"Happy birthday, Babe!"
"Beautiful, it's too early," He grabbed her pillow and put it on top of his face. She laughed at him, which suddenly made him want to wake up. He took the pillow off and smiled. There was nothing more he loved than her smile and laughter. It filled a room. Then again, his eyes were always on her. He definitely wouldn't have it any other way.
"I don't think it's too early for pancakes with sprinkles, whipped cream, and lots of syrup," She suggested as she stood up from the bed, "So you better get up before I give them all to Brucely."
"That's wicked, Babe," Wally frowned while he sat up.
"Happy birthday, Baywatch," She smiled at him as she left him to change. Wally chuckled to himself, wondering how he got so lucky to be with a woman like his spitfire. The world would never know.
"Wake up!"
Wally groaned before rolling onto his side, "It's too early."
"Wallace, it is eight in the morning. Get your ass up and walk your stupid dog," He heard footsteps walk away from their bedroom. Wally cursed as he pushed off his blankets and got ready for the day.
As he opened his dresser, he muttered to himself, "Why did I ever marry a woman like Linda?"
When he walked into the living room, he immediately walked over to Brucely, who was whining to go out. He patted his head before grabbing his leash. Once it was clipped on, Wally looked at his wife. "You know, he would cry a lot less if you walked him?"
"Oh please, all that old dog does is whine and stinky up the house. Plus, that mutt isn't my dog. It's yours. If it was up to me, that thing would've been re homed," The black haired woman dismissed her husband with a swipe of her hand. Wally didn't argue with her, not having the strength today, and headed out the door.
It was safe to say that Wally was miserable. He hadn't always been. He used to be known for being happy all the time, enjoying life, and just having fun. However, that was years ago. That was when Artemis was alive.
The day Artemis died haunted him. Being retired heroes, he always thought that an old enemy would hunt them down and take her away from him. Never once did he think a drunk driver would be the one to claim her life, especially after everything they had been through.
The angry he felt was almost unimaginable. The man who had walked away, left Artemis in the car, and tried to hide. If he had stayed, called the police or an ambulance, or even tried to help Artemis a little bit she could have lived. She would have had a chance. And the fact that he hid? Wally promised to find him and with the help of Nightwing, he did. Wally would have killed that man that night if Dick hadn't stopped him from beating him to death.
After the anger, there was numbness. That's where Linda can into the picture. He met her at a bar. She was out with friends. Wally just need to leave the flat he used to share with his dead girlfriend. The two hit it off really well, shared numbers, and then two weeks later started dating.
The team and his family were shocked by this. They didn't understand how Wally could move on so quickly. It had only been two months since Artemis' death. He clearly wasn't okay. Most importantly, how could Wally move on with a girl like Linda? She was a nasty person, who hated Wally's friends and his family. Still, Wally married her a week before the one year anniversary of Artemis' death. From that point on, it only got worse.
Wally snapped out of his thoughts when Brucely let out a whine. He frowned, "What is it, Boy?" The dog whined again and nudged his hand. The redhead sighed and rubbed his dog's head. "At least you remember my birthday, Brucely."
He looked up and around him. They had walked pretty far. Wally had blanked out for most of their walk. But they were pretty close to the cemetery. And it was days like these where he needed Artemis more than anything. He knew Linda would yell at him when he got home. Linda hated Artemis. He could never visit her. Today, he didn't care.
Her grave was beautiful in an eerie way. Her headstone wasn't too big but it was beautiful nonetheless. Her high school graduation pictures were on it. It was one of her mom's favorite pictures of her. On the stone said, "Beloved daughter and hero." A bunch of fresh flowers and a few plushies sat besides it. There was even a Kid Flash one and Green Arrow one. It made him feel guilty, knowing that none of things were placed here by him. He hadn't seen her in almost two years.
Wally stood above the plot. Brucely laid on it. The redhead shoved his hands into his pockets and took a shaky breath. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to say sorry, beg for forgiveness, and cry. He wanted to cry because he was so far gone. He wanted to cry because he was still mourning. He wanted to cry because he hated his life. He hated Linda. He hated his marriage, his home, and his birthday. He used to love living but when Artemis died, he died with her.
It all hit him at once. He let the tears roll down his face. He let his body jerk with sobs that forced their way out. He had never been a crier. He had always acted out of anger. Yet, these tears were anger. They were rage, they were hatred, they were mourning, they were guilt and jealousy for the life that could've been. He wanted Artemis back. He wanted Linda gone. Wally wanted to be saved from himself and what he had done.
