This fic is for Water Wish's challange to write a SpeedDemon Fic
Oh god, I'm sorry this turned out a lot longer than I thought. It was going to be little stories about Irey and Damian over the years as they grow up but turned into Artemis after Wally's 'ceasing'. So this story will be multi-chaptered, filled with stories of Irey and Damian growing up.
Unfortunately Wally's whereabouts are still unknown*.
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any of it's characters or characters from DC Comics, only my imagination... maybe not even that.
Prologue
The News that Batman had fathered a child came only two months after Wally's disappearance. News that Talia al Ghul was the mother came two weeks after that. The whole League was buzzing with either excitement, anger, or curiosity. The rest of the world thought that Dick, Tim, and the late Jason were his sons; which they were but not biologically like many assumed.
As if the news of a new bat weren't enough, Iris West-Allen and her husband Barry were the topic of much gossip as well. The pair was expecting twins and the League, supporting this union much more than the other, showered the pair with gifts. The Flash family had suffered such a great loss in the last two months that everyone knew they deserved the happiness. Iris had almost lost the twins after hearing about Wally's disappearance. The Flashes were close, everyone knew, but if there was ever a doubt that confirmed it. Covered with superhero insignias, the gifts were. A Green Arrow onesie, a Black Canary plushie, Green Lantern bib, Batman bottles, and of course a few Flash related toys.
This did not upset the Dark Knight, for he knew that the League would be wary, they had the right to after all. Plus it wasn't as if he needed the donations, Barry and Iris didn't either but that's beside the point, He and Ra's combined could probably raise this child like royalty. Most likely would.
Ten days later more news came.
The Flashes were expecting, the League and Team was aware. They just didn't know how exactly how many of them were expecting. In the course of one day Wallace West had managed to impregnate Artemis Crock. She said that they had been so happy to be reunited that they hadn't thought of protection. To be honest Artemis didn't really mind. She couldn't yet see herself being with anyone but Wally. She supposed that after months, perhaps even years, of mourning she could move on; but she knew that she would never really move on. She was his spitfire, and he was her Baywatch.
They had talked about kids before, what they would name them and what they would look like, but Artemis wasn't upset about having the kids. She had wanted kids with Wally after all, perhaps not this soon, but the part that hurt her was that even though they were still his kids too, Wally wouldn't be able to raise them with her, hell he wouldn't even know about them.
She had found out after coming back from an overnight mission at around five in the morning. She hadn't gotten her period in the last two months but due to her emotional state Black Canary said that it was common, especially since her periods were irregular to begin with due to her exercise routine. She came back to the watchtower with the rest of the Beta squad and right as Aqualad was finishing congratulating her, Conner, Babs, and Tim she felt a sudden sinking in her stomach and an abundant amount of saliva. Before Kaldur could finish she was out in the hallway heading to the nearest bathroom. With her luck it just so happened to be a men's room, but she could be embarrassed at another time. She went into the nearest stall and puked until she felt Babs' reassuring hand on her back. The younger girl had held Artemis' hair back while she was retching, and gave her a smile and a hug and led her to the med bay.
M'gann was there bandaging a small laceration Garfield had gotten on a earlier mission. The little thing had been deep and would bleed at random times if he moved his arm too much. M'gann looked up to see the two women, the redhead holding the blonde's arm who looked like she was holding back tears. Artemis knew then at that moment, but didn't quite know how to feel. She was happy, because she knew it was Wally's baby too, but also scared, how was she supposed to juggle college, hero work, a job and raising a child? M'gann had sensed her friend's distress and quickly finished up with Gar and led Artemis to an examination bed.
"I haven't had my period in two months, and I just threw up out of nowhere!" The blonde exclaimed holding back more tears. Dammit! Why was she so emotional?
"Artemis, it'll be okay." M'gann reassured hugging her best friend. "We'll do some tests and we'll help you figure what to do after. I mean there is a chance that you aren't pregnant" the martian reasoned.
They carried out the tests and, clear as day, they were all positive. M'gann called Black Canary to help Artemis cope with the revelation, to Artemis' annoyance. She didn't want to bother Canary with her soap opera life at five in the morning. But the older woman came anyway and when she learned the news she immediately asked Artemis about any doubts she may have about having this baby and Artemis knew right then that this was her only chance at having a family with Wally and she didn't care if it was the grief speaking or the hormones, she was having this baby.
