All's Well

[run_barry]

Farooq is dead, S.T.A.R. Labs is safe.

Now, Barry is at the precinct desperately searching for his family.

The whole place is in disarray, police tape cordoning off the bullpen, officers on duty and those fresh out of a hostage crisis milling around.

When Eddie is wheeled by on a stretcher Barry's worry ratchets up another several notches. Urgently he searches around, an anxious feeling gnawing away inside his chest until finally he spots Joe and Iris sitting on the stairway going up towards his lab. They're holding each other, shook, but safe

A great swell of relief hits Barry and for a moment all he can do is stand there and stare at the two while built up anxiety and fear over not being there to save them finally begins to dissipate.

Joe and Iris are having a moment together, and Barry doesn't want to intrude. When Captain Singh brushes past Barry on the way up to talk to them about what happened Barry decides he'll catch up later. Leaving them to it, he heads back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

*****

Back at the Labs Barry and Cisco help Caitlin take care of Tony's body, and then Farooq's. It's a disquieting feeling, two people dying there in the Lab tonight, and Barry will definitely be spending some time thinking about it.

For now, though, he has questions about the showdown with Farooq.

"I'm just not sure what happened," Barry says, looking between his two friends and Dr. Wells. "Why didn't he just siphon all my powers like before?"

Caitlin has an answer, and she holds up her tablet screen with images of his blood cells displayed to illustrate. "Because you finally stopped thinking about your powers and just connected to them. Look, this is a sample of your blood from just after you were struck by lightning. Now your cells are generating more energy than ever before. It was more energy than the meta could safely handle. It's almost like he choked on you."

Barry cants his head, trying to work out the implication of that.

"But what does that mean?" he asks.

"It means you've kicked it up a notch," Dr. Wells answers, an unmistakable tone of pride for Barry in his voice.

The others leave, but Barry hangs back, needing to talk to Dr. Wells.

"Dr. Wells," Barry says, apology in his tone and bearing, "what I said about how you don't care about people, I-- "

Dr. Wells shakes his head, interrupting Barry's apology. "No, look, Barry, there is a reason that my biography describes me as arrogant, prickly, brusque… "

"'At times contemptuous,'" Barry finishes, flashing an embarrassed smile. "I read it twice."

Dr. Wells gives a soft amused huff then continues, "You were right. I don't care much for people, Barry. I find them misinformed, shortsighted."

Barry frowns, giving a small head shake towards Dr. Wells, trying to understand the man he's admired for so long. "So why do you do what you do? Why get up in the morning?"

"Because I believe in a better future," Dr. Wells replies, and this time his expression warms. "One that I very much want to see, one that you are a part of. I might not much care for people, Barry, but I care about you."

The sincerity in Dr. Wells's words touches Barry, and while he may have had doubts in the heat of danger tonight, Barry knows now his mentor really is a good man.

[ooc: dialogue taken from episode 1.7]