Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.
Barry and Thawne rushed at each other, fighting in superspeed, while all Oliver and Ronnie saw were red and yellow circles of lightning, with Oliver trying to get a clear shot at Thawne.
"Move, Barry." Oliver ordered, trying to get a clear shot as Ronnie prepared his flames. "Barry, move!"
Thawne pinned Barry to nearby fence as Ronnie flew up. Thawne threw Barry against the S.T.A.R. Labs sign as glass shattered and Oliver fired, getting Thawne in the leg with two arrows before Ronnie fired a fireball in front of Thawne as Thawne staggered.
"Come on!" Ronnie yelled as he flew towards Thawne but Thawne spun his arm around, creating a cyclone, sending Ronnie flying away.
Thawne pulled the arrow out of his leg as he realized he was losing his speed.
"Nanites, courtesy of Ray Palmer. They're delivering a high frequency pulse that's disabling your speed. You're not gonna be running around for quite a while." Oliver said.
Thawne smirked, turning to Oliver before engaging him. Thawne dodged as Oliver swung his bow. Oliver aimed for Thawne's leg but Thawne dodged before Oliver hit him in the face twice before hitting him in the gut. Thawne landed few blows at Oliver's face but dodged, when Oliver attacked with his bow again but Oliver managed to whack him in the face with his bow as Thawne fell down against the roadblocks stands that collapsed.
Ronnie had hit a building and was falling down before Barry caught him and panted out as they laid down, tired before Barry sped back to S.T.A.R. Labs.
Thawne got up on his feet, picking a rebar and attacking. While he lacked any formal combat training, he was still a skilled fighter, getting few lucky hits but Oliver's superior hand-to-hand combat skills gave him an edge. Oliver pummeled Thawne in the face before throwing him down as Thawne was lying on some garbage. Thawne vibrated quickly to phase the nanites out of his body.
As Oliver notched an arrow, Thawne had recovered his speed and got up, pinning Oliver to the ground.
"The history books say you live to be 86 years old, Mr. Queen. Well, I guess the history books are wrong." Thawne said, about to phase his hand through Oliver's chest but Barry rushed at Thawne, throwing him towards dumpsters as Thawne rolled down on the ground.
"That's the spirit." Thawne smirked as he got up on his feet, while Barry stared, seeing how insane he was. "You can't stop me, Flash. And you never will."
Thawne sped up on the rooftop of S.T.A.R. Labs as Barry chased him, with then running in circles on the rooftop. Thawne hit Barry in the hip before Barry punched him in the chest. They ran across the rooftop, exchanging blows before they stopped at the edge.
"Now!" Barry yelled as Ronnie sent a torrent of fire at Thawne and Thawne fell off the rooftop, crashing on a car. Thawne grunted and panted out, recovering as he got up due to his accelerated healing but another arrow with nanites hit him in the back as Thawne fell down, passing out before Oliver, Ronnie and Barry neared the subdued Thawne.
"Thanks, fellas." Barry turned Oliver and Ronnie
"No problem." Ronnie shrugged.
"Nice haircut." Barry noted, turning to Oliver, noticing he was wearing the League's outfit. "And I see we've abandoned our traditional green."
"Trying something different." Oliver shrugged. "Look, I might need a favor from you."
"Wherever, whenever." Barry nodded. Oliver and Ronnie left, while Barry turned to his mother's murderer, celebrating his victory. "I got you."
Later, Barry faced Thawne, who had been locked up in one of the Pipeline cells.
"What? No Big Belly Burger?" Thawne cracked as Barry stared at him. "It's one of the few perks of living in this time. We're out of cows where I come from." He noticed that Barry just kept staring. "You don't care about that. You have questions. Go ahead."
"I'm not sure where to start. Thawne." Barry said hesitantly. "That is your real name? Eobard Thawne?"
"Since the day I was born." Thawne nodded, pacing down his cell.
"When was that?" Barry inquired.
"136 years from now. This is not what you wanna know." Thawne noted, looking into Barry's eyes. "Go ahead, Barry. Ask it."
"Why did you kill my mother?" Barry asked.
"Because I hate you." Thawne said as Barry saw the pure hate in his eyes. "Not you now. You years from now."
"In the future." Barry realized.
"In a future, yes." Thawne nodded. "We're enemies, rivals, opposites. Reverses of one another."
