These Moments

The End or the Beginning?

   A simple mission. That's all it had been. And a recon mission, too! Observe and report, that's it. And, yet, this happened. Artemis couldn't believe it. It had only been her, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Zatanna, and Robin. Megan, Rocket, and Conner had stayed behind. Their mission? Observe Sportsmaster's new HQ and report back. But, of course, that's not what happened. Long story short, Cheshire found them, alerted Sportsmaster, and some stuff blew up.
    "Artemis! Kid! Go after Cheshire! We'll get Sportsmaster!" Aqualad ordered. The two nodded and went after her, KF automatically speeding ahead to stall Cheshire. Running in front of the masked villain, the speedster quickly tripped her, but the black haired woman simply flipped and landed gracefully on her feet.
    "Oooh, sorry, Flash Junior," she mocked. "But you'll have to do better than that." Then, Cheshire dodged three arrows shot by Artemis from the trees. The fight had lasted a while, and Artemis and KF were holding their own. But then, Cheshire had gotten a lucky hit on Artemis, throwing her back a few feet, unconscious. When that happened, KF got mad. And when he got mad, he got sloppy.
    "Aww. Does little speedy have feelings for the archer?" Cheshire teased. The sidekick gritted his teeth and began running circles around the woman, mocking her, making fun of her mask, you know, doing what Wally does best. Only, it made Cheshire a little too angry. She had snapped out her leg with such force, she actually broke five of the speedsters ribs.
   He had gone flying backwards, his back slamming against a tree. KF gasped, grasping his side in agony. He breathed in the cold forest air, trying to shake off the pain, but to no avail. He stood, but could do no more, leaning on the tree for support.
   "You know, of all superheroes, the most annoying are the speedsters," Cheshire growled. "They run around, never shutting up, and sometimes, they even make me lose my cool. But no more." She slowly pulled out a short sword, advancing on KF, who watched in fear. "Who knows? Maybe after I kill you, your precious mentor will come to avenge you, giving me the opportunity to put him out of his misery as well." The ginger spat at her, but couldn't move, due to the pain. His emerald eyes widened as Cheshire raised the sword above her head. Before he could react, she brought it down in one, swift movement.
    "NO!" came a shout, as KF closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow. But it didn't come. When he opened his eyes, the speedster found himself staring at  the back of Artemis's head, her body rigid. Looking down, KF gasped as he saw the very tip of Cheshire's sword sticking out of her back. The sword had gone hilt-deep into the blonde archer's stomach, actually coming out the other side. She had thrown herself in front of KF, saving his life, but most likely ending hers.
    "ARTEMIS!!!" Wally screamed as she began to fall, her face blank with shock. He stooped down and caught her, ignoring the searing pain in his side. "No! Artemis, you...Stay with me! Come on, Artemis!"
    "Artemis..." said Cheshire, stunned. She sighed as several small tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, baby sister. This isn't what I wanted. But you made your choice." The assassin paused as her breath started to come shorter, holding back sobs. "You've gone down the rabbit hole, little Alice, but I don't think you can come back out." Her voice was sad as she turned and disappeared into the shadows of the woods.
    "Robin! Aqualad! Is anybody there?!?" KF shouted frantically into his com. His heart was pounding as his panic rose. His eyes were locked on the fading Artemis, who just stared into the sky. Blood was pouring from the wound in her stomach, but KF didn't dare take out the sword, in fear of doing more damage.
    "KF! What is it?" came Robin's voice from the device in the speedster's ear.
    "Artemis is hurt! We need to get her help, now!" he yelled panicked. Robin said they were on their way, so he turned back to Artemis.
    "Artemis? Can you hear me?" he said, cradling her gently. She gave a small cough, a thin stream of blood trickling down her cheek, which KF quickly wiped away.
   "Wally...," she whispered, her eyes half closed. He squeezed her hand, replying, "I'm here, beautiful."
    "I'm tired...I'm gonna...sleep now, ok?" she slurred weakly. Wally's eyes widened in terror.
    "No! You need to stay awake! You hear me, Artemis? Look at me. Stay awake!" She gave small nod.
    "I'll...try," she breathed. "Don't...go, ok? Stay...here, with...me." KF nodded, tears stinging his eyes as he grasped her hand, gazing sadly down at the fading archer. He leaned down and softly kissed her forehead.
    "Stay strong, Artemis," he told her. "Hold on. You're gonna be ok, I promise. Just keep your heart beating."

*****
    Wally hadn't moved since Artemis came out of surgery. He just sat there, holding her hand, staring at her. It had been eight days since the incident, and Artemis had slipped into an unresponsive coma. There was a small chance she would ever wake up. The whole team sat in the hospital room, in uniform, asleep, except for KF.
    Megan snuggled against Conner's chest, tear streaks staining her face. Zatanna was sleeping with her head on Robin's shoulder, her eyes tired from crying. Rocket sat next to Aqualad, her hand barely touching his tattooed forearm. Superboy had cuts and scrapes on his knuckles from punching the stone walls of the Cave, claiming it was his fault, that he should have been there. Aqualad and Robin had managed to stay mostly emotionless, but Wally could tell they were hurting.
    But Wally had been more than upset. He had been scarred. He shed silent tears, wishing over and over that it was him lying on this bed, him having a slim chance of ever waking up, and him that had taken that sword. Now, he just sat here staring at her face, wishing he could see her piercing gray eyes one more time, or ever see her wear his favorite snippy smirk that he loved. He squeezed her hand tighter.
    "You know, they said you may be able to hear people around you," he said, his voice thick with sobs. "If you were here, you'd probably call me an idiot for believing them, but I'm sort of desperate." He sighed, taking in her relaxed features; her tan olive skin, her golden blonde hair, and her curved, strong face, framed by her dark green mask.
    "We need you back, Arty," he whispered. "I need you. I've never said it to anyone before, not even Rob, but, I really care for you. I just wish it would've been me." Wally wiped the tears streaming through his mask with his shoulder. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.
    "I love you, okay?!?" he yelled, then lowered his tone as Kaldur shifted in his chair. "You've gotta fight, Artemis. You're the strongest person I've ever met, and I need you back. If you're not around, whose gonna call me out on stuff, call me Baywatch, prove me wrong constantly....and drive me crazy every time I see you?" Wally poured his heart into the words he spoke, and the emotion was thick in his voice.
    "I love you, Arty. And I need you. Please, fight it. For me. Artemis, I-" Wally stopped when he felt a squeeze on his hand, and his ginger head shot to his hold on Artemis's fingers, then to the archer. Shocked emerald orbs met steel gray, smiling ones. His mouth dropped open at a happy, but whorse voice.
    "I...love you...too...Baywatch."