The Flash - We Stumble, We Falter (but we're no different from anyone) - Part One

[elrhiarhodan]

Title: We Stumble, We Falter (but we're no different from anyone) - Part One of Two
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: The Flash
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Earth-2 Harrison Wells, Joe West, Jesse "Quick" Wells, Wally West, Cisco Ramon, Barry Allen, Iris West; Harry/Joe, Wally/Jesse, Barry/Iris, mention of Cisco/Hartley/Caitlin
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: Total ~12,500 (this chapter - ~6,000)
Beta Credit: theatregirl7299, @timeforalongstory
Summary: Set about five years after The Silence Between the Birdsong, Joe West and Harry Wells are in a relationship that is much more than casual. Harry, however, is having some difficulty accepting that his brilliant daughter is going to be building her own life with the man she loves. Joe, who has never been shy about expressing his feelings for this difficult man, is the voice of common sense.

A/N: Written for Ladyofpride's Harrison Wells Appreciation Month. I was lucky enough to get a chance to write Harry interacting with both Jesse and with Wally West, but this is first and foremost, a Jarrison fic with all the Jarrison feels I could manage, and then some.

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"Hey, Dad?"

Joe turned around to find Wally standing in the kitchen doorway, looking unexpectedly ill at ease, and he turned the temperature on the red sauce he was making down to a very low simmer. He had the feeling that this 'Hey, Dad' was going to take a while.

"What's up?"

"I – uh – " Wally shuffled his feet and dropped his chin to his chest, looking more like a surly teenager than a twenty-five year-old Ph.D. with a bright and shining future. "Look, can we go for a walk?"

Joe scratched the side of his face and played it a little diffidently. "Company's coming in a few."

"Company's just Harry and he has a key. And that's kind of why I'd like to go for a walk."

Joe frowned. He and Harry had been together for the better part of four years and Wally hadn't so much as blinked when they'd made their relationship public. "Son?"

Wally bit his lip. "It's not about Harry, I just don't want him walking in while we're talking, okay?"

Joe let out a tiny sigh of relief. "Okay, just hold on." He turned the burner on the sauce pan completely off and penned out a quick note for his partner.

The early evening was a little chilly and Joe grabbed his jacket and beanie from the coat rack before they headed out. Wally didn't say anything and Joe didn't ask. As a cop, Joe knew that there were times in an interrogation that called for patience, and he waited for Wally to speak. They got to the small playground a few blocks from the house, and Joe followed Wally through the gate into the park. They settled against the jungle gym and as Wally continued with the silent treatment, Joe found his patience coming close to the limit.

Sometimes it was easier being a cop than a dad.

"What's the matter?"

Wally took a deep breath, looked at Joe with his heart in his eyes and said, "I want to ask Jesse to marry me."

Joe wasn't terribly surprised.

Jesse Wells and his son had been seeing each other exclusively for years, since she and Harry had come back from Earth-2 and made this universe their permanent home. He'd worried, just a little bit, because as smart as his son was, Jesse could run rings around him, intellectually. Case in point, she was working on her third advanced degree, while Wally had just finished his first (and from what he’d said after his dissertation defense, his only) doctorate.

But Wally wasn't at all jealous or diminished by Jesse's genius; he was her greatest cheerleader, even more than the overprotective lion otherwise known as Harry Wells.

Joe hugged his son, but asked, "You're ready for this commitment? Marriage isn't like buying a car. You don't buy it and five years later, trade it in for a newer model."

Wally didn't even blink at that last comment. "You know, I've never actually purchased a car. But more to the point, I can't imagine my life without her. I think about the future and all I see is Jesse there with me, at my side."

Wally smiled and Joe was struck to the heart at the utter sweetness of it, all the love shining from his son's eyes.

But he wouldn't be a father if he didn't offer a word or two of caution. "You're both young, you know. You have time. There's no need to rush into marriage."

"I know. And I've thought a lot about that. I have a great job and can support her." Wally did, as a team leader at the rebuilt Mercury Labs. Barry and Harry and Jesse had all been a little piqued that Wally was working for the competition, so to speak, but also understood that he needed to stand on his own – at least for now.

"And I know that's really old-fashioned of me, but –" Wally shrugged in self-deprecation.

"You won't have to because Jesse can support herself, but it's important to you that you can." That was Francine's legacy, her gift to their son.

