They praise me as a hero. Someone to be looked up to. But I’m not.
I didn’t know I had a clone. But I knew I had failed before he was ever made.
Every kid I save is my own, in a way. I had protected them, helped them survive! This had gotten my through the fits of depression that came upon me when I realized I would always be alone.
I knew I could never have kids. Not of flesh or blood at least, since my body prevents me from making little Kryptonians. Great thing for parties. As a wise singer said, “No regrets, just love.”
My love life wasn’t that good though. I couldn’t keep a girlfriend, because of the flying around in a cape, but at least I saw people. (Being partners with the most amazing, beautiful, and accident prone, woman on Earth didn’t hurt either.)
Everyone loves Superman. He’s the best! Savior of Earth and last on of Krypton.
But the boy in the building wouldn’t be loved. He would never kiss a girl, never see her walking in a white dress toward him with, her father on her arm, or hold his new baby girl, wrapped in a pastel blanket that brought out her little eyes. He would never be called “Dada.”
His first word, and last, was “Dada.”
He said it as he looked through the window while looking at me. I tried to go faster. I really did! But the house- it collapsed. No body was ever recovered.
He had blue eyes, black hair and a scream that would scar anyone for life. It did for me. He’s dead now, just like my old life, that of happiness and apple pie. Things he would never be able to experience. Because of me.
He was just a baby when he died. His life was in my hands, and I let him fall. I couldn’t fly fast enough. Punch hard enough. I FAILED!
A twist in the tale, eh? Most of the time, the superhero finds the baby and saves the day! But I couldn’t just swoop in and hand the baby to the sobbing mother, or the father, trying to be strong while his life was going up in a cloud of smoke. But they were dead too, crushed by the fiery debris and buried in rubble.
The Justice League was my way of making it up to the world. I let one child perish, but I could make the world a better place. I became the poster-boy for the UN’s disarmament program. I tried to make the world safer, but alas, more people died. Batman says it’s the cost of Justice. I just call it sad.
I couldn’t stop all of the deaths. But I could have stopped the fire.
When Superboy came out of that rubble, I felt my heart stop. This can’t be happening! I thought to myself frantically. The boy is dead! He couldn’t have survived! I saw the boy from all those years ago. The one I let die.
But then the boy lifted the torn edge of his white garment. It had my symbol on it. I was scared. Not of the clone himself, but that I would fail again. It was too much to take in! The resurrection indeed!
The boy in the building… was me the whole time.
When Canary told me that that was the name he had chosen, I know the universe was conspiring against me.
Bruce ridiculed me. The whole League did. They said I should embrace him. Show him that I care. But they don’t know why I don’t talk to him. Why I don’t interact with him. Why I can’t even look in the mirror or the papers anymore. The Superman shown there was the idealized one, the grand Hero of Earth! Not someone who let an infant burn. Not someone who could have stopped it.
As I look upon my clone, I see the same confused look that the little boy had. Just before he died.
Later, when I read the papers, I saw what the name of the boy was. Conner.
“I already failed you once Conner. I can’t do it again.” At this, I flew away.
Rocket yelled out to him, but he didn’t respond. He just laid there, not moving. With Kaldur down, she was all alone to fight this thing, this monster.
The warehouse was dark and full of large, metal boxes. Kaldur remained at the far end of the warehouse, punched out of consciousness by the monster that Superboy calls Match.
Now Rocket was stuck at the opposite end of the warehouse, cornered in and no chance to get to the exit. Miss Martian wasn’t on this mission so there was no physic link. Rocket was left alone to fight Match.
Her back hit one of the metal boxes. She couldn’t jump over them; they stood at least twenty feet tall. Match stared at her while standing only five feet away. He was growling and bunching his hands into tight fists. The experiment suddenly screamed an inhumane sound and Rocket covered her ears.
“Well, this is going to be fun.” Rocket muttered sarcastically.
Match launched himself at Rocket, but he wasn’t fast enough. She activated her force field and he rammed into it, stumbling back a few steps. He then came back and punched the shield, never holding back.
Rocket’s heart stopped. She had never fought a kryptonian, and she wasn’t sure how much kinetic energy the shield could hold. She could feel it growing stronger with every punch, stronger than she had ever felt it. She thought it was kind of funny, in a way. She looked at Match’s face and she saw a familiar face, a friend. But here he was acting like a maniac trying to kill everyone.
“You know you can’t break through the bubble,” Rocket taunted. A smile grew on her face and Match punched faster, now at super-speed. Her heart continued to beat rapidly. If she learned anything while training and fighting with the Team, it was to never let your guard down.
Minutes passed and Rocket’s confidence flickered. She had no idea how long this Match could keep on punching and she needed to get Kaldur help. If she let the shield down, she would probably end up like Kaldur. But if she didn’t put the shield down, she would never get out of this situation.
“Hey, big guy! Over here!”
Match stopped, heaved in some deep breaths and turned around. Rocket didn’t have to look; she could recognize that voice from anywhere.
“You clearly are not whelmed.” Robin stood near the entrance of the warehouse, being his sassy self. Rocket sighed in relief that help had come, but that feeling didn’t last very long.
Match once again screamed and flew full speed at the vulnerable boy. Robin may be good, but even he isn’t good enough to avoid a full-out raging Kryptonian coming at him with super speed.
Luckily, Rocket was there.
Match had gotten to Robin in the blink of an eye, but Rocket had assumed the attack on Robin when Match had first turned around. The force field around her faded away and suddenly appeared around the Boy Wonder, who had flinched in prepare for the oncoming attack.
“I got you, Robin!” Rocket yelled out.
“You were supposed to put the force bubble around Match!” Robin yelled back from inside the shield.
“He was moving too fast, I couldn’t see him—“ Rocket stopped mid sentence. A strong force hit her stomach and she went flying. Her body hit one of the metal boxes and made a dent in the side. She couldn’t stop her body from then hitting the ground. Rocket groaned, trying to curl up in order to get back up and fight, but a good amount of her ribs had been broken. Every breath burned like a blazing fire.
“Rocket, now—“ Robin yelled, but she already knew what to do.
Match had needed a moment to regain himself. He had spent too much energy and had paused for breath. That was her chance.
Rocket lifted her arms up, while crying out in immense pain, and created the force shield around Match. The kryptonian screamed and attacked the shield, but was only making it stronger. He had been smart enough to attack Rocket while she was vulnerable, but not smart enough to realize he had no negative effect on the force shield.
Robin ran to Rocket’s side, who stayed on her knees with her arms out in front of her. “Are you okay?” He kneeled down and touched her shoulder. She winced and he pulled away.
“Yeah,” Rocket spoke through gritted teeth, “I’m used to getting punched by an angry kryptonian on a daily basis.”
“Good to see you still have your humor.” Robin smiled.
“Just go help Aqualad, would you? I can hold this guy.”
“You saved everyone today, Rocket. You’ve done good work.” Robin then rushed away to help their still unconscious friend. Rocket smiled. It was just another ordinary day on the Team.
