#the coffin be a small beetle] and all the same leaving it be protects them from opening up those wounds and having to face it all again

[lula1991]

My Jewel

Summary

   An ancient spell causes a millenary young lady to weaken, it is up to Larry and her friends to help her find the key to return her to normal while a stranger pretends, along with three already known individuals, to take over a captive jewel somewhere in Egypt with the in order to proclaim it “yours.” (The shock of all the chaos in her).

   Objective? The guard and the exhibits must prevent it from falling into the wrong hands while between Ahkmenrah and the girl, a romance will slowly emerge that will bear fruit over time.

Genre: Adventure, comedy, romance, fantasy

Warnings: None

Chapter 1

  About 61 years ago, a group of archaeologists began a very important search dedicated only to the tracking and possible discovery of a mummy. It was the year 1940, approximately..

  The man in charge was 19 years behind the above, however over time he could never find that longing, until his young son fell with what appeared to be a sacred place but it was dark and with the low light of sunset that entered through the hole that was produced by this action, they were able to see walls covered with pure gold, hieroglyphs, stone sculptures, corrupted colors and two lackeys that guarded the entrance of said house where their masters remained in the eternal dream..

  Inside there were three ornate sarcophagi, they were two adults, a pharaoh on the right, his wife on the left of the king and his daughter or perhaps son in the middle, the coffins made of the same golden material and surrounded by riches is what he could see the young teenager with the lack of clarity offered by the rays of the god of heaven..

  The young man went inside and when he turned on his flashlight he could detail that place more closely, his eyes were mesmerized by the gigantic room from the wall full of ancient inscriptions to a built-in jewel that rested on the dark back wall, jealously guarded by Egyptian texts around, narrating the victories of royalty..

  He wanted to speak but he was so amazed that he could only hear his breathing rumbling softly when the silence of the room welcomed him..

“Son, are you alright?”

 The man, who was his father reliably, looked worried..

“Yes, I'm fine!“ he replied as he smiled.

“I'm going down!”

  Going into the ruins, he observed his son safe and sound so that this anguish ceased to take step by step until he reached him..

 “Yes!” he raised his arms, completing his happiness. “I searched for this tomb for so many years and what did you do? You fell right into it.” he raised his son in his arms.

“Look dad..”

    He turned his eyes to the walls, lighting the immensity of the delicious art engraved on the wall when his father detailed the scriptures loving the discovery..

“It's beautiful, just beautiful..”

“And that jewel..”

  He pointed in the direction of the relic assuming his father walked there followed by the young man. They advanced leaving behind the mound of sand scattered around that grave and once being close enough that boy tried to touch it but the scream of a man prevented him..

“Mr. Anderson?!”

  But another elderly man burst into the lapels of the young man's shirt and shook him, scaring him when his father protected him..

“Hey, what's going on with you?!” Mr. Anderson asked.

— la! la tlmsha! 'aw sawf tahadath 'ashya'an fazieatan..

“Ahmed, what is he saying?? What does it mean?” Mr. Anderson asked again.

“He says “ Do not! Do not touch her! Or horrible things will happen..” Ahmed answered.

  Also that they should leave there immediately since he who desecrates and unless they leave the abode of their ancestors in peace, an ancient spell would be unleashed..

  The young boy was a little scared when he slowly illuminated that same valuable golden object with a carved central winged beetle in blue stone .. Being warned by an old Egyptian prophet, we must not ignore the sayings of who knows what consequences will occur by acts of desecration..

— From now on, you should know.. 

  That man warned with the little English he used. Mr. Anderson was not superstitious but..

"And then to the one who dares to desecrate the tomb and the most precious possession of the queen, an ancient spell will be unleashed and upon it will fall its end.."  Mr. Anderson translated the hieroglyphs to perfection.

  The companions in the expedition of Mr. Anderson looked at each other while the native men of that country waited for some of them to pay attention. His son looked at his young father somewhat fearful but that archaeologist did not believe much even having heard and read the same warning..

“Bring the trucks..” ordered Mr. Anderson.

“Mr. Anderson, there is no time. A storm is very close..” said Ahmed.

“Then hurry up. Come on, work! I want them to load everything..” Mr. Anderson said.

