Paul Westfield, Dabney Donovan and Max Lord had been religiously following the news even as they continued upgrading the Metallo and Reactron projects to serve as their weapons against Supergirl and Superman. John Corben's body had been negatively affected by the kryptonite in his chest to the point that the radiation had begun eating away at his human flesh. Ultimately more drastic measures had to be taken and Cadmus enhanced his failing limbs with solid steel.

Ben Krull was a different matter altogether. The exo-suit he had created was designed to harness the reactor energy and pull it out of him to power the armor. Upgrading his suit was far easier as they only had to replace the energy core with the gold kryptonite. The fusion of his powers and the kryptonite made a far more potent weapon.

This was not what worried them the most, however. The main wrinkle in their plan had been Supergirl's growing partnership with the Flash. Corben had reported back to Westfield that the two heroes had met and briefly worked together. Now it seemed that the two of them had nearly become inseparable. He had been there at the site of the old Cadmus project helping her rescue Superman, alongside Batman, Wonder Woman and Robin. Max had known about the explosion when he had received an alert that the explosives he and Luthor had planted were activated. He also knew that Lex had been behind it, even from behind bars. Now the new Cadmus was forced to make changes.

"Donovan..."

"I don't have time for you right now, Lord. I'm busy."

"You'll be less busy when you hear what I have to say."

"I doubt that very much...what do you want?"

"I want to use your meta-humans. I want to turn them into soldiers."

"Cannon fodder you mean, is the great Maxwell Lord afraid that his plan to use Metallo and Reactron to defeat the Kryptonians is in jeopardy?"

"This isn't a game, Donovan. This is war. Superman and Supergirl have amassed allies, a small force though they may be, they are a threat. I'm not worried about Metallo and Reactron getting their job done, but all the pieces have to be in place."

"What are you proposing? Sending my untested creations against the alien's allies?"

"That's exactly what I'm proposing. At this point, Westfield has only used them as guinea pigs for Metallo. We can use them for so much more. We send them into battle against Flash, Batman, and the others and they won't be able to save their precious friends."

"An intriguing idea, it will take time to create a full batch of meta-humans though, especially if I'm creating them for war. There are safeguards that will need to be in place."

"Such as ...?"

"They need to be practically mindless, can't have any of the heroes getting into their heads and changing their alliances. And...,"

"And what?"

"And they have to be completely disposable. They go in to the fight, complete their mission and die without leaving any traces behind that will tie them to me."

"You mean tie them to Cadmus, don't you?"

"Yes...of course."

Max should have been concerned that Donovan paused before agreeing with him. As it is, he completely missed the subtext in the scientist's words. He was so preoccupied with defending Earth from what he saw as an alien threat, that he had no idea that Donovan was plotting against both him and Westfield.

"I'll get started right away, Mr. Lord. We have a time frame for the end of our enemies?"

"As soon as possible. To delay means allowing Superman and Supergirl to amass more allies. That is an eventuality we cannot afford."

When Max left, Donovan was lost in his own thoughts, after all this time he was still furious that people like Lex Luthor and Max Lord had corrupted his ideals for Cadmus. He had been one of the founding members and he was now basically their lap dog. What was even worse was that they had left Westfield in charge. His bureaucratic administration had led to the first time Cadmus fell. Westfield has barely any scientific knowledge, let alone aspirations. While he did support Donovan's more questionable experiments, he wanted to use them for his own goals. Goals that didn't align with those of the mad scientist.

Back in Gotham, Bruce Wayne was getting frustrated. His own search for Cadmus had yielded even less results than those of Kara and the Flash. Coupled with Clark and Kara also being houseguests, he needed a distraction. The Joker was not the ideal option, but he took what he could get. Clark and Kara flying around the cave as the former's powers returned had become irritating. Bruce was still grateful that Clark had once borrowed a Batman uniform and taken on Bane, but he could only take so much. So upon returning from a Wayne Enterprises shareholder meeting he was surprised to see Clark suited up as Superman and Kara standing beside him, also in uniform.

"You know Bruce; I can't thank you enough for putting up with me these past weeks. I know that that my being here put a strain on your life."

