Silver Trickster ⚬ Barry Allen [1]

26. Reverse Rolls

The man who I was going after first shouts,"Alright, everyone clear out."

Everyone in the room starts to slowly back away, leaving Hunter and I behind. As they continue to point their guns at the two of us, I look over at Hunter and narrow my eyes, wondering why in the hell he decided to listen to her. We've been a team since that night he saved me, and never have I witnessed him fall for a girl that shouldn't mean anything. What happened here wasn't the plan, and I so desperately wished that the plan had actually happened.

After everyone leaves, I race up the steps and grab ahold of Caitlin, wrapping my fingers around her neck as I look over the balcony down at Hunter. "You're seriously just going to do whatever she says? What about power, Hunter!"

He takes a step closer as Caitlin's eyes bulge, her oxygen flow now being cut off. "Let her go-"

"No love, no trust!" I shout back, remembering those words vividly in my mind. "It's always been you and I, Hunter. Never three."

"I said let her go!" he shouts one last time before racing up the steps as well, grabbing me and throwing me back into the wall. I hit it hard before I collapse to the ground, lifting my hand to find that my nose was bleeding.

When I look back up, I see Caitlin gasping and wheezing as Hunter helps her stand, looking down at me with a look of disgust. "Try that again, and-"

"And what? You'll kill me?" I spit, seeing red as I slowly bring myself to my feet. "Kill me then, I'd love to see you try. You need me more than you think, and you'll realize that sooner than you might think. She's turning you soft, Hunter. The Hunter I know would have slaughtered all of them in a heartbeat, but I guess love is truly a weakness after all."

He flashes to where he's right in front of me again, keeping me from leaving. His dark eyes look down into my own, but for some reason, this time, they didn't look the same. "I know that I need you, Raven, just like how you need me. Caitlin being here doesn't change anything; we're still going to do this our way, and I promise you that we will succeed. Where there is love, there is weakness, but there is also strength; something you couldn't understand. Just trust me like you always have."

And just like that, I was no longer mad at him. It seemed like every time I ever was, he's always found the right words to bring me back. As I nod my head slowly, Caitlin watches the two of us with tears in her eyes, most likely from me strangling her. There were little purple bruises that were starting to appear on her neck, but I couldn't care less. She was alive, and she should be thankful for that much.

It was then I remembered the promise I made to Barry and the others about keeping her alive, and I couldn't tell if I would be able to hold that promise up or not. If she continued to persuade Hunter like that, I would have no choice other than to break that promise.

And to break her neck.

-*+*-

While Hunter went out to recruit as many metas as he could, I was told to stay back and watch after Caitlin. I was surprised to hear him say those words to me, mostly because of the act that had happened earlier today, but he had trust in me nevertheless. So here I was now, stuck on babysitting duty as I leaned back in a rolly chair, chomping on a piece of gum I had found in one of the desk drawers.

As I sat there going through the other contents in the drawers, I noticed Caitlin look up at me a few times, a glare on her face. I could tell that she wanted to ask me something, but every time I waited for her to speak, she held her tongue. Eventually however, she does ask the one thing she desperately wanted to know, and it didn't surprise me to hear the question.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you made a promise to Barry to keep me safe," she finally says, her tone wavering. I could tell that she was terrified to see my reaction to the question, but I didn't mind it any. The only thing I did mind was hearing the sound of her voice.

I blow a bubble before popping it, the bubblegum taste still electrifying with every chomp. "Because despite how much I pretend to like you, I still don't. Hunter will always come first, and if you keep up your little damsel in distress act that you pulled earlier today, I'll break that promise as easy as it would be for me to break a twig."

She's silent for a moment before she croaks out another reply. "What about Barry? You care for him, and he cares for me."

For a moment, I was taken off guard. In the midst of all of this action, I almost forgot about Barry. The idea of power and conquer overtook my mind, and to hear his name again...it took me back. I take a deep breath before answering Caitlin's question, seeing on her face that she knew she got me good with that one.

"Like I said, Hunter comes first, along with power. You should know by now that that's the only thing that's keeping me going right now, and just the idea of taking over another Central City is...exhilarating. So yes, if anything gets in between that dream and I, I'll end it faster than the time they would even know I was coming...even if that thing was Barry."

She blinks at me for a moment, reading my face as I chew down on my gum, kicking my legs back up onto the desk. "Something tells me you have a weakness for him-"

"Let's just take a second to remember who the one in the handcuffs is and who can stick their hand through a chest if needed to," I spit back, rolling my eyes before looking up at the celling, blowing another bubblegum bubble. 

Caitlin is quiet for a long moment as she leans up against the filing cabinet she was handcuffed to, speaking slowly. "You and I both know you're better than this. This person you are right now...he caused it. He made you let the darkness in; why can't you see that? I know the real Raven that I learned to know is in there somewhere; the same Raven that would let me go and save the people she cares about."

I slowly sit up as I let my legs fall back down to the floor, a sense of anger but realization coming across me. However, instead of really taking in Caitlin's words, I bite my lower lip and make eye contact with her, narrowing my eyes

"The Raven you saw was a fake; an act. Hunter showed me who I was meant to be, and that is and always has been the best version of me, I see that now. You can't see it yet, but even someone like you has a darkness inside of them; it's up to the beholder to unleash it." 

After I finished, Caitlin stares up at me with large eyes, mouth frozen shut. I knew she had nothing else to say, and it didn't matter even if she did; she may be able to turn Hunter against his own plans, but she won't turn me away. I refused to let her.

As I lean back in my chair, kicking my feet back up as I continue to rummage through the drawers, I think about what Hunter could possibly see in her. Sure, she was a pretty little thing, but all I could see was Killer Frost in her, and I hated her too. 

It was then I realized that he saw her the same way too; he saw Caitlin as Killer Frost, meaning he saw a darkness in her as well. I knew then that he kept her here hoping that she would be like him someday, and it made me wonder if that could be a reality. Thinking about it made my stomach twist, mostly because if that did happen, he wouldn't need me anymore, and he'd kill me just like how he killed Killer Frost. 

My eyes trail away from the drawer then, finding them landing on her as I think to myself. I could end it all here now before it even began. I could keep that from ever happening. As I wondered to myself if I should, there was only one question that kept ringing in my mind about the idea.

Would he kill me for her?

-*+*-

woah it's been super duper long guys! sorry I haven't updated lately, I was so busy these past two weeks, but I am really glad to be writing this now! I hope you all enjoyed it, even though it was just a little filler chapter.

Things should start picking up again soon, since Barry will be coming back into the equation of course. Who knows what might happen?

vote n comment as always!