Summary: Bruce spontaneously decides to go somewhere one Christmas Eve afternoon and by default leaves his adopted son, Richard Wayne, in charge of his annual Wayne Christmas Bash. Barbara of course is there to smirk at his misery, and later makes it better through some other Christmas related traditions.
Author’s Notes: Okay, so, I had to try and write this quite a few times because Microsoft word is a jerk, and so is my immune system. Hopefully, despite being hyped up on medicinal drugs and having technical difficulties, this is enjoyable ♥ Cherryvane I wish you a very Merry Christmas/Holiday and a fantastic New Year :) ♥
Christmas Eve was always a busy time, but when you add the surname Wayne to that you have best not make any plans of your own. Dick had learnt that long ago and was remembering past Wayne Christmases as he sauntered up the long staircase to the front door of the manor, blowing hot air into his hands. The breath coming out in white puffs - he couldn't remember it ever being this cold in Gotham.
Before he could even knock, the door open to revealed an elderly man, a large smile warming his fast, "Master Richard."
"Alfred, Merry Christmas!" Dick sang as he walked through the door and shed his coat, handing it to the butler. "Where is everyone?" he asked, glancing around at the vast foyer that was decorated for the holiday.
"You're the first to arrive, as usual."
A grin shone at that, "Can't ruin tradition now, can we?"
"No, I suppose you cannot," He agreed with a laugh, "Although, Miss Gordon had said she'd be... Ah, there she is!" Alfred finished, looking out of the curtained window. He opened the door in the same manner he had for Dick, "Miss Gordon."
The tinkling laugh that left the girl's mouth as she leant forward to kiss Alfred's cheek put a smile on both men's faces. "Alfred, please, how many times do I need to tell you? Barbara is fine."
"Your coat, Miss Barbara?"
The girl rolled her eyes at him, but shrugged off her coat, handing it to over. "Merry Christmas," she added, pecking his cheek before turning to smile brightly at Dick. "And to you as well, Dick." She said, reaching her arms up to give him a hug and a peck on the cheek himself.
A knock sent all three of them turning again to the door. "That must be Master Tim," Alfred mumbled to himself quietly, moving to let in the newest addition of their team. "Welcome, Master Tim."
"Merry Christmas," the small framed boy chanted, a small grin on his face as he walked in to see his parent and sibling figures.
"Now," Dick mumbled, folding his arms over his chest and wrinkling the light blue tie he was wearing, "Where's Bats?"
"Master Bruce," Alfred stressed, leading the three of them out of the foyer and into the large kitchen a few hallways and staircases away, "shall return later this evening."
Barbara's eyebrows were raised high onto her head, "Did he not say that he was having the annual Wayne Christmas Eve bash tonight?"
"Oh, he is," The butler confirmed, turning to the stove and putting the kettle on the burner.
"If he's not here..." Dick started, furrowing his brow.
"How exactly is he throwing the party?" Tim finished, his arms crossing and wrinkling his own red tie.
Alfred chuckled softly, setting four mugs out and placing spoonfuls of chocolate powder into each, "There's the catch. Master Richard will play host until his return."
Dick was unable to suppress his groan while the other two snorted and giggled at his sudden misfortune. No one ever liked being host to a bunch of stuck up billionaires.
"Welcome, so glad you were able to come," Richard Wayne, no longer just plain Dick, said to the newest couple to walk through the mansion doors. As the two guests moved further away he couldn't help but to mumble something unintelligible about the man's attire.
"Having fun?"
He felt rusty whenever Barbara managed creep up on him like that. "Of course," he started, taking in her stance and the way she scanned the party around them. She had changed out of her everyday clothes to instead sport a modest black dress that fell to her knees and shimmered when she moved. "Tons. And you, Gordon?"
Her lips twitched into a small smile, "Most fun I've had in days," she droned sarcastically, downing what he was sure wasn't punch.
"Sarcasm is very unbecoming, Barbara."
"Is it?" She inquired, her smirk growing as she raised her eyebrows to look up at him. "I beg to differ, Richard."
"I agree with him," both spun to see their mentor strolling into the manor, tightening his tie as he went. "I assume the party is going well?" Bruce asked, dropping their previous topic as he too scanned the guests in his foyer and grinned, nodding in greeting to a few who noticed him.
"Of course it is," Dick answered, standing next to the taller man and gazing over the party guests, "You left me in charge."
He earned a laugh from Bruce at that, "Good, good. Why don't the two of you go and enjoy the party? Tim and I can man the door and guests for awhile." Both Barbara and Dick knew what that meant. They were free to go hide in the kitchen, and despite the fact they would have to leave behind a member of their team, they didn't dare waste a second of that freedom.
"I never understand why he throws these things," The black haired boy mumbled, rubbing his face as he led the way into the kitchen.
Barbara sighed and offered a shrug of her shoulders, "Who knows. Tradition?"
Dick scoffed, throwing himself onto one of the stools, "Well that is one tradition I can deal with-" he stopped mid-sentence, noticing that Barbara's mouth was ajar and she was staring at the ceiling above them. "What is...Oh." Perfect; another Christmas tradition.
Barbara's wide eyes slowly moved to meet his, both of them blushing like crazy, "It is tradition," she mumbled, taking a timid step towards him.
Despite the nervous air that had surrounded them, Dick got the courage to give her a smirk, "One I think I can handle." He told her, standing again as he closed the gap between them in a single stride, lips pressed against hers. Slowly his hand reached up and snaked its way up her neck and into her orange hair. Her own lips pulled into a small smirk as she kissed him back softly, hands resting lightly on his shoulders.
This was what Dick loved about Christmas; the small miracles and memories that were made. As he heard a cough at the door, making the two break apart from their embrace, he couldn't help but to want to smite whoever it was - Christmas or not. He moved his head away from Babs, just to yell that, but stopped upon seeing who it was.
"Uhm," Tim stammered, eyes widening and his hand reaching to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly, "I guess I'll just... Uh, go back to helping Bruce let the guests in." Before either culprits could get a word in, the Boy Wonder had disappeared and Barbara was snorting out giggles.
Dick however was frowning, "Exactly what's funny?"
Waving him away, and wiping a tear from her eye, she said, "Nothing, except for the fact that he looked absolutely traumatized." The two laughed, Dick shaking his head slightly and folding his arms.
After the laughter had subsided, things slowly became awkward again. Dick was determined to not let them get too awkward though, and instead of standing in silence he leant down to peck Babs' cheek, "Merry Christmas, Barbara."
The girl smiled through her blush, "Merry Christmas, Dick."
For live-like-the-wind from madi-starlight, merry Christmas!
Title: Licensed to love
Genre: Romance
Pairing: Spitfire, traces of other canon ships
Rating: K
Summary: Wally finally gets his drivers license! But when he forgets about Valentines Day for the second time in a row, what will he do to fix things?
Notes: Set in Team Year 2, so actually around Feburary 2012, meaning everyone's a year older and there are a few new faces on the Team.
