Chapter Five

She was beautiful. She'd taken his breath away from the moment they'd first met and every day since. He watched closely as she breathed peacefully, wishing he could freeze that moment in time and let it last forever. He could never imagine a life without her in it, and thanked God for everyday the almighty allowed them to spend together. He no longer took things for granted, life was too short and he didn't want to waste a nanosecond of it. As the sun finally broke through the last vestige of the storm clouds, a sliver of light cascading in from the window caught her in its beam and she began to stir. Her hair had fallen over her face and he attempted to lightly brush it away when her eyes popped open. He smiled at her as she looked up at him slightly confused by her strange surroundings.

"Mornin' Beautiful," he whispered in his quietest morning voice.

She smiled back. "Good Morning Daddy" Iris replied.

Wally West kissed her forehead and watched as his daughter yawned and stretched, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her bright green eyes. On the opposite side of the bed Wally gently nudged his other nighttime visitor, but Jai West showed no signs of awakening anytime soon. Wally carefully climbed over him and exited the bed. A few extra minutes sleep wouldn't hurt anyone.

Severe thunderstorms were common place in the Midwest, and last night's tempest along with the unseasonably warm temperatures they'd been experiencing lately had brought not only the thunder and lightning, but two scared children from the bedroom they shared down the hall. Wally turned on some light music before he jumped into the shower to begin their morning ritual. He knew by the time he got out Jai and Iris would be out of the bed, school uniforms pulled from the dryer, teeth brushed and beds made. Next he'd meet Iris just in time to help his daughter with her long auburn mane that always seemed to be in perpetual knots.

As Wally cooked breakfast, Iris made lunches, and Jay packed up school bags and backpacks. In the West household everyone pulled their own weight. As the group began their trek out the door towards the bus stop, Iris reached out for her father's hand and looked up at him as they walked.

"Daddy, are you going to see mommy today?"

He smiled warmly. "Yes mam," he replied. "I'm even going to bring her flowers."

Both kids smiled back and Jai looked up at his dad grinning, "She likes that a lot."

Wally smiled and roughed up his son's finally combed raven hair that Jai had worked so hard on. The two playfully wrestled all the way to the stop as the bus appeared over the hill and eventually came to a stop in front of them. The kids boarded the bus and quickly found their seats, looking back to their father on the street.

"Love you guys," Wally mouthed through the glass, and the kids smiled and placed their palms on the window in response. Wally traced the outline of their tiny fingers on the glass as the door shut and the bus slowly pulled away. He looked down at his watch and sighed.

"Of course," he groaned, grabbing his back pack and tossing it into his beat up Jeep Wrangler. He was running late. He was always late.

Within minutes he'd left the small suburb of Blue Valley and headed towards the outskirts of Keystone City. He'd barely locked the parking brake into place before running into Import Flowers and picking out the Gerber Daisies his wife loved so much. Flowers were quickly purchased and within minutes he was back on his way.

Off in the distance he could see the Gateway Suspension Bridge that crossed the mighty Mississippi River, connecting the sister cities of Keystone and Central. Up ahead the traffic flowing towards the bridge was relatively light for this time of morning, and Wally hoped it would continue after he made his stop. He drove past the on-ramp and continued on towards his destination. As he pulled in to the perfectly landscaped park, a warm breeze blew through the rolling hills around him. It was always peaceful this time of morning. Off in the distance he could hear birds singing and the light hiss of sprinklers coming to life. The red head turned off the engine and gathered the flowers, quietly shutting the heavy jeep door and heading up the path.

The speedster knelt down next to the gravesite, brushing away the withered flowers he'd placed there the previous month and putting the new daises into the vase provided. Finally he lowered himself to the ground, kneeling eye level with the marker.

He stroked his chin deep in thought, staring off at the immaculate engravings that embolden the tombstone before him.

In memory of Linda Park West, beloved wife and mother.

