Ch. 3 - The rescue

I'm sorry this is up so late. I wanted to finish this over spring break, you know after I took a day off to just be lazy. But my mom got sick with pneumonia and I had to take care of her. She kept saying she was fine and sent to my friend's house where I have no access to my account so I couldn't finish this chapter. But it's up now. So Enjoy!

Palo Alto

July 4, 20:46

Artemis and Dick walked into the apartment with Wally close behind. They were going to find her Tigress costume when Dick's eyes widen in surprise as he looked at the still destroyed living room. "What happened in here?" Dick asked in shock.

"I happened. After I got home from Wally's parents house, I kind of, had a meltdown." Artemis admitted.

"Wow you even punched a hole in the wall." Dick studied the hole in the wall by the hallway leading to the bedroom. Wally looked at it too in curiosity.

"Man, how did I miss that?" Wally said. He followed Dick and Artemis into the bedroom, that was also still a mess.

"The bedroom too?" Dick said. Artemis turned around angrily.

"Yes, Dick, the bedroom too. If you thought you had just lost the love of your life you'd have a meltdown too!" Artemis shouted. "I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"It's okay. I know that you miss him. After 3 months apart, of course. That's my fault, I should've asked Zatanna or M'gann to do it." Dick confessed.

"No. I don't regret that I did that. We took down the reach and the light because your plan. You have nothing to feel bad about. But I guess it's true what they say, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'" She said and Wally smiled at her.

"You're really in love." Dick smiled.

"To be honest, I think if you hadn't told me that Wally was still alive. I probably would've killed myself a while ago, just to be with him again." Artemis said as she looked forward, she felt like she was looking into his eyes again. So she said what she felt needed to be said.

"Artemis a few months ago, Wally and I went looking for-" He stopped, sensing something.

"Looking for?" She asked.

"No! I'll tell her when I get back. Don't tell her!" Wally yelled and somehow Dick understood.

"Nevermind, I get the feeling I'm not suppose to tell you yet. But when Wally gets back, just think about what you told me. How much you love him." Dick said.

"Okay..." Artemis said and went back to looking for her Tigress costume. Wally smiled at her before looking at Dick.

"Thanks bro." Wally said, putting a hand on his shoulder and Dick smiled a bit more feeling Wally's presence with them.

WatchTower

21:10

Artemis, with Wally, went to the new grotto. At first they confused as they thought they saw Wally looking at his own memorial. But once they got close enough they realized it was Bart. They found Bart, now in his new Kid Flash uniform, looking at Wally's hologram. He looked sad and guilty, like everything that happened was his fault. Including Wally's death.

"You look good." Artemis said walking toward him.

"Really? Cause I feel like a fraud." Bart said showing his uniform to her.

"Well don't. You're honoring Wally's memory by becoming Kid Flash I know he'd be proud." Artemis said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"I am proud. There's no one I'd rather have as Kid Flash than you." Wally said.

"So, you suited up. But as Tigress?" Bart questioned

"Artemis was Wally's partner. I need some distance, I need a change." She put on her mask. "So let's see how Tigress does."

"As a hero."

"As a blonde." Artemis smiled. "Besides, once we get Wally back I won't need Tigress anymore and he'll tell you to your face that he's proud."

They smiled and went to find the rest of the team.

After the mission, Artemis returned home to see Nightwing sitting on the couch. She sighed and sat next to him.

"Kaldur told me you took a league of absence from the team. Why?"

"To have more time to find Wally." Artemis gave him a look. "And to get a break from everything." He admitted. "Wally, Kaldur, and I started this team together and without Wally I just- It's not the same."

"I hope you know that once we get Wally back we're going back into retirement."

"I know. I'd rather have him in retirement than dead."

"We'll get him back, but I think we'll need M'gann and Zatanna. If Wally's still with us M'gann should be able to sense him and Zatanna could have the power to bring him back." Artemis suggested.

"Alright." He sighed. "I should probably get back to Gotham, you need to get some rest." He got up.

"I'll go with you. I only came here to pack."

Dick looked confused as Artemis went to her bedroom. "Wait, you're not staying here?"

"No. I'm going to stay with my mom." She started packing. "I haven't seen her in a while. She'll help me get my mind off things."

"What about Nelson?"

"He's at Wally parents' house. They'll take care of him." Dick waited for Artemis and once she was done they headed for Gotham.

Gotham City

July 7, 00:16

Artemis sat on the roof top of her mother's apartment building. She couldn't sleep so she sat on the edge of the roof and watched the city. Wally sat next to her, watching as the wind blew through her hair.

