Chapter 19
"Stop Here." Barry ordered Iris and the car came to a halt about half way down the street from Blake Adder's house. "If Caitlin is in there and she is holding Adder or someone else hostage to draw me out, I don't want her to hear us coming." Barry then explained. Iris nodded that she understood.
"Are you sure you are the best one to handle this?" Cisco asked from the seat beside Barry and he seemed nervous for some reason that Barry couldn't pin down.
"Yeah, my leg is feeling fine now, or at least good enough to handle this." Barry responded as he opened the car door on his side.
"That isn't what I meant." Cisco stated and Barry could tell he was still mad at him over Dante's death, but there was something else there as Cisco seemed to be preparing for the worst.
"Well what did you mean?" Iris asked as she poked her head out of the car window and part of her was afraid to hear the answer, because she knew that whatever Cisco had to say could hurt Barry, she just hoped he resisted the temptation to twist the knife and watch as Barry's inner conflict and guilt tore him apart.
"What I mean is that since Barry was the one to get Caitlin mad enough to become Killer Frost in the first place, maybe him going in there isn't the best idea, if the idea is to calm her down." Cisco stated pointedly and looked directly at Barry as he said the last part.
"That is why I have to go, I caused this problem and I have to make it right." Barry stated firmly.
This simply drew a bitter and sarcastic half laugh from Cisco.
"Well who do we think we should send, You?!" Barry demanded and his emotions were starting to get the best of him and he was coming off as angry with Cisco.
"Why not?, I didn't screw up her life by messing with time!" Cisco spat back at Barry.
"Yeah, because having you go in there and turn into your evil self from Earth 2 again is such a great idea, Then I can take on two of you at once." Barry responded sarcastically.
"Enough!" Iris Yelled as she stepped out of the car and place herself between Cisco and Barry. "Barry is right, he has to be the one to go in because we can't trust your powers." Iris stated more calmly as she took control of the situation.
"Big surprise, you talking his side, you are practically his sister." Cisco huffed as he slowly backed down and then as Barry pulled his mask over his face he stated more calmly. "Barry, try to remember that the woman in there is not Caitlin, it's Killer Frost. I know, I am going through the same thing. If you pull your punches she will kill you." Cisco then sat down on the front passenger seat of the car with a huff. Barry nodded that he understood and then flashed away to his battle with Killer Frost.
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When The Flash arrived at the front door of Adder's mansion he instantly knew Killer Frost was there, waiting for him inside. There was a deathly chill in the air, and a light mist hung around everything. The Flash carefully made his way to the big front doors which looked to have been forced open by a powerfull blast of ice, and as he did so he found a security guard frozen solid in the standing position with his weapon draw and a look of terror on his face. As The Flash used his hands to vibrate really fast to thaw out the guard and save his life he found himself asking the same question that had been bouncing around inside his head all night and now into the wee hours of the morning, could he bring himself to hurt or kill Killer Frost if that was the only way to protect other people, was it worth it to save a scumbag like Adder? His heart rate sped up as panic over took him, he couldn't imagine harming Caitlin for any reason, but he also knew she wouldn't want him to let Killer Frost use her body to go on a killing spree. Then again this was all his fault, so could he really harm her, did he have that right? He once again could find no answer as he finished thawing out the guard and made sure he was okay, that is when he heard it, the unmistakable sound of Blake Adder crying out in pain. He had to get to the scene of the attack fast or he, Caitlin, and the rest of his friends and family were all screwed. He knew if Adder died then all the information about them that Adder had would go public and they would all face prison time, and after everything else he had done to them he couldn't let that happen to any members of his friends or family. The Flash quickly flashed inside and in the directions of the cries. He came to a halt in Adder's large bedroom and what he saw there shocked him.
Adder was pinned to solid wood of the far side wall by shackles made of solid ice that pinned his wrists in place and seemed to be giving him a bad case of frostbite. Adder was mere inches from a solid metal door that had a fingerprint scanner on it, The Flash guessed that was a panic room that Adder had been making a beeline for when he had been literally stopped cold.
"Do you really think sending the little women to do your dirty work will change anything?!" Adder demanded as he looked over Killer Frost's shoulder and directly at The Flash.
"I am no one's "little woman" and unless you want your death to be even more painful you should remember that!" Killer Frost hissed as she blew some of her ice cold breath across Adder's chest, this produced another scream with the tech giant slash crime boss. She then spun around quickly and turned her attention to The Flash and slowly began making her way over to him as she spoke. "So Flash did you decide to come over and join in the fun?"
"No." The Flash stated as firmly as he could manage.
