30

Strike A Nerve

Coming to the end to the end of a brief game of hopscotch, Music Meister looked up, wandering what was taking the heroes so long. They should have been there. How long did it take for them to respond to a crisis? He'd cleared out the park quick enough with a show of force. He hadn't hurt anyone, that wasn't his game, but had done enough to scare them off. Oddly enough, the initially imprint of a hopscotch outline with his heat vision hadn't been enough to scare off the citizens. Setting a few trees on fire did, and now he had the park all to himself. At least until a swirling blue vortex opened and the six heroes jumped out. Standing in a line with enough visible determination to make Music Meister turn tail and run.

But a few goosebumps on his big night weren't going to stop him.

"Oh, goodie!" Music Meister squealed. He clasped his hands together, all but jumping up and down. "Flare and Shadowhunter are back. And with a new look too! Oh, this is just fantastic." He strode toward the heroic group, the excited smile never leaving his face. "And you even brought along a few extra friends. The fan boy engineer turned heroic breacher. The last man from Mars. And even my favorite speedster couple; Kid Flash and Jesse Quick. Gosh, you really did bring quite the party, and it's not even my birthday." His laugh was outrageous but quickly diminished as he noticed an absentee. "But no Deity Ann, I see, that's a shame. I was looking forward to getting in a few jabs about blue boy's first crush," Music Meister said with a gesture to Brady.

Brady didn't take that remark well; quickly pulling his slingshot from its holster and pulled his arm back. Music Meister waved a hand at him. "If you're going to be a hero, you may want to work on having thicker skin." He shook his head, turning his gaze to Wally. "And Kid Flash, do you have that name yet? Oh and a suit?! I see they're taking you more seriously now." He held his hands up and framed the group in front of him. "This is exciting, this is such a treat. Hey, why don't we get some favors, huh? Throw a real big party, right?"

"What do you want?" Wally demanded.

"The same thing I want with all of you." Music Meister surged forward and slammed into Wally, knocking him to the ground. Then he was back in his original place, arms folded and smiling smugly at the speedster. "Is everything alright, Wally? You look a little scared." He tapped his chin. "Maybe, of your future, perhaps?"

"No," Wally said. He surged to his feet. "And I'm not afraid of anything."

"Prove it," Music Meister said with a chuckle. "I mean, I should be the scared one, right? I'm the one who's in Central City, your home turf, and…" he tapped his cheek. "And yet, I'm the one who's winning. So, I guess I don't have to be scared at all. Well, you know as they say, the show must go on!"

Brady released his slingshot, unleashing an exploding pelt towards Music Meister's head. With ease, Music Meister avoided it, catching it in his hand before tightening his fist as smoke began to seep out from between his fingers. "Sorry, the grown-ups are talking." His eyes moved over to Jesse. "So, what's it like dating an idiot, Jesse? Must be hard having to lower your IQ standards just to have a conversation with that one." He mimed pointing to Wally, an exaggerated frown on his face.

"This guy really loves to talk doesn't he," Cisco murmured.

"Oh, you have no idea," said the Music Meister as he leaned forwards, daring Cisco to challenge him.

"Well, we're going to enjoy shutting you up."

"That is…if you can catch me," the Meister declared, stepping back as his eyebrows bounced, then he was off, quick as a flash.

"Go!" Cadence ordered and that's what Wally and Jesse did, taking off full speed after Music Meister.

Cadence realized she could try to run after them if she wanted. But keeping up with Music Meister at his current power level would be tricky. She'd burn too much energy too fast, they needed to be smart. They needed to follow the plan. If anyone could catch up to them with Barry's speed, it was Wally and Jesse. Instead, she teleported and got herself into position and left Wally and Jesse to their speed.

Racing through the city streets, the yellow lightning of the three speedsters bounced this way and that as they zipped down alleyways, veered around corners and scaled up buildings. Wally and Jesse did their best to catch up but every time they pushed themselves harder, Music Meister matched their speed, constantly staying just a head of them. At one point, Wally broke off from the chase, hopping to cut the thief off while Jesse continued the chase. Even then the Music Meister was a step ahead, what with Kara's X-Ray vision, he could see Wally coming from a mile away.

"We need a plan!" Jesse shouted to Wally over the roar of the wind around them. She pumped her arms, moving as fast as she could.

"I'm open to suggestions!" Wally called back. A second later, an idea slammed into his head. A trick from his racing days. "I've got it!" He turned a grin her way. "I'll slipstream off you!"

Jesse turned to him, eyes wide behind her domino mask. "What?"

"It's a racing thing. Trust me, it'll work." Wally nodded towards Music Meister. "Just stay on him," He instructed then fell back, purposefully lowering his speed to maneuver himself behind Jesse. Once he moved into position, Wally picked up his speed. He stayed right behind her as she raced along the street after Music Meister. He waited until they'd finished racing around corners every few seconds and hit a straight path back towards the park. He had had his chance.

Using his racing knowledge combined with his speed force powers, Wally pushed himself as hard as he could. Everything about him became a blur and he pressed forward with everything he had. Then, right as he was about to catch up to her, he pulled out from behind and with the added boost raced past her and right up to Music Meister's heels.

Breaking into the park, Music Meister stopped short. He threw his arms and feet out, creating a star shape. Wally couldn't stop himself in time and crashed right into Music Meister's arm. It was like hitting a beam of metal. He his insides crack as he flipped up and over Music Meister's arm, landing hard on the ground. A grunt escaped him as his back crashed to the ground and he skidded across the park, turning dirt up as he went.

Next thing he knew, Jesse landed hard beside him, obviously having fallen into the same trap. She gasped in pain, her eyes widening at the sudden onslaught against her body.

"I'll give you one, Kid. That was pretty smart," Music Meister admitted as he stepped towards the two downed speedsters. "But clearly neither of you are as bright as me." He finished his statement with a wide smile, showing of his almost sparkling teeth.

Wally closed his eyes, shaking his head. He vowed, then and there, that before the night was out, he was going to break every single one of Music Meister's teeth.

Then Music Meister's smile was gone as a black snot like substance splattered across his face. Music Meister's head jerked back. "What the-?" He pressed his fingers into the black substance and groaned. Cries of disgust then followed as he clawed at the substance, digging his nails into his skin, trying in vain to rip the substance from his face. It spread across his mouth, nose, and even one eye.

Wally looked back and smiled when he saw Brady with his slingshot followed by Cisco who raised his arms to fire out a breach behind Music Meister. Next J'onn came flying in, hitting the gleeful thief head-on before the two vanished into the swirling blue mass.

