Artemis awoke as confused as she had been three days ago when her Mother or kidnapper or whatever had drugged her. She had finally slept the drugs right out of her system leaving her restless. She was grateful to look around the room and find it empty apart from the couple of chairs and her bed, she also appreciated that someone had drawn the curtains on the window's. She needed time to think.

Part of her had always dreamed that another family, her real family would come rescue her. Now discovering that she really did belong to another family left her feeling sick. A lifetime of living with... what did she call them now. They were her family but they weren't either, she had grown up with them but shouldn't have. And what about her new... parents... family. She didn't know a thing about them. Except that Bruce Wayne was the richest man in Gotham. His daughter's kidnapping was the city's worst kept secret. Everyone knew about it but no one talked about it. Part of Artemis wanted to protest that they were wrong, that it wasn't her but multiple DNA tests as well as her Mother's confession were against her.

Her Mother. Why hadn't she told someone six years ago? Why hadn't her Mother told her or admitted to what she had done? Why wait until now? Artemis wanted to speak to her. To ask her all these questions and more but she couldn't. Her Mother had made sure of that. For that Artemis wanted to cry and scream and breakdown but she couldn't. Because even though Artemis wasn't a Crock anymore, Crocks didn't cry. Not only that but did she really deserve Artemis's tears.

Thinking about all of this was giving Artemis a headache, so she was a little grateful when she was interrupted by the sound of the door to the room opening. Artemis looked up in time to see four people enter the room. The only one she recognised was Commissioner Gordon. The other male had to be Bruce Wayne. Which left the two women. The blonde one was probably her Mother, Dinah Lance Drake. Which meant the brunette had to be a social worker of some kind.

"Hey Artemis, how are you today?"

"I'm alright, Commissioner Gordon."

"That's good. This is Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance Drake and Ms Jones is the social worker for your case. I believe that she has a couple of questions for you before you leave." Artemis had been right.

She appreciated that he hadn't referred to them as her parents. She was confused enough without any expectations. Artemis watched the social worker approach. Artemis didn't trust social workers. They hadn't helped her before so why would they now.

"Hello Artemis, I'm Clarissa Jones. I know that this must be rough on you but I'm sure that you're glad to be back with your real parents. How are you feeling?"

Artemis had to restrain herself from hitting the social worker. She was both ignorant and oblivious, a combination Artemis hated. It took every ounce of her self-control to not attack the woman. If she had looked around the room she would have seen the other adults were in the same boat.

"How do you think I feel?" Didn't mean that she had to be polite though. The oblivious social worker just scribbled on her pad.

"Alright and are you comfortable with the new living arrangements?"

Artemis's fists clenched and she shut her eyes. When she opened them back up the woman was still sitting there with an all too sugary grin and vacant eyes. Smacking that smile off of the woman's face would have been satisfying. What other choice did she have? It was this or the foster system and Artemis wasn't about to beg for that. Artemis focused on keeping her anger in check whilst getting ready to answer the question.

This resulted in her eyebrow twitching. Bruce smiled when he noticed that. She probably didn't realise that Dinah's was doing the exact same thing.

"It's fine."

The woman scribbled on her pad again before flipping it shut and then flicking through the papers in front of her.

"Alright, everything seems to be in order. I'll let you get Artemis home and settled. I'll be seeing you later for a home visit and if that checks out you should be fine."

With that she grabbed her bag, stood up and left.

"So what happens now?" Artemis didn't look at or address anyone in particular.

"Well in a few minutes the hospital will officially release you into... their custody. Unfortunately the media got wind of the story and are waiting outside. I've organised a false trail to get them away from the hospital for you. Then you three can go get Artemis's things. I had these picked up for you seeing as the clothes you were wearing are evidence and aren't really wearable anymore anyway."

With that Jim handed Artemis a bag with a pair of jeans, a white shirt and brown jacket in it before heading towards the exit. He didn't miss the quiet thank you she gave him as she exited the room. Leaving the three of them with a very awkward silence.

"Um... rather than have an awkward conversation now, could you both go out so I can change and we can have the awkward conversation on the way... to the apartment."

It was a cowards decision but Artemis really wanted to put it off. If only for a few more minutes. She knew she had probably hurt their feelings but right now she didn't care. Though she couldn't help feeling slightly guilty as they sadly walked out of the room.

"So..."

"So..."

"Patience, right?"

"Yeah, patience."

