Brand New World
Summary: Post Crisis. The universe has been rebooted and reset. It's a Brand New World. What has changed?
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Beebo is off limits," Sara Lance, the White Canary says with a flurry and a right hook to this douche who had conjured up a giant Beebo as a distraction while he went on a stealing spree.
"Ouch," Barry Allen, the Flash says as he watches the guy topple over. "I want to say something about never getting on your bad side but that would be kinda cliché."
"Never stopped you before," Sara quips.
"Ok, again, ouch," he says with mock hurt.
The two share a laugh, turn round and find themselves facing the Black Canary. Dinah Laurel Lance though the costume is a little different to what either remembers. Similar but with lines of yellow added. And her hair is really short allowing the natural curls to dominate.
Course what neither Sara nor Barry realise is that this Dinah Laurel Lance is not who they remember her to be from the world before Crisis.
"There you two are!" she says in exasperation. "Honestly does no-one remember to call me?" she complains.
Sara and Barry remain silent. It is only interrupted by Dig on Sara's comm. "Sara can you hear me?"
"Yeah," Sara replies.
"That...um...there is no Multiverse now. There was never a Multiverse or an Earth 2. That is Laurel. That is your sister. She didn't die," Dig tries to make the younger Lance understand that this isn't the former Black Siren.
Sara swallows. After losing Oliver she can't...oh God. "Laurel?" she queries in a hopeful whisper.
Black Canary gives her sister a queer look. "Since when did we start calling me by my middle name?" she asks.
"Dinah," Dig butts in again. "She goes by Dinah."
"Dinah," Sara says, finding it so weird to use that name. The Laurel she remembers hated being called after their mother.
"Tell them the rest," Rene's voice speaks up.
"Tell us what?" Sara asks.
Dinah cocks her head. "Um, what are they saying?" she asks. "Know what, never mind," she dismisses it as she walks up to the two baffled heroes. "And sorry sis, as nice as it is to see you, catching up with you is only number 2 on my list at the minute."
"What's number 1?" Barry asks.
Dinah shoots him a smirk. "This," she says as she grabs his face and lays one on the Scarlet Speedster.
Sara's eyebrows go into her hairline. "Um...La-Dinah, what are you doing?"
Dinah pulls back with a satisfied smile. "Kissing my husband," she answers.
"What?!" Barry gasps in shock.
"What?" Dinah asks back, confused by his reaction.
Sara raises a hand to her head and shakes it slowly. "Oh boy."
Star Labs...
"This can't be happening. This can't be happening," Barry mutters as he paces back and forth in the Cortex. He had found the lamest excuse possible to leave and run back here, hoping to get answers from his friends. He hadn't even realised he wasn't married to Iris. When the world reset he woke up at Joe's and then got the call about the Weather Witch so didn't think too much about why he was at Joe's.
"Barry, stop pacing will you," Caitlin berates him.
"I'm married to Laurel!"
"Dinah," his friend corrects him.
Barry stops and glares at her.
"Ok, that is not going to work on me," Caitlin tells him. "And if you really push it I'll get Frost out here to kick your ass," she warns him.
Finally Barry relents and sits down. His face falling into his hands. "Iris. I was married to Iris," he mutters.
"Yeah, we know," Cisco says. "J'onn restored our memories...except we also remember the history of this world too...so you know, if I didn't have enough alternate timelines in my head already," he complains.
Caitlin rolls her eyes in a very Frost-like manner at her friend's whining.
"What...how did it happen?" Barry asks about how he can be married to Laurel...Dinah...whatever.
"It started at the same time it started for all us. The particle accelerator explosion," Cisco replies.
"Dinah was in town, visiting her mother the day it exploded," Caitlin continues.
"She's a metahuman," Barry realises.
"Canary Cry, yes," Caitlin confirms. "During the 9 months you were in a coma she became the Black Canary, using her powers as a vigilante."
"Then once I woke up?" Barry asks.
"You became the Flash and did the inevitable team-up," Cisco informs him.
"She became part of the team eventually," Caitlin picks it up again. "You and her bonded, being out there on the front-line together before Cisco and I developed powers but also in your civilian lives. She became a DA here in Central City while you're a CSI. In all honesty you really complement each other a lot."
"What about Iris?" Barry has to wonder what happened with his wife...not his wife.
