Chapter 5

When you Wish Upon a S.T.A.R.

"Uncle Joe? You haven't said anything for twenty minutes."

Barry's eyes shifted from Sage over to Joe who still leaned against a counter in the kitchen with his palm pressed against his mouth. It was almost as if he were shell-shocked. Not that he blamed the detective. He was still reeling himself from hearing what the particle accelerator did to Sage and knowing that she had to go through it alone. He wanted to hit himself.

Sage had always been like a little sister to him. While he and Iris were off doing something she'd chase after them, wanting to tag along. He'd always had a need to protect her and make sure she was okay, even when they weren't even in the same country. As they grew he made sure to keep in contact with her as much as Iris did, knowing she didn't exactly have the best relationship with her parents as it could have been.

But for those nine months he wasn't there for her. He couldn't be there for her and that hurt him deep inside. There had never been a time in his life where he wasn't there for her and yet she had to go through such a big change alone. She was confused and scared and frustrated even if she didn't have to say it aloud, he knew. Because that was how he felt once he woke up and realized how much time had passed and discovered the power he had. Sometimes it was fun but it was also scary. Because, if Sage had powers too and so did Clyde Mardon, that meant anyone out there could have them. And they couldn't all be good, could they?

"So," Barry spoke up, earning the attention of Joe and Sage. He licked his lip and cleared his throat. "You can freeze things," he said aloud, testing the odd words on his tongue. "And that's why you wear glove all the time?"

"Yeah," Sage replied, nodding. "I can't touch anything without being careful. Uncle Joe, that's why I never…why I can't…" She sighed and her shoulders fell, as if she were wilting before their eyes. Her eyes were downcast and she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.

"Why you never hugged me," Joe finished for her, finally speaking. She nodded her head solemnly. "But your gloves—"

"I didn't want to take the chance," Sage interrupted him. "I couldn't risk…messing you up. Messing up anything else."

"But you hugged me just fine," Barry pointed out.

"I wasn't thinking," Sage replied. "I…I saw you. And I was happy that you were awake. I could have hurt you." She tucked her hair behind her ear and sat up straighter in her chair, turning her attention to Joe once more. "I would have said something but…I mean, how exactly can you explain that you can freeze anything you touch? It sounds crazy."

"A few days ago the idea of Clyde Mardon still being alive was crazy. This isn't crazy. This is beyond crazy," Joe replied, rubbing the sides of his mustache with his thumbs. "This is…this is impossible." He pointed at Sage. "You can freeze things." He pointed at Barry. "And you can run really fast." He chuckled and rubbed at his mustache again. "I want to believe that I'm dreaming but even I can't make this stuff up."

"You can run really fast?" Sage asked, shifting her attention over to Barry. She snorted. "Isn't that ironic, Mr. I'm Always Late Even When I set Five Alarms."

"Trust me, I understand the irony," Barry replied, scratching behind his ear. "But yeah, I can run…really fast."

"Like, how fast? 100mph fast? A fighter jet fast?" Sage asked, her eyebrows lifting. "Faster than a speeding bullet?"

"Not quite that fast," Barry replied. "Well, actually, I don't know yet. But it's…it's a decent speed. I think Dr. Wells and the others have me clocked in at 325mph so far."

"Wait, Dr. Wells? Others?" Sage asked, holding up her hands as if to block his words. She closed her eyes briefly, making a face as she processed the information and then opened them. "I knew they were running tests on you but…you're awake now. Do they still need you around? Are you okay?" Her teasing tone dropped from her words and she let worry settle in instead. Her eyes scanned his body as if checking to see if something was hanging off of him or had altered him in a way she hadn't noticed yet. If he could have super speed there could be something else wrong with him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Barry replied. "The thing is…" he paused and looked over at Joe. Joe didn't say anything; instead, he grabbed the nearby mug of coffee and took another sip of it. "They feel responsible for what happened with the particle accelerator. After I woke up they ran some tests on me and wanted to see what it was that the particle accelerator did to me. I then found out there the particle accelerator not only affected me but others as well—you and Clyde Mardon—and so I went to confront them about it.

"Metahumans are what they're calling them. People with powers. People…people like us. We're not the only ones out there, Sage. We're not the only ones who were affected. And while I have this power I want to use it to be able to help others. Maybe help make them feel better about the explosion. There are others out there like Clyde, others that use their powers for bad. Apparently there has been an increase in crime around the city over the past nine months—"

"I know," Sage interrupted him. She laced her fingers together and glanced over at Joe and then started to twiddle her thumbs. "Work tends to come home with police officers."

