Questions:
From Amira Wayne to To Roy: Why did you decide to use Red Arrow as your super hero name?
Roy: Why do you care?
From Amira Wayne To Wally: What do you think of Artemis's family?
Wally: I think that Artemis's family is dysfunctional, sure. But they're still family.
From samcheese1 to Robin: What would you do if a villain like Zucco kidnapped Zatanna?
Robin: Hopefully, no villain will ever have to find out.
From Ravenhearst to Wally: Why are you so adorkable? What you said to Arty was plain corny and cute!
Wally: I'm just that awesome of a boyfriend.
To Arty: So, were you nervous before prom?
Artemis: I guess so.
To Superman: I still hate you.
Superman: I don't care.
To Conner: By any chance did your tux have a mariposa bow or a tie?
Connor: Um...I don't know?
"I changed my mind." Raquel said as she looked out over the ocean. "There's no way I am going in the ocean."
"Then how will you learn to swim?" Kaldur said in an amused tone.
"I don't know. I'll go to the local pool and take lessons." Raquel said, but she knew it was a lie. There was no way she'd trust a stranger for something like this. "I'm going to drown."
"I will keep you safe." Kaldur said. He was already stripping off his t-shirt as he got ready to go into the ocean. Raquel admired his muscular torso before answering.
"I don't think I can do this." But her resolve was wavering.
"Yes, you can." Kaldur walked into the surf until it was up to his knees. "Come on. The first step is to overcome your fear." Raquel hesitated, and then stripped off her t-shirt as well.
"Who said I was afraid?" Raquel asked as she joined him in the water, though because of their height difference the water came up to above her knees.
"You did not have to. Coming from an aquatic home, I can always tell when others feel fear around the water." Kaldur put a hand on her shoulder. "Why are you afraid of the water?"
"Well, when I was younger I almost drowned during my first swim lessons." It had been awful, the sensation of not being able to breath and the way it seemed to take the instructor forever to pull her back up. Raquel shivered, something Kaldur noticed.
"That sounds horrible."
"It wasn't a big deal. I just over-reacted, and since then I just never made the effort to learn." Raquel shrugged.
"As an Atlantean, I was born with the ability to swim. But the first time I went on land felt similar to drowning."
"How so?"
"The air is different from breathing underwater. And the smells and pollution make it hard to concentrate at first. It took me a long time to get used to breathing air." Kaldur confided.
"Well, how do we start this whole swimming thing?"
"We have to go deeper into the water." Kaldur said. He turned and started walking into the water as light waves pushed back. He had chosen this time because he knew the waves would be the calmest.
"I don't see how this is helping." Raquel didn't move to join him. "Can't we stay here?"
"No, that is not nearly deep enough to even start."
"Well, why do I have to go into the deeper part?"
"You have told me your fear, but you have not faced it yet. Besides, it is hard to learn how to swim in less than two feet of water." Kaldur answered. Raquel still looked unsure, so he held out his webbed hand. "I am right here."
"Fine." Raquel took his hand and let him lead her slowly into the 's hand was strong and warm, and the webbing between his fingers was barely noticeable. He stopped when the water was right below her shoulders. An unusually large wave knocked her back, and Kaldur steadied her. "I think this deep enough. I can face my fears from here." Raquel looked pale, but she managed a smile.
"Swimming is something that you can probably live without, but in our line of work there is always a possibility that it will come in handy." Kaldur started. "But I could be a little biased."
"You can breath underwater. I'd say that makes you a lot biased." Raquel poked his shoulder. "You do realize I'm not like you, right? There won't be any lessons in breathing underwater, will there?." Kaldur laughed softly.
"Of course not." Suddenly Raquel cried out in surprise and jumped at Kaldur.
"Something touched my foot!" She had her arms wrapped around his neck and he was holding her bridal style. Raquel blushed. "Sorry." Kaldur put her back on her feet.
"It is alright. But you have to remember that since this is the ocean and not a pool, there are creatures that live here." Kaldur didn't like to swim in pools for very long. The chlorine and other chemicals in the water made it uncomfortable for him to swim in a pool for long periods of time.
