(Someone please understand the title reference XD)

If it wasn't for the scream I probably wouldn't have gotten myself in this situation. Which is terrible because I can hear Oliver's voice in my head lecturing me about being aware of our surroundings at all times. But to be honest I probably would have walked right by without a second thought.

It was shrill, probably from a woman and my eyes immediately darted from my phone to its source: the elevator in front of me, filled with a bright emerald gas. Almost like the color Barry's eyes just not as eerie.

Huh? Since when did I pay attention to his eyes?

Pushing the thought out of my head, I quickly switch over to my camera and snap as many pictures as I can as the gas fades away revealing the man controlling it. I take one last photo before looking back down at my phone, satisfied.

I got his face. Now when I get back to the station I can run FRS on my laptop to see who the heck this guy is.

I look back up to see that the meta's noticed me.....and my phone.

"Crap," I mutter, trying to casually walk aside, sending a quick SOS text and the picture to the first person that pops up in my contacts, hoping that I didn't accidentally text the pizza delivery place.

I look back over my shoulder and meet the meta's eyes. He bursts into gas and I break into a sprint, heading toward a remote part of the mall so that no one gets caught in this mess.

We were wrong this entire time. This jerk doesn't control poison gas.

He becomes it.

I'm about to look back to see how far away my impending doom is when a flurry of red picks me up and speeds us away into an isolated hallway.

"Are you okay?!" Barry asks doing a quick once over as I get my bearings from the sudden speed trip.

"Damnit I was handling that," I say, lightly shoving his chest, accidently sparking electricity between us again.

"Uh huh, you call narrowly escaping a ball of poison gas handling?" Barry says, giving me a look.

"He's got a point." A rather ominous voice says behind us. Both of our heads snap in that direction to find the meta not even ten feet from us condensing back into his human form. Barry's hand finds it way around my waist and guides me behind him.

"Why did you kill that woman?!" Barry asks the guy.

"She deserved to die." He responds.

"I hardly think you're the judge of that." I snap back, my tone slightly startling Barry. "It sounds more like you had a score to settle."

"Clever girl," He smirks. "Now you two run along, I have one more name on my list, don't make me add you to it."

Barry sets his jaw and speeds towards the meta and swings at him, only to have his fist punch air. Both of us try fighting him but every kick, elbow and punch just sails through him. I'm  able to block like two of his blows, but in the end, I'm thrown against the wall behind Barry. We both stagger to our feet with enough time to watch him burst into gas.

That's when I try something new. I flick my hand in Barry's direction, sending a spark of electricity that hits him square in the chest, sending him through the wall into the next room and out of the path of the poison gas. My other hand throws a stronger bolt at the ball of gas heading towards me.

Okay throwing electricity at a gas? Doesn't sound like a very smart idea but my thought was that if I could make the gas particles move fast enough so that the meta had to form back together to control himself again. Then I could beat him up.

But apparently, that's not how physics works. The bolt flies right through the gas and has no effect on the meta.

Well, crazy world it was nice knowing you.

The gas surges forward and fills my lungs causing me to sink to my knees, gasping for air. The poison burns in my chest and hack and retch away, trying to get the gas out of my system.

The meta leaves my lungs and floats away as my legs give out, brain and vision fuzzy with the lack of oxygen.

"Rani! N-n-no, you're gonna be okay." I hear someone shouts and my gaze focuses on the red-looking person above me. Barry rolls me over from my side so my eyes meet his worried ones as I gasp for air, dark spots starting to swim at the corners of my sight.

"Don't you dare close your eyes," Barry says picking me up bridal style and tucking my head against his neck.

"So demanding." I try to joke, most of my words rasping together.

Without an answer, Barry rushes off, holding my body tight against him as he ran. Similar to how it was this morning, except with a growing pit in his stomach as my grip on him slowly loosens and I cough my way to STAR labs.

"Barry why weren't you........." Caitlin starts to yell until she notices the limp body in Barry's arms. "Oh my god."