Bruce and Dinah waited quietly outside. When Artemis emerged she followed them down through a back exit to a waiting BMW. Throughout the trip to the car Artemis had felt everyone staring at her. Doctors, nurses, patients. All of them staring at her and whispering about her. Bruce and Dinah did their best to shield her from them but Artemis had realised that being Bruce Wayne's daughter practically made her Gotham royalty. She would have to get used to it because it wouldn't matter what family she was with now, everyone would know.

At the BMW there was an older gentleman waiting for them. Artemis knew that Bruce Wayne had a ward and a butler he was close to. She didn't see his ward anywhere but had to assume that this was the butler. No one else would wear a full suit at this time of day except someone being paid to.

"Artemis, this is Alfred. He's the family butler. If there's anything you need, Alfred will be able to help you." Bruce introduced Alfred for her.

Alfred then pulled the car door open for Artemis. She stared between him and the open car door for the backseat before stepping forward.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Artemis. Don't be afraid to ask should you need anything."

Artemis stared at Alfred for a second before scurrying into the car. She moved across the backseat to the opposite side. Alfred looked at Bruce and Dinah before Dinah joined Artemis in the back and Bruce got in the front seat.

For the first few minutes no one spoke. Except Alfred.

"It's nice to see someone else appreciates the invention of the seat belt." Apart from himself, Artemis was the only other person in the car wearing a seat belt.

"Yes well after the first few times you get ejected through a windshield, you tend to appreciate the job they do." Artemis hadn't thought before speaking, it just came out. The three adults glanced at her with concern but Artemis was staring out the window, oblivious to them.

For a few more minutes no one broached conversation. Then Artemis asked a question.

"What do I call you?"

"Well until you figure out what you want to call us, Bruce and Dinah is fine." Bruce answered her. The silence then returned.

"Is there anything we should know about you?" Dinah asked. The worst thing Artemis could find about the question was that it was asked with more concern than anyone had ever shown her before.

"You know who... they were and about my record. Apart from that there isn't much to say. I do well at school but I'm not part of any teams or clubs or anything like that. Is there anything I should know about either of you?"

"Not much more than what you already know. He's rich, we are not married. I have a boyfriend who you will be meeting tomorrow and the only other really important thing we will tell you tomorrow. It's one of those see to believe kind of things." Dinah responded. Bruce then turned in his seat to address her.

"Except for my ward. He's a little younger than you. You will meet him later tonight. He had plans for today. Do you know anything about him?"

Artemis studied Bruce's face. She noted the look of guilt and stress on his face. The ward probably didn't like the fact she was coming to stay.

"Dick Grayson, thirteen. Part of The Flying Grayson's acrobat act at Hayley's circus. Family killed on orders of mob boss Tony Zucco."

Artemis spoke matter of factly and Bruce was surprised. Most people didn't know that much. Not only that but the way she had said the last part intrigued him.

"You said on Zucco's orders. Zucco was convicted of committing the crime."

"You honestly believe a mob boss gets his own hands dirty. I heard people in the apartment talking about it one night. The Shadows were hired to perform the act. Zucco just knew well enough to keep his mouth shut when he got caught."

Artemis spoke all this while still looking out the window. She had avoided using names to describe the people who had raised her but Bruce didn't totally register that. He realised that she had a good point.

"We have arrived." Alfred announced. He caught them all by surprise.

Artemis was out of the car before anyone could stop her. She was actually surprised that there wasn't a media horde camped out here. Without waiting for permission or company Artemis entered the building and went straight to the apartment. There was still police tape hanging off the door but the place was unlocked.

Artemis pushed the door open and entered the room. It was the same as it had been three days ago. The same as it had always been. Artemis looked around as she walked down the hallway. Taking in the sights, smells and memories. The good and the bad. She realised it was the probably the last time she would be here. The last time she would walk these rooms.

When she got to her bedroom door Artemis stopped. She noticed the open doorway on the other side of the hall. Artemis knew that Alfred, Bruce and Dinah were standing close by but even so she couldn't repress the shudder that ran through her body. She stood there for a few seconds, pushing the thoughts, feelings and memories aside before entering her own room.

For a few moments Artemis stood in the middle of the room before stripping it of everything she wanted to take with her. That included the items hidden under the floorboards. After prying up the floorboards Artemis noticed that someone had been into the first box. It was probably Bruce or Dinah, though Artemis didn't see a reason to care at the moment. Though the second box hidden in there was undisturbed. The last thing Artemis packed was the Alice in Wonderland poster. It was Jade's and didn't mean all that much to Artemis but she couldn't leave it behind. Not yet anyway.

In the end all of Artemis's possessions. Everything in the world that mattered to her, everything that she had ever owned could be packed into two duffel bags and two boxes. Alfred took them all down to the car for her and reported a small problem after getting the last one in. The media had caught up with them. Artemis silently wondered as she took the room's in one last time which of her neighbours had turned them in.

