We are nearing the end here my friends. Hope you enjoy.

Artemis spent a lot of time as a child learning how to compartmentalize emotions. She was a novice at it when her mother took that fall off the side of a building and ended up in jail for three years. By the time she joined the team and started running around rooftops with Oliver Queen, she was a master. Artemis could have a no holds barred, knock out, throw down fight with her mother over transferring to Gotham Academy, and then have no problem helping her mother set the table for dinner, or going down to the basement to switch the laundry because she could do it faster. Those were little things, easy things, to push into small corners of her mind and ignore.

It was harder, at first, to ignore Jade leaving and having only Dad around for almost a year. Then he left too and it was only Artemis, forcing herself to go to school each day, to come home and do her homework, to act as if nothing was wrong when she stepped outside the walls of her apartment because if she messed up someone would come and take her away. Compartmentalize the abandonment. Compartmentalize the anger. Compartmentalize the hurt. Someone paid rent and did the bills each month, and Artemis had her mother's debit card, that was all she needed.

After joining the team new things needed to be shoved into the little boxes inside her brain. The immediate attraction to Wally, the hurt at his cold welcome, how much she liked Conner and how envious she was of M'gann. The fear that at any moment someone was going to look at her and know, instinctively, that she did not belong there, know who her mother used to be, who her father and sister still were. The shame that she felt ashamed of her mother's past. The shame that she felt no shame of how much she loved her mother in spite of it.

Now that she was older, Artemis found herself compartmentalizing things automatically. She did it so much and so often that hiding on the submarine and pretending to be a completely different person hadn't been a problem until Kaldur was hurt and she had no choice but to be Artemis again, at least within the relative safety of her own head.

The only thing Artemis had not been able to compartmentalize, the only thing she couldn't pack away into a little box and hide from, was how totally and utterly she missed Wally.

Death wasn't new, frightening, or unexpected. Not with the life Artemis lead before the team and definitely not with the life she lived after it. The difference was that, when Wally died, he took a bit of Artemis' life away as well. Silly, considering how many fake deaths she'd endured, but the truth of the matter was still the same. Wally's death nearly killed Artemis as well, and she could see it killing little bits of her friends.

She'd thought a lot about death those first few days after the Arctic. She thought about what it would feel like to fade out of existence the way Wally had. She thought about how she would die in a fight. She thought about who would kill her. She thought about what kind of death she could embrace with satisfaction and no regrets.

Artemis thought she could be happy dying like this. Staring into the eyes of a god, surrounded by her friends, Wally a brave presence by her side, Artemis knew she could meet her death without any fear. She didn't want to die, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she didn't want this monster getting to Earth and finishing what the Reach started either.

"I admire your resolve," Darkseid said. He had his hands clasped behind his back and seemed to be smiling, but it was hard to tell with the way his face looked so much like stone. "To truly be willing to condemn your comrades to an eternity of darkness is a rare trait to find in one not already sworn to my cause."

"Here's the deal, Ugly. We walk away, and you and yours get to live for another day," Artemis said. She kept her grip strong around the bow, her arm perfectly straight. She wouldn't have to take her eyes off Darkseid to hit the target if it came down to that.

Darkseid glanced casually around them. He took in the dead dog-bear monsters, a number of which had arrows that smoldered softly protruding from their extremities. He took in the warrior women incapacitated on the ground. A few were moving slowly, little painful kissed leaving them as they tried to sit up or turn over to watch the confrontation. Godfrey was still lying up by the pillar and had not moved at all. If it was anyone other than Darkseid turning to look back at her, Artemis would feel confident in her victory. But Darkseid was like Superman. He was unbeatable, invulnerable, nothing they did was really going to hurt him except for maybe the black hole. They might die, but he would he trapped forever and the Earth would be safe.

Artemis thought of Lian's happy smile as she crawled across the room. She thought of her mother and sister. She even thought of her father, for one fleeting moment.

The Earth was worth more that Artemis.

"A counter offer is available. I can appreciate talent when I see it. You, the Martian behind you, and the Tamaranian have talent. Join my cause; align yourselves with this universe's true ruler. Do not throw this opportunity away."

Starfire said something guttural and viscous in a language Artemis didn't understand, but the universal tone of deep, insulted anger was clear enough. Darkseid's frown was enough of a translator for Artemis.

"What she said," Artemis countered, jutting her chin in Sratfire's direction. "You heard our terms."

Darkseid tilted his head to the side and considered her. Artemis could feel Wally by her side, knew that if she looked he would be tense and ready to move at a moment's notice.

And then Darkseid smiled.

"I think it is time to renegotiate the terms."

Darkseid moved. Artemis knew what speed was, on an intellectual level. She knew that Wally could run so fast he could walk across water before the surface tension caught up to the fact that he was there. She knew that Barry Allen and Bart were faster still, and she knew that Superman was able to outrun bullets like it was nothing at all. Artemis knew fast, and she knew she was not it.

