User blog:DemonGirl123/Drakonia 3: Vermilion Storm Rising - Episode 23: Vermilion Mist

Silence...

That was what filled the surrounding area of Infantino Street following the shockwave generated from the flaming talon of Zhu-Ku which struck Elizabeth, killing her.

Or did it?

Laying a few spaces from where she was attacked, facedown, was the Drakonian princess herself. She wasn't dead. In fact, she was unharmed, stirring awake from her state of shock the moment she heard a pair of familiar objects hitting the ground nearby.

''Tap! Tap!''

That was when she saw them rolling towards her, a pair of wooden drumsticks stopping by her claw. Picking them up as she too rose to her feet, her eyes scanned ahead until they found their target: HR Wells.

The sight of her love laying on the ground, motionless caused her to drop the sticks in her hands.

"No," Elizabeth exhaled a jagged breath, "No, no, no, no, no!" The redhead charged towards him almost, tripping as she took her first step, struggling to get his name past her throat.

Until she fell on her knees before him...

"HR!" She wailed, cradling him in her arms on her lap, hazel eyes darting back-and-forth as the dragon examined his unconscious, severely burned body.

Elizabeth's outcry woke a knocked out Barry who was many yards away from them after the Vermillion Bird's attack.

HR suddenly gasped awake, startling his fiancé, fighting to breathe as he expelled black smoke from his lungs.

"P-Princess," the blue-eyed author choked through his words, "Are you..."

"I'm here, Baby," Elizabeth supported his head, looking him in the eyes. A moment broken when The Flash joined them, "Barry, Barry, you have to take him to get help!"

The stunned Scarlet Speedster nodded, preparing to whisk him away.

"No, B.A., don't!" HR weakly held out his arm to stop Barry.

"What?" Barry looked at him, confused, still processing what happened.

"B-But, HR, you need to-"

"It won't matter, Lizard," he wheezed, smog escaping following every word he uttered, "There's no time, please just let me say goodbye."

HR twirled some of her ginger hair around his fingers, caressing it against his cheek as his lover leaned forward closer to him.

"HR, why did you do it?" Barry asked, voice breaking as he stroked the dying man's hair.

''He sat alone in the Cortex of S.T.A.R. Labs, staring blankly at the computer monitor in front of him showing the location Barry Allen zoomed off to after finding out Zhu-Ku took Elizabeth. HR's cerulean eyes drifted to a gold ring on his right ring finger. It was almost forty-eight hours since he made the ultimate promise to the love of his life,  Til death do us part.'

Those words echoed through his brain as he remembered the small vow reading ceremony they participated in on Earth-2 and the final day they were together on their twenty-four hour mini-honeymoon where they spent hours of it in the hotel room making love and enjoying one another's company and the rest of the time exploring and sightseeing the unfamiliar world around them.

''They loved every minute of it. For the first time since they met, Elizabeth and HR experienced joy and lived their best lives without worrying about the looming threat of death haunting them.''

''But then he struck, the Vermillion Bird god found a way to breach himself to Earth-2 minutes ago to murder the woman HR loved. Bianca and Wally could not stop him nor could he and Harry. He recalled the moment the avian's claws grasped both him and his doppelgänger by their shirts, lifting them up into the air, admiring the glowing, yellow shapes that mysteriously appeared where their hearts would be. He wanted them and he would have killed both to take them if Elizabeth didn't intervene.''

''After months of calling HR a coward and useless, all of a sudden, he was interesting to the Mystic? That was it. The writer knew just how he was going to prevent her death.''

When he finally arrived at his destination, Zhu-Ku was gripping The Flash with one foot, burning his suit and somehow preventing him from phasing or running away as the other foot held her - HR's one true source of happiness who he cherished greater than his own existence.

The fiery bird slammed the dragon princess's body onto the ground, preparing to snare her with his large, glowing nails.

''Without thinking, HR emerged from his hiding spot, sliding in front of the approaching hook, emitting a deadly scream when they tore into his chest and through his ribs, searing his torso. The contact creating the pulse that threw Elizabeth and Barry further away from the scene, knocking out the speedster.''

''There it was: The shiny gold, diamond-shaped object floating away from his body only to be devoured by the god. Admiring his work, Zhu-Ku flew off, smirking in victory completely ignoring the fact his supposed target was still living.''

''HR laid there, turning his head to see his girl groaning on the ground unscathed, relieved that she was OK. Closing his eyes, he listened to his drumsticks fall as he drifted off into unconsciousness.''

"No," Elizabeth cried, "You can't leave me!" She quickly kissed his lips and planted more on his face, hoping she would somehow wake from the nightmare she was trapped in, but it wasn't a dream, this was really happening.

"Eliza...beth," HR entangled his fingers on one hand with her magenta clawed appendages as he touched her cheek with the other, Barry noticing the wedding band, "It's gonna be alright," he soothed, "I know it will be. You're the strongest, bravest, most beautiful person I have ever come across. You're the only one that can stop Zhu-Ku and any evil he sends your way."

Barry watched the scene unfold in tears, wishing he was able to take him to a hospital but he knew it would be ineffectual. It was only a matter of time before his heart stopped. Clear liquid was streaming down both their faces, the couple forgetting their friend was even there.

Elizabeth sobbed, starting to shake and holding him tighter. HR guided her closer to him as he used his last bit of energy to arch his back so he was leveled with her.

"Shh," he laid his forehead on hers, massaging the back of her neck with the hand that was previously on her face, "Don't cry, my love, the pain will only be temporary," softly, yet deeply, he kissed her lips for the last time, slightly pulling away to gaze into her greenish eyes with his puffy baby blues as blood dripped from his mouth, "Never...forget...who you are. You're not...a monster, you're a..."

And just like that, he was gone. His breathing stopped, his heart ceased to beat, and his voice - the shining hope that motivated everyone around him and graced Elizabeth's soul - was silenced forever.

Elizabeth cried, softly, pulling him into an embrace, wrapping her arms around him and rocking back-and-forth, burying her face in his hair.

"Lizzie," Barry mumbled, reaching out a hand to lay on her shoulder.

But before he could, Elizabeth reeled back her head, blaring a deep, loud bellowing roar that shook the area around them as it vibrated throughout. She yowled for a good minute, body covered in the orange aura of the Dragon Force. Barry looked away, his eyes clenched tight as he listened to his dear friend's painful bawl.

Although as quickly as it began, it stopped. Barry returned his sight to her as she lowered HR's lifeless body to the ground, standing up, flexing the claw on her right hand out to the side and grumbling, animalistically as she steadily raised her head forward, revealing emotionless, orange eyes.

"Where," Barry wrapped his arms around HR to lift his corpse, "Where are you going?" He questioned, watching the Drakonian take a few steps before turning to glare at him.

"To end this," was all she murmured, preceding to stroll off in search of the Godly Mystic who slaughtered her soulmate.

"No, Lizzie, don't!" Barry tried to speed after her, but the burns from the holy flames of Zhu-Ku pained him to run.

In the woods outside of Central City, a pink psychic blast sliced through one of the trees. Cisco in his Vibe getup dragged Rainbow in his Prismfly suit by his arm behind another shrub.

"You mind telling me why we aren't fighting Jem and the Holograms over there?" Rainbow asked, panting, heavily as Cisco let go of him.

"I'm not fighting them, Rai!" The other male clarified, also out of breath, "Damn, this snow is really bad."

"Your girlfriend is trying to kill us," Rainbow noted, a sharp icicle piercing the wood they were kneeling against.

"Get up!" Cisco picked him up and the two came face-to-face with their possessed friends.

"Are you boys fighting us or each other?" Frostbite Queen chuckled, holding up a misty hand.

"That's a good question, Ice Temptress and let me answer you with a..." Rainbow's heterochromatic eyes flashed red as he quickly shot a fiery beam at Lorelai's shoulder.

"Dude!" Cisco yelled.

"Worry about it later, lover-boy, just breach us out of here if you're not gonna man-up," Rainbow led him away from the women.

"Look, maybe it's easy for you to fight them because you've never had a serious relationship in your life, but I can't," the brunet said, forcefully tearing off his Vibe goggles as he glared at the blond.

"Hey, it's not my fault everyone is taken," the fairy mentioned, "I mean I was gonna ask Claire out but then she went with that phoenix cutie, Julian."

A fuchsia forcefield blocked their path.

"Sorry, I don't date guys named Rainbow," Gemma taunted, eyes shining the same shade as the barrier and her hair. Frostbite Queen stood next to her, laughing as she held her shoulder.

"Why did my parents name me this?" Rainbow groaned as Cisco took a few steps forward, staring at Lorelai.

"Lolo, listen to me," he pleaded, tossing his specs onto the ground and holding his hands up behind his head, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"That's cute, Vibe, but I want to hurt you," Lorelai scoffed.

Claire's eyes leered at the male duo, causing them both to grip their heads in pain.

"You can stop her from doing this," Cisco told her through grit teeth, "She can't control you forever. That bird-brain is using both of you."

"Oh, and I suppose you're a better candidate for someone I can rule with?" The white-haired meta queried, raising an eyebrow, forming her signature ice club in her hand.

"No, I don't want to rule with you, I just want to love you," Cisco continued, trying desperately to break through to the woman he adored, "We have fun, right? Watching movies, going to the arcade even though video games aren't your thing, and ice-skating. Remember how you always laugh when I constantly fall on my ass," he chortled, half-heartedly, never looking away from her snow white eyes, "And then there's you, skating gracefully like the ice princess you are."

Lorelai bit her lip, lowering her weapon.

"Don't tell me that worked?" Claire wondered, turning to her partner, severing the mental hold on the boys.

Rainbow fell to his knees while Cisco walked towards his girlfriend, holding out his arms for a hug, but she slammed the baton against the snowy ground, spikes protruding from it.

"Shit," the mechanical engineer cursed as the ice meta-human bashed the terrain, pushing the men further away from them and into a tree.

"So," Rainbow bemoaned, rolling onto his stomach, "Was the Hallmark-styled journey down memory lane worth it?"

"You really don't get it," Cisco sat up, supporting himself with his left arm, "Also, you should be thanking me. Gemma was about to go full Scanners on us."

"No, it's you who doesn't get it, Vibe," Lorelai sneered, Claire beside her, "Fight me or give up and die."

"I already died when you did, Lolo," Cisco stood his ground, peering into her powdery orbs.

"OK," Claire took that statement as a cue for her to attack, using her telekinetic powers to lift him and Rainbow by their throats, "I could just break your necks but this is much more fun."

"How sweet, but you can really die for all I care," Lorelai smirked, tapping her icy club against her bare palm.

"As...You...Wish," Cisco choked, refusing to take his eyes off her.

