Okay.. so IDK when this will be posted. I wrote it and then couldn't log in and IDK why and I'm going crazy.. anyway.. I've been writing like crazy and now I think my brain's broke.. I'm scared Sparrow may be too mary sue but this was supposed to be a 'funny' thing I wanted to do a long time ago and it just seemed to fit in this chapter so I went with it... please don't hate Sparrow, she's really not OP, I swear!

Chapter 35

"Sooo..." Artemis began, flopping down on her mattress. She wasn't sure how to pick up after what she'd just heard. How do you cheer some one up who just told you what she'd told her? "What do you wanna do? I would say make overs or something but 1, that's not much up my alley and 2, it'd require you take your shades off so I'm guessing it's not much up yours either.." She looked around, searching for something. "Guess we could do hair? There's no secrets hidden in there are there? No hidden batarangs or something?"

"One actually. With lockpicks, police cuff keys and a small laser." Sparrow say with a voice worthy of the bat.. Artemis began to laugh until she looked at the teen girl.

"Oh my god you're not joking..." She said with a shocked face, her mouth agape.

"No." Came Sparrows short answer. She crossed her arms, leaning back against the door she'd not traveled far from. "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? Before I came back you were certain I was going to kill everyone."

"I don't know, I just thought.." Artemis paused, looking down at the floor. "Well I know how it feels I guess. I mean, I never had to go through what you dealt with but, my dad's not exactly a candidate for father of the year award. I know.. I mean.." She paused. "I just thought you might want someone to talk to." She paused again, hating herself for how she sounded. "Besides, you can't really blame me. You were pretty wild back there. You were like a rabid dog."

"I prefer cats." Sparrow said as she moved forward "And it's part of the package deal." She said as she sat on the bed next to Artemis.. "When angered... I sometimes loose myself. I'm aware what I'm doing but can't stop it.." Sparrow had heard Artemiss' cry loud and clear. By saying she thought Sparrow would need someone, she meant that she knew she needed someone to talk to. She wanted to offer Sparrow help since no one had ever offered it to her. Sparrow was here, willing. Years with the bat however hadn't made it easy.

"Sounds fun.." Artemis said sarcastic. "I wouldn't think Batman would let you out like that. He seems a stickler for obedience the way he orders Rob around.."

""He is." Sparrow chuckled. "But, well we know each other personally. He's trying to 'fix' me."

"Fix?"

"He's had others like me. There's a reason they call him the 'Dark' Knight. He's not the type of guy brought about by rainbows and puppies. Us birds aren't that far away." Sparrow leaned back on her arms,, stretching her back. "Guess he figures an outlet for my anger is better than keeping it all inside. But he helps me deal with it in other ways. Our discipline helps us survive but it also keeps us from going insane. I mean, Gothams a mean place.."

"Tell me about it.." Artemis murmurs.

"What about you?" Sparrow questions, turning from the ceiling to face the young archer. When Artemis answered with a 'huh' Sparrow chuckled. "I've told you about mine, what's your issues with daddy?"

"I'm not sure I should.."

"It's only fair." Sparrow says. "Nothing leaves this room. I mean, come on, if anyone could keep a secret it'd be a bird of Gotham.. Only one better is Bats himself. Sure you don't wanna call him in here." Sparrow saw Artemis shiver visibly. "Didn't think so." Sparrow looked to Artemis expectantly.

"I guess... Well.. He kind of.. betrayed my family I guess. I wish I could say he was the type that was inattentive, but it really wasn't like that. If anything, he paid just a little too much attention to me." Sparrows gaze was steady, ears open and face, from what Artemis could see, was judgment free. "He wants me to be just like him, but I don't want to. I mean, it's not like he's a doctor or something that anyone would want to follow.."

"He's on the wrong side of the law..?" Sparrow offered softly.

Artemis turned sharply. "I never said that!" She said just a bit too quickly, just a bit too defensibly.

"I told you, nothing leaves this room." Sparrow reassured. "My father was a drug using alcoholic responsible for three counts of human trafficking. Heck, Batman's not exactly on the right side of the law himself, hence the term 'vigilante'" Sparrows smirk was contagious, causing Artemis to chuckle herself.

"Well, yeah.. I guess you could say that.." Artemis admitted. She really couldn't get over the fact that she was saying all this. What was she DOING? How did this girl have a way to bring down walls she'd built so painstakingly? "I just don't wanna go down that path."

"You don't have to." Sparrow said. "I've seen the worst of the worst in Gotham. I've fought the likes of the joker and two face, penguin and scarecrow. I've ziptied thugs for stealing purses to ripping off banks. But I've also seen some of them turn their lives around. I've seen a man go from working with the joker to a security job." She laughed with Artemis on the irony. "Point is, you can't help who you're born to, but you can decide what you do with your life. I'd say, what you're doing right now.. this hero gig, is about as good as you can possibly be.. without being like.. a nun or something like that" Sparrow waved her hand off at the idea.

"Yea.. no.." Artemis said flatly.

"Didn't think so."

"What's that mean?" Artemis questioned with mock offense.

"You, swear off men..? You don't seem the type. OW!" Sparrow rubbed her shoulder where Artemis had punch her halfheartedly.

"Yea? What about you? Did you even have your first crush yet miss thing!" Artemis challenged.

"Actually...I'm already..."

There came a bang at the door. The girls looked up to see Wally at the entrance to the door as it slid open, not waiting a moment before spewing his message. "Canary'shere!Trainingsessioninfive!" He said in a blur. "So hurry up and put a bag over that horror you call a face and get out here!" There was the woosh of KF speeding off but that didn't stop Artemis from throwing a pillow at where he once was.

