~Author's Note~

Hey guys, I'm back with a new one-shot that's taken me about a month to write, because I never get a break. I got the idea for this after seeing 2x14, 'Escape from Earth-2'. Basically what this is, is something I think could happen if the show was ever to take a darker turn. Zoom's pissed the portals to Earth-1 are closed, so he goes after who else but Earth-2 Barry and Iris for answers. So this mostly takes place from Earth-2 Barry and Iris' point of views, but Earth-1 is included too.

It was surprisingly difficult to write Earth-2 westallen so I hope I did them some justice and any feedback would be appreciated. Now, I'm off to watch tonight's new episode—I hope you guys enjoy! :)

Rated High Teen for suggestive material, hints towards torture, mild language, dark themes, heavy angst and scary moments.

Notes: Takes place directly where 2x14 leaves off.
Fake-Barry/Other-Barry – Earth-1 Barry
Doppelganger – Earth-2 Barry

Extremity

all these lives that you've been taking
deep inside, my heart is breaking
it's so wrong, but you'll see
never gonna let you take my world from me

x

x

As soon as the alarm goes off, signaling a security breach within the facility, Earth-2 Barry and Iris send a worried look each other's way. Barry's stomach plummets down to his knees as he reaches out for his wife's open hand and holds tightly. Iris' eyes darken, locking into a police officer's perspective, as she takes her husband's hand quickly and lowers the other to trail her fingers along the cool hem of her holstered pistol.

A loud crack of lightning echoes from down the hall, which causes both of their hearts to gallop wildly in their chests when sounds of bodies being slammed into walls and bone-chilling screams fill their ears. Barry is grasping Iris' hand firmly, and he's trying to look fearless, but his eyes are betraying him.

He's smart. He knows they only have seconds before Zoom is inside this room, before he's standing in front of them.

They only have seconds.

"Iris," he whispers lowly, and his voice is aimed in a warning, terror lacing his tone (because though he would battle to the death for his wife—battle the worse demons to protect his wife—he knows he wouldn't last long). "Iris, we have to do something."

Her husband's words fall deaf on her ears as she glances around the room, searching for somewhere to hide, somewhere for them to go, and all hope seems lost until they land on a darkened corner of the room; where the light above is broken and hanging hallow above the abandoned desktop. She tugs on Barry's hand urgently, "Over here babe, come on. Hurry."

He follows without complaint, the two hurrying over to the desk and just barely falling to their knees behind it as Zoom flashes into the room; and his entrance sounds like a bellowing roar of thunder. Iris closes her eyes for a moment—squeezing them shut and willing her and her husband to be anywhere else—but a hitch in Barry's breathing causes her eyes to snap open.

He's having trouble keeping his breathing steady, and though he had just braved a mountain earlier to save his doppelganger from Earth-1, she knew her Barry well enough to know that he was scared.

So she reaches forwards and braces her hands on his shoulders, rubbing her thumbs over the tense muscles there like a soft lullaby. Barry blinks slowly, like he doesn't quite believe his life is real right now, but his breathing evens out nonetheless as he calms at her touch.

Zoom is eerily silent as his footsteps fade into the other room, where the breach is fizzling and warbling from instability. Iris pulls one of her hands back to hold a finger up to her lips, telling Barry to keep quiet, and then she peeks over the countertop. Zoom's back is to them as he calmly approaches the breach, and he seems to wait a rehearsed time in his head before reaching a clawed hand inside.

From the muscle strain in his arm and the subtle twitches of his wrist that Iris has been trained to watch for back when she was still training to be a cop (because any movement from a criminal could be hostile) it looks like Zoom grabs something with an iron grip.

Barry takes a gander over the edge of the desk to the right of Iris, because he's curious too. But both feel their breath catch in their throats when Zoom lets out an unsettling chuckle as he roughly pulls Jay Garrick from the portal.

And then it shuts milliseconds after that.

He holds Jay high, like he's a prize of some sort, but there's a gloved hand literally phased through Jay's chest—and blood is dripping down his shirt; puddling on the polished floor. "D-Don't," Jay gasps, attempting to grab at Zoom's arm but failing as it barely grips at his suit before falling back down to his side. "Don't d-do this."

Zoom seems to stare Jay down as he drains the life from him, and Iris swears she sees the corners of his mask split upwards in what would be a smirk as Jay's eyes slowly close. "I don't need you anymore Jay Garrick," he growls softly, pulling his arm out of the other man's chest and letting his lifeless body drop to the floor, "you've out proven your usefulness."

Zoom looks down at Jay, and the crimson blood is still leaking onto the floor, sluggishly building into a bigger and bigger ugly scene of . . . death.

Iris sees the jerk of Zoom's shoulders to show that he's about to turn around, so she grabs Barry by the shoulder and pushes him downwards—the soft thump of his shoulder blade hitting the metal of the desk being washed out by the sound of Zoom's lightning as he rockets out of the room without looking back.

Iris and Barry don't move for a long while, not until they're sure Zoom's truly gone and not coming back.

They finally help each other into standing positions once the sounds of police sirens wail from outside and shouting emits from the hallways near them. Barry's rubbing at his shoulder, and Iris feels twinge of guilt from deep within her but she knows that bruise that's sure to be blossoming on his pale skin is the only reason they're still alive.

"I'm sorry babe," she murmurs so quietly he almost doesn't catch it, turning away from staring at the dead body of Jay Garrick to look at her, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's alright," he counters, and Barry can't help but look back over at the body one more time before turning back to his wife and wrapping her in his arms. Her head comes to rest on the middle of his chest, and he's reminded of their height difference with an inside laugh that isn't appropriate for the moment, before leaning his head downwards and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

She might be the toughest damn person he knows, but he's also her husband. He knows when she's worried, or unsure of if anything is going to work out.

"Hey," he mutters, running a tender hand down her arm, "we're okay. He's gone, alright? We're safe." The rational side of Iris is fighting with her, deep in the depths of her mind, and she's trying desperately to smother it like it's nonexistent.

