chapter thirty-nine.
( the greatest thing we've lost.)

     There hasn't been a calm, peaceful morning in the three months since Yue first went undercover aboard Black Manta's ship and left Wally behind in Palo Alto. If she's being completely honest, there hasn't been a calm, peaceful morning since she first accepted the mission all the way back in February. How could there be when the mission, and her inevitable leaving, had hung over both her and Wally every day since then?

But the mission is over now. Mostly.

Dick and the team can handle capturing the Reach and organising their departure from Earth. He had promised to keep her updated at the very least – and she had offered her assistance only if they really needed it – which meant for the first time in nearly five months, it was a calm and peaceful morning.

A normal morning.

Heavy rain taps against the window but, with Wally's 90s music playlist blasting through the apartment and her laptop open with dozens of important emails staring back at her, it's easy to ignore the howling winds outside.

There's a lot that needs to be done if she wants to get her life back to where it was before the mission. Apparently reappearing after being legally declared dead for three months wasn't as easy as movies made it seem... With a frustrated sigh, she moves the laptop to the side and leans back against the headboard, one of her hands running down her face.

The bathroom sink switches off and as if he could somehow sense her frustration, Wally walks back into the bedroom with a reassuring grin. "Not going well?" He asks as he crawls onto the bed.

"No," she whines. With a frown etched across her face, she holds her arms out for Wally to lay against her, then wraps them around his torso as she rests her cheek against the top of his head. "Maybe I should've just let Lucius believe I was actually dead, then I wouldn't have over ten emails talking about Wayne Industries and what to do until Bruce gets back."

Wally snickers. "How about you take a break?" He suggests, his head still tucked against her shoulder and his body still resting against hers. "You only just got home yesterday, babe. Leave all the business till tomorrow. Or, you know, pass it over to Dick when this is all over. It's the least he could do."

"He has enough on his plate already," she sighs. When she glances down at her fiance, she can't help but grin when he looks back up at her. "Besides, I need to get my life back in order for the whole retirement thing, right? You can't get married to a dead girl."

"I'm sure someone in the League could pull strings if we really needed it." He winks playfully as he quickly adds, "At least enough for a Vegas wedding."

"Oh my god." She groans, already knowing what's on his mind simply from the laugh he lets out. "I love you, but we are not getting married at the Chapel of Solitude, Wal."

His laughter is contagious as it sounds through the bedroom. "It was worth another try," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. "But with Bruce's money, we could probably get married anywhere we want."

"Wally, as long as there's no Superman impersonator, I'd marry you anywhere." She promises, then unwinds her arms from around him to instead gently hold his face in her hands.

He raises a brow as he lifts himself up with his right arm, just enough to no longer lean against her. "Even someone's shitty backyard?"

" Especially someone's backyard," she nods with a smile. "Small weddings have always been more my thing anyways. Just our families and our close friends? It'd be perfect." He shares her lovestruck grin but, for a moment, silence settles over them as he stares down at her. She shifts slightly, one of her hands sliding from his cheek to the back of his head as she gently runs it through his hair. "Penny for your thoughts, babe?"

"Just thinking about how much I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together," he admits, unashamedly. He lowers his head back to her shoulder, then presses a delicate kiss to the side of her neck; they had grown a lot from the horny, kiss-drunk teenagers who would leave hickeys, but last night – after three long months separated from one another – had seemed to be an exception. When his lips brush over the mark left behind, a shiver runs down her spine.

His left hand moves from the mattress to rest on her hip, pulling her closer against him, as she tilts her head to kiss him.

The minutes tick by as the two continue to kiss but – as Yue's nails rake down his chest, over the Flash t-shirt he wears, and he groans into the kiss as his hand moves from her hip to the waistband of her shorts – her phone vibrates against the bedside table. The loud and familiar ringtone chimes through the air and the moment slips away from them.

Wally swears against her lips and, as he pulls away to glance at the bedside table, Yue has to bite back a laugh at the defeated look that has washed across his freckled face. He rolls his eyes, then grabs her phone to answer. "Dick, we're kind of–"

"There's an emergency." Her brother's voice cuts him off, and Yue's laughter falls silent as her heart lodges itself in her throat.

