Chapter Thirteen:

A silence follows as Barry just lingers after the aftermath. Both good news and bad news hit them after today's events. Barry mentally unpacks it all. He sits in the hallways of Star Labs and isolates himself from pretty much everyone else as he contemplates the future.

The good news as Barry sees it is they got Cisco and Oliver out of the containment cells Felicity put them in. The code works well enough in getting them out. They come out of the situation with a few injuries and the extent them is not fully known. Still they shall recover, at least Barry assumes.

The worst part is and Barry cannot help going over this in his mind. A million thoughts enter his head about how it may have gone differently. Felicity disappearing galls on Barry. Is there a chance she can be still out there despite everything? The end looks very final for her and in the end, her sacrifice saves the entire world.

Iris walks over to join Barry. She leans down and greets him with a kiss on the lips. Iris pulls away and takes in a deep and measured breath. She finally speaks after a couple of seconds.

"Do you think we should have figured it out? Do you think we should have noticed the signs?"

Barry's question hits Iris. Iris puts a hand on his shoulder.

"She was pretty good at hiding it. It wasn't until we started to put the pieces together. I can't help and think that we were responsible though. I mean, we were the ones who drug Felicity back into this situation. Was it a facade, her giving up? Or was it an attempt to take control and we pushed her into something which made Indigo control her one hundred percent of the way."

"If anyone should have seen the signs, it should have been Team Arrow."

Laurel steps into the room. She joins Iris and Barry with both of them taking it very hard and rightfully so. She leans back and sighs before coming into the conversation.

"There's going to be a grave. And the grave is going to have nothing to bury in. And it goes without saying that Oliver's taking it very hard. He refused point blank to talk about it. But, you can tell. He feels he should have seen the signs more so than anyone else."

Barry cringes a few seconds later. Yeah, he could imagine after the Oliver and Felicity rollercoaster ride how Oliver will be taking it.

"So do you think that he'll recover?"

A thoughtful expression fills Laurel's face.

"Physically, there's always a chance he'll recover. At least I think that there's a chance he'll recover. Mentally and emotionally, I don't really know. He's recovered from worst. Although it's pretty bad."

She doubts any of them will know the full extent of what Oliver's gone through in his life. Barry flashes a smile in her direction.

"It's a pretty good thing that Star City is going to have someone to protect the city. I mean you're still there, aren't you? We should be glad about that. I know I am."

"I'm glad too. Given how long Oliver's going to be out, someone's going to have to pick up his slack. Even if he returns to form, it's never been a one person crusade. And I've been...well I just talked to Barbara about putting together sometime of team...you know, Barbara Gordon?"

Barry responds with a smile.

"We've met."

Iris raises an eyebrow and Barry decides to clarify.

"It was on a case that both the GCPD and the CCPD were working on. That was a nightmare, although Barbara's father and Joe, they were about the only two who were able to buckle down and not let the differences between our cities get the better of us. And it's like night and day, even worse than Star and Central."

"Yeah, I can understand."

The corruption in Gotham City, while tapered off, still is a very prominent problem for several people. Iris shifts her head back and sighs. She turns to Laurel who leans against the wall.

"Sorry if I got your story sidetracked a little bit."

Laurel just smiles in the process.

"It happens. Anyway, Babs is on the outs with her mentor for reasons I can't quite figure out. Although given his sunny deposition, I can only imagine why. He makes Oliver at his broodiest look like you."

She locks eyes with Barry and smiles.

"Anyway, I'm going to talk to her again. And I really hope that the next time we get together, it won't be when the world's going to end...I need to properly thank you."

Iris purses her lips and looks at Laurel with a knowing expression.

"You know something, I really wouldn't object if the opportunity presented itself."

X-X-X

In the main lab area, Jesse kneels down before Kara and slips a bracelet onto her hand. Caitlin leans back casually sipping on an ice coffee as Jesse affixes a bracelet of some sort on Kara's wrist.

"And this will allow you to cross over dimensional barriers. If you ever need to come back here, you just tap it and boom you're right where you need to be it. It's an easy as blinking."

"Well, you really are amazing."

A grin passes over Jesse's face as she puts a hand on Kara's leg and pulls herself to a standing position. She looks into Kara's beautiful eyes for a second.

"Yeah, I try. And hey, it matches your eyes, so more points for me. I rock sometimes."

"Just don't let it get to your head."

Caitlin's quip causes Jesse to turn around with a smile on her face. She decides to continue.