Lorelai's face fell as she backed up, remembering that phrase specifically when it came to him. It was special, she thought, but what did it mean?

It was their little unique way of expressing their feelings, their own 'I love you'. A line from a movie they share a love for just like a lot of things they have in common. Her eyes reverted back to their normal chestnut brown.

She tried to open her mouth to confront Gemma but Zhu-Ku appeared in a spout of flames.

"Release them, Gemma," he commanded, standing between the four in his humanoid form, holding up a feathered arm.

"Of course," the magenta-haired Mystic obliged, dropping her prey to the ground who began coughing and gasping for air.

Lorelai wanted to check on them, especially Cisco, but decided against it to not alert Zhu-Ku.

"Is she dead?" Gemma asked, smiling, referring to Elizabeth.

"Nah," Zhu-Ku tittered, "But I did accomplish a goal."

"And what's that?" Lorelai followed.

The Vermillion Bird smirked at her, "Killing HR Wells."

Lorelai's eyes widened along with Rainbow and Cisco's.

"What, why?" The carbuncle inquired, "The Future Flash said he lives. Why kill him?"

"Elizabeth," Rainbow softly exhaled, looking down.

"You did it to hurt her, didn't you?" Cisco reiterated his friend's deduction.

"Only partly," Zhu-Ku turned to the meta-human, holding up his hand and showing everyone the golden scale he took from HR.

"What is that?" Lorelai interrogated.

"Just a little well-deserved present," Zhu-Ku smirked, "With it, I'm one step closer to creating a New Drakonia."

Rainbow, Cisco, and Lorelai all looked at him, confused.

"So, what about Elizabeth?" Gemma asked.

"I already broke Sei-Gon and now, to kill two birds," Zhu-Ku chuckled, "With one stone, I will kill the one man who can probably bring her back, just in case. I should have done it when I was on Earth-2."

Cisco and Rainbow glanced at each other, knowing exactly who he meant and so did Lorelai.

"Do you have enough strength to breach yourself there?" The pink-haired villain continued with the questions.

"Not at the moment," the scarlet-skinned creature sighed, "Being in my true form on this world is exhausting. That hare of his is on this Earth so either way, he'll show up."

Ice Princess swiftly struck the fiery Mystic with an ice blast, stunning him.

"Lorelai?" Cisco beamed, running up to her, "You're back!"

"Yeah, Cissy, now breach us out of here, quick!" The white-haired meta tossed him his goggles.

"Bitch!" Gemma growled, "She broke it."

"Get them!" Zhu-Ku squawked from the ground, holding his frozen wing.

Cisco created a portal and guided Lorelai and himself through it but a pink dome blocked Rainbow before he could escape with them.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry laid HR's body on a bed in the medical lab, covering it with a blanket.

"Thanks for helping me, Joe. I would have walked but I couldn't leave him," Barry sighed, turning to face his father figure, "Zhu-Ku's flames burned me pretty bad so my speed healing is working overtime, leaving not much to use to running."

"Of course, Son," Joe nodded with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorway.

"I can't believe he's dead," Iris said, wrapping an arm around Bianca to support her.

"Where's Elizabeth?" The half-breed asked, still lingering on one leg from her encounter with the Vermillion Bird.

"I don't know," Barry shook his head, "I couldn't chase after her, but I know she said she's going to end it."

"Hey, mates," Julian entered the Cortex, peeking through the windows to the med-bay, "What's going on?"

The others moved to the room just as Emily arrived with Elizabeth's kids.

"What are you doing here with them?" Joe questioned.

"Well, there's a monster trying to kill their mother so I thought the safest place for them would be here," the scientist replied.

Everyone exchanged glances, wondering how they were going to tell them.

"Daddy HR is dead, isn't he?" Jasmine asked, taking everyone by surprise.

"What?" Julian gasped, "HR's dead?"

"How did you know that?" Barry interrogated the young Drakonian.

The little redhead placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, "BJ heard Mommy scream. He said that's what her cry told him."

"Wow!" Barry ran his fingers through his hair.

Bianca hopped over to them, "MJ, why don't I take you and your brother to the lounge?"

Jasmine sighed, lowering her head, "OK, come on, BJ."

She entangled her arm around his, taking him with them all while the little boy never looked up from his DS.

"Those kids continue to amaze and scare me everyday," Joe commented as his daughter nodded in agreement.

"So, now what?" Julian asked, watching Emily sit at a desk, "Where is Elizabeth?"

"I don't know," Barry responded, "I tried to stop her from going after Zhu-Ku alone, but she might already be too far gone."

"Harry did say that strong emotions are a Drakonian's greatest weakness," Iris noted, standing beside Barry who was staring at the floor with strong feelings of guilt.

"Like all the good killing him is going to do," Emily scoffed, "He would just return to torture her some more."

"I may not know a lot about this science stuff, but I do know that that thing is immortal so how are we going to defeat him?" Joe inquired.

"I don't know, but we need to stop him before he does whatever else it is he's planning," Julian replied, "We need to get Claire and Lorelai back too."

"Yeah, speaking of," Wally walked into the Cortex in his Kid Flash costume, "I checked the forest and no one was there. Zhu-Ku must have taken Cisco and Rainbow."

"Great, more bad news," Iris rolled her eyes.

"Emily, any ideas on how to stop him?" Barry stared at her.

"There is potentially one way, but I don't think she's capable of handling it," Emily shrugged, carelessly, "Elizabeth is not exactly an experienced Drakonian."

"OK, and what would that be?" Barry asked, growing irritated with the older woman's attitude.

"So her body is basically unstable, right? Meaning if it has the Dragon Force - which it does - it can do incredible things such as absorbing the immortal souls of dangerous, powerful deities to lock them away."

"Wait, are you saying her body can act as a makeshift prison for the Godly Mystics?" Julian asked, scratching his head.

"That is what I'm saying, Albert," Emily chuckled, "However, like I said before, she's very inexperienced, meaning consuming that much power might kill her, but Zhu-Ku will be gone."

"Well, that can't happen," Iris intervened, "Besides, aren't there 3 more of these things that we have to worry about? How would we stop them without her?"

"Anybody got some good news?" Wally groaned.

A breach opened in the center of the room, Lorelai and Cisco falling out of it.

"Cisco!" Barry exclaimed with a smile, "You're OK."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he moaned, straightening his back, "That hurt."

"Lorelai, you're hair is back to normal," Iris observed, "Are you alright?"

"I think so," the brunette grinned, rubbing her still aching shoulder.

"Good to have you back, partner," Joe hugged her.

"Thanks, Joe," Lorelai giggled, quickly returning the gesture.

"We heard about HR," Cisco added, "How's El?"

"Gone, snapped, no way she's coming out of this unscathed," Emily stated.

"Must you?" Barry glared at her.

"Excuse me, why are you here?" The ice meta asked, raising an eyebrow with a hand on her hip.

"Cool your jets, Frosty, I'm leaving," Emily waved her off, looking at Barry, "I told you everything, right?"

"We'll keep that in mind," the brond-haired speedster rebuked.

"Wait a minute, guys, where's Bo?" Iris asked.

"He was right behind...Oh boy," Cisco noticed the blond wasn't with them, "Gemma must have gotten him before he could follow us."

"What could he possibly want him for?" Wally wondered.

"Probably something to do with his fairy magic," Lorelai jerked her shoulders.

"OK, we can't stand around here anymore, we need to find Elizabeth and wherever Zhu-Ku is hiding," Barry announced, frantically.

"Oh, I got this," Cisco slid into the chair in front of the main station, using the computer to search for his friend, "Aaaand she's at the waterfront."

"Why would she be there?" Joe asked.

"I know why, Cisco, breach me there, I got to bring her back," Barry requested.

"You got it, Flash," the Hispanic male created a portal for his friend to traverse through.

"'...Bring her back'," Lorelai remembered, "Babe, we got to go to Earth-2."

"And why do you wanna do that?" Joe quizzed.

The couple traded gazes.

Meanwhile, at Zhu-Ku's undisclosed lair, the Vermillion Bird slammed Rainbow against the ground upon entering.

"Do you treat all your guests this way?" The blond groaned, rubbing his neck.

The god answered him by slapping an orange feather on a table nearby, "You're gonna use your magic to power that up so I don't have to worry about running out of steam or dying at Sei-Gon's hands."

"Hmm," Rainbow pondered, tapping his chin, "Yeah, sorry, buddy, I can't really do much since you clipped my wings about a couple months ago."

Zhu-Ku chuckled, shaking his head and making his way towards the fairy, running a claw through his shoulder-length, dark blond hair and inching closer to his face as Rainbow nervously looked into his cinnabar eyes.

"You can still use your power enhanced by this Zodiac Gem to help me," the pheasant humanoid seductively lowered one talon down to his chest, patting the dragonfly pin stationed there.

"And if I don't?" Rainbow gulped, looking away.

Zhu-Ku replied, digging his nails into his shoulder, causing a yelp to escape the other man's lips.

"Oh, so you're gonna do the same thing to me you did to HR, cook me 'til I'm well done?" The Mystic said through gritted teeth.

"First of all, he wasn't well done," Zhu-Ku laughed, "And no, not you," he motioned towards Gemma, "Her."

Rainbow glanced behind him at the pinkette who was sitting on the floor in what appeared to be a meditation pose to charge her mental powers, the red gem buried into her forehead dimly glowing.

"And despite her unrequited feelings for you," Zhu-Ku continued, "You still won't let anything happen to her that you can prevent," he playfully poked his nose and maniacally giggled, "Now, get to work."

Rainbow watched the deity walk over to his makeshift nest to restore his energy similar to what his henchwoman was doing as he himself situated at the table, examining the feather which once belonged to Zhu's adopted brother, Finn, Julian's past life.

Barry found Elizabeth at the waterfront, sitting on the bench, the same one where HR sat watching her battle her sister for his life.

"What do you want, Flash?" She asked in a monotone.

"I came to stop you from doing something stupid," Barry replied, standing behind her.

"And why would I listen to you?" Elizabeth narrowed her eyes towards him, not turning her head.

"Because we're friends," Barry stated, "We love you and we don't want you to do anything you'll regret."

"You mean like how I made that wish that killed your father," Elizabeth stated, emotionless, "And caused Cisco's brother's death, and caused Claire and Lorelai to lose it? Anything else I'm forgetting, Bare?"

"I know that you didn't directly cause those things and that you just wanted us to be happy. You didn't think it would wear off," the Scarlet Speedster took a few steps closer.

"I'm the reason he's dead!" The Drakonian spat, finally facing him.

"Why do you say that, because he loved you?" Barry questioned, joining her in the seat,

"HR was the first one to ever really love me," Elizabeth looked away, "And the only one to die. People that love and care about me always leave whether they want to or not."

