CHATPER ELEVEN

It was a new day in Central City, and that meant there was a new problem that required solving. The team had been planning a trip to go to Starling City to follow up a lead about The Boomerang, a villain who until recently, had been hiding out in Central City. Caitlin, Cisco and Barry were making the trip there to help team Arrow bag and tag the baddie, but Sophia wasn't able to get enough time off work to go with. She had been taking enough time off as it was, getting late to work even and she couldn't risk her job just to go to Starling City, when she knew the rest of the team was more than capable of catching him without her. After all, she did have bills to pay… bills that were piling up and up.

"You're missing out," Cisco mentioned as he grabbed the last few pieces of equipment he needed from Star Labs to take with him. He was way too excited to go to Starling City. Mainly because he wanted to see the Arrow Cave, and check out the sweet computer systems that Felicity kept going on about.

"Eh- I think I'll be okay for a few days without you," Sophia said, "Plus, I'll have plenty of company, Dr. Wells, Joe, Iris, and Eddie-"She started listing off a whole bunch of people on her hand, causing Cisco's face to drop.

"I get the point miss sassy pants," Cisco said with pursed lips, dumping the last piece of equipment in the back of the van.

"Ooh, that's a new one. I like it." Sophia declared as she helped him lock it up.

"So I take it that you won't be missing me, but what about Barry hmm?" Cisco mused, watching Sophia's face for a reaction. Barry and Sophia hadn't said a peep about their date only that they had been on a handful small ones, since Team Arrow had visited by a few weeks ago, and he was sort of dying to know some details. But he figured if he would get them out of anyone that it would be Barry.

"Oh, no, I won't miss him. He's far to clingy," Sophia lied teasingly, and Barry actually looked at her from across the room as he talked to Caitlin, and she wondered if he had some sort of feeling that they were talking about him. She winked and he grinned like a schoolboy, shyly turning back to Caitlin.

"So basically every second," Cisco confirmed, nodding his head in approval.

"Mmm, not perhaps every second, but maybe every minute?" She joked, with a small smile. They would only be gone a few days, which she didn't mind. She was just worried that they would get themselves into trouble in Starling City. After all they got themselves into far too much trouble in Central City, and it was meant to be the safer of the two cities, and by a lot.

"Also, I've packed spare first aid kits, and medical supplies in the front and back of the van," Sophia told Cisco, and he smiled in thanks. Barry and Caitlin walked over to them, ready to get going. Barry was in his red suit, obviously running over to Starling City rather than driving with the dynamic duo.

"Just take care of each other over there, no fatal injuries, and no dying on any accounts," Sophia instructed sternly to them all, and they nodded with smiles on their faces.

"Well we better be heading off, after all we need the head start," Cisco announced, chuckling at his own joke. Sophia hugged both Cisco and Caitlin goodbye, seeing them off as they exited the Star Labs garage.

"So…" Barry murmured. "I'll be back in a few days, try not to miss me too much."

"I won't," Sophia said, taking one step forward.

"Oh and why is that?" Barry asked, raising an eyebrow, following her actions and taking a step forward, their foreheads nearly touching as he leaned down slightly to match their height.

"Because, I've got chewie, and she's always up for cuddling, so I think I'll be okay," Sophia said softly, giving Barry a teasing smile. He moved forward, wrapping his arms around her to give her a hug. She responded immediately, her arms locking against the back of his neck, as she pulled herself closer to him, and held onto him tight, melting in his arms as she breathed in his familiar and comforting scent.

"Take care of yourself Allen, I don't want to hear that you've gone and done something stupid, like getting yourself hurt," Sophia murmured against his neck. She could feel his pulse beating from the close contact and she loved the comforting sound of the steady rhythm. She held onto him tighter, relishing in the comfort that their closeness brought.

"No promises," Barry said, reluctantly letting go of her, and before he did completely, she swooped in, placing a lingering kiss on his cheek, and if you asked him it was temptingly close to the corner of his mouth considering they hadn't even shared their first kiss yet. Slyly she moved back, sticking her hands in her pocket casually, as though she hadn't done that.

"See you soon Allen," She said with a grin as she walked backwards.

"See you, Lang." and in a flash, he disappeared, leaving her lone figure in the garage of Star Labs.


After seeing them off this morning, Sophia went down to Jitters to pick up some coffee for herself and Dr. Wells. They were going to be doing some more tests on Sophia's powers today, with the aim of improving her flight. It had now been just over a month since she discovered her powers and she was eager to get on the move, and start up a serious training regime. She wanted to be like Barry and Oliver, and even the stories she had heard of The Canary of Starling City. She wanted to be a hero that stood for justice, and protected those who couldn't protect themselves. She had always wanted to help people. That was just who she was as a person, and it was primarily the reason she had decided to become a nurse. Now having the ability to do that in a completely different way, and with a whole new meaning was just… amazing.