"So, Kara's going to be leaving tomorrow. And your Dad said that he has to return to Earth-Two, although I don't know why. So I guess that means..."

"I'm staying here."

This statement from Jesse comes with such a firmness that Caitlin just has to smile in approval.

"We had a discussion over it, but my father concedes that I'm an adult woman and I'm more than capable of making my own decisions. And it's not like he's not a portal jump away. Earth Two isn't that big of a travel...and besides, I think that I've found my place here. Star Labs does need a Wells. It just doesn't necessary have to be my father."

Jesse smiles. She does not quite know the reasoning why her father wants to go back. He claims that he has a lot going on. When Jesse returned previously, the thought she would reconnect with friends. However, they were so alien to her.

It takes Jesse some time to realize that her friends are here. And she has a purpose on this Earth.

The doors open with Barry, Iris, and Laurel returning. Thea walks in a little bit later.

"So, Felicity's funeral is going to be this weekend. Not too many people are going to be there, but I've taken care of all of the arrangements. The only thing left is to get in touch with her mother."

Laurel swallows the lump in her throat.

"I'll do that."

"Are you sure? I should be with there with you. Well, I'm not the one that should be there with you to break that news about the fact she's gone, but...Oliver's deep in that denial stage right now and I don't feel right having to pull him out. When he feels better, he's getting an earful about how he's acting."

Barry feels honestly sorry for Oliver right now. He sits down. He decides to turn to Kara.

"So, do you think there's any chance that she's..."

"She took herself out of the tower with the orb when she triggered mass destruct. The good news is, I'm about ninety-five percent certain that Indigo went with it. But...I'm sorry we couldn't have found another way. Everything happened too fast."

"She saved the world."

Kara respectfully nods. In the end, Felicity came through for them all. She, Barry, and to an extent, Felicity herself, all were responsible for this entire Indigo mess due to their various mistakes. Kara hopes something can be learned from this.

A cracking of a transmission echoes through the equipment of Star Labs. Jesse frowns and she moves over to check the computers.

"That's odd."

"Barry Allen, I know what you did. We need to talk, now!"

Laurel in particular smiles at the familiar voice and Barry feels a deep sense of apprehension.

X-X-X

Outside of time, Sara Lance drops down onto the seat of the Waverider. Just another Thursday night for the Legends, well to be fair, it's never quite certain what day it is. Regardless, they mess up and somehow manage to fix their own mess up, while potentially opening the door for more headaches.

'Rip, I really hope you're dead this time. Because putting me in charge of this circus is going to make my hair turn white by the time I'm thirty.'

The role of leadership is not something which comes naturally to Sara, although slowly she's figuring out the ins and outs of it. The discovery the Legends made on their latest misadventure makes Sara think there's some kind of ripple in the timeline they should really check out.

"Gideon, check for any shifts in the timeline. Are there any rogue time travelers that I need to know about?"

"Are you perhaps referring to the recent event known simply as Flashpoint?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose gives Sara plenty of time to think and consider.

"Flashpoint? Oh, Barry, what did you do this time?"

Sara tries not to lose her cool even though it's borderline difficult not to do so. A couple of breaths follow with Sara rocking back and force.

"Yes, there are several alternations in the timeline. One of them is the founding of the superheroine vigilante squad known as the Birds of Prey. The most interesting change is that it's lead by your sister, about six months from the current present time."

"Laurel?"

Sara cannot bring herself to bring up the obvious.

"Yes, after the previous time ripple causes your sister's previous death, it appears that Flashpoint rectified the mistake of the time ripple."

"What time ripple?"

"The Guggenheim effect, Ms. Lance. Flashpoint righted the course of that particular timeline alternation."

Sara wrinkles her nose.

"Wait, Laurel wasn't supposed to die at the hands off...why wasn't I informed this? Why didn't Rip inform me of this?"

"Because, we feared you might try and force it yourself, and certain events needed to unfold as in Flashpoint to establish the proper flow."

A deep breath follows from Sara and she calms down at least as much as she can manage. When she left, Laurel's dead, and she's alive now. Sara's been down that particular road before. She's a bit bitter about being unable to save Laurel despite having a blasted time ship at her disposal.

And now, Barry bumbles his way through time and does something that Sara is forbidden to do.

"I...I'm going. Tell the rest of the team I'll be back providing something doesn't happen."

"I should remind you not to invoke, Murphy, Ms. Lance. He always has his share of play in your team's missions."

