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The family is at home, trimming the tree. Joe reaches for another ornament while Len rolls his eyes.
"How many of these things do we need for one tree?"
"What are you talking about?" Lisa smiles. "One of these boxes is full of trinkets you sent me while you were away!"
"You asked for them."
"Not a whole box!"
"It was over the span of several years."
"There's just two boxes left," Joe remarks, stopping the two's argument as he takes another ornament from Barry. "If you two would help as much as you fight, we'd be done by now."
"At this rate we'll be done by Easter," Barry sighs, still pouting after he was yelled at for suggesting to use his powers to finish.
"Laziest man alive say something?" Lisa grins, tossing a plush polar bear ornament at her foster brother's face. It hits Barry in the eye.
"Hey!" the speedster puts a hand to the injury.
"You heal fast," his sister brushes off his protest.
"Normally I'd disapprove of that logic," Len points out, hands covered in plastic icicles as he walks over to the tree. "But since it was just a toy. I'll allow it."
"So nice to know you approve of some of my pain," Barry growls, tossing the bear back at Lisa and hitting her in the head.
"Hey!"
"I've got eggnog!" Iris announces cheerily as she enters the room with a tray of drinks. She hands the only cup of cocoa, and mini marshmallows, to Len. "I still can't believe you don't like Grandma Esther's famous eggnog."
"There is a long and painful story for why he doesn't," Lisa remarks as she takes her cup. "But he refuses to talk about it."
"The last time I had eggnog, anyone's eggnog, I couldn't leave the bathroom for a week," Len growls, easing the sudden looks of worry from Joe, Barry and Iris. "You were still too young to even know what eggnog was."
"I was too busy being the world's cutest baby," his sister sighs dramatically.
Joe's phone goes off and all his kids look to him.
"Agent West, yeah?" the detective listens and when he sighs in defeat as he tells them he'll, "Be right there." The group knows the tree trimming party is over.
"The DA want to as me some questions."
"Funny how they can't do that over the phone," Len remarks as he finishes placing the last icicle on the tree.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
The door closes behind the detective and Iris lunges for the tree.
"No, Iris! Put it down!" Len orders, but his foster sister ignores him, placing the loop of the bow on his present over his pointed finger.
She then proceeds to hand the rest of her family their presents.
"Joe will be the only one opening presents on Christmas again," Barry points out as he resists the urge to pat his present down to figure out what it was.
"It's gorgeous!" Lisa announces, present already unwrapped and held up in the air. It's a blue, velvet box with a golden necklace inside. "I love it! Thank you, Iris!"
The sisters hug, then Lisa hands the other woman her present.
"I don't think they're listening to us," Len sighs, holding his small package with both hands as he watches Iris open her gift.
"I am listening," the woman comments, pausing mid-tear to look up at her foster brother. "I got you guys two presents. I'm just waiting for Dad to be around before I give you the other one."
"That doesn't make me feel good about what that 'other present' might be."
Iris giggles, then goes back to unwrapping her gift. It's a long jewelry box, but instead of a necklace or bracelet, there's a silver pen inside.
"Before you all get judgey on me," Lisa pointedly looks to her brother. "I would like to point out that THIS particular pen has a recording device and camera hidden on it."
"In something so small?" her sister's eyes widen as she searches for said features. "I see it! Wow, awesome! Thanks, Lisa!"
"Now that you're a big shot reporter, you'll have to be sneaky when getting the latest and greatest scoop."
"Mine next," Barry says after the girls have hugged again. Iris opens the present and gasps.
"My mother's wedding band?"
"A replica," her foster brother smiles. "I know how upset you were when you lost the original."
There's a knock on the door and Iris is too entangled in discarded paper and emotions to get to it before Len does.
Eddie's smile vanishes when he sees who opens the door for him.
"Iris," Len drawls, glare aimed at the blonde detective. "Did you forget to mention you had invited someone?"
"Len," Iris warns her foster brother as she finally manages to stand. "You already threatened his life. Let him in the house."
Len grins, leaning into his coworker's space, hand extended. "Merry Christmas, Detective Thawne."
"Mer-Merry Christmas," Eddie tries to smile again as he shakes the other man's hand. Len pulls him in for a partial hug and pats him harshly on the back.
"For crying out loud," Iris growls, pulling her boyfriend away from Len. "Could you just stop it already?"
"Are you two breaking up?"
"What? No!"
"Then no."
Lisa bursts into giggles while Barry opens his present in an attempt to distract everyone. "Look! A microscope!"
-*-
Barry, Joe, Len and Eddie are sent to Mercury labs to investigate several murders there. The speedster realizes the high speeds required for the way the people died and when the witness talks about a 'man in some yellow suit' it puts both brothers on high alert.
"I have to go over my notes," Barry keeps his voice low, body buzzing with energy at the thought of catching his mother's murderer.
"Is there anything I can do?" Len offers.
Joe frowns, putting a hand on each of his son's shoulders, "Boys. We need to talk."
Joe knew. Knew the speedster was in the city. Had for a while. But he hadn't said anything because Iris was threatened. Neither of his sons blame him, but the evidence is gone.
-*-
After wrapping up at the scene, they go to STAR Labs.
"Captain Cold."
"Major, to you, Sicko."
"More like Major Pain in the neck," Cisco counters.
"This isn't the time for personal squabbles, Cisco," Wells tells the genius. "I believe Detective West has something important to tell us."