Despite that knowledge, she still found herself caught in that moment between inhale and exhale, that split second where there was no air in her lungs but so much potential, and in that second she found herself nose to nose with Darkseid. She knew that her fingers released the arrow, because her body worked on instinct and automatics, but Darkside was as fast as the neurological impulses in her body.

Wally had his arms around her, one grabbing her waist, the other bracing her neck and head, as he spun away from Darkseid. Artemis couldn't see the whole action, had to wait until her brain caught up to what her eyes had already seen, before he could understand what was going on.

Darkseid stood above the black hole machine. In his hand he had the arrow she'd released and he was smiling. His eyes found Artemis'. Slowly, slow enough for her to watch the entirety of the action, he brought the arrow up to eye level and crushed it between his hands.

"Negotiations are over. Now you die," Darkseid declared. He turned to M'gann, Jaime with his precious burden, and Cyborg. "You will die first."

Artemis screamed M'gann's name, her own voice echoed by Wally's, but there was no time. She knew fast and she knew no one was going to get to them in time.

M'gann threw her arms out and Cyborg, Jaime and Bart were thrown away from her in wide arches. Darkseid didn't seem to care. He had one target at the moment and that target was M'gann. He lunged for her and one hand passed harmlessly through M'gann's body.

"No you don't, Martian," he said. The twin beams of light left his eyes and flashed through M'gann's chest. They passed without harm, but must have brought heat with them because M'gann screamed and turned tangible once more.

Get to Luthor's Boom Tube and leave! Her shout echoed in Artemis' mind so loud it actually hurt, and M'gann hadn't done that since they were kids.

Wally pulled her back, pulled her away from Darkseid and his fist smashing into M'gann's face. He shoved Artemis against Dick and Kaldur, both of whom were trying to help Jaime to his feet. Conner screamed as another blow landed and M'gann's presence in their minds blinked out.

"No! NO!" he screamed, struggling against Starfire, Flash, and Cyborg.

"We have to go now!" Red Hood said. "She's giving us time, don't waist it!"

And Darkseid laughed again, holding M'gann up off the ground by the back of her suit. He did it like she was nothing, a doll to break and discard. Artemis felt something in her fracture.

"NO!" Conner screamed again. He swept his arm wildly to the right.

Darkseid lifted into the air, flew twenty feet up and then slammed so hard back down that he hit the ground and kept going.

He landed half a foot ball field to the right of M'gann.

No one had touched him.

The group held their collective breaths.

And then Wally was gone from Artemis' side. He scooped M'gann, ten feet away from Artemis and the huddled group, up into his arms so careful Artemis could see the care he took from where she stood. And then he was back.

Conner made a terrible, agonized sound and reached for M'gann. He looked like he was going to be sick as he cradled her close to his chest. Superman was a large man, and so was Lex Luthor to an extent. Somewhere along the way Artemis had forgotten how big, how strong Conner looked, saw it on a daily basis and so filed it away in one of the boxes in her mind as something unimportant. She'd forgotten all about it until now, when he looked beaten and broken with M'gann bleeding in his arms.

Kaldur thrust his hand into the space between the cluster of fighters, between Batman and Red Hood. He held Lex Luthor's boom tube generate in his tight grip."My friends, this may be our only chance. We must leave."

Hands shout out to touch the machine. Jaime pulled Bart closer, laced his armored fingers through Bart's so that both of their hands would touch the machine. Conner mimicked the action without looking away from M'gann's face. Cyborg, Starfire, Batman, and the Flash all slapped their hands down on the device. Wally touched the machine with one hand and with the other he slipped around Artemis' waist and griped tightly. An anchor, one he needed badly and she happily provided.

As Kaldur gave the command and the feeling of too much and too little space opened up in the pit of Artemis' stomach Darkseid pulled himself up out of the crater he'd made. His eyes found Artemis' and the hatred that burnt between them was a tangible thing.

She didn't stop to consider the action. There were too many boxes in Artemis' head and too many things compartmentalized. Nothing else could fit, all the space was gone. She couldn't shove away how worried she was that Bart hadn't opened his eyes yet. She couldn't ignore how terrifying it felt to hear the silence in her own head without M'gann thereto guard them. She didn't question the hatred that flared up so hot and fast it almost mode her choke.

Instead Artemis pulled an arrow from her quiver and drew the bow string back. Instead she saw Darkseid's body tense as he prepared to intercept their escape.

Instead she shot that arrow across the open space and watched it sail perfectly towards the black hole generator.

Wally's arm around her waist turned to steel, crushed her against his side, and then Apokolips vanished. Light filled every inch of Artemis, burnt her insides and radiated out of her skin. It hurt, but somehow the hurt felt good. It felt right. In the back of her mind she knew that Wally still had his arm around her waist and that knowledge wasn't something she would ever need to ferret away. She felt warm for the first time in months, so warm she might as well have been on fire, but that was alright too. She'd already decided she was fine with dying, as long as it was with these people.

