A/N: So...I had some Barry/Iris feels. This chapter focus a lot on them, but we will be back to Wally and the Young justice team pretty soon.

Hal Jordan makes a cameo in this because I'm absolutely in love with Kazyre's 'A Flashlight to See in the Dark'. Everyone, please, stop reading this fic and go read hers.

FallenHope-Angel and whatever an author is, thanks so much for your reviews! Chapter 5 was my favorite chapter and I absolutely adored writing it, so it's great to know you enjoyed it as much as I did.

So, remember when I said I'd have a birdflash fic out by the start of last week? Ha. Haha. Ugh, I'm so sorry, I tried, but the thing got out of hand and I have, like 5k written already but it's nowhere near the end and I don't understand how that happened? I think I'll get it ready for birdflash week (19th - 25th) and I plan on getting a lot more stuff done for it! I'm so excited to participate, you have no idea! So please let's all make a prayer circle so that no more adorable plot bunnies turn into big angsty horrible monsters that will take over my life, yeah? Sounds good?

Chapter 6

Barry had changed to his civilian clothes in a dark corner near the house because the Flash couldn't be seen visiting Iris West-Allen or the supervillains might start getting ideas.

The door opens from within the moment he puts his keys on the keyhole. Iris is there and she has been crying. Barry lets go of the package he's carrying and goes to his wife, hugging her dearly. He kisses her mouth and her cheeks and her forehead and it's not only because she needs it, but mostly because he needs it.

"Barry." She stops him, both her hands holding his face, keeping it inches away from hers.

Barry looks away because he can't watch another pair of green eyes, once so bright and full of life, get filled with a sadness they were never supposed to know. It doesn't take any cold guns, or the mind controlling abilities of a gorilla, or time travel assholes to defeat Central City's mightiest hero, it's just the tears in Iris' and Wally's eyes and Barry feels weak and pathetic and helpless all over again.

"Barry, I need to hear it from you, is it true?" She presses. "Did Rudy really..."

The mention of Wally's father makes Barry's blood boil and the answer must have shown on his face because Iris takes a step back.

"No." She shakes her head, backing away from him.

"It's okay, Iris." Someone steadies her when it looks like her knees are about to give in and Barry looks up to see Hal Jordan, in his civvies, the green lantern ring upon his finger, standing there.

"Hal, what are you..."

"I'm sorry, Barry. Iris called me the first time you didn't answer her. She told me Wally was hurt and was so frantic, I promised her I would investigate. I mean, I had to, this was about Wally and I... I've known the kid for years, so I went to the league and made them tell me." He lets go of Iris' shoulders and heads over to his friend. "God, Barry, I'm so sorry, I never could have thought..."

"Me neither." Barry shakes his head and doesn't blame Hal for not looking him in the eye.

"What is going to happen to Rudy, then?" Iris braces herself for the answer.

"Batman was on his way to Keystone with some leaguers to interrogate him, but I haven't heard a thing."

"I'll find out what I can." Hal volunteers and grabs his coat from one of the chairs because pestering Batman until he tells him everything is finallysomething he can do to help. "I'll call you tonight, man."

Barry nods and takes him to the door.

"You know I'm here for the both of you, right? And for Wally, I love the kid." Hal touches his shoulder and pauses, suddenly unsure of what to say. "But... Uh, he's okay, right?"

Barry's guilt for not calling Iris before to tell her how Wally was doing now takes a whole new proportion because he should have called Hal too. He had been friends with the pilot for years and Hal spent a lot of time with Wally, helping the kid when Barry or Iris were busy or at work, or actually not being any help at all; teaching Wally how to flirt, or taking him to eat ice cream right before dinner because, Chill, Barry, the Kid's stomach knows no bounds, he'll still eat all the horrible healthy things you want him too,or buying him Green Lantern's toys and having heated and serious arguments with the twelve years old about GL being better than the Flash and then having heated and serious argument with Barry himself over the kid needing more awesome superheroes role models.

"He will be." Barry rests his hands on top of his friend's and tries to smile. "Don't worry.

"I'll leave the worrying to the boring uncle, as always, since I'm the cool one. You let me know when the Kid's well enough and I'll take him ice-creaming, like the old days."

"Will do." Iris says and comes closer. "Thanks, for staying with me and for everything, really." Hal's a part of the family already.

Hal gives her a quick hug and then turns to Barry.

"Hey, just don't beat yourself up, man. Wally'll be back to being the hyperactive reckless kid we all love so much in, like, a flash."

"Ha." The smile on Barry face grows. "You're funny."

"I am." Hal shrugs and, for a moment, everything's okay again. "I'll call with news."

Barry nods and watches him go. He lets out a tired sigh and closes the door. When he looks over to Iris, she's pacing back and forth in the living room.

"Maybe they'll talk to him and realize it's... Look, Wonder Woman can use her lasso to prove it's not true! Maybe Psimon manufactured those memories to mess with Wally's head, to mess with all our heads and... and break this family apart!" She stops to look at him and there's hope shining in her eyes and falling down her cheeks alongside her tears.

