybe you can help me out here, sweetheart," he smirked, and she shook her head.
"I don't think so, sweetheart," she mocked.
A flash of yellow lightning joined her side, holding the wand. "We can help you get back into a jail cell, though," Barry spoke, stepping forward.
"No. You see, I'm trying to decide if I should kill everybody down there with a deadly hail storm or maybe something trickier. Maybe acid rain? That could be fun. What do you two think?" Mardon asked, the corner of his lips curling.
"I think you should surrender before I kick your ass back to Iron Heights." Barry snapped. "You see this wand? You—" Mardon leaned back and fell from the roof.
Both speedsters dashed to the edge to see the man flying in the sky, creating wind tunnels with his hands to keep him afloat. "Uh, guys, he's flying," Barry announced, glancing over at Piper to see that she was climbing onto the ledge.
"He can fly? Since when can he fly?!" Caitlin retorted.
"Uh, Expedite, what're you doing?" Barry asked uneasily, eyes wide.
Piper turned her head, looking him directly in the eyes. She held out her hand, gesturing to the wand.
"Barry, get him!" Jay yelled into the comms.
"Get to the Square and evacuate the area. I'll meet you there," Piper stated, grabbing the wand, and Barry became confused. Turning her head, she jumped off the building, allowing the feeling of air rushing through her lungs to fill her up.
"Piper!" Barry yelled, leaning over the edge to find that the purple speedster was flying in mid-air.
Back on her Earth, Miles had installed rockets on the bottom of her feet in the suit, giving her the ability to fly. A meta-human named Flight Flood had the powers to manipulate oxygen and air. She could suck all the air out of a room and channel it into waves, using those waves to fly around the city. She'd killed several people, and to successfully arrest her, Piper needed a way to fly. Thus, the addition of rockets came.
Kicking, she sped forward at super-speed, catching up to Mardon, who was blocks away. Flicking on the wand, the air pulverizing from his hands disappeared, rendering him useless.
The purple speedster grabbed him as he plummeted to the ground, landing in front of Barry, who had successfully evacuated everyone. Throwing Weather Wizard to the ground, she pushed her hair out of her face.
"You didn't really think we'd let you hurt all these people, did you?" The Flash asked, walking forward, giving the woman a grateful look.
"Of course not, but you're going to let me hurt you," Mardon responded, and a wrapped present made its way over to the three of them.
"Feliz Navidad!" Trickster laughed from where he sat at Santa's seat in the Square, a daunting smile lining his cheeks. "Time for a real war on Christmas."
Barry looked down at the box, chuckling. "What is this?"
"That's a box with a bomb in it." Weather Wizard spoke casually, causing both speedsters to freeze.
"Yup, I've handed out about a hundred of them today. It feels so good to give." Trickster sighed happily, kicking his feet up and waving a candy cane in his hands.
"You see, about a hundred random children have each taken home a box just like that one and are shoving it under their Christmas tree. There's no way for you to get to all of them, even if you knew where to look." Mardon continued, a cynical smile crawling across his face.
The scarlet speedster looked over to his partner, who was balling up her fists, a determined look on her face. "Maybe not," Barry murmured, looking over to the criminal, "but she can." Piper glanced over at him, knowing what she needed to do. In a flash of purple, she disappeared.
Barry couldn't run anywhere near as fast as her, which is why he needed her to be the one to take out the bombs. She could find them all in a matter of mere minutes, securing the city and saving Christmas for dozens of families.
"Piper, what're you doing?" Caitlin asked through the comms.
"I'm saving Central City," Piper answered, darting into a house, the lenses in her eyepiece scanning the presents for electromagnetic pulses. Sighing in relief, she grabbed it and ran out of the house.
"How're you going to do that? It's going to be impossible to find a hundred random bombs." Jay stated, causing the redhead to roll her eyes as she pressed her finger to the side of five presents she'd just found, allowing the power to flow through her veins. All five exploded, turning to dust and ashes.