Wally sighed, and wiped the moisture from his eyes and spoke softly. "Hi babe."

xxx

"At first glance Eobard Thawne came across as just your basic super hero groupie. You know the type, wears the T-shirts, asks for autographs or pictures, shows up at public events trying to get some face time, or at least end up on the ten o'clock news." Roy explained between bites.

"But something about this guy was different. Whenever some organization had a press conference or public event, be it the Police Department, the Mayor's office, or some charity that had asked for one of the Flashes to make an appearance, Barry always drew the short straw. Wally and Bart hated those sorts of things and always found excuses to get out of them, but Barry didn't seem to mind, he considered it an honor. So the Flash would appear as expected, and at every event Thawne would be there, somewhere in the background wearing this weird, almost smug smile, like he knew something that no one else in the world did. Bart said it would just send a chill up your spine when you saw it."

"Anyway, not long after that he started showing up at crime scenes as well, usually the real gruesome ones, except by this time he'd gone full cosplay, wearing the same uniform like they did, except for some reason he'd switched the colors to the complete opposite palate of what Barry and Wally wore. Then these random bloggers started to take notice and even gave him the nickname the Reverse Flash. They'd post shit on Reddit or other social media sites whenever he'd show up. Occasionally one of these nerds would get the balls to go up and talk to him, and you should have heard the answers. He'd tell them stories like he was from the future, to call him Zoom, that he was here to help the Flash meet his destiny, you know just weird shit like that. No one took him seriously, why would they? He was just another mid-western nutjob, some wannabe that craved the attention, at least that's what we all thought, until that night."

Roy's expression grew grim, still shaking his head in disbelief even after all these years.

"What happened?" Artemis asked nervously.

"No one knows for sure, but somehow, he knew their identities, all of them. He knew where they lived, where they worked, where they went to school. Artemis…he knew everything."

Roy continued. "It was late fall, around Jay Garrick's seventieth birthday I think. All of them had gotten together to celebrate, Jay and Joan, Barry and Iris, Rudy and Mary, Bart….Wally and Linda."

Before Artemis could ask, Roy answered.

"…his wife."

The archer felt her body tense. It had been almost ten years, but the news still took her breath away. All Artemis had ever hoped for was for Wally to be happy. That one day he'd find someone that would not only love him, but treat him the way he deserved, someone that wouldn't break his heart and lie to him like she had. Now hearing Roy's words, knowing that not only had it happened, but he'd taken that next step, Artemis had gotten her wish, but it hurt more than she'd expected, deservedly so. She remained lost in her thoughts before she realized Roy had continued his story.

"…at some restaurant in downtown Central. It was surprise of course; you know how much they loved doing cornball shit like that. They'd all been there about an hour or so before the explosions went off."

"Explosions?"

Roy nodded. "Right across the street from the restaurant, a whole series of them back to back to back. Office buildings, stores, condos, everything was burning. People were scrambling in all directions, glass and debris everywhere. Civilians had been thrown all over the damn place and right in the middle of all that chaos was Thawne.

Artemis just stared, mouth agape.

'They probably never even made a plan, they'd been together too long to need one, everyone already knew their roles. Jay moved their families out of harm's way, Wally and Bart cleared the streets, taking as many injured as they could carry to local hospitals while Barry stayed behind with Thawne. That sick fucker just stood there wearing that that stupid yellow costume and smiling, like he was getting off on all the pain and misery he'd caused. Barry didn't waste any time trying to talk him down, he needed to take Thawne down fast before anyone else could get hurt. That's when he…when everyone found out he wasn't just some psychopath wannabe, he was a speedster."

Roy sighed sadly, "Barry never saw it coming."

"From the way it was told to me, things just went crazy after that. Two balls of lightning ricocheting off everything and everyone in their path. The times they did slow down, just for the briefest of moments, it was clear Thawne had the upper hand. He was throwing Barry around like a rag doll. Every time Barry tried to lead him out of the city, Thawne would stop and circle back, like he was looking for someone. Finally Zoom had him by the throat, just pummeling the shit out of him, blood everywhere. Iris wrestled away from Jay and rushed to the street screaming and begging for Zoom to stop, but when Thawne saw her, he dropped Barry and took off towards her. Jay did the best he could, but he was seventy years old. What in the hell could he have done? Zoom sent him flying through a wall and turned back to Iris when Barry limped back, all bleeding and broken to cut him off. Zoom sped off back towards him and…Linda… just got in the way. She never had a chance."