"Iris." Barry hugs her, hating himself for what he's about to say. "Iris, it's true. Rudolph will be subjected to a lasso test and to a memory swap by J'ohn, but I know what they'll find. Honey, do you remember how quiet Wally was when he first met me? You told me yourself you found it odd because he used to be such a hyperactive toddler. God, do you remember the bruises? The ones he got from soccer, from running and getting into fights at school?" He almost scoffs because the signs were staring them both right in the face, it was all so obvious and they still refused to see them. "Do you remember when Wally moved in with us? Rudy never called and Wally was always so happy, all the time...

"Oh, God." Iris takes both her hands to her face and mentally goes through every single memory she had of Wally from before he came to live with her and Barry. She missed all the evidence once, she won't let herself miss it twice. "Abuse... but Wally... He never said anything. I was there, Barry, I've always been there and I could have stopped it. I would have stopped it! I would have done anything..." Her voice breaks. "Why didn't he tell me?"

Barry holds her while she sobs.

"Because it wasn't a big deal." He says and she flinches away.

"What?"

"That's what he told me today, Iris. He thinks he deserved it and he doesn't want to bother either of us with it. I tried to comfort him back at Mt Justice and the kid ended up comforting me!" He laughs because if he doesn't he might start to cry again and he can't do that to his wife.

Barry gestures for her to seat and begins telling her all about his conversation with Wally. Iris' face is pained and, when, he finally falls silent, she asks:

"Why doesn't he want to go home to us, Barry?" She looks away. "Is he afraid... Does he think we would..."

"No!" Barry reacts quickly. Wally had flinched away from him when he had unconsciously yelled, back at Mt. Justice, but it was just a reflex. Wally knew better, he knew that Barry and Iris loved him as their own son, he knew they would never... He had to know. "No, it's nothing like that, he just doesn't want to upset me or to see you cry." Barry finishes with a long-suffering sigh and sits on the chair next to her.

"Then I won't cry." Iris takes a deep breath, and then says, her eyes shining with a newly found determination and Barry feels himself falling in love with this woman all over again. "I said I'd do anything for him and that includes not crying." It's the same look she had on her face when The Flash first met her and asked why she didn't run away to safety during his fight with Captain Cold and she just smiled, checking her camera, and said"And miss my scoop?" Are you crazy?"It's the same look she had on her face when Barry found her after being made hostage in that museum by Professor Zoom. Barry had never been so scared in all his life, but when he finally got to her, she smiled at him, lifted his mask just enough to kiss him and said "Honey, you're late. Again."in the same tone of voice she used to say things like "I'm married to the fastest man alive and still he can't make it to dinner on time."

He lets himself get lost in the memories and, when he comes to his senses, he's on his knees in front of her, cupping her face on his hands and kissing her.

"I love you so much." He says when they finally break apart. The kiss took her by surprise, but she lets herself enjoy the moment even after it's over, keeping her eyes closed and her lips parted.

"I love you too." She calls him, quietly, when they move away from each other, and she re-opens her eyes. " And I'm dying to hear your explanation for being late again."

"What?" Barry blinks back at her.

"You said you would arrive in ten and you did, but I've seen you run home from mt justice and take six minutes, tops. When you're the fastest man alive, you can do a lot in four minutes. " She points to the package he dropped near the door when he came in.

"It's stupid." He sighs and looks away.

"Tell me." She asks, gently.

"Do you remember Wally's seventh birthday? I got him a science kit and he was over the moon, he kept calling me to talk about the experiments he had done and..." He swallows, hard, and takes a deep breath, before continuing. "And then Rudy broke it. He broke it in front of Wally, he yelled that he wasn't gonna allow his son to become a scientist and that he was gonna be something useful like a doctor or a lawyer, instead."

Iris holds his hands harder and just waits until her husband's ready to tell more.

"Later Rudy told me that it was Wally who broke it. He asked me not to buy him another one to teach him a lesson about being responsible and I just... I knew something was off, there. I knew Wally wouldn't be so careless with the science kit like Rudolph was implying, I mean, I saw how much the kid loved and cared for it. It was the closest I got to realizing what was going on, but in the end I just... I let it go, I dismissed it as nothing. I chose to believe Rudy and I never bought Wally another kit. I could have. I should have." He groans, angry at himself. "So I... I kind did."

"You just bought him a new science kit." Iris finally understands and motions to the package.

"Yes and it's stupid." Barry groans again. "I mean, he's not seven anymore, he's sixteen and he's outgrown these stupid experiments. He has lab classes at school, why would he need a child's science kit? I knew I'd regret buying it the moment I did it, but I couldn't help myself. I want Wally to be happy again, I want to make him as happy as the day I gave him the kit and it's stupid because he's not a child anymore, but I don't know what else to do..."

"Barry..." She cuts him off with a soft kiss on the lips. "I think he's going to love it. "No, scratch that, I knowhe's going to love it. I don't think it's stupid, I think it's perfect."

Barry takes another deep breath and her perfume comforts him, like it always did, like it always will. Iris is one of the strongest people he has ever met. She can do anything she sets her mind on. And, for her, for his family, he can too, do anything.

"You're my family. You and Wally, Iris, he's our kid, he's always been our kid, even before we knew... He's ours."

"He is." She lifts her husband's hand to her lips, kissing softly his knuckles. "And we're going to make it right."

Together they can do everything, including be okay.