Tell me you love me just one time
Just give me one night
I'll be the secret on your lips
Let me be that one kiss
If you fall
Fall into my arms
Come and fall
Break down your walls
And
Tell me you love me one time
I can see the truth in your eyes
Say you will
Forget tomorrow and be with me tonight
Just tell me you love me one time
And this isn't goodbye
Tell Me You Love Me, Epic Boy


While they were wondering what their next step should be, Cisco had a vibe of Caitlin calling him to meet her in the woods.

"I go with! If someone can talk her into coming back to us, it's me!" Jesse immediately volunteered, but her father was categorically against the idea. "Dad, this is the woman I love!"

"No," Harry denied fiercely, clearly hurting his daughter with this. "She's Killer Frost now. Besides, she told Cisco to come alone. Even if she might be persuaded to come back to us and if we even consider listening to her, it has to be on her terms. Therefore, you will go there alone," Harry turned to Cisco. "The question is whether you're prepared to risk it?"

Cisco only nodded in response, determined and already suiting up.

"It's my best friend we're talking about. If someone can get through to her, it is Jesse, but it's also me. But Harry's right," he then turned to his daughter. "If we make just one mistake… we're going to lose her again."

"The cure isn't ready yet," Harry warned.

"Well, then if I fail, we will still have Jesse to get it to Caitlin, won't we?"

"I'm not so sure about this. Cisco, she's aligned herself with Savitar. What if it's a trap?"

"Then why would it be for me?" he asked the perfect question. "Why would Savitar want me?"

They eventually found out since Cisco did get himself kidnapped by Savitar and both the men with Killer Frost disappeared again just when Julian came running into the cortex with the news – he had the cure ready for Caitlin.

"I'll give it to her! Just track her!" Jesse immediately exclaimed, new hope entering her as she grabbed the vial.

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Harry asked the team while working on the computer. "We can't. Not in this weather."

Barry put his hands on his head, pacing around the cortex, trying to figure out a way out of this situation, but they seemed to be temporarily stuck with no new idea of how to proceed or even how to get Jay out of the Speedforce.

"If only I still had my powers…" Rachel started, feeling a little guilty that in this very moment she couldn't access them. Not that she missed them, of course.

"Don't you ever say that," Barry immediately told her. "Nothing will ever be worth risking your health and life like that. We are all glad that they're gone."

There was silence when no one had anything else to say till… a breach suddenly opened in the middle of the cortex and… Gypsy with Cisco in tow jumped out of it. At least every other person knew the woman except Rachel.

The pair seemed to be arguing and it looked like Gipsy had vibed Cisco across the multiverse, sensing he was in trouble and run to his aid. He wasn't all that grateful though, claiming he almost had Caitlin.

"I saved your life!" Gypsy was still arguing, clearly pissed.

"Um… guys?" Barry cleared his throat, trying to get their attention and making them realize it wasn't really the time and place for an argument.

"Oh, hi," she threw his way. "That's a new face." She then pointed Rachel. "I'm Gypsy."

"Rachel. It's nice to meet you." It really was. Also, in this brief moment, Rachel already managed to notice how much of chemistry Cisco and Gypsy actually had. Sparks seemed to be flying, which was amazing for the guy. If he calmed down a bit, that was.

"Why did Savitar take you?" Julian asked the perfect question.

"Hah! And here's the kicker… he threatened to kill Catlin if I didn't help him build a device that would cement him in this timeline and he wouldn't eventually fade away, which he already started doing as every single plan of his that kept him alive was thwarted and… I didn't actually fix it. I turned it into a Skeleton Key. As soon as Caitlin uses it on him, a breach will open and free Jay. Also, we will have their location."

"That's amazing!" Barry regained his enthusiasm, finally seeing the end of their troubles and being so grateful to Cisco to think of that. "We can actually end this thing and get Jay back just like we planned!"

"Do you have the cure?" Cisco made sure and when Jesse showed him the vial, he grabbed it from her.

"Hey!" she protested. "I want to give it to… Dad!" she immediately followed with an even louder scream when suddenly a pair of metahuman cuffs closed around her wrists. "Dad, what the hell?!"

"I'm sorry, my Jesse Quick, but this isn't your fight. I won't risk your life against Savitar."

"This isn't… for the second time, this is the woman I love!"

"Yes and a dangerous meta who almost got us all killed. You can stay away for this one. They got this." After that, he turned around and disappeared somewhere inside the Labs.

"Guys!" Jesse turned to the rest, but Barry was already gone as Cisco and Gypsy had the location. Then, they opened a portal and were gone as well, too busy to even notice what was happening.

"Well, that is… unfortunate," Julian commented on Jesse's predicament.

"He will never stop controlling me like this!" she complained. "I'm a Flash too! I can handle this! It's Caitlin!" She turned to the other two people left in the cortex.

"Fuck this!" Rachel cursed, also desperate for action, desperate to make sure the people she loved - her family - were safe. She wouldn't stay behind and wait patiently for their return. Or no return for that matter.

She got to Jesse and opened the cuffs.

"But only if you take me with you," she warned the younger woman.

"This is madness! Dr. Wells specifically…" Julian started.

"I'm an adult. He's not the boss of me anymore," Jesse threw his way.

"Then I'm going as well!" Julian suddenly decided and before he knew it, he screamed as Jesse grabbed both him and Rachel.