"Why? Why were enemies?" Barry asked.
"It doesn't matter." Thawne leaned onto the wall of his cell, tired. "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is neither of us was strong enough to defeat the other. Until I learned your secret. I learned your name. Barry… Allen. And finally, I knew how to defeat you once and for all. Travel back in time, kill you as a child..." He snapped his fingers. "...wipe you from the face of the Earth."
Thawne then turned to Barry again. "But then you, future you, that is, followed me back and we fought. We both landed some pretty solid shots. And then you, future you, got your younger self out of there. I was so mad." He rubbed himself on the back of his head, turning around before facing Barry again, his face full of sadism, all hint of the kind Dr. Wells, who had been his mentor since the beginning, gone as Barry stared at the madman in disbelief.
"But then I thought, 'What if you were to suffer a tragedy? What if you were to suffer something so horrible, so traumatic that your child self could never recover? Then you would no become the Flash.'" He folded his arms. "So I stabbed your mother in the heart. And I was free. Finally able to return to a future without the Flash. Only to realize that in traveling back, I lost my way home. Lost my ability to harness the Speed Force. And without it, I was stuck here, stranded in this time, unable to return to my home, and the only one way back was the Flash. But the Flash was gone, and so I created him."
Barry leaned onto the doorframe, shaking his head in disbelief as he stared at Thawne. "Why train me? Why help me save so many people?"
"Because I needed you to get fast. Fast enough to rupture the space-time barrier and create a stable wormhole through which I could return home." Thawne explained.
"Why would I ever do that?" Barry questioned.
"Because, Barry Allen, if you give me what I want, I'm gonna give you what you want. You can go back and save your mother. You can prevent your father from going to prison. You can reunite the Allen family."
Barry considered for a moment. This offer sounded too good to be true. And how could he trust Thawne, considering that he had played them all before?
"No." Barry shook his head in denial. "No, I don't believe you." He slammed his fist onto the glass, glaring at Thawne with hatred he had never felt before. "I wanna kill you right now." He snarled.
"I know that rage." Thawne said as he looked into Barry's eyes. "I used to feel that rage every time I looked upon you. And now somehow, I know what Joe and Henry feel, when they look on you with pride. With love."
"No." Barry shook his head. "No, don't you ever say that to me." He growled.
"I know you're upset, but I'm giving you a chance." Thawne said, nearing the glass. "I'm giving you a chance to undo all the evil I've done. Don't you want that chance?"
Barry stared before backing off and closing the door to the Pipeline.
Later, Barry met with Patty, Cisco, Stein and Joe in the Cortex.
"A rare opportunity to go back in time and right a wrong and save your mother's life. Quite the paradox Harrison has presented you with, Mr. Allen." Stein said.
"The chance to be with someone you love?" Caitlin said, standing next to Ronnie. "Seems pretty cut-and-dry to me."
"At first blush, Dr. Snow, it would appear so, but this gift has unparalleled risk." Stein said.
"You mean the butterfly effect." Patty realized and Stein nodded.
"Barry, the night your mother died, the night you saved yourself from being killed, that event altered the timeline you were already on, and changed the course of history." Stein said, nearing Barry.
"So, what you're saying is we're living in a parallel universe?" Cisco realized.
"Just like when I time-traveled before." Barry nodded.
"But he only changed one day that time." Joe pointed out.
"Exactly." Stein nodded. "Now imagine 15 years of compounded experiences. One different decision, no matter how big or small, impacts everything that follows. Moments upon moments, choices upon choices, new relationships." He turned to Barry again, gesturing with his hands. "Nothing would be as it is today, and you'd never know the difference because you'd never remember any of it."
"So if I go back and save my mom, my dad doesn't go to prison. I never live with Joe and Iris." Barry said.
"And you may never meet me, Cisco or Caitlin or Ronnie." Patty realized as she turned to them all.
"Truth is... there's no real way of knowing what your life will be." Stein said.
"There's no choice here, Barry. You have to do this. You gotta change the past." Joe said, much to Barry's and Patty's shock as he picked his jacket and was about to leave before Barry and Patty followed him.
"Joe. So, what, that's it? You think I should just do it?" Barry wondered.
"Yeah, I do." Joe said.
"Look, Joe, I'm not saying that Barry shouldn't save his mother back in the past but if he does it, at what price?" Patty said. "He may never live with you and Iris and his life… it may go down differently than before. He may never meet me, Eddie or anyone else. You sure about this?"
