Flicker ⌁ Barry Allen [1]

twenty-nine.

The next few days went by in a blur. Cisco would try to call me, but I wouldn't answer. Henry and Iris had attempted to come by, but I just let them knock on the door until they gave up. Cisco had called me and told me that he had vibed Barry, but I barely registered it. I refused to get my hopes up. They had said the same things about Barbara's condition after her accident. "She'll live, she's okay." The usual.

I was curled up in my bed sheets, which faintly smelled of Barry.

"Lazy ass, per usual."

My breath hitched in my throat. I sat up. There was no way.

"Get the hell out of bed, Rory." I heard her say.

"Barbara..?" 

Turns out, Iris had called Richard after a few days of my depressive state. I had told her after I told Barry. How she got his number was a mystery.

But he had brought her with him. He was calmly sitting on the couch, while I numbly looked at Barbara's legs. she was in a black wheelchair with a purple backpack hung around the back of it.

 As I got up and followed her to my living room, I noticed that she had grown much older, and had gotten used to being crippled. She was exceptional at it, even. I hated that she had to learn how to live without her legs.

"Quit it, Rory." She laughed. She wasn't uncomfortable about it.

"How are you, Barb?" I asked, suddenly feeling terrible that I had not called since Richard found me. 

"I'm good. Holdin' up the fort over in Gotham. You know how terrible all these male vigilantes are with technology. What would they do without me, I often wonder." She laughed.

I nodded. I had only managed one smile, and that was when she first arrived. 

The mood in the room turned somber. "You know, he's not dead, right, Aurora?" She asked, getting serious.

I didn't reply.

"Your friend, Cisco? He 'vibed' him. Iris gave us a quick rundown of this place. Surprising how different it is from Gotham but also the same. Cisco said he looks like he's in a storm, and that he heard Cisco's voice, before turning away."

I nodded. I faintly remembered Iris telling me this, but I had not thought much of it.

Barbara wheeled next to me on the couch, using her arms (which were surprisingly still strong) to hoist herself up and onto the couch and adjust her legs. 

"Aurora Elizabeth Winters. Listen to me."

I looked at her. She was still as beautiful as she had been before, and her eyes looked happy, and concerned. Her red hair, which was always my favorite feature of hers, was in a loose ponytail. 

"You cannot let the accident cloud your life forever. It was not your fault, nor will it ever be. I understand why you left. But you can't keep running, Aurora. Sooner or later, you're going to have to face everything you've run from. I knew what I was risking when I signed up as Batgirl. Barry knew what he was getting into when he signed up as the Flash. It's like an unwritten contract signed by every superhero and vigilante. Now, get your ass to STAR Labs. Barry needs you." 

I smiled faintly, feeling hopeful. Maybe Barry was, in fact, alive. Maybe this wouldn't be a repeat.

I nodded, hugged Barbara and Dick, and sped out of my apartment.

I didn't get far, considering I didn't have a lot of Speed Force in me. But, nonetheless, it lightened my mood. 

I hurried the rest of the way to STAR Labs, a feeling in my heart. I wasn't sure if it was hope or dread.

'''

So sorry this was so late you guys! Only a couple more chapters left! Should I write a short thing for Flashpoint? ((Also, if you haven't heard, I'm writing a prequel for this story! It'll be about Aurora's past and her time as the Nightingale of Gotham!))