Catherine Wilson wasn't sure what she had in mind when she decided to return home to Central City. She'd be lying if she said that a dream hadn't prompted the sudden move, but Catherine wasn't a liar. Not a good one, anyway. Her whole life she hadn't been able to lie, even to save her life. It got her into a lot of trouble actually. Honesty was her fatal flaw.

      She wishes to the stars and beyond that she could lie. Lies saved people from the hurt that comes with the truth. But all Catherine could do was hurt people with the truth, so whenever she had to tell the truth, she'd run. Run from the situation that would only lead to nothing but harm. It's what she did after she discovered the truth to the life of lies she had been living. Oh, how she yearned to never have learned the truth...

      Central City's train station was - not surprisingly - very safe. The city of sun was known for its trusting citizens. Catherine supposes that's why she was better off in Starling City, where all there were were lies and deceit. You could rely on lies there. But something inside Catherine told her she needed to return.

      Catherine squints her eyes as she looks up at the clear blue sky. If there was one thing she missed about Central City, it was its bright, sunny weather. Only occasionally in the fall would it rain, and snow for only a few days deep into winter, but clear skies were a common occurrence in the near coastal city.

      It was early spring, the cherry trees that lined the streets of the city were just starting to bloom. Taking a deep breath, Catherine smells the deep florals of the air and smiles. She's home.

      Catherine hails a cab and closes the trunk after loading in her luggage. She then climbs into the back of the taxi. "Where to, ma'am?" The driver asks. She buckles her seatbelt and smiles. "CC Jitters, please?" The man nods and starts the engine. "Good choice." He tells her, then reaches over his shoulder, hand outstretched. "Name's Bentley. Pleasure to have you in the city."

      Catherine shakes his hand and chuckles. "Catherine," She introduces. "And thank you." Bentley glances at her through the rear view mirror. "What brings you to Central?" He asks. Catherine sighs and looks out the window at the towering buildings. "Hopefully a new beginning." She tells him.

       Bentley nods. "Ah, yes, well if you'll find it anywhere, it will be in Central. They say the city is filled with magic."

       Catherine raises an eyebrow with a smirk. "Magic you say?" Catherine Wilson was a well-known skeptic. She believed that everything could be explained by science. Her parents tried to raise her as a Christian but Catherine just wouldn't have it. How could there be a god that allowed the horrible things that happen to people?

      Bentley laughs. "A skeptic. But it's true! Central is the city of magic, love, and so much more!" Catherine rolls her eyes. "Well, I'll believe it when it slaps me in the face."

      She should have kept her mouth shut.

      "Well," Bentley says as he pulls over. "Here we are. Trying out the local coffee?" He asks. Catherine grabs her bag and unbuckles her seatbelt. "No, actually," She takes in a breath and looks out at the bustling café. "I'm visiting an old friend." Catherine steps out of the cab.

      Bentley rolls down the window and holds a card out to her. "Here," Catherine takes it. "Call me if you ever need a ride, or to tell me you finally believe in the magic." Bentley smirks at Catherine's look. "Bye now, love!" And with that, he takes off down the street, leaving Catherine alone.

      She turns and walks into Jitters, a little taken aback by the sheer amount of people occupying the small space. The small coffee shop is clearly a popular location. Every seat is taken, and people even lean against the wall as they drink their coffee. The ceilings are high with hanging lights that offer a warm glow to the sunlit space. Above the main counter is a balcony that offers more seating and a nice view of the street outside. The smell of fresh roast perfumes the air and makes Catherine salivate for the caffeinated drink.

       She bites her lip as she considers getting into the line that nearly goes out the door, then turns to leave just as a voice calls out her name. "Catherine?" Catherine smiles and turns, finding none other than Iris West standing before her, pouring coffee into an overflowing cup. "Iris." She says back with a soft smile

       "Oh my god!" Iris shrieks as she sets the coffee down, running over to Catherine and throwing her arms around her neck. "Are you really here or am I dreaming?" Iris cups Catherine's face and looks her up and down.

      The brunette laughs and grabs Iris' arms. "You aren't dreaming." Iris sighs and hugs Catherine again. "Oh, thank god." The dark skinned girl mutters. Catherine hugs her back.

       Iris suddenly lets go and grabs her friend's shoulders. "Wait, I'm going on break. There's no way I'm letting you leave here without telling me where the hell you've been." Catherine frowns as Iris runs away, taking her name tag off and yelling to her co-workers that she's leaving.

       When Iris returns, she hands Catherine a coffee and leads her out of Jitters. "Gosh, what's it been? Six years?" Iris asks as the two of them walk down the sidewalk, weaving through heavy foot traffic. Catherine purses her lips and looks up as she counts. "About that, yes." She nods.

      Iris groans and grabs Catherine's arm. "Girl, you literally left in the middle of sophomore year. How come? I mean, you didn't even keep in contact." Iris says softly, giving Catherine a look of concern.

      Catherine looks down and bites her lip. "I uh, I had to get out of town. Things just weren't the same after, you know..." She trails off, waiting for Iris to finish her statement. The girl nods. "Barry." Catherine deflates at the name. Even after all these years, it still stung. "Yeah." Catherine says. Iris sighs and nods. "Have you seen him at all?" She asks, to which Catherine shakes her head.

      Iris scoffs with a smile. "Well, I'm going to see him after my shift. You should join us! We're going to see the turning of this weird thingamajig that he'd spent hours talking about." Catherine laughs and gives Iris a face. "The Particle Accelerator?" Iris nods and points at her. "That's it!" Iris then bumps Catherine with her elbow. "So~ What do you say? Want to relight some old flames?"

      Catherine turns bright red and chokes on her coffee. Iris stops walking and pats her back, laughing. "Woah! You okay?" Catherine nods and continues to cough, and Iris laughs even more, a knowing look on her face. "So about tonight~?" She asks after a while. Catherine looks at her, her face red from embarrassment. "Iris, I don't know-"

      "Please?" Iris says, interrupting her. Catherine sucks in her bottom lip as Iris literally uses puppy dog eyes on her. "You were always so good at explaining the science stuff and I really don't understand anything going on tonight." Catherine looks down and Iris lightly grabs her arm. "Please? If things get awkward, you are free to run and hide."

      Catherine's eyes remain at the ground as she purses her lips. The day that Barry Allen told her he hated her has stayed burned into her mind since the moment it happened. She knows its rather silly, but Barry was her best friend. She had only been trying to help him, but the truth hurt like a bitch

      Catherine knew that it had been years and they had all grown and moved on, but scars still ran deep. The ache was chronic in her heart, but it had been years. There was a chance. A chance at a new beginning.

      "Okay." Catherine says, looking up. "I'll go."

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~author's notes~

This idea has been floating around my head for like two years and after seeing DSMoM I am sure of where I want to go with it.

Catherine is clearly based off Wanda who I absolutely adore

I really hope ya'll enjoyed!

Credit to my awesome boyfriend who edited this for me♥️