Hi everyone. How are you doing? How has the past week been treating you? Good? That's great. I'm here with another chapter for you all so hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.

Ace was in a good mood the next day. He'd just accomplished his first steps on the path of being a hero. But as he went down the steps for breakfast he could feel his father's eyes on him and he knew what he was in for.

"Hey Ace, sit down. Let's have a little talk," Barry said.

Ace took a seat and started on his pancakes in front of him. His father's cooking was always the best, but that didn't help to distract him from what was coming. "I'm guessing this is going to be a review of last night?"

"Yes, there's some things I'd like to talk about your performance." Barry nodded. "First off, why did you never tell us about your weapon? Why do you even have it?"

"Oh," Ace sighed in a bit of relief. "I was a bit of a late bloomer. I didn't get my powers until later in life. To accommodate that, you had Uncle Oliver teach me a few things in self-defense and weapons training. I liked the staff so we had Uncle Cisco make me one."

Barry nodded. That answered one of his questions at least. "And your lightning? You were able to sustain a continuous bolt instead of a short blast."

"It's something you showed me in the future. Build up a large enough charge and control its release. Instead of one big blast, you've got one long bolt of lightning. And it's not infinite. It'll run out eventually, but it's longer and more controlled." Ace explained. "When you need more power to take someone down, a big blast is prone to collateral damage and a small charge won't do enough. But a continuous small charge doing damage overtime is more easily controlled."

Barry nodded again. He figured that was the case and he'd have to figure out how to do it himself someday as well. It was an interesting piece of information from the future that Barry appreciated if only due to an accidental show of power. Or maybe not. Ace seemed to be totally aware of when he should or should not divulge future information, so maybe it was pre-planned. Regardless, he had to keep talking. That was the end of his questions and now onto his thoughts of his fighting style.

"Your fighting style, it's really aggressive. You didn't give Merkel much of a chance to defend himself." Barry commented.

"Yeah, it's what happens when you mix weapons training and super speed." Ace shrugged. "It's all attack, attack, and attack. Not much defense. And it works for me."

"That's not the problem," Barry shook his head. "That's basic speedster strategy. Hit-and-run tactics are the fundamentals of speedster fighting. We hit them where they aren't looking and get out before they can retaliate. Our best defense is to avoid getting hit. But when we do, that's one of our biggest flaws. That's not the flaw I wanted to talk about though. The one I want to address is arrogance."

"Arrogance? I'm just confident in my abilities," Ace denied.

"There's a point where confidence treads into arrogance," Barry looked at him. "And you were arrogant last night. You completely dominated him."

"And that's a bad thing?" Ace crossed his arms in confusion and frustration.

"It is when it becomes unnecessary. Everytime you beat him down, it took more time for Merkel to get back up. Time you could have used to restrain him. But no, you let him get back up so you could enjoy knocking him down again." Barry berated him.

"So I had a little fun," Ace shrugged, not seeing the problem. "What's the harm? You're telling me you've never played with your opponents?"

"Not to the point of torture," Barry firmly stated. "This isn't a game, Ace. These are life and death scenarios where each moment can turn the tide in a fight. Never underestimate your adversary because if you do, the fight is practically lost."

"But I still won. I beat Rag Doll." Ace argued.

"And that should have been enough. You shouldn't play with your food." Barry sighed, looking about a decade older than he actually was. "Look, I get it. I know what it's like facing opponents you believe to be beneath you. It's how I felt when I first started out. I felt on top of the world, gifted with my abilities. I could apprehend bank robbers in seconds, save people from oncoming traffic. I felt like I could do anything. And for a time I did. But then someone else came along and I got my butt handed to me and I didn't know what to do after that. I don't want you to go through the same thing. There's a lesson in humility Ace. Learn it," Barry looked at his son with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, okay," Ace agreed, knowing where his father was coming from. "Something for me to keep in mind when I go back home,"

"Speaking of, do you have any idea how much longer you'll be staying? Your mother and I love having you here, but you shouldn't be staying more than you have to," Barry asked.

