Chapter 4
Earth-38
(Antarctica, Night)
Barry and Lena, along with the unconscious and weakened Kara, suddenly appeared on a snowy ground. As the light around them quickly faded, the former two gazed around in surprise at the sudden change in landscape. Their surroundings were nothing but a land of snow stretching as far as the eye could see, with icy mountains in the distance.
"What the..." Barry muttered.
"What just happened?" Lena wondered.
Barry turned to her. "My guess is we were somehow teleported to the middle of Antarctica by something or someone."
"It was probably Lex's doing so he could escape," Lena deduced.
"We'll have to worry about Lex later," Barry said. "Right now, we need to make sure Kara's gonna be okay."
They heard a soft moan and turned to Kara, who sat up and looked around in confusion.
"Kara," Barry said in concern.
"How are you feeling?" Lena asked, also in concern.
"Still a bit weaker than usual, but I'll be fine," Kara replied as she stood up. "What are we doing in the middle of nowhere?"
"While you were out, we were somehow transported here," Barry explained. "Lena thinks it was Lex, but we're not entirely sure."
"So our enemies escaped then," Kara said with a disappointed sigh.
"Well, I shut down Hank Henshaw, so he should still be where we left him," Barry explained. "Even though I knocked out Thawne, chances are he's woken up by now and probably already left this Earth."
"That leaves Lex, who definitely has escaped elsewhere by now," Lena added.
"That armor of his is so annoying," Kara said.
"Good thing I destroyed it the same way I did Savitar's suit," Barry said.
"We need to get to the D.E.O. and tell the others what happened," Kara said.
"Will you be okay flying?" Barry asked. "I mean, Lex nearly..."
"I'll be fine, Barry, seriously," Kara assured him.
"Just concerned about you, that's all," Barry told her.
(D.E.O.)
"So Superman's and The Flash's greatest enemies and J'onn's evil, anti-alien cyborg twin teamed up to try and kill you two," Winn said to Barry and Kara, as they, Lena, Alex, and J'onn were in the command center. "That is... so not awesome."
"You think?" Barry asked, giving Winn a pointed look.
"I'm glad you're okay," Alex said to her sister.
"Physically," Kara nodded. "I'd feel even better if we'd actually stopped Lex and Thawne, but they're still out there somewhere."
"We'll find them, Kara," J'onn assured her.
"And stop them hopefully," Kara said.
"Not hopefully, we will stop them," Barry told her. "We're The Flash and Supergirl."
"Supergirl and The Flash," Kara corrected with a smirk.
"Well, it's your Earth while mine is technically still Earth-1, so I guess that's fair," Barry shrugged.
Kara turned to Lena. "Do you need a lift back to your office?"
Lena smiled. "That'll be nice."
Kara nodded and grabbed Lena before flying out of the D.E.O. in a blur.
"Let us know if you guys come up with something," Barry said to J'onn, Alex, and Winn.
"Will do, Allen," J'onn promised.
Barry sped off in a flash of yellow-orange lightning.
Vanishing Point
The assembled group consisting of no less than six variations of Lex Luthor stood around a table, on top of which the Book of Destiny was sitting. Lex-192 had explained to his counterparts that they were at the Vanishing Point, which was located outside of time and space, while Lex-21 recalled himself, Eobard Thawne, Malcolm Merlyn, and briefly Leonard Snart using this place as their base during their quest to obtain the reality-altering Spear of Destiny.
"Now that all six of us are gathered, it's time we discuss the most important matter at hand," Lex-192 announced. "How we're going to accomplish the one thing we've tried to do on numerous occasions but failed every time."
"Destroy Superman!" Lex-78 and Lex-96 exclaimed in unison.
"There's also that cousin of his I have to worry about," Lex-78 then said. "Not as powerful, but every bit the nuisance."
"Tell me about it," Lex-38 agreed. "We need to show humanity that we are its heroes, not aliens from other worlds."
