Today is the Day

By mid-October, winter was in full swing in Wyoming. The park had finally emptied out of seasonal tourists, with only park personnel and a few day visitors remaining. Flurries were in the air as Wally stood outside, unfazed by the cold wearing only a long sleeve T-Shirt while everyone around him were bundled up. His bags stood packed, all his belongings stowed away, waiting for Lauren and Amelia on the train platform. The goodbyes had been brief but emotional. He had been a gust of wind sweeping back into their lives after so many years apart. They had been a safe harbor for him, a loving place for him to stay without judgment or criticism. Lauren hated to see him go, hated to watch Amelia see another man walk out of her young life, but she knew it had to be this way. There was no way a man like Wally West could stay motionless. He promised the Adams he would not be a stranger. He told them anytime they needed help he'd be there in a flash. They all groaned at his pun, but that was Wally in a nutshell. He had the oddest grin on his face the whole time he was hugging Lauren goodbye.

With tears running down her cheek she squeezed Wally hard. "You better come back this way Wally. I'm serious. Don't wait for another earth ending event to make it back out here. I want to meet this girl someday. She better be worth it."

Wally kindly smiled. "She is. You remind me of her. A fiery pain in the ass who never lets me get away with anything."

"I like her already," she said grinning.

"So what's next for Kid Flash?"

"Well I'm not sure about him, but Wally West is going back to school."

"Stanford?" she asked?

"Not sure. At this point Auto Diesel College sounds pretty good, but I'm going back somewhere."

"Alone?"

"Not sure yet. One day at a time."

"What about you Lauren?"

"Oh you know me Wally. I'm a small town western girl. This place has become my home I guess. Maybe Amelia and I can come visit you in Central sometime."

"You have an open invitation. You can stay with my folks, they'd love that. I would to. My folks would really love her," he said knelling down to the pouty little girl with a scowl on her face.

"I'm going to miss you squirt, don't grow up on me too fast ok?"

"Ok," she blushed. "Why can't you stay Wally? We'd have lots of fun."

There was small part of him that wished he could, He longed for the anonymity, the simple life, away from the earth shaking global events, from criminal masterminds and their schemes, but that was never the plan. His life out here had been a rest stop, Wally still had miles to go on his unending journey, but he would be back this way again, sooner than later.

"I know we would squirt, but I'll see you soon enough, I promise."

Lauren needed to rip the band aid off, it was getting too hard. "Go on get out of here. I hate long goodbyes. And why in the hell do you keep smiling?"

"Because I can," he said. Wally kissed her on the check, loaded his bags onto the train and sat down inside. Amelia waved and Wally made faces at her through the window. Initially had had intended to make his way back East on foot, but given the chance to sit and reflect over the last months, and the ones ahead appealed to him, gave him the proper feeling of closure he wanted. This was a chapter in his life he never wanted to forget, the good pages and the bad ones as well.

The girls remained on the platform until the train was out of sight.

Lauren drove back to the cabin she shared with her father. She was sad, but kept a positive demeanor for her daughter. She would miss him, his laugh, his enthusiasm, his nerdiness, and all the things that made him unique. She would never forget the day Kid Flash saved her father and the park, but in the end he would always be Wally West to her.

Amelia sat in front of the television while Lauren went back to her bedroom to lay down. She removed her shoes, wiped her eyes, and flopped on top of her bed, hearing something rustle under her pillow. It was a packet.

She looked at it curiously. The thick yellow folder had a large W embroidered on the outside.

She carefully opened it and the first thing she retrieved was a hand written letter from Wally.

Lauren,

If you are reading this, it means I have died. Weep not for me Spock….ok sorry, I always loved that Star Trek episode. Time to be serious now. I can't remember the last time I sat down and wrote you a real letter, you know like the ones we would send after summer vacations. We always did a pretty good job until around October then school and friends and life took back over, but I always looked forward to running out to the mailbox to check and see if you wrote.

I just wanted you to know how special you and your family are to me. I would never have made it if it weren't for you guys. That is no exaggeration. I mean it form the bottom of my heart, you all accepted me when no one else would, and I will never ever forget that. You come by that naturally; you're your mom made over.

Since your dad blabbed about my alter ego, I realize there really are no secrets in your family. During a "guy talk" session with your pop he told me in confidence that there was a certain lady friend in town he has had his eye on, but was worried how you would feel about it. Also during one of our 'life can suck it- bitch sessions,' you remarked to me on more than one occasion that you wish your dad would go out and meet someone. Man you two should really talk to each other instead of sharing West family secrets. Anywhooo… without actually saying the words, he hinted at living with his daughter and granddaughter was kind of cramping his style. So saying….It might be time for you to put on your big girl panties and get a place of your own.

If you will read carefully through the packet, it has some ideas for affordable housing for single parents; the only drawback is it's a bit of a drive.

