#baconverse

He sounds broken. He sounds like he wants to die, and M'gann feels tears threaten her because when she reaches out with her mind she can feel his defeat; his longing to really truly end it.

“Hang on, Wally. Just hang on a little longer." 

If she concentrates she can feel his presence; can pinpoint where he’s been for the last five months. She shifts into her uniform and heads out of her room and for the bioship. 

"Just a little longer, Wally. I’m on my way.”

*****

M'gann dashes off the Bioship and is immediately hit by the cold arctic winds outside.

This is it.

This is where they lost him.

“Wally?”

She gets no response, but she can feel his presence. He’s here, but she can’t see him; like he’s on a completely different plain of existence.

She reaches out forcefully, trying to latch her mind onto his, and he’s moving so fast that it’s almost impossible, but she tries harder anyways.

“Wally. I know you’re there, and I know you can hear me. I need you to focus on me. On my mind.”

“Can’tstopohgodcan’tstophelpmecan’tstoppleasejustcan’tstopcan’tstopcan’tstopcan’t-“

“WALLY!”

“Artemis…I’m sorry…”

His voice sounds so small, but it’s slowed down enough that she can finally connect with his mind.

White light flashes before her eyes and when it clears, she’s in a warm clearing. The sun shines brightly overhead, and the grass is green. The trees are in full bloom and off in the distance there’s a clear stream. 

“Where-?”

A blur of yellow and red whizzes by her and she stumbles back. 

“Wally?”

It happens again and she reaches out to grab on, but misses. 

“Wally!”

It happens a few more times, and by the fifth time, she’s timed it just so, and jumps right in front of him. 

They collide, and with a grunt, he tumbles to the ground with M’gann, tangled up in the grass.

She pulls away from him and rolls him onto his back. “Wally. Wally, can you hear me?” 

He blinks up at her, eyes obviously unfocused. “M’gann…?”

“Yes. Yes, it’s me. We’re inside your mind,” she tells him. “Although where your head’s at I have no idea…” 

“Blue Valley,” he mutters. “We’re in Blue Valley…”

M’gann frowns as she looks around them. “Your hometown, before Central City?” 

He nods, obviously still dazed. “I’m still running…can’t stop running…”

“Wally,” M’gann says, cupping his face in her hands. “Listen to me. I think I can stop you, but I need your help, because it’s going to be like throwing the emergency brake in the middle of a high speed chase. So I need you to focus all of your energy on stopping.”

“Can’t…” he looks exhausted. “I can’t, M’gann, I can’t stop.”

“You can,” she snaps. “You’re stuck in some kind of speed loop, but you can stop this. We can stop this. Take a deep breath, and stop.” 

*****

She comes back to herself with a jolt and a rift opens up in front of her accompanied by a crack of lightning. 

Wally West falls out of the rift and into the snow, unconscious and a mess. He’s pale, and intensely thin; his hair overgrown and messy, his Kid Flash uniform in tatters. His whole body is vibrating and she’s not sure if it’s from the running or if he’s shivering from the cold, but she doesn’t care because he’s here and he’s back.

M’gann lets out a relieved sob and turns on her comm link. “Miss Martian to Watchtower. Have I got a surprise for you.“ 

***** 

When he wakes up, he’s staring at a painted white ceiling. It’s sunny, and he can feel a cool breeze drifting in through the open window.

Everything feels slow, and he’s so relieved he could burst into tears.

He covers his eyes with an arm and breathes deeply, trying to contain himself. 

He’s not even sure where he is, but he feels like that’s okay. As long as he can sit still, he’s gonna be fine.

‘Are you awake?’

Wally blinks and looks up, finding M’gann staring at him from the doorway. He opens his mouth to talk, but no words come out.

She grins. “You’ve lost your voice, Wally. All that running…you must have been screaming for a while.” 

‘Where am I?’

‘My apartment…We initially had you at the Watchtower, but Dick and I felt you might recover better someplace else.’

Wally frowns and slowly sits up. ‘What…what happened at the Watchtower?”

M’gann sighs, her grin fading. ‘The League didn’t believe that it was you. Batman wanted to do some tests on you and Dick and I were afraid that your mind was too fragile to withstand too much more sedation…we smuggled you out and brought you here.”

His eyes widen. ‘And what makes you think the League won’t come after me.’

M’gann sighs and sits next to him. ‘They will. It’s an inevitability. We need a plant.”

Wally stares at her, and then nods. He swallows, and then tries to speak. “Artemis?” he croaks out softly.

M’gann gives him a sympathetic look. “She’s on an away mission to Atlantis with Kaldur and Conner. We tried to reach them, but so far we haven’t had any luck.”

He nods and looks down, and she grins.

“Get a little more rest,” she tells him. “I’ve got some soup on the stove.” 

At the mention of food, Wally’s stomach rumbles loudly and he gives her an incredibly sheepish look.

She laughs and ruffles his hair.

***** 

Kaldur nods as he grips the comm tightly. 

“I understand, M'gann. We’ll be back on the surface as soon as possible." 

Artemis looks up, then, frowning as he disconnects. "What’s going on? Did something happen at the Watchtower? Is everyone okay?" 

Kaldur opens his mouth, and then closes it. 

Conner narrows his eyes. "What happened?" 