"Yes, people need to see that Superman, Clark Joseph Kent, is an absolute fraud and not the all-good, all-heroic God that they think he is, no matter what it takes," Lex-50 stated.
Lex-38 frowned. "Clark Kent? What does he have to do with any of this? Our focus is Superman, not one of our own!"
It was Lex-50's turn to frown. "Wait, you seriously don't know?"
"Know what?" Lex-38 asked, exasperated.
"That Clark Kent and Superman are, ding, ding, ding, one and the same," Lex-50 said with an insane grin.
Lex-38 laughed hysterically. "Don't be ridiculous! There's no way that Kent is Superman! He can't even see past his glasses!"
"Exactly," Lex-96 agreed, also laughing. "If Clark Kent was Superman, why would he wear glasses in the first place when he could observe with perfect clarity what's happening on Earth from outer space? It simply wouldn't make sense!"
"Plus, Kent was always too much of a milquetoast to be somebody like Superman," Lex-78 added. "They never even looked anything alike and, frankly, even the revelation that, say, Lois Lane was secretly a vigilante in a tight cat-suit in her younger days would be less nonsensical and more believable than Kent as Superman."
It took almost all the restraint Lex-21 and Lex-192 had to keep themselves from erupting with laughter at their counterparts' inability to recognize and accept the blatantly obvious and logical truth right under their noses, while Lex-50 rolled his eyes in utter bafflement.
"One thing I don't get is why Kent agreed to pose as the cousin of Supergirl's so-called 'human' identity Kara Danvers," Lex-38 said. "Sure, Superman wants to give his female knock-off a human life and an identity. So he goes to his buddy Kent to help him with that. I mean, what does Kent get out of it? He agrees to pretend this alien is his cousin and doesn't do anything else with her." He looked at Lex-78. "You're definitely right about the guy being a milquetoast."
"It must be one huge favor Kent owes Superman," Lex-96 said.
"No, it is not a favor! Clark Kent and Superman are the same person!" Lex-50 insisted. "How could you three geniuses not see the extremely obvious truth that is directly before your eyes?!"
"Because they are not the same person! It's complete nonsense!" Lex-38 snapped angrily, glaring in disgust at his Earth-50 counterpart. "How delusional are you?! No one in their right mind would buy the foolish notion that Kent of all people is Superman!"
"I think you're the delusional one, not me," Lex-50 countered.
"You're an embarrassment of a Lex Luthor! A lunatic like you don't deserve our name!" Lex-38 snarled, highly tempted to deck the younger man in the face.
"That's enough!" Lex-21 interjected, glaring at the two. "The last thing we need is unwarranted hostility towards one another. Since we're going to be working together for the time being, we need to get along or, at the very least, maintain civility."
"Yes, and direct our hostility towards those damned Kryptonians instead!" Lex-78 scowled.
"So what's the plan, my fellow Lexes?" Lex-50 inquired, deciding to drop the Clark Kent-Superman argument for now. "I have quite a few ideas swirling around in my head on how we're going annihilate our powerful enemies, but first, I want to hear each of your thoughts."
"I have just the perfect plan in mind," Lex-192 stated with a smirk. "We're going to make the Supermen and some of the other very powerful 'heroes' of our worlds battle each other."
"Now that's a brilliant plan," Lex-96 commented. "Instead of taking the fight to our enemies, we have them wipe each other out."
"If anyone is capable of killing Superman, it's Superman himself!" Lex-78 stated. "I like that! Now we're cooking!"
Lex-38 grinned. "That'll be much more fun and less boring than simply killing them right away. If people actually witness the massive destruction Kryptonians are capable of causing, they'll wake up and see Superman and Supergirl for what they are: harbingers of destruction."
"Indeed," Lex-21 agreed. "And when they do, they'll be begging for someone to put a stop to their collateral damage and that's when we will step in and give the people what they want."
"A human hero to save the day," Lex-38 added.
"Until then, let's get to work," Lex-192 instructed.
