They'd called it Mount Justice, for reasons most current residents couldn't remember, but all of Happy Harbor remembered the massive explosion that rocked the warm spring night a good five years ago. An excavating mishap, they'd been told. What anyone could have possibly been excavating it for, no one had a clue, but scientists were stupid that way.
Not that it was considered memorable against the chaos of invading aliens that came after it.
Now the hill was more flattened and overgrown and generally ignored in favor of the beaches that easily skirted what was left of it to continue with the New England coastline.
Still, it could be considered surprising that none of the locals paid any mind to the constant trickle of people that went wandering off into the woodsy area that even hikers didn't bother with.
Had there been any form of interest, they'd have been treated to a truly impressive sight. Not a quarter-mile in, more than one-hundred people mingled in their best attire, some chatting by a refreshments table with glasses of champagne in their hands while others had already claimed seats in the two grids of folding chairs set up in front of an impressive arbor of natural wood posts and flowing tresses of fabric that seemed to only be pinned in place by dainty clusters of wildflowers at the cross points.
Even more seemed to be still arriving, strolling up incline of grass leading from strangely sleek metal sliding doors that lead to an even more high-tech bunker of sorts. Wherein the key players in upcoming events were anxiously getting ready.
"Can you believe it was 10 years ago that we formed the team?"
Wally West looked over at his best friend, momentarily giving up the fight he'd been having with his cufflink, and grinned. "You mean since you and I forced Kaldur to go on a mission without our mentors' consent?" he asked. "Nope, feels like yesterday. I can still feel the bruises from Supey's punches!"
"Then Miss M joined the team," Dick recounted with his cheeky grin from the doorway. "Followed by Artemis."
"Yeah." Wally returned his attention to his wrist. He remembered everything, every detail, all too well. How he'd been a bit of a jerk, how she'd retaliated in kind. How he'd felt like he'd been stabbed during that "failsafe" mission when she was taken and he'd though he would never see her again. How confusing the next several missions had been with his emotions before she came clean about her family. Then, how he hadn't cared because he was so happy that she wasn't the traitor.
If he'd found out about her family at a different time, he might have been terrified of even being near her.
"Dude, you're failing at that," Dick's voice cut in and Wally looked up again to find the former boy-wonder still watching him with a teasing smirk, having apparently moved to the dresser top.
Wally frowned at him. "Yeah, well, some of us didn't grow up going to black tie events every weekend."
"Looks like your loss," Dick retorted.
"Are you going to help me or just watch me suffer?" Wally asked, sighing irritably as he failed again at what should have been an easy task.
Chuckling, Dick pushed off the bedroom's furniture and seized his wrist to fiddle with the little metal contraption. As the younger man worked, Wally looked up at a knock to see both Kaldur and Roy entering the room, both already dressed and ready for the event ahead, with Conner right behind them looking far less at peace with his attire.
"How goes the pre-ceremony calm?" Kaldur asked slowly, not fully sure of the English words to say, while Roy smirked beside him.
"Calm?" Dick cackled, looking up again before going after Wally's other wrist. "More like 'lack thereof'."
Wally gave him a glare.
"Why do we have to dress like this anyway?" Conner griped, his arms folded as he leaned against the wall.
"Because it's a wedding," Dick answered, smiling victoriously at having corrected Wally's cufflinks before turning his blue eyes to their friend. "And M'gann or Zatanna would kill us if we didn't."
"Not Artemis?" Conner asked, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it her wedding?"
"Yeah," Wally said, smirking. "But Zee and Miss M took the reigns as soon as she dubbed them her bridesmaids."
The men shared a smile, it was far too easy to see the martian and magician teaming up as a force to be reckoned with on a wedding that wasn't either of theirs. Add in Black Canary, and there was a good reason that this had nearly been turned into a gala event.
"Hey, it could be worse," Roy said with a shrug and a smile. "They could have decided we had to wear pink."
Conner gave him a glare, as though he almost took the words as some form of foreshadowing threat.
"I do not think Artemis would have let that come to pass," Kaldur pointed out, shaking his head as he smiled.
Wally snickered. While it was true that he and Artemis had pretty much given up doing much of any wedding planning (for either wedding, since they had to keep their hero and civilian lives separate), there had been a set of distinctive rules that the couple had refused to negotiate on. It had driven their friends nuts originally, but so far as he could tell they'd managed to make it something spectacular anyway.
"Dude, wake up!" Dick's voice cut in along with a shoulder being rammed into his and sending Wally a step sideways.
"You keep day dreaming and Artemis might actually hit you at the altar," Roy teased.
