Ch 25: Celebration
AN: Wow! Thank you guys for the asterous response to last chapter. You all are so supportive, It's really encouraging. We're almost done. Well, I'm almost done writing everything. I think. There's actually a lot of wrapping up to do. I'm pretty confident I might actually hit 100k.
Anyways, enough rambling. To celebrate YJ (season 1) being available on Netflix as of today, I present to you another chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
P.S. It did a rush job on the editing of this one, so please let me know if anything's off!
XxXxX
With Klarion's demise, the last of the magic encasing Wally's family dissolves. He's already moving, though, and sweeps Artemis up into his arms even before she can fall the few inches that are between her and the ground.
"I'm sorry, it's over, don't you ever do that again, we won, I love you," They're both saying, it and they're both thinking it and they both know it. Their cheeks are wet but their kisses are firm and it's too much, but it's also not enough, it will never be enough, not after everything.
At some point he finds himself embracing the others, too. As before the battle, he takes comfort in Diana's tender assurances, Clark's firm hugs, Dick's noogies, and a dozen others touches of love. This time, though, Artemis' hand is in his, and his family wants to be near him out of celebration, not fear. Someone – maybe even Wally himself – is laughing.
It's glorious.
Eventually, someone thinks to call up the Watchtower, and they get beamed back up to the satellite. Somehow, the League seems to know of their victory – dozens of heroes are waiting in the teleportation bay – and they're all cheering for the defeat of the Anomaly and successful rescue of Artemis. Wally is thinking about joining in when the medics swarm them. In heat of the battle, had had forgotten how much damage they had actually suffered. Of course, now that the adrenalin is wearing off, he is quite aware of the burns on his feet if the medic would please quite poking that, thank you. That's approximately when an I.V. gets shoved into his arm and the world starts spinning out.
Well that's just anti-climactic, Wally thinks, I don't even get to join in my own celebration.
Only the tittering in the back of his mind makes him realize that M'gann and J'onn aren't quite unconscious yet either.
XxXxX
Her dreams are pleasant that night. At least, Artemis thinks they are. It's hard to tell much in her (their?) drug-addled-and-still-half-melded mental state. Still, as she comes back to awareness (and with only a few aches; a truly pleasant surprise for which she owes this League's medical personnel) she distinctly remembers catching wisps of love and peace and family. Even now, she feels most whelmingly happy.
It's over. For good.
It's over, and they all made it out alive, and she has her Wally back… it's more than she could have ever dreamed for when they set out on this cursed mission. It's more, even, than she dared hope for as recently as the day before. This mood-whiplash – for once towards positive emotions – is almost too much for her.
"Good morning, Beautiful." It's unlike her, but Artemis can't help but giggle at her Love's voice. She's just realized that she might wake up to Wally's words every day from now on.
She cracks an eye open to see her boyfriend staring at her from the next bed. Her poor speedster is wrapped in more than a few bandages, but he's sitting up and seems plenty alert, all things considered. He certainly looks better off than some of the other heroes in the ward. Most of them seem to be covered in poultices and hooked up to various I.V.'s like Wally, but a few have needed more specialized attention, Artemis herself included.
The archer doesn't know exactly what might be wrong with her, but the bands clamped around her wrists and ankles are too reminiscent of Zatanna's charms to be anything but magical. It's likely they're to counter the effects of whatever Klarion's magic did to her.
Shayera's sprawled across three whole beds. Well, she's technically only on one of them. The other two seem to be supporting her wing and the makeshift cast that's been put on it. J'onn and M'gann seem to be the worst off. The Martians are barely visible beneath their cocoons of bandages and medical apparatuses. The machines by their beds are beeping steadily, though, and their chests are rising and falling at a reasonable rate. Give it a little time, and they'll be just fine. The bed in the corner is empty, though it's clear someonehad been using it recently. Artemis tries not to roll her eyes. Of course the Bat would skip out of medical.
As she finishes her examination, Wally clears his throat. She turns back to the ginger hero.
"I want you to know I'm still mad at you for that stunt you pulled in the desert." She doesn't know what to say to that. She knows it was cruel of her, but she can't be sorry. Not really. Not just because everything worked out, but also because she doesn't think she would choose differently if she could. Luckily, he continues before she's forced to respond.
