Christmas was coming up, and everyone was going to hang out at my loft for a Christmas party, including Jay and Quinn.

Barry and I were in his lab at the CCPD, kissing.

"You know, you should really be more professional," I told him.

"You do realize you initiated that?" Barry asked.

I smiled. "Yes, and I'm fully prepared to reprimand myself, then. I'm just saying, you know, anyone could walk in, like, Joe or Singh." 

Barry nodded sarcastically, smiling. "Mm-hmm."

We kissed for a moment until we heard someone walk in, turning to see Iris standing in the doorway.

I cleared my throat, a little awkward. "You know, there's probably something to work on at the fire station, or I can go home and practice for the Christmas party, since I know all of you and you'll peer pressure me into singing for the party."

Barry smiled. "Yeah."

"I'll see you later," I told them.

"Yeah, all right," Iris told me. 

"Bye," I told them, walking past Iris toward the door.

Iris turned to face me. "Hey, Vera." I stopped, turning back. "I'm so happy for you." She looked between Barry and me. "For both of you. Truly."

I smiled a small smile. "Thank you. It means a lot."

"I'll see you for Christmas," Iris told me.

"All right," I told her.

Barry waved bye.

I walked outside, looking up into the sky to see snow starting to fall. I held out my hand to catch a few falling snow flakes. Once the snow landed on my skin, they instantly melted, burning away because my skin was always naturally hot. I smiled a small smile, walking away.

~

The sudden snow blizzard last night had been caused by Mark Mardon, who had killed Patty's father, so that he could break into Iron Heights and break Snart and the Trickster, James Jesse, out of prison.

And Joe and Barry said that Patty wasn't thinking clearly on this one because of her dad, and they asked me to talk to her.

Patty was at Jitters, walking out.

I walked toward her.

Patty sighed. "Hey, Vera."

"Hi," I told her. "I'm sorry that I haven't been around lately. I, uh... I've been really busy."

"It's okay," Patty told me. "So have I."

"Yeah, I heard," I told her. "Listen... I talked to Joe and Barry."

"And they think that I need someone to talk to because they think I'm not thinking clearly," Patty finished. "But I can't talk to you about this."

Patty started to walk away.

I followed. "Patty."

"I know we were really close when we were kids, Vera, but you have no idea what's really going on in this city," Patty told me. "I mean, you don't even know that Harrison Wells--" She stopped, turning to face me. "I'm sorry. I don't have time to bring you up to speed."

Patty turned to walk away.

"That's ironic," I told her.

Patty turned to face me. "What?"

"Nothing," I told her. "Listen, Patty, you're right. We were really close when we were kids. That's because your mom, your dad, and you took me in after the fire, and you took care of me, and you were the only family that didn't treat me like glass that was going to break, or like I was a freak." Patty had tears in her eyes, looking away. "This is hitting me hard, too, Patty. But I don't want to see you do anything reckless."

"I'm a cop," Patty told me. "Going after criminals is in my job description. It's not reckless. And powers or not, Mardon's gonna answer for what he's done."

Patty turned around.

"Patty..." I trailed off.

Patty walked away, leaving.

I sighed, looking down, shaking my head.

~

The team, Jay and Quinn were in the Cortex in STAR Labs.

Cisco chuckled. "Oh, yeah. The Weather Wizard, Captain Cold, and the Trickster."

"There's three of them and two of you," Caitlin told us. "I do not like those odds."

"And we're gonna be no help without our powers, so..." Jay trailed off.

"Oh, oh, light bulb up here," Cisco told us. "I have an idea. Most weather phenomena are marked, no pun intended, by the change of electric charge and pressure in the atmosphere.  We could just map out those fluctuations--"

"To pinpoint his location," Barry finished.

"Right," Cisco answered. "It could just be a matter of removing all--"

"The electricity from his immediate surroundings," Barry and Cisco finished together. "Attracting it to one spot."

Jay, Quinn, Harrison and Caitlin looked between them weirdly.

I had a feeling that I had heard this words before.

"The same way a lightning rod does," Cisco told us. "Only instead of a lightning rod, we could use--"

"A wand," Barry and Cisco finished together.

"Have we already had this conversation?" I asked.

"Kind of," Barry answered.

"What does that mean?" Quinn asked.

