"2024." Barry's voice breaks into my thoughts as we sat there that night, but I felt myself tune him out lightly, "According to the future article in the Time Vault, I'm still in Central City. There's no mention of Savitar. I probably trapped him in the Speed Force by then. That's the time I need to travel to. 2024."

We decided not to go to bed, but instead work on what time he needed to travel to. Barry sat at the table, writing down things in a notebook, jotting down what he could and figured it out without my help, while I sat on the couch, looking through photo albums that we had kept. The beanie on my head slouched, putting a strand of my hair behind my ear. I had changed into one of Barry's sweaters, keeping a pair of joggers on, Barry now in joggers and a hoodie.

I stared down at a picture, a small smile on my face. It was a photo Iris had taken of all of us in high school. Iris was holding the camera, her on the right side of the picture, while Barry and I were farther back, our entire bodies showing. Barry and I were in lab coats due to us coming from a chemistry experiment to meet her in the hall. We were making jokes about how we looked with the goggles on, and Iris had taken the picture. My back was hunched backward, and you could tell I was almost falling over. Barry has a arm on my forearm, keeping me from falling, as we were all laughing.

Many thoughts had filled my mind, which resulted in me not hearing or processing much of what Barry said to me, my eyes scanning through the photos, Barry turning towards me from his chair, "If I trapped him, I must've figured out who he was, right?"

Noticing I wasn't paying attention, he calls for me, "Zee?"

My head snaps up and towards him, my eyes slightly wide, "What?"

"What are you doing?" Barry asks, a soft smile on his face, walking over to me and sitting next to me, his eyes landing onto the photo album.

"I'm just, looking at these photos." I mumble, holding onto the photo album, "Thinking about the past and the future."

A small smile breaks onto Barry's lips once he points to a photo. The photo was of the two of us, my high school graduation day. That day, Barry had come home and visited from college to come, and I had pulled an all-nighter, and was completely drained the next morning. During the car ride there, I had fell asleep on Barry's arm; he had laid his head on mine. "I remember that moment so well. I thought your hair smelt so good."

I looked up at him, a barely there giggle leaving my lips, enjoying the reminiscing.

He points to another, this photo being a more recent one; we were stood in front of the bathroom mirror, my back pressed against his chest. We were both in sweats, his hood up, mine being just one of his crew necks, my hair down and a mess, his hair a slight mess even while almost being contained with the hood. One arm was wrapped around me, the other had his hand pressing his fingers against my cheeks, pushing them together, causing me to make a slight duck face. His eyes were crossed, and his tongue was out, his bright white teeth showing, while my eyes were focused on the camera, the photo being a mirror picture of us. I had held my phone in both hands, the ring I wore on my finger showing off. "This has got to be one of my favorite pictures of the two of us."

"It's my favorite." I smile down lightly at the picture, before looking up at him, slowly closing the photo album. "Barry,"

He looks up at me, ready to listen to whatever I had to say, "I don't really have any family- due to everything that happened but-"

"We're all your family, Zee." Barry says to me.

I sigh quietly, "I meant biologically."

"Biologically or not, Joe raised you." Barry told me.

"Fine, point taken." I put my hands up in surrender for a few seconds, placing them back down on my lap, "I just mean, if what we're planning doesn't work out the way we want it to-"

"It's going to." Barry cuts me off.

"But if it doesn't-" I start.

"It will." He cuts me off.

"But if there's a possibility that it won't," I say quickly, "I want you to promise me you'll move on."

Barry goes quiet, staring at me, his eyebrows furrowing, "Zee-"

"Please." I mumble, "I don't want you mourning over my loss. If you lose me before you lose Iris- if you save Iris- just move on with her. She was written to be future Mrs. Allen and you were so in love with her. I know I've been pushing the idea of Iris living and not me- how I want you to focus more on saving her than me- but you've got to understand- she's my best friend. I'd rather die then live in a world where you chose to find a way to save me and Iris got killed."

"I'm going to save both of you." Barry says, "That's why I'm going to the future. So I know what to expect. What to do. So I can plan. I'm saving you both."

I go silent, knowing he wouldn't promise me anything, "I'm not promising you that because I know that Reign is going to have to go through a hell of a lot more to kill you through me."

My silence gives him the cue to continue, "And Zee, even if it was written for Iris to be my wife, you were always meant to be. I just didn't realize it until I fell in love with every part of you."

"Don't make me cry." I look at him, the warming feeling rushing through my body.

Barry's phone buzzes before he could reply, as he takes his phone out, seeing the alert, "Star Labs."

-

[ barry's pov ]

I had immediately chosen to go to the future right when I found out about Caitlin going completely Killer Frost. I had to. I had to know what happened. I had to know who Savitar was. I needed to go to the future. And that's where I was.

