Earth 76
National City
A wonderful aroma swung lazily throughout the loft, a television was on, it's volume barely audible, Kara Danvers danced around her kitchen, a glass of red wine in her hand. Barry Allen was sitting at the table, watching her through happy eyes, he'd never felt so relaxed.
"I thought alcohol didn't affect you?" Kara nodded, downing the rest of the glass in a single drink. She wandered into the living room, plopping down on her couch. Most alcohol at least, the hard stuff at the alien bar were another thing.
"You should come join me" Kara suggested shyly, curling up on the couch. Barry chuckled standing up, making his way over sitting down. Barry turned his body towards Kara, his full attention on her, his eyes roamed over her, it made her feel shy, like he was looking deep into her soul.
"Hi"
"Kara... your a little different, from what I remember.." Barry struggled out, the days events finally wearing on him. He gazed at the kryptonian sitting up, it had been a really long stretch of days, he had just had breakfast with Oliver and now here he was talking to Kara Danvers, on a whole different world.
While she looked almost identical to what he remembered, her hairstyle was different, the bangs were new, it looked nice on her, he thought to himself.
"Barry, it's been - it's been a really long time since we last met..." Barry's eyes fell to the floor, sadness gripping him. So it was true, the months that passed for him, had been years for her. He couldn't imagine the things she's gone through.
"Kara, that was a couple months ago for me.." Barry revealed, looking away. Kara gasped quietly, she blindly reached out for him, finally getting his hand connected with hers. The implications glaringly obvious.
"W-what happened Barry?" Barry fought down a wince. Honestly, he didn't know. He didn't know where he went wrong, he replicated the accident to the tee, running from a long distance, then going even faster - faster then ever. The breach open and he sped through it, Barry couldn't place where it all went wrong.
"I'm not your Barry.." Barry whispered, Kara looked at him in surprise, she didn't let his hand go but she did lean back however. He was eternally grateful she didn't let his hand go, a tiny gesture of comfort that would get him through this conversation.
"What do you mean?" Barry had a broken glint in his eyes, he took a deep breath.
"I mean, the Barry that breached on your earth all those years ago, I-I-I I'm not him.." Barry stuttered through, Kara reacting,
Kara stood up, shaking her head, "That doesn't matter Barry, I still - we still have these memories, of each other, they are still valid!" A whimper almost leaving his lips at the loss of contact.
Barry didn't look convinced, in fact the speedster seemed to shrink into himself. Kara sat back down, scooting closer to Barry. This Barry was a little different though, she could tell. He seemed more shy, more reserved, his eyes holding tremendous pain.
"Okay look, Barry, when we met, you saved me right?" Kara asked hopeful, the man finally meeting her eyes. She gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. Shy or not this was still Barry Allen, a verson of the man who gave her golden advice, helped her against Livewire and Silver Banshee. He knew her so it's not like he was a complete stranger.
"You were falling out a window.." Barry remembered, "I ran up the building and caught you" Kara's eyes brightened considerably. This was a good sign, she willed Rao for more of the same - this was good
"I ran you all the way outside of town, you were on fire" His face took on a wistful expression as if reliving the memory. Kara's eyes faded a bit, she herself remembering it from her point of view. Falling through the air was way different then flying through the air.
"You were very shocked that I wasn't bothered being on fire" Kara shared, watching Barry's eyes spark in remembrance, hope scratching at the door.
The duo shared cautionary glances, so far - so good.
"I went to put it out but thought better of it" Barry mentioned, the split second terror flooded his body as his hands moved automatically
Kara laughed at that, punching his shoulder gently, "I gotta say, I already had a very good first impression of you, just from that"
"You're on fire!" Kara grinned, "Your first words to me,"
"I didn't need you to save me" Barry smirked, "So cocky, I'm pretty sure I saved your secret identity"
Kara rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Then outed myself instantly when I flew away"
Barry laughed, remembering the total jolt to his system watching her flying through the sky. Even now, it was still pretty incredible. Kara really was amazing, in more ways then one.
"And here I hought, I was the impossible," Barry looked thoroughly embarrassed,
"You heard that?"
