A/N: Thanks for reading along! This is the last chapter. Hope you have enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
All Things New - Chapter 10
*Central City – 2017*
"Do you think Wally made it there?" Cisco asked.
"You shouldn't be the one asking me that question, Cisco," Joe retorted. "You assured me that he'd come back."
"He assured you that he would do everything he could to get him there," Wells interjected gruffly.
"Look... I feel pretty confident he's going to make it back," Cisco replied. Julian nodded his agreement.
"Dad?" A voice, undoubtedly Iris', rang from outside the main lab. She walked in to find the four men deliberating. "What is going on, where is Wally?"
"We... umm..." Joe fumbled.
"We sent Wally back to get Barry home, and to set the timeline back to the way it's supposed to be," Cisco replied.
"What?" Iris asked, a hint of anger seeping through. "Isn't that what the speed force warned us against after Barry did it?"
"This is different," Wells defended. "Someone is messing with time."
"I wouldn't say messing with time," another voice said, also a recognizable one.
"Is that..."
"Tommy?" Cisco replied, seeing his form walk through the door. "You're back. Are you here to grieve your lost love? Or are you here to gloat?"
"Cisco, what are you talking about?" Iris asked.
"Miss West, or, should I say, West-Allen," Tommy interjected. "Let me put it this way... the last time I was here, Eddie nearly ended me. But with the help of some magic, and some trickery, I'm back on top. And now I'll have my revenge."
"Oh my gosh..." Iris stated, realizing his true nature.
"Thawne," Cisco muttered.
"That's right, Cisco," Tommy replied. "You know... you were always my prized pupil. Still are. Tell me... what do you think happens when you cross a zeo crystal with a speedster?"
"Zeo crystal?" Joe asked.
"I'll show you. Zeo Ranger V, Red!" In a flash, he morphed. But the zeo armor was different... it was bulked up, electricity sparkling off the suit. "Now... I'll finish what I started, in making the Flash's life a living hell!"
*Miami, FL – 2017*
"Billy, you're sure this will work?" Jason asked into his communicator.
"Affirmative," Billy's voice rang through the device. "Sorry for the unexpected glitch, guys."
"Billy, you've done more than enough," Barry affirmed. "Thank you for all your help."
"No problem, Barry. Now, go get this Reverse-Flash guy. Billy out." Jason held the improved device up to read if there was any activity.
"I got something," Jason replied.
"Is it Thawne?" Wally asked.
"No, it's Tommy's communicator," Jason replied. "Billy re-calibrated the device so that it could read the signals coming from them.
"Man, is there anything Billy can't do?" Barry asked.
"I've wondered the same thing since I arrived," Tanya replied. "Where are they?"
"Well, Tommy at least is in the baseball stadium, and judging from the readout, they're in one of the upper parts of it," Jason said.
"Maybe a press box?" Rocky thought aloud.
"Yeah, somewhere contained would make sense," Adam added.
"But why would he take them there?" Kat asked.
"Thawne is always a step ahead," Barry explained. "Whatever he is doing with them there, it's probably because we've found his plans for a particle accelerator."
"And my guess is, since the timeline changed in the future, Tommy was never captured until Barry intervened," Wally added.
"Well..." Jason interjected. "Should we go find him?"
"I think a visit from the power rangers is in order," Barry smiled. "But only after Kid Flash makes an appearance."
In the press box, Thawne readied a device that looked like a large cable with two pointed ends, and attached the one end to Tommy, who led out an audible gasp. "It's ok, Tommy, soon it will all be over, and I will lay you to rest alongside your precious Kimberly," Thawne taunted.
"Why are you doing this?" Kim asked.
"Per usual, I have to change my plans because of the Flash," Thawne replied. Before he could explain any more of his plot, A red streak of lightning came in and out, and Tommy and Kim were no longer in their restraints. "No!" The Reverse-Flash sped after the speedster and came to the open field of the stadium, the lights illuminating the darkened space. In front of him was Tommy and Kim, as well as a speedster he didn't recognize.
"You should have never tried to mess with time," Wally accused.
"Who are you?" Thawne questioned.
"That would be Kid Flash," Barry answered from behind him. "You know, Kim... I lied to you before."
"What..." Kim stammered.
"I said I was the fastest man alive," Barry continued. "But truthfully, Wally is faster."
"It doesn't matter," Thawne interjected. "I'm still plenty fast to continue my plans!" Before Thawne could do anything else, however, the rangers teleported in and began firing their zeo blasters at him. Adam got a direct hit before Thawne could realize what was happening, the force of the blast knocking him down. Before he could do anything else, Wally sped towards him and landed a strike on his face, sending the speedster flying. Wally tried to follow up the blow, but Reverse-Flash countered with a knee to his gut, leaving him on the ground writhing in pain.
"You can't stop me Flash!" Thawne taunted, speeding out of the stadium. However, as he went towards the exit, he found Jason morphed as the gold ranger, who used his staff to blast him to the ground.