"Whooo hoooo!" Wally West hollered, taking off at a relatively slow speed from the DMV office. Only running slowly because well, he was in public, and his father hated having to run after him. Sighing, as he reached the car, he turned and groaned at his father. "Dad, come on!" The older, less in-shape, Rudolph West huffed a bit and did his best to jog over. "Son, what did I tell you about running off at high speeds like that in public?" Wally only rolled his eyes. "Dad. I was only going 5 miles an hour. You realize how slow that is for a teen that can break the sound barrier with his-" "With his sneakers. Yes, I think you've told me before."
The older man shook his head and leaned against the car, still catching his breath. "I have to say, your mother and I are extremely proud of you, especially today. I just hope you don't get any ideas when we leave this Tuesday..." Too busy admiring his license to pay attention to the second part, he proudly held up the card. "Awe, thanks, Dad." The man slid into the car, mumbling under his breath. "Only took a year....and a few crashes..." The teen pouted and placed his hands at his hips. "Hey, I heard that-wait, why are you sitting in the..." He trailed off, wondering why his father was sitting in the passenger seat, then it dawned on him. He was the driver now.
A wave of fear overcame him and suddenly he was as nervous as the first time he'd sat behind the wheel. Fingers shaking a little as he slid into the drivers seat, he checked off all the pre-drive procedures he'd now memorized and took a deep breath. "You okay, Wally?" He heard his father ask. "Huh?" Then as if they were never there, his nerves went away and a thrill filled him. A grin crept on to his lips, getting wider by the second. "I'm fine, Dad, just fine." Raising an eyebrow, the man sighed and looked forward. "All right, just remember to take it sloooowwww!" Wally floored the accelerator and only minded the speed limit after he'd hit the first light. Meanwhile, Mr. West wondered who in the universe had granted him the wish to teach his speedster son to drive.
A few days later
"RECOGNIZED: KID FLASH B03" Came the familiar voice of the computer as the Zeta buzzed to life. "Artemis, Rob, guys! Guess what!" A few various team members looked up from their preoccupations as the speedster rushed into the living room. "What's up, Kid?" Asked Rocket, raising an eyebrow. "Guess who finally got their drivers license?" He replied, ending in an almost singing tone. "Guess who gets to drive the Batmobile on a regular basis?" Robin retorted, flipping over the couch and over him, meeting his tone of voice. Wally frowned. "Guess who doesn't care."
"No one care about you either, Wallman."
"You are mean."
"What were you doing getting your DL this week?"
"My dad's idea."
"What about your girlfriend?"
"Yeah, I'm going to tell her too."
"But it's Valentines Day. Don't tell me you forgot."
Wally's eyes widened at the comment. "What?" Everyone exchanged glances. Aqualad, having just walked over to silence their banter grew silent. At that moment Robin broke into uncontrollable laughter. "Wait, are you kidding? This isn't funny, Rob!" Zatanna walked over and crossed her arms, giving her own boyfriend a glare, then looking back to Wally. "You seriously forgot?" M'gann stood from her place on the couch next to Conner, looking over at them. "It is the fourteenth..." He only frowned. "And that's significant because...?" "Y-you seriously forgot! A-again! I can't...breath..." Robin managed to say, in between his laughs and clutching his stomach. Although, he was silenced when receiving a glare from Kaldur and Zatanna, each equally threatening.
"There is no need to make him feel worse than I'm sure he does, Robin. It would seem a difficult holiday to remember when one is not accustomed to celebrating it for oneself." Kaldur attempted to console. "But guys, this happened last year! I'm so dead..." Hanging his head in shame, he let out a groan in frustration. Deciding to be supportive, Robin reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure you'll figure something out. After all, day's not over yet. You could probably plan something quick and make it seem like you didn't forget."
"Who didn't forget what?"
All eyes flew to the direction of the voice only to find none other than Artemis standing there, arms folded across her chest. Wally knew that if looks could kill he would be dead yesterday. Of course she knew it was him who forgot. Who else? The Team was silent. The whole Cave seemed to grow silent. It was so quiet you could practically hear everyone holding their breath as she walked towards him. "You forgot, didn't you?" He took a step back, practically able to hear his heart thumping hard in his chest as she continued. "The whole team's been talking about it for two weeks and you forgot,"
"Look, Artemis, It's-"
"...again!"
"It's not-"
"We had this conversation last year! I was a little more understanding then, but seriously? Again!" She pushed him back.
"I didn't-"
"Don't you dare lie to me, Wallace. You learned nothing from last year."
He swallowed hard and looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I'm so sorry about this." Raising her hand she went to slap him, but stopped just short instead letting her hand fall to her side. "It's. Fine." She muttered, turning away. The air between them was so tense it almost hurt to breath it in. Inside, he knew it wasn't fine. Nothing about this situation was fine. "Artemis..." He looked up slowly. "I can fix this." A hand rose to touch her shoulder but was pushed away. "Just go spend it by yourself." She brushed past him and entered the Zeta beam. At first he felt the urge to run after her, but he knew at this point there wasn't much he could do.
At this point, the rest of the team had dispersed slowly, leaving the couple to work this out by themselves and on to their own plans, all wondering how things would work out. Only Tula and Garth had stuck around and watched him silently as he stared at the floor. "Is there nothing we can do for him?" Tula whispered in Atlantean. A sigh escaped Garth's lips as he cocked his head around to her. "I suppose we must." Standing, he walked over to the boy and took hold of his shoulder, dragging him back to the dorm area. "What? Garth, what are you-" "Quiet. I have an idea."
Artemis entered the apartment her and her mother shared, desperately hoping that for once in her life Paula Crock wouldn't ask questions. Yet as she made her way to her room, her mother wheeled herself over and blocked her path. "Artemis? What are you doing here? Why aren't you out with-" "It's nothing, Mom." Squeezing her way past the wheelchair, she closed her door carefully as she could, rather than slamming it like she wanted to, only for the sake of not arising more questions. Moving over to her bed, she buried herself in her blankets and exhaled slowly. For weeks she'd been planning what to get him, what to wear, doing everything in her power to make sure whatever he decided to do, to make it perfect for him. Heck, she'd gone so far as to pick three outfits just in case the situation was more casual or dressy than she'd predicted. She should have known better. A hot tear slid down her face and was quickly wiped away. "No way, no way am I letting this ruin my day."
Arising from her bed a while later, she had a full plan formed. She threw the door open and marched over to her mother. "Mom, you and me are going to do something. Come on." Paula merely set her cup of tea down gently and shook her head. "No, I know exactly what you are going to do today, and it's not going to be with me." Artemis frowned at her and folded her arms in exasperation. "You can't possibly think that I would go anywhere with-" She paused, catching herself quickly. "-out you, right?" The wheels on her mother's wheelchair squeaked as they rolled past her, leaving her mouth agape. "I'm going to run some errands and leave you to sort this out." The woman said, making her way towards the door. Once reaching the door, she continued, turning her head to meet the girl's incredulous gaze. "Just remember that sometimes the woman has to meet the man somewhere halfway. Otherwise, things will be out of balance. One will end up having to pull the other up all the way, or one might have to take the fall for both…like I did." Leaving her daughter still in shock, she rolled herself out of the apartment.
