"What?" Barry felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him. Iris actually moved on? He knew he had wished that she would, but that had been when he was trapped in the Speed Force, thinking he would never be able to leave. It was surreal to know that the woman he had loved all his life had managed to pick up the pieces and continue with her life. It didn't hurt as bad a she thought it could though. Something inside him knew that there was someone else, but he didn't know who.
"She's getting back to being happy Bar, you need to let her do that." Joe said solemnly.
"I have to see her though. I have to let her know I'm alive."
"You will, just as soon as Caitlin oks it." Cisco nodded his head to the resident doctor. Barry turned his eyes to his friend, still getting a jarring sensation at seeing lightning white hair instead of warm brown. Pale skin in place of warm. At least her eyes were the same, big and deep brown. Barry swore though that he saw a brief flash of electric blue ring her eyes before she spoke.
"Everything checks out. I don't see any lasting damage from his prolonged exposure to the Speed Force." Even her voice was back to normal, though her words were clipped and her tone firm. "I would suggest getting some rest and letting your body re-adjust to being back on Earth. It's late in the afternoon. Rest here so I can monitor you and go see Iris tomorrow."
Barry sighed. He knew better than to argue with his doctor when she wanted him to do something. With a nod he leaned his head back before asking,
"Can anyone get me some Big Belly? I'm starving."
Caitlin let a smile through, letting go of her Frost persona. Wally and Joe left to get food for everyone, leaving Cisco and Jay at the lab. The three men caught up as Caitlin entered Barry's vitals into his records. She stayed close, glad to have the family back together again. Now that Barry was back, things would slowly begin to heal. The team would grow back into the force that it was with it's leader back, learning and evolving as they tended to do. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her phone and texted Oliver, fairly certain that Cisco forgot to.
'BA is back and healthy.'
Not two minutes later came his reply. Her phone hummed a jazz tune, drawing the attention of the others in the room.
'Good. Tell him I will see him in a few days. How r u holding up?'
Quickly she sent him back,
'OK. Will tell u more later.'
"Who was that?" Barry asked, voice still slightly rough but healing quickly just like the rest of him.
"Oliver." Caitlin turned her gaze on Cisco and grinned as she watched him sink into his chair.
"Oliver?" Barry echoed. Jay just quirked an eyebrow, already knowing why Caitlin would be contacting the Star City mayor and vigilante.
"Man, I totally forgot to tell him we got Barry out." He put a hand over his eyes and asked,
"Is he gonna shoot me?"
"No Cisco," Caitlin laughed and rolled her chair over to sit beside him. Jay was on the other side of Barry's bed. "Oliver did say he would stop by in a few days to see you Barry."
"Why would you be texting Oliver?" Barry asked as Wally and Joe arrived with their orders from Big Belly. This gave Caitlin something to do as she replied as casually as possible,
"I went to Star City to get away from here, to figure out who I was. Oliver gave me a safe place to hide while I did that. He helped train my mind and I helped him defeat bad guys. Even Felicity and the others didn't know I was their, or the identity of Frost."
"Frost?" Barry sounded even more lost as he ate, the group all gathered around his bed, scattered in chairs throughout the room.
"You should see her suit." Cisco gushed waving his burger around. "It's like Thea's only blue."
"Except I don't use a bow and arrow, I use my powers."
For several moments Barry stared at her before shrugging.
"Ok." A huge weight fell off her shoulders at that small word. She knew everything would eventually be sorted out. With a deep breath and a smile to Cisco, who grinned right back at her, she turned her attention to her food.
"Jay," Barry asked. "When I was in the Speed Force, it mentioned that only my soul partner was the one who would be able to free me. Have you ever heard of that term before?"
Caitlin looked up in time to see everyone stop at stare at the oldest speedster in the room. Her heart thudded sluggishly as she waited to hear what Jay said.
"On my earth we call them Lightning Rods. They are people that speedsters share a unique bond with, and they are the one person that anchors a speedster to their world. They keep us from getting lost in the Speed Force. They keep us grounded to reality."
"How do we know who that person is?" Barry sounded distressed. Caitlin stood and moved to the monitors, making sure his vitals remained normal. Well, normal for him anyways.
"I thought it was Iris, but when I asked the Speed Force it said that she wasn't it. Now I'm lost as to who it was that saved me from the Speed Force."
A chill raced down Caitlin's spine. One that had nothing to do with her powers. She was the key to getting Barry home. Did that mean they shared a bond after all?
"From the stories I've heard, the only way two people know they are connected it that they share a spark."
"What kind of spark?" Wally asked, curiosity in his voice. Dread began to pool in Caitlin's stomach, fearing she knew the answer.
"It's like a static shock you get when you rub our feet on the carpet and then touch someone." Jay replied. "It's small and not very painful, but incredibly powerful. It's part of a speedsters power being transferred into someone else, anchoring their soul and power to someone the Speed Force has no control over."
In that moment Caitlin knew who Barry's lightning rod was. Her. Over the years Barry had shocked her countless times, making them laugh and chalk it up to excess energy. Immediately her eyes flew to his, and she knew that he had figured it out.
Dun dun dun. There you have it, things are finally staring to get going. I'm going to be changing up a few cannon things here. In this version Iris never felt the spark from Barry when he was in the coma. She only figured out Barry's secret when she followed him to S.T.A.R. Hope you guys are still enjoying and let me know what you think.
Also, thanks a million to Marcus S. Lazarus for informing me about the Lightning Rod phenomenon from the comics.
