Chapter 18

Author's Note: M- related material ahead. Read at your own risk.

The rain continued to pound the Empire State and at this moment Gotham was receiving the worst of it. Severe storm warnings continued to be broadcast, and for the next twenty four hours there was no relief in sight. Major flooding was predicted and the city's already overtaxed sewer system would soon back up causing residents and visitors alike to stay inside and wait out the storm.

Wally sat alone on the stone steps outside Artemis's apartment. The rain had been hammering down on him for the last hour or so, but he barely noticed. His wounds were mostly superficial, her blade having not sliced deep enough to do any internal damage, but deep enough to let him know she meant it. It hurt, but she could have done much worse had she wanted to.

He ran his fingers through his wet mop of hair trying to figure out this strange life he had found himself in. If this was what the life of a superhero was like, if this was an honest glimpse of his former life, he wanted no part of it.

Since he'd awoken on that sandy shore off the San Francisco Bay, since that first salty wave had jolted him into consciousness, he had been searching for something - someone. Wally thought it had been for her, but now just like every aspect of his life, he was having his doubts. He had no idea what to do and nowhere to go.

In his current condition he couldn't return home, unwilling to explain his injuries or the risks he'd taken to get them, let alone the assailant. His mother had taken a huge risk and he couldn't disappoint her, not again. Dick Grayson's was an option, but despite their friendly reunion, sharing heartbreak with a stranger just seemed too uncomfortable. Eventually he'd call Dick and that crazy bitch Cheshire as well to update them, but right now he needed the solitude.

He would have preferred a warmer, dryer environment, but Cheshire had locked the apartment tight and his one attempt at vibrating through the back door and the subsequent bloody nose convinced him otherwise.

Wally's stomach grumbled, but like everything else on his person, his backpack inside and out was soaked, every morsel of food ruined. His head hung low in the general direction of his mud soaked sneakers. His mind was so lost in the uneven rhythm of the rain; he never heard this sloshing of combat boots coming from the street until they were beginning their trek up the stairs in front of him.

He looked up and saw Artemis climbing the stairs, passing him silently. She wore a dark trench coat which barely concealed the orange and black battle suit she wore. In this weather he doubted anyone would notice. Her long blonde hair lay matted in all directions, her expression unreadable.

At the top of the landing she removed the key from her pocket and opened the deadbolt. Artemis paused for a moment at the entryway, neither one of them turning to look back at the other.

"I didn't kill him," she said before shutting the door behind her.

xxx

Tigress chained Falcone to the lamppost that illuminated much of the small wooden boat dock, securing him so tightly with that his arms bled when they rubbed against the splinters of the post. He quit struggling long ago, knowing full well it was a futile gesture. He'd begged, bribed, pleaded, and promised to no avail. Finally he accepted his fate.

Tigress had her back to the crime lord, setting her video camera atop the tripod, preparing to complete a mission that had taken six weeks too long. She would be relieved to take this particular target off her ledger, but soon another mission would take its place, and another, and then another. That was the way it worked.

When it came to their last moments on Earth, Tigress liked to play with her prey, remind them of the cruel unspeakable acts they had perpetrated on their victims, recall in gory detail the lives they'd taken, every future they destroyed. She wanted them to taste their victim's pain, to know exactly why they deserved to die and how it was going to happen. These were wretched men who'd earned their fate she reminded herself back when a part of her still cared.

Tonight though there would be no taunting, no threats. She'd slit his throat, make her way to the shore, speak her final words to her father before slicing his, and then be on her way. Tigress had her choice of safe houses to lay low in. She'd eventually contact her employers, leave the tape in a mutually agreed upon drop, and then exit the country until the dust settled.

This would be news worthy, on every network within days. FBI, state and local agencies, multiple jurisdictions fighting for the right to examine the crime scene, all the while she'd be on a beach somewhere sipping Mai Tai's or some such exotic drink. Eventually she'd return to Gotham, set up a new residence, a new identity, and begin the whole thing all over again. That was the plan, or at least it was until….him.

