*Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.
*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 1 -
The sound started off as a soft moan, then a gentle gurgling. Small arms and legs started to wriggle. Then as the need for attention, human touch, food, and a diaper change began to trigger, the six-month old parted her tiny lips and began to cry.
No one was in the room to attend to her, but .2 seconds later a whoosh brought a familiar face into her view. It didn't silence her completely, but her chubby arms raised up, her hands opening and closing to bring him near. He smiled softly, gently lifted her out of the makeshift cradle, and started to rock her in his arms.
"Hey, baby girl," he cooed, swooning as he tended to whenever he looked down into the infant's eyes.
A wave of love washed through him, but also one of urgency, and he knew he couldn't stay put for long.
"Hey, Wally!" Sara's voice sounded over the com. "We need you."
He sighed, slowly lowering the child in his arms back into her cradle.
"I gotta go for a minute, but – " She started to wail. "Just for a minute, just-"
She screamed louder.
"Wally!"
"Okay, okay," he muttered, then changed her at lightning-fast speed and laid her back down.
She was content for only a moment before she started to cry again. He sped out of the room to the kitchen to retrieve her bottle, right past the team despite their calling out to him again.
"Be back in a sec!" he promised, back beside the baby in the blink of an eye.
He turned his attention to the crying child and lifted her up into his arms, butting the nipple of the bottle to her mouth. She latched on instantly, suckling greedily.
"Hey, hey, slow down there," he chuckled. "Plenty of that to go around."
Behind him heavy footsteps sounded and then came to a stop.
"Hey, Kid."
Wally spun around, briefly startling the baby in his arms, but to his great relief she recovered quickly and continued drinking her milk.
"Mick." Wide-eyed, he opened his mouth to explain, but before he could, Zari came to stand beside the glaring mass, accompanied also by Ray and then Nate.
"Coming through," Sara said from behind, pushing them all to the side.
Wally watched them all cautiously, though he did not once stop rocking the baby in his arms or pull the bottle away from her.
"Hey…Sara," Wally said, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.
She sighed. "Wally, we need to talk."
He swallowed hard. He had a good idea what they needed to 'talk' about.
"I know." He winced. "I heard you over the com. I'll be right there as soon as I'm done here, I promise. Surely those otherworldly demons can wait a few minutes for us to have a meeting."
"It's not about the demons," Zari said from behind her.
His brows furrowed but sweat droplets were forming on his forehead.
"It's not?" he asked.
"Wally-" Sara tried but was interrupted.
"You gotta get rid of the kid," Mick informed him. Wally stilled. "She's slowing us down."
"It's not just that," Zari interjected, rolling her eyes. She took a step forward. "The Waverider isn't the safest place for her."
"Zari's right," Sara said.
Wally looked over to Nate for back-up.
"She's right, man," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I know she's your sister and you feel obligated, but-"
"The probability of a baby developing correctly in this type of environment is approximately-"
"Obligation?" Wally cut Ray off. He looked around to all of them. "It's not about obliga-"
"I know." Sara stepped in his line of sight to get his attention. "I know it's not. She's your sister and you love her, and those who were supposed to take care of her are-"
"Incapable," he spat. "Because they're brainwashed."
The little girl stirred slightly in his arms, a little tense, so he forced himself to relax.
"And what have we done to fix that? What have you done?" Sara asked gently. He looked away. "When you brought her onboard six months ago, you were supposed to put a plan together."
"You guys were supposed to help," he retorted.
"And we want to," she assured. "But we have…Mollus-scale otherworldly demons that we have to take care of every single day. That's no easy feat. Bringing a baby into that alone is one thing, but saving every person on Earth who has been affected from 2018 forward? That's…"
His eyebrows narrowed. "What?"
She shrugged helplessly, then turned around.
"Guys?"
"Is there anyone you know that could be more helpful?" Zari asked.
"Someone smart!" Ray piped up.
"Who isn't lazy," Mick added gruffly.
"We're not la-" Nate tried.
