Smothering a Star

by Cerulean Leader

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Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. :)

Rating: T

Genres: Romance, Friendship and Family.

Cover: None at the moment.

Warnings: A bit of language.

Inspiration: I've been really stressed lately, and the only thing that calms me down is writing, and then this was born. It was originally just meant to be a normal fic, but then it just erupted. Also, I Find The Light In You by Joe Brooks, where the title of the story comes from. :) Good song, go listen!

Dedication: My mummy for being really supportive these past few weeks. :) xo

Summary: Fate had really outdone itself this time; who knew that Wally would meet his Spitfire at a fast-foot restaurant while out with his pals?

Pairings: [mainly] Spitfire (Wally x Artemis), Aquarocket (Kaldur x Raquel), Supermartian (Conner x M'gann), StarSpeedy (Roy x Kori), mentions of Dick x Babs, Dick x Zatanna, Dick x Kori, Wonderbeetle (Jaime x Cassie), Frostbite (Cameron x Artemis), Newsflash (Barry x Iris), Arrowpulse (Bart x Cissie), Kent x Inza, Wally x Linda.

Background info: [remember, it is AU]

The Arrow (Queen) family:
-Roy, Artemis and Cissie are all siblings and are all children of Dinah and Ollie.
-Roy is dating Kori Anders.
-Cissie may have something going on with Bart.
-Their family used to be acquaintances with the Mahkents.

The Flash (Allen/West) family:
-Bart is Wally's first cousin, and is the son of Barry and Iris.
-Linda has liked Wally for a long time.

The Superman (Kent) family:
-Conner is Clark's biological son with an unknown mother, and Lois is his stepmother.

The Bat (Wayne) family:
-Dick is Bruce's adopted son, and has dated Kori, Zatanna and Barbara in the past.
-Dick isn't dating anyone at the moment.
-I think Tim is mentioned in there somewhere, so, he is Dick's adopted little brother.

A/N: I apologise for any spelling or grammatical errors, I couldn't be bothered reading over it. I'm just really stoked that I finally finished it, and that it's over 10,000 words! That's INSANE. :D Please leave a review when you're done reading, thanks!

"I heard that the new place in the food court has some pretty good grub." Dick said, as he stood beside two of his friends inside the shopping centre as they tried to decide whether to try something new or just stick with the more safe options of McDonald's or Pizza Hut. Conner didn't really care, he would just have anything that Dick and Wally decided on, but the redhead, of course, deemed it his top priority above every other important thing.

He was rubbing his chin, contemplating his best friend's statement. "I guess we could give it a shot. Though we should probably text Kaldur to meet us there as well." He responded, while Conner looked at Wally like he was some sort of idiot.

"Stop during that, you look like a dork."

"I'll have you know that I'm a hot dork, thank you, Supey," Wally replied, referring to the fact that Conner still hadn't grown out of wearing Superman t-shirts. He had been a huge fan of the comics as a kid, like all of their friends had, and still read them like it was some sort of ritual every Saturday morning when the clock hit 11am and the newest issue would appear in his mail box. Not to say that his dad was impressed, but his step-mother, Lois, thought it was cute and continued to order them for him.

"Shut up, idiot." The black-haired boy said, his blue eyes turning cold. Wally just rolled his eyes and the two followed Dick who had just chosen to ignore them. This wasn't unusual; because of Wally's goofy nature, he often clashed with the more stoic Conner. The two were smart, but Conner seemed to be lacking in the common sense department while Wally just chose to be ignorant of certain things.

Dick paused in front of the place, looking up at the menu that had been placed above the counter where people were taking orders, doing the same thing as him, waiting for their meals or ordering. For a new place, it was surprisingly popular. "The stuff looks pretty good, so let's eat here." He suggested, already lining up to order. Wally and Conner looked at each other and shrugged, following the younger boy.

The lined up behind up behind one of the three while Wally continued to stare at the menu and checking his wallet to see what he could get with twenty bucks. The new place was surprisingly cheap, and the food didn't seem too bad. The line was moving quickly, the customers moving off to the side while they either waited for the plastic trays or neatly folded paper bags which held their meals. When it was finally their turn, they waited for the girl who was supposed to be serving them.

Her back was to them as she stood filling either drinks or sundaes. A black polo shirt covered her lithe, hourglass figure and a pair of jean shorts exposed her exotic, athletic legs. Long blonde hair tumbled down her back in thick waves, tied securely by a green ribbon that seemed to wind around the top of the low ponytail so it managed to stay in place. When she turned around, apologising too Dick as he stepped up to order. Wally raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed by the girl's facial features as well. She had sharp, onyx eyes, high cheek bones and a well-defined jaw. Basically, she was hot.

"How may I take your order?" she asked, her husky voice almost like music to Wally's ears.

"Your number," the redhead intercepted smoothly, moving to stand in front of Dick and Conner, leaning a hand on the counter as he looked at her with a half-smile on his face. Conner rolled his eyes, and muttered something along the lines of "at least she seems to have a brain".

Her eyes narrowed. "Sorry, I don't hand my number out to little boys. Now, how may I take your order?" she answered with a smirk, it growing when she saw Dick trying to conceal a laugh behind his hand. Conner just had his arms folded as he felt a small, amused smile making its way onto his well-defined face. She was good.

"Three double cheeseburgers, four large fries and a fruit salad on the side. Oh, and an apple pie." He added as an afterthought, dismissing the fact that she had rejected him. "Plus your name and a date as well, babe."

Conner pushed Wally back, deciding to stop the girl from answering because he was beginning to grow hungry. "A lamb souvlaki with no carrot, please, a medium fries and a Coke."

Dick raised his hand. "Can I please have a chicken burger, a lemonade and a side of medium chips?" he asked, and Artemis nodded, tapping a few buttons on the keyboard of her cash register. She then looked up, raising an eyebrow and motioned for Wally to speak.

"Already ordered, beautiful." He smirked. "I know the ladies forget everything in their life at the sight of me."

"Is he serious?" she asked Dick. He looked her dead straight in the eye, no hint of a gleam or amusement in his glaucous blue eyes.

"Dead serious."

Wally never did get her mobile number in the end, though scribbled on the back of a serviette was a name in loopy, cursive handwriting.

Artemis.

The name was lovely and magnificent, and it definitely suited the beautiful blonde. He hadn't seen her for a couple of weeks since he had gone out to lunch and to buy school supplies for school that was starting soon. Speaking of school, it was starting up the next day. He was not exactly thrilled for that meant waking up unnecessarily early to get their on time, and ridiculous amounts of homework. He would be buried under heaps of paper in no time.

Ugh.