She removed the blade from her waist, carefully wiping it down, making sure no residuals or DNA could be traced back to her. Falcone's security teams would scatter like rats at their failure, un-hirable now in their chosen profession, possibly even put on a hit list sometime in the near future. She didn't have to worry about any statements coming from them to the police. Her tracks would be clean.

She faked a smile and strolled over to her victim.

"It's time Carmine, any last words of the audience?" she smirked pointing back to the camera.

"Go to hell!" he whine, hyperventilating in terror.

"You first," she purred.

She stroked the blade against his windpipe, dancing it up and down his throat and neck as he trembled. Falcone prayed the Our Father out loud as the last seconds of his life played out in front of him. Tigress found it amusing that this man had even the slightest hope that any God would show mercy to him after he refused to show any to his countless victims.

The assassin found the spot she wanted, and turned to make sure the camera had an unobstructed view.

"So long fucker."

She prepared to tear the tissue and spill his blood when she paused. Artemis bit down hard on her lip, tasting blood as she attempted to kill him a second time when suddenly she screamed in rage, rising sharply and kicking the tripod onto the ground.

"God Damn him," she cursed to a man who'd long since left.

Falcone opened his eyes long enough to see the butt end of her crossbow come smashing directly into his nose before he lost consciousness.

He awoke an hour later to the sensation of cold water splashing onto his face.

"Wake up fucker!" Tigress demanded.

Falcone attempted to speak when Tigress slammed her hand over his mouth.

"Listen up asshole. I'm not going to kill you, at least not now, but I do want to give you a glimpse of what's coming, consider me your own personal ghost of Christmas future."

She dropped the thick files at his feet, watching as the wind took the hundreds of papers and scattered them across the compound and lake.

"Recognize these?" she smirked. "Personal holdings, accounts numbers in the Caymans and Switzerland, shipping manifests, payments within your organization, names and social security numbers, business dealings with Lexcorp and Wayne Tech, dealings I feel confident their bosses have no idea about or the ones that do not being pleased to be connected to. And finally let's not forget the contracts, lots and lots of contacts. I'm not sure but I think some of those men on this ledger are professional killers. Just how fucking dumb are you?"

"How…how did you find those?"

"You mean those encrypted files located on your ghost servers? Sorry trade secret. I think the more important question is who else has found them."

Falcone's face went pale

"Let's see. WNGC, WNBC, WCBS, Gotham News Sentinel, Gotham Gazette, New York Times and of course every FBI, IRS, police, marshal, and sheriff's number I could find. All sent from your office. You might have bought off some judges and cops, but not that many. The media will be cutting each other's throats trying to get this on the front page or tonight's lead story. I'd lawyer up if I were you.

It took moments for Falcone to truly absorb the entirety of her confession. An entire empire, built from the ground up, drug dying and bleeding from the depths of Gotham, becoming one of the most powerful syndicates in the country, all gone in the blink of a mouse click.

The authorities would be on their way soon, maybe not today, perhaps not tomorrow, but sometime in the very near future. Accounts would be frozen, suppliers would crawl back into their holes, payments to government officials would cease. His business would be dead in its tracks, all thanks to one person. Death in some ways would have been easier.

"I'll find you," he screamed as Tigress walked to his boat, her new toy.

She turned back and smiled. "No you won't…but I really really hope you'll try."

xxx

Wally remained outside on the stoop, unsure if he should follow her in or if he even wanted to. His hands ghosted the fresh wounds on his chest, measuring their tenderness. She could have done so much more damage had she wanted to, but that was little consolation to his throbbing torso. If someone had told him two days ago that this would be his fate when he began his search for her, he wondered if he would have even stepped foot outside the Keystone City limits, but sadly he already knew the answer before he asked it.

"Artemis?" he walked inside cautiously.

She remained silent with her back to him, like he didn't exist, holding something in front her.

"Just tell me one thing," he asked, "Why?"

"It doesn't matter," she replied dejectedly.

"It matters to me," he answered

She held the picture, the one of them embraced in the cave all those years ago close to her eyes, using what little overcast light that entered her powerless apartment to focus on it. It was moment frozen in time, the beginning of something so special, something she wouldn't allow herself to feel again.

