Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or DC

Flesh and Blood – Chapter 1

Gotham City BatCave,

November 7th, 03:21 EDT

It was a typical stormy night in Gotham. It was really no mystery how the city got its name. Bruce couldn't even count the number of nights he'd spent doing research in the BatCave, while listening to a storm rage outside. And that was only this year alone. One thing that was unusual though was the proximity alarm suddenly flaring into existence, which Bruce thought was quite impossible. For this particular proximity alarm to be activated five others would have had to have been crossed beforehand and he hadn't heard anything.

Quickly typing into his BatComputer, Bruce brought up the data received from all the alarms that night. Luckily the impossible was still impossible as Batman discovered that in fact the other alarms had been triggered, but almost simultaneously with the last proximity alarm. The footage from a security camera placed at the entrance of Wayne Manor confirmed what he already knew. This unexpected late night visitor was none other than Wally West aka Kid Flash. A deeper scowl grew on Bruce's face as he wondered what could possibly have prompted the speedster to run from Kansas at full speed (he had done the calculations using the alarms), during a storm at three in the morning to find him. It surely wasn't going to be good.

Bruce sighed; he supposed he should probably let the kid in. He could see him from the security camera just standing in the rain, his arm raised as if he was debating whether to knock or not. Bruce also noticed that the Wally was wearing civilian gear and that he seemed to be shaking and breathing heavily. Bruce picked up his pace changing into his civilian clothes and getting to the door. Speedsters didn't get puffed from merely running from Central to Gotham, and they usually didn't feel the cold due to their connection to the speed force and faster heart rate, which kept them running at a slightly higher temperature then the rest of the populace. Obviously something was very wrong with this particular Speedster and it wasn't the run or the freezing November storm.

Bruce opened the door to the exact image he had seen from the cave although now he could see the Kid up close and he had to admit he looked quite pitiful. The kid sprang back in surprise and it was only Batman grabbing onto his shoulder, which kept Wally from taking a tumble down the stairs leading to the entrance. He could now tell the boy was soaked through by the rain, and was trembling at such as speed that his image was almost blurring in front of Batman's eyes. The dark knight concluded that Kid Flash was in shock, but standing out in a storm wasn't helping. Before he could make any move to let the speedster in though Wally had blurred around his hulking form into the manor.

Suddenly the living tornado that was Kid Flash was let loose in his entrance hall. Every piece of paper flew into the air in the kids rush, and no piece of furniture was left unturned or unmoved. It seemed Kid Flash was looking for something and for some reason thought he would find that something behind the hat rack.

"I need Uncle Barry, Do youknow whereheis? OfCourseyouknowwhereheis…. You're Batman! He's on League business, but I need him. Where's Uncle Barry? Youknowwhereheis, tellme I'llgo right now."

Batman had had about enough. Not only was it giving him a headache trying to follow the speedster with his eyes, the entrance hall to the manor was now a complete mess. He had to put a stop to this before the one-man army that was Wally West started tearing up another room.

"KID FLASH!", Batman yelled in his most demanding tone that he only used on special occasions.

Batman smirked to himself as his tone achieved the desired effect. Kid Flash had frozen in the middle of the hall, breathing heavily after his mad antics. His eyes were wide with panic but it looked like he was finally ready to pay attention to the Bat and hopefully calm down.

"Kid Flash as you are well aware, the Flash is on a mission for the League. What is the problem?"

Wally took a deep breath in an effort to calm down, understanding by Batman's formal address that he had to slow down in order to find Barry. "I know he's on a mission, but I need him. You know where every mission is, can't you call him back. I need you to call him back."

"I cannot call him back Kid Flash, the mission is in space. NOW tell me, what is wrong?"

"Oh…. He's in space. Space! Now!" Wally exclaimed throwing his hands in the air. It was obvious to Batman that the kid was starting to panic again and if he didn't do something soon there would be a groove in his carpet from the speedsters pacing.

Placing a hand on his shoulder Batman narrowed his eyes when he noticed Wally jump in surprise at the contact. The Kid was more rattled than the dark knight had ever seen before. And he was going to get to the bottom of it all.

Finally managing to lead the boy down the hall, he could just make out the sound of footsteps. Only years of patrol where the ability to be in tune with the smallest of sounds allowed him to notice these footsteps, telling him it was his ward Dick coming to investigate.

'Good he'll be able to help Wally calm down.' Batman thought. He didn't understand how the two had become such good friends, and he wouldn't admit it even under duress but he was glad for their close bond. Before Wally was introduced to Dick he had been much more closed off and introverted - which was understandable considering his history. He would concede that Wally had perhaps done just as much to heal Robin's grief as himself. Now whenever the speedster was over the Manor was filled with laughter and liveliness. Alfred also loved the youthful energy almost as much as said speedster loved the old mans cooking.

