14

Aftermath

Notes gently flowed out from the piano keys that were plucked in a rhythmic cadence. Floating around the open, expansive room. Sorrowful notes, happy notes into it Cadence poured her soul; fingers dancing up and down the keys, plinking like raindrops. Created melodies and tunes. Each note was played with the light drop of a finger as her head bent over the keys. Her emotions; regrets, fears, trepidations, pains, joys—all inside the music that sounded. Every now and then the music grew heavy, she stressed each key, pushed down forcefully. Made low, heavy notes, ground out with a fiery zeal.

Then she shifted the melody, shifted the cadence, shifted the tone to notes that sat in the middle of the octaves. Not too high, not too low, just in the middle. She played slowly, starting out with the notes that distinctly created the song everyone knew, the song she always enjoyed playing when she wasn't drilled with scales and arpeggios. She continued to plink away slowly, pressing her foot onto the pedal when the time came.

As Cadence moved slower into the meat of the song, Harrison joined in, sitting directly to her left. His larger hands crossed over hers when his notes needed to be played. They started off slow, the lower notes interacting with the high ones before their fingers started to move faster, playing through the song at warp speed. In Cadence's opinion, it made the song sound even better, rather than the classical piece that many opted to re-create, it took on jazzy tones and even some pop flare, the notes swirling around them.

Finally, the song came to the end and, at the same time, Harrison and Cadence dropped their hands to their laps. Cadence smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Still go it."

"Yes, you certainly do," Harrison agreed.

"Thanks, but I was talking about you."

Harrison laughed at her teasing jab. "Yes, well, I always enjoy the time I get to spend playing the piano when it comes up. And I always enjoy the time I get to share that with you." Cadence smiled back. It was something they hadn't been able to do for a while, spend time with Brady and Harrison and Tess by themselves. There had been so much going on since Barry had returned from Flashpoint that small moments like that were hard to come by.

Honestly, Cadence had forgotten how much she loved playing the piano, she had almost no time for herself. With Flashpoint, the Rival, Alchemy, Frankie, work, working on her relationship with Brady and Ryder and Barry and Caitlin and Cisco and Deity and…and…and…Being able to sit down and get lost in practicing. It reminded her of when she was young, when Harrison first walked into her house for their first piano lesson. Without knowing he was her birth father at the time, just as her parents' friends, Cadence smiled warmly up at him, practically bouncing as she followed him to the piano.

In hindsight, it was obvious he enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his daughter. He was very patient, much too patient with someone who should've been playing the piano but preferred to run off to show him her latest toys and force him to watch the 'plays' she put on with Barbies, LEGO people, and stuffed animals that then got thrown back and forth in some sort of massacre. Then, with her excess energy—of which her parents had been smart to try to diffuse, by throwing her into gymnastics and cheerleading—she continued to wiggle back and forth on the hard piano bench before finally listening to put her fingers in the right placements on the keys to play.

And just like those years ago, Tess, who leaned on the other side of the piano smiled warmly, clapping appreciatively for the show she had just been a witness to. Brady, who stood beside her, leaned against the piano, his chin resting atop his hands which lay flat on the inky black casing of the piano didn't appear as impressed. Then again, Cadence remembered, he was the one who had to sit through multiple days of her practicing on a keyboard with a babysitter that she remembered saying he disliked.

"Well, it's certainly been a long time since I've heard this thing played," Tess said, gently running her hand over the back of the grand piano. "I've always missed it."

Harrison smiled, nodded appreciatively. He thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully before he spoke in his natural cadence that held mystery and intrigue. "From what we've seen over the last few years, there's never been time to sit down and do it. Since the Dominators left things have been quiet around here. And I don't ever intend to look a gift horse in the mouth." He stood and gave his wife a kiss before removing himself from behind the stool.

"What does that mean?" Brady's nose wrinkled. Almost as if someone waved a plate of rotting cheese beneath his nose. "Is that like a Trojan horse sort of thing?"

"Close, bud. It basically means no to question the value of a gift," Cadence explained, still playing a few of the keys. Brady's nose wrinkled even further. What did that have anything to do with a horse? He questioned as much, making his mother and grandparents laugh quietly. "The age of a horse is determined by looking at its teeth, so if someone gifts you a horse, don't look at its teeth to see how old it is."

He looked at her for a long moment, a stunned expression gracing his features before h said quietly, under his breath, "That's so dumb." The adults around him laughed at his blunt comment, making him smile a smile Cadence had noticed many times before and could read as easily as a stop sign. He had an idea. Brady pushed himself up into a standing position, eyes lighting up. "But speaking of horses—"

"—No," Cadence swiftly interrupted.

Brady pouted, all the strength moving out of him so that he nearly collapsed on the piano. A low moan of disappointment left his lips. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

Cadence snorted. Fat chance. His segues in conversation weren't exactly subtle. "I know exactly what you were going to say, bud," she said. Brady lifted his eyebrows, waiting for her response. His expression slowly turned sullen as his mother continued with, "'Can we get a dog?' You ask me that nearly every few months."

"Yeah, and you keep saying 'no'," Brady said. He stuck out his lower lip, tracing a circle on the piano, watching as his fingerprints marred the otherwise shiny lacquer over the cabinet. Cadence winced, glancing towards Harrison, whose thin lips pulled back into a small smile. She'd clean that up.

Oh, she hated it when he pouted like that. There was plenty of truth in saying she tended to spoil him, but it hurt when he tried to wriggle into getting his way. "I don't say 'no', our apartment buildings say 'no', otherwise, I'd be the first one to run out and get a dog," Cadence said. She still felt a twinge of sadness over the pet she had never received. "I always wanted one."

"You said you always wanted a horse," Tess pointed out to her.

"I wanted a dog, too. What can I say? I was a spoiled brat." Cadence stood up and apologized to her birth parents, "I'll clean up the fingerprints." She looked at Brady, who immediately took a step back from the instrument, holding his hands up in the air, eyes widening innocently. "I know how much time and care you put into this thing, dad."

"Don't worry about it," Harrison said with a wave of his hand. He lovingly rubbed his palm over the fingerprints, marring the lacquer even further, smearing them in a colorless arc across the black paint. Like a rainbow. "I'm just glad it's being played again."

"And you should know, sweetie, that he enjoys cleaning it up after months of playing," Tess said with a light roll of her eyes. "Uses cleaning solution and q-tips and everything. You think he's particular about his work, you should see when he cleans this thing." She reached out and placed her hand on Brady's shoulder. "I'm sure you're hungry, Brady. Do you want to help me set the table while I finish breakfast?"

Brady nodded and walked along with his grandmother, the bottoms of his soccer cleats making a distinct clacking noise across the hardwood floor as he went. Cadence winced with each step he took, seeing in her mind's eye the scuff marks it was making. "I'll clean up whatever scuff marks those leave, too," she said.

