Over in a Flash

Chapter 25: The Return

I'm back, deleting Over in a Witch and rewriting it as extra chapters of Over in a Flash (They're the same story anyways) This chapter is made up of a lot of the original Over in a Witch however I have rewritten and removed certain parts of the plot so it's worth a read. Hope you enjoy and sorry for the extremely long wait.

Wisp stood alone in the backdrop of New York as the various heroes went about their ways. She'd seen it all, the entire battle, the saving of mankind as they knew it, she'd changed the timeline and as a time remnant she began to feel the effects of the changing timeline on herself. As Nora watched Barry and Wanda walk off giggling and laughing, a tear was seemingly bought to her eye, Barry had done it and she couldn't have been prouder of her father. Nora began to feel herself slowly fading away as her hands first began to dissipate followed by a feeling of lightness spreading up her body. She was not afraid, she was pleased, death wasn't around the corner for her. There'd be a new Nora here to take her place soon enough and everything seemed happy, yet Nora felt a slight twinge of regret as she vanished, stretching one hand forward to her parents she muttered "Goodbye Barry." And with that she was gone.

Barry paused in his walking as he heard something behind him, turning his head, he saw nothing as Nora had gone. He felt a heaviness on his heart as he turned, he could have sworn heard someone calling out to him but there was no one there. "Thank you, Nora." Barry said, he hadn't heard the voice fully, but he'd felt it, it had been her. As Barry turned back around he continued walking with Wanda until they finally reached the shawarma restaurant where the Avengers and the Legends sat gathered.

"So, we came here after the battle of New York, you know, right after I dropped a nuclear missile into the wormhole."

"Yeah Stark, you keep saying."

"Alright Clint, just cause you ran out of arrows."

"Real funny tin man."

The conversation of the Avengers around the table droned out for Barry as he watched the Legends and Avengers eating this somewhat dodgy food in a scene oddly reminiscent of a last supper which in a way it was for Barry. As he was sat at the table, he felt Wanda slide her dainty warm hands into his cold fists. "Barry are you alright?" She asked him, having turned her face away from the friendly competition that was developing across the table with a look of concern and worry on her face. Her deep green eyes reflecting back Barry's guilt and fears. Barry looked back into them and smiled bitter sweetly. "I have to go back Wanda, we defeated Ultron and Zoom but so many people died because I couldn't bring myself to go home, I selfishly endangered so many lives-" Barry was cut off by Wanda gently squeezing his hands and glaring like a kitten at him.

"Not now Barry we're celebrating. Do not blame yourself for Pietro, I blame myself for Pietro, but I cannot. You know why I cannot blame myself or you for Pietro? Because Pietro wouldn't want me to. Pietro is here." Wanda lifted Barry's hand and placed it on her heart. "So, I know this is not what he wants." Wanda released Barry's right hand and wiped her eye before the tears even got to leave the sockets. "We will meet again Barry, goodbyes are not forever, if you need me I'll be there in a flash." Wanda said with a tearful smile and a light laugh as she repeated Barry's signature phrase.

-TWO YEARS LATER-

Steve Rogers, the man with the iron will was broken, he'd done his best and his best was not enough, ever since 2012 Steve had been haunted by the phrase 'A man out of time' and it wasn't wrong, both himself and Barnes were men out of time and Steve just wanted to return now, back to the 40's, back to Peggy, just for one last dance, he just wanted to rest. He wanted to rest like Peggy, Peggy was dead but there was a difference, she had finished leaving her mark; Peggy had a legacy worth leaving. His duty however wasn't done yet, broken though he was, he was Steve Rogers and the world needed him. Steve had left this world behind over a year ago without a second doubt, chasing after something, he had retreated into the purest form of heroism. Steve, Nat and Sam roamed the world helping when and whenever they could. They were vigilantes through and through now. No longer Avengers, no longer Captain America. Steve Rogers was the Nomad.

Steve rubbed his gruff chiseled face with his coarse hands as he stood crouched over the small bathroom mirror in the Quinjet. He stroked the big bushy beard upon his face as he moved his hands up his face running them over the bruises, cuts and deeper wounds of the previous battle. He then pulled down on his cheeks causing them to bounce back in an almost elastic manner. Looking directly into the mirror Steve starred down at his battered broken face, looking into the heavily bagged eyes, bought about from many a sleepless night. Steve next reached into the sink and pulled the tap gently, restraining his strength to not rip the tap clean from the sink and splashed some cold refreshing water onto his face. Slowly but surely, the dirt and blood left his skin and flowed freely down the plug. Reaching for a towel, Steve dried himself off and stepped out of the bathroom. Standing at his full six feet, Steve exited the bathroom of the quinjet. "What's our next move Cap?" Sam asked as Steve shrugged. "Let's see where the wind takes us today Sam." Steve stated as the Falcon nodded.

