A/N: Quite a few of you saw the so-called "twist" to this story coming from a mile away, but be that as it may, I'm glad it's still interesting and twisty enough to keep you reading. On that note, I would like to say a big thank-you to jazbez, DizzyDrea, Fighter1357, Yolinanimai, Jess Marylin, AidenSurival, and for reviewing!

With two Wallys now in the mix, I hope you don't get confused about which one I'm talking about. I think I made it clear enough, though...we'll see.

Chapter Nine

Wally sighed as he sat alone in his guest room on the Watchtower. A week had passed since the other Flash's reappearance and by now the entire League knew that he, Wally, was in fact from another dimension. The other Wally had been told everything that had happened in the three years and a month that he'd been gone, but as Wally had suspected, he hadn't taken all the news well. Wally could sympathize; a month ago he was the one who'd been overwhelmed by all the information – he knew exactly what his other self was going through, and he really felt sorry for the guy (Wally wasn't sure if that could be classified as feeling sorry for himself).

The other Founders had been understandably surprised, even Batman – actually, 'surprised' was too mild a word for it. Their reactions were a far cry from J'onn's relatively quiet acceptance – certainly they'd been much more vocal and disbelieving than J'onn. But once they calmed down and realized the truth, they explained the situation the best way they knew how to the rest of the League.

The other Flash, meanwhile, had not spent any time in the Watchtower since being informed of all the news; he was instead down on Earth, in his apartment (which Wally had cleaned and redone for him – not to mention been living in), living his life (that Wally had fixed for him) and catching up with Linda (the girlfriend Wally had been seeing for the past month), who was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she'd been with a man who was her boyfriend, and yet at the same time, wasn't.

I hate alternate universes, Wally grumbled to himself. Here he was, stuck in a dimension that was so parallel to his own he had mistaken it for his reality, an alien in his own life. It was ridiculous. He was living on the Watchtower now, but in guest quarters instead of his – meaning, the other Flash's – room. Even though the other Flash had generously invited him to stay there as long as he needed to, it didn't feel right somehow to take a room that wasn't his (technically, it was – but Wally was so not going to think about that). So Wally had been staying in a guest bedroom for the past week. He'd barely been out all week, only coming out to eat – he was trying to avoid the other League members. Even though they had all assured him multiple times that though his identity had been mistaken, there was no fault to be found on anyone's side, Wally still felt uncomfortable knowing he had lived the past month talking and spending time with these people, all the while thinking they were his own friends when they were, technically, strangers to him.

Still, that was only a small thing compared to the real problem. It was an absolutely horrible feeling to discover that the place you'd thought was home was in fact, not. Coming after everything he had been through and everything he had learned in the last month, it was a lot – almost too much – to take in. It was hard to keep cheerful when he knew he was so close to home, but not quite there – and Wally couldn't stand it. He wanted to go home.

Problem was, he hadn't the slightest idea how to get back to his own universe – he was actually scared he might not be able to.

A knock on his door alerted him to the fact that someone wanted to see him. He almost felt like sending whoever it was away, but after realizing that his moping alone and not wanting to talk to anyone was decidedly Batman-like behavior (something he swore he'd never do), decided against it at the last minute.

"Come in," he called.

The door slid open and Cyborg stepped in, looking only slightly awkward.

"Hey, man," he greeted.

"Hi," Wally said. "Sorry I –"

"Would you stop apologizing already?" Cyborg said in some exasperation. "How many times do we all have to tell you it wasn't your fault you ended up in the wrong dimension? It was a mistake, that's all – now we've fixed it."

"Not quite," Wally disagreed dejectedly. "I still have to get home. You wouldn't happen to know how I could do that, would you?"

"Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about." Wally looked up in surprise; Cyborg smiled dryly. "What do you think the League's been doing for the past week? Playing bridge?"

"You mean you've all been trying to find a way to get me home?" Wally asked, stunned.

