Well here it is the promised chapter before tomorrow's show. OVER A HUNDRED POSTS! Thank you so much!

Oh my god! Bart is on Young Justice! Please let there be Spitfire! I mean Greg really does owe us that much. I am so psyched for tomorrow's episode. Well let's keep this brief because I think after this chapter a lot of people are going to be really angry at me. But I have been in an angsty mood and the best way to get over that is to write. So in advance apologies. Thank you to everyone who started following me on tumblr by the way - that was completely unexpected but appreciated.

overlyobsessedgirlfangirl: Wow that is such a nice thing to say! Yes jealous Wally does make for good material but it has been requested that I write jealous Artemis too. I don't know when I'll get to it but I will definitely try. Thanks for the review.

Samian: Thanks yes that was the light heartened one for the week this is the darker more angsty one - with a little bit of fluff to help reduce the pain. I have to say spitfire is like a drug it just makes my day when I read a good story about them. Thanks for the continuous compliments and support.

ShipperBody: A yes it really does sound better as Artemis and Wally. I will repeat that mantra in my head because it brings I smile to my face after writing this. Thanks for the review!

randommonkeyz998: Sorry no art ...which is ironic because at my job I spend hours correcting digital artwork - so maybe that's why I avoid doing it in my free time at all costs. Although I will let you in on a little secret I do a bit of painting and maybe sometime I'll post what I paint. But like everything about me - my type of painting is not the conventional kind. ;) Thank you for the review.

Green Adventurer: Thank you so much! Tell me where I'm missing the quotation mark and I'll correct it. Gosh you have no idea how many times I read over my work looking for mistakes. Sighs.

ColossalRay: Thank you so much for the review! Jealous Wally really is the best.

TheDorkKnight: Oh my goodness blushing. Thank you for the compliments huge thanks! I'm actually not sure if I can stop writing now tumblr means people know where I dwell and can stalk me... but hey the more reminders to write the more I'll write. :)

annagray: Thank you! I work really hard on their banter and I'm never satisfied with it. But I guess if I was deluded enough to think I captured it well then I wouldn't have anything to work towards. Thanks for the review!

SpitfireChick: Artemis would argue that her name should go first but I suppose Wally would just assume he knows best. Thanks for the great review and follow on tumblr (at least I hope that was you).

Irenerb: Thanks for the follow! I'm glad you enjoyed it although you might not enjoy this one. Just a warning.

IronicVeghead: I'm not sure how original it was - given that jealous Wally is a pretty popular plot but thanks for the compliment and review all the same it's always nice to hear from you. Also thanks for the follow on tumblr.

Keepmovingforward2: No you're awesome you fantastic reviewer you!

My Own Mayday Parade: Feel free to email me. I have a couple of chats going with different reviewers it's actually a lot of fun to talk to people and discuss stuff. You know the hair thing I'm not quite sure about if I had to put my finger on it - it was most like brella (satellites on parade) in her M story called Nuit Blanche (I think). I mean the forest scent was the one being used by me and JustJanelle in the nose knows so I kind have just adopted it. I know some other authors who use green apple as her scent and jasmine or spices. Who knows? I guess it might have come the most prevalent because it appears to make the most sense in a complicated that's the only thing I think she would smell like sort of way. I guess that would be a question to pose on the Ask Greg Blog. :) As usual thanks for the review!

Gimpyslair: Yes have to love the irony between Dick and Wally. Dick is the absolute top troll. He'll do anything to get under Wally's skin and push those two together. At least in my opinion. Perfect you give me way too much credit I'm just glad you liked it and I appreciate you taking the time to review! Thanks! (By the way I love your YJ comic strips and drawings for YJ in general - they're totally wicked those just really make my day!)

j9162: I'm so glad you liked the previous chapter. Thanks for the encouragement for this chapter but I'm not sure how much you'll actually like it... it's not a happy one. But I love your reviews so please keep them coming!

Thanks to silent reviewers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or its characters.

Warning: Character deaths and lots of angst. Apologies in advance.


Keeping You From Harm


Artemis was disturbed to wake up cold and alone. She knew Wally was an early riser but he usually stayed in bed holding her close fingers feathering over her skin until her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted with his lazy smile and mirthful green eyes but this morning she woke up cold and alone to a startling quiet bedroom – because if Wally had decided to get up early he was about as quiet as a water buffalo when he was stumbling around their room in the dark.

