The Flash is Born

"Merry Christmas" Barry says smiling, handing out gifts to Cisco, Caitlin and Dr. Wells. "Just a small token of my gratitude. For everything you guys have done for me this year".

"I think I speak on behalf of my colleagues when I say you've been a gift for us" Wells smiles at Barry before shaking his gift.

"Barry. What's that?" Caitlin asked looking at the Christmas mug in Barry's hand.

Barry places the mug on the table. "This is compliments of Iris... Grandma Esther's famous eggnog".

"That's what I'm talking about" Cisco says heading to grab a few glasses.

"Maybe later for me. Wouldn't want to drink and drive" with that Wells heads out of the room without another word.

Barry looks between Caitlin and Cisco to see if maybe he said something offensive. "Did I say something wrong?”

“No. No, man. He, um... this used to be his favorite time of year, but the accident happened before Christmas, so... Kind of ruined the holidays" Cisco explained handing Barry a cup.

"I'm going to go get him a present. Maybe that'll cheer him up" Caitlin says waving off the cup Cisco was trying to hand her.

“Thank you very much" she says to Barry giving his arm a pat before walking out of the room.

“So what are you doing for Christmas, Cisco?" Barry asked taking a sip of his egg nog.

"I'm spending it at home with takeout and a Grinch marathon" Cisco answered before downing his cup of egg nog.

“Dude this is amazing" he says.

Barry chuckled. “Take it easy, I was joking about the light on the bourbon".

Cisco smiled and tried to hide his blush, he would be kidding himself if he didn’t admit it was a little nervous being alone in a room with Barry. With he and Barry spending so much time together the last few months, he had grown to like Barry…a lot, a lot more than he should. The smallest things about Barry made him smile or blush. Barry was an amazing person, who cared so much for the world, can you blame Cisco for falling for him. Falling….I’m not….nope, not gonna say it.

Doesn’t matter anyway Barry was so blinded by his love for Eddie, Cisco would never stand a chance. And from what Barry told him about their fight session at the station, a relationship with Eddie was looking in his favor.

"How come you aren't spending the holidays with your family" Barry asked taking another sip of his drink.

"Huh? oh.....aaah.....I'm not really close with my family" Cisco blinks, and turns putting down the glass on the table. “I don’t really want to spend the holidays with them”

"Well you’re always welcomed at Joes" Barry smiles. "We'd love to have you".

Without that Barry takes his leave.

"Thanks Barry" he sighs. “Should be fun”.

"It was that or Stephen Hawking's new autobiography, and we both know how he feels about Hawking. Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye, Cisco" Caitlin says making her way over to her car, placing the bags down so she could grab her purse to look for her keys and just to Caitlin’s luck they were always hidden at the bottom of her purse.

“I have to get a smaller purse” she says to herself.

Looking up Caitlin was instantly frozen in place, at a man’s reflection she saw in her window. First thing she did was reach for her pepper spray on her key chain. If this man wanted violence she wasn’t going down without some kind of fight. Before attempting to move she took a good look at the reflection, and gasped. It couldn't be....Ronnie.

As soon as she turned around to get a better look, the man fled, obviously he wanted Caitlin’s attention but didn’t want to be seen. But it was too late Caitlin was on his heels, making sure to not let him out of her sight.

“Ronnie” she tried, there was a small feeling of hope as he slowly turned to her. Slowly his face came into view, before she couldn’t do or say anything else his body was engulfed in flames. Panicking Caitlin quickly ran back to her car, locking the door and looking to make sure he didn’t follow. Leaning against her seat, she tried to regain normal breathing.

“Ronnie" she whispered. “He’s alive".

I WANT YOUR LOVIN, I WANT YOUR REVENGE! YOU AND ME COULD WRITE A BAD ROMANCE…….

Cisco sang, dancing around his workspace.

Ding

Cisco looked around for his phone and danced his way over.

Barry- Hey, you will never believe what I got us for Joe’s party. Ugly Christmas sweaters! I found some amazing ones, that look hideous and pretty cool and the same time.

Cisco smiled.

Cisco- Yea…I’ve never worn one of those before, mainly because they are hideous

Barry- LOL! Well there is a first for everything, plus I know you will look amazing in it :)

Cisco blushed at that.

