Chapter 25

"Whatever happens to her I blame you Lena! " Alex stormed into the room Maggie following worriedly behind.

"Alex! " Maggie called worried.

"No! This is her fucking fault! What the hell did you feed Kara!" Alex's terrified voice loud and angry.

"Wow. Alex. What's going on? " Barry attempted to calm the situation.

"Thanks. " Lena looked to Barry appreciative. "I just gave her blood! It was fresh but that doesn't explain anything. Something else is going on. It's probably because she starved herself for so long! " Lena explained.

"You should have watched over her better! You shouldn't have let her starve herself like that! " Alex worked herself up, tears now streaming from her eyes as they caught multiple stray items on a nearby desk, grabbing one in each hand. "It's all your fault! " Alex began lobbying Wynn's chachkies and various toys at Lena, furrious and scared.

"Alex! What… happened! " Lena evaded toys and some office supplies as they were thrown at her.

"She is gone! She disappeared! There is a hole in the infirmary and blood on the ground! " Alex cried throwing more items.

"Alex! She barely has enough of her powers to do that! " Lena argued.

"Someone said they saw her punch through the wall and fly off! I blame you! This is all your fault! You let her get turned because you were scared! You watched on and did nothing as she fought Vienna! Y.. You let her drink! You couldn't figure out how to fix it! How to cure her! And… then you couldn't even face her anymore! You… you… you're.. S… s… your such a… such a… b…. bad s… sister… " Alex collapsed, sobbing, realizing her anger was at herself. That somewhere along her rant she had begun berating herself. "Alex… " Maggie whispered, moving to the floor to hug her partner. "Baby… this isn't either of your faults. " Maggie wiped away the tears streaming from Alex's face.

"Its my fault.. I.. I did this to her. I didn't want to be a vampire… and… when she became one.. I couldn't face her.. I.. Stopped looking after her. " Alex sobbed.

"Oh baby… " Maggie worried for her lover.

"Alex… this isn't either of our faults. " Lena approached Alex and Maggie slowly as she crouched down.

"I… I.. I.. " Alex sniffled.

"Alex… Kara understood. She never blamed you for having a hard time facing her after it all happened. It's important to me that you know that. It came up more than once. She loves you and she wants you ok just as you want her ok. We all will figure this out ok? " Lena did her best to calm Alex, understanding the pain she was in. After vienna they all felt as if they had failed Kara.

"Thanks Lena. I.. I will take care of her. It's time to go home love you need rest. Barry and Lena will figure this out. " Maggie picked up Alex slowly.

"I.. " Alex attempted to argue, determined to help her sister, however she grew lightheaded and passed out instead.

"Maggie… I.. Is she getting any help? She was… a lot of stuff happened to her. She.. She probably has ptsd from what Vienna did. I'm certain Kara does. " Lena asked worriedly. "I asked her to get counseling. " Maggie frowned.

"I think it's time to do more than ask. She is in trouble. It sounds like Kara Is too. "Lena suggested.

"Yeah. Your right. I will talk to her when she wakes. " Maggie nodded heading home

"I… things seem.. Bad here.. " Barry sighed reminding Lena that he was still there.

"Yeah. I.. It's been a long couple months. Sooo.. Wanna help me try and figure this out? " Lena requested turning around as Barry got to see the true exhaustion on her face.

"No kidding. I.. Yeah. So. From what I read of their work. They have actually identified how the… blood cleaner reverses the turn? " Barry began.

"Yeah. I.. Uugh. I was raised to believe it was all just magic. " Lena rolled her eyes. "I ended up drifting towards science because I never believed much of the it is all magic explanation. So. How's it work? " Lena explained straightening herself and prepping to proceed.

"Yeah. So. It seems when a human is turned the cells go.. Dormant in a way. Their research shows that vampires are much more ecologically efficient, that their cells process slower. However despite this dormancy they are completely functional. I.. Also. It shows here that vampires don't have a pulse?"

"No pulse. It is one of the fastest ways to identify a vampire aside from the fangs and body temperature." Lena agreed.

"Well… that just doesn't make sense. I.. The fangs seem odd. But. Sure. Whatever. And the body temperature is completely logical. But.. All this… are you sure you have no pulse? " Barry questioned zipping to Lena and placing two fingers at her neck.

Lena hissed baring her fangs feeling someone suddenly at her neck.

"No biting please! "

"I.. Sorry. " Lena realized he was no threat. "And yeah I've had my pulse taken half a dozen times mistakenly since I was turned . I have no pulse. "

"Ummm. Well. " Barry hummed.

"What? " Lena replied curious.

"Its really slow. But your blood is moving that's for sure." Barry smiled pleased that his hypothesis was confirmed.

"How's that possible? "

"If your pulse is slow enough you will be assumed to have none or that the one or two pulses you have while being checked it would be dismissed as no pulse at all. " Barry explained.

"Ok.. So what does that matter? " Lena pressed.

"I.. Hey I'm still trying to understand this. I just found out about vampires in general! " Barry defended.

"Sorry. I.. Emotions are high." Lena's head dropped.

"I… uugh.. But I actually do have a theory. " Barry scratched the back of his head feeling guilty for not explaining faster.

"What!? "

"Well.. It seems that Alex tested the reaction to blood cleansers in both pre and post first feed vampires. It isn't that the cleansers didn't work completely. It is that the vampires that have feed.. I.. Its like their cells are overcoming the reversal faster than it happens. It's like a vampire who has not yet feed can't fight the cleanser. But a vampire who has can. And when combined with the slow rate of dispersion in the body, the cleanser will never exceed the pace at which it is overwhelmed." Barry relayed his thought process.

"Wait. Then how does this help? " Lena doubted.

"Well. My suspicion is that if it can be administered in a large enough dosage distributed over the whole body, and not just through oral ingestion, then I suspect that it might actually give the cleanser a fighting chance. Less vampiric cells to inhibit the reversal. Look. It's nothing perfect. But I actually think I could do it. Normally you'd need thirty or forty people all injecting her, but I am fast enough that it will probably work. " Barry answered.

"Wait. Why would it take so many people? "

"You need all the injections to be almost simultaneous. And from Alex's notes it shows that if the cleanser is used in a ratio of which that would require about 30 people to administer before the vampiric cells overwhelm the cleanser. " Barry reasoned.

"So if we find Kara you can fix this!? " Lena's eyes went wide full of excitement.

"Hey hey hey. I have a theory based upon someone else's work… well I have three theories , but this is my best one. " Barry warned.

"Well what are the other two? " Lena pressed.

"Well one is just kinda stupid, and would only be additive to this one… and the last one… well.. That's just dangerous… " Barry grimaced.

End of Chapter 25