Some have been leaving reviews about how Team Flash, especially, Barry should be suspicious of Crystal Frost 24/7. I can understand why. Although, it's getting pretty annoying up to this point, so I thought maybe I'd give them what they expect. Barry is amnesiac at this point, so it's just gonna be Team Flash being paranoid about Crystal from this chapter and forward.
Leave a review after reading, please.
Special thanks to Guest(s), NeoTyson, Steve993, and godspeed 251 for reviewing the previous chapter.
"So, Savitar lost his memory?" asked Jesse.
"Pretty much," answered Crystal.
"And he just let you go?" asked Wally.
"I just told him to let me go and stay where he is," said Crystal.
"This is great," said Cisco. "That means we can find him. Do you still remember where he is?"
"Yes," said Crystal. "A warehouse on 18th and Rose."
"Awesome," said Cisco, smiling as if he just won the science fair.
"In the meantime, we have an unconscious amnesiac in the medical bay we have to take care of," said Jesse.
"Did you really have to punch him?" Joe asked Jesse.
"He wouldn't stop panicking, so I had to," said Jesse.
"Why is he amnesiac again?" asked Crystal.
Cisco looked at everyone, asking them to explain for him, but neither of them said anything.
"We, uh, zapped Barry's brain to temporarily block his ability to store new memories," explained Cisco. "That way, Savitar can't find out what we're planning."
"But something went wrong," guessed Crystal, crossing her arms.
"We ended up wiping his entire brain by mistake," said Cisco, sounding like a busted child facing his angry mother.
"And what made you think it was a good idea to do this without a brain expert?" questioned Crystal.
"Hey, you were captured, so we had to do something," said Cisco. "You should be thanking us, you know. If we didn't do this, Savitar wouldn't have just let you go."
"He does have a point," said Wally.
"Thank you," said Crystal to Cisco sarcastically.
"You're really starting to sound a lot like her," said Jesse sharply.
Crystal sighs. "I know you're still cautious with me, but now is not the time."
Wally whispers to Jesse, "Definitely sounding a lot like her."
"I can hear you," said Crystal.
"Okay, so we got three items on the to-do list," said Cisco. "Find Savitar. Restore Barry's memories. And keeping him busy until we do."
"You sure we can't just keep him sedated until then?" asked Wally.
"Wally," scolded Joe.
"It's not only wrong but impossible," said Crystal. "Making a sedative powerful enough to keep Barry asleep for 24 hours is years beyond today's medicine and technology."
"So, someone's gonna have to take babysitting," said Cisco. "One, two, three, not it!"
"Not it!" shouted Wally.
"Not it!" shouted Jesse.
"Not it!" shouted Joe.
Everyone in the room looks at Crystal, the only person who hasn't shouted "not it".
"Fine. I'll look after him," said Crystal.
"Just be sure he's safe," said Joe.
"I will," promised Crystal.
"And make sure he stays out of trouble," said Wally.
"That's practically same thing as Joe said," said Crystal.
"And don't get any funny ideas," warned Jesse.
"Who do you think I am? Caitlin Snow?" accused Crystal.
Cisco raises his finger and opens his mouth, about to speak, until Crystal interrupts him.
"Don't answer that," she said.
Suddenly, someone ran out of the medical bay. It was Barry, awake.
"Probably didn't punch him hard enough," said Jesse.
"How many times are you people gonna kidnap me?" Barry was still scared and confused.
"Barry, calm down," said Crystal.
"It's Bart, thank you very much," interrupted Barry.
"Look... Bart... just relax," pleaded Crystal. "We're your friends, family." She looks at Joe and tells him, "Show him some pictures."
"Oh," said Joe, feeling stupid for not doing it before.
Joe takes out his phone and gives it Barry. He can see pictures of him and Joe. Pictures of him and Wally. Pictures of him and a girl about his age. He finds a picture of him with Joe and the girl, which gives him the thought that the girl is either a friend or Joe's daughter.
"Who is she?" asked Barry.
"Iris. My daughter," answered Joe.
"So, who am I?" asked Barry.
"You're my son," said Joe.
"Adopted, actually," said Wally.
"And how do we know each other?" Barry asked Wally.
"Oh, uh, I'm your brother," said Wally.
Confused, Barry checks his hand before shoving it in his pocket. A nervous smile shows up on Wally's face, feeling embarrassed for what he said to Barry.
Barry looks at Crystal and asks, "And you? How do I know you?"
"I'm... uh... your doctor," said Crystal. "Look, I'll explain everything later, but you have to calm down. No one here is going to hurt you."
Crystal slowly walks toward Barry. She reaches for his hand and holds it. Barry looks down at his hand before looking at Crystal. He was beginning to calm down. However, he wasn't doing anything else but look at Crystal for a long time.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" asked Crystal.
"Nothing, it's just that... something about you seems familiar," said Barry. "I don't know what it is. I just feel it."
"That's good. You're remembering," said Crystal. "Do you remember them?" Crystal gestured to the rest of Team Flash.
"No," said Barry.
Everyone hangs their heads in sadness.
"Well, don't worry. We're all going to help you remember," promised Crystal. "Until then, I'll be taking of you."
