Chapter Text
The next day, just like the day before, Barry waited at Star Labs. This time everyone except Iris waited with him. There was no telling what would actually happen once Harrison showed up but Barry hoped for the best. The tension was palpable but everyone seemed eager to get this over with.
Barry pulled out his phone and shot off a quick text.
Barry: now is as good a time as ever
Next think he knew Harrison had whooshed into the room. He stood in the center of the cortex dressed casually as he used to, holding a small duffle bag.
Everyone jolted in surprise. He had told them the man had his powers back right?
"Hello everyone, and thank you for coming." He said smoothly.
"Forget to tell us something Barry?" Joe said wearily from the corner he was standing in.
"Ah no? No i didn't. I said he saved me and i said he could have returned home.. It was implied that he still had his abilities."
Caitlin sighed. "I believe Joe is referring to the fact that we didn't see him come in. There was no blur, he was simply here."
Harrison chuckled softly.
"Excellent observation Joe. The reason you didn't see me enter is simple. I am much faster than Barry. My powers have been restored to their previous levels, the levels I had before coming to this time."
This caused Cisco to groan and Caitlin and Joe to frown.
"So if you decided to lose your shit and kill us all, Barry couldn't stop you? That's great. Great way to start off these.. 'peace talks' by showing us how superior you are... And what's with the bag huh? You got some evil shit in there or did your fancy ring break and you have to carry your evil costume in an evil bag now?" Cisco went off.
Barry was shocked at Cisco really. He honestly thought there wouldn't be this much hostility. Some hostility yeah, but not this much. Luckily for everyone Harrison took it in stride.
"Cisco, I have no desire to kill any of you or harm you in any way. But I'm not going to lie, Barry has a lot of work to do before he could be fast enough to stop me."
"And we are just supposed to take your word for that?"
"I cannot prove a negative Cisco. Now, the bag, is something of an offering for these.. 'peace talks'"
Harrison walked over and placed the bag on the main desk and then backed away slowly.
"Please try to take care of these properly. Wouldn't want you kidnapped again or worse."
Cisco scurried over and ripped open the bag.
"My babies! How did you get these? The police never found them when they picked up Cold and Heatwave."
"As I'm sure Barry told you, I was the one who saved him from them. After I let the police know where they were, I collected the guns. I thought it best as Snarts sister is still on the loose and is liable to attempt to break them out. They will return for these guns and you need to be prepared for that."
"This doesn't mean I like you" Cisco grumbled.
"I wouldn't expect it to."
Joe walked a few steps away from his corner and cleared his throat.
"While this is all well and good, you came here to spin us a story. Get on with it."
"Joe!" Barry wasn't all that surprised at his adoptive fathers rudeness, but still.
"It's alright Barry. Detective West is quite right. It's a little embarrassing but here we go..."
Barry watched everyone's face as Harrison told his story. So many emotions passed over their faces Barry could hardly keep track. Only Joe remained stonefaced the entire time. He couldn't gauge how they would respond so Barry just sat back and observed.
"... So I asked Barry to choose. Send me home or allow me to try and find some kind of redemption."
This was Prof. Steins cue to speak up and he did.
"Dr. Wells, something was bothering me, something I told Barry after he had made his decision to let you stay. If Barry chose to send you on your way, you had to have been aware that, theoretically speaking, you would not necessarily survive the trip. The likelihood of you making it there intact is less than..10%?"
"Ah Martin Stein. You truly are one of the greatest minds alive today. I had a feeling you would figure it out. Yes, I knew. I was willing to take the risk."
Caitlin stared at him closely and asked "Why?"
"Because Caitlin, a 90% chance of death is significantly better than a 100% chance of rotting away in prison until I die. If Barry had not agreed then obviously I would have taken the better chance. Besides, a quick death is better than a slow death over years, don't you think?"
"Tch. It's not like any prison could hold you" Cisco said with disbelief.
"You're not wrong. But I made a decision. I owe all of you and Barry so much. If that was to be my penance then I would have accepted it. My life for the lives of those I destroyed. It's not much but it's the least I could do."
Silence followed Harrison's statement. It terrified Barry because he could tell, without a doubt, that the man was being genuinely honest. It made him sick to have that kind of power over another person.
"If you are so eager to die for your sins then you should!"
Iris? Everyone turned towards the entryway and there stood Iris, holding a gun, pointing it directly at Harrison's head.
Nobody moved, they just stared in shock. Joe however slowly inched towards her.
"Iris honey, what are you doing? Put the gun down."
She whirled to point the gun at him, stopping him in his tracks, before turning back to Wells.
"No. Eddie died because of him. Barry's mom is dead because of him. He's a monster and he's standing here brainwashing you into thinking he's not."
Barry was about to speed up and disarm her when Harrison walked slowly forward. He stopped a couple of feet in front of her and held up his hands.
"If I must die then so be it. But please Miss West, let your father do it. Don't take on that darkness. It will weigh you down and drive you mad. You are a good person and you don't deserve to have that blood on your hands. Give the gun to Joe and save yourself."
She screamed and threw the gun down before lunging at him. She kicked, punched, scratched, and screamed some more, and Harrison just took it. He didn't move to stop her, or even attempt to defend himself. He just stood there and let her wail on him until Barry and Joe pulled her off.