Cisco- Thanks Barry

Barry- No problem, I’ll bring it when I come by star labs later.

Cisco- Ok, see you later :)

Cisco just starred at the phone before the biggest grin of his life took over his face, the fact that he was completely red was the least of his problems. Was Barry flirting with me…

Cisco peeked at his phone and placed it back on the table. “You are going to be the death of me Barry Allen”.

It was then that Caitlin quickly made her way into the room, caring her bags from her trip to the mall.

"Hey, Caitlin, check this out" Cisco says making his way over to Caitlin. "I think we can fashion an electronic barrier, right? We set up a ton of super capacitors. We smooth out the inflection points, and voila... a kick-ass force field to trap the opposite Flash" Cisco chuckles. "That was me testing out a name. What do you think?" he asked.

“Cisco, he’s alive” she smiles.

"Who?" he asks.

"Ronnie's alive. I saw him, Cisco. I think he was following me......" Caitlin starts.

Cisco walks back to his work and starts fidgeting with his lasted gadget. “Caitlin... Ronnie died. He was vaporized in the accelerator when it went critical" he says.

Caitlin stops him and places her hand on his shoulder turning him around to face her. "Ronnie's alive, and he's out there alone and scared, and I need your help to find him".

Eddie walked slowly into Barry's lab, his shift was over and he and Barry haven’t really talked much since their almost kiss. Eddie really wanted to clear the air with Barry, make sure there wasn't any awkwardness between the two. Eddie wouldn't be able to handle this ruining their friendship. Barry was his best friend and he didn’t want anything to change that.

Noticing that Barry's mind was some else, he moved his attention to what Barry was looking at.

"Your mom's case" Eddie says grabbing Barry's attention.

Barry shifted but didn’t bring himself to look at Eddie. "I used to study this board every day. Lately, I haven't looked at it as much as I should have"

"I didn't know you did that" Eddie says looking at the board.

"I guess there's still some stuff about me you don't know" Barry says finally breaking his attention from the board to look at Eddie.

“What are you doing here" Barry asked giving Eddie a small smile and knowing what this was probably about.

Eddie cleared his throat and looked at his feet. “I feel like we need to talk and clear the air".

“About what?" Barry asks.

Eddie tilts his head in a you know what manner. “You mean that almost kiss we had?" Barry gave a weak smile.

"Yea, look I just don’t want there to be any awkwardness between us. I want us to be us again" he says.

This is it, this is the moment Barry Allen. Tell him how you feel, he's given you an opening. Take it!

“Yea, me too. You fell I caught you, that’s all the happened" Barry bows his head but chuckles none the less.

Eddie chuckled. “Maybe next time you will be easier on those punches".

“You’re the one who said pretend its woodland" Barry says laughing with Eddie.

“So it’s my fault" Eddie says punching Barry on the arm.

“I’m just saying you should have been ready" Barry throws his hands up in defeat

Barry and Eddie laughed and just starred at his other with the same awkwardness that has been there for the last week. “Well I'm going to head out, I'll see you later".

Eddie smiled and headed out the door. Barry sighed and turned around in disappointment, there was his opening once again and he didn't take it.

Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

Standing up Barry looked out the window of his lab needing to clear his head. That's when he saw him, the man he had been looking for all this years, the man who currently had his father sitting in prison. Before he knew it all he saw was a red streak, Barry didn’t hesitate to follow behind.

"We should have told Dr. Wells and Barry" Cisco says nervously. This had to be the scariest mission of his life. He should be excited that Caitlin’s brother and his best friend is alive but the way Caitlin described him had him scared and nervous.

“No, not until we're sure it's him. Look, Ronnie is not like you remembered him" Caitlin explained to Cisco.

"What does that mean? Caitlin is he a zombie? Please don’t tell me he’s a zombie because with all that’s happened……" Cisco panicked.

"No, Cisco he’s not a zombie. Just don't freak out when you see him, okay?" Caitlin warns.

Suddenly the device in Cisco's hand goes dead. “Oh, I really wish that was because the batteries were dead".

Cisco makes no move to continue. “I can’t do this, I’m freaking out what if this is a trap”.

