It was a great dinner party. Kara and Barry were cooking, while chatting with Diana. Clark, Billy, Mary, and Cassie were playing on Barry's Xbox. J'onn, in his Hank Henshaw form, and John Stewart in civilian clothes along with the new Green Lantern for sector 2314, Jessica Cruz, were sat on the couch discussing various concerns of the galaxy. J'onn didn't look it, but he was over two hundred years old and had been around the block. The new Lantern was soaking up his experience like a sponge.
No one commented on various bursts of super speed from the cooks or Kara reaching into the deep fryer with her hand to pull out the chicken as it finished. Given the appetites of the guests (and the residents), Barry and Kara had started cooking around noon.
The new Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz from Portland, popped her head into the kitchen, "Need any help here?"
"Actually, could you put these," Barry indicated to the cooling pies, "Out on that folding table near the window? We're running out of counter space."
A green glow surrounded the pies as Jessica explained with an embarrassed smile, "John wants me to practice as often as I can with the ring. It's a lot harder than it looks." She paused before shuttling the pies out to the main room, "Thanks for inviting me. I know I'm the new kid on the block here, but it means a lot that you extended the invitation to me."
"No problem at all," Kara assured the Hispanic woman, "You belong here."
Jessica smiled broadly, "Thanks," as she started ferrying pies out of the kitchen.
Finally, everything was ready, including the eight pies for dessert.
"So, we're not the best cooks, but it's wholesome food."
"Are you kidding?" Billy objected. "Fried chicken is the best!"
"Diana, would you say the blessing?" Kara asked the eldest among them.
The Amazon looked at all around the table with a profound sense of satisfaction. "El Mayarah."
"El Mayarah," they all echoed sincerely. What else was there to say?
With that, they all dug in to their meals.
An hour later, the coffee pot was passed around for those who wanted it. The younger crowd sat silently, not used to being included in the deliberations of their elders. Barry and Kara had talked it over with Diana and Clark, agreeing that they'd all earned the right to be there.
Barry began the discussion, "Thanks everyone for coming. Good food and good friends are their own reward, but we have some…" he searched for the right words.
"Spandex squad topics to discuss?" Mary offered with a smile on her face to chuckles from the other residents of the table.
Smiling, Barry agreed, "Yeah, that. Last week, Kara, Diana, Cassie and I had our run in with Giganta, Metallo and Solomon Grundy in Gateway City." Gesturing to Clark, he added, "And Clark is telling me that the Atomic Skull and Parasite have been very active in Metropolis." Nodding to Billy, he added, "Dr. Sivana has made a reappearance in Philly and I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting."
He now had everyone's complete attention.
"There is a thread for all these attacks and it's very odd. It seems that there is no reason, no purpose in these attacks. In each case, the villain showed up and started banging about in a seeming attempt to bring out the local hero, or a group of heroes. Some fighting and then, poof. Nothing. Atomic Skull and Parasite got in some good shots on Clark then faded away."
"Dr. Sivana did the same thing," Billy added.
"Do you think that this is deliberate?" Diana asked.
Barry sighed as he rubbed his chin. "I do. But I don't know why."
J'onn offered, "It sounds as if these attacks are to probe the hero community in order to appraise strengths and weaknesses."
"Isn't that a fun thought," Cassie muttered as she ate another slice of cherry pie.
Mary frowned as she refilled her coffee. "If they're organized at a higher level, they could be using the usual rogues as a cat's paw to gather information."
Clark mused, "This is disturbing. I know someone I can consult on this. He's got an uncanny mind and can piece together the smallest evidence to build a story." Everyone nodded in concurrence before he turned back to the head of the table, "What are you thinking, Barry?"
"I think we need to organize. When we get together, we're pretty unstoppable. Fort Rozz and Gateway City showed that. I'm afraid of what's next. What if we get all of the big hitting villains coming out of the wood work in an organized fashion? Separately, we'd fall in short order. Together? There's not much that could stop us."
He sat back, worried. This idea had been forming in his head since that discussion with the police Captain in Gateway City. Waking in the middle of the night, he'd hold Kara close, her soft skin both a comfort and a source of worry. He'd lost so much; he couldn't lose her. She was his everything.
