Frozen Flashpoint

Chapter 22: A different kind of a meeting

Summary: The Speedforce is serving up some wisdom with a side dish of metaphors.

Without another word or any opportunity for the Allen family to react, Nora (AKA the Speedforce) turned toward the gates and walked into the cemetery.

Caitlin was the first to raise a question. "What do you mean waited for a long time? Barry has been the Flash for just about three years, and we met Lyra just a couple of weeks ago."

Lyra, on the other hand, looked at the sky with awe and asked enthusiastically, "We are in the Speedforce?! So shwei! Why are we here? Why are you looking like grandma? And why does it look like this? I thought it would be more... Speedforcey."

Barry sighed before addressing his words to his fiancée and daughter. "Don't bother, they won't answer you. The Speedforce is the definition of working in mysterious ways. Last time I was here, I chased a shadow of myself for a whole day and still didn't get a straight answer." The girls looked disappointed, so wishing to cheer them up a little, he added, "Oh and Snowflake, this graveyard is kind of an illusion. Without it, the Speedforce looks like a storm of particles and lightning. You should have caught a glimpse of it when you ran back in time."

Lyra looked like she began to think back on her travel and was trying to remember something similar to what Barry described.

Caitlin looked around and had to ask, "So why are we here of all places if the Speedforce can create any illusion it wants?"

Before Barry could answer, Nora stopped walking and the other three stopped next to her. Lyra immediately made a choking sound and asked quietly, "Grandma? Grandpa?"

And indeed, all four of them stopped before the headstones of Nora Allen and Henry Allen. Barry kept staring at the new headstone of his father; he only looked away when he felt Caitlin wrapping her arms around him.

Lyra slowly stepped forward and knelt before the headstones. Nora gave her a small smile and said softly, "Yes, my little runner."

Lyra looked down with tears in her eyes and kept whispering, "I never... I wanted but..."

"My little runner," Nora called softly, and when Lyra looked up with tears running down her cheeks, Nora kept talking, even more softly, "We understand. There will be time, a time you may come here whole and offer what you are looking for. Until then, your past will always wait for you here. As it did for your father."

Lyra looked at the headstones again and with a small smile whispered a promise, "I will be back, I promise."

Lyra stood up and went to hug her parents. Nora turned to them with a big smile. "Barry, we are happy to see you again."

Barry just frowned back. Even now, he still felt a little uncomfortable with the Speedforce taking his mother's shape and speaking in her place. Last time it made it harder to let go, but this time it just made Barry seek home even more.

With a calm tone, he retorted, "What are we chasing this time around?"

Nora chuckled as it answered in an amused voice, "You don't have to be so worried all the time, Barry. All you need to do is walk through the door."

Nora pointed to where the benches were last time, but when Barry turned this time, he saw a wooden door there.

After throwing a suspicious glance toward Nora, Barry led the two girls to the door and slowly opened it.

Once they crossed the threshold, they found themselves in the woods at the edge of a small pond.

Barry didn't recognize the place, although he felt like he really should. He looked at the two girls at his side and asked, "Any of you know where we are?"