Ducking under a tendril that seemed to be advancing in slow motion, Bart marveled at how much faster he and the others were moving after Wally and Willow led them to the actually energized part of the Speed Force. He, Barry and their female counterparts had taken in as much of the power as they could stand, while the pair of Wests moved among the other heroes, giving all their weapons an extra charge to help beat the Consumer. The fact that his older cousin, who had always seemed so little in tune with his speed in the few short months Bart had known him, was now working with abilities the time traveler could barely understand - it was pretty crash.

He'd mumbled as much to Brett earlier, and the ponytailed girl had nodded in vigorous agreement. Now, the two of them were in a repeat of the North Pole half a year before: all six speedsters were racing around the blob monster that was the Consumer in a wide circle, dodging tendrils as they took turns running in closer to land a hit on the being's gelatinous surface. Every time they did, the monster would quiver and howl with rage, desperately trying to regrow its wounded section, only for the next speedster to come in and damage another piece.

It was almost anti-climatic.

Almost.

From the greyed out surface they ran upon, a new wave of tendrils sprung up like evil grass. Bart barely managed to avoid tripping over the emerging things, hopping a few times as he attempted to find a clear path. Brett wasn't so lucky.

One growing tendril managed to snag her left foot, causing the girl to yelp and go down hard. She skidded along the ground, losing speed as she headed straight into a waiting net of tendrils-

Only for Willow to change course, grabbing the younger Kid Flash and hauling her back to her feet before the Consumer could ensnare her. The redhead pulled her cousin back into formation, remaining by the teen's side until she'd regained both her balance and momentum. Then, Willow smirked, and pulled on ahead.

"Show-off." Brett grumbled, grinning nonetheless, as she took greater care of where to place her feet.

-DS-

"I'm going to kill her." Apollo was smiling. "Six months, and the idiot couldn't have some way to get back home?"

"I think it's a little better that she was here, keeping this thing from causing major problems." Olivia responded, shooting down a tendril that was headed in their direction. Tiger just snorted at his former mentor, stretching out the kinks from hanging in midair for so long.

"That's a lame excuse and you know it." He was still smiling, though. Not even Jaden briefly swinging by to ruffle his hair deterred Apollo from his good mood.

Fewer and fewer tendrils were coming after the gathered heroes, as the sounds emanating from the Consumer grew in pitch and frequency. It would be an understatement to say that they were winning. The orange flashes of energy that flickered through the grey mists were also gaining in strength, as the six speedsters continued to run and help regenerate the Force.

As the fighting dwindled, Artemis found her attention glued to the fogbank that hid the Consumer and its attackers from sight. Several members of the Team and League from her own dimension were coming over to smile or offer her congratulations, making the young woman even more anxious to actually see Wally - alive and healthy. She was still having a hard time believing it.

And in the far reaches of Artemis' mind, there remained a part of her made cynical from years of living in Gotham under her father's thumb, which was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

-DS-

While their Allen relatives continued striking devastating strikes to the Consumer, Wally and Willow were getting ready for the final blow. Each had become a repository for Speed Force energy, and in another few seconds the both of them were going to unleash that pent up power.

Willow caught her counterpart's eye, and the two of them nodded together.

"Flash, KF, move!" Wally yelled, as he turned and charged right at the heart of the Consumer. Willow did the same on the opposite side, and the pair brought up their hands palm-out, crackling with eye-searing orange lightning. As the released energy came into contact with the Consumer, the creature howled, violently shaking from top to bottom. Neither of the Wests moved, keeping their hands steady as they allowed the Speed Force to work through them, taking its own vengeance upon the blob.

There was only so much punishment the Consumer could take, and this was the limit. It began to glow with a foul purple light, gradually dissipating until it had left the dimension entirely.

Off to the side, all four Allens had gathered, breathing heavily as they watched with wide eyes. "So... We won?" Brett finally asked.

"Yep." Willow replied.

"For now." Continued Wally.

"What do you mean, for now? You guys kicked that thing's butt! It's totally feeling the mode!" Bart cheered, as members of the League and Team began to appear out of the surrounding mists.

"Yeah, but just because we beat it now doesn't mean-"

"WALLY!" "WILLOW!" Each of the redheads suddenly found themselves tackle-hugged.

"Hey, babe." Wally swallowed past the lump in his throat, gratefully holding his girlfriend close. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Don't make me punch you." Artemis warned him, eyes watering as she tightened her grip around his midsection. "Because I will. I swear to God I will."

A few feet away, Apollo was saying much the same thing, prompting Willow to laugh. "What kind of boyfriend would be if you did that?"

"Oh, shut up." The other original Team members began to come forward as well, several of them still taking it easy after their ordeal.

"Dude, there's no way for us to say how much we missed you." Dick was grinning as he clapped his best friend on the shoulder. "And I can't wait to get home and show you some of the changes we've made."

Lips pulling into a frown, Wally took a moment to exchange a nervous glance with Willow before responding. "That's, that's the thing - we can't leave yet."

A/N: I think it's been established by now that I'm as evil a bastard as they come.