Reverse Rebirth Series Book 2 : So I'm A West {COMPLETED}

Chapter 6: From The Ground Up -

Song: From The Ground Up                        From: Dan + Shay  

(I promise this is the last one)

While the discussion about parental issues was discussed between the younger speedster and the detective, Wally and Artemis went back inside, and slipped into the crowd, finding their mothers talking happily together. Before they had a chance to intervene, and say something to the two, a voice said, "Ladies and gentleman, as it has been tradition, the bride and groom will now have their first dance. Would they please make their way to the stage, as it is now time?" Artemis whispered, as soon as the voice finished speaking, "What? Now?" Wally shrugged his shoulders, and began to lead his wife to the stage, saying softly, "I wasn't aware this was happening. I hadn't eve... Dick. He must have set this up behind my back! Artemis, I really hadn't planned for this to be a part of the ceremony itself, but there's nothing we can do, so let's just try to look like it's protocol." The blonde snickered, then said quietly, "Okay, it's protocol." Once the two reached the stage, Wally helped Artemis up again, then placed his right hand on her left hip, and grabbed her right hand softly. Then, Artemis put her open hand on Wally's open extended arm, and looked happily at him. Slowly and carefully, a song began to play, and the two started to dance to the rhythm. Moving as if one body, Artemis felt whole, connected physically to her husband. Wally, who felt sparks flying through his body, listened to the words playing in his head, as the chorus went by, calmly singing, "... And we'll build this love, from the ground up. Now till forever, it's all of me, all of you, just take my hand. And I'll be the man your dad hoped that I'd be. And we'll build this love from the ground up. For worse or for better. And I will be all you need, beside you I'll stand. Through the good and the bad, we'll give all that we have. And we'll build this love from the ground up..." As the rest of the song went through the motions, both the ginger and the blonde continued to sway and dance slowly, as well as romantically, to the tune. Slowly, the song dwindled down to the end, and even after the music stopped, Artemis was so in the zone, dancing with Wally, that she couldn't stop. She just kept on dancing, letting her husband lead. Finally, after a few minutes more, both stopped, and looked each other in the eye, kissing again, which gave several hollers again from the crowd. Artemis said, as soon as the kiss ended, "Walls, ready to go home?" The ginger nodded, then took the blonde off the stage, picked her up in his arms, walked her outside, before dashing off with her still holding on. The couple didn't even care that people were still at the ceremony, enjoying themselves. Soon, they reached their apartment in Palo Alto, and once they did, Wally gently set Artemis down, before snagging the keys from the hidden spot in the flower pot, and opening the door, to reveal a dark home. Flipping on the light, he ran his fingers through her long, hair. The blonde played, and said jokingly, "What? The fastest man alive, opening my door for me and playing with my hair! What a surprise, speedster." Wally grinned, then replied, closing the door behind him, "Artemis Lian West, my wife, it shouldn't come at a surprise to you, that there's a man in this fast moving body, and that he loves you so much." Artemis answered, "Wallace Rudolph West, you make me smile. We should probably get to bed soon though, considering we have patrol in the morning." Wally agreed, "Yeah, I should probably get a call from Dick about us lea..." At that moment, his cell started to ring, and with speed, he whipped it up to his ear, saying, "Hey Dick! What's up, dude? Yeah, we decided to ditch after the ceremony. Stay as long as you like, but Artie and I have first watch at the Watchtower tomorrow, so we had an excuse to ditch the rest. I know, but it was either tomorrow in the morning, or late Saturday night, and you know that's our only exception. Alright, see you tomorrow at the Tower. Goodnight." Disconnecting from the call, Wally turned to Artemis, and said, "Bed?" Nodding, the blonde rushed into the bedroom, and headed straight for the bathroom, with pajamas, while the ginger undressed, leaving mostly everything on, except for his shirt. Then he pushed his bed against Artemis', and pulled a much larger blanket over the top, leaving the top section open. Crawling onto the open 'makeshift queen sized' bed, he waited patiently, until Artemis emerged, dressed in a tank and gym pants. She walked over to the two beds pushed against each other, and said, laughing, "Looks like you've got things figured out, Baywatch." Wally snickered, then said, "We'll get a real couple's bed tomorrow after patrol, when I can make a run to the store. Until then, these will have to do. So, yeah, I do." Sitting on the bed, Artemis said, her eyes focused on her ring, "Babe, how did you afford the ring in the first place?" Wally replied, "I borrowed from Dick. I'll be paying him back, with the first few months of checks from work. Then, we can focus on everything else." "You are the best guy a girl like me could ever ask for. How am I so lucky?", Artemis asked, flipping around to face Wally, then laying down on the top of the bed sheets. The ginger replied, "I'm not sure our love has anything to do with luck, but it does have everything to do with how we met. Remember when I stumbled in, in a swim suit, and you were there? I think that, was when it all began. Also, it started, when we had the simulation where everyone died and even when Red Tornado's siblings attacked the Cave and all of us metas, leaving only you and Dick to protect the Cave." Artemis rolled onto her side, and stared at Wally in the face, her grey eyes piercing with love and compassion, as she reflected on each memory as it came. She finally said, "I guess every time something bad happened, it tested our relationship further. Even with you being taken into the Speedforce, that was a test of faith. I had to hope that Dick had been right, when he found you. I had to hope, that you were alive, and had come home to me." Wally smiled, then yawned, and said, "I'm going to hit the hay, babe. If you want to stay up, be my guest, but I really need to catch some rest, cause running halfway around the world takes a lot out of a man." Turning over, the ginger fell asleep, but Artemis laid awake in bed. She contemplated and thought over how everything had gone, and how just a few months before, the man next to her, her husband, wasn't even that, and didn't even know her. As quietly as she was taught, Artemis slipped off the bed, and headed down the hall to the kitchen. When she arrived, she found a mug and poured herself some coffee, making sure to add what she wanted to it, then heating it up to her desired temperature. As soon as the coffee was done, Artemis went and sat on the couch, slowly sipping the hot drink. Suddenly, the blonde got a bad feeling that she was being watched. Putting the cup of coffee down, she asked calmly, getting into a defensive position, "Who's there?" From the shadows, she heard someone say with a hint of darkness in their voice, "Heh, you're one lucky girl. Better enjoy him while you have the chance, because you never know what or who you could lose in a flash." By the tone of the voice, Artemis knew exactly who it was, but needed a visual, to be sure. She commanded, "Reveal yourself." As requested, the person in the shadows emerged, and the blonde stared surprised, at her own sister, Cheshire, wearing the creepy mask and attire of the assassin. Artemis asked, "Cheshire...why are you here, in my home? What do you want?" The dark haired assassin replied, her voice slow, "I want for you to know the truth, Artemis. The Light has things planned. Things, even I don't know about fully yet. I've come to warn you, because everything good, never lasts long."