Chapter One: Arrival

Barry couldn't believe it; even now, almost two weeks later since it happened. They'd been at Joe's house celebrating his father's release from prison and their victory over Eaboard Thawne. The party had been more of an emotional toll than he ever anticipated as his father told him he couldn't stay and then the arrival of the unconscious woman in a pod that came crashing down seconds later.

He'd chased down the spacecraft and opened it to reveal a blonde woman in her twenties sleeping. The same woman that had now been taken in by Star Labs. Caitlin had tried her best to run some tests on the woman but no needle could penetrate her skin. All they knew for sure was that she was not human.

Aliens. A real life alien was here in Star Labs. They really did exist.

Barry reached over a hand to hold over hers from where he sat at her bedside. She looked peaceful right now but he wondered how she'd react once she woke up from this slumber. It was going to be distressing if she literally came crashing down from the sky. His thumb drew along the side of her hand.

"I can't imagine what you've gone through. But I do know what it feels like to be out of your depth, and when I first woke up after that bolt of lightning hit me I had two great people by my side. I promise you that I'm going to be the same for you. I won't leave your side." He vowed to the unknown woman.

He heard footsteps come to a stop by the door but he didn't turn to look.

"Barry?"

"You can go home. I know it's late. I got this."

Caitlin glanced down at her tablet before drawing in a breath. "Are you sure?"

Barry just nodded.

She lingered for a while longer before leaving him alone again.

Barry squeezed the woman's hand in a soothing gesture that soon followed disaster. The woman's eyes finally snapped open and she fell from the bed, zooming into some cabinets in the corner of the room. She stumbled before covering her face and fearful eyes.

It took a moment for Barry to catch up to the situation.

When he did, he cautiously approached her with hands up in surrender. "You're okay! I won't hurt you."

Her head shot up from her hands and his mouth fell open at the sight of her eyes glowing lightening blue. He froze, unable to think of what to do next. Then she was gone. She disappeared so quick that he questioned whether any of it had happened.

Barry raced out of Star Labs and caught sight of the woman running away.

It took a lot longer than he could have expected to catch up to her and meet her strides.

"I'm here to help you! Please just come with me!"

"I don't know who you are!"

"Give me a chance to show you!"

"No." She turned the other direction. He was much quicker to react this time and he got ahead of her, but when he grabbed her he found himself crashing into a building a micro second after. "Stay away. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"And I don't want to hurt you either." Barry tried again while standing back up. "Please, I just want to talk. I'm sure you have a lot of questions and so do I."

"I don't…" The woman hesitated and held her face.

He could only feel sympathy for her as he came closer much slower this time. "It's okay."

"No, it's not." She shook her head. "I lost everything."

"What do you mean?"

"My planet. It's gone."

Barry swallowed. "I'm sorry, I truly am."

She shook her head again before looking up and catching his gaze. "Where am I?"

"Earth. I don't know if that means anything to you…"

"I've heard of it. My mother wanted me to come here but my pod got knocked off course."

"What happened? Where did you come from? Who are you?"

"My names Kara Zor-El." She watched him come to stand in front of her. "I'm from Krypton."

"Krypton?" He repeated the foreign name.

"It's a long way from here. Was." She corrected.

"I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"There is." She stared at him. He raised his head a little. "You can tell me where Kal-El is."

"Kal-El? We don't have anywhere called that."

"It's not a place, it's a person. My cousin was supposed to come to Earth just like me and I was suppose to look after him… only I think I must be a few years too late."

"I… If you come back with me to Star Labs um, where you woke up I mean, then I'll have my friend run some checks to see if there have been any other mysterious crashes recently."

He offered out his hand and she hesitantly looked at it for a moment before accepting.

"You can trust me, Kara Zor-El."