23

Will You?

Cadence's eyes fluttered open seconds before a splitting headache came to her. With a groan, she reached up and pressed her fingers against her temples. Weren't her healing powers supposed to make it that she didn't get a hangover? Or at least make my life easier. The second the thought crossed her mind, she felt her headache slowly starting to fade away, making her sigh in relief, hand dropping to the mattress beneath her.

It was then she heard a low chuckle. Cadence flipped over and noticed Barry propped up on his side of the bed, glasses perched atop his nose. He turned a page of Ready Player One and read for a few moments. Then his eyes shifted aside, noticing his girlfriend's glare. "I'm, uh, I'm just laughing at the book," he explained, gently shaking it to prove his point. "It's really funny. Uh, the main character, Wade—he reminds me a bit of Cisco actually, and he—"

A snort escaped Cadence's lips. "You know I can always tell when you're being less than truthful."

"Can you always tell when I'm about to laugh, too?" Barry managed to get out before laughing loudly. Cadence winced and turned her head away. Her powers hadn't cured her from being completely hungover yet, and his laughter being that loud that close made her want to smother him. Finally regaining his composure, Barry marked his spot in the book and faced her completely. "I'm sorry, Cay." He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "How're you feeling?" He asked the question with the right amount of sympathy to his voice. Cadence, however, still wanted to smack him, hearing the laughter that rumbled just beneath the sympathy.

Just because he couldn't get drunk…

"I'll feel like a million bucks once I get over this hangover," Cadence replied. She reached up to rub the sleep from her eyes. Finally, she sat up, holding the covers to her naked skin and said, "I'm assuming this is one of the times you're glad you can't get drunk."

"You have no idea," Barry agreed. The amused smile came back to his face, eyes flashing behind the lenses of his glasses. "Captain Singh got totally plastered. And Joe, too. It's the only time I can remember seeing Joe get drunk." He thought for a moment. "Other than Iris's graduation from high school. But it was great."

"Huh." Cadence brushed her hair from her shoulders. "I didn't think it was possible for Captain Singh to do anything but frown, glare, and bark orders."

"You haven't seen him do karaoke either."

"Aww. I missed that?" Cadence pouted and shoved him on the shoulder. "Sounds like you had a good time."

Barry shrugged, his smile turning playful. He reached out and gently stroked Cadence's cheek, making her smile a smile that lit up her entire face. "I had more fun when I got home."

Cadence's smile turned to a smirk as she gestured to herself. "I think I'm proof of that, Tholly."

"Just a little."

She laughed and turned the other way, grabbing her clothes from the floor. Once dressed, she pulled her hair back. It took a moment for her to notice Barry still watching her. "What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just…you were tossing and turning a lot. And it didn't seem like it was from the hangover."

Cadence shrugged. "Guess, I didn't sleep very well."

"Did you have the nightmare again?"

She paused, thinking hard about her nightmare. She didn't remember much about it, a lot of darkness and an overwhelming feeling of despair. Nothing too out of the ordinary for a nightmare. The lack of being able to remember it was what worried her the most. "I don't remember," she said finally. She quickly changed the subject. "We had a good time, too." Barry's casual remark of 'I can see that' earned another slap, this time to his chest, making Barry cry out in pain and Cadence to crack up into hysterical laughter at the sound of her hand hitting his bare skin. "I didn't know Rob was so fun. There's always a fun one in every couple and I wasn't quite sure who it was in this one. Rob seemed uptight at first."

Barry lifted an eyebrow. He couldn't imagine anyone thinking Captain Singh being the fun one in a couple. The man he knew and worked with? No. The man he knew for years and could let loose outside of work? Maybe. And from what Barry remembered of Captain Singh's drunken ramblings from the bachelor party, he was more than excited to be able to cheat his diet a little bit—claiming Rob was a bit of a dictator.

"But he was ready and willing to do anything we suggested," Cadence said. She ran a hand through her hair, laughing all over again. "Even to go bowling! It took some time for Caitlin to loosen up, but I think we finally got her there." Barry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Cadence quickly explained, "I think it reminded her of what she could've had with Ronnie."

"Oh." With that, Barry reached out and wrapped an arm around Cadence's waist, pulling her over so that she sat between his legs, back pressed against his chest. He rested his chin on her shoulder, lowering his voice to a murmur. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be hard. She seemed okay being invited to go."

"Well, let's be honest." Cadence dropped her hands to lay atop his. "Cisco practically bugged Captain Singh to death to get an invite." She could feel Barry smile behind her. "I mean, STAR Labs has helped on more cases as of late. He can't ignore that, so it's only fair they're invited to go, too."

"But you think it'll be too hard for her? Caitlin, I mean."

"No, I think she's fine, now. She seemed excited when we left last night. But she was as drunk as I was, so that's probably not saying much." Cadence laughed along with Barry, snuggling back against him. She may as well take advantage of the time they had before the whirlwind of the day started. Everyone at the precinct had been gearing up for Captain Singh's wedding the past week; planning his and Rob's bachelor parties, making sure all the reservations were still intact, getting their gifts in, counting down the days.

The CCPD truly was a family and the week leading up to the wedding certainly proved that. Even Captain Singh couldn't handle the excitement, coming into work with a bigger smile as each day passed. Talking about what the couple had planned for the reception; the food, the music, the decorations. (That was when he wasn't constantly asking Joe if he still had the suits safe and sound, Barry if he knew what they were going to do for the Bachelor party, and Cadence to know if the flowers would arrive on time). Of course, the only time his smile faded was when a call came in.

Once the case was finished, Captain Singh was back to smiling. As excited as the CCPD was for Captain Singh, they hoped the smile remained long after the wedding and their honeymoon. He deserved to have a good chunk of time stress free. Though that wasn't to be said for them. With Chief Paulson and Joe substituting his place while he was gone on his honeymoon, things should continue to run smoothly.

As smoothly as they can when you know he still hates meta, Cadence thought of Chief Paulson. Subconsciously, she tightened her grasp on Barry's hands, not able to imagine what life would be life if they had to register, if, somehow, they were found out and had to be locked away. Not only for her own selfish reasons—that she couldn't imagine any of her friends and family being tortured like that—but of what state the city would be left in, what would happen when their identities were finally revealed for those that didn't know.