Kaldur, one of the boys whom hung out with his friends has well, had just announced that he had finally asked out the ever-ambitious Raquel, or better known as Rocket due to an incident back in the third grade where Raquel had accidentally set off one of those rockets that needed baking soda and vinegar to be launched, and as soon as it was in the air, it went haywire and accidentally flew into a passing citizen's unmentionables.

He held the serviette in his hand, and couldn't help but stare at her name. He could not put his finger on it, but there was something about her that intrigued him. Maybe it was her snarky attitude or how her stormy eyes just didn't seem to match her features, but she was definitely someone he wanted to see again.

School was officially the most boring thing in the world. He had only been here, what, 10 minutes?, and he was already bored out of his mind. The homeroom bell had only just gone, and much to Wally's chagrin, none of the people in his main group were in his class except for Zatanna and Rocket, but he didn't need to be seen only hanging around girls during homeroom throughout the year, right?

Conner, Kaldur and Megan, Conner's girlfriend, were all a year above him and Dick was a year below, only starting high school this year.

His teacher had already called attendance, to which he had only replied with a muffled "here" because he had his face buried in his arms as they lay on the desk, acting as a cushion. Mr Carr was now reading out the morning notices, not bothering to call out the students who were murmuring quietly to themselves. It was the first day back; what was the point?

He then paused, looking up with an annoyed expression on his face when a knock on the door interrupted him. The entire class looked at the door as well, and their eyes widened as the principal walked in with a very familiar looking girl behind him.

"Sorry to interrupt," Principal Adams said, stepping aside so the girl could walk into the classroom. "But this is Artemis Queen, a new student here who will be in your class for the rest of the year." Wally's eyes widened at the name, and he practically stood to get a look at the girl. Yeah, it was definitely her.

Dressed in jeans, brown, knee-high boots with a slight heel, a white singlet and a black leather jacket with the cuffs folded up so that it had three-quarter sleeves, she looked around confidently and calmly. When her eyes finally loomed over to Wally, they widened, before her lips rested in a smirk. "Miss Queen, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?" Her arms were crossed coolly in front of her, with most of her weight transferred onto one of her hips.

"Nothing really to report, sir. I'm just a girl who moved to Central City during the summer to be with my brother and my parents."

"It's nice to have you with us, Artemis, please take a seat in front of Zatanna." Mr Carr said, and the black-haired girl raised her hand so Artemis knew who she was. Though, next to the seat in which Artemis took a seat in conveniently was Wally. As she slid in her seat, she glanced at him.

He just gave her a winning smile in response. "I knew you couldn't resist me, beautiful."

"So, you're the famous Artemis that we've heard so much about. It's nice to meet you. I'm Zatanna." she said, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously, before motioning to her friend beside her. "And this is Rocket."

"Damn, girl, you really now how to impress." Rocket said, leaning forward eagerly to talk to the blonde girl. "Especially Wally over here." Wally couldn't help but flush at her words. He turned and punched her in the shoulder in retaliation.

"Shut up, Rocket."

She had made fast friends with the whole gang, even Megan who seemed to be the complete opposite of Artemis' more tomboyish attitude. Dick was thrilled to see her again, hi-fiving her instantly.

He pulled her to the side, grabbed his phone, lifting it up to take a photo. She didn't have time to process this, so, when Dick pressed the button and said, "We'll laugh about this some day," a blank expression adorned her face, her mouth in an 'O' shape. She blinked a couple of times after the flash of light hit her vision as it caught her off guard.

"Are you by any chance related to Roy at all?" Kaldur questioned once she had introduced herself. Artemis' nose scrunched up at the sound of the name.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"You look nothing like him," Conner commented in confusion, wrapping an arm around Megan's shoulder. "I mean, you're blonde and he's got red hair."

Artemis shrugged. "I look more than my parents than he does except for my eyes; they are grey but they do turn blue sometimes. Roy is my older brother, and we don't really get along. I've been going to a boarding school for the past two years to get away from him, so I haven't seen him much except for when I'm home for the holidays. But, I'm back now because my dad wants my closer to home. As much as I hate to admit, I missed him and it really does feel great to be home."

"Your eyes are blue at the moment, actually. I like it." Wally said, standing in front of her. He was bending his knees slightly so that his apple green eyes were level with her own. She bit her lip in embarrassment, managing to fight of the blush that was trying to rise to her cheeks.

A few weeks after school started, the extra-curricular activities and clubs had opened up, and Wally had jumped at the chance to once again join the track team and the Science club. Dick had gone onto join the Mathletes, and Kaldur joined the swim team. The others had decided to take it easy this year, other than Megan who had gone out to join as many clubs as she could such as the culinary club, the drama club and the media club.

No surprise really, but Artemis had decided to follow her brother and join the archery team. Her aim was probably just as deadly as Roy's, and everyone was impressed, except the older Queen.

Her father was overjoyed when he had heard the news that they were living up to legacy of him, and that their younger sister, Cissie, was getting even better with a recurve bow like the one that Roy had. Artemis had decided to be different to her father and brother, opting to use the more firm and rectangular compound bow.

"This is great, Artemis." he said with a proud smile after she had told him. Roy was leaning against the wall, looking at his younger sister with the most annoyed look on his face. "Now your new friends get to see how much more of a wonderful person you are. It seems like you're already starting to open up to them."

"You should have just stayed at the boarding school." Roy interjected, walking forward to stand beside his father as he glared at Artemis. "What are you trying to do? What are you trying to prove? You're so annoying and practically unworthy!"

"Roy!" Oliver said sharply, cutting off his son.

"No, it's okay, dad. This is why I didn't want to come back; because you're such an ass, Roy!" she shouted back. If looks could kill, Roy would have definitely been annihilated by lasers if they were shooting out of her eyes much like Cyclops from X-Men. She then turned on her heel and stormed off, refusing to look back or let her tears run down her face.

'What a bastard!' she thought.

Shopping didn't seem so bad to her anymore, not since she had made friends with Zatanna, Megan and Rocket. They were surprisingly girly, but insightful and managed to make even the blonde, one of the most stubborn people in the world, enjoy herself. It even managed to get her mind off her stupid older brother, and maybe a certain, quick-footed boy-

'No, I don't like him.' she responded to her thoughts in denial as they travelled towards Wally. Anyway, she had a date tonight, which was why her friends had taken her out.

Zatanna was looking through one of the racks that held short dresses, occasionally picking one that she wanted to try. "I'm actually surprised that you accept Cameron's offer. I figured that you would have gone out with Wally sooner or later." she said slyly, looking back at Artemis who looked away to hide the red on her cheeks.

"She's blushing!"

"Shut up, Rocket!"

The chocolate-skinned girl had a grin to match Zatanna's now. "You even sound like him now, too."

