A/N: (*Grumbles about pushy friends and their need for certain fandoms*) This story is dedicated to my good friend JaggerK, who claims I haven't been writing or posting nearly enough DC stuff in the last few months. Admittedly, she's right, hence why I finally shifted gears and finished this first chapter. More will be coming once I manage to scratch them out, but it'll be a slow process more than likely. And I doubt subsequent chapters will be nearly as long as this one, or posted in a linear fashion either, though hopefully you lot will still enjoy them just the same.
-Triscribe
Chapter 1 - Extra Archer
Artemis frowned. Two strangers had just walked onto her street, neither one of which belonged there. The first was a redhead, about the same age as her, obliviously chattering away at a million miles an hour. The second was smaller, with black hair and eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses. His body language, though, suggested that the younger boy was actively watching for any threats - which definitely made him smarter that the other idiot.
Up and down the block, people in doorways and windows were also starting to take notice of the strangers. Some had the same neutral disinterest as Artemis, but others were getting calculating looks in their eyes: looks that never boded well for those on the receiving end of them.
Gritting her teeth, the girl weighed her options. And made a choice that would change her life forever.
The moment Artemis stood up off the front step of her apartment building and headed towards the boys, the smaller one clearly took note of her. Underneath a loose jacket and jeans, his muscles tensed, wary and ready for a fight. His friend finally took notice, and trailed off with whatever he was saying.
"Can we help you?" Sunglasses asked curtly.
"You need to get out of here." Artemis' reply was just as blunt. "Turn around and follow me back out of this neighborhood before you get hurt."
Instantly, the redhead puffed up and opened his mouth, probably to say something incredibly overbearing and stupid. His shorter companion, however, drove an elbow into the kid's side and managed to head him off.
"Fine. After you, then."
-YJ-
"And then," Dick was cackling, "Right as he turned around to shoot this girl one last wink, he walks straight into the brick wall around the courtyard!" Both he and Artemis dissolved into undignified snickering while Wally glared.
"It's not that funny!" The redhead snapped, only for their female friend to contradict him.
"Oh, but it is! Maybe- maybe we ought to start referring to you as 'Wall-man', just to make sure we never forget it."
"I'll go along with that!"
"Dick! You aren't supposed to agree with her!" Sadly for the Central City native, both Gothamites merely continued to giggle at his expense.
Artemis still wasn't entirely sure how one little good deed on her part had led to making friends with these idiots, but she wouldn't regret the past month for anything. Two or three times a week, Dick would randomly show up on her front doorstep, not only managing to constantly avoid her father but bring some kind of insanely delicious treat with him too. And once a week, Wally would come to town as well, and the three of them would slip off by themselves for a bit of fun. Sometimes that meant just wandering around the slightly safer neighborhoods, talking and laughing. Or they'd visit Gotham Grand Mall, where Dick had a seemingly limitless credit card he didn't mind using to cover their stop at the food court and the occasional purchase from a proper store. Unconcerned about taking advantage of the eleven year old's generosity, unlike Wally, Artemis still was careful about not getting anything her dad might realize had come from an outside source besides Jade.
The cool feathered pen had been worth it, though. And the I'm with Stupid t-shirt she made sure to always wear when Wally was around, too.
-YJ-
A week. Her father's latest training scheme had been to leave Artemis alone in the mountains with minimal survival gear, and it had taken her an entire week to make it back to Gotham. And yet somehow, in between when she stumbled in through the front door and when she emerged from the shower, a brown paper bag full of warm, baked goods with a note from Dick had been left on the sill of her open bedroom window.
If you ever need to get away, or even just to talk, I'm here. -D
One of these days, she'd push to find out what the kid's last name was, as well as what he looked like beneath those shades, but in the meantime Artemis was just grateful to have a friend close by.
-YJ-
"Arty, what happened there?"
"Hm?" Aw, crap. Her shirt sleeve had ridden up, revealing the tell-tale mark of an old bruise on her upper arm. "Ah, nothing."
Wally leaned a bit closer to her across the café table. "Doesn't look like nothing to me. Come on, Artemis - I know we've only been friends for a couple months, but you can be honest with me."
And didn't her fellow thirteen year old look perfectly earnest in that moment. But Artemis knew just how fast someone's sympathy could turn to horror once they learned the truth, and from there they had nothing more to do with you. "It's fine, Wally, I mean it. Nothing to get upset over."
He didn't look like he believed her, but then Dick got back from the bathroom and the subject was dropped in favor of the superhero conversation they'd been having. The younger boy was in complete support of Batman being the best, with Robin a close second, while Wally was more in favor of Flash and his sidekick. Artemis was torn between hometown loyalty with the Bats, or voting for Star City's pair of archers.
"I dunno, there's just something about the bow and arrow that's always made it my favorite weapons set." She admitted. Wally shook his head with exasperation, while Dick looked thoughtful.
"Artemis," he said slowly. "Would you mind if we brought someone else for you to meet next week?"