"I mean, I guess I'm not really mad. I can't be mad at you after… anyways. I just… I need to be mature before everyone can wake up and see it." She smiles at his attempts at humor. That's her Baywatch, always trying to make light of everything. "Can we please promise to stop doing this to each other?"
The happiness races out of her as she contemplates how to respond. How can she agree to potentially live without this boy? Could she survive without his freckles and his appetite and his bad jokes? Without his kindness and support and love? Hasn't she lived without him for long enough? Hasn't she watched him die enough times?
Artemis looks over at her boyfriend. He's pleading – with his eyes, with his hands, and with his mouth – and her breath catches. How can she ask him to do what she cannot?
"Okay." She agrees quietly, and he half-smiles at her. She wants so much to see his real smile though. "Next time we do stupid, dangerous stuff, we agree that we'll do said stupid, dangerous stuff together."
He laughs – softly – at her effort and she joins in. It feels good to be the light-hearted one, for once. She slides as far over as she can on the bad, and reaches out her hand. He does the same. Their arms are just barely long enough for their fingers to entwine.
"Yes, Ma'am. I can agree to that."
XxXxX
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." Dick is bouncing with excitement. "Fastest man alive my foot."
"Keep your tights on, Circus Boy, he's almost cleared." Artemis chastises her overly excitable teammate. "It's not like getting back any sooner's going to help you anyways. Your siblings should all still be in school right now."
Dick waves her off. "Psh. Details, details. I'm named on their 'check-out' lists. Man, Timmy's gonna be so mad if I yank him from AP US history..."
"I'm sure your brothers will be happy to see you, regardless." Kaldur assures him.
"And we're happy to see them!" M'gann practically crows with excitement. Her feet hadn't touched the ground since the Medics finally started clearing them (reluctantly; apparently their magical injuries healed abnormal rates, and the doctors were curious to test if that was due to the chaotic nature of the magic or a result of Klarion's banishment) this afternoon.
"Mmm." Conner agrees. One could say that, for him, that's pretty excited.
Artemis, despite having just chastised Dick for being impatient, checks her watch. She didn't think they were going to be able to make it to the twin's party, but if they're able to leave soon, she and Wally might not even be that late…
Her musing is interrupted by their final team member and the Leaguers who have opted to accompany him down to the teleport bay.
Good byes are a bit of a mess. Artemis notices J'onn pass a box to M'gann. It's something really good one if the Martian's delighted squeal and subsequent hug are anything to judge by. Conner tries to say good-bye to this world's Superman, but a blonde Kryptonian girl keeps getting in the way by refusing to let go of him. Diana and Kaldur engage in what seems to be some sort of warrior's handshake. John and Dick have a brief conversation to the side, both look serious enough to make Artemis want to roll her eyes. Even Artemis discovers she will be missed; Shayera doesn't move to hug her, but the Thanagarian does brush Artemis' arm with her wing and says with a smile, "I trust you can my little brother in line."
Of course, everyone has to hug Wally.
Eventually, though, they've all said their goodbyes, and with last, morose looks, step back and allow the Team to position themselves on the teleportation platforms. All too quickly, they're in a cave in Happy Harbor, organizing themselves on the TD teleportation platform.
It's time to go home
XxXxX
"Recognize: B-Zero-Two: Aqualad, B-Zero-Five: Miss Martian, B-Zero-Four: Superboy, B-Zero-One: Nightwing."
Barbara, Zatanna and Garfield are the only ones that are near enough to hear the computer call out these particular designations, and all immediately drop whatever they were doing to head to the Watchtower's TD platform.
Gar barely waits for his sister to finish materializing when he rushes to hug her. "You're back! You're really back!"
"We are, Gar, and we're going to be here for a while." M'gann soothes the changeling, wiping tears from his eyes.
The two heroines have stayed back, take a minute to observe the four returning heroes. They exchange a worried glance and Zatanna works up the courage to ask, "Where's Artemis?"
Her fears are immediately alleviated. "Ah, right." Dick snap's his fingers with a grin. "I knew we were forgetting something." He leans over to Kaldur – the closest person to him – and snatches the TD remote from the Atlantean's hand. "Be right back!"
"Okay…" Barbara says as her childhood friend-and-maybe-more disappears again. "Anyone want to tell us what's going on?"