Yes, she had been training and practicing for a while now, but she hadn't made a serious commitment until their last encounter with Bivolo. It seemed to have opened up her eyes a bit more, and it made her more determined to succeed and reach her goals.

She walked through the door of Jitters, her flat shoes making a squeaky sound on the clean tiles.

"Sophia! What can I get for you?" Iris asked, smiling from behind the counter.

"Hey Iris, um, two tall black coffee's please, no sugar," Sophia asked, with a smile.

"Coming right up. So, a little birdy told me that you and Barry went on a date, or should I say dates?"

"Uh, yeah well if you mean eating take-out off my couch and watching way too much Netflix, then yes, you are correct," Sophia said, biting her lip. "We've been really busy in between work and so that's all we've been able to free up enough time for."

"I'm really happy for you guys," Iris said genuinely. She was glad that Barry had finally taken her advice and gone out with Sophia. She could see that they were a good fit.

"We're not dating yet, I mean- he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend or anything- it's just, yeah," Sophia mumbled out, getting the impression that Iris thought they were a couple.

"Well would you like to be his girlfriend?" Iris asked, as she passed over the coffee cup to go.

"Yes, I would." Sophia said with a small laugh.

"Well, then as soon as he gets back from Starling City, make it obvious. The guys sort of oblivious sometimes." Iris pointed out and she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he is a little bit isn't he?" Sophia replied.

"Mmm... but don't worry, I'm sure it won't be long until he asks. He really cares about you." Iris said, and Sophia blushed lightly.

"I know, and I care about him too." Iris nearly squealed at this confession.

"So you better tell me as soon as he does, because I am already planning all the double dates," Iris said, and Sophia laughed.

"I will." Sophia promised, as she looked at her watch, keeping track of the time. "I better go, before I'm late, thanks for the advice Iris."

"What are friends for?" She smiled back at her, waving goodbye as she left Jitters, feeling slightly more confident with what was going on between her and Barry after the talk with Iris.


It wasn't long til she met Dr. Wells at their training ground at the airstrip. She passed the coffee to him, Wells accepting it with a grateful smile. She felt as though their relationship had grown stronger over the last few weeks as they spent more time together. He was becoming a strong figure in her life, not only as a mentor and teacher, but as a friend, and for this she was glad. She found that Wells determination was inspirational, and the more she hung around Star Labs, the more she wanted to learn about herself, and the more she wanted to push herself.

"Today, I want you to focus on meditation with your flight. I think the reason you can't fly yet is because you don't believe that you can. Your body has all the capabilities of doing so, but it is your mind that is holding you back," Dr. Wells explained, and Sophia nodded, hoping that after today they would have made some progress.

They had been practicing for hours, most of them spent in silence as she focused on her breathing and trying to fly. She had no problem with floating, and hovering, but as soon as she made to move further, and faster into the air, and actually fly, her body seemed to shut down and collapse, falling to the ground. The feeling was similar to that of a dream. When you're trying to run away from someone chasing you, but you just move so slow, and seem to be going nowhere. It felt exactly like that, though minus the running, and with the flying.

She groaned as it happened yet again, she was going to have some bad bruises by the next morning. He had then ordered her to sit down in a comfortable position, and clear her thoughts. Meditation didn't seem to be her thing. Her mind was continuously racing with thoughts, and she couldn't focus on her powers, just the fact that this ground was so damn uncomfortable.

"Dr. Wells, It's been hours now, and there's still no progress," she said through her ear piece to Wells who was sitting by the station, monitoring her vitals and what not.

"Patience Miss Lang. Let me try talking you through it," Dr. Wells said, and she nodded.

"Stand up," he said, and she followed his orders, getting up from her crossed leg position on the ground, and standing up straight. "Close your eyes, and take a deep breath." So she complied, her eyelids fluttering closed as she inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Now focus, clear your thoughts. I want you to think of one word, a word that brings you hope, a word that makes you feel like you can accomplish anything. Once you've done that, keep repeating it your head, like a mantra. Believe in it, believe in yourself."

Sophia focused on the advice from Dr. Wells, and instead of thinking of one word, she thought of two. She thought of a word that would always bring her hope, and another that supported her throughout her whole life, bringing her warmth and guidance. Her mother's name, a name that she had found painful to say for the last ten years, but nonetheless, a name that made her feel loved, and supported. The other, was a name, one that had over the last few months ignited feelings of love and comfort, and most of all hope in her heart, a name that she was proud to say was Barry.

Her breathing was relaxed, and her mind focused. Wells watched on as Sophia slowly started to move, hovering off the ground minutely at first before moving higher, and higher. He assumed she felt this because she opened her eyes, looking around herself in awe, as she moved higher than ever before.

"I'm doing it!" She yelled, and Wells laughed in agreement.

"You're a natural Miss Lang," Dr. Wells told her, encouraging her to keep going.

