Caitlin rolled her neck, trying to relieve the tension she was feeling. She was in her lab, focusing on helping Cisco with his meta human cure. It was difficult to work remotely with the breacher; he was at the Tannhauser lab while she stayed behind. Her powers were more helpful than his, and Cisco needed to continue to lay low. After all, the world thought he was dead. Caitlin was studying the reactions of the dark matter as she radiated it with particles replicated from Cicada's blood, sighing as she felt a headache build. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back against her chair, weary to the bone.

"You ok Caity?" Killer Frost echoed in her mind, snarky voice actually warm in tone. There was a ghost of a touch across her mind, cool fingertips trailing across her forehead. "You actually feel warm."

"I will be, just as soon as I can narrow down the trigger for the meta human cure." Caitlin sighed, hearing voices begin to echo in the cortex outside her lab. "I would rather be offsite with Cisco, but Barry and the others need me here since our powers are immune to Cicada."

The machine beeped as Barry and Iris walked into the main part of the lab, and with an eye roll, both cold metas turned their back to the couple. Based on the information being displayed, she broke the code and found out what makes a person a meta. Even Killer Frost seemed interested, and Caitlin could feel her wanting to ask a question.

"What are you thinking?"

"How is this different that what Thomas did to us when we were younger? How does this make our powers different than the others?"

"How our powers work deal with the fact that Thomas actually altered our genetic structure in order to strengthen our nerve cells against ALS, basically mutating our cells and bringing you to life. That could be why you were buried for so long, but only began waking up after we were exposed to dark matter. It jump started the dormant mutation." Caitlin forgot she was speaking out loud, jumping when Iris asked,

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin turned, seeing several people crowded in the doorway of her lab. Basically, it was all of Team Flash, minus Cisco, Cecil and Joe.

"Killer Frost was asking about the difference of our powers compared to those of Barry and Ralph's, of every other meta out there." Caitlin shrugged, glancing back at the monitors on display. She briefly dismissed the others, reading over the information before her.

"I would say genetic mutation is the root of the difference." Sherloque suggested, eyes always sharp despite his indulgent manner. Both Caitlin and Killer Frost knew that there was more to the detective than meets the eye.

"Exactly." Caitlin waved her hand at the screens in front of her. "Regular metas are more of a hormonal creation. Based on the results of Cisco's research and Cicadas blood -"

The monitor to the left pinged and a live stream of Cisco popped up. He looked excited and worn out at the same time, leaning close to the screen, smile on his face.

"Have you seen what you sent me? It's the key to the cure."

"Hey man, Caitlin was about to explain it." Ralph told the screen, waving at Cisco.

"Cool, cool. Do it up Ice Queen."

"Funny Cisco." Killer Frost pushed forward for a moment, addressing the breacher with a smirk before falling back and letting Caitlin have the wheel.

"Based on the results of Cisco's research and Cicada's blood tests, we've pinpointed how the meta humans were created." Caitlin smiled softly at Cisco, moving to lean across the table and pick up her tablet. Killer Frost sniggered, whispering 'later' to Caitlin.

"You know how I got my powers?" Barry asked, finally speaking up. His tone was a mix of curious, hopeful and sad at the same time.

"Not just yours, but everyone's." Caitlin had made a decision several weeks ago to no longer cater to just Barry. Others needed her help, and it was time to let her patient go. Slowly she was beginning to loosen the ties that held her to Team Flash and S.T.A.R. on the chance that one day she would be strong enough to truly walk away and never look back.

"Based on this, the dark matter is concentrated it the pituitary gland, not the whole body like we believed before. Originally we thought that the dark matter altered DNA, but thanks to recent events, we know that's no longer the case.

"The dark matter collects in the glad, being metabolized and manifesting itself as powers. This explains how not everyone exposed the the dark matter wave became a meta. Countless factors led to individuals being more receptive of the fallout of the accelerator explosion. The powers act as a defense mechanism, protecting the host.

"Cicada's shard dagger somehow siphons dark matter and energy, pulling out the darkness and powers. Basically, he doesn't need to kill metas, he just needs to pull their powers out of their bodies. That's how he's able to neutralize your powers."

"All we have to do is synthesize it into a serum, and the meta cure will be ready to test." Cisco chirped from the other side of the screen. Caitlin read the relief and excitement in his eyes.

