Endgame

Dick, because he was Dick right now not Nightwing because Wally was d-gone, looked at the still sobbing Artemis as M'gann tried to console her, wishing that he could go to his knees and sob as well. He wished that he wasn't so used to the grief, the hurting sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. First, it was his family, then it was Jason, and now...Wally.

Dick wanted to scream to the heavens: why is it always the people I love as family that are taken away? Why them? He wanted to break down and sob and allow himself to look outwardly as destroyed as he was internally-but he couldn't show more than his bit lip. He may not be the leader any more but, like before the Light taking over the Justice League and causing this whole mess in the first place, he was the most experienced at dealing with death (aside from Garfield and Bart, as they had lost their parents and practically the whole friggin' world respectively), so he couldn't breakdown.

But, oh God, he wanted to.

"Artemis, we should go now, we-we shouldn't stay here," said M'gann kindly.

Artemis shook her head. "No," she croaked, her voice clogged with tears, "I want to stay where Wally is. I want to stay!"

Knowing that the others couldn't help, couldn't help in the same way he could, Dick spoke.

"Guys?" started Dick, wishing that his voice hadn't broken. "Go to the bioship."

Kaldur tried to place a hand to Dick's shoulder. "Nigh-"

"Go," Dick said more harshly. He softened, knowing that Kaldur wasn't the blame for this terrible situation. "We'll be there."

Kaldur nodded; he too recognised that Dick had more experience than him when it came to death and motioned for the others to leave.

One by one, the other members of the Team left until it was only Dick and the still crying Artemis left. He stood in silence, not looking away from Artemis mourning until she was ready to talk, no matter how long it took.

After a while, Dick wasn't checking his watch or even looking at the sun to surmise the time, Artemis finally choked out, "H-h-how do you deal? How can you survive? Does it ever get better?"

"You'll never be the same again, but you'd be almost whole on some days. On others, though, one little thing will remind you of them and it will hurt all over again," Dick explained softly. "The mourning periods will happen less often, but they will always happen. It will take a long time, so long that it will feel like forever, but...you'll survive and stay traught; you're a warrior and a survivor, Artemis. I can't tell you what Wally would have wanted, but I can guess that he would want you to live on; live the life he wanted to be with for the rest of his life."

Artemis looked up Dick, her swollen, red eyes staring at him tearfully. "He was everything to me."

"I know," Dick said quietly as little more of him broke a little in the inside at the hurt and the brokenness in Artemis's voice. "And you were everything to him."

As Artemis clutched to him, starting new sobs on his chest, Dick closed his eyes, pretended that his tears weren't welling in his eyes, and held onto Artemis tightly.

"You meant a lot to him too," Artemis said softly amidst tears. "I'm sorry, Dick. I'm so so sorry."

Dick tightened his hold on Artemis, shaking, and pretended that his own tears weren't falling from his eyes.

And so they both stood there, both a little more broken, a little less of them in the inside, and mourned for the life of a lover and a brother that had been ripped away from them.

R.I.P. Wally West