After Barry’s proposal, the newly engaged couple immediately moved off to his bedroom. In all their months together they had yet to embrace the full physical intimacy of their relationship. Not because they didn’t want to, but because their powers meant they had to be more careful. Kara had to learn to control her strength in different ways because in the moment she could seriously injure him, the same way Barry had to adjust his speed for the exact same reasons. Afterward both of them called their first time nearly perfect, especially when they were floating three feet above the bed.

The next morning, still wrapped up in the euphoria and glow of their engagement, they almost didn’t want to leave his apartment. But Joe and Iris were expecting them, and they had a few hours in Central before going to her apartment to meet Alex, Eliza, Clark and Lois.

“Barry…you know we have to get up. Joe and Iris…”

“Just five more minutes. I know you said yes Kara, but you didn’t tell me what you thought of the ring.”

“That’s what you want to ask first? Seriously Barry, I’m going to be your wife and that’s what you want to know?”

“Wedding ceremonies and proposals must be done really differently on Krypton. You don’t love the ring?”

Kara realized now how much this meant to Barry, and also remembered that they had never discussed how different Earth wedding traditions were from the ones she attended for her Aunt Astra and Non, and Uncle Jor-El and Lara.

“No Barry…I love the ring…it’s beautiful…I can’t begin to imagine how much it must have cost you.”

“Actually it didn’t cost me a dime…”

“Barry Allen, did you steal this ring just to give it to me?”

Barry chuckled at Kara’s innocent reaction. The look on her face only serving to endear her to him all the more in that moment. He also knew he had to explain quickly as she was looking more and more confused at his laughter.

“No Kara…that ring belonged to my Grandmother. It was the same ring my Grandfather had when he proposed to her, and she gave it to my Dad so he could propose to my Mom. When I decided I was going to propose, I knew it could only be with that ring.”

Kara’s eyes got misty at his explanation. Now knowing the history of the ring and Barry’s attachment to it, made her beyond ecstatic. She was going to be the third in a line of Allen women to wear this ring as her engagement ring. Now she knew she was never going to take it off. Even as Supergirl, the ring would be there with her. She gave him a quick passionate kiss that almost had him pulling her back to bed before she moved off to the shower. They did still have Christmas plans with family so as much as she wanted to stay in bed even more; they did have to get going.

While she was in the shower, Barry dashed around his bedroom at super-speed, cleaning up their scattered clothing and hanging it in his closet. He also had the time to rearrange so one side of the closet was completely hers and the other was his. After he had chosen the clothes he was going to wear for Christmas at Joe’s, and at Kara’s apartment, she was back in the bedroom, wrapped in a towel and drying her hair. Kara knew she had time, but after the excitement of the previous night, she had forgotten to give him his present.

While helping the D.E.O., she had gone back to her pod and upon examination found a hidden compartment. Inside was a pendant with two Kryptonian talismans. One was her family crest, and the other was the symbol of Rao. She knew what these two symbols combined meant as she and Clark were descendants of Rao, one who had been named after the Kryptonian God of the Sun and Light.

The symbols combined were used as what would be called a good luck charm on Earth. Generally when one of the men of El married it was a wedding gift to his chosen bride, and she would keep it to pass down to the first born child. Kara had been the first born, and since it was tradition, continuing it fell to her. She has since added one more talisman to the pendant, a small lightning bolt that symbolizes Barry and their relationship. Now it was just a matter of giving it to him and hoping he loved the thought she put into his gift.

Kara was dressed in a casual pair of jeans and one of Barry’s sweaters when he came back from his shower. He had told her that Christmas Day with Joe wasn’t going to be fancy, just a small get together and they could dress down. But his attempt at multitasking made her laugh as he was drying his hair and brushing his teeth.

“Barry, we’re not going to be late. You brush your teeth and let me dry your hair. Honestly, I’d call you a dork for making the attempt if this sight wasn’t so adorable.”

As soon as she was finished, Kara pushed him back into the bathroom so he could continue to get ready. He came back ten minutes later, dressed similarly to her in a pair of jeans and a Christmas sweater that had belonged to his father, a tradition that he had carried on.

“Kara, is that one of my sweaters?”

