EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME TWO
━━ ❛ 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 ❜

chapter no. 034!

     "HEY, UM, I NEED YOUR HELP," BARRY SAID, RUBBING HIS FOREHEAD AS HE WAS ALREADY REGRETTING EVER ASKING FOR JULIAN ALBERT'S HELP. The shaggy blonde-haired man didn't bother to look up from his recreated crime scene, tweezers in hand as he picked up a small figurine.

     "It's the four words I seem to hear you most often say, Barry." Julian mused, peering through his magnifying glass. The speedster wrung his hands together, looking up at the ceiling as he gathered his patience. "That and, "I hate that guy." Which, the feeling's mutual, so..." the man shrugged, placing the figurine on a paper towel.

     "Mm-hmm. Okay, um, this is gonna be hard for you, but I just, for a second, need you to imagine that we're actually friends." Barry pleaded, looking down at his co-worker desperately.

     Julian glanced up, "Can't do it."

     "Friendly."

     "Equally as challenging, Barry." Placing down the tweezers, the blonde looked up, annoyed. "But I'll give it a whirl. What are you after?" he asked, sitting back.

     Barry sighed, his shoulders dropping as he leaned against the edge of the desk. "I need to read your report on one of the husks." He breathed.

     Julian tilted his head, furrowing his brows together slightly. "Which one?"

     "The one from this morning. Edward Clariss." Barry replied.

     His words caused the CSI to do a double-take, his eyes widening slightly. "Edward Clariss?" The brown-haired man nodded. "Why?" he asked, growing more suspicious of his co-workers' intentions.

     Glancing away, Barry tried to keep himself from using his speed and reading it himself already. "May help me figure out a case I'm working on," he lied.

     Julian wheeled back in his chair and swiveled it to face his computer. "Well, the nutshell is, uh, the hyaluronic acids were found to be above normal. Uh, androgen degradation is atypically low. Cellular regeneration seemed to occur at a staggering rate. It's quite a bit different from the previous husks we found. That's about it." Closing the file report, he looked at Barry, rubbing his chin.

     "Could I— could I maybe just take a peek at it?" Julian's mouth dropped slightly as he stared at the man as if he were out of his mind. "I'm sorry, it's just something I need to see to know what I'm looking for."

     The blonde scoffed, rolling his eyes and bitterly handing him the file. "Sure."

     "Great, thank you," Barry sighed, taking the file.

     Down the hall, Piper was beginning to make her way to the lab. Now that Caitlin said she was free to leave S.T.A.R. Labs, the redhead was more than eager to return to her old apartment. There was just one slight problem. Erin moved out and into Iris's place while Barry had moved in. A detail he failed to mention the other day.

     According to Joe, the brown-haired man had been a wreck after she left.

     He didn't talk as much, and he rarely visited S.T.A.R. Labs. Only when it was important. He spent most of his time at work and running. Those were the only two things that kept him distracted.

     Once Erin had announced she was moving out, he offered to buy the place from her. It was the only place that still had all of Piper's things and reminded him of her in a way that was comforting.

     So, now, for her to return to the apartment, she had to get the keys from Barry. Without her speed, she couldn't phase through the door anymore. She had to go in an old-fashioned way.

     The sound of her black heels clicking echoed in the silent hallway as she turned into the lab. "Hey, Barry," she called, walking further in, "can I get the keys to the apart—" Piper stopped in her tracks, mid-question, as she stared at Barry, who was talking to someone she didn't recognize.

     The two men turned her way, and Julian Albert's eyes widened significantly at seeing an abnormally stunning woman standing in the middle of their lab. They were the only ones who came in beside Joe and the other officers. Never once were there any gorgeous women with silky-smooth, perfectly wavy, long scarlet-red hair.

     Her pale skin stood out, just as her hair did. Freckles adorned her cheeks and nose, while her eyes were a chocolate brown that Julian could already feel himself melting into.

     "Is this a bad time? I can just go find Joe and hang out with him until you're done," Piper said, pointing behind her, her eyes darting between the two awkwardly.

     Barry shook his head, clearing his throat. "No, no, you're fine. We were just talking about... work stuff. What's up?" he asked, closing the file he was holding.

     Piper nodded, knowing that she indeed had interrupted something. "I just came to get the keys to the apartment," she responded, tucking her hair behind her ear.

