This is awkward
Sonoa was sitting at the head of the conference table nervously as her father, Barry, Dr. Snow, Sara, Gary and Ava all sat around the long white table, coffees in hand discussing her future. Oliver was there as well, but instead of taking a seat, the man leaned on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
He must stand like that a lot… he's so intimidating.
"Okay, Sara" Cisco held up his hands slightly "Let's just start at the beginning. You go first, then Caitlin, then Barry, then I'll say my part. We need to stop yelling over each other and just get the story out, the whole story not pieces we spit out."
The uproar calmed down as people nodded. He was right they weren't getting anywhere but angry at this pace.
"We received a call from Barry." Sara started looking at the man who came back from work when summoned a little while ago.
"I didn't call you."
"Not you now you, future you-you." the Captain continued as she crossed her hands on the table ledge in front of her, leaning forward. "2037 you."
Barry nodded his understanding after a small moment to catch his breath. At least he was still around in 2037, right?
"You called us and asked if there was any way we could track down Sonoa Ramon, Cisco coming to you twice asking for any information about the whereabouts of his daughter. We said we would help and we were looking for a long time, no pun intended."
"So how did you know I was here Ms. Lance?" Sonoa almost whispered unsure if she should even be asking anything and feeling more and more like a little kid at the principal's office who had their parents called in for being bad.
"We didn't. We went back in time up and down all of Earth One's timeline. Problem is we can't work with other earth, only ours." Sara looked her way her face full of all seriousness "But Gideon picked up on your little performance with Iris on the news. Seeing you say something that your father would give credit to Barry for, and his lovely facepalm in the background, we knew we had our girl."
Sonoa looked at her father who just rubbed his head quietly.
"So.." he started after a few moments of deep thought. "but my daughter isn't a time anomaly."
"No" Ava sat up a bit beside Gary, swatting his hand away from the donuts he was reaching for that the Flash provided but no one felt like eating. "Shes not. She's a product of the future though, and we have to take her back."
The tall woman shifted slightly. A tall tale sign there was more to this mission then just taking the young girl back to 2037.
"And?" Barry asked, his detective skills coming into play picking up on her body language.
"Actually I will tell you but I believe it is Doctor Snow's turn to tell what happened."
"Well..." Caitlin said more into her coffee cup as everyone shifted to look at her. "Cisco came to me, his leg missing and it was a horrible mess. I had to put him under, patch up his leg as best as I could. That night while he slept a woman came to him, sat by him and held his hand. I only figured she came from his earth and wanted to be with him."
"Actually we thought she was a girlfriend at first." grinned Barry before letting the doctor beside him continue.
"Yes" chuckled Caitlin "Okay so we did. Nonetheless, she was gone in the morning and back at night and we just couldn't tell her no."
Barry continued for her, eating half of the plate of donuts in the middle of the table in a blink of an eye before doing so. The only evidence it was him was his hand that still sparked with yellow lightning and the evidence left behind on the corners of his mouth before he wiped that away.
"We did find out she was Cisco's daughter, but she saved us, and we agreed as soon as Caitlin said she was running on all pistons, we were going to help her get back."
"That's right" Confirmed the doctor beside him, a small tussle of her auburn hair as she nodded making it fall around her shoulders. "I felt like such a big jump through time and space was going to do too much to her. Cisco can only go from place to place, and he was here. Taking her back alone to earth 19 would have been even worse, especially since he is here as well. Upon viewing all the facts we came to the conclusion that she should stay here with us. We know time travel, we know Cisco, we have dealt with children from the future before."
Cisco grinned knowing at least she would have his back taking the table from his friends.
"Yes and there was only a few days before we had to say goodbye, I was going to have Cait monitor her while I monitored the portal with a little something I'm working on. If it worked right it would say exactly where the portal was leading. Something I started with DeVoe but never had the chance to use."
Sara leaned back, looking at her fellow Time Bareu companions.
"Okay here's what we are going to do." she thought out-loud her brain still processing both sides of the story she was told. "No way we can punish Sonoa for coming back in time just to keep her own father company."
"What?" Oliver finally protested, his brow furrowing. "Time travel isn't acceptable no matter the reason."
"I learned that one, eh Ollie?" Barry joked until he saw Sara's expression.
"Oliver its what we do. We time travel."
"To make things better, to stop people like this girl from messing the time line up." he retorted, his arms dropping.
He was about to keep insisting that the young women have some consequences to her actions but stopped when the captain raised her gloved hand.
"I didn't say there wouldn't be." She paused to make sure he was going to just give her a moment to talk and when he said nothing more continued. "Time has a way of punishing those who abuse it. Therefore we will let time itself handle the mess that Miss Ramon made. We will take her back with us to 2037, and she will have her mother and father to deal with."