"You guys are smiling," Gar accuses now that he's stopped to look.
The dimension-hoppers share a mischievous look.
Kaldur answers their query, "Yes. We have some good news. We're going to ask that you all keep it to yourselves for a little while, though. He'd like to tell everyone for himself."
The computer chimes again before Kaldur can say anymore.
"Recognize: B-Zero-One: Nightwing, B-Zero-Seven: Tigress." The two begin to come into focus, much to the reassurance of the others. Then, the computer continues, "B-Zero-Three, Kid Flash."
"No. Way." Zatanna stares Dick down, daring him to contradict her.
He does. "Yes way."
That's approximately when the third person pulls off his bright red cowl to reveal equally bright red hair. "Hey guys!" a very-much-alive Wally West says, slinging an arm over a green-clad Artemis. "Miss me?"
XxXxX
Iris West-Allen knows she should be happier.
It's her children's birthday after all, a day for celebration. A day for their whole family to be together.
But that's sort of the problem.
The Garrick's had arrived first. Jay and Joan had come in bearing gifts that sent their grandchildren zipping around the room, showing off how they had, indeed, inherited the Flash legacy. Bart arrived with them, although judging by the mess in his wind-blown hair, he hadn't come from the same place. Still, he happily sat down on the living room floor and played jungle gym for his younger cousins/father and aunt. After Iris waved off Joan's attempts to help her get everything ready, the couple had sat softly on the couch to watch the children, simply enjoying their family's conversation.
Hal and John had both made arrangements to be here for their god-children (Apparently, they had just about died of shock when Guy volunteered to take the next shift on Oa for them. They're still looking for an ulterior motive behind the man's 'kind gesture.') and have been on the back porch arguing with Barry about the grill for a half hour now. She has complete faith in them. Really. Of course, that doesn't mean she doesn't have explicit orders for the pizza man to be here at five with a dozen extra-larges.
The twins insisted their best friend Lian be there, so that means Roy and Jade are too. Roy's willing to play princesses and ninjas with the girls, and Jade has long since stopped looking like she's going to kill someone, so even their presence is welcome. Jade falls into conversation with Mary, who is one of the last arrivals, and they speak as one 'housewife' to another. (Not one mother to another; not anymore.)
She doesn't flinch when she hears her brother's voice, calling Don his 'favorite nephew' as he steps out back with the rest of the boys. Barry does, though, because there was a time when he could say that about someone too.
Even Artemis called from whatever dimension she was in to say that she should be there at least in time for cake. The young woman even volunteered to pick up extra snacks on her way over.
Yes. Iris is a lucky woman to have so many good friends and family members around her today. Maybe, if she keeps thinking that, she'll stop feeling the hole in her family.
It's been years now. She knows she needs to move on. But still, she feels it, every time her husband and grandson step out the door with their costume on. Every time she watches her children use their powers and insist they'll be heroes one day too. Death and danger will always walk – no, run – in the shadow of her family. They do for every hero, but they are one of the only 'super-families' to have personally experienced it. (They're the only one to have experienced it twice).
She knows it's normal to be sad sometimes. She still sees the way Rudy's face shutters when he hears other parents brag about their children. She knows that Mary still refuses to get out of bed on what should have been her son's birthday. She watched Barry cry when they finally had to move Wally's things out of their spare room so Dawn and Don didn't have to share anymore.
But those are normal triggers. Anyone who had experienced what they have would feel sad at moments like that. No, the others grieve, but they still live their lives. She feels like she's the only one who still forgets, who still want to call up her favorite nephew, her pseudo-son, and ask him out to lunch, or to fix her computer, or to eat the left over cookies she just happened to make that morning.
The sound of a motorcycles pulling up outside jars Iris from her thoughts. She reminds herself to be happy, because she has all of her family here, and this is a celebration, and she's being ridiculous for missing a long-dead boy. Her assumption that the newcomer is Artemis is confirmed when the front door opens and she hears three cries of "Aunt Artemis!"
"Whoa! Who are these people? I know they're not the Terrible Trio, because they're way too big to be my nieces and nephew."
"Aunt Artemis, you're silly!" Lian calls out as the woman scoops all three into a hug. They protest when she lets go, but she quiets them with a, "You don't want me to leave your gifts in the doorway do you? Show me where to put them."
