Alright guys, this is the last part, but hey, it includes what all us Spitfire shippers have been waiting for so it's not all bad.
DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE READ RETURN OF THE LOST HERO AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS!
I don't own Young Justice, if I did then Wally certainly wouldn't have disappeared.
This story is also up on my tumblr, wallmans-spitfire, so no one try to say I stole this because I certainly did not. Feel free to also message me reviews of the fic on there as well.
It's been two days since Wally started getting tested. The whole time he wasn't allowed to go home with Artemis. He had to sit in one of the rooms in the infirmary on the Watchtower. Though he was allowed to have visitors, they were not allowed to stay the night with him.
Nights were hard for the blonde. Though she knew that Wally was alive she still woke up with the feeling that he wasn't until she spotted his Kid Flash costume laying in a hero in the corner of the bedroom. When he got home after his return he had hazardously stripped off the suit, claiming that he felt like he was betraying Bart if he wore it any longer. She didn't waist any time getting herself together in the morning and taking care of Brucely before heading to the Watchtower.
The morning of the third day she found him in the hallway waiting for her.
"Hey babe," he greeted her, giving her his infamous toothy grin. She didn't say anything right away. She walked up to him and rested her hands on his shoulders. He in turn wrapped his arms around her.
"This better mean you're coming home," she said. He swooped down to peck her on the lips and he pulled her against him.
"I'm coming home," he confirmed. The blonde smiled and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. She drank in his musky scent, the same one she's found that she missed during her time undercover and then again after the incident. Wally kissed her temple and hugged her back. They stayed like that for a while until someone cleared their throat behind her. She pulled away slightly and turned in her boyfriend's arms to look at the newcomer.
"Sorry to interrupt your 'hug time', but Wally I got everything set up," Dick said. He held out a couple pamphlets toward the redhead. For the speedster could take them Artemis escaped his hold and snatched them up. The acrobat quickly moved out of the way as the blonde maneuvered around him, out of Wally's reach.
"What are these for," she asked as started to scan one of the pamphlets. Wally, being the speedster that he was, snatched them out of her hands before she could even process what was on the front of the first one.
"It's a surprise," he said as he folded them and put them in his back pocket. She raised her eyebrow with an amused smirk.
"Do you really think that will keep me from taking them from you," she asked as she walked towards him.
"No, but I think putting them there will help me remember that they're there," he replied, backing away from her and down the hall toward the Zeta Tubes. "Hey, Nightwing, what time is-"
"It starts at three," the nineteen year old called back.
"What's at three," she asked as they continued down the hall, Wally still walking backwards.
"I said it was a surprise, babe," he replied. At that moment he nearly tripped over his own two feet, but he quickly caught himself. Artemis laughed at his panicked face when he almost fell and shook her head.
"You should turn around before you fall on your ass," she advised him. He shot her a grin and continued to walk backward.
"You just want to ruin my surprise for you while felting to feel my ass at the same time," he remarked with a wink.
"What did I say a few days ago about the innuendos?"
"To keep them up because you think it's sexy," he remarked innocently. Artemis made a face and surged forward to grab his shirt, but he dashed out of the way.
"You gotta' do better than that, beautiful." She puffed out her cheeks in defiance and ran after him, knowing full well that she didn't have a chance of catching him unless he tripped over his own two feet again.
The chase went on until they zeta'd back to Palo Alto and returned to their apartment. When Artemis got there she nearly tripped over Brucely as she ran through the door. She apologized to the confused dog before heading back to the bedroom. She found Wally with two suitcases open on their bed and piles of his clothes that she had bagged up and stashed in the garage that she had completely forgotten about. He was picking through the clothes, smelling them and looking them over. He had his back turned to her as she was tossing his clothes either into one of the suitcases or into a laundry basket a few feet away from him. She leaned in the doorway, watching his movements for a moment and trying to figure out what he was packing for.
"Babe, what are you doing," she asked. She looked over his shoulder at her, an innocent look on his face.
"I found where you stashed my cloths," he said, completely ignoring her question. "Were you planning on donating them? You really should have cleaned them all first."
