Author's Note: I don't know why it feels like this, but I feel like I literally just wrote. Wowza. I guess it's been a week, though. That week just flew. Anyways, read, review, and enjoy!

Response to Guest Review:

Shiranai Atsune – Haha, yep. I shamelessly pull plotlines and characters from other comics/superhero shows :P I am most definitely doing a little Son of Batman stuff over here. Thanks for the review!

WWWWWW

Wally rung his hands nervously. He couldn't quite get rid of the Rogue drama streak he had and wanted to surprise his aunt and uncle, but now he was nervous. Dick had told him that Grandpa Jay and Grandma Joan were going to be there, too. That meant those two, Uncle Barry, Aunt Iris, Bart, and his two baby cousins were all going to be there. Somehow this was more nerve-wracking than proposing to Dick.

Wally shook his head. He was being ridiculous. These guys were family. They were speedster family which was extra important. Wally's lips curved up as he thought of Aunt Iris and Grandma Joan. They'd be the only non-speedsters in the house since, apparently, the twins had been born with superspeed. Wally had always respected the two women for that. It took a lot of effort and responsibility and understanding to just be a normal superhero spouse and/or parent. It was a whole other thing when super speed was added in.

Frowning to himself, Wally focused. All he was doing was distracting himself. He needed to man up and knock on the door already. He took a deep breath in and held it there for a second. When he was ready, he released the breath in one big whoosh and knocked on the door. He tried to ignore how much his hands were shaking.

Finally, though, the door opened. Aunt Iris was looking over her shoulder even as she spoke, "Hi, we're not really looking to buy anything at the moment. We've got a family reuni… on…" Her mouth dropped open.

Wally grinned, "A family reunion? And I wasn't invited. I'm hurt, Aunt I."

He didn't get any warning before she squealed and threw herself into his arms. Wally laughed, spinning her around and burying his face into the crook of her neck. She laughed, tightening her arms around him. He didn't get a chance to say anything before Uncle Barry was walking to the door, a confused frown on his face, "Iris? What's going on?" He cut off with a choke when he saw just who was at his door.

Barry laughed out loud, bright and warm and happy, "Wally!"

His call brought the rest of the family to the door. Bart and Jay zoomed over there, both holding a baby. Joan followed at a more sedate pace. Because of the babies, though, Grandma Joan was the first to hug Wally after Aunt Iris, literally elbowing Barry out of the way. Barry pouted, but was smart enough to not say anything. When Joan was done with her hug, she pulled back and held Wally with a hand on each bicep, "Look at you! It's about time you showed up! You've been running around free for how long, now? And you're just now coming to visit? Honestly. What if Jay and I hadn't been here? Would you have just waited to come see us?"

"Dick told me that you guys were going to be here. Otherwise, I would have had to convince you guys to come over," Wally explained patiently before he grinned impishly, "Besides, like I told Aunt I, you guys were the ones who didn't invite me over to the family reunion."

"Don't you get smart with me," Grandma Joan warned, eyes narrowed, but crinkled in the corners the way they always got when she was trying not to smile.

Wally put a hand dramatically to his chest, "What? Do I not get a free pass after dying? Everyone else is giving me a free pass."

Barry gave an awkward, choked off laugh, "Too soon, buddy. Come on, let's get you into the house and sitting down. We always have extra, so you know we've got enough of brunch leftover for another speedster." He started herding his family inside, wrapping one arm around Wally's shoulders as he did so. It wasn't until they were inside that Barry looked back over to him and asked, "Everyone else? Who all knows that you have your memories back? If we're the last ones, I'm going to be very disappointed."

Bart snickered, "I doubt you're even capable of being disappointed with him right now." He gave Wally a fist bump once he was able to set the baby down without worrying about it running out the open door.

Wally grinned, "Nah, you guys are relatively high up there. I told the Rogues first, obviously. Then I told Dick. Well, okay, I told M'gann who told Conner and then told Dick because I didn't know how to get in contact with Dick. And then the Rogues apparently told King Gregor? Since they know the king of Markovia for some reason. And he told Tara and Brion to go over to M'gann and Conner's, so they know. I'm pretty sure that Dick is telling the Bat fam at the moment, too. But otherwise. You're the first ones."

"You told so many other people first!" Barry shrieked. Iris started laughing at him.

"Not my fault!" Wally defended, "It was just supposed to be Rouges, Dick, then you, promise!"

"I'm hurt that you told your boyfriend before you told your Flash fam, dude," Bart said, copying Wally's move from earlier and splaying his hand over his heart.

"Fiancé," Wally corrected absently.

Joan practically squealed, "Fiancé? He proposed?"

"I proposed, actually," Wally preened, "I stole the ring back from our apartment and then got M'gann and Conner to lure him to their house so I could surprise him and propose."