-YJ-
The guy didn't look all that impressive. Two, maybe three years older than her, with pale blue eyes and hair a bit more auburn compared to Wally's ginger locks.
"She doesn't look all that impressive," Roy Harper grumped, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, but she's really into archery." Dick grinned. "And I figured, what with you being from Star City and all..."
"Please tell me I didn't get dragged all the way out here just to meet a fan girl."
"What's the matter, tough guy, kids from the slums you make you uncomfortable?" Artemis set her fists to her hips and cocked an eyebrow at him. The older teen blinked.
"What if they do?" He asked slowly, clearly testing her.
"Then I'd tell you to turn around so I could kick your ass straight back to your West Coast city."
Roy stared at her for another beat, then threw his head back and laughed. "Okay, I guess I can see why you two idiots like hanging out with her."
-YJ-
When Dick first removed his sunglasses for her, revealing his last name with the same gesture, Artemis' response was to grin and announce that she'd known it all along.
"What?!" Wally squawked, while Roy chuckled in the background. "Oh, heck no, there's no way that you already had this figured out!"
"Don't get upset, Wall-man, I won't hold it against you that you had no idea before you were told," Artemis drawled, folding her arms.
Dick grinned as his best friend kept moaning about the injustice of it all. "So, what two and two did you add up to deduce who I was?"
"Those mentions that you've made about being places all around the civilized world. The moments when you alternate between a rich boy's accent and one that was a lot more relaxed. Not to mention the fact that you've been hiding your identity and face in the first place."
The eleven year old's head tilted to one side. "And all that pointed to Dick Grayson?"
"Well, all that - and the fact that when you last came by my place, I saw your butler drop you off, and him I recognized from a newspaper picture featuring Bruce Wayne."
"Ah, knew I should have asked Alfred to keep his distance a bit more." Lazily, Dick shrugged. "Oh well. You know now, so Bruce can stop worrying."
"He knows you're friends with a girl from the slums? And he doesn't mind?"
"Not at all - in fact, I think he minds a lot less about my making friends with you than with Wally." The two of them glanced over at the other boy, who had switched from whining about Artemis to protesting Roy grabbing him in a headlock.
"How, exactly, did Gotham's richest adoption case wind up knowing that particular Midwest Moron?"
"Long story..."
-YJ-
Inevitably, all good things come to an end, and Artemis' wonderful, peaceful months of hanging out with the boys did too. She knew that it would all come crashing down at some point, and had honestly been surprised the end took as long as it did.
She was also surprised with exactly how it all ended.
That morning, her dad left to supposedly run a job down in Mexico, leaving the girl available to accept an invitation from her friends to join them and some others at a private get-together at Gotham's public park. Being allowed past the discrete bodyguards tipped her off ahead of time to the fact that Bruce Wayne would be present, but meeting Oliver Queen really threw her for a loop - even more so with James Gordon, Gotham's police commissioner, whose twelve year old daughter Barbara was apparently good friends with Dick.
The five youths had wandered a bit closer to the treeline after retrieving some food, pre-prepared by the Wayne butler. Their respective parental figures, including Wally's uncle Barry, kept a respectful distance for the kids to enjoy some privacy for conversation.
Hence why no one was quite close enough to head off Lawrence Crock's furious arrival.
All Artemis really had time to do was turn around and freeze in place before both Roy and Wally were standing in front of her protectively, Dick and Barbara remaining reassuringly close to either side. Lawrence pulled up short just a hair's breadth away from them.
"Get outta my way, runts," he growled, steam coming out of both ears. "I'm taking my daughter home."
"Make us, beef for brains." Wally's words might have been a taunt, but Artemis could hear the steel in his tone, and was taken aback by the change in her goofy friend. Then the four grown men were gathered around them as well, with assorted guards and plainclothes cops approaching from various directions.
"Is there a problem here?" Mr. Wayne's voice had also grown surprisingly cold, making Artemis very glad it wasn't aimed at her.
"Not at all," Lawrence bit back. "Provided you lot stop keeping me and my daughter from leaving, that is."
"You're welcome to leave whenever you want. Artemis is going to stay as long as she wants to." Mr. Queen was standing quite stiffly, but the girl attributed that to the fact that Roy was the one standing closest to her very intimidating father.
"Artemis! You don't want to stay here, do you?" His words were laced with a dangerous threat, one that she recognized immediately. It was the one her dad used when he was within the final inch of losing his patience. It was a threat that had always terrified her in the past, whenever it was aimed at her or Jade or anyone else.
It was something that had a much smaller effect when she was surrounded by friends and allies.
"Yes. I do."
Lawrence blinked at her, honestly stunned that she hadn't immediately fallen into line. Then his face morphed into homicidal rage, and it took the solid grips of every other man present to hold him back.
"Why you worthless-!" Hateful words started to spill from his mouth, ones which caused the other teens to begin to pull Artemis away from the conflict as well. "Don't expect a warm welcome when you get home, baby girl! Don't expect any welcome at all! We'll see if any of your goody-goody playmates want anything to do with you once I'm done, you hateful little b-"
Bruce Wayne socked Lawrence straight across the jaw, and knocked the other man flat to the ground. "Not appropriate language for children, Crock. I suggest you don't use it again."
