Because I don't like the last chapter.

Clarity Parker

"Holly, come clean up your plate!" I shouted to the teenager in her room. The music still blasted from her bedroom. I set my plate back in the sink and walked to her room, throwing the door open. She was on her computer. "Holly, plate. Now." She looked over to me.

"Okay. Give me a minute." I nodded and walked out of her room, knowing not to question it any further. There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I called out. I continued to do the dishes, leaving Holly to clean her plate off.

"It's me. Barry." I stopped drying the plate and stared at the door. "Can we please just talk?" I knew he was leaning on the door, arm rested on the door and his head resting on his arm. I shook my head.

"I'm busy. Go away." I heard Holly come out of her room and I looked up.

"Who was that?" she asked as we heard the footsteps retreating. I shrugged.

"Just someone selling some shit," I lied. My boyfriend, I thought. I watched as she scrubbed her plate and dried it before heading back into her room to do whatever she does on the computer. As long as she keeps her grades up, doesn't get arrested, and she's happy then it doesn't matter to me what she does on her laptop.

"Holly, school!" I shouted for the fifth time that morning. "Holly, if you don't get up then you're going to be late," I said as I walked to her room to see if she was up. When I walked in I saw that she was still sleeping. I pulled back the covers. "Holly." She had tears streaming down her face and a pillow clutched to her chest. I sat down on the bed next to her.

"Go away."

"Holly, what's wrong?" I sighed when she didn't answer me and just buried her face in the pillow. There was only one person I knew she would talk to and I really didn't want to deal with him. But if it was the only way to get her to talk...

A few minutes later I opened the front door. "She's in her room. She won't talk to me," I told Barry. He nodded and went in her room, leaving the door ajar so that I could listen, but Holly would be able to hear me so I closed it all the way and just waited for Barry to tell me what was going on that had her so upset.

After about half an hour Barry sat down next to me on the couch. "Well?" He sighed.

"Blake broke up with her. He was cheating on her and she caught him in the act. It was bad. Very bad." I nodded. Of course. "But there was something else that I think hurt her more than him actually cheating." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"What could possible be worse than that for a teenage girl?" I questioned. He looked towards the hall, making sure she was still in her room before lowering his voice and telling me.

"Apparently Blake is one for always needing everyone's approval and he has to be the center of attention. For a bet he had to take her virginity. If I remember my high school days correctly then I believe it means a lot for girls." I nodded.

"Most girls, yes. Especially very religious ones. I never cared about that, though." He had an amused smile on his face. "But to be honest my first was my fiancé. So it didn't really work out the way I planned." I chuckled before going back to the topic of this bet. "So what happened?"

"He won the bet. He already had a girlfriend. She didn't know about Holly but she's still with Blake. The kids paid him a total of $500. The kid was in it for the money and bragging rights. Looks like Joe is going to kick his ass after all," he finished explained. I shook my head, grabbing my phone and keys.

"I'm going after this kid myself. Nobody hurts Holly and gets away with it. Not while I'm still alive."

"Clar, is that really a good idea?" Barry asked, looking at me from the couch. I shrugged.

"Who cares? He hurt my little sister. I don't give a fuck if it makes me lose my job. This is Holly Parker we're talking about. You can join if you want, but I'd rather do this one on one," I replied before speeding out of the house. I knew Barry would continue to comfort her. God, that girl loves him. I can tell how much it hurt when she heard our argument in the hall the other day. I stopped outside the school and saw Blake skipping class while smoking pot. I sped to STAR Labs and changed into my Violet Flash suit before speeding towards him and grabbing him, speeding him to an abandoned parking lot.

"What the hell?" he asked, dropping the cigarette. I stepped towards him.

"Blake, you fucking asshole. What makes you think you can do that to a teenage girl?" I questioned. He stared at me in confusion.

"Do what? I'm innocent!" he exclaimed. I shoved him into a wall of the abandoned building, lifting him by his shirt. His feet were a couple inches off of the ground.

