Wally felt like he was missing something, like he was in a moment that should be awe inspiring. Breathe taking. A 'you mean me?!' moment.Like everything had been dark and was now lit with realization.

… Accept, no. That's not what happened. "Okay, well clearly there's a misunderstanding. You think I'm a what?"

"A Guardian!" The old Russian raised his hands in the air like it was a cry of victory. He clearly didn't grasp the skepticism in the meta's voice. "You are now a protector of the weak, a champion of those who cannot fight for themselves!" He leaned closer conspiringly, not noticing Wally lean away. "You have been chosen to taken on dark forces, an evil that no mere mortal can comprehend. Most cannot even see!"

"… Yeah, okay. That's what I thought you said, but just wanted to make sure." Wally felt his voice edge to a gruff tone. What the crap was this? He was half expecting the bio-ship to appear again, his friends jump out and yell 'you've just been had Wall-man!'. He wished he was that lucky. "So, maybe you missed the memo, but I already do that on a daily basis." Well, before I retired. "And it's not guardian, it's hero. You know, Super Hero?"

"But you are now a Guardian!" The tank of a human grabbed his upper arms and shook him, like he was trying to connect the pieces rattling around in his brain so he'd get it. "I feel it," he pulled his arms away and patted is generously large stomach, "here, in my belly."

… Okay, seriously, where'd they hide the camera? Was this being televised?

"We also got the official word from Manny." The skinnier kid piped up, swooping in and placing himself between Wally and the crazy old guy (he had to admit he was relieved there was a bit of a barrier now). "He's the one who alerted us to be here for you."

"Manny?" What kind of a name is that? Is the 'man' 'manly'? Heheh.

"Yeah, the Man on the Moon. He's the one who calls the shots, so to speak."

… my idea was better. "Okay, okay." Wally held his hands up, shaking his head. "This has been- wow- but you can stop now. Seriously, what's really going on?"

The older man frowned, finally grasping the idea that Wally wasn't fully accepting thing at face value. "What I have said is the truth. You are now like us, Guardians of the people of this world."

"Yeah, and I just said-"

"Not like you and your friends in tights." Jack waved him off. "They handle the threats your world sees, we handle the ones you didn't even think existed."

Wally sighed loudly, rubbing at his eyes. It was an unconscious gesture he had picked up from weeks of pulling all nighters for college exams. "Right, you guys keep saying that. So let's pretend here-"

"Not pretending-"

"That this is the real deal. Are you guys just some rag tag duo, fighting for… what, exactly?"

Grey beard was about to start up again, but the kid luckily cut him off. "Well, we're not a rag tag duo, there are more guardians than just us, lots more. But we're two of the bigger ones, I guess." Wally raised his eyebrows doubtfully. "Look, you guys do technically know us, you just don't realize it." The boy pulled back his hood, and though Wally had caught glimpses of it, he hadn't fully believed the kid's hair was liked that. Man was that white hair! "I go by Jack Frost."

… okay, this was getting old. "Jack Frost, really." Wally folded his arms over his chest. "You want me to believe that Jack Frost, the mythological-" fake! "-character who brings on winter and frost and ice and nips your nose, is you?"

"And I am Nicholas St. North!" The Russian barreled forward, beaming. "You know me as Santa Claus!"

Santa, right. Wait- Santa was Russian? "Okay, pushing all the scientifically impossible variables aside, this still isn't possible."

"Of course it's not, we're not something that science can explain."

"If science can't explain it, then it's not real!"

Jack groaned, kicking at the snow in exasperation. And wait- shouldn't he be blue by now? He's not exactly prepped for arctic temperatures. "It would figure that Manny goes after a skeptic as the newest addition."

Wait a second. "So the Manny-moon dude did this? He turned me invisible, or dropped me on a different parallel plane, or whatever?"

The Russian- Santa nodded solemnly. "Yes. He will explain himself further, in due time, but the choice to change you was sudden. We have not had a Guardian born under your… circumstances, before."

"But he is the one responsible?" Wally felt his anger boiling up again. "Who the hell does your boss-man think he is?! My girlfriend thinks I'm dead, as does everyone else I care about, and he decides to do this when we were on the brink of world destruction?!" He glared angrily, "Tell him to change me back, now."

"I'm afraid, my friend, that it does not work this way." Santa looked at the young man sadly now. "We understand that this will be hard, as I have said, your circumstances are much different than the rest of our own."

"I'll say. There's no way I'm the Guardian of anything." Wally could hear his mother scolding him for the tone he was using on the poor deranged old man, but he couldn't help it. "What's my holiday? St. Patties? Valentines?"

"You don't actually need a holiday-" Jack began, but quieted when Santa laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps she will be better able to explain to him, that is why Manny sent for her."

Jack frowned. "I dunno, she's kinda new to the gig herself, even though she's really taken to it."

Wow, they just weren't giving up this charade. "She?" He prompted impatiently.

"Yes," Santa looked over his shoulder, smiling shrewdly. "She will help you understand."

Wally was about to tell them off again, in fact, he was about ready to be very unhero and just leave them there in the frigid temperatures (how did they get here, anyway?). But the sound of rushing water started behind him, and he turned in surprise, knowing that water really shouldn't be able to hold its form in these temperatures.

At first it looked like a small river had against all odds started to flow towards them, foaming and glinting on the ice and smelling distinctly of salt. Just as Wally was about to back out of the way, lest it over take him, it stopped. Only a beat or so later the water rose from the ground of its own accord and being to morph and contort before his very eyes.

At first he couldn't make out the image, but then the limbs softened into delicate arms and legs, detailed enough to appear well toned. Specific portions of the water began to glow, forming short coverings of her base that kept the imagination from wandering but at the same time had a sheer, luminescent quality to it. But it was when the eyes, bright blue and knowing and familiar settled on his startled form that Wally actually knew what he was seeing, who he was seeing.

"Kid Flash," her voice sounded amused, faintly nostalgic. "It's been a long time."

He couldn't believe it. So much for science. "Tula?"