154

"I'm so glad you're here." Barry's weak voice sounded my ear as he held onto me tightly, stood alone in the Waverider.

Crisis had begun.

And Oliver Queen was already dead.

He was gone.

He had risked his life and saved thousands of people.

And everyone was mourning his death.

I hadn't witnessed his death.

But it hurt all the same.

Because Oliver was a good man.

He deserved so much better than what had become.

But, my pain couldn't match Barry's.

Barry had lost one of his best friends.

A man he looked up to.

The man he look toward for advice.

That man was gone.

"Me, too." I held my husband tighter to deliver the comfort he needed, "I can't believe he's gone already- it- doesn't feel right."

"Listen-" Barry pulled away from me but held my arms to keep me close, "Oliver told me about how he brought Sara and his sister back to life using something called a Lazarus pit-"

"Barry?-" I looked between his eyes, staring at him, "You don't plan on using it on- Oliver- do you-"

Barry inhaled, "I was-"

"As great as that sounds-" I began slowly, "That sounds way too good to be true, Barry."

"Well, I mean, it is." Barry admitted, huffing quietly, "It turns out Thea destroyed all the pits on this Earth, but- there are more Earths to choose from."

"Honey-" I grabbed his face gently, "I know that you want Oliver back more than anything, but this is-"

"He can't be dead." Barry's voice sounded broken when he cut me off, "Not him, Zee."

My expression softened at his words.

"I'd come with you," I caressed his cheek with my thumb, "But, the reason I'm here is actually because- the Monitor gave me a mission of my own."

Barry looks at me, "Oh yeah?"

"To find our hopeless Kryptonian Paragon." I shrugged a little and smiled, "I'm finding a Paragon- isn't that crazy? I feel important-"

"You're always important." Barry tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear, smiling softly at me, "The most important."

"Barry-" I went slightly red, groaning lightly, moving my hand away and wrapping my arms around his middle in embarrassment.

Barry only smiled wider at my reaction, laughing lightly, "Did you ever think this would be our life?"

"Barry Allen," I held a little tighter, staring up at my loving husband, "I will take whatever life with you I can get."

Then, Barry leaned in and connected our lips.

-

"Is that him?" I asked Clark Kent and Lois Lane, walking up the farm with them at Smallville, Earth 167, seeing a man chopping word with his axe.

"It's either him or the buff guy on the paper towel rolls." Lois shrugged, following me as we went up to the man.

Clark points at the man as he chopped another bark of wood, "I can do that with one bare hand."

The man faced us, "Hello-"

Lois and I replied in unison, "Hi-"

Clark continued to point at him, wanting confirmation, "You are Clark Kent, right?"

He has confirmed, "Can I help you?"

"I'd hope so." I took a step closer, pressing my palms together, "What I'm about to tell you might seem a little- insane, but bear with me."

I clear my throat and began, "Well, let's see- uhm, this universe and an infinite number of others is currently in the process of blinking out of existence, and there are 7 people in all of space and time who can supposedly-"

Lois cuts me off and just blurts out as quickly as she could, ""

I looked at her with wide eyes, "Lois!"

"What?" Lois looked at me, "He is."

"Sure, but, I was going to ease him into it, maybe?" I gestured, placing my hands on my hips, "Maybe add some sugar on the coat?"

"Lex?" Earth 167's Clark's voice broke us from conversation, "I didn't know the President was in town."

I scoffed in shock, "Did you just say the President?"

"Look." Clark began to say to us, "I've faced a lot of these type of things-"

But then his voice was cut off when we were all breached out of that world.

-

"Now, this is a newspaper." Lois beamed when her, Clark and I walked into the Daily Planet in Metropolis on Earth 96.

"Well- Ray tracked Lex's last breach to this Earth, let's hope he's not very far." I crossed my arms, right behind her.

"Well, let's find him- me- , before Lex does." Clark was having trouble identifying what we should call his doppelganger.

"Oh!" Lois accidentally ran into a man who looked too familiar, "I'm sorry-"

"Oh, excuse me-" The man stepped back, his face identical to Ray Palmer, "I'm so sorry-"

Lois pointed to herself, "It was my fault-"

"It was mine-" He replied, the both of them laughing softly at each other's quick apologies.

"I'm sorry-" He stares at her in confusion, "You seem so familiar- have we met before?"

Clark clears his throat, making them look at us, as I place my hands on my hips, "Am I seeing things of does he look exactly like Ray Palmer?"

"Who?" He asked, then points to Clark, smiling a little, "Oh, hey- nice glasses."

"Thanks-" Clark got to the point, "Um, do you have a second?"

"Sure, for a citizen of Metropolis, always." He pulled out his card, holding it towards us, "If you wouldn't mind contacting my assistant-"

I cut him off, "It's about Lex Luthor."

-

"I appreciate your concern, but this isn't my first go-around with Luthor." The man we had found out was the Clark Kent of this Earth lead us into his office, "I can handle him."

"That's what you're not hearing." Our Clark said, inhaling, "He's changed the game."

"Yeah-" I nodded in agreement, "The book he got his hands on- it allows him to do anything- whatever he wants. He made us vanish right in front of the last Clark."