"Wallace, you're avoiding the question," she said sternly. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"It's part of the surprise, babe," he replied. "Now are you going to start packing or am I going to have to pack for you?"
"Last time I let you try to pack for me, I almost ended up with no pajamas," she reminded him.
"In my defense, you didn't need your pajamas anyways," he pointed out. She rolled her eyes and headed to the closet.
"What am I packing for exactly," she asked as she started to dig through her clothes.
"A nice romantic dinner or two, you could pack your bikini in case you decide to go swimming at the hotel, some nice casual clothes," he listed. "We'll be gone all weekend, with no interruptions." Artemis raised an eyebrow.
"A weekend with no interruptions? Do you know how unlikely that is, especially after you just came back from the dead," she asked as she started to pack clothes into her suitcase.
"We can hope, can't we," he shrugged. "Besides, Dick is having all our calls forwarded to him so no one would be able to get a hold of us unless they come and find us and he's also taking Brucely so we don't have to worry about him either."
"When did you and Dick get this all set up," she asked, sending him a questionable look.
"He would sneak after they kicked you out every night," he shrugged.
"Of course he did," she muttered, shaking her head. She really should have guessed. "So he's taking care of Brucely, forwarding our calls, keeping everyone off our backs for the weekend. What else is or has he done?"
"He's paying for the whole trip," the redhead replied. "He insisted that we need a nice, stress free vacation, which meant no calls from friends and relatives, no worrying about Brucely, and no worrying about money except for when it comes to souvenirs."
"You're okay with him doing all this for us," she asked him. He simply shrugged and stood up.
"He thinks that everything that happened to us was his fault and that he owed us," he said. "I tried to convince him otherwise, but he continued to insist. Plus, he knew that we don't have as much money as we usually do since I was… you know. He said that if we wanted to we could pay him back." He disappeared out of the room for a moment and came back with a small duffel bag with our bathroom supplies in it.
"Well, we probably are going to pay him back eventually," Artemis said, refolding a shirt before laying it in her suitcase. "He may blame himself for what's happened, but there is no way I'm letting him get away with paying for a whole weekend getaway for us." The redhead just chuckled and walked over to her.
"That's my little spitfire," he said as he rested his hands on her hips.
"Oh, I bet you've missed calling me that," she teased him. She rested her hands on his firm chest and felt it shake as he chuckled.
"Maybe a little," he laughed. She smiled as his laugh rang in her ears. She still couldn't get over how much she's missed it and how much better she feels every time she hears it now.
She met him as he leaned down to kiss her. After a moment he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. She let out a soft moan when she felt his warm hands move under her shirt. She didn't notice that he was moving them toward the bed until the back of her legs hit the bed frame and she fell back onto the bed. She pulled back so she could catch her breath and he started kissing his way down her neck, his hands resting on her bare hips. Just as he started to suck on her weak spot his stomach let out a loud growl. He groaned into her neck as she smirked.
"Is your stomach cockblocking you again," she teased him. She ran her fingers through his hair and let out a small laugh when his stomach let out another gurgle.
"Maybe," he mumbled against her neck. She lifted his head out of her neck.
"What do you want for lunch," she asked him. He propped himself up on his elbows and remained silent for a moment.
"Cheeseburgers and homemade french fries," he replied.
"Alright. Now get off of me so I can go make your mountain of food," she commanded him. He let out a groan in response and dropped his face back down into her neck. She huffed and attempted to push him off, but he didn't budge. "Wally, if you want food you're going to have to get up."
"No," he whined.
"Come on Wally, roll over like a good little boy," she said in the same voice she used with Brucely. The redhead lifted his head and gave her a pouty face.
"I'm not little," he protested. Like he was trying to prove his point he rubbed his pelvis against hers. She let out a small moan before smacking him. He grinned in satisfaction and rolled over onto the pillows.
"Good boy," she said, patting his stomach. He glared at her and she smirked back before walking away to make their lunch.
