3.

"And I can tell, that you didn't had to face your mother, losing her lover without saying goodbye, without saying goodbye, 'cause she didn't had time"

- Soko "We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow"

Wally wasn't sure how he did it, but he managed to look back into the real world. Maybe it was his concentration and determination, or his desires to just see her one last time. Either way, the small window that screened his dimension from theirs was open, if only just a little bit blurry. But it was enough to quench his thirst of just knowing. And that was all he needed, to know she was okay. To know she wasn't broken and crying and grieving the death of her boyfriend.

To know she had moved on.

As much as it hurt to say this, Wally wanted Artemis to move on. She had enough problems and grievances in the past; she couldn't take adding one more. She'd be better off forgetting about him, all the memories shared, all the stolen kisses and late nights talking, cuddling and teasing one another.

And he remained resolute on his decision that he thought Artemis should move on.

Until he saw her again.

The air around her was crisp and warm, holding the false promise of happiness and hope. Dusk crept up on her like a cat stalking a mouse, silent. She was sitting on a couch, papers spread out on the coffee table in front of her haphazardly. Her hands were on her forehead, concealing the wrinkles formed from worry and stress. Her eyes stared down at the papers below her with a glower that could set the leaflets aflame.

Her back was arched in poor posture as she let out a weary sigh, looking over the numerous bills and paperwork laid out. Having to drop out of college to pay for the bills and mortgage, she had trouble getting by. Batman and the Team had offered to help her, but she had pushed them away as she had everyone else. She wasn't a pity case.

Suddenly there was a gust of wind and all the papers flew off the table and landed chaotically around the living room. Artemis groaned, moving her hands down to wipe her face in exhaustion.

"What'd I say about super speed in the house, Iris?" Artemis scolds lightly, facing the small speedster as she stopped abruptly in front of Artemis. Iris sighs and shuffles her foot in shame.

"Sorry mommy," Iris says, hanging her head in shame.

"It's okay, just help mom pick up her papers, these are really important," Artemis stresses and Iris nods. Instead of using her speed to pick up the papers, Iris slowly picks them up one at a time and hands them to a weary Artemis.

"I hope you haven't been using your powers in school, you remember what I said?"

"We can't have people know I'm special," Iris says, glancing up at Artemis with dark green eyes that never ceased to take her breath away.

Because in all actuality, Iris was the younger and female version of Wally. With her orange locks in pigtails, the splattering of freckles and the gray-green hue of her eyes, it made Artemis want to curl up and cry all over again. Because just looking at her own daughter made the guilt that festered in her heart like a sore suddenly spread everywhere, plaguing her with doubts and shame and feelings she thought she'd buried.

"Now any reason you came down in such a hurry?" Artemis asks, smiling slightly as she moved over on the couch so Iris could sit down beside her.

"Is Daddy ever coming back?" Iris asks and Artemis sucks in a breath like she'd been punched in the gut—and she knew the feeling.

However, she quickly recovered and put on a sympathetic face, turning her body so she was fully facing her daughter.

"Of course he is, why would you think he wouldn't come back?" Artemis reassures her, shielding the young child from her own doubts.

"Jai said he's never coming back," Iris states, and Artemis can see the tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she faced the truth that he may never see his children.

"Well Jai wouldn't know. I'll talk to him, but just know that daddy's coming home and that he loves you so much and he'd be so proud of you." Artemis says, kissing Iris on the forehead in a feeble attempt of assurance.

"When's he gonna be back? He's been gone an awfully long time" Iris says, batting her eyelashes slightly to get rid of the tears forming near her ducts.

Never. Artemis was tempted to say it, but she could never crush her daughter's fragile heart like that. But instead of voicing her real thoughts, she just muttered a vague "He'll be back as fast as he can" before sending her off to bed. Because she was too young to know what death was. Artemis knew he was never coming back. He was dead. Even though there was no dead body to prove it, she knew if he wanted to come back he wouldn't done it much sooner.

And even as she tucked Iris into bed beside her brother, kissing them both on the forehead before clicking off the light, she questioned her words and their truth. Because she was there when he disappeared. They both knew Wally was going to die, and she just had to accept it. But there was no body, no proof he was really gone. And a part of her believed that as long as there's no physical proof he's gone, she'd believe he's out there.

Somewhere.

But even as she slipped under the covers of the king sized bed, the absence of warmth on the right side made her shudder. Because if she closed her eyes tight enough and focused hard enough, she could almost feel his warm arms around her, burying his nose in her neck as they fell asleep to the sound of their breathing.

Because he wasn't dead, just lost. And she was his flashlight back.

"He's lost babe, alone. The guy just won't let anyone in."

Wally shudders as the screen once more subsides to darkness, bathing him in the luminescent rays of his bleached surroundings. Thoughts tumbled around in his mind like the whirlwind caused by him, Bart and Barry when fighting Neutron. He'd like to say that was only a few short months ago, but seeing the mature Artemis, he knew that those months had turned into years. Just thinking of how much had changed made his head hurt.

He—he had a daughter. No, he didn't just have a daughter, he had a son too. Artemis never told him she was pregnant, maybe she never knew. Either way they were there and he had left Artemis all alone to care for them. Just based on what he had witnessed, he noted that Artemis had most definitely moved from the Palo Alto apartment they shared, from lack of space or foul memories—he'd never know. But Artemis was struggling to get by, to care for two children while trying to pay for wherever they were living. Knowing Artemis, Wally knew that she had to be doing whatever she could to ensure they had a normal lifestyle, a luxury she never had.

And even though he had believed Artemis was better off without him, just seeing her so… miserable was enough to send him over the edge. Because Artemis needed him. She needed someone who could challenge her wits yet still be by her side by the end of the day. She was a loose piece of paper ready to get lost in the vicious winds, and he was the paperweight that kept her grounded. It was simple science really- they needed each other. It was a symbiotic relationship- they helped each other. And when one of them was lost, the other was the flashlight that led them back to the pathway.

And as he curled up in a self-loathing ball, he brainstormed all the ways he could get back to her. He was the science nerd, he'd figure out someway to get back. He had to.

"Soon babe, I promise."

A/N: New chapter. I was writing this story and I had a really good idea for a one-shot that I have now been dying to write. I'll try and post it here, but for now enjoy a new chapter!

Thanks for all the comments, it means so much to know you guys like my story.