Chapter 12
Because the Blue Beetle was missing, and Barry had looked everywhere he could think of, there wasn't much for him to do, villain wise. Although Luthor was still in hiding, he had not been found, even when Barry had searched the Earth, so his best guess was he was off world. He would continue the search, but he would focus on other things. Such as, his proposal to Anna.
He had been thinking about proposing for a while, but he just hadn't had the guts to do it. Which, would make sense, because they had only been together for a few months. It was crazy to think they could get married, especially when the world itself was going crazy.
Now, with everything rather calm, he felt a duty he had never felt before. It wasn't like the duty he felt to the Justice League, or even the duty he had once felt to free his father. Now, he felt there was only one thing missing from his life.
The only problem was that he had no idea how to propose. He had always been focused on his studies, trying to find the culprit behind his mother's death. He never took the time to learn how relationships really worked, which may have been partly why the relationship with Patty Spivot never could have worked. He was too naïve and young. He was still young, at 21, but the time he had spent with Anna in the past had really opened his eyes. Plus, she knew who he was at the start of their relationship, which made everything so much easier. Still, because he was rather inexperienced, he really had no clue as to what he should do for her. How he wished he still had his mother, so she could teach him. Or even his father, to tell him how to make it special.
The first thing he needed to do was get her an engagement ring. But not just any ring. He was going to make it himself. He knew it was corny, but he wanted to forge the ring, as he and Anna had forged their love. He needed her to know this was real.
Barry also wanted the ring to serve a purpose other than commitment. His ring came from the Speed Force, what gave him his powers, but it also hid his suit, which he used a lot. He wanted something similar for Anna, or at least, as useful in nature for her.
First, he had to actually make the ring, which he could work on later, and luckily, Anna hadn't woken up yet. He went out to several massive libraries to learn everything there was to learn about forging, and he learned how to forge quite a lot of items, from swords to chains, but more importantly, rings. He had found what he was looking for, and now he was actually ready for the process. He spent what felt like hours to him, but in real time, it only took him two minutes. The ring was finished, and he made it look almost identical to his, with his lightning emblem on it. It looked much nicer than his, but that was the point.
Next, he had to give it a physical purpose. He had thought about having the ring display a hologram video of their memories, or of themselves, but he didn't really know where he could get the video from.
His best idea, and the one he would ultimately stick to, was to make the ring a direct line to him while he was in his suit. That way, she could talk to him at any time she wanted, and he could respond without the need to press any buttons.
He got to work on the wiring, and finished it much faster than the forging part of the process. He tested it multiple times to make sure it worked properly, and when he made sure it did, he went out and bought the ring box, and ordered for it to be specifically in the colors of Arendelle. He didn't think Anna would notice it in the moment, but he felt it would be a nice touch.
The reading was what took most of the time from all of these activities, but in total, only half an hour had passed. By the time he had returned, Anna had already gotten up, and was looking around the house when he came through the front door.
"Anna?" he called into the house. "I'm home!"
"Barry!" she yelled from another room, and soon came into sight. "Where have you been?"
"I was out looking for any of the missing villains," he lied, as he hugged her.
"Well, I've been waiting for you," she said, smiling at him. "What are we going to do today?"
"I was thinking we could go out on a date," he said, returning the smile.
"Yes, oh yes!" she exclaimed. "I've been dying to go on another one!"
"How does the diner at the top of Central Tower in Central City sound?" Barry offered.
"Well," she hesitated. "I was actually thinking about somewhere near here."
"Of course!" he said, completely changing his plans in his head. "Is there any reason?"
"It's just," she said, "I miss the castle and seeing everyone around."
"If you want, I can rebuild it out in the sea like it used to be," he suggested, but she shook his head.
"All I need is you Barry," she said, as she leaned closer to him. "You, here in Arendelle, with me, forever."
"I like the sound of that," he whispered, and they both leaned into each other for a kiss.
"Hey," came the timid greeting from Elsa, who had just come downstairs from her room, making the pair momentarily separate.
"I'm going to go take another look at the Earth in search for the bad guys, and I'm going to go pay a visit to someone on the Watchtower," Barry told Anna. "I'll be back a few hours."
"Okay," she said back, as he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and ran out the door to scour the world.
"How have you been, Elsa?" Anna asked once Barry had left, now with more confidence in her voice.
"I'm fine," she tensed. "And you?"
"Oh, I have a feeling something good is coming for Barry and I," Anna said dreamily.
"Really?" Elsa said, raising an eyebrow.
"Mhm," Anna replied, happily. "I realized how much I've been worrying about him cheating. It's always on my mind, eating away at me, but once he showed me the truth, it made it a lot easier to feel better."
