a/n: So, this is my Young Justice/The Vampire Diaries crossover fic that was inspired by my prompt fic Undying Hearts, which is on my tumblr (findyourownlittlespitfire). If you tack this at the end of my url: /post/28569841737/tvd-yj-crossover-prompt-undying-hearts you can read it before this one but it's not necessary. This has sort of turned into a monster, but it's been really fun to write and I hope you all enjoy it! Let me know what you think! :)
rated: T
pairings: wally west/artemis crock
words: 3,000+
summary:In 1921, Wally West meets the beautiful but mysterious Artemis Crock, and his life is never the same again.
Part One
The year was 1921, and the place was the Big Apple, New York City. It was a time of glitz and glamour, but also of spirits and secrets; and most important of all, spirits in secret. As one of the bartenders at the popular speakeasy Club 21, Wally West had a front row seat to the rich and the famous, the drunk and the dangerous, and everyone in between. He'd come to the city from a small town out West, to seek his fortune in whatever way he could, but he'd soon found that the American dream wasn't all that attainable as they said it was in the papers. His landlord was a good guy and had connected him with a friend of his that worked at Club 21, and it wasn't long before Wally found himself tending bar at the speakeasy.
He was the perfect bartender; a friendly fellow, just shy of being 23, he knew how to get people to open up, get a little tanked, and have some fun. He flirted with the women, shot the shit with the men, and didn't stick his nose in any business that wasn't his. Until the day that she walked in, that is.
She wasn't the prettiest dame to ever grace the place, nor the sharpest dressed, and yet every male eye in the room seemed to gravitate towards her. She smirked, as if she knew what was on all of their minds, but talked to no one as she headed straight for the bar.
Wally gulped, hands occupied with wiping down a dirty glass, as she sidled right over to him, gracefully seating herself on one of the bar stools. Her piercing grey eyes were scanning the room, possibly looking for someone. Up close, Wally could see that she was a stunner. Perfectly coiffed blond hair, although she wore is much longer than the current shorter styles he usually saw. Painted red lips pursed as she turned sharply to look at him, raising a challenging eyebrow.
He cleared throat. "What can I get for you, doll?"
"Sidecar," she told him, taking out her compact and checking her makeup.
"Ah, now, you didn't say the magic words, babe," he chided her. He would normally never cheek his customers like that, but there was something about the dame that captured his attention. And he didn't like being ignored.
She was not amused by him, however. "Sidecar, now, before I slap that sappy grin off your face."
Wally raised his eyebrows in surprise, but set about making the girl's drink. He rested it in front of her, but couldn't bring himself to move away. It was something in her eyes. He'd seen a lot of lonely people walk in and out of Club 21 over the years, most just looking to take the edge off with a little (or a lot) of bootleg, but in this dame's eyes there was a whole different measure of sadness. She seemed weary beyond her years as she picked up her drink and took a sip.
"What's eating you, doll?" he asked, idly running a rag over the bar. The joint was pretty slow that night and Johnny, the other bartender, was more than capable of picking up any of his slack.
"Can you stop with the pet names?" the blonde asked, rolling her eyes.
"As soon as I get that name of yours, sweet cheeks," he told her, throwing her a wink. He was gratified to see her lips twitch into what he would count as a smile. She surveyed him over her drink, sizing him up.
"Artemis," she finally said.
"Howdy do, Artemis, Wallace West at your service," he introduced himself. "Friends call me Wally."
He proffered a hand to her to shake and she stared at it for a long moment before taking it demurely. The satin of her glove felt rough against his hand and Wally noticed that her clothes weren't as elegant as he'd originally thought. A little shabby really, but her own natural beauty had caught his attention first, but now it was apparent to him that she wasn't very well off. He wondered if he was like so many other desperate dames, coming to Club 21 looking for a sugar daddy. He wasn't going to deny that he hoped that wasn't the case with her.
"So, I ain't seen you around here before, Artemis," Wally said, as she retracted her hand. "This your first time in the big city?"
"No, not my first," she replied. Wally noticed her smirk to herself, as if she was sharing a private joke. She didn't elaborate.
"Well, what brings you here?" he asked, growing more curious by the second. He could tell she wasn't a natural born New Yorker by her accent, but couldn't actually place where her accent was from.
