The Beauty of Sadness

She was beautiful. She'd taken his breath away from the moment they'd first met and every day since. He sat quietly on the edge of the bed watching her breathing. She looked so peaceful, so perfect. He could never imagine a life without her in it, and thanked God for everyday the almighty allowed them to spend together.

He no longer took things for granted, life was too short, and he didn't want to waste a second of it. As the sun finally broke through the last vestige of grey clouds, a sliver of light cascaded in from the window, catching her in its beam as she slowly began to stir. Her hair had fallen over her face and when he attempted to lightly brush it away, her eyes popped open. He smiled at her as she looked up at him slightly confused by her strange surroundings.

"Mornin' Beautiful," he whispered in his quietest morning voice.

She smiled back. "Good Morning Daddy" Iris yawned, stretching her hands over her head.

Wally West kissed her forehead as Iris rubbed the last remnants of sleep from her bright green eyes. On the opposite side of the bed Wally gently nudged the second intruder, but Jai West showed no signs of awakening anytime soon. The speedster carefully climbed over him and exited the bed. A few extra minutes sleep wouldn't hurt anyone.

Thunderstorms were commonplace in the Midwest, and last night's storms along with the unseasonably warm temperatures they'd been experiencing had brought not only the thunder and lightning, but two scared children from the bedroom they shared down the hall.

Wally turned on some light music before he jumped into the shower to begin their morning ritual. He knew by the time he got out Jai and Iris would be out of the bed, school uniforms pulled from the dryer, teeth brushed, and beds made. Next, he'd meet Iris just in time to help his daughter with her long auburn mane that always seemed to be in perpetual knots.

As Wally cooked breakfast, Iris made lunches, and Jay packed up school bags and backpacks; in the West household everyone pulled their weight. As the group began their trek out the door towards the bus stop, Iris reached out for her father's hand and looked up at him as they walked.

"Daddy, are you going to see mommy today?"

He smiled warmly. "You bet," he smiled "I'm even going to bring her flowers."

Both kids grinned back as Jai looked up to his dad "She likes that a lot."

Wally smiled and roughed up his son's finally combed raven hair that his son had worked so hard on. The two wrestled all the way to the stop as the bus appeared over the hill and eventually came to a halt in front of them. The kids boarded the bus and quickly found their seats among friends, looking back to their father on the street.

"Love you guys," Wally mouthed through the glass, and the kids smiled and placed their palms on the window in response. Wally traced the outline of their tiny fingers on the glass as the door shut and the bus slowly pulled away. He looked down at his watch and sighed.

"Of course," he groaned, grabbing his backpack and tossing it into his beat-up Jeep Wrangler. He was running late, he was always late.

Within minutes he'd left the small suburb of Blue Valley and headed towards the outskirts of Keystone City. He'd barely locked the parking brake into place before running into Import Flowers and picking out the Gerber Daisies his wife loved so much. Flowers were quickly purchased and within minutes he was back on his way.

Off in the distance he could see the Gateway Suspension Bridge that crossed the mighty Mississippi River, connecting the sister cities of Keystone and Central. Up ahead, the traffic flowing towards the bridge was relatively light for this time of morning, and Wally hoped it would remain that way after he made his stop.

He drove past the on-ramp and continued on towards his destination. As he pulled into the perfectly landscaped park, a warm breeze blew through the rolling hills around him. It was always peaceful this time of morning. Off in the distance he could hear birds singing and the light hiss of sprinklers coming to life. The red head turned off the engine and gathered the flowers, quietly shutting the heavy jeep door and heading up the path.

The speedster knelt next to the grave marker, brushing away the withered flowers he'd placed there the previous month and putting the new daises into the vase provided. Finally, he lowered himself to the ground, eye level with the marker.

He stroked his chin deep in thought, staring off at the immaculate engravings that embolden the tombstone before him.

In memory of Linda Park West, beloved wife and mother.

Wally sighed, wiping his eyes he spoke softly.

"Hi babe."

xxx

Taking a long sip of his drink, Roy put the glass down on the table and began his tale. "At first glance Eobard Thawne came across as just your basic run of the mill superhero groupie. You know the type; wears the T-shirts, always shows up at public events, tries to get attention for some face time; harmless but annoying."

"Whenever some organization held a press conference or public event, be it the CCPD, the Mayor's office or some charity that had asked for one of the Flashes to make an appearance, Barry always drew the short straw. Wally and Bart hated those sorts of things and always found excuses to get out of them, but Barry didn't seem to mind, he considered it an honor."

