She wouldn't let anyone in her room.
Wally stood like a silent guardian outside her door; arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. M'gann exited, sighing heavily. The speedster darted to her. "Well?"
"She's fine; the initial shock has passed, but she refuses to let anyone help her." She looked away, slightly ashamed. "Even me."
Wally put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. M'gann flashed him a weak smile, then turned and walked down the hall. Wally glanced at the door, then took a deep breath.
He was the only one that hadn't gone in there.
Wally grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, entering. Artemis sat on her bed, holding something in her hands. Her face was empty, staring at nothing and yet everything.
"Artemis." She looked up at him, eyes dead.
"What do you want, Wally?"
He paused. "I… just wanted to make sure you were alright."
She uttered a choked laugh.
Wally hesitated, then muttered, "Look, I'm sorry Cheshire got away. We tried, but…"
"It's fine, Wally."
A moment of silence ensued. Wally finally spoke.
"Superboy told us that when Cheshire… had you trapped, you told her that you didn't have any friends."
Artemis avoided his gaze, glaring down at the thing in her hands. "What about it?"
"Was it true?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Artemis, what-"
"You just don't get it, Wally."
"Maybe I would if you just tell me."
Artemis stared at the object in her hands.
A picture. A picture of a young girl and her sister. The dark haired girl was smiling mysteriously, but the little sister was laughing. If you looked at the picture, they could have been best friends. It hurt to know the truth.
What? You'd thought she could change, be your best friend again? Don't kid yourself, Artemis. She pressed a hand gently against the scar on her stomach.
"I don't have friends, Wally. I have companions… teammates. People I need to survive."
"No." He said the word so forcefully, she glanced up. "It's more than that. Tell me… please."
Artemis was silent, looking away.
Wally took a deep breath, an idea bloomed in his mind. He had to convince her that she could trust him.
"Look, Artemis, all I said about you and replacing Speedy and not being as good as him; I didn't mean that. And all the times I called you a snob and stuff, I didn't mean that either."
Everything else that followed was the truth, the blunt embarrassing truth. Mostly, he apologized for all the names and insults he called her, for acting like such a jerk. Everything poured out, and he felt unable to contain it.
The whole while, she just stared at him, amazed and concerned by his confessions.
Finally, he ended quietly with, "And the only reason I did all that stuff was because…" Wally hesitated, then decided that confession was for another time. "Because you're my friend."
There was a silence, Artemis just staring at him. Finally, she looked away. Silent.
Wally stared at her now, astonished. "Are you kidding me? Artemis, I just told you everything. And you still can't trust me? You still can't trust us, your team?"
"Because I'm not allowed to!" she yelled, jumping to her feet. Wally stumbled back, alarmed by her sudden aggressiveness. "Because in my world, in my life, when you trust someone with everything you have, they take those secrets and throw them in your face! Where I come from, if you care about someone, your enemies find any and every way to hurt them… to take them away from you…" Tears sprouted in her eyes, but she wiped them away with the back of her hand.
"And then you'd end up all alone, waiting for a mom to come home from jail and stuck with a dad that hates your guts… And the only person you could ever trust ran away… And took your secrets with her…"
Wally stared at her, incredulous. She stood panting, tears streaming down her face and wetting the bandage that covered the scar on her cheek.
Finally, Wally whispered, "Maybe you trusted the wrong person." Without another word, he reached out… and hugged her.
At first, Artemis was shocked. Finally, in silent submission, she wrapped her arms around him.
Then it began. She slowly began to whisper to him, telling him everything. Wally was still while he listened, stroking her back, amazed at the things Artemis had to go through.
And then she was finished. Wally was still, incredulous at the things he had discovered. He hesitated, then whispered, "So… M'gann knows?"
Artemis nodded against his shoulder. "She's the only one."
He backed away and looked her in the eyes, cupping her face in his hand. "Thank you."
She nodded simply.
They smiled at each other, then Artemis whispered, "I should tell the rest of the team."
Wally took her hand. "That sounds like a good idea." They walked out of her room together.