#myarrowverse

Still, you knew better than to think that everything was your fault. Because before the fights, before the silence, and before their mutual avoidance, Iris had been doing the exact same thing Barry was doing after the split.

Clandestine meetings with the Assistant District Attorney under the guise of interviews. But Barry was smarter than she gave him credit for, and it didn’t take him long to figure out what his wife and the City’s ADA were actually doing behind closed doors.

Then soon enough, he confronted her about it, and they were able to air out everything in the form of sarcastic words and petty remarks. But neither one of them wanted to formally pull the plug.

Instead, Iris continued to see her secret lover, and Barry started visiting you more often. Except this time, it was you and him who were meeting under false pretenses.

You both told yourselves that you were just comforting each other in a time of need, completely platonic, just as it had always been.

But in the back of your minds, you both knew that wasn’t true. You also knew that your relationship wouldn’t go anywhere if you built it on the collapsing foundation that was the West-Allen marriage.

So you both shoved your feelings underneath all the other emotions circling through the air, knowing that at the end of the day, you both had each other. And neither of you were willing to risk that by acting on a childish crush at the wrong time.

Despite everything, you didn’t hate Iris, and she didn’t hate you. Sure, you were jealous of each other, you of her husband and her of your freedom, but you knew that everything happening was a direct result of both of your actions.

And while you both couldn’t claim to be particularly morally righteous after this, you still respected each other.

Accidentally locking eyes with Barry, you felt your face heat up as you quickly turned your head away, however you could still feel his lingering stare on you.

Instead of giving into the pull that was drawing you towards the man your heart secretly belonged to, you focused on Caitlin and her theories about whatever newest medical advancement that she heard about, willing yourself into holding out a little longer.

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Later into the evening as the moon overcame the sun and guests began to dwindle, it was only you, Barry, and Iris left at Joe’s house. Him, Cecile and Jenna having previously left to go on vacation.

Needless to say, the air was stale, and the only sound to be heard was feet shuffling across the hardwood floors, cleaning the house so the West-Horton family didn’t have to once they returned.

You had stayed to help Barry, and you both assumed that Iris would have been one of the first to leave the party to meet her not-so-secret lover. But much to you and the scarlet speedster’s surprise, she had stayed to help, surely having an underlying purpose.

In no time at all, the house returned to its previous state, no signs of drink spills or dirty plates. And silence quickly filled the room, which was admittedly worse than the comfortable sound of feet hitting the floor.

You all found yourselves at the dining table, you and Barry across from Iris, it being an excellent analogy to the emotional alliances you took in the fight.

Just as Iris opened her mouth to break the silence and reveal why she actually stayed with her husband, a portal opened with a bright light emerging from it.

From the light came two women, one you recognized as future Nora, which you had met last year. But the other was a stranger, though you took notice of her jawline and facial structure that you couldn’t help but find similar to Barry’s.

“Mom,” Nora breathed, seeming relieved for some reason.

“Nora?” Iris asked, “What are you doing here?”

Knowing that his daughter wouldn’t time travel unless she needed help, Barry added, “What’s wrong?”

You remained silent throughout the exchange, instead eying the woman accompanying the future speedster. But when your eyes landed on hers, you found that she was already looking at you.

“Nothing, hopefully,” Nora assured, only confusing you all more as she addressed Iris, “I just wanted to check in.”

Barry looked skeptical, but before he made any inquiries of his own, Iris beat him to it.

“Who are you?” the reporter asked, looking at the mystery woman.

Despite expecting the question, the brunette next to Nora stammered while looking at you, which made Barry subconsciously take a protective step forward.

“You-You’re my mom,” she admitted, making you gape and Barry looked at you with a questioning face.

“And he’s my-”

“Barry’s your dad,” you breathed, connecting the dots on why she looked like a perfect mixture of the two of you.

The girl nodded, confirming your statement.

Nora introduced her, “Dawn, my half-sister.”

“Barry and I divorce,” Iris stated, more as fact than a question. With Nora and Dawn both nodding, confirming her words.

Looking at his wife with a sad smile, he broke his silence, “When?”

“Tonight,” Iris answered, “That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

“But the legal proceedings finish two months from now,” Nora explained.

A silence engulfs the room, not awkward, but awaiting. Waiting for someone to make the first move, to start the chain of events that you all knew were coming but never had the nerve to actually set off.

“Is… Is there anything else we should know?” Barry hesitantly asked, already overwhelmed with the night’s information but always wanting to be prepared.

He subconsciously took his hand in yours, something he had recently started doing now that his wife emotionally belonged to another man and he was free to express himself with you as he pleased.

Nora and Dawn simultaneously shook their heads while the elder sister spoke, “No, we just had to make sure it happened. There were some shifts in time and if this didn’t happen… well, Dawn wouldn’t exist.”

“Should we be worried about these ‘shifts’?” Iris asked, with you and Barry thinking the same thing.

“Nope, the Legends have it handled for the most part. We just offered to help them keep this particular event from changing.”

Barry smiled at his daughters with pride, knowing that the future would be in great hands.

Glancing down at her watch, Dawn’s eyes widened, “Uh, Nora, we need to go. We only have a minute left.”

“Frack!” Nora exclaimed, “We set a timer to make sure we didn’t stay in the past too long and mess things up even more. But it looks like we’re almost out of time.”

Coming towards you, Dawn engulfed you in a hug, her embrace expressing all of the words she didn’t get to say, all the questions you didn’t have the time to ask.

“I love you, mom,” she muttered into your ear.

And you tried to hold back your bittersweet tears as you whispered, “I’ll see you soon.”

Quickly hugging each of you, Nora and Dawn said their goodbyes before returning to the future in a flash of light.

Their sudden exit left the three of you standing in the living room, exchanging glances, not quite sure what to do next.

Turning towards you, Barry reluctantly let go of your hand while asking, “Could Iris and I please have a moment?”

“Of course,” you nodded, “I’ll be outside.” 

You softly smiled at Iris, hoping that you both would be able to remain civil despite the new information about what will happen.

Walking out on the patio, you looked up to the sky, admiring the stars. That night, they were even more beautiful with the knowledge that your daughter would be looking at the very same ones.

You thought about how you and Barry’s relationship would change. The biggest difference being that now, you could actually have a relationship with him instead of stolen glances from across the room and endless sleepovers.

Sure, there was a part of you that would mourn the loss of West-Allen, their relationship having been the golden standard for so long. But nothing is forever, especially not something that makes two people as miserable as they had been.

Smiling to yourself, you imagined Dawn’s brunette hair, the same shade as Barry’s and her eye shape similar to yours. Knowing the life in store for you and Barry, you knew that things were working out for the better.

Caught up in your head, you didn’t notice the door open and slightly jumped at Barry’s sudden presence next to you.

“Deep in thought?” he questioned, a signature warm smile on his face.

You chuckled, “Just thinking about everything that’s happened.”

Barry nodded, “I get that, Iris and I had a lot to discuss.”

You hummed at him, not wanting to pry, but curious about what the couple decided.

“We’re getting a divorce, and we’re pretty much in agreement about everything so it will likely just take the two months that Nora said.”

You simply nodded, not thinking it appropriate to smile or congratulate him. Despite knowing that he doesn’t romantically love Iris anymore, you knew that a childhood love like they had would always remain in some capacity.

Wrapping his arm around your waist, Barry gave you a quick peck on the cheek before pulling away and beaming, “I have been waiting a long time to be able to do that in public.”

You laughed, “Well, we’ll get plenty of opportunities to do it more once everything is official.”

Barry’s smile remained, “I can’t wait.”