Artemis could feel herself shaking; at first from anger-what did her mom know?-then from sorrow at the thought of the pain her mother had already been through. The last thing she needed was to see her daughter sulking around the house all day. Wally probably felt terrible, she could figure that much. In fact she was almost completely sure by this point he'd be sulking to his uncle. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, she hung her head in her hands. "I'm the worst person on the planet…" At that moment, the phone rang. Grumbling, she rose to answer it. "Hello?"
"Artemis?"
Her eyes widened at the voice on the other end. Instantly, she felt the urge to hang up. Instead, she cleared her throat and decided to suck it up and deal with it. "What yo you want, Baywatch?" There was a sigh. "Look, Artemis, first of all, I want to apologize. I messed up big today…again. I know that you were probably looking forward to today and are probably still upset because, well, I ruined it." Her lips pressed into a thin line as she looked around the room, hand placed firmly on her hip. "Yeah, well…day's almost over, not much we can do about it." "Actually, I think there is. Mind opening the door by the way?" Eyebrows furrowing, she whirled around, narrowing her eyes at the door and hanging up. Cautiously she moved towards it and opened it to reveal none other than her boyfriend, still on his cell phone. He was dressed casually, but nicer than usual. Strange compared to his usual. Even his hair seemed to be combed just a little. Not that it impressed her… Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms. Some part of her, the actual girl romantic side of her that never came out, wished that she could just order him to start apologizing and that way she could forgive him and they could be happy again, the more common side of her wanted to slam the door in his face and not speak to him for a while. Before she could do either though, she surprised herself by doing something she never could have predicted.
She apologized.
"I guess I reacted…in the wrong way. I should have known you better for one and…given you another chance." Unable to find his eyes, she looked away, deciding instead to focus on some bug crawling along the floor. Obviously he hadn't been prepared for this at all, judging by his dead silence. At first he stammered, causing her to roll her eyes, then he took her hand in both of his and managed to return the apology. "I'm sorry too. We've made it this far, I'm not sure how, but hey! There's always next year." A part of her wondered if there would even be a next year. He tilted his head to see her face, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him reach into his back pocket. "I know it's a little later, but are you willing to let me make up for this?" At first she was surprised. All this, and he was still trying. Maybe he hadn't been sulking to his uncle after all, maybe she was still willing to give him the chance. Then she realized he was holding up car keys. Which implied that he drove here. "Someone had to drive you here?" He grinned a little too wide for her taste. "Nope, drove myself. Full certified driver equals me, and like I said, I have something planned. So come on!" Even before she could protest, he picked her up and sped to his car. The fact that he even had a car at this point surprised her. "All right, I don't want you to freak out, so I'm going to blindfold you-" "Whoa, whoa, no way. No way are you putting that thing on me." She said, pointing in disgust at the blindfold he'd pulled out. "I want this to be a surprise! Just put it on."
"Are you insane!? I'm not letting you drive!"
"Would you rather me run you there?"
"You're not driving."
"Fine. I'll run. Either way, you're still wearing the blindfold."
"No."
"Yes."
"No way, jerk."
"Get in the car, beautiful."
"Was that supposed to be an insult?"
"No, you look pretty today, like you got all ready for something. Which again, made me feel bad. Just please, let me do this."
Suddenly, she felt bad. He was honestly trying so hard. And there she was arguing and making a scene. Cursing at herself in Vietnamese, she grabbed the blindfold and tied it securely in place after she had slid into the car and fastened her seatbelt. Really, she was failing so hard today. Finally she understood what her mom had meant. This was more her fault too. She didn't even call to remind him. Always just assumed he'd know better. As the car accelerated a bit, she felt her stomach lurch a bit with it. She hoped wherever the heck he'd decided to take her was worth it…
All he had to do was follow the plan. Parking the car almost perfectly, he heard a sigh of relief come from his girlfriend next to him as she unbuckled herself. "See? That wasn't so bad." "Right. Can I take this stupid thing off now?" Rolling his eyes, he unlocked the doors and emerged, moving to her side, opening the door for her. "Not yet, I want to get you a bit closer before you take it off." Making a face as she was helped up, she looked around, as if being able to see. "Where are we? It smells like…like I don't know. Dead leaves." Chuckling a bit, he shook his head. "Well, you got that part right. Hold on, I need to get something from the trunk." Leaving her put, he popped it open and removed her spare bow and quiver, slinging them over his shoulder in a like manner he'd seen her do. He closed it and walked back towards her, reaching out and taking her hand as he did. Carefully he pulled her along a couple of feet up a small incline. After he thought they were close enough, he stopped and smiled at her, taking a deep breath in. This was it. "Go ahead and take it off." She reached up and removed the blindfold.
For a moment she blinked at the sunlight, then looked around in confusion at the woodsy-looking area. "What…? Where…" He removed her arsenal from his shoulder and held them out to her. "You might need these. " Frowning and clenching her teeth, she snatched her things away from him. "How did you get this? Who gave you permission to…" Suddenly her eyes widened as she looked around again. His heart beat in anticipation as she realized where they were standing in front of. "This…is a shooting range." "Specifically an archery range." He corrected. "Wally…"
"Granted, I had some help coming up with a generic activity idea, but said help left the rest to me. And I know you always liked practicing, no matter where. Thus, I thought it was something maybe we could try to do together. Or at least you could watch me as I failed at yet another thing in my life."
"Wally, I-"
"This is something I don't want to fail at." He said reaching out and squeezing her hand. "For the first time in my life I know I can't fail, because if I do, I'll bring someone's heart down with mine. A year ago, you saved me life, with that bow you'reholding…okay, maybe not that actual bow, because well that's your backup, but anyway," Pausing, he searched for the right words, knowing full-well how idiotic he must have sounded. "You also stole my heart, even though I didn't quite know it yet. And today, there's no where else I'd rather be, no one else I'd rather be with, than with you right now." Stopping, he held his breath, deciding not to say anymore and having nothing else left to say. He held his breath, waiting for a response, only to find her staring back up at him with glistening eyes, a smile peeking through them. "I…since when are you so…I'm sorry, I don't know…what…" She looked away pressing a hand over her mouth and for a moment, neither said anything until finally she dropped her bow and threw her arms up around him. Surprise filled him, right after utter shock, but still he embraced her, allowing relief to fill him instead. "Happy Valentines day, Artemis." A full-hearted laugh fell from her lips; something he could listen to all day. "I love you, you do know that, right?" She said calming down. Those first three words, one's he'd been waiting months to hear, they gave him butterflies and still he didn't want them to go away. Somehow, he found the courage to say them back. "I love you too, Artemis." Grinning, she leaned up to kiss his cheek, then pulled away to retrieve her bow. "So, you ready to get your butt kicked?" She asked as they walked towards the range main entrance. "You know it, babe." Cocking her head up at him, she gave a quizzical look. "You're not going to forget next year, are you?" Scoffing, he folded his arms. "Me? No way! Not after this year."
