Work Text:
We see Savitar kill Iris, we see the team in Starlabs figuring out how to save Iris, the future news headlines are staring at them in the background ‘I need to get faster’ Barry murmurs.
The scenery changes, Gorilla City, Wally’s taken into the speed force, Joe lets Abra-Kadabra out, Caitlin gets hurt… she dies. Killerfrost takes over and she teams up with Savitar, Barry is in the future talking to Killerfrost
‘I'm so sorry I did this to you. I should have saved you.'
‘I'm glad that you did this to me.’
‘Caitlin wasn't. I failed her. But I won't when I go back. I'm gonna find you. I'm gonna help you. ‘
Barry is back at Starlabs ‘Maybe she’s too far gone’
Infantino Street, the speed bazooka fails, Savitar stabs Iris ‘Noooo’ Barry catches Iris in his arms.
‘H.R.?’
‘B.A. … Tell Cisco... This took strength, and he gave it to me.’
H.R. dies. Iris, Barry and Joe in the time vault ‘Yeah, Joe. The future's ours again.’ Savitar in Starlabs. We see Savitar and Barry fighting, Barry phases into Savitar’s suit ‘Nothing's written’ Barry walking towards Cisco and Killerfrost, a shot rings out, Iris holding a gun, Savitar falling to the ground. H.R.’s funeral, Caitlin leaving ‘I don’t have a home’, Barry and Iris sitting on the couch laughing, making wedding plans. An echo fills the room ‘Who’s the villain now, flash?’
Everything freezes, just Barry is still moving, looking around ‘What’s going on?’
We flashback to Savitar killing Iris, Barry saying ‘I need to go faster’, Caitlin’s freezing Iris’ arm ‘I’m losing control’ Barry telling her ‘It’s spreading. We need you.’ Gorilla city, Wally’s taken into the speed force, Caitlin turns into Killerfrost, she teams up with Savitar, Infantino Street, H.R. dies, Caitlin leaves. Barry is back at the apartment with Iris…
Everything freezes except Barry. ‘You’re not learning your lesson, Barry’ Snart materializes in front of him.
‘Snart? What’s going on? Why..? Where..? How…?‘ Barry trails off confused.
‘We’ve been at this for months, Flash and you’re still making the same choices over and over again’
Barry looks at Snart. ‘I’m in the speed force’
‘That you are, Barry. And you’ve been reliving the last 6 months over and over again and you still end up in the same place.’
‘But I changed the future, why would I need to change it again? I saved Iris.’ Barry asks.
‘*You* saved Iris?’ Tracy appears in their living room, ‘tell that to H.R.’
‘That’s not what I meant, Tracy. You know I never wanted anybody to get hurt’ Barry insists.
‘Then how come you have let him die every single time you relived the last few months?’ Tracy accuses him.
Barry looks around, pain in his eyes ‘I didn’t let him die, there was nothing I could have done…’
‘And yet here you are... planning your wedding with the love of your life, as if nothing and no one else matters,’ Tracy shouts, tears streaming down her face, ‘what about my happiness, Barry? What about H.R.’s happiness?’
Barry stumbles backwards, looking shocked. ‘That’s not true, you matter, H.R. mattered’
‘But you can just replace him with another version of Harrison Wells, it’s all the same to you isn’t it?’ Tracy hisses.
‘No, H.R. was my friend, there was nothing I could have done. Savitar…’
‘Ah yes Savitar’ Snart interjects ‘the evil version of you Barry, the future flash. How could you possibly be responsible for his actions?' Snart pauses before continuing, 'Curious though isn’t it, why would any version of you want to kill *the love of your life*. But thankfully he didn’t and it all turned out alright, didn’t it Barry?’ Snart adds sarcastically, ‘ Iris killed Savitar, H.R. died, Tracy lost the man she loved, Caitlin left, Cisco lost his two best friends in one day…’
‘But what do you care, Barry. You got your happy ending, you got Iris, everybody else be damned’ Killerfrost appears.
Barry turns to her, devastation in his eyes: ‘I’m sorry Caitlin, I couldn’t save you’ ‘Couldn’t or wouldn’t, Flash?’
Killerfrost smirks at him with cold eyes, everything starts spinning as Barry relives it yet again.
‘Come on. Kill me, Caitlin….. ‘ Barry and Caitlin are in the pipeline, an icicle between them. ‘You can't do it. You can't. Because underneath all that cold, you're still you.’
They’re fighting against the Dominators, getting rid of the philosopher’s stone, Barry is thrown to the future, Savitar kills Iris, the team tries to come up with a plan, all the news headlines are written down, ready to be changed…. ‘Killerfrost still at large’ remains. Caitlin keeps suppressing her powers with meta dampeners, afraid to turn evil. Caitlin’s secret about the philosopher’s stone comes out, Wally gets sucked in the speed force, and Barry wakes up at Starlabs. Joe is gripping Wally’s suit, Iris is no longer wearing her engagement ring, they both leave.
Caitlin is still by his side: ’I'm sorry. I should've never... I was afraid.’
‘I know. Believe me, I know. Fear makes us do a lot of things that we shouldn't. My fear's the reason for all of this.’
Barry goes into the speed force to look for an answer. Then Snart shows up. ‘You’re not learning your lesson, Barry’
‘Wait’ Barry responds, ‘you already told me this’
‘I did, did I?’ Snart smirks at him, ‘So how come you still haven’t learned your lesson?’
Barry runs his fingers through his hair ‘I don’t know! What lesson do you want me to learn?’
A soft voice appears ‘What’s the last lesson you were taught, my beautiful son?’ Nora Allen steps into the hallway.
‘I learned to come to terms with your death’ Barry whispers.
Snart interjects: ‘And then what happened Barry? You went back in time and saved her anyway’
Barry shakes his head ‘My dad was taken from me, I lost both my parents, I couldn’t live with the pain.’
‘So you decided to mess with time again!’ Snart states mercilessly.
‘Don’t you think I know that I was wrong!’ Barry shouts angrily: ‘Don’t you think I wish I could take it back, I’m the one who has to live with all the consequences of my mistake!’
‘And pray tell me: what are these consequences?’ Snart demands.
‘Savitar is going to kill Iris in two months and I can’t save her’ Barry yells, desperation in his eyes.
Killerfrost reappears. ‘So you’re going to lose your happy ending, Flash?’
As she continues talking, Barry’s memories of what will happen return more clearly, ‘but good news, Iris won’t die, you can get your happy ending, you don’t have to live with the consequences of your actions. God forbid anything happens to the Westfamily, everybody else be damned. So what if I became Killerfrost…‘ Caitlin’s voice echoes in the darkness ‘I don’t have a home anymore’ ‘…so what if Cisco lost his brother and his two best friends had to leave, so what if H.R. had to die. Thank god the good guys always win.’
A vision of Iris shooting Savitar appears.
‘Who’s the villain now, Flash?’ echoes through the hallway.
Barry’s head is spinning, so many thoughts and emotions are running through his body, pain, guilt, grieve, regret….so many regrets…..