A/N: So this is just an idea that came to me the today because Conner and Artemis totally have an awesome friendship but it barely gets any notice or screen time. I just feel like their friendship deserves some love. Oh and for the first one, they never say what happens to Jason in the show so this is just my imagination of it. Sorry if it annoys anyone. This is not a romantic pairing of Conner and Artemis in anyway (I love Spitfire to much). It's only about the friendship between Conner and Artemis. I hope you guys like it.
Disclaimer: This is purely for fun, I in no way or form own Young Justice.
Five Times Conner was there for Artemis and One time She was there for Him.
One
"Robin!" Artemis shouts as she spots their captured friend. The Joker laughs like a maniac and runs out a side door. Artemis and Conner sprint over to their fallen friend.
Guys, what's going on? M'gann asks over the mind link.
Jason's down. Joker's on the move. Artemis reports, reaching Jason's side. He was bleeding heavily, but was still alive.
We are ten minutes out with the bioship. I'll have Bumblebee and Kid Flash prepare the med bay. M'gann tells them.
"You idiot. As soon as we get out of here, I am punching you in the face for running off like that." Artemis lectures, tearing off part of her pants to wrap around his biggest gashes.
"Guys, bomb." Jason says, spitting out blood as he sat up. Conner listens closely and sure enough he hears a familiar ticking sound. He reaches down to pick up the broken boy, but Jason waves him off. "Go, I'm going after the son of a bitch."
"No way Jay, you can barely stand." Artemis says, motioning for Conner to grab him. Jason stands up and swats the Kryptonian away.
"I need to do this." Jason says, taking off towards where the Joker had gone before the other two could protest or stop him. Artemis moves to go after him, but Conner stops him.
"Artemis, we have no time." Conner says, pulling her towards the exit. He could hear the faint ticks and he knew that they probably didn't have much time left. She gives one last look at the other exit. "He'll make it out. Now we need to too."
Artemis reluctantly begins to run towards the way they came in with Conner by her side. Conner heard the ticking come to a stop just as they reached the doorway. Making a split second decision, Conner grabs Artemis and wraps his body around here as the flames erupt behind them, pushing them out the door into the road. They land with a thud on the pavement, five hundred feet away from the burning warehouse.
Guys, I saw an explosion. What happened? M'gann shouts concerned.
Artemis? Conner? Rob? Wally questions. Neither Conner nor Artemis move. ARTEMIS!
Wally...I'm okay. Look for Robin. Artemis instructs. Conner moves over to the side and Artemis crawls out from under him. The two of them stare at the burning warehouse.
"He got out right?" Artemis asks.
"I don't know. I hope so." Conner replies.
"Thanks for having my back Conner."
"It's what friends are for. I promise I'll always look out for you."
"Conner, we've been teammates for three years now. You're more like a brother at this point, and I'll always be looking out for you too." Artemis tells him as they sadly watch the warehouse disappear in the flames, hoping that their teammate was okay. Deep down though, they both knew he wasn't.
Two
It took a lot to surprise Conner at this point but the sound he heard from the training room that day definitely surprised Conner. He heard faint sniffling coming from the direction of the training room. He followed the hallway until it opened into the large room. In the back corner, attacking a punching bag was Artemis, crying.
He had not had a chance to really talk with her since her return and Wally's...death. Her death had destroyed him and then when he heard she was alive, he was happy until he remembered that they hadn't brought him in on the plan. After all the time they all spent together, he had felt betrayed. He had never really gotten a chance to talk with her in the two months since her return.
Slowly, Conner approached her. She was in the orange and black Tigress costume, something that still always made him take a double take when he saw her walking down the hall. The costume was a constant reminder in his mind of the night the cave blew up and he lost his first home. The cave had been home to so many fond memories, memories of the team, the newbies, his relationship with M'gann, and many other things.
"Artemis?" Conner asked tentatively. She spun around and sure enough tears were in her eyes. Her mask was on the floor besides the punching bag. Her knuckles were all bloody from not wearing any gloves or tape, but she hardly seemed to notice. She wiped her eyes, trying to hide the evidence.
"Yeah Conner?" She asks, trying to sound normal, but Conner didn't need super hearing to pick up on the crack in her voice.
"How...how are you doing?" He asked. He had never been good at this stuff, but then again, Artemis never had either. That had been one of the things that made the
After Jason died, everyone kept asking if they were alright since they had been the last two alive. Neither of them talked about the guilt they carried but they saw it in each other. They would sit quietly in front of the TV watching the static together as the others worried and talked about them in hushed tones. Soon after her and Wally left the team. He tried to see them as much as possible, but it was hard. Now, here she was, even more broken and Conner didn't know what to do to fix her.