"Liz," The brond placed a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her single reptilian claw, noticing the extra ring on her finger similar to the one HR had the last time he saw him, "Did you two get married on Earth-2?"

The ginger chuckled, dryly, "Something like that. It was just us, the kids, Wally, Bunny, and Harry sort of officiated it. We just wanted a small ceremony and a honeymoon, promising to have a real one of both after Zhu-Ku was defeated."

"Oh, so how was that? Did you have a good time?" Barry asked, trying to get her to keep remembering pleasant moments in an attempt to bring her back.

"Yeah," Elizabeth smirked, looking down as her feet swayed back-and-forth, "We explored mostly Central City but we used the breach device that Harry gave us to fast travel to Gotham and Star City, two places that are safer than the ones on this Earth and we even spent some time at Atlantis," she laughed before sighing, "It really is a place you never want to leave, but more importantly, I felt normal."

The superhero smiled, listening to his friend recount her few rare moments of happiness she experienced in her life, but it faded when her simper also vanished.

"It was the only time I ever truly felt happy, like I belonged, and I wasn't worried about hurting anyone like I have the past three years," Elizabeth growled, "I'll never feel that way here. I'll always fear being looked at like some kind of freak, like a monster because I'm so different than anyone else on this planet. At least HR accepted me, no matter the flaws and now," she stood up, "I have no one. Thawne was right, I'll never be happy."

"That's not true," Barry followed her, "You have us."

Elizabeth scoffed, "But who do I have to run home to? You're with Iris, Wally is with Bianca, Joe has Saffron, Rainbow enjoys the life of a bachelor, and even though Claire and Lorrey are with Zhu-Ku, when they return, they'll go back to Julian and Cisco."

"What about the kids?"

"You know my visitation is limited every year because I keep proving to my mother how immature, irresponsible, and a terrible parent I am."

She sighed and stared straight ahead, her back still facing Barry, "But once I finish off Zhu-Ku somehow, I'll leave all of you alone and I'll never have to be a burden on anyone again."

Before Barry could react, Gemma emerged in a burst of flames.

"Hello, Princess, how's HR?" The carbuncle taunted, cackling.

Elizabeth growled, baring her fangs as her tangelo-colored eyes became more ophidian. Barry mounted in front of her to prevent a fight, the dragon humanoid finally noticing his burns on his right side.

"Flash, Flash, Flash," Gemma shook her head, "Heard you lost your speed yet again. Maybe you should get a GPS for it since it always seems to disappear."

"It's only temporary," Barry remarked, "What do you want?"

"Zhu-Ku wants to have a fight to the death in the woods, Sei?" The pinkette leered at Elizabeth.

"The woods? But that will cause forest fires that could destroy most of the city," Barry deduced in shock.

"He doesn't care. All he wants is to kill you, but he wants to see if the Dragon Force really is powerful, so he wants to fight you, alone!" Gemma snarled.

"I'll meet him there, Pinkie," Elizabeth grumbled, glaring daggers at her.

"Not now, he still needs time to recover and get that fairy to join us," Claire tapped her foot against the floor.

"Oh, so I should just give him an edge? I don't think so, this is war, Daniels!" The Drakonian roared.

"You'll abide by these conditions or Rainbow dies," Claire affirmed, grinning.

"Fine," Elizabeth groaned, "Now get the hell out of my face."

"Ooh, someone is upset that they're never getting laid again," Gemma howled. Elizabeth swiped at her but the psychokinetic Mystic floated out of the way, "You have one hour. See you around also, Barry-Bear," she blew him a kiss before drifting away with her telekinesis.

"You're not seriously going to do it, are you?" Barry asked. Elizabeth circled, handing him her Zodiac Gem, the Dragon Heart.

"This should help wear off the effects of Zhu-Ku's flames on your speed faster," she said, dully, not looking him in the eyes prior to heading off. On Earth-2, in his lab's breach room in the basement, Harry was sifting through the wreckage caused by Zhu-Ku nearly an hour ago, remembering the determined but fearful look in Elizabeth's eyes when she gave herself up to prevent the god from killing him and HR. The director of S.T.A.R. Labs tossed whatever he was holding against a nearby wall, angrily walking over to pick up his modified pulse rifle when a portal opened in front of him.

"Don't shoot!" Cisco held up his hands in defense as Lorelai stood behind him.

"Ramon," Harry groaned, lowering the weapon he aimed at the couple, "Absolute Zero."

"Uh, you mean me?" Lorelai pointed to herself.

"What, you don't have Fatal Combat on your Earth?" The older male asked, impassively, sitting on the platform where his breaches once were functional.

"OK, put a pin in that because that is an awesome name for that game," Cisco laughed as his girlfriend rolled her eyes.

"I assume this isn't a social call?" Harry put the gun on his lap, "Is Bunny OK?"

"Yeah," the ice meta glanced at her boyfriend, "We came here for you."

"Since you're not trying to kill me, I take it you somehow defeated that flaming ostrich?" Harry asked.

"You know we didn't," Cisco sighed, draping an arm around Lorelai's shoulder, "No, Lorrey just broke free because she rocks."

Harry lowered his head, pulling on his hair with his eyes closed, "She's dead isn't she?"

The meta-couple frowned and shook their heads.

"No, she's alive," Cisco replied, noticing his fellow scientist breathing a sigh of relief.

"But we think she's definitely dead inside," Lorelai added, rubbing her arm.

"What happened?" Harry looked her in the eyes.

"Um," it took some seconds before she could answer, "HR is dead."

"What?" Harry stood up, sounding genuinely shocked as his grip tightened on his rifle, "Let me guess," he turned away, still trying to process the news, "He sacrificed himself to protect her."

"Of course he did," Cisco said, "That's what you do when someone you really love is about to die."

"He's an idiot," Harry scoffed, rubbing his neck, "But a brave one," he sharply exhaled, opening his blue eyes as he faced the duo, "So, what do you want with me?"

"Well, Zhu-Ku is planning on killing you too," Cisco revealed, "He just needs to get enough of his strength back to come here."

"I know he tried to kill me when he was here, but why would he want to do that?" Harry asked.

"Um, because he thinks you can save her," Lorelai spoke.

"Me?" Harry dryly laughed, "How am I supposed to do that?"

"He knows you care about her," Cisco answered.

"Am I the only one?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow, "There's no difference in my level of care compared to anyone else she knows," he crossed his arms over his chest, avoiding their eyes.

Lorelai quickly flashed a smirk.

"I mean, you know how to calm her down during her freak-outs," noted the detective.

"Those are anxiety attacks and as someone who's also experienced them, I've kind of become an expert," Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"OK, oh, you were obviously jealous of her with Zhu-Ku when he was Nicholas," Lorelai reminded, "Remember how you tossed me the flowers you brought? You didn't want her to know that you were going to ask her out because you found out she was dating someone else."

"I told you they were an early birthday present, Snart," Harry glared at the floor, still refusing to look at them, "I wasn't going to ask her out. I'm not interested."

"And what about your obvious jealously towards HR and-"

An exaggerated, nervous laugh from Harry interrupted her, "HR was an annoying, loveable idiot and so is she. They were perfect for each other-"

"Oh, stop it, Harry," Lorelai rolled her eyes, mimicking his posture.

Cisco watched everything as he scratched his head, "Uh, guys?"

"Stop what?" Harry finally looked at her, voice shaky as he tried to use his irritation to mask the reason behind his suddenly flushed cheeks.

"Being so stubborn," Lorelai slowly advanced towards him, both leering in the same stance, she noticed he was becoming more uneasy as one of his hands started to shake, uncontrollably, "OK, feelings aside, here's a valid reason why you of all people should help her: You went through the exact same thing she is going through."

Harrison grimaced, breaking his form, looking away again as that statement made him remember his late wife.

"Guys!" Cisco snapped them out of it, "This is very interesting to watch but we kinda have a world to save."

"Right, babe," Lorelai smiled at the mechanical engineer, "Are you gonna help or not?"

Harry huffed a grumble, "Well, she's my friend and she is the only one who, in the end, can stop him so-"

"Great!" Lorelai interlaced her arms around Harry and Cisco's, "Now, let's go, boys," she quickly glimpsed at Harry, "We'll return to this some other time."

Harry rolled his eyes as Cisco opened a breach, returning them to Earth-1.

"Dad?" Bianca was surprised to see her father, Cisco, and Lorelai appear in the S.T.A.R. Labs lounge.

"Bunny," Harry smiled at her.

"Waddup, White Rabbit?" Cisco greeted, smiling and waving.

"Uncle Harry!" An overly excited Jasmine leapt off the couch, rushing over to him as he was putting the rifle on a nearby desk and then she jumped into his arms.

"Oh! It's good to see you too, Little Flower," Harry chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, "Your aroma is bitter, are you feeling alright?"

"Daddy HR is dead," Jasmine frowned, laying her arms around his neck.

"I heard," Harry stated, calmly.

"Are you gonna stop the bad man that killed him?"

Harry's expression changed, "Yes, I promise we'll take care of him."

"Good!" Jasmine squeezed him, tightly, pecking him on the cheek before jumping down, hurrying over to her brother, and tapping his arm, "BJ, Harry is here," she said and signed after getting his attention.

"Harry!" Josh shrieked in a loud voice, following his sister's lead, minus the jumping on him.

"Hey, Screech," Harry knelt down as he gestured with his hands.

"Are you here to find Mommy?" Josh asked.

"Why else would I be here?" Harry replied without speaking, hoping the others couldn't see what he said. He smiled, tussling the boy's auburn hair who copied his visage.

"Where is she?" Harry asked, verbally.

"She is at the waterfront," Cisco responded.

"Was at the waterfront," Barry zoomed into the room, "She went to the woods."

"Why?" Harry, Cisco, and Lorelai asked in unison.

"Zhu-Ku challenged her to a duel to the death, basically," Barry replied.

"You talked to her?" Harry asked, side-glaring at the meta-duo.

"Yes, but," Barry noticed Cisco and Lorelai shaking their heads, pointing at the man beside them, "Um, hopefully you can do better?"

Harry looked at them, unamused as the pair turned away, acting like nothing happened.

"Anyways, Wells, her eyes didn't look human anymore," Barry mentioned.

"Then there's nothing left in there to save," Harry deduced, readjusting his glasses.

"No, no, no," Lorelai grabbed his arm, "There is, you just have to bring it back."

"What's wrong with her?" Barry softly asked Cisco.

"Dude, I don't know, she was acting like this on Earth-2," Cisco whispered.

"You're asking me to fight a losing battle," Harry grunted, pulling his arm away from her. He was ready to quit until his eyes landed on Elizabeth's worried children, "Ugh, fine, but I better not get anymore claw marks on my body. Hei-Gon already gave me enough."

