In the three months he had been in the new timeline he created, things got entirely better before they got worse. Barry was living in a forever that he created, where his life was surrounded by barrels of happiness in every breathing second. Any and every moment he was with his family, a smile never left his face. For once, since her death, he hadn't stopped being grateful for an action he took.
A day hadn't passed where Parker and their children didn't see Barry. Compromise was key. Some days, he would travel to see her and sleepover at the apartment. Other days, she would bring the kids over for dinner at the Allen household. Parker was on better terms with the Allen parents, now, after sincere apologies were shared and received.
"If I had been in your shoes, Park, I would have done the same thing. I don't blame you a bit, honey. It was wrong of me to dislike you all these years, especially now that I know exactly why you left," whispered Nora, as the two women watched the children play with their father outside. "You... They're beautiful, Parker. You've done a wonderful job raising them by yourself."
"Thank you," smiled Parker.
"And thank you," Barry had overheard his mother say, "for loving my boy enough to let him create a life without you, for a little while."
"I can assure you I'm not leaving him again. Not ever..."
Evelyn was the sweetest baby girl Barry could have dreamed of. His heart, understandably, stuck with Evelyn more than Nathan. The girl clung to him every second she was physically able to. The feeling of her small body snug in his arms was a sensation Barry loved more than anything he could describe. Every minute spent with Evelyn, listening to her babble to herself, or dance off-beat, or even cry, for who knows what reason, was a blessing. Content was a word too lousy to describe the feeling inside of Barry when he was around her.
Nathan, however, tolerated Barry. In their first introduction, it was clear Nathan wasn't pleased to meet his mother's new friend. With time, he learned to have fun with Barry. He didn't mind too much; it was clear the boy was entirely a Mommy's Boy. In the same way Evelyn clung to Barry, Nathan clung to Parker. He was a quiet kid when not smothering his mother. He tended to play with his toys by himself, do his own thing, but, if Evelyn asked, he would allow her to play without getting frustrated by adding her girl toys. He was a good boy, to say the least. Barry was reminded of himself when he watched the boy.
Time spent with the three of them and Barry felt like an infinite loop of euphoria he wished he could live in forever. Whether they were out and about or sitting in the family room together, Barry cherished every minute of it. Time, he learned, was precious; a statement that would continue to impact his life even after Flashpoint ended.
The beginning of the end, for Barry's Flashpoint, began in Jitters. Sitting across a table from one another, Parker and Barry busied themselves with their work. In the center of the table, a torn apart turkey sandwich sat, serving as their lunch. Neither half of the couple was very hungry.
Frequently, Barry forgot the reason they were at Jitters. Watching Parker cautiously grade quizzes from her ASL class, then pause to shake crumbs off each paper, which made her more frustrated, was keeping his attention. She, in simple terms, was hard to keep his eyes off of. He could watch her for hours and avoid boredom.
Parker let out a pained huff. She let the red pen slip through her fingers. She closed the manila folder with the quizzes, closed her eyes, then took deep breaths until she was able to look at Barry without wanting to shout, "These kids are so dumb!"
"You good?" chuckled Barry.
"Take them from me," she begged.
Barry did as she asked.
Stuttering to find the words, she uttered, "I don't know, Bar, it's like these kids don't even study. It's sign language. Learn the motion, remember the motion, recite it on paper for me at the end of the week. It's not like my class is difficult."
"Deep breaths. In and out," reminded Barry, reaching across the table to hold her hands in his own.
Parker followed his instructions.
"Good girl," he praised.
"When did I turn into a dog?" she teased.
Barry raised his eyebrow thoughtfully. "See, I could have made a bitch joke, but I didn't, because I am a good man."
Laughing, she took back her hands. She winked at him, unable to speak, since a scrunchy sat in between her teeth. She used it to tie her hair into a ponytail, then clapped her hands together.
"She's here?" asked Barry eagerly.
"Right on time, too. Three tables behind us. What's your plan of attack? How are you going to get her back into your life?" wondered Parker.
Rather poetically, Barry said, "There's only I know about life. I know some things happen by chance. And some things happen because we make them happen."
Parker rolled her eyes. "You're about to make this happen. Don't be afraid. If you talked to me, you can sure as heck talk to her."
"Not necessarily," doubted Barry. "It was easier with you."
"How?"
"Well, for one thing, I knew that you liked me."
"And you should know that Iris will, too. Come on, Bar, you two were supposed to be married in another life. You're obviously meant to be, at the least, friends, right?" asked Parker.
Barry's lips split. Face scrunched, he stared at the ceiling lights of Jitters, gathering an appropriate response. No more than five seconds passed before he took the safe route and not respond. There was too high of a percentage that he would say the wrong answer.
Parker, on the other hand, hadn't noticed. She jumped in with a mildly worried, "Wait, didn't you say other Parker had been destined to die? Then you were supposed to be married to Iris? Do we think that still applies?"
"Channel 52 Breaking News!" said the newswoman. "The latest from Central City, where the mysterious meta-human criminal known only as the Rival is once again terrorizing the population with his incredible speed...."
Barry turned to Parker.
"Go," she said, before he could speak.
"We should talk about what you said," he offered sincerely.
"I concur, but after you go monitor Flash," she disagreed. She brought his hand to her lips. "I can wait."
It took everything in Barry to not kiss her right then and there. Instead, he settled for breathing a grateful, "Patient Parker is one of my favorite things."
"I know. Be safe," she begged.
"Don't die?" he asked.
"And don't die."
Then, Barry ran.
Catching up to the Flash and the Rival happened fast. He slowed himself down, running inconspicuously behind the two opponents. When the two fell from their speed, Barry skidded to a stop in a side street between two buildings. He stayed a good distance away from the two.
A couple Police vehicles parked behind the Flash. Two men from each car leaped out, ducking behind their car doors, guns trained on the Rival, despite fully knowing bullets would do nothing against a speedster.
"Need help, Flash?" asked one officer.
"Nah,but when I'm done with this fool he might," said the Flash cockily. To the Rival, he said, "What have you got against my city?"
"The city's just fine. It's the people in it who need to be educated. And I have no rival. Especially not you," taunted the Rival.
An abrupt swirl by the Rival conjured lightning bolts. He tossed a few at the Police vehicles. They hit the cars, not the people. The Flash made sure of it before he sprinted to Barry, removing the 'bystander' from harm's way. By the time Barry was on his feet, the Rival had left the scene.
"You okay, man?" panted the Flash.
Failing to hide his grin, Barry said, "Yeah, thanks."
"This guy's really becoming a pain in my ass," grumbled the Flash.
"Don't worry about it," encouraged Barry.
The Flash lousily saluted towards Barry, then he was gone, with a soft crack and yellow lightning trailing in the dust left behind.
"You'll get him next time, Flash..."