"I...I...I miss him. I miss him so much that sometimes I feel like a black hole is going to open in the center of my chest and swallow me whole." Artemis confesses a single tear sliding down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry Artemis. I miss him too; I wish...I wish I could have done something to stop him. I broke my promise." Conner tells her. What happens next surprises Conner even more. Artemis wraps her arms around him in a hug.
"You couldn't have done anything, neither could I. You didn't break your promise; you've always had my back. Wally...he was stubborn like that. Always having to be the hero." Artemis says. A few moments later she began to cry. Conner wrapped his arms around his broken sister, pulling her close. "I'm so sorry we didn't tell you Conner, I'm so sorry for everything."
"It's okay Artemis." It really was. Conner didn't care about that anymore. In the grand scheme of things, his hurt feelings didn't matter for anything. What mattered was that Wally was dead and that he had left a hole in everyone that could no longer be filled. Conner missed the redheaded boy more then he let people think, the boy had been like a brother to him. The most Conner could try and do to help make it better was help those around him and Artemis needed it the most. He held her close as she cried. He didn't have to say anything, she knew.
Three
"Artemis, you can't do this." Conner says. Artemis spins around her white dress swishing around her feet.
"Conner, what the hell are you doing here? I mean, you're invited, but why are you back here? Shouldn't you be sitting with M'gann?" Artemis asks.
"I'm stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life." Conner tells her.
"Okay, I know none of you guys like Cameron, but I'm marrying him." Artemis says stubbornly.
"Artemis, I promised to always look out for you and that's exactly what I am doing. You don't love Cameron and you shouldn't be marrying him." Conner insists.
"I love him." Artemis states, defensively staring at his feet.
"You're lying. I've known you my whole life, I've figured out when you're lying. Everyone else knows it too. That's why Raquel and Zatanna aren't coming. That's why Dick and Kaldur keep shooting Cameron death glares. That's why even M'gann is forcing a smile on her face for this damn wedding. But I will never bullshit you, and I'm telling you that you cannot do this." Conner says, speaking for what felt like the longest time in his life.
"So what if I don't really love Cameron, at least he makes me forget about the one person I truly love. The one person I can never have because he is dead!" Artemis yells at him. "Am I supposed to just be alone for the rest of my life? It hurts living alone knowing that Wally is supposed to be there. It hurts so much Conner."
"I know and I wish that I could help, but I can't. What I can do is stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life though. Cameron is a criminal and he doesn't really love you or make you as happy as you deserve to be." Conner says.
"I know, I know, but..." Artemis just shakes her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I hate the loneliness. When I'm alone, that's when it hurts the most."
"We'll all figure something out together. Dick has an idea." Conner starts, but Artemis interrupts.
"Not this again. It's been two years, he's not coming back!" She yells. This time Conner is the one to initiate the hug unlike the one she did two years ago when he found her crying in the training room.
"You know I wouldn't stop this if I thought that Cameron really loved you or vice versa. He doesn't and you don't love him. If you want you can even move in with M'gann and I if it helps." Conner tells her. Artemis laughs, wiping her eyes.
"You don't need to do that. I'll..." Artemis takes a deep breath. "I'm strong. I'll make it through. I'll go talk to Cameron." Artemis begins moving towards the door, Conner follows her out of the small room and down the hall. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going with you. I got your back always remember?" Conner tells her. Artemis gives him a grateful smile.
Four
Artemis didn't know why she felt so nervous, this was Wally, and this was perfect. Somehow, she was still nervous though, thinking of all the people waiting in the church. At least this time it will be someone she actually loves standing at the altar. Karen walks down the aisle and then Raquel, Cassie, and M'gann follow.
"Where is he?" Artemis asks her sister nervously. Jade rolls her eyes.
"Just stop freaking out. Is it so bad if you walk down the aisle alone?" Jade asks. "I did."
"You eloped, you didn't have a real wedding." Artemis snaps back. Maybe having her sister as the maid of honor was not such a great idea after all. She took a deep breath, picturing Wally standing in front of the altar with Dick at his side and Kaldur, Roy, Tim, and Mal there as well. He hadn't been back for more then two hours before he was proposing and eight months later, here they are.
"Where the hell is he?" Artemis asks again. Jade just sighs.
"Seriously, take a chill pill." Jade tells her. She stares down the aisle and gives her sister a little wave as she begins to walk down. Artemis knew that the music was about to start. Where was...
"I'm here." Conner says, running up besides her.
"Where the hell were you?" Artemis asks.
"Sorry, Oliver had a letter he wants me to give you since he can't be here. There was traffic getting through the center of the city." Conner says, showing a small white envelope on the inside of his suit jacket. Artemis smiles sadly. Oliver was still in pretty critical condition after his last mission, but he wouldn't hear it when Artemis said she could delay the wedding. He said that the wedding had already been put off almost three years later then it should have been. Conner had volunteered to take his place.