"Hey babe." Artemis turned around and saw Icicle Jr. leaning against the wall. "Wow. The years have been good to you."

"Don't call me that, Jr."

"So I was wondering, now that your boy toy is dead. Maybe we can start up again."

"How dare you. I loved him, he wasn't just some fling." Artemis got up and walked toward him. "And start what back up?"

"The thing between you and me when we were kids." Artemis looked disgusted while Wally was shocked.

"What?! You told me you guys were just friends." Wally said knowing they couldn't hear him.

"What?! There was never anything between us." Artemis crossed her arms. "If you mean that thing where you went behind my back and told my dad everything I told you. Forget it."

"Babe, that happened once. It's not like it was anything important."

"Don't call me that. You don't deserve to call me that." Artemis growled at him. "You told my father I was running away. Which lead to me being paralyzed in a hospital for 2 days."

"But you still had crush on me." Jr. moved closer to her and Wally narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah I did. But that was only because you were the only person who understood what I was going through. Having to always impress our dads in order to get somewhere. And with our dads always working, we spent a lot of time together." Artemis looked down and sighed. Then she looked at him.

"As much as a jerk you are, part of you will always be my friend. What happened to that part of you, Cam? I mean, I'm hurt, I just love the love of my life. I just want some comfort from my long time friend." Icicle Jr. came even closer to her and hugged her.

He sighed. "I'm sorry you lost your boyfriend. I know it must be hard for you, it'll get better. I'm also sorry for what I did to you. I just wanted to get on my dad's good side, I didn't want to lose my friend." Artemis smiled softly.

"It's okay." She looked at him. "Thank you, Cameron."

Wally watched the scene before him. A little jealousy ran through him but he felt good for Artemis. She had told him everything that happened in her past, some of it wasn't pretty but he was glad she told him. He knew that Icicle Jr. was a close friend of hers and it hurt her when he betrayed her. So when he was seeing this happen he felt happy for her.

After the few days Artemis kept thinking about the day they would save Wally. She kept thinking that the next day they would save him and the next day she thought the same thing. Then the next, and the next until she couldn't take it anymore and shut off every emotion she had. She was emotionless and everyone could see it.

Artemis sat in the living of her mother's apartment reading her favorite childhood book, Alice in Wonderland. Paula wheeled herself in.

"Artemis, do you want to talk?" Artemis put her book down.

"I'm fine. I don't feel like talking."

"Artemis, it's not good to keep your feelings bottled up."

"I'm not holding anything in." Artemis groaned and walked to her room. Paula sighed in worry for her daughter.

Watchtower

July 20, 19:47

Artemis was doing watch duty. Rocket walked in and tried to talk to her.

"Hey girl. I haven't really seen you since..." She stopped. "That."

Artemis looked up at her. "Well everything's fine." She shrugged.

"Really? 'Cause I've been wanting talk to you." She sat beside Artemis. "I want you to know that Wally loved you. I know I wasn't there for most of the 'starting to like you' phase and from what people have told me, your relationship has been a bumpy ride." Artemis started to breathe deeply. "I know you loved him but he wouldn't want you to suffer like this." She patted her back and Artemis breathe started to get shaky. "In their final moments heroes want nothing, but for the ones they care about to be safe and know that they love them. Wally wanted you to be happy, and find someone else that will love you as much as he did."

Artemis stood up and eyes watery. "But there isn't gonna be anyone else!" She yelled. "Wally was the only one who loved and cared about me, not caring about who my family is or whether I could trusted! He wanted me to experience things I never did when I was younger. People keep saying I'll move on and find someone else, when there isn't anyone! Wally was the one and he's gone. So what's the point?!" The tears fell down her cheeks.

"Artemis-" Rocket got up and tried to calm her down, but it was useless.

"I'm sorry, Raquel. But please just leave me alone." Artemis ran to the zeta beam and went to Gotham.

Gotham City

20:00

When she got to her mother's apartment, she ran right her mother, into her room where she cried in to her pillow.

Wally was already in the room thinking about what he would do when he got out of the speed force only to be stunned to see Artemis crying in to her pillow. He sat next to her and stroked her hair, knowing she would calm down from sensing him with her. Artemis stopped crying and turned around until she was facing the Alice in Wonderland poster across the room on her wall, eyes pink from the crying. She wiped her eyes dry.