"Super-Hearing, remember?" Kara spoke, looking pretty smug. Barry shook his head, leaning back, he lifted the drink to his lips, taking a nervous sip.
"That was around the same time, I uh, had a face full of your clothes" Barry blushed bright, not looking at Kara.
The Kryptonian squeaked in response, her face red, "O-oh, yeah sorry about that, that usually never happens to anyone"
"But hey! After that, you explained the concept of the multiverse to me, that was pretty cool" Barry sighed happily, so far their previous encounter aligned perfectly,
"Hah, right, that's when I explained my crazy diet" Barry laughed
"Winn then said you met the right girl," Kara whispered softly, putting a hand to her cheek, Barry shivered.
"He was right.." Barry stared at Kara, a lightness entering his being, Kara stared right back, wondering where all this emotion was coming from. Barry was perfect happy with just staring, even though he probably looked like a weirdo, he didn't even care.
As sudden as the moment arrived, it was gone just as fast.
"Then we had donuts!" Kara cheered, Barry nodded excitedly, super happy that was also the same. The notion that this wasn't the same person not once entering their minds,
"Do you re-" In a second Barry was down the street, in the same exact place Kara had taken him, picking a twelve pack of donuts, leaving the money on the counter.
"member," Kara blinked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Barry was placing a white box on the small table, opening it.
"You do remember" Kara smiled, extremely pleased picking up a chocolate donut with sprinkles, Barry only nodded through a mouthful of cherry glazed.
"That is so good" Barry moaned, lifting a napkin to his mouth.
"Ohmygosh yes, it's delicious" Kara agreed, her companion setting down his donut.
After a few minutes, enjoying good food, and good company, Barry took a glance out the realized the sun was setting, A brilliant red hue, lighting outside. He was looking forward to a good sleep.
Kara was blissfully unaware, on her second donut when Barry stood up, gesturing to the door. He figured they could continue this conversation tomorrow.
"I know it's getting a bit late, I'll be getting out of your hair" he tried explaining,
Kara stood up quickly, waving him off, sadly putting down her donut, "It's completely fine, I uh, where are you staying?" she stuffed her hands in her pockets.
"Oh, this one Hotel, its - its" Barry frowned, he didn't have any clue were it was, turning back to Kara he started stammering.
"You have no clue were it's at" Kara asked, clearly amused. Barry shook his head in embarrassment, "I can always rent another one," Central City's former hero finished lamely. He truly didn't know where the motel was nor MouseFlash.
"Nonsense Barry you can stay with me" Kara said, "I have plenty of room, seriously Barry, don't look at me like a kicked puppy Barry, It's fine, you can stay as long as you need" After a brief thought, a realization crossed Kara's face. She felt incredibly foolish and a little embarrassed.
"Your stuck here aren't you, you need a way back home again don't you?" Kara folded her hands, acting like Barry had lived on her world, just visiting a old friend.
"Kara-" Barry tried, not very hard.
"Oh Rao, I'm so sorry Barry! It didn't even cross my mind that you could be stuck" Kara rambled, she sat down dejected, "And here I've been acting like you we're just here visiting"
Barry sat back down, gathering her hand with his. He didn't know where all this extra bravado was coming from but he wasn't going to question it.
"Kara no, that's not it, I'm - I'm not looking for a way back" Kara instantly sought his eyes, her blue met his green, she was trying to understand, not get her hopes up.
"That bag" Barry gave a small nod. He braced himself, knowing this is when he explained himself, explained and hoped Kara didn't send him back.
"You wanted to leave, why?" Her voice not accusing, only curious. Her eyes showed compassion, empathy and something else he couldn't quite place.
Barry took a deep breath, "An evil speedster named Zoom happened"
"Zoom was obsessed with speed, he hopped dimensions looking for other speedsters to steal their speed, from my understanding, my earth wasn't the first he visited"
Barry had a lost look on his face, Kara wanted to reach for him, hug him. She held back, not knowing the tale.
"He started small, sending meta's to mine, all in an attempt to kill The Flash" Barry looked away, the first, Atom Smasher at Flash Day.
