A/N: Ok, this chapter is a little short, but the time has come to find out what happened to Wally's parents. Also, WARNINGS for graphic descriptions of violence.
Barry sighed and rubbed his hands on his jeans. A hand appeared and settled on his. "Are you sure about this?" Iris asked him.
"No…" Barry admitted nervously. "It feels like we're invading Wally's privacy, going into his memories like this. Without his permission."
"Then don't."
"I don't see what choice we have though. We have to find the men responsible. If we do then it'll make him better. It must make him feel better to know they'll be behind bars."
Iris pursed her lips. She wasn't sure if it was that simple, but whatever helped her nephew. "If you think this is right."
"Its the only thing I can think to do."
"Wally will know whatever you do, you're doing because you love him and you want to help."
"Thanks." Barry looked at his watch and sighed again. "We need to go."
"I'll go get Wally's shoes."
Barry nodded and made his way upstairs to get Wally. Anticipating a stressful afternoon, he'd had Wally lay down for a nap. He knocked lightly on the door and opened it slowly. "Rise and shine, Wally." He pulled spent the curtains and turned the light on. Wally was laying on his back on the bed, eyes open and staring up at the ceiling. Barry gently pulled him into a sitting position. "We're heading up to the Watchtower in a few minutes." He snatched a sweater from the closet and pulled it over his nephew's head. "I know this might seem a bit extreme, but I have to do something, Wally. I can't leave you like this." Wally of course, didn't say anything. "Come on, let's go." Barry pulled Wally to his feet and led him downstairs. He sat Wally down as Iris came in.
"If he wasn't so quiet, I imagine he'd be excited to go up to the Watchtower," Iris commented as she started putting his shoes on.
"Probably. Maybe seeing the League will snap him out of it."
'Seeing his friends might have an even better effect,' Iris thought. 'Wally needs his friends.' She didn't tell her husband though. Barry needed to focus on his task right now. Getting Wally to his friends could come later. Once Wally's shoes were securely tied, she stood up and kissed his forehead. "Be good for your Uncle, Wally." She turned around and discovered Barry was in his Flash suit, sans cowl. "You guys are off?"
"We are." Barry embraced Iris and gave her a kiss. "We'll be back soon."
"Be careful."
"We will." Barry pulled his cowl up, becoming the Flash. He pulled Wally to his feet and carefully picked him up. It was extremely awkward due to the teenager's size, but the sudden decrease in appetite had caused Wally to loose a lot of weight. After a moment of adjustment, he had a good grip on Wally and hugged his nephew to his body as he ran. It took 15 seconds to reach the zeta tube, since Barry wasn't running at nearly his usual speed. It was a little difficult to activate the zeta tube with Wally in his arms, but Barry managed it.
"Flash, 04."
"Kid Flash, B03."
Once inside the Watchtower, Flash set Wally down and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on Kid." It felt weird to have Wally with him on the Watchtower without the teen's suit. Part of him desperately wished he could be running around the Justice League HQ at the speed of sound with his favorite nephew, showing him every cool thing there was to see. Unfortunately, circumstances weren't what Barry wished they were. He led Wally down a hall and into a room with a cot for him to lay down on. Several members of the League were standing there. Batman and Martian Manhunter obviously, but Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Green Lantern as well. The sight of Kid Flash so thin and with dark circles under his eyes, as well as the vacant lifelessness to his body made everyone either concerned or enraged.
"Are you ready?" Martian Manhunter asked as Flash helped Wally lay down on the cot.
Flash sighed and ran a hand through his nephew's red hair. "I guess…" he managed.
"Flash, what we will see will not be easy to see. If you wish not to go, Batman and I could recount all important information to you."
"We all know Batman would rememberer every little detail," Green Arrow said, but Flash shook his head.
"I have to go," Flash told them, still running his hands through Wally's hair. "I have to."
"Very well," Martian Manhunter said approaching them. "If you will allow me." Flash stepped aside and allowed his teammate to stand by Wally's head. "Wally, I am going to put you in a light sleep so this will be easier. You will feel no pain from this, nor will you be aware that we are in your head. However, you will be re-experiencing the event as we are."
Flash closed his eyes for a moment. 'We have to do this, we have to do this, we have to do this,' he chanted in his head. 'We have to-'
"Batman, Flash, are you ready?" Batman looked at Flash, who hesitated, but nodded. The Bat nodded as well. "Stand near me and put your hands on mine." Flash stood on Martian Manhunter's left and Batman on his right. Martian Manhunter put his finger tips on Wally's temples and the teen's eyes slipped closed. "I must find the memory first."
"How will you know when you've found it?" Wonder Woman asked.
"I am not sure. Hm…. There is one where I can sense a lot of pain."
"Pain?" Green Lantern asked, concerned.
"Yes. There is much pain and grief surrounding it."