But for how long, baby? How long until we're next? How long until I lose you?

Barry gets her attention again by reaching a hand up to cup one of her cheeks, directing her line of sight up at his face. "We're okay," he repeats softly, like a lost song, "stay with me, alright?" Iris looks at him, really looks at him, and she's knows that it is going to be alright. Anything her Barry says always turns out okay; he's always right.

"Okay."

He smiles down at her, pulling her close, "Come on. Let's head home and pack. Mom will be ecstatic once she finds out that we're heading to Atlantis." Iris wants to laugh, she wants to help Barry with returning the contented atmosphere of the room, but she can't find the strength to do so.

Too much is weighing on her shoulders, cluttering her mind like a million notebooks sloppily falling out of a writer's cabinet. "I guess we're going to just have to leave out the part where we are only going there to escape a crazed speedster."

Barry doesn't speak for a moment, teeth pulling at his lower lip for a minute of thought. They're leaving the main room, wandering slowly towards the assortment of detectives and officers already on scene. "I didn't want to say this in front of um . . . Other-Barry, but . . . the odds of us being able to get out of Central before Zoom finds us is—"

"—less than thirty percent. I know, Barry. I know. We just have to be careful." Iris exhales as they approach a group of baffled rookies, looking around at all the covered bodies in a bewildered fashion. "I've only been married to you for a year, Barry Allen, and I still have a lot I want to do with you. Don't think some crazy speedster is going to detour me from being with the man I love."

A smile graces Barry's face as an older cop finally turns around and sees them, raising a hand to stop them from leaving. While Iris talks to the man about Jay inside and the newly closed breach, Barry's mind meanders to his wife's vows from that very year before. He remembers every word clear as day, but right now, all he can focus on is the ending.

I plan on spending the rest of my life with the man I love, learning every last thing about him.

The keys jingle as Iris clumsily slams them into the keyhole, struggling to unlock their front door after they pull into their home. The door creaks open after a few more baited seconds with some muttered profanities slipping out underneath Iris' breath before they both enter. Barry closes and re-locks the door again behind them once they get in before they both make their way upstairs.

"I'll grab the suitcases, you start grabbing our clothes." Iris commands once they get to their bedroom, Barry nodding in response as he heads towards the closet.

"Am I allowed to bring my bow-ties or are you going to hide them throughout the hotel room again?"

Iris can't deny the blush that dusts her cheeks at the memory of their honeymoon, their honeymoon where she had gotten gusty one day and hid all his bow-ties because he was being extremely too worried about work and reporting—so she had gotten his mind off such things by doing other, less innocent, things.

"Are you never going to let that go, babe?"

Barry chuckles as she throws their suitcases on the bed, the former tossing some of his precious bow-ties and favorite shirts into his in the process. "Well that depends, what kind of things are we going to be doing while a killer is chasing after us in Atlantis, Iris?"

They both stop packing to send a knowing look to each other and Iris advances towards him after winning their stare-down easily. Reaching a hand forward, she trails her fingers on the waistband of his pants, tugging softly on the simple material. "I could think of a few things," she whispers in a seducing tone, smirking at him (though there's a smile playing behind her lips), "what about you, Mister Allen?"

Barry's rendered speechless for a good five seconds, before attempting to stutter his way through an answer. "I-Iris—"

he gulps, regaining his confidence because he knows Iris does things like this just to see him blush or stumble but he can fight back; he's just as tough as she is (not really).

"—just seeing you is enough for me."

He smiles at her as she releases his waistband gently, just as Barry leans down to plant a deep, loving kiss on her lips. It's not until her hands are tangled in his hair and his lips are slightly swollen do they part for breath, but once they do Barry feels bold (and more in love with this woman as the seconds pass).

"I love you, you know," he murmurs, and his wife gives him one last short kiss in reply.

"I don't think I could ever forget," she quips, before squeezing the lean muscle of his bicep, "but I love you too."

He lets her leave his arms so they can both continue packing, and it only takes another fifteen minutes before all of their important things are packed. "Alright I think we have everything," Barry says after closing both their packed suitcases with a labored exhale, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

Iris looks from the suitcases and then to her husband, and a soft jerk in her heart reminds her of what they're missing. "We're missing just two things, Barry." She accounts just as he starts to pull off his jacket to get changed into something more comfortable; and he sends her a muddled look in response.

"What did we forget?" He inquiries dumbly, because all his mind can come up with are blanks because he's pretty sure they've grabbed absolutely everything, "I even packed a spare pair of my glasses." He finishes with a lopsided grin (because usually that's the thing he always forgets) but Iris is sending him a look that he knows all too well.

"In case we are never able to come back," and it takes all of her sanity to keep it together because she would never abandon her city and she would never turn her back on this city but her mind is throwing a thousand things her way—isn't what she's doing now running; isn't she leaving to save her own skin?—but it's not.

Because running is for cowards and she as hell isn't a coward, she's doing this to protect her husband; doing this to make sure she doesn't lose anyone else she cares for. Returning her mind to the subject at hand, if they can never come back, she doesn't want to lose their two most favorite and treasured things in the entire house.

"I think we should grab our things."

Barry knows exactly what she's talking about and doesn't waste a second in hurrying downstairs, causing Iris to laugh at the sound of his heavy feet stomping down the stairs. He's back upstairs within the duration of a minute, holding two items in hand.

One is a framed picture, and the other is a framed book.

Barry passes off the picture to Iris easily, sending her a smile. "I don't know what I would do without you sometimes," he jokes, glancing down at his own prized possession. Iris doesn't answer, instead staring intently down at the picture in her hands.

The framing is weathered, and the coloring is slowly fading away to reveal pieces of the frame chipping off like woodchips. She wipes off the thin layer of dust coating the glass with a steady thumb, seeing four faces stare back at her. It's a picture from before her father cut off all ties with Barry, before he truly hated him—which was ideally around three years ago.

