Earth 4

There was no way to tell how long he had been trapped on this Earth.

It's not like he could see the outside from his cage, and besides the makeshift schedule he'd helped the twins develop, Barry had no other way of determining the time of day let alone the passage of it. A shiver hit him amid waking up, another restless night on the defensive, that reminded him how much he missed the things he had taken for granted before, like a bed, or the sun. Sitting up, he performed his usual check on the twins, who were wrapped up in everything Barry could use to shield them from the cold of their concrete bed, of course at the expense of his own comfort. For the first time since he had arrived, they actually looked… peaceful. It brought a smile to his face, for it had not been long enough for him to forget the condition he had found them in. While they were still battling runny noses and slight coughs they were for all intents and purposes much healthier than before. They even began to resemble the condition of his Donnie and Dawn.

Barry sat up and moved against the wall. There was little chance he would be able to get anymore rest. This was the sacrifice he had given, and it had begun to take a toll on his body. His muscles ached, and he couldn't even think about his hygiene. He took his glasses off- which also had luckily survived despite the bi-daily thrashings he had become accustomed to by his Meta captor- and let his face fall into his hands. His fingers traced along his jaw line and he felt his overgrown facial hair developing.

God, had it really been that long?

Usually it was easy to distract himself from the impending question that loomed at every corner of his heart; a deep sigh escaped his lips and his eyes fell on his wedding band. He couldn't tell if it was lodged on his finger or not, but the sight of it resurfaced a pain in his chest he had become too good at subduing. He knew he couldn't put off the intrusive thoughts much longer. Sooner or later he'd have to start considering whether or not this was his reality now. He struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. He couldn't go there- not yet. The twins needed him, and he needed his morale to help him through. Iris would come for him, that wasn't a question. Even if he didn't want it, she would not give up searching for him until she ripped all the Earth's apart, which she would. This Meta didn't know what he was dealing with. Barry smirked. While his eyes fell on the bundles across from him, his mind was millennia's away.

I miss you so much Iris.

It wasn't even a thought anymore so much as it was a physical reaction. His body clenched, and Barry fought the familiar tears. He needed his wife, his children, his family on his Earth, that was probably in pieces right now. There was a hollowness in his chest that no heroic gesture could fulfill. He wondered where Iris was right now, and if she was thinking of him too- of course she was, he felt a fool for wondering. But he didn't mean worrying for him.

He didn't just miss her, he wanted his wife.

Every fiber in his being needed her strength and support, needed to see and touch and kiss her. Barry closed his eyes and basked in the last memory he had of her, smiling across from him in bed that morning when her alarm had stunned them both up after a late night of making up for lost time. The afterglow he embellished her in was probably due to his desire in the moment, but her disheveled hair and perfectly soft smile and bright eyes, the warmth of her touch and kiss-

Every single second away from that was beginning to be anguish. He needed to know he'd be coming back to that. Some sign, some symbol to ascertain this seemingly aimless hope.

Please Iris, please hurry.

That's when he was suddenly knocked out of his daze by the sound of a gunshot.