Cold to the Touch

Chapter Six

(Barry's POV)

Getting Nora up was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Joe's suggestion of the diner was a great one though. I hadn't been there in years and it might be good to sit down and have a talk with Nora about what had happened. I wanted to make sure she wasn't harboring any resentment about the situation. She seemed like she was fine but that didn't mean that the fight hadn't affected her.

"Nora, come on, you have to get up."I laughed, shaking her softly. It was seven in the morning now, and the diner opened in half an hour. We would have just enough time to eat and then meet up with Caitlin and Cisco. If Nora would wake up, we would.

"I don't want to." Nora groaned, shoving my hands away from her. She rolled over and wrapped the blanket over her head. I laughed again. I wondered if Joe had this much trouble waking me up in the mornings.

"You have to, Nora. We're meeting Caitlin and Cisco at the lab in an hour.." I said, sitting on the coffee table to face her.

"Then I have at least half an hour more sleep to get." She groaned out, voice muffled by the couch and the blanket.

"I thought we could go get breakfast at Alfie's Diner before we go. The one up in Coast City." I suggested, wondering if that would get her moving. She yanked the blanket off of her head and sat up on the couch, eyes bright.

"Can I get whatever I want?" She asked curiously. I laughed, she was such a kid at heart.

"Of course." I nodded, watching a grin grow on her face.

"Let me go get ready."  She ran upstairs. Watching her do so without her powers was funnier than I thought it would be. I heard the shower turn on and smiled. I hope she didn't take long, I still needed one too.

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"I actually wanted to talk." I said once the waitress had walked off. She had just dropped our food off to us. She seemed to remember me from back when Joe used to bring me. It was a pleasant surprise.

"I figured. You had that look on your face the second we sat down. Plus, you never agree to let me get whatever I want. You always say I have to pick one thing and one thing only." Nora said, already scarfing down her stuffed french toast. She had also gotten a side of bacon and a stack of three pancakes drizzled in cream cheese icing and doused in cinnamon with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Looking at it all gave me a bit of a stomach ache, and that's saying something because I also had a large appetite.

I almost laughed at what she had said, apparently my future self made her choose one meal. I had been wheeled and dealed. She knew what she was doing and took full advantage of the situation. Smart kid.

"I wanted to talk about last night. Your mother and I separating-" Nora cut me off before I could continue.

"Oh, Iris isn't my mom. That's why I came here in the first place." Nora shrugged, moving on to her pancakes. "You and mom told me how you had been married to Iris for about a year before the two of you had a huge fight and split. It's why I ran, but without my head in the right place, I accidentally got stuck here around the same time everything happened." Nora looked sincere. "I forgive you though, well, future you. None of this was about me in the first place and it was selfish to blame you."