"Must be it…"
"It is. Batman, Flash, allow me into your minds and we shall re-experience the memory." Flash nodded and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to settle. He felt the usual presence of Martian Manhunter, then the pretense came more intense. He cringed a little bit, feeling a headache…..
He's laying in Wally's bed. A loud sound jerks him up into a sitting position. There's another sound and the light of the bedroom suddenly turns on. He's scrambling against his headboard as three men entered his bedroom with hand guns. Panic spikes through his body, making his heart race a thousand times a minute. He nearly falls out of the bed, trying to reach his bedside table where his emergency signal was hidden. It would send a distress signal to Uncle Barry. Tell the Flash he needed help. Unfortunately, the men reach first him and were grabbing his arms, pulling them behind his back. The cold barrel of a gun presses against his back.
"Quiet kid," the man was whispering as another secures his hands with zip-ties. One of them is pulling his jaw open and shoving a piece of cloth into it. The men lead him out of his bedroom, much to his despair. He hadn't activated the signal! Uncle Barry didn't know he needed help! He was led down the hall to his parents' room. The door was snaps open and his mom is screaming when she saw him. A gun is put against his head and he freezes, terrified to move. "Both of you get up and don't say a word." Both of his parents comply. They get out of bed and keep their hands by their head as they approach the men.
The man holding him forces him out of the room and down the stairs. Once in the living room, he's being pushed down to his knees and his ankles are secured in the same manner as his wrists. The men repeat the process with his parents but don't gag either of them. Now he can see two of them. Neither man was wearing a mask to hide his identity. The first is blonde with a scar on his right cheek and cold eyes. The one next to him is shorter and stockier. "Let's search the place. Mal, you stay and guard them," the short man says.
"Why?" asks the man behind him, presumably Mal. "They ain't going anywhere." He twists his wrists a little bit to try and break free of the zip ties.
"Hmm….I guess… Let's just get this done. Search for anything valuable." All three men leave the room.
"Wally," his dad whispers. "Are you ok?" He nods. "You sure?" Another nod. "Ok."
"Everything will be ok," his mom assures him. "It'll be alright, sweetie." He wants to shake his head. There's something in his gut telling him it won't be. Time seems to drag even more than it normally does. It starts to make him even more nervous. The anxiety is building in his gut. He vibrates his hands to get free, but he merely gives himself a bloody nose. The blood drips down his face and he sighs in defeat. Flash isn't coming and he's not going to get himself out.
His dad nudges him gently with his own shoulder. "It'll be ok, Wally," he says. "They'll figure out we don't have anything valuable and leave." He knows it's supposed to be comforting, but very little can calm him down.
The men do eventually come back, taking electronics, his microscope, and some of his mom's jewelry outside. When they come back the the third man, Mal, looks at them. "What do we do with them?" he asks.
The short man shrugs and tosses his hand gun to Mal. "Shoot them."
"You don't have to do that," his mom begins as Mal moves behind them.
"We do," one of the men says. "We planned to do this from the beginning anyways. Can't have any witnesses." He can't see what Mal is doing, but his dad is frozen.
"Close your eyes son," his dad whispers to him. "Relax and close your eyes, everything will be ok." There's a sudden loud sound, like a firecracker going off next to him, making his ears ring. Simultaneously, blood and other…things his brain refuses to identify splatters against his face and neck. He looks down and sees his dad has fallen on the carpet. A large pool of blood is forming underneath him. He can hear his mom crying, but he's trying to scream through the gag.
"Wally, close your eyes," his mom whispers urgently. She flinches, but keeps talking. "Don't look baby, close your eyes." Before he can do anything, there's another deafening bang and he flinches way from it. More blood and….others, splatters against his body. He watches his mom fall limp onto the carpet. The blood pool is growing even larger. He starts to cry as despair starts to overcome him. He's going to die and his uncle isn't here. He needs Flash, but Flash isn't coming. The gun is pressed against the back of his head and everything stops. His heart, his brain, his tears. The terror has frozen him in time. He's going to die, but at least he'll be with his parents. Regret picks at the back of his mind. For not being fast enough. For not being good enough for his uncle or to save his parents. There's a click, but nothing happens. The barrel is taken from his head.
"Damn, the gun jammed!" Mal hisses.
"The lights are on in the house next door!" the other man hisses, looking out the window.
"Let's go then!" the short one snaps. "We need to leave before the police get here."
Numbness has set in on his muscles and thoughts. He can barely register the gun cracking against the back of his head, sending a wave of pain through it. He doesn't even blink when he's suddenly laying in the pool of blood. The sounds of the men's feet leave, but all sounds are becoming muted. He can only see his father's dead body next to him, only feel the blood underneath him. He wonders where help is. Where's Flash? He wants his uncle. Where's Barry?!