Oliver leaned against the wall again.
"Good enough." he glared at Sonoa, those eyes he had making her want to just get swallowed up by another breach and be anywhere else but here. Maybe time in some Bareu prison would be better than the fate that the captain just set for her.
"Yes...captain." Sonoa almost whispered looking at her father.
"Sara." Gary pipped in, still nursing his hand from the audible smack received a while ago "Let him at least say goodbye, I mean it is his daughter right?"
Looking at the Ramon's at the end of the table the Time Captain gave a nod of approval.
"Granted," she said simply chatting with the others idly to give the father and daughter some time.
Cisco helped Sonoa up out of her seat and took her to the cortex. He was slower then normal because of his leg, but the walk there took even longer as if he was biding his time with his girl, taking in the few moments of silence as long as he could before he had to say goodbye.
Meanwhile, back on Earth 19, 2037
Cisco was at his office, promising his wife that he was going to just stop and breath. That was impossible to do but he was going to do his best. Leaning back in his office chair, his feet on the desk in front of him he sighed wearily. They searched for days, weeks… how long as it been? The days were melting together into one big nightmare. His daughter was out there, lost in time. She had to be hurt, no one remembers her or has seen her and she hasn't been heard from yet. His wife and he were taking it hard, very hard. It is a horrible thing when a parent has to finally believe it is time to expect the worse. He would never give up on her though, not ever. Not one moment, nor second. She was always right where she needed to be, in his heart.
But his heart was breaking. If it wasn't for RiverSong, he would be thrown into a spiraling depression. That was his baby girl.
Sean was taking it hard as well, the missing woman hitting him hard and deep. When she didn't return he told him all about what happened that night he warned her to be careful. The speedster was taking it almost as hard as he was, and he wouldn't stop looking for her even eating his mass intake of calories on the run.
Cisco told him several times he needed rest, the poor man wouldn't hear anything of it. He should have stopped her from going, he had this gut feeling and he let her go anyway.
Vibe wanted to be mad at him, but couldn't be. It was his job to keep his daughter safe while he was there, and even when he wasn't and he was the one who failed.
Closing his eyes, his hand on his knee rubbing the metal meeting his skin another sigh escaped his lips. What was he going to do now?
" You will wait, and we will get through this together with my husband." a soft voice with a lingering delicious smell of coffee came whispering to his senses from the doorway.
Opening an eye he looked at his wife, a large cup of his precious coffee in her long dark fingers as she brought it over and put it in his own.
"How do you always read my thoughts? Are you sure you're not a meta?" he slid his feet off beside the computer and patted the desk for her to sit.
"I am no meta. But I am your wife and I know what you are thinking." River smiled softly sitting where her husband coaxed. "It will be okay. I have faith."
"Faith?" He said sipping the dark goodness from the cup she offered. It was like a goddess offering a mortal the best she had to offer, and he was that lucky man.
"I have faith in you, and in her." her hand went to his knee. "You will bring her home."
"I don't..." he whispered, his exhaustion making him give up any hope.
"Shh." she chided putting her hand on his cheek leaning forward. "You do."
Cisco opened his mouth to respond when his computer went off with a message.
"It's from Barry" he whispered more to himself than her, putting the coffee down and leaning forward.
"Want me to move?" River asked him already in the process but he stopped her and wrapped his arms around her sides, working around her.
"Nope." he grinned, sitting to the left side in order to read the message from his friend on Earth One.
"Cisco – I just received a message from Gideon, the Wave-Rider is going to bring your daughter here to Star Labs. She was at Star Labs when you got injured but Sara found her due to a little time glitch she caused in the news. See you soon – Barry."
RiverSong jumped up, almost right against him until he raised his arm to let her out of his holding.
"Shes at star labs 2020?" She almost yelled, grabbing a bag in a hurry and rushing out the door.
Cisco nearly jumped, surprised at his wife's reaction.
"Babe just hang on, just a little bit they will bring her where I can just go over and get her." his brow furrowed although he was overjoyed at the news, he was wondering now where his wife was going.
"I can get her now," she exclaimed the device she got from Ray already in her hands as she set the time and place.
"No! Wait...what is that." he looked at the tech in her hands his fascination overtaking him for a few moments then snapped back to the issue at hand.
"No, River, don't..." he stopped as she placed it on the ground her boot smashing the center and a breach spun into existence.
It was too late, his wife was gone now as well, all that was left was a little stand with a blinking light, the beacon for her return.
Back on Earth one, 2020.
