AN: So this is just a little one-shot I've been working on for a while. The idea came from Greendogg, who you might recognize as my beta from Ignorance is Bliss. Anyway enjoy, and tell me how I did.
Beta: Greendogg!
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, but if I did then Wally wouldn't have died. :(
"Who is this?" Bart turned around to see Wally behind him. Artemis stood next to Wally holding his hand. They both had questioning looks plastered onto their faces.
Bart had decided to move into the cave. Considering he had no other place to go, he figured he might as well be near incase there was any trouble. He took a medium size dorm near the training room. It included a desk, bed, chair, a brown rug, and a closet. Bart figured that Artemis and Wally came by to check on how he was settling in and maybe help out.
Bart had been sorting photos he found in his jacket pocket. He'd also asked Flash for some old photos of his. Now he was placing them around his room.
"Oh, her?" Bart muttered looking at a photo of a young teenage girl smiling at the camera. "She's my old friend from the future."
Artemis gave Bart a look. "You never mentioned her." She paused. "You haven't told us anything about anyone from there."
Bart looked at them. They had no idea how bad it actually was. Sure, he'd told some of them what had happened, but he actually had to live through it. They didn't know what that life was like. Bart could only hope they would never have to.
"You never asked me. Besides, I don't even know if she's all right or not." Impulse muttered.
Wally cocked his head and grabbed the photo out of his hands. "So, why does she look like a Reach?"
"Because she is one."
They both looked at Bart in surprise. "Wait, you were friends with a Reach? I thought they were ruling the earth in your time?"
"Well to tell you the truth, I didn't know she was a Reach." Bart sighed.
"So what happened?"
Bart was 13 years old at the time. He had long brown hair due to the lack of scissors. It had been weeks since he had seen his grandfather or parents. He was living somewhere under Happy Harbor, probably the sewers from the looks of it. Next to him was a pretty dark haired girl. She had bright blue eyes and a mole in between her eyes. Her tan skin made her lips look chapped and wrong on her face. She wore a bright green tank top with dark khaki shorts that came to her knees. She had a watch on her left wrist and a charm anklet on her right ankle. Altogether, she looked kind of like a surfer.
"So what do we do next? We can't hide here for much longer." The bright eyed girl informed Bart. Her face creased in worry.
Bart's' eyes darted around the room. "Kayla, I'm not sure how much longer we can run. The time machine is close to being finished, but still..."
Kayla raised her eyebrows.
"How much time do you need?"
Bart thought for a minute. "Maybe a month or two, but I can't be 100% sure .The only problem is that we aren't going to last that long. They're searching for us every day, and we aren't exactly getting better at this." He looked down at the ground. "We'll never be able to make it out. Maybe we should just give up? It would be better than staying here."
Bart felt a hard slap hit him in the face. He looked up to see piercing blue eyes glaring at him. "We are not giving up! What is wrong with you? This is not the Bart Allen I know and love! This is a wimp who can't clean up his act!" Kayla spat. "Now pull yourself together!"
Bart glared back at her. "Don't you get it Kayla?! My parents are probably captured by now or working their way through life. My grandpa is gone for sure, and I have no one left to go back to!" Bart's eyes started to sting from holding back tears. "My uncles and aunts and their children are gone! Cousins are all too young to be saved if it were possible! Wally…" tears started to fall from his eyes, "Is probably out there trying to get help or being experimented one. I have no one left!"
Kayla frowned. "I'm not throwing a pity party for you, Bart. You can either get up and save your family, or you can curl up into a little ball and cry your eyes out. I can't make you do anything, but I can leave you here. I'm not going to stick around just to get captured all because you couldn't take it anymore. So your family and friends are missing, then go find them. So you're mad at the reach, go back and find a way to get them to leave. But do not sit here and tell me that you're going to watch everything just fall apart! I had so much hope for you. And you just break down at the last moment? So you can fix this, and you will. Or so help me, I'll go alone!"
Bart wiped his tears away and slowly sat up. "Sorry, I kind of lost it there. I just miss everyone right now, but I'm going back to fix that. I'm doing all this for them. Thanks Kayla, you're the best."
