Author's note: Ok! So this is the very last chapter of I Got You! I know so sad. I loved all my stories and this one is no exception. Wally and Artemis are the type of relationship I aspire to have with my future spouse. One where we can go through hell and high water, but in the end, we're still crazy in love with each other. Netflix, I demand that you bring back Young Justice for one season just so Spitfire can be reunited and get married. Also a canon BluePulse would be cool too, thanks. (Side note: Jania's name is pronounnced Jan-e-ah and her nickname, Jani, is pronounced like Rainy)

Over thirteen years have passed since the night Dick and Wally met for drinks in Gotham. In those thirteen years, Wally and Artemis have managed not to fuck up their kids too bad. They'd moved to Jump City to be closer to a group of heroes after Jania's first birthday. Wally works at a research lab studying Gamma radiation. Artemis is department head of Child Services, making sure every child brought through is taken care of properly. Matty and Jani West are now teenagers. They've had a lot happen to them, but they somehow manage to find the bright side of every horror in their lives. Except one.

Jania wakes up sweaty and panting from a nightmare. Thick blonde hair falls down her back, sticking to her damp skin. She takes a deep breath and tells herself it was just a nightmare. There's a knock on her door," Jania, you up?"

"Yeah, Mom," Artemis comes in. She looks good for being in her late thirties. Jania loves her mother's eyes, the cool, intelligent gray that she can never quite capture in a drawing. Artemis sits on her daughter's bed," Everything ok?"

"I just wanted to check on my birthday girl," Artemis smiles. Jania sees the box in her hands.

"And give me a present?"

"This is from your Aunt Jade," Her mom hands over the gift," She insisted you wear this today."

"You know one year maybe we could not be busy on my birthday," Jania smiles as she unwraps the gift. Inside is a beautiful red dress with a flared skirt. Jania laughs because underneath the dress are leg harnesses for knives," Aunt Jade definately has a killer fashion sense."

"Ugh, I blame your father for that sense of humor," Artemis groans, but her eyes shine with pride," Speaking of your dad, he and Matt are downstairs. If we hurry, there might be some breakfast left."

Jania follows her mother downstairs where she can hear her father and brother. Wally tosses a piece of sausage into the air in an attempt to catch it. Matt snatches it from the air with his speed. Matt West is a handsome 15 year old. His strawberry blond hair has a permanant wind blown style. His gray eyes find his sister.

"Hey, Jani girl, thought you joined the land of the dead," Matt teases his sister. Jania sticks her tongue out at him as she sits down. Wally leans over and kisses her.

"Happy Birthday, honey. You're not allowed to grow up. That goes for you too, bud."

"Wally, you can't say that every year," Artemis rolls her eyes," They're going to grow up just to spite you."

"You don't know that."

"I gave birth to them. You think I don't know how they work?" Artemis winks at Jania. Jania laughs, sounding like her mother.

"I helped make them," Wally points out.

Jania pretends to vomit while Matt shouts," Dad! Way too much information!"

"You two know how babies are made. How do you think you got so stubborn? Mix of me and your mom,"Their breakfast follows with some weird ass conversation about the genetic probablity of Matt and Jania being stubborn. Jania teasingly brings up her best friend, Sophie Grayson.

"If you and Sophie ever had kids, big brother, how-"

"Finish that sentence, baby sister, and you'll end up in Central City," Matt throws a strawberry at her, hitting her between the eyes. Jania throws the strawberry back and Matt catches it in his mouth. They throw their hands up like they just scored a goal," And nothing but net."

"You both are such dorks," Their mother shakes her head.

"But you love us anyway," Jania gives her a smile that is exactly like her father's. One that says I can sass you into next week, but I'll love you while doing it. Artemis loves that smile more on her daughter than her husband.