Megan giggled behind her hand, then clasped her hands together. "You and Wally would make the cutest couple. He used to have a crush on me, but I'm not his type. He likes a challenge, and I think that's why you intrigue him so much. He likes you, you know."

"No, he doesn't. He hits on anything with breasts. I'm glad I accepted Cameron's offer. We used to be good friends when we were kids, and he's a pretty decent guy." Artemis responded, looking away and picking up a bat-wing shirt that was coloured a dark blue with a lacy neckline. "Now can you guys help me decide what to wear, otherwise, I'm stuck with nothing because I can't dress up for anything. You guys have good taste. Rocket, Megs, you're dating people and Zee, you're like a sex bombshell."

"Aw, stop it, you." Zatanna said, biting her lip and pretending to blush.

"She has a date?!" Wally groaned, letting his face fall into his hands. And here he was, thinking that she had some sort of feelings towards him, but apparently not. Had he not made it clear that he cared about her at all? Well, not clear enough supposedly.

Dick shrugged. "Don't let that get you down. I mean, it's just Cameron Mahkent. He's one of the biggest douche-bags in your year level; you don't have much to compete with. I heard that they used to be friends when they were younger, so she accepted because she thinks that he's decent. Plus, it's not like the girls think he's that bad looking." Wally looked up hopefully towards his best friend.

"You think?"

"But Blondie seemed to like him." Conner said, not even bothering to notice that Wally's eyes had once again fallen downcast. Dick's turned icy-cold when he sent a glare at the older, black-haired boy who had his arms folded.

Kaldur stepped forward to interrupt just in case an argument broke out. Conner was always prone to accidentally causing arguments, while Kaldur, pretty much the peacemaker in their little circle of friends, was always attempting to stop them. It was odd to see him with Raquel, well, to people who didn't know who they felt about each other, as she was really outgoing and confident, while he preferred to stay quiet and always had a calm demeanour. He was the run who would remain at silence, never remaining his voice, not even if he was angry, which was why people hated getting into trouble by Kaldur, as he always sounded so disappointed.

"There is no need to fight," he said calmly.

His mint-coloured eyes were staring at his friends sternly, and they did not bother to say anything further. Wally was down enough because of Artemis, and they didn't exactly needing him staying like this.

No one knew about Artemis' wealth. She would like to keep it a secret, often like how Dick did before somebody found out that he was the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. So, Cameron was definitely surprised when he discovered where the blonde bombshell lived, when he had come to pick her up, only to be confronted by Oliver when he got to the door, with Roy right buy his side with his ever-present frown on his strong jaw. He may not get along very well with Artemis, but she was still family, and family meant everything to him. Ohana means family, and family means that no one gets left behind, right?

"Uh, hello, Mr Queen..." he said awkwardly.

Oliver knew that Cameron was just playing his daughter; he was no where near right from her, and from what he had heard from Roy and some rumors around town, the young boy who had once been a play mate for his daughter had definitely changed since his younger years, so, Oliver did what he thought was best at the moment. Glare until Artemis stopped him. "You better treat her right." he stated simply, with a hiss in his voice.

When Artemis came downstairs, the son of Joar Mahkent's mouth completely dropped. He needed to claim her as his own, and fast. "Whoa, baby, you're looking hot tonight." he smirked, before earning another glare from Oliver. Cameron then cowered back as fast as the words flew out of his mouth.

"Uh, thanks, Cam." she answered awkwardly, eyeing her dad warningly. She was wearing a black singlet with a grey jumper that had a pattern of small holes in it dotted around. She had a pair of denim shorts on, similar to the ones that she wore to work during the summer, except they were waist-high shorts, and they seemed to make her legs look miles long (at least, according to the tag). On her feet were mid-calf combat boots that were coloured bronze with mahogany laces. He was just dressed casual, in a red t-shirt that really clashed with his deathly pale skin and dyed white hair, and a pair of denim jeans with black sneakers. It was just a movie after all.

As they soon as they left, they went straight to the movies, and Artemis began contemplating her decision to actually agree with the date. He had begun to get very grabby, smacking her ass on multiple occasions, and often slung his bony arm across her shoulders. She rolled her shoulders in annoyance so that he would get the message to get it off, but he just ignored it and continued to guide her towards the cinema.

"Baby, I'll go over to pay for our tickets. Want to go grab some pop corn for us to share?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively before handing her a $20 note and walking off towards the opposing counter. She said at the money in her hand, and couldn't help glare at it. It felt weird to be here, almost... wrong. Suddenly, Wally flashed into her mind, and her palms began to get sweaty. She shook her head, and walked over to the opposing wall for pop corn and drinks.

Once everything had been purchased, she waited for Cameron to meet her at the staircase while she held two boxes of the pop corn, and two cans of lemonade. Her date came over and frowned, grabbing one of the lemonades and took a sip. "Why did you get two boxes of pop corn?" he asked, grabbing the box right of Artemis' hands, and stalking back to the Snack Bar. He slammed it on the bench top where one of the employees was serving someone, and the person practically jumped in surprise.

"Uh, can I help you, sir?" the teenage boy asked awkwardly. He was in the middle of taking money from the customer to put into the draw when Cameron had interrupted him.

"Yes, you can. My girlfriend over there asked for one box of pop corn, not two. So, I would like a large box of pop corn and two choc-tops because you guys messed up the order."

Artemis visibly flinched when her date said the word 'girlfriend'. She hadn't agreed to anything yet, not even sure if she wanted to go out with him. Sure, he was a nice guy, but he was a little over the top. The employee looked over at the blonde who just sighed and mouthed a "sorry" towards him. The employee almost looked scared, intimidated by the glare that Cameron sent him and immediately set to work to deliver the new box of pop corn and choc-tops.

"Let's go in, now, baby."

"...So, let me get this straight. You actually agreed to a relationship? As in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship?" asked Raquel, pausing to glance at the blonde while she was slipping in one of her earrings again. Apparently, it had fallen out during the night and she hadn't been bothered to put it back in until Kaldur had pointed out that something was missing. "With Cameron? You know what you're gettin' yourself into, right?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"We're just trying to understand." Megan said with a sigh. Her pen was scratching against a note pad that she held in her hand, no doubt writing down ideas for the school play that was coming up. She really wanted to audition, and everyone was behind her one-hundred per cent, especially her little brother, Gar. "We all thought that you would go out with Wally sooner or later. I even began to plan your wedding already." Zatanna snickered behind her hand, and Artemis just through a pillow at the gymnast. It landed right in the middle of her face, but it didn't stop her from giggling, nor Artemis' red face.

She smirked, and placed the pillow in her lap as she played with the frilled edges. "You know, speaking of Wally, he's been really down on himself, lately."

"Why?"

