Y/N, Cisco, and Wells all sat in the cortex room of the lab. The news was talking about Killer Frost, the city's new "on the loose, dangerous meta-human." The three team members all had their heads down, none of them saying anything. After a silence that felt like it had gone on forever, Y/N eventually shook his head and spoke.

Y/N: How is this even possible?

Cisco: The night the accelerator exploded, Caitlin was standing right beside me when we were hit by the blast. She must have been altered in the same way I was.

Y/N: But why now? Why not sooner?

Wells: It could have something to do with her research.

Y/N nodded towards him. He remembered the research papers Caitlin had been working on before working on the accelerator. He had found them interesting at the time. Now, it seemed like a nightmare.

Y/N: The hypothesis of an alter ego with an entirely different personality hidden under the surface. One way to activate that personality was cold temperatures.

Wells took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes.

Wells: Dr. Snow has experienced a lot of hardship in a very short amount of time, perhaps more than any of us. Between Ronnie, her father's death, the particle accelerator... She may have been trying to suppress all that rage and emotion. That desire to lash out and hurt others like she had been hurt. She needed to push it down into herself. That may have been what formed...

Y/N: Killer Frost. 

The two nodded at each other. The three all fell silent once more. After a moment, Y/N exploded.

Y/N: Cisco, why didn't you tell me about this?!

Cisco: We didn't want to worry you anymore than you already were.

Y/N: But this is something I need to know! This is Caitlin we're talking about, not some random meta-human!

Cisco: She told me not to tell you.

Y/N: Well, maybe if you did, I could have helped! We could have prevented this as a team!

Wells: Y/N, you need to calm down. This was Caitlin's idea. Cisco is not to blame.

Y/N paused. He then grunted and left the room. The other two watched him, hanging their heads down low. Cisco looked over at the news photo showing Killer Frost. He thought about his lost friend.

A little while later, Joe showed up at the lab. He walked into the cortex room where Wells was still watching the news. The scientist threw a pen down, running his hands over his face. Joe knocked on the side of the wall, getting his attention.

Joe: Hey.

Wells: Hello, Detective.

Joe: Where's Y/N?

Wells: Where he always is these days. 

Joe nodded and walked towards one of the side rooms. Y/N was running on the treadmill, trying to get faster. He had his earbuds in, listening to music as he ran. Joe looked at him. He could see the emotions the bitter man was trying to hold back displayed on his face. Joe grabbed the microphone and spoke into the room.

Joe: Y/N.

He got nothing.

Joe: Y/N.

Y/N was too busy running, listening to the music blasting through his ears. Joe pressed a red button on the panel next to him, slowing down the treadmill. Y/N noticed the change, looking over and seeing Joe through the glass. He nodded and slowed down.

Joe walked into the treadmill room. Y/N pulled his earbuds out of his ears.

Joe: Busy rockin'?

Y/N: It helps me focus.

Y/N sat down on the treadmill, folding his hands and resting his head on them. Joe sighed and sat down next to him.

Joe: Son, we need to talk.

Y/N nodded slowly. He cleared his throat, telling Joe what was on his mind.

Y/N: Joe, I don't know who I am anymore. I haven't been much of a hero recently. I was too slow to save that man from Snart. I was too slow to save Caitlin. Now, I may lose her too. Anytime I rest, even for one moment, a new threat emerges. One I can't stop.

Joe exhaled. He looked over at the troubled man.

Joe: As a cop, I've seen a lot of stuff on the force. Some of it, I wish I could take back.

He sighed before continuing.

Joe: When I first started, my partner and I were put on a case involving a missing persons report. One thing led to another and we found out we were dealing with something much bigger. We were investigating a hostage situation near the docks. My team was sent in and we managed to get out four of the six hostages. But things went downhill fast. The gunmen caught on to what we were doing. They brought the two hostages out and threatened to shoot them directly in front of us if we didn't meet their demands. We tried to take it slowly, my captain telling me to take him out if I could. I saw my shot and I took it, but not before he fired his gun. He killed the woman in his arms. Hearing the gunshot, his partner panicked. He threw the other hostage off the roof and jumped, hoping to make a getaway. He was too high. They both died on impact.

Y/N turned his head looking over at Joe. He had never heard him tell that story before. The detective's eyes were glossy as he remembered the tragic event.

Joe: For weeks, I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was that innocent woman screaming as a bullet pierced her skull. But, over time, I learned to overcome it. I got better. I recognized what my duty was and what I needed to do as a protector of the people of this city.

Joe looked back over at Y/N.

Joe: Y/N, the hardest part about this job, is knowing you can't save everyone. Even for you, a guy who can run faster than a speeding car, there are some things you just can't get to in time. You still have your limits. But what you need to do is focus on the things you can keep safe.

Y/N nodded at him, his own eyes welling up. Joe placed his hand on his foster son's shoulder.

Joe: What Caitlin is going through, what she's become, it's not Cisco's fault. It's not yours either. This is something she has to face on her own. The best thing you guys can do is what you've always done. Be supportive. Before you got your speed, you weren't always the most active or involved kid. But one thing I distinctly remember about you is how supportive you were of others. How much you propped Barry up on a pedestal and helped around the house. 

Y/N put his hands back under his chin, trying to hold back from breaking.

Joe: I'm proud of you, son. I'm proud of the man you've become. You are a hero.

Y/N felt a tear roll down his eye, sniffing his running nose.

Y/N: How'd you get through it? That feeling of guilt? How'd you move on?