She told her mother next and her sister as well. They were on better terms now and she might even give some much-needed advice. Her mother hugged her and made a joke about both her daughters marrying redheads and having little ginger-vietnamese babies. Paula asked if she had any names in mind and Artemis told her about how she and Wally wanted to name their daughter Iris Paula West and if it had been a boy, Olivier Jai West. However now that Wally wasn't with them, their names would be Crock-West. She didn't really like the sound of that.
Wally's parents had hugged her and said that pregnant or not she was still family and that she would have their full support with the pregnancy and the raising of the child. She had always loved Wally's parents. They were the poster children for 'The perfect family'. Right out of a sitcom, she thought. Just like her best friend and her life now.
The League was supportive, the Team was going over-board. The younger members and Captain Marvel were imagining how the child would look and the powers it would have. When they found out she was expecting twins, a boy and a girl, their joy was at an all time high. She found it cute, and was relieved to have the support of the League. Ollie claimed that he didn't care what she said, he was helping her pay the medical bills. She was family, after all. It didn't matter if it wasn't biologically.
With Iris and Artemis both being pregnant and Bruce having Damian (that was the little demon's name) thrust upon him, the League started making jokes about who would be next.
"Soooo Hal, you and Carol Farris, huh?"
"Green Arrow and Black Canary are next, I'm sure of it!"
"Lois Lane ring a bell?"
Bruce announced to the public that he had a child, a biological child, and soon the media fell in love with the baby bat, or 'Baby Wayne', as they loved calling him. The question was who was the mother, and of course Bruce said nothing. Just that this was his child no matter who the mother is, and he intends to raise the boy with care. Barbara took a liking to the baby at first, then when he repeatedly tugged her hair she distanced herself a bit. Tim was an entirely different matter. As soon as the two met, the younger bat pulled on Tim's hair-roughly- and then when Tim managed to slightly pull away, the little shit puked on him. It seemed the little demon only truly liked Dick.
When Artemis was five-and-a-half months Dick came back. He looked at her and they both had to hold back tears. They understood one another, they had both put up with Wally in many ways and would always tease him and joke around with him. They were like the three musketeers back in their day. Now it was just Dick and Artemis.
"Wow" was all he said, not really knowing what to say. He had just recently heard about Artemis' pregnancy. He had been off radar and no one, not even Bruce or Barbara, could find him.
"I know right. I'm totally not intimidating anymore."
"No, in fact I think you're more intimidating" That earned a slap on his arm.
They sat down and talked for hours. He left after Wally's disappearance and he had been the only one, besides Wally's family, to truly understand her grief. He asked about names and she told him the same ones that she and Wally had decided on, and when he caught on that she was carrying twins she said "I mean really, what are the odds that Iris and I would both have twins?"
"Maybe it's a speedster thing."
"Maybe."
"Wally wanted you to be the godfather." She said.
He smiled. No matter what their DNA said, Wally was his brother, and being the godfather to his children was an incredible honor. Not to mention the mother just so happened to be one of his best friends. They sat in silence, not really needing to talk. They both knew what the other was thinking. They were both upset, they had both lost someone extremely important to them. She pulled something out of her enormous jacket pocket and shoved it to him.
"I found this yesterday in his old genetics textbook. The idiot cut a hole in the thing and stuffed the ring in there." She was looking anywhere but at the ring or Dick's face.
He cleared his throat and smiled softly, looking out the watchtower windows into the vast emptiness, "I guess this makes you my honorary sister-in-law-to-be".. She hadn't cried yet, but that did it. Dick hugged her and soon he started to cry too. Both mourning their beloved speedster.
It was valentines day. Artemis was eight months now and craved everything. Everything. Now she understood how Wally felt, always being hungry. She supposed her insane amount of food consumption was because she was carrying twin speedsters. Artemis had been watching the newest episode of 'Supers' with Zatanna, who wanted to spend the day with her friend, both with ice cream in their bowls, Artemis' significantly bigger, when the programming got replaced with an urgent news broadcast. Cat Grant was speaking about a recent explosion-like event in the arctic when the reporter got cut off by her supervisor with an announcement and quickly corrected her sentence with the correct news.
"It is now confirmed that there was no explosion. It seems that instead it is a massive ball of energy, much like the ones back when the Reach was on Earth, eight months ago. More details to come as the story develops. I would also like to welcome back Iris West-Allen who came back to work today after taking a maternity leave to give birth to her lovely twins."