"Do you punch the bag with all your customers, or am I just lucky?" she drawled, circling her finger around the rim of her glass.
He laughed aloud. "Hey, small talk is part of my job description, babe."
"I thought you agreed to cut it out with the nicknames," she said in that husky little voice of hers. Wally thought he saw something flash across her eyes, but it was gone within a second.
"I'm just looking for you to level with me, Artemis," he told her. "You walked in here like a bird on a mission. Maybe I can help you."
She looked at him skeptically, but her interest had been piqued. "You feedin' me a line?" she asked him.
"Nope," he said in all honesty. "So long as it don't concern any of my patrons somewhat questionable activities, of which I don't know from nothing, than we're square."
Artemis narrowed her eyes at him before decided that he was trustworthy enough. She slid one hand into her clutch and pulled out two small photos, sliding them across the bar towards him. "All right, have you seen either of these two fellas?"
He plucked the pictures up and studied them carefully in turn. Each was a photo of a young man, both probably a little bit older than Wally. No light bulbs went off in his head at either of their pictures, although he did feel something akin to jealous at the thought of one of them being this dame's beau.
"Can't say I have," he told her. "They got names?"
She looked crestfallen at his response. "The one on the right is Damon Salvatore, and the other is his brother Stefan."
He knew a lot of Salvatores that frequented their juice joint, but he'd never heard of these two. "Names ain't ringing any bells, doll, sorry."
She wilted, her tough shell cracking a bit. "It's all right," she whispered, for once not chastising him for his use of the pet name. He could only just hear her above the jazz music blasting. "I've tried every joint in the city. Who the hell knows, they're probably not even in New York."
Wally looked at her in concern while she downed the rest of her sidecar in one go. The lady was scouring the city for two fellas that might not even be there? How long had she been out here looking? And she was on her own? It wasn't safe for a gal to be walking around the city streets at night by themselves, that Wally knew. It wasn't just the gangsters and other petty criminals you had to watch out for. There were coppers out there these days who were just as corrupt and malicious.
"You got a place to stay?" Wally asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant way. Maybe her clothes weren't an actual representation of how much dough she had. He thought of any number of decent hotels in the area that he hoped she would say.
"I've got a room tonight at the Johnson down the street."
That was not what he wanted to hear. "What?" he sputtered. "You can't stay there!"
She arched a dark eyebrow at him. "And why not?"
"That place's a death sentence for any Jane, let alone you," he tried to explain. "It's a seedy joint."
"I can handle myself," she said in such a confident voice that he believed her. Which is why what he said next was completely unnecessary.
"Stay at my place," he blurted out before he could stop himself.
"What?" she asked, looking at him like he was nuts, and maybe he was for suggesting that some bird he'd just met stay the night at his digs, but as the idea started to sink in, he couldn't shake it.
"Look, sweetheart, I know I wouldn't get a wink of sleep tonight thinking about a pretty little thing like you all alone at the Johnson," Wally said. "My apartment ain't the Ritz, that's for sure, but at least it's safe."
Her grey eyes narrowed at him. The alcohol didn't seem to affect her at all as her pupils weren't dilated nor her cheeks at all flushed. "You trying to get lucky with me tonight or something?" she asked. "You think that if you let me stay at yours, I'll fall into the sack with you?"
Wally's eyes widened almost comically. Did he really look like that type? Sure, he'd been with a few women, mostly back home, but he didn't treat them like most fellas did, like they were objects or prizes to be won. He hadn't asked her to stay over in return for anything, he'd just done it because it was the right thing to do.
"I'm wounded, Miss Artemis," he said, crossing a hand over his heart. "You got me pegged all wrong. I ain't some sort of cake-eater, if that's what you're thinkin'. You seemed to me like a gal down on her luck, and I'm just tryin' to offer you a helping hand."
He could see the indecision in her eyes, but somehow he knew it wasn't because she was wary of him or his intentions. She seemed to be having an internal battle with herself, and he really didn't want to pressure her into making a decision. There were also quite a few more people at the bar that had come up and were impatiently waiting to be tended to.
"Think it over," he told her. "If you're interested, meet me back here at 2 a.m. with your things and we'll hightail it back to my place so you can get a good night's sleep and continue your search tomorrow." He shrugged. "Choice is yours."
