I had an idea about another story and wanted to test it out. It started with me thinking of crossovers that many don't usually think about and the this hit me. Immediately, I made up a cover photo for this story, before I even set to work on the story and I fell in love with the idea even more. I hope you also check it out.

Important side note! This story will start off slow and with cover their childhood. I know, I would love to jump into the young adult version as well but think about it for a second, okay? Have you come across a Flash Story that had childhood background that wasn't brought in the show? Yes, this story will follow the Flash time frame more often than not - disclaimer is covered in my bio - but I wanted this story to have depth. To be different. Otherwise, what is the point in writing a story of your own if it's all been done before? So those that want to continue, I thank you for reading this and hope that you like it.

Title: Bird set free (It was titled 'Carousel' but then I listened to Sia again, so...)

Rating: T for now.

Romance. Suspense. Humor. Adventure. Hurt&Comfort. Soulmate identification marks. Character death. Adoption.

Full Summary: From the very moment that Barry Allen set his sights on Bonnie West, he knew that she would be it for him. He had known of her, witnessing her smile from afar and wishing that he was given the chance to be the reason behind it. Sooner rather than later, tragedy happens and young Barry Allen was forced to move into the West home. Iris, the slightly older West sister, is beautiful sure but that isn't who Barry has his eye on. The one that Barry was certain, even at young age, that he would make sure remained happy... even if it wasn't with him. Years later, the strange is redefined. Barry Allen may be the the fastest man alive... but that doesn't mean that he is the only one who isn't normal.

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Chapter 1: Enough

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She's smiling again. The thought came almost immediately to a boy with the dark brown messy hair that he inherited from his father and hazel eyes from his mother, watching her again from the other side of the lunch room. His full name was Bartholomew Henry Allen, but thankfully almost everyone called him Barry. He hated his first name but at least he had a say in choosing his nickname, but right now it wasn't about him. It was about the one girl in his fifth grade class that had a pair of green eyes that shined with a million stars and a cheeky smile that reflected the sun. Her hair looked darker than midnight against her smooth chocolate skin tone. Her name? Bonnie West.

She too was eleven years old and seemed to be as caring as she was when they met in the first grade. He didn't really speak to her though, not that he didn't want to but he was too shy to talk to her. She made friends with just about everyone, people seeming to move toward her gentle spirit long after Barry himself first noticed it. She was different than most, the only person that was close to Bonnie was her sister, Iris West. But Iris's attitude didn't remind him of a mother's would. She wasn't like Bonnie, who tried to help anyone that she could.

Barry, on some level, knew that Bonnie was aware of his stares but the girl chose not to draw attention to it. To make him feel like he shouldn't do it anymore or otherwise, it didn't seem to bother her… maybe because he wasn't rude about it like Tony Woodward was. Which was about everything that Tony Woodward did, oh how Barry hated the bigger boy that tormented him. He wished he could be stronger; to stand against Woodward and get Bonnie's attention, but after watching Bonnie ignoring Tony's existence… Barry quickly realized something that most teenagers forgot. It wasn't about how strong you were, because Tony Woodward had that in spades; it was about connecting with the person. Maybe it was that easy. Maybe it was more than having the biggest muscles, maybe it was about your heart… and if that didn't work out in Barry's favor he wasn't sure what would.

Barry wouldn't know if she was his soulmate until his mark finally came in his teen years, less than five year away... if that. Still, something urged him to get to know Bonnie, know by heart what she liked and disliked.

...If only he could bring himself to say 'Hi.'

Quicker than half of him hoped, the opportunity rose to talk to Bonnie only a couple days after he had these thoughts. He was walking down the crowded hallway, taking his time to get to math since it was a class that Tony was in, when Bonnie turned the corner and they both accidentally bumped into each other. Hard. His forehead smacked into hers and he wondered if her teeth were nearly vibrating from the hit like his own was.

The papers she held close to her chest dropped as well but at first all he could do was revel in how close she was to him; closer than she ever had been before. Her short hair looked shinier for some reason and the outfit she had on was more for comfort than of style, the opposite of what he had seen from the other girls starting with the 'recent fashion trend' even at their age. Which still didn't make any sense to him, and when girls overheard that they always had the same response, "Boys." As if because he was a boy, he didn't understand why people fussed over that now. Maybe they were right.

Barry shook his head to clear away his thoughts and followed her down to the ground, ignoring some of the snickering students around them at what happened in favor of helping her pick up her papers. "Oh, I am so sorry." He blurted out the apology and he swiftly picked up the majority of the papers, leaving her to only grab the two that she beat him to. The sheet of top of the pile Barry held caught his eye, there - in what could only be her handwriting if the cursive writing at the top was anything to go by - was long division. The kind that was about five inches long into a single digit number and seeing it left him in awe. Smart, not many in our class got the hang of it yet.

"It's okay. Really, it was more my fault than yours." She grinned at him gently and offered a hand to take the papers, though it was more to introduce herself he would find only five seconds later. "I'm Bonnie."

I know. Barry thought in immediate response though he made sure he didn't say it out loud. He rightfully guessed it would be creepy and wanted to continue talking to her. So he made sure to talk to her with the respect that would make his mother proud of him if she could see him now. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Barry. Barry Allen." He reached out and shook her hand, almost pulling back when an electric shock danced from her palm to his. It was curious how she jumped a little in response to the shock but didn't pull her hand out of his gentle grip. Her hand was so warm in his. And oh my God, I am actually speaking to her! "Did you do this?" After she gave him a curious look, he quickly raised the pile to draw her attention away from his blushing cheeks.