   The father of the young boy committed to making history, arranged for the treasures to be arrived in the vehicles and due to the strong sandstorm that broke out, it was not long until he ordered for the second time that the artifacts were loaded into the trucks as quickly as possible, thus obtaining most of the objects that they could collect from said discovery that in the future they would surely be displayed as invaluable pieces in a museum..

   And the phrase was repeated again by Ahmed, a tall man with definite Arabic features..

“Her end will fall on her..” 

   Ahmed said while observing a beautiful bracelet with clothing and terminations that a female figure used in his time of office in Ancient Egypt..

Nowadays..

 After graduating as a teacher, he was able to move to get another good job, however Larry still worked the Natural History museum, after all he is a hero for his friends of wax, metal and polyurethane, so to speak..

"Everything is just as it was last time ..." Larry walked happily through his workplace.

"It hasn't changed much, Larry. Except for one detail .." Teddy said.

"I've been out of the museum for more than three years because of my studies and I'm not very aware, what is it about?" Larry's curiosity was answered by Mr. Roosevelt by pointing to a museum room. "It's new, I hadn't seen it before temporarily withdrawing from here .."

"She is a lovely young lady." Teddy commented with acceptance towards her.

"So that detail is Ahk and the Egyptian girl .." Larry smiled looking at the scene.

"It has not been skipped a day since she appeared. They are equal to two young people of this time playing to fall in love .." Sacajewea was tender to the king to spend hours hidden behind the plants of Africa spying on that someone in particular.

"I still remember the day that the boy first saw the young woman .." Teddy smiled watching the two teenagers.

**** Flash ****

A month ago..

  It was night, and there was a small party, maybe it was that Larry continued to attend night classes to get his master's degree..

  Nothing particular happened as long as King Ahkmenrah came down from that balcony leaving Jed and Octavio in charge with the music..

  Since Dr. McPhee already knew everything that happened with the table, it was no wonder to see a figure come to life, so wandering next to one of them was also not considered nonsense..

  It turns out that this above was a beautiful Egyptian, with light skin, hazel eyes, brown hair, sandals, a thin, long, tight kalasiri (dress) with two straps that covered her bust made of real white linen with golden bows to your waist He also wore a kind of short coat covering the shoulders, a two-piece cylindrical snake bracelet adorning his left arm, a small crown with a cobra calf, a delicate usej in the form of winged beetle in ranges of blue, turquoise and green with three ankh charms completing the outfit of the young..

  Ahkmenrah's face said it all, it seemed that everything was happening in slow motion in his mind..

"Wow .." Ahkmenrah whispered as if she were seeing a wonder of the ancient world. "For Ra and all the gods .." Ahk's face lit up when he was dazzled by the bubbling girl with light brown hair. It was as if he were in a dream.

  When he saw her speak willingly with the Museum Director on one of the stairs, he was fascinated. No matter what she was doing, he smiled and his eyes filled with love and wonder..

  The boy was indeed enamored, and although not every woman managed to shake his heart as the Sheikh of a harem in the past, she flecked it instantly or as the cliché is said vulgarly, love at first sight..

"I had not seen a more impressive museum than this one, it is amazing." she was so happy.

"I am very happy that she feels comfortable. I will leave her with the figures of the establishment so that she knows the place. Miss .." Dr. McPhee said goodbye with respect and she made a slight inclination allowing her to retire.

  Ahkmenrah didn't miss a single movement of the pretty girl, she was standing by the desk watching her with a half-twisted smile and her gaze was as if billions of stars were lit inside her eyes..

— ‘Ah freak out..  Le freak, c’est chic ..  Freak out ..  Ah freak out ..  Le freak, c’est chic ..  Freak out ..  Ah freak out ..  Le freak, c’est chic ..  Freak out ..  Le freak out, c’est chic ..  Freak out .. ‘

  Glamorously down the stairs like an Egyptian goddess, the girl moved exploding sensuality and with a comic touch when everything happened in slow motion to the rhythm of the background music. She ran her hair back with one hand, blinked flirtatiously looking around while some exhibits threw roses at her, worshiping her presence and she greeted with a very overwhelmed and grateful smile as she slid down the hall, looking like a model from 1999 BC..