"All right, so the last time Mardon attacked, he, um, generated a tidal wave that destroyed all of Central City," Barry explained. 

"So why are you not all sleeping with the fishes?" Harrison asked.

"Earth-2 has the 'The Godfather'?" Cisco asked.

"Every Earth has 'The Godfather', Vito," Harrison answered.

Jay and Quinn nodded in agreement.

"So, I was running, and Vera, accidentally, used fire to push me back through time one day into the past, and we got a do-over, and we stopped Mardon before he could hurt anyone," Barry explained. 

"You shouldn't have messed with the timeline," Harrison told us.

"That's what the other Wells said," I told him. 

Barry looked at Cisco. "So the good news is, in that timeline, you created the wand, and it worked."

"So you just got to do it again," I told him. "For the first time."

"Yeah, no pressure," Cisco told us sarcastically.

"I can give you a hand," Jay told him.

"Best of both worlds?" Cisco asked.

"I like that," Jay told us.

Quinn chuckled.

Jay and Cisco walked out, leaving.

Harrison walked toward the door.

"You good, Harry?" I asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Harrison asked, walking out, leaving.

"Holiday blues?" Caitlin suggested. "It can't be easy knowing Zoom and Phoenix still have his daughter."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"All right, look, I'll be right back," Barry told us. "I have something I have to deal with."

Barry walked out, leaving.

~

Barry and I walked up the stairs in my loft building toward my apartment.

"So, Iris' mom was pregnant when she left Iris and Joe all those years ago?" I asked.

"Yeah," Barry answered. "And she had the baby. His name is Wally West. He grew up without knowing them. Iris found out a few weeks ago, and she didn't know how to tell Joe by herself."

"So you helped her tell him," I finished.

Barry nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"Do you think that they're gonna be okay?" I asked.

"I do, yeah," Barry answered. "It's just a lot to take in. They just need a little time to process it. Once they get to know Wally and start to have a relationship with him, they'll be fine."

I thought about that for a moment, nodding. "Yeah. You're right. It might make them happier, you know? Fill that void."

"Sounds like you would know," Barry told me.

"Oh, well, we both know that feeling," I told him. "But we don't have a family member to fill that void, do we?"

We stopped at the locked sliding door.

"Mm, what are you talking about?" Barry asked.

I sighed. "It's just... that video that Wells left us, saying that we'd never really be happy. For a while, I really started to believe him. But now... Maybe there is a way to move on from everything. You know, forgive and forget."

Barry nodded, taking my hand. "Yeah, sounds good. Where do we start?"

I looked down, shaking my head, smiling a small smile. "I don't know. I wish I did. But when you find out, let me know."

Barry smiled. "All right."

Barry put a hand on my cheeks, kissing me for a long moment. Without breaking the kiss, I swiped the key card in front of the electronic lock to unlock the door, the door opening by itself like it usually did when I unlocked it that way. We stepped into the loft without breaking the kiss.

Until we heard Snart's voice. "Well, I guess this is a surprise." We pulled away, looking toward where Snart was sitting in the chair I played songs in with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands in surprise. "For all of us." Snart smirked. "Ho, ho, ho."

~

Snart took a drink of his hot chocolate, placing it on the side table. "Mm." He looked at me. "Cocoa isn't coca without the mini marshmallows. And you're out. I checked." He looked at the acoustic and electric guitars by the wall. "You play, you're dating a coworker, and you practically live in a penthouse." He looked at me, smirking. "The things you learn about a girl."

I walked closer, forming a ball of fire in my hand. "Are you out of your mind? Breaking into my home?"

Snart stood. "You won't kill me, Vera, or you would've. You've had a hundred chances."

"What the hell are you doing here, Snart?" I asked. "How did you even know where I lived?"

"Told you he had an obsession with you," Barry told me.

I looked at Barry. "Don't start with the jealousy thing."

Snart smirked. "I got the Noel spirit, wanted to give you a gift. Didn't expect you two to come in together, but it might be a good thing that you did. Mardon broke Jesse and me out to kill the two of you. Jesse's on board, of course. He's shaking with excitement. Me? I'm gonna pass." 

"Why?" Barry asked. "You grow a conscience?"

"Mardon wants revenge," Snart told us. "Jesse wants chaos. I'm just not invested like they are."

"You mean there's no money in it for you?" Barry asked.

