Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine.

Day four. Bart knew he needed to stop counting the days, but he couldn't, at least not yet. Everything was still so new. Melanie had turned his world upside down in a very good way. While taking care of her was a lot of work, more than he ever thought a baby would need, he found himself cherishing every single moment. Nothing turned him off. Not the lack of sleep, the middle of the night feedings, the spit-up, the endless diapers, the crying. He enjoyed it all. Better yet, he realized he was good at it. He had already started to identify some of her different cries. The hungry cry started out soft, but if ignored for too long, turned into a loud, demanding wail that couldn't be ignored. The I'm-awake cry was more noises than crying. However, again, if ignored too long, quickly turned loud. The no-one's-looking-at-me cry was demanding. Every sound had its place.

The baby monitor signaled Melanie was waking up from her nap. Over the past days, he had also noticed how her breathing changed between sleeping and waking. She may not be making any sounds yet, but her breathing told him she was awake. When she was awake, there were some sounds he just couldn't place. Other times she would start breathing fast in an excited manner. What was she doing? What was she seeing?

Walking into the bedroom, he smiled at her in the crib. "Hey, there, are you awake already?" The sound of his voice caused her to smile. Bart picked her up, quickly changing her into a new diaper. The amount of diapers was unbelievable. The girl definitely had mastered pooping and peeing, quickly followed by spitting up.

Freshly changed, he carried his daughter downstairs. He had learned Melanie was generally content to be awake for about an hour before she started getting hungry. The exceptions were the middle of the night and early morning feedings. Those two times she demanded to be fed immediately. He was about to sit down when the doorbell rang. Jay and Joan had gone shopping. Bart wasn't sure where Max had gone. He opened the door. "Grandpa," he said in surprise.

"Hi, Bart," Barry greeted. He smiled at the baby in his grandson's arms. "She's awake?"

"Just woke up." Bart didn't even pause in handing her over. He watched as Barry smiled at the little girl, holding a finger so she could grasp it. "The tests aren't done yet, are they?"

"No." Barry continued to smile at the baby. Then he seemed to sober. "We need to talk."

Bart nodded. Immediately his mind reviewed what he could have done wrong. He knew he needed to stop assuming that every time one of the speedsters wanted to talk to him in a serious voice was because he had done something. Were he still Impulse that could have easily been the case. However, he was Kid Flash now. Besides, Kid Flash hadn't been active for the past week.

He led Barry to the kitchen. For whatever reason, the Garrick kitchen seemed to be where most discussions – where most interactions – took place. Perhaps because Joan was such a good cook and there was always a plate of cookies around. Today's selection was oatmeal-raisin. He placed the plate on the table. "Want something to drink?" He grabbed a can of soda for himself.

"No thanks." Barry waited for Bart to get settled. "Bart, we're concerned you might be coming too attached to Melanie."

Bart froze. This was not a conversation he wanted to have. Of course he was getting attached. Who wouldn't? Worse, he had been thinking he could do this, handle fatherhood. Sure, there were obstacles, but having Melanie in his life would be worth them.

"Bart, you can't be her father."

"What? She's my daughter."

"We don't know that yet," Barry reminded.

"You think she isn't?"

"No. Even without the test, I know you are her biological father." Bart didn't miss the use of 'biological.' "But that doesn't mean you can – or should – be her legal father."

"Why not?"

"You're seventeen. In the eyes of the State of California, you're dead. You don't have a job. You-"

"So, I get a job. We change my paperwork, come up with a reason for where I was. You were supposedly dead, too. You came back."

Barry sighed. "Bart, taking care of a child isn't easy. You-"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Bart snapped.

"Bart-"

"No!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. His voice startled Melanie. She started to fuss. Bart quickly took her into his arms. He stared at her. "She's MY daughter. You – none of you – can take her away. She's my family."

"Bart, all of us are your family and we just want what's best for you and Melanie."

"And how do you know what that is? Maybe I am what's best for her."

"You're seven-"

"Yeah, I'm seventeen, but I was older. I was the damn Flash for awhile." Bart glanced at Melanie. A wistful smile appeared. "She's one of the few good things that's happened in my life."

"Bart," Barry started softly, "we just want what's best for Melanie. I know you do, too."

Those words echoed words from years before, when he had been sent to live with Max, a man he hadn't known. He had never admitted to anyone how much it had hurt to not be wanted by his own family, whether that was his grandma or Wally. Sure, looking back, he knew it had been a good decision. Max had taught him how to live and function in a world that wasn't virtual reality. Max had taught him how to be a hero. He'd come to love Max, to view him as a father. But initially it had hurt. He knew what it felt like to be rejected by your own family. It seemed wrong to do the same thing to Melanie. "How do you know I'm not what's best for her? And don't say it's because I'm seventeen."