"You're a hot mess," He heard a voice from behind him say. Wally wiped his tears and looked. His heat almost jumped out of his chest. It looked like Artemis. It sounded like Artemis. But it couldn't have been.
"A-Artemis?"
"You would never listen to me when I said ghosts are real," She scoffed at him, but a smile grew on her face, "Happy birthday, Baywatch."
"No way," Wally walked up to her. He wanted to hug her and kiss her but he wasn't sure if he could. He wasn't even sure if she was real, "No way," He repeated.
Artemis put her hands in her pocket. She looked Wally up and down. When she saw the wedding band on his finger, her face dropped, "So it is true. You are married?"
"I was stupid," Wally looked at his finger and shook his head at it, "I was so stupid."
"You don't need to tell me. Dick already told me everything," She looked away from his ring, "I hope you're happy. Maybe name your first kid after me or something. Even when I'm dead you'll still be screaming my name."
Wally let out a bark of laughter, "Did you just make a sex joke?" Artemis laughed back, her smile and laughter still filling up the world. He heart felt full but so broken when he saw her smile.
"I know this doesn't mean much but I'm-
-Please don't say you're sorry for me dying. I've heard that a million times. Dick's apologized, my mom's apologized, Megan's apologized, and even your parents apologized. But I can't help but be hurt by the fact I was replaceable within two months and then forgotten," She glared at him, "Really, Wally?"'
Wally looked down at his wedding band, "I know. It was the stupidest mistake of my life. I hate myself so much for it," He could feel the tears coming back, "Everyday I wake up and I hate this life I'm living. I hate my wife so much. For so long she's dictated my life. I couldn't even say your name. I couldn't see you and today I just broke. I can't take being this miserable all the time. And I hate myself for it!" His fist curled up from his anger and hurt. It was suffocating. He was so mad at himself and he couldn't contain it.
Artemis sighed, "Wally, I can't forgive you. Our friends can't forgive you. Your family can't forgive you. None of us can forgive you until you forgive yourself. I look at you, Babe, and I see someone who's dead inside. Your beautiful eyes aren't bright anymore. Your hair isn't even even bright. You're dull. That isn't the Wall-Man I know and love. So please, Wally, give yourself a second chance at life. Get away from your wife. Get away from the hurt and suffering. Let your family in again. Let our friends in again. They miss you, Wally. And live again."
"How can I do that when my only chance at life was you!?" He snapped, finally letting all his tears flow steadily. Artemis walked up to him and placed her hands on his face. He put his hands on top of hers. Although she looked so lively, she was so cold. It was a reminder that Artemis was dead.
"It's not, Babe. Your life is not based on what could've been. You have a chance at happiness, love, and opportunity. Let those things into your life. Do not end it. And with effort and time, you will feel alive again. Don't stop living because of an accident," She had tears in her eyes as she said, "Listen to me, Wally. I will always love you. But a part of loving something is learning to let go. And hey, we both know you have good taste. You chose me."
The two laughed together. Wally pulled her into a hug, letting a few of his tears fall into her hair. "Will I be able to see you again?"
"I try to visit everyone who wants to speak to me. Ghost life is actually surprisingly busy," She continued to laugh, "So I always try. But just because I may talk with you when you come by does not mean that you don't get to move on!" She shook her finger at him.
"I don't know. I can tell everyone I'm dating a ghost. We can have Danny Phantom babies."
"Wally," She scolded as she pulled out of their hug.
He shrugged in defeat, "Well, it was worth a try. But thank you, Artemis. I needed this more than you can ever know."
"Consider this a birthday present," She gave him a lopsided smile, "But it's getting late, Babe. I think it's time for my Baywatch to head home."
"I'm going to my parents' house," He answered truthfully, "Tell them I'm divorcing that witch."
"Good luck, Wally," Artemis said proudly as she started to take a few steps backwards.
Wally wanted to reach out for her, tell her to stay, and talk for hours, but their time was up for today. And even though he pretty much broke up with his dead girlfriend today, this felt like the closure he needed to live again. It was the end of the chapter of suffering.
"I love you," He said, for what might be the last time in that way, "More than you will ever know."
"I love you too, Wally, now and forever," She was staring to fade away.
"Now and forever," And she was gone. Wally took a deep breath and let it out. He slowly found a smile inch onto his face. He was definitely still sad, wishing that she was still with him, but this what he had needed for a long time. It wasn't a goodbye but an "I'll see you later." Talking to her had been healthy.
"Come on, Brucely. Let's go to your grandparents' house."
AN: This was sad and for what?
I'll answer this question after I got to sleep