I don't own anything but original characters I may add.

⚡️

Chapter 16 - Freedom

⚡️

"SHE REALIZED NONE OF IT WAS REAL AND SET HERSELF FREE"

"What's going on?" Harley and Ivy hauled me off the table and to my feet.

"We're escaping!" Harley whispered excitedly.

"What? Why are you helping us? I betrayed you guys again," I saw Lex helping Wally off of his table.

Ivy smiled gently, "(Y/n), you're our little girl, no some homicidal demon maniac's. We couldn't let him hurt you anymore after we figured out what he was doing."

"Yeah, thanks for being concerned about me too," Wally spoke up sarcastically.

Lex grumbled under his breath but held back his comment. Harley and Ivy exchanged giggled. Opening the door slowly, Lex waved us over and ushered us into the hallway. We stuck to less direct routes to the garage, back hallways and such. Since none of us knew where Klarion was.

"The security system has mysteriously been knocked out. It'll reset in five minutes. You two need to be gone before then."

"Klarion's going to find out. He'll kill you for letting us out."

"It's time we retire from the business, darlin'," Harley gave me a reassuring smile, "Lucy needs her mom after all. None of us are getting any younger."

"Moms," Ivy corrected instinctively, nodding along.

Harley stopped in front of the door to the garage, producing a keychain from her pocket. HARLON was engraved into it.

"Oh, no Harley I can't," I waved my hand dismissively.

"I don't need it anymore, darlin'. I'm thinking an SUV. All you gotta do is invite us to the wedding," Harley dropped the keys into my hand, hugging me tightly.

"Treat her right," Ivy sent Wally a warning glare as she took her turn to hug me.

Lex was next. He hugged me the tightest. Over the five years with the villains, I had distanced myself from him out of fear. I used to call him dad, because he was. I didn't want Klarion to catch wind of that. Yet, there he was, loving me still.

"You'll get everything as soon as this all blows over. I need to retire too. I love you (Y/n)."

"I love you too, Dad." There it was. What I had wanted to call him for years. Because I chose my family, the title couldn't be thrust upon me by Klarion, "You too, Harley and Ivy."

Wally stepped up behind me, "You driving?"

"Sure." Wally and I walked into the garage and I guided him to Harley's motorcycle. As I started it and revved the engine, the trio of villains at the doorways mouth moved. A faint murmur against the preexisting noise, "What?"

"Happy twenty-first birthday you two!"

Smiling brightly at them, I bit back tears, "I love you guys. Goob- a new day."

"A better day."

A customary villain goodbye, encouraging us all to stay alive until we saw a new, better day. Lex flicked the switch for the garage door and we were out. The chill was immediate, the villain base hiding in the Rockies.

"Hold on," I warned, "I'm not sure if this will work," I held a hand out in front of me, "Ad antrum!"

Grunting as the front wheel slammed against concrete, I braked hard, screeching across the cave's garage. We made it. It was such an easy, simple escape that I had to wonder if escaping the illusion was an illusion within itself.

"Identify."

"Kid Flash and Black Rose."

"Shall I alert the-"

The cave's computer was interrupted by a much more familiar AI, "Welcome back Miss (Y/n), lovely to see you again. Shall I alert the team of your arrival?"

"Alice! Good to hear from you again. If you could notify the team that would be awesome."

"Of course. Shall I also track down the cure for sarcasm? You seem to be in desperate need of it,"

"Love you too."

Wally and I waited patiently in the garage. While I knew the team would want to be debriefed on everything that happened while we were captured; I had other things I wanted. I wanted to shower, eat, and sleep for a day because being in my head didn't allow REM sleep.

Looking to Wally, I noticed how spaced out he seemed. Quieter than normal and frowning unconsciously. Reaching out I grabbed his hand, running my thumb over the back of it.

"You okay?"

Wally shook his head. I understood. Our relationship had slowly been mending. We'd been learning who the new Wally and (Y/n) were. I wished he would understand what I had been through, but now that he'd experienced it firsthand... I took it all back.

~*~

"Who'd like to go first?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Wally and I exchanged nervous glances. We were seated in joint therapy with Dinah. It was reminiscent of my first few sessions with her when I'd been rescued five years before.

Two days had passed since we escaped. Those days were full of questioning, briefing the pros and the team, rest, and tequila shots generously supplied by Dick- since we could drink. We didn't bring up that he wasn't of age and yet was supplying us with alcohol. The only time Wally and I separated was when we showered. Nightmares kept us close at night.

"I'll go," I offered, sighing, "I married Wally. Bought a house, had a baby girl."

"Name?"

"Irene. It means peace. Ironic, isn't it? Klarion likes to do little things like that. In the illusion, we were called out on a mission. We split into teams. Then I was alone. The com said that Wally got hit... he didn't walk it off."

"How are you so okay with this?" Wally questioned frustratedly, "We were tortured and you're casual about it!"

"It wasn't real," I shrugged off the hurt I felt from being yelled out. I understood where he was coming from, but he didn't have to deal with it for five years. I did.

"You were pregnant. First baby. Klarion found out and took her before we could even give her a name. You couldn't deal with the guilt and the stress of it all so you took a gun and you- you- it felt real enough to me."

Dinah cut in before our bickering could devolve further, "Both of your illusions were rooted from a deeper fear. (Y/n) of losing what ties you to good once again. Wally losing everything you love before you can appreciate it. I'm sure if you weren't broken out of the illusions, they would have only grown more intense with time."

"Woohoo," I made a small circle with my pointer finger, deadpanning.