"Perfect! Now, Buttercup, take him there," Lorelai beamed at Cisco.

"Say what? Oh, yeah," her beau created a breach, "Hopefully we'll be back with her," he told them, pushing Harry through as he followed.

Elizabeth sat beneath a tree in the woods, staring at the timer on her phone that was counting down to her big fight with Zhu-Ku.

"I wish I knew where his lair was so I could just bust in and kill him," she sighed, "Usually I'm a very patient person but right now I'm starving for vengeance."

A small wormhole was heard opening a few yards in front of her.

"Well," the Drakonian smirked, "Guess they decided to send in the big guns," she placed her cell back in her pant pocket and looked up to see Harry standing over her, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Apparently, I'm here to-"

"Stop me from doing something stupid or that I'll regret," Elizabeth mocked, standing up, "Yeah, I know, I already had this talk with Barry and he's a much better person than you so what the hell were they thinking?"

Harry noticed her orange, reptilian eyes, "I told everyone that I couldn't help you."

Elizabeth looked behind him at Cisco who stood there, nervously, "Then why are you here?"

"Because I'm your friend and, you know, that's what they do," Harry scoffed, "They try to help no matter how many failed attempts proceeded."

Elizabeth burst into a nearly psychotic laughter, "You, me, friends? Come on, Harry, you hate my guts. The only reason why you tolerate me is because I helped save your daughter and I think you like my kids? I don't know."

"You know that's not true," Harry frowned, crossing his arms, appearing visibly hurt by that comment, "I wouldn't have spent months trying to find a way to prevent your death," he quickly glanced at Cisco, "You know, when I was finally told of it."

"OK," Elizabeth beamed, deviously, "Let's say you do care. What are you going to say? Are you gonna go the Barry Allen route and try to sweet talk me with memories of friendship and love?" She gagged, "Sorry, not interested, it isn't real."

"Nah," Harry smirked, "I'm gonna remind you just how selfish, annoying, ugly, and pathetic you really are."

"I'm sorry, what are we doing now?" Cisco reacted, still close by.

Harry scoffed, still looking her in the eyes, "Yeah, that's right, you want to know the truth? You're the one who really doesn't care about anyone, not the other way around and you never did."

Elizabeth growled, glaring at him as she flexed her right claw.

"You screw up every year of your life, mostly in the interest of impressing a man who never loved you all just to backstab and hurt the people who do. And when someone finally does come along and gives up everything for you, you make it all about you."

"Don't push me, Harrison!" Elizabeth bellowed, leer growing harsher.

"What else?" Harry thought for a moment, "Oh, also, you're right, you are a terrible mother. You spend so much of your time whining about how much Emily hurt you growing up and how she won't let you see your kids all the time, but you don't even try to fight for them. Like always, you cry your fake little crocodile tears for attention. I could go on, but I'll spare you, which is more than you deserve."

"Uh, Harry, when Zhu-Ku said you can help her, I don't think he meant that was Harry-code for piss her off," Cisco whispered but was ignored.

Elizabeth roared in his face, scaring Cisco into backing up.

"'Roar' yourself," Harry ridiculed, "You're not scary, little girl. You wanna know who was terrifying - Hei-Gon - that beast used to abuse me into submission, oh, just...like...Thawne," he quipped, his face directly in front of hers not fearing what she might do to him.

Elizabeth gripped his shirt, tightly as she raised her draconic hand with her nails sharpened, "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

"OK, that's it, Harry, tap out," Cisco begged, patting his friend's shoulder, but Harry continued to disregard him.

"Go ahead, you little gecko, do it!" He yelled in her face, "Show that bird-brain and Eobard Thawne just the kind of hideous monster you really are," his left hand slowly wrapped around the wrist of hers that was practically digging into his chest, "Or you can prove you're not to HR and all of your friends."

"You better know what you're doing, man or I'm breaching us the hell out of here," Cisco mumbled to himself.

"So, who are you going to be: Elizabeth Mendel, the person who wants to choose her own destiny or the monster, Sei-Gon that Thawne and Zhu-Ku want you to be?" Harry asked, voice huskier than usual as his half-lidded eyes remained locked on hers.

Elizabeth snarled, beastly, preparing to slit his throat but when her spike almost made contact with his neck, she stopped. Cisco's fist was clenched, preparing to vibe-blast her. Harry, however, didn't blink or flinch as if he was prepared to die by her hands.

Elizabeth released her hold on him as her right hand stayed extended. She looked at the rings that HR put on her finger. Was Harry right? Was she truly making his death about her? Did she continue to use the torment she went through all her life as an excuse to have people pity her?

She looked to Harrison wondering to herself if she would have actually harmed him. Maybe she really was the monster the Reverse Flash repeatedly told her she was. Perhaps she deserved all of this. Clutching both sides of her head with her hands, she finally allowed herself to feel the harbored emotions she bottled up for over twenty years combined with losing the one true love of her life. She broke down in a wave of tears, sobbing and screaming as the two men looked on with somber faces, but Harry felt worse because of the horrible things he had to say to her.

Cisco suspired, "I guess that was the right call."

Harry prepared to go against his usual instincts and hug her, but something was wrong.

As she cried, Elizabeth's body was covered in the orange aura of the Dragon Force, threatening to spread through the forest.

"Harry, what's going on?" Cisco asked, fearfully glancing at him.

"The Dragon Force," Harry's words escaped his lips in a jagged breath, "It's powered by emotion so her breaking down is never a good thing but this is much worse than any normal meltdown.

"What do we do?" Cisco held up his hand, "Should I breach her somewhere until she calms down? She'll make a forest fire."

"There isn't a place you can take her where she'll stop, so any place is in danger of going up in flames," Harry retorted, walking closer to her.

"What are you doing, stop!" Cisco called, holding him back but Harry yanked his arm free and continued.

"Lizzie, you have to stop," Harry pleaded with her, voice hitching in his throat. When she didn't listen, he knew there was only one thing he could do.

He hugged her, wrapping his arms around her as she was engulfed in a magical, fiery ambiance.

"Harry, no, stop!" Cisco repeated, watching him hurt himself in horror.

"Elizabeth," Harry soothed, fighting through the rippling pain he was experiencing, "It's going to be OK. You're gonna be alright," he carefully stroked her hair, massaging the back of her neck, "We...We're all going to be here for you."

In the midst of her meltdown, Elizabeth clasped both her arms around him, digging her nails into his back as Harrison screamed in agony.

"I'm stopping-"

"Ramon, no!" Harry asserted, "Just t-trust me!"

"This is...I can't watch this," Cisco covered his eyes with his hands, but when he did, the memory of when he risked his own life to bring Lorelai back when she first lost control late last year stood out in his head and he remembered how he was also willing to die, twice, to save her, "Crap," he lowered his hands, knowing why Harry was stupid enough to do something like this.

"Breathe, Liz," Harry continued, shutting his eyes tight, "You are stronger than this," they both collapsed to their knees as Harry carefully rubbed her back, slowly counting down from ten.

The flaming aura and the crying finally ceased. The woods were still, there was no noise, except for Harry's labored breathing. He opened his eyes as Elizabeth did the same, the color and pupil shape back to normal.

"Are you OK?" Harry wheezed with his hands still on her neck and back.

"H-Harry?" She blinked in confusion, "What happened?" Her eyes widened when she partially pulled away, "Oh, my God! What did I-"

"Shh!" Harry gently cupped her face with both hands, "You're OK. This is my fault."

Elizabeth inspected the damage she caused, grappling with more tears. His clothes were torn, shirt in worse condition with most of his torso and arms exposed and the skin of those areas were burned as well as the front of his lower neck light red and blistering. He was shaking, but refused to let go of her until she relaxed.

"Harry, no, not you too," Elizabeth whimpered, more tears cascading against her cheeks.

Cisco created a portal.

Harry smiled at her, kneading around her jaw with his thumbs, "Stop crying, Lizzie, I'm al..." He passed out in her arms.

"Harry!" She wept, thinking of what happened to his Earth-19 counterpart, "Please don't leave me!"

Cisco hastily helped her get him up, "Lab shower station, now!" He teleported them to the aforementioned section of S.T.A.R. Labs.

At Zhu-Ku's lair, Rainbow stood over a mediating Gemma.

"Are you going to stare at me all day?" She questioned, furrowing her brow in annoyance.

"I'm just trying to tell you that, since he's sleeping, we can use this time to escape," Rainbow smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Gemma slapped it away, standing up, "You really have a death wish, don't you?"

"Do you?" Rainbow asked, "You know he doesn't need you. Once I give him what he wants, he can kill you and your brother for your halves of the Zodiac Gem."

"Not as long as I follow him," Gemma smirked, "Besides, he needs you for more than your gem."

"And that is?"

"You're a bonded dragonfly to the Princess of Drakonia, once he is able to convince her to be betrothed to him, we can be gods and rule New Drakonia together," Gemma interpreted.

"So, that's why he didn't want to kill her?"

Zhu-Ku's eyes shot open as he rose from his nest with a loud caw, still in his half-human form.

"That's right, fairy," He callously stated, "And now that she has unleashed the Dragon Force's full power, I am rested early and ready for the final stage of my ascension."

"My Lord?" Gemma joined him, pulling Rainbow, "What now?"

"The Wells of Earth-2 will soon be extinguished by her hands and with her mind driven so far into insanity, I will dominate all who challenge me!" Zhu-Ku shouted.

"No," Rainbow looked at him in disbelief, "She wouldn't do that."

"He's dead too?" Claire asked, feeling remorseful and afraid Rainbow might be right.

"He will be," Zhu-Ku said, "Sei-Gon has weakened him to the point where death is inevitable, so let us go now and strike."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, you big chicken!" Rainbow declared, crossing his arms and standing protectively in front of Claire.

"Fine, I no longer need you," Zhu-Ku swiped his talon at him as Gemma gasped but both looked on in bewilderment when his body disappeared, "What?"

"Your God Complex is so annoying," Gypsy smirked, holding Rainbow's shoulder.

"An illusion powered meta-human?" Zhu-Ku laughed, "Impressive, but it'll take a lot more than magic tricks to stop me!" He lunged at the pair, but they both vanished in a cluster of red sparkles.

"Astral Projection," Gemma said by the deity's side, "Interesting."

"Forget him, we have work to do," Zhu-Ku laid a claw on her pink hair. She flinched at the contact as her doubt in him grew, "And with you by my side, I will be victorious."

"Is he going to be OK?" Bianca asked, sitting on a chair next to a bed in one of the medical rooms. She was tapping her foot, rapidly as she worried about her badly injured father who was lying in bed, bandaged from the collarbone down. He was wearing an oxygen mask and had an IV inserted into his neck.

