Goodbyes Are Never Easy

I decided I would try a collection of one-shots to pay tribute to the show. I absolutely loved this show and I am so extremely sad it's over. I thought it would be nice to start off with a sort of post-Endgame one-shot, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice!

Pairing: Artemis/Wally
Word Count: 2,322
Rating: T
Summary: "Walking up the porch steps was like climbing up a mountain. With each step and each breath, she felt the air become thinner and her steps became heavier." Artemis breaks the news of Wally's death to his parents. Endgame one-shot

Heroes Never Die

Artemis stared at the spot where Wally last stood. Her legs were numb from sitting in the snow and her torso and arms were cold with goose bumps covering every inch, but she hardly noticed. The tears slowly stopped as there were no more tears left to shed. Her eyes were puffy and red and she had streaks of tears littering her cheeks. M'gann removed her arms from around her shoulders to go talk to the others. Artemis hardly noticed a thing.

"We should get her out of the cold." Artemis could hear M'gann say in the distance.

The wind rustled her blonde ponytail sending strands of loose hair into her face. She felt arms wrap around her, one behind her shoulders and one behind her knees, and suddenly she was up off the ground. Artemis looked up to the person who picked her up and was met with Conner's sad brown eyes. She was suddenly struck with how much Conner has really grown as a person in these last five years. He attempted a smile but it just turned into a grimace instead.

Artemis didn't have the fight in her to shout back that she could walk and that she wasn't helpless. She just wrapped her hands around Conner's neck as he made his way to the bioship. She avoided the eyes and faces of her other team mates. She wouldn't be able to bare to see the same hurt and pain mirrored in their eyes. Except they wouldn't know the true pain she felt. She didn't just lose a friend. She lost a confidant, a lover, her anchor in this world. He was her enemy first but that hate quickly turned into admiration then infatuation before it evolved and blossomed into love. She felt on top of the world when she was with Wally, like nothing, not even her dad, could bring her down.

Then he was just gone. There was no goodbye, no tear-felt moment where they both expressed their love and left no more secrets hidden. He just disappeared from her side, faded away. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes again at the thought of going home to an empty apartment, an empty bed, an empty kitchen. She quickly wiped the tears away but more replaced them.

Conner placed her in a seat in the back. Everyone else piled in and M'gann guided the ship into the air. Artemis pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them. She stared blankly out the window, not really seeing anything outside instead she saw past memories of herself with Wally. Her heart felt heavy, her body felt lethargic.

She didn't even notice they landed till she felt a hand on her shoulder. Kaldur gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze as he helped her up. Her legs felt weak and she thought she might collapse but she refused the help her friends were desperate to give her. All Artemis wanted was to be alone, to grieve privately. Not with everyone giving her pitying looks and sympathetic smiles hiding any pain they may be feeling.

The Watchtower felt crowded all of a sudden. The air suddenly felt stuffy and she felt like a caged animal. People were whispering as she walked by. Artemis pushed away from Kaldur and headed for the zeta beam tube. She quickly plugged in the coordinates to her apartment in Palo Alto. A bright light washed over her and she was saved from all the stares and eyes watching her every move.

But when she reached the apartment and walked through the door. She suddenly felt worse. She would've preferred a stuffy room full of whispering and mourning people than the quiet and blatant reminder that Wally was gone. Nelson trotted over to her, blissfully unaware that his other owner would never be returning. He would never be scratched or snuggled by the red head ever again.

Artemis collapsed onto her knees for the second time that day. She stretched out her arms as Nelson trotted closer. He licked her face a few times before his tail slowly stopped wagging. It was as if the pit bull knew something was really, really wrong. He whimpered a little and nuzzled his face in her arms. Artemis softly stroked his fur, tear drops falling occasionally on his back.

