Ensuring the Future
An: I do not own the Arrow or the Flash.
Summary: Harrison Wells is obsessed with ensuring his version of the future. Why does Ray Palmer's relationship with Felicity threaten that future?
To say that Harrison Wells was pissed was an understatement. His plans had been slowly unraveling and he could see that he was losing control of Barry but when Felicity Smoak turned up with that Palmer guy, he knew it was going to be a very bad week. It got worse when he realised that Felicity was dating Ray Palmer. He had rushed to Gideon right away to confirm that Catherine was still born in the future. The whole purpose of his trip to the past was to prevent the Flash from killing her in the future.
Even after 15 years, the events that lead up to her death were crystal clear in his mind. She had been the most innocent and honest person he had ever met in his life. He had never believed in love, much less love at first sight but there was something about Catherine from the moment he met her. Her boyfriend at the time, that century's version of the Flash, Barry's great great grandson, hadn't liked Eobard Thawne at all but he couldn't stop the developing relationship between them. It was the Flash's jealousy that resulted in Catherine's death and it was Eobard's refusal to let her die that resulted in him travelling back in time.
Time was definitely a lady, a very finicky lady. One small change here and a tsunami could be forming there. He had used Gideon to carefully monitor the impact of his extended stay in Central City on the future that he wanted, that is a Flash free future where Catherine and himself could be happy. He had spent years plotting to get the Speed Force back so that he could kill Barry and return home to Catherine but Ray Palmer was now a danger to his plan. He had been so focused on removing the Flash's ancestral line that he had forgotten to protect Catherine's ancestry.
Though to be fair, he hadn't actually forgotten, the last time Felicity had been here she was well on her way to becoming the Felicity Smoak-Queen that had been written about in history books. He should have studied history a bit better though. When the Arrow had first appeared in Central City and appeared to have much more control over Barry than him, he had wanted to eliminate him. That was why he pressed Felicity to find out who he was. Once Felicity had declined to tell him, he had asked Gideon. He should have realised on his own that the Arrow would be her future husband, she was extremely protective of him. He knew then that he couldn't harm the Arrow and needed to befriend him instead. He hoped his attempt at talking to Oliver about his father had put him in a friendly light with the archer.
Catherine will be descended from the second born of Oliver and Felicity. He would have to keep a close eye on the budding relationship between Ray and Felicity to ensure that it ended soon. He would not let anything threaten Catherine's existence again, even if he had to plot to end the relationship himself. Perhaps maybe if the Reverse Flash threatened Felicity's life, it might get Queen to come and claim her as his. He seemed to function based on more primal urges. A plan was beginning to form in his head for a confrontation between the Flash, the Arrow and the Reverse Flash. It would be a plan that would ensure that Catherine would be born and that Barry would die at the hands of the Reverse Flash. An excitement he hadn't felt in a long time bubbled up in him and he knew he would be going home soon to the love of his life.