#would just watch we had our closure and all but it’s 2024 and i think. that will happen again <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

Hi hello I watched all of carmilla in a weekend when I was 17 because a student teacher who in retrospect I had a bit of a crush on mentioned that she knew one of the actresses. also I am pretty invested in all your recent vampire stuff because I watched iwtv in 2 days last week because your edit intrigued me

oh hiiii 🫶 thank you for indulging me. thats so cool that you watched iwtv! did it live up to the expectation?

i also watched carmilla at 17! or like, 17-19. i found it when s2 had just started and followed it to the end. did something permanent to my brain but i think it was a good thing. on rewatch now im like, i was right to like this. like it's a solid show, it's good. it has its flaws obviously but it's well written, the emotional moments still get me, i can see why i liked it and i still like it now even when it's not anymore, you know, meeting every need that baby gay me didnt even know they had

what it doesnt reaallyy do though - i dont remember if i posted abt this or if i left it in my drafts but - is explore vampirism as a concept. their subject matter is more lesbianism than vampirism. which is great! thats what they wanted to do and they did it and it's very good. but reading interview with the vampire the book rn im realising how much potential vampires have to be metaphors for like so many things and i started wondering like 'wait, did carmilla just not really engage with it or did it all go over my head'. but it just didnt really engage with it all that much. which again is fine bc that wasnt what they were doing. im glad they were more about the lesbianism than the vampirism

but there's this interesting difference in framing, because in iwtv they keep calling armand 'ancient' right? and emphasising how old he is. and he's like 500? and i was like 'wait isnt carmilla like 400?'. she isnt, shes 340, but still, thats getting there, you know? and we know quite a lot about her history, but kind of just the Big Events. when she was turned, the events of the novella, coffin of blood, silas. thats sort of what we know. but none of the long lonely slog of history day to day you know? with armand i feel like we can really feel how much time everything takes. how every one of those years is made up of single days. with carmilla i dont feel that as much. i keep kind of thinking about daniel, when louis calls him a boy in the first episode, saying "im an old man, with all the triggers that come with it"

because carmilla might look 18 (or mid twenties at this point) but she has lived all that time. shes also seen her native land be claimed by like a succession of ruling powers, right? like armand. shes been buried alive, like louis. when lestat is born, shes already 80 years old, shes lived a whole human lifetime, and the entire adult part of it shes been a vampire. shes lived through 1680-1870 being a lure. i compared her to abigail hobbs in some tags on a post, i dont know if youre familiar with hannibal the tv show, but i do also kinda keep thinking about that comparison

if youre not familiar, in the first episode of hannibal the murderer of the week is this guy garrett jacob hobbs who kills and cannibalises girls who resemble his daughter. and later on it turns out she was made to be his lure. like they'd go places and he'd sent her to the victims to make friends and maybe get them back to their home or smth. not sure if they specified all the details. but that's what carmilla did for mother. and in s2 we hear from mattie that while every couple of decades carmilla had to lure victims for the fish god, she also seemed to just enjoy humans between those times, right? like the doctor, gets lonely, gets a new companion. but we've only sort of got mattie's mocking word for it ("dont eat him, hes a poet! or her, shes got such a wonderful voice. or that one, shes just too pretty to ruin"), we don't know exactly from carmilla's point of view what she was doing or why. if mattie's talking about stuff that happened after the blood coffin, 1950-now, then i think it's a fair assumption based on what carmilla says in the s1 sock puppet show that after she'd figured out what the real situation was and what her role in it was, when she'd started trying to save girls from being sacrificed, that she mightve been doing the same trying to save people from becoming mattie's victims. it's probably more likely that she was just trying to find excuses to stop mattie from sucking someone dry rather than actually having like an aesthetic based morality. but it might be a bit of both. im still trying to figure out what her philosophy actually is, like i dont know what existentialism actually means ghkfjghkj but i will

i also found it pretty striking in the movie when shes turning back into a vampire she says like "this was supposed to be done, you know? the blood lust, the self-loathing, the sleeping tied to a chair in my own bedroom". thats what defines her vampirism, wanting blood and hating yourself for it (the third part is a joke/reference to s1 but also i think meaningful for how she sees her relationship with laura when she IS a vampire. little bit of that 'she will reject me for my monstrousness' shining through). and thats what defines vampirism for lots of vampires across the genre obviously, but i dont know, it struck me. we dont get a lot from carmilla's pov, we know a fair amount about her, but the story is always told through laura. we get laura's diaries, but just snippets here and there from carmilla, what shes thinking, how shes feeling