Harrison shook his head and placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder, gently but firmly shaking her. "Relax. We're not incapable of cleaning up after a while. He's young, he makes messes, it's what he's supposed to do." He tapped her head. "Besides, I seem to remember you doing the same thing when you were young. The only difference being that you had so much excess energy it was like a tornado blew through everything."

"Hmm." Cadence squeezed an eye shut as she thought about it. It was true, and she paid the price for it, having had to clean it all by herself once she was done, pouting with big fat tears rolling down her cheeks as she did so. She never received sympathy from her parents over it, funny enough. "How old was I then?"

"Why?"

"I might be able to play it off as excess use of my powers."

Cadence laughed at her own joke while Harrison slung his arm around her shoulders. Rather than going into the kitchen, where Tess stood aside as she watched Brady expertly whisk egg yolks in a bowl smiled and went into the dining room, waiting for food to be served to her. Harrison sat at the head of the table, leaving space next to him for Tess and space on the other side for Brady. He flipped open the newspaper that sat beside him, frowning at the front. Cadence glanced over and shook her head. Of course, more talks about what to do about metahumans. How much longer would it take before some peace was made throughout the city? The MRA had failed, a city-wide curfew had been made, STAR Labs was continuously supplying the CCPD with weapons and other measures to take down any metahuman or criminal that came their way.

Then the Dominators arrived and ruined the progress they'd all been making. They had to reveal themselves to get work done, had to go around Layla's and the government's orders to get a handle on the situation. Metahumans and Vigilantes were starting to be looked at again, even when things slowly died down months before. All that progress was a waste. The progress Breathtaker wants to take down as well, Cadence thought.

Her eyebrows came together, lowering towards the swirling oak of the table in front of her. He wants to make metahumans and humans live in peace but wants to make a war to get his point across. She shook her head. They were going towards the same goal, but wanted to get there in different ways. The city wanted to use force; force metas to come out in the open, Team Flash wanted them to be able to live in peace while taking the correct steps needed to rehabilitate the criminals, Breathtaker wanted them to live in peace…but wanted to kill those that were to get in their way first.

And as far as they knew about Savitar and Alchemy, which admittedly was next to nothing, their creation of metas could be going towards the same goal; wanting to have metas and humans live in peace. If there was one way to make sure they all lived in peace, they needed to figure out what it was, soon. Or else there'd be even more people that would come to become innocent victims in a long-range war they were trying to end.

How many more black vehicles were they going to see charging through the city while the government tried to cover up what had happened with the Dominators? How many more posts was Iris going to have submitted to her blog with the stories of their alien sightings? How long would they have to worry about Agent Smith coming back to threaten them with the things they'd changed in the past or what could possible change in the future?

Things were getting messier than they'd ever intended and there seemed to be no clean up in sight. Cadence grasped the glass of orange juice that sat in front of her and asked Harrison, "Does Lex Luthor have anything to do with that?"

Harrison immediately folded over the page he was reading and tucked it beneath his seat. "That's classified, I'm afraid," he said, lacing his fingers together. Cadence gave him a look. "I'm aware of the reputation that Mr. Luthor has, but I can assure you that I wouldn't bring myself into a conversation with Lex Luthor if it wasn't' something that we could benefit from in some way."

"Something tells me that Clark wouldn't agree with you," Cadence pointed out.

Anyone from Metropolis knew and had an opinion on Clark Kent's and Lex Luthor's friendship and how it evolved and devolved over the years. Those that knew of Clark's special abilities and the way he had to keep his life a secret knew his reasons for their strained friendship. Those that knew Lex Luthor and his family history knew it was only a matter of time until things became too over balanced.

Lex's presence in Central City worried Cadence. Not because she knew every dirty secret the Luthor's tried to hide—it was common gossip amongst the elite in Metropolis—but because she knew how Lex operated. Did everything in his power to get his way, used everyone below him to get what he needed and threw them away when it was achieved. His announcement, his running for presidential bid and Central City being one of his stops on his campaign trail she was sure was a cover.

Clark had gotten into contact with them as soon as the news broke, mentioning his displeasure and unease with the situation. Warning them that they had to keep an eye on him as much as possible, but refused to go more into it when asked.

And just like Clark, Harrison smiled but didn't respond.

Instead, he leaned out of the way as Tess carefully dropped a plate filled with breakfast in front of him. Cadence smiled her thanks when Tess handed her a plate as well and quickly dove in. Tess and Brady joined them, and they ate in silence for a few minutes before Tess asked, "Are you excited for your soccer game today?"

Brady shrugged and nodded. "I guess so."

Cadence knew immediately he was thinking that it was the first game he was going to play without his best friend. It was easy not to think about it when they were training, sparring, running tests, stopping criminals, fighting metas and aliens. But when things slowed down, that's when your mind wandered in many areas you didn't want it to go. Cadence knew the feeling very well and ached for him.

"They're supposed to be a tough team to beat," Brady said. His chest swelled with pride and he couldn't help the slightly smug tone that came to his voice as he said, "But we were the champs last year, so I think they're afraid to face us."

"Good to see that you have such faith in your team," Tess said with a laugh and a warm smile. "That's the most important thing to have. We already saw how it almost tore you guys apart, what happened with Barry and Flashpoint I'm glad to see things are working out for you now."

"Too bad an alien invasion had to do it," Brady quipped.

It was an innocent comment, he clearly didn't know what his grandmother was implying, but Cadence caught it. She looked at her mother carefully, noticing the way she did her best not to look at her husband. Keeping the otherwise pleasant expression on her face as solid as granite. She knew that look, had had it on her own face many times before.

There was something she and Harrison was keeping from the team, and it was something big.

She made a mental note to speak to Clark.

Brady took a deep breath pulling down the sleeves of his shirt to cover his hands. November had come, and the city adjusted accordingly through that time. Turning absolutely, cold. It gave Central City some peace, some time to turn back to normalcy. Criminals didn't race to plunder and pillage as much as they had before, though metas worked as hard as they could to make life a bit more difficult.

As it was, Brady could hardly keep his mind on the soccer game that played out in front of him. His teammates on the bench continued to murmur and whisper around the alien invasion that had gone on, what they'd seen and what they heard from their parents while away from their coach's gaze, jogged up and down the field, shouting instructions to the team. But Brady couldn't focus on what was going on in the game. He listened closely to what his teammates were saying. On the metal bench, which seemed to have taken on the chill of the city, the team huddled close together to keep warm. The copious amount coats and scarves their mothers made them wear draped over each other's laps and legs that bounced to keep warm.