"Oh, that is too bad, because this is going to be fun and it will get you off of the hook so you don't answer to this creep anymore. Oh and with you here it will be twice as much fun as it was going to be. I call that a win win situation." Killer Frost replied and her voice took on a mock pouting tone to it as she drew up close to Barry's face and she touched his chest as she whispered in his ear. "After all what is more fun then embracing who you really are and what you really want."
"I don't want this." The Flash insisted in a voice just barely above whisper as he tried to pull away from Killer Frost, but she matched him step for step as he got closer and closer to the wall that was behind him.
"I don't think you mean that Flash, or at least parts of you don't mean that." Killer Frost whisper seductively as The Flash backed into the wall and she pressed her body against his.
The Flash had to take in a gulp of the icy air that surrounded them both before he could reply. "No, I am here for Caitlin, I want her, not what you are trying to turn her into, I know she is stronger than you. You hear that Caitlin, I know you can beat this, all you have to do is fight it!" The Flash said loudly, hoping somewhere inside Caitlin would hear him and gain control.
"Caitlin and I are one and the same now, that is something you are going to have to learn to live with from now on Flash, you can't have one without the other." Killer Frost insisted as she pulled herself off of The Flash.
"Maybe, but I know she can keep you locked away in a tiny corner of her mind, and never let you out again, then you will know what a mistake you made by trying to mess with her." Barry shot back.
"Is that what you really want for her?" Killer Frost asked and it was clear she was becoming angry. "To fight a never ending battle with herself and to never be at peace or whole, to always have to be on her guard? I thought you loved her."
"I do, in a way that someone like you would never understand and that is why I know she could never live with herself if you make her do what you are about to do." The Flash stated sternly as he stepped back from the wall and now he was the one causing Killer Frost to back away from him. "Whatever happen to "First do no harm being written into your D.N.A" Caitlin, what happened to the you who wouldn't let me put Grodd down, what happened to the you who understood why I get depressed every time I can't save someone?" Barry demanded.
"Caitlin was weak, that is why she needs me, she was always getting ignored and walked all over, and now you put her under the control of this monster!" Killer Frost barked and looked to her right in the direction of Adder. "I am just helping her have the strength to do what she has always wanted to do."
"Really?" The Flash asked with disbelief in his voice. "Then why not let her tell me that herself."
"I can do better then that." Killer Frost said in a small calm voice. "I can show you!" She then yelled as she formed some sharp shards of ice in her hands and then tossed them hard in the direction of Adder who was still frozen to the wall.
The Flash found himself reacting in well…, a flash. With a burst of speed he grabbed all the shards and threw them to the floor where they shattered, he then grabbed Adder and with all his might pried him loose from the wall and flashed him outside, before in the blink of an eye returning to the bed room and Killer Frost. When Killer Frost noticed what he had done she let lose a high pitched shriek and filled the room with an icy fog. The Flash could not see her, but he could hear where she was and that was the moment he knew that in order to save Caitlin, he was going to have to hurt her, it tore him up inside but it had to be done. Ignoring the pain in his ankle and the freezing cold all around him, he charged forward at super speed into the mist, only slowing down just enough so he wouldn't hurt Caitlin too badly, and he hit her hard and she collided with the solid wood of the wall and then hit the floor hard. The Flash's ankle then choose that moment to give out on him and he slipped on the icy floor and landed right next to her, panting hard from the effort he had put into the charge and the pain.
"That was pretty cold Flash." Killer Frost complained and then she quickly flipped over so she was sitting on top of The Flash and leaned down. "Still it's not as cold as this." Killer Frost then leaned down and kissed The Flash hard on the lips. At First out of pure instinct and because this was the closest he had been to Caitlin in a long time The Flash responded in kind, but a second later reason took over and he tried to break away, but it was too late, he was frozen in place as he felt the heat of his body begin to slip away and he was losing feeling in his face, hands, and feet. The Flash had just about lost all hope when he heard a heavy metal clang above him and then Killer Frost's eyes slammed shut and she fell unconscious on top of him. He began vibrating really fast to restore feeling to his limbs and heat his body up, it was as he was doing this that he noticed the form of Iris standing above him holding a silver severing tray that had been on the bedside table, he deduced that she had just hit Killer Frost over the head with it and knocked her out, as he pushed Killer Frost off of himself.
"So it turns out I agree with Cisco, sending you up here alone was a bad idea, and looks like we were both right, can't you two keep your hands off each other for five minutes?!" Iris said sarcastically and The Flash slowly stood up.
"Hhh..her idea." The Flash shivered in reply.