"UGH! I hate that kid! When will he grow up!" Artemis grunted angrily as she went to retrieve her pillow. Sparrow gave a knowing smile.

This time Wally was the last to go against Canary before she left. For once he actually held his own, not ending up on his back quite as much

"Look at that!" Wally made a sad attempt to show off some arm muscles. "That's muscle right there!" He tapped the bulge in his suit. "I think I could probably take on the whole league soon!" He beamed.

"You wish!" Artemis said quickly.

"I could take you right now!" Wally said defiantly.

"Like hell you could!" She said, getting in his face.

"Not again.." The team groaned. Sparrow watched the scene play out with a smile, finding the old lovers squabble entertaining.

"You're the weakest link here! Nobody wants to say anything but you're dragging the team down."

"You wanna put that theory to the test?" She challenged.

"Please, can we go a day without you two fighting?" Kaldur pleaded.

"Yea, besides, we all know who'd win in any one on one battle. That'd be me and Robin." Sparrow called in amusement over the commotion which immediately died.

"Excuse me?" Artemis challenged.

"You heard me." Sparrow said with a large smile. Robin gave her a look and stepped away, as if to say 'I'm not with her'. "If it came to taking down everyone one by one, me and Rob would come out on top."

"And how'd you come by that theory?" Wally questioned.

"Easy, we're the only ones prepared for it."

"Oh? Care to enlightened us."

"Kay!" Sparrow said, taking all this as a game. "Easiest.. Kal and Megs."

"Super strength, water spells, electric, shape shifting? That's easy?" Artemis said disbelievingly.

Sparrow reached into her belt, retrieving a small high pressured can, spinning it in the air before catching it, facing the nozzle away from the group as she sprayed it, a lighter placed in front. The flammable liquid within the canister let out a large flame that cause the others to yelp and pull back.

"Problem solved." Sparrow grinned.

"Those flames wouldn't be fast enough to keep up with me!" Wally insisted. "You wouldn't even know where I was!"

"Okay.. by all means Wallace, run, circle me, let just see who beats who.."

"You'll be sorry!" He said before taking off full speed, lapping her.

Sparrow ignored him. "You're weak spot Artemis, is hand to hand. You're deadly with the bow, but take away your toys and you're nothing."

"And just how were you planning on getting them away?"

"Depends." Sparrow answer. "From a medium distance, if I wanna make it quick, knock you out, I'd use one of these." from seemingly nowhere a birdarang with a red dome in the center flew to Sparrows fingertips. "Stick one of these to ya, the resulting explosion would be enough to knock you out for a while. Now if I need answers and wanna start at a distance," A smooth, sharp birdarang appeared next to the first. "I cut your strap and potentially bow string before sweeping in to taking you off your feet and away from your discarded quiver. And if you're already up close," A third rang popped up next to the first two, this one serrated . "I cut through it with this beauty, take them, throw them away and take you down mano a mano"

"And.." Sparrow said before a pellet flew from her hand, flying into the yellow and red blur that had never ceased whizzing about her. In the next instant Wally was frozen in place, a foam around his legs that rooted him to the spot. Before the boy could finish his sentence of 'what the hell' Sparrow shot a dart at him. He was out instantly.

"What did you do!" Artemis shouted.

"Chill." Sparrow said placing the tranq gun back in her utility belt. "It's a mild sedative. His metabolism will blow through it in less than five minutes."

Everyone stared wide eyed at her.

"You're scary..." Megan whispered.

"When you're prepared for anything, you beat anything!" Sparrow laughed.

"Who prepares to take down their friends?" Came Connor.

Sparrow shrugged"A man who's had to stop a few of them from destroying the planey before?"

"Well there's still someone here that neither of you could ever beat!" Artemis claimed. Sparrow raised an eyebrow under the mask. "There's no way you could take out super boy." She said clapping the teen on his shoulder. Megan watched her closely.

"Ah!" Sparrow said reaching into another pouch, pulling out what looked like a pepper-spray container, twirling it between her fingers.

"Mace? That's your answer to the boy of steel? Mace?" Artemis face was completely flat. "You can't be serious.."

"Man of steels genetics, man of steels weaknesses. Inside this lead line case, is a solution containing kryptonite. Not enough to deal real damage, but until he washes it off, he'll be pretty useless."

"Kryptonite? You carry Kryptonite?" Not a single jaw was off the floors.. cept KFs cuz he was unconscious at the moment.

"Bats makes me carry it." She shrugged, tucking the canister back into her belt. "Never did like the fact I was daaaaa..." She froze." Daring to hang out with him. He thought.. you know.. he was.. uh.. unbalance.. might try something. This is protection." She said trying to cover up.

The gears in Artemis' head began to work, piecing all those times in her room, the ship..

"How do you even know that stuff would work on me?" Superboy crossed his arms over his chest. Artemis heard through the muddle of her thoughts.

"Seemed to work just fine when my Robin had you tossing your lunch up in the bushes." Sparrow countered

"Huh..? What? What'd I miss?" Came Wallys voice as he began to wake up.

"You lost Wally. Big time." Robin said jabbing him with a snicker.

All Artemis could see was Sparrow and Connor glaring each other down.

'Oh my god! Sparrow's got a thing for Superboy!'

Again.. please don't think her op.. I mean in the comics Tim could trip up Bart and he DID make SB toss his cookies in the bush with krypotnite when he was being controlled by ivy and well.. put fire near Meg/Kal and they're down for the 10 count.. Kindda sucks to be them... It's supposed to show her 'bat' side.. the super paranoid, over analytical bat...

Trust me, she's not gunna start beating everyone or become one of those, 'I power through missions' types.. I promise.