"Because of you." Raquel answered. "He really likes you."

Megan placed her pen down on the bed, and looked up with remorse in her chestnut-brown eyes. "I shouldn't be telling you this because it's confidential information, and Wally made me swear not to tell anyone after he found out that I knew, but Bart apparently has seen Wally just moping around. He was telling Jaime and Gar, and I found out through him. Cassie knows now too, because she managed to tickle it out of Jaime, but they're not going to tell anyone. They're harmless. So is Tim, but it's not like it's valuable information he can tell his brother to blackmail Wally with. Dick no doubt knows what's going on."

"It doesn't make any sense, though. He was just flirting with me, it's not like he likes me." Artemis scoffed.

Wally had never been in a huge-ass fight before. Sure, he had had arguments with his family and friends before, but nothing would ever manage to top the one he found himself in the middle of right at that moment. Deciding to be a good friend, Wally had decided to inform his newest friend of the dangers of being with Cameron Mahkent could be. This, however, was probably not the best idea because Artemis practically blew up in his face.

"What the hell, Wally?! Why can't you be happy for me like everybody else?" she yelled. People were gathering and began to crowd around them. It was after school, and the after school bell had only just rung, and Artemis and Wally had been walking out of class together when he had brought up the touchy subject.

His green eyes glared right back at her. "I'm just looking out for you! He's a bad guy!"

"You're such a moron!"

"Excuse me for trying to be a good friend! God, why are you acting like such a bitch?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. He had to swallow them back up somehow. Her face hardened, but her eyes widened slightly in shock, and they glazed over slightly. He stepped forward slightly, but she took a step back. "Artemis, I-I didn't mean it-"

"If you think of me that way, then why are you even pretending to be my friend, Wally? You're so stupid!" she shouted, her eyes watering slightly before running off. She didn't look back, just running towards the gate where Cameron was standing, flirting with another girl. She saw this, but didn't say anything, just grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a heated kiss while Wally stared in shock.

"Are you ever going to stop moping?" Bart asked, sitting on the edge of his cousin's bed so that the springs squeaked a little bit. Wally was just lying there, staring at his phone. Artemis' Facebook profile was currently on the screen, and he was looking straight at two photos in the centre of the screen; one of her and Cameron which must have been taken recently, and one of her and Wally from a while back. They had been hanging out over at her house with all of their friends, when Megan had convinced the two to take a photo, and they agreed, though reluctantly. "It's just one chic; move on. I hear the Korean girl in your year likes you. I think her name is Linda Park."

Bart had decided to try and talk to the older cousin when his parents, Barry and Iris, had informed him that Wally had been sulking in his room at their place ever since he had gotten here. The two boys were close, though they were both competitive because they were both extremely fast runners and were always have races to test their speed. So, Bart was quite surprised when Wally hadn't told him about Artemis. Wally clearly knew that Bart seemed to have a slight crush on her little sister. Really, did they not tell anyone that they had siblings? "Wally," he tried again. The boy in question just groaned in response and sat up.

"What, Bart?"

"If she's going out with Mahkent, then you can't exactly do anything about it, alright? It's high school, it's not like the girl that you are in a relationship with at this age is going to stick. I mean, look at Dick. How many girlfriends has he had? Zatanna Zatara, Kori Anderson, Barbara Gordon, I think he even went out with Rocket Ervin at one stage. He's not planning to stick with only one girl."

"So, you expect me to be a player like my best pal is? No thanks. I want Artemis."

"Why?"

Wally sighed and closed his eyes. Did he really have to say it.

"I may or may not be in love with her."

"Wally asked Linda Park out yesterday." Rocket said casually to Kaldur while she stole a couple of chips off his tray, keeping an eye on Artemis for her reaction. The girl paused, her fork about to dig into a piece of leftover lasagna that her mum had cooked the night before. "They would be pretty cute together, don't you think?"

Kaldur's mint-green eyes followed his girlfriend's gaze, inwardly rolling her eyes at her matchmaking scheme but decided to satisfy her need to get their friends together. "Yes, I suppose. I believe Linda has always liked Wally, and he finally gathered the courage to date her. She is indeed lovely. Though not as much as you." he said quickly, smiling guiltily at Rocket's glare. "Anyway, what do you think of this news, Artemis? Do you think that Linda is good for Wally?" Artemis looked up at her friends, before stabbing the lasagna and shoving it into her mouth in annoyance.

"I guess." she said, her words muffled.

"Whoa, has anyone else heard about Wally and Linda?" Zatanna asked as she threw her bag down and slid into her seat beside Artemis. "A bit of a surprise isn't it? I just saw them having lunch together, and they look so cute!"

Artemis was now chewing in irritation. So, he was allowed to chew her up about going out with a 'bad guy', but as soon as a hot girl came around, he was allowed to date her? Her hand that wasn't holding the fork was under the table, getting curled into a fist so tightly that she left crescent-shapes into the skin of her palm from her nails. "I'm sure they will be very happy together." she seethed, standing and grabbing her food and shoving it into the bin before grabbing her bag and storming off.

Zatanna couldn't help but giggle. "Finally, a bit of progress."

"I think it's best if we don't interfere with this relationship like we did with Megan and Conner. The pieces will fall into place when they are ready too." Kaldur said, pulling his bowl of chips back from Rocket who had pretty much finished off the whole bowl.

"But the pieces need to fall faster. I can't stand watching them flirt, argue and completely ignore each other for much longer." Rocket groaned.

"Raquel," Kaldur said warningly.

"Oh, fine..."

Curled up in her desk chair, Artemis couldn't help but stare at Wally's profile, much like he had done only a few days ago before he decided to take the first step in getting over the blonde. A blanket was wrapped around her and fluffy socks adorned her feet because it was freezing cold in the house. Her mother had come inside her large bedroom before to check on her daughter, but Artemis had just waved her off, unconvincingly saying that she was fine.

Her phone had a few text messages from Cameron, wondering where she was, but she didn't really want to talk to him right now. Maybe Wally was right. She shouldn't have gone out with Cameron. It felt really wrong whenever they were together, whenever she kissed him or even when she even mentioned that she was going out with him. Every time she said something along the lines of "love", Wally's face would appear in her head. But not just that, she had seen her boyfriend flirting with Tuppence Terror, the rebel girl with an attitude to match her last name to boot and muscles that could make her go toe-to-toe with her twin brother, Tommy, who was one of the quarterbacks on the football team.

Artemis sighed, and stood up from her chair and walked towards her brother's room. He had his girlfriend over, and they were watching a scary movie, and occasionally, the girl would shriek out of fear. The walls were thick, so, he had to have the volume up extremely loud for her to hear it.

