When the Miss Cosmic phone rang, I was apprehensive. I hesitantly picked it up, remembering my American accent.
"Hello?"
"Hi, it's Cisco, we have an issue regarding the Flash. He's been made angry by Bivolo, and he's attacking a cop," he nervously breathed down the phone, the panic evident in his voice.
"Oh my God, okay. Where do you need me?" I replied, turning off my television as I raced towards my bedroom.
"I'll text you the location, but please be careful, he's very angry and very unpredictable," Cisco warned.
"All right, I'll get flying, and you can hack my comms if you want," I assured.
"Okay, please hurry." I hung up, quickly adorning my suit and accessories before throwing myself out of my window, twisting my body into a corkscrew as I flew towards Barry and travelling possibly my fastest yet.
"Cosmo, can you hear me?" Cisco asked through my in-ear comms unit.
"Yes, I can, what's happening?" I asked, not daring to move my arms to secure my earpiece better in case of slowing down.
"They're just talking at the moment, but he grabbed Detective Thawne out of a moving car and threw him on the ground," he explained.
"Oh, God. I'm nearly there. Hopefully, I can try and stop his anger."
"Do you know for sure that it'll work?" He asked, sensing my uncertainty about my plan.
"Cisco, I've got a way in which I can try to diffuse his anger, but it's risky. He could get madder at me for trying to calm him from inside his head."
"See how he is when you get there. The Arrow is on his way as well."
"All right, don't get nearly shot again, I've got it," I said to myself.
"Be careful."
I landed between Iris and Barry, doing what was a cool superhero landing if I say so myself.
"Hey, Flash!" I shout, drawing his attention from Eddie. "Get out of here, both of you!"
"Oh, here she is, Miss Cosmic is here to save the day, everybody," Barry slurred, throwing his arms in the air to taunt me.
"God, you sound like an angry drunk," I muttered, shaking my head.
"Always so witty, never taking anything seriously." I nearly rolled my eyes out of their sockets in annoyance. I stared into his eyes, noticing the red rings that circled his usually hazel eyes.
I used my energy to hold him in place, waiting for Joe and Dr. Wells to come with their truck equipped with the lights. He broke free from my energy by using his lightning, which was certainly a new concept for me. I unwillingly read his mind, hearing his list of endless rages against certain people. Luckily, myself as Emily did not feature among his list. I couldn't do my reveal now; I wasn't ready, and I wasn't prepared for who Dr. Wells could be yet.
"Cisco, how much longer?" I asked, pressing my fingers to my ear.
"I don't know, just keep him busy!" Cisco exclaimed in response.
"I'm trying not to hurt him, but so far it's not working!" I shouted into my earpiece, trying to dodge his punches. I kept my stamina up, surrounding myself with a shield of energy to lessen the damage done by his punches. Each blow hurt more than the previous as I gritted my teeth until he stopped and moved around to my front.
"Where are your jokes now?" Barry taunted as I shook my head, no more playing the nice guy.
I leapt up from my crouched position, ignoring the stinging coming from my body as I landed a fully charged energy punch to his jaw, hearing the familiar crunch of breaking bones. My hand did hurt considerably since I knew that I had connected my fist to his jaw at the wrong angle. I continued my offence, going into a roundhouse kick, which successfully landed on his shoulder and was much more powerful than the previous punch.
"God, don't kill him," Felicity said down my comms unit, as I could hear Cisco in the background, completely having a fanboy moment to himself.
"Sorry, I forget I have the strength of two people," I shrugged
"Should I add that to the list?" Oliver said as he finally turned up.
"What is it with you men and being late? You missed the kick ass moves, by the way."
"What makes you say I missed them?" Oliver mused, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you still impressed?" I asked, a hint of a smile on my face.
"For you to break a jaw with one hit? Always," Oliver winked.
"Come on, let's get at it," I replied, focusing my attention back to Barry.
"Tranquillisers won't work, so don't waste your time," I said into Oliver's head. He seemed a little shocked at first but still understood my message loud and clear.
"We're all friends here; we don't need to fight," Oliver tried to reason. I hadn't tried my best card, but I was waiting until it was necessary or that the disco van was incredibly close.