"If I were you, I wouldn't dare underestimate me," Piper said into the comms, repeating what she'd said to him weeks ago. Oh, the irony was sweet. "I already destroyed twenty bombs." Turning her head, she watched as the presents she'd just found exploded.
"How?" Harry asked as she ran through six other neighborhoods, exploding the bombs in the middle of the street and leaving behind piles of dust and crisping ashes.
"My eyepiece has multiple qualities and functions, Harry. I simply scanned the presents, looking for electromagnetic waves, found them, took the boxes to the middle of the street, and turned them to ashes with my finger. Now, if you don't mind, I've got a city to save."
Dashing through countless neighborhoods, she continued to destroy the presents, sighing in satisfaction as she watched the last one crumble to the road. Running back to the Square, she saw Weather Wizard throwing balls of ice at Barry, keeping him on the ground as the Trickster clapped gleefully. Using the wand, he picked up the scarlet speedster, striking him with a lightning bolt.
The Flash flew across the Square, and Piper growled. Running behind Mardon, she pulled out meta-human-dampening cuffs and attached them to him. She kicked him to the ground, watching as he was knocked out cold once his head made contact with the concrete.
Piper ran to the Trickster, cuffing him before he could blink, and threw him to where Mardon lay unconscious. "Ah, this is fun," he chuckled right as the redhead booted the side of his head, knocking him out cold.
"Merry Christmas, jackass," she grumbled.
Barry made his way over, rubbing his side in pain. "Are all the presents destroyed?" he asked, causing the other speedster to turn around. Her hair was blowing in the wintry breeze, making her appear more ethereal than usual.
"Yeah, everyone's safe. I got Mardon and the Trickster. They're unconscious, and I'm pretty sure their pals back at Iron Heights will be thrilled to see them." Piper answered right as the police finally arrived.
The scarlet speedster chuckled, grabbing the wand. "We should let the police do their job now. Let's go."
────
WALKING INTO THE CORTEX, PIPER SMILED AT JOE, WHO WAS HEADING HOME TO MEET UP WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. "Loverboy's in the left side room," he joked, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Thanks, Joe. I'll be at the house in a few." Piper replied and made her way to the side room as the detective exited. Making her way up the mini-ramp, her chocolate-brown eyes laid on the man who unknowingly had her heart.
Barry sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I know that you're not him," he began, and the redhead moved her head to see that he was looking at Harry. "But he's not here, and I have to say this for me. In that video message, you said," Barry stopped himself, blinking back tears. "That I would never really be happy, and I've been trying. I've been trying really hard."
Piper could tell that saying this, through a glass window, was taking a lot out of him. It was breaking a part of him while also mending that same piece.
"After what Joe said and how I feel about Piper... I realized that you are still in my heart. How much I hate you for what you've done." Barry glanced down, sniffing. The redhead frowned, walking forward silently. "I don't want to hate you anymore. I can't. I can't hate you anymore. I forgive you."
The pair watched as Harry grabbed his coffee mug and left the room. Piper stepped forward, grabbing onto Barry's hand that was no longer resting inside his pocket. Flinching, he shifted to see her. She smiled weakly, squeezing his hand as they stood in silence.
"You never fail to amaze me, Barry Allen," Piper whispered, their shoulders pressed together. "What you just did... That's something that not many people would be able to do. I know that I'll never forgive my parent's killer, but you just did. And I'm incredibly proud of you. It takes a lot of strength and courage to forgive anybody, and there's no doubt that you are one of the strongest people I've ever met."
It was silent as they stood together, their fingers perfectly interlaced.
Barry finally looked over at the woman, his insides warm. "Thank you," he whispered.
Piper met his eyes. "You're welcome," she murmured, reaching up and wiping his tears away with her thumb. Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, wondering where the hell this sudden confidence had come from.
"We should probably get going," she spoke quietly, pulling away. Barry nodded, his cheeks pink as he stared at Piper. "I'll race you," her smile grew as she backed away, letting go of his hand.
"Oh, it's on."