and i love that shes a philosopher. i love that thats how she seems to try and find something to hold onto, in a world that kind of moves around her, having been murdered, kidnapped, turned and groomed to be a lure on the cusp of adulthood, never having been properly loved (the relationship with her father wasnt good she says in s3, and her mortal mother i dont think has ever been mentioned (like laura's)). the only good relationship she seems to have had for the better part of 3 centuries seems to have been mattie, and mattie seems to love being a vampire. i can imagine carmilla just sort of going along with anything mattie wants to do just because shes so desperate for that friendship. not like, against her will necessarily really. but more like, she hasnt even had the space to develop her own will, you know? and philosophy lets you do that. philosophy gives you frameworks to understand the world and to develop your own opinions on it. and by the 21st century she seems to have developed those opinions, she has a sense of her own values, but shes also still stuck in that same situation. shes jaded and cynical in the face of laura's optimism and strong moral code a lot of the time in s1 because she feels probably pretty powerless. like she does what she can to save some girls but at the end of the day shes scared of her mother and she has nowhere else to go really, right?

i like how she grapples with that over the course of the series, in tandem with laura grappling with her black and white morality. she sort of jumps ship from her mother to laura bc theyve fallen in love, but then laura still stuck in her hero thinking refuses to see her monstrous side. not literally bc i think the biological vampirism never seemed to be a problem for laura, but morally. the having murdered. carmilla needs laura to see that and love her while seeing it bc the last girl she loved rejected her for being a vampire.

but you see her kind of swing back and forth in s2. she softens first with laura but then they break up and she leans back hard into the sarcastic cynic defense mechanisms, leans hard into "im a monster, dont expect heroism from me". but thats like, it's sort of learned helplessness i think. it's powerlessness, resignation. bc morally shes not a monster. maybe she doesnt have as strong a drive to help other people as laura does and is a little more selfishly hedonistic in that she just wants to enjoy her/their life, but she doesnt hurt people for fun, she never has. she just sort of didnt have another option for a Really long time. so she pretends she doesnt care. "im a vampire, this is what i do, this is who i am". but clearly from the way she talks about it when she turns back into one, she doesnt enjoy it

and i like how she goes even further in s3, where she starts swinging even more to the heroic side, bc she sees hope. shes like "wow if we kill my mother, i'd be free". theres hope and she becomes like a lot more active. and shes like that at the start of the movie too, a lot happier, a lot more relaxed, and then vampirism is back and bam depression gfhgkjh like shes immediately more gloomy, ashamed of her past and her self, retreats into herself

sorry i just took this as an opportunity to dump all the carmilla thoughts floating in my head on you. you didnt ask fhkghgjh consider this an open invitation to you or anyone else to come talk to me about carmilla

[ashmp3]

it really is so funny (not) to me that cancer guy #1 works at my favorite cocktail bar like this is history repeating itself i can’t escape him. also realized my shoes of the summer will be 1. heeled mules 2. wedges

[rippeds0cks]

3/4/2024

I have been weird lately. Some days ill be doing great then other days ill be as worse as ive ever been. These last couple days have been bad. Ive been so bad mentally that ive had to stop whatever im doing (eating, watching a movie, working out, playing elden ring) and just sit there and stare off into nothing. I zoned out entirely when i was driving yesterday. Ended up going 75 in a 45 and had to rush a break when i zoned back in so i didnt slam into the back of the car in front of me. Cant have that become a habit since im gonna be driving a lot soon. Buying a gun soon. Not for suicide or anything i need it for bears n such since im gonna be camping in the middle of national parks a lot. I havent slept well in weeks. Every night for the last couple nights ive been as close to tears as ive been in recent memory. I get really emotional laying here n my right eye will be teary but my left eye will not. I wonder if my tear duct is damaged in any kinda way since thats the side closest to my head injury. It shouldnt be since thats my better eye. Back when i got a cut on my left eyelid i was essentially blind for those couple days it took for the swelling to go down since my right eye is essentially useless. That reminds me, my dad is slowly catching onto how bad my health is. He made the observation “you might have something wrong with your depth perception cause you get really close to the cars in front of you when you drive” and i just went “haha yeah” when in reality my depth perception mostly went when i was like a very early 19 and i just got used to it. Fighting made me able to “feel” the distance between me and everything around me but that goes out the window when im operating a machine like a car. Ill get used to it i guess. Maybe start wearing my glasses.