"Wait. Who?" the archer asked.

Roy sighed. "Bart Allen, he's um…Barry's grandson."

"Hold on," the blonde interrupted. "Barry has a..."

"It's…complicated." Harper sighed. "Anyway, the Flash would appear as expected, and at every event Thawne would be there, lurking somewhere in the background, wearing this weird, almost smug smile, like he knew something no one else did."

"Not long after that, he started showing up at crime scenes too, usually the real gruesome ones. Sometimes Barry was there in costume, others he was just there collecting evidence as a CSI, but regardless a Flash always ended up on the scene one way or another."

"At first it seemed like just an odd coincidence. If this guy was a true crime junkie, sooner or later they were going to end up at the same crime scene. By then, he'd gone full cosplay, wearing t-shirts he'd made himself, except now he'd switched to the opposite color scheme of what the Flash uniform. Some random blogger took notice and even gave him a nickname. The Reverse Flash"

"They'd post shit on Reddit or Snapchat whenever he'd show up. Occasionally one of these nerds would get the balls to go up and talk to him, and you should have heard the stories. He'd tell them he was from the future, that he was here to meet his destiny, you know just weird shit like that. No one took him seriously. Why would they? He was just another mid-western nutjob, some wannabe that craved the attention. At least that's what they all thought…until that night."

Roy's expression grew grim, still shaking his head in disbelief even after all these years.

"What happened?" Artemis asked nervously.

"No one knows for sure, but somehow, he knew their secret identities; all of them. He knew where they lived, where they worked, where they went to school. Artemis…he knew everything."

Roy continued. "It was late fall, around Jay Garrick's seventieth birthday I think. All of them had gotten together to celebrate; the Wests, Jay and Joan, Barry and Iris, Bart, Wally and Linda."

Before Artemis could even ask.

"…his wife."

It was if someone had just knocked the wind out of her. It had been almost eleven years, but the news still shook her for some irrational reason. All she'd ever hoped was for Wally to be happy. That one day he'd find someone that would not only love him, but treat him the way he deserved, someone that wouldn't break his heart and lie to him like she had. Now hearing Roy's tale, knowing that not only had it happened, but that Wally had taken that next step, the archer had gotten her wish, and for some reason it bothered her a little more than she'd expected.

"They were at some restaurant in downtown Central. It was a surprise of course; you know how much they loved doing cornball shit like that. They'd all been there about an hour or so…before the explosions went off."

"Explosions?"

Roy nodded. "Right across the street from the restaurant, a whole series of them back to back to back. Office buildings, stores, condos, everything was on fire. People were scrambling in all directions, glass and debris everywhere, civilians thrown all over the place. And right in the middle of all that chaos was Thawne.

Artemis just stared, mouth agape.

"They probably never even made a plan, they'd been together too long to even need one, everyone already knew their roles. Jay moved their families out of harm's way, Wally and Bart cleared the streets, taking as many injured as they could carry to local hospitals while Barry stayed behind. He didn't waste any time trying to talk, he needed to take Thawne down fast before anyone else could get hurt.

That's when he…when everyone found out he wasn't just some psychopath wannabe, he was a speedster, and Barry never saw it coming."

"From the reports I read, things just went crazy after that. Two balls of lightning ricocheting off everything in their path. The times they did slow down, just for the briefest of moments it was clear Thawne had the upper hand. He was tossing Barry around like a rag doll. Every time he tried to lead him out of the city, Thawne would stop and circle back, putting more lives at risk."

"Thawne had him by the throat, just pummeling the shit out of him when Iris wrestled away from Jay and rushed towards the street, begging for him to stop. Jay ran over to grab her, but by then she'd caught Thawnes's attention. Just as he was about to head towards them, Barry limped back in, all bleeding and broken to cut him off. Thawne sped back towards him and…Linda… just got in the way. She never had a chance."

Roy pinched his brow, clearly struggling through the details.

"After that, Thawne tore Barry apart. It was as gruesome as it sounds. His body literally disintegrated. Wally and Bart arrived seconds later, just in time to see him die. Wally lost it and was about to take off after him when he heard his mom screaming. That's when he saw Linda a few yards away slumped over like she'd been run over by a train. She was conscious long enough for them to speak to each other one last time before she fell into a coma. The E.R. doctors did all they could. It was a miracle they were able to save the twins after all of that."