This is for Floatslikeabee, It was supposed to be "christmasy", but is ended up being kinda depressing relationshipy... fantastic. Anyways, Merry Christmas! Sorry it's not my best work, Bronchitis got the best of me haha. Have a happy holidays and I hope you at least kind of liked it! (by the way, it's supposed to show three stages of a relationship, the blooming first part, the joyful middle, and the sad contemplation of the end. Just picking up on hinters or feelings I got from the show mostly)
Christmases Past for remdragon8 (I hope you like it. It has been quite a while since I've written fanfic so I'm a little rusty. Happy Christmas.)
Christmas was Wally’s favorite holiday.
As a kid, he loved to wake up early in the morning and run downstairs to see what was under the Christmas tree, especially when he opened his presents to find Flash memorabilia. The Flash was his favorite superhero. The whole family, including the Garricks, who were close family friends, would show up later in the day. They’d all sit around the living room eating and opening presents. The whole family would laugh at the sheer enthusiasm on Wally’s face whenever he opened up a present that happened to have a Flash insignia on it. Uncle Barry laughed especially hard. He wouldn’t understand it for a couple years, but when he finally figured out why exactly Barry thought his excitement was so funny, he didn’t even mind. He was too star struck to care.
After Wally became Kid Flash, he loved Christmas even more than before. It had all the food of Thanksgiving and all the presents of a birthday. Oh and the family company was good too. As always, they’d sit around the living room eating, laughing, and opening presents. Only now Uncle Barry and Wally usually had to leave halfway through to go take care of some Scrooge that thought he’d try to ruin Christmas. They’d come back and Christmas dinner would be waiting, even more satisfying than before. Nothing tastes better than eating a feast right after saving Christmas…well, their high speed metabolisms probably helped with that. Wally swore that nothing could possibly make his Christmases better.
Of course that was until he met the team and Artemis. If you had told him that the snarky archer girl would become part of his annual Christmas tradition, he would have laughed in your face, and then hit on you if you were a girl. But never the less, it happened, they were together by the first New Years with the team, and by the second Christmas, she had become an integral part of his life. She’d come over to his house to help decorate and put ornaments on the tree and then the next day he’d go to hers and do the same. When they finally moved in together, come Christmas time, they’d always return home, spending Christmas Eve with Paula and Christmas Day with his family. That was, at least, until Aqualad and Nightwing’s plan brought his world crashing down around him.
Christmas was Wally’s favorite holiday.
It was only March, not even a quarter of a year since the last time they celebrated Christmas, yet everything seemed so different now. Artemis was gone. Dead to the majority of the team, and Dick had decided to throw her into a situation where she could die for real. For all anyone knew, Aqualad could be a double spy. He blew up Mount Justice after all!
Possibly the weirdest occurrence of all though, was that he now had a first cousin once removed from the future that was stuck in the present. Everything was changing so quickly, and Wally wasn’t quite so sure he liked all of the changes.
He could only hope that this would all be over by the end of the year. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Bart; the kid had a lot of spunk. But if he had to choose, he’d much rather have his spunky ex-archer than another speedster. To his credit though, it wasn’t the 13-year-old’s fault that all of this was happening. He just had really bad timing.
Wally sighed and looked over at the boy who was talking to Jay and Joan, making animated gestures with his hands. He seemed to have won those two over within a couple hours of moving in with them. Something about the young redhead reminded Wally of himself when he first started the team. He had been so careless back then. But something told him that Bart wasn’t quite as fun-loving and innocent as he seemed.
Wally had dropped by on his way back from seeing Nightwing to check on them. He stood, said his goodbyes, received hugs from everybody and saw himself out. Bart would have been a great addition to their Christmas traditions if everything was still the way it used to be. If anything, Wally just wished that he could turn back time to when things were simpler. To when taking down baddies was fun. To when the team still felt whole, back before anyone had to die for The Cause.
At least he still had the Flash family to fall back on. They were able to make things seem not quite so bleak. The way things were now, they were what kept him going.
“I told you! It’s an Earth tradition. It’s been playing on that channel all day. C’mon, don’t be such a buzzkill.” She playfully punches him in the arm and then snuggles next to him on the couch, pressing the side of her face into his shoulder.
“I still don’t get it. This guy gets all upset and now some angel is showing him what the world would be like without him?”
“Well, yeah. That’s the point. It’s, like, showing how everyone’s important and loved even if they don’t feel like it all the time.” She settles back into watching the movie, while he plays with her hair a little, not really focused on the cheesy movie.
“I still think it’s cheesy.”
She laughs now, glancing up at him.
“Have some Christmas spirit, Connor. For me?” She bats her eyelashes playfully and kisses him on the cheek.
The corner of his mouth twitches up.
“Fine.”
December 24th
6:35 pm CST
Central City
“Boys! Dinner time!” Joan Garrick calls. Within milliseconds, the male members of the house are seated in front of her, grinning up with hungry eyes and wide smiles.
“I think we should start a bell system,” laughs Iris.
“Hurry up, I’m starving.”
“Manners, Wally!” This is from his mother, who glaresplayfully.
“Wally’s usually not one for manners.” Artemis laughs, enjoying her first Christmas with the Wests, Allens, and Garricks. Next to her, sits Paula, also beaming at the sight of a full family table for the holidays.
“Well behave yourself, Wally. Can’t have a nephew of mine being anything less than a gentleman. Especially to his lady.” Barry winks at Iris. “This looks fantastic, hon.”
“You said it.” From the other end of the table, Jay raises his glass. “Couldn’t look better Joan.” He clears his throat. “Let’s have a toast.”
“Here, here!” Barry clacks his fork on the side of his glass.
“Aw, man.” Wally groans and swallows the bit of bread he had snuck in.
“To our family, our friends---old and new.” This is for the Crocks, who smile appreciate. “Through thick and thin, we’ve stayed together and we always will. Merry Christmas, everyone!’
“Merry Christmas!” says Wally. “Now can we eat?”
Artemis slaps him.
December 24th
8:42 pm EST
Gotham City
“Master Bruce, shall I prepare a fire in the living room?”
“Yes, of course, Alfred.”
“Right away, Master Bruce. And, Miss Gordon and Mr. Greyson are at the door. They send their apologies for being late.”
Bruce’s face changes for a moment, and anyone but Alfred would miss the twinge of compassion in his eye.
“Yes, well, these things happen. Let them in. And call Jason down from his room. We’ll have a late family supper after all.”
“I’ll let Master Todd know immediately.” Alfred pauses on his way out. “Funny how things work out. It’s all in the spirit of the holidays, I suppose.”
Bruce ignores this. “Merry Christmas, Alfred.”
December 24th
11:42 pm EST
Gotham City
“You came home.”
“I said I would.” He looks down. “Sorry…for being late.”
“Duty calls.” She slinks over to him, draping her arms over his shoulders. “I’m just glad I get you for tonight.”
Artemis Crock/Artemis-Words and Thoughts In Italic
Wally West/Kid Flash-Words and Thoughts Normally
Guardian Angel
"Wally where are you" I shout out in the middle of the jungle."Artemis" I hear Wally shout out a little confused. I start running in the direction I heard his voice. “Wally” I shout out again “Artemis” he says louder but still confused. I keep running and finally find him. When I find him I run up to him and hug him real tight. Then I notice his wounds. His left leg is bleeding, many scratches on his face, a black eye and I think his right arm is broken. “What happened?” I ask him “I'm not sure, I was fighting some thugs but they really got me, so I ran into the jungle, they started shooting and they got me in the leg” is what he said to me. He was badly hurt but I could fix it....I hope.