"When that didn't work, he actively started going against me, it was not pretty"
"Our first confrontation was... brutal, he absolutely destroyed me, humiliated me, made me feel the most powerless I felt since being a kid" Barry shrunk back, shivering, being taken around town like that, so powerless, so afraid.
"It wasn't the last time he would neither, he would end up traumatizing my friend Caitlin, threatening Wally, even succeeding in taking my speed" Barry had never felt more afraid then that moment, Zoom had Central City as its hostage, if the man was a little more focused, a little more driven, he would've outright killed Barry.
Kara scooted near, bringing Barry closer, his head falling on her shoulder. He felt his soul shudder as the main source of his pain, reared it's ugly side.
"It wasn't enough for him, all of that wasn't enough for the bastard," Tears gathered in his eyes, his voice weak. He was so tired, in this moment he wished he didn't have powers, none of it at all. Zoom had broken him, done everything possible to crush Barry. Physically and emotionally, Zoom in all areas won, even forcing him to-
"He had to take my father too, right after I just got him back - for what! For speed?! To prove I'm like him, no, no, that's impossible" Kara's heart breaking for him, Barry looked destroyed, his tone hitching.
The tears flowed, "I couldn't take it anymore Kara, my mother, my father, sure we beat the bad guy, but how long till the next psycho travels through time to get revenge on me?"
"N-no, I know its selfish of me to have left, but, I couldn't stay, it felt like the walls we're closing in on me, I needed a out"
"Central City needed a hero, one that wasn't held back by emotional baggage, I gave them one - there's no doubt in my mind Wally will be better then me, the best"
Barry looked up at Kara from his position on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, I must sound like such a insensitive loser, leaving his home because he couldn't handle it, you've lost an entire planet, and here you are still fighting"
Kara pulled away from Barry, giving him a soft look, "Barry, it's okay to not be okay, it sounds like you've been through quite a bit and needed a change of scenery - sometimes you have to make have sure Barry Allen is okay before The Flash can be okay, I'm sure everyone would understand" she squeezed him gently.
"You, you don't think less of me, that im a coward?" His lip trembled, Kara took a minute till shaking her head,
"It takes to strength to know when enough is enough" Kara declared firmly, leaving no room to argue. Not that Barry would've, he was emotionally burnt, more so then usual.
A few minutes passed before Barry's breathing hitched before becoming steady, Kara leaned back, Barry's head bobbing backward, his breathing slow, his eyes closed.
"You'll be okay Barry, I promise" Kara whispered, lifting him up bridal style. She tucked him into the guest bedroom, a cat dropping to the floor following it's mistress in their bedroom.
Kara walked the halls of the DEO, a skeleton crew littered the building, after the fall of Reign, alien attacks just stopped - not completely of course there would always be a need for the DEO, but invasions, big attacks. The whole thing was very suspicious to Kara, she stayed around along with Alex and surprisingly Lena.
J'onn retired late last year, wanting to be close to his niece M'gann M'orzz, the director position falling to Alex first naturally but she declined, saying a few years ago she would've jumped at the chance but now is perfectly happy with being an agent, less stressful that way.
Lena was brought into the fold after her brother Lex's failed attempted to escape prison, Lena fell into the position now that the DEO was now a subsidiary of Luther Corp, which Lena was still the CEO of. She has surprisingly made an excellent director, with the help of Alex Danvers and J'onn giving advice.
Kara passed a few agents who saluted her like a general, she gave a awkward wave passing, the remaining agent's held her in the highest regard, it was a little weird if she was being honest. Arriving at central command Kara spotted her sister in the meeting room, writing something on a whiteboard.
"Hey, what's going on?" Kara asked, looking around, spotting Winn already at a computer, completely engrossed in his work. She would have to talk to him later.
Alex hummed, putting the cap on a marker, "Not much sis, Lena is going to give Lawrence a dress down today" Kara looked a bit confused. She was certain she sent Agent Junior back to the DEO immediately yesterday.
"You mean she hasn't already?" Alex shook her head, dropping the marker on the round table, clattering as it rolled, falling to the floor.
