"I don't know what to do, J'onn." I said defeated, my head buried in my hands.
J'onn sat across from me in our booth in the cafeteria of the Watch Tower. "I don't know what to tell you, kid."
"I can't find him, you can't find him. He's gone."
"Flash is not gone." J'onn said sternly. "He's just avoiding us."
That sentence set me off. "He had never avoided me, J'onn!" I screamed at him, lifting my head from my hands, making heads of others turn. "Not once in my entire life, when I've needed him, has he ever avoided me! And I need him now! I have to talk to him!"
J'onn's face seemed to fall; his eyes became sullen and pitiful. "He's okay, Andi. Just because I can't find him doesn't mean anything."
"But you can find anyone." My desperate voice was so prominent that it practically broke his heart. "Especially us. You could find all of the Justice League in a heartbeat. But you can't find him?"
"Don't be so hard on him." A terribly familiar voice said from behind J'onn. "You know that when Flash doesn't want to interact with anyone, he can't be found.
"Go away." I threatened the short woman.
"You don't want me to do that." The dark haired woman in a black wife beater, tan cargo pants with the bottoms tucked into knee-high metal boots. Yeah, she's back.
"I am so sick of you people telling me what to do." I mumbled to myself as she took a seat next to J'onn.
"I know, I know. I went through the same thing." Future-Andi said sympathetically.
My head shot up from my hands, fingers curled into claws. "Would you not do that? I'd kind of like to think my own thoughts for a while." I got up from the booth and stalked down the hallway heading towards the control room, just hoping to get a thought.
I made it to the control room with a blank mind, and went over to the extremely large window, leaned on it, and literally stared out into space. I don't know how long I was staring, but after a while, someone interrupted my thoughts.
"What are you doing, Andi?" A male voice asked behind me.
"What does it look like I'm doing, Wade?" I spat, not even glancing at him.
"Well, it looks like you're sitting around on your ass. But I know my Andi would never do that."
My voice was bitter when I responded. "And which Andi would you be referring to, Not-My-Wade?"
Not-My-Wade moved to lean against the window in front of me. "The Andi that is sitting in the cafeteria with J'onn." He was in his usual Deadpool costume, only he wasn't wearing his mask. Despite the bumps and scars, he actually had a handsome face.
"Does she know you're here? Because if I was her, I would be very upset that you were talking with Past-Andi instead of me talking with Past-Andi."
Not-My-Wade chuckled. "You know, you don't really change much over time."
"I've noticed. And you didn't answer my question."
He nonchalantly switched his gaze from me to space. "No. Why would I let her know?"
I did a quick raise of my eyebrow and a tilt of my head, having it meet with a lifted shoulder in agreement. "What do you want Not-My-Wade?"
"I want you to think." He turned back to me.
"Well, I was trying to before you so rudely interrupted me."
"About Wally."
"What do you think I've been doing for the last few hours? Thinking about pirates?"
Not-My-Wade's face stayed stoic. Funny, that really wasn't the Wade I knew. "You know where he is, Andi."
"No. I really don't." I shook my head.
"Yeah, you do."
"And how do you figure that one?" I crossed my arms over my chest, laying a challenge for him.
He, in turn, mimicked me. "You know Wally better than anyone, who is the one person he trusts more than you?"
I gave a one sided smirk the instant he said that. "Iris."
Not-My-Wade grinned. "Go get him." He ruffled my short hair. "You…weird little ninja."
My smile emerged and I bolted from the window towards the door to the hallway.
Not-My-Wade stayed at the window, grinning from ear to ear. He loved it when he saw me smile. He was surprised when I came running back and engulfed him in a large hug. Not-My-Wade returned the hug with gusto.
"Thanks, Wade." I whispered into his ear.
"For what?" He pulled away at arm's length and cocked his head to one side.
"For telling me to stay in the cupboard." I let him go, and ran back to the cafeteria, leaving his face red from embarrassment.