“Wally lay down and relax, I'll take care of your wounds got it” I say to him.
“OK Artemis, but let me tell you something.” He says to me.
“What Wally?” I say with urgency.
“Artemis I Love You” He tells me with a smile on his face.
Even though he's hurt I smile “I Love You Too Wally.” I say then pull him in for a kiss. Then I break away quickly because he needs to breathe.
“Lie down Wally and try to relax.” I tell him. He does as I say while I take the net out of one of my arrows. I use the rope from the net to tie his leg wound in to try to stop the bleeding. I hear his breathing start to slow down and getting slower...then it hits me. He's dying. I start to panic “Wally, wake up” I yell at him while shacking him. I check his heart beat, it's really faint. He's gonna die is what my mind is telling me, but I refuse to believe that. He looks happy and peaceful, but I'm not. ”Wally!” I yell at him again with tears threatening to come out. I look at him again, I check his pulse....nothing. The tears start rolling down “Wally no come back to me....don't leave me.....Wally...” is all I manage to say before I start to sob uncontrollably. I continue crying on top of Wally wishing he was still here.
“No....Wally!” I yell when I wake in my bedroom at the cave. I lay back down and try to relax my breathing. It was just a nightmare. The same nightmare. Again. I don't know why, but lately I've been having the same nightmare every night. Wally dies at my side in the middle of the jungle. Every night I try and change the scenario; I don't kiss him so he can save his breath, another time I tried to keep him awake but he just fell over and stopped breathing. No matter what I try I can't save him, so lately I just let it go and watch him die. It's better than trying to save him and failing.
I get up out of bed and head for the kitchen. When I get there I think I probably should have stayed in bed so I just go to the cupboards and grab a cup. Once I get the milk out of the fridge, I pour two cups of milk, I turn around to put the milk back then I think "Wait, two cups?" But when I turn I only see one, it's late I might just be seeing things. Megan left cookies on the table so I sit down and reach out for one. As soon as a cookie is in my hand it disappears. Now I think I am hallucinating, but then I hear a crunching noise and gulping. I look up and notice Wally gulping down his glass of milk. So I wasn't seeing things when I poured to glasses of milk.
“Wally that was my cookie” I said with a little laugh.
“Not anymore.” he says smiling and rubbing his belly.
“What are you doing up so late” I ask him
“What are you doing, can't sleep” he asks me. I just stare at the table and ignore his question.
“Artemis is everything OK? You seem down. Is there something you want to talk about?” he asks me.
“No, I'm fine Wally.” I said to him hesitating. Thankfully he didn't notice. “Listen Wally it's late you should go to sleep” I tell him. He stares at me for a while.
“OK but only if you go to your room first.” he tells me. I laugh and get up.
“There’s no way you're go..” I started to say, but before I knew it Wally picked me up and took me to my room. “There now you're in your room and I'll go, so good night!”
He said before he left. Once he was gone I laid on my bed. Why do I have nightmares of him dying, we just had a little fun time, but why does he die?
Somehow I got to sleep and woke up the next morning. I get up and change into my civilian clothes and head down to the kitchen for breakfast. When I get there M'gann is making pancakes. I eat some and head for the Zeta-Tubes.
Wally catches up with me and asks “Where are you going?”
“I'm going for a walk.” I tell him.
“Can I come with you?” he asked
“No Wally, I want to be alone.” I say to him.
“Sure Artemis.” he says and then runs back to the kitchen.
I Zeta to Gotham City to just go for a walk in the park. At first it seemed like a good idea, but the park had big wide open spaces which is not what I need now. After a while I pull up my hoodie and walk into the Gotham woods. While walking I just think about Wally, why would I dream of him dying. Having the same nightmare over and over again can get to a person. Wally can't die on me, I love him, if he dies I don't know what I would do. My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a twig snap. Now I'm alert, I look around but I don't see anyone. I continue walking but I'm still alert. Time goes by and nothing so I relax but not completely. Then out of no were these guys come down from the trees, I think. In a instant I'm in a fighting stance, ready for these guys. They didn't seem like guys who were going to try and hurt me but still I was ready for them. Another one shows up but it's a girl. She pretty I'll admit but I stay in my stance.
“I'm sorry if my boys gave you a bit of a scare Artemis.” said the girl.
“How do you know my name?” I asked her with a hint of fear in my voice.
“Please don't worry, we want you to come with us and all your questions will be answered.” she told me
“OK” I say, puzzled by her.
She smiles at me turns around and starts walking. I stand up straight and follow her, the other guys just follow behind me. We walk for a long while in silence so I decide to break it “How do you know my name?” I ask
“We have been watching you Artemis. You are very special.” she tells me.
“You've been watching me and I'm special, but how?” I say.
“You have great fighting skills, you can take good care of yourselves and others. That’s why you were chosen.” she says.
“Chosen for what exactly? Do you want me to join your gang?” I ask.
“Well yes actually but we are no ordinary gang” she say and stops walking.
“What do you mean by....” I said before I saw that we were no longer in the woods. This is like Heaven. The floor looks like clouds, with a huge castle sitting in front of me and I'm pretty sure these people around me are flying with wings. I stare at everything amazed at what I see and wondering if this is all real.
”Wow, what is this place?” I ask her.
“Well it look like heaven right?” she asks.
“Yeah it does” I said.
“That's because it is heaven” she said.
”If this is heaven then why am I here? Wait am I dead?!” I said in a panicky voice.
“No you're not dead, we want you to be a guardian angel, Artemis. You were chosen to look over..um...whats his name, oh right, you were chosen to look over Wally West.” she says.
“Why would I be the guardian angel of Wally, I never said I wanted to be did I” I said.
“No, you were chosen by the gods” she tells me.
“Oh really and how do you know they chose me, maybe you have the wrong girl” I tell her.
“Oh I know it's you.” she says with a grin.
“How?” I ask sounding a little annoyed.
“Well the gods can see the future, but mostly they see the death of a person. When that happens they decide whether that person deserves to be saved. If they do the gods decide who gets to be there guardian angel. Once the decision is made other angels go to collect the new guardian angel. I was sent to get you Artemis.” she tell me.
We walk into a room which she says is mine since I'm going to be a guardian angel. “How did you know I was ready” I asked
“We have our ways, so what do you say Artemis want to be Wally's Guardian angel?” she asked me. I start laughing. “What makes you think I want to be a guardian angel, let alone Wally's?” I said.
She laughed too. “You can't fool us Artemis, you care about Wally. Do you want to know the real reason why you were chosen, how we know you were chosen, how you're going to save Wally in the jungle” she said and when she finished I stopped laughing
“How do you...” I said but she interrupted “Artemis when one is chosen to be a guardian angel the gods give that person nightmares of there guards death. If I'm correct you've had the same nightmare of Wally dieing in the jungle and no matter what you do to try and save him you just don't.”she says “I...I...does it matter I never asked to be his guardian angel.. Yes I care about him but maybe the gods saw it all wrong!” I shouted at her.