"You hurt Holly Parker! She's at her house crying and heartbroken, you Bastard!" I shouted. His lips curled into a smirk.

"Maybe if she wasn't such a slut-" I cut him off by pressing my arm against his throat, cutting off his air supply.

"What was that?" He struggled to breathe. "Go on. Tell me. Holly's a what?"

"Violet, stop!" I heard Barry yell. I shook my head.

"He hurt her. He's going to pay," I hissed. Barry pulled me away from the teenage scumbag.

"He's not worth losing your job," Barry whispered. I spun around.

"He's the reason Holly is in her room crying her eyes out over some scumbag! If anything I should lock him up for smoking pot!" I yelled. Barry nodded.

"Yeah. You should. So go do it. Don't kill him," he told me. I grabbed Blake and his drugs before speeding him to the precinct. I left a note for Joe on his desk where Blake sat, drugs in his pockets.

When I sped back to the apartment Barry was on the couch waiting. "We need to talk."

"I already dropped him off at the precinct. There's nothing to talk about," I said, grabbing a bottle of water.

"You know that's not what I meant." I slammed the water down on the counter.

"What is there to talk about, Barry? Huh? What? You still love Iris! Tell her, damnit. Just tell her that you love her! What's the worst that could happen? I break up with you? We're one step closer to that each and every day you don't tell her that you love her! So tell her already! Pour your fucking heart out to the girl that you can't get over and probably will never get over! I'm done being the second choice. I'm done being your rebound when you don't get what you want.

"It hurts when you do that. I don't think you realize how much it hurts me. So get out of my apartment and don't come back until you tell her. I am done with you and your games," I ranted. It was only when I looked into eyes that I realized how much I had hurt him. I felt something wet running down my face and realized that we were both crying. "Please, just leave," I whispered. He nodded and sped out of my apartment. I shut and locked the door behind him before running to my room and collapsing on the bed. I started sobbing. Why did my life have to be such a mess? Why did Will and I have to go to Central City? Why couldn't we just stay in Florida and live a normal life?

I woke up around six in the afternoon later that day. I was sprawled out on my bed and my hair was a mess. I never called into work sick, so I'd probably get yelled at the next day. "Clarity?" I looked over to my doorway and saw Holly. "I'm guessing Barry told you everything." I nodded and scooted over so she could sit next to me on my large bed. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen." I pulled her into a hug.

"Holly, I'm not mad or disappointed. To be honest, the only thing I care about is your health and happiness. My rules are not getting pregnant, no STDs, and no bad grades. But the last one is only when you're happy. Like truly happy. You'd tell me if you were depressed or anything, right?" She nodded. "Good. I couldn't stand for you to suffer through all of that like I did before I met Will."

"You never talk about him," she said. I shook my head.

"No. I don't. It hurts too much to talk about Will and the baby we were supposed to have. You'll understand one day. And I hope I get to see the day when all of that happens." She smiled slightly. "Blake was just the first douche in your life. There will be many more, trust me. But I'll be there for you. I'll be there to help pick up the pieces. I never had anyone to do that for me as I was in and out of foster homes for seven years. I don't want you living like that." She rested her head on my chest.

"Thank you for everything. I'm really glad that I found you and that you took me in. Even if it took Barry convincing you, you still decided to give me a chance. All I've done is be a pain in the ass." I chuckled.

"You have not. I was a lot worse as a teenager. I had no filter and I was so sarcastic and sassy that I always got detention. You're an angel," I told her. She chuckled and nodded.

"So are you going to forgive him?" I sighed. "Clarity, you love him." I nodded.

"I know I do, Holls. But that's the problem. I love him but he loves Iris. I believe that I'm more than a rebound," I replied.

"How do you have so much confidence?" she whispered. I smiled slightly.

"Will taught me to be confident. I wasn't as thin as I am now when I first met him. He invited me to go running with him and go to the gym and things like that. He helped me become the person I wanted to become. I'm the girl that he fell in love with. Without his help I would probably still be in Florida. If we had never gone to Central City to see the Particle Accelerator and his sister then he might still be here," I explained.