Barry, Ollie, and Sara took Sonoa up to the roof where the cloaked wave rider but Cisco just leaned on the wall in his lab unable to get all that happened out of his head, and now that day that he was dreading for a week was upon him, he had to let his daughter go.
A knock on his door made him turn around to the two agents of the Time Bearu.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to keep her from anyone, we were going to send her back." he protested, hoping his actions didn't come down to bite him too hard.
Quietly Ava pulled out a thin electronic device, her other hand putting on sunglasses.
"What's that?" he asked curiously, looking her over plus the device in her fingertips "Whoa you look like men in black, are you MIB?"
The tall woman shook her head, nudging Gary who gave a chuckle in the ribs, the light going off several times.
"Now then," she said taking off her glasses looking at the gaze on the breachers face. "According to section 20.9 article 4.5 revision D-233.9 you are required to get a new memory of what happened here. Therefore you got hurt by Killer Frost from your earth, breached here to be under the care of Caitlin Snow. Nothing else happened and you were extremely happy to see us and the crew of the Wave-Rider for lunch today."
"Yeah, yeah and from now on you will be fearless and bold. Nothing can keep Cisco Ramon down." Gary added ignoring the 'how dare you face' from his partner.
"What he said" she sighed putting her hand on his shoulder.
"It was good to see you again Cisco, sorry we had to eat and run but history calls."
"Yeah.." The breacher shook his head slightly, the whole thing seeming a little muddy inside of his head. "Yeah, you too. I think its time I get home myself right?"
Ava nodded her head with her all too serious smile on her face.
"See you around."
He watched them get back into the elevator, following them in a mind riddled fog and waved as they left, grinning at the all too goofy wave he got back from the male agent.
Gripping his bag from his office, Cisco started to put some of his projects in it, humming to himself in total obliviousness to what just accord in the past week. He was oddly tired, his leg was bothering him to no end, but he knew some rest at his house back on earth 19 would be just what he needed. He had to push through it, to become strong again. Tomorrow he felt just had so much hope, he only had to take it.
"I always loved it when you sang." a voice came from behind him.
RiverSong stood as the portal behind her dissipated, her hands behind her back looking at the younger version of her husband.
"Hellooo." He slinked over to her, putting his hair behind his ears.
"Hello." she smiled, holding out a leather band from around her wrist. "Put your hair up in this, it will stop getting in your way."
He gave a small noise as their fingers touched, his mind racing once again. This woman, she was beautiful, and she...portaled here? She was a Breacher like he was. She had to be.
"You are a dream walker, I swear I just saw someone like you… and no. No, it was just a dream, right? What else would a twenty-five-year-old single man dream of but an angel like you?"
He looked up as the ship above him took off and glanced as she looked at the ceiling before back at him. The woman chuckled softly, she was hooked he could tell. Turning around to grab his bag he decided he could.
"Those are just friends of ours." he watched over his desk putting his hair back as his mind plotted out how to get this woman out for a date that just showed up behind him.
No answer.
Slowly he turned around expecting her brown eyes to be transfixed on him, but only a fading light from a portal slipping away shimmering in his office, a fur that was the shape of his artificial leg left where the woman was once standing, the simple note 'Coffee sometime soon in the future, this will help your leg' laying on top of it.
Yep, just this Breachers luck.
RiverSong stepped out of the portal back on her world, realizing that she just missed her daughter back on earth one and with no option to go home, she came back. Rays invention at her feet popped and fizzled out, looking as if it was going to catch on fire.
"I'm lucky that prototype actually worked," she whispered spinning around as the blue glow of her husbands breach opened up in his number one spot.
Sonoa and her father jumped out of the portal and both right into her waiting arms. It seemed like hours they stood there, daughter in the arms of her mother, father holding both of them close.
"I see it worked." a friendly all too chipper voice said behind them ascending the stairs.
"Mr. Palmer." RiverSong smiled, turning after reluctantly letting go of Sonoa, her arm still around her daughter's shoulders.
"Hi," he said dumbly with a small wave.
"Mejo," Cisco said looking at her, his arm around his daughter as well. "Where did you meet Ray?"
"Long story Mr. Ramon." He grinned "Your wife wasn't exactly idle while you guys went and searched for your girl. Nice to see you home Sonoa."
"Thank you Mr. Palmer" she smiled, tears of happiness with her homecoming streaming down her face, using her shoulder to wipe them away.
"I have to hear this story please Ray." Cisco wiped his own tears away and held out his hand which the businessman shook.
"Yeah of course and since I knew you guys would be busy, hopefully breaching all over and getting your daughter back, I took the liberty to order Chinese for everyone. I hope that's alright."