Kaldur looks at him and then back at Artemis. "Conner, I need to speak to Artemis alone." 

Conner looks from one to the other, and slight realization dawns on him. He nods and steps out, and when he’s gone, Artemis turns to Kaldur.

"He didn’t have to leave. Whatever’s going on, he’ll find out eventually." 

"Artemis." 

"So? Who was it? Sportsmaster again?” she asks. “Dear old dad causing more problems? Wants my head on a stick or something?" 

He huffs out a breath. "Artemis." 

"We should get-" 

”Artemis.“

She stops talking then, staring at him, all business. She’s always all business these days. She’s thrown herself into work so hard since…

He’s having a hard time putting this into words. Usually he can break any news to anyone. He’s so used to making the hard choices, telling his team the things that they need to hear, even the things that break their heart into pieces. 

He’s not terribly certain how to give good news.

He looks at her desperately, hoping that maybe, by some feat, she’ll understand. 

"Well?” Artemis asks. Her voice is so even, so void of emotion. “What is it?" 

Kaldur swallows. "It’s Wally." 

Her expression doesn’t change. She just stares at him, saying nothing.

"M'gann found Wally,” he tells her. “They are at her apartment, and I’m taking you there as soon as we wrap up." 

Still, she says nothing. 

"Artemis-”

“It’s not him,” she says. “It’s never him. You know that. That shapeshifter we ran across, he tried to make me believe, and I was stupid and I did, and it won’t happen agai-" 

"It is him, Artemis,” Kaldur says. “M'gann is sure of it." 

"Then M'gann’s being a moron, and we should go save her from her damn food hope,” Artemis tells him.

He watches her walk out; hears her say something to Conner about saving his damn fool ex, and his rubs his face.

“This will not go well.”  

***** 

Artemis stares at the door to M’Gann’s apartment. She’s been standing there staring at it for a number of minutes.

According to Kaldur…to M’Gann…to Dick…Wally West is behind this door.

She should knock.

She should knock.

He’s there. He’s behind this door. He’s alive and breathing and she’s missed him so much that it physically hurts, and she should just knock on the damn door.

She doesn’t.

Instead, she turns and walks away.

***** 

When she gets to the bottom of the stairs and heads for the front door, she nearly rams right into Dick.

“Whoa. Hey.” He takes her shoulders, smiling. He looks exhausted and happy and upset all at the same time. “Did you see him?” 

Artemis hesitates. “I…” 

His smile falls. “Aw. Artemis…” 

“What if it’s not him?” she blurts out. “What if...what if whatever M’gann found is just...it’s not Wally? What if-” 

“It is,” Dick says gently. “It’s him. Putting aside all of the DNA tests done on him when we took him to the Watchtower...I know Wally West. For a few years, we were practically the same person. He is my best friend. I know him better than I know myself some days, and I know that it’s him. When you see him, you’ll know it, too.” 

She swallows. “What if...what if it is him? What if it is him and we don’t work anymore? What if I’m too different? What if he’s...five months...just...just running, what if he’s not...what if he’s not Wally anymore?” 

“There’s only one way to find out,” Dick tells her. He takes her hand and squeezes it. “Come on. Come back up. Come see Wally.” 

***** 

“I’m not saying this is the best soup ever because my grandmother would like...rise from the dead and give me that look that says I’ve been a bad boy and I’m in a lot of trouble, but...M’gann...this is...this soup is so good.”

M’gann can’t help a soft laugh. “Wally, it’s canned soup. I heated it up on the stove.” 

“Oh...Still! It’s really good!” 

He’s sitting up on the couch, wearing a worn, soft t-shirt and boxer shorts Dick had grabbed from the Watchtower before they’d smuggled him out. They hang a little loose now, five months later, and M’gann frets over it silently as she ladles him out more soup.

She’s in the process of handing him the bowl when the door opens and Dick steps in, Artemis behind him, and M’gann freezes. 

“You’re here,” she lights up. “Hi.” 

Wally looks over, sees Artemis and stands quickly. 

“Wally, wait-!” Dick cries. 

It’s fast, the way he’s on his feet and then on the floor, his legs not quite strong enough to hold his weight yet. 

“Wally!?” Artemis cries, dashing over out of instinct. She pushes M’gann out of the way and kneels down next to him, cupping his face. “What happened?” 

He opens his mouth and no sound comes out for a moment as he struggles. 

“Ba…” 

She knows he’s trying to say “Babe.” 

“His vocal chords are still raw,” M’gann explains. “He still can’t really talk.” 

Artemis frowns. “Why would…?” 

“He was screaming while he was running,” Dick tells her gently. 

Artemis stares at them and then back at Wally, who looks sheepish. 

“Opening up a psychic link,” M’gann says. 

“Hi, Babe.” 

“Is it really you?” 

“As far as I know. That’s what they tell me.” 

Artemis swallows and looks up, realizing Dick and M’gann have cleared out of the living room, before looking back at Wally. “God, Wally, what happened?” 

“I...I still trying to figure that out,” he tells her, his expression going grim. “I have a lot to sort through. But...but it’s...it’s been a little hard to think...it’s getting better but...but...I was...I was running for five months. Wherever I was. I was just...running and I couldn’t stop. I should be dead.” 

Artemis grips his shoulders. “I can’t believe you’re here.” 