"Bullock." Commissioner Gordon called. "Take this guy downtown, book him for causing a public disturbance."
"Anything besides that, Commish?"
"We'll see." As soon as Lawrence had been dragged away, Gordon turned around to approach the girl who'd not said a word since her quiet declaration.
"Artemis? I want to promise that you won't have to go back to that man, but I need a bit of help first to make good on that. Is there anything you can tell me about how your father treats you at home?"
He meant in terms of abuse, Artemis knew. But she also knew what would work better to put her father away.
"He's a mercenary. The Sportsmaster. People hire him to kill others. He's been doing it for a long time, and since I was little he's been trying to train me to do the same." Ignoring the small gasps and looks of wide-eyed shock, Artemis raised her gaze to meet the Commissioner's. "I can tell you about some of his marks, and where he's got proof at home about others."
It took Gordon a couple of tries to answer her. "I- I think that will work just fine."
-YJ-
"You'll still be able to visit the idiots pretty regularly, but for now we figure it'll be safer if you say with Ollie and me." Roy had been the first to work up the courage to explain it to her, and for that Artemis was grateful. The older teen was a lot quicker to get to the point than his foster father or any of the others.
Not two hours after being arrested for multiple murders across the country, Lawrence Crock, AKA Sportsmaster, escaped custody. Police were still searching for him in Gotham, and law enforcement across the country had been notified. In the meantime, though, it was decided that Artemis would likely be safest as far from her previous residence as possible.
So, Oliver Queen volunteered to take her in, a plan readily agreed to by Roy Harper. They'd had a heated discussion over it with Bruce Wayne, for reasons inexplicable to Artemis herself. Then Dick suddenly popped up next to the girl, asking in a loud voice whether she favored close or long-range combat. Confused, she nonetheless reminded him of her preference for archery, and somehow that contributed to ending the disagreement between Wayne and Queen over which of their mansions she'd be moving to.
Wally, wonderful idiot, had simply pointed out with glee that Central City was right between Star and Gotham, so he'd be able to visit her just as often as before. At least, he was gleeful up until his uncle reminded him that school was starting in less than two weeks.
When Artemis hesitantly brought the same subject up with Mr. Queen (or Ollie, as he wanted her to call him), the man smiled and explained that he hired private tutors for Roy, and that he'd be happy to do the same for her as long as she lived in his household. From there, they somehow segued into archery lessons, then horseback riding lessons, and by the time Artemis was boarding the private jet with her one backpack and duffel bag, she was actually looking forward to living in Star City.
-YJ-
"Dinah Lance," the blonde woman extended her hand. "Ollie's babysitter on his worse days, girlfriend on the better ones."
"Hey!" The man put up a token protest while Roy smirked and Artemis let out a genuine giggle. She hadn't even known the woman more than thirty seconds, and already Ms. Lance seemed like exactly the sort of person Artemis would get along famously with.
And sure enough, during her settling-in period where the males of the Queen household proved themselves to be typical idiots after all, Dinah was invaluable. She helped with everything from the unpacking to navigating the huge house to holding Artemis when the first of the break-downs struck.
Roy hugged her close during the second, both of them dozing off on the bedroom floor until morning.
Ollie was present for the third, and followed it up with ice cream and a late night movie.
After that, Artemis figured she was going to be alright in the new setting.
-YJ-
"Having fun with the muckity-mucks yet?" Artemis whirled around to face the figure crouched in her bedroom window. Then she dashed forward with a delighted squeal.
"JADE!"
The eighteen year old stepped all the way in with a light chuckle, embracing the blonde. Then the door was kicked open.
"Artemis?!" Roy drew up short at the sight of another female in the room. "Who the hell are-"
"This is Jade, my sister!" Despite the heartbreak of the older girl's leaving, and the slowly deteriorating relationship kept up only through care packages and the occasional letter, Artemis was delighted to see her big sister again. It took a while for enough of that enthusiasm to transfer to Roy for him to go from hostile to merely stand-offish, especially when Jade flippantly admitted to being in the same sort of work as her father.
Eventually, though, he reluctantly agreed to sitting down and talking. Even after Artemis fell asleep with her head pillowed against Jade's shoulder, Roy remained to speak with the older teen.
"We would have let you in, y'know." He said after a while, gazing fondly at the younger girl. "If you'd come to the front door like a normal person."
Jade arched an eyebrow at him. "Really."
"Once Artemis gave the okay, anyway."
"Seems like pretty pitiful security, if you ask me."
"It's enough." Roy crossed his arms belligerently.
"Not to keep me out. And I hope you realize that you have to protect her from plenty worse than me." They left it unspoken that Jade had gone through a lot more of her father's 'training' than Artemis.
"She'll be fine. I promise."
"That's not good enough!" The girl snapped, Roy catching the brief flash of fear she felt for her baby sister's safety.
