A few days passed after Killer Frost died, Caitlin refusing to leave her lab. She was numb in a way she had never been before. She was colder than when she had been when Killer Frost had taken over. Part of her wished she had died when Killer Frost had. The rest of the team left her to her mourning, not sure what to say or do. Cisco kept her fed, but other than that, they all kept their distance.
One evening Caitlin was wandering through S.T.A.R., lost in her thoughts when she stumbled upon the time vault. The door was open and the glow was a beacon to her restlessness. Stepping into the room she was surprised to see Barry sitting on the floor, staring at the newspaper article from the future. It was flickering back and forth between the story that they have seen for the last several years and a completely different article all together.
"Barry?" Caitlin asked gently, stopping beside him. "Are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that." Barry looked up at her, eyes dark and troubled. He motioned her to sit down next to him. Quickly she settled down, tucking her legs underneath her, shoulder touching his.
"I'm slowly healing." Caitlin confessed. "After having been so afraid of becoming her, getting to know her and then losing her has been a lot to take. The last few years have been rough on me. I'm surprised I have held up as well as I have."
"I wish I could go back and change all that - without creating another Flashpoint." Barry sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I can't though. I messed up enough the first time I did that."
"Give me some time, and I'll be ok." Caitlin sighed as well. "I'm just glad I have you and the others to help get me through this."
"This time you can count on me." Barry hugged her quickly. "I won't let you down like I did last time."
Caitlin didn't know what to say to that, so they sat in silence for a while, watching the flickering screen in front of them. The original article was about Barry disappearing during a crisis, but the other one covered one of the new technological advantages of Smoak Industries. Strangely, as she watched the future swing back and forth Caitlin felt a hope bloom in her chest. If Barry was able to change his future, then maybe Caitlin could change hers. She would be able to harness her powers even more and use them for good, to protect the ones she loves.
"You still haven't decided what to do yet regarding Iris?" She asked softly, leaning her head on Barry's shoulder, exhaustion creeping in around the edges. Slowly she settled more and more into Barry, feeling his hold on her tighten. He was so warm and comforting, feeling like home.
"Not yet." Barry whispered back, rubbing his hand up and down her arm, soothing her to sleep, eyes never leaving the screen in front of him. Once she was fully asleep Barry turned his head and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "But soon."
The screen flickered and lingered on the new article for several minutes before reverting back to the original. Gently Barry stood and made his way to Caitlin's lab, settling her in a bed for the night.
It was another day of training down in the speed lab for Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, Nora and Ralph. They were rotating sparring partners, all of them needing to learn how to fight against each type of meta that they were. Of course, Iris was there butting in and giving poor suggestions. Now that Killer Frost had been absorbed into Caitlin she found that her temper had a much shorter fuse, and that she was biting her tongue more and more around Iris.
"Caitlin, you really should hit Ralph in the core, that way he'll be too winded to fight back." Iris called out. Frost, the name she chose to go by in the field, stopped moving and stood still. Emotionlessly she dodged Ralph's punch before turning to look at Iris. The temperature in the room began to fall, garnering the attention of the others.
"Caitlin?" Cisco called, voice troubled. He stepped up next to her and touched her arm gently, pulling back quickly as the fingers of his glove frosted over.
"Really Iris, do you think you can do my job better than me?"
"No, but as an observer, I can see when you make a mistake." The dark skinned woman stood taller, but the ice meta still stood taller by several inches, intimidating the other woman from halfway across the room.
"Really? A mistake?" The cold woman parroted, stepping forward, icy fog traveling in her wake. "Killer Frost may be gone, but you have to realize that we were part of the same person. Same temperment, same opinions."
"That sounds like a threat." Ralph spoke up in his usual bumbling way and Caitlin smirked.
"No shit Dibney." Caitlin turned and began to walk out of the speed lab, but Barry grabbed her arm, not caring if his suit frosted over.
"Hang on Cait." Barry said quietly "Is this a side effect of Killer Frost?"
His gentle question broke through the attitude, making her stop and think.
"I believe so." Caitlin replied. "I'll need to look into it more, but I think so."
"So are you okay to keep training Aunt Caitlin?" Nora asked innocently, making Caitlin shake her head.
"No." She laid her hand over Barry's and squeezed gently. "I think I'll sit the rest of this out. I'll be monitoring your vitals, but I think I need to cool off a bit."
Nodding Barry let her go and she settled down at her console in the speed lab, conveniently on the other side of the room from Iris. The training continued as Caitlin studied each of their feeds, but something caught her eye. Nora's vitals were spiking and wavering dangerously. Not good.
"Nora, are you feeling ok?" Iris called and Caitlin looked up, seeing the young speedster on kneeling on the floor, Barry hunched over her. Caitlin ran over, kneeling next to the young woman and gasping. Nora had her hand on dad's shoulder, but that hand was flickering, turning clear and opaque at different times. It was like she was being erased.
"What's happening Aunt Cait?" Nora sounded scared, eyes big in her face. Caitlin froze, Nora having never called her that before. The doctor had a feeling she knew what was happening, and she wanted desperately to be wrong.
"The timeline." She muttered, not wanting to speak her fear. That, and the knowledge she had of Barry considering loving someone other than Iris. "Something is altering the future."
"What?" Iris asked. "Why would the future be changing?"
"Every single decision we make affects the future." Cisco replied, voice troubled. "What we eat for breakfast, which route we take to work, everything. The future is fluid, always changing."
"Still though, Nora shouldn't be doing this. Barry and I are destiny, nothing can change that." Iris sounded like a broken record, repeating a mantra and hoping it would come true.
"Is there anything we can do to stabilize her?" Barry asked Caitlin, dread in his voice. He knew like she did that you could only delay the inevitable only so long. Eventually the timeline catches up to you, whether it be in the form of a speed wraith or the actions of your past being altered.
"I don't think so, not this time." Caitlin shook her head sadly. "We all knew this was a possibility when we decided to let Nora stay in this time. Eventually the timeline and speed force smooth out inconsistencies, and sadly, Nora is a huge anomaly in the timeline."
"Maybe if she runs to a different Earth she can escape being erased?" Iris asked hopefully, but Cisco shot her down with a shake of his head. More of Nora began to flicker.
"Even if she was able to remain in this form, running to another Earth could do one of two things: erase her for good, or she would be trapped on another Earth, unable to go home. The minute she stepped foot onto this Earth and it's timeline, she would be erased."
Suddenly Nora stopped flickering, becoming solid once more. Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief, for the moment Nora was safe. For how long, she couldn't say. She knew that Barry was having second, third, fourth and fifth thoughts about having married Iris. Those doubts were leading to his future daughter being erased. Caitlin wondered if he would have the nerves of steel to follow his heart, or to be ruled by what could be called destiny. Taking a deep breath Frost secured her heart in a vault of ice, ready for the fall out, whatever it may be.
"Let me get you to the med bay." Caitlin stood and offered her hand to the younger woman. "The others can finish training while I check you over."
"You got this?" Barry asked Caitlin, tone quiet.
"Of course." Caitlin smiled at Nora, reassuring her. "We'll go start figuring out what's wrong while you and the others finish up here. Then you can come check on Nora."