"That's so romantic," Iris sighed, pulling Wally in for another hug. He grinned and held her as tight as he could.

Jay was the next to hug him, clapping him on the shoulder before dragging him in for a proper hug, "Congratulations. On the memories and the engagement. I'm so happy you're finally home."

"Me too," Wally admitted, allowing himself to melt into the hug and the open, relaxed feeling of the house.

"Sit down, sit down," Barry pressed, "If you've run from M'gann and Conner's, then I'm sure you're hungry. Iris and I will go grab you some stuff."

"Oh, you don't have -," Wally cut himself off when he realized that they'd already left the room. He groaned and finished, "To. Ah, well. More food for me, I guess." He startled slightly when he felt something tap his toe. He leaned over and found a baby poking curiously at his shoe. Wally felt his lips soften into a gentle smile as he reached over and plucked the baby up, swinging it up and around the way he always would do with Damian. When the baby was laughing excitedly, he tucked it into the typical baby-holding pose, wiggling a finger above chubby hands. He looked up to see the other three staring at him in slight surprise. He blushed a little bit, "Oh, yeah. I, uh, have been spending a lot of quality time with a baby. I've got some experience. Speaking of, what are their names?"

Bart beamed at him, "That's Aunt Dawn you're holding, and this is Dad!"

"Bart! Stop calling them that! It's weird!" Aunt Iris called from the kitchen.

"Oops," Bart winced, "Habit, sorry."

"You're fine," Wally laughed, "So, Dawn and…"

"Don," Joan answered, easily lifting Don into her lap. Wally waved at him and smiled when Don waved back.

Iris and Barry came into the kitchen shortly after that. They both paused to smile at the scene. Iris spoke threw a couple happy tears, "Looks like you're getting along great with your cousins."

Wally grinned, "How long do you think before I convince them to join the Rogues?" Barry rolled his eyes and sighed.

Bart pouted, "How come you haven't tried converting me, yet? I heard from Tara that you even tried to do some light conversion with her."

Wally winked, "Oh, don't worry. I'm just being sneakier with you because you are never not surrounded with other people. Also, dude, this is, like, our fifth conversation or something like that. You gotta give me some time, man."

"Are you going to try to convert your goddaughter, too?" Jay asked, clearly amused.

Wally shuddered dramatically, "Absolutely not. Jade would kill me. I mean that very, very literally. And Will wouldn't do a thing to stop it because he lives and dies by Jade's orders. Plus, I think I heard that Artemis lives with them, right? She would also kill me." Wally sighed, "Plus, I'm already working on so many. I won't let Tara be a lost cause yet. The Rogues already seem to have somewhat convinced Gregor or whatever, but that means that I still need to work on both Tara and Brion. And then I'm converting Bart, Don, and Dawn. Plus, I've got Damian to convert. Then again, with his mother, it shouldn't be a matter of converting him into a supervillain. It should be a matter of converting him into a decent one."

Bart snorted before he could stop himself, "Please, like his father would ever let you."

"His father? You found the dad?" Wally perked up. Damian had really grown on him, the little rascal.

Barry sighed, "Bart, c'mon. You aren't supposed to tell anyone."

"Now I really have to know," Wally said, leaning forward as far as he could with a burbling baby in his arms, "Come onnnnnn. You can't just say something like that and not tell me." He paused before pointing out, "I'll find out either way, you know."

Barry sighed and put his head in his hands, "I'm pointing the father to you when he finds out that you know. I'll say that you forced me into giving you the information with your supervillain ways. It's… it's Batman, Wally. Bruce."

Wally's jaw dropped open, "Seriously? For real?" He cackled, "That's amazing! Dude! That means that he's my, uh… brother-in-law? Or, will be, once I marry Dick. That's the right word, right? Oh man! Bruce can't be mad at me at all! Not only did I come back from the dead and make his first son super happy, but I also brought a dead son and a baby son back with me. How awesome am I? I should be getting an award. I should be getting paid. Do you think I can convince Bruce to pay me?"

Iris stifled a laugh against her palm, "I would pay just to see you ask."

"You're laughing at me," Wally pouted. Iris laughed uproariously in response. Wally rolled his eyes. Joan, snickering alongside Iris like the traitor she was, traded out one twin for the other so Wally got a chance to hold Don. The little guy had settled down by that point and was almost napping, eyes shuttering closed rapidly as he struggled to stay awake.

For a moment, all Wally could do was look at the baby in his arms. He didn't know how old the baby was. He didn't know the kid's birthday. He didn't know how much of the kid's life he'd missed. This was his cousin. This was his adorable, sweet, speedster cousin and it was the first time Wally was meeting him. It… it wasn't fair. It wasn't right. What did Wally do that he got this? What horrible deed had he committed that lead to this? Two years dead. Two years of his loved ones' lives that he missed. Wally hadn't done anything worth that. He'd… he'd killed a man. He knew that. He hadn't come to terms with that yet – hadn't had the time to – but it was a horrible thing that he had done. But that had happened after he had already missed a chunk of time, after he was already suffering.