"You know what?" Ace stated, thinking about the date now. Maybe he'd done what he came here to do already. "I think all I need to do now is-"

"Hey boys," Caitlin interrupted them before Ace could finish his sentence. "Can I take Barry away for a second?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be here," Ace smiled and nodded.

Barry and Caitlin walked into the hall to get some privacy. Ace could hear some murmuring from there and couldn't help but wonder what it was they were talking about.

So Ace was completely shocked when he heard a loud gasp and a shout of "I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER?!"

Ace nearly fell out of his chair at the exclamation. How in the-

"You're pregnant! We're going to be parents!" Barry continued to shout in elation.

"Yes, but you don't need to yell so loudly." Caitlin said with a happy smile on her face at her husband's happiness.

"How can I stop? This is the happiest moment of my life! I'm so happy right now! Aren't you?"

"Of course I am, but I don't think I need to be so expressive. You'll be getting more than enough of that from me with my hormones in the future,"

"I need to tell everyone. We need to tell everyone." Barry rushed back into the kitchen where Ace was frozen in shock. "Ace! Have you heard the news? Your mother is pregnant! We're going to be parents for real now!"

"Uh, wha-uh," Ace stuttered at the revelation. She was here. She was still here.

"I need to go call everyone! I need to tell them!" Barry exclaimed and ran off with his phone in his hand. "Joe! I've got great news. Caitlin is pregnant! I'm going to be a father! We're having a baby!" Barry's voice became muffled as more distance was put as he kept making calls, telling everyone the same news over and over again. This was one piece of news he didn't mind repeating more than once.

Ace's memories surfaced of that day. Admittedly, since he'd come here, that memory had started to become foggy, but with this new development, it was as clear as day, as though he were reliving it all over again.

Ace was standing with a scowl at the airport waiting for his sister, Ramona, to come out. After 4 years in university she'd finally come back. His younger twin siblings, Don and Dawn, had made a giant poster with her name in sparkles. Mom and Dad were waiting patiently, keeping their youngest children occupied.

His parents had insisted that they all greet their sister together as a family. Usually Ace wouldn't have a problem with that but did it have to be at this ungodly hour? Couldn't they just send for a car to pick her up and be done with it? No, his parents just had to get the whole family together for their first meeting. All Ace is saying is that this could happen at a later time when he was more awake.

Ace had stepped aside to use the washroom in an attempt to keep awake with a splash of water in his face. His eyes were still droopy but he'd survive for a few more minutes.

As he was walking out someone grabbed him from behind and lifted him in the air. He was 18 damnit. And in a public place. Why would anyone do this? "Hey little bro!"

"Ramona?! Let go of me. This is so embarrassing." Ace mumbled loud enough for her to hear him. How was he still light enough for her to pick him up? He blamed her powers. That was usually a safe bet.

"Come on. I haven't seen you in years. I've gotta make up for all the time I wasn't making fun of you." Still, Ramona set him back on the ground. "Look at you. Last time I saw you, you were barely over my shoulders. Now people might think we're the Allen twins." Ramona looked at him.

It was true. He'd been 13, almost 14 the last time they'd seen each other and Ramona practically towered over him, having inherited their father's height. And Ace, like in everything else, was a late bloomer and had only recently hit his growth spurt. Actually, Ramona still had a few inches on him which was super annoying. But now he was slightly below eye-level with her. They now looked to be more similar in age rather than 4 years apart.

"So? Anything new going on in your life? College? I know you just graduated from high school. Maybe you've got a girlfriend now?" Ramona smiled teasingly.

Ace just shrugged her off. "No. There's no one. I'm not really sure what I'm going to be doing. No idea if I want to go back to school."

"Oh," Ramona said, a hint of disappointment in her voice, but she quickly shoved it aside. "Well, it doesn't matter. You've got your whole life ahead of you. It's okay if you're still looking for what you want,"

"I know what I want. It's happening. Just not now," Ace said firmly. Ace had been determined to become a hero like the rest of the family, and it was only further enhanced by Gloria's visions. But their parents forced Ace back to school until he'd gained his powers. Which, judging by the conversation, hadn't happened yet.

