Barry was a heavy yet chaotic sleeper. He was constantly moving - whether it be swinging his leg at a nearby wall or slapping himself across the face. He always woke up with an array of new bruises, ones that he couldn't quite recall getting.

With this in mind, it came as no surprise to Wally that waking him up would be a challenge. He had attempted spilling cold water on Barry's face, dragging him off the couch, and yelling into his ear but nothing seemed to even stir him.

Taking a few seconds to think, Wally took hold of his service station bought  pies and bit into it. It wasn't the juiciest or most succulent one he'd ever had but it did a good enough job to satisfy his craving.

He was just considering dropping him out of the window when he heard a sniffling sound. Wally furrowed his brow and glanced down just in time to see Barry's eyes snap open.

"Is that... pie I smell?" He said wearily, eyes searching for the cause of such a scent.

Once he had found it, Wally found himself holding nothing but air - the paper wrapped pie having been snagged by a still delirious Barry. After a few bites the man's tired eyes looked a little more alert, and the grumbling in his stomach had slightly ceased... but not completely perished, because it rarely did.

Wally sighed, rubbing his own stomach in hunger. "Can't you ever buy you're own food instead of taking mine?"

Barry, clearly more awake now, shrugged with a final bite of the scrumptious confectionary. "I'm teaching you a lesson, as you're mentor - you're too slow. I'm like Mr Miyagi and you're my karate kid apprentice."

"...Why do you always get to be Mr Miyagi?"

"Because I'm the ageing and highly skilled master, and you're my sidekick." Barry stated simply. "And that would make Mineko my-"

Barry paused, all light-heartedness sinking from his expression. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened, and how long he had waited for her to never return. His eyes fell to the floor, concentrating on a single particle of dust in an attempt to distract himself from the sudden heaviness in his chest.

Wally, of course, noticed immediately and motioned towards the door. "Hey, I didn't just come here for you to steal my stuff. Follow me."

Barry, to be quite frank, didn't want to go racing after his friend in such a state. He doubted it was anything important, but Wally simply wouldn't take no for an answer.

Barry left with him, hoping that this would be a complete waste of time so that he could run back home and dwell in his misfortunes. That, however, was not the case. Wally had taken him to a courthouse... not unlike the one they had fought Yan in. He was seated at the front row, but that didn't prevent him from noticing the calibre of people viewing the upcoming case.

He recognised almost all of them. Billionaire Oliver Queen sat next to his wife Dinah right behind Barry, urging him on with friendly smiles. Next to them were John Jones (the Martian Manhunter in a human disguise) and Hal Jordan, one of Barry's closest friends.

Before he had a chance to turn to them and ask when the hell was happening, the doors to the courtroom were flung open and two figures that caused Barry's breath to hitch walked in. The room was flooded with surprised gasps as Wonder Woman and Superman entered the chambers, both striding tall and proud as always. Superman had a silver device wrapped under his arm. Barry's face twitched as he leant over to Wally and whispered "Hey. Hey Wally. What the f--"

Wally instantly interjected with a hiss "Shut up and pay attention."

The two key members of the Justice League strode into the centre of the room and greeted Judge Caroline Fisher. The woman nodded at them and said "Thank you both for coming to me with this."

Superman nodded curtly and said "Thank you for listening, your honour."

Judge Fisher looked about the courtroom and announced "We are here on this day to witness the presentation of new evidence in the case of Nora Allen's murder."

Barry's eyes suddenly widened.

"Legally speaking, alien science and 'magic' aren't officially recognised in the court of law...but given the continued normality of these things in modern society, the President himself has granted recognition of supernatural sources not only today but every day onward."

This was massive...this changed everything, Barry thought. The amount of innocent people that could be freed, and the amount of guilty people that could be incriminated would double.

With a smile, the judge continued "I am honoured to preside over the first hearing to include such pieces of evidence. First and foremost, we have Superman to thank for voicing his concerns to the President himself, leading to this radical change in policy."

Clark nodded modestly, looking a bit bashful in light of the praise. She turned to Wonder Woman and said "Of course, Princess Diana of Themyscira has agreed to lend us her Lasso of Truth today and whenever any American court is in dire need of it."

Wonder Woman, in contrast to Superman, responded by looking Judge Fisher in the eye with a burning passion.

Judge Fisher nodded to one of the guards by her side and he entered the door behind him. "Henry Allen, the only suspect of his wife's murder has been serving time in prison for the crime despite initial claims that he was not responsible. Now, with the assistance of Princess Diana, he will be compelled to confess the truth."

The guard returned, escorting a man in an orange jumpsuit to the witness stand. The man's eyes instantly picked out Barry in the crowd and watered at the sight of his son. Superman then spoke "If it's any consolation, your honour, I personally vouche for this man's character."

