A/N: This hit me on a whim. I was browsing the section, with no intention of writing a story any time soon, then this idea came into my head. I don't think it's that good, but I thought I might as well put it up. Please tell me what you think. Sorry for any mistakes, I did not send this through my beta
I'm pretty sure I don't own Young Justice. In fact, I'm almost certain of it.
"Will she be alright?" M'Gann asked, looking at Artemis's unconscious form.
"Of course she is," Black Canary assured the Martian, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's too stubborn not to be."
Robin snorted. "No kidding."
"That Sportsmaster guy was vicious," Kid Flash said, rubbing his arm, where he was developing a series of bruises in the shape of Sportsmaster's fists. Superboy nodded in agreement.
Aqualad looked down at his friend and teammate. "I contacted Green Arrow. He will be here soon to take her home."
"Well, that's good," Robin said with a shrug. "She'll be up and ready to take Wally's head off by morning."
"Why would she want my head?"
"Because it's your fault she's like that," the Boy Wonder reminded him. "She saved your life, and took that hit to her head for it."
"Sounds like her," Green Arrow said, walking in, Batman behind him. "Who did it?"
"Sportsmaster," Kaldur said. "He was the one behind the Venom shipment."
"How did it go?" Batman asked, focusing on the Atlantean.
"It went well, sir. We destroyed the shipment, although Sportsmaster and the majority of his men got away. Robin managed to obtain several of the Sportsmaster's computer files, but hasn't had time to examine them yet."
"I'll have a look at those when we get back to the Cave," Batman informed his sideki—junior partner, that is. "In the meantime, good job. All of you."
"I think you should all—" Green Arrow began, when Artemis's eyes fluttered open. "You okay?" he asked her, concerned.
"Yeah," she muttered, sitting up. "What happened?"
"Sportsmaster hit you in the head," M'Gann said, smiling at her earthly sister. "But you'll be fine."
"Nice to know," Artemis said, rubbing her head.
"I should probably get you home," Green Arrow said. "Can you walk?"
"Let's find out," she said, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She tried to stand up, and was sent towards the floor. Kid Flash zoomed forward, catching her before she gained another bump on the head.
"Apparently not," said Green Arrow, helping Kid Flash place her back in bed.
Artemis let her head fall back on the pillow, sighing. "Great. And I've got that pre-calc test tomorrow too." She didn't notice that Robin looking sheepish, and avoiding Batman's gaze.
"Well, I can get you home—" Green Arrow began, before a series of alarms went off. "What's that?"
"The intruder alert," Batman growled.
"Are we under attack?" Aqualad said, looking concerned.
Robin accessed the security cameras from his glove minicomputer. "Um… I don't think so. It's just a van."
"Can I see that?" Artemis sounded concerned. Robin leaned over to allow the injured archer to see. Artemis grew pale. "What is it?"
"It's my mom," Artemis whispered.
"Are you sure?" Green Arrow said. Artemis nodded. "We're in trouble." Artemis nodded again.
"How did she even know about this place?" Batman demanded, folding his arms and frowning his most disapproving frown at the two archers. They shrugged in unison.
"No idea. She asked me, ages ago, but after I didn't tell her, she dropped the subject." Artemis claimed.
"Robin, why don't you go show her in," Batman growled. The Boy Wonder went from the room, curiosity bubbling in him. Artemis's mother. This was going to be so weird. He wondered if she would look like Artemis. He wondered if she'd have Artemis's temper. He hoped not.
He walked up towards the plain white van, which had dirty streaks up and down its sides. The window rolled down, and a woman with short, dark hair and features that seemed vaguely Asian leaned her head out the window. "Hello," her voice was pleasant.
"Hi! I'm Robin," he said cautiously.
"I know, I've seen you around Gotham," she said with a smile. "Could you do me a favor, and back up a bit?"
Surprised, Robin complied, backing away from the van. Her face disappeared from the window, which rolled up, and the door on the side of the van opened, and a ramp rolled out, making a horribly loud noise as it did so slowly. Artemis's mother rolled herself down the ramp in a wheel chair. Robin blinked. He hadn't really expected that.
She pressed a button on the ramp, and it started to retract. "I'm Paula Crock," she said, holding out her hand for him to shake. "It's wonderful to meet you."
Robin shook her hand, still a bit surprised. "Um, I'm supposed to escort you inside."
"Thank you very much," Paula said, propelling herself forward. "Shall we go? Artemis still has homework to do, and we should really get back to Gotham soon."
