A/N: This chapter includes brief descriptions of illegal drug use. If that bothers you, please use caution when reading. Let me know what you think.

Blood seeped down Wally's face as he stood in his old room. He frowned as he wiped it off. Looking down at his hand, the frown deepened as his fingers played with the sticky substance. 'Am I bleeding?' he thought. He reached back up toward his head, but a scream made him freeze. "What-" The same person screamed again and his breath hitched. "Mom?!" Another scream. "Dad?!" He ran from the room and toward the stairs. They should've been just around the corner in the hall, but when he turned it was the same hall. The fact barely registered in his mind though as he kept running. "Mom! Dad!" Wally tried to run faster, to tap into the speed force and super-speed ahead. "Mom! Dad!" He heard them scream again as he turned the corner, only to find another hall. "Mom! Dad!" He kept running, but he couldn't run any faster. 'I need my speed! I have to save them!' He skirted around the corner again, only to slip and fell.

"Oof!" Wally gasped as he hit the ground. "What-" His words died when he saw what he'd slipped on. Blood. The dark red liquid was spread out over a thin layer in the hall. "Oh, God…." He heard his parents scream again and tried to get to his feet, but he slipped on the blood again. "I- I'm coming!" He tried to get up, but he kept slipping. "I'm coming!" Gunshots echoed through the hall and his heart stopped. "No… No, no, no!" Wally managed to get to his feet and down the hall again. He turned the corner and came to a stop in the living room. "No!" The sight of his parents' bodies made him fall to his knees. "No!" He grabbed at his hair with his bloodied hands. "I couldn't run fast enough…. Why couldn't I run here fast enough?!" Someone touched the top of his head and he lifted it. "Uncle Barry?"

Barry was looking at the crime scene with a solemn look on his face. "You let them die, Wally," he said. "I trained you to save people, and you couldn't even save them."

"I- I tried, Uncle Barry!"

"Tried. I seem to remember that trying wasn't good enough for the kid who blew himself up to be my sidekick." Barry looked down at him with disappointment etched all over his face. "A science prodigy and a superhero. Yet, you couldn't even save your own parents."

"I didn't want them to die!"

"No one ever wants these things to happen, kid. But you'd think that with your skillset you'd be able to do something about it."

Wally pulled away from Barry's and got to his feet. "No, you're- Uncle Barry, I swear I tried! I-I'm your Kid Flash!"

"Do you really think you deserve to be Kid Flash after you let your own parents die?"

"I- No…"

"Your speed isn't even working anymore. Why do you think that is?"

Wally looked down at his hands, willing them to vibrate. "The- The speed force wouldn't just….take my speed away…. It's not like the Green Lantern rings!"

"Prove it. Run to the other side of the room faster than I could see." Wally couldn't even move. His limbs were heavy and immobile. "Thought so." Barry waved his hand dismissively as he turned away. "It was fun, Wally, but I think we both know you never really had what it took."

"No, Uncle Barry! Please!" Barry seemed to evaporate as Wally rocked out for him, his hands going straight through the man's form. "No-" The feeling a of a gun barrel pressed against the back of his materialized and he froze. "What-" The loud crack of a gunshot rang in his ears as Wally shot up in bed. He gasped and scrabbled the blankets, trying to get his legs free. When he finally got the blankets off, he scrambled out of the bed, his legs barely keeping him up. He stumbled over to the light switch and turned it on. Wally's breathing shuttered in his lungs as he slid to the ground with his back against the wall. He hugged his knees to his chest. Every muscle in his body felt like it would snap from the tension. Wally held up one of his hands. "Vibrate," he said. "Vibrate!" His hand didn't even move. "Damn it!" He hit the ground in frustration. His heart was still pounding in his chest and his muscles were still pulling in tension.

Wally stood up and walked to his dresser. He pulled the top drawer open, then starts digging through the clothes. There was a pair of rolled-up socks in the back that he pulled out, then unrolled. Inside the toe of one of the socks was the sandwich bag of pills. He pulled out three, then put the bag back in it's hiding place. After he shut the drawer again, he stared down at the pills. Barry's disappointed face from the dream came to him. 'If he finds out it'll be that face, and so much more.' But the jitteriness and anxiety that had filled every cell in his body overrode the caution. 'I'm tired of feeling crazy.' His fingers closed around the pills as he turned away from the dresser. 'I just want everything to feel better.'