“Yeah…I saw it in the closet and thought it would be a good fit. It’s so comfortable. But I can change if you…”

“No, it’s fine. It actually looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

Kara blushed as she nervously ran her hands over her jeans, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles. They still had an hour to kill before having to be at Joe’s and Barry wondered what was going through her mind.

“Kara…you look tense. I know something’s bothering you. Want to talk about it before we leave?”

“Yes…no…I mean…”

“If you’re worried about Joe and Iris being upset that I proposed; you shouldn’t be. Joe can’t say enough great things about you and Iris…she already thinks of you as one of her best friends and kind of like a sister…”

“It’s not any of that Barry. It’s just in the excitement of your proposal last night and our first time…I forgot to give you your present.”

“That’s what’s bothering you? Kara you didn’t have to get me anything. You saying yes was the best gift you could have given me.”

“You thought I’d say no?”

“No…I was more concerned about screwing up asking you.”

“But I said yes and it all worked out. You gave me a precious family heirloom. I was surprised at that, especially knowing that my gift for you was also of a similar nature.”

Kara held out the small box she had wrapped the gift in and Barry tore into the wrapping paper feverishly. When he got to the actual gift, he was somewhat confused but appreciative.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s perfect; I’m just trying to figure out the meaning behind it.”

“It’s a House of El tradition. Had Clark been first born this would have gone to him.”

“It has your family crest and…”

“The symbol of Rao, an ancestor of Clark and I. And a lightning bolt I added on for you. It’s tradition for the first born to give it to the one they intend to spend the rest of their life with, on Krypton it was called a sacred bond, and up until me, that first born has always been a male.”

“Kara…this…you planned…”

“I did. I knew that I wanted to give you this after the first night we spent together here, but I wasn’t ready, and I wasn’t sure you felt the same. My father and Uncle Jor-El envisioned this as a new tradition as previously Kryptonian betrotheds exchanged headbands and marriage bracelets.”

“Sounds like they enjoyed bucking tradition.”

“That’s putting it mildly. They were seen as Mavericks among the Science Guild, and were the leading voices in the movement to evacuate Krypton before the planetary destruction.”

Barry gladly accepted Kara’s gift and put it on before they left. Iris had been sent on assignment but Christmas with Joe turned out a lot like the holiday would with Eliza, Alex, Lois and Clark. Kara and Barry’s happiness was contagious at both houses and all of them wanted to take multiple engagement photos of the happy couple. By the time they were done, Barry and Kara each had an engagement photo for his apartment, her apartment, his desk at both Star Labs and C.C.P.D. and she had one for her desk at Cat Co. Joe also got one as did Eliza, Clark and Lois. Alex took a little more convincing as she had just ended a relationship, but she was happy for her sister and also took a photo.

The joy of the holidays lasted well into the New Year as Barry and Kara started looking for a place together. They looked in Central City, National City and at multiple places in between. They were looking at one such apartment when the proverbial shoe dropped and Cisco called them to Star Labs.

“Cisco…what was so urgent? Why did we have to be here so fast?”

“Barry…Kara…you both might want to sit down for this.”

Caitlin flipped on the television as Harry watched from the back. The report had already been played before and they were all watching the second broadcast. Kara and Barry could only sit there in angry silence as all of their suspicions were confirmed.

“Good Morning, my name is Paul Westfield, and I am the Director of Project Cadmus. Many of you have heard of Cadmus before and know of our…sordid history. I would first like to set the record straight. This Cadmus is not the same as the one that had all funding pulled five years ago. I have built the new project to redeem us from the mistakes of old. Many of our scientists back then were involved in some experiments that were highly illegal and extremely immoral. As such I have made it my goal to bring Cadmus back from the ashes and work to fulfill its original mission statement of working for the betterment of all mankind. With the backing of many anonymous donors, my staff and I intend to do just that. We want to welcome you to a brighter tomorrow where science is once again used to help and heal. If there are any questions, I will now answer them…”

Harry shut the report off, knowing that Westfield was lying through his teeth. As discussions began between him, Barry, Cisco and Caitlin, Kara was answering her phone which was ringing off the hook with calls from Clark, Alex, J’onn and Cat. Clark was the first call she took.

