EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME TWO
━━ ❛ 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 ❜

chapter no. 044!

     "I HAVE A PROBLEM." Barry blurted out when he sat down in the empty chair next to Joe West's desk. The detective glanced up from the stack of papers in front of him, his brows rising ever so slightly. Realizing that his adoptive father was waiting for him to continue, he shook his head, sighing.

     "Piper's avoiding me, and she has been for days. I don't know why or what I did, but she won't talk to me. She no longer sleeps in the same room at night and goes to bed early. When I wake up in the mornings, she's already gone and nowhere to be seen. At S.T.A.R. Labs, she hides in the basement, and if I go down to talk to her, she leaves. I don't know what to do, Joe. I've tried everything."

     Placing down the pen in his hand, the man leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he dwelled over this news. "Has she told anyone else why she won't talk to you?"

     Barry shook his head. "Joe, she won't even say my name in a conversation."

     Joe furrowed his brows, confusion was written across his face. What the brown-haired man was describing sounded nothing like the redhead who'd been infatuated with him for over a year; the girl who would embarrassingly blurt out sexual innuendos about the scarlet speedster and turn bright red in the face after realizing what she'd just said.

     Piper hadn't blocked Barry out since the attack at the Streetwise Bay with Zoom last year, and that was only because she knew the monster's identity and needed time to process. She couldn't do that with the rest of the team and her friends constantly checking up and eyeing her.

     So, why was she blocking him out this time? What happened?

     "She could just be having a hard time right now. Director Warren did say that after Aureolin, she hadn't been the same. We know that she hasn't. We've seen it. Right now, she could just be feeling many different things and not want to reach out." Detective West suggested, scratching his forehead.

     Rather than thinking over what Joe had suggested, Barry quickly shook his head in disagreement. "I know Piper. I know how she thinks and works, and never has she once blocked me out like this. Not to this extreme. If she was hurting and not feeling okay, she wouldn't be leaving a room once I walked in or backing away every time I got close to her. Instead, she would hold onto me and trust that I wouldn't leave her side. She would acknowledge my existence," he breathed; there was a sense of urgency behind his words.

     Noticing the desperate and distressed look covering the features of the brown-haired man's face, Joe rubbed his forehead, a troubling frown crossing his lips.

     Barry wasn't wrong. He knew he wasn't.

     If anyone could get through to Piper and get her to let down those walls, it was him, and the fact that he couldn't right now said something.

     "Honestly, son," Joe started, uncrossing his arms. "I would find a way to get her alone and talk to her. Ask what's going on. Tell her how you feel."

     Barry furrowed his brows, leaning forward. "How I feel? Joe, she knows how I feel. She already knows that I'm waiting for her, however long that takes," he said, puzzled by what he meant.

     "Yeah, she does, but she doesn't know how much of a love-sick fool you are for her and how much it hurts you to see her like this. She doesn't know that your feelings go beyond just liking her a lot. Bar, I've watched you fall in love with this girl since the moment we met her." Joe spoke softly, giving his son a knowing look.

     Barry sighed, glancing away for a brief second. "She doesn't need to know. Not right now, at least," he whispered, shaking his head.

     The detective huffed, shooting the speedster a look of dumbfounded disbelief. "She doesn't need to know? Barry, her knowing could be the one thing that gives her hope right now. It could be the exact news she needs to not break. After everything that has happened, she deserves to know that you love her, and you deserve to have that love reciprocated."

     "Yeah, but what if she doesn't feel the same way?" Barry asked exasperatedly, his face falling at the thought. Joe frowned, speechless that the boy in front of him couldn't see what everyone else could see and had been seeing for over a year now.

     Piper Lita had fallen in love with the scarlet speedster long ago, and everyone knew it. Even if she hadn't admitted it to anyone, they knew.

     It was all in the way she looked at him with gleaming eyes that were dusted with sparkles of light that offered a beacon of hope to whoever was lucky enough to notice them. It was a look of complete, utter, raw, innocent, pure, and corporeal love. It was a look every person dreamed of receiving.

     "She feels the same way, Bar. She's felt the same way for a very long time, it's just taken you a while to realize it." Joe spoke gently, giving his son a small smile. Noticing the confused expression beginning to emerge, the man sighed. "It's up to you whether or not you want to take the chance to tell her."