Sophia nodded, feeling lighter than ever before. She willed herself to move upward, and her body shot up into the sky, moving through the wind like a speeding bullet. Soon enough she was travelling into the clouds, bringing her hands up to her face, to shield herself as she moved higher and higher into the blue sky. Fearing that she was going to high, she stopped, hovering in the sky and taking a look down, surprisingly not afraid of the height she was at.

"Woah," She said breathlessly, as she looked down at the scenery in front of her, taking the view in, piece by piece. The warm rays of sunlight weren't uncomfortable at all, instead covering her in a blanket of security. The chilly wind, gracefully flowed around her form, weaving through her hair, making it feel as light as a feather.

"How's the view up from there?" Dr. Wells asked.

"Beautiful," she breathed out, replying to him. "I can see the whole city." She stayed in the air for a little while longer, flying around, and trying to get the hang of things. She had officially taken off the training wheels on this bike, and now she was enjoying the freedom that came with riding without any barriers holding her back. Slowly she started her descent, occasionally starting and stopping like a car would as she sort of fell back down through the hair, her hair bashing against the wind furiously when she gained speed, as she descended back to the training ground. She was coming in fast, but was able to slow down enough so that when she landed, her feet skidded on the ground, easily enough staying balanced.

After landing, she ran over to Wells breathlessly, coming to sit down next to him.

"How we're my vitals holding up?" She said, before gulping down a whole bottle of water, thirsty after the vigorous training.

"Perfect actually," Wells said, surprised at how well her body was managing with the change in altitude, and atmospheric pressure as she flew higher and higher into the atmosphere.

"That's great," She said, as taking a deep breath. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without your guidance, Dr. Wells, so thank you." Sophia gave him a smile, grateful for the advice, and leadership he had provided for the team at Star Labs.

"Always a pleasure Sophia," he said, and they decided to head back to Star Labs to finalise some blood work. Sophia took a sample of her own blood, not as hard as one would expect, but then again she was an expert. After sticking it in the centrifuge, awaiting the results she decided to fiddle with the computer, monitoring the police radio chatter in Central City that morning. That's when she Star Labs had an incoming call from Joe. She answered the call, hoping everything was alright.

"Sophia, I need your help," Joe said, breathlessly, gunfire blaring in the background.

"What's happening?" Dr. Wells asked.

"There's a meta-human robbing a bank downtown, and since Barry isn't here, I need you," Joe said urgently, and they could both hear the panicked screams through the mic. Though she didn't have much field experience, Wells believe that she would be able to contain the situation, especially considering she was able to fly at this point.

"Where?" Sophia asked, without hesitating. People were going to get hurt if she didn't help.

"The corner of Bruckner Avenue," Joe replied, grunting as smashing noises ensued in the background.

"I'm on my way."

"Go, I'll direct you there," Dr. Wells ordered, and she nodded with a determination in her eyes that he hadn't seen since in a while.

Sophia ran, getting changed into her suit, and Dr. Wells suggested that she leave via the rooftop of Star Labs, as this would give her the perfect altitude she needed to get there fastest. She agreed, ready to go. Just jump. And with a leap of faith, she ran forward, trying to build up enough momentum, and she jumped off the edge of the rooftop of Star Labs. She was flying, faster than she ever had before, with Wells directing her through the comm. system.

"Take the next left, slightly gliding to your right after 100 metres," Dr. Wells instructed, and within no time she was there. She inspected the environment from above, spotting Joe hiding behind a car, as the meta-human walked out of the bank doors, trying to fight his way out.

He was tall, with broad shoulders that were threatening to the eye. Though he looked like he was quite large and intimidating, he didn't seem to be displaying any signs of being superior to herself in terms of abilities. She landed next to Joe, crouching beside him.

"Joe," She whispered, and he turned around, nearly having a heart attack.

"Thank god," He breathed out, looking back up, and firing a few more times before crouching back down. "Listen, you need to be careful, he's strong, like really strong. He ripped the goddamn vault door off with his bare hands." Joe warned, popping up from his crouched position and firing again at the Meta. The bullets seemed to bounce of his body like they were nothing.

"Right," Sophia said, as she got up from her position. Most of the small police squadron that had been called to the scene were either injured, or knocked out, only a few with Joe hiding behind their cars, as they fired from a distance.

"Hey," Sophia called out, as she moved towards him, her eyes glowing a bright blue. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The meta-human seemed to divert his attention away from the police officers- exactly what she wanted- and focused on her.

"Girly, you don't want to fight me," The Meta spat out, cracking his knuckles in front of her, and twisting his neck from side to side, trying to make his large form appear even more intimidating than before.

