A/N: Sorry once again for the wait everyone! I really wanted to get this out sooner but I've been so busy with real world stuff along with other little projects here and there! Thank you everyone for reviewing! This story has reached over 300 reviews and that is just MINDBLOWING! I read each and every single one and wish I had time to reply to them all! I hope this chapter was worth the wait. It's called Insecurity, which is fitting since it's set during Insecurity, but also because I think that during the first season, Wally is Artemis' insecurity. I don't know if that makes sense, but anyway, on with the chapter!

Set during before and during Insecurity.

DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, none of these characters belong to me. If Wally West belonged to me, I would be the only one allowed to play with him ;-) Any dialogue or plot that looks familiar belongs to DC and Greg Weisman and other people who are not me.

Summary: This is the story of Artemis and Wally and their evolution from teammates, to friends, to boyfriend and girlfriend, to husband and wife, to soul mates and everything and anything in between. Please review! XD

The EVOLUTION of SOUL MATES

Evolution: the gradual development of something, esp. from a simple to a more complex form.

Chapter 15: Insecurity

It's the little things about Wally that make her like him. On paper he's a cocky, flirtatious, loud mouth, but he's so much more than that, and she's just beginning to see it.

It's the way his whole face lights up when he talks about anything to do with science. He geeks out over a piece of chemistry homework she brings to the Cave one day, and they somehow end up working on it together. Not that she really needs help or anything, but he knows way more than Artemis would ever dream of knowing about amino acid structures, and she has to admit; it's kind of impressive. In the midst of their little study session, he regales her with stories of the summer his parents sent him to science camp at Stanford University when he was 10, and he even confides in her that he still thinks about going to Stanford for school.

"If, you know, the whole superhero thing doesn't work out," he says self-consciously, running a hand through his hair.

"I think it sounds like a great idea," she tells him.

She likes when he confides in her.

It's the way he pretends to whine when Black Canary pairs them up to be sparring partners. He says he hates getting his butt kicked by her, not even because she's a girl (he's equal opportunity like that, which is another thing she likes about him), just because it's her, but she knows better. She thinks he secretly enjoys when they get partnered together. He always has something extra witty to say to her. She wonders if he purposefully tries to get her to lose her composure. When she spars, she likes to remain focused and in control, but no one can make her crack a smile like Wally can, even when she's kicking his butt.

"You know, if I was allowed to use my powers, you would be flat on the floor right now," he grunts out, only just ducking a punch she throws to his head.

"Keep telling yourself that," she retorts, throwing a quick succession of hits in his direction. He blocks them, but ends up stumbling over his feet as he moves backwards. He's surprisingly clumsy without his superspeed. She hurries to turn him over, pulling his arm backwards, and jutting her knee into his back.

"I think you're enjoying this a bit too much!" he yelps, struggling in her grasp.

She grins. "You know it."

It's the way he sheepishly asks if her and her mom have any plans for Thanksgiving, and if they don't, would they like to come over to the Wests? She's taken aback and gaps at him speechlessly for about 5 seconds before he loses his nerve, face flushing with embarrassment.

"N-nevermind, it was, it was just a thought," he stutters out, turning away from her, trying to make a quick getaway.

Before she knows what she's doing, she grabs his hand in hers and explains with a blush on her cheeks that Ollie had already invited them to spend the holiday with him and Dinah, but it was sweet of him to think of them. She squeezes his hand in gratitude and he returns the gesture, mouth opening, ready to say something, but she never gets to hear it because Conner walks into the room and they both instantly retract their hands.

It's the way he always finds some reason to touch her, be it helping her up when she's knocked down or giving her a high five for bringing a batch of brownies she'd made in Home Ec. by the Cave. He always finds some way to touch her, and it makes her feel special, because, where hers towards him usually come in the form of elbows to the gut or slaps to the head, his touches are gentle and protective. It simultaneously scares her to death and gives her butterflies in her stomach.

The first snowfall of the year, well, natural snowfall anyway, the Team decides to venture outside of the Cave for a good old-fashioned snowball fight. After the girls beat the pants off of the boys, Artemis finds Wally lying on the ground moving his arms and legs back and forth across the snow.

"What're you doing?" she asks, standing above him.

"Making a snow angel!" he replies, voice brimming with childlike excitement. He scrambles up to look at his work. "What do you think?"

She scrutinizes the imprint he's left in the snow. "It's alright, I guess," she says, shrugging. "I've never made one before, so I'm not judge."

"What?" Wally exclaims as if she's just said something scandalous. "You've never made a snow angel before?"

She shakes her head, feeling self-conscious about her lack of a childhood. She's always loved snow, but she had never really been allowed to play in it.

Wally grabs her gloved hand in his. "Well, we're going to change that today," he vows before dragging her to a fresh spot and schooling her in the finer points of snow angel making.

Later, as they stand over her perfect snow angel he compliments her technique.

"I had a good teacher," she remarks, turning to him.

He beams in response before bursting into laughter. "You've got snow all over you," he tells her beginning to brush it off her shoulders and then her hair.

Their eyes seem drawn towards each other magically as Wally smooths away a few flakes from her hair and cheeks. Her heart hammers loudly in her eyes at how close they are. She can feel Wally's warm breath against her frigid cheeks.

"You know, it's said that no two snowflakes are ever exactly the same," he recites, swallowing harshly.