"Yes, I do. Now you all have a party in an hour. We got shit to do." That felt like the family motto. Despite two speedsters, they always managed to have way too much to do in a day. Matt and Jania are a year apart, but their birthday is also New Year's Eve. After years of schedualing and planning, Wally and Artemis came up with the best way to celebrate both important parts of the day. Matt and Jania always have a party in the morning through lunch. Their aunts, uncles, and this year friends would spend the day here then they'd go to the New Year's Eve party in the Watchtower. Matt and Jania clear the table. Clearing the table usually involved a lot of show boating. Their parents allowed powers as long as chores were being done. Jania, having none, enjoyed throwing things around. Matt flashes around the table, grabbing dishes and handing them over to his sister. Jania washes everything dilligently then tosses it behind her. Matt catches them, putting them away at lightning speed. Literally. Jania keeps a running commentary, like a game show host.

Artemis straightens the living room with Wally, both enjoying their daughter's smartass comments. Wally looks at her," She gets that from you, ya know."

"What? Her charm, her wit?" Artemis smirks at him. Wally isn't sure how but twenty four years together has done absolutely nothing to diminish how incredibly sexy he finds that smile.

"Jani?"

"Yes, Matty?"

"Dad's making that face at Mom again."

"The weird one or the really, really, really weird one."

"The creepy one."

"The same one that Mom gives him?"

"You know we can hear you, right?" Wally says.

"Yeah, we know." Jania smirks at her father. Her smile's more like his than Artemis's. Too snarky for her own good.

"If you'd like to know what the face mean," Wally grins at his kids,"then watch closely."

He pulls Artemis to him and kisses her deeply. Artemis immediately returns the kiss, both grinning at the disgusted noises from Matt and Jania.

"They're being gross again," Matt groans.

"Maybe you and-" There's a cracking noise and Jania screams. Matt runs off at normal speed. Soapy water soaks her hair and shirt," GET BACK HERE!"

Jania takes off after Matt, who cackles evilly. Wally keeps one arm around Artemis's waist as their kids chase each other. The scene is so domestically bliss that Jania jumping over the coffee table and tackling her brother almost shocks them. Almost. They wrestle for a solid minute before Matt pins Jania on her stomach.

"Nice try, baby sister." He grins. Jania takes a sharp breath, almost a pained gasp. Matt immediately jumps off her," Jania, are you-"

Jania sweeps his feet from under him. Matt goes down hard. He grabs the back of his head. Jania rolls back onto her feet. She gives her brother a wicked smile," Rule one, big brother. Never let your guard down. Rule two. Know thy enemy. God do you ever see through the hurt baby sister act?"

"You two need to get dressed," Their mother tells them, half scolding. Jania bows to her mother like she's on the stage. Then she bounds up the stairs, Matt only two steps behind. She shakes her head," Jesus Christ how the hell have they not broken more of our furniture?"

"I love how you're more curious on how our furniute isn't more broken than our children," Wally laughs. Artemis shrugs.

"They heal. Furniture doesn't."

Jania dries her hair with a towel and opens her closet. The dress her aunt sent is beautiful, but not good for a party with a bunch of teenaged superheroes. She makes a promise to herself to wear it tonight to the New Year's Eve party. She pulls out a long tunic cut shirt. The dark red fabric falls several inches above her knees. She searches in her dresser for a pair of jeans that isn't covered in paint. Both she and her brother are brilliant at science and math, but they both have strong talents in the arts. Jania's room is covered with her paintings. Every inch of her wall is covered with paintings. Some were awkward self portairts, others fairy tales, some were of her family. She's working on a new painting, sitting on her easel. As she pulls her combat boots over her skinny jeans, her father walks in. He's changed into his normal clothes, but she groans at his shirt. It's the only thing from her begining stages of her art. A big messy lightning bolt with the words '#1 Daddy' and her name painted messy on the back of the shirt.

"I thought you agreed to destroy that," She moans. Wally laughs.