The girl, Kori, who surprisingly enough was an ex-girlfriend of Dick's from when he and Bruce had travelled over to her country in Europe a year ago, was now dating Roy. She was way to nice for him, and her best friend, Rachel Roth who was really pretty but had an eerie aura going about her, had threatened Roy right in front of Artemis who would not stop teasing him for a long time. The two girls were in the year above Artemis, in the same year as Kaldur, Conner and Megan, and from what she had gathered from her friends, Kori and Rachel were nice enough girls, though Rachel liked spending time to herself and was quite advanced in Literature and was supposed to be a sophomore but because of her level of intellect, was raised to a higher grade, while Kori was way more cheerful, and loved cooking and shopping. She was always paired with Megan for Home Ec.

The blonde girl walked down the hall towards Roy's room, and slammed the two, white, double doors open, making Kori squeal in surprise. Pop corn that was in a blue bowl, that had been laying in her lap, suddenly began to fly everywhere. Artemis smirked at Roy, who was now standing and glaring at his younger sister. "What do you want, Artie?!"

"Please, Roy, do not speak rudely to your sister." Kori said, her green eyes sympathetic towards the younger girl.

"Thanks, Kori. Anyway, turn the volume down, you idiot." she said, before turning away and walking out of the room.

Roy followed Artemis out, before calling out her name.

"Tell him, and then I'll turn down the volume." he said, a hint of a smile on his face before walking back to his room.

Her dress was beautiful. She looked beautiful. When she had walked into the school gym with Cameron, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Megan and the dance committee had done an amazing job with the prom, and it looked amazingly. Even though Linda was standing right beside him in a stunning, spaghetti-strap number that was the colour of cherries, Artemis seemed to steal his gaze permanently for the night.

Her long hair was let down for once in her life, with her bangs left out. It was still as thick as ever, though looked extremely shiny. The ends of her hair, which fell to her waist, were curled ever so slightly in soft ringlets. She even wore make-up for the evening, with Autumn themed eye shadow swept gently over her eyes with thick eyeliner and mascara which brought out her eyes even more, making them look a sapphire blue instead of their usual pewter grey. Like a glove to a hand, her dress fit perfectly on her hourglass figure. Much like her make-up, her dress was also Autumn-themed, starting off with a burnt orange colour, before slowly changing its shades to a lemon yellow as the satin material brushed the floor.

The only thing that ruined her gorgeousness was the fact she had an arm linked around Cameron's, and her plump lips were in a slightly grim line. Wally still felt guilty about their argument; it had been a couple of weeks since then, and they still were not talking.

Linda tugged on his arm when Titanium began to blast through the speakers. "Wally, let's go dance." she said cheerfully with a bright smile. That smile should have him swooning, but he just couldn't. Sure, he thought she was a really nice person and attractive, but she wasn't Artemis. He felt bad for using her, but he really had tried to like her. He didn't say anything, though, he was too much of a coward. Instead, he just followed his date to the dance floor with a fake grin plastered onto his face while they bobbed their heads to the music and allowed some fancy footwork to be performed.

Across the room, Artemis looked at her friend sadly, still unsure of where they stood. Were they still friends? Technically, he hadn't called her a bitch, and he was just trying to warn her of Cameron's reputation of which she now fully understood. Even her father saw right through his act of 'innocence'. Dick had done some digging upon her request, and apparently, Joar Mahkent really needed money to pay off a huge debt, so, that was the only reason that her childhood playmate was dating her; for money. It didn't seem logical to her at first when she had found out the day before, but the more she thought about it, she was really regretting her decision to walk away from Wally. But the Mahkents were dangerous, which was why she had to stay with him.

Finally, the song ended, and Linda and Wally headed back to their table where Megan and Conner were sitting contentedly with their fingers interlaced while they talked quietly amongst themselves.

"Hey, guys," the redheaded girl greeted, waving at the couple who just arrived. Conner just nodded his head, his mouth in the same line he usually had when he got into an argument with his dad.

"Con, Megs. You guys know Linda, right?" Wally introduced, taking a seat as the Korean girl followed suit.

"It's nice to meet you guys." she smiled.

Linda really was perfect, she just wasn't Artemis.

Speaking of the devil, she and Cameron were now walking over to the table, and surprisingly enough, she was staring right at Wally. The pale boy beside her looked extremely reluctant and almost disgusted to be at the same table as Artemis' friends, but he would have to put up with it, wouldn't he? When they got there, she let go of his hand, and placed hers on Wally's shoulder. "Uh, Wally, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked hesitantly. He looked up at her with confused eyes. She looked almost scared, and it was kind of freaking him out a bit.

"...Sure. I'll be back, Linda." he said, standing up and following Artemis towards the dance floor. She was walking ahead of him, but glanced back a few times in the moments it took for them to actually get to the part the dance committee had set up for couples to dance. Whoever She Is by The Maine began to play, reminding the two of how they were practically strangers now. Wally sighed, and took her hand, leading her onto the floor. Artemis just went along with it, looking down at the floor shyly, refusing to make eye contact with him. He grabbed her hands and directed them towards his shoulders before letting go and putting his gently on her waist, before swaying them to the acoustic music.

She finally looked up at him. "I'm sorry." she whispered, and he nodded.

"I'm sorry too."

Her eyes were back to their amazing pewter colour under the dim lights, and he couldn't stop staring into them as they swayed together. She leaned forward a bit and stretched her arms so that her elbows were resting on his shoulders instead of her hands, pulling him close to her. He let out a surprised sound but she brushed it out. "Just let me enjoy this moment, okay?" she said, burying her head into the crook of his neck while they continued to circle on the floor. Wally remained stiff throughout her words, but finally relaxed and rested his cheek on her head and closed his eyes.

"You look gorgeous, beautiful."

Her heart soared at the nickname. He hadn't called her that in a long time. "I need to tell you something." she said.

Wally nodded against her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She felt them burn, but she just smiled. "I-"

"Excuse me, but I would like to dance with my girlfriend, now." she heard Cameron's icy voice say. They looked up, and indeed, there was the boy she was dating. He looked angry, and pried the blonde away from her current dance partner.

Wally glared at him. "Hang on, Mahkent. Artemis, what did you want to tell me?"

She sighed and looked pretty dejected. "I'll tell you later, Wally. Thanks."

"They were so close!" yelled Megan to Dick while she shook him. Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly while she wrung his scrawny body back and forth like a rag doll, making the boy dizzy. Conner pulled his girlfriend away, patting Dick on the back as he tried to catch his breath. "They almost kissed! The next time I see that stupid Mahkent boy, I'm going to give him an earful and then strangle him!"