For the next hour they enjoyed he quiet time they had with each other; Barry reading Ready Player One aloud to her while she listened quietly. Cadence smiled as she snuggled against Barry, glad he wasn't complaining about the excess body heat she was putting off as he playfully did every now and then. Things had been stressful since the team had fought Savitar and, if she were being honest, she was a little worried about Barry. Something about that battle left him rattled, almost a former shell of himself.

He jumped at sudden, loud sounds and stared off into space longer than usual. Cadence was usually the last one to bed but found her beating him there as he stayed up for hours on end, doing who knows what. Every half hour she'd call out to ask if he were coming to bed nd he'd always say he'd be there in five minutes before the cycle would start all over again. He went on more patrols by himself, trained more, often pushing himself further and harder than he'd ever done before, snapping at HR, Cisco, and Caitlin when they tried to get him to take a break. He'd immediately apologize, but it was evident something had changed with him.

Cadence's thoughts were ripped from Barry's plight when he pressed a gentle kiss to her neck, playing with her fingers. A low hum escaped Cadence's lips and she reached up, running her hand over his face. "You really need to shave, Tholly," She teased. "You know how brides don't want anyone else to wear white to their weddings? I don't think Captain Singh would want anyone else to have as big a beard there, either."

"You weren't complaining about it before," Barry commented, spinning her ring around her pinkie finger, staring intently at it.

"You weren't scratching the hell out of my shoulder before," Cadence said. She pushed his head back and scratched at her reddened skin. "Not to say I don't like it, Tholly. Just that it's not really you. You're more—"

"—Babyfaced?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, I've just been hearing it my entire life. It's like a reflex to think of it first."

"Okay, well think of being in your suit. That cowl's not going to fit very well." Cadence leaned her head back and smiled up at Barry. "I hate to tell you this, but Flash hasn't been looking very good lately."

Barry's eyebrows twitched upwards, eyes flashing with mischief. "Well, I hate to tell you, but I think Flare is a psychopath."

"Oh really?"

"Really." Barry nodded. "And I think it's only a matter of time until she decides to blow herself and STAR Labs up."

The corner of Cadence's mouth turned up. "Well, that wouldn't be too bad. It'd be good incentive for you to fix the roof on the damn place. How many more times do you want it to rain inside? I mean, I don't mind watching Cisco and Caitlin freak out, but that must be getting boring."

"Oh, so you got jokes huh?" Barry started to dig his fingers into her ribs and stomach, using his powers to do it at rapid speeds. Cadence burst out into giggles, making Barry laugh as well before leaning in for a kiss that was more passionate than the others.

They were so lost in each other, taking advantage of the few times they had to themselves, that the only thing to break the moment was Cadence's cell phone ringing out an alarm. She leaned back to reach her phone, giggling once more when Barry leaned with her, not wanting to break the kiss, and picked up her phone. She glanced at the time then sighed.

"You've got to get going or you'll be late to meet Joe and the others," she said, wiggling from his grasp.

Barry let out a grudging sigh and rolled off the bed. He scratched at the large scar on his chest, that ended just above the waistband of his sweats and glanced at her. "Are you still hungover?" He asked her.

"I don't know. Let me see." Cadence pushed the blankets down from her legs and stood up. She bounced a few times in the middle of the bed, before leaping high, throwing her arms overhead, and did a solid back-tuck, landing cleanly on her feet. Using both hands, she pushed her hair back from her face and grinned, throwing a wink. "Yeah, I think I'm good."

"Show off."

"I know." Cadence made a show of throwing her hair over her shoulder as she fluttered her eyelashes. "It's one of my better qualities." Barry held out his hands for her to take to jump down from the bed. Cadence handed them to her, but instead of lowering her to the floor, he draped her arms around his shoulders and angled his head up for another kiss. Cadence turned her head away. "Sorry, Mr. Groomsman, but you're going to be late."

"Mmm." Barry reached out and gently pulled the strap of her tank-top aside to look at her bra. "I can risk it." He leaned in but Cadence leaned back out of the way, holding her hand over his mouth.

"Barry Allen, this wedding is not something I'm going to let you be late for! You need to leave!"

Barry looked amused, pushing her hand away. "Is that an order?" He asked. He folded his arms and looked at her with equal parts curiosity and amusement. "Are you giving me an order?"

"Yes, it is, and yes, I am," Cadence replied. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned toward him, trying to look intimidating without the use of her powers. "You may be the boss of Team Flash but in this relationship, I'm the boss." She pointed to herself then pressed her finger against his forehead. "And I'm telling you to go."

Chuckling, Barry ducked his head away from her hand, giving her the chance to run her fingers through her hair before gently caressing his cheek. Barry turned his cheek into her palm, eyes shining with nothing but love. "Yes, ma'am." Barry leaned in and gave her a quick peck. Then another and another before he grabbed the sides of her face and gave her a long kiss.

"Barry," Cadence mumbled against his lips. "You're acting like you're going off to war. We're not the ones getting married. You'll see me before, during, and after the wedding. Now go."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away from her, giving him a slap on the butt when he turned to do as he was told. He blasted through the room to gather his things, took a shower, got dressed, and left the apartment. Cadence hoped down from the bed and descended the steps to go to Brady's room.

She paused at the bottom of the steps, glancing at the kitchen as she went to move past and found it already filled with steaming plates of food. "Barry!" Cadence called in slight exasperation. He was spoiling her a bit too much. Honestly, it was starting to worry her a bit. He showered her with gifts and attention; not that she didn't appreciate it, but he hardly gave her the chance to return the favor. Almost like he were trying to make up for something.

Cadence's lips pursed as a streak of wind shot through the kitchen, a Post-It note being placed in her hand when it passed. She looked down at the note reading You're Welcome, ;). Crumpling it in her fist she called out again, "I didn't say 'thank you'."

She continued to her son's room and knocked on the door before ducking her head inside. "Brady?" She called. A soft snore was the response. Cadence walked inside and over to her son's bed, finding him a large lump under the blankets. "Bud, time to wake up."