Roy bit his lip, clearly struggling through the details.

"Zoom tore Barry apart. It was as gruesome as it sounds. His body literally disintegrated. Wally and Bart arrived seconds later, just in time to see him die. Zoom just shot them this psychotic smile and took off in a streak of red lightning. Wally was about to go off after him, until he heard his mom screaming. That's when he saw Linda a few yards away slumped over, bleeding and bruised like she'd been run over by a runaway train. She was conscious long enough for them to speak to each other one last time before she fell into a coma. The E.R. doctors diagnosed her with traumatic brain injury and put her on a ventilator shortly thereafter. It was a miracle they were able to save the twins after all of that."

"Twins?"

"They were eight months pregnant," Roy swallowed hard, "she was due in a few weeks. Linda never even got to hold her own children. She died a few days later."

"My god," Artemis replied in shock.

"I know," Roy nodded. "The League found him a few weeks later just outside of D.C. trying to break into a secure STAR labs facility. It took the heavy hitters; Superman, Manhunter, Wonder Woman to finally bring him down. I hear he's held at some Black Site Facility out west now, but even Ollie doesn't know for sure."

"Are they…"

"The Twins? They're fine. They're great kids Artemis, smart, healthy, happy and Wally's a great dad. With parents like his you knew he would be. We talk every couple of months. He updates me on the kids, we shoot the shit about the old days, he asks about some of the guys, but we never…ever talk about the Flash. I know Wally assumed the mantle but he quit the League a few weeks later. The tried talk him out of it, but his mind was made up. Now he and Bart just patrol the Keystone and Central areas and mostly keep to themselves. They've grown pretty tight over the years. Wally's a physics professor at the University of Missouri - Central City, and Bart's even a student there. They're both doing well from what I hear, but I know deep down they've never forgiven themselves for letting Barry die."

"Why didn't Dick say anything?" she snapped. "I know he's pissed at me, but my God."

"Probably because he and Wally don't talk anymore."

"What? You're kidding. Why?" she asked urgently.

"You'd have to ask them, God knows I've tried. We all have, but they refuse to talk about it, at least not to me anyways. This has been going on for years. The last time they saw each other as far as I know was at the funerals, so whatever caused all this shit happened before then."

"I don't understand. They were…best friends." she said despondently.

"I know, but things change Artemis, people change."

"Not them," she murmured in disbelief.

Off in the distance the distinctive whine of sirens began to grow, headed in the direction of the Gotham Flea Market a few blocks away. Roy and Artemis suddenly locked eyes, realizing that was the last known destination of a certain assassin and sword enthusiast.

"Oh shit," they both exclaimed, as Roy threw the money on the table and the two archers sprinted towards the door

"God what has she done now?" Artemis cursed.

xxx

"And the most familiar examples of condensed phases are...?"

"Umm solid and liquids?" the blonde answered hesitantly

"Which arise from the bonding of….."

"Magnetic forces between …..atoms?"

"It's electromagnetic actually, but great job Karen, that's a tough one."

The attractive student let out a deep breath and smiled, returning to her seat.

"Guys this stuff can get pretty complex sometimes, trust me I know, but we're going to keep it simple and take it slow. You can recite and memorize the definitions all you want, but it doesn't' do any good if you don't understand the core principals behind them. So by next week I want you to re-read chapters three and four and we'll go over them again in class in case you guys have any questions. After that we're putting the books down for the next couple of weeks and doing some pretty cool experiments, so if you're going to blow off any of my classes, do them after November."