  And to all this Ahk thought that she was addressing him with that hip wig, enlarged her smile but it was not so. He continued long and he continued absorbed in his thoughts without taking his eyes off each line of his toned and fine figure, wandering in them when Mr. Roosevelt's voice made him get out of that trance..

"I don't want you to be the same as me." Teddy spoke solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Ahkmenrah was half fool trying to spin his question well.

"In the sense that I have spent more than 50 years observing and not daring to say a word to my dear Sacajewea until Larry's arrival prompted me to do so. Do not hesitate or let her escape, Your Majesty." Teddy advised wisely while the boy sighed looking at the Egyptian girl.

  The young woman with an unknown name, detailed every corner and never noticed that those green eyes did not lose sight of her. It seems that Mr. Roosevelt's words encouraged the king to arm himself with courage, inflate his chest, accommodate his deshret (crown) and approach him to relate, establish a bond, perhaps..

"This is so beautiful .." she whispered fascinated looking at the divine building and how the party continued with its magic.

"Hello .." he said finally with real elegance behind her.

  She turned on her axis delicately as she was distracted watching the constellations forming mirror balls illuminating the room with a soft blue..

"Hello ..." and the pretty girl received him with a kind smile once they were facing each other ..

"What is your name?" Ahkmenrah asked.

"I'm Larempteh .." she introduced herself and Ahkmenrah raised an eyebrow detailing her peculiar appearance at a considerable distance, she hardly possessed makeup. Just a little soft brown shadow that accentuated her sweet eyes and her thick eyelashes, kohl for a discreet black and carmine lipstick, privileged to possess the fleshest. Beautifull. "High Blue Sapphire of the Nile, fourth queen of the fifth great king, ruler of the reign of my pharaohs. It is a pleasure .."

   Larempteh was not presumed, only that the way of presenting himself in the ancient world was that way when you were belonging to the descendants of Upper Egypt. His voice was a caress with words for him. The girl was cordial, warm and very respectful, as well as sweet and having that mixture between shy and intellectual. It illuminated the whole place only with its presence ..

"What a beautiful name." It was hypnotic and Ahk's eyes could not detach from the young woman for any reason. "Excuse me, I don't look at the girls like that .."

"Don't worry, that's fine. For that you have sight, you appreciate what you see .." Larempteh apologized by releasing a pleasant laugh.

"Besides, your English is perfect, where did you learn?" Ahkmenrah asked intrigued.

"I went to the University of Cambridge." Larempteh reported and Ahkmenrah was stunned with a smile.

"Were you in Cambridge?" Ahkmenrah asked.

"On display .." Larempteh spoke to continue his dialogue.

— The Department of Egyptology? — and both agreed in prayer with surprise.

"Yes, that's right! What a coincidence!" Ahkmenrah was surprised.

"Have you been there too? Wow, that's great." Larempteh said at last.

"Is it your first night at the museum?" Ahkmenrah asked.

"No, I came here in 1958 from the Giza expedition." Larempteh reported without further ado.

"How come I have never seen you before?" Ahkmenrah was intrigued.

"Well, they had me away in the warehouse until I created my showroom right in front of your showroom and I've been in my sarcophagus for 61 years, so I went out tonight. I've had so few visitors interested in the ancient world that everything this time I have been around my exhibition and I never dared to abandon it, custom, melancholy maybe .. It is difficult to get off Cambridge once you belong 18 years. " Larempteh said.

"Indeed. It feels weird." Ahkmenrah said.

"It would also be because of the fame of little docile nature that they instilled in us and I didn't want to be feared by the other exhibits." Larempteh said.

"I understand you." Ahkmenrah said softly.

"I must add that it may be due to destiny, I would say." Larempteh said beautifully.

"And why were we in different temples?" Ahkmenrah inquired funny.

"Or maybe the gods had prepared our meeting for a suitable moment and I think it worked today .." Larempteh shrugged a shoulder nicely.

"It's wonderful and you believe in destiny, that's fabulous." Ahkmenrah said and she gave him a smile.

"And, you're from around here I guess or .." Larempteh spoke.

"I belonged. I am a limited time conservation." Ahkmenrah explained and she was stunned.

"Limited time conservation?" Larempteh asked.

