Thank you so much to Geeky BMWW Fan, my lovely new beta, for all of her kindness, encouragement, and patience in helping me whip this chapter into decent shape. If you have not yet read any of her stories, you're missing out.

For those of you who read author's notes, here's a little (uninteresting) tidbit. I am actually not Catholic, or even Christian. I do not advocate their religion, nor do I have anything particularly against it. I wrote this story because I thought it would be interesting to write from the prospective of a character who is very religious, and Christianity being the most popular religion in the United States, made it the most obvious choice.

I wanted to try (Keyword: try. I'm still not sure it can be done well.) to reconcile this with a world where super-humans walk the planet and have near-godlike abilities themselves.

Catholicism being a (in my personal view) very austere form of Christianity also helps to characterize Evey, who is admittedly, very serious and the polar opposite of Wally West.

The Rescue:

'Why not?' she wondered, finding herself completely unable to look away from her rescuer's face.

His costume was ridiculous, of course. Red polyester couldn't be very practical to run and engage super villains in all day. Assuming that it was even made of polyester. From where her cheek was forced against his chest – a result of their current momentum – it was difficult to be certain.

The gaudy lightning bolts decorating his cowl and belt were a completely unnecessary feature as well, yet the body underneath it all was fascinating… His breathing was probably just as even as hers, if not more so, and there was no visible sweat anywhere. Even his heartbeat was calm and steady, though the speed at which he was running enabled him to dart across the surface of the lake as easily as if he had been on land.

Evelyn barely allowed herself to examine that statement. Already she felt woozy at the thought of even a superhero accomplishing an act of God.

Perhaps she was feeling loopy due to near-death experiences, the heart-stopping exhilaration of flying across water, or maybe it was simple human gratitude.

But most likely it was the dimple in his left cheek that deepened as he smiled warmly down at her, even as he achieved the impossible. Evelyn could not conceive of an angel with a more beautiful smile. Had he really been sent to save such an inconsequential being as herself?

No. Angels were ethereal… untouchable. This man had an angelic appearance, but he was undeniably warm and alive. A person, just like her, albeit one with a few unique abilities.

Reverently, she leaned up -fighting the wind's velocity- and pressed her lips against his.

They were soft and smooth, exactly like an angel's should be. She almost rethought her assessment of his mortality. He gasped, a very human reaction, and she shivered when she realized that his mouth was warm and open under hers.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when Flash's feet slowed due to surprise, and he was no longer able to skim the surface of the lake.

"Uh-oh…" With no further warning, they both went under. Flash mentally cursed when he found that his feet had no purchase this deep under water. He felt around on his right and managed to wrap his fingers firmly around the girl's floating wrist. Propelling both himself and her forward, it was only a short time before they broke the surface, panting and expelling water.

The girl, for her part, looked apologetic and extremely embarrassed. These expressions sat comfortably on a pale face that was oval, brown-eyed, and just a little too serious. She was attractive in a schoolgirl kind of way. The wet blouse that stuck to her chest was a bonus.

"Sorry, I don't know what I…" She trailed off, blushing deeply. Mortification stained her cheeks a deep scarlet.

By the time they made it back on dry land, the fight would probably be over, Flash reasoned. Supes and the Princess could handle clean up without him and besides, this girl was too cute to be mad at.

"Don't be…" He offered her his most disarming smile, reserved for picking up beautiful women, but it didn't have much effect with her eyes fixed downward on the water between them. He decided that furthering himself in her good graces by saving her from hypothermia would be a start.

Using his powerful legs he began to kick until they were cruising along as easily as if they'd been in a motorboat. She didn't try to speak again until a few minutes had elapsed.

"You're the Justice League's Flash, aren't you? I'm… uh, Evelyn."

"Evelyn, huh? You don't really look like an Evelyn… then again, the only other Evelyn I know is my grandma. Hmmm. Maybe I could call you Britney. You have that whole hot Catholic school girl thing going on…"

She grimaced. Why would she want to be nicknamed after the girl who single-handedly scandalized the entire Catholic nation? In a rare moment of sensitivity, he seemed to realize he had upset her.

"Okay then. Not Britney…" A friendly grin settled over his features again as he suddenly launched into a story about his grandmother. "—and like Grammy Flash always used to say…"

She knew she still ought to be offended, but the way he said it – the way he said everything – was so frank and good-natured. Instead of getting mad, she felt a shy smile spread across her face.

His infectious grin aside, she wasn't sure if she had it in her to antagonize two super-powered beings in one day. The smile dropped off her face immediately as the gravity of that afternoon's events threatened to crush her.

"Whoa… Are you gonna be okay? Want me to carry you home?" The Flash's concerned face swam back into focus. They were finally out of the water and somehow he was already looking drier than he'd been before rescuing her.

"I'll be fine. What were you saying before?"

"Oh. I asked if you'd mind being called Evey? A pretty girl's gotta have a pretty name, right?.." Before he could even pull off a suave expression, the pretty girl in question promptly passed out in his arms. "Evey!"

He decided it was a delayed reaction from her close encounter with death. No use freaking out. His brow crinkled as he pondered what to do with her. It would probably be a good idea to have her taken care of somewhere…

Bringing her back to the Watchtower was absurd of course; the journey through space might even worsen her condition. His own apartment in Central City was also out of the question. Not only was it far too personal, but he also couldn't go there in full costume for fear of leading any unsavory elements of his double life to it.

The hospital would take her, of course, and he had no qualms footing a medical bill if there was one, but there was also the possibility that she might not appreciate being indebted to a total stranger. Especially one with a secret identity.

Gently, he pressed two gloved fingers against her throat, feeling for a pulse. It felt normal enough, and her breathing was even. He hesitated before withdrawing his hand, satisfied that besides being in an obvious state of exhaustion, there didn't seem to be anything else wrong with her.

That left only one option. An appealing one, at that. Quickly, he sprinted to the nearest telephone booth and began leafing through the phone book. Fortunately for him, he was probably the single greatest speed-reader on earth. Soon he had compiled a list of all the Evelyns in this part of the city. There were twenty-four.

He adjusted his arms so she was more comfortable nestled in them. No harm in going the extra mile, so to speak, for a pretty girl who might be extremely grateful when she woke up. Grinning, he had a feeling this was going to be a very interesting night…