"Falling"

Characters: Artemis of Bana-Mighdall/Artemis Grace, Jason Todd

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or anything DC (I wish though)

Warning: Rated T for mentions of suicide and minor violence. Readers discretion is advised!

Artemis wasn't sure where she was exactly going. Figuratively and literally. Life has been a mess since Akila left her. Without her, Artemis felt hopeless, empty, incomplete. It prompted her to leave Bana-Mighdall. To be anywhere but there. And that led her here, lost in the snowy streets of Gotham.

Wandering, ice crunching under her feet, she gave a slight shiver from the cool winter air gently grazing her face. She has no home anymore, nothing to come back to, nothing to live for.

She came across Wayne Tower during her walk. Built by Solomon Wayne and his son Alan Wayne in 1888, the tower stands over thousands of feet tall. Artemis entered the building, punched the lobby man in the face, and pushed the top floor button on her way up to the top of the tower.

She made her way to the edge of the building. Looking from the very top, Artemis could almost see the entire city in its beauty. It would be the last thing she would see.

Legs shaking, Artemis takes a shaky breath. As she was about to jump, a voice spoke to her.

"So you're gonna jump, huh?"

The voice startled Artemis which made her lose her balance as she fell backwards onto the concrete.

"Well if you wanted to die, you should've fell the other way," the voice said in an amused way.

Artemis turned her head to the side to see who the voice belonged to. She was met with dark brown eyes, glimmering with amusement but also sadness. Or was it empathy?

"Now tell me, why would a pretty lady like you want to jump off the highest structure in Gotham?" the man asked.

Artemis huffed as she pushed herself up, brushing off the snow on her mustard yellow parka. "I lost someone dear to me. I have nothing to live for."

The man gave a mirthless laugh and turned his head looking back at the crime-filled city. "Yeah. I've had those feelings too," he said solemnly. He turned back to Artemis. "How did you get access up here anyways? Only verified employees and some electricians are allowed up top on the tower."

Artemis gave a small smirk. "My fist can be very persuasive."

The man was unfazed. "I see," he said, and nothing more. He was looking at her with an emotionless expression. Like he was analyzing or judging her. It made her feel a little uneasy.

Artemis being bothered by the silence asked, "So how do you have access? Seems strange that you work here considering you aren't in any type of uniform," Artemis implied as she was looking what the man was wearing. A red sweatshirt and black jeans and tennis shoes. He looked like an average civilian if you asked her.

"My adoptive father is the CEO of this company. I have access to basically everything he owns," he replied. He looked back to the edge and then back to Artemis. "So, are you still planning on jumping?" he asked while gesturing to the tower ledge with his hand.

Artemis looked down at the city. Did she really want to end her life? Is there really nothing else she had to live for? Akila had been her anchor to Earth for as long as she could remember. So when she lost her, it hit her hard. Nothing in this world mattered to her anymore.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I know death is inevitable because been through countless wars and I have seen soldiers I've known for years fall under my command," she said, trying to keep the tears at bay. "For many years, I have been strong, always leading my sisters to battle even though I had their blood on my hands. I never shed a tear. But when I lost-" Artemis stopped and looked at the man. They stared at each other for a few second until Artemis said slowly, "Would you stop me … if i tried to jump?"

The man was silent. After a few moments he said, "If you're really willing to just throw your life away, then be my guest. I too have nothing to live for, nothing to come back to, but at least I'm trying to find something that will." The man squeezed his eyes together and then looked back at Artemis who looked a little stunned.

"A lot of bad things have happened to me in my life. Things I'm not sure even I deserved. But I'm living through it, hoping that one day, I will finally have the happiness in life that I have been longing for so many years," he said. "Would I stop you if you tried to jump? Yes. Why? Because people like us need to find salvation in something other than death." The man turned around facing away from Artemis. "And I know what it's like to feel dead."

Artemis felt a tear run down her cheek and down her chin. Her heart stung because he was right. After Akila died, Artemis pushed all her Amazon sisters away. Her head wasn't in the game. She was depressed for many weeks but then her sadness became anger. Rage. She went on hunts more often, more killing sprees. Anything to get her mind off of Akila's death. But it was never enough and she accidentally killed one of her Amazon sisters in the process. So she left with guilt and regret in her heart. But mostly sadness and emptiness. She fell on her knees, lip quivering, eyes focused on the ground.

"I left my home because my loved one died and I became a monster. Monsters are supposed to die aren't they?" she said her voice shaking. Artemis looked up at the man who was looking at her with sadness in his eyes.

"That's a question I guess we both need to figure out," he said softly as he offered Artemis his hand. She gratefully took it and got back on her feet.

"I don't think I've properly introduced myself," the man said looking at Artemis with a small glint in his eyes. "Hi, I'm Jason Todd."

Artemis gave a small smile back. "Hello, Jason Todd. My name is Artemis Grace."

"Artemis, hmm," Jason inquired. "Like the Greek goddess of the moon?"

Artemis simply rolled her eyes.

Jason chuckled. "Well if you're not still thinking of jumping of this damned tower, would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?"

For the first time in years, Artemis gave a genuine smile. "That would be lovely."

A/N: Hey thanks for reading! This is actually my first fanfiction that I wrote a while ago when I really wanted more stories of Jason and Artemis interacting and how their dynamics are. I wanted to do a take on how they could've met if Artemis came to Gotham a while after Akila died and I came up with this. After months of debating, I finally decided to be brave and publish this lmao. Feel free to review and share! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! :))

S/N: I actually looked up when the Wayne tower was built and wiki said 1888 so I just stuck with that :P