I need help with my fight scenes... Also, the next chapter will be super long, so it may take a little bit longer to publish it. It will be, hopefully, around ten thousand words, if I'm lucky. It'll be super long because I need to hold off on publishing to save my other fan fictions from sinking, so you have something extra long to read.

Also IcyFox17: You said "Bye" in your last message, so I decided not to bother you. And yes, your reviews are always, and forever will be, appreciated. I made this chapter extra long (and added a bit of humor) just for you.

Roy was pissed.

"How many times have we called him?" he growled, and Batgirl sighed.

"Around eleven times," she replied, her hands on her hips.

"Do you think he's hurt?" M'gann asked, worry lacing her tone. Conner placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he's okay," he said.

M'gann smiled. "You think so?" At his nod, her smile widened.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the room while the two lovebirds were flirting, Artemis was about ready to execute someone as she received another voicemail. Roy sighed as she started cursing every glorious curse she could come up with.

"Is it possible that he would be unable to alert us of an unfortunate situation he could not get out of?" Kaldur asked Batman. Flash, who was standing next to the bat, suddenly looked very interested in the conversation and turned to the darker man for some reassurance.

"Possible, yes, but unlikely," the Leaguer responded. "The most reasonable explanation is that he is either busy or is suffering from external sources."

"Suffering?" the Atlantian asked, surprised.

Batman didn't reply to his question, and instead turned to Roy. "It would be best if you called him. You are the only one he will respond to."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "How are we going to get his ass over here if he doesn't want to come?"

"He will be here, whether or not he likes it," Batman said gruffly before he headed towards the doorway.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Roy called, but the bat ignored him and left the room.

Roy sighed through his nose before he reached into his back pocket for his phone. He glazed through his contacts before he found the right one. Holding the phone up to his ear, he listened to the rings continue to pass by. Getting close to the final ring, he finally heard someone pick up.

"Hey asshole," Roy started, "care to tell me why you've ignored the eighty calls we've given you?"

Silence.

"Wally, you were supposed to be here..." He looked at his watch. "A lot of hours ago. You weren't even supposed to stay the night at your house."

A sigh. Several muffled sounds made their way through the line as the phone was adjusted.

"Dude, you cannot keep on doing this. You're acting like a spoilt brat," Roy said, starting to get even more irritated with the redhead. "I get you're going through some sad moments here, and you're struggling with your secret being revealed, but you need to get your head out of your ass. We've been worrying about you for who-knows-how-long, and it is really starting to get anno-"

"Mom died last night," came Wally's voice, exhausted and broken; it sounded so quiet, like he had lost his voice a long time ago.

Roy's anger dropped immediately, and he felt his face fall. "... What?"

"They gave her a potentially-lethal dosage during chemotherapy. It was a risk they had to take." A moment of silence. "The hospital called this morning. Around three, I think. Dad doesn't know," Wally croaked, and Roy cringed at how dry his voice sounded.

"Dude... I'm so sorry," he said, and he was faintly aware of the eyes that were boring into the side of his head, mainly the Flash's. Roy heard Wally sniffle on the other end.

"It's... it's..." He sighed. "I'm alive. Sorta." There was another moment of silence. "I guess I need to get to the Watchtower to meet our new babysitter, right? I'll... be down there in a bit."

The redhead hesitated for a second. "You want me to walk you here?" Roy asked softly.

The archer heard Wally sniffle again, and he heard the slightest hiccup come out of him. It suddenly occurred that he just sent Wally into another cycle of crying. "That'd b-be nice," Wally said, and Roy could hear the sorrow in his voice.

Roy nodded to himself. "I'll be there in a few, okay? Just... get yourself ready."

Another sigh came from the other side of the line. "I'll try."

Roy hung up on the conversation and was ready to leave when the Flash's hand appeared on his shoulder.

"Is Wally alright?" he asked, and the archer could see the worry, plain on his face, even through the mask.