"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't make it feel any less creepy when something brushes your leg." Raquel shuddered. "Especially when you can't swim."
"Then you have even more motivation." Kaldur smiled. "Our headquarters is on the beach. Being able to swim would most likely make being here more enjoyable."
Raquel grinned. She had to stop admiring his tattoos if she was ever going to learn anything, though.
From the mountain, Roy watched the distant pair as they stood in the ocean. Even though he was still angry about the way things had ended with Kaldur, he couldn't help but feel a little happy for him.
Roy knew about Kaldur and Tula. He was one of the few who did. Tula had broken Kaldur's usually steadfast heart by choosing Kaldur's best friend over him. Though to everyone else Kaldur seemed fine, it had been obvious to Roy for quite awhile that he was breaking inside. Roy had thought that perhaps, one day, he could help heal Kaldur's heart. But Roy wasn't strong enough to take on that responsibility.
Perhaps Raquel could.
"What do I learn first? Strokes?" Raquel asked.
"Floating."
"Floating?" Raquel said incredulously.
"It is the foundation of swimming. At least, for land-dwellers it is." Kaldur laid back, still talking. "You must relax. If you cannot relax you will not float. Once you can float, you can begin to learn other techniques."
"Well, alright." She began to lay back in the water, but suddenly stood. "What if I sink?"
"You won't." Kaldur placed his hand flat on the surface, palm up. "Lay back onto my hand, and if I think you can float by yourself, I will let go."
"What if you're wrong and I sink?"
"Then I'll catch you before you do. I promise." Kaldur helped Raquel lean back until the small of her back was being supported by his open palm. "Relax. You are too tense."
"Oh course I'm tense."
"And you need to put your head back further. If you can hear me, your head is not far enough into the water." Kaldur placed his other hand on her forehead and guided her head into the water so her ears were covered. She popped back up again.
"How do I know you won't drop me?"
"I won't drop you unless you are ready to float by yourself. Now just relax. Think about something else." Kaldur's sea-foam green eyes were completely sincere. "Trust me."
"Alright, alright." Raquel let her ears be covered by the water.
She could feel Kaldur's hand on her back through her one-piece swimsuit. She started to relax, imagining she was back in her room, listening to her favorite song. Eventually, she opened her eyes and realized that Kaldur was standing next to her with his arms crossed. Both arms. She focused and realized she was floating by herself, without any help. Of course, as soon as she realized this, she started to sink. But before she even had time to be scared, Kaldur had her caught her and placed her back on her feet. The water was now up to her neck though as the tide came in.
"Excellent." Kaldur said with a smile. "Are you alright?"
"Actually...yes! I am. I feel fine." Raquel returned his smile. "You're a good teacher so far."
"Thank you. Although, I think we may need to cut this lesson short."
"Why?" Kaldur pointed to the ledge that they used as a diving board.
"CANNONBALL!" Wally screamed as he took a flying leap off of it.
"I see your point." Raquel said as Robin jumped in after them. M'gann and Connor were trying to convince Artemis to play volleyball with them, but the archer was more interested in hanging out with Wally in the ocean. Connor, though, seemed more interested in his bikini-clad girlfriend.
"Would you like to go back to the shore?" Kaldur asked. The water was still rising, and Raquel was starting to get nervous again.
"Yeah, let's go." She walked back with Kaldur to the shore.
"By the way, I forgot to ask. Why did you not go to prom yesterday when the others did?"
"Oh, my prom is next week." Raquel answered as she walked out of the ocean. "It's late, I know. Hopefully, no bad guys will interfere. I spent a fortune on my dress."
"Hey! Will you play volleyball with us?" M'gann called. "Artemis said no and Robin cheats."
"I do not!" Robin said as he ran up. "I'm just awesome."
"Whatever. We need even teams though, and the lovebirds over there look busy." Raquel indicated Artemis chasing Wally in the water for who-knows-what reason.
"I'll play!" Zatanna said as she walked out in a black bikini top and black boy-short swim bottoms. She looked over at Robin and blushed as the Boy Wonder realized he was staring like a creepy old guy.
