Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. The majority of the Team's children

A/N: So? What are we thinking of Kyle so far? I couldn't resist

Chapter 11 – Willow West

"Only if you want to, Lola," I said as I tried to smile, but it was clear that she wanted to go to this question and answer session with the artist she loved so much.

Kyle has used one of his powers to acquire the tickets which was both genius and idiotic. He insisted that I come with him and Lola.

I didn't like it, but I reluctantly agreed.

Kyle was a kindhearted individual with a big heart if the day in which I had known him were anything to go by. Me, Kyle and Finn were encouraged to get to know each other.

Once the three of us were in our casuals- Kyle has been donated a few outfits by Finn in order to accompany his transitioning - we were ready to make our way to the gallery.

As the oldest and apparently most trustworthy, it was down to me to encourage Angel/Quill to drop us off and pick up us. He questioned it, of course.

"Please Quill, just drop me and Lola at the gallery but leave the boot open when we get in..." There was little to no conviction in my voice, but he sighed and agreed. "Thank you. We'll be ready in five."

Lola was a little overly enthusiastic when she saw Quill. "Hey Quill- you know, it is so weird seeing you with like... no wings!"

"I have no idea if that's a compliment or not." Quill laughed, squeezing his hands against the steering wheel. "You two aren't going to tell me why you requested the open boot are you?"

I put a finger to my lips as Kyle snuck into the boot and closed it shut, hoping that he was clear or the seal.

Quill proceeded to press us for further information, but I just awkwardly laughed it off. When the car stopped outside the gallery, Quill tried to race us to the boot, but forgot he would be racing a speedster. He looked down into an empty boot and couldn't understand what we were planning.

"Thanks Quill," Lola squeaked, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs. "We'll text you when to come and get us!"

I was pretty sure that Quill shouted something about not being a baby sitting service.

Inside, we searched for Kyle, scanning the faces of the crowd waiting to flood into the auditorium.

"Who are we looking for?"

I think I jumped about a foot in the air when I noticed Kyle squeeze his head between me and Lola.

"Kyle!" I whispered. "Don't run off like that!" I felt awkward telling Kyle of like he was a five year old, but he didn't seem to understand the severity of the situation.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" an usher called out from in front of the closed doors. "Ms Kennedy-Dallas is just preparing her slides. Please come in and take a seat whilst she's puts on the finishing touches to the presentation."

Kyle pulled Lola away in the auditorium and I couldn't help but smile. He was this eager thing who was so thoughtful and genuine that you weren't second guessing him at all.

After being knocked about by other determined wannabe artists, I managed to find a seat just behind Lola and Kyle. It made me start to feel more like a chaperone than an extra guest.

Hayden Kennedy-Dallas walked out, and for a moment, I thought I had seen someone I knew. She was familiar in a way, but I couldn't place her in my mind.

She ambled towards her laptop and projector and started to walk through her process of choosing things to photograph. The depth she spoke about when referring to each photos composition was so deep that you could see the passion and love for art in a second.

"I'd like to thank you all for engaging with my pieces and listening to my presentation. Let's open up the room for some questions." Ms Kennedy-Dallas divulged information in response to the questions, but a rogue question caught her off guard.

"Who is the Sleeping Baby- is she your own kid?" It was a male voice, somewhere towards the back of the room.

Ms Kennedy-Dallas appeared flabbergasted, fighting for words. She looked into the wings of the stage at her publicist for some assistance. Immediately the publicist nodded and made a couple of enthusiastic hand signals.

"Right- well that is a good question... Sleeping Baby was always one of my favourite pieces due to it being produced in my earlier career. As to who that baby is, yes it is mine. No, she is mine- she is my daughter."

The gasps in the room made her stop and a few audience members threw additional questions at her like they were rabid news reporters.

"Now the truth is. I had my daughter at a very young age over a decade ago. That was back in a time where I wasn't able to look after myself, let alone a helpless baby. I am not ashamed to admit that I gave her up for adoption so that she could have a better life. Before you ask, no I will not be trying to find her. I want her to have this perfect normal life."

