! Warning: This story may contain adult themes, such as nudity, sexual content, torture, mass murder etc. Reader discretion is highly advised. !

Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Cisco groaned as he woke up in bed in the lab as Barry, Caitlin, Joe, Julian, Harry, Jesse, Patty and Ralph were next to him.

"How are you feeling, Cisco?" Ralph asked.

"What… what happened?" Cisco asked weakly.

"You collapsed few hours ago in the Cortex." Barry explained.

"I did a CT on your head. You have a brain tumor, Cisco." Caitlin explained. "It affected the part, where is higher brain activity. Where it's active when you get a vibe."

"Must have been a result of Lex's experiments on you and how he was using you, Gypsy and Breacher to find us. "For the past four months, you've vibed nothing… until now. What did you see?" Harry said.

"I…" Cisco hesitated. "Some kind of circus with metahumans… I'm not sure what it was." He tried to vibe again but groaned as his nose started to bleed.

"No, Cisco, don't. The more you use your powers, the worse it's gonna get." Caitlin explained.

"Is there anything you can do?" Barry turned to Caitlin. "Or the Legends?"

"I tried to reach out to Sara but they haven't responded yet." Caitlin said. "I could help operate the tumor but half of our equipment is still missing after Lex's men ransacked this place. And I'm not sure that any hospital is ready to take in that sick meta."

"Maybe A.R.G.U.S. could help us instead." Barry suggested.

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"Can you do anything for Cisco? Please." Barry asked as he was in Lyla's office with Caitlin and Joe.

"Well, I could make some calls. See if I can get a doctor to help. Or maybe, since you came here, we could try another option." Lyla said. "For the past four months, I've been going through Lex's files, see if there are any metas that we need to keep our tabs on and tag them." Barry raised his brows. "It's not what you think, Barry. It's just… better safe than sorry." Barry nodded, not liking it but could understand Lyla's situation. "How much time does Cisco have?"

"It's hard to tell. The more he uses his powers, the less time he has. Could be months, or hours." Caitlin said.

"Luke Hames. 17 years old. There was some chatter on social media about a kid, who could bring squished bugs back to life." Lyla said.

"Back from the dead?" Barry inquired.

"Not exactly. Some kids thought he was a freak or a magician. If just a leg was still twitching, all he had to do was to touch them and then they'd fly away. But… there was a downside to his power, too." Lyla added before Joe snapped his fingers.

"Wait, I remember him. That was few months after the particle accelerator exploded and after that, they moved away. He was pretty freaked out, when he got his powers. He didn't know whether what he had, was a gift or a curse. His parents called me. Said that he accidentally killed a dog, when touching him and didn't want the cops to take him. He was pretty freaked out." Joe explained as Barry turned to him.

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have helped." Barry said.

"I wanted to but before I found the right time to bring it up, they moved away. Never heard from them again. And I never found the time to track him down. He was a good kid… or trying to be, at least. Couldn't decide whether his power was a gift or a curse." Joe explained.

"Well, if he can save Cisco, I'd say that it's a gift." Barry said.

"Where is he now?" Caitlin asked as Lyla typed some commands.

"Cainan, Georgia." Lyla said.

"Let's go." Barry ordered as he was about to speed them but Lyla grabbed his hand.

"Barry, no. Johnny told me that anytime you do…" Lyla did a 'whoosh' sound. "With him, he vomits. And I just bought this shirt. We're taking a plane."

Later, Cainan, Georgia

"What do you know about this kid?" Lyla asked as Joe pulled the car over.

"Well, I saw him heal bugs, a dog that got hit by a car… one of the kids tried to hit him with a rock and he slashed my arm. Luke touched it, it was as good as new." Joe said as they approached the front porch.

"Well, guess his powers doesn't work on birds." Barry noted as they noticed a dead bird in a cage before all of them groaned upon smelling something. "God, is that…"

"…rotten corpses." Caitlin nodded, covering her nose.

Lyla and Joe carefully pulled out their guns as Barry knocked on the door. "Hello? Anyone home?" He opened the door and the smell got even worse as he covered his nose, while entering with Caitlin, Joe and Lyla.

"Hello? We just want to talk. We're not looking for trouble." Lyla said.

"Guys." Barry turned to the couple, who were on chairs, with closed eyes and rotten flesh on faces as he covered his nose.

"Luke's parents." Joe said.

"Must have been dead for weeks." Lyla realized.

"What the hell happened here?" Caitlin wondered.

"Like I said, according to Lex's files, there was a downside to Luke's power, too." Lyla explained. "Some people he'd heal…"

"…or kill." Barry finished and Lyla nodded before a gunshot rang out as a vase on a desk shattered and they saw a teenager boy with a rifle on the stairwell hiding before taking cover.