"It is good enough." He adamantly argued. "We've got protection you don't know about, the serious kind that I only called off once Artemis introduced you." Specifically, the Justice League communicator with a handy-dandy emergency beacon button, which he'd replaced in his pocket after entering the room. Not that Roy was about to admit as much to the assassin.
"...I see. Well, you'd better hope it's enough to keep dear old Dad from getting to Artemis, or it's your head I'll be coming after, Mister Harper."
He nodded, then gently lifted Artemis into her bed so Jade could slip away again. "You're welcome to visit her again, any time," Roy called softly. The figure in the window paused, nodded, and then vanished.
-YJ-
Artemis smirked as the two males attempted to sneak back inside the house. "Well well well, if it isn't Speedy and Green Arrow. What's the matter, car break down again?"
Roy and Ollie froze, turning guilty gazes towards where the girl was leaning against the wall. Then the sixteen year old promptly punched his foster father in the shoulder.
"I warned you, she was going to find out on her own, but did you listen?! Nooo, of course not! No one ever listens to the teenager!"
-YJ-
"This was a bad idea," Ollie groaned from where he was pinned to the floor.
"Ya think?!" Roy spat back, still struggling to free himself a few feet away. Doing the respective pinning, Dinah and Artemis exchanged smug grins.
"So," the girl drawled. "How soon can I expect to see that customized crimefighting costume ready for me?"
"As soon as you settle on a flippin' name for yourself..."
"I'm not going to go by 'Archery Girl'."
"Well, you can't just keep using 'Artemis', either!"
"Okay, okay, let's all just calm down and release the arm holds-"
"Shut up, Ollie!" Both teens yelled before jumping back into their bickering.
Carefully, Dinah leaned down to mutter into her boyfriend's ear. "I can understand you originally wanting one - but after seeing how Roy turned out in his teenage years, what in the world possessed you to take in a second?"
Oliver sighed, and shrugged as best he was able. "There was just something about her, Dinah. Something about how blank her face went when she admitted to that scumbag training her to be like him." The woman still leaning over him hummed.
"Maybe I should see about stepping up her therapy sessions?"
"Might be a good idea. Might also be smart to get her a punching bag down here with good old Larry's face on it..."
"Ollie!" Despite her admonishing tone, Dinah's eyes were laughing, and the man resolved instantly to make good on his idea. Across the sparring mat from the adults, Artemis and Roy's argument had dissolved into a friendly wrestling match - one that, admittedly, seemed to involve more tickling than actual combat.
-YJ-
Crooks in Star City would forever remember the night that the usual pair of archers became a trio. The girl in green with a long blonde ponytail may have been significantly smaller than her male companions, but what she lacked in size she more than made up for with enthusiasm for the job.
On her first night on the job, Arrowette took down no less than twenty seven thieves, car jackers, robbers, muggers, and would-be murderers, some with her bow and others with her fists and feet. And when those same criminals woke up over the course of the next day in police lock-up, all of them groaned upon realizing that successful scores in Star were going to become much harder to come by...
-YJ-
"How's life as a Queen been treating you, Arty?"
"Not too bad, Grayson. If nothing else, I get a lot more opportunities to mess with Roy."
Across the table from her, the smaller boy cackled. "See, I knew you'd like it better with them than with us."
Thinking about it, Artemis paused and peered at him. "...You know about the nighttime archery, don't you?"
"But of course. It's why Wally and I had the idea to introduce you to Roy in the first place." He grinned lazily back at the older teen.
"How did you know about it?"
"I'll put it to you this way, Artemis - remember that discussion we had a couple months ago about our favorite superheroes?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's just say that there are very good reasons why Wally, from Central, is Flash and Kid Flash's biggest fan, whereas I, here in Gotham, prefer Batman and Robin."
The clues finally dropped into place. "...No way."
"Yes way."
"You're not serious."
"Not most of the time, no, I usually leave that up to my partner. But right now, yes, I am."
Artemis stared at him silently for several moments. Dick didn't move either, but it was clear he was starting to get a little antsy the longer she went without speaking.
"...So... If I'd never said anything about being a bow and arrow kind of girl, I might have wound up living with you and Bruce, and putting on a uniform at night with a cape and a lot more black to it?"
"Quite possibly."
"Huh. Well, I gotta say Dickie, I prefer spending my days bugging Roy than dealing with your craziness."
"Aaand that just goes to show how good a head you have on your shoulders." Both of them shared a laugh over that statement, before moving on to more lighthearted topics as they sat in the upscale Gotham restaurant. Within half an hour later, Bruce, Ollie and Roy finally joined them, and the group settled in to enjoy a laid back luncheon.
-YJ-
"They're headed for the docks!" Green Arrow shouted, struggling to push away the heavyset goon he was grappling with. Arrowette leapt clear of her own adversary, firing back a single arrow to pin his jacket to the wall. The girl then raced out of the warehouse, following after the gang's leader and his top lieutenant, each of whom were fleeing with briefcases of drugs and pay-off money, respectively.