"Except for when you have to be here to actually help us," pointed out Cisco.
"Shut up, Cisco," said Crystal with snark.
"Why do I have a feeling Caitlin had a twin sister she never told me about?" joked Cisco.
"Who's Caitlin?" asked Barry.
"Best you don't remember just yet," replied Wally.
"Alright, I'm gonna let you people handle this. I'm gonna go fill in Cecile," said Joe, leaving the lab.
Crystal looks back at Barry, only to catch him staring at her again. Crystal raises an eyebrow to tell him that he's making her feel uncomfortable.
"Sorry," apologized Barry. "Hey, uh, do you guys know any good places around here? I'm hungry."
"Follow me," said Crystal.
Barry follows Crystal out of Mercury Labs.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Mercury Labs, Tracy was working on the Speed Force trap. However, she was not too pleased about the progress.
"You don't want to work?" She said to a circular piece of metal she took out of the trap. "Well, I don't need you!"
Tracy throws the piece away, only for H.R. to accidentally step on it as he walked in.
H.R. scoops up the little piece with his drumstick like a donut and then puts it over his eye like a monocle, looking at the device, which looks like a big gun. "Am I to infer that, uh, you've hit a little speed bump in your quest to build a device to trap Savitar in the Speed Force? The... uh..."
"Accelerated matter microgenerator projectile," finished Tracy. Seeing H.R.'s confused face, she says, "I know it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue."
"No, it doesn't," said H.R. "How about we call this fancy device of yours..."
H.R. started drumming on the device, causing Tracy to worry he might damage it.
"Call it the..." continued H.R., still drumming.
"Speed Force Cannon?" suggested Tracy.
H.R. turns around and says, "Speed Force Bazooka."
"Speed Force Gun?" suggested Tracy.
H.R.'s face tells Tracy that it doesn't sound right.
"Speed Force Bazooka is better," agreed Tracy.
"Yeah," said H.R.
"But if the Speed Force Bazooka doesn't start working soon, we're gonna have to start calling it the Speed Force Epic Fail," complained Tracy. "Mercury Labs is technologically advanced, but their tech isn't sufficient enough."
"Would be nice to see S.T.A.R. Labs again. They got everything," said H.R.
"Even if the tech here is sufficient, it's still not enough," said Tracy.
"Why, what's the problem?" asked H.R.
"The accelerometer," said Tracy, holding up some sort of tube-like piece of tech. "It sucks a hell of a lot of air watts, which is measured..."
"Stop talking science," interrupted H.R., grabbing the tech from Tracy's hand. "You need to take a step back from the Speed Force Bazooka."
"But there's not time," said Tracy.
"There's always time," said H.R. "Because, sometimes, to move forward, you have to take a step back. Step back..."
Tracy looks at H.R. and literally takes a step backward.
"Now, shake a little," said H.R., shaking his shoulders. "Shake out those shoulders."
Tracy started shaking her shoulders like H.R.
H.R. grabs Tracy's shoulders and feels something. "Oh. Oh, my gosh. The tension in your shoulders... think of something that calms you."
Tracy closes her eyes as H.R. gently moves her back and forth.
"Coffee," muttered Tracy.
"Oh, yes," replied H.R.
"But not just any coffee," said Tracy. "Piping hot Indonesian dark roast with..."
"... Raspberry and coriander," said H.R. and Tracy at the same time.
The two froze when they heard each other talking at the same time. H.R. puts his hand over his heart. Tracy did the same almost simultaneously. They were feeling a connection and they couldn't deny it.
"I've never met another person who uses copious amount of caffeine to chill out," said Tracy.
"I've never met another person either," said H.R., walking closer towards Tracy.
H.R. and Tracy started leaning towards each other. Their lips were a couple inches away from each other. Suddenly, H.R. pulls back, much to Tracy's surprise and disappointment.
"I-I-I-I'm relaxed," said H.R., awkwardly, still thinking about the moment they almost shared. "Are you relaxed?"
Tracy nods yes.
"You, um... and I'll, uh... okay," H.R. leaves the lab, still feeling awkward.
As soon as H.R. left the lab, Tracy looks back at her device and smiles, her heart beating out of control at the thought of H.R.
At the cafe, Barry and Crystal sit down and have a cup of coffee, along with some cake.
"So, uh, how long have we known each other?" asked Barry.
"Just a couple of weeks," answered Crystal.
"Feels like I've known you forever," said Barry.
Crystal responds by giggling.
"What's so funny?" asked Barry.
"Nothing," said Crystal. "So, uh, remembering anything?"
"No," said Barry. "So, you said you're my doctor, right? A doctor for what?"
"Psychology," answered Crystal.
"Am I a crazy person?" asked Barry, suddenly feeling worried.
"No. No, you're not," said Crystal. "You're just... I don't know if I should tell you right now."
"Why not?" asked Barry.
"I want to take this slow," said Crystal. "You're clearly overwhelmed by everything around you, so I want to take it easy with you."
"Well, I know now that I can trust you," said Barry.
Crystal smiles. "Good."
