Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Call Me Kara

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 06:

“Why the hell were you acting like that tonight?” Joe asked his daughter after Barry and his friends had left.

“What? I wasn’t acting anyway.”

“Yes you were and you know it. I thought you and Barry were past this on again off again never going to happen crap?”

“We are! But he is still my best friend and it doesn’t concern you that he is acting like an alien is his wife in such a short time knowing her?”

“He met her before. They spent time together and obviously became very close. Barry hadn’t been the same since he came back and now I understand why. It wasn’t just Zoom. I haven’t seen him this happy in a very long time and is he is your best friend. Can’t you be happy for him too?”

“We know nothing about her!”

“He does! He trusts her and a lot more so that is good enough for me and it should be good enough for you. When he thought she was going to die he looked like he was going to die. I already saw the wheels turning in his head. He would have flashed back in time in a second to change that outcome. Face it Iris, she is it for him.”

Iris grabbed her coat and moved to leave. Her father stepped in her way.

“Iris, you told Barry the two of you were better off as friends. He agreed and I know that hurt your ego but you can’t really expect him to follow you around like a lost puppy the rest of your life while you live with other guys and date your editor, who hates the Flash by the way, and as you pointed out about Kara, knows nothing about him.”

“She was shot. If she was such a hero, why did her own people try to kill her?”

“Because people fear what they don’t understand. Eddie was ready to string Barry up before he found out who he was. You should know this. At least I think you are smart enough to figure that out. I hope so because I got news for you, he may not have much history with this girl but I have enough history with Barry to recognize the look in his eyes. Don’t try to make him choose between his best friend and Kara because you won’t like how it turns out.”

“That is what concerns me. He would ditch years of friendship over a girl he barely knows. That is not Barry.”

“No it isn’t the Barry you knew. People change Iris. You didn’t give up on Wally and he is in college instead of racing street cars. Barry has changed. The past two years he has known pain and death and betrayal by those he trusted the most. He blamed himself for Ronnie and Eddie’s deaths. He had to watch his mother die again, his father moved away as soon as he was free, he had his damn back broke for God’s sake and was nearly beat to death and he still kept fighting. You think that doesn’t change a person? Barry was a good kid before he became the Flash. Now he is a good man. It was a hard road for him but he survived. He knows what he wants and if you really want to be his best friend like you claim to be you are going to get over this petty jealousy you have, that you have no right to and make friends with this woman. Do not call her an alien. We don’t discriminate in this family and you know this!”

“She’s from another planet.” Iris pointed out weakly starting to feel vey ashamed of herself. “She is an alien.”

“She’s a person. A really nice, sweet person who Barry is head over heels with and you know it. If you are really his best friend you better make friends with her if you still can.”

Iris turned around and sat on the couch, laying her head in her hands.

“I’m sorry.” she whispered, recognizing how she acted and knowing she was less than welcoming. Yes she was jealous, and yes she saw how Barry looked at Kara. It was the same as he used to look at her but different. Kara was looking at him the exact same way. Iris never did.

“I know you are. You need to tell her that.” Joe told her, sitting down next to his daughter.

“This has been a lot. Her showing up and all the drama. I’m just trying to adjust.” Iris tried to defend herself.

“How do you think she feels? She was already out of place on her old Earth. She got betrayed the same as Barry has been and is now on another world again, no money, no ID, no family, no friends, no one she knows except Barry, who loved this woman so much that he jumped into another universe on the off chance he could save her life.”

“I guess I never thought about it.” Iris admitted.

“I know this has caught you by surprise, I’m still trying to take it all in, but you are going to have to find a way to be friends with her and accept that her and Barry are in this for the long haul.”

“Dad even if he spent time with her on her Earth he wasn’t there that long. How do you know she is going to be around for the long haul?”

“You know Iris. You know.” Joe patted his daughter on the back and walked up the stairs. In the silence of the living room Iris whispered to herself.

“Yeah, I know.”

The next morning Cait was up at 8:30, late for her, having coffee and still on a high from the night before. Flying had freaked her out at first but she relaxed eventually. Kara took it slow and seeing the city from that vantage point was breathtaking. The two talked when they got back about everything from favorite foods to movies, to bad relationships in high school. They also talked about never feeling normal, Kara for obvious reasons and Cait because she was so much smarter than her classmates, she always seemed to be shunned by those who thought of her as a genius bookworm and not just another regular girl. Until she had met Ronnie, no one had really understood her. Cait also shared what had happened with Ronnie. It was difficult but to Kara’s credit she didn’t say she was sorry but simply hugged her new friend when tears threatened her eyes, every time she talked about his death. Both of his deaths.