Sara's already on her way to the jump ship and back to the year 2016.

"Be careful not to interfere with the election of President Kent."

"Yeah, I know. Our first female President...and one who is actually a decent person as well. Especially when you consider who her two opponents are. I wouldn't dare do that."

X-X-X

Barry cannot help and bit a tiny bit intimidated by Sara's sudden arrival. A skilled warrior, former member of the League of Assassins, and someone who died before getting better is staring down Barry like she intends to take his head off.

Sara's hands firmly place on her hips.

"So, let me get this straight, Mr. Allen. You recklessly go back in time because you wanted to save your mother. And you don't want to lose your memories of the past timeline, so you go and fix it, creating ripples which cause a lot of chaos...and you do it with about as much precision as the Legends do on a weekly basis."

A deep breath follows with Sara's statement. She gains a fair bit of momentum.

"But that's beside the point and in all of that...I find out that my sister's alive. I couldn't save her, but you recklessly blundering through the timeline with all of the efficiency of a brick through a windshield is able to save her. There's only one thing that I have to say about that, Barry."

"Sara, wait, don't do anything..."

Sara ignores her sister's words for a second. After all, she didn't listen to Laurel when they were children, why start now? She stares Barry down.

"Thank you."

This particular statement takes Barry aback. The next action Sara takes does so even more. She wraps her arms around Barry's neck and gives him a very warm hug to the point where she almost aphyxiates him in the process. Sara pulls back from the hug.

Finally, she properly turns to Laurel.

"So, is it a family trait for us to come back from the dead?"

Laurel smiles and moves over to greet her sister with a hug.

"I don't know. You tell me and we'll both know."

Caitlin moves over to put a hand on Barry's shoulder. Iris moves over just as easily as well and smiles at him. Barry wonders what the two of them are smiling around.

Finally, Caitlin decides to let Barry in on the secret.

"So, sisters?"

Barry raises an eyebrow. Caitlin leans in and kisses him on one cheek. Iris leans in and kisses him on the other cheek.

"Don't worry, it will come to you soon enough."

It comes to Barry right now, and he cannot believe Caitlin suggests such a thing. Then again, maybe given this entire sex force thing, perhaps it's only inevitable. He actually wonders what kind of limit. Barry experiences new levels of both excitement and fear with the thought of fighting out about what could happen.

The moment Sara pulls away from Laurel, she steps back.

"Laurel, you better come with me. Barry, you as well, and Kara...you should really come too."

Kara raises an eyebrow. She does not recall having a proper introduction towards Sara. And why is Sara smiling at her like this? Kara does not know.

"Have we met?"

Sara leans in and pats Kara on the cheek before deciding to answer her question.

"That will be telling. But seriously, I have something to show you."

X-X-X

The trio joins Sara on her way back to the Waverider. Barry, Laurel, and Kara all wonder what this is all about.

"I should show you what sent me down the rabbit hole for when I finally realized Laurel is alive. And it's that...look familiar to any of you?"

Sara stretches out a hand and shows them a computer chip inside of a glowing glass case. Several waves of light emit over the top of the chip. Barry recognizes it within a few minutes.

"That's the chip that was in Felicity's spine."

"Yeah, it is. It was just laying on the surface on the Moon about three hundred years into the future. I don't know how it got there...I'm pretty sure it's one of those long stories, isn't it?"

Barry nods in confirmation. Long story pretty much describes what went on with this adventure. Sara releases the chip from the containment unit. Kara takes the chip into her hand. It's almost like she's playing with hot fire when looking at the same implement which Brainiac previously used to control Felicity a little bit ago.

"I should really send you back because there's a couple of things we have to settle. I hope that we can see you again sometime."

Sara gives her sister a parting hug one more time.

"It's so good to see that you're alive. And I hope you don't do anything like die again. Because I don't think I can handle that again."

A small smile shifts over Laurel's face.

"Only if you promise me the same thing."

Sara laughs and moves over to Kara.

"I'll see you sometime soon again. Don't want to tell you too much...you too Barry, try and stay out of the timeline if you can help it."

"Well, I'll do my best."

They make sure the chip is secured. Just because there's not any signs of life will not stop them from taking every step to ensure that everything is secure in the process.

"Maybe you should tag along with the Legends sometime. You'd fit right in with how sophisticated we are dealing with things like time travel."

Barry laughs in amusement at Sara's casual statement.

"I wouldn't want to step on your toes or anything."