She rubs her hand against Wally's arm, trying to anchor herself as dozens of fearful thoughts rush through her mind. "What is it?" She asks, sitting up straight as Wally leans back against his calves, the phone held between the two of them as they share a worried look.

Dick had promised to keep them updated with any news of the team's attack on the Reach's mothership. Following Captain Atom and Secretary-General Tseng's announcement of the Reach's plan to enslave the human population, the team were given permission to capture them. But she hadn't expected things to be over so soon. Had their mission gone so poorly that the team needed to call in their reserves, too?

"Have you two not been outside at all?" There's a distant, sharp edge to Dick's voice. But it's easy to brush off when he lets out a sigh a second later, "Just– I'm sorry. Get to the Watchtower asap. We need all the help we can get."

He hangs up and, as the phone falls silent, Yue and Wally meet each other's gazes with similar looks of concern. It could be nothing too serious, she tells herself. They had told Dick to let them know if he needed help, and he was just cashing in the favour, that's all this was.

But as Wally jumps out of bed to change into his suit and Yue slowly moves to do the same, she can't ignore the feeling of dread that hangs over her.

Standing in the Watchtower's War Room, Yue's arms are crossed over her Flamebird costume as she stares out the window sullenly. The view of Earth from the Watchtower had once been one of her favourite views, now it looks as if a dark grey cloud covered the planet she called home, and she couldn't imagine a sadder sight.

Natural disasters were happening across the globe at a catastrophic scale, the final act of Black Beetle and the Reach's plan to destroy the Earth before any evidence found by the Green Lantern's could be traced back to them.

The deep-cover mission was supposed to be the end of this, the last thing she needed to do before settling into retirement for good. But a world-ending threat meant wearing the mask again, it always would, because neither she nor Wally could turn a blind eye when so many lives were at stake.

They have their whole lives ahead of them for the retirement thing. They would because the team and the League would stop the Reach's doomsday protocol and save the world like they always do.

They don't have the luxury of failing.

"The natural disasters have escalated," Captain Atom sighs as he glances over the satellite imagery. "The rest of the League is spread thin, saving lives across the globe."

"It's Black Beetle's MFD's," Blue Beetle tells them. "The Magnetic Field Disrupters the Reach seeded at multiple locations across the Earth. They're causing a deterioration of the planet's magnetic field which, in turn, is causing these not-so-natural disasters."

A hand drops onto Flamebird's shoulder and she glances away from the window to meet Kid Flash's gaze, he stares down at her for a moment before his eyes flicker over to the other team and League members standing in front of the War Room's holo-screen. "Is there any way to stop this?" He asks.

"I don't know, because Black Beetle didn't know," Blue shakes his head. "I can locate all the MFD's, but each is defended by Beetle-tech drones programmed to run interference until the MFD can build up enough steam to go chrysalis and end the world. There's no failsafe, this was an endgame."

Flamebird frowns as she takes a step closer to the group gathered around the screen. "There has to be a way to stop them, there's always a way," she says. Observing the images of cities across the world, her heart clenches at the sight of so much destruction.

The computer beeps and the images disappear as the symbol of the United Nations covers the screen. "Incoming transmission from United Nations Secretary General Tseng Dangun," the automated voice announces.

With a loud sigh, Captain Atom straightens his shoulders as he presses a button to accept the call. "Secretary-General, I–" His eyes narrow into a glare as he's greeted by the face of Lex Luthor, and not the Secretary General. "Luthor, what are you–"

"Secretary Tseng was kind enough to let me borrow his frequency as I have a possible solution to our mutual problem," Luthor informs them.

"Our mutual problem?" Flamebird scoffs. "We're only in this mess because you and the Light lured the Reach to our world!"

"Perhaps," Luthor shrugs. "But as I believe you know, the Light always planned to betray the Reach. Lexcorp has developed anti-Reach software; a virus that should disable their Magnetic Field Disrupters." He raises his hand to show off the small device he had created. "Now, I believe time is of the essence."