I think that on this trip ill make the decision about reaching out to my ex. I think that if i get all the way to vegas and still think about her ill reach out for closure. Thatll be a while tho. Maybe well over a year. I dont know. Ive just completely given up any delusion of her contacting me. If contact is to be made itll be made by me. I just cant stop thinking about her and its already ridiculous so if it continues for so long that by the time i get to vegas i might as well reach out. Worst comes to worst and she loses her mind/gets a restraining order n i cant firefight anymore i can just kill myself its not a big deal. I just cant keep harboring these emotions forever. I already dont wanna harbor em im just too scared to reach out. It doesnt help that me n benj (mostly benj) bring up our exes a lot so i have to think about her. He says shit sometimes that unlocks memories i didnt know i had and it will make my ass catatonic for the day.

Like once i had a ptsd attack while asleep and i jolted awake and we were napping together and i woke up to her laying on me pulling me as close as possible and it brought my heart rate down and mental state down entirely, i was able to relax and calm down just cause she was there. She probably doesnt remember it since when i jolted awake she was mostly still asleep, just doing a slurred half awake “do u have to pee” to which i just said no n we both went back to bed.

I waa gonna type out another memory thats been replaying in my head where she lays with me as i was having full body convulsions and i was in some of the most pain i have ever been in. Rubbing my back and holding my hand. I was gonna type it all out in detail but im already shaking and crying out of one eye lol. No snot or anything tho so i dont know if this qualifies as crying.

Anyways i would give anything to be able to experience that again. The first and only person to ever love me and things went so horribly wrong. Both of our faults. I take the vast majority of the blame though. She takes the blame towards the end but the rest of it is my fault.

Anyways

[kittylover776]

Runaway Bride

Third chapter of ‘Runaway Bride’ is out! Wanted to get this out sooner but had a bit of trouble deciding what direction to take it. Writing multi-chapter fics can be a bit of a struggle for me compared to one-shot stories, but I’m definitely working on getting the hang of it.

Wanted to thank everyone including @aellathedreamer who has helped inspire me when it comes to this teeny tiny fandom. If it wasn’t for your support I probably wouldn’t be writing this.

I’m hoping to get this out on ‘Archive of our Own’, I’m just waiting to get approved for an account. Websites confuse me sometimes. 😅

Anyways, hope you all enjoy and have a Happy New Year! Wish everyone the best for 2024! 🎉🎊😁

Chapter 3

The silence was almost deafening as Margaret sat in one of Belgravia’s palace vehicles, the only thing audible being the sound of Christmas music playing on the radio along with the slow rhythm of her breaths. She watched the outside world turn to grey as large clouds started to gather above her, blocking any visible sunlight from shining through.

The past few hours felt like a blur as the weight of her decision started to dawn upon her. Not only did she walk out on her wedding day, an event that would unite both Belgravia and Montenaro as trusted allies, she also broke the trust her ex-fiancée’s family had in her and her own kingdom. She could only imagine what Edward’s parents must be thinking right now. King George was probably furious, as he should be, for he had insisted immensely that the ceremony must proceed, and to make matters worse she had also agreed with him, making her seem hypocritical. His wife Queen Caroline was most likely disappointed, but could also understand why she did it. The look she had given both her and Edward before their wedding showed she had some remorse over the whole thing, but couldn’t do much due to her husband’s iron fist.

And Edward…well, she assumed he’d probably be relieved, if not confused about the situation. Margaret knew his heart belonged to Stacy, that he made clear. She always knew Edward deserved better. Stacy seemed like the perfect fit for him, even if he had no clue as to what she truly looked like, he still fell in love with her. She only wished she had introduced them sooner the second they switched back. At least then he would have some closure.