When the music begins, Conner offers Artemis his arm. She smiles and excepts it, pulling down her veil as the doors open and Artemis walks down the aisle with Conner at her side.
"I told you to wait." Conner says quietly. Artemis smiles, her nerves melting away.
"I owe you big time." Artemis says, smiling at her mom who was tearing up. She sat besides with Bart at her side. Her mother adored the young speedster and Bart was always happy to help Paula out. Barry and Iris smiled at her sitting farther down the pew with Mary and Rudy, Mary had tears in her eyes as she watched the blonde girl walk down the aisle.
Her eyes stopped traveling the crowd and they landed on Wally, who was smiling bigger then she had ever seen. Their eyes zeroed in on each other, a perfect moment that she had never thought could happen a year ago. Everyone had helped her make it through the two years without him, but Conner was the one who stopped her from making the biggest mistake of her life and was always there for her when she need a shoulder to cry on.
She squeezed his arm and he looked over at her. "Thank you so much Conner."
Five
"Just like you to be at the Watchtower a week before you're about to give birth." Conner jokes walking into the mission room to see a very pregnant Artemis staring at a screen.
"Haha, you're so funny Conner. I just like making sure that they are okay." Artemis says.
"You mean Wally?"
"I'm just scared that I'm going to lose him again. You must get the same feeling whenever M'gann goes on a mission without you. It doesn't affect me as much when I am there and I can see that he is okay with my own eyes, but when he is on his own...I worry." Artemis says. Conner just nods, knowing the feeling. He stands besides Artemis. He had just gotten back from helping Clark in Metropolis, only to find that everyone but Artemis was out on a mission dealing with Queen Bee in Bialya.
"How are they?" Conner asks. The screen displayed a large map of Bialya with dots signifying all of their teammates on it.
"So far everything looks good. Mal radioed in a feel moments ago to tell me everything is all clear at that they are about to cross the border. Still though..." Artemis trails off.
"I'm sure everyone will be okay. Why don't you go home and watch some trashy TV and I'll call you when they are on their way back." Conner suggests.
"You sure?" Artemis asks him.
"Positive. Dinah would have my head if she knew that you were here and I didn't try to send you home. Wally too as well as Dick." Conner jokes. Artemis rolls her eyes.
"She, Ollie, and Dick are even more protective of this baby then Wally and I." Artemis states. "And I thought Ollie would be miserable because this would make him a pseudo grandfather. He still thinks he is twenty."
"He's warmed up to the idea. Now, go home." Conner insists. Artemis smiles at him and does as he says. She gets half way towards the zeta beam before she doubles over in pain. Conner quickly rushes to her side.
"Artemis? Artemis what's wrong?" Conner asks concerned.
"I think...I think my water just broke." Artemis groans out in pain.
"You think? But...you have another week!"
"Well the intense pain in my uterus right now is saying something completely different!" Artemis snaps at him. He backs off.
"Okay, um...what do I do?" Conner asks.
"Well, I need to go to a freaking hospital idiot!" Artemis shouts, still clutching her side, doubled over in pain.
"Oh...okay. Can, can you walk?" Conner asks. Artemis straightens up and manages a nod. They slowly reach the zeta beam and it takes them a few blocks away from Central City hospital.
"You have a car around here right?" Conner asks. Artemis just nods, pulling keys out of her pocket and pointing down the road. "Okay, I'll get the car, just...stay here."
Artemis shoots him a death glare, almost as bad as Batman's. He quickly hurries down the road, spotting a familiar black car. He unlocks the door and drives it back to the old phone booth that served as the zeta beam. He spots Artemis, leaning against a wall for support, doubled over in pain again.
"Um..." He tries thinking of the word M'gann used. "Contraction?"
She just nods and lets Conner help her into the car. He speeds away from the curve, heading towards the hospital. Artemis points in the general direction before nearly screaming when she had another contraction.
"Um, should I call Wally?" Conner asks.
"No. Only Mal has a comm unit. Call him and tell him to make the bastard who did this to me get here as fast as that super speed can get him here." Artemis responds.
Conner pulls out a small radio that he kept in his pocket, He tried getting in contact with Mal, but there was no signal. "Damn it, I think they're blocking the radio waves."
"You think?" Artemis snaps. Conner bites his tongue, knowing that Artemis was in a lot of pain and wasn't trying to be this way. "This doesn't mean..."
"I'm sorry Artemis, I don't think Wally is going to be able to make it." Conner says.
"Bastard." She mutters.
"I can call Dinah and tell her and Oliver to zeta beam over here as soon as possible." Conner suggests. Artemis glares at him. "I'll get right on that."
After a quick phone call with Dinah who promised to be there as soon as possible with Oliver and Paula, Conner pulls into the hospital parking lot, pulling the car into the first parking lot he can find. He leads Artemis through the doors of the hospital, calling for a nurse.