Eventually Artemis stood back up. She walked to her room, Nelson at her heels. She looked in the mirror taking in her appearance for the first time today. Her blue-grey eyes were dull and bloodshot. Her cheeks had streaks of salty tears. Her hair seemed more lifeless and disheveled. She tore off her mask and peeled off her top and pants. She carelessly threw it on the bed along with her quiver and bow. She quickly rummaged through her dresser and pulled out a black turtleneck and dark wash skinny jeans. She slipped them on and quickly redid her ponytail trying to look more presentable. It didn't really work considering her eyes were still puffy and her shoulders were slumped and her general attitude screamed grief and despair.

She zipped up her trusty boots and gave a quick pat on top of Nelson's head. She mentally braced herself for what she knew she had to do.

Central City was quiet when she arrived. Only a few cars were on the road, most people enjoying the quiet night. It was a stark contrast to Gotham, the place where she grew up. She stared at the house for a moment, getting the courage to walk ahead; to burst the bubble of happiness the couple inside were in. She was about to shatter their hearts like the cold hearted person her father always wanted her to be.

Walking up the porch steps was like climbing up a mountain. With each step and each breath, she felt the air become thinner and her steps became heavier. She stood in front of the door for what felt like hours but was probably only five or ten minutes. Artemis raised her hand to knock on the door but hesitated. Her hand hovered over wood, shaking slightly. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She had to do it, she owed it to Wally. He was there for her mom when she faked her death; she had to be there for his parents. Only Wally didn't fake his death, this was different. He was really gone, the pain she felt was horribly real and she couldn't force herself to knock on the door. Without debating over it for any longer she quietly knocked. Artemis stared at the ground. She was silently praying that they didn't hear her knock, that they could still enjoy their night and she could gain the courage later to come back tomorrow.

But that didn't happen.

The door swung open to reveal two smiling aged faces. However when Artemis picked her head up and looked the two adults in the eyes their smiles instantly dropped. Seeing Mary's red hair and green eyes, both the same exact shades as Wally's, sent her emotions back into a downward spiral. Tears poured out of her eyes as she was instantly enveloped into a hug by both Mary and Rudy.

Mary quickly ushered her inside and sat her down on the couch. She turned to her husband and said a quick, "Make some tea". Rudy silently nodded before he walked into the kitchen. Mary sat beside her and took both of Artemis's hands in hers. She squeezed them before letting one hand go to wipe a few quick tears.

"Artemis, dear, what's wrong?" Mary clutched her hands tightly, her green eyes begging to not confirm her greatest fears, "Did you and Wally fight?"

Artemis buried her head in her hands, gripping her hair as she hunched over. Hearing his name out loud hurt more than any knife wound she ever received. No one had mentioned it since Barry gave the worst news she would ever hear in her life. Artemis quickly stood up, unable to look at, let alone sit on the same couch with, Mary West. She shuffled forward a little before hanging her head, letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks. Tear drops occasionally fell to the floor, making a small wet stain on the carpet.

"Artemis!" Mary said in distress. The woman has never seen her so broken before.

She heard the woman stand up from the couch but she didn't go near the broken girl who was only steps away from her.

Artemis whirled around, the words leaving her mouth slowly, "Wally," Her voice cracked. Artemis had to swallow the lump in her throat before continuing weakly, "Wally is gone."

The older woman gasped. The wrinkles in her face were suddenly more pronounced, the crow's feet beginning to show and circles were under her eyes. Her frame was thinner than she remembered as she saw the older woman cover her mouth with one hand and wrap the other around her waist. Artemis never noticed how old Mary was getting and it felt like she was being stabbed over and over with every sob that wracked her body.

Mary took three long strides to reach Artemis before hugging her tightly. Artemis gripped the woman's shirt tightly and buried her face in her shoulder. She could hear the shatter of glass in the distance and guessed that Rudy must've heard her. Mary's legs suddenly gave out and Artemis fell to the floor with her. Both females desperately clung to the other. A new pair of arms wrapped around the two sobbing figures. Rudy West buried his face into his wife's shoulder.