Wally blinked when he felt himself being shaken roughly. Instinctually, he tightened his hold on Don, trying to draw him closer to protect him. Wally blinked again when he realized that his hands were empty. He frowned and looked back up. Barry was staring at him, face inches away. It was his hands that were on Wally's shoulders. They weren't shaking him anymore, but it was clear that Barry was tempted to do it. Wally frowned again, "Where did Don go? Don't tell me he's that fast already."

Barry frowned in concern, placing the back of his hand against Wally's forehead, "Kiddo, you've been out of it for over a half an hour. It took us a while to realize you were non-responsive instead of just thinking. We've been trying to wake you since then." He paused before he started muttering to himself, "No temperature, just like the reports said. Proper pupil response. Short time compared to listed known blackouts."

Wally pulled himself back and away from Barry, jaw clenching. This was the first blackout he'd had since he'd gotten his memories back. It was probably stupid of him to have thought that maybe they'd gone away when his memories came back, but he hadn't been able to help it. Everything had been going so perfectly. The last thing he'd wanted to think about was this problem coming back to ruin him. Wally offered the group a wobbly smile, "I guess I'm not completely back, yet."

"We're going to fix this," Barry promised, eyes concerned, but hopeful, "I promise you."

"We've actually made a lot of progress researching the issue," Bart piped up, looking nervous and relieved, "The Rogues already made Barry promise to hand the research over to you so you could go over it and offer more information or ideas. This is even better, though! With your memories back, we can go over this in a lot more detail. We should set up a time where you, Barry, me, and Jai – uh, the, uh Blue Beetle can meet."

"I know that the Blue Beetle is a kid named Jaime," Wally said drily, eyebrows up.

Bart coughed out a laugh, "Heh, yeah, that makes sense. With who you were dating. And with, like, other stuff. It makes sense." Wally made sure his eyebrows went up further. Bart blushed, "Moving on! It would be totally crash if we could do a research day or something relatively soon. We might be getting some more information in on Luthor's past research and all that, too, so you can go over that with us. If you want to, I guess. I know you probably want to settle back in with the Rogues."

Wally rolled his eyes, "Please. I can read the room. Between Ra's al Ghul and you heroes, I can tell that the world is practically ending. I'll be sticking around a little bit. Not to, like, help people or be a hero or anything! Just to satisfy my curiosity!"

"The world's not ending!" Barry argued.

Joan laughed, "With you three heroes, the world is always ending."

"Right?" Wally asked, "That's what I try to tell people. Heroes are so dramatic and they're always getting stuck in weird, world-ending situations. It's exhausting. And it keeps pulling away from date-night. Heists don't pull me away from date night. Anyways," he said before they started the familiar friendly argument all over again, "Yes, we can set up a date to do research. Have you gotten anything from Luthor yet? He said that he knew where I was in those missing six months. I'm pretty sure that's the key to the blackouts."

Barry winced, "Do we really need to bring this up now?" Wally didn't say anything, resisting the urge to shrink back a little bit at the disappointment in Barry's voice. Barry noticed, wincing again, before admitting, "No, we haven't gotten anything from Luthor directly. We did, however, manage to get a ton of research and proof of evil deeds from his office. The police wanted to keep the information from us even though we're holding Luthor for them, but eventually they were convinced to give us copies since it will help us close up some of our investigations. Though, they've forbidden us from sharing it with heroes that aren't in the Justice League anymore, like Batman or whatever."

Wally squinted, "I thought Bruce led the Justice League, how did he quit?"

Barry blinked, "Oh, no. That's, uh, changed. Wonder Woman and Aquaman run the Justice League now. Except Aquaman is now Kaldur."

Wally sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. He spoke softly, mostly to himself, "That's the real problem with heroes. So much happens so fast. I feel like I've missed out on lifetimes instead of two years." Wally let out a bitter laugh, "I feel like I can't catch up."

It was Iris who spoke first. She dropped down onto her knees in front of him and held his hands in hers, "Wally. It doesn't matter how much time you lost with us. That will never matter. You are family, in every possible way. We will make sure you stay updated and we will catch you up on every single thing you missed. We'll go through it chronologically, day by day if we have to, okay? I promise you; you are not going to be left out of this. You won't ever be alone again. I mean that."

Wally wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that he'd feel like he was back on track again. He wanted to believe that he'd stop being so confused. He wanted to believe that it would stop hurting so much to feel two years worth of inside jokes that he couldn't share. He wanted that.