But as quickly as the question about where her boyfriend of five years had gone arose it was answered by a blast of freezing air meeting her back as his warm body slid in the bed bedside her. His arms wrapped tightly around her torso before he buried his head in her shoulder. Artemis eyes widened as she felt water dribble and pool against her skin. Wally was crying.

Quickly spinning around in his arms she gently cupped his face bringing his red-bloodshot eyes to level with hers, "Wally what's wrong?"

He gurgled and blubbered and managed to make a few grunts of different consonants.

"Could you try again?" she asked seriously, "Possibly in English or Vietnamese? God knows you could use the practice." Wally gave her a faint watery smile at their little inside joke but let out a horrible sob as he pressed Artemis even closer to his shaking body.

"He's gone." Artemis inhaled sharply at that statement, feeling her own salty tears spring to the corners of her eyes. Even though Wally had not given the identity of the person she knew immediately who he was talking about. Sliding her hands from his face she placed them against his shoulders her fingers pressing against his erratic pulse point as she pulled him towards her.

"Wally..."

"Just," he choked, "Give me a minute. I...I...I have to -"

"Shhh, Wally," she admonished, "Cry." They both cried. Wally's tears soaking through her tank top, hers staining his shirt. She had no idea how long they cried it could have been minutes or hours. Wally's hands ran along her sides as he actually tried to comfort her despite his grief.

"Wally," she murmured, "I hate saying it because they're such hollow words but I'm sorry for your loss."

"They sound sincere coming from you babe," he choked throat raw from emotion. The pads of his fingers were pressed firmly against her as if assuring him that she was still there too.

"We'll stay with my parents." Artemis nodded. She would have preferred to stay with Iris, Wally's parents had never warmed up the fact that he was in a committed relationship with someone who had a criminal record and was trained as an assassin. She could understand their concern – even if Wally was a speedster she knew how to kill him at least ten different ways. But staying with Iris was kind of out of the question since the distraught woman was most likely staying with her sister anyway. Artemis briefly let her mind wander to the vivacious redhead; if Wally was this bad she could only shudder at how hard the news had hit her.

"Which would you rather do pack the bag or tell the school?" questioned Artemis softly.

"I'll pack," he managed to say, "I don't think I can look Professor Tang in the eye and tell him to give me another extension for my Vietnamese essay."

"Fine, but Wally if you pull a stunt like last time and only pack me underwear for the trip to your parents' house you're sleeping on the couch." There was no way she could or would threaten Wally's life in his delicate condition but he could barely manage to laugh as another wave of tears sprung to his eyes and she was once again smashed against his body.

"You're not leaving too, are you Spitfire?" he asked reverently. "Spitfires always tend to leave." She wasn't sure where that nonsense was coming from but she shook her head anyway instead of reprimanding him for being silly.

"I'm not going anywhere Wally. No where." By now Buster, their dog, had managed to shove his masters' bedroom door open and proceeded to skirt around the bed and stare at the crying pair with doleful eyes his chin settled on the edge of the mattress staring at the pair worriedly.

"What are we going to do with Buster?" groaned Wally as he rubbed at his face desperate to dispel the tears that didn't seem to want to end, "My mom hates dogs."

"We'll think of something, okay?"

"Okay," murmured Wally his words slurring as exhaustion and stress caught up with him and he fell into a restless sleep, "I'd be lost without you, babe."

Even in his sleep he didn't stop crying.


The funeral was worse. The thing is when a speedester becomes one with the speed force it doesn't really leave much behind to mourn or to bury. So Iris was wailing over an empty casket whispering over and over that he was going to be a father as the Justice League stood off to the side quietly murmuring condolences to the inconsolable, grieving widow. Wally hadn't let go of her hand since they arrived at his parents' house – he was gripping it so tightly she was worried her fingers would break but she made no move to loosen his grip. He needed her right now. But it wasn't long before Batman stepped forward to make the obvious statement that everyone had been so fervently trying to avoid,

"You need to take up his mantle." Wally's head shot up.