"Nice shot, Jason," Barry smiled, looking down at the unconscious speedster.
"No problem," he replied. Kim and Tommy ran over, with Kim hugging the gold ranger. "You guys ok?" Kim nodded, with Tommy giving him a knowing look. Before anyone could do anything else, a blue portal appeared once again.
"What the..." Rocky started. "Another one of you guys is coming, aren't you?"
"I'm not sure," Barry replied. They very quickly found out, as a deformed speedster in black appeared. His face was more skeleton than human flesh, and the expression on it was terror and anger.
"What is that?" Kat asked.
"Zoom..." Barry said faintly. The black flash sped over towards Thawne, which caused the whole group to jump in fear. He snarled as he stood over the Reverse-Flash, who started to come to. He moved to his knees, only to hear the heavy breath of the terror that stood above him. He looked over to see the black material that covered his legs, and before he could make any sound, the black flash grabbed him and sped back into the vortex from where he came.
"It's over," Tommy muttered. Kim slowly found herself drifting towards him, putting her arms around his mid-section. The rest of the rangers powered down, and all smiled at seeing the pair like this, along with the threat of Thawne no longer an issue. However, the portal remained open, and soon another figure walked through it. One that was very familiar to Barry.
"Mom." He whispered.
"My beautiful boy," she replied. The rangers all looked at Barry as a tear slid down his face, his mask no longer concealing it. "You have done well. You restored the timeline to what it should be."
"What about Wally?" Barry asked. "You didn't send him, you sent me. Will there be any punishment for him? I will take any..."
"Wally was responding to changes in the timeline, that's all," the speed force, disguised as Barry's mother, replied.
"I don't understand, though," Barry continued. "If Thawne is captured here, does he ever find and kill Wells? And how is the Black Flash still alive after what Savitar did to him?"
"Certain things will be revealed in time, my dear," she answered. "What you need to know now is that you and Wally have saved time. And you can come home, to be the hero that Central City needs."
"Can you give us a minute?" Barry asked.
"Of course," Nora said.
The pair of speedsters looked to the unmorphed rangers, all with smiles, yet sad eyes. They knew this was it, that it was time to say goodbye.
"Barry," Kim said, stepping away from Tommy. "Thank you." She wrapped him in a big hug.
"I'm sorry about Ethan..."
"Don't be sorry," Kim quickly interrupted him. She let go, but stayed close to him, looking him in the eyes. "Apparently I only dated him for a week before he died... before Thawne took him."
"Look, don't beat yourself up about that," Barry replied. "Thawne is good at throwing people off the scent."
"I'll try not too," she said. "Besides... this whole thing has re-opened my eyes to my old life." She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Tommy's. Tommy wandered over now, and extended his hand.
"Thanks Barry," he said. "For everything."
"No problem," Barry replied. "It was a heck of a team up," he smiled. "It's been fun guys. Wally, you ready?"
"No doubt," Wally answered. "It was good meeting you all." The pair put their masks back on and stepped in front of the vortex, where Nora Allen stood.
"On your marks," Barry started.
"Get set," Wally replied.
"Go!"
*Central City – 2017*
The pair of speedsters arrived in the middle of S.T.A.R Labs, where Cisco was sitting down at a computer station by himself. He looked up to see the pair, joy washing over him as he saw his friend unharmed.
"Barry..." he stammered.
"It's good to see you old friend," Barry smiled. Cisco got up and embraced him, Wally smiling as he stood beside them. Footsteps could be heard in the corridor, and in the doorway arrived someone Barry had been waiting to see for a long time.
"Iris," he said weakly. On impulse, she ran with as much force as she could muster, throwing her arms around him, almost forcibly separating him and Cisco.
"Is it really you?" She asked.
"I'll show you," he replied, then giving her a deep, passionate kiss.
"Ummm... guys... you know, Iris isn't the only one happy to see you," Cisco chided. The pair chuckled, and turned towards Cisco and Wally. They were soon joined by the rest of team Flash, and hugs and handshakes went all around as they rejoiced in the return of their long lost friend, brother, fiance, and son.
"So... has the timeline been restored?" Barry asked, interrupting the joy-filled celebration.
"From what I can remember," Cisco replied. "But the memories are fading quickly. We were about to get ripped to shreds by Thawne, who was posing as Dr. Oliver. And then, poof... he was gone. And I barely remember anything else about them."
"That reminds me... how did Thawne go back to 1997 without messing anything up here?" Barry wondered.
"My guess..." Harry interjected. "Time remnant. Somehow, that extra tussle from flash point allowed him to make one, or he was able to use one after teaming up with those other guys that the Legends had to face." Barry nodded at the plausible explanation, but then thought of another concern.
"Look up Kimberly Hart," Barry requested. Iris gave a concerned look, which Barry replied to, "Don't worry, she was just someone I met while I was in the past."
Cisco sat down briefly and typed in the name, and after a few moments, he found something. "Hey Barry, all articles about Kimberly Hart end around July of 1997.
