Hello! Welcome to chapter twelve! I absolutely loved all of the guesses in the review on who the boy is. Some of you were right, some of you were wrong! You won't find out who he is this chapter though, that's next chapter. But I really think you guys are going to like this one. So let's not waste any more time!
"Artemis" Wally called, knocking on the bathroom door. The blonde opened the door to answer since she had already dressed after her shower. The two had been awkwardly quiet to each other since they'd returned from their semi-successful mission.
Neither had mentioned the kiss again, though there really hadn't been much time to. Artemis had jumped into the shower the moment they'd returned, choosing to mull over their close contact somewhere she knew he couldn't disturb her. She was almost upset with herself for how much she enjoyed it. Even though they were pretending, Wally was gentle. She could feel the tenderness in his touch and it had taken her off guard.
He had seemed just as lost, clearing his throat before speaking, his words chosen carefully instead of their usual spontaneity.
Artemis hoped he wasn't going to bring it up as he stood before her, his hand scratching at the back of his head.
"Hmm?" She questioned, pulling a wide brush through her wet hair and getting water all over Wally's toes. He frowned and rubbed them into the carpet.
"Kal called," Wally responded, grabbing his toothbrush and walking into the steam filled bathroom.
"Oh?" Artemis said innocently, wondering how the redhead would react to the background check she'd had her friend do.
"Megan checks out," He spoke up around a mouthful of toothpaste, "Her story matches up with her history,"
"Ah," The blonde settled down under the blankets of her bed, relaxing into the mattress, "I guess we don't have any reason not to believe her now,"
Wally didn't respond but she could hear the faucet running. Artemis pulled the covers up over her shoulders, feeling her eyelids grow heavy.
"Are you upset that I had Kal check her out?" She mumbled as the redhead shuffled back across the room and threw the covers off of his bed before getting in.
He'd settled underneath a couple of sheets before answering, his bright green eyes and red hair standing out against the white fabric, "No, I understand why you did it,"
Artemis just nodded, tired and unwilling to chat, "G'night Walls,"
He seemed to share the sentiment, "Night Arty,"
"Move your foot back Artemis!" He yelled, his voice booming across the expanse of the building, "I could topple you over with one kick!"
The small blonde frowned and did as her father said, holding the knife in her hand a little tighter.
"Jade! Charge her!" The man ordered, watching from the sidelines as a young woman with wild black hair rushed her sister.
"Ah!" Artemis yelped, leaping back when Jade's knife nicked her arm, drawing blood.
"Too slow! Try it again!"
Jade scoffed and took up her original position. Artemis removed her free hand away from the slice, rubbing the blood off on her worn out jeans before taking her stance. The bright red smear contrasting brightly with the other rusty brown stains that had since dried from the start of the training session.
"We're not leaving here until you can dodge this, Artemis," The tall blonde man snarled, his expression void of any emotion.
The blonde gave a heavy sigh and held her weapon up once more.
X
"Daddy didn't used to be like this," Artemis spoke quietly, sitting obediently as Jade wrapped up her injuries.
"Dad's changed," Her sister snapped.
"When's Momma getting back?" She whispered, watching the bedroom door for any shadows, any hints of their father coming nearby, "Why'd she leave us?"
"I have a feeling it wasn't her choice,"
X
"Jade!" The blonde yelped, "Jade what are you doing!" Artemis watched her sister with wide eyes, her small hands gripping the window sill as Jade stood on the lower fire escape.
"I can't stay here any longer," Her voice was sharp, just as sharp as her eyes, hardened obsidian gems that no longer held any warmth.
"Then take me with you!" Artemis pleaded, her eyes growing watery.
"You'll only slow me down Sis," She answered, turning away from the blonde.
"Don't leave me with Dad!" The girl yelped, her throat constricting at the very thought.
Jade faced her once more, a sneer across her lips, "That's not our Father,"
And then she was gone. And Artemis closed her eyes, dreaming of a place somewhere, anywhere, where her family could be together again.
X
Her dream was broken.
It would never be possible.
Artemis clutched the necklace closer to her heart, her knuckles whitening under the pressure of her grip. It still held her scent, if only barely because it had been hidden away where no one was supposed to find it. The sweet smell of oriental spices that the blonde remembered from childhood still lingered. From before everything became irreparable.
She'd always wondered why their Mother left. Paula loved them, she wouldn't have left them.
Her real Father couldn't have done this. Lawrence had adored their Mother.
Artemis let out a heavy breath as her chest split and tore into a multitude of shards. Anger, confusion, grief.
Resolution.
The blonde opened her palm to gaze upon the necklace once more, her Mother's favorite necklace. A family heirloom, a golden arrow, passed from mother to daughter to provide guidance, even when they weren't physically there to guide you.
Paula wouldn't have left without this, not without at least giving it to her or Jade; Artemis was sure.
