A/N: I love this chap! I hope you do too. :)

*Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 2 -

Light streamed through the windows, warming his face in lines due to the half-closed blinds. He knew it would be time to get up soon, and that if he didn't do it in the next five minutes, first an alarm would go off, then a pounding on his door, and then a barking by whatever individual was assigned for that day – or week – to awake all the citizens in the building.

He sighed and forced his eyes open, blinking away the sleeping dust that clung to his eyelids. He pulled back the thin cotton blanket that had half-fallen off in his sleep and swung his legs over the side of the bed, pressing the red button on his bedside table that alerted security that he was awake.

He counted to five slowly, then pushed himself to his feet and padded across the all-white room to the all-white wardrobe that held all white garments inside – one for each day of the week. White pants, white socks, white shoes, white t-shirts, both short-sleeved and long, and a thicker stiffer white jacket meant to be worn for when dealing with chemicals. The blast of white would've been overwhelming if it hadn't been the only sight he'd seen as far as back as he could remember. When he was in this room, sometimes he forgot what other colors could exist. He saw brown hair and hazel eyes in the mirror, but the blinds were sealed behind glass, and they couldn't be opened more than they were. The light could be adjusted in the room, but usually it was done automatically, without his aid.

It had taken a while to learn the simplest things, though he was told often how quick of a learner he was. His mind only took him back three months, but apparently he'd been in this place for six. He wondered if that's when he had been born. He couldn't remember a mother or father or siblings or friends. Had he always been this old? Had he always been alone?

But he wasn't alone. There were millions of other people outside these walls. And Clifford Devoe was his creator. He made sure he was fed, educated, clothed, given a place to sleep and a place to work every single day. He owed his life to the man who alternated between brutality and kindness as easily as he breathed.

Still, he couldn't complain. He hadn't been made an example of yet. That meant he was still alive.

He was dawdling, reluctant to start another monotonous day of classes and work. His position was janitorial. Luckily, he wasn't the only janitor in the city, but he was responsible for cleaning one nine-story building in the heart of downtown Central City. He was given nine hours to accomplish it every day. It wasn't thrilling, but all the windows in that building were clear glass with nothing blocking their vision – no blinds or drapes or anything concealing the inside of every room to the brilliance of the city.

He longed one day to go beyond the inner city to the water front he could faintly see in the distance when he reached the higher levels, but exploring any place beyond living quarters, work place, and the educational facility were only for those who finished their work for the day. He'd yet to meet anyone who had.

He heard someone coming down the hall and knew he'd taken too long. Quickly, he finished changing his clothes, moved into the tiny bathroom to brush his hair, teeth, and apply deodorant. He slipped on his shoes that were only slightly scuffed on the bottom. When the door opened barely a minute later, he was ready to go.

"Mr. Allen."

Barry nodded once.

"I'm ready."

The man, large and strong, gestured toward the hall and then began to walk. Barry quickly followed.

Three flights down in a bright white stairwell took Barry to the first level where many other people dressed in identical white garb were waiting. The man made an announcement to follow and together all thirty of them were led outside.

Barry wanted to stop, breathe in the fresh air, relish the warm sun hitting his face fully, take a walk maybe just to see the city streets, to experience them.

But there was no time for that. He knew better than to try it again. Instead he followed the others to the white bus waiting in front of the building. They all climbed inside, walking past the man in similar white garb sitting in the driver's seat. Once everyone was counted, the man from the building took a seat in the very first row, and the bus began to move.

Barry counted the seconds, 587 of them, until the vehicle came to a stop. He peered out the window as he waited for the people in the rows in front of him to get up and go to the front of the aisle. He saw the tall white building. All the windows except for the ones at the very top were painted over, so white they looked like walls from the inside.

"Mr. Allen."

The burly voice snapped him out of his fascination, his curiosity. Once he realized he was the only one left on the bus, he quickly got to his feet and walked to where the man was glaring at him with piercing green eyes.

He almost apologized, opened his mouth to do so, but then thought better of it. He would stutter, just as he had the last time, and that would land him in a dark room for hours and no breakfast.