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.
"When the news said that you were his new girlfriend a few days ago," Anna replied. "He showed me how that was all fake. I was simply, overreacting."
"Well, that's good," Elsa said, as she let out a sigh of relief.
"In any case, I'm going on a date with him later tonight," Anna said, excitedly. "I can't wait!"
"Well, I hope you have fun," Elsa said, absently, as she went back to her room, leaving Anna to prepare herself.
The search had once again proven unsuccessful, with neither Luthor or the Rogues being located, but that was fine with Barry, because it gave him time to pay a visit to an old foe.
The trip to the Watchtower was instantaneous, thanks to his teleporter. He walked out of the teleportation room, and went to a lower level on the station, to the prisoner rooms. He looked up Reverse Flash on the database, found the directions, and went towards his cell.
Before he even looked at Thawne, the villain had already noticed him.
"Been a long time, eh Barry?" he mocked, as he got up from the bed.
"I need answers," Barry growled. "Why are your powers gone?"
"Straight to the point," Thawne laughed. "You always were one to-"
"Answer me, Thawne!" Barry yelled, as he pounded on the glass.
"We're desperate today as well, I see," Thawne jeered. "Why would I know?"
"Because I need you to know," Barry said, as he hung his head.
"Let me guess," Thawne said. "All of your villains are loose, including Luthor, and you need this all resolved by tomorrow?"
"Not all of the villains," Barry admitted. "But most of them. Plus a new one who I need to find."
"And why would it help if you knew why my speed is gone?" Thawne inquired.
"I have a theory," Flash said, as he hesitated to tell Thawne. "If I can learn why your speed is gone, then maybe I can find a way to take the speed away from all of my villains."
"So they can't fight you anymore," Thawne understood. "Genius. I'm surprised you didn't think of it before."
"Are you going to tell me, or are you going to make me go and get the answers from you?" Barry threatened.
"Sounds to me as if that girl you found yourself made you 'tougher'," Thawne sneered. "She would make an excellent speedster minion."
"Don't you speak of her!" Barry shouted, as he banged even harder on the glass wall. "Answer me!"
"Unfortunately for you, I have no idea why my speed is gone," Thawne sighed. "But there is someone who might know."
"Who?"
"Alexander Luthor, ironically," he replied. "He tested on me when he found me. I'm sure he has at least some idea."
"Why are you helping me?" Barry asked suspiciously.
"Because you asked?" Thawne answered sarcastically.
"But why?" Barry pressed. "You would never help me before. Why now?"
"The crisis has not concluded," Thawne said, looking away. "You're going to be needed. No one will survive if we lose."
"You're saying I'm going to have to," Barry hesitated. "I'll have to go again?"
"I don't know," Thawne said truthfully.
"Thawne, what happens in the future? Is this where it all ends?" Barry asked calmly.
He shook his head and turned back towards him. "The timeline is constantly changing... I can feel it. Nothing is set in place."
"When Batman gets back. I'm-" Barry started.
"If," Thawne said, as he raised his hand. "If he gets back."
"Enjoy your stay, Thawne," Barry said, as a final remark, and he walked out of the cell, leaving Thawne alone again.
Another search for the villains had proven to yield no fruit, and Barry had no choice but to head home. Luckily for him, there was no one home. He assumed Anna was out, gathering groceries, or even buying things for their date. Thankfully, Elsa had gotten the memo, and she wasn't anywhere to be seen in the house.
He quickly changed into a much, much nicer attire. A classic fit suit did the job well enough for him, and he quickly made the backyard a romantic dining spot, putting hanging lanterns everywhere, and setting up a nice, round table for the two of them.
The scene was set, and he went back inside to find the ring, which he had left in their room, in a drawer. The plan was to put it somewhere she wouldn't see in the house, and then when his moment came, he would run in at super speed for it and back so she wouldn't see it by accident during the date. When he had taken it, he looked through the window to notice that Anna was back, walking to the front door. He had only looked at her hair, which looked very royal, similar to how she had had it during her sister's coronation. He put the box back, trying to cherish every detail of what he had just seen. He made his way to the front door, and as she went up, he opened it for her, leaving him stunned.
It was no wonder why she had been a princess, because she was leaving him completely without words. She was wearing a beautiful dress, similar in colors to the one she had worn the day they had met. She was a sight to behold.
"Come in," he stuttered. "It's time to, uh, eat."
"Barry, you dress very nicely," she giggled, as she took his hand.