Cyborg shook his head wryly. "Seriously, Wally – what do you take us for? We are the counterparts to your Justice League – we've been discussing practically nothing else all week. Everybody's combining their knowledge and expertise to try to help you get back to your world."

Wally grinned for the first time in a week, feeling a good deal more hopeful. "So, do you know anything?"

Cyborg sighed. "Honestly, we've looked at it every way we can, but we haven't managed to figure it out," he admitted. "As far as we can tell, there's only one way to get you home – and it's not exactly very reliable."

"I'll take whatever I can get," said Wally. "What is it?"

Cyborg activated his wrist computer, bringing up a holographic video diagram. "Since you came here via the Speed Force, it makes sense that to get back to where you came from, you'll have to go through the Force again. But we have no idea how you can navigate in there, so we don't know how to make sure that you land in the right place this time."

"Great," Wally commented sarcastically. "So now what?"

Cyborg closed the hologram. "There's only one person in this universe who would know what to tell you – the only one with the necessary experience in the Speed Force. You'll have to go talk to the other you."

Wally stood nervously outside his apartment (Not mine, he reminded himself, the other Wally's) and knocked on the door. It felt downright weird to have to knock on his own apartment door – but he wasn't given much time to ponder it, because a second later, the other Wally answered. He looked slightly startled to see his alternate self, but then his face took on a sympathetic gaze.

"I figured you'd drop by sooner or later," he said. "Let's take a walk."

They ended up strolling around on the city streets near the apartment block, walking silently in the cool night for a while. The late hour meant that the roads were quiet and fairly empty, but if anyone had seen them together, they would have thought they were looking at identical twins.

Wally spoke first. "So…how're you doing?"

The other Wally blew out his breath. "Still trying to adjust to things," he admitted. "I didn't think so much would have changed. I can't believe John…"

"Yeah," Wally agreed softly. "It was a real bummer for me, too. But you learn to get used to it after a while. And hey – at least you don't have to go through all the trouble of explaining to the guys at work where you've been for the last three years."

The other Wally smiled a little. "Yeah." He kicked up a bit of gravel on the road. "So…I guess you're here to learn how to get back to your dimension?"

"Yes, please," said Wally. "I'd really like to get home. Cyborg told me the only way to get back was through the Speed Force again, so I'm here to find out how to navigate."

"That's a tough one," the other Wally confessed. "The Speed Force is a dimension that moves extremely fast, so you have to know exactly where you're going and when to stop, or you'll miss it. It's also like a maze – if you pass something, it's very hard to find your way back to it." His eyes glittered with some unreadable emotion. "Trust me, I know. I missed my stop the first time, and it took me three years to find it again."

His words made Wally feel rather apprehensive – what if he'd already overshot the opening to his universe? How many years would have passed when he finally got back to it? At the same time, he realized that his other self was infinitely more knowledgeable about the Speed Force than he was; if anyone could tell him how to get back to his time and dimension, it was him.

"First things first," said the other Wally, "you have to identify your anchor. It has to be something or someone very close to you, that you have a strong connection with."

"Linda's my anchor," Wally said immediately. "I mean, my Linda."

His counterpart nodded. "That will work." He seemed to consider something for a moment, then said, "I think, if we do this right, you can go home tonight."

Wally stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," the other Wally confirmed. "It'll be much easier for you to follow my instructions as and when I tell them to you, and I can be here to help you out a little. Ultimately, though, it all comes down to you." He looked Wally up and down. "You might want to change into your costume – I don't think coming out of a Speed Force portal as Wally West would help you keep your identity secret."

"Right," Wally agreed. He flipped the catch on his Flash ring (the only one he had here, as it had been on his finger when he entered the Speed Force from his world) and in a quick blur of red, he had assumed his Flash costume. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Close your eyes," the other Wally instructed, "and visualize your anchor – your Linda. Think about her very, very hard, and let the connection you share flow into your mind and soul. Be sure to remember all the tiny little things which make her your Linda – even all the insignificant details."