Brady made another snoring sound and pulled his blankets tighter over himself muttering, "Go away." Cadence glanced towards the ceiling, knowing she should've just gone straight to waking him up instead of trying to coax him out of it. Since he hit his growth spurt he's always sleeping she thought, leaning over her son. Cadence pulled back his blankets to uncover his head then pressed a finger to his left eyelid, pulling it open. Payback. "C'mon, Brady." Then she pulled the other one open. "Let's go."

She did it a few times before Brady finally stirred, squeezing his eyes shut. "Okay, okay, I'm awake." He ran the heels of his palms over his eyes. "I'm awake. You can stop." With a groan, Brady ducked his head. "I'm awake!" Cadence leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of his head, making Brady hunch even further. When she leaned back, Brady glared at his mother. "You can be so annoying sometimes."

"I learn from the best, bud."

Brady grabbed his phone and glanced at the time. He dropped back onto his pillow with a roll of his eyes. "Did you have to get me up so early? The wedding isn't until this afternoon."

"We have to patrol the city."

"Why can't Barry do it?" Brady rolled to his back and continued to blink up at his mother, working the sleep away.

"He's a groomsman. He has to help Captain Singh," Cadence explained patiently.

"Oh yeah." Brady's voice was clipped. His eyes shifted aside at the mention of Barry's name. Cadence looked at her son curiously. She thought Barry had been acting funny since the fight with Savitar, but Brady had been as well. She'd noticed his impatience with Barry when he made the comment about not being his dad, but it seemed to grow worse since then.

Cadence took a deep breath. Then immediately hated herself for doing it. What did she have to steady herself for? It wasn't a difficult conversation to have, she and Brady were always open and honest with each other. Admittedly, she didn't always like to hear his honesty just like he didn't always like to hear hers. The times he'd said she hated her never stopped hurting though she knew he only meant it in the moment. But she'd always found the best thing for them was to be honest and open.

"Look, I know you're mad about still having to go through training and not being able to—"

"—I'm not mad at that," Brady interrupted. "I understand why." He shrugged. "Savitar would probably kill me and Alchemy may take my powers away."

"Then you're a lot more mature then you're giving Barry credit for."

"Thanks." Brady smirked.

"What's been bothering you then?" Brady turned away and Cadence reached out her hand to clasp his jaw, forcing him to turn his head back around. "Not so fast, bud. I've known you long enough to know when something's on your mind."

Brady rolled his eyes again. For the second time in the most recent years, Cadence was struck by how much older Brady was getting. He was starting to get into his tween years, acting more like a teen ever day. Things had to be more than confusing, on one hand he was growing up but on the other he was being treated like a child who needed his hand held. But if he keeps rolling his eyes like that, I'm going to have to knock his eyes from his head.

"You don't have to go the cheese route to get me to talk," he remarked. "It's not you."

"And you clamming up like that isn't you," Cadence added. "Normally I can't get you to stop talking. It's one of the better and more annoying qualities you have." Brady smiled a little at her teasing. Then his smile faded, and he ran a hand through his hair, frowning when blue hair dye came off on his fingers.

"It's just…" Brady sucked in a deep breath. He lowered his chin, looked up at her through his eyelashes. "Do you ever miss the way things used to be?" He asked. "When things were normal?" He tilted his head and looked at his mother, eyes searching hers. Cadence mimicked him and tilted her head, unsure of where his comment was going. "When it was just you and me?"

Cadence blew her from her face, working hard to keep sweat from rolling into her eyes. Brady walked in circles around the kitchen, pushing along one of his toy trucks, making vrooming sound as he went. It'd been a long day, getting everything moved into the apartment and washing dishes was the last thing she wanted to do. But it had to be done. Intuitively, Cadence knew moving was going to be hard; going from Metropolis to Central City wasn't an easy feat. Doing it alone and with an almost two-year old was more difficult than she thought it'd be.

But she'd finally made enough to get them off the streets, out of a women's shelter, and into their own space. It was a small space, but a space their own. Cadence looked down when she felt something hit her ankle and smiled down at Brady, who smiled up at her.

"You having fun?" She asked.

Brady's smile widened, dimples appearing in his cheeks. Then there was the sound of the doorbell ringing. Brady looked in the direction of the sound, pointed, and looked up at his mother as he said, "Bingo!"

Chuckling, Cadence removed her hands from the water and dried them off on a nearby dishtowel. "Ding-dong," she corrected him. "It's ding-dong."

"Bingo," Brady repeated, still pointing. He stepped around the car and toddled towards the door. "I get it."

Cadence came up behind him and swung him up into her arms, making him squeal with laughter as she tickled his stomach. "Why don't we both get it?" She walked to the apartment door and peered out the peephole—finding he landlord on the front step—before opening it. "Yes?" She asked.

"Your mailbox hasn't been opened yet, but here's the mail that's been forwarded to you," the landlord explained, handing a stack to her.

Cadence felt a pang of sadness hit her chest when she recognized her home address. Her former home address. Nevertheless, she took the envelopes and thanked her landlord before closing the door. Brady took them from her hand and started to look through it. Cadence looked at one that sat atop seeing it read Nash Family. A small smile came to her face and she motioned to the name. "You see that?" She asked Brady. He looked up at her. "That's us." Brady smiled. "You don't know what I'm saying, do you?"

In response, Brady pushed all the envelopes to the floor, making Cadence laugh.

Brady flipped his hair out of his face and started to pick at his nails. "I've been thinking about it a lot, lately."

Cadence smiled sadly. She'd had the same thoughts. "Sometimes I miss it. Believe me when I say things were a lot less stressful when it was just us. When we did our homework together, when we learned how to fix the plumbing, when we thought our neighbor was a murderer." Brady laughed at the memory. They spent a little too much time watching their neighbor come and go at all hours of the night, doing weird things, until they realized he worked at night. "But then we wouldn't have the friends we have now, or have even strengthened our powers. There's a lot we would've missed out on." Cadence continued to watch her son carefully. "What brought this up?"

Brady shrugged again. "I can't tell you," he said honestly.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I can't. I promised I wouldn't." He sighed. His voice lowered to an almost whisper as he admitted, "I just don't want you to be hurt, mom."