"Sweetie, I have not had nearly enough chances in your life to embarrass the hell out of you," He teases. He looks over at the painting. He becomes very quiet and somber. In the picture, a young girl with thick dark red pig tails grins at them, four holes in her torso. She has an asian look to her and a mischeviousness in her eyes," Haven't seen this one before."

"Started it the day before yesterday. When we got back from Grandma's. Couldn't get the idea out of my head." Jania pulls one of her knees up. Her long, gold hair is pulled into a neat briad that hangs past her waist. Wally sits next to her on the bed. She keeps her left wrist covered with her right hand. Wally notices. He gives his daughter a knowing look.

"How have you been, baby girl?" He never calls her that when her mom is in the room. Too many bad memories. But it's his name for her. To let her know he wants to protect her.

"It's not as bad this year, you know," She shrugs," I only had a nightmare last night, not leading up like the past couple of years. Aunt Jade's gift, the fact that I know I won't see her until next week if at all this month, it kind of made it real again."

"I know," He wraps his arm around her, looking at the painting of his late neice," I know you don't want it to be, but reality is a bitch."

"Yeah, reality's a bitch."

Matt and his mother are have a similar conversation just down the hall. Artemis reads his latest writings. You never think about all the bad that can happen until it does. You never think that one day someone you love is going to die until they do. Until they're laying on the ground, bleeding. You don't think that someone so young can die. Children should never have to die when they are that young. Children with stars in their eyes and smiles on their faces. They should never feel a bullet pierce their skin, never have scars overlapping on their body. They shouldn't have to fight illnesses or defend themselves from people that should be protecting them. and , if possible, they should never watch their loved ones pass away, never see the life fade from their eyes. If the world was kind, this would never happen. But it doesn't happen. And that tells you the world we live in. Matt runs his hands through his hair," What do you think, Mom?"

"I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not," Matt's room, compared it Jania's, is a tidy chaos. Books sit on almost every available surface, notebooks littering the desk, and a few posters hang seemingly random around the room. But ask his where something is and he'll hand it to you in three seconds. Artemis looks at her son and wonders how something so sad and angry could come from someone so young. Matt's gray eyes are like her's, aged beyond his years.

"I'm okay, honest." He promises,"Just...I miss her."

"Yeah, I miss her too." Artemis reaches over smoothing a stray hair sticking up at a weird angle," You remember that Thanksgiving she was here and she tried to help us in the kitchen."

Matt smiles. He spent most of his time cooking with his mother than Jania," Yeah, she tried to make boiled potatos. They were severly under cooked and over salted."

"Yeah," She chuckles," You know, sometimes I forget that you're growing up."

"You sound like Dad," Matt laughs.

"Your father does have a point. You shouldn't have to grow up yet. You should be running around, flirting with girls, causing trouble-"

"Was Dad doing that at my age?"

"Your father hit on anything remotely feminine," She admits.

"Is that what drew you to him?" Matt asks.

"I will never admit this to your father because his head is big enough as is. I always thought he was very handsome. But he couldn't keep his goddamn mouth shut. He was brillaint, still is, but my god he was so arrogant. Like I couldn't stand to be in the same room as him without losing my goddamn mind."

"And this is the guy you married and had two kids with?"

"Love is strange, sweetie, but there is one thing that love can always do is adapt. Your father really hasn't changed much since we were kids. Still immature at times, and God I want to hit him in the face sometimes, but it's part of his- his-"

"I would say my charm, beautiful," Wally leans against the door," And, Matt, to be fair, your mom is right. Love is like energy. It can't be created or destroyed."

"Only changed." He finishes.

"And I knew you thought I was hot when we first met," Wally gives his wife a pointed grin.

"I can still shoot you," She threatens. Wally raises his hands in surrender. They hear the door bell.

"That's probably people." Wally turns and immediately shouts," Jania West, put that spray paint down now!"