"Twins?" Artemis gasped.

"They were eight months pregnant. She was due in a few weeks. Linda died three days later."

"Oh my God."

"I know," Roy nodded. "The League found Thawne a few weeks later just outside of D.C. trying to break into a secure STAR Labs facility. It took all the heavy hitters to finally bring him down. The rumor is he's housed at some secret government Black Site, but even Ollie doesn't know."

"Are they…"

"The Twins? They're fine. They're great; smart, healthy, happy. And Wally's a great dad. With parents like his you knew he would be. We talk every couple of months. He updates me on the kids, we shoot the shit about the old days, he asks about some of the guys, but we never…ever talk about the Flash. I know Wally took the mantle, but he quit the League not long after. They tried talk him out of it, but his mind was made up. Now he and Bart just stay in Missouri, patrol Keystone and Central City, and mostly keep to themselves. Wally's a physics professor at the University of Missouri - Central City, and Bart's a student there. They're both doing well but I know deep down they've never forgiven themselves for letting Barry die."

"Why didn't Dick say anything?" she snapped. "I know he's angry, but my god."

"It's probably because he and Wally haven't spoken in years."

"What? You're kidding. Why?"

"No one knows. You'd have to ask them; God knows we've tried, but they refuse to talk about it, and each other. This has been going on for years Artemis. The last time they saw each other as far as I know was at the memorials, and even then it was from a distance."

"I don't understand. They were…best friends."

"I know, but things change Artemis, people change."

"Not them," she murmured in disbelief.

Off in the distance the distinctive whine of sirens began to grow, headed in the direction of the Gotham Flea Market a few blocks away. Roy and Artemis suddenly locked eyes, realizing that was the last known destination of a certain assassin and sword enthusiast.

"Oh shit!" they both exclaimed. Roy threw the money on the table and the two archers sprinted towards the door.

"God what has she done now?" Artemis cursed.

xxx

"And the most familiar examples of condensed phases are...?"

"Umm solid and liquids?" the blonde answered hesitantly.

"Which arise from the bonding of…?"

"Magnetic forces between...atoms?"

"It's electromagnetic actually, but great job Karen, that's a tough one."

The attractive student let out a deep breath and smiled, returning to her seat.

"Guys this stuff can get pretty complex sometimes, trust me I know, but we're going to keep it simple and take it slow. You can recite and memorize the definitions all you want, but it doesn't do any good if you don't understand the core principals behind them. So by next week I want you to re-read chapters three and four and we'll go over them again in class in case you all have any questions. After that we're putting the books down for the next couple of weeks and doing some pretty cool experiments, so if you're going to blow off any of my classes, do it after November."

Science wasn't everyone's forte. By nature, some majors deemed it mandatory as a general education requirement, for others just an interesting sounding elective, but those weren't the only reasons most students took Physics 101, it was the instructor. For the hardcore science junkies or those choosing Physics as their major, it was a stepping stone into some of his more advanced classes, but the majority took it due to its teacher. Professor West made science a fun and exciting experience. Sure, he wanted his introductory classes to entice students into following it all the way, but it was ok for others to just have fun while learning an interesting and sometimes confusing subject.

The professor had an amazing ability to take the most complicated theories and dumb them down into terms that everyone could comprehend and understand. He'd been doing it most of his life; the blessing and curse of being a teenage science prodigy. If you did the work and came to a majority of his classes, you were assured an automatic A. The goal of this class wasn't to be hard; it was to have fun and learn at the same time. It also didn't hurt that the instructor was easy on the eyes and a pop culture junkie. It's why his classes always filled up first on registration day.

"Guys have a good weekend," the red head proclaimed to the exiting crowd, thankful for the break.

Trailing along at the end was a one Karen Thompson, the last student called upon before the bell rung for dismissal.

"Professor West?"

"What's up Karen?" Wally replied, packing his notes into his leather satchel.

"I was uh…just wondering if you'd made a decision yet on who your teaching assistant was going to be next semester? You know I've got most of my core classes done since I switched majors and you know how much I love your class. I'm pulling a 3.5 plus I could really use the stipend for tuition."

She continued on with the multitude of reasons she was the best candidate, with her distracting blue eyes further complicating the matter.

She was gorgeous, they all were, but the list of candidates for his T.A. position was long and qualified, and Wally was putting off making any decisions as long as possible not to hurt or disappoint all the people who'd signed up. Karen drew an inch closer as she spoke, and the speedster could practically feel the tiniest bead of perspiration forming on his brow. She was still in mid-dissertation when Wally finally had to break in.

