A/N: Sorry this is not Evolution of Soul Mates! I'm working on it, I swear! But until I get this plot bunny out of my mind, I can't focus on anything else. That being said, this chapter was REALLY HARD. The first chapter was so easy for me to write because I knew exactly where I was going and what I wanted to accomplish. With this chapter, I had no idea. The first half is Artemis' POV and the second half is Wally's. No idea why I decided to do that. Anyway, please review!

Characters: Wally West, Artemis Crock, Barry Allen

Genre: Romance, Drama, Family

Words: 2, 561

Summary: When Wally and Artemis graduated high school, they both left the Team to pursue their college careers. Three years later, events occur that require them to don their superhero uniforms again. Set a couple weeks after Happy New Year. SPITFIRE! 3

Flash Forward - Chapter 2

She could tell that he wasn't sleeping. His arms around her were a little too tight and his breathing too uneven. Ever since Barry had dropped that bomb on them all at dinner, Wally hadn't stopped thinking. Despite the silence in the apartment, she almost thought she could hear his stream of consciousness.

Somehow they had gotten through dinner and had ended up back at Wally's apartment where he had immediately grabbed hold of her and steered her into the bedroom. Despite his earlier, lewd behavior, their lovemaking was slow and gentle, and he had made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. The way he had kept his eyes on her the entire time, it was like he was afraid she would disappear out from underneath him. She had held his gaze, eager to know what thoughts were swirling around in his bright green eyes. His intensity should have scared her, but all she could do was revel in his warmth and the passion of his embrace. She'd never thought she'd ever be able to have something like this when she was younger, and she'd be damned if she was going to let anyone take that away from her.

He was still pretending like they were both asleep, so she snuggled closer into his chest and pressed little kisses to his bare skin. He sighed gratefully and shifted to accommodate her.

"What's going on in that brilliant mind of yours, Baywatch?" she asked, her voice soft and hoarse with exhaustion.

He was silent for a moment before he blurted out the question that was on both of their minds. "What am I going to do?"

The question hung in the air between them for a few seconds before Artemis ventured to return his question with one of her own. "What do you want to do?"

"It's not just about me—" Wally started to protest.

"Yes, it is," she interrupted, propping herself up on his chest so that she could look at him. She should have remembered Wally's tendency to make himself a martyr. "Forget what Barry wants, forget the League, forget the Team, forget everyone. What do you want, Wally?"

"I don't know what I want, that's just it!" he groaned, jamming his head back into his pillow in frustration. "Every since I was 12 years old, I've essentially been training for the day Uncle Barry would step down as Flash. Everyone expects me to follow in his footsteps—"

"Wally—"

"No, let me get this out," Wally told her, but not in a sharp tone, more like he was pleading with her. "Everyone has always expected me to become the Flash one day and, to be honest, there was never a doubt in my mind that I would take up Uncle Barry's mantle when the time came, just like he did from Jay. At least, there was never any doubt before we left the Team."

"Barry never said a word to you tonight about taking over for him," she pointed out. "You know he isn't pushing you into becoming the Flash."

"And I know he never would," Wally said. He expelled a deep breath. "But I saw it there tonight, in his eyes; the hope that I would pick up where he left off. He wants me to become the Flash, I just know it."

Artemis laid her head back down against his chest, trying to keep control of her own emotions. If Wally joined the League, their lives would be very different. The thought made her at once nervous and excited. "What would you do about school?" she asked.

"Shit, school," Wally muttered, covering his face with his hands. "I don't know. I guess I would have to drop out."

"Wally, no," Artemis immediately protested. She sat up in bed, tucking the sheets around her. "You love school. What about your degrees?"

"I'll have to put them off."

"Why does this have to be any different from when we were in high school? Why can't you do both?"

"Be a full time League member with a full course load?" Wally asked skeptically, dropping his hands to peer up at her. "You think I would be able to do it?"

"It would be hard, but I know how stubborn you are. I think you can do anything you set your mind to."

He sighed and pulled her back into his arms, resting his head in the comfortable spot between her breasts. "You're amazing," he said, his voice muffled by the sheets.

"I know," she replied, running her fingers through his hair.

They were silent for a while, just listening to the other breath. Artemis could still feel Wally thinking, could almost literally hear the cogs whirling in his brain.

"Tell me what to do," he finally whispered.

