A/N: Hey guys, it's update time and I'm really excited to get this show on the road. So, I'm not going to waste any more time to babble. Let's get this show on the road.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Young Justice or Young Justice: Invasion series. Both series were created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti and were written by a team consisting of Greg Weisman, Kevin Hopps, Andrew Robinson, Nicole Dubuc, Jon Weisman, Tom Pugsley, and Peter David. I also do not own the popular fairytale of Cinderella, which was made popular by Brothers Grimm, or the 2004 Warner Bros. film, A Cinderella Story, which was written by Leigh Dunlap. The fairytales simply inspired the concept of the story. However, I do own the entire plot of this story and all of the original characters. With that being said, DO NOT RE-PRODUCE THIS STORY IN ANY WAY, FORMAT, OR POSTING. I CREATED THIS FANFIC, THEREFORE THE RIGHTS BELONG TO ME! Thank you!
"How the Mighty have Fallen"
Jades fingernails were digging into her thighs as she sat in the passenger's seat of Roy's car. The faint orange glow of the streetlights on the interstate continuously came and went, casting long shadows throughout the car. Roy spared a glance at his girlfriend and reached his right hand out to take her hand into his own. He gave it a gentle squeeze and Jade looked up to meet his tired gaze.
"I hope I'm right about all of this." Jade said with a sigh before looking over her shoulder. She smiled softly at the sight of Dick and Zatanna sleeping, his head on the window and Zatanna's on his shoulder. Kaldur was also snoring softly, his head bouncing around with every movement the car made. Wally was in the far back of the truck, his eyes open as he stared down at the tan carpeted floor.
"You should get some sleep Wally." She called out to him gently. "It's going on two in the morning."
"I can't sleep." Wally said, his voice emotionless. "I have too much on my mind."
"Well then, take a nap kiddo." Roy said to his younger friend, sparing him a glance through the rearview mirror. "I know you want to find Artemis just as badly as we do, but you aren't going to be of much use if you're exhausted. It's another hour until we arrive in Canton and even when we get there, we have to find time to prepare ourselves. We can't go into this situation unprepared."
"He's right." Jade said. "My dad is as sick and twisted as they get and there's no telling what he's up to."
Wally nodded before closing his eyes and leaning back against the seat. With a heavy sigh, he tried his best to relax. Not even five minutes later, Roy and Jade could hear light snores.
"You should get some sleep too." Roy said as he released her hand and took hold of the wheel once more. "We're going to need your expertise to guide us through this situation."
"I'm not going to sleep until we reach Canton." She said, her decision set in stone. "Besides, when we get into town, you aren't going to have the slightest idea how to get around. I promise that once we reach our checkpoint, I'll take a nap."
Roy spared a glance at her and saw that even though her eyes were heavy with sleep, they were open and filled with determination. With a sigh, he turned the radio up and continued to drive towards Canton.
Artemis opened her eyes weakly and instantly regretted it. Never before had she felt so much pain. Her shoulder was throbbing along with the rest of her body. To make matters worse, she found that breathing was rather difficult. As her vision began to clear, Artemis lifted her head slowly. She caught sight of her clothes in a heap a few feet away and a naked Dave lying with his head upon the pile, using them as a pillow. Seeing her attacker lying in front of her brought back all of the horrid memories of the pain he'd inflicted upon her. She couldn't even begin to think about what he could have done to her while she was unconscious.
As tears ran down her face, Artemis's eyes began to scan the room for any signs of an escape. She looked towards the window in front of her and gasped at the sight of the sun high in the sky, cluing her in that it was sometime in the afternoon. She began to look around the room and gasped as something began to shine brightly beside Dave. She leaned forward and realized that it was the pocket knife he'd assaulted her with earlier. Checking to make sure Dave is still asleep, Artemis inches her foot forward and stretches her leg. She begins to mentally panic at the realization that she can't reach it.
"You can do this." She whispered softly before sliding down the pole so her neck was pressed against it. Her toes brushed across the cold, blood-covered blade and it slid forward just slightly. Sucking in a breath, Artemis forced herself to stretch her leg further. The blade slowly slid underneath her foot and she smiled graciously as she pulled her foot in.