"Right." Barry nodded. "I want to stop them. And they're helping me do it. I can help the city while they get to study me. It's…it's a deal we made."

"So, what, you're some sort of superhero?" Sage asked dryly. "Wearing tights and maybe a stupid mask and you have a secret identity and everything?"

"Kindaaa…." Barry dragged out, a sheepish expression on his face. "I mean, it's more of a hood than a mask but still…"

Sage looked between Barry and Joe a few times before she burst out laughing. Barry Allen? A superhero? How absurd of an idea! This was the same guy who was never on time to anything. The same guy who wore the thickest rimmed glasses in the world whenever he suffered eye fatigue. The same guy who got cheap thrills out of science and history. And she was supposed to believe that he was a superhero now? The idea just tickled her. But apparently it wasn't that funny because Barry and Joe weren't laughing, which only made Sage's laugh slowly die down.

"Oh god…you're serious?" Sage asked. "You're a superhero?"

"It'll make more sense if you come with me and have them explain to you," Barry replied. "What are you doing today?"

"I have class," Sage replied.

"Not until the afternoon, right?" Barry pressed. "Don't worry; you'll be there on time. I'll make sure of it." Barry rolled his eyes at Sage's laugh at his comment. He knew he kind of deserved it. His internal clock was never one that was reliable but once she saw his power she'd know what he was talking about. "Just trust me. Besides, they'll want to see what you can do. They can help you."

Sage pressed her lips together which made Barry hold his breath and wait with his fingers crossed. Surely she'd want to find a way to see if there was some sort of cure for her. He couldn't imagine going through life not being able to touch or hold things. Not being able to hug his father whenever he got out of jail. Not being able to do his forensics job. Not being able to hug Iris…. He swallowed the lump in his throat and managed a smile when she finally agreed to go.

"But I want to get some coffee first," Sage commented, bracing her hands on the table and the back of the chair she was sitting in to stand. In the span of two seconds it took for her to get to her feet Barry ran down to Jitters, grabbed two coffees, and resumed where he was standing. The gust of wind in the aftermath of his running made Sage blink and then look at him in surprise. Her eyes bounced back and forth between the coffees that were now in his hand and to his face. "How did you—?"

"You're gonna have to move faster than that, slowpoke," he teased, holding out a steaming take-away cup.

# # #

"You know I could have just run us both here. It would have been faster," Barry commented as he pulled the helmet off his head.

"Do you want to pick up your masculinity on the way back?" Sage asked dryly as she yanked off her helmet. She shook her head from side to side, causing her hair to fly around in an effort to fix it and rid herself of her helmet hair. "Would you rather have half your face scraped off due to road rash instead of holding onto me? I'm not that ugly am I?" She carefully swung her leg over the side of the motorcycle to dismount, making sure not to kick Barry in the face.

"Of course not," Barry replied, climbing off behind her. He set the helmet down on the motorcycle seat and rested his arm atop of it while regarding her. "You're beautiful, Sage. I'm just saying we would have been here in a flash."

Barry lifted his arm as Sage grasped the helmet from beneath his arm and hung it on the handlebars. She repeated the process with hers and then paused. Her eyes scanned the row of knobs and buttons and levers on the front of the motorcycle before she looked up at him. "This is what I'm used to, Bare," she said quietly. "This is a piece of what I was before. I need this. Okay?"

"Yeah, I…sorry, Sage. I, uh, I get it," Barry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's just go inside. Talk to them and let them know what's going on."

"Okay, just give me one…second," Sage replied, leaning over near the side view mirror. She fluffed up her hair with her fingers and pursed her lips.

"What are you doing?" Barry asked.

"You're asking me to walk right into S.T.A.R. Labs to talk to Harrison Wells and you want me to do it with helmet hair? Get real!" Sage replied, still fluffing and finger-combing her hair.

An amused smile stretched across Barry's face as she stood back and waited for Sage to finish her grooming. He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly as her nose scrunched up and she peered at her own reflection. He had almost forgotten how worried she was about the little things. Another pang hit him deep in his chest as he wondered what else had changed over the nine months he was still asleep. Did she still enjoy mini golf and laser tag and blowing bubbles or was she above all that now?

"Okay, I have…a two minute window to make an impression," Sage announced, turning away from the small mirror. She grasped the front of her leather jacket along the zipper tracks and struck a pose. "Well? How do I look?"