     The speedster's eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. "I uh, yeah, yeah, let me get those for you," he mumbled, placing the file on Julian's desk and walking to his.

     "I don't believe we've ever met before," Julian cleared his throat, standing up from his desk and straightening out his tie. Piper turned her gaze away from Barry and to the blonde. "I'm Julian Albert, Meta-human CSI Expert," he introduced, sticking out his hand. His British accent caught her attention immediately, and she was intrigued.

      Reaching over, she shook his hand, smiling. "I'm Piper Lita. It's nice to meet you. Barry's told me about you."

     Julian raised a brow, glancing at the man heading back to them. "All terrible things, I assume," he replied, turning his attention back to the redhead, smiling charmingly at her.

     Barry narrowed his eyes as he noticed how his co-worker stared at Piper.

     She laughed softly, causing Julian's smile to widen as she shook her head. "I mean, they're not that terrible." Piper shrugged, which made him chuckle.

     Moving to stand closer, Barry held the keys out to her. Turning her head, Piper noticed how close the two of them were standing and felt her heart-rate speed up. She took the keys and smiled at him, her eyes warm and soft as the pair held eye contact for a second that felt like an eternity.

     "I'll be home in an hour," he said, pressing a kiss on her forehead.

     The word home and the kiss on the forehead caught her attention, and she furrowed her brows the tiniest bit. A blush spread across her cheeks nonetheless, and she nodded, butterflies still consuming her insides.

     "Well, I better get going. It was so nice to meet you, Julian," Piper said, giving the man across from her a kind smile. Turning around, she patted Barry on the shoulder before leaving silently.

────

     EVERYTHING HAD MOVED ON IN HER ABSENCE. It was foolish of her to think that things would stay the same when the world would always continue to move, whether she was alive or not.

     It was strange being here in front of the door to Apartment two-hundred-and-ten again. She could still remember everything about the place despite how long she'd been away. The photos and framed comic books on the walls, the massive comic book collage that was on the wall next to the window seat in the kitchen. Waking up to the smell of food burning and listening to Erin read her entries from her journal.

     She remembered it all.

     Taking a deep breath, the redhead stepped forward and slid the key into the lock, twisting it until she heard the lock retracting. Piper pulled the key out and opened the door, stepping inside and flicking on the lights.

     Immediately, her eyes landed on the wall across from her that separated the kitchen and living room. One of the many comic book collages she and Erin had created remained nailed to the wall. However, the pictures of the two of them were gone, and in their place was an empty space. A frown made its way onto her face, and she moved her eyes to the right, closing the door behind her.

     All the previous furniture was gone, and there rested a long, dark grey couch with a dark grey bean bag on either side of it. Sandstone-orange, white, and light grey pillows decorated the couch, while a sandstone-orange blanket was draped over the bean bag to the left of the couch.

     Moving her eyes up, she saw three white shelves attached to the wall. The first one held a neatly folded stack of comic books, a few candles, and small potted plants. The shelf above it held more plants and a few photo frames. A small smile pulled at her lips when she saw the photos of Barry's parents and then one of her and Barry. The final shelf held two large photos, one of Central City at night and the other of Team Flash at S.T.A.R. Labs.

     Piper walked in further and looked to the wall on her left, noticing that the flat-screen TV was still mounted there, along with the two big fake plants that Erin and Piper had bought over a year ago. The two were too forgetful to get a real plant; they'd kill it within the first week of having it.

     Turning around, she walked around the wall and into the kitchen. Everything was the same.

     Unlike the living room, nothing had changed. The collages and framed comic books were still nailed to the wall. The marble kitchen table that Erin and Piper would sit at and talk about what Erin had written in her journal was still there. The only thing missing was the magnets that once decorated the fridge. They were gone and in their place was more empty space.

     Making her way back into the living room, she walked towards the couches. Stepping around the glass coffee table, her eyes scanned over the titles of the comics resting on the first shelf.

     Daredevil: Born Again was the first one her eyes immediately noticed. Reaching up, she pulled it out of the stack and flicked through the pages, smiling at the familiar coloring and pictures.

     The sound of the door opening grabbed the redhead's attention, and she turned around, the book in hand. Her eyes locked on the figure of Barry Allen as he closed the door behind him, locking it. Shrugging off his black coat, he hung it on the coat rack and slipped off his shoes, turning around and smiling automatically at the sight of Piper.

