You Bring Out The Worst In Me~

[nevergetshome]

It had been some time ago that Thawne had gotten the results of Claire's blood. He messaged her and to his surprise the text kicked back. A phone call told him the number had been disconnected. It only took a little bit of research with Gideon to get her address from this time period only to find out she'd moved. Recently. And where had she moved to? Of all places in the world but Central City. The hometown of his foe. A place he spent fifteen years of his life. It was time to visit his old rival.

Silent observation was key. He kept his distance, but immediately, he felt something interesting. Barry Allen was having trouble handling the Speed Force. The fumbles were small, but enough that he could feel them when Barry faltered. Ahh, so this was around his encounter with the Chameleon. That made sense. What drove a dagger into his heart though was to see Barry Allen and Claire Bennet together. After he'd shared everything with her. Told her how Barry ruined his life. Even if he never said Allen's name, he called him the Flash, and she clearly knew who he was. How could she betray him?!

Just one more reason to hate Barry. One more thing Barry stole from him. One more reason to destroy The Flash. He'd have to teach them both a lesson.

There was a knock at Noah's hotel door. Harrison was standing politely on the other side, waiting for Noah to answer.

Comments

[infinite1ups]

"I'll just drive over. You two take care of each other." Noah gave them each a pointed look. Their love for one another would be their strength.

Claire gave her dad a hug, holding on just a little tighter. She really didn't think Thawne would attack now, especially not after Barry confirmed her thoughts. Sure, she could be wrong, but she felt Thawne was too deliberate to send a message and not wait to make sure it was received.

He might want to see it when she breaks, she thought. To see the same pain in her that she caused him.

Noah patted Barry on the shoulder before heading out, leaving the two in the kitchen. Even with the head start, he'd still be meeting them there.

She neatly repackaged the envelope and folded it as carefully as she could into the pocket of her hoodie, then reached for Barry's hand. And she tried to put on a smile. "Ready when you are, my love."

[feelthelightning]

Barry gave Noah a nod and what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He wanted to be overprotective, but he was pretty sure if Thawne had any intention of killing him, he would've just done it.

He held her hand tightly and let the Speed Force flow through them both, scooping her into his arms. He tucked her head into his neck and ran. They vibrated through the door, leaving it locked behind them. He ran them down the streets, letting her see the world as he did, surrounded by streaks of yellow lightning, with the Speed Force protecting her as they broke the sound barrier just for a moment. Too long and his shoes would melt. Not to mention their street clothes would catch fire from the friction.

They slid to a halt in the hall outside the Cortex. Barry was met with a gun barrel in his face, a pause for Harry to react, then the man lowered the weapon with a sigh.

Jesse trotted over and threw her arms around Claire when Barry set her down. "I'm glad you and your dad are okay!" She said when she finally let Claire free of the hug.

[infinite1ups]

As down as Claire has gotten, as much as the stress and fear were getting to her... running with Barry was a thrill. One she sorely needed. She held on tight, looking around at the city as they zipped by, as much as she could get away with safely.

The warmth of the friction against her was more intense than she expected, which told her they were going faster than she had with Thawne. Phasing through the door was a new experience that delighted her. They needed all the little wins they could get now.

Claire supposed she couldn't blame Harry for being ready to defend them all. But Jesse was hugging her before she had a chance to greet everyone else. She hugged back tightly, her smile a bit fuller when she pulled away. Barry's support meant all the world to her, but they both needed the whole team.

"Thanks. Yeah, we're both okay. My dad's driving over now. He figured it'd be safe enough at the moment. How're y'all doing over here?" Once again, it was nice to focus on someone's feelings other than her own. As eager as she was to see the drive, she still felt it more important to check on her friends.

[feelthelightning]

"Ramon nearly Vibe blasted me, but we're fine." Harry grizzled, letting the sniper rest on his shoulder from its strap.