"Perhaps it is Artemis who keeps his attentions," Kaldur offered, kindly interrupting their ribbing. "Though it may keep him from listening to the officiant."
"Who cares? Can we go now?" Conner asked, clearly not wanting to be in his suit any longer than he had to.
Kaldur and Dick exchanged glances, then both looked to Wally. The redhead was starting to look a little pale and anxious now that the hour was closing in. "Hey," Dick said softly, bumping shoulders with his friend again. "You feelin' the aster?"
Wally took a few breaths, looking at each of the men he considered to be his brothers, and nodded. He was ready for this. For Artemis (or, well, Linda) and the life they had ahead of them. An excited smile started to blossom on his face. "Yeah," he said. "Totally traught."
Dick broke into a grin of pure delight, one of so very few he'd had since the chaos of the Reach invasion, and draped his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Well then," he announced grandly, motioning towards the door. "Out to the grass!"
.- .- .
Artemis was on what had to be her four-hundredth lap of pacing in M'gann's old Cave bedroom. This whole thing was driving her crazy, setting her on edge. Why the heck did she agree to letting them go this crazy? Well there was one fairly clear answer, she was out of her mind. That and Zatanna had threatened to put her in what she called a "princess state" until the wedding day arrived-in other words an induced coma.
Though, frankly, right now that might be preferable.
Everyone was here. Her mom, Jade, Oliver, Dinah-heck, her dad was probably lurking in the shadows somewhere. A thought that only made her pace faster. Granted, all the Justice League and Young Justice teams were here too. So, really, she shouldn't view it as such a threat.
So then why did she have the feeling that she was spiraling out of control?
A soft knock came to the door. "Sweetie?" her mother's voice called gently, stopping the bride in her tracks. "Are you almost ready? The photographer wants to get a picture of your girls seeing the dress for the first time."
"Yeah, Mom," she said quickly, checking herself in the mirror again. Her hair had been spelled back to its original blonde and hung loose down her back beneath the floor-length veil. Her simple silk wedding gown was a halter, reminiscent of the 1930s starlets she'd become so fond of in recent years. In truth, she didn't think she'd ever looked better. Though her make-up wouldn't last if she got herself any more worked up. "Almost set! Just give me a minute."
"Okay, honey," her mom called back and Artemis waited until she heard the chair rolling away before she started pacing again.
If she kept this up, she'd probably break the beautiful silver heels before the ceremony even started. Not that she'd normally care. That was another thing, this whole wedding thing was making her emotions crazy!
There was another knock, stronger this time. "Artemis?"
She was instantly at the door, staring into the concerned face of the man who'd been a better father to her than her biological one, and she started to cry.
Oliver Queen guided her back a step so he could come into the room, kicking the door shut behind him as he held her close and let the young woman sob into his suit.
"Cold feet?" he asked after a moment or two, only to have the blonde shake her head.
"What if I'm no good at this whole marriage thing?" she whimpered. "What if I hurt him? What if I-I'm like my parents?"
"You're kidding, right? You excel at everything you've ever tried," Oliver reminded her before she could get another doubt out, pulling her away to look her in the eye. So much for getting make-up done beforehand. He ran a thumb gently under her left eye, and then under her right. "Plus, you and Wally know how to take on the world together better than most married couples do. Literally! Hell-You've been together longer than half of today's marriages already!"
She hiccupped a laugh through her tears.
"Artemis, you shape your own destiny," he told her, moving with her so they were now sitting on the bed with his arm around her shoulders. "You're not your parents. And Wally knows that. Hell, Jade's more like them than you've ever been and she's still married to Roy, somehow… And, yeah, you're gonna fight, all of us do. Probably about the grocery bill."
She snorted at that, moving to wipe her eyes and gave her mentor a smile. He was right, no matter what fears she had, Wally had always been there, whether she'd wanted him to be or not. And they'd already had fights about grocery bills.
"But if you really want to call it off," Oliver drawled. "You could always move to Star City."
"What? No! Oliver!" she groaned instantly, managing a weak chuckle which brought a smile to her mentor's face before he feigned being wounded.
"You choose the ginger over more time with me? Your good, old-well not that old-Uncle Ollie?" he cried out, raising a hand to his chest, then indignantly got to his feet. "That's it! I'm calling this wedding off on principle!"
That got her laughing in earnest and Oliver smirked as he pulled her to her feet again, too. He cupped Artemis' face in his hand, running a thumb over her dried cheek as he smiled proudly. Then he pulled her back into a tight hug. He'd only been mostly joking about calling it off, at least a quarter of him wanted to keep her as that socially frigid little girl he'd taken under his wing and into his family ten years ago.