"Exactly. Mom always wanted me to know how important it was to be able to take care of the people I love, to stand on my own. I make enough to get a good apartment for us." He gave Joe a sidelong glance. "And yes, when we get married, we're going to live in our own place."

Joe chuckled. Over the last few years, every time Wally had made noise about getting his own place, Joe made it clear that there was no need. And he'd done his best to respect his son's need for independence – and the privacy that having a steady girlfriend required. Of course, it was sometimes a little awkward. Sometimes Harry would be at Joe’s place and Wally would be with Jesse at her house just a few blocks away, and on more the one occasion, father and boyfriend passed each other on their walks home in the early morning hours. Or as Joe took delight in calling it, "the West-Wells Walk of Shame".

"Okay, so you really want to do this?"

"Yeah, Dad. I do. I know we're young but she's the one for me and I think I'm the one for her. And if I'm not the one for her, I hope she tells me now."

Joe didn't doubt that Jesse would speak her mind. She was that type of girl. No, woman. She was a woman and Joe had to remember that (after all, how many times had Iris schooled him on his antediluvian speech patterns?).

"So, when are you going to pop the question?"

"Was thinking tomorrow, at dinner. I have reservations at Baldacci's. Told her it's sort of a 'just-because I love you' romantic dinner."

Joe nodded. "What about a ring?"

"I have Mom's. She gave it to Iris, but Iris thought that I should have it."

Joe remembered scraping together the money to buy Francine that tiny diamond. "It's kind of small – maybe you'd like to get Jesse something a bit more important."

Wally shrugged. "Maybe."

It suddenly hit Joe like a bullet. "Your mom kept that ring, despite everything. Even when she needed money to put food on the table, she kept the ring." When she'd left, Francine had left behind her wedding band, but not her engagement ring.

Wally nodded. "I know she pawned it a few times, and there were a lot of nights I'm pretty sure she went hungry to save up to buy it back. So yeah, it would mean a lot to me if Jesse wore Mom's ring."

Joe couldn't help himself and pulled his son into a hard hug and let go. "You are the best son any parent could ever want. I'm so proud of you, Wallace West. Don't ever forget that."

He felt, more than heard, Wally's little sniffle. "Do you think Harry will be just as proud?"

Ah, that's the crux of the matter. "Absolutely. There is no reason that he wouldn't be proud to have you as part of his family."

"He's so intense and so protective of Jesse. She's struggled sometimes with her dad and his protectiveness."

"They've been through a lot. It's rough being a single parent, and Harry's not the type of guy who relaxes about anything after everything he's been through."

"I know." Wally kicked at the dirt. "I just want – want Harry to see me as good enough for Jesse."

Joe understood. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No – I think I have to. Man up, you know?"

"You're going to ask him permission for Jesse's hand?" Joe tried not to smile at the old-fashioned notion.

"Hell no! Jesse's her own person. She's an adult." Wally toned down his outrage. "I just want to make sure he's okay with me. As Jesse's husband." Wally's voice took on an almost-reverential quality with that last word.

"I'm sure he is, son." Joe clapped Wally on the shoulder. "Let's go home. Harry's probably there, waiting for us."

"For you. I'm picking up Jesse and we're having dinner with Barry and Iris tonight."

"Give the newlyweds my love."

"As if you can't do that yourself. It's not like you don't see Barry every day. Or Iris."

"I know – I know. I'm just being polite."

They walked back to the house, and Wally took off without going back inside. As expected, Harry was already there, there was a plastic container filled with baked goods on the counter, and he working on the red sauce.

"Smells good." Joe kissed his partner on the cheek and swiped a spoon to taste the sauce. "Mmm, tastes better than it smells."

Harry gave him a look. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Joe wasn't going to spoil the surprise.

"And Wally? Everything good there?"

Joe nodded, warmed by Harry's concern for his son. "He just needed some perspective on something. I thought a little fresh air might help."

Harry's lips quirked up in a slight smile. "Must be nice having a kid who actively seeks out your advice. Can't remember the last time Jesse asked for my opinion on anything."

"What were you like at her age? Did you ask your parents for their opinion about anything?"

"Of course not – my parents …" Harry's voice trailed off, as if he was unhappy with the memory. "And at twenty-two I was the opposite of Jesse, surly, self-centered, too smart for my own good, too obsessed with my own intelligence and my latest projects. I was contemptuous of anyone and anything that wasn't going to get me what I needed." Harry chuckled. "Not much different than me now."