The tears were falling and she couldn't stop them, her view of the golden arrow became obscured.
It could mean only one thing.
Paula had never made it out.
X
Jade had warned her.
She could have said more. But she had said enough.
That man was not their Father.
X
Normal solutions were out of the question. Normal solutions only worked on normal problems.
This was not normal.
The library had provided her with enough information; her mind was stretched thin as she considered every possibility. It took her months to get everything she needed; she only had limited time to sneak away to the books. Training had never stopped; the tests had only become coarser over the years.
Artemis had thought of running a few times. When her spirit was crushed, and she was alone. Sweet, sweet freedom was waiting.
But her Mother had never gotten that chance. So she needed to get to the bottom of what had happened to her Father.
X
Salt.
Salt was the first clue. It had been the first rule.
No salt in the house.
It had been a jump. It had seemed ridiculous.
But if Artemis was wrong, it couldn't hurt.
X
A devil's trap under the rug caught him. Her Pseudo-Father.
"So, you finally figured it out," He sneered, unconcerned with his entrapment.
"You killed my Mom," Artemis snapped, a crumpled piece of paper in her hand that she'd painstakingly practiced over the course of a week, the words learned almost by heart.
"She'd noticed, so she had to go," The demon was serious now, his mirth gone.
"Why did you do this?" The blonde asked, her arms shaking in anger as she attempted to keep herself in check. The room around her had turned into a mess, the trap had been under his seat at the dinner table and anything within reach had been thrown. Artemis had been lucky enough to dodge it all due to his own training.
"Let's just say my superiors would like to chat with me about something, but I would prefer that we didn't," He glared, "And I would have had two bodyguards if you and your stupid sister hadn't turned against me,"
Artemis breathed heavily, yanking her hand up and unfurling the paper that she'd stuffed into her fist, "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,"
The demon convulsed slightly, his frown turning into a snarl, "No matter what, you're not gonna win Little Girl,"
"Don't call me that," Artemis hissed, "Only my Dad can call me that,"
"omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica," The blonde continued, reveling in the struggles of the demon as the words took effect.
He bent over in pain briefly, and when Artemis had stopped for the next line, he began laughing. A grating, horrible noise that made her stand up straighter and hope that she had enunciated everything correctly. She glanced down at the paper to check the next lines, "You're not getting him back, Bitch," The demon laughed.
"Like Hell I'm not!" Artemis shouted, "Ergo, draco maledicte!"
"Say goodbye to Daddy!" He yelled, pulling a knife out of his boot.
"NO!" She screamed, her chest constricting as she spluttered out the next lines, "Ecclesiam tuam s-securi tibi facias libertat-te servire!"
He plunged the knife into his stomach without hesitation, a feral grin carved into his features as Artemis ran forward, the last of the exorcism hanging on her lips.
"DAD! NO! TE ROGAMUS-"
X
"-AUDI NOS!" Artemis screamed, her eyes flying open amidst the tears. Her hands reached out, latching onto someone.
"Artemis! Artemis!"
Her mind settled into reality, her unfocused eyes searching out the frantic face of Wally. He was leaning over her, his hands gripping tightly onto her upper arms, his bright green eyes wide with concern.
"Wally," She whispered, relaxing her grasp on his shirt and blinking away most of her tears.
"It was a dream," He explained, one of his hands letting go to push the stray bangs out of her face, his thumb brushing lightly across her cheek, "It was just a dream, Artemis,"
The blonde choked out a breath and shook her head, sitting up with his assistance. Her throat was still dry and constricted, "It wasn't a dream," She wiped a hand across her face, "It was a memory,"
Wally was quiet for a moment before he settled onto the mattress next to her, curling his arms around her torso and pulling her against him, moving her legs to rest across his own, "I'm sorry," He whispered, petting her tangled hair as Artemis hesitantly wound around him, pillowing her cheek into his chest and settling into his warmth.
The minutes ticked by slowly as the two relaxed into each other, Artemis tilting her head into Wally's hand as he began carding his fingers through her hair gently, consoling her. She smiled, marveling that he hadn't asked her what her dream was about and supposing that yes, he was much smarter than she sometimes thought. It was times like these that he reminded her just how perceptive he could be. Artemis hadn't told him her story, and as she was secure in his arms, she wondered why.
"My Mom...left when I was a child," Artemis spoke up quietly, curling herself into Wally as she began, "Or, that's what my Dad said. But he was lying. He trained my sister and me, day and night. Taught us how to fight, how to kill, how to survive. My sister left eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't take...him. When I was fifteen I found my mother's necklace," Artemis pulled at a golden chain around her neck that the redhead had never noticed before, untucking it from beneath her shirt. It was a delicate golden arrow, with one green gem embedded in the tip. "She wouldn't have left without it, it was her most prized possession besides her family,"
Wally ducked to press his cheek against the top of her head, one of his warm hands still running through her long hair, soothing her as she spoke while the other wrapped around her, holding her close.