Two weeks later
Earth-1
All the guests for the upcoming wedding of Conner Kent and Courtney Whitmore had arrived in Central City. Those visiting from Earth-21 consisted of Clark, Lois, Chloe, Ollie, Bart, Tess, and Kara K. Even Clark and Conner's adoptive mother Martha Kent, as well as Courtney's stepfather and mother Pat Dugan and Barbara Whitmore had gone along with them. The visitors from Earth-38 were Barry, Kara D, Alex, and Winn. From Star City were Oliver, Laurel, Sara, Roy, and Thea. From the Legends were Ray, Nate, Jax, Mick, and Zari, the last of whom having decided to tag along despite not knowing Conner as well as the others.
At a salon in downtown, Courtney, Lois, Chloe, Caitlin, Kara D, Laurel, and Thea were preparing to get pedicures, while Martha, Kara K, and Tess, who was in her human form, sat in the waiting seats on the side.
"You are literally glowing with joy, Courtney," Barbara said to her daughter as she handed Courtney a glass of champagne.
"Wait, it's pregnant women who glow, brides blush," Caitlin remarked.
"I guess you're right about that," Barbara agreed with a chuckle.
"For right now, I prefer sticking to being the blushing bride," Courtney said. "I'm not quite ready for the other one just yet."
"Take as much time as you need," Chloe advised.
"And make sure you're absolutely ready when you do decide you wanna bring him or her into the world," Lois added.
"I still can't believe you're getting married, sweetheart," Barbara said to Courtney. "I'm so proud of the young woman you've become."
"After literally coming back from the..." Courtney stopped herself, casting a brief glance at one of the nearby salon workers before turning back to her mother. "After coming back, I learned not to take life for granted anymore and instead make the best of it. That includes marrying Conner, since I love him so much and wanna spend the rest of my life with him."
"I'm so glad you're happy," Barbara said, and Courtney smiled.
"Oh, it doesn't get better than this, does it, ladies?" Thea said eagerly, as she was getting her nails done.
"Nope, it doesn't," Laurel agreed. "This is definitely fun."
"I know," Kara D said with a smile. "It's not every day we all get together like this."
"As much as I love my job as an ace reporter for the Planet, it's refreshing to have a break from it every once in a while," Lois commented.
"After all your hard work, Lois, a break is certainly what you more than deserve," Martha told her with a kind smile.
"So, Kara, you and Barry," Caitlin said to Kara D. "You think you guys are next to walk down the aisle?"
"We haven't talked about it yet, but one day, sure," Kara D nodded.
"So whenever you're ready," Caitlin said.
"Yeah," Kara D nodded, before turning to Courtney. "Thank you for inviting us, by the way."
"No problem at all," Courtney told her.
Suddenly, there was an odd buzzing sound and the salon worker doing Kara D's nails stared strangely at the tip of her file, which was smoking and looked half-melted.
"Ah," Kara D gasped, turning to the salon worker. "Oh, I'm sorry. I... I should've warned you. I take a lot of keratin."
"Which makes her nails very strong," Kara K added with a knowing smirk.
Tess raised her glass of champagne. "Cheers, to Courtney's big day."
"Aww," Courtney gushed, also raising her glass.
The rest of the women raised their glasses as well.
In the suit shop, Conner stood in front of the mirror dressed in a suit he was trying on as a tailor tended to him.
Clark, who was also dressed in a suit, walked up to Conner and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Really excited, of course," Conner answered with a grin. "And quite nervous to be honest."
"It's perfectly normal to feel nervous the day before your wedding," Clark said, placing a hand on Conner's shoulder.
"I just hope my vows will be perfect," Conner said.
"Don't worry about accomplishing perfection," Clark told him. "All that matters is she knows how much you love her. You don't even need words for that. The look on your face when you're up there and staring into her eyes will be more than enough to tell her everything she needs to know." As the tailor moved away from him and Conner, Clark added, "I can't believe you're really doing this."
