Shield

Twenty

Izzie fell back, blood dripping from her mouth and an opening in her hairline as the older her stood above her. With her red energy Izzie shot a blast at to Finn locking him to the ground. He struggled against it only to be pressed closer to the floor. "Amazing what you forget." Izzie said with a smile gripping the jacket that cover the version of her she hopped to never become.

"I've forgotten nothing."

"Really?" Izzie asked pulling her closer. "Never let your guard down even when the opponent is down," as fast as she could she pulled the second string from her boot and shoved it into her arm. Izzie let out a scream as she stood taking a few steps back. "And I'll do anything for the people I care about. "Izzie sat up backing away until she reached fin the red energy holding him down faded away. Looking back to herself she watched as the red energy formed around her dropping to her knees it seemed to buzz over her skin. Coming together in the centre of her chest Izzie realized what was going to happen so pushed Finn back to the ground on top of him as the red energy dispersed through the whole wear-house. After a moment Izzie opened her eyes looking at Finn. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I should be asking you that." Finn helped Izzie up before looking over at the older her. The older Izzie laid passed out on the floor. "I'll open a breach." He did as he said as Izzie walked over looking at herself. Placing her hand to her neck she waited a moment felling her pulse but faint. "We need Somebody with Medical experience too, her pulse is too low."

Finn jumped through the breach. A few seconds later Cisco, Iris, and Someone she didn't recognize came through with Finn. She stepped back allowing them to do what they needed to. It wasn't long before the fate of her own wounds became clear as everything around her went back and she fell to the ground matching herself.

"Izzie!" Iris yelled running over to her. Finn followed picking her up. "We need to get the back, now."

Following Iris's order they picked both Izzie's up as Cisco created a breach to the run down lab. Finn assisted Cisco in getting old machines back up again as their medical expert Christian hooked them up to machines getting their vitals and body scans. Iris walked away to what she remembered as the lounge. Now it was just an old dust covered room crumbling apart as tarps covered everything. She sat down thinking about what's happened. Everything she'd done to get to this moment. The girl she was starting to really care for had turned into something else. Risking everything to save her and get her back.

A part of her wondered what Barry would say. They'd changed the future plenty of times. She was just bringing Izzie from the past to stop from any more lives being taken and saving her future in the process. The time line had changed and shifted but helping Izzie she felt would set it right. She'd have her life with Barry like they wanted. Start a family with him. She wouldn't watch the girl she cared about take away everything and everyone.

"She took a beating from herself," Finn said drawing Iris's attention to him as he stood at the stairs. "All because she realized what she had to fight for." he said walking over.

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't known you guys that long and I didn't know her until it was too late." Finn cleared his throat before sitting down net to Iris. "I knew the boy she loved. He was my friend. He loved her like Barry loved you. I can see it in the pictures of you two."

"Barry used to call me his lightning rod." Iris smiled at the memory of her husband. She spun the ring around her finger having never taken it off.

"She was his life." Iris looked to the boy. "They were teenagers but he knew. He didn't want to spend a day without her. Realizing whats good for her, who's good for her, changes everything. You and Barry change her. You make her want to fight."

"She's connecting to us?" Finn nodded.

Cisco helped Christian keep the monitors up fixing things as they needed to. Both Izzies laid on beds next to each other still passed out leads on them connected to the screens showing their vitals. Christian continued stitching Young Izzies wounds. Sending a quick message Cisco let Iris know they were ready for him to use his power and find out what happen.

Finn knew past Izzie wanted to be awake for it. See what she needed to avoid. Iris agreed to wait. Still unknowing of how their present Izzie would be they kept her under light sedation.  Best to just keep her under until they find out the truth.

Izzie sat on the beach. The light breeze against her skin. The wave crashing along the shore. All so beautiful and calming she was surprised to feel at peace. "Iz," heart skipping she turned back. Ryan stood with his hands in his pockets. "You look like you've seen better days." With a smile she stood. Waiting a moment to make sure he wouldn't disappear she just looked at him. "What? You forget who I am?" With that she sprinted.

Jumping into his arms feeling his touch again she wrapped her legs and arms around him smashing her lips to his. He held onto her as tight as she'd been wanting since the last day she last saw him. It was a minute before Ryan pulled back to just look at her."I've been wanting to do that for a long time." She said keeping her forehead to his.

"I know, that's why I'm here." He said. She looked at him seeing a seriousness she'd never seen before. "My girl," he brushed back strands of her hair. "You've changed."

"You died in my arms," she unwrapped her legs from around his waist. "Like everyone else." He intertwined their fingers as the tears fell from her eyes. "I would t have been able to survive if I didn't."

"That's okay. But, to survive do you really need to change who you are?" He asked. He pulled her making her walk with him as they made their way to the shoreline. "You had lost everyone...you had to face experiences many of us would never...but that didn't stop you from helping the girl who was knocked down by the cheerleaders. Didn't stop you from wearing a tank top when a girl got suspended for it. None of it stopped you from helping other."

"You were different Ryan," she stepped in front of him making him stop. "You were killed and never got justice. I somehow was missed and yet you died,"

"Even then you were more powerful then you realized." He said. Pinching her eyebrows at him he put his hands out palms up. She placed her palms against his and felt an ease wash over her as she saw she was no longer on the beach but back on that sidewalk walking with Ryan. She heard the tires squealing on the pavement watching the night that haunts her dreams happen again right in front of her. She watched as the guns came out and the popping started. Looking back at herself she watched as she put a shield in front of herself unknowingly as Ryan stepped in front of her. Several bullets passed before the shield covered him. She remembered hearing more shots but not knowing how he only got hit a few times.  Her shield dropped a moment before she opened her eyes. She never knew she did that. A moment later she was back on the beach looking at Ryan. "What happened was always going to happen."

"I was always meant to lose everyone?"

"You where meant to find your reason. Reason for helping people. Find the right people, at the right time. Lose people at the right time." He said. Staring at him she took a moment to take him in. If she was dreaming she was confused if it was something else...she didn't want to accept if it was something else. That was too real for her. "You may be a shield, but you can't protect yourself from living. You have to choose when to get up and keep going."

"I miss you," she said.

"I will always miss and love you." Ryan took his hands out of her kissing her forehead. "You can move on. Find someone who can make you happy. Someone who love you just as much as you love. That's what I want." Ryan stepped away. Izzie wanted to follow but knew she couldn't. It warmed her heart seeing him turn back and smile before he disappeared into the light.