Captain Atom glances back at Nightwing, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Flamebird, before he huffs and turns back to the computer. Reluctantly, he presses the large red button that patches him into the comms of all League and team heroes. "Captain Atom to the League and Team," he calls out. "Save who you can and rendezvous in Metropolis. We believe we have a way to stop this crisis."

Flamebird stands beside Kid Flash, Impulse, and The Flash outside of the Lexcorp tower in Metropolis. Wally's hand is against the small of her back, and she leans against his side as they both stare up at the stage where Captain Atom stands beside Lex Luthor and Blue Beetle.

Other members of the League and the team, as well as the original Roy Harper, his two clones, and the teens the team had rescued from the Reach are scattered around the area as they await orders; Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl stand a few feet in front of her. Kaldur is at Aquaman's side near the front, while M'gann and Conner are side by side with Beast Boy and the former Green Beetle.

Her gaze then falls onto Artemis and Zatanna. The two girls stand with Rocket, Black Canary, Green Arrow and the two Roy's. But what catches her attention the most is that their hands are wrapped around one another's.

Smiling at the sight, she carefully nudges Kid Flash's side with her arm and nods toward their two friends, directing his attention over to them. "You didn't tell me they got back together," she whispers.

Kid Flash follows her gaze over to them, then shakes his head. "I had no idea," he replies in a hushed tone. "Guess Artemis can't make fun of us for being 'cheesy' anymore, though."

She glances up at him amusedly. "With the way you act, babe? I'm sure she'll find a way."

Clearing his throat to gain the attention of the heroes around him, Captain Atom walks forward with the anti-Reach device held up in his hand. "Every single Magnetic Field Disruptor must be disabled before they chrysalis to guarantee Earth's safety," he informs them. "Each MFD is protected by multiple beetle tech drones and each drone is the equivalent of a beetle warrior. Blue Beetle has located twenty MFD's around the world. There's forty of us assembled here, so you'll be in squads of two."

Flamebird's eyes narrow as she watches the bald-headed supervillain place the devices in a row, so that the heroes would be able to hand them out accordingly when the time was right.

Beside her, Kid Flash leans in and whispers, "You think we can trust Luthor?"

"No," she states with a shake of her head. The Light, and Luthor, had always been good at playing both sides. They never shied away from using people to further their own goals. "He's only helping us so he can boost his own image."

"Right, give it a couple years and he'll use this to run for president," he jokes.

She grimaces at the thought. "Could you imagine?"

"You will be issued multiple Reach-tech eggs containing my anti-Reach virus software," Luthor explains as he holds up a small blue container in the shape of an egg. "While one hero runs interference with the drones, the other only has to physically touch his or her egg against an MFD to disable it."

"Alright, I have your assignments. We'll distribute these eggs and go," Captain Atom announces. "Aqualad and Lagoon Boy, you're needed in the Atlantic Ocean. Flash and Rocket, you'll take New York." The two pairs of heroes walk up to collect the Reach-Tech eggs from Luthor. "Flamebird and Kid Flash, Paris."

"Hear that, Birdy," Kid Flash grins and turns to face her as he lowers his goggles over his eyes and starts walking backward towards the stage, "We're headed to the city of love!"

"Focus, KF." She rolls her eyes playfully as she starts to follow him. She stops at the last second, her smile faltering as she turns toward Batgirl, Robin and Nightwing. Batgirl is the first to walk forward, her arms wrapping around Flamebird's shorter figure as she pulls her into a hug.

"Stay safe out there," Batgirl tells her. "After Jason... I don't think any of us could handle losing you for real this time."

"You won't. We're all making it back from this," she promises, her lips twisting into a sad smile as she pulls away from the hug and glances over at Robin and Nightwing. "Besides, Nightwing owes me ten dollars for betting Arty and Zee would get back together, and I'm going to need him to pay up when we're done saving the world."

