"So pride aside I clear the air
And sweet smells they followed there
That's compromise sweetheart
Lovers kiss
Let's kiss, kiss and resolve"
- The Maccabees, Kiss and Resolve
Central City was awash with people, the main thoroughfare in the metropolis having been closed off; instead a large, all but empty stage, took up the majority of the road. A simple glass lectern jut out proudly towards the middle of the stage, the microphone virtually thrumming in anticipation. The city was marking the reopening of its once dilapidated civic centre, as with the majority of any events in the Midwestern city the Mayor had extended an invitation to the Scarlet Speedster. So it was with great fanfare that the guest of honour stepped onto the stage following the procession of local government, financiers and architects. Camera bulbs flashed and journalists jostled for space as they began rehearsing questions in their heads.
"I swear he just reversed my menopause." A tall, statuesque blonde woman with aquiline features grinned hungrily.
"That one of his superpowers Claire?" her friend smiled slyly, a predatory glint in her eye.
"Come on, look at that ass, sex on perfectly toned legs. I bet you he could go for hours"
"No, surely he'd be done in a flash?"
"Oh trust me, he knows when he has to take his time..." the woman known as Claire nodded her head slowly, as her eyes raked over the red spandex clad buttocks of the Flash.
Linda was gradually growing redder in the face, they were talking about Wally. They were talking about her boyfriend!
Screwing up her courage she shouted out, "Hey! The Flash is a man and not a piece of prime rib eye steak, so I'd appreciate it if you stopped talking in terms ..."
Claire snorted, "This coming from Linda 'The Whole Track Team At Once' `Park? Little rich don't you think?"
"That... that was unfortunate." Linda replied, was that always going to come back and bite her in the butt?
The older woman smiled, her mouth widening to reveal blindingly white teeth. Smirking slightly she turned to her friend and resumed their earlier conversation. Linda caught a few words: pecs, shoulders... package. The Asian woman's blood began to simmer but she didn't have time to contemplate several inventive ways of silencing Claire; the Mayor of Central City had stepped forward.
"I'm now opening the floor up to the members of the press."
The blonde woman Linda had been speaking to muscled forward, patting down her hair, bright pink acrylic nails flashed in the sunlight. Sticking out her tape recorder she readied herself to throw a question at those gathered on the podium.
"Ms Lafayette..." the Mayor nodded to her.
A simpering smile later and she spoke, "So Flash, all the readers of my column are dying to know. Is there a Mrs Flash?"
Bitch. Linda's eyes narrowed as she sent Claire Lafayette a withering glare.
"Uh..." Wally laughed hesitantly. "A Mrs Flash? Well I'm kind of married to my work, so I guess that makes me her?" Offering up an apologetic smile he stepped back ever so slightly; clapping the superhero on the back the Mayor gave a disingenuous laugh.
"Flash!" another voice called out, this time there was no simpering. A microphone was held aloft as the chiselled cheek bones of a CNN reporter parted the crowds.
"Mr Samuels," the Mayor nodded at the journalist.
"Flash, how do you feel about the current governance of Iron Heights Penitentiary? The majority of the inmates have been put in there because of you and if reports are correct we have cases of several human rights violations and possible breaches of our country's very own Constitution. "
For a moment the Flash looked utterly blindsided as the reporter eagerly awaited for a response, Linda bit her lip.
"Well..." Flash halted, his eyes darting to the floor. "The way I see it, I speed in and nab the bad guy but like anyone that break's the law they gotta go somewhere. Iron Heights is the only prison that can handle maxim security prisoners, of the supervillain kind. Don't get me wrong, just because they have their liberty taken from them doesn't mean they deserve to have all their other rights taken along with it. I don't like what's going on there but until we all figure out an alternative system that has the right checks in place then the trade-off is always going to be in society's favour and end up marginalising the minority." Wally stopped, somewhat taken aback by his own answer, it was rare for the public to see him veer down such a path.
"Are you saying we ought to forfeit some of our own rights so that those who had their chance, and blew it, get to live better than some of our own law abiding citizens?" another journalist stepped forward this time, her face contorted into an angry stare as she waited expectantly for the superhero to speak. Linda shifted uneasily, Flash always tried hard to keep politics out of his hero-ing but the media always tried to drag it in through the back door.
"I didn't say that Ma'am..." Flash held his hands up defensively.
"Then what?" the reporter rejoined.
Linda grit her teeth, "Flash!"
Wally turned to face her and she could have sworn that despite the mask obscuring half his features, he looked momentarily relieved. "Seeing as we're here to talk about the new civic centre and there are correct forums for debate when discussing our States penal system. I'd just like to ask, what was your reaction when they asked you to open another building?" Linda wanted to palm her forehead, this was going to land her in the doghouse with her editors and relegate her to fluff pieces for the foreseeable futures but the grateful smile the Flash, or rather Wally, gave her was worth it.
Finally, the impromptu press conference was over, one more smile for the adoring fans and the Flash was away. Linda sighed as she joined the dispersing crowd, heading towards the Channel 4 van she tugged at the various wires on her person.
"Hey Linda!" Wally's voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
"God you are quick..." Linda muttered.
"Sorry what was that?"
Linda laughed nervously, "No-thing!" her cheeks flushed, as she desperately sought for something to do with her hands.
"Linda, is something wrong?"
"No!" Linda replied far too quickly, her voice shooting up an octave. Laughing she tired again but her words didn't - wouldn't come. Finally, "Oh, ok, maybe..."
