Shaken

Chapter Four

"Ok, you can do this. He doesn't hate you." Artemis stood outside the broken telephone booth that would take her to Mount Justice giving herself a pep talk before facing a broken hearted Kid Flash.

"Sure you pretty much killed his ego today… and broke his heart… and called him your little brother…" she paused. "Ok maybe I can't do this."

She began to pace back and forth, the booth coming in and out of her sight and then she heard a noise coming form behind her.

"Who's there?" she shouted the question threateningly as she grabbed for an arrow.

"Relax it's just me." Robin voice was loud and clear and it made Artemis put down her weapon. "What are you doing?" Robin asked as he came out of the shadows and into Artemis's view.

"Just thinking." The blonde girl replied waving the inquiry away and stepping into the booth.

"About Wally?"

That was the last thing Artemis heard before the transported took her to Mount Justice. She stood there flabbergasted and waited for the computer to finish calling out her designation and start saying Robin's.

Recognized: Robin B Zero One

Robin appeared at the entrance and before he had a chance to move Artemis tackled him to the ground and straddled his slim form with murderous intent.

"What do you know?" she growled at the poor boy underneath her. This one just looked uncomfortable by their closeness and by the time Artemis realized what she was doing it was too late.

Ahem.

It was the all too recognizable grunt that belonged to none other than Batman. Artemis swore she was quicker than all the Flashes combined for as soon as she heard him she was up on her feet and as far away from Robin as possible without leaving the room, faintly wondering why the Dark Knight was even in said room.

"Can either of you tell me what that was about?" Batman's question was directed to both of them but his gaze was strictly directed at his apprentice.

"Practice." Robin said nonchalantly, as if the whole thing was the most normal thing in the Bat household. He walked pass the intimidating form of Batman and ever so slightly brushed his cape as if taunting his mentor. Artemis gaped at the unbelievable display and blushed madly when she saw Batman turn his gaze to her. The Bat looked her up and down slowly before turning on his heel and departing the cave.

"Well that was fun." Artemis could barely hear as Robin made the most asinine remark she had heard him say, and she had heard some crazy stuff come out of that boy's mouth.

"Fun? Fun?" She nearly popped a blood vessel with her remark.

"Relax, at least you don't have to deal with him later tonight." Robin said with a laugh and started to head to the cave's kitchen. Artemis saw him move out of the corner of her eye and immediately remembered why it was that she had him pinned to the floor in the first place. She reacted quickly and grabbed Robin by the arm, pulling him towards the empty library and eliciting an involuntary 'whoa' from the startled boy.

"Oh no you don't." she said as she dragged him further and further to a place she knew they wouldn't be heard.

"Geez slow down will you?" Robin uncharacteristically wined and it flustered Artemis. She finally stopped in the very back of the library by the dustier books and set Robin free.

"Start talking." She ordered, and received a sigh from the Boy Wonder.

"Ok. I might have told Wally to confess his feelings for you and when you rejected him he came to me and blamed me for it which I seriously thought was so not cool 'cause I totally thought you were digging on him too so when he told me you told him he was more like a brother to you I was like 'that's not right' which it wasn't by the way I mean do you know Wally and then you said there was another guy and then I was like 'ooh!" but then I promised Wally I would fix it and now I have to tell you to forget that other guy and fall in love with Wally."

Robin finished explaining himself and stood there looking at Artemis as if everything should be fixed now. Artemis just blinked a few times and shook her head at the lengthy explanation and the ridiculousness of the situation. Robin was the reason she had to break Wally's heart? Of all the people in the entire world, it had to be Robin. Ironic.

"So let me get this straight." Artemis began slowly. "It was you?" She pointed at Robin. "You encouraged him to come up to me out of the blue like that?"

"Hey in my defense," Robin put his hands up as if guarding himself against an attack. "It wasn't completely out of the blue. You were surely aware of his growing feelings towards you. He's been mooning after you for a while now."

"Well yeah!" Artemis shouted and threw her arms in the air. "But it was much nicer to think that he wasn't!"

"So you knew about his feelings but chose to ignore them?" Robin sounded incredulous, and a little taunting. It infuriated Artemis.

"Look here mister, you out of all people should not be lecturing me on feelings." With that accusation, Artemis turned on her heel and made for the exit, she thought she could get away for a split second but she forgot just who she was dealing with. Robin did some sort of magic leap in the air and landed softly in from of her, placing his hands on her shoulders and stopping her in her tracks. Artemis sighed in defeat.

"What do you mean me of all people?" Robin asked the question but shook his head and looked as if he decided it wasn't as important as the task at hand. "Never mind. Why won't you love Wally?" With that, Artemis snapped.

"I can't love Wally because I'm in love with… with somebody else." She turned her head away and hoped against hope Robin hadn't noticed her pause. As if Batman's apprentice wouldn't notice something odd like that.

Robin had noticed but he brushed it off as her not wanting to tell him who this other guy was.

"Ok fine, so there's somebody else." Robin said. "What do they got that Wally doesn't? He's a catch you know? I mean have you seen him run? How much better can this guy be than Wally We—"

"I don't know Robin." Artemis interrupted him and Robin could see tears starting to fill her eyes. "How much better are you than Wally?"

With this Artemis released herself from Robin's hold and ran away and out of the library.

Robin looked after her with a puzzled look on his face. "How much better am I?" he said quietly to himself and then the gears started working. 'You of all people' she had said… she had paused… she was in love with somebody else… that somebody else was…

"Oh crap." Robin said out loud. "Way to go Grayson."

-Note- Tan tan taaan! Bet ya'll didn't see that coming. Ok maybe most of you did, but I still tried. Stick around no? It's about to get cru-azey. R/R please?