"Oh, Ollie!" Artemis gasped when he let go again, her hand pulling at his suit. "I've ruined your shirt!"
He shrugged, chuckling as he looked at the black smudge that had missed his jacket. "Yet another trip dry-cleaners, thanks to you," he sighed, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "I'll give you the bill as a wedding present."
"Oliver!"
Both of them broke into a warm laughter and fell into another hug.
"C'mon, kid," he said, pulling only one arm away to get the door. "Let's get you out there before your friends break the door down."
"Are you kidding?" Artemis laughed, raising an eyebrow at him. "They'll kill you for having ruined the 'first look' picture!"
The older man grimaced and glanced down at his shirt again, before pulling the jacket closed to cover the smudge. "Right, then," he said. "I'll just… sneak out there first, huh?"
Artemis smiled brightly and he gave her a grin before slipping out the door. She continued to smile at the door after he was gone, wondering how it was that she took such comfort from him for a moment. Then she turned to quickly touch up her make up and veil in the mirror before she went out the door, too.
"OMIGOD!" was the general shout from the chorus of squealing voices in the new cave's living room as Artemis stepped into view.
Blinding flashes of light kept going off as the gaggle of her dearest friends enclosed around her, making her eyes well up again. This time with the strange feeling of absolute joy that they were here.
Then there was a hug from her mother, who Artemis believed had never looked more beautiful than in her green dress with that smile on her face.
"Oh!" Mrs Crock cried, clasping her hands together in front of her lips as she took in the image of her daughter. "You're so beautiful, Artemis."
"Thanks, Mom," Artemis said, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over again as she leaned in to hug her tightly. Her mother hugged back just as fiercely, perhaps because she'd briefly thought that this moment had been robbed from her. Artemis expertly hid how her veil got caught in the wheelchair as she moved to straighten up again.
"We ready to go, ladies?" Oliver's voice cut through the room from the other side of the group.
As if they'd been transported into one of those old movies Artemis had become so fond of, Zatanna and M'gann parted the bridesmaids to create a dramatic reveal as Artemis turned to see Oliver again. The man was either a brilliant actor or perhaps the reality had finally hit him, but either way Oliver Queen stared at her with an expression of stunned awe that quickly melted to a teary smile as she crossed the room to join him-one of her hands up in mid attempt to fix her veil and cameras flashing all the while.
Her own eyes had welled up even more as she reached him and spilled over as he gave her another hug. He held her closely in a firm gentleness that he'd always had towards her.
When she pulled back, they both blinked at each other for a moment or two. Artemis smiled up at him until he found a way to put the smile back onto his own face, though his own tears didn't stop.
"Here," he said, clearing his throat as he noticed their audience, and reached out towards her veil. "Let me help you with that."
"Thanks," she said, her own voice sounding far more gravelly from trying to stop the tears.
With an unpracticed and rather clumsy hand, Oliver adjusted the veil back to its proper place atop her long hair. Soon enough Dinah joined them, carefully catching what remained of Artemis's tears with a tissue as she smiled at both of them. Oliver gave one more gentle pull to frame her face with the thin fabric of the veil and another loving smile. Which made the young bride laugh, as romantic things often did, when she imagined what the scene must look like-absolutely wonderful.
Then she turned to her friends with a bright smile. "Alright," she said, needing to sniff a little when she saw the blissful tears that were in her friends' eyes. "Let's get this show on the road!"
.- .- .
The scene under the maple trees couldn't have been more picturesque if they'd tried. The setting sun had only a few clouds in its way as it began casting a progressive rainbow of colors across the sky, creating wonderful patterns through the leaves on the trees above two sections of about twelve rows of white wooden chairs. The seats faced north to their simple altar and a row of six handsome young men.
Above the soft murmur of chatter among waiting guests, chirping of small birds who were heading home in prelude to the evening mingled with the soft cresting of surf on the nearby beach only a few paces away and the trilling of the string quartet that played a soft undertone until the first of girls dressed in pastel green appeared from the nearby entrance to the inside of the nearby mountain. Cheerful and slightly louder notes announced the arrival of the bridal party.
Practically as one, the guests turned in their simply decorated chairs to smile at each of the bridesmaids as they glided down the aisle while a set of photographers ran around quietly to capture the moment.
Coos and giggles followed as the bride's niece appeared, throwing flowers with as much enthusiasm as she would a snowball. She took lunging steps to the end of the aisle, drawing chuckles from the watching guests, then dumped out what little was left in her basket before trotting off to join her mother among the bridesmaids.
A loud chord or two from the violins drew the attention of all those gathered in the peaceful setting and all but one turned to look as the tell-a-tale music announced the bride's turn to walk. Artemis's grey-blue eyes sparkled with delight as she passed the first row on the arm of her mentor and she remembered to lightly tap the head of the little girls she passed with her lily bouquet.
