Ok, so…it's been a while since I saw the episode. Much is glossed over because reasons. If I don't cover it, as always, assume it's the same as in canon. And, throwing it out there, you can prompt through my tumblr for any scenes I skip. That said….time for " Fast Enough" (there will be one more chapter after this.)
Chapter 12
No one slept that night. Normally, that cats would have, exhausted after a day of running and arguing with a gorilla and fighting off metahumans who threatened their loved ones. Sue and Frieda pouted at the way their humans had lashed out—had hurt Papa Sco, and almost killed the Nyoomman. But there was no time to worry about that, because the Wheelman had returned.
Frieda and Georgia had looked at each other and blinked, a thought passing between them and then out. There had been enough of "next time." Unless the Nyoomman showed otherwise, they would fight with teeth and claws, and bring him down.
Scrap was, next to Fuzzwhump, the most disappointed that the Soft One had called her back when the Wheelman in his yellow suit had lain on the roof of the Wanna-Go-Car? Frozen by something that hummed uncomfortably, something from an arrow. But they were all glad to see Spike again, draped over a quiver on the Shout-Shoot man's back, even if they did have to leave in a hurry, something about Santiago earning his keep and chewing through a dungeon door.
Fuzzwhump licked her paws and settled in Sco's sweatshirt pocket. He was going nowhere without her, and if she had to kill the wheelman to keep her human safe, she'd do it. Even if she couldn't grow big or bite through bones, she'd find a way.
Cisco settled a hand on her back, trying to breathe deeply and more or less failing. He'd never wanted to see Eobard Thawne again. But they'd won. They'd done it. All that was left was, get a confession somehow, and then….
He didn't know what. Kill the guy? He'd killed at least a half dozen people, probably more, the pipeline couldn't hold him forever, neither could any other jail. A lifetime ago, Cisco had offered help, getting him back to his time, but the thought of helping him do anything made Cisco's skin crawl.
Barry could decide. It was his family that had been hurt. It was his life the Reverse Flash had destroyed. Let Barry have the headache.
Cisco borrowed one of the vans, and drove himself home, but he still didn't sleep.
Nyoom was bored. All her human wanted to do was talk to people. Maybe what he was saying was interesting, she couldn't tell, but he was crying a little and his voice was doing the shaky thing, so Nyoom made sure to stick close and give him cuddles and only yowl at him to remind him she was bored a little.
Ok, a lot. But leaving him to go running seemed like a Bad Plan. She couldn't understand Human, but he talked to the Wheelman and he got angry and, then to the Big Man and he was sad, and every time she meowed (Go Run? Yes, Go Run. Clear head. Run) he just scratched her ears.
At least something interesting happened. The Warm Two split, and Ginger had come with them, and after lots of talking, they all went outside. Some people stared at the group, but Nyoom was more interested in batting at the Nyoomman's hoodie strings than in paying attention to the Old Warm one talking. Still, it was nice to run around on the grass, and roll in it.
Scrap purred. Her human was happy, and safe. The Warm one was staying, and Ginger explained that they were back for good, which was nice. She had missed her littermate. The white dress was soft and smelled clean, and while Ris mad a noise that sounded like "No", Scrap's human didn't seem to mind, scooping her up and hugging her close. For the first time in what felt like too long, all scrap could sense was Happy. Even Sco was grinning, not shaky or scared, and after a while, everyone just flopped onto the blankets they'd set out, and sat in the sunshine.
Maybe People could learn how to be like cats after all.
Goldie lay across Eddie's shoulders, purring. Iris was in much the same boat with Bear, and they sat together in the Star Labs cortex. It was quiet—most of the busy work was happening elsewhere, with Cisco and Ronnie building a Time machine downstairs, Barry working with Stein on something. Iris was glad for the company, and she thought Eddie was, too. It had been a relief when he'd found her at work, reminded that he had his own destiny to choose.
"I was so worried," she told him, reaching up to give Goldie a scratch. "I thought he might have hurt you."
"He couldn't kill me," Eddie shrugged, and Goldie gave a mew of discomfort at the movement. "I'm his…great great somethingth grandfather. I wonder if I can pre-disinherit him."
"If only," Iris sighed. "Are you ok? I mean…"
"I think…I think I will be. Once this is over." Eddie sighed again. "I don't know."
"That's the thing about the future, I guess. None of us know. The, timeline thing, it's always shifting, or whatever. Like, ripples. Little coincidences...big ones… " she trailed off. "None of us, not even Dr. Evil McBodySnatch down there really know the full extent of that. Maybe vague outlines of what the future was, might be, but…nothing's stone."
It was what Eddie needed to hear, honestly. Goldie patted at Iris's cheek while Bear did the same to Eddie, and they both reached up.
"If Barry does change the past," Eddie said after a moment. "I hope this doesn't change completely. I can't imagine a life without you in it, in some way."
"It's been a hell of a year and a half," Iris agreed, "and I hope the same. Maybe nothing's stone, but there are some things—I don't think they can all change. The friendships…the—just everything. My dad said that Wells—not Wells, but him—told Barry once that history finds a way to fix things. I think he meant bad stuff still happening, but maybe it works for the good things, too."
They sat in silence for a few more moments, simply enjoying each other's company for what they both hoped wasn't the last time. Still eased around their necks like living scarves, the cats purred, low, pulsing, soothing notes of calmness and reassurance.
It didn't hurt as much as Iris thought it would to stand, when Caitlin ushered them down. Now was the moment of truth. In a few minutes, everything would change—or nothing would change.