Roy swallowed thickly, knowing that the news would be hard on the superhero as well. "No," he replied simply, and he made his way over to the zeta tubes. He made sure that his sheathed dagger remained on his belt before he teleported away, just in case he needed to protect himself and the speedster.

He had a feeling that Wally wouldn't be able to do it himself.

0o0o0o0

Roy sat his things down on the kitchen counter quietly when he entered the house. None of the lights were on, and many of the curtains and blinds were drawn, leaving him in the darkness. He roamed through the first floor until he found Wally sitting at the bottom of the staircase. He was holding a backpack close to his chest, and for a moment, he didn't even seem to notice Roy.

He looked like a wreck.

"Hey," Roy whispered, and Wally flinched before looking towards him. His eyes were shiny with unshed tears, and the dark circles under his eyes were prominent against his pasty skin. His hair was greasy and was sticking up in several places, and his shoulders were hunched over.

"Hey," Wally rasped. After a second of silence, he shakily stood up. He pulled the backpack around him so the straps were around his shoulders.

"I'm guessing you haven't eaten recently," Roy said, and the boy nodded.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

Roy brought an arm around his shoulders and gently lead him to the kitchen. "I thought so. I got you some food."

Wally seemed to pale even further. "I'm not that hungry," he said, and Roy snorted.

"Yeah, sure. Either way, I'm forcing you to eat some of it. I'm not wasting all that money," the archer responded.

Wally's eyes seemed to shimmer even more with tears, but his lips flickered slightly upwards the slightest bit. It was gone as soon as it came, almost like an illusion, but Roy knew he was still making progress. "Alright," the redheaded speedster conceded.

Roy entered the kitchen, his nose crinkling when he noticed the faint smell of blood and alcohol. He grabbed the box of Krispy Kreme donuts and the bag of soft cinnamon pretzels before he pushed Wally out the door. Wally squinted his eyes when he left the gloomy house and into the bright front of his driveway.

With the light, Roy was able to see the dark bruise on his jaw and his purple, shaking fingers. The blood vessels in his eyes had broken, giving him red, bloodshot eyes. Roy frowned at the sight.

"You okay?"

Wally gently grabbed the pretzel bag, not looking the archer in the eye. "Yeah," he muttered.

"He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?"

Wally frowned but didn't respond. He instead started to make his way down the driveway. Roy sighed and followed after him, walking in step with him down the sidewalk.

"Here," Roy finally said, and he opened the lid of the donut box with ease, handing the speedster a chocolate-covered one with pink sprinkles. Wally took it and stared at it quietly. Roy gestured to his back. "What's with the book bag?"

"School," he said. "All the work I missed on."

Another moment of silence, and Wally sniffled. A tear briefly escaped his eyes, and Roy looked at him in worry, scared that he was going to have a full-out mental breakdown.

"What's the matter?" he asked frantically.

Wally wiped his nose on his ragged-looking sleeve. "Mom always liked pink sprinkles," he muttered, and Roy felt guilt clawing at his innards as Wally, tearfully, started to nibble on the donut.

Roy's eyes softened and he gently rubbed Wally's back, and the two stopped walking.

The speedster's face turned into the ugly-crying expression that people got when they reached their sorrow limit. "Will anything be o-okay?" Wally hiccuped, rubbing at his eyes furiously. The pretzel bag was hanging from his arm. "Does life just want everything to spiral down fro-from me?"

The archer sighed. "If I could tell you Wally, I would. I really, really would." He fell silent for a second before he pulled the shorter boy into an awkward hug. "I'll try to give you a happy ending, Wally. And I really do hope that you'll get one."

Wally sniffled. "I do too."

0o0o0o0

"Isn't that such a shame?"

"What do you want?"

"I already answered that."

"Why do you want it, then?"

"So many questions. But I have no reason to answer you. I'm the one with leverage here."

"..."

"Some mysteries need to be left unsolved. Others need to be left untouched. I suggest you take my word as the truth."

"Tell me this: where's the truth in any of that?"