"I've read that somewhere," she replies faintly, watching him draw nearer and nearer. She might even be moving closer as well. The moment is finally here, what she's been waiting so patiently for...

And then the moment is broken by a cold snowball to Wally's face, the ice particles bouncing onto her as well. Robin's signature cackle a few yards away alerts them to who the culprit is.

She hates the interruption, but laughs at the way Wally immediately objects. "Dude!"

It's the way only Wally seems to notice how upset she is when Ollie announces that Roy's finally joined the Team. She doesn't miss the concerned look he gives her right after she makes the remark about the Team needing a real archer. She feels threatened, alright? She's only finally become sure of her spot on the Team, after months of overcoming the feeling like she doesn't belong, only to have to face her mother's confession and now the return of Roy, who was the archer they'd all wanted on the Team to begin with. And then to find out that the mission the boys are going on concerns her father? It's too much for her to take, so she rashly decides to interject herself into the mission, not even knowing what she's set out to accomplish. Is she trying to stop Sportsmaster from whatever he's up to or is she trying to make sure her father doesn't reveal anything she's tried so hard to keep from everyone.

She's freaking out as she pilots the bioship to New Orleans, but she must look more pissed off than anything because that's when Wally lays it on her. She'll never forget his words that night or what they mean to her. He calls her a real archer, like he's been dwelling on her words ever since they came out of her mouth. His rambling and generally fidgeting behavior as he tries to explain himself normally would have made her amused, but she remains cold as ice until he says the words that melt her heart.

"But you," he says, sincerity practically oozing from his every pore, his green eyes boring into hers. She hopes the skies are clear, because she's certainly not paying attention to anything other than him right now. "You've made your own place on the Team. You have nothing to prove. Not to me. Okay?"

It's the way that he surprises her with his words. Because, no one's ever said that to her before, that she didn't have to prove herself. She feels like she's spent her whole life trying to prove herself to someone: her father, her sister, Batman, Green Arrow, the Team; Wally specifically. For the first few weeks, he was like her insecurity made into human form, and it's amazing hearing these words coming from his mouth knowing that he means them; if the way he's looking at her is anything to go by, he means them with all of his heart. She closes her eyes against the huge wave of emotions welling up in her, the great relief. When she opens them, he's still looking at her expectantly.

"Okay," she concedes, and just to reassure him that maybe he shouldn't let his brain stop him from saying the things he really wants to, she calls back to him as he's turning away from her. He looks at her questioningly. "It sounded fine out loud."

She likes when he drops the obnoxious speedster act and just allows himself to be real with her.

It's the way he's protective of her on the mission that night. Helping her fend off Cheshire without making her feel like a helpless female. They make a good team. Cheshire disappears and his fingers are grasping her shoulders, sending shivers up her spine and leaving her momentarily paralysed, but he's off in a instant as soon as he spies Red and Aqualad. She's more nervous than ever that they're going to find out about her father and sister, and doesn't hesitate to fire a decoy tracker arrow onto the passing train. She hates the deception, but what's done is done.

It's the way Wally stands up for her against Red Arrow, first in New Orleans, and than back at the Cave when they arrive back after the horrible mission. She doesn't deserve it, but she's grateful nonetheless. It's almost miraculous when she thinks about how much has changed between them since their first meeting. If it had been only a few short months ago, he most likely would have been on Roy's side rather than staring him down.

"You know, I'm getting pretty tired of you dumping on her," Wally says, placing himself between her and Red. It's that protective thing again, but it's all for nothing. Roy reveals what part she's played in the failure of the mission, and then it's Artemis who's suddenly staring down an irate speedster, his green eyes filled with disbelief and disappointment. That latter emotion might be the one that kills her the most.

"Artemis?" When it comes clear she has nothing to say, his expression grows hard. "Are you that freaked out about Red joining the Team you had to prove yourself by bringing down the bad guys solo? Pleasetell me I'm wrong."

It's the way Wally doesn't assume the worst about her. The way he's angry with her not because she was purposefully leading them away from their targets, but because he thought his words to her on the bioship had been meaningless. Nothing could be further from the truth, but she can't say anything, can't even defend herself. If she tries to tell him that it wasn't because she was trying to ensure her spot on the Team, what other reason could she give? He hasn't accused her of being the mole, not like she suspects Red Arrow is close to doing, but if she tells him the truth, tells them all the truth, how will they ever believe her when she renounces her family? She'll never be able to stand the looks of hatred in their eyes so, even though she's dying to say something, even opens her mouth to refute his claims, she falls back, eyes planted on the ground.

"Well, nice going," he says, the harsh sarcasm in his voice making her physically cringe. She can't even meet his eyes right now. "What you proved is that you're insecure and selfish."

His words coupled with the tossing of Jade's sai at her feet make her feel oddly hollow inside, but she doesn't allow her expression to betray her. She hasn't felt like this since the very first days of her joining the Team. Everyone scatters as if she's become a pariah, and it makes her want to curl up in a ball and cry, but that will have to wait until she's home. Red Arrow's warning to her barely register for her because Wally's voice is echoing around in her head.

You're insecure and selfish. Insecure and selfish. Insecure.

She can't help but think that he has a way with words.

A/N: I try to mix it up with different tenses between chapters, so this might have been a little weird, but I hope you enjoyed the different snippets of their relationship! Please review and let me know what you think! :)