Rebuilding a family (Snowbarry)

Back to Central City

December 22, 2039

Central City Station

The train from Midway City is arriving at platform 12

The electronic voice broadcasting the announcement was barely audible, largely drowned out by the voices of tourists, who had flocked to the city for the opening of the Flash museum.

Among them, however, there was someone in particular who was not in town to visit that place: Bart Allen

At that moment he was sitting in a private night train cabin.

Due to the opening of the museum, a private cabin was the only seat on a train for that day that he had managed to find... to pay for the ticket he had been forced to use a large part of his savings, unable to ask for help or his sister nor to his mother

"Bart... what are you doing here?" Nora asked, after speeding into Bart's cabin

"Damn sis! You can't scare me like that!"

"Bart! Answer my question! Why are you in Central City? And don't say you're here for the Flash museum!"

"Not for the museum..."

"Bart..." Nora said, sitting down next to Bart "You won't be here for him..."

"Nora is our father! And I've never met him!"

"There is a reason for this!"

"When you told me about him you described him as a fantastic father... I can't believe he has given up on having anything to do with us..."

"Well can you believe it! I know it! You were 3, I was 5... I remember what mum said 12 years ago! She..."

"I can't believe it... he's flash he would never..."

"Well Bart, he left us! And he has a new family... 5 year old twins and a new wife... who is none other than my godmother! Bart, you have to understand that..."

"Nora, you can't stop me from meeting him!"

"Bart... I don't think you're ready for his rejection..."

"What makes you think it will happen?"

"Bart, come with me... you'll come back another time..."

"It's easy for you to talk! You can come and go whenever you want! You have the speed! You will never have any problems! I don't have his powers!"

"Bart, honestly... What do you think will happen? Do you want to go to his house and tell him who you are... do you really think he will welcome you to his house, with his children?"

"Wait, do you know where he lives?"

"Yes... I came to Central City to meet my.... a friend of mine... I passed in front of what used to be our family home... a house in the suburbs...

I saw him go out with her... along with two children

He still lives there with his new family."

"Did you talk to him?"

"No... but I don't need to!"

"What makes you think he wants nothing to do with us?"

"Bart... look..."

"No, now you have to listen to me Nora! I'm 15 years old! I'm not a child! I have a right to know him and..."

That sentence was interrupted midway by something so fast that not even Nora had time to realize it

The train stopped at the tracks, was thrown to the side by an explosion

December 22, 2028

"Aunt Caity..." Nora asked, as Caitlin read her bedtime story, "What is

happening between my parents?"

"What do you mean sweetie?" Caitlin asked placing the book on the bedside table and hugging the little girl

"They argue every day... it's always mom who starts yelling... dad hardly ever answers..."

"Honey... I had no idea!" Caitlin said hugging Nora more tightly

"Aunt Caity... what do you think is going on?"

"Honey, it's not something you need to worry about..."

"Get out of this house bitch!!" Iris yelled as she entered the room, scaring the little girl to death

"Iris, what the hell!" Caitlin said, getting up from the bed and approaching Iris "I don't know what problem you can have with me, but you can't talk like that in front of a little girl!"

"Caitlin, get out of here!" Iris said, slapping Caitin "Nora, pack your backpack, you and Bart are leaving"

"Iris, you can't be serious!" Barry said, entering the room

"Yes I am!" Iris said, pushing Barry out of the room "We're done!"

..........

Nora woke up abruptly... for a first moment she could not understand what had happened and where it was... it took her several seconds to remember the explosion and identify the environment as a hospital room

"Nora...you're awake," Caitlin said, walking into the bedroom

"What are you doing here Caitlin!? What am I doing here?"

"There was an explosion at Central City Union Station... When Barry arrived he saw you in the wreckage"

"Bart?"

"He was seriously injured... he's in intensive care right now... he's been in there for 8 hours"

"How do you know it was him?"

"We saw some pictures..."

"How? Who showed you them?"

"Well..."

"Look Caitlin, it doesn't matter... Did you warn my mother?"

"I tried to reach her but she was busy... Do you have any idea what she might be doing right now?"

"She left for New York this morning...for the Pulitzer delivery...It's important to her...

So she must have turned off her phone because she doesn't want to be disturbed as she prepares to receive the award."

"Isn't it usually done in April?"

"May... not this year anyway... they decided to do it directly now at the end of the year...

And she's the first award winner in this new version... It's incredibly important to her!"

"No more than you..."

"Caitlin...Why are you dressed like this?" Nora asked, noticing how Caitlin was wearing a surprisingly elegant dress

"I was in Sweden when it happened... I came here right away"

"Why were you in Sweden?"

"For the Nobel Prize... for research on the use of..."

"Induced stem cells of sprinters for terminal diseases..."

"How do you know?" Caitlin asked

"Even after what you did to my family I admire you as a scientist... I know exactly what you have been working on over the years..."

"Nora, thank you for admiring me as a scientist... but as I've tried to tell you hundreds of times over the years, I had nothing to do with your parents' marriage breaking up..."

"Excuse me Mrs. Allen..." a female doctor said as she entered the room

"Yes, it's me... what's going on?"

"It's about Bart Allen... your stepson..."

"Will my brother be okay?" Nora asked, concerned

"I'm sorry to tell you, but he's dead...just now..."