"Who will we test it on?" Iris asked. "What meta would want to give up their powers?"

Caitlin flinched, knowing exactly who. Cisco. And herself, at one point and time. Now though, Caitlin couldn't imagine her life without Killer Frost. It also helped that they now knew that Caitlin and Killer Frost weren't metas; they were mutants and therefore the cure wouldn't work on them. She caught the look Barry sent Iris, but the other woman was oblivious. Apparently Barry knew about Cisco's decision to remove his powers as well. Not for the first time she wondered how two people who were so clueless could be in love and had a child in the future. Cautiously she turned and watched Cisco, waiting to see how he would react.

"I'm planning on testing it myself, to make sure it works." Cisco stated firmly, allowing no room for argument. "My powers have already been diminished from long term exposure to the shards."

"What about your vibes? Of seeing future events?" Nora asked, tone somehow off.

Killer Frost came alert, bristling at the tone and words of the young speedster. It had been happening more and more of late. Killer Frost knew there was something Nora was hiding from everyone, and she knew from the way Sherloque was acting, he knew it too. She plays way too innocent to have brief moments of insight into the nature of the Speed Force to not be hiding something. Even Caitlin was beginning to suspect that there was more to Nora West-Allen than meets the eye.

"We survived our first year and part of our second year without them. We can do it again." Cisco rebutted, crossing his arms. It was like he was daring one of them to tell him he couldn't do it. They didn't know Cisco as well as she did. Once he decided something, there was nothing that would make him budge. His stubborn streak was a mile wide.

"As well as your breaching ability." Sherloque interjected.

"After having made an extrapolater for Kara, I've made several for our use here. It's a simple matter of incorporating one into your existing suits, and then each of you will have the ability to breach."

As they were speaking, Caitlin was packing up her kit with everything she would need to take with her. She would be joining Cisco for the last part of this. It was something that they needed to do together. They needed quiet and a safe place to proceed in case there were unforeseen consequences. It would also do both her and Killer Frost good to get away from all the drama and madness for a little while. They needed a break.

"Speaking of." Caitlin pressed the button of the device in her hand, opening a silver blue portal. "I'm heading your way Cisco. Do you want me to stop by Big Belly on the way up?"

"Duh." The screen flicked off, making everyone laugh.

"You be careful up there." Barry said earnestly, making Caitlin cock an eyebrow, letting Killer Frost drift forward, not wanting to deal with the over protective speedster. More and more of late Caitlin decided that she wanted her interactions with Barry to be less and less, so she would move back and Killer Frost would come through. The other persona was her protector and defense mechanism for difficult situations. Besides, she liked how he was always caught off guard when it was sassy Frost that answered, not sweet Snow.

"Don't worry handsome, I'll keep Caity safe." Killer Frost drawled before stepping into the void. With a chuckle at the shocked look on the faces of the others and a wave the women disappeared.

"Handsome?" Caitlin asked after they picked up the food for the trip, stepping back into the portal. Killer Frost was always throwing little flirtations out at the scarlet speedster, but Caitlin never got an explanation as to why.

"Believe it or not, I do miss Savitar." Killer Frost replied. "At least that version of Barry was our own and we didn't have to deal with miss-I'm-always-right Iris West-Allen."

"I knew it! You have a thing for Barry." Caitlin was shocked, the other half of her psyche having never mentioned her attraction before.

"So do you, miss-I-kissed-Hannibal-Bates-as-Barry-and-liked-it." Killer Frost cackled. "Maybe we can take this breacher and look around on other earths. There has to be more than one Barry Allen out there for us to find."

"And what do you want to bet there are just as many Iris Wests out there too?"

The idea had more appeal than Caitlin wanted to admit. She missed the Barry Allen from years before, the one who was innocent and full of excitement at having super speed. The one who shared her passion for science and learning. Now he was just a shell, too wrapped up in Iris to be of interest to her anymore. It broke her heart, but Caitlin knew there was no going back. Not without making the timeline even worse.

"Maybe, maybe not." Killer Frost shrugged as they stepped through the portal at the Tannhauser site. "I do know Savitar said there were so many earths out there that the possibilities were endless."

"Yessss!" Cisco pounced right away, snatching the bags of Big Belly Burger out of Caitlin's hands. "Come to papa sweet heaven."