────

     THE CORRIDORS OF S.T.A.R. LABS WERE SILENT AS THE SETTING SUN OUTSIDE HAD BEGUN TO DISAPPEAR FROM VIEW. Not a voice could be heard through the silence as Barry walked towards the Cortex, praying that the redhead was in there with Caitlin and Cisco.

     He'd already checked their apartment, along with Iris and Erin's, and she wasn't at either. So, the only other place he could think of was the multi-million dollar company building that he never seemed to leave.

     Down the hall, the woman he was searching for was perched on top of one of the desks in the right corner of the room, her legs folded and a book in her lap. She was hunched over with her hair pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head and her eyes read over the inked words.

     Both Caitlin and Cisco were sitting in front of the computer monitors, eating their dinner of hot pockets peacefully, when their beloved scarlet speedster walked in, his eyes roaming the room.

     "Yo, what's up," Cisco spoke, his words muffled due to the food still in his mouth.

     "Hey, Barry," Caitlin greeted, sending him a small wave from where she sat.

     Upon hearing the name that always sent the butterflies inside her chest into a frenzy, the redhead glanced up from her book. Almost instantaneously, her eyes locked with the brown-haired man's, and she didn't hesitate to move them back down to the book in her lap.

     Cisco and Caitlin frowned at the speedster's silence and watched as he made his way over to Piper.

     "Hey, can we talk?" Barry asked, his voice echoing. Breathing in deeply, Piper bit down on her lip as she forced herself to keep looking at the words in front of her. "Please," he pleaded, pushing down the heavy sensation in his chest.

     She knew that avoiding him forever wasn't possible, but that didn't stop her from trying. However, she knew at some point she was going to have to face the repercussions of what her neglect had brought on.

     Caitlin glanced at the long-haired boy beside her whose brows were pressed together in a ragged line, his attention no longer on the microwavable dinner sitting in his lap.

     After thirty seconds of deafening silence, Piper nodded, closing the book reluctantly. Placing it to the right, she slid off the desk and followed behind Barry as he led them out of the room.

     "Something isn't right," Cisco mumbled as the two left, placing his paper plate on the table.

      Caitlin nodded in agreement, stealing a hot pocket off his plate. "I know," she spoke through a mouthful of food, completely aware of what the boy next to her meant.

     Everyone had noticed the lack of interaction they'd been having with the redhead and the reduced amount of encounters they had with her throughout the day. She was rarely around the team. More specifically, Barry Allen.

     Whenever he entered a room, she left. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she ignored him. She failed to pay attention or be present whenever anything happened concerning him. It was as if the boy was a disease that would infect her at any given moment.

     Turning into the lounge of S.T.A.R. Labs, Piper huffed as she faced the brown-haired man, raising an annoyed brow before glancing away from his clover green eyes. She didn't want to talk to him, she didn't want to look at him, and she didn't want to be reminded of the deal she made with the devil. She didn't want to feel the same anger and hatred she had towards Savitar towards her Barry Allen. She didn't want anything to do with him, but things could never be that simple or straightforward. There was always a roadblock or complication that stopped the process. A process the redhead desperately wanted to keep flowing.

     It was silent as Barry tried to collect himself, a swirl of seamless thoughts clouding his thoughts.

     Piper's dark, hollow eyes were swimming around the room impatiently, waiting for the latter to start talking.

     Just being in his presence brought back flashes of her brief time on Earth-Four and the tainted memories that never once stopped playing in her mind. Every word he uttered to her echoed in her mind, only fueling the fire that was now always burning in her chest.

     She felt just the same as she did days ago. She could still feel the fresh betrayal and heartbreak.

     Every memory that popped up was tainted with hues of hate, resentment, and anguish. Nearly every memory she held dear to her heart was black and white. There were only a few good ones left, but they were vanishing rapidly. Time was running out, and the amount of patience and self-control she had the reins on was waning.

     Piper Lita was running on thin ice, and all she needed was one last push to bring her falling to exactly where she never wanted to be. A place of no return. A place that she'd caught glimpses of ever since she killed Athena.

     "What's going on?" Barry finally asked, breaking the tense silence.

     Moving her eyes to meet his, she held her breath. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, crossing her arms.

     "Yeah, you do."

     "No, I don't."

     "Piper."

     "Bartholomew."

     Barry sucked in a deep breath at the mention of his full name, holding it in as he stared at the challenging expression written across the redhead's face.

