Summary: The whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. BA/KZ
Rating: M
Word Count: 54,018
Status: Complete
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13646152/1/El-Mayarah-Stronger-Together
Chapter 1: Prologue
Barry Allen, the Fastest Man Alive, looked at the ruins of his world and wept.
Zoom had come and Zoom had been destroyed. But at such a cost. Their battle would have been sung over fires, told around the hearth, told at bedtime. It was an epic battle of Titans. Back and forth, they fought. The story would have been told had there been anyone to hear it. Millions died in the quakes. More died in the fires. All those he loved, all those he knew. All dead.
And Barry Allen wept.
Joe. Iris. Caitlin. Oliver. Felicity. Ray. Dig. Thea. Laurel. Sara. Jax. Stein. His father.
All dead.
Barry stood at the grave of his mother and wept. Falling to his knees, he sobbed his lament. Covered in soot, blood, and dirt, he kneeled at the grave of his mother, keening his pain. Earlier that day, he'd finally killed his foe.
"Dude."
Shocked, Barry spun about. The only person that he knew that was alive in all of Central City - alive in all of North America - drove toward him in his electric wheelchair. Cisco Ramon, his legs gone below the knees and his left arm mangled, beckoned with his good hand. "This thing is a pain, dude. You come over here. I can't do this on grass."
Nodding, Barry wiped his face, hiccupping as he made the way down the hill to his dying friend. Oh, Cisco had never come out and said it, but Barry knew. That bastard Zoom had nearly vivisected Cisco before Barry had caught up to the dark speedster. Barry's subsequent Standing Supersonic Punch had nearly killed Zoom. Nearly. Caitlin had patched their friend together. Just as she finished the last suture, Zoom came back and killed her by ripping her head off.
Resettling in his chair, Cisco told his friend, "I love you man, so when I tell you this it's because I love you. You're the best person I know, Barry."
The Scarlet Speedster scoffed and looked away before Cisco hit him in the leg with his ever-present cane/poker/pointer. "I'm serious, Barry. I'm almost gone, you know that. On top of it, the planet's core is unstable after some of the shit that bastard did. I want you to do something for me."
"Anything." Barry had a sick feeling in his gut what Cisco was going to ask but didn't have the courage or the strength to ask.
"Leave. Go to a parallel Earth where you can be happy. We both know that you're nearly immortal now. The Speed Force heals you faster than your cellular degeneration; you won't die of old age. You're faster than you've ever been. Go. Be somewhere that you can be happy." The one-time happiest person that Barry ever knew looked across the burning skyline of what remained of their city. "This world is toast, dude. Go. Be happy."
In a whisper, Barry replied, "I was afraid you'd say that." Looking away, he told his friend - brother really, "I don't deserve it, Cisco."
Tears starting to run down his face, Cisco countered, "There is no one who deserves it more."
Barry began to cry again, this time for his friend. For all his friends, but mostly for Cisco. Gently clapping his hand on the young genius engineer's shoulder, he nodded his acceptance. "I love you, Cisco. You're the best friend, the best man I've ever known."
Both men were crying freely as Cisco handed him a back pack that had been strapped to the back of his wheelchair. "Some clothes and a few surprises."
Barry nodded. Leaning over, he placed a kiss on his friend's forehead. A sign of affection from one soldier to another. From a brother to another. As Barry slung the bag over his shoulder, Cisco whispered the refrain that had haunted Bartholomew Allen most of his life.
"Run, Barry. Run."
Tugging the mask over his face one last time, he looked at Cisco for a long time before giving him a nod of goodbye. He just couldn't make himself say the words.
"Go, bro."
In a flash of white lightning, Barry Allen disappeared. A micromoment later, Cisco heard the breach open that swallowed his friend for the last time.
Another earthquake rocked the continent. This time, a fissure opened up in the middle of downtown causing block after block to fall into the boiling lake of lava coming up from the Earth's crust. Cisco watched it all dispassionately. In a strange sense, it was terrifyingly beautiful. Murmuring his own litany of names of the lost, he reached into another bag, withdrawing a pistol.
There was no one to hear the gunshot.
Chapter 2: Pain and a New Home
It was dark when he arrived, breaking out of his breach into the target world. This was the last place he'd been happy. The only place where he could imagine ever being happy again. Running across the desert, he picked up speed. Reaching deep within himself, he felt the Speed Force surround and penetrate him. Closing his eyes, he Ran. Faster and faster he let his feet take him where he needed to go.
Hundreds of miles in a blink, he finally slowed, seeing the lights of the city ahead. Scouring his memory for where her apartment was, he ran. Desperation began to build in his heart. What if the timelines between their two universes were so disparate that she was gone? Dead? Fear fueling him, he picked up speed again. Finding her building, he didn't miss a step as he ran up the side of her building, phasing through the wall of her apartment to find a shocked Kara Zor-El standing in the center of her living room, wearing the same yellow dress she'd been wearing the day he'd left.
He stopped. Stock still, he could only stare at her. Shock on her expression quickly turned to concern.