Iris watches her make rounds around the room, giving out hugs to the family she's been away from so long (because that girl is a Flash, and she will fight Ollie if he tries to say otherwise). Finally it's her turn to embrace the woman. "You look happy."
"Well… I met someone." Artemis admits with a grin. Iris can feel her eyebrows shoot up and notices how the rest of the room is suddenly paying attention to their exchange.
"Well you have to tell us all about him, sweetheart." Mary calls form where she's sitting next to Rudy. Neither her voice nor her face shake, so Iris can only assume that Mary's genuinely happy for the girl, that she's not fighting the You can't replace Wally! and the What is wrong with you? Even Artemis has moved on, why can't you? that bubbles up inside her.
"Well, actually, I was thinking everyone would like to meet him?" She can hear Hal grumbling behind her, because having someone outside 'the know' means no using their powers and no hero talk. She pointedly ignores him and puts on a bright smile (because she owes Artemis this – this chance to be happy) and assures the blonde that of course they'd love to meet the man that caught her eye. "Great! He's still trying to prove to me that he can carry in all the food in one trip. He, uh, might need someone to open the door for him."
"Oh, of course!" Iris leaves Artemis in the capable hands of her children and heads for their front door. There's the sound of low swearing and the rustling of bags when she reaches it. She takes a moment to school her face into a welcoming smile, and then throws open the door. When she sees her guest, she knows her grief is worse than she thought, because she's hallucinating, and it's not going away.
Her nephew is here. Standing in her doorway. His arms are piled up with food, and his grin is bright and cheesy and it's all so familiar… It can't be, but it has to be.
"Wally?" She asks after several heartbeats.
"Hey, Aunt Iris. Sorry I'm so late."
XxXxX
Barry rushes to his wife's side the instant he hears her scream. Still, he's too late to stop the… thing with his dead nephew's face from taking her in its arms. Instead, he's forced to push his speed to its limits in the hope that he can pry the thing off her before she can be harmed. His grandson – ever-faithful partner that he is – has already come to his side, putting another body between his home and this intruder.
Not-Wally evidently has his nephew's speed, because the thing is fast enough to realize what's happening as Barry throws him from the porch. The thing twists to land in a crouch, and time seems to speed up as its feet touch the ground.
"Barry!" His wife sounds outraged, now that she's had half a second to react. Barry doesn't dwell on it as he watches his not-nephew orient himself.
"What the hell, Uncle B?" Bart stiffens at his side as he realizes who this is. No. Who this isn't. Who this can't be.
"What are you, and what do you want?" Barry feels himself growl.
"Ouch. That's really hurtful. Don't you know your own nephew when you see him?"
Barry wants to go for its throat, but he restrains himself to hold it by its shirt instead. It doesn't fight back. There's a commotion behind him; John and Hal have arrived to back him up and Bart's struggling to keep the others in the living room where they can't see this imposter. Artemis is insistent though, and Bart is nowhere near strong enough to stop her if she really wants to do something.
"How dare you. I oughta-"
"Barry, don't!" Artemis pushes her way past the Green Lanterns guarding the door and makes her way over to the stand-off in the yard. "He's telling the truth! It's Wally. Our Wally."
Barry takes a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. It can't be him. That would be too good to be true. Maybe it lied to Artemis. Or maybe this girl isn't even his niece, maybe she's an imposter too. There are a thousand ways to justify what's happening without it being real. Because if this was their Wally…
Another small figure steps out of the house. This time he and the Lanterns allow her to pass without protest.
"Wally?" Mary approaches her "son" tentatively. He moves likewise, cautious of scaring her. She looks over him with a critical eye, finally cupping his face so he's looking right at her.
"Hey, Momma." This seems to be all the confirmation Mary needs, because she pulls him into a tight hug and buries her face in his chest. He returns the gesture, holding her tight and saying in a soothing voice, "Please don't cry, Mom. Everything's okay. Really."
It the first time in a long time that Mary's been able to believe those words.
XxXxX
AN: Ahhh! We finally got to the party scene! I wrote that scene last summer. Seriously. I so hope it made sense, and that you all liked it. Ah, it's been sitting in my Fixations doc for so long, and now it's out and I'm super nervous….