Ramona frowned but quickly replaced it with a neutral expression. Everybody in the family had this conversation more than once with Ace and didn't get anywhere. Instead of arguing or trying to slowly present other opportunities, she just quickly changed the conversation.

"Where are Mom and Dad? I can't wait to see them either," Ramona asked.

"Yeah, I'll take you to them," Ace agreed.

Ace led her to where their parents were keeping the twins occupied and their large poster glittering in a seat beside them. "Hey," Ace called out to them. "Ramona's here,"

Everybody's heads swiveled in their direction. Their eyes moved from him to the figure beside him and their faces broke out into smiles. "Ramona!" Everybody cried out.

"Hey everybody. It's so good to see you," Ramona embraced them all in a hug. "I've missed you all so much,"

"And whose fault is that? You could've reached out a bit more," Barry lightly scolded her.

"Sorry. I was busy and I know how busy you guys get. I didn't think you would want to be bothered with my problems." Ramona apologized.

"You are never a bother. You're our child. Never think that," Caitlin said.

"Hey guys. You remember me?" Ramona crouched down to greet the twins. It had been four years since they'd seen each other and for a young child, that might as well have been their whole life.

"Big sis. Mom and Dad wouldn't let us forget you," They both responded.

Ramona smiled fondly at them. "Yeah, that's me," She brought them into a hug. "Look at you. You've grown so much since I last saw you."

"Thank you," They responded but then turned to each other. "You? She was talking about me. Why would she be talking about you? There isn't much to talk about." They both gasped at the accusations they both laid against the other. "You take that back!"

Everyone lightly chuckled at their antics. You wouldn't know it, but you could just feel the love from both of them.

"Come on. Let's all go home," Barry pulled them away to exit the airport.

Ace leveled a look at his mother's abdomen where his big sister was currently being incubated. Some plans needed to be changed.

Grace was hiding out in the old STAR building until her speedster partner decided it was safe to leave. She couldn't even go to school or talk to any of her friends. The only times she was allowed out was when they were on the hunt. But that didn't happen often enough. They killed that driver, but that was almost a week ago. Grace was getting stir crazy. And that wasn't safe. Not for her.

Grace's mind tended to wander. Her thoughts are erratic. Her focus was always shifting and never concentrated. Without school or the prospect of a hunt, she had nothing to center herself and she would find herself lost in old memories, or the voices would return. She didn't know which was worse.

This time it was the latter.

"Why do we need to hide here?!" Her uncle loudly shouted. "The time for action is now! We can take them all in one fell swoop, but we're sitting here giving them the chance to recover!"

"The Flash and his teammates are not our only adversaries. There are others." Her father argued. "If we allow ourselves to become tunnel visioned, disaster will follow."

"We need to calm down. We will get them all in time. The Flash, Killer Frost, Vibe, and everyone else. This is a delicate mission we've taken on. We shouldn't expend ourselves to focus on just them." Her mother acted as the negotiator.

They were all just voices in her head, speaking her own thoughts. It was so annoying. Different aspects of herself that she'd associated with each important person in her life. But they would keep showing up until she finally got some peace of mind, and she would never be able to accomplish that until she'd wiped every meta off the face of the earth. They were all abominations that should never have existed. And she was going to be the one to exterminate them. Every last one of them.

Grace groaned. She was so tired of their argument. Her internal argument? She wasn't even sure anymore because she agreed with all of them and none of them at the same time.

"Oh, are we disturbing you honey?" The vision of her mother cooed at her, seeming to be apologetic for their 'loud' arguing.

"Can't I just sleep? There's nothing else to do around here," Grace groaned.