     Why was she being so stubborn? He knew that she knew what it was he was talking about.

     "Why are you avoiding me?" He questioned, mimicking her stance as he crossed his arms. Piper sighed, rolling her eyes. "I've barely seen or talked to you in days. You're never in the same room as me for longer than ten minutes, and you haven't said my name once in any conversation. You're acting like I don't exist. Why? What did I do?"

     "You're being delusional. I'm not avoiding you, Barry." Piper lied again, growing irritated with the man in front of her.

     "Delusional? Are you serious?" Barry asked in disbelief, his mouth dropping.

     "Doesn't it look like I'm joking? No, I'm not. I'm not avoiding you, Barry. End of discussion." Piper snapped, pushing her way past him, but he grabbed her hand, spinning her back around.

     "No, not 'end of discussion.' Please, just talk to me. What is going on? You can lie all you want and act like everything is fine, that we're fine, but it's not. We're not." Barry said exasperatedly.

     Meeting the speedster's stare, the redhead felt a wave of guilt crawl up her back as she could see the pain she was causing reflecting in his eyes.

     I'm hurting him.

     "I—" she stopped, her throat closing as the two held eye contact. Pressing her lips together, she remained silent as she was at a loss for words. He'd caught her off-guard with this conversation, and she didn't know what to say that wouldn't result in a bigger argument or slip up.

     Letting go of her hand, Barry took a step back, a sinking frown weighing down his face. "You know how I feel about you. How much I care. So, why aren't you letting me in?" He asked quietly, watching as she gulped. "Just please, say something."

     "What do you want me to say, Barry? What? Because I don't know what you want me to say," she sighed, throwing her arms out to her sides in defeat.

     "Talk to me. Tell me what's going on. Why are you avoiding me? What did I do?!" Barry exclaimed loudly, growing frustrated.

     Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed two shadows emerge in the lounge doorway behind Piper. Leaning against the door frame, Iris stuck her hands into her coat pockets as Erin crossed her arms.

     The two women had just gotten back from getting food when they heard yelling coming down the hall. Both of them had noticed the obvious distance and avoidance between the two lovers, but they didn't realize how big of a deal it was for them. Now, as they stood watching the two argue from afar, both women could tell that whatever was going on was hurting them both.

     Piper and Barry had only seriously argued once before this. Overall, the two didn't argue. They didn't fight. They were always on the same page, so why weren't they right now?

     "You didn't do anything, okay? You didn't, so stop asking!" Piper snapped, the sound of her voice almost echoing off the walls.

     "If I didn't do anything, why are you avoiding me like the plague?! God, you won't even say my name, Piper! My name!" Barry stressed, stepping forward.

     "Not everything is about you, Allen! Have you ever thought about that? Maybe I'm avoiding you because I want to; because I'm trying to deal with some shit on my own without having someone breathing down my neck every goddamn minute!" Piper shouted; the boiling anger she felt towards the blue and silver speedster was stirring and readying itself. She knew that her anger was misplaced, that it wasn't this Barry that she was furious with, but that didn't matter. He was here, right now. Savitar wasn't.

     The fact that the two were literal copies of the other didn't help either, as every good memory she had with Savitar flashed through her mind, reminding herself repeatedly that it was all a lie. Every kiss, every "I love you," every laugh, every second spent together was a lie.

     Iris glanced at her girlfriend, noticing that she was wearing the same troubled expression that she was.

     "This isn't you, Piper! You aren't one to shut people out. To shut me out! If anything, you come running to me, knowing that you are safe and loved. I'm your home, that's what you told me. I'm the person you will always come home to, so why aren't you coming home? Why aren't you coming back to me?" Barry asked, stressing every word he spoke.

     A lump rose in Piper's throat, and her eyes briefly flickered back to their normal state of warm, chocolate-brown goodness.

     "Because I don't deserve to," she admitted quietly, pressing her lips together. Barry's face fell. "You're right. This isn't Piper, but that's because I'm not Piper, okay? I'm not the girl who stalked you and your friends for months; who had the world's biggest crush on you for over a year. I'm not the girl who fought Zoom and Aureolin or saved Caruthers City. I'm not the girl who sacrificed everything to save an entire world.