Artemis suddenly felt like an outsider, like she was intruding on some private moment. Her pain was bad but it couldn't compare to the feeling of losing a child. Artemis carefully unwrapped Mary's arms around her and slowly got up. She glanced at the sobbing couple on the floor before heading towards the door.

"Artemis," She heard Rudy call out, his voice was weak.

Artemis stopped and turned around. Mary and Rudy were now on the couch, holding hands and tears running down their faces. Mary patted the place next to her. Artemis walked back towards the couch and sat down.

"How?" Mary's voice cracked.

Artemis didn't need to ask her to elaborate; she knew exactly what she was asking. She wanted to know how her baby boy died. Artemis swallowed thickly, her throat tight.

"There were these Reach machines that messed with Earth's magnetic field. It was causing a lot of major natural disasters. We thought there were only twenty." Artemis shut her eyes tight, not wanting to relive the memory so fresh in her mind. But she knew she had to tell the story for Mary and Rudy's sake. "But we were wrong. We missed one in the Artic. Flash and Impulse arrived there first. They were too late though, the machine went into chrysalis mode. They ran around the machine, creating a vortex to draw off the energy, but it wasn't working. Me and Wally were at the Watchtower when we heard. Before anyone knew it Wally ran off to help. He added the extra speed but at a terrible cost. I arrived later with some others. We couldn't see anything but a red blur. The machine shut down and when the smoke cleared…" Artemis took a deep, shaky breath before continuing, "He was gone. Barry later told us that his slower speed caused him to be a target of some stray energy. He was disappearing before his eyes. He just… vanished. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." But she wasn't really sure what she was apologizing for.

Mary stoked her hair, "Oh, sweetie…" Mary hugged her and rocked gently and slowly.

Artemis barely remembered Mary telling her to stay the night or when she brought her a blanket and pillow. She stared blankly at the wall, her head resting on the pillow and blanket pulled up to her waist. She was about to drift off to sleep when she felt the blanket being pulled up to her shoulders and a light kiss placed on her temple. The person was stroking her hair. Artemis turned and was met with green eyes, short red hair and freckles.

She quickly sat up straight, the blanket nearly falling to the ground. A little gasp escaped between her lips. She stared at the man before her in disbelief, not believing her eyes. She shut them tight and rubbed them hard, "No. No. You're not really here. You can't be."

She felt a small gust of wind than two strong arms wrap tightly around her, pulling her close. "Artemis," he breathed against her neck.

She froze in his arms. She desperately wanted him to be real but she knew he wasn't. He couldn't be. Barry and Bart watched him disappear before their eyes. But he felt real, he looked real, he even smelled real. Wally wiped at the tears she didn't know she shed and lightly kissed both cheeks.

"I'm real Artemis."

Then he kissed her. God, it was the best kiss in her life. It wasn't full of passion or lust but it was sweet and filled with pain and love. And she knew he was real, she knew. She could feel it in her bones and in her heart.

Artemis laughed, a crazy hysterical sound that didn't sound quite right even to her ears. She pounced on him, holding him tight, never wanting to let go ever again. Wally fell back from the force as he joined in on the laughter. She kissed him repeatedly; almost afraid he would disappear again. She had so many questions but for now she could wait, she could wait a thousand years for talking. All she wanted to do now was kiss him and hold him and convince herself she wasn't dreaming.

"I've missed you."

Heroes never die.

Thoughts?

You can submit prompts if you'd like, I'll try to update regularly. I want to work on my writing more and I figured this would be a nice exercise to write about many different situations. I have a few more ideas so expect more soon!

Oh, I hope it's okay I used the name Nelson for the dog's name, I'm not sure if someone "claimed" it or not. But the name is so fitting because it shows how much of an impact Kent Nelson had on Wally and it seems right that he would name the dog Nelson.

Well I hope you enjoyed and please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!