But getting that, feeling that, meant trusting. And trust was never a strong suit of his. It wasn't as bad with the Rogues. They filled him in on a couple anniversaries or celebrations and they gave him a run-down of heists and who spent how long in which prison. There wasn't any of this other complicated stuff. It wasn't world-ending, life-changing decision after decision.

And in the end, he had trusted heroes once and that didn't work out as well for him as he wanted.

So, he didn't say that he believed her. He didn't say okay. Instead, he just asked, "Do you think my food got cold in the time that I was blacked-out?"

TTTTTT

Tara knew she shouldn't be listening in on conversations anymore. Now that she was no longer a spy for the Light, she should trust her team and expect them to tell her things as they came. But, no matter how short of a time she was a spy, the instinct was ingrained in her. She felt the most safe when she knew what was going on with everyone. Especially when so many people on this team, on all the teams, kept secrets. She could tell that Dick was trying to be better about that. He had come clean about many things with everyone that one day. Of course, he kept the secret of Batman's organization, but that was understandable. Batman was, apparently, something like Dick's father. It would be hard to betray him, especially when one agreed with his opinions. But that had come to light at this point as well.

It was the others that Tara did not trust to not be keeping secrets. Violet was quickly spiraling, skipping school and acting out. She was withdrawn and angry at times. It worried Tara, especially when she saw how it affected Violet and Brion's relationship. Brion himself was having his own issues that he would not share with others. Tara suspected it had to do with how long they were being stopped from re-entering their own country. As much as Tara wanted to go home, it wasn't as bad for her. She had waited years already to go home. A couple more months weren't going to break her. Besides, she was terrified of the reaction of the public once they found out where she had gone and what she had been doing.

Tara shook her head. That wasn't important. None of that was. What was important was Helga. She had been such a wonderful, supportive figure in their lives since all of this came to be. She had made mistakes, certainly, but she was there for them when it mattered. Except, recently, she had been acting… off.

It wasn't anything explicitly obvious. It was little things like the way she would purse her lips when M'gann and Conner or Artemis, Will, and Jade would call Brion or Tara or the others their children. Things like the stress lines deepening around her eyes. Things like the way she would sometimes have private conversations with the other kids that would leave them drawn or frightened. Not of Helga, but of whatever she said to that. There was her twitchy attitude on the night when Dick and Bruce admitted their manipulations. Tara, for a brief moment, hadn't felt safe with Helga's eyes on her. She'd been almost glad that she was down in the thick of things. Then there were things like the way she kept claiming she had headaches but actually went into her room to call someone on the phone.

Just like she was doing at that very moment.

That was why Tara was carefully listening in on the conversation. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she just prayed that none of the other Outsiders would come back or that Jefferson wouldn't come for a visit. She just wanted to hear this conversation. If it was something innocent, then she'd let it go. She'd go back to trusting Helga completely again. Easy, simple.

If it wasn't something simple, though… Tara didn't know what she would do. A part of her wanted to go to Wally with the information even though that was ridiculous. Wally was a supervillain. There was nothing he was going to be able to do with the information. By all rights, Tara should go to Garfield with any information she might get. He was her team leader and the owner of their base. He was definitely the person to go to. It was just… Tara felt awkward reporting to a teenager. She knew it was easier for the rest because they had always been on teams of teenagers, reporting to teenagers, but it wasn't like that with Tara. She had been reporting straight to Deathstroke, a legendary (old) assassin. There hadn't really even been any other teenagers anywhere around her. The first time she'd seen a teenager working near her since she was captured was when she'd spent that time in the metahuman trafficking site before Dick's group rescued her.

Tara shook her head again. She was being ridiculous. This was Helga. There wouldn't be anything to report, so she didn't have to worry about who she was going to report it to. Tara frowned as she realized she'd lost the train of the conversation. At the last second, she started up a recording device on her phone and pressed it to the door, hoping that it would manage to hear the words.

Helga was speaking when Tara managed to get the recording app turned on, "I have tried multiple times to get myself put on the team that is researching Momentum. I don't know why the three of them are so against me joining. I'm the only one of them who's known to be a scientist who focuses on studying metahuman abilities."

Tara frowned. Why on earth would Helga be talking to someone about Wally? Was it Jefferson that she was talking to?

Helga started speaking again, "How would I know?... Yes, that would be very easy to bring up in conversation. There's no reason for me to want to see Momentum, especially if I'm not on the research team…. I – yes. I understand."

There was a long pause as whoever was on the other end of the phone call spoke. Tara felt her heart pound even faster in her chest. There was something off about this. She could rationalize it away as Helga talking to Jefferson at first, but not anymore. That last comment, the way Helga said, "I understand," wasn't right. It was much more subservient than anything Tara had seen between Helga and Jefferson. There was also less giggling and sappy comments and little "I'm worried about the kids" statements being dropped.