She sprinted after the pair, saving her arrows for the moment a clear line of sight presented itself. Just when her opportunity arrived, though, the dock platform the two men were fleeing down was suddenly swamped with a miniature tidal wave. Arrowette skidded to a stop, shocked.
A few moments later, two figures stepped back up onto the dock, each holding one of the sputtering gangsters.
"I believe you were after these, miss?" Aquaman asked her, holding up the briefcases.
"Uh..."
"Orin! Good to see you," Green Arrow suddenly jogged up beside his junior partner, grinning. "Thanks for catching our runaway rats."
"Of course, Arrow. And this is your new pupil?"
"Mm-hm. Aquaman, Aqualad, this is Arrowette. You gonna say hi, kiddo?"
"Uhm, hi?" The two adults left it at that, stepping closer together to speak while the younger Atlantean came over to Arrowette.
"I apologize if our abrupt arrival startled you," Aqualad told her. "I first met Speedy in much the same manner, only for him to punch me."
That got the girl to snap back to her usual personality. "Heh. Yeah, well, if you guys had gotten me with that tidal wave of yours, I guarantee I would have been throwing a few punches of my own, too."
The taller teen smiled, extending his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Arrowette."
"Likewise, Aqualad."
-YJ-
"Damn, I'm sorry I missed it," Roy said the next morning, when Artemis told him about meeting the two Atlanteans. "Would've liked to introduce you to Kaldur myself. That's his real name, Kaldur'ahm. We've hung out a couple times outside the job."
"Cool. Mind if I tag along the next time you guys do that? We didn't exactly get much of a chance to talk last night..."
"Well, as your honorary big brother, I feel as though I should refuse..." At Artemis' scowl, Roy chuckled and ruffled her hair. "But why not. You can help me educate Kaldur on the finer points of surface-dweller teenagerhood."
Artemis didn't beam, precisely, but she did shoot the redhead a large grin.
-YJ-
"I think this might be a bit more than we can handle, boss," Arrowette delivered in a deadpan voice, trying to avoid exposing any part of her from behind the rocks and to enemy fire.
City goons and thugs, she could handle. Glowing metahuman nutcases in the middle of the desert? Not something especially high on her skill set.
"Don't worry, I called in for reinforcements when we got here." Green Arrow's statement was only slightly reassuring. Another energy blast hit their meager cover, as the meta continued to spin around in a rage, tugging at the polyfoam that was blinding him. Just when Arrowette thought he would explode from sheer frustration, something zoomed past in a great rush of wind.
There came the distinctive sound of a large impact, followed by immediate silence. Cautiously, both archers peeked up over the rocks, and Arrowette's jaw promptly dropped.
"Need some help getting this guy to the authorities?" Superman asked with a lopsided grin.
"Yeah, if you don't mind," GA chuckled, standing and brushing off some of the dust from his uniform. "Plane got a bit smashed, y'see."
"Of course. And you must be Arrowette - it's nice to meet you." Numbly, she accepted the offered handshake, still staring at the most famous superhero on the planet with awe.
"Hellooo, earth to Arty, you in there kid?" Her mentor's joking words jerked Arrowette back to normal.
"Y-yeah, it's, ah, nice to meet you too, Superman." Inside, she was berating herself for losing her mental grip, and spent the rest of the evening trying to seem suave and in control.
Judging by the teasing grins Arrow constantly sent her way, however, she wasn't doing the best job of it...
-YJ-
Roy's reaction upon hearing about Artemis first meeting the Man of Steel was to laugh so hard he nearly fell over.
Artemis' response was to smack him. Repeatedly.
-YJ-
"Hey Arty? What do you want for your birthday?"
Startled, the girl swung around to face her friend. "Is this really the best time to be asking that?!" She asked incredulously. At the moment, Arrowette and Kid Flash were perched on top of a warehouse, their mentors on one across the street, waiting to ambush an incoming convoy of weapons smugglers.
The redhead shrugged, fiddling with his goggles anxiously. "Well, every time I think about, I don't have the chance to call you and ask, so I figured I'd take the opportunity now while we're here and before I forget again."
Arrowette was torn between fussing at him and actually giving the boy an answer, when their target appeared and it was time for action.
Afterward, when the dangerous laser weaponry had been destroyed and the smugglers turned over to Interpol, she leaned over to mutter something in KF's ear. "I could always use more blackmail material over Roy and Ollie's heads."
-YJ-
The following Saturday after the team-up with Flash and his nephew, Artemis got to enjoy the most epic birthday party she'd ever experienced. Ollie, Dinah and Roy had worked through the morning to get all the decorations up, and the guests started arriving at noon.
Bruce and Dick were first, Barbara Gordon coming with them, and a woman by the name of Selina Kyle. After that were several other League members in civilian clothing, such as Hal Jordan, John Jones, Diana Prince and Clark Kent, who was also accompanied by Lois Lane. Barry, his wife Iris and Wally were the last to arrive, to the young redhead's dismay and his friends' joint amusement.