"Oliver, I have a way to stop him, but it's risky and could make the situation worse. What do you want to do?"
"Wait it out, if we get into trouble, try it," he said in his own head. We both nodded at each other and turned out attention back to Barry. He hadn't calmed down at all while I had him stalled in a ball of energy since he was raging to get out.
"Unleashing the beast!" I shouted, letting him drop down to the ground.
"My money's on you, Cosmo," Cisco whispered in my ear. Apparently, Diggle had bet on Oliver, while Caitlin remained firmly on Barry's side of who would win.
Barry came charging at us, mainly towards Oliver since I feared he had more anger pent up against him than he did with me. I carefully aimed some energy beams at him, managing to hit important places that would limit his function but most certainly keep him alive and out of too much pain. Oliver was doing a decent job until Barry decided to run rings around him, leaving a trail of electricity in his wake.
I used my telekinesis to haul Oliver out of the vortex of electricity, which soon ceased as Barry brought his focus back to me as I placed Oliver down.
"You know that you don't want to hurt anyone, Flash. Well, at least I know that," I told him, trying to talk some sense into him.
"You don't know anything about me," Barry seethed.
"I don't need to know anything apart from that you're a good person. You're a hero, and this city needs us to be heroes," I announced to my fellow colleagues listening as well as the bystanders who dared to watch us so closely.
"Shut up! You don't know anything," he growled, charging straight at me. I knew that I couldn't move out of the way fast enough, so I braced myself. I wasn't ready as he picked me up and spun me around before throwing me towards a wall as I fell down on the ground, my head taking most of the hits. I could taste the familiar warm and metallic sensation of blood filling my mouth, as I could feel a little trickling from my nose.
"Are you happy now?" I shouted at him. Oliver came and finished the last few rounds for me as I stayed fairly unresponsive on the ground.
I knew I was in shock; a little injury trauma could always knock a person sideways if the shock in their system was great enough. Maybe it was the fact that my brain still thought that it was actually an in control Barry who had hurt me and not a rage controlled shell. Maybe it was the fact that my surroundings were spinning on a stick, like a spinning plate in a magic show or circus.
I used whatever energy I had left to stand myself up, leaning against a wall for support. My breathing was harsh but controllable as I brought my feet forwards, carrying myself towards the scene of the fight. The dizziness had faded, but the blood still dripped as I got a firm grip on reality. I wiped my face clean of blood as the bleed had clotted and stopped now.
"Stand down; you're not fit to fight, and you're going to injure yourself any further," Oliver ordered.
"I have to try my last card, please," I begged.
"The van is rounding the penultimate corner now," Dr. Wells said into our comms.
I took that as all the confirmation I needed as I closed my eyes, standing in the centre of the street. I embraced the wind as I started humming the soft tune as I had done to cure the people back in the bank. I didn't know whether my broadcast was going to work, whether it would bring him back.
All I knew was that the van had not arrived yet. I ended it before opening my eyes and falling to my knees, my head now pounding and growing a little dizzy. I looked up, to see that the song had worked its magic and made him whole again as he bounded over to me, looking completely wrecked with guilt.
"Annie, I-" Barry began, although, I soon interrupted him.
"Barry, I know, I saw it all in your head." I managed to say, before looking up to an equally as worried looking Oliver.
"Don't worry yourself, Hood. I heal fast," I smiled.
"Again, I'll put it on the list," he shrugged.
"Get her in the van," Dr. Wells yelled at the two supers, who quickly obeyed and gently picked me up, making sure to support my head and neck. I was confused at why Wells was helping me, especially in my second time of medical need.
"Am I hallucinating or did he just offer me help? God, how hard did my head hit the ground?"
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Barry asked, giving me a thumbs up.
"Just your thumb, silly," I giggled, sounding hilariously insane. I was placed down on top of Barry and Oliver, my head resting on Barry's lap with my eyes staring straight up at his head.
"Sounds like she's drunk."
"I wish I could get drunk; I can't now," I blurted out, sniffing a little as my nose stung.
"I know the problem." Barry had started to slowly play with my hair, which had, unfortunately, come out of its hairband from its thickness. He curled small strands of it around his fingers, staring intently at the honey brown colouring.
"I think I might have a concussion," I stated, looking towards the doctor among us for confirmation.