She had first met Barry at Jitterbugs during one of her father's shows; he was a busboy working there, wiping down tables and collecting dishes. She had thought he was cute (in a dorky way) and had started flirting with him and they had instantly bonded, and within the next year they were dating.

The following year after that, they were married. Earth-2 Joe West had liked Barry at first but as the time passed and he had saw the man getting closer and closer with his daughter, he had gotten defensive which is where his hatred had stemmed from. Her mother dying a day before their wedding hadn't helped either.

The picture is of Iris and Barry holding hands at one of the corner tables at Jitterbugs, while Joe and Francie sit on the other side smiling wide and sharing a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

Iris softly traces her finger gently over the sharp features of her father, and the smile decorating her mother's face; before feeling Barry's arms wrapping around her from behind. His hands come up to rest on her own, and warmth instantly engulfs Iris like a blanket. "I remember this," he whispers quietly, "Joseph actually liked me then."

Iris sighs, leaning back against her husband. "I miss him."

"I know you do Iris, but he's in a better place now," Barry bustles, leaving a gentle kiss on the side of her neck. Iris lets out a soft chuckle, not being able to help the smile that slides across her face.

"Did you pack your comic book babe?"

Barry nods happily, "Of course. I'm glad you remembered it or else I would have been distraught in Atlantis."

Barry's thing, his most treasured item, was a cheap comic book about multiple imaginary superheroes. Henry Allen had gotten it for him when he was younger from a shady knickknack shop down the street from their house when Barry was five; for only ten cents. It was an unusual thing to be sold on Earth-2, as comic books were never really a thing for them, but nonetheless it was there and Henry had gotten it.

It was a starting issue (a superior issue as Barry had always called it) where multiple heroes had teamed up to fight someone named Doctor Light. According to the cover, the book was made in 1962 and was number twelve in the Justice League of America series, whatever in the hell that was, and Barry's spent a good amount of his life looking for the other issues, and hasn't found any.

On top of that, Barry was saved by the Flash, their Flash, two years before from almost getting hit by a car and killed and the Flash had autographed his comic book (as Barry was only out that day to finally laminate it) so the old tattered thing was special to him and forever would be.

With a final parting look at the picture in front of her, Iris hands it off to Barry and leaves his arms to head towards the bathroom. "Could you pack that for me babe? I just need to freshen up and then we can head out."

Barry sends a nod her way, "Don't take three hours in the bathroom, Iris, we gotta be out of here in ten if we want to get some burgers on the way to the train."

Iris flips her husband the finger before disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door, rolling her eyes at his brash laughter seeping through the closed door. Back in their bedroom, Barry strips out of his dirty jacket and dirt-ridden pants, haphazardly grabbing a pair of black sweatpants and hauling them on. The events of the day start to cloud his mind again, and the past forty-eight hours have been the craziest in his life.

I'm just Barry Allen, but you're the Flash.

He met his doppelganger, which proved his theory about there being other earths out there, and showed the differences. On that other Earth, he was struck by lightning and a superhero—plus Iris' father was still alive. On this Earth, their Earth, he's just an ordinary forensic scientist.

Barry would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of his counterpart; because that guy was something more—something bigger than just being Barry Allen. But in truth, Barry was happy with his life. He had Iris West as his wife, and he had this amazing life that he wouldn't trade for anything.

Readjusting his glasses, Barry moves over and grabs a white tee-shirt off his nightstand, pulling it over his slimly muscled body. It takes him less than a minute to tug on some shoes and grab a black undone bow-tie before heading over to Iris' full-length mirror to fix up his hair (as it's far too mussed up for his taste).

Humming quietly under his breath one of Iris' and his favorite songs, he starts to fix his tie. The material skims through numerous loops and flips and he's just pulling it all-together when something clatters from downstairs.

He freezes, turning his ear towards the stairs and is only met by the deafening sound of silence in return. His heartbeat pounds in his ears, and Barry has to take a few deep breaths to calm himself (to remind himself that he needs to stop being such a wuss because he wants to be able to be the man of the house every once in a while) before smoothing out his pants and gingerly making his way downstairs.

His footfalls are loud thumps as they smack against each creaking stair, and he's resumed humming to himself out of habit as he moves to the middle of the living room and takes a glance around.

"I got two hands, one beating heart and I'll be alright," he murmurs, tapping his fingers along to the imaginary beat in his head as he looks towards Iris' and his wedding pictures; noticing one slightly out of place. "I'm gonna be alright . . . all the broken hearts in the world still beat, let's not make it harder than it has to be," with a gentle hand he moves the picture back to it's original spot, smiling brightly before turning back around, "oh, it's all the same thing—"

The next lyrics stop dead in his throat, sticking still as blue electricity dances around before him.

One of his hands reaches back to grab onto the corner of the table, a few of the pictures rattling in their place at the harsh jar of movement. Zoom tilts his head curiously almost, rolling his shoulders and causing them to crack in answer. "What a beautiful song," he hisses, something close to a scoff escaping him, "if you yell I'll make sure you can never sing again."

Barry gulps soundlessly, nodding his head rapidly as Zoom stares him down; before suddenly stepping forward and grabbing him by the collar of the shirt—shoving Barry into the bombardment of wedding pictures behind him.

One smashes to the floor, glass shattering everywhere. Barry is forced to look directly at Zoom's face, and his heart is hammering so hard he's surprised he hasn't had a heart attack yet.

"Bartholomew Henry Allen. I've heard you and the Flash are quite close," he murmurs, as Barry feels Zoom's sharpened claws digging into his throat and struggles to think of something to say before he's either choked or stabbed—but his mind is scrambled so much it's nearly impossible.

"I-I don't know the Flash, I've never e-even talked to him. He's been missing since the singularity opened up."

Zoom stares at Barry for an overwrought moment, before turning around and hurling him across the room. Barry crashes into the coffee table, groaning when he feels the aftereffect of multiple pieces of shattered glass sticking to his back. Zoom zips over and grabs him by the elbow, tossing him over his shoulder and onto the couch behind him.