Joe recounts what they know about 'the man in yellow' while the others listen intently. Dr. Wells thinks they can catch the murdering speedster. If only they can procure the lure.
Len walks out of the room as if personally insulted and Barry chases after him.
"You can't seriously still hate the guy after everything he's done," Barry asks once he and his foster brother are outside.
"Watch me." The only person Len disliked more than Cisco, was Wells.
"But he saved me," Barry reminds his brother AGAIN.
"After he put you and everyone else in danger," Len reminds his brother AGAIN. He glares at the door leading back to the man. "There's something in his eyes, Barry. Something dark and I don't like it."
He leaves it at that and walks away, shoulders strangely straight in military habit.
-*-
Len is impressed with his brother's 'brain threats' but can't enjoy the feeling because he has to help Caitlin track down her supposed-to-be dead fiancé.
"Thanks, Len," Caitlin smiles tightly at him when he meets up with her at the garage where she last saw the man. "Cisco doesn't believe me and I didn't want to do this alone-"
"It's okay, Caitlin," he assures her with a kind smile. "Do you know how we can track him?"
"I stole this from Cisco's lab," the scientist lifts up some sort of device with a small, rounded wand attached. "It should help us find him."
"Then let's get searching."
They find Ronnie, deep underground in cramped service tunnels. Caitlin pleads with the confused man to let her take him back to STAR Labs, to help him get his memories back and help him...Ronnie refuses, offering up a pained word, "Firestorm."
Len pulls the scientist back when the man bursts into flames before fleeing.
"So, when you said your fiancé was hot, you meant it literally."
-*-
The trap is set. Everything is ready to go, they just have to get the word out to the 'other speedster'.
But Barry can't be part of it.
"Not for this one, Barry." Joe says firmly after many protests from his son. Even Len can't change their foster father's mind.
The young hero storms out and it's Len who does the chasing this time.
"I've got this." Len tells his brother as he grabs the other's shoulder to get him to stop moving. "I'll watch their backs for you. Sorry I couldn't convince Joe to let you stay."
"Yeah," Barry sighs, pulling out of the hold to resume his walk. "Me too."
-
Nothing goes according to plan. The force field doesn't stop the other speedster from getting his hands on Wells and the scientist gets beaten before Joe uses a massive wrench to lower the shields.
Then the speedster attacks the officers but pauses in front of Eddie.
"Joe, run!" Len orders his foster father, shooting at the meta. The man in the yellow suit easily dodges the bullet and removes the trainee's gun before grabbing him by the throat.
The speedster looks over to Joe, "I told you not to investigate."
Red lighting bursts into the room, ramming into the man in yellow and freeing Len. Joe runs to his son's side as the speedsters fight for a second then run from the room.
Eddie stares, shell-shocked, but Len gets to his feet as fast as he can and take off after them.
"Len!" Joe barks to his son but the boy doesn't listen. The detective wants to run after him, but he forces himself to stay put and keep an eye on the rest of his teem in the room.
Ronnie saves Barry from being killed and Len arrives outside to watch the burning man fly off.
"Barry!" Len runs to his brother's side. "Are you okay?"
"No," the speedster admits with a wince. "But I'll live."
"Thank goodness for flaming hot fiancés," Len remarks with a wink to Caitlin.
The small joke eases some of the tension as the hero is helped to his feet.
-*-
Barry goes to visit his father, Henry, at Iron Heights.
Which gives the rest of his family enough time to prepare a small holiday party for when he gets back.
"Did he have to come?" Len remarks as he carefully checks the angel they'll use to top the tree for dust. Eddie, the 'he' in question, glares at him while Iris rolls her eyes.
"We've been dating for almost a year, Len," his foster sister tells him matter-of-factly. "You're going to have to get used to this or you'll end up being the grumpy old man in the family."
"I think it's sweet that he's so protective of you," Eddie remarks with a smile, walking over to the other man while his girlfriend helps Lisa with the drinks. He lowers his voice, "I know you have it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Len counters just as quietly, eyes focused on the angel still.
"The key, my key," the detective growls, glancing worriedly over to the ladies to make sure they weren't looking at them. "It was in my pocket when I came over for the tree trimming, then it was gone."
"Maybe you lost it," the trainee finally lifts his eyes to glare at the detective. "Seems to me that someone so careless shouldn't be trying to get my sister to move in with him."
"I'll take this to Joe if I have to."
"Like my foster father would take your side on this."
"You're acting like a child!"
Eddie blinks, looking over to the three startled stares aimed at him. He nervously smiles at them. "Sorry."
The doorbell rings, saving the detective from explaining. Cisco and Caitlin enter with cheery smiles, hugging or wishing 'Merry Christmas' to everyone.
Len carefully puts the angel down to hug Caitlin properly.
"We'll figure something out for Ronnie," he whispers to her. "Maybe more you geniuses than me, but you have my support."
"Thanks, Len," she whispers back, pulling away. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas."
Barry arrives a few minutes later and the party officially begins.
Joe puts the angel on the top of the tree and everyone cheers. Then Iris, with some help from Caitlin and Lisa, convinces everyone that having Christmas early is the best idea ever and she hands Len and Barry matching boxes.
All eyes watch the foster brothers open their packages at the same time then the women start laughing at Len's scowl and Barry's frown.
Iris bought them both a shirt that has an arrow pointed to the side and says, "He is my brother". They glare at her as everyone else laughs.
Barry and Len don't talk to Iris for two days after that.
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