"Barry gets the chance to grow up with both parents. He doesn't have to grow up without a mother." Joe pointed out as he turned to Patty. "If you had Barry's powers, wouldn't you do the same for your father?"
"What about growing up without a father?" Barry asked, giving Joe a pointed look.
"You will have a father. Your real father. Wells has messed with our lives long enough. This is why you became the Flash, Barry." Joe said. "To put things right. You saved a lot of people's lives this past year. Now it's time to save yours."
Joe left as Barry and Patty looked at each other. "What do you think I should do, Patty?"
"Honestly, I don't know." Patty said. "If I had a chance to go back in time and save my Dad… I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't at the very least considering it but… the real question is, 'What's it going to cost? Would it be worth the price?' You might never meet me. And that's what's scaring me."
Later, Iron Heights
"Dad, look, I know this sounds crazy." Barry said, talking with Henry in the visitor room.
"I think we're way past crazy, slugger." Henry said. "Look, you're fast, I get it, but turning back time..."
"I wouldn't be turning time back. I would be going back. To that night, to save her." Barry corrected.
"What does Joe think about all this?" Henry asked.
Barry snorted. "He thinks I should do it."
"No." Henry shook his head, much to Barry's surprise. "You can't."
"Dad... I can make it so that night will never have happened. We'll be a family again." Barry said.
"We are a family." Henry argued.
"Not like this, not without Mom." Barry said with pleading look in his eyes.
"Barry, there's a natural order to things. OK, things happen the way they do." Henry said. "We may not know why at the time, but there must always be a reason. Now, I believe that. I've had to believe it.
"I... I can save Mom." Barry said.
"At what cost?" Henry pointed out. "You said time would change. What if it changes you?"
"Well, I don't care." Barry shrugged.
"I do." Henry said as Barry stared. "I am in awe of the remarkable man that you are becoming. All the things you've achieved, and not just as the Flash but you, Barry, your honesty, your heart. You were always a hero. And your mom would be just as proud." Barry felt his eyes get wet. "And if she had a say in this, if she thought for one second you going back to save her would mean you losing what makes you so special, she would never want that."
Barry was breaking down as Henry continued. "Barry, what I hope for you… maybe the greatest thing that a father can hope for his son, is that one day you will become a father yourself. And then you will know… how much I truly love you." He smiled at Barry with pride.
S.T.A.R. Labs
"98.6. Normal." Caitlin said, measuring Ronnie's temperature with her thermometer.
"Don't know what that word means anymore." Ronnie said.
"Me neither." Caitlin admitted. "I know Barry really appreciates you coming back to help him stop Wells."
"That's not the only reason I'm back, Cait." Ronnie said as she raised her brows. "I'm here now, for good."
Caitlin blinked. "But I thought—"
"I thought too." Ronnie interrupted her as he got up. "OK, I thought too much about what might happen if the government tracked us down. If we couldn't control our powers and we hurt someone, if we hurt you. But I realized that, although sometimes, I'm more than one man... I'm not whole unless I'm with you. I love you, Cait."
Caitlin smiled as she and Ronnie kissed before pulling away. "Are you sure?" She asked.
"I am." Ronnie nodded. "Once upon a time and a particle accelerator or so ago…you agreed to marry me."
"Yes, I did." Caitlin smiled.
"What do you say we do that?" Ronnie smiled as she nodded, while they kissed again.
CCPD
Barry was staring outside the window in his lab as Patty entered. "I figured you'd be here."
"I thought this would be a good place to think." Barry said, leaning onto the desk.
"I get that." Patty nodded as they chuckled at each other.
"Hey." Iris said upon entering. "Dad told me what's been going on. I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"No." Barry shook his head.
"So are you gonna do it?" Iris asked.
Barry stared outside the window, considering. "It's just so huge. It's the biggest decision of my life, and if I'm wrong, I can't undo it."
"Why would you want to?" Iris asked. "I mean, you'd get to see your mom again, your dad. Have a great career. Even get married." Barry and Patty turned to her with raised brows. "Eddie told me. Iris West-Allen, huh? I never really thought of myself as a hyphenator. Must be a 2024 thing."
"We don't know that that's gonna happen. I mean..." Barry trailed off.
