Rory slowly opened her bedroom door, peeking out of the crack. Artemis sat on the couch with a hand pressed to her face and baby Lian in her lap.

"Mom…" She called out quietly, opening the door a little bit wider. Her mother's lack of response told her that she could come out now. She knelt in front of her and put a hand on her leg. "What's going on?" She asked, "What happened?"

Artemis looked up, sighing and kissing her daughter on the forehead. Rory had never seen her mother this stressed out before. "Where's Aunt Jade, and who was that man you were talking to?"

"That was Roy…" Artemis answered with a sigh. "He's Lian's father. Jade handed her to him last night and left… Just left."

"Where did she go?" Rory asked, brushing her fingers through Lian's hair.

"I don't know."

Rory stood up, picking Lian up and putting her on her lap before sitting on the couch. The tension still remained strong in the air. This was bad… she wasn't completely sure why, but it was bad…

"She's not coming back… is she?"

Artemis turned her body on the couch, pulling Rory into the gap of her legs and holding her tightly. Lian crawled up over her shoulder, a thumb attached to her mouth. All Artemis had ever wanted was for her family to have a good life. They had all learned what it was like to have a childhood with a parent you couldn't rely on, and it killed her to realize that Rory's lack of a father figure had been entirely her fault. Now Lian would suffer too. Everything was a mess, and when she didn't find anyone who she could blame it on, she just blamed it on herself.

She thought back to Roy, he loved Lian, there was no doubt in her mind. But everything today had ended so wrong… She shouldn't have been fighting with him when she knew that Rory would be coming home soon. She had always known in the back of her mind that someone would discover her secret… the whole reason that she left.

It was hard to think about Roy knowing her secret.

To think about him telling someone…


Wally unlocked the door of his apartment, he had been working late that night and was well past ready to get a little bit of shut eye before the city needed saving. It was times like this that made him wish he was still a teenager, working alongside his Uncle Barry and able to take time off if he needed it. Balancing a full-time career along with fighting crime wasn't easy.

He shut the door behind him, locking it and taking his jacket off. He kicked his sneakers into the hallway and flipped on the kitchen light, jumping out of his skin when he turned around. Roy stood against the wall, a serious glare on his face.

"Roy." Wally gasped, grasping his chest with his hand. "I appreciate the heart attack. What are you doing here?"

He hadn't heard from Roy in years, let alone had he been expecting to find him in the middle of his living room. "Not that it isn't nice to see you, but could you have called first?"

He opened the fridge, pulling out a Tupperware container and eating a spoonful of cold potatoes.

"I need you to do something for me." Roy said, not looking his old team mate in the eye. "I need you to go to Gotham and pick someone up for me."

Wally let out a quiet groan, "Right now? I just got home."

"I need you to pick up my daughter… from the babysitters…"

It was easier for Roy this way. He had promised Artemis that he wouldn't tell, and he wasn't. But he would make sure that the process of discovery moved forward.

Wally froze for a moment.

"Your daughter?" His lips turned up in delight, "Congrats. I didn't know you had a baby."

"Neither did I."

Silence…

"What do you need me for?"

"You can get there faster than me."

Wally sighed, "You got me there." He said. "Yeah, I can get her. What's her name?"

"Lian."

"Cute."

He went back into the refrigerator, not completely sure what he was looking for. "Do you mind if I eat first? I had to work through lunch."

Roy gave a silent nod, putting an addressed piece of paper on the counter.

"I should only be a minute," Wally said, "You can make yourself at home until I get back."

Another silent nod and Wally was gone.

Artemis was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang, glancing at the kids who sat in the living room watching cartoons.

"Rory, get the door." She called, turning off the sink water and drying her hands. "I'm going to grab the laundry from the basement." Rory got off of the couch, unlocking the door and opening it a crack until the chain lock halted her.

"Hello?" She said, looking out the crack at the adult red-head who stared back at her. He leaned to her level and smiled.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up Lian Harper." He said, "I'm a friend of Roy's."

Rory closed the door, removing the chain lock before opening it again. "Nice hair by the way." Wally said with a grin, brushing a hand through his own orange hair.

"Back at you." Rory giggled. "Mom!" She yelled, "There's some guy here to pick up Lian, he says that he's a friend of Roy's!" She turned back to Wally and smiled, laying over the arm of the couch and resting her chin on her palms. She could here Artemis's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Who is it?" Artemis asked before looking up at the man in the living room. Shock hit her like a bullet as she jumped backward, almost dropping the basket of laundry. Her face turned pale and she found herself unable to speak for a moment. Her eyes darted to Rory, her mind trying to allow her mouth to tell her to go to her room.

"Artemis?" Wally said in shock.

"Wally?" She managed to get out.

Rory turned to her, confusion setting in on her face.

"Mom," She said, "What's going on?"

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! They're really helping me to want to move this forward. As a homework-ridden college student, you can expect to hear the most from me on the weekends. I'll try to get one more chapter in before Monday!