"Nope, he completely dodged her yesterday, a doofus he might be but he's still an agent" Kara laughed, that was a fair point.
"When's all this going down?" Alex glanced at the clock on the wall, "Soon," She grinned. Kara shook her head exasperated, a little amused.
"You shouldn't take pleasure on the suffering of others" Kara tried, Alex nodded completely agreeing, "But he's our friend, so it's okay"
"He's surprisingly a good sport about it" Alex sat down on a chair, the chair collapsing. She fell to the floor, a loud voice laughed, a familiar mop of curls entered the room.
"That's probably why" Kara pointed out, holding back her laughter. Alex grumbled standing up, shooting the man a look. She would get him back for that, no doubt in her mind about that.
"Morning ladies," Lawrence greeted, a happy smile on already healed face. He held his hands behind his back. No signs of being in a fight on his face and presumably his body.
"How'd you know I would sit in that particular chair?" Alex asked, genuinely curious. Alex knew this particular agent, he wasn't the brightest in the shed, there would be no way he would've calculated all the variables and come to a solid deduction.
"I didn-" He was interrupted by the sound of a chair breaking, the two looked over at Kara hovering in the air, a slighly annoyed expression on her face. In a second Kara zoomed around the room, all the nails on the chairs tightened.
The trio sat down just as Lena Luther walked in, her heels clattering loudly on the tile, a folder the only thing under her arm. Alex drummed her fingers on the table, this would be good. She only wished she had a camera to record this for future generations.
"Oh good, your all here, let's get started shall we?" Lena commented, closing the meeting room door. She walked ahead to the front of the room, by the black board, she raised an perfect eyebrow at what was written.
'How not to be a idiot 101,'
Lawrence covered his face in embarrassment, wanting the day to be over already. Lena said nothing, only, opening the folder, taking out some pictures, she slid a thing of tape close.
She hung said pictues on the board, Kara leaned forward curious, those places all looked familiar to her - she saw Larry's eyes widened, Alex put her fist to her mouth, oh god this was better then she'd expected,
"Do you recall any of these locations, Agent Junior?" Lena turned to look at said pictures, taking the pressure of the agent for the moment. He scratched his sideburns,
"Uh, well, those are the sites of previous missions, that I've been on" Lawrence pointed out, not seeing anything else..
"Right, and do you know what all these locations had in common?" Kara smirked, already knowing, after all she had been there too.
The man squirmed in his chair, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Uh... they all had excellent service?" The agent said stupidly.
Kara and Alex exploded with laughter, Lena's left eyelid started twitching. She couldn't believe the nerve of this agent,
"No! It was you, causing massive amounts of property damage!" Lena turned to the board, throwing a picture of a dairy queen at the table. Everyone in the room quieted down, all having been to that location.
"That to.." The woman in charge rolled her eyes, truly remarkable, she'd never known a man who dug himself a further hole then this one
"Look, what I'm trying to say Agent Junior is you've been incredibly reckless in every mission, you've been on, that is unacceptable with someone of your abilities"
Lena's eyes softened as Lawrence's face crumbled in resignation. Sure he was her friend but he needed to understand, this wasn't a game, people lived and died doing this.
"We've been extremely fortunate enough nobody has gotten seriously hurt or worse, you might be able to heal fast but your not as durable as Supergirl, you have to be careful"
Lena walked around the table to him, his head hung low, almost between his legs. It was obvious the man took all criticism as serious as a heart attack.
"I'm not trying to humiliate you Agent Junior, I'm trying to prepare you so when something big does happen, you'll be more of a ally to Supergirl then a liability" Director Luther chided gentle.
The man flinched harshly, realizing her words rang true, Supergirl had to bail him out every time, every time he screwed up.
"Yes Director Luther, I'll do better, I promise"
Lena smiled, she walked to a nearby chair, sitting down, crossing her legs.
"I have no doubt you will, however, we cannot let this go unpunished, you will have two weeks on base duty, you'll be reporting to Agent Danvers for assignments"
All three pair of eyes widened, usually the man would be assigned to Winn, not Alex, never Alex. Everyone knew about the duo - the missions, the history.
