This is a short two shot I started writing in February. During my trip in Germany I will be posting it. Please enjoy and leave reviews although I won't be able to respond to them till after my trip hearing your critiques and comments will really brighten my day.

Inspired by the song: Antebellum by Vienna Teng.

Thanks to silent reviewers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or its characters.

Antebellum

The life of a hero wasn't an easy one. It hurt a lot more and came with a lot more risks then an average civilian life did and Wally had always assumed he could handle it; balance the implications of his profession and his personal life but he couldn't. Not anymore.

Since they were sixteen Wally and the rest of the team had known about Artemis's past. True, it had been a devastating blow at the time and it had gotten so bad that they nearly hadn't reconciled but she and him had eventually found a common ground and things had gotten a little easier and he had fallen in love with the caustic, passionate woman – who made his toes curl and blood boil simultaneously.

Never had he ever wished for a different life and if he had to do the whole sordid affair of dating, fighting, marrying and raising a family again he would. But it was like he had been always sharing his wife with her dark past and no matter what either of them did they could never shake the overwhelming shadows that threatened them.

"What about the children!" he had yelled so furiously their wedding picture had been blown off the wall – the frame crashing onto the floor and breaking into hundreds of tiny shards.

"That's why I have to do this," she hissed not even bothering to match his volume she was more deadly when her voice was in a lower octave acidic and snarky, "If I don't do this they'll fall prey to it too...I can't let that happen."

"Send somebody else," he had pleaded, "There has to be someone else." She shot him a look. They both knew there was no one else. The Shadows would only ever accept one of their own; someone who shared their blood.

"It's not just for you," she said airily, "Roy needs me to find Jade." He shot her look of abject aggravation.

"Why do you care about Roy and Jade. It's their problem!"

"They're blood, West!" she hollered, "Criminal or not. Blood is blood. Roy is like a brother to you. She's my fucking sister." They had both promised for better or worse but it seemed like recently they were constantly trapped in worse limbo. He didn't want to be yelling at her like this, he just didn't want her to go. It would mean fighting her, it would mean having to know she was in harm's way, it would mean heartbreak. But they both knew this was her job – a job only she could perform.

She had left in late October which pissed him off more because she wasn't there to celebrate his birthday and it wasn't very likely she'd be able to send him any sort of message of goodwill or hugs and kisses from evil central. Of all the holidays his birthday held special meaning to the pair, it was their starting point metaphorically; a day when he had grown up and seen the truth. For the last ten years she'd never missed his birthday. Even when they were fighting she still somehow managed to sneak his present into his sock drawer or under his pillow. She never forgot to make him a birthday cake, she could be hundreds of miles away on his birthday and he'd still come home to a miraculously warm cake which he refused to touch until Artemis was safely secured in his arms again. There had been birthday parties held off for days until whichever of the pair was missing finally returned home safe. It was their tradition. It was their thing. It wouldn't work if he was a party of one.

So when the window had creaked open on the blustery November night on the eve of his twenty-sixth birthday Wally had been fully prepared to knock the perpetrator unconscious and perhaps get in a few good kicks to relieve some of his pent up anxiety, frustration, and anger. He had laid quietly in his bed waiting for the villain to either attempt to murder him or sneak further into the house when suddenly the mattress had snuck. That was unexpected. Delicate hands traced his feet, then his shins, and moved up his thighs. Until finally the criminal had crawled up the length of his body till their legs were straddling his waist in an all too familiar way.

"Artemis." She clamped a hand over his mouth to stop him from speaking. She shook her head at him eyes luminescent in the moonlight. It was like being visited by a ghost, and, hey, who the heck cared about implausibility and science when his wife was there with him.

It was too dark for writing using conventional means and it might wake up the boys if he turned on the light plus he selfishly wanted to keep her to himself for as long as possible – she was, technically, his first. She clearly didn't want to talk in case someone was listening so her delicate fingers traced feather-like messages along his face, chest, and arms as his overwhelmed mind tried to keep up with the scrawled caressing whispers.

I miss you. Sorry. It's so lonely, so quiet. Sorry. He shuddered as her fingers trailed along his lips before he grasped her wrist to stop her grabbled messages. Revealing the creamy canvas of her forearm his digits traced his own response.

Why?

Happy birthday. You didn't think I'd forget.

I didn't think you'd be able to see me. He frowned in the darkness. What kind of risk had she taken to get there?

Neither did I but I had to see you. I couldn't get a gift though. Shadows don't really have salaries.

