Barry arrived back at Star Labs to find Cisco, Harry and Winn all arguing over who should take the credit for deactivating the Myriad inhibitors. Cisco had brought the device while Harry had used his equipment to create a stable connection. Winn argued that he was the one to create a secondary inhibitor that worked to counter Donovan’s without which reverse engineering the Myriad one to free the mind-controlled meta-humans remotely wouldn’t have been possible.

“Ramon…”

“Harry…you know since I brought the inhibitor I made it possible for us to deactivate all the others…”

“Yeah but Cisco, if I hadn’t developed the new prototype first, you wouldn’t have been able to reverse engineer the Myriad one…”

“Actually Winn I didn’t need yours to reverse engineer…”

Listening to this conversation had Barry developing a massive headache. Normally he’d find this amusing but after everything he’d just witnessed and Kara’s revelation that he had only been gone for six months despite the eight years it felt like had him irritated. When he’d finally heard enough he spoke up.

“Guys…none of this would have been possible if I hadn’t been able to deactivate the Myriad inhibitor that was controlling Kara, and Caitlin hadn’t been the one to give us all the idea in the first place.”

All three of them fell silent upon realizing Barry had been listening all this time. As the atmosphere became more civil, Barry walked over to Winn and removed his mask so he could formally introduce himself.

“So Winn…?”

“Winn Schott…have to say that it’s an honor to meet you Flash…Kara was…she…”

“I have a feeling I know what she was going through. I’m glad she had you as a friend to help her. By the way, I noticed my symbol on the shoulders of her uniform. Your work?”

“Yes…yeah…she wanted them to honor your memory; Flash. I…”

“Winn, calm down. I know from Kara that this isn’t the first time you’ve met a superhero. And you can call me Barry.”

“Speaking of Kara; where is she Barry?”

“Helping with the last incarcerations of the D.E.O.’s escaped prisoners, Cisco.”

“You didn’t stay and help her?”

“She seemed to have things under control Winn, and with Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and his team there, I needed to get back here. I’ve got to see Jay off and since I haven’t officially met his protégé Jesse yet…I decided I should make the introduction in person. Harry?”

“She’s not my Jesse. But I think they should meet. The two of you should be able to help Garrick provide some insight into your powers and the Speed Force itself.”

As the four continued their conversation, Jay and Jesse came running into the Cortex where Cisco was preparing to open a breach. They had been gone from Earth-3 too long and hoped that nothing had gone wrong in their absence.

“Barry…this is Jesse Chambers or as she’s referred to on my Earth; Liberty Belle.”

“Jay…I told you, Liberty Belle was the name my mother went by. You know I prefer Jesse Quick.”

“I didn’t make the people of Keystone call you that Jess. Someone just mentioned you bore an uncanny resemblance to her and the name stuck.”

“Of course I resemble her. Anyway, it was nice to officially meet you Barry. Just watching you today taught me a lot more about my powers. Maybe we can work together again sometime.”

Harry and Jay both noticed the flirtatious tone in Jesse’s voice while Cisco and Winn had to hide a snicker at Barry’s evident embarrassment. The two had just met after all and being from another Earth, and this also being her first trip to Earth-1, she wouldn’t yet know about her new crush being engaged.

“Jesse…I’d be more than happy to work with you again, and a professional partnership would be beneficial as I’m sure Jay has told you how much insight I could provide. The thing is…I…”

“Jesse…Barry’s engaged…”

“To Supergirl…”

“Yes, thank you Winn. I was just about to get to that.”

“No problem Cisco. Happy to help.”

Cisco and Winn started another round of friendly bickering before the former opened a breach to Earth-3. Jesse felt a small blush color her cheeks as she realized she had just hit on an engaged man. But she was thankful that Barry didn’t embarrass her further as they shook hands. While she was grateful Jay was training her, when he mentioned that Barry had been into the Speed Force and returned, she was now dying to know more. But that would have to wait for another time as they needed to get back to their Earth.

“You were right Harry, Jay’s Jesse and your Jesse do need to meet.”

“I’m always right Allen, so are you going to tell us what actually physically being in the Speed Force was like?”

“Another time. I promised Kara that we’d meet at my apartment. I was gone for six months, I’ve got to make up for a lot of lost time.”

Barry left; leaving Cisco, Winn and Harry frustrated that their questions about his experience with the afterlife for Speedsters would go unanswered. But he had felt and heard Kara’s thoughts that she was on her way to him, and he wanted tonight to be special. As soon as he was back at his apartment he removed the inhibitor so he could surprise her with his plans. Given that he had also felt an absence of her in his mind after letting him know she was on her way there, he guessed she wanted to surprise him just as much as he did her. Christmas Eve had been a night he went all out to propose so tonight he decided would be more low key.