They didn't let Nyoom follow Barry, didn't want to risk her getting hurt, or lost in the time stream. Cisco held her un one arm, while Fuzzwhump sat on his shoulder, clearly unhappy at the whole concept of letting Wells out of his cell ever.
"It's ok, Fuzz. He's going away, never coming back." Cisco whispered to her. Her fur flattened some, but so did her ears.
"Maybe I better keep her, when you go down to get the Time machine running," Caitlin said with a wince. "In case she tries to kill him again."
Cisco shrugged. "If you want her to try to kill you in an attempt to get back to me, you're welcome to try, but I like you alive, Caitlin. And she'll behave…probably. Besides, she's not like your fluffmonster, she can't actually kill anyone."
"Eiling deserved—" Caitlin started.
"Shush! I am working!" Stein snapped, frazzeled. "Barry's almost to…Mach…there! He's done it. Injecting the particle now!"
There was a rather loud bang, and an image flashed on the screen. The Wormhole. Cisco swallowed. "Ok. This is it, then. Let's do this."
They didn't have much time to waste—they hadn't before, either, and dimly, Cisco could almost hear those same alarms bells of that December night. With Fuzzwhump held close, he and Joe entered the pipeline, and Cisco opened the cell that housed the time machine, pulling it out to the center of the walkway with surprisingly little effort. Looking down, he saw that Ginger and Schrodinger helping.
Wells—Thawne—smirked as he passed by. Joe still had a gun on him, but they all knew that it was useless. It would be useless if Thawne had wanted to fight them. Cisco was just glad he apparently didn't. Fuzzwhump hissed, the sound echoing in the strangely silent corridor. Cisco would have expected a hole in time to make noise, but all there was was the sound of footfalls, and breathing, and rapid heartbeats.
Time ticked so slowly, and Cisco felt the urge to hold his breath, backing up and away from the time machine as it turned on.
Holy shit it works. It's gonna work. Cisco thought, giddy.
And then the world exploded in a spray of glass.
Cisco scrambled upright but could do no more, rooted in terror as Barry and Thawne fought, a terrible yellow and red ball of lightning, the sound of static and almost thunder louder even than his own heavy breathing. He clutched at Fuzzwhump, eyes darting from the destroyed time machine to Joe, dazed and unsteadily leaning against a wall, and back to the two fighting speedsters. Eobard hadn't eaten as much, but—but he'd gotten used to that, to not needing as many calories to keep running. And Barry had exhausted himself from the run…
They needed Firestorm, and the Arrow, and everyone, Cisco knew, because Barry was still no match for Thawne, not singlehanded, not in this state. They needed a miracle.
Barry pushed off the side wall, diving into Thawne and punching him square, but Thawne was ready. He twisted with the blow and snapped back around, tossing Barry head first into the floor. Barry heaved for breath, drawing in oxygen like a lungful of fire, but managed to roll, ducking out of the way. At least the portal was closed, there was no chance of being pulled in unwillingly. He could see the red eyes that had haunted his childhood nightmares fixed on him, and took only milliseconds to judge, then swung. His fist connected, but so did the other speedster's blow, and then his other blow, and another, crushing the air from his chest. Barry thrashed and caught Eobard's leg, not quite enough to knock him down, but enough to get free.
and then they were running again, across the walls, the sound of footsteps ringing out hollow and clear against the walls and the closed cell doors—if Barry could get one of them open and lead Eobard back around-
The distracted moment of thought was all Eobard needed, lengthening his stride and sending Barry crashing down. He stood over him in the wreckage of shattered glass, vibrating with furry. Barry didn't have time to stand, not even to pull himself into a sitting position, when Eobard let out a hoarse shout.
Cisco's arms had gone numb, as frozen as his feet, but Fuzzwhump had not been stilled. She knew this Fear. She had not let it cow her like a kit again, for all she was not yet a yearling cat. Before Cisco could gather his thoughts enough to tighten his grip, the cat has pulled free and launched herself through the field of glass, springing off the edge of some larger debris.
"Fuzzwhump!" Cisco yelped, stumbling forward.
Eobard turned, reaching up to fling her from his back. She yowled in fury, half staggering to her paws, as Eobard again turned to Barry.
Barry wasn't there, having taken the miracle and bolted in a blaze of gold lightning. Rocketing back along the pipeline's length, he drew on the dregs of his strength, though his legs felt like concrete and his throat like shattered glass. He could hear someone running, footsteps, help had to be on the way, if he could just do this much, just be fast enough.
The tackle might have worked if he'd had the strength to pin Eobard. As it was, the Reverse Flash shoved him hard, rolling, then pulling him up by the throat. Even with the mask still in place, and a cut bleeding into his eye, Barry knew Eobard was grinning. A gunshot rang out, but Eobard caught the projectile fired from Joe's gun and tossed it aside. He raised one hand, sparking enough lightning to shade the area a sickly red.
"Just so we're clear, I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill everyone in this building, and then I'll kill your father. The Arrow and his team. Everyone you've ever cared about. Because I always win, Flash." The laugh was grating. "I always—"
He cut himself off as he saw something very small leaping at his face in the corner of his eye. He lashed out, his arm catching the kitten and sending her hard into the same wall she'd crashed into before. She hit the ground with a soft thud, limp, her pale eyes open and dull. Cisco screamed, racing forward too slow.
Another gunshot rang out, accompanied by Joe's pained yell—" Eddie!"
Barry closed his eyes.
oh look, something worse than killing Cisco.
I've been plotting this last scene for about….5 months. I think it's time for a capslocks party. I'll be roasting marshmallows in Hell, if anyone cares to join me.
Hopefully the last chapter will be up before I move back to Idaho in a week.