Prologue

A sudden gust of wind assaulted Nightwing and his teammates as they emerged from the bioship and out onto the icy landscape of the arctic. Just moments ago, Flash, Impulse, and Kid Flash had run here to attempt to stop the MFD device gone chrysalis. Back in the Watchtower, it had appeared as though they were succeeding, but now, as Nightwing saw the lightning strike his friend, he wasn't so sure. In fact, he had a sinking feeling that Wally wouldn't make it away unscathed.

Nightwing scanned his teammates, searching for their reactions to what was occurring in front of them. M'gann was hovering by Superboy, face laced with worry. Superboy's face was inscrutable, as par usual, and Blue was muttering under his breath, no doubt speaking to the scarab on his back. Lastly, his eyes fell upon Wally's girlfriend and soon to be wife, Artemis.

Artemis. She and Wally were supposed to be in Paris next week, eating at small cafes in the city, strolling down the river, and seeing the sights. Unknown to her, Wally had been planning on proposing to her there as well. Before Artemis had gone undercover, Wally had asked him to accompany him on his search for a ring in an attempt to mend the friendship that had been strained ever since Wally had quit the hero business. In the end, they had decided on a simple, yet classic, diamond ring. Wally had been so giddy with excitement. He and Artemis had been together for years but this would set their relationship in stone.

Then, Dick had done the unthinkable; he had asked Artemis to go undercover in the Light, just the situation she and Wally had tried to evade by leaving the hero life behind. Artemis had, of course, agreed. It was in her nature; she couldn't simply stand by while the world needed her help. And so, she had become Tigris, while Wally had been left behind to hope for her safe return. Whatever friendship Dick had shared with Wally had shattered and burned, leaving behind only ashes of what had once been a seemingly unbreakable bond.

From that moment on, Wally cut almost all ties to his former friend and went out of his way to avoid speaking with him. Confrontations that were unavoidable more often than not ended with yelling and punches being thrown.

Not that Wally hadn't had a reason to act the way he did. Nightwing had taken away the love of his life, and now, just a few short days after they had been finally reunited, Wally was about to die. It was all his fault. Dick didn't deserve forgiveness for what he had done, but perhaps- perhaps there was still a way to make things right.

The sudden crack of another bolt galvanized Nightwing into action, and he sprinted off towards his friend, ignoring the yelps of surprise as he passed by. Soon however, the cries of his teammates were dimmed and forgotten, unable to be heard over the wind which swirled around him, slinging volleys of ice and snow into his face and tearing at his hair. The cold air pressed against him, slowly creeping into his suit and numbing him. Useful as it may be, his suit was designed more for battle and stealth than for leisurely trips in the arctic. If he was exposed to the elements for much longer, he would die. Despite this, he increased his pace. Nightwing was going to save his friend, no matter the cost.

o.0.o

Wally was not having a great day. Actually, at the rate it was going right now, it was one of the worst in his life.

Early that morning, he'd been abruptly awoken from his slumber with Artemis by the league communicator his girlfriend insisted on keeping by the bedside table, despite them both being retired.

"For emergencies, Wally" she had said. Well, to heck with emergencies. He'd just gotten Artemis back from her undercover mission and, seeing how well that had gone, there was no way he'd be letting her near any sort of hero business ever again. No, for the first time in months he felt at ease. He wasn't kept up by of nightmares, his appetite was back, and the house didn't feel so empty anymore. Artemis was back.

In the first few hours after Artemis's return, he had needed to constantly remind himself that it was real, that letting go of her wouldn't mean waking up from some fantasy. She was really here with him and he could breathe in her wonderful aroma, cradle her in his arms and feel her smooth skin burn against his. He could see her laugh and smile and playfully snark about his eating habits. And, best of all, he could be snarky right back. If there was anything he had learned during those months in her absence, it was that he couldn't live without her by his side.

And now- now he was in the arctic, about to die. It was just so unfair!

Crack! The sky itself seemed to groan as it spat out another lightning bolt which hit Wally square in his back. He screamed in agony as pain blossomed from where the electricity had hit him and he stumbled. Glancing downwards, he noticed his body was nearly completely transparent. Wally swore. He was almost out of time.

o.0.o

"Almost there Nightwing, you can do this," Dick thought to himself, "Almost the-"

"NIGHTWING!" M'gann's voice thundered in his head, causing him to wince in pain.

"Ow, could you turn it down a notch?"

"What are you doing?!" She questioned, thankfully lowering her voice.

"I think you know perfectly well what I'm doing, M'gann."

For a moment, she was silent, leaving Nightwing alone with the ferocious wind howling in his ear, but she quickly resumed.

"Nightwing, you don't have to do this! We can figure something else out, I'm sure of it."

"We both know that isn't true."

Again, silence.