"If that would be acceptable to you, Agent Danvers, I could understand if not, two weeks away from field assignments can be a bit much"
Alex immediately waved her off, "It's no problem, I'll be happy to supervise Agent Junior during his two weeks of punishment..."
Kara already could tell her sister was going to have too much fun, if her trembling lips were any indication. Lawrence surprisingly seemed okay by the development, only the widening of eyes the only real reaction.
"Wonderful, Lawrence I know it seems like we're being extremely hard on you and it is because we are, you are the only agent in the DEO with abilities, we hold you to a higher regard, to set examples to the other agents"
Lawrence just nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face, everyone hoped this time was it, the time he finally learned.
"Good, then we're done here," Lena exhaled, happy to be done with that, she never took any pleasure from having to be strict, with anyone she was a go with a flow type of woman, usually, Lex was of the one who got off on belittlment.
She stood, gathering the pictures, putting them back into the folder, she made her way to the door, stopping just briefly.
"We're still getting drinks tonight right?" Lena asked after a moment, three voices confirmed yes, the woman nodding before leaving the room. No doubt a lot of work on her plate - eternally busy Kara liked to say.
Lawrence groaned loudly, "It's soooo embarrassing having my friends be my bosses," He slammed his head down on the table. Alex snorted, looking on her phone, her feet were now prompted up on the table.
"If it makes you feel better, it's just as embarrassing for us" Kara informed, leaning back, "Well, maybe not for Alex but for Lena and I, it is"
Lawrence looked up, that did in fact make him feel better, not the whole Alex thing but he'd take small victories..
"Thanks Kara" Kara just smiled and nodded.
He eyed Alex who was still checking her phone, a smile still on her face. She looked up, a certain glint in her eyes. Lawrence met her gaze, a challenging look in his brown eyes.
"Hope your ready for tomorrow" Alex's smile predatory, she'd make him pay for making her look like a fool.
Lawrence shrugged, standing up, "I'm fine with it, I like spending time with you Alex" He waved adios, leaving the room, hands deep in his pockets.
Kara and Alex watched him go, Kara feeling sympathetic towards the man, his and Alex's relationship was truly intriguing. The two ribbed each other constantly, the man certainly getting under her sister's skin, but he knew they cared for each other.
The DEO found him in the aftermath of the Daxamite Invasion completely insane, the man had no motor or cognitive skills, his body spewing out the elements like a gumball machine. It was a scary sight if Kara had to be honest, sure it didn't hurt her - but it was like something out of a horror movie.
Turns out Lawrence had been struck by a stray death ray - forcefully ripping his soul from his body, then returning it, how the man wasn't dead instantly is a mystery, but he didn't leave the encounter unharmed, he basically was dead as J'onn put it.
It had taken the better part of two years before the man had shown any signs of life - J'onn had put him a special medically induced coma, only waking him up last October, Alex, along with a doctor were assigned to helping him recover.
The doctor was responsible for his mental and physical well-being, Alex was in charge of getting him back up and moving. It was no mistake on why the DEO spent so many resources on the man, they wanted him as an agent, with good reason.
After a while, Kara was put in charge of helping develop his powers, a position she asked for upfront, not wanting anyone to have inside knowledge on potential weaknesses, to use against the man. All training sessions were private, Kara insisted.
Kara's hunch proved fruitful after the one training season, a grey ethereal ribcage emerging from Lawrence, protecting him. The Kryptonian had been shocked, she'd seen powers, had incredible powers of her own but had seen nothing like it.
Kara had no choice after that to bring in everyone, well - everyone she trusted, they needed to get to the bottom of it, they needed to know more. After many exclusive tests it was hypothesized that it was a manifestation of Lawrence's soul.
From the man himself said it felt like his entire being was splitting in half, it was an incredibly painful process, seemed more like a curse to Kara then an actual superpower. Winn thought it was cool, of course Lawrence also thought it was cool.
Alex frowned, looking at Kara, "What happened to that enchanced yesterday?" Kara jumped up from her chair, remembering she left Barry alone in her loft asleep.