Iron Heights Prison, perhaps it was karma, fate even that Barry had ended here and in his father's cell nonetheless. It was ironic really that both him and his father had been unfairly placed by the law within the same cell just years apart of each other. Prison had overall so far been an interesting experience for Barry, it wasn't per say a good experience but he'd tried to remain as positive as he could and look on the good side of things; ok there were very little things on the good side of it but Ralph seemed to have stepped up well to being the hero on the outside and Barry was slowly getting accustomed to prison life, he even had someone he considered somewhat of a friend in here. The days here weren't so bad and the prison pudding was actually alright. The nights however were the worst, night in that cold empty box of a cell were painfully long and were drawn out and would really remind Barry that he was here probably for the rest of his life. Team Flash had sworn they'd find something to get him out but Barry knew they wouldn't, the nights were bad enough as it was but recently Barry had also been plagued by ghosts, ghosts of his past, it had started out with just his parents, reunited in a spectral form whilst he slept but it quickly became more than that Pietro was there, Snart, HR and then Ronnie but it didn't stop there, the ghosts then became more and more people, people that weren't even dead like Cisco, Caitlin, Scott and Wanda.

Wanda… Barry wondered greatly how she was doing, it had been two years now since Barry had seen Wanda last, he had planned on returning to the other earth but after he created Flashpoint in an effort to save his mom, Barry had decided it was best not to mess with space and time. He was just a man running really fast after all and it seemed to cause more problems for everyone else than it helped him. It really did hurt though, he'd essentially walked out on her without a single word as to why. A part of Barry had hoped Wanda would have contacted him, but he had never received a call or anything, he supposed she'd moved on, found someone else who would actually be there for her like the Vision. Barry sighed as he rose up from the rigid bunk he'd been laying on and exited his cell into the spacious ever-increasing grey of the prison. Around him many more men exited their cells into the daylight that beamed down through cracks of windows in the celling as Barry began walking his path towards the cafeteria as Warden Wolfe approached Barry with an armed guard by his side.

"Mr Allen, Detective West is here to see you." The Warden exclaimed as he began to fan his hand around his face slightly as an insect buzzed around him. Barry's brow furrowed as gears began to whirl in his head.
"I thought visiting hours weren't until after lunch?"
"They aren't but I'm sure Joe'll fill you in on the details." The warden said as he began swatting around his face again. "Damned ants, where are they even getting in from?" The warden asked as the number of flying ants seemed to increase dramatically.
"Do you need a minute?" Barry asked as the warden and the guard were now stepping around swatting at the bugs in their face.
"No, it's all good, Johnson, take Mr Allen to visitation, I'm going to go find a god damn janitor." The warden said to the guard as he stomped off back in the direction he came. The guard nodded as he grabbed onto Barry's arm and began to escort him down a corridor before rounding a corner and using his key card to open up into a broom closet. Releasing Barry's arm in the dimly lit room, the guard removed his helmet revealing an all too familiar face underneath.

"Déjà vu, right? You really need to stop ending up in prison Barr."
Barry looked him up and down, his face was slightly obscured in the dark, but Barry knew that voice anywhere. "Scott?"
"Yeah, who else would be breaking you out of prison!" He exclaimed as he pulled Barry into a tightly locked bro hug. "I missed you man, though ghosting us was not cool at all…" Scott pulled back out of the hug as his grinning happy go lucky face tightened and his smile turned upside down. "Not the time, Ghosting probably wasn't the best phrase to use given our current predicament. We need to get going."
"Scott, breathe." Barry said calmly as he too returned Scott's frown. "I can't go anywhere, not until my name is cleared, I can't leave this prison."

Scott looked back at Barry with his big eyes as his mouth hung slightly agape "but Barry, we need you, I mean it's bad man, really bad." Scott's eyes began to twitch as he looked over at Barry. "Barry, I need your help, you know how hard it was to get here?." Scott said starring intensely at Barry. Barry returned his gaze and nodded.
"Alright Scott, count me i…" Barry paused as Scott's stare began to crack at the corners of his mouth as it became another smile followed by a large chuckle as Barry crossed his arms and proceeded to glare at Scott.
"I'm sorry man, but your face was just too much. But I'm serious we need you, there's this chick that can disappear through things trying to kill us and Hank was all like 'Scott go get your fast friend.' So that's why I'm here, we don't have much time to stop her and save Hope's mother." Barry nodded as Scott was rambling again.
"Don't you have something to get us there?"
"Nah, Hank made me this device, but it was a one way trip kind of thing soooo…"
"You need me to run us there?"
"Bingo bongo." Scott said with two littler finger guns as Barry rolled his eyes before grabbing onto Scott's hand.
"It's a wonder nobody's killed you yet." Barry remarked as he grabbed hold of Scott and sprinted off into Star Labs at flash speed, changing quickly into his suit. Scott meanwhile shrunk himself down leaving a pile of prison guard clothes in star labs as Barry scooped Scott up into his hand where he held onto the little guy as he approached the speed treadmill. Turning the device on, Barry began to run, building up intense levels of speed in mere seconds which became minutes. It was amazing for Barry just how fast he'd been able to go since returning from the speed force following Savitar's defeat, speeds that had only been achievable to him before with the tacheyon prototype were now easy work for him. Surely enough in no time at all a blue swirling vortex opened up before Barry and Scott. "Here we go." Barry stated to Scott as the little man clung onto Barry's fingers. Barry tightened the grip as they zoomed forward into the vortex and into the speed force as Barry ran across space and time itself.