He took in her attire—leather jacket, a white tee, jeans, black boots—and shrugged his shoulders. "Amazing as always," Barry replied with a genuine smile. "You look good in anything you wear."

Sage's lips twitched for a moment before she rolled her eyes and turned on her heel. "Don't make me puke, Barfolomew," she threw over her shoulder. Barry made a mental note that she was still wary of compliments and easily caught up to her quick gait with his long strides. He walked ahead of her, leading her around the empty building.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what it looked like when it was full of scientists and experiments were going on. He couldn't even begin to imagine how it felt for all of them when the particle accelerated lost control and exploded. They all lost their jobs or, worse, their lives because of it. Because of their work. Because of their livelihoods. How could Dr. Wells and the others keep on going when everyone else gave up? But then he stopped and realized maybe that had no other choice…

"Okay, I feel like I should warn you about them. They're a little…eccentric," Barry said, stopping Sage right outside the double doors.

"So…they're bigger nerds than you are?" Sage asked. She punched him in the arm when he gave her an exasperated look. "If I can handle you for the past twenty-one years of my life I can handle a bunch of scientists."

"Barry, we didn't expect to see you today," Harrison Wells commented, wheeling himself around the corner. His bright blue eyes sparkled behind his black rimmed glasses. "Although I do have to say this is a nice surprise. If you don't have anywhere to be I must implore you to let us run a few more tests on you. There is still so much more in your very own structure that we have not even scratched the surface on."

"Yeah, that's fine with me. But before we do all that I wanted to introduce you to someone," Barry replied. He placed his hand on Sage's lower back and pushed her forward. "This is my friend Sage Moreaux. Sage, Dr. Wells."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sage," Harrison greeted her with a tight-lipped smile. "Though I do have to ask about your presence around here. As I'm sure you can imagine S.T.A.R. Labs is not exactly the number one tourist spot in Central City."

"Barry said you could help me," Sage replied, jerking her thumb over at her friend. She took a deep breath and added, "You're looking for Metahumans, right? Well…you're talking to one." Barry rubbed his thumb against her spine in an effort to comfort her but she wiggled away from his touch. He curled his open hand into a fist and then let his arm drop to his side, turning to Harrison to see his reaction.

As he suspected, Harrison's eyebrows jumped up at her statement. His eyes crinkled in the corner and he briefly tapped his fingers against his mouth. "This is indeed an interesting turn of events," he mused aloud. He dropped his hand and then placed it on the little level of his wheelchair. "Follow me," he said and started forward.

"Barry!" Sage hissed, grabbing onto Barry's arm. "Harrison Wells just talked to me! Am I dreaming?"

"No, you're awake," Barry said, laughing, leading her inside while holding his arm aloft for her. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? Remember to breathe. He's a normal guy like the rest of us."

"I recall being the one telling you that when you nearly lost your mind when the particle accelerator first turned on," Sage mused aloud. "But gosh, he's more handsome in person."

"I'm not even going to touch that."

Letting go of his arm, Sage punched him again. Her facials muscles twitched for a moment and she turned away from him, holding onto his arm. He chuckled, a smirk gracing his lips as they entered the large room. "Hey guys," he greeted Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon with a wave of his hand. "This is my friend Sage Moreaux," he added, pointing at her. "Sage, Dr. Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon."

Caitlin pulled her lower lip into her mouth at the sight of the newcomer. Her cheeks, stained red, appeared to redden a little more and she glanced at Harrison. He didn't say anything. He merely brought his fingers together and steepled them, tapping each against the other in turn. Finally, with a sigh, she go to her feet and approached.

"I'd say it's nice to meet you but…given the circumstances…" she said, twisting her fingers together. Sage nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. "How are you feeling?"

Sage's body gave a little jolt that she couldn't contain and she rubbed the back of her neck. "A little cold," she replied. "But other than that I'm fine." Caitlin nodded. The two looked around as silence stretched between them. Sage began rocking back and forth on her heels until she looked down and finally blurted out, "Nice shoes."

Caitlin's gaze went down to her feet for a brief second before looking back up at the newcomer. Her eyebrows lowered and her lips twitched. She rubbed them together, muttered a quick, "Thank you" and went back over to one of the many computers set up.

Sage's mouth twisted to the side. All she said was "nice shoes" What could she have possibly done wrong? One glance in Barry's direction didn't give her any sort of answer; he seemed just as confused as she was. She began to mimic Caitlin, twisting her fingers together, until she looked over at Cisco and saw something in his hand that made her eyes light up. "Where'd you get the lollypop?"