"Do you need to go?" Artemis asked, turning to her close friend.
"I don't think so, I mean if the league needs me they'll call. Besides, today's my day off." Zatanna smiled.
'BREAKING NEWS- NEW DEVELOPMENT' came on the screen and Cat was looking a bit frazzled and said, "It has just been confirmed by reliable sources that a human body has emerged from the energy ball. The Justice League is doing as much as they can, and are examining the body. It is unknown if the person is alive."
"Wow" Zatanna breathed.
"What do you think it could be?" Artemis asked so softly that Zatanna could barely make it out. They were both thinking about the events that had taken place in that exact area eight months ago, neither daring to say it.
"I have no clue." she responded honestly.
"Doctors confirm the recovered body is alive and is a young man in his early twenties. No other information on the matter of this young man or the massive energy ball has been given, but more news to come."
Three minutes later Zatanna got a call to come to the watchtower immediately. Artemis was allowed to come as well since the zeta tubes were now safe for pregnant women to use. Not that many did.
Of all the things racing through her mind the one she least expected, and hoped for most, happened. In the med bay, on a hospital bed with a million tubes and needles surrounding him was Wally. Her Wally. He was back, but what would he think of her pregnancy, of the twins, of her? What if had decided after nearly dying, he didn't want to spend the rest of his life with her but someone else?
She gulped and went into the room, held his hand and cried. She didn't care because he was back and while she was sure she could raise these kids on her own, she liked it better with Wally in the picture.
It took him three months to wake up, for the doctors to stabilize him, to get his metabolism to slow to semi-normal. When he woke up he was no longer in his brutalized Kid Flash costume, and his raggedy appearance cleaned up. He looked around the room, with white curtains, white machines, white sheets and bright lights. It reminded him of his short-lived stay at the hospital all those years ago, saving a young queen from heart failure and a murderous uncle. One of the best missions he ever had.
He woke up to his best-friend sleeping on a chair, in his Nightwing costume. Wally looked at the clock on the nearby table. 3:16. He supposed he could wait a few hours before bothering his best-friend. From what the redhead could remember, the remote dangling off the side of his bed had a button to call the nurse, which is what he intended to do, but the drugs they had put in his system disoriented him slightly and he opened the TV first.
Nightwing woke up with the theme song of 'The Flaming C', a cartoon superhero show he and Wally used to watch. Wally! He looked over and was met by lethargic green eyes and an apologetic smile. Dick was wide awake now. His best friend was awake and alive! The former boy wonder ran over to his best friend and hugged him before remembering the current state the redhead was in. He stepped back from the laughing young man and started laughing himself. Wally always had a contagious laugh, if the time was right.
"Dude"
"Dude" Wally smiled back.
The nurse came in and asked Wally and Dick a few basic questions, then she went about checking all of Wally's vitals, needles, and meds.
"You missed a hell of a lot"
"How long was I gone?" He looked at a nearby calendar and his eyes bugged out. "I'VE BEEN GONE A WHOLE YEAR?!" The nurse sent him a warning look.
Dick couldn't help but laugh at his friend but soon he wasn't 'feeling the aster', "Yeah Wally, an entire year. It hasn't been easy. Everyone thought you were dead."
"Wow." It took the former Kid Flash a few minutes to really digest everything, which normally was a rare occurence. "How are aunt Iris and the twins? What about Barry? Or Artemis? Or- Oh God- what about my parents?"
"They all took it pretty hard. Especially your aunt, she almost miscarried." Dick sighed. The nurse looked a bit uncomfortable from where she was changing Wally's IV.
"WHAT?!" That outburst earned him another glare from the nurse.
"NO, no, no. She's fine now! So are the twins, they're all healthy as can be!" Dick quickly said, regretting his words. "Wally, look it was just really hard to not have you around. Bart didn't eat half the amount he used to for the first month you were gone. Artemis took her anger and grief out on the baddies for nearly two months, and Barry stayed up for weeks with only a few hours of sleep just trying to get you back. Zatanna and Fate even tried! Hell, I had to leave the team to get my shit together, and I would've been gone longer if I hadn't heard about Artemis!"
"I'll be leaving now. Another nurse will come and bring your food and medication soon. If you need anything just press the green call button." The nurse told him. Wally nodded then turned back to Dick.