"Shake it off you two," Cadence instructed before sprinting past and leaping into the breach after J'onn. It closed behind her, as Cisco and Brady rushed over to help the two speedsters up.

"I'd like to see her shake off a bunch of broken ribs," Wally grumbled. He winced as Cisco grabbed his arm and picked him up from the ground.

Across the Park, Music Meister crashed to the ground, finally removing the black goop from his face. His smile was gone, now replaced by an irritated and unhappy snarl. Music Meister yelped as J'onn grabbed him, throwing him above his head allow Cadence to propel herself forward with a boost of flames and land a powerful kick into the Music Meister. Then with an elegant black flip, she landed next to J'onn, flipping her hair from her face.

"That son of yours is really starting to piss me off," grumbled the Music Meister as he stood back up, dusting himself off.

"He's got a gift for that," Cadence said smugly, happy to have finally broken the façade Music Meister had been keeping up since he first arrived. No longer was he the happy over confident, careless idiot. He was angry. He had emotions. And emotions could be used as a weapon.

"Yeah, well." Music Meister smirked, shrugging. "I've got a natural gift for putting people to sleep." He locked eyes with the two heroes and let lose his special ability. Blue rings pulsing over his eyes as he entranced both J'onn and Cadence. But again, something hit his face, splatter over his eyes and breaking his connection. "Will you stop it!" he cried out, a child throwing a tantrum.

"Nice shot," Cadence said as Brady came up to her side along with the others.

"Thanks."

"Cisco, you think you're ready to try a 'Room of Breaches'?" Cadence asked, referring to a training move they'd been practicing since she'd taken over Cisco's training from Barry. The engineer nervously glanced at her before nodding.

If they were ever going to show it off, now would be the time. "Yeah, but I don't know how long I can hold it for."

"Just give us what you can," Cadence reassured him. Then she turned to the alien standing beside her. "J'onn, stay with him. The rest of you, follow my lead," Cadence instructed before running ahead with Brady, Jesse and Wally behind her. Cisco took a deep breath and shook out his arms, rolled his shoulders.

"Okay, Cisco, you can do this," He muttered, psyching himself up. "It's just like you practiced it. Only, you're out in the open." Cisco took in a deep breath and threw out his arms with a scream of effort. Multiple breaches opened around Music Meister, six breaches all at once. Cadence leapt through the closest and the rest followed.

From there, one after another they came flying out separate breaches, each landing a hit on Music Meister, preventing him from tearing of the inky substance that impaired his vision. Cadence with her fire attacks and strengthened punches, Wally and Jesse with their rapid punches and Brady with the occasional shadow ball as well as whacking Music Meister's hands from his face every time he reached for the substance.

But Cisco couldn't keep it up for long. Blood started to drip from his nose, beading down to his chin, dripping to the front of his jacket. He groaned, struggling to keep his hands up.

"Cisco," J'onn cautioned.

"It's okay…" Cisco ground out. His hands rapidly started to shake. The strain of using his powers so long with such high energy slowly took its toll. "I can hold it…" His body screamed for him to stop, along with Caitlin's worried scream from his comm. link. He ignored her voice, it was what he'd trained for. It was the whole point of working on his powers, to be ready to go out in the field if he needed to and to help his friends. He wasn't going to let them down now.

"Cisco!" Caitlin shouted again. She sighed in frustration, placing her hands on the computer desk. Her eyes roved back and forth along the monitors in front of her. Then her eyes moved to the tablet sitting in front of her. "He's using too much energy."

"Caitlin, he's going to be okay," Kara said, placing her hand on the bio-engineer's shoulders. But even her face held an expression of worry.

She could hardly watch. Could barely stand sitting back and watching her friends risk their lives while she was…stuck. One glance at Barry, who continued to pace the floor, and she knew he felt the same. His hand sat on his chin, the other holding his arm up, gently tapping his lips as he went. He winced every time he saw one of their friends get hit by Music Meister before his hands clenched into fists.

"There has to be something we can do," Barry finally said, dropping his hands to his waist. "We have to go out there, do something."

"Yeah, we can't just sit here and watch," Kara added.

Alex shook her head. "No, not without your powers." Kara gave her a pleading look, making Alex's harden in return. "You'll just be putting yourself in more danger than what they're facing. Trust me, a superpowered punch is not what you need right now."

"What we need is to figure out a way to strip this guy of their powers," Winn said. He gestured around the Cortex. "Don't you guys have some sort of a fancy, schmancy gadget or gizmo that can do that? Take away people's powers?"

Caitlin and Barry glanced at each other. The Philosopher's Stone entered both of their minds. Caitlin's desperation to have her powers removed was what caused Julian to be on their tail, which made Barry ultimately lose his job. Now, Barry understood her desperation to use it, to put herself in danger of Savitar and Alchemy. He'd do anything to get his powers back. Would do anything to…to fix everything.

Barry closed his eyes, still feeling the impact of Iris's words.

"Hey, Bare," Iris greeted him as he entered the West house. "You haven't been around here in a while." She set her papers aside. "Is everything alright? I heard about that bank robbery on the news and-" she paused, getting a good look at his face. Her movements slowed, she stared at her friend. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Barry gave a small smile, running his hands over his hair. He walked to the nearby armchair and pressed his hands against the top. He should've known Iris would've been able to see right through him. He both loved and hated that. Especially when he was so…he wasn't sure anymore. "How'd you know something was wrong?"

"You're not giving that Barry-smile we always see," Iris said. She slowly stood up, walking to her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know things are hard but…you haven't really smiled since your dad died. And, I'm starting to get worried."

Barry gave a humorless chuckle. "You're always worried about me, Iris."

"Yeah, and I have to be. I mean, did you see the way you were dressed in high school?" Iris's comment made Barry chuckle. "I tried to talk you out of it but you insisted." Iris reached up and shook her best friend's shoulder. "Barry, what's going on? Me and dad and Wally are worried. You're hardly at Jitters, you barely come by, all you do is throw yourself into the field. And now that you lost your job…"

"Believe me, losing my job is the least of my worries." Barry ran a hand over his face, rounded the armchair and flopped down. "Oh God, Iris, I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm going to explode."

Iris moved back to the couch and sat next to him, still rubbing his wrist. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

"Yeah, but not for long," Barry murmured.

Iris removed her hand and leaned back, her eyebrows coming together. Barry looked back at her, unsure if she was offended or confused. He got his answer when Iris slowly said, "I don't understand. I…I'm not going anywhere, Barry."

"Yeah, you are." Barry slowly nodded. "And I'm not going to be able to stop it." Iris tilted her head, continuing to stare at him. "I went to the future," he admitted. Iris's eyes widened. "I didn't do it on purpose, I never wanted to time travel again."

