When Everything Fall Apart (Snowbarry)

You never lost your memory, did you?

"What do you mean?" Iris asked, taken aback by Nora's question

"Don't lie to me, Iris! You recognized Mia at Grandpa Joe's wedding... So you have no reason to lie! You never lost your memory, did you?"

"I lost it... but I gradually recovered it over the following months..." Iris said crying

"Then why didn't you ever come back?"

"Before I left I had been a horrible person! I had accused Barry of cheating on me with Caitlin and I had done everything to belittle her... before I left I refused to be your mother...
When my memory recovered I didn't have the courage to call... I didn't want to talk on the phone... and I couldn't afford a plane ticket...
I came back 6 months later... but it was late..."

"It was your family! It wasn't late!"

"When I saw your father, I wanted to talk to him... then I saw Jenna playing with the little girl who had arrived at STAR Labs with Patty...
While they were playing she fell and grazed her knee... Caitlin came up with you in the stroller...She cleaned her scraped knee, put a plaster on her, then kissed her forehead...
While that little girl was playing with Jenna again, Caitlin and your father kissed...
That's when I realized..."

"What did you realize?"

"On June 20, 2017, after a horrible day fighting metahumans while Barry was in the speed force, I found a message from Patty on our voicemail...

It said something like:

Hi Barry It's Patty, I know we haven't heard from you in a long time, but I have something so important to tell you... I don't know how we got to this point but... I should never have said no to your proposal... I should have stayed... I love you so much ... I know it's late but this is not...

I didn't want to hear more so I deleted the message...
In that moment, after years, I understood what she meant...
My frustration led me to delete the message in which Patty revealed to Barry that they had a daughter!
I left ruining the lives of the people I loved... I couldn't go back to ruin it all again...
I should have told him what happened... and he would never forgive me...
and I couldn't bear it..."

"So you have chosen the simplest option! Run away from problems! Leave without ever looking back!"

"A fairy, you were wearing a red headband, it matched the bracelet you had on your wrist..." Iris said holding back her tears

"What?"

"Your first play in kindergarten... You were a fairy... You tripped on the step as you went on stage... You didn't cry... You laughed and started the play..."

"How do you know?"

"For every play, for every science fair... I was always there... even when you graduated and gave your commencement address...
Then life forced me to stop following your path
All I missed was your graduation from the academy and your promotion to detective...
Your grandfather always sent me letters, to convince me to come back into your lives, I had to use all my willpower not to answer...
Then when he came to London to talk to me... I still don't know what gave me the strength not to cry in his arms and reveal everything!"

"If you knew who I was, why didn't you tell me!"

"You didn't recognize me, so you didn't know about me... yet in the past, you knew so you didn't know yet"

"It's confusing..."

"Well anyway I was right to do so... Everything went in the best way... You had the family you deserved..."