"Clark, you know you're always welcome in Gotham. Batman and Superman do have a working partnership."

"But...?"

"But you're right. Metropolis needs you. Diana has been working overtime protecting your city in your absence. Kara has as well, but it's time for Superman to get back to doing what he does best."

"I couldn't agree more. That's why I'm leaving. And as for Cadmus..."

"I'm not done yet. I will find out what they're doing. When I do, you will be the first to know."

"Thank you Bruce. And thank you for putting up with Lois those first days. I know she was probably overbearing..."

"But that was only because she loves you. I managed to survive."

Clark laughed as he took to the skies with Kara behind him. The surprise date night with Barry had been so close to perfect that she was sad it had to end and he went back to Central the next morning. While anxious to get back to both him and National City she had to turn back when Bruce called her name.

"Kara, I know you've known I'm Batman for some time now."

"Despite the lead lined mask, I have. I've kept that to myself, just like Clark and Lois have."

"Yes...so you haven't told your boyfriend Barry Allen, A.K.A. The Flash?"

"Bruce...first off...no. I love Barry, but your secret identity is not mine to reveal. Secondly, how did you know that Barry was the Flash?"

"Really? Barry shows up for an impromptu date night with you the same time Flash shows up in Gotham and stops a carjacker? All the signs were there. Tell me something...is he good to you?"

"Really Bruce, you're going to give me the same overprotective big brother speech that Clark did? I know you won't let me leave until I answer your question, so yes, he's good to me. I can have a relationship outside of the cape with him, something I never thought I would get to. I know the feeling is somewhat foreign to you..."

"The concept isn't. I'm just telling you what you already know. Be careful, because you may be invulnerable, but he isn't. I think I'll leave it at that."

Kara flew off as Bruce turned away and walked back to his mansion. His words had left her confused. Clark and Lois were initially hesitant about Barry, but after meeting him, approved of him as he had defied their expectations. During her flight, she decided to put what Bruce had said aside. She loved Barry, it was the first time she had said she loved him to which Bruce didn't even bat an eye. The thought of that gave her the same butterflies she felt after their first meeting and the roses from date night that she had carefully wrapped in her bag next to the dress Barbara had let her keep told her that he felt the same way.

With that realization, she poured on more speed to reach her destination, not National City, but Central City and his apartment. With a quick change from Supergirl back to a pair of jeans and his Star Labs t-shirt, she knocked on his door. At first there was no answer, prompting the thought that he was either at Star or on a case for C.C.P.D., until she heard his voice. She was instantly worried that from the sounds she could hear he was in pain, and used a small amount of her strength to force his door open.

When she was inside, she found him on the couch, in half of his Flash suit. His body was thrashing, and sweat had beaded on his forehead. It was clear he was in the middle of an intense nightmare, one that was focused on her as he repeated her name multiple times, his voice laced with fear.

"Kara...no...Kara don't..., I can't lose you...please..."

Tears started to fall from Kara's eyes as she listened to her boyfriend's nightmare words. She desperately wanted to wake him, but feared she would hurt him if she did. Hoping whatever he was seeing ended soon, she sat on the arm of the sofa, only to fall back as he sat up, her name a scream on his lips.

"KARA!"

Barry's eyes were darting around his living room, and he was terrified. The trip to the future kept him dreaming the same thing over and over again. Trying to calm his rapid breathing, he ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair, completely unaware of the presence in his apartment. He only turned when he heard her worried voice speak.

"Barry..."

Kara was there in front of him, fear flashing in her own eyes at the state she found him in. He knew she was alive because it had only been a week since their date night, but that didn't change the fact that he fell off the couch and scooted back towards the wall at super-speed. She was hesitant to close the distance between them at first, but she needed to know what had him so upset. When she kneeled down in front of him, she expected him to be tense and refuse any kind of physical contact. It was a shock when he reached forward, pulling her as close as possible into a hug that would have hurt her if she wasn't Supergirl.

"Kara...you...you're here...alive...I...thought I'd never see..."

"Barry, I'm right here. I'm okay. What happened to you in the week since our date night? What in the name of Rao was that nightmare?"

"I...I don't know. It just...it felt so real...I..."