He runs off. Artemis and Matt shake their heads as they stand up. Artemis tries not to notice that Matt is a solid inch taller than her. He's getting so big… She pulls him to her, holding him tight. Matt hugs her back. He knows most of his guy friends are embarrased by their moms but not him. He's spent so much of his life worried she might not come home that he's accepted she's going to embarras him. If she does that, it means she's still around.

"I love you, you know that right?" She asks.

"Of course I do, Mom. I love you too." He smiles at her, showing off his pearly whites.

Downstairs, Jania talks to their team. Sophie looks up at him first, cocking one eyebrow," Look who decided to grace us with his presence."

"Sophie, be nice," Lila scolds. Matt is eight inches taller than her so he has to bend over to properly hug her," Happy birthday, Matt."

"Thanks, Li." That's just the begining. Matt and Jania endure hugs from relatives they just saw last week. Their father's mom couldn't be there, but Uncle Barry gives them extra hugs from her. Their aunt M'gann practically cries when she sees the, both so grown up. Neither has the heart to point out she saw them at Thanksgiving. Jania and Matt both hate hugs, unless it's their parents. But they hug everyone to be nice and by the end, both of them are ready to fight someone. They grab food, it having been two hours since they last ate, and chat with their friends. It's been two weeks since they were all last together. Jania notices Parker is smiling more than he has in months.

"Yo, who spiked his punch?" She asks.

"No one. He's just happy from Christmas." Sophie swipes a veggie sandwich from one of the platters.

"Good gifts?"Matt asks around a mouthful of ham.

"Victor's adopting me," Parker beams even wider. Jania has to hit Matt on the back as he starts to choke.

"Parker, I don't know if I should kiss you or kill you for making Matt choke," Jania laughs.

"If I get a choice, I really don't want to die." He grins. Jania rolls her eyes as she hugs him again. He seems different when he's smiling, his eyes sparkling,

"Congrats, dude." Matt coughs," Guess Grayson just got kicked out of being the oldest in the tower."

"It might be your birthday, West, but I have no qualms about killing you," Sophie gives him what they call the Scary Grayson face. Sophie's family is already famous for their glares, but Sophie seems to have perfected it. She cocks one of her eyebrows in a perfect arch, her bright green eyes narrow, and her lips press together into a tight line. The living room is getting way too crowded so they grab their coats and head to the backyard. Matt and Jania spend most of their time out here. A picnic table covered with pen marks from homework and knotches in the edges where Jania tested the sharpness of her arrows. A trampoline in good condition and an old swing set. A well worn target next to a tool shed. Sophie shakes her head," If I hadn't spared with you two, I never would have guessed you were raised as heroes."

"Technically, we weren't raised as heroes. We were just trained," Jania points out.

"Jania, we both know that's a lie," Matt laughs. Matt and Jania have a bright, belly laugh. When one of them laughs, the other is sure to follow. The laugh makes them shake and their eyes squeeze shut, but everything about them seems to be laughing. When they laugh, everything seems to be good in the world. Unfortunately nothing good can last forever. Sophie climbs onto the trampoline and begins doing flips," You know, Grayson, that thing has been there f-"

BANG! Matt and Jania freeze. Sophie stops flipping and bounces," What was that?"

"Sounded like a car backfiring," Luke jogs over to the fence and pulls himself up to peer over it," Yep, dude is hitting the steering wheel. Old car. Parker, you and Lila should go help."

"Dude, I deal with electronics, not mechanics. Most I can do is change his oil," Parker snorts. Matt and Jania haven't moved. Their hearts thunder in their chests and neither is sure they're breathing. Fragments of a memory hit them. A gun shoot, a scream to get down, Jania's hands and knees sting like she was shoved to the ground, a teenaged girl going for her own gun, four more gun shoots, and blood. So much blood. Lila, who rolls her eyes at Parker and Luke gossiping about the man's car, notices her two friends frozen in terror.