"Now that you called me Girly, I kinda want to," She said, glaring at him. He rushed forward, barrelling towards her, his large feet stomping on the ground as he did so, his fist moving to hit her in the face. She flew to the left, moving out of the way, causing him to trip as he was moving too fast, expecting to hit her. He growled, and she smirked, her eyes glowing bright sapphire as she blasted him with a ball of energy sending him flying backwards. His body went soaring through the air, his back slamming against the glass door of the bank. The glass shattered, sending shards sprawled all across the floor. He got back up, struggling slightly to do so, and he spat the blood that had gathered in his mouth, out onto the floor, causing Sapphire to scrunch her nose in distaste.

He attacked again, this time managing to get a hit in, his knuckles making contact with her stomach, sending her flying backward, hitting the concrete ground below hard. Her body landed against the hard ground, sending pain throughout her back. She groaned at throbbing pain, cursing the bastard. Sure packs a punch. He moved forward, ready to hit her again when she threw up her shield blocking him from moving forward. She sighed in relief that he was at least contained for a little while longer. But it just seemed to make the Meta angrier as he tried to get out.

"Dr. Wells, a little help would be nice right about now," She called out into her ear piece. This guy was not going down, and he had one hell of a punch.

"Try hitting him with enough energy to knock him out, not just block him," Dr. Wells suggested from the other side, not much that he could do from his end to help her out. The Meta continued to pound his knuckles on the shield, putting pressure on it as she tried to keep it up. Eventually it cracked, shattering in front of her wide eyes.

"Is that all you got Girly?" Her blood boiled in anger again as he said that, and she wanted to take him out even more than she had before, not just to prove herself as a hero, but to teach him a god damn lesson.

"You're gonna wish you never said that." She ran forward, electricity trailing down her arm, to her hand as she formed a hulk-sized fist made out of the cobalt energy. With all her strength and willpower, she punched the Meta in the face, the upper-cut knocking him out immediately. His large body crumbled to the ground unceremoniously, the Meta finally unconscious.

"And the names Sapphire." She stated, as she stood over his form, breathing heavily. She turned around to see Joe looking over at her proudly, and the other officers slowly creeping out of their hiding spots to see the criminal had been taken care off. This was one scenario that they hadn't thought they would ever have to face, but these weird occurrences seemed to be popping up rather frequently in Central City nowadays.

"Officers," She said, inclining her head towards them, and Joe nodded, with knowing eyes. She needed to take this guy back to the prison at Star Labs where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.

"Come on Knuckles," She named the Meta-human, creating a bubble around his body, and levitating him up, as she flew them back to Star Labs.

Sophia was now laying on the medical bed in Star Labs as Dr. Wells ran some diagnostic tests on her. It had probably been an hour since she had brought Knuckles back, locking him in his cell downstairs. There was a feeling of accomplishment, and victory running through her veins, feeling elated that she had stopped someone who wanted to do so much harm to others. But she also felt a lot of pain, and bruising. She basically ached all over, wondering how the hell Barry did this on a daily basis. She was sure that it helped that he had accelerated healing, unlike her who would probably have these for the next week until they started to fade, but she knew that it would take a lot of willpower to endure such pain, and then subject yourself to it time after time just to help other people. She found that after this experience she admired Barry even more than she did before, if that was even possible she thought. There was an ugly purple bruise covering most of her abdomen, and every time she moved it burned, so she tried to lay still like a statue, pretending that she was absolutely fine.

Dr. Wells had given her some morphine to relieve the pain, but she still felt like absolute death.

"Congratulations Miss Lang, your efforts today were beyond extraordinary." Dr. Wells commended.

"I certainly don't feel extraordinary," She managed to squeak out, as she tried to sit up, one hand holding on the bed for support, and the other firmly pressed on the bandage that was around her torso.

"Perks of being a hero," Joe said as he walked into the cortex, surprising Sophia as she turned her head around to see him walking in.

"I guess so," She smiled softly at the thought.

"What you did today was amazing, not to mention brave. My officers and I are still in one piece thanks to you," Joe said, and the sincerity in his voice warmed Sophia's heart, making her feel like she could actually make a difference.

"So who was he?" Sophia asked, as Joe helped her up into a standing positon.

"Finnegan Packer, he escaped from Iron Heights a month ago, after discovering that he had super strength. He's kept quiet ever since, trying to lay low, well that is until today," Wells explained, pulling up his police records and files onto the screen so they could all see.

"Well he sure packer'd a punch," Sophia chuckled at her lame pun, and then groaned in pain. "Ugh, too soon." She said shaking her head as Joe laughed, "I always speak too soon."

"Thanks to you, he won't be hurting anyone for a long time." Her phone beeped a second later, indicating she had a message, and she closed her eyes, really not wanting to see it. All she wanted to do was go home, and collapse on her couch, snuggling up to her cat since Barry was out of town. They had all agreed that they would inform the team of their victory today once they had arrived back safe from Starling City, not wanting them to lose focus on their current mission. Reluctantly she pulled out her phone and checked, seeing a message from Brian. Oh how I hate thee.