"Do something.......please," Barry pleads and she snaps out of her original shock.

"Cisco get the crash cart ready, she needs oxygen." Caitlin orders before turning back to Barry. "Get her in the bed."

Barry speeds over to the bed and lies me down carefully, his worried eyes never leaving mine.

"It's.......still...augh, in me," I manage out.

Dr. Wells's smile grows. "She brought us a sample of the poison. Caitlin, we need to do a pulmonary biopsy, extract an active portion of that gas."

"I can give you an anesthetic," Caitlin says and I manage a nod, my eyelids growing too heavy to keep open the voices blurring together. "Her metabolism is faster than normal but it isn't as fast as Barry's."

 "Do it."

"Hang in there Rani, you're gonna be fine."

"Girl, don't you dare shut your eyes it's video game night tonight."

"You guys have a video game night?"

"Why is this so surprising to you?"

"Both of you shut up!"

I chuckle then sharply gasp at the feeling of something sharp poking itself in my chest. That pain overwhelms any other sense and I finally succumb to the darkness, shutting my eyes for what I hope isn't the last time.

--------------------------------------------------------

Several Hours Later

--------------------------------------------------------

The quiet is what I notice first. That and the feeling of something around my hand. Or rather, someone.

I force open my eyes and glance around the cortex, before looking down at my hand to find Barry, dozing with his head on the side of the bed and his hand wrapped around mine. I smile, pulling my hand from his and start running it through his hair watching him relax at my touch. He stirs for a minute and I try to move my hand away, but he grabs it and pulls himself up, taking a double take when he realizes I'm awake.

"Hey," I croak out bringing my free hand up to rub my horrendously dry throat that feels like it's been stuffed with cotton balls. 

"Hey," He smiles before frowning at the circumstances that got me here, "You shouldn't have done that. You could ha-" He tries to argue grabbing a glass of water on the side and handing it to me.

"I didn't," I say, cutting him off and also gratefully taking the glass of water. "And neither did you and that's all matters to me."

"Well....I almost did."

"Excuse me? You better not have put all my hard work inhaling all of those fumes in vain."

He sighs, letting out a small smile. "After you passed out we analyzed the gas sample and traced it back to the meta that matched with the photos you took."

"How did you get on my phone?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

He smiles, slightly sheepishly, "I guessed it was your birthday and got it right."

"Well, well, well Mr. Allen." I tease. "Looks like you aren't just a pretty face after all."

"I guess so." He laughs and we sit there quietly, enjoying each other's company I try to sit up a little and wince at a sharp pain in my arm.

"Oh, um Caitlin took your blood to run some tests. She said something wasn't adding up." Barry says. "You want me to take you to your apartment? Everyone's gone and she said once you wake up its okay to bring you home if you feel up to it."

I nod, and he carefully helps me out of the bed and I pull the IV out of my hand. Then in a flash (yes I said it) Barry picks me up and runs me straight.......past my apartment.

I slap his hand repeatedly.

"Don't tell me....."

I laugh. "You overshot by five blocks. You should probably work on that."

"Oh shush," He laughs before racing back to the right building and up the stairs to my door.

I fumble with my key and unlock my door before letting him in and looking at the clock on my wall.

"Ughhhhhhh.....it's 1:30 in the morning and we have work tomorrow."

"Don't remind me." Barry groans with the same tone I do. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"If you don't want to run back to your apartment you can stay over at mine. I promise you my couch is unstereotypically comfortable." I suggest.

"I'm good," He responds. "But thank you."

I nod in understanding and I let him out.

"Good night Barry Allen," I say and he smiles.

"Good night Rani Raymond." He replies, before walking down the hallway and disappearing in a flicker of lightning.

I smile to myself for a moment, savoring the way my name sounded on his lips before shaking my head and closing the door.

But as I continue on and even get into bed, the sharp pain of moving my right hand only makes me wonder.

What kind of tests did Caitlin need to run anyway?