"The damage is pretty severe, but with treatment, he should recover," Julian replied, jotting information down on a tablet.

"And where is he supposed to get that, on Earth-2?" Bianca questioned, not looking away from her dad.

"I called Elenora and she said A.R.G.U.S. will be able to help," Barry answered by the doorway.

"And she is his faun friend, right?" Julian wondered to which Barry nodded a response.

"Great, so now my dad is going to owe Waller even more," Bianca rolled her eyes, standing up, "All because of another stupid Drakonian."

"Bunny, it wasn't necessarily her fault," Barry noted.

"Bullshit! It's always the same with these reptiles," Bianca closed her eyes to take a deep breath, "I will not lose another parent to these monsters."

"He's going to be fine," Julian repeated.

Bianca scoffed, vacating the room, passing Elizabeth on the way to the Cortex, but not before giving her a dirty look.

"This is my fault," Elizabeth sighed, leaning against the wall right outside the medical room.

"She just needs someone to blame," Cisco said.

"He's gonna be alright, Beth," Lorelai reminded, placing a hand on her warm shoulder.

"Yeah," Elizabeth bit her lip, "But he's gonna have permanent scars because of me."

"Better than being dead," Cisco chuckled as Lorelai shook her head, telling him to stop, "Uh, anyway, we have less than a half hour before Sleeping Beauty wakes up from his nap. Any idea how we're supposed to stop him?"

"He wants me to fight him alone, so let me do that," Elizabeth admonished, looking away from her friends.

"Yeah, let's not do that," Lorelai rolled her eyes, "You'll get killed."

Barry exited the room and turned to Elizabeth, "Lizzie, are you OK?"

"Where is he?" She asked, referring to HR.

"He's in a safe place," Cisco said, "We'll have a proper funeral for him tomorrow. He deserves that much respect."

Elizabeth smiled, weakly, "Thanks."

Julian entered the room, "He's awake."

"And?" Barry asked as everyone looked at him.

"He wants to know what the plan is for stopping Zhu-Ku, but more importantly," he pointed to Elizabeth, "He wants to talk to you."

"Me?" Elizabeth asked, quizzically as the phoenix nodded, "Great."

"I'll page Bunny and the Wests," Cisco hurried over to the main computer.

Back in the medical room, everyone was standing around the bed or in the doorway as Elizabeth sat in the chair formally preoccupied by Bianca while she sat on the edge of the bed. They were all able to look at him, except for Elizabeth who refused.

"Oh, good, everyone's here," Harry said in a soft, raspy voice, "What's the damage, Dr. Phoenix?"

As Julian prepared to relay him the info, Bianca groaned.

"This isn't funny, Dad," the half-breed Mystic crossed her arms.

"Bunny, I feel like I was hit by a train but I'm sure it's fine," Harry placed a bandaged hand over hers that was hovering on the surface, "Albert?"

"Well," Julian cleared his throat, going through the tablet he used, "You've basically sustained 1st to 3rd degree burns all over your body with superficial burns to the lower extremities, and partial to full thickness damage to the torso, arms and hands."

Elizabeth bit down on her lip, roughly as she stared at the floor.

"That explains why I can't feel my hands very well," Harry chuckled, returning his arms to over his chest, "Am I going to die?"

"Uh," Julian laughed, nervously, "No, at least if you get treatment to prevent infection."

"Great, so I guess that means more favors for the Wall," Harry sneered.

"Just stop it," Bianca sobbed, rushing out of the room.

Iris elbowed Wally.

"Oh, um, I'll go talk to her," the African-American speedster followed his girlfriend.

"I'm not trying to upset her," Harry sighed, haggardly.

"She'll be OK," Joe noted, "So, what's the plan for you to take this guy out?"

"I told you I'm going alone!" Elizabeth clarified, still avoiding Harry.

"No, you're not," Harry admonished, struggling to sit up a little, much to everyone's objection, "If you do-"

"I'll die, yeah, well I don't care," Elizabeth crossed her arms, practically burning a hole in the floor with her glare.

"I care," Harry murmured, harshly, "I didn't risk my life so you could lose yours, Lizzie."

"That's what I mean, why do you all keep..." Elizabeth glanced at him and finally saw the extent of his injuries, quickly diverting her eyes, "Oh God!"

Harry exhaled a painful sigh, trying to reach out to grab her arm but to no avail.

"I don't deserve anyone's help," Elizabeth resumed.

"You got to stop doing that," Cisco said, "Blaming yourself for everything and saying you don't deserve our help."

"I'm pretty sure, in the end, we're the one's who decide if that's true," Lorelai added from next to him.

"We're your friends, Elizabeth," Barry followed beside Joe.

"That's not going to change because you haven't given us a good reason," Iris continued on the other side of her father.

"Because we know you'd do the same for us," Julian finished, "No matter what."

Elizabeth sighed, eying the floor more, "I guess there really is no way to scare you guys off."

"Nope," stated the others, simultaneously, grinning.

"Maybe, but Bunny still hates me," Elizabeth said, looking at them.

"She'll come around," Harry guessed.

In the lounge, Bianca was trying not to cry in front of the kids who were playing on their mother's XBOX.

"I know you're really worried about your dad, Bun," Wally said, sitting on the couch with her.

"I never liked his dry humor," Bianca twiddled her thumbs, staring at them, "But he's never been this positive."

"I think Elizabeth rubbed off on him," Wally chuckled, massaging her upper back.

"That's the problem," Bianca scoffed, "I gave that girl credit because she saved me last year but I don't like her that much. Her impulsiveness is unlike my dad and it's gonna get him killed. It almost did."

"Bunny, you know your dad stopped her from having a major meltdown that could have possibly destroyed half the town, right?"

"Not helping, Wal," Bianca pulled away from him, "That's my point, he would have never done that before meeting her."

"Yeah, and everyone else would have too," Wally scooted closer to her, "That's what we do for the people we love, we risk our lives for them. You mean to tell me you wouldn't have done something like that to save him if it was the only way? Believe me, everyday, I wish there was a way I could have sacrificed something, anything, to save my mom."

Bianca turned to him and smiled, "Me too and you're right, I would have," she sighed as Wally cupped her cheek, "I guess my dad cares about that stupid dragon more than I realized."

Wally returned her smile, deeply kissing her lips afterwards.

The moment was interrupted when a breach opened up on the ceiling, Rainbow falling on his face with Gypsy landing, gracefully over him.

"Rainbow?" Wally looked at him in confusion.

"Where'd you come from?" Bianca added, glancing at Gypsy.

"The lair of a giant chicken," Gypsy cockily replied as Rainbow slowly stood up.

"Hey, where is-"

"Uncle Rainbow!" He was interrupted by the tight squeezes of Josh and Jasmine's hugs.

"Hey, little tykes, I missed you," Rainbow refocused on the couple, "Where is everyone?"

"So, now that that is over, the plan?" Joe asked again, "Emily said something about her putting him in some kind of spiritual prison inside of her, is that possible? And if it is, is it without killing her?"

"Yes," Harry replied, bluntly, coughing. Elizabeth quickly sat next to him on the bed on high alert, making him smile.

"So, how do I do that?" Elizabeth asked.

"And why can she do that?" Iris also questioned.

"OK, for a long time since I met her, I've been trying to figure why she's so different from any other Drakonian I've come across," Harry rested a hand on her lap, "And in my research into trying to prevent her death, an anonymous, but reliable, source told me she is actually the one and only incomplete Drakonian."

"And what the bloody hell is that?" Julian asked.

"Well, all Drakonians that exist throughout the multiverse were born and hatched on Drakonia, all except one," Harry and Elizabeth looked at each other before he continued, "You see, the royal family were in the process of welcoming a new litter of draglets. They all hatched and when their world was about to be destroyed, the king and queen sent their children to different universes in hope that one day, one of them would ascend as the ruler of New Drakonia, but there was a problem."

"Is that problem Zhu-Ku?" Barry asked.

"Yes," Harry nodded, "Along with all of the other Godly Mystics, their spirits were dormant on the ruins of Drakonia, which is what remained of the world. Now, in regards to Elizabeth, or Sei-Gon as she was named before her birth, she was still in her egg when the gods cursed her."

"Wait, she's cursed?" Cisco asked, swallowing a lump that formed in his throat.

Harry nodded his head, "She's a miracle, believe it or not, because, you see, the reason why she didn't hatch was because she was stillborn. The gods cursing her altered her DNA so when she hatched on Earth, she took on a human form and is also why she has developmental disabilities, including her Drakonian growth."

"What?" Everyone else gasped.

"So, how is she 'cursed'?" Lorelai asked with finger quotes, "Isn't that more of a blessing?"

"In theory, yes, but the curse factors into not only her development but her abilities and body being unstable," Harry continued, "This is why random parts of her body become dragon-like as she ages, like the disorderly placed scales and one hand morphing into a claw, and why she is able to absorb immortal Mystics like Zhu-Ku."

"It sounds like you're saying this is something Zhu-Ku wants her to do," Iris deduced.

"Yes, Ms. West, which is why Elizabeth can't do this alone. The weaker the bird is, the more likely she'll be able to stabilize the Dragon Force when he's imprisoned," Harry concluded, "He believes he can control her. We just have to prove him wrong."

"He wants her to be his queen so that she and the four of them can rule as a unit," Rainbow announced in the doorway.

"Rainbow!" Elizabeth elatedly jumped off the bed and ran up to hug him.

"I missed you too, Lizzie," Rainbow hugged her, tightly. He looked up at Harry, "Oh, thank God, you're alive."

"What do you mean?" Barry asked.

"Zhu-Ku has like this sixth sense or something. He said you were clinging to life," Rainbow relayed, sighing.

Elizabeth broke the embrace to look at the man in bed.

"The news of my death might have been slightly exaggerated," Harry smirked when he suddenly started to cough, violently, straining to breathe.

"Harry!" Elizabeth cried as Rainbow held her back from interfering.

"Dad!" Bianca squeaked while Wally grasped her arm, preventing her from also doing something.

Julian quickly got him comfortable enough to readminister oxygen to settle his coughing fit. He also felt his forehead, "Yeah, he's burning up, he must already have an infection. I'm gonna have to reassess his wounds and give him something until he's able to get to an A.R.G.U.S. doctor. Do you have a way I can talk to this Buckley?"

Barry gave him the information he needed as everyone vacated the room, Wally holding a frantic Bianca, tightly.

"OK, so we know what we have to do, any ideas on how we do it?" Lorelai asked.

"I have one, Lorrey, didn't you weaken him with your ice?" Rainbow asked, arm wrapped around a worried Elizabeth.