Chuckling at the man you’ll soon be able to call your boyfriend and possibly even your husband, you rested your head on his chest as you had done many times before. But the new meaning behind his touch made it feel different.

Running his hand through your hair, Barry smiled, “Let’s go home.”

You fondly looked up at him. Sure, your relationship wasn’t ideal, some would even call you a mistress or home-wrecker. But all that truly mattered was that you and him knew what you felt. And the truth was that what you both shared was real, and stronger than anything either of you had ever experienced before.

You comfortably sighed in his arms, “I would love that.”

If you hadn’t been so focused on not having a heart attack, you would have noticed the small smile on his face before he quickly neutralized his expression once more.

“But I guess that would make it harder to hide in the shadows and such vigilante-ing,” you joked.

Glancing at him to find any remnant of humor, you only saw his blank face. But then again, you weren’t skilled enough to notice any microexpressions which would give away his true feelings.

So with your shortcomings in mind, you mentally decided that your joke was hilarious, and he was definitely laughing on the inside… probably.

Moving on, you gestured to the pot simmering on the stove, “I made dinner… if you guys do that kind of stuff.”

Moving to put the noodles into the sauce and meatballs, you glanced at him, his silence making you add, “Or are carbs not in your meal plan?”

At that, he cracked a slight smile, and he was not able to hide it before you noticed.

“Ahhh,” you pointed at him, “I saw that! You are capable of joy!”

Lifting his hand up to turn off his voice modulator, he spoke, “Thank you.”

At his pure, unfiltered voice, you stumbled, the spaghetti noodles falling into the pot causing the hot, tomato sauce to splash up onto you.

You hissed in pain at the mild burn, causing the vigliante to jump up at your distress and come to your aid.

Turning on the faucet to wet a towel, he placed it over the burn while you shuffled to take off your now-stained shirt. He was attempting to press the cold cloth to your chest, but before you realized what you were doing, you had rid yourself of your top and now stood before him in nothing but a bra that cut awfully low.

Upon you baring yourself, he immediately stopped his motions, but you didn’t even notice his frozen figure as you took the towel from him and placed it on yourself to cool the burn.

Once you were no longer preoccupied with the consequences of your falter, you looked up to see the Star City vigilante looking at your head, to ensure you were alright without staring at your disrobed area.

Suddenly feeling a wave of heat that you couldn’t blame on the now-cooled burn, your eyes widened as you realized the situation you put yourself in. 

Clutching the stained shirt up to cover your chest, you muttered, “Um, I’m just going to go change. Help yourself to the spaghetti that wasn’t spilled all over me, it should be finished by now.”

You didn’t stick around to see his silent acknowledgement of your words before you bolted to your bedroom, quietly slamming the door to not wake your sleeping guests.

Leaning against the wall, you rested your head against it while clenching your eyes shut in an attempt to erase the past five minutes from your mind– and hopefully his too.

You softly banged your head against the wall in frustration and tried not to think about how he was looking at you. After a moment of regret and self-hatred, you pulled yourself together and grabbed a new shirt.

Walking out of your room, you erased any residual embarrassment off of your face, and instead decided to pretend like nothing ever happened. Plus, you couldn’t be the first girl he’s seen shirtless, not that you wanted to think about any other women he may have observed in that situation.

While you were gone, the rest of his team had woken up and all three heroes were sitting around your dining table with plates full of spaghetti and garlic bread.

“Hope you don’t mind, but we got a little hungry,” Arsenal muttered in between bites of food.

Spartan was twirling pasta around his fork when he commented, “I took the bread out of the oven, it looked about ready.”

Glancing over to your stovetop, you saw the garlic bread you put in earlier cooling, a nice golden-brown color.

You falteringly nodded, not adjusted to the reality of you having three vigilantes in your apartment, casually eating dinner. Well, all but one, that is.

“Not hungry?” you asked the man in green who was sitting at the table, but opted out of eating.

Instead of answering, or possibly admitting that he didn’t trust you enough to eat your food, the Green Arrow ignored the question and instead asked his own, “Are you okay?”

You raised your eyebrows at his not-so-smooth attempt to redirect your attention. Although he obviously dodged your inquiry, you still answered, “Good, thank you. The cold towel really helped.”

Despite his generally unemotional and stiff frame, you were able to see him give a slight nod at your words. And you smiled at him caring about your well being, even though he didn’t show it.

Spartan and Arsenal didn’t seem to think anything of you and the Emerald Archer’s conversation, instead being immersed in their own. And as words faded out between you and the experienced hero, you both listened to the two chat about past missions.

Although you weren’t verbally talking to the vigilante, you were both sharing glances, making sure not to be caught by the other. You wouldn’t dare openly stare at the hero, but you were far too comfortable stealing brief looks when he wasn’t watching.

But little did you know, he was doing the same.

The rest of the dinner didn’t consist of many words from you or the green-hooded hero, but the one thing on both your minds was that it would not be the last time you cooked. But maybe next time, you would get some help.

You bit the inside of your cheek as you slowly nodded when you both came to a stop outside of Smallville High School.

“Yeah, well… how about tonight?” Jon proposed.

You fidgeted with the straps on your backpack as you began to sputter out an excuse, “Jon-”

Knowing your intentions, he interrupted you to plead his case, “I know this is a big deal. I mean, I’m asking you to meet my parents. But I’ve met yours, and they were great! How different could it possibly be?”

“Well I don’t know, Jon?” you sarcastically shrugged while gesturing with your hands before leaning closer to him and ‘loudly’ whispering, “My parents aren’t the best reporter in the world and freaking Superman!”

“It’s not even like that,” Jon began.

You continued, “Yeah, you’re right, Lois Lane isn’t the only best reporter in the world, that title is tied with her and Kara Danvers! Who is your aunt, or cousin, whatever!”

Becoming defensive, Jon stepped back and crossed his arms, “She’s my first cousin once removed, and are you actually afraid of my family?”

Your stance weakened at his question and you shook your head from side to side. Sitting down on a nearby bench, you rested your head on your hands.

“No, no Jon, of course not. But- I… I’m not particularly impressive, and you’ve told me about Eliza and how much your parents and Jordan loved her…” you admitted, trailing off.

Uncrossing his arms, Jon frowned at your implied self-deprecation before sitting next to you, “Hey, that’s not true at all. Sure, I was with Eliza for a while and my family got used to it, but you’re way better than her and they’ll love you equally, if not more.”

You gave him an unconvinced look, before he continued chuckling, “Well, first of all, you didn’t ditch me at Harvest Fest.”

Playfully rolling your eyes, you bumped his shoulder against your own, “Well I didn’t really have a choice. If it weren’t for me then you would have been left to drunkenly wobble home and would have ended up in the lake.”

Jon gave you a sarcastic laugh which made you genuinely laugh. Resting your head on his shoulder, you sighed, “Okay, you’ve convinced me, I’ll see you this evening?”

He gave a wide grin before confirming, “Yep, my house at six.”

You gave him a final nod before quickly kissing his cheek and standing up. “I’ll see you then.”

And with that, you turned to go home and get ready. Granted, your nerves weren’t completely gone, but you were confident that as long as Jon was there, you could manage them.

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Knocking on the wooden door, you played with the hem of your dress while balancing a pie in your hand. Luckily for you, baking helped ease your nerves and it provided a tasty gift.

A moment later, the door was opened and you were met by Jordan’s jet-black curls.

“Hey,” he waved, “I’m glad you could make it.”

Peeking out from behind him, Sarah appeared, already focused on dessert, “Ohhh, please tell me that’s your grandma’s old recipe?”