Cisco and Caitlin share a look before the female one of the two shrugs her shoulders.
"There really isn't much to tell," Caitlin says. "You entered a relationship with Dinah while Iris was grieving over Eddie. By the time her grieving was over you and Dinah were in love. Therefore there was no possibility of anything happening between the two of you. She got on with her life. As far as you're concerned she's your sister."
"Except I remember the world with me and Iris as a couple," Barry says mournfully. "God, this is a mess," he says rubbing his face.
His two friends couldn't deny the truth of that.
Arrow Cave...
"So any reason you neglected to mention my sister being alive, J'onn?" Sara asks the Martian, deeply unhappy.
"I was not aware it was her," he says in his defence.
"Does she know yet? Have you..." Sara points at her own head to indicate what she means.
J'onn shakes his head. "I have not yet got around to restoring her memories."
"And I'm not sure you should," Sara mentions.
J'onn looks at her and waits patiently.
"You're proposing restoring to her the memory that she died, J'onn and was replaced by a doppelgänger from a universe that no longer exists."
"Does she not have the right to know?"
"Oh yeah, she has the right to know her husband was married to another woman," Sara drawls sarcastically.
J'onn blinks.
"Ok, I guess you also missed the bit where she's married to Barry," Sara realises from his look.
"I was not aware of this."
"Bit of a mess isn't it?"
"There are many changes to this world we all have yet to discover but your sister's situation is more complicated than you know."
"Ok I know I'm gonna regret asking this but what do you mean?"
"When you were dragging me away from her before we started this conversation," J'onn reminds her of her actions, "I could easily sense it."
"Sense what?"
"The life growing within her."
Sara's eyes go huge. "She's pregnant!"
"Who's pregnant?"
Sara's breath catches at that voice and then he comes into view. "Dad?" she asks at barely a whisper at seeing her father. Her late father...or he was. God, he's alive!
"Hey sweetheart," he greets her warmly.
Sara can't help herself as she strides over and wraps him in a bear hug.
"Whoa, ok," Quentin says, a little caught out at her actions. "I guess you missed me," he says as he returns the hug.
"More than you can imagine," Sara says, tears glistening in her eyes.
"So who's pregnant?" he asks again.
"Um..." Sara can guess La-Dinah hasn't told him yet. "I'm not sure I should say and spoil the surprise," she says, breaking the hug and turning away so her dad doesn't see her tears.
What Sara seems to be forgetting is that her dad was a cop and she had basically already given it away. "It's your sister isn't it."
"Um...don't tell her I spoiled it?" is all she can come up with.
"Oh I will tell her," her dad promises with an evil smile.
Sara mutters under her breath.
"I knew this was coming after last year but I didn't know it would be so soon."
"Last year?" Sara is baffled and looks at J'onn for an answer.
"It's better I speak like this to you," he uses his telepathy. "From your father's mind apparently your sister will have twins who will become speedsters and last year the 25 year old twins ran back through time and spent several months in this time period."
Sara rolls her eyes. Like father, like children she guesses but Good God, is this a mess.
Star City...
"Thanks for coming," Sara says as Barry flashes in as she sits on the stairs outside City Hall.
Barry shrugs. "You said it was urgent."
"Sit," she tells him.
Barry does so. "This is about your sister isn't it."
"Yeah. Laurel...Christ! Dinah," she corrects herself, snapping at herself as she does so.. "I'm never going to get use to that," she laments. "I know you've been avoiding her, Barry."
"I don't know what to say," he just honestly admits it.
"Yeah, well she's noticed. She's your wife, remember."
"Does she?"
"What?"
"Remember," he clarifies.
"Not yet. I asked J'onn to hold off until I talked to you."
"Iris remembers," Barry mentions.
Sara winces. "How's that going?"
"She asked for some time alone to adjust," he answers, his heart heavy.
"Sorry."
"I'll deal with Iris when she's ready to talk. Lets just focus on your sister right now. I'm sorry for avoiding her."
"Barry, I get it. It's a mess," Sara understands. "I was reluctant to restore her memories because of her death. I didn't want her to remember that."
"You said was," Barry notes. "You've changed your mind?"
The blond nods. "She needs to understand why her husband is so distant especially now."
"Why especially now?" he asks.