"Ok! Me, Robin, and Kaldur on one team. Connor, Raquel, and Zatanna on the other!" M'gann said in a sing-song voice.
"That hardly seems fair." Raquel said. Then she grinned. "For you, at least."
For the rest of the day, the team hung out on the beach together without a care in the world. And no matter what she was doing, Raquel couldn't forget the feeling of Kaldur's hand on her back, supportive and strong.
"We should tell them. They deserve to know. Artemis deserves to know Sportsmaster might be back in town and that he might have-." Batman said from the large screen. Black Canary crossed her arms. "What?"
"I don't think that's a good idea. There is no need to alarm them after all that they were put through. After what he put her through."
"Would you prefer for them to be caught off guard? That is a risk they cannot afford to take." Batman replied.
"They're still only kids! They deserve a little time off!" Black Canary countered.
"They are not regular kids. They are also heroes, and whether you like it or not they will never live a completely normal life." Batman was still cool-headed while Black Canary became angrier and angrier.
"Giving them a little time to act like they are won't hurt." Black Canary shot back.
"They knew what they were getting into. This is what they do." Batman crossed his arms, the only indication he gave that he was losing his patience. "Also, in my opinion, they have had some time off already."
"They haven't had a real mission in awhile, sure. But they still patrol until odd hours of the night and spend hours everyday training. They've earned some real time off." Black Canary was almost shouting.
"Calm down." Two words were all it took to calm the other woman somewhat. "Just because they know doesn't mean they'll have to take action." Black Canary sighed.
"Fine. But I will tell them, and I will tell them tomorrow. Is that agreeable to you?"
"Yes." Batman shut the screen off.
"Artemis, can I see you in the main room?" Black Canary motioned for Artemis to leave sparring with Wally and join her.
"Yeah, sure." Artemis followed her combat instructor. "What's going on?"
"I wanted you to hear this from me and not Batman. He's not much for...Well, I feel that he would be to frank in the presentation." Black Canary stopped in the main room.
"I can honestly say that I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Artemis said and she leaned against the doorway. "Come on, Black Canary. Spill it."
"I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but Batman insists." The look on Black Canary's face instantly had Artemis on guard instantly.
"What is it?"
Wally was sparring with Robin until Artemis got back. He turned when he heard her familiar footsteps, and Robin took the opportunity to knock him down.
"Dude. Not cool." He said to Robin. He turned to Artemis again. "Hey, what did Black Canary want..." He trailed off as he noticed the look on Artemis's face. He was by her side in an instant. "Artemis, what is it?"
"Um...Black Canary...just wanted to tell me that..." She paused and readied herself. "Sportsmaster was spotted in Gotham."
"Oh, that's terrible!" M'gann said as she flew over. "We'll get him this time."
"Artemis, what aren't you telling me?" Wally said. Artemis looked into those green eyes that she had come to love more than almost anything in the world.
"Apparently, the word among criminals is that...Sportsmaster...has my sister."
"Well, she works for him, right?" Raquel asked.
"No! She works for whoever gives her money." Artemis blew past her and walked away towards her room.
"I'll go talk to her." Wally said. Then he turned to Raquel. "When it comes to her family, nothing is as simple as it should be."
"Artemis? Let me in." Wally knocked on her door again. The door opened and Wally walked inside to find Artemis's desk over-turned on the floor.
"I tripped." She said when she saw him looking at it.
"Right...Are you ok?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." Artemis turned away from him and went to her window.
"I don't believe you."
"Why not? If he really has my sister, there's nothing I can do. She made her choice to be a villain." Artemis's voice cracked on the word 'villain'.
Wally walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"It's ok to be worried about her. She's your sister."
"I know...And I am worried. But what can I do? I don't know where Cheshire is, or how to find Sportsmaster." Artemis's eyes filled with tears.
"All we can do is be ready in case he shows himself." Wally said. "And you know I'll be there for you, no matter what."
"I know."
Cliffhanger! Return of the dad from hell! Hahaha I hope you enjoyed this little chapter. Leave a review, ask a question, stay tuned for the next chapter.
~orangekangaroo