── ⚡ ──

"She was drowning with rocks her feet and the world stood by in lifeboats asking why she couldn't walk," Haylee spoke as she stood perched on the edge of a building. "Atticus," Oliver responded from next to her, the two watching their newest target. "You were quicker this time, Ollie. Has someone been studying?" Haylee asked him with a smirk. "I am drowning in a sea of desire and the only one that can save me is you," Haylee quoted next but Oliver froze as he looked at her. "Uh, Christy Ann Martine," Oliver told her.

"Correct again. All right, last one," Haylee teased before looking forward again. "Sometimes you don't realise that you're actually drowning when you're trying to be everyone else's anchors," Haylee quoted with a quiet sigh. "I, uh, I'm not sure about that one," Oliver told her in full honesty, his gaze locked on her as she smiled softly. "It was the last thing Tommy ever said to me," Haylee told him in a broken tone. "You seem to know a lot of quotes about drowning," Oliver pointed out.

"Besides the irony over the fact, everyone assumed you had drowned... These quotes always have deeper meanings and the term drowning can be interpreted in so many ways," Haylee expressed openly as she turned away from their target who was currently making out with his secretary half his age. "I always feel like I'm drowning... drowning in pain and empathy because of my daily life and my nightlife. All I seem to see now is the darkness that consumes me the deeper into the ocean I fall," Haylee told Oliver.

"It's about detachment, Lee. You need to detach yourself from the good and bad, let the good outweigh the bad to create the balance to reach for the surface," Oliver replied as he brushed her braid back over her shoulder to rest down her back. "You need to remember to fight. Always keep fighting, Lee. Because not only have you got so many people standing by your side but you are someone who deserves to be happy," Oliver continued with a small smile.

"You have such a way with words, Arrow. But tell me," Haylee looked to Oliver with a smirk, "How good of a fighter are you?" And with that, Oliver and Haylee turned around to punch separate assassins attempting to sneak upon them. Haylee swipe one of their legs before punching another in the face, both Oliver and Haylee stood back to back as they fought off the assassins skillfully. Haylee was knocked down by one of them, she looked up ready to stab them in the side when the scenery changed for her.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*

Haylee furrowed her brows as she now lay in a grassy field, she sat up and recognized the building in front of her; Central City Elementary. She looked down at herself, the familiar top and overalls made her groan in slight annoyance. "Hayles!" Young Barry called as he ran over at his slow pace, a wide grin on his face as he approached her. "What's got you so smiley, Bar?" Young Haylee asked him, the words flowing out naturally despite the confused thoughts in her head.

"Joe said it was okay for you to stay over tonight, as long as you sleep in Iris' room but still!" Young Barry cheered before practically jumping onto Haylee, the two tumbled to the ground as laughter echoed through the air. "Barr, you're squishing me," Young Haylee squeaked out before the boy rolled next to her, both of them laid on the ground. "I'm glad you are my best friend, Hayles," Barry spoke softly as he looked at Haylee.

She turned her head to him and smiled, "You will be my best friend, forever and always, Barry Allen. No matter what comes out way, I will stand by your side. Want to know why?" Barry raised his brow as he looked at her, his heart racing. "Why?" Barry whispered. "Because, Bartholomew Henry Allen, you are my soulmate and I'll stay until the day you tell me to walk away," Haylee told him with watery eyes. "I'd never tell you to walk away, Haylee Noelle Brager. You're my soulmate too," Barry told her.

Haylee giggled before rolling over and wrapping her arms around Barry's waist, resting her head softly on his chest as his own arms wrapped around her. "I promise you," Barry whispered to her before the two of them lay in silence as the sun beamed down on them, not a single threatening cloud in sight. "Come on you two! Dad's taking us to the fair!" Iris shouted as she ran over dropping dramatically on top of Haylee and Barry, the three of them broke into a fit of laughter.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*

Haylee had closed her eyes and when she opened them again, the worst night of her life appeared before her. She was in the arms of her older brother, the two of them staring down at their mother as she was bleeding out, begging for their father to stop. "Vincent! Please," Marietta begged through her pained gasps. "Oh Mari, you thought you could just pack everything up and escape me? You were so wrong about that!" Vincent growled out before smirking sinfully at his wife.

"Don't do this... Not in front of them," Marietta pleaded as tears streamed down her face. "Mari, they need to understand the consequences they will face trying to escape," Vincent told her before he raised the blade. "No!" Haylee screamed out, pushing from her brother's arms she ran forward to protect her mother but before she could do anything, a flash of yellow appeared grabbing her and Jesse.