Jesse rolled her eyes. "Dad's just being dramatic. Cisco was suspicious, but didn't try to shoot him. He's with Cait right now. She's a little shaken, knowing he was just down the hall for who knows how long."

"I'm already working on a local system to integrate with Gideon that will ping just like the watch if Thawne enters the Time Vault. This won't happen again." Harry promised firmly. "That's the easy part. The hard part is designing a speed trap that won't hinder Allen or Jesse."

[infinite1ups]

Despite all the tension, it was good to see Harry up and about, rather than in the med lab. He was clearly already hard at work ramping up their defenses, and that made her feel just as safe as the way Barry wasn't letting her out of his sight.

"I have some thoughts about that," Claire said, perking up. The run had re-energized her, and felt like it strengthened her bond with Barry all over again. Now seeing everyone else was like a balm on her soul. Or something equally as cheesy but sincere. "A trap, or something. I was thinking about that cold gun. It can slow down a speedster, can't it? I just so happen know at least two people who have cryokinesis as a power."

And no, neither of them were Caitlin. Tracy Strauss, and her uncle Peter. If Sylar also had Tracy's cryo, then that made three. Though Caitlin's recent revelation had inspired the idea as much as Lenny's cold gun, Claire just wasn't going to mention that.

[feelthelightning]

Barry was hovering close, holding Claire's hand still, to keep her grounded as much as himself. "Snart's Cold Gun is still with the Legends." Barry said. "They'd have to test it against me. Snart's Cold Gun works against me briefly because it drops my cells to absolute zero, which is a state with where matter is completely still. Even that is temporary, because I can vibrate my cells to warm up and generate heat. But I'm down to give it a shot if they wanna practise against me. Actually hitting me with it is the hardest part."

Harry looked intrigued. "Slowing him down with cryokinesis would give me enough time to take him down." He patted the sniper to indicate it.

[infinite1ups]

"Well..." Claire hesitated, pointedly avoiding Harry's gaze, because he wasn't going to like what she was about to say. "The cryokinesis I've experienced was enough to shatter body parts. I saw the Cold Gun do the same to the Chameleon. Snart shot it in the arm first, but it regrew."

She was feeling pretty proud of herself for this idea, but she was also trying not to let it go to her head. "I'm sure Peter would help, and maybe we can get Tracy on board, so that'd be two. I... hate the thought of asking Sylar for help, but that asshole keeps saying he wants to be a good guy, and he owes me. If he has cryo, that's a triple blast."

Her first instinct was to use herself as bait, a way to distract Thawne long enough to ice him. She wasn't ready to bring that part up yet, knowing it how little everyone would approve. Barry would no doubt veto that and insist that it should be him. But, Claire reasoned, having The Flash in play put him at risk of being iced, and made it harder to keep Thawne in one place.

"It's at least something to consider," she said, deciding to keep the rest of her cards close to her chest for now. The more they talked, the heavier that envelope felt in her pocket. She pulled it out and carefully unfolded it with one hand. "I can't wait anymore; I need to see what's on this drive. You guys can look over the printout from Thawne in the meantime. Nothing on there is a secret, not from y'all, and you can probably make more sense of it than I can."

[feelthelightning]

The muscles around Harry's eyes tightened as his gaze sharpened. He could extrapolate what she was implying. And no, he didn't like it. "Are these cryo users hostile? Or were you testing the limits of your abilities?" He didn't like either idea, honestly. But he did like the beginnings of this plan.

"Peter is the Empathic one, if memory serves." Harry said easily, which was almost a joke seeing as he had an eidetic memory. "And Sylar... he's the distasteful one." She'd called him her Thawne. A plan was forming, so they at least had something to work with.

Harry immediately started looking over the data on the printout she handed over and without a word, started off to the med lab.

Barry nodded at Claire's request and took her down the hall. He planted his hand against one of the identical concrete walls and the one beside it opened up to reveal the small room inside. The walls were covered in braille like panels. There was an alcove in one wall with a mannequin where the Reverse-Flash suit once stood. In the centre of the room was a lectern-looking console with a circle indent in the middle. Barry walked up to it and touched it. Gideon's head appeared in front of the lectern.

