Collateral Damage (snowbarry)

Time Travel and Tribulations

"We need to talk." Barry says as he catches up to Caitlin on their way to the cortex.

"About?" Caitlin says, voice still emotionless.

"Thawne. Our next step."

Caitlin stops outside the door that leads to the roof. She looks at it out of the corner of her eye then back at Barry. "Now?" She asks. He nods. "Fine." They continue their walk to the cortex and are greeted with Cisco, Joe, Ronnie, and Professor Stein.

Caitlin takes a seat on the desk next to where Cisco is sitting and looks to Barry who is leaning against the frame of the door to her lab.

"Thawne's plan is to use me to rupture the space-time barrier so that he can travel back to his time."

"Ha! In what world?" Cisco exclaims.

Everyone is silent, waiting for Barry to continue on with his plan to get a confession out of Wells.

"You're considering it." Caitlin says, noticing his hesitation. "Why?" She asks. She's not skeptical or accusing. She sounds genuinely curious.

Barry looks directly at her. "I can go back and save my mom."

Cisco, Stein, and Ronnie all widen their eyes and huff in surprise. Caitlin keeps her eyes on Barry. She's not surprised by what he said. She's not surprised that he's considering it. If anything, she's surprised he hasn't made the decision already.

"What are you thinking about Bar?" She asks.

"Everything that could go wrong." He admits.

"While I admit, Mr. Allen, that the opportunity to go back in time and right a wrong, save someone you love, is quite tempting. There are unparalleled risks." Stein interjects. "The night your mother died, the night you saved yourself from being killed, that event altered the timeline you were already on and changed the course of history."

"So...we're living in a parallel universe right now?" Cisco asks with a tone of excitement.

"Exactly." Stein says, matching Cisco's excitement.

"Just like when I time traveled before. With the tidal wave." Barry explains.

"But you only changed one day that time." Joe says.

"Exactly right. Did you notice any consequences to your altering of the timeline before Mr. Allen?" Stein asks.

Barry looks at Cisco and then back to Stein and nods.

"Now imagine fifteen years of compounded experiences." Stein says. "The changes...they're impossible to account for."

"The butterfly effect." Joe says, trying to explain it to himself.

"Yes. But not a butterfly. A life." Stein corrects. "The ripples would be...immense. Nothing would be as it is today. But, now whether or not you find comfort in this fact is beyond me, you'd never remember any of it."

Barry sighs and looks around the room, because he knew that he would remember.

"So, if I go back and save my mom, my dad never goes to prison. I never live with Joe and Iris." Barry starts.

"You might never meet me." Cisco interrupts. "Or Caitlin."

Barry turns to look at Caitlin. "Your dad."

"We would've never crashed." Caitlin finishes. Her eyes widen at Barry before she looks down.

"Truth is," Stein starts. "There's no real way of knowing what your life will be. Anything, after the moment you save your mother, will be unpredictable."