Around 4 AM they drifted off on the same bed and Cait managed to roll out of bed leaving Kara sleeping.

At 8:45 Kara sped in so quickly, the papers on her desk blew away.

“It’s 8:45!”

“Yes. Want some coffee?”

“Barry is picking me up at 9! Look at me!”

Kara did look a mess, hair mussed, eyes tired from a lack of sleep and wearing a pair of Cait’s favorite pajamas, the white ones with bunnies on them.

“Barry is always late. You have plenty of time. Have coffee.”

“How does Barry have super speed and always late?” Kara asked, confused. It was a question that confounded them all. Caitlin just shrugged her shoulders and accepted it.

“No, coffee later. I have to get ready now.” Kara sped back into the bedroom, causing Caitlin’s hair to blow back and the woman briefly wondered if Joe had to deal with this at his house. Apparently living with a superhero was something you had to get used to. Not that she minded. Having a friend to talk to besides Cisco and Barry reminded her of how much she missed having girlfriends to talk to. Iris was nice but the two had never been particularly close, certainly not the type to sit and share stories about growing up.

Five minutes later, after listening to the shower, doors opening and closing, the sound of teeth being brushed and more doors opening and closing Kara zipped back into the kitchen.

“Oh my God.” Cait whispered, looking at the woman in a blue, light turtleneck and faded denim skinny jeans.

“What? I look horrible don’t I?”

“You look like a California dream girl. How did you do that?”

“When you put out fires on your lunch break you learn to get cleaned up quick.” Kara explained. “So I look fine?”

“You look great. I heard the shower for like thirty seconds. How did you dry your hair so quickly?”

“I shake my head and rub really fast. Then run a brush through it a few hundred times. Does it look okay?”

Cait laughed. “You are going to hang out with us at the lab, not a date. Relax, you look great.”

“Okay. I guess I will wait outside. Barry said he was picking me up. See you at the lab later?”

“Yes but it takes me a bit longer to get ready. I’ll be there in a couple hours. Have fun and don’t stay cooped up all day. Make him show you the city. I’m going to contact Felicity today about getting you set up. Don’t worry, she knows how to keep secrets. She will probably ask questions but you can decide how much to tell her when you meet her. She is definitely going to want to meet you.”

“Cool. Is she is going to have the same… reaction as Iris did last night?”

“You mean the passive aggressive attack she tried to pull? No and I have a feeling after Barry talks to Iris, she won’t be pulling that again either.”

“I don’t want to cause trouble. They have been friends forever and…”

“Don’t worry about it. You aren’t causing trouble. She came after you for no reason. Just relax. You have more important things to worry about. I imagine Cisco has been up all night and a hyped up, over caffeinated, sleep deprived Cisco is a challenge all by itself.”

Kara nodded and walked outside, still not used to walking around in street clothes without the glasses she had worn for years. It felt freeing and the idea of a mask didn’t bother as much the longer she thought about it. Barry really looked hot in his. Still the first time he pulled the mask back and she saw that face, his hair, his little grin, she definitely preferred him without the mask.

Checking her watch, she saw it was 9:00 AM. Looking around Kara saw no sign of Barry. Then a flash of red, and she was moving, carried bridal style in Barry’s arms, the same as the fist time he caught her. The two were in S.T.A.R. labs before she realized it. He sat her down on her feet and it took a moment to get her bearings.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning. That sort of reminded me of our first date. Maybe later I could fall off a skyscraper and you could catch me again?” Kara asked, his smile brightening her morning and helping her forget the lack of sleep she had the night before.

“Absolutely. So since we had the first kiss, am I at the stage where I can kiss you good morning?” Barry asked. He hadn’t slept much the night before either. He told her 9 and wouldn’t be late.

“You better.” she told him and didn’t wait this time, awkwardness out the window. The kiss lasted more than a brief peck and became a bit more serious until they were interrupted by Cisco.

“New rule. No making out in the Flash Cave. We never had to worry about this before since none of us had a life but now things have changed. You two are not allowed to rub it in our faces that the rest of us don’t have a life.”

