The day of the trial came. Wally was honestly terrified. Aunt Iris said everything would be fine; all he had to do was sit by the judge and tell the jury what he knew. He'd get asked some questions, and then they could go home. The one problem was his dad was going to be there. He hadn't seen him in over a month and he wouldn't be allowed to talk to him until after the trial was over.
All four of the thieves had turned on each other after they were arrested in hopes of getting lighter sentences. Wally knew since his dad had been the one to pull the trigger, he'd most likely get the most time, but the others hadn't done anything to stop it and hadn't done anything after- wards, so they were complicit in the murder.
Wally stood by the front door, waiting for Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris. When they came downstairs they were both dressed nicely. He had to be in his best clothes, too. He didn't much like it. He was uncomfortable. His burns hurt, and he was nervous. Not a fun combo.
Uncle Barry said he and Aunt Iris would take him out to Jay's and Joan's farm, just outside of Central City after they were done at the court house. Wally would be able to run as much and as fast as he wanted. He hadn't had a chance to try his powers other than when he was in the hospital which didn't really count.
"You ready to go, Buddy?" Uncle Barry asked. He had the car keys in one hand.
"Yes," Wally said shortly. He wanted to go hide in his room and not come out for a month, but that wasn't really an option.
They went outside and got in the car. The ride to the court house was silent. Wally knew his aunt was upset and didn't want to talk about it. He understood how she felt. He didn't want to talk about it either, but the difference was he had to talk about it.
They walked up to the court house. It was so big and intimidating. The three of them walked into the courtroom. Uncle Barry led the way to some seats near the front of the room. Other people were gathering in the room as well. Wally knew the people on the other side of the room were the family of the man who had been killed. He didn't want to think about them, but what he said would help put his dad away. Maybe then they wouldn't hate him.
Then Wally saw his dad. He was led into the room by a guard, and there was a woman in a business suit next to him. They sat down at one of the desks that faced where the judge would be sitting. Wally didn't know what to think or how to feel. He wanted to get out of that room and get as far away as he could, and yet he wanted to see his dad and talk to him.
"All please rise for the Honorable Judge Miller," a man who was standing by the judge's desk said shortly.
Everyone got to their feet as the judge walked into the room from a door at the front of the room and sat down. Everyone sat down again. After that Wally got a little confused as to what was going on. A man at the desk on the other side of the room was telling the jury everything his dad had done wrong and the woman who was sitting with his dad was trying to make it not sound so bad. Not that that was really working.
After a while of this the man or the prosecutor called Wallace West came to the stand as a witness. Wally saw his dad turn to look at him, but he didn't look back. He didn't want to think about what he was going to have to say. It would make his dad look like a cold blooded killer, but he was, wasn't he?
Wally went up to the seat by the judge. He knew everyone in the large room was looking at him. It made him feel so small and vulnerable. The jury was watching him like hawks, and so were the victim's family, his dad and everyone else. To think he had hated to have his class all looking at him. What he wouldn't give to be back in Ms. Kats' class room with every kid in class staring at him because there were holes in his clothes or shoes?
The man, who told everyone to stand up, brought out a Bible and Wally had to put his right hand on it and raise his other.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing, but the truth?" the man asked shortly.
"Yes," Wally said. He wanted to run out of that room and not stop running until he was home, where he was safe and no one made him scared.
The man took the Bible away, and Wally sat down. The prosecutor came up to the little box-like space Wally was sitting at.
"Wallace, you know how important it is to tell the truth, don't you?" the man asked.
"Yes," Wally answered. He was ten not two, and he knew the difference. He guessed he was going to be treated like he was an idiot the whole time he was there, so he might as well get used to it.
"Can you tell me how you found out that your dad killed Mr. Boyd?"
Before Wally could answer his dad's lawyer jumped to her feet. "Objection. Mr. Cartwright is implying that my client murdered Mr. Boyd. We are here to figure that out," she said shortly. Wally had heard Mr. Cartwright call her Mrs. Roger.
"Sustained," the judge answered.
Wally had no idea what he was supposed to say. He didn't get a chance to try to figure it out, because Mr. Cartwright asked him another question.
"Why don't you just start at the beginning and tell us what happened?"
Wally mouth was dry as he began. "We didn't have any money, so Dad started stealing. He told me not to tell anyone."
"How long was this going on before your father was arrested?" Cartwright asked.
"A few months. The last day of school I heard about the murder when my aunt and uncle came to visit. Dad had been out that night. After they left I asked Dad if he killed the store clerk and he said he had," Wally said. He glanced at his dad for a second before looking away. There was no emotion on his father's face.
"Did you believe him?" Cartwright asked.