"You need to leave," she quietly demanded

"I'm not going anywhere, not till you and I talk, a real talk."

"There's nothing to talk about" she replied.

"Are you kidding me? he snapped. "Are you just going to pretend the last few hours didn't happen?"

"I said I didn't kill him," she snapped back, "What more do you fucking want?"

"What I want..." he yelled in anger. "is to know who in the hell I was out on that island with, I want to know why you almost killed me."

"Don't be such a fucking drama queen Wally, if I'd wanted you dead….." she paused. "Just trust me on that."

"Artemis? What is happening to you? What happened to the girl I was with three weeks ago?"

"She doesn't exist Wally," the archer shouted. "She's a lie. Someone I invented a long time ago. My dad always told me you can't fight who you are; it was probably the only fucking time in his life he was ever right," she spit.

"That's such bullshit Artemis, and you know it."

"Wally you're twenty three years old, you're reading a diary of some love struck 16 year old virgin who didn't know shit about real life or me. We were kids…kids! People grow up, they change. I changed. You don't know who I am, I'm not sure you ever did."

"I know enough. I know you hide behind that stupid mask, because Tigress can do the things that Artemis Crock won't. I know you're in over your head and you don't know how to get out of it. I know you need help but you'll never ask for it...I know...you used to be happy once."

"God Wally," she coldly chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief at his naiveté.

"Look, you can make fun of my journal all you want, but that's all I have left. Twenty three years of my life gone - just like that. It fucking sucks and I'd give anything to remember any of it; my parents, my friends, my life… you, but it's gone, all of it."

He walked over and stood in front of her, demanding her eyes. "Artemis we were together for five years, five years. You look me in the eye right now and tell me those years were a lie, I fucking dare you."

Artemis shrugged amused. "I don't know what you want me to say? I'm just not the person you thought I was. Sorry," she responded light heartedly, mocking him.

The speedster's brow furrowed, but he did his best to keep his temper in check. She was goading him, trying to say anything that could escalate the already combustible situation, anything to distract him and avoid the subject. However the very diary she scoffed at did more than tell a story, it diagramed the archer perfectly, especially her methods of avoidance. It seemed she hadn't changed as much as she thought she had. Two could play at that came.

Wally sighed in pity. "People have told me stories of how you and I were when we first met and how far we'd come. Now look at you. You keep your distance from everyone who still cares about you, you try to do everything yourself, you never ask for help even when you desperately need it, you won't let anyone on the inside. Does any of this sound familiar?"

"God spare me the psychoanalysis Dr. Freud. This isn't about me Wally; it's about you. It's always been about you. You're afraid of being alone. God grow a pair. You've latched on to an idea, not a person. If you had stumbled into anyone else, you'd be giving them the same bullshit guilt trip if they didn't live up to the expectations of some teenage sidekick. One free bit of advice; throw that stupid diary away. Everyone in that book is gone, they don't exist anymore, especially you."

Wally fought back. "Maybe your right, maybe all of those strangers, all those names are gone, nothing like the people I used know, but there is one flaw in your bullshit argument. One tiny little shred you didn't think anyone would notice. It's you. You are exactly the same."

His statement threw her and that made her nervous.

"I've seen you Artemis, the real you, not this person you pretend to be. I've seen your kindness, your caring, your heart, your fear. If this is all a lie and I don't mean anything to you, why come to Keystone and say goodbye? A phone call would have been so much easier don't you think?"

Artemis looked away, nervous with his line of questioning.

"And just for the record I didn't accidentally stumble into you, I didn't bump into you at some mall or a restaurant, I found you. In a world of 7 billion people, 7 billion strangers, somehow I found you…..You Artemis. Not my parents, not my friends….just you," he said ratcheting down the anger.

Wally slowly approached her, seeing the confusion in her eyes, the doubt forming on her face.

"You're right about one thing, you did make someone up. It's just not the person you thought it was."

Wally stepped closer as Artemis stepped back, uncomfortable with his eyes upon her. She felt her hand reaching for the knife she kept tucked in waistband, but her fingers hesitated, like they had a mind of their own.