“Yes…yeah we saw it as well. Uh-huh…Barry’s just as furious as I am. Did Bruce…he saw it too?”

In their conversation, Clark asked Kara to put him on speaker so the team at Star could hear him. While he knew that Barry hadn’t revealed his identity as Superman to his friends, Kara had informed him that they knew she was Supergirl and the cousin of Superman. As such, he spoke as Superman when they could all hear him.

“Superman, it looks like we were right about Cadmus all along.”

“We were Flash. Batman is looking into how they could have hidden themselves for so long. He shared his theories with me, and for the record, Westfield has always been a lying snake, according to Lois Lane anyway. She once had the opportunity to interview him, at which time he denied any active involvement with the original Cadmus. According to her, he was heavily implicated by the whistleblower that she and Clark Kent met with."

“But his lawyers got him off didn’t they?”

“Who is this?”

“Harrison Wells, Superman…the real Harrison Wells. I know that there was someone pretending to be me and running Star Labs in my place. I’ve had to work long and hard to restore my reputation.”

“Yes, Dr. Wells. It was rumored that your imposter was responsible for the particle accelerator explosion.”

“He was.”

“So what are we going to do about this Superman?”

“For now we can only sit tight Kara. Until this new Cadmus does something, all we have is speculation. While we’re not police, we still have to uphold the law. You know that.”

“Right, well I guess all we can do is watch and wait.”

Kara took Clark off speakerphone then and continued their conversation just as Barry was receiving a call. Oliver and Team Arrow had been watching as well, and Felicity called as Ollie and the others had gone out when a call about the Vigilante came in.

“Barry…I take it you’ve been watching?”

“Hard not to Felicity. Cadmus has been underground all these years only to resurface now. All I know is that whatever it is they’ve got planned, it can’t be good.”

“No kidding…Ollie asked me to tell you that Team Arrow stands ready to assist if and when you need them.”

“Got it, thanks.”

Cisco knew that this was no coincidence and realized just how quickly everything was falling into place like he saw when he vibed Barry and Jay to see the future. He also took instant notice of the ring on Kara’s left hand, remembering that she had been wearing it as she died. As soon as Kara got off the phone with Superman, he approached.

“Hey Kara…”

“Cisco…how are you?”

“Disturbed, this news about Cadmus is…”

“…crazy…yeah. So what’s up?”

“Just wanted to congratulate you on your engagement. I’m really glad you said yes. You make Barry a whole lot happier than I’ve seen him in years.”

“I love him; I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

“You will. I presume he told you…”

“About his nightmare where he held me as I died. Yeah…but it was just a nightmare. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

“He had a nightmare about his trip to the future? That’s never happened before.”

“Wait…what? What do you mean his trip to the future?”

“He didn’t tell you about that? Kara I…I shouldn’t have…”

“Don’t stop Cisco. Tell me what you know.”

“The Speed Force sent Barry to the future. He saw all of this happening. We’re less than a month away from the events he witnessed. I know because I saw a newspaper. All that was left was the date and the title: Project Cadmus unveils groundbreaking new discovery…the date…”

“Was what?”

“February 5th, 2017.”

“I…I need some air…”

Kara ran out of Star Labs while Barry was still on the phone with Felicity. When he disconnected, he turned to look for Kara but she was gone. He knew she had been talking to Cisco, but he was standing there alone, a confused look on his face.

“Cisco…where’s Kara?”

“She just ran outside. Said she needed air…”

“Cisco…”

“Barry…you didn’t tell her about the future you saw? You said it was only a nightmare?”

“Oh no…Cisco…tell me you didn’t…”

“I’m sorry…”

Barry was out the door quickly, hoping Kara hadn’t gone too far. He was kicking himself for not telling her about the future and letting her think it was just a nightmare. He found her sitting on a bench, her back to him as he slowly walked up.

“Kara…”

“Is it true…?”

“It’s…”

“Barry…you promised me no secrets. You saw the future…you saw me and Clark die…”

Barry came around and sat beside his fiancée, hoping she would lean into his embrace, but she didn’t. She just fiddled with her engagement ring.

“Is that really why you proposed to me? Because you thought I was going to die and you wanted to be engaged to me before it happened?”

“Kara…no…”

“Don’t lie to me Barry…please. Were we engaged in the future that you saw?”