     Once their eyes locked, Piper felt a sense of deja-vu wash over her mind. Before Barry opened his mouth, there was a vague sense of familiarity as she placed the comic book on the coffee table.

     The sound of the door opening grabbed the redhead's attention, and she turned around, a stack of photographs in her hand. Her watering eyes locked on the figure of Barry Allen as he closed the front door behind him, locking it. Spinning around, his eyes locked onto the set of photos in his girlfriend's hands.

     "You're him, aren't you?" she asked, her voice shaking dangerously.

     He raised a curious brow, stepping forward. "Him who?"

     The sound of her name being called caused Piper to blink, snapping out of the memory she'd just replayed. Looking up, she noticed that Barry was now standing in front of her, a concerned expression clouding his features.

     "Hey, are you okay? You just zoned out," he noted, furrowing his brows in confusion.

     "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I just—"

     "Flashback?"

     Piper nodded, fully aware that he and everyone else had been informed about her various issues and episodes. "So, Joe told me that you bought the place from Erin when she moved in with Iris," she coughed, changing the topic to the present situation.

    Barry nodded, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I uh, yeah, I did. It was the only place, you know that made me feel like you were still here. At least a part of you," he explained, his cheeks fading to light pink.

     "Yeah, I understand that. I like what you did with the place. It's amazing." Piper complimented, smiling as Barry's cheeks flushed red.

     "I um," he cleared his throat, "I kept your room how it was. Just in case you ever came back. I know that's weird, but it gave me a sense of hope that one day you would come back to me."

     A surge of butterflies attacked Piper's insides, and she smiled widely. "That's not weird, it's sweet. Incredibly sweet. And I came back to you. I always will," she replied, glancing down as she felt him grab her hands. Looking back up, her eyes darted between his curiously. "Can I ask you something?"

     Her question caught Barry slightly off-guard, and he blinked, nodding as he felt his heart rate speed up. Biting the inside of his cheek, he held himself back from overthinking what it could be that she was about to ask him.

     "You acted differently towards me than you normally do today in your lab, which I don't mind. I like it when you kiss me and stuff, but today was different. Was it because of Julian?" Piper asked, raising a brow as the speedster looked away. "Barry, I saw how you glared at him when he was talking to me," she added softly, moving her head so he could see her.

     "Yeah, it was because of him," he answered, slowly looking at her.

     Sighing, she let go of his hands and cupped his cheeks, stepping forward. "You're the only person I have called home and the only person I ever will. You are the one person who I will always come home to. You, Barry Allen, are the only person I have felt this way about, okay? So, you don't need to worry about Julian Albert. Nothing and no one will separate me from you."

     The apartment was hauntingly quiet as the redhead grew anxious, worried that she'd said too much. Biting down on her lip, she slowly lowered her hands as Barry stood frozen, his eyes locked on her in a daze.

     Once her hands were back down by her sides, she took a step back, looking behind her to ensure she didn't walk into the couch.

     "Kiss me."

     Those two words caused Piper's head to snap up so quickly she could've gotten whiplash. Her eyes widened as she stared at the brown-haired man, startled. "What?" she choked out.

     Barry stepped forward and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her towards him. She gulped, her heart rate running at full speed as the distance between them only grew smaller.

     Their faces were inches apart when he stopped pulling her. Piper released a shaky breath as she felt him run his hand up her back. "Kiss me," he repeated, his eyes locked on hers. Without hesitation, she closed the distance, cupping his cheeks once again as she placed her lips on his.

     Barry breathed in deeply, using the hand that was pressed against her back to bring her closer. He parted his lips, moving them slowly, worried that if he tried to deepen it too quickly, she would pull away. Piper responded instantly, parting her lips as she moved them in sync with his.

     The kiss was gentle, slow, and passionate.

     Moving his hand to the back of her head, he tangled his fingers in her long scarlet-red hair, pulling her closer to him and adding more pressure to the kiss. Piper felt her knees begin to go weak as the sparks running down her spine made her toes curl. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing them as close as they could possibly be standing up.

     Being this close to one another sent a spiral of warmth that ignited their bodies. Their lips molded perfectly together, and Barry felt himself melting into her touch, his muscles relaxing more as he felt her hand run through his hair slowly.

     The sound of a phone ringing caused the two to jump apart, breathless.

     Groaning, Barry let go of Piper and reached into his back pocket for his phone. "Cisco, man, this isn't a great time— what? Yeah, yeah, she's right here with me. We'll be there in a second."