And yet, they had enough heat and energy to share the news that their parents and siblings had spread to them. The topic of course, was of the alien invasion that had occurred. Brady considered it after everything died down; there had been injuries and casualties but none from his classmates. There had been plenty on the private Instagram account that mentioned some of their powers had been displayed due to their fear, but had been largely forgotten by their parents in the chaos of the day.

"I heard that The Flash was the one to run around and put those things on the aliens, that made them blow up."

"It couldn't have been the Flash, he can't run that fast."

"You're so stupid. He's the fastest man alive!"

"But I saw two speedsters."

"There's only one speedster here."

A smile came to Brady's lips. Jesse was certainly making her name known through Central City. She was glad to have the chance when it came around. She was training hard, listening to everything Barry told her when they were training. And it showed in her test results and what they came up again.

"Flare and Shadowhunter did a really good job in fighting against those aliens, too. Did you know that Shadowhunter is our age?"

"That's impossible. Why would they let a kid help save the city?"

"My dad says, because of the height and the size of Shadowhunter that he can't be more than our age. He says that if there is a kid fighting out there, and he's found out, it could mean a lot of trouble for metahumans in the city."

"Why just the metahumans?"

Brady didn't have to hear the answer, he knew it in his gut. If he were found out, then it'd mean that anyone could be a meta. And if anyone was a meta, it meant there were more powers and abilities out there that could be used for evil. And as far as they knew, there was someone out there creating the biggest coup against Central City that anyone had ever seen.

"Nash!" His coach barked, grabbing Brady's attention. Brady sat up straight and looked at his coach curiously. "Get in! Forward!"

Brady nodded and quickly got to his feet, shedding the jacket that laid over his legs. He ignored the want to immediately dive back onto the bench and burrow himself in the blankets to hurry to the midfield line. He lowered himself to his knee and waited for the ref to blow the whistle, signaling a substitution. Once he did so, Brady ran onto the field, slapping the hand of his teammate that ran off.

He tried not to smile when he heard his friends and family cheering for him. It was always a little embarrassing to have his own personal cheering section—everyone on the team did—but it was cool all the same. Barry, Cadence, Caitlin, Cisco, and Ryder sat along with Harrison and Tess. Jesse was nowhere to be found, Brady wasn't surprised. When she wasn't with Wally she holed herself up in STAR Labs just as Deity kept herself to their apartment when she wasn't brought to STAR Labs.

Through the game, he blocked everything out as he ran back and forth, taking the ball when he had the chance and moving to defend when the other team had the ball. Back and forth he charged across the fool, slide-tackling and using fancy footwork his parents taught him to get around the defenders to make a shot on goal.

Swish.

Brady smiled and pumped his fist, high-fiving his teammates as he jogged back to their side of the field to start off once more. Bending over, Brady placed his hands on his knees waiting for the other team to get together. Then, hearing a police siren, Barry immediately turned his attention towards the stands. His heart crammed into his throat. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he tried to figure out what to do. Brady glanced back at the stands and saw Harrison and Tess had moved away from the crowd, looking down at their phones while Barry, Cadence, Caitlin and Cisco hurried out of the stands.

Brady caught his mother's eye and she hesitated glancing at him then back at her phone. When she looked up again, Brady gave a subtle tilt of his head towards the road. She had to go. Cadence nodded back and she and Barry speed-walked out of sight before Barry saw the familiar yellow streak that was the lightning trail Barry left behind him. Moments later, a STAR Labs van careened out of the parking lot, no doubt with Cisco at the wheel.

Taking in a deep breath, Brady pressed his hands to his hips as he stood once more. He had to pay attention. Whatever it was, they could handle it. Brady chewed his lower lip as he watched the other team get ready to set up their play. He refocused on the game, running as hard and fast as he could. Finally, the whistle that signified half-time blew and Brady went with the rest of his team to sit on the side of the field with their orange slices and water to listen to a pep-talk for the second half.

Brady listened quietly, half his mind on the game and the other half wondering what was going on in the city. It had to have been big or else the sirens would've drowned out by that point. Or else Barry and his mother would've come back. If it were easy, Barry would take only a few seconds to get there and back, to the point it was like he hadn't left. No, it was big.

His eyes scanned the city skyline, waiting to find smoke twisting and spiraling into the sky. Whether that meant it was from an explosion or from his mother he was never sure. I wish I was out there, Brady thought. I wish I knew what was going on. That was the hardest part, not having all the information when things were going on. He'd been training since he first realized his powers went out on the field every now and then but was still mostly left behind.

Even with the time he spent with Ryder on vacation, where he used his abilities to stop a few criminals they came across, wasn't enough to have him on the field more often. Maybe it was fear, he rationalized at the time. He and his friends had been really hurt when they went against Geomancer. But he was stronger now and the lure of being able to help was too hard to pass up.

"Maybe I have been spending too much time with Barry," he murmured to himself.

"What?" One of his teammates asked.

Brady shook his head, shoving an orange into his mouth. "Nothing," he replied. The meeting ended, and the team ran back onto the field, moving into their positions to start up the next half of the game. Brady moved into his position on the field, striker, and waited for the whistle that'd let him start by booting the ball forward.

Instead, the sound of a car alarm going off caught his attention. From the far side of the field. He turned to follow the source of the noise, others on field and in the stands doing the same. Then they shrugged and turned back to the field. Nothing more than an alarm going off. It stopped quickly. But Brady continued to look. Something was weird about it, he felt it in his bones. His suspicions were proven a second later when he saw a shady figure moving at high-speed, not a run but faster than a walk, looking over his shoulder as he moved to the parking lot.

Brady's eyes narrowed as he watched the guy move to the sides of cars, produce something from his pocket, and seconds later was leaning in the car, rifling through everything inside. Brady took a step back and looked around, no one else seemed to notice what was going on. Chewing his lower lip, Brady decided.

"Coach!" He called, immediately grabbing the adult's attention. "I've gotta go!"

"What?" His coach yelped, eyes widening in surprise.

"I gotta go," Brady repeated. He thought for a second then grabbed at the front of his pants, knocking his knees together. "I've gotta go, real bad."

"Can't you just hold it?"

"No. I can't!" Not when there was someone robbing their cars in broad daylight. Not when the guy needed to be stopped. Without waiting for a response, Brady started to run off the field. "Sorry! I gotta go!" He charged by his teammates and down the side of the field towards the parking lot. Behind him, he heard his coach barking towards one of his teammates to take his place before a whistle and the sounds of a cheering audience started again.

Brady slowed his steps as he came down the side of the hill, making sure not to fall. His footsteps crunched over the gravel as he slowed to a stop, slinking closer to the robber. The robber muttered to himself as he moved through the console, pushing aside receipts and pieces of paper. Finally, he produced a GPS and stuck it in his bag before hopping down from the driver's seat. He moved to close the door, flinching when Brady announced his arrival with, "You know, it's not nice to take things that aren't yours."