It wasn't until half way down the aisle that the last man present turned to see her, prompted by a nudge from his best man. And when he did, the rest of the world might as well have disappeared as far as his expression could say. Wally's green eyes grew glassy, which matched the tears of joy his bride's blues, but both were smiling so brightly that none could doubt their excitement or want to be with each other.
Time appeared to slow as Artemis tried to reign in her steps so that she didn't drag her mentor down the aisle and Wally tried to keep himself from giving in to the urge to run down and kiss her so quickly that the guests would only see the wind in his wake. A chuckle from his groomsmen and their sly smirks kept him planted as much as the giggles from the bridesmaids across from him did.
After what felt like an age to both, he broke into a grin and stepped down into the grass to retrieve his bride from the elder man's arm. The young woman broke her gaze to reach up on tip-toe and kiss her mentor on the cheek, not noting or perhaps not caring that the man was sending dagger's glares at her groom. But he smiled and gave her hand a squeeze before stepping away to join his own wife in the rows.
"You ready?" the speedster asked quietly as he took his bride's hand.
"Definitely," she answered with a brilliant smile.
With an extra squeeze of the hand, the pair turned to finally acknowledge the officiant waiting for them at the arbor.
Only to stare in shock.
"Ray Palmer?" the young couple stared at the man in front of them before exchanging incredulous glances.
"Hey, I'm ordained," the Atom defended good-naturedly. "And you're not my first wedding, if that makes you feel any better."
Again, the pair gave each other doubtful looks, but the longer their gaze lingered on each other, the less it seemed to matter whether or not the amazing, shrinking man was truly legalized to do this. And they'd theoretically been married in Central City as Linda and Wally already, anyway.
"Right, well then," Ray announced, shifting around a bit as he looked down to the book in his hands. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two of the most ground-breaking people I know."
Wally and Artemis broke their locked gaze to raise eyebrows at the hero in front of them. Ray merely smiled proudly back.
"Artemis Crock and Wallace West," Ray said, smiling at them. "For as long as I've known you, neither of you has ever been content with simply leaving the world as you'd found it. From the first day you met, I recall explosions of firepower and temperament."
Chuckles rippled through the crowd behind them as both Artemis and Wally blushed deeply.
"But that shows me that both of you are passionate people," Ray continued. "Willing and driven to fight for what you want out of life and, since you've decided you want your lives to be with each other, those are traits you'll need to make it. Marriage—committing yourself to another, promising to share in your endeavors from now on—is not an easy task. Even harder, at times, for those in our line of work. But you already know that. You already know that a successful mission depends on teamwork, on trust, on acceptance and understanding, on your ability to step outside the scope of just yourself to focus on a bigger picture. A strange thing to come from someone who spends most of his time being the same size as a grain of rice, I know."
Again a few chortles flittered around at the man's bemused smirk, but most were so zeroed-in on the speech that there were already tissues being passed around.
"And, yes," Ray continued, eyes flickering over the the gathered heroes before coming back to the pair in front of him, "I am comparing marriage to a mission. Because that's what it is. A mission, a private battle. An act that can easily be perceived as joining forces to take on the battle that is the world. There will be rough patches—arguments, injuries, and more—but there will also be those shining moments of victory, hope, and love that will be worth it if you keep fighting for it. What you embark on now—the mission, the war—is one of your own making. Trust your teammate to be your comfort, your strength, and your confidant. Trust them to have your back. Be the same for them and together there's not much that you can't achieve."
The Atom's words brought a strange silence to the glade. Even with the breeze playing in the trees and little birds singing, a feeling of resolution and enlightenment seemed to settle in each of the listeners' hearts. Making M'gann sniffle from behind Artemis, whose own eyes were shining as she looked into the sparkling green orbs of the man she loved.
"Now," Ray said brightly, effectively ending the moment he'd created as he snapped his book closed. "I understand you both have written your own vows? Great! Artemis, would you like to lead?"
"Wally," Artemis started, her voice shaking a little. "When I first met you, you drove me crazy and not in a good way. There was never a day that we went without fighting. And everyone knows I didn't help matters at all."
Roy snorted in agreement from his place in the groomsmen line-up, only to follow with a grunt as Dick elbowed him in the gut.