Barry feels the air leave his lungs when he hits the soft material, because all it does is agitate his back some more. Zoom looks over his shoulder carelessly, before turning around and letting out a short laugh (that sounds nothing like one).

"You're coming with me, Bartholomew, and you are going to tell me every single thing that you know about the Flash from Earth-1 or else I'll kill your wife, and then I'll kill you." Zoom flashes over to him, clutching Barry's chin with a vice grip. Barry struggles to speak, reaching up and grabbing Zoom's gloved hands futilely. "Have something to say, Bartholomew? Or a cat have your tongue?"

He releases Barry's chin with his mask fitting into what looks like a sinful smirk, blue lightning darting between his eyes. "A deal," he rasps, "I want to make a deal."

Zoom looks intrigued, by the way his eyes show a flicker of entertainment at Barry's words. "Continue." Barry swallows the lump in his throat, knowing that he needs to do this. This was his calling. He needs to do this to protect Iris.

For better or for worse, I will love you forever Iris West.

"You take me, and I'll tell you everything I know. About the portals, Earth-1's Flash, everything. But in return, you don't touch Iris. You leave her alone and-and you just take me. Do whatever you want to me, but leave my wife alone. Those are my conditions."

Zoom glares at Barry for what seems like ages; until, suddenly, he speaks.

"Deal."

Before Barry can say anything else, Zoom grabs him and runs.

Meanwhile, Iris is busy staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, lost in thought about the little white stick she has clutched securely in her faintly trembling hands. She had first taken one of the tests a day before the whole fiasco with portals and doppelgangers had happened, then another after Fake-Barry was on the phone with his mom, and finally an additional one now.

All three tests had shown tiny pink pluses, and all three had only caused her to become more of an emotional mess than she already was. Barry had no idea, and she didn't even get to tell the news to her father before he passed.

Iris let out an exhale, her breath causing a fog to appear over the glass of the mirror.

Nora would be overjoyed and Lawton would be sure to crack as many getting-knocked-up jokes as he could before she would slap him upside the head. Iris was still worried though. This wasn't a time to have a baby, let alone raise one, with meta-humans—Zoom—running around.

Besides, what would Barry even think?

They had dredged over the matter of kids a few months ago, with Nora bugging them nonstop about wanting a grandbaby, and he had seemed neutral to the idea; brushing it off by saying they weren't ready yet because their jobs wouldn't allow time for them to raise a kid. Iris was never too fond of kids either, she could manage them but it was one hell of a responsibility (as she had learned from babysitting Lawton's little girl from time to time).

Most important of all, she didn't want to lose Barry because of a simple mistake.

How it happened, she wasn't a hundred percent sure. It was a tie between two dates, two heated nights, two times where they've loved each other more than ever.

The first option was from her birthday; where she had taken control and he had happily listened, leading to one hell of an active night.

The second option was the day after a particularly hard day at work, and he had witnessed her stress the entire day so when she had gotten home he had taken her out to dinner. After that, as soon as they had walked through the front door, Barry gave her a night she wouldn't forget—not because it was crazy but because it was perfect.

That night was slow, paced, gentle and something she couldn't get enough of. It was genuinely him, and that's what she loved about it. Though on both nights, they had used protection so this must've been bad luck catching up to them—

A loud bang followed by the sound of smashing glass snaps Iris out of her thoughts, as she quickly throws the test in the trash and heads back into the bedroom to grab her pistol from the nightstand. Aiming it at the stairs, her heart can't help but beat a mile per minute.

She knew something was wrong; if Barry had clumsily done something again he would've shouted up the stairs that he was okay by now.

Something wasn't right.

Iris slowly makes her way towards the stairs, holding up her gun as she leans against the wall. Another loud slam echoes up the stairway and it sounds unnervingly like the coffee table was just destroyed before a soft thump trails after it.

She can hear voices, inaudible murmurs, and she knows Barry must be in trouble. But just as she gathers up the strength to aim her gun down the stairway, she sees a flash of blue disappear out the door and her heart jumps into her throat.

Zoom has Barry. Zoom has my husband.

The thought sinks into her memory like a swig of spoiled milk, and she can already feel the bile slithering up her windpipe. She feels like she's been stabbed, broken in half, as the thought closes in around her.

She's been through a lot of dreadful things, lived to tell the tale through things she shouldn't have lived through, but saving her husband from Zoom? How in the hell was she supposed to do that?

Before she can put much thought into that however, the devil himself appears in front of her—grabbing her pistol and throwing it down the stairs before she can even react. "Hello Missus Allen," he growls, "you will be the key to everything."

Iris nearly lets out a snarl, "It's West-Allen you sick son of a bitch, now where's my husband?" Zoom seizes her arm, before turning and slamming her head to the wall as everything goes black.

When Iris wakes up, she's not in her house anymore.

She's in a grimy cell, with roaches crawling on the rusty bar next to her and rats scurrying a few feet away from her. She slowly sits up, reaching a hand up and feeling the back of her head gingerly with a lone finger—pulling it back and seeing blood.

Muttering a lone curse under her breath, she wipes the liquid on her pants and takes another glance around, trying to get her thoughts to connect. When she doesn't hear tapping coming from her right, everything clicks.

She in the same place where Zoom had held Jesse and Earth-1 Barry, along with the Man-in-the-Mask but he isn't there anymore. Iris is in the cell Jesse used to be in, and it's just as cold as it was when Killer Frost was in here with them. She shivers, wishing she had a blanket and a gun to keep her protected and warm.

After a minute of chewing on her bottom lip, an even scarier thought strikes her. Iris knows where she is, but has no idea about Barry.

Was he taciturn and dead? Alive and well?

The musings alone cause another shiver to ripple down her spine as she pushes herself back against one of the far corners of the cage and wraps her arms around her knees, resting her head in the warm nook she's created and keeping her gaze directed at the bolted door in front of her. Zoom's smarter this time around, the door was unlocked last time. Apparently only he wants to be able to get in and out.

