After finishing Young Justice Season 2 the other day, there is a large, gaping hole in my heart. This fanfiction is my attempt the fill the hole and maybe help some of my fellow fans cope with the fact that we may never see a Season 3. This story is set on Earth-16, but like the show, it will incorporate some elements of the original DC Comics characters, places, and storylines. Also like the show, the key words there are *based on.* The plot will still be my own.

I guess you could call this my attempt at a 3rd season. I plan for this story to involve all major characters from the show including some of the minor members of the Team we didn't really have time to take a closer look at in season 2 like Cassie, Tim, and Gar. Also let me know who you want to see and I will try to wedge a chapter or two into the story even if it's not something I'd originally planned for.

While I plan to try and expand on the wonderful world Greg Weisman and Brian Vietti created by exploring many different characters, the story, like the show, will focus more on certain characters at certain times. Namely Artemis, Bart, Megan, Gar, Raven, and Zatanna due to the nature of the larger story I have planned. This first chapter explores Artemis' transition into normal civilian life following Wally's disappearance and will lead us into a larger plot involving the entire Team. Yes, I am big Spitfire fan. And, yes, I promise Spitfire will not consume the entire story. I am also a huge GarxRaven fan. Again, this will not be the sole focus of the story. As both are still 13/14 during the timeline of this story, their relationship will be one of friendship with the potential to become more down the road.

Please let me know your thoughts on this first chapter by reviewing and following the story. Thanks. -Ren

Chapter One

It was fitting, she thought, that the gravestone now bore both their names:

Artemis Lian Crock. Beloved Daughter. Wallace Rudolph West. Beloved Son.

It made perfect sense, Artemis thought, for though the large white stone was once a mere prop in faking her death, her old self had truly died the moment Wally faded from the world.

Artemis hadn't batted an eye when Wonder Woman explained that Artemis would have to change her name.

"The trouble is," Diana Prince had said seated in her civilian office in Washington, D.C, "when Nightwing and Aqualad staged your death, Artemis Crock legally died. You were issued a death certificate and everything, something no twist or turn of the law currently has the power to undo. You'll have to assume a new civilian identity."

Artemis shrugged. "If you say so. You're the lawyer."

"Artemis," Diana said. "I'm concerned by your lack of reaction to all this. You do realize what assuming a new identity means, right? It's basically like entering Witness Protection. You can't go back to your old life ever again. Not your college. Not your home. Not your friends. Even meetings with family have to be discrete."

"Not a problem," Artemis replied. "There's nothing in my old life worth returning to. Not without him."

Diana sighed. "What about your mother? Your sister or niece? Now that Red Arrow and Jade have mended their marriage it will be more difficult for you to see them. Your brother-in-law's a fellow hero. Meeting outside of costume puts a larger target on both your backs."

Artemis scoffed. "That must be why I saw Black Canary and Green Arrow out on a date the other day, right there in the public square. Or why Bruce Wayne formally adopted both Dick Grayson and Tim Drake. Because heroes meeting outside of work is so dangerous."

Diana's eyes narrowed. "Bruce also adopted Jason Todd. And we all know how that turned out."

Artemis stared at the floor. Like she needed reminding of the risks that came with their profession. Like Wally's image didn't ghost before her every time she closed her eyes.

"I'm already discrete about seeing my mother and sister. I might not hide my family tree from the Team anymore, but I'm not about to post it on a billboard, either. So where am I moving to? What's my new name?"

Wonder Woman summoned a 3D image of a large, industrial city filled with low lying factories, a handful of high-rises and a single skyscraper. "Clark has arranged for you to live and work in Keystone City, Pennsylvania."

Artemis' eyes flashed with anger. "Are you kidding me?! Of all cities in the entire country you just had to pick the one Wally's family is originally from?!"

"We thought it would help you to have at least a few familiar faces in your life. To ease the transition."

"Well you thought wrong. If I'm starting over, I want a truly clean slate."

Wonder Woman sighed and tried to keep patient. The girl was grieving, she reminded herself. Lashing out was just her way of coping. "Whether you communicate with either the Garricks or Wally's grandparents is up to you," Diana said. "But Keystone City is your new assignment. You start work Monday as a reporter by the name of Linda Park."

"Park? I'm not Korean. And why am I a reporter? I thought the point of changing my name was to go into hiding, not plaster my face all over the news."

"You could wear a glamour-"

"Oh no. I've had enough of magic necklaces, thank you very much."

"And if someone from Stanford recognizes you?"

Artemis bit her lip, then answered, "I was one of 7,000 students at Stanford. And not a very popular or social one at that. I'll cut my hair or something. But no glamours."

"If you insist. As for the last name, no offense intended, but given your biracial attributes very few people will question which specific part of Asia you're descended from."