After they ate they finished packing. Artemis had a suspicion that they were going to Paris but she didn't say anything, letting him think it was still a surprise. When they went to leave the apartment, after handing Brucely off to Dick and Wally gave him strict instructions on how to take care of the pitbull, he put a blindfold on her, much to her protest. The Zeta Tube wasn't far from their apartment so Wally just carried all their luggage and led her there. He didn't let her take off her blindfold yet, saying that they were there just yet. She waited for him as he called over a taxi and loaded up their bags. He must have told the driver to stay quiet because she didn't hear any new voices as her boyfriend led her into the car.
"Wally, can I take off my blindfold now," she asked, looking in the direction that she thought he was. She heard him chuckle along with some rustling.
"Not yet, babe," he answered. She sighed and slouched back in her seat. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she felt his lips on her her cheek. She pulled away from him and listened to him let out a soft chuckle. It was another few minutes before either of them said anything.
"Hey, Artemis, turn your head to the right," Wally instructed. She could feel him missing with the tie of the blindfold.
"Why," she asked stubbornly.
"Just do it, stubborn one," he huffed. She smirked and turned her head to the right. The blindfold dropped from in front of her eyes. She blinked and squinted at the sunlight until her eyes adjusted. Her eyes widened as she stared at the sight outside the car. They were driving across a bridge that gave them a great view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Wally leaned in behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Welcome back to Paris."
"You two have been here before," the driver asked. He didn't have as strong of a French accent as she suspected, but they were in Paris so she didn't think much of it.
"It was an… Business trip. We didn't have time to enjoy the sights," Wally replied.
"Which is why he promised to take me back her someday," Artemis added, turning her head to kiss his cheek.
"Ah, ez Eiffel Tower, and the ever romantic city of lights," he said in a sing-song voice, quoting what he had said when they were at the Eiffel Tower fighting REACH drones. "Sorry if my French accent offends you," he quickly added. The driver laughed.
"No problem, that was well done," he replied, looking back at them through the rear view mirror.
"Told you," the redhead boasted. He leaned back away from her before she could elbow him for the comment with a chuckle.
"Sir, we have arrived," the driver announced as the car came to a stop. The archer looked up at the building, not noticing that Wally had climbed out of the car. He grinned at her as he opened her car door. She punched his shoulder for the gesture on her way out.
The sign of the door said Hotel Prince De Galles. It was a tall, extravagant building. There was a bellboy that was ready to take their bags, who the two young adults quickly declined. After much prying, Wally let Artemis carry her own suitcase into the building. Wally went to the front desk and got them signed in as Artemis looked around the large, elegant, lobby. She was standing by the aquarium when the speedster joined her.
"He got us a suite," he told her, holding out a room key. "A luxury suite. The next step down from the honeymoon suite," he explained.
"You wish he had gotten use the honeymoon suit, don't you," she accused him with a smirk. He blushed slightly and picked up her suitcase that was on the floor beside her. She opened her mouth to yell at him but he was already heading toward the elevators.
"You comin, babe," he called over his shoulder with a grin. She sighed and followed him into the blue themed elevator. Their suit was on the seventh floor, across the hall from the honeymoon suit. They both froze when they stepped into their room.
Their room was themed with soft colors. The main room had a flat screen setup with cable and was surrounded by gorgeous furniture from a loveseat to a fully cushioned armchair with the kitchen set up in the corner, fully set up with all necessary appliances. The bedroom was separate from the main room. The bed was enormous, with a nice dark wood trim. The wall behind the bed was tiled with large mirrors.
"That ought to make things interesting later," Artemis said when she sensed Wally coming up behind her to stand in the doorway. He looked around the room and stared at the mirror. He ruffled his hair, making it even messier than it already was.
"Certainly will," he agreed. "I'm guessing lights off."
"Lights definitely off," she agreed. She tossed her suitcase on the bed. "If we're staying here all weekend, I'm setting up the bathroom now before it becomes a mess." She took the toiletries bag off the redhead's shoulder and headed into the bathroom.
The bathroom was about two times the size of the one they have at home. The bathtub was separately from the shower and had side jets. The shelving was glass, which she didn't really see as safe, especially was a speedster that didn't know the full extent of his powers anymore. She got everything put in place before Wally came to examine the bathroom.