"Oh, yeah." Bonnie blinked and with her own blush dusting her cheeks, she reached her free hand to rub her neck in a show of embarrassment; forcing him to finally let go of the hand that he had been still holding. "If only Social Studies was that easy." She started to pout but quickly seemed to catch herself, "Wait… Allen? As in Henry Allen?" He nodded his head softly and watched as she smiled brightly at him, blinded once again. "He is a friend of my dad's."

"I know." He finally released that one thought from before, just making sure that it didn't come off the wrong way, and paired these two words with a quick smile. She must think of him as dork, standing as lanky as he was with his bright red backpack that clipped in the front like a child. "Dad talks about Mr. West and his family all the time."

"Funny how we never met each other before then." Bonnie seemed to think out loud, her voice fading softly at the thought. Barry's smile dimmed a little in response; yeah, funny. He tried to smother his sigh as he handed back the papers to her.

"Aren't you going to Mrs. Hartman's class?" He asked her quietly, because he was pretty sure she was going the wrong way and didn't want to make fun of her. Bonnie was smart of course, but that does not necessarily mean that the girl liked Math. No one that wasn't an alien liked math. The fact that someone would choose to teach math as a job spoke for itself, Barry thought. So maybe she was doing like he was doing, taking the longest amount of time to get there?

"Yeah, actually I am taking a shortcut. I don't really like math but it's better than walking in the classroom with Tony Woodward following close to me." And that? Barry couldn't argue with, especially when he heard the disgruntled tone in her voice. It seemed Bonnie didn't like Tony either. Bonnie seemed to hesitate for a couple seconds before looking at him, "Would you like to come with me, Barry?"

Before he even knew what he was doing, Barry's head was nodding in acceptance. His vision shifted up and down at her question; he couldn't seem to get it to stop but as her expression went from that hesitation to showing how pleased she was with the company… with him… Barry couldn't regret it.

Yes, Barry Allen was eleven years old and as such, didn't quite know what love was yet. He could see it every time his father looked at his mother, or vice versa, but didn't know what it felt like to feel it for himself. However as Barry hobbled along with her with his backpack bouncing from his movements, forcing himself to joke around and attempt not to blush as Bonnie's laughter reached his ears, he was sure that it felt something close to this. He had no other explanation for the heat in his heart every time he caught her smiling gently at him, how light headed he felt being so close to her. He had this hope somewhere deep within his chest that he was the reason for that smile. Wasn't that weird? Most children his age was still going on about cooties; how boys were yucky and girls were gross… but as he turned to look at Bonnie one more time, Barry couldn't force himself to look at her as something gross. She's pretty... and nice.

He wasn't sure what it was exactly, as they didn't cover any of these reactions in science but… Barry instinctively knew that he would follow this girl to the ends of the earth if she asked him to.

That would be a really cool field trip. He thought with a smile before stepping in the classroom right behind her.

His seat was two places away from Bonnie, and Barry only listened vaguely to what the teacher was going on about as his attention was split between doing his own work and looking at her. Today shouldn't be any different, he spent most of his time trying and failing not to watch her… all the while, cataloging her little quirks. He wasn't obsessed with her per say, just aware of her every movement; as each little twitch was important in the grand scheme of things.

Puckered, kissing sounds reached his ears over the sound of his teacher's voice, and Barry knew without looking that Tony was once again teasing him. It made it easier to ignore him, even though the thinner boy was sure the 'ignorance' would cost him when his bully finally confronted him after school. It didn't matter right now though for today was the first day this week that was a day at school was looking up.

Bonnie didn't remember most of her childhood memories and from what her dad told her, that was normal. However, what wasn't normal was the dreams that kept her up at night. Flashes of a woman with wavy, dark hair hugging her two year old body; kissing her forehead before walking out the door. Another woman yelling at the first, though this one was an older version that had so many similarities that it could only be mother and daughter. She was too young to remember what was said but the older woman seemed torn between being angry and disappointed in her young daughter.

It was only years later, after having this reoccurring dream to analyze, that Bonnie finally had the chance to decipher the four words that the mother told her daughter, "Don't you dare leave!" Then a man grabbed her, looking at her with worn and tired dark eyes before taking her from the house that felt warm and peaceful. Wherever she was, Bonnie would never forget the unmistakable feeling of being loved. That is, until the rug was tugged from underneath of her. It didn't make any sense to her child mind as soon as it started, but Bonnie spent years coming to terms with the idea that these people - whoever they were - could be her family. They could still be alive, too. She loved her dad but she couldn't speak to him about this, not when he loved her as his own baby girl. Her last name was West, her father and older sister looked out for her - even if Iris thought her to be nothing but a little kid when she was younger. It was enough, it had to be - right?

So, Bonnie made sure to smile as much as she could. She promised herself every morning that even if she had a bad day, if she could brighten up someone else's day, Bonnie had to. It didn't matter what day she was having, bad days were a given but if she could be a small light in the darkness someone else was in...

It was more than enough.

Okay, I hope you all like it so far. Barry isn't obsessed, for the record, he is a little boy starting to develop a crush. Of course, we can't blame him at all - Bonnie is awesome. Please let me know what you think.