A/N: Again, this is not Evolution of Soul Mates. Sorry! My muse for that story is basically gone with wherever Wally and Artemis are hiding...I have some stuff written down for it for the next chapter but I'm not really happy with how it's going so I might scrap it. Hopefully, this will hold everyone over until the next chapter comes out. Anyway, this chapter was also hard for me to get out. I wasn't sure if I wanted to add more or not, but I think I'm finally happy with how it turned out.

Sidenote: Has anyone seen the spoilers for Spitfire in Season 2? I mean, I called that I think...

Anyway, enjoy! And please review! XD

Characters: Wally West, Artemis Crock

Genre: Romance, Drama, Family

Words: 2, 293

Summary: When Wally and Artemis graduated high school, they both left the Team to pursue their college careers. Three years later, events occur that require them to don their superhero uniforms again. Set a couple weeks after Happy New Year. SPITFIRE! 3

Flash Forward - Chapter 3

The ring sat in the middle of his kitchen table basically taunting him as he drank his beer. The beer wouldn't get him drunk at all, not with his metabolism, but the feel of the cold bottle in his hand was comforting. He took a long swig and continued to eye the ring. His uncle had given it to him when they'd parted ways at the diner an hour ago, saying, "Just in case" and "There are more where that came from." Barry seemed confident of Wally's decision, and yet somehow he was still waffling. Something wasn't right. He felt like there was something he was missing or forgetting, but he could not for the life of him remember what it was.

He heard the jangling of keys outside his apartment and wasn't the least bit surprised when Artemis opened the door and walked in. She immediately spied him sitting at the kitchen table pitifully and immediately strutted over and plucked the beer from his hands.

"Hey!"

"I'll take that," she said. At first he thought she was going to pour the rest of the bottle down the sing. Instead, she tipped her head back and chugged the rest of it.

"Oh, go ahead, it's not like I was planning on finishing that or anything," he said dryly.

She went to the sink to rinse out the bottle. "It doesn't even affect you," she reasoned. "And I really needed that after the day I had."

"All right, but I really don't condone underrage drinking," he said in his snootiest voice.

"Whatever, Baywatch, it was barely a sip." She came up behind him and stared as he did at the ring in the center of the table. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"If you think it's one of my uncle's Flash rings, then you would be right," Wally replied. He sighed. Well, now's a good a time as any.

Artemis said nothing as he got out of his chair and picked up the ring. He'd seen Barry do this enough times to know what to do. He pressed a button on the ring to eject the costume. In an instant he had shed his clothes and put on the red body suit. The fit was snug against his body, and Wally wondered if Barry had gotten this one specially made for him or if he had finally filled out enough to match his uncle. Making sure that his cowl was fully covering his face, he turned to a wide-eyed Artemis.

"Well?" he asked, but not in his normal preening way. "How do I look?"

"You…you look great," she told him, circling around him. He felt a pinch on his rear and laughed out loud. "I forgot how much spandex works wonders for your butt." She came to a stop in front of him and wrapped her arms around his back. "How do you feel?"

"I feel…I feel…" He didn't know how he felt. It was all a little overwhelming, heavy on the over. Wally turned his head and caught a glimpse of them in a mirror across the room. He looked like the Flash, but putting on the uniform didn't make him the Flash. Something was still missing. "I don't know," he told her, enfolding her into his arms. Although they had once been the same height, he had shot up to be at least half a foot taller than her. He rested his head on top of hers. "Something just isn't right. I feel like there's something I'm forgetting."

He was confused when she pulled away, a determined gleam in her eye. "I think I might have an idea of what that is," she said. She walked over to the door and picked up a black duffle bag he hadn't noticed her carry in. "Just don't freak out."

"I'll try not to Rapunzel," he joked. His brows furrowed under his cowl ever more when she disappeared into his bedroom for a couple minutes. He tapped his fingers against the kitchen table impatiently, until finally the door opened and she stepped out.

He felt his eyes widen in shock. "Artemis, what-?"

Standing in the doorway to his room was not Artemis Crock, but Artemis the young archer superhero. Her costume was remarkably similar to how her costume had been when they were younger with a few notable exceptions. This costume had a green hood, similar to Green Arrow's, leaving Artemis' blonde hair to stream over one shoulder. Also like her old mentor, Artemis had forsaken her cowl for a black domino mask.

He sputtered. "W-where did you get that?"

"I spent all day making it," she told him. She did a little twirl. "You like?"

"Well, yeah, but, I didn't think, well, I didn't want to presume..."

She playfully cocked one hip. "What? You thought I was going to let you go out there without me? Yeah, right. Why should you get to have all the fun?"

He gaped at her. Yes, that was exactly what he'd thought. She'd never expressed a wish to return to superheroing, though he had always suspected that she wasn't quite content with their run of the mill college student lives. From time to time even he had gotten restless with their day-to-day schedules. It was hard to be ordinary when you'd once been extraordinary.

He realized he hadn't said in anything for a long time when she came to stand in front of him. "We can do this, Wally," she said. "If we do this together, homework, villains, they won't stand a chance. You asked me before if I missed it, and I do, for all the same reasons you listed the other night. I miss being a part of something bigger than myself. I want to do stuff that matters. I want to fight for the people who can't. No matter what we said before, you and I both knew that one day we'd want to join the League. I think today is that day, Wally."