Joe: The first few years, it was hard. I had to go to support groups and rely on my coworkers who'd seen a lot more than I had.

Y/N: And the later years?

He offered the young man a light smile. 

Joe: I had you and Bare.

Y/N looked at him, smiling back. He wiped his eyes, calming down.

Y/N: Thanks, Dad.

The two continued to sit together, glad for each other's company. Dr. Wells then ran in, urgently trying to talk to them.

Wells: Have you guys seen Cisco?

The two looked at one another in confusion then back at him.

Joe: No.

Y/N: Wasn't he in his lab?

Wells: I checked. He's not in there. I can't find him anywhere in the facility.

Y/N thought for a moment. He soon realized where his friend would be heading.

Cisco walked down a small suburban street. He wore his glasses and tried to walk with confidence, not letting his guard down. He called out to someone in the darkness.

Cisco: I know you're here! Come out and face me like a woman!

Killer Frost walked out from behind the tree line. As she walked, the area around her began to freeze. With each step she took, ice and snow filled the environment. She turned to Cisco, smirking.

Frost was wearing a new suit. Gone was Caitlin's dress skirt and black jacket. She now wore a leather, navy blue, zip-up jacket over a black shirt and latex pants. Her heels were replaced with worker heels that still propped her up to a taller height.

Frost: I didn't think you'd show.

Cisco held up his phone.

Cisco: I got your message.

Frost looked at it before making an exaggerated pout with her lip.

Frost: What? No red streak?

Cisco: It's just you and me, Caitlin.

Frost: I told you, I'm not Caitlin. She's gone, sweety.

Cisco: I made a promise to protect my friend. I failed. But I know she's still in there. Caitlin, if you can hear me, I'm sorry.

Frost almost seemed to stumble for a moment, her face easing. She then switched back to a sinister grin. She gritted her teeth and held out her hand, firing a sharp icicle at Ramon. Cisco dodged the flying icicle, hiding behind a tree. Another icicle was fired. It hit the tree, sticking in it like a sword in stone.

Cisco: Caitlin, please!

Frost: Caitlin is dead.

Cisco tried to calm down. He took a deep breath and jumped out from behind the tree. Holding out his hand, he fired a sonic shot at her. Frost ducked under it, seeing the white blur move over her head.

As they were fighting, Frost noticed a red streak of lightning running towards them. She fired a set of icicle shards at him. Y/N caught the ice shards and continued running.

Frost then put her hands down, freezing the road. Y/N was unable to slow down in time. He slipped on the ice, falling on his back hard and sliding across the pavement. Frost walked over to him, looking down at the man in red.

Frost: How's the leg, handsome?

Y/N groaned and stared at her. He then quickly brought his leg out, tripping her and causing her to fall down right next to him.

Y/N: You tell me.

Frost: That was cold, Flash, but this is colder.

Frost rolled back over, leaning over Y/N. She brought her hands up near his chest, ejecting a stream of cold air onto his body. Y/N's upper half was frozen solid in a cage of ice. His face started to feel numb from the bitter cold.

Frost smiled villainously at her work. She was suddenly flung off of Y/N by a set of sonic blasts hitting her body. The cold criminal flew back and smashed into a car's windshield before rolling to the ground.

Cisco: Y/N!

Cisco ran over to help his friend. He could see Y/N panting from the cold, his skin already turning blue. Cisco was about to try and cut the ice himself when he saw Frost stand back up. He had to deal with her first while his friend got himself out of the ice.

Cisco: Start vibrating. It'll warm you up and break the ice.

Y/N nodded and began vibrating his body back and forth very quickly, his features appearing to blur. Cisco stood back up and approached his adversary.

Frost fired another icicle at Cisco. Ramon ducked under it and held out his hand as she threw another one. His blast ended up hitting the icicle. The projectile cracked and smashed into hundreds of tiny pieces from his vibrations.

Killer Frost grew angry. She brought up both her hands and fired a stream of cold air at Vibe. Cisco held up his own hands in protection at first. However, he soon found this his sonic vibrations were more than just projectiles. A beam of waves were emitted from his hands, meeting the ice halfway.

The two engaged in a beam lock. Frost was surprised by Cisco's strength, but grinned as she began to add more pressure to her own blast. Cisco felt his feet slipping. He began to get pushed back, losing his grip in the lock. Frost's ice was now overpowering his sonic blasts.

Before Cisco could be eradicated, Y/N stood back up and rushed over. He punched Frost, sending her flying back. She rolled as she hit the ground. Flash and Vibe walked over to her.

Y/N: I'm sorry, Caitlin.

Frost: You've got a strong arm for someone who normally runs away, Flash.

The two heroes looked down at her. Frost glared at them, ready to pounce again. They were about to engage when Y/N and Cisco heard something over their intercoms. Joe was shouting for them, static cutting in and out.

Joe: Y/N!... Cisco!... Wells... They're... here...

Y/N and Cisco's eyes went wide. They looked at one another and turned around. Cisco opened a breach to the lab and Y/N grabbed him, speeding away into it. Frost looked watched them leave and gave a devilish smirk as they left.

Y/N and Cisco jumped into the lab and ran into the cortex. They found Joe panting and leaning against the computer desk. Papers were strewn about everywhere and tables and carts had been flipped over. A struggle had obviously occurred. 

Y/N realized what had happened. Frost was just a distraction to get them out of the lab. Grodd was after his real prize.

Y/N: Joe, what happened?

Joe: Dr. Wells. They've got him.