"I was never much for non-profit work," Snart told us.

"If you're not in with them, then tell us where they are," I told him.

"Nah, consider me more of a secret Santa," Snart told us. "Besides, you and your friends love to solve a good mystery."

Snart walked past us toward the door.

I let the fire in my hand fade into nothing.

We turned to face him.

Barry scoffed. "You are full of it, Snart. I think we saved your sister's life, and you can't stand owing us a marker. I hate to break it to you, but that--that right there is called honor."

"You've said enough, Barry," Snart told him, turning to face us, looking at me. "But go on, Vera. Make your pitch. I can see you're dying to."

"Help us stop them," I told him.

"Sorry," Snart told us. "I'm not interested in being a hero."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "Well, you're doing a pretty lousy job of being a villain this week."

Snart smirked. "Merry Christmas."

Snart walked out, leaving.

~

A message from the Trickster appeared on the screen in the Cortex in STAR Labs. "Flash the scarlet speedster... had a very shiny suit / And if you ever saw Pyra the edgy ember, she would burn you. Merry Christmas, kiddie-winks. I'm back! Citizens, you know the holidays can be a time for gentle reflection on the year past. Our ups and downs, our triumphs and heartaches, but don't forget, it can also be a time for disemboweling our enemies."

"We don't have a Trickster on Earth-2," Quinn told us.

"He's one of a kind," Caitlin told us.

"My stocking won't be completely stuffed until it's filled to the brim with bloody Flyra parts. So what do you say, metahuman freaks? Want to roast chestnuts? Because my colleague and I have something that you might want." An image of Mark Mardon with a girl appeared on the screen. The girl was tied and gagged to a chair, looking terrified. Mark was using his weather powers, visibly forming pieces of hail in his hands threateningly. "The Weather Wizard is at a different place than I. You can't find us both if you remain together, Flyra. You want to take us both down and save the girl? You have to go it alone."

"Are there any clues as to where Mardon is based on the image?" Barry asked.

"None that I can see," I answered.

Cisco walked toward the computer, sitting down. 

"Guys, there's a reflection, of something in his cornea, see?" Jay asked.

"What is that?" Barry asked.

"Not sure," Harrison told us.

I stepped closer, looking closely at a stuffed animal, a bear. "That's Mr. Jiggle Wiggle."

"Come again?" Quinn asked.

"It's a doll," I answered. "A stuffed children's toy. Patty's dad gave me and Patty both one after their family took me in."

Cisco typed on the computer. "Mr. Jiggle Wiggle came from... Yahtzee! The toy company once had a shipping facility in Central City that shut down four years ago. It's been abandoned ever since."

"What about Jesse?" Barry asked. "Any clues at all?"

"It looks like an apartment loft," Cisco answered. "I used to have one that looked like that, and I think I know which building. Okamura Life. But even if you find Weather Wizard, what are you gonna do? The wand's not finished."

I turned to face Barry. "I'm going after Mardon, and I'm going to save the girl."

Barry nodded. "I'll get the Trickster."

~

Suited up as Pyra, I used fire to fly to the abandoned toy company, inside, seeing Patty was inside, alone, aiming a gun and a flashlight around. 

No one else was here.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Same thing as you," Patty answered. "Trying to save a life and catch a murderer."

Music started to play throughout the darkness. "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel / I made it out of clay."

The Trickster's voice played on recording. "We can't let Christmas hog all the holiday fun! Happy Hanukkah!" Dreidels from all sides twisted and turned their way toward Patty and me, surrounding us. "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. I made you out of C-4! Pyra, if you're here, then using fire to fly out will only activate the dreidels, and it'll kill you all! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

Patty and I looked around the dreidels surrounding us.

~

"I'm afraid we are definitely looking at closed casket funerals."

I sighed. "Yeah, well, you don't know half of what I'm capable of."

I turned into fire, making a backward arch to surround Patty completely, but never touching or harming her.

All of the dreidels exploded around us, but was unable to reach Patty as I acted as a shield, pelting against me but unable to make me move. I waited until they were all finished before returning to human form, breathing a sigh of relief, turning to face Patty.

Patty turned to face me. "That was... new."

"Not really," I told her. "Just something I don't show in public all that much." Patty nodded tensely, walking toward the door. "Detective."