"I don't wanna believe it either. I mean… we grew up together but… I can't say I've ever felt the same way about you. And I know how much you mean for each other." Iris turned to Barry and Patty. "Do you think that because you lived with us, that's why things are different there?"
"I don't know." Barry said. "I mean… I care about you…" He turned to Iris. "But… we're like brother and sister. Living with you and Joe... I've had a great life, Iris. But it's never been more." He smiled.
"Come here, Barry." Iris hugged him.
"What do you think I should do? I need someone to tell me." Barry wondered.
Iris pulled away. "I think that for once in your life, Barry Allen… you should stop thinking about other people. I think you should do what's in your heart. Do what you need to do for yourself."
S.T.A.R. Labs
Barry entered the Pipeline, facing Thawne, who was still in his cell.
"Ah. Well, if it makes you feel any better, it took you a whole hour longer to decide than I thought it would." Thawne said.
"So how does this work? Your… grand plan." Barry said.
"Well, it's really not that grand at all, Barry. In fact, it's rather simple. We use the particle accelerator." Thawne said.
"The particle acce—" Barry scoffed. "The last time that happened, you caused an explosion that hurt a lot of people."
"This time, the accelerator will operate exactly the way it was designed to. Except instead of two particles moving in opposite directions colliding at the speed of light in the inner ring we're only gonna inject one particle into the accelerator."
"And I'm what it collides with." Barry realized.
"And if you can go fast enough, Barry, if you can hit that particle with enough speed, you will punch a hole right through the fabric of reality." Thawne slammed his fist onto the palm of his hand. "And you will create a portal connecting this time… to infinite times." He gestured around."
"A wormhole." Barry realized.
"Through which one might travel back to the past, say, to the night your mother died, or forward to the future to, say, my time." Thawne said.
"You said if I run fast enough. What happens if I don't?" Barry asked.
"If you don't achieve the desired velocity, Barry… you'll die." Thawne said grimly.
Barry returned to the Cortex as Stein showed the simulation.
"According to Wells' calculations, Barry super-speeds inside the accelerator ring. Once Barry reaches optimum speed, we then launch a hydrogen proton into the accelerator." Stein explained. "Once the collision happens, a wormhole forms, opening a gateway into time itself. At that moment, I plan on shouting something along the lines of: 'Eureka,' or possibly, 'Excelsior.' I'm uncommitted."
Barry turned to Cisco. "What do you think?"
Cisco sighed. "I mean, on the one hand, it does make a kind of sense. On the other hand, why?" He shot Barry an incredulous look. "Why? Why would you ever consider doing this?
"You know why." Barry said.
"So for this to work, how fast would Barry have to go?" Caitlin asked.
"By my estimates, Mach 2 at a minimum." Stein said.
"You've never gone that fast." Caitlin turned to Barry, worried.
"And if Barry doesn't reach that speed?" Patty asked.
"I'm imagining a bug hitting a windshield. How far off am I?" Joe asked.
"Not very far, I'm afraid." Stein admitted reluctantly.
"Let me worry about how fast I have to go." Barry said before he turned to Cisco. "We're gonna need something else too."
"Really? And what's that? Because I don't know about you, guys, but I'm not at all interested in helping you get yourself killed." Cisco said.
"I need you to build a time machine." Barry said.
"Go on." Cisco said, intrigued.
Barry and Ronnie followed Cisco into his workshop.
"So if Wells is as fast as you, what's he need a time machine for?" Ronnie questioned.
"Apparently, he lost his speed when he killed my mom. He gets it back sometimes, but only in spurts. He can't fully control it." Barry said.
"So I was right about the wheelchair, he was using it to charge himself." Cisco realized.
"So after I open the wormhole, he's gonna need the ship to travel back to the future. He's been squirreling away the parts." Barry explained.
"Now we just need to put it together." Ronnie said.
"Ronnie, I love you, but this is a time machine, not a bookcase from IKEA." Cisco said.
Ronnie examined the parts. "We got a problem. These tiles, they're made of tungsten."
"Tungsten does have the highest melting point of any other element." Cisco said.
"Yeah, uh, but the dust it generates is flammable." Ronnie explained. "The pressure exerted from the wormhole—"
"Yeah, yeah." Cisco nodded, catching up to his thoughts. "It could cause a hole to be melted into the exterior. It could explode."