"Only when he was a humanoid, but he says that being in his true form on this world hinders him, so that might be what we need," Lorelai replied.

"Anybody wanna use our spare Cold Gun?" Cisco offered.

"I do," Joe volunteered, "No way I'm letting you kids fight a god on your own."

"On his Task Force missions, Harry modified his pulse rifle and equipped it with technology similar to the Cold and Heat Guns," Iris said, remembering their battle against the Bloodline Parasites.

"Yes, it's like one of those pens with all the colors," Rainbow smirked, "I used to love those."

"Who wants to use it?" Bianca asked, looking around, "Iris?"

"Me?" The journalist pointed to herself confused, but then smiled, "Well, I always wanted to be a cop so let's do it, sure."

"We better move out fast, he and Gemma are on the move," Rainbow declared.

"Guys," Julian joined them.

"What, is it my dad?" Bianca asked, fretting.

"No, he's fine, but you might wanna check the news."

On the main wall monitor in the Cortex, Julian put on Channel 52 and it showed a live broadcast of Zhu-Ku in his Vermillion Bird form terrorizing the park right near the woods, the reporter and frightened bystanders wondering where were Central City's heroes. The feed was cut when the red creature blasted the camera with his flames.

"He's gonna burn the city down," Joe said.

Elizabeth snapped out of her daze and turned to Julian, "If it gets bad here, you use that breach device to get Harry and the kids out of here, understand?"

"Sure thing," Julian nodded.

"Your kids fell asleep in the lounge so they should be fine unless they have to leave," Gypsy announced, appearing in the Cortex.

"Thanks," Elizabeth smiled.

"Look, Bare, Wal, you might have to evacuate most of the city," Joe said, "Fighting against that thing might end in total chaos and you two are the only ones fast enough to do it."

"I'll go to Earth-3 and get Jay Garrick and we'll join up with you guys when we're done," Wally said as he and Barry quickly put on their suits.

Both Bianca and Iris gave their respective speedster boyfriends a quick kiss on the lips before they sped off.

"Alright, everyone," Cisco put on his Vibe goggles, "Let's roast a giant turkey."

The team teleported to the park that was littered with small fires.

"Where is he?" Iris asked.

Lorelai put out some of the flames with her powers while Bianca, in her rabbit humanoid form kicked up some dirt, and Elizabeth absorbed the rest with her claw.

"He could be anywhere," Joe readied the Cold Gun.

"Hey, you wouldn't have any water or ice powers in that emotional spectrum you call fairy magic, would you?" Gypsy asked Rainbow.

"Yeah, when I'm scared, I shoot ice," he replied, rubbing his neck.

"Boo!" Gemma briskly walked out from behind a tree, making Cisco scream like a girl and hiding behind Lorelai, "Pussy."

"Where's Zhu-Ku?" Elizabeth growled, showing her fangs.

"What's wrong?" The Vermillion Bird descended from the sky, "Did you miss me, Love?"

Everyone prepared their ice-based weapons and their hands for their blasts, or in Bianca's case - her fists.

Zhu-Ku laughed, "So, Sei-Gon, these are your warriors: A couple of worthless humans, some weak metas, a fairy with no wings, and a half-breed rabbit abomination?"

Everyone glared when he listed off their classification.

"Where are the speedsters?" Gemma questioned, twirling some of her pink hair.

"Helping the people of the city, but we'll be done with you long before they get back," Elizabeth grumbled, eyes glowing orange.

"We'll see!" Zhu-Ku screeched, flapping his wings, vigorously, sending a large gust of wind their way.

Cisco created a breach to move it away from them, "Not today, Ho-Oh!"

Ice Princess threw an ice blast at Zhu-Ku, but he flew into the air to dodge it. Gemma squinted her eyes while leering at the meta-human, giving her a major headache. Vibe noticed this and sent her reeling across the grass with a sonic boom. Zhu-Ku took a nose dive, engulfed in flames, but stopped when a giant aura of a blue-green dragon appeared, scaring him. Prismfly, equally terrified, struck him with white energy while his eyes shone ivory. He smiled at Gypsy who was responsible for the fear inducing illusion.

White Rabbit approached Gemma, who flashed her a snide smirk.

"Hey, little rabbit, how's your father? Is he dead yet?" She cackled, evilly.

"I'll knock that smirk and that jewel off your face, witch!" Bianca cartwheeled closer towards her and tried to land a barrage of quick punches and kicks, but Gemma continued to put up pink barriers with every blow.

Gemma yawned as a sign of boredom, "Are you finished?" She propelled White Rabbit, Vibe, and Ice Princess with her psychokinesis.

Rainbow hit her with a red-colored anger blast while she was distracted, "Yeah, I think we are."

Joe and Iris fired their freeze weapons at a stunned Zhu-Ku while Elizabeth, with no water or freeze powers of her own, attacked him with electrical blasts as her peepers glimmered yellow. Finally, a triple strike of orange and yellow lightning slammed into him, shoving him into several stone structures around the park. The trio of Flashes entered, standing tall.

"Still think we're weak, Nicholas?" Elizabeth heckled, referring him by his fake human name.

"Oh, speedy boys are here," Zhu-Ku emerged from the rubble, "Now, the fun can really begin."

The Vermillion Bird abridged his wings against his chest and then reextended them with a chilling shrill, a cardinal gale thrusted everyone apart in different directions, except for Elizabeth.

"What did you do?" Elizabeth asked, eyes fading to their natural color as Zhu-Ku in his medium form stood behind her.

"Just gave them a little taste of my Vermillion Mist," the Mystic calmly replied, placing both claws on her shoulders, "Now that their powers are disabled as well as their toys, you and I can just talk."

Barry shook off his haze and attempted to run but his speed was gone again. Bianca and Rainbow noticed they were fine, but Gemma held them in place with her mind while standing in between them.

"Why do Gemma, Rainbow, and Bianca still have powers?" Cisco asked.

"They're natural born Mystics or they're protected by a Zodiac Gem," Jay phrased.

"I know what you want," Elizabeth closed her eyes as her looming enemy slowly trailed his hands up and down her arms.

"And what's that, Princess?" He whispered in her ears, seductively.

"You and your three amigos want my body and the Dragon Force so you can create a New Drakonia," Elizabeth answered, bellowing as she narrowed her eyes at Barry.

"Oh, precious Drakonian, you got it all wrong," Zhu-Ku mused, twisting her around to face him, gripping her arms, tightly, "While I do want to have a New Drakonia created, I want you to be in total control."

"Then what about my body?"

"I'm giving you a choice to be my queen and take my spirit and power, giving you full reign and then my cohorts will follow suit and when you have all four, you'll become immortal and together, we'll spread chaos and show those humans that we're the dominant species," Zhu-Ku explained, petting her cheek, lovingly.

"You're already a god, a god that some people worship, why do you want them to fear you?" Elizabeth asked, looking at the talon on her face.

"Because of the way they will treat my people," Zhu-Ku replied, lowering his hand back to his side, "I've been around the multiverse and even in worlds where Mystics can have normal lives, they're still subject to prejudice and hate just for being different even though they never harm the humans. It'll be the same thing with you."

Elizabeth scanned her surroundings at all the people she calls her friends, some not currently present and listened to every word he had to say, carefully.

"If you were to ever reveal yourself to them, they will do nothing but make your life a living hell just for existing. Sure, some Mystics get lucky with a bunch of humans, hell, some even grossly fall in love and reproduce with them," Zhu-Ku quickly glared at Bianca in disgust, "But they only see us as a fetish and nothing more."

"That will also be another goal of mine - to wipe out all half-breeds to keep the bloodlines pure."

Elizabeth scowled, knowing her children were half human and plus, she couldn't let anything happen to Bianca or any other innocent hybrids that may exist in the multiverse.

"Listen, Zhu-Ku, it's a very tempting offer, not to be afraid to be who I am. I mean, who also wouldn't want to be front and center of their own kingdom?" Elizabeth shrugged, dipping her hands in her pockets and the she yanked out the Dragon Heart from its hiding spot, restoring the metas' abilities.

Barry and Wally whirled their arms around, creating a cyclone that pinned him against another stone pillar as Jay shook his hat, resonating vibrations that helped hold the Mystic in place. Gypsy snuck up from behind Gemma and scared her with a hallucination of a giant T-Rex emanation, allowing Bianca to punch her out cold.

"Ey, what's up, Doc?" Bianca giggled, twitching her nose.

Lorelai, Rainbow, Iris, and Joe united with the speedsters and discharged sleet as the flaming humanoid yowled in pain. Cisco got ready to zap him somewhere, but a pink force field protected him as another covered his attackers and Elizabeth and Gypsy as Gemma lifted up Bianca.

"It's Rabbit Season!" Gemma ridiculed, tossing her to Zhu-Ku who grabbed her by the chest once he was free of the attacks.

"Mm," he moistened his lips, "I always did like boiled rabbit. Looks like you won't get to see if your human daddy makes it or not."

Elizabeth with a fierce roar, slashed through Zhu-Ku's arm that held Bianca, severing it as he expelled a bloodcurdling cry. Bianca scurried away from them as Elizabeth stared him down with tangerine eyes and the Dragon Force covering her.

"So, is that how you want to play, traitor?" Zhu-Ku groaned as the amputated arm vanished in flames. He quickly morphed into his true form and with his only remaining talon, picked up Elizabeth by her shirt and soared into the sky, "Let's see how you handle space, my dear."

A large orchid-colored dome blocked him from ascending further.

"Gemma!" Zhu-Ku yowled at his henchwoman.

Wally ran up some trees and threw a bolt of golden yellow lightning at the bird, making him drop Elizabeth. Cisco created a breach to transport her safely over Barry who catches her.

"Claire?" Rainbow looked over at the Carbuncle Mystic who smiled with her normal hazel eyes.

"Let me go, Bare," Elizabeth fidgeted in the Flash's grasp until he released her, just as Zhu-Ku fell to the ground, landing hard on his back.

"Hello, Princess," Zhu-Ku breathed, heavily, back in his mixed shape.

Elizabeth smiled, widely before stomping her foot on the ground to create a rocky vice grip that clamped his body partially into the ground so he wouldn't escape. Then, she lifted up her claw, warping it into an enlarged, stony spur, crackling with fire and electricity while the aura of the Dragon Force proceeded to surround her.

"I'm going to destroy you for what you did to him," Elizabeth threatened, referring to HR, her eyes changing into their enraged reptilian form again.

"Lizzie, don't do!" Barry implored as the others gathered around.

"Zip it, Flash!" Elizabeth snarled, "Or you'll end up like Harry."

"Yes, go on, Sei-Gon, finish me!" Zhu-Ku compelled, laughing.

"You think this is funny?" Elizabeth spat, "Fine, I'm gonna enjoy killing you over and over again."