“Good morning Cisco.” Kara half sang.

“Good lord she is a morning person too. Donuts in my work station but Kara you are not allowed in there yet. I still have about four hours of work left on your suit. I don’t want you to see it until I am done.”

“But there are donuts in there.” Kara pointed out. Barry moved and was back half a second later with the box.

“Yes!” Kara and Barry immediately began breakfast while Cisco rolled his eyes.

“I had donuts anyway. Doesn’t matter, my coffee was getting cold. I need a new cup. You guys aren’t going to drink all the coffee before I get to it, right?”

Kara reached out for Cisco’s cup. Confused, he handed it over to her. Barry grinned while Cisco’s eyes went wide, as beams from Kara’s eyes hit the coffee.

“Here you go. All warmed up. I used to do that at work all the time for my boss.”

Cisco sniffed the coffee and took a small sip.

“That is so cool. So you can control how hot your eye beam thingies are?”

“Yep.”

“Cool, hey I decided what to do with the kryptonite bullets. I’m going to open a breach.”

Barry froze. What the hell was he thinking?

“What universe do you think you are going to, because I’m not going anywhere. I’m not…”

“Bar! Relax. Last night after my fourth pot of coffee I had a revelation. Kara, your universe has Kryptonite all over the place right?”

“More than I would like, yes. It’s supposed to be hard to find but no one ever seemed to have a problem with it.”

“And they have no way of breaking dimensional barriers, correct? I mean if they had they would have done it before. They already know it can be done because of you Barry. If they could replicate it, they, whoever, could make it here but so what? We have dealt with breachers before and know how to block breaches as well. Earth 2 was more advanced and able to do it but Earth 3 didn’t have us and are not anymore advanced than us. Even if they figure out a way, we can deal with them, if it ever becomes a problem. So since they know it can be done but not how, all we need is a breach to last for a few seconds, long enough for Kara to throw the lead case I have the two bullets stored in back to Earth 3. We wouldn’t be giving away any secrets and they already know the multiverse exists. Easiest way to get rid of Kryptonite? Send it back where it came from.”

“She could be sucked in.” Barry pointed out.

“No she couldn’t. You had to punch Grodd into one. She won’t be near it anyway. Just standing behind me. Of course if she misses we are going to have a large hole in the wall.”

“

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “I lifted a million ton alien prison into space before I came here. Of course I nearly died and would have if Alex hadn’t picked me up from space in my spaceship. I’m not really sure how strong I am. I think I’m definitely stronger now than when I started. I struggled with a plane the first time I flew, as an adult anyway.”

Cisco and Barry stared wide eyed at the blonde.

“You are seriously going to have to tell me what the hell happened after I left.” Barry told her.

“Just the usual, saved the human race from extinction, had the President and General Lane thank me and then both tried to kill me a couple days later. Oh! Remember my Aunt Astra’s husband Non I told you about? Totally kicked his butt, and bllnded him with my heat vision. We sort of had a battle and he lost, big time.”

“You said a million tons right?” Cisco clarified.

“Thats what Lane said it weighed. I didn’t exactly have a scale to put the thing on. It was kind of stressful and I thought I was going to die, I was on a clock, then… anyway point being I am pretty strong.”

“So if I gave you a lead container that weighed, say forty pounds, how fast do you think you could throw it?” Cisco asked, trying to wrap his head around spaceships, a million ton prison, and blinding another Kryptonian with her heat vision.

“So the space ship still worked? Thats so cool. I can’t believe Winn wouldn’t let me take a picture of it. It was awesome Cisco.” Barry interrupted.

Kara ignored both of the fanboys, smiling at the memory of Barry’s acceptance of her and excitement the first time he found out about her. He didn’t make her feel self conscious about where she was from, but instead seemed to find her even more fascinating.

“I have no idea but we can go out of the city and have a test.” Kara suggested. “But I’m not sure I want you to get rid of them.”

“Excuse me?!” Barry practically shouted. “Those bullets nearly killed you. There is no way I am not destroying them.”

Kara understood. She didn’t like the idea of them being here either but…

“Barry, would you mind if I talked to Cisco alone for a minute?”

“Why?”

“Barry?”

Barry hung his head in defeat. He really couldn’t say no even if he did have a right to, which he didn’t. Besides Cisco would tell him later. Barry knew all the man’s weak spots.