"From what? Sharing my life with more people?" She smiled gently when Brady folded his arms and lifted an eyebrow. "I hate to break it to you, bud, but in the grand scheme of things we have a better chance of killing each other than to be killed by anyone else. And I'm not talking about our powers, I mean statistically. You learn a lot of scary things working in CPS." She eyed Brady suspiciously, placing her hands on her hips. "You're not going to club me over the head the next time I take your video games away, are you?"

"Of course not. That'd be too obvious and way too easy to trace back to me," Brady denied, his voice oozing with massive amount of 'duh'. He paused for a second. "I think I'd smother you in your sleep. You're a heavy sleeper."

"Good to know." Cadence climbed off his bed and glanced out the window down at Central City. It seemed calm now, but it was only a matter of time until something happened, and she was itching for some action. "You ready to kick some criminal butt?"

Brady nodded, a familiar glint of mischief coming to his eyes that Cadence had seen many times before. In her own. "You know it." He held out his fist. "Just have them try to stop us." Cadence smiled and bumped his fist in response. "They won't know what hit em'."

"You can use as much of the space as you want," Tess said. She led Caitlin and Iris over the threshold of the Wells household and into the living room with a sweep of her arm. "So long as you don't get anything on the piano." She gestured towards the covering over the instrument that sat to the side of the living room. "He's really protective of his instruments. Science or otherwise."

"Wow," Iris said as she looked around the spacious house. "This place is so much bigger than I thought." She let out a low whistle as she continued to spin in a slow circle. "It's no wonder STAR Labs had all the fancy technology."

"Actually, a lot of the money we got was from grants," Caitlin explained patiently, clasping her purse in front of her. Her fingers curled over the ends as she looked over the familiar house. "Not to mention partnerships we were able to procure form other technological companies and scientific ventures." She nodded towards Tess. "So far the grant we've gotten from Bruce Wayne has been working very well for us to keep up with our metahuman database as well as Cisco's inventions."

"Is he working on anything new right now?" Tess asked.

"He's working on something that'll make it easier for Barry, Brady, and Cadence to get into their suits," Caitlin explained. "He's making some headway with Brady's, it's easier since he's smaller. His suit uses less fabric and it takes up less space. Barry's and Cadence's are proving to be a bit more difficult with all the added gimmicks to their suits."

"Like the Kryptonite lining in Barry's suit," Iris pointed out.

"Exactly."

Tess chuckled to herself as she left the living room to go into the kitchen. She came back out carrying a few glasses of champagne to hand out to the young women. "I don't mean to laugh," she apologized. "But I couldn't help but notice that you don't talk much about anything but work when you're away from work."

"A lot of our lives does revolve around what we do with STAR Labs," Iris pointed out. She gratefully took the champagne from Tess and sat down on the buttery leather couch, crossing her legs at the knee. Caitlin, on the other hand, grimaced and waved off the glass. Clearly, she was still feeling the effects of Rob's party the night before. "Even working at CCPN most of my stories have to do with Flash and Flare or other metahuman sightings around the city. It's hard to ignore when it's a big part of our everyday lives now."

"People are still feeling the effects of the Particle Accelerator explosion," Caitlin agreed. Her hands shook. She placed her hands in her lap, running them over each other. "There are those that are putting together a lawsuit from the chronic pain they're in. It's not something that's going to be forgotten about anytime soon." She shrugged. "Or ever."

"Right, lawsuits. We've have gotten a few letters of that intent lately," Tess agreed. She didn't appear as concerned as Caitlin was. Then again, Caitlin was the one who had seen firsthand what happened when the machine exploded. Tess hadn't been there. She wondered what it was like for her to hear the news about her husband's accident from across the country with no means to "It's not anything Harrison and I are too worried about. With the work we're in, there's always the chance for it."

"Have you come across anything at the university?" Iris asked. Tess's eyebrows rose to indicate her confusion with the question. "With the metas, I mean?"

Tess sat on the other end of the couch, looking pensive as she crossed her legs, smoothing down the hem of her dress. "There's been a few things," She said slowly. "I've been keeping an eye on my students, to be sure if any of them are metas or have just recently received their powers. I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary, so far. A few of them have made sure not to look me in the eye when I'm teaching but I'm sure that's more for not wanting to be called on than anything else." She chuckled, taking a sip of her drink. "Otherwise, Harrison and I have been meeting with some people lately to figure out what can be done about the presence of metas in the city."

Caitlin and Iris exchanged a glance. There was something loaded in Tess's words, Caitlin could tell. She'd been around Harrison enough to know when there were double meanings to his words. Hell, she'd been around Cadence long enough to know when there were double meanings to her words—though the knowing grin she'd give afterward always drove the point home. Tess, admittedly, Caitlin didn't know as well, though her own avoidance. "I thought that was already handled. Chief Paulson's bid for the MRA was turned down."

Tess waved her hand. "People like Chief Paulson don't give up that easily." She crossed her legs the other way. "Now, I thought we didn't want to talk about work. Today is supposed to be a momentous occasion. It's not every day you get invited to a wedding as big as this one."

"It should be a lot of fun," Iris said. She smiled excitedly, immediately throwing off the seriousness of the conversation before. "The parties at the precinct are some of the best I've ever been to. Even when I was a little girl I've loved to go. The New Year's party is the best one the CCPD puts on. The Christmas party shortly after that. But weddings are awesome, too. The CCPD has always been a family so going to each other's weddings are the event of the year."

"And it's nice to see Captain Singh finally get his day," Caitlin agreed. She felt her tense muscles relax along with the flow of conversation. However, she kept the information in the back of her mind to bring up to Barry later. "He's been so excited for this."

Iris hesitated for a moment before saying to Caitlin, "I bet you were excited, too. When you and Ronnie were getting your wedding put together." Her eyes shifted. "The first one, I mean."

A wistful smile came to Caitlin's face. It was too bad the others didn't get to know Ronnie back then. To know how absurdly excited he was to marry her. How obvious it'd been since he had popped the question; practically ruining it with a big smile and small giggles whenever he talked to her that day. (Honestly, it wasn't too weird to Caitlin. 'His team' had won the big football game the night before and he always was in an golden mood

"I think Ronnie was more excited than I was," Caitlin said. Tess's smile widened. "Almost every day he'd come up with a new idea for the ceremony or the reception. You wouldn't believe how long it took or us to choose a venue. He kept coming up with such great ideas."