"That's one problem out of the way." Artemis whispered as she spared a glance at a slumbering Dave. "Now there's my other problem. I'm still tied to this column."
Artemis began to think over how she could slice the ropes around her wrists without actually using her hands. Suddenly, she got an idea. Carefully, she moved the blade with her right foot and stuck it down into a crack in the floor. Enough of the blade was in the floor that it wouldn't budge and enough was left exposed. Slowly, Artemis twisted herself and began to slide around the column so she was facing the doorway instead of the window. She then pressed her back against the column and began to move her bound wrists up and down against the exposed part of the blade. She missed the rope several times and she bit back the pain as the blade sliced through her wrists, but she continued to move her hands. After five minutes, the ropes began to loosen. With a sigh of relief, Artemis moved her wrists one final time and choked back a sob as the ropes broke.
Now free, the blonde untangled her arms from around the column and winced in pain as she stretched her sore muscles. After standing onto wobbly legs, Artemis wrapped her arms around her bare chest to hide her shame. Her eyes traveled back towards a sleeping Dave and her clothes. She couldn't leave the house in her condition, but she couldn't get her clothes without risking waking up Dave. Turning away from Dave, Artemis looked around the large dining area before limping out of the room and into the back hallway. Her tiny frame began to sway with dizziness and she had to hold the wall as she made her way to her parents' old bedroom. Remarkably, the room looked just the way she remembered. Although the paintings and decorations were all gone, the king sized bed was still leaning against the far wall, its black and white abstract comforter on top. Artemis headed for the closest and stumbled, catching herself before she could hit the floor. She then proceeded to slide the doors open. The closet was practically empty, but there were a few dress shirts hanging up that belonged to her father. Her skin crawled as she took a plaid green, long-sleeved shirt off a hanger and slid it over her bloodied body. She then found a pair of ripped jeans that fit her perfectly.
Suddenly, the sound of the front door slamming reached her ears and panic began to rise in her chest. Her eyes darted around the room for a place to hide, but knowing Lawrence, he would check every nook and cranny of the house until he found her. Ignoring the pain she was experience, Artemis ran over to the large face window to the right of the bed and pushed it open. She could hear Lawrence screaming followed by shouts from Dave. They knew she'd escaped their trap.
Artemis lifted a leg and climbed up onto the window sill before jumping out. Her legs couldn't handle the fall and she cried out before falling face-first onto the ground. The sounds of furniture being turned over and glass breaking reached her ears and she slowly pushed herself up before running down the front path. Just before she could make it out of the front gate, a strong set of arms wrapped around her from behind. Artemis began screaming and thrashing as Lawrence growled angrily, pulling her back towards the house.
"Did you really think you'd get far in your condition?" he snarled as she continued to fight him. Suddenly the sound of screeching tires could be heard.
Lawrence stopped moving and looked up as a truck sped into the driveway before skidding to a stop behind his car.
"Artemis!" a desperate voice called out to her. Artemis's eyes widened at the realization that it was Wally calling her.
Lawrence's eyes narrowed as Roy got out of the car with Wally. Zatanna, Dick and Kaldur got out on the other side and the five of them stood in a straight line as though it were a standoff. Zatanna gasped at the sight of Artemis bloody and beaten.
"You guys have to get out of here." Artemis pleaded. "Just leave me and go."
"We aren't leaving here without you." Dick said as he took a bold step forward. "Let her go Lawrence. One way or the other, she's coming back to Gotham with us and you're going to prison for the rest of your miserable life."
"Do you think your threats scare me boy?" Lawrence said with an evil laugh. "You're a damn fool if you think I'm going to listen to anything you have to say. She is my child. You have no say in this matter."
"Release her now." Kaldur said as he too took a step forward. "Your days of torturing her are over."
"That's right." A voice came from behind them. Lawrence's eyes widened as Jade got out of the car and walked around her friends so she was standing in between them and Lawrence. Lawrence's shock wore off quickly as his infamous smirk returned to his face.
"Well, if it isn't my darling daughter Jade. It's good to see you again."
"You shut your filthy mouth!" Jade snapped as she held up a finger. "I am no longer your little puppet that you can control. I am free and Artemis has the right to be too. I am not going to allow you to continue to victimize her like this. Let her go!"