"Hey," She keeps her voice low, so she doesn't attract attention to anyone's attention. Placing a hand on Matt's shoulder, she asks," Are you-"

Matt's hand moves so fast there's no way for her to stop it. His whole body is moving, pushing her back. He slams her against the brick of the building. Matt doesn't look it, but he's strong. He holds her a foot above the ground and squeezes so hard, Lila can't even gasp. She claws at his hand, kicking helplessly. She hears him speak lowly through gritted teeth," You won't hurt her. Not ever again."

"Hey!" Parker is first over. He tries to pull Matt back. Matt smashes his elbow into Parker's face. Parker stumbles back into Jania, who goes batshit crazy. She grabs Parker and starts slamming her fists into every piece of skin she can reach. Parker yells," JANIA! STOP! STOP!"

Matt and Jania are blasted away from two purple starbolts. They hit the ground hard. Lila slides down the wall, coughing and sputtering. Sophie flies over to her friend. She kneels down and begins checking Lila," Are you ok?"

Lila nods, unable to speak. Parker's bleeding from both nostrils and his lips. Sophie turns on Matt and Jania, who have picked themselves off the ground. She shakes with fury," What the hell is wrong with you?! You almost killed them!"

She doesn't yell is the worst part. If she screamed, they would be expecting it. But she doesn't. She just stares at them, like they're going to hurt someone else. Jania grabs Matt's hand and with a loud crack, they're gone. Sophie and Luke help their friends inside. Luke calls out," Hey! We need some help."

"Delilah!" Raven exclaims, pulling her daughter from her son. Lila is still having trouble breathing. She waves most people off but keeps close to her mother.

"Where are Matt and Jania?" Artemis asks as she hands Parker a wet hand towel.

"Don't know. They lost their goddamn minds and attacked Parker and Lila," Sophie helps Parker with his bloody nose. She shows no concern for her best friend or her teammate.

"Wait, what?"

"Some guy's car backfired," Luke explains," We were trying to figure out what was happening. I guess Li noticed Matt and Jania were acting weirder than usual. Matt tried to strangle her."

"The car," Wally curses," I keep telling that asshole he needs to get a new one."

"Yeah, still waiting for an answer," Sophie's voice is cold.

"Mar'i," Her father gives her a stern look. Sophie looks down and apologizes. All the adults in the room know why Matt and Jania reacted the way they did. Or they had a good idea as to why. Artemis and Wally exchange a look before looking at their children's friends.

"Have you all heardof someone named Lian Harper?"

Matt runs as fast as he can away from their house. Jania clings to her brother as he carries her. Both of them keep hearing the sound of gunshots. Matt trips and they both go tumbling down a hill. They lay there, everything hurting. Jania's sure she's bleeding but doesn't sit up to see how bad it is. Her ears are ringing. Matt wants to check on his sister. His ankle throbs in pain. Probably a sprain. The December sky peeks through bare branches. The cold air bites his exposed skin. They lay there, each of them thinking about what happened. That car backfiring. It ruined everything.

They and their friends all had an agreement of sorts. Any trauma they had prior to the team, anything that had left them damaged, anything that had hurt them, they were under no obligation to share. There were two exceptions to this rule: 1. If their teammates felt that it was hindering their ability to be on a team or 2. if it becomes too much for them to deal with by themselves. They know there's a story behind every scar. Sophie has a scar of her name on her arm that she never talks about. Even mentioning it makes her shut down. Parker's shit is still fresh, but he's working through it. The twins never talk about it, but they've seen the twins having a panic attack. Not a pretty sight. Matt and Jania have never let their cool demeaner slip, never let their friends know about their past. Their friends don't even know who their grandfather is.