"I can't," she said softly. "The only person who can make this decision is you, Wally."

He groaned pitifully and nuzzled further into her chest. When they were finished having this serious conversation she would really bust his balls for copping a feel like this. "Do you miss it?" he asked after a moment.

"Do you?" she countered.

He paused. "Yeah, I miss it," he admitted. "I miss helping people, I miss being a part of something that matters. And yeah, I miss being in the spotlight and the glory and all that, but more than that, I miss everyone. Dick, M'gann, Zee, hell even Wolf."

"I miss them, too," Artemis said. She thought of Conner and Raquel, and with an ache remembered Kaldur, the way he used to be before he…No, she didn't want to think of her friend and what he was doing with his life now. It was too painful.

"What would it mean for us if I joined back up?" Wally asked hesitantly.

His question hit her like a ton of bricks, and she nudged him back so she could look at his face. "What do you mean?"

"Calm down, beautiful," he said, curling a wayward strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I just, we'll hardly have time to see each other, and well, you matter more to me than practically anything else in the world. I don't want anything to—" he was rambling at this point, and while everything he was saying was sweet and made her heart swell, it was unnecessary.

She pressed a finger to his lips, stopping him from going any further. Slowly she moved her hands to cup the back of his head, and brought his lips to hers. As their lips moved against each other's, she tried to make him understand that she felt the same way. That he didn't have to explain it to her. She caressed his cheeks before pulling away. "We'll make it work," she told him, plans already forming in her head. "Besides, you don't have to make any decisions tonight. Take a few days and think it over."

Wally sighed. "You're right."

"Of course I am," she said, pulling him back down on to the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed contentedly. "Now, can we please go to sleep? I'm not dealing with your cranky text messages tomorrow."

"You love my cranky text messages, don't lie," Wally joked, and she could feel his body releasing all of the tensions he'd been holding in.

"Keep telling yourself that," she retorted. She snuck a quick kiss from him before settling in.

"I love you, beautiful," he whispered, and she felt the vibrations of his words against her face just as surely as she felt them down to her heart.

"I love you, too," she murmured. "Everything's going to work out just fine. You'll see."

The next few days were pretty rough on Wally, even after Artemis' pep talk. He didn't know what he would do without her. She really was his rock. Still though, the decision he had to make was weighing heavily on his mind, making focusing on his classes all the harder. He knew that going back would be different than the way things had been before. He wouldn't be hanging out at the Cave with Dick, Artemis and everyone like they used to. Dick, or Nightwing now, had chosen to stay and lead a team of younger kids; all of whom Wally had heard were very promising. M'gann and Conner too had stayed and seemed to be getting along amicably despite their breakup, according to Dick at least. As the Flash though, he would be one of the core members of the Justice League. It was a huge responsibility, one Wally wasn't 100% sure he was ready for.

Two days after the dinner at his parents', Wally decided to bite the bullet and talk to his uncle about his decision. When Wally had called him, Barry hadn't sounded surprised to hear from him. He had suggested a diner in the downtown area of Central City to meet at. It was a place that the two of them had frequented after patrols when they were partners, and when Wally stepped inside, the memories of many late night celebratory meals swept over him.

Barry waved to him from their usual both, and Wally headed over, mentally preparing himself for the conversation to come.

"Wally," he uncle greeted, standing and pulling him into a back slapping hug. "I'm glad you called."

"Hey, Uncle Barry," Wally said, returning the hug before sliding into the booth. "Thanks for coming down."

"Anytime, kid, anytime," Barry responded. They both looked at each other not knowing where to start, when luckily the waitress came over to take their order.

"Wally, would you like to do the honors?"

"Oh no, age before beauty," Wally insisted, winking at the waitress who looked to be about his age.

"All right," Barry said, scanning the menu. "I'll have four deluxe bacon cheeseburgers. Those come with fries right? Great. Also, an order of Belgian waffles with strawberries and whip cream, 4 eggs cooked over easy, and a side of bacon. Oh, and a chocolate milkshake, please."

The waitress looked at him wide-eyed before turning to Wally whose eyes were still speeding over the menu. "Hmm, breakfast and lunch for dinner," he mused. "You know what? That sounds good. Make that two, please? Thanks," he said, handing the waitress his menu.