Tears spring to his eyes as he fumbles to hold onto her. “Me neither. You’re all I could think about, Babe.”

She wraps him in her arms, holding him tightly and squeezing her eyes shut. Everything about him feels the same, from the feel of his hair against her cheek to the tenseness of his shoulders and how it melts away in her arms. He even smells the same. 

She loves and hates that Dick is right. 

There isn’t any way this isn’t Wally West.

Artemis holds him tighter, and allows herself a couple of tears as he sobs quietly against her neck. 

***** 

It’s an hour later, and Artemis has a cup of coffee cradled in her hands at M’gann’s kitchen table. Dick, Kaldur, and M’gann surround her. Wally sleeps deeply on the couch in the other room, still exhausted. 

“So...you smuggled him out of the Watchtower, without the League’s permission,” Artemis says softly. 

“The tests they were talking about doing would have required heavy sedation,” M’gann explains. “He’s fragile right now. I was worried he wouldn’t have woken up if they’d put him under that deep. He’s starting to heal, his powers are helping it along, but his mind was...fragmented.” 

Artemis looks up at M’gann worriedly. “Do you think he could...do you think he could disappear again?” 

“We don’t know,” Dick says. “So far, he’s stable, and M’gann’s been monitoring his progress, but...we just don’t know.” 

“What we do know is that the League will not stay away for long,” Kaldur cuts in. “We’re going to have to face them sooner or later.” 

“Sooner,” M’gann tells them. 

There’s a bang on the door before it’s kicked open, and the Flash runs in, followed by Batman, and Green Arrow. 

In the living room, Wally shoots up with a gasp ou of a dead sleep and runs, faster than anyone has ever seen him run - possibly faster than anyone else has ever run before - to a corner of the room, a trace of lightning following him. His legs wobble and give. 

Artemis gets there as quick as she can, just keeping him from hitting the floor. 

“M’gann, open up a channel,” he tells her, 

She does. 

“WHAT THE HELL, BARRY!”

The Leaguers all jump from Wally’s booming voice in their heads. Even Batman hadn’t seen that coming. 

 “What do you mean What the hell?!” Barry yells, without missing a beat. “Miss Martian and Nightwing kidnapped you from the Watchtower!” 

“Ohmygod KIDNAPPED?! What is WRONG with you! They brought me here to recover!” 

“Youwererecoveringjustfine!” 

“IWASN”TANDYOUKNOWITDON’TEVENTRYITWITHME!” 

“YOUWEREDEAD!” 

“IWASN’TDEADANDIT’SNOTMYFAULTYOUTHOUGHTIWAS!” 

Their words have gotten so fast that no one else can understand them, just that Wally is yelling, and quickly. 

“Wait!” Barry cries, holding up a hand. “Wait!” 

Wally stares at him, eyes wide and blazing with anger, his body shaking against Artemis. 

“When did you learn to talk that fast?” 

“Who cares?” Wally snaps telepathically. “Barry you can’t just kick M’gann’s door down like that! Not cool!” 

“Come back to the Watchtower,” Barry orders. 

“No.” 

“Then at least come back to Central City, your parents are worried sick.” 

“I can’t,” Wally tells him, looking torn. “I...I can’t even talk, Barry. I can barely run. I need time. I need...I need sleep and I need...I need my team.” 

Ollie rests a hand on Barry’s shoulder. “We’ll check in with you kids tomorrow. If you need us, don’t hesitate to call.’ 

Bruce narrows his eyes at Dick. “You and I will talk later.” 

Dick swallows, but nods. 

“Nice to know that we still get treated like babies,” Wally grumbles once the trio of Leaguers are gone. 

“Back on the couch, you,” M’gann orders. “More soup. More sleep.” 

Wally sags against Artemis, unable to hold himself up anymore and nods. 

***** 

They all wind up sleeping in the living room. 

M’gann is curled up in a chair, watching her friends as they sleep. Wally and Artemis somehow sharing the couch, his leg thrown over her and her face smushed in against his chest. Dick and Kaldur sharing an air mattress on the floor. 

Dick has always been a messy sleeper. Feet everywhere. Arms out. By comparison, Kaldur is curled up tight on himself, on his side, away from Dick, looking peaceful.  

She closes her eyes, and feels gratefulness spread over her, warmer than any blanket, even though the one person who should be here isn’t. 

Until he is. 

There’s a soft tap on the broken door, and M’gann gets up, knowing that Conner will be on the other side. 

She shifts it open carefully and smiles sadly. 

“Hi,” she whispers. 

“Hi,” he says. “I...I heard...about Wally.” 

M’gann nods. “He’s asleep. Everyone is.” 

“Oh. I can...I’ll come back.” 

“Or you could stay,” M’gann says quickly. 

“M’gann…” 

“I know. I know. But this isn’t about us,” she explains. “This is about Wally, and he needs us right now. All of us. So just...stay?” 

Conner stares at her for a moment before relenting and stepping inside. 

Soon, M’gann is back in her chair. Kaldur and Dick still share the air matress. Wally and Artemis are still on the couch.

And now Conner is settled on the side of her chair, his weight resting against it. 

She reaches down and offers him her hand. 

It takes a moment, but he takes it. Warm fingers holding hers. 

“Not a lot,” Artemis admits as she puts some freshly washed and dried plates away. “I’ve mostly been working missions with Kaldur and Conner.” 