"That's a big call, especially from you. Now, Your Highness, if you would." Judge Fisher said to Wonder Woman.

"It would be my pleasure." Diana declared. She approached the Judge, who looked quite bewildered to be in the same room as Wonder Woman. "I will demonstrate to the court that this magic is no trick." Diana explained. She laid the Lasso of Hestia onto Judge Fisher's hand and asked "What is your name and what is your occupation?"

"Caroline Jane Fisher, Judge for the Central City District Courthouse."

"I will once again ask for your name and occupation, but instead of answering truthfully, tell me that your name is Jane Doe and you work as a saleswoman. Easy enough, yes?" The Judge nodded as Diana instructed her. "Now...what is your name and occupation?"

The Judge's face scrunched up in a peculiar manner, as if she was desperately trying to fight some sudden urge. The courtroom's occupants watched in anticipation as Judge Fisher struggled with some internal force...but fruitlessly. "Caroline Jane Fisher, Judge for the Central City District Courthouse!" She blurted, seemingly holding it in for some time.

Quiet laughter aired through the room, and Judge Fisher shook her head. "...I now have no doubts... Thank you. Now you may question the defendant."

Wonder Woman moved over to Henry and placed the Lasso onto his arm. "What is your name?"

"H-Henry Allen."

"What crime were you found guilty of?"

"The murder of my wife Nora over twenty years ago."

"Did you kill your wife, Mister Allen?"

"No."

The questioning happened so quickly and it seemed that Henry himself was shocked to hear his answer. Barry's eyes gathered tears and his lips quivered.

"Superman, you may bring forth the next subject." The judge said.

Clark glanced at Henry and asked "This is the man we think was the real perpetrator. Would you like to leave."

Henry shook his head and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Hesitantly, Superman raised the Phantom Zone Projector he held and pressed a key on its side.

With a red flash, another figure appeared in the courtroom, arms binded by an intricate set of Kryptonian cuffs. Barry recognised him as Hunter Zolomon, Professor Zoom. He was the one who killed Iris... and his mother. Apart from his name, Barry knew nothing else about the speedster. And that troubled him.

The man glanced about the courtroom, seemingly shocked by his sudden change of place. He tried to access the speed force, but the cuffs he wore did more than restrict his arms. They cut him off from his stolen abilities with Kryptonian energy manipulation technology.

Henry furrowed his brow. Barry hated seeing him so conflicted. It's been so long that he might even believe that he killed Nora.

Wonder Woman approached him, towering over the man with a death stare. She tightly wound the Lasso about his arm and urged "Who are you?"

"H-Hu...E-Eobard Thawne...!" The man hissed, attempting to resist the Lasso.

Barry's eyes snapped open. In fact, there was a unison of gasps that sounded from the Metahumans present... those in costume and out. Thawne primarily set his sights on Barry, but they all knew of him. He was Reverse Flash...so how could this much older man be him?

Barry already knew the answer. Time travel...it was a constant pain in his ass. There was no doubt that this was, somehow, an older version of his arch nemesis. He must've been using the alias of Hunter Zolomon whilst in the present day before his arrest...but it suddenly made sense.

"Were you present the night Nora Allen was murdered?"

Thawne growled as he tried to fight it, but like the Judge before him he was no match for the enchantment. "Yes!"

"Did Henry Allen murder his wife?"

The supercriminal screamed in exertion, convincing everyone else who doubted the Lasso that it was in fact a truth agent. Thawne collapsed to his knees, silent. He then muttered "...No."

Wonder Woman scowled at him. "Who did?"

Seconds of silence washed over the courtroom...then he replied "Me. I killed her. I stabbed her with the kitchen knife to make it look like Allen did it."

Henry's face was blank as he stared at the deranged criminal. With a bang, he pushed his chair into the wall behind him and stood. In the blink of an eye, Superman was by his side, a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't in intimidation, but more as an apology. An apology that he had to face the man who ruined his life.

Tears edged their way down Barry's face. That man had hurt everyone Barry cared for. He felt like running over and bashing his skull against the brick wall... but it would do no good. It wouldn't give him any closure, and more than that, he needed to be strong for his father.

Henry was still standing, fists clenched and tears spilling down his cheeks. He could feel Superman's hand on his shoulder but it provides no solace. He wanted to kill that man for what he had done. For taking his wife, and keeping him locked up away from his son.

"This won't help you." Superman whispered to him. "A reaction is what he wants."

He was right, of course, but that didn't take away the pain. He sat back down ever so slowly, heart racing as if it might burst out of his chest and hurt the man itself.

"Why did you commit such a crime?" The Judge finally asked. A question Henry was too infuriated to think about.

"To hurt his son." Professor Zoom said without hesitation this time, like he would have admitted it even without the Lasso.