There was nothing he hated more than complete darkness.

Outside on the pavement, he got in the back of the single-file line and entered the building, in step with the others – left, right, left sounding off in his head as it did every morning. He didn't know why those words were so ingrained into his mind, but given that they were in his creator's voice, he suspected they were part of his early lessons he couldn't remember. He didn't question it, but he was curious.

Bright white enveloped him again as they entered the building. People were milling about, on to one task or the other. Not everyone could fit into the cafeteria for breakfast, but this was the time slot allowed for the first three floors of his building. He followed the others as they got in line, not looking forward to the tasteless food awarded him for getting up this early and not being allowed to take in the sun outside.

But he was looking forward to one thing. It made this detestable meal worth it every morning. Everyone else mutely accepted food from the servers behind the counter, but when he reached the woman who promptly dumped applesauce in a small bowl on everyone's trays, Barry Allen couldn't help but smile. He couldn't remember smiling at anyone but her. It was an odd sensation that he couldn't describe. He couldn't remember being taught what it meant in any class he'd taken, by any lesson Mr. Devoe had given him. But when he smiled at her, he felt a warm sensation bursting in his chest. When he got her to smile back, even a little, he felt as if his feet were leaving the floor and floating in the air.

It was no different today.

Nearly skipping, he made his way down to her, and when she made to dump a large spoonful of applesauce into the bowl positioned on his plate, he spoke up.

"Two helpings, please."

She paused, nearly sending the applesauce in her spoon to fall onto the counter before he quickly moved his bowl to catch it.

"Got it," he said easily, proud of his accomplishment.

"U-um," she stuttered. He was slightly proud of that too.

"I didn't take any of the oatmeal."

She looked over at his tray. "Or the carrots." Her eyes widened, then she looked up at him. "Or anything else."

Her look of concern warmed him, almost as much as the sun.

"I'll take a big glass of milk. Don't worry about me."

She shook her head but wordlessly agreed, giving him a second helping of the applesauce so his bowl nearly overflowed. The person behind him cleared their throat loudly, and he knew he needed to speed this up.

He leaned over the counter a little, easy to do because of his height, and lowered his voice.

"You look beautiful today, Iris," he said, glancing down at her nametag even though he didn't need to.

She met his eyes, shock reverberating through her. He didn't blame her. A beat later, he was shocked himself. He'd meant to compliment her, but the word beautiful… He couldn't remember ever learning it.

"T-Thank you," she managed, and he saw that his compliment had landed, even if she was equally confused by it.

"H-Hey!" The person behind him growled. "The rest of us need food too!"

Barry nearly jumped out of his skin, but he finally took some steps forward, though not looking away from the woman behind the counter until he could no longer see her while staying in line.

Just before he was forced to look away, he saw it, and triumph arced through him.

She smiled.

…

On the couch across the room, her short nails digging into her jeans, Jesse tried to remain calm. Of all the things she had expected to happen today, her ex-boyfriend showing up on her doorstep to tell her all the people on Earth 1 – including her father – had been brainwashed for the past six months, and he was only telling her now because these people called the 'Legends' had convinced him to, was the last thing she would have thought of. In fact, she would have never imagined this scenario in a million years.

Wally was pacing in front of her, trying to remember every detail. The child he'd brought with him was his baby sister apparently. She supposed she'd have to take his word on that. She did vaguely remember her dad mentioning a pregnant Cecile that he'd made a device for due to her mind-reading capabilities. It was likely this was the same woman who had given birth to the child now in Wally's possession. Still, it was a lot to take in.

"Wally, sit down," she finally said.

He sat in the chair nearest him, which thankfully wasn't right next to her. She didn't know how she felt about him at the moment, but she knew she needed space. She needed to think. Especially if she was going to tuck her feelings away to come up with a solution.

"So, just to recap-"

"Mhmm."

"This Devoe guy brainwashed everyone on Earth 1 with some intricate technology, and you left everyone besides your baby sister behind when you found them all that way six months ago."