Joe didn't agree with half of Harry's self-assessment, but there was no point in contradicting him. "Hah. But now you're also a bad-ass marshmallow."

"Who are you calling a bad-ass?" Harry grinned. "I thought I was a smart-ass."

"And a very pretty ass, too." Joe patted the ass in question before pushing Harry out of the way to set a pot of water to boil.

They puttered around the kitchen, sharing meal prep duties, and Joe could see Harry slipping back into melancholy. Not one to let anyone he loved suffer, Joe wrapped his arms around Harry and rested his chin on his shoulder. "What's really the matter? You can tell me."

"I'm losing her, Joe." Harry let out a short sigh. "I know that Jesse's her own person, she's twenty-two years old, she's going to want to move out, move in with Wally soon enough. And she's entitled. If we were back on the other Earth, she'd have spread her wings a long time ago. But I'm ..."

Heartbroken. Joe knew this was something that couldn't easily be fixed except with time and patience. "They call it 'empty nest' syndrome." Joe rubbed his cheek against Harry's, loving the scratchiness of the two-day old scruff on his partner's cheek, "Which is something I've yet to have the chance to experience."

Harry didn't laugh, though. "You will, soon enough."

"And I'm looking forward to that day."

Harry turned in his arms. "You are?"

"Hmm, absolutely."

Harry was clearly confused. "Why? Why are you looking forward to Wally moving out?"

Joe kissed Harry on the nose. "So I can walk around naked, use all the hot water, watch porn with you in the living room. So we can fuck ourselves stupid on the couch on a Sunday afternoon and not have to worry about traumatizing the kids."

"Ahh, I guess there are some … benefits."

"Yes, there are. And not to make light of the pleasure of an empty nest, you just have to know when to let them go. And it's time." Joe couldn't say anything more. He didn't want to spoil Wally's surprise.

Harry leaned into him, muttering, "But I don't want to."

Joe sighed and let Harry cling to him. Despite his comments about enjoying the empty nest, he understood those feelings all too well. "What are you afraid of?" Joe rubbed a soothing hand up and down his partner's back.

Harry shuddered against him and whispered, "Not being needed anymore."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Five-thirty Saturday morning found Harry Wells walking back to his house, just a few blocks away.

Most nights he spent at Joe's he didn't have a problem staying until morning, waking up beside him, having breakfast with him and with Wally. But there were times – like tonight – when he was restless, anxious, and despite Joe's assurance that he wasn't disturbing his own sleep, too keyed up to just lie in the dark and stare at the ceiling.

"You don't have to go." Joe had reached out and grabbed his hand. "I'll get up and make breakfast."

"No, go back to sleep, it's not even dawn yet. I'm going to head home. Come over in a few hours and I'll make breakfast." Harry had leaned over and kissed Joe, and when Joe had cupped a hand around the back of his neck, he'd almost let himself get pulled back in.

"Come on, want you. Want you to stay."

It would have been so easy to give into Joe's sleepy pleadings. But Harry had felt like there was a timer in the background, ticking down the moments of his life with Jesse. "Not this morning."

Joe understood and had reluctantly let him go. "See you later?"

"Of course." Even if Joe didn't come for breakfast, he would see him in the evening. Saturday nights were theirs and absent some attempt to destroy Central City, they would go do something their kids considered totally lame in a hip sort of way.

Harry dressed, not bothering to shower – he'd take care of that at his house – and headed out. Four years ago, he had bought a small bungalow-style house three blocks and an easy five-minute walk away from the Wests' home.

Maybe if he hadn't picked a place so close, Jesse and Wally wouldn't have gotten so close…

He shook his head at that line of thought. Proximity had had nothing to do with their relationship. He'd seen Wally's face when Jesse had walked back through the portal, the joy and the relief that someone he cared about had come back. Jesse could have been across the country, not three blocks away, and it wouldn't have made a difference.

That young man was in love, and that was something Harry understood. He would have followed Tessa to the moon if she's wanted to settle there. And he'd crossed dimensions for Joe.

Jesse had left the porch light on for him, a subtle note that she was home and in her own bed. Harry wondered, though, if she was alone. Caught up in his melancholy thoughts, he hadn't noticed if Wally's car was near Joe's. He turned to see if it was parked nearby, but he didn't see it.