This was so shocking that it dragged Henry out of the blind rage he was dwelling in. He looked back at Barry with an air of complete and utter confusion. "My son... but he was just a kid. What could he have possibly done to you?"

That was the moment that Diana swiftly untangled Professor Zoom from the Lasso and shook her head. "Do not try and make sense of this maniac's words. He admits his guilt. That's all that matters."

Diana had, yet again, saved Barry from an identity crisis. Thawne would surely have answered honestly, admitting to the whole room who Barry actually was. He didn't need the audience running off to tell some news publication, and as much as he loved his father, but he didn't want to involve him in his other life. Not only was it dangerous, but he'd never approve...and he'd been through enough.

"In light of this admission of guilt, I am forced to make the decision without a jury." The judge declared. "Eobard Thawne, you are found guilty for the murder of Nora Allen. It's a shame that life sentences are the worst I can offer, but I'm assured that the Phantom Zone is far worse than any prison. So that's where you'll carry out sentence for the rest of your days."

Thawne's eyes widened, and for a split second, Barry could see the horror in them. The Phantom Zone was an interdimensional realm outside the normal space-time continuum. It was literal nothingness - barren and absent of any physical material. Even the passing of time seemed to stop in such a place. It was enough to drive even the sanest of men to their breaking point. Only the most disciplined individuals could retain their sanity.

The older version of Thawne glanced around the room with the expression of a desperate man. He then leapt to his feet and dashed towards the door - attempting an escape...but the cuffs he wore prevented him from connecting to the Speed Force so he could merely run like a normal man.

He couldn't even reach his destination before Superman suddenly appeared in front of him. He shook his head with a 'tsk'. "Come now. I don't think Judge Fisher called for recess just yet."

The Man of Steel held up the Phantom Zone Projector and pressed its arming key. Before this future Thawne could scream in objection, he was consumed by light and vanished back into his eternal prison.

The judge turned back to Henry, not batting an eye at the scene that had unfolded in front of her. "I cannot apologise enough for your wrongful verdict so many years ago... Though it won't make up for what you've lost, you'll be compensated for your time behind bars."

Henry looked as if he hadn't heard her correctly...like he was waiting for some sort of confirmation. The judge sensed this. She'd dealt with cases like this before, and it was always difficult for the prisoner to believe they weren't returning to jail.

"This hearing has proved your innocence." The judge assured him. "You're free to go."

Henry was silent as the grave. It didn't compute. He thought he'd be in that cell forever. He'd resigned himself to dying in there...and now he was free. He could go wherever he wanted, he could see his son everyday, he could eat more than sloppy oatmeal and rice. He no longer knew how to process that reality.

This should have been one of the happiest moments of his life, but Henry had been whittled down to nothing but an empty shell. At least that's how it felt. He didn't know if he could ever live as a normal man again, even with his freedom.

This moment of uncertainty was quickly put to rest when he saw his son stand from his seat. Barry, who had spent most of his life fighting against his fathers incarceration, looked more like a child now than he ever had before. His legs trembled, his arms grabbed fistfuls of his own shirt and he bit his quivering lip in a failed attempt to look strong.

Henry was suddenly reminded of the time Barry had run off inside of the mall and gotten lost. He was only four years old. When they found him again he looked just as he did now - relieved, yet guilty. Overjoyed, yet full of sorrow.

Barry stumbled over to his father, and was immediately engulfed in a tight hug. He sobbed into his fathers chest unceasingly, hands clutching at his jumpsuit. He held him in silence, rocking him slowly as his tears soaked his chest. A tiny lapse let him pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears, before he collapsed again, his howls of joy racking through the room.

Barry's friends watched onward, eyes becoming glossy at the sight. None more so than Wally though who's attempts at blowing his nose were anything but quiet.

It felt like hours before Barry regained the strength to break away from the hug. He felt like if he let go then his father would disappear, and he'd wake up in his apartment. He feared that this was the same dream he'd been having since childhood...but it wasn't. It was too real.

In the midst of his happiness, Barry barely noticed Superman coming over to shake his fathers hand, nor Wonder Woman who gave him a firm pat on the back. He didn't even know that Wally had arrived until Henry was tackled into another hug.

"Thank you..." Henry said, choking back his own tears.

"We're just sorry it took so long." Superman replied sympathetically. Wonder Woman nodded in agreement.

Barry wanted to barrage them both with hugs...but he couldn't. It would seem too familiar. He would make it up to them one day, but for now he had to pretend like they were strangers.

"I can't thank you enough..." He managed to say without blurting out their names.

"Do not thank us." Wonder Woman replied. "Thank your friend."

Barry looked to Wally who simply shook his head. "Not me, man."

