Things Change (Young Justice)

Chapter 2

2.

"I know that's what people say- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, youll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him."

― Betty Smith

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The cold Gotham air nipped at Artemis' neck as she pulled the jacket closer around her. And even as she maneuvered down the Gotham streets like a seasoned pro, she realized something was missing. Maybe it was the absence of warmth on her left side, or the silence that accompanied the soft sound of her feet. The sky was a dreary gray, a change Artemis welcomed over the usually sunny Palo Alto weather. Since Wally had… passed, the sun seemed to shine a little less bright and the warmth it brought only caused tears to sting her signature grim face.

Dick liked to call her the Second Batman. Maybe it was because of her snippy remarks and stern attitude, or maybe it was the way she never smiled and never laughed, no matter how many jokes Bart or Garfield cracked.

She figured if she just found a cape and some black spandex, she could call herself Batman and no one would know the difference.

The rhythmic sound of her footsteps ceased as she came to a halt, gray eyes glancing up at the words carved in the dull gray stone that encircled the area.

Gotham Cemetery

Artemis' eyes moved back down to face the rows of neat tombstones, most the signature semi-circular stone while others were gaping monoliths or mausoleums. Her eyes were drawn to the grassy knolls, taking in the hill that stretched over them all, recognizing the tree that overlooked a certain grave. Her feet moved on their own accord, trekking through the hills and approaching the recognizable landmark.

Moving uphill, a familiar mass of stone caught her eyes. It was a stone larger than the rest, resembling in some ways a very wide and short obelisk. The name etched in the stone was only slightly weathered away, but it still held its shiny sheen, the same it had when it was placed there many months ago.

Artemis Lian Crock

Beloved Daughter

When Artemis returned from the land of the dead (in actuality she was undercover with Aqualad), she was fully ready to uproot the stone and live happily in retirement with Wally. But after the… events that took place in the Arctic, she had convinced Dick long enough that she would like to keep it there. Because when Aqualad's sword seemingly pierced her skin, a tiny part of who she was was really impaled, allowing it to bleed. She was dying slowly, playing the role of the villain, a role she never wanted to play. And when Wally vanished, her figurative heart finally stopped beating, leaving nothing behind but a bloodied mess.

And as she went to stand beside her own gravestone, her eyes travelled sorrowfully to the twin gravestone nestled right next to her own. It was newer, the stone still shining as it had when it was made when Artemis decided to bury the memories made when the statue was erected.

Wallace Rudolph West

Beloved son, Beloved boyfriend.

While a gravestone was also placed in Central City, Wally's hometown, Barry Allen had thought of the idea of putting one where Artemis' gravestone was since she stubbornly insisted on keeping it there. And she had to admit; it was actually a good idea on his part (quite possibly his first). The ghost of a smile lit up Artemis' sullen features as a distant memory floated around in her head, reminding her of the hours she spent picking sand out of her outfit.

"Your name's really Wally?"

The happy memory danced in her mind, teasing her with faint imprints of a time when she was really happy. She couldn't get over the guilt that this was her fault. She decided to help out Nightwing, she was the one who pulled them out of retirement, she was the reason they were at the Watchtower when the last MFD was discovered.

And now she had no way to tell him sorry. Sorry for not being there for him, sorry for not spending enough time with him, sorry for not letting him copy her Vietnamese Lit. paper.

Sorry for not saying goodbye.

The thoughts that flooded her skull like a tidal wave washed through her body, causing her to shudder and allow some extra water from that tsunami to exit through her eyes. She wiped them away before they could cascade down her sharp features. She would not break down again. It was time for her to move on, to accept the consequences of her actions and continue her life like she did before Wally stumbled in (quite literally). But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, she could never bring herself to actually forget that day like everybody else had. Forget that Lex Luthor stole the credit for Wally's sacrifice, forget how she missed him so much it physically hurt her.

Forget that now he's been gone for two years now.

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The harsh vibrations originating from the pocket of her black jacket is what snapped her from her guilty thoughts. Wiping her steely gray eyes with the sleeve of the jacket, she used her other hand to root around in her pocket until her fingers touched the cool metal of her phone. Pulling it out, she took one glance at the Caller ID before putting it to her ear while pressing Answer.

"What's wrong?" she asked instinctively.

"Wow, sis" Jade drawled into the phone, her teasing tone never ceasing to cause her blood to boil in annoyance. "Not in the mood to say thank you to your favorite sister?"

"You're my only sister" She deadpans, muttering something along the lines of though I wish I were an only child, before continuing, "Why'd you call?"

"Rude much. Anyways, I need you to cut your little field trip short and come back" Jade answers briefly. There's the sound of something clattering to the floor and the noise of someone crying.

"What mess do I have to fix this time?" Artemis replies with an exasperated sigh. She turns around, sending one last glance at Wally's grave, before making her way out of the cemetery.

"Well first off looking after Lian was hard enough, watching two other super powered babies is another. Also, they won't stop running around and one of them is crying" Jade announces slowly, allowing Artemis to interpret the drama and letting it run through her head. After a moment her eyebrows crease and another frustrated sigh escapes her lips as she leaves the cemetery and walks the few blocks where her motorcycle is parked.

"They're not babies, they're two years old and I'm on my way. Just… make sure they don't fall while they're running. Makes a bigger mess when they're running at the speed of sound" Artemis says.

After a short goodbye, she hangs up and slides her helmet over her head, the visor tinting the world an even bleaker black.

Who knew being a single mother was so hard?

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A/N: Beginning's probably gonna be a bit boring and short, but I'm hoping it'll pick up speed as the story progresses. Anyways, I read a few fics about Irey and Jai West being Artemis' kids, so I was like "why not?" since this is technically an AU. My writing isn't great, so I'm open for critiques on how to improve it. 

Up to chapter 7 has been written so far but I want to update it slowly so I can take time to write Cat and Mouse. I just started chapter 11 on that one but I want to edit the other chapters since my writing was a bit poorer when I wrote those a few months ago. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter and thanks for the support so far!