It seems like hours upon hours pass as she continues to stare at the door, until finally she can't keep her eyes open any longer and she drifts into a sleep filled with nightmares and a dead Barry at her feet.

The next time Iris wakes up, it's because of screaming and it's not just any kind of screaming—it's her husband's. Her stomach reels as she launches herself towards the front of the cage, ramming her full body weight against the door in a trivial attempt at trying to just get out, get out, get out.

It's useless because all Iris ends up doing is cause some mice to squeak loudly and run the other direction amidst all of her brash movement. Another ear-splitting scream echoes, and Iris wants to cry because Barry's in trouble and she can't do anything about it.

"Hey!" She yells as loudly as she can, rattling the cell door with both of her hands. "Leave him alone!"

In return, it only seems like his shouts of pleas and screams of pain only become worse. Giving up on trying to escape, she walks back over and returns to her corner of solitude with a heavy heart as her husband's torture bounces around the room.

After five minutes, she feels like she wants to get sick.

I vote we go on vacation to Starling City, see if we can meet the Arrow.

After thirty, she covers her ears.

You want to see a forty year old man running around in tights?

After fifty-five, she squeezes her eyes shut and tries to imagine that both of them are anywhere else but there—like that vacation to Starling City they had planned months ago and never got to go on because their jobs had interfered.

N-No! No, I-I want to see the impossible, Iris.

After two hours, she can't help but start to cry.

We should get to planning then, babe, wouldn't want to miss him.

Iris is jerked awake by the sound of lightning, by the feel of it weighing down on her shoulders like a boulder. Her eyes snap open at the same time Zoom is phasing back out of the cell, and he turns and looks at her for a lingering moment before whooshing out of the room.

She nearly decides to close her eyes and go back to sleep, but then something moves to the right of her which causes her to nearly jump out of her own skin.

But within the next two seconds, she sees that it's a barely breathing person—and that it was a barely breathing person who was her husband which causes her to rush over to his side in an instant. "Barry," she breathes, rolling him onto his back and holding in a gasp.

His face is severely bruised, with cuts and marks all up and down his cheeks and neck. His bow-tie is undone and about ready to fall down, and his tee-shirt is full of crusted and recent blood. Iris moves a hand down to grab one of his, squeezing gently.

"Baby?" Barry's breathing is coming out in rough wheezes, and as Iris feels for a heartbeat she finds one that is hardly there. "Come on baby, stay with me. Stay with me."

Leaning down she presses a gentle kiss to her husband's forehead, before running her fingers down the back of his hand. She decides she needs to tell him, that if this is his final breath he needs to know.

"Bartholomew," she hums softly, and she only calls him by his full name in serious situations, when he needs to absolutely listen, "we're pregnant, babe. We're pregnant. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I wasn't sure until three tests later." She laughs, through her heart is breaking on the inside. "I don't want to be a single mother, Barry, so you need to stay with me alright?"

She counts the time in her head, and twenty seconds pass by before she feels him weakly squeeze her hand.

"T-That's a-a-amazing baby," he whispers, "w-we're—you're gonna h-have a baby?" His eyes don't open, but she figures that's because it hurts too much; as long as he's there with her, she's okay with that. Iris nods, holding his hand tighter in response.

"Yeah Barry. You're going to be a dad. So stay with me."

Barry's lips slant into a smile, "O-Of course, Iris. Never—N-Never plannin' on leaving y-you Iris. You're my w-wife. For better or f-for worse. Y-Y—You know, I've always w-wanted to be a f-father." His tone lowers down to a slightly slurred mutter as he starts to doze off again, but frankly, Iris is just glad her husband is semi-coherent.

So she runs a hand through his hair, lulling him gradually into a soft slumber. "I know and you will be the best dad out there now—go to sleep. I'll keep you safe Barry, I promise. Go to sleep now, you'll be okay."

Barry drowsily nods, "S-Sounds good I-Iris. Love you."

She blinks back tears, as she lays on the floor next to him so that she's spooning him from behind.

"I love you too baby."

When the two are dragged back out of the dreamland a while later, it's because Zoom tears Barry away from Iris to tow him back out of the cage and into whatever torture room he's been stuck in. Iris jumps up, hand automatically going down to her hip—where her pistol was supposed to be. After remembering that she doesn't have a sidearm, she moves to reasoning.

"Let him go!" Zoom laughs, and it's disoriented, like nails on a chalkboard.

"Keep talking and you're next, Missus West-Allen."

"He'll die if you do anything else to him, take me instead."

Barry's eyes jump open at that, as he raises a hand to grab at Zoom's suit sleeve. "No. W-We had a deal, Zoom. I t-tell you everything and you d-don't take Iris." Iris looks over at her husband in horror, shocked he made such a deal for her just as Zoom lets out a low growl. "You don't touch her," he affronts, mind still blurred slightly by the pain engulfing him, but it's enough to cause Zoom's head to turn towards Barry in abhorrence.

"You think you're in a position to reason?"

Zoom drops Barry, shooting over and grabbing Iris by the throat.

The next five minutes pass by in a blur for Barry—he lunges for Iris, is able to shove Zoom into the bars before he's being beaten senseless by the evil speedster. Then everything turns murky as he's pulled back to the world of sleep; his body screeching from discomfort.

The next time Barry wakes up, Zoom is gone and Iris isn't next to him anymore. His heart falters as he sits up slowly and takes a look around, the blood stained around him causing his stomach to roll and shoulders to cringe.

The pain encircling him is just as much as before, even more now, and there's a hole forming in his heart because this is a game to Zoom, a game where they are chess pieces that can shatter on the way to him trying to grab the king.

Barry's head lulls back against the rusted bars of the cage behind him, and his back screams with the movement; causing him to wince. His eyesight is still blurred by pain and exhaustion, and the multiple little cracks in his glasses aren't helping as he stares ahead of him—and the new blood trail leading outside isn't reassuring.

She's dead.

No. Zoom wouldn't do that. Slay a queen to get to the king, leave the bishop standing warped by his lonesome.