I love you guys lots, and I promise I will stay in touch. You are my oldest and dearest friend, I'm sorry it took me this long to remember it. By the way, just so you know I did have a crush on you back in the day and I wasn't scared to go skinny dipping, I had a cold. Don't go changing

Love,

Wally

P.S. I am like in Gotham all the time, have a good friend who has a place in the city. Chow

Lauren laughed out loud at his goofy humor. So Wally. She flipped to the second page and the first thing she noticed was the letterhead of Wayne Enterprises. That's when her breathing troubles began. The room started spinning slightly and she became a bit lightheaded. She was having trouble focusing on the letter. Phrases like Wayne Foundation Scholarship Fund, Gotham University, On -campus single parent housing, Childcare available, raced in and out of her mind. The remaining package included an admission packet, health forms for her and Amelia, local elementary schools with top ratings, a report date to arrive in Gotham City in six weeks, and even vouchers for train tickets and travel expenses.

She screamed in delight, which sent Amelia scrambling to her room to check on her.

"What's wrong Mommy?" the young girl worriedly asked her mom, seeing the tears rolling down her parent's face.

Amelia reached over and grabbed a Kleenex and wiped her mother's eyes.

"Nothing honey. Everything is fine. Perfect actually."

"Do you miss Wally?"

Lauren laughed. "Yeah I do, but I think we will be seeing him soon enough. Honey go get your coat on and meet me in the trunk, we're going to town. I need to get some moving boxes."

"Why mommy?"

"Baby we're going to college!"

Dick sat in the nosebleed section of the big top. It was always his opinion that paying customers deserved the good seats, a golden rule stemming back from his days with Jack Haley. It was opening night and the place was packed. On the bright side, being up so high would give him a chance to get a bird's eye view of his two protégé acrobats. He had watched their routines for days now and knew they were going to blow this crowd away. He sat with a big box of popcorn and waited for Schmidt to come out to begin the festivities.

The ringmaster soon appeared under the spotlight and welcomed everyone. He took a moment to thank all of his performers and staff for their hard work and preparation. Then Wilhelm asked for a moment of silence as the crowd died down.

"I'd like to welcome our special guests this evening. Five extraordinary young girls who are about the bravest young ladies I have had the pleasure to ever spend time with. Please welcome out guests."

The spotlight moved off to the side of the grandstand. There in the middle of the beaming light stood the former abductees and their families. They would spend the next two nights in the VIP section of the grandstands and backstage passes throughout the show.

Dick smiled broadly. He could hardly remember a time when he had felt so light hearted. This was a new beginning not just for them, but for himself too.

He took a big bite of popcorn when his phone went off. He glanced down and read the text.

"It's time."

He smiled. Dick reached his hand back and felt the delicate fingers entwine with his.

"How'd you know?" Zatanna asked.

"I'm a detective remember? Plus I've been using some of the most cutting edge tech out there to cover my tracks and yet," he held up his phone, "Someone always kept finding me. As much as Wally would hate to hear me say it, sometimes magic trumps science."

"You talk too much boy wonder," and their lips met. She was so warm, so real. He wanted to stay like this forever.

"Bruce has a jet waiting for us in Munich, we need to be there their first thing in the morning."

"Do I have any say in this?" he grinned.

"Nope," she whispered, kissing him lightly on the cheek and settling down in the seat beside him.

"Well since you're already here, sit back, relax and get ready for the greatest show on earth."

"Don't mind if I do," she answered snuggling up to her hero. "Is this how you remember it?"

"Nope, better," he smiled.

"I'm hungry." Z said, leaning back in her chair in a manner that clearly stated she wasn't getting up. "Go buy me some cotton candy and a hot dog."

"I just sat down," he playfully protested. "Have some of my popcorn instead."

"I don't want popcorn, plus you need a refill."

"No I don't. I just…"

"Nrocpop raeppasid."

Dick didn't even have to look down. He sighed with a defeated grin on his face and began the long trek down the stairs to the concessions.

"And a candle apple!" he heard from behind him, never turning back but raising his hand in acknowledgement.

At the concession stand after a few minutes in line, he finally made it to the counter and made his order. He paid and walked away to the condiment station searching for napkins when he bumped into a small girl trying to balance her circus treasures she had acquired. One fell to the ground and Dick reached down and picked it up and handed it back to her when their eyes locked. The elder girl who protected her fellow abductees stared back at her in wide eyed disbelief. Her eyes and mouth opened wide when Dick smiled at her and put his fingers over his lips, in a silent hush request.

She smiled broadly and he winked back.

"Enjoy the show," he whispered

"I will," she grinned, "and thank you."

"No thank you. You saved me too," he replied and walked off leaving the young girl curios as to why he would say such a thing. Dick got to the bottom of the stairs to begin the climb back up and turned to see the girl still standing there smiling at him. He cheerfully made his way up, not being able to remember how long it had been since he'd felt this good. It was time.

Weeks later inside the Starlight Diner in East Gotham, two figures sat at a table, one eating his meal slowly, savoring every bite, the other eating three times the amount at three times the speed. The nervous waitress had to go back to the kitchen to look up the steps to administer the Heimlich maneuver if it had become necessary.