Science wasn't everyone's forte. By nature some majors deemed it mandatory as a general education requirement, for others just an interesting sounding elective, but those weren't the only reasons most students took Physics 101, it was the instructor. For the hard core science junkies or those choosing Physics as their major, it was a stepping stone into some of his more advanced classes, but the majority took it due to its professor. Professor West made science an extremely fun and exciting experience. Sure he wanted his introductory classes to entice students into following it all the way, but it was ok for others to just have fun while learning an interesting and sometimes confusing subject. The professor had an amazing ability to take the most complicated theories and dumb them down into terms that everyone could comprehend and understand. He'd been doing it for years.

If you did the work and came to a majority of his classes, you were assured an automatic A. The goal of this class wasn't to be hard, it was to have fun and learn at the same time. It also didn't hurt that the instructor was major eye candy to the ladies, and a sports and pop culture junkie for the guys. It's why his classes always filled first on registration day.

"Guys have a good weekend," the red head proclaimed to the exiting crowd, thankful for the break.

Trailing along at the end was a one Karen Thompson, the last student called upon before the bell rung for dismissal.

"Professor West?"

"What's up Karen?" Wally replied, packing his notes into his leather satchel.

"I was uh…just wondering if you'd made a decision yet on who your teaching assistant was going to be next semester? You know I've got most of my core classes down since I switched majors and you know how much I love your class, I'm pulling a 3.5 plus I could really use the stipend for tuition."

She continued on with the multitude of reason she was the best candidate, with her distracting blue eyes complicating the matter further. She was gorgeous, they all were, but the list of candidates for his T.A. position was long and qualified, and Wally was putting off making any decisions as long as possible not to hurt or disappoint all the people who'd signed up. Karen drew an inch closer as she spoke, and the speedster could practically feel the tiniest bead of perspiration forming on his forehead. She was still in mid-dissertation when Wally finally had to break through.

"Look Karen, You're definitely qualified, and I know you'd do a great job, but I still have a lot of people to interview first. As soon as I know you'll know ok? Deal?"

"Deal," she smiled. "For what it's worth I think we'd make a great team."

"I'll keep that in mind. Have a great weekend."

"You too," she said, with just a hint of flirt in her smile. She strolled out of the classroom passing an incoming student as Wally blew out his breath in relief.

"Well she's attractive," Bart Allen chuckled as he turned to watch the curvaceous blonde exiting the lecture hall.

"I hadn't noticed," Wally lied, clearing his throat.

Bart dropped his overloaded back pack on Wally's desk with a loud thump and in a blink of an eye was sitting behind it with his feet resting on top of it, loose papers flying everywhere.

"Dude you need some paper weights," Bart chuckled watching Wally sigh as his study guides spread out across the classroom floor.

"And to think I was about to buy you lunch," the elder speedster jokingly scolded.

Suddenly in explosion of wind, the study guides were picked up and placed back into Wally's satchel. Nanoseconds later Bart appeared back behind the desk, sitting in the rolling chair spinning in circles.

"How's that?" he grinned.

"Better. How about Chinese?" Wally asked.

Bart's stomach growled loudly. "Crash." he replied, practically drooling.

Wally packed up his laptop, turned off the lights and the two made their way out of the science hall. "How'd last night go?"

"Slow, one carjacker and a cat burglar. Oh yeah and a guy exposing himself in Warner Park. You should have seen his expression when I dropped him off at the precinct with his pants around his ankles. Priceless," he laughed the patented Bart Allen cackle.

"You have a gallery of Rogues and yet you spend your night trolling the parks of Central City. What's wrong with this picture?" Wally smirked.

"And for that remark wiseass, I'm ordering three entrées."

Wally rolled his eyes and they both threw their backpacks into his jeep. The redhead was about to retort, when he caught Bart's eyes raised in defense.

"Should we make it four?" Bart taunted

Wally bit his lip and put the jeep into gear.

xxx

"I'm insulted," Jade grumbled as Roy and Artemis hooked their elbows into hers and walked her away from the flea market. "I actually prevent a women form being mugged and suddenly I'm the bad guy?"

"You broke his arm in three places," Roy scolded.