Yes he would.

Barry knows his mind is just linking the most plausible answers together for him, but it still hurts worse than a stab to the gut, and the more he thinks about it; the more he starts to think it's true. The last time Zoom was here, Barry had stepped out of line. He had tried to fight, tried to save them—tried to save her—and it had taken Zoom less than a second to pound him into a bloody oblivion.

The last thing Barry had heard were Iris' hoarse screams before he had drifted off into a vacant sleep.

Maybe he had killed her, in vengeance for what Barry had done. Maybe he had tortured her until her last breath, promising the same for him before slicing her throat.

It's overwhelming and he wants to let out a shriek, wants to smack his fists against the bars until they melt away and let him out, but instead of fury, tears come.

They're slow at first, icy, but after a moment sobs start to wrack his body and the tears come out fast; and he can't help it because she's dead, she's gone—his Iris is gone—and he's alone in this cell for probably the rest of his life with no one there to keep him sane.

As messed up as it was, he was glad Iris had been taken with him. Not for the things she had to go through, no, he would never wish that upon her, but simply just because of the fact that with Iris there with him, he wasn't alone against one of the most notorious speedsters out there. Having Iris there with him reminded him of why he needed to get home.

Because he needed to get her home, he needed to get them home.

Barry squeezes his eyes shut and leans his head down to bury it into his knees. The tears stop suddenly, like a dam clogged in the mist of trying to destroy a city, and he feels numb. It's a weird feeling, like the blood in his veins just stops moving and his fingers have no feeling.

A part of him wonders if Zoom just killed him. Or maybe it was Killer Frost, coming for her own revenge and she just stabbed an icicle through his spine.

All he knows is that it hurts, it hurts so fucking much, and it's all over and he doesn't know what it is but it's there and it's rendering him defenseless. He hears a burst of air off to the right, and it just causes the feeling surpassing him to become worse, and shivers are rattling his body horribly.

Barry scarcely hears the cage door shake and then break—which isn't good because Zoom never uses the door, he always phases through so he must be pissed—before the person enters and the feel of electricity fills the cell.

He knows it's Zoom, knows he's coming to kill him and thinks vaguely that he'll cherish Iris in the afterlife for the rest of entirety to make this up to her, to say sorry for not being strong enough to save them both.

A hand closes around his right shoulder and Barry jerks backwards, lifting his face up from his knees and freezing in place at the face that stares intently back at him. The person's hand squeezes his shoulder in an attempt at comfort before sending a tight smile his way.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm going to get you out of here," the man mumbles lowly, reaching out another hand to pull an unsteady Barry to his feet. It takes Barry a few seconds to gather his thoughts and snuff the fear clawing at his insides.

The only thought that can come to mind is the love of his life. His very own lighting rod.

Today is the day I'm finally getting married to the love of my life and man, i-it's scary as hell, the limited amount of family sitting around them had laughed softly at that, causing Barry's anxious smile to widen; but I know one thing besides how sweaty my hands are right now and that is about how I promise I will do anything to ensure your happiness; because a day when you aren't smiling is a day of hell for me. I love you, Iris, and I don't plan on ever letting you go.

"I-Iris?" Barry croaks weakly, the man in front of him nodding gently.

"She's alright, I got her out. Now let's get you outta here too."

The man grunts softly as he tugs Barry up by his elbows, and everything tilts in his vision once he's on his own two feet again. Barry feels his lungs constrict as he leans his full weight on the man unexpectedly, letting out a string of harsh coughs that shake his entire body.

The man holding onto him rubs his back, letting out a worried exhale. "It sounds like you have a few broken ribs, maybe something wrong with your lungs," he whispers, "you just need to take it easy. Come on, I got you."

The man starts to help Barry out of cage, but every step causes sharp pain to shoot through his back and down his leg—and goddammit his chest feels like it's on fire—and even the hushed assurances from the man next to him aren't any help when he stumbles and falls to the ground with a loud thump.

Pain skyrockets through his body as he lets out a cry of agony he can't hold in as the man standing next to him mutters a low curse as he crouches down next to Barry. "You're okay man, c'mon we gotta go."

Barry shakes his head, slamming the palm of his right hand against the concrete ground. "J-Just leave me, g-get Iris to safety and then come back for me. I-I-I need her safe." The man helps Barry stand up again, holding him by the shoulders as he stares him down with a determined look crossing his face.

"She is safe, Barry and I'm not leaving here without you. Iris needs you just as much as you need her. Look, I know just as well as you do and I know that when you love someone, you never let them go. You staying here would destroy her. So let me help you get out of here so that you can go and tell your wife that you love her, alright?"

Barry gazes at the man for a long moment, and the latter hopes his speech has knocked some sense into him, before Barry abruptly reaches forward and pulls the man into a taut, thankful hug. The man tenses up at first, stunned, but after a few seconds relaxes and hugs back just as tight. "Thank you," Barry murmurs, sincerity laced throughout his words, "Flash."

Earth-1 Barry Allen chuckles before pulling back, allowing a candid smile to stretch over his features. "You've been through enough hell man, now let's get you out of here."

"Iris!"

She turns and runs to him as soon as she hears him, as soon as she sees him, and though his entire body hurts he catches her easily around the waist and twirls her slightly in the air before placing her back on the ground and hugging her tightly. Her arms snake around his neck while his hang low around her lower half, and after a moment they pull back enough so that their foreheads are touching and their eyes locked instead.

"Are you okay?" He whispers thickly, "Are you both okay?"

"We're both okay, baby," she murmurs, causing Barry to smile and kiss her directly on the lips. He pulls away to lean down and press a kiss to her covered stomach, before returning to his full height and kissing Iris again, which she returns happily (and just as deeply).

Earth-1 Barry watches the two with envy, though he knows he shouldn't have any. They were just tortured for fuck's sake. He shouldn't be jealous about them, from what he can assume, being pregnant.

But you are.