"Huh?" Wally's first reaction to the statement was confusion and Artemis can understand this. It's not unexpected to her she's always been levelheaded in crisis situations. She knows the Justice League needed a speedester just as badly as Central City needed a hero. Although even if Wally was feigning innocence now she was pretty sure the gravity of the situation and his elevation occurred to him back in the apartment after he'd been first told the news of his uncle's passing – she was also pretty sure that the reason she had cried so much was because they both knew what Barry's death meant. It meant no more late night study sessions, no more strolls through the park, no more laid back lifestyle. Period. Wally was coming out of retirement whether he wanted to or not.

Of course Wally's second reaction was anger, even if it was his best friend who was nodding in agreement with his mentor. "My uncle just died. And you people are already trying to replace him." He hissed under his breath so as not to disturb the receiving line.

"We're thinking ahead."

"He hasn't even been dead for forty-eight hours!" The grip on her hand got unbearably tight as righteous fury coursed through her boyfriend; reverberating along his fingers.

"Wally you always said you were planning on coming out of retirement," quipped Nightwing as if it was the easiest thing to do in the world.

"Not now and not like this!"

"Artemis can un-retire too. It'll be just like old times. Old team. Everything."

"Nothing will be like old times," snapped Wally. Wally had no intention of returning to Young Justice. Even if he liked most of new members and was an easy going guy who got along with almost anyone – he hated L'gann with a passion. L'gann who was attracted to anything that breathed – which consequently Artemis did.

After the Aquagirl incident Aqualad had pretty much closed himself off from everyone. He refused to talk to anyone on the team or Aquaman. He spent his days drifting around forlornly by the shore getting further away until one day he just disappeared altogether – at least until recently.

So Lagoon Boy became Aquaman's new sidekick and began working with the team immediately taking a fancy to the pretty blonde land dweller who also happened to be dating the most awesome guy on Earth, those were Wally's words not hers. But training sessions became tense affairs because L'gann didn't take no for an answer and had a way of falling on top of his sparring partners that bordered on indecent.

Wally managed to tolerate Lagoon Boy's persistence towards his girlfriend until the fish kissed Artemis during a practice fight where he fell on top of her and decided it would be okay to crawl up her body and smack their lips together.

Wally broke L'gann's arm during the ensuing brawl (and possibly mentioned making sushi). Artemis broke Wally's nose. They got suspended.

It was never the same after that incident. Everyone just seemed to grow farther apart as more new members joined breaking up the once tight bond the original members had held. But the real breaking point was when Artemis nearly died. It was going to happen eventually. She was only human. But it had been bad and bloody and no one, not even the League, had been sure that she would pull through. When she had awoken a month after her medically induced coma Artemis decided that she didn't want to be a hero anymore.

At eighteen they both quit the hero gig. Artemis hung up her bow. Wally hung up his sneakers.

"Wally these are peoples' lives we're talking about. You can't turn your back on an entire city."

"What about my life?" asked Wally, "What about the life I've created? That doesn't matter?"

"Of course it does," stated Nightwing exasperated, "But you can't ignore the fact that when you got your powers you promised Barry you'd be a hero." Wally's nostrils flared and Dick's eyes darkened during the verbal exchange. This was crossing into dangerous waters.

"My uncle was proud of me – hero or not," snarled Wally turning to walk away from the bat pair, "Don't think you can use his death to coerce me back. I thought you guys were more original than that." Wally walked away, her beside him, but she wondered why he didn't run.

It was sometime later after the funeral and reception. After the hollow casket had been in the ground for three hours that the Justice League finally managed to corner Wally and drag him away to either bribe him, manipulate him, or convince him to take up the mantle. Artemis was pretty sure there would be cookies involved. This meant she was forced to pile into the West's station wagon with Iris, Mary, and Rudolph for a rather tense, silent and just overall awkward drive back to the West's family home. Her and Iris had been shoved into the back seat with the reporter desperately clinging to her arm, nails painfully digging into the skin, as Artemis passed her a continuous flow of tissues and trying but failing to say something comforting.

She had never been trained for mourning the dead. From early age it had been drilled into her that people die and you leave them behind. They were weak, they didn't deserve to be there. So there was no use crying over them.

