Sparkling angel, I believe
You are my saviour in my time of need
Blinded by faith, I couldn't hear
All the whispers, the warning's so clear
I see the angels
I'll lead them to your door
There's no escape now
No mercy no more
No remorse 'cause I still remember
The smile when you tore me apart
You took my heart
Deceived me right from the start
You showed me dreams
I wish they'd turn into real
You broke the promise
And made me realise
It was all just a lie (just a lie)
Sparkling angel, I couldn't see
Your dark intentions, your feelings for me
Fallen angel, tell me why
What is the reason? The thorn in your eye
Angels, Within Temptation
What threatened the city in the next few days caused the team to effectively stop thinking about DeVoe or worry what his plan might be since Barry barely made it back to S.T.A.R. Labs when attacked by… Nazis.
The team immediately assembled on noticing the trouble shown on the monitors, yet The Flash put someone he clearly brought with him to the pipeline first before showing up in the cortex, breathing hard and a little sore from the fight he'd just now had. Still, what stroke them the most was the fear in his expression.
"They're not from this Earth," he informed. "They're… they're…" he briefly looked at Rachel before his eyes skittered away again. He started enumerating whomever he recognized, "Dark Arrow who is basically Oliver's evil doppelganger… Supergirl who's calling herself Overgirl and… the Reverse Flash."
Once the last name left his lips, there was silence.
Eventually, Rachel was the one who asked carefully, "Do you mean…?"
"He isn't a doppelganger from a different earth. It's actually Eobard Thawne. Our Thawne," Barry clarified. "He said… he said not to mess with time, because… because those are the consequences of time travel."
"But… that doesn't make any sense! Eddie killed himself to stop him. He should be gone once and for all."
"Unless it's Eobard from before he came here," Caitlin pointed out. "Like the last time."
"No," Barry denied, shaking his head. "It's from after. Definitely after. Now, I have no idea what he did to keep himself alive… maybe he created a double… maybe he orchestrated such a time paradox that no matter what we do, he will never be erased, but… Rachel, I won't let him get to you, I promise," he then immediately turned to his girlfriend who seemed pretty distraught.
Truth be told, she had absolutely no idea what to think or feel once she heard the news, but there were more important things to worry about than Eobard Thawne himself since apparently, they were dealing with Oliver Queen's and Kara's evil doppelgangers from a Nazi earth.
"I think for now we should figure out why they're working together and why they're here," she suggested.
Barry nodded in agreement. "We need to get our Oliver and our Kara here. And any help we can get our hands on. Cisco, try contacting the Legends as well."
"Who's the person you brought to the pipeline?" Cisco asked after nodding in acquiescence.
"He was fighting against me as well, but he had a mask on the whole time. Let's find out!"
They all went down to the pipeline and the prisoner actually removed his mask on his own accord. They didn't recognize him, but then his eyes set on…
"How interesting, we meet again," he said with a charming smile and they all looked at Caitlin who seemed to want to make herself smaller so no one would know she was actually there.
"What is he talking about?" Barry asked her when frowning. "Does this have something to do with Killer Frost? Did she betray us again?"
Caitlin's eyes enlarged at that insinuation.
"No, Barry, of course not. She's reformed."
"Don't know who Killer Frost is, but this one here was far from frosty last night," the stranger provided with and smiled again.
He only allowed for a short conversation, talking about the earth he came from – Earth X, the Fatherland where Hitler had not only won, but also hadn't died as early as on Earth 1. Then he killed himself, clearly hiding a poison ampoule in his tooth.
"Caitlin?" In this moment Rachel was more interested in her friend and her well-being. It did not miss her attention that she'd made herself scarce the moment the prisoner revealed what they'd done the night before. "Cait!" Finally, she caught her in one of the empty labs. "Caitlin, what is going on with you? How can I help? You're clearly not ok."
"Just leave me alone!" Cait yelled, turning around to face her friend now that she was backed into a corner.
"No, I want to help you. I want to be there for you. You clearly had a one night stand with this guy. Last night. Why? What about…?"
"Don't talk to me about Jesse, ok?!" Caitlin erupted and then, she suddenly wasn't Caitlin anymore. She was Killer Frost.
"Great." Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes. "Could you, please, give me Cait back?"
"Oh, she won't return," Frost assured her. "She's scared. Besides, I heard there's some danger on the horizon. You, guys, need any fighting hands?"
"Caitlin is clearly hurting and running away, but that won't solve anything," Rachel tried one more time.
"Oh, I don't think you're in the right there," Frost pointed out and Rachel frowned. "You see, sex helps Caitlin get over her fear or angst and stay in control of her body. It helps her draw me out. She's been doing that a lot since the cure didn't work all the way."
