Anchor (Hiatus)

Do-over

Wally is woken by the sound of his alarm, which is strange because he could've sworn it's a Saturday. Switching it off, he rolls over, making a valiant effort to fall back asleep and pulls the covers tight around himself. But it isn't long before his lie-in is ruined as his mum has other ideas.

"Wally, get up!" She chastises as she draws his curtains and a blinding light filters into the room. "You don't want to miss the first day of school."

He covers his face with his forearm to block out the sun. "What are you talking about? It's December," he whines, melodramatically.

"Haha, very funny," she deadpans. "Now get up," she says as she whips off the covers.

Without opening his eyes, Wally fumbles for his phone determined to prove her wrong. "No, look," he shows her his phone's lock screen. "December."

"Check again Wallace," she tells him on her way out. "And remember, no super-speed in the bathroom! I don't care how late you are!"

Running his hand over his face he sighs and mumbles, "What is she talking about?" And then he looks at the screen. "Huh? No way."

Although his phone is clearly telling him that it's August, he still rubs his eyes in disbelief and suddenly, he's wide awake. What's more, is that he isn't missing time; he's gone back in time.

"I'm dreaming. . ." he muses. "Or I'm dead. Man, I hope I'm not dead."

Still trying to process this strange development, Wally makes his way downstairs. He can't think on an empty stomach and at least breakfast should be straightforward. If this is some elaborate hoax, his parents have really gone all out because the paper his father is reading is stamped with the same date.

Folding up the paper, Rudy looks at his son with surprised amusement. "You're up," he comments. "That's unexpected.

Currently, on another planet, Wally doesn't respond, too caught up in trying to piece together his last memories. He remembers Red Arrow joining the team; Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis confessing their secret links to the enemy; and for some reason, regret. But that last memory was vague.

Caught up with his train of thought, Wally goes through the motions of getting ready for school and one thought keeps plaguing him: why today? He racks his brain for details that could tell him why today was so special and the first thing he recalls is that this was the day Artemis joined the team.

"That's it!" He cries, earning some odd looks from his parents. I have a second chance at a first impression with Arty! He thinks excitedly. And this time, she won't know what hit her . . .

–O–

"Welcome class to the first day of sophomore year." The teacher's lacklustre introduction is even more depressing the second time around and Wally groans audibly, causing a few heads to turn.

School is tedious at the best of times, but today time seems to have all but ground to a halt. The only reason he even went was that toeing the line was easier than another lecture from Batman. At the back of the classroom, he decides to use this time wisely and plan what to say to Artemis.

Firstly, he wants to come off as suave and charismatic when he introduces himself, so arriving in costume rather than half-naked and slathered in suncream, laden with beach paraphernalia seems like the way to go.

But it isn't his appearance that he regrets the most. More than anything, he wants to be the one to welcome her to the team – to be the one to thank her for saving his life instead of accusing her of replacing Speedy. If nothing else, Wally is going to make her feel part of the team.

A/N: I have most of this story planned out, but progress is slow, so if you have any ideas, please comment! Thanks to my beta, @midnightpansy! If you like this story, PLEASE VOTE and click here to follow me: @koalala11!