Nightwing rolls his eyes, yet wraps an arm around her shoulders as she leans in to hug him. "Have I told you how great it is to have you back, yet?" He asks rhetorically. "Cause it's so great, I really missed you."

"Yeah, yeah," Flamebird laughs, gently nudging her brother away from herself as she looks back at Batgirl. "Watch his back out there, okay?"

Batgirl's eyes flicker between the two heroes, though linger for a few seconds longer on Nightwing, as she smiles at him. "Always."

Flamebird had been to Paris a handful of times over the years, always mission-focused and unable to enjoy the sightseeing aspect of being in the proclaimed city of love. Today seems to be no exception as dozens of tornadoes rampage through the city and Kid Flash, who speeds through the busy streets, comes to a stop near the base of the Eiffel Tower.

She jumps out of her fiance's arms, her boots hitting the grass as she surveys the area cautiously. The MFD was underneath the sightseeing attraction and from where she stands, she can just make out three Beetle-Tech drones protecting it.

Recognising the look in her eyes, Kid Flash grins. "Got a plan, Birdy?"

"Yeah." With a smile, she carefully tosses the Reach-Tech egg to him before pulling two birderangs out of her utility belt. "You get the egg to the MFD and I'll distract the drones. Sounds good?"

"Coming from you? Always, babe." He quickly leans in to press a kiss to her cheek before he takes off into a sprint, disappearing in a blur of yellow and red.

Flamebird runs forward, two birderangs tucked between her fingers. She swings her arm out, tossing the two explosive devices at one of the drones. It shoots them both out of the air and she uses the smoke to throw one more, it lodges into the side of the drone, then explodes.

As the drone smashes against the ground, Kid Flash sprints towards the MFD, only to veer in the other direction as the remaining drones begin to fire at him.

Flamebird fires her grapple-gun, the hook latching onto the metal frame of the drone with a loud clang. Without missing a beat, she yanks the wire, pulling the drone towards her swiftly. She reaches into her utility belt, retrieving a small explosive that she quickly attaches to the top of the drone.

In a swift and graceful motion, she springs back and out of the drone's immediate range. Landing on her feet, she slams a finger against the detonator in her hand and watches the drone explode. The third Beetle-Tech Drone fires at her and, though it doesn't hit her, it strikes the bus behind her and sets off another explosion.

She leaps out of the way, a knowing smile on her lips as Kid Flash speeds past and catches her in his arms before she can hit the ground. "Ah, the Eiffel Tower and the ever-romantic City of Lights," he says, a lovestruck look in his eyes as he glances down at her. "Babe, we're totally coming back here when we don't have a world to save."

"When isn't the world in need of saving?" She somewhat jokes, looping an arm around his shoulders as he continues to run laps around the last drone. Her left-hand pulls another birderang from her utility belt. "Now drop me and go, lover-boy."

"Aye, aye." He carefully drops her off in a secure location and – as she tosses her birderang at the final drone – he sprints underneath the explosion, slamming the anti-Reach egg against the MFD with a triumphant laugh.

The Reach's doomsday device begins to shut down and Flamebird watches with a grin as the tornadoes disappear around them. "Flamebird to Watchtower." She activates her in-ear comms, "Omega squad has–"

She cuts herself off as Kid Flash appears in front of her, his hands grabbing her waist as he tugs her in and kisses her passionately. Her eyes widen for a moment, before she relaxes into the kiss and winds her arms around his neck.

"Omega squad, repeat transmission." Lucas Carr responds. "Omega?"

Ignoring the former-hero, the couple parts from one another with lovesick grins. "So," Wally starts breathlessly, pulling her impossibly closer to him. "What do you think about coming here for the honeymoon?"

Her heart skips a beat and she can't stop herself from pulling him back down to kiss her again as she smiles against his lips. She's been in love with Wally since she was fourteen, and being twenty-two and engaged to the boy of her dreams wasn't something she had expected then, but their happy future is finally within reach.

And she can't wait for it.

"Recognised: Flamebird, B-Zero-Two. Kid Flash, B-Zero-Four."