"Good morning, Barry Allen, Claire Bennet. How can I help you?" The distinct difference Claire might immediately notice would be a lack of the crisp English accent in this Gideon's voice.

[infinite1ups]

"It was an accident," she assured them all. "A family friend was having trouble with her cryo powers. I was trying to help, and... better me than someone else. Tracy is, well. She lives up to the ice queen part of her powers at times, but she's good people when it comes down to it. I trust her."

Harry's assessment of Peter and Sylar was, of course, correct. She just nodded as he went off to the med lab, then followed Barry down to the Time Vault. It was one of the strangest rooms she'd ever seen. Suddenly Thawne talking about being from the future made even more sense - it looked futuristic. And somehow, it suited him. She tried not to think about him working in here, but her mind betrayed her.

Fuck, did he run her bloodwork here? Right under her friends' noses? The thought made her chest feel tight.

Claire did notice the difference in Gideon's voice, but wasn't sure what to make of it, exactly. Probably different versions of the software? Either way, Barry had told her that Gideon would guide her through the process of opening the drive, so she trusted that. It was all she really needed to know.

She pulled the drive out of the envelope. "Uh... can you show me what's on this?" It still felt awkward talking to an AI program, but she still found herself instinctively adding, "Please." There had to be a slot. Otherwise how could any information could be loaded onto it in the first place?

It wasn't the time or place for such a thought, but she couldn't help noticing that their names sounded nice together. She shot Barry a little smile, almost a reminder that she was okay.

Okay for now, anyway.

[feelthelightning]

Barry chuckled and kissed her cheek. He pointed at the small round port just beneath the circular indent. "Plug it in here and Gideon can project the contents for you. I'll be just outside if you need me." He then stepped out of the room. The wall slatted itself back into place, closing her in the room with Gideon.

"Of course. Insert the drive and I'd be happy to assist. Dr. Wells said you'd be here."

[infinite1ups]

Her nerves were on edge as soon as Barry left the room. She knew she was perfectly safe - well, as safe as she was going to get - but it was more the anticipation that was eating her alive than anything else.

Claire took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep her hands steady as she plugged the drive into the port.

"Thank you," she said, still trying to remain calm. But if this Gideon had any capacity to scan her vitals like the one aboard the Waverider, there'd be a clear bump in her heartrate as she watched the screen and waited.

[nevergetshome]

Unlike the Gideon aboard the Waverider, this one didn't have the capacity to scan her vitals. She also seem just a touch less human than the Waverider's AI. No real banter, but personable enough to be clearly pleasant. A much younger model.

When the drive clicked in, Gideon's holographic face vanished and was replaced with several text files that popped up and overlapped. Names might catch her eye on the headers "Claire Bennet" and "Eobard Thawne" followed by DNA samples and data. Another file popped up, off to the side. It was a clear waveform and began to auto play,

The audio file would start with a soft click, likely the sound of Thawne setting something down. "Miss Claire, when we first met, I had thought you were something unique." Was his voice tight? "This is all of the data you asked for as well as some additional tests I ran against my own blood. Those results, you'll find enclosed on this drive. I had been looking forward to discussing those results with you. But I see now that that won't be happening. I..." There was that soft clink again. Was it a glass? Not that he could get drunk, but he still enjoyed the taste. "I am rarely fooled by people. I suppose this is karma." There was another pause but it was just filled with silence. "I had thought you were genuine. That you truly might be the kind of person that could change me. But I can't be fixed. I'm too broken, so our plan to stop me from becoming... this, well, I thought..." It sure sounded like he was struggling to get through this voice note.