"I prepared the backyard for our date, which I wasn't supposed to do, because we were going to go out to dinner," he groaned, as he remembered and rubbed his temples. "Anna, dear, I'm sorry, it slipped my-"
But she had already left to see, and when Barry turned to go explain what he had done, she was out in the backyard, with the biggest smile he had ever seen from her.
"Oh Barry, it's perfect!" she gushed, as she twirled around in her dress. He returned a smile of his own to her, as he entered the backyard, his plan working, surprisingly.
"I didn't really know what you would want, so I got a lot of dishes prepared," he said, as he presented the main table, and the side table, resting with delicacies of every type.
"It's fine, as long as you got me..." she said, as she looked around and found what she was looking for. "Chocolate!"
"Yes, I knew you would want some," he laughed. "Come on, let's sit."
They both sat down, and kept staring at each other, until Anna broke the silence.
"I think I'll have the steak," Anna said, nervously. Barry used his super speed to run over and bring it to her instantly, to which she giggled.
"What?" Barry mused.
"Nothing," she kept giggling, until she controlled herself. "I just can't believe how lucky I am."
"What you feel," he smiled. "I feel times a thousand."
The pair kept making bad jokes, until they had finished their food.
"Oh boy, I'm stuffed," Anna sighed. "Aren't you?"
He shook his head, and responded, "My super mouth ate the food at, well, super speed."
"Well, I think we had a great date," Anna said back.
"Wait!" he said, remembering why he wanted to have the date in the first place. "I have something for you."
"Oh?" she said, searching her mind for what it could be.
"Look, Anna, there's something I have to tell you first," he said, squirming in his seat.
"Yes?" she said, now a look of worry forming on her face.
"Don't worry, it's not something bad," he assured her, and she relaxed.
"Do you remember the day I came back?" he asked carefully.
"Yes!" she said excitedly, and then acted normal. "I mean, yes?"
"Well, I actually returned one day earlier," he stammered, and Anna's mouth dropped.
"I needed to get my life sorted, and whatever Elsa told you was a lie," he confessed. "And I didn't trust myself to go back to you."
"You mean, you didn't want to return to me?" she asked, heartbroken.
"I didn't," Barry admitted. "But not because I didn't love you! It was because I didn't think you deserved me."
"Is that why we're having this date?" she asked, confused. "To tell me this?"
"Well partly," he said, taking a deep breath to prepare himself.
"I needed to get this out of the way, before I, um, asked you something," he told her, and as he got up to get the ring, he noticed the door to the house open. He looked over, and saw Elsa was running outside, as fast as she could towards them.
"Barry," she said, out of breath. "Take a look at the news."
He ran into the house at normal speed, and turned on the television in the living room. He switched the channel to a news one, and watched it unfold.
Central City was reporting a hostage situation. The man behind it? The Blue Beetle. The hostage? Iris West. What were the demands? The Flash turn himself in.
"I need to go," Barry said to Anna, who had just come in from the backyard.
"Come back to me," she said to him, as he pulled out the suit from his Flash ring, and changed out of his nice suit.
"I'll be back," he promised. "I still need to give you that present!"
With his final comment, he was gone.
"When are we going to go back down there?" Iris asked for the millionth time. She was bored out of her mind, even if she was on the moon. There was nothing, absolutely nothing to do.
"We're going to wait a bit more," Hans replied, as he asked the scarab how much longer the decryption would last. He needed the files to show him something dark about the Flash. He was moments away from his goal.
But then, an idea struck him. He could deal two blows, thanks to the reporter with him. If Anna loved him so much, then how would she take if the Flash were to rescue another woman? He could even force Iris to kiss him if he rescued her.
Yes... They would both come back down to Earth, to set a trap for him. Hans would hold Iris 'captive', and then ask for the Flash specifically to show. Other wise he would kill her. Then, he would force her to kiss him, which at best, would cause rifts between Anna and him, and at worse, would completely separate them. Either way, he would be the only one that won, and later, he could use the documents to expose the Flash, dealing the final blow.
"Change of plans," Hans said, as he grabbed Iris. She tried to jerk free, but gave up as soon as they began their flight back to the Earth.
Once they had entered the atmosphere, the scarab took over, and they landed safely on land. Fortunately for them, they were only ten minutes away from Central City, which was where he would enable his plan.
He found the tallest tower in the city, Central Tower, and they landed on the roof. Hans ordered the scarab to write a message in the sky, and it did. It read, "YOU, FLASH".
"Now listen very closely," Hans said in a low voice to Iris, who no longer wore the armor the scarab had put on her. "You're going to let yourself get captured by the Flash. Then, you're going to act happy and grateful, and you're going to give him a full kiss. If you tell him anything other than I told you to, the little nano machines inside of you will instantly kill you. Understood?"