With pizza and pot-stickers set out on the table, Barry changed into a pair of jeans and comfortable t-shirt before taking a seat on his couch. He was just loading the movie he had chosen for tonight when he heard the key in the door. Kara came in, setting her purse and keys on the table before moving around to join her fiancé on the couch. He was close to falling asleep but caught a glimpse of her dressed casually so he knew he had made a good choice. She didn’t want to wake him, knowing the odds they had fought against earlier, so she sat down on his lap, leaning her head on his shoulder to get comfortable. That’s when he stirred and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Hmmm…hey Kara…”

“Hey yourself…I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“It’s okay; I was only starting to doze off. Besides if I could wake up like this every day, life would be just about perfect.”

“Yeah well, in a few months we will get to wake up like this every day. At least as soon as we choose a wedding date. So…what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Well, I’ve got pizza and pot-stickers. I know how much you love them. And I thought we’d pick up where we left off with our movie nights.”

“Yeah we did kind of get sidetracked on our Star Wars date nights. Which movie are we on? Phantom Menace or Clones?”

“I’m not sure, go ahead and press play.”

Kara took the offered remote from Barry’s hand and started the movie. When she saw the sepia tones and heard the opening note of the song, she knew he had chosen something far more special for her, but she had never told him about how this was her favorite musical of all time.

“Barry…we’ve never talked about our favorite movies beyond Star Wars. How did you know The Wizard of Oz was my favorite musical?”

“Christmas Day…remember?”

Kara paused the movie and shook her head as she thought back over the whole day. She remembered opening the presents at Joe’s, taking the engagement photo and then them repeating the process at her apartment with her family. But she couldn’t remember talking about movies.

“We didn’t talk about…”

“I know. You and Alex had stepped out on to the balcony while Clark and Lois cleaned up the dishes in the kitchen. That left me and Eliza to talk. She grilled me pretty good on my proposal and made me promise with threats to my life to be good to you.”

“I’m sure she probably didn’t mean half of what she said.”

“She didn’t; especially when she saw how my eyes lit up as you Alex broke out into laughter. I think in that moment she knew just how much I love you and only want to make you happy.”

“Yeah okay…but the movie…?”

“Right…well she told me stories about how Jeremiah read the Sherlock Holmes books to you, but it was when she mentioned that growing up you watched the Wizard of Oz frequently with them, I knew I had to find it. Loving musicals is another thing we have in common. I used to watch Singing in the Rain with my Mom all the time.”

By the time the movie was over and they had put the leftover pizza and pot-stickers in his fridge, the thought of where Barry had been for six months hit Kara full force. She had been so distraught over thinking that he died saving her that she had to know everything. Barry could feel the tension in the air as he massaged her shoulders.

“Barry…”

“Yeah…”

“Six months you were gone…six months I thought you were dead. Where were you…what happened?”

“That will be difficult to explain.”

“Why? Do you think I won’t understand?”

Kara slid off Barry’s lap and turned to face him, a look of hurt in her eyes. She knows he loves her with all of his heart, but she feels like he’s being reluctant or hiding something to try and protect her.

“That’s not it at all Kara. I do think you’ll understand, but I can’t ask you to when I don’t even understand half of what I went through and saw.”

“Then tell me about it. Maybe we can understand what happened together. I mean…did you know that when you woke up you were speaking Kryptonian?”

“Was I? That’s…”

“Not impossible…Clark couldn’t even speak our language at first. Took him years to learn. But you had no prior knowledge of my language and while a lot of it was broken, there were parts that were near perfect. You even pronounced my mother’s name perfectly.”

“Your mother?”

“My birth mother, Alura.”

In an instant, Barry started remembering, he knew he was in the Speed Force but everything else was a blur. That was why he couldn’t tell Harry, Cisco and Winn what it felt like, because he couldn’t remember. All his experiences now seemed vague except for Thawne, and being violently thrown back to Earth.

“What was that name?”

“Alura. She would have loved you.”

“I…Kara…I was in the Speed Force, physically this time. You were there too. I saw…so much of it is still a blur…but you and I were married…six years. We had two kids…”

“Six years married with two kids…?”

“Twins…Henry Joseph Allen, and Alura Dawn Allen. It felt like Heaven. Like everything was as it should be.”

“What happened? Something terrible must have happened to send you back.”

