Characters: Artemis (heavily centered), Wally, Conner, Zatanna; mentions of Paula, Sportsmaster, the team; Spitfire
Disclaimer: Oh, please, Young Justice would be a mess if I owned it. No, I'm glad for Trollsetti.
to those we intend to remember
Paula Crock is dead. Paula Crock is…
…gone. But this time, she's gone forever.
The first thing Artemis feels is regret.
Regret and remorse and surges of anger.
She only cries the night she discovers
the broken, bleeding body; fallen from grace.
It hurts more when she remembers that
they've come so far; fixed so much.
Playing mother and daughter was never easy.
Granted, it took years, but they learned.
They adapted; it runs in the blood.
Artemis was motherless for six fucking years.
But she fixed things; she always does.
The bastards who did this were so
going to live through hell and back.
-x-
"It's only for a while," she says.
Blank, numb, emotionless. A woman on a
mission. The team doesn't protest at all.
They force themselves to understand that this,
this is something Artemis needs to do.
"We'll be here, if you need us."
Conner Kent. A man of little words.
But words that were always appropriate; right.
"Just don't make any irrational decisions, Artemis."
"Zee, my mother is dead." Zatanna flinches.
"It's only for a while," Artemis repeats.
She flees the room fast as lightning.
No one calls or runs after her.
(Well, Wally runs after her, but later.)
This is a breakaway, Artemis realises later.
She knows it's temporary but it hurts.
She knows she'll be back, but still.
These people are the closest thing to
a real family, and she's never had
a real family. Honestly, she's scared shitless.
What if she changes when she returns?
What if they don't want her back?
You can't afford to think like that.
There are more important matters right now.
You need answers. You need them, fast.
You need to find Sportsmaster. Priority Alpha.
If that pathetic excuse for a father
had anything to do with Paula's death,
Artemis would snap his neck and break
all his limbs before he could say
"disowned," because honestly? Artemis couldn't care less.
-x-
On the morning she decides to leave
(for good), it's hard to get up.
She's still in Wally's, well, their apartment.
She's still in his, well, their bed.
They're not official but god knows that
they probably have been for years now.
Artemis lets herself bring her barriers down.
Just a smidge. Enough for her to
relish every moment with this redheaded wonder.
So she sighs and lies back down.
She lets herself remembers the night before.
And she pictures how their hands roamed;
how their eyes burned into each others;
how their skin never separated; how each
and every single kiss was searing and
so hot; and she locks that away.
For when she needs a reminder that
somewhere out there, a Speedster would be
waiting for her to come back home.
When Artemis does get up to leave,
she thinks that Wally is still sleeping.
Fishing her clothes quickly off the floor,
the archer dresses, glancing at her lover.
She almost regrets doing this since she
has no way of knowing what's next.
Quietly pressing a chaste kiss – sleep well –
to his lips, she makes her getaway.
And then Wally opens his emerald eyes.
-x-
He is no longer cross, and honestly,
he never was in the first place.
Gone were the days when his biggest
issue with her was trust and faith.
He trusts her with his life. And…
…he never once lost faith in her.
He knows for a fact that she'll
be back. Damn straight she'll be back.
If the way she whispered all those
I love you's last night were of
any indication, then she'd be back before
anyone could notice that she was gone.
So he lets her go, no complaints.
…What is he kidding? Duh, he complained.
(He complained in many different … creative ways.
And she certainly resisted in multiple others.)
And no duh, Sherlock, it'll definitely suck.
But Wally West knows Artemis the best
and he knows that she needs this.
(He'd better win the Best Boyfriend award.)
Still. It's weird when she leaves; empty.
He'll have to settle for waiting - god.
She knows how much he hates waiting.
-x-
Off she goes, just like little Alice
and her White Rabbit. But this time,
Alice isn't going to be just another
damsel in distress. Things are different now.
It's time that Alice made some changes.
Except, Artemis doesn't dare taint her name.
She doesn't want to stain Artemis: Hero
with the blood and tears of a
girl. A broken girl. So she decides…
A new identity wouldn't be so bad.
A new name for a new era.
Someone who doesn't mind getting extra dirty.
Someone who will cut her target down.
Mercilessly. Someone who fights for different reasons.
Someone who will never give up hunting.
Merciless and dirty? Sounds like a job
for a Tigress. So Tigress it is.
She thinks Wally would like that. Tigress.
(She also thinks he'd like the costume.)
-x-
Paula Crock is dead. But Artemis isn't.
Artemis is still here. Alive and kicking.
She promises to herself: she won't forget.
And when she's done, she'll be back.
-x-
to those we intend to remember so:
The wind will carry our secrets away
The rain, to wash our faces dry
of tears and memories that can't stay.
to those I love like a family:
The snow will come to blanket you.
I know I made a promise, but…
I'll be back and I'll be better
A/N: I'd been feeling the Young Justice angst for days on end and wanted to experiment. This is a 7-word challenge (based off of greenconverses's 6-word challenge from her fic Stockholm) for myself, using the number seven because, uh, "Recognized. Artemis. B-07." A review would be lovely! Tell me what you think. Gimme all you got!