The robber jumped and whirled around. He glanced at Brady with a look of disgust and a wave of his hand. "Why don't you mind your own business, kid?"

"This is my business," Brady replied.

A dry laugh escaped the robber's lips. "What do you think you are? The Flash?"

"No." Brady smirked. "I'm much worse."

He held his hands out to his sides, black orbs starting to form over his hands. The robber looked at him in growing suspicion before Brady threw his hand forward. The balls shot towards the robber. He leaned out of the way and held up his hand. The object he was holding, what looked like an ordinary mirror, absorbed the attack and shot back towards Brady.

The robber looked at him with a grim smile that faded when Brady phased, allowing his attack to move back through him. When his attack struck the ground behind him, the asphalt warped, and created a small crater. The robber's eyes, wide with horror, shifted back to Brady. Brady's smirk immediately faded when he saw the robber whip out a pistol and pointed it directly towards him. He could phase as much as he wanted, but nothing was scarier than staring down the barrel of a gun.

The robber smirked at him, taking a step closer to the young boy. "Now, why don't you be a good little boy and run away?"

In response, Brady's gaze shifted as he thought of what to do. But only for a second. It was exactly the second he needed. The robber squeezed an eye shut to bring himself better aim. Before he could fire, Brady rolled to the side loose gravel scratching over his arms and legs. He came a stop on his knees and grabbed handfuls of gravel and whipped them towards the robber.

The robber brought up his hands to shield himself, slowly finding he wasn't being hit. He opened his eyes and looked around to see Leah standing nearby, holding her hands up, her grasp holding the gravel above the robber. Then, with a smile, she lowered her hands, the pieces of gravel shooting towards the robber one by one. With the added gravity on the gravel, they shot into him, embedding into his skin. The robber cried out in pain and brought up his mirror once more.

It took Brady only a few moments to realize he was a meta of some sort, able to use his mirrors to deflect whatever was coming to him. Enough so that the gravel that struck the glass was sucked inside then shot back towards them. Frowning, Leah twisted her hand, aiming the gravel towards the robber once more. He gritted his teeth and reached his hand towards the side mirror on the door.

While the robber was preoccupied with Leah, Brady used his powers of invisibility to move closer to the robber. Close enough to grab the door handle of the unlocked car and pull as hard as he could. The door swung open and struck the robber on the side of the head so hard that he stumbled to the side. He regained his footing and punched his fist against the mirror in his hand. When he pulled his hands away, he dropped the frame to the ground and heaved his hands forward.

Brady jumped backwards, the gravel making his feet slip out from beneath him. Just in time, but not fast enough. As he fell his arms flung up, causing a shard of glass to scratch up his arm. Leah flung herself to the ground. At the same time, throwing out her hands. The robber growled as the ground started to crack beneath him, his body sinking towards the ground. He struggled to bring his feet upwards but found he couldn't move them. No, Leah was causing his center of gravity to increase, forcing him lower and lower into the ground.

Desperately, the robber reached for the largest shard of glass nearest to him. Brady moved forward on his hands and swung his feet below him, around his body in an arching pattern. As he did so, his legs glowed black and he sent out another blast of energy. He missed. The robber grabbed onto the shard of glass and disappeared inside. Like before, his energy blast struck the asphalt, leaving a warped hole in its place.

In surprise, Brad and Leah climbed off the ground, brushing dirt and gravel off themselves. Brady walked over to the shard of glass the robber disappeared through and frowned, seeing it was completely shattered, glittering along the ground.

"What was that?" Leah asked. She pulled her hair behind her ear and glanced at Brady, who walked over to the area they had just fought in. He grimaced, seeing the person sized dent in the car door that stood ajar.

He ran his hand over his mouth, wiping away sweat. He shook his head. "I have no idea" Brady finally replied. "A meta, obviously but…what kind of meta?"

Leah shrugged, folding her arms. "A glass meta? They can control all kinds of glass to their whim?" It was a pretty good guess, but Brady didn't think so for sure. If he was a glass meta, he would've done something else to prove it. Create his own glass, manipulate all the glass in the area. Fix the car so that it didn't appear to be broken before he let? From what Brady could see, looking around at the other cars, all the sideview mirrors were broken.

No, that couldn't be it. "But he didn't control it, just used it to transport himself," Brady murmured. He scratched the back of his neck. "At least he's gone, I can tell Barry and my mom about it later." He glanced towards the soccer game, realizing there wasn't much time for him to get back. "Thanks for having my back."

"Of course," Leah replied as if it were obvious. As if she were saying, 'who else is going to have it?'. Then her face fell for a moment. "If we're going to keep watch of everything, then we have to look out for each other, right? Besides, if it weren't for you, I probably would've been thrown in the pipeline by now. Or…" she sighed. "Kicked out or something."

Brady nodded. "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine." She regarded the cuts on her hands and knees. "Nothing that can't easily be fixed." She thought for a moment. "This meta…we can ask Alicia to figure out who it is?" At Brady's look, she said, "Her dad's the police chief, if anyone has access to some good files, it's be her."

"Isn't that, like, illegal or something?" Brady asked.

"Isn't what you're doing at STAR Labs illegal or something?" Leah shot back. Brady pressed his lips together. Technically…? She was probably right. "Get back to your game, Brady." Her eyes shone with mischief. "I don't think your coach will believe you took this long to go to the bathroom."

With a roll of his eyes, Barry ran back towards the field. He ducked down behind the bench when he heard his coach shouting for him then snuck up on his other side, as if he had just come from the bathroom. "I'm right here, coach."

"Fan-freaking-tastic!" His coach snapped in response. Then he gave Brady a critical gaze. "What happened to you?"

Brady looked down and grimaced. His normally pristine jersey that would hold grass stains by the end of the game was covered in dirt and blood. His palms and knees were ripped open from the gravel he had rolled across. He was sure there was small pieces of glass stuck in his knees as well. But instead of coming up with a convoluted response, Brady looked up, smiled sheepishly and said, "I fell."

His coach looked at him incredulously, mouth agape like a fish out of water. Brady wanted to laugh, but pressed his lips together instead. Instead of further clarification, he waved Brady off to the field to take his position. Brady ignored the stares from his opponents as they took in his bloodied uniform and moved into position. He ran as hard and fast as he ever had before, ignoring the stinging in his hands and knees as he went.

It was no wonder Barry ran so fast, so hard, and moved to be the best. It was like a drug, the feeling of trying to save, to protect, to bring in hope. His heart was in it now, more than ever. The game ended a half hour later with his team coming out on top one point ahead. Ryder met Brady at the edge of the field when the game ended. Brady wasn't upset the others didn't show up once more, he knew only something important would take them away.