“Cisco, please I need this” Caitlin begs.

Cisco sighs, and tries to shake off his fear, its then that a man comes out of hiding. Neither can see his face, but Caitlin doesn’t need to see his face to know who it is. Moving closer the man doesn’t make any moves to run, or attack. But it’s when they get closer and the light reveals his face that Cisco can’t believe it’s really him.

"Ronnie? Ronnie, it's me, Cait. Look, I brought Cisco with me. We're here to help you" she says treading lightly as not to scare him off.

"NO! No, keep him away from me" Ronnie says grabbing his head. "He's calling out to him".

Cisco had no idea what that meant but decided to speak anyway. “You were in an accident. Do you remember?

"I'm not Ronnie" Ronnie says moving back from Cisco.

Cisco steps closer as Ronnie moves back. Caitlin following.  “Yes, you are. You're Ronnie Raymond".

"I'm not Ronnie. I told you that. Now get away from me" Ronnie says to Cisco and Caitlin. Especially Cisco, he was hard focusing when the other in his head was trying to call out to him.

"Look, we just need to take you back to S.T.A.R. Labs. We'll help you remember who you are" Caitlin tries again.

Ronnie pushes Caitlin out of the way and grabs Cisco face. "Firestorm" he whispers to him.

Letting Cisco go and pushing him back, Ronnie body was once again covered in fire but this time when Caitlin looked back Ronnie was gone.

Barry was currently pacing Joe’s living room, he had just come from a visit with his dad and it opened his eyes to a lot of things. His obsession to solve his mom’s murder had consumed his life. What he would give to spend another moment with his mother again. He will never get the chance but freeing his father getting the chance to still bond with him, have a life with him that was still possible, and hearing his father tell him to let it all go, and move forward with his life was the last thing he wanted to hear, but it was also just what he needed. Barry thoughts where instantly broken when there was a knock at the door.

Peeking through the nob he saw Eddie standing there. Eddie rushed into the house taking a good look at Barry to make sure everything was ok. “Hey Barry, you ok?"

"Yea, Yea I'm fine. Why?" Barry asked.

"You rushed me over here, and said you needed to talk it was urgent" he says. "I thought something happened".

"No, no...I'm fine" Barry says smiling nervously at Eddie.

Here it goes.

Barry pulled Eddie in his arms, holding him like it may be the last time he ever did, Eddie wrapped his arms around Barry's shoulder rubbing his back in the process.

"I love you" Barry whispered in Eddie's ear.

Eddie smiled. "Aww, I love you too" he said pulling back.

" When we were kids, I loved you before I even knew what the word "love" meant... there were so many times that I wanted to tell you... Junior prom, when I went away to college, when I came back from college, nights that we stayed up talking, all the birthdays, all the Christmases, but I... I never did. I just... I kept it in. After I lost my mom and my dad, I was afraid that if you didn't feel the same way, I would lose you, too. That's the irony. I was so scared of losing you. I know I've had our whole lives to tell you this, but every time it was the right time I just couldn't find the right words to say something".

Barry took this time to look at Eddie who was wide eyed, and in shock. Eye’s glassy from tears threatening to spill.

"I'm sorry" Barry whispered moving to step closer to Eddie who back away.

Before Barry could make another motion the front door was opening and Iris was walking through. Eddie took the moment to wipe the tears from his eyes and dart to the door making his way out.

Iris looked from Eddie to Barry and had a pretty good idea what happened. “You Ok?”

“Honestly Iris, I don’t know”.

"Don’t look for me again" he told her before flaming on and flying away.

“Caitlin...”

Caitlin was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of Cisco’s voice, but she couldn’t find it in her move or even look at him. “Don't worry. Hey. Now that we know he's out there, we will find Ronnie again”.

“Why... so we can throw him in there with all the other meta-human psychos?” she says.

“I used to play this game in my head. What would I give up for just one more minute with my brother? My house, my career... The rest of my life? Today I finally got that minute. And I wish I hadn't. Seeing him like that, what he's become... Dear God... I wish he had just died that day” she cried.

Cisco took Caitlin in his arms, he hadn’t realized how much seeing Ronnie in that state had affected her. “Caitlin, Ronnie saved Barry’s life today, which means there is still in good in him, we can save him”.