"Because us Asians all look alike," Artemis said with a roll of her eyes.

"No, but in your particular case your Caucasian features are more prominent than your Vietnamese."

Artemis sighed. "Yeah. Fine. I wasn't too attached to daddy dearest's last name anyhow. So my name is Linda. I'm Korean-American. Still biracial, I take it. I'm a reporter. Anything else?"

"Only this," Diana said. "A word of advice: try not to stir up too much trouble."

Artemis smirked. "Can't make any promises."

"After all," Artemis said to the stone. "Trouble always seems to find me no matter what I do, doesn't it, babe?"

Barry's words, Wally's last message to Artemis, echoed in her ears: He loved you.

"I love you, Wally." Her words were quiet and, just as when she'd said them aloud to him on Earth, intended only for Wally's ears. "I love you so much. I'm sorry if I didn't say it enough. But you can still hear me, can't you, babe? I know you believed this life's not the end, even if you never would admit it. Stubborn geek. I know you didn't leave me alone."

Wally would still be with her whatever her name or address, Artemis knew.

"So this isn't goodbye, babe. It's 'I'll see you later.'" She pressed her fingers to her lips and then to Wally's name. She looked up at the sky and said, "Just don't make me wait too long for that 'later,' okay? Tell God I don't want to have some super long life like some of our alien friends. I miss you. I love you."

With that, Artemis turned and walked away determined not to cry as she went.

The adjustment from the mild temperatures of Palo Alto, California to the cold urban streets of Keystone City was anything but pleasant.

Artemis was used to Gotham City winters, but the snowy air in Keystone cut under her skin like a knife. It'd been 4 months since she'd started her new life in the city; the oppressive heat radiated by summer concrete had long since faded. The cloudy sky'd blatantly ignored the drawings of falling leaves and pumpkins on the calendar and pushed ahead with white weather.

"Of course they'd give me an assignment across town during the first real snowstorm of the year," Artemis muttered, wrapping her coat tighter around herself as she hastened down the sidewalk, dodging people and icy puddles. "'Of course I'd have to get out and walk because traffic's caught in the biggest pile-up the city's ever seen. 'Rookies have to pay their dues,' he says," Artemis grumbled referring to her boss. "Well Jackson can take his dues and shove them up his…"

A gust of wind interrupted her mutterings. She pulled off the scarf tied around her short hair and covered her mouth instead.

Artemis placed an arm protectively in front of her stomach as she crossed the busy street. Her coat concealed her figure, for now, but she knew it wouldn't be much longer before she could no longer hide her pregnancy. She was in her second trimester, after all.

The last three months Artemis' wardrobe had evolved from stretchy pants to shift dresses to baby doll tops to layers of big, baggy sweaters meant to conceal her growing abdomen. It was not that Artemis was ashamed to be expecting out of wedlock. Artemis had never cared much for convention and that hadn't changed when becoming Linda Park.

Rather, the loose, baggy clothes were Artemis' way of protecting the precious, fragile life within her. She'd hung up her Tigress mask and worked hard to maintain her identity as Linda Park the last few months. But why take chances?

Even the League had not been informed of the real reasons for Artemis' sudden retirement. No one dared question her when she said she just wanted to live a normal life. "The life Wally wanted for us."

That and she hadn't had the heart to tell anyone, not even her mother, that she was carrying Wally's child. Not until the pregnancy was more stable. The chance of miscarriage was much higher in the first three months, and after, time had simply gotten away from her. Besides, everyone was just starting to recover from the shock of last June. She couldn't bear to see them all go through that vicious cycle of grief again should something go wrong. Artemis herself had been wary of growing attached to the unborn child the night she'd discovered the cause of all her illness and fatigue.

She'd been alone in the kitchen, slowly unpacking her handful of boxes in her small, but tidy Keystone flat when a sudden dizziness forced her to sit down.

"Artemis? Are you OK?" Megan asked. The Martian had insisted on accompanying Artemis on the move even though it meant waking up before dawn, spending hours at the airport, taking 3 flights, and finally catching a taxi across the city to Artemis' new home. Zeta tubes were for heroes. Linda Park was just a rookie reporter.

Artemis saw right through her friend's excuse of coming "to help her unpack." She'd packed only enough for two checked bags and a carry-on. But Artemis was grateful for the support.

"I'll be fine, Meg," Artemis said. "I just need to lay down for a bit."

"Of course," Megan said. "It's been…a long day."

Artemis knew Megan didn't mean the traveling. Artemis left her old life in Palo Alto, but unboxing the single album of pictures the League let her leave with, uncovering Wally's favorite book, favorite movie, the first collar he'd bought for their dog Brucely as a puppy, had drained Artemis of all her energy. It took every ounce of resilience she had to refuse Meg's offer to stay the night.