A small bump in the road shook Margaret from her musings. Her gaze traveled to the side-view mirror as Belgravia’s palace began to fade with distance. There was no turning back now. If she wanted this plan to work, she had to think positive.

Donatelli noticed Margaret’s worried expression as she stole a glance at the duchess.

“We should be reaching the airport soon, your grace.” She said behind the wheel, breaking the silence between them. “So long as traffic won’t be an issue we’ll have no problem getting there on time.” Normally they would have a driver escort them, but because they were on the down-low, as well as leaving the kingdom, it was best to leave as little traces as possible.

The duchess smiled at her. “Thank you.” She replied thankfully. “Do you think Edward would notice one of his cars missing?”

“I’m sure they could easily replace another vehicle if they wanted to. It’s Frank I’m more worried about noticing.” She muttered the last bit in dismay. “That man has been on to me since the beginning of all this. Should he find out he’ll probably have my head.”

Margaret hummed as her thumb smoothed over the small locket Kevin had given her as a present. It was technically supposed to be for Stacy, but because she was disguised he couldn’t tell the difference. Her eyes locked onto the photograph inside, taking in the scene with a warm smile. The three stood in front of Santa Claus, each giving their own smiles. Margaret felt warmth at the happy image, the memory replaying in her mind over and over again, remembering every detail of it.

They looked so happy together, as if they were a family. She remembered Olivia telling Santa she had wanted a new mom for Christmas (a statement that caused Kevin to choke on his coffee) and insisted the two of them join her in the photo.

The duchess then looked at herself, her smile waning slightly. Even if it was her standing there, the image she saw looked like Stacy, the woman Kevin actually cared about, someone he had known for years. Margaret knew she wasn’t her, and could never be her, but it still stung knowing deep down despite the good times they shared during those vast few days, it wasn’t real. He’ll never know the true person he grew close with during that time.

And worst of all…she’ll most likely never see him again, a fact that made her eyes start to water.

Donatelli could hear Margaret’s breath hitch as she gave a quick look at her. Her head was down facing her lap, still fixed on the locket. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she looked on the verge of tears. Margaret had told her what had happened prior between her and the male baker, and could only imagine the dilemma she must be going through.

“You miss him, don’t you?” ‘Telli asked gently, breaking the tension that had surfaced during the car ride.

Margaret lifted her head up at the question. She looked at her assistant, attempting to wipe away any trace of tears that might have surfaced.

“Is it that obvious?” She sniffed, giving a nervous smile.

“From what I can tell, yes.” The woman replied. “I know this must be difficult for you, but it’s important to note that he along Ms. De Novo were simply visiting. They weren’t planning on staying.”

“Believe me, I know.” She admitted after a few moments. “It’s just…out of all the men I’ve met in my life, I’ve never known anyone like him. He’s sweet, generous, and very charming. Not to mention spontaneous.” The duchess grinned. “He showed me a life I always wanted. I only wish I got to spend more time with him. Olivia too, for that matter.” She started to deflate a bit. “Perhaps I could’ve told him the truth. About everything. He at least deserved that much, right?”

‘Telli was about to respond, when the Christmas music playing on the radio ended, followed by a news report that caused the duo to remain silent.

‘We interrupt your current program to bring some important news. Bride-to-be, Duchess Margaret Delacourt, future princess of Belgravia, and fiancé of Prince Edward has suddenly disappeared, following her ceremony, according to attendees of the royal wedding. A warrant has been sent out to by the king to search the palace, as well and the whole kingdom for the missing monarch. If anyone has any indications of her whereabouts, please do not hesitate to call-‘

Immediate silence stretched through the vehicle as Donatelli flipped off the radio, both women wearing blank-like expressions as they looked at one another in concern. It seemed King George wasted no time putting out a search for his son’s missing fiancé, which meant it was only a matter of time until they were found. Donatelli pulled the car over as they thought upon their new predicament.

“How much do you want to bet they’ve already got guards at the airport out looking for us?” The duchess asked.

“From my experience, I say a pretty high chance.” ‘Telli replied. “If news of this spreads fast it could mean trouble should we try and blend in. I don’t suppose you have a ‘plan B’ in mind, your grace?”

