(The Flash) Frozen Flashpoint: Chapter 10 – Fruitful Conversations

Chapter 10 – Fruitful Conversations

Summary: Iris has to face some hard truths. Frost and Barry haver their own discusstion afterwards.

Barry and Caitlin were standing outside the West house.

Caitlin was looking at the porch with a fond look on her face. It was hard to believe it had been almost a month since that conversation and the relationship that followed.

Barry, on the other hand, was very nervous. He didn’t know what to expect from this meeting and was worried about the potential consequences for his relationship with Caitlin.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand squeezing his own. He looked to his side to see Caitlin watching him with a small frown on her face. “Are you okay, Barr?”

“I’m still not sure it’s the best idea for you to be here for this,” Barry mumbled dejectedly.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and answered, “We talked about this, Barry. I can protect myself, both in words and physically, in the very unlikely scenario it becomes necessary.”

Barry could only sigh and nod, so Caitlin smiled widely and cheerfully said, “And anyway, Joe invited me. It would be rude not to show up.”

Again, Barry could only nod, not daring to enter this argument again. After all, they’d already had it earlier that day, and he had lost miserably. He was in no rush for a repeat performance.

Apparently satisfied with his response, she began tugging his arm, urging him to follow her into the house. “And it’s just as rude to make our host wait, so let’s get inside. It’s not like you to move so slow, Flash.” She threw a teasing smile over her shoulder at him.

Barry could feel some of his worries melt away at the sight of her smile.

Once they reached the door, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, obviously waiting for him to knock. Barry took a deep breath and rang the bell.

There was silence for a couple of moments, and Barry considered knocking, but before he could decide, the door opened, revealing a frowning Joe, who was wiping his hands with a small towel. He gave Barry an odd look and asked, “Since when do you knock to get in here?”

Caitlin facepalmed while Barry rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. Joe shook his head before his smile returned. He turned back toward the living room and called over his shoulder, “Well, get in already. You came just in time. The table’s set, and the food’s hot from the oven. Better dig in before it cools down.”

As they walked toward the living room, Caitlin caught Barry’s hand again, trying to will some of the tension out of his body.

But all her efforts were in vain once they entered the living room and saw Iris already sitting at the table. When she heard them come in, she turned toward them with a blank expression that quickly turned into a frown when she noticed their joined hands.

With a mental sigh, Barry spoke dryly, “Iris, it’s been a while.”

Iris seemed to try to control her expression, but she couldn’t get rid of the frown as she said, with a small amount of bitterness in her voice, “I wonder why that is, Barry.”

“Do you really?” Barry shot back, matching her bitterness. If Iris had no intention of having a civil conversation, neither did he.

Before they could continue, Joe took his seat at the head of the table and said firmly, “Now, now. No arguments before dinner. Eat first, then we’ll talk about the elephant in the room.”

Having no other choice, Barry and Caitlin sat down at the table. Unfortunately, Barry had to sit across from Iris, which only increased the tension. But then again, the other options were for Caitlin to sit across from Iris or, worse, next to her. Either choice would have made things even more uncomfortable.

The food was delicious—Grandma Ester’s recipes always were, especially when Joe made them. But the atmosphere left a sour taste in Barry’s mouth, diminishing his usually unending appetite.

When Barry looked next to him, he saw Caitlin eating her dish with her usual grace but great enthusiasm, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

After swallowing the last bite, she wiped her lips with a napkin before turning to Joe with a wide smile. “My mom took me to fancy restaurants when I was younger, but I’ve never tasted anything this good.”

Joe chuckled easily. “Yeah, Grandma Ester knew her way around the kitchen better than anyone. This is Barry and Iris’s favorite dish from her menu. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Caitlin.”

Caitlin smiled brightly at Joe, but her smile turned into a full-face blush when Joe added, “And who knows? Maybe one day, when you’re part of the family, you’ll have a shot at making it yourself.”

Barry began choking on the food in his mouth, while Iris’s frown deepened. Caitlin cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of family, where’s Wally?”

Joe’s smirk grew larger. “He and Jessie are out on their first date—or at least the first one they’re both admitting is a date.”

After that, another tense silence filled the room. Joe’s smile faded, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, then. Let’s get into it.” He looked at Iris and asked calmly, “Iris, what exactly is your problem here?”