"Barry? What's wrong?" she moved close to him. Gently wiping away the remnants of tears he'd shed an entire universe ago, she moved closer. His jaw moved as he tried to talk; really, he did. But nothing came.
Finally, he forced a hoarse whisper out. "They're all dead, Kara."
Her eyes widened, "Oh, Rao, Barry. Who?"
"Everyone." His red eyes pleaded with her to understand. To not make him say it explicitly. The tear tracks in the soot, blood, and dirt on his uniform stood in stark relief to the torn and battered underpinning of red.
She immediately understood that he meant everyone on the planet. She took him in her arms. Holding him close, she murmured, "I'm here, Barry. I'm here."
Now that it was all over, now that Zoom was dead, all the grief, pain, and terror that he'd been suppressing for so long came rushing back and it overwhelmed him. Wrapping her in his arms, he shook as he wept.
She could tell when the immediacy of his grief had been spent. Slowly she shuffled him to the couch where they sat. Holding his hand, she sat right next to the man who, to her timeline, had left not even three hours before.
She'd been depressed when he left. Right from the beginning, she'd found Barry fascinating. Even knowing the inevitability of his departure, she couldn't help but come to care for him; be drawn to him. His personality, his powers, everything about him captured her attention. She understood him and he seemed to get her in his turn. It didn't hurt that she found him incredibly attractive.
He'd been the one to support her when she doubted her role as Supergirl; when she'd doubted herself. Even knowing her for a few short days, he knew her well enough to state unequivocally that she would earn the public's trust again. Not because of her feats, but because of who she was. She nearly kissed him right then on that balcony. Well, that part came later. She had kept reminding herself that he was going back to his universe…
And now he was back and something had gone horribly wrong.
Leaning into each other, they sat in silence as he stilled. "Zoom came," he began. Slowly, her dread growing with each word, he told the tale of the war between the two speedsters. She didn't notice when her own tears began to track down her face. Her mouth open in defiant silent shock, she held him as he spilled the story of the past months on to her floor.
"Oh, Rao, Barry. I…." The horror that he'd lived stunned her to silence.
"Yeah. That's about all I can say, too." He paused a long moment, before continuing. "Cisco was dying so he told me to go to another Earth. Where I could be happy." He looked over at her, peeling his mask off, he met her eyes, "This is the only place I could think of. It's the last place where I was happy."
She nodded. Her feelings roared back in full force. Brutally shoving them to the side, she concentrated on being present for her friend. "I'm glad. I'm so glad you came here, Barry. To me, you've only been gone a few hours, but I've been missing you terribly."
He gave her a weak smile, "I thought about coming to find you so many times. To see if you could help me."
"I would have been with you until the end."
He nodded, "I know. We were afraid of possible time differentials." Gesturing with his hand, he added "I guess Cisco was right. I could've been here for ten minutes and it would be more than a month back there."
She pulled him close again, feeling him meld into her as his arms wrapped around her again. Kissing him on the crown of his head, she told him, "You'll never have to fight alone again, Barry."
"Thank you, Kara. Thank you so much."
Minutes passed. His breath slowing, she listened to his unique heartbeat, extremely fast but strong nonetheless. His heartbeat that always made her smile. It made her feel at home. Listening, she heard his heart slowing along with his breathing. Deciding to enjoy the moment, Kara lay back on her couch, holding the sleeping Barry Allen for as long as he needed. She'd slip away later to change into something more comfortable. For now, she was going to enjoy being physically present for her friend.
It was the traffic that woke him. He'd not heard the sounds of traffic in so long that it shocked him awake. Blinking, he realized that Kara was halfway underneath him as he spooned behind her. And his hand was under her shirt cupping her breast. And her hand was on top of his.
Closing his eyes, he silently groaned. She was going to kill him. Not that he didn't want to be copping a feel, but he'd rather have two willing parties rather than two conked out ones. Yes, Kara was beautiful. In fact, she was smoking hot. If he'd stayed on this Earth after his first visit, he would have pursued her with a vigor, but he had been leaving… so he kept it low key. Except for the kiss.
In her imperfection, she was perfect to him. Oh, sure, she was beautiful with a great body and the powers and all. But she was a nerd, just like he was. She had an idealistic streak in her that inspired him. She made him want to be a better person. She made mistakes. Her planning left something to be desired. Her heart, though… nothing could match her heart. While he had a few more runs around the block as a superhero, she was just as much a hero as he was in his eyes.
Slowly, he slipped his hand out from under her shirt, refraining from a gentle squeeze as he did so. She was dead asleep, a tiny snore rattling in the back of her throat. He remembered the moment he'd returned to his universe.
"…'cause that's your alien name. Which is very cool," he teased. He wanted to stay, but knew he couldn't. Zoom had come and Barry needed to face him.
They turned to each other, another friendly jibe on his lips when he saw her expression. She wanted him. And he wanted her. So much.
Slowly, oh so slowly, they met, their lips touching and the kiss deepening as they wrapped their arms about each other. Finally, they broke it off. "I'm sorry, Kara. I have to go."
"I know. That Zoom guy."