"Why can't you take this seriously?" Wally stood, volume steadily rising, "We were shown our greatest fears. We were stuck in there so long we missed our birthdays! How can you just pretend like nothing happened and go back to normal?"

Standing up to meet his heated gaze, I breathed out shakily, "That was my normal, Wally. Don't you realize that? Going through torture, thinking there was no way out. What can I say that I haven't already said? Torture suck. You want to die. Mental or physical it's all a bulltshit tactic to make you weak and easily controlled. It sticks with you your entire life. What happened was just another piece of trash thrown into the landfill we call life."

"Perhaps you should adjust your outlook on life into a more positive one," Dinah suggested, I frowned, "Didn't think so. Sit back down, you two. We aren't finished just yet."

Sitting down again, Wally whispered, "I'm sorry. You act so strong, sometimes I forget that you've suffered crazy stuff."

"I forgive you. I'm used to it. You aren't."

Dinah smiled proudly, "Look at that! Working through problems without outside intervention. That's a healthy relationship ready to bloom. Moving on, both of you have preexisting PTS, bordering on PTSD, from parents."

That was another similarity between us. Formerly, or currently, horrible parents.

"If I may, Dinah," I leaned forward in my seat, "I think we can handle this just fine. We're alive, aren't we? No nightmares reported, eating fine, taking care of ourselves. You said it yourself that we can work through things without outside intervention. If we do need help, we'll schedule a follow up."

Dinah finished her notes, nodded in agreement, and dismissed us for the day. Wally and I gladly left. Most of what I said was true. We were alive, eating regularly, and generally taking care of ourselves. But both of us had been having nightmares. Leading to us staying together more often that not, lying awake and listening to my music box.

Seeing as how we'd had dinner at Wayne Manor before going to the cave for the therapy session, we walked to the zeta-tubes together, silence floating between us.

"Can you stay over again?" I asked as I typed in the Batcave's code.

"Yeah," Wally answered immediately. He'd gotten a drawer in my dresser, regularly dropping off or leaving clothes there. He didn't need to go home, "You should have told her about the nightmares."

Shrugging, I stepped up to the glowing light, "She can't do anything about them, it'd be a hassle. Besides, I've got you, don't I?"

"Black Rose, B-twenty-seven."

"Kid Flash, B-oh-three."

Alfred was with Tim near the computer when we entered. The butler greeted us with a small smile.

"Master Wally, pleasure having you here again."

"Pleasure being here, Alfie my man," with that, Wally sped off upstairs.

"You gonna go to bed at a decent time tonight?"

Tim's shoulders shrugged, "My goal is two in the morning, so probably three-ish. What about you? Coping with those nightmares?"

"As much as I can be."

A crash sounded from upstairs. None of us flinched, "Wally doesn't know Jason is here, does he?"

Jason, being the secretly caring person he was, came to the Manor that morning to spend the night and make sure I was doing okay. Wally missed him at dinner because Jason took it upon himself to go along with Bruce on a patrol to annoy him.

"Holy shit?" Jason screamed faintly, the sound reverberating down the open elevator shaft, "What the hell are you doing here, Kid Mouth?"

"Hey bucket-head?" Another crash, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Your bucket is awesome I take it back!"

"I should go pull those two apart. Bruce on patrol?"

Tim and Alfred nodded in unison. Wishing them goodnight, I took the elevator to the study upstairs and followed the arguing to the living room.

"What are you even doing here, knockoff? You aren't sleeping with my sister!"

"She's not your sister, you first Robin replacement?"

"You little fu-"

"Jason, Wally," I gained the two men's attention, "Get along. Jay, I asked him to stay over here for the night, deal with it. Wally, Jay came to check up on me and he's my brother by war."

"I'm watching you," Jason poked Wally in the chest, leaving me with a kiss on my temple before he left the room.

Wally put a hand over the spot Jason poked him, "Ow."

"Come on," I rolled my eyes, "Let's head up to my room."

We walked the staircase and two halls in silence. I took a shower first and Wally followed after. When both of us were settled and ready for bed, we crawled under the covers.

The only sounds in the room was our breathing and the shifting of sheets if we moved under them. Wally laid his arm over my middle, and I scooted closer to him. I felt safe, protected. At the time, I didn't even need the music box sitting on the nightstand next to me.

"Do you want to talk about them?" Wally broke the silence.

"They're about my parents. Sometimes my mom is there. I've seen pictures of her, but even then it's this blurred outline of what she could have been. I watched Klarion poison her, watched her die. Other times, I see you die again. Klarion always does it, or makes me do it. Just um, you know, bad parent type stuff."

"(Y/n)," Wally began awkwardly, "Speaking of parents-"

"No." I said immediately, picking up where the conversation was leading.

"But you didn't-"

"No."

"(Y-"

"No."

"(Y/n)," Wally sighed, pulling me closer, "They're better now, They want to meet you, to know that you're fine after the mission. You don't have to forgive them for me, I think deep down I'll never forgive them entirely either, but that doesn't mean they'll stop being my parents."

"They hurt you Wally," I ran a finger along the back of Wally's shoulder, "You have scars from them too."

"But they didn't try to kill me. Things were different back then, but like I said, they'll always be my parents."

"I can't promise I won't yell at them."

"I'm not asking you not to. All I'm asking is that you come along."

"Alright," I cupped Wally's cheek and kissed him gently, "I always thought that heroes were invincible when I was younger. It seemed like they'd never die. But... I see your scars and I've realized that you aren't invincible. None of us are. But you're the strongest hero I could ask for. Because despite what people have done to you, you still fight for them."

"I love yo-"

"Aha!" The door flung open, light flooding in from the hallway, "Oh, you are just sleeping."

"Jason!"