A/N: And we've reached the end of this story. This is the last chapter. I've got to say, I've had an absolute blast writing it. And all of your support has been incredible. You guys have no idea how much it makes my day whenever I get a new review, or somebody favorites or follows the story. Seriously, guys, thank you.

The first and only time Wally had ever been to a funeral had been when he was five years old. His grandfather on his father's side had been the one to die. He only had vague impressions of memories of the funeral. The one thing that Wally remembered clearly from that day was that he had been kinda bored, a little confused, and very uncomfortable.

Wally hadn't known his grandfather all that well, and he had been so young at the time. He understood that his grandfather was gone, and that he wouldn't be coming back. He knew that this was sad, and that everybody there, his parents, his Aunt Iris and Barry, who had just been her boyfriend at the time, and a ton of people that Wally didn't know, were really upset because they would miss him.

Even at that age Wally understood all this. The only thing he didn't get was why he didn't feel anything. At the time, and for years afterwards, Wally wondered if there was something wrong with him. His grandfather was gone, and he felt nothing. Sure, Wally kinda missed him, but more like how he missed his aunt and uncle when it had been a few weeks since he had seen them.

Wally had felt guilty about this for years. This guilt just got worse whenever he ran into somebody at school who was grieving a deceased relative, because he couldn't really empathize with how they were feeling.

It wasn't until Wally was twenty three years old did he have to go to another funeral, and it was probably the worst experience in his life. Worse than the time he had been struck by lightning. Worse than all of those countless nights where he lived in fear and pain because of his father's abuse. Those had been bad times, but Wally had always had people there to support him and bring him up.

But now, one of those people was gone, and he just wasn't going to come back. Ever.

Barry Allen was dead.

Wally still had a hard time believing it. His uncle had been his hero for years, and had been for far longer than he had known that the man was the Flash. Ever since Wally was a little kid he had always considered Barry to be his favorite relative, even before he had married Iris. It felt like Wally had always had Uncle Barry around when he needed him, and now he was just...gone.

It was really hard to be at his uncle's funeral. Wally would give anything to be able to feel like he had at his grandfather's funeral. It had been an uncomfortable feeling, that was for sure, but it was better than this numbing pain that made him feel completely empty inside.

Wally also couldn't help but feel like most everybody who was at the funeral somehow didn't have the right to be, which was ridiculous. Barry had had a lot of friends, and a lot of people were grieving his death, and Wally knew he had no right to dictate just who deserved to be there. It just felt wrong because, as well as all of these people had known Barry Allen, Wally knew that most of them didn't truly know him, because they hadn't known about the secret but still completely vital part of his life.

Wally and Iris were the only ones there who knew that Barry had been the Flash. Barry had loved being a superhero so much, which was why it felt so wrong for Wally to hear all of these stories being told about Barry Allen, but not one of them mentioned his work as the Flash. Wally knew that it was important that his uncle's identity remain a secret, but that didn't make it any easier.

Wally stood numbly as the funeral services went on around him. He stood by Iris' side and didn't interact with anybody else. Wally wanted this whole thing to just end, but at the same time he didn't want to leave. He just felt discontent with everything, and he didn't know how he could feel better again. Nothing Iris said made anything better. Nothing that anybody said made anything better, and Wally just wished that they would all just stop trying...and yet, he also hoped that they wouldn't' leave him alone to deal with this by himself.

Wally just didn't know what he wanted. And he hated it.

After some time that felt both like forever and just a couple of of moments, the services were over. Barry was buried. A couple of people started to go home. Most people lingered, either to pay their further respects to Barry, or offer their condolences to Iris. Wally didn't want to deal with any more sympathy and pity, so he subconsciously began to look for an out. A reason, any reason, to leave.

Wally found his excuse when he looked across the cemetery and saw a group of four people that really shouldn't be there, and Wally couldn't think of any reason why they would be there. Wally found himself torn between being angry that people who he knew didn't care about Barry were there , and being relieved that they were there for him.

Wally had a feeling that he wouldn't make up his mind about how he felt until he knew why they were there, which meant that he would have to talk to them. Wally quickly told his aunt where he would be going and who he would be talking to. She clearly didn't approve, but she didn't try to stop him. Iris knew that Wally had a sort of camaraderie with the city's villains, and she understood that the Rogues were different then all the other super villains. She herself didn't think they were good people, but she had never tried to convince Wally of that, which he greatly appreciated.

Once Wally knew that his aunt wouldn't have to worry about where he had wandered off to, he slowly made his way to the other side of the cemetery. Not all of the Rogues were there, which Wally was actually relieved about. Digger, Mick, and Sam were all absent, they were probably all at a bar or something. Wally liked those guys just fine, but they were all blunt and unapologetic in how they felt, and none of them had been very fond of the Flash, which was understandable, but not exactly the kind of thing that Wally wanted to deal with.

