Time To Walk Away

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By the time Barry returned to the apartment, it was nighttime. The kids were asleep in their bedrooms. Parker, with free time, resorted to grading. Papers were spread across the bed, sorted into different piles for all different class periods. 

When Barry skidded to a stop in her bedroom, the papers went flying, smashing together all the class periods into one huge mess. 

Parker stared at the bed. Second by second, her shoulders slouched, until her body fell forward and she fell face first into the mattress. She didn't move, either in frustration with the idea that she would need to organize the papers later, or with Barry. 

He didn't dwell much on it. Hurriedly, he said, "I need you."

Parker sat up. "Okay, no. This is what we need to talk about, Barry," she was trying to say.

Barry couldn't postpone the awaiting meeting any longer. He swept her from the bed, adjusting her briefly in his arms, then running back to Ramon Industries, where he had left Iris, Wally, and Cisco very confused. 

"Who are you?" asked Iris instantly. 

He took of his hood. "The man who's gonna help you stop the Rival."

"Barry?" gasped Iris. 

"Barry!" screamed Parker, turning from frustrated to distraught. "I can't leave my babies alone when they're sleeping! Take me home right now! I did not give you permission to lift me and sweep me off to wherever you please!"

In response to her panic, Barry handed her a cell phone, which was connected to both his personal cell and hers, too. She listened. She could hear each child breathing. She pressed the mute button on the cell phone in her hand. 

"I cannot believe you just stripped me away from my children--" said Parker, oddly calm. 

Barry took a cautious step away. 

"--especially when they're sleeping. You know Evee has nocturnal asthma."

"You and I are literally seconds away from her," he defended. 

"That's supposed to make me feel better?!" shouted Parker. 

"You're a father?" wondered Iris. 

Barry tilted his head. "Technically, yes."

"How can that be technical?" asked Wally. 

Parker turned to answer in a snippy way, but her eyes caught onto the other person in the room. She calmed for a brief second, nodding to him. "Hey, Cisco."

"Nice to see you, Park," said Cisco. 

Barry's jaw dropped. "You two know each other?"

"Our older brother's used to be friends," said Parker, at the same time, Cisco said, "Yeah, I'm the godfather to her kids."

Barry couldn't help his smile. "Some things never change."

"Except the timeline, right?" snapped Parker. 

"What?" asked Iris. 

Ignoring Parker, Barry breezed through important parts of his past, starting with the death of his mother and ending with the death of his wife and daughter. He explained how and why Flashpoint was creating, and that they had previously never existed until he did so. 

By the end, Iris took a seat. Next to her, Wally leaned on the chair. The pair of siblings stared at the floor, letting the information soak in before one decided to speak their thoughts. 

Cisco, however, continued to raise an unimpressed eyebrow at Barry. 

"Okay, so I can tell by the, 'I don't believe you' looks on your faces that you don't believe me," decided Barry. 

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