Disclaimer: I do not own The Flash or anything to do with DC. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
*****
Iris West hadn't slept a lot lately. She'd always been a workaholic who pushed herself to a limit on a fraction of the sleep she should be getting, but lately she'd been spending every waking moment looking for someone and trying not to think about the thing which was haunting her dreams, or more accurately her nightmares. But ultimately she was caught sleeping at her desk one too many times, and was sent home, both from her day job and from Star Labs.
She only made it home thanks to her best friend Barry Allen, who had pretty much forced her into bed and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Which in some ways made it easier, as she was so exhausted at this point she was almost asleep the second her head hit the pillow. Unfortunately that triggered the same dream again, in the exact same way.
Gunshots, blood... Caitlin Snow calling out her name before falling into her arms. Caitlin jumping in front of a bullet meant for her, the shooter running like a cowered as her fiancΓ©'s life slowly began to fade away from her. Iris desperately trying to stay strong, but knowing it was no use, and all she could really do was not lose her mind for the seconds Caitlin had left. Then Caitlin told her she loved her, right before she died in her arms, causing Iris to absolutely lose it.
But a few seconds later Caitlin's body became as cold as ice, and she fully transformed into Killer Frost, throwing an icicle which killed the gunmen instantly. Then for a moment her cold blue eyes met Iris's eyes and then the super villain was on her feet using her powers to launch herself in the air and away from her, and all Iris could do was call after her.
That would be the point Iris remembered it wasn't a dream. That her happy life had suddenly taken a dark turn, and now she didn't know if Caitlin was still alive somewhere in there, or whether now there was only Killer Frost. The difference between all those times and this was that she woke up to find a chill in the air, so much so that she could see her breath.
She then cautiously turned her head to where Barry had been sitting only to see Killer Frost sitting there with of course a wicked smile on her face, which for most people would be truly terrifying, but Iris couldn't help but see her girlfriend in there. She just hoped she wasn't wrong, and chose to take the fact that she wasn't dead yet as a positive sign.
"Morning sleepy head." Killer Frost beamed, her tone sounding so much like Caitlin, but ever so slightly off, "Well, not morning. It's still very much night-time, so... bad dream? That sucks."
It took a few long seconds for Iris to find her voice, and then she cautiously murmured, "I've been worried..."
"You should be." Killer Frost growled menacingly, moving to the bed.
"About you!" Iris quickly added as she cautiously sat up in bed, bringing their faces closer together as she tried to reach out and touch her girl, only for her to pull away, "I've been worried about you."
"Me? I'm fine. Better than fine. I'm more myself than I've ever been." Killer Frost boasted, before leaning in and threatening, "You should worry about yourself."
Despite the glowing eyes and hands Iris didn't flinch, even for a second, "You would never hurt me."
"You sure about that?" Killer Frost purred, and then when Iris continued to remain firm she pointed out, "Caitlin, maybe. But I'm not Caitlin."
"You sure about that?" Iris threw the other woman's words back in her face, quickly following up with, "You don't think I thought about this every second since you left? That my sweet Caitlin could be gone forever, replaced by the same monster she met in another world? Of course I thought of that possibility, but it was her greatest fear, so of course after a dramatic experience she would conclude that she had to be a super villain for killing someone, even if they killed her first. But okay, let's say for a minute you're not my girl. That you're someone different. A split personality created by a dramatic event. Or even someone who was always there. Why no more dead bodies under your MO? Huh? Why hasn't Killer Frost been living up to her name?"
"Maybe I just haven't got the right opportunity yet?" Killer Frost suggested, although it sounded more like a question than a statement.
"Or maybe you don't want too?" Iris pushed, "Maybe you can be Killer Frost without being a villain? Maybe you just need someone to give you permission for that? Or for someone to tell you it's going to be okay, and they love you no matter what. Like I do."
"Or maybe I'm here to kill you?" Killer Frost growled, producing an icicle out of thin air and pressing it against Iris's heart, "Punish Caitlin for keeping me locked away all these years by killing the woman she loves. Solidify my name and new position. Embrace my destiny. Earn my stripes as a villain. And knock The Flash off his game. You think about that?"
There was a brief pause, then Iris pushed, "So do it?"
Emboldened by the fact that Killer Frost, or Caitlin, or whoever this was hesitated Iris grabbed the back of the blonde's head and force their lips together in a deep and passionate kiss. For a few long seconds Iris thought she made a deadly mistake, as after some hesitation the other woman kissed back, her superpowers sucking the heat out of the reporter's body and causing it to freeze up.
Then pretty much at the last minute the other woman pulled away, initially looking surprised like they had forgotten this was one of her powers. Then she clearly became angry and scolded Iris, even as she threw away the icicle and grabbed Iris's duvet tightly around the shivering reporter, desperately trying to heat her up again.
"Do you have a death wish or something?" Killer Frost grumbled.