Is it too cheesy if I say you're the best gift ever? She pushed her face into his chest and he could feel her smile against his skin. A silent confirmation that no it wasn't too cheesy and she hoped he'd shower her with more compliments. But flirtations could wait. With her pressed this close he now had access to her back and he began to scribble out more messages. How long do we have?

Not long. Wally I love you.

I love you too. It's hard without you.

How are the boys?

Way too much like you. Seriously you're not even in the house and still finding ways to aggravate me. She smiled again. I want to kiss you. Her body went rigid before she hastily scribed,

Wally. We can't.

I'll be quiet. His grip got a little firmer, pressing her closer as if affirming she was real. She looked at him apprehensively clearly grappling with the idea in her head. As if to convince her further he picked up his communicator and hurled it across the room satisfied when he heard the telltale shatter of electronic circuits splitting apart. She frowned unhappily squinting at him.

That was dumb. You could wake the kids or send an alert to the Justice League.

Please. She parted her lips in a silent sigh before blinking slowly.

Shower.

I can do that. He picked her up and zipped them into the washroom before she could protest or change her mind. Showers he marveled were a wonderful invention. They covered up the noise of their fiery, tender kisses and fleeting groans and if anyone was listening they'd just think he was jerking himself off because Artemis was deadly quiet as they moved and melded together. She kissed his lips hungrily savoring their taste her eyes boring into his – emotions playing on her face that he had forgotten in her short absence.

Don't go.

Can't do that Wall-man. She had traced along his pectorals at an agonizing slow pace. He pouted at her through the steam as he slid onto the tiled floor of the shower, his arms still snaked around her body which now sat in his lap. He pushed his face into her shoulder squeezing his eyes shut. Trembling fingers traced the loaded word he so wanted to voice but his tongue couldn't form the sound.

Why? He felt her shudder.

Wally...I have to go. He abruptly let go of her practically tossing her away with his bitterness. This was the life of a hero – secrets and lies even from those they loved most. God it sucked and he knew he shouldn't be taking his anger out on her. She was saving the world. Doing her part to make the world a better place for him, for their sons but he was just so ticked off that he couldn't do anything to help her, couldn't do anything but wait around for her to randomly creep back into his life. He wanted his wife back. He wanted...to not be angry, sad, and tired anymore. He wanted his spitfire back. He wanted it to be like it used to. When it was just him and her with midnight rendezvouses on rooftops as they fought crime together – stolen kisses and frantic touches.

She was standing now toweling her hair and he realized just how frail she looked as he drank in the sight of her. She was considerably thinner than she had been and bright pink scars he'd never seen before adorned her skin. Purplish bags were beneath her eyes and she squinted in the bright fluorescence of the bathroom, like she was unaccustomed to light. What had they done to her? No, the better question was what were they doing to her?

He pushed himself off the floor standing beside her a frown etching his features his hand involuntarily gripped her arm pleadingly. She shrugged him off pulling on her discarded uniform glaring at the buttons he had ripped off in his haste. He shrugged sending her a weak grin. Grabbing his hand she traced a message.

I'm checking the boys and leaving. She broke his hold before he had anytime to write a response. So he had to settle for waiting on the bed as his wife snuck down the hall peaking into the room their five year old and three year old shared. She quickly ambled back into their bedroom moving silently toward the open window she had entered through. He sprung beside her in an instant once again grabbing her form and crushing her in a hug.

"Don't go," he croaked, "Please. There's another way; always." She sent him a petrifying glare for talking and swiftly kissed him to suck the remaining soliloquy he had prepared out of his mouth and in his dazed state she slipped out the window.

He'd be lying if he said that for the next three nights he didn't stay awake sitting there expectantly waiting for her possible return despite the sheer impossibility but that never deterred him – even when his sons came and sat expectantly beside him.

It should have been a tip off when both Batman and Nightwing appeared on his doorstep together. The pair now shared a tense relationship that made it very difficult for the ex-superhero duo to be in the same room. The even bigger tip off should have been when the rest of the Young Justice team had assembled in his living room and M'gann had innocently asked to take his sons to the park.

"It'll be fun," she chirped ushering the two confused toddlers out the door, "The adults are only going to talk about boring stuff." Problem was his kids weren't stupid. Artemis's quick wit, intelligence, and ability to sense when things were off was engraved in their DNA and as they were dragged away from the house he swore they knew what he refused to acknowledge.

"She's dead."

"Don't know what you're talking about." All the men in the room looked uncomfortable wishing Miss Martian had stayed instead to broach the topic with the erratic speedster. Nightwing, as the best friend, attempted to make the red haired man calm down.

"There was an accident Wally. They found out."

"Please this is Artemis we're talking about," laughed Wally, "She wouldn't let herself get caught."