"Artemis, I've been thinking a lot about us and when I get back we need to talk. I realized that I've changed since I've been with you. I mean when I was 15, I didn't think I would be a serious relationship. Then when I met you, things changed. You were all that I thought about when I thought I was going to die. I wanted my last memory to be of all the times that we had together. You don't know but when we went to save Kent Nelson, he gave me some very important advice that I didn't think I would ever need. He told me to find me own little spitfire, who wouldn't let me get away with nothing. You're my Spitfire. My one and only." He put his hand over hers. "We're gonna have the future we've always wanted."

After a few minutes M'gann, Zatanna and Nightwing rushed into the room with Bart and Barry close behind.

"I think we had a breakthrough!" M'gann said as she put a huge book on the floor.

"Okay, while we we're researching the speed force some more. We found that the speed force is multidimensional energy force." M'gann said.

"We knew that already." Artemis said.

"Let me finish. While learning this, we realized that Wally is probably trapped a pocket dimension where we can't see, hear or feel him. But he can see, hear and feel us. And we can't get in contact with him because he produces so much energy from being in the speed force."

"That must have been the energy pulses we were seeing, it was Wally. So he's here now?" Bart asked.

"Probably. But we can't be sure." Zatanna answered. "I know a spell that will let us get in contact with him."

"Then we can get him out with a spell, simple." Bart finished.

"Nothing is ever that simple, Bart." Barry said.

"Flash is right. In order to get him back we need to phase his mental state with his physical body."

"Wait, so where is his body?" Artemis asked.

"Probably still at the North Magnetic Pole." M'gann said.

"So while his mental and emotional being has been with us, his physical state has been running around the North Magnetic Pole all this time." Nightwing explained.

"Wow. He's gonna be exhausted when he comes back." Bart said.

Wally looked at him. "No kidding."

"To get in contact with him, we need to be in a place Wally was the most comfortable." Zatanna said.

"So our apartment?" Artemis asked.

"Exactly."

Everyone walked in Artemis and Wally's apartment.

"Wow, this place is a-" Bart was interrupted.

"Yes! This place is a mess, I had a breakdown, alright! Would people stop commenting on the apartment?" Artemis shouted. The others just let her get her anger out and pretended she didn't say anything.

"Naelc siht ecalp pu" (Clean this place up). In a matter of seconds the living room brought back to the state it was before Artemis tore it apart. Then M'gann and Zatanna sat on the floor. Zatanna put a ring of salt in the middle if the floor. "I need you guys to sit down to do this." They all sat down as she began to breathe deeply.

"Now that we're in a place most comfortable to Wally. We need to make sure he is with us." Zatanna put her hands to the sides of her head Wally if you can hear me, put something in the circle to let us know you're here." Wally thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers.

Everyone closed their eyes due to the bright light coming from the circle. When they opened them they saw Wally's goggles.

"His Goggles." Dick said, stunned before cheering up. "This means he's here right?" He said smiling brightly.

"Correct. Now, does anyone have anything that might be very sentimental to Wally in anyway?" M'gann asked. They all thought for a moment before Artemis spoke.

"I have my necklace that Wally gave me." She took the necklace out from underneath her Tigress costume. "He gave it to me on our one year anniversary, when he first told me he loved me." M'gann smiled at the memory.

"That should work, put it in the circle of salt." Artemis did so and the necklace began to glow.

"We're gonna see if we try to talk to Wally. Everyone close your eyes and join hands." Zatanna said as her eyes started to glow. "Tel su klat ot eht eno ohw si tsol." (Let us talk to the one who is lost.)

"Guys?" Wally said.

"Wally!" Artemis cheered. "It's so good to talk to you again."

"Same here, beautiful." Wally smiled. "Finally you guys can hear me. I thought I was gonna go crazy. But listen, when I get back we need to talk. It's not bad. It's just saying things that need to be said." Artemis nodded, eyes still closed.

"Wally, What have you been doing all this time?" Barry asked.

"I've been here. You guys couldn't hear, see, or feel me."

"You mean you saw everything that happened since you've been gone? How do you feel?"

"It's like nothing happened. Ever since I faded I felt as though I've been getting stronger, but other than that I feel the same."

"Well we're going to get your body. Come on guys, the bio-ship is on the roof." M'gann said.

North Magnetic Pole

21: 50

M'gann landed the bio-ship and just like last time Artemis and Nightwing were the first ones out of the ship. M'gann and Zatanna walked up to where the beam was. M'gann put her hands to her head while her eyes turned green. Zatanna floated and sat indian style, she started chanting and her eyes started to glow.