He had made the threat up, mostly because he had panicked, since the Flash could arrive at any moment, but it was enough for Iris, who nodded soundly. And come to think of it, he would need to give the scarab a task. Hopefully it would be able to deliver, because it would completely assure him a victory.
It was time to wait.
Barry had wished that the threat came much later, so he would have had the chance to propose, but he knew he could do it later. And besides, the hostage situation took precedent. It was his job.
When he arrived at the building, he ran straight up on its walls, getting to the top in no time. He could see the situation clearly now; the Blue Beetle was floating right above the center of the roof, holding on to the reporterwoman, and there were news helicopters surrounding the area. He had to be careful with his next move.
"Why do you want me?" the Flash called out.
"You ruined my life, that's why!" Blue Beetle shouted. "You need to pay!"
"We can work something out," the Flash responded. "But you're going to have to release that woman."
"Oh, I'll release her, alright," Blue Beetle said. "But there's a catch. You have to defeat me in combat."
Flash entered Flashtime right after he said that, because he could use the second or two the Blue Beetle would need after his comment to study him. He concluded that a hard enough punch would do the job, and he exited Flashtime.
"Alright, but she won't be harmed, right?" Flash asked.
"We'll see about that," the man growled, and he launched himself threw the air at the Flash. The speedster managed to avert each and every attack from the blue colored villain, and pretty soon, he had an opening that would let him deal the final blow. It came quickly, so he punched quickly, knocking the man down.
"Oh Mr. Flash," Iris said, as she came up to him. She deliberately chose to come from a side that was parallel to one of the news helicopters, so it would all be seen in detail.
"No need to worry, ma'am," he told her. "He's down and out."
"How can I ever thank you?" she said, acting.
"You don't need to," Barry said confidently, remembering his proposal to Anna. "I need to get going, so I'll take you down-"
"No!" she quickly exclaimed. "I need to reward you for saving me."
And as he looked behind him, to see the villain who was still laying still, to explain to her that he needed to be somewhere, she grabbed him, turned him around, and kissed him.
In that moment, Barry's mind was racing. It felt as if it was Anna in front of him, and his mind completely melted. He couldn't move a muscle, as if the kiss was controlling him, and when it was over, he pushed her away, as he looked at the man again, who was slowly getting on his feet.
"You see," he grunted, and laughed, "I needed that to happen."
"Why?" Barry cried out, as he grabbed ahold of the man. "Why?! Who are you?!"
"Not yet," the man coughed. "This was just a distraction. Don't take it as a surprise when things aren't like they're supposed be back home."
"If you touched her," the Flash said, in a surprisingly calm manner. "Then may God have mercy on your soul."
He took Iris West down to the street, and let her go, while he ran back home as fast as his legs could carry him. He knew it was going to get messy, but he could only hope things would be able to be fixed.
As Barry opened the front door, he had a dreadful feeling course through his body, which he couldn't shake off, even as he looked around for any sign of anyone. When he reached the stairs, he could finally hear something, but it was what he most definitely did not want to hear. There were quiet sobs, being shushed by someone else, and he could guess which sister was crying.
He went up the stairs quietly, and when he got to the door, he didn't knock, but only managed to say out one thing.
"Anna?" he croaked, as he heard the sobbing become more potent and louder. "Anna, I'm home..."
He waited for a moment, each second away from her piercing his mind and soul like a dagger, when the door finally opened. But it wasn't Anna who greeted him, it was Elsa.
"This isn't a good time, Barry," Elsa said, as she avoided his eyes.
"I need to explain to her what happened," he tried to reasoned, but she still shook her head.
"She's hurt right now, and there's not much you can do," she informed him.
"She's my lady," Barry protested, "I need to help her."
"I don't want your help!" Anna screamed from inside the room, and Elsa winced. "I don't want to see you ever again!"
"Anna," he said, while holding back tears of his own. "You need to know, you need to know..."
"I need to know? I know what happened!" Anna shouted, while wiping her eyes. "You're a cheating, disgusting, sickening monster!"
"Come on Barry," Elsa said, as she tried to push him further back, but he resisted for a moment.
"Remember I told you I would never leave you?" he asked, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "I never lied. You're leaving me."
"I'll find you again," he said softly, and left the room.
Anna closed her eyes and began sobbing even harder than she had been before, and by now, Elsa escorted Barry downstairs. She felt a gust of wind in the house, and when they were at the door, he turned to her.
"Here, take this," Barry said, as he handed her an envelope.
"Let me guess, the gust of wind?" Elsa questioned, assuming he had just wrote it, to which he nodded. "Give it to her when the time is right."