Iris looked at her father as if he were insane for not realizing it himself. “My problem is that Barry belongs with me. We’re meant to be!”

Barry scowled, but before he could say anything, Joe raised a hand in his direction, stopping him. The seasoned detective turned to his daughter and said, still calm, “If Barry’s power has shown us anything, it’s that nothing is ‘meant to be.’ The future can always change—especially when you’re talking about a man who can literally run back in time and change it.”

Barry winced as the accusation hit close to home. After all, he had been planning to do exactly that before Caitlin stopped him. He could feel his girlfriend’s stare burning into him, and he shifted slightly.

Joe then looked back at Iris with a blank face and asked in his cop voice, “Now, why do you think you and Barry belong together?”

Iris looked outraged but answered in the sweetest voice she could muster. “When Barry had no one, I was the one comforting him after his mom died. In school, when he was bullied, I was the one stepping in. Barry has been in love with me since middle school—there’s no way those feelings just disappeared.”

“I was never in love with you, Iris,” Barry said before anyone could stop him.

Iris’s face flushed red, but before she could speak, Joe said firmly, “Let’s hear Barry out first.”

With the attention on him, Barry explained. “I was obsessed with you. You were the first person to offer me everything I lost that night—a home. Somewhere along the way, the idea of home merged with you, and that’s what I wanted most. So I became obsessed, so much that I sabotaged all my other relationships, hoping one day you’d notice me, and I could have the home I’d been longing for.”

Barry was cut off when Iris happily exclaimed, “And I noticed, Barry! Now I’m ready to give you that home.”

The speedster shook his head sadly. “You never noticed me as Barry, Iris. You noticed the Flash. When you found out I was the Flash, that’s when you started paying attention.”

Iris, now fully red, raised her voice. “Of course I did. I always cared about you, Barry, and wanted the best for you!”

Now Barry could feel the heat in his own face as he shot back, “And what is the best for me?!”

Iris stood up and screamed, “I know you better than anyone, Barry! I know what’s best for you!”

Barry jumped to his feet and shouted back, “Yeah?! Like how you thought locking me in the pipeline after I watched my dad die was ‘for the best?!’”

Iris looked shocked for a moment before glaring sharply at Caitlin. “What did you tell him, you cunning little—”

Barry could feel the Speedforce gathering inside of him, but before he could do anything, or Iris could finish her insult, Joe slammed his hands on the table and commanded, “Iris, that’s enough! Sit down and calm down, right now.”

Barry expected Joe to turn to him next, but instead, he felt a pair of hands gently pulling him down by the arm. He looked over to see Caitlin giving him the hard stare she usually reserved for difficult patients. “Barry, you need to calm down too,” she said, gently but firmly.

Once Barry was seated again, she squeezed his arm and added softly, “We’re trying to find a way to move forward. Bringing this up now won’t do anyone any good.”

Barry took a deep breath and mumbled, “I guess you’re right.” Caitlin rewarded him with her dazzling smile.

Barry then looked calmly, with a hint of sadness, at Iris. “Iris, you don’t know me better than anyone anymore. You haven’t for a while.” Seeing she was about to protest, he quickly continued. “You did once, not even that long ago. But the year I spent in a coma and then the year I was the Flash while you were with Eddie changed everything. We both grew during that time. I know I’ve changed—I barely recognize my old self from before the lightning struck. All of this happened while you weren’t there, but Cisco and Caitlin were. Not only were they there to watch me change, but they helped me become the man I always wanted to be. And as much as I hate to say it, you don’t know that man—you haven’t taken the time to try.”

Iris stared at Barry for a long moment, shocked. She turned her head and gazed out the living room window, but her stare seemed to be a million miles away.

Several tense minutes passed in silence before Iris spoke again. When she turned her head back to Barry, she wore a small smile, and a tear ran down her cheek.

Barry immediately felt guilt welling up inside him. “Iris, I didn’t mean to—” he began.

But Iris raised her hand to stop him and said, “No. You’re right. I needed to hear this. I just realized I’ve been doing the same thing you did.”