Artemis laughed, though her eyes were glassy. "But, somehow, through missions and just life in general, you've become the one thing I can't live without," she admitted. "Those years... when you were... when you were gone... They were the worst of my life. Then you came back and it couldn't have been at a worse time, which seems to happen to us alot. But just knowing you were there, and then being able to see you almost every day-even though I couldn't tell you it was me... That kept me going, even though it hurt to see you in pain. I promise never to put you through that again. And, even though I can never be Artemis ever again after this point, I will be by your side. I will help you through anything else that may come our way. You'll always be Baywatch to me... And if you ever try to leave me behind, just remember I was raised by a pair of assassins and you won't win."
Those whose eyes had been welling with tears couldn't help but chuckle at the very "Artemis" threat and it made her smile to hear it. Wally gave her hand a squeeze, bouncing on his heels a little like he wanted to super speed or something. Behind him, Dick chuckled and nudged him.
He rocked with the force a little comically, grinning as it brought him closer to Artemis. More chuckles filled the air.
"Wally?" Palmer prompted.
"Ah, Babe," the redhead sighed. "I so wanna kiss you right now."
Laughter burst forth from the crowd and Artemis joined them. As much as adding a threat had been a very expected move for her, this was a quintessential move for him.
"And every day," he continued with his bright smile and glittering green eyes keeping her gaze. "Every hour-for the rest of forever. And longer, if I can swing it. I'm never letting you get away from me again. Nothing-not a bad-guy, not a mission, not even the speed force-will ever keep me from getting to you, whether you need me there or not."
Artemis gave a little huff of a laugh, though she could already feel the tears wanting to pool in her eyes. Wally couldn't have given her a more loving look if he'd tried.
"It's not news to anyone that I… well… I had a good chunk of time to think in recent years," Wally said, a rueful smirk coming to his face even as a few soft chuckles rippled through their guests. "And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't think of you every millisecond. I remembered every moment we had together. How you threw my world into disarray from day one, like Ray said… I honestly thought that we'd never get here. Thought that it had been robbed from us that day… Then suddenly I was back and so much had changed, but for the better. All for the better and as much as I loved you before, the new pieces to you make it all the more worth it. And I know that we've still got a lot ahead of us, in both our worlds."
A rustle went through the guests, most too teary to actually voice anything so they merely nodded along with him. Artemis though, gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, knowing that he was thinking of the new dangers on the horizon surrounding newer members of the Young Justice team.
"But I know we'll get through it, together. For richer, for poorer, and better or worse," he continued, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I've got your back, Babe. Because I know you've got mine."
The pair gazed into each other's eyes for a moment after that, just drinking in their love before Ray's voice drew their attention back.
"Now take these rings as a sign of the love and affection you share," the Atom instructed as Dick held forth the small velvet box. Wally and Artemis took each other's rings, then Wally swiftly slid the ring onto her finger before she repeated the action to him. "And every time you look at them, remember the vows you've made, the love you have for each other, and the promise this day means for all those that follow."
Artemis met Wally's gaze with a smile that only seemed to grow more excited and he found it contagious as he grinned back.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Ray announced. "You may now get to kissing!"
The couple joined in the laughter at the urging, but then Wally's lips were on hers and Artemis didn't care that she was practically falling backwards as she returned the kiss. The swell of cheers sounded almost as soft as the waves to their ears as the world disappeared around them.
At least for a moment, then Dick was there, clapping them both heavily on the back as Wally brought them upright again. He was quickly followed by quick squeezes from Zatana and M'gann as well as a punch in the shoulder from Roy. It was almost in an effort to avoid bruises that Wally sped his bride back up the aisle, which started a rain of rice from over-head.
Laughing, with only photographers determined to do their job to the best of their ability, Wally pulled Artemis close in his arms.
"We did it," he informed her softly.
"We did," she agreed, her forehead resting against his. "Are you ready for what's next?"
They both looked back to the swarm of guests that were making their way towards both the couple and the reception tent a bit further away.
"I'm ready if you are," he answered, bringing an even brighter smile to his wife's face.
"Then let's go sneak some of the cake," Artemis suggested.
Wally let out a laugh and picked her up to spin around before kissing her again. "Babe, you are seriously my favorite person."
"Good to know," she responded, nuzzling his ear. "Otherwise I'd be worried about competition."
"No competition what so ever," he promised. "Not ever." And with that, they sped off to find the cake.
A/N: Alright, ta-da! Proof I'm still alive! :-\ I'm really so sorry that I've been absent for... well, somewhere between 6 months and a year. Or more... Life's been rough, to say the least. I really hope this didn't come out horribly... Might manage to write another smidge, but currently I'm leaving this as a one shot and extend my apologies if it doesn't live up to the caliber I set with my first story. But Young Justice is getting a new season, so that's a plus, yeah? ^_^ (And, yes, I did draw a little bit of Ray Palmer from the CW shows Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.)