     "I'm the girl who lost everyone she ever loved because I let my best friend's parents die. I'm the girl who murdered her childhood best friend in front of hundreds of people. I'm the girl who let a serial killer speedster take advantage of her in her most vulnerable state and kill hundreds! I'm the girl who brought Savitar to your Earth and is responsible for the hell he's about to unleash in Central City. So, when you ask me why I'm not coming back to you, it's because I don't deserve to. I don't deserve you, Erin, Cisco, Caitlin, Iris, or anyone! I'm not Piper Lita. I'm not Expedite. I never will be again, and I've accepted that fact. I can't get back everything I lost." Piper's chest was rising up and down vigorously, and she brushed away a piece of fallen hair.

     Behind her, both Iris and Erin were stunned to silence at the redhead's words. She'd finally opened up and snapped at someone. She'd finally been able to say the words that had been on the tip of her tongue for weeks. To scream to anyone who could hear that she wasn't the beloved Piper Lita everyone knew her to be.

     The person she'd become went from someone she never wanted to recognize to someone who made her feel more alive and in tune with her emotions than ever. Mainly because she could openly feel all the bottled-up anger, she'd had since she was thirteen.

     Barry had no response to her outburst except for the three words that always got caught in his throat whenever he thought he had the perfect opportunity to say them. All he wanted to do was tell her that he was in love with her, that he was there, that he wanted to help, that he could see past all the bad and all the mistakes she'd made, but he couldn't.

     He couldn't say anything.

     He didn't know what to say.

     Moving her eyes to the brown-haired man, Piper inwardly groaned as he wore a blank expression. She could tell he was at a loss for words, which only infuriated her even more.

     It felt as if the speedster's stillness was mocking her, reminding her that even though he wasn't Savitar, he still responded with the same silence as the two-faced liar. He, purposefully or not, made her feel like she was alone in how she felt, and she was tired of it.

     With a quiet sigh, Piper turned around, prepared to walk away, but the whisper of five specific words made her stop in her tracks.

     "You'll always be my Piper," Barry choked out weakly, his mind stuttering over the three words he couldn't say.

     Watching from the doorway, Erin narrowed her eyes as she watched Piper's eyes flicker from dark brown to their signature warm, chocolate brown. For the world's quickest moment, she watched as tears pooled up in her best friend's eyes and her posture slumped forward. However, as quickly as that transition took place, it reversed. Piper's eyes returned to the dark-brown hollowness that she'd grown accustomed to, and her shoulders squared up.

     Before anyone could move or utter a single syllable, Cisco's voice rang out through the sound system. "Uh, can everyone come to the Cortex, please? We uh, we have a visitor."

      Sighing, Barry sped forward and grabbed Piper, Erin, and Iris, speeding the four of them down to the Cortex. Upon entering, a cluster of papers flew everywhere, clouding their view of who was there.

     The messy bun that sat on top of Piper's head was almost undone, and she quickly pulled out the scrunchy, allowing a bundle of red curls to fall around her face as she swept her eyes around the room. A gasp sounded from beside her, and she turned her head, following the direction that Iris's eyes were heading in. Her eyes widened, and she gulped, feeling a wave of cold chills run down her spine.

     There, in the middle of the Cortex, stood the Devil himself. Crackles of light blue lightning popped and broke off in forked cracks around him as he eyed the team before him.

     Caitlin made her way over to Iris out of comfort and security, the two women sharing fearful glances. Cisco glanced at Detective West, whose hand was placed over the holster of his gun, while the scientist to his left aimed his signature bazooka toward the unknown figure.

     "Who is that?" Erin whispered, glancing at Harry and eyeing his bazooka. The man shrugged.

     "P-Piper, who is that?" Iris asked shakily, unnerved by what appeared to be a demonic robot staring right at her.

     The redhead blinked, feeling all her anger and hatred towards the visitor come rushing back. "Get out," she whispered, the sound of her voice causing all eyes to swivel toward her. "Get out, Savitar or I swear to God—"

     "You'll what?" Savitar growled; his voice sounded like a mixture of metal and Zoom's combined into one. Harry's eyes widened as his hold on his bazooka loosened, the end falling to the ground. "You're powerless now, Expedite. There's nothing you can do." Caitlin gulped, quickly glancing at Cisco, who was wearing a similarly terrifying expression. Piper's mouth was shut tightly as she glowered at him, ignoring the hand she felt being placed on her shoulder.