All the time she could feel Mary's eyes on her as she glanced in the rear view mirror from the passenger seat. They were persistent and harsh pressing against her uncomfortably. She felt naked and not in the fun way. It was unnerving to be scrutinized like this, a lot of the older members of League gave her that look too – daring her to be different from her heritage. But those looks were a reminder of the life she had overcome and they were the constant payment for her adolescent crimes.

When they'd arrived at the house Iris broke down into hysterics when she saw a picture of Barry on the mantle and immediately ran off to the guest room crying. Leaving Artemis to stand stiffly with her boyfriend's parents in the foyer till Rudolph said he had something to do in the garage and Mary just habitually went into the kitchen.

Mary was furiously scrubbing at a pot when Artemis entered the room. She barely glanced at her until Artemis took up a dishcloth and began drying the clean plates.

"They're going to make him be Flash, aren't they?" the older woman asked without even looking at her or stopping her rather brutal assault on the saucepan.

"Yes." Mary angrily threw the sponge in the water and spun towards her.

"Why?" she responded harshly, "He gave up all this nonsense years ago."

"I don't know."

"Tell him not to do it."

"What?" Mary's hands snapped out grabbing her desperately, the soapy water still clinging to them soaked through the sleeves of Artemis's black blouse.

"Tell him not to do it. He stopped listening to me ages ago...he listens to you. He's my only son! My little boy. Please." Artemis pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and held it there. No matter how much she wanted to stop Wally from becoming Flash, no matter how much she wanted to comfort the woman before her; Artemis couldn't do it. Because Wally would do it. He'd give up his legacy for her – he'd already done it once. If she asked he wouldn't think twice and that just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to him. It wasn't fair to the members of the League. It wasn't fair to the citizens of Central City. It had to be his choice.

"I can't do that Mrs. West." The woman gave her a frustrated frown before sighing.

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"Please," she snorted, "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't know how to handle you; so I didn't."

"It's alright I can be kind of hard to handle. Wally will attest to that."

"No. I should have tried. Wally adores you – I think you might actually beat out food." Both women shared a laugh.

Artemis smiled sadly, "Barry was a good man."

"He was."

"Wally's one too. Once you peel back the laziness and attitude."

"Thank you," Mary smiled fondly at a picture of her son that was beside the sink before giving her a small conspiratorial smile, "Soooo Artemis are you in this for the long haul?"

"What?" Artemis sputtered dropping the dish she was holding onto the floor.

"You know first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby –"

"It's a little early to be thinking of that," Artemis floundered not at all comfortable with the sudden turn from cold indifference to doting mother figure from Mary West. She instantly understood where Wally got his sense of humor, his easy going attitude, and ability to hold grudges from.

"How long have you two been dating? Five years? That's more than enough time plus considering my son, the stud, has the flirting ability of a rock. What are the chances he'll find another girl like you?"

"Very small," a voice said as Iris entered the kitchen dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, "I say you two get hitched already. Everyone could use some good news." Artemis sent Iris a tired look.

"Are you alright?" Mary asked worriedly fretting over her sister.

"It's a little too soon to be saying 'alright' but with time I'll be fine. Besides the people you love never truly leave you." Artemis pondered this as she stared at the two woman in the room. Artemis had never really loved someone. Sure, here mother and sister were two people she cared about but, love? She wasn't so sure. Wally, however, was an entirely different story. He was the pain in her butt that just wouldn't leave, and it didn't help that he had somehow managed to migrate from her derriere into her heart and stayed there. Maybe five years ago she would have tried to dislodge him, but now, he had to be there, had to stay there tucked away in the beating center of her universe.

"So Artemis," said the two women now rounding on the temporarily distracted blonde and finding way too much joy in teasing her (which she only permitted because a member of their family had just died and not because she felt like she belonged there,) "Should the wedding lingerie be white or something a little more risque?"

When Wally crawled into bed later that night – which happened to be the twin bed in his old bedroom which was ridiculously small although Wally insisted it was cozy to which Artemis had snorted for whom. He pressed her close to him and kissed her temple. No words were needed. Wally had agreed to become the Flash.


Artemis hated sitting on the sidelines. Anxiously watching the news report of the Flash facing down notorious criminals. So she decided she needed to come out of retirement too, because really the idiot was just sloppy and there was no one else, with the exception of Nightwing, who she trusted to watch his back.

