Within Seconds // Barry Allen

Deep Talks

Barry left to respond to a building fire; Joe went back to work; Caitlin and Cisco started to pack up, ready to return to S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco turned when he didn't hear Parker behind him.

"Park, come on," He said.

Parker waved her hand, pointing at the whiteboard. "I'm going to update the board. Go on without me."

"Are you sure?" Caitlin asked, her tone somber.

Parker inhaled a slow sigh, giving them a nod. She appreciated their hesitancy, but she wanted time alone.

She took a marker from the ledge and started to neatly write the information Cisco retrieved from his dream and also important news from Gideon.

>> Why can Cisco remember the alternate timeline?

>> Containment system= hologram

>> Reverse-Flash/Dr.Harrison Wells/ Eobard Thawne

>> Nora Allen was killed by a possible accident. Not the original target.

>> Parker Sylas » Gide

The marker halted. Parker stared at her name, debating on whether or not the information deserved to be accessible to anyone except herself. Barry, Cisco and Caitlin hadn't thought into Gideon's resemblance to Parker, since their main concern was Dr.Wells.

Parker pulled her sleeve over her knuckles and erased the last bullet point. She took a blank sheet of notebook paper, sat in Barry's desk and started a private investigation list.

Parker Elizabeth Sylas

-died in alternate timeline

-Barry Allen created an AI in tribute* to me

*an act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration.

The most given example of a tribute meant someone had died. If Gideon was created after Parker, it meant exactly what Parker didn't ever want to find out. Parker was destined to die, as the other seven billion people on the planet, however, (it was a theory that) Parker was meant to die before 2024.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Parker breathed, defeated. She tossed her paper on the floor and sprawled out across the floor, face smudged against the cold tile. "Fucking awesome. Now I'm going to live with this depressing fucking news in the back of my head for the rest of my life."

"What news?" Barry asked, hearing her grumbling as he entered his Lab.

Parker pushed herself onto her elbows, greeting Barry with a polite smile. "Nothing to worry about."

Barry sat in the closest computer chair to the door, the tips of his shoes touching the tile. He looked uncomfortable. Parker felt the awkward atmosphere, although she didn't touch on it.

Parker raised her eyebrow expectantly. It was his Lab, therefore it wasn't awkward to see him in it, but he was just sitting. Barry nodded, taking that as a cue to start.

"You were there when Dr.Wells asked Joe to keep me at S.T.A.R. Labs?" Barry asked.

"You're correct."

"Why?"

"Because Joe knows me," Parker said in an obvious tone. While gathering her private investigation notes, she continued, " I thought it would be nice if Joe had the comfort of knowing I'd be there. Helping you, watching you, making sure you didn't die."

Barry blinked, surprised. That was a lot to be doing for a guy she had just begun speaking to again. Nevertheless, he thanked her.

"Uh huh," she brushed it off. She packed her papers into a folder, tucked it under her arm and stood, attention on Barry.

"Is there anything else?" Parker wondered, looking ready to bolt.

Barry stood, nodding. "Yes, I came to talk to you about the trap we're setting for Dr.Wells."

By the look on her face, she wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she leaned her tailbone against the whiteboard and waved her hand, allowing him to go on.

For her sake and partly his, Barry tried to talk fast and avoid bringing up their relationship. Predictably, it went awry.

"If we can recreate the conditions, he will confess. We have to get him in the bunker, alone with Cisco-"

"And myself. I was down there with him," Parker corrected.

"I don't know that we can protect you too."

"But you said recreate the conditions. Everything has to be as it was."

"I won't let you die," Barry argued, shrugging. "I won't take the chance of losing you too."

"If Wells knows about the time change, maybe he knows what happened, maybe he remembers too. I have to be down there with Cisco for authenticity," Parker said slowly, making sure Barry understood the words coming from her mouth.

He did. He just didn't want to agree with them. "Parker, I won't let you-"

"You don't have a choice. This is the greater good-"

"You are the love of my life! You are the greatest good I am ever going to get!"

"I am not the love of your life," Parker snapped viciously. Barry looked away from her. In a softer tone, she said, "I am not the woman you love for the rest of your life. You know what happens. And we can't do anything to fix it.."

"But you won't even try!"

"Because it's pointless! Whatever we do, you're still going to end up with Iris. And I'm going to be de.." Parker stopped, holding that information in. "Definitely away from Central City," She covered.

"You can't leave, Park. We need you. You're a vital part of our team. I need you," Barry insisted. He didn't want to show her any signs of physical contact, knowing she'd shy away, so he used his eyes, praying she knew he meant it.

"I can't watch you fall in love with another girl. I won't do it. I'm out of options here, Barr. I love you, you know that I do. But this doesn't work. It's useless to fake ourselves into believing it does."

Her heart was shattering. Of course Parker wanted to stay with him as much as he wanted to continue to be with her. But Barry had previously been in love with Iris. Taking the chance of watching him fall in love with Iris once more, yet force himself to stay with Parker would be internal torture.

Never before had someone given her a heartbreak as great as Barry Allen. But Parker was entranced, enticed, in love with him, and no matter how much it hurt, she couldn't stop loving him.