"I…we…don't know that. But, Bart, there are no guarantees she can or will stay. The state may decide to take her back to California at any moment. Jay and Joan only have temporary custody. There are no guarantees either Jay or Wally can adopt her. We just…we don't want to see you get hurt."

"Then why did you tell me about her in the first place? Why did Jay and Joan agree to be her foster parents? Why?" He looked down at Melanie who was happily gumming his finger. "Besides, I'm not the only one who would get hurt."

"No, you're not," Barry admitted.

A silence fell between them. Two sets of eyes watched Melanie. "So, why did you tell me about her? If you didn't want me to get attached, why…" Bart felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes.

"Because it was the right thing to do. You have a right to know." Barry paused. "The news caught all of us by surprise…even Iris."

So his grandma hadn't known…Bart had wondered about that. But what did that mean? Was it important? Sure, Iris had known he was going to die, but she hadn't known he would be coming back to life. She hadn't known Barry or Max would be returning. Just because his grandma didn't know about Melanie…well, it couldn't be that important, could it?

"When Jay and Joan told us about her, everyone wanted to see her. You're right. She is family. She's…I never got to know your dad or his sister. I'm grateful for the chance I'm getting to know my grandson, and I didn't want to miss the chance to get to know my great granddaughter. But in that rush…none of us thought about the potential implications. We should have."

"I want to be her dad," Bart said softly. "I know I can do this. Just give me the chance to prove it."

"Bart-"

"I can do this."

"Bart, you'll always be her dad. No one can take that away from you."

And no one will take her, he thought to himself.

Maybe Bart had had his talk with his grandpa, but it was painfully obvious by the tension in the Garrick household that Barry had shared the details of their discussion with everyone else. Bart purposefully avoided Jay, Joan and Max as much as possible. He didn't want to sit through another discussion of whether he was capable, of what was the right thing to do. Instead, he took Melanie on long walks. When they were at the house, he stayed in their room, only leaving when absolutely necessary.

He made several trips to the Central City University's Law Library. While Melanie napped in her stroller, he researched case law to see what his options were. Unfortunately, from what he could find, they were few. If he wanted to keep Melanie, if he somehow managed to make a cover story regarding his "death," he would still face an uphill battle. His age and lack of family only made matters worse. Besides, if he were alive, why didn't Jay and Joan admit it when the social worker had first come calling? Why would he have hidden his being alive from his guardians? Did he have a reason to hide it? Were Jay and Joan hiding something? Needing to maintain a secret identity left many questions unanswerable. If he wanted to fight to keep Melanie, he would first have to win the support of the speedster clan. Without their support, it was a battle he couldn't win.

For that reason, he focused his efforts on planning. To win their support, he knew he needed to prove himself to them. Sure, he had been the Flash for a short period of time. Sure, he had been an adult. But in the scheme of taking care of Melanie, neither fact really mattered. Any points he may have earned by previously being an adult or the Flash were negated by the fact he was a teenager once more. Besides, if he were to take care of Melanie on his own, he knew he needed not only their emotional support; he needed their physical support as well.

Since returning, his new paperwork had given him a high school diploma. It had been one of the perks – no more suffering through school. Yet, if he wanted to care for Melanie, he realized school was part of the equation again. If he stayed in the Keystone/Central area, he could take some classes at a local community college or vocational school. He would somehow balance out those classes with a job. Somehow.

Then there was his time as Kid Flash. He loved being Kid Flash. He loved helping people. But there was only so much time in a day, even for a speedster. Between classes, work and taking care of Melanie, would he have time to be Kid Flash? He would already have to find a babysitter for the times he was at work and school. Not having a college degree would hurt his paycheck possibilities. School, work, apartment, food, babysitter…Bart tried not to get depressed. It was overwhelming.

The ringing of his cell phone brought him back to the present. The screen revealed the caller to be Kon. He hadn't talked to his friends since Melanie's arrival. There had been too much to do, too many adjustments to be made.

"Hey, Bart, how's it going?"

Bart smiled at the sound of Kon's voice. "Weird, strange, but in a good way."

"So, is she really yours?"

"I don't know. The test results aren't back yet, but I…if she isn't, I'd be surprised. It feels like she's mine."

"So, when can we see her? Cass has been bugging me to call you. I think even Tim is curious."

"You free today?"

"Name the time, dude."

Bart quickly calculated nap and feeding times in his mind. He smiled to himself. Where video games had once dominated his life, it was now naps, diapers and feedings. Yes, things had definitely changed quickly. Shortly, the arrangements were made. The thought of seeing his friends lifted his mood.