0o0o0o0

Wally and Roy arrived at the zeta tube, disguised in the alleyway. Wally had long since eaten his sorrows through the donuts, and he had started on the cinnamon pretzels too.

Roy was happy to announce that he managed to get Wally to smile twice. They only lasted for a split second, but he was clearly doing much better now that he wasn't in the oppressive house anymore. It was then that the archer realized how much he liked Wally for being the dumb idiot he was, and he didn't notice how much he overlooked it until it was gone.

Wally breathed in deeply before he typed the code into the hidden zeta tube, Roy appearing behind him seconds later. Several pairs of eyes landed on his ruffed-up form.

"Wally!" Flash exclaimed as he practically teleported to his side. He looked over his nephew, brushing off the dirt and dust of his shoulders before he gave up seconds later. "Where have you been!? Are you alright!? You aren't hurt, are you!?"

Roy stepped in, placing a hand on Flash's forearm. "Give him some breathing room, Flashy."

Flash frowned at the nickname, but before he could respond, a gruff voice cut them off.

"Kid Flash, you're late," Batman said, and Wally could hear the slight aggravation in the undertone.

He sighed and walked where the rest of his Team was huddled up - they were making a half-circle around a hologram of the globe, with Batman and previously Flash on the other side - Roy walking close behind him.

"Unless I need to fill out a late slip, I don't really care," Wally mumbled. He kept his gaze downwards as he stood at the end of the line, Roy following his lead on the other side of the half circle.

M'gann, who was the unfortunate soul to be standing next to him, looked at him with her eyebrows drawn, her lips pursed. She could obviously sense his sadness, and Wally could feel her prodding at the corners of his mind. He sent her a light, warning glare to get her to stop, and she flinched silently, tightening her grip on Conner's arm. In turn, the brunette took notice to her distress, and he glared at the redhead.

The speedster had the feeling that if the clone had heat vision, his brains would've just been sprayed all over the table the hologram was placed on. But if he were to be honest, he wouldn't have minded that so much.

'Don't be sad and attract attention to yourself,' Wally thought. 'Think happy thoughts. Like pretzels. Yes. Cinnamon pretzels. Not your mother. Or your father. Or anyone in between. Just... think food. Food always makes people happy.'

Wally was off in his own little world for a while after that.

Batman immediately started off, blunt and straightforward as he always was. "Most of the League is still unaware of your team's presence in the Watchtower. Many were busy with the most recent events going on around the globe. I have made them as aware as possible, but you will have to alert them yourselves when the time comes. Secondly, the person keeping an eye on you will arrive at any moment from now."

"I'm assuming that means that you're showing us who they are beforehand, right?" Artemis asked.

"Correct; that is why I called you here." The globe vanished and was replaced with a fuzzy picture.

"This already looks like a bad idea," Roy said after a complete moment of silence.

"Bad idea?" Artemis scoffed. "This looks like a disaster waiting to happen."

"I understand you do not think we can handle ourselves after disrespecting your orders, but I am afraid that I do not think that this is the right path to go down," Aqualad said respectfully.

"I have to agree with Kaldur," Conner said. "It's not like we've nearly been killed before, that comes with the job. Getting their help doesn't sound like the best of plans."

"No kidding," Batgirl grumbled.

Zatanna seemed troubled, and her voice was hesitant as she spoke. "Like Conner and Kaldur said, I think that this is going overboard. We learned our lessons, great, but this time, you're acting like it's the end of the world. Is there something that you're hiding that makes this much more dangerous?"

"Yeah, Zatanna's right," Artemis called out, and she crossed her arms as her eyes sparked dangerously. "You're acting super suspicious."

"Even if it was true, that would be none of your concern," Batman replied indifferently.

"I mean, since it revolves around us, I kinda think it does," Raquel said, but she paled and shut her mouth at the dark gaze of Batman.

"No, Raquel, I think you're right," Batgirl said. Her tone was even and somewhat cold. "I don't understand why you're trusting them at all and not giving us any say in it, despite the fact that it has everything to do with us. The decision you're making is reckless; what if they happen to turn on us in a second when they get valuable information? What if they want to attack us from the inside? We know nothing about this guy, and yet you're putting all your trust into them?"