"Every time you take off that mask, it gets harder and harder to remember the person underneath it doesn't it? like looking in the eyes of a stranger every time it comes off. You don't think I get that?"

Wally rested his hand on her shoulder "Don't!" she snapped throwing his hand off. "Don't touch me."

"Don't be this person anymore Artemis," his voice quivered. "I need you to come back to me."

There was a long pause as those words sunk in. Wally had gotten close, impossibly close under the circumstances, but then he inadvertently kicked the hornet's nest and he didn't even know it, all his work to calm her down and reach the person inside…gone.

"Come back?" she questioned unbelievingly "Come back?!" she repeated louder with a volcanic anger in her tone.

"Yes," Wally replied quietly trying to calm her

Something insider the archer snapped, something that had been buried for as long as she could remember, now crawling to the surface. Her hands tightened to fists, her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palms. Every muscle tensed, every nerve fired at once as she erupted. She took the picture she held and swung it like a bat, knocking all her portraits of her mantle before slamming the one she held so dear on to the floor in pieces.

"You need me to come back?" she yelled at him in defiance, each word louder then the next. She spun around and shoved the speedster into the wall hard, her eyes literally ablaze with anger.

"You left me!" she screamed so loud that the windows rattled. "You fucking left me! You didn't even have the fucking decency to say goodbye!"

The speedster pushed himself off the wall, but Artemis slammed him right back.

"My mom, my dad, my sister! All of them left me, lied to me, but I believed you, I always believed you! You swore you'd never leave me you son a bitch!" she sobbed. "You swore to me that when that fucking mission was over we'd be together…forever. You swore Wally…you swore!" she cried.

Artemis began pounding his chest. "You left me! YOU LEFT ME!" she shrieked manically, striking his chest until Wally grabbed her wrists and held tight.

"You left me," she sobbed quietly, exhausted.

Wally stood silent, frozen in horror, finally realizing who Tigress really was. She was an armor, protecting a young woman on a dangerous and deadly mission aboard a submarine full of psychopaths. She was a shield that insulated a hero from the horrifying things she was forced to do to protect her identity and all she held dear. She was an alter ego that kept eating away at the soul of the very person who had created her. She was the only person a beautiful and broken archer could trust after the life she dreamed of returning to had been stolen from her.

It took nanoseconds for the speedster to put himself in her place, to imagine the pain and devastation he'd feel at the loss of a girl he'd only known for weeks, let alone someone who he'd been in love with since he was 16.

Wally West had lied to her; He'd convinced the hardened, jaded, ex-assassin that it was ok to open up, to trust, to love. He'd promised that no matter what he'd be there waiting for her return, doing everything within his power to protect her from afar. He'd sworn to a strong self-reliant woman, who needed no one, that he would love and care for her, and give her the life she never dreamed possible. Wally West had lied, and the speedster hated himself for a choice he couldn't even remember making.

"I know," Wally replied as his voice broke. "I know," he whispered.

"How could you do that to me?" she whimpered, her body shaking. "I...I loved you, I don't love anyone Wally,…but I loved you."

The speedster swallowed hard, his throat tightening. "I...I don't know why he...I don't know why I did that." His voice broke, as his eyes watered. "I...I didn't have the strength to say goodbye."

"How would you know that?" she cried, the frown on her face piercing the speedsters heart

"Because I don't have it now." he replied bringing her forehead to his, resting it there.

"Because the thought of leaving you again..." he paused as the tears ran freely down his face, "the thought of being without you, it destroys me, and it breaks my heart to know I did that to you, that I shoved you back in that mask. I don't know how I could have been such a coward."

"You weren't a coward," she sniffled trying to regain her composure. "You saved everyone."

"Not everyone," he sniffled. "I didn't save you did I?"

His hand reached forward and caressed her cheek, gently brushing the wet strands of hair out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry Artemis," he frowned as the tears flowed from his emerald eyes.

His world came crashing down around him, the confines of her apartment triggering his smothering claustrophobia. The roads called out to him like a siren of the sea, begging for the speedster to run, promising him an end to his pain. Artemis recognized that look on his face, remembering when his eyes would drift away from her towards the horizon. He'd constantly fight the desire to be in motion and just be still, staying in the moment, with her.