"Really?" Iris said as she shot him a look that told him she found it hard to believe he was not a willing party to the scene she had just walked in on.
"Not you too." Barry groaned as he removed his mask. "I just had to try and convince her that I want Caitlin and not her."
"Yeah, I can see you were really working hard at that." Iris replied and she was having way too much fun teasing Barry over this than she had any right to have.
"Just help me lift her up and get her to the car, so we can get her to S.T.A.R Labs before she wakes up." Barry said changing the subject and bending down to pick Killer Frost up, normally he would be able to lift her easily without any help, but thanks to his bad ankle and the number of stairs they would have to go down he knew he couldn't at that moment.
"Whatever you say." Iris said as she took some of Caitlin's weight and holding her between the two of them she helped drag her out of the room and down the stairs. "Just so you know, next time I am not interrupting the moment, I don't need to see you two making out."
"She was freezing me to death!" Barry protested.
"Sssuure, I am pretty sure if she wanted you frozen to death you would be dead." Iris stated with a roll of her eyes and then added more gravely. "What are we going to do with her once we get her back to S.T.A.R Labs?"
"I don't know." Barry said as a lump formed in is throat. "When we were up there fighting it was like there wasn't anything of Caitlin left, what if she is gone for good, or this is who she is from now on?"
"One problem at a time." Iris said firmly, she knew now that she had to be there for Barry because Cisco wasn't ready to be there for him, not yet at any rate, and her father was distracted with Wally back at S.T.A.R Labs, and the person who normally helped him through these problems was knock out between them. "I am sure we will find the answer but until then I am sorry but I think there is only one place that is safe for her."
"Yeah, the pipeline." Barry said with a resigned sigh, and it was clear he hated the idea of locking up his Caitlin in that place.
"Well I am sure when she wakes up she will be back to her old self if we get the cuffs on her when we get back there." Iris replied with forced cheer. "We are just being careful."
"Yeah, I only hope you are right." Barry replied with a hint of disbelief in his tone as they made their way out of the mansion and in the direction of the car.
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Despite everyone's insistence that he go to the hospital and get his ribs and ankle checked out, because none of them knew how to operate the medical equipment in S.T.A.R Labs, Barry refused to leave Caitlin's side except to change into his normal cloths as she was gently placed on the cot in a cell in The Pipeline. He just sat on the floor quietly, waiting for Caitlin to wake up, leaning against the reinforced glass that made up the cell door. There was a feeling that was a mixture of pure exhaustion and guilt that was being given off by his whole body and so everyone decided to leave him alone. Joe started fuming about Wally still being trapped and with Caitlin down there having no way of knowing what to do about it, H.R following swiftly behind him. Cisco went off somewhere to sulk, and that just left Iris. It wasn't like she didn't want to help Wally, she did more then anything, but her practical side told her she had no idea how to do that, and Barry was the one she could help, maybe, but he didn't respond when she tried to talk him into getting some rest, so she decided it was best to just leave him to himself for a while, she had never felt so helpless in all her life. Team Flash was falling apart and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it, well almost nothing, she could talk to Cisco. She found him brooding in his lab, he had taken the boot off of his neck and was now sitting at his work bench looking down at a new gadget of some kind he was working on.
"He had no way to know this would happen and he would do anything to fix it, you know that, right?" Iris asked gently as she made her way over in front of the workbench where Cisco was fiddling with something.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry that I shot at you earlier." Cisco replied in a neutral tone.
"It's okay, that wasn't really you." Iris said reassuringly but it had not escaped her notice that Cisco had yet to apologize to Barry for doing the same thing to him.
"Here is the thing, part of it was me." Cisco said and he refused to look up from his tinkering as he made the confession. "It's like Reverb was using how I really felt deep down and just turning it up to eleven."
"So, you really did want to kill me?" Iris asked trying not to let the shock she felt enter her voice.
"No, not you." Cisco stated flatly.
"So you did want to kill Barry?" Iris pressed and this got a reaction from Cisco as he threw the gadget he was working on against the wall to the left, shattering it into a million pieces.
"What do you want from me?!" Cisco demanded and it was clear he was forcing his eyes not to tear up. "Barry screws up all the time, and yet no one is allowed to be angry with him just because he is sorry. Sorry will not bring back Dante, Sorry will not bring my mom out of the depression she has been in since the funeral, feeling sorry doesn't make up for the fact that just as Dante and I had worked things out he was taken from me!"
"Are you sure all of this anger is because of what Barry did?" Iris asked gently as she took one of Cisco's hands in her's trying to calm him down.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Cisco demanded but he was a little more quiet as he said this.