Patty turned to face me. "It was all just a trap for you. Mardon and Jesse aren't even here. They're still on the loose."

"How did you know to come here?" I asked.

"Because there was a reflection in Mardon's eye of Mr. Jiggle Wiggle," Patty answered. "And that's the thing that my dad bought me and a foster child that my family took in for a little while. It doesn't even matter."

"That's why you came here alone without any backup?" I asked. "Because of your father?"

"You don't know anything about me," Patty told me.

"I know that you're being reckless," I told her. "And I'm sure the people in your life care enough about you to not want to see you get hurt."

"Except Mardon didn't kill my father," Patty told me. "I did." She had tears in her eyes, emotional. "See, he had a little shoe shop, and we didn't have any money, so I worked there after school. Except one day, I decided not to show up, because I was being stupid and silly with my friends. I didn't even call to tell him that I was ditching. So he brought the deposits to the bank, not me. He was shot and killed by Mardon, not me."

I looked down, thinking of how it was a lot like me blaming myself for my future self starting the fire that had killed my entire family because the Reverse-Flash had manipulated her into. "That's why you became a cop." I looked up. "Joined the metahuman task force."

"It'll be legal when I kill Mardon," Patty told me. "I have made my whole life about getting justice for my father, even if it meant I didn't have a life."

"I know the feeling," I told her.

Patty wiped her tears away. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

"Sometimes it's just easier to say things to someone with no face," I told her.

"Thank you for saving me," Patty told me, turning to walk away.

"You know, even if you get this guy that wronged you, it doesn't always make things better," I told her. 

Patty turned to face me. "It has to be better than this."

Patty got into her car, driving away.

I turned to watch her go sadly, speaking into the suit. "Barry, tell me you found them."

"I found the girl, and I saved her, Vera," Barry answered. "I didn't find Mardon or Jesse."

I sighed. "Doesn't surprise me. It's been one of those nights."

~

The next morning, the team, Jay and Quinn were in the Cortex at STAR Labs.

Cisco put the Wizard Wand on the pedestal.

"How's it look?" Jay asked.

"Wow, eerily familiar," Barry answered. He looked at me. "How's Patty?"

"She is, um, hiding a lot of pain behind her smile," I answered. "Thing is, I mean, she only opened up to Pyra, not me. So even if I got to talk to her again, I don't know what to say."

"Well, it's been my experience just being around you can be a big help," Barry told me.

Quinn smirked. "Can you two be any more obvious?"

"Well, we have a right to be," Barry told them.

Jay chuckled.

Caitlin looked from Quinn to Jay. "What about you two? You guys seem so close that I don't know if it's too obvious or not obvious enough."

"Oh, it's so obvious," Cisco told us. "I mean, the thirst is real. Or you guys just haven't seen from them what I've seen from them."

Jay chuckled. "You know, we were together on our Earth. But then we were pulled through the breach... we lost our powers... and we lost each other. We were alone for quite some time." Jay and Quinn looked at each other, smiling small smiles. "And when we finally found each other..."

"The rest is history, as they say?" Cisco asked.

We chuckled, smiling.

~

The computer beeped.

"What is that, is that Mardon?" I asked.

"That's definitely him," Cisco answered. "Atmospheric pressure just dropped 200 hectopascals."

"Where?" Barry asked.

"Central City Square," Cisco answered.

"The tree lighting ceremony," Caitlin told us.

"There's thousands of people there," Barry told us.

I turned around, grabbing the Wizard Wand.

~

In the town square, Mark was brewing up a storm. Literally.

Suited up as Pyra, I used fire to fly closer, landing on the building rooftop Mark was standing on, letting the fire fade, still holding the wand. 

Suited up as The Flash, Barry zoomed up the stairs, reaching us. "Don't start the party without me."

"Oh, glad to see you," Mark told us. "Maybe you can help me."

"Help get back into a jail cell?" I asked. "It'll be my pleasure, Mark."

Mark chuckled, shaking his head. "No. No, see, I'm trying to decide if I should kill everybody down there with a deadly hail storm, or, little trickier, with acid rain. What do you think?"

"Ah, let me think," I told him sarcastically. "Um... How about neither?" 

I held up the wand for him to see. 