Wally loved cars, which was kind of ridiculous, since he could run many times faster than the top speed of even the fastest land vehicle created.

He let himself in and listened carefully, not that he could tell if there were two heartbeats in one of the upstairs bedrooms, but just to make sure he wasn't going to walk past Jesse's room and get an earful of things no father should ever hear.

It was quiet and still and Harry left his shoes by the door, sliding his feet into the old-man slippers Jesse gave him as a gag-gift last year, to go with the dad sweaters he favored now instead of the sharp suits he'd once worn like armor. So what if the slippers were for the geriatric crowd? They were comfortable and he had an identical pair at Joe's.

He didn't pause as he passed Jesse's door, heading straight for his bedroom. He had no plans to go back to sleep, just to shower off yesterday's grime and eau de Joe West.

By six, Harry was clean and dressed and in the kitchen, savoring the first cup of coffee. His brain felt a little fuzzy and he picked up a book of mathematical puzzles to help pass the time, and then tossed the pencil down in frustration. If he weren't such an over-emotional idiot, he would still be in bed with Joe, probably enjoying some early-morning nookie.

So he sighed, sipped his coffee and contemplated his ridiculousness. As the sky turned pale pink with the rising sun, he heard Jesse start to move about and a few minutes later, come bounding down the stairs. Alone.

"Hey you." She leaned over, kissed his cheek, and helped herself to his coffee. "Surprised you're back here."

"Was a little restless, no need to deprive Joe of an extra couple of hours sleep."

Jesse leaned back against the counter, looking too much like her mother. "You have become a most considerate partner."

"Become?"

"Dad – you had a reputation as an asshole, a real love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. You never spent the night with anyone."

"I didn't date."

"No, you just had a string of – "

Harry lifted a hand, cutting his daughter off. "Enough out of you, young lady."

Jesse laughed and kissed his forehead. "I'm giving you the business. Just because I can."

"Ah, okay." He retrieved his coffee cup and refilled it, then poured one for his daughter.

"You going out for a run?"

Jesse nodded. "Yup, Barry should be here in – " She checked her phone, "about three minutes. Just enough time for one of these." She unwrapped one of Cisco's nutrition bars and started gnawing on it.

"You know he's perpetually late." Harry sipped his coffee.

Jesse chewed and swallowed. "The three minutes is factoring in his tardiness."

"Wally's not joining you this morning?" The three speedsters regularly crossed the continent on Saturday mornings.

Jesse shook her head. "Nope, he said he had something he wanted to take care of first thing this morning. And we're going out to dinner tonight – just the two of us."

That was unusual. Jesse and Wally, Barry and Iris, Cisco, Hartley and Caitlin, often socialized together, particularly on Saturday nights. "Anything wrong with the posse?"

"Nah. Wally said he just wants a little time with just me. He's picked out a nice restaurant and everything. So I've got a salon appointment this afternoon."

A tiny cold ball of dread formed in Harry's belly – the anticipation of loss. He waited for Jesse to continue, but she didn't seem to feel the need to add anything else, and then Barry arrived and the two of them took off.

Harry pulled out the ingredients for pancakes. He needed something to keep him busy, and short of heading over to the lab and working on upgrades to the three speedsters’ communications systems, there was nothing that required his attention. Of course he had a myriad of projects there that could get him into serious mischief, but those were best not contemplated on a beautiful autumn morning.

It didn't take too long to get the batter ready and the griddle prepared. He'd start cooking in about an hour and have a few dozen ready for the hungry speedsters on their return. In this strangely domestic life, he'd learned to enjoy cooking – and frankly, having an appreciative and hungry eater made it worthwhile.

Unless he was in the mood to bake, he generally stuck to simple things like pancakes for breakfast, casseroles for dinner – variations on what Joe cooked. Neither of them were particularly fussy and their tastes were surprisingly complementary, like so many other parts of their lives.

It made for a good relationship.

Harry didn't really like to think too hard on what he and Joe had. From the beginning, it was more than just casual – at least for him. When he’d found Joe adding his house key to Harry’s keyring, Harry had known it was more than casual for Joe, too. Yet they never really spoke about it; they never defined what "they" were to each other. If they were out and socializing, Joe would refer to him as his "partner" and Harry thanked the powers that be for that, because at fifty-something, he was no one's "boyfriend". So, he followed Joe's lead and used the term "partner" on the very rare occasion he had to talk about his domestic situation.