"Look Karen, you're definitely qualified, and I know you'd do a great job, but I still have a lot of people to interview first. As soon as I know you'll know. Ok? Deal?"

"Deal," she smiled. "For what it's worth I think we'd make a great team."

"I'll keep that in mind. Have a great weekend."

"You too," she said, with just a hint of flirt in her smile. She strolled out of the classroom, politely sidestepping the incoming student. Once she was out of eyesight, Wally blew out his breath in relief and finished packing his bag.

"Well…she's attractive," Bart Allen chuckled as he turned to watch the curvaceous blonde exit the lecture hall.

"I hadn't noticed," Wally lied, clearing his throat.

Bart dropped his overloaded backpack on Wally's desk with a loud thump, and in a blink of an eye was sitting behind it with his feet resting on top, loose papers flying everywhere.

Wally frowned, glaring over at his impetuous cousin.

"Dude you need some paper weights," Bart chuckled, watching Wally sigh as his study guides spread out across the classroom floor.

"And to think I was about to buy you lunch," the elder speedster jokingly scolded.

Suddenly in explosion of wind, the study guides were picked up and placed neatly into Wally's satchel. Nanoseconds later Bart appeared back behind the desk, sitting in the rolling chair spinning in circles.

"How's that?" he grinned.

"Better. How about Chinese?" Wally asked.

Bart's stomach growled loudly. "Crash." he replied, practically drooling.

Wally packed up his laptop, turned off the lights and the two made their way out of the science hall. "How'd last night go?"

"Slow," the young speedster replied. "One carjacker and a cat burglar. Oh yeah and a guy exposing himself in Warner Park. You should have seen his expression when I dropped him off at the precinct with his pants around his ankles. Priceless," he laughed the patented Bart Allen cackle.

"Let me get this straight. You have a gallery of Rogues and yet you spend your nights trolling the parks of Central City looking for flashers. What's wrong with this picture?" Wally smirked.

"And for that remark, I'm ordering three entrées," Bart replied.

Wally just shook his head chuckled as they both threw their backpacks into his jeep. The redhead was about to retort when he caught Bart's eyes raised in defense.

"Should we make it four?" Bart taunted.

Wally just rolled his eyes, putting the jeep in gear and heading out of the parking lot.

xxx

"I'm insulted," Jade grumbled as Roy and Artemis hooked their elbows into hers, walking her away from the flea market. "I actually stop a woman from being mugged and suddenly I'm the bad guy?"

"You broke his arm in three places," Roy scolded.

"And I bet he'll think twice the next time an elderly woman with an oversized purse walks by." the raven haired assassin replied. "Some fat cat Wall Street businessman decked out in Gucci I can relate, but a defenseless old woman? He's lucky that's all I broke."

Roy continued to fume while Artemis remained silent. She'd done worse things over the last few years, far worse, but despite the violent outcome she appreciated the moral direction her sister was beginning to take. After all they'd experienced together, she was worried what Jade would do with her new found freedom. Seeing her stand up for someone who couldn't do it themselves gave the archer hope.

Jade was no longer her father's pawn; she was a strong independent woman who could make her own choices and choose her own fate. Her methods from time to time could be a little questionable, but Artemis knew more than anyone the real person that hid behind the Cheshire mask. Jade was her mother made over, and much like her mother; she was seeking to become something more than the mistakes of her past. And despite the scolding her sister was currently receiving from her partner, she knew deep down Roy's felt it too.

But despite all the distractions, Artemis remained focused on one thing, one person. Many a night she'd lay alone under the stars, imagining her friends still together; going on missions, celebrating birthdays, sharing dinners, hanging out together like families and friends were supposed to. All frozen in time, exactly the way she'd left them.

This was nowhere near what she'd expected to find when she'd landed in Gotham; not even close. Even if the days of clubhouses and costumes were long past, she'd always assumed those relationships would live on. They weren't just teammates; they were a family, but even the strongest bonds can sometimes break.

The three continued their journey back uptown, finally arriving back at Roy's apartment. They skipped the fire escape this time in favor of the main entrance, walking past the graffiti laden walls and entering the old creaky Otis elevator, the ceiling light flickering as the lift jerked into motion. As the elevator rose, Jade reached over and gently took her sisters face, peering into her bloodshot sunken eyes. Needless to say, the brunette did not like what she saw.