Once alone Cisco looked wary. “You know he is going to make me tell you whatever we say. He has ways. If not he will call Oliver and Oliver has definitely unpleasant ways of getting people to talk. Barry will just hide all my tools.”

“Cisco, I don’t want the Kryptonite gone.”

“Why not Kara? There is no reason for it to be here except to hurt you.”

“Maybe, but it has come in handy too. Alex trained me to fight in a Kryptonite room. She could adjust the power and make me feel human. I need that sometimes.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do!”

“Kara even at low power that stuff is not good for you and your sister should have known that. It is hurts you for a reason. It would be the same as me taking up smoking or hanging around plutonium. It won’t kill you right away but eventually it will hurt you if you are exposed too much to it.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Anybody with a brain knows that! I don’t know what the hell your sister was thinking.”

“I couldn’t learn to fight with her unless I wasn’t as strong. You don’t understand. Sometimes I need to feel normal. You know how strong I am, but do you know what it is like to live like this? I have to control everything. I can’t hug anyone as hard as I can or I would crush them. I can’t do anything unless I am in complete control of every single thing I do. Sometimes I want to relax. When I am around low levels of Kryptonite I feel relaxed, not as guarded, free. I can hug as hard as I want to, lose my temper without blasting a hole in the wall, hit a heavy bag instead of a car to release tension.”

Cisco stared at her for a moment then his face lit up.

“This is about sex, isn’t it? You want to cut lose and not have to worry about…”

“Cisco!”

Cisco sat down and waited. Kara’s blush went away after a few minutes but she did not leave.

“Okay maybe a small part of it is one day, maybe, but for now I just want to feel normal. Thats all I am saying.”

“So it’s totally about sex.”

“Cisco if you say sex one more time I will melt your face off.”

“Then who will build your Kryptonite sex enabler?”

“This was a bad idea.” Kara mumbled and turned to leave.

“I won’t do it. I am not keeping something that is made to hurt you here.”

“Fine!”

“But I didn’t say I couldn’t help you.”

Kara stopped before reaching the door and slowly turned around. “If you are about to say the word sex one more time…”

“Nope. You get your power from the sun, correct? So I am guessing when you were on Krypton the sun was different?”

“Yes, It was a Red Dwarf Supergiant.”

“Okay, I am familiar with the star. Have you been exposed to it since you came to Earth? Any type of red star rays?”

Kara instantly remembered being held captive by the Master Jailer.

“Yes I was.”

“How did you feel?”

“Human.” she admitted.

“There you go. Since the rays of your home planet are natural to you, they won’t be harmful. Kryptonite radiation bad. Red dwarf radiation not bad. You want to feel human I can make a bracelet, kept here, in a safe, for times you want to feel… normal.” he finished with a grin.

“You can do that?”

“If you want. But Kryptonite has to go. I can’t have you getting some sort of alien cancer. Barry would never let me live it down. So we have a deal? You throw the green crap through the wormhole and I will make you a bracelet that lets you get your freak on…”

Kara’s eyes lit up.

“I didn’t say sex! I’m sure you just want it to work out on a heavy bag. No big deal.”

“Thank you. If we could keep this to ourselves…”

“Don’t want Barry to know you want a sex bracelet huh?”

“Cisco have you ever flown?”

“Uh, no. Are you offering?”

“Yes. Have you ever been dropped? Because I am offering that too.”

“Won’t say a word about the sex toy solar bracelet to Barry. Promise.”

“Thank you. Rao, I should have talked to Cait. What was I thinking?”

“That I was the only one who could build you a red solar ray sex bracelet?”

Kara walked out, not saying another word. She would only wind up throwing him through a wormhole. Then who would make her se… solar bracelet that could be used to stop her if needed? Yep, thats what she needed it for.

Barry walked in, phone in hand, pointed at her.

“If you need a picture for my contact info, I don’t have a phone so it won’t do you much good.”

“Nope, Cait just called and she has already talked to Felicity. I’m going to text Felicity your picture and run to Star City. By the time I get there, she should be almost done. I won’t be gone for more than a few hours. She works fast. Then we can get you a phone.”

“Uh… okay. So you are going to be gone. I can handle that.”

“Of course you can. I mean you can come if you want of course, but Cisco is going to want to show you the suit he has been working on probably and Cait is going to be here soon so you won’t be alone.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “I can be alone Barry. No big deal, I am a woman, not some little kid who needs to be babysat.”