     No one knew what to do as they all tried to process the fact that they were now, for the first time, standing in the presence of the infamous villainous speedster from Earth-Four.

     Barry stepped forward and dragged the redhead behind him, shielding her from the speedster's view as much as possible. "What do you want?"

     "Barry Allen, the fastest man alive," Savitar growled, his voice echoing off the walls. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

     Furrowing his brows, the brown-haired man glanced back at the woman he held behind him protectively. Piper's eyes, however, did not meet his, as they were locked on the blue and silver monster before them.

     Joe gulped, glancing at his adoptive son and Piper, both of whom were standing the closest to the visitor.

     "None of you are on your knees, it's a smart move to bow before a deity." Savitar's metallic voice hissed, the glowing blue eyes of his suit gleaming back at the group.

     "You're not God," Barry retorted, shaking his head firmly. Moving his lingering stare away from Cisco, Savitar looked to the man who'd spoken, taking a small step forward.

     "To be a God, you just have to make people believe you are," he growled.

     "No one believes in you," Piper snapped, moving her way past Barry. Savitar hummed, turning his body to face the approaching woman.

     "Piper, get your ass back here!" Erin hissed, moving forward to stop her, but Harry held her back.

     "You, of all people, should," the silver and blue speedster jeered, raising one of his robotic-like arms towards the woman. Breathing in deeply, she narrowed her eyes, allowing him to continue. "I hold the power of life and death over all of you."

     Caitlin shifted uncomfortably from where she stood next to Iris, the villains' words striking a nerve within her that she didn't like. "How do you know so much about us?" She peeped, her words wavering. Noticing the tone of the brunette's voice, Iris reached for her hand and squeezed it comfortingly, hoping it brought her some sense of security.

     Turning away from Piper, Savitar swiveled his gaze to the doctor. "I know you, Caitlin Snow. Cisco Ramon, Joe West, Iris West, Erin Osborn, Harrison Wells. I know your fears, and I know your weaknesses. I know you better than you know yourselves. I know your destinies," he hinted, moving his daunting stare around to every face, making sure each and every one of them could feel how powerful his words and presence were.

     An uneasy bundle of nerves raced around Barry's stomach, and he quickly stepped forward and grabbed Piper's hand to pull her away. Instead, she shook her head, pushing him away without moving her glare from the figure before her. The brown-haired man furrowed his brows and glanced at Joe and Erin, who were just as perplexed by the woman's response.

     They believed she feared the villainous man all this time, but apparently not. At least she didn't at this moment.

     "One shall betray you," Savitar began, stepping forward. "One shall fall." Cisco shifted uncomfortably. "One will suffer a fate far worse than death." Harry blanched. "This is the knowledge I have for you. About your everlasting damnation."

     Piper looked down to the floor, biting the inside of her cheek as she tried to contain her composure. His words irked her, and she wanted nothing more than to shove them all back down his throat.

     The Cortex was still silent and tense as the team processed the prophecy they had just been told.

     "Who are you?" Barry questioned, gulping down the sour taste in his mouth.

     Savitar looked from Piper to Barry, his slight back-and-forth gaze not going unnoticed by anyone. "I'm the fastest man alive," he growled, snapping his long, silver-clawed fingers together. Two glowing balls of purple and blue lightning emerged from his hands, and he teetered them around, watching as the redhead slowly looked up from the floor.

     The moment her eyes caught glimpse of the balls of lightning, her lightning, a fire ignited itself within her, and she could feel the acidity of it crawling up the back of her throat. Her stomach clenched and unclenched compulsively at the sight, and she felt sick.

     It was the first time she'd seen anything close to her powers, or lightning, being duplicated since she lost them.

     "You piece of shit," she snapped, her hands curling into the shape of fists as she stepped forward. The man in the suit chuckled; the sound of the metallic laughs echoed around the room and sent a striking chill down everyone's spine.

     Barry grabbed onto her waist and sped her away from the speedster, keeping her in his grasp once she was a good distance away.

     "What do you want from us?" Joe called out, his hand still placed on top of his gun.

     The man in silver and blue snapped his gaze to the detective, tilting his head slightly. "Everything. Your metahumans... your city... her." Everyone's eyes darted over to the redhead who was being held back by Barry. "Then, I will destroy you."

     Erin stepped forward, shoving Harry away from her as she shook her head. "That's not happening, Tin Can," she barked, crossing her arms.

