Present

After stopping Frankie from killing everyone inside of the hospital, things calmed down a little bit. Caitlin ended up finding her a new home in Star City, and I had faith that she was going to be able to control her powers. If she couldn't, we'd always be there to help.

As for John, he was getting the treatment he deserved. He was most likely going to prison for what he had done to Frankie over the past few years, and nothing made me more glad than to hear that. People like him deserve to be locked away for their actions.

A week came and went after that with not much action. Work went by slow and time seemed to drag on forever, and I knew that it was because I was awaiting the night of Barry and I's date. Finally the night came, and I was about to puke from nerves.

"Raven, it's going to be fine," Iris assures me as she curls one last strand on my head, setting the curling iron to the side. "Just be yourself and everything will go the way you want it to."

I shake my head softly as the curls bounce on my shoulders. "Iris, I know that I've known Barry for a few months now, but something about this is different. It's like whatever happens tonight decides our fate-"

"Then make things go the way they're supposed to and decide your own fate," Iris reassures me as she grabs the can of hair spray. "Close your eyes."

I do so as she sprays the can all around my head, some of the spray falling onto the back of my eyelids. Before I open my eyes again, I sigh. "I've never been on a date, or anything like this for that matter, before...I don't even know how to act."

"Like I said, act like yourself and it will all fall into place, trust me." I open my eyes then as I stare at myself in the mirror, not being able to recognize myself. It was strange to see myself with curls...especially since I couldn't remember the last time I had them put in my hair. "Don't be worried about what might happen...if anything, I'd be worried about Barry. He's the one who's going to act all flustered when he sees you."

I feel my cheeks grow hot before a smile appears on my face. "I'm just worried that he won't be able to tie his tie..."

Iris laughs, knowing I was right. "I remember Joe always having to tie it for him when we were younger...you'd think after all of the youtube videos he's watched on it that he could do it himself by now."

A laugh escapes my throat before Iris motions for me to stand, which I do. "Let's get you dressed then...are you going for classy yet revealing or just classy?"

I start to answer her before she cuts me off. "Just class-"

"Classy yet revealing it is!" she exclaims while winking, turning back to her closet to dig something out for me. You see, the moment I told Iris about tonight, she insisted on getting me ready and letting me borrow something of hers. I wasn't complaining about it; I needed nice clothes and I wasn't the best at getting myself ready in general.

After a moment of digging in her closet, she pulls out three options for me to choose from. "Okay so first we have a burgundy jumpsuit that comes off the shoulder here or this black dress that I got last year for something I can't remember...I forgot I even had it."

I glance between the two options, not being able to picture myself in either of them. I stand there for a moment before Iris motions for me to try them on. "Well? Are you going to put them on?"

"Right," I fade out as I step forwards and take the jumpsuit, quickly putting it on with my super speed. In just a few seconds I had it on, and I instantly knew that I wasn't going to like it. Iris gives me an odd look as I turn around and look in the mirror, raising my eyebrows.

"I look like a giant plum," I state as I let my arms fall to the side. 

Iris shakes her head. "No you don't, but maybe let's see what the dress looks like before we make any decisions."

I nod my head as I try the black dress on. As I was putting it on, I take note of the slits down the side and the way it falls off of my shoulders, giving it that revealing look that Iris was going for. When I finally put it on and looked in the mirror, I knew that this was the one.

"Ow ow!" Iris whoops as she whistles, giving me a giant grin. "Sure glad I bought that one ages ago...I think you were born to wear it. Do you like it?"

I smile at myself in the mirror, this being the first time I looked in the mirror and really appreciated myself. For years I always saw myself as someone broken and damaged, and right now...I felt as if I was finally putting myself back together.

"I love it," I fade out, pulling my eyes away from the mirror to look back at Iris. I could see in her eyes that she was proud of her work and proud of me. 

Soon that look is gone however when we hear a knock at the door, causing our eyes to dart to the living room. She quickly adds a few touches of make-up to my face then, along with giving me the right shoes before she's shooing me out of the door. 

"Have fun and be yourself!" she says to me as I open the door, finding Barry standing there with a large smile on his face. However, when he has the chance to look at me, he freezes. 

I try to find the words to say. "You look nice."

After those three words, he is quickly adjusting his tie around his neck as he nods. "Y-you look nice yourself."

A smile appears on my face as I step outside and close the door behind me. When I do this however, I look down onto the street and find a vehicle parked there that wasn't Iris'. "Did you seriously rent a car for this?"

Barry glances back at the car. "Is that a bad thing?"

I laugh. "We're literally speedsters, Barry."

"You're wearing high heels," he motions at my feet before looking back up at me. "Plus, we're always running, Raven. Might as well slow things down a notch for a change."

I understood his point, and I gave him points for thinking ahead. "Smart thinking, Barry Allen. I never wear heels so I forgot I couldn't run in them."

"I'm surprised Iris got you in them," Barry says as he opens the car door for me.