"I agree," Diana concurred emphatically.
Clark nodded. Around the table, the heroes all nodded. Barry had to swallow a smile at Billy and Cassie nodding solemnly with their elders. But then again, their age was not a hurdle to their heroic acts. They'd fought at Fort Rozz and Cassie had also fought and bled at Gateway City.
"You all know about S.T.A.R. Labs and what Kara and I are starting here. I volunteer our company to be the R&D arm of our new team. First things, though, are long range communications."
Everyone nodded. Cassie chirped, "The earbuds were a real help both in the desert and in Gateway City. If we could have called for Clark, Billy, or Mary, it would have made it a lot easier."
At the opposite end of the long table from Barry, Kara spoke up. Using what Barry called her Head of the House of El voice, she asked, "To be clear, we all agree to bind ourselves to each other. To form a League of Superheroes who will come to aid each other in need. To defend this planet from enemies within and without."
There was a long moment of contemplation before Barry stood. His face set in the mask of a warrior, he spoke with conviction, "I offer my oath. I pledge my life that I will offer aid and succor to our allies. I will prosecute our enemies. I will defend the defenseless and I will never surrender in the face of evil. I will defend this planet from enemies within and without."
There was silence as they all considered Barry's pledge.
Kara stood proudly, "I swear on the bones of my ancestors and the remains of my broken planet to never surrender."
Clark stood, "I offer my oath on my parents' graves."
John, "On my honor, I so swear."
Diana, "By the Gods, I so swear."
Cassie, "On my mother's blood and my father's might, I so swear."
Jessica, "On the lives of my family, I so swear."
Mary and Billy, "By the power of the Wizard, I so swear."
J'onn, "I swear on the graves of my family."
All of them gave their oath in the terms most meaningful to them.
They looked around at each other, realizing that this was very real.
"Someone needs to write that down. What Barry said was awesome."
Cassie sighed. "Meathead, shut up."
General laughter crackled about the room until Barry held up his hand saying, "There's one other piece of business."
Chuckling, everyone retook his or her seats, except Barry and Kara. He zipped about the table to stand next to her. Wrapping an arm about her shoulders, he said, "As you all know, I asked Kara to marry me and for reasons unknown, she accepted me." There were smiles around the table. "We were hoping that you all could wait around for," he glanced at his watch, "another ten minutes. We wanted to be married with our friends gathered here with us. Kara's foster mother and sister are on the way. I just have to fetch the minister who is standing by."
"You're getting married tonight?" Cassie squealed.
Kara smiled broadly and nodded.
"Of course, we will stay," Diana replied with a smile.
Mary hustled up to Kara and whispered in her ear. Kara nodded in return causing Mary to grab her arm. "Ladies! To the bedroom!"
Barry rolled his eyes as the troop of superheroines moved en masse to his bedroom. Turning to Clark, he raised his eyebrows in the unspoken question. "They're getting her into her dress and it's bad luck for you to see her in her dress before the wedding," the Kryptonian grinned.
J'onn spoke up, "Where is the minister? I'll go get him for you."
"Thanks, J'onn," Barry smiled. Zipping to the counter, he scribbled the address on to a piece of paper.
The Martian took it with a smile and a nod. "Be back shortly."
As J'onn left, Eliza and Alex walked in. Barry hustled over to his future in-laws. "Alex, can you get my tux, tie and shoes out of the closet?" he gestured to the bedroom.
"Sure, I'll be right back."
Before he knew it, Barry was standing at the front of the crowd of their friends. He'd no best man, nor did Kara have a maid of honor. Clark was holding on to the rings until the right moment, but all that mattered was her. The guests were a bit of a blur to him. Colors splashed as they milled about, murmuring their discussion. Feeling more than a bit overwhelmed, he couldn't track any specific discussion until he noticed that the discussion had stopped. Turning to his left, he stopped still.
There she was.
He didn't hear anything. Didn't see anything other than her. Her dress was…white, but that's all he remembered. The only thing that he noticed – that he remembered for the rest of his life – was how beautiful she was. She was radiant. She was manifestly joyful.
