Superflash:Collison Course (Volume 1)

Chapter 21: Life of Living

Barry woke to the feeling of soft grass. The last thing he remembered was using every last bit of his speed to keep Metallo and Reactron from getting to Kara. The battle had gone on for hours with neither side giving up ground. He knew that he should be physically exhausted from expending all his energy, but all he could feel was the grass beneath his feet as he stood up. He could feel the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. There was no pain, and as he turned around, he heard a voice, softly calling his name.

“Barry…”

She was walking out of the sunlight, her form almost ethereal in nature. Her voice sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t place how or where he knew it from and had to shield his eyes until she was nearly standing right in front of him. His memories regained coherence as she placed her hand on his face. Her blue eyes were sparkling and the smile on her face was one of pure joy. In his heart, he knew who she was and a name escaped his lips, her name.

“Kara…”

“Yes, it’s me Barry. I’m right here.”

“Is this heaven?”

“No Barry, this is home. Our home.”

Barry turned to see a house and heard the voices of children playing as Kara wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. For a few moments, he thought the house looked familiar and it only hit him when he saw his mother and father sitting on the porch. The house was the one he grew up in.

“Kara…”

“Henry and Nora came for the twin’s fifth birthday. They missed their grandkids and us. Dad said he could take some time away from the hospital he’s in charge of for the week. Come on Barry, I know you’ve missed them.”

Kara looped her arm through Barry’s as they walked towards the house where he had so many memories. All of the memories, both good and bad flooded his mind as he really looked at his mother. She looked as if she hadn’t aged a day in the years since Thawne killed her. He didn’t know how to react at first, because that day when he was eleven put him on his path to becoming the Flash. But then she hugged him, and all the years, all the bad, began to seem like just a fading nightmare.

“Mom…”

“Your Dad and I have missed you Barry. You and Kara. It’s been too long between visits.”

“Nora…you know we wish we could come more often, but life has gotten so hectic with Barry being named head of C.C.P.D.’s C.S.I. and then I got promoted too, with Cat offering me the Central City branch of Cat Co.”

“I know Kara, and we’re proud of the both of you. I know I don’t have to remind you to call me Mom, right?”

As Barry watched Kara and his mother interact, this life began to feel exactly as it should for him. New memories started to coalesce, overtaking his memories of his life as the Flash. He and Kara have been married six years, and have two beautiful twin children. A son; Henry Joseph, and a daughter Alura Dawn. When his kids came running over to him, he knew that this must be his reward for being the hero. This life has everything he could ever want, everything he told Kara he wanted to have with her, it was in one word; idyllic. While during the day, everything was perfect, in the weeks to come, the nights would be the hardest.

Barry was content with the life he thought he was living, unaware that his friends and family were falling apart without him. Harry had gone back to Earth-2, leaving Cisco and Caitlin to carry on. Jay had stayed for as long as he could but even he had his own Earth to take care of. But Barry didn’t know any of this as life seemed to be perfect, until he started noticing cracks in his reality.