"You see this wand here?" Barry asked. "Guess what?" Mark fell back off the edge of the roof. I stepped closer to see that he was using gusts of wind from his hands to fly. "Um, guys? He's flying."

"He can fly?" Caitlin asked. "Since when can he fly?"

"Well, he's using his powers to alter the air pressure around him to create pockets of updraft that can--" Cisco started.

"No, he can fly," Harrison told us.

Barry looked at me. "Vera, get him."

I nodded. "Yeah."

I used fire to fly, following Mark as fast as I could. 

Mark turned to face me, using the air he was using to fly to put out the flames around me, making me start to fall toward the ground in the middle of town square.

I turned completely into fire before I made impact so I didn't fall to my death, returning to human form, holding up the Wizard Wand toward Mark, activating it, taking the electrons out of the air so that Mark couldn't use it to fuel his power.

Mark fell toward the ground. I used fire to catch him before he fell to his death, tossing him aside, making him roll over the ground, but not enough to actually, really hurt him.

The people around started to scream and run away.

Barry zoomed closer, stopping next to me. "You really didn't think that we would let you kill all these people, did you?"

Mark stood. "No, of course not. And I didn't think that you would come alone, either. But I bet I can find the right circumstances to make one of you go elsewhere so I can take you one at a time."

A little tiny Christmas present rolled closer on wheels. 

James Jesse was nearby, sitting in Santa's throne, in a Santa suit. "Feliz Navidad! Time for a real war on Christmas."

"What is this?" Barry asked.

"That is a box with a bomb in it," Mark answered.

"Yup," James agreed. "I've handed out about 100 of them today. It feels so good to give."

"You see, right now, there are 100 random children who've each taken home a box just like that one and are shoving it under their Christmas tree," Mark told us. "There's no way for you to get to all of them, even if you knew where to look."

I looked between them. "Oh, no, please don't do this."

"What?" Mark asked. "Me? Kill 100 families? No, that's up to the two of you. I'm happy just to take your lives. So this is how it's gonna be. One of you are gonna skedaddle so that I can face one of you one-on-one. Because you both know it's gonna take both of you to take me down again. You know you just can't do it all by your lonesomes. And while one of you is trying to save everybody, like you're so good at doing, the other is gonna let me end you. Very publically and very painfully, or James here will activate each and every one of those bombs. So, what's it gonna be? Huh?" He held his hand toward me for the wand. I looked at Barry somberly. Barry nodded barely. I hesitantly handed the wand to Mark. "There you go."

James chuckled evilly.

Barry looked at me, nodding for me to go.

I used fire to fly away.

Mark formed a piece of hail, using it to slam into Barry's chest, making him fall to the ground.

I spoke through the suit to the others. "How the hell am I supposed to find 100 bombs?"

"Vera, you extracted a bomb from Lisa Snart's neck," Quinn told me. "I showed you how. Remember?"

"Yes, I remember," I answered. "But how does that help me now? That was massively tiny compared to what we're dealing with right now."

"Right," Quinn agreed. "So that just means that you have to do this on a larger scale. Times 100 larger scale." 

I knew what she meant, sighing, looking into the night sky above, using fire to fly way high in the sky. I was still able to see town square from where I was. 

Mark was laughing, forming another piece of hail, throwing it into Barry's chest, making him fall.

James was laughing. 

Mark used wind to throw Barry into the air, striking him with lightning, making him fall.

It was nearly impossible to not go down there and do something about it. I had to look away and fight everything just to stay where I was so I could get all of the bombs. I made fire flicker out of my hands and arms, the fire writhing around me.

"That's it," Quinn told me. "Think bigger. Think stronger. Bring the bombs to you. Just be careful, or..."

"I'll make them go off," I finished. "I know."

I made the fire flickering around me bigger and stronger, carefully and slowly doing as told.

Barry was laying on the ground, groaning.

"Flash, you all right?" Mark asked tauntingly. "You don't look so good. I know. I'll give you a jolt."

Mark pulled lightning from the sky into his arm, making it pass through him into the wand to shoot Barry with the lightning strike, making him fall to the ground.

The stronger and bigger the fire writhing and flickering around me got, the more I felt the bombs being slowly and carefully being pulled toward me, even while they were still inside their houses.

Mark chuckled, looking at James. "I'm done. He's all yours."