The Rogues that were there though were the ones that either knew Wally best, or had the least personal anger towards the Flash. Lisa had never really cared about any of the heroes, she was only in this whole hero/villain business because she wanted to support her brother. James had probably seen Barry as an unwilling playmate. Hartley hadn't cared either way about the hero, but he did care about Wally. And then there was Len. Now, he did have some personal hatred towards Barry Allen, and yet he was still there. And he knew that Len wasn't there because of his hatred for Barry, but to show support for Wally.

And it was support that Wally really felt like he needed.

"Hey, Kiddo." Len's voice was quiet and, as horrible as Wally felt for even thinking it, more human sounding than he had ever heard from the man. "You holding up okay?"

"Not really." Wally admitted. At his words James let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a sob. James then locked Wally into an embrace so firm and awkward that it almost felt like the blond actually thought that Wally physically couldn't hold himself up. To be fair though, these past few days Wally had felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and had actually wondered a time or two how he could be standing. "I'm glad you guys are here though."

And as sad as it was, that was the truth.

"I'm sorry about your uncle, Wally." Hartley muttered. He sounded awkward and uncomfortable, but Wally knew that he meant it. Hartley wasn't a sentimental person, but if he said anything the least bit emotional, he meant it.

"It's not fair." James muttered angrily. "Flasher was our hero, and some copycat in a yellow suit thinks that he can just-"

"Calm down, Jamesy." Lisa said in a reassuring but still warning kind of way. It wouldn't do any of them any good for James to lose his cool. "We're here for Wally, remember?"

James took in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. "Y-yeah," James said stiffly, forcefully. "For Wally." James tightened his grip on Wally and began to stroke his hair in what he probably thought was a soothing way. It felt incredibly weird, but Wally was too tired and impressed to pull away. James was clearly furious about what had happened to Barry, but he was trying so hard to hold back his anger to be comforting instead. Wally hadn't known James to do anything of the sort ever before. James very rarely remembered that other people had emotions too, and even when he did he had a hard time understanding what they meant.

Wally stayed with James holding on to him for a few minutes. It felt equal parts awkward and comforting, but that was pretty much average when it came to James. Just when things were starting to tilt more to the awkward side of the scale Len stepped in and dragged James away from him.

"Alright, I let you see Wally, now that's enough." Len's tone was firm, but not unkind. "Come on, Jesse, I need to have a few words with Wally."

James pouted, clearly not happy, but he allowed himself to be pulled away. Hartley took a turn to give Wally a reassuring hug before he lead James away. Lisa put a hand on Len's arm. "Be gentle, Lenny." Lisa's tone made it clear that, whatever this conversation was going to be about, she knew exactly what was up. She wasn't entirely happy about it, but she either believed that the conversation was necessary, or she knew that she wouldn't be able to convince Len to back off. Either way, Wally had a bad feeling about it.

"What's going on?" Wally asked.

"Kid, I got something to say, and I know that you won't want to hear it." Len frowned Seriously. "But I need you to listen to me anyways, alright?"

"...Okay?" Wally always did his best to listen to what Len had to say, because it was usually something important, but he felt wary.

Len sighed, a scowl on his face. Whatever it was that he had to say, he didn't want to talk about it either, which just told Wally that it was really important. "Wally, we both know that the city lost a lot more than a forensic scientist when your uncle died." Wally felt his chest tighten up. Yeah, he knew that all too well. But what did this have to do with what Len was talking about? Unless Len was saying that...no.

"Len," Wally said in a low, warning voice. He found himself putting his guard up, even though he didn't have that much evidence to suggest that he actually knew where Len was going with this. But he had an idea, and he didn't want to hear it.

"No, Wally, Listen to me." Len's tone was firm and left no room for argument. "Your uncle loved this city, and he loved protecting it. You think he would want it to be left to itself just because he's not around anymore?"

Len was right. Wally knew that he was right, but he still didn't want to listen. He didn't want to listen to anything that Len had to say, because what did he know about what Barry would have wanted? And even if he did know, which Wally's angry, irrational mind refused to accept, what right did he have to say it? Len had hated Barry.

"Don't talk about what he would have wanted." Wally glared at his old friend. He clenched his hands into fists as he willed them to stop shaking, or vibrating, he wasn't sure which it was. "Don't say it. Just because you want to have someone around for you to fight, you can't just-"

"Excuse me?!" Len's eyes flashed dangerously, and Wally flinched. He had made Len mad. "Do you honestly think that I'm anything like those freaks that have been running around Gotham lately? That I'm just obsessed with having a 'rival'?"

"I...of course not." Wally winced, because he knew that he couldn't exactly say that that wasn't what he had meant when they both knew that it was. "I...I just-"

Len held out a hand for him to stop. "Forget it, Wally." Len didn't sound so angry anymore, just kinda tired. "You're hurting, and it's making you say stupid things. I get it." And he certainly sounded like he understood. "But Kid, and I'm being completely serious here, the city needs its hero."