"Well the last one on the list sounds like you are angry at yourself for wasting so many years fighting with Dante." Iris stated.
"Yeah, maybe you are right." Cisco conceded. "Maybe part of this is just as much my fault as Barry's, but it doesn't change the fact that I only ran out of time because of his mistake."
"Yeah, well remember it was Barry's fight with Zoom that brought you two back together again, so Barry is also responsible for the time you two did have together." Iris stated.
"Who's side are you on, any way?" Cisco fumed as he pulled away from Iris' touch and began pacing back and forth.
"Your side." Iris insisted as she matched his pace and wouldn't let him look away from her. "I just don't think being so angry at your best friend that you want to kill him is in your best interest, and it sure as hell isn't who you have been since I met you three years ago."
"Yeah, well maybe this is the real me." Cisco said with a huff.
"I don't think so, in the darkest times I have seen you lift everyone's spirits up with a joke, or coming up with a stupid name for the bad guy we are dealing with, you are not the type of person who ends a friendship over a mistake that no one could have seen coming, that isn't you Cisco." Iris replied forcefully and noticing that Cisco had stopped pacing and was looking at her she added. "If you think Barry is okay with what he did you need to take a look at him, right now he needs you, hell the team needs you more then ever. He is dying inside because of the guilt and he doesn't think he has the right to ask for help, he may be about to lose Caitlin forever if she decides to be Killer Frost, so please don't become Reverb on him." Iris pleaded.
"Don't worry I will not." Cisco stated and he tried his best to sound reassuring. "It's just it's hard for me to know how to feel, that is what I am trying to make you understand. It would be easy for me to hate Barry, but part of me doesn't want to because I see what is happening to him, I mean he may lose Caitlin twice, at least I only lost Dante once. Still I get in the same room with him and all I can think about is Dante and I feel like I am going to throw up just from looking at him."
"I know, this can't be easy on you. Hell I may be about to lose my own brother and part of me wants to blame that on Barry, but somehow I can't because I don't think anyone will feel worse than me if my blaming him leads to him giving up on life, like he was in the middle of doing just a few days ago." Iris said as she rubbed her tired eyes.
"I know, I just don't know what to do." Cisco replied and he sounded a little broken himself.
"Promise me you will do your best to hold onto the part of yourself that is still his best friend, you don't have to forgive him right away, just promise me you will try not to hate him or go off on him." Iris was once again pleading with Cisco now and for reasons he couldn't explain Cisco found himself giving in.
"Okay, I will try, but it's not going to get better overnight." Cisco said with a sigh and a sense of shared relief seemed to wash over the both of them for some reason.
"That's all I ask." Iris replied gratefully and then what Cisco said next surprised her.
"Maybe we should go check on him." Iris had a bit of a shocked look on her face, so Cisco quickly clarified his statement. "I mean make sure that Killer Frost hasn't woken up and found away to trick him into letting her out, he doesn't seem to have the clearest head when it comes to dealing with her."
"Do any of us, when it comes to dealing with the ones we love?" Iris asked.
"No, I guess not. That is just one more reason we should check on him." Cisco stated trying to sound neutral but it was clear to Iris that he wasn't just interested in keeping Killer Frost locked up as the two of them made their way out of the lab and in the direction of The Pipeline.
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When Iris and Cisco got to the entrance to The Pipeline they found that the events of the day and night that had past must have finally caught up with Barry, he was passed out, dead to the world, but still leaning against the glass door to Caitlin's cell, and he was snoring rather loudly. Iris and Cisco were about to turn around and leave when suddenly Caitlin began to stir and she stretched out her arms and yawns as she sat up on the cot in her cell. This was all it took to wake Barry from his sound sleep and have him jumping to his feet as he rubbed the last of the sleep from his eyes. Iris and Cisco approached the cell, both hoping for the best but preparing themselves for the worst.
"Thanks guys, guess all I needed was a little nap to get me back to normal." Caitlin said lightly. "I'm fine now, you can let me out." This just drew blank looks from Cisco and Iris and a disappointed look from Barry which he did his best to conceal. "Not, buying it?" Caitlin observed and she didn't seem too bothered by this fact.
"Maybe it has something to do with your voice still having an echo to it and your eye still having that creepy evil glow to them, you may want to work on that before the next time you try to fool people into thinking you are Caitlin." Cisco responded sarcastically.
"Oh, but I am Caitlin." Killer Frost taunted, dropping all pretense and focusing her attention directly on Barry. "I am every thought, grudge, feeling, and desire she has ever suppressed, I just let her have an outlet for all those parts of herself that you don't want to see."