"Yes, I am part of the treasures of the British museum; but it is a long story that I will tell you." Ahkmenrah responded by giving her a beautiful smile.

"Okey .." Larempteh said quietly.

"Dynasty XX? I guess .." Ahkmenrah watched her carefully.

"Yes, how did you know?" Larempteh laughed with sophistication. She was charmingly curious to put a strand of hair behind her right ear, revealing one of her shiny rings with a triangle design and an elegant nail varnish in burgundy.

"On the above, is that you have a little seen face, my guess is that by chance you are familiar with Nefertari Meryetmut or maybe it is because she has reincarnated in you and it is impossible for you to go unnoticed." Ahkmenrah said.

  Dazzled, he winked giving her a warm smile by indirectly telling him how extremely beautiful it was. Perhaps the young man hinted that the girl would be descended from the most important queen that Egypt had, making her an extremely attractive goddess for her taste and reach..

"No .." Larempteh kept thinking. "I don't think it's that way. Well, one knows who descends to reincarnate in a living god on Earth, but one of my parents may have been the continuation to the offspring of Nefertari. Some grandson of the many children who she had .. " she continued.

"The hundreds of kings who claimed your love should tell you." Ahkmenrah supposed.

 And as? If she radiated sweetness and owner of an exquisite exotic image; how it would not be possible that the kings would not discuss the hand of that venerable woman ..

"No, it was my older sister who received all those courtships." Larempteh let out a natural laugh.

"Sister .." Ahkmenrah was not interested, rather he was unsuspecting. Shocked by the fact that her beauty is not praised.

"Yes. You see, my dad wanted two rulers, one who was a strong pharaoh and who knows how to command the kingdom and another who was a champion in the battles, especially in Kadesh. But he had my sister and me. Yes, he had more secondary children but she and I were of pure lineage with direct access to lead a nation. " Larempteh commented raising his brow with a smile naturalizing his story.

"And why her and not you, how is it possible?" Ahkmenrah used a tone of Real disbelief.

"It was very beautiful .." Larempteh simply shrugged one shoulder in a beautiful way continuing the thread of praise. "Although she was somewhat crazy .." she added without further ado.

"I am sure it does not overcome the honey in your voice or your delicate presence." Ahkmenrah said gallantly.

  The young woman did not know where to look, and how not, Ahk's electric eyes dared not detach from her youthful features, she was intimidated by those lovely courtships and tilted her face a little to the side hiding her faint blush while maintaining a thin smile while he tilted his head and then watched him ..

"And what's your name?" Larempteh asked.

"I am Ahkmenrah, fourth king of the fourth king, ruler of my parents' lands and the pleasure is all mine." Ahkmenrah bowed bowing before her presence, showing him cordiality when he kissed her hand, she could not believe that this kind of young man with 18 years of age, a classical conservation of 4000 years, was real. How the man who dreamed all his life. "Sorry for my daring but I couldn't stop watching you since I saw you. You are more beautiful than the pyramids in Cairo." Ahk flattered her and the girl felt another strong blush seize her face.

"How divine." Larempteh was stunned by all the praise she got from him in a delicate tone with a slightly strange smile.

"I spent 54 years wrapped in bandages and dirty linen, locked in a sarcophagus and after waking up 61 consecutive nights to meet you, that is divine. You are a beautiful, beautiful creature." Ahkmen after that compliment, smiled sideways showing his immaculate teeth, without showing lasciviousness or perversion, it was like a seductive tactic in him.

"Thank you?" Larempteh laughed with elegant confusion.

"The pharaohs tend to have an aggressive and unkind image ..." Ahkmenrah commented recovering her position of getting straight.

"I'll be careful then .." Larempteh's whisper was a little less than what is called suggestive, maybe being mysteriously insinuating was a sound seduction tactic to start the game of romance. "Although if someone comes between you and my beauty, probably the king of 4000 years ago, maybe make an exception. But as long as none of that happens.." Ahkmenrah said.

"I knew how the pharaohs were in our time. Nothing tolerant, only in tiny exceptions .." Larempteh said.

"I'm kind, don't believe it in me unless .." Ahkmenrah leaned back, bringing the female hand to his lips and then straightening and winking again. 

— Laaa, no!" Do not touch that! Those are not headphones! It's a defibrillator!