"Barry, take deep breaths. You have to calm down. I'm not going to go anywhere. I'll stay right here until you're ready to talk about it."

Barry took ten minutes to regulate his breathing. He knew that what he had seen was far more than a nightmare, but he didn't know how Kara would take it if he told her he had been to the future. While they had promised each other no secrets, he was afraid to tell her that she had died in his arms.

"Better?"

"A little. I'm just not sure what to make of that nightmare."

"Start at the beginning. Tell me what you saw."

"It was a night with violent thunderstorms. The sky alternated between pitch black and blood red. There was a...a... war. It was you, me, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Cisco, Green Arrow, Speedy, Black Canary and Jay all working together against an army of meta-humans."

"I see...so what happened?"

"It wasn't just the meta-humans we were fighting. I saw what appeared to be two cyborgs. You and Clark were in direct combat with them. One was unleashing blasts of green kryptonite at you while the other, his energy blasts were gold."

"Gold?"

"I didn't recognize it. I just know it was hurting you, both of them were. And despite all of my abilities I couldn't get to you."

"Barry, it was just a dream. I'm here, right now. You feel my hand on your heart? Do you see the concern for you in my eyes? That's all real. That's happening here in this moment."

"I know Kara...it's just that the dream felt as real as you do right now. It...I..."

"Barry...what are you not telling me? How did it end that you screamed my name in fear?"

Barry sighed, he knew he couldn't avoid the question, and her eyes were imploring him to tell her. He was afraid, afraid that hearing this would hurt her, that she might leave once she knew, even if she thought it was just a nightmare.

"Barry...?"

"Kara...I..., Kara, you died in my arms. The green kryptonite killed you, whatever the gold energy was, you couldn't fight back, and it was like it took your powers away. And there was this other meta-human there, one I've dealt with before. He's called the Turtle..."

"The Turtle...?"

"Cisco named him, turns out he's got a counterpart on Jay's earth. His powers negated mine. I was practically frozen in place. I had to watch you die, knowing I couldn't do anything to save you. Clark fell just after you did. When the Turtle finally left, my speed returned. I ripped my mask off; you wiped my tears away with your left hand, professing your love for me before the light faded from your eyes."

Tears filled Kara's eyes now as well. It was clear to her that this nightmare had really terrified her boyfriend. She didn't know what to say and Barry thought that was the moment she would leave, but it was only his negative emotions clouding his thought process. Instead, she helped him up and tightened their embrace while gently rubbing the back of his neck. He had left out the part about the ring on her left hand as disclosing that only a month into their relationship probably would have scared her. As she calmed herself, she tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

"Barry, it was just a nightmare. And I'm not Padme."

"Kara...this is serious."

"I know, I know. I was just trying to help you feel better. But the point stands, even if we get into this battle, whether it's Cadmus or some other outside force that attacks us and our friends, we'll face it together. You are not going to get rid of me that easily Barry Allen. I love you."

"Kara..."

"I mean it Barry, I know it's only been a month, and maybe it's a little fast, but I can't deny my feelings or my heart. I love you."

"I love you too, Kara, and I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. Now go on, you could use a shower to help ease the tension I can feel. I'll get us some food, and put a movie in. A comedy so we can relax."

Barry went off as Kara placed an order for two pizzas and pot-stickers. He was still in the shower when she got back with the food and found Spaceballs in his collection. She'd never seen it before but she had heard of the movie and hoped it would help him laugh.

They spent the rest of the day together watching one comedy movie after another, tears of laughter in their eyes. Kara knew she had to go back to National City to check in, but decided it could wait until the morning. This was the first night she and Barry spent together aside from the one at Lois' apartment, and she couldn't help but feel how comfortable and perfect it was as they cuddled together in his bed.

When morning came, they were still wrapped up in each other's embrace. Barry had an arm draped over her side and she had a hand on his heart. She woke first, her blue eyes sparkling as she watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful as if the previous day had never happened. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, and the deep pools of green took her breath away. A small smile formed on her lips and his as they greeted the day and she spoke first.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Breakfast?"

"In a little while. Let's just stay here a little longer."

"Sounds good to me."