He caught a glimpse of them in the mirror again and was struck by how perfect they looked together. This, this was what had been missing before. Him and Artemis, side by side, fighting crime together, doing what they did best. Suddenly, all of his doubts were gone; all except one.

"Okay. Okay," he repeated, trying to get his thoughts in order. He removed his cowl and took off her domino mask, laying it on the kitchen table. Seriously, more serious than he thought he'd even been in his life, he cupped her face with his hands. "If we do this, you have to promise me that you won't get hurt," he whispered, staring into her grey eyes.

Artemis scoffed. "Wally, I'm not some damsel in distress. I can take care of myself. We've been over this a hundred times."

"You think I don't know that?" he asked. She didn't understand. He wondered if she ever would. "I know what you're capable of. You're amazing. The thing is, is that you mean everything to me. Everything. That's why you can't get hurt. I would, I would lose it if something happened to you, Artemis."

"You watch my back, I watch yours," she responded, mimicking his stance by cupping his cheeks with her hands. "We've been down this road before, Wally. We both know the risks, and we both know that the rewards far outweigh them, right?"

"Right," Wally agreed. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before opening them again. "We're really doing this then? We're back in the superhero business? The Flash and Artemis; heroes of the Justice League of America."

"It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" Artemis joked, leaning her forehead against his.

He nodded against her and the two of them locked eyes. Just being this close to her was intoxicating. Now that they'd gotten their serious conversation out of the way, he felt light and unburdened, and other emotions were filtering in. Desire, to name one. Playfulness. Both of them deriving from the beautiful young woman in front of him. As if sensing his shifting mood, she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, moving her lithe body closer to his.

"You know what you said the other night about hardly having any time to see each other?" Artemis asked him, her raspy voice sending shivers down his spine. "Well, that's going to be doubly true now that we're both back in the game. We'll have to make every moment count, right?"

"Absolutely," Wally murmured, seconds before capturing Artemis' lips with his own. His hands slid down of their own accord to her waist. In a flash, he had picked her up and settled her on to the kitchen table, stepping between her legs. She moaned into his mouth and wrapped her legs around him. He drifted away from her lips to trail kisses along her jaw.

"Bedroom," she gasped out as he playfully sucked on the sensitive skin on her neck.

He took her into his arms again and within seconds he was tossing her onto his bed. She leaned back, eyeing him with a hungry expression. Her hood had fallen back and her hair was coming out of its customary ponytail. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

"Can you get out of that uniform as fast as you put it on?" she asked coyly.

He smirked at her, and a few moments later, the smirk was all he was wearing. He crawled on the bed towards her as she started to divest herself of the rest of her clothes.

"Is it my turn to be on top or yours?" he asked, not leaving her time to retort before he covered her body with his own.

Later, as they lay in post-coital bliss, with Artemis nestled against his side, all Wally could think about was how he felt the happiest he had in a long time. He knew in his heart that he'd make the right choice about joining the League, and he felt even more sure about the move with Artemis by his side. Uncle Barry had been right about him. Time had passed and he may have changed, but he still stood for all that he had before; truth, justice, good vs. evil, all that. And now that the decision had been made, he was pumped to get back into action.

"I can't wait to tell Dick," he said suddenly, startled when he heard himself speak the words aloud instead of in his head.

"Oh, by all means, don't let me stop you from calling your little boyfriend now with the good news," Artemis, who apparently had been dozing, said sleepily.

"Don't be jealous of our bromance," Wally teased her. "You know I only have eyes for you, beautiful."

"So you tell me," she retorted, and even though he couldn't see her, he knew she was smiling.

He shifted so that he was leaning on his elbow looking down on her. He took in her gorgeous features and felt such a swell of love for her that he was prompted to lay a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Thank you," he simply said.

"For what, Wallman?" she asked, peering up at him playfully.

"For not pushing me to make a decision. For encouraging me and getting me to talk it out. I know I say it a lot, but you really are amazing. The best girl a guy like me could ever dream of having. So, thanks," he finished lamely, feeling self-conscious about how sappy he was being.

But she didn't make fun of him. "You're welcome," she said, caressing his face with her fingertips.

He kissed her again, and in that moment it didn't matter that in a few days time they would be superheroes with the weight of the world on their shoulders. It didn't matter what had happened in the past or what was going to happen in the future. All that matter was that they were Wally and Artemis; two people in love. And as far as Wally was concerned, nothing ever could or would come between them.

THE END (Or is it just the beginning?)

A/N: Abrupt ending is abrupt...For now though, I think it's safe to say that I'm done with this story. I ended it where I originally planned on ending it, so any chapters that I might post from here on out are totally spontaneous. I don't really forsee myself writing more for this story, but we'll see as the season goes along. Hopefully, we get some Spitfire there sooner rather than later.

Again, just wanted to say how blown away I was by all your reviews! Thank you all so much and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know! Also, even though I said I was basically done with this story, any and all ideas for future chapters will be considered. So just drop me a review with anything you'd like to see! Thanks everyone! XD