“I hope your right”.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, may your days be bright.......

Barry walked into Joe’s house noticing everyone was there, he smiled taking off his jacket and placing it on the coat rack. This was always his favorite time of the year, he got the chance to forget all his problems and spend time with the people he loved most. Cisco walked up to him and raised his arms, modeling his sweater. Barry was actually speechless Cisco looked really good in the sweater.

“I look ridiculous” he says.

Barry looked him up and down. “You look beautiful” the words leave his mouth before he has the chance to take it back.

Cisco blushed and stared. ”Thanks Barry”.

"Merry Christmas, Cisco" Barry says.

"Merry Christmas Barry" Cisco says smiling. "Oooh, I got something for you. Just a little thank you for the gift" Cisco says handing Barry the box.

Barry shakes it then smiles. "Thanks Cisco" Barry says pulling him into a hug.

He smells so freaking good….Cisco thinks

Barry pulls back and places his hands in his pockets. He had been thinking a lot since the talk he had with Eddie, and it seemed like he and Eddie’s friendship was over. Eddie hadn’t returned any of his calls and he was 100% sure Eddie would never return the feelings he had. So maybe it was time to stop chasing a dream. “Look Cisco, I’ve been thinking about this for a little while and I was wondering, if maybe……”

Oh my god, is he about to ask…….

Knock Knock.

Barry looks to the door, then back at Cisco before opening it. Cisco sighs, just his luck.

Barry froze when he saw Eddie standing there. “Hey Eddie....uhhhh...what".

Eddie instantly cuts Barry off. "I need to talk to you" he looks to Cisco, and back at Barry. “Privately”.

“Sure, come on in" Barry says nervously, Eddie was about to chew him out he knew it. Barry led Eddie into the kitchen so they could have some privacy.

Barry leaned against the counter and looked down at his feet, Eddie was making him extremely nervous. Eddie leaning on the opposite counter.

“I’m sorry, I left the way I did" Eddie started. “It’s just........".

“I know, it’s a lot to take in" Barry said. “I just needed to tell you, I couldn’t hold it in anymore".

“Since we were kids you've felt this way?" Eddie asked.

“The first moment I laid eyes on you. It was just a kid crush and as we got older it grew in more. I realized I was in love with you. I had so many chances to say something but the thought of losing you always weighed heavily on me".

“You won’t ever lose me Barry, I Promise" Eddie says pushing himself off the counter and making his way over to Barry.

“Whatever happens, we will always be best friends" Eddie says taking Barry's hands in his own. “I’m willing to give this a try if you are".

Barry looked down at his hands, then to Eddie smiling. “Really?"

“Yea, we will see where it goes" Eddie says.

Barry laughs wrapping his arms around Eddie's waist and bringing him in for a kiss.

“Merry Christmas Barry" Eddie says breaking the kiss.

Cisco stood in the doorway looking at the pair, why should he even be Jealous. Barry and he would never be anything more than friends, who would ever want to be with him. Moving out of the doorway and leaning on a nearby wall Cisco took that time to take a deep breath, trying to hold back his tears.

“Mm. Day like today, grandma Esther's eggnog seems a little light on the bourbon" Joe says handing Cisco a cup of egg nog and peaking in the kitchen.

“Thanks Joe" Cisco says eyes focused on the cup of egg nog.

“How long have you have feelings for him?" Joe asked.

Cisco faked a shocked expression. “What do you mean?"

“Don’t play dumb Cisco, I've seen the way you look at him. How giddy you are when he's around, how you blush when he compliments you and how you always laughs at all his dumb jokes" Joe says making he and Cisco laugh at the last part.

“It’s just a meaningless crush" Cisco points out. “He’s got the guy he has always wanted. I'm happy for him".

"Cisco...." Joe tried but Cisco was in the mood for this conversation.

“I saw something weird tonight" Cisco said cutting Joe off and changing the subject.  "When The Flash and the man in yellow were going full-on bumper cars on each other, I was watching the electricity coming off of them... yellow and red electricity. When Barry was a kid, he said he saw red and yellow lightning in his house the night his mother died. There were two of them. The man in yellow may have killed Barry's mother, but... There was another speedster there that night".