2024.

My feet crushed the leaves beneath me, a cool breeze moving by due to the autumn weather, as I left Joe alone at Iris' grave. I was never there for Joe. Caitlin had practically destroyed Cisco's hands. She was locked in a cell, Julian looking after her, now working at where they held her captive. Wally, has a shattered spine. No one knew what he saw the night he ran after Savitar, but he came back with broken bones. I tried to talk to myself, but all he did was push me away. My attempt to get back to my time was failed, as Cisco gave me hope that we would find a way to get me back.

My footsteps came to a halt when my eyes landed on something I never thought I'd dread more than I already did.

The grave stone of the woman I love dearly, leaves falling off it as the breeze grew stronger. Tears filled my vision as I moved closer, crouching in front of the stone, touching her craved name.

Her birthday was written, as so was her death date. May 23rd, 2017. She died the same day Iris did. She was supposed to die the same day Iris does. Whatever Cisco saw of Reign jumping into a breach, there must be something else that happens.

"You shouldn't be here, Barry." A voice catches my attention, my head snapping up, my eyes landing on Reign. She stood there, a few feet ahead of me, her down hair down, a cut on her eyebrow, a bruise on her cheek.

Her lips were slightly chapped due to how cold it was outside, and she wore black jeans, a t shirt, and a leather jacket, her hands shoved into her pockets.

My heart flutters at the sight of her, knowing well that this wasn't the woman I fell in love with, but she looked exactly like her. Her long hair reminded me of many memories I had shared with Zee during the first year we started Team Flash. I blink, snapping out of the trance I was locked in.

I slowly stood up, anger sparking up in me, "Why- why did you kill her?"

"You shouldn't be here." Her hard stare was fixed on me, "You can't save either of them."

"Why-" I raise my voice, "Why did you kill her?"

"She had everything I had ever wanted." She admits, "I killed her and took her place. I got everything- but you. You need to leave, Barry."

"You killed her because you never got a happy ending?" I spat at her, the anger in me getting the best of me, backing away from her, "No wonder why I never gave into you. Even if you look exactly like my wife."

"She was never your wife." Reign shot at me, a glare fixed on her features, "She was killed before she could become any such thing."

-

I walked into Star Labs once more after the failed attempt to talk to my future self. I made my way into the time remnant, my eyes landing on Barry Allen. Myself.

His eyes were on a picture that was projected in front of us. I remember the picture clear as day, my heart stopping at the picture I looked at. It was of Iris, Zee and I. We all stood on a huge rock, Zee's arms around Iris, my arms around the both of them. The mixture of blue, pink, purple and orange was in the sky, the sun setting. We were at the beach, on a cold day. The wind blew against us strongly, but we made sure we got that picture. We were all laughing, looking happy as ever. Just best friends.

I looked at Barry, "You promised her. You promised Iris that you would be there for Joe."

"You don't understand." He moved his hand, the picture disappearing.

"I don't understand what? That you abandoned him? Him and everybody else? You made a promise!" I raise my voice.

He turns towards me, a shout coming from me, "That I couldn't keep! Not after everything I lost, I was just as broken as Joe was!"

"I don't care." I told him.

He shoves me, "You will."

"You want answers, Barry? How's this." He walks back to where he once stood, "You will go back. You will do everything you can to save them. You'll even create time remnants of yourself, but he'll kill them all mostly. And on the night of May 23rd, Iris West will die in your arms. And right after, you will watch a exact replica of the woman you love, murder Zee Young right in front of you."

"No-" I start.

He cuts me off, "And in that moment, when Iris takes her last breath, and Zee drops right in front of you, it'll feel like an eternity. And it will break you."

"She's the love of your life, Barry." He stared at me, pain in his voice, "She was the love of my life."

He moved, sitting down in a corner, the tears in my eyes slipping, "There will be nothing left but stopping Savitar. So no, you won't be there for Joe. You won't be there when Caitlin becomes Killer Frost. When Savitar destroys Wally. You won't be there for any of them. But one day, you'll stop him. You'll lock him in the Speed Force forever. But at that point, he already won. Because everything you've ever loved is gone. Including you."

"Go home, Barry." He told me, "There's nothing for you here."

And with that, I ran out.

-

[ zee's pov ]

"Where's Zee?" I heard Barry's voice come from the cortex after he had explained whatever intel he got from the future, which I was sure he was going to tell me later.

"I saw her in the hall-" Cisco told him, and before I knew it, Barry jogged right in by me and engulfed in a tight hug.

"Oh-" I melt into his embrace, slightly confused at the sudden affection, "What did I do to deserve this?"

"I just, love you. so much." Barry holds onto me tighter.