"Didn't you pack you food for your stay here?" Caitlin scolded, the doctor in her very protective of the man she considered a brother and best friend.

"I did, but I was getting sick of it all. There's only so much canned food you can eat before you are craving something fresh."

"You know, you can come home every now and then. You can stay at the lab and we can bring you something to eat." Caitlin sat down next to Cisco and began eating. "It's lonely without you at S.T.A.R."

"I thought you had Killer Frost to keep you company." Cisco sounded confused.

"She does, Vibe boy, but it isn't the same as having someone who doesn't live in your head to talk to. She's afraid that she sounds like a crazy person sometimes when she's talking to me." Killer Frost answered Cisco, shrugging and going right to the point. Caitlin wondered if she had done a good thing in letting Killer Frost defend her so much lately. Killer Frost rolled her eyes and mentally shushed Caitlin.

"What about the rest of the team?" Cisco sounded concerned now, hamburger sitting forgotten. While he was in self imposed exile, Caitlin knew that he wanted to make sure she was ok. He couldn't be there to deflect the others scrutiny. Yes, they are more accepting of Killer Frost now, but Cisco was like a buffer to them. Protecting her the way Killer Frost did.

"Let's see ... Barry is so far up Iris' ass that he can't see the light of day; Nora is hiding something from all of us, but we're not sure what; Sherloque knows Nora is hiding something, and I think he's close to figuring out what; and Ralph is an idiot." Killer Frost never pulled punches.

"You think Nora is keeping a secret?" Cisco tilted his head. "Because before I left I would pick up residual vibes from her. Not really images like usual, but more like emotional impressions. She was always wound up tight, trying to hold something close. There was also some fear, anger and desperation mixed in."

"And you're sure you want to give up your powers? To become a regular human again?" Frost asked, skeptical tone to her voice. Caitlin decided enough was enough and slipped back into control of their body.

"Yes. To the both of you." Cisco said, voice resigned but firm. "I'm sick of this life. I'm over having to always be on guard, to be fighting for my life every other day. I'm sick of living my life in a science fiction movie. I want to meet someone, settle down and have a family."

"That actually sounds nice. I had hoped to do that with Ronnie, but fate had something else in mind." Caitlin sighed, poking at her food. For several minutes they were silent as they ate, contemplating life and the things that they had dealt with over the years.

"Can I ask you a question Killer Frost?" Cisco asked suddenly, making Caitlin jump. She switched personas and waited to hear the conversation.

"You just did, but yes, you can."

"What would you say if I was able to provide you with your own body, separate from Caitlin?"

Both women stared at Cisco, too shocked to say anything. It was something that they both knew to be incredibly practical and selfish to want, but at the same time, they had begun to learn how to cherish the bond they shared. It was hard to describe how it felt to be them. It was like they were the alter ego of each other. Caitlin handled the regular day to day tasks, but when it came to kicking ass, Killer Frost would take over. The only difference was, they were two separate minds instead of one.

"How would that even be possible?" Frost asked softly, mind spinning too fast for her to think clearly. For once, she was stunned and without a comeback.

"Cloning. Genetic replication. Brain mapping." Cisco replied evenly, tone more prosaic than she would have given him credit for. Normally, in the past, he'd be acting like a giddy fanboy. Now though, he sounded grounded and level headed.

"You know those are all things that are considered unethical, right?" Caitlin struggled to get her head around what Cisco was asking.

"Only if the participants are unwilling." Cisco shook his head. "That's why I'm asking what you think about it. We have the technology here to do it. We have all of your father's research and notes on how he edited your genetic markers. It's basically a blueprint on how to build another body that is the exact replica of yours."

"Sounds risky." Killer Frost added, not entirely sure but willing to give it a try. "I know Caity and I have come to an understanding, but it would be something I am willing to explore. It's not fair to either one of us to share a body for the rest of our lives."

"Are you sure?" Caitlin asked out loud. "I thought this is what you were afraid of; of me getting rid of you."

"If this works, you aren't getting rid of me, I'm just moving to a new home. One where we can actually interact like two people instead of a crazy person." Frost replied out loud as well, for Cisco's benefit.

"You don't have to decide now." He interjected. "First, we figure out the meta cure, then we can delve into making Killer Frost her own killer bod."