The Speedster he led to a seat in a living room near the kitchen resembled nothing like the usually rambunctious guest they saw most weekends. Wally was sitting in front of him with his hair covering his face as he looked at the slowing growing puddle of water on the floor while not meeting his eyes.

He didn't even look up when a pajama clad Robin arrived in the doorway. "Bruce? Wally? What's going on? Wally are you ok?"

Looking over at his ward Bruce could plainly see the worry written across his face. He already had one panicked superhero to deal with he didn't want another.

"Dick, could you get Wally a towel and something to drink?" Batman asked before adding "Preferably something hot", when he noticed that Kid Flash was still shaking.

"But…."

A short glare got the boy moving but he could see that Dick really wanted to just walk over to Wally and comfort him. He could comfort Wally later but first Bruce had to find out what happened.

"Wally, look at me."

For the fastest teenager on Earth, it took Wally an age to final lift his head and meet Bruce's eyes, with his own red rimmed green ones.

"Now, tell me what has happened?"

Kid Flash gave an almighty sniff before answering, which almost brought a smile to Bruce's stern face. Even at his most pitiful and downtrodden, Kid Flash still had the ability to make people laugh.

"….I can't tell you…I don't know what you'll do. I can't…I can't be responsible for that. I-I'm sorry, but I need the Flash."

Batman's scowl grew more pronounced. He didn't think Barry or Dick for that matter would appreciate if he held the kid over the edge of Wayne Towers until he talked. They wouldn't appreciate it but Bruce was getting close to doing just this if Kid Flash did tell him what this was about soon.

Giving the Kid one last chance before the roof option he put on his most forceful voice, which had made the darkest of criminals, give up their deepest secrets. "Kid Flash, if something has happened that either effects Young Justice or you're ability to work with Young Justice you are OBLIGATED to tell me. I'll ask one last time….What has happened?"

At the mention of Young Justice Bruce noticed Wally's panicked breathing increase once more. By the time he had finish talking the Kid was almost hyperventilating and twisting his head from side to side looking in search of an escape route. All he found was the Batman's dark glower that brokered no resistance.

Finally the youth broke his head falling into his hands as he let out a sob.

"It's all my fault….I-It's me, I-I'm t-the leak."

Bruce's shocked face shot to the doorway behind him as he heard the sound of a gasp and the shattering of a coffee mug. Robin's face was an ever-changing canvas of emptions. First it displayed shock that quickly transformed into betrayal and anger before finally settling of disbelief and denial.

"Wally, what are you saying? You can't be the mole. I know you. I know you're not the mole." Dick didn't even care that his night socks were soaking up spilled hot chocolate as he walked towards his distressed best friend, while vigorously shaking his head in denial.

Bruce on the other hand grabbed the speedster shoulders forcefully making him look once more into the Bats angry gaze.

"Explain!"

Wally sucked in a breath hoping to control his gasps and whimpers. It took a couple of tense moments before he was able to reply.

"I-It's all m-my f-fault…. B-but I'm not t-the mole."

"Then what do you mean?" Dick asked as he finally managed to wrap his friend in the towel he brought. This also had the added side effect of forcing Bruce's firm grip on Wally's shoulders to release.

Wally gave Dick a pitiful smile in thanks for the towel before continuing his rambling story, all the while grasping the towel in front of his shivering form.

"I-I just can't believe he would betray m-me. H-he's sold…. EVERYTHING. Everything I ever said to him."

A growing suspicion was taking root in Batman's brain with each word that tumbled from Kid Flash's mouths. The insidious idea planted itself deeply into his mind right where all his previous beliefs were telling him it wasn't possible for someone to do such a foul thing to the buoyant speedster sitting in front of him.

"I-I followed him tonight. Got back from the m-mission late, b-but there he was driving a-away at 1am. I-I thought he was having an a-affair." Wally looked up imploringly for reassurance, his big green eyes shining with tears making even Batman want to comfort the child. Luckily before he could make a move and destroy his reputation Dick started rubbing circles on Wally's towel covered back comfortingly.

Wally sighed, once again looking at the floor "He wasn't. I-I followed him to a closed warehouse near the highway. I don't know who he was meeting. They always kept themselves in the shadows, but there were two of them and they didn't sound like the gems of society, if you catch my drift. He told them everything I had done last week. Everything I had told him about Young Justice and my life and they talked about previous conversations. He's probably been selling my secrets for a long time. Probably since I became Kid Flash."

For the first time that night Batman noticed a hint of anger enter the Kids mouth. Batman knew that anger would only grow after the shock and hurt started to wear off.

"He's been pretending to be interested in my life and every week stabbing me in the back. My own Dad! My Dad is the mole."

Bruce watched his ward support his distraught best friend; all the while a bloom of anger grew from his now confirmed suspicions. Rudolph West endangered his ward and betrayed his own son utterly and completely. Bruce could think of some interesting ways of paying him back.