"No, you aren't really her. We all have things about ourselves we have to work to control, and Caitlin will learn to control you." Barry stated firmly and there was anger in his eyes.
"You know if you don't like this version of Caitlin, why not just go back in time and create another version that is more to your liking? It's not like I can do anything to stop you." Killer Frost challenged.
"I would never do that."
"Why not, you did it before. You didn't like me being dead and now I am back and trying to help you, is what you have problem with? I guess you prefer Caitlin weak and helpless and unable to stand up to you."
"That's not true, he was willing to let Caitlin go and you know that, stop playing your mind games with him!" Iris spat out before Barry could respond.
"Really, then why doesn't he accept who I really am and let me go now?" Killer Frost demanded.
"Because this isn't who you are Caitlin, and I will not let you become a killer." Barry stated as he tried to keep all emotion out of his voice and give Caitlin a chance to fight back against Killer Frost.
"I was just trying to help you, and you seemed to be enjoying it, until we were interrupted by the bitch over there." Killer Frost stated with a sly smile.
"How would killing Adder of helped me, or anyone else?" Barry demanded.
"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Killer Frost asked as if she was talking to an idiot. "Right now you have to do whatever Adder tells you and how long do you think it will be before he orders you to kill for him and by that point you will do it like the good little trained dog you are, you can't be a hero as long as you answer to Adder."
"I can't be a hero if I am on the run, either." Barry pointed out.
"Oh, sure you can, if people don't want to accept what you did to protect them, then they don't deserve you in the first place." Killer Frost replied coldly.
"You think you do!" Barry yelled through clenched teeth as he banged his fist on the glass door. This only resulted in a smile spreading across Killer Frost's face.
"You are still not ready to admit we are the same Flash." She said with a laugh. "We both got our powers by mistake and we both use them to get whatever we want out of life and we don't care who we hurt to get it." Killer Frost tossed a quick glance in Cisco's direction before she returned her attention to Barry. "We are both gods who step on others because they are beneath us, the only difference is you make excuses for who and what you are and try to be something you are not, I openly embrace who I am and I don't lie about it."
"No, you are the one who is hiding." Barry responded pointedly. "You think you are a god when you couldn't even defeat me and you want to be a killer because you are scared of what the world will do to you if you don't do it to them first. You are the coward and the one pretending to be something you are not. I have hurt people and I don't expect them ever to forgive me, but you hurt them because you think it is fun."
"So feeling bad about it makes hurting people okay!" Killer Frost responded and now she was clearly angry. "So choosing to save Stein instead of Ronnie so you could have me all to yourself, that is fine because you feel bad about it?! Choosing your family over Cisco's, that's fine because you wallow in self pity after it is all over?! Oh and let's not forget working for that piece of shit Adder, that is fine as long as you are depressed after you let people be hurt by him?! You may not be the real villain but it is time you stopped pretending to be a hero, Let me out of here and I will show you who we both really are!"
"Not going to happen." Barry muttered as he looked down at the floor and his eyes filled with tears.
"Well then I will just have to let you watch as your world falls apart, and in the end you will be begging me to show you how the world really works and who you really are, because that is the only way out of this, and then I will make you watch as I slowly take everything from you until you admit the truth, you love me and you want me and you need me to show you how to unleash your true power. I am here and Caitlin is just a part of me, you will have to accept that one day!" Killer Frost's rant was then cut short by the door to The pipeline slamming shut locking her cell on the other side. Barry spun around to see Iris with her hand on the door's control panel.
"I don't think you need to hear any more of that." She said gently as she tried to calm Barry down, but there was not time. Suddenly all the lights flickered and this was quickly follow by a loud boom coming from the direction of The Cortex and the floor shaking for a few seconds.
"Now what?" Barry sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
"I don't know, but big explosions in this place are rarely good." Cisco pointed out, and then the three of them dashed in the direction of The Cortex, as they entered it was quite the scene that was spread out before them.
Everything in The Cortex was slightly out of place and several of the computer monitors were damaged and displaying nothing but static. Joe and H.R were gathering themselves off of the floor they have clearly been thrown to by the blast, and between then an electric bone saw lay on the floor. Scattered all over the floor were what looked like pieces of the cocoon Wally had been trapped in, and in the center Wally stood, only he didn't look okay in fact he was looking like Barry did whenever he phased through a solid object, only he was standing still with a very confused look on his face.
"Wally?" Iris said with her heart in her throat as she stepped closer to her brother's form, but he didn't seem to hear her and suddenly sped out of the Cortex. Barry gave chase but he quickly lost him a few blocks from S.T.A.R Labs, and so he returned to The Cortex to try and find out what had happened and come up with a plan to deal with it.