Soon, they were down to brass tacks. She replied to the minister, "I do." Sliding the ring on her hand was one of the happiest moments of his life.
Then it was his turn. "I do." Her sliding the ring on his hand was most definitely the happiest moment of his life.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to Barry and Kara Allen."
As he kissed her for the first time as her husband, Barry heard the cheering. However, the only thing that he really remembered was that this was the first time in a very long time that he finally felt whole.
.oOo.
Cassie had connected her phone to their speakers and the music was thumping in the Allens' apartment. Even though everyone had just eaten, these were a bunch of superheroes; so, the hors d'oeuvres were quickly being scarfed.
Barry and Kara hadn't cooked these; that's what the caterer was for.
"Ok, everyone!" Mary called. Waving her hand, she hissed, "Billy, get out of the way." As the teenaged Captain Marvel scooted out of the way of his foster sister's wrath, Mary announced, "We need the happy couple up front." She motioned to Cassie.
The piano strains came over the loudspeaker, beginning Can't Help Falling in Love With You.
Barry smiled as he took his bride in his hands. Waltzing about the cleared room with their friends and colleagues watching, he had eyes only for Kara. In her turn, she was looking up to him, her blue eyes wide with a small smile of happiness. Off to the side, Eliza was smiling through happy tears as J'onn wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulders. Even Alex was crying for her sister.
As the song ended, Cassie bustled to her phone, selecting the next tune based on Clark's request. When the violins began, and Louis Armstrong's distinctive gritty tenor spun the opening lines to his famous song, "I see trees of green…," Clark approached his cousin, his arms extended. Smiling, Kara stepped into his embrace for the traditional Father and Daughter dance. It was a tradition on Earth, not Krypton, but they had truly integrated their new home.
Barry stepped back, smiling as the two cousins enjoyed their dance. He really hoped it was the beginning of healing for Kara and understanding for Clark. On more than one occasion she'd been distinctly cold toward her cousin and Barry was sure that he while he could relate to her anger toward Clark, he didn't quite get all of it. Shaking his head to clear off the depressing thoughts on his wedding day, Barry smiled as he watched his wife and her cousin dancing.
Halfway through the dance, Barry found Eliza to lead her out on the dance floor. J'onn brought out Alex and the rest paired up to finish the dance. Barry had to laugh as Billy's eyes only came up to Cassie's bustline. The younger Amazon was hissing death threats should the teenager do something inappropriate causing John and his dance partner Diana to burst into laughter.
The dancing kept going for a while as he and Kara all took turns dancing with all their friends. Laughter flourished and they all truly bonded as people above and beyond as heroes. Diana was a terrible dancer but John was as smooth as Fred Astaire. Cassie had a beautiful singing voice. For a big man, Clark could cut a rug. J'onn had a booming laugh. Jessica was naturally witty. Billy was…well, he was just Billy.
"Come on everyone. Picture time!" Kara and Barry took their place in the middle of the group while Cassie and Billy squatted down on their haunches in front of everyone else as they crowded around.
Taken by the minister with Barry's smart phone, their wedding picture, with all the guests crowded about them as they all laughed at something that Billy had said, was blown up and posted for time immemorial on the wall of the primary meeting hall of the Watchtower.
It was the first convening of the Justice League.
.oOo.
"Ok, Mary, you've got the spare keys. I emptied the fridge and Barry told the police chief that you'd be around while we're gone…," Kara explained – once again – to the amused Mary Bromfield.
"Kara, the plane leaves in two hours. We've got to go," Barry warned.
"If we miss it, we'll just go ourselves," Kara replied crossly.
"Then we'd be in the country illegally. For our honeymoon. Not a good start. C'mon, she's got this."
Kara started to toll her eyes in exasperation at her husband but the thought made her pull up and beam. Her husband.
"You two are so sweet it's terrible. Go. Enjoy Aruba for a week. I've got all this. Ms. Grant says to say congratulations and you owe her a party to throw for you."
Kara beamed as she waved following Barry down the stairs to the cab waiting for them. "Why am I carrying all the bags?" Barry grumped.
"Oh, Barry…." This time, she successfully rolled her eyes.
.oOo.