But in the privacy of his mind, Harry preferred the more intimate word, "lover". Also, "best friend". Also, if he was feeling particularly shameless, "husband".

As if that would ever happen.

It was still too early to start making pancakes, and Harry was getting the itch. He needed to do something, make something, if just to have the momentary satisfaction of creation.

Brownies. Double-chocolate with salted caramel and chili-spiced candied walnuts. There was a recipe he wanted to try and the pantry was stocked with the necessary ingredients. Joe would definitely appreciate them.

There was an old saying, "cooking is art, but baking is science", one Harry hadn't appreciated until he discovered how soothing baking was to his soul. He loved the detail, the precision, the chemistry and the physics required, and baking was a lot less likely to result in loss of life and property and reputation.

When he had been an obnoxious eighteen year old with his second Ph.D. hanging on the wall, certain that he’d been going to be the youngest physicist to win a Nobel, he had asked his academic advisor about a huge and potentially world-changing project. The woman had laughed at him and told him that he’d needed to get a hobby. "Take up knitting. Or wood working. Do something with your hands. You'll burn out if you don't."

Harry had scoffed at the advice. He’d had plenty of things to occupy his time. He ran, he boxed, he managed a lab, he wrote scathing rebuttals in six different languages to the idiots who published crap in peer-reviewed science journals. He didn't need another hobby.

Then came Tessa and he became a different person. She taught him that brilliance without compassion, science without ethics, progress without empathy, was pointless and cruel and wasteful.

After he lost her, he'd all but forgotten those lessons. Not until the people here, with their sacrifices, their commitment, their endless well of love and compassion and empathy, reminded him of what never should have been lost.

And along with that came the realization that his advisor hadn’t been wrong. That having a hobby – something completely unrelated to his job – would help keep him sane and more importantly, out of trouble.

So he baked.

Harry pulled up the recipe and was about to collect the ingredients from the pantry when the doorbell rang. He checked the security camera, and was surprised to see Wally. He wiped his hands, and went to let the young man in.

"Hey, Doctor Wells."

Harry raised an eyebrow at Wally's use of his title. It had been at least three years since he'd joined the club and started calling him "Harry" like the rest of Team Flash. But it was nice to be reminded of who he was.

So he repaid the favor. "What can I do for you, Doctor West."

His use of Wally's newly bestowed title earned him a bright smile and he gestured for him to enter.

"Jesse isn't home – she and Barry are out running. She said you were busy this morning and couldn't join them. Did she misunderstand?"

"No, not at all. I actually came over to see you."

"Oh, okay." Harry was getting that feeling again, the sick little knot in the ball of his stomach. He wondered if this had anything to do with the conversation Wally had with Joe yesterday. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine, really fine."

"Good." Looking for a way to stave off the inevitable, Harry asked, "Can I feed you? I have pancakes ready to go on the griddle."

"Sure, that would be terrific. Can I do anything?"

"Nope, I've got it under control."

Despite Harry's admonition, Wally set the table – as familiar with this kitchen as he was with his own.

"How is life at Mercury Labs?"

"You know I really can't talk about my work."

"Not asking for anything confidential. Just want to know how you are enjoying working for the competition."

"Hardly the competition. It's not like S.T.A.R. Labs is producing anything these days."

"Or so you'd like to think." This was an old argument. Wally would claim that S.T.A.R. Labs existed just to support Team Flash (which wasn't that far from the truth) but what Wally wouldn't acknowledge was that so many of the advancements that he and Cisco had developed for the speedsters they protected (Wally West amongst them), were retooled and marketed to Central City and other municipalities. S.T.A.R. Labs a money-making operation, albeit on a much smaller scale than Mercury.

As Harry flipped the pancakes, Wally filled him in – in the most general of terms – about his project team at Mercury. "I like it there, I like how Doctor McGee lets me run with my theories. At the end of the day, I have to back everything up and justify the project direction, but she trusts my skills."

Harry nodded. "Micromanagement can be the antithesis of progress."

"If there's a downside, it's that I don't have much time to work on my own projects."

"Oh?" That piqued Harry's interest. Maybe this was why Wally had come over. "What are you working on?"

Of course, it involved engines and streamlining, and while flow dynamics in macro-engineering wasn't Harry’s field, he wasn't completely ignorant in the subject. When he was Wally's age, he might have published a paper on the topic as it related to subatomic structures.