Their grandfather. Something in Jania's chest coils into a tight ball. She wants to do the same. Matt, on the other hand, feels as if someone has put hot coals into his stomach. He wants to hit something. Their father's dad passed away last year. Grandpa Rudy had always encouraged his grandchildren's special brand of weird. Their mom said Grandpa Rudy tried to push Wally into a line of work that he hated, but learned from that lesson pretty fast. Their paternal grandfather had been the epitome of grandfatherly love. Their maternal grandfather… not so much. They knew Artemis came from a family of villains. They knew their late Grandma Paula had been crippled in a heist and arrested. She gave up that life after she returned home from prision. But her husband did not. Their grandfather is Sportsmaster. Sportsmaster, as they'd learned from their mother and aunt, did not tolerate weakness in any form. Matt's far too emotional and has trouble with social interactions. Jania had been born three months premature. The first is just an annoyance. Jania's birth was a death sentence. Sportsmaster has tried six different times to kill them both.

"No," Matt sits up. Jania looks over at him. His face is already a patchwork of bruises and cuts. He looks at Jania," No more bad thoughts. Not today. We're okay."

"Matt, we are so not okay. We just attacked our best friends," Jania rolls onto her side," You just tried to strangle Lila and I probably broke Parker's nose."

"You don't know if you broke his nose."

"I've broken yours. Twice." She points out," We are not ok, big brother. Not at all."

Matt and Jania sit in silence. Before, when something like this happened, they'd just hide away. Not let anyone see the cracks in their foundation. But that wasn't possible now. They want their parents. They want their parents to acknowledge their pain, more so to help them understand it themselves, then help them work through it. Jania breaks the quiet," Do you remember the book Mom read to us?"

"The book of fairy tales?"

"No, the one she read when she and dad got back from a mission. Oh, The Places You'll Go," Jania remembers.

"Yeah. I remember." Matt smiles, just a tiny bit,"' But on you will go, though the water be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl.' I don't remember the rest."

"'On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you'll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.'" Jania recites, thanks to a photographic memory. They look at each other, with tired smiles.

"Mom and Dad have us brain washed to ask for help." Matt says.

"They didn't do a good job if we're sitting at the bottom of a hill after attacking our friends," Jania tries to laugh, but it doesn't last long. She starts to cry and Matt joins her. They sit there for what seems like hours, just crying. They cry for their cousin. They cry out of fruststraion. They cry because they need too. Because it all hurts. When they have no more tears left, they wipe their eyes," You are an ugly crier."

"You aren't much better," Matt sniffles. They stand up, brushing off their clothes," What do you want to bet Sophie tries to kill us?"

Jania doesn't answer. Matt decides not to push it. He picks her up bridal style. This is the easiest way he's found to carry someone when running. The run back to their house takes three minutes. They open the door and find the party gone. Their parents sit at the kitchen table, coffee mugs in their hands. They jump up as Matt shuts the door.

"Oh my god," Wally takes in his son and daughter. They have leaves in their hair, Jania's falling from her braid in tangles. They have cuts and bruises.

"I tripped," Matt says," We- I-"

Matt and Jania just look at their parents and start to cry. They thought all their tears were gone, but something about the concern on their parents' faces makes them cry. Wally and Artemis go to them, pulling both of them in close for a family hug. Jania and Matt sob and Wally and Aretmis let them. They wait until both teens take shaky breaths.

"Better?" Their mother asks.

"No," Jania wipes her nose with her sleeve.

"Good. Otherwise, I'd be worried."

"How are Lila and Parker?" Matt asks.

"Lila's fine, just some bruising. Parker had a broken nose Raven healed." Jania doesn't have the energy to tell Matt she was right.

"Do you all want to stay home tonight? We don't have to go to the party." They shake their heads," Ok, quiet night in.

"No, we want to go." Wally looks at his son," We did something awful, Dad. We have to face- I need to tell Lila I'm sorry. I need to tell her that I-I'm sorry. That I'm so sorry."

Jania nods," You raised us to own up to our mistakes, no matter the reasons. Hiding doesn't make the mistakes go away. It makes them hurt worse."