Wally raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name Lawrence called out, but she had responded to it. Perhaps Kendall was just a cover name to prevent him from finding her?
"Dave?" Lawrence shouted as he looked over his shoulder and into the opened front door. Dave appeared moments later completely dressed and a look of interest on his face.
"I see you found her." He said with a smirk as he walked over to Artemis and stroked her cheek. Artemis flinched beneath his touch.
"Get your filthy hands off her!" Wally roared. Artemis looked up and met his gaze before quickly looking away. She couldn't believe he had shown up with the others after the way he'd reacted yesterday.
"You seem to act like you care what happens to her." Lawrence said with a laugh. "I mean, after the nasty display I saw between the two of you yesterday, I would have never guessed you were still her friend. I mean, what kind of friend are you pointing fingers and making judgments. Oh, let's not forget that you're the one who led me right to her."
"You did what?" Dick hissed as he looked over his shoulder and glared at the red-headed teen.
"That is a lie!" Wally shouted as he walked to stand beside Jade. "I've never met you before in my life. How could I have possibly led you to her?"
"Oh speedster." Lawrence said as he clicked his tongue. "Your cell phone number was carelessly left behind when Artemis fled my home. I was able to track your phone to the diner downtown and I sent Dave to make sure it wasn't a false lead."
Wally gasped as he suddenly recognized the man standing beside Lawrence and Artemis. He had come into the diner and started the whole mess he'd gotten himself into with Artemis. He was right all along. It was his fault Artemis had been taken.
"Dave, see to it that my daughter and I are not disturbed." Lawrence said as he drug a kicking and screaming Artemis back into the house. Jade and Wally began to run after them, but Dave slammed the door shut before pulling out a pistol and aiming at the two of them. Wally took a few cautious steps back, but Jade stood her ground, refusing to move a muscle.
"If you think that scares me, you're damn wrong." Jade snarled as she pulled out her own firearm and removed the safety lock.
"What should we do?" Zatanna asked Dick and Kaldur. "Should we look for another entrance?"
"Don't bother." A voice came from behind them. Everyone turned around and gasped at the sight of two large men standing there. Zatanna, Dick and Kaldur began to walk backwards as the men approached them.
"Friends of yours?" Jade asked as she turned back to Dave. He responded with a smirk before releasing his first shot. Jade dove out of the way before rolling onto her knees and releasing a shot of her own. She just missed him and the bullet shattered the glass of a nearby window. Wally and Roy ran and took cover behind a shed as the gunfire continued on while Zatanna, Dick and Kaldur took off, the two thugs chasing after them.
"We have to get Artemis out of that house." Wally said as he clenched his fists. "I don't want Lawrence to hurt her."
Roy nodded as he walked to the other side of the shed and peered around the corner. His eyes scanned over the one-story house as he looked for any signs of a back door. What caught his eyes instead was the open window Artemis had jumped through earlier.
"That's our ticket inside." He said as he motioned for Wally to join him. The younger teen spied the open window and nodded as another round of gunfire could be heard.
"What about those thugs chasing after Dick and that Dave guy that's handling Kendall, or…Jade?"
Roy sighed. "It's Jade. I think that much should be established by now. I'm not worried about Jade, she can handle her own, but you are right about those two thugs chasing after Artemis's friends. I'll go and help them out. You need to head inside and help Artemis."
Wally nodded once as Roy took off running in the direction Dick and the others had run off in. Wally then takes a deep breath before running over to the open window and climbing inside. He could hear Artemis scream followed by a loud slap and the sound of something heavy falling over. Feeling his blood boil, Wally crept over to the bedroom door and peered down the dark hallway.
Zatanna, Dick, and Kaldur continued to run as fast as their legs could carry them as they cut through the neighbors' yards trying to escape their attackers.
"What are we going to do?" Zatanna asked in between pants.
"Just keep running for now." Dick commanded as he bee lined across the street. Kaldur and Zatanna followed after him, but Zatanna's feet got tangled and she tripped, falling face down onto the gravel of the street. Dick called out to her, but before she could reply, one of the men grabbed hold of her.
