By the time Harry had run all his tests, Caitlin was almost asleep where she stood. Barry had steered clear of the lab while the tests were being run. He knew if he saw the suffering Caitlin was trying to hide, he would run her right out of there and keep her away from this world for a while. Instead he found himself on the treadmill, running to keep himself distracted. When running no longer worked, he jumped off, walking towards Cisco's lab. Then he had received the all clear from Harry to come get Caitlin. He sped across to where she was, just as Jesse was making her last notes. Harry's daughter was just as intelligent as he was, if not more so. Barry looked forward to the day when she surpassed him, purely to see the look on Harry's face. Jesse walked straight pass Barry, pausing briefly beside him.
"If you do not make sure that she gets sleep, I will kill you myself Barry Allen," she whispered, looking at him dead in the eyes. Barry was actually scared, and all he could muster was a nod. When she had left, Caitlin pulled a patch from her arm, what it measured, he had no idea.
"I'm okay Barry," said Caitlin, filling the silence between the two. Barry looked at her eyes. She was drained, completely and utterly drained. Everything she had was gone.
"No you aren't," he said, wrapping her tight into his arms. Caitlin raised her arms weakly against his back, trying to reciprocate the hug, but she had no strength to. Barry wanted to leave with her for a while, find somewhere with no metahumans, and just be free. It was all he wanted for them.
"Would you take me home Barry?" Caitlin whispered. Barry nodded.
"Are you okay if I run you home?" he asked and Caitlin nodded. He picked her up gently, holding her even more tightly. She gripped around his neck and then they raced off. Barry slowed down when they reached the door to her apartment, gently lowering her to the ground.
"I remember that used to make me feel sick," Caitlin muttered as she undid the door. "Since when did I get used to being carried by a speedster," she continued stepping into the apartment. She hadn't been here since Zoom had taken her. Everything was eerily the same and undisturbed. Barry stepped in behind her, the door closing with barely a sound. Caitlin walked silently from room to room.
"Jay," whispered Caitlin, curled up on the couch in front of the television with him. He looked down at her. "Have you thought about returning to your world?" she asked, her eyes making it clear what she meant. She was asking if he planned to leave this world, and her. Jay sighed.
"In that world, all I really had was the Flash. It was what I got out of bed for, and the only thing pushing me. And now I don't have the Flash, I don't have my speed," said Jay, gripping her hand tightly. "There is nothing left for me there. Everything I care about, everyone I care about is here. Cait, I am here and I will be here for you," he swore, looking into her eyes. Caitlin smiled. She cared about Jay, she knew that. And the idea of losing someone else she cared about would have been too much to handle. He leaned down and kissed her.
Barry looked at Caitlin staring at the couch and he knew what she was seeing. Something involving Jay, involving Zoom. He wanted to reach out to her, but he knew that right now, it was best he gave her a bit of distance. When she snapped out of it, she turned to Barry and folded herself into his arms. He quickly gripped her tight, wanting to provide her all the comfort he could.
"Barry," whispered Caitlin, looking up at him, her eyes beginning to water. "We need to, we need to talk," she said, and he nodded, slowly shifting with her into the bedroom to sit on her bed. Barry knew they needed to talk about what was between them.
"I love you Cait, I want to make that clear to you," said Barry placing his hand gently on her cheek.
"I could hurt you Barry. Even if I don't mean to, I don't know if I can control my powers. And the cold can kill you," she whispered.
"Cait, I could hurt you. Imagine if I lost control of my speed, my hand could phase through you and kill you. But I trust myself and my feelings for you that I could never hurt you. I know, you only just got your powers and you are still I shock. I understand you can't trust yourself yet. But Cait, I trust you," said Barry tilting her head up to his. She smiled.
"Barry," whispered Caitlin. "I don't want to hurt any of you," she said, starting to cry, and falling into his arms.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, feeling her nod against his chest. "Well then I need you to believe me when I say I trust you. When I first got my powers, I had faith that you and Cisco would be there. Now it is my turn to be there for you," he said, kissing her gently on the cheek.
"You have to promise me Barry. If I do become her, if I become Killer Frost, you have to promise you will stop me," Caitlin said. Barry looked down at her. He knew he would never kill her, he never would be able to. But he would capture her if needed.
"I promise," he said. "But I will never need to, because together we will work through this," he replied.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked. Caitlin hated the idea of being alone. She worried that darkness would take her over, she would find images of Zoom and Killer Frost.
"Cait, I will not leave you, I promise," he said, pulling her tighter against him. They both felt like after everything they had been through, spending time together was what they needed to do. They both shifted under the covers, Caitlin pulling herself tight into Barry's arms, curling up against his chest. Barry kept his eyes open, watching the woman he loved slowly drift off to sleep in his arms. It was only then that Barry let himself drift off as well.