There was pizza and cake, there were games, and most amazing of all, there were presents. Artemis had always gotten tokens or small toys from her mom and sister, and new weapons from her father, hence why the mountain of brightly wrapped packages waiting for her in the living room blew the girl away. It took a nudge from Roy to get her to dive in.
Twenty minutes later, Artemis was convinced she'd died on gone to heaven. There was a green motorcycle, a state of the art Wayne Tech phone, three different detective novels and a collection of simple but stylish hair accessories from her fellow Gothamites. Ollie's friend Hal had gotten her a ticket to go sky-diving, while Mr. Jones' gift was a beautiful watercolor painting of an ocean sunset. There was an expertly crafted wood and metal bow from Ms. Prince that had several Greek letters carved down the length, which she said spelled out Artemis' name. Clark brought her a package of the best chocolate and caramel she'd ever tasted, as well as a homemade apple pie that was taken straight to the kitchen so as to be hidden from Ollie, while from Lois there were four passes to get into the archive sections of Star City's Museum of Natural History.
"Oh, we are so going there tomorrow," Ollie grinned, looking over her shoulder. Artemis arched an eyebrow at him.
"What's this 'we', mister? Maybe I'll just go by myself four times."
"Oh, come on Artemis! You can't be that cruel!" Several people chuckled at the man's melodramatics. The birthday girl just grinned, before reaching for the last few presents.
In a package that looked a bit water-stained, an absolutely gorgeous conch shell sat in a nest of dried seaweed. It was a pale green hue at the tip, but darkened almost to black at the base, while the inside was a shimmery turquoise color. Awed, Artemis spent a minute just admiring it, until Ollie got her to finally set the shell down and open her next present, which was clearly from him if the horrendous wrapping job was anything to go by. And sure enough, the box was filled with assorted Arrowette paraphernalia, including an as-of-yet unreleased action figure.
"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted." Artemis laughed, twirling the silly thing around. After that, she unwrapped a pair of t-shirts from Barry and Iris, which looked to be hand-painted and read 'I'm with Bird Brain' and 'I'm with Kid Idiot'. Both Dick and Wally protested, while Barbara and Roy doubled over laughing. Grinning evilly, Artemis next opened Dinah's present: a stunning, emerald green silk evening dress which she fell in love with immediately.
Finally, Wally handed over his own gift, which was just a plain folder with some green and yellow ribbon tied around it. Bemused, Artemis slipped the ribbon off and into her pocket; she then opened the folder just enough to allow herself to see the contents.
Roy grew wary at the devious smirk that spread across her face. "West, what did you give her?"
"We-ell, I just figured, since Arty joined the family a couple years after you did, that she wouldn't mind having some stuff in the way blackmail material, just to catch up on the gap." Everyone watched, with varying degrees of amusement, as Artemis began to laugh while Roy's face paled.
"Well, every little sister's gotta have something to hold over her big brother," Ollie piped up, grinning at his elder ward.
"Ah, there are pictures of you in here too, Ollie."
"...What?"
"That's it," Roy groaned, shaking his head. "I'm not giving you my present now."
"Oh come on, Harper, I promise not to use any of this stuff if you fork it over - for a month or two, anyway."
"Hmph." Struggling to suppress his grin, Roy nonetheless went and walked over to the hallway leading out of the living room towards the garage. "Alright, you can come in now."
Several people jumped from Artemis' unexpected squeal when Jade walked in.
-YJ-
"How did your birthday celebration go last week, Artemis?" Kaldur asked as he and the two off-duty archers walked down the beach boardwalk.
"Freakin' awesome," she responded with a beaming smile. "My sister got to come, a whole bunch of Leaguers and my friends were there, and I got the coolest presents ever. Speaking of which, where'd you get that amazing conch shell? I love the colors so much."
"Ah - it was actually a rather plain white and pink specimen I found on one of my swims home, and I asked my friend Tula to alter it for you."
"Well, it's incredible, regardless."
"Yeah, she's barely put it down in the last eight days," Roy mentioned, rolling his eyes. He yelped when Artemis punched him in the side.
"I'm sorry you didn't get to come, Kaldur, you would have had fun."
"Unfortunately, there was some unrest in one of the outer cities that my king and I had to dispel, or else I would have been there."
"Outer cities? Atlantis isn't one place?"
"Atlantis is a kingdom that contains seven city-states and stretches across thousands of miles of ocean floor, Artemis."
"Oh. Guess you've got more work to do than the rest of us, then."
Kaldur's lips twitched into an amused grin. "You could say that, yes."
"All the more reason for you to come enjoy yourself on the surface with us once in awhile." Roy said, reaching around Artemis to clap his friend on the shoulder.
"I shall do my best to do so."
-YJ-
Roy and Artemis were lounging in the dining room after their lunch when Dick unexpectedly stormed in.
"I blame you for this!" He hissed, slapping down a Gotham newspaper in front of Artemis. She took one look at the main headline and was hard-pressed not to cheer.
NEW SILHOUETTE ON THE SKYLINE: BATGIRL ON PATROL
-YJ-
"Have you told your dad yet?" Barbara frowned at the question, setting down her chopsticks.