“I, uh, I didn’t mean it like that. Look this can wait…”

“Barry? Run already. I will be fine. Hurry back and bring Chinese for lunch. You remember my favorite?”

“Pot stickers. Hard to forget.”

“Thanks.” She reached up on her toes, kissed him, took in his smile one more time and he was gone. She would never admit it but she knew Cisco was giving him a hard time. She was not nearly as fast as Barry, but it didn’t matter.

Kara went to the lounge area and turned on the television. Doing a search of the satellite guide she was happy to see her favorites were in this world as well.

Cait still hadn’t arrived and finding nothing for the moment to do, she wondered around S.T.A.R. Eventually she found her way to the pipeline Barry had told her about, then the particle accelerator that started all this.

She thought of flying until Cisco called her over the intercom. Zipping to his work shop, her breath left her momentarily.

“Wow.”

The suit’s body was identical to Barry’s except where his lightning bolt was her Family Crest was shown dead center, the same size as her old costume’s symbol. The color of the suit was a dark blue but the symbol remained red. It was on a mannequin, like Barry’s, but instead of his mask that was attached to the suit hers was separate, covering her forehead and nose.

“The mask is awesome. All you have to do is put it on and the air releases, causing a vacuum that will mold it to your face. That way you don’t have to worry about slipping it on or off. It is also the only weak spot on the suit, though. The rest has Kevlar coating, making it bullet proof just in case. Kryptonite radiation may be harmful but it still has to have a solid form to make contact with you. This was the same ionization as lead so it will dissipate the radiation and the solid mass wouldn’t be able to break the Kevlar regardless. I know we are getting rid of the stuff but I don’t want to take any chances. The only spot you won’t be bullet proof, or at least the suit is your face so keep your head down or better yet catch them before they hit you. I was able to place a solar power generator behind your family’s emblem, pretty small and Mercury is going to be pissed off that I borrowed a couple of the solar lamp batteries but they can get over it. It is impervious to flame so you can walk through an inferno wearing it and it won’t scratch. I mean the heat would get to a normal person but won’t bother you. The boots are the same as Barry’s. They will give you much better traction but I designed some better cleats in the back, in the event you have to stop something trying to push you. It’s not as light weight as I would like but I don’t imagine that will be a problem. I didn’t have your exact size so if it too tight or…”

“It’s perfect, Cisco. I love it.”

The man’s smile lit up the room. “So you want to take it for a test flight? You can head straight up the lab’s roof. There are still several… holes we haven’t been able to get fixed. If you go straight up no one would notice. With all the metahumans out no one would probably think twice about it.”

Kara moved slowly, taking her time, going over the suit. She tried the mask and while it felt weird, sucking to her face, it pulled off with no problem and felt like a second skin. The material of the suit was much like Barry’s only heavier, probably because of the Kevlar weaving. It wouldn’t be a problem for her obviously.

“I like the color.”

Kara saw the zipper in the back and Cisco turned around while she zipped into the suit. It was a perfect fit, as tight as the top she wore before but different at the same time. It didn’t make her feel exposed or like the girl Cat Grant had branded her as.

“The Black Canary used to have one sort of like it only more dominatrixy. I couldn’t put Kevlar in hers because of the weight. I should have rethought that, but she wanted her mobility.”

“Who is the Black Canary?”

Cisco shrugged his shoulders. “She used to work with the Arrow but she… was murdered not too long ago.” Cisco obviously knew her well, judging by the gloom that covered his face, after being so happy a moment ago. Kara decided to take his advice and give the suit a test run to take his mind off of things.

“I think I will take it out Cisco. You don’t think it will cause a scene?”

“Nah, the sky is cloudy today. Just head straight up as fast as you can past the cloud break and you are good. Take this. Just place it in your ear lobe. It will hold.”

She took the device and it was snug but did not affect her hearing at all as far as the rest of the world. She could still hear blocks away when she tried, no different than the Blu Tooth she wore for the DEO.

“Why don’t you show me a map? I would love to take a look, make sure everything is where it is supposed to be.” the blonde super heroine suggested. Cisco walked to a table and a holographic map of the United States appeared.

“This is wrong.” Kara noted immediately.

“Nope, this is a map.”