When all three of them looked confused, she explained. “Eddie was the love of my life. I was going to marry him, have a family with him. But he died. He died because of the same man who killed your mom, while working alongside you for months. I guess you were the closest thing I had to him, so I tried to replace him with you. That turned into its own kind of obsession.”

Iris then turned to Caitlin. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings during all of this. I know how much you care about Barry; I saw it even when we first met. Barry deserves someone like you.”

Caitlin gave Iris her trademark lopsided smile and replied cheerfully, “You’re good, Iris. Believe me, I understand better than anyone how losing someone you loved so dearly can make you feel like your future was stolen from you. If you ever need to talk about it, I’m here.”

Iris gave her a watery smile before turning back to Barry. She stood up slowly and spoke softly. “I’m sorry, Barry. I shouldn’t have convinced the others to lock you up alone after everything you’d been through. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did when, after the year you’ve had, something good finally happened to you. I hope we can still be friends after all of this, but I’ll understand if—”

Barry cut her off by using his speed to run around the table and hug her. While holding her, he whispered, “We were never just friends, Iris. We’re family, sis.”

Iris chuckled weakly before replying, “We are, bro.” Then she broke the hug, looked around the room, and said softly, “If you don’t mind, I think I need some time to myself now.”

With that, Iris left the living room and went upstairs. Barry looked over at Joe and Caitlin, who both wore small, sad smiles.

It was nice that the tension between family members had eased, but it still left them with the problem of helping one of their own heal. All they could do now was give Iris the space she had asked for and be there for her when the time came.

After helping Joe clear the table, Barry and Caitlin left for her apartment.

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Barry and Caitlin both dropped onto the couch in her living room moments after Caitlin locked the door.

“That was intense,” Barry said, the first thing that came to his mind.

Caitlin sighed before saying in a worried voice, “I hope she’ll be okay and takes me up on my offer.”

Barry gave her a small smile, caught her hand in his, and said with love in his voice, “I hope so too, Cait. Only time will tell.”

Caitlin returned his affectionate smile, but then her expression turned serious. “There’s something Frost wants to talk to you about. It’s important that you remember everything she says. We’ve already discussed it, and I agreed.”

“Okay?” Barry said... or asked. But Caitlin had already closed her eyes.

Her skin began turning paler, her hair shifted from light brown to pure silver, and her lips turned blue. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing ice blue, but there was a warmth in them no one would ever expect.

Frost looked down at what she was wearing and rolled her eyes, muttering something about dresses before locking eyes with Barry and smirking. “Well, hello there, Handsome.”

Barry smiled at her, used to her antics from all the training sessions. “What’s going on, Snow-Beauty?”

Did Frost just blush? Barry wasn’t a jerk, so he gave her a way out. “Cait said you wanted to talk about something?”

If anything, the blush grew more pronounced. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat and said, “You know me and Caity don’t agree on much.”

Barry nodded in agreement. Their fashion sense was the first thing that came to mind. Of course, Barry knew Frost was leading to something, so he waited until she continued. “But there is at least one thing we do share.” Barry gave another short nod and waited again for Frost to make her point. “And that’s our shared love for you.”

Barry blue-screened.

He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about this over the past few weeks. Frost looked exactly like the woman he loved, yet she had traits that both he and Caitlin lacked, and vice versa.

Not to mention that Barry had wondered what would happen if Frost decided she wanted to date someone. The first time he considered it, he was shocked by the wave of jealousy that hit him just thinking about the possibility.

Then he noticed Frost was speaking again. “I know I’m not Caity. I dress differently, and I’m more aggressive, but if you’d consider the convenience of having two girlfriends in the same body...”

Barry couldn’t stop himself as he surged forward and kissed her on the lips, shocking her into silence. He used the moment to make something clear. “I’m not going to date you because it’s convenient. I’d do it because I think you complete me and Cait. Everything we lack, you offer, and we’ll be able to help you when you feel out of your depth. And Cait’s already approved.”

Frost’s blush was replaced with a soft, affectionate smirk. “You really are the perfect package, aren’t you, Handsome?”

Before Barry could protest, Frost locked their lips again. Barry didn’t care that he had to use his powers to warm himself during the kiss—for him, it was just as perfect as kissing Caitlin.

Well, this is going to be interesting, Barry thought, his last coherent thought for a while.