I start to get into the car. "It was sort of a last minute thing..."

He closes the door before dashing around to the other side of the car, getting inside. "I'm going to be honest with you, I'm sort of late because I couldn't figure out how to tie my tie."

I burst out laughing after that statement, and I couldn't help myself. It was just too funny to me that Iris and I predicted it all along. After a moment, Barry asks me why I was laughing so hard. I could only shake my head and wipe away my tears as I try to get out a sentence, but it was impossible.

Finally, my laughter dies down a little. "I'm sorry, Iris was just telling me that you've always had a problem with ties."

A smile forms on his face then as he drives down the street. "It's one of my many flaws, that's for sure."

It doesn't take long before we arrive at the party. To be truthfully honest, I still wasn't sure what this party was for. Barry had just said that it was supposed to be fancy, so that's all I really knew about it. However, when we got out of the car and walked inside, I was shocked to find that he really wasn't kidding about the fancy part.

There were hundreds of people wearing nicer dresses than mine; many of them far too expensive for someone like me. Waiters were walking around serving drinks as everyone stood and chatted to one another. I felt like I was at some sort of auction for artwork.

I feel Barry's hand brush against my own as I turn to him. "What did you say this party was for?"

He licks his lips slowly as he looks around with me. "Quite honestly, I haven't ever been. Every year they invite me to come, but I've always been busy or just didn't feel like going. I think that it's to honor some of the police force for their good work, but I could be wrong."

"I take it as you've never won an award?" I say, giving him a playful smile.

He shoots one back at me. "Forensic scientists aren't exactly all that heroic-"

"Ones that have super speed are though," I wink at him. "So does that mean Joe is here if it's meant for the police force?"

Barry shakes his head. "No, he's like me and usually never goes. However, I bet he'd change his mind about it if I told him that they served shrimp here."

A laugh escapes my throat as I watch a waiter walk by with a platter of shrimp on top, making my stomach growl lowly. Truthfully, I wasn't all that hungry, but I was a sucker when it came to seafood. "So what exactly are you supposed to do at these types of things? Stand around, talk, and get drunk?"

Barry shoots me another smile as we walk along. "You're spot on, but there is one more thing that you do at things like this."

I raise an eyebrow at him, noting his playful tone. "And what is that, Barry Allen?"

I was taken off guard then as he takes my hand into his, dragging me closer to his chest as we lock eyes, my breath getting caught in my lungs. Another smile dances across his lips as I'm left standing frozen...lost in his gaze. "Dance."

The words get caught in my throat. "I can't dance-"

"Everyone can dance, Raven." He starts to step in a pattern as I try to follow him but fail miserably. "Even you."

I continue to shake my head as my eyes stare down at our feet, trying to figure out the pattern. "You don't understand, I haven't dance a day in my life-"

"You're getting the hang of it already," he says to me as he looks down at my feet as well, causing another smile to appear on his face. "I told you that you could do it."

I look back up at him in that moment, the world seeming to stop for just a few mere seconds. Of course being a speedster made time feel long enough in itself, but this time it was different. It was like we were the only two people around, frozen in a moment that was only meant for the two of us...and it was.

We continue to dance on as Barry takes control of the conversation yet again. "So since this is a date, I'm going to have to ask you the basic boring questions that people always ask to get to know the other person."

I raise my eyebrows. "What kind of boring questions?"

"Such as ones like 'what's your favorite color?' and 'are you a dog or a cat person?'" he says, causing a laugh to escape my throat. 

I play along. "Favorite color would have to be Silver, ironically, and I'd say I'm more of a dog person...cats are just too boring for my taste."

"Thank God you're a dog person," Barry jokes. "If you weren't, I'd probably have to put a stop to all of this."

The two of us laugh then before I find myself messing up the pattern, tripping over Barry's feet. When I start to tumble to the ground, Barry is quickly sweeping me back up and holding my face close to his, a moment that only ended one way. Before I know it, our faces are slowly inching their way closer to one another, prepared for a kiss.

However, just as how everything else goes in my life, we were interrupted by the sounds of screaming. I quickly get back up onto my feet as Barry and I look around, searching for the source of the screams. It only takes us a moment to find the cause, which came from the entrance of the building. Standing at the door was a police officer pointing his gun at a group of people, a mad look in his eye.

"I said get down!" he shouts loudly as the group of people start to fall to the floor, men covering the women to shield them from gunfire in case there was any. I feel Barry tense up as he grabs my arm, pulling me down the floor. I give him a crazy look, since we could easily end this mishap, but I guess he wanted to wait and assess the situation before taking action.

So, I do as I'm instructed as I fall to the floor, keeping my eyes locked on the police officer at the door. As I did this, I wondered to myself why in the hell a police officer was doing something like this, but I guess that was what Barry wanted to know as well.

