The best time of the year
When everyone comes home
With all this Christmas cheer
It's hard to be alone.

December 19
9:56 AM EST

News that the previously-unplanned Team party was not only fully in existence, but also a gift swap, where gifts were to be provided from everyone, for everyone, spread like wildfire. With the days until Christmas ticking away, Artemis realized that she needed to get gifts for everyone soon.

Surprisingly, this thought plagued her mind constantly, especially since she didn't know what to get anyone.

That was the reason that she stood in the front doors of the superstore, wrapped in a thin coat and about three scarves, shivering from the cold wind at her back, as well as the slushy mix of half-melted snow that seeped through her tennis shoes.

She groaned, wishing she had gotten that extra coffee, when she squeaked and slushed her way into the store. Sadly, the huge building was not heated, like she thought it was. The walls were concrete, and the ceiling was tin. The resulting effect was that it was less of a superstore, and more of a giant meat locker with shelves. The only bright spot in this otherwise-bleak scenario was the fact that it was dry, and she shook herself of the wetness that covered her back and arms.

Weaving her way through the many aisles offered no inspiration, and soon, she had ventured through every plausible section. Disheartened, she chose a different take for her journey, examining each section to see if she had missed anything.

It was during this time that Artemis met with an unexpected visitor.

"Whoa! Hey! Artemis!" That voice could only belong to…

"Wally?" Maybe it was the lack of coffee.

"Fancy meeting you here." The ginger leaned on the shelf next to him in what he hoped to be a suave manner. His hopes shattered when he bumped a display, and it crashed to the floor.

"Smooth." Artemis rolled her eyes. "Why are you here, again?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Wally leaned forward, his expression one of wonder and determination.

For a mere second, Artemis faltered. However, she quickly calmed her irrational fears; he doesn't know. Of course not. He's just… being Wally; and she narrowed her eyes. "Visiting a friend. Decided to stop by and get presents for the Team."

"What a coincidence." Somehow, his attempts at being smooth managed to make her drop her ice-like glare. Instead, she kept watching him, expressions shifting between confusion and amusement. "I'm visiting a friend, too."

"Really." It wasn't so much of a questioning tone that passed her lips than a disbelieving one.

"What? You don't believe I'm visiting someone?" Wally said with mock offense. Artemis countered him without missing a beat.

"No, I just don't believe you have friends." She couldn't hide the smirk that crossed her face.

Wally put a hand to his chest, a phony look of horror and pain on his face. "That cut deep, Artie. Real deep."

Artemis just sighed and shook her head. Wally saw that she was losing interest, so he tried another conversation starter.

"So, you're getting us presents?" He leaned in, whispering excitedly, like a little kid; "What're you getting me?"

She shook her head again, accompanying her movement with tsk, tsk noises. "You don't want me to ruin the surprise, do you?"

"Hmm…" Wally and Artemis stared at each other, trying each other's abilities to hold a poker face.

Wally broke first. "C'mon! Tell me!"

Artemis turned to him, one hand on her hip. "Will you tell me what you're getting me?"

Wally straightened up, watching her with a serious expression. "No."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded. "Not going to ruin the surprise."

She just sighed. At that time, Wally's cell phone just happened to ring. He snapped it open with the quickness only a speedster can perform. "Hello?... Yeah… What? No!..." There was a longer pause. "Fine. I'll grab the gifts, then run over." Without waiting for a reply, he hung up.

"Trouble in Central?" Artemis remarked offhandedly.

"Yeah," Wally sighed. "I gotta go. First, though, I've gotta get those gifts. I would come back and see you later, when I'm about to leave, but I don't want you peeking at the gifts. So, bye!"

With that, he sped off, even though they were in a public place, dressed in civvies.

Artemis shook her head, turning back to the task she was undergoing before she was interrupted.

If only they could just get the gifts themselves…