The Empath Metahuman

009. RUNNING TO STAND STILL

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IF BELLA TOOK THE TIME TO MAKE A LIST OF WHAT SHE LIKED ABOUT CHRISTMAS, IT WOULD MOSTLY CONSIST OF THE FOOD SHE GOT TO EAT, SONGS TO SING, THE MOOD THAT SEEMED TO FLOAT IN THE AIR, AND THE PEOPLE SHE GOT TO SPEND IT WITH. Then, there was a list of what she didn't like about Christmas. At the very top of that list would be the people she couldn't spend it with.

The cold wind blew against Bella's cheeks, and her hair to fly in front of her face. Tucking the loose strands behind her ear, her eyes were reading the name on the cold stone in front of her, illuminated by the single candle among the night that smelled of a sweet scent. Eddie Thawne, a name Bella hadn't thought about in a long time. Now, around Christmas time, she stood in front of his headstone. She was never one to fully believe in God, never really a religious person in general. She was more drawn to the stories and the traditions behind the religion when it came to holidays, births, live, and deaths. She loved Dia de Los Muertos, especially the idea that once a year the spirits of loved ones come back for a visit.

But today, she put her faith that there really is a heaven or a past life where her friend was resting. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the candle while she silently whispered under her breath, "Wherever you are Eddie, thank you."

A soft smile stretched across her lips, "Thank you for protecting the only family I have left, even if that meant losing someone who was a part of it. And, I just want you to know that, . . . I would've still kicked your ass in throwing darts if you were here."

Silently laughing to herself, Bella opened her eyes and reached forward to run her hand across the engraved name in the headstone. With a final goodbye, Bella stepped away and moved on to the rest of her journey. After visiting Eddie, she had to walk for a couple of minutes before she reached Ronnie's headstone and said her words to him before she visited her Italian family. With each minute she spent among the headstones, the more hallow her stomach and heartfelt. A part of her wished she could do the same with her mother and Tony. The problem was that her mother's body was far away, and after Tony died, Dr. Wells didn't mention what he did to Tony's body.

Instead, she reached her hand up to her neck and ran her fingers against the silver symbols hanging from her chain.

******

Jay and Caitlin stood next to each other in one of the rooms connected to S.T.A.R Labs. Their eyes were focused on the screen in front of them. Jay, as usual, had his arms crossed and a calculating look in thought, "I was thinking that if we could inject an unstable neutrino burst into the individual breaches, it might cause them to seal on their own."

Beside him, Caitlin nodded her head in agreement, "And stop Zoom from traveling back and forth between our worlds."

"At least then we wouldn't have to worry about him sending any more meta-humans over for Barry to fight," Jay added in with a shrug.

Caitlin turned to Jay, her eyes looking down at the floor before looking back up smiling at him, "It means a lot."

Jay turned to look at Caitlin, dropping his arms from their crossed position, "What does?"

"You looking after Barry." Caitlin smiled at him and softly shrugged her shoulders, "He's been through a lot the last few weeks."

The corner of Jay's lips lifted up in a smile that Caitlin had grown fond of and she grinned back at him. Jay took a step closer, "Barry's not the only person here I want to keep safe."

Caitlin took a step closer of her own, their eyes meeting with one another.

"Oh, dear Lord," Cisco's voice cut in from the entrance where Caitlin and Jay turned to look at, "just kiss already. Oh, the thirst is real."