"Oh, oh! Toss me your phone really quick!" Alex fumbled with her phone, tossing it to her sister.
Kara dialed a number, putting Alex's phone to her ear. It rang for a bit, the Kryptonian starting to worry, maybe Barry was -
"H-hello? You've reached the home phone of Kara Danvers, plea-" A groggy voice spoke, filling her with relief.
"Barry!"
Some shuffling was heard, a small yell, then finally a thump as if someone impacted something.
"Kara? Why are you calling your own phone?" Confusion laced his tone,
Kara rolled her eyes, not like he could see but whatever,
"I'm calling to check up on you silly! I'm sorry I left you alone but I had a early meeting at the DEO" Kara explained, shifting to another foot, Alex was looking at her weirdly. She waved her off, she would explain later.
"Oh, it's no problem Kara, I was actually still sleeping when you called, I don't even remember falling asleep last night.."
"You had a long day, I'm not surprised you crashed when you did, listen I'll be by in a second with Alex and we can get some brunch?"
"Sounds good, see you in a bit"
Kara hung up the phone, tossing it to her unprepared sister. Alex yelled, basically diving for her phone.
"Boyfriend?" Alex asked from her spot on the floor, not knowing it was the same enhanced she tried arresting yesterday.
Kara stumbled, "W-what?" "N-no!"
"Lover?" Alex asked amused, Kara's face burning crimson, many images ran through her head, she groaned internally , so mad at her sister for putting such thoughts in her head.
"No! Alex! What's wrong with you?" Kara demanded - the peaceful years being kind to the Danver sisters, they we're closer then ever.
"Nothing! your the one blushing baby sister ~"
Alex wasn't even shocked when the man Kara had stashed at her loft was so similar to her, only a little suprised that it was same man from yesterday, the trio had gone to the local bakery, gathering all sorts of pastries, breads, and other sugary things.
Barry had taken no offense on her for trying to arrest him, in fact was really happy to properly meet her, giving her a hug like they'd been best friends for years. They duo explaining they'd met before, when she was on the run.
Alex wasn't sure what to make of Barry Allen, the man wasn't like any other man she'd ever met before, he was a leader, a gentle soul and a good man, the jack off all trades, that made him instantly suspicious in Alex's mind.
So during brunch, she 'accidentally' split milk all over him. She wanted to see him angry, not even during his fight with Lawrence did he fight angry, she wanted to see what lurked underneath those soft green eyes.
"Oops.." Alex commented nonchalantly, scooting backward in her seat,
Barry squealed as the ice cold milk hit his lap, he flew backwards, super, super embarrassed, he crashed his hand in the napkins grabbing a handful, dabing them on his flannel.
"Alex!" Kara exclaimed angry, resisting the urge to flip the table, by Rao's grace did she hold back, Alex hadn't even tried to disguise her intention, basically flinging her drink at Barry.
Barry placed a calming his hand over hers, patting it gently, soothing her.
"Kara, it's completely fine, it was just an accident" He finished looking at Alex, there was no way the man could lie, even to save his life, so it shocked her to see only raw embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, - I must look like such a loser" Barry stood, "I'm going to head to the bathroom really quick" Barry scampered off to the bathroom. Maybe she was wrong, maybe Barry was just that good of a guy.
The two women watched him flee, second he was out of sight, Kara honed in on Alex, about to throttle her.
"I'm sorry!" Kara deflated instantly, knowing it was true, her sister never did anything without pure intention at heart even if she went about it the wrong way sometimes.
"Then why... Alex?" The blonde Danver asked, trying to understand. Kara really didnt understand, Alex had never had reacted this way around any of her friends, well except James at one point.
"Because Kara! He seems to perfect, too good to be true, I don't want you to get hurt!"
"I'm not sure I'm following, Alex, Barry and I are just friends," Kara informed, she had no idea where Alex got off thinking she liked Barry or something, they we're just friends, super friends, bonded more quickly through their shared powers.
Alex didn't looked convinced, in fact she looked more skeptical then before, Barry returning with a thousand watt grin, Kara ignoring the slight twitch of her heart, thinking it was a random coincidence.