Only Because I Need You

The Final Clash

Barry's lungs burned. His feet thundered against the ground below him, his heart pounded in his chest. A slick sheen of sweat clung to his body, lightning crackled in his ears. He skidded to a stop in front of a scrawny little boy, no greater than the age of eight, dressed in tattered clothing. He did a double take, glancing around him. The warm sun blared down on them, heating up the speedsters suit. The docks around them groaned with the shifting of the tide and towers of crates  concealed the pair from the incoming ships. The deep ocean glinted dangerously behind the child's back. The kid had small streams of tears running down his rosy cheeks. Grime was smeared across his face and matted into his locks of silvery blonde hair. He glanced up at the scarlet speedster, his eyes widening in shock, "s-stay back," the kid stuttered, staggering backwards as though the mere sight of Barry had wounded him.

The Flash raised up his arms, inching closer, "it's okay kiddo," he replied smoothly, taking another step forwards. His eyebrows creased inwards and confusion wrapped its sharp claws around him. When Cisco had sent him to the docks to locate a breach, he had not expected to find a small child.

"Barry, you don't have time to deal with this kid, find the breach that just opened, we have no idea what could come out of it," Harry's harsh voice grumbled into the speedsters ear. Barry bit his lip,  glancing around. There was no purply tear in the fabric of time or space to be found, however, he could see the small boy needed help.

He took another few steps towards the boy, "look, I am not going to hurt you," the child shook his head violently, raising his hands as though they could push Barry farther away from him, "I just want to help you," he reasoned with the child who was verging on hysterics.

"NO!" The childish voice cried, his sapphire eyes ran with tears, backing further away, "please just stay back," his small chest was heaving, his hands trembled violently. Scarlet beads of blood dripped from his ears.

"I won't hurt you," Barry assured the kid, advancing even further. His heart squeezed in his chest, he had no idea why the child seemed so terrified of him. The overwhelming need to help swamped his senses.

"Barry, something is off about that child," Cisco's steady voice warned him through their coms.

Barry raised his hand to his ear price, replying swiftly, "I know," he sighed, "should I get closer?" He almost inaudibly questioned. From all his years working as the Flash, that was the first time he had ever experienced a situation which was so domestic.

"Yes, see if you can find out where he is from," Caitlin's voice echoed in his ears. He nodded, deciding that if the boy was not going to listen to verbal reasoning then perhaps he needed some physical reassurance. He kept his pace at a mere crawl, approaching the child. The kid scurried backwards, never once removing his eyes from the speedster. Barry drew in a quick breath and moved closer. The child's foot landed on a wonky rocky, causing him to topple backwards. In an instant the Flash was by the kid's side, catching him before he could hit the hard floor.

The young boy looked up to Barry, his eyes wide, his frame visibly quaking, "no," a squeak escaped his thin lips, a small hand reached out, grasping Barry's arm. The Flash could do nothing as a small portal ripped open the air right above them, pulsating with energy and power. A body dropped from the rip, falling with a thud to the concrete floor in front of the speedster, the rip immediately sealed behind it.

Barry scanned the scene in front of him, his eyes widening in terror and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. The child had collapsed into his arms, his eyelids fluttered shut and his face completely relaxed. However, that was not what filled Barry's chest with fear and his eyes with burning rage. The body lying in front if him was his exact replica, down to the very number of hairs of his head. The only way they could be told apart was by the revolting scar that webbed across the replica's face and the one dead eye that rested in his skull. Barry shakily raise a hand to his com, "guys... we have a bit of a situation,"

A/N: I most likely will change previous chapters I have written every now and then, so if the continuity changes I will leave a note - Potato