"Luke! Luke, it's me, Detective Joe West, remember me?" Joe said.

Luke hesitated before shooting at the floor near Joe's feet. "Stay back!"

Barry narrowed his eyes. "I can take him—"

"No, Barry. Stand back." Joe ordered. "Sneak up on him but don't engage, OK? We just want to talk him down."

Barry nodded in understanding as he rushed out and went to the upper window.

"Luke, you may not remember me but we've met." Joe said as he slowly went upstairs with his hands up.

"Detective West?" Luke demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"Luke, I'm going upstairs. Don't shoot. I didn't come here looking for trouble. I just want to talk." Joe said as he made his way up and slowly put his gun down on the floor. "I'm not armed, Luke. I don't want to hurt you."

"Stay away!" Luke ordered, aiming his rifle at him. "I'm warning you, Detective!"

"Luke… nobody has to get hurt. Just talk to me." Joe said, trying to reason with him. "Don't give me a reason to hurt you."

Luke aimed the rifle at him. "Stay away from me or—"

"Or what?" Joe challenged. "Are you going to shoot me? Because I don't think you're a kid that hurts people. What happens if I come near you, Luke? Because I don't think you want to hurt me."

Barry and Lyla were behind Luke, about to take him down before Joe gave a subtle and almost imperceptive shake of his head, ordering Barry and Lyla to stand down.

After a moment, Luke spoke up, with voice full of guilt and pain. "Everything I touch, dies."

Lyla, Barry, Joe and Caitlin stared in shock and disbelief.

"Luke. We can figure this out. Talk to me." Joe reasoned. "Tell me what happened—"

He tried to near Luke before Luke aimed his rifle. "Not another step!" He yelled.

"OK, I'm right here, Luke. I'm right here." Joe said, stopping. "Just take it easy and talk to me. What happened to your parents?"

Luke sniffed as he looked down the stairwell, with guilt and pain in his eyes. "I killed them. I didn't mean to… I was angry… I only touched them and they… I didn't mean to…" His voice broke.

"I know. I know." Joe nodded, assuring Luke. "It was an accident, it's not your fault. You couldn't control what happened. It was unfair to you. You shouldn't have gone through that alone."

"If I told anyone what happened, they'd hunt me down! Just like Lex Luthor did!" Luke snapped.

"It doesn't have to be this way anymore, Luke. We can help you. You don't have to go through this alone. I know you're a good kid." Joe tried to reason. "You're not a killer. Just put that rifle down and let's figure this out."

"I used to heal things. But then it turned. And now I kill." Luke sneered.

"Not necessarily. Let us help you—" Joe tried to near Luke, who fired on the floor.

"I said, not another step!" Luke snapped.

"OK, OK." Joe nodded.

"If you take another step, I'm gonna shoot you—"

Lyla used the opening to disarm Luke, throwing his gun away but Luke touched Lyla, who suddenly collapsed on the floor, gagging and spasming violently.

"Lyla!" Barry exclaimed as he knelt next to her. Caitlin rushed upstairs as Lyla was gasping for air.

"Lyla, come on, stay with us, please." Caitlin begged as she lifted Lyla's shirt and there were bruises forming on her chest. "Her lungs are collapsing."

"You have to help her." Joe said.

"I can't…" Luke shook his head.

"You hurt her. You can take it back. I've seen you do it before." Joe tried to reason.

"Luke." Caitlin gave him an insisting look. "I've been where you're at. Not knowing whether what you had, was a gift or a curse. For a long time, I was looking at what I did as a curse. But I found a way to use what I had, to help people." She showed her freezing hands. "I know you're scared but you have to believe that your powers have a good meaning in this world…"

"I can't…" Luke protested. "Everything I touch, dies."

Barry held Luke by his arms. "I'm touching you right now. I know you're scared but you need to believe that your powers have a meaning. The negatives don't have to define you. You can be better than this. You can save her. Just focus on what you want to do and help her. Take a deep breath and focus. You can do this. You can heal her."

Luke knelt next to Lyla hesitantly before touching her as she was going paler before her skin gained normal color again and she took a deep breath, gasping for air before coughing out.

"Jesus… I feel like I just got hit by a truck."

The police later talked with Joe and Luke before filing a report as Joe and Luke approached Caitlin, Barry and Lyla.

"It's gonna look like suffocation from carbon monoxide. I turned up the heater to make it look like accident. Luke came home and found his parents like that." Lyla said.

Caitlin looked at Luke, who still was a little uncertain as he stared at the street. "You think I can help your friend? I think that it might not be such a good idea."

"What happened with your parents, was an accident." Caitlin assured. "I've been where you're at." She looked at her freezing hands. "When I discovered my power… I hurt a man. Badly. Something inside of me took over… and I couldn't control it." She then touched Luke's hands as her started to turn into ice and then into water as Luke's hands were getting cold and wet. "And I couldn't let go…"

"…no matter how hard you tried." Luke finished.