As it was, he couldn't help but smile sheepishly under Ryder's gaze as he approached. "I saw what you did," Ryder commented, holding out his hand for Brady's sports bag. Brady handed it over and looked up at his father, waiting for the grounding. Instead, Ryder reached out his hand and ruffled his son's hair. "I'm proud of you." Brady smiled then looked at Ryder curiously when he tightened his grasp on his son's head. "Don't ever do that in front of me again."

That time, Brady did laugh. He nodded and followed Ryder to his car on the other side of the field. The side the robber hadn't managed to get to. He climbed into the passenger seat and buckled out, letting out a long sigh as he stretched out. He picked up his phone and composed a text to send to his friends in STAR Labs. It was better they knew what happened from him before they heard about it on the news. And it'd show up on the news one way or another.

It was moronic, he supposed, having had run out there without anything that would conceal his identity. He could only hope his powers allowing him to blend in with his surroundings made it harder to be detected. Aunt Caitlin's so going to lecture me, Brady thought as Ryder pulled back from the parking space and drove at top speed out of the lot, tires squealing as he went.

Fatigue struck Brady all at once. From the game, from the realization of what would've happened had he not had control of his powers, putting other people in danger, not having any questions answered…all of it wiped him out more than he was used to.

"Do I have to do my homework when I get back?" He mumbled. It was the last thing he wanted to do. The thought of even picking up a pencil made his arms feel weighted down at his sides. "I just want to sleep." As if to prove it, his eyelids fluttered, forcing him to keep his eyes wide open. "Dad?"

Ryder didn't response. Brady looked over at his father, surprised to find his father's eyes started to close, head lolling towards his chest. "Dad?" Brady's stomach dropped when he felt the car start to move to the side, shifting towards the car that was keeping speed with them. "Dad!"

At that, Ryder jumped head shooting back up. His eyes widened, he looked back at the road, holding onto the steering wheel tightly. He swallowed hard, staring at the car that beeped loudly and sped up to get out of the way. Then he glanced at Brady, who looked back at him with an expression of concern and flashed a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay, buddy," Ryder said. He cleared his throat, shifting himself in his seat, moved it closer to the steering wheel. Stared straight at the road before him. "Sorry about that, I'm just a little tired is all."

"I know the feeling." Brady smiled.

But he still felt ill at ease.

Barry threw himself over the side of the building, bringing his legs up to clear the low railing. He allowed himself to free fall for a few seconds before lowered his feet and propelled himself down the face of the building. He chugged away, pelting down the face of the building and careened across the street. There was a sudden plume of smoke that appeared in front of him. Time slowed down around Barry. He dragged his heels to slow himself down.

At that moment, Cadence appeared in front of him, swinging a fist towards his head. Barry bent back out of the way. In slow motion, he watched her fist arch overhead, throwing her off balance. Barry took the chance to shift his weight back and he took off in the opposite direction. Everything blurred around him once more and Barry continued to run as fast as he could. Cadence—literally—was hot on his heels as she ran after him.

They arched back and forth around the city with Cadence chasing after Barry, trying and failing to get a tag on him. Every time she came close, Barry would quickly change directions. It was his advantage against her, he knew every street of Central City like the back of his hand. At a moment's notice, he could change directions, ducking down a side alley, maneuvering around dumpsters and trash cans that got in his way.

Crash!

"Jesus, Barry!"

Skidding to a stop, Barry turned around and burst out laughing when he saw Cadence peeling herself off the side of the dumpster she ran straight into. Blood gushed down her nose, almost masking the disgruntled look that came across her face. Almost. She brought her hand back to her nose as it stopped bleeding.

"This isn't funny."

Barry continued to laugh, bringing his arms up to wrap around his stomach. "I'm sorry, Cade, but it looks like you were squished by a fly swatter." He wiped tears away from his eyes, continuing to giggle quietly. He looked at her again, noticing the bright red spot on her forehead, and laughed once more. He stopped abruptly when he saw the flicker of flames rush through Cadence's eyes.

One laugh too many.

He turned on his heel and started to run once more, with Cadence right behind him. In seconds they made it to the Missouri border and kept running. Cadence charged forward and leapt atop of Barry's back. She wrapped her legs around his chest and leaned forward. His aerodynamics were thrown off and Barry started to tilt forward. He wind-milled his arms to keep from falling forward but didn't move fast enough. He crashed hard on his front, giving Cadence the chance to flip him over. With her hand on his chest, she punched him down as hard as he could.

"Gah!" The wind immediately flew out of him, Barry felt the broken asphalt dig into his back. Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy. He flipped back to his feet only to receive a high kick to the underside of his jaw. Stars exploded in front of Barry's eyes and he stumbled back, giving Cadence enough time to flip over onto her hand. She balanced her weight on her palm and flicked her legs up, kicking Barry atop his head.

Cadence chucked, bending herself to a running stance. "Tag," she called before taking off, leaving a trail of smoke behind her. Barry turned his head to the side and spit, leaving a bit of blood on the ground. With one step, he started after her.

Las Vegas, San Francisco—where they ran across the Golden Gate bridge, Portland, Helena, and Bismarck whizzed by as they ran. Nothing but colorless blurs. Then they crossed over the Canadian border into Winnipeg, Manitoba. The providence was filled with a blanket of snow that melted and re-froze into rapid foot-steps as the speedster and fire meta-humans raced by. Snowflakes pelted them at high speeds, melting before it reached them, dropping to the ground like raindrops before freezing. And still they ran. Ottawa was next, New York, Atlanta, Topeka, Metropolis, then all the way back into Central City and into STAR Labs.

The moment her feet landed on a practice mat, Cadence turned and threw up a wall of fire that stopped Barry in his tracks. He felt the heat of the flames singe the hair off his arm before he was able to stop. Best way to put out a fire? Take out the oxygen. Barry immediately started to windmill his arms, this time in reverse. As he did so, he sucked the air from the room and from the fire that stretched in front of him. Unfortunately, Cadence expected him to use the tactic and adjusted accordingly. Jumping up, she flipped backwards, using a snapping of her arms for momentum. Her feet came down, striking Barry atop the head with the toes of each of her feet. Landing gracefully, she arched around and created fire between her hands. This time the flames were narrowed, condensed and with a wide sweep of her arm, threw them towards Barry.

Barry ducked out of the way and realized, in a second, the small fire blades weren't she had created. No, they were missiles. And as Barry moved, the missiles followed him, twisting and twirling with each other as they arched towards him. "That's new," he muttered under his breath. Barry stared to run, not even at top speed, as he worked to figure out the best way to get them to knock each other out.

