Chapter One

If At Night You Need Me

It was eerily quiet at Star Labs after the last light flickered off. Caitlin looked around, brushing her pretty auburn hair from her delicate face, glancing once more at the lady who came to see her best friend, Cisco. She had no idea who she was, but the young ladies concern seemed to be with his wellbeing, so she let her stay to watch over him. A little sigh escaped her lips. Barry was out on patrol but nothing was happening much since DeVoe was defeated much easier then what they all thought he could be brought down. She would stay upstairs in one of the old offices turned bedroom for when Harry Wells from Earth two lived here.

"This place is so quiet nowadays." she whispered as her hand trailed up the railing to the top hallway. "at least Cisco is back."

The young woman sat beside the hospital bed waving her a good night in which she returned slightly.

Beep

beep

beep

Her delicate hand went into the motionless breacher on the bed, her ginger-colored lips whispering softly to him, telling him now he isn't alone.

She shifted forward, her copper skin in stark contrast to his paling hand, her hair the same black color although she wore it in traditional braids, a big eagle feather hanging from the end of the perfect folds.

"You're okay Cisco. " she gave him a small smile and moved a curl Dr. Snow missed when she put it back earlier.

All he did was breath through the large plastic tube from his mouth. She watched his breath fog up the tube, then clear again when his breath was pushed in. Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran her red painted nails over his cheek.

It was a year since he took Breacher's job, and two months after Gypsy said she just couldn't have every aspect of her life so closely entwined with his...and left to start her own agency although she often visited, rather unpleasantly anymore. His heart was broken, and now his body.

A streak of light made the fringe on her native dress move, the beads ringing together softly.

" hey..." the speedster said removing his hood" uh wait .. who are you? How did you get in here? "

The woman in her late teens looked up at him.

" you could say I worked with him." She almost whispered, her words getting choked up in her slender throat. " you must be Barry "

He nodded extending his hand over his fallen friend.

"Yes. Barry Allen "

She looked at his hand then up at him, standing slowly before reaching out a hand to meet his, hers covered in native patterns as well as a multi-wrapped bits of leather, some looking old, the faded word "Mejo" written on a smooth turquoise stone.

"Cisco calls me... Time-Weaver" she shook it softly.

"Native name?" He said running a hand over his hair and around his neck " forget that question..."

The young woman gave him a pretty smile, a bit of familiarity with it. That smile he knew… but from where? Nora had gone back to her time, and she for sure wouldn't have been another one of his, not with the native tattoos. At least he didn't think so. Iris wouldn't have named her with a native name.

" Oh, I'm sorry I was lost in thought..." Barry almost whispered looking at his friend again, figuring the young native to his best friends new business "Are you thirsty? Hungry? You must have been here with him a while " he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb "I'm sure there's something or I can run out or something."

Time-Weaver looked up at him, two big coal eyes that seemed to bare right through to his very soul. Those eyes… wow, Cisco had been doing pretty well for himself if she worked for him.

"Tea?" She asked lightly. " hot with honey "

She barely got the words out of her mouth before a cup of tea from Jitters was presented to her from a red-gloved hand.

"Thank you " she nodded and focused her attention on the tea and Cisco laying in front of her.

"So…" Barry started looking from him to her again. "How well do you know Mr. Ramon?"

Time-Weaver smiled lightly at his small talk.

"Very well," she whispered. "Very, very well. We have been together for..." she stopped herself "A while now."

Barry talked to her idly, using his detective skills as best as he could to try to figure her out, but every question was answered by a soft whisper.

A native saying.

A small nod.

"It was a pleasure to meet you" he started.

"May the night find you well." she looked up at him "You have a city to watch over, I will watch over him."

Barry's mind raced faster than he himself as he zipped through the city. That woman had to be someone Cisco knew, but who? Why didn't he tell his friend about her? Was she his partner? Maybe she was from that earth he left him for. She was enchanting, simple but full of grace and poise and that was evident from the start.

Oh, Cisco…

He begged for him to come back, but the opportunity he couldn't keep his friend from. Snow left to go and help him often as Killer Frost or just Frost as she liked to be called, but getting answers about the new Beecher was almost impossible, and Caitlin couldn't remember. Not unless she was going to tend to someone or to get coffee with her lifelong friend.

That was something he missed. All three of them at Jitters, later adding Iris into the mix. It was a good happy time for all of them. Things were easier it seemed... no matter what evil crawled out from the darkest reaches of Central City he had his friends he could back up to, and a wife to keep him grounded. She had to be sound asleep in their home by now, it was almost time for the papers to be printed.