They found themselves in the middle of the woods, immediately trying to assess the situation.

Rachel saw Caitlin on the ground, a cure in her hand as she was studying the vial, clearly not sure what to do; but she seemed unharmed.

Barry, Cisco and Gypsy were down as well, breathing though knocked down. And Savitar… Savitar just grabbed Cisco…

Suddenly, an icy stream flew in his direction and freed the younger man, which caused them all to briefly look at Caitlin back on her feet, clearly choosing a side and it was not Savitar's. Jesse got to her, trying to talk to her, trying to convince her to take the cure whereas Barry successfully phased his doppelganger out of his armour suit, shattering it to pieces afterwards.

Savitar was down, lying on the grass, breath knocked out of him and in that moment Barry saw Rachel standing there. He seemed shocked that she was present, but then he smiled to her and started in her direction when…

"Barry!" she screamed, her eyes opening widely in shock as she spotted Savitar behind him, clearly attacking, having nothing else to lose, therefore capable of anything.

On hearing her, Barry dodged and Savitar sped right past him and then straight at her, but Barry was faster, grabbing her and then putting her back to the ground in a safe distance; by then Savitar fading away as time finally caught up with him.

He was no more.

Rachel's hand found Barry's and held on as they both turned to Caitlin now.

"I'm not Caitlin anymore," she was just telling Jesse. "I'm also not Killer Frost. I'm sorry, but… but I need to find out who I am and where I fit, alone…"

"No… no, Cait!" Jesse tried to still call after the ice queen, but Cisco got to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let her go. If she wants to go, you need to let her. Maybe she'll come back."

"No!" Jesse protested again, crying as she pushed Cisco away and then sped off in the opposite direction.

Rachel's hand squeezed Barry's, trying to tell him everything she couldn't verbally just yet. It was not the time nor place and there were witnesses around, but she hoped he understood at least a little that this was her place. She made her choice and here she stayed.

In that moment, a lightning crossed the sky and the earth itself shook.

"What's happening?!"

Barry took Rachel back to the Labs whereas Cisco and Gypsy breached there with Julian.

As they stopped in front of the entrance to the building, Harry came running.

"Jesse?!" he called to them.

"She's safe," Cisco assured him. "Just… Caitlin left and Jesse sped off. She's hurting, but she's going to be all right. She's alive."

Harry nodded in relief, now shifting his gaze to the sky crossed by another lightning and another and followed by another tremor.

"What's happening?!" Gypsy wanted to know. "I don't understand. It doesn't seem like a normal lightning storm or an earthquake."

"Because it's not," Barry said, noticing something a little further away and then… a portal opened wider and wider and he recognized the inside of the Speedforce, followed by the appearance of his mother – which wasn't really his mother. "Jay is free now. It's all becoming unstable because the Speedforce requires a speedster in its prison."

"No!" Rachel protested, holding on to Barry's hand with both of hers now. "You're not going anywhere! Barry, no!"

"It needs a speedster," he repeated, turning to her and looking her in the eye. "Otherwise it can destroy the whole city, maybe even the planet. It's too unstable."

"But… but I just…" Rachel stammered, briefly looking aside before making a quick decision to face Barry bravely and to stop hiding. "Barry, please, don't do this."

"I have to. I have to pay for my mistakes," he told her, looking at her as though he wanted to memorize every detail of her face, as though he was never going to see her again. "Flashpoint… Savitar… it was all my fault. I need to pay for it. No one else will suffer because of what I did."

There seemed to be no other way. It was unfair to ask Jay Garrick to take the spot for the whole of eternity. Jesse was too young and no one would ever think of such an idea. Harry would sooner kill them than allow it. Deep down inside Rachel knew that it could only be Barry. Still, that didn't make it any easier.

"We will get you back," she assured him, accepting his decision, yet determined. "We will not stop till we find a way."

"Rachel…"

"No, Barry," she interrupted him and grabbed his face, looking him in the eye from up close and then she finally closed the small distance between them and kissed him.

It was the first time her lips touched his, therefore bittersweet. Bitter goodbye. Sweet beginning. The kiss felt so right and ignited a fire that had already been started within them a long time ago. Now she only gave it permission to grow just before she would be forced to let it go again.

When they parted, Barry's hands were cupping her face as well, tears in both their eyes and he smiled to her in such joy that caused her actual pain. Because she knew she couldn't give him more now since she would lose him soon.

He brought her face to his again and kissed her one more time before finally letting go.

"You mind sticking around?" he asked Harry.

"Anything for you."

"Take care of each other," he then told Cisco and Gypsy and nodded towards Julian. "Please, don't waste your life trying to save me," he turned back to Rachel. "You already did," he finished with before he faced the Speedforce bravely and joined his mother.

Once the portal closed behind them, everything went silent. The storm ceased.

Rachel was staring at the point where they disappeared for a long time until she was the only one left outside, Cisco's words echoing in her head, 'You need to decide whether loving him is worth the pain of losing him…'


Rachel strode into the cortex, registering the team still in there, still lingering, not really able to just go home after everything that happened.

She went straight to Cisco.

"I want him back. We have to get Barry back. I don't care what and how long it takes."

"I like your spirit, girl," Cisco approved with a smile on his face. "Let's get to work."