     Piper furrowed her brows as he quickly stuffed his phone away, eyes locking with hers. "What's going on?" she asked, noticing the frown that was making its way onto his face.

     "We've got to get to S.T.A.R. Labs," Barry breathed, wrapping his arm around her waist, bringing the two of them back together. "I'm sorry, it's important."

     Piper shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. Let's go."

     Speeding them out of the apartment, Barry ran down the streets towards S.TA.R. Labs, racing inside and to the Cortex. Papers flew everywhere as the two arrived, coming to a stop, and Barry let go of his hold around Piper's waist.

     "Lita," Harry spoke immediately, cutting straight to the point. Piper moved her eyes to the scientist that stood next to Caitlin behind the set of computers. "Do you know these two?" he pointed to the screens behind her, and she turned around, meeting the dark stare of a live security feed. Narrowing her eyes, she walked closer.

     She could make out the outline of two figures on the screen, one in a dark cloak while the other was dressed in a black speedster suit. An orange lightning bolt was running straight down the middle, thin lines of orange and red scattered randomly on the body.

     Piper's eyes widened as she realized who the two people were.

     "They claim to know you. They know we're watching and are demanding to talk to you." Harry explained, placing his hands on his hips.

     The scarlet speedster glanced at the woman, noticing how the color in her cheeks was gone, and she looked as if she'd seen a ghost. He glanced at Cisco and Caitlin, who was watching the redhead with curious eyes.

    "Who are they?" Joe asked, looking to an unresponsive Piper. "Piper?"

     Blinking, she gulped, backing away from the screens. "The Rival and Dr. Alchemy," she whispered, her chest feeling like it had just been kicked.

     "The who now?" Joe asked, raising a brow.

     "The Rival. He's a speedster from my world. He and Dr. Alchemy work for Savitar." Piper answered, squeezing her eyes shut as a sharp pain ignited in her chest.

     "How're they here?" Harry asked, crossing his arms. Piper shrugged, wincing as another sharp pain was sent throughout her body. "Could they have come through when your friends brought you back?"

     Caitlin watched with diligent eyes as the woman being questioned kept her eyes shut, visibly wincing every few seconds. She lowered her eyes and saw her hands shaking, which had happened a few days ago, right before Miles, and Damon left. "Harry, stop with the questions," Caitlin snapped, cutting the man off as he opened his mouth to ask another.

     Everyone in the room swiveled their eyes to the doctor in surprise, the strong tone of her voice catching them all off-guard.

     Cisco raised his brows, looking between the two with his mouth agape. "Snow— Caitlin, I'm just—" Harry started but was immediately shut down.

     "Did you not pay attention to anything Director Warren told us, Harry? Asking questions that she cannot answer will not do anything helpful. So, stop it." It was tensely silent as Caitlin took in a deep breath, having had enough of Harry's recent questioning and persistent stubbornness.

     Joe opened his mouth to say something, but a blast of wind hit him in the face as Barry sped over to Piper, catching her in his arms. Looking down, the scarlet speedster brushed her hair out of her face as she lay unconscious in his arms.

     "What the hell just happened?!" Joe exclaimed, eyes wide.

     "Harry's questions were too overwhelming, not to mention seeing Savitar's two right-hand men. She passed out." Barry answered, his brows drawn in as he stared down at her in concern.

     "Well, those two right-hand men want to speak to Piper, and that's not going to happen. So, who're they going to talk to?" Cisco asked, looking at the team.

     "They're going to talk to The Flash."

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄!

(some scenes and dialogue are from episode two of season three.)

what's up? how is everyone?

i know i haven't updated in a bit, i've been really busy and haven't had a lot of inspiration to write recently. i wanted to make a few things clear about Act Two. this will not be following everything that happens in season 3, as some of you may be able to tell.

1. savitar got his powers from the explosion from brenner labs on earth four, not from the brahmastra (the philosopher's stone), which is also the source of alchemy's powers.

2. alchemy is a person of his own, unlike where on the show alchemy is a persona that takes over a person. on the show, while under the guise of alchemy, those chosen by savitar will blackout and do not remember their actions, waking up at a different place and a different time. that will NOT happen in this book.

3. julian won't be alchemy, but he will be in the book.

4. YES, piper and barry live together now in her old apartment.

thank-you so much for reading!

please vote and comment!