The bright light of the zeta-tube fades as Yue and Wally, hand-in-hand, walk into the Watchtower and straight through the doors of the War Room. Lucas Carr stands in front of the computer, carefully keeping tabs on the various teams working to disable the MFD's.

Captain Atom and Billy – in his Captain Marvel form – stand behind the long-time ally of the League, while Green Arrow, Artemis and Zatanna stand off to the side of the room. Ray Palmer stands on Billy's shoulder, his eyes focused on the tiny holographic screen in front of him.

"Good work, Theta," Carr says. "Twenty squads deployed, twenty MFDs destroyed. The mission was a success, we've done it!" He turns around to smile at the heroes surrounding him, only for his grin to falter as Ray Palmer swipes at his screen, summoning the contents of it onto the computer in front of them.

A hologram of the Earth's globe appears. "We've missed one," Palmer states dryly. "The Earth's magnetic field is still being disrupted."

"Blue Beetle to Watchtower. I'm reading a 21st MFD in the Arctic," the young hero informs them. "It was hidden from my previous scans by Earth's North Magnetic Pole. Sending coordinates now."

Lucas Carr frowns as he spins around on his heel and quickly types something into the Watchtower's computer. "There are no zeta-tubes in the Arctic," he announces worriedly. "How- How are we going to–?"

"Don't worry, gang." The Flash's voice emits over the League's radio. "I've got this."

"Not without me, you don't!" Impulse's voice soon follows, his tone cheery as he follows his grandfather into the Arctic. "Squads of two, remember? Let's go in and crash that MFD's mode. Follow me, Gramps!"

Yue's hand tightens around Wally's, or it's he who holds more tightly onto her. She can't tell, nor does she care very much as she glances at him with a fearful look. The few minutes that pass seem to go by agonisingly slow, until the Flash finally speaks again.

"Flash to Watchtower. The Magnetic Field Disruptor... It's already gone into chrysalis. I'm not sure if the egg–"

"The egg is useless now." Luthor, still using the Secretary General's line to patch into the hero's communication, announces. "You're too late."

Nightwing, Aquaman and Kaldur enter the War Room a few short seconds later.

Yue's eyes flicker to the window and she's unable to do anything but watch as bright ominous lights emerge from beneath the swirling dark clouds covering the Earth. She closes her eyes for a moment and turns her head away from the window, instead choosing to focus on the feeling of Wally's hand in hers as The Flash and Luthor continue to talk.

"What now?" Flash asks.

"Now you run," Luthor answers.

"Hey, I'm no quitter. There's gotta be–"

"I didn't say run away." Luthor cuts the Flash off. "I said run. Together, you and Impulse should be able to negate the chrysalis by running counter to its energy flow."

"Is it really that simple?"

"I wouldn't call it simple," Ray Palmer tells the speedster. "You'll be attempting to syphon its power with your own speed trails. It'll take a massive amount of kinetic energy."

Wally's hand slips out of her own and Yue quickly turns to him, her heart sinking to her stomach as he glances down at her with a too-familiar look in his eyes. She knows him better than she knows herself on most days. He's a hero, he would never just stand around the Watchtower and wait when he was one of the only people capable of doing something about this threat.

Still, anxiety grips at her heart. "Wally–"

"Hey." His hand rests against her cheek, and she leans into its warmth as they stare into each other's eyes. "I'll always come running back to you. Trust me, Birdy."

He leans in to kiss her with a smile and, before she has the chance to react, he's gone. Her heart races as she runs out of the War Room, watching the light of the zeta-tube fade as he disappears through it.

"Yue, what are you doing out here?" M'gann's voice echoes through the Watchtower's corridor as she and Conner walk in from the direction of the Docking Bay.

With widened eyes, Yue spins around on her heel to face her friend. "We need to get to the Bioship," she tells her, unable to explain the situation further. "Megs, we need to go. Now! " Her shaky voice draws the attention of Dick, Artemis and Kaldur, who come walking out of the War Room behind her.

"What's going on?" Her brother asks. "Where's Wally?"