Just when she was about to swing her bouldered hand, Bianca jumped in front of Barry who was closest to her.

"Stop!" She begged.

Elizabeth did as she wished, but groaned, "What, Bunny?"

"If you do this, you'll be driven so far into the dark that when Zhu-Ku comes back, he'll be able to easily overpower you and all of this will have been pointless," Bianca returned to her human form.

"I don't care!" Elizabeth snapped, "I don't have a reason to pretend I'm not a monster anymore."

"My dad," Bianca continued, Elizabeth's face softened when she mentioned him, "He sees something in you and risked his life to bring you back. Yes, I was mad at you for that but I know why he did it because you are good. You saved my life twice now without hesitation. And HR, well, he also saw the true importance that you have and share with the world and that's your kindness, honesty, and courage."

"Cool story, except they're both dead," Zhu-Ku provoked, earning a deep growl from Elizabeth whose eyes remained glued on Bianca.

"Don't listen to him," Bianca carefully found a spot on her arm unaffected by the energy and placed it there, "HR's words and how he thought will always be with you and if anything happens to my dad," she sighed, sadly, "So will his. None of this is your fault, so please, do the right thing. Prove him wrong."

"You'll never be strong enough without that dragon rage," Zhu-Ku said, still with his evil smile.

Elizabeth looked away from Bianca and Zhu-Ku and remembered the words uttered by both HR and Harry about not being a monster and deciding who she really is. She didn't want to be Sei-Gon and even though the name Elizabeth was forced on her by a woman who hurt her all her life, it was the sobriquet everyone she loved called her.

She closed her eyes, inhaling and then exhaling as her hand reverted back to its normal pinkish claw and the Dragon Force air evaporated. When she reopened her eyes, she grasped Zhu-Ku's neck with her left human hand.

"You're not strong enough, Sei-Gon," he echoed his previous statement.

"We'll see," Elizabeth sealed her eyes once again as her power wrapped around both of them.

"Oh, you'll be sorry, runt!" Zhu-Ku rebuked.

The miasma around them, thickened, changing to a vermillion color as Zhu-Ku's physical form dissipated with not even a whimper, the magical atmosphere shooting up into the clouds, vanishing after the silhouette of giant bird graced them. Elizabeth stood there, alone with mostly shredded clothes and exposed, pinkened skin from heat, her usual ginger hair was now scarlet and the moment she opened her eyes, they were blood red but they didn't stay open for long because she soon passed out from the sudden rush of power.

"Elizabeth," Rainbow wanted to tend to her, but Bianca held up her hand.

"Lorelai," she requested as the ice meta joined her, kneeling to put her fingers on her neck.

"She's alive," Lorelai sighed, quickly examining her frame. Her arms were covering her bare breasts and her legs were crossed just enough to conceal the view of that area, "I'll take her to the lab and put her on ice to cool her off," she announced, picking her up, bridal style, making her hair mask her chest.

"I'll breach you there, babe," Cisco offered, "See you guys back at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"We'll handle letting everyone know they can return," Iris said as Barry draped an arm around her.

"Hey, maybe you can write an article about this, hun? I bet it will be front page," The Flash chuckled.

"Sounds good to me," Cisco smiled.

"Cissy, hurry, she's heavy," Lorelai whined, straining.

The couple returned to the labs.

Rainbow heard Claire take a few steps, looking at her.

"Where are you going?" He asked, Barry and Iris peering at her too.

"Bo, I have to figure some things out," Claire replied, gloomily, sneaking a final look at Barry before walking off, "See you at the funeral."

Rainbow turned to the others who took the time to let everything sink in as they checked the damage around them.

The next day, around mid-afternoon, everyone held a private funeral for HR. Elizabeth stood by the gravestone as the others gathered close together.

"Um," Elizabeth sighed, playing with her fingers as she looked down. Her hair and eyes were still crimson in color from last night, but her body was cooler, "I'm not good at stuff like this. I know you guys would rather be doing anything else today than be at another funeral but thanks. HR would appreciate it as well."

The team looked forward in silence, some bowing their heads like Wally and Bianca.

"Usually, I have a big mouth and it's hard to shut me up," Elizabeth chuckled, nervously, "But when it comes to stuff like this, I don't know what to say. I'm not good with words, HR was."

The group nodded in agreement, somewhat smiling.

"Oh," Elizabeth lifted her head up, glancing at her friends, "HR compared life to a book. Everyone has a beginning, middle, and end. During his story, he strived to bring out everyone he meet's best qualities and unlock their true potential because that made for great character growth, you know, like in a book."

Wally exhaled, sharply, remembering how HR was the first person to believe he was capable of being a hero.

"He used to say how he was a selfish man before coming here," Elizabeth continued, "But while trying to find himself, he realized he was able to feel love and be loved," she sobbed the last few words, "I'm sorry," she cried, softly, joining everyone.

"It's OK," Barry smiled, rubbing her shoulder, "I know it's hard."

Rainbow hugged her, "You did your best."

"He'd probably be so disappointed," Elizabeth joked, patting the blond on the back as she hugged him back.

"Nah," Cisco and Lorelai disagreed.

As Rainbow let go, the Wests offered hugs of their own with Joe handing her the kids.

"Thanks for looking after them while I cooled off," Elizabeth smiled, holding Jasmine as Josh held on to her shirt, standing beside her.

"Hey, they were no problem," Joe returned her smile, touching her elbow, "Saffron didn't want to give them up."

Elizabeth laughed at that remark, "Well, thank Saffron for me too."

"I sure will," Joe nodded.

Jasmine tugged on her mother's collar.

"What is it, sweetie?" She asked, following her daughter pointing at something near a tree away from the gravesite.

Harry stood by the tree wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a light coat while holding a cane. Elizabeth smiled, putting Jasmine down as all three ran over to him.

"Isn't that a lovely sight?" Julian said.

"Mm-hmm," Lorelai nodded, crossing her arms, "You have no idea."

Harry removed his glasses as Elizabeth and the kids approached him.

"You're OK," Elizabeth said, happily, extending her arms to hug him, but fearing she'd hurt him again.

"Come here," Harry smiled back, pulling her close to him with one arm as the junior dragons followed, "I'm sorry about HR."

"I know you two didn't like each other but I'm sure he'd appreciate you coming," Elizabeth gently rubbed his back.

"That maybe true but I did like that he made you happy," Harry said, breaking the hug.

"Thanks, Harry," Elizabeth looked away, blushing as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

Jasmine took his hands, "You got a lot of boo-boos?"

"Yes, Little Flower," Harry grinned, widely, draping one of her ginger pigtails behind her shoulder.

"Do they hurt?" Jasmine frowned, massaging his hands.

"Yes, but it was much worse last night," Harry said.

Jasmine kissed them both, "Better?"

"Yes, they are," Harry stroked her cheek, "You are going to make a great healer, Jazz."

"Oh, I have something for you," Elizabeth dug into her pockets.

"And what's that?" Harry asked, Jasmine wrapping her arms around his right arm, leaning her head against his side as Josh held on to his coat on the opposite side.

"I couldn't sleep last night for several reasons and Julian gave this to me, so," Elizabeth showed him his wedding ring attached to a necklace.

Harry quickly looked at his right hand, realizing it wasn't there after he was burned, "I didn't even notice it was gone, too much going on I guess."

"That's OK," Elizabeth smiled, "Now, bend over so I can put it on."

Harry obliged, watching Elizabeth's smiling face as she clasped the jewelry around his neck, letting it land over his heart.

"What is going on over there?" Barry asked while everyone watched them.

"Shh!" Iris shushed him, enjoying the moment from afar.

When she finished, before she pulled away, Elizabeth continued to smile, gazing into his eyes, "There, now she really is close to your heart."

"Thanks, Lizzie," Harry smiled, grazing a dressed finger over her cheek.

"Would you guys stop staring," Claire said, spooking everyone.

"Claire!" Rainbow hugged her, followed by Julian.

Elizabeth, Harry, and the kids heard them and walked over.

"I wanna hug too!" Elizabeth practically jumped on her along with her children.

"I missed you guys too," Claire petted both the little ones' heads as she beamed at Elizabeth, "Sorry what I said about HR to you."

"That's OK," Elizabeth rubbed the back of her neck, "It was all Gemma."

"Speaking of, are you OK?" Cisco asked.

"I don't know. Last night I went to see Theo to see if he knows any way to get this thing removed from my head," Claire tapped the red gem on her forehead.

"Not without killing you," Harry said, shaking his head.

"I saw you there," Claire turned to him, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Harry laughed, dryly, "They had me doped up on painkillers after the debridement, but I'm not dead so there's a plus."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes after he said that as Barry noticed this, wanting to change the subject.

"So, now what, Claire?" He asked.

"If I can't remove this, then I need to find a way to negate Gemma from ever returning," Claire answered, shyly looking at him.

"We know you'll figure it out," Iris smiled, hugging her.

"You're the smartest girl I know," Barry added, gently squeezing her arm.

"Are you gonna stay with Wally?" Harry asked Bianca.

"Of course," his daughter responded, smiling at her boyfriend, "Are you staying?"

"On Earth-1? Yeah, since I owe them again, the Wall needs me on Task Force duty," Harry shrugged his shoulders, "So, awesome news there."

"Can you even do anything?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm sure she'll find something," Harry replied, sighing, "I appreciate the work they're doing for me."

"I need to make some calls," Elizabeth abruptly said, heading back over to the trees.

"Guess she still feels bad about everything," Rainbow sighed, kicking the dirt.

Lorelai scoffed, "Well, she did just lose the love of her life, badly injure one of her friends," Harry glared at her, "Found out she shouldn't be alive, and has a mission to imprison colorful, magical godly beings. Yeah, I'd be stressed too."

"You know the second one is on me, right?" Harry reminded.

"Which, by the way, was bravely stupid of you to do," Claire told him as everyone nodded.

"OK, fine, next time she has an emotional breakdown and goes nuclear, I'll just let her blow," Harry pouted, crossing his arms.

"Oh, shut it, ya big baby," Claire playfully nudged him, seeing Elizabeth leaning against the wood, upset while on the phone "Go talk to her."

"Again?" Harry arched his brow.

"Yes!" The others enjoined in unison.

"Jeez, OK, what are you gonna do if my funeral's next?" Harry asked, laughing, "First, you all want me to comfort her after her dad's, then after HR's death, and now-" he stopped when he noticed everyone leering at him, "I'm gonna go."

He almost tripped over his cane as he shuffled away from the peer pressure, the twins giggling when he left.

"It's how he acts sometimes that makes me forget we're related," Bianca shook her head.

"He's just trying to make light of a hairy situation," Wally laughed, getting slapped in the chest by her.