"Not after Flashpoint," Iris agreed.

"It was just after we'd finished fighting Savitar and Alchemy," Barry explained. "I was just running, trying to clear my head, trying to figure out what we could do to stop them. And…and a portal opened, the same way it did when I went back in time to save my mom. But when I stopped, I was in the future."

"The future?"

Barry nodded. "And…and I saw…" he took a deep breath, shoulder slumping as he finally got the truth out that'd been causing him so much pain and suffering. "I saw you. I saw…I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner. I accidentally ran to the future and I saw Savitar murder you. And I saw Caitlin and Cadence kill each other. And I saw myself…I wasn't fast enough to save any of you."

"What?" Iris shook her head. "But…I don't…" She took in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

"How long? How long until it happens?"

"A few months."

"How long have you known?"

Barry didn't respond. He simply stared at Iris, watching the tears that welled up in her eyes. Watched as they spilled down her cheeks. She brought up her hand, wiping the tears off her cheeks. Then her eyes squeezed shut and she looked Barry in the eye with a renewed fire she hadn't seen before. "I don't believe you," She grounded out.

"I know I should've told you sooner—"

"—Not that!" Iris snapped. She stood up, slapping her hands to her hips. "Bartholomew Allen!" Barry winced at the mention of his full name. "I can't believe you're doing it again." Barry started to stammer out a response. "There's a whole team of people behind you, ready to be there for you but you keep pushing everyone away!"

"I know."

"No, you don't know!" Heaving a heavy sigh, Iris lowered herself to the couch, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Joe, Wally, and I have been waiting for you to come to us. I wanted to be there for you but dad said you needed to figure thigs out yourself. And you haven't been around. I know things have been going badly for you, Barry; first your mom, then your dad, then your job, then Cade…" Barry looked away. Iris's eyes narrowed. "What?" She sat up straight. "Barry, what'd you do?"

"Something stupid," Barry admitted, rubbing his neck. "I…I wanted to keep the future from happening."

"—Barry—"

"—I know." He didn't need to hear the lecture. "I wanted to keep it from happening, I don't want anything to happen you or Cait or Cade…so…I thought…maybe it'd be a good idea if I proposed." Iris's eyes widened in horror. "I wanted to do it anyway, I was going to, but then seeing what was to happen…" he trailed off. "You don't have tell me how stupid it was, I know."

"They don't know," Iris surmised. Barry nodded. "That's why you've been avoiding everyone. When you're not working you're by yourself, you haven't come to me and dad, not that dad's been around for you to come to, he's been working so much lately."

"I didn't want to put you in any more danger than you already were—"

"—Just knowing you puts us in danger. That's the same reason you wouldn't tell me you were the Flash! And how did that work out for you? We're a family, Barry! And I know that may be hard since your parents are gone. But you have us, you've always had us, and you have Team Flash. We're all there for you." She jabbed him hard on the arm. "You better not forget it." She jabbed him harder, making him flinch away. "And you'd better not keep a secret like that from us again!"

She certainly knew how to use them, that was for sure. Going into journalism had been a good move for her, mostly because it meant she could tear other people apart with just her sass and clear wording as opposed to just him.

But now that he'd come clean with her, Joe and Wally, he'd have to talk to the rest of the Team, sooner rather than later. He'd been meaning to for a while now, but with everything going on, he just hadn't had the heart. And just thinking of talking to Cade about it terrified him. He was certain it would make things worse, especially if he came clean about the real reason for him proposing. She'd never forgive him for that.

Would he, if it'd been the other way around?

"So, you expect us to just sit here and take it?" Deity demanded. She clenched her hand into a fist, grunting when a puny light came from her hand. "I can't believe this." She folded her arms, starting to pace like Barry had done before. Kara moved to her daughter and gathered her in a hug.

Barry took her space at the computer desk and leaned next to Caitlin, who stared at the monitors intensely. Her lower lip was red and swollen, her continued chewing wasn't helping matters much. "Nothing?" He asked, voice low. He glanced towards the monitors and winced along with Caitlin as they watched the team get knocked down one more.

Caitlin shook her head. "I wish there was something," She said. "But…nothing." She flipped her hair back and looked Barry in the eye. "The only thing we can do is watch…and wait."

Barry sighed. He was hoping she wouldn't say that.

Punch after punch kept coming, followed ever so often by a ball of searing energy to the chest or a series of fire blasts to the back and even the occasional stick whack against his hands. Music Meister was getting sick of it, his anger building, much as he hated it.

It was his show and he wouldn't have it ruined like this.

With a scream that declared the need for vengeance, Music Meister blasted the black substance from his eyes as two bright beams of light shot into the sky. Now that he could see, he saw Brady coming right at him with his bow staff. With ease, Music Meister caught the staff, swinging Brady around before letting him and his stick fly over into the trees. Next was Cadence, fist flying towards him, until he caught it. With a savage twist he snapped her wrist then followed up with a punch to each of her ribs before delivering a final punch that sent her back into the breach she'd come out of. She collapsed out another, landing in a heap on the grassy ground, struggling to get back up. Last of all were the speedsters, one of which tried to get the drop on him from behind. He reached backwards, grabbing Jesse's arm before he threw her into Wally as he came out another breach. The two crashed to the ground.

With the four heroes disposed of, the breaches closed, and Music Meister turned his sights on the weakened Cisco, who slowly sank to his knees. "Tell me when I'm about to kill you and I'll stop," Music Meister declared, advancing on Cisco. He was going to have fun with this one. Though it looked like a simple blow of Kara's super breath would be enough to knock him out, Music Meister was going to have some fun tearing him down. It's what he got for changing the set of his show so much.

J'onn stepped up to defend the engineer but a backhand from Music Meister sent him flying. "Out of the way ET." Stopping in front of Cisco, he took an inhale of breath and as Cisco raised his feeble fist, Music Meister let out a gust of wind that shoved the poor engineer to the ground. "Looks like someone still needs their superhero training wheels," the Music Meister sang out along with doing a quick two-step, now back to his cheery self.

Things were finally back on track.

With dismay the group back at STAR Labs watch the screens as their friends were beaten and thrown around like stuffed animals. They were nothing more than toys for Music Meister to amuse himself with. At first things had looked promising, especially once they got the upper hand on him. But now Cisco was down and everyone else wasn't looking to good either as they tried to fight off the Musical God.

"They're getting pulverized," Alex said in defeat, watching as J'onn and the Meister traded punches, ending once again with the Martian being beaten as Wally ran in for another go. "I'd go out there if he wasn't able to shoot down my bullets so easily."