Barry's brow furrowed in bewilderment, then suddenly, it all snapped into place. Henry stepped closer to his son, then passed him a small wooden figure that Barry instantly recognised as Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise. One of his favourite Star Trek characters.

"You know, a very odd woman visited me recently. She told me to give that to you." Henry said with a knowing smile.

Barry ran a finger over the fine details carved into the wood. He remembered how she'd broken some of his action figures, and how angry he had been. He remembered mentioning that he was saving up for a Kirk figure... and he remembered her response. She thought he could just carve his own out of wood, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"She's waiting to hear the outcome of the trial." Wally said with a smirk. "I was gonna try and catch her before she leaves but I'm a little worn out... I guess that responsibility falls to you."

Barry glanced back to his father with slight fear sparking in his eyes. Henry didn't need him to speak his unease, he already knew how his son was feeling. "Go get her, son. I'm not going anywhere."

---------------

The portal in front of Mineko spanned through centuries. She hadn't even entered it yet and already she could see countless eras of war and progress. Doctor Fate kept the swirling time hole open, looking towards her expectedly.

"Keep walking and don't look back. If you try to return you will be stuck between space and time for all eternity." Fate warned.

Mineko gave a curt nod of understanding. "I will not stop until I reach the end."

There was no other exchange between the two of them. Fate was eager for her to leave, and Mineko was aware that it was her duty to return. There was seemingly nothing to discuss. That is, until something prohibited Mineko from entering the portal.

Something was wrapped around her, squeezing her so tightly that she thought all oxygen in her lungs was being forced out. When she dared to glance down she, to her own amazement, saw Barry. He had forced her into an embrace. One that said a million things that words never could.

"I waited for you... but you never showed." He said lowly, taking a moment away from resting his head on her shoulder to meet her gaze. "My dad... th-they've let him out. I can't ever pay you back for what you've given me."

"I merely planted an idea...I did nothing else."

"You did everything." Barry responded sincerely. "This isn't the time for modesty. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Do not worry. I am aware of your gratitude, and I am pleased to hear that your father is free..." Mineko shifted her eyes away from his and back to the portal. Her hands hovered towards his arms and untangled him from her waist. "But if that is all, I really must return. The Guardians of the Realm will be eagerly awaiting my report."

She took a steady step forward, but that was quickly altered into a shaky one when Barry jumped in front of her again. He was blocking her way with determination firing in his stare. "Don't go."

Mineko sighed. "I must. I do not belong here."

Barry grabbed her shoulders in both hands and shook his head. He looked utterly distraught at the idea of her leaving. "That's not true. You do belong here. Maybe you didn't before but now...you've changed. You know things no one from your time ever should. You've met people you were never suppose to meet. You don't belong to that world anymore, you belong to mine- I mean...this one..."

Barry paused and Mineko gave him a quizzical look. Fear of rejection now crawled onto his face, but this was his only chance. He needed to say it.

"....You belong right here...with me."

Mineko's lips parted to let in a shaky gasp but she didn't move, so he thought it was probably okay to touch her face. Her skin was as soft as it looked, tanned and smooth as freckled clay. He laid his trembling thumb on her lips to see if she'd pull away. She didn't. He leaned closer. He wanted to close his eyes, but he didn't trust her not to leave him standing there.

His fears were discarded the moment Mineko rested her palm against his hand, that was still caressing her cheek, and minimised the distance between their lips.

Barry had almost forgotten how it felt to be this close to someone. To feel their heart beating against his chest, to hear their nervous breathing between each kiss... Barry had never been drunk, his metabolism made sure of that, but that's the only way he could describe it. He felt as intoxicated as a teenager at their first house party; dizzy, delirious, and anxious.

When Mineko's lips inched away, Barry wasn't sure what to do. For a moment, his mind was completely blank to the world, and then all he could do was hope that she wouldn't break his heart. That she would agree to stay.

Mineko was rarely selfish. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she put herself in front of her duty. At least not in a situation this dire. She thought, in a brief moment of naivety, that she could afford to be a little careless.

She gave a sorry look towards Doctor Fate who instantly closed the portal. Barry was a little surprised by Fate's willingness to allow her to stay, or at least by his lack of argument.

"You know not with what you meddle." Fate said. "But you will leave eventually. I just hoped it was sooner rather than later, because later leads to a result I hoped would never come to pass."

"Save it, Fate. You won't scare her into leaving."

Fate ignored Barry and kept his attention on Mineko. "Whatever happens from here and onward, I hope you realise that it is completely your doing."

With that, Doctor Fate vanished into thin air. Without another word or argument. Mineko stared at the spot he once was, slight uneasiness pulsing through her. He sounded like he knew what was going to happen, and he probably did. He could see everything. What was yet to be, what had already been, and what could be. She'd be a fool not to take his warning to heart.

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