When Ice And Lightning Align - Snowbarry

Chapter 7: Apartment Four

ONE MONTH LATER

Caitlin ran her hand over the emblem of Barry's suit, reliving the many memories the suit held over the years. She sighed, dropping her hand down by her side before taking a deep breath. She was worried about Barry. Today was the day him and Iris would officially get divorced. He had insisted that he didn't drag her into the boring altercation but she wanted to be with him to comfort him in this difficult time.

She can't help the smirk that stretches across her face as she feels a pair of arms snake around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. "How did it go?" She asks him, delicately intertwining her fingers with his as she leans her head back against his chest.

"Great." He said with a smile, planting a gentle kiss atop her hair as he hugger her a little tighter. "I decided to leave the loft to her because if not we were going to have fight over who deserved it and I didn't want anymore drama. I just need to pack my things up and find a place."

There were a few moments of silence as Caitlin bit her lip nervously. "You- you could stay with me." Caitlin muttered and she saw him lean back just enough to capture her full face in his eyesight. "Only if you want, obviously you don't have to if you don't want to. I could help you find a place to-" She stops as he spins her around and presses his lips against hers tenderly. "Is- Is that a yes?" She asked breathlessly, smiling at him as he simply chuckled and nodded contently.

"I love you Caitlin Snow." He whispered into her hair, placing another gentle kiss atop her head. She closed her eyes, basking in the sheer bliss of  her life right now as she and him held each other tightly.

...

Barry walked through the hallway, heading towards the loft to gather all of his belongings and move out, it was finally over between him and Iris and he felt free, like he wasn't being suffocated anymore. Barry pulled the keys from his pocket, readying to unlock the door when he heard a strange noise coming from down the hall. He turned, walking towards the root of the sound before he heard an all too familiar voice. "Its all your fault." He hears 'H.R' behind him and he winces. "I died to save Iris, because you loved her! Now it doesn't even matter. I died for nothing!'

"That was his choice dammit!" Barry screamed back at Thawne, the true villain behind it. "I didn't force him to sacrifice himself!" The words bounced off the walls, echoing in his ears like a chant. He turned back to the door marked Apartment Four and knocked a few times, waiting for a reply.

"Help!" He hears a woman scream as loud as she can, and he bursts through the door out of instinct, stopping when he sees the inside of the apartment looks exactly like his childhood household. "Barry Don't!" He stands shocked as his mother sits in the middle of a lightning storm, just like that night all those years ago.

He turns to look into the hallway behind him, and sees 'H.R' wave with his drumsticks before the door suddenly slams. Barry turns back around, seeing the water in the fish tank rise into the air.  He moves quickly, attempting to pull his mother out of the storm only to be thrown into a walk by a streak of red lightning.

"Thawne." Barry spoke through gritted teeth before rising to his feet.

The Reverse-Flash was currently unmasked in front of him wearing his original face. In a flash of orange lightning, Barry had him pinned against the wall with his elbow on his neck. "Why must we always go through the same routine?" He grunted. "Now, if you could please..."

Barry slowly and carefully released his hold on Eobard but made sure he was ready if the speedster were to try anything. "What do you want?"

"Always asking the right questions, Flash!" He exclaimed, cackling in sinister delight. "When the anti-matter waves hit and erased me from existence, I ended up here in the Speedforce. I have been in this torturous dimension for god knows how long which brings me to answering your question: I want out of this hell."

"And then what? Terrorize my friends and family, along with lives of the innocent! No way in Hell, Thawne."

Eobard's smirk never left his face as he put on his mask and his eyes grew red with the Negative Speedforce. Then, with his distorted voice and crimson eyes, he stepped closer. "I wasn't asking."

Barry is struck in the jaw, making him stumble back and allow the Reverse Flash to strike a couple more blows and knee him in the gut, making Barry drop to the ground. As he lifts himself up, he sees the man in yellow slam the knife into his mother's heart, eliciting a scream from Barry. "Why do you keep bringing me back to this night!"

"This night changed everything Flash." Thawne said, taking another step towards the scarlet speedster. "Not only did it trap me in time for fourteen years, it forced me to realize that I needed you, and you needed me. But, the most important thing I want you to know is that because you saved your younger self, your mother died. Being selfish kills the ones you love."

"I hate you."

"Acknowledged." Thawne says as he crouches down in front of Barry.

Barry clenches his eyes shut and when he reopens him, he's still in the Allen household but Thawne is no longer in front of him, he is instead replaced by Zoom who is holding his father as he pleads to the speedster to spare his life.

Barry closes his eyes but he feels a hand suddenly go around his neck and his eyes widen in shock. "Your going to watch Barry, watch as you fail yet another person." Thawne spoke with a devious smirk.

Barry let's the tears fall as Zoom kills his father, and the past version of himself drops to his knees. Eobard ushers Barry down onto the ground and kicks him in the ribs as his body ripples with silient laughter. "Hunter really gave me a run for my money huh?" He joked. "Let me ask you one question Barry, do you think you can turn back time and save the ones you love?" The speedster questions, but Barry remains silent. "Answer the question!"

"No!" He screams, and he suddenly finds himself sitting on the ground in front of Apartment Four with the door slowly opening. He looked up to see a confused elderly man looking at him. Barry said his apologies and went to back to the loft to gather his belongings.

As he stumbled against the wall to stop himself from collapsing onto the ground,  A swirl of energy erupts around him. He drops down to the ground with a sickening impact. Everything feels off to say the very least and it feels as if he can barely stay awake. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Thawne's illusion slowly walking towards him. "How does it feel Barry? How does it feel to be out of control?" This very statement causes Barry's conscious to darken a few shades and let loose a scream as his Thawne takes full control of his body.