Those were the last words he said, as he looked at the home he had built for them. His greatest regret was not dedicating enough time to Anna, even if he had given all the time he could have. Months of a relationship were ending, in an instant, based on a lie. The worst part was, he had the power to show her, to tell her, and yet, he couldn't. He didn't want to hurt her more by forcing her. When he got back home, he thought of everything that they had gone through. How they had accidentally met in the past, how he had destroyed Arendelle. The memories, they were too much for him, so when he reached his bed, he crashed on it, drifting away.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" huffed the girl at the man she had just bumped into, and then asked curiously. "Who are you?"
"I'm no one," he sighed, as he got up. "I'm sorry."
"Well, next time pay attention to your surroundings," she ordered, as galloping could soon be heard approaching them.
A man on a horse got off, and asked, "Are you all right, miss?"
The man who she had bumped walked off, confused at what the meaning of what he had just seen was.
When Barry awoke from his rest, he realized what he had dreamed. It was the first time he had seen his Anna, but it was also the first encounter he had had with the man who had tried to marry her. The prince known as Hans.
Could it be? Was the man in the Beetle suit really Hans? Was it possible? He couldn't remember if he had brought him back along with everyone, and there was only one way to find out.
He needed to get back to Arendelle as soon as possible to get to the bottom of it.
Barry had run straight past Anna's home, which was too painful for him to look at. He went straight to the center of the city, where the League Building stood. It was a complex where the Justice League had sent its scientists to study the effects of the temporal displacement all of the citizens of Arendelle had experienced when he brought them to the future. It was also the building where all of the records of everyone from Arendelle were stored.
He quickly ran in, and instead of checking in, he went straight to the records, to search if there was anyone named Hans living among them, and sure enough, he found a Hans Isles, who had formerly resided in Arendelle. A certain feeling of horror crept into him as he read the rest of his file, learning that he had gone to Central City not long after he was brought to the future. He had been living there underneath his nose, and now, he was paying the price.
But how had he become the Blue Beetle? And where was he? He had searched the Earth again, and nothing had showed up. Not Luthor, not the Rogues, and not the Blue Beetle.
The search would continue.
Hans had known that Iris would not have kept the Flash pressed to her lips for very much, so to sell the act, he had made the scarab synthesize a chemical that would affect Flash's muscles, so they would trick themselves into thinking they were paralyzed. That little scarab was worth something alright.
But he also knew Iris would most definitely write about him if he let her, so not long after the encounter, he had followed Iris as she had gone straight to her home. Not very smart of her to not go directly to the authorities. It seemed she was more focused on exposing him than saving her own skin.
He entered her building through the roof, and descended until the scarab could pick up her infrared signature with certainty. He opened the door with ease, but took off the armor completely.
"Iris," he groaned, as she turned around, startled.
"You can't be in here," she said to him, as he fell in 'pain' to the ground.
"Iris, it's taken over me," he moaned, as he pretended to try and get the scarab off.
"Will I hurt you if I take it off?" she said, as she tried to help him.
"I, tried," he said, as he 'convulsed', and finally gave out.
Iris was shocked, but pulled him all the way to her couch, where she made him lay. She tried to take the scarab off, but it gave her an electrical shock, which made her stop. What made her help him, though, was the peaceful look he had as he rested. It didn't say he was the man who had kidnapped her, and taken her to the moon, or the man who was stuck in the past. It said he was a man who needed peace.
So she tended to him, and healed his wounds. At least, tried to. There were many, and she wasn't surprised. He had gone up against the Flash. Not many went up against him and came back unharmed.
When he finally came to, the first thing he saw was her face. But he mistook it for someone else's.
"Anna?" he mumbled, as his vision steadily became less groggy.
"Uh, no," she said, kind of annoyed. "It's Iris."
"Oh," he said, as he got up. "I'm sorry."
"Who was she?" Iris asked curiously, as she handed him a glass of water, which he thankfully drank.
"She was my fiancée," he said softly. "She was taken from me, by the Flash."
"That's a romance novel if I ever heard one," she said, as she rolled her eyes.
"It's true," he coughed. "Everything I told you is true. The only thing that isn't is the 'revenge' I wanted."
"The scarab, you said?" she said, as she raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if I believe it."
"Why do you think the military wanted it?" he said, grimacing as he laid back down. "Having a pack that will control your soldiers?"
"That is true," she said, reconsidering.
"I only wish things could go back to the way things were," he said, and she rubbed his shoulder.
"Tell me what happened, and maybe I can help you," she said, a smile forming on her.
So he did.
