hello all!

i apologize for the delay in getting this out to you. college, among other things, has kicked my ass into the future and beyond. i owe this to all of you for the continuous support which i received even in my absence. so, as the final chapter of running to you i want to dedicate it to all the wonderful readers i've had! every read, every favorite and follow, every review, has meant so much to me! i owe all of you big time and i hope that this epilogue does it some sort of justice! (no pun intended)

i finish school in about a month and a half and i plan on writing more this summer! i can't wait to get back in the game, especially with the 3rd season hype!

so, disclaimer, i don't own yj

and thank you all for sticking around!

enjoy!

-xoxo, kiera

Six Months Later

"Everyone, everyone please quiet down," Dick announced as he tapped the side of his wine glass with the spoon from the dining room table. A hush fell over all of the heroes present. He looked over the room, then down at two of his best friends. "Thank you. Now, I know that this is just one of the many wonderful speeches I'll give over the next few months, an-"

"Get on with it!" Artemis interrupted, half joking. Wally chuckled at his fiancé's bluntness, and motioned for Dick to go on.

"Anyway," he shot a playful glare at Artemis, "I want to just say a few words about the newly engaged couple, two of my closest friends," he gestured to Wally and Artemis sitting at the head of the table. The room erupted in cheers, whistles and clapping. As the noise died down Dick continued his speech. "First, congrats, it's about damn time the two of you made it official. Since the moment we rescued Wally these two have been attached at the hip, barely separating to go to the bathroom alone." Dick paused as there were a handful of chuckles among their friends, everyone knowing his words to ring true.

"Second, Wal, I want to thank you for asking me to be your best man. You're like a brother to me, always have been and always will be. I know this is kind of a big deal and you letting me step in to be a part of your big day with Arty is something I don't take lightly. I know you don't get to choose your family, but in our case, we did and I couldn't be luckier to have you as mine." He let out a deep breath, glancing at Wally and Artemis who were all smiles, and then at Zatanna who motioned for him to keep going. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Finally, I want to wish you both the best of luck on this crazy ride into marriage. I don't know first hand what it's like, yet," he winked at Zatanna who rolled her eyes with a smile, "but I do know that in the end, the two of you will be closer than ever before. A new bond will be created and you'll not only have a better understanding of yourselves, but of your relationship with each other. Both of you deserve this, more than any couple I know. You've been through hell and back to be here and you'll overcome any challenges in front of your faces. Your strength comes from the disgusting amount of love you have for each other and that's going to only help your marriage thrive in the long run. Everyone, raise your glasses," Dick instructed as everyone did so.

"To Wally and Artemis!" He announced proudly.

"To Wally and Artemis!" The room cheered. The sounds of whistles, glasses clanking against one another, and applause filled the air. Artemis leaned over and kissed Wally softly on the lips, pulling back and smiling.

"To us," she whispered.

"To us."

Slowly, the noise died down and everyone went back to their regular conversations. This was the first massive reunion since Wally had been rescued from the Speed Force. Everyone was catching up and rekindling friendships that had been put on hold due to life.

Dick took his place next to Zatanna once again, taking a long drink of his red wine before setting the glass down. She let out a content sigh, resting her elbow on the table and her head on her hand. Her eyes were focused on her best friend and her soon-to-be husband. They were laughing and smiling and just enjoying being wrapped up in each other's company.

"Look at how happy they are," she murmured, "they deserve it." Dick only nodded in agreement.

Things between the couple had been strange. They were back together, yes, but it was difficult for Zatanna to truly let her guard down again. Dick knew that it was going to take time but it'd been six months already. Not that he was impatient, of course, he just wanted things to be completely normal again.

"Your speech was very sweet, I sometimes forget you can get so sappy," she laughed, looking at her boyfriend. He let a sheepish grin take over his face as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, as best man I need to be on my a-game. And don't you need to be to, as maid of honor?" He teased.

"Well I don't have to give a speech this evening, thank god. Mine's not due until the rehearsal dinner," she pointed out. "Which gives me the extra time I need to make sure it's perfect."

"Such a perfectionist," Dick laughed, grabbing his glass of wine from the table. Before Zatanna could comment back to him she heard Wally clear his throat from the head of the table.

"Friends, Artemis and I would love to thank you all for coming to our engagement party tonight. It means a lot that so many of you are here to be a part of our big day. With that said, it's not a party without some actual partying, is it?" He paused and the room filled with whistles, hoots and hollars.

"So, let's party!" He announced, grabbing his fiancée's hand and pulling her up out of her seat and to the dance floor.

The music started up instantly as the rest of the room gathered near the stereo system, which had been turned as loud as it could go. Artemis and Wally stood in the center, laughing and yelling song lyrics above everyone else.

Zatanna stood off to the side, a glass of pink moscato in her hand. She was humming along to the beat, taking a few sips from her glass every few minutes or so. Watching her best friend in true bliss was a sight she was thrilled to see. Nobody deserved it more than the blonde archer who gave up a handful of years of her life looking for anyway to bring her speedster boyfriend, now fiancé, home.

"Enjoying yourself?" Dick asked, coming up next to her.

"Mhm," she nodded, taking a drink from her glass. "It's so nice to see her so happy, you know?" She sighed happily. "Nobody deserves this as much as Arty."

"Well, nobody but you," Dick commented, glancing over at her. She blinked a few times before raising her eyebrow in confusion.

"What? I am happy, Dick," she said before downing the rest of her wine. "What in the world makes you think I'm not?"

"I don't want to get into this right now, Zee. Forget I brought it up. I'm buzzed, I'm not thinking about what I'm saying," Dick defended himself.

"No, you opened this can of worms and now we aren't wasting them. What in the world makes you think that I'm not happy?" Zatanna demanded to know, clenching her free hand into a fist. She was so angry, she felt her blood almost boiling.