"Yes, because clearly we can't trust you," Batman replied, and Batgirl stepped back slightly like she got slapped. Hurt flashed across her face.

"I mean..." M'gann started timidly, "maybe we can all become friends with him! Wouldn't that be nice?" The entire Team's gazes turned to her, and she realized that she wasn't exactly helping their case. "Oh, uh," she started, doing a terrible job at trying to turn her face into something more angry, "yeah, that's bad! Very, very bad! We should, uh, totally not hang out with him... or anything."

"Hey Wally," Artemis called, and the redhead flinched. "What do you think of your stalker becoming your babysitter?"

The speedster blinked. "Huh?" he mumbled unintelligibly, and he looked around the room at all the expectant faces. "Oh, yeah. Whatever works for everyone else, I guess," he said, his hazy eyes only glancing at the picture before he went back to staring at his hands.

"He's a bit out of it," Roy said, covering for the lost-minded teenager before turning to the Flash. "So, lemme guess; you guys have an argument to refute ours, in which it makes it impossible for us to argue back, leaving us to steam in our own thoughts as you dramatically take your exit."

The Flash blinked. "No, of course no-" The Leaguer stopped as he noticed Batman's pointed look at the back of his head. "Yeah, of course we will. Though I have no idea what this argument is. Look at the Bat, not me," the speedster said.

Batman sighed inaudibly. "Whether or not you trust him is beside the point. The League, or what was available of the League, investigated his background. He saved Kid Flash numerous times among many other low-scaled rescues. We also have reason to believe that he stopped larger schemes in the background."

"So...?" Raquel asked.

"We were prepared to invite him into the League. He would've been assigned to the job of watching you, or he would've agreed without the invitation. Either way, you would still have an unfamiliar target on your hands."

"Assuming that he would even agree to join the League," Batgirl muttered.

Batman seemingly had nothing more to say, but he paused when he started to make his way to the doorway.

"Oh, and Kid Flash?" The redheaded speedster perked up slightly as he swallowed a mouth full of cinnamon soft pretzels. "Next time you're late, I will not hesitate to kick you off the team."

The threat lingered in the air as he left through the doorway.

Wally's eyes flickered with obvious sadness. He pulled up a chair from seemingly nowhere and sat down by the table, where the group of teenagers were diverging. He placed his chin in the palm of his hand, watching the hologram, which was reverted back to a globe, spinning slowly.

...

Something was bugging him.

Something in the conversation rubbed him in the wrong way, and he didn't have a clue what it was. Perhaps if Batman was on his game — and wasn't currently mad at him — he could ask him what it was. Or Batgirl, but she was still sulking and probably would roll her eyes at his assumption. And he was no detective, no matter what the bats said about him helping them, and so he was at a loss.

He sighed and gave up on it. It was probably useless anyways. He watched from the corner of his eye as two redheads sat beside him.

"You okay, KF?" asked Roy.

Wally shrugged.

Batgirl laid a hand on his shoulder. "Batman didn't mean that," she assured. "He's just a grumpy cat right now."

The speedster smiled as his eyes watered, dangerously close to crying. He sniffled, still staring at his hands. "I guess the world doesn't deserve his sarcastic comments?" he joked brokenly, Roy left out of the loop.

"Nah. He's just telling everyone to go to hell," she said, and Wally looked at her with brighter eyes.

"Thanks," he croaked.

Batgirl smiled and said, "Of course." She wrapped him in a quick hug before scurrying off, saying something about planning for an ambush to prove something.

After a moment of silence, Roy turned to Wally. "What was that about?"

Wally's gaze was far away when he responded. "Grumpy Bat is a Grumpy Cat."

Roy raised an eyebrow when Wally stood up, the archer soon following. "I'm not even going to question that."

Wally nodded. "Good idea." He started to make his way out of the room, and Roy called after him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Wally paused at the doorway. "Food. I feel the urge to drown my sorrows with spaghetti," he called over his shoulder, and Roy watched as he left for the kitchen.

