It was yet another Crisis. You know, the kind with the capital "C". Heroes gathered from every corner of the universe, determined to save the world, defend humanity, blah blah blah. Some seemed to thrive on these adrenaline riddled reunions, but Wally didn't really see the attraction. The blood, the battles, the death, it wasn't something he was particularly fond of. New wounds scratched across bodies, old wounds torn open like the last bag of potato chips.

He could really go for a bag of chips, actually. He glanced down at his stomach as it growled impatiently. Wally closed his eyes for a fraction of a moment, exhaustion crawling across his features. He wouldn't be able to go on for much longer. He hadn't eaten for hours and it was starting to take its toll. But he had to soldier on. It was his duty, what he was trained to do.

His eyes flashed open, glinting just as his sweat did, rolling off of his forehead and onto his torn red suit. He had to do what she would never expect him to do.

He had to win.

Not even a second had passed as all of this buzzed through his mind. The rest of that second drifted by while he took in his surroundings, analyzing every possibility, every consequence, and every victory that could happen, if only they worked faster, stronger, smarter. The battlefield was a desert of debris: collapsed buildings, overturned monuments, and fallen heroes littered the smoking, trembling earth. Another second and he took inventory of his fellow soldiers, his teammates. His friends.

A flash of black and blue. Nightwing. Dick Grayson. Best friend. He flew past, shooting Wally a tired grin as he twisted and flipped across the cratered street, landing in the midst of their attackers, yet another hostile alien race. Wally spared a millisecond to roll his eyes. These evil master minds really needed a new act. This one was getting just a bit old.

Back to the task at hand. A flutter of a cape and suddenly Miss Martian appeared at Dick's side, sending a lone alien flying into a jagged shard of what was left of the Daily Planet globe. Megan winced, hand flying to her gaping mouth as blood spurted from the enemy, a sick fountain of a foreign green substance. Dick placed a light hand on her shoulder before turning from her, kicking an unsuspecting member of the never ending mob in his unsuspecting stomach. Miss Martian tried to keep them at bay, creating a haphazard ballet of flying red aliens, but Wally knew she couldn't keep it up forever. She would need help, but not from him. He needed to find the others. He needed to know they were still okay.

He looked to the skies next, knowing they would be there. Conner and Cassie, Superboy and Wonder Girl, the power couple. Wally whipped his head back and forth, following them as they darted across the smoke darkened sky, carrying weeping and often unconscious civilians to safety. His cowl-hidden eyes looked away as they grasped hands mid flight, Cassie's bracelets reflecting a raging fire burning through an already destroyed apartment complex. He didn't need super hearing to know what they were saying. Wally wasn't needed there either. They had each other.

A sudden cry pulled Wally's attention to further down the battlefield, a cry that would have been unintelligible to almost anyone else on that planet. His vision weaved through blocks of rough concrete and fighting heroes until it landed on an unlikely pair in what looked like a piece of land that had once been a park. The swing set had melted partially, the other half split, creating a spear. A spear of shish-kebabed aliens. Wally chuckled helplessly at his joke, tears pooling in his eyes.

He didn't think he could do this much longer.

Another scream, similar to the first, caught his weary attention once again. Zatanna. That's who had cried out, pulling him towards the charred and forlorn old park. She and Kaldur, who had valiantly come out of retirement just for the dire occasion, fought side by side, relentlessly pushing forward, pushing through the ranks of the unbeatable aliens.

Because they had to be unbeatable, really. How else had they survived this long? How else were they keeping up this fruitless fight? The heroes were tiring, dropping one by one, but their enemy - they never stopped. They didn't seem to tire, as Zatanna did, collapsing to the ground, her strangled sobs forcing their way into Wally's mind. Their wounds healed, unlike Kaldur's fresh gash, streaking across his blood stained chest.

Unbeatable.

Wally choked back a sob of his own. He had to keep it together, for the sake of the team. For the sake of the world.

For the world.

The world still needed their Flash, right?

And so did the team. He checked them off one by one in his mind. Dick, Conner, Kaldur. Megan, Cassie, Zatanna. All accounted for, but he still caught himself looking to what was left of the rooftops, hoping to catch a green blur or even a deadly arrow, sure to hit its target.

Years had passed since she left. Years had passed since she betrayed them - since she betrayed him, his friendship, his trust, his love.

Years had passed since Artemis left.

"Wait, Artemis. What are you doing?"

Desperation clawed its way through Wally's throat, sounding through his strangled words. Artemis stood across from him, impossibly far in the cavernous and creaking old warehouse. The wind whipped outside, whispering, laughing as they stared at each other, eyes wide. Wally knew the team was gathering behind him - he could feel their footsteps, could hear the sound of Robin drawing his birdarangs, a quiet hiss lost in the wind. But all he could see was Artemis and the pale hand grasping her too thin shoulder.

"Wally, I -" she winced, pulling inward as the hand squeezed, veins and muscles popping out menacingly. Everything about her seemed to droop, something he had noticed for a while now. Her hair lacked that shine he had grown to expect. She had been losing weight. She was too thin, too gaunt. Too sad. She wasn't Artemis anymore. And Wally was going to ask her about it, her really was. But he was too late now. Too sad, too late. What a pair they made.

"Don't answer him, sweetheart." The growl came from the owner of the hand. Wally couldn't bear to look. Maybe it would all just go away if he didn't understand. He didn't want to understand. Because understanding would mean saying goodbye.