You grinned while nodding, “The one and only. With cinnamon crust, of course.”

Stepping aside, Jordan ushered you inside, mirroring Sarah’s interest in your pie. Smoothing out your dress before turning into the corner where Lois and Clark’s voices could be heard, you nervously swallowed before walking forward.

Seeing you step inside, Lois and Clark paused their conversation with a very handsome looking Jonothan to address you, and Lois was quick to smother you in adoration as she called your name.

“Ohhh, you look beautiful,” she smiled, walking over to you. “I’m so happy that you could make it, Jonathan talks about you all the time and I’ve just been dying to meet you.”

You shyly glanced at Jon who was glaring at his mom for exposing him before returning Lois’ enthusiasm, “Thank you so much for inviting me. I’ve heard so much about you both and it’s an honor to finally meet you Mrs. Lane.”

Joining his wife, Clark came over to you both, “I’m glad that we get to officially meet, Jon says that you’re a loyal Crows fan.”

You nodded, “Yes, I’ve been to every game since elementary school. You’re a great assistant coach, Mr. Kent, it’s a wonder that Coach Gaines had been able to manage the team for that long without you.”

“Well I’m flattered and glad you think so,” Clark chuckled before looking at his sons, “There are some people in this household who don’t share your ideals.”

At his words, Sarah gave a muffled laugh as the twins exchanged alarmed looks. You smiled at the family atmosphere that had engulfed the room. Catching Jon’s eye, you gave him a warm smile, pleased at how dinner was turning out.

Leading you towards the dinner table Lois commented, “I hope you like baked chicken, because I am admittedly not the best cook.”

“Which is why I cooked it,” Clark added, affectionately kissing Lois on the check.

You quietly chuckled before taking your seat at the six-person table next to Jon with Sarah and Jordan facing you and Lois and Clark at both ends of the table.

After being served, the table was immersed with comfortable small talk when the topic of baseball was brought up.

“Mr. Kent, Jon’s mentioned that you like baseball,” you remarked.

“I love it, I used to play as a kid.”

Sarah cut in, “Was it only as a kid? I feel like I’ve seen you play on TV somewhere.”

“He wishes,” Jordan laughed.

Clark put his hand over his heart, feigning offense, “Hey, I could have totally gone pro.”

“I’m sure you could have honey,” Lois playfully comforted. “And I could have joined the military with Lucy.”

Everyone at the table laughed excluding Clark who simply showed mock offense.

“No, no, dad. You’re right, you do have a super throw,” Jon joked.

“You pitched?” Sarah asked, not knowing the hidden meaning behind your boyfriend’s words.

Covering up for his son’s hint, Clark quickly nodded, “Yeah, forever ago. Now I just help Jon and Jordan with football.”

Nodding, Lois steered the conversation towards you, much to your discomfort.

“Are you in any clubs? Sarah mentioned you did cheer,” Lois asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, although sometimes it’s unfortunate that I have to face the crowd instead of the action during games. But I’m also in the newspaper club, it’s not as amazing as what you do, but we just cover small events and stuff around town.”

Lois enthusiastically grinned, “Well I’d be happy to have some help over at the Gazette if you’d ever like to stop by.”

“I’d love that!” you agreed.

Underneath the table, Jon’s hand found its way to yours and gave you a small squeeze as you engaged in small talk with his family. He occasionally made a comment but otherwise left his family to get to know you.

Throughout the dinner, Jon’s eyes almost never left your face as you animatedly talked and listened to everyone. He could only gaze at you in admiration as you effortlessly charmed his parents, as he knew you would.

As the evening came to an end and the pie you brought was devoured, Lois and Clark led you to the door as you said your goodbyes.

Shaking your hand, Clark spoke, “It was great to have you over, we’re so glad that we could finally meet you after hearing all about you from Jon.”

Inwardly smiling and sneaking a glance at your boyfriend, who was shuffling his feet on the ground in embarrassment, you returned the handshake, “Thank you again for having me, Jon is wonderful and it’s no doubt because of you both.”

Lois lightly laughed at your praise and added, “Well I can’t help but notice his sudden willingness to clean his room coincidentally before he video calls you so I’m sure I have you to thank you for that.”

You giggled at her remark and Jon cut into the conversation before any more humiliating details about him could be shared, “Okay then, I’m glad you’re both happy with my continued shaming. Mom, Dad, I think she has to go now, it’s getting kind of late.”

Jon’s parents chuckled at him before taking the hint.

“Okay, okay, we get it. But just know that you are always welcome and we’d be happy to have you here again,” Clark invited as Lois nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, I’d be happy to come. Goodnight!” you waved politely as the parents said farewell before being ushered back into the house by their son.

Jon sighed before putting his hands in his pocket, “Wow… that really just happened.”

“Yep, it’s official now. You’re stuck with me,” you joked.

“I think it’s the other way around.”

I don’t think so... but we’ll agree to disagree.”

Pulling you into a hug, Jon didn’t linger in your embrace, knowing his parents were watching. And he was correct as you peeked behind him and sure enough, Lois was hovering behind the curtain.

You grinned at her failed attempt at hiding, but understood her concern. Although you didn’t exactly know what she wanted to prevent from happening at 9 p.m. on a front porch.

“Is she still there?” he whispered.

After waiting a moment for her to leave, you shook your head once her shadow disappeared, “Yeah, but what about your dad’s super-vision?”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Leaning in, Jon pressed his lips against yours in an innocent kiss that still made your heart feel as if it exploded. Pulling away, you bashfully grinned as he rocked on his heels.

“Thank you,” he smiled before frantically clarifying, “Not for the kiss-I mean yes… I enjoyed kissing you, but thank you for coming to dinner.”

You giggled at his uncharacteristic awkwardness, “I’m glad that I did. I was really freaking out over nothing. Your parents are great.”

“Yeah, they are.”

Quickly hugging him again, your parent’s car pulled up in Kent's driveway and you took it as your sign to leave.

“Well, that’s my ride. I’ll call you?” you asked, backing away.

Jon nodded, “I’ll be waiting.”

With a final smile sent his way, you turned away from the Kent residence to leave the property. But you knew that wouldn’t be for the final time.

Like anyone would be, you and him were nervous about introducing you to his crazy family. And he was even a little worried that in the midst of all the super, you would find him a little… ordinary.

However, as if you were able to sense his fears, you never failed to reassure him that to you, Jonathan Kent was everything but ordinary.

At the beginning of that day, you didn’t want to even imagine trying to successfully meet Jon’s parents. But by the end, you couldn’t wait to see them and him again. And that was truly super.

“Oh really? I figured that you’d like to revel in your own aura uninterrupted.”

“Well, I’d hardly call you an interruption, Captain.”

Despite his goggles, you could sense him rolling his eyes at your mocking use of his ‘title’. During the banter, you lifted the jewel out of the case, about to shove it in your bag.

Turning his weapon on you, Captain Cold smirked, “Now, now. Don’t think I just came to see you.”

You innocently tilted your head, “Really, I thought I meant more to you than a measly diamond, Leonard.”

Powering up the cold gun, he dryly chuckled before deadpanning, “Hand over the gem.”

“Please, when have I ever made it easy for you?”

The second he put his finger on the trigger, you stuffed the diamond in your bag before leaping up to grab the beam horizontally supporting the ceiling. Quickly pulling yourself up, you slung the duffle around your torso before expertly sprinting across the plank.

The thief below you was rapidly firing the cold gun in the air, narrowly missing you. Dodging blasts of ice, you almost made it across the warehouse before a well-aimed shot blasted a hole in the beam, making you tumble down to the ground.