The next morning Catlin took off her coat as she entered in. It was turning fall outside, the leaves starting to match her beautiful auburn hair and she enjoyed the brisk air as she walked from Jitters into work, nursing her favorite salted caramel coffee. Usually, she would have to get out her phone and call her partner in science crime but with him gone for so many months now, his space across the hall from hers seemed empty.

He was back, but not well... whatever they were fighting did a number on him. His lungs were burnt as if he breathed in a fire, heart rate incredibly unstable, and the worse of all, his leg severed above the knee.

She was the one who found him, and never so scared in her life. He was there, in her office, gasping for breath as he crawled through a portal. Bloody. Broken.

She told him to not take that job, but she felt she knew why he did. It wasn't only for Gypsy, it was for himself. To prove to the only person who didn't see himself as a hero... Cisco Ramon.

Glancing to a monitor as she hung up her coat and took another sip of the coffee HR so many years ago decided was her favorite and she silently agreed, she saw a glimpse of light in the room, it fading quickly. She nearly ran down the hallway to the med-bay and through the open doors only to find him alone, a native bracelet on his wrist that wasn't there before.

"Mejo" she whispered as she read it. That was Spanish. " my love "

Snow looked at where the portal was still fading out, it was different then Vibes. This one was dark blue fading like waves of oceans with a red energy. His faded from sight with a swirling closure of running water it seemed to her, but this one its energy lingered, leaving a light path in the air. Slowly she watched it get dimmer and dimmer before fading before looking once again at Cisco taking his hand.

"Your visitor must know Spanish... must be a little Hispanic like you " she whispered looking again at his bracelet " you have been busy the last few months why didn't you tell me you had another girl?"

She looked in desperation for any movement from her friend although it was her herself that put him into a medically induced coma.

Nothing.

She redid his bandages and his hair, slicing it back into a ponytail again then quickly taking it out with a shiver messing it up lightly in her fingers. He looked too much like Reverb with his hair slicked back so she just let it fall naturally around him.

"Tomorrow... tomorrow I'll take you off your wounds are looking better. Then I'll get you all the Jello you want." She smiled and kissed his forehead before returning taking his hand in hers she sat down beside him pulling a chair up.

"You know when you came to my office, I was just about to tell Barry that there's nothing else for me to do here. The lab is long since closed and it isn't the same without my best friend... maybe hitch a ride with Captain Lance a bit. Always wanted to see the world... and different time periods. Ray is geeky like you are, maybe we can be closer friends then we are now. Wally is there, and I always got along with Nate and… well, I don't know. Maybe. "

She looked at his IV then back

" Barry is doing well enough on his own. I come in here alone most days, he's so busy. Of course, it's nice to keep in touch with what we had... but sooner or later all things end. Joe helps him at work and the paper and Iris helps him with plenty of other things." her thumb graced his hand. " it's good though right? Maybe they will help me sort things out more than when I tried to by myself and got mixed up with Amunet. Trust me Frost and I have learned the lesson there the hard way."

Her hair moved slightly and she looked up at the sudden chill to see Barry standing at the foot of the bed.

"Any changes?" He asked, his hand offering a cup of coffee to her.

The doctor shook her head slowly taking the cup with a small thank you escaping her red lips before continuing awkwardly looking at the coffee she got just a little bit ago on the hospital trey but still accepting the one Barry offered.

" No. But I'm keeping him like this until perhaps the morning. Did I sit here all day?"

Barry shook his head no running his fingers through his hair to slick it back and fixed his tie.

" No, lunch break but I just can't get this out of my head. " he sighed, for a moment looking all teary.

" So you forgave him for leaving? " she asked simply but her eyes searching his for more answers just a yes or no.

" Caity I forgave him as soon as he left... despite what we said in that huge fight we had. He wanted to be his own hero I get that. We all must go and save the world in our own way."

"He left because of you!" she snapped back her eyes turning blue for a moment "You treated us like dirt!"

A trembling sigh came from the speedster lips. He was too involved with everything he didn't see how he treated people before, not until it was much too late. This wasn't the first time it happened but before he tried to fix everything. Now he accepted his true role, saving the city any way he could. Forensic Scientist working with the best detective and in-depth reporter in Central City.

"You're right. You're right and I did the same to you too. I'm so sorry." he put his hand on her shoulder " I keep forgetting that you guys made me who I am today. You guys take the backseat every-time the Flash does something fantastic. It's not easy being in my shoes... especially when I promised not to use them to fix everything I mess up. I need to remember it's not easy in yours as well."

Snow nodded her brown eyes coming back but looked so helpless, one hand an unmoving hand and the other on the all too famous Jitters cup.

"Hey;" he started again giving her a chance to calm herself down "We have a little bit, what about lunch?"

She looked back at him then to the hand in hers.

"Maybe tomorrow... right now, this is who needs me."