She guides them back to the point where she can drop them back into 2016. Sara puts a hand on Barry's chest before leaving.

"Well, you're looking really good. Maybe I shouldn't keep you around. You'd be an unnecessary distraction. And don't worry, the more the merrier. But be careful. You don't want to get yourself in trouble."

For a brief second, Sara considers doing something distract. She realizes that now's not the time. Besides, there's gong to be plenty of time.

Be that as it may, if she wasn't in the middle of a very tense situation with their mysterious time villain, Sara so would totally hit it. And if Kara and Laurel want to join in, well, she's very open-minded.

"And I can never repay you for what I owe you. But, I'll certainly try to work off some credit when things settle down. I'm sure Laurel's going to help me, won't you Laurel?"

All kidding aside, it's time to send them back to the year 2016. Sara moves back as the rest of her team files in. Obviously there's going to be some questions.

"Just taking care of a couple of loose ends. Personal business really."

X-X-X

Caitlin walks up the steps to an apartment in one of the less safe parts of Central City. She moves over to knock on the door.

The door opens and Lisa Snart opens the door open. She looks over her shoulder and then behind Caitlin.

"It's just me, I swear."

Lisa just smiles and steps back to allow Caitlin to come inside the apartment. The two of them walk back with each other with Caitlin entering the living room. The coffee table looks nice, the couch looks mostly presentable with a few rough patches. There's a couple of pizza boxes on the floor and a dirty dish in the sink.

"Sorry, the place is a bit of a mess. And we really should stop meeting like this because there are people who are pound to talk."

"I really have to ask you something..."

The two of the sit down on the couch.

"I'm flattered, but I don't think that the marriage life is quite right for me."

Caitlin laughs at her words. The situation goes a fair bit serious and somber with Caitlin shifting back off of the bed.

"Do you still have your powers?"

Lisa takes a deep and sighing breath. She puts a hand to the side of her face and taps her chin.

"No, unfortunately I don't have my powers. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I tried to turn something into gold and just nothing. Now, it could be performance anxiety. But, I wondered if it has something to do with that mysterious purple light shooting up in the sky downtime. Which I'm sure you were in the middle of."

"It's a long story."

She reaches over the table to see if she had any coffee left from the cup she fixed herself. Empty, and Lisa finds herself less than bothered to go make any more. She turns her attention to Caitlin who is obviously looking over her.

"So, do you want another sample of my blood?"

"No, nothing like that. I just wanted you to confirm a theory that I had. I'm guessing the other New-Metas lost their powers."

A thoughtful expression spreads over Lisa's face. Maybe she will have a cup of coffee after all and being the gracious guest she is, she moves over to help fix Caitlin one. She spends a second pacing around the area of the kitchen in the deepest of deep thoughts.

"Hope you don't mind taking it black."

Caitlin shrugs and accepts the cup of coffee like a gracious guest she is. She and Lisa sit around on the couch and enjoy the moment together. It's mostly silence between the two of them.

"The light give and the light take away. It was an interesting right for the last month."

"You think so?"

"Honey, I know so. The question is did you get your powers under control. You going full Elsa on Central City was not entirely pleasant to look at."

Caitlin just smiles and sips on the coffee.

"I'm good now. And you never struck me as the Disney type."

A grin flashes across the face of the rogue.

"I'm more into it for the Rule 34, but that's beside the point."

X-X-X

"So, Barry, listen, it's really me this time. And it's not some evil computer from another dimension and planet trying to mimic me. Did you really believe that was me?"

Barry is on the phone talking to Cisco when he makes his way up to the hospital room to check on another friend. When Barry visited him earlier, the doctors ran all sorts of tests on Cisco. Now he's out, he catches Barry on his way to Star City General.

"I thought it was weird. But grief makes people do weird things. I should know."

"Yeah, you should know...and I blame myself for what happened. I thought Felicity was just coming over in concern after what happened with Dante. How should I know that the cup of coffee was laced with some kind of knockout drug? Mad-Eye Moody would be rolling over in his grave because I didn't practice any Constant Vigilance!"

Stopping outside of the elevator makes her.

"It's...pretty bad. I'm not going to lie, what she did to me to force me to vibe what she wanted to me to vibe. That psycho-witch computer thing...there's some nerve damage there and I can't really feel my right arm. And I get this throbbing headache when I try to use my powers...should have listened to the doctors there!"

"Cisco, this is all..."