Gracefully rolling to the floor, you immediately bounced back up before grabbing your own weapon from the belt of your skin-tight suit.

Pointing it at him, you taunted, “I wonder what would hurt more? Ice or a bullet?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” he countered.

Despite both your threats and experience in shooting people, those people were never each other. Something that in theory, wouldn’t make a difference, but when you were actually faced with the opportunity to wound each other, neither of you could pull the trigger, literally.

After a tense moment, a crack from the ceiling diverted both of your attention. Leonard’s rapid firing had broken most of the ceiling’s support beams, and it was now threatening to cave in at any moment.

Sensing the danger, you were the first to put away your gun, “Well, as fun as this has been, I have to get going. But we should definitely do it again sometime!” you teased.

Turning away, knowing he wouldn’t shoot you anymore than you would shoot him, you turned away from him while your hips danced to the beat of your own victory.

Before you made it very far, you felt a tug on your wrist as you were pulled back and held flush against his chest.

“Don’t think I’ll let you get away so easily,” he whispered into your ear.

Trying to pull yourself away from him, his grip made it impossible to escape which left you no choice but to simmer in the tension between you both.

Playfully pulling off his goggles and flinging them to the ground, you looked into his eyes before placing your hands on the back of his neck.

Knowing exactly what you were going to do, Captain Cold made no move to stop you as you pulled his lips to meet yours.

As planned, his grip loosened around your waist which allowed you to break away from his hold. Blowing a final kiss towards him, you sprinted off into the night, leaving him stunned and gem-less.

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Crawling into your apartment through the window after taking the long way home to prevent being followed, you dropped the duffel bag on the floor. Going to your room, you changed into more comfortable attire after taking a quick shower.

Your heart was still skipping after the kiss, and while it wasn’t exactly a surprise that it finally happened, it definitely did not help you take your mind off him.

Finally back in your living room, you figured that you would take a look at the jewel someone was willing to spend half a billion dollars on. Pulling the rock out of your bag, you scoffed at what you saw.

Definitely not what you stole, a black rock identical in weight to the diamond was the only thing in your bag.

You dryly laughed when you recounted what happened, realizing that the same kiss you used to escape was also what Leonard used to switch the stones.

Instead of anger, as you would feel if it was anyone else, excitement bubbled up inside of you at getting another chance at seeing the man who stole your heart, and your diamond.

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Kneeling on the balcony to avoid being seen, you glanced down at your watch to check the time. Slightly frowning to yourself, your fingers tapped on the ground in impatience.

You had found out who was going to buy the diamond from the Captain and expertly imitated Leonard when contacting the buyer and calling off the meeting.

Now there you were, waiting for your competitor to show up to an empty warehouse to meet the supposed buyer, only for him to fall right into your trap and allow you to steal the diamond back from him.

“You are quite persistent,” an icy voice spoke from behind you.

Your body snapped around to face the unexpected interrupter as your eyes widened. Lo and behold, Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold had found your hiding spot and had apparently discovered your plan.

Your surprise made you slightly stumble forward from where you were crouched on your heel, before grabbing the wall to casually lean against as he stared at you in amusement.

Attempting to recover from being caught off guard, you mused, “It’s funny how despite all the abandoned warehouses in Central City, we always manage to be in the same one.”

He hissed, “Well I was supposed to be meeting someone very important in this one. What are you doing here?”

“Just hangin’ out I guess,” you shrugged before eying the bag in his hand, “I don’t suppose you have anything of mine in there?”

Leonard laughed, “Sweetheart, you’ll have to do a lot more than sabotage my buy to pull one over on me.”

Taking a step towards him, you hummed, “That can definitely be arranged.”

Putting his hand out, he gripped your bicep to stop you from coming any closer, “I don’t think you know who you’re messing with.”

“Oh Leo, I know all too well what I’m doing.”

Your eyes were locked with his and you both refused to break eye contact. Tilting your head, you silently challenged him to make the first move for once. But he only smirked at your expecting gaze.

Pulling back, he tossed the bag over his shoulder before turning away. Your shoulders dropped as his footsteps echoed out of the building and you were left wide-eyed and stunned at his exit.

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With one hand on the wheel and the other wrapped around the diamond, Leonard’s eyes couldn’t help but wander to the sparkling jewel. Sure, he had been in possession of diamonds before, some even more impressive. However, you had never also been fixated on the same gem as him before.

And Leonard would be lying to himself if he said that your interest in the gem had not prompted his own.

But what could he say? He enjoyed the chase.

Absentmindedly humming to himself, he let his mind wander to you. Wander to how he left you standing in the warehouse, practically begging him to turn your teasing relationship into a romantic one.

But no, like an idiot, he chose some stupid jewel over you. A jewel that was going to be put in some random museum somewhere. When he could have had you, someone who could probably pull off a heist from a museum anywhere.

And that particular thought almost made him stop in the middle of the road to turn back around.

Almost.

Alas, he was miles from where he left you, with no plans of going back any time soon.

Despite the seemingly slim chance of him ever seeing you again, he couldn’t help but smirk to himself. He knew that you both would cross paths eventually.

You always did.

And when he pictured “eventually”, he imagined in a few months, maybe a year. Definitely not in a few seconds.

Popping up from the back seat, you laughed, “Are you singing the Cruella De Vil song?”

Swerving at your unexpected appearance, the thief hit the breaks before he ran off the barren road.

Twisting around to face you, Leonard hissed, “What-”

“Ah, ah, ah,” you wagged your finger in his face, “You didn’t answer my question.”

“How did you get-”

“If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will,” you sang.

He scoffed as you ignored him before continuing, “To see her is to take a sudden chill- wait, are you singing about me?!”

The cold-themed villain in question opened his mouth to argue however you bounced in your seat and persisted, “Oh my god! You were singing about me!”

He rolled his eyes at your conclusion, not denying it as you flug yourself onto him, “Oh Leo!” you dramatically gasped, “I knew you weren’t giving me the cold shoulder!”

Shrugging you off of him, you fell into the passenger seat before pulling yourself upright. Crossing your legs, you tapped on the dashboard, “Fine. Don’t admit it, I already know the truth.”

The infamous Captain Cold only glared at you in response before starting up the car again.

Looking at him expectantly, you hummed, “So… where to next?”

Glancing at you with a surprisingly unbothered expression, Leonard chuckled, “Anywhere you want.”

Grinning at his answer, you started listing off all the places you’d been meaning to visit, mostly for thievery but there were some romantic locations sprinkled in too.

The diamond had been long forgotten after it was discarded into the backseat, as you two had no reason to create false pretenses to see each other anymore.

Driving down the road, you smiled in your seat at your suddenly-created plans. Noticing Leonard’s hand lying on the armrest, you shyly took it into yours, looking out the window to avoid his gaze.

Wrapping his fingers around yours, Leo accepted your hand, gently squeezing it without diverting his attention from the road.

And despite his cold expression, he smiled to himself at the affection, secretly pleased with how things turned out.

Butterflies erupted in your stomach at his touch, beaming towards the door. After being alone in your thievery for so long, you had finally found someone, and you smiled.

Hearing the door to the speed lab open, you quickly wiped away your tears, knowing that there was no time for someone to comfort you while Nora’s life was on the line.

“Hey, they think they found Nora,” Caitlin spoke.

Sniffling, you hoped that she wouldn’t pick up on your silent distress. However, the doctor who would end up adopting you was smarter than that.

Walking closer towards you, Caitlin stopped before she breached your personal space but the comfort exuding from her was able to reach you as it had done so often during your childhood.