She looks at me with a sad face “Artemis becoming a guardian angel is an honor. You get wings, magic to heal the most severe wounds, being Wally's guardian angel has always been your destiny, accept it Artemis.” she tells me. She holds her hand out and a light shine from it. It's like a screen and what it shows is the Team. “Right now your Team is on a mission to save the presidents daughter. She is being kept in the middle of the of the jungle in South America.” she said to me and once she said the jungle panic rose up in me.
“OK so there in the jungle, (sigh) so even if I go now I never manage to save him. Obviously you know.”I say with sadness in my voice “That's why you were chosen to be his angel, with your wings you can get there in time and with your healing powers you can save him” she says with sincerity. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a necklace with angel wings on it. “Take this necklace Artemis and you accept your role as Wally West guardian angel, you leave at once to go save him from death. Or you could leave now deny your role, go to Wally and watch him die, the choice is yours.” she said.
I think about it for a while and decide Wally deserves to live, I take the necklace and put it around my neck. The angel girl smiles at me. Once it's on I feel a surge of power, wings sprout out and magic runs trough my veins. I flap my wings and immediately get how they work.
“Good Artemis, now that your a guardian angel and since you're pretty much part bird you always know where north is. Just fly out of here go down and you'll be back at Gotham, good luck” she tells me before I leave. I take her advice and she's right, I'm back at Gotham. Now that I know were I am I fly of to South America, I though it would be a long trip but I fly pretty fast. I arrive in the jungle in minutes, I find a place to land. It was a rough landing but I can improve on that later. I don't know were I really am and now I notice this looks exactly like the scenario in my dream. Since this is like my dream I'll do what happened in it. “Wally!” I scream out.
“Artemis!” I hear Wally yell with confusion in his voice.
I run in the direction of his voice and shout out again “Wally” I yell “Artemis” he yells. It's louder so I must be close, then I find him. He see me and looks surprised and relieved, I run towards him and give him a hug. “Artemis how did you get here, did Batman tell you to come?” He asks me “No Wally it's more complicated than that, try to relax while I heal your wounds” I tell him why helping him lye down. “OK but it's serous I (heavy breathing) might not make it” Wally says to me. “Don't say that you'll be just fine” I say then turn to his wound. I put my hands on his injured leg. All the blood is disgusting, but I tell myself to relax. Slowly I close my eyes and think of the good times we had “Heal” I say as I hold down my hands over his wound. The magic runs to his wounds from my fingers, it's a tingling sensation. When I open my eyes I see his wound his all fixed, I'm so excited I hug Wally. He doesn't move, I check his pulse....nothing. Panic runs trough me, I healed him he should be alive, but why....why isn't he. His face is peaceful, I should have let him finish he would have said he loved me but I stopped him, so sure I was going to save him. The tears role down my face and I cry over Wally's dead body. *Thump, thump,thump*Is what I heard while I was crying. I got up and looked around, theirs was nothing that could have caused that noise. “Ha ha ha, gotcha didn't I” I hear Wally say. I look at him with surprise as he sits up. “How are you..your heart beat...it stopped...so how are you?” I asked him very confused with the situation. “I don't know how you healed my leg so fast but you did it” He tells me looking at his leg. “But your heart beat stopped, I checked your pulse there was nothing” I tell him still confused “I can explain that, see Rob thought me how to stop your heart beat for like about a minute. Pretty cool right” he says. I was so shocked when he said he was faking that I slapped him. “Artemis what was that for” he asked in a angry voice “Don't you ever do that again you scared me to death” I scream at him frantically. “Alright got it, now how about we get out of here” He says slowly standing up and stretches his hand out to me. I take with a smile on my face just happy hes alive. “Wally” I say “Yes Artemis” he says “I..I..I love you” I say in my happiest voice. He smiles at me “I love you too Artemis” he says and pulls me in for a kiss. We break apart and stare into each others eyes as the sun sets. I saved him, no he saved me...we saved each other. Maybe being Wally's guardian angel can have it's perks.
“Mom…I think that’s enough pictures,” said Artemis, her lips still drawn back into a grin She held up the dark green skirt of her dress and turned her head so her mom could snap another photo.
“All right, all right.” Paula Crock took a look at the last picture and then shut off the camera, placing it in her lap. “It’s a pity Wally couldn’t make it.”
“Yeah, well you know. Duty calls.” Finally free from posing, Artemis slumped again and shook her mane of blonde hair. God she hated dresses. “And I’m sure Central City will be saved by the time his prom rolls around in two weeks.” She glanced up at the clock in the hall.
“But you’ll be in Central City then,” laughed Paula, wheeling over and adjusting a strap on Artemis’s dress. “I won’t be able to coo over you two and take a million pictures.”
Artemis chuckled and rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Mrs. West will take care of that.”
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Artemis told her mother, making her way to the front door. She didn’t need to look through the peephole, knowing all too well who it was. “You’re late.”
“Yeah, well this was kinda last minute.” Robin smirked at her from behind his dark glasses, crossing his arms. He was impeccably dressed. She remembered the first time she saw him, when he was still a young and scrawny thirteen year-old. Now, at sixteen, he was taller than her (just by two stupid inches!) and had replaced his previous skin and bones with toned and leaned muscles.
“Thanks, by the way.” Artemis gestured to the air, the prom dress and the tux. “I would’ve not gone but my mom…yeah.” She gave him a small smile and held the door open.
“Don’t. It’s not a problem at all. Wally would do the same thing for me. Hello Mrs. Crock!” Robin waved and closed the door behind him.
“Pictures, Artemis?” said Paula hopefully, holding up the camera. “I promise I won’t take more than three.”
“Wait.” Robin rummaged in his pocket, producing a white rose corsage. “Here you go.”
“Oh!” She really hadn’t expected him to do that, with this being so last minute and stuff. Hell, she didn’t even think Wally would have bothered with a corsage. “I…thanks.” She blushed, completely thrown off by this act and then glanced at Robin. She couldn’t tell his reaction from behind those dark glasses. Had she ever really seen his eyes? There was a time…briefly, when they had gone to Europe to save that circus. She knew Batman wanted him to protect his identity at all costs. But still…sometimes she really did want to see his eyes.
“It’s lovely!”gushed Mrs. Crock. “Now. Pictures.”
~<>~
“So what’s the theme?”
Artemis, still in awe of the limo that he had rented, glanced up. “Something stupid and corny.”
“What like ‘A Night to Remember’?”
She raised her eyebrows. “How did you figure that out?”
“Hey, I’m a detective, remember?”
She smirked and then gazed out the window again, as they rushed through the streets of Gotham. Prom at Gotham Academy was being held at some super-expensive hotel on the other side of the city. One of those places that had a person’s last name as a monogram and held extravagant galas in their ballrooms. Not one of Artemis’s places. She didn’t even know why she was going. She should have just gone to the Central High prom. That would probably be in a gym. There she could wow Wally’s friends with her tales of tough innercity life. But her mom insisted that she go to Gotham’s prom as well and, well, it was hard to say no to her mom. Since she was a scholarship student, it was paid for. Thank God. The tickets were over two hundred dollars.