I made it back to the cafeteria in no time, butting in on a conversation for Future-Andi and J'onn. "Guys." They looked up, surprised at my grin. "I know where Wally is."
"Where?"
"His Uncle Eye's wife's house." J'onn grinned.
"Where?" Future-Andi was still lost.
"Don't worry about it. I've got this." I teleported away, once again, leaving them.
"I don't remember being that ADD…or bipolar for that matter." Future-Andi said.
J'onn shrugged. "Humans tend to have a selective memory. You probably blocked that part of your life in hopes of being better than that."
"Eh, I don't know about that. J'onn, dear boy, it's been nice talking to you, but I must get back." Future-Andi stood up from the booth, being followed by J'onn.
"Hannibal giving you more trouble?"
She scoffed at him. "It's not just Hannibal and the blood suckers. Johnny's getting all excited about the talks of a moon colony, and all of the kids are growing up…it all seems like this part of my life is moving so fast."
"You know you can always come to me if you ever need to talk."
Future-Andi only smiled. "I know, J'onn. I'll see you, alright?" He nodded, and she pushed a button on her belt and disappeared.
As soon as Future-Andi left, J'onn felt this strange vibration flowing through him. Not only did he feel it, he sensed that everyone was experiencing the same thing. He looked around the cafeteria curiously. No one else seemed to be as disturbed as him, or at all for that matter. Must be Cable's doing, he thought to himself, Andi is not going to be happy.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
A few seconds after I disappeared, I reappeared in front of a door in Missouri. I knocked, and a tall red headed woman answered the door, her green eyes flashing and smile beaming when she saw me.
"Hello, Andi."
"Hi, Mrs. Allen."
"You know," she started, stepping away from the door a little. "You can call me Iris."
I smiled slightly. "I know. So where is he, Iris?"
"On the back porch with Barry and Bart." She stepped further away from the door. "Come on in."
I was about to step through the door way, when a vibration ran through my body. I gave a large shiver, and stared wide eyed at her. "Did you feel that?"
"Feel what? Sweetheart, are you all right?" Iris placed her hand on my shoulder.
I nodded. She didn't feel it. "Natiecakes." I accused under my breath.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing. I've…just got to talk to Wally." Iris led me through her atrium and dining room, to the sliding glass door that would open up to the back porch and yard.
"Can I get you anything, Andi? Coffee? Lemonade?"
I shook my head politely. "No thank you, Mrs. Allen."
She opened the door and went outside. "Wally, honey, you have a visitor." She stepped aside to let me out and then went back into the kitchen to finish preparing supper.
Wally, who had one year old Bart sitting in his lap, playing with his fingers, turned his head towards the door and sighed when he saw me. "Hey, Andi."
"What's up, Wally?" I sat in a vacant chair at the table next to him.
"What are you doing here, Andi?" He said through a smile as Bart grabbed one of his fingers and started flailing his hand around.
"I just want to know why you left."
Wally picked Bart up off of his lap and set him down onto the porch. "Linda and I fought, and knowing her, I can probably never show my face in public again."
"You know, maybe being ousted as the Flash isn't so bad. I mean, you don't have to hide anymore, people will understand when you leave suddenly." I doubted that was going to convince him.
He sighed. "That's just it, Andi. I liked being hidden. People are going to look at me and know me as the Flash, instead of seeing me, Wally Rudolph West."
"Will you please at least talk to her?" I practically begged him. "Try to convince her not to tell."
"You know Linda, she's a reporter through and through." Wally crossed his arms over his chest. "She can't keep a secret, even if she tried."
"Wally," Iris came out of the kitchen with the wireless phone. "Linda's on the phone."
He tensed up. "Wally," Barry ordered him. "You better talk to her. Because if you don't, think about what it's going to be like for Bart when he grows up.
Wally looked at the little boy playing with the laces on his size thirteen shoes. He was so innocent. Reluctantly, he took the phone from Iris and put it up to his ear. "Hey, Linda."