Tilly's voice was heard as she ran around Laaa in the lobby.

  That stir caused Rexy to get scared and make sounds, scaring the crowd minimally, causing Larempteh to avoid how he could alpacas, llamas, terracotta soldier and Vikings fleeing in his direction. There was a moment that he lost his balance by their action, it was there that he fell into Ahk's arms that held her tightly by reflex, that caused her to sink her face into the hollow of the king's precious and soft neck, forming an electricity This was done in the face of the clash of skin against skin and at that moment a spark ignited between them when they looked at each other ..

"What divine eyes you have .." Ahkmenrah praised their color by giving him a soft grin on her lips and she watched him behind her eyelashes smiling tenderly, losing himself in his. **** End of Flash ****

[letthesleepingdoglie]

The Long Road - 02

Title: Memorial

Part: 02 of 12

Rated: T

Palo Alto, California

February 20th, 2016

7:48 PM, PST

“Hey Wally, thanks for meeting with me on such short notice.” Dick said, wiping his feet on the doormat before closing the door behind him. He was wearing his civilian clothes over his uniform for this meeting.

“You wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.” Wally smiled and hugged his friend in greeting. Dick returned the gesture, though his face remained pensive and drawn. They made their way over to the living room to sit down, with both friends scratching Brucely’s ears affectionately as they passed. “Artemis should be back soon, if you want to wait.”

“No,” Dick sighed as he sat down. “You need to hear this on your own first.” He didn’t want to do this. But it couldn’t wait any longer. “I need her to come back, Wally.”

Wally’s face was uncomprehending. “Who?”

“Artemis. I need her back for a mission.”

The speedster’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What kind of mission.”

There was no way he was going to lie to Wally about the stakes. “The dangerous kind. There’s no easy way to say it, so I’m just gonna put it out there. Kaldur isn’t a traitor, Wally. He’s been working undercover to infiltrate the Light for months.”

“What?” Wally replied in shock.

“I sent him undercover to work for Black Manta.” Dick said matter of factly. “No one else except Batman knew the truth. He’s been gathering intel, trying to determine what we’re up against. But we’ve hit a wall. The Light doesn’t trust him yet. They’re taking their time, keeping him away from anything too important. We need to get them to trust him faster. That’s where Artemis comes in.”

Dick activated the holographic computer he always wore, using it to display the Cape Canaveral launch site. “There’s going to be an attack on the Ferris Industries Comm Sat next month. I need Artemis to be there so that we can fake her death. If Aqualad pretends to kill her, he will earn the Light’s trust.”

Despite the fact that he could be amazingly dense sometimes, Wally wasn’t stupid. He grasped the implications of Dick’s plan immediately. His eyes narrowed. “That’s not all you’re asking her to do. If you fake her death, there’s no way she can resurface without giving away the secret. You’re asking her to put her life on hold indefinitely.”

“I know.” Dick said solemnly. “After she “dies”, I have a plan for getting her to into the Light as well, so that she can back up Aqualad while they’re both undercover.”

Wally’s expression was murderous. “Let me get this straight.” His voice was low. It only got that way when he was full of anger, and trying to contain it. “You want me to let you take my girlfriend and send her back into extreme danger, and force her to live the exact kind of life she spent years trying to escape, for god knows how long.”

He looked at his friend desperately. ”There’’s no one else on the Team that I can trust to do this Wally. No one else has the background or the training to remain above suspicion like she can."  Dick sighed. He’d known Wally would react badly to the truth of what he’d been planning. “Look, you’re my friend, and if you think I wanted to put you in this position, then you’re crazy.” He said heatedly. He felt his anger growing. Wally had been one of the four, one of the original sidekicks. If anyone could understand what was at stake, it should’ve been him. “I know how hard you guys have tried to leave this all behind you, but the situation has changed. We’re under attack! You’re don’t get to j-”

Faster than he could blink, Dick found himself yanked out of the chair he’d been sitting in by the front of his shirt and slammed into the wall behind him. A spiderweb of cracks appeared in the wall from the force of the blow.

Wally held him several inches off the ground, one arm pinning Dick by the throat, the other hand grasping a fistful of his shirt. “How dare you.” he growled. “You don’t get to tell me what Artemis and I deserve. If you were my friend, you’d get that.”