Then, in a voice just above a whisper, she spoke- "This isn't your fault Dick. None of it. You did what you had to d-"

"Like heck this isn't my fault!" He burst. "I could have gone on that mission, I could have refused to drag Artemis into this again, and I could have respected the wishes of my best friend and just left them both alone. I had a cover prepared for myself and everything, but I let her go instead. And now," His voice broke, "now both Artemis and Kaldur are scarred both mentally and physically, possibly for life, and Wally's about to die!"

He paused briefly and recomposed himself.

"M'gann, after the failsafe simulation when we were kids, I promised myself that I would NEVER repeat what I had done. I told myself that I wouldn't become like Batman, ready to sacrifice my friends and family like pawns in a twisted game of chess. Since then I've gone back on that promise and in turn failed both myself and my friends. M'gann, this is the only way to set things right. So, and I'm begging you, don't try to stop me. Please. I- I won't be able to live with myself if I don't."

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" She whispered.

"Nothing."

He was almost to the vortex. The wind was relatively tame just moments ago compared to the snarling beast it was now. It danced in circles around him, nipping and biting at his fingers and yowling as it pulled him closer towards the storm. Snow and ice were coming down in sheets, limiting his vision and distorting the light. Every step forward was a struggle, yet he continued, pouring all of the strength and concentration he possessed into moving his legs.

"Closer, just a bit closer!"

He could now see the yellows and reds of the speedsters' uniforms as they passed, moving by too quickly for his eyes to see. Suddenly, a flash of blue light lit up the air and a bolt of pure energy struck the yellow blur he knew to be Wally, causing him to stumble for a fraction of a second. As quick as it was, it was enough for Nightwing's sharp eyes to see his friend. Or see through him, rather. Wally was nearly completely transparent; Dick could see the snow behind his flickering form. It was clear (pun most definitely NOT intended) that Wally couldn't take another hit and survive.

Nightwing took a deep breath and began to watch as Wally made his way around again. His timing would have to be perfect.

Ten, he began to count down.

Nine.

"M'gann, are you still out there?"

Eight.

"Yes, I'm here."

Seven.

"Tell- tell Bats and Tim and the others that it's not their fault."

Six.

"Tell them that I love them."

Five.

"Nightw-"

Four.

"Just tell them, okay."

Three.

Two.

"NIGHTWING!"

One.

Dick leapt forward. He was vaguely aware of colliding with Wally before a resounding crack split the air and pain erupted across his body.

"Goodbye Wallman, we had a good run," he thought. Then the darkness caved in on his vision, and all was silent.

o.0.o

Wally's time was up, he could feel it, and by the panicked expressions on Barry and Bart's faces as they sped up to him, they knew it too. The funny thing was, he didn't feel scared or anxious or anything really. Just tired. Very, very tired.

"Bart, we have to slow down more," The Flash said. "Try to siphon some of the energy attacking Wally."

It was a good idea, but Wally knew it was too late. There was no way that either of them could slow down fast enough to save him.

Another bolt hit him and he groaned.

"Eh, it's no good Barry." He sighed. Then, in attempt to lighten the mood, he jokingly said, "Oh man, Artemis is so going to kill me for this! And don't even get me started on Mom and Dad…"

"Kid?" Barry asked tentatively, afraid of the answer.

"Just tell them, okay?"

Then he lifted his head up to the sky and closed his eyes. "Any time now."

Time slowed to a crawl. A flash of light blinded him-even with his eyes closed-and a clap of thunder erupted from the sky. However, instead of the rush of pain and death he was expecting, he received a sudden and very violent push. Then, in an instant, time sped up again and Wally was sent flying through the air. He had just enough time to feel confused before his face collided with what he recognized as the ground, and hard.

For a while he just lay there, face in the snow, trying to grapple with the knowledge that he was, in fact, not dead. (Unless if it was possible to have a broken nose in the afterlife, which he highly doubted) However, he was soon pulled from his thoughts by the shouts of his name and then the feeling of warm hands carefully turning him over onto his back.

Wally cracked his eyes open and found himself staring at the face of his lover, Artemis. However, something was off. Her face was shining with silver tears and her beautiful hazel eyes were brimming with sadness. Then, in a swift motion she leaned forward to give him a stunning kiss on his lips and all was forgotten. The kiss was pure paradise; it was warm and gentle and passionate and set his entire body aflame with pleasure.

However, the moment was short and Wally found himself in reality once more.

"Artemis, what- what happened?" He asked as he pulled himself up. However, instead of answering, Artemis's eyes clouded with pain and she burrowed her face into his chest, sobbing.

"Guys?"

Wally turned to the other members of the team, but they averted their eyes.

Finally, Conner stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Well?" Wally demanded, his concern growing.

"Nightwing, he um, he took the lightning for you. Wally, he's dead."

Hi and thanks for checking my story out! Since this is my first fanfic, I would love some feedback on my writing. I edit all of my work myself ,so I apologize for any typos or grammatical mistakes. Also, just to clarify, this is not a deathfic! There are more chapters and I'm hoping to make this into a series. I should have an update up by next week.

Happy living,

Ever the Enigma