"Do you know anyone?" Sara cut them all off. "Another speedster maybe? On another earth?"
He sunk into himself a little bit.
"I mean, there's…Jay, but…he took my place in the speed force for over two months." He shook his head. "I wouldn't feel right asking him to tackle a problem this big. Not after that."
"Maybe…another speedster then?" she asked, hoping he'd get the hint. "Someone with a whole team at her disposal, who knows you personally?"
His eyes widened when it clicked. Very carefully and slowly he turned around to set his sister back in her crib. Luckily, she didn't begin to cry and nuzzled into the blanket draped over each side instead. Wally knew it wouldn't be good to have something so fragile in his arms when he responded.
"Jesse?" he demanded, exasperated.
Sara said nothing. Neither did anyone else.
"I…I can't believe-"
"You're a great addition to our team," Sara said. "And I know the break-up was painful, but…"
Wally raised his eyebrows, waiting.
"It's been a year, man," Nate added in.
"I'm sure she wasn't trying to hurt you," Ray said.
"Wasn't her dad on our Earth too?" Mick asked, firmly silencing all the positivity in the room. "Man, she's gonna be pissed you just left them there."
Wally fumed, trying to get his emotions under control.
"All we're saying," Sara interceded once again. "Is that, unless something has changed, all Jesse has to do is deal with everyday criminals on her earth. The Big Bad there is gone, right?"
Grudgingly, Wally nodded.
"So, it's minor crime and she has a whole team, right?"
He sighed. "Yeah."
"So, push past the awkwardness and see if she can help."
"If her dad's involved, it won't matter if she's mad at you," Zari said. "She will want to save him. And didn't Barry save their whole earth?" Wally said nothing. "She'll more than want to pay that back."
He looked away and then looked back at all of them.
"You really want me to go then?"
"We don't want you to go," Sara said. "We want you to save your family." She paused. "Maybe we're not the ones to help you do that."
Reluctantly – very reluctantly – Wally nodded, not saying a word.
Sara turned around, ushering the rest of them out with her.
"Gideon!" she called out.
"Yes, Captain Lance?"
"Set coordinates for Central City, 2018."
"Right away, Captain."
With everyone gone, Wally turned back to this sister who was gurgling split bubbles as she lay staring wide-eyed up at the ceiling. Smoothly he picked her up, snatching up a towel to put over his shoulder, and placed her against it. He gently patted her back and slowly paced the area around the crib, waiting for the telltale sound of a burp or two.
He did not want to see Jesse again, no matter how much time had passed. He wanted to put her in a neat little box in his past and keep her there. But he couldn't deny what the Legends were saying. Nothing had been done to fix the problem on their earth, and nothing could be done when they were so focused on stopping these demons they'd unleashed by letting out Mollus.
If he wanted to save his family, he had to find someone else to help him do it, someone with a little more free time on their hands and a personal investment in the cause. He might not be the investment for Jesse anymore, but her father definitely was. She would do anything to save him.
As soon as she finished yelling at Wally for not telling her sooner.
…
Six months earlier…
Being on a time travel ship at all times had its advantages. For instance, someone could travel back to Biblical times to pick up a gift for their soon-to-be sister in time for the baby shower that they unfortunately couldn't attend. Wally had been hoping to avoid much conversation that time, because honestly he wasn't ready to inform the team that he'd joined the Legends because he didn't feel like he belonged with the family he'd grown to love over the past two years anymore. His dad had been there when he dropped the gift off, though, and insisted on some small talk.
"Wally!" A look of shock on his face that quickly subsided as he pulled him in for a hug. When they parted, there was a beaming smile on his face, and Wally felt a little bit guilty. "Where have you been?"
"A lot of places," he said assuredly, then thrust the gift into his arms. "It's for Cecile. For the baby."
"For your sister," Joe corrected, a look of concern hinted in his fatherly gaze. Wally didn't respond. "You know, we miss you around here, Wally."
"I-I know."