"What happened to Artemis?" if Wally spoke any softer, Dick couldn't have heard him.
"She- I think it would be better if she told you herself. It's really none of my business." Nightwing yawned, his sleepiness coming back.
"Is she okay?"
Dick looked up at his best friend, concern written all over the redhead's face. Seven years ago if anyone had told the redhead he'd fall in love with the sarcastic, head-strong archer of the team that he once hated, he'd have laughed in their face. Now Dick remembered why he bothered them so much about it, they were meant to be together.
"She's doing great. Especially now that you're back." The 20 year-old smiled, clapping his friend's shoulder.
…...
Dick and the nurses didn't tell Artemis that Wally was awake. So when she walked through the door carrying little Jai (everyone called the boy by his middle name instead of Oliver, his first.), Wally was flabbergasted. She saw he was awake and, baby in hand, rushed over and hugged him and kissed him until he finally composed himself. She noticed him looking at the baby in her hands with confusion and... pain? Suddenly she got worried.
"Artemis... is that... a b-baby?"
"No Wally it's a potato," She intended for it to come out dry, but instead it came with a small giggle. She was ecstatic that he was awake but she could still tease him. "Yes, it's a baby."
He gulped, "Is it yours?"
"He's ours." She couldn't help but feel nervous as the realization flooded his face.
"We have a son?" he asked mostly to himself. "How?" He asked looking at her this time.
"Well Wally when two people lov-"
"Artemis, I'm a biology major; I know how humans reproduce."
"Well, in the one night we had together before you... disappeared, you managed to knock me up with twins."
He chuckled then quickly his face dropped, "Wait. Twins?"
"Twins." The half-vietnamese mother confirmed.
"Twins." The redhead repeated. "Where's the other?"
"With M'gann. She was sleeping so I didn't want to wake her."
Before Artemis could say anything else, M'gann's voice came through her head.
"Artemis, sorry if i'm bothering you, but Irey is crying and I can't calm her down." The martian told her.
"It's ok M'gann, you can bring her in here, Wally's awake."
"Ohmigod, really? Artemis that's great! I'll be there in a few minutes!"
"M'gann is on her way with Irey." Artemis told Wally, rocking Jai back and forth.
"Irey?" He smirked.
"Yes, I named her after your aunt. It's what you had wanted." She smiled. She looked into his emerald eyes and fought the urge to just hug him and never let go. She blamed the emotions on the hormones.
The doors opened and a young green-skinned martian woman came through with a baby crying in her arms. She looked at Wally and Artemis and her eyes started to well up with tears. Their beloved martian friend had always been emotional at reunions.
"Sorry, I just- the family is back together!" She cheered, tears pooling in her eyes.
She went over to Wally and, producing two extra arms to support the baby, she hugged him with her original arms. Wally still wasn't quite used to the martian's ability to make extra limbs, if she was turning into Queen B for a mission that was fine, but the extra limbs freaked him out a bit, though he said nothing and hugged his martian friend.
"Do you want to hold him?" Artemis asked when her friends had finished their reunion. Wally nodded and she handed over the little boy over to his father for the first time. M'gann then shifted back to normal and handed the crying baby to Artemis.
"I'll go now" M'gann said smiling brightly at her friends, gesturing awkwardly to the door and wiping off a stray tear.
Artemis gave her a thankful smile and tried to calm her screaming daughter down.
"Want me to try?" Wally asked, grinning at his girlfriend.
"Sure, I'll take Jai back." She wanted to see how well he would fair.
She handed over their redheaded baby to her boyfriend and took their son, cradling him in her arms. Wally held the little wailing girl in his arms rocking her back and forth.
"Wow, you really are my daughter. Your grandmother used to tell me that I never shut up. Your mom can tell you that too." He smiled up at Artemis.
"It's true" She said with a shrug and a small smile.
Wally looked back down at the little crying girl. Irey had calmed down a bit, but she was still upset about something.
"What's wrong? Are you hungry? I'm always hungry." He told the tiny baby.
"That could be it. She has your hair, she probably has your appetite too." Artemis smirked.
She went to feed Irey, leaving Jai with his father. The three-month-old was giggling at his father while he made little noises and faces.
"I like your onesie. Maybe I could borrow it sometime?" Wally joked, tickling the Flash insignia on his son's shirt.
*Haha did I trick you? Of course Wally's not dead in this, I'm writing this story.