….The sharp headache snapped Barry back into his own consciousness. He blinked and frowned. 'Is….someone crying?' He looked around and realized that someone was crying and that person was Wally. His nephew was sitting up with his face buried in his legs. The sobs were loud and coming form the very depths of his soul. His body shook with every sound, like it was trying to tear him apart. In the blink of an eye Flash was beside his nephew. He took his cowl off and wrapped his arms around Wally. Without needing any prompting, Wally leaned into Barry and clung to him like a koala. He sobbed into the Flash emblem on Barry's chest while his uncle rubbed his back.
The other members of the Justice League looked away, trying to give the two speedsters some space. Batman and Martian Manhunter walked over to them. "What happened?" Superman whispered.
"Something terrible," was all Martian Manhunter said.
"It was that bad?" Green Arrow asked.
Batman looked at the archer. "The men who murdered Wally's parents deserve to burn in hell and I would love to personally send them on their way," he growled. Green Lantern gave him a look. Those were scary words coming from the Dark Knight.
"Will he be ok?" Green Lantern Canary asked. They all looked over at Wally, who was still sobbing into his uncle's chest.
"…With guardians like Barry and Iris….I think so…"
"Let's give them some space," Superman suggested, gesturing for them to leave. Everyone followed him out of the room, leaving the two speedsters to each other.
Barry clutched Wally tightly. "I'm sorry Wally…" he whispered, starting to cry himself. "I'm sorry I wasn't there… Please don't hate me, Kid. I'm so sorry." The two of them sat there holding each other and crying for a while. Eventually, Barry had to wipe his eyes and rubbed Wally's back as the sobs eventually morphed into hiccups. He ran a hand through Wally's hair briefly. "It's going to be ok Wally…" The words tasted terrible in his mouth. How could he make a promise like that? After what he'd seen—what Wally had seen?! "I'm going to make this better. I promise. I promise." Wally didn't say anything, and for the first time Barry wondered if the silence was because his nephew hated him. If he did….Barry really couldn't blame him. The hiccups stopped, so he sighed and pulled his cowl back on. "I think we should go home." He gently helped Wally to his feet and walked him out of the room. They didn't run into any others, which Flash was thankful for. He wasn't in the mood to explain his failures to anyone else. This didn't last forever though, as Batman as waiting for him by the zeta. "Whats up Bats?"
"If you need anything, I want you to call me," Batman said.
"If I need help with the case-"
"No, Barry. If you need anything, resources, legal help, money….if Wally needs anything, then call me and I'll get it for you."
Flash almost laughed in shock. He knew this wasn't an offer from Batman his teammate; it was an offer from bruce Wayne, his friend. "I will. Thank you, Bats."
Batman nodded. "Taking him home?"
"Yes."
"Good idea."
Flash nodded and steered Wally through the zeta. The automated voice announced their departure, and then their arrival in Central City. He scooped Wally back up into his arms, and took off running. as he ran, Wally pressed his face into Flash's chest and his uncle held him even tighter. They arrived back home and Barry didn't waste any time taking Wally upstairs and laying him down in bed. Once Barry had covered Wally with the blanket, he sat down on the floor and pulled his cowl back. He gripped Wally's hand with one of his own and started crying. He buried his face in the blanket. For a few seconds there was just him, crying, but then a hand settled, almost limply, on his head. Barry lifted his head a little bit and saw the hand belonged to Wally. His nephew was looking at him, his eyes wet with tears. Barry squeezed his hand. "I'm right here, Walls," he said hoarsely. "I'm right here."
After nearly twenty minutes, Iris had to frown and look up from her book. 'He should've come back down by now,' she thought. A little concerned, she went upstairs to check on him. She found Barry kneeling on the floor by Wally's bed. His arms were on the mattress and his head was buried in his arms. Wally seemed to have passed out, but as Iris got closer she could see the fresh treat tracks on his face. She knelt down beside Barry and put her hand on his back. "Barry," Iris whispered as Barry cried quietly."What happened?"
"I failed him…" Barry whispered. "Rudy and Mary were shot in front of him….he kept hoping I'd come….I never did…I let him down! I failed!"
"You didn't fail him."
"I did. I don't deserve to be the Flash!"
"Barry." Iris put her hand on his head and he put his head in her chest.
"I'm sorry I didn't protect your family. I'm so sorry."
"Bartholomew Henry Allen, look at me right now." Barry lifted up his head and she put her hands on his face. "Listen to me. What happened is not your fault. You're the fastest man alive, not psychic. Wally wanted you because he was scared and your'e his hero. That's what kids do."
"But-"
"No buts. I know that if you had known Wally and his parents were in danger, then you would've saved them. You were here in bed with me. Neither of us had any way of knowing." She inhaled shakily and wiped at her eyes. "You've done everything you can to help Wally since then, because you love him and you love me." She hugged Barry and he hugged her. "The only people to blame are the ones who shot Rudy and Mary."
"I will find them." Barry's voice was muffled due to it being in Iris' shoulder. "I swear it."
"I know. Because you're a great hero. The best hero, and Wally still thinks that. I promise."
"I love you."
Iris kissed his cheek and hugged him even tighter. "I love you too."