"No. I'm not sure how."
"Or whether he'll be proud or order you to stop, I'd wager." Artemis said, digging through her own Chinese take-out box.
"Yeah. That too."
"Well, considering he's Gotham's top cop, I'd suggest you tell him before he figures it out on his own, or you'll never be able to live it down."
"...Is that what happened with you and Ollie and Roy?"
The other girl sniggered. "Yep. Idiots thought I wouldn't notice them disappearing right before GA and Speedy showed up, or the broken arrow shafts and fletching that always appear through the house. Then I caught them sneaking back in one night, in full costume."
"Ouch." Barbara giggled. "Bet you wish you had a camera then."
"Yeah... But, actually, one of the pictures Wally got me for my birthday was a still-shot Dick must have lifted from our security system, of the two and their expressions right when I busted them."
"Oh! Oh that's priceless!" Both girls went down in a fit of laughter.
-YJ-
Despite knowing full well her sister worked for the League of Shadows, it was still a big shock for Artemis the first time they faced one another in uniform.
Arrowette stood at one end of the hallway, guarding the escape route taken by a mob informant. Opposite her, Cheshire approached with slow, languid steps, twirling a scye in each hand.
"Time to make a choice, baby sis," the older teen's voice came, muffled by her grinning mask. "Are you really one of them, or one of us at heart?"
In answer, Arrowette fired at her.
Cheshire dodged the first two arrows, but when the second exploded right behind the assassin it threw her into the path of the third, which expanded into a large net.
"You'll always be my sister," the blonde murmured, crouching a few feet away. "But I've got a big brother and crazy uncle that I work with now."
There was a low chuckle, and then Cheshire cut herself free from the net. She jumped towards Arrowette, and the two exchanged a few lightning fast blows. When it became clear, though, that the hero wasn't backing down, her opponent activated a smoke bomb and vanished back the way she'd come.
When the cloud cleared, Arrowette nearly stepped on the small green disk that had been left on the floor. It was a stylized, grinning cat's head, which she slipped into her pocket.
A closer inspection at home that night revealed the disk to be a tracking device, activated when the etched nose was pressed inward. Artemis slipped a cord through the tiny hole left in the top, tied it on, and never took the pendant off.
They might have found themselves on opposite sides that day, but enemies or not, the Crock sisters would still look out for one another.
-YJ-
The first time she faced her father in battle went a lot more unpleasantly.
Sportsmaster had been hired to guard a shipment of enhancement drugs as they were loaded on a ship bound for the Philippines. The trio of archers plus Black Canary were out to stop it. Despite Green Arrow ordering her to remain on the high ground and take out any runners, Arrowette still managed to get into a fight with Sportsmaster, courtesy of the man climbing up the side of the building to get to her.
"Time for your punishment, baby girl," he snarled, lunging forward. Arrowette spun to avoid him, lashing out with her heavy duty bow at the same time. When the man simply shrugged off her attack, she pulled out a plain point-tipped arrow and stabbed his upper arm.
Things got a bit crazy after that.
Numerous blows back and forth led to both Crocks being completely disarmed and resorting to hand-to-hand combat moves. Unfortunately, despite her extra training, Arrowette's size and lack of room to maneuver led to her being knocked down and pinned painfully. Fortunately, she didn't get to find out whether Sportsmaster intended to kill her or merely deliver a knock-out blow, because it was then that Canary's sonic scream ripped the man away. He scrambled for purchase, but still ended up going over the side of the three story building.
"Are you alright?" Canary asked, hurrying to Arrowette's side as she pushed herself upright.
"Yeah... I think so. Some new bumps and bruises, but nothing I haven't handled before." Together, the pair went to look over the edge, and saw Green Arrow hog-tying Sportsmaster where he'd fallen.
And if her foster dad delivered a few unnecessary kicks to the mercenary while doing so, Arrowette never held it against him.
-YJ-
Over the course of the next year, Artemis had the time of her life. She loved certain aspects of the high life with her foster family, while still getting to expend her energy fighting crooks who disturbed the peace. Her friendships were strengthened, both on the job and off it, while her formal education progressed at a rapid rate thanks to the private teachers Oliver hired. Roy was always on hand when she needed a general question answered, while Dick, Babs and Wally were only a phone call away if there was a deeper issue on something math or science related.
Dinah became her closest confidant and greatest combat instructor, while Ollie proved himself to be, perhaps not a perfect father figure, but leaps and bounds better than her previous one. There were times he was an absolute pain, and the occasional knock-down, drag-out argument that had Artemis slamming her bedroom door in fury. But once their tempers cooled, the two could always find a way to reconcile.
Kaldur continued to be a great source of calm, as talking to him always helped reason to see the light of day. There were also times Artemis would badger him into showing off some aquatic magic, and once, he brought his girlfriend Tula to the surface to meet the crazy archer. The two didn't hit it off quite as well as Artemis and Kaldur himself had initially, but it was still a pleasant afternoon.