Yue glances over her shoulder to meet his gaze. "Where do you think?" She spits. "He went to help Barry and Bart!"

When they touched down in the Arctic, it looked like something straight out of a nightmare. The crystallised MFD formed a large funnel that glows brightly amongst the snowy landscape. As Yue darts out of the Bioship, she holds a hand up to shield her eyes from the harsh winds created by the unnatural disaster in front of them.

Lightning shoots out of the air above them.

"Look!" Dick calls out, his hand pointing toward the disaster as he comes running out of the Bioship with the rest of the team. Jaime cheers behind them. "It's working! They're shutting it down."

The funnel and the lights begin to die down, the thick clouds above them clear out, and the harsh winds settle into a gentle breeze. "They did it!" M'gann cheers as she flies forward to regroup with the speedsters. "It's over!"

A chill runs down Yue's spine as, with a smile, she sprints forward through the snow. M'gann lands in front of Bart, helping the young hero back onto his feet, as Kaldur walks to Barry's side.

Yue slows to a stop as she reaches the speedsters, dread washing over her. Barry and Bart are in front of her, but where's Wally?

"Congratulations," Kaldur tells Barry.

She glances around the icy terrain, searching for a familiar blur of red and yellow and listening out for Wally's boasts about saving the world. But all she sees is snow that stretches out for miles, and all she hears are the howling winds. Her heart races fearfully as she looks around, unable to find him.

"Yue–"

"Where is he?" She spins around to glance at Barry, her bottom lip trembling. "Barry, where–?" She falls silent as the hero steps forward and places a hand on her shoulder, and the look on his face says it all; she had been on the receiving end of that look more times than she could count, but he's wrong.

He has to be wrong.

"Wally... He- he wanted me to tell you," Barry stutters over his words, and she can see the tears sliding down his cheeks from behind his mask. "He loved you."

"No!" Her voice cracks as she pushes his hand away, the motion weak and unsteady. She stumbles backwards, her legs feeling as though they were made of lead. Her vision blurs as tears well up in her eyes. "He isn't-" Her voice grows more frantic. "He can't be!"

She can't breathe.

Her chest tightens, each breath coming in shallow gasps. "No," she whimpers in disbelief as she takes another step back, barely evading Dick's grasp as he reaches out for her. Panic claws at her throat, and she gasps for air; desperate for something that feels right out of her grasp.

They were supposed to get married. They were supposed to retire from the hero business and live the rest of their lives together. He can't be gone.

He promised he'd come running back to her.

The corners of her vision darken and, while she can briefly make out the vibrant red of Barry's suit as he steps toward her, she can't see him through her tears. "I'm sorry." His words, a distant whisper in the howling winds, fall on deaf ears as Yue's legs finally give out and she sinks to her knees in the cold, unforgiving snow.

Dick stands off to the side, one hand covering his mouth as he tears his watery-eyes away from the sight of his sister as she lets out loud, heartbreaking wails. Each cry was ragged and heart-wrenching. Artemis rushes to kneel beside her, tightly wrapping her arms around the woman. Yue doesn't fight off the touch this time, only sinks into her embrace as she struggles to breathe.

There are voices calling out through the communication-line, people pleading for answers and others cheering for the fact the disaster had been averted. But in the arctic, with Yue's heartbroken screams the only sound heard, nobody can bring themselves to face the others yet.

They'd know the situation soon enough.

They saved the world at a great cost.

The Watchtower is silent except for the occasional hum of the machines powering the space-station. It's a solemn, uneasy sort of quiet that doesn't typically weigh over heroes who have saved the world. But how could any of them celebrate when they're one hero down and worse for it.

Barry had left an hour ago to tell Mary and Rudy about their son's sacrifice, and the team had mostly departed from the Watchtower to greet the Justice League members returning from Rimbor.

Yue sits in an office in the Watchtower's east wing, her legs hugged close to her chest and her chin resting against her knees. Her dark eyes, red-rimmed from hours of tears, are distant as she stares at the wall ahead of her. Her shoulders shake with every breath and, though her sobs have quieted since returning to the Watchtower, she hasn't stopped crying.