"Speaking of Iron Heights. I start a shift there in a half hour," She informed the two men standing in front of her. "Mind giving me a lift there Joe? I'm so not in the right mindset to be behind the wheel right now."

"No worries sweetheart," Joe said, and they greeted Dr. Well's goodbye, Joe dropping her off at Iron Heights for her shift after the small pit stop at her apartment. Her shift at Iron Heights had been relatively normal- well as normal as a shift could be at a high alert prison. The usual screaming and yelling from the mentally ill prisoners had occurred, including the very interesting yet slightly creepy death threats from the other psychopaths left to rot in here for life. The only normal one being Henry Allen, who she left til last on her list, giving her some sanity to look forward too. It was nearing 7pm when she had reached him.

"Mr Allen," She greeted him with a smile as the guard escorted him into the little room that she was working out of.

"Sophia, it's nice to see a familiar face," Henry replied with a small smile of his own.

"It's that time again," She said, and he rolled his sleeves up automatically, the guards standing by against the door, even though they knew Henry wouldn't do anything. Sophia got out her equipment, prepping the needle as she wiped the skin with an alcohol wipe, feeling for his vein before piercing his skin with the needle and drawing up the three vials of blood needed for the blood tests the hospital was going to run for him.

"How are you feeling today?" Sophia asked, as she filled out the correct information on the vials of blood, placing them in a zip-lock bag with his name on it.

"Good, not that I can complain really," Henry said, rolling the sleeve of his jumpsuit back down.

"Well- that's sort of good to hear." Sophia said as she laughed lightly, trying to boost his spirits, even though it wasn't a very likely possibility. It was silent for a few minutes as she did her normal routinely checks to make sure everything was normal. She was glad to see that his sprained wrist from last month was completely healed, and not causing him any issues.

"Barry told me that you two are dating now," Henry mentioned, and at this her head shot right up, slightly embarrassed that Barry had told his dad that they were dating, when he hadn't even asked her to be his girlfriend yet-officially speaking.

"Uh," She gulped, pushing a curl behind her ear as she paused her work. "Yeah, I guess we are," She smiled, biting her lip. "I-is that alright?" She asked hesitantly, unsure if he approved of her for his son or not.

"Of course honey, it's more than fine. I'm honestly so happy for you both," Henry said, a genuine smile coming to his face, and she wanted to cry at how kind he was. She swore she was going to do everything in her power to help Barry get him out of this horrendous place. He had been here for too long, and it was unfair.

"Thank you," She said, throwing a shy smile his way.

"No, thank you. I'm so glad to see Barry is finally moving on with his life, and you're helping him do that, so thank you." He said, wanted to give him a hug so badly, but unfortunately this was the way things had to be.

"No need to thank me, I'm here because I care about him, and he makes me happy." Sophia said, before saying goodbye, the guards shortly escorting him back to his cell.


It wasn't long before she had caught a cab home, taking a long hot shower to relieve the pain she had in her torso, and lower back. The bruising had started to colour, a deep sea of purple and blue hues, but she knew that by tomorrow morning there would be another bit of ugly green and yellow to match. She wrapped herself up in the bandage again, across her abdomen where she had bruised, applying a cream beforehand that would relieve her of some of the aching sensations that the hit had caused. The steam relaxed her muscles and her mind, and she was so ready to get into bed and crash, but her stomach was growling, hungry for food that she hadn't eaten all day. As she was deciding what to order, stuck between dumplings and noodles- or just getting both- she got a call from Joe.

She picked up the phone, placing it between her ear and shoulder to hold it as her other hands were occupied with a Chinese take-out menu. She would always order this sort of food when she was missing her family, the food reminding her of the days when her mother would make her grandmothers secret recipe on a cold Sunday afternoon to warm her up, making sure to adhere to her father's pointers, after all, it was his area of expertise.

"Hey Joe, what's up?" Sophia asked, popping the 'p'.

"T-The man in yellow… h-he was just in my house," Joe's shaky voice rushed out.

"What the fu-," Sophia said, dropping her phone in the process. She scrambled to pick it up and put it back to her ear, anxiety pounding in her chest.

"A-are you okay?!" Sophia asked urgently, "Did he hurt you?"

"N-No, I'm fine,-."

"I'm coming over, I'll be there in a few minutes," She said, cutting off Joe. The drama of Central City was never ending today. And this was drama that she knew she couldn't handle by herself.

"No, it's okay-."

And she cut him off again. "No Joe, it's not okay," Sophia exhaled. "I'll be there soon. Hold tight."