He leaned in so that they were face to face. “Stay away from her, Dick. I don’t want you to mention a word of this to her, ever.”

Dick’s frustration boiled over. He lifted his legs and used the wall as an anchor, placing the soles of his shoes on  Wally’s stomach and pushing him away using his legs. He’d pulled the force of the blow so that it would knock Wally back, rather than hurt him and sending him flying.

“It’s not your choice Wally.” Dick said hoarsely, rubbing his throat. “I asked her first. She already said yes.”

Wally he trembled with anger as he regained his balance. “Get out.” He whispered. Dick made no move to leave, hoping in vain that his friend would understand. “Get out!” Wally seized a mug that had been on the table and threw it at Dick.

Despite the short distance and incredible speed of the makeshift projectile, Dick managed to dodge it. It shattered into a million pieces as it hit the wall.

Wally still looked angry, but also slightly ashamed at what he’d just done. Even if it was just a mug, at the speed it had been thrown, it might have done some serious damage to Dick if it hit him in his unprotected head.

Silently, Dick walked towards the door. Neither friend looked at each other. He let himself out.

Artemis was waiting for him when he emerged. She leaned against his bike. “How did he take it?” She asked softly.

“Not well.” Dick rubbed the back of his neck.

She exhaled. “I was afraid of that.” She pushed herself off the bike, moving to walk up the stairs and back into her home. “I’ll talk him around. I’ll be in contact in a few days.”

He nodded in acknowledgement, hopping onto his bike and pulling his riding helmet on. “Artemis.” He called out. She turned to look at him, already halfway up the stairs. “Tell him…for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

The Watchtower

June 28 th, 2016

12:34 PM, EST

The Team and the League gathered together in silence. In the atrium that served as the Watchtower’s Hall of Remembrance, Nightwing and Aqualad assembled the holographic pedestal that would serve as a memorial to their fallen friend.

As Dick finished his task of connecting the projector to the Watchtower’s power grid, he turned his head to look at Artemis, who stood to the side quietly. Her eyes were downcast, and she wore a pensive expression on her face.

He was worried about her, how she was dealing with everything. He was having an incredibly rough time of things, and given the nature of the relationship she and Wally had shared, he knew things could only be worse for her.

From the way M’Gann and Barbara were hovering close by to her, Dick knew he wasn’t the only one worried. He knew the girls had taken it upon themselves to watch over her, with each one of them taking it in turns to stay with Artemis out in Palo Alto, so that she wasn’t alone at night.

He’d gone to check on her several times himself, though he’d only observed the house from the outside, from afar. Dick couldn’t bring himself to enter the home that Wally and Artemis had shared; just being near it had threatened to overwhelm him with guilt. The closest he had managed to get to their house was the driveway.

Based on the bits and pieces that he’d overheard from Raquel and M’gann, she was coping well, though it was clear Artemis was still in mourning. The girls all still watched her closely. Just the day before, she’d attended the small private funeral Wally’s parents had held for their son. With Wally having been disintegrated by pure kinetic energy, they’d had to bury an empty coffin.

“Artemis.” Kaldur called to her as he closed the panels he’d been working on. “It is time.”

Her eyes snapped up, and after a moment’s hesitation, she stepped forward to the base of the memorial. At the same time, Dick and Kaldur stepped back. This honor was reserved for her. Working slowly but surely, Artemis keyed the activation button on the side of the holographic pedestal, causing the monument to light up.

Dick’s breath caught in his throat as the image of his best friend flickered into life, joining the silent vigil of the other three heroes around him.

Ted Kord. Blue Beetle. An ordinary man like Dick, who had died ensuring that the Blue Beetle didn’t fall into the hands of the Light. In the end, his sacrifice had saved the world through his successor, Jaime Reyes.

Tula. Aquagirl. Kaldur’s true love, who had died protecting the people of the surface world from an ancient alien super weapon. He knew that deep down, both Kaldur and Garth would never really move past her death. It was her loss that had prompted Kaldur to agree to Dick’s high risk infiltration plan in the first place; the Atlantean had felt that, with Tula gone, there was nothing left for him to lose.

