Goodbye, until we meet again
Word count: 2,484
Characters: Artemis Crock, the team, Batman, Wally West
Pairings: Wally/Artemis
Summary: AU. When Kid Flash falls injured, his body never found after the team encounters a villain who would do anything to hurt him. Artemis deals with the lingering feels of the relationship that never was and deal with the doubts of him being really gone and on top of that when a new hauntingly familiar member joins the team.
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or any related characters or ideas.
The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye.
The story of love is hello and goodbye until we meet again
-Jimi Hendrix
They had searched for him, called his name. Robin and herself staying the longest, shouting until their throats were raw, until their bones ached, until the sun broke on a new day. But even with that effort, the Flash had out done them all, when he had been notified.
Looking for three days, which is ironic for the fastest man alive. But he didn't give up, almost like he couldn't. He had looked at super speed, then normal speed and back and forth widening his search each time. Without food, without sleep, without rest of any kind. No one could talk him out of it, until finally he sat down and fell apart.
When she closes her eyes, she can still see him falling. The image is so clear it is like a film playing in her mind. So clear, like she is witnessing it all over again. There is no fear in his expression. His mouth should have been open in a silent scream but instead it is set and firm. His eyes keeping her gaze beneath the cracked plastic of his goggles.
She can see the red blossom above his heart, the colour seeping in to stain the yellow material as he falls into darkness below, as he disappears from them all.
She can't do anything, no matter how much she wills to, no matter how much she orders her body to move, damn it. She is frozen, her own mouth open in the silent scream that should be his.
Idly she wonders if this is how he felt in the mental simulation, which now feels like a bad dream from a long time ago. If this is the same awful, empty, useless feeling that froze and devastated him.
Artemis tries not to close her eyes anymore.
The cave seems silent without him. His lack of presence almost haunting, there seems to be less laughter, the atmosphere is heavy, pressing down on them.
Combat training in uneven now, Black Canary has to step in to be someone's sparring partner. It isn't the same. His lingering presence has even affected her somehow. That just makes things worse.
The first mission without him is disastrous, if Robin had been the same as before he would have said 'heavy on in the dis' but he isn't the same. He is much too solemn. He doesn't laugh anymore.
Super speed would have been helpful, extensive scientific knowledge would have saved the day. But without him they lacked seriously in those two areas, and it seems to Artemis that the universe was laughing at their misfortune.
So they stand angry and disappointed, in the clearing smoke staring in the direction the bad guys escaped in, long gone. It is only Connor picking up a small crushed remote and saying 'souvenir' do tiny smiles appear.
Except for Artemis, she turns away.
The annoying thing, Artemis finds, is when she sees something from the corner of her eye or hears something faintly that reminds her of him, her whole being will snap in that direction, only to come away bitter.
Like now for example, the team was called to a town in Nebraska, a town small enough to be unimportant but big enough for someone to slip and out of unnoticed, to sight monitor an illegal operation just outside city limits. The bad news a fight occurred and now she and the team are fighting the results in the middle of Main Street. Oh and a crowd had gathered, like these people had never seen superheroes fight before.
As Artemis swings around, to dodge a blow, when she catches the sight of greens eyes in the crowd, they glow in the light of the fading day. She rolls on the ground, and continues to stare. The guy is about her age, and is visual between the gaps of two people. He catches her eye because his expression stands out in the swarm of people. It isn't one of awe, or fear or excitement but rather worry and grief and something akin to longing, almost like he yearns to fight with them.
It is like looking at the face of the ghost that has haunted her for the past three months. The world slows and her hand against her will reaches out to him, and is back on that dark night and if she stretches far enough she will take hold of him.
The world speeds up again as Superboy and the monster land heavily beside her, jerking her attention away from the crowd and she watches Superboy and the beast wrestle.
"Artemis," Aqualad shouts to her in the mind link, "clear away the civilians."
"On it."
When she looks back at the crowd, he is gone. And she wonders if her mind is starting to play tricks on her.
A week later Artemis finds herself back in Blue freaking Valley, Nebraska. She can't get the split second image out of her mind and this is the only way she knows that can help. To prove to herself that it was a coincidence. A simple vague look alike to the teammate they had lost. Her mind and the light had deceived her eyes that is all. There are no ghosts, no conspiracies. He is gone, simple. Then why didn't it feel that way?
She leans against the entrance gate watching the students impassively. They don't pay her any mind and she doesn't give them a reason to. The clock is ticking down to the bell ringing but there are still some loiterers that don't seem to care. She is about to pack it in when she sees him, hurrying into the school yard pulling a backpack strap on his shoulder. Somehow part of the crowd somehow very separate from them, like he didn't quite fit the picture.
She sprints after him grabbing his sleeve near his wrist, spinning him to face her as she does so she almost chokes on her own spit when she sees his face.
"Wally?"
His eyes widen.
"Uh no, sorry." And tries to tug his sleeve from her grasp, she only tightens her grip, taking a step forward to study his face better. He jerks backwards.
"Why are you here? What happened? We searched everywhere for you."
He brings his eyebrows together in confusion.
"Listen, I don't know who or what you are talking about but I gotta go."
The shrill ringing of the school bell in the background emphasises this point. With a firm tug he breaks free and walks towards the school doors. As Artemis moves to leave, further in doubt than she ever was before, he turns and walks backwards.
"I am sorry"
And turns on his heel during a step so he is walking forwards again and sprints the remaining distance.
More weeks past and the team's dynamics readjust, a new normal occurs. It isn't better, but isn't worse either and that's something. They have learnt to function without him, but in the way someone learns to function without a limb. It is the only way to survive.