"Whoa, Megs, chill." Rocket said, a little afraid. The auburn-haired girl had been raging in her head ever since she had seen the display on the dance floor at the prom only nights before. Cameron Mahkent was one boy she never wanted to see again because he was ruining all their plans to get Wally and Artemis together. He was cowardly and a bit oblivious, so, they were hoping that he would be a pawn in their game, but in all honesty, he was just messing things up further. Dick sighed and leaned forward, his nose buried in the book he was holding.

Kaldur seemed to have seen this and raised eyebrows.

"Dick, is there anything you wish to share?"

"...I might know something about Cameron that would really piss you guys off, especially Supey because you have anger management issues, dude." he responded, pointing at an accusing finger at him. Conner was already fuming, knowing that it had something to do with Artemis. The two had grown surprisingly close because of their mutual love of letting out their anger by hitting stuff and working out in the gym. The others didn't really enjoy it that much; Zatanna was a gymnast, but she didn't like spending more time in the place more than necessary, Megan was a cheerleader, and only went to improve on her flexibility and endurance, Dick had one built into his house, Kaldur only went occasionally and Wally was too lazy to go; he only went when his friends or the track team dragged him out of bed.

Speaking of Wally, it was probably a good thing that he wasn't here.

Dick began to pull out his phone and went through his gallery, finding a video of Joar and Cameron discussing how to get money.

"What about Oliver's girl? She can give you the money."

"Dad, I don't know if we should..."

"Cameron, make me proud and claim her and some money for our family. We need it."

Zatanna glared at the screen, her blue eyes practically screaming bloody murder. "Does Artemis know about this?" she hissed out. Dick shook his head in response, actually his best friend did not know, though, Wally would definitely have his head for not telling him when he did find out. "We probably shouldn't tell him either, he will lose it if he finds out, and who knows that he will do."

Cameron had been acting really weird lately; like, weirder than usual. He was a lot more possessive, almost as if he thought that he owned her and that she was some sort of trophy, and he would try and get her away from her friends, especially Wally. "Why are you hanging around those guys, anyway, Artemis? They are just a bunch of loses. You should ditch them and come hang out with me and my friends, okay, baby?" he had said one afternoon. "Or it could be just the both of us..." he purred. "How does that sound, beautiful?"

She countered instant on instinct in an extremely harsh voice. "Don't call me that!" she yelled, watching his eyes hardened. Her mind immediately began to race, thinking of a way to make up an excuse. There was the whole 'I don't believe I'm beautiful' thing, but she was not like that. She was comfortable in her own skin and heaps of people knew that from her confident attitude. She did not dare betray any emotion on her face or her eyes, she had been taught too face up against things like that in case situations that involved her well-being, her family or friends.

"And why not?"

The cold retort almost sent shivers down her spine, though she managed to keep her cool by glaring back at him. "I don't like having pet names. My name is Artemis, if you don't recall, baby." she answered.

His blue eyes narrowed, and opened his mouth to retaliate. "So, only West is allowed to call you 'beautiful'?" Her eyes now widened. It was true; he had been calling her that for a while now, especially since they had made up at the prom and were now on speaking and hanging out terms. "I don't like that, Artemis. Do you like him? Are you in love with him? Well, I have a message for you. Ditch those feelings, because I like you and if you're going to be with me, then you need to only focus on me. No one else."

"Cam, I have to say that I can't."

"What?"

"I don't like you that, and I probably never will. The only reason you asked me out in the first place was for my family's money, right? Your dad's in debt, and you needed my help."

His eyes then softened and he looked down at his shoes. "It may have started off like that, but I really do like you now, baby. You're just amazing, and and everything that a guy could want. Plus, you're really hot which is a bonus. So, now that you know the truth, would you actually consider being with me?"

She shook her head and slowly backed away. "I'm sorry."

"You guys actually have no idea how good it feels to be rid of Cameron Mahkent," Artemis sighed happily a few days later, leaning her head on her crossed arms that were laying atop the table. The others smiled at her happily, glad that the resident stubborn one was back with them. "I'm just worried that his dad is going to throw a fit."

Dick grinned sneakily and rubbed his hands together. "Don't worry about that, Artemis." he answered. "It's all under control; Bruce has done a little digging, and he will be in jail for a long time because the amount of work he did behind the scenes, especially in the black market."

"Well, it's good to have you back, beautiful," Wally said, changing the subject quickly because he really didn't want a repeat of what happened yesterday. After Dick had told him, he had punched a hole in his wall and had received a long lecture and grounding sentence from his parents. Plus, now the next few weeks of his job income and allowance would be going to fix the wall. He wasn't exactly a happy camper at the moment, though he was happy about the return of Artemis and the fact that Cameron was gone. Though, he still had Linda to deal with. The two had been hanging out a lot lately, and according to a few of his friends, she had liked him for a long time.

Zatanna reached over and fist-pumped her best friend. "Definitely awesome, beautiful." she snickered, causing Artemis and Wally to blush, while the rest laughed except for Conner who just frowned.

"So immature..."

"Oh, have a little fun, Conner." Megan said with a bright smile. "It's not everyday that we get to see moments between Artemis and Wally. So, anyway, are you guys going to spill at all what happened at the prom? Dick and Zatanna said that you guys seemed pretty close..." she said slyly.

Wally glared at his best friend. "You're such a troll!"

It was late, extremely late. Why was Wally still up, you ask? Because of Biology, that's why. His best subject, and he was up late finishing off a packet that he had forgotten to do the day before; because he had been talking to all of his friends in a group chat over subjects they all needed help with because they were all good at different things. Essays, which all English classes seemed to want due in soon, had all been corrected by Megan, Spanish grammar by Artemis, Maths equations by Dick, History facts by Conner, Health systems by Raquel, gossip and artistic opinions by Zatanna, and just generally everything by Kaldur because he is amazing.

He sighed as he filled in a few blank spaces on one of the worksheets that was due the next day before letting his pen fall and burying his head in his hands. "Ugh," he groaned, before grabbing his phone and turning the screen on, only to see a missed call and a text from Linda, and one from Artemis.

You have one missed call from: Linda Park

You have one new text message from: Linda Park

You have one new text message from: Beautiful

He shrugged, and decided to check the one from Linda first because she had messaged him before the beautiful blonde.

From: Linda Park
Subject: Confused
Sent at 10.45pm

Hi, Wally. :-) Um... I just wanted to know... What is actually happening between us? I'm sorry to message you so late, but I'm just curious. Are we dating or just friends? I feel like I'm receiving mixed signals from you or that you're confused. Are we just having a fling? Do you already like someone?

From: Wallyyy xo
R.E. Subject: Confused
Sent at 11.07pm

Hey, Linda. No biggie, I was just doing Bio h/w. Uh, I have no idea. Tell me what you want.