"Oh, I have a drawer full of this stuff," Cisco replied, waving his arm in the direction of the desk. "Have whatever you like."

"Sweet," she muttered, heading for the desk. "Do you have any Jolly Ranchers?"

Barry let get of the breath he had been holding. This was good. Not as great as he had hoped but it was better than nothing. Sage was kinda getting along with his…friends? Colleagues? Co-workers? All of the labels that went through his mind didn't quite sit well with him. There wasn't one perfect word that could accurately describe what they were at the moment and that left him a bit unsettled.

"She looks a lot like that girl that came in here to visit you. Iris," Caitlin spoke up as Barry shoved his hands into his pockets. He glanced at her over his shoulder as she turned on one of the computer screens.

"Oh, yeah. She's Iris's cousin," Barry replied. His heart skipped a beat as it always did whenever Iris's name was mentioned around him.

"Really? They look like they could be sisters."

"They get that a lot." Barry scratched at the back of his neck and sighed. "That's why this kinda sucks. Her being like me. I'd…rather keep her out of it if I could. All of them."

"What exactly can she do?" Caitlin asked, standing up straight.

"That's what I was wondering myself, Dr. Snow," Harrison spoke up, moving away from the observation window that he had been sitting in front of. The little wheels on his chair turned him around and presented him the sight of Cisco and Sage digging through a large bag of assorted candy, their cheeks puffed out due to lollipops having been shoved in. They paused, their eyes wide and resembling deer caught in headlights once they noticed that they were being watched. "Perhaps when Ms. Moreaux has decided on her snack of choice she would be willing to divulge with us her abilities," he added with a raised eyebrow at the display.

Sage made a show of using her tongue to shift the lollipop to the side of her mouth before answering with a simple, "I can freeze stuff."

Cisco's mouth fell open and he lifted his hands out of the bag, as if his mind had just been blown in that instant. "Wait. You can freeze stuff? Oh, this is cool. This is really cool," Cisco commented, removing a lollipop from his mouth. He held it in front of her face. "So…if you touched this right now?"

"It'd be a popsicle," Sage replied. A second later she smiled and then burst out laughing at her unintentional joke. Cisco's laugh mixed in with hers. Barry, Harrison, and Caitlin all stood by as they waited for their laughter to stop. "Get it? Popsicle? Because it's a lollipop and it would…" Sage's words trailed off as she looked at their faces. "Wow, tough crowd."

"Would you be willing to demonstrate your abilities for us, Ms. Moreaux?" Harrison asked. "So we can run some tests."

Sage shrugged and nodded her head. She bit the tip of her glove and pulled until it slid off her hand. She flexed her fingers and then looked around for something to touch. Spotting a coffee mug on the desk she leaned over to peer into it. She then touched her finger against the side of the ceramic mug. A second later a crackling sound filled the air and the composition of the coffee inside of it turned into a solid block of ice.

"Cool," Cisco uttered, picking up the mug. "Pun intended. Frozen solid in under a second."

"And this happens anytime you touch anything?" Caitlin asked. "There's no delay? It's just instantaneous."

"As far as I know," Sage replied, stretching the hem of the glove as she wiggled her fingers inside of it.

"And your gloves are not only a layer of protection from others but for yourself as well, I presume," Harrison added, rubbing his chin.

"Hey, yeah, how do you shower?" Cisco asked. Harrison cut his eyes over at the young scientist and red pooled into his cheeks only a second later as realization hit him. "Oh! Wow! Sorry, I uh…I wasn't even…that is to say, I wasn't…" Cisco stammered, waving his hands in the air as an amused expression crossed Sage's face. "Yeah, I'm just gonna shut up now," he muttered, shoving his lollipop back into his mouth.

"I mean…it is a bit of a valid question," Caitlin muttered. "A bit perverse, yes, but…"

"I get it," Sage replied. "You're scientists, you're supposed to be asking…hypothetical questions and stuff. And to answer that question, I use latex gloves."

Caitlin drummed her fingers against her chin, digesting the explanation whereas Cisco looked as if he had a million more questions to ask but couldn't decide on which one to start. Harrison stared long and hard at the coffee mug in his hands. He turned it upside-down and allowed the solidified coffee cube slid into his palm.

"So this is where you disappear to?" Barry glanced at Sage. "And why you've been acting weird," she continued.