Artemis often finds herself lingering in the doorway of the trophy room, like she had after the mission with Kent Nelson and Dr Fate. She can almost see him standing in front of the shelves ready to place a new souvenir upon them. She shakes her head and walks away.
The most heartbreaking thing is that she never told him what he meant to her.
It is closing in on six months after the loss of Kid Flash when Batman comes to the cave and authorises a new hero through the zeta tubes. He states in his stoic way that he is to join the team part time. Artemis has vaguely heard of him on the news, he comes from a town in Nebraska.
She can't tell if he is their age and only assumes he is if he is here to join their team and not the Justice League. His uniform covers him head to foot, not even a part of his face can be seen and the normal open part of the cowl is cover by a plastic mouth piece.
The atmosphere is tense and sad. The others mumble their welcomes and Robin looks at Batman with confusion. None are happy at the new addition knowing that he will be the speedster's replacement and Artemis wonders if this is how Wally felt when h e came into the Cave to find her as the archer of the team instead of Roy. If it is she can finally understand why he was so upset. Things will never be how they are supposed to be again.
He raises his hand in greeting but doesn't say a word. She misses bickering with him, she misses his stupid jokes and the sexist flirting and maybe, just maybe the sound of his voice.
Artemis hates how easily he slips into the team. How he never speaks, how he always wears his full uniform around them. He doesn't even take off the stupid mouth piece. Because of his part time status he isn't always here, only for mandatory training and some missions, but never socially.
She hits the ground with a heavy thud; the computer relates her failure for all to hear and has to admit to herself grudgingly, that he is a good combatant with fast reflexes and a well rounded knowledge.
She glares at the hand he offers her as if it has personally offended her, in way it has, and rises of her own accord going to go stand against the wall. She hates how no one questions his presence. How much his swiftness reminds her of the team's missing piece.
She finds him the trophy room one day after combat training. He is tracing a gloved hand over the new additions tenderly placed by the team in Kid Flash's honour. Artemis feels naked watching him do so, like he has violated something sacred of the team's, something he doesn't belong to. Hasn't he tainted everything else here? Why this room too? The one place where his presences still lingers.
Storming into the room she snatches his hand away. She would break it if he had touched one of the original souvenirs.
"Don't touch those."
Her voice is a savage bark from her throat and foreign to even her own ears. He holds his hands up in a surrendering fashion, taking a step back to show he means no harm but does not say a word.
"Just leave"
He turns on his heel and she watches him, trying to calm herself, this isn't her. He gets to the door and places a palm on the frame, looks over his shoulder at her.
"I'm sorry"
And turns into the hallway. She stays watching the spot where he had stood. It was the first time she had heard him speak. She thinks of the boy in the school yard.
She pushes on his chest as hard as she can, strengthen by rage and hope and need. He is forced to take a step back before he can steady himself. Her fingers form claws and they dig into the edges of the plastic either side of his face, trying to rip it off. She feels her finger nails protest in their beds but this only fuels her.
His hands come up and gently pull hers away. She allows them to drop by her sides after a moment but continues to glare up at him, daring him to pull more crap on her. His hands place themselves where hers were and she hears the tiny clasps give way and with one hand pulls the mouth piece away. She sees sharp jaw line. He lets the mouth piece slips from his fingers but she barely registers the dull thud it makes when it collides with the ground.
She holds her breath in anticipation and the worlds seems to move in slow motion as he reaches up to pull the cowl back from his face. Freckles across his cheeks, green eyes, red hair that falls forward. She will not cry. Not in anger or relief or joy. She will hit him and demand answers and be her regular non mushy self. But she can already feel the warm, wet trails down her cheeks and knows they are in anger and relief and joy.
A sob forms in the back of her throat both feral and distraught and in a swift moment she is pressed against his chest, tucked under his chin, his hands spread across her back. Her abused nails dig into his biceps needing to cause physical pain and have reassurance that this is real and her mind isn't forming cruel hallucination on her.
Silence lingers and the only sound she can hear in the steady thump of his heart beneath her ear and her own breathing. She pulls away from his embrace when the tears are dry. The need for comfort is gone but the need for answers is still burning.
Artemis' molecules reform in the zeta tubes one hot afternoon and see a crowd has formed just inside the cave on the combat arena; there are happy voices and laughter in the cave again making
Artemis curious, and make her way towards them. Unfortunately for her, boxes have been dumped on the ground, abandoned in favour of whatever has caused the excitement, Artemis focusing on the spectacle trips and slides along the floor stopping just on the outskirts of the gathered people and break open so all may view her out of character display of clumsiness.
"Wow Artemis, I knew you couldn't resist me but no need to fall at my feet."
Artemis' head jerks up and in the middle of the circle is Wally, in his Kid Flash uniform the cowl hanging down his back, familiar cheeky grin lighting up his face. There are members of the league present, the Flash with a grin that matches Wally's, Robin is standing next to his best friend and he is standing taller like a weight has dropped away. Artemis pulls herself to her feet.
"In your dreams Wall-man, I had to duck and cover so your level of ego didn't smother me."
He grins wider and she smiles.
Kid Flash is reinstating in the Justice League's convert team eleven months, seven days and two hours after his disappearance. Wally West's status as a missing person is mysteriously resolved twenty two hours after the villain after him is finally caught, his memory wiped and shipped to Belle Reve penitentiary.
And things are better, they aren't the same, too many things have changed, too much sadness, so much time has passed, big secrets were in place. But things are indeed better, when they met again.