"Neither can I," Conner said. "It still feels kinda like a dream. You know, Court being back, the two of us getting married... it seems too good to be true."
"Unless we're experiencing the same dream at the same time, this is as real as it gets," Ollie commented, as he, Bart, Barry, Oliver, and Roy walked over. They were each dressed in a suit as well.
"You guys look nice in your suits," Clark told them.
Barry chuckled. "Thanks, Clark."
"You clean up nice too, my friend," Oliver said to Clark.
Bart looked down at his suit with a grin. "Caity's definitely gonna love this."
"Yeah, you look like an adult for once," Ollie remarked.
"So you and Caitlin are officially together now?" Clark asked Bart.
"Yep, for a few weeks now," Bart confirmed. "I told her how I felt, she felt the same way, then we decided to get it out the way sooner than later and here we are."
Barry, Oliver, Ollie, Clark, Conner, and Roy knew exactly what Bart what by 'get it out the way'.
Ollie chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day where you get involved with a lady for more than a few days."
"Well, Caity's different from all those chicks I briefly flirted with before they suddenly shut me down," Bart explained. "Even though we're from different worlds, after getting to know her for a bit, I realize she's the kind of girl I've been looking for this whole time. Someone who is very nice, compassionate, and understanding. A long time ago, I thought that chick would be Chloe, but she was never really into me that way."
"Clearly," Clark said.
"Which turned out to be great for me in the end," Ollie remarked with a grin.
"Now I've got Caity and I'm hoping things work for us in the long run," Bart said.
"Well, you're an infinitely better choice for Cait than the last speedster who had a thing for her," Barry said.
"Zoom, right?" Bart asked, and Barry nodded. "Caity told me all about that psycho and everything he did. You could've came back to my Earth and got my help, by the way. I would've totally ran circles around Zoom."
"I have no doubt of that," Barry chuckled.
"I wish you the best of luck with your first genuine relationship ever," Ollie said to Bart.
"I'm glad you finally found someone, Bart," Clark added.
"I'll be sure to invite you guys to my future wedding," Bart said.
"Speaking of weddings, what about you three, huh?" Ollie asked Barry, Oliver, and Roy. "You ever thought about tying the knot and walking down the aisle of happily-ever-after with your respective significant others?"
"I'm actually thinking of proposing to Kara soon," Barry said.
"If you love her as much as I love Chloe, go for it," Ollie advised. "Don't wait too long to put a ring on your woman."
"I don't plan to," Barry said.
Ollie turned to Roy. "You're still with other me's sister Thea, right?"
"That's right," Roy nodded. "We're in a pretty good place now."
"That's good to hear," Ollie nodded back, before turning to Oliver. "Let me guess, you and Laurel?"
"Yes," Oliver nodded. "We got back together a few weeks after everything that happened the last time you guys were on this Earth."
"You love her?" Barry asked.
"I love her so much," Oliver admitted. "I always have."
"Put a ring on her," Barry told him.
"How have things been for you and Kara on Earth-38?" Oliver asked.
"Everything's been great," Barry answered. "In a lot of ways, living there is no different than living on this Earth. I did miss everyone though."
"Good thing you have the power to run to this Earth to visit anytime," Oliver reminded him.
"Yeah," Barry nodded. "It looks like you were wrong about what you said a few years ago. We've all got our girls now, including you."
"You're right," Oliver agreed. "Guys like us can get the girl after all."
"Damn right," Ollie also agreed. "My wife and son are living proof of that."
"People like us are always going to face certain challenges that everyone else won't ever have to worry about dealing with," Clark stated. "The fact that we each have someone we love more than anything else by our side makes overcoming those challenges much easier."
"Because we have something to fight for," Conner added.
"And people to come home to every evening," Ollie finished. "Whoever said happy endings only happen in fairy tales couldn't be more wrong."
"I guess some people say that because they feel that their own lives are miserable," Bart remarked.
"That's definitely the reason they say it," Barry nodded in agreement.