“I’m not sure how much you know about the people we’ve faced, but Barry has fought Thawne a million times before, he’s not going to lose now. Especially not with your help.”

Although you thought it was impossible given the current situation, you were able to slightly smile at her words.

“Thanks, I just… know that the Reverse-Flash always has a plan. But hopefully we’re able to stop it.”

She nodded before assuring, “We always do.”

With one last smile, Caitlin led you to the cortex where the rest of Team Flash were finalizing their plan.

“Good, you’re here,” Barry spoke, his form tense and his arms crossed, “We’re suiting up, I’ll meet you at Thawnes location.”

And with that, he ran off in a trail of lightning.

You and the Scarlet Speedster hadn’t exchanged many words, him more occupied with getting to know his daughter. You had however had more contact with Iris, mostly her needing your advice on how to get back onto Nora’s good side.

But when you did speak with Barry, he seemed less than trusting of you. Something you attributed to the story you told everyone of how you got your speed in a freak laboratory accident.

His skepticism of your fib was particularly ironic because that’s how he got his powers.

First, you silently cursed Oliver Queen’s remarkable training methods upon noticing the doubt cast across Barry’s face when you originally told the tale.

Secondly, you decided to step away from the team’s focus for the rest of your trip. Letting Nora tell them of the future meant less of a chance they would be able to pick up on your dishonesty.

Glancing at the computer monitor, you quickly memorized the coordinates of where they traced Thawne to. Without wasting another second, you followed behind Barry to finally do what you came to 2018 for. To stop the Reverse-Flash, and now, to get your girlfriend back.

Usually, running was what made you feel free… liberated, even.

After everything that happened in your childhood and despite your father’s master scheming, you were the one who was free to run until your legs gave out.

But now, there you were, chasing after your father again as he held another part of your life hostage. You just hoped that Nora wouldn’t have to be buried in your heart next to your mother.

As you ran, you looked through the lightning surrounding you and the sight made you trip over your own feet and tumble to the ground.

Seeing you fall, Barry called out your name, worried that something happened to you or that Thawne had attacked.

His concern went unheard as you examined your surroundings once more. Even rubbing your eyes to make sure you weren’t hallucinating from the stress the last few days has put you under.

Blinking hard, you felt your breathing get heavier as your vision was confirmed. You could almost see your mother’s lifeless body falling off the very same dock in front of you, helplessly splashing into the water after your father shredded through her heart.

As if cement filled your legs, your knees felt stuck to the ground as you vaguely registered a yellow suit speed into view. Recreating a perfect image of what happened to you sixteen years ago when you were only ten years old.

Eye’s glowing red, the Reverse-Flash held Nora up by her neck, her already bloodied body limp in the air as the man you hated to call your dad prepared to make her suffer the exact same fate as your mom.

“Nora!” you screamed, horrified at what he had already done to her.

Stumbling to your feet, you tried to push down the memories of how you had failed the last time you had been faced with this situation. Granted, you were only a child. But the stakes were the same, if not higher.

“Thawne,” Barry yelled, his voice threatening to crack upon seeing the state of his daughter, “Let her go, she isn’t the one you want. Your fight has always been with me.”

Ignoring the scarlet speedster, Eobard kept his eyes on you as he taunted, “Familiar isn’t it? This dock, our family together. And to think, Nora would have made such a great daughter-in-law.”

At his words, Barry’s eyebrows visibly furrowed in confusion underneath his suit. But he chose not to address it as he demanded, “Enough games Thawne, this ends today!”

The Reverse-Flash let out a sadistic chuckle as he lifted Nora off the ground once more and made his opposite hand vibrate.

Your heart stopped in your chest and you only heard ringing in your head as he lifted his speeding hand up to your girlfriend. Instantly acting to save his daughter, Barry raced to grab Nora.

However Thawne had expected the hero’s movement and was able to throw Barry to the ground, his pulsating hand no doubt injuring the man as he groaned out in pain.

Returning his attention to you, your father viscously grinned at you and your helplessness to do anything, again.

Nora stirred conscious and was able to lift her eyes up to meet yours despite her injured state.

Your eyes didn’t leave hers as she mouthed the words you were so used to hearing from her, albeit in much happier situations, “I love you.”

A sob broke past your lips when you tried to do the same, but instead of grief, anger engulfed you when instead of being red from tears, your eyes glowed in fury.

The only thing you felt was rage against your father which you channeled into speed coursing through your veins, and when his vibrating hand was barely a centimeter away from her back, you could only scream, “Get away from her!”

Before Thawne took another breath, you had jerked Nora out of his clutches, narrowly avoiding shredding yourself.

Feeling the power in you dissipate, Barry and Thawne could only blankly stare at what happened, it all going down at a speed not even they could comprehend.

From somewhere behind you, Frost had emerged and shot upgraded nanites at the Reverse Flash, them having been altered to not only disable a speedster’s powers but also knock them out.

You vaguely registered Thawne slumping to the ground and being taken away, but you and Barry’s focus was on Nora and her unresponsive state.

Shaking her, the tears running down your face prevented you from speaking in clear sentences, “N-Nora… babe, please. Please just open your eyes.”

Not quite doing as much as you requested, your girlfriend slightly stirred, causing you and the scarlet speedster to simultaneously breathe out sighs of relief.

Pulling her from your grip, Barry lifted Nora off the ground, “Thank you… but I have it from here.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you opened your mouth to object and insist you be the one to take her back to S.T.A.R. Labs. But before you could get any words out, he gestured to someone behind you and you felt a prick in your neck before everything went dark.

▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣

When you opened your eyes, you had to squint under the bright fluorescent lights that illuminated the blue-tiled cell. Wobbly rising from the ground, you pressed yourself onto the walls in a daze, your mind taking longer than usual to piece together where you were.

Knowing something was wrong, you saw a device on your arm, lined up with your vein, sticking into your skin. And you guessed that the device was the reason behind your dizzy state and absence of speed.

You felt your breathing quicken as your head snapped to the sound of a door being opened behind the glass of your cell. However at the sight of your girlfriend, you slightly calmed as you slurred, “Nora…”

Her father trailed after her with his arms crossed and an unreadable expression cast across his face.

Putting a hand on the glass, Nora explained, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

You didn’t return her gesture as your knees struggled to support your body and you slumped to the ground. “Tell you w-what?” you slurred, trying to be serious but you couldn’t gather the energy.

“About your father.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah.”

You gulped, leaning your back against the glass, “Well, I guess that I just didn’t think it would end well for us. Our dad’s being mortal enemies and all.”

“Were you ever going to tell me?” she asked, Barry watching intently.

You shrugged, “I didn’t really think it mattered.”

At that, Barry cut it, “Of course it matters, you’ve been communicating with him, haven’t you? How else did you know to come here?”

You narrowed your eyes, turning to meet the speedster’s gaze, “I’ve been keeping tabs on him. But before today, I hadn’t said a word to him in fifteen years.

Before you and her father could argue further, Nora spoke, “We’re releasing you.”

“With a couple conditions,” Barry added.

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Releasing me from what? I saved you.”

“It’s to keep Thawne from tricking you like he did me,” Nora clarified.

At your silence, Barry continued, “First, you have to immediately go back to the future, and you can’t come back.”

Turning to Nora, you asked, “And you’re staying here?”

“Only for a little bit,” she assured, “Then I’ll be right back with you.”

“Okay…” you hesitantly agreed, “And secondly?”

“You’ll stop tracking Thawne and eliminate all contact with him, one-sided or otherwise,” Barry ordered.

You scoffed, “The only reason I was able to stop his plan was because I was keeping an eye on him. Do you seriously think he’ll just stop scheming?”