“But I see National City and we have Central City. There is Starling City but it’s called Star? Why is Coast City called San Diego? Where is Metropolis? What is New York City? What a dumb name for a city. It’s Metropolis. Thats where my cousin Kal lives, lived. Where is Gotham City?”

“Uh Kara I have never heard of Gotham City, or Metropolis. We have a Minneapolis. Would that do?”

Staring at the map, the whirlwind of the past few days ended and Kara was hit with a cold dose of reality.

“Oh no. I’m… I’m going flying. I will be back later okay? Let Barry know when he gets back that I will be gone for a while. I need to check on something.”

Before Cisco could say another word, Kara used her X Ray vision and navigated to a point in the back that did lead to a hole in the roof. There was no worry about the citizens seeing her because she was in the cloud bank in seconds, just a streak of blue on her way up. Turning South she flew, knowing what she would find, or wouldn’t find, but needing to see for herself.

Once she reached Antarctica, Kara found the Continent was the same at least. Circling the icy wasteland she followed the familiar patch and landed on a ledge.

Kara knew what to expect. She expected nothing and that was what she got. No giant key, no frozen symbol of the House of El on an icy cliff side.

No Fortress of Solitude. Her cousin’s place where he kept the prized possessions of Krypton his parent’s sent with him. She was sent with the clothes she had on. Being smaller, they were able to fit more into his pod.

Kara sat on the ledge and thought about where she was.

She missed her sister. Not so long ago she had made Alex promise to live life, when Kara thought she would have to sacrifice her own life. She had told everyone how she felt about them, not expecting to make it back. She had said her goodbyes and thought they wouldn’t matter when she had actually made it back. But less than a week later she was dead for all intents and purposes to them. She would no longer have Eliza’s hugs, or chocolate pecan pie. Her cousin would no longer IM her randomly during the day to make her laugh, or tell her how proud he was of her. Alex would never hug her again. They would never cuddle on the couch and eat out of each other’s ice cream cartons again. She would never hear Cat screaming Kiera again, see Carter’s shy smile, see Winn’s excitement when she told him about her newest battle. She wouldn’t see her best friend again. Her apartment was gone, gone the minute home, her safe spot was violated and she was gunned down. She would never know if Alex found Jeremiah, never get the chance to tell him how much she appreciated him and loved him, all the more for what he gave up for her. She would never fly with Hank again, see the warmth in his eyes, the courage he had and the confidence she felt fighting next to him. She would probably never know another father figure who loved her so much he would rather she hate him than her sister.

So many things could have gone wrong when Alex flew that old spaceship, just a pod really, into space to save her life. Her sister could have been lost forever.

It was all gone and all she had was Kal’s blanket.

Kara had known all this but from waking up from near death to meeting Cisco and Kate and reconnecting with Barry, having given up the dream of being with him the minute she saw him disappear only for it to become a reality, singing with him, touching him, kissing him. It had kept her occupied and happy but now with Barry gone and the suit and… Winn made her old suit. That day was so much fun even if she spent half of it angry at him for dressing her in spandex shorts and a spandex top. It wasn’t high tech by any means, but she loved it. It made her proud to wear it, even more so knowing it came from him. Now it was gone, torn to pieces by bullets and the surgery required to save her life.

She didn’t regret her decision to stay here. It was for the best for everyone. Alex would grieve and move on, as would Eliza. Kal… she hoped he was okay. Knowing him he was preparing to go to war with the human race over her. She hadn’t seen him in person as much as she would have liked growing up, as he was always busy working or saving someone but he never went a week without some sort of communication, a phone call, an email, a postcard from Japan once, reminding her how much he loved her.

Did they go after Hank? He was given a pardon but she had been thanked by a woman who turned around and ordered her death and no matter how many times she saved Lane’s life she was sure he was behind this as well. Lucy’s call let her know as much. They used her and throw her away when they didn’t need her any longer.

She couldn’t go back. She didn’t want to go back and she did. She felt loved here but there… they would move on. And she was here once again in a world she didn’t know. The first time in a new world, she had her mother’s necklace. She hadn’t put it on that morning, Did Alex get it? She had her pod and the outfit she spent decades in the Phantom Zone in. She had Kal’s blanket always wrapped around her as Supergirl. Now she had his blanket and that was it.

Kara sat on the ledge, legs dangling over the side and stared at the ocean of white before her. She wanted to get back to Barry and she would. But she needed this time to herself.