"And I'll bet he'll remember that the next time and elderly woman with an oversized purse walks by." the brunette replied. "Some fat cat Wall Street businessman decked out in Gucci I can relate, but a defenseless old woman? he's lucky that's all I broke."

Roy continued to fume while Artemis remained silent. She herself had done worse things over the last years, much worse, and despite the violent outcome she appreciated the moral direction her sister was taking. After all they'd experienced together, she was worried about what Jade would do with her new found freedom. Seeing her stand up for someone who couldn't do it themselves made Artemis proud. Jade was no longer her father's pawn, she was a strong independent women who could make her own choices and choose her own fate. Her methods from time to time could be a little questionable, but Artemis knew more than anyone the real person that hid behind the Cheshire mask. Jade was her mother made over, and much like her mother, she was seeking to become something more than the mistakes of her past. That knowledge always warmed the archer's heart, and despite the lecture the assassin was getting from Red Arrow, she knew it did Roy's too.

But despite all that had just transpired around her, Artemis found herself distracted, her mind continuing to drift towards one thing, one person. Wally West. The story of his life that Roy had shared was tragic. The days of club houses and costumes were long past, with only a few of them still using their gifts for good. They weren't teens anymore, they were adults, adults who'd chosen separate paths, separate lives. Many a night when she lay alone under the stars, she imagined her friends still together; going on missions, celebrating birthdays, sharing dinners, hanging out together like families and friends were supposed to; all frozen in time, exactly the way she'd left them. This was nowhere near what she'd expected to find when her plane had landed in Gotham the night before, not even close.

The three continued their journey back uptown, finally arriving at Roy's apartment. They skipped the fire escape this time in favor of the main entrance, walking past the graffiti laden walls and entering the old creaky Otis elevator, the ceiling light flickering as the box jerked into motion. As the elevator rose, Jade reached over and gently took her sisters face, peering into her bloodshot sunken eyes. Needless to say the brunette did not like what she saw.

"Look Artemis, you're exhausted. Stay with Red and me for the night, get some sleep and then you can figure out your next move with a little better perspective.

"Jade I'm fine." she replied, stifling a yawn.

The brunette stared her down with the same disapproving eyes of her mother. Begrudgingly Artemis admitted that Jade was right, she was exhausted.

"Ok."

Jade smiled and walked out of the lift towards the apartment, presumably to find sheets to cover the musty couch. Once inside Artemis sat down and removed her boots, reaching down and popping the knuckles of her toes.

"So, you really live here huh?"

"What's wrong with it?" Roy replied defensively.

"Nothing it's uh ….nice."

"Hell yeah it is. It's got everything I need. Good location, affordable rent, close access to the subways, all the basics."

Artemis nodded in agreement while Roy frowned in annoyance. She was about to apologize for her perceived slight when she noticed a sly smile stretching across his face.

"You're a terrible liar,' the blonde scolded with a smile.

Roy chuckled. "I've got a two bedroom on the West side; coming to this old safe house was Jade's idea to keep a low profile. I have some nosey neighbors and…."

"…he didn't want them to hear us fucking like rabbits "Jade interrupted, yelling from the adjacent room.

"God Jade!" Artemis groaned.

"Classy," Roy glowered. "Come on grab your shit Artemis, let's get out of here."

Artemis nodded appreciatively, reaching down and grabbing her backpack, but she was still troubled, and it wasn't something a good night sleep was going to be able to fix.

xxx

Outside of one night in Stockholm when she and Jade were tailing a rouge MI6 agent who'd wronged both the Shadows as well as the British Secret Service, Artemis had not felt a more comfortable bed in years. Much like Dick Grayson, Roy Harper was the adopted son of a very powerful, very wealthy business magnate, and despite his complicated and sometimes cantankerous relationship with Oliver Queen, Harper was still a majority stockholder as well as a beneficiary to a very sizable trust fund. It translated into a very comfortable living without ever having to walk through the doors of Queen Consolidated, and while Grayson had formed his own offshoot of Wayne Tech, Harper had chosen to stay out of the family business, occasionally picking up the stray job here and there, ranging anywhere from security consultant to club bouncer. You wouldn't get rich doing work like that, luckily Roy already was. But he was a living example that money couldn't buy happiness, and his wealth had been a hindrance more often than a help, the track marks on his arms were testament to that.

