Caitlin wasn't sure what to expect regarding her first day of training, but sitting in the middle of the breach room and attempting to meditate wasn't one of them. She had changed into a pair of sweatpants and one of the ever present S.T.A.R. Labs shirts that the never seemed to run out of. She sat cross legged in the center of the room, trying to still her thoughts and find her center, but her mind wouldn't stop jumping from one thought to another. With a sigh she opened her eyes to look at the woman sitting in front of her, a few feet away.
"Thea, I know I asked for your help, but I'm not sure this is working."
"It will, give it some time." The dark haired woman smiled, voice calm yet edged with steel. "You still need to find the one thought that will ground you and drown out everything else, calming your mind."
"What is yours?" Caitlin had no clue where to even begin.
"The image of my mother smiling at me." Thea's voice turned wistful, eyes becoming unfocused. "It was shortly before her death. I can't recall exactly what we had been doing or what we were even talking about. All I remember is her smile was radiant and so full of warmth, of love. I feel peace when I think of it."
In that moment, Caitlin knew which memory. Yes, it had been attached to one of the worst times of her life, but the comfort she felt when she thought back made her realize it was perfect. Zoom, Jay, had released her. She had made it back to S.T.A.R. while Barry was gone with the West's, only Cisco and Henry Allen at the facility. Dr. Allen had been checking her over when Barry came racing into the cortex, murder in his eyes. Once he realized that she was ok he knelt in front of her, eyes never leaving her, relief written across his face. He clasped her hands in his, as if he needed to make sure she was really in front of him.
It was that look, the look of love that hadn't been realized yet that grounded her. It had been on rotation in her thoughts as she filtered through everything to find the one that would help her slip into meditation. The emotions in his beautiful eyes that helped her find herself, always his eyes. With a smile she looked up at Thea, who simply nodded with a smile before returning to her meditation.
Closing her eyes Caitlin was quick in falling into the peaceful abyss of her inner mind. What she found was intriguing. She could sense Killer Frost inside her, brooding and cold, presence not nearly as strong as she thought it would be. It was like she was a shadow, pale and formless, haunting where she could. A stab of iciness shot at Caitlin as Killer Frost realized who was there in the space between with her. Instinctively Caitlin reacted, throwing up a shield of ice in front of her, deflecting the spear.
"You!" Frost hissed, body materializing in front of her, not entirely opaque. Her lightning blue eyes were flashing as more ice bloomed in her hands. "Because of you I'm nothing but a shade, a ghost. In order to survive I needed to cross dimensions and hide inside of you."
"You are the reason you are dead." Caitlin snapped back, expanding the shield around her, encasing herself in a shell of ice. "If you hadn't tried to kill me the first time, Zoom wouldn't have killed you."
"Fool." The other woman spat. "I was dead the minute my powers manifested. Either I join Zoom and prolong my life, or I go against him and have him murder me outright. I did what I had to do, just like I am going to do now."
A barrage of ice exploded toward Caitlin, slowly eating away chunks of her shell. Mind racing she knew she was no longer meditating, but fighting for her life. They were trapped in her mind, and whoever won this battle would be the one to control her body. She couldn't let Killer Frost win, not when she had finally found happiness. She would need these powers if they were to defeat Savitar. Thickening her shell Caitlin let her mind wander, formulating theories on how to stop the woman of ice.
If her powers were the same as Killer Frosts, then that meant that the other woman pulled the energy and heat from the atmosphere and objects to manifest her cold powers. Similar to how if something gets near liquid nitrogen, the substance so cold it literally leeches heat from it's surroundings. Since Killer Frost was a living being, she generated heat. It was negligible, but there none the less, and it was something Caitlin could use against her. Reaching out her senses, Caitlin found what she was looking for, a faint heat signature coming from the white haired woman in front of her.
With a quick spring that would have made Barry proud Caitlin pounced. Tossing aside her shield, Caitlin grabbed Killer Frost, forming an ice shield on her own body to protect her organs. The ice was harder than steel and tougher than Kevlar. In the back of her mind Caitlin knew she would question it later, but right now she needed to stop her doppelganger. One hand covered Frost's chest, the other wrapping around her slender neck bruisingly. Frost scrabbled against the ice surrounding Caitlin, trying to free herself from the grip of the brown haired woman.
Feeling ruthless and scared beyond anything she had experienced before Caitlin started pulling the heat and power out of Frost, determined to not lose. Shrieking Frost tried to fight back, but Cailin was draining her too quickly, her scientific mind knowing exactly where to target to make the transfer as fast as possible. Caitlin knew she was killing the other woman, but she also knew she had no choice. Power flared between them and the world went black.