He pressed the 'send' button and almost flinched at his response. It seemed like a really risky text to send back because she practically admitted that she liked him bluntly. They had kissed, sure, but nothing serious. They had gone on little casual dates, nothing serious, so he wasn't sure what he was supposed to think. Plus, with Artemis back, his thoughts had only been focusing on her once again and his heart clenched whenever he thought of the beautiful girl. He could almost see Linda checking her phone now and biting her lip while she typed back a response.

So, in the mean time, he decided to check Artemis' text.

From: Beautiful
Subject: None
Sent at 11.04pm

Are you going out with Linda?

He raised his eyebrows at the blunt question. Why would she ask something like that. His phone beeped, signalling a response from Linda, but he decided to answer Artemis.

From: Wally the moron
Subject: None
Sent at 11.08pm

Why?

He leaned back against his chair and pressed a few buttons and brought up the response from the black-haired beauty of whom he apparently was with, though wasn't entirely sure what was going on with at all or if he liked her even a little.

From: Linda Park
R.E. Subject: Confused (2)
Sent at 11.08pm

I want us to be, but I want you to like me. I can almost swear that you like Roy Queen's sister after you guys danced together at the prom. Wally, I really like you, but I want myself to be happy at the same time. Can you please be honest with me? Can I call you so we can discuss this? I want to hear your voice. :\

From: Wallyyy xo
R.E. Subject: Confused (3)
Sent at 11.12pm

Sure.

He let out a long sigh, and began to tap his fingers against the desk surface while he waited for the phone to ring. His phone beeped, and he checked it. Another one from Artemis.

From: Beautiful
Subject: None
Sent at 11.14pm

I just want to know.

From: Wally the moron
Subject: None
Sent at 11.14pm

Are you jealous? ;)

From: Beautiful
Subject: None
Sent at 11.15pm

NO. I'm just curious. You haven't told me anything about what's going on between you guys. Besides, I need to tell you something and it depends on your answer whether I tell you or not so you better answer right.

O-kay, that girl really did enjoy confusing the hell out of him. And that's when his phone began to vibrate. His dad was sleeping already because he had to get up early in the morning, so, he of course could not be too loud. He pressed the 'green' answer button before putting the phone to his hear, to which he heard a slight sniffle on the opposing line. "Linda?" he asked cautiously. Immediately he felt a guilty sensation in his stomach because he knew he had caused her to cry, much like he had when he had said that sentence to Artemis that he still wanted desperately to take back, even if they were on good terms once again.

"Sorry, Wally," she sighed, her voice laced with choked back tears and he could tell that there was a lump in her throat from the way she was talking. "Please, be honest with me. You know I really like you, and I really want to give us a try, but I can't do that unless you think that I can make you happy like I know you could make me if you're willing to give us a go..." Linda trailed off, sniffing slightly again. Wally looked down at his knees before closing his eyes and leaning forward, the phone still pressed to his ears.

His other head went to cover his eyes and rub his temples to relieve the headache that his frown was causing. "I don't think I could make you happy, Linda, but jumping into a relationship that I think I would treat as just a cover up for what I really want or not for my own benefit. I know that I will make you even more upset than you are now if we do go out because I'll be lying to you and more importantly, myself. I can't keep denying my feelings, so, I'm sorry."

A strangled sob was heard from the speaker. "...A-at least you're honest." she replied shakily. "Good night, Wally. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

He opened his eyes. "Okay, good night." he answered, before clicking the 'hang-up' button. He had received another text message from Artemis during the call, but he really didn't want to talk to her right now, so, he just let it drop onto his desk before turning off the lamp, taking off his singlet and sliding into bed with only a pair of flannel pajamas.

"Have you been avoiding me?" Artemis asked a few days later. It was now Monday, and the previous Friday, the day after the phone call with Linda where he had finally admitted that he couldn't go out with her, had been insanely awkward. The had crossed paths once or twice that day, he and Linda, and they only exchanged a few words each time before she would rush off with her head down and her shiny black hair curtaining her face.

He, Artemis, Zatanna and Rocket were now sitting in afternoon homeroom, with the two latter girls sitting up near the front because they had come in late. Artemis and Wally had had Spanish last together, and so had, well, Artemis had, opted to sit together until the final bell rang. "No, why?"

"You never answered my question on Thursday night, and you've barely talked to me at all. What's going on with you, Wall-man?"

"No, I'm not going out with her. In fact, if you need to stick your nose in my business all the time, then you would have heard by now that I made her cry when I told her that I wouldn't be able to make her happy because I would be lying to myself." he snapped angrily, turning his head away. He felt bad for taking out his anger on Artemis, but he couldn't help it. It was like she was messing up all his thoughts on purpose by asking him questions.

The blonde didn't say anything, her plump lips were open slightly in surprise when she registered what he had said. He would be lying to himself if had decided to commit to a relationship with Linda Park? What did that mean? "...I'm sorry to hear that."

"Sorry, beautiful," he sighed, turning to face her once more. "I just feel so messed up by everything that's going on. Girls are so hard. You should write an instruction manual."

"Like you'd read it." she snorted. "If it helps, though, you are doing right by me at the moment with that name. I like it when you call me that." She had no idea what she was saying. It was almost like word vomit, and she couldn't stop. "It makes me happy to know that I'm special to you and you don't think of me as a sex toy or whatever the rumours have been saying about me."

His green eyes widened. "Of course you're special to me, more than you know." he said. Now he had caught the word vomit virus, great.

She grinned back.

"Good to hear."

"I regret to inform you, cuz, but Jaime Reyes has a better love life than you." Bart said, gesturing to his best friend who was over at his house while Wally was also over to hang out with the two boys. The Spanish-speaking boy blushed, and glared at his friend.

"Shut up,hermano. Cassie and I are just friends. Okay, maybe not, but we're both too shy to say anything to each other. What would you do, Wally? You're dating Artemis now, right?" Jaime asked, his brown eyes full of curiosity. Wally shook his head in annoyance, and Jaime almost immediately jumped right into an apology. "Sorry, Wally! It just that you guys are always flirting, and I assumed..."

"We don't flirt..."

"No, they have their own type of flirting; it's called bickering all the time. Can you imagine them if they actually date? Oh, god, it'll be arguing one minute and then kissing the next." Bart groaned, pressing his hands to his cheeks. "Though, I'm not complaining about her, though, I mean, she is really hot." Wally glared at the younger redhead, who just grinned cheekily. He really was hanging around too much with Dick.

Jaime couldn't help but laugh at the exchange the two boys had just shared. "Anyway, are you interested in her?"

"Dude, he was moping in his room here, not even at his own house where is room is much cooler. Of course he's interested in her. He's also too chicken to make a move on her because he's scared that she doesn't feel the same way, but from what I've seen, she is clearly dropping hints left right and centre, but he's too much of an idiot to pick up them."