And then the light was gone and Artemis hit the roof of the Luthor Corp building hard enough to make her teeth rattle. She rolled to her side and clapped both hands on her chin to try and stem both the pain and the string of profanity hissing threw her teeth, but it didn't help. Wally's arm, still around her waist and crushed slightly into the ground now, flexed and he pulled until she was curled against his side.

His second arm came up to join the first, cocooning Artemis between them. She was surrounded on all sides by his warmth, the smell of his hair and sweat. Something in Artemis fractured on Apokolips and now it broke. Shattered. Fell to a million pieces.

She was crying and didn't know when it happened. Blood leaked down her neck from a cut on the chin, her whole body ached from fighting, and for the first time in weeks Artemis felt alive. She crawled up, lied herself full length along Wally's body and smashed her lips to his in a hungry kiss. Wally growled low in his throat and pulled her in closer, tighter, kissed back so hard her head spun and Artemis cried and cried and cried. When she pulled back just enough to breathe, just enough to feel his breath against her lips again—god, how she'd missed that feeling—Artemis found that Wally's cheeks were wet too, trails of tears leaking down his cheeks.

"Don't you ever die on me again," she whispered. The words were too big, the feeling behind them too much, and if they got the opportunity to slip out of this safe space between her lips and his they might destroy something irrevocably.

Wally smiled and the beauty of it hurt. "Don't plan on it, babe. Definitely don't plan on it."

He kissed her again.

Someone coughed. Loudly.

The magic spell was lifted. Tearful reunions were wonderful, but there always seemed to happen around other people. It kind of put a damper on getting past the I-missed-you-so-much phase when someone else was there looking on.

Starfire and Cyborg were on their feet already, standing guard. In the clear light of day and not the warped, red burn of Apokolips, they looked like titans out of a Greek myth. It was abruptly humbling to know that she'd fought alongside them and held her own.

Red Hood was the one who'd coughed. He stood beside Wally and Artemis, gun drawn and ready as well. When he saw he had their attention he cocked his head backwards and Artemis felt her stomach do a twisted dance again. Jaime had Bart in his lap, the armor covering his face retracted so that he could lean close and check for breathing. Kaldur knelt beside them, Bart's limp wrist in his hand and the Flash hovering nervously behind them.

"He is breathing, and his pulse is strong. We must get out friends medical attention immediately, but I feel there is good reason to hope," Kaldur said gently. He laid Bart's arm down and set a heavy, consoling hand on Jaime's shoulder. Artemis remembered quite distinctly the way Kaldur used to do that with her, when the team was knew and she was green. "You did very well today."

Jaime gave a week nod, but did not say anything.

Across from them Conner had M'gann lay out flat on her back and watched Dick intently as he did something with his fancy wrist computer. Batman stood behind them like a silent guard.

"Nothing looks broken on the scans, but we'll know more once we get back to the tower."

"Well then, please leave my building at once. I only ask that you return what I lent you."

Lex Luthor stood in the doorway leading to the roof. Mercy was behind him and looked displeased with the arraignment if the deathly acidic glair she gave the rest of the roof was anything to go by. Luthor didn't seem to care that he was standing in front of his body guard when there was a sizable group of people who had the ability to hurt him sitting not too feet away.

"Conner, I suggest you have Martian Manhunter look the girl over if you're truly concerned," Luthor said, like he gave advice on how to treat injuries all the time. "Although, I wouldn't be too concerned. Martians are resilient."

"Shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about," Conner hissed. He curled himself over M'gann, slipping her back into his arms protectively.

Luthor just kind of looked at Conner for a long moment, the way that Artemis' father looked at her on that submarine the day he found out she was still alive. Like that, only less violent.

"You'll find your radios work now. There is a zata platform half a block to the right. Superman uses it from time to time," Luthor added.

He moved through the cluster of people, ignoring the hostility radiating form them to come to a stop beside Kaldur. "My machine, if you please," he said, holding his hand out.

Kaldur looked at the hand, then at Luther's face. He stood slowly. He was not quite taller than Lex Luthor, but both could stare each other in the eyes now. Kaldur's expression was closed off, cold.

"You sent us there in the hopes that we would destroy your enemy on your behalf, didn't you?" he asked softly.

Luthor smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "As I've said before, I am not an angel. Occasionally, however, I do find myself on the side of the angels."

Kaldur ignored the waiting hand and addressed the group at large without taking his eyes off of Luthor.

"We are leaving now."

"I could force the issue," Luthor said, but he still sounded amused somehow. Like he was almost proud of their refusal to cooperate.

Kaldur did not smile, he did not raise his voice or even cross his arms. He simply looked at Luthor and replied, "You would lose."

Artemis' last sight before she slipped past Mercy and down the stairs with Wally in tow was the smile on Lex Luthor's face.