Mount Justice was dark; the only light in the living room was coming from the faint glow of the television set, left on despite the absence of Conner. Everyone was somewhere for the holidays: Robin was at home with Batman, Kaldur was in Atlantis, M'gann and Conner were celebrating an Earth Christmas with J'onn, courtesy of M'gann's research from television episodes, and Wally was with his parents and entire extended family.

Artemis walked slowly through the quiet darkness, enjoying the solitude. She was spending the holidays at home with her mom, but tonight she couldn't sleep. There was something about Christmas Eve that always left her restless; maybe it was just the buildup of never having a good Christmas as a child, or maybe it was the newfound anticipation of seeing what the next day held, with her mom at home and her father who knows where in the world.

So here she was, in Mount Justice, at an unholy hour on the holiest of nights. Not that she herself was necessarily religious, there was just some kind of peace that Christmas seemed to bring, and she found herself not wanting to disrupt it by staying awake, tossing and turning in her bedroom.

She wasn't sure why she was here, but it felt right. Mount Justice was her home away from home, the place where she finally found friends who accepted her, past and all, and where she'd fallen in love. Clichéd, maybe, but Mount Justice held a lot of first memories for her.

The echo of her footsteps against the stone walls brought her back to the present. She was walking down a hallway mindlessly, her feet taking her down a familiar path to the trophy room. The door, coming closer and closer into view, seemed slightly out of place to Artemis. Ajar, with light spilling out into the hallway, almost as if…

Someone was here. Someone was in Mount Justice when Artemis was certain she'd be alone. Was it an intruder?

Her feet padded softly against the ground, and she inched her back along the wall, listening carefully. She didn't hear anything that sounded like a break-in, but what good thief who'd made it past the hideout's defenses would be making noise?

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs completely, willing the air to take any nerves out of her system so she could be ready to fight with a clear head. She slowly turned herself so she was perpendicular to the wall, and peeked inside. Her line of sight came up empty, and she stepped into the room, one hand against the door to push it open soundlessly.

She saw the shock of red hair first. The lanky boy it belonged to was facing away from her, intently staring at something in his hands.

"Wally?" she let out a breath, surprised.

He turned to look at her. "Hey, beautiful," he smiled, his face brightening. "I didn't expect to find anyone here."

"Nor I," she said, still staring at him. "What're you doing here?"

He held out a piece of cloth, the ragged triangle limp in his hand. "I was looking at the souvenirs. I don't know, taking a trip down memory lane or however the saying goes."

"I think that's right," she told him, moving towards him. "How's your family? Aren't you supposed to be with them tonight?"

"Yah, but everyone went to bed and I couldn't fall asleep, so I came here. Just, y'know, to give myself something to do for a few hours."

She knew exactly what he meant. She just needed something to occupy her for a few hours, just long enough to reach the point in the night where she actually felt tired due to her screwed up sleep cycle.

"I, uh, got you something," he said, breaking the silence.

"Oh!" Artemis exclaimed, surprised. "I got something for you too, but I left it back at home. I didn't think I'd see you for a few days since I thought you'd be with your family."

Wally let out a laugh and held out a thin box, "Yah, I didn't think I'd see you until at least the day after Christmas, but I've been carrying this around for a while. I was going to wait until New Year's, when it's our actual anniversary, but I think now is just as good a time as any. It's kind of crazy; we've been together for a while, haven't we?"

"A year," she reminded him. Although to her, a year was a while. She never thought she'd ever date anyone, let alone longterm.

He opened the box and pulled out a thin metal chain bracelet with a flattened side that had something inscribed on it. She tried to make out the tiny lettering but failed, and Wally stepped forward to put it on her, still talking. "Yah, a year. It's crazy to think about; I always knew I'd want to get married or something, but I never really expected to find someone so young, you know?" he reached for her wrist, fastening the clasp on the bracelet.

"I never expected to love someone this young," she told him, careful to keep breathing at a steady pace despite her heart pounding in her chest. What was he going on about? Marriage? "What do you mean, marriage?" she asked suddenly.

He looked up, his eyes widening as he realized the actual implication of what he'd said. "Oh, uh, well," he stammered before gaining control. He seemed to almost make up his mind. "I mean, part of me realized from the moment I met you and you shot off some snarky comment to me that you'd be the girl I'd fall in love with and want to marry. And I know we're just teenagers and way too young to be thinking about it right now, but if we're still together in a few years, hopefully I'll be putting a ring on your finger instead of a bracelet, because I am absolutely in love with you and can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you."

Artemis felt as if her jaw could drop. Wally had said he'd loved her before, that was nothing new, but talking about marriage? The future?

"I felt this way since we started dating, Arty. You're my person—I just didn't want to scare you away."

"You're not scaring me now, West," she told him, feeling faint. It had been a long time since she'd thought about the future beyond the next year. The thought of five years, ten years, a whole lifetime into the future was intimidating, but not terrifying. In a way, it was almost electrifying, the idea of being with Wally for the rest of her life.

Deep breaths, she thought, trying not to let her mind travel too quickly.

"Wally, I love you. Completely and without any doubt in my mind, there's no one on this entire planet that I'd want to spend my life with, but let's get through college first, alright?"

He laughed, putting his hands on her waist, "Don't worry, babe, I'm not planning on proposing to you for a few years."

They were close now, and somewhere in the conversation she'd found herself backed up against the wall. Her hands were against his chest now, the silver of the bracelet glinting every so often in the light. Their breaths were in sync, and she could feel his heart beating—a little fast, but regular—as she met his eyes.

God, I love his eyes, she thought to herself, as she stared at him, almost afraid to blink. She brought a hand up to his cheek, lightly putting her thumb on the edge of his wind-chapped lips. The mili-seconds ticked by agonizingly slow as he closed the distance between their mouths, and finally, Artemis pulled him towards her to close the remaining centimeter of space, her hand moving from his cheek to the nape of his neck, twisting into his hair.

She felt him move against her, the happy groan that buzzed in the back of his throat as he pushed his lips against hers more forcefully. They sank to the ground, Wally repositioning her so she's on his lap and they're kissing again, and it's the best feeling in the world and Artemis never wants to be apart from him again, not even for the remainder of the holidays, and she loved him; she loved him more than she thought possible and she knew it.

"I'm going to marry you, Wally West," she breathed into his mouth, and she felt him smile again.

"So is that a yes?" he shot back, taking a quick breath.

"Yah, Kid Idiot, I guess that's a yes from young me to future you."

Later, when Wally slumped against a shelf, finally asleep, and Artemis was curled up next to him, she finally looked at the engraved words on the bracelet: "Have faith in what you can't explain. Believe in what you can no longer deny."

She smiled and leaned her head against his chest, hearing the thump of his heart against her ear. Closing her eyes, she finally fell asleep, no longer restless.

Artemis puts the bracelet back into her small, wooden jewelry box, it shining as it catches the light even after all these years. She glances into the mirror, her hair now cut short and her eyes tired; the photographe taped up in the corner, edges curling from age, shows a younger her standing next to Wally, taken just before he disappeared.

"Even after all of these years, Wally, you're still the only one for me," she whispers, touching the photograph softly with an index finger. "I'll wait forever to marry you."

I decided to come out of retirement very briefly to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season. Let me know if you know where the inscribed quote is from! As always, please review. :)

Merry Christmas; Happy New Year

Val