Soon, the officer is yelling again. "Alright, good. This is going to happen simple and fast, and if you don't follow the rules, you won't live to attend another awards ceremony. I want you all to throw your jewelry and anything you have that's valuable into a single pile. Do as you're told and we'll all walk out of here alright."

Everyone remains frozen at first, unsure of what to do next before the officer points the gun at a woman's head, causing screams to erupt. "I'm sorry, did you not hear me correctly?"

After this simple action, everyone is quickly throwing their jewelry and belongings into a pile, causing the officer to smile as he watches, holding his grip on the gun as it stays aimed at the other woman. I glance over at Barry then, his bottom lip now puffed out in anger, but ready to act if needed to. He finally notices me looking then as I give him a look for us to finally act, but he tells me to hold off a while longer.

When I zoned back into the situation, I noticed something I didn't before. Over in the corner, there was what appeared to be a girl wearing a black mask over her head, fear in her eyes. At first I didn't think much of it; I wasn't sure what the mask was for, but that wasn't my main concern. What I was wondering about was what they were muttering to themselves.

"That isn't me...that isn't me."

I furrow my eyebrows as I continue to listen, the voice sounding oddly familiar the more I focused on it. It was then that the police officer started ordering a few people to put the pile of belongings into a bag, which they did without hesitation. Before long, everything was inside and in the officer's hand, and Barry still had yet to want to act. I wasn't sure what he was waiting for at this point.

"Thank you for your participation," the officer says then as he starts to head towards the door. However, just before he leaves, he fires a single shot into the air, causing everyone in the room to panic. Instead of staying low and to the ground, they start running like a wild pack of caribou.

In the midst of all of this chaos, Barry stays close to my side as I try to find the officer in the large crowd of people with no success. However, before long, I barely catch a glimpse of a hand drag the girl with the mask on her head out of the door, followed by a quick glance of the culprit, which happened to be the very officer that started all of this.

"I see him!" I shout at Barry before I'm using my speed and flashing through the crowd, putting on my suit in the midst of all of this. When I make it outside, I have to dash around the corner before I find the officer walking down an ally, dragging the girl with the mask behind in tow.

I grit my teeth. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

The officer turns around with a sly smile on his face. "You're that new hero running around Central City, aren't you? Silver Trickster I presume. Where's your friend Flash?"

It was then a flash of lightning appears beside me, revealing Barry, now in his suit as well. "Right here."

The officer halfway smirks before I start to question him. "What makes you think you're going to get away with her?"

The girl starts to speak then, terror in her eyes that looked utterly familiar. "That's not me! This isn't me!"

Barry gives her a confused look as I do as well, but I wasn't sure what to make out of it. Before we can question what that was supposed to mean, the officer is throwing the girl to the ground before running away, dropping the bag of belongings as well. It was then that Barry takes off after the officer, stopping him from getting away as I go to help the girl.

She was looking down at the sidewalk, now crying. "It's alright. You're safe now."

She doesn't say anything as I lay a hand on her shoulder, letting her know that I was here with her now. I look back up at Barry then, finding him walking back towards me with the officer now in handcuffs. The officer looks utterly confused and upset as Barry stops in front of me, a look of pride in his eyes.

"I didn't do any of that!" he shouts at the two of us, shaking his head. "She did that! None of this was me!"

"They'll say anything these days," Barry says to me, causing me to crack a half smile, but soon it was short lived.

The girl below me finally speaks, no longer crying. "No, he's right. It wasn't him...it was me."

The next thing I know, she's jumping up off the concrete as she grabs ahold of my arm, along with Barry's. I couldn't really explain what happened next, mostly because it was like I blacked out for a split second before I'm opening my eyes again, feeling like a completely different person.

By the time I did open my eyes again however, the girl that had been at my feet moments ago was gone, along with the bag of belongings. The officer was still standing there in the handcuffs, confused as ever. When I went to look over at Barry to make sure he was alright, I was met with an alarming surprise.

Instead of seeing Barry when I turned my head, I saw myself standing there, suit and all. It was almost as if I was staring at my exact self through a mirror, making me grow more confused than ever. It wasn't until I looked down at myself when I realized that something was terribly wrong...only because when I looked down at my hands, they weren't my hands. They were Barry's.

I scream then, but even that wasn't my own voice. Instead, it was lower and more manly sounding...exactly like Barry's. It was then I heard another scream, only this one sounded like mine, but it wasn't from me. When I look back up, I see my face staring back at me, eying me up and down. 

"You're me!" my face shouts at me, pointing with a shaking finger. "Oh my God, what in the hell is wrong with my voice? It's high pitched!"

"And I'm you," I say, but it was still Barry's voice. It takes me a moment to fully realize what just happened in that moment...

Barry and I switched bodies.

-*+*-

AHA, you bet your ass I'm going to have so much fun with this!! I saw the opportunity and had to take it! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and what's to come...it should be quite comical.

Vote and comment if enjoyed the extra long chapter (;