Robin blinked, and followed her, looking her over as he did so. He spotted the outline of a knife against her jeans, and was pretty sure there was another strapped to her ankle, although he wasn't sure. And if he angled his head just so, he was pretty sure there was a crossbow that looked a lot like Artemis's in her purse that was jammed firmly between her thigh and the armrest of her wheelchair. It looked like she was expecting trouble. He felt a shiver go up his spine. He never liked that feeling. He usually got it before a fight, or during a stakeout, when things were going to go south. He felt himself grab a birdarang as subtly as he could manage.
He led Paula in, constantly on the alert for a crossbow bolt in his back—he was pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to get him with a knife, not without him noticing anyway—and then led her to the hospital bay, where Artemis was.
"Hello Paula," Green Arrow greeted, looking a bit anxious. Robin wondered if she was his sister, or his sister-in-law. The glare she sent him didn't help clarify things.
"Hello," she said stiffly. "Where's Artemis?"
"Right here Mom," the blonde archer said. Robin noticed that someone had propped her up, making her appear in better shape than she actually was. From the nervous look on Green Arrow's face, Robin was willing to bet it had been him.
"You didn't call," Paula said, glaring at her, wheeling herself forward.
"I didn't? What time is it?" Artemis said, looking honestly surprised.
"Almost midnight," Paula said with a glare. "You know the deal. You can be out, doing this hero business, but you have to call me if you're going to be out past curfew."
"I was sorta unconscious," Artemis admitted, looking at the ceiling.
Her mother's lips pulled down in a frown that resembled Artemis's. "Oh?"
"Sportsmaster did it," Kid Flash put in quickly. "We were stopping a shipment of that Venom stuff, she told you about that, right?"
"Well, being knocked unconscious by a madman won't work as an excuse on your homework. We're going home. Tomorrow morning we will discuss this further," Paula said firmly. She glanced over at Miss Martian. "Could you help Artemis get to the van, please?"
"Sure thing," M'Gann said, walking over to help Artemis up.
"One more thing," Batman said, looming over the woman in a wheel chair, glaring a ferocious expression down on her. She looked unfazed. "How did you find this place? It's meant to be a secret."
"Oh, I slipped a tracker onto one of Artemis's arrows ages ago," she said lightly. "She lost that arrow, but I could figure it out by then."
"Mom!" Artemis said.
Paula smiled at her child. "I was worried."
"Sometimes I wish you would worry less," Artemis muttered, one arm slung over M'Gann's shoulder.
"Well, too bad," her mother said. "I worry. Now let's go. You've got that pre-calculus test tomorrow."
Artemis sighed, and followed her mother, who could be surprisingly speedy in that wheelchair when she wanted to be.
"A test, huh?" Batman said quietly to Robin.
"I've already studied!" Robin whispered back as they all started moving out to their own homes. "It's an easy chapter!"
Paula led the girls to the van, and pulled out the ramp again. She wheeled up it and got into her position behind the wheel.
"I could drive if you want Mom," Artemis offered as M'Gann helped her into the passenger's seat.
"You do not have your permit yet, young lady. You are not driving my van until you do. And maybe not even then."
"Well, thanks for the help Megan," Artemis said, looking at the Martian with a smile.
"It wasn't any problem," the green girl assured her.
"Do you need a lift anywhere?" Paula asked, leaning forward to look at her. "We're going back to Gotham, but we can drop you off at your home."
"No thanks," M'Gann said with a smile. "I live here!"
"Oh. Well, I will see you around Megan. Maybe you could come over sometime."
"That would be wonderful!" M'Gann said excitedly.
"Now come on," Paula told her daughter. "Let's go home." She rolled up the window, and pressed down on the accelerator handle.
They drove away, neither of them saying a word.
"You fought him?" she said after a while, breaking the silence. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Mom. I stayed out of his way until the end. Then he was too busy to try to talk to me. He was going to kill Kid Flash. I had to do something."
"I understand," Paula said, hands firm on the steering wheel. "I just wish you didn't have to fight him."
"Me too," Artemis said quietly. "And is that my crossbow in your purse?"
"I do believe so."
"Mom!"
"You left it out," the dark haired woman said simply. "And I wasn't sure if you'd be alright."
"Mom, can you even use that thing?"
"No, but I figured that no one else would need to know that."
Artemis cradled her head in her arms, and sighed. "You know Kid Flash and Robin are going to give me a hard time for this."
"You've lived with worse.
"Sad, but true."
A/N: Please review!