A young woman suddenly appears with a wheelchair. Artemis collapses into the wheelchair, breathing hard.
"Are you the father?" The nurse asks. Conner shakes his head vigorously, his face turning red.
"No, I'm the friend."
"Oh."
"Woman about to give birth over here." Artemis snaps. The nurse grabs the handlebars and wheels her down the hall. Conner stands still for a moment, unsure what to do. "Conner Kent, get your ass down here before I kick it to Mars."
Conner follows them down the hall, not knowing quite what he had somehow gotten himself into.
An hour and a half later, Artemis sat in the hospital bed, holding little Iris Paula West in her arms. Conner smiled at the two of them, standing besides Oliver and Dinah who had arrived shortly after Iris came out.
"She's so cute." Dinah states, smiling down at the baby. Artemis laughs, holding the little girl close to her chest. Conner could see the love Artemis had for the small child in her eyes.
A red blur suddenly appeared in the room, stopping right at the bedside. "I'm here." Wally says breathlessly. He stares down at the small baby. "Is that, is that our baby?"
Artemis just nods, handing her to Wally. Conner had never seen the guy look as happy as he did in that moment. Wally spots Conner.
"Thank you so much." Wally tells him beyond grateful. Conner just shrugs, giving a small smile.
"Like I said when we were eighteen, I got her back." He says. Artemis smiles at him as Wally hands him Iris. Conner was a little shocked at first, staring at the small thing. He couldn't believe that this thing was going to grow up to be big just like the rest of them. She looked tiny in that moment.
"So Conner, what do you say to being the godfather?" Artemis asks.
"Really?"
"I couldn't think of anyone better. I'll know you'll be there for her, just like you always have for me."
One
Conner stared through the window at all the babies, staring at two in particular. Written on a piece of paper on one end of the small box like thing was James Kent, his son, and next to him was a girl, Addison Kent. He couldn't believe it, he was a father.
"Hey dad." Artemis says coming up besides him, elbowing him in the shoulder. He continued to stare at the babies. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Conner replies in a monotone, still staring at the two babies.
"Something's up, what is it?" Artemis asks. "Remember, no bullshit."
"Yeah, I know. I just...I'm going to be a terrible father." Conner grumbles. Artemis stares at him for a few moments before laughing. "Hey, what the hell?"
"I'm sorry Conner, but that, that is a ridiculous idea. Where the hell did you find it?" Artemis asks him.
"I don't know, I just...I'm don't think that I am ready for this. All of a sudden, I'm a father to two children, not just one." Conner says.
"Con, you are being completely ridiculous. You're going to be a great father. Iris loves you." Artemis assures him.
"But Iris is your kid, it's different. I'm just...I'm having trouble picturing me as the father type." Conner confesses.
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Artemis says. He continues to stare at the babies. Artemis sighs; this was almost as bad as his fascination with the static channel on the TV. "Well, I can see it. Your daughter is going to have the most protective father in the world. If a boy even looks at her funny, you will most likely beat his ass. She'll resent you for it at first, but later she'll realize that you only ever did what was best for her and she'll love you for that. And your son is going to grow up being just like you, an awesome guy who stands by his beliefs and protects his friends. You'll be his role model."
"You really think that?" Conner asks.
"I know that as a fact. Plus, we're all going to be here for you and M'gann. Addison and James aren't just getting two parents, their getting way more than that. Cassie has already begun planning what Addison is going to wear to her senior prom."
"She's not going to prom if I have anything to say about it." Conner grumbles.
"See? You're getting the hang of it already." Artemis says, patting him on his back reassuringly. The two of them watch the two babies in silence for a little while.
"When did we all grow up?" Conner asks.
"What?" Artemis asks, facing him.
"I feel like it was just yesterday that I was breaking out of Cadmus with Wally, Kaldur and Dick. Now you and Wally are married with a kid and a second on the way. Dick is engaged to Zatanna, and Kaldur and Raquel are expecting their first child. Not to mention that Gar is going to be graduating high school, Barbara is engaged, and Tim is thinking about proposing to Cassie. When did we all grow up?"
"I don't know, but everyone grows up eventually. Someday, you'll be wondering the same thing when you're walking your daughter down the aisle."
"She'll have to actually meet a guy first." Artemis laughs at that. Wally suddenly appears down the hall, a small redheaded girl clinging to his neck.
"Mommy, Uncle Conner, Aunt M'gann wants you guys." Iris says in her two-year-old voice.
"Well we shouldn't keep her waiting now should we?" Artemis asks, looking over at Conner. He smiles and walks away from the window.
"Hey Artemis?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks for that."
"Hey, you've always been there for me, it's about time I repaid the favor."
A/N: Okay, that was so much fun to write. I hope you guys liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Review, I'm not the only one who feels like their friendship is sincerely under appreciated am I? Well, until next time. Peace.