"Anyway. Our plan to salvage me would have been impossible. I don't know how much Mr. Allen has told you, but just before I was able to kill him, my ancestor Eddie Thawne, took his own life to stop me, erasing me from the timeline. So, in order to make our plan work, I travelled back to that point. Instead of changing the outcome so I could win, instead of killing Barry Allen, I believed in you so strongly, that the only thing I altered, was pulling Eddie from the timeline. I stopped my past self and let Barry win. I saved Eddie's life so that I'd have a future that you could alter in the 22nd century. Only to come back and find that in doing so, I'd changed things more than expected. Barry isn't with Iris, instead he's with you. I'm usually an expert at manipulating the timeline, but I was so focused on your guiding light that I let it blind me. Alea iacta est." He didn't expect her to understand the Latin. That was one thing he'd always missed about Hartley.

"Dr. Wells instructed me to delete this audio file once you've heard it. May I proceed, Ms. Bennet?" Gideon asked.

[infinite1ups]

Claire was about to start diving in and reading those text files, looking for some kind of message... at least until the audio started, and she froze in place. Miss Claire stole her breath, her vision already blurred with tears.

That plan for the future had been something in her back pocket, something she hadn't dared breathe a word about to anyone, not a single soul. It was a naive, foolish notion, she saw that now, hoping that she could still fix things then. That she could somehow make it up to him. She'd promised, after all, and after breaking with everything else she told him, she wanted to keep that as best she could.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, choking back a sob. This was all she did, all she had done for years, lie and betray and leave. It started all the way back with Zach and had never stopped. If anything, in her years of running it had gotten worse. She left a path of confused friends and broken hearts, from state to state. Far more than any who had broken her heart.

Her falling out with Zach has been her father's doing, erasing the boy's memories of his friendship with Claire to keep her safe. Still, she saw it as her responsibility. He was just the first of so many friends, so many people who loved her, all of whom she'd failed.

It was only a matter of time before she failed her new friends too, Claire thought. She didn't deserve any of them. Least of all Barry. He deserved better than someone who was naive enough to think she could fix his worst enemy, who was stupid enough to feel any kind of affection for a man like that. They all deserved better than her.

Part of her wanted a transcript, or to keep the recording, but no. It was better this way. She was still afraid to tell anyone about the future plan, and she didn't want them to find out through Thawne's recording. "Proceed," she managed to croak out, her chest aching as she sobbed again.

Thawne would be right, Claire didn't know the Latin. His message was clear enough without it - she hurt him. Maybe that guiding light he spoke of burned people, too. Maybe she'd burn Barry, she thought, and it only made her cry harder. She idly wondered if the room was soundproof as she sank to her knees in a heap of tears. It probably wouldn't be any big surprise that she was breaking down, given how close she'd been at the apartment. Barry had been worried, probably still was worried. She felt like a burden.

That old instinct to run was prickling in the back of her mind, but she was just too tired of running. And what was the point in running, anyway? Now there were too many people who could catch her.

But maybe it was better they saw now who she really was.

Had to come up with a way to get Barr in the room.

[nevergetshome]

The room was indeed soundproof. At the affirmative, the holographic waveform of the audio message dissolved as Gideon deleted it. Then the bright white lights in the room dimmed down to a muted red. Her watch would chime with an alert. The yellow clad form stopped briefly, obscured by vibrating blur, but didn't seem as if he was there with a purpose. With her watch going off, the alert to the Cortex was pinging loudly, and it took Barry a nanosecond to join them in the room. Then the Reverse-Flash was gone. Flash looked like he wanted to chase after Thawne, but the sight of Claire crumpled on the floor in tears was more than he could handle.

Barry darted to her side and dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around her. "Are you okay? What'd he do to you?" Barry sounded like he wanted blood, seeing her so upset. Shortly after, Harry and Cisco came running into the Vault, one with his gun, the other with his Vibe glasses on and palms out, ready for a fight.

I realized too late that I didn't exactly make that easy D: sorry!

[infinite1ups]

She was nearly startled out of her despair by the alerts and changing lights. That could only mean one thing...