Wally scowled in response. "Okay, I wasn't moping, I'm not chicken and I'm not oblivious, either."

"Sure, sure. Then prove us wrong by asking her out right now." Bart said slyly, passing his laptop over with Skype open. "You have to do it by webcam, not just chatting." Wally groaned inwardly, cursing himself and his cousin for manipulating him to do this and his stupid competitive streak. He yanked the laptop out of Bart's hands, and quickly typed in his login, and swore under his breath when he saw that the blonde girl was indeed online.

Hey, Artie, you up to webcam-ing for a bit?

He gulped when she sent the casual 'sure' in response with no emoticon to indicate what mood she was in, and he adjusted the screen so that the camera would focus on him better instead of his extremely unruly hair and the really bright light bulb that was attached to the fan at the centre of the ceiling. Artemis sent a webcam request, and Wally clicked the accept button, waiting for it to load.

"What's up, Baywatch?" she said with a grin, referring to his t-shirt that he had somehow stolen from his Uncle Barry when he had stayed over one night and he had forgotten his pajamas. The top was yellow, and had 'BAYWATCH' written in bold, red writing. He looked down at it before smiling back at her.

"I, uh, need to ask you something."

"Shoot away."

He looked up at his cousin who was giving him a thumbs-up hand signal and Jaime just grinned in encouragement. Wally licked his lips, and quickly, the phrase flew out of his mouth that Artemis had a confused expression on afterwards because she hadn't understood a word of it.

"Will-you-go-see-a-movie-with-me?!"

"...Can you repeat that? I have no idea what you said. I think your speed is getting to you."

He swallowed nervously, and repeated it slower. "Will you go see a movie with me? Like, more than friends...?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, causing her bangs to move slightly. Wally just noticed that her bright hair was actually down for once, falling to her hips in its normal, thick and straight glory instead of being curled like it had been at the prom. "I'd love too. Never thought you'd actually gather the guts to ask me. But you're paying, and I expect dinner as well."

"Fine, fine." he said, waving a hand at her, though he couldn't fight the smile off his face. After months of dancing around a potential relationship and all the obstacles in between, it was about time the two decided to do something about it. Megan would be so proud.

Telling their friends had been awkward enough. Dick had hacked into the auditory system that the school had around and had announced it using the loudspeakers, and the whole school had either burst out laughing or immediately congratulated the couple with a, "Finally!" Megan had dragged them into a large group hug with everyone, with even Conner slapping Wally on the back with had almost made him fall to the ground due to the ridiculous amount of muscle the quarterback had to offer.

Even Linda had gone up to the couple with congratulatory wishes and a large smile on her face. She may have been feeling like this relationship was tugging at her heartstrings, but she was glad that Wally was happy, even if it wasn't with her. Artemis was perfect for him, and she liked the blonde girl.

Roy and Cissie, who, surprisingly enough, had left her usually shy attitude behind and decided to don her family's hard demeanour for the night - before returning to her usual self when Bart had winked at her, had personally gone up to Wally and threatened to tear him limb from limb if anything happened to their sister. Dinah just laughed as her children did so, not bothering to defend the boy who loved her daughter. "It's quite entertaining watching this," she had said to Ollie, who was proud of his children. Life at the mansion the Queen's lived in was always lively, especially with Wally around a lot more now, and Roy finally letting up on Artemis with the encouragement of Kori.

The first time he had introduced her to his parents, his mother had almost burst into tears before pulling her son into a tight hug, saying, "My baby is growing up!" Rudy West had a hard time prying Mary off their son who had almost choked from lack of oxygen. Artemis had smiled at the scene before her, before Iris and Barry had pulled her forward and set her down at the table. The Garricks, her were practically Wally and Bart's honorary grandparents were also over for the night, along with Jay's old friend, Kent Nelson, who had given Wally the advice to "find his own little spitfire" a few years ago.

"Inza would be proud of you, son." Kent had said, with a large, cheeky grin on his face and his blue eyes sparkling. One can imagine how red Wally's face got after that.

About a year and a half after they started dating, roughly two years after the two had met, was the first time Wally told Artemis that he loved her.

Many would say that they had set it to each other by accident, in an argument or just on impulse, but it really wasn't like that. For the redhead to actually admit it to her face had taken the boy a lot of guts, and Artemis would definitely say that she was surprised that he had managed to on his own instead of a whole lot of badgering from their friends (other than Dick, Zatanna and Rocket, but don't tell her that).

It was the middle of Winter, new years in fact. It had been extremely cold that night and he and all their friends were standing on top of the Wayne Tower building that would have a great view of the fireworks display that the city had put together over the past couple of weeks. Artemis was wearing her long hair down, because Wally loved it when her hair was down, like he had told he countless times before, with a pair of fluffy ear muffs covering her ears because they were the part of her that got cold the most along with a woolly trench coat, jeans and a pair of Ugg boots while her gloved fingers intertwined with Wally's. She glanced up at her boyfriend, who was watching the magnificent site before him, and giggled when a green firework accidentally went off early reflected off his face and almost seemed like Christmas lights on the top of the red beanie that was covering his head.

The whole town laughed, including all of them in the roof.

"I love you," Wally had said, and Artemis turned to face him in surprise before a large grin made its way onto her face.

"I love you too." she responded, pulling him in for a kiss before Dick yelled to wait until it hit midnight.

Then the count down started.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5..."

"Happy new year, babe." Wally whispered to her as the ten-second count down started.

"4, 3, 2..."

"One." she whispered back and pulled him in for a kiss.

A/N: I am so proud of myself at the moment that none of you have no idea. This is my first ever one-shot that has gone beyond 10,000 words and I'm really, really excited to upload it to see what you guys think! Reviews are appreciated. :)

A few things:

-I do ship Roy and Jade really hard, but there was no where to put her in seeing as Lawrence, her and Paula weren't related to Artemis at all because Artemis is Roy's sister in this story. :) So, I decided to make him date Starfire because I ship StarSpeedy in Teen Titans.
-Please do not flame because of the ships, just leave me alone. They were necessary. I'm a teenage girl; what do you expect? I write romance because I have none in my life -forever alone- and because I like writing. I like constructive criticism, no petty comments on what pairings I like. So, suck it up.
-It's a one-shot, so, please don't go asking for sequels. I wouldn't know how to continue it, PLUS it would probably be really crappy compared to this.
-If you liked this, I might one another one like it, but it has to be my shipped pairings, so check out my profile for my ships or for my stories! Most are a lot shorter than this, not counting my chapter ones, but, yeah.

Word Count: 11,443

Thanks, again! Please review! :D

~CL