— —

A great side effect of the pills, for Wally at least, was that he was sleeping better. Even when a nightmare woke him up, he could just take the pills to calm down, then go back to sleep. It allowed him to get more rest than he'd gotten since his parents died. Unfortunately, sleeping didn't improve his appetite or mood. He kept picking at his food and feeling like there was nothing worth doing. Even the chemistry kit he'd loved using as a kid was unappealing. He ignored Dick and Hartley texting him, asking for him to spend time with either of them. Asking if he was ok. Those questions always made him roll his eyes.

Ok? His parents were murdered, his powers were gone, and the only way he could get a good night's sleep was by choking down illegal pills. Yeah, he was fine. Perfectly fine.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Wally knew taking the pills were dangerous. He was a hero and a science prodigy, of course, he knew the dangers of using unprescribed medications. But then he remembered how nice it was to sleep and not feel so numb all the time. It lessened the feeling like he was losing his mind. Maybe therapy would help, but he couldn't stop the voice in his head that argued Black Canary would tell his uncle everything, and he'd done the therapy thing that one time and it didn't work. Plus, he was a speedster. Just look at how short his buzz was after drinking. There was no way he could become addicted. So Wally continued taking the pills to get through his day, whether at school or at the Garricks.

For Barry and Iris, the disappearing dark circles under Wally's eyes was encouraging. Even when there was no increase in their nephew's general activity, he was finally sleeping. It made them both happy, and hopeful, that maybe Wally was finally getting better and moving on.

"Do you think maybe we should consider sending him to school a few more days a week?" Barry asked one morning when Wally managed a full waffle, then slunk out of the room.

"Maybe," Iris replied evasively as she handed him a cup of coffee. "I don't want to push him too much, but he is looking a lot better. Maybe one more day a week." She took a sip of her coffee. "Speaking of school, Wally's principal called today."

"About what?"

"Said he wanted to meet with us this afternoon, but he didn't say why."

"Guess we'll find out when we get there." Barry took a sip of his coffee, then looked at the newspaper with a bit more optimism than he had for the last few months. Wally was sleeping and potentially going back to school full time. It felt like everything was finally turning around for their family. Maybe the worst was behind them.

Upstairs, Wally opened his sock drawer and dug out the bag of pills. Except, when he pulled it out, the bag only had two. He scowled and returned the bag to it's hiding place. 'Great,' he thought as she slammed the drawer shut and put his shoes on. 'Guess I'm going to Star.' A trip to Barry and Iris' bedroom and a quick rifling around awarded him with $30. Wally shoved the money into his pocket, threw on a hoodie, then went downstairs. "I'm going to hang out with Hartley and James at the arcade," he said as he headed toward the door.

"Ok," Iris said. "Be home by dinner."

"I will." Wally pulled the hood over his headed then took a meandering, round-a-bout route to the zeta tube. He input his destination, then walked through. Stepping into Star allowed him to relax a little. It was away from the prying eyes of every cop knowing his uncle. He retraced his steps from his last trip and found the building of the man who'd sold him the pills last time. A man was sitting on the steps, but not the one from last time.

"What'd you want?" the man asks when Wally stopped in front of him.

"Uh… I'm looking for a guy who can…help me out with sleeping?"

"Oh, you're looking for Jeff. He's been meeting customers at a different location to throw off the cops. It's a few blocks from here behind Levi's Deli. I'll text him and let him know you're coming."

"Thanks."

— —

Red Arrow tried not to sigh impatiently as he watched his guy. It was taking the police way too long to reach them. His newly acquired source had just called to inform him the dealer had a customer coming. "Some kid in a Flash hoodie." The description had both made Red Arrow roll his eyes because of course a stupid teenager buying drugs would wear a hero's merch when doing it; and angry that this guy was selling prescription drugs to a teenager. 'Hopefully when the police pick him up he'll get the help he needs,' Red Arrow thought as he fingered his bow idly. Down below, in an area that was behind some deli acted as a small courtyard for the apartment buildings, the dealer stood up suddenly. 'Guess the buyer's here.'

