𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭: ᴢᴇʀᴏᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ² − b. allen ((editing))

∟ 𝐭𝐞𝐧.

paradox
part two

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NO MATTER HOW hard Anna tried, she couldn't figure out what she had done to upset two of the people she cared about most. There was no way Anna had done something that got Alyssa Gates killed, and she couldn't find any clues that could tell her what she had done to Joe.

          But, regardless of the dead ends, Anna was determined to find out exactly what she had done to upset Shannon and Joe.

          A blur of yellow lightning appeared in front of her eyes and then Barry Allen came into view, looking down at his girlfriend as she sat peaceful on her sofa. "Hey, Anna, are you okay?" He asked and crouched down in front of Anna, placing his hands on her knees.

          "What did I do to make Joe and Shannon hate me?" Anna asked and furrowed her brows, leaning forward slightly to get a closer look at Barry's face.

          "Anna, you texted me 9-1-1. I thought it was an emer—"

          "This is an emergency, Barry Allen!" Anna exclaimed and stood up from the sofa, stepping around Barry. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned to face him, sighing deeply as the feeling of guilt returned to her stomach. "Every time I think about it, I feel guilty and I don't even know what I did, Barr. I need help. I need you to explain everything that I have done."

          "You want me to sit down and tell you everything you've done in this timeline? Anna, that's crazy," Barry stated and shook his head at the brunette. He walked toward her, gently removing her fingers from her hair as he looked into her eyes. "It's going to be okay."

          "Shannon's my best friend, Barry. And Joe, he was the closest thing I had to a father figure after we found out about my uncle. I can't lose two of the most important people in my life because of something that I don't even know about," Anna said softly, blinking back the tears that formed in her eyes. "Please, Barry. Tell me what I did."

          Barry sighed deeply and led Anna over to the sofa, getting her to sit down. "Joe is upset with you because you agreed with Iris when she wanted to get more information about a meta. She used the fact she was a journalist and got an old partner of his to talk," he explained and placed a hand on Anna's thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Once the meta found out, he went after Iris and almost killed her. You and Iris are on good terms, she thinks it was a good idea to get more information, but Joe hasn't forgiven you since. I almost didn't forgive you."

          Anna stared at the brown-haired boy, catching the look of pain in his eyes before he looked away. Her heart clenched, her chest tightening as a dark thought washed through her head. "Are you sure you forgave me? It wasn't me, but did you forgive me? Completely?"

          Barry shifted his gaze back to Anna, meeting her eyes. "Of course I did. I forgave you days after it happened. This was a year ago, Anna," he said and rested a hand on the side of his girlfriend's face, brushing his thumb over her cheek. "I could never stay mad at you. It wasn't your fault, I know that."

          Anna nodded, the tightness in her chest leaving for a moment before returning with full force as her mind snapped in another direction. "What abut Shannon? Why does she hate me? She has a sister in this timeline and she died, right? What did I do?"