Sara wondered if he knew or not. Apparently not. She's not going to sugar coat it. "She's pregnant Barry."
The speedsters eyes go huge and his face pales.
"And yes they are yours before you stupidly ask."
"They?" he rasps.
"She's having twins."
Twins?! Oh God!
"Apparently they...their adult selves showed up last year for awhile."
Barry tries and pulls himself together. "Something similar happened in the old world except it was mine and Iris' daughter that appeared," he mentions.
"I think...when J'onn restores her memory we both need to be there."
Barry nods along.
"I don't know what happens then but we clearly can't hide this from her."
"I'll be there Sara. For the twins. Whatever...relationship survives this between your sister and I, I will be there for the babies."
Sara places a hand on his arm and smiles lightly. "I know you will Barry," she states, never believing for a second he would shirk his parental responsibilities. She also wanted to talk to the speedster about Oliver for a bit but before she can they are attacked by Anti-Monitor's Shadow Demons, which tells them this 'Crisis' is far from over yet.
Once they had defeated the Anti-Monitor both Sara and Barry knew the moment of truth had come. Dinah Laurel Lance had to be shown the truth.
This was not going to be fun.
As soon as J'onn had done it Dinah was rushing into the bathroom and vomiting down the toilet.
"It's ok, sis," Sara assures her as she supportively rubs her sister's back.
"Oh God, I died!" she says, her face completely white.
Sara's faces pinches with pain as she remembers.
"And Barry," she whispers before promptly throwing up again.
Sara tries to ignore the smell. "Is in the other room waiting. He's here for you no matter what."
"We're not married," Dinah says, tearfully.
Sara's heart aches. She knew this was going to be difficult.
"Oh God, Sara! We're having...I'm pregnant."
"I know. I know."
Dinah gasps for breath. "I love him," she whispers. "B-but he loves Iris. He married Iris."
Sara hates this. What a goddam mess. "We'll find a way to make this work," she says, more because she thinks she should say it rather than she has any idea how.
And after Dinah is cleaned up they go back through and talk about where they do from here.
Barry promises to be there for the twins and his sincerity only reminds Dinah as to why she fell in love with him. He was underneath it all such a good, kind, selfless and caring person.
And once she has pulled herself back together from the initial shock she becomes determined not to lose any of it.
Remember in this world she's already dealt with his feelings towards Iris. Dealt with them and got him to be with her instead. If she did it once, she sure as hell as can do it again. She becomes determined to get him to fall in love with her all over again or at least she's not going down without a fight.
Several Months later…
A sweaty, tried Dinah smiles, happy tears running down her face as she holds her babies for the first time. A little girl and a little boy. They were so beautiful.
A fact her husband agrees with as with green eyes gleaming with happiness he bends down and gives her a kiss.
"Hey Dawn. Hey Ollie," Barry Allen greets his children on what is the happiest day of his life. They were so tiny and perfect. He leans over and gives his wife another kiss. "I love you," he murmurs.
"Love you more," Dinah returns.
In the old world, where she went by Laurel, in the end she had lost everything, including her own life. Dinah has had time to process the memories, review that life, learn from the mistakes of it and it had all made her the even more determined not to lose this time round.
She was the Black Canary dammit. It wasn't a mantle she took from her sister in an attempt to honour her. It was a mantle she had earned on her own from the day she got her powers. She had learned to own those powers by herself. She had harnessed them to help the citizens of Central City. She has stood with the Flash as an equal against Thawne, Zoom, Savitar, Devoe, Cicada and the rest.
That same determination is why she didn't lose Barry to Iris. She didn't lose her babies having their father around. She got Barry to love her all over again.
It probably sounds harsh and maybe even a little unjustified but in her mind, the Laurel from the old world was a loser.
Dinah was no loser. Just look at where she is now. She's a superhero, a mother, married to a wonderful man she loves and who loves her back. She's a mother to twins who she knows, from meeting their adult selves, will be very, very special.
The be blunt in this world Dinah Laurel Lance was the winner.
Author's Note: This started as the idea in my head of Laurel not only still being alive but being the actual proper Black Canary which would require her to have powers, which would require her to be in Central City when the particle accelerator exploded and if she's in Central City have her and Barry team-up both in and out of costume. Whilst I am, generally a SnowBarry fan this idea just came into my head and I felt a need to write it. Hope you enjoyed.