"Yes," Wally said. He wished he didn't sound as scared as he felt.
"Did he seem upset or sad that he said he had killed someone?"
"Objection," Mrs. Roger snapped. "Mr. Cartwright is trying to use the witness's perception of the situation to sway the jury. His age has to be taken into consideration. A child could easily misunderstand what was being said."
Wally gave her a dirty look. Of course he knew what had been going on. He was on the verge of telling her that, when Uncle Barry caught his eyes and gave a slight shake of his head. He didn't want Wally to say anything to the woman that was rude.
"Overruled," the judge said in the same monotone. "Proceed, Mr. Cartwright."
"Thank you, Judge. Wallace?"
"He wasn't sad at all. He didn't seem like he cared until I got upset. I asked him if he wore gloves, and if the gun was his. He said that he had, and that the gun wasn't his," Wally said.
"What happened after that?" Cartwright asked.
Wally shrugged. "Nothing. Dad went out with Max, Mark and Frank that night, and he got home around three in the morning."
"Thank you, Wallace," Mr. Cartwright said. "Can you tell me about the night your dad was arrested?'
Wally wanted to go back to his aunt and uncle, but he couldn't leave his seat until he was told he could. He nodded. "Dad, Max, Frank and Mark came running in around one. They were all mad. Dad told me to go upstairs. I could hear them all shouting at each other, and then I heard the police sirens. Then Dad came upstairs and told the others they weren't using me as a hostage. Max started telling Dad that everything would be fine, and they weren't really going to hurt me. Dad still wouldn't agree. So Max told Dad that if he was arrested I would be put in foster care. Dad told me that he couldn't let the police take me away from him. After that Frank's phone started ringing. It was Captain Bromell. Max told him that if he and his men didn't back off they were going to kill me. Max made me tell the Captain that I was okay. We all went downstairs. A little while after that the Flash came and knocked out my dad and the others. He took me out to Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry, and we went to the police station. I told a detective what had happened-that Dad, Mark, Frank and Max were stealing and that Dad killed someone."
"Did you believe your dad would have hurt you if Flash hadn't saved you?" Mr. Cartwright asked.
"No, but I think Max would have tried," Wally answered.
"Don't you think your dad would have protected you?"
Wally could see that Mrs. Roger was about to object so he answered before she could. "Dad wouldn't have let Max kill me," he said shortly.
"Thank you, Wallace," Mr. Cartwright said and went back to his seat.
Mrs. Roger got up and walked up to Wally. She was most likely a nice person, but Wally didn't like her very much.
"Wallace, did anyone tell you what to say today?" Mrs. Roger asked.
"Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry just said to tell the truth," Wally answered.
"I understand you were in an accident last week."
Wally didn't know if this was a question or a statement, so he answered as best he could. "Yes, I was struck by lightning." He ignored the surprised looks he was getting from the jury. Didn't they have anything better to do than gawk at him?
"Have you been having trouble remembering things since then?" Roger asked.
"Objection," Cartwright interjected. "The witness is in no position to assess his own health."
"Sustained," Judge Miller said.
Wally was starting to get annoyed with all this. He knew what his health was; he'd had people at the hospital telling him all the time how great it was that he was almost completely unhurt, but there wasn't anything he could do. From the look on Mrs. Roger's face he wasn't the only one who was annoyed.
"What time did your dad leave the house on the night of Mr. Boyd's death?" Hopefully this kid would mess up on the timeline, but she didn't really think he would. She knew as well as anyone that Rudolph West was guilty, but she had to defend him whether she liked it or not.
"As soon as it got dark, around seven, I think," Wally answered. He hadn't paid much attention at the time.
"And what time would you say he got back?"
"Two," Wally answered. He remembered because his dad usually wasn't back that early.
"And how do you know that? Did you hear him come in?"
"I was up waiting for him. I always waited for him," Wally answered.
"Did he say anything at the time that made you think something had gone wrong?" Mrs. Roger asked.
"No. He just told me hello and to go to bed," Wally answered.
"You said you think Max would have killed you. How do you know Max wasn't the one who shot Mr. Boyd, and your father blamed himself and that's why he told you he killed someone?" Mrs. Roger asked.
"Dad said he did it. He wouldn't have said that unless he had. Dad wouldn't hurt me, but I don't think he'd mind hurting someone else," Wally answered. He caught a glimpse of his dad's face, and he knew he'd spoken the truth. Rudolph wouldn't dream of hurting one hair on his son's head, but he didn't much care about anyone else.
"That's all," Mrs. Roger said shortly, turning away.
Wally looked over at Miller, asking if he could go. The judge gave a little nod, and Wally quickly went back to his seat. Aunt Iris squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Uncle Barry smiled kindly.