"Any ideas?" Barry asked.
"Let me ask Dr. Evil." Cisco said, walking off before he chuckled. "Heh. Which used to be a name that made me smile."
Cisco was in the Pipeline, showing Thawne the blueprints, while pacing.
"Something on your mind, Cisco?" Thawne asked.
"No. Yes. How did you fit your Reverse-Flash suit into that little ring?" Cisco asked. "Is it some sort of compressed microtech? Or... Actually, forget it. I don't care. Maybe a little."
Thawne shook his head as he looked at the blueprints. "Ronnie's right. I should've accounted for temporal shearing."
"Glad we're still good for something." Cisco muttered.
"I've never underestimated your contribution, Cisco." Thawne assured. "Or Ronnie. As a matter of fact, do you know how many times I wished you were with me as I rebuilt the accelerator? It would've been a lot more fun."
"Yeah? Well, it doesn't change the fact that your nifty little Time Sphere—"
"Oh, is that what you're calling it?" Thawne interrupted Cisco.
"Whatever it's called." Cisco snapped. "It's gonna blow."
"Not if you cement the tiles with a cobalt resin. That'll prevent degradation in conditions of extreme heat." Thawne suggested.
"OK. Fine, we'll try that." Cisco said, about to leave, not wanting to bother with Thawne any more than he had to.
"That's it? That's all?" Thawne asked.
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Cisco snapped, whirling on him.
"I don't know, Cisco." Thawne threw the blueprints in the air. "I thought of anyone, you'd be more understanding of my little predicament. I don't belong here. These barbaric… times. It's like living among the dead." He leaned onto the wall of his cell.
"Is that what you told yourself... when you killed me?" Cisco asked as Thawne turned to him, alarmed.
"What? What did you say?" Thawne asked, surprised.
"It was an alternate timeline, one that Barry reset." Cisco explained as Thawne folded his arms, intrigued. "But I never forgot it. It just kept coming back to me. And I can still picture the way you looked at me when you called me a son. And you crushed my heart… with your fist."
"Cisco... I'm sorry." Thawne said, looking at him with sincere regret.
"Yeah, it sucked." Cisco nodded.
"Not for killing you. I'm sure I had a reason. I'm sorry for the fact that you're able to retain traces of another timeline. You're able to see through the vibrations of the universe. It means... I wasn't sure until just now." Thawne said.
"Sure of what?" Cisco asked, nearing Thawne.
"The night the particle accelerator exploded... you were affected too." Thawne revealed.
"What are you talking about?" Cisco shook his head in denial. "No. I wasn't."
"Don't be afraid, Cisco. A great and honorable destiny awaits you now. I only hope that as you're living your great adventure... that you remember who gave you that life. And that it was given out of love." Thawne said cryptically, which Cisco didn't like at all, considering that it was Thawne, who told him that.
Barry, Patty, Cisco, Caitlin and Ronnie were in the workshop before Stein entered. "We have a problem."
"What?" Barry asked.
"The calculations. There is a danger." Stein explained.
Barry nodded. "I know. I'm ready to take the risk."
"No, not just to you, but to everyone." Stein said as he looked at all of them. "Wells didn't tell us everything. Barry, even if you do reach the right speed, colliding with the hydrogen particle, there is a chance that explosion could create a singularity."
"What's a singularity?" Caitlin asked.
"It's a black hole." Cisco said.
"We could destroy the whole city." Patty realized.
'For starters." Stein nodded. "If we create a singularity here and then cannot control it... we could be looking at a global catastrophe."
"So long, and thanks for all the fish." Cisco said grimly.
"Sure, there's a bit of a risk." Thawne confirmed as they talked with him through the monitor in the Cortex into the camera into his cell.
"I would hardly refer to possibly causing an extinction-level event as 'a bit of a risk'." Stein snorted.
"Yeah, and your accelerator's been about as reliable as the beater I drove in high school." Joe drawled.
Thawne laughed. "Let me ask you a question. How many metahumans, how many dangers have we faced this year together? Or did you forget that was me fighting alongside each and every one of you? I have been planning this for almost two decades. It will work."
"And how do we make sure we don't open a black hole in the middle of Central City?" Cisco questioned.
"So once the wormhole stabilizes, Barry will have one minute and 52 seconds to alter the past and return to this time. If and when he does that, you can close the wormhole and we can all live happily ever after. Almost two minutes. More than enough time to save Nora." Thawne said.