She took his hands and held tight, trying to draw his lost eyes back to her. They both were so broken. She needed him, but Wally was right, she didn't know how to say it, how to ask. The one person she could be so nakedly open with was dead, and yet here he stood. She reached forward to palm his cheeks when she caught sight of her hands, her blood stained hands, the exact blood that was seeping through the shirt the speedster wore.

"Oh my god," she sobbed, heartbreakingly realizing what she had done.

"It's ok," he whispered as she stared at the crimson. Somehow Wally had returned to this world brand new, pristine, as blemish free as the day he was born. Now he had scars, scars that she was responsible for. Some meant for her, some by her. It made her sick that she could have done this to him.

Her mind drifted back to a memory she'd long since filed away, one very poignant and painful now.

Wally was powerful, giving himself a gift that could literally change the world around him if wanted, but he could also be so boy scoutingly naïve sometimes. He saw the world in such vibrant colors, while Artemis saw it black and white. She loved that about him.

He promised that he'd love and care for her for as long as she'd let him. He expressed it constantly to reassure and remind the archer that they were a team, a partnership. Sometimes it was with a kiss, other times with a loving smile or a sly look, but he always shared it.

Artemis made a promise as well, but her vow she kept private, never wanting her boyfriend know, to feel weak or less than. He was the lover, she was the fighter, that was just the way it was and she wouldn't change it for the world.

She grew up learning to kill by the age of eight while Wally was learning algebra and geometry. He was an innocent, she was cunning. Such polar opposites melded together to form a perfect compound. "You can't argue with chemistry" he'd always say.

She promised herself that no matter what, she'd protect the speedster with her life if need be. Wally would share his heart and she would forever guard it from others that would try to hurt him, change him from the man she fell in love with.

She swore she'd protect him, and yet here he stood bleeding in front of her, wounds caused by her hands. The haze that had clouded her mind for weeks slowly began to clear, the voices in her mind finally silent. The archer's fingers trembled as she reached up and gently touched his chest, carefully unbuttoning his shirt slowly. It was instinctual, an act she had done hundreds of times before in another life. She slowly reached the bottom and drew the garment open seeing the damage she'd done. His wounds were raw but healing at the accelerated rate she remembered being so jealous of. Her fingers grazed around the cuts caressing the areas of undamaged skin as his body jerked slightly. Not in pain, not in fear, but something more. Instinctively she lowered her lips to his chest and like all those years ago, tried to kiss the pain and the hurt away.

She silently took his hand and led him to the bathroom. No words were spoken as she discarded the blood stained shirt on the floor. She reached into the cabinet and removed the first aid kit that they'd shared over the years.

She took the washcloth from the sink and soaked it with warm water, carefully dabbing at the wounds, cleaning the razor sharp slices of his skin. On anyone else, cuts like this would need a multitude of stiches, but his skin was already mending on its own.

Her skillful fingers rubbed the antiseptic ointment on the angry lacerations. Her vision locked on to his chest, gently tracing around his ribs and abs. His body hitched and she looked up worried until she recognized the blush on his cheeks, the desire on his face. He stepped closer and this time Artemis didn't back away, but moved closer to him as well. His hands reached for her, exploring her frame, looking for the hidden zippers to remove her damaged battle uniform. He hands grew discouraged when they couldn't find them, he never could she smiled. Artemis undid the clasps and hooks and Wally slowly slid the uniform to her waist exposing her chest. He stepped back looking at her as a frown formed on his lips. Artemis stared confused at his reaction until she saw the severe bruises and abrasions she had suffered as well.

Wally's hands reached hesitantly to her chest and with a reassuring nod from her, he carefully removed her sports bra freeing her breasts. He swallowed hard, mesmerized by her bare beauty. The speedster gathered a new washcloth, warming it before attending to her damage. He guided her to the toilet seat to sit as he kneeled in front of her and dabbed at the raw abrasions she suffered from the multiple of crushing blows her father had deposited, along with any he may have caused as well. His eyes constantly sought hers for permission as his hands caressed her bare torso while he tried to treat her. Artemis smiled and nodded, giving the engagement the speedster needed.