She's not sure she ever will; Wally is gone. The love of her life – no, more than that, because he'd been her best friend longer than he'd been her partner – is gone.

Barbara sits next to her, one hand comfortingly resting on her shoulder. Tim and Dick stand by the doorway and, while the latter hasn't looked in her direction for more than a few seconds since the arctic, hesitancy rolls off Tim in waves– as if he wants to say something, but doesn't know how.

Yue doesn't pay them much mind. She can't.

Not when every detail of her life with Wally is flashing through her mind; their plans, the life they envisioned... The wedding plans they had been making earlier this morning. It all feels like a cruel joke now.

The door slides open and Bruce pauses at the threshold, taking in the sight before him; his two sons are off to the side and Yue's curled up on the seat with Barbara gently soothing her, all four of them blanketed by grief. Something the Dark Knight has always been too familiar with.

Barbara is the first to look away from Yue, blinking in surprise when her eyes fall onto their mentor. "Bruce, you're back," she whispers in surprise.

At the mention of his name, Yue's eyes flick away from the wall to meet his gaze. "Dad," she whimpers brokenly. "He's–" She can't bring herself to say it. Instead, she lifts her gloved hand to cover her mouth as a sob wracks through her body.

He walks forward and places a hand on Yue's shoulder, his touch both comforting and firm as he pulls her into his embrace. "I know," he whispers against the top of her head. "It'll– It'll be okay..."

"Will it?" The tone of her voice – small, and scared, and utterly heartbroken – isn't a tone he's heard in years. When she was a child left alone in an empty hospital waiting room, when they had met for the first time and he promised to take care of her. God, how he had failed in that promise, for them to be standing here right now.

One hand rubs her back up-and-down gently, in a reassuring motion, while the other cradles the back of her head as she sobs loudly into the kevlar chestpiece of his suit. He holds her like that for a good-while, quietly shushing her and whispering that it will all be okay.

Yue doesn't believe him.

Hot tears stream down her face, and her chest is still heaving with every sniffle and hiccup, and she doesn't believe him. Things won't be okay. They will never be okay again.

Wally is, was, the love of her life. They had built something together. They were planning a future, and it had been snatched from right under them because they were heroes. He was a hero and he had to save the world, it's what they do, and where did that leave her?

Even surrounded by her family, she's never felt so alone.

She had been prepared to never make it back from her mission. She had been prepared to die just so M'gann could escape, and she was willing to lay down her life if it meant stopping the Reach that day on the Mothership, because there was a price for being a hero and Yue was prepared to pay it.

But she had never considered Wally's life to be the cost. They never talked about it, never made plans for what would happen if he died and she was left behind, alone. It wasn't ever a possibility.

Now it's the reality.

And Yue doesn't know how she's supposed to carry on without him.

AUTHOR'S NOTES.

   ✶     Wally's dead? Oh, well, now is the perfect time to talk about the CHAPEL OF SOLITUDE! It's a canon las vegas wedding chapel, we can thank the green lantern (2023) comic run for showing me because i have not shut up about it since and of course had to include it in this fic after discussing with gryzons that her own oc should be married there. It has a Superman impersonator and everything.

   ✶     Back on a more serious topic though, Wally is dead... I have been pretty open and honest about my plans to bring him back, but I have not and will not go into detail about it quite yet because this isn't the end of Pink in The Night. Act Three "One Bright Morning Changes All Things" will cover season three of young justice and, well, we'll have to wait and see what else.

   ✶     I seriously hope that act two has been enjoyable for everybody, despite this ending. I have been working on Yue's story since 2021, and this is the furthest I've actually come with publishing it, so I am so excited to read everybody's reactions to this chapter as well as the upcoming act. Yue Harlow and Wally West will forever have my heart & I can't wait to reach the ending with you all.

   ✶    So for now, thank you all for reading— to those who comment, you all have a very special place in my heart and I do this for you. I hope to see you all in the comments again when I start posting the next act.