When Helga spoke again, it was even quieter. Tara prayed that her phone would pick up the furious whispers as Helga said, "You told me that I would get them back! You said that I could have them if I did this!... I'm not working for free…. Maybe I'll find a better offer with someone else!" There was a slamming sound as Helga probably set down the phone she was using. Then there was a clattering of heels. It sounded like Helga was stalking towards the door.

Tara paled and glanced around desperately. She was in an open-spaced hallway. There was no way she'd get away fast enough to not be seen when Helga opened the door. Desperately, Tara grabbed one of the pockets full of rocks that Dick had suggested she start carrying around. She manipulated the rocks to dig into the wall and used those to climb, up, up, and away to the ceiling. There, she tried to stifle her breath as Helga walked out the door.

Helga frowned once she got there, glancing around suspiciously. In the end, though, she left. Tara felt the air whoosh out of her in relief. She didn't know what that phone call had been about. Well, obviously it had been about Wally, but there wasn't enough other information to tell her what that meant. Helga hadn't mentioned anything about what she wanted with Wally. Or who she was working for.

Heart in her throat, Tara climbed back down and pulled out her own phone. She didn't entirely know who she should go to, yet. Instead of having to make that decision, Tara texted Garfield and Dick, asking them both to meet her. She was in a team now. She might have a hard time trusting that and it might be weird for her to report to a teenager, but she was working on it. And she had a network to support her through that journey.

Tara felt some of the tension bleed out of her. It was going to be okay. Her teammates would help.

WWWWWW

Wally was somehow more nervous for this reunion than the one with the Flash fam. Which was saying something because he almost chickened out of that one. It was looking like he was going to chicken out of this one.

He stood in front of Will, Jade, Artemis, and Lian's house in El Pasa, hand poised to knock. It wasn't that hard. All he had to do was lower his hand against the door. That was it. Well, he probably had to do it more than once so they didn't just think that the wind had blown something against their door or something. He could ring the doorbell, actually. That was even easier than knocking!

Wally gulped. Why was this so hard? Why did he feel so awkward? Wally West was never awkward. He was a charming con man. No awkwardness allowed. Wally prepped himself to ring the doorbell. Alright, almost there. He just… had to… press… it…

No use. Wally sighed and rubbed his forehead. He was such a loser. Couldn't even ring the doorbell of the house of one of his best friends. Honestly. What kind of friend was he? These people deserved to know that he got his memories back! His goddaughter deserved to get to know him! Wally groaned. His goddaughter was half the reason he was having such a hard time doing this! He knew it was stupid, but Wally couldn't help but feel guilty for having abandoned them for so long. He'd missed so much. He'd missed the girl's first steps and first words and all that. Lian knew people who had been strangers to Will better than she knew one of Will's best friends! It was frustrating and nerve-wracking and stupid.

Wally knew that no one blamed him for being gone except himself. Will and Jade had been happy to see him even if they hadn't been pleased when he didn't remember them. Lian was young enough that it probably wouldn't even matter to her that he'd been missing the last two years. And Artemis, well. Artemis was Artemis and their special brand of mutual love-hate was something that no two-year break could destroy. At least, that was Wally's take on the situation. Artemis probably blamed Wally for sending Dick spiraling into a pit of grief and denial for a year.

That was it. Wally couldn't do this. He absolutely could not. He was just going to turn around and go back to the Rogues. They might mock him and laugh at him a little bit, but they would understand and make sure it didn't go too far. They'd make him feel better. Yes, going back to the Rogues sounded like an excellent idea.

Relieved that a decision had been made, Wally turned on his heel and started to walk back down the stairs, a small smile on his face. He only made it down one step when he noticed the person staring at him.

"What are you doing?" Artemis asked incredulously.

Wally groaned, "Are you serious? Where did you just come from?"

"I was getting groceries! Do you have a problem with that?" Artemis snapped.

Wally rolled his eyes, "Look at you. Getting defensive again. Honestly, I'm not surprised that you still don't have a steady partner. That kind of caustic attitude is why you can't get a date."

Artemis growled at him, "I'm going to hurt you!" She blinked less than a second later, mouth falling open, "You remember!"

Wally raised his eyebrows at her, "You're just now figuring that out?"

"Oh, shut up and help me bring the groceries in," Artemis grouched. She sent him a smile right after she said it, though, so Wally wasn't too offended. Still, he made sure to complain the whole way to the car and into the house, loudly enough that Artemis would be able to hear him no matter where he went.

He blinked a little when he realized that there wasn't anyone in the house, "Were none of you home?"

"They'll be back in a couple of minutes. Will and Jade were just picking Lian up from daycare. I told them I'd grab groceries after class and go ahead and start making groceries," Artemis explained. She bit her lip and then asked, "You want to help?"