His lips parted.

She met his eyes, holding tight to the anger inside her and directed it to her nails digging into her pants.

"Is that right?"

"Jesse, I-"

She closed her eyes. "Just answer the question, Wally."

He sighed, then nodded. "Yes."

"And you have no idea what's going on there now, if your family is even still…alive."

His exasperated sigh was louder than intended.

"Jesse-"

"Wally." She shot him a warning glance. "Just answer the question."

He pursed his lips. "No," he managed. "I didn't see them before I came here."

She leaned back on the couch and folded her arms across her stomach, unable to look at him.

"Because?" she finally asked.

He got up and stood in front of her.

"Because if I had gotten caught, there would be no hope for them. You wouldn't know. The Legends wouldn't know I'd been caught. Your dad? He'd be lost. For good. And if you ever came for a visit, chances are you would be too."

That started to hit home for her, but she was still irritated. So she stood up and walked past him, careful not to be too close.

"So, what are you expecting from me, Wally? You think I'm so smart, I just have an instant solution to this mess? I'm not…my dad."

His brows furrowed, and he approached her. Only one step because he could see her watching his steps, ready to bolt if she decided he was invading her personal space.

"You're smarter than you think, Jess."

Jess.

The nickname he'd started to call her after the first time he told her he loved her. She'd loved it so much that he kept on saying it. Hearing it now was bittersweet, and in her current state it almost felt like a weapon.

Wally's voice interrupted her thoughts, as did the couple steps he took closer that she eyed warily.

"Maybe you don't have an instant solution, but…I mean, don't you have…a team?"

She blinked and looked up at him. The suggestion completely blindsided her, given how the guys on her team had shot glares at him the last time he was there, making it look like they thought he had broken her heart when it was the other way around. For his part, Wally didn't look particularly pleased to see them either or how close they stood to his recent ex-girlfriend. Jesse made a point to quickly separate them, so she could speak to him alone.

She'd been too afraid to break up with him in person, so she wasn't pleased when he showed up. But the last thing she needed was him thinking she'd developed feelings for someone on her team and that was the reason she was breaking things off. So, she put aside her nerves and spoke to him alone – far from her STAR Labs alone where the guys couldn't overhear her, since she also turned her com off.

But that felt like a lifetime ago.

'You've got to be kidding me' was written across her face even though she didn't speak the words.

She didn't want to say 'those guys hate you' or 'I thought you didn't like them' because he'd never acknowledged how uncomfortable or annoyed he'd been by their sole interaction. But it was hard to ignore, and her guys had no trouble talking trash about Wally when they thought she wasn't listening until she called them out on it. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

"How many of there are you?" he asked, seemingly unaware of how badly she was spazzing inside her head. "Five? Six?"

"Seven," she said.

His eyes widened. "Se- I didn't count that ma-"

She waved that off. "He's a recent add-on."

"He?" he asked, and she wondered if there was just a hint of jealousy in his voice.

She stomped on the brief spurt of satisfaction that gave her. He was acknowledging he didn't really like the guys on her team. So what? It didn't mean he still had feelings for her.

That last thought shook her to the core, and she angrily cursed herself.

You broke up with him, remember?

"He's a kid." She waved him off. "Thirteen, maybe fourteen. An orphaned speedster. I took him in." She took a breath. "I'm training him."

Wally relented, thinking for a few moments before speaking up again.

"So…what do you think? Will they help us?"

You, she thought. But she didn't say that. Her dad was on Earth 1 too. She'd do anything to save him.

"Maybe," she said, contemplating. "I mean, they weren't really fans of my dad, so I don't know if that's a strong selling point… Of course, they're heroes and should want to save innocent lives regardless, but-"

"You could mention that Barry almost single-handedly saved your world from Zoom – and freed you after you'd been kidnapped."

Her eyes lit up at that. Guilt quickly replaced the excitement when she realized after everything that happened, that fact had slipped her mind.

Her lips twitched slightly as she took in Wally holding his breath as he stood there waiting.

"That just might work."