"Not to mention he'd probably break your jaw before you could even speak," Deity murmured.

"Their healing abilities are all that's keeping them going right now," Caitlin added solemnly. "For every broken rib that heals they get two new ones. It's only a matter of time until that healing energy gives out and they have to call it quits."

"There's got to be something we can do," Barry said, gripping the desk tightly. He couldn't stand being on the side lines. It was killing him. Watching helplessly as his friends fought for him, to get his powers back as well as Kara's. He should be out there, doing something, anything. Even just taking a punch or two to distract him while the other recovered. He'd rather be in agonizing pain that standing in the Cortex helplessly watching.

"You think I should go out there?" Deity asked.

"So you can get beaten up along with the rest of them?" Winn asked, a snort coming to his lips. He glanced at her dismissively, then brought his hand up to chew on his thumbnail. "That's not going to help anyone. And how are you going to get there with your powers on the frits anyway?" He added.

The teenage girl pouted, sighing irritably as she ran her hands through her hair. "I know it's annoying, Debby," Kara said, rubbing soothing circles on her daughter's back. She watched the screen intently. Wanting to look away but unwilling too. It'd be like they weren't supporting their friends, and right now, that was all they could do.

"More like painful," Deity murmured, resting her head on Kara's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Miss Danvers. I've seen this lot come back from far worse things than this," HR said in his usual upbeat optimistic tone. It was almost as if he was watching an entirely different channel to the rest of them. The large grin on his face was almost as big as Cisco's when doing Cisco-Cinema.

Something else, Barry noticed, they hadn't done in a long time. Rage consumed him again, this time for allowing his own selfish actions to get them in their predicament. "There has to be something!" Barry said as he banged his hands off the desk, his frustration getting the better of him.

"Well if you're open to suggestions…" The group turned towards the archway behind them, Alex immediately drew her gun the moment they saw the man Barry and Cadence knew as 'Lover'. "I've got a doozy."

"Is that the guy that let you and Cade out?" Kara asked, her arm protectively around Deity in a protective manor.

"Yeah," Barry said, eyes fixed on Lover along with everyone else. He stood in front of Caitlin, suddenly wishing he could carry a gun with the CCPD. The man seemed to drink up with delight, smiling back at the group as he gave them each a friendly carefree look in the eye.

"I've just got to say, sir. That is one fine looking jacket," HR spoke up as he pointed with an admiring drum stick.

"Thank you!" Lover squealed excitedly, tugging at the lapels of his strange multi-colored, patched jacket. He spun in a quick circle then struck a pose. "I made it myself."

"Really, do you think you could make me one of those bad boys-"

"HR!" Barry and Caitlin shouted.

"And you call me easily distracted?" Winn murmured to Alex, who shot him a quick glare over her shoulder to him.

"What?" HR said innocently as he turned to face his comrades. "The man's clearly here to help, I'm just making ideal chatter. A skill you lot really need to pick up on," he said, wiggling his drum sticks towards the two.

"Well, help's a bit of strong word," Lover said sheepishly. He clasped his hands together, stepping towards the group. "More like I'm here to offer my assistance for a price."

"And how are you going to help stop the Music Meister?" Kara asked with a frown while her sister continued to keep her gun aimed at Lover's chest. Ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Shouldn't be that hard considering we used to date," Lover said with a shrug that was far too casual for the situation.

With a burst power and a blur of yellow, Deity was on the man, pressing him to the wall, her arm against his throat as the other raised back to punch him. Barry, Winn and Caitlin jumped in surprise while Alex tightened her grip on the gun and Kara called out her daughter's name. But Deity didn't care. She wasn't going let this guy push them around, not when their friends' lives were on the line.

"You tell us right now how to stop this guy! I don't care about whatever your price is, 'cause you're not getting anything from us!" Deity snarled into Lover's face, a faint glow forming around her raised fist.

"I see you've still got bit of rage issues after War World," Lover said with a pointed look to the girl.

"Oh, crap," Winn muttered.

"Debby-!" Kara shouted in plea, reaching for her daughter, but it was too late. Deity's face contorted in rage and she swung her fist as the light around it grew, her eyes locked with Lover's. He never once wavered, and as the fist closed in, he let out a pulse from within his eyes, just like Music Meister.

Suddenly the light vanished from Deity's fist and it stopped in its motion. Worried that he had the same abilities as Music Meister, Alex kept her gun trained on him. Looked for a safe shot which wouldn't hit her niece. But Deity never fell. She remained standing. Until finally she stepped back releasing Lover.

"How…How did you do that?" Deity asked, mild confusion both in her voice and across her face.

"Meister can put people to sleep. Me. I can calm them down," Lover said with a sweet smile. "Among other things. But that's my most famous if I do say so myself." He reached up, smoothing imaginary strands of hair back in place. He turned to the rest of the group. "Now about my fee…"

Cisco was down, Wally was down and even J'onn wasn't looking so good. Then again having been hit herself a few times, Jesse knew how hard this Music Meister could punch. It wasn't helpful that Kara's strength within him had been amplified by Barry's speed. It was like getting smacked by a freight train on speed. To her knowledge J'onn didn't even have the same level of healing as her and the others. Though she figured he must have something considering how many hits he'd taken and continued to get up and fight.

Or maybe he was just stubborn like her dad.

A blast of heat vision from Music Meister snapped Jesse from her thoughts, ducking beneath it as she slid across the ground at super speed. She'd been doing well, keeping him busy while the others regrouped. Cadence was off behind a tree, pushing her ribs back inside her chest, screaming in pain each time one moved, but continued to heal herself. Brady was somewhere in the shadows, waiting to strike and J'onn was with Cisco and Wally. Jesse was grateful for that. It meant she could keep her mind off him, at least a little. Knowing that if Music Meister went for him then J'onn could at least hold him off. It was her fault Wally had gotten knocked out in the first place. Taking a hit that was meant for her, but like the hero he was he'd shoved her out the way.

Jesse quickly shook her head. She couldn't think about that, needed to stay focused on Music Meister. Barry warned her about the dangers of being a speedster. How easy it was to get lost in racing thoughts when a speedster had all day to think. The scientist in her loved it; she could spend twice as long thinking about the latest theories and scientific papers in record time while still having a life. But in the middle of a battle, it became hard to keep her mind focused, especially when thinking about her mistakes.

Getting up, Jesse watched as Music Meister came to a stop. He hardly broke a sweat from thrashing the team around. Music Meister smirked as he began to clap. "Well done, Miss Quick. It's good to see those reflexes of yours are on par with that of your boyfriend's." He was trying to rattle her, just like he'd done with Wally before.