Margaret pondered for a moment, trying to think of another solution. Belgravia’s airport would most likely be swarming with guards, so that was definitely off the table. They could try and lay low in a near-by motel, but even still should anyone with access to recent news be aware of their absence, it could mean they would be recognized on the spot and be reported immediately. Of course, she could tell them to be discreet about it, but she wouldn’t want them to lie to royalty on her behalf, especially to the King.

Montenoro was also not an option since King Dennis was probably well-aware of her grand escape at this point, and was probably expecting her to run back home. She hated lying to her uncle, considering he had done so much for her over the years along with her other uncle, Lord Perceval, but knew she couldn’t go back without a ring on her finger, so it was best to avoid them as well.

Of course, there was one place she had in mind, but even still it was risky, and she could never know how long it would be before anyone connected the dots of her whereabouts. Still, the thought of visiting there made her smile. Stacy had told her many fond stories of the place, and she would be lying if the thought of visiting hadn’t crossed her mind as of late, especially when she was seconds from waltzing down the isle.

It was decided. It’s the only choice left that they had, and she only hoped they could pull it off.

With a determined look, Margaret faced ‘Telli again in full confidence, already having a plan in mind.

“We’ll have use a different airport. If we leave straight for Lavania, we could take a private jet there and avoid any future complications. I doubt the people there had been informed yet, since I’m guessing they want to keep this discreet for the moment, so it shouldn’t be so difficult. From there we can decide our next move.”

Donatelli gave a proud smile at her declaration, giving a nod in response. Starting the car again, she shifted into drive and continued on, making a bee-line for Lavania before it got too dark. Luckily, the drive would take a few hours at most, so at least they would be far enough to avoid any search party.

As soon as they reached the boarder for Lavania, they felt a wave of calm wash through them at the relief of not being potentially followed. The sun was beginning to set above the horizon, the dark clouds long-gone and giving a sense of peace as they continued to drive through the small town.

As soon as the airport came into view, Donatelli pulled into the reserved parking area, an attendant who worked there immediately coming to their aid. He gave a small bow before helping them with their luggage.

“We’d like to reserve a private jet please. If it’s alright, we’d like to keep it discreet.”

The attendant gave a nod of understanding, immediately setting to work and informing a few other employees of her request.

As they made it through a private hall that led to one of the jets, Donatelli couldn’t help but express her concern as she addressed the duchess.

“Where exactly are we heading to, your grace?” Her voice was low as to keep the conversation between them. “You hadn’t exactly filled me in on that part.”

Margaret felt a flutter fill her stomach as she had the perfect location in mind. She looked up at her and gave a wide smile, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Chicago. We’re going to Chicago.”

[xswestallen]

Iris Remembers: Chapter 10

Read the whole story

Summary: AU where Iris has Cisco’s powers. In this cahpter, Iris realizes she might be a metahuman. Barry, Iris, Caitlin, and Cisco find the time vault. 

"Well, Bates is in the pipeline now. He won't be able to frame any more innocent people." Barry told Iris as they left S.T.A.R. Labs. "And I gave Cecile the names of all the people he framed. She's going to have them all released."

"Good." Iris said. "I used to think Tony Woodward was the worst of the metas. But, Bates is tough competition." Now that justice was served, Iris's anger was fading. She was enjoying her newfound relief that came with forgiving herself for what happened with Eddie. As they walked out the door, Iris felt exhilarated by chill in the night air.

"Are you cold?" Barry asked her, already taking off his jacket to offer her.

"No." Iris said. "I'm just appreciating things. It's like- I don't know. Like, my pain has washed away and I'm free to move forward. Eddie and I finally talked about our relationship, what happened, and how we'll always be grateful for the time we shared. I got closure. I was able to forgive myself so now, my guilt, my baggage, it's all gone."

Barry smiled at her.

"What?" Iris giggled. "Does that sound really cheesy?"

Barry rubbed his neck. "I'm just happy for you." he said. Iris could tell he wanted to say more. She had a bad feeling that she knew what it was. Barry chewed on his lower lip and blinked a few times. Iris was glad he didn't bring up his feelings for her or ask what was next for them. Iris wasn't quite ready for that.

Iris changed the subject to something she was more comfortable with and curious about. "How did I know that Bates was at the airport?"

"I don't know." Barry shook his head. "But, I think the important thing is that you did."