"Sure," Wally shrugged. They'd cooked together before. Mostly it was for events like Friendsgiving or an early Christmas party, but they were fairly competent at it. Wally might even say good. For all that they argued like cats and dogs on everything else, cooking was never a problem with them. They got along best in the kitchen.

Artemis started setting out ingredients on the island, giving quick instructions on what to do with each of them. Wally grinned when he realized they were making his (and Will's) favorite kind of curry, "What's the occasion?"

Artemis grimaced, "Comfort food, actually. They're both pretty bummed about your whole situation. I think they really wanted you to come back with your memories intact and no more blackouts."

Wally grimaced back, "Well, at the very least, I now have one of those things. Can't do anything about the blackouts, yet, though. I'm working on it, though. Getting there."

Artemis sent a smile over her shoulder at him, "I'm glad to hear that. How did you end up getting your memories back?"

"It's actually like Ben, uh, like Ben said. Did you know who Ben was?" He waited for Artemis's sad nod before he continued, "He said that I was healing up without the inhibitor collar, but I got most of my memories chronologically which… wasn't the best order to receive them in." Artemis winced and Wally tried to not do the same. When their animosity had reached a peak, years and years ago, Dick had forced them to sit down and admit certain truths to each other. They'd both realized that the other had a lot of trauma to back up their opinions. It had certainly been eye-opening. Wally continued after a moment, "Ben figured that I needed to get memories that I wanted. The only way we could think of triggering them, though, was to see the Rogues. Dick wouldn't even talk about the Rogues, let alone let me see them, so I was just kind of stuck there. But then… Luthor and Slade happened, and Ben was killed, and I ran. I spent one night with the Rogues, getting flashbacks of much, much happier things. Then, bam! My memories were back when I woke up in the morning. So was a headache, but, well, worth it."

"That's crazy. The solution was so simple," Artemis shook her head in wonder as she measured out the spices. She hesitated a moment before admitting, "I… I heard that Dick wasn't going to let the Rogues talk to you. I should have said something. I mean, we were hurting you by making you stay there without a good way to get your memories back. I know that the Rogues are supervillains and that I'll distrust them with most things, but I should know by now to trust them with you and your relationship to heroes, at the very least. As mad as they are about this whole situation and how long it took us to reveal information, I know they would have done – not the right thing as I see it – but the right thing for you, which I think is what they're doing now."

"Yeah," Wally smiled down the chicken he was chopping, "Yeah, they're good like that. Although – and you didn't hear this from me – there might be some changes with that. The reason Cam went AWOL after my death was because of my, and therefore the rest of the Rogues', relationships with various heroes. He blamed those relationships for what happened to me."

"And yet he ended up working with the people who actually did that to you," Artemis scowled.

Wally winced, "Yeah. We haven't really talked about it. We had a miniature conversation, but it was more of a 'we'll talk about it once you're more settled' than actually talking about it, you know?"

Artemis snorted, "You talk like an old married woman gossiping to the neighbor next door."

"Speaking of!" Wally said excitedly. He made sure that Artemis was looking at him as he beamed and shouted, "Guess who's now engaged?"

Artemis's jaw dropped again, "No way! Who proposed to who? How did it happen? When did it happen? I swear, if you didn't get a video, I'm going to be furious! I'm still furious that I wasn't there for it!"

Wally laughed, "Calm down, calm down. It was last night. I proposed to him. I got M'gann and Conner to lure him to their house so I could surprise Dick and propose. Well, M'gann didn't know that last bit. She said that she would have invited you regardless of my plans if she'd known because all of you girls are creepily invested in my and Dick's love life. She did say that she got a video of the moment. She had been planning on just giving it to me, but she's going to text it out to people as I tell them that I got my memories back, so be expecting the video later tonight. I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't give away the game to Will and Jade before I got the chance to surprise them!"

"Excuse you?" Artemis asked, "Of course I wouldn't have! You know that, you jerk! I swear, I give away a prank once and I never hear the end of it."

"It was a good prank," Wally defended, still laughing.

Artemis shoved his shoulder, "Get back to helping me make the curry, you ingrate."

Suddenly, a child's voice came from the hallway, startling them both, "Ingrate! Ingrate!"

"Artemis!" Will called from the hallway, "Look what you've done! You're teaching my baby girl bad words!" His voice got quieter as he, presumably, started talking to Lian directly, "You're not supposed to say that word, okay sweetie?"

Jade spoke over Will, voice hard, "And who are you making curry with, Artemis?" Wally shuddered a little bit at that tone of voice. That was Jade's very dangerous voice.

He didn't get a chance to even try to answer before Jade swept around the corner, eyes blazing. Shock took over her expression for a moment before she concealed it back up again. She took a stuttering step forward, "Wally?"

"Did you say Wally?" Will asked incredulously, carrying Lian into the room. He fumbled to a stop, almost dropping his kid, when he saw Wally standing awkwardly in the kitchen, "Wally!"