Jesse brushed the thought aside and raised her arm in front of her just like Barry had shown her and began to rotate. She rapidly built up speed, lightning crackling around her arms. Before long she had a cyclone on the go, heading straight for Music Meister. He countered, as expected with Kara's super breath, but even with an increased lung capacity, he wouldn't be able to breath out as long as Jesse could spin her arms.

She had him.

When Jesse felt herself begin to push him back, his forceful breath dying out, she saw Cadence jump in beside her. The fire metahuman then raised her hands, sending a stream of fire into the cyclone that Jesse had created. Spreading like a virus, the flames quickly consumed the cyclone turning it into a vortex of fire that broke through the last of Music Meister's resistance.

Knowing he'd been hit, Jesse stopped rotating her arms, the flames vanished from the air as their whimsical opponent stumbled backwards. Neither Jesse or Cadence wasted a second, both charging forward. Naturally Jesse got ahead with a burst of speed, striking Music Meister with a punch full of momentum. He flew off his feet, sailing ahead of her as Cadence appeared before them. She was already in the air, spinning around gracefully as her leg extended to meet Music Meister. They connected and the sudden change in momentum caused him to spin out of control before landing face first into the ground.

Jesse raced past him, already seeing he was getting back up. She reached for Cadence and her other earthly sister did the same. Their hands connected, Jesse dug her heels into the ground and swung with all her strength, throwing Cadence around her body and back towards Music Meister. Flames erupted from Cadence's feet, consuming her lower half in a blaze of flames mixed with a red orange glow. Like the head of a space capsule plummeting back to earth.

Music Meister moved to avoid the attack, but Cadence teleported and came up directly beneath him, her connected feet catching him right beneath his jaw, flipping him head over heels as she landed just a few feet away. Jesse joined her and the two grinned before turning back to the Music Meister.

"Whoa! If I wasn't on the receiving end of that, I might have enjoyed that little performance," Music Meister declared, rubbing his jaw as he stood up tall. He ran his tongue over his teeth, ensuring they were all still in place then grinned. Even after everything they'd put him through, he was still making jokes, and playing it off like it was all just a game. They only time they'd managed to rile him up was when they got the jump on him right at the start with Cisco's breaches. Since then he'd had the upper hand, teasing them all as they continued to try and over power him somehow.

Every other second Jesse racked her brain, trying to come up with something, anything to give them an edge but she had squat. What good was having powers if she couldn't use her mind at the same time, at least when in the field. When in a lab she could do it, she'd practiced and proved to herself she could, but she needed more practice using that skill in the field. Maybe if she had then she'd have already figured out how to beat Music Meister.

Jesse was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Music Meister until it was too late. He zapped her with a bolt of lightning that rendered her paralyzed on the ground, struggling to move out of the way. Music Meister walked over to her, lightning trailing over his fingertips and knelt beside her. He grabbed her leg and extended it further. "You're starting to get on my nerves, but that's okay, I'll give you a little break." Before Jesse could stop him, Music Meister lifted his foot and stomped onto her leg, immediately breaking it in two.

Brady rolled out from beneath a nearby car and hurried to his mother's side. He grimaced, watching Jesse's leg get broken, knowing it'd take hours before she'd be back on her feet. He took stop of the rest of the team, Music Meister hadn't noticed them yet, they at least had some time to figure out a new course of plan. "How mad do you think Cisco and Winn would be if I broke this?" Brady asked, pulling out the new frisbee shield he'd been given. Cadence gave him a funny look which easily conveyed, 'are-you-kidding?'.

Brady looked up at his mother before relying his idea to her. She nodded in agreement and prepared herself for another assault on the cosmic deity.

With Music Meister pressing down on her broken leg, Jesse groaned in pain, doing her best to hold back the girlish scream that was inside her. She wasn't a kid any more, she was a hero, no matter what anyone else said, no matter what her dad said. She was going to prove that to him and to herself. She held back, bit down, and refused to give in.

"Sorry, Jesse, but daddy's not going to save you this time," Music Meister said, applying more pressure.

"Good thing we're here then." Music Meister turned, his face dropping when he saw Cadence. Brady's staff in hand and more importantly, Brady at the other end, curled up, holding his shield up as Cadence swung him right at the Music Meister.

"Not again," he grumbled as the boy and his shield hit him square on sending him off into the trees. He was gone only for a few seconds before he streaked back across the sky. He landed on the ground in a crouch, a shockwave knocking Cadence and Brady aside before he brought his hands together in a hard clap. The resulting shockwave was the one that did them in, leaving them on the ground with the rest of their fallen comrades.

"Well that was fun!" Music Meister cheered, clapping his hands in delight. The downed heroes all lied around him, groaning as they clung to their sides or just lay sprawled out across the ground. They'd given it everything they had but he was too much. Not just with Barry and Kara's powers, but with the boosts he'd taken from Cadence and Deity early on, he was unbeatable.

Music Meister pressed his lips together, looking around the empty streets. "And yet still he's nowhere in sight…hmmm." He sighed and shrugged. "Oh, well. Guess I'll just have to do something drastic to get his attention. Let's see, you've been pretty annoying," he decided, picking up Brady by the back of his hood. "Pretty sure you won't be missed."

Cadence went to shout in protest but before she could someone else spoke up. "Alright, alright, I'm here!" She looked back to see the man from before, Lover, making his way across the opening towards them. "No need to threaten the eleven-year-old."

Music Meister beamed in a mixture of pride and happiness before throwing Brady aside like a discarded tissue. Cadence quickly teleported and caught him before he hit the ground. "You came!" he squealed before zipping over in a flash to meet his guest of honor. He spread his arms wide. "Well, what do you think?"

"Let's see…beaten heroes…destroyed public property… you jacked up on superpowers," Lover listed, looking around before his eyes landed on Music Meister. "What do I think?" Music Meister waited on the edge of his seat before receiving an astonished slap to the face. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Wh…what?" Music Meister said in pure confusion, holding his check as he stared back.

"What on Earth made you think this was a good idea?!" exclaimed Lover, gesturing to the scene around them.

"I-I-I just thought-"

"Have you been speaking to that Mxyzptlk again?" Lover demanded, hands going to his hips in irritation.

"No!" Music Meister snapped defensively.

"Really?"

"…Alright, maybe one or two times."

"Uh-huh."

"But that's only because you shot down my music dream idea," protested Music Meister.

"I never shot it down. I said it was cheesy and over the top, but I didn't say I didn't like it."

"Oh," sighed Music Meister.

"More to the point, I think I could have just come and talked to them myself. I didn't need you beating them all half to death first."