There was another teen that she did get along famously with right from the start, and that was when Bruce convinced Zatara to let his daughter join Babs and Artemis for a day. Zatanna was a fun mix of sweet and sarcastic, and despite not having a cell phone she promised to stay in touch with the other girls. This ended up taking the form magical messenger pigeons, which Artemis thought was pretty freakin' awesome in its own right.
Overall, her time as a member of the Queen household was beyond amazing.
Then came a day Artemis had been both dreading and eagerly anticipating in equal measure...
-YJ-
Expecting to take the bus home, it was a great surprise to Paula when a nondescript van was waiting for her outside the prison gates.
"Mrs. Crock?" A man with blonde hair a shade darker than her husband's stepped forward. "My name is Oliver Queen. I know you weren't given the full story while in there, but I've been looking after your daughter Artemis for the last two years."
Warily, Paula accepted his handshake, her gaze sliding to the van and its tinted windows.
"And... Is Artemis with you?"
"No. But she and Jade are both waiting for you at my home in Star City. My driver will take us to the airport, and a private jet will have us there in a matter of hours." Oliver hesitated for a brief moment. "We thought it best, if neither of them met you here, in case your husband showed up too."
Aware only that something had happened to cause Artemis to be taken out of Lawrence's care, Paula nonetheless held her tongue until the matter could be discussed somewhere more private. She allowed Oliver to push her wheelchair up the short ramp into the van, and remained silent during the drive. Several times, she saw him send her worried glances from the corner of her eye, but decided not to comment on it.
Not until they were aboard the luxurious aircraft and starting down the runway did Paula speak. "Why has my daughter been with you instead of at our family's home?"
"Well, it's a bit of a long story, but the short version is that she became friends with my son and a pair of younger boys. The first time that I met her was when we were all meeting at Gotham Park for a private party with a few others. Your husband found out, showed up, and when Artemis refused to leave with him, flew into a rage."
"He threatened her, then."
"Yes. One of the other guests was Commissioner Gordon, whose daughter is also friends with the rest of the kids. His men arrested your husband, and Artemis told them about her father's mercenary status, which was enough for her to be taken out of his custody."
Sighing, Paula closed her eyes, uncertain as to whether to breathe a sigh of relief or start cursing. Oliver fell silent again as well, watching her but not daring to interrupt the woman's thoughts.
The flight might have lasted hours, but it felt like only minutes before they were touching down in Star City, and Paula was being helped into another van. This one swiftly avoided the main sites of traffic, soon arriving at a large mansion several tall trees dotting its green lawns. Nervous by then, Paula again allowed Oliver to push her chair, as they left the garage behind and went down a hall in the direction of murmuring voices.
In the sitting room at the far end, were her girls.
Jade had grown into a young woman, beautiful but with hard features. Her fists were tightening and releasing with tension. Artemis, too, looked nervous, but also healthy to the point of glowing. Her skin was tanned from time in the sun, her hair thick and long, held back by a bright green band that matched her form fitting t-shirt. They were both stronger, with muscles that belied hard work and constant activity, but no noticeable scars on their skin.
Paula sucked in a strangled breath as she studied her daughters. The sound of it caused them both to whip their heads around, and in the next instant both were up and embracing her around the awkward wheelchair. Oliver retreated from the reunion, joining another woman and young man on the room's sofa.
Eventually, mother and children separated, though the girls stayed close by. Then the stories and explanations started, and carried on for a good long while, even after pizza was ordered for their gathering.
"It sounds to me," Paula finally said, many hours later, "That you are both determined to carry on with your livelihoods."
Jade and Artemis exchanged awkward looks. "...It's wouldn't be as easy for me to walk away from the Shadows as it was for Artemis to get away from Dad." By then, the other three had departed to give the reunited family a bit more privacy, hence their shift to a more dangerous topic.
"If there was a way, would you want to?"
"I- I don't know. I like the thrill of the hunt, the chase, and, sometimes the kill, too. It's my skillset, my calling. I wouldn't know what else to do with my life."
Paula reached to take hold of her first-born's hand. "You do not have to decide now, Jade. But if and when you are ready to get out, we will be here for you."
"Damn straight." Artemis grinned, also reaching over to squeeze her big sister's arm.
"And as for you, young lady," her mother's intense gaze caused the teen to gulp. "You've become addicted to the crimefighter lifestyle, correct?"
"Yeah... Guess I have."
"Then answer me honestly, Artemis - do you wish to return home with me, or would you rather remain with the family you've found here?"
The girl floundered for a minute. "...I haven't made up my mind yet."
"Oh, Artemis, it isn't your mind that makes a decision of this level, it's your heart that has to chose."
"Why should she?" Jade snorted. "There's no reason you can't move here, to Star, where no one knows you. Hell, Oliver would probably give you your own room if Artemis asked him."
The other two stared at her, before looking back to one another.
"Would you stay, Mom?" Artemis asked softly. "I still visit Gotham now and then, but this is where my life is now."
Paula smiled. "Then here I'll stay."