"Hey, uh, Will," Wally said. The comment sounded lackluster, but he'd put so much effort into trying to say the right name, that it was a wonder he'd managed to get anything out at all.

Jade stepped forward, taking Lian from Will and putting her on the floor where she immediately rushed to hug Artemis's leg. Jade narrowed her eyes at Wally, "I was told that you had run to the Rogues after a… disappointing show by the heroes."

Artemis rolled her eyes as she got back to making the curry, "Relax, Jade. He got his memories back and wanted to come and tell us."

Will's eyes widened at Artemis's proclamation, "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Wally said, a smile curling at the edge of his lips, "Yeah, the memories are back, man."

Will laughed incredulously, throwing himself at Wally for a desperate hug. Will tugged him close for a long moment, fingers digging into Wally's back. After a split second of instinctive panic (which he was going to have to work his butt off trying to stop doing. Again), Wally hugged him back just as tightly. Will had been the second hero that Wally had really been friends with. Dick was, of course, the first. But Will was the second and the first one that was easily blasé about Wally's obvious criminal tendencies. Wally had really, really missed him.

But just as much, Wally had missed Jade. The open distrust and cold walls in Jade's eyes broke Wally's heart. He took a step forward, "Hey, Jade. What? I don't get a hug?"

He did not, in fact, get a hug. Instead, he got a swift punch to the face.

The only thing that kept him steady was Will behind him, making sure that he was still standing. Once it was clear that Wally could keep to his feet, Will quickly grabbed Lian and pulled her out of the room, muttering something about playtime. Artemis nervously went back to making the curry, glancing at Wally and Jade every few seconds.

Wally opened and closed his jaw, trying to test out how badly he'd been hit. It felt pretty bad. He glared up at Jade, "What was that for?"

"You left!" Jade hissed, "You left, and you died, and you are not allowed to ever do that again, do you understand me?"

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Wally protested, dancing back a step or two when Jade leaned in towards him.

She hissed, "Do. You. Understand. Me?"

Wally frowned, "I won't make a promise I can't keep."

Jade cursed, spinning on her heel and stalking the length of the kitchen. She stalked back and got right in his face, "You! You idiot! You know that you are just as much of a son to me as Lian is a daughter. You know that. You and that idiot Cameron, both! I know Will was the one who taught me how to be a hero and gave me the connections, but it was you and Cam who convinced me to break free. It was the two of you who made me think that I could be a hero. That I should be a hero. I broke when you died, Wally. I broke. The only reason I was able to get back on my feet is because I have a loving husband, mother, and sister and a daughter that I needed to take care of. If I didn't have them, I would have spiraled worse than Dick did. You're my kid, Wally. You're mine. And if you pull a stunt like that again – whether you're actually dead or not – I will kill you. Is that understood? Because I'm the only one who's allowed to do it."

Wally was tempted to say something snarky, to bring up the other people who had tried to kill him, but he couldn't get the words to come out. All he could see was the barely held back tears in Jade's eyes. All he could hear was the earnest heartbreak in her voice. So, he gave the only response he really could give to something like that. He hugged her. He pulled Jade into his arms and buried his face against her shoulder and relaxed into the feeling as much as he possibly could. He felt Jade gripping him, rocking him back and forth slightly like he really was her kid. And, in a way, he kind of was. Jade had been that female figure in his life for a long time. And, sure, he'd gathered up a fairly large group of them, eventually, between all the female criminals Aunt Lisa and Selina knew. He even had some hero female figures after Black Canary bonded with him during his capture. But Jade was the first one to stand up and be a strong female figure that actually cared about him. That he knew of, of course. He knew now that Aunt Iris was there for him, but he'd been in a bad headspace at the time and hadn't realized that.

When Wally finally managed to get his voice, he whispered, "Okay, Mom." He didn't mean it as a joke. He meant it as something serious.

He could tell that Jade recognized that because she only pulled him in tighter.

The sound of a camera shutter clicking pulled them apart. Will cursed at his phone, "I thought I had the volume off!"

Jade growled at him, "Delete that or I will stab you." She started stalking towards Will and didn't notice that Artemis was also lowering her own phone. She winked at Wally and lifted one finger to her lips. Wally smirked back before joining her to see if he could do anything else to help while Jade attacked Will.

After a few minutes of Jade chasing Will around the house, a tiny hand pulled at Wally's leg. He startled, heart jumping into his throat, but relaxed when he realized it was just Lian. He crouched down so he could see her eye to eye and smiled, "Hey, what's up, kiddo?" He cringed inwardly; he'd sounded just like his uncle.

Lian stared up at him with big eyes, "Who are you?"

"My name is Wally. I'm your godfather," Wally said, doing his best to keep the ache of failure and guilt out of his voice.