"No!" Dick shouted as he ran back to help, but the other thug sent a kick to the small teen's stomach, knocking him down to the ground. Dick grasped his stomach in pain as Kaldur ran to his aide and placed a hand on his back.
"Are you alright?"
"We have to help Zatanna." Dick said through gritted teeth.
The man holding Zatanna laughed maniacally before lifting Zatanna off the ground and holding her above his head so she was looking up at the sky. He then tossed her carelessly to the side and into a parked car. Zatanna's head slammed against the car mirror and she let out a gasp of pain before falling to the ground. Dick's breath caught in his throat as he watched her slip into unconsciousness.
"One weasel down, two more to go." The man said as he and his friend began to laugh. Kaldur and Dick began to back away from the fearsome duo as they tried their best to think of a plan. Suddenly, Dick caught sight of Roy approaching across the street unbeknownst to the two men. He had a garden hose in his hands. Just as the one responsible for injuring Zatanna took a step forward, Roy ran towards him and slung the hose forward, its metal nozzle striking the man in the back of the head. He stumbled forward, taken off guard before he and his friend turned around.
"You're going to pay for that." He growled.
"Bring it on." Roy said with a smirk, accepting his challenge. With the two thugs' attention on Roy, Kaldur and Dick ran over to check on Zatanna. She was just coming to when Dick gathered her in his arms.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he and Kaldur helped her onto her feet.
"My head hurts…" Zatanna mumbled as they led her out of the street and onto the curb. After setting her down, Zatanna blacked out again. Dick and Kaldur looked up and saw Roy engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the two men. He managed to get a few decent punches in, but he was outmatched and the two teens knew it.
Kaldur began looking around for something he could use as a weapon. He caught sight of a thin metal pole sticking out in a nearby lawn with a banner on it. He ran over and tore the cloth banner off before running to help Roy. Realizing that Kaldur had the right idea, Dick also ran onto the lawn and snatched a second pole. Kaldur cracked the second thug over the back of the head, successfully distracting him from Roy and the other guy. The man growled angrily before charging towards Kaldur, but just before he could get a hit in, Dick hit him from the other side. The man fell to the ground and pushed himself up with his hands. Not wanting him to attack, Kaldur struck him two more times, successfully knocking him out. Dick then when after the other guy and struck him hard in the back of the head. Roy stepped out of the way as the guy fell onto the pavement, knocked out cold.
"Quick, we need to tie them up." Roy said as he took hold of the water house again. Dick and Kaldur nodded before moving the guys away from the center of the road and wrapping the hose around the two of them and the trunk of a tree. After tugging on the robber hose to ensure it was secure, Roy walked over to Zatanna and lifted her into his arms bridal style.
"She's out cold." He said as the three of them headed back up the block.
"Where are Jade and Wally?" Kaldur questioned the older teen as they continued to walk.
"Jade is taking care of Dave. Wally managed to get inside the house. He's going after Artemis."
"Alone?" Dick said, surprised. "Does he not know how dangerous Lawrence is? There's no telling what he'll do if he finds him."
"Then we'd better hurry." Roy said.
As they neared the block the house was on, they could hear the distant sound of approaching sirens. Hopefully, the police would be coming to their rescue.
Wally's back was against the wall as he stealthily crept through the darkened halls of the Crock family's abandoned home. He could hear another slap followed by the sound of Artemis screaming as he neared the end of the hall. An archway was in front of him and he peeked inside of the room. His blood began to boil with anger at the sight of Lawrence continuously wailing on his daughter. Artemis's arms were raised defensively as she tried to block his punches, but she was too weak from her previous injuries that she was failing miserably.
"This is all your fault you worthless little slut." He shouted as he struck her across the face. "You made it through eight years without mumbling a word and all of a sudden, you have the audacity to reveal everything. I should have got rid of you when I had the chance!"
"Let me go!" Artemis begged, her voice hoarse.
Lawrence landed a hard punch to her jaw and Artemis was knocked to the ground. He stared down at her, his shoulders rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. Wally's heart sank at the sight of Artemis laying in a heap on the floor. He'd never seen something so horrible. That was until he heard a gun being loaded. Wally's blood turned to ice at the sight of Lawrence loading a gun. Artemis began to whimper as she used what little strength she had to push herself away from him. She didn't make it very far thanks to Lawrence stepping on her stomach, pinning her to the ground. Artemis began to sob as she stared up into the barrel of the gun. Lawrence smirked as he removed the safety and aimed right at her face.