She slipped on her running shoes, and threw on some appropriate clothes, making sure Chewie had enough water and food set out for her before locking up. She climbed up the steps to the rooftop of her apartment building two by two. Reaching the rooftop, she looked out, making sure that no one was about, or could see her visibly before flying out in the direction of the west house-hold in the hopes that Joe was alright. She arrived a few minutes later, accidentally crashing in his front garden. She seriously needed to get a hang of the whole flying thing it was really either a hit or miss. She wrapped her knuckles on Joe's front door, anxiously waiting for him to answer, and swatting the leaves out of her hair that had gotten stuck from her crash landing.

The wooden door swung open a few seconds later, and Sophia sighed in relief, seeing that Joe was in one piece. She immediately pulled him into a tight hug, relieved to see that he wasn't hurt.

"You didn't have to come over you know," Joe said, and she could tell that he was still distressed. She walked in the house, to see some of the furniture turned over, and a photo of Iris on the wall with a knife through her forehead. Sophia visibly paled, and her breath hitched as she saw what the man in yellow did. She stared at it for a few moments breathing heavily as she did so, anger so clearly written on her face. She turned to Joe who was mimicking her actions, staring at the photo with a clenched jaw.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, concerned for his wellbeing.

"Physically, No. Emotionally, yeah." Joe admitted, moving to sit down on a chair in the kitchen. Sophia walked over to his sink, grabbing a clean glass from the cupboard and filling it up with water and taking it over to him.

"Drink some water, it'll help, you're still in shock." Sophia said, as she examined Joe as he drank his water, counting his respiratory rate and examining his awareness at the same time. He was fine on the outside, but whatever the man in yellow said to him had him shaken up, and bad.

"I won't ask what he wanted, or what he said," Sophia started off slowly, Joe looking up at her as she spoke. "But I will ask that you tell Barry when he gets back. He needs to know. He needs to know that he's back in town," Sophia said, running a hand through her hair.

"I can't tell him, h-he said he would hurt Iris if I did." Joe said, curling the hand sitting on his lap into a fist. The man in yellow had also said a few things about hurting Sophia too, but he didn't want to worry her, so he kept quiet about it.

Sophia looked back over at the photo with the knife stuck in it, and took a deep breath. "Alright," Sophia sighed, "It's your daughter, so it's your call." She said, and Joe visibly relaxed, the stress on his shoulders now lessened slightly.

"Thank you."

"But I'm staying over. I'm not going to leave you here alone, unprotected while that murderer is running around Central City, at least not until Barry gets back," Sophia said adamantly. Joe pursed his lips, nodding reluctantly, knowing that Sophia was as stubborn as Iris, and once they made up their minds, there was no going back.

"Alright, but at least stay in Barry's old room, I don't want you sleeping on the couch after the day you've had." Joe offered, and she nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you go to bed, I'll clean up this mess," Sophia said, and Joe was about to protest, but she held up her hand, "You need the rest Joe," and he still didn't budge from his seat, "As your nurse, and your guard for the night, I would appreciate it if you went and got some sleep. Come on, you've had a long day." Sophia said, pushing Joe towards the staircase, and he sighed nodding his head.

"Thank you Sophia," He said giving her a hug.

"No worries Joe."

And with that Joe was off to bed to get some much needed rest. Sophia sighed, looking at the mess around the house before rolling up her sleeves and getting to work. She moved all the furniture back in place first, then cleaned up after a shattered vase in the corner of the room. She then moved onto re-organising the frames that had been swept out of place, removing the knife from the photo of Iris that had been stabbed into the wall. She ran her fingers over the mark on the wall now, frowning at the scar that had been left. She placed a large frame of Barry, Iris and Joe in front of it, effectively covering up the mark. She smiled at herself, proud that she had cleaned everything up, the place looking relatively back to normal.

It was nearing midnight, and Sophia's muscles were beyond aching. She turned the lights off downstairs, and walked upstairs into the first room on the left, which Joe said was Barry's. Slipped her shoes off in the dark, taking off her hoddie, leaving her in a long sleeved tee, and shorts as she climbed into Barry's old bed. She snuggled into the pillow, taking a deep breath smiling contently as she realised it still smelled like Barry. It wasn't long til she fell asleep, the warmth of his blanket comforting her as she drifted off into a deep sleep.


Sophia was sleeping soundly when she heard a noise in the room. She ignored it, snuggling further into the pillow, enjoying the uninterrupted sleep she had gotten in the last few hours of the night. She had woken up and checked on Joe on the house at 3am, worried that something had happened after the man in yellow's visit, but everything was normal.

So there she lay, sleeping soundly when she felt a warm sensation on her cheek, slightly ticklish as well. She ignored it again, figuring it was chewie, her brain not currently registering she wasn't at home in her sleepy state for a moment. She lightly swatted whatever was there away, only to feel it return again, this time on the other side of her face, and a light chuckle to match. She yawned, turning over and opening her eyes to see what was happening when she came face to face with the one and only Barry Allen. She nearly screamed, not expecting him to be there, instead just pulled the blanket higher on her face to hide her embarrassment causing Barry to laugh even harder than he was before.

