Believe, a young justice fanfic

AN: So, I heard this song and the plot for this prompt popped into my head. It's definitely just a one-shot and it wouldn't leave me alone until I got this down. By the way, I'm having trouble with my Inuyasha fic. Every time I try to edit it I keep getting an error message. I can't even re-upload it because I get the same error message. Anyone know how to fix this? I'd really like to get the next chapter up for all the people that are waiting for it. This may or may not be connected to My Spitfire, i.e. taking place after the events of that story. I haven't really decided, so I'll just leave it up to you guys. Thanks, and please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or "Believe" by Yellowcard

The team had a day off and they had decided to spend it just relaxing and wandering around the city near Mount Justice. At least, they had been relaxing until a huge fire broke out in an apartment complex and the firefighters couldn't get there fast enough. Being the young heroes they were, they sprang into action and ran into the building without any second thoughts to save the trapped civilians.

Wally zipped back out of the building with yet another person. His civvies were soot stained and smudges of ash decorated his hair and face. He looked around at the rest of the team and found that none of them were any better off than he was. They all looked dirty and tired and even Robin's dark hair looked almost grey with all the ash in it. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of sirens coming closer; until he noticed only five members of the team were standing outside the building.

"Where's Artemis?" he demanded of no one in particular.

The rest of the team seemed startled that the archer wasn't there and looked around, hoping she might have been further down the road or something.

"I think I saw her run back inside," M'Gann finally answered. "She said something about doing one last sweep."

Wally cursed under his breath and turned to dash back inside the burning building when Robin caught his arm.

"Dude, you can't go in there!" he yelled. "You've already inhaled more smoke than the rest of us combined with how many trips you've made in and out. If you breathe in any more it could be fatal!"

Wally ripped his arm free. "I don't care," he growled. "She's in there, probably trapped, and that building is coming down. I'm the only one fast enough to get in and out before it falls."

Think about the love inside the strength of heart

Think about the heroes saving life in the dark

Climbing higher through the fire, time was running out

Never knowing you weren't going to be coming down alive

But you still came back for me

You were strong and you believed

Artemis really didn't know how she got herself into this situation. One minute she'd been running civilians out of the building, the next she had gotten trapped behind a menacing wall of fire. This is it, she thought. She knew she was going to die here. No one could get to her in time and the building was too weak to last much longer anyway. If the smoke and fire didn't get her first, than she would definitely be dead when the building went crashing down. At least, that's what she had thought until she had heard Wally calling for her somewhere in to gloom beyond the dancing flames. She yelled back as loud as she could, but winced when the sound grated against her throat.

Wally raced through the building, frantically looking everywhere for the team's archer. Finally, he began to yell her name and got a weak reply. He shot off in the direction of her voice and prayed he wasn't too late. He finally found her, huddled in a corner, as flames consumed the room.

"There you are, Beautiful," he said as he dashed up to her. "Let's get out of here, huh?"

Artemis looked up at him and looked around. "There's fire everywhere and this building is coming down. You shouldn't have come after me, now we're both going to die."

Wally frowned at her. "You can't seriously think I'd just leave you here, now come on." He scooped her up into his arms. "Trust me; everything is going to be alright. Just be strong and believe we'll get out of here," he said as he flashed her a grin.

Everything is gonna be alright

Be strong. Believe.

Be strong. Believe.

Wally got them out of the building just in time. As he sped out onto the street the walls began to cave in behind them. A couple paramedics dashed up to them and he handed Artemis over to them.

"Nah, I'm good," he said, waving them off. "Take care of her first."

Artemis hadn't really wanted to leave the speedster's arms; she had felt safe and protected while he had carried her, but she was too weak to put up much of a fight. She let the paramedics lead her to the waiting ambulance, at least until she heard the loud thud behind her. She turned to find Wally lying face down in the street and, without a second thought to her own injuries, she ran for the fallen boy.

"Wally!" she yelled as she collapsed next to him. "Wally!" Nothing she did would rouse the redheaded boy. It didn't matter how hard she shook him or how loudly she called his name, he still wouldn't make a sound. For the first time in her life, she allowed her tear to slip from her eyes and mix with the falling rain. Even the paramedics couldn't pull her away from the boy until she had exhausted herself and collapsed.

Think about the chance I never had to say

Thank you for giving up your life that day

Never fearing, only hearing voices calling out

Let it all go, the life that you know, just to bring them down alive

And you still came back for me

You were strong and you believed.

Artemis had woken two days later in a pristine white hospital room on scratchy and uncomfortable sheets. Various tubes and needles had been shoved in her and a variety of machines beeped to her right. The rest of the team had been waiting for her to wake up and immediately began to fill her in. She had barely survived; more than once they had thought she had been lost. Finally, she had gotten the courage to ask about the team's speedster, seeing as he was not present. Uneasy glances were exchanged, and finally Robin told her that he was in a coma, and the doctors weren't sure if he would ever wake up again.

Everything is gonna be alright

Be strong. Believe.