More fire just means that they'd grow bigger, he thought as he ran. I can't negate them with more fire. Then Barry made his second mistake. He took his eyes off the fire missiles and didn't see them combine into a large whip that Cadence threw. It wrapped around Barry's legs, slamming them together, making him fall to his front. Barry hissed, feeling the flames burn into his skin.

"You ready to give up?" Cadence called.

Barry rolled to his back. "Not yet," he replied. He vibrated quickly, passing through the fire that looped around his legs. But he didn't stop there, no, he vibrated fast enough to create two speed mirages of himself. At the same time, the three got to their feet and encircled Cadence, who frowned, clenching her hands into fists. The three Barry's started to run, generating electricity as they did so. Cadence's hair billowed up around her, she brought up her arms to shield her face.

A smirk came to Barry's face. Just as he wanted her to do. He came to a stop and threw a lightning bolt. The other two Barry's did the same before disappearing. He slowed down enough that he wasn't creating the other two. They were no longer needed. Cadence flipped out of the way of the first two bolts of lightning while the third struck the wall behind her.

"Is that it?" She challenged. Then the cocky expression on her face changed as her hand was lifted into the air. The ring on her pinkie finger to be exact. "Ahh!" Lifted off her feet, Cadence flew across the floor and crashed into the wall behind her, hanging by her hand, which appeared to be glued to the wall.

Just as he expected. The electricity he created in the arc of lightning manipulated the magnetism of the wall to the metal her ring was made of. As he had her incapacitated, Barry sped to Cadence's side. With a lift of his eyebrows and a jovial smile, he shuffled his legs back and forth as fast as he could. An air of smugness enveloped Barry. He laid his hand flat on the wall. Cadence squealed in pain when the static shock ran through the wall, to her ring, and through her body.

"Okay! Okay!" Cadence cried. Barry removed his hand from the wall and folded his arms, smiling smugly up at her. Cadence glared back at him and said, voice dripping with defeat, "You win."

Laughing, Barry backed away and grabbed onto Cadence's waist, gently peeling her away from the wall. When she was back on solid ground, he folded his arms once more, leaning in to press his forehead against hers. He was so enjoying this. "And?" he prompted.

Cadence rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "And we can have pizza for dinner."

"Yes!" Barry cheered. He gave Cadence a peck on the lips before backing away, punching the air. He spun in a quick circle of victory before stopping and smiling sheepishly at Cisco and Caitlin, who watched the two with unamused expressions on their faces.

"All that just to figure out what you want to have for dinner?" Caitlin asked. She sighed, shaking her head. "I guess there are worse ways to make a decision. And it did come with a show." She stood up and motioned towards the medical bay. "Let me check out your nose, Cade."

Reaching up a hand, Cadence gingerly touched the tip of her nose, flattening it with her finger. If she expected a pocket of blood to spill out, it didn't "My nose is fine, thanks." It had already healed when they were out in the field. Still, it never hurt to get a second opinion. Cadence brought her hands up and rested them atop her head. "Even better now that we're having pizza. I don't think Deity wants any more chances to try to cook before she blows everything up." She dropped down into an open seat at the computer and pulled her legs up.

"How's she handling things over here?" Caitlin asked. She came back from the medical bay with a first aid kit and sat next to Cadence. She opened the kit and started to look through it, hoping to find something that would at least remove the blood crusted around her nostrils. "Since Kara left, I mean?"

"As fine as could be expected," Cadence said.

"There's still too much that's haunting her," Barry said, running a hand over his face. "There's this…look she gets…when she gets in her head too much. She's trying to keep busy but…" He thought for a moment. "All she needs is time."

"Coming from you, that's funny," Cisco said with a light laugh. Barry gave him an unamused look and he held up his hands, propelling his seat away from Barry with a few steps of his feet over the floor. "Just kidding man, we're still cool. I'm just saying…time can be a dick sometimes."

Barry laughed quietly while Caitlin rolled her eyes, mouthing a quiet 'ignore him' above Cisco's head. As crass as it was, it was something Barry had always wanted to say. Time was a dick. Wasted time, too much time, too little time…time heals all wounds…And even when you had the time, it was never enough. It'd been almost twenty years since his mother died and time hadn't healed that wound for him. It would take time before that wound was healed for Deity.

Even with the Dominators gone, he knew there were things about that fight that still haunted her. Could tell from the way she reacted to them in the first place. But he wasn't to know until Cadence could say something. His curious, scientific side was dying to know, dying to figure out the pieces that fit in the puzzle to make the clear picture. The human side of him knew pushing was the worst thing that could happen. When he was pushed too far, he consistently ran away, Deity had already run to their Earth, where else could she run to?

"Yeah, well, what's more pressing is finding this glass meta," Barry pointed out. He turned to face the computers that sat in front of him. "Do we have anything new on him?" They'd been debriefed on the meta that Brady and Leah had come across after stopping their own multi-criminal high-speed chase that took them from Central City to Keystone and back. "Any camera footage?"

Cisco tapped a few keys on his keyboard, eyes moving around the different news feeds that came up. Then he leaned over and opened the bottom cabinet next to him and unwrapped a lollipop, seamlessly sticking into his mouth. "Not yet," he said, once getting one good lick of the treat. "But you'd be hard pressed to find some good footage from there, anyway?"

"What?"

Cisco gave him a look. "Do you want to be the creeper that takes videos of little kids? It'd give an entirely different name to The Flash."

At that exact moment, Barry caught Cadence's eye and he managed to get a half rotation of his eyes before she threw her head back and laughed hysterically. Within that split second, he knew exactly what she thought of. When they'd traveled to Kara's Earth on accident, training to get faster than Zoom, they'd run into Kara's boss, Cat Grant, who worked to find out the names for his and Cadence's superhero alter-egos once they arrived.

"No, not sidekicks." Barry quickly spoke up. "More like equals, or allies. Even partners, maybe," Barry said with a smile. When he saw Cat's glare, his smile immediately faded. "Speaking was the wrong choice, I see that now," he muttered, twiddling his thumbs.

Cat didn't respond to him. Instead, she glanced at all the faces lined up in front of her. "Look at all of you standing there doing nothing, you look like the imagined cast of some nobody's fanfiction who has no idea what to do with half of you," she drawled. Then she looked pointedly at Barry and Cadence. "You two. Who are you?"

"Barry," he said quickly, nervously. "Barry Allen." He motioned to Cadence, who finger-waved back to the media mogul. "And she's Cadence Nash."

Cat blinked and abruptly turned away. She didn't care much for these newcomers. "I don't have time for this. I have to name these new heroes." She tilted her head. "For the masked one I was thinking about 'The Whoosh' or 'The Red Streak' or 'The Blur'."

