Alright, this chapter was originally supposed to be posted on Wednesday morning. However, since one of my best reviewers, doc-trigger, said they would have problems reading more of this story after today, I am updating early.

Because of the early update, I wont be updating again for a couple of days. Sorry.

I expect some mixed feelings on this chapter, but I felt it very necessary. Please don't hurt me, just send evil reviews about Grimm!

In this chapter, you will finally learn some of Grimm's origin (although many of you have already guessed it to some extent!)

This chapter is probably full of medical inaccuracies, so my apologies in advance! Please remember to REVIEW! Enjoy!

DianaRulz: Thanks for the review. And Bats only yells because he cares. The poor socially awkward guy!

doc-trigger: are you appeased? After reading this chapter's ending, you might not be very happy about the early update! Thanks for the hilarious review! ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League or the song 'It's Raining, It's Pouring'. Only Grimm.

CHAPTER SIX: DAMNATION

Diana leaned forward in interest, being careful not to spill her soda. "Are the two of you going out now?" She said in a voice just above a whisper.

Shayera blushed lightly and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We're taking things slow," she admitted. "Neither of us wants to ruin things this time around."

The two sat across from each other in one of the Tower's many lounges. Diana and Shayera were not the best of friends, but enjoyed sharing the occasional gossip, especially when it dealt with one of their friends.

It had been three days since Wally's suspension. There had been a lot of tension in the Watchtower, especially when Superman found out about it. He and Batman had bickered for a good half hour before Clark finally 'let him off' with a warning. Nothing else had been said about the speedster's absence.

Shayera skilfully switched topics. "What about you? Any luck with Gotham's favourite vigilante?"

Diana rolled her eyes.

"I think he's interested," the Amazon sighed. "But he's never going to do anything about it."

"You're an Amazon warrior, Princess," her teammate urged. "Why don't you do something about it?"

Diana made to reply when suddenly both heroes heard J'onn's voice in their heads.

"Diana, Shayera," J'onn Jonzz called telepathically. "Report to the conference room immediately."

Both girls frowned at his curtness, but obeyed. The Martian had sounded worried, and that was never a good thing.

"What did I tell you? You can't do anything right!" Grimm viciously criticized.

Wally West groaned and hid his head in his hands. He sat on the couch of his small Central City apartment in his civilian clothes. Grimm was seated on the kitchen counter behind him.

The past three days had been torture. Wally had barely slept a wink. How could he when Grimm was there? She was everywhere, every hour of every day, talking and teasing him. She was in his dreams, showing him the worst moments of his life. And whenever he opened his eyes, Grimm was there, watching.

She constantly reminded him of every mistake he'd ever made. Every conversation he'd ever had with his friends was thrown back at him now with a new and terrible meaning. She hated him, loathed him, despised him and so did everyone else. She was doing him a favour by telling him all of this.

"You know, they're up there right now, laughing at you," the dark girl continued, eyes boring into the back of Wally's head. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "They're thinking how they're better off without you. Most of them have already forgotten about you."

Wally massaged his forehead to ease his oncoming headache. She just never stopped. How did you escape from the thoughts inside your head?

Wally remembered Bruce once talking about the fight they'd had with Dr. Destiny. He said that he'd managed to keep Dr. Destiny from using his thoughts against him simply by singing a song and concentrating on it fully.

Grimm, reading his thoughts, narrowed her eyes. "You think you can just ignore me? I'm not going anywhere," she threatened.

He wondered if it would work in this case. He'd never been very good at this sort of thing.

She laughed. "You're dumber than I thought. You can't ignore the truth."

Think, Wally, he urged himself. Sing something.His mind wandered until he found himself singing a song from his childhood.

It's raining.

It's pouring.

The old man is snoring.

"I'm not going anywhere," Grimm repeated, eyes dangerous.

Just concentrate, Wally! He tucked his knees close to his chest and shut his eyes.

He went to bed and bumped his head,

And couldn't wake up in the morning.

It's raining,

It's pouring…

"So what's the big emergency?" Superman asked.

J'onn had called all six active founding members to a meeting. He was standing in front of the giant control monitors while the other five were seated across from him.

"Yeah, you made it sound pretty important," commented Green Lantern. He leaned back in his chair.

J'onn looked grim. Of course, since he wasn't big on personality, this wasn't a really dramatic change.

"I'm afraid it is serious," He admitted. Turning towards the monitors, he tapped some keys. All sorts of medical information popped up on the screen. "It concerns Flash."

Suddenly, all eyes were on the Martian.

"As you know," J'onn began. "Flash set off a booby-trap during his fight with Volcana. He received a cut from an arrow, which became infected."

Most of the Leaguers nodded.

"We ran some tests on his blood and found something rather unusual," he went on. "There is a foreign substance loose in Flash's bloodstream."

"Poison?" Shayera asked concernedly.

J'onn shook his head. "Not exactly. I did some research on the temple where they fought. The substance causes the victim to have vivid hallucinations almost immediately upon exposure. The images, combined with unbalanced chemical reactions in the brain, can drive the victim to madness within 24 hours. I believe the arrows were tipped with the substance as a precaution."

"If the arrows don't get you, the drug will," remarked Lantern.

J'onn nodded in affirmation before continuing. "There is more. The hallucinations become more vivid with time. Most victims die within 72 hours of exposure. The drug possesses them so strongly that either their brain shuts down entirely or the victims themselves end their suffering."

There was shock as J'onn's words set in.

"I don't understand," Wonder Woman spoke aloud. "You said it usually kills within three days. It's been over a week."

The Martian shrugged, a human habit that he'd picked up. "That I cannot fully explain. Perhaps it is because the arrow only grazed Flash instead of sticking him. It may also have something to do with his body's unique metabolism and immune system. Or perhaps the drug lost some of its potency over time."

"What about a cure?" Superman wondered. J'onn shook his head.

"There is no known cure," he replied.

"That just means we'll have to find one," Batman spoke with conviction.

John Stewart stood up from the table. "In any case, we need to find Wally and bring him back here before he gets any worse."

Wally sat on the roof of his apartment. He did his best thinking up here. Not that his best thinking ever expanded any horizons, but he didn't see any harm in it. It wasn't very late, only 9:00 pm, but already the moon was shining brightly overhead.

He'd changed into his Flash costume. It always made him feel stronger, more in control of things. He felt like he was a part of something bigger than himself. It also connected him with his Uncle Barry. Barry was the original Flash.

The better Flash, he thought glumly. Barry would never have screwed everything up like this.

"You're right-he wouldn't have," Grimm announced, listening to his thoughts again. She was balanced precariously on the ledge of the roof, with one leg dangling over the side. "He's lucky he's dead. He doesn't have to see what a wretched waste you've become."

Wally sighed. It all sounded so true. So far, everything she'd said had been right. His friends weren't really his friends after all. He'd just been too dumb to realize it.

"Would real friends abandon you like this?" Grimm smiled at his sorry state. "They've been looking for a reason to drop you ever since you joined. You have no one."

Maybe she was right. Maybe he should just stop wasting everyone's time.

"Of course I'm right," she agreed maliciously. "They'd all be better off if you weren't around. Why not just get it over with?"

Wally felt as if something had taken a hold of him. He calmly stood and walked towards the edge of the roof.

Grimm continued to urge him on. "You'd be doing everyone a favour. No one wants you around."

He had reached the edge. He stepped up onto the ledge next to Grimm and looked down at the fourteen-story drop.

"They wont even miss you when you're gone." Grimm taunted.

He had made his decision.

Wally West closed his eyes and spread his arms to the side.

And with one last breath,

He jumped.

keep smiling ;)

rogueandkurt