“Yes. But the reason I proposed to you is not because I watched you die. I proposed to you because I love you. That future is not set, time is fluid. And if you’re thinking I proposed to you to try and change that future, you wouldn’t have been wearing the ring.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“As sure as I am that I’ve never felt about anyone like I feel about you. Watching myself hold you as you died was the worst experience of my life, and I had to watch my mom die twice. Once when I was eleven, and again after I became the Flash and had to find out what it was that caused her death.”

Kara’s eyes softened as she turned to face Barry. He had told her all of this when he gave her an exclusive interview as the Flash after the first time they met. He hadn’t lied to her and she stopped fiddling with her ring and placed both hands on either side of his face. As her eyes met his, she leaned forward, placing a kiss to his lips. During the kiss she had a revelation, and pulled back.

“Barry, so you’re sure this future you saw is going to happen?”

“I can’t be sure of that. But I did see the article about Cadmus and now they show up. The Speed Force showed me this future for a reason. And you know…”

“Jay told me…the Speed Force is unpredictable. So what if the future you saw…what if it didn’t have to happen that way? You said it yourself, time is fluid.”

“Where are you going with this Kara?”

“We can’t change the future, because we don’t know what’s going to happen. These cyborgs or whatever they are, we know one of them is powered by Kryptonite that can kill me and Clark.”

“Yes…”

“What if Clark and I don’t fight them? What if I were to deal with the Turtle, while you dealt with the cyborgs?”

“Kara…we still don’t know what effects Kryptonite will have on a normal human, how do we know if…”

“Barry, I know how this is going to sound…but you’re not a normal human. You survived being struck by lightning and having your body doused with multiple chemicals. The way your body heals, yes, the radiation may have an effect on you, but you’ll have better odds against the kryptonite than Clark or I will.”

Barry could now see where Kara was going with her idea. Changing opponents may not change the outcome and one of them could still die, but he’d do anything to protect the woman he loves and he knows it’s worth a shot.

While Barry and Kara were working out a new plan, they had no idea Frankie was listening in. She had been at Star Labs daily, learning to control her powers and Caitlin and Cisco had developed an inhibitor that would keep Magenta from taking over. She owed the Flash a lot for keeping her from being arrested. She wasn’t sure what kryptonite was, but it sounded dangerous. In that moment, she found a way to make amends for the damage she caused. She was going to help Flash and Supergirl in the fight.

January ended and the date Barry saw in the future was fast approaching. His relationship with Kara was stronger than ever and they had spent the last weeks working on the plan and training. Clark had come to Central City after Kara called him and explained the battle they were potentially facing. Cadmus had been very visible in those weeks, adding fuel to Westfield’s story to pull the wool over the world’s eyes. Max Lord had gotten involved anonymously and had the Turtle released from prison under the pretense that Cadmus was working on a cure for meta-humans.

February 5th came, and Cadmus launched the plan. Donovan had set his meta-human creations loose in the countryside where they staged a battle with Metallo and Reactron. The day had one of the worst electrical storms in history, and when the reports came in, not one member of Team’s Flash, Arrow or Batman hesitated. Oliver had brought everyone to Central City just a few days after Cadmus revealed itself. Batman came with Robin, Wonder Woman, Nightwing and Batgirl who had returned from Bludhaven as soon as Bruce called. Barry and Kara made the personal jump to Earth-3 to get Jay and he came without question.

Now the assembled heroes are watching the battle between the meta-humans and the cyborgs that Kara and Clark instantly recognized as Metallo and Reactron. All fighting stopped as Krull turned to Corben, alerting him to their enemies. Some were standing at ground level while Superman, Supergirl and Wonder Woman were in the sky.

“They bought our ruse, Metallo. Our time to kill our Kryptonian adversaries has arrived. If this gold kryptonite is as powerful as Lord claimed, they will be powerless against us.”

“Worry about your own kryptonite Krull. I don’t need your help to kill Superman and Supergirl.”

