Artemis looked at herself in the mirror. Weak and alone, what a combination. She let slip a single tear before returning to her bed where she continued to cry as she sadly slipped into sleep.

Her life had gone on like this for two months.

She split her time between the team and Stanford. She'd taken to morning classes when she wasn't needed, finishing up her final year. She and Wally would have been done that summer, free to live out the rest of their lives together.

Unfortunately, Wally had perished in Antarctica two months ago without a warning, but a sprint for the world. Now she was alone, completely and utterly alone despite the insistence that her friends where there for her. Missions where similarly quiet with her around. No one dared mention his name or risk her falling to pieces yet again. Not to mention that everyone else seemed to be in a relationship and she was alone. Megan and Connor had made up and were living together in an apartment similar to Martian Manhunters,Cassie and Tim were dating, Raquel was about to get married, and last she heard Zatanna had a new boyfriend.

But what was a surprise if at all was the absence of Nightwing. Dick had been gone for nearly as long as her beloved Wally. Gone from all suspicion with everyone else, Artemis wondered where her friend had gone to. She knew that Wally had been his best friend, but she couldn't accept that anyone felt worse than she did. On top of losing her best friend and lover, she was angry at Dick for abandoning her when she needed his help in recovering.

Once or twice a week, Roy and Jade would visit her in her empty apartment bringing her niece. Holding Lian made her desperation for children of her own expand because the only man she'd every truly loved was gone and she couldn't get over herself.

"Artemis, I know I haven't always been there for you, but listen to me as I know from experience. Crying over him won't bring him back. We must take vengeance for his death," Jade suggested getting the killer look in her eye, but Roy put his hand on hers throwing down that idea.

"What my wife is trying to say, is that there really is nothing you can do about it," Artemis looked up with fury at this, Roy quick to change his tone. "Wally wouldn't want you upset forever, Artemis. He loved you and would hate to see you so angry."

Artemis calmed and looked away from them. "I know," she said finally. "But I can't do it. Not yet anyway."

Bart too would constantly visit just to see if she was alright. He'd try to make her laugh with jokes Wally'd taught him, but she couldn't laugh. Only Wally could make her laugh. So they'd sit side by side on the couch and watch the news with Kent resting on her lap.

It was just after a mission, the third month on the dot as she'd never forget, and she had just zetaed to Palo Alto alone denying the accompaniment of Megan, Connor, or Zatanna. She still had her Tigress suit on. She hated it. It would always remind her of the part of her she'd left behind for him. Artemis was Wally's partner, how could she defile that sacred name.

Artemis was walking slowly up the steps to their-her apartment. When she opened the door she didn't expect to be ambushed by Kent like before as his depression after Wally's death had increased as well, nor did she expect to smell nachos brewing or soda pop sizzling because all of it had been excised from her life. But most of all she hadn't expected to see Dick lurching in the shadows coming out to surprise her. Not only that, but he'd frightened her to the bone and thus she fiercely kicked his "sneaky ass" until she's regained control.

"Remind me never to scare you again," he chuckled licking the blood off his lips. He was in civilian clothes. It'd been a long time since she'd ever seen him in jeans and a t shirt.

"What were you thinking?! I thought you were Wally, you dick!" She howled before quickly sitting down on Wally's side of the couch to cry.

Dick sighed and sat next to her and let her cry on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Artemis. I wasn't thinking. I should have known," she cried only a second more before getting up, the tears evaporating from her cheek, the salt stains the only evidence that'd she'd ever broken.

"What are you doing here, Dick? I haven't seen you in months and you just show up in my apartment dressed like an overgrown teenager with-"

"Hey, Zee loves this look."

"I knew it! I knew you two had gotten back together. She wouldn't tell me but it was obvious. She didn't want to upset me. Is that why you haven't visited in three months?!" She pestered.

"No. In fact I've hardly seen her since I took my leave of absence. I was actually doing a little investigation work," he paused a looked at Wally's jersey hanging on the back of the door. She couldn't even begin to conceive getting rid of it. "It's about Wally," Dick finally said to which she stopped walking and looked back at him with teary eyes.