"Nice big bathroom with a separate bath and shower," he assessed. "This could be quite an adventure." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what he was thinking. How couldn't she when she was thinking the same thing.
"Down boy," she said, patting his shoulder. "We'll save that for after dinner." She smirked when he pouted and walked back out into the main room. He followed her and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Come on, babe," he insisted, kissing her neck. "We still have a few hours until our reservation and there is a very high guarantee that we won't have any interruptions this time," he whispered in her ear in a husky voice.
"Someone's being a glutton today," she accused him as she turned in his arms. He smiled down at her, a distinct glint in his eye.
"Can you blame me," he said. "I was gone for over a month and I've been back for four days and I only got to spend quality time with my favorite archer for one of those. Not that I don't love cuddling with you, because I really do. I just-"
He was cut off when the blonde pulled him down to her level and kissed. His hold on her tightened as he brought her flush against him.
"You really need learn how to shut up," she said when they pulled apart for a breath.
"What would be the point of that? Then I would have to find another reason as to why you should kiss me," he pointed out. She snorted and kissed him again, hungrier than the first. He picked her up so she could wrapping her legs around his waist without breaking the kiss. "Shower," he panted when they pulled apart.
"Shower," she agreed as she pulled her shirt off. She broke out of his grip, planting her feet firmly on the floor. She turned from him as he was pulling off his shirt. They both disappeared into the bathroom, neither emerging again until an hour later.
—-
The couple managed to get to their dinner reservation at the hotel's restaurant on time. Artemis had on a forest green dress that hugged her body until it reached her hip, where it loosened and went down to her knees. She was wearing only one inch heels and her hair was up in a half ponytail.
Wally was wearing a nice suit with a few buttons undone because he gave up on his tie after the third attempt to tie it, he wouldn't let Artemis tie it. His hair wasn't as messy as it usually is, it was nicely combed and he shaved, she could tell because she could still smell his aftershave.
The hostess sat them down at a table close to the middle of the room. A waiter came over and took their drink orders after she introduced herself as Holly and handed them their menus. When Wally opened his menu a paper fell out into his lap. He looked at it for a moment before letting out a laugh and handing it to her.
"I haven't even ordered yet and I already have a bad reputation in the kitchen," he chuckled. She raised an eyebrow at him and read the note.
Mr. Grayson warned us that you may eat us out of of business. We would like to limit you to twenty food dishes in one sitting.
~The Kitchen Staff
She couldn't help but laugh as well. Dick already warned the kitchen staff and they limited how much food Wally could eat so she wouldn't have to.
"I'm not ordering any extra dishes just so you can eat it all," she told him. He pouted at her. She ignored him and went back to looking over the menu.
"So what can I get you two for your first round," Holly asked when she returned. Wally let Artemis order first before he ordered his two dishes. The couple spent most of the dinner talking about little things and going over anything that Artemis hadn't told him about from when he was gone. The two refused to call what happened to him his death because Artemis was sure that Wally was alive and Wally knew he was alive and could prove that he was never actually dead.
Suddenly the redhead's expression changed from pure joy to a look she's only seen a few times, when he asked her out, when he met her mother, their first time, and when he asked her to live with him. He was nervous, really nervous. She felt like she knew what was coming next and she wanted to realize him from being so nervous, but she also liked to see him squirm a little.
"H-hey Artemis," he started in a shaky voice. She raised her eyebrows in response, not trusting that if she said something it wouldn't be a snarky remark. "You know I love you. You are the center of my world, you have been since I was sixteen, maybe even when I was fifteen.
"I made a fool of myself when we met and I latched out at you because of that, but I think that may have helped us in the long run. In Bialya we had our minds wiped and we pretty much had a new 'first meeting', after I think that the way we met was better, it kept us from into something neither of us were ready for yet."
Artemis bit her lip and smiled.
"What we've had over the past five years has been great, the best five years in my life honestly. Sure we've had our ups and downs and I've forgotten a few too many Valentines Days, but I think we've already proven that we don't need a day dedicated to love to push us into showing our love for each other, we do that everyday."
