20- Merry Christmas

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The next day Katrina heads into STAR Labs with Barry, as they walk into the pipeline where they see Joe lost in thought, "Hey" Barry says to him, as they go and stand opposite of him.

Joe looks at the two of them, "I was just thinking about a big drug bust that me and Sing made about 10 years ago. Afterward, we went for a steak lunch, to treat ourselves for a job well done.  And while we were ordering I got this feeling in my chest. Like my heart was being squeezed, and I knew something wasn't right. So, I called your school, and the nurse said to me that she was just about to call me. Iris was on her way to the hospital"

"When her appendix burst" Barry says remembering.
"And I knew it. I could feel it, right here" Joe says touching his chest, "I knew my kid needed me. So, if I have that feeling as a parent, why didn't I feel it for my son?" Joe asks them.

"Joe, you know it isn't your fault that you had no idea about him" Katrina says to him.
"Yeah, it was" he says to her, "When Francine left rehab that last time, I should've looked for her. I'm a cop, I could've found her, brought her back here. Tried again, tried harder" Joe says.

"You were protecting Iris." Barry says to him.
"I have been telling myself that , for 20 years. A 20-year lie. But I wasn't protecting her, I was protecting myself. I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't....I hated not being able to help Francine. So it was easier for her to be dead. Out of my life, out of our lives. But it wasn't for Iris. I was being selfish. And that, that poor boy paid the price" Joe says to them.

"Joe" Barry says shaking his head.
"He never had a father, to read to him at night, to show him how to throw a football, to make him feel safe and loved. Who taught him to be a man, Barry Kat?" he asks looking at the two of them and they don't know what to say. "'Him' I can't even say his name. What have I done?" Joe cries.
"Joe, look, you have been there for me every day since I met you. You have, and you would've done the exact same thing for him if you could've. I know it. I'm sorry" Barry says to Joe.

Barry and Katrina leave the pipeline and head toward the cortex, where they can hear a familiar voice talking, "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, they can also be a time for disemboweling our enemies." They walk in and see the Trickster on the monitor, and they both look at one another for a moment, before looking back at the screen.

" They walk in and see the Trickster on the monitor, and they both look at one another for a moment, before looking back at the screen

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"We don't have a Trickster on Earth-2" Jay says to Caitlin.
"He's one of a kind" she tells him.
"No...my stocking won't be completely stuffed until it's filled to the brim with bloody Flash and Bolt parts. So what do you say, speed freaks? You want to roast chestnuts?" James goes on to say.

"Cisco, are there any clues, based on the video?" Katrina asks him.
"None that I can see" Cisco says as then sits down at one of the computers, and he tries to zoom in on the video.

"Guys, there's a reflection of something in his cornea. See?" Jay then says.
They all look closer, "What is that?" Barry asks.
"Not sure" Caitlin says to him, as Cisco magnify's the picture.

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