"How did we end up with kids like you," Artemis usually says with with a smile, a laugh. Now she's sad. She never expected her babies to grow up so fast.

Jania wears the dress that her aunt got her to the party. The fabirc clings to her body in all the right places. The dress doesn't feel like a dress. It feels more like armour. She pretends that it is. That no one can hurt her unless she wants it to. Matt does the same, only his comfort is in a bullet he wears around his neck. It's one from his cousin's gun. The strength and grace she had in life always inspired him and nothing can change that.

Zeta tubing is always strange. The feeling of their molecules breaking down and reappearing somewhere else is an indescribable feeling. The watch tower still takes their breath away. The moon reflects off of the stone, making the whole place glow. The stars are so much closer. Like diamonds. They've been here so many times, Wally and Artemis for hero purposes, Matt and Jania for parties and recently missions. There's about a hundred people there, from Clark Kent to little Zahra Zatara, Aunt Zatanna's newborn daughter. Little kids run around the groups of parents and a few clumps of teens hang around the edge of the room.

They arrive a few minutes late, nothing too drastic, just normal West timing. Both kids can feel about thirty sets of eyes on them. They hold their heads up and shoulders back. There's a stage set up, open mic for anyone brave enough to speak. Lila and Parker talk near it. Matt notices the bruises poking above the edge of her scarf. Aside from a few bruises on his face, Parker doesn't look much different.

"Hey," Sophie appears in front of them. Her dark hair swept up into an elegant bun. Her purple dress bares her shoulders, but she still holds herself with ridgid poise. Like a dancer.

"Are you doing to kill us?" Matt asks.

"As of now, neither of you are off the hook with me, but I can at least understand why what happened happened," She sounds so diplomatic about it that they almost expect her to pull out a contract or something," And, just so you know, I do care about you both. I care if you're ok."

"Was that an I love you, Grayson?" Matt asks.

"Not in this lifetime, West," She gives them a rare smile," Also, Lila said she wants you to wait for the apology."

"Why?"

"Because Lila is going to do something Lila- like," This feels like an adequate explanation for her because she turns to talk to one of her batuncles. They mingle for about an hour. No one from their party says anything about what happened except to ask if they are ok. Matt and Jania avoid Black Canary, in case she tries to bull the shrink talk on them. The microphone shrieks with feed back when Lila taps on it. The scarf is open so they can all see the brusies on her throat. Her musical voice is harsher and cracks.

"Hi. So I've been going back and forth on whether I wanted to do this. I've been so afraid of making an idiot out of myself that I didn't want to do it and I wanted to push past that," She clears her throat," Something happened today that made me realize something else. Everyone here is incredibly lucky. Lucky to be here, at this moment. To be with people they love and who love them in return. There are some heroes that aren't that lucky. We all know the risks, but it doesn't soften the blow. It doesn't change the pain of losing someone you love. It still hurts when you think about the fact they should be here."

She looks right at Matt and Jania. Her wild green eyes are soft and forgiving," We're all guilty of pushing people away when something goes wrong, maybe because we all want to believe we're stronger than we are. Maybe to protect the people we love. We've all felt alone. I want to celebrate that feeling and I want everyone to know that in this life, you are never alone. Someone is always looking for you."

She looks down at the keyboard in front of her. Her friends can see her on the edge, a moment of panic, before she touches the keys. The melody fills the room. Her voice, while coarser than usual, captures the attention of everyone in the room,"Did you lose what won't return? Did you love but never learn? The fire's out but still it burns and no one cares, there's no one there. Did you find it hard to breathe? Did you cry so much you could barely see. In the darkness all alone and no one care, there's no one there."

Matt and Jania feel their hearts sink until Lila begins the chorus," But did you see the flare in the sky? Were you blinded by the light? Did you feel the smoke in your eyes? Did ya? Did ya? Did you see the sparks filled with hope?" She looks right at them,"And you are not alone, 'cause someone's out there, sending out flares."