He didn't, but he knew he couldn't say that without inviting further unwanted conversation.
Truthfully, he couldn't even imagine why they would miss him or how he could possibly be of use, since he hadn't felt like he was at all the last time he'd been there. He even skipped out on Christmas because being forced to stay in Central City instead of helping the other heroes on Earth X had felt like such a blow.
"Will you come home soon? At least for a visit?"
Wally's mouth opened, but no words emerged.
"You promised you wouldn't be a stranger," Joe added, his voice turning stern.
Wally swallowed hard. "Soon," he said.
"Cecile's due date is May 23rd. How about for the baby shower?"
Wally's lips thinned, not wanting to make any promises he couldn't be.
"I'll try," he said.
His dad's face told him loud and clear that he was far from satisfied, but thankfully he didn't push anymore.
Joe glanced down at the wrapped gift in his arms.
"What's inside?" he asked.
Wally grinned, the weight lifting off his shoulders.
"You'll see," he said.
Joe raised his eyebrows. "Anything I should worry about?"
Wally only smiled and said, "There's a card inside that will tell you everything you need to know."
And then he'd sped away at lightning speed, proud of the bewildered look he'd managed to place on his father's face.
But now…now he was back.
He could have left and come back right away. He could've stayed away for months – years – and simply returned to May 23rd, 2018 when he felt ready enough to face the family he'd left behind.
But as the days ticked away, as he grew closer with his new family on the Waverider, he knew there would be no way to truly move forward until he dealt with that chip on his shoulder he'd been ignoring since before Barry became his brother-in-law. He needed to come home. Maybe not for long, but at least for the welcoming party soon after the baby's arrival. He owed his family that much. And he wouldn't abandon his innocent baby sister from the beginning just because of some unresolved feelings he had with the rest of them.
So when Mollus was defeated by the oversized Beebo toy and Wally had sunk into a deep relaxation on a beach in the aftermath, only to be taken by surprise due to Constantine and Gary's arrival with yet more dreaded news – another problem they had caused that needed to be fixed apparently – Wally decided there was no better time than to make a pitstop home before things got really messy. Sara agreed with him, and the crew of miscreants silenced Constantine and his warnings for as long as Wally needed to visit his new baby sister. The guy wasn't pleased, but there was no budging for the team. One day not addressing the next imminent danger wasn't going to prevent them from saving the world in the long run.
And so they went back to Central City. A day later than he'd wanted to – May 24th instead – but he told himself Cecile would need some time to rest. They wouldn't have the party immediately following the delivery. He was probably still safe.
Despite Sara's urging for him to stay as long as he needed to, Wally assured her he wouldn't be gone more than a day, so they didn't need to take off. Constantine was swearing under his breath on the other side of the room during the conversation, but they made him no heed.
"Let us know if anything changes," Sara says.
Wally said that he would, but he knew he wouldn't be staying longer. He couldn't imagine what anyone could tell him to make him stay longer if he made an appearance for the post-baby shower. He'd already practiced a speech and felt at peace enough to enjoy his time back without feeling he was lying to everyone's faces or being forced into Barry's shadow yet again. He was ready to be back with his Flash family, if only for a day.
The Waverider had to land pretty far off since landing strips were few and far between. It didn't matter because Wally was a speedster. In literally seconds, he was in Central City and on his way to his dad's house.
But it took him longer than a few more seconds to make it there, because the smell of smoke and car alarms going off and crying in the streets stopped him dead in his tracks. He looked around and saw people standing numbly or bleeding on the ground. He saw downed power lines and every sign of electricity completely vanished. There were no emergency vehicles or police cars nearby, and no sound of them either, but most importantly there was no Flash or Vibe or Killer Frost or the less-than-adequate new addition to the team and his clear replacement, Ralph Dibny.
Wally walked over to a few people nearby. He asked them what happened, if they were okay, but they only stared at him with confused looks. Tears streamed down their cheeks. Their mouth opened but nothing came out. He was bewildered as hell and took one injured man into his arms and raced him to the nearest hospital.