"Barry, you can't blame yourself for everything. Okay, perhaps you should have thought this entire time travel thing through a bit more and...I'm not entirely happen with what happened. But, you know, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. I don't know when I'm going to be able to get out of bed, but at least I still have my brain. So if you want to bounce some ideas off the old noodle, you know where to find me. But, I think that Team Flash is in good hands. Because, as long as you're there Barry, the heart and the soul is still there. There would be no team without you, to inspire others to do great things."

A small moment passes with Barry holding onto the wall.

"Get well soon."

"Hey, take care of yourself, too, buddy. And may the Sex Force be with you."

This causes Barry stop.

"Caitlin told me. I don't really know whether to congratulate you or offer you my sympathies at having some much female attention. Guess you won't abuse it Barry. You're too much of a boy scout to do so...anyway, I got to go...the doctor's giving me that look."

"Okay, I won't keep you."

The next step is the room where Oliver is. Oliver sits up in a wheelchair and stares out the window. There's a far long look in his eyes. Barry moves over to see him.

"How are you?"

Barry's taken aback by that question given the circumstances.

"I feel like I'm the one who should be asking you that question."

"I'll survive. Remember, five years in hell caused me to become something else. And I'm not going to let this put me down. I talked to Curtis and he's working on a chip. Not sure that I want the shortcut to come back, especially when it can go wrong. Even though he's working hard to increase the protection of chip, I prefer to work my way back up from this position."

There's never a thought in Oliver's mind he cannot come from it.

"Sara was here a few days ago."

"Yeah, I heard from Laurel. She brought you something back."

"Felicity's chip."

The word "Felicity" seems not to penetrate Oliver's mind in the way that Barry hopes it might.

"She has a funeral this Saturday. I'm sure Thea mentioned it."

"Oh, Thea mentioned it alright."

"What's with you?"

Barry keeps his statement neutral even though there's a small part of him who is getting kind of annoyed with how Oliver's treating Felicity's death.

"What do you think, Barry? I drove her to Central City. If I hadn't gotten her involved in my crusade in the first place, none of this could happen."

"She made the choice to get involved with you. For what it entails and for better and for worse."

Those words cause Oliver to close his eyes. In some ways, Felicity represented his last chance for a normal life beyond the hood. And in some ways, Oliver wonders if it will really work out for him. Perhaps, the sum of mistakes finally catch up to him and cause him a multitude of problems.

"The one enemy who I can't put an arrow through took me down. Karma. Getting on that ship years ago set off this chain of events."

"You'll bounce back."

Oliver turns and notices a pretty blonde therapist in glasses making her way into the room.

"Hello, Mr. Queen, sir. My name is Megan, and I'll be your therapist for today. Rachel can't be here today, so I'm going to be here. How are you doing today?"

A long look at Megan happens from Oliver and even Barry gets her the side eye. The sunny deposition, the blonde hair, the glasses, Oliver really has to be seeing things. A reminder of the way Felicity used to be before she went down the rabbit hole which was Oliver's crusade pangs his heart.

"I'm doing fine."

"That's super...I'm sorry, sir, but you're going to have to leave so Oliver and I can be alone. Although you are kind of cute, I have a job to do."

"Okay, I'll let you do your job. See you later, Ms..."

"It's Megan...Megan Harris, if you have know."

"Barry. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, Oliver, if I can get you off...off the chair, that would be super."

Barry walks down the hallway and shakes his head before walking down the hallway.

Sometimes, a cigar really was just a cigar.

X-X-X

The past few weeks brings Barry to the conclusion life has it's ups and downs. He feels Iris's arms wrap around him when he ponders his lot in life.

"Are you actually going to come to bed soon?"

The tone teases Barry a bit. He turns around to face Iris and clasps her arms. The two join with a kiss.

"So, I wonder what's next for us?"

"I'm sure there's an adventure in store for us. There always is here in Central City, for all of us."

She runs a hand down Barry's cheek.

"I guess despite everything else, I've been really lucky to be here."

"I'm the lucky one, I think. And you should come inside. Kara's leaving tomorrow, and we would want to send her off in style."

"Yes, we would."

Seconds later, both Iris and Barry enter inside. Caitlin and Kara already wait, with Caitlin wearing a blue bathrobe and Kara wearing a red one. Iris switches into a purple one in a blink of an eye. All three women smile and invite Barry into the bed.

Many more girls, and they're going to need a bigger bed.

To Be Continued on July 13th, 2018.

Thanks for the favorites, follows, kudos, views, and comments and I'll see you for the next chapter.