He ambled away, pointing at some slick fella in a fedora keen to get his drink on. The night continued rapidly from that point, although he kept on eye on Artemis, refreshing her drink a few times. The dame gave no indication that she even had a slight edge, and he figured maybe she was just used to the drink. He watched from the corner of his eye as a few cake-eaters tried to pick her up, but after a few moments of talking to her, they magically seemed to disappear. He thought he saw her eye Johnny sharply when he cut his hand on a piece of glass, but he must have imagined it. A little past midnight she called him over to pay out her tab, but he waved her money away.
"It's on me tonight, babe," he told her, leaning against the bar.
She looked grateful and tucked her bills away. After a brief moment of considering him, she said, "At least allow me to give you a tip," before leaning over and placing her lips on his cheek.
He was struck by how cold her lips were, even as he was mentally flipping his lid. They were as cold as ice and made his cheek tingle.
"See you at 2 o'clock," she whispered in his ear, before pulling away. She turned and strutted out of the joint and, as with her entrance, almost every male eye in the place followed her.
Wally swallowed harshly. Maybe he hadn't thought this idea out fully. Artemis seemed hot and cold; he didn't know what to expect from her at any given moment. What was he getting himself into?
His game was off for the rest of his shift as he remembered the cool touch of her kiss on his check and the way her throaty voice had reverberated in his ear. Soon, it was time to close up shop and he hurried through the motions, losing track of Johnny and Rebecca, their cocktail waitress. The two were sweet on each other, so he half expected them to be necking in the John.
What he did not expect, was to find their bodies in the alley out back, with Artemis feasting off of Rebecca's neck, her mouth red with blood and her face so contorted and dark that he wouldn't have recognized her if it weren't for her hair.
The garbage bags he was carrying clanged to the pavement and he instinctively backed up against the now closed door. The sound alerted Artemis to his presence and her head jerked up at an inhuman speed. The corners of her eyes were dark and crinkled and he'd never been so terrified in his life as he took in her now black eyes and pointed teeth, stained with blood.
He opened his mouth to scream but instantly she was in front of him, hand covering his mouth. He struggled to break free from her grip, but she was impossibly strong and held him firm. His eyes took in the sight of Johnny's motionless body on the ground and Rebecca squirming weakly next to him in pain. Wally looked back at Artemis. Her face was screwed up in concentration befre finally smoothing over, the darkness giving way to her natural features.
She gave him a hard look, but she seemed jumpy. "Is there anyone else in the joint besides you?" she asked.
He shook his head no. The owner had left as soon as the doors had closed, as had their door man. They were alone, no one to help him. His mind was reeling with the knowledge that she wasn't human and she had been drinking the blood of his two colleagues. He knew he had a snowball's chance in hell of getting out of this night alive.
She looked down at Johnny and Rebecca almost remorsefully. "His blood was calling to me all night," she murmured, hand still covering his mouth tightly. "You can't deny a craving like that, even if you wanted to." She whipped back around to face him. "Is your apartment close?"
He nodded and she did the same absentmindedly, her eyes staring out into space. "Here's what we're going to do," she said abruptly. Here she faced him dead on and looked straight into his eyes. "I'm going to take my hand away from your mouth. You're not going to scream, you're not going to think about trying to get away. You're going to walk me back to your apartment like everything is just fine."
She was doing something to him, hypnotizing him, and yet he could no nothing more as her spell took a hold of him. She slowly removed his hand and regarded him warily, but even as the urge to yell and back away from her took hold of him, he could do nothing. He could speak though.
"Are you going to kill me?" he choked out, wondering how this night has spiraled so far out of control. He should have never pried his way into her business earlier; maybe then he wouldn't be in this mess.
"I don't know," she replied, combining her off-putting answer with a seemingly soothing caress on his cheek. "You were so swell to me before, though I bet you regret it now that you've seen what kind of monster I am. I can't let you live if you know my secret, though." He gulped, the urge to run stronger than ever, but it was like his feet were glued to the ground. "But maybe there's another way…" she whispered, and he wasn't sure that he was meant to hear it. After a moment she seemed to come back to herself. "We need to make ourselves scarce. We don't want to be here when someone finds these two."