"I'm ready."

Artemis didn't look at Bruce and Dinah when she spoke. They were both extremely furious. Eventually Artemis was going to get cornered by the media but they felt that the vultures could have at least shown some respect and let them take her home first.

As they headed down stairs Bruce stopped and lowered himself so that he could look Artemis in the eyes. As he did so he laid his hands on her shoulders. It was the first physical contact any of them had. When Artemis didn't immediately freak, Dinah added her hands. Artemis was slightly shocked. Especially by the concern evident in Bruce's eyes.

"Artemis when we go out there they are going to be all over us. There will be a lot of pushing, pulling, shoving and shouting. I don't want you to pay attention to any of that. I want you to keep your head down and keep moving towards the car. Dinah and I will deal with them. Alright?"

"Alright." Artemis didn't really think about it. She just answered him.

The three of them then continued on, pausing once more at the door. The moment Bruce opened the doors Artemis was overwhelmed. She was looking down but the noise and flashing lights were over loading her senses. Then they were surrounded and there were people everywhere. Artemis could feel hands grabbing at her. They were being shoved back just as quickly. She was surprised to recognise Bruce and Dinah's hands on her arms. It was surprisingly comforting. The noise was overwhelming as they pushed through. People shouting questions, trying to get attention.

It took them almost a minute to get to the car and then Bruce, Artemis and Dinah piled into the back seat. Artemis sunk down low in the seat. Looking at the floor. She didn't like this. Avoiding the media would be something she would work on in the future. Artemis didn't look up for most of the trip.

"Artemis, we're here." Bruce said softly to her, right before they arrived at the Manor's estate. Artemis looked up to see a huge fence made of stone and iron wrought gates. These opened to reveal a large front drive leading up to a huge mansion. The place was made of red brick and had to be twice as tall as the apartment block she lived in. It had to cover the same area as a city block if not two or three. Artemis realised that she was probably staring and that her mouth was probably wide open but she didn't care at this second. She had seen pictures of the place but seeing it in person was something else. It was only after the car pulled up that Artemis realised that it was something else entirely to be going to live here. Artemis slowly lowered her head from looking at the front of the building's façade.

"Ready to go in?"

Artemis didn't look at Bruce or speak. She just nodded. The entrance was huge and Artemis was sure that she would never get over the size of the place. She was also sure that she would get lost in here often. The thing that caught her attention the most was the huge sweeping staircase in the main entrance. Artemis was studying the stairs, that appeared to be made of marble and didn't really listen to Bruce when he spoke. They had decided to give her the full tour. Taking her past countless living rooms, studies, bathrooms, bedrooms and even a ballroom. Artemis noticed with intrigue that many of the rooms had white sheets covered in dust fitted over the furniture. The tour ended at Artemis's new room.

"Artemis, this is where you will be staying. We will get it fitted out better later but it will do for now." Bruce spoke as he opened the door.

Artemis stood in a bedroom almost as big as her apartment. There was a double bed, drawers, wardrobe, a giant set of windows that led out to a balcony and what Artemis discovered to be an en suite. When Artemis had finished looking around the room she noticed all her things had already arrived. Before Artemis could say anything Alfred showed up.

"Dinner will be ready in five minutes. Master Dick has just arrived and will meet you at dinner." Alfred disappeared almost as fast as he had appeared.

"Well Artemis, Dinah is in the room on the right, Dick is on the left and my room is at the end of the hall. We'll wait outside for you, that way you don't get lost on the way down." Bruce spoke before he and Dinah headed for the door. They paused at the door and turned around when Artemis spoke.

"Thank you. I mean for everything. I know this can't be easy but thank you."

Artemis spoke quietly and heard them softly shut the door. She meant what she said, it wasn't easy for her but it had to be harder on them.

Artemis emerged not long after and followed them down stairs to the large dining room they had shown her. Inside was a boy younger than her. He had black hair and blue eyes. Eyes that showed that he didn't trust her and didn't like her.

"Artemis, this is Dick. Dick, this is Artemis and that's Dinah."

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."

He spoke and shook their hands but Artemis caught the veiled contempt. Correction it wasn't that he didn't like her, he hated her.

Dinner passed by quickly and quietly enough. Small talk about Artemis's new school and plans for tomorrow's surprise as they were calling it was made. Artemis knew that Alfred was the cook and while the food was great she couldn't bring herself to say thank you. All she wanted was to go to bed. Or flick on the news and see what they were saying about her or what the League had been up to today.