For the first month after the fire, Artemis moved and acted like a zombie. For her, without Wally around, life didn't seem to be worth living. She went through the mechanics of the missions they were assigned until Batman pulled her off, claiming that if she couldn't focus properly she was only a liability. She couldn't really blame him; she was thinking the same thing. Besides, saving helpless civilians wasn't really all that important to her anymore; nothing was important to her anymore. The rest of the team had tried to cheer her up, but with each passing day that Wally didn't wake up she just retreated further and further behind her emotionless wall.

Everything is gonna be alright

Be strong. Believe.

One night she had been having a nightmare. Well, not so much nightmare, as a memory. Every night she kept reliving those final moments she had with Wally. She kept reliving that grin, the fact that he was more concerned for her safety than his own, the sight of him face down on the ground, motionless and not breathing for a few moments. She tossed and turned, but refused to wake up. Even if it was incredibly painful, even more so every morning when she woke up, at least he was still conscious, still talking, still smiling in her dreams. Abruptly, the dream changed. Suddenly she was back in that corner he had found her in, only this time, she heard the last words he had ever said to her playing through her mind.

"Everything is going to be alright. Be strong. Believe."

She woke up that morning, tears on her face as always, but with a renewed sense of life. She scrubbed the tears from her face, determined to live her life again. When he woke up, she didn't want him to see an empty and lifeless shell. She wanted to welcome him back with a smile. That morning she resolved that, until he woke up, she would be strong and believe for his sake. After all, he had told her, hadn't he? Everything was going to be alright.

Wanna hold my wife when I get home

Wanna tell the kids they'll never know how much I love to see them smile

Wanna make a change right here right now

Wanna live a life like you somehow

Wanna make your sacrifice worthwhile.

For the next two months, she threw herself into hero work. She never missed a chance to save anyone in trouble if she could do anything about it. She lost count of how many times people would tell her that they were going to change their lives around after this. It was always the same. They were going to hold their spouses, be with their kids, whatever. She didn't really care. She was doing this so Wally's sacrifice for her sake would mean something. She wasn't going to wallow in pain and depression anymore. She would be someone he could be proud of when he woke up.

Everything is gonna be alright

Be strong. Believe.

Everything is gonna be alright

Be strong. Believe.

Her new change in lifestyle kept up for three months. She still dreamed of him, still dreamed of the last words he had told her, and she would still wake up with tears on her face, but she was determined to be strong, to believe, all for him.

She was sitting in class one day, bored out of her mind, when her cellphone buzzed in her pocket. A quick glance up at the front of the classroom let her know that the teacher's back was to the class to write on the board, and he probably wouldn't be turning around any time soon. Pulling the small electronic device from the pocket of her jeans, she saw that she had a new text from Robin. Curious, and hopeful, she flipped her phone open and immediately read the text. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Hey, he's coming off life support today. His parents thought it was time. I thought you should know. He's coming off at 1:30.

-Robin

3/30/11 1:00pm

Artemis didn't even think. She shot up from her seat and ran from the room, leaving her stuff behind. Maybe, maybe if she ran flat out she could get there before they pulled the plug. Maybe she could convince them not to take Wally off life support. Maybe, maybe, maybe ran through her head in a continuous loop as tears blurred her vision and her feet carried her as fast as she could go along the well-known path.

When she finally burst through the hospital doors and up to the ward Wally was in, the clocks all around her read 1:32.

"No," she cursed. "No, no, no, please no. Don't let me be too late." She ran the familiar corridors, heedless of the nurses and doctors yelling at her to slow down. She turned the corner to his room in time to see the doctors and his parents leave his room. She couldn't see their faces as their backs were to her, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to get to the redheaded boy lying in that bed and pray for a miracle. Maybe beg for him to come back to her.

She ran right passed his parents, passed his doctors, and burst through the door. "Wally!" she called, her voice strained and chocked from lack of oxygen and all her tears. What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Hey there, Beautiful," Wally said from his spot sitting in his hospital bed. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

He was awake, he was smiling at her, and he was awake. Artemis couldn't think of anything at that moment, she just stared at the boy as fresh tears leaked from her eyes. "Wally?" she whispered quietly, afraid that if she spoke too loudly she would shatter this dream.

Wally frowned at her for a moment before his face softened and he opened his arms to her. "Come here," he whispered just as quietly.

Artemis needed no further prompting as she ran at him and flung herself into his waiting arms. She clung to him desperately, crying loudly, and relishing in the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around her as his hand ran comfortingly through her hair.

"Shh," he whispered to her. "Shh, it's alright now."

Artemis didn't respond, but she pulled back and looked him over for a moment. He looked tired, and, though his injuries had healed and the smoke had been long cleared from his lungs, he still looked pale and a bit weak. But he's awake, she reminded herself. This isn't a dream, he's awake. She didn't even think as she pressed her lips desperately to his, and she barely even recognized when he kissed her back just as hard. All she knew was that he was awake and he was going to be alright.

Think about the love inside the strength of heart

Think about the heroes saving life in the dark

Think about the chance I never had to say

Thank you for giving up your life that day.

She never did get to really tell him thank you for what he had done that day, but she was pretty sure he knew anyway; if the way he dragged her back in for another kiss and kept his arms locked firmly around her lower back and one hand tangled in her hair meant anything anyway.

AN2: Yeah, I couldn't really kill Wally off. I tried, but I just couldn't do it. Besides, I kind of like how this turned out anyway. I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think