Here it is guys! The sequel to Flashback.

I hope you guys enjoy this story, I planned it out and let me just say I am really excited to write it. This is just the tip of the iceberg; the actual story is a bit hard to get from this chapter. I'm reading Watchmen for the first time ever, and I'm pretty sure it's influencing my writing. If you guys read it, you may be able to tell what I'm talking about.

I must also give a disclaimer!

The picture is not mine. It's on deviantart and made by Shamserg. I didn't ask him if I could use it or anything...but I did. Might get in trouble for that later. But his picture is very appropriate for this story.

I also have a line in here that is not written by me, but is actually a quote from the comics. That is the line describing the Speed Force, specifically the line: "a flowing world of mystery, silver, morphing hyper-dimensional gels." NOT MINE. I read it somewhere on the internet, but it's actually a quote that Wally says.

Also, my editor pointed out that much of this chapter is in the incorrect tense, so if you guys love grammar, then please don't crucify me. I just felt like if I changed it, it would water down the writing a little. Please let it slide!

So, please enjoy this little mini-chapter!

Still Waters

Written by: UwIllnevErn0

Edited by: Ersatz Einstein

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Prologue

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Wally lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had been doing that for quite a long time. He was in his room, accompanied by the dark and silence; the violet shade of night fell across his window. The moonlight sliced the permeating darkness, peaking through the space between the curtains. The only sounds were his relaxed breathing and the methodic ticking of a clock down the hall. His eyes felt dry and itchy, and they refused to remain shut long enough for him to fall asleep. Turning his head, Wally looked at the blaring red numbers of his clock on the bedside table. It was 2:50 AM.

Sleep was a luxury he didn't often get, and the fact that he was wasting it by doing absolutely nothing annoyed him slightly. Aggravated, Wally turned his line of sight back to the ceiling. Lately, his dreams would wake him up in cold sweat with his fingers digging into his palms. Wally would blink quickly, his eyelids like the shutter on a camera, willing the emotions and visions away. It wouldn't matter if his eyes were open or closed, though. He would lie there, paralyzed, but the dream would still haunt him, following him whether he was awake or asleep. Yet, Wally knew it wasn't the dream he couldn't escape. It wasn't the fear that was clouding his mind. No. It was the desire.

It's because he wished he was somewhere else.

It's because he wished he was in the Speed Force.

After Luthor's stunt with Braniac, and Wally's light-speed sprint, the Flash had become, well, enlightened. If that was the right word for it. The Speed Force was beautiful. It was awe-inspiring. A flowing world of mystery, silver, morphing hyper-dimensonal gels. It was captivating, and Wally had never felt as happy as he had when he stood inside the magnificent and entrancing explosion of images that greeted him on his entry. He couldn't reallly remember what it was like; in his mind it was just a blur of emotions. He did recall that before him, he had seen his entire life, and as he walked by each image that captured a specific moment...they each faded away, and he forgot them. For him, it was an ultimately liberating experience. Wally felt himself become the facade he wore everyday; he became the care-free kid that could crack a joke and laugh, instead of the person using his smile as a mask. His bulletproof veneer, covering the small child inside, playing with fire, steadily drifted away from his memory like the images before him. Wally had slowly healed and regained the bliss of ignorance and innocence, two things he never really had. He had become a blank slate, free of his horrific memories.

And that wasn't even the best part. At the end of everything, out in the distance, way beyond the threshold point of the Speed Force, he saw somebody waiting for him. And without even really seeing past the shadowy silhouette, Wally knew who it was. Or rather, who it had to be.

It was Barry.

Wally vaguely remembers telling someone he had to go, that he was leaving, before setting off to run through the gateway of memories in a dead sprint. Yet he never made it past his first step. A hand had seized his wrist, and no matter how hard Wally ran, no matter how hard he pulled away, he felt the Speed Force, and Barry, slowly slip from his grasp until it all flicked away from him with one final yank.

Next thing he knew, he was lying on the cold, grey pavement. All his horrid memories flooded back to him, like hitting a nine-wheeler in a head-on collision. He tilted his head up and peeled open his eyes. Rubble and destruction was the first thing he saw. The curtain had been lifted, the carpet jerked out from under him, and the would-be paradise crumbled to pieces as he lay there readjusting to his damaged reality. He wanted to scream. He wanted to get up and run again to see it. But the mask was back up, and the only thing he could do was make a joke and grimace as the child inside stuck his hand in the fire. Needless to say: he was bitter.

The clock chimed three times.

Wally sighed angrily and was about to shift from his back to lie on his side, but he was stopped by a heavy force on his torso. Looking down, he saw a mess of black hair spread across his bare chest like a silk blanket. Wally lifted his arm and pushed back the ebony veil. A small, angular face rested above the crook of his arm. Illuminated by the sliver of silver light that seeped in through the window, her pale complexion contrasted strongly with the overpowering darkness that occupied the majority of the room.

Linda.

Wally smiled. Whenever he thought about the Speed Force, whenever he wanted to run as he fast as he could and never come back, he would always remember her and he wouldn't have the heart to take another step. If there was anything he was grateful for, it was her. She kept him rooted, anchored to the ground. Wally couldn't help but gravitate towards her, and even though it had only been 4 months, Wally would have liked to think that the feeling was mutual.

"You're awake."

Wally, who had been counting the little bumps on the popcorn ceiling of his apartment, looked down at the dark-haired beauty. She slowly crawled up to rest her head on Wally's chest, only one of her eyes open. The other stayed soundly shut, and Linda looked ready to doze off as soon as the opportunity arose. Wally reached down with his arm and started stroking her back. Hesitantly, the corner of his mouth rose.

"Yea."

"Bad dream?"

She gave him a lazy smile. He grinned at the sight of it.

"Sort of. It's dumb, nothing to worry about."

Linda stared at him. She was always able to compel him to tell her everything that bothered him with a simple look. It still worked even with one eye. For her benefit, Wally resisted the urge to spew out his guts and all his troubles that followed. She didn't know about his other occupation yet, and he preferred to keep it that way.

"Can't talk about it, babe. Confidential case down at the office."

She gave a tiny frown. Pouting, she lifted herself off his chest and put her head on the pillow next to him, turning her back to him.

"Fine."

Her speech was muffled and groggy. Smirking, Wally turned to lie on his side and hugged her from behind. He nuzzled her neck and whispered seductively in her ear.

"You know, since we're awake..."

Linda opened her eyes and glared at Wally before elbowing him in the stomach.

"Ow!"

Wally patted the stinging, sore muscles before propping his head up on his pillow. He vaguely heard a muffled, "I can't keep up with you" and some half-hearted laughter afterwards. Peering down over Linda's shoulder, he saw the victorious smirk on her face. He mirrored her expression, his eyes softening as he observed the delicate outline of her features in the pale light. Yes, she was better than the Speed Force. With her, he never wore a mask, and he would like to think that he would never have to.

"That hurt, you know."

"Tough love."

Wally couldn't remember what happened next. He fell asleep.

Here is the first sample!

I'm going to kind of "pilot" this story, so I'll write up to Chapter 2 so that you guys get a taste of the actual storyline.

And I don't often ask for reviews, or at least, I try not to. But at the beginning of a story, I decide whether or not to continue the story based on the level of enthusiasm for it.

So please, if you want this story to continue, I ask that you review it now! I quite honestly only continued my last story because of the enthusiastic and lovely reviews I received in the beginning (/throughout, but the beginning is most important.)

It will also help me figure out exactly what you like and what you don't like in the story, and I'll tailor it to whatever you guys want!

Thank you for reading! :)

(BTW any suggestions for genre is welcome.)