Sighing, the archer watched as Batgirl, Artemis, and Zatanna all converse. Artemis raised her hand to the side to motion something, and Zatanna adjusted the blonde's hand and made a circle with her pointer finger; Batgirl nodded and arched her arm in their direction, and the three smiled and seemingly agreed.

"Uhhhmmm... What are they talking about?" a voice came from directly beside Roy, and he flinched. He turned to find M'gann standing next to him, her cheeks in a pout from confusion.

"When the crap did you get here!?" he yelped, and she turned bashful.

"Oh, uh, for a while. I was wondering what was making Wally so sad. It's not good to be sad," she said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Roy thought. "He's just having-"

"Guest Arrival."

Roy immediately stopped talking and ran for the zeta tubes. He skidded and almost ran into the wall, and then started running again. He ran through the kitchen, grabbing Wally by the collar as he was about to bite into a sandwich. Dragging him into the room with the tubes, he was met with two figures talking.

The Flash's tone was chipper as he said, "- base. The kids are in another room, if you want me to lead you there." He was about to speak again when he noticed the two redheads, and he stopped himself. He turned to the side, giving them a full view of the guest.

Wally swallowed the food in his mouth, and his expression darkened. The suited person remained still.

"Welcome to the party, pedophiliac, stalking babysitter," Roy said, eliciting a hum from the other person.

"I take it you're not a big fan," the suited person said.

"Not really," another voice came, and Roy turned to find Raquel making her way by. "No offense, " she added.

"None taken," they said, and they adjusted their position so they were facing the group of growing teenagers.

"You'll be taking something soon enough!" Artemis growled, and she leaped forwards, arrow drawn. She released it, aiming for their feet. They swiftly reacted, jumping backwards as the arrow hit, releasing a sticky substance. Flash moved to the side, standing next to Roy.

Artemis rolled to the middle of the floor and shot again, in which he easily dodged. Zatanna ran around the side of the room, her arms in front of her as she cast a spell.

"Eit siht nam pu htiw epor!" she exclaimed. A rope was summoned, attempting to wrap around them, but they easily summoned a knife and cut through the weak, flimsy material.

Artemis drew back another arrow, dashing forwards shortly after releasing it. They caught the airborne weapon with one hand, using their other to block a blow from Artemis' bow. Throwing the arrow to the ground—making it snap at contact—they caught her fist as she attempted to punch them, twirling her around in a painful position with her arm behind her back. It was only a split second before he let go of her, and she grunted as she stumbled and hit the floor.

M'gann seemed thoughtful when she spoke. "I thought it was rude in all human culture to attack a guest," she said. "Is that not rude? Can you just go around attacking whoever?"

"What the heck do they think they're doing!?" Roy exclaimed, ignoring the martian.

Wally stepped forwards, but his uncle placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We shouldn't interfere," the leaguer said.

"I am afraid that I am not willing, as their leader, to put them into this situation," Kaldur said.

Flash turned to the atlantean. "They're not trying to get themselves or our guest hurt. They're trying to see if they will keep to their duties: keeping you guys safe, even in the most ridiculous and seemingly impossible conditions. If they cannot do this, then we'll kick them out of the job."

"You planned this?" Wally asked, eerily calm. Roy knew that he was simply too drained to yell.

Flash snorted. "No, obviously not. The girls did. I just agreed to let them do it. Batman may have said that they're okay, but I think that we need some kind of proof that they're willing to go through with this."

Wally frowned and looked over to the person in the plated suit as he dodged another blow from Artemis. His eyes sparked with emotion other than sadness since Roy had seen him.

Zatanna's face darkened as she said, "Nekorb worra, mia rof siht s'nam daeh!"

The broken arrow flew off the ground at high speeds, directed at their skull. They quickly ducked and rolled; Artemis, who had gotten up, attempted to swipe his feet out from under him as he landed on his feet. They sidestepped her outstretched leg, giving Artemis just enough time and distance to swing herself upright.