"Well, I had to prove a point."

Lover shook his head. "Why do you never listen to me?"

"I listen!" Music Meister protested.

"Yes. That's why you stole poor Kara's powers, made Barry's life twice as complicated as it needed to be and—oh yes—beat up all these friendly people!" Lover guested to the heroes around them, all of whom were know staring back at the couple in disbelief.

"Is this really happening?" Wally murmured.

"I mean for crying out loud. I get you want to help me. I like that you help me. But this is just ridicules," Lover sighed. "And just look at the mess I've got to clean up now." Music Meister smiled eagerly to his ex, resulting a glare in response. "Don't push me."

"Excuse me," Cisco called out, rising his arm.

"Yes, Mr. Ramon," Lover said politely, looking over to the engineer who was sprawled out across the grass, blood covering his lower face. "How can I help you?"

"Yeah, you can help me by telling me…what the hell is going on here?"

"Glad you asked. Though I feel this question would be better answered at home, don't you?" Lover said, addressing Music Meister with the last part.

"Alright," Music Meister agreed before both snapped their fingers. A bright light consuming the group only to then fade away to reveal the Cortex of STAR Labs. As soon as they arrived, Caitlin hurried to Jesse's side and took her from Wally, easing her into the closest chair to her.

Barry skirted around the computer desks and crashed into Brady, enveloping him in a hug. Brady coughed, eyes growing wide behind his goggles. "Barry! Choking! Not breathing!" He breathed a huge sigh of relief when Barry then went to Cisco and Cadence and did the same.

"I'm sorry," Barry murmured into Cadence's ear as he hugged her.

"For killing me?" Cadence gasped, surprised at his strength despite not having his powers. "So am I!" Barry released her when Music Meister suddenly started to clap loudly. "This guy is getting on my nerves," Cadence murmured.

"'Bravo, round of applause. Standing 'O'. That was so good." Music Meister congratulated Lover. "I loved it. That was a hell of a show." He then turned to the heroes. "And you, you all…you really put up a hell of a fight. I didn't think it was possible, but you truly are Earth's mightiest heroes."

"I think that name's taken," Winn commented.

"Okay, man, now's the time for answers!" Cisco ripped off his glasses and slammed his hands on his hips. "How'd you get Kara's and Barry's powers? How do you know so much about us? And more importantly!" He pointed towards Lover. "How'd you get them out of the Pipeline?"

"It's not exactly rocket science Mr. Ramon. I pushed the open button, " Lover stated rather simply.

"My God your security is bad," Winn exclaimed with a look to Cisco as the engineer shrugged it off with a huff. Their security was fine, he just needed to beef up the pipeline a little and add a few more passwords to keep weirdos like Lover out.

Music Meister shook his head. Lover pouted and started to snap his fingers. "Back on me please," he quickly said, bringing everyone's eyes back to him, where he liked them. "Okay, see, we, our people, see everything. We know how to get in and out of everything. And this one here." He gestured to Music Meister, who took a humble bow. "Was trying to help. Sorry he went a bit overboard, but I needed to mess with you—"

"—Are you from another universe or what?" Deity demanded. They needed answers and they needed it now. The mysterious air held around them was just starting to get annoying.

"—Actually, I'm a cosmic deity—"

"-A cosmic being," Lover corrected with a sigh and a shake of his head. "Only you would call yourself a deity."

Music Meister continued. "And you wouldn't even understand where we come from. But that's a story for another time." He waved his hands in farewell. "We have to get going."

"Not before you explain yourselves," Kara demanded, making Music Meister stop in his tracks. He nodded, as if forgetting what they'd even come back for. "What did you want with our powers? Why are you even here?"

"And why us?" Barry added. He was as tired of the others not having any answers. Not knowing what was going on. The one glimpse he got into knowledge, of the future, and he was ready to leave everything behind. Sporadic glimpses were slowly starting to kill him. They were all very intelligent but he was tired of feeling so idiotic.

"Well, it's like I said, I'm a clairvoyant," Lover explained. He clasped his hands in front of him then gestured to Music Meister with a flick of his head. "And he's a trickster. It's the best way I can explain it. And as for why he decided to steal your powers, well, he never really needed them in the first place."

"What?" Wally asked.

Winn stared at the cosmic beings in disbelief. "You're telling me that this whole thing was just a way for you to get your jollies?"

"If only that were true," Lover said flatly. He cleared his throat once more. "No, the only reason all this happened was because you needed a test. A test to know if you're truly ready to take on what's coming for you." He tapped his temple. "And you've got a lot coming for you. That reminds me, Mr. Ramon, you've got a lot of excitement coming your way."

"What are you, a fortune cookie?" Cadence demanded. She flicked her hand at her side, flames immediately erupting, creeping up her arm. "We need answers and we need them now."

"'It's like I told you, we needed to test you to be ready," Music Meister said. "I could've gone ahead and made you all my puppets just with a little song…" he wiggled his fingers in the air. "But I figured this would be a bit more fun. And let me say, I've always wanted to know what it'd be like to be a speedster. And I was so saddened when Krypton was destroyed."

Kara exchanged a glance with Deity. "You know about Krypton?"

"Oh yes, every dimension does."

"We needed to know you had the heart for what you're going to come up against, with and without your powers. Now, if we had the time, we would've gotten the rest of them because, who doesn't like the idea of being able to phase in and out of places and that Speed Force?" Music Meister gave a thumbs up. "I highly approve."

"But we need to talk about some important things," Lover said. He cleared his throat, the pleasant expression on his face turning solemn as he looked directly at Barry and Cadence. "You have a strong team behind you, but there's darkness looming over you as well. Darkness that won't go away until you confront your demons." His eyes flickered. "All of them. Past. Present. Future. But not everything is as it seems, there are more targets then you're aware of. Everything's not as you think it is."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, you can't just come in here and not tell us anything," Brady added. "What about Savitar and Alchemy?"

"I think you need to be more concerned about Breathtaker, young one," Lover said. He glanced to Music Meister for clarification, who nodded in agreement. "That seems to be more to your speed."

"Pun fully intended," Music Meister added to low groans and rolling eyes. HR was the only one who grinned and waved his drumsticks, appreciating the joke.

"As for you lot," Lover continued as he waltzed over to the five members of Team Supergirl. "You've also got your fair share of bad days ahead. But just remember, you're stronger together than you ever are apart." He then homed in on Deity. "And you need to let the past go. Don't, and things won't end well, for any of you. Look to the bright future, not the dirty past. You've not lost everything, not yet anyway." A smile formed on his lips, but Deity didn't return it.