So when Wally had stumbled in at three in the morning bleeding and bleary eyed and saw his girlfriend sitting on the couch in her old uniform, Buster comfortably seated beside her tail wagging, Wally's initial reaction was confusion and bewilderment.

"This isn't some kind of game is it?" he asked suspiciously although a rather lecherous smile was forming on his face. Artemis merely shook her head gravely.

"Well I mean you did dress up as Princess Leia for me once, you know on my birthday." Artemis had to strongly resist the urge to hit him.

"Think harder, Wall-man." As if a light bulb went off above the speedester head his eyes widened and his mouth fell open before he promptly began protesting.

"No. Nah-uh. No way. Absolutely not. I will glue you to the couch."

"Already signed on the dotted line."

"I won't let you do this!" He quickly crossed the room staring her down eyes livid and lips set. "Artemis, please." She stood fluidly arms crossed, face steeled.

"I gave you the choice. Now please give me mine."

"That's not fair." Artemis merely shrugged placing her hand in his.

"Come on we both know life isn't fair and it's not fair to expect me to just wait and watch from the sidelines. I can't do that, especially when you're out there facing down criminals, murderers, thieves, lunatics, –" Artemis actually had a much longer list but her voice was abruptly cut off when Wally tugged on her hand propelling her forward so that he could seal his lips against hers.

"Come here," he whispered against her lips when she finally managed to pull away slightly. He was running his hands along the fabric of her shirt, whether it was to find the hidden zipper or cop a feel Artemis wasn't sure but she sure as hell wasn't stopping him.

Eventually between heated kisses and nips he gave up trying to undress her and instead settled for hitching her legs up around his waist and walking towards the bedroom.

"Wally," she laughed, "I'm still in my uniform!" He raised his eyebrows in disbelief,

"Throw back to old times. Uniform quickies."

"Good God did you ever grow up?" By now he had pressed her against the wall so that she could firmly feel his mounting excitement.

"Now is that anyway to talk to your future husband?"

"What!"

Wally sheepishly buried his head in her chest; ears red. Clearly that was not what he had been intending to say during foreplay. "Would you accept heat of the moment blunder?"

"No."

"Arty I want to marry you." Artemis was pretty sure she knew that. Somewhere in her mind she knew that this was the inevitable climax to their relationship yet it was so weird hearing it verbalized, witnessing it happen. "I don't have a ring or a long term plan or anything. I just know I want to marry you. I may not be when we graduate and it may not be after we both get jobs but I want you to know I want us to be together. Always."

"I know Wally," she sighed brushing her nose against his temple. "I want us to be together too." She paused and continued sternly, "But I'm still going on missions."

"Figures I wouldn't be able to change your mind," muttered Wally finally pulling away from her breasts so he could look in her eyes. "So you're really my spitfire? Forever."

"Forever, but quit calling me that or I really will spit fire. I can't believe you believe in all of Kent's nonsense." Wally chuckled as he felt Artemis shift against him clearly impatient with his lack of attention.

"Now where were we?" Needless to say Artemis unzipped her uniform for him.


If Artemis had ever imagined how she was going to die this would not have been it. She stared up the shaft of the arrow trained towards her by the shaky hands of an adolescent Roy Harper. Or hand. The other was – she wasn't sure what it was but it was mechanical and squeaked and looked absolutely horrid – no wonder his aim was so bad.

It had seemed so mundanely simple Artemis couldn't understand why some of the more inexperienced members of the team couldn't do it. Staking out a warehouse? Seriously? Although she had a sneaking suspicion that her needy boyfriend had asked for the soft job because he wanted to spend "time" with her. Not that she was complaining she had forgotten how much heroing ate into her personal life.

He'd actually made it to second base when a mysterious light in the basement alerted both of their attentions – there was no basement on the blueprints.

What had greeted them in that basement had been the distraught, deranged form of Wally's former comrade the real Roy Harper. He took one look at her and the symbol on her uniform and immediately began firing arrows randomly. They'd called for backup. It had yet to arrive.

Then Roy had shot at Wally and everything had gone to hell. Artemis knew it was an explosive arrow that the boy had arbitrary drawn from his quiver too inexperienced to tell the difference, she knew they were fighting in a dilapidated building, and she knew Wally could have easily dodged to arrow but for some reason Artemis for five terrified seconds didn't consider any of these things as she hurled the only object, her bow, at the exploding projectile. The bow knocked the arrow away but it ricocheted off the hard plastic hitting a support beam above them and exploded destroying the beam with a sickening groan part of the first floor crashed to the ground between the two archers and Flash; she had effectively cut herself off from the exit.