At S.T.A.R Barry had made it back in record time after skirting as many questions as Felicity could throw at him. He had no idea why he tried but the woman read him like a book. He managed to only tell her that he met a woman when he visited her Earth by accident and she meant a lot to him in a short time. When Cisco had a vision of her being shot he jumped universes to save her. Of course Felicity wanted to no more and knew instinctively that Barry was not sharing the whole story but eventually let it go. Then she began asking about the mini Flash Dig had seen, The one Dig said he would forget about and not speak of. Apparently when Felicity was involved there were no keeping secrets from her.

Unless you were Oliver. She always found out in the end though. Barry knew he couldn’t hold her off long.

When he arrived with a driver’s license, social security card, credit card, a great credit score thanks to his favorite hacker, a high school diploma, a college degree from a very small private institution that no one would look at too hard, including transcripts, and a bank account already set up, waiting for her employment to be direct deposited into, Kara was set. Felicity offered to find her a job with friends she had in Central City through her business but Barry thought it best that Kara take a little time to acclimate herself to her new environment before jumping head first into the fray.

“Where is Kara?” he asked Cait who sat at a console with glistening eyes that set Barry on edge immediately.

“The South Pole.” she answered quietly.

“What is she doing at the South freaking pole?”

Cait wiped her eyes, sniffed a bit and looked at a very worried Barry.

“Shes been crying for hours. Her GPS hasn’t moved but I can hear her. I’m just giving her time.”

“Time to what?” the man asked.

“To grieve Barry. She wants to be here. She wants to be here with you, but her entire old life just ended. She is lost and is going to need a little time to adjust.”

Barry’s face fell.

“I’m moving to fast aren’t I?”

Cait walked over to her friend and hugged her.

“You aren’t moving to fast, you are loving her and that is what she needs. She isn’t going anywhere Barry. She wants to be with you. But she also needs time to grieve. To her, her old life did end when she was shot. She wants a new one but the old has to be let go. She is letting it go. I don’t know why she felt the need to fly to Antarctica but she did. She will tell us when she is ready.”

Barry nodded and sat down next to Cait. A few hours later, Cait heard Kara’s soft crying stop.

“Kara, this is Cait.”

“Wow. I can’t believe this thing works all the way down here.” she said, trying to sound strong and failing miserably.

“Why don’t you come home sweetie?”

“I don’t know if…”

“Yes you do. We are your home. We can’t replace the one you lost, either of them but we are here for you. Come home and we can watch TV. Or read, or fly, or whatever you want. Just come home.”

“Okay.”

Cait watched her GPS move at much less than her normal speed and knew she was flying slowly, taking it all in. Still three hours later, the masked blonde walked in. Barry took her hand and the two walked to another room while Cait turned off the coms and gave them privacy.

Barry took Kara in, noting she was freezing cold but unaffected of course.

“You okay?” he asked. She nodded her head.

“Listen I know this has been a lot but I want you to know, if you want to go…”

“I’m staying with you. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I wasn’t or didn’t want to. I just had to come to terms with some things.”

“If you want to slow down we can.”

“Slow down? Not really your style, is it Flash?”

“No, not usually, but I just want you happy. I can go back with you…”

“I’m not going back. I just had to say goodbye in my own way. As far as I am concerned and anyone I left behind, I died there. It’s for the best. I told Hank before I went to fight Non that I wasn’t meant to marry a human, have children, a house with a white picket fence. My mother sent me to Earth to protect it. That was what I was prepared to die doing. But maybe its time I started living for me and not what my mother wanted. I want to be here and I want to be with you. I’m going to miss them all so bad but… I know this is where I belong. Its just going to take some getting used to.”

Barry leaned down to kiss her, nearly backing up in shock when his lips touched her ice cold ones. But he didn’t. They warmed up soon enough.

“So we all good?” Cisco asked, walking in the room, Cait behind him, smiling.

“Yeah, we are all good.”

“Glad to hear it Superwoman.”

Kara raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said that was corny? Or was it lame?”

“Yeah well, I just couldn’t get it out of my head. All these super powers you got it, is appropriate. Except the girl part. Any woman who lifts a million ton alien prison and escorts it into space herself, not expecting to come back, sorry Kara, but you are one hell of a woman. So I guess its going to stick. Welcome to Team Super Flash.”