"Well princess, I know longer have use for you. It's lights out for you."
Artemis squeezed her eyes shut as Lawrence's finger prepared to pull the trigger, but Wally stood to his feet and ran as fast as he could, slamming into Lawrence and knocking him to the floor. The gun fired, but instead of hitting Artemis, the bullet shattered a nearby mirror as the gun fell from Lawrence's grasp.
"Artemis, are you okay?" Wally asked as he gathered her in his arms. Artemis took a jagged breath before weakly lifting her head to stare into his eyes.
"W-Wally…what are…you…doing?" she said, her voice strained from the pain she was in.
"I made the mistake of walking away from you once. I refuse to do it again."
"You…have to…get out of here…"
"I'm not leaving without you." Wally said with a shake of his head.
"Well, isn't that sweet." Lawrence said with a chuckle as he grabbed his abandoned gun and stood back to his feet.
Wally helped Artemis to stand and she cried out in pain as her body protested against the sudden movement.
"Wally please, just go." She begged him as tears fell down her face. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm not leaving." Wally said again.
"Fine then." Lawrence said, gaining the teens' attention again. "If you don't want to go, by all means, stay. I mean, I feel you deserve some kind of reward for reuniting me with my daughter. How does a one-way trip to the afterlife sound to you?"
Wally swallowed a lump in his throat as Lawrence loaded the gun and aimed at Wally's chest. Lawrence laughed before pulling the trigger. At that moment, everything seemed to be in slow motion to the speedster. He gasped as the bullet began to pierce through the air as it headed straight towards him, but the pain never came. He blinked as the sound of the gunshot echoed loudly throughout the room, but the pain had yet to come.
Suddenly, Wally's eyes widened with horror at the sight of Artemis standing in front of him. He screamed in horror as she fell backwards against him. He caught her as the two of them fell to the floor. Time then picked back up and Wally found himself cradling Artemis in his arms as blood seeped heavily through her shirt. She'd been shot in the abdomen trying to protect him. Artemis was convulsing in his arms as she began coughing out blood.
"Artemis, no!" he shouted as he held her face in his hands. "Don't do this Artemis, please. Stay with me!"
Lawrence sighed as he slid his gun into his back pocket. "What a waste of a perfectly good bullet."
"You son of a bitch!" a female voice came from the doorway. Wally looked up as tears clouded his vision and he saw Jade standing in the doorway with horror on her face. Artemis released a gurgled cough and Jade's head snapped towards her sister and Wally. She then looked back at Lawrence.
"You are going to pay for this." She snapped before running towards him. Jade threw a punch and clocked Lawrence in the jaw. This angered him and he swung back, but Jade ducked before kicking him in the stomach. Lawrence gasped for breath while Jade stood to her feet and jabbed her elbow against the back of his neck. Lawrence fell to the floor, but he was up and moving again in no time. Wally watched the scene unfold with pain in his eyes.
Suddenly, the sound of sirens could be heard and the room was filled with blue and red lights. Wally could hear shouting followed by a ruckus outside. The front door was kicked open as a group of cops swarmed inside. Two officers ran and pulled Jade and Lawrence apart before pinning them both down. An officer approached Wally and crouched down to place a hand on his shoulder. Wally blinked a few times before realizing that it was Commissioner Gordon from earlier that day.
"Wally, are you alright?" he asked the boy, but Wally's mouth couldn't move to form the right words.
"He's in shock." Another officer said as the two officers with Lawrence and Jade put them into handcuffs.
A female officer walked over and placed a hand on Commissioner Gordon's shoulder. "Sir, we have reports of two culprits tied up down the block and another is dead out front. There's a group of teens that just showed up claiming to have been running from the three of them."
Commissioner Gordon nodded. "We need to get them all to a hospital immediately, especially Artemis."
Wally suddenly began to fade back into reality and he could feel the dead weight of Artemis resting in his arms. He looked down at her face and blinked a few tears free at the sight of her eyes closed.