It had barely been the span of a heartbeat, but she saw that yellow blur just before Barry was at her side and then it was gone. Thawne got to see her break, after all. It was just what he wanted, wasn't it? He didn't have to hurt anyone she cared about, he only needed to hold up a mirror.

Claire couldn't get so much as a word out at first, with Thawne's cameo and all the resulting chaos only adding to how overwhelmed she was feeling. All she could do for a moment was cry as Barry held her, face buried against his chest.

Until those bitter, wretched thoughts caught up to her again. She didn't deserve this. Why would Barry be comforting her when he should let her go before she makes things worse.

Suddenly, Claire recoiled, pulling back and scrubbing at her eyes with her palms to wipe the tears away. "He told me the truth," she said, sounding defeated. "I hurt him, just like I hurt everyone else, just like I'll hurt all of you. That's what I do best, betray and disappoint people. And then I leave, because I'm too much of a coward to face them."

She hunched over again, hiding her face in her hands.

No, it's fine! XD

[feelthelightning]

Harry stepped forward when she recoiled out of Barry's arms and seemed to have more of a breakdown. Allen looked like he didn't know what to do, so Harry knelt down beside her.

"Claire," He deliberately used her first name. "you won't hurt us. I don't believe for a second that that's all you do. None of us do. We all make mistakes. Hell, I betrayed this team after I promised them I wasn't like Thawne. I knew what the man with my face had done, I fought for their trust, and I threw it back in their faces like an insult. I nearly got Allen killed because of it." He reached out to tip her chin up with two fingers so he could look her in the eyes.

"I'm the reason this kid knows what it feels like to have his back broken. Thawne may be the reason he'll forever have a knee-jerk reaction to my face, but I'm the reason he'll never know if he can trust another Harrison Wells again. If there's anyone here who doesn't deserve the kindness shown to them by this team, it's me. Not you."

Barry scooted closer and reached for her hand. "I trust you, Claire. You won't hurt me. You won't disappoint or betray me. I love you. Nothing will change that." He tried to scoot himself so he was leaning against her with an arm around her shoulders again. "Harry may be too hard on himself, but he's right about you."

[infinite1ups]

Despite feeling like a ruin already, Harry's use of her first name made her crumble a little more. Making her look at him the same way Thawne had, that damn near shattered her.

Claire sniffled and held back sobs, trembling as she listened to all Harry had to say. He'd been protecting her from the beginning, he was still protecting her now.

"I was stupid and naive," she said stubbornly, her voice thick and garbled from crying. "I thought I could fix him. Save him. He thought so too. He believed in me..."

None of that would make sense without the added context of the future plan. Her promise. Better to fess up at the earliest convenient opportunity rather than risk letting Thawne take any enjoyment in making her look more like a fool. She could embarrass herself just fine, without anyone's help.

"I saw him with his original face, still before I came here. He said I could change his future, in the 22nd century. That I... I made him care. On the drive, he said changed everything with Eddie, because he believed in me. A voice memo - it was programmed to be deleted after I heard it."

Claire's gaze shifted to each of her friends, and lastly on Barry. She felt broken, and she probably looked it, too. "It really is my fault he's back. You shouldn't trust me, or love me, I'll just ruin everything. I'm sorry."

Self-sacrifice sometimes turned into self-sabotage and self-destruction.

[feelthelightning]

What she clearly didn't know was that Thawne didn't take any enjoyment in this. He'd truly been hurt and seeing her reaction told him that she had at least been sincere in her promises, for a while. This drove his hatred of Barry even higher. If not for him, none of this would have happened!

Barry shook his head. "It's not your fault." He paused then stood up. "Gideon, bring up Pipeline security footage from 2015." A list of video files appeared on the holographic display. Barry picked out one specific file. "Claire, you need to see this. It shows you the kind of man he is. How he can use words and emotions as weapons." It also showed Barry in a state of rage he wasn't proud of, but she needed to see this anyway. He held a hand out to her to help her up then played the video footage.

