A/N: Alright, hoping to finish this off soon. If you guys can think of a pairing for the song "Over You" by Honor Society that I haven't already used, that'd be nice. I'm thinking about either Koy (Kaldur/Roy) or ConZee (Conner/Zatanna). Help would be nice because I cannot pick or even think of another pairing. Brain is fried with pairings for this song x.x

This chapter, however, was actually easier than I thought it'd be. Kaldur&Artemis.

Disclaimer: I do not own. Song is by Honor Society, characters are owned by DC.

Don't Close the Book

"I'm sorry," she whispers in the confines of the dark room, words close to my ear, "but we aren't what I thought we could be."

I blink and listen as she rolls from the bed and begins to pull on her clothes again. Zippers are pulled up and there's the sound of a clasp. "Artemis," I ask, trying to piece together what could have gone wrong before she begins to completely shut me out as she's done all the others. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, Kal," she tells me in that gentle voice that's about to break. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were fine. You always have been." When she turns to grab for her phone on the table, I can see her blue-grey eyes and the tears they hold. "I just have higher expectation of people going in and whenever it ends, I feel-"

"You are let down." I keep watching her, eyes adjusting to the familiar darkness. She's struggling to smooth out her hair while that lower lip quivers. There's evidence of our love all over her, a few marks on her neck, her tangled hair. "Artemis, if I may-"

"It's not about this, Kal." She looks at the bed with forlorn eyes, almost longing. "Just stop asking, please." One hand reaches up to brush away the pent up tears.

"I am concerned for you," I murmur, merely trying to piece together what could be upsetting her. Some part of it is about my love for her but the rest is worry for our friendship.

Artemis was facing away, but she then looks over her shoulder at me in a heartbroken way. Her lips formed unheard words in the blackness of the room: You care. And she looked away again, swallowing hard. "You're so sweet." Again, she wipes away tears; she does not remember that I can see in the shadows. "Kaldur, it just won't work between us. You're so dedicated and professional about all of this." A sniffle is an echo in the room. The cave's walls bounce the sound back. "Even after I've hurt everyone else, you still took a chance with me and still act like I'm not a liability and that I'm not some kind of whore just our for the sex."

"Relationships are not about intercourse, Artemis."

"Not with us." Her arms food tightly across her chest. She sits back on the bed, but I could tell that she was really falling back. "When I first kissed you Kaldur, I felt like it was a new chapter of my life. With Conner and Roy, I just wanted the sex. I felt alone because of- of Wally and they filled the void." She swallows loudly and goes silent for a long moment.

I put my hand on her shoulder, and she doesn't shake me off.

"When I first kissed you, I was hopeful. And afraid. I know we've never been very close, but I wanted to see if I could be emotional about a relationship after what happened, and I knew you'd be the one who would accept me and embrace me." She sounds lost; her voice is slow and sad. It's like she's wandering in an abyss, searching for a way out. "You did. And things went slow for a long time and I really fell for you, Kaldur. But some part of my mind was bent on just trying to see if I could emotionally invest myself. And I did, Kaldur. I realized that I really loved you."

"Artemis, I love you as well," I tell her softly, but my words seem to spook her and she shrugs me off, pulling away to sit on the very edge of the bed.

"But I started off wrong. I was using you." She swallows again. I can tell she's trying not to cry. "I was testing something, like you were an experiment. And then everything started moving so quickly. I wanted to tell you and get it out of the way before this happened so I felt like I wasn't using you as much, so that it wasn't just me being a damn whore." She stands now, like the bed beneath her is on fire or that she is afraid of it. "Then that happened, Kal. You got me in here and I was weak and you got me. I wanted to tell you, but you know my weak points and I couldn't even speak..."

"Artemis, I am truly sorry for-"

"It's not about the fact that we had sex, Kaldur." She even laughs. I cannot imagine what could be funny when she is trying to end our relationship. "Believe me, the sex was great. Best I've ever had, and that's saying a lot considering I've slept with Conner."

I remain stoic, but I'm actually somehow pleased by this fact. Still, it's hard to be happy when I know the bad news that is coming.

"It's because I was using you. We started off wrong and got this far. With Roy, I needed a quick fix and he was drunk enough. Conner was pining over Megan. You weren't desperate. You let me in. You take good care of me, Kaldur. You let me know I'm loved, apologize for everything, and you definitely make sure I'm treated right." Artemis turns around and looks at me through the black shadows of the room. "You're better than them and I'm just a stupid, selfish-"

"No. You are not stupid, and you are not selfish. You are beautiful, Artemis. You are a good and honorable person."

"Please stop," she pleads.

But I won't. "You are more than people think. Through all of your struggles, you have remained strong. You cannot collapse because of this, goddess. You can be better than that. You are better than that."

"I used you," she sputters.

"I am still your friend."

Artemis makes her way around the bed to my side but doesn't come towards me. She heads for the door; she doesn't pause. "We just can't stay together. Not after I used you. I love you, Kaldur, but I can't love you like this. We need to start it off right."

I say nothing. She's leaving us open ended so that more could happen if we take the right steps. I know it's not quite the end of the story.

"Bye, Kal," she whispers before opening the door. The light outside silhouettes her form and illuminates her golden hair. Then she steps out into the hall, and the tears on her olive-toned face are visible. And the door closes. She's gone.

For us, I believe it is merely a pause. I have faith that this can continue; this is not an end.

A/N: It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I tried to attack this chapter earlier but hit walls because I was doing it wrong. But I liked this version the best anyways. Review? Please and thank you! Remember, feedback is helpful (:

~Sky