"But not time enough to stop you from going home?" Barry questioned.
"Everything's a choice." Thawne said.
"What if Barry doesn't have enough time to save his mother? What if he's too late?" Patty pointed out.
"He won't be. I believe in you, Barry. Always have." Thawne said as Barry shook his head. "So I guess the question is, do your friends and family believe in you as much as I do?"
Caitlin turned off the connection as Barry entered the treadmill room, sighing in frustration and scoffing before Joe entered. "So if I don't run fast enough to collide with the particle, then I'm dust. If I run fast enough but I'm not back here in time, a black hole will form, swallow up the city, and possibly the world." He turned to Joe. "Sure you still wanna look me in the eyes and tell me that this is for the best?"
Joe was touching the marriage ring on his finger, reluctant to meet Barry's eyes. "I'd be lying if I told you I did. Truth is I don't... I don't know what to think."
"I thought you were the sure one. I... I was kind of banking on that when I made my decision the first time." Barry argued.
Joe chuckled. "I was faking it."
"Yeah." Barry said.
"Sometimes parents do that. Most of the time, parents do that." Joe said. "Look, of course I'm scared. But I didn't want you to not help your mother because you were worried about me."
"Well, I'll always worry about you, Joe, just like you'll always worry about me. Sorry, but you can't stop that." Barry said, looking unsure. "Do you think I can do this? Do you think I can save my mom? I mean, do you think I'm fast enough?"
"You are." Patty said upon entering. "I know what kind of a man you are, Barry. And I believe in you."
Barry looked down, his eyes getting wet. "You know, I've dreamed my whole life about saving her, freeing my dad... I never thought I'd have to lose another parent to do that or someone else I love."
"Barry—"
"Patty, it's true. It's... it's true." Barry said. "I've always been so focused on everything that I lost that night. But I gained so much too. I... I was born with one father, and that tragedy gave me... another. And I found someone I realized I wanted to stay with forever." He turned to Patty. "And I don't think I can lose either one of you."
"Barry…" Patty sat down next to Barry, holding him by his shoulder. "You'll never be without us. Understand? Never."
Barry nodded.
Outside S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin was in a bride's dress, with Ronnie wearing a suit, while Barry, Patty, Cisco, Joe, Eddie and Iris were waiting.
"Is this actually binding?" Ronnie asked Stein, who held in his hand the Bible.
"My father made me become a rabbi before he would send me to MIT." Stein said. "This will be legit, as the kids say."
"No kids say that." Ronnie said.
Stein shot him a look. "Let's not fight on our wedding day."
"OK." Ronnie chuckled before noticing Caitlin as they faced each other.
"If it's all right with everyone, I'd like to skip all the Hebrew." Stein said. "I've learned a lot about merging one's life with another this past year. And yet for all the incredible advancements in science we've all been party to... the mystery that brings two people together through love, is still the province of magic." He turned to Cisco. "Mr. Ramon, the rings, please."
Cisco handed them two metal nuts as Ronnie and Caitlin chuckled. Ronnie put the nut on her finger. "I owe you a real ring."
"I don't need one." Caitlin said. "I have everything and everyone that I could ever need right here." She looked at her friends before turning to Ronnie again. "And if all the events of the past year have led us to this moment... it was worth it. I love you, Ronnie."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Stein said.
"Stop telling me what to do." Ronnie joked before he and Caitlin kissed, while everyone applauded.
Barry was with Patty, Joe, Eddie and Iris, Cisco and Caitlin in the Pipeline as Patty gave him a hug. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I am." Barry nodded.
Patty kissed Barry fiercely before she pulled away. "Be careful, OK? And don't die."
"Everything's gonna be fine, Patty." Barry assured.
"OK, there are gonna be three yous back there." Cisco explained. "You from the future, who saved younger you from the Reverse-Flash and now 'you' you." Barry nodded. "Remember, wait until future you gets younger you out of there and then you can go and save your mom."
Barry chuckled. "Piece of cake."
"May the Speed Force be with you." Cisco said.
Barry turned to Joe. "Goodbye, Dad."
Joe hugged Barry with his eyes getting wet. "Goodbye, son."
Barry turned to Iris. "Iris—"
"You don't have to say anything. I'm just glad that you'll be happy." She turned to Patty before turning to Barry again, hugging him. "I hope whatever life you get, it's enough for you that it makes you happy enough."
