Hello! I thought I'd post the last chapters today. Yesterday was my birthday and I'm in a really great mood so here's the final chapter.

Enjoy!

...

Hal had never understood what Barry had meant when he said that everything slowed down when he runs but in that moment he understood. It all happened in slow motion for him. And yet, it was too fast for Hal, or any of the others, to stop it.

After leaving the watchtower, the League had all rushed to the park.

Batman immediately caught the Riddlers' attention. His face looked frightening at the bats' presents, which he understood. Spooky could be pretty scary when someone pushed the right buttons.

They bantered but the only thing Hal was concerned about was his best friend, who looked like he was about to lose his footing.

That thought alone made Hal feel something he wasn't used to feeling, Fear. It was an overwhelming emotion that made him yell to the bat.

"Come on, Spooky! Let's get this over with already!"

This seemed to be a big mistake because the next thing Hal knows, Barry's dangling with the noose cutting his air supply off. The Riddler had pulled the lever causing Barry to fall.

Seeing the calm, happy, passionate, down to earth Barry Allen, eyes full of fear as he struggled desperately to breathe from the rope wrapped tightly around his neck.

Batman finally managed to get the force field down. And without breaking stride, threw a batarang. Hitting its target. The rope. It was as if the horror filled trance Hal had been under had suddenly broken because he was running to Barry's side in a moment.

Barry wasn't moving, which for a speedster was never a good sign.

God Dammit, Barry! If you die here, so help me. I'll kill you myself.

As soon as he neared him, he slid to kneel beside his best friend. Quickly, he checked to see if he was still alive.

Thump-thump Thump-thump

Hal's body sagged in relief. He turned to look at Iris and Wally, who were walking closer hands still tied behind their back.

"Is he?" She didn't dare say it but Hal knew what she was asking.

"No! He's still alive. Though I'm not sure if his speed healing is working. Or the extent of his injuries." Hal carefully cut the ropes around Barry's wrists.

While Green Arrow came to help Wally and Iris. Everyone else that had been taken as hostages were being seen by Superman and the others.

After Clark had finished with the others and had helped everyone to one of the waiting ambulances. He walked over to check in on Barry but played off his concern by using the same voice he used for all of the others.

"Is he okay?"

Hal turned to him. "Not sure."

"Superman. Get him to the medbay. Now." They both turned to the stern voice that addressed them. Batman strolled toward them after handing Riddler over to Gordan.

"He could have a spinal injury. It's not wise to move him." Iris stated matter of factly.

"Lantern."

The Bat hadn't even finished his sentence before he'd conjured a backboard. "We can use this to get him to the nearest zeta beam."

Batman nodded. Wally helped Hal to move Barry and together they managed to carry him to the zeta beam.

Hal just hoped that nothing too serious had been broken. For all of their sakes.

…

Barry gained conciseness slowly. He heard people talking nearby. Their voices were familiar but he was unable to put names to voices. Barry could only catch bits and pieces of their conversation.

"-ake up?"

"-Wake-soon.-"

"-arry?"

Barry sluggishly realized that they were talking to him. With a surprising amount of effort, Barry slowly opened his eyes. And immediately regretted it when his head throbbed in pain. Letting out a pained groan, he tried to turn away from the bright lights but was stopped by a strong but gentle hand on his chest.

"Don't move, Bar. It's fine. I've dimmed the lights."

Barry waited until the throbbing subsided, before once again attempting to open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Hal. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was standing over him with a tired version of his usual teasing smile. "Well hello there, sunshine. It's about time you decided to come back to the land of the living."

Feeling a hand in his, he glanced over to his left and saw Iris. Her eyes were red and puffy but she was smiling at him softly.

That's my Iris. Always able to smile even when she'd just experienced something traumatic.

God, he loved her.

Barry noticed that Wally had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Noticing his concerned look, Iris explained. "He's asleep. He's been up ever since we got here. We've both been very concerned about you."

Barry smiled, reassuringly. "I'm-"

A terrible cough interrupted him. Which irritated his throat even more, making him wince.

His coughing woke Wally because the next thing Barry knew Wally was standing over him looking for injuries. "Uncle Barry! You're awake! Are you okay? Do you needhelpdoIneedtogetthenurse."

Barry waved his hand while shaking his head. Iris grabbed his shoulders. Hal reassured the teen. "He's fine, Kid. His throat was damaged when he was hung."

Iris pulled her laptop and a notepad out of her bag. At Barry's look, she shrugged. "I always have to be prepared. I'm a reporter, remember?" She handed him the notepad and put her computer beside her. "You can write what you want to tell us so you don't hurt your throat even more."

He took the pad and immediately started asking questions.

Why am I not already healed?

"The doctor said that the force field that Riddler used lasts for a while after the device is turned off and that you should have your speed and your speed healing back in another hour or two." Iris replied, brushing her fingers against the top of his hand and interlacing them.

What happened after I dropped?

"Batman threw a batarang and cut the rope. But the damage was done and it had been long enough for you to lose consciousness." Hal answered, a strange look appeared but disappeared before Barry could name the emotion.

Usually Barry would try to find out more about that but he felt his eyes drooping against his will. The others in the room noticed immediately. Hal stood up. "Okay, well I'll come back tomorrow to check in with you. Get better soon, Buddy."

Then Hal was gone. Iris and Wally stayed.

Wally fell back in his chair and sighed, "Well, I guess we'll have to reschedule our picnic."

The last thing Barry heard before falling back into unconsciousness was Iris's typing and Wally's laughter..

Unknowingly he fell asleep with a fond smile on his face.

….The End...