Barry cringed. So many nicknames he'd had and had heard since before The Flash caught on. And he didn't like any of them. The Scarlet Speedster was cool, but all those other ones…it was no wonder Cisco liked trying to name metas so much. Some pretty bad names could get in and catch on before anyone could stop them. Plus, he was quite partial to the one he already had.

"And as for goggles here..." Cat tapped her finger against her chin. "How about 'Flash Fire' or 'Heat Wave' maybe even 'Glow Stick'."

"NO!" Cadence couldn't help her outburst. Barry thought the ones he had were bad. She could kill Cisco for even coming up with some of them in the first place. Glow Stick? Come on, who would take a superhero named Glow Stick seriously? Well, she thought. Brady probably would. It'd be up his alley with his video games and comic books. But Glow Stick? Really? "I mean." She smiled sheepishly, trying to regain her composure. "I was thinking Flare would be a pretty good name."

Cat tilted her head in thought. She was silent for a long moment before saying, "Strong, deadly, dangerous. Both hot and cute with a hint of innocence and femininity to it...Yes. I like it." Cat said as she nodded.

Cadence sighed in relief.

"And what about the Flash for the other guy," Barry quickly spoke up once he saw Cadence convince Cat of her alter ego's name. It was just that easy, right? "Just saying, I think that's a pretty cool superhero name."

"The Flash?" Cat frowned. "Sounds like someone whose only superpower is jumping out of an alley in a trench coat." From beside him, Barry could hear Cadence try to hide her snicker, turning a guffaw into a cough. "No, I want mystery, I want intrigue, I want the Blur and Flare." Cat dismissed them with a wave. "Now leave please, I have a story to write."

The second they were out of Cat's office, Cadence burst out into hysterical laughter. Barry sighed irritably, knowing he wasn't going to hear the end of this one anytime soon. Why was it that he could never get anything that he could tease her about for days to come? It wasn't fair, really.

"What's so funny?" Deity asked.

"Nothing. Just alternative Earth humor," Cadence said, wiping tears from her eyes. With her mascara starting to run, she looked like a dripping oil painting. "Oh God, I can't wait to tell the others about that one."

"Please don't," Barry pleased.

Cadence grasped his shoulder, leaning into him with a teasing smile. "It's alright, Tholly, it'll be our little secret."

"Just another one to add to the list I guess," He said with a smile.

"It's not funny," he reminded her. But Cadence continued to laugh. "Well, I guess it's not so bad that we didn't have footage from it." Caitlin spoke his exact thought, "The less chance that Brady and Leah were seen by anyone."

"That doesn't mean much for who we're going after, though," Cadence pointed out. "Are we looking for a criminal who is into antique glasses to steal? A petty criminal?" She let out a frustrated sigh. "And, of course, figuring out where this person was during the Particle Accelerator explosion. If he was even there."

That was the other part Barry didn't want to think about. Whether or not the meta was from their Earth or another Earth. Earth-2 specifically. They still had ties to it, every now and then Barry got flashes into Earth-2 Barry's life. Nothing too interesting, he continued to work on his cases. But metahumans and criminals were still a thing there and there was always a chance of more of them crossing over. Not to mention, this guy may be one of Alchemy's work.

"Do you really think Alchemy has something to do with it?" Cisco asked, as if reading Barry's thoughts. He moved his lollipop to the other side of his mouth with his tongue, clicking it against his teeth. He glanced at Barry. "Do you remember seeing anything about it over in Flashpoint?"

Barry shook his head. A black suited speedster, a yellow suited speedster, and a homicidal speedster, sure. He didn't remember anything about anyone with the power to manipulate glass. That was something he certainly would've remembered. Instead, Barry shook his head and said, "Well, looks like we'll have to start from the ground floor. See if there were any cameras that caught his face and run facial recognition."

"You got it," Caitlin agreed, firing up the program on her computer. She looked over as Cadence's phone buzzed with a text and grabbed it to hand to her friend. Her eyebrows rose as she glanced at the screen when passing it over. "Is it possible to get texts from the future?"

Cisco nodded. "I know you try to make jokes, Caitlin, but sometimes you should leave them to me."

With a raise of her eyebrows, Cadence waved her phone in Cisco's face. "She's not joking, this text says it's from the future." She looked at the screen. "Blocked number, too." She slid her finger across the screen to open it.

A strangled cry escaped Cisco's lips. "You're actually going to open it? It could be spam or malware."

"Or a telemarketer that I could mess with," Cadence reminded him. A large grin came to her face. "You have no idea how much I loved freaking people out when I was a medical examiner. I wasn't used to how quiet my phone was." She opened the text and turned her phone to the side, realizing it was a photo attachment. Her eyes squinted, and she looked closer.

"So, what is it?" Cisco asked with a hair of impatience. "Don't leave us in suspense."

"I'm not sure, it's kind of blurry." Cadence held the picture closer to her face while Caitlin leaned over her shoulder to get a good look. "It's kind of pink and looks like…" Cadence pinched her fingers on the screen and zoomed in and out a few times. Everything slammed into focus. Together, Cadence and Caitlin both let out yelping screams before Cadence laughed uproarisly while Caitlin turned her red face away.

"What?" Tired of being left out of the loop, Barry grabbed the phone. "What is it?" He held it in his hand while Cisco looked, then the two had the same response as Cadence and Caitlin, screaming and turning the phone away from them. "Is that…is that…?"

"Yes!" Cadence cried, confirming Barry's suspicions. Then he frowned, not quite liking how much mirth his girlfriend was finding in the situation. "It's a penis! Mick sent me a picture of his penis." She grabbed her phone back from Barry and scrolled down through the text and read off, "Just to say you're welcome, Princess."

"Why would he send you that?" Caitlin squeaked.

"It's Mick, he doesn't make any sense." Cadence thought for a moment, tapping her phone against her chin. "Well, I did thank him for helping me when the Dominators blast knocked me out but…I wasn't quite think that's what I'd get in return. A hawked computer, maybe. But not that."

"This brings new meaning to the nickname, 'Mick the dick'," Cisco said, bringing in a fresh round of laughter from Cadence while Caitlin and Barry continued to shake their heads. He thought back to the blocked number. "Must Be a burner phone." Then he sat up straight. "That means this is the first instance of a message from the future. Other than the one Barry sent, of course, but this a text, a modern-day technology from the future. Oh, I have to figure out how this worked."

Barry scowled at him. "I'm glad you all find this so funny." It was the least bit funny as far as he was concerned. He didn't want anyone sending unsolicited pictures to his girlfriend, let alone people like Mick. Barry's cell phone then vibrated, sending a fresh wave of fear over him. "If this is Mick…" he mumbled, expecting to find some sort of middle fingered salute he was expected to respond to. Then his eyebrows came together when he read the sender.