"Oh no..." Barry said aloud. "Did she..."
"She quit the pan-global gymnastics team, moved back to Angel Grove," Iris replied.
"Yeah... that's what this article says," Cisco confirmed.
"You don't remember that?" Iris inquired, the tone in her voice rising.
"Uhh... why would I?" Barry asked.
"She's the reason why I wanted to get into gymnastics, and then it was a big deal when she quit!" She shared excitedly.
"Huh," Barry shrugged.
"So... you met her back in 1997?"
"I did... and I think I know why she quit," he smiled.
"What are you talking about?" Iris asked.
"It's all about a guy," Barry replied. "Listen... maybe we can catch up and I can fill you in about her, and about my journey on a walk... does that sound good?"
"Barry, wait," Harry stopped them. "We need to run tests on you, make sure everything..."
"Harry," Cisco and Joe both interjected.
"The boy's been gone for a long time," Joe continued. "Let him talk with his fiance before you get all weird about stuff.
"Fine," Wells replied gruffly. "Allen... it's good to have you back."
"Thanks Harry," he replied. The soon-to-be wed couple left arm in arm, and went to the park in Central City.
As they walked he caught her up on everything he experienced, including getting to work with the power rangers.
"So you got to work with them? And Kimberly Hart... THE Kimberly Hart, was the original pink ranger?"
"Crazy, right? I got to team-up with some of the greatest heroes we've ever heard about."
"Not only team-up, but it sounds like you saved their lives," Iris replied.
"Only because I put them in that place to begin with," Barry mused. "At least this time, we restored what was broken."
"Barry, you need to stop beating yourself up," Iris said. "You made a mistake, but the speed force allowed you to make all things new. You defeated Savitar, you caught Thawne, you saved their lives. And everything is as it should be."
"Yeah... I guess. But what about H.R?"
"H.R. sacrificed himself so I could live. I can never repay that debt, but I don't think he would want me too." She then looked over to Barry and grabbed his hand. "I don't think it's a debt you could repay either."
They walked over to the playground and saw a couple of kids playing on it, probably about ages 8 and 6, one boy and one girl. They smiled seeing the pair of children playing so happily.
"When I was in the past, I was really tempted to tell my mom everything," Barry started. "I saw her, with me as a young boy, playing on this playground. It took everything not to tell her." A tear slid from his eye, thinking back about his mom.
"Barry, I know that if your mom was here right now, she'd tell you how proud she was of you," Iris consoled. "Her son... a hero."
"Thanks Iris," Barry smiled, his eyes still glistening. "I'm so glad to be back with you."
"Barry Allen?" A voice asked behind them. Barry quickly rubbed his eyes to clear them of any tears, and then turned around, only to be shocked by who he saw. "You haven't aged a day."
"Tommy?" Barry gawked. "How..."
"We thought we might find you here in Central City," Tommy replied. "You must be Iris."
"I am, and you are?"
"Tommy Oliver, and this..." He started, waving over to someone.
"Oh my gosh," Iris interjected. "You're Kimberly Hart!" Both Barry and Iris were in shock as the petite woman wandered over.
"Actually, Kimberly Oliver," She smiled as Tommy put her arm around her. "As beautiful as you looked on Barry's iphone, you're even more gorgeous in person."
"Thanks," Iris blushed. "You told them about me?" Barry shrugged, a smile on his face. Suddenly, the two kids on the playground ran over to the pair of former rangers, yelling "Mommy" and "Dad." Barry realized suddenly why they were here.
"These are your children?" Barry asked.
"Yes," Tommy answered. "If you hadn't arrived twenty years ago, none of us would be here today. Kids, this is Barry Allen and Iris West."
"Soon to be 'Allen,'" Kim squealed.
"Barry?" the eight year old asked inquisitively.
"Yeah... you have something against the name Barry?" He joked.
"No... it's just... Barry's my name too," the he replied, the statement causing Barry and Iris's eyes to widen.
"Barry and Iris, we want you to meet our son, Barry Jason Oliver, and our daughter, Iris Trini Oliver."
"Thanks for sacrificing for us all those years ago," Kim added, a tear coming to her eye. "Although... I guess for you, it's been a blink of an eye."
"Or a Fla..." Tommy began, but suddenly there was an explosion, causing the Oliver family and Barry and Iris to turn and see smoke rising from downtown.
"You know... a while back, the power rangers teamed up with this guy," Tommy continued. "We thought he was a bit out of his depth, but before we knew it, he was able to help them save the day.'"
"It looks like Central City could use a hero like him," Kim added.
"Yes we could," Iris affirmed, looking into Barry's eyes. Barry looked into the distance at the smoke and grinned, a spark in his eyes. And without warning he sped off into the distance, the Oliver kids amazed at what they just saw.
"Did you see that?" Barry Oliver asked.
"Yes, we did..." Kim answered with a smile.
"He's the Flash," Tommy continued. "And he's the fastest man alive."
The End.
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- Googz333