A few more moments pass before Earth-2 Barry and Iris finally pull away from each other and the former turns to where Earth-1 Barry, Cisco and Wells are standing. "Zoom?"

"He's gone. Barry fought him and Cisco was able to jam a speed-reducer into his system and then he took off. We have a limited amount of time before he comes back."

There's a guilty look on Earth-2 Barry's face after that, one that unnerves Earth-1 Barry immediately after Wells finishes speaking. Cisco senses his friend's uneasiness and takes the reins to question Earth-2 Barry's stance. "Dude," he enquiries slowly, "what's with that look? Do you . . . do you know something that we don't?" Earth-2 Barry nearly breaks down, nearly loses it. He wants to bury his face into Iris' chest and not move for the rest of his life.

I'm so sorry, Flash, but he had Iris. He had Iris. You'll understand, won't you?

Earth-2 Barry shuffles uncertainly from foot to foot, before speaking in a quiet tone. "When Zoom took me, I made a deal with him. I told him that I would tell him everything I knew about Earth-1—the portals, the Flash, everything—in return for Iris' safety."

Earth-2 Barry pauses to scoff bitterly, Iris squeezing his hand to remind him that she was there, that he wasn't alone, before he continues talking. "He broke it of course, and I should have seen it coming but I didn't because I was naive and I had just wanted Iris to be safe so he knows, Barry," he finishes in a whisper, as Earth-1 Barry takes a hesitant step forward.

"He knows what?" Earth-2 Barry can't bear to look at his other when he says it, because he knows he's sealed Other-Barry's fate, so he directs his vision down to his filthy shoes.

I'm sorry, Barry, I'm sorry.

He lifts his head, diverting his attention back to Other-Barry's muddled face. "He knows who you are. I'm so sorry Barry."

The silence that follows Earth-2 Barry's words is deafening, and he thinks Other-Barry might just phase a fist through his heart. But then Other-Barry looks to Cisco and then to Wells, before looking back to Earth-2 Barry. The expression on his face is a mix between betrayal, understanding, heartbreak and agony. Pure agony.

"Iris," he murmurs, as a look of fear overtakes his expression, "my Iris." He looks back to Earth-2 Barry, and there's panic in the lighting now fizzling around his body. "Iris," he repeats, and it's like he knows what he's saying but at the same time he doesn't, "we need to go. We have to go. Zoom is going to head back to Earth-1."

Wells reaches forward and puts a hand on Other-Barry's shoulder roughly, "If we move now we might be able to get back to your earth before Zoom does."

Other-Barry nods, but Earth-2 Barry isn't a fool—he isn't blind to the noticeable shake of Other-Barry's hands. Wells tilts his head in Earth-2 Barry and Iris' direction before grabbing Cisco by the arm and tugging him out of sight; into the winging path of trees and brush of the forest surrounding them, knowing their Barry will flash them back to S.T.A.R once he takes care of his doppelganger.

Iris' grip is pinning Barry in place as Other-Barry lets out a wobbly exhale before walking towards them and holding out his arms. "I'm going to take you guys to the hospital, but I can only carry one of you at a time," and Other-Barry's voice is jagged with an emotion Iris knows all too well because she had felt it in her seconds of grieving when her father had died.

Apprehension, dread and that heart-wrenching reminder that this time maybe nothing will be alright again all mixed into one sour feeling.

Iris feels her husband nudge her thigh, which jolts her out of her thoughts, as Other-Barry looks down at her. "Take Iris first," her Barry voices firmly, running a hand down her arm as Other-Barry bobs his head in a short response.

"All aboard," he says dryly, as he suddenly moves forward and picks her up bridal-style before racing away.

The feeling of speed rushes through her as Other-Barry darts between trees and then eventually cars—and the feeling disappears just as fast when Other-Barry sets her down upright unexpectedly in the emergency room of Central City Hospital. He turns to flash away just as quickly but Iris grabs his gloved hand before he can, keeping him there.

"Thank you," she mutters softly behind the ever-growing chatter of the room, "for coming back for my husband and me." Other-Barry gains a look in his eyes that nearly reflects the loving look her Barry gets in his eyes when he first wakes up in the morning—one of pure love.

I love you.

"Of course, Iris," he replies effortlessly (because it's Iris he's talking to and he doesn't even have to think about his answers when he's speaking to her), before pausing, "promise me you'll be safe."

But his eyes are revealing him, shouting something else above his words; which Iris notices instantly—"Promise me you won't die, or get captured again, or-or anything that means I don't get to keep you on this universe because we belong together on every damn one."—and her heart skips a beat because this, this, is her Barry too.

This Barry holds the same amount of love, is still an awkward gentle giant, an everlasting gentleman and is the bravest man she knows.

So Iris lifts a hand and cups his cheek, staring into his eyes and making sure he understands her promise to the last letter. "You won't lose me, babe," she assures, "on any universe." Other-Barry's lips break into a smile before he zips away, leaving Iris to be swarmed by a horde of doctors ready to poke and prod at her.

I love you too.

Earth-2 Barry jumps when Other-Barry appears in front of him again less than three minutes later. "You ready?" Other-Barry questions carefully, noticing his doppelganger fidgeting in place like a fly buzzing around a neon light.

"I didn't mean to put your Iris in danger," he calls out, pushing his glasses farther back on his nose, "I never wanted that to happen. I'm sorry." Other-Barry shakes his head, running his hands over the top of his cowl.

"I should be the one saying sorry. If I hadn't come here, Joe would still be alive and Zoom wouldn't have kidnapped you guys and," his voice catches because it hurts to say it out loud, "and tortured you both."

Earth-2 Barry actually allows a laugh to bubble out of him, causing Other-Barry to send him a weary look but he waves him off, lips fixing into a smile. "You mean Joseph. The last time I called Iris' dad 'Joe', I had a pistol to my forehead." Other-Barry can't help but grin, chuckling before Earth-2 Barry continues. "You're close with Joseph on your earth, aren't you?"

Other-Barry nods, "He was the one who raised me. He's my second dad and I don't know what I would do without him."

