Paralyzer || Barry Allen (The Flash) Fanfiction

Chapter 29: Racing Against Time

I was glad for my ability to process my thoughts at super speeds or I would have been mulling over my decision for hours most likely. Instead, I was able to make up my mind in a matter of about four seconds. With a barely audible sigh, I made my way closer to the boy, the reason for my being here.

"Barry," I breathed in the still room, praying that it was soft enough that his family of this time period would not hear it. He whipped around to face me, his eyes wide with shock as he registered my presence.

"How did you get here?" Barry whispered, his expression still displaying his confusion. I also noted the weariness that was carried on his words. I could hear the unspoken question of why I'd come here practically ringing in my ears as if he had spoken it aloud. It was obvious he already understood what I was trying to do without the words ever leaving my mouth.

Be that as it may, I felt like it was only reasonable that I confirm his suspicions. "You can't go through with this, Barry," I blurted, the desperation evident in my tone.

I could feel the sting of forming tears prick my eyes, and I was unable to force any words past the thick lump in my throat. I parted my lips again to say more, to explain why, but I closed them soon enough as a sob hiccuped from my lungs. I really wasn't ready to lose Barry, but I didn't know what I could say to make him give up the opportunity to rescue his mother from the grip of death.

The boy sighed and shook his head. He looked at me apologetically, his eyes glistening with unshed tears lit by the soft moonlight that filtered through the window. "I'm sorry, Haven. I've already made up my mind."

Almost as if on cue, a crash sounded in the other room followed by the cries of what I assumed to be Nora Allen's calls for help. Rapidly, Barry turned around and pried open the door, peering through the crack as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. I joined him, and he didn't object as I looked over his shoulder.

The red and yellow speedsters raced around the room, fighting to get ahead of the other, to be the first to get a hold of young Barry. Thanks to my own speed thinking and vision, I could see every one of their actions crystal clear as if they were moving at a normal pace. Beside me, I felt Barry move forward, one foot out the door as he carefully timed his intervention. I hardly managed to fight back my wail for him to stop as I realized that this was when I was about to lose him. A few more seconds and he was gone forever, and there was nothing I could say that would stop him.

Then, the unbelievable happened.

Barry halted his movements as his future self paused for a fraction of a moment, breaking from the fight for the briefest moment and glancing in the direction of where Barry stood. The future Flash simply signaled for Barry to stay where he was, offered a small shake of his head, and turned his attention back to the Reverse-Flash. Barry hesitated for a second or two, stunned in his disbelief, but, ultimately, he complied to his future self's commands.

The Barry of my time stepped back in the room and shut the door behind him, turning into the wall as he held back his cries. My relief for what had just been avoided was overwhelmed by the empathy I felt for the boy before me. Without saying anything, knowing that my words were unnecessary in this moment, I wrapped my arms tightly around his body. I wished I could take away his pain with a hug, but I knew things weren't that simple. Still, he returned the embrace easily, gratefully accepting the comfort I could provide. A grief as palpable as Barry's filled my heart, and I felt the trickle of tears flow over my heated skin as we stood there, holding onto each other as if we would shatter to pieces without the other's arms there to keep us together.

Eventually, a silence filled the house, not a single sound coming from the room beside us. Slowly, Barry and I untangled ourselves from one another. The boy glanced at the door and then back at me before turning the nob and looking through the doorway. Straight ahead of us, his mother laid on the floor. I was sure she was gone, her soul already parted from her physical form, but she made a small movement that indicated otherwise. Without hesitation, Barry sped over to her side, kneeling beside her as he held her hands in his. I felt it best to stay behind, not daring to interrupt this single moment they had together.