Wally POV:

Why did she have to do that? Why did she have to go it alone? I was there for her, to catch her if she falls. Couldn't she understand that? Maybe I had been kinda harsh to her, especially when she first came. But that was only because she took Red Arrow's spot in the team. And now things were…they were different. I had stirrings about her…Oh okay I had feelings. Major feelings about her, probably even more than feelings, but that doesn't mean I'll admit it.

She just had to be so difficult. She had to be her. The most beautiful, clever, funny, beautiful…did I already say that? But I guess it didn't matter how beautiful I thought she was, because she hated me now. She hated me because I sided with Red Arrow. How was I supposed to choose, though? They were both my friends, well Artemis was more than my friend. I had to make it up to her. I had to say….to say…. I was sorry.

"Artemis. Can I talk to you," I said knocking on her door. She had holed herself up in there ever since we came back from the mission.

"What do you want?" She said harshly when she opened the door a few inches.

"I wanna talk to you."

"Well I don't want to talk to you. Goodbye." She started to slam the door in my face, but I stuck my foot in the gap. It really hurt, but it was worth it.

"I said I wanted to talk, Artemis."

"Fine." She left the door where it was and went back into her room. I followed her in. "What?" She crossed her arms in protest of my being here.

"I just wanted to say….that I'm…. I'm sorry. I shouldn't of lost my temper. I just….I don't understand why you did it." I told her.

Her face softened as she looked away. Not wanting to make eye contact with me. "I had to." She said, "I wanted to prove myself. It's just that I have to live up to all these superheroes and…it's hard."

"I know what you mean," I said moving closer to her and grabbing her hand to hold it. "But that doesn't mean that you have to do it alone. I'm here…"

She looked at me. I thought maybe we were having a moment, here. Then she had to go and ruin it, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Artemis, really?" I said letting go of her hand. "I keep trying to be your friend, but you just keep pushing me away. You push all of us away. Can't you see that we want to help you? You just have to help us understand what's wrong." I said kind of whiningly.

"Nothing's wrong Wally! I'm fine just the way things are! Why can't you just trust me?" She yelled at me. She was keeping something a secret, something big. I could tell by the way she screamed at me. I just wanted her to be honest with me. She had to know that I would never tell anyone her secret.

"Obviously not or you wouldn't have tried to go it alone," I said calmly. "I want to trust you Artemis, but you have to tell me what it is you insist on hiding." I almost whispered. "Or I can't help you."

She sighed and began pacing around the room. No doubt deliberating whether to tell me her secret or not. I desperately hoped she would choose yes. "Wally, I…" she said stopping.

"Just tell me," I said almost pleading, "I won't judge you, whatever it is."

"That's the thing Wally, you will. I know you will." She said.

I took hold of her hand and pulled her in close to me, "I would never."

"Wally… it's about my family." She said sadly.

"Okay."

"My dad and my…sister….they're…"

"Wait you have a sister?"

"Yes I have a sister. Wally focus I'm trying to tell you that my sister and dad are Sportsmaster and Cheshire!" She said that last part rather quickly. I just stared at her with my mouth hanging wide open. I felt like such an idiot. I should've known.

"How? Why didn't you tell me before? You're….you're the mole." I said backing away, jumping to conclusions. If her family or most of her family were super villains, then what does that make her?

"No I'm not the mole, Wally, I swear. I knew this would happen."

"Hold on for a second, I'm just trying to understand here. Man, now I know what Robin means when he says whelmed," I said.

"Wally maybe you should just go. Please." She said starting to push me out. I used my super speed to run around to the other side of her.

"I'm not leaving." I said. "Artemis, I won't tell anyone. I'll keep your secret. You can trust me. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Really?" She asked skeptically.

"Yeah, there's just one thing I have to say."

"Yeah?"

"Can I…um…tell you a secret too?"

"I'm not sure I'm gonna like this. But yes," she said.

"I'm kind of…" I said stepping closer to her. "Don't laugh at me okay."

"What are you a circus clown?" She said trying to be funny.

"No, Artemis! I'm trying to tell you I'm in love with you!" I shouted.

~0~

Robin POV:

"Hey Robin, is KF in there too?" Zatanna asked me.

"Yeah." I replied keeping my ear against the door. We were spying on them. I'd had a feeling that KF was going to say something to her. I did feel like it was an invasion of privacy, but I'd already known that he liked her. It was only a matter of time.

"What are they saying?" She asked.

"You two shouldn't be spying on them. They have a right to their privacy." Kaldur said from behind us. We ignored him. There were some things I had heard them say that I shouldn't have known. Like Artemis's family ties, but I wouldn't tell the others. Artemis had to do that herself, eventually.

"Hey guys! I brought Popcorn."

"Megan quiet. They're talking." I said to her, she was holding a big blue bowl filled with yellow kernels.

"Come on seriously. Do we have to spy on them?" Conner asked.

Simultaneously Zatanna and I both went, "Shhh." He held his hands up in defeat.

"He just told her…" I said astonished at what I just heard. I knew he was going to say it, but I didn't think he actually had the guts.

"What?" Zatanna asked excitedly.

"….that he loved her."

~0~

Wally POV:

"You… you love me?" Artemis said completely shocked.

"Yeah I do. I love you Artemis. I've just been too stupid to realize it before."

"But I thought…I thought that…. you hated me. Now that you know." She said.

I gazed into her eyes. She was beautiful and there was something else too. Something in her eyes that said she felt the same way. That she was happy I'd finally told her, but they were also kind of sad. Like she thought that because of who she was we could never be together. But we could and I would do anything to be with her forever. "I could never hate you." I said drawing her in closer.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and as our lips touched I could feel the static. I knew that she was the one. We were so close we were one, and we stayed like that until we had to breathe and then we'd just start again. And there was no one there to stop us. And in that one kiss, in that one moment it meant everything to me. As did every one of them, because Artemis she was a real spitfire, and she was mine.