"You'll Always Be My Spitfire" [Tag Miss Martian]

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Artemis should have had someone else come and help her. She knew going through Wally's belongings was going to be hard. When he had died, Artemis had left everything like it was for months. Not even moving a glass of water he had left on his side of their bed on the nightstand. She had been pathetic those months. Smelling and cuddling with his clothes. Leaving tear stains on the fabric. Her world had crumbled, but she couldn't let anyone know she was being that...weak. So she hadn't asked, months later, for help in picking up his things. Originally she had thought to just shove everything in the storage closet and be done with it. 

She had made the mistake in going through his things one last time. In finding every single belonging that he had owned. She even went through his box of souvenirs from the Team's missions. That was when she had found something that she had wished she never had.

Looped around her arrow that Wally had taken, was a simple but elegant ring. A gold band with three main diamonds and a few smaller ones lined along the band. Slowly, she took the ring off of the arrow and placed it on her own left ring finger. It fit perfectly. Tears welled up in her eyes and she ripped the piece of jewelry off, about to chuck it against the bedroom wall. Unable to do it, she dropped it out of her hand and let it fall onto the dark hardwood floor. 

As Artemis stared down at the glittering object, she noticed an engraving place on the inner side of the ring. With shaking hands, she picked up the ring. It read: 

'You'll always be my Spitfire.'

Clutching her hand around the ring, Artemis stood up from her place on the floor. Walking out to the kitchen, she placed the ring on the table. Wally had...he had planned to ask her finally. And soon. He had the ring, what had he been waiting for? 

Oh...

It hit her. She had been gone for months undercover as Tigress. For all she knew, that could've been the reason why he had been so anxious when she had taken Nightwing up on helping the Team. She chuckled to herself as she rolled her tear rimmed eyes. And of course he would put the ring in his souvenir box. Something she never touched. Especially since they had "left the life behind". But mostly because it had been Wally's treasures. His souvenirs from the Team. His keepsakes. 

Sinking into a chair, Artemis continued to stare at the piece of metal. The one thing that would've changed their lives for good. If she had known...she wouldn't have gone on that mission. Or would she? Artemis wasn't sure anymore...