DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines. Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far and if you want me to carry on writing :)

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, illuminating the earth and giving life to the golden crops that stretched out before us, warming the soft grass as I lay back and closed my eyes, drinking in every little detail my senses could pick up on. I felt the warm rays on my skin, wrapping my body in a glowing embrace as the slight breeze provided mild relief, its gentle force fluttering the leaves on the trees high above me, whistling through the branches and eliciting a quiet rustle. The breeze carried with it the sounds of gentle laughter from the house behind me and the comforting smell of freshly baked bread. I allowed myself to disappear in my senses, losing myself in the kind of peaceful moment that I'd resigned myself to believe I'd never feel again. However, despite how much I was enjoying my current position, there was something wrong, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I smiled, forgetting my worries as I felt something tickle my nose, opening one eye just a slit and being greeted with one of the most beautiful sights. Natalia grinned down at me, a strand of her long hair still tickling at my nose as it swayed in the breeze.

"Mama says you need to stop daydreaming and get to the house for dinner." She giggled, nudging my shoulder before hopping up and offering her hand to me. "I told her you were busy planning world domination and that we shouldn't disturb you... but she insisted"

"You know me too well sissy," I replied with a wink, grabbing her hand and allowing her to pull me to my feet. We began our walk back to the house, so wrapped up in our conversation that it took me a moment to notice the silence that had filled the air. I froze, spinning on the spot and glancing around me, becoming aware of the lack of birdsong in the trees. In fact, just the lack of sound altogether. There was no chirping, no wind whistling through the branches and rustling the leaves, nothing. The field of crops continued to sway before me, their movement now completely silent as a leaf fluttered out of the sky and landed at my feet. I watched curiously as I crushed the leaf with my foot, offering only silence where a soft crunch should have been.

"Zarah." Natalia's voice called out to me, now sounding much more distant than it should have if she were right behind me. I turned back, my heart beginning to race as the space that the inviting cottage once stood on was now empty, appearing as a large room that resembled a warehouse. Natalia's voice continued to call out, growing quieter each time, urging me forward in search of my sister.

"Natalia! Nat!" I called her name, my voice echoing through the hollow space as my feet carried me forward again. I continued to run, picking up speed as her voice began to fade. In my panicked state, I stumbled, tripping over my own feet and hitting the ground with a hard thud. I groaned as I attempted to push myself off the ground, the distinct sight of a person with their back to me catching my eye as I rose.

"Talia!" I ran forward, grasping her arm and forcing her to turn to face me. The sight that met me as she turned caused me to stumble backwards, unable to contain my gasp. Dark crimson blood trickled down her face, oozing from a single bullet wound to her forehead and painting her porcelain skin. Words struggled to form as I bit back a sob, a lump forming in my throat as my panic was replaced with grief.

"You were supposed to save me, Zarah." She spoke quietly, a look of betrayal and sadness painting her features, tugging at my already broken heart. "You didn't save me, I'm dead because of you because you're weak." I uttered out a weak "no" as I backed away, tears now stinging at my eyes and running down my cheeks.

"Why didn't you save me?!" she yelled this time, the shock sending me tumbling backwards and hitting the ground hard...

I jolted up in bed, my eyes darting around the darkness in search of anything to anchor myself to. The light morning sun was gently filtering in through my curtains, bathing my sheets in a warm orange glow. I let out a shaky breath, wiping the tears from my eyes as I dropped back onto my pillow, quickly shuffling away from the damp puddle my tears had left behind. Digging around under my pillows I soon found my phone, lighting up the screen to discover that it was 10:00 am and that I had multiple messages. I held my finger to the button, the screen unlocking with my fingerprint and revealing to me the messages I had received. The first three messages I had expected, all were received about an hour earlier.

Hey Zarah it's Cisco. I chuckled at how he'd introduced himself in the text.

The first message was quickly followed with; You know it's me because I messaged you and my name is on here, idiot. Anyway, fancy coffee today? 10:30 at Jitters? Let me know x

I couldn't fight the grin at reading the messages, quickly typing back a reply.

Sorry I only just woke up, but Jitters sounds great I'll see you then x

It was only a few moments before I received another reply. Lazy, see you there x

I turned my attention next to the other message, one I hadn't expected as much, if at all. The name on the screen was one I hadn't seen in a long time, long before I came to Central iCty. The message was short and to the point. Call me.

Realising it must be important, I quickly opened up the contact and pressed the call button, holding the phone to my ear and listening to the quiet ringing.

"Zara, I was beginning to think you were ignoring me."

"Elias, I would never," I replied with a grin, glad to hear the voice of an old friend. "So, what do you want this time?"

"Why do you always assume I want something from you? Perhaps I just wanted to catch up."

"Do you just want to catch up?" I queried, expecting his answer before he'd even uttered a word.

"No, I need something." I laughed, shaking my head as he reciprocated, chuckling down the phone.

"Anything for you El."

"Perfect, text me your address and I'll come to you this evening? Around 7?" I agreed, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone before sending the address and throwing it down onto the soft sheets beside me. I lay there for a few minutes, just listening to the sound of the birds outside my window and the cars rushing by on the street below. I pushed down the memories of my dream, opting to ignore it rather than let it get me down. Reluctantly I dragged myself from my sheets and began to make myself presentable, the thought of spending some time with my favourite genius the only thing keeping me going.

"Morning beautiful," Cisco greeted me in a singsong voice, successfully chasing away any worries or sadness my dream had caused and lighting up my face with a grin.