Zatanna and M'gann forced all their energy on Wally's body.

"Wohs su s'yllaW gnissim ydob" (Show us Wally's missing body). A bright appeared and slowly they could start to see Wall's body running around where the beam was.

"Wally?" Artemis took two steps forward only to be shot back by a beam of energy. "AHHHH!" She screamed.

"Artemis!" Nightwing tried to help her but was attacked by the same thing.

"What's happening to them?" Bart asked.

"Since they have no powers, it making them valuable to the beam. It's trying give off all of it's energy to them." Zatanna explained.

"Try to help them. You can't let them disappear or they'll end up just like Wally, stuck in the speed force." M'gann told Flash and Impulse. Artemis looked at her hand and saw right through it. When she looked up and to the side she could see Wally standing in horror as he saw her in pain.

"Wally?" She called out. Wally rushed to her side.

"Wait you can see me?"

"Yes. I can." He tried to stop the beam from hurting her, but shocked himself instead.

"I can't stop it."

"You don't have to anymore." Artemis said, pain gone from her voice. "Soon we'll be in the speed force and everything will fine again."

"Barry, it's beautiful. It's everything I always wanted and more." Nightwing said to Flash.

"What, no it's not. You have stop talking like that."

"But I can see my mom and dad again. I can see my whole family again. It's wonderful."

"Make sure they stay with us or they'll be lost."

"M'gann there's no need to worry. I can be with Wally again and Dick is going have his whole family again."

"Don't say stuff like that!" Both M'gann and Wally said.

"Babe, if we don't stop this now, you and Dick will get stuck here. And since you don't have powers you might get crushed by all of the energy."

"But I'll be with you."

"Stop!"

"Wally, it's time you have to fuse with you're body now." Zatanna ordered.

"Wally, Don't!" Dick and Artemis yelled. Wally ran parallel to his body and steadily merged with it. His body slowed down til it was a complete stop. Wally panted for breath as he fell to the ground and Artemis was the first person to run over to him.

"Wally, I'm so glad that you're back." Artemis said as tears of joy fell from her eyes.

"Good to be back." Wally smiled as he blacked out.

Watchtower

July 23, 7:30

Wally slowly opened his eyes to find himself in the med-bay in the watchtower. Artemis was sleeping next to him in a chair by the bed.

"Artemis?" He called for her. She woke up and rushed over to his side and grabbed his hand.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine. A little tired. But fine. What happened?"

"You passed out after we got you back. Barry said that since you were running for weeks, your body was absolutely spent."

"How long was I out?"

"Three days."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Your parents and Aunt Iris were authorized access here to see you. They were so thankful to M'gann and Zatanna. As we all are." It was quiet for a moment before Wally spoke.

"Listen Artemis, I've been thinking about our future. And-" He stopped.

"Yes."

Wally was opened his mouth but closed it when the door opened.

"Hey You're awake!" M'gann cheered as she went to hug Wally. She squeezed him tightly make him groan in pain. She quickly let go of him. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Raquel walked in the room with a huge box of chocolate.

"Wally, you're awake! Here." She put the chocolate a table beside his bed. "It was the biggest one I could find."

"Thanks, Rocky." They hugged. "Where is everyone?"

"Probably asleep. It's only 7:30 in the morning."

"Raquel, I'm so sorry for what I-" Artemis tried to apologized

"Don't you worry about it. I know it was the depression talking. All is well between us." She smiled.

"Wally, we're gonna keep you here for a few hours just to see if everything's normal. Once you're clear you can go back home." Black Canary said as she walked in.

"Thanks Black Canary." Wally said.

"No problem. Welcome back." She put a hand on his shoulder.

Artemis watched Wally sleep, she so glad to have him back. She had her soul mate back and felt that, finally everything was perfect. She was about to fell asleep when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was Dick.

"Dick?"

"Artemis, I have some bad news."

"Can't this wait until the morning. I just want to enjoy my first good night's sleep in weeks."

"It can't. See when we got Wally out of the speed force. Something got out." Artemis sat up.

"What do you mean got out?"

"I mean, something's out there. Something bad." Artemis looked at Wally as he slept, worried for his safety.

"So much for a good night's sleep." She said.

I hoped you liked it.

My plan was to just do 4 chapters where they save Wally and all will be well. But I got a few more ideas for this story so it will now be a 5 or 6 chapter story. I used my own thoughts about the speed force and what it could do to anyone exposed to it.

Again I'm really sorry about the delay, but I'm back now and I'll try to update faster.