A/N: Merry Christmas, everybody! Thanks to leathman and Dextra2 for reviewing! (By the way, what happened to my other reviewers? Too busy on Christmas?)

I deliberately saved Flash's chapter for Christmas Day because I love him so much XD

Memorable

It was a red blur that zipped into the Keystone City Orphanage that morning. The children of said orphanage smiled brilliantly and passed the word around almost as fast as their visitor himself. Within seconds, every boy and girl within the building had flocked to the common room to see the Flash, Central and Keystone's resident superhero, and frequent caller at the Keystone Orphanage.

The Scarlet Speedster stood in the middle of the room, wearing his usual red costume and trademark happy grin as he patted heads, exchanged jokes, and gave out high-fives.

"Morning, kids," he said brightly. "How are you all on this fine Christmas morning? All okay?"

They responded in the affirmative, and he smiled.

"Okay, next question." Flash cleared his throat and adopted a solemn expression as he stood straight. His voice was ominous as he inquired, "Have you all been good?"

Again, they answered positively, with more energy than before. Flash's mock serious face broke out in a genuine smile.

"Well, in that case…" He zipped out of the room and was back before they could blink, holding a gunny sack half full of something. The children oohed and aahed, well used to this routine but always in wonder of whatever Flash brought them.

"What's our present this time, Flash?" one little boy, Jimmy White, enquired excitedly.

Flash set the sack down and untied it. "Have a look-see," he invited.

The children crowded round and exclaimed happily to see the colorful bouncy balls nestled inside. It was a veritable sea of spheres, in a whole range of vibrant colors. To their utmost delight, Flash had personalized each one with his symbol – a lightning bolt within a circle.

"Everybody take one," said Flash. They responded with enthusiasm, and he smiled to see them rummage around the sack for their favorite color; most of them immediately tested out their present by bouncing it somewhere.

A warmth that came only from the most poignant of moments bubbled up within Flash. Small baubles like this year's bouncing balls or last year's spinning tops were all he could afford on his beginner forensic investigator's salary if he wanted to get something for all the kids – but no matter how cheap or simple, he always took the time to personalize each and every one of them, and they always loved it. In fact, last year, the children had actually taken him to their rooms to show him where they proudly kept every single gift they'd received from him, all sitting pristine and perfect with their lightning insignias displayed prominently. It had touched Flash deeply, and he'd been hard-pressed not to tear up and ruin his manly image in front of the kids.

This was the reason he visited the orphanage every year. Of course, he dropped by frequently, but Christmas was always special. This was what reminded him why he was a hero – the pure joy and affection on the kids' faces spurred him on to make the world a better place for them to grow up and live their lives to the fullest. These kids deserved the best, and he tried his hardest to make sure they got it. He'd come here so often he knew every child by name.

The Christmas ritual was a sacred one. Flash would come in the morning (unless he was held up by one of his Rogues, which was extremely rare – they were usually compassionate enough to leave Christmas alone), greet the kids, then present them all with their gifts. After that, he would sit down and read them a story (two years back it had been a long, wonderfully-written poem penned by one of the older girls in the orphanage – and didn't she just burst with pride to hear Flash reading her work out loud to the others), then play a few games and sing some carols with them before he left. The kids looked forward to his Christmas visit eagerly (but then, they loved it whenever he came), and all of them would have a roaring good time celebrating Christmas.

It was something Wally looked forward to, too; and he wouldn't give it up for the world.

"All right, what shall we read this year?" Flash asked, speeding to the wooden bookcase propped against one wall of the room and scanning through the orphanage's selection of books. Note to self: bring some new books. "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas?"

"No, you read that last year," said Amelia Tell.

"Huh, did I?" Flash's eyes jumped to the next shelf. "Okay, then – what about A Christmas Carol?"

"Miss Grant already read that to us yesterday," Corey Jones informed him.

"The Nutcracker?"

"No!" at least five boys protested. "It's a girly story!"

"Is not!" several girls yelled back at them.

"Okay, tell you what," Flash interjected, seeing that he had exhausted the supply of Christmas storybooks on the bookcase's shelves, "How about I tell you about some of my adventures with the Justice League?"

This suggestion was met with great zeal, and Flash concluded that he had found a winner. He sat down on the floor and began telling the story of how the League had formed, while the children sat in a circle around him, enraptured.

"And then," Flash said, "Green Lantern said, 'We're more like a league'. So that's how we became the Justice League."