The two of them emerged from the portal in the sunny streets of San Francisco. Scott resized himself before removing his helmet and looking over at Barry. "Right Hank and Hope will meet us in a few hours so you could go find Wanda for a bit if you wanted?" Scott asked raising an eyebrow at Barry "but first could you like drop me home, I'm meant to be on house arrest for saving the world." Scott said with a groan as Barry nodded. "Thank you for everything Scott." And without out so much as a second thought, Barry had zoomed Scott off to his house before running his way to the Barton family farm. Pulling his mask down, Barry rang the front door as Laura opened up. "Barry!" She exclaimed as she gave the Flash a hug.
"Hey Laura, I was wondering if Clint was home."
"He's out with the kids right now but they should be back in around ten minutes if you don't mind waiting?"
"Yeah, I can wait." Barry said as Laura turned around and began to head back towards the kitchen, Barry closed the door and followed.
"How have things been for you and Clint since the accords?" Barry asked as Laura returned to washing up as the radio hummed a classical tune in the background.
"Peachy, Clint's not really one for house arrest so he's been feeling like a bit of a caged bird."
"Yeah, Scott was say…" Barry stopped as the music on the radio came to a sudden and unexpected stop.
"Breaking News, New York under attack from Alien craft. Two Aliens spotted on Bleaker Street, Tony Stark (Iron Man) is reported as being on scene."
"That sounds serious." Laura remarked as she looked at the radio before looking back to Barry only to feel a gust of wind as her hair was blown back as Barry zoomed away.

Running his way through the crowds of people running the other way, Barry came into the now abandoned streets of New York, the fight seemed to have moved from Bleaker Street so he followed the trail of damage ending up around the corner from Central Park where he spotted Tony engaged in a fight with a giant troll like creature. Rushing forward with all his momentum, Barry slammed into the troll knocking it backwards just in the nick of time as Tony appeared to be caught in some electronic claw.
"Hang on kid." Tony stated as he begun to pry himself free from the device. "Barry?" He asked as he looked over at the Flash.
"The one and only." Barry said with a salute as the Goblin thing growled and jumped towards him suddenly an orange rim of a circle swirled between Barry and the creature sucking it inside as another man stepped forward rotating his wrists as the portal closed with the creature on the other side.

"Wong you are invited to my wedding!" Tony exclaimed. "Barry grab my hand quickly." Tony said as he held out his hand, Barry grabbed onto it and felt Tony's armor morph over his hand, holding it in place with the required support "Hold on tight" He stated as they jet on upwards
"Woah!" Barry stated as they continued to rise.
"Give me a little more juice Friday." Tony said as his legs seemed to morph together into a single rocket.
"Oh no." Barry called as they quite literally rocketed off into the atmosphere. Barry felt the air thinning as it became increasingly harder to breathe.
"Barry, I'm gonna throw you onto that ship, I need you to phase through it and find a wizard, then find me once you've done that." Tony said.
"WHAT?" Barry shouted unable to quite hear him over the wind.
"JUST SWITCH YOUR COMS CHANNEL TO THE AVENGERS FREQUENCY ONCE YOU'RE ON"
"ON WHAT?" Barry shouted back as the piece of the suit Barry was holding onto suddenly released from the rest of Tony's suit, staying attached to Barry's hand and rocketing him by the arm towards the giant alien spacecraft. As the rocket removed itself from Barry's hand, he landed on the side of the ship which he immediately started running up as he then began to vibrate his body as he phased through the exterior of the craft and into the dimly lit interior. Barry then pressed the coms in his mask, recalibrating them to the correct frequency. "Alright Tony, I'm in, what now?" Barry asked as he began a walk through the alien craft.

Infinity War is here, will Barry survive the snap or can he prevent it? Hope you all enjoyed, as always feedback and suggestions are more than welcome.

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