"Did you do this?" Barry demanded as he pointed an accusing finger at H.R and let loose all the anger that had build up over the past day's events.
"No, I did, I talked him into helping me do this to my boy." Joe injected before H.R could defend himself, and Barry looked over and his eyes were full of tears.
"Joe, we will get Wally back." Barry said in a comforting tone.
"How?" Joe demanded. "We have no idea how to fix what I did to him by cutting him out of that thing and we have to find him and we have no idea how to do that."
"We take it one step at a time." Barry stated as he took control of the situation, he didn't want to be, but at that moment he knew everyone needed him in team leader mode so that was what he did. "First we figure out what is wrong with Wally, then we figure out how to fix it, and then we find him." Barry said laying out a course of action.
"Fine, then what you do think is wrong with him?" Iris asked as she stepped up beside Barry.
"Well he looked like me when I am phasing so it could just mean that his molecules are out of phase, like mine are when I phase through objects." Barry stated.
"So all we need is a compound to stabilize them and he should be fine." Cisco said hopefully.
"Great, but how do we make this compound, anyone have any idea?" H.R asked putting a dampener on everyone's hopes.
"I hate to admit it, but it sounds like we could really use the help of a biochemist right about now." Iris stated weakly and she knew how much this hurt Barry to hear but to his credit, he didn't flinch, he just turned and with a determined look on his face walked quickly out of The Cortex and in the direction of The Pipeline, and then to everyone's surprise Cisco quickly gave chase with a desperate look on his face.
"Barry!, Barry!, Barry!" Cisco called after him as he chased him down the hall but Barry seemed to be ignoring him, so Cisco grabbed the sleeve of Barry's shirt when he caught up with him, forcing the speedster to turn and face him.
"What?" Barry demanded.
"Please, don't tell me you are going to do what I think you are going to do." Cisco said and there was a desperate lost look on his face.
"If you think I am going to let Caitlin out and ask for her help, then you are right, we are out of options Cisco, but don't worry I will not let her harm anyone." Barry stated with pure determination in his voice and normally Cisco wouldn't argue with him on this point, but this was one time he knew for sure that he had to.
"If you do that you will die." Cisco stated and for a brief moment Barry could see that his old friend was back.
"You don't know that for sure, and as long as there is a chance of helping Wally I will take that chance." Barry stated.
"Yes I do!" Cisco almost yelled and he surprised Barry by grabbing him and slamming him against the wall and he took advantage of Barry's surprise to try and explain. "Yesterday Caitlin brought in your coffee mug and she asked me to vibe both her and the mug at the same time so I could see your future together, and I lied to her because I hoped that by knowing the future I could stop it, and now is the time I have to stop it."
"Well, what did you see?" Barry demanded and now Cisco's eye did have a tear in it.
"I saw her in full blown Killer Frost mode and you letting her out of The Pipeline and then she drove an icicle through your heart, you were dead, man." Cisco explained to a disbelieving Barry and then he added pleading. "Look just because I am mad at you right now doesn't mean I want you to die and I don't think either of us wants Caitlin to have to go through looking on as Killer Frost murders you, I am begging you, please don't go down there."
"Maybe this is the way it is supposed to end." Barry said with a sigh and this took Cisco by surprise to such a degree that he let go of Barry and took a few steps back.
"Look I know you feel guilty, but you can't start thinking that way." Cisco stated.
"Maybe Killer Frost killing me is just the shock Caitlin will need to take control and then she will save Wally." Barry stated with out a hint of emotion in his voice.
"That can't be your plan." Cisco stated in disbelief.
"Why not, maybe this is how I make up for everything I have done. I have to do this, I have to give her the choice, both Wally and Caitlin's lives hang on it, there is no other choice, I am taking the chance." Barry said and it was clear that no one was going to talk him out of the course of action he had chosen and at that moment Cisco forgot all the anger he had been feeling and could only remember that this was his best friend standing in front of him who was about to go to his death, and so he did the one thing that neither one of them expected, he reached out and hugged Barry.
"You're my best friend, even when I am mad at you and I forgive you, I hope you know that." Cisco said as he let go.
"Yeah, I know that." Barry said quietly. "Thanks for always being there for me."
"No problem, bro." Was all Cisco could think to say as Barry slowly turned away and made his way down to The Pipeline and his confrontation with Killer Frost, he meant what he had said, he was willing to die if that was what it would take to save both Wally and Caitlin, there was no other option in his mind as he opened the door to The Pipeline and then to Killer Frost's surprise he opened the door to her cell.