Corben and Krull agreed to work together but that didn’t mean they would get along. They had common enemies which drove their alliance, but each had their own ideas on how to destroy Superman and Supergirl. The Turtle was there for vengeance against Flash, and had no other cares. Suddenly, Metallo and Reactron began charging forward followed by their meta-human drones. As the veterans on the field, Superman, Jay, Batman, and Wonder Woman met the charge with their own. The collision between both forces was like thunder and the war was on.

Oliver lined up with Laurel, Sara, and Thea. Green Arrow and Speedy started firing off arrows as fast as possible, taking down several meta-humans while both Canaries used their sonic scream devices to help. Cisco was a part of Barry and Kara’s plan. Metallo and Reactron were going to be allowed to get just close enough to Superman and Supergirl before he breached the armored villains to Jay and Barry.

This would leave Superman free to aid Batman and his team with the other meta-humans while Kara took on the Turtle. Knowing that his powers negated super-speed, she wouldn’t use hers, instead using her other abilities in combat.

“Supergirl! I told you you’d pay for what you did to me and my wife! Now I have the true power I need to destroy you! Gold Kryptonite will be your undoing!”

“He’s not alone Superman! You’ve got Metallo to contend with!”

“Cisco…now!”

Barry didn’t even need to remind Cisco to open the breach as Kara and Superman flew out of the way leaving Metallo and Reactron’s momentum carrying them forward through the portal into a vortex that was created by Jay and Barry running at top speed. Their lightning trails were throwing electricity at the two but neither Corben nor Krull could fire off kryptonite blasts fast enough to hit the speedsters.

While they fought, the Turtle was trying to get close enough to stop Barry and Jay when Kara landed directly in front of him. He didn’t think she’d be a threat and tried to use his powers against her.

“Flash told me all about you, Turtle. He said you have the power to negate super-speed. Let’s see how that works against someone who doesn’t have to rely on it.”

The Turtle knew that this girl was an obstacle to his revenge and wasn’t going to let her stand in his way. He instantly threw a punch at her, hoping to cause some damage but she just stood there as his fist connected. Kara didn’t even feel it as his hand broke when it hit her stomach. He screamed in pain, as Kara returned with her own punch, just fast and hard enough to knock him unconscious.

The battle was quickly going in favor of the assembled heroes, but Metallo and Reactron would not be denied their revenge. Barry and Jay were still keeping them contained until both villains increased the output of their kryptonite enhancements. A violent burst of green and gold energy exploded into the sky, combining with the storms that were already raging. The skies constantly flashed between pitch black and blood red just as Barry had witnessed.

That exact moment was when the Speed Force storm opened up. Barry and Jay had been moving so fast that they opened the portal between Earth and the Speed Force. A bolt of lightning hit the ground where Metallo had fired a blast at Jay, but that same lightning protected the elder Speedster and knocked him out of the way. Barry was alone now, but he couldn’t stop or Metallo and Reactron would get to Clark and Kara. Pouring on the rest of his speed, which the Speed Force was enhancing, he was a blur of red and gold. The energy he was expending began ripping the metal from both of his enemy’s bodies.

In that instant Barry could feel his own physical form becoming one with something more powerful than him. As he ran, he could see the green and gold kryptonite beginning to fracture. Both versions of the kryptonite would soon reach critical but he still didn’t stop.

As his body became the very lightning that was driving his power, a lone figure flew above him, and she removed the helmet she had been wearing to hide her identity. Barry could see that Frankie had come to help and watched as she pulled metal up from the ground, using it to surround the fracturing kryptonite. She was able to contain the blast, but for Barry, it was too late. The speed he had used pulled a bolt of lightning down around him.

The electricity, combined with his own pulled his body up into the Speed Force. He couldn’t feel anything as his physical form was gone. He passed out of time and space, and the storms finally ceased. The meta-humans that had been working with Metallo and Reactron were all defeated and Kara landed, immediately looking for her fiancé.

“Barry…Barry where are you?”

Kara began frantically searching for him, looking to all of their allies but no one had seen Barry. That was when she spun in a circle and caught sight of Jay kneeling on the ground. His head was lowered and he appeared to be clutching something in his hands. When she moved in front of him, there was no doubt as to what he had found. Jay was clutching Barry’s empty scarlet uniform, his eyes watering. Kara was heartbroken, and in that moment she fell to her knees, eyes flooding with tears as she screamed into the night.

“BARRY!”