"Can we not talk about this here, Zee? Please?" Dick asked, motioning to the front door which led out to the balcony. Without a word, the magician made her way to the door, opening it and stepping out, her boyfriend following her. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and his one hand took hold of the small velvet box, holding it for reassurance.

"Don't mess this up, Dick," was all he could think.

Hours went by and the crowd slowly faded, becoming less and less until it was just a few of Artemis and Wally's closest friends. They were all sitting in the living room of the house, the house the couple had been sharing since they became serious.

"Oh man, what a night!" M'gann exclaimed, her head leaning on Conner's shoulder. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, letting out a small yawn.

"It was a great time, and you both deserve it," Conner, their usually stone faced friend, added. "Right, M'gann?" He glanced down at the martian in his arms, who was fast asleep.

"Seems the drinks hit her, hard," Artemis laughed. She watched Conner scoop up the girl effortlessly, shrugging his shoulders ever so slightly.

"She deserves the fun. But for real, thank you guys for having us, and congrats, again," Conner gave his two friends a rare smile, to which the happy couple smiled back. They waved and watched him and M'gann leave, before Artemis let out a content sigh.

"What a night. It was so nice to see everyone, and the fact that everyone is so excited," she smiled over at Wally, who had a puzzled look on his face. "Wally?"

"Speaking of everyone, what happened to my best man and your maid of honor?"

"Oh my god, you're right," Artemis jumped up from the couch, "you check upstairs, I'll check down here. They couldn't have left, right?"

"Not at all, we would've noticed. Be back in a flash," Wally sped off upstairs, literally, which caused Artemis to laugh as she walked around her small house.

After checking the kitchen, bathroom, and even her hallway closet, she decided to glance outside, just in case. She slowly approached the glass sliding doors, which, to her surprise, had a clear view of her best friends. Cautiously, she placed a hand on the door and slid it open, which startled the couple who was talking.

"Sorry! Sorry! We just, didn't know where you were," Artemis stammered, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

"No! You're fine, I was just about to head in to find Wally. Is the party over?" Dick asked, walking past Artemis to get in the house.

"Yeah, Conner and M'gann just left. It's just me and Wally now. He went upstairs, to check on you guys, go show him you're alive and whatnot," she instructed, to which Dick nodded and left in quite the hurry.

Artemis' eyes went back to her best friend once the raven haired boy was gone. Zatanna stood, facing the city of Palo Alto, clutching something in her hand. Artemis slowly approached her best friend, gently placing a hand on her back.

"He asked me to marry him," Zatanna spoke, her voice barely audible. "He asked me, to marry him."

"He what?!" Artemis' eyes went wide. "He proposed?"

"I wouldn't call it a proposal. We were fighting, well, bickering. He told me I'm not happy, and he isn't wrong. It's been so hard to get back into my old routine with him, you know? I'm trying but I just get so upset sometimes I can't-"

"I know," Artemis cut her off.

"But I love him, so much. I love living with him, and being with him and Bruce, and having the rest of the family back in my life. I love Dick, and his smile and his eyes and every moment we spend together, even these little spats. I want to say yes, I really do," Zatanna sighed, looking down at her clenched fist, then up at her best friend, "but I don't know how to fully let go of my sadness." She sighed again, before straightening her back up.

"Oh my god Artemis I'm so sorry, tonight was your night and now I made it about me and the Boy Wonder,"

"More like Boy Blunder," Artemis joked, which got Zatanna to crack a smile. "Zee, I don't care what day or whose day it is. You're my best friend and you can be self-centered, especially with a boy. God knows I was," she laughed.

"Your boy was trapped in another dimension, my boy is right in front of me," Zatanna pointed out.

"True, however, I don't believe that matters," Artemis pointed out.

"So," Zatanna sighed.

"Do you love him?"

"I thought I made that clear," Zatanna rolled her eyes.

"Then say yes, because what if this is the moment that gets you out of this slump? What if tonight, you were meant to find your true happiness with Dick and end up marrying him! Becoming Zatanna Grayson!"

"Oh god, no. I'd have to be Zatanna Zatara-Grayson. I can't give up my name, not for him, ever." The girls erupted in laughter, and Zatanna opened her hand to reveal the black velvet box she was holding on to.

"So he didn't get down on one knee?"

"God no, it's Dick. He slid it to me on the balcony railing while I was yelling at him for accusing me of being unhappy."

"So get happy, forget the rest. Come on, join me up on cloud nine! It's a blast, let me tell you!"

"I'll only marry him if you're my maid of honor," Zatanna mumbled.

"Deal," Artemis agreed. "Now go tell him you love him and your answer is yes!"

"Only after we drink more wine, because if you haven't noticed, we drink before all of our crazy ideas," Zatanna laughed. "That is how we got the idea to get Wally out of the Speed Force, an-"

"And that's how we'll get you to tell Dick your answer," Artemis finished. "Come on!" She grinned, a true, cheesy Artemis grin, and grabbed her best friend's wrist and they went inside, each grabbing a new glass and their prefered wine.

This was the first time the two girls sat alone, drinking wine, since the night all those months ago. They were both laughing, remembering that night Zatanna birthed the crazy idea to bring Wally West home. Her idea ended up being not so crazy after all.

Life was going to take them places, but the girls knew that no matter what, they had each other to get by.

"Zee?"

"Yes Arty?"

"Don't back out of this. Don't lose your chance at happiness like I almost lost mine. If I deserve it, so do you. Promise? Swear on your life?"

"Okay! Just like I wasn't going to back out of bringing Wally home. I swear. We deserve happiness, together."

"Together."

Both girls grinned, and everything, for the first time in years, everything felt as it should.