There was no panic. No one inside was moving. They were standing still or on the ground. They weren't speaking. And despite it being a nice warm, sunny day outside, it was darkness inside the building.
He sped the man to an empty room, grateful that there were no severe wounds and just some painful looking cuts. He didn't know the first thing about stitches or anesthetics, but Neosporin and bandages he could do. Luckily the man had his wallet in his pocket with his ID. Wally grabbed the necessary ingredients, phased him through the door of his home and quickly patched him up. Then he walked to the window of the high-rise and gazed out to look at the city. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, more people in the same situation. He was sure several were in a worse state than he was in. He didn't want to think that everyone in Central City was practically catatonic, but it was dangerous to feel too hopeful when the circumstances were as dire as the one he was standing in the midst of right now.
Wally looked over his shoulder at the man lying on his couch. He didn't know how long the city had been in this predicament, but he quickly a found a glass and filled it with water. He brought it to the man's lips, since he seemed helpless. There was some resistance at first, almost like he was trying to feed a baby something they'd never tried before, but eventually and then eagerly the man took to the drink, grabbing a hold of the glass and finishing it. He held it out towards Wally, clearly wanting more. Wally refilled the glass three more times before the man was satisfied.
His mind was spinning. He took the man to his bedroom and laid him down with a full glass of water on the bedside table and hoped that would be enough for now.
He had to find team Flash. He had to find his baby sister. If all the adults were in this state, who was taking care of her?
STAR Labs was just as dark as every other building when he got there. Unsurprisingly, the elevators didn't work. He sped up the stairs into the cortex, and there he found everyone standing in the dark, unmoving. There wasn't a single sound except for the crying of a baby.
His heart leapt into his throat as he followed the noise and found her on the verge of slipping out of her mother's arms – her mother who stared dumbly at nothing, same as everyone else. It chilled him to the bone.
Wally moved forward and gathered up the baby into his arms, trying to soothe her. His gentle rocking and cooing eventually calmed her, and she nuzzled into his chest. Under different circumstances he would've relished the moment. But what he'd walked into was scary in its intensity to the point that he didn't want to stay there another minute.
You can't leave them! His mind screamed at him.
But what could he do? Take them all on the Waverider? He couldn't take the whole city with him. Whatever was happening, he couldn't fix right now in this moment.
Except for one thing. He could take his baby sister with him until he figured something out. The legends could help him. He wouldn't leave his family behind for long.
Footsteps sounded down the hall, and his eyes widened. He didn't know who it could be, but he suspected he didn't want to know the answer.
His heart felt heavy, but fight-or-flight mode was kicking in.
I'm sorry. He looked at his dad. I'm so sorry. He looked at Cecile, then Cisco, then Caitlin. He stopped to look at Iris and Barry, staring emotionless towards but not at each other. He felt a lump form in his throat.
Guess I'm needed now.
He blinked away tears, trying to ignore the heavy weight now on his shoulders, and raced out of STAR Labs before the nearing footsteps reached him. Luckily, he was never intercepted.
Before any of the legends could question him, he went straight to the console on the Waverider.
"Gideon, what happened in Central City yesterday?"
"The Enlightenment."
"The what?" Sara asked, coming forward to stand where Wally was, along with everyone else.
"Clifford Devoe has enacted the Enlightenment."
"What does that mean?" Mick barked.
"Everyone's mind has been wiped," she said far too pleasantly. "All electricity has been destroyed as well," she said solemnly.
"How do we fix it?" Wally asked, ignoring the looks of everyone at his use of the word 'we'.
"I'm afraid I don't know, Mr. West."
His heart sunk deep into his chest.
"Perhaps there is a solution your team can uncover."
Wally turned to look at Sara.
"O-Of course," she said.
"What," sounded Rory.
"But Sara, this is-" Zari tried.
"Get us back into the timestream, Gideon," Sara interrupted.
"Right away, Captain Lance," Gideon said, cheerful again.
