#redstripe

 Picking up the picture of her and Wally, Artemis ran her fingers over his image softly. Over two years and she was still in love with that ginger idiot. Their life had been perfect out of the life. No missions, no broken bones, no hospital stays, no ruined days except for bad grades and worse teachers. When had it all changed and gone so wrong? “Oh, right,” she remembered bitterly, the day Dick called and asked for her help on a deep cover mission.

 “Artemis? I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but I need your help. Kaldur’s on a deep cover mission and it’s going belly up. I need—”

 “Where do I need to be and where?” Artemis asked, already running a checklist in her mind as she started looking through the closet, moving clothes and grabbing a bag that had her suit in it. Listening to Dick’s instructions and timeline, Artemis packed up and put her phone in her pocket, feeling Wally at the doorframe.

 “What’s Dick want?” Wally asked, his arms crossed as he watched Artemis. “What are you packing for?”

 Sighing, the blonde archer turned and looked at her boyfriend. “He asked me for help. Kaldur’s in deep cover with Manta, has been since after Tula’s funeral. He’s asking me to go in as a new identity, glamour charm to disguise myself. I told him I would, Wally. Kaldur’s my friend, and I— “

 “He’s my friend too,” Wally said. “And you’re just jumping at this? No questions asked, no “Let me talk to Wally”, no nothing? That isn’t fair, Artemis, and you know it.”

 Artemis nodded, sighing softly and knowing that Wally was right. “You’re right, it isn’t fair,” she said. She set her bag down and put her hand on Wally’s cheek. “I’m meeting Dick tonight in Blüdhaven, come with me and learn what I have to, that way you’re involved. Please? I…I don’t want us fighting about this and having it fester while I’m gone, Wally.”

 Wally nodded softly, turning his head and kissing Artemis’ palm. “Alright. I’ll come. It’s just the four of us that know?”

 “Yeah,” Artemis nodded. “M’gann and Connor don’t, and…they’re not on speaking terms for some reason, M’gann hasn’t told me why. It’s best to keep them out of it for now.”

 “They deserve to know, Artemis. They’re the rest of the Original Six.”

 “And if we tell them about this, and word gets out that something isn’t right, that’s more people that get detained and interrogated by the Reach, or the Light, or the League. We have to keep them out of it. Until we have to spill the beans.”

 “Yeah, that worked like a damn charm,” Artemis muttered, setting the picture down. “She fried Kaldur’s mind, I had to kidnap her, and it didn’t work the way it should have. It all went to hell.” Standing up and looking out of the window, seeing the streetlights illuminating the street below. Sighing as she shut the window, Artemis looked over as a knock sounded on her door. Walking over, she opened it and came face to face with Will. “What?”

 “You alright? You and Paula seemed at each other’s throats the rest of the night,” Will said. “Especially after her biting your head off for being back on the Team.”

 Artemis sighed, backing up and pinching her nose. She sat on the bed and watched Will lean against the door. “She seems to think there’s something between us. With how I look at you, or you look at me, or the way we work off each other keeping Lian, Violet, Tara, and everything else going. Trying to guilt me into admitting feelings that are not there,” she said. “It doesn’t help matters that if I don’t realize it’s you, seeing you from the back reminds me of Wally. It—” She ran her hand over her face and sighed, shaking her head. “Will, tonight was the closest I came to actually smacking my mother. Something I’ve never done or thought about. This is one time she was out of line, and I…I didn’t know what to say except that it’d never happen.”

 Will nodded. “I’ll be honest, Artemis…with Jade disappearing, Lian does need some sort of a mother figure in her life, and you’re doing the best you can, even with being back in the life. I’ve toyed with the idea of going out to start dating again, but with the Security firm, trying to keep the house up, new strays coming in every other week—”

 “I told Dick we need to stop picking up strays,” Artemis said with a bemused smile.

 Will laughed and nodded. “But he don’t listen,” he said. “Artemis, when you were working on Violet’s school enrollment, Jade was outside. She told me to move on, that she wasn’t coming back. She still thinks she’s too damaged to have a family, a life outside of the life. I tried to convince her, but she didn’t listen. She’s moved on, and I think it’s time I have to, too. I can’t wait for Jade. Not anymore. I still love her, that’s never going to change, but I can’t change her heart or her mind.”

 He sighed and ran his hand in his hair, pushing off of the doorframe. “Your mom’s wrong. The only glances I give are ones of thanks, because without your help, I’m pretty sure this house would fall apart and Lian would be taken by Child Services and shipped off somewhere else. You’re keeping the ship running while I’m busting my butt to keep the lights on. “

 “Hey, Lian’s my niece. I’ll always help when it comes to her. I love that little monster,” Artemis said with a small smile. “I know that…I’m not an easy person to live with, but…thank you, Will. For taking me in after Wally disappeared, letting me stay here while I worked on my degree.”

 Will smiled. “You’re welcome,” he said. “Don’t let Paula get to you. You’re still holding out hope that Wally’s going to come back, and honestly, so are me and Dick. Don’t listen to her about this. Be the person you know you have to be, and that’s Tigress. You’ll find happiness again, just like I will. It’s a slow process, but it’ll happen. Trust me, I’m kind of an expert on the whole “Getting back on the wagon after losing yourself” after what I did for five years, trying to find Roy.”

 Artemis nodded, getting up and biting her lip. She walked over and hugged Will, closing her eyes. “Thanks. I needed this conversation.”

 Will nodded, hugging Artemis back. “Anytime, Stripes.” He pulled back and backed up. “Get some rest. Tomorrow Lian wants a Christmas Tree.”

 Artemis snickered and saluted. “And whatever she wants, she gets. Aye, aye, Captain. I’ll be right as rain to find a good tree for Christmas.” She watched Will walk back down the hall to the living room, and she shut her door softly, locking it again and kicking her boots off to sit beside the window. Sitting on the bed, she ran her hand through her long, blonde hair, smiling softly. “He’s right…I am still holding out hope for Wally. I’ll give it until the three-year anniversary of his disappearance. If he doesn’t come back, then I’ll move on. Not one minute sooner. That’s my solid vow. Not one goddamn minute sooner.”

 Changing and laying back on the bed, staring at the picture of herself, Wally, and Brucely again, the archer smiled softly and closed her eyes, feeling better than she had all night. Her mother was wrong, and she knew it deep inside. If she had to move on, she knew it wouldn’t be with Will, but with someone she could connect with outside of the life. She had friends outside of her hero community, she just had to be willing to let go of the past.