Hope you're not too hung up on the previous chapter's cliffhanger. Enjoy.
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Special thanks to Superior Tennyson, Steve993, godspeed 251, NeoTyson, CurlyGirl27, and Guests for reviewing the previous chapter.
Ten months ago...
Killer Frost was entering the warehouse where Savitar hides. She sees the God of Speed in the flesh, staring at his suit.
"Cool suit," she said. "Very god-like."
"That was my intention," said Savitar. "Do your 'friends' suspect anything?"
"Nope. They fully believe that Caitlin Snow is not going anymore," said Killer Frost.
"Good," said Savitar. "All that's left now is to set me free."
"Free from where?" asked Killer Frost.
"The Speed Force," said Savitar. "I can only stay in the physical world for so long before I get pulled back in. With your help, not only will I gain my freedom but the Flash will kneel down before you and me."
"Barry and Caitlin working together again," commented Killer Frost.
Savitar was affected by this comment. He walks towards Caitlin and stares at her with a hard look on his face.
"I'm not Barry. You're not Caitlin," said Savitar.
"I'm just sayin'," said Killer Frost.
"Are you sure you're ready?" asked Savitar. "Because deep down, we both know there's one thing that's gonna keep you from betraying the Flash."
"And what would that be?" questioned Killer Frost.
"You love him," said Savitar. "I can see it in your eyes. The way you look at him. It's the same way I once looked at Iris."
"And you think this will cloud my judgment?" questioned Killer Frost.
"I hope not," said Savitar. "I just want to be sure you don't lose sight of the bright future ahead of you. I will walk on this Earth as a God. You will be my Goddess, ruling by my side. Isn't that what you want?"
"Anything to be free of my pain," replied Killer Frost.
"Then keep it in mind," said Savitar.
Killer Frost watches as Savitar and his suit disappear, obviously sucked back into the Speed Force. She then thinks about Savitar's words. Deep down, she knew he was right. While she can't deny that she loves Barry, she refuses to believe that her feelings for him will affect her intentions.
Present Day
Barry runs away to avoid the ice blast coming towards him. He runs to the other side of the warehouse and hides behind a pile of crates.
"Oh, Flash," called Caitlin, her voice sounding as cold as Killer Frost. "Come out, come out, wherever your are."
Barry tried to keep his breathing under control in an attempt to calm himself down. He slowly peers around the corner, looking for Caitlin. She wasn't anywhere near his spot yet. He sighs with relief. He comes out and keeps an eye out in case of a surprise attack.
"We don't have to fight," he said.
"Of course we do," said Caitlin, her voice echoing against the walls.
Caitlin comes out and fires another ice blast, hitting Barry in the back. Barry falls down on all fours as he grunts from the frozen pain on his back. Caitlin kicks Flash on the side, knocking him down on his back. She puts her foot on his chest as she aims her ice-filled hand at his face.
"What are you waiting for? Do it," dared Barry. "Isn't this what Killer Frost wants? Me dead?"
The glow from Caitlin's eyes started to flicker until they turned off. She aims her hand away from the Barry and fires an ice blast at a wooden column, freezing it. Caitlin takes her foot off the Scarlet Speedster and turns around.
"Looks like you're still not in control of your powers," said Barry, standing up.
"Tell me something I don't know," said Caitlin sarcastically.
"You still want to kill me?" asked Barry.
"A part of me still does," answered Caitlin. "But the other part of me wants to fight by your side like old times."
"Seriously, you had me going back there," said Barry, referring to their brief fight.
"I got it under control," assured Caitlin. "Well, mostly."
"That's good enough for me," said Barry. "So, you remember everything?"
"I remember that you helped me overcome my fear of entering the pipeline. I remember we watched Harrison Wells' will together. And I remember the song we sang together at the club. 'Summer Nights'," said Caitlin.
To Caitlin's surprise, Barry walked closer towards her and gave her a hug. She did the polite thing and hugged back.
"Why?" asked Caitlin.
"I missed you," said Barry.
"Even after what I did?" asked Caitlin.
"I will always see you as my friend, Caitlin," said Barry. "No matter what you do, I will never lose sight of who you really are."
Caitlin smiled a little.
"You're a little too forgiving sometimes, Barry," said Caitlin.
"I'm not saying I forgive you," said Barry. "I'm just happy to see you. Well, the real you."
Barry gently touches a white streak on Caitlin's hair. Noticing this, Caitlin closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her white streaks reverted back to their original brown color.
"So, Barry, any more questions?" asked Caitlin.
"How did you survive?" asked Barry. "I saw you die and I held you in my arms when you did. The CCPD said that Detective Paulson destroyed your body because you killed his wife."