He dabbed gently around her breast, finally settling underneath. His eyes flashed with anger at the large dark bruise that formed under them, the telltale signs of broken ribs. He searched her bathroom closet and her vanity in vain as she gently took his hand and nodded no, silently informing him she did not have the wraps or med tape needed to secure her broken ribs. He sadly frowned down in at her. The archer ached at the helplessness in his eyes, his need to ease her injuries that in all honesty she barely noticed, coming nowhere near her high threshold for pain.

Without anything left to treat her ribs with, he kneeled down again and lightly kissed the underside of her breast and ribs gently, carefully. It was just a powerless gesture, but it filled her heart. Goosebumps reflexively spread across her body as he continued planting kisses slowly up her chest, grazing her breasts, her neck, her cheeks before stopping directly in front of her.

They stared into each other's eyes silently, but still communicating so much. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he slid his carefully around her waist. Their lips met and the emotions inside them ignited. All the anger and resentment replaced with a wanting desire so strong it just inflamed the ferocity of their kisses even more.

Wally rose, lifting the archer off her seat, but their kisses never broke, never ceased. He carried her into the bedroom laying her down on the white comforter of her bed. She lay there modestly with her hands covering her breasts as Wally lifted her backside and legs, sliding down the remainder of her costume. His eyes grew wide at the beauty of her naked body, her graceful curves, her olive skin, her muscular form. He was awed by her and that made her heart swell as only he could do.

Wally climbed onto the bed beside her and she rolled over to meet him. Their lips met once again as their tongues sought out and explored the others. Wally's hand drifted from her the back of her thighs all the way up to her shoulders and back down again, worshipping every inch of her beautiful body. Her hands slid down his sides, avoiding his wounds, lightly caressing around his waist before she reached for his zipper and in excruciatingly slow manner, unzipped his pants removing his boxers, freeing his hardness. Wally groaned in rapture as her hand touched him, every movement producing a loader moan, a harder tremor running through him. Wally pulled her on top of him, dislodging her hands from him. She winced slightly and Wally reacted fearfully before she denied the pain, smiled and sat upright.

He glanced at her naked body and closed his eyes in reverence. She smiled at his respect admiring the runners build she used to spend hours kissing and examining, never tiring of the sleekness of his form.

She took his hands and guided them to her breasts, cupping them, giving them permission to explore. He was mesmerized by her feel, and grew bolder with ever cry, every whimper that escaped her lips. They were two soul mates rediscovering each other.

The release, the cries she denied herself when she was with someone or alone finally escaped her lips, her mind allowing her body to express the pleasure that flowed through her She opened herself once again to the only person she could ever be this nakedly open with. His heart raced when suddenly a nervousness washed over his eyes. They were so close to making love, something in her wildest dreams and desires she thought would ever happen again, that's when she realized the concern she read on his face.

He was a virgin…again.

She bent down and kissed his lips firmly and whispered, "I need you to trust me ok?"

"Ok," he whispered back more at ease.

Artemis reached behind her and guided him inside. Instantly it was euphoria, indescribable, a powerful bond that connected them like never before. The sensation were amazing, every nerve in their bodies coming to life. One partner would moan followed by another louder than the one before. For someone who couldn't remember this act, the speedster was doing just fine. After a few minutes his breathing became more erratic and she could feel a familiar tingling through her body, the sensation of an uncontrollable vibration that she missed so much.

His moans grew louder and finally he couldn't hold out any longer and reached his peak

"Artemis!" he cried and his climax triggered hers, and she screamed his name along with a few other colorful adjectives. The archer fell back down beside him, lips once again meeting. They both were bone-weary, but so alive at the same time, each soul captured by the other.

After a few minutes Wally grew bold and rested Artemis on her back, carefully straddling her as the archer's body welcomed him and the dance began again. A half hour later two exhausted sweat soaked bodies melted into one another and drifted to sleep wrapped in the other's arms, unsure what tomorrow may bring, but unwilling to care. They were together, that's all that mattered.