A/N: Thank you everyone for the great reviews. I'm still clinging to the idea that there might be a third season. I really hope people listen to us. We are an awesome fandom and we will be heard. Chapter 16, here we go!
Disclaimer: Young Justice unfortunately does not belong to me...it's very unfortunate.
They Aren't Just Words
They met out on the deck after the celebrations had ended. Dinah and Oliver had disappeared to celebrate on their own. Artemis did not want to know what they were doing. Her other friends had all gone off to do their own thing, deciding to not meet up for the night, leaving it just her and the Wallman.
"Hey." She said, taking a seat besides him. The two of them sat in their chairs, staring out at the night sky in front of them. Artemis looked up, and quickly located her constellations. She looked over and saw Wally doing the same. "What are you doing?"
"I'm locating your silly constellations. I...I've done it a lot after that first time we talked. It reminds me of you." Wally says.
"Um...stars? Me?"
"Yeah. Everything out there is a mystery and I would love to learn more, like you." Wally tells her.
"Oh, that's...sweet." Artemis settles on.
"Look, I'm sorry what I said. I shouldn't have made that Cameron comment, it was mean. And I was over reacting about the other guy. I just..." Wally trails off for a moment. "Remember when we were walking back from the park after the confrontation with Cameron?"
"Yes, what does that have to do with anything?" Artemis asks her.
"Well when we were all walking back from the park, before you found out about Roy, you were really distracted and sad and I didn't like seeing you like that. When I saw you with that guy yesterday, I got scared that he was going to hurt you and you would be like that again. I would have done anything in that moment to keep you from getting hurt." Wally tells her, being completely honest with her. "I will do anything to help somebody, especially if they are a friend. It's probably going to be my ultimate downfall, but it's worth it."
Artemis wanted to cry. Why did he have to be like that? Why couldn't he be a jerk like she first thought? It would make everything easier. Why did she have to make friends, it was just going to make everything hurt so much more when it will come to an end, and it will. Everything eventually comes to an end in her life.
Artemis got up and sat down in the seat with Wally. It was just barely big enough for the two of them. She wrapped her arms around Wally hugging him.
"That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Artemis says softly, hugging him close, breathing in his smell.
"I simply said the truth." He responds, wrapping his arms around Artemis. They sat quietly like that for a long time, neither wanting to end the moment.
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"I see you and West made up." Conner comments when she walks over to stand next to him in the towel stand.
"What makes you think that?" Artemis asks him.
"He had the look on his face that he gets whenever you're around or he's thinking of you." Conner simply replies. "You two should just start dating already."
"And when did you become the relationship expert?" Artemis asks. He shrugs.
"I just don't make it complicated, just calling it as I see it." Conner tells her, with a sly grin. Two kids approached asking for smoothies. Conner and Artemis went right to work after that. They laughed and teased each other in between customers, neither of them mentioning the budding relationship between her and the Wallman.
I can't believe we are already preparing for our last stop of this trip!" Megan proclaims. The eight of them were all sitting in a circle of sorts out on the deck that night.
"Plus, I can take these stupid bandages off tomorrow." Artemis says excitedly.
"I guess tomorrow will be a good day." Kaldur says, his fingers laced with Raquel, the two of them sharing a lounge chair. They said it was because there was enough, but their friends weren't stupid. Dick was the one to notice the hand holding though.
"So, Raquel, Kal, you guys a couple yet or what?" Dick asks.
"What?" Raquel splutters out. "What are you talking about Dick?"
"Oh come on Raquel, you guys call me boy wonder for a reason. I can see the two of you holding hands."
Everyone turned to stare at the interlocked hands just as they pulled them apart, both of them flushing as red as the sunset they had seen earlier.
"You guys don't need to be ashamed, we're all friends here." Megan says, cheerfully.
"We haven't made anything...official yet or anything." Kaldur stumbles out lamely.
"Do it now." Wally insists.
"What?" Raquel asks. Wally gives sighs.