Wally nods, his hands still in the soapy water in the sink as he washes a heavy soup pot. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

“So...so...you didn’t...y’know.” He huffs and turns to her, his voice cuts out a little and he clears his throat. “Find somebody new?” 

Artemis freezes, mid swipe of her towel over a plate, gripping both tightly. 

“If you did, that’d be...I mean…” he stops and takes another breath. 

She can tell that he wants so desperately to tell her that that would be okay; that he would be okay. 

But it’s a complete lie, and they both know it. 

“Wally, it’s only been five months,” she tells him. “There wasn’t anybody else. I didn’t want anybody else.” 

He stares at her, trying not to look too hopeful. “Oh.” 

“You really thought I’d be able to move on that quickly?” she asks, narrowing her eyes at him. 

Wally looks down at the sink. “I know it was only five months. But it...it felt like a lifetime.” 

She watches him carefully, watches his hand shakes around the sponge he’s squeezing, “Wally.” 

The shakes get harder, until his hand is vibrating fast; faster than she’s ever seen it happen before, and Artemis lunges forward, gripping his arms. “Wally.” 

He shakes out of his daze and looks at her, green eyes confused, and a little tired, registering where he is and who he’s with quickly. “Sorry. Sorry. I guess I got a little lost there for a second.” 

Artemis reaches up, cupping his jaw. “You’re not lost anymore. You’re right here. With me. This is where you belong.” 

Wally lets his eyes drift shut, letting the tension leave his body as he leans forward, kissing her slowly. 

And it hits her harder than any fist that though he’s been back for a few days, Artemis hasn’t kissed him yet. She’s been too afraid of breaking him; of hurting him and making things worse. M’gann had described him as fragile, and Artemis had taken it to heart. 

But here he is, kissing her softly and slowly. He’s warm, like he’s always warm, but he’s too lean now; his metabolism is still working like it always has, but he hasn’t had enough calories to keep up with it in months. 

He’d asked if there was someone else because she hadn’t kissed him yet. Because Artemis had looked at his exhausted, ravaged form and thought “too fragile.” 

And Wally needed her; her reassurance. Her closeness. 

She deepens their kiss, pulling him closer, arms sliding around his neck, and it’s like a switch has flipped. Wally grips her lower back, turning her and pressing her against the counter, getting as close as he can, panting softly as he kisses her again, his hands beginning to roam. 

Artemis lets out a quiet moan, her hands sliding into his hair.

And then someone clears their throat. 

Wally pulls away too quickly and starts to lose his balance before Artemis grabs his arms. 

M’gann is smiling in the doorway of the kitchen. “Thought I’d check in. But you guys are fine. I’m gonna go tell Kaldur he won the bet to see how long it’d take you two to make out.” 

“No sign of him,” Dick says as they exit the zeta tube into the Watchtower. “It’s as if he’s completely disappeared.” 

“I’m not surprised,” Barbara says as she shifts her chair over to them from the wall of screens she’s been looking at. “I did some digging into the Shadow’s database. The Nameless has been trained in ten different kinds of combat, and six languages...he can hide in plain sight. And with Will and Lian here…” 

“We don’t know when or where he’ll strike next,” 

***** 

She waits hours, but it pays off. 

The door opens, and there he is; clad in deep black, darker than his old stealth suit, but  his Shadows uniform is a strange perversion of his Kid Flash uniform, complete with goggles and bright hair, much shorter than he ever wore it before.

Artemis stands, staring at him. “It took you long enough.” 

He stands still, more still than she’s ever seen him, watching her. 

“You’re not my objective,” he says. 

Wally’s voice but...not. No playfulness or warmth. 

Just..dead.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’ll have to get through me to get to him.” 

The Nameless smirks. “Doesn’t seem like much of a challenge.” 

Artemis cracks her knuckles and then her neck. “I guess we’ll find out.” 

***** 

“Where is Artemis?” Dick asks as he watches Barbara run scan after scan. 

“We do not know,” Kaldur says. “She said she just needed time.” 

“That’s...not exactly true,” Will says awkwardly as he steps back into the main meeting hall after tucking Lian in. “She stayed behind at the house. She had a feeling Wally, or...or whatever thing that with Wally’s face is...would come back. She said she had to face him alone.” 

Dick and Kaldur stare, eyes wide. 

“Babs?” Dick asks. 

“Definite activity at the house in Star City,” she tells them.

“Get M’gann and Conner,” Kaldur orders. “I’ll find Zatanna and meet you at the zeta tube.” 

Dick runs. 

“You should have told us,” Kaldur tells Will. 

“I didn’t think he’d seriously double back,” Will snaps. “He can’t possibly think I would still be there.” 

“Artemis purposefully lured him there. If Wally is faster than he used to be, and trained to fight in ways he was not before, she may not be able to beat him alone.” 

***** 

They wreck the house. 

She fights harder than she has ever fought in her life. Not holding back, not pulling punches and ever time she manages to connect, it hurts her as much as it hurts him. But it’s a pain she ignores.

He’s not invulnerable. He has the weaknesses of any other man.

He’s just so damn fast. 

“Y’know, Wall-man, if you had this kinda training when we were kids, I mighta dated you sooner.” 