"I know." Wally said quietly with a frown. He knew that Central City would probably survive just fine if the only thing that the Flash did was stop criminals but he did much more than that. The Flash was a symbol of hope for the city. Wally knew that at least part of the reason why everybody in Central City was so nice to each other was because of the example that their hero set for them.

The Flash had been Central City's hero for so long that barely anybody could remember a time that he wasn't around. Before Barry had been doing it, Jay Garrick had protected the city. As far as any of the citizens were concerned, he had always been there, and always would be. Wally didn't want to think about what the citizens would think if their hero just stopped showing up for no apparent reason. They would probably either think that he had abandoned them (the very thought made Wally's blood boil), or that he had been defeated by some new threat that nobody knew about. Either way, the result was a loss of hope, and that was the last thing that Wally wanted.

And he knew that it was the last thing that Barry would want.

"I-I don't know if I can." Wally said weakly. He didn't want to try to take his uncle's place as Central City's hero. And even if he did feel okay with giving it a try, Wally didn't know if he was physically capable of it. He hadn't been Kid Flash for years. During that time he had learned a thing or two about the speed force, but he hadn't really done a lot to test out his abilities. He was really out of practice.

"You've got the powers, Wally." Len said. "And you sure as hell got the heart. All you need is a bit of practice."

Wally wasn't sure that throwing himself head first into the hero business when he had been away from it for the past few years was a very good idea. But it wasn't like there was a way for him to just ease himself into it.

"So, here's what we're going to do," Len said, which kinda threw Wally off. He hadn't known that Len had actually had a plan. He should have known though. Len always had a plan. "The rest of the Rogues have some business in Star City. They'll be gone for three weeks, and will likely be tired for another week or two even after they come back. As for me, I'll be staying in Central City to make sure that no other freaks try to step in on our territory."

If Wally hadn't known Len very well, he would probably have been confused by these words. But he did know Len, had known him for most of his life, so he understood exactly what the villain was saying. The Rogues wouldn't be causing trouble in Central City for three weeks, they would go easy on him for a bit after that, and Len would make sure that other people didn't try anything during that time.

In short, Len was giving Wally time to get back into the practice of using his powers.

"I...thank you, Lenny." Wally said quietly. He still wasn't sure about picking up his uncle's legacy, but he knew that it had to be done. And if Len thought that he was capable of it, then who was Wally to doubt him?

"Don't mention it." Len said, and Wally knew that he meant it. Len didn't mind doing genuinely kind things every once and awhile, but he hated it whenever anybody brought it up again. "You'd better get back to your aunt before she starts to think that I'm corrupting you."

"Yeah, probably." Wally smiled weakly. "I'll see you around, Len." Wally was tempted to give the man a hug, but he ultimately thought better of it. Len wasn't all that fond of physical contact, and it would probably not be welcomed. Wally just turned around and began to head back to Aunt Iris. She was in the middle of talking to some police officers who had known Barry, but when she saw him coming Iris put an abrupt stop to the conversation.

"Are you alright?" Iris asked as she gently cupped Wally's face. "What did they want?"

"I'm fine, Aunt Iris." Wally said. He wasn't really, but he would be. "Len just wanted to talk business." Wally could see that his aunt was confused and concerned. He would have to talk to her about him taking over as the city's hero, but it would have to wait until later. It wasn't exactly something that could be discussed out in the open. "Everything's fine, Aunt Iris. They weren't here to cause trouble, I swear."

"If you say so." Iris leaned in and kissed Wally's temple. "And you're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Wally turned back towards where Len had been and wasn't surprised to see that he was nowhere in sight. That man knew how to make a quick getaway. "I'm sure." Wally put his hands into his pockets and blinked when he felt his left hand brush against what felt like some paper. That was odd. Wally had been sure that his pockets had been empty that morning.

Curious, Wally took the paper out of his pocket and unfolded it so he could see what it was. It was just a simple piece of scrap paper, probably ripped from some notebook. There were three simple words written on the paper, and Wally immediately knew who it was from. Len had always been really gifted at slipping something in or out of someone's pockets without them ever noticing. There was no need for Len to have passed the note to Wally in this way. He could have just as easily handed it to him. No, Len had just wanted to show off. Not that Wally minded.

A part of Wally ached when he saw the simple message. It was the part of him that didn't know if he wanted this life. The other part of him though was glad for the note. It was nice to know that somebody had his back and believed in him, even if he wasn't in a state of mind where he could believe in himself. And Len had always been really good at knowing just the right words to say.

"Good luck, Flash."

A/N: Somehow I just feel like this is the best way to end this story. This whole thing has been about Len watching out for Wally, and I just thought that it would be appropriate to have Len be the one to give Wally the push that he needs to take up the mantle of the Flash once Barry's gone.

Once again, it has been an awesome experience to write this story. I hope you guys enjoyed it. And thank you.