"You don't want to sleep. You can't," Orlin boldly stated. "You're not just haunted by us. Your memories, you can't bear them, so you use us as a distraction,"

Well he wasn't wrong. Her dreams were plagued with reminders of what she'd done. Each more horrifying than the last one. And it wouldn't stop until she finished. And there was only one way this would all end.

As her eyelids became even more heavy, she struggled with all her might to remain awake. She tried focusing on the loud shouts of her hallucinations, but with a startle she found them to be gone. Vanished without a trace. All that was left were echoes in her mind. Well that's all they actually were in the first place so perhaps that wasn't the best terminology to use. Regardless, her muscles relaxed and she fell back. Her mind was blank before she even hit the ground.

Grace was walking around her house. This was the day. It always led up to this day. There wasn't a single second when she didn't think about this day. The day she was finally, truly, alone.

She'd recently been dating some handsome idiot. Nothing serious. Just something for fun. Kisses, light groping, but nothing beyond that. She was in no way ready for that. She watched herself arriving in a car. She wasn't always participating. Sometimes she was just a spectator. Looks like this was one of those times.

How she hated her younger self. So naive. She thought she knew loss. She knew nothing. But she was about to learn.

There she was walking hand-in-hand with that fool. Tom? Tanner? Maybe Toby? She didn't remember anymore. If she could, she would kill him a second time by forgetting all about him. But she couldn't. The bastard was etched into her memory.

The lights of the house turned on and her uncle came out looking very angry. Not at her. Maybe a little disappointment at her, but most of his attention was focused on the guy beside her. "Where were you? You were supposed to be home 2 hours ago."

"I lost track of time and I forgot my phone in my room," Soon-to-be Cicada excused herself and dismissed him. Not even an apology. That ungrateful little brat. She doesn't know what she still has. She soon will.

"I expected you to be responsible. I took on the job of taking care of you. That's what I promised to do,"

"Well I'm an adult now. I can make my own decisions. You don't need to take care of me anymore. I don't need you!"

There were curse words on the edge of Grace's tongue that she had for herself right now. How much she wanted to punch some sense into her. Maybe everything would be different. She doesn't mean that, she wanted to tell her uncle. She does need you. I need you.

"You're still living under my roof. And as the responsible adult I am, it is my job to take care of those living under it. I don't like this attitude you have going on."

Neither does Grace. Her past self was going through things, but acting out was only going to make things worse. She knew.

"Hey old man. Lay off of her. You don't control her. She can do whatever she wants," that idiot interjected.

Her uncle must have smelled the weed because he seemed even angrier. Even so, he calmly put his hands on the idiot's shoulders and pushed him back to the car. "This conversation doesn't concern you. So why don't you go home? And believe me, if I had my way you would never darken this doorstep again."

"Stop trying to control me!" Grace heard herself say. "You don't get to tell me what to do anymore. You're not my father." Grace could see herself glare daggers into her uncle's back as he led the boy away.

Uncle Orlin sighed. "I know I'm not your father, but I still took you in. I put a roof over your head, fed you, taught you to drive. I'll never replace your father, but we're still family, and family looks out for each other no matter what."

"Just because we share blood doesn't mean anything. So what if you're my uncle? I wish you were gone!"

And here it came. As if summoned by her wishes, that idiot boyfriend of hers halted in his exit and then something came out of his back. Something long and scaly and wrapping itself around her uncle's neck, lifting him into the air, depriving him of the oxygen he needed.

She could hear herself screeching. "What are you doing?! Let him go!" She was surprised. She hadn't known at the time this boy had been one of those metahumans but she was more overcome by her fear of losing the only family she had left. And that was being threatened by this person.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it? I heard you and I agree. You don't need anyone, and once this old geezer is gone, you'll have nobody holding you back anymore," The guy was staring at Uncle Orlin with bloodshot eyes, his tail tightening its grip on Uncle Orlin's throat. Uncle Orlin was frantically grasping at the tail, trying everything to loosen its grip.

Grace watched herself plead pathetically with her lover to release him, but the guy was so high out of his mind, all reason had left his head long ago. Instead, younger Grace tried assisting her uncle in freeing him, but it was no use. The tail was just too strong.