He nodded. "I'll miss you."
She looked up to him, her blue meeting his green. "So much," she unknowingly echoed his thoughts.
One last kiss, then he moved away. "Ok," he gusted as they got down to business. A last sprint, a shove from a woman he could've loved and he was gone. And so was she.
Until now.
Slipping from the couch, he headed to her bathroom, grabbing his bag as he went.
The water was warm and felt amazing. All his physical injuries were long healed, leaving nary a scar. Inside, on his soul, was a different discussion that he smothered before it really formed as a coherent thought. He really didn't want to deal with that today. Getting a pump of her shampoo, he lathered up his hair. Smiling as he smelled the lavender scent, he began to hum a ditty that Joe had always sung in the shower. He tried to remember the best parts about his foster father amidst his grief. It wasn't easy but the shower hid his tears. He was getting tired of crying all the time.
Her body wash had more lavender scent and the loofa was like steel wool, but he figured his Kryptonian friend needed something a bit sturdier than the average woman did.
Stepping out of the shower after drying off, he slung the towel about his waist. Digging in his bag, he found a razor and a can of shaving cream. Lathering up, he scraped a few weeks of bristles from his face. Just as he finished, the door opened and a sleepy Kara stumbled into the bathroom.
"Oh! Sorry…" she blurted, her eyes roving up and down his chiseled bare chest. Closing her eyes, she shook herself. He felt a small hope kindle deep inside that he might be able to build a new life here on this Earth. With Kara.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I tried to be quiet."
She waved her hand, "You didn't wake me. I just needed…" her eyes went back to his glistening chest. "Yeah. Gotta go. Let me know when you're done."
He chuckled, rubbing the aftershave across his cheeks and chin. Looks like she was as attracted to him as he was to her. Pulling boxers and jeans over his slim hips, he headed out of the bathroom while pulling a t-shirt out of the bag. "All yours, thanks."
"Thanks," she replied as she moved to the bathroom. Pausing, she seemed to make up her mind as she turned to him and asked, "Barry, do you have plans on where to stay?"
His demeanor collapsing, he shook his head. "I've not really thought about it."
"Good," she replied with gravity. Meeting his eye, she told him with a directness that indicated how serious she was, "I want you to stay here."
His hope kindled just that much more. In that moment he realized that he couldn't remember the last time he'd had hope of any kind. Catching his breath at the emotion that grabbed him, he nodded to her. "I'd like that Kara. I'd like that very much."
"Good," she replied again before heading into the bathroom.
Pulling his t-shirt over his head, he smiled to see it was a Flash t-shirt. Only Cisco. Tying his sneakers, he called to the door, "I'll go get breakfast. Do you have any money?"
"My purse is by the front door," she called from the bathroom as the shower started up again.
"Be back shortly."
Five minutes and an order for three dozen donuts later, he sat on her couch. Inventorying the bag that Cisco had packed for him, he pulled items out one by one. A few more shirts and jeans. Socks and a spare toothbrush. Condoms. Shaking his head, Barry shoved that box back in the bag, muttering, "Cisco." The next handful produced a Ziploc baggie with three flash drives. Curious, he popped one out of the plastic bag before moving to Kara's laptop. Turning midstride, he headed to the bathroom. "Kara," he called as he knocked.
The door opened and it was his turn to gulp. She stood there, a bath sheet wrapped around her and her hair combed back, still wet from the shower. Her natural beauty showed through and Barry was very tempted to reenact the kiss of his departure but shook that off. Maybe in the future, but right now he couldn't deal with that. "Er, do you mind if I use your laptop?" he held up the flash drive.
She nodded, "Sure, help yourself. I'll be done in a few."
"I got donuts," he told her.
His pronouncement inspired a bright smile, which crinkled her eyes as her whole face beamed. "You're the best. I'll keep you."
He laughed as she shut the door. Sliding the flash drive into her machine, he tapped his fingers while her laptop woke up. After a few mouse clicks, he opened up the file drive and gasped.
File after file of all of Cisco's inventions and Caitlin's discoveries. All of their patents. All of their intellectual property for which they'd sweated and bled over the years. Everything. He'd left it to Barry.
Her hand gently came to rest on his shoulder, "What is all this?" she asked softly.
Swallowing more tears, Barry selected a file, "This is the design that Cisco patented for the monitor system built into my suit."
Another selection, "This is the Nanite technology design that he and Ray Palmer patented. It cured most types of cancer and many blood borne diseases."
Another selection, "This is the fabric my suit is made from"
"This is…"
And the list went on.
"He was a great friend to you, wasn't he?"
Nodding he placed his hand on hers, which hadn't left his shoulder.
She squeezed gently before reaching over his other shoulder with her unoccupied hand closing the computer. "Come on. We've some donuts to destroy and I need to call in sick."
He looked up at her, his eyebrow cocked in question.
She smiled, "Cough-cough. I feel a tickle coming on. Got to be the Flu. Maybe the Plague. I may need to stay home for a few days. Maybe an entire week."
Laughing, he followed her into the kitchen for some donut demolition.