"Thank you, Sara. It means a lot that you would-"
"Who's the baby?"
Wally blinked and looked down at the sleeping child in his arms.
"Oh."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow.
He sighed and nodded.
"She's my baby sister," he said, looking up at Sara sorrowfully. "Born on the eve of the Enlightenment with nobody to care for her."
Sara held back a sigh as she continued to ignore the others around her.
"She can stay. For now."
"And you'll help me figure this out?" he asked hopefully.
"We all will," she said, her voice increasing as she proceeded to shoot everyone else who dared to question her a glare. "Won't we, guys?"
"We don't have time for thi-" Constantine tried.
"Right?" she repeated pointedly.
Everyone but the blonde brit made some sort of response in agreement, but he muttered under his breath and walked away.
"Bloody Hell."
The Waverider lifted into the sky away from Central City and the Enlightenment with every intention of figuring out a solution in the imminent future.
…
Wally took a breath as he stepped through the portal to Earth 2 six months later. His baby sister was content in his arms. He wished he could be in such a state of peace.
He knew the Legends were right, and that this was the right call. They hadn't gotten anywhere, and while he hadn't seen much of Earth 1 when he'd been dropped off again, it didn't look like much of an improvement. There wasn't violence or crying in the streets, and there was electricity again. But the menacing image of Clifford Devoe plastered to every building in the city barking orders as people mutely walked about was just as terrifying. He didn't seek out his friends and family this time, but they weren't in STAR Labs. He needed to get to safety to figure out a plan that would work. Getting caught by the new Hitler on Earth 1 would do him no good. The whole earth would be doomed if that happened.
So, he walked through the portal and into Earth 2.
It had been over a year since he'd been here. Only good memories lived here for him. But now things were different. Now he needed help, and now Jesse wasn't his girlfriend. He didn't know how this was going to go, but he knew he needed to put the fate of his earth at the forefront of his mind, not how he was going to deal with feelings he knew he still hadn't dealt with fully with his ex.
Still, he could use the time to think without anybody he knew in his direct vicinity.
He walked at a regular pace to Jesse's house. A lump formed in his throat when he reached the cement steps leading to her home. He took a breath and resolutely walked up them. He lifted his hand to knock on the door and then opted to ring the doorbell instead. His six-month old sister opened her eyes, and he winced, wishing he'd had more foresight. But luckily, she closed her eyes moment later and nothing but a small moan and brief wriggling of her fingers and toes followed.
He relaxed and looked back at the door. He couldn't decide if he'd be more or less relieved if she turned out not to be home – or if she just plain didn't answer. He didn't know where he'd go if she didn't respond. She was the only person he knew here.
Luckily – or not – the door opened before he could start to berate himself too hard for not having a back-up plan.
Jesse blinked when she saw him, taking him in with less shock than the last time when he'd shown up without warning after receiving her malfunctioning break-up cube and the half-assed explanation from her father – who likely was among the citizens of Central City when the Enlightenment hit, he reminded himself. Jesse wouldn't like that, especially that he hadn't told her sooner. Or that someone hadn't at least.
"Wally," she said, breaking through his wild, stress-inducing thoughts.
He took a breath and jumped in with both feet.
"Hi, Jesse."
She glanced down at the baby in his arms, then up at him, then folded her arms and leaned against the door frame.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
He didn't know what to make of the hint of ice in her voice. He'd worry about that later.
"I need your help."
She raised her eyebrows, amused, waiting.
It dawned on him that she might not be heartless like the hallucination had been and was instead assuming he'd knocked some girl up who had then ditched him and the baby.
"It's about your dad."
Her expression abruptly shifted. She pushed off the door frame and straightened.
"What about him?" she asked worriedly.
"It's not just him," he said. "But he's been affected. Every-Everyone's been affected, and Jesse…"
He took a breath, then looked her earnestly in the eye in the way he knew used to make her melt. It didn't have quite that effect this time, but at least now he knew he had her attention.
"You're the only one that can help me stop it."
