Short on Time

Chapter 130

My name is Iris West and I once met a young man, a superhero who I called the Streak.

The world has come to know him as the Fastest Man Alive, the Scarlet Speedster, the Flash.

But no matter what title you choose for him, he'll always be remembered as the protector of our amazing city and its citizens, as a beacon of hope for us all, and as the man who sacrificed himself again and again so we could live.

Today we say good-bye to him, not because he was taken but because he gave himself willingly.

And in the end, that's what makes him deserving of the greatest title of all:

"Hero."

~*~

"You okay?" William asked as I read what Auntie Iris had sent me. 

"What?" I questioned as I looked up at him, just then noticing that my eyesight was blurry. "I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"You're crying," William pointed out. "People cry from pain,  joy, or sadness. And judging by an article that is written for a day that hasn't happened yet, I'd guess it wasn't from the first two." 

"Aunt Iris wrote this, because my dad is gonna die," I said forlornly. 

"The same day my dad dies," William said. "You've grown up knowing this, and you came back in time knowing this." 

"You've grown up knowing this is what is supposed to happen," I said. "But for me, we had five more years with him." 

"All because of your sister who I've never known changed the future," William said. 

"Nora changed the future to try to save our parents," I sighed.

"Which, she succeeded in, at least partly," William said. 

"What?" I questioned. 

"Your mom," William said. "She's still alive, and definitely has her hands full."

"In what way?" I asked.

"Henry," William said giving me a strange look. "You know, him and Bibiana just had the twins and-"

"Henry's married?!" I asked loudly.

"Henry wasn't married?" Was William's response.

"No!" I said as I stood up and started pacing. "Oh, Esther is going to be furious..." 

"Ginger's been helping them since the twins were born, guess it didn't skip a generation like it's supposed to," William said. "Not to mention Chloe's kids."

"That I know about," I said shaking my head. "Just, Henry is married with kids. What are their names?" 

Benedict and Scholastica," William said. "Strange names."

"They're very Catholic names," I said smiling sadly. "Dad would be proud." 

"You should tell him," William said.

I shook my head, "I don't want to change things like Nora did."

"She changed things for good," William offered. 

"For everyone but our family," I said.

"No," William said. "Your family suffered, but your mom kept you guys together. You knew your dad was a hero, so you became one too."