Lian didn't seem to notice as he tilted her head to the side and asked, "What's a godfather?"

Wally smiled, "A godfather is someone who takes care of you if your parents can't."

"Oh," Lian said, "How come I haven't met you before?"

Wally tried to keep his wince inside as Artemis flinched slightly at the question, "I've been lost for a very long time, Lian. Two whole years, actually. I found my way back, though."

Lian made an interested noise, "Two whole years? Did you have a lot of adventures?"

Wally grinned and swooped down to pick Lian up, laughing at her squeal of delight, "You bet I did! I even helped save a princess."

"No," Lian gasped, eyes wide.

"It's true," Wally said, "Not to brag, but I'm pretty cool." Lian giggled before demanding stories. With a grin, Wally gave her a mostly fictious version of his 'adventure.' He would act some parts out and get her to join in. She seemed delighted.

Wally put M'gann's advice from the night before to work and didn't worry about anything else as he sat and talked with Lian. He ignored the burning guilt. He ignored the grief at missing out on so many moments like this. He ignored the concern about everything else.

He just sat and told his goddaughter a story.

And he was really, truly happy.

DDDDDD

Dick frowned when Tara got through the recording. Her eyes were wide, and she kept twining her fingers in and out of each other. Dick opened his mouth to speak, but Garfield beat him to it, "Thank you so much for coming to me with this, Tara. I know this isn't necessarily the best thing to bring up at the moment, but this really makes me feel more solid in my role as leader. I'm as nervous as I am excited about it. Knowing that you felt like you could come with me – inclusion of Dick or not – means the world to me."

Tara's lips twitched into a smile, "It was not trust that would have held me back, only the strangeness of reporting to a teenager. I know that you are trustworthy and capable, Gar."

Garfield teared up a little bit, smile just the slightest bit wobbly, "Thanks, Tara. Alright, let's get down to business. We know what made you suspicious enough to eavesdrop on her and we've heard the recording. I think the most important part is finding out who she's working for and where she thinks she's going to get a better offer from."

"I mean, just guessing, my first thought is the Light. Just since it involves Wally at all," Dick threw out.

Tara frowned slightly, "Yes, but if we are being suspicious of Helga, we must remember that she once worked with Baron Frederick DeLamb to create metahumans. I am sure she wishes to return home as much as Brion and I do. Perhaps she is still working with him."

"He's part of the Light, though, isn't he?" Garfield asked.

Tara nodded, "Yes, but… he is a subsect. I am not certain that he acts completely under their orders. I think that he must do some of his own work for his own benefit."

"Fair enough," Dick mused, mulling the point over in his head. Why couldn't Wally just get a break? They'd finally taken down Luthor, Wally's biggest evil supervillain stalker, and suddenly there's a new one willing to talk to Dr. Helga Jace about Wally. He shook his head, "You told me that I would get them back. You said that I could have them if I did this. What is them? What's been taken from Helga? Is it a who? Tara, I know it's been a while, but do you know if Helga had anyone important? Someone that could have been taken from her?"

Tara frowned, "She had no husband or children or immediate family. If she had friends other than the royal family, then we never heard about them."

Dick frowned, "No one? Okay… and Gar, she did say that she was forced to work in the Bedlam Syndicate, right?"

"Yeah," Garfield said, clearly not sure where the conversation was going.

Dick tapped his hand against his thigh, "There's something off about this situation, about her. She knows how much you care about Wally, Tara. She's been nothing but supportive and loving to you, Brion, Violet, and the others. How about this? I'll try to find a way to get to her phone and figure out who she's been calling. You two very, very subtly ask around and see if anyone else has noticed anything strange about Helga."

Garfield nodded and added in his own piece, "Tara, you said that you've seen Helga take some people aside and speak to them? And that they come out of it with worried or fearful expressions? See if you can talk to those people and figure out what it was she said to them. If we can get an idea of what she's talking about, maybe we can see if it relates to all the rest of this."

"Good idea," Dick said, nodding to Garfield. He nodded back and they disbanded shortly.

Dick had no idea what was going on. He had no idea what Helga was suddenly doing or why she was making this strange phone call. He didn't know what she was missing or who she was working for. All he knew was that Wally was, once again, stuck in the middle of it all.

And he called Dick a dramatic trouble magnet.

Author's Note: So, upon reflection, I've realized that I kinda went out of order a little bit in regards to what's happening on the Outsider's end of things, but I'm hoping that what I've put in Tara's POV would be a quick fix for that. Hopefully, haha. Not sure if anyone even noticed :P Also! I will get to plot next chapter! I just needed to get some extra fluff out of the way before we get back to the angst, haha. Don't know how on earth this also turned into a monster, but there you go, I guess. Enjoy, haha. Thanks for reading!