9. Thanksgiving Aftermath

"Oh my god! That was good!" Wally grinned, patting his stomach.

Paula chuckled while Artemis rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you like it." Paula looked over to her daughter. "Artemis, help me with the dishes."

"Sure." Artemis piled up some of the dishes and brought it over to the sink.

"I'll help." Wally got up and grabbed some plates.

"Non-sense! You are our guest, it would be rude of us to let you to do that." Paula rolled over to him.

Wally shook his head. "No, it's the least I can do. I dropped in without much of a notice. You can rest, Paula." Wally smiled and walked over to the sink, setting them down. "Artemis...thanks."

Artemis smirked. "You don't need to thank me, that's what friends do, right?"

"Y-yeah." Strangely, Wally didn't like that. "So, you need any help washing the dishes?"

"No, but you can dry." She handed him a towel.

The two worked in silence. Artemis cleaned the dirty dishes while Wally dried them and put them back in their rightful place with the help of Artemis. Wally couldn't help but notice that she moved with ease as she moved around the kitchen, as if she was use to doing this. She Finished washing the dishes even before him, and that's saying something!

"For the fastest kid alive, you sure dry the dishes slow."

Wally scowled. "Shut up." He grumbled.

Artemis chuckled before she grabbed a towel herself and started to help him drying the wet plates. Wally couldn't help but like what they were doing. It was nice and calming, something he couldn't feel when he was at home. And...he actually like standing here with Artemis, it gave him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach; in a good kind of way.

The two were finished with the dishes. Paula was very insistent on making tea, leaving the two teenagers in the living room. It seems that it became too awkward for Artemis because she left to go to the kitchen, much to Wally's disappointment, but then again it was getting too awkward for him too. So, Wally was walking around the living room, looking at the pictures hanging on the walls. One of them caught his eyes, it was the last picture.

A younger Artemis and an unknown blond girl were in the picture. They both had on a huge toothy smile, it took Wally by surprise; he never seen the archer smile like that. Her arm was hung over the other blond's shoulder. The other blond had a bob cut hairstyle and it curved inside, touching her cheeks. Dark green eyes that strangely seemed to shine brightly. She had a bit of a Asian feature like Artemis. Wally couldn't help but notice how happy Artemis look in this picture. The archer's eyes were shining with sheer happiness, there wasn't any tense or stiffness in her muscles, she looked relax even, and she seemed to be glowing in the picture.

The Artemis he and team knows is that she was cocky, confident, and isn't afraid of a challenge. She only gave others a small smile, nothing like in the picture. She doesn't talk about her family background, she was very secretive to the team.

"That's me and Jamie."

Artemis's voice made him jump, and he swiftly turned around.

"Artemis! I er...I didn't mean to-" She shook her head.

"It's okay." She walked up to the picture, standing next to the junior speedster. A soft sad smile appeared on her lips. "She was my best friend." Artemis crossed her arms.

"...Was?" Wally couldn't help but ask. "Did you guys get into a fight?"

Artemis sighed. "I wish we had a fight, but no...she's dead."

"Oh...Artemis, I'm so sorry." That was all Wally could say.

Her grip on her sleeves tightened as Artemis stared at the picture. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. Wally stared at her silently before bringing her into a hug. She didn't respond, but she didn't push away either. She let him hold her there as her shoulders shook, but no tears came out.

"She must have been important."

"She still is."

Artemis looked up at him while Wally looked down. Their lips were inches away from each other, lingering one another, and one movement forward will close the gap between them. The two were leaning toward each other, their minds blank, just doing what their body was telling them to do. It felt like an eternity, but their lips finally met. It was a simple kiss, simple but sweet. They took a step apart and stared into each others eyes.

"...I think I'm going to remember this Thanksgiving." He smiled against her lips. Artemis only laughed and leaned against his chest.

Unknown to them, a certain mother had a camera in her hand, and a very excited smile was on her face. She was so happy for her daughter!

Again...a bit rough, but eh. Yup, I made an OC named Jamie! Jamie was a big impact on Artemis's life. Do you think I should write a seperate story about Jamie? Artemis was a bit of an OOC...I think. I don't know. I just hope you enjoyed it!

Tell me what you think, and please REVIEW!