"You too." Barry nodded, while Iris pulled away, holding Eddie's hand.
"Remember, Mr. Allen, assuming you achieve the proper velocity and open the wormhole, you will only have one minute and 52 seconds to save your mother and return." Stein said over the P.A. "Or else—"
"I know." Barry said as he put on his mask and faced Thawne, who was still in his cell.
"Well… you hold both our futures in your hands now, Mr. Allen. And I know you can do it." Thawne said. "Now… run, Barry. Run."
Barry sped down the particle accelerator as Thawne observed, while observing moments of his past.
"I was waiting for you to bring Barry home." Young Iris said as Joe entered with young Barry.
Barry was confused to see Caitlin with white hair and blue eyes, shooting icicles from her hand before seeing Flash Museum before seeing CCPD.
Barry bumped into a young blonde detective as he spilled her coffee on her shirt. "Oh, damn it!"
"I'm so sorry!" Barry said.
"No, no, I should've been more careful. Don't worry. I got a spare shirt in my locker." The blonde said as she smiled at him. "Wait… you're the weird CSI, right? Bart Allen?"
"Barry." He corrected as he looked at her badge. "Detective Spivot."
"Patty." She smiled.
"I owe you a coffee too, I guess."
"It's fine, really."
"Barry, what you're seeing is the Speed Force. Your past, your present, your future, all at once. So you need to focus on where you want to go. So think about that night. Think about your mother." Thawne said as Barry saw Sara, Snart and Ray fighting a giant robot before seeing Thawne breaking into Barry's childhood home. Cisco launched the hydrogen particle into the accelerator, creating the wormhole as Barry entered through it.
March 18, 2000
Barry ended back in his childhood home in the moment, when his mother died.
Barry heard Nora and his younger self scream as he peeked out to see his future self and Thawne fighting in superspeed, with Henry trying to intervene. Barry then saw that his future self had noticed him as he shook his head, telling Barry not to intervene.
"Run! Barry, run!" Henry said before future Barry grabbed his younger self and got him out.
Barry looked away with his eyes wet, not wanting to see Thawne murdering Nora. He waited until he heard Thawne leaving and then he went out to see his father unconscious and mother dying on the floor as he neared her. "Hey, hey. It's OK, it's OK. You're OK."
"Please. My husband, my son, are they—"
"They're OK. They're both safe. I promise." Barry assured her.
"Who are you?" Nora asked, looking into Barry's eyes, noticing something familiar about them.
"I'm..." Barry was on verge of tears. "I'm the Flash."
"I don't understand." Nora shook her head, confused before Barry took off his mask as she looked at his face. "You look just like my father."
Barry sobbed. "This won't make any sense... but it's me, Mom."
Nora looked completely confused. "What?"
"It's Barry." Barry said.
"Barry?" Nora looked disbelieved.
"Your Barry." Barry nodded.
"My beautiful boy." Nora sobbed, caressing his cheeks, while Barry sobbed.
"I got a second chance... to come back here and... to tell you that I'm OK." Barry said. "Dad and I are both OK. And we love you, Mom. I love you."
Nora breathed out. "I love you. Oh, my sweet boy. Goodbye. Goodbye, Barry." Barry felt the life ebbing away from her as light left her eyes and she was slowly going limp as she tilted her head, while Barry broke down in tears, sobbing into her chest.
Present, S.T.A.R. Labs
"I believe it's time to say goodbye to Harrison Wells." Stein said.
Joe and Patty aimed at Thawne with their guns as they entered the particle accelerator.
"It's beautiful. Rip Hunter would be impressed." Thawne said as he eyed the Time Sphere. "He built the first one of these. Interesting man."
From the wormhole went out some helmet as Joe, Cisco and Patty stared.
"Now what the hell is that?" Joe wondered.
"That's my cue to leave." Thawne said before turning to Cisco. "Thank you, Cisco."
"Don't ever come back." Cisco said before Thawne turned to Patty.
"For whatever it's worth, Patty, I want you to know, it was nothing personal against you." Thawne said.
"I never want to see you again." Patty sneered.
Thawne got into the Time Sphere as it was floating in the air, about to enter the wormhole. "Home."