They met along the riverfront in Central City. If the sight of seeing Bart sitting next to a stroller with an infant in his arms shocked them, they hid it well. Cassie immediately went for the baby. "Omigod! She's adorable!" Cassie held her, smiling and cooing. Melanie ate it all up. Bart had to give his daughter credit. She knew how to get attention and she knew how to keep it. For their parts, Kon and Tim smiled, but seemed a bit unsure of themselves.

Bart told his friends about the past days. Slowly, the conversation came to Bart's current dilemma – finding a way to convince the speedster clan he was capable of caring for his daughter.

"You mean they want you to give her up?" Cassie asked.

"No…yes…I don't know," he finally admitted. "They're worried the social worker could take her away, that Jay or Wally may not be able to adopt her. But I…" He looked at Melanie, feeling a small stab of emotion at his heart. "I don't want her calling Jay or Wally 'dad.' I don't want her calling anyone else 'dad.' I want to be her dad. I need to be her dad." There was so much more, but that's what it boiled down to – who would Melanie call dad?

"So, what are you going to do?" Kon asked.

Bart shrugged. "I don't know. Even if I can get around the fact I'm supposedly dead and the fact I'm not an adult, the legal system still isn't on my side. But if I can get them – Grandpa, Grandma, Jay, Max, Wally – to support me, I think I'd have a chance. But first I have to prove to them I can take care of her. I was thinking I could take some classes, find a job…" Bart shrugged. "I know it won't be easy, but I can't give her up."

"What about Kid Flash?"

He shrugged again. "Wally took some time off when he was Kid Flash. Maybe I need to do the same."

"Come live at the Tower," Cassie said suddenly.

"What?"

"Live at the Tower. There's more than enough room. Someone is always around. And it's free. Free room and board. You'd be able to take whatever classes you want to take, find a job if you want and still be Kid Flash."

Bart liked the idea. It was one he hadn't considered. In his mind, he had needed to stay in the Keystone/Central City area. But why? His friends – his extended family – were in San Francisco. Why couldn't he and Melanie live there? He glanced at Kon and Tim to see their reaction. Kon was nodding. Tim looked skeptical. "What?" he asked Tim.

Tim sighed. "Are you sure you want to expose her to our life? The world is dangerous and the one we live in is even more dangerous. Maybe letting her be adopted by a family outside the hero business would be the right thing to do."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. "Why would that be a good idea?" Cassie demanded. "Why would you want to take her away from her family?"

"I'm not saying I like that idea. I just think it should be considered."

An uncomfortable silence fell between the friends. "She even surprised my grandma," Bart said eventually.

Tim frowned. "Iris didn't know?"

Bart shook his head. He noticed the slightly confused looks on Cassie and Kon's faces. "Grandma's from the future," he reminded them. "There are certain things she just knows. She knew I was going to die. She even knew the when and where. She tried to stop me, but I didn't listen. But she didn't know about Melanie. There's no mention of her in the future."

"What does that mean?" Cassie asked.

Bart shrugged. "I don't know. Every crisis distorts history. What my grandma knew may or may not be true anymore. I mean, she didn't know I would be back. She didn't know Grandpa was still alive. She didn't know about Max."

"So, what does it mean that she didn't…doesn't know about Melanie?" Cassie asked again.

"I don't know," Bart admitted. He looked at his daughter in Cassie's arms. He briefly wondered if he should warn Cassie about Melanie's grip. At the moment, Melanie was eyeing up Cassie's hair. Once she got her little fist around a handful, she would pull…and prying that little fist free was more challenging than he had ever expected it to be. He refocused on Cassie's question. "It could be she was never born, or maybe she died as well as Val, or maybe Val lived, or…the options are endless."

"So, what about the metagene? Does she have it?" Tim asked.

"I don't know. Grandpa's running tests. We should know soon." He knew what Tim was thinking. If Melanie had the gene, history would have recorded her at some point, assuming of course she had decided she wanted to be a speedster. Or it could be that she was killed, an option Bart didn't want to think about. Or it could be that she didn't have the gene and…what did that mean? Even if she didn't have the gene, history should have recorded her as his daughter.

Melanie finally decided to grab a handful of blond hair. She gave it a good yank. Cassie yelped in surprise. Bart and Tim smiled. Kon laughed. Cassie worked on prying Melanie's fingers free. "You are a strong little girl," Cassie said with a smile. The baby smiled and cooed as if in reply. "Bart, whatever you decide to do, all of us will support you no matter what. Just let us know how we can help." Tim and Kon nodded in agreement.

"Thanks." For the first time in days, he felt a glimmer of hope. His friends believed in him. If he could convince his family, too, maybe…just maybe…everything would work out.