"You two are both so..." He trails off, choosing not to finish that sentence. "Okay, Kaldur do you want Raquel as your girlfriend?"
"Yes, but Wally where are you..." Wally cuts him off.
"Raquel do you want Kaldur as your boyfriend?" Wally asks her.
"Yeah, but Wally..." He cuts her off as well.
"Well, then by the power invested in me by myself, I now pronounce the two of you a couple. You may now kiss your girlfriend." Everyone stares blankly at Wally.
"Baywatch, they're not getting married or anything." Artemis tells him.
"Hey, I was just saying the first thing that came to mind." Wally states, turning to the two of them. "So Kaldur, you going to kiss her or what?"
Raquel looks like she is about to say something to Wally, but is quickly cut off by Kaldur's lips on her own. She looks surprised at first, but quickly she wraps her arms around his neck.
"Told you." Wally says elbowing Artemis.
"Told me what?" Artemis asks.
"My plan worked."
"I thought you just made that up on the spot?"
"That's what I wanted you to think." Wally tells her. Artemis face palms and just shakes her head.
"You're impossible Kid Idiot." Artemis proclaims. Wally gives her a sly grin. Dick looks over at the still kissing couple.
"They are so feeling the aster." Dick announces.
"At least someone is." Zatanna mutters, still annoyed at Dick. He looked over at her, confused. "I'm going to go see if my dad needs any help setting up for his next show."
Zatanna gets up and walks away, leaving a confused Dick in her wake. Kaldur and Raquel pull apart.
"What was that about?" Dick asks.
"For a boy wonder, you sure are dense sometimes." Raquel tells him. Kaldur smiles at her, taking her hand in his again.
"What do you mean?" Dick asks.
"Dick, Zatanna is mad at you." Artemis starts.
"What for?"
"Okay, even I'm not this dense." Conner proclaims. Megan gives him a look, and he stops talking before he could say anything else.
"You'll just have to ask her yourself." Megan tells him. He sighs.
"Come on guys!"
"No whining." Artemis insists. He crosses his arms across his chest and stares darkly at his friends.
"You guys suck."
"You love us anyway." Raquel informs him.
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"Nice to see you out of that archery range Red." Roy spins around when he hears Jade's voice. He was leaning against the railing at the bow of the boat, staring out to the sea in front of them. "Fresh air is a good thing."
"Chesh, I live on a boat. I get plenty of fresh air." Roy says to the darkness, waiting for her to come out. Sure enough, Jade appears, almost like she came out of thin air. "It almost sounded like you were concerned for me for a second."
"Eh, you've grown on me Red." Jade says, walking up besides him. "Got to say, I'm going to miss you a little bit when this is all over."
"Only a little?" Roy says grinning. Jade gives him a sly look. "So what's in Puerto Rico anyway? That is where you are going right? Cause, it's the last stop."
"If I told you, I would have to kill you." Jade says. Roy just smiles.
"It'll be a bit lonely without you here."
"You'll be fine Red."
"Oh, I know I will." Jade rolls her eyes. The two of them both fall silent for a few moments.
"How did you get so good at hiding? Nobody but me has noticed you, and I'm beginning to think that I only know you are here because you want me to."
"I had a lot of practice." Jade says weirdly. Roy realized that she sounded weird because she sounded sad when she said it.
"I'm guessing you don't want to talk about it?"
"No. There's no point, the past is the past."
"You know what they say, the past is the window to the future." Jade grins at that.
"They got that right." Jade says, sadness in her voice again. They are quiet again for a few moments. Waves splashed against the side of the boat, somewhere in the dark, people were laughing and a baby was crying. There was a light on up above in the Watchtower and in the dining room, but where they were, it was dark. And quiet.
"I'm never going to see you again after this am I?" Roy asks.
"Sorry Roy. You don't want to ever see me again." Jade tells him.
"And that is your decision to make?"
"It's what has to happen."
"Nothing has to happen."
"This does." Jade says softly. She looked over at him, and she wouldn't be honest with herself if she didn't admit that she liked him. He was one of the few people that could keep up with her. But if he only knew, he would hate her.