"I'm okay, Megan, really. Besides, they need you back at HQ. I'll take a nap, heat something up in the microwave. No big."

"If you're sure," Meg said wrapping her friend in a hug. Artemis returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Meg."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

Artemis waited until she was sure she was alone, then grabbed her keys and headed straight to a local pharmacy. She needed to pick up some basic toiletries anyway, she told herself. She wouldn't make a great impression at work without a comb, a toothbrush, and some toothpaste. She would check, just to be safe. But that missed period was probably just stress. That fatigue, her grief. She probably wasn't…she couldn't be…

But she was. The plus sign on the test, the third one of the night, proved as much.

Artemis was pregnant.

Artemis had curled into a ball on the floor and covered her mouth, torn between laughing and crying. The result was an odd sort of hiccup bubbling from her throat as water gathered in her eyes. She had just enough strength to stumble to the bed and bury her face in the pillow that still bore Wally's scent.

"I guess you didn't leave me alone after all, did you, babe?"

As Artemis walked through the double doors of the hotel where her interview was scheduled, she double-checked the address texted from her boss. With its vaulted ceilings, marble walls, and ornately tiled floors, this place looked far too nice a meeting spot for the usual people she interviewed for the local news: union leaders, blue-collar workers, small business owners, and the occasional member of the city government.

"Um, excuse me," Artemis asked a man working behind the desk. He looked rather irritated at someone interrupting his game of solitaire, but after all she'd endured, the last thing Artemis feared was a cranky clerk. "Hi, I'm Linda Park from channel 4. I'm supposed to be meeting someone here?"

The man's face changed in an instant. He was suddenly all smiles. "Oh, yes, Ms. Park. Pleased to meet you. Yes, our guest is waiting right now. Please allow me to escort you there."

"Um, okay. Sure. Thanks."

The pair rode an elevator to the top floor's presidential suite. Artemis got an uneasy feeling the closer they drew. She could blame her misgivings on the guarded personality she had by the very nature of her upbringing, but she was a news reporter and an ex-superhero. She knew what sorts of sick, dangerous things too often took place behind finely-handled doors and well-kept walls.

Artemis felt her posture ease a bit when an older woman in business attire answered the door.

"Ah, Ms. Park. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Theodora Branson, chairwoman of the Hearts for Hearts organ donor relations board. I spoke with your colleague Clark Kent not long ago. He's told me so much about you."

Artemis shook the woman's outstretched hand. "All good things I hope."

"Nothing but. I so appreciate you helping spread the word of our cause," Theodora said as they moved into the entry hall of the suite. "Mr. Kent told me how your husband was a very strong advocate for organ donation having seen first hand how it saves lives."

Artemis forced her lips into a well-rehearsed smile. Leave it to the League to create a backstory for Linda Park far too close to the truth. "Yes, my-" Artemis forced the words to dislodge from her throat. "My husband worked with the child patients at the hospitals whenever he had time."

That was mostly true, Artemis thought. Though never officially wed, Wally was the only man Artemis had ever envisioned settling down with. Those last two years living together in Palo Alto, she'd felt, for the first time, like a real, normal family. He was as much her husband as any man would ever be. And after helping save the young Queen Perdita, Wally went every chance he could to the local children's hospitals to visit. He encouraged all his family and friends to become organ donors, even going so far as telling all his fellow 16-year-olds that their coveted drivers' licenses were "lame" if they didn't have the organ donor label on them.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Ms. Park," Theodora said. "I myself lost my husband some months back. He, too, was passionate about the cause. Now I'm doing my best to keep his legacy alive."

Artemis nodded. "I'm happy to help any way that I can."

"Wonderful. Let's take a seat in here, shall we?"

The women settled into two plush, emerald armchairs inside a small sitting room.

Artemis pulled out her notebook, pen, and tape recorder. This would be a written, not filmed interview for the news channel's online division. That suited Artemis just fine. She'd rather not have the whole city analyzing her figure.

"Oh, just one moment," Theodora said. "We'll have one other person joining us. And, ah! Here he is now."

Artemis stood to greet the new arrival as a door down the hall clicked shut. She busied herself with arranging her dress so the fabric billowed away from her stomach as a housekeeper took her coat and gloves.

"Ms. Park, may I introduce you to our charity's biggest benefactor: Mr. Richard John Grayson."

If Artemis hadn't perfected the art of a fake smile the last few months, she might have blown her entire cover by sending her pen right through the dark-haired young man's head, Cheshire-style.

As it was, Nightwing just smiled back. "Ms. Park. Such a pleasure to meet you."