He doesn’t respond, merely grunts when she manages to grab him by the hair and yank, slamming his head against a wall. 

He stumbles back and makes a run for it, zooming around the house, and up the wall, before landing behind her with a hard kick to her back.

She yelps and lands on the floor. Artemis does her best to get up, wiping blood from her nose. 

“I hope you know this is not how I pictured this reunion.” 

He says nothing. 

She looks him in the eyes. Still green. Still beautiful. “Do you even remember me?” 

***** 

He blinks, narrowing his eyes at her. He’s got a busted lip, and possibly a couple of busted ribs that will heal sooner rather than later. 

“Do you even remember me?” she asks. 

Blonde hair. 

Dark eyes. 

Strong fingers. 

That voice…

He shakes his head. “You’re not my objective.” 

She stumbles a little. “Tell me you remember something. Anything. Babe, it’s me.” 

He narrows his eyes and reaches forward, grabbing her by the shirt, vibrating the fingers on his other hand. “You’re not my objective.” 

He reaches for her temple, but doesn’t get that far. 

“PEELS!” 

The world goes black.

*****

Artemis drops to the floor and huffs, looking up at her team. “I had him on the ropes, guys.” 

“Dnib!” Zatanna snaps, and glowing rope binds itself around Wally’s form tightly. 

“We know you did,” Dick tells her, helping her to her feet. “Jeez, he really kicked your ass.”

“When he snaps out of this, you’re not allowed to tell him,” Artemis says. 

“If,” Conner says. “We don’t know if he can snap out of it. Or if it’s really him.” 

M’gann kneels down next to Wally’s unconscious form, gazing at him. “I can go into his mind, but…” he glances back at Conner. 

“We don’t have any other options,” he says softly. “We need to know if it’s really him in there, or…” 

“It’s him,” Dick says.

Kaldur gazes at Wally sadly. “We will find out soon enough.” 

***** 

It occurs to M’gann that she’s never been in Wally’s mind. 

But this...feel distinctly not like the Wally she remembers. The walls are white tile, and bare. 

There’s nothing here.

No memories; no feelings...nothing. 

There’s no one here. 

“Wally?” she calls, looking around worriedly. 

There’s a voice. Small, but it echoes. 

“Is...am I...Wally?” 

M’gann takes a breath. “I...we think that you might be.” 

“I have an objective,” the voice tells her quickly. “My masters-” 

“Are manipulating you,” M’gann cuts him off. “They trained you to be a weapon, but I don’t think that’s who you are.” 

She gets no response. 

**** 

“Well?” Artemis asks impatiently as M’gann opens her eyes. 

“He doesn’t know who he is,” M’gann tells them. “There’s no trace of anything that resembles Wally in there...at least on the surface.” 

“So dig deeper,” Dick says. 

“Not alone,” M’gann shakes her head, before looking to Artemis. “If...if this is really Wally...if he’s really in there…” 

Artemis swallows.

“He needs you,” M’gann tells her, reaching out and taking her hand. “Come with me.” 

***** 

“This is...there’s nothing here.” 

M’gann nods as they wander around the white, empty space. 

“Even fractured, Kaldur’s mind had elements of who he is,” Artemis goes on. “There’s just...nothing.” 

M’gann narrows her eyes as she spots a door off in the distance. “Maybe not nothing.” She holds out a hand, and slowly, the door gets closer, until they’re in front of it. 

It’s large, at least five feet taller than they are, and metal, with no doorknob; no way to get in.

“Someone trapped him in here,” M’gann says sadly. “Psimon’s hands are all over this.” 

“How do we get in?” Artemis asks. 

M’gann gazes at the door. “I suppose...we knock.” 

***** 

It turns out the door is open. 

“That was easy,” M’gann comments with a weak grin. 

“Well, he is Wally...supposedly,” Artemis mutters. “Easy was kind of his thing.” 

They step through into what used to be someone’s living room. It’s an odd mix of furniture, misplaced and overturned, singed as if it were caught in a house fire. 

Amongst the overturned couches and half-burnt out chairs are objects. A medical-grade carrying case. A Cheshire mask. The Helmet of Fate. 

“God, look at all this,” Artemis says softly, kneeling down to pick up the Cheshire mask. “His old souvenirs from Mount Justice…the couch from our apartment at Stanford...I think those are his parents’ dining room chairs...”

M’gann looks around, lifting a burnt up photo of  the team from nearly a decade before, and looks around. “Wally?” she calls gently. “Are you here?” 

There’s no answer.

Artemis sighs and lifts another photo, this one of a younger Wally with Barry, making funny faces for the camera. Wally’s face in the photo is nearly burned off. “He must be terrified. What did Psimon do?” 

“I don’t know if this was all him,” M’gann says as she moves further into the room. “Wherever Wally was after he disappeared, it may have damaged his mind.” 

“Do you think you can help him put it all back together? Like you did for Kaldur?” Artemis asks worriedly. 

“I don’t know,” M’gann admits. “And Kaldur’s recovery took time. Wally’s would be equally time intensive. There’s so much damage…” 

Artemis frowns as she finds the yellow Kid Flash cowl in tatters, under the couch. “If he’s not here...where is he?” 

M’gann looks around once more, underneath a staircase that leads to nowhere, and smiles sadly as she spots the form of a small boy hiding there. Dirty red hair and big, nervous green eyes. She kneels down, keeping her movements slow. 