"He killed her," Artemis said hoarsely, "I found her necklace and I just knew. I knew she wasn't coming back. And I knew something was wrong with my Father," She clenched the pendant in her fist, "I did research until I figured it out, it took months because I didn't know what I was doing. But I got it eventually. It was a demon. My Dad was possessed, it probably happened only a few weeks before he killed my Mom. I got him in a devil's trap, I had the exorcism fucking memorized,"
Her grey eyes glazed over as her memories resurfaced, vivid from her dream. The only thing keeping her grounded was the arms around her, Wally's hand running through her hair. Reminding her that she wasn't alone any longer.
"The demon stabbed himself before I finished the exorcism. My Dad died in my arms,"
It was silent for a few moments. Artemis breathing slowly as she regained composure from reliving her nightmare.
"I haven't dreamed about it in a while," She mused, still resting in Wally's arms.
"So that's how you got into the job," Wally whispered, scooting the both of them back until he could lean against the headboard of Artemis's bed.
"Yeah, before I took off I found some journals that the demon had written. There was information on a bunch of different monsters. I used that when I started out. I wanted to help people. People like me, who had no idea what they were up against. People who don't know what's out there," She had tensed as she spoke, some of her residing anger building once more as she thought of what had occurred, and of the many other's she'd discovered along her path.
"Relax Art," Wally said softly, pulling her closer and tightening his grip, "You've helped a lot of people. Don't forget that, okay? You're great at what you do, you're a hero and you don't even get any recognition. That takes a kind of resolve that most people don't have. Don't dwell on what you've lost, build on it, and let it turn you into a better person. You've already been doing it for years, don't forget now,"
Artemis smiled, releasing the grip on her Mother's pendant to hold the redhead's hand that had been resting on her waist, "Thank you Wally,"
"You're welcome," He breathed, leaning his head back to rest against the headboard, "Now go back to bed, Beautiful, I'll keep the nightmares away,"
"Yeah," She laughed, situating herself to better rest against him, "I bet you will,"
"Don't mock me," Wally mumbled halfheartedly, his mind already drifting off.
Artemis snuggled into him, a smile still lingering, "I would never..."
When Wally awoke, he thought that he was still in a dream. He was lying on Artemis's bed in the motel, his body parallel to the headboard, which explained the cramp that was prominent in his folded legs.
But it might also have been the blonde cuddled up to his side, restricting his movement.
Artemis was tucked into his arms, her legs following the curve of his own and her hands wrapped gently around the freckled arm that was lying across her stomach, pulling her close.
Wally took in the moment slowly, imprinting it into his mind so that he could recall it later. Most times of the day he would describe Artemis as bold and aggressive. A spitfire.
But at that moment, with the sun barely filtering through the dusty blinds and turning her hair into spilt gold spreading across the sheets, with her light breaths ghosting across the skin of his neck, and with her warm body draped along the length of his own.
In that delicate, rare moment, Artemis was soft.
Wally had long since relented his mind to the veritable belief that the blonde was exquisitely beautiful, in body and mind. He'd given up trying to deny it to himself. However through their adventures, no matter how close they'd become, Artemis had always felt intangible. A flame that he couldn't possibly reach, no matter how desperately he longed to; not to capture or to tame. But just to hold, to admire and care for.
He had feared that it would continue forever. The chase to reach her heart. That Artemis truly was too wild a flame to keep up with.
But in that precious moment, that one beautiful morning, Wally found hope. Artemis was still curled against him and he brushed a stray strand of golden hair away from her face. The night before she had confided in him, trusted him, and had accepted his comfort. Her soul had worn out from her explanations and was resting upon his own for balance. In his arms she was no longer a flame, but rather a glowing ember; entrusting him to fan the blaze and return her to her usual fire.
Artemis had given him a glimpse into another part of her. A fragile measure of herself that had previously been locked away from sight. And it gave him hope that his dreams might not have been as elusive as he first believed.
He was slowly learning what lay beyond her aggressive exterior.
Wally was learning that Artemis was not a flame, but rather an inferno. A magnificent inferno full of intricacies that he could have never anticipated.
And how he loved her for it.
He wasn't sure when it had begun; when the admiration and affection had spread to his heart.
But as he'd worked with her, fought with her, lived with her, and held her in his arms. As he'd awoken to her sight and her scent...it had become irreversible.
Undeniable.
Wally West had fallen in love with Artemis Crock.
This is big you guys! This is a big step towards bringing them together!
Please review and let me know what you think! What did you think of Artemis's backstory? Why do you think she's terrified of her growing feelings toward Wally?
Expect another chapter this weekend!
Love, Veg