As soon as the kid walked into the small space, Red Arrow could tell by his size that he was indeed a teen, maybe 15 or 16 by his best guess. The hero ground his teeth together as he watched the dealer talk to the kid. However, has anger over watching a child buy drugs was quickly replaced with shock; because the kid had pulled down the hood of his sweater and a string of curse words left the archer's mouth. The buyer was Wally Fucking West. At first Red Arrow didn't believe it because Wally, Kid Flash himself, would not be buying illegal drugs, no way no how. Not in this universe. At first he thought maybe this was some undercover, irresponsible plan cooked up by Flash, but then again he was pretty sure he'd have heard if Wally was back to doing hero work. Plus, wasn't his speed on the fritz? So if Wally wasn't here as Kid Flash, then he could only be here for one other reason.

The sudden sound of approaching police sirens made all three people jump. Red Arrow cursed under his breath again and looked down. If he didn't act, Wally would get picked up by the Star City police. But if he didn't stop the dealer, he might escape. Red Arrow huffed in annoyance before shooting a zip-line. He slid down on his bow, spooking the dealer, who ran down a side alley and startled Wally. The red-haired teen gave him a look of shock before Red Arrow grabbed his arm.

"Let's go," he snarled as he let go long enough to shoot a grappling arrow, then wrapped am arm around Wally's waist. Thankfully the teen had enough sense to wrap his arms around Red Arrow's neck as they were pulled to the rooftops. When they got there, Rd Arrow grabbed his arm again and pulled him in the opposite direction of the police. Neither of them spoke for a while as they ran. When they finally stopped Red Arrow released Wally, then crossed his arms and glared at him. "What. The. Hell?"

Wally looked down and shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. "What's up?"

"What's up- Wally, do you want to explain to me why the fuck you're buying prescription pills?!"

"No, I don't really want to tell you."

"Let me rephrase: tell me why you're buying illegal pills."

"No."

Red Arrow glared even more. "Seriously?! What the hell is wrong with you, Wally? Why are you messing around with this shit! You know how dangerous drugs are!"

"It's none of your business, Speedy!"

Red Arrow clenched his teeth to keep himself from snapping. 'He's calling me that to get under my skin. But I can't let it work.' He took a deep breath through his nose. "Wally, you're like a brother to me, please just tell me what's going on."

"My parents are dead! That's what's going on! They're dead and it's all my fault and I can't sleep! That's all!"

"Why don't you talk to someone? I know for a fact Rob has been trying to get a hold of you, but you've been ignoring him."

Wally bit the inside of his lip. He didn't feel like explaining how exhausting it was around Dick. His best friend was so full of energy and life; the complete opposite of how Wally felt. "…Maybe I don't want to talk, maybe I want to be left alone."

"Wally-" Red Arrow put his hand on the teen's shoulder, but Wally shrugged him off. He sighed. "I'll take you home-"

"No!" Wally looked up suddenly. "I don't need you to take me home."

"You really think I'm not going to tell you uncle about this?"

"…Let me tell him." When Red Arrow scoffed in response, Wally kept going, trying not to sound desperate. "I'm serious. I'll tell him, Roy. I swear. You can even call him tonight and ask."

"…Fine. I won't tell Barry, but you'd better, understand?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Ok. Come on, I'm taking you to the zeta."

Way nodded and followed Red Arrow down a fire escape. 'I just have to think of some excuse to give Barry and Iris,' he thought as he walked. 'Maybe I can say it was a misunderstanding. I went to Star to clear my head and Roy didn't see what he thought he saw.' He would've had the luck of trying this on a day when the arrows were out. When he got to the zeta tube, he slipped around Red Arrow. "See you."

"Go home, Wally. I'm serious. And text Rob. He's worried about you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Red Arrow watched Wally disappear through the zeta, then waited around for almost 15 minutes to amen sure he didn't come back. Once he was certain the speedster was staying in Central, he took to the rooftops again. It didn't take him long to find Green Arrow and Black Canary. The reverberations of a canary cry were really hard to miss. He scowled a little when he saw Artemis was with them. 'God I wish I didn't have to have this conversation in front of her,' he thought as he landed on their rooftop.

"Hey, kid!" Green Arrow smiled when he saw him. "Come to join in the fun?"

"Not today," Red Arrow replied stiffly. "I need to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong?" Black Canary asked, already sounding concerned.

Red Arrow rubbed the back of his neck, then glanced at Artemis. She crossed her arms in a way that suggested she wasn't going anywhere. He sighed again. 'Goddammit.' Looked like he had to do this the hard way. "I- I just busted Kid Flash trying to buy drugs."

"You- what?!"

"What was he buying?" Green Arrow asked.