It now just her and Roy in this closed off, dingy, dirty basement. It was clear this Roy if you pardoned the expression was very green. According to the elaborate timeline clone Jim Harper, Dick, and Wally had devised Roy had been switched barely three weeks into his training with Green Arrow so the fact that he could barely aim straight came as no surprise to her. For a good fifteen minutes she managed to dodge all his poorly aimed arrows.

But then he got one lucky shot.

He managed to shoot her in the leg. The horrible twisted fletching protruded from her flesh, a reminder of her mortal reality. The strangled noise she had made when the arrow had sliced through her skin had been enough to double Wally's screams on the other side of the pile. He still hadn't mastered vibrating and there was no way of knowing how thick the wall of mangled metal, floor and drywall was.

"Nothing's the same!" Roy was screeching as he hovered above her, arrow nocked, "It's all your fault! They told me it was all your fault! You replaced me! Yesterday I was with Green Arrow but today...look at me. LOOK AT ME!"

"Roy! ROY!" Wally's voice hollered through the debris separating the duo, "Stop! Whatever you are doing stop! I'll explain everything. I will. Just let Arty go! Let her go!" His voice sounded broken and not only because it was so far away but because he knew what would happen if he didn't make it.

"There's jellyfish poison on this arrow," said Roy ruthlessly eyes dead as he stared at her, "A gift from a friend." Oh perfect. An encore performance from Kaldur.

"So I guess you're just going to blindly trust him," Artemis said airily.

"Why shouldn't I? He told me the truth you replaced me and no one even bothered the look for me."

"Believe me when I say this there are some people who never stopped looking."

"They cloned me and no one even noticed!"

"So killing me proves what? They didn't even know you!" That's right Artemis taunt the madman with the poison arrow. Harper's face darkened.

"He was right about you," he snarled leaning closer, "You talk too much." She heard the noise of the string letting go before she ever felt the pain of the arrow as it embedded itself somewhere in her chest – even at close range he still sucked. He couldn't even make a kill shot properly. Then again maybe that had been his intention as she wheezed and the boy slipped into the shadows – maybe that had been his intention all along.

Artemis's death wasn't some elaborate heroic act or some valiant go down in flames ploy. She just died. It was peaceful, sort of, excluding the excruciating pain. Lonely too. But that was a relief. If Wally's face, arms, voice had been there forcing her awake, yelling at her to stay the guilt that she couldn't grant his wish would have been suffocating. Even now she could hear his wails but they were clouded and muddled in the backdrop of her mind. She wasn't sorry. At least it was her instead of him incurring Roy's wrath. At least he was safe. He was the one that mattered. He was Flash, he was loved, he was Wally and despite all her jokes to the contrary he'd find someone else. Someone better.

A kaleidoscope of memories danced before her eyes – her childhood, her period working for the Shadows, her time on the team, Wally – all these points in her history flickered across her mindscape flickering in and out like photographs until finally one image settled and stayed – Wally's face.

By now the pain had numbed which meant she was dying and she felt the coolness of tears running down her face that she hadn't noticed before and she felt the warm trickle of some sort of substance flowing from her mouth. Her body screamed as she lifted her hand touching her fingers to her lips – bright red blood was on her fingers when she pulled them back.

Her eyes felt heavy and lethargic, her breathing had slowed yet she continued to stare at the blood covered fingertips and groaning she lifted her other hand and stared at her fingers. One finger in particular. Man, fate had screwed her over.

When they found her. When Conner and Superman and Miss Martian and most of the League really, had finally dug through the wall to her it was too late. Gasping Wally had fallen to his knees before her pounding on the ground choking on screams. Everyone watched solemnly as the speedester's gloves ripped and his knuckles bloodied from his assault on the concrete and when the force and speed of his punches finally produced a giant fissure in the floor Nightwing hoisted him up and carried him over to Artemis. Artemis with blood red lips and yellow hair. Artemis who had painted a bloody circle on her left ring finger.

Till death do you part.