That information effectively shut Rachel up and she remained truly speechless.
"What about Jesse?" she eventually managed to find her voice.
"What about her? They're broken up. Caity doesn't believe Jesse will ever take her back, so why bother, right? Now, where's that fight…?"
"Rachel, what… Oh, hi," Barry just came in, still wearing his Flash suit. "Frost?"
"She wants to help," Rachel informed. "I think we should let her."
"About what he said…" Barry then started.
"Apparently, it's a way for Caitlin to stay in control of her body and keep her out," Rachel informed, pointing Frost.
"Well, ok, then…" Barry said slowly. "We don't have time for this anyway. Cisco's contacting the Legends and getting Kara. I'm going to run Oliver here."
Soon enough they were all assembled and Oliver provided the information about the identity of the dead prisoner – it was a doppelganger of his dead best friend, Tommy Merlyn. Then Harry explained everything there was to know about Earth X and needless to say, no one really liked what their heard.
Thanks to Cisco, they had a location now to go with, so they suited up quickly, deciding that acting fast would work to their advantage. Barry quickly approached Rachel to kiss her and tell her that he loved her.
"I love you too. Be safe. Please," she responded with and he only nodded to that.
In the meantime, Oliver did the same with his partner, Felicity and before leaving, acknowledging the fact that Barry and Rachel were now happy together.
When all the heroes were gone, Rachel and Felicity amused themselves by actually getting to know each other and ended up comparing how it was to date a superhero slash vigilante. However, it did not take long for them to hear over the comms that something was going horribly, horribly wrong and they weren't even able to respond since the alarm at the S.T.A.R. Labs sounded again. Maybe leaving it unprotected was not such a good idea, but then again, they needed all the manpower to strike the enemy somewhere else, preferably when not expected.
"Um… are you sure it's safe?" Felicity asked when tentatively following Rachel into the Labs' long and round hall. "Don't you, guys, have a panic room in here somewhere or…" She didn't manage to finish since Rachel screamed.
"Harry!" Rachel got to the unmoving figure on the floor, gently touching his face and turning it to assess the damage and whether he was still breathing. She released a breath of relief herself on hearing the man grunt.
"Um… Rachel…?" Felicity then asked carefully, fear clear in her voice.
At first she more felt him than saw him. Just a powerful and very familiar presence as though her own body was attuned to it after all the time they'd spent together.
And then he spoke, "Now, now… a Harrison Wells on the side and Barry? Truly, Rachel, this is unbecoming."
She finally dared raise her head to see no one else but the Reverse Flash. The mask was off, but the familiar yellow suit bringing nothing but fear was there alright. And those taxing blue eyes. It was, indeed, Eobard Thawne in the body of Harrison Wells after he and Rachel had been in a relationship. After he'd supposedly died.
Her throat went dry while her heart started hammering in her chest.
"What do you want with me?!" Rachel screamed on the realization that Eobard sped her to his time vault, conveniently producing two chairs in one of which she was now sitting. She wasn't bound or tied up to anything, which was a good sign, but still… it was Eobard Thawne in the body of Harrison Wells, her infamous ex, the man she'd loved – or at least she'd thought she had since everything about this relationship turned out to be a big fat lie.
"I just want to keep you safe," he responded in a calm and unmoved voice.
"Don't give me that crap!" She couldn't help her anger and defensiveness, choosing this over the realization that it was, indeed, the first time she was face to face with him after she found out who he truly was. She'd had a chance to talk to him before, to ask him whatever she chose to, but she couldn't, hadn't been ready for it. Still, that didn't mean she was now.
"You can get up and leave at any point, but I brought you here so no harm would come upon you," he explained in the same tone. "No one from Earth X knows about this place. If you choose to leave, I won't be held responsible for what happens next."
"Why would you even care?"
"How can you ask me that?" He seemed insulted. "Rachel…"
"No!" she protested immediately, somehow unable to meet his blue eyes. Those eyes were still haunting her sometimes. She'd seen every soft and loving expression in them. She'd seen desire directed at her, she'd seen passion and pleasure reflected in them… No, she couldn't. She felt as though she was suffocating - all of that always, absolutely always would be dimmed by every lie he'd ever told her and the horrible truth about who he was and what he'd done to get here.
"Suit yourself. I don't care what you think. Like I said, you're free to go, but we both know you won't move. Your survival instinct won't let you. Besides, a part of you knows this is the safest place for you right now. By my side."
"You must really enjoy it," she commented in exasperation.