Caitlin quickly grabbed a sedative from the adjoined room and injected her with it. As soon as Iris stopped struggling she tentatively moved towards the beaten man.
"..Are you alright..H-Harrison?"
"I'm quite alright. Thank you Caitlin. It's nothing that wont be healed up in a couple of hours."
"Look, I do believe you.. It's just going to be hard. You are both different and the same and I... Its going to take me some time." She turned to Barry. "I vote he stays."
Barry looked up from where he was kneeling next to Iris and smiled. Caitlin nodded and moved towards them.
"Come on, lets get her set up in a bed."
Joe picked her up and he, Barry and Stein followed her out of the room, leaving Cisco alone with Harrison.
They got her set up in a bed and Caitlin gently suggested restraints. They didn't know what was going on with her so it was for the best.
Once Barry was convinced she would be okay, he separated from them to make his way back to the cortex. He sped up when he heard Cisco yelling but stopped just outside of the room. He peeked in quickly and saw Cisco angrily pointing a finger at Harrison. Harrison himself stood there looking sad and guilty.
"Cisco I have no excuses for you. What I did.. there are no words. All I can say is that I am different now, but you have to know that not everything I said to you back then was a lie. Betraying you like I did was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. You truly were a son to me and it made me sick hurting you. I'm honestly glad I can't remember that alternate timeline, because killing you? What ever reason I had.. It would have destroyed what was left of me. Even if at the time I felt it had to be done. I am so very sorry Cisco. I only hope that, one day, I can prove it to you."
Cisco nodded and turned, tears streaming down his face, and left the room. He nearly bumped into Barry.
"You alright?"
"He can stay" was the only thing Cisco said before disappearing down the hall.
Barry awkwardly entered the room.
"Is Iris going to be okay?"
"Shes fine as far as I can tell. We'll have to see when she wakes up. You okay?"
"I almost think it would have been better to just risk going home."
"Ah no. It sucks that it hurts to do this, but it should. Its all about 'doing what's right, not what's easy.' Besides, other than Iris.. Well, Joe is the only one left to convince. Just keep being honest, don't set off his bullshit detector, and you should be fine."
Harrison chuckled, "Oh Barry you make it sound so easy. I've been lying to everyone and myself for a few lifetimes.. It will be anything but easy."
----
Joe sat in a chair next to the bed his daughter was laying in. Caitlin and Prof. Stein had left him alone to be with her and probably to think. And he had a lot of thinking to do.
He had shown up today fully prepared to put a bullet between Wells' eyes, but the second he saw the man he knew something was different.
The first time he had met Harrison Wells without the blindness of fear and loss, he knew something was off about him. The man had set off every alarm in Joe's cop brain and there was always something dark lurking behind his eyes.
So when Barry claimed the man was somehow different he struggled to believe it. He had figured that Barry just didn't want to see it. But when Joe saw the second speedster for the first time earlier today he was shocked. That darkness that had previously lurked behind the mans eyes had been replaced by sorrow and regret. The man was still a calculating mastermind, Joe could tell by how carefully phrased that little story was, but it was obvious beyond a doubt that he was sane and genuine.
Joe still believed that Wells should be locked up but Cisco was right. No prison could hold him. Barry really did make the right call, they could use him as a tool to clean up his mess. He was obviously willing, so as long as they kept a close eye on him Joe saw no reason why not to let him try. If the time ever came he would find a way to take him down, whatever the cost.
---
Joe was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a groan.
"Iris?"
She blinked her eyes open and tried to move. The restraints stopped her. She pointedly looked down at the the bindings on her wrists and spoke,
"Really dad?"
"Yes really. What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that my friends and family were in danger and needed to be saved."
"And killing a man is how you would save them?"
She looked him right in the eye.
"Yes. That monster deserves to die."
"I hate to say it Iris but you are wrong. Had you taken the time to be rational and observe, you would have seen that. He's no saint, but I don't think he's the monster that he was before. He was crazy and now he's not. He wants to try and fix what he can and I think he damn well should. He has to. Death is too easy."
"You guys are crazy if you think he's capable of doing good. He's poison and you're all drinking it in voluntarily!"
Joe couldn't believe his daughter. She had been doing so well with the loss of Eddie, better than anyone ever expected, and then Wells returned. Something in her had snapped. It broke Joe's heart to see her like this because there was nothing he could do. She would either see reason or she wouldn't. He was just going to have to wait and see.
---
Later Joe found Barry and Wells conversing in the cortex. Barry lept up as soon as he saw him and ran over.
"Is Iris okay?"
Joe shook his head.
"I don't know kid. She's blind with rage. If she is going to be okay its going to take a lot of time. You should probably stay away from her for a while.."
Barry nodded sadly.
"I get it. After everything... yeah, I get it."
"Good. She's going to be staying the night here and I'll take her home tomorrow. It's all worked out with Caitlin. The two of you are not to go near her. And as for you" Joe zeroed in on Wells, "I agree with Barry. For now. You can stay, but if you set so much as a toe out of line? That's it. Barry is giving you a second chance. There's no chance in hell anyone is going to give you a third."
Wells stood up straight and responded seriously.
"Of course Joe. If I screw up.. well, I wouldn't stop you. Thank you, and I hope that Iris will be alright. If there is anything I can do, please let me know."
Joe snorted.
"Yeah probably not. Goodnight Barry. Stay out of trouble."