They ate and talked and enthused (or scienced, as Joe might say) and Harry felt energized. It wasn't quite the same feeling he got when working with Cisco; this was pure theory, something he loved almost as much as getting down into the weeds of creation.

"I'm surprised you don't teach." Wally mopped up the last of the maple syrup with the last pancake and leaned back with a sigh of satisfaction.

Harry began another batch of batter. "The thought's crossed my mind, but it's kind of hard with this face."

"Still?"

"Yeah, still." It didn't bother him. He liked having an excuse to stay out of the limelight.

"It's not fair, though."

Wally’s outrage on his behalf was sweet. "It's okay. I've got my own captive audience most of the time. And I don't have to grade papers."

Wally chuckled. "Yeah, and somehow I don't think Team Flash would enjoy your pop quizzes."

"You're part of the team, Doctor West, and I think you'd do very well on my exams."

Once again, the use of Wally's new title earned him a blindingly bright smile.

"Um, Doctor Wells – "

Whatever Wally was going to say was interrupted by the arrival of the other two speedsters in Harry's life. Barry had finally mastered the art of arriving without sending all the papers in the room scattering, but Jesse was still working on her control, and as she nyoomed into the kitchen, every bit of stray paper went flying. Wally, though, felt the need to show off and caught everything before it hit the ground.

Harry watched his daughter greet her boyfriend and cast a glance over at Barry, who was giving the pair an indulgent smile, like he knew a secret.

"Breakfast?"

Jesse broke off from cuddling with Wally, and said, "Sure – just give me a few minutes to shower and change?"

Barry shook his head in mock disgust, "You know, Jesse, one of the benefits of being a speedster is that you really don't need a few minutes. A few seconds is all it takes."

Jesse snarked back, "And that's okay if you don't mind looking like a tornado victim all the time." At that, Jesse headed upstairs. Slowly, sedately.

Barry chuckled at his Jesse's performance. "I'm going to pass on breakfast, Harry. I promised Iris I'd pick up some bagels on the way home."

Harry nodded. He liked seeing Barry so settled; he'd been through far too much tragedy and deserved all the happiness in the world.

Barry sped off, leaving him and Wally. "You were about to ask me something?"

Wally smiled and shook his head. "No, it's cool. I'm going to head home – I didn't run, so I don't think I can go for another round of breakfast. Do you want me to tell Dad you've got pancakes on the menu? I don't think he's constitutionally capable of passing up on pancakes. Especially yours."

"That would be nice, and thank you."

"No problem, and thanks, Doctor Wells."

"It's Harry – and for what?"

"For everything."

He watched Wally head back to Joe's house and had a feeling he'd just dodged a bullet.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sunday morning was almost a repeat of Saturday. Too many hours before dawn, Harry woke up, restless and agitated, fighting with the need to leave and the desire to stay.

And like most mornings, he was wrapped in Joe's arms. His lover had many things in common with an octopus. But it made it difficult to get out of bed without waking him.

Harry managed to get free, but of course, in the process, he woke Joe.

"Where are you going?" Joe slurred.

"Bathroom." Right now, that was the truth.

"You're coming back to bed, right?"

Harry didn't answer right away.

Joe sat up and turned on the lamp. "Please, don't go."

There was something in Joe's tone that made Harry's heart ache. "Just warning you, I don't think I'll be able to fall back to sleep."

"So? I'm sure I can think of something to occupy the early morning hours." Joe's sleepy smile wasn't the least bit salacious. Just gentle and loving, like the man himself.

"Okay, I'll be right back. Keep the bed warm."

Harry took care of his business, even brushed his teeth, and went back into the bedroom to find the sheets and blankets straightened, the pillows fluffed, and Joe reading something on his tablet, his glasses perched on the tip of his nose. When Joe looked up and smiled, Harry wondered how could be so lucky as to have this man in his life.

Joe put down the tablet. "What's the matter?"

"Just thinking how much I love you." He wished he could say those words more often.

Joe held out his hand and drew him back into bed. "I love you, too."

Harry let out a deep sigh of contentment. "Thank you."

"For what?" Joe leaned over him.

"For everything. For being the man you are. For seeing me." Harry relaxed against Joe, relishing the warmth and the strength of his lover's body.

Joe kissed him, a gentle benediction. "That sentiment goes both ways. You are important to me, you make me happy."