"Artemis, are you alright?" It was Dinah who asked.

"Yes but can I be excused?"

"Sure."

Bruce was the one who answered and Artemis got up and left. It only took her two minutes to find the living room and another three to find the remote and find a news channel. She was joined not long after by everyone else.

There was no new news on the Justice League or any of the other major heroes. Everyone seemed to be focused on her. They kept talking about the mysterious and criminal daughter of Bruce Wayne. Flashing pictures from outside the apartment. None of them got a really good shot though. Listening to them talk about how Bruce must be dealing with her criminal past and how thrilled she must be to discover her real parents was irritating. None of them cared or understood how she really felt and it made Artemis angry. All the talk about how glad she must be had her heading to bed soon after she had turned the T.V. on.

After Artemis had said goodnight and left Bruce, Dinah and Dick headed down to the Batcave.

"So what's this surprise?" Dick looked between Bruce and Dinah.

"Well as it turns out Artemis was the person who saved Kid Flash so we are going to tell her about everything and invite her to join the team." Dinah answered.

Before Dick could protest or say anything else a message came through about a League meeting.

"So they found out."

"I told G.A. to tell them. Dick we will talk more when I get back."

On the Watchtower the entire League was gathered for the second night in a row. Half of them were between irritated and livid, the rest of the League was trying to calm them down. The news Green Arrow had spread was out of character. Many of the League members were also affronted that Batman hadn't told any of them about his decision.

When Bruce and Dinah walked in everyone was staring at them. As the room locked down Bruce spoke before anybody could say anything.

"Who actually has an issue with this?"

The League Members had been seated but those with issues then stood. Aquaman, Green Lantern's Hal Jordan and John Stewart, Captain Atom, Zatara and Hawkman.

"You want to place all of us and our sidekicks at risk." Aquaman demanded.

"Even you have to admit that her sudden reappearance is suspicious." Hal Jordan said.

"He's right, why now?" John Stewart backed him up.

"You are threatening the safety of all of us Batman." Captain Atom stated, voice full of anger.

"How can you put your own ward in danger, let alone our families as well?" Zatara's anger thundered around the room.

"I have an issue with this mainly because you didn't consult us before you made your decision." Hawkman stated.

"I take it the rest of you don't have an issue?" Dinah asked looking around the room.

"It's not so much that we don't have a problem as it is that we believe that you must have a good reason for such a sudden display of trust and we are willing to let this play out. Plus G.A. said that you had a good reason." Superman spoke for the rest of the group. Half of them glared at G.A. the others waited for Batman to speak.

"We do have a good reason for trusting her. For a start she was the one who saved Kid Flash from Amazo. Secondly there are these."

As Batman spoke he pulled up an image of Artemis's arrow from her apartment compared with the arrow the team had brought back. Then he threw Artemis's workbooks on to the desk. As soon as the League realised that there was one for each of them they snatched it up.

"These are great reviews of us but how does this prove your point?" Flash had read all of them at high-speed.

"Well do you see any plans to destroy us or anything to exploit or weaknesses. These aren't the work of someone seeking to oppose us. It's like a school assignment, a purely scholar approach to a study of us. A way to see how others do it and avoid some of their mistakes. Not only that but if we tell her later I get the feeling she won't take it well. She's just learnt that all her life she has been lied to. I doubt she will take it well if she finds out we lied to her as well." Bruce stated his case for them.

"We aren't asking you to do anything that you don't want to but Artemis needs to know this. If she doesn't and finds out later it could backfire on everyone in a big way. If she finds out now from us she might not flip out and she may just trust us a little bit more." Dinah followed up with her own piece, it was true. Lying to Artemis now might just make things worse than better.

After that the meeting went fairly smoothly. The League agreed to let her join the team only if the team were informed of who she was and her past first. Her first introduction to the whole team was set for the coming Wednesday. With that everyone left.

Bruce took the workbooks back to Artemis's room. He found her in bed asleep. He returned the books as quietly as possible before leaving. When he was halfway out the door Artemis spoke up.

"Instead of sneaking around you could just ask next time."

Bruce didn't say anything. He just slipped out of the room. Artemis wasn't really mad at him, she just liked knowing where her stuff was.

Artemis didn't sleep well that night. She tried to sleep in the bed but it just didn't feel right. So she moved to the floor. It wasn't that bad, there was at least a rug to sleep on. It wasn't the first time she slept on the floor. It was when Artemis remembered that event that she started to cry. Everything had finally caught up to her. All the confusion she was feeling spilled out in her tears as she cried herself to sleep on the floor of her bedroom in Wayne Manor.