This just randomly popped into my head when I was in the car coming home. I have absolutely no idea where it came from.

"What would you do if I died tomorrow?"

The question was so sudden, so out of place, it took the young speedster a second to respond. When the full effect of the words hit him, his eyes widened and he rounded on the archer, mouth half open and gasping.

His breathing became faster and faster but he didn't know why. All he knew was the question, the simple question- no. Not simple.

She tapped her foot, her head tilted and her eyes narrowed. "Well?" she demanded. "Did you hear me?"

He only stared at her. His mouth opened and closed like a fish desperate for air, but no sound came out. The hallway was empty and no one else was at the mountain- Connor and Megan were on date night and Robin was at some charity ball as Richard Grayson- so he knew no one else had heard the question. Still, he questioned that he had even heard it.

Her gray eyes narrowed even more. "Wally? Are you okay?"

But he barely heard her, only thinking. His mind spun over the simple question, something that she asked but he could not respond. All he knew was that he never wanted her to die.

He suddenly found the courage to speak. "Why… why would you die tomorrow?"

She shrugged her shoulders calmly, but years of being Dick's best friend had taught him a thing or two about reading body language. Artemis was tense, more so than usual.

The archer shook her head. "You know what? Never mind." She turned to leave.

Within a second he was by her side, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to face him. She nearly gasped at the amount of force that his hand was giving off, but stopped herself at the last moment.

Their faces were inches apart when she finally spoke. "Wally…"

His face was one that she had never seen before, something that deeply scared her. "Why would you die tomorrow?" he growled.

She felt like fleeing the room, but was terrified and curious about why Wally was nearly crushing her wrist over a simple question. Then his grip got tighter and she tried to pull away. It didn't work.

"I asked," he said. "Why would you die tomorrow?"

Artemis stared at the speedster with disbelief. "Wally… are you okay?"

He gave a short shake of his head. "Just answer the question."

"I…" she didn't know what to say. She had only been aiming for an answer for something that had been on her mind since she joined the team, since Jade had threatened to expose her secrets. She wasn't afraid of dying. She had just wanted to know what the team would do.

Her nightmares had taunted her, telling her that her father would claim her life and Wally would just laugh. They would all laugh and fade away into the distance, her last words heard by no one.

They were terrifying, but not as terrifying as the look on Wally's face right now. He looked like he could kill the first person that walked into the cave-

"Recognized. Flash, 04."

Just before Flash came into the room Artemis found the courage to tear her wrist out of Wally's grip and run down the hall, leaving Wally stunned.

Wally just stood there, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and faced his mentor, whose face carried concern. "You okay, Wally?" his uncle asked.

The younger speedster turned his head to look where Artemis had just left. "What do you know about Artemis?"

His uncle looked mildly surprised. "Well, I know that she's fifteen years old, very violent, her uncle is Green Arrow-"

"I mean, where did she come from? Do you even know who her parents are?"

Flash paused. Now that it dawned on him, he knew very little about the young archer. They both did… "Sorry Wally, I don't. Try asking Batman-" then he stopped. "On second thought, don't do that. Ask Robin maybe, or Green Arrow."

Wally just stared at where he had last seen Artemis.

2/28/2013 UPDATE:

This is a one-shot. I do not plan on continuing it any time soon. Sorry. :)