"But seeing as you're a teenager and all you lot do is complain, my hopes aren't too high. So I'll see you at the wedding if things aren't improving."

"What wedding?!" the whole room roared in confusion. Not the best subject to bringing up, but he had to make himself clear.

"Oh, and keep an eye on that nice fella who fell to Earth. He's a hottie," Lover said with a grin, shoving aside the looming question.

"Well, that seems to be about everything," Music Meister said. Lover glared at him. "Oh, yes, just one more thing." He cleared his throat, took a step forward and started to sing a high note. As he did so, his eyes pulsed with his hypnotizing gaze, this time moving towards his irises rather than moving away from them. The white-ish glow covered Kara and Barry until it faded.

Lightning flashed through Barry's eyes while Kara glanced at her fingers, both feeling their strength return as their powers were given back to them. "There we go. Well, this was a trip, wasn't it? I had some good time, you had some good times. All in all, it'll be memorable."

"Until the next time you show up," Lover murmured.

"Hold on, what about all the damage to the city? Aren't you going to fix that?" Winn asked, stepping forward.

"Oh sure, just let me snap my fingers and everything will be as it was," said Lover.

"You can really do that?" Winn gasped.

"No!" both Lover and Music Meister echoed. "We're beings of immense cosmological power. Not your clean up crew."

"Idiot," Cisco muttered.

"Oh, I don't care if you are injured, I'll take that keyboard and whack it over your head if you keep pushing me," Winn snapped to Cisco, clearly hearing him.

"Come at me big boy," Cisco shot back, tapping his chest with both hands.

"And we're back to normal," Caitlin murmured with a tired sigh.

"But what about your fee? Barry pointed out with a frown. Lover turned an inquisitive glance his way and Barry clarified. "You said you wanted something for helping us."

Lover waved a hand in the air. "Oh, that! I just wanted you to listen to me," Lover explained with a smile.

"That's it, I can't take any more of this," groaned Cadence as she let her face fall into her hands. She lifted her head and sighed, "You think considering no one on this Earth knows that that I'd go to jail if I killed them?"

Her words made Lover and Music Meister exchange a glance while Caitlin hid a smile, Cisco slowly facepalmed, and Barry turned his gaze toward the ceiling. "We'll be off then," Lover decided with one last glace at the group. "And, everyone, please remember this heartfelt parting message-"

"-What? That love conquers all?" Winn asked with a roll of his eyes. Brady snorted.

Lover smiled. "Oh, if only that were true. No, just that no one knows what the future holds. Even us." He motioned between himself and Music Meister. "We can see things coming, can watch others…but we don't always know how things will end up. If I knew things were going to end up like this, I would've stopped it sooner. We work the best as a team, just as you all do as well. You're never as alone as you think you are."

"And put a little love, in your heart," Music Meister snag out, before he and Lover began to hum away to their own little tune. "And on that parting note, we've got to get going." Music Meister looped his arm through Lover's and gave a salute to the group. "Tootles!" The two cosmic beings faded, with their musical humming not far behind.

Brady removed his hood, then took off his goggles, carefully placing them on the counter in front of him. Lest Cisco and Winn yelled at him for damaging anything even further than Music Meister had. And while Caitlin was hovering over everyone, ensuring they weren't too badly hurt, Kara and Barry were using their newly regained powers to patrol the city, he wanted some time to think about what Lover and Music Meister had said.

He needed to worry more about Breathtaker? It wasn't like he didn't worry; the thought of his mother being murdered by that group was enough to keep him up at night. More so than his own potential death. But something with the way Lover had looked at him when he said stuck with him. He twisted his mouth to the side, dropping into the office chair next to him. He glanced at the medical bay, watching Caitlin and his mother look over their fallen friends.

He'd spent enough time in the medical bay through his multiple groundings that he wasn't in a rush to get back in there. Besides, there was too much to think about and the downtime was making his past worries come in again.

"Brady?" The young boy twisted in his chair and glanced over his shoulder, spotting a familiar shadow sliding along the wall of the hallway towards him.

"Over here," Brady said halfheartedly, slouching in his seat.

Should've known he wouldn't be able to hide for too long. He crossed his arms and leaned towards the monitor in front of him, pressing the screen to change it to another channel. He'd been watching a lot of the news lately, as boring as it could be, but after experiencing what he'd had that day, it was the last thing he wanted to consume. Deity plopped into the seat next to him.

Brady glanced over to her, confused as to why she was sitting the way she was. Fully facing him, hands behind her back. "Is there something you want?" Brady asked, frowning in irritation as he glanced over to the older girl. He hadn't meant it to come out as harsh as it did, but even so Deity kept on smiling away.

A secret smile.

"What is it?" Brady asked with a sigh, guessing there wasn't going to be a quick and easy way out of whatever was going on.

"I'm sorry," Deity said, making Brady's frown deepen. He opened his mouth to ask why but the teenager apparently anticipated this and cut in with her answer. "The cookies where a lame gift. I get that. I hope you like them though, but after you gave me-" She briefly paused as she held up the necklace around her neck, showing it off in case Brady had somehow forgotten what he'd gotten her. Unlikely. "-This, I figured I'd better get you something better."

"It's fine, Debby," Brady said with a careless shrug. It really didn't bother him. It was something else that was bothering him.

"No, it's not," Deity pressed. "You got me this really sweet, meaningful gift. I wanted to do the same for you." At that Brady's curiosity picked up. His heart picked up too oddly enough.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we're friends…good friends," Deity said with a sincere smile as she reached forward and grabbed Brady's hand. He felt his cheeks heat up at that. "Which is why I'm giving you this."

Without everting her gaze from his eyes, she pushed something into his hand before wrapping his fingers around it and pushing it back towards Brady. He broke their eye contact and looked down at his hand, frowning still. Then he opened his palm to find a small toy spaceship inside.

"A toy spaceship?" he asked skeptically as he lifted his head.

Deity smiled knowingly. "No. It's a small spaceship…my spaceship." Brady's eyes widened at that as his eyes shot back down, awing as he held up the ship to give it a better look. "I got the Atom guy to shrink it down. Just don't tell anyone I gave it to you. I think if J'onn found out he'd lock us both up." Deity chuckled at her own joke.

"Thanks," Brady said, sounding a little astonished…but all disappointed.

Deity frowned at that. "Don't you like it?" she asked. "Would you rather it was bigger?"

"No!" Brady quickly jumped in. "It's just…" He stared at her for a moment before sighing and placing the spaceship down on the counter. He turned away from the Hybrid, placing his hand on his legs as he leaned forward, trying to think of how to put it.

