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.
Author's note: This story contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Season 4 of The Flash, but takes place sometime after and deviates from canon.
*****
"Barry!" Iris exclaimed, finally getting the attention of her rambling fiancé, "We need to talk?"
As those words normally meant nothing good Barry momentarily hesitated, but was too overwhelmed with happiness to dwell on it, "About what?"
Iris took a deep breath and nervously asked, "How, how long do you think you were gone?"
"Honestly it's hard to tell." Barry shrugged, "I don't know. A few weeks? Maybe a month?"
"A few..." Iris parroted, "Oh Barry, it's been years."
"Oh." Barry murmured, those words hitting him like a freight train. Then it felt like something even bigger hit him as he realised something, "That's... that's not my ring. You're not wearing my ring!"
Iris glanced guiltily at her engagement ring for a few long seconds, and then admitted the obvious, "No... no, I'm not."
There was a pause as a broken hearted Barry asked, "Who's is it?"
*
Caitlin Snow was sitting in her apartment surrounded by ice and broken glass. Her skin, her hair and even her eyes were ghostly white, more than ever before, and the urge to truly embrace the dark voice in her head telling her to become Killer Frost and take her revenge on the world had never been stronger, and hit their peak every time she accidentally froze a bottle of beer.
Every time she did she screamed in rage and through the bottle across her home to smash against one of the walls covered in pictures which were making her even angrier, and just broken. She just wanted to get drunk God damn it, couldn't the universe just let her do that?
She didn't even really like beer that much, but whenever she was upset she tended to freeze her drinks, and she wouldn't risk doing that to a good wine. Not after last time, and that was nothing compared to this complete and total heartbreak.
So she had bought as many beers as she could carry from the clearly terrified man at the nearest convenience store and was now sitting in her home waiting for the inevitable. She wanted to be anywhere else, but then she might hurt someone, or causing enough of a scene to get herself locked away in Iron Heights. Or worse. Besides, she just wanted to get this breakup over with.
Against her better judgement Caitlin looked around her home again at all the different pictures of herself and her now ex-fiancé Iris West. Some featured their friends and family, but they all featured herself and Iris together and happy, as they had been for years.
It wasn't something that Caitlin had been looking for, or ever expected to have with another woman, but it just happened, and it had been so, so good. It had literally saved Caitlin from becoming the murderous super villain she had been on Earth 2, and instead allowed her to become the hero of central city. And now that was all over that the true hero of the city had returned. Iris's true love, Barry Allen. The Flash.
The moment Cisco finally found a way to break Barry out of the speed force Caitlin's relationship with Iris was over. Barry was her friend, and she wished she could be happy that he was finally free of whatever hell he had been in, but selfishly she wished he had stayed trapped.
Because to her shame this was her biggest fear come true. The hero arriving in the nick of time to save the Princess from marrying the monster. And that was all Caitlin was now. A monster. All she had to do was look in the mirror to know that. So maybe she should just make this easier on everyone by acting the part. Finally give in to her wicked urges and truly become Killer Frost.
Just as that thought echoed through Caitlin's head the front door to the apartment opened and Iris cautiously stepped in, as if she was determined to send her over the edge, Caitlin thought angrily before coldly telling her former lover, "Get out."
"No!" Iris said firmly, stepping closer.
With the ice around her increasing Caitlin jumped to her feet and screamed, "GET OUT!"
There was a brief pause and then Iris firmly said, "I'm not afraid of you. I will never be afraid of you, because I know you would never hurt me."
It was a lie that Caitlin had forced herself to believe too many times, and it angered her even more now as she gave her usual bitter response, "You should be."
"I'm not." Iris insisted, cautiously approaching her lover, "Because I know you wouldn't, and I know what you're thinking. It's the same thing you've been thinking about for years. Or at least one of them. The one about how if he ever came back you'd lose me. That I wouldn't even hesitate to go back to him. But you're wrong. You were always wrong."
In a spot of perfect timing Barry walked into the room at that moment, causing Caitlin to laugh, "Clearly."
"Don't look at him, look at me!" Iris snapped.
Iris marched up to Caitlin as she spoke, grabbed her face with both hands and smashed her lips against Killer Frost's. Which for anyone else would have meant icy death, or at least a lot of pain, but not for Iris. No, because the second her lips got anywhere near Caitlin's those dark blue lips returned to their normal colour, along with half of Caitlin's beautiful face as she was caught between two forms.
It was debatable whether this was a conscious decision, or Caitlin's body switching to autopilot. Either way as far as Iris was concerned it was proof that she was right, and Caitlin wouldn't hurt her. She would have liked more proof of Caitlin's love for her in the form of kissing back, but it wasn't time for that yet.
So Iris broke the kiss, pulled back and firmly told her fiancé, "I'm with you. I love you. I made a promise to you."
For a moment Caitlin return to her old self as she allowed herself to hope, then she frowned as she return to her previous form and murmured, "You made a promise to him too."