“No. But there are people in the future who I’ve asked to watch him, a Legion of sorts.”

“And you think this Legion will be able to stop him?”

“They’ve faced far worse than a speedster.”

Pausing, you deeply sighed before looking at your girlfriend. At her pleading eyes, you gave in. “Fine.”

Pressing the buttons to free you from your cell, the glass opened up and you felt the device on your arm disable to allow your speed to flow freely through you.

Nodding at you, Barry spoke, “Thank you for helping us, your powers are definitely impressive.”

Giving him a tight-lipped smile, you returned his nod before he walked away, leaving you and Nora alone.

“Hey,” Nora said, gaining your attention, “I don’t care what my dad or anyone else might think, you aren’t like Eobard and I need you.”

Smiling at her, you leaned in to press a kiss on her lips and her hands found their way to the back of your neck to pull you in.

“I love you,” you muttered against her mouth.

Grinning, she repeated, “I love you.”

After a moment, you pulled away from her and stood up, your energy returned and ready to make good on your promise.

Giving her a hug before you left, you breathed, “Well, I’ll see you back home I guess.”

Nora chuckled, “It’ll feel like I’ve been away for years.”

You dryly laughed at her humor before giving her one last kiss on the cheek.

Letting your nano-tech suit form, you winked at your girlfriend before setting off, letting time blur together around you as you ran past years and years of events.

Finally coming to a stop in the 2049 apartment you shared with Nora, you looked around to see if anything had noticeably changed.

Nothing had immediately caught your attention and you thought that you had successfully time traveled without disturbing the timeline. However upon taking a closer look at pictures around the living room, you noticed a sparkly gem around your finger that hadn’t been there before.

Picking up a picture frame, you admired the photo of you joyfully posing with Nora, your hand showing off a diamond engagement ring. Sure enough, when placing the frame back down, the ring was lying on the coffee table.

Putting the jewel on your finger, you smiled to yourself as you imagined the future you would have with your now fiance. Team Flash would definitely tell you otherwise, but maybe the consequences of time-travel weren’t always so bad.

He opened and closed his mouth, searching for an answer that would accurately convey his thoughts, “Jon is… well, Jon. City guy, football quarterback-”

You interrupted him, pointing your finger on his chest, “You’re a football player too! Not that it matters, but you’re legit now! If I hadn’t met you when I did then girls would’ve been lined up at your door.”

He gave you an incredulous look and deadpanned, “I don’t think a girl has even looked at me before living in Smallville.”

You shrugged, “Middle school doesn’t count, everyone’s too busy with pimples and hormones to notice the guys that matter.”

Standing up off the couch, Jordan ascended up the stairs going to his room as you followed closely behind.

After knowing the Kents for years and your family often visiting them in Metropolis, you being in Jordan’s room whenever you were over was natural and neither of your parents really minded. Plus, his father had super-hearing so what was the most you both could really get away with?

Walking up the staircase, Jordan asked, “Even if I believed you, you’ve known me for years, I’m pretty sure even the middle school bullies knew that we’d end up together.”

Before you could confirm his thoughts, Jordan tumbled up the remaining stairs with his hands clutching his head as he groaned in pain.

“Jordan!” you yelled, kneeling down to where he was shriveled on the floor.

His eyes were clenched shut as you screamed, “Jon!”

The older twin entered the hallway at your cry and quickly came over towards you when he saw his brother’s pained state.

“Hey, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, hey-”

“I think someone’s trying to kill dad,” Jordan gasped, clutching his head.

Unanimously, you and Jonathan exclaimed, “What?”

“Where?” Jonathan also asked.

“I-I don’t know, I can kind of hear him-” Jordan explained before wincing in pain.

Propping yourself under his shoulder, you helped him up as Jonathan ran down the stairs to get the keys.

“Can you take us to him?” you asked.

“What?!” he yelled, before grimacing at his own noise. He then whispered, “What are we going to do? What if you get hurt?”

You opened and closed your mouth before shrugging. You knew what you’d do if you got hurt, draw power from something else to heal yourself. But you had yet to tell Jordan of your own superpowers.

You had meant to tell him when he told you that his dad was superman, him waiting a grand total of three hours before telling you. But he had seemed so distraught about the secret that you didn’t want to add to his trouble.

Instead of revealing yourself in that already stressful moment, you helped him into the truck, “I’ll be fine.”

You sat in the middle of the brothers as Jonathan started the engine before accidentally making the vehicle lurch forward, adding to his twin’s suffering.

At the sudden movement, you grabbed Jordan’s shoulders to prevent him from jolting too much. “Do you even know how to drive?!” you ‘screamed’ in a hushed whisper.

“Not really!”

You braced yourself with both hands on the dashboard as Jordan urged his brother, “Okay, you’re gonna have to go faster, alright!”

“Jordan, I’ve only ever driven mom’s car before!” Jonathan defended, his hands clenching the steering wheel as he tried to control the truck in the pouring rain, “Please just tell me which way to go.”

Doubling over in pain, Jordan groaned, “It’s so loud.”

Your hands immediately went to his as you tried to help him.

“Hey, hey, Jordan look at me,” you pleaded as Jordan’s scared eyes met your own, “Just try to do what you did earlier- when you were listening to me and Jon at school. Please, please just do that.”

Jordan winced again as his breathing quickened.

“Jordan, please focus. Please!” Jonathan begged.

The superpowered twin grabbed onto your hand as he squeezed it while he tried to find some clarity in his mind. You grinded your teeth together at your boyfriend’s subconscious use of superstrength before closing your own eyes.

Feeling a spark of electricity nearby, you pulled it towards you as your hand faintly simmered red while the pain disappeared. The streetlights around you flickered as you drew energy from them, not that the Kent brother’s noticed in the midst of all the chaos.

Jordan’s eyes shot open and he released his grip on your hand as he rapidly pointed to the left, “That way, that way!”

Sharply turning the truck onto a different road, you noticed a barn up ahead with red light radiating from it.

“Over there!” you pointed as Jonathan headed towards the building.

As you approached, you were all able to see the stranger Lois and Clark had been hunting for the past few days through the wide open barn doors.

Pressing his foot on the pedal, Jonathan accelerated towards the man.

Your eyes widened at the increased speed and you grabbed his shoulder, “What are you doing! Do you see that thing he’s holding!”

Jonathan shook his head, “Dad’s in trouble!”

Before you or Jordan could further protest, the truck collided with the man who was moments away from killing the Man of Steel. You jerked forwards as the stranger was thrown back and the hammer was flung out of his hand.

Upon impact, Jordan’s hand grabbed the handle on the car’s ceiling and his arm wrapped around your shoulder to prevent you from hitting your head on the dashboard.

When the truck came to a stop, you all stumbled out of the vehicle and you tried not to throw up at the quickness of everything.

“The-the light’s.” Clark groaned, struggling to pick himself up off the floor.

Pulling the hammer off of the ground, Jonathan turned towards the machine producing the red sun lights and brought the weapon down on it, effectively smashing the machine.

However the destruction of the device only made the lamps briefly flicker before they came back on, even brighter than before.

Clark and Jordan unanimously cried out in pain at the intensity of the lights as they fell to the ground. You urgently fell to Jordan’s side as you cradled his withering form.

Jonathan went to his father as he pleaded, “Dad, Dad! What do we do?! Please, dad, what do we do?!”

Pulling himself off the ground, the man darkly chuckled, “I always have a back-up plan.”

Feeling tears prick the corners of your eyes, you closed your eyes as you felt the energy from your surroundings bubble up inside of you.