"Some perception meds- That's not important. I sent him home, but…I'm worried about him."

"I'll say."

"I promised him I wouldn't tell Flash but…I don't trust Wally to tell on himself."

"We'll talk to Flash," Black Canary said, nodding in understanding. "Thank you for telling us."

"You ok?" Green Arrow asked his former protege.

"…Yeah, I'm just…worried."

"We're gonna help him, Roy. We'll find a way to get through to the kid, I promise."

"Yeah, well…" Red Arrow cleared his throat, glad they couldn't see the way his eyes watered behind his mask. "I have to go. Just…thought you guys should know."

"You can patrol with us! The more the merrier!"

Red Arrow hesitated, but then shook his head and turned away. "Maybe another time, Ollie."

Green Arrow watched the younger man leave with a heavy sigh. "Maybe next time…"

"I can't believe Wally would turn to drugs," Black Canary said, shaking her head.

"Barry's won't be happy."

"No, he won't. Think we should talk to Hal too?"

"Add Batman to the list. Just in case."

Artemis watched the empty space where Red Arrow had been standing. "Do you think he was really telling the truth about Wally?" she asked.

"He doesn't have a reason to lie."

"I know it's hard to hear about a friend," Black Canary told her, "but we're going to help Wally. I promise."

"Maybe don't go tell your friend bout this, alright?" Green Arrow suggested. "At least until we talk to Flash at the League meeting tonight?"

"…Sure," Artemis replied, trying not to sound suspicious. Green Arrow nodded, then the three of them returned to their patrol. 'I won't tell the Team. Just one person isn't the whole team. Technically.'

— —

Later that afternoon, Artemis could've zeta'd straight from Star to Mount Justice. Instead, she went to Gotham. She hung around the zeta tube, waiting in the shadows. The urge to tap her fingers against her bow, an annoying habit she'd somehow picked up from Green Arrow, buzzed in her fingers, but she resisted. The conversation she'd witnessed earlier that day replayed in her head.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long, because a few minutes later, Robin swung down in front of the zeta. "Hey, Artemis," he said casually as he glanced in her direction.

Artemis scowled a little as she stepped out of her hiding place. "No one likes a show-off."

"Believe me, that wasn't showing off." He smirked and crossed his arms. "So is there a reason you're waiting for me?"

Something cold settled in Artemis' stomach and she nodded. "Yeah." She glanced around. "Not here though."

Robin's face went from easy-going to serious in half a second. "We can talk at the Cave."

"…No. We can't." She waited for a second, hoping he wouldn't keep asking questions. Instead, he nodded and gestured for her to follow. Artemis let out a small breath of relief as she followed Robin down an alley and two side-streets. He stopped at a boarded-up window and moved one of the wood slats aside to crawl inside. Artemis held tight to her bow as she climbed through the window after him. The dust settled around her feet as she landed and the floor creaked dangerously. The late afternoon light filtered through the cracks in the boards, giving her just enough light to see by.

"No one should hear us here," Robin said. He turned to face Artemis and crossed his arms. "What's going on?"

Artemis took a deep breath before she started talking. "Red Arrow interrupted the patrol I was on with Green Arrow and Black Canary today. He said- Robin, he said that he caught Wally trying to buy drugs in Star." Seconds passed and Robin didn't say anything. The only movement was the narrowing of the lenses on his mask.

"Are you sure?"

There was a restraint to his voice like he was holding his anger back. Something in it chilled Artemis a little, but she nodded and pushed on. "I swear it. Wally's not well, Robin. We have to do something!"

"…I'm assuming Green Arrow and Black Canary told you not to tell the Team?" The silence he got was response enough. "Thought so." Robin sighed and frowned. "I'll…think of something. Just give me a few hours."

"But you'll think of something to help Wally, right? I mean…a Bat has a plan for everything, don't you?"

Robin gave her a smile that had very little warmth to it. "We try. I'll think of something, Artie. Wally's my best friend. I won't let him hurt himself." Any more than he potentially had at least.

"Do you think he'll ever be…the same?"

"Nothing can ever make him…the same. Wally will be different but…what new-Wally is like depends on him." Robin swallowed. "Come on. Everyone will start wondering where we are if we don't get to the mountain soon."

"Right. Sure."

'Goddammit, Wally,' Robin thought as he followed Artemis back to the zeta. 'What the hell are you doing?! Why won't you let us help you?!'