"Your emotions got the better of you. You got mad. And that's when it happened. I've been where you're at." Caitlin said. "It happens often that you lose control. It's not always a bad thing. I've had people, who helped me pull back from that edge. Maybe you need someone to help you, too. Let us help you. Please."

Luke considered before they all were walking down towards Lyla's car but then suddenly, Caitlin was in some kind of an alley as in front of her appeared a black man in a black leather coat. "Feels good, doesn't it, Miss Snow?"

"Who are you? Where am I?" Caitlin demanded.

"Don't worry. I'll bring you back to your friends soon enough." Manchester said. "The name is Manchester Black. All I want is one question to answer. Now that you helped young Luke find his way, what's next for you, Caitlin? Are you going to help him find a home, a place to live, once he saves your friend's life?"

Suddenly, Caitlin appeared in some kind of a circus with Manchester as they saw various metahumans performing various feats. "What do you want? What is this?" She asked.

"We're all like you, Miss Snow." Manchester explained. "And this… I'm offering you all a home. To all metahumans. Where you can all be accepted. As family. You and I both know that human society will never fully accept you. The Flash, Vibe, Killer Frost, Elongated Man… all shining symbols of hope. But behind those masks… they will always see you as something they'll never fully understand. And that's why they won't consider you as one of us."

"So we should join a circus? Live in a trailer? Travel from town to town, country to country?" Caitlin scoffed. "Doesn't sound much like of a life to me, either."

"You know that they'll never fully forgive you what you've done." Manchester said as Caitlin was about to walk away. "I'm offering you a place, where you can find forgiveness. Redemption. Family. A real home."

Caitlin snapped as she whirled on Manchester. "I already have a family. And I turned my back on them once. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

"Fair enough." Manchester shrugged. "Just remember, the door here is always open."

Caitlin looked around, confused. "Where and what is this place, exactly?"

"If you don't know where your real home is, Caitlin, you'll find out soon." Manchester smiled.

Suddenly, Caitlin was back in an alley with Lyla, Joe, Luke and Barry as Barry turned to her. "Cait? Is everything OK?"

Caitlin hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

S.T.A.R. Labs

Luke touched Cisco, who then came to, waking up as he looked around. "What… what happened?"

Later, Caitlin did a brain scan of Cisco as she smiled. "No tumors."

Cisco laughed as everyone hugged him.

Star City

"I thought that Batman was an urban legend." Diggle stared as Oliver filled him, Roy, Felicity and William in.

"Apparently not." Oliver said.

"And he took a compass that works for metas that this speedster wanted." Roy finished.

"What is going on?" William wondered.

"I don't know. But I can't shake this feeling… that something big is coming." Oliver said.

S.T.A.R. Labs

"Luke is going to live with his aunt, who lives in the city." Barry assured Caitlin. "We can check in on him." Then he noticed the uncertain look in her eyes as she kept staring at the wall in the lab. "Caitlin."

"It's just…" Caitlin sighed. "What happened with Luke made me wonder… if—"

"Caitlin. What you have, doesn't have to be a curse." Barry assured her.

"But even if… no matter how many people the Flash saves, or Killer Frost or Vibe…" Caitlin sighed. "They'll never fully accept us as their equals. Maybe we're heroes to them… but are we… actually humans for them?"

"What matters is how your family and friends see you. And that hasn't changed." Barry assured as she turned to him, smiling.

"You always know how to make me feel better." Caitlin took a breath. "When… the thought of seeing you again… it was the only thing keeping me going. When they had me in 33.1. And when I… shattered. And after that… I was afraid that you'd hate me, knowing what I did… how many people I've killed… but you haven't given up on me."

"Because you're my friend and I care about you." Barry said and she sighed.

"What if I want more?" Caitlin asked and Barry blinked, surprised.

"Cait…" Barry was unsure what to say.

"Well… you've seen me at my worst." Caitlin blushed, looking down in shame. "Totally embarrassing." Then she looked into his eyes, smiling. "You've always been there for me, when I struggled. Ronnie. Jay. Killer Frost. And no matter how far gone I might have been, you haven't given up on me." She took a breath. "What I'm trying to say is… we've been through a lot. Do you think—"

"I don't know." Barry said, already knowing where she was going with this as he held her hands. "But I'm willing to take a shot. When I thought you were dead… it broke me. But then… you found your way back. I don't care if it was science or not. To me it was a miracle. And I don't want to take it for granted."

Caitlin smiled as she and Barry kissed fiercely in the lab and let the moment sink in.

Hope I did the SnowBarry part well, I'll try to develop it further in the story.

So, what do you guys think?

Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.