They had not made the sixth month rendezvous date that they agreed upon, but both agreed better late than never. The men were laughing, throwing insults and sarcastic retorts back and forth. The waitress assumed them to be two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a while, she had no idea how right she was.

Stories of adventures, fires, circus lives, waterfalls, trapezes. black bears, German food. Everything under sun they two had seen or done. Only the positive memories this time, nothing dark from their past ever being mentioned. There was no need to revisit them. No more looking back, it was time to move forward.

They were notified to report to the Hall of Justice at 6:00 pm sharp. At ten minutes past 10:00 pm they were nowhere near ready to leave, having way too much fun. They League would have to wait, this was their moment. This was where the friendship had begun, this is where it continued.

Dick laughed at some stupid remark Wally had made, slowly eating his onion rings, not touching the second basket he had ordered, clearly nearing his limit.

"Uh dude you going to eat those?" referring to the untouched second order.

"Nah, there yours, that's why I ordered them, It was the only way to keep my burger safe, plus isn't that's what best pals are for?"

Wally smiled; fist pumped his partner, and moved the second order in front of him.

Across the street, two silent figures observed the men eat their meal, carefully making their way towards the diner, preparing their plan.

At the large window at the front of the establishment, Artemis Crock and Zatanna Zatarra stood unnoticed by the two friends in heated conversation over the upcoming Gotham - Central City double header a few days from now. The girls just smiled at each other. Both were wearing heavy wool trench coats and nicely knitted hats to battle the bitter Gotham winter. Artemis' long blond hair flowed freely out the hat, courtesy of a small spell from a good friend, a striking difference from the nearly shaven head she had sported weeks ago.

The two men so intently in debate didn't notice the women standing outside, until a light rap on the window drew their attention. The girls grinned and opened their jackets in a mock flashing gesture, which caused all four to erupt into laughter. The two heroines made their way inside and sat next to their boyfriends. Artemis crawled into Wally's body, resting her head on his shoulder, while Z and Dick locked fingers and eyes. The archer without any permission reached to the table and took one of Wally's two milkshakes and began drinking it without the slightest protest from the speedster, a sure sign of true love in Nightwing's book. Wally kissed her head and drew her even closer to him then physics should have allowed. The four sat for another half hour reminiscing about the past and their plans for the future. The League could wait.

Shortly after, the foursome made their way towards Sullivan Street where one of three Zeta Stations in Gotham was strategically placed. Dick found it odd that Zatanna had led them to the farthest station from where that had met up, but he was too busy enjoying the reunion to protest.

As they turned onto South 5th Street, a few block down, several figures stood under a street light in deep conversation. Dick and Wally immediately froze as the group silenced themselves and made their way to them. Wally stared at Dick in concern, noting the same apprehension present on his best friends face.

"So where you guys going?" Conner asked.

Dick stepped forward. "Uh..we got the call. The Leagues ready."

"Then I guess we are too," Megan replied stepping up from behind the half Kryptonian. "We're coming with you."

Behind Conner and Megan, coming into the light stood Bart Allen, Lagann, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Roy Harper, and the rest of their teammates.

"Guys you don't have to," Wally protested. "This only concerns Dick and I."

"The hell it does." Roy snapped.

Dick rubbed his hand through his hair, uncertain how to read the situation. "Look, we really appreciate the sentiment, but we need to do this alone."

"Apologies my friends, but you will not." The group parted like the proverbial ocean as Kaldur approached.

"Do you remember the first time we were all together? We forged something powerful, something important. We did good work back then, and we will continue to do so."

Megan added "We're not just a team, we're a….. "

"Family." Bart interrupted.

"And families stick together," Megan finished.

"Where one goes, we all go," Tim exclaimed.

"Were not sidekicks. The League doesn't not tell us what to do. Not anymore" Roy added.

"Will do it better next time," Dick exclaimed looking directly a Wally who nodded back.

"Agreed." Kaldur finished

Artemis took Wally's face in her hands and brought it to hers; kissing him "We'll be here every step of the way"

Conner approached the two and gave them an understanding smile "They're going to get on board or get out of the way. It's that simple."

Dick and Wally nodded to him, grateful for his statement and the sentiment behind it. It was never spoken aloud, never mentioned again, but as they all made their way to the transporter, it had been granted. Forgiveness. What happens next would be anyone's guess, but they would face it together. Today was the day.

Author's Note Updated. Sorry about the false start. A reviewer told me I had way too many typos and it was hard to read. They were right and it was very distracting. I was so ready to publish I should have proofread more. My Bad.

This was a blast to write, it really seemed to do it on its own. I sincerely appreciate everyone who followed, and everyone who reviewed. I know many of you were curious as to what the League was going to do, but sometimes it's best to remain vague and let your imaginations run with it.

There are so many great writers out there, and for you all to waste a little time with me means a lot. I have two pretty interesting (at least I think so) ideas that takes place slightly outside of the continuity, but won't even think about starting them until the rest of the season 2 finishes. Let's hope it rocks and season 3 is green lit. As always there is an Epilogue that may answer a few questions, so I'm not letting you go that easy. R&R and as always hope you enjoy.