We all knew I was going to write something about this episode. Just a quick drabble on my thoughts about what happens after the end of episode 6.
Zoo
When Wally walked into the apartment after having sequestered the newest speedster in the Cave (since Barry decided he had a family dinner to attend that was more important then his time traveling grandson) he was fully prepared to sleep on the couch. He had, after all, ditched Artemis at the restaurant they had planned to meet at for dinner and the excuse oh my relative from the future showed up to help fight this bad guy who was imploding and reassembling didn't even sound plausible to his ears. But when he had walked into the apartment the next morning, 4 AM to be exact, he had not been expecting to see Artemis sitting on the couch watching a movie with a bundle in her arms with Buster at her feet asleep. Well actually it didn't even look like she was watching it – her jaw was clenched and her hair was frazzled and she looked absolutely awful as her eyes looked from the bundle to the TV and then back again.
"Uh, babe, what's wrong?" asked Wally kicking the door shut with the heel of his foot, "You look like you've seen a ghost." As if to punctuate his sentence a giggle filled the room – emanating from the blanket. This was so not what he needed.
"What," Wally asked dramatically, "Is that?"
"I could ask you the same thing," stated Artemis finally looking at him, although she wasn't so much looking at him but at something over his shoulder.
"Hi!" This was really not his day.
Wally whipped around to stare at the ever-persistent Bart Allen, "Ugh, go home Bart. Back to the cave! Whatever! Just go away! Shoo!"
"Uhhh come on. It's boring there. You seem like way more fun."
"I won't be fun very soon," he eked out. But the boy wasn't paying attention, in fact he'd probably ignored the whole sentence, because he was already sitting on the couch looking at the bundle in Artemis's arms as she sent Wally a you-better-explain-this-fast look.
"He's my first cousin once removed," then he sighed, "From the future." Artemis sent him a dead pan look.
"What I'm not making this up!"
"He's not," chirped the brown haired boy happily attempting to grab at the blanket, "It's totally crash."
"Crash?"
Wally groaned, "Don't. Ask."
"So if he's, pardon my disbelief, from the future what's he still doing here?"
"Trust me if I could send him back I would. His time machine got fried," Artemis raised an eyebrow at the phrase time machine, "And, yes, I know it sounds ridiculous just humor me on this one." Bart took advantage of the opportunity to pull away part of the blanket to reveal an infant with red hair and clearly Vietnamese facial features - appropriately Wally's eyes bugged out.
"Babe, is there something you're not telling me!" Once again the girl happily giggled clapping her hands together while reaching toward Artemis,
"Aunty!"
"Auntie!"
"Hi Lian!" Artemis whirled towards the other occupant of the couch eyes wide, "Too bad. Oups. Spoilers." Artemis narrowed her eyes at the speedster,
"What's too bad?"
"Nothing." Bart very intelligently speed away from the hand that swiped out clearly intent on grabbing his collar and knocking some answers out of him.
"Does anyone mind catching me up?" asked Wally annoyed.
"Well, Nguyen, Harper and Harper are crashed out in our bedroom and I'm watching my niece."
"Your niece... I can't believe it! Those two! Wait, why did you say Harper twice?" Artemis gave him a very pointed look while she comforted the squirming child in her arms.
"Uh, duh, she meant the clone Roy and the real Roy."
"Okay you really need to quit that. If I wanted a running commentary I'd ask for it." Wally paused, blinked and did a double take, "WHO!"
"Shhhh, Wally! "
"Are you telling me they actually found him?"
"In Tibet."
"TIBET?"
"Wow nothing gets by you speed-man," smirked Bart elbowing Wally in the ribs.
"You can't run if your legs are broken," Wally groused getting fed up. Honestly he was never this annoying or this much of a smart alec. Never. "How'd they get here?"
"Even I'm not clear about that," sighed Artemis looking at the now sleeping child in her arms, "Knowing Jade it's probably illegal or they hacked the zeta tubes."
"So why'd they come here?"
"Apparently Roy thinks my sister is bad influence on his daughter."
"Your sister is a bad influence period."
"So what are you going to do with him?" asked Artemis nodding toward the kitchen where their guest had excitedly begun scarfing down all the food in the fridge.
"Stick him out on the step and hope someone adopts him. Hey! That's my Rocky Road ice cream!" Bart stopped stuffing his face momentarily to quip,
"That's so mode. I'm your family from the future." Artemis sighed getting up.
"He can have the couch."
"Where will we sleep?" whined Wally not too thrilled with the concept of sleeping on the stone cold floor.
"Wally we've roughed it in the woods for days and you're complaining about the floor?"
"Hey that was for the greater good. This is my own home and I'm being forced out by my crazy relatives and your family!"
"Chillax Wally," said Bart swaggering over to the couch arms now ladened with blankets and pillows he'd retrieved from the linen closet that Artemis had pointed to during Wally's protests, "It's not like it's permanent or anything."
"You'd like that wouldn't you."
"Wow you two really are related," chuckled Artemis looking between the pair amused.
"Don't even joke about something like that!"
"By the way," began Bart as he laid down on the couch, "Who are you?"
"I'm Artemis," she responded breezily as she attempted to not disturb the sleeping toddler she was cradling.
"Uh-huh give me a little more."
"I thought you knew everything about the League, Spoiler Lad," said Wally smugly, "Artemis is a superhero – like everyone else you've forced yourself on tonight."
"Never heard of her."
Wally choked, "What?" His eyes quickly darted to Artemis. Bart knew him in the future but not Artemis? What did that mean!
"But hey I've probably messed up the time stream so much that the future's totally different which is so crash." Wally had to mentally agree. If something had happened that took Artemis from him he couldn't help but be thankful to this pain in the butt that might have futuristically reunited them.
Wally could no longer imagine a future without Artemis. (Although given all the spoilers Bart had already told there was probably no way to undo the damage he'd already done.)
Everyone yawned and he pulled Artemis close so he could kiss her temple (Lian snoring quietly between them) before they began to lay down on the floor when a knock sounded throughout the apartment.
"I'll get it," Wally groaned. Marching across the living room he threw the door open and saw his Uncle standing on his steps.
"Hey kid. Heard Bart escaped and followed you home. Thought I'd take him back to the cave for you."
"That's so mode!" the boy pouted crossing his arms. Barry let out a chuckle as he sidestepped around Wally and into the apartment to collect his future grandson.
"Good morning Artemis I hope Bart hasn't been too much trouble –" Barry stopped and stared at the child in Artemis's arms and it's uncanny resemblance to the couple standing in the room.
"Wally, is there something you're not telling me?" he asked dangerously.
"It's not what it looks like!"
"I'll go make coffee," sighed Artemis. She highly doubted they would be getting any sleep tonight. Now. How many times were they going to have to tell this story? "This place is becoming a zoo."