"That guy with the long hair back at the lab said something about... Caitlin... twin sister or something," mentioned Barry. "Is that why I know you? Did I know your sister for a long time?"
"No, I don't have a sister," said Crystal. "But I am a lookalike. Caitlin's lookalike."
"Was she a friend?" asked Barry.
"She was practically family to you," answered Crystal.
"Well, where is Caitlin?" asked Barry curiously.
"You ask way too many questions," said Crystal.
"Well, I can't help it. I can't remember anything," said Barry.
"Let's just focus on getting you full. We'll continue this later," said Crystal.
And so, Barry continued to drink his coffee and eat his slice of cake.
Later that day, Barry and Crystal returned to Crystal's house.
"That's your home over there," said Crystal, pointing to the house next door.
"We're neighbors?" asked Barry. "Good thing. We don't have to go anywhere for a therapy session."
When they entered through the front door, Barry marvels at the interior decorating.
"Nice place," said Barry. "I see you like blue."
"So did Caitlin, at least according to you," said Crystal.
"You sure you're not this person's twin?" joked Barry.
Crystal chuckles. "Sometimes, I wish was."
Crystal shows Barry his Facebook profile on her comptuer, allowing him to learn more about himself. He started by reading what he did in high school.
"Science Club. Key Club. Astronomy Club. Yearbook. Anime Club," Barry read. "I definitely had quite the nerd thing going on, huh?"
"You're one of the smartest boys I've ever known," said Crystal.
"Did I have any friends in high school?" asked Barry.
"You had Iris," said Crystal. "She was your best friend."
"I find that hard to believe," said Barry.
"Why?" asked Crystal.
Barry shows Crystal a photo from high school. "I don't remember any of this, but even I can see how wrong 'that' look was." It was a photo of him with his hair combed down and a white shirt with ridiculous words on it.
Crystal covers her mouth as she started laughing.
"This is visual terrorism. I won't look at it anymore," said Barry, looking away from the computer.
Barry looks at Crystal and sees her smiling and staring at him.
"What?" asked Barry, still smiling.
"It's just... it's really nice to see you smiling," said Crystal.
"Why? Was my mental case making me... miserable?" asked Barry.
"I wouldn't call it a mental case, but... yeah," replied Crystal. "It's just strange seeing you like this. The Barry Allen I met was full of pain. Now, he's so light."
"Then should I really be getting my memories back?" asked Barry. "If I'm miserable with them, maybe I'm better off without them."
"We have to restore them, Barry. You're not the real you without them," said Crystal.
"What am I like without the pain?" asked Barry curiously.
"According to your friends, 'this' you," said Crystal, gesturing to all of her friend. "Well, except with your memories."
"What changed? Why did I go from happy to miserable?" asked Barry.
Knowing Barry won't stop asking questions, Crystal decided it's time to give him the answers he wants, even if it might hurt him.
Crystal takes Barry to his house next door.
"Neat," said Barry. "Not as nice as your place, though."
"Well, it wasn't meant to look like a museum," said Crystal.
Barry immediately notices the family pictures. He picks up of him with the woman called Iris.
"We must be really good friends," commented Barry.
"You were more than friends, actually," said Crystal. "You loved her."
"I fell in love with my adopted sister?" questioned Barry, raising an eyebrow, feeling uncomfortable.
"Legally, she wasn't your sister," said Crystal. "She and Joe just took you in."
"Where is she now?" asked Barry.
"She's, uh... she's gone," said Crystal, hanging her head and looking away.
Barry's smile drops as he looks back at the photo.
"What happened?" asked Barry.
"She was murdered," said Crystal. "That's why I'm here."
"How long has it been?" asked Barry.
"Seven months," answered Crystal.
"How bad was I?" asked Barry. "Please, Crystal, I need to know."
"You were... a mess," said Crystal truthfully. "You wouldn't talk to Joe, to Wally, to any of your friends. You just wanted to be alone and grieve."
"Then I met you. What happened then?" asked Barry.
"You were getting better," answered Crystal. "You started to smile again. You started talking to your friends. You even helped Joe get back together with his girlfriend."
"You must be good at your job," complimented Barry.
Crystal laughs a little. "That's what you said before."
"Then I must've meant it," said Barry, smiling. "Are you really sure I need my memories back? I can start over, be happy."
"But you won't be you," protested Crystal.
Barry walks closer towards Crystal and says, "I don't know why, but this feeling I have when I'm with you... it just feels right."
Crystal started blushing and covers a part of her face with her hair.
"What's the matter?" asked Barry.
"This is wrong," said Crystal.
"Why?" asked Barry.
"You still love Iris," said Crystal. "This relief isn't real. You just don't remember how much it hurts."
"Do I really have to live with the pain?" asked Barry. "I feel fine and having you by my side is helping. Isn't that good enough for you?"
Crystal was about to respond, until she noticed how close Barry was to her. The two started leaning towards each other until their lips touched. After one second, Barry retreats.
"I'm sorry," apologized Barry.
"No, it's okay," said Crystal.
Barry kisses Crystal again. The latter kisses back. Crystal takes off her jacket and puts her arms around Barry, deepening the kiss.
Hope this was good. Let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate it.