"You wanna talk about it?" Wally asked, his hand slowly interweaving with hers, a small amount of comfort he could offer.
"Not here..." Linda whispered, her eyes darting this way and that.
Wally tightened his grip on her hand before leading her away, only to stop briefly by the news van to deposit her gear. Soon the two were in a quiet spot towards the back of a secluded café, both nursing hot cups of coffee. Linda's elegant digits were wrapped round a silver spoon as she gently stirred her drink, her eyes drifting from the sugar to the unlit candle opposite in an attempt not to make eye contact with Wally. The out of uniform superhero shuffled his chair forward, clasping his hands together under the table he did his best to capture Linda's stare.
"So..." Wally started.
"Say hypothetically, that I figured out a superhero's identity..." Linda stuttered, her eyes boring into the brown, milky depths of her large latte.
Opposite her, Wally stiffened as he forced himself to take regular breaths.
"Don't tell me you're going to unmask Batman..." A hesitant laugh died on his lips as he noticed Linda's facial expression suggesting that it was anything but a hypothetical.
"Batman? No... but I do have a couple of theories about that. I mean, how does a guy afford all that stuff? Unless he's being financed by someone, I mean Bruce Wayne has more money than sense. Either way, Bald-Mouse Man has a lot of money with a lot of time on his hands..."
Wally choked, coughing violently he took a ginger sip of his drink.
"So not Batman then?"
'No..." Linda gazed at Wally, hoping that somehow he would just understand what she was trying to say by one look. "I just had this wild, crazy idea the other day."
"Oh?" Wally squeaked, "What was that?"
"Oh you know, I thought that I figured out the Flash's secret identity, funny that huh?" Linda did her best to wave her had flippantly whilst she took a dismissive gulp of the coffee.
"Um..." Wally's hand reached out to grab Linda's, his thumb tracing circles across her smooth skin.
Linda breathed deeply, it was now or never; she'd worked herself up too much to just dismiss it or laugh it off. "It started out with Sharon... Shayera. Meeting John and then reading this gossip piece speculating about Green Lantern and Vixen. It all sort of fell into place. The Flash and Shayera Hol always seem liked siblings and GL is good friends with Flash. So I put two and two together, and came out with five, or maybe four." Linda let loose a shuddering sigh as her eyes lowered to the table. "I didn't want to say anything and I know it's a big deal. But I care about you Wally and..."
The Flash was all about speed and it was then that Wally made one of the fastest decisions of is life. Pushing back his chair it scraped nosily against the tiled floor but the red head didn't care, once on his feet Wally yanked Linda up with him and led the two through the coffee shop and out to a back alley.
"Close your eyes..." he whispered in her ear as he pulled her close to him.
Linda nodded, her eyes still wide open.
Hoisting the reporter up into his arms Wally ran.
A journey that should have taken half an hour was over within minutes, if not seconds. Linda wobbled on her feet as Wally gently placed her down, the hill they had frequented only days before was empty, the majority of the city's populace still taken up by the new civic centre. Linda swallowed heavily, as she ran her hand absentmindedly through her hair. Wally fidgeted with his apartment keys in his battered jean pocket. So he hadn't told her that he was the Flash, but running her up to the hill had been a good confession as any. Glancing over at Linda her eyes had momentarily glazed over as she stared out at the city skyline, swaying lightly on her feet every so often. Wally looked at his shoes, she still hadn't said anything, what did that mean? Quite suddenly Linda bolted, rushing towards a patch of flowering shrubs she leant forward and her retching soon joined the chorus of various birds chirping in nearby trees. Wally checked himself before taking a slow jog over to the heaving reporter.
"Linda?" he asked hesitantly, as his hands automatically reached out and held back her hair. He hadn't done this since Stacey Roberts chose his dorm room toilets to empty the contents of her stomach after a particularly rowdy victory party.
"I didn't shut my eyes..." Linda rasped as she reached into her bag for her water bottle. Taking several swigs the reporter wobbled her way over to a bench before sitting down and breathing deeply. Wally quietly shuffled along next to her. Once again he had failed to think ahead; doing the only thing he thought would help, he reached out slowly and their hands clasped. That brief moment of contact was all Linda needed. Shuddering ever so slightly her grip tightened, she was determined to never let go.
"I won't tell anyone..." Her voice was scarcely louder than a whisper as she sent Wally a searing look.
"I know," Wally's nod of the head was accompanied by a nervous gulp. "It was never a matter of trust, not with you anyway. I..." Wally tried to marshall his thoughts, he couldn't mess up - this was important. "I care about you Linda and people... Villains, can use that against me. They wouldn't hesitate to hurt you in the hope of breaking me. And believe me, I would break."
The warm summer air rushed past the two, picking up Linda's hair it continued to tug playfully at her dark brown locks.
"I know there are risks Wally, but what's it they say about risks and living?" Linda frowned ever so slightly, "I want to be a part of your life and the Flash... He's a part of you. I know there are bad people out there who could hurt me but that doesn't matter - I'm willing to take that risk for you, for us." Linda smiled ruefully, "besides you're the superhero, you've made it a habit to get me out of a jam."
Wally cracked a small smile, "I'm pretty good at it too, huh?"
Linda nodded, before leaning over and placing, a soft, lingering kiss on Wally's clean shaven cheek. For now, there was nothing more to be said.
A/N: ok guys... sorry for the long wait, work has had me zonked and I'd hoped to have more to offer you but alas this chapter is what I've managed. I hope you guys like it anyway. And let me know what you think!