"Wally, the ambulance is here." Commissioner Gordon explained to him. "If she has any hope of surviving, we have to get her to the hospital."
Wally nodded before standing to his feet with Artemis's limp body in his arms. When the paramedics rushed in, he laid her on the stretcher and watched as they wheeled her away. All of the other officers with the exception of Commissioner Gordon, left the room with Jade and Lawrence in tow.
"He tried to kill his own daughter." Wally said after a while. "That monster…he tried to kill his own flesh and blood…And now…"
Commissioner Gordon sighed. "Let's go Wally." He said before walking out of the room.
Wally stood, frozen in place before looking down at his shirt where Artemis's blood was stained. "Artemis…I'm so sorry…"
Roy sat in the waiting room of Canton's Memorial Hospital holding an icepack to his head as he watched a re-run of Boy Meets World on the television. He was trying to focus on something other than the matter at hand. He'd already managed to count all of the ceiling tiles twice and read through all of the magazines during his time there and he was starting to get a little stir crazy. Suddenly, the doors slid open and Jade stepped in with an officer. Roy smiled before standing to his feet and running over to take her into his arms. He pressed his lips to her forehead before pulling away and giving her a hopeful look.
"So, what's the verdict?" he asked her before sparing a glance at the officer.
"Miss Crock is free to go." He spoke with a smile on his face. "After going over everyone's statements, it is more than obvious that she killed David Sullivan in self-defense. After the hell her father and those guys put her and her sister through, I understand her actions completely. Let's just not make a habit out of it."
Jade nodded and thanked the officer before following Roy to take a seat on the loveseat. Jade rested her head against his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Any news on Artemis and the others?" she asked hopefully. Roy sighed before planting a kiss in her hair.
"Zatanna has a sprained ankle and a concussion. The doctors want to keep her overnight to monitor her. Dick and Kaldur are fine. They're calling their parents to let them know what happened. Wally is a little traumatized by the whole situation. Commissioner Gordon just left with him a little while ago to take him out for some fresh air. Artemis…is still in surgery."
Jade sighed as tears began to slide down her face. "That means she's been in surgery for five hours. I think I'm going to go crazy. I have to know if she's going to be okay or not."
Roy nodded with a sigh. "I know babe. I hope she's going to pull through too."
Jade and Roy sat in silence for ten minutes until the doors slid open again. Dick stepped through the doorway with Kaldur and Bruce.
"Bruce, what are you doing here?" Jade asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Bruce managed to smile, surprising her. "Jade, I know things are a little down right now, but there's something I think you should know."
"What is it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"While I was away on my business trip, Dick called me and talked to me about yours and Artemis's mother Paula."
Jade's eyes widened at the mentioning of her mother. She surely wasn't expecting this.
"He explained to me that your mother has been missing for eight years and you and Artemis had no idea of her whereabouts. So I pulled a few strings and had a buddy of mine at the FBI do a little investigating and I am happy to say, we found her."
Jade gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wait a minute…my mother is alive?"
Dick nodded as a smile spread across his face. "Apparently, your dad attacked her one night before taking you and Artemis and fleeing Canton. Fearful for her life, the police placed her in the witness protection program. She's been living under a secret alias in Nevada all this time."
"Oh my God." Jade said with a gasp as a fresh set of tears began falling down her face. "I can't believe this."
"Your mother has been notified of the situation with your sister and with your father's arrest." Bruce continued. "Because Lawrence is locked up without the ability to obtain bail, your mother is free to come out of hiding. When I told her what happened, she flew into a panic and purchased a plane ticket. She should be here tomorrow morning."
Roy placed a hand on Jade's back and smile. "You see, something positive did come out of this."
The conversation is put to a halt as a doctor steps into the room. Roy recognized him as the surgeon who was put in charge of Artemis's surgery.
"Are you the family of Artemis Crock?" he asked as he stared at the faces of the people in the room.
Jade nodded before standing to her feet. "How is my sister?" she asked quickly.
A/N: And so ends another chapter. Is Artemis going to be alright? What will happen when Paula returns to Canton after eight years of being away? Will Wally ever forgive himself for leading Dave to Artemis? Well, the only way you're going to find out is if you leave me a review to let me know what you thought of the update. See you next time!