"W-what?" Haylee whimpered out as Jesse looked around realising they weren't in their home any longer. "How did we?" Jesse whimpered out, his voice hoarse from the silence. "I don't k-know," Haylee hiccuped from the tears before gasping. She pushed off the ground and ran back to the house where red and blue lights brightened the street, she ran towards the doors screaming for her mother when the police escorted her father out.

"I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!" Vincent screamed as he looked at Haylee, his eyes darkening at the sight of her. He fought to escape from the officer's grip, "You're dead, Haylee! You'll die!" Haylee stumbled back fearfully from her father when someone carefully grabbed her arm. "It's okay, you're okay," A soothing voice promised, she looked up to see Iris' father, so she fell into the comfort of his arms letting out the pain as Jesse stood by them.

"You'll be okay, Haylee. No one will hurt you," Joe assured her as he looked to the car holding Vincent Brager, the man was glaring at Joe and the two kids with such an intense look you'd think God himself would smite the spot. "He'll never get out of prison, I'll be sure of it," Joe told them, his sympathetic gaze landed on Jesse who took in a breath and nodded. Joe had made the decision to drop the two Brager kids off to their uncle, Johnny Brager. He took them in happily, the new neighbours to the West family.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*

Suddenly, Haylee shot up from the bed with a gasp that startled the others in the room around her. "Haylee?" Barry breathed out from the seat next to her, he swallowed carefully as she looked around the room. "W-What happened?" Haylee asked softly, her throat was dry and her head felt light. "You kicked ass," Cisco said but everyone sent him a look to shut up, Haylee smiled softly at him before letting Barry lay her down again. "You used a lot of energy then you were hit with a phosphorus chemical that injured you the way it injured me," Barry explained.

"You'll be weak for a while," Caitlin warned her with a slight smile. "You can't use too much energy anymore, not without the right training. It seems you are capable of a lot more abilities than we have theorized," Dr Wells expressed and Haylee nodded along. "I wasn't out for twenty-seven hours again, was I?" Haylee asked them. "No, you were only out for six hours this time," Ronnie told her with a kind smile. "That's better, I think. I had such a strange dream," Haylee told them.

"You were mumbling incoherent sentences within your unconscious state. Mr Ramon had attempted to guess what you were saying but it only resulted in him teasing Barry about his "Ab-ulous body" and "dashing smile" from what I paid attention to," Martin explained making Haylee raise a brow at a grinning Cisco and a blushing Barry. "Oh-kay... The dreams were almost like... memories that I couldn't remember due to the darkness in my time as Raven, I pushed away so many memories and some of them..." Haylee trailed off.

"What were they?" Caitlin asked as she sat down by Haylee's side, Ronnie stepping up behind her with a kind smile resting on his face. "The first memory... It was me and Oliver in Starling City, we were working a job and I was testing his knowledge in quotes and we learnt a way for me to balance the good and evil within my mind," Haylee told them as she grabbed Barry's hand, the speedster smiled at their interlocked fingers before looking back at her.

"Then it... changed... Barr?" Haylee looked up at him with a smile. "Yeah?" Barry breathed out with a smile. "Do you remember that day, June the, uh, sixteenth? We were only twelve years old and laying in the field behind the school," Haylee explained and Barry's smile instantly widened as he leaned down and kissed her forward. "That's still a promise to this day, soulmate," Barry whispered to her, a happy tear strayed down her cheek. "Anyway... I think, uh, I want to get more sleep," Haylee told them opting to keep the final memory to herself.

"Well, Ronnie and Martin are leaving," Caitlin told her before smiling sadly at Ronnie. "I guessed they would. I wish you all the best and I'm always a call away," Haylee told the two of them. Ronnie walked over and gave Haylee a hug, "I know you're hiding something. I'm always a call away too, alright?" Haylee nodded to Ronnie's words before letting go and stepping back. Martin walked over and grabbed Haylee's hand, "I look forward to seeing you again, Miss Brager." Haylee smiled up at him, "Same to you, Professor Stein."

Barry lifted Haylee into his arms bridal style, holding her close to his chest as he sped them back to the West household, he laid her down on his bed and pulled the blankets over here. "I'm just gonna say my farewells to Ronnie and Professor Stein then I'll be back, alright?" Barry whispered to her. "I'll be okay, Barry. I'll be here," Haylee assured him. Barry leaned down and kissed Haylee, he was glad she was okay because seeing her so hurt broke him. Barry headed out leaving Haylee in a dark room, under the comfort of familiar sheets as she slowly fell asleep.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*

Author Note
My heart swelled writing little Barry and Haylee, that scene is so precious to me. This chapter is shorter as the last chapter was a lot longer. Also, the next chapter is one of my favourites, Barry travels in time; it's gonna be interesting.

-Rose <3
{1928}