"You would've found him anyway." Iris reminded Barry. "He stole your phone."

"But what if he hadn't? You would've been able to tell us he was at the airport so I could stop him from getting away."

"You're giving me too much credit."

Barry stopped walking. "Iris, I think maybe.... you have some kind of..." he moved his hands around and tried to find the right word. "Power?"

Iris laughed. "Come on, Barry. There is no such thing as physics."

"You're not physic. But, you have something that allows you to remember events that happened because of a change in the timeline. I think that's also what allowed you to see where Bates was."

Iris considered this. "So, you think I'm like.. a metahuman?"

Iris felt her phone vibrate. It was a text from her dad: Hey, we're back from Starling City. It was an informative trip. At the precinct now.

Informative how? Iris texted back.

You and Barry might want to come down here.

Iris felt her stomach churn. Did they find out Wells murdered Tess Morgan?

"My dad just texted me. He and Cisco are at CCPD." Iris told Barry.

Barry froze. "Did they say if they found anything?"

"I think they did."

Barry stared at the ground and shuffled his feet. He took a moment to process his thoughts. Iris took his hand to comfort him.

"Knowing is better than not knowing." she said.

Barry nodded in agreement. "Can I run us to CCPD?" he asked, obviously anxious to learn more about Joe and Cisco's trip.

"Let's go, Flash." Iris smiled.

Barry lifted her off the ground. He held her bridal style, with one hand under her knees and the other supporting her back. Before Iris could blink, she was in Barry's crime lab. Her dad, Cisco, and Caitlin were standing around an autopsy table. On it, was a decomposing body.

"Oh god..." Iris whispered. The sight was disturbing. Barry let her down gently. Iris hurried over to her dad and hugged him. "Is that," she pointed a finger at the body. "Tess Morgan?"

Joe shook his head.

"Then who is it?" Barry asked.

Cisco took a deep breath. "Harrison Wells."

Iris initially thought it was the beginning of a sentence, but Cisco didn't say anything else. "Harrison Wells what?" Iris prompted.

"This is the body of Harrison Wells." Joe said.

While everyone else looked at the remains in horror, Caitlin was staring, open mouthed, at Barry's computer. Iris saw that she was examining DNA results.

"This is impossible." Caitlin said.

Cisco approached her. "Caitlin, I ran the DNA test twice. It's a perfect match." he said.

"This body is the real Harrison Wells." Joe said.

"If this is Dr. Wells, who have we been working for this whole time?" Caitlin asked.

Iris looked to Barry, who somehow didn't look shocked. His eyes bore into the body and he spoke in a calm voice. "Dr. McGee said that after the accident, Wells became a completely different person." Barry looked up at Caitlin. "It's because he is a different person."

The insane reality of the situation hit Iris like a ton of bricks.

"We need to go to S.T.A.R. Labs." Cisco said, urgently.

"Why? We were just there." Caitlin told him.

"I need to check something. It's important." Cisco said.

Cisco ran through the S.T.A.R. Labs corridors to get to the cortex. The other followed him. Iris and Caitlin were catching there breath in the entryway of the context, while Cisco immediately got on the computer and started rapidly clicking through what looked like blueprints.

Barry watched. Caitlin and Iris got closer so they could see too.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin asked.

He answered without looking away from the screen. "After the accelerator exploded I built a 3D model of S.T.A.R. Labs so that I could pinpoint what exactly caused the malfunction."

"And you never ran this test?" Barry asked in disbelief.

"Of course I did. I just never had any reason to look at any area outside of the pipeline or the cortex. It's a big building. Lots of places for Wells to hide something."

The computer beeped and a red mark appeared on the screen. They all leaned in to see what it was. The red was highlighting a spot on a piece of the building model. It was a part of the facility Iris had never been in.

"What is that?" Barry asked.

"That," Cisco said, "Shouldn't be there."

"Are you sure?" Iris asked.

"I've come here everyday for years. I know every inch of this place. But, I had no idea that space existed."

"It looks like it's in the hallway just outside the cortex." Barry said. He moved away from the computer and looked down the hallway.

Cisco got up from the desk and began rifling through every draw in the cortex in search of something.