“You look distraught.”
She flicked her eyes up to him, glaring.
“Don’t tell me to get traught.”
“Wasn’t going to… relax, Artemis. Seriously. You look like you’re choking on a lemon.” Obviously pleased with his simile, he stretched out his legs and rested his arms behind his head, grinning like a satisfied cat. Artemis rolled her eyes and attempted to kick him, but the long skirt of her dress prevented her from actually hitting his shin.
“Stupid dress,” she grumbled. “I probably look like an idiot.”
“It looks good. You look good. Now will you please relax?”
She bit her lip and looked away, fixing her eyes on the shiny glasses on the other side of the limo. Damn. She knew Batman and Robin were loaded…but she didn’t know they were this loaded.
“You’re used to this type of stuff,” she said, after a moment of silence. “I mean, fancy parties and dances…I’m not.” She sighed. “And Wally’s not here…”
Calm down. It wasn’t Wally’s fault that he wasn’t here. Central City was under siege by the Terror Twins.
“R-E-L-A-X…Come on. What’s the worst that can happen? You have friends here. You’re like president of the English Honor Society.”
“Well, I mean…hey…how do you know that?”
“I just do.”
Artemis narrowed her eyes, but then shrugged, blowing a strand of hair out of her eye. She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed the loose strap on the dress again. It was Jade’s old dress and Jade had always been just a little bigger…especially around the chest area. She guessed it could be nice. She really wasn’t one to judge when it came to dresses. She couldn’t even remember the last one she owned.
“Who are you?” The words slipped out of her mouth. She didn’t even remember saying them. But she saw the boy with the dark glasses raise his eyebrows.
“That’s one of the first things Wally ever said to you.”
“No, seriously. Who are you? How do you know everything about me but I know nothing about you?”
Robin grinned, but this time, it was more strained. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when the limo they were in swerved violently to the left. He was almost thrown across the seats, but managed to catch himself, just before the car swerved again. Instinctively, he peered out the window, his hand flying to his com.
“Is that gunfire?” Artemis cried. She cursed and fumbled around, trying to remember if she had the sense to pack her collapsible crossbow. The sound of sirens roared past.
“Here.” Robin tossed her the green bow. “Figured I’d pack it just in case.” He already had his mask on and immediately started radioing Batman.
“What’s going on?” Artemis started loading an arrow.
“There was an armed robbery at the last intersection we passed. They nearly crashed into us when they drove off. The cops are hot on their tail….” His voice trailed off.
“I don’t mind arriving late,” said Artemis, clicking her bow together with a smirk,
“Excellent.”
I don’t think I’ve ever felt weirder in my life. Artemis thought, as she leapt across the rooftops of Gotham right next to Robin. The whole leaping thing was okay. She did that all the time. But the fact was, she was in a long green prom dress and wearing a mask that they had quickly made out of the lacy-see-through fabric on the hem of her gown. Running was terrible in heels.
But she felt free. Freer than she had in that limo, dreading prom. She glanced over at Robin and grinned for a moment to herself. She could feel the wind whipping through her hair. Maybe she should wear it down more often….
“They’re over there,” called Robin. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the building and peered over it. Artemis joined him.
“Looks easy enough,” she said.
Loading up an arrow, she aimed one towards the back tires of the van, watching with delight as the criminals exclaimed in surprise as the tires exploded. Robin had already leaped down, throwing some of his stars. Artemis jumped down as well, shooting some more arrows. She managed to pin one of the crooks to the wall by the collar of his shirt and had trapped another one in the pile of goo that her trick arrow left.
“We’re getting nailed by a chick in a dress!” cried one of them.
She immediately fired a trick arrow towards him, deliberately missing his chest so he was surrounded by that nasty thick grey goo.
“Nice one.” Robin glanced at the crooks that they had captured.
“Thanks.” Artemis smirked and lowered her bow. “Leave the rest to the cops?”
“Yeah. If we leave now, we’ll be able to make it to prom.”
“Right…prom.” She was, in all honesty, hoping that he had forgotten.
“Relax. You’ll have fun.”
~<>~
They arrived fashionably late, pulling up to the hotel hours after the rest of the students. Artemis had tidied up in the car, stuffing her crossbow under one of the seats and wiping the dirt off her dress. There were some tears in it though, but she hoped that no one would see, especially with the dim lights. She managed to straighten her hair out so she didn’t look that messy and out of place. Now she just looked semi-messy and out of place. Robin still looked impeccably dressed, as he was able to avoid any major tears to his costume. He had his sunglasses still on.
They strode in, arm in arm. Artemis’s heart was pounding. Normally nothing fazed her. Why was this so nervewrecking?! She had just taken down six robbers in the back of some shady alley and that didn’t scare her at all. Why was this so intense?
“Relax,” said Robin.
The main ballroom was dimly lit, just as she suspected. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to look so awkwardly poor and unkempt among these rich and snobby students. There was loud club music playing and the majority of students were dancing in the way only rich white kids could dance---in a circle and fist pumping. It was ridiculous. Artemis laughed as one scrawny boy in the center attempted to breakdance.
“Oh you came!” A blonde girl, whose curls were in an elaborate updo, came towards Artemis.
“Hey Bette. Nice dress.”
“I love yours! The green looks so good on you.”
“Oh thanks.” She must not have noticed the tears…
“Where’d your date go?”
“He was right…” Artmeis groaned. How typical of Robin to pull a disappearing act in the middle of prom. She turned around, looking in the sea of people, trying to find him. She thought she saw him talking to a girl with bright red hair, but when she blinked, he was gone again. She sighed, trying not to explode.
“May I have your attention?” This was from the DJ, who stopped the music and raised his hand in the air. “I have a request from a Mr. Richard Greyson….”
Oh great. Some rich kid and his girlfriend.
“To dedicate a song to a Miss Artemis Crock.”
Her jaw dropped. Bette turned to her, nudging her on the shoulder and winking, while others whirled around to stare at her. She blushed. Oh God. She did NOT need this attention…who was this kid…what…
“Hey.”
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to find a dashing, dark-haired boy with deep blue eyes staring at her. Who was this guy? Who did he think he…?
“Robin!” she gasped softly.
He smirked, putting a finger to her lip.
“Shh. I felt like…you deserved to know.”
“I…” The music started playing. Oh God. Not this song. Not this horribly cheesy song…
“Come on. Let’s dance, Artemis.”
I’ll stand by you…. I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She knew him now. And she knew that he would always be there.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked softly, almost whispering in her ear.
She pulled away slightly, so that she could look him in the eye.
“About how beautiful your eyes look.”
He smirked again and then leaned down, gently kissing her on the cheek. It was a friendly kiss, they both knew that. They both had others in their lives. They couldn’t possibly forget Wally and Zatanna and… But he lingered too long, and she caught the taste of his lips slightly and her heart started pounding and her head was rushing and she couldn’t because it was Robin and Wally’s best friend and!