“Hi, Wally.” 

Artemis freezes, watching as the little boy comes out, a perfect match for the old photographs Mary West used to break out at family dinners, complete with a missing front tooth. 

“Who...who are you?” he asks. 

“We’re friends,” M’gann tells him. “There’s nothing to be afraid of now. We’re here to help you.” 

“I...I made a mess,” he says sheepishly. “Mom’s gon’ come home and be real mad.” 

Artemis swallows as she watches him carefully. “I think she’ll let it slide just this once.” 

Wally lights up a little. “Really?” 

M’gann smiles and nods, feeling tears prick her eyes. “Absolutely. And we can clean it all up before she gets home.” 

“I tried but...but it all burnt down,” he says, looking around. “I didn’t mean to burn it down, I just...I ran...I ran too fast and...and then there was a man and he locked me in here…” 

“None of this was your fault,” Artemis says, kneeling next to M’gann, reaching out and brushing soot from his face. “None of it.” 

M’gann takes a deep breath. “Wally? Because you’re so safe now...do you think we could talk to big Wally?” 

He thinks for a moment, and bites his lip. “Big Wally doesn’t wanna play. He says he’s donezo.” 

Artemis laughs just a little, and sniffles at the same time. “Well, can you tell Big Wally that his girlfriend would like a word?” 

Wally shakes his head. “Uh-uh. He doesn’t think you’re you, he thinks you’re the mean man in disguise.” 

“How do we prove that we’re not the mean man?” M’gann asks. 

“You can’t,” Wally tells them sadly. “Y-you should go now.” 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Artemis says. “Not until he - you - he...talks to me.” 

“No,” Wally snaps, stumbling back. “No, he doesn’t want to. I don’t want to. Go away. Go away!” 

***** 

M’gann yelps as she stumbles away from Wally’s prone body, blinking as she comes back to the physical world. Glancing up, she sees Artemis, also back, staring at Wally sadly., 

“What happened?” Dick asks quickly. “Was it him?” 

“Oh, it’s him,” Artemis says softly. “But he was less than cooperative.” 

Dick shakes his head. “What do you mean? What did he do?” 

“He kicked us out,” M’gann says. “But he’s in there.” 

“Let me talk to him,” Dick says. “Let me go in.” 

“I think it’ll take all of us,” M’gann says. “Whatever happened to him, it was too much. He’s hiding, because he doesn’t know how to rebuild what’s been broken.” 

“Then we go in, and we get him,” Conner says. 

M’gann frowns as she turns to Wally, and watches as his eyes open. “Wait…” 

He starts vibrating in the bonds. 

“Zatanna, can you hold him?” Dick asks frantically, backing away a little. 

She lifts her hands, concentrating. “He’s...so strong…” 

“Wally, stop!” Artemis cries, rushing to him to grip his shoulders, but flinching away at the vibration. “You have to listen to me: your name is Wally West, and we are your friends.” 

He vibrates loose, but only gets halfway to the door before M’gann shouts, her eyes glowing green. 

Wally drops, and for M’gann, Dick and Artemis, the world goes white.

***** 

“Where are we?” Dick asks, looking around, 

Artemis frowns as she turns in a circle. All of the wreckage they’d seen before behind the door in Wally’s mind is now out in the open, the white room a battlefield of old furniture, photos and relics of the past. 

“We’re in Wally’s head,” she tells him. “But...but I think we broke it.” 

“It was already broken,” M’gann says sadly. “But before, it was tucked away, compartmentalized and meant to be forgotten about. Now…” 

Dick kneels down and lifts a cracked set of red goggles, gazing at them before looking around. “Is he in here somewhere?” 

“Somewhere,” Artemis nods. “Some version.” 

“Who did this to him?” Dick asks quietly. ‘What...what happened?” 

“It’s a question for later,” M’gann says. “First, we find him.” 

***** 

“You’re name is Wally West, and we are your friends!” 

The voice reverberates and he…

Is that who he is? 

Is he Wally West? 

“You’re not,” a voice tells him, firmly. “You are the nameless. These people are trying to trick you into believing that you’re one of them, but you’re one of us. One with the Light.”

“But they know me,” he argues. “They look at me and they...they know me.” 

“It’s all a trick, dear boy. They know nothing.”

“But-” 

“You have one job,” The voice orders. “Get rid of them. Complete your objective.” 

***** 

“That’s Psimon’s voice,” M’gann says angrily. “I can find a way to shut him out, but we’ll need Wally’s help.” 

“We have to find him,” Artemis nods. “Let’s go.” 

***** 

“That girl,” he says. “The blonde one. The way she looked at me…” 

“Liars are often good at their jobs.” 

“Did I...Did I know her? I see her sometimes.” 

“An old enemy from a former life.”

“That’s not right. That doesn’t sound right.” 

“You’re confused.” 

He swallows and looks around the wreckage; broken chairs and a table missing one of its legs; he turns and looks around and there’s a door, cracked open with a little light coming through. 

“Don’t!” 

He does, swinging it open and stepping through, closing the door. 

The voice doesn’t follow.

When he turns and looks around, it’s…

It’s a house. 

A nice house with a kitchen and dining room and living room, and there’s a large spread of food on the table. Pancakes and waffles, bacon and eggs; fresh squeezed orange juice. 