"I'm sorry." She whispers and runs away into the darkness.
"Jade!" Roy calls out after her, coming after her. She presses herself up close to the side of a crate. Roy runs right past her. She sits down on the ground and stares at the whiteness of the wall in front of her.
This was how Artemis felt. Jade didn't know how she did it and for the first time ever, she felt weak compared to her sister. Somehow her sister managed to have all those friends despite knowing that they would probably hate her if they knew the truth, if they knew who they really were. Jade had watched her sister interact with her friends. She appeared to not have a care in the world. She looked like the daughter of a billionaire hanging out with her friends.
Jade didn't know how she did it, but she wished she did. For the first time ever, she didn't want to be a theft. She just wanted to be Jade. Jade who could flirt with a cute guy and hangout with her sister without worries. Without wondering how it would affect the job at hand.
It could never happen though, because she is Jade Nguyen, daughter of Paula and Lawrence Crock, master thief who has a job. She can't worry about trivial, everyday matters. She pulled herself up off of the ground and then went off in search of a place to sleep.
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Artemis walked out of John's office, rolling her shoulders, happy to have them free of their constraints. They were still a bit stiff, but they were healed.
Wally was the first to greet her sans bandages. She walked onto the deck and over to where they were serving breakfast. Grabbing a plate and loading it up with food, she didn't noticed Wally look up from his plate of food, smiling. When she was done he called out to her.
"Hey harpy!" He shouts. A few passengers look at him in annoyance, he promptly ignores them. "Got an open seat over here."
Barry had been eating with him, but had had to run when Hal texted him about some emergency in the lab. Artemis rolls her eyes, but makes her way across the deck and takes a seat. She begins to eat the hash browns on her plate.
"How does it feel?"
"Pretty damn awesome." Artemis tells him.
"Good. I wouldn't want anything less." Artemis smiles at that.
"We got any plans today after work?" Artemis asks.
"Yep. We're playing truth or dare on the beach tonight after dinner." Wally tells her. "Megan already found the perfect spot."
"Of course she did. Is it from one of her handy dandy guidebooks?" Artemis asks, smiling good-naturedly.
"Do I even need to answer that?" Wally asks, the two of them laughing.
Neither of them noticed the girl standing off to the edge, looking at the two of them laughing with a sad expression.
"Good bye Artemis." She said quietly for only herself to hear before disappearing.
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"Okay, Raquel your turn?" Dick says.
"Alright, Artemis, truth or dare?" Raquel asks her. Artemis grins.
"Dare of course."
"Of course." Raquel says laughing. "I dare you to run into the nearest store and shout, "Everyone, I love to eat mosquitoes" and then run out."
"Weak." Dick says.
"Hey, it was the best I could come up with, we can't all be Dick Grayson." Raquel counters. Kaldur smiles besides her.
"That would not be good." He says, laughing. "Even one more Dick Grayson would be terrible."
"Hey!" Dick says.
"Let's just hope Jason turns out to be nothing like you." Wally says patting his friend on the shoulder. Zatanna was even smiling slightly.
"You going to accept my dare or what?" Raquel asks Artemis.
"Alright, alright, I'm going." She says standing up. "You guys can't come though because then they would get suspicious."
"How will we know you've done it though?" Dick asks.
"Do I ever not do a dare?"
"Well...no." Dick says.
"Alright then, I'll be back." Artemis tells her friends, taking off for the nearest store. She runs off of the beach and towards the town. Right outside the town, she runs smack into another person, sending herself flying into the ground. In the distance, she could hear other footsteps running this way. Artemis turned to face the other person on the ground besides her. The mask was askew, and Artemis was shocked to see who the person was.
"Jade?"
A/N: I hope you guys liked it. Review and tell me your thoughts. Seventeen will be up...eventually. I'm really busy the next few days, but I'll try getting up as quickly as possible. Also check out my new Young Justice Story, the Life Waiting for You. Bye!