Bart couldn't remember what he was doing before he was running in this strange, white place. It was beautiful, so light, at first. But then it got old real fast.

The speed force.

This wasn't his first time here. Years ago, or…in the future, he had…will be here…ugh, why couldn't time travel be simple?

Of course, he wasn't a tourist, if you hadn't figured that out yet. Wanted to change the future, he wanted to give her a chance at life. Her, his tether to earth, the reason he stuck around, even after he discovered his collar had short circuited. His baby, his angel, his princess. She was small for a ten-year-old and quiet, given her family history of motor mouths. He loved her.

Emily was everything to him. She was like his sister, but much more, his best friend, his baby bird, his hope. Emily came bearing hope for not only metas but humanity. She was bonded the remaining League together and started the rebellion before she could walk.

Emily Artemis Grayson, the only child of Irey Paula West and John Richard Grayson. His parents and her parents grew up together, and when the purges hit they were all hidden together.

Bart loved her, he wanted to give her a chance.

He tried to hold on to that thought but he felt his mind dimming, slipping in a memory

:::

"Mamma, Jordan!"

"Come on Bart," Bart's dad pulled him along, accelerating his speed to almost maximum.

"We can't leave them!" A three-year-old Bart screeched into Donald's ear. The bad men had come to their hide out. His Momma and Daddy and big brother, Jordan had fought them off, but there was too many. Suddenly, Uncle Damien and Aunt Lian were there fighting beside them and it looked like they were going to win.

Then the baddest man alive came. Aunt Lian hesitated for some reason. Aunt Lian started to say, "I know you're—" the blue man blasted them into the wall. Bart watched, eyes wide as his Aunt and Uncle crumpled against the wall.

Then his Momma yelled "Take Bart and go!" Jordan and Momma was blocked by the big blue monster. They couldn't get away themselves, only Bart was like Daddy, Jordan was like Momma, he had her, Canary Cry.

His Daddy looked at his eldest son and his wife, both who were kicking and screaming at anything that came close, and looked at his childhood friends, curled up in a ball in the corner, and made the decision that would change his life, and his son's, forever.

He ran.

Bart was kicking and screaming in his arms, but he pushed his levels and went to the closest safe house he knew of, the place that probably sent Lian and Damien, Irey and John.

As they approached the house they could hear someone screaming bloody murder.

"Daddy?" Bart asked.

A small smile traced his father's lips, "Irey was due any day now." He slowed down and looked at Bart, the dirt on the man's face was streaked with tears. "I bet Aunt Artemis and…" He paled. Would Donald have to be the one to tell Artemis and Dick that Lian and Damien were gone, or…or worse?

His dad weakly opened the door of the rickety shack. Just their luck, he knew this baby was hope for the world but did the entire surviving League have to be there.

"Donnie!" the retired Black Canary, his Gran, Dinah Queen, rushed forward and embraced Bart's dad and took the three-year-old in her arms. She just then seemed to notice her daughter and older grandson were absent. "Where's… where's Anna?"

"Aunt Di, I'm…I'm so…" Bart's dad croaked. The boy buried his in her chest.

Gran looked striken. Anna as all she had left of her missing husband and younger daughter, Aunt Amy. Everyone refered to dead people as missing, apparently it was more positive, but his parents only thought it was misleading.

Uncle Dick looked up, tears were in his eyes. Bart couldn't figure out if it was because his only son was about to have a baby, or because he had just realized neither Damien nor Lian were with them.

"Blue." His father said, like it was the answer to everything, and it was. Blue Beetle had once been their friend. But whatever was left of Jamie Reyes in there certainly wasn't in control. Some, like Lian, thought he could be redeemed, others, not so much.

A women's screaming pierced the silence, followed by laughter. They all realized that the baby had come.

"Why isn't it crying?" Aunt Irey's ragged voice came from the other room. Everyone looked to the door. You could hear a pin drop."Why isn't my baby crying?!" The screeched .

"I…I don't know." The doctor was some random person with a PhD from the old days. The heroes surrounding Bart knew first aid, psychology, not anything about babies, even the mothers. "You two having a child is kind of a medical marvel, so I'm not sure."

"I know, I know, just save my baby." Bart heard Iris cry through tears

"Girl, it was a baby girl."

"Was, she was stillborn?" Aunt Artemis' voice reached the heroes in the other room. Bart only met her once when he was very little, but he'd known her calming voice anywhere.

Help, a little voice said in his head, help me, please. Bart slipped out of his Gran's grip that had been loosened by shock. She tried to grab after him, but her utilized his developing super-speed.

The child walked in a daze into the birthing room.

Uncle John and Aunt Artemis flanked the crying new mother. He moved so fast everyone around him were still, his even his dad was slower running after Bart.

Bart placed his hand on the Baby's forehead and immediately she started to cry, loudly too. Bart slowed down and time went back to normal. He looked up at Irey, her mother, and her husband. They were frozen shock.

The doctor was stuttering, "H-h-how…she-she was…" Bart was as confused as everyone else, but, acting almost against his will, he gingerly picked up the baby, who felt weightless in his hands, and handed her to her mother.

She was still staring at Bart.

"Bart?" His dad started, "What. On. Earth. Was that?" Bart shrugged jumped off the bed.

"That, Donald, was something amazing." Dick said from the doorway. "Blue Beetle better watch out , someone inherited Grandma Zee's powers."

:::

"BARRY!" Wally's voice knocked him out of his stupor.

Well, that was heavy. I always wanted Bart's mom to be related to heroes and I don't think she is ever mentioned. I don't actually remember any interaction between Bart and Canary and Arrow, but hey, it's fanfiction.

Next Time: Barry How Back

I'd love to have some feedback, so please review. Nothing too hurtful though.