"I think you're right about that," Dr. Wells replied.
"You sound like when you butt dialled me at your first college party," Eve snorted.
"No, I don't," I accidentally groaned out aloud.
"You don't what?" Barry asked.
"Oh sorry, two conversations," I replied, pointing to my head and then back to my lips.
"Nice going, bozo."
"Ssh, I'm don't want to screw up anything else. Could you do some more digging on Dr. Wells for me please?" I asked politely.
"I'll get back to you when you're feeling better."
"Can I sit up yet? I'm feeling better now, I promise," I asked, giving Barry a pout.
"Okay, be careful, though."
"How's your jaw and shoulder doing?" I asked, looking guiltily at the emerging purple bruises on his neck.
"I've never, in my entire life, been hit so hard by anyone. Not even Tony Woodward," he replied.
"Not going to lie but I was really proud of that hit, even though my hand hurts like hell," I whined as I analysed my bloodied wrists.
"Even if I had hit someone that well, I would've been pretty proud," Oliver admitted, adding a small chuckle to the end.
"You should have heard Cisco; he squealed like a pre-teen girl," I joked, hearing the van's engine turn off as I assumed that we have arrived at S.T.A.R Labs.
"I would definitely say that the pitch was more sweet sixteen than a pre-teen," Cisco said to my face as he opened the sliding door of the van.
"Do. Or do not. There is no try," I responded, perfectly mimicking Yoda in true form. Cisco instantly clasped his hands over his mouth as he usually does when I appropriately quote films.
"That's it. I've decided that you're perfect," he grinned.
"If you want a signed picture, all you have to do is ask, Cisco," I offered.
"Nah. I mean, maybe another time which I will certainly remind you of."
"How are you feeling now?" Barry asked, rubbing my back slightly as we step out of the van.
"Fine actually, I've got a headache, but that's it. You probably hurt a lot more than I do, for once," I snorted.
"Yeah, I'm going to get Caitlin to check this out." I nodded as he walked into the Cortex, Joe and Oliver following him.
"Miss Cosmic, is it? I'm quite intrigued to hear about how you came across Barry's identity," Dr. Wells asked as he wheeled himself over to me, his signature smug smile plastered across his face.
"He told me his name," I lied smoothly, not wanting to give a single piece of information to Dr. Wells.
"I see. If you ever need our help, you're welcome to ask Cisco or come and visit. I'd be very happy to learn more about your fascinating abilities."
"I'm afraid that I'm not willing to be a part of your experiments, but I'm sure if I ever run into trouble, Cisco or Barry will be one of the first to know." I gave him a rather fake smile as I walked towards the Cortex. I noticed something strange when I blinked, and the schematics of the building flashed in my mind. I ignored it for the moment, assuming that it was a generator room or something.
"Oh, I don't believe we've met. I'm Annie," I greeted as I found myself standing next to Joe as I placed my hand out for Joe to shake.
"Detective Joe West," he replied as he shook my hand before looking me up and down.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"So tell me, you're working with Barry with all this superhero business?" He asked, pointing his finger up and down towards Barry's costume on the mannequin and my own.
"I'm doing my best, Detective," I smiled.
"You keep my boy safe, all right?"
"Don't worry, Sir, he's in safe hands here at S.T.A.R Labs. I was about to check on him; I still feel bad about his jaw," I admitted.
"Naw, don't feel bad. If you ask me, it was a pretty cool move."
"It was only a punch, you should see it when I add some flight or acrobatics in, they look super cool," I bragged.
"Maybe now that you're more friendly with S.T.A.R Labs, you could train Barry a little more."
"That would be good; I might go and check on him if you don't mind," Joe nodded, leaving to go and talk to Dr. Wells who was further away from the centre of the Cortex. I nearly stumbled over my own feet when I saw Caitlin attending to a very shirtless Barry.
"How's the jaw?" I asked, clearing my throat a little as it had suddenly become rather dry.
"Definitely broken, but should heal itself in a day or so. It was a nice hit, by the way," Caitlin replied, patching up Barry with some gauze.
"You're welcome, I guess," I shrugged.
"How's your head now?"
"Feels fine, thanks. Nothing that some aspirin won't fix. Do you have somewhere that I can freshen up and get rid of all of the blood on me?"