"But you would have never found me." I shook my head.

"I didn't find you, Holly. You found me. And I am so happy that you did. I don't know what I'd do without you." I wanted to just lay in bed all day but unfortunately I had Flash business to take care of.

"What are we doing for Christmas?" Holly questioned as I quickly made her breakfast. I shrugged.

"What do you want to do?" She shrugged. "Well, come up with something and tell me when I get back. Christmas is only a few days away," I told her before walking out the front door. Once I got out, I sped to STAR Labs where I dreaded seeing Barry.

"So, Clarity, random question that's been bugging me for a few months," Cisco said as I walked in the Cortex.

"Shoot," I replied.

"If you were engaged, how did you date Hartley Rathaway?" I sighed. I knew this question would come up sooner or later.

"After I finished college I moved back to Central City hoping for another fresh start. Dr. Wells hired me because I'm a motherfucking genius. I met Hartley, shit happened, I was so embarrassed about it that I moved to Florida and got a job as a Forensic Scientist where I met Will. That's pretty much how it went. I've been back and forth between cities," I explained. He nodded, processing the information.

"Good morning, Ms. Parker," Wells greeted. I smiled at him before handing him something. "I specifically told you no gifts." I shrugged.

"You didn't listen when I told you that a few years ago so I didn't listen. It's amazing how that works," I teased. He chuckled.

"Well, thank you. I'll save it for Christmas then. I do wonder what you could have gotten me." I shrugged, smirking.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Caitlin smiled at me for some odd reason, but the smile quickly fell when Barry sped in.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. Oh. That's why. "The line for coffee was really long." Excuses, excuses. He walked over to me to give me a peck on the lips like he normally does, but stopped dead in his tracks before going around me. I sighed. I wasn't going to lie, I did miss hanging out with the speedster and kissing him, but then I had to remind myself that he loves Iris. Caitlin and Cisco gave me sympathetic glances but I just shrugged like it was nothing.

"So who is our meta today?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence. Caitlin cleared her throat.

"None yet. I-" She was interrupted by both mine and Barry's phones going off. I groaned.

"Sorry. I have to respond to a call with Joe and Eddie. I don't have a partner yet so I have to work with them. Fun," I said with a roll of my eyes before speeding off.

"What do we have?" I asked as I walked towards the two detectives. Joe gestured to the security guard under the tarp in front of me. I frowned slightly.

"Barry's not here yet. I was hoping you could tell me," Joe said. I nodded and studied the guard in front of me and the guard one the other side of the room.

"It was a speedster," I muttered. Their eyes widened. "But it wasn't Flash or Violet Flash."

"How do you know? They're the only two speedster and one tried to kill me," Eddie said. I glared at him.

"And Violet saved your life," I defended. He rolled his eyes. "There is one other speedster." Joe's eyes widened.

"You mean-" I nodded. "How?" Eddie exchanged glances between us.

"Who are you talking about?"

"The man who murdered Barry's mom," I replied.

"And your parents," Joe added. I shook my head.

"The Man in Yellow didn't kill my parents." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "That's a story for another time. For now we have to figure out why-"

"I'm here. I'm so sorry," Barry said as he jogged over to us.

"We came from the same exact location. Why did I get here before you?" I demanded. He frowned at me. "What?" Barry shook his head.

"Nothing. Sorry. So what did you get?"

"Speedster did this. Man in Yellow." Joe looked away when I said his name. That's the second time he's done that. "What are you hiding from me?" Eddie had already walked away to talk to the witness.

"He's been back for a while. He threatened Iris' life and stole all the files on Nora's case." Barry's eyes widened.

"And you never told me?"

"He threatened to kill Iris," Joe defended. I nodded.

"I would've done the same if it were Holly. And don't act so innocent, Barry. If you were in Joe's shoes and it were Iris you'd do the exact same thing. We all know why," I snapped. Barry glared at me.