She rushed forwards, attempting to high kick them in the face. They grabbed her by the ankle and pulled upwards, leaving her upside-down. She gasped at the sudden change in position, and her grip slackened on her bow. The suited person used it to their advantage, kicking the weapon out of her hands and across the room.

They then dropped the archer—gently, if that was even possible—and turned to the dark-haired magician. They seemed like they were about to say something, but Batgirl, who had been hiding near the ceiling, dropped down on top of them. They grunted as she jumped off of their back, performing several well-executed back handsprings.

Utilizing the distance, she pulled out a few glinting, sharp batarangs from her belt, throwing them at them. They dodged a few, using their dagger to hit a few others out of the air.

Zatanna smiled at the restock of weapons. She held her arms out in front of her, and Artemis leapt up, racing towards her bow. She slid along the floor and picked up the weapon, drawing a new arrow as Zatanna started another spell.

"Sgnaratab, tih-"

"Look," they said, interrupting the three from their new barrage, "I get you want to prove a point and all, maybe that you hate me. Or that I shouldn't have been assigned to watching over you. But could you maybe try not to kill me? I would rather not have to leave funeral bills for my family," they said. They then sighed dramatically. "I mean, if you're that determined, go for it; I just thought that you guys had a "no kill" rule or something."

Artemis paused and lowered her bow. "Alright," she said suspiciously.

"Oh, now can we say hi to the new person?" M'gann asked, and Conner shrugged.

"I guess so," he said, and she quickly made it to the person's side.

"So, humans have genders, though your's is less obvious. Are you male or female?" she asked, her arms folded behind her back as imaginary sparkles surrounded her.

"Uhh... You try to kill me, and then ask my gender?..." they asked incredulously.

"Yes," Artemis deadpanned as she walked past, rubbing her sore wrist. "That's how it is; get ready for a lot of clashing personalities."

The person hesitated, and Conner gruffly said, "Just answer the question."

"Guy," he immediately said, surrendering. "Or male, if you want to be formal about it."

Wally ran next to Batgirl and pushed her towards the forming group. She didn't object, but she shot him a look. "What's your name, then?" she asked the newly gender-determined male.

"Is this an interrogation? Because if it is, I'm going to request a chair and a table. It's always funnier when the interrogator slams their hands on the table," he responded.

Batgirl raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you have experience."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied. "And to answer your question, my name is classified information."

"Nice to meet you, Classified Information," Artemis said sarcastically.

"No comment," he responded.

"Then what's your superhero name?" Raquel asked.

"Don't have one," he said, placing a hand on his hip. "Seriously though, are we having an interroga-"

"Why don't we come up with a name then?" Zatanna said, purposefully cutting him off.

"That sounds like a great idea!" M'gann exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"It would have to include his personality," Kaldur said calmly.

Wally turned to him. "Do you have any powers?" he asked flatly.

"Technically, not really."

Wally crossed his arms. "He's fast. That's about it."

"He's a stalker," Conner suggested.

"Are we still on about that?"

Roy grinned evilly. "I say we just call him that. Stalker."

"What?"

Artemis smirked. "Sounds perfect. Stalker. Swift and creepy and stupid."

Kaldur nodded after a moment's hesitation. "A short, simple name. I do not exactly approve, but it is reasonable."

Zatanna smiled. "And now the world will know not to let this man get anywhere near the children," she said as dramatically gestured to him, who was standing awkwardly.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

Wally chuckled. His eyes light up for split second at the humor. "Stalker, huh? I quite like it."

"Agreed," Batgirl added.

Flash watched in amusement as the name was decided for the poor male before he zipped away.

"Welcome, Stalker, to the hell that is the job of babysitting a bunch of teenage heroes."

A sigh. "Batman promised me cookies. I can only hope he wasn't lying."

Wally smiled. "Who knows? Maybe I'll even share some with you."

"Because one of the first lessons I learned was that sharing is caring. Right, Mom?"