"Sure, just in that door," Caitlin replied as I followed the direction to which she was pointing to. I looked in the mirror, almost staggering back at my horrifying appearance.
Blood was strewn across my nose and down the side of my cheek from where I had tried to wipe it away. I wiped it all away with a wet cloth, putting it in a pocket of mine in order to stop Wells from testing it. I combed my hair through with my fingers, removing any knots that had accumulated from flying around and fighting.
"Well, you look a lot better," Barry smiled.
"Gee, thanks, Barry." I was glad that Caitlin had left us alone for a while. I walked up to where Barry was sat down, gently sitting on the side of his bed.
"You need to know that it wasn't me, I wasn't in control."
"I know it wasn't, Barry. Cisco rang me and asked for my help since I could get there faster than Oliver could," I briefly explained.
"I'm glad it was you who calmed me down in the end, rather than the light show."
"I'm glad it worked," I replied, a smile making it's way to my face. A light blush had stayed on my face from when I had walked back into the room thanks to Barry's shirtless figure.
"Your face is a little red. Not from windburn, I hope," Barry pointed out, a smirk prominent on his face.
"It's from scrubbing my face," I stated, not giving into his teasing.
"Whatever you say, sweet cheeks."
"So, now that you're a public menace, you think you're some rebel, Mr Allen?" I poked his side as he jolted sideways a little, obviously a little ticklish in that area.
"Hey, I'm such a rebel," he joked.
"Taking your earpiece out twice does not count, Barry," I emphasised, laughing at the end.
"Fine, maybe you're the rebel here."
"At least somebody knows the truth."
"Speaking of the truth, when do I get to see your face? Since you've seen mine," Barry asked, deciding to change the subject.
"I'll do it when I'm ready, I promise," I reassured.
"I guess there's no point in pressuring you since it's not like you're refusing to tell me," he shrugged, not really knowing what else to do.
"This time, it's taking a little more than trust," I muttered, shaking my head at the thought of what Dr. Wells would do.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, his brow creasing in confusion and worry.
"It's complicated," I brushed off, moving away from him.
"That doesn't sound suspicious at all," Barry grumbled.
"Call it a gut instinct that it's not the right time," I replied, my tone sharper than usual as I tried to indicate to him that I didn't want to talk about it.
"What makes you so sure?"
"The whole 'talking to dead people' thing makes me so sure. You can't pretend to be dead, Barry," I explained.
"Oh, I was going to ask you about that," he muttered.
"Your mom talks to me sometimes. She likes to ask how you are and what's going on with you. She knows that you're the Flash and that your dad is innocent. She doesn't know who did it before you ask," I summarised, knowing that it pained him to hear me talk about his dead mother as if I had known her like he did.
"I'm not ready to talk to her."
"I understand that. It takes a long time for grief to find it's way to peace. My best friend died when the accelerator exploded, and it's hard not having that person to come home to at night rather than being on my own. It's like a half of me disappeared into the ground with her. It's strange not to hear her laughing at my jokes or singing along with me in the mornings or whatever. It's never something that I'm going to get back."
I hadn't realised that I was crying until we both locked eyes. He pulled me towards him until the side of my head met his chest. I sniffed, using one of my hands to wipe my eyes and stop the droplets from escaping too much. Barry lightly rubbed his hand against the side of my arm to try and steady my breathing.
I didn't even know why I was crying. Maybe it was that I had only recently established a connection with my own mother, or maybe it was that I dearly missed being about to talk freely to her.
It could also be the fact that I hadn't properly processed that Eve wasn't waiting for me at home with a Big Belly Burger and a milkshake. She wouldn't be there for me when I was ill or when I was stressing about something. She was there in my mind, but that wasn't the same.
I thought I was coping well with her death, but as it turns out, I had simply been ignoring the fact that my other half was dead and that I wouldn't be able to share any other moments with her. I wouldn't ever see her get married, have a child or fall in love. I wouldn't ever get to see her make mistakes and be there to pick up the pieces after her. We never did share a double date or complete our ultimate April Fool's Day prank.
Now the only fool on that day would be me.
A/N
Those feels tho
See you on the dark side,
Charis xo