Jason Todd. Robin. His brother, who died stopping another of Ra’s Al Ghul’s many plans to cull the human race.

The rush of emotions was overwhelming, and he forced himself to exhale as he pushed those thoughts away.

Artemis stood tall for a moment, tears streaming silently down her face. After a moment, the stream became a flood, and before long she was forced to press her hands to her eyes in an effort to stem the flow. M’gann stepped forward, taking Artemis by the shoulders and and leading her back to where the some members of the Team were standing.

Traditionally, no one gave long speeches at these memorials. Everyone was welcome to say a few words, but based on empirical evidence from last few years, heroes at the funerals of their colleagues tended to be terse. Attendance at the memorial wasn’t mandatory, or even expected. Everyone was free to process their feelings and loss their own way.

Distracted as he was, he didn’t notice that Zatanna had worked her way over to stand beside him. Without taking her eyes from the display, she grasped his hand and linked fingers with him, supporting him with her presence instead of words. He couldn’t feel the warmth of her hand through the padding of his gloves, but the pressure was reassuring. He gave her hand a thankful squeeze as he watched the Flash step forward to address the assembled heroes.

When Jason died, Dick and Bruce had avoided the Watchtower for weeks, and the memorial had taken place without them. This time, Dick forced himself to attend. Being with the Team that he, Wally, and Kaldur had co-founded in order to say goodbye felt right.

Dick was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear the Flash speak about his nephew, or Aqualad’s remarks afterward. He knew people expected him to speak, but when the time came, he made no move to step forward. What could he say to make sense of such a huge loss?

Before long, the speeches were over, and everyone started to disperse. The first to leave were people who hadn’t known Wally as well, Leaguers like Black Lightning or the Atom who’d never worked alongside the former speedster, but came to show their respect for him. They were followed by Wally’s former teammates, members of the Team who’d joined in the Team’s later years, right before the young speedster’s retirement.

Among the last to leave were Wally’s family and friends, those who’d known and worked alongside him for years. M’Gann helped guide Artemis away from the memorial, with Connor, Kaldur and Raquel following close behind.

Zatanna stayed with him at first, blue eyes searching his face for a clue to his thoughts. While he found her presence soothing, Dick knew that Artemis would need her more than he did at the moment. Just meeting her eyes was enough for her to understand his thoughts. She smiled sadly and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before following the rest of the Team away from the clearing, leaving him alone.

He stood in the empty field for what felt like hours, gazing at the memorials of his fallen teammates, and the world that they’d died to protect. His sadness and anger built into a crescendo, and he felt compelled to speak to the one person he knew would still be there.

“It’s not fair.” He said out loud, not bothering to turn around. Most people would have assumed that Dick was speaking to the holograms, but they would have been wrong.

Silently, Batman emerged from the shadows of a tree and walked forward to stand beside his former protege. “It never is.” His mentor said sadly.

“I know you feel responsible for Wally’s death, but the fact is, your plan to infiltrate the Light spared the Earth from a horrible fate under the Reach’s control. The cost was high, but you and I know that it was a price worth paying for all the lives that were saved.”

“I know.” Nightwing sighed, still looking at Wally’s image. One life for an entire planet. The math was clear. “I just wish things had turned out different.”

Dick clenched his fists at his sides as he remembered the loss of his family, the trauma he’d experienced as a child that had set him down the path that had led him here, to this moment.

“Bruce,” he began hesitantly. “Back when you swore me in ten years ago, you told me that this would be hard, that there would be days that would test me. I’ve sacrificed so much because I knew that what we were fighting for was right. I’ve tried to be the man you wanted me to be, that I should be, but…”

Dick’s voice wavered as he turned and finally gave voice to the thoughts that had been plaguing him since Wally had died. “I’m afraid. Bruce, I… I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

He was on the verge of tears as looked Batman’s impassive face. He was afraid that he’d disappointed his mentor, somehow wounded Batman by admitting his own loss of resolve.

“I understand.” Batman said, and despite the masks that they wore, Dick could see that it was true. There was weariness in his mentors voice, a fatigue that came from fighting the never-ending fight, that only Dick could empathize with. “I understand completely.”

To his credit, Batman didn’t even hesitate before reaching out to take his son by the shoulder. “Dick. Come home.”