"This pain, this hurt that you're feeling right now? Like you're at fault for something? It's exactly what he wants. You're not at fault. You're a good person, Claire. You're full of light and love and caring and empathy. All things that man will never and can never have. Don't let him hurt you like this." Barry had tears in his eyes now.

[infinite1ups]

She was unsteady on her feet, but with Barry's help she got up. It hurt to watch the footage, to see Thawne being so manipulative when he had seemed so genuine with her, and most of all it hurt to see Barry in so much distress. Her arm slipped around his waist, and she leaned in closer.

"I promised I'd help him. That things could be better," Claire said miserably. It had felt so real, Thawne's belief in her, the pain in his voice in that recording. Maybe he really had cared for her, maybe she had been his chance to actually have those things, and then she ripped it away.

It didn't occur to her that Eobard might not enjoy seeing her so devastated. She thought he must hate her now, almost as much as he hated Barry.

"It's not just Thawne. It's a long, long list of people I've screwed over, for years. He's just the latest one." Claire paused, allowing herself a breath before she fell apart again. "I'd sweep in, make a bunch of promises, get scared I'm getting too close, then I'd be gone. Only a matter of time before I got in my head to do it here, too."

It wasn't true, not really. Central City, Barry, and her friends were truly home now. She was making plans, planting roots. This whole mess had reminded her of the patterns of her past, making her doubt herself. That couldn't have been part of Thawne's plan, he wouldn't have known her well enough to prey on those specific insecurities, but it was another win for him all the same.

"I have to face him. But not for him. For me. No more cutting and running when things get hard, like I've done ever since the Ferris wheel." Claire was still very shaky and upset, but her resolve was growing stronger. "I need to own up to this. To apologize. And... it's an opportunity to stop him before he can hurt anyone else."

Which would be another betrayal, in his eyes. She was going to own up and apologize for that, as well, if it came to that.

[feelthelightning]

"You wouldn't leave me." Barry said softly and cupped her cheek. "We're going to be disgustingly sweet together forever. And adopt a dog together. And drive our collective dads nuts with worry all the time." Barry kissed her forehead. "I... don't want you near Thawne, but if you think it's something you need for closure, we'll work on making it as safe as possible." He saw Harry nod beside him.

"When you said he changed everything with Eddie, what did you mean?" Cisco asked from the doorway. He didn't know how to be much help for her emotionally. At least not better than Barry and Harry could be, so he'd stayed back. "Because I've been having weird nightmares about Eddie for a while now. They're always the same. It feels a lot like when I relive my death from the erased timeline."

[infinite1ups]

"I just asked you to move in with me. I want to stay with you." Barry was right. She wouldn't have built all this just to leave. That hadn't been her M.O. all the other times. She'd be long gone before anyone could become so fully immersed in her life, but instead here they were, building a life together. The apartment, their blended found family, a dog.

A real home, like she'd been longing for ever since the house in Odessa went up in radioactive flames. And beyond that... kids, maybe. That had been a glimmer of hope in the back of her mind ever since Harry mentioned it the morning Hartley attacked them.

Claire hadn't realized just how much she wanted any of that until she actually had it. How utterly stupid to come so close to throwing it away. And for what, her pride? For Eobard Thawne?

Cisco's voice cut through her thoughts, and she stopped herself short of insisting that she needed this confrontation with Thawne. They were still planning how best to deal with him, so that could wait. "He said he pulled Eddie from the timeline. Because he believed in me so strongly, he chose to save Eddie instead of killing Barry. That way, I'd be able to find him in the 22nd century and alter the future then."

She paused, head tilted in slight confusion as more of the voice memo came back to her. "But he said he changed things more than expected, because I'm with Barry now." And that unnerved her more than she could say, so she didn't dwell on it. "I'm sorry it's giving you nightmares." Yet another thing she could feel was her fault.