That was true. They both had a tendency to get gifts for the other for no reason and exchanging 'I love you's happened whenever it felt necessary or when one of them was leaving their apartment.
"After those five weeks of sitting there completely alone with no one to talk to, it was amazing to hear your voice again. I can't live without you. Hell, I can't not live without you."
Artemis let out a laugh, shaking her head. She looked at him with a confused face when he started to get out his chair. She let him pull her to her feet. Her expression changed to shock as he knelt down in front of her on one knee.
She didn't know why she was so shocked, she knew this was coming sometime during their vacation. Despite she knew it was coming and she had dreamed of this moment ever since she found the ring it felt like it was too good to be true. She loved Wally with all of her heart, but she didn't want to burden him with having to live the rest of his life with her. He had told her over and over again that he loved her and never thought she was a burden to anyone, ever.
She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice that he had pulled out the engagement ring.
"Artemis Crock, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he continued, stopping to take a deep breath. Artemis bit her lips.
'God, why does he have to look so hot in that suit.'
"Will you marry me?"
He grinned at her with that goofy grin that she loved. She smiled back down at him.
"Of course I'll marry you, Baywatch," she said after a long moment. He stood up with an even wider grin. He slipped the ring onto her finger and wrapped her in a tight hug. Suddenly the room erupted in cheers and congratulations around them. Artemis held onto her fiance as he told Holly to get them the bill. She told him in turn that Dick had told them to charge their meal on his account. "He's spoiling us," the blonde remarked.
"Yeah, he is," he chuckled. He led them out of the restaurant and back to the elevator. As the doors closed Artemis unwound herself from him so she could admire the ring on her finger. "It looks better on your finger than around you neck," he told her, keeping an arm around her waist. She smiled up at him and gave him a gentle kiss.
"We never discussed what you're going to do now," she said. "Are you going to take back your mantle, make a new one, or become my stay-at-home guy?"
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," he said, tapping his chin. The elevator doors slid open so they stepped out, hand in hand.
"Talk to me about what," she prompted him as he unlocked their room. He remained silent until they were inside the room and the door was closed. She didn't let him move any farther into the room.
"Starting Tuesday, I'll officially be the new Flash," he told her. "That's what Barry wanted to talk to me about when we revealed me to our families. He said that he didn't want to risk not being able to raise his kids because of some accident. I'm the only he can pass it down to. Bart is too new and inexperienced for the job and Jay is too old and it could easily kill him."
"So, he's handing down the mantle so if something goes wrong, you're the one that takes the fall and he doesn't," she clarified, raising an eyebrow and resting her hands on her hips.
"You're taking it the wrong way, babe," he said, shaking her head. "He thinks I have much more support and experience than he does when it comes to fatal situations. I have you, Bart, the Team, the League, everyone to back me up whenever I need help. I went through fatal situations daily when I was part of the Team, I'm no stranger to any of that."
"That last part is true," she muttered. She frowned and averted her gaze, only to have him bring it back when her cupped her cheek.
"Babe, everything will be fine. We're heroes. We can't just completely turn our backs to what we were trained and raised to do, our families won't let us. Accidents and mistakes come with the territory. Death is an occupational hazard that we all have to accept. We may not like it, but we're all in this for the long haul."
"I just don't want to lose you again," she said in a small voice. He pulled her into a hug, petting her hair.
"You'll never lose me, Artemis," he whispered to her. "You're stuck with me no matter what." She laughed slightly into his shoulder. "I don't hear any complaining," he said in a sing-song voice. He started tickling her, grinning ear to ear. She erupted in voluntary laughter as she sagged in his arms slightly as she tried to pry his tickling hands off her. "You love me," he laughed in her ear as he picked her up bridal style, their style.
"Wally," she laughed loudly. "You are such an idiot!"
"I'm your idiot forever," he told her. She breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath and stop laughing. He leaned his forehead against hers, a loving glint in his eyes.
"Yeah, you are are," she smiled. He smiled back at her, his green eyes meeting her grey ones. 'I'll love you forever, Baywatch.'