"Oh my god," She slurred sleepily through the blanket. "Go away."

"Morning sleeping beauty," Barry called out with a laugh, plopping down on the side of his bed, throwing an arm around Sophia and hugging her form.

"Mmm," Sophia hummed, as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes under the safety of the blanket.

"So I take it you missed me a lot since you had a little sleepover and all," Barry teased, as he pulled the blanket down, grinning as he saw her sleepy face. He couldn't help but think her bed hair was funny, most of her hair messed up, something he wasn't used to seeing.

"It's a long story," Sophia mumbled, trying to sit up, and groaning in pain as she did so, forgetting the giant bruise that had now found its home on her stomach.

"Woah, you alright?" Barry said, concerned at the expression of pain written upon her face.

"Fine, just the perks of being a superhero right?" She joked, and he helped her sit up, raising an eye brow at her comment.

"There was a meta-human problem downtown at a bank yesterday. A strong meta-human, but I handled it." Sophia said, trying to reassure Barry and his eyes went wide.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Barry asked, inspecting her for any injuries, causing her to laugh at his protectiveness. God you're so cute she thought. She pulled her shirt up slightly, showing him the bandage, which covered most of the bruise, something she was thankful for.

"Just a very bruised abdomen, and a sore back, but other than that, I'm fine." Sophia said, looking at Barry's face, before realising that he had only been gone for a day.

"Weren't you meant to be in Starling City til Friday?" She asked, yawning slightly and he nodded.

"We were, but we managed to finish up earlier than expected, plus it's halfway into the afternoon," Barry explained, placing an arm around her shoulder, her eyes widening at his mention that she had basically slept through the whole day. "Guess I had something I was looking forward to coming home to," Barry said slyly causing Sophia to blush.

"Really?" She asked shyly, a small grin making its way onto her face. As Barry looked at her he couldn't help but bite his lip, thinking it was absolutely adorable.

"Yeah."

"Speaking of that, why does your father think we're dating?" she asked cheekily, ruining the moment, and she nearly laughed at Barry's expression, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"I-I just said w-we went on a few dates…" He gulped, as she gave him a cheeky grin.

"Really now? Because he seems to think that we're a couple…" Sophia trailed off, clearly enjoying taking the mickey out of him.

"W-well, do you want to be? A couple that is?" She could see Barry visibly restrain himself from panicking, and she didn't know why he was so nervous to ask her this question when she felt like it was more than obvious about how she felt about him.

"Yes," She answered honestly, figuring she had teased him enough for one morning. The look he was giving her made her heart want to leap out of her chest. She was so thankful for bumping into the crazy life that surrounded Barry Allen, and she wouldn't change it for the world. Barry moved in closer, and she followed in suit, his eyes closing shut as their noses brushed when she put a finger on his lips, causing him to look at her afraid this wasn't what she wanted.

"I have morning breath," She whispered, hating that she had to ruin the moment, but she didn't want wreck their first kiss. He laughed, and she could feel the rumble of his chest underneath her fingertips, slightly smacking his shoulder, calming him down as he continued to be amused by her comment. He stopped laughing, the smile still firmly planted on his face as he looked at her with a heated expression that made her blush under his gaze.

"I don't care," he murmured softly, firmly planting his hands on either side of her face before leaning down, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Sophia responded instinctively, one hand on his chest, and the other threading through his oh so soft hair. All she could think about was the softness of his lips, and the way they felt on her own as they moved firmly against each other. The butterflies that erupted in her stomach as they held each other closer were welcomed, and she was sure there was no other feeling like it. They broke apart a few moments later, breathless as they stayed in close contact, their faces so close she could feel his breath fanning over her cheeks.

"I was wondering if you'd ever get around to doing that," Sophia admitted, surprising Barry, causing his grin to grow even larger, if that was possible.

"No need to wonder anymore," Barry promised, moving back in to capture her lips in another kiss.


It was a few hours later that both Barry and Sophia were at Star Labs. Sophia had lied, about why she stayed over, giving Joe a small smile, as she promised to keep the true events of last night hidden from Barry for now. She had made it clear to Joe while Barry was gone that he needed to tell Barry soon, because it wasn't safe to keep him in the dark with the man in yellow back in Central City.

They were discussing the events of yesterday when Barry got an alert that Iris had made a blog post about 'Sapphire' the super-hero that had saved her dad's squadron and had stopped the meta-human at the bank, saving countless lives. She blushed at the beautifully written description that Iris had painted about her. Sophia was lounging on two chairs, her legs lifted up onto another a warm blanket draped on her legs as she recounted the story from her point of view, to Caitlin, Cisco and Barry not wanting to repeat it more than once. Dr. Wells spoke of her progress with her powers, now being able to fly, causing them all to cheer for her, laughing as they shared proud looks. Wells then announced that he was needed elsewhere at the present time, which made her eye him suspiciously, wondering where he could be going, but then ignored that feeling, pushing it away as she focused back on the conversation with her friends.