"Chinese?" Sonoa asked, rushing down the stairs to the big table and almost flopping into her seat. She missed this so much, and she didn't want to hear the speech she knew was coming from her father, not yet.
Hugs from all her workers took time but she hugged every one of them before they sat down to join her. Huge treys of Chinese food lining the middle of the table and patted the seat beside her for Sean who held onto her the longest besides her parents.
"I shouldn't have let you go" he started, eating more slowly to enjoy her company rather than eat and run. He has run enough recently.
"Sean...I'm sorry." Sonoa bit her lip "I understand if you want another partner. I broke your trust."
"I don't want another partner." He smiled to her over failing to use chopsticks. "only you."
River and Cisco sat down for the first time in what seemed like forever, doing more watching of their now complete family with every single seat taken by those they worked with.
"This is right," RiverSong whispered to him.
Cisco nodded, looking at Sean a grin on his lips.
"Good?"
Sean nodded.
"Good."
"What's good?" a strong feminine voice rang out as the speaker appeared.
Gypsy stood looking upset, a bag in each hand.
"Gypsy?" Cisco stood slightly looking amazed she was here. He knew she came back but never when he was around, always leaving before he showed up or after he left.
"What's the matter Gypsy?" River replied simply, hoping the words she spoke to her in what seemed like forever ago actually sank into the pretty Latino woman on her forever moving train.
"You didn't save me a seat" she smiled as her whole demenor changing, putting the bags down and pulling wine out, placing bottles on the table thanking Ray who hastily gave her his seat and burrowed on from a desk beside the long banquet table.
That dinner was the best one in a very long time, comparable only to the time Cisco and River announced their marriage and the other when Sonoa was finally born. Family and friends who were family laughed, enjoyed each other as all families should, and the mood was light. Even Gypsy and Ray seemed to get along, him offering to walk her home after the party long settled.
Sean was the last to leave the Ramon family, happy his partner was home safe once again, maybe a glimpse of something more then Collection Agency partners between the two lifelong friends.
Sonoa was helping her mother clean up after the mess when the talk she was dreading came.
"Sonoa..." Cisco started rubbing his neck hating to be the one to yell at her when it was revealed she only wanted to help him through some hard times.
"I know dad..." She looked up her hands full of leftover trash.
"No, we need to talk about this. I love you tried to help me through some dark times, but we need those dark times." His hand went on hers after she threw the trash away. "It's living okay?"
Sonoa nodded in agreement. She was done time traveling, she didn't like the mess it caused, she didn't like to say goodbye, she didn't like to see people hurt because of her either.
"Dad, back then Frost and Cold followed me, somehow, they tracked my portal to see you and to stop this place from ever becoming what it was."
"I don't remember. How can I not remember that?"
Sonoa shrugged slightly. She had no idea why Barry nor her father couldn't remember her coming and staying a whole week with them.
"Anyway, Cold was hurt, and Frost turned herself in to get help."
"By an arrow?" Sonoa grinned her father hit with the realization that his daughter was right, and used her mother's bow to end Frost and Cold's reign.
"You were doing the light show with arrows? Sweet!" he exclaimed, forgetting that he was in the middle of a serious conversation with her "That's it, tomorrow we are training you got it?"
She was about to answer when she gasped, all colors of lightning coming from her hands then disappearing.
"Dad!" she held up her hands the red glow that came from them when she tried to breach fading with the storm.
"It's the speed-force..." he whispered. "It took its power back.."
Raising her hands to test the theory a portal formed in front of them once again. Jumping through it she merely ended up outside the room instead of back before the lightning happened.
Cisco stopped her from throwing up another breach to try again, seeing the blight.
"You won't be able to… You are just like me now, and time isn't your playground. It made sure you stay where you belong."
"With us." her mother said simply coming in from the hall, putting her arms around Cisco's waist from behind and peering over her shoulder at their daughter.
"Your mother is right, she's usually right. She's the biggest hero there is."
"I don't want to be a hero. I want, all I ever wanted, was a family to be with. People who look at me as a person. I might not go through what you all have, being rejected by society because of speed or fire or telekinesis. I have been rejected by the very color of my skin. Here we have what a family is" she let go and opened up the curtain to the collection agency below, people packing up to go home for the evening. "All races, all people, all working as one unit. Yes, I will give you band-aids when you're hurt. I will make you lunch every day. I will find you when you are lost. Not because I'm a hero, but because I love you."
Cisco and Sonoa looked at each other and smiled at the words of RiverSong.
"Hero" they exclaimed together with their traditional fist-bump.
The End 3