"You did well," Barry whispered. He wished his nephew hadn't had to go through that, but what Wally said had made an impression on the jury. Barry had watched them. They didn't like Rudolph's lawyer, and they felt sorry for the family of Mr. Boyd and for Wally. The evidence against Rudolph was almost impossible to deny. He had means, motive, and opportunity. Add that to Wally's testimony, and it was a pretty clear case. Barry didn't understand why Rudolph hadn't pled guilty to save himself and Wally the pain of going through this.
The trial seemed to go on and on. Barry was starting to think about moving their visit to Jay and Joan to the next day. He'd ask Iris after they got out of here if she just wanted to pick up something for supper and head home. Plus he didn't think Wally would want to go meet anyone at the moment.
Wally glanced over at Mr. Boyd's family. He wanted to tell them how sorry he was. If he had only told someone, Mr. Boyd would be alive. But it wasn't his fault. Wally had to keep telling himself that. It was his dad's fault.
It was almost four by the time the prosecution and the defense finished making their opposing arguments. The trial would pick back up tomorrow. Wally didn't want to go through that again, but maybe by then the jury would have reached a decision.
Everyone slowly filed out of the courtroom. Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris were walking down the hall to the front door, but Wally stopped by the doorway. A woman stepped out of the room. Wally stepped up to her.
"Are you Mr. Boyd's mom?" Wally asked. She was an older lady, with a mass of gray hair piled on top of her head. The man Wally assumed to be her husband was next to her. They both looked heart broken and tired.
"Yes," Mrs. Boyd answered shortly. Her voice was strained and overwhelmed.
"I'm sorry for what my daddy did," Wally said, looking at the floor. He knew he should have just followed his aunt and uncle, but he wanted Mr. Boyd's family to know that he was really sorry. He wished he could have done something to stop Mr. Boyd from being killed.
Mrs. Boyd and Mr. Boyd only looked down at him for a moment before one of them answered.
"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Boyd said softy. "I thought my family and I were the only ones to suffer at your father's actions, but I see now we aren't alone."
"Thank you for what you said. That couldn't have been easy," Mr. Boyd said. He took his wife's arm, and they walked away.
Wally quickly caught up to his aunt and uncle. He reached them in time to hear they had decided to go Jay's and Joan's farm for a little while. They got in the car and drove out of the parking lot.
"Where did you go?" Iris asked. She had seen Wally hanging back, but she assumed he had wanted some space. She wanted some herself. It would be nice to walk around the farm and to talk to Joan and to forget about the trial for a while.
"I stopped to talk to Mr. Boyd's parents," Wally answered. He watched the trees and houses go by. He would have liked to just go home, but Uncle Barry really wanted him to meet Jay and Joan. They sound like nice people, and Wally didn't think they would care that his dad was on trial for murder.
"Really?" Iris asked. Crap. What had Wally said? More importantly what had they said to Wally? She knew that people could be spiteful and in this situation it was understandable, but she didn't want Wally to get more hurt because he'd gone and talked to a grieving family.
"What did they say?" Barry asked. He shouldn't have let Wally stay behind, or he should have seen what he was up to. He should have known it was something like this.
Wally told them what the couple had said. That had made him feel somewhat better. They had understood and didn't hate him. He thought he could understand what they were going through. He was losing someone he cared about, but they had lost their son in a different way.
It wasn't hard to guess what the jury would decide. Wally's dad was going to prison. It was just a question of how long. Wally didn't really want to think about right now. How ever long it was didn't matter. Things would never be the way they used to be and part of Wally was okay with that. He had never been as happy at his old home as he was with his aunt and uncle. He looked forward to them all being at home, together. He didn't feel like he had to go hide in his room or that he was in the way.
Uncle Barry pulled onto the dusty road. Wally could see a big red barn a little way up the road. As they got closer a house came into view. The whole place looked like something in a book. The house was painted white and had deep green shutters on every one of the many windows. There were a few rocking chairs on the long front porch. There was a picket fence that ran around the house, and there was a small flower garden just inside the fence.
Barry parked the car. He had always loved to go out to the Garrick's farm. It was so quiet and peaceful, and Jay and Joan were always glad to see Iris and him. He was sure they would love Wally. Barry had wanted them to meet him sooner, but they couldn't work out a time that worked for both of the couples until now.
Barry got out of the car just as Joan came out of the house. She smiled and waved them into the house and then quickly disappeared back inside. They walked up the porch steeps and Iris opened the door.
"I'm in here," Joan called. She was in the kitchen.
Wally followed his aunt and uncle to the other room. He had heard about Mr. and Mrs. Garrick. Mr. Garrick was his uncle's mentor as well as the first Flash. The farm house was full of the smell of something baking. Wally thought it was some kind of cake or bread.