And people. 

So many people. 

The blonde woman again, stepping forward. Happier-looking. Beaming at him. She cups his face gently.

And it feels…

Right. 

Safe. 

“Hi, Wally West,” she says softly. 

“Is...Am I...Wally West?” 

“Of course you are,” she says. 

“Then...why don’t I...why don’t I remember?” he asks. 

She smiles. 

“Is this...is this a memory?” he asks. 

“We’re all memories,” a raven-haired man tells him. “Your memories.” 

“Open your mind,” a woman with green skin tells him gently. “Let it all in.” 

He takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes. 

***** 

The white space goes black; all of the wreckage disappearing, and Artemis reaches out, grabbing M’gann’s arm.

“What just happened?” 

“I think Wally’s taken control,” she tells them.

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?” Dick asks warily. 

M’gann grimaces and looks around the deep blackness. “Wally?” 

“Gimme a minute,” Wally’s voice say softy. “I’m...I’m still a little shaky.”

After a few moments, Wally steps into being; the Wally they remember. He looks exhausted, like he might collapse. 

“Hey,” he says. “Hey, guys. Long...long time no see.” 

Tears threaten Artemis as she watches him. “Oh, my god.” 

He smiles sadly. “Babe.” 

Before anyone can move, Psimon’s voice booms.

“NO! YOU’RE MINE!” 

“Ugh,” Wally rolls his eyes. “M’gann? Little help?”  

She nods, and lifts a hand, her eyes going green, and a moment later, Psimon appears before them. 

“Welcome to the party,” Wally says, grinning viciously, before reeling back and punching him in the face.

Psimon stumbles and snarls. “You’ll pay for this! You’ll all-” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,” Wally says. “I have my memories back now, and I’ve been trained by the League of Shadows. You better sleep with one eye open. I’m probably not gonna let you get away with screwing with me so hard.” 

Psimon glowers, before disappearing. 

Wally takes a breath, and turns to them, giving an exhausted smile. “That was easy.”

With that, his eyes roll back and he collapses, not hearing the shouts of his loved ones as everything goes dark again.

***** 

“What happened?! M’gann? M’gann!” 

She shoots up, gasping for breath and looking around frantically. She spots Wally in a heap by the door, and Artemis and Dick coming to slowly. 

Conner is shaking her shoulders a little, obviously worried. “M’gann.” 

“I’m...I’m okay,” she says. “Tired, but okay. And...and I think we did. I think we got him back.” 

“We should go,” Dick says, doing his best to get to his feet. “Psimon will have reported back to the Light and the Shadows by now, and we can’t be here when they come looking for Wally.” 

Kaldur nods and helps him back. “Zatanna, help Artemis. Superboy-” 

“I’ve got M’gannn and Wally,” Conner nods, and scoops them both up easily. 

M’gann sighs and gives him a hopeful grin, receiving a kiss on the temple for her trouble. 

“There is so much I wanna say, and we only have like a few minutes to do this, because we can’t keep everybody here for an hour and you can’t understand me when I talk too fast, so...here goes: I have been in love with you since I didn’t know what that felt like. Loving you is the definition of a no-brainer. You make me so happy. You keep me honest. You keep me sane, and I’m so grateful that I’m the one you wanna have a life-long team-up with, and I promise to always be there for you, no matter what. I’m gonna love you forever, Babe.” 

Artemis takes a deep breath when it’s her turn. She’s fighting back tears and laughs a little as she reaches out, brushing his own away. “Such a crybaby.” 

He, and their assembled family and friends, laugh. 

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. “God, you are so much better with words than I am.” She smiles and gazes at him. “You have been driving me nuts for, literally, a decade. And I don’t have to imagine what my life is like without you. I already know. I know that it’s not a reality I want to live in.I promise that I will never take you for granted. I will always have your back, and I will always, always love you.” 

Wally blinks back more tears and looks at Kuldur. “Is it time for the kissing now? Please say yes.”

“As the best man, it’s my job to remind the groom that he is, in fact, a Dingus.” 

Dick stands among a sea of familiar, happy faces, staring at him as he makes his toast, holding his glass of champagne and looking out over the crowd. 

The League. The Team. The Wests. Artemis’ much smaller family.

They’re all there. 

Which means it’s the perfect time to embarrass his best friend. 

“Artemis joined our merry band late,” Dick goes on with a smile. “And I’m putting it lightly when I tell you that they were not fans of each other. They fought about everything. The needling and teasing...it went on for months. Months! Of Artemis literally just existing and Wally being so angry about it that he couldn’t stop making an idiot of himself, when the fact is, if he’d just kissed her, everything would have been fine and they could stop trying to tear each others’ heads off.” 

He turns to them, smiling broadly. “I knew you were in love before you did, Pal. Because I know Wally better than Wally.” 

“What am I thinking right now?” Wally asks. 

“That you wanna eat ice cream,” Dick responds. 

“What kind of ice cream?” 

“Super Fudge Chunk,” Dick says automatically. “With strawberry jam on top.” 

Wally blinks and sits back, crossing his arms, pouting ever so slightly. “You know what, Rob...” 

“I was thirteen the first time I told these two to get a room,” Dick goes on turning back to the assembled crowd. “And looks how right I was. So right. The rightest.” 