Just then, Pat came out of the dressing area and walked over to the other men.
"You look nice, Pat," Conner said to his stepfather-to-be.
"So do you, Conner," Pat replied, walking up to the younger man. With a chuckle, he joked, "And it's 'Dad' now since you're marrying my stepdaughter, which will make you my stepson-in-law."
"Okay, 'Dad'," Conner joked back.
"I'm just kidding," Pat said. "You don't have to call me 'Dad'. Court herself hardly called me that. You make her happy, okay? Because if you break her heart..."
"That will never happen, Pat, I promise," Conner assured him. "I love Court too much to ever break her heart."
Pat smiled. "That's exactly why I can't think of a better young man than you for Courtney."
(CC Jitters, evening)
Conner and Courtney's rehearsal dinner in the local coffee shop was in full swing as all the attendees were conversing and having an enjoyable time, while eating snacks and drinking champagne.
Mick was standing next to the refreshment table helping himself to various snacks when Cisco walked up.
"I never pegged you as a wedding guy," Cisco commented.
"I never pass up on a free buffet," Mick replied. "Or an open bar."
He took the bottle of beer that Cisco was holding from the latter's hand and walked off, leaving Cisco dismayed.
As Caitlin walked past him, Mick stopped upon recognizing her. "Sorry, didn't I try and kidnap you once?"
"Yes, and I wouldn't try that again," Caitlin answered, glaring at him before walking away.
She picked up a glass of champagne from the refreshment table right before she felt a gust of wind behind her.
"What was that all about, gorgeous?" Bart asked with a grin.
"Nothing important," Caitlin replied, turning to her boyfriend. With a smile, she commented, "You look really nice tonight."
"You're looking very beautiful yourself, Caity," Bart said, stroking her reddish-brown hair.
"Thanks," Caitlin said.
Bart briefly sped off, returning a millisecond later as he helped himself to the desserts piled on his plate. "Are you sure you don't want anything? The food here is so delicious."
"I'm good, Bart," Caitlin told him.
"Well, that's more for me then," Bart quipped.
Caitlin grinned. "Enjoy."
Conner had his arm around Courtney as the couple stood with Clark, Lois, Ollie, Chloe, Tess, Martha, Pat, and Barbara. Conner smiled happily as he looked around at everyone else who had come.
Oliver, Laurel, Sara, Ray, Nate, and Zari were standing together, laughing and conversing in one part of the coffee shop.
Barry was laughing and conversing Joe, Cecile (who was holding Jenna), and Wally in another part of the coffee shop.
Jax was sitting at a table with Professor Martin Stein, as well as the latter's wife, Clarissa, and daughter, Lily, who was holding her infant son Ronnie. Caitlin and Bart were standing near them, while Mick was also nearby minding his own business as he knocked back what was his fifth bottle of beer.
Kara K was talking to Kara D and Alex near the liquor table.
Roy and Thea were upstairs standing in front of the railing.
Barry looked around and noticed Ralph Dibny conversing with Cisco and Winn near the refreshment table.
"Excuse me for a minute," Barry said to Joe, Cecile, and Wally before making his way over to his former co-worker. "Ralph."
The man in question turned to Barry. "Allen. What do you want, rookie?"
"To talk to you for a second," Barry said. "In private. Do you mind?"
"Will you two excuse me?" Ralph asked Cisco and Winn, who both nodded.
After following Barry to a part of the coffee shop away from everyone else, Ralph said, "If this is about what happened six years ago, Allen, good ol' Ralphie boy put that behind him and is not that person anymore."
"I heard about what happened to you," Barry said. "You're a meta-human with special powers and you've been using them to help my friends at S.T.A.R. Labs these past couple of months."
"I'm guessing they told you all about my elongated journey into a superhero," Ralph said.
"They did," Barry nodded. "I may not live in Central City anymore, but Joe, Wally, Cisco, Caitlin, and Conner will always be my friends and family."