Mrs. Garrick was just pulling a cake pan out of the oven when they walked in.
"Hello," she said warmly. "Sorry I didn't stay outside to greet you, but I didn't want to burn the cake. Jay doesn't much like burnt food."
"It's fine, Joan," Iris said. "I understand. Whenever I burn something or spill on the stove, Barry walks in and asks what's burning, as if I burn the food every time I cook."
"Just making sure the house isn't on fire," Barry laughed.
Iris rolled her eyes. Barry was trying to get her to forget about how bad today was. "Joan, this is Wally," she said gesturing to her nephew, who was standing in the doorway.
Wally came forward and shook Joan's hand politely. "Hello."
"Hello, Wally. It's good to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," Mr. Garrick said.
Wally cringed. Anyone who watched the news knew about him and had an opinion of him and his family before they even talked to him.
"Your uncle tells me you love science," Mrs. Garrick said.
"Yes, ma'am," Wally nodded.
Mrs. Garrick laughed. "Just call me Joan, dear."
There was the sound of a door opening and closing again.
"Hello?" a man's voice called. Wally could hear heavy work boots walking through the house.
"We're in the kitchen," Joan answered.
Jay walked in. He was in his early seventies, but that didn't stop him from keeping his farm going. After Barry had taken over the role of Flash, Jay had moved to the country and bought his dream home. He and Joan were happy to be out of the city. It was quiet and homey away from the hustle and bustle of Central.
Jay shook Barry's hand and gave Iris a hug before turning to Wally. "So this is the newest member of the family." By 'family' he meant family of superheroes. Iris had told Joan what had happened and Joan had told him. Jay was sorry for Wally. The kid couldn't very well have a normal life now, but part of him was relieved. Barry would need some back up, and when the kid got older he'd be there to make sure no idiot took a shot at Flash and got lucky.
"Hi," Wally said. He was a little more comfortable now. They both seemed very nice, and Mr. Garrick was the first Flash, which was really cool.
"It's good to meet you," Jay said and turned to Barry. "Why don't we head out and let the ladies talk," he grinned. Jay doubted his wife and Iris would even notice they had gone out. They were already talking, about what he had no idea since they seemed to jump from topic to topic faster than even a former speedster could keep up with.
A little while later Wally found himself in a large field. He was kind of scared to test out his powers, and to top that off with was the fact he didn't really want to do anything at the moment other than be left alone. Everything that had been said in the trial was ringing in his ears.
"Okay, Wally. Just start running," Uncle Barry said looking down at Wally.
Wally nodded. He took off at a normal speed, but seconds later he was shooting across the field like an arrow. He couldn't believe how fast he was going. The trees seemed to blend into the ground. Everything else was moving so slowly. A bird in front of him looked as if it would fall out of the sky because it wasn't flapping its wings. It finally did move, but it was so slow Wally could see every detail. He was past the bird and now came a small problem. How was he supposed to stop? If he just planted his feet, he would go flying. He tried to slow down gradually, but he tripped over his own feet and went head over heels. He ended up pretty far from where he had tripped, lying in the ground and covered in dirt.
He sat up. His uncle and Jay were little specks on the other side of the property. Uncle Barry was already headed his way. He ran like a bullet, and he didn't have any trouble stopping.
"Are you okay," Uncle Barry asked, helping Wally to his feet.
Wally smiled. "Yep." He hadn't minded that he'd fallen. He'd felt so free while he was running, like nothing could stop him. All that mattered was the next step. Everything else was unimportant except the next few seconds. "How did I do? Other than face planting."
"Good. You can run almost as fast as I can," Barry answered. "As you get a little older you'll get faster, and when you really push yourself, you'll get even faster."
Wally just smiled. He hadn't been this happy since Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris said they wanted to adopt him. To think that this day had started out so horribly. It didn't seem to matter when he compared that with what he could do.
He dusted himself off and ran back across the field with his uncle right next to him. Wally tried again to stop, and he would have gone tumbling the same as before, but Uncle Barry caught him.
"Stopping will get easier the more you practice," Jay said kindly.
A few hours later the three of them walked into the house and were met with Joan ordering them outside because of the dirt that they were all covered in. Aunt Iris brought a blanket out and the five of them had a picnic under the huge oak tree in the front yard. In Wally's opinion it was the best picnic ever. Everything was so perfect, like that was how it had been and how it always would be. This was his family, and he didn't have to worry about how his mom had left, the trial tomorrow or what anyone might think of him or his family. No matter what happened tomorrow, he had a family that loved him and didn't care who his dad was. People could think whatever they wanted; they didn't know how amazing his family was.