“There won’t be any living with you now, will there?” Wally groans. 

Dick grins broadly. “But the truth is, I couldn’t be happier about it. They are literally perfect for one another. Sometimes I catch them looking at each other and I don’t know whether to melt into a gooey pile of schmaltz or toss my cookies.” 

The crowd laughs, and Artemis turns a funny shade of pink. 

He meets Psimon in Nanda Parbot the next night, where Ra’s and Talia are there waiting at the Lazarus pit.

It’s uncomfortably hot in the cave, and it smells of death; putrid flesh.

“The Lazarus pit will either rejuvenate him, and kill him,” Psimon tells them.

“He’s valuable to us,” Luthor points out. “Is this worth the risk?”

“He’s a shell right now,” Talia explains. “A full recovery would take months; months we do not have.”

Luthor frowns and looks to the boy…man, really. Young, but a man. Green eyes stare vacantly ahead, mouth slightly agape. His Kid Flash uniform is ripped and torn, his body ravaged by malnourishment. 

It’s clear he doesn’t know where he is or what’s going on. It’s likely he doesn’t even know his own name anymore, let alone which side he fights for. 

Luthor waves a hand slowly in front of the boy’s face and snaps his fingers. 

Nothing. 

No response. 

He turns to Ra’s and Talia. 

“Do it.” 

***** 

Consciousness hits him like a freight train, and when his eyes snap open, he realizes he’s underwater. 

His super speed propels him out of the pit and to the other end of the cave, limbs shaking, breath shallow and harsh. He collapses in a heap.  

“My dear boy.” 

It’s a gentle voice, and when he looks up, there’s a woman standing over him, looking…

Concerned. Possibly. 

“You are alright now,” she tells him, kneeling in front of him. “We have saved you.” 

He blinks. “I…” 

“Do you remember anything?” she asks.

He thinks hard, but nothing comes. He feels…blank. 

What’s his name? Where does he come from? What day is it? What is his favorite food? 

His stomach rumbles, and he frowns, feeling himself flush with embarrassment. 

“It is alright now, my love,” Talia says gently. “You are safe here with us. No one will ever hurt you again.” She smiles. 

And it’s not quite a…kind smile. 

But it’s a smile. 

“We will make certain of that,” she promises. 

And he believes her. 

He has no reason not to.

***** 

Recovery is quick from there. He doesn’t know what happened; all he knows is that he can run.

“You have the meta gene,” Talia told him over tea one day. “It has given you enhanced speed. We believe you may be the fastest man alive.” 

He nods, processing that. He hasn’t been able to talk much; his voice feels too raw and words seem…

Words belong to other people. 

“Come,” Talia orders gently. “Finish your tea. There is much to do.” 

***** 

Fastest man alive is probably accurate. 

He learns eight different fighting styles in a week, and four languages on top of it. 

He can run a mile in less than ten seconds. 

He hears his masters talking one day. 

“It is public record that he was never that fast previously,” Ra’s says. “This is new. Something happened to him. We must find out what.” 

“Yes, Father,” Talia nods. “And in the meantime, I will keep training him.” 

“See that he is prepared.” 

“Yes, Father.” 

***** 

Preparation means a lot of things. 

In the League of Shadows, it means  being able to withstand torture; being prepared to end your life should the need arise; it means being loyal. 

Always loyal. 

He’s tortured nearly to death, and buried alive. He is stabbed and shot at, electrocuted and he doesn’t break. 

There is nothing to break. 

But when he’s allowed to rest; when the sun cracks through the clouds at the end of his third week of training, he dreams. 

***** 

“Wally, what is all this?” 

“Happy Valentine’s day, Babe.” 

“It was two days ago.” 

“Well, you were on a mission and I was buried under schoolwork…I figured we could have a little late celebration. I got your favorite.” 

“Are those the veggie dumplings-” 

“From down the street. And extra plum sauce to go with.” 

“My hero.” 

“Hands down my favorite job. I love you.” 

***** 

When he wakes up, alone in his quarters on the mat on the floor, he can still hear the woman’s voice, smokey and warm. She had been…blonde? Blonde, with dark eyes, and a knowing smile. 

Was he…had he been…Wally? 

***** 

“What’s my name?” 

Talia doesn’t look at him, busy as she is with bathing the baby in a small basin. Damian is only a few weeks old. He’s cute, but demanding, taking up his master’s time. 

“What do you mean?” Talia asks lightly. 

“Was…I…am I…Wally?” 

He doesn’t get a response. 

But the world goes black.

***** 

He wakes the next morning from a dreamless sleep, and Talia stands in the doorway. 

“You have more training.” 

***** 

The Red Hood watches him curiously. He’s young, but his skills are honed.

The Red Hood is…familiar. 

They don’t talk about it.

They don’t talk about anything. 

***** 

Talia comes to him the night before his naming ceremony, where he’ll be officially inducted into the league, and drops her robe, naked before him.

He stares at her for a long, quiet moment, and thinks of…

Dark eyes. Thin, strong fingers stroking his hair lovingly. 

“My Wally…” 

When Talia leans in to kiss him, he turns away. 

“No,” he says, his voice quiet but firm. 

“Good,” Talia says softly. “You are focused.” 

She slips her robe back on and heads for the door. “Tomorrow you become one with the Shadows.”