Caitlin looks away for a moment as she prepares to explain everything. "When you created that tornado to siphon some of the solar energy from Kara, the solar flare's power was decreased. Instead of destroying me, it just buried me under the remains of S.T.A.R. Labs. I knew I was gonna survive, but I didn't know what I was gonna do afterwards."
"Why?" asked Barry.
Caitlin looks back at Barry and says, "I'm broken, Barry. You saw how torn up I was. Trying to become Killer Frost when Caitlin Snow was always trying to come out, I couldn't handle it. And let's not forget everything that I did. Star City was nearly ashes. Central City is now a criminal playground. I didn't know if I could face everyone I used to care for. I was afraid they would never trust me again. So, I did the best thing I could think of. I faked my death."
"But your heart stopped beating. You stopped breathing," said Barry.
"Call it a magic trick," said Caitlin. "I decreased my body temperature so low until my own heart stopped beating. When my body was left alone, I took action. I met up with Detective Paulson. True, I killed his wife. Savitar brought her to me to test my will to kill, but Paulson didn't know his wife's death was my doing. So, I asked him to do something for me. I threatened to kill his son if he didn't cooperate. The body that he destroyed was a decoy mixed with my DNA. And there you go. Caitlin Snow was dead."
"Where were you all this time?" asked Barry.
"You were right about one thing. I wanted a fresh start, but not as an amnesiac," said Caitlin. "I moved to Hub City. Changed my name to Crystal Frost. Got a job as a therapist. And I'm pretty sure I already told you about my nighttime job."
"Why'd you come back?" asked Barry.
"I discovered that Savitar returned," said Caitlin. "I wanted to go back and help you, but I was afraid seeing me would make you feel worse. So, I erased my memories and led myself into believing that I am Crystal Frost."
"But you still kept your memories of Lisa and Earth-2 Laurel?" asked Barry.
"They may be criminals, Barry, but they were my friends, more or less," said Caitlin. "After Prometheus used Laurel for his plans, I wanted to make sure they were both safe."
"But wouldn't you have rather removed all memories of Caitlin Snow?" asked Barry. "I mean, you didn't want me to find out, right?"
"I had my suspicions, but as a professional, I accepted it as amnesia and didn't want to rush," said Caitlin.
"What about your powers?" asked Barry. "They're kind of a dead giveaway if your face didn't make it clear."
"I created a necklace that could absorb solar energy and keep my powers under control," said Caitlin. "One night, I was mugged. This lunatic ripped my necklace off me. I killed him by accident. I tried to conceal them, but my curiosity got the best of me. So, I started relearning what I could do."
"Okay, but if you erased your memories, how did you know to come here to Keystone?" asked Barry.
"I left myself some notes," answered Caitlin. "Where to go. Which house to buy. I wanted to make sure I do everything right, even if I won't be remembering anything."
"So, your real reason for coming here is Savitar?" asked Barry.
"Yes," answered Caitlin.
"But how did he know who you are?" asked Barry. "When he tried to kill me, you used your powers to save. Then Savitar just left saying 'all is revealed'. I think it's clear he was trying to expose the truth about Crystal Frost to me."
"He's been running for centuries. He's gotten smarter, smart enough to see through my ruse," said Caitlin.
"But why reveal it to me?" wondered Barry.
"I guess he figured it would hurt you more knowing that you would lose me again," said Caitlin. "Yeah, I still remember his plan to kill me on October 23."
"Well, it's not gonna happen," said Barry. "I will protect you, I promise."
"I can take care of myself, Barry," said Caitlin.
"Regardless, I'm not gonna lose you again," said Barry.
"I'll fight with you, Barry, if you'll do one thing for me," said Caitlin. "Don't tell the others."
"But, Caitlin, they deserve to know," said Barry. "Especially Cisco. He misses you."
"Barry, I killed Patty, Wells, Mick Rory, and my own mother," reminded Caitlin. "Besides, they have enough problems with Savitar. They don't need to worry about me."
"But they're still being paranoid around you," said Barry.
"And that's good enough for me," said Caitlin. "Please, Barry. I know keeping secrets never helps, but I need you to keep this one for me. Please."
After a while, Barry gives his response. "Alright. I promise."
Caitlin smiles at him. "Thank you."
"So, uh, now what?" asked Barry.
"Maybe we can grab lunch?" suggested Caitlin.
"If this is about me asking you out, I was asking Crystal Frost, not Caitlin Snow," said Barry.
"I know," said Caitlin. "But c'mon. You've been lying down in bed all day. Aren't you really hungry?"
"Now that you mentioned, I'm starving," said Barry.
"Coffee?" offered Caitlin. "I'm buying."
"Sound good to me," said Barry.
Please, no complaints about Barry being soft on Caitlin. I'm tired of explaining why. Anyway, I hope this was a good chapter. Leave a review and tell me what you think.