“Thawne…he was there. He had corrupted the Speed Force with his own powers. Someone sent me back…I…I’m not sure…but he said he was from our future. The experience of being thrown out of the Speed Force was so traumatic that as I think about it now, my mind seems to be blocking some of the memories.”

“So we know we’ll still be together in the future? Have to say I’m glad for that.”

“So am I…”

“But when you came back…before I found your body under the bridge in National City Park…you saved me from Live Wire. You were composed completely of lightning. How could that have happened?”

“I wish I knew. For all Jay and I know about the Speed Force, this experience taught me something.”

“What?”

“That we really don’t know anything about it at all.”

“So what does that mean? You’re going to go chasing after the answers? See if this potential future for us is going to happen?”

“No. I mean I can’t tell you that the thought of understanding where my powers really come from isn’t intriguing. They’re not like yours which come from the yellow sun…”

“But…”

“Someday the answers will come. I’ve seen a future where you died in my arms. Right now, I’m more concerned with living in the moment.”

“And what is it that you want to do to live in this moment?”

“Taking you to bed and making up for so much lost time seems like a good place to start.”

Kara quickly stood up and took Barry by the hand. She knew exactly what he was thinking and was yearning for the feel of his lips on hers, of their bodies pressed together just like their first time. When they got to the bedroom they alternated between slow and sweet and wild and passionate. Then the happy couple spent the rest of the night talking until the sun came up.

“My parents really would have loved you Barry.”

“Mine would have loved you too.”

Eventually Kara fell asleep, tucked into Barry’s side but he was too energized to even consider sleeping. Being in the Speed Force sent an energy coursing through him that he’d only experienced randomly before. Now he could feel a direct connection that was never going to go away. With that in mind, he got up to start making breakfast. A few hours later he had prepared two plates of pancakes, two plates of eggs, one fried and one scrambled and a large plate of bacon. With everything ready, he was playing music quietly and dancing along. He didn’t know Kara had woken up, gotten dressed in one of his shirts that was hanging off of her right shoulder and a pair of his boxers, enjoying the show.

Back at Star Labs, Cisco and Winn were busy collaborating on a new project. They had been working all night and Winn got to see all of the specifications for the Pipeline and wanted to implement the designs at the D.E.O. They were so caught up in the science and tech of it all that they failed to notice when Alex came in while discussing biochemistry with Caitlin.

“Hey Winn…if you and your sidekick are about wrapped up with whatever techno-genius project you’re working on, we really need to get back to National City.”

“Well good morning to you too Alex, and since this is my lab, if anyone is the sidekick here, it’s definitely Winn.”

“Uh-huh…keep telling yourself that Cisco. Why don’t you go on ahead Alex, we’re on the verge of a major breakthrough. If Cisco and I can get Star Labs Pipeline tech...”

“…the specifications Winn, not the tech itself, reconfigured…”

“Yeah whatever, reconfigured to work with the D.E.O. systems we can get the building more secure than ever.”

“And they called me the sidekick…”

“What was that Cisco?”

“Nothing Winn, if you’ll excuse me I should really take this call.”

Cisco’s phone ringing saved him from a smart ass comment from Alex, Caitlin and Winn. He had been expecting Felicity to call and wondered what she needed.

“Hey Felicity, what’s up?”

“Barry and Kara’s engagement party. Ollie insists on having it here in Star City.”

“I didn’t think Oliver knew about Barry and Kara being engaged yet. And isn’t it kind of short notice?”

“Maybe…but Oliver isn’t going to take no for an answer. He lost the bet to John on whether or not Barry would have a girlfriend before the New Year so the loser had to host the party.”

“Where?”

“My apartment. This afternoon.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

As Cisco got off the phone, Alex and Winn were finishing up their conversation when he came back into the lab. Caitlin could tell something was up, and was intensely curious regarding his call from Felicity.

“Change of plans Alex…”

“Cisco, Winn and I…”

“We’re throwing an engagement party for Barry and Kara. This afternoon and we all need to be there.”

“Where?”

“Star City at the apartment of one Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen.”

“Star City is six hundred miles from Central City. For the Flash and Supergirl the distance can be traveled in the blink of an eye. How are we supposed to get there by this afternoon Cisco?”

“Leave that to me. I’ll get us there. Hey Winn…you want to see something cool?”

Kara had joined Barry as he danced to the music playing in his kitchen after she gave him a short round of applause. Both of them were caught up in laughter as they just enjoyed the moment. When the last song ended, Barry spun Kara around and she finally caught sight of all the food.

“Barry…exactly how long were you out here cooking? You’ve practically prepared enough food to feed an army.”