Matt feels his father's hand on his shoulder and Artemis takes her daughter's hand.

"Did you break but never mend? Did it hurt so much you thought it was the end?" Jania remembers Lian screaming for her to get down, her hand flying for the gun at her belt. The moment she saw the bullest pierce her skin. The way Lian choked on her own blood. How much it hurt as she screamed. How much she fought her father when he tried to take her away," Lose your heart but don't know when and no one cares, there's no one there. But did you see the flares in the sky? Were you blinded by the light? Did you feel the smoke in your eyes? Did ya? Did ya? Did you see the sparks filled with hope, and you are not alone,' cause someone's out there, sending out flares. Someone's out there sending out flares."

Matt remembers Lian's smile. How she made him laugh so hard it hurt his sides. How after she died he had nightmares about the same thing happening to his sister," Did you lose what won't return? Did you love but never learn? But did you see the flares in the sky? Were you blinded by the light? Did you feel the smoke in your eyes? Did ya? Did ya? Did you see the sparks filled with hope, and you are not alone,'cause someone's out there, sending out flares. But did you see the flares in the sky? Were you blinded by the light? Did you feel the smoke in your eyes? Did ya? Did ya? Did you see the sparks filled with hope, and you are not alone,'cause someone's out there, sending out flares."

Lila finishes the song with one final note. No one claps for her. A few heroes are crying. Some are just looking at her in shock or in pain. She curtsies and jumps off the stage. Matt is beside her in a second, pulling her into a tight hug. He lifts her off the ground. He whispers," I'm sorry, Lila. I'm so, so sorry."

"I know. I don't forgive you just yet, but I think we can work towards that," He hears the smile in her voice.

"I thought you didn't listen to The Script," He asks once he set her down. Jania is hugging Parker, something she seldom does with anyone.

"I don't. Your mom gave me the song suggestion. I listened to it this afternoon a gazillion times and practiced the notes for a while. I wasn't going to sing it, if you didn't come."

"Mom?" Jania looks confused.

"Yeah. She said you loved that song. I thought it might help," She smiles kindly," If you excuse me, my throat is killing me."

She goes to find her mother. Jania looks at Parker," Are we okay?"

"I need to kick your ass a few times first, then we'll be good." He gives her a forgiving smile.

"I'm going to to be indebted to you forever," She groans. He laughs and goes off. Matt and Jania go to their parents.

"Well?" Their father asks.

"We've got a lot of work to do, but we'll be okay." Jania says. They hug their parents. When their parents did this earlier it was to confirm that they were loved. Matt and Jania do it to thank them. Not only for today, but for their whole lives. For every time they stayed up when one of them was sick. For all the skinned knees they patched up. For all the times Wally talked one of them down from a panic. For all the times Artemis was strict during training. For Jania's first archery lesson. For the first time Matt ran on water. For every single hug and kiss they were given. All the punishments they thought were unfair (and still do). Just hugging their parents, they try to express their gratitude. For being there when they needed them.

Wally and Artemis hug their children back. All the late nights worrying if they were safe. All the missions that nearly cost them their lives, but they kept going because they have to protect them. The nights they held their children as they cried. The days they fought because they were so tired. It's been worth it. They hug their children back and let them know they are here. They let their son and daughter feel one thing in the hug. One firm message. Something they'd tried so hard to let them know daily since the day Matt was born and even before.

I got you. I see you, I hear you, I love you. I got you. No one will hurt you while I'm here.

I got you.

Author's note. Yeah, big time jump. Massive one. But you can see more where Wally and Artemis have gone from being a little over protective to them knowing when their kids need to figure things out for themselves. And more than that, I hope this shows that family is always growing and relationships are always changing. By blood or by choice, family is those who love you. This is the last chapter of this story. I will be adding another chapter of Still Family. Then...Idk. Favorite, Review, etc.

The song Lila sings is called Flares by the Script.