"Where were you going to have it?"

"Well, at first we were going to have it in a church here in Central City since it's where we met."

Tess's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You met in a church?"

"No!" Caitlin laughed. She could never imagine that for them. "We met at work. I meant we met in Central City. We'd been working at STAR Labs for a while without really knowing each other. I mean, I saw him around, but I never thought much of him. We only really started talking when we'd be sent to the same meetings."

Iris gave her a knowing smile, turning away so that Caitlin couldn't see her eyes. She took a sip of champagne. "A little bird told me it was because you had your eye on someone else."

Caitlin felt her cheeks flush. She did her best not to look at Tess while simultaneously wanted to kill Cisco. It was one of the better parts of Harrison and Tess takin a step back from STAR Labs within the last few months. Many times she could forget how she'd, at one point, had feelings for Harrison—who was really Eobard Thawne. But there were other moments where she couldn't quite get over the flashes of embarrassment it gave her. It didn't help that Cisco and Cadence teased her about it from times to time.

But to have it mentioned in front of his wife—who, in her defense, they all thought she'd been dead—was more than mortifying. Tess didn't seem to mind, as it was, her smile widened even further at the mention of it. She looked over as the doorbell rang and lifted a finger to the two before answering it. She came back with Maya walking behind her, dressed in to the nines.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Maya apologized as Tess led her into the living room. "I got a little held up watching the news. It seems that Cadey and Brady already got a head start on their daily activity." She smiled her thanks, taking the champagne Tess handed her. "I never realized how busy you all were."

"Don't be too surprised," Iris said. "The entire city knows that Captain Singh is getting married today and that most of the CCPD will be in attendance. I guess they thought there'd be no one to stop them."

"What about the Flash?"

Caitlin laughed to herself. "At this point I think he's a little preoccupied with keeping Captain Singh calm."

"If he's as tightly wound as he was when I met him, then Barry has a ," Maya agreed. "On my wedding day, Kent passed out a few times." Surprised glances turned her way. She waved her hand, "Locked knees," she explained.

"Ah." Caitlin nodded. "Ronnie was always worried about that. The closer we got to the wedding he would practice his standing at the altar."

Maya's head cocked. "You had your wedding, didn't you?"

Iris's eyes widened in horror while Tess leaned over to whisper in her best friend's ear. Nevertheless, Caitlin couldn't help but smile. She couldn't fault Maya for her somewhat callous statement. She was still learning everything about the world of Team Flash, and even then, Caitlin wasn't offended. She did get her wedding. It may not have been the kind of wedding they'd planned for, but it was still one she'd dream of. It had everything, her family, friends, the dress, and her husband. Sure, they couldn't go on a honeymoon, but she was pledged to Ronnie.

So much so that, sometimes, in her personal life she gave her name as Caitlin Raymond. "I did get my wedding and it was everything I could've hoped for."

"What about you, Iris?" Maya asked, turning away from the bioengineer. "You put any thought into marriage?"

Caitlin waited patiently for Iris's response. She was curious herself. Barry had said, back when they were still working out how to stop the Reverse-Flash, that the newspaper from the future said Iris had been married to Eddie. The last name on the byline reading 'West-Thawne'. She didn't know, however, if Iris had put any thought into it herself.

"Are you kidding?" Iris asked in response. "I've had my wedding planned since I was five. Barbie and Ken got the first run through so things won't be nearly so dramatic when I have my ceremony." She laughed along with the others.

"What about when you were with Eddie?" Tess asked.

"I don't know," Iris said slowly. "I don't know if things were progressing that way. We joked about it from time to time, saying when we were married we'd get a dog. Or that we needed to get married so we could get a tax break. But we never seriously talked about it." She shook her head. "And, besides, I had no idea if my dad would've given him his blessing."

"Eddie would've asked for permission?" Maya asked.

"Oh yeah, he definitely would. I don't know if my dad would've given it, but he was always a bit old-fashioned liked that. You should've seen what he did when we first moved in together."

Caitlin smiled as Iris went on with her story, laughing all the while. Nevertheless, Caitlin's thoughts turned back to Ronnie. It surprised her how much pain shot through her chest. She hadn't thought of him too much as of late, she'd been too busy. The times that hit her the most were when she was working late in her office or if she dwelled too much on how empty her apartment was. Ronnie had never moved in officially, but he'd left enough of her stuff around that she still found a random t-shirt of a pair of shoes.

Feeling sadness wash over her, Caitlin excused herself and went to the spacious kitchen to get some fresh air. If she couldn't handle herself while waiting for the wedding to start, it was going to be nearly impossible in the church. She pressed her back against the cabinets and let out a long breath of air.

"You look like you could use a drink." Caitlin's eyes opened at the sound of Cadence's voice, finding her having just teleported into the kitchen, remnants of smoke wafting away. She lifted her chin and smiled. "But I think you've had enough of that last night." Caitlin smiled gently in response. She lowered her head, hair cascading into her face. Cadence folded her arms and looked closely at her best friend. "What's wrong, Cait?"

"Nothing." Caitlin shook her head. Still didn't lift her chin. "I was just thinking about Ronnie. And what our wedding could have been like." She ran a hand through her hair. Finally looked Cadence in the eye. "I mean, I know we had one, but—"

"—The one you were actually planning?" Cadence interrupted. Caitlin nodded. "I wonder the same thing," she admitted to Caitlin's surprise. "When I was younger, I always thought I'd marry Ryder. Every now and then I wonder what it would've been like." She shrugged. "But I try not to dwell."

"Because of Barry?"

"No, because my mom would run with it. I don't know if you've noticed, but she tends to be very extravagant. I can only imagine what she'd do if she ever found out I was getting married." Cadence rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if she has some 'save the dates' sitting somewhere waiting to be used."

Caitlin laughed. "I heard you got a head start on the crime fighting this morning. Glad it didn't make you late."

Cadence grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Yep. A carjacking, a robbery, and potential arsonists." She blew on her knuckles and rubbed them against the front of her dress. "And we didn't even break a sweat. We're just too good."

"Good to know the city will be safe. It'll finally give us time to relax."