“Not an army Kara, just two people who have to eat a whole lot more to keep their energy levels up.”

Kara could only smile at her fiancé’s antics as she pulled him in for a kiss. It only took a moment for them to start feeling the passion and heat from last night as Barry slipped his right hand up underneath her borrowed shirt. In seconds he was kissing her neck as she leaned her head back granting him easier access and closed her eyes. The next moment a breach opened and Cisco and Winn were standing in Barry’s living room.

“Told you traveling through a breach would be cool.”

“Yeah…but I think I’m about to throw up…”

“Don’t you dare…Barry would kill me if…”

“CISCO! WINN! What are you two doing here?”

“Oh Barry…we…I didn’t think you’d be…”

Barry and Kara had been in the throes a passionate make-out session, her shirt nearly coming off when the breach opened and he heard Cisco’s voice. Her back was to their two friends so he quickly moved to where he could block their view as she pulled the shirt back down. The look on his face at the interruption told them he was more than a little angry at their intrusion.

“Sorry Barry…Kara…but I’ve got some news that just couldn’t wait.”

“And you thought that just popping in for an uninvited visit was the way to go?”

“It was Cisco’s idea Kara. I told him we shouldn’t…”

“Whatever. So getting back to this news, what kind of threat are we dealing with now?”

“Barry, not a threat…Fe-I mean Oliver said he needs me in Star City this afternoon.”

“And you couldn’t have called to tell us this? Cisco, you know we have these things called phones…”

“Oh very funny. I did try calling…you didn’t answer. Hey is that breakfast? I’m starving, how about you Winn?”

“Completely starving. We did work all night.”

Cisco and Winn immediately took a seat at the table and loaded the two plates up with food. Barry and Kara wanted to be angry, but they couldn’t help their amusement at their friend’s antics.

“Sure… go ahead and join us. It’s not like Kara and I needed to eat all of that food.”

Kara snickered behind her hand as Barry grabbed them two more plates and sat down next to her. While she was slightly annoyed at her quiet morning with Barry being interrupted, she was happy that Cisco and Winn were getting along because their interactions could have gone completely different. More importantly she knew that Barry didn’t want to have to mediate a fight between his best friend and hers in the same way she didn’t.

Barry could tell that as they ate, both Cisco and Winn seemed nervous. And he knew that whatever was going on, the two of them had some sort of plan that involved him and Kara. With a stealth move, he slipped his hand under the table and handed Kara the inhibitor their friends had designed. Without Cisco and Winn noticing, Barry placed his behind his ear while pretending to scratch his neck. Kara did the same but while acting like she was massaging a sore muscle. Now they could communicate without tipping the two off.

“They’re up to something Kara.”

“Of course they are Barry, the question is what?”

“Knowing Cisco, it’s probably something to embarrass us in some way.”

“I was going to say the exact same thing about Winn. What do you want to do about it?”

“We’ll play along; see how far they want to take it.”

Soon enough, all the food had been eaten and both Cisco and Winn got up to leave. They had both noticed Barry and Kara trying to hide the fact that they were reactivating their telepathic connection through the inhibitors, but didn’t say anything, making the choice to pretend to ignore it.

“Well, thanks for breakfast guys. Winn and I better get going…he’s got to get back to National City and I…”

“Oh no Cisco. You guys showed up unannounced for breakfast. You two are doing the dishes.”

“You and Kara could do them faster with super-speed, Barry.”

“We could Winn, but Barry and I are going back to bed. This is our day off and we still have a lot of lost time to make up for. You can breach yourselves back to Star Labs when you’re done.”

“Kara…”

“No…I promise we won’t get too loud.”

“She promises, while I make no such guarantees.”

Kara took Barry’s hand and looked back with a smirk as they moved back to the bedroom; the looks on Cisco’s and Winn’s faces were priceless. In truth, she and Barry were going to get some more sleep but she knew the thought of what their friends might hear would spur them into cleaning the kitchen quicker so they could leave to begin implementing whatever plan they had.

“Barry, did you see how they reacted to…?”

“I know…this is the price they pay for inviting themselves to breakfast.”

“So, a couple more hours of sleep?”

“Sounds good to me. By the way, I guess I have to get used to you borrowing my clothes again.”

“Are you kidding? I never stopped. For the first three of the months you were gone I slept in the pajamas you left at my apartment.”

“Because they smell like me or because they’re comfortable?”

“Both.”

Barry smiled as Kara gave him a light punch on the shoulder for asking. He already knew that would be her answer and loved her all the more for it.