They sat for a while in silence, her mind a whirlwind of memories and questions and her emotions on the edge, her entire system being flooded by the extremities she didn't want to feel, yet something was pushing her to just use this moment she was unexpectedly given…
She opened her mouth, but then closed it immediately. Still, it did not miss Eobard's attention and he immediately prompted, "Come on, then. Ask it."
"What?"
"Whatever you want. You never braved it out and came to talk to me. I can only imagine you have about a thousand of questions and maybe even need closure."
"Closure?!" She nearly spat. "You betrayed me. You betrayed everything we ever had. That was closure enough. The message was loud and clear."
"Are you so sure about it?"
"Well… tell me, then," she challenged him, getting up from the chair and walking towards him, towering above him still sitting, "was anything between us ever real or was it just all to spite Barry? Did you ever really care about me?" She faced him bravely, looking into the blue eyes that weren't even his. But she refused to think of what he'd truly looked like before he took over Harrison Wells's body. That man, seen briefly just before she saw him 'die', was someone she never knew. Or chose to believe so since otherwise it would be way too much to handle.
"Yes," the simple answer came as he finally stood up as well, being taller than she was, his eyes piercing hers, somehow vulnerable which made her highly uncomfortable. "Remember when I told you that sometimes love isn't enough? That people are just not meant to be together like Caitlin and Ronnie?"
"You cannot compare us to them," Rachel said, shaking her head. "You cannot tell me your feelings for me were that real."
"And why not?" He was still standing right there in front of her, so close she could touch him, so close she could smell the familiar cologne on him… and she started to shake. He was like a mountain, real again and unmoving as though nothing could break him and that was true. Because if he really did care for her, yet chose a goal that caused him to lose her, then that love still wasn't worth anything in her eyes. Then it couldn't be love. Because you didn't disregard love so carelessly.
"Then… then I really don't know which is worse," she told him. "If you didn't care at all or if you did… but something else was of a greater value to you and that something was revenge… And how is this realization working for you? That if you'd only let go of your crazy revenge plan against Barry, you could've actually had a life with me?" she suddenly dared, curious for a reaction. "It wouldn't take much. I was in love with you. I really was. How does it feel to know that you could've had it all, but chose against it and lost everything anyway?" She derived a great satisfaction from saying it all straight to his face. She'd used to love him, but now that was gone and if asked, she wouldn't truly be able to describe what it was that she felt, but it was far from positive. She hated him for hurting her. She hated him for taking so much away from Barry. For screwing with their lives. Yet in the same time there was some residue of an unknown emotion she couldn't put a name to.
"It wasn't everything," he simply said.
"Well, thank you, then," she responded bitterly. "If that is your answer, then I think I thank you for doing me a favour and going through with your plan. I'm happy now. Truly happy and I am loved the way I deserve to be loved."
"Of course you are. You were always meant to. And I was always meant to destroy that. Tell me, Rachel, how long is this happiness of yours going to last, hah?" He moved forward and she automatically backed away, not wanting him too close.
"We both know what I mean," he taunted. "Because no matter what you do, you'll always going to lose him. I did you a favour by keeping you away from him."
She couldn't help it anymore. Her eyes were instantly flooded with tears at the memory of her vision of Barry dying in the future.
"Who knows, maybe Earth X finished him off already, but then again… one cannot be too hopeful, right?"
"Fuck you!" She started to shake again and this time harder, desperately trying not to think about Barry's possible fate, now confirmed by the Reverse Flash, the man who knew the past, present and future since he'd clearly visited all.
"You did that already. Left some very pleasurable memories too. Care to repeat it for old times' sake?" he offered while sneering and then roamed all over her body with his lustful eyes. "I do miss that. I also do miss the use of my legs while doing so."
"Get away from me!"
"Oh, please, like I would ever be satisfied with taking you by force. If I'm going to have you, I am going to have you. In every way." He checked his watch. "Well, our time is up. I have work to do now. Stay here and live or try your luck out there. It's up to you." After that, he sped away and she could finally let go, letting herself slid down to the floor against the numbly uncomfortable wall and just keep on sobbing.
In the end she couldn't really tell how much time had passed by. She somewhat slipped into numbness, just sitting there, waiting for she didn't even know what. And just then, she felt a whoosh of air, thinking Thawne came back, so she got to her feet and recoiled.
Suddenly, there were hands on her shoulders and she heard a very soothing and familiar voice – one that obviously did not belong to the Reverse Flash.
"Shush, it's me… It's me, Rachel. It's Barry."
She stilled, stopped trying to get away and opened her eyes widely, seeing indeed Barry in his Flash suit. Alive and well. Holding her up. Though very distraught.
