A/N: Home Front: We're back baby!
Summary: For those of you who don't remember this story, its rated T for mentions of child abuse and contains one OC.
Chapter Summary: Its nights like this that Wally can't find the blissful surrender that is sleep, not just because the rain is keeping him awake, but because he has to wait for her to come home.
Her name is Leanna Crawford, but to a young man by the name of Wally West, she is known by many other named. Mainly sis, 'mom', guardian, The Keeper of Sanity, call her what you will, but those were her main titles. She was all of that to him, having been there for him long before the Young Justice team had come about, long before Wally even became Kid Flash. She had been there since the day he found the strength to pull himself up onto his two legs and run as fast as he could away from his household where his parents were. She was right there along with him whenever he ran from them, but sometimes she would just run a little faster and leave him in the dust. It was times when she would do that that Wally often found himself waiting for her to come back, and she always seemed to come back to him some time or later. Even now, with him at the age of 16 and her an 18 year old adult, as he laid awake just waiting for her.
Longer than he usually did.
A gentle rain tumbled down the broken window pane of the West household. The soft plopping against the window and the shivering slish sound that the water made as it oozed through the crack was enough to make the house's only occupant cringe. It was nights like this that he just couldn't find sleep. Not because the rain kept him awake by reminding him of how badly he had to pee, but because he had to wait for her to come home. Or at least come back to this base they've established together at Wally's house and decided to call her home. With a soft grunt, he rolled over onto his side tiredly and attempted to close his eyes.
'She should have been back by now... Somethings wrong...' He thought, though this thought was familiar to him, as it was the same thought that ran through his head every time she went somewhere without him.
A soft click of the front door's lock clicking into place stirred him back into reality, and the firey haired boy all but flung himself out of his bed and raced down the hall at his most normal but still quick speed. He never wanted to seem to eager to her, just a mature younger brother who was done with his waiting and already had his patience worn on with his own life and not just hers. Upon making it down to the stairs, he slowed to a halt and took in the sight before him with an idle smirk.
"Hey, sis. I see the rain caught you." Wally sneered as he took in the girl's disgruntled appearance for a second time.
Leanna was a tall young woman of 18 years old, with hair the same fire engine red as her foster younger brother and eyes of a deep emerald, so dark and crisp that the gems themselves would be jealous of them. Today, a baggy halter top and deep blue capri-pants stuck tight to her tanned skin by a fresh coating of rain water, that also caused her hair to sag and droop out of its ponytail and over her eyes. In use of a sweeter term, Wally would say that she looked like a complete mess.
"Screw the rain, I'm just glad to be home." Leanna barked, her disinterested voice bouncing off the otherwise hallowed walls of the near empty house. "Did you have anything to eat yet?"
"No. I've been waiting for you." Wally replied as he went over to the couch and idly sat down. "If you had been home earlier then I would have suggested we went over to Dick's house for dinner."
"Idiot, you could have gone without me." Leanna muttered as she dragged herself over to the couch to lay down next to Wally. "After all, Dick is your friend and not mine..."
"Eh, if I love ya, then he should love ya too." Wally said with an idle shrug, gently combing through the soaking clumps of her hair. "Dude, you're soaking. How long were you out in the rain for?"
"About twelve minutes, but I got stopped by a train on my walk home." Leanna answered, sitting up just a little so she could reach into her pocket and pull out a slightly damp stack of twenty dollar bills. "It was worth the pay though."
Wally huffed softly at the sight of the money, gently taking it from the girl and tossing it onto the coffee table before reaching an arm over and pulling the nearby throw blanket over the two of them. He knew Leanna had a job, but he never had the heart to ask where it was or what she did for her living. Though he could just as easily ask this, he could also just as easily ask his teammates for money, but he never did. As Leanna live by, the two of them weren't going to get by just getting money from other people's handouts, and as a hero, Wally always thought that was an honest thing to live by.
"Hey, dibstick." Leanna's voice pulled the other back, as she reached over and grabbed one of the twenties from her stack. "I catch, you cook. Got it?"
"Per usual... So, what do you want to eat?" Wally groaned, gently taking the soggy money and folding it up neatly in his hands.
"Just pick something from the phone book and order it. I don't care as long as you eat too." Leanna muttered, leaving the comforts of the warm blanket in favor of changing out of her wet clothes.
With a roll of his eyes, Wally followed her lead in getting up from the couch, watching once again in concern as she left him to go upstairs, but once again reminding himself that this was how things always seemed to go with Leanna Crawford.