"Barry!" Caitlin screamed, engulfed in a tornado of blue lightning. She lay on the ground, exactly as his mother had done when the Reverse Flash had killed her.
"Caitlin!" he screamed back. The lightning stopped as Zoom grabbed a tight hold of Caitlin by her shoulders, his mask staring at her with such possession.
"You have failed Flash," he snarled, griping her even tighter, and she screamed out.
"Barry, run, please run," she pleaded with him, Zoom pulling her even closer.
"Run away Flash," spat Zoom, pulling his mask from his face. It was hard to believe that he had ever considered Jay a friend. "Run away like the coward you are," said Hunter, a wicked smile on his face. Barry moved slightly, and Hunter quickly grabbed Caitlin by her neck, one move and she would be dead. "Don't you see Barry. You have failed her, just like you failed your mother," said Hunter, shifting his other hand so that it pulled Caitlin's face towards him. With the grip around her neck and her face, Caitlin couldn't move, there was no way for her to escape.
"Let her go, please Hunter," begged Barry. He smirked, ignoring Barry's request, shifting his face towards Caitlin's and capturing her lips with his. When he pulled back from her, he smiled at Barry, before phasing his hand through Caitlin's chest.
"Barry," she spluttered, before falling to the ground, all life having left her body.
"You will lose her Barry. We will take her from you," said Hunter, his voice echoing in the room. He ran out as Barry slowly moved towards Caitlin. He sat down beside her, picking up her head so it rested in his lap. The tears started to roll down his cheeks.
"I failed you Cait, I am so sorry," he spluttered. Suddenly her eyes burst open.
Barry sat up in the bed, sucking in air quickly. Barry was used to nightmares. He had suffered from them even when he was younger, seeing his mother killed would do that to a kid. He couldn't count the number of times his head had replayed that night, watched his mother die at the hands of Reverse Flash again and again. But for a while he had been able to sleep peacefully. It seemed now though, that after everything Zoom had put him through, he was back to nightmares, back to the hell that would await every night. He quickly looked beside him, worried he had disturbed Caitlin, but she wasn't there. Barry raced out of bed, worried for her.
"Barry," he heard a voice splutter, sounding out of breath. He raced over to the sound, and froze.
Caitlin lay there, coughing and struggling to breathe. Blood was pouring out from multiple holes in her chest.
"No," he muttered, leaning down beside her, completely in shock. "I need to call an ambulance, call Cisco, get help," he said, his hands hovering over the wounds.
"Barry," said Caitlin taking a deep breath, trying to slow her breathing. "I'm a doctor, I know I can't survive this much blood loss," she said, tears inching down her cheeks, even when dying Caitlin was practical.
"Who did this?" he whispered, pulling her head up to rest in his lap.
"Barry, promise me, promise me you will look after yourself," she whispered, knowing that she was about to take her last breath. She couldn't let Barry spiral, not because of her.
"Cait, I can't lose you," whispered Barry, tears beginning to fall down his face as well. "I love you," he said, before completely breaking down.
"Barry, I love you," she whispered, before her coughing started once more.
"I'm going to get you help," said Barry, racing to grab his phone.
"You are so much more than just the Flash," she whispered as Barry came back.
It was too late.
"No," he muttered, kneeling down beside her. But he could see it in her eyes. "No," he said again, stepping back from her. "No!" Barry yelled, his voice echoing for miles around. "I can't lose you too," he said. Barry had lost the two women who mattered the most to him. He had given up so much in his life. What had he ever done to deserve this? He had spent the last couple of years fighting to help a city, protect it. And the only payment he got was seeing the love of his life laying on the ground, murdered. No, it wasn't fair. He deserved more than that, Caitlin deserved more than to die a horrible death. She deserved to live, to be who she could be, to be with him. So Barry did the only thing he could. All this pain, all this suffering, it came from the death of his mother, from the day the Reverse Flash ruined his life and took his childhood from him, his family. Barry ran out of the apartment, running faster than he had ever before. Because he knew what he was running for, he knew who he was running to. Time had taken everything from him, and he was going to take it back. He raced through the speed force, emerging in his house, with the Reverse Flash holding a knife beside his mother, her kneeling on the floor. He raced in, pushing the Reverse Flash to the back of the room.
"You are not going to kill her this time," said Barry, punching the Reverse Flash over and over, before holding him up against the wall. "You are not going to kill her ever again," he said knocking him completely unconscious. He quickly turned, to see another version of him, hiding in the bedroom. The other him looked down at his mom, and smiled, before vanishing. Barry quickly moved down across to his mum.
"No," she said, between tears, begging for her life.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he quickly replied. "Okay?" he added. "I'm not going to hurt you, you are safe," he continued. "You are safe."