His condo overlooked Gotham Central Park, decorated with an industrial, yet elegant style the blonde would never have thought of her fellow archer. His abode would never be the centerpiece of a Gotham Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous fluff piece, but it was a beautiful home that Artemis strangely envied. She wondered if her life had worked out differently, would Green Arrow have set her up in a place similar. She of course would have refused, but it was still fun to dream about.

After close to an hour under the massaging hot stream, Artemis stepped out the luxurious shower, wrapping one small towel around her slender waist, the other around her long hair. Roy was evidently no stranger to entertaining women, a truth easily observable from the guest bathroom stocked full of every shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer on the market, items Artemis felt comfortable Harper would never use, let alone know about. Personal shoppers could be a godsend sometimes. The blonde knew this discovery was not lost on her sister, but theirs was a complex relationship to begin with, it had been from the first day Cheshire had crossed paths with Red Arrow. Despite finding themselves on the opposite side of the law most of the time, Roy and Jade had discovered a connection, a synchronicity that just worked for them despite their differences. The heart wants what the heart wants. Artemis understood this better than most.

She donned a bathrobe while her clothes continued to wash and exited the steam ridden bathroom, heading out towards the den. She could hear the muffled but raised voices of Roy and Jade coming from the kitchen and Artemis hesitated. It didn't sound heated, but might be a conversation best left private so she waited, walking around the den, waiting for a break in the conversation.

Harper didn't keep many personal mementos or pictures out, he'd always been too private a person for that, but of the ones she discovered consisted mainly of landscape shots presumably from his many travels. He had a good eye, as an archer she wouldn't have expected less. Above the fireplace rested a few old dilapidated photos of a man and a woman who shared many of his facial features, people she could only assume were his real parents, but it was the one on Roy's desk that caught her eye.

Four teens; as different from the others as the day is long, but bonded in a way no one would ever be able to understand; four sidekicks, four brothers. Even out of uniform they looked like heroes.

Kaldur and Roy were the oldest of the group, probably seventeen at the time this was taken. That would have put Wally at somewhere around fifteen, and Dick would have barely started high school.

My God she sighed nostalgically, they were so young.

She turned on the desk lamp and brought the frame under the light for a better view. She wasn't sure, but the background looked a lot like the Queen estate back in Star City. Without a Mt. Justice at the time, the Queen mansion or Wayne Manor had to be the unofficial club house for four teens ready to escape the shadows of their mentors. None of them could have possibly guessed that a year and a half later they would literally save the world.

Roy walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder at the photo.

"That was about six months we before found out that we wouldn't be joining the Justice League. It was always our plan to go in together; all for one, one for all type thing. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Bats probably already knew it, but you know how he is. I still wonder how different our lives would have ended up if we'd actually made it."

She nodded, still transfixed on the image, specifically the younger red head. The blonde archer had always wondered what it would have been like if they'd met under different circumstances; if he'd been a little less arrogant and more graceful for that matter, the memory of him busting his ass outside the Zeta tube still made her smile. For her part she too was curious what their relationship might have been if she hadn't come in with a chip on her shoulder and a mountain of secrets. Would they have been friends from the start? Would he have laid the same cheesy pickup lines on her as he did Megan? Would she have opened up or confided in him about her past? Would they have still fallen in love?

Love

She hadn't let herself feel that emotion in so long, fearing the distraction it might bring, that she might lose her edge and make that one mistake that would get her killed. What she and Zane had worked, but it wasn't love, nothing even close to it. They were partners, partners with benefits, but that was it. Artemis felt fairly confident that the mercenary felt the same way about her. No attachments, no commitments. Those were the rules.

Her father always said "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."

Probably the only good advice that piece of shit ever gave, she always considered.

