A N : Anyone here work really, really hard on a chapter, making sure every character was InCharacter? Making sure the grammar and spelling was perfect? That it felt real? Only to be let down because other people refuse to review?

Yeah, not a good feeling.

SO REVIEW, DAMMIT!!

[PS] Sorry it took me so long, and sorry its so short. BUT! I'm writing a new chapter right after I publish this, sooo....!

It peered from the darkness, Its eyes glowing silver from a distance. In truth, Its eyes were pure darkness, the pupil dilated to cover all sources of color. A mere sliver of silver circled the black orb as the intense gaze flickered over the people that gathered 'round the house. Darkness and an unreadable emotion gleamed in Its eyes as It watched the motions. The orbs darted back and forth, like a cat eying a mouse or a wolf watching her pups.

The house was glowing from the inside, providing the only light in which the eyes could see by. The light had began mere seconds ago, starting at a low dim then erupting like a volcano. The owner of the eyes had to jerk back to save Itself from being hit with flames and burn wood. The red man and the woman he carried would have been killed in the blast, the owner of the eyes noted, if only the red-clad man hadn't moved. He had grabbed his woman into his arms and they had vanished, only to reappear a distance away.

Now the fire, for it was merely a fire now, had died down and was fast become extinct. The men wielding water did not help, and the new man with his green ring hadn't furthered the mission that the fire had been given. In truth, the owner of the eyes was glad. It did not like fire, and It did not like what the fire had done. Still, It had to admit that the beauty, now dimmed and gone, had been something It had hoped to watch, if not touch. That was no longer an option.

Staying was no longer an option. The owner of the eyes growled low in Its throat as the green and red men turned towards it, followed a second later by the shocked looking white and pink one. If the hidden creature were discovered, all that had been done so far would be wasted.

That was not affordable.

I held the ice pack to my forehead, trying to keep the anger at bay. It wasn't working well; someone had lit up my house like a torch, then somehow made it blow up. My best friend, thank god, wasn't in the house, or so Wally had told me. I knew he wouldn't lie about something like that. Still, now I would have no where to stay, and neither would Maria.

"You okay?" Wally asked from beside me, gentle and serious. Despite what most people think, he doesn't only joke. Sure, he's not a socialite who always knows what to say, but he's not bad at the comfort stuff.

"My house was just blown up. No, no, I'm not alright." I snapped, then felt bad when his face sorta fell. "Oh no, don't do that. No Face." The 'Face', with a capital F. That stupid puppy dog look that made me melt and not be mad.

"I'm not doing the 'Face'." Now he was joking, and now I was feeling better. "At least not on purpose."

"Yes you are," I accused, then gave him a mock indignant look and turned around. A mistake; now I was looking at my house, or the ruins of my house. My gut burned fresh, and my eyes flashed pink as I realized that the explosion would have killed anyone near the house, not to mention in it.

"Hey, don't worry." An arm around my shoulders. The casual touching again. In times of crisis, I guess reverting back to what we were before isn't such a bad thing. "I'll, we'll, catch who did this. I swear it."

"We who? You and the Justice League?" I snapped. "Because you guys aren't exactly subtle or detectives."

"Well, we have Bats, and have you forgotten what I do? Plus, GL probably learned some stuff in the army, Supes has this whole hear-and-see everything...We have a good enough crew." His arm tightened then fell.

"IF you can convince them to help." I muttered. "I'm a freakin' ex-villain wanted by the law. Why would a bunch of superheroes help me? Besides, you guys save the world, not solve arson cases."

"EX being to keyword there. You're one of us." He argued, and it felt familiar. We'd done this before, this same argument, just with different words. He kept saying I was a hero; I wasn't. I was just a traitor to my people.

"Flash," A deep voice cut through the argument, followed by the Green Lantern clearing his throat. He stood somewhat in front of us, hand clenched into fists. I wasn't sure why.

He kinda glowed green, and I couldn't help but make a quip. "Well, now would be a good time for sunglasses."

Wally snorted his laughter, and I smiled as 'GL' scowled. "She's got you there, GL." Then he stopped laughing, though he still smiled. "You wanted something?"

He motioned to me. "I was just coming over here to tell Ms. Brier that she was free to leave." He nodded towards a police car. "The police are willing to give you a ride to a hotel of your choice."

There was silence for a second before Wally snorted a laugh out again. He seemed to find this funny. I reached out and smacked him in the arm while I smiled at the Green Lantern. "I appreciate the offer, but I can walk."

An eyebrow raised, though it was hard to see with all the green glow. "Avoiding the police, I see."

He totally knew who I was. "Um...Yeah." A 'duh' tone entered my voice. "Plus, no money for a hotel. I'll probably just locate a friend." A bald faced lie. I was totally camping it tonight; wouldn't be the first time I slept in a tree. Or, maybe, just maybe, I'd break into a hotel room and spend the night...

I felt Wally still, and I knew he was catching up to my thoughts. The boy could read a human being like a book. A prankster he might be, but stupid? Nope, he'd never been that, no matter how he acted.

Before he could speak, though, the Lantern decided to pipe up again. "Well, there's always a free room at Metro Tower. We try and keep open for all metahumans."

"Or you can always stay with me." Wally finally got that out, and it was surprising to GL, I could tell. Wait. Dammit, was I referring to him by the nickname as well?

I shook my head, at both Wally and myself. "I'll try Metro Tower." I said, sending a look at Wally that made him grin. We both knew where we would end up if I spent the night at his house. We might not have gotten that far as teenagers, but it was close, and he's probably gotten better at persuading since then.

