Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

Wally's POV

A loud ringing sound jolts me from sleep. Ugh, whatever it is will pay for stealing my precious sleep.

My phone.

I consider rolling over and going back to sleep, it would be easy to just ignore it, but now I'm at least half awake I may as well check the caller ID.

Artemis.

What's Artemis doing calling me at this time. I guess I should probably answer it, could be a mission or something important. It's not like the harpy would call me by choice.

"Hello." I say rubbing a hand over my eyes and through my hair. This better be quick.

She doesn't answer, but I hear a shaky breath from the other end and like that I'm worried. All thoughts of sleep are gone.

"Artemis!" What if she's hurt, what if this is some criminals idea of a sick joke. She was on patrol tonight, something could have gone wrong. I'm overreacting and I know it, she could be fine, she could just be calling to annoy me or maybe she needs to talk to me. Still I can't get the image of her hurt and alone somewhere, out of my head.

I hear another deep breath on the other end; at least I know she's alive. Of course that doesn't explain why she's not answering. Something would have to be pretty wrong to make her speechless.

"Are you okay, what happened?"

"I need you to pick me up." She replies, her voice is soft, controlled; she's trying hard to keep herself together, suppress some emotion. Pain maybe? So she is hurt, how badly I still don't know. Though if she needs me to pick her up it's not good. Artemis isn't one to ask for help if she doesn't need it. A flicker of something, lights up in me. Pride. That I'm the one she called, the one she turned to.

"Artemis it's like two in the morning." Of course as I say this I pull on my jeans and a T-shirt with a Flash logo on it. I've already decided to go and get her. She doesn't have to know that yet. Maybe I want to tease her or just keep her talking long enough for me to get to wherever she is. I'm not really sure. I just know I need to keep hearing her voice, reassuring me that she's OK.

"I just need you to pick me up." Her reply is even weaker this time, not the usual biting comment. She sounds sleepy almost, that's not a good sign.

"Okay, fine. Where are you?" I ask, I'm standing outside now, ready to run wherever she tells me too.

All I hear is a loud thump, there's no answer. It's like my heart stops beating, everything slows down.

I have to find her but I have no idea where she is. Star City would be my first guess but with Artemis I've learned never to assume anything, which leaves me one option.

He answers on the first ring.

"Rob. I need your help."

"I'm kind of on patrol, KF. Don't have time for your girl issues." He's actually pretty close. I do have an issue that involves a girl. Just not in the way he's suggesting.

"I'm serious." I say, I don't have time for our usual jokes. No matter how close he is to the truth.

"Chill dude, what's the problem."

"I need to find Artemis, where would she be?"

"Is she at her house?" He doesn't question why I need to find her. The questions will come tomorrow, when I've calmed down.

"I don't think so, I'm pretty sure she was coming back from patrol with Green Arrow."

"Try the roof of the Town Hall in Gotham." He says and disconnects

I will never understand that kid. I think as I start running as fast as I can towards Gotham.

I don't know Gotham that well and it's taking me too long to find her. I feel like I'm running out of time. She could be dying somewhere alone and I'm trying to find a stupid town hall.

I need to find her, hold her in my arms, and hear her voice. I don't even know why. The idea of her being hurt scares me. Just really, really scares me.

I can't let her die. Whatever it takes, whether I have to keep looking all night, I'll find her. I'm so determined I can't even think of anything else, just that I have to find her, it's the only thing that matters.

She's the only thing that matters.

Not because I love her or anything, she's a member of the team. I have to help her. Id' do it for anyone I tell myself, though deep down I know it's not true. Had it been anyone else I would call the rest of the team and the mentors to help. It's Artemis though and if she's called me she probably doesn't want anyone else to know. Telling them would make her angry, she wouldn't trust me again. I need her to trust me. I need to be the one she calls. If that means I have to do this alone, then I'll do this alone. It's what she wants. I just hope I find her in time.

It's around then that I see her, lying on the roof of the Town Hall, where Robin said she'd be. She's not moving. It feels like the slowest few seconds of my life as I approach her body. I'm almost too scared to turn her over. Even from here, I can see the blood. She's beautiful even now bloody and broken. Her blonde hair is stained with dirt and the blood that pools around her body. Her face is bruised, her lip cut. To me though, she still looks perfect. As silly as it is, I wish I could tell her that. I know there are so many other important things to wish for right now, but I really regret not telling her how beautiful I think she is.

I stop myself. There's no need to talk like she's dead. She's not, she can't be. Not when there's so much I have to say.

I kneel before her. It feels like my whole chest is being crushed; my ribs, lungs and my heart, mainly my heart. I've never felt like this before. I've been scared. Or at least I thought I was scared. I guess I didn't really know how scared you could be, until now.

When I do turn her over, I immediately see her chest rising and falling. If this was a cliqued movie, birds would be chirping now and the sun would be shinning, everything would now be okay.

Except that it's not. A cliqued movie or okay. The sky remains dark, the night remains silent and there's a very real possibility Artemis will bleed to death if I don't get her help soon. So as gently as I can, I pick her up in my arms and run her back to the Cave.

Artemis POV

"Hey Beautiful, wake up."

The voice is soothing, comforting. I know if I thought hard about it I could figure out who it is. I don't want to think hard though. Everything is so warm, I feel warm and safe, like I'm wrapped in a thick quilt or lying in front of a nice fire. I haven't felt this way in a long time. I miss this feeling. It's cosy without all those pesky worries and emotions clouding my mind.

"Come on Beautiful, I know you can hear me."

I want to stay in this warm hazy state. I like listening to the voice, it too feels safe. I trust this voice, I don't trust much but inexplicably I trust this voice.

"Please, Beautiful. Wake up."

So I want to stay here where nothing seems to matter and there's no more pain.

Pain… I remember lots of pain, before the haze. Agony ripping through my stomach, not warmth like now, but burning.

I don't want the pain to come back but already I feel a twinge of it. Not like before but enough to make the haze start to slip. For the liquid mass that is my mind to become solid.

The last thought that drifts across my brain before I wake up. Is that I'm really going to miss that voice.

A/N: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. I thought I would be kind and update. This is the first time I've written from Wally's point of view so forgive me if it is out of character. Things will move more quickly next chapter.