Suddenly, Barry emerged from the wormhole, smashing the Time Sphere and knocking Patty, Joe and Cisco down.
Caitlin and Ronnie went down to the Pipeline to shut down the wormhole, while Thawne got up, staring at Barry in disbelief.
"You didn't save her. Why?" Thawne demanded as got up. "Why? You could have had the life you wanted. You could have had everything you ever wanted!"
"I already do." Barry said.
Thawne put on his mask, glaring at Barry. "Not for long."
Thawne cracked his neck as he and Barry rushed at each other, exchanging blows, while Caitlin and Ronnie had shut the power in the Pipeline. Thawne slammed Barry to the wall, pinning him as he was about to phase his hand through him. "Just so we're clear, after I kill you, I'm going to kill them." He pointed at Barry's friends. "And then I'm going to kill your father. I always win, Flash."
Thawne was about to finish Barry off before a gunshot rang out, with Thawne staggering back as Eddie shot himself in the chest.
"No! Eddie!" Iris screamed in horror.
"Eddie!" Joe exclaimed, nearing Eddie, who fell down, bleeding out. "What did you do? What did you do? What did you do?"
"No such thing as a coincidence." Eddie repeated Stein's words as Thawne was spasming.
"What's happening?" Barry demanded.
"Cisco, help me." Thawne said.
"Eddie's his ancestor." Cisco pointed at Eddie and Thawne. "If Eddie dies, he'll never be born, and..." They saw Thawne falling on his knees, his face turning from Wells's into his real one. "He's being erased from existence."
"No! No! Eddie." Iris cried out, rushing to dying Eddie. "Eddie? No, don't. Ed, stay with me, OK? Stay—"
"He was wrong. Turns out I'm a hero after all." Eddie smiled.
"You are, Eddie. You are my hero." Iris said.
"That's all I ever wanted to be. Your hero." Eddie gasped before drawing his last breath, while Iris sobbed. before Thawne turned to Barry, while disintegrating into pieces.
"I've controlled your life for so long, Barry. How will you get along without me?" Thawne gloated before he screamed as he was disintegrated and erased from existence.
Suddenly, a black hole opened, sucking everything in.
"Guys, that's not good!" Cisco panicked.
"Professor, I shut down the wormhole. What's happening?" Caitlin demanded.
"I don't know. You did close it, but it seems to be reopening." Stein said.
"We gotta go." Ronnie said.
"You OK?" Caitlin asked, helping him get out.
"Guys, we need to get out of here!" Patty said.
"I'm not leaving him." Iris sobbed, while still at Eddie's side.
"We have to go now, honey, I'm sorry." Joe said as they ran, while the black hole sucked Eddie's corpse and then it appeared outside Central City in the sky, while they all went out from S.T.A.R. Labs.
"So that's what we didn't want to happen." Cisco realized.
"What's it doing?" Caitlin demanded.
"Feeding. The singularity won't stop, not even after the Earth is gone." Stein said as the black hole was sucking in pieces of buildings, cars and everything it could, while people were running away in panic. "I'm afraid the accretion disc has already assembled."
"What?" Joe demanded.
"Diffused material that's in orbital motion around the singularity." Stein explained.
"What are you talking about?" Patty demanded.
"We have to disrupt the motion. Basically, it's just like the tornado, only upside down and bigger. And scarier." Barry said.
"Barry, that event has an energy level of at least 6.7 teraelectron-volts. It cannot be stopped!" Stein said.
"I have to try." Barry said. He looked at his friends before putting on his mask and rushing up, jumping onto the debris and running around the black hole, trying to stop it.
Frankly, for someone, who's supposed to be clever, considering that he was from the future, Thawne's reasoning about killing Barry as a child makes him an idiot. Thawne had been inspired by Barry to become the Flash of the future but instead became the Reverse-Flash. If Barry had died as a child or not become the Flash at all, the Reverse-Flash never would have existed in the first place, effectively creating a paradox. Like I said, for someone so clever, Thawne was an idiot.
So, I hope you liked this story and enjoyed reading it. I'll be honest, I myself wasn't sure at some moments and wasn't much proud of some more dumber moments, such as Axel managing to put a bomb on Barry's arm, which made him an idiot or Iris getting zapped by Barry, which I myself found dumb but I still enjoyed writing this story.
Stay tuned for the sequel.
Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed the story to its end.
With regards
Bl4ckHunter