Wally didn't like goodbyes.

So instead he focused in on Artemis as she focused in on him. But she was a mask. The voice, it changed her. She stood to attention, straight backed and haughty, like all those years ago.

Wall-man, huh? Love the uniform. What, exactly, are your powers?

"Well, I think it's time we headed home, right Artemis? Your mother'll be worried." the voice laughed heartily, slapping Artemis' shoulder before turning away. She looked down, her mask cracking.

"Right, Dad."

Dad.

That's when the explosion hit, rocking the building and throwing Wally backwards, slamming him into Aqualad and knocking them both out for a good few hours.

But that was nothing. A few scrapes, one or two bruises. Those would be gone in a few weeks, only scars remaining.

Artemis was gone and she wasn't coming back. Nothing would ever hurt more than that.

Wally dashed around the battlefield, trying to clear his mind with a good fight. He whizzed past Zatanna and Kaldur, dragging some of their load with him. He tossed the creatures to a nearby fire grimly, slowing to a steady jog. Desperate times.

This mindless process was what kept Wally going. Sprint in, grab a few baddies, give 'em hell, repeat. It was numbing. It was calming.

It was all broken with one shrill scream.

"WALLY!"

"Linda," it came out as a breath, a quiet statement. There was no questioning. There was only movement.

He ran faster than he ever could remember. Later, some would say he ran faster than Barry Allen himself. But none of that mattered. The world blurred together, a mass of brown and red and black. All Wally could see was Linda, frozen in time, staring down the barrel of an alien weapon with wide, brave, knowing eyes. She was counting on him.

And there was no way in hell he would ever let Linda Park-West down.

But then.

But then, a flash of green.

But then, the creak of a bowstring pulled.

But then, a snarky, coarse, beautiful voice.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Kid Idiot? Get her out of here! Jesus, you're slower than I remembered."

He skidded to a stop, arms flailing to find balance, something he hadn't done in years. He grabbed Linda's arm for support, eyes just as wide as the last time they had laid upon the woman in front of him.

"Artemis."

"No, Superman," she rolled her eyes, tightening her grip on the bow. Wally noticed a few flecks of rust raining to the ground, blending with the crumbling earth. Her eyes narrowed as the alien clacked what seemed to be a warning, flexing his finger around the trigger. "Now get out of here, would you?"

"But, I - Art -" Wally jerked forward, arms outstretched and brow furrowed. But this was no place for a reunion, as he fully knew. The alien snapped the weapon towards the speedster, screeching angrily. Wally pulled Linda behind him hastily and shot his hands in the air, waving them around, trying to portray a weaponless speedster.

But it was too late. He pulled Linda into his arms, burying her head in his chest. The damage had been done, the trigger had been squeezed.

And the Flash had been pushed.

Moments like this always happened in slow motion in the movies. But this wasn't a movie. This was real; this was war. Wally crashed to the ground, shards of glass tearing into his back as he cried out a feral scream, but not in physical pain. No, this was so much worse.

"NO!" he pulled himself up, faster than the speed of light, and shot forward, slamming the gun-wielding alien to the ground. Fist met face as he pounded the creature until his hands were gloved in green blood and his foe lay motionless. He whipped around, cowl half torn from his face, and faced the disaster, the nightmare waiting for him.

Linda leaned over her savior, rubbing her tangled and blood stained hair comfortingly. She looked up at her husband, questions clear in her eyes. But Wally ignored her, focusing only on the dying woman in front of them.

"Artemis," he whispered, collapsing to his knees. He placed a hand in hers, squeezing softly with a teary smile. "Don't go dying on me now, Beautiful. I've got too many questions."

"Y-you don't … you don't hate me?" she managed to force out, squeezing his hand back weakly. Wally didn't like this. Artemis wasn't weak. She was strong. She was annoying. She was brave. She was alive.

She was his Spitfire.

Wally let out a choked laugh, tears blurring his vision. The battle raged on around them, but they were in their own little bubble. "Of course I don't hate you. You're dying, you're not supposed to hate dying people."

"Wally!" she protested, her old gleam back in her foggy gray eyes. "Don't be an ass."

"Yes, ma'am," A pause as they listened to each other breathe. Artemis' breath was shallow now, barely there. Not a lot of time. "Listen, Arty -"

"What d-did I say ab-bout calling me Arty?"

"Artemis," it came out as a whisper once again. "Artemis, don't go. I - I can't, I just -"

"Wally, I'm sorry," her voice was quiet, but firm. Strong. "I never wanted to leave the team, it was my dad, he -" her face collapsed as tears welled up, her hand now grabbing desperately at Wally's. "He made me do it, Wally. I didn't want to hurt you, I would never -"

"Shh," he rubbed her hair back, pulling a hand down her tear stained cheek. "It doesn't matter now. S'all good, Blondie."

"But Wally -"

"I forgive you." That was all she needed. Her face settled into a small smirk as she looked up at Wally. But her eyes were far away, as if she was looking into a light at the end of what was once a never ending tunnel. Wally's heart clenched painfully. This was it. The final goodbye. "Artemis -"

"See you around, Baywatch. It's been good, hasn't it?" Her eyes fluttered shut, smirk still spread across her face. Wally laughed, tears streaming down his face, unashamed. He felt Linda's comforting hand on his shoulder. He laid a blood speckled hand on hers, but kept his eyes glued to Artemis' face. The final goodbye.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's been good."