Always Running

Just Like Me

Joe West may be a family man, but his house is just not cut out for the family he's inherited over the last two years. Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, Harry, Joe, Henry, Iris, Eddie, Wally, and Jessie are all seated, knee to knee, around the dining table at Joe's house. The amount of food needed to feed them, primarily the bottomless-stomached-speedster, could not fit on the table. Nevertheless, they ate. Joe and Iris spent all day making food for the celebratory dinner. After taking some much needed naps, the rest of the team showed up, lighter than they've been in weeks.

Zoom wasn't defeated, but his army was handled, and they knew they currently had the upper hand. Caitlin was back. Barry had his speed. Everyone was there and everyone was safe. Barry looked around at his family, old and new. His dads. His best friends. The love of his life. A surge of hope ran through him. He realized that any time he previously thought they would actually defeat Zoom before wasn't genuine, because it never felt as sure as this feeling. He knew they'd win. The calm and quiet outside, signaling the lack of meta attacks, and the relaxed joy inside, all ensured him. This is all he needed to win. These people around this table.

"Cisco?" Barry hears Caitlin quietly ask.

He turns to see her nudging him. His face is distressed, but zoned out. She puts an arm around him and waits for him to focus again. When she can tell he's back, she looks around to meet his eyes.

"What'd you see?" She asks.

"Birds." He says, his eyes wide.

"Again?" Harry asks across the table.

Cisco looks up at him and nods. He turns to Caitlin. "Birds falling." He looks around like he's trying to see it again. "Earth 2..." He mumbles. "It's being destroyed."

"By what?" Jessie asks, panicked.

"I don-I don't know." Cisco mutters outs, shaking his head.

The room grows quiet and tense, hearts racing while everyone is scared to let out a breath. They all turn to the head of the table, having just seen blue lightning spark through the room. Barry stands, his hand clenched around his chair. He looks on as Zoom holds up Henry, doing nothing but breathing while he stares back at Barry.

"Let him go." Barry orders, almost pleadingly.

"Come be the hero, Flash." Zoom taunts.

Barry follows Zoom out the door. Zoom leads him to Barry's childhood home. In the living room, standing in the same spot Nora Allen was murdered sixteen years ago, Zoom holds Henry Allen up. Barry stares, his body cemented to the ground as he stands in the same spot he did when he saw his mother screaming, surrounded by lightning, when he was eleven years old.

"Let him go. Please." Barry begs, ripping his mask off.

Jay takes his off too, smirking wildly at Barry. "You need to see it, Barry. Really see it this time."

"Please don't do this."

"It's your turn to suffer." Jay holds Henry up higher.

"Barry." Henry says, his voice quick but calm. "I am so proud of you, son. Your mother and I are so proud of you."

The smirk on Jay's face grows. "Then you'll be just....like...me."

"Jay, please!" Barry shouts.

Henry takes a deep breath. "I love y-"

His words are cut off by a gasp as Jay's hand vibrates through his chest, stopping his heart. Barry yells, a rage surging through his body, for what feels like an eternity before his dad falls to the ground in front of him.