"Come on, Brady. We're friends, right?" Deity asked, moving closer to him and leaning forwards so she was in the corner of his eye. He was still in thought though and didn't acknowledge her comment. "Right?" she repeated as she nudged his elbow with her own.

"Yeah," Brady blurted out. "But…" He turned to face Deity, his heart pounding in his chest. So loudly he was surprised she didn't hear it, what with her super hearing and all. She started to frown, waiting for him to continue. "I think…I like you." She seemed surprised by that, but not the sort of surprise he'd been expecting. When she remained silent he decided to clarify. "Like…Like you, like you." Then he got the look he'd be expecting.

"Oh," Deity said slowly as she reeled back slightly. "Oh!" Then came the long awkward silence which Brady had been dreading. Was this what it was like for his mom and Barry or even his mom and dad when they first told each other they liked the other. It was killing him, just sitting and waiting. He felt like sinking through the floor and making a run for it. Sure, Deity would probably catch him but the shock ought to give him a good enough head start.

"Isn't there someone more…age appropriate?" Deity asked. "What about that Alicia girl?"

Brady felt his heart drop. He'd told her how she felt, and she didn't feel the same, now he just felt like an idiot. And the last thing he wanted to entertain was anything between him and Alicia. "So basically, you don't like me," Brady muttered, standing to leave.

"Hey!" Deity snapped, grabbing his arm and pulling him back down to his chair. "That's not fair. I like you a lot…just no in the same way," Deity said, deflating at the end when she realized she might have been giving him the wrong idea.

"Whatever," Brady murmured as he crossed his arm, turning his head from Deity so he didn't have to look at her and be reminded about how stupid he'd been. He'd rather go and fight Metallo again then look at Deity right now. At least that was a lot less embarrassing.

"We're friends, Brady. Don't let it be like this," Deity begged, but still Brady refused to face her. "Please."

"I like you, Debby," Brady murmured.

"I like you too," Deity said, mirroring his words as Brady sighed annoyingly.

"Yeah, but not the same way."

"Brady…" A sigh as she tried to find the right words to say. But as far as Brady was concerned she'd made herself perfectly clear. She didn't like him even if he liked her. "Does your mom know about this?"

"Probably," Brady muttered as he kicked the carpet at his feet. Actually, he was sure she knew. One thing Brady certainly noticed being Barry so often was he was getting worse at lying. Awkward silence followed, just the sound of their breathing filling the empty apartment. Another prime opportunity for Brady to phase out and storm off. Though something told him, Deity wasn't about to drop the matter that easily after she'd pulled him back to the couch when he first tried to leave.

"Remember I told you about my best friends, Casey and Sam?" Deity suddenly spoke up. Brady nodded but only turned his head enough so that she was in the corner of his eyes and still distorted. "You remember that I told you they broke up?" Another sharp nod from Brady. "Well, that's because they were like us. They were friends that tried to be a couple. It didn't really work." Slowly Brady began to turn his head towards Deity. "They're still friends, but I don't think it always ends that way. And I think they're still a little nervous around each other. My point is, Brady, I don't want that with us. You and I…we have a special kind of friendship."

"What makes it special?" he asked, mood thick in his voice.

"We're both from other Earths? I'd say that's a barrier most friendships don't survive," Deity said with a head tilt and an amused look to her face. It irritated Brady. How she was treating this like a joke rather than something serious, which it was to him. He turned back away, rolling his eyes.

"But there is one thing I like about my friends' relationship. They both got to share all these big moments in their lives with someone they're still friends with. So, I guess if you want…" Brady swung back around, seeing Deity had lowered her gaze from his, making circles on the counter with her finger.

What?"

"To be clear," Deity pipped up as she lifted her finger and her gaze back to Brady. "This stays between us. And this does not mean we're dating. We're just two friends…who shared their first kiss."

Brady smiled. Tried to keep his excitement, or was it nerves at bay. "I can get behind that."

Deity smiled back. "Alright. But that's it. Just one kiss. Then we put this whole thing behind us."

"Okay," Brady snapped, before silence gripped the two kids staring at each other. "Um. So…how does this work."

"Close our eyes…" Deity said with a small timid smile. Brady did as told, blindly following her down the rabbit hole. He leaned forwards and pursed his lips. He waited a few seconds and then began to feel like an idiot again. He had been just about to open his eyes and start asking what was going on when he felt Deity's lips touch his own.

It was quick. A light brush against his lips but more than he'd been expecting at the same time. Despite its quickness, it still felt like a long kiss. Something he'd seen his mom and Barry do when they really wanted to show they loved each other. Or maybe it just felt that way in his head and it really had only been a mere second.

He opened his eyes and found Deity pulled back, her eyes open and light blush on her checks. It was nothing compared to his own blush though and the smile that was stretching the muscles on his face. It only continued to grow when Deity smiled back at him.

"Friends?" Deity asked with mild worry to her voice.

"Friends," Brady agreed with a youthful smile.

A/N: Well, this all took a bit longer than I anticipated to be finished but it does bring up some hints as to what's to come for Team Flash and Team Supergirl through our own stories as they go on. We hope you guys enjoyed this crossover (though there's one tiny part left) and what the rest of the stories have in store. There's certainly going to be a lot of momentum with Savitar, Alchemy, and Breathtaker as things moved from them a little. As well as Harrison, Tess, Joe, and Iris though there has been explanation as to why the latter hasn't been around so much.

Thanks again PowerHero432 for being a co-writer with these big projects and helping out when I suddenly had very little time to work on it. At the moment, my updates will move back to Wednesdays (so, yes, you'll be getting another update this Wednesday) but I'll let you know if it ever changes.

Let us know what you think

Cheers,

-Riles

Ethan: I'm glad all that emotion worked out well in terms of reading it compared to when I told you. I was afraid it'd seem like a bit info dump but she'd had a lot of grievances. Honestly, I'm surprised there hasn't been much mention of her revealing she'd killed before, on accident, and assisted ending lives as well. But I digress, it's a lot to go through. Cadence really needed that support to fully step outside of Barry's shadow and now she's finally gotten it along with Brady's new suit.

DarkHelm145: It's alright if you don't like Lover. He was created as a means to have Music Meister have a more interesting motive as well as it being a homage to Glee's Darren Criss and Chris Colfer. Mr. Myxlptlk certainly has been mentioned a lot, but he won't show up in any of my stories that I currently have planned. But then again I'd said the same about Batman and Superman and then I brought them in. Glad you enjoyed Winn and Cisco's interactions, they've been fun to write.

Guest: Glad you've been enjoying it.

Yummers: Here's an update! Hope you didn't mind waiting a bit.