     "Then why haven't you already?!" Piper shouted, trying to break out of Barry's grasp as all attention averted back to her. "If you're all-powerful, then why don't you go ahead and kill us all now, be done with it?"

     The monster had no answer to this, and Piper's eyes narrowed. "Because you can't," she whispered; her words caused Cisco's eyes to widen.

     "You started this, Pipes," Savitar began, and she felt herself freeze at the nickname. "You started this back on Earth-Four, and now we're ending it here."

     "There is no we, and you know that!" she immediately fired back hotly, trying to run forward, but the brown-haired man wouldn't budge in his grip.

     "This is all happening because of you, Piper Lita. Every body that falls is because of you. Every act of destruction is because of you. You know that. You declined my offer, and now you're facing the consequences. Your actions and decisions are what led up to this. There is no one to blame but you," he growled, pointing a long, silver spear at her.

     Her chest was rising up and down laboriously as her glare on the speedster never once wavered.

     "You've had to suffer far worse than anyone in this room. You've endured pain your whole life. Your mother,"— Savitar stepped forward— "your father, Ginger,"— Piper's face fell— "Athena,"— a searing, sharp, and precise pain infiltrated her brain, and she squeezed her eyes shut—"Hunter, Zakai, Jeremiah,"— clenching her teeth together, she backed into Barry— "Bolton,"— she brought her hands to her ears as a piercing ring echoed in her mind— "Jackson, Garrett,"— everything felt like a slicing cut to the heart as her head pounded.

     Harry's eyes widened as he recognized the familiar behavior the woman was exhibiting. Savitar had found a way into her head just like he had weeks ago when Frankie Kane was there. He was mentally torturing her.

     "Emilia, Dr. Charpentier..."— it was a combination of nails scratching a chalkboard and hinges squealing that consumed Piper's mind— "Kieran,"— pressing her lips together, she held back the cries of agony that were pleading to be let out— "Violet Neilson,"— suddenly, she felt a warm and smooth substance wrap around her fingers which were pressed tightly against her ears, muffling the sound of Savitar's jeering taunts. "What's coming... you'll never get over."

     Shakily, Piper removed her hands, bringing them down in front of her. There, rushing down the palms of her hands, was bright red blood. Her blood. Gulping, she pulled them close to her chest as she looked up, boiling tears of betrayal and hurt reflecting in them.

     He just had to go there. He just couldn't resist himself, could he?

     He just had to hurt her. Proving to himself and the others that he was powerful enough to break who used to be the fastest woman alive.

      "Holy Hannah!" Cisco whispered, noticing the familiar stream of blood flowing from Piper's ears and arms to the floor where it collectively lay in a thin puddle. Iris gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she instinctively reached for her girlfriend.

     "The age of Savitar is arriving, and you will all feel my wrath," the villainous speedster growled finally before the room was flooded with flashes of blue and purple.

     Joe blinked multiple times, rubbing his forehead as everyone looked at Piper, who had blood traveling down the sides of her face and her hands and arms. Her eyes were glassy and locked on the spot where Savitar had just been as the agonizing screeching faded away.

     Glancing at her hands, Caitlin sucked in a deep breath as she noticed they were shaking, causing drops of blood to fall from her fingertips.

     It was deadly silent as no one knew what to say or do. They'd all just finally met the infamous serial killer speedster for the first time. They finally had a face to a name, yet they still felt just as in the dark as before. Knowing what he looked like didn't solve anything or answer their questions. Instead, it left them with more questions and problems than before.

     "Lita?" Harry spoke up weakly, his face drained of all color.

     Piper was unresponsive to her name as she blinked solemnly, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.

     "Piper?" Barry whispered, slowly unraveling his arms from around her torso. The woman stood frozen.

     Erin pushed her way past Harry and Joe, walking around Barry, and she went up to her best friend, immediately wrapping her arms around her. "We're right here. I'm right here. You can talk to any of us if you want to. Please, remember that," the short-haired woman whispered, running her hand up and down Piper's back.

     Piper felt sick to her stomach as Savitar's words echoed in her mind.

     How would Erin cope with losing her girlfriend knowing you could've prevented it?

     She couldn't talk to Erin, or anyone, about anything happening. Not if she wanted to lose them too. Not if she wanted to bury early graves.

     Lying was the only option. The only one that would keep them alive. The only one that came more than naturally to her.