"Ah ha!" Cisco exclaimed as he pulled out something that looked like a triangular medal detector. He grabbed a pair of headphone too and put them on. Cisco, Iris, and Caitlin joined Barry in the hall. Cisco held the device up to the wall as he walked and listened for something. The others followed him.

The device started making beeping noise. "Picking up more activity around here." Cisco said. The beeps got louder and more frequent. Cisco stoped. "Tachyons." Iris didn't know what that meant, but it didn't sound good. Cisco backed away from the wall. "There." He pointed to the stop that caused the device to beep so erratically.

Barry put his hands on the wall. The wall looked normal, as it always had. Barry moved his hands around, searching for something. Whatever it was, he found it. The wall behind his right hand glowed blue. A section of wall opened up in front of him, revealing a hidden room.

Barry looked at his friends, their eyes all mirrored the astonishment in his. The room was pitch black. Barry walked in first. Once they had all entered, the wall suddenly resealed itself.

To lights came on. They were on either side of a cylindrical glass tube containing The Reverse-Flash suit.

"Oh my god." Caitlin said.

Everyone but Barry stepped closer to it.

Iris turned and saw Barry's eyes. She decided to hold his hand again. The two of them peered around the small room with strange white, textured walls. A white podium was the only other object in the room. Barry walked up to it and a hologram appeared.

It was a newspaper article from a publication called The Central City Citizen. In the center was a photo of the Flash. Above it, the headline read: FLASH MISSING VANISHES IN CRISIS

"Guys" Barry got Caitlin and Cisco's attention. They turned and gaped at the article with Barry and Iris.

"What the frack...." Cisco muttered.

Iris squeezed Barry's hand and he squeezed back.

Barry began reading from the article. "After an epic street battle with The Reverse-Flash, our city's very own scarlet speedster disappeared in an explosion of light."

"Barry, look at the date." Caitlin instructed.

Barry read aloud, "April 25 2024"

Iris felt her palms sweating. Barry shook his head. Cisco and Caitlin continued to stare.

"Guys," Barry said, "When I fought The Reverse-Flash at Christmas, he said that we'd be fighting for centuries."

"Wait, you can't really think that this is from..." Caitlin said and she struggled to get the next words out, "the future?"

Cisco spoke. "That would mean Dr. Wells, or whoever he is, is also-"

"From the future." Barry finished the sentence.

"How can that be?" Iris asked.

"I have to say, I'm really digging the brighter red suit and the white on the symbol is dope." Cisco said. "Wait a second, suppose we now change the color on your suit, will it be because we got the idea from this picture? That would mean we're living in a causal nexus. This is- Wow, this is so trippy like Marty and the Polaroid trippy."

Iris wasn't listening to Cisco's babbling. She had finished reading the article and was looking it over. She skimmed over the byline and then did a double take.

"by IRIS WEST-ALLEN Thursday April 25 2024"

Iris gasped. Her friends looked at her, curious. Iris pointed and croaked, "byline"

Barry read it aloud, "Iris west.......Allen?"

Iris couldn't take her eyes off the text. She never thought she'd hyphenate her name when she got married. Wait wait wait.. married? If she was Iris West-Allen that means that her and Barry get married?

"Mazel tov?" Cisco offered.

"Hebrew," a feminine computer voice said. Everyone jumped and looked around. Nobody else had entered the room. "Ancient language of the Jewish people."

The hologram article vanished.

"Uh ah! What the hell was that?" Cisco asked.

"Is-Is someone here?" Barry asked the room. "Hello?"

Another hologram appeared, this time it was a gigantic face. "Good evening, Barry Allen." it said.

Barry's eyebrow rose and his forehead wrinkled. He squeezed Iris's hand again. "Uuuhhhhh- Hu- Hi." Barry said to the face. "You know who I am?"

"Of course. Barry Allen, director of Central City Police, CSI division." the face answered.

"Director?" Barry and Iris said simultaneously.

"I guess you get a promotion." Cisco said.

The face spoke again, "Also known as The Flash. Founding member of-"

Barry held up a hand and cut off the face's words. "What are you?"

"I am GIDEON, an interactive artificial consciousness."

Cisco laughed. "AI! Sick!"

"You know Dr. Wells?" Barry basked 'GIDEON'

"Yes." GIDEON replied.

"Do you know who he really is?"