"So I created a giant fist made completely out of electrical energy, and knocked him out," Sophia described, using hand gestures to show what she meant, and Barry stared at her from across the room, a smile on his face as he watched her recount the events.

"So what did you name him?" Cisco asked, curious as he popped a few skittles into his mouth. This kid was always snacking. Then again, who was she to judge, she was popping pieces of her favourite Willy Wonka lollies in her mouth when no one was looking, though she was sure Barry had caught onto her secret about ten minutes ago, judging by the rush of wind that suddenly came through a windowless room- that and she saw him throw a sweet in his mouth, playfully grinning at her, admitting he stole a few when he winked at her, sticking his tongue out to show that it was tinted purple.

"Knuckles." Sophia stated, softly, knowing that Cisco wouldn't approve. Cisco didn't hear and asked her to speak up. "Knuckles." She said louder this time, and Cisco nearly choked on his lollies.

"Knuckles. Really?!" Cisco nearly yelled, offended that she came up with such a bad name. "This is why I'm in charge of the names around here."

"Okay, so sue me, I'm not good with the nicknames," Sophia said, sulking as she crossed her arms, causing Caitlin and Barry to laugh at the two arguing.

"God save us," Cisco said, and Sophia glared at him with glowing eyes, causing him to purse his lips. Cisco sighed, "But since you so impressively took this one out on your own, I'll let it slide."

"Whatever," Sophia huffed, "So what happened in Starling City? No one got hurt right?" Sophia asked, leaning forward, and looking over at them all. They all stared at each other with wide eyes, Cisco responding first.

"Ha ha," Cisco laughed, and Barry cringed, knowing that they had basically failed to do exactly that.

"Not exactly." And then they recounted their story, from the beginning, explaining how basically a lot of people ended up getting hurt. Then moving onto how Diggle's ex-wife at the time, but now fiancé, nearly died from being hit by a boomerang causing Sophia to gasp in shock and shake her head in disapproval.

The rest of the day was spent lounging with the team, Sophia enjoying the company of her two friends, and her boyfriend- to which both Caitlin and Cisco nearly had heart attacks when finding out, interrogating the two a bit too much now that they had officially labelled their relationship. Barry's reaction was to sweep Sophia off her feet, whizzing the both of them back to her apartment where they escaped Caitlin and Cisco's grilling, enjoying each other's company for the rest of the day, thankful for the happiness in their lives… after all a storm was coming, but they didn't know it yet.

A/N: FIRST KISS. #awww

I think this was again one of my favourite chapters to write. Just because we get to Sophia kick some ass on her own and prove that she is her own hero, and she is a good one at that. Loved writing the interaction between her and Joe, building up their relationship even more.

Likewise there was some more character development between her and Wells which was good.

I feel like Barry saw Sophia in a new light towards the end of this chapter. Seeing her bravery and nonchalance with her first meta-take down on her own was inspiring and he couldn't be more proud of her.

Thank you to all the new favourites and follows. Also, massive thanks to the reviewers and the audience. This story is nothing without you guys. So keep those reviews pumping, the more the better, and the fasted you'll get updates. ;)

Thanks to highlander348, PrincessMagic, Ms. O'Leary, Natalie, Kindleflame5 and shadowhunters12 for the reviews on the last chapter.

Replies:

Ms. O'leary: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, considering that she takes flight. Yeah, considering that Diggle wasn't in the episode that much anyway, I couldn't find somewhere to sneak him in, but I will try and get him in next time there is a collab with team flash for sure! Yes, you are on the right track in terms of her relations to Lana, but not to worry, that will all come to light in later chapters, no focus on it at this current moment in time. I guess you'll have to wait and see. Sophia does go up against her own enemies and villains, but I haven't as of yet, created her archenemy, but at the moment, she does have the same vengeance against all of Barry's enemies as you can tell, since they're a team working together. In upcoming chapters she will meet Anna again, and there will be interactions with Clark Kent aka Superman, so be excited for that. YES, of course, she'll definitely be a part of it. Thank you for the review, it seriously made me smile. Xx

Natalie: Thank you so much! As soon as you mentioned this, I thought, man, wouldn't that be so cool. I shall be writing that down and may use it in the future. Sounds like it would be an interesting affair for sure. Hope you enjoyed Sophia kicking butt in this chapter. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. xx

Special mention to AquaRoseWaters, dhnysports88, thinkpink808, horesemadgirl, rantuff, jessieandy, xLoverX, redrosebird, Aria868, Immortalmamn18, NeedtoRead10, bookloverbookworm and gracieann for the favourites and the follows!

WE'VE NEARLY HIT 70 FOLLOWS. #exciting and therefore update, a day early!

Love Heroherondaletotherescue. x