The waitress trotted off and suddenly there was a standoff at the table. Then, finally;

"Uncle Barry—"

"Look, Wally—"

They had both started at the same time and broke off, laughing nervously. Wally knew he needed to pull himself together. This was Barry. If he couldn't talk to him, who could he talk to? His uncle gestured for him to continue.

"I just wanted to say congratulations," Wally started. "In all the, uh, excitement the other night, I don't think I told either you or Aunt Iris how happy I am for you guys."

"Thank, Wally. That means a lot to both of us." Barry paused for a moment, and Wally steeled himself for the real reason of tonight's get together. "I'm sorry I sprung that on you the other night, kid. I should have told you about my decision first before I announced it to everyone. I'm such an idiot."

Barry sighed and put his head in his hands, and Wally immediately felt guilty for not even thinking about how the man must have been feeling through this whole thing. "No, you're not," Wally protested. "It was just a shock."

"So, you don't think I'm throwing in the towel too early?" Barry asked him.

"What? No! Of course not," Wally hurried to assure him. It was amazing to him that Barry would even have the thought in his head that Wally was in someway disappointed in him. It was unfathomable. "There's no way I can begrudge you and Aunt Iris for wanting to finally start a family. You two are going to be great parents."

"I hope so," Barry said, staring out into space, no doubt imagining his future child. He came back to himself after a moment. "Anyway, Wally, I just want you to know, I want to make to clear; just because I'm hanging up the uniform, doesn't mean that you have to pick it back up."

Even though he had heard the words come out of Barry's mouth, he still didn't believe it. "But it's what everyone expects of me, right?"

"I won't lie to you, kid," Barry said. "I'm under strict orders from Batman to tell you that you're expected to report to the Watchtower in two days for duty."

"The goddamn Batman," Wally muttered darkly.

"But Wally, none of that matters," Barry continued as though Wally hadn't said anything. "It's up to you what you want to do. You have no idea how proud of you I've been these last few years."

"Proud of me?" Wally asked skeptically. "For what? Sitting on my butt and doing nothing?"

"Do you call pursuing dual degrees in Chemistry and Biology nothing?" his uncle scolded. "Because I sure as hell don't. "You're practically a science prodigy Wally. You have such great potential."

"I learned everything from you," Wally whispered, looking down at the table. "Everything. And I'll never be as smart or as fast as you are, Uncle Barry."

"Is that what you're worried about?" Barry asked him, startled. "Living up to my Legacy? Kid, you've done just as many great things, saved just as many people, and run just as fast as I have. Come on, who are you, and what have you done with Wally West?"

Wally fisted his fingers in his hair, about ready to pull the ginger strands out of his head. "Ugh, I don't know! I just, I thought that what I wanted was to finish school and get my degrees, but…becoming The Flash," he lowered his voice a tad, "has always been my dream, before I even got my powers, before I even knew you were him. How do I choose one thing over the other, Uncle Barry? Artemis seems to think I'd be able to do both, but I don't know."

"Artemis is a smart girl," Barry said, grinning. "I'm inclined to agree with her. If anyone could do both, it would be you, kid."

They were silent for a few moments as Wally let his mentor's words sink in. Their waitress had come and delivered their food by the time he spoke again, his cheeseburgers sitting untouched.

"Do you think I'm…ready for the League, though?" he asked timidly. "I'm so out of practice, what if I—"

Barry interrupted him, brandishing a fry at his face. "Do you still want to help people, Wally?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

"Do you still believe in fighting the good fight?"

"Yes."

"Do you still stand for truth and justice?"

"Yes!"

"Do you still want your chocolate shake? I'm kind of thirsty…"

"Seriously, Uncle Barry?" Wally asked incredulously, but the speedster just smiled.

"About the shake? Nah, I'm just kidding," Barry told him. He looked at Wally more seriously though as he continued. "But, Wally, your answers to those questions just proved to me that, if you wanted to take up the responsibility, you would be more than ready for the League. I think the only question you should be asking yourself is; will the League be ready for you?"

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: So I was really blown away by the response to this story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited and put it on story alert! You guys are the best! I'm still not really sure where this is going because I don't really have time to do a long, plot driven multi-chapter story. So I think it's safe to say that this will only have one or two more chapters.

Anyway, please review! Your reviews are my source of motivation so if you want another chapter soon you should definitely review! Thanks all! XD