"So you literally have a god after you, wanting to kill you because you're getting faster?" Oliver asked with an exasperated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. Barry shrugged sheepishly.
"Yeah, things seem to get trippier and trippier."
Barry and Oliver had been standing in the cortex with Cisco, the two members of Team Flash catching the Arrow up on what had been going on when the intercom crackled to life. Shrieks could be heard filling the building. Panic stabbed through Barry and without a thought he scooped the two men with him under the arm and sped them down to the breach room, even as Thea called out,
"Get down here NOW!"
Releasing the two men the moment he stepped into the room Barry knew something was wrong. Blinding blue light surrounded Caitlin, who sat calmly in the middle of the storm, eyes closed. Her hair and skin kept morphing back and forth between her normal warm tones and the frigid tones of Killer Frost. Cautiously Barry moved to the side of the woman he loved, but was shot back with a blast of cold, hitting the wall by the door as Joe, Wally, Iris and H.R. came running into the room. He felt Iris kneel next to him and he thought he hear her asking if he was ok, but his eyes were glued to Caitlin.
"What the hell Thea?" Oliver growled as Cisco typed away at one of the consoles, frantic to find out what was happening to his friend. "What did you do to her?"
"N-Nothing." She shook her head. "I was trying to get her to meditate, to calm her thoughts. She found it and minutes after I sensed her mind clear she turned blue and started shaking."
"How do we stop this and save Caitlin?" Barry asked frantically, his heart ripping to shreds as he watched the persona of Killer Frost staying on her features longer than those of Caitlin Snow.
"We don't." H.R. twirled his ever present drumstick.
"Hello!" Cisco hollered. "If we don't stop this Caitlin will die."
"And I posit that she won't." H.R. swept his hand out at the woman who even now was glowing brighter and brighter. "I think Caitlin and Killer Frost are fighting for control. Each time Snow changes, that's the persona that is in control. It's a struggle though. Caitlin doesn't like to hurt anyone, yet Frost is a die hard killer."
"So you are saying all we can do is wait and see who ends up winning?" Joe groussed, Barry knowing his adoptive father didn't like sitting and waiting.
"Yes."
Barry felt as if time had slowed to a crawl, even from his perspective. His heart was pounding sluggishly and his mind was focused on one thought. He couldn't lose Caitlin, not now that he had just found her. He knew this life wouldn't be an easy one, but if he lost Caitlin, he would have nothing, not able to go on. Dreams that he had begun building began to crack around the edges, fear creeping in.
Slowly, gradually, Caitlin began to emerge from the image of Killer Frost, her body shaking violently. Getting to his feet Barry prepared himself for anything, tension coiling in him. He moved to stand in front of the others, not sure what would happen, but knowing he would be able to deal with anything faster than they could. Cisco stepped up beside him, goggles on. Wally took his other side, all three metas ready to face off against Killer Frost.
Suddenly Caitlin gasped and collapsed onto her side, blue light disappearing. Heart in his throat Barry flashed to her side, hands reaching for hers, fear nearly choking him. Cisco knelt on her other side, both men frightened of what might happen next. Caitlin hands were cool like always, but not so cold as to be concerning. She appeared to be breathing normal and her eyes were moving behind her eyelids.
"She's not going into shock, is she?" Barry asked Cisco. The goggled man took Caitlin's other hand and the world stilled. Barry knew he was vibing her, trying to wake Caitlin up. Suddenly Caitlin's eyes popped open and Barry felt his stomach drop. Her brown eyes had a ring of blue in them, blindingly bright. Cisco pulled his goggles off and stuffed them into the pocket of his shirt.
"Barry?" Caitlin asked, voice still warm and her own. She sat up slowly, looking around at everyone in the room. "What's going on?"
"Where is Killer Frost?" Thea answered, standing at Caitlin's feet as the others move to surround them. Barry was still on edge, not entirely sure who was in control.
"Gone." Cailin ran a hand through her hair, blinking. In one blink her eyes lost the blue color, making it easier for Barry to breathe.
"She tried attacking me while I was meditating. I had to stop her, and I think I did. I feel like I did before Flashpoint. I feel whole again."
"Thank God." Barry wrapped her up in his arms, unable to stop himself. He needed to hold her, to know that everything was ok. Caitlin hugged him back just as tight, running her hand through his hair. He gave a watery laugh. Even when she was the one who had been fighting, she was always the one to comfort him.
Looking at his friends and family around them Barry knew everything they would be able to survive anything that came at them.