"Artemis, you're exhausted. Stay with Red and I for the night, get some sleep, and then you can figure out your next move with a little more clarity."

"Jade I'm fine." she replied, stifling a yawn.

The brunette stared her down with the same disapproving eyes her mother used from time to time. Begrudgingly Artemis admitted that her sister was right. A little shut eye would do her some good. It wasn't like the old days when she'd have to stay awake for twenty some odd hours surveilling a target, not anymore. It was going to take a little getting used to.

"Ok."

Jade smirked and walked out of the elevator towards the apartment, presumably to find sheets to cover the musty couch. Once inside Artemis sat down and removed her boots, reaching down and popping the knuckles of her toes.

"So, you really live here huh?"

"What's wrong with it?" Roy replied defensively.

"Nothing, it's uh…nice."

"Hell yeah it is. It's got everything I need. Central location, affordable rent, close access to the subways. All the basics."

Artemis nodded in agreement as he frowned in annoyance. She was about to apologize for her perceived slight when she noticed the slightest smile fighting not to be seen.

"You're a terrible liar," the blonde scolded with a smile.

Roy chuckled. "I've got a two bedroom on the West side. Coming to this old safe house was Jade's idea to keep a low profile. I have some nosey neighbors and…."

"…he didn't want them to hear us fucking like rabbits," Jade yelled from the adjacent room.

"God Jade!" Artemis groaned.

"Classy," Roy glowered. "Come on grab your shit, let's get out of here."

Artemis nodded appreciatively, reaching down and taking her backpack, but she was still troubled, and it wasn't something a good night sleep was going to be able to fix.

xxx

Outside of one night in Stockholm when she and Cheshire were tailing a rouge MI6 agent, Artemis had not felt a more comfortable bed in years.

Much like Dick Grayson, Roy Harper was the adopted son of a very powerful, very wealthy business magnate, and despite his complicated and sometimes cantankerous relationship with Oliver Queen, Harper was still a minority shareholder and beneficiary of a very sizable trust fund.

It translated into a very comfortable living without ever needing to walk through the doors of Queen Consolidated. And while Grayson had formed his own offshoot of Wayne Tech, Harper had chosen to stay out of the family business, occasionally picking up the stray job here and there, ranging anywhere from security consultant to club bouncer. You wouldn't get rich doing work like that, but fortunately that wasn't a problem.

But he was a living breathing example that money couldn't buy happiness, and his wealth had been a hindrance more often than a help, the track marks on his arms were testament to that. His condo overlooked Gotham Central Park, decorated with an industrial, yet elegant style the blonde would never have thought of her fellow archer having. His home would never be the centerpiece of a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous fluff piece, but it was really really nice, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel just a tiny bit of envy.

She wondered if her life had turned out differently, would Ollie have set her up in a similar place, a similar life? Of course, she would have refused, but it was still fun to dream.

After close to a half hour under the massaging hot stream, Artemis stepped out the luxurious shower, wrapping one small towel around her waist and the other around her long blonde hair. Roy was evidently no stranger to entertaining women, a truth easily observable from the guest bathroom stocked full of every shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer on the market; items Artemis felt comfortable Harper would never use, let alone know about. Personal shoppers could be a godsend.

The blonde knew this discovery was not lost on her sister, but theirs was a complex relationship to begin with, it had been from the first day Cheshire had crossed paths with Red Arrow. Despite finding themselves on opposite sides of the law most of the time, Roy and Jade had discovered a connection, a synchronicity that just worked for them despite their differences.

The heart wants what the heart wants.

She donned a bathrobe while her clothes continued to wash and exited the steam filled bathroom, heading out towards the den. She could hear the muffled but raised voices of Roy and Jade coming from the kitchen. It didn't sound particularly heated but still a conversation best left private.

Looking around his den, she noticed Harper didn't keep many personal mementos or pictures out, he'd always been too private a person for that, but the ones she'd discovered consisted mainly of landscape shots, presumably from his many travels. He had a good eye, as an archer should. Above the fireplace rested a few old, dilapidated photos of a man and a woman who shared many of his facial features, people she could only assume were his real parents, but it was the one on Roy's desk that caught her eye.

Four teens; as different from the others as the day is long, bonded in a way no one would ever be able to understand. Four sidekicks, four brothers. Even out of uniform they looked like heroes. Kaldur and Roy were the oldest of the group, probably seventeen at the time this was taken. That would have put Wally at somewhere around fifteen, and Dick would have barely started high school.