I looked at GL and he looked back, bemused and looking like he knew he had missed something. Which he had, though I wouldn't tell him, and I doubt Wally would. For all his fun loving and joking ways, Wally kept his private lift just that – private.

"Well," Wally said, looking back at the ruins, "I guess I should give you a ride back." Then he looked at his green friend and asked, "You okay here, or you want me to make a second trip?" A smart-ass tone told me it a was a joke.

"Go home, kid." GL growled, and I snickered. Kid? Wally hadn't been a kid even when he'd been Kid Flash.

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Then he swept me off my feet and we were gone.

I turned into his chest and closed my eyes, though my lips turned up in a smile. I loved being with him when he ran. It was just so much fun. I felt as if an angel were carrying me off, taking me to lands unknown, and sometimes, like now, I wished the feeling would last forever.

It couldn't, of course. It barely even lasted a minute, which meant he was going faster than...well, than he had when he taken me towards my house. Not that it mattered; either way, the feeling was the same.

Most people, after running with someone that fast, was disoriented when they hit the ground. Me? Well, I not have been in his arms for seven years, but the talent was one you didn't just loose. My feet hit the ground and I felt perfect fine, much to my pride and the amazement of the two people in front of me. Or at least it seemed like amazement to me, considering the looks on the brothers faces.

"How," Dove was the one to start.

"Are you still standing? No offense to the Flash, but most people kinda..." Hawk took over, and it was giving me whiplash.

"Kinda crumple." Dove finished, then yawned.

"Practice." I stated smugly. "Even after all this time, I still have the talent."

The Flash laughed. "Its not so much of a talent as you being too stubborn to feint." He teased. Then he looked at Hawk, who's turn it was to yawn. "Why aren't you two home? Your shift is over, isn't it?"

"Yeah, we were headed out." Hawk said, shrugging. "See you, Flash and...Flash's girl?"

I shook my head. "Just an old friend."

Wally made a sound that sounded like a laugh, but nothing more. Hawk just rolled his eyes and walked around them. "See y'all!" Dove called over his shoulder as he trotted to keep up with his brother.

I couldn't help myself; I turned and watched them leave, my eyes following the spandex-y butts until they were around the corner. "Nice, but not as nice as you." I said as I turned around to meet Wally's blue eyes with a shit eating grin.

"Well, I should hope not!" He feigned offense. "My butt is the best in the League!"

"Mmmmmh." I pretended to think. "What with all that running, I would think so. But c'mon, there has to be a better one out there."

"I don't think so," He seemed to be seriously thinking about it, but I knew better. "I think I'm the best."

I just shook my head and smiled. "I'm gonna change the subject now, okay? 'Cause this argument is going nowhere."

He snickered, "Only 'cause you're too stubborn to admit I'm right."

"Not stubborn!" I said as I started forward, pushing open the doors.

"Are too!" He sang out as he flashed in front of me to take the lead.

"Am not!" I put some outrage into my voice, thought my eyes, pink and catty, were laughing.

"Are too!" He hummed out, then, not giving me a chance to defend myself once more, asked, "Is it okay if I put you in the room I usually use? Its nicer than the guest rooms, and it won't take long to clean."

"Nothing take long with you." I said dryly, then flushed when he grinned. I interrupted him when he opened his mouth. "But sure, I'll take your 'room'. You do have to clean a bit before I sleep in there, though."

Not that it would need much cleaning. That is, if he hadn't changed. He might throw clothes around, but he rarely let a thing get dusty, and the carpet in his old apartment was never stained. Something about having a lot of time on his hands.

"Cool." Then he took me down a well lit hallway and stopped at his door. A little plaque with the word 'Flash' was on the left. He cracked it open, and I raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Do you ever even use this?" The entire room was spotless, the bed made in bright red and pale yellow. His 'colors' since he was a teen.

"Not really. I have an apartment in Central City, near the police station. Easier than this place, even if I am here more often." He explained, pulling me in and shutting the door.

"So why have it?" I asked, sitting down on the bed as he ran a hand over the desk. No pictures were in the room, and it was clear of dust.

"The seven original members all have rooms in all the towers." He said with a shrug, messing around with the computer. "Then we have extra rooms for all the other members, and every one is welcome to use the guest rooms."

"Oh." Awkward silences were rather awkward, to state the obvious. "Do you think we can track down Maria in the morning? I'm kinda worried about her..." Okay, really worried.

"The police will have found her by now, I think. If not, I'll look for her when I take my circuit around Jump." He said lightly, as if it were no big deal. Maybe it wasn't to him, but to me? Well, I left him high and dry and he had every right to say no just to spite me.

"Thanks." I said softly, smiling sadly at him for a second. Then, I asked something I knew I shouldn't. "Do you, uh, need help with Jump? I can rent a room there as soon I get to my bank, and, maybe, ya know, keep watch while you guys do the saving the world thing."

He was silent for a second, then he grinned and it lit up the room. I couldn't help but smile back. "That would be superfreakyaswsome." The words blended together and only the fact I was used to his speed speak let me understand him. He was, in fact, slower than he used to be.

"Good. I really hate taking advantage, and now that I'm not in hiding anymore..." I shrugged, smiling still. "It'll feel good to help people again."

"Told you that you were a good guy." He shot at me, then pecked me on the cheek. A second later, I was blinking at an empty room, a small smile on my face.

Then I glanced at the clock and groaned. I'll have maybe two hours of sleep before the metro tower become active...Two hours of sleep.

This was so not my best day ever.