As everyone dispersed to talk amongst themselves, Cisco took Lorelai's hand.

"How you feeling, babe?" He asked.

"Better, I think," she lowered her head, "Are we OK?"

"That part depends on you," Cisco searched his pockets.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai looked at him, cautiously.

"We really hit a cold, rough patch in our relationship this year, but I think we handled it fine, don't you?" Cisco held something.

"Um, yes, but what are you doing?" Lorelai's anticipation grew.

"Lorelai Snart," Cisco opened a small box, revealing a key, "Will you move in with me?"

"Oh, my god!" Lorelai exhaled her held breath, "You scared me, of course I will."

"Huh, how did-"

"Just kiss me, you fool," Lorelai pulled Cisco in for a passionate embrace.

Claire sighed, sadly, walking over to Julian.

"Hey, do you want me to go with you wherever it is you're going?" He asked but noticed her somber expression, "What's wrong?"

"Julian, I really appreciate everything you've done for me, but-"

"I understand," Julian grimaced, quickly glancing at Barry and Iris before refocusing on her, "Are you sure it's what you want?"

Claire put a hand on his arm, "Yes, but I want you to have something."

She handed him the feather he once owned of many when he was a phoenix that Zhu-Ku kept until his defeat.

"You can decide whether you wanna be human or Mystic," Claire smiled, giving him one more kiss on the cheek, "Goodbye, Julian," she solemnly walked away, flashing a small smile at Rainbow who was still with Gypsy.

"Bye, Clarice," Rainbow whispered to himself.

That evening, following the funeral, Harry took Elizabeth and the children home. Waiting for them, sitting on the living room couch, was Emily downing a glass of wine with her legs crossed.

"Hello, Mother," an annoyed Elizabeth rolled her eyes, closing the door behind her, "Didn't see you at the funeral."

The female scientist dryly chuckled at that remark.

"OK," Harry cleared his throat, pulling the draglets closer to him, "It's late. I'm gonna put BJ and MJ to bed."

"Thank you, Harry," Elizabeth gave him a weak smile before returning to scowling at her adopted parent.

"I don't do funerals," Emily continued, strolling past her daughter into the kitchen towards the sink to wash off the glass she used.

"I know, you weren't at Dad's last year," the Drakonian folded her arms across her chest, leering at the floor.

"What do you want from me, EE?" Her mother asked, quickly turning to meet her blood red eyes, "So, I'm not the perfect mother, sue me!"

"All I ask of you is just a little compassion and you can't even give me that!" Elizabeth yelled, closer to a roar, slamming her fist on the countertop which glowed, momentarily.

The room was silent for a few moments until Harry was seen by the entryway.

"Why are you here, Emily?" He inquired, leaning against his cane after removing the navy blue hat he often wore that originally belonged to Elizabeth and tossing it onto the bar.

Elizabeth composed herself, steadying her breathing when hearing his voice as the older woman glared at him.

"Why I come to see my daughter is no business of yours, Harrison, but she called me here."

"Really?" Harry wondered, running a bandaged hand through his messy, black hair.

Elizabeth answered by leading the two back into the living room with Harry leaving his walking stick behind.

"Are they in bed?" She asked him, standing in the middle of the room, staring towards the window.

"Yes, they're in bed," Harry replied with worry as he stood, uncomfortably next to Emily before taking several steps in her direction, "Lizzie, wh-"

He was interrupted by Rowan Eon appearing in a flash of white light.

Elizabeth sighed, "Right on time as per usual for a time dragon," she slowly turned to her fellow Drakonian.

"I gotta say, first of all, my condolences and second, I still don't like this idea," Rowan claimed with a claw on her hip.

"Don't like what idea?" A confused Harry switched his attention to the newcomer, "Aon, what are you doing here?"

Rowan opened her mouth to get a word out, but Elizabeth turned, approaching Harry.

"I need to go away for awhile," she declared in a soft voice, taking both of his hands and examining the injuries she accidently inflicted upon him last night during her meltdown.

"Why?" The older male pulled her closer to him, "Where?" He then asked in a quiet, raspy tone.

"The Drakonian Ruins," Rowan responded after the princess' hesitation.

"What!?" Harry suddenly exhaled, feeling a knot forming in his chest, "Do you have any idea how-"

"...Dark, desolate, and dangerous that place is?" Elizabeth finished for him, shaking her head and avoiding his blue eyes, "Yes, I do, and Ro told me that you guys went there."

Harry tightened his hold on her hands, "Then you know I'm not just going to let you waltz into that place like it's a summer home."

"You don't understand," Elizabeth bit her lip, fighting back tears.

"I understand you could be trapped there forever or die," Harry noted, heart racing in fear.

The redhead pulled her hands away, spinning around so her back was facing him. The room grew quiet as she carefully thought out what to say.

"Do you know what I saw when Zhu-Ku almost killed me?" She calmly asked, the events of the previous night replaying in her head, as the painful memory of the murder of the man she loved raced across her mind.

She started to breathe, heavily, remembering his badly burned body in her arms from the Vermillion Bird's blazed talon, almost doing something similar to Harry during her breakdown afterwards. Her breath hitched in her throat as she closed her eyes, feeling another attack coming, only the sense of Harry's hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of it.

"Lizzie," he gently rubbed her clavicle as she returned to facing him.

"When that claw was inching towards me," Elizabeth continued, "I saw my life flash before my eyes. I was alone throughout most of it, used as nothing more than a tool for my parents and others' selfish goals, continuing to prove how immature, irresponsible, and how much of a bad mother I am. When I finally was accepted as a friend to someone," her sad, crimson eyes gazing into Harrison's, "I go ahead and stab them in the back with that stupid, pointless wish."

While she bemoaned her guilt, Emily stared across the room at Rowan who shook her head.

"Everyone paid the price but me. And poor HR, he shouldn't have even been here."

"That one was all me," Harry interjected, holding some of her newly scarlet red hair in his hand as his eyes lingered on hers, "Before I left to get treatment, I never should have suggested another Wells."

Elizabeth pushed herself to smile, placing her one dragon-like, magenta-colored claw on his cheek, caressing it with her thumb to which Harrison responded with his usual 'licking the inside of his dry mouth' when he's nervous.

"You poor fool," Rowan whispered, massaging her forehead, "This is painful."

"You and Bunny were the only ones I didn't hurt as a result of my selfishness," Elizabeth broke Harry out of his trance, removing her hand, "That is until last night."

"No! Hey, listen," Harry pleaded, returning her hand to his face, making her brush over one of two scars on his face from Hei-Gon, "These were caused with malicious intent," he moved it down to his chest, "Not these. I made you do this."

Her claw trembled as she felt his fast beating heart, something just almost a mere day ago she thought she would never feel or hear again. After about a minute, she pulled away again to face Rowan.

"And I wouldn't have freaked out if you didn't say those things to me, which were all true," Elizabeth battled against tears in her eyes.

"Will you stop her?" Harry hissed at her mother who was watching the entire conversation, emotionless.

"You think I can stop her?" Emily cockily laughed, "Have you met her? I'm just here to look after the kids."

"You can't be serious?" The Earth-2 scientist grunted, concern evolving into irritation as he glowered at the young Drakonian in front of him, "Then why tell me this?"

Elizabeth shook her head, continuing to struggle to wade off tears, "Because I trust you. I also trust that you won't tell the others where I'm going."

"Now that I can't do," Harry groaned, "What the hell am I supposed to tell everyone?"

"That I need some time to recover after all this?" Elizabeth doubted her own plan, "Look, Barry and Iris will be focused on each other, Cisco and Lorrey have their relationship to repair after everything, Claire's off dealing with her Gemma problem, Joe and Saffron have their jobs, Wally will be with Bunny, and Rainbow will probably be sneaking around the multiverse with Gypsy," she listed off, remembering just how little importance she served on the team.

"And me?" Harry questioned but then remembered, "What about your kids?"

"Their so-called mother walking out on them," Elizabeth chuckled, unaware she was crying, "This is just another year for them. And you, well, there's your burn treatment and I'm sure Waller will keep you busy."

"Yeah, that woman doesn't care if you have amputated limbs or a terminal disease, if you owe her, you owe her," Rowan scoffed, flicking some of her brown hair off her neck.

"There you go. You'll all be fine," Elizabeth beamed in his direction once again with her usual wide smile she streamed with closed eyes and raised, puffy cheeks, "So, is that a promise, Harry?"

"Lizzie, I..."

Harrison stumbled over all words in his mind. There were several things he wanted to say, objects he wanted to toss around in frustration like always. He felt like yelling at her, throwing something in her direction or at her head, hitting her, pushing her away. These were all actions he did to her, frequently when they met last year. So what stopped him?

That smile...

A radiant glow to hide the constant pain she felt, a sometimes adorable pout that would annoy others and make you question her maturity, an infectious laugh able to make the most stoic individuals grin, sparkling eyes always showing just a glimmer of hope, but more importantly, it held a warmth which would pull you towards her no matter how hard you tried to resist.

That was it...

Her positivity, love for others, scorching courage and determination, and ability to almost never lose herself in rage were all what brought Harry back to that very Earth. They were all evidence of the beauty within reflecting through her personality. Only one other person exhibited traits similar to those exactly - Tess Morgan, the only person he surrendered his heart, the one life he loved, and the single feeling of joy and happiness he's ever experienced.

Until he met her...

While a cruel twist of fate, brought them together, assigned to kill her at the orders of Hei-Gon with his daughter's life hanging over his head. Not even his cold demeanor pushed her away, instead, it only pulled her closer to him. Her drive to save his precious Bunny, the child of a stranger, melted his heart, and the lengths she went to rescue her cemented the emotions and sensation he believed impossible after losing Tess - Harrison had fallen. There was no denying it anymore. He was in love with this young woman he deemed his hero, the one who saved him from despair and changed him into the better man he strived to become and the one he would literally sacrifice his life.

"Anything for you," he finally choked out after what felt like an eternity.

"Thank you," Elizabeth uttered, sneaking something into his right hand, "I know you'll take care of them as much as it hurts me," her smile dissolved into a frown when facing her mother.

"Always," Emily said in a deadpan response.

Rowan held up her hand as her crystal blue eyes glowed, a breach opening beside her, "My Princess, it's time to go."

Elizabeth nodded, approaching the portal, giving Harry one last smile before going inside with Rowan behind her, the vortex closing soon afterwards.

Emily looked at Harry who stood there in silence, fighting back the urge to scream or go off, until he felt what she left in his palm.

When he opened it, laying there was the Dragon Heart, the very first gift he gave her, whether as a sign of friendship or a way to increase her power level. No one knows. He dangled its chain around his finger as it glistened in the moonlight.

"You better come back..."

The End!