"Getting tired of being a hermit?"

Caitlin couldn't help but roll her eyes. It wasn't a wrong assumption. She and Cisco spent so much time in STAR Labs the last week that she ended up sleeping in her office. There was too much to do, too many things to scan, too many tests to run, too much information to find out. Even Cisco had put the utmost care he took of his hair to the backburner. He perpetually kept his hair in a greasy ponytail and allowed bags to form under his eyes. She even noticed they were starting to become a bit pale. (Something of which Cisco vehemently denied until they went outside for fresh air and he shrank away from the light).

"At least today we get some time to relax and dress up a little," Caitlin said.

"If it helps." Cadence put her arm around Caitlin. She smiled at her best friend. "I think you look gorgeous." She placed a kiss on Caitlin's cheek, making her laugh. "And I know I'm not the only one who will."

"What?" Caitlin asked.

Cadence flashed an innocent smile. "Nothing."

Barry flipped down playing cards onto the table top with a snap. "Gin!"

Cisco stared at him, lowering his own cards. "We're playing poker!"

"Oh." Frowning, Barry's eyes shifted over the cards on the table top. He rubbed his neck, shooting Cisco a sheepish smile. "Well, can we play Gin instead?"

With a shake of his head Cisco said, "I'm never playing a card game with you ever again." He dropped his hand onto the table, shoving the cards together. "There's only a few things guys should learn. And one of them is that guy bonding is surrounded by taking their money and—"

"—Uh, Cisco," Joe interrupted, tapping him on the shoulder. Cisco looked over at Barry, whose arms were folded over his chest as he smiled smugly back at him. Cisco's eyes narrowed in response. He glanced at the table and found the cards Barry had put down proved he'd won the hand. "I think you just got played." He held up his hand and Barry slapped his palm against his foster father's.

"This is the last time I'm playing Poker with a speedster," Cisco pouted. He pointed directly at Barry. "I know you cheated somehow."

"I was sitting here the whole time," Barry said. He held up his hands defensively. His eyes shot over to Captain Singh, who paced the perimeter of the room. "Do you really think I'd do something with Captain Singh here?"

"I wouldn't put it past you, BA," HR commented, spinning his drumsticks around his fingers. He stopped and pointed it at Barry. "You know, there are millions of ways to—"

"—Why did we bring him?" Cisco interrupted.

Harrison, who leaned against the wall behind the group, hands tucked into his slacks, said, "Because I didn't trust him alone in STAR Labs." He nodded his head. "And the odds of being able to cheat in poker are actually less than a million. Counting cards being the most popular way to do so." He lowered his voice and said, "Of which, I wouldn't be surprised if, with Barry's speed—"

"—Ixnay on the eed-spay," Joe murmured, tilting his head towards Captain Singh. "David's just right over there."

A smile pulled at the corner of Harrison's lips. "I think he's a little preoccupied to notice, Detective West."

Captain Singh continued to pace the empty room in the back of the church. He clutched an empty tumbler in his hand that had once been filled to the brim with whiskey. As the others fell silent, Captain Singh's murmurings could be heard. The volume of his voice rising as the seconds passed, clearly working himself up more than he should be. Captain Singh ran his fingers across his forehead, over his beard. Wiped them on the sides of his suit jacket, and did it all over again. He looked up when he noticed all eyes turned his way and sucked in a deep breath.

He placed his hands on his hips. "Don't you have anything better to do than to sit around and play poker?" He asked. He paused. "And stare at me?"

"Well, we're supposed to help you calm down, but it doesn't look like that's working out, is it?" Cisco asked. Captain Singh's eyelids lowered in a glare, making Cisco slouch in his seat. "I'm sorry. Please don't take back my invitation. I don't get invited many places."

"That's obvious," Barry commented. He laughed when Cisco glared at him. Standing up, Barry said, "Captain Singh, this isn't anything to be nervous about, okay? You're going to marry Rob, the love of your life. You're going to be happy."

Captain Singh turned his glare to Barry. "Has anyone every told you that your blind optimism can be annoying?"

Barry blinked but managed to keep the smile on his face. "…you've told me many times, Captain." He couldn't hold it against his boss this time. The older man was nervous out of his mind, Barry was surprised he hadn't spontaneously combusted, he was sweating so much. Nevertheless, it was a sigh to see. (Though not as great compared to seeing Captain Singh drunk, that was something he would never forget."

Captain Singh eyed Barry and sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry, Allen," he apologized. "I guess I'm a bit more…jittery than I thought."

"That's very common, David," Joe said. He got up and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Even the strongest man in the world would be." He placed his hand on his chest. "Believe me, when I even thought about asking Francine to marry me, I broke out into hives."

A warm smile came to Captain Singh's face. He returned the favor, patted Joe on the arm. "I've seen those hives. You get them every time your performance review comes up." The two old friends started to laugh. "Remember your very first one?"

"Right. Nearly passing out definitely made me memorable."

"You've never had to worry, Joe. There was never a chance for you to get a bad review."

Joe folded his arms. "Yeah, well, as of late I've had more than a few reasons to be worried about my job," he said and not-so-secretly looked at Cisco, who started to whistle, pointedly looking away from the harsh stare of the African-American man.

"David Singh." HR's voice made Barry jump. Barry grimaced as HR threw his arm around Captain Sing's shoulders. "May I call you David?"

"No," Captain Singh said shortly.

HR immediately nodded. "Captain Singh," he recovered. "The funny thing about love is that everyone gets to experience it in some way. Whether it's from our family, friends, people we want to share our lives with. We all continue to experience love. And yet we're continuously terrified of it."

Captain Singh glanced at the others in the room, but they held up their hands, Cisco rolled his eyes. Best to let HR get on with it. If there's one thing that can be said about HR, it's that he never let anything get to him. Barry smiled as HR continued.

"And why are we terrified? Because of the unknown? What's the part that we don't know? How much we love the people in our lives? That we may not get it back? That's the best part. The adrenaline inducing part. Allowing yourself to take that risk, allowing yourself to see where life will bring you because you're willing to give all of yourself to that one person that makes you complete." HR shook his head, blue eyes shining as brightly as they could. "If that's not what makes life worth living, I don't know what is."