Harry kissed Joe back, with as much need as passion. He relished Joe's hands on his body, taking the lead, taking control. Neither he nor Joe subscribed to any particular role in bed. Sometimes Joe topped, sometimes he topped. Nothing mattered but the pleasure they took in each other and gave to each other.

The biggest different between the two of them was that Joe had an incredibly filthy mouth when it came to sex. Or maybe it was just that he didn't bother with filters when they were in bed together. "Want me to fuck you?"

Harry swallowed against the rising desire. "No, I think I want to fuck you."

Joe laughed and Harry enjoyed that as much as he enjoyed Joe's hands on his ass. "I'm up for that."

And he certainly was.

Both of them took advantage of their post-coital bliss and dozed until the alarm on Joe's phone went off at seven.

Muttering something about it being his turn to feed the kids, Joe didn't give Harry a chance to go home. They shared a shower, dressed and were downstairs when Wally and Jesse walked in the door.

Harry couldn't miss the silent communication between father and son, nor could he miss his daughter's look of delight. Wally was holding Jesse's hand, but Harry was pretty certain there was a ring on it.

Jesse smiled, then pursed her lips together, still smiling. "Dad."

"Jesse?" Harry put on his brightest smile.

"Wally asked me if I would marry him. I said yes."

He had a feeling this was coming, of course. The special romantic dinner last night and Wally's somewhat cryptic visit yesterday morning had tipped him off. Faced with his child's obvious happiness and his own affection for Joe's son, all he could do was hug Jesse and tell her how happy he was.

And do the same with Wally, once his father finished smothering him.

"I think this calls for a toast." Joe pulled a container of orange juice out of the fridge and followed it up with a bottle of sparkling wine that had been hanging around for the past few months. The mimosas were heavy on the wine, which was fine with Harry, who thought that getting a little drunk right now wasn't such a bad idea.

Joe touched glasses with his son, with Jesse, with him, and made the toast, "As my Grandma Rose would say, L'chaim. To life."

They all repeated, "To life."

Harry let the conversation the followed wash over him, making sure he smiled at all the important moments. He admired the ring, not commenting on the tiny diamond, especially when Jesse said how honored she was to get to wear the ring Joe had given to Wally's mother.

There was a box in a vault on another world with three rings. The first was the engagement ring that he'd given Tessa when he asked her to marry him, and it had a stone possibly half the size of the one Jesse was now wearing. The second ring was the ten-carat monstrosity he'd gotten for Tessa after Jesse was born. She'd worn it twice. The third ring was Tessa's wedding band. He'd thought about burying it with her, but instead put his ring in her coffin.

He'd forgotten about them. Maybe Cisco would open the portal for him and he could retrieve them - if just for his daughter's sake.

"Dad?"

"Hmm, what?" He refocused on the family in front of him. "What's the matter?"

Jesse was clutching Wally's hand. "We're going to take off and go tell Barry and Iris. See you later?"

"Of course, sweetheart." He hugged her again, breaking her hold on Wally. He whispered, "I'm so happy for you, my Jesse Quick."

He turned to Wally, and hugged him again, with a touch less enthusiasm. "Take care of my girl."

"Of course, sir."

The happy couple left, hand-in-hand, and Harry let out a sigh. "You knew this was coming."

"Yeah. Wally told me on Friday night that he was going to ask Jesse."

"And you didn't tell me?"

Joe shrugged. "Wally asked me not to, he said he wanted to talk to you himself."

"Ah. I had a feeling this was coming. Of course you know he stopped by yesterday morning. I did my best to distract him. I didn't want to hear it."

"He's a good kid."

"He's twenty-five, Joe. He's a man."

"I know, I know - but he's still my kid. He'll be my kid when he's twice that age. The point is, though, that he wanted to make sure that you thought he was good enough for your daughter."

Harry smiled, he couldn't help it. "Of course he is. He's your son."

"And you know I didn't really have a hand in raising him. I got him fully formed."

"He's still your son, Joe. He's everything that's good and decent and honorable. He's committed to making the world a better place. He's a brilliant engineer. He loves my daughter and he's probably the only person who can truly understand who and what she is. How could I not think he's good enough?"

Joe wrapped his arms around him, and kissed his temple. "Because she's your daughter, Harry. And I know you. I know just what you're going through, remember?"

Harry relaxed into Joe's embrace. "I know, I know."

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Part Two - To Be Posted Tomorrow