Her uncle finally slackened in its tail's embrace and as a final measure, the bastard squeezed as hard as he could one last time, crushing his windpipe and making such a resounding snap that there was no hope that Uncle Orlin had survived after he collapsed from oxygen deprivation.

"NO!" Younger Grace cried out in a heart wrenching sob. The meta tail let go and dropped the body onto the ground and retracted back into the murderer. Of course, there were no neighbors to witness this. Maybe they could have helped. But then again, she was grateful there were no witnesses to this next event.

Grace watched herself cuddle into her uncle's corpse. Searching for the last bit of heat from the once alive body. Her tears and snot were soaking through the shirt. Then the bastard had the audacity to touch her after that.

He placed a hand on her shoulder to pull her off of her uncle. Then he gestured to his car for them to get out of here.

Looking at the man who'd just killed her last family member, the one she'd just been arguing with and would be the last things she'd ever be able to say to him, actually trying to say to her to go with him changed her. Something in her just snapped and this is where her memories started going a little fuzzy.

She remembered letting loose a feral roar and something flying into her hand. She didn't know where it came from and what it was at the time, she just knew she could feel a connection to the thing. And with that, she felt herself jump at the mutant she'd once called a lover and pounced on him like a hunter catching their prey.

By the time she was finished and regained her sanity, the first thing she realized was she was on her knees with the strange knife in her hand. Then she remembered what was happening at the time and looked down to see the body was unrecognizable. There were pieces of him littered everywhere. Bone shards cut into her hands. Blood everywhere and chunks of flesh scattered across the grass. Maybe the only thing left recognizable was the head which had been severed at the base of the neck. And she couldn't bear looking at that thing anymore so she rose into the air and as a final act of aggression, stomped on it, putting all of her weight and force into it, which was quite considerable with her new powers, and crushed the cranium, spilling gray matter all over the ground.

As she assessed the damage, she saw pieces of flesh covered in scales. That must be the tail. Or what was left of it. It was all that marked the boy to have been a metahuman.

She hated it. She hated him. She hated all of them. And they were all going to suffer for it.

Grace was then awoken with a shake, disturbing her from her sleep. Well, nightmare, but details. She'd gotten used to them, having occurred too often. All she could really hope to take away from that was being somewhat better rested than when she first closed her eyes. And considering the fact that the voices in her head were currently absent, she felt assured she was decently rested.

Looking to who had awoken her she looked into the soulless visor of the helmet that showed her own reflection. "What do you want?" She asked groggily. Grace tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes and let out a yawn. Just because she was awake did not mean she was completely aware.

The speedster just stared back at her behind the helmet, waiting for her to work it out on her own.

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Another target?"

Satisfied, the speedster pulled out another picture. The image showed a woman. A very familiar woman. There was anger in her bright glowing eyes. Her powers were on full display, shooting projectiles from her hands.

"Her? Are you sure? I thought-"

"It doesn't matter what you thought," The speedster quickly cut her off. "That was then. This is now. All bets are off the table. Kill her," The speedster practically growled when he spoke the command. "Get her alone. We don't want any complications. I want her dead at all costs."

Grace just numbly nodded. She wasn't sure what had brought about this change, but she wasn't going to be the one to argue it. She'd been waiting to sink her dagger into that one. Her next target.

Killer Frost.

How do you all feel about that? Sorry this was a little on the short side, but I felt this was a good stopping point since we're going to be doing a time skip of a few months since there's really nothing that important coming up. Honestly, I've got maybe 3 or 4 more chapters of the season.

We've got the full story about Grace now. How she became Cicada, but Ace's story isn't over yet. Any guesses on how that's going to go? And the new speedster. Anyone care to make an inquiry? I don't know if it's obvious or not since I'm the author, but I feel I've dropped enough hints to make an educated guess.

I'll see you all next week for the conclusion of Cicada, but not the season.