Captain Singh continued to stare at HR, almost dazed. "Who invited you, again?"

"He, uh," Barry started to stammer. "He-he-he, well, you know, he—"

"He's my cousin," Harrison lied smoothly. He kept his eyes on HR, silently daring him to say anything different. "And he's a little special."

"Why thank you." HR tapped himself on the chest. "I think you're pretty darn special yourself."

Cisco snorted and looked at Barry, who tried to hide his smile as well. Not just for Captain Singh's obvious suspicions of HR, but what HR had said as well. HR managed to spurt out a bit of crap but every now and then he came out with a diamond.

Even Captain Singh found himself relaxing at HR's words. He joined the guys for the next few rounds of Poker, winning half of them—making Cisco continue to grit his teeth in frustration as he did so—while Harrison won the other half. Then the pastor poked his head into the room and, with a warm smile, let them know it was time to get going.

The wedding was about to start.

Harrison and HR left the room to let Barry, Joe, and Cisco to finish getting ready. The wedding photographer snapped picture after pictures Joe helped Captain Sing into his suit, fix his hair in the long mirror, and stick a boutonniere in the lapel of his jacket. Then the group filed out of the back room and into the congregation, the pews filled with Captain Singh's and Rob's friends and family.

"Man, can you imagine this many people actually like Captain Singh?" Cisco asked as they walked along, squeezing past those that were making their way to their spots.

"I know he can be rough around the edges—"

"—Barry, diamonds are rough around the edges. This guy is tan suave como un cactus." Barry gave Cisco a look. "As soft as a cactus."

"Ah."

"All I'm saying is…" Cisco trailed off, his gaze shifting to the side. He kept walking, not noticing Barry had stopped, and crashed directly into Barry's back, sending him into Joe, who stumbled into Captain Singh, nearly knocking him over.

Captain Singh glared behind him, making Joe give Barry and incredulous look. "Sorry," Barry quickly apologized. He turned to Cisco, finding him still staring. "Cisco?" He waved a hand in front of his best friend's face. "Cisco? Are you okay?"

Craning his neck, Barry followed Cisco's glance. From the back of the church, to the left side of the audience—Captain Singh and Rob made sure to note that there was no side specific for either of their friends and family—down the aisle where everyone was getting seated and…

Oh.

Barry smiled.

Caitlin waved to some colleagues as she slid into her seat, tucking down the back of her dress as she did so. Barry turned back to Cisco, who continued to stare. Taking a step back, so that he lined up with Cisco, Barry rapidly moved his feet against the floor of the church, glad that the steps he stood on were covered in carpet. Static formed and Barry stuck out his finger, pressing it against Cisco's elbow.

"Ouch!" Cisco jumped. Finally blinked. He tore his gaze from Caitlin and looed over at Barry, who smiled warmly back at him. "What was that for?"

"Oh, I don't know." Barry tried to keep from laughing but failed. "Just seeing if…Killer Frost had frozen you in place."

Cisco's cheeks reddened. He ducked his head, glancing at Caitlin once more. He turned his back to the audience, under the guise of fixing his ponytail as he muttered, "Tell anyone and I'll make it so that you're nothing but pure electricity, pal!"

"I won't say anything." Barry dragged his finger across his heart in a cross. "I promise." And he intended to keep that promise. It was like HR said, being in love—though he wasn't quite sure that's what Cisco felt for Caitlin—was between them and something for only them to experience.

The church continued to fill as the four men moved to their places to stand at the front. Barry stood alongside Joe, who was standing at the right place to be Captain Singh's best man. He held his hands clasped together in front of him, eyes shifting around the church. He saw everyone he'd ever known at the CCPD, those that hadn't fallen victim to the Reverse-Flash or Zoom. They were all dressed in some of their best clothes, far different than the uniforms they wore to work. All sharing in the special ceremony for their boss.

Even Chief Paulson's normally pinched face was relaxed and smooth. Wrinkle free as he smiled. Barry continued to look over the crowd. He saw Alicia sitting next to her father, crossing and re-crossing her legs as the seconds passed. It was obvious she'd been dragged along to the ceremony, probably to keep up appearances for her father. Then he saw Wally and Jesse sitting together, Wally's hand sitting in Jesse's lap and her hand clutching his. They smiled happily at each other, speaking to anyone else they saw they recognized—many of them those that Joe knew from the precinct. Barry craned his neck, seeing Tess next.

She sat with Harrison and Maya, the three easily conversing with each other gave Barry a glimpse into the past. A past where they—along with Kent—had all been best friends. Not knowing how close they were coming to something they'd share that would inevitably split them apart. Said object, their daughter, sat down with Caitlin, looking through the program with Brady by her side. She lifted her head, gently shook it to move fringe from her face and locked eyes with Barry, giving him a finger wave.

Barry discreetly waved back. He took a deep breath, palms filling with sweat. Calm down, he said to himself. It's not like you're the one who's getting married.

Then everyone stirred as the back of the church opened and Rob walked down the aisle with his parents at his sides. Barry leaned over to look at Captain Singh, seeing the smile on his face. A smile so bright it nearly illuminated the entire church. Tears were already starting to gather in his eyes.

"Dearly beloved…"

Barry swallowed hard.

"We're gathered here today to observe the union of David Singh and Robert Davis in unity."

A hushed silence fell over the church save for the static that could be heard from the ear-pieces of security that was placed at strategic points in the church. Barry turned his attention back to his boss and his boss's fiancé. Watched as they smiled at each other, gripped each other's hands tightly, tuned out everyone around them.

Just like his parents had done years before, and who had continued to love each other up until the end and long after.

"David, do you take Robert to be your lawfully wedded husband…?"

And just like that, the 'I do's' were said, the rings were placed on fingers, Captain Singh and Rob tied he knot, and Barry made his decision.

There was no turning back.

"I don't get it. Why did they throw their ties for people to catch?"

"Because they didn't have a bouquet and garter to throw."

"What's a garter?"

"Just eat your cake."

Barry laughed to himself as he passed by Brady and Ryder—Ryder looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there and Brady looking more confused as the seconds passed. Alicia, who sat at their table as well, giggled over her piece of cake. Barry patted Ryder on the shoulder as he passed, making Ryder smile and hold up his hand, the two slapping their palms against each other, and continued to weave his way through the crowded reception hall.