James laughed evilly, walking closer to Barry. "To think this city worships you and your little friend up there in the sky. But, when I kill The Flash, they'll realize I'm the man who saved Central City!"

The flames around me grew even bigger and stronger. I felt as if my eyes were glowing with fire.

The presents with the bombs were being pulled toward me, still, coming out of the houses through the doors and windows, all soaring up toward me.

"It's working," Caitlin told us.

I got all of the presents with the bombs inside floating, levitating around me and the flames flickering, writhing around me. I smiled in relief and awe, looking up, using fire to throw all of the bombs into the sky way above Central City so that no one would get hurt.

Mark saw what I was doing, using lightning to strike me and break my concentration.

The bombs all exploded around and above me one after another, forcing me to fall to the ground below.

I turned completely into fire before I made impact, sliding over the pavement before returning to human form a few feet away from James, Mark and Barry, lying on the ground in pain. "Barry, the bombs are gone."

Barry looked up at James, lightning flickering in his eyes.

"Uh-oh..." James trailed off.

Barry zoomed to tie James to a lamp post nearby.

I used fire to wrap around the Wizard Wand in Mark's hands, pulling it into mine, activating it so he couldn't use his powers, using fire to hit him and make him fall to the ground.

Police cars drove closer on either side of us.

Barry helped me stand.

I limped only slightly, handing him the wand.

Barry chuckled. "Amazing work, Vera."

I tilted my head barely. "Yeah, well..."

Patty got out of her car, walking toward us.

Barry altered his voice. "Detective, it's taken care of. They can't hurt anyone else."

Patty had a mechanical gun, shooting traps around Barry's and my legs, making sure we couldn't move.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Patty tossed the trap gun aside, pulling out a regular one, aiming it at Mark's head. "This is for my father."

"No, no, no, Detective!" Barry told her.

Patty ignored us, looking at Mark expressionlessly.

~

Barry held a hand toward Patty to try to stop her. "Detective, no. You can't do this."

"He killed my father for a couple hundred dollars," Patty told us. She looked at Mark. "What was so important that my father had to lose his life?"

Mark didn't answer, in pain.

"Mardon will get what he deserves," I told her. 

"He deserves to die," Patty told us.

"Not like this," Barry told her.

Mark smiled. "You don't have it in you, pretty lady."

"I've been asking myself that for the last four years, and now I know," Patty told him. 

"No, Patty!" I told her. "You pull that trigger, your life ends, too. You will go to prison. Everything and everyone that you could have had in your life will be taken from you. Again." 

Patty shook her head, tears in her eyes. 

"Mardon can't take anything else from you unless you let him," Barry told her.

"Your father wouldn't want this," I told her. "Not over him."

"Please," Barry told her. "Please."

Patty turned Mark over to his back, taking his wrists to handcuff him. "Mark Mardon, you're under arrest."

Barry and I sighed in relief, looking at each other.

James shook his head. "That was beautiful."

~

Barry and I were in the Cortex at STAR Labs, in normal clothes.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," Barry answered. "Nothing a little regenerative healing capabilities won't cure."

I turned to face Barry hesitantly. "After what you said, to Patty... that Mardon couldn't take anything else from her unless she let him... You weren't just talking about Mark, were you?"

"No, I wasn't," Barry answered. "I know it sounds strange, but I just couldn't live in the past anymore. I had to forgive Wells for what he had done."

"You forgave him?" I asked. "After everything?"

Barry nodded. "I had to. I had to move on. And that was the only way that I could move on. And I had to forgive myself. Maybe that's something that you could take under consideration."

I nodded to myself. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe you're right." Barry smiled a small smile. "You know what? Go ahead. I'll catch up to you here in a minute. I forgot something in the training room."

"All right," Barry told me. "Then we can be late to your Christmas party in your loft together."

 I smiled a small smile. "Yeah." Barry smiled, walking out, leaving. I hesitated, sighing, walking toward the training room, but not going in, looking through the glass inside to see Harrison working by himself.  I made sure the speaker was off so that he wouldn't hear me. "I know you're not him... But he's not here, and I have to say this. In that video message, you said that--that neither of us would ever really be happy... And I've been trying. I've been trying really hard to not let it get to me. And you were wrong. I am happy. I'm happy with Barry. Happiest than I've ever been, even after I found out something that completely destroyed me. After what Barry said, and helping Patty, I realize that you're still in my heart. How much I hate you for what you've done. For what you made me do. I don't want to hate you anymore. I can't. I can't hate you anymore. I forgive you. And I need to forgive myself. I guess that's going to take a little more time."