Bart went back to work with his screw driver and Kayla sat and watched. After a long thirty minutes, she spoke. "So what is your family like Bart? You seem to really care about them, and I was wondering why."
Bart didn't look up from his work. "My mom struggled raising speedster children, but she loved us anyway. Her favorite part of the day was making us dinner. She would spend at least two hours in the kitchen before bringing out a dinner that gave Paula Deen a run for her money. She actually learned to cook just so she could support us. She got so good at one point that we told her she should go to culinary school, but she just laughed."
"She sounds nice. What about your dad?" Kayla asked him.
Bart sighed. "He was a hero and was always really busy, but made time for me whenever I needed him. He always lived life in the fast lane and wanted to do everything he could. He followed my grandfather's footsteps and worked in the forensic field. He'd sometimes take me to his lab to show me what he did during the day. I was six at the time and thought everything was shiny." He laughed.
"He looked at me touching everything in my reach. He thought it was hysterical and took a picture." Bart smiled. "One of the greatest days I had with him."
Kayla smiled. "So he was scientist?"
Bart nodded.
"So that must be how you're so smart! I'm surprised you can't finish this faster! So, who is this Wally figure? You seem worried about him."
Bart stopped working and looked up at her. "He was the original Kid Flash."
Kayla went wide eyed. "Didn't you want to be exactly like him and the Flash? Weren't they, like your inspiration?"
"Yep, but they're also my family. We're one of those families who are really close. Every reunion, and that's a speedster family reunion, we all get together and have a lot of fun. We had enough food to feed thirty regular people! Then there was the three-legged race." Bart laughed. "It was awesome!"
Kayla grinned. "I'm sure. Knowing how much you love food now, I wouldn't be able to picture what it was like back then!"
Bart gave her an odd look. "You know, all this talk about my family makes me wonder, what's yours like?"
Kayla's smile waned and she looked away. "There's not much I have to say about them. I moved here with my aunt and cousin. To be honest, I don't want to talk about it. Besides, your family sounds more interesting anyway."
Bart smiled. "Yeah, my grandpa was hilarious! He'd run around helping people in the city. He would always say 'I'll be back in a Flash' which wasn't funny at all."
"He sounds cool!" said Kayla.
"… A week later, I found out about the device that made her appear human."
"Kayla?"
"Bart… I...I can explain." Kayla stuttered.
"You're a Reach!" Bart yelled.
He was taken aback by what he saw. Kayla had a mint green skin tone and yellow eyes with flecks of orange mixed in. What really bothered him was that she also resembled the Reach Scientist. Bart decided not to ask if she was related to her.
I was shocked and wanted to get as far away from her as possible.
"Wait…" Kayla called.
She begged me not to leave, but I couldn't help it.
Kayla stood there, feeling uneasy.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Bart asked.
Kayla wiped her eyelashes which were soaked with tears.
"I was afraid you wouldn't like me… truth is… you're the only friend I've got." She explained.
'I couldn't believe it. I asked her why she didn't have any other friends, but all she would say is that because she was born premature, the Reach outside her family considered her runt. Kayla was different… she was nice." He paused.
"A week before I left, she came and brought me my suit…"
"I...uh…brought you this." Kayla said, handing Bart the red and white costume and goggles.
"Uh…thanks." Bart replied.
"I'll miss you…" said Kayla.
"She said goodbye and left. I haven't seen her since." Bart finished explaining to the two.
There was silence. "I should have done something, but I just couldn't. There was too much of a risk of getting caught."
Wally sat down next to Bart.
"So I inspired you?"
Artemis slapped him on the back of the head. "That's all you got from that?!"
"No, it's ok; I'm sure her family took her back anyway."
"Did anyone else know about her?" Artemis asked.
"Yeah, Nathaniel knew, that's why he said he'd look out for her. That was the last time we talked about Kayla."
Bart looked at the photo one last time.
"I'd just like to know for sure she was ok." Bart mumbled.