Within Seconds: Flashpoint Edition

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Skidding to a stop in front of an elementary school, Barry frowned. He checked the paper in his hand. The address matched. His mother had scribbled a time, too: 3:15. He looked to his watch, noticing that it was only ten minutes until then.

Ten minutes hadn't flown when he noticed women joining him outside of the entrance. Some came with other children, others brought along tiny bikes for their child, or the family dog. Mothers and nannies alike were awaiting the end of the school day.

He wondered if she was a teacher in this timeline, or perhaps the principle. Ordering people around had always been her specialty. Children, however, were not. He could imagine her constantly rubbing her temples at this work, reminding herself on repeat that worse things could be happening than dealing with 'Satan's Spawns,' as she called children.

Barry considering asking one of the women surrounding him if he was required to wait for all children to leave before he entered. He figured the office inside of the building could answer his question of where she worked.

To his surprise, his wife did not work as a teacher, a principle, or even a janitor at the elementary school. In hearing a child scream, he instinctively looked, only to do a double-take at the area. He found her.

She hadn't aged a day from what he remembered. Her hair, tucked into a terribly loose ponytail, was longer than he had ever seen. She remained in the same body frame he was so familiar with, even shared the fancy taste in clothing. She did the exact fidget with her fingers his girl did when she was standing alone.

He wondered if her eyes sparkled when the sun hit them. Then, as if fate was on his side, the final school bell rang, causing her head to turn. It was true, he discovered quickly.

Blindly, he began stepping towards her. He felt as though he wasn't moving. His feet moved without his consent, but he didn't dare to go against them. Seeing her wasn't enough, they knew that faster than his brain could come to that conclusion. He needed to meet her eyes, hear her voice, listen to her giggle. He needed her again.

"Parker," he breathed.

She turned when she heard her name, eyebrows raised in wonder. Her eyes met his; horrified met admiration. Instantly, she was tucking her hair behind her ears and shifting uncomfortably on either foot. She forced a smile to him. She hadn't met his eyes again after the first encounter.

Barry hadn't noticed anything other than the fact that she was there.  He watched her with admiration, awe, his heart simultaneously breaking and being sewn back together by being in the presence of her. It wasn't her, but it was. Deciding if he hated it or loved it was impossible. He was stuck somewhere in the middle.

At last, she mumbled, "H-Hey, stranger."

"God, Park... I--"

"Barry," she said, brokenly. "Please don't call me that anymore."

He hid his confused frown. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets, muttering a soft, "You have no idea how good it is to see you, Parker."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's been a long time."

"You look... You're so beautiful, Parker."

"Oh, I don't know about that," she chuckled, blushing. "I've changed since you last saw me, you know... Let my hair grow out, got a couple more tattoos, all of that fun stuff..."

"It's been far too long since I've seen you," he told her. He tried his hardest to withhold the voice crack that came with his oncoming tears. He missed her terribly.

"Right. Six years is a long time, yeah," she admitted uneasily.

"'Six years'?" repeated Barry. "Why would--"

"I should go," said Parker, instead. She began walking away. "I'm so sorry."

Barry had a feeling her apology wasn't for her abrupt departure. He reached for her hand, if not to spend one more second with her, then to ask for one.

What he hadn't planned on was his wedding band, which he hadn't dared to take off, hook onto her shirt. She turned, causing the front of her shirt to wiggle up her abdomen. For no longer than a second, he saw a horizontal scar across the bottom of her stomach.

"Barry," gasped Parker.

"What is... What is that?" he managed to choke out. He had a strong feeling he knew exactly what it was.

Parker shook her head. One blink caused all the bottled up emotions his interaction put into motion to shatter. She harshly wiped at her cheeks. No words could be said. So, she channeled her inner Barry Allen, though she had no clue, and she ran away.