"Good morning, you're certainly chipper today." I laughed, reaching for one of the mugs in his hands as he placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

"One decaf vanilla latte with almond milk, and yes I am in a wonderful mood." He smiled, gesturing for me to follow him, taking a seat at a table as I sat down opposite him and took a sip of my coffee before placing it down.

"Any particular reason you're in such a good mood? Or is it just because you have the pleasure of my company?" I winked as he chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink and watching me over the mug.

"Well I mean yeah there's that too I suppose, but nope just exciting work stuff." I nodded, enjoying the force field of warmth and light he managed to create wherever he went. It had been a couple of weeks since Barry and I had spoken, and while I was sure he was keeping an eye on me, things with Cisco had never been better. We'd become much closer, and were sort of dating now, although nothing had been said, it was an unspoken understanding between us. I'd tried not to let it distract me from my work, managing to cross another couple of names off the list last week and narrowly avoiding Barry in the process. There had been a few close calls but it seems I was just a bit too fast for the Scarlet Speedster.

"You sure do love your job don't you," I mused aloud as I drank, "Not that I really have a clue what you do." He seemed to ponder my words for a moment before placing his cup down. I could practically see the thoughts rushing through his head as he watched me.

"I'll be right back, gotta make a phone call," he announced before standing and walking away as I watched with raised eyebrows.

Cisco's POV

I exited the coffee shop holding my phone to my ear as I waited for an answer. I chewed my lip as I considered what I was about to ask, expecting a negative response.

"Hey Cisco, what's up?"

"Barry, I need to ask you something which you're probably gonna think is crazy stupid but I'ma ask anyway." My words tumbled out far more quickly that I'd anticipated.

"Uh... okay go ahead." He replied slowly, curious of what I was about to say.

"I wanna tell Zarah the truth."

"Right... and by the truth you mean?"

"Everything, about Star Labs, meta-humans..."

"About me?" he asked, already knowing what I meant.

"Look, I know it's not for me to tell, but seriously I can't keep lying to her. She's so important to me and I know she knows I'm not being honest." I replied quickly, attempting to state my case. Barry didn't reply for a while, his silence making me nervous. Finally, he spoke.

"Okay."

"Wait... okay?"

"Yeah okay, you can tell her." It was now my turn to stay silent, shocked by Barry's willingness to let someone else in on his secret. "Look, I can see how much you care about her and that you're serious about this, and she seems like someone we can trust, so I'm giving you permission to tell her my secret."

"Dude, you are amazing, I love you." Barry laughed down the phone at my reaction, telling me he'd see me soon before ending the call. I grinned at the successful phone call, watching Zarah through the window of Jitters as she sipped her drink, smiling back at me as she caught my eye.

Zarah's POV

I watched suspiciously as Cisco spoke into his phone, the curiosity in me desperately wishing I could listen in on the conversation. Whoever he was talking to and whatever they were talking about appeared to be good as a grin lit up his face. I quickly diverted my eyes as he hung up the phone, hoping he hadn't noticed me watching him. I chanced a glance up a couple of seconds later, unable to keep my attention anywhere else but on him. We caught each other's eye as he smiled at me through the glass and I offered a similar smile in return before he made his way back inside and dropped down into his seat. I watched him curiously as he continued to smile whilst taking a few gulps of his coffee.

"Good phone call I take it...?" I inquired with a smirk.

"Do you have any other plans today?" He ignored my question choosing to ask his own instead.

"Well I mean I was just going to sit in my flat and wait for you to text me but I suppose I could re-arrange that." He frowned at my joke before laughing and rolling his eyes.

"You're hilarious how do you do it." Sarcasm dripped from his words as he spoke.

"I was born with it." My response mirrored his as I fluttered my eyelashes.

"How would you like to come to work with me?"

"Is it bring your girlfriend to work day or something?" I questioned jokingly, a sudden jolt of panic hitting me as I realised what I'd said. We were just dating, right? I wasn't his girlfriend. Was I his girlfriend? Thankfully he didn't seem to mind my labelling as he replied.

"Yes that's exactly what it is, I figured you'd do."

"Why Cisco I'm flattered" my response was monotone and laced with sarcasm, followed up with an eye roll. He finished his drink before reaching across the table and taking my hand.

"C'mon Zarah, you're always complaining that you don't know what I do. And I promise you, it's super cool, you're gonna love it." I grinned as he shot me his best puppy-dog eyes, practically melting me from the inside out which he was fully aware of. He knew how to get his way with me, just as I did with him.

"I would love to come to work with you," I smiled, finishing my own drink before we both prepared to leave. As we left Jitters with my hand in his, I found myself curious to see how much I would 'discover' today. Was he going to tell me that he worked with the Flash? I suppose he'd have to, but that didn't necessarily mean he'd tell me who the Flash was. Thankfully, I was quite a good actress, meaning if I was introduced to the Flash's 'secret identity', I might just be able to act surprised enough to convince them the news is new to me. Either way, the giddiness of knowing Cisco trusted me that much was pretty much even with the anxiety of edging closer towards dangerous territory. Too much overlap between mine and Cisco's relationship and Manea and Cisco's relationship was risky, I'd have to be very careful and very smart from here on out.

I am SO SORRY this chapter took so bloody long to write and upload! I have such a good plotline planned but I really don't want to rush into it, so I'm trying to fill the gaps in between the real juicy stuff but it's a struggle. Filler chapters are always hard to think of ideas for, so if anyone has anything they want to see, like a bit more backstory for a certain character, or an interaction between specific characters please let me know! (need all the help I can get). Anyway, I want to thank Sam0728 for always leaving a review and giving me life to continue this, I hope you enjoy this chapter even though absolutely nothing happens. Much love, Hilly