"Oh my god! Barry!" she gasped and threw her arms around his neck, frantically hugging him, her body starting to shake again.
"It's ok. I got you. You're safe now."
"I was always safe," she said bitterly and he pulled away to be able to look at her, his expression troubled. "Eobard… he took me here. He told me he did that to keep me safe. To keep me alive. I wasn't being kept here by force, but… but I also couldn't leave. I didn't want to take my chances out there… I…" She started hyperventilating, remembering the intense and full of emotions conversation she'd had with the man in question and… and…
"He's not here. We got back. The Labs is ours again. I promise… God… I thought…" Barry closed his eyes for a moment. "I thought I wouldn't be able to get back to you. I was almost shot by Nazis and then…" he came to a sudden stop and shook his head. His eyes set on hers again and his hands moved to cup her face. "What's important right now is that we're both safe and alive. Everything's going to be ok." He kissed her after that and then pulled close again and she couldn't do anything else but cling to his body, holding on for dear life. Maybe even literally. Because… how long…? She wondered, breathing him in, letting the warmth of his body envelop and affect her own as she discovered she'd actually been freezing with fear. How long…? And there was never any choice to be had, she knew that much now. She was always going to end up right here, with Barry, in love with Barry…
They won in the end – like always or at least so far - and Rachel could only hope it would stay this way, refusing to let any negative thought or fear reign over her now. The Nazis were gone, their ship destroyed, Kara's evil doppelganger – the whole reason to why they'd attacked as they wanted her heart to save her counterpart – blew up, succumbing to her disease and Revere Flash gone, now god knew where.
Barry was ready to finally head home – his or Rachel's - it didn't really matter as long as they were together, but she had one more thing to do. While he waited for her near the elevators, she went to find Caitlin who she noticed was back to her own self.
"I don't really want to hear it," Caitlin said immediately on seeing her friend approach. She was currently packing her bag, clearly ready to leave as well.
"Cait…" Rachel started anyway.
"No. What I'm doing is my business."
"Killer Frost told me everything, you know," the other woman went on again. "I just… I really try to understand here. Jesse…"
"Don't talk to me about Jesse!" Caitlin raised her voice when turning again to look at Rachel. "Even if I do go to Earth 2 and talk to her and apologize to her… What do you think will happen?" she challenged. "She's the Flash there. People there need her. Besides… yes, I know she would probably forgive me, but… I'm basically sharing a body with Killer Frost. Sometimes it's mine, but when there's danger just like right now it was… it's always going to be Frost out there, not me. That's… that's too confusing and too hard and I am not going to put that on Jesse. She deserves better." She came to a stop and grabbed her bag, heading to the exit in which Rachel was still standing. "Let me through. I'm exhausted. I feel like I haven't slept in days."
"Cait… I…" Rachel didn't really know what to say except that she loved her and she would always be there for her because they were friends. "You know you'll always have me as your best friend, right? Whatever you're going though, however hard it is… you can always turn to me."
Caitlin sighed, her expression softening.
"Yes, I do and I am grateful for it, but I decide about my life. I don't want Jesse to get mixed up into all of this. Besides, I can't handle a relationship if I can barely handle Killer Frost, ok?"
"Ok." Rachel nodded, finally stepping aside so her friend could get through.
"Go home. Spend some quality time with Barry. You, guys, deserve it. And you'll never know what the future will bring."
There Caitlin didn't even realize how right or wrong she was, Rachel thought, biting on her lip. Then she immediately pushed all the morose thoughts away. Future could always change. She should know that better than anyone.
"I still can't shake that feeling I had on Earth X… It was so… horrible. I could never imagine that such an awful place exists. They put this metahuman dampener on me and… and I thought that was it. That was the end. I would never come home to you," Barry confessed, hiding his face in his hands. "And to think that you were left on Earth 1 at the mercy of some Nazis and… Thawne working with them."
"Actually, him working with them probably contributed to my survival. As awful as he is and as much hate I have for him… he wouldn't hurt me. Call it sick sentiment or whatever, but…"
"Well, at least that's one good thing that came out of all of this," Barry agreed.
"Honey, you are here now. You are safe and we survived. The crisis is over. I know it was an awful experience for you on Earth X, but… let's just try to put it behind us and get on with our lives, ok?" she suggested, placing her hand on his arm and then when he looked at her, she came closer to kiss him. He reciprocated eagerly and before they knew it, things escalated as they searched out each other's heat and the comfort of bodies, shedding clothes and making love.
Yet, when afterwards Barry closed his eyes, exhausted and immediately falling asleep, she was still awake, just lying there and staring at the ceiling, thinking about what Eobard had said…