Artemis took that advice, that same attitude into Mt. Justice that first day; Wally took it away from her a year later. After their first kiss she was hooked and she knew it, but still she kept her guard up, she'd had her heart broken too many times not to. She never thought she could love, she warned him of that when they first began dating, but he proved her wrong, he usually did. When they were together it was the first and only time in her life when things made sense.

The archer had always been a realist, someone who'd never let herself get too high, because she knew how painful and fast the fall could be, but something about Wally was special. Despite being so young, Artemis could actually see a future with the speedster, a life outside of the masks, one that could possibly last. She'd never felt like this before and it scared her. Wally loved her, he meant it, he showed it, and despite all the horrible atrocities she'd been forced to commit over the years, in her mind breaking his heart was the worst thing she'd ever done.

She wanted him to know that, to really know and understand how sorry she was for what she'd done, but she just didn't know how. He deserved the truth, but her deepest fear of fears was that in the end it would do more harm than good.

"He'll never forgive me," she spoke sadly. "I told Dick I didn't owe him or anyone an apology, but I do to him, I just don't know if he'll let me. I know there's nothing I can say that will ever make it right, it's just….I owe him that much. If you were me, what do you think you'd do?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"You're not going to like this, but I'd bail. I'd be on the next plane out of Gotham. I'm not saying that to be an asshole, I'm just being real. I think you're going to end up running into more resentment than redemption. You need to be prepared for that, especially with West. Is that really what you want? Is that what you want to take back with you?"

"Things have changed, Artemis, people have changed. There's no team anymore, no family. They've all gone their separate ways and moved on with their lives; the hero game just isn't for everyone. Teams are a fragile thing, that's why other than the League, you don't see many of them around anymore."

"Wally's been through a lot, it took a while to get him there, but he's finally in a good place. How do you think he's going to feel when he finds out what you did? He's not going to care about the how's or why's, he's going to care that you lied, and not just any lie, a huge one that just about destroyed him. Artemis he's lost his uncle, his wife…you. I respect that you want to make things right, I really do, but if you really care about him, you won't put him through that again. It's just an opinion, take it or leave it."

Artemis let those words soak in. Despite his troubles Roy still had relationships with them. He knew these people; she might as well be a stranger now. During her time away, during long ops when all she had was her thoughts and memories to keep company, she'd foolishly hoped her friends still thought about her from time to time, that they missed her. She wanted to remember them just as they were, almost frozen in time, hoping that one day if she ever came back that they'd be just as she left them. She knew it wasn't remotely realistic but still a pleasant fantasy to get her through the nightmare that had become her life.

Roy was right, the smart play was to leave and start over. She'd won back her life and she damn sure wasn't going to waste it. There was nothing left for her here; no family, no friends, no chances. Despite her overwhelming remorse, she knew deep down it was time to move on to the next chapter of her life.

Artemis had always assumed she, Jade and Zane would continue their partnership, leaving the states and going wherever the jobs would take them, but seeing her sister now with Roy she realized Jade never had any intention of joining them. Three's a crowd she used to tease, and now the archer knew why.

For Artemis, Zane scratched and itch, filled a need and nothing more, but what Roy and Jade had, despite how fucked up it looked on the surface, was something special, Artemis could tell. Jade had risked her own life to stay in contact with the archer even though the Shadows forbade it. You don't do something like that for a booty call, you do it for love. Artemis was happy for and hated her sister at the same time for it.

The blonde yawned wearily, "I think I'm going to turn in," she stated and walked towards the guest room. She paused for moment and turned back to her fellow archer. "I just want to say thanks Roy, thanks for everything. You've been really decent and you didn't have to. I won't forget it."

Roy smiled. "You're welcome, and for the record, I'm glad you're ok. You might not be Ollie's niece, but you are family. Sleep well and then we'll figure out what's next in the morning."

"Good night Roy."

"Good night Artemis."