"Uh, yeah," Barry replied. "I've been coming here. Like I said before, they're trying to see what it is I can do. And they help me when I go out and save people in the city."

Sage made a noise behind her closed mouth. She clicked her tongue and began pacing, letting her eye scan the setup of the room. He could tell by the slight crease in her forehead that she was trying to comprehend what was going on but it was going over her head. She held her arms across her chest and kicked her feet against the floor.

"You okay?" Barry asked. He began to reach out for her but then stopped. His hand hung in the air for a second before he dropped his arm. It slapped against his side. The lonely sound was louder than he remembered.

"Oh yeah. Just…trying to take this all in," she replied. She shoved her hands into her back pockets and began to rock back and forth on her feet. "I am interested in seeing this suit of yours, though."

"Oh, wait until you see. It's a beauty!" Cisco said, rushing over to the cabinet that held the suit. He opened it with a flourish and motioned to it with his hand as if he were Vanna White. "It's made of a reinforced tripolymer to keep him from succumbing to friction when he runs at high speeds. It's also aerodynamic and fitted with sensors for his vitals and radio frequencies for us to contact him with."

"Nice stitching," Sage muttered, approaching the dummy it was fitted to. Her head tilted this way and that as she peered at the way the suit was held together. "No popped seams. No dropped stitches. No snags. Clean lines. I'm impressed." She nodded. "Did you do this yourself?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking maybe firefighters could use it," he replied, playing with his hand as a bashful smile appeared on his face, "But Barry gets better use out of it, of course."

"So…do I get to see you use it?" Sage asked.

"All in due time," Harrison spoke up, gathering their attention. He wheeled himself over to where they stood. "For now we should get started on those tests. After all, it's not every day we have a Metahuman in here that is on our side. It will give us all a better understand of what happened with the particle accelerator. And perhaps…" his eyes flickered over to Caitlin for a second before he finished his sentence, "a little bit of closure." Caitlin looked down at her shoes. Harrison cleared his throat and tilted his head. "If you would follow me, please."

"First, I'd like to talk to her," Barry spoke up. Harrison nodded and motioned for Caitlin and Cisco to follow him. Barry waited for the click-clack of Caitlin's heels to move further away from them before he spoke, although he still kept his voice low as he looked over at Sage. "This is a lot to absorb, I know. You don't have to answer their questions if you don't want to. You don't have to be involved."

Sage's eyebrows crinkled as she studied him. The way she was looking at him made his muscles tense. Finally she parted her lips and said, "I'm already involved. I know what's going on. I'm a part of all this. I was involved…when I woke up in the hospital and swaddled in heating pads and thick blankets to keep my body temp up."

"I know," Barry admitted. "It's just…things can get a little intense around here. If you ever overexerted or feel a little in over your head—"

"Barry, I'm twenty-one. I'm not the same seven-year-old that followed you and Iris around begging for attention." She paused and then added, "I can take care of myself. I have been for a while. I want to help. Please?"

Pressing his lips together, Barry nodded his head. Sage echoed his nod and walked over to where Caitlin was standing by a chair, prepping it. He watched as she sat down and nodded her head every now and then when Caitlin asked her a question while sticking medical electrodes to her forehead. He crossed his arms as Sage took out her phone, briefly glanced at the screen, jabbed her thumb on something on the screen and then set it aside. The little nagging voice in the back of his head was silenced the moment Harrison asked him how he was feeling and they switched over to "Metahuman" mode.

a/n - And now Sage has met the rest of the Flash crew. I can already tell I'm going to have fun writing Sage and Cisco in scenes together. Heck, I can't wait to write more scenes with S.T.A.R. Labs in general and discover how she interacts with all of them. What did you think of the chapter? Please read and review. Also what did you think of Tuesday's Flash ep? Drunk Caitlin was a highlight for me.

Review Replies

guest27 - Maybe he will, maybe he won't. I have many plans when it comes to the romantic side of this story with many ships, almost ships, and teasing ships coming into play. There will be a little bit of everything. Maybe even some Barry/OC but you'll have to wait and see. ;)

Guest - That's alright! People like certain ships and don't like certain ships, and that's okay. While Harrison/Caitlin is one of the many that will appear, the romance aspect of this story will not eclipse the story that I'm telling so I hope that does not deter you from continuing to read TMOS.

babyj - When I got your review I almost laughed out loud because it was like you had read my mind. I was going to start going back and forth between Sage and Barry's (and maybe some other characters') points of view but I wanted to establish Sage first. Thanks for being so patient with me in the meantime.