Julian: Can you come to the hospital. We need to talk.

"Hey, uh, I've got to go," Barry murmured, looking at his phone. What was it that Julian wanted? He'd punched his co-worker hard enough that a concussion had to be evident. A concussion big enough to knock out his memory of Caitlin and Killer Frost. Maybe knock out his attitude a little. Still, Barry couldn't ignore the trepidation that washed over him. "Julian's asked for me to see him."

"Is everything okay?" Caitlin asked, voice growing soft. Barry could see the fear in her eyes and reassured her with a nod and a calming smile.

"I'm sure everything's fine. But I'll see you guys later, call me as soon as you find anything." With that, Barry streaked to the hospital and up to Julian's room. He stopped right inside the hospital, propelling himself into the elevator before the doors closed. Thankfully, no one else had caught it when he slipped inside. Barry composed himself as he rode the elevator up to the visitor wing.

When the doors dinged open, he nearly walked into Detective Patterson, who cast him a dismissive glance as he walked by. "Oh, it's you Allen," he remarked. "Don't you ever work?" His voice dripped with sarcasm that wasn't lost on Barry.

As fast as he was, as much work as he could get in a short time frame, there was always something more important that came up, making him leave the CCPD. Singh got on him all the time about it, enough so Barry was running out of excuses. Detective Patterson, on the other hand, was a shark. A shark that could smell the tiniest amount of blood in the water and he had his beady eyes zeroed in on Barry.

"I haven't heard that one before," Barry said, mimicking Detective Patterson's tone.

"What are you doing here, Allen?"

"I, uh, came to see that Julian was okay," Barry explained. He quickly fell in step with Detective Patterson as they headed down the winding hallways. He tried not to get a good look at those sitting in beds of the rooms he passed. He'd seen too many people he cared about end up in the hospital as of late, reminded of when he was there for a short period of time after his mother died. "He is doing okay, right?"

"Okay enough to give a witness statement," Detective Patterson replied. "We've had to wait until he was of sound mind and health to ask him more questions from the night The Flash and that ice woman attacked him."

Barry winced. He hadn't attacked Julian. Just knocked him out enough to talk to Caitlin. "Well, I don't think The Flash would ever actually attack anyone. Just…someone who's doing something wrong. A criminal…"

"Then why did he not attack the woman that attacked Julian?" Detective Patterson demanded. Barry closed his mouth, unsure of how to respond. "He's supposed to be one of justice and hope in this city but let her get away? What peace of mind does that bring to the citizens who are scared?"

Stumped, Barry opened and closed his mouth, quiet sounds escaping his lips. Detective Patterson merely grunted and continued to Julian's room. Barry spotted his name on the clipboard hanging at the end of the hall and grabbed Detective Patterson's arm. "I, uh, I was just, uh, wondering if I could talk to Julian. You know, before you ask him some more questions. We're, uh, kind of close and I was hoping he's okay."

"You already said that."

"Well, okay, since the alien invasion. That was…that was sure strange wasn't it? And alien invasion? Who, uh, who would've thought, right?" Barry laughed nervously, unable to keep himself from talking. Nevertheless, it seemed to make Detective Patterson want to get rid of Barry enough to wave him into the room. Barry nodded his thanks and slipped into the hospital room.

Julian stood by the window, holding his gown closed with one hand behind him, the other resting on the window sill as he looked down over Central City. He must've seen Barry's reflection in the glass as he didn't turn around when Barry entered.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Julian sated. "Or if you'd even show up at all, honestly. Word around the CCPD is that you've disappeared when that invasion was going on. Not that I'm surprise, you do have a history of strange disappearances."

Barry licked his lips, lowering his gaze to the floor. He wasn't going to take the bait. "How're you doing, Julian?"

"Doctor says I have a slight concussion and frostbite that I'm getting over," Julian replied. He turned to face Barry, leaning on the window sill. "Should be out of the hospital by tomorrow."

"I bet you're excited."

"The word isn't bloody strong enough, mate."

"Well, I'm glad you're going to be alright."

Something flickered in Julian's eyes that Barry couldn't quite place. Something dark that washed over his skin, making him stand up straighter than he already had been. "As much as I appreciate your outburst of enthusiasm, I think we both know why you're here?"

Barry's face screwed up. What was that supposed to mean? Julian had asked him to come and he came. He hated the guy, but didn't hate him enough to ignore a trip to the hospital. That would be cruel. "I don't…know what you mean."

"Your friend, Caitlin Snow," Julian said slowly. He watched Barry's expression. Barry did his best not to let anything on his face show. What about Caitlin? Barry tilted his head to the side, hoping the expression of confusion he made was passable. Yet, his blood ran cold when Julian said, "She's a meta, isn't she?"

A/N: Well, I think these guys deserved a little bit of a break, some time for things to slow down with them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, there was enough downtime and action moments for them that I felt it may as well as have half of a Flash episode. Lol. What did you think of last night's ep?

From myself and PowerHero432 thank you for all the feedback on our co-write of the crossover. We're so glad that you enjoyed it so much and it means a lot that there were moments that stuck out for you to enjoy which his always our goal.

Also, don't forget to check out my sister's Flash story Out of Focus, the sequel to In as Flash. It's on chapter five so not much needed to catch up on until you're up to speed. I may be a little biased, but it's great. So, check it out.

Please remember to review; any feedback helps me become a better writer and motivates me to write more. I respond to every review, even anonymous ones.

Cheers,

-Riley

Review Replies

Guest: So glad you enjoyed it!

Ethan: Yep, all of Brady's little jabs so far have been that he's becoming impatient that Barry hasn't proposed to Cadence yet. Yep, now all we need to see if 'cheerleader-Cade'. And yes, it's a cue to the Selena Gomez song. It should be up soon.

DarkHelm145: I'm so excited for the mid-season, you have no idea.

Jason Hunter and Guest: I don't watch Supergirl unless it has something to do with a crossover/crossover episode. To that extent, no I did not base the Breathtaker Cadence fight off Supergirl and Reign. My inspiration for fight scenes come from Avengers, X-Men, the video game Kingdom Hearts, and my own mind. Though since you did mention it I went to see the scene you were talking about and it is similar. Just a lucky coincidence I suppose. If it does become an issue, I'll re-work it. To that extent, I will not be writing Supergirl season 3 for anything other than the crossover portions. For the questions about Supergirl and Deity vs. Reign, please direct them to PowerHero.

Noblecrescent: Plenty of more Caitlin stuff coming and I hope you liked what I did with Mick here. ;) lol.

Luna: I agree, the focus on Cisco was very much needed and very fun to write as well.

Spinquin142: I'm still working out how everything with Grodd will go, but I do already have some plans working for the mid-season finale portion.