The eyes on the face blinked. "I don't understand the question."

Barry rubbed his temples. Iris put a hand on his back and massaged gently. She felt his tension.

"I- I Do- d I" Barry stuttered. "I mean what is he doing here? Wh- Why did he come here?"

The large face of GIDEON became a humanoid body. "To kill you." it said.

Barry went pale. A vain bulged in his forehead.

"It's ok." Iris whispered in ear.

"Wells is in the building." Cisco said.

"How do you know that?" Caitlin asked him.

"I put a tracker on his wheelchair. Which, if we're wrong about him and he is paralyzed, I'm going to Hell for that one."

Iris felt her heart pounding.

"He's in the cortex, ask questions fast!" Cisco yelled.

"Wh-Why did he kill Nora Allen?" Barry asked GIDEON.

"Because he was angry." GIDEON answered.

"About what?"

"That you escaped."

"He's on B level!" Cisco said. "He's coming this way."

"What does he want from me?" Barry demanded.

"For you to be The Flash." GIDEON said.

"Maybe that's why Wells let the particle accelerator explode? So that, you could become The Flash." Caitlin spoke as if she was still trying to make sense of what she was saying.

"For what reason?" Barry whispered.

"GUYS, we gotta go. He's almost here." Cisco panicked. Caitlin, Iris, and Barry moved to leave the secret room but Cisco said, "Wait a second. What if Hal over there tell Wells that we were in here?"

That was a good point.

"That would be bad." Caitlin said.

"If I can get into it's operating system maybe I can disable it's memory core?" Cisco said.

"Uh-uh GIDEON, can you show us where your operating system?" Barry asked.

"Certainly." A blue and purple thing with a grey part in the center materialized beside the body of GIDEON.

"Haha, yeah, nope. That's not gonna happen." Cisco said.

"Guys, he's in the corridor." Caitlin warned.

"Maybe it won't tell if we asked it not to?" Iris suggested to Barry.

"Uh-GIDEON, could you just not tell him that we were here?" Barry asked.

"Of course." GIDEON assured them. "I will accept any command given to me by you."

"BARRY!" Cisco urged.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here." Caitlin said.

"Wa-wait, wait. Why would you accept my commands?" Barry asked.

"Because," GIDEON explained, "You created me."

A second later Iris, Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco were standing outside S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry was breathing heavily and Iris knew it had nothing to do with running them out.

Iris's head was spinning. Wells is definitely The Reverse-Flash. He's from the future and he killed Barry's mom because he was angry that Barry escaped and he came here to kill Barry. There would be an epic battle between The Flash and The Reverse-Flash in future and Iris would write an article about it. And, her name would be Iris West-Allen. West-Allen. Somehow, that was the piece that struck Iris the most. She and Barry were going to get married.

The byline was all Iris could think about the next day. Was that article actually real? At what point in the next 9 years would she and Barry get married? Would they be happy together? Well, that last question was a dumb one. She was always happy when she was with Barry. Would they have kids? Would he hyphenate his last name too?

"Iris," Barry's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah." Iris lied. She was in the cortex with Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco.

Cisco was tampering with a pair of glasses.

"This is going to make me see Cisco getting killed by Wells again?" Iris asked.

"Hope it's a good show." Cisco said.

Caitlin explained how she got the idea and how the glasses would basically let Iris lucid dream.

"It won't hurt her?" Barry asked for the millionth time.

"No. The amount of electricity required to trigger lucid dreaming is harmless." Caitlin said.

Barry pulled Iris aside.

"Iris, I appreciate that you want to help me get my dad out of prison and stop The Reverse-Flash, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Barry reminded her. "I don't want you to feel pressed."

"I don't." Iris said. "I want to know the truth about Wells and figure out whatever is going on with me too." Iris wasn't going to admit it, but the possibility of her being a metahuman hadn't crossed her mind since she got her dad's text. Learning that Wells was an imposter took the place of those thoughts. Then, learning that she would marry Barry and become Iris West-Allen took the places of those thoughts.

Barry pulled her in for a warm embrace. "I'll be right there the whole time."

"I trust you. I trust Caitlin and Cisco too. I'll be fine."

Barry nodded. "We'll do it in my lad tonight?"

"Sounds like a plan." Iris said.