────
PIPER SAT IN BETWEEN JOE AND CISCO, WATCHING AS THE LONG-HAIRED BOY POURED GRANDMA ESTER'S EGGNOG INTO TWO MUGS. "Strong enough?" the detective mused, drinking from his own mug.
"We'll see," Cisco muttered, handing a cup to Piper, who smiled gratefully at him.
Gulping down the eggnog, the redhead could feel the buzz of alcohol in her system for a split second before it vanished. "It's good. You just won't be seeing drunk Piper this year underneath the Christmas tree," Piper stated, causing Joe to laugh.
Cisco shook his head, a smile on his face. "One day, we'll get you drunk. That's a promise."
She raised her brows. "Mm-hmm, you keep telling yourself that," she mused, glancing over to see Caitlin struggling to hang the mistletoe, continuously jumping up and down.
Jay excused himself from talking to Barry and made his way over, a smile on his lips. To not drop-kick him, Piper downed her eggnog. "Hey, what do you have there?" he asked Caitlin, who'd stopped jumping.
"Oh! Mistletoe." Caitlin sighed, looking down at the infamous holiday plant in her hand.
"What's mistletoe?"
Cisco shook his head, groaning as he consumed the rest of his eggnog as well. "This is going to be painful," he muttered.
"Oh, um, it's a hemiparasitic plant from the genus Santalaceae family in North America, I think." Caitlin rushed as Jay chuckled, smiling charmingly at her.
"Caitlin, I'm kidding. We have mistletoe on Earth-Two." Jay replied, hanging it as she blushed.
"Oh right, of course."
Barry reached over the coffee table and poured himself a cup, watching the exchange between the two like everyone else, minus Erin and Iris, who were hanging more ornaments on the tree.
"Um, we also have this tradition over there," Jay added before they both leaned in, kissing underneath the plant dangling from the door frame above them. Joe raised his brows before he looked away, taking another swing. Erin and Piper made eye contact for a split second, expressions of worry washing over their faces quickly.
Cisco rolled his eyes, muttering "finally" under his breath.
"Oh, thank God, they finally kissed," Iris sighed happily, reaching for a mug.
"Now, all we have to do is get Barry and Piper over there," Erin commented, and Piper choked on the eggnog traveling down her throat. Coughing violently, she sent Erin a glare while Barry's face burned red.
"Yeah! What Erin said. Get over there, love birds!" Joe teased.
Barry glared at him as Piper poured herself another cup, swallowing it quickly as if drinking more of it would make her the slightest bit tipsy.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door, and Joe got up to answer it.
Barry looked over at Piper, who was already staring at him. Her cheeks flushed red as they made eye contact. Smiling to himself, he looked away.
Goosebumps trailed down Piper's spine as she sensed something was off. She placed her mug on the table and turned her head to see the detective standing with the door open, his eyes wide.
"Hi, I'm Wally. I'm Francine's son." A voice shakily introduced, and Iris immediately made her way to the door. Erin now held her mug.
"I'm... I'm Joe," Joe stuttered, reaching forward to shake Wally's hand. "This is Iris." Iris walked forward, joining her dad. Barry stood from the couch.
"Hi."
"Hi."
The house was deathly silent.
"Uh, I just wanted to... I don't know," Wally mumbled, growing uncomfortable as everyone watched the scene unfold in front of them. "I guess now's a bad time. You have company over, so..."
Joe jumped, quickly shaking his head. "No. No, no, come in."
A dark-skinned boy with black jeans, a t-shirt, and a black bomber jacket walked in anxiously. Piper sighed quietly as she glanced over at Barry, who didn't know what to do.
"Wally, this is Erin, Barry, Cisco, Piper, Jay, and Caitlin. Guys, this is my son Wally." Joe cleared his throat, doing the rounds of introductions and the redhead sent the boy a warm smile.
Everyone was silent until Barry smiled, outreaching his hand. "It's great to meet you, Wally," he said, and they shook hands.
Cisco cleared his throat and held out a mug. "Eggnog?"