Harrison looked toward me.

I sighed, turning the speaker on.

"You need me for something?" Harrison asked.

"No," I answered. "No, I'm good." I looked down, hesitating, looking up. "You know, you should come over for Christmas tonight. You shouldn't be alone."

"It's a nice offer," Harrison told me. "I can't celebrate without my daughter."

I nodded in understanding. "All right."

I walked away.

~

Barry and I walked into my loft, seeing it decked out with Christmas decorations, and that the team, Jay and Quinn were already there.

Joe and Cisco had already gotten into the eggnog.

"Strong enough?" Joe asked.

"We'll see," Cisco told him.

"Eggnog, please," Caitlin told them.

"Hi, guys," I told them. 

"You're late to your own Christmas party," Iris told us.

I looked around, seeing that one was missing. "Waiting for one more."

Patty walked in. "Hi."

I smiled. "Hi. Glad you could make it."

Patty handed me a present. "Merry Christmas. This is for you."

"Thank you," I told her.

"Of course," Patty told me. "Thank you for having me, after the way I treated you earlier."

"Well, I guess I was just feeling nostalgic," I told her. Patty and I hugged, pulling away. "I've been really worried about you."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Patty told me. "I just have been dealing with something by myself."

"Well, I'm here if you ever need to talk," I told her.

Patty nodded. "Of course. When I'm ready to."

I smiled reassuringly.

Jay noticed the guitars by the wall, looking at me. "You play?"

"Yeah," I answered, walking closer.

"Well, it's not a Christmas party without a few Christmas songs, right?" Quinn asked. "Come on, Vera."

I looked at Barry. "See? Told you you guys were gonna end up peer pressuring me."

Barry chuckled. "Yeah, okay."

I sat down in my chair to play, picking up the acoustic guitar, starting to play 'Christmas Is Leading Me Home' by Hayley Sales. "I'm cold, alone / I've got snow in my soul / Need a wreath, some peace and fresh mistletoe / Oh, oh, and the weather you know / It reminds me of let it snow, let it snow, let it snow / Rockefeller Center skaters / Holiday entertainers / Carol singers, Christmas lights / Wrapping paper, silent nights / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home, today / So I'm told there's a sleigh that's leaving today / Full of gifts and a list, hope it's going my way / I've been good, I swear / I just wish I was there / This is not how I planned, my winder wonderland / My winder wonderland / White Christmas, icicles / 34th street miracles / Candy canes, Santa's sleigh / Get me home for Christmas day."

Everyone started to sing along for the chorus. "Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home, today."

I smiled, continuing to play. "I'm cold, alone / I've got snow in my soul / Need a wreath, some peace, and fresh mistletoe / Oh, oh, and the weather you know / It reminds me of let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

Everyone started to sing along. "Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home, yeah / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home / Christmas is leading me home."

I continued to play to bring the song to an end.

Everyone smiled, clapping quietly and laughing.

There was a knock on the door.

"Are we expecting anybody else?" Jay asked.

I placed the guitar aside, standing, walking toward the door. "Well, I don't know about you, but I sure am." I opened the loft door, revealing Wally West outside. "Hi. Come on in."

Wally walked in.

Joe and Iris walked closer, confused but seeming to know even though they hadn't seen him before.

"Hi, I'm Wally," Wally told us. "I'm Francine's son."

"I'm--I'm--I'm Joe," Joe told him, shaking Wally's hand. "This is Iris."

"Hi," Iris told him.

"Hi," Wally told us. He looked at me. "Thank you for inviting me."

I nodded.

Joe, Iris and Barry looked at me in surprise.

Joe and Iris seemed grateful.

Barry walked toward me, talking quietly. "You invited him?" I nodded. "How did you even find him?"

"I guess that's one of life's little mysteries, isn't it?" I asked.

Barry was surprised, not sure how to react.

I looked up on the doorframe above us to see mistletoe hanging above, kissing Barry for a moment, pulling away, looking up at the mistletoe again.

Barry looked up at the mistletoe.

I smiled a small smile, closing the loft door.