As Kara unlocked the door to their apartment a week later, she muttered, "Never flying on a plane ever again."
Trudging in behind her, Barry agreed. "Amen, sweetheart."
Tossing their luggage on the ground, Barry pulled out his phone, "Chinese?"
She flopped on the couch. Hanging her head over the back she replied, "Please. And quickly."
He laughed. After a quick call, he told her, "Twenty minutes. I'll go the store to pick up some beer on the way. Be back in thirty minutes."
"Love you so very much, husband." She smiled at him. Kara had taken every opportunity she could to call Barry 'husband' over the past week.
He zipped over to her. Kissing her upside down, he replied in a whisper, "Love you, too, wife."
She smiled again, and he was gone. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed just sitting there before she realized she needed to make some calls. Digging out her phone, she first called Mary. "Hey, we're back. Anything that I need to know?"
They had a quick conversation. Mary had helped out when a thrill ride at the local amusement park had failed. That had been tricky as there were dozens of people in danger. Ms. Grant said – again – that she and Barry owed her a party.
"Fine, tell her that she can throw us a party next week. What else?"
Clark had some more probing encounters, as had Billy. Diana had an encounter with the Cheetah that had been quick but extremely violent. Two bystanders had died.
Kara closed her eyes in sadness. "How's Diana? She must be pretty torn up." She was.
"I'll give her a call tomorrow, thanks. Anything from Clark's friend? The one who is a great detective? Ok, we can meet with this guy in a day or so. You coming?"
The door opened with Barry balancing five bags of food and a twelve pack of beer.
"Gotta go. Hubbie's back with food and beer."
.oOo.
The two superheroines landed side by side, instantly joined by the Scarlet Speedster. Superman was already standing on the roof of the designated meeting spot next to a figure dressed in a cowl and black cape.
"You didn't say that you'd be bringing half of the city," the figure growled.
Annoyed, the Flash turned to Superman, "You didn't say we'd be meeting a total dick." He suppressed his grin when Miss Marvel snorted in amusement.
Supergirl rolled her eyes at her husband as he channeled Cisco Ramon.
Superman ignored the two comments, as there was no winning there. "Batman, this is my cousin, Supergirl along with Miss Marvel and the Flash."
Supergirl took the lead, trying to get the meeting moving forward. "Has Superman filled you in on our concerns?"
The Batman nodded, "He has Mrs. Allen." Kara's eyes narrowed. The rest knew her secret identity but this guy was just showing off now. "With the events before and after your trip to Aruba with your husband here," he gave a slight gesture towards the Flash, "I've been able to get a general picture of what is happening."
Miss Marvel physically interposed herself between her friends and the dark uniformed man as she saw both of their anger spiraling upwards. She knew how protective they were of each other. There was a long silence as Flash and Supergirl reined in their tempers while Superman shook his head. "Batman, enough with the theatrics. What have you found?"
"There is an organization within the U.S. Government that was formed shortly after the Battle of Fort Rozz. Some of the more paranoid civil servants were concerned about the power available to the team that fought there and what their goals may or may not be. They set up an effort that would be a bulwark against the heroes who fought there in case they turned on the country. Apparently, they've reached out to the villain community to help quantify the hero community's strengths and weaknesses."
Another long silence was broken by Flash as he muttered, "You must be shitting me."
"Unfortunately, no."
Superman and Supergirl were stunned to silence while Miss Marvel was contemplative. "Is this the policy of the government or the actions of a select few? How are they funded?"
The Batman nodded at the relevance of the questions. "It seems like this group is funded out of an Intelligence Sub-Committee that is used to working programs that are usually off the books. I can't tell if the greater Congress or even the President is aware of this development."
"Defense?" Miss Marvel asked while contemplating Batman's response.
"I don't believe so."
"Does this group have a name?"
"I found one name, but I'm not sure if it's accurate."
They waited.
"It's called Cadmus."
.oOo.
A/N
1. I own nothing
2. Aruba is amazing. My wife and I said if we could live anywhere it would be Grand Cayman or Aruba.
3. My wife and I danced to Can't Help Falling in Love With You by Elvis after our wedding. 25 years ago…