Killer Frost stepped out of her cell cautiously, as if she didn't trust the situation or Barry's seemingly sudden change of heart, she looked at him but couldn't read any emotions on his face and this confused her, so she decided to go on the attack and see what she could get out of him.
"So Flash, have you finally decided you want me, or do you just need me to show you how to let go of your morals and do what needs to be done to Adder, or someone else?" Killer Frost asked.
"You're free to go." Barry stated and much to Killer Frost's surprise neither his voice or body language betrayed any emotion. What she didn't know was that Barry had made peace with what was about to happen he knew he was mere moments away from being stabbed to death, so he had let go of everything, this wasn't an act he really was just that cold at that moment, doing what needed to be done down to his last breath.
"What's the catch?" Killer Frost asked suspiciously, and she could tell something was up because Barry was matching her move for move so she could not get out of the small hallway without going through him.
"No catch you just have to kill me if you want to get out." The coldness of this statement caught Killer Frost off guard so she tried to regain control of the situation the only way she knew how, by baiting The Flash.
"You want to fight Flash, is that it?" She asked as a small smile played across her lips, maybe this would be fun after all.
"No." Barry stated and his voice still lacked all emotion. "I will not fight you, but if you want to get out of here you have to kill me." He then took a step closer to her and reacting out of pure instinct Killer Frost formed a sharp icicle in her hand and raised it to strike at Barry's chest.
"Don't think I will not, if it is the only way out of here." Killer Frost warned, she had never seen anyone with this much disregard for their own life, this was taking all the fun out of it, and every second she stood there with The Flash in front of her she could feel Caitlin becoming stronger in the back of her mind, she needed to end this foolishness fast.
"I know you will." Barry stated and he took a step forward and grabbed Killer Frost's hand and placed the tip of the icicle right over the center of his heart and pressed his chest against it. "Time for you to live up to your name, Killer Frost." He taunted. "You want to be a villain, well this is what villains do, they kill those they love because they are in their way."
"Well get out of my way and that will not be a problem." Killer Frost said through clenched teeth.
"No chance I have been waiting to see this." Barry said as his voice took on a harsh tone. "Come on, you keep calling yourself Killer Frost and I am ready to see some killing, so just do it, push the icicle forward and do it." Barry demanded. When Killer Frost failed to act right away Barry decided to press his advantage, suddenly he had hope that maybe Cisco's vibe had been wrong somehow, maybe he could still have a future with Caitlin, but he had to help her break free of Killer Frost first. "Do it!" He yelled into her face and suddenly Caitlin's eyes turned normal and she dropped the icicle which then shattered on the metal floor.
"Oh, Barry I am so sorry. I love you." She began sobbing and Barry reached out and grabbed her in a hug. "I'm sorry I nearly killed you, I love you and I can't do it, I am so sorry." She just kept sobbing into Barry's shirt as she held on to him for dear life and he rubbed her back as he hugged her and kept telling her it was okay and he forgave her, over and over. Then slowly the hugging somehow turned to kissing, neither one of them could tell who had started it, but for the first time in weeks they were kissing, letting out all of the tension that had built of over the past day into every kiss. Suddenly Barry broke off the kissing and pulled away from Caitlin and he looked into her tear stained eyes as he spoke.
"I would love to continue this." He said and this drew a small smile from Caitlin as she looked at him and saw for the first time that he had been crying just as hard as she had been, somehow there was a relief to be found in knowing they were on the same page at that moment and feeling the same things. "But there is a problem with Wally and you are the only one who can help him."
"Of course, we need to take care of Wally. Just tell me what the problem is. " Caitlin said with a sniff and she wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her shirt. She then took Barry's hand in her's and allowed him to lead the way to The Cortext as he explained the problem to her.
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It took Caitlin about two hours to figure out how to mix up a compound that when injected into to Wally would return him to normal, and she was grateful for the distraction because she really didn't want to think about what she had almost done to the man she loved, or the fact that some tiny part of her had wanted to do it, and that was what had let Killer Frost take control.
Barry and Joe had found found Wally right where Joe's gut had told him he would be found, outside of his mother's house just at the break of dawn and the compound had worked and Wally was returned to normal, only now he had the speedforce in him just like Barry. Caitlin had checked him out and she reported that he was perfectly healthy to a very tired and relieved Team Flash. Everyone was yawning, it was nearly seven in the morning and they had all been on the run for almost twenty-four hours straight. This was when Barry spoke, once again in team leader mode.