"You would get through it," Earth-2 Barry finishes, smiling gently, "because you got people you need to get back to." The double meaning with his words is obvious to Other-Barry as he walks over and gestures to himself.

"Sometimes those people are the only things that keep me going," he replies honestly as his eyes glance down to Earth-2 Barry's ring finger. The wedding band shines brightly in place, reflecting the sun as Other-Barry is reminded of Iris and his rooftop conversation from what seems so long ago.

Without you, there wouldn't be the Flash.

Earth-2 Barry sees Other-Barry staring and shakes his head before pulling the ring off his finger and passing it over to him. Other-Barry looks down at the ring in his hands in bewilderment, before looking back at his doppelganger. "What are you—"

"It'll happen someday, you know. She'll see it. My Iris and I, it was interesting; we had met under unideal circumstances. She was the detective assigned to a new murder case and I was the CSI there to find out what I could and from the first time I saw her I was smitten. It took me three weeks to work up the courage to ask her out to get some coffee sometime and from there . . . it was, it was perfect. To this day I still can't believe I have someone has beautiful as her who loves me. W-Who choose me out of everyone she could have had."

Earth-2 Barry chuckles, rubbing at his now bare ring finger as Other-Barry struggles to push the words out of his suddenly clogged throat. "You really think . . . it'll happen someday?"

His doppelganger grins, running a hand through his hair.

"Barry and Iris. It's something that's tethered in stone. Something that's destined to happen on any universe and I believe that."

Other-Barry clutches the ring in his hand tightly before looking back up at Earth-2 Barry and this time he's the one saying thank you but before he can Earth-2 Barry cuts him off, pointing towards Other-Barry's closed fist. "When she's ready, when you're ready, propose to her with that ring. It's a guaranteed yes, even if the ring might be a few sizes too big."

Other-Barry laughs, stepping forward and pulling his doppelganger in for a hug. "Thanks man,"

"One last thing," Earth-2 Barry says as they pull away from each other and Other-Barry sticks the ring on his right ring finger, "don't get frisky with my wife ever again."

All Earth-2 Barry can hear is Other-Barry's soft laughter until it abruptly disappears along with that streak of red and he's left alone in the emergency room of the hospital, doctors already on standby as they move in around him.

Oddly enough, he feels safe—because the Flash is on his side through it all.

"Take it easy babe and watch the step." Barry nods as Iris helps him inside their home after a week in the confinements of the hospital. Barry's able to get into their house with minimum difficulty, Iris holding tight onto his arm. "Good job Barry. You wanna sleep on the couch or—"

"The bed," he mumbles, entire body aching from all that he's been through, "bed."

It takes them five minutes to get up the stairs, and another three for Iris to help Barry get undressed. He's far too tired to go through the work of putting on new clothes so he simply allows Iris to help him put on new boxers before falling into their bed face first. Iris sighs as she pulls the blanket over the lower half of his body, rubbing the bare skin of his shoulder.

"I'm gonna go get changed real fast, alright?" Barry mumbles something incoherent in response as Iris presses a gentle kiss to his cheek and grabs some new clothes before heading into the bathroom.

According to the press; Barry and Iris were kidnapped for four days. It had seemed longer for the two. Four days of pure hell, until the Flash from Earth-1 found a way back to save them after Wells had hacked into the frequency of Earth-2 to listen for new facts about Zoom and had instead learned about their captivity.

Iris climbs into bed next to husband less than ten minutes later, clad in only a thin nightgown and undergarments. She moves as close to him as she can get, and he wraps an arm sloppily around her bare stomach when he feels her warmth close to him; smiling gently when he moves his face from being buried in the pillow to being buried in her shoulder.

Iris smiles too, resting her hands on top of his.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you again. You or our little baby." Iris inhales sharply, knowing he means every word but also knowing that he wasn't invincible. He wasn't able to outrun bullets. Neither was she. Barry seems to sense her thoughts, pulling her closer to him. "I promise."

Iris nods, turning her head to kiss him. "We'll be okay. I know we will. I love you."

"I love you too."

They both close their eyes as the sun outside starts to set, starts to divulge into the nighttime hours, and Barry hums their favorite song until they both fall asleep—one holding another like always.

Back on Earth-1, Iris wears the promise ring Barry gave her when he got back because she can—and she doesn't care that it's two sizes too big. Because it reminds her of him and that's all she needs. Zoom hasn't been seen since but Barry doesn't ever stray too far from Iris because they're dating now—because he had said screw it and to stop thinking and starting doing (only slightly literally) and it's the happiest both of them have ever been.

Neither notices the man watching them from the shadows, or the blue that dances in the dark sometimes. But both are content, and that's all that matters.

It's like Earth-2 Barry said, Earth-1 Barry ponders as Iris takes a seat on his lap so they can settle and watch a movie, Barry and Iris—through friendship, relationship, everything—is engraved in stone. On any universe, they'll find their way to each other no matter what.

You and me, Iris, we are forever.

"You okay Bear?" Iris questions quietly when she notices him drifting off in thought during the starting credits of the movie, her hand reaching up to cup his cheek for a second before she slides off his lap and onto the couch cushion next to him to tuck herself in his side. He shakes his head as he slings an arm around her body, pulling her closer.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got you, and that's all that matters."

She beams at his kind words, rolling her eyes. "The Flash, ever the charmer." She says sarcastically, as Barry glances over at her with a lopsided grin.

"But you love me for it," he quips, "don't you?"

And as Iris looks at Barry before her, this valiant man she honest-to-God loves and probably will love forever, she wouldn't want her life—their life—to have happened any other way. To be any other way.

"Yeah," she murmurs while leaning in close to his lips, "I do."

A heated kiss follows, and in the back of both of their minds; they really hope Joe doesn't walk in as Iris' hands caress the muscle under his shirt and Barry's hands find their way to the smooth skin of her lower back.

Of course we are.

(Joe does walk in on them at a much later time, a much worse time, and Barry runs.)