"Wally she's only human," stated Conner.

"She died a hero's death," supplied Aqualad.

"You should be proud," added Nightwing. Wally stewed angrily. So many curse words coming to his mind but what really pissed him off more than anything was how they were treating her death as if she wasn't even their friend, his lover – they were treating her like some arbitrary fallen hero.

"God, you all talk about her as if she was only one thing, a hero, but Artemis was so much more than that. She was a mother, a wife, an aunt, don't just label her as one thing like you know her," he spat out venomously, "You all made her one thing. You took her away, my spitfire."

"Wally..."

"Oh no! None of you are wally-ing me out of this one. None of you have that right."

"She was six weeks pregnant." Of course it had to Batman who put the preverbal nail in the coffin.

"Excuse me," Wally sputtered as he quickly did the math in his head. His birthday was in the second week of November, it was almost New Year's...oh Darwin.

"Tell me how did that happen," asked the Dark Knight bluntly, "Did she break cover to see you or was it the result of some Shadow?" Everyone in the room, excluding Wally, shot Batman a murderous glare at his insinuation. Wally was still trying to process the whole miserable affair he was going to be a father again, he was going to have another child, but as quickly as the joy flooded his mind the dark realization that two lives had been snuffed out overwhelmed it.

"You're telling me," he looked around the room, "Both my wife and unborn child are dead." He whirled around to face Batman, "Did you know! Of course you fucking knew, you're fucking Batman! You didn't take her off assignment...I'll...I'll kill you!" He lunged across the room at the masked figure before Conner heaved him back. He knocked Conner's arms away standing tall and proud he blurted,

"She's alive."

"That's impossible," stated Conner.

"Not buying it," he spewed confidently, "Artemis is alive."

"Get a grip, Artemis is gone," Nightwing's faced blanched as he repeated the phrase from another instance when Artemis had been ripped from Wally's life over ten years ago. His fists clenched involuntarily and Wally swallowed the lump in his throat before throwing a heated glare at the ex-Boy Wonder.

"Sorry, Dick. She's alive." Conner stepped up.

"I looked Wally," he stated, "Heat vision. Super hearing. Superman looked. There was nothing but debris. Nothing." Wally adamantly shook his head. Kaldur placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder letting the weight settle before he attempted to placate the grieving man,

"My friend she would not wish you to dwell."

"What the fuck do you know!" he yelled violently shrugging the appendage off, "She's alive. So unless you got something meaningful to contribute, like I don't know, 'we'll look again Wally.' I don't want to hear another word out of any of your traps." The four men looked between them apprehensively.

"Wally perhaps you should calm down," began Kaldur again raising his hand.

"Keep the flipper away," Wally hissed vehemently. The hand dropped and Kaldur tried to hide his sour look unsuccessfully.

"Calm down KF," stated Nightwing looking very miffed as he diverted back to the old nickname, "You're not helping anyone."

"Oh I'm sorry were you just told that your wife and the mother of your children was killed along with your unborn child! I don't think so." He crossed his arms glaring at the assembled pity party, "You're all wrong. She's alive." The four men looked at each other, Batman's mouth a grave line.

"You are in denial."

"Funny thing is I'm not," he responded evenly eyes not even looking at his friends instead his green eyes focused on the wedding picture in the new frame he had bought – after her departure. "Artemis will be back. Now get out and tell Miss M to bring my children home."

When the two bedraggled toddlers scurried into the house Wally forced a smile on his face, cuffing them both gently on their blonde heads. He was pretty sure he asked them if they had fun and what they wanted for dinner but he couldn't really remember as he subconsciously went through the motions of a doting father. What he did remember was barely acknowledging M'gann and mutely nodding towards the door without so much as a word the minute she appeared to want to offer him some half-hearted condolences. He didn't need them. His children didn't them.

But what he desperately wanted to do more than anything was run. To escape where she was, wherever that was, but he couldn't. He was grounded. It hurt. It hurt more when he finally got up the courage to tell the boys the truth later that night. If it wasn't for them he wasn't sure if he would haves stuck around physically or mentally. But there was one thing he could hold onto – he didn't feel empty. He knew Artemis. He knew himself. No matter what anyone told him she was alive. Their bond ran deeper than mere superficial attachment it was spiritual it was powerful, and she was alive. It pulsed through him. Otherwise there was no way he could pat Barry's and Richard's heads and say everything would get better because if she was dead it fucking wouldn't. Ever.

He had slugged Roy in the face when Jade returned two months later. Stowed away on a boat saying her sister had stayed behind after giving her the ticket.