"Would you quit with that?" he asked.

"Not until you tell her."

"Fine. I'll tell her tonight. Happy?" I shook my head.

"I'll be happy when you actually tell her." Joe frowned slightly. Barry most likely told him. Joe grabbed my arm pulling me off to the side.

"What is going on with you and Barry? Did you two fight?" he asked quietly. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"I thought he'd tell you." Joe shook his head, making me sigh. "I don't want to talk about it here. Over coffee later?"

"You don't like coffee." I shook my head.

"No, but you do. I'll get like a water or a hot chocolate or something," I said with a shrug. He chuckled and nodded.

"So give me the juicy gossip," Joe said hours later as I sat down across the table from him. I snorted. "Sorry. It's just been bugging me." I nodded.

"Understandable. So Barry still loves Iris. We all see it. Well, when the team came over to my apartment to discuss metahumans and such, the topic of the Man in Yellow came up. I said how he didn't kill my parents. Flash did." Joe's eyes widened.

"What? Why would Barry kill your parents?" he asked quietly. I shrugged.

"Apparently in the time that the Man in Yellow is from, Barry and I are enemies and the Man in Yellow is my ally. It's crazy, but if something were to happen in the future that could make Barry hate me, it explains why. I just don't see myself doing anything to terrible that Barry would try to kill me or my parents. The night that he killed my parents, the three speedsters stopped."

"You're saying that there was more than one?" I nodded.

"You and Cisco have been reinvestigating Barry's house. Barry had two speedsters, I think. Why would I be there? I'd be racing to save my younger self and my parents while Barry would be trying to save himself and his parents. I was already there when the Man in Yellow and Barry sped in. When the three speedsters stopped, they were arguing. As a kid, Barry had never been over my house. What if he didn't know it was me? What if I wasn't that purple speedster?"

"Well, who else would it be? You're the only female speedster." I shrugged.

"There always is Kat. Something could have happened to her and I could've died. We're cousins, but look exactly alike. I mean, it's possible. Over the past few months we've learned that anything is possible." Joe nodded in agreement.

"But why Katherine? What does she have to do with this? She's a secretary at Queen Consolidated."

"Palmer Tech," I corrected. He nodded.

"Right. Palmer Tech. How could she even come close to being some vigilante or hero?" I sighed.

"You know the vigilantes in Starling?" I asked. Joe nodded.

"Where is this going, Clarity?"

"Kat's the Purple Arrow." Joe spit his coffee back in his cup, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, what?" I nodded.

"She is. Just don't share that information. She told me that they're in a complicated situation right now."

"My lips are sealed. So back to the future-" I chuckled, making him glare at me. "Anyways, how do you know the Man in Yellow is your ally?"

"He might have talked to me a few times." Joe's eyes widened.

"Clarity!"

"Look, I'm sorry! He's faster than me! I couldn't just tell him to get out or go away. And it seems like he's telling the truth. It all makes sense. Maybe what's going on between Barry and I is what caused it." Joe shook his head.

"Barry would never try to kill someone over some feelings like love unless someone tried to kill someone he loved. You aren't trying to kill anyone he loves." I shrugged. "No. You're not. Why don't we go and talk to Barry." I groaned. "You have to face him sometime." Suddenly my phone buzzed.

Barry Allen

I told her. Happy? She probably hates me now.

I sighed. "He just told Iris. Damnit. I hate what I have to do to him now," I muttered. Joe raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going to do?" I stayed silent. "Clarity," he warned.

"I can't be with a guy that loves another woman, Joe! Him telling Iris means that he does still love her! I don't think that's going to change any time soon."

"She's with Eddie."

"And Barry was with me. Eddie loves Iris. Iris loves Eddie. I love Barry. Barry loves Iris. I've only had one compatible relationship and look where that got him! Six feet in the ground because I suggested moving back to this damn city! I'm done talking about this." I grabbed my leather jacket and walked out. Once I reached the corner of the building I sped away towards Barry's apartment.