Drawing power from the lights, you wobbled up off the ground as the veins in your hands glowed red and a matching shimmer made its way up your arm.

The man was faced away from you and focused on Superman, unable to see your powers activate and the danger he was in.

Grabbing the hammer from off the ground, the man lifted it up to bring it down on the Kent’s as you made the lights shut off and screamed, “Don’t you dare!”

With power drawn into your hand, you punched the stranger and he crumbled to the ground, leaving you to meet the wide eyes of Jonathan Kent and the groggy eyes of his father and brother.

The simmer from your hands faded as you directed the remaining energy from the lights into Jordan and Clark.

The two superpowered aliens sighed in relief before they realized what happened. Lois emerged from the side of the barn as she yelled, “What was that?!”

“Yeah!” Jonathan agreed, “You have powers?!”

You shyly smiled, “Surprise?”

Helping pull Jordan up while Jonathan helped his dad, you explained, “I was going to tell you but then everything happened and well… I don’t know, I promise I was going to do it later though.”

Jordan smiled at you as he softly bumped his shoulder against yours, “Well at least I’m not the only one at our school with superpowers now.”

Jonathan huffed, “Yeah, but I’m probably the only one without them.”

You all chuckled as Clark offered you his hand to shake, “Well thank you for the assist. Hopefully your expert use of powers can help Jordan.”

“Hey! I’m trying my best.”

Laughing at the youngest twin, you all headed towards your respective vehicles and Clark went to pick up the stranger’s unconscious form.

“Wait,” you stopped in your tracks, “Who’s going to drive back?”

Jordan started to raise his hand before Lois cut in, “Nope, no way. You all are coming with me. Clark can bring the truck back later.”

Jordan slumped over in disappointment as he dragged his feet to Lois’ car. “Fine,” he huffed.

Jonathan scoffed, “Do you seriously think that you’d do a better job at driving than me?”

“Think? I know I would, not that you did well to begin with.”

“Oh, please. I got us here in the pouring rain while you were collapsed in the corner-”

The two twins continued bickering as you all crammed into the backseat of Lois’ car. You were unfortunately stuck in the middle of them and their argument, again.

But despite the constant disagreements between the twins, you found it in yourself to smile at how things turned out, glad that you were finally able to tell Jordan your secret.

Holding his hand in yours, Jordan briefly stopped screaming at Jonathan and smiled at you, and you couldn’t help but grin back.

Sure, not all secrets turn out the best when revealed, but this surprise was definitely for the better.

As if Chester could sense that his future wife was irritated, the engineer entered the speed lab, ready to diffuse the situation.

“What’s going on?” he asked, seeing Allegra’s visible anger and you frantically trying to defend yourself.

“Nothing!” you urged, “I was just leaving actually.”

You had always idealized your parent’s relationship,which is why you didn’t trust yourself to be in the room with them together without spilling the news. However, your avoidance of them caused you to coincidentally leave every time Chester entered, which understandably hurt the more sensitive man’s feelings.

“Well, bye… I guess,” Chester muttered, and for a second you wanted to stay and explain everything, which was all the more reason for you to leave.

Just as you were about to exit, red lights turned on and an alarm blared through the speakers. Recognizing the sound, you immediately closed the doors to the speed lab and ran back to Chester and Allegra.

“What is that?!” your mom yelled over the deafening noise.

While pulling out his tablet, Chester replied in a similarly loud voice, “The prisoner alarm! One of the Godspeeds must have broken out of their cell!”

Covering your ears, you asked, “Where are they now?!”

Clicking buttons on his pad, Chester audibly gulped before turning to the door and pointing.

Just as he gestured, you saw a vibrating figure emerge from the locked door as the escaped Godspeed phased through the wall.

Without hesitation, you immediately activated your powers, channeling energy from Allegra and Chester to create a black hole. Just a second before the Godspeed could run over to you all, you used a UV blast to throw the attacker into the void.

Closing the portal, the alarm stopped when it could no longer sense the presence of the escapee. You braced yourself against the wall after the large exertion of energy, breathing heavily from using both powers simultaneously.

Bringing your eyes over to your parents, their mouths were agape after what they had just witnessed, and your brain was already in overdrive trying to come up with an excuse. After all, you couldn’t admit that your powers came from genetics.

“What was that?!” they simultaneously yelled, understandably shocked and even more confused about you than before.

“Um,” you stumbled, nervously scratching the back of your neck, “I can uh… copy other people’s powers… yeah. I just channel your energy through me and bam, I can make black holes and blast ultraviolet rays.”

Before your future parents could ask more questions, the West-Allen family along with the rest of Team Flash appeared at the speed lab’s entrance, no doubt coming to assist you with the threat.

“Ultraviolet!” Nora yelled, not knowing you had already handled the Godspeed.

You gave her a weak smile, “Yeah, yeah. The speedster escaped, I dealt with it.”

“Wait, wait, your codename is Ultraviolet?” Allegra fumed, crossing her arms.

Letting out a small, nervous laugh at how badly things had fallen apart in the last ten minutes, you nodded.

Before you could further explain, Barry cut it, “What do you mean by ‘dealt with’”

You held up your hands and quickly backtracked, “No, no. Not like ‘dealt with’, I mean… he’s not dead.”

“She black-holed him!” Chester interjected.

“Yes!” you agreed, “Well, kind of.”

“You kind of black holed him?” Iris asked, her suspicion mirroring Allegra’s.

You nodded, “I also used an ultraviolet blast. I can copy people’s powers.”

At your words, everyone relaxed, seeming to believe your explanation. You smiled to yourself and Bart and Nora slyly fist-bumped at you all’s success in maintaining the timeline.

Just as you almost got away with it, Caitlin spoke up, “So it has nothing to do with you being their daughter?”

Your shoulders dropped, similar to Allegra and Chester’s jaws.

You probably could have played it off, but your awkward pause after the doctor’s statement only confirmed her words.

Feeling the pressure in your head increase, your breathing grew heavier as the room was silenced. You didn’t know how the heroes around you would react, but the suspense was killing you to see if you had ruined your relationship with your parents before it even began.

Bart nervously chuckled, “Ha ha, wow, that’s a good one doc.”

Nora shook her head at her brother, nonverbally saying that the jig was up and despite their best efforts, the timeline was even more damaged.

“A sample of your blood was obtained from the Godspeed war,” Caitlin explained, “When put into our system, it automatically matched with Chester and Allegra’s.”

“You-You’re our- We…?” Chester stuttered, trailing off while Allegra’s face turned a concerning shade of red.

You slowly nodded, “In the future, yeah.”

Allegra’s expression remained blank, contrasting Chester’s shock, as she heavily exhaled, “I need some air.”

As she left the room, you watched your mother exit with an aura of confusion and frustration. But despite your brain telling you to follow, your gut made the better choice of staying where you were.

“I’m going to go check on her…” Chester trailed off as he similarly left the room, avoiding your eyes when you for once tried to meet his.

With your silence, the rest of Team Flash dispersed, leaving only you and your girlfriend in the speed lab.

“So…” Nora began, “That did not turn out how we thought it would.”

You felt your legs go numb, but before you could give in and sink to the ground, Nora sped over and caught you.

Wrapping her arms around you, she warmly embraced you, “Hey, hey, I know you weren’t able to break the news as you wanted, but at least it’s out in the open now.”

Returning her hug, you felt tears prick the corners of your eyes as you sniffled, “They hate me now, even more than before!”

“Well we won’t leave until we change that,” Nora insisted. “In fact, I bet that they’ll come around before my mom and dad’s vow renewal.”

Looking up from where you were crying on her shoulder you asked your girlfriend, “Really, you think so?”

