A Brand New Light
Chapter 9: A brand new person learns an old secret
Hal didn't know what triggered everything, but he finally understood how he was linked to Conner. It all started about two in the morning, Barry was snoozing beside him with the pillow firmly locked in between his arms and he was grumbling about marshmallows. Clark and Bruce were across the room sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. Hal looked around with bleary eyes, not really comprehending what had awoken him. On his hand his ring was pulsing and Hal knew at once that something was bothering Conner. Getting out of bed caused Barry to bolt up with a wary look. Hal waved at him to settle down and Barry laid back down but he didn't go back to sleep. Hal grabbed the keys for Conner's room and his room.
Walking out of their room he swiped the key card for the suite and entered. He saw Tim looking at him with large blue eyes. Beside him was Conner turning and tossing beside him. Hal looked at the poor boy trapped in his nightmare. Gathering the poor boy in his arms he turned and walked out.
"Will he be okay?" Tim's soft voice whispered and Hal nodded with a smile, Conner already settling in his arms. He closed the door with help from his ring and walked down to his room, again having the ring help him with opening and closing the door. He saw Barry sit up and look up at him questioningly. He shook his head and laid Conner down between them and got into bed himself. Pulling the covers up and pulling Conner to him, all three of them settled down and into bed. Barry smiled and cuddled close to Conner as well. For the rest of the night Conner slept peacefully wrapped between the two fathers. In the morning Conner woke up feeling refreshed and warm, he noticed that he was wedged between Barry and his dad. Barry on his right was hugging his pillow and complaining that Hal was taking his mash potatoes, while Hal on his left was grumbling that he didn't take any of Barry's mash potatoes. Conner snorted, those two were together even in their dreams. Sitting up woke up the slumbering speedster who shot up with his pillow still clutched in his arms. There was drool running down the side of his chin, his normally well combed hair was sticking up in many places, and he had a very dazed look on his face. Hal then propped himself up on his elbows, his left eye was twitching slightly, a dazed look in his eyes, and the hair on the back of his head was sticking straight up. Together they looked quite funny. Across from them, both Clark and Bruce were already dressed and nursing coffee cups as they looked on in amusement. Conner crawled over the top of the blankets and off the end of the bed.
"I'm gonna go get ready." Hal grunted before falling back on to the bed, while Barry hummed and swung his legs around the edge of the bed, yawning. He looked back at Hal on the bed and then hit him in the face with the pillow he was holding. Hal jolted up looking more alert, before glaring at Barry.
"C'mon Hal, the kids are going to be hungry." Conner shook his head and exited the room and walking back to his own, Tim opening the door for him when he knocked. Soon everyone was gathered down stairs and ushered into a dining room by a waitress.
"Everything is to your liking Mr. Wayne, please enjoy." The waitress bowed out and everyone took their seats at the huge spread before them. Although most dug into the food happily, Artemis voiced one thing that bothered her.
"Where is all the meat?" Wally, Dick, Conner, and Roy paused in eating, as did all the adults. "Why is there only seafood, fruits, and vegetables?" The adults all looked at one another before Barry answered her in a slow measured voice.
"Artemis, we are all pescatarians, which is to say we don't eat meat such as beef, pork, or chicken. It was a life choice we all made long ago." Artemis grumbled and slowly dug into her plate, not wanting to admit that the food was good. Wally however was in a far different state of mind, he remembered the smell, the darkness, and just how hungry he had been when he was forced to commit such a terrible act.
"I'm sorry mommy." He whispered in just the tiniest of voices, but it was enough to have both Conner and Clark whip their heads to look at him. Noticing how shaken up he was, Conner got out of his seat and knelt beside Wally.
"Want to talk?" Conner asked him softly, and Wally shook his head. "Want to go to the bathroom and calm down then?" At that Wally nodded, he knew he had to get away before he made a scene and have Artemis ask very uncomfortable questions. Conner nodded and stood up. "I'm gonna take Wally to the bathroom, we'll be right back." He saw the adults nod hesitantly before he wheeled Wally away. He heard someone scoot their chair back, but he didn't know who it was until they started walking, Hal was following them. He rolled Wally up next to the sinks and that's when the damn busted and Wally began to cry. Conner stood their awkwardly, he really had a hard time still comforting people. He heard Hal's heartbeat spike, something it did when Hal felt big emotions.
"I didn't want to do it." Wally whispered and Conner's attention snapped from Hal to Wally.
"Wally, whatever it is, you can tell me." Wally looked up at Conner with red rimmed eyes.
"You know how I told you that my legs were broken with a cinder block when I was younger?" At Conner's nod, he continued. "That had been my father. My father hated me, ever since I was declared a genius by an institution. And to take his anger out, he beat me, cut me, and finally broke my legs. After that he threw me into the basement. My mom tried to free me countless times, but father always came home before she could, so she would sneak me food, and promise me that it was going to get better. It had been months that I was trapped down there, afraid to move because my legs hurt so badly, I actually forgot how to speak. Then it happened. There was a storm, and I heard fighting upstairs, then a gun shot. Next thing I know, my mom was being thrown down the stairs, she was dead. With her gone, came no food, I was able to get water from a broken pipe, but I was so hungry. Then I saw her floating above her body, she had white wings, and every day she would beg me to eat her. She said it was that last thing she could provide for me, she could still feed me, and that I needed to eat her so I could survive until help came. And finally one day…I did. I ate my own mother to survive, and a week later Flash and Batman found me and took me away. But what kind of abomination eats his own mother?!" Wally slammed his fist down onto the armrest of the wheel chair. Conner stared at Wally, his own heart hammering away with Hal's. This was why the adults couldn't eat meat, this was why neither Roy or Dick did either. They all knew this horrible secret, and now so did he. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he looked at the crying boy in the wheelchair. He was so broken, but at the same time, so strong. And he had to wonder, would he have done the same things? After all, Wally had only been seven at the time, could he have done the things Wally did to survive? Did he have that strength to live with that? No, he didn't. Conner knelt down and smiled softly at Wally.
"It's okay now Wally, that's in the past. And I don't think any different of you, I actually admire you, I don't have the strength to live at that cost. You are so strong Wally, and you don't even know." Wally stopped crying and looked up at Conner with surprised eyes. "It's okay now, you've got me, Hal, Barry, and everyone else. We'll help and protect you until you can stand again and see how amazing you are." Wally began crying again and Conner hugged the crying boy to him. Distantly he heard Hal walk back to his seat. "Now let's dry those eyes and get back to breakfast." He helped Wally clean up his face and wheeled him back out to the table. Sitting back down in his own seat, he saw Wally was smiling again and that couldn't have made him any happier. He dug into eggs and crab meat and managed to snag the last bagel, just as Hal was reaching for it.
"Oh come on!" Hal pouted and everyone laughed at him. He threw the one half to the pouting pilot and smeared honey on his. Hal caught half of the bagel and he put cream cheese on it before stuffing it in his mouth. Barry looked on at Conner, he had been surprised how easily the boy had excepted Wally's horrendous past. But now they really felt like a family. Barry sighed happily, he couldn't be any more happier. But of course he knew all good things couldn't last, and it came in the form of a woman he really couldn't stand.
"Oh Hal, I didn't expect you to be here." Hal's back went ram rod straight, and his eyes widened.
"Ca-Carol?! What are you doing here?" He looked at the imposing woman in front of him, her eyes sparkling in malice. Barry's eyes hardened and narrowed, this wasn't going to end prettily.