"Everyone take the day off and get some sleep, I think we all need it." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement with Barry's statement, and then he continued. "Be back here tomorrow ready to work on our next problem."
"What next problem?" Cisco asked with a yawn, looking at Barry through half closed eyes.
"Killer Frost was right about one thing." Barry stated and this drew a shocked and concerned look from Caitlin. "We can't be heroes as long as Blake Adder is pulling our strings, so starting tomorrow we fight back. We find out everything we can about him, we find a way to discredit him so even if he does try to blow our cover no one will believe him, and we find away to take him down alive and inside the law. We don't stand on the sidelines while he commits any more crimes. We are not his puppets and starting tomorrow we show him that."
"Sounds like a plan and you can count me in." Wally said as he emerged from the medbay.
"Not before we make sure you are one hundred percent okay." A concerned Iris stated.
"Fine, but I am a part of this team and I am going to help." Wally stated and Iris could see the same determination in his eyes that she got when researching a dangerous news story that her father and Barry had told her to back off of, and she knew that as much as she wanted to protect her younger brother, she couldn't stop him from being a part of the new team, she didn't have that right any more then her father or Barry had.
"Okay." Iris conceded and if Joe had the energy or wasn't remembering how badly he had screwed things up earlier, he would have objected, as it stood he just got a worried look on his face and turned and left.
"Sounds like I need to start working on a new suit." Cisco said as he stood up and left and a few minutes later that left that Barry and Caitlin standing alone in The Cortex.
Caitlin walked up to Barry nervously and she looked at him with pleading eyes and she knew she had no right to ask what she was about to ask, but something was making her any way. "Barry would you mind coming back to our place with me?"
"Okay." Barry replied gently and this shocked Caitlin and she felt like she needed to explain herself and the reason behind her request, even though she was pretty sure Barry already knew the reason.
"It's just after everything that has happened I don't think I can get to sleep alone, this whole thing has been a nightmare and I am so sorry I put you through it." Caitlin said and she finished on a small sob.
"Hey it's okay, remember I know what it is like when your bottled up anger is suddenly let loose and out of control, I would never hold that against you, and it will not change how I feel about you." Barry stated gently as he reached out and wiped the tear from Caitlin's eye.
"Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me." Caitlin replied gratefully and she took Barry's hand in her's and they walked out of The Cortex.
"Just remember, it's sleep only. No funny business." Barry stated firmly.
"I know save it for the honeymoon." Caitlin said mockingly, repeating Barry's words from what felt like a life time ago when Barry explained his rules for dating and being engaged. Caitlin then added playfully. "You have no idea what you are missing out on." Echoing her words from their "date" just a few days before.
"Well don't worry, I still look forward to finding out." Barry replied playfully and then he flashed them both out of S.T.A.R Labs and to their home for some well earned sleep, they both knew they still had a lot to talk about when it came to the past day's events, but for the moment they were both willing to settle for a peaceful sleep, so that's what they did.
Okay that is finally over. Sorry it took so long but I had trouble remembering how I ended this part of the story when I first wrote it and then you know me when it comes to rewriting things, and then I decided I just wanted to get this episode done with in one chapter.
Oh for those who have asked, yes I will be covering the alien invasion plot line but sadly that will not come for a while as I am going to place it in the same time frame the show aired in, so for the rest of the summer Team Flash will be dealing with Adder and some other problems I have come up with that tie in with the over all theme of the season arc. Also after this I may be doing some quick fun chapters that are little less intense and Yes Barry and Caitlin will have to deal with what just happened, just not right now.
As for other plot points from this season people have asked about, well I don't want to give away spoilers but if you look on SF Debris' facebook page you will see that back when Savitar first showed up I did call that [Spoilers] was Savitar as it was the only thing that made sense to me and even if he or she had not been in the show I was planing to make this person Savitar in my version of the season, because it ties in perfectly with the theme of the seasons. I also called [spoilers] being the non-speedster big bad for season four that the producers were talking about in interviews earlier this year, and it looks like I was right but we will have see how the season ends to confirm this. However while I will not rush anything, this story that was supposed to be a one shot is already my second longest story ever written for this site, so I am not sure I will go down that road or if I do it will be in a sequel story. Don't worry though I think we are only about a third of the way through this story so there is plenty more to come. Also I believe in happy endings for this type of story so we will see how things play out in the end.
Thank you are for your kind support in whatever form it comes and don't worry now chapter will be shorter and you will get more per week as I am now done with everything I wrote before and am going into my own plot with it's own villains and a surprise or two.
Hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what works and what doesn't work about this and any other chapter.
As always you guys are the best! :)