Pressing a quick kiss on your cheek, she assured, “I know so.”

Before you could blink, Nora had speed away and back, so she could offer you a tissue.

Chuckling at her casual use of powers, you accepted the paper with a small, “Thank you,” before wiping the tears from your eyes.

Just as you were able to collect yourself, Chester and Allegra appeared at the glass doors, looking less angry than before. And you hoped they were ready to listen and maybe even willing to talk to you.

With one last kiss on the cheek, Nora sped out the room, no doubt going to watch from the monitors in the cortex.

“Um, hey,” you started, not really sure what else to say.

“Hi,” Allegra spoke, “Sorry for running out… I just had a lot on my mind.”

You nodded, “Yeah, yeah. Definitely.”

Looking at your mother, you didn’t know what else to say, her usually leading the conversations you had in the future. However, she didn’t seem to possess that particular trait yet, causing Chester to speak up.

“We came to apologize.”

You shook your head, “No, no. It’s my fault really-”

Cutting in, Chester insisted, “We shouldn’t have been so cold to you, even before we knew you were our… daughter.”

“Yeah, we should have gotten to know you better, daughter or not,” Allegra agreed.

You smiled at your parents and the scene of all of you together. Happy in one room, and you could sense that the future would remain, unaltered.

Glancing at his future wife before turning his attention back to you, Chester asked, “We were wondering if you would like to come to Barry and Iris’ vow renewal with us… as a family.”

“Then after we could maybe go get dinner and talk some more, with us actually listening this time,” Allegra added.

You grinned at your future parents, all your worries now a distant memory, “I would love that.”

Instead, a hologram flickered to life and demanded the attention of your kidnapper.

“My son, let us not injure such a crucial element of our mission before we have even started,” the man spoke, causing your eyes to shoot open in surprise at the stranger intervening on your behalf.

Tal-Rho was equally surprised at his father’s request, although for the opposite reason. He had never known his father to be so merciful, especially to someone refusing to follow his orders. But then again, Tal-Rho supposed that he had never really known his father.

The hologram then turned its attention to you, his eyes observing your form in an inquisitive manner.

“I have to admit, I have never met a being such as yourself in person before,” he noted before looking down at his intangible form, “Although, the statement does remain true due to my current circumstance.”

You remained uninterested in whatever the alien had to say, and Zeta-Rho took your unsympathetic expression as a prompt to get to the point.

“However you… you are extraordinary. Child, your mere blood retains more power than Superman himself. You are the key to achieving our goal of restoring Krypton to its former glory. And you will be a hero to the strongest planet in the universe.”

Not batting an eye at his unfounded praise, you reminded yourself that no promise in the multiverse would make you betray your friends.

You refused to have your last memory of Jordan be his horrified face helplessly watching as you were taken out of the wrecked vehicle and him desperately calling out your name. You had to get out of there.

You had to get back to him.

Channeling the fiercest glare you could manage, you silently made it clear that you wouldn’t be helping Zeta-Rho or his son with any of their malicious plans. The only thing preventing you from voicing your defiance was the fear your voice would waver and give away your true fear.

Shrugging at your decision, Zeta-Rho turned to his son and gestured to the floor. “I admit, your resistance is disappointing. I originally didn’t wish to use such severe methods to convince you. However it would be a lie to say that I won’t enjoy bringing one of the most powerful beings in the universe to her knees.”

Pulling you up by the forearm only to throw you back on the ground in front of Zeta-Rho, Tal-Rho stepped backwards and out of the way to observe as his father went through with his threat.

Bracing yourself on the ground, you shrunk into a fetal position and clenched your teeth in an attempt to protect yourself from the incoming pain.

In your panicked state, you didn’t notice the burning corner of your mind, aching to be let out and release the chaos that was inside of you.

When the red beam hit your skin, you screamed at the agonizing pain. And without even realizing… you let go.

▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣

Groggily opening your eyes, you furrowed your eyebrows when you saw debris from the lair surrounding you. Examining your body, your confusion was only heightened when you saw your unblemished skin, despite being able to swear that it was being torn off of you less than a minute ago.

Hearing the rumble of vehicles in the distance, you turned to see the source of the noise and saw dozens of military vehicles approaching.

Trying to piece together what happened for when they inevitably asked, you only remembered your desperation for the pain to stop when you felt power engulf you… and everything else apparently.

A thud landed on the ground behind you and you quickly pivoted with your hands up defensively, not quite sure how to use your powers but threatening nonetheless.

However your posture instantly relaxed and a smile spread across your face when you saw Jordan Kent and his uniformed father.

“Jordan,” you sighed in relief, letting your legs run to him.

He enveloped you in a hug as his arms locked around your body, not wanting to let you go again.

“Oh my god, I thought something happened to you,” he exclaimed, finally releasing you.

Speaking up from behind you both, Superman asked, “What happened here?”

As the military vehicles parked around you, General Lane approached upon hearing Clark’s question, him having a similar one.

“Well, I-uh,” you trailed off, nervously scratching behind your neck as you once again examined the scene around you. “Morgan Edge brought me here… well, before all this. And the hologram guy tried using the red light thing on me… and then, this happened.”

“You did this?” the General questioned with an eyebrow raised, wondering how a freshman in highschool managed to destroy a kryptonian base.

“Yeah,” Jordan said, agreeing with his grandfather’s question before gesturing to all the damage, “This is… a lot. Even for a kryptonian or any other superpower alien.”

You shrugged, “Well according to him, I’m not kryptonian.”

“What are you then?” Superman asked.

Once again shrugging, you absentmindedly kicked a rock away before answering, “Just powerful I guess.”

General Lane dryly chuckled, “That’d be quite the underestatement young lady.”

From afar, one of the soldiers called out, “Found him, he’s unconscious!”

Looking over at the commotion, Tal-Rho’s unmoving form was being pulled out of the rubble by a couple soldiers and locked into kryptonite cuffs.

Turning back towards you, the General held out his hand for you to shake, “Well on behalf of the United States and the world, thank you for your heroic bravery in stopping one of the most dangerous kryptonians since Reign.”

You smiled as you took his hand, “I honestly don’t quite know what I did, but I’m glad that I could help.”

General Lane walked away, probably to sort out the government’s reaction to the matter and call off whatever kryptonite weapon he was planning to use against Tal-Rho.

Walking up to you, Clark spoke, “Now that you know you have a power like this, you need to be able to control it.”

You frowned, looking down at your hands which still had a blue tint in them, “I didn’t even know I had powers a few hours ago. How am I supposed to do this again?”

Perking up from beside you, Jordan sensed where his dad was going with the conversation and interjected, “Training! You can train with me!”

Clark chuckled at his son’s enthusiasm before nodding, “I’m already teaching Jordan how to use his powers, I’d be happy to show you too.”

Jordan’s excitement must have been contagious because you similarly grinned, “I would love that.”

Nodding at your agreement, Clark continued, “Great, now we should probably get you home, we don’t want too many people seeing you here.”

Jordan added, “Superhero 101, no one can know your secret.”

“Mysterious,” you remarked.

Pausing while his father momentarily left you both, Jordan breathed, “I… I’m happy you’re okay. More than happy even. I was so worried that something bad happened to you and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

You placed a hand comfortingly on his arm, “Well, try not to think about it so much. As long as I have anything to do with it, you’ll always have me.”

Jordan softly smiled before repeating, “Always.”

Walking back over, Clark held his arms out for you both to hold on to, “Ready to go?”

Glancing at Jordan, you both exchanged warm smiles as you replied, “Yeah, I’m ready to go home.”