"Is there a reason you're telling me this, Allen?" Ralph said.
"Six years ago, you tampered with evidence and committed perjury under oath," Barry said.
"Yeah, not my finest moment," Ralph admitted. "But if it's any consolation to you, I'm clean now."
"I'm not going to apologize for turning you in," Barry continued. "You did break the law. The only thing I regret is that my actions indirectly led to a guilty man never being brought to justice. However, I do understand now that you were only doing what you thought was right and, while you were definitely in the wrong, I might've been overly harsh in the way I condemned you back then. For that, I'm sorry."
"I appreciate that, Allen," Ralph said. "For the longest time, I blamed you for everything that went wrong in my life after I was kicked off the force, but after Conner and Joe talked some sense into me during the Mayor Bellows mess, I finally realized that the person who was really to blame for my life going downhill was myself. I'm the one who went against the rules and, by reporting me, you only did what any honest cop would've done."
"The fact that you actually said that proves that you really have changed," Barry said, with a proud grin. "The Ralph Dibny from back then would've never owned up to his actions like you did just now."
"I guess getting powers and making new friends changed me for the better," Ralph said.
"Evidently," Barry said. "Look, Ralph, we can't change what happened between us in the past, but we can change what happens in our future, by leaving our differences behind in the past." He extended his hand. "Are you willing to do that?"
Ralph shook Barry's hand and said, "Sure, Allen, we can do that."
"Good," Barry said in relief. "Again, I'm sorry for indirectly ruining your life."
"And I'm sorry for putting all the blame on you instead of taking responsibility for what I did," Ralph said. "Consider us even, rookie."
"Of course," Barry nodded, before he and Ralph headed back to the party.
A few minutes later, Clark clinked his glass of champagne with a spoon.
"Can I have everyone's attention please?" He announced, as everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to him. "There are a few words that I'd like to say. I want to congratulate Conner and Courtney for taking the next huge step in their relationship. I can't express enough how happy I am those two found each other. Even before they started dating, the chemistry between Conner and Courtney was evident from the moment they met and I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before they became something more than just friends. One thing I learned is that love is the most important thing we have. As someone once told me: 'Living without love is not really living. It's just sort of existing'." He shot a knowing glance at Ollie, who nodded in apprroval. "Conner and Courtney are very lucky to be together and have the kind of love everyone wishes for. I have no doubt that their wedding tomorrow is gonna be perfect. Now, for the toast." He raised his glass. "To Conner and Courtney."
"To Conner and Courtney," everyone else repeated with raised glasses.
"Great speech, honey, not that I'm surprised," Lois said to her husband.
"It was a lovely speech, sweetheart," Martha added.
"Thanks, Lois, thanks, Mom," Clark said to them.
"If you wanted to steal my line, Clark, all you had to do was ask," Ollie said jokingly, and Clark grinned in response. "Just kidding."
(Next day)
After the rehearsal dinner last night, everyone had gone their separate ways. Clark, Lois, Martha, and Kara K spent the night in a hotel room, while Ollie, Chloe, and Tess stayed overnight in another hotel room. Bart, of course, spent the night with his girlfriend Caitlin in her apartment. Pat and Barbara spent the night with Courtney in her and Conner's apartment. In order to avoid encountering his bride before their wedding, which may cause bad luck, Conner spent the night in Wally's apartment. Oliver, Laurel, Sara, Roy, Thea, Alex, and Winn stayed overnight at Joe's house. Barry and Kara D stayed in Cisco's apartment. Jax, Ray, Nate, Mick, and Zari stayed with the Steins.
Once it was time for them to leave the following morning, they all met up at the church where the wedding ceremony would be held.
Oliver, Laurel, Sara, Roy, Thea, Ollie, Tess, Kara K, Martha, Barbara, Bart, Caitlin, Ralph, Joe, Cecile (who was holding Jenna), Barry, Alex, Winn, Ray, Nate, Jax, Mick, and Zari took their seats.