"Awesome!" the kids murmured.

Flash was about to tell them another story – this time about how he and Hawkgirl had teamed up to beat Mirror Master – but out of the corner of his eye he noticed one boy, about twelve or thirteen years old, who was sitting by himself near the window. Flash didn't know his name, which meant he was a new addition to the orphanage. The boy had not joined any of the celebrations, and he looked like he was crying.

Flash exchanged a glance with Miss Grant, the head caretaker, who was standing by the door. Upon making eye contact with Flash, she nodded, clearly understanding his intention.

"All right, break time," he said. "I smell your morning snack in the kitchen. I believe Miss Grant said something about oatmeal cookies…?"

"Awww…" Normally the kids devoured any food with relish (with the exception of vegetables), but Flash – who held deep appreciation for food of any sort – was gratified that they preferred to listen to him rather than fill their stomachs.

"Don't worry," he assured them. "I'll tell you all a great story when you come back."

They murmured, "Okay" and went off to have their snacks. Only the boy by the window didn't leave. Flash made his way over to him and sat down beside him.

"Hey there," he said gently. "You must be new here. What's your name?"

"Andrew," the boy replied.

"Hi, Andrew," Flash said warmly. "What are you doing sitting in a corner all by yourself? Everything okay?"

Andrew shrugged. "I guess." He didn't sound very sure.

"Come on – you can tell me. I'm a really good secret-keeper," Flash added with a wink.

Andrew's lip trembled as he answered, "My parents died last week."

Instantly Flash's jovial mood vanished. Oh.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," he said sympathetically. "It's hard to lose your mom and dad."

Andrew sniffed. "No offense, Flash – you're a great guy and everything – but you can't really understand what it's like unless you've been there."

Flash half-smiled ruefully. "I have been there."

Andrew blinked. "What?"

"Can you keep a secret, Andrew?"

"Yeah…"

Flash smiled sadly. He leaned closer and whispered, "I grew up in this orphanage."

Andrew stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Well, sort of," Flash amended. "I was nine when my parents died – car accident – and I stayed here till I was fourteen."

"My parents died in a car accident too," Andrew said softly.

"Yeah, I know it sucks."

"Do you miss them?"

Flash pondered that. Did he miss his parents? His mom, definitely, but his dad…

His dad was still his dad, no matter what he did.

"Yeah," he answered finally. "Yeah, I miss them."

"I want them back, Flash." Andrew looked tearfully up at the Scarlet Speedster. "I wanna hug my mom and dad again, and tell them I love them, and…" He started to cry. Flash's heart went out to him, and he impulsively hugged the grieving preteen.

After a while Andrew pulled away. He looked embarrassed to have cried all over Flash – especially since he was almost thirteen. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Nothing to be sorry for," Flash replied. "It's all right to cry, you know. A real man knows how to cry – it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"It hurts," Andrew admitted.

"I know. Believe me, I know. But trust me, it gets better with time." A few kids started filing back into the room still chewing their last mouthfuls of cookie, and Flash turned to Andrew and said, "Come on and join us for the rest of the day. You shouldn't be alone on Christmas – and being with your friends and having some fun will help cheer you up a little."

"Can't."

"Come again?"

"I can't have fun," Andrew clarified. "Not today."

"Why not?" Flash asked.

"It's too soon. If I have fun, it'll be like I'm forgetting them. I don't want to forget them."

Flash exhaled. "Kid, you never will. They'll always be with you in here." He touched the spot where Andrew's heart was. "But they'd want you to be happy. Having fun doesn't mean you've forgotten them – it means you're healing, and they'd want that for you, don't you think?"

Andrew thought about that. "Yeah, I guess…Dad always said he only wanted me to be happy – that's why he yelled at me so much for doing things he thought weren't a good idea."

"There, you see?" said Flash. "Now come on – you're gonna want to hear this story." So saying, he gently tugged Andrew into the circle of children, pleased that he had managed to offer some comfort to a young boy who was in the same situation he'd once been in.

Wally believed every Christmas was special, full of hope and joy and opportunities. Every year he tried to give back to his community, the way they'd given to him. Christmas, for Wally, was a representation of his love and optimism and his willingness to give – every year it was special, every year it was memorable.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

A/N: Nor would I, Flash - nor would I.

Six more chapters to go!

TOMORROW: Through a twist of fate, one married couple finds their Christmas Day intertwined with unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome, Family Matters.