God they were so young.

She turned on the desk lamp and brought the frame under the light for a better view. She wasn't sure, but the background looked a lot like the Queen estate back in Star City. Without a Mt. Justice at the time, the Queen Mansion or Wayne Manor had become clubhouses for four teens ready to escape the shadows of their mentors.

Roy walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder at the photo.

"That was about a year before we officially became a team, or at least they did. Back then we thought we were so ready to join the League. It was always our dream to go in together; all for one, one for all type thing, but we were young and dumb and had a lot to learn. It just wasn't meant to be. Bats probably already knew it, but I still wonder how different our lives would've ended up if we'd actually made it."

She nodded, still transfixed on the image, specifically the younger red head. The archer often wondered what it would have been like if she and the speedster had met under different circumstances. If he'd been a little less arrogant and little more graceful for that matter. The memory of him busting his ass outside the Zeta tube still made her smile.

But she was no picnic either, coming in with a chip on her shoulder and a mountain of secrets. Would they have been friends from the start? Would he have laid the same cheesy pickup lines on her instead of Megan? Would she have opened up or confided in him about her past? Would they still have fallen in love?

Love

She hadn't let herself feel that emotion in so long, fearing the distraction it might bring, that she might lose her edge and make that one mistake that would get her killed. What she and Nash had worked, but it wasn't love, nothing even close to it. They were partners, partners with benefits, and that was it. No attachments, no commitments. Those were supposed to be the rules, but there were times it became…complicated.

Her father always told her - Don't let yourself get attached to anything you're not willing to walk away from in thirty seconds."

Probably the only good advice that piece of shit ever gave, she always considered. Artemis took that advice and that same attitude into Mt. Justice that first day; Wally took it away from her a year later. After their first kiss she was hooked and she knew it, but still she kept her guard up. She'd had her heart broken too many times not to. She never thought she could love, she warned him of that when they first began dating, but he proved her wrong, he usually did. When they were together it was the first and only time she'd actually trusted someone.

She'd always been a realist, someone who'd never let herself get too high, because she knew how painful and fast the fall could be. But something about Wally was special. Despite being so young, Artemis could actually imagine a future with the speedster, a life outside of the masks. One that might possibly last.

She'd never felt like this before and it scared her. Wally loved her, he meant it, he showed it, and despite all the horrible atrocities she'd been forced to commit over the years, in her mind breaking his heart was still one of the worst. She wanted him to know that: to really know and understand how sorry she was for what she'd done, but she just didn't know how. He deserved the truth, but her deepest fear of fears was that in the end it would do more harm than good.

"He'll never forgive me," she spoke sadly. "I told Dick I didn't owe anyone an apology, but I do to him. I just don't know if he'll let me. I know there's nothing I can say that will ever make it right, it's just...I owe him that much. If you were me, what would you'd do?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"You're not going to like this, but I'd bail. I'd be on the next plane out of Gotham. I'm not saying that to be an asshole, I'm just being real with you. I think you're going to end up running into more resentment than redemption. You need to be prepared for that, especially with West. Is that really what you want? Is that what you want to take back with you?"

"Things have changed, Artemis, we've changed. There's no team anymore, no family. We've all gone our separate ways and moved on with our lives; the hero game just isn't for everyone. Teams are fragile things, that's why other than the League, not many of them last."

"Wally's been through a lot. It took a while to get him there, but he's finally in a good place. How do you think he's going to feel when he finds out what you did? He's not going to care about the how's or why's, he's going to care that you lied, and not just any lie, a huge one that just about destroyed him. Artemis he's lost his uncle, his wife…you. I respect that you want to make things right, I really do, but if you really care about him, you won't put him through all that again. It's just my opinion, take it or leave it."

Artemis let those words sink in. He was right, the smart play was to leave and start over. She'd won back her life and she damn sure wasn't going to waste it. There was nothing left for her here. No family, no friends, no chances. Despite her overwhelming remorse, she knew deep down it was time to move on to the next chapter of her life.

Artemis had always assumed she, Jade and Nash would continue their partnership, leaving the states and going wherever the jobs would take them, but seeing her sister now with Roy she realized Jade never had any intention of joining them.

Three's a crowd she used to tease, and now the archer knew why.