Conner was standing at the altar pacing back and forth, while fiddling with his tie and running his hand through his hair. Clark, Cisco, and Wally were standing beside him, the former serving as Conner's best man while the latter two were his groomsmen. Chloe, Lois, and Caitlin were also at the altar, the former serving as Courtney's maid of honor while the latter two were the bridesmaids.
Professor Stein was there as well since he was performing the wedding, which Conner had thought would be a great idea after Caitlin suggested it to him.
As the musicians started playing a tune with their instruments, Kara D went up on the stage and stood in front of the microphone. She adjusted her glasses and started singing "Runnin' Home To You".
As the doors to the church opened, everyone turned and stood up as they saw Courtney, who was wearing her white wedding dress, enter. Her father, Pat, escorted her down the aisle as they walked arm in arm.
Courtney handed Chloe the bouquet of flowers as she stepped up onto the altar next to Conner, who smiled at the sight of her.
"Take good care of her," Pat said to Conner.
"You know I will," Conner nodded.
Pat and Kara D headed off the stage and went to their seats. The former joined his wife Barbara as he sat between her and Martha, while the latter sat between Barry and Alex.
"Dearly beloved," Martin Stein announced. "We are gathered here today to bear witness as Conner Alexander Kent and Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore become joined in holy matrimony. I only ask this question because I am required to do so. Is there anyone who sees a reason as to why these two should not be wed? Speak now or forever hold your peace." When no one said anything, Stein continued. "Very well." He turned to the groom. "Conner, will you please recite your vows to Courtney?"
Conner took a deep breath, gazing directly into the eyes of his soon-to-be wife. "I, Conner Kent, take you, Courtney Whitmore, to be my companion forever. With you by my side, I will never be alone. I never truly understood the meaning of love until the moment I realized my feelings for you. Ever since our first kiss all those years ago, I knew you were the one I wanted to eventually spend the rest of my life with. What I love about you the most, Court, are your gentle grace, your pure heart, and your bright smile. You're my home, you're my world, and you're my soul mate, and I promise to always be the great husband that you need and deserve."
Stein turned to the bride. "Courtney, will you please recite your vows to Conner?"
Courtney took a deep breath, gazing directly into the eyes of her soon-to-be husband. "Conner, before I met you, I never thought I'd be with someone as kind, loyal, compassionate, and brave as you. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know and represent everything a girl wishes for in a guy. After I died, you had all the opportunity in the world to move on with someone else and I wouldn't have blamed you if you did. But even though four years had passed before I was literally brought back to life, you continued to love me as much as you did prior to my death and that's how I know for sure you're the one I'm meant to be with forever. You're not just my husband, Kon, you're my best friend, my confidant, and my everything, and I promise to always be a faithful wife to you."
"Please present the rings," Stein said.
Clark and Chloe each handed a ring to Conner and Courtney respectively.
"Do you, Conner Alexander Kent, take Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Stein asked.
"I do," Conner answered with a smile before he slid the ring on Courtney's finger.
"And do you, Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore, take Conner Alexander Kent to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Stein asked.
"I do," Courtney answered with a smile before she slid the ring on Conner's finger.
"Then, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife," Stein stated. "You may now kiss the bride."
With that, Conner and Courtney shared their first kiss as husband and wife, while everyone else gave them a round of applause.
The explanation for why Lex-38 doesn't realize that Clark Kent is Superman despite knowing that Kara Danvers is Supergirl and that the two Supers are cousins was inspired by some of the dialogue in Michael Weyer's fic "Distant Cousins". Lex-78 and Lex-96 have the same mindset regarding the Clark Kent/Superman connection, while Lex-21, Lex-50, and Lex-192 (due to the Book of Destiny) know better.
Conner and Courtney are officially married, following his proposal to her in the final chapter of "Alternate Events 3: Doppleganger Troubles and Other Threats". The use of Professor Stein as the minister felt like a nice way to utilize him while he's retired.