"This must mean Eddie is out there somewhere, right? He's not dead."

[feelthelightning]

"Good. As long as we're on the same page." Barry said lovingly and offered her a soft smile. But he looked increasingly concerned as she explained about Eddie.

"Huh. Sounds like someone else I know." Cisco said pointedly at Barry who had the decency to look cowed. "Can't people just leave the timeline alone?" But the little burst of bitterness changed to shock quickly. "Of course he's somewhere else... what do you mean dead?"

This got both Harry and Barry's attention. "Cisco... don't you remember? Eddie killed himself to stop Eobard Thawne from being born to save my life." Barry said slowly and Cisco grew pale. Harry distinctly remembered explaining how temporal aberrations worked to them when Thawne showed up again later because he hadn't yet been erased and had been in the NSF when it happened. So he knew Eddie was dead.

"That's exactly what happens in my nightmare. But dude, Eddie was transferred to New York like a year ago. It was this huge thing. The force had a going away party for him and everything." Cisco said, looking between Barry and Claire. "Iris cried a lot because he up and dropped the engagement."

[infinite1ups]

At the mention of Iris, it was Claire's turn to get a little pale. She quickly tried to compose herself, but nothing she did would ever be quick enough to hide from a speedster, that was one of the first lessons Eobard Thawne had taught her.

"You're talking about the changes Thawne made like you lived through them. Is this a Vibe thing?" she asked, looking to Cisco. This timeline stuff had confused her ever since she went back and changed things that one time, and it was a lot more complicated now. With some reluctance, her eyes went back to Barry. "But you seem to remember things as they were before, like Thawne never changed anything. Could he have been lying? What if--" Her voice broke, and her brows furrowed in annoyance. Annoyance at herself. "What if I'm not supposed to be with you?"

She was on the verge of tears again, and it sent a quiet anger simmering through her. The future wasn't written in stone - that was how Claire Bennet lived her life, making her own future. She had chosen to be with Barry Allen, and she'd choose him in any timeline, to hell with what anyone else had to do or say about it.

[feelthelightning]

"Not a Vibe thing. When a change is made to the timeline, anyone not in the Speed Force when the change is made--" Cisco started but Harry cut in briefly,

"--or someone on another Earth, because each Earth has its own timeline." Cisco shot Harry a look and he gestured for Cisco to continue.

"Anyway, everyone else experiences the changes like they've always been part of their memories. But I'm betting Quicksilver here was in the Speed Force and the Grinch was on Earth-2, so they remember things how they were before. I get to have fun traumatic nightmares about the old timeline because of the Vibe thing. It's so fun!" the last two words were said angrily through gritted teeth.

Now Harry took over. "There are fixed points that can't be altered without dire consequences, like the murder of Allen's mother. Those events cause ripples forward and backwards in time so severe it could wipe out the human race. Not everything is fixed. So there are different outcomes for everything." He had different stances on altering time. Changing the past, he was firmly against it. Preventing a future, he was for it. But he also knew that sometimes trying to prevent something was the cause of it happening.

Barry held Claire again. "I don't care what Thawne changed. I want to be with you. I meant what I said. I was drawn to you. I am drawn to you. And I love you."

[infinite1ups]

"There's no way to get rid of the nightmares, Cisco? Nothing we can do?" She hated that he had to endure such anguish.

Thawne had explained fixed points to her, she recalled. He'd also mentioned the Negative Speed Force being immune to timeline changes, which would have made it possible for her to alter his future. Speaking of immunity, technically she was immune to headaches, but all this timeline talk might give her one.

Claire hadn't been involved with changing past events outside of the one instance. Unlike Hiro and Peter, who had seemed to make their presence felt all over the past, branching things into who knew how many timelines.

She all but melted into Barry's embrace, leaning her head against his chest. Home. That response was exactly what she'd hoped for, what she desperately needed. She held on tight, finally starting to feel like her usual self again. "I love you. Nothing could keep me from you."