What Roy and Jade had, despite how fucked up it looked on the surface, was something special, Artemis could tell. Jade had risked her own life to stay in contact with the archer even though the Shadows forbade it. You don't do something like that for a booty call. She was happy for, and hated her sister all at the same time for it.

The blonde yawned wearily, "I think I'm going to turn in."

She paused for moment and turned back to her fellow archer. "I just want to say thanks Roy, thanks for everything. You've been really decent and you didn't have to. I won't forget it."

Roy smiled. "You're welcome, and for the record, I'm glad you're ok. You might not be Ollie's niece, but you are family. Sleep well and we'll figure out what's next in the morning."

"Good night Roy."

"Good night Artemis."

She walked into the guest bedroom, shutting the door behind her, sitting down on the bed. She was exhausted and had basically not stopped since she'd arrived in Gotham. The archer took off her robe and slipped beneath the covers, sinking into the soft bed. She'd appreciated Roy's brutal honesty and she knew he was right. It didn't matter how good her intentions might be, too much time had passed. Wally had his own life to live, and she had a new one to find.

The blonde slowly drifted away, thankful that for the next few hours she could just shut her mind down and leave her troubles behind her, even if it just for a while.

xxx

It had been a little more difficult for Jade Nguyen to adjust to being back in New York then she'd expected. It's not like she hadn't spent time in her fair share of big cities over the years, having been sent on operations across the globe from Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Sydney to towns and villages so small they didn't even appear on a map. But what bothered her most was the constant noise and energy of the city. It made her anxious. After missions when she wouldn't see another living soul for weeks, the non-stop honking of cars or rumblings of subways made it difficult to relax and let her guard down.

She felt confident she could adjust, but deep down she knew it was more than that. It wasn't the locale as much as it was getting comfortable with the idea that death was no longer waiting around the corner, that the target you'd been sent to kill wasn't about to turn the tables on you in an instant.

She'd never wanted nor needed anyone's protection, but it was still comforting to know Roy had her back if anyone was foolish enough to come looking for her. Despite their tumultuous history, she needed him, he made her happy. They were fire and ice, opposites in almost every since of the word, but that's what made it work. They'd made no guarantees with each other, knowing full well in her line of work that travel would be mandatory, but she welcomed the idea of having a home, a person to come back to. It made her sad to know her sister wasn't as fortunate.

Artemis had someone like that once, but that person, even the idea of him was gone now.

Jade and Wally West had never been exactly…close. Due to her affiliation with the many different criminal organizations she'd aligned herself with over the years, and of course trying to kill him once didn't help matters much, but she still respected him. Jade appreciated how he'd fight for her sister, even if it meant getting his ass kicked in the process.

The assassin and the speedster never made their peace, but she begrudgingly admitted that once she got to know him, she actually kind of liked the annoying loudmouth. They both realized their common ground was how much they both loved and cared about Artemis, and any lingering conflict would only hurt her in the end. But that was a long time ago and Jade never believed in living in the past. She wished Artemis felt the same.

Cheshire understood her sister's need to connect and yet knew it was the wrong play, but it was a painful lesson that Artemis could only learn alone. Now that she'd been confronted with the reality that she wasn't welcome anymore, Jade hoped that would finally spur her on to different endeavors, and if that included having Nash by her side to watch out and take care of her, then all the better. He was a good man, and Artemis deserved to be treated well. She only hoped that one day her sister would realize that.

Jade carefully left the slumbering archer's bed and made her way to the kitchen, hoping perhaps some warm Chamomile tea would settle her nerves and help her fall asleep. The apartment was silent, and she hoped Artemis was faring better than she was. The brunette quietly found the switch to the small pendent light hanging over the sink and turned it on, putting out just enough light to find the teapot and not disturb anyone. She opened the cupboard to look for the tea packet when she saw Roy's wallet and the note next to it on the counter.

I'm really sorry to do this and I swear to God I'll pay you back every penny. I'll see you both in a few days. – Artemis

Jade sighed, picking up the note and instinctively folding into one of the origami shapes her mother had taught her. Roy's American Express Card was missing, and it didn't take a detective to guess her sister's next destination. Artemis had finally started the real journey she'd come back for, and Jade sadly knew that journey would end in heartbreak.

xxx

Standing at the Amtrak station with her bag slung over shoulder, the sleep deprived archer stood alone at the ticket counter. The next train wouldn't leave Gotham Station for another hour. After that it would be a fourteen hour trip to her destination, plenty of time to get some sleep and figure out her next move.

"One ticket to Central City please."