Flash did as he was told, allowing every memory he had of Linda to fill his brain. "Okay," he said, still squeezing his eyes shut.

"Start vibrating, as fast as you can," directed the other Wally. "Don't stop until I tell you to."

Flash began to tremble as he vibrated his molecules at an incredible speed. He felt heat and Speed Force energy pulsate through his entire being, but he didn't stop – he went on, increasing his stationary velocity until the other Wally cried, "Hold that speed!"

Flash concentrated with all his might to keep his body vibrating at the appropriate pace. Then the other Wally asked, "Do you see a faint light anywhere? A patch of brightness that overshadows the real world?"

Flash opened his eyes and peeped through the white lenses of his costume. Directly in front of him, an indeterminable distance away, was a small sliver of bright colored lights that swirled and shifted.

"I see it," he affirmed, his voice shaking with the strain of his vibrations.

"That's the entrance to the Speed Force," his other self told him.

"Do I go into it?" Flash asked, gritting his teeth so as not to bite his tongue as he spoke.

"Are you still thinking of Linda?"

Flash refocused on his thoughts of his girlfriend. "Yes."

"All right, good. Concentrate on that, Wally – do not let it go." The other Wally's voice became more urgent. "Now listen to me very, very carefully. At my signal, you are going to run as fast as you can into that bit of light. At the same time, you are going to hold on to your image of Linda, and that will guide you through the Speed Force."

"Okay," agreed Flash. He sincerely hoped he would be able to run soon – he didn't know how much longer he could keep vibrating like this.

"Once you're in the Speed Force," continued the other Wally, "don't think of anything but Linda. Let your connection with her tell you where to run – let it pull you in the right direction. As you get closer to your exit, you'll start to see things, images of events in your life, people you know. Pay no attention to them except to note that their existence means you're getting closer."

"Got it."

"Eventually you'll reach Linda's face. That's when you stop, and stop immediately. Otherwise you'll overshoot. The instant you see Linda in the Speed Force, lock down all your muscles and stop running. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Flash was feeling extremely restless by now – all his vibrating was generating a fantastic amount of energy in his body, energy which he normally used for running. He felt like he was about to burst, but he kept at it. Just a little more…

"Good," said the other Wally. His voice softened, becoming more earnest. "Now, Wally, run. Run and don't stop until you see Linda. Run, Wally, run."

That's exactly what Flash did. Finally releasing all restraint, with a massive amount of kinetic energy rushing through his muscles, he sprinted towards the portal of lights, which was now brighter than ever. As he ran, he kept his whole mind focused on Linda. He didn't notice when the light grew to overtake the rest of his surroundings; he didn't realize when it welcomed him into its embrace; and he certainly didn't hear his other self's soft whisper of, "Good luck." All he saw was Linda, and all he did was run.

Entering the Speed Force was like having everything around you melt into a kaleidoscope of lights. Flash ran past the city and beyond so fast that the real world faded into pure light. Even then, he didn't stop. He bypassed all the colors, all the lines, all the lights, streaking through the Speed Force with single-minded purpose.

Eventually the environment changed. Pictures interrupted the relative blankness of the Speed Force dimension – pictures of his life. Flash recognized all the images, but he didn't allow himself to think about them. He continued racing through, ignoring the faces that cropped up all around him. Ollie, Roy, Zatanna, Hunter, Robbins, Fred, Ralph, Jinx, Dick, Kory, Vic, Barbara, and others – he left them all behind. Soon he reached more faces, people that meant more to him – Iris, Barry, J'onn, Diana, Clark, Bruce, Shayera, John. These too, he ignored.

And then, finally, he saw Linda – her smiling expression, her Oriental features, her black hair, her dark eyes – and he pulled in all his thoughts and all his will and reined in his speeding body.

He stopped running.

A/N: Dun-dun-dun. Cue dramatic music and drumroll, please. So it's another tiring trip through the Speed Force for Wally. Let's see if he makes it out right this time.