He passed by large groups of his colleagues, pushing past them on the dance floor. (He only stopped long enough to watch HR dance—or what looked like to be a cross between the hokey-pokey and the macarena). Finally, Barry came closer to his target and felt his heart race even further with each step he took.

"Barry!" She reached him first, grabbing onto his arm and whisked him onto the dance floor. Thankfully, the music was a big band, jazz number that kept his feet going. He wrapped an arm around Cadence's waist, the other holding onto her hand. "Help me spy on Caitlin and Cisco!"

Barry laughed, noticing how excited she looked. Nevertheless, she gracefully fell instep with his movements as they glided across the dance floor to the upbeat music. They smiled as Barry led her in a series of spins and flashy moves across the dance floor—complete with twirls as they did so. It didn't take long for Barry to notice Cisco and Caitlin dancing nearby, Caitlin clutching her purse in one hand, the other hand in the air as she shook her body to the beat, Cisco, on the other hand, whipped his hair back and forth as he danced.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Cadence asked, bringing Barry's attention back to her.

"How should I know?"

"I don't know. Don't you, like, have super hearing or something?"

"I can read lips very fast, but I can't hear very fast, Cade. My powers don't work like that." Barry extended his arm and spun Cadence back into him, her back resting against his chest. He gently rotated the two around in a circle then held up his arm, allowing her to duck under it so she could face him again.

"Smooth," Cadence remarked. She looped her arms around his neck, stepping closer to him.

Barry gave a playful bat of his eyelashes, resting his hands on her waist. "I try. I've told you before, I'm an excellent slow dancer."

"But you weren't bragging."

"Not at all." Barry grasped her hand and twirled her a few times before holding onto Cadence as he dipped her toward the floor. Her eyes shone with mirth when he propped her back up. "I'm not bragging about that either."

"And you stopped going to my classes because?" She asked. Barry's eyes shifted over her shoulder towards Captain Singh and Rob as they danced close to each other. They'd always done their first dance as a couple, but the two hadn't left the dance floor since then. Hadn't stopped looking in each other's eyes. "Barry?"

Barry's eyes jerked to hers. He took a deep breath and smiled. "You know; saving the city, making sure I still have my job. It's on a daily basis, I don't have much time to spare. How do you handle it?" He didn't care for her answer, really. Just needed to nudge the conversation in the right direction.

"Oh, you know." Cadence shrugged. "I have excess energy to burn." The two laughed at her joke. She was the first to stop laughing, noticing how hollow Barry's was. "Is everything alright, Tholly?"

"Yeah," Barry replied. "Yeah, I just. I just have something I need to talk to you about."

"Right now?" Cadence's eyebrows nearly left her forehead they shot up so fast.

Barry nodded. "Right now." He gripped her tighter, pulling her flush against him, pressing his forehead against hers. Cadence's lips parted, she stared to say something, but Barry ran. He zig-zagged through the streets of Central City before coming to a stop at the tallest building in Central City.

The moment he stopped, Cadence turned to looked over at the view that suddenly surrounded her. "What?" The word escaped her lips, more than a whisper, less than a murmur. "Barry?" She turned back to her boyfriend, watching him suspiciously.

"I remember you told me, you showed me that this is one of your favorite places in Central City," Barry explained to her. "Because it let you see everything in the city. It makes you feel that you're in control." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "I haven't been in control of much in my life since getting my powers, since meeting you. If I were in control, then I'd be able to take down everything that came my way without having to put all my friends and family in danger. I could go out, take down whatever threat comes my way, and be back in time to keep Captain Singh from noticing I was gone and act normal. But I haven't been able to do that, because I'm never in control. But that's what excites me."

Cadence watched him carefully.

"I like not knowing what's going to come our way. I like not knowing how we're going to stop whatever meta or criminal it is we're up against because it means we really have to work together. And we work, Cade. Ever since we met, we've worked together. Through you trying to kill me, through me trying to kill you—"

"—you were whammied," Cadence pointed out.

But Barry was on a roll now and didn't seem to notice her interruption. "We just work, and I can't even begin to imagine what'd happen if you hadn't been there for me. Or if our powers didn't work together. Or if we didn't understand each other. I can't imagine a future that Flash and Flare didn't exist. That Barry and Cadence didn't exist. And I don't want to go a day further without knowing for sure that you're by my side, Cade because I love you so much. And it'd kill me to not have you there." He removed his hand from his pocket. He stepped towards her, eyes still on her face. "Because I can't say how the days will unfold and I can't change what the future may hold. But I want you in it, every hour, every minute."

Cadence blinked at him. "What?" She asked again. This time her voice quivered, as if she was finally starting to understand what was happening. A smile ever so slowly came to her face.

Barry slid to his knee, keeping his eyes locked onto Cadence's. She continued to smile down at him, tears gathering at her eyelashes and slipping down her cheeks. Barry lifted his hand, a dazzling ring pinched tightly between his fingertips.

"Cadence Nash, will you marry me?"

I needed a nice, happy chapter to counterbalance the last one. And this one really was a happy one. Not just for Barry and Cadence, but also for Captain Singh, Joe, Iris, Wally, Jesse, Cisco, Caitlin, Harrison, and Tess. There were a lot of characters in this one and still even a few questions that were brought up .

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. I update my story every Wednesday, if there's a time that I won't it will be posted on our twitter: DarkElements10.

Cheers,

-Riley

Review Replies

This one is for everyone: Thank you so much for the response to the cliffhanger I had at the end of the last chapter. (If anyone was confused, there was a time skip between the last chapter and this one. Not long, just a week). I'm really enthused with the arrange of responses I've gotten for it. Yes, all three important girls are the ones to die and yes, it had to happen that way. Though it was not an easy decision to make.

At first it was Cadence that was going to die, but then I figured that it would've just made Cade immediately take Iris's place and it seemed kind of predictable and blah, especially as Cade would've had a bit of a blasé response to it the full way through. Then I realized a better way to have the look into the future go and here it is. (I'd say more but it'd spoil a lot, though I'm not above spoiling it for people if they ask). Again, thank you for your responses, I hope you enjoyed this one as well.