When Ice And Lightning Align - Snowbarry

Chapter 10: Time Is Of The Essence

Barry stepped back into his laboratory, having just returned from his lunch break. He dropped his drink and clenched his fists as he looked down at the stack of photographs on his desk, soda moving slowly across the floor. The photos were of Caitlin and Frost, tied up and bloody, each picture had one word written on it. He laid them out with shaky hands, trying his best to avoid looking at the blood and bruises and solely focus on the words hastily written in sharpie. 'Run Barry Run'

His eyes filled with lighning. "Allen!" Singh called, only to feel a major rush of wind blow past him and see an empty room. Barry continued forward, searching all across Central City until he finally phased through the walls of Star Labs.

He jumped down into the pipeline, stopping as he sees that familiar yellow suit. "How!" He screams, knuckles white.

"You must excuse the cliche loved one in distress, but I needed to gain your attention somehow." Thawne says with that signature smirk as he turns to face the Scarlet Speedster, showing off that familiar Wells face. "Harrison wells of Earth Two," He chuckles to Barry's bewilderment as he explains his appearance nonchalantly. "That's right, there's still a multiverse out there Barry."

Barry glances behind Thawne to see the empty chair with a few spots of dried blood. "WHERE ARE THEY!" He screams, his voice hoarse as his eyes fill with lightning.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Thawne clicks his tongue, extending a pile of photographs in his hand. Barry focuses on them: It's more photos of Caitlin and Frost. Barry drops to his knees as Thawne throws one after another onto the ground before him, smiling sadistically. "Had some fun with our frosty friend here, I had to make sure they looked real bad so you'd show up."

Barry charged forward, slamming him into the wall, to which Eobard laughed. Barry gritted his teeth in rage. "Why couldn't you just let me go!?" He screamed, letting his rage out. "You had to come back and try to take them from me?" He can't focus on anything but that godammn smile on Eobard's face.  "This ends now." Barry says as he raises his hand in the air.

"I'm quaking in my boots, Flash." Thawne says arrogantly and laughs when Barry drops his hand to his side. "And that's why I. ALWAYS. WIN." Thawne raised his voice as he pushed Barry away from him. "No matter how much pain someone puts you through, you can't bring yourself to kill them. that's your weakness Barry. Your heart."

In a flash, Eobard was hitting every part of Barry's body, fists blurring past his eyes before he could even focus on what was happening. He then realizes that Thawne trapped him in a set of meta-dampeing cuffs. Everything was blurry, he could barely hear his heartbeat at this point, the only thing he could recognize was Thawne's glowing red eyes piercing into his soul, smirking as Barry's vision faded to black.

Barry eyes sprung wide open and he began heaving for air. Once he finally managed to catch his breath he stood up from the strange pond of water he was in and took in his peculiar surroundings. He looked left and right, up and down but all he ever saw was white. His head shot up as he hears a large boom that pops his ears, a enormous steak of orange lighning shooting across the white sky. "Barry." He heard an unmistakable voice call out. "Barry..." The voice called again.

He turned and not that far in front of him stood his Mother and Father hand in hand, large smiling plastered across their faces. Barry wasn't sure what this was. Was he dead? Did Thawne kill him? Was this another allusion from Thawne? Barry walked closer and saw clear as day that it was his parents, bright eyed and happy. He ran as fast as he could and wrapped his arms around the two. "Woah, slugger," Henry chuckled. "It's okay."

"Mom, dad" Barry cried as he pulled away from them. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I couldn't- I'm sorry I-"

"It's okay." His mother reassured. "It's okay." Nora smiled. "I justed want you to know Barry, I'm proud of you." A tear crept out of his eye and he wiped it away. "You've grown into a great man. I mean I never would have thought my son would turn into The Flash!"

"Is-is this real?" Barry questioned after a moment, skepticism etching into his bones and making him back away. He turned and he saw his daughter standing there with a warm smile. He realizes it's the first time in over a year he's seen her actual face, not some lightning made figure with her likeness. "Its your choice dad." She said softly and while her voice always comforted him, her words confused him.

He looked back in front of him and his mother was holding out her hand. "Its your choice." She repeated, and he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, looking back at Nora. He then focused on the image behind his daughter: The Reverse Flash standing over his lifeless body

It's my choice. He looked down and the words finally clicked in his minds. He smiled one last time at his parents before he turned and began walking towards his daughter. He gave his daughter a bone crushing hug, letting a few tears drop onto her shoulders as she whispered into his ears. "Go be the great man you are and go do what you do best. Go be a hero."

Barry's eyes shot open, lightning crackling across his body as he rose to his feet. "NO! I killed you, I finished this once and for all!" Barry wiped the blood off his lip, eyes locked on the Reverse Flash. "I'm not going to stop until I watch you and every one of your family members die in front of me." Eobard growled.

Barry charged at him, flashing up to a pipeline cell and slamming Eobard through the glass. He then threw him back to the ground, coming to a stop behind him and kicking him in the ribs. He picked up the Reverse Flash, attempting to throw another first but he dodged, knocking Barry back.

Eobard picked up a stray shard of glass that had fallen and stabbed Barry, twisting it harshly. Blood began to drip from him as he pulled the shard out and threw it to the ground, his healing factor kicking in. He had been through worse. Through way worse. "You should give up. I'll kill you first if you stop now, and you wont have to watch the rest of them die." Barry spit a bit of blood into Eobard's face. He simply wiped it out of his eyes before kneeing Barry in the gut, throwing him up against the wall and unleashing a flurry of fists. "WHEN WILL YOU LEARN, I NEVER LOSE!"

Thawne sped out of the pipeline and returned with a battered and bruised Caitlin Snow, raising her high in the air. Eobard ignored the ice starting to form on his left arm as he brought his hand closer and closer to her heart.

Barry looked up, speeding forward with newfound adrenaline, lighting bursting all around him. He speared Thawne into the wall, Caitlin dropping to the ground. Barry threw fist after fist at Thawne, mercilessly nesting him into a bloody pulp. He stopped, looking at his bloody and bruised fist before looking at the beaten man before him. Barry let out an angry groan as he saw red lighning fill his vision and soon enough he found himself surrounded by a dozen time remnants of Eobard Thawne.

To even the fight he created a few of his own and they charged towards each other, beating each other senseles. The true Barry and Eobard began running in circles before they each tossed a bolt of lightning, an explosion radiating from the collision, causing part of the ceiling to cave in. The explosion from the lighning bolts killed the time remnants, leaving Barry and Thawne to stare at each from across the room as the remnants faded away.

Barry stood still as Thawne charged forward, stopping as he felt Barry's hand on his chest. He looked up into the scarlet speedsters eyes in shock as he felt the energy drain from his body. "Its over." Thawne shook his head in denial as red lightning began shooting across the room, swirling into a giant storm that dissipated, leaving the body of Earth-Two Harrisom Wells on the ground.

Barry dropped to his knees, heaving for air. He had no idea that ability would take so much out of him, Earth-Ninety Flash make it look easy. Then again he had been the flash for decades so it probably didnt affect him like it once had. Barry jumped as he felt a hand touch his shoulder, but relaxed as he saw Caitlin smiling down at him. "I'm so sorry." He whimpered as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Its okay." She simply returned the hig, tigkly squeezing the man in her arms. "I love you." She said.

"I love you too." Barry said. "So much."