Atemis walked into the guest bedroom, shutting the door behind her and sitting down on the bed. She was exhausted; she'd basically not stopped since she'd arrived back in Gotham. The archer took off her robe and slipped beneath the covers, sinking into the soft bed. She'd appreciated Roy's brutal honesty and she knew he was right. It didn't matter how good her intentions might be, too much time had passed. Wally had his life to lead, and she had a new one waiting for her. It wasn't the one she wanted, but it was the one that made the most sense considering where she'd been and what she'd done The blonde slowly drifted away, thankful that for the next few hours she could just shut her mind down and leave her troubles behind her, even if it just for a while.

xxx

It had been a little more difficult for Jade Nguyen to adjust to being back in New York then she'd expected. It's not like she hadn't spent time in her fair share of big cities over the years, having been sent on operations across the globe from Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Sydney, to towns and villages so small they didn't even appear on a map. What bothered her most was the constant duration of noise and energy that enveloped the city, it made her anxious. After missions when she wouldn't actually see another living soul for weeks, the non-stop honking of cars or rumblings of subways made it difficult to sleep or unwind. She felt confident she could adjust, but deep down she knew it was more than that. It wasn't the locale as much as it was getting comfortable with the idea that death was no longer waiting around the corner, that the target you'd been sent to kill wasn't about to turn the tables on you in an instant.

Snuggling up next to her handsome archer had helped tremendously. She'd never wanted nor needed anyone's protection, but it was still comforting to know he had her back if anyone was foolish enough to come look for her. Despite their tumultuous history, she needed him, he made her happy, they were fire and ice, opposites in almost every since of the word, but that's what she loved about him, that's what made it work. They'd made no guarantees with each other, knowing full well in her line of work travel would be mandatory, but she welcomed the idea of having a person, a home to come back to. It made her sad to know her sister wasn't as fortunate.

Artemis had - had someone like that once, but that person, even the idea of that person was gone now. Jade and Wally West had never been close due to her affiliation with the different criminal organizations she'd aligned herself with over the years, and of course trying to kill him didn't help matters much, but she still respected him. Jade appreciated how he'd fight for her sister, even if it meant getting his ass kicked by Sportsmaster in the process, and in a strange fucked up way she felt her father probably did too.

The assassin and the speedster never made their peace, but she begrudgingly admitted that once she got to know him, she actually kind of liked the annoying hero. They both realized their common ground was how much they both loved and cared about Artemis, and any lingering conflict would only hurt her in the end, but that was a long time ago and Jade never believed in living in the past, she wished Artemis felt the same.

Cheshire understood her sister's need to connect and yet Jade knew it was the wrong play, but it was a painful lesson that Artemis could only learn alone. Now that she'd been confronted with the reality that she wasn't welcome anymore, Cheshire hoped that would finally spur her on to different endeavors, and if that included having Zane in her life to watch out and take care of her, then all the better. He was a good man, and Artemis deserved to be treated well, she only hoped that one day her sister would see that as well.

Jade stealthy left the slumbering archer and made her way to the kitchen, hoping perhaps some warm Chamomile tea would settle her nerves and help her drift back into slumber. The apartment was silent, and she hoped Artemis was faring better than she was in the sleep department. The brunette quietly found the switch to the small pendent light hanging over the sink and turned it on, putting out just enough light to quietly find the teapot and not disturb anyone. She opened the cupboard to look for the tea packet when she saw Roy's wallet and the note next to it on the counter.

I'm really sorry to do this and I swear to God I'll pay you back every penny. I'll see you both in a few days. – Artemis

Jade sighed, picked up the note, instinctively folding into one of the origami shapes her mother had taught her. Roy's American Express Centurion Card was missing and it didn't take a detective to guess her sisters next destination. Artemis had finally started the real journey that she'd come back for, and Jade sadly knew that journey would end in heartbreak.

xxx

Standing at the Amtrak station with her bag slung over shoulder, the sleep deprived archer stood alone at the ticket counter. The next train would not leave Gotham Station for another hour, but after that it would be a nineteen hour trip to her destination, plenty of time to finally get the sleep she desperately needed and formulate her plan.

"One ticket to Central City please."

xxx

A/N Thanks for the great reviews and pm's. I always appreciate suggestions and input. or just shooting the shit.