She grabbed the bar towel that was hanging out of his pocket and delicately wiped the blood off of her mouth. He watched, entranced that she could do it so casually, as if she was using a napkin at a dinner party. When she'd gotten all of the blood, she flung the towel away and took his hand. He flinched, and marveled over the fact that he felt a little bad when she noticed, her grey eyes momentarily filling with sadness.
They left the alley, Wally only looking back once at the bodies of his former co workers. Out on the streets of the city, no one gave them a second glance as he led her towards his place, probably just thinking they were two young lovers on their way home. At the corner before his apartment, there was a pair of coppers, and Artemis gripped his hand tightly, giving him a warning glance, but Wally couldn't even have called out to them. Whatever she had done to him had seen to that. She followed him into his building, and waited patiently while he opened the door to his room.
When she didn't walk into the room after him, he turned to look back at her.
"Invite me in," she commanded, looking deep into his eyes again.
"Come in," he said instantly, and she swept inside, slamming the door behind them and locking it up.
He wasn't expecting her sudden movement as she pushed him up against the door, pressing herself to him. This was it. She was going to kill him now that she had access to his apartment. He braced himself for her teeth on his neck, but it never came. Instead, he watched as she took her glove off and sunk her teeth into her own skin before holding out her bloody wrist to him.
"Wha-what are you doing?" he asked, beginning to panic.
"Drink," she ordered, shoving her wrist to his mouth.
"But, why—?"
"Just do it, Wally," Artemis snapped, forcing the bloodied bite over his mouth.
Her blood was cold and thick as it trickled into his mouth. He reluctantly swallowed it, coughing and sputtering as it stuck in his throat. She backed away and sighed deeply, running her hands over her face and muttering to herself. He still didn't know what was going on, but he thought it was a good time to make a case for himself.
"Look, Artemis," he started, once he'd stopped coughing. "I, I promise I won't tell anyone about, about what you are—"
"A vampire," she said quietly, crossing her arms. "And not the kind you're probably used to."
He swallowed, and continued, "Right. You have my word. Scout's honor."
She looked up at him sadly, sidling up to him. "I'm sorry, Wally," she said, sliding her hands up to cup his face, "but I've already made my decision."
He felt a strong jerk and then all there was was blackness.
When he woke up, it was like he could feel all of the molecules in his body tingling. He was lying on top of his bed with all of his clothes on, with no memory of how he'd gotten there. Across the room, Artemis sat at his kitchen table, legs crossed, watching him. When she saw that he was awake, she walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed, a mug in her hand. Whatever was in it, it smelled delicious, but he had more pressing matters.
"What happened?" he asked her, propping himself up with his elbows.
"I snapped your neck," she answered casually, handing him the mug. It felt warm against his hand as he curled his fingers around it. "Drink this."
"Wha-, you, you what? You snapped my neck? How-how am I still alive then?" he stuttered, his mind reeling in confusion.
"You had my blood in your system," she told him, as if that explained it all. She gestured to the mug again. "Drink."
"What is it?" he asked, peering inside. The lighting in the room was terrible, so he couldn't see what color the liquid was.
"Human blood."
"What? Hu-human blood? Why would I drink human blood? Isn't that more your territory?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"You need to complete the transition or you'll die," she said, and it was like she was speaking a different language for all that Wally could understand her.
"What transition?" he all but yelled.
"The transition from human to vampire," she told him, and his eyes bugged out in alarm. He opened his mouth to protest but she took control, placing one hand over his on the mug and her other hand at the back of his neck and forcing the mug to his lips. She tipped the mug into his open mouth and forced his mouth shut, compelling him to swallow the warm blood. She let go of him and stood up from the bed, and he leaned over the edge and tried to spit up any blood that he could.
"That won't work," she said, turning away from him and dropping her knees, head in her hands. "It's done. You'll be like me now."
"Why?" he asked hoarsely. "Why would you do this to me?"
She said nothing, only sobbed into her hands, and through his terror and anger he thought of how lonely she'd looked when she'd walked in to Club 21, even with every eye on her. Had she been searching for her friends because she was lonely? Had she given up all hope of finding them and thought that maybe he would make a good substitute? He slumped back against his pillow, staring up at the ceiling, and felt a bit like crying himself. Would his life ever be the same again after this night?
a/n: let me know what you think! :)