Listening to Ms Kennedy-Dallas talk about her daughter she gave up for adoption was hard. Hard because it reminded me of what I was missing too. I hadn't seen Mum since- I wasn't sure how long ago, but it was certainly a long time.

It made me reach out to Mum, sending a text message to her last known number which the hubbub was going on. Everything got out of hand when a lady I knew as Vicky Vale stood up from her seat and insisted on speaking to Ms Kennedy-Dallas.

"Ms Kennedy-Dallas, Vicky Vale here, is like to invite you to a special broadcast of Very Late."

I leant towards Lola, whispering, "I've got a bad feeling about this. Something's about to go down."

Lola waved her hand dismissively. "Come on Willa- don't be such a negative Nelly."

Kyle was more reassuring. "We will- err... we will look out for trouble." Knowing that I was uncertain, he fished something out of a bag by his feet and held it out to me. "Mask. For your identity."

It was like a cropped ski mask which seemed bizarre, but if something was about to go down, I wouldn't have had time to throw on my Diana suit. Though I didn't like to admit it, I had my collapsible bow in my bag which weighed an absolute ton.

Without warning, a metal canister was lobbed through the air from the back of the auditorium, spewing out a grey and noxious gas. Then can hit the stage and ripped out a torrent of fumes.

"Lola..." I whispered, seeing her dart into the gas cloud.

Kyle went to follow her, but I grabbed him by the shoulder. "Let. Me. Go."

"No Kyle," I whimpered. "You're not safe here anymore- please promise me you'll go back to base. You have to. Miss Martian and Superboy will know you've escaped. Go!" I pushed him into the crowd of people that were piling out the doors in a stampede.

Forcing the ski mask onto my head, I pressed myself against the wall and headed towards the stage, vaulting up onto it but nearly misjudging the height of the stage entirely. In the cloud of gas, my eyes were stinging as I fumbled to find Lola it Ms Kennedy-Dallas.

"Stealth!" I shouted, changing to our callsigns for good measure, especially if Vicki Vale could still be in the auditorium.

Someone slammed into me, sending me flying. As I rolled along the stage, I came to a halt beside someone. It was Lola, but she wasn't even wearing , but she was bent over something- someone. An unconscious body. Hayden Kennedy-Dallas' body.

"Stealth, you have to get out of here now. Find Kyle and get him back to the base," I demanded, squeezing her hand to soften the blow. "I will take care of her, I promise. Kyle is the mutant they were looking for the last time you came here- if this is them again... no, just go!" I gave her a sharp shove to encourage her away.

A large gust of wind cleared the smog and I coughed weakly, shaking Hayden's body.

I froze when I looked up to see three police officers, including Police Commissioner Gordon, standing over me. I wished I could explain what had happened. The words couldn't form in my mouth. Gordon and one of the officers grabbed me, hauling me off out of the auditorium and down the gallery steps. The people who had staggered to get out of the auditorium were now being held back behind a police barrier as a masked assailant was marched past them. Their eyes burned into my soul and I caught a glimpse of Lola trying to pull Kyle away, but he was solidly rooted to his spot. As Gordon pushed down on my head, I could feel the police car shaking, almost lifting off the ground. I whipped around to see Kyle with a splayed hand out in front of him.

Quill appeared behind the pair, slapping his hands on their shoulders and dragging them away as I was driven to the GCPD building. Gordon slammed on the brakes, making me hit the chairs in front of me.

"Hey…" I whispered.

"I don't give perps the time of day…" Gordon grunted, opening the car door for me and slamming it shut behind me.

He was clearly trying to intimidate me. For some reason, they allowed me to walk through the precinct with the cropped mask still on my face. It wasn't until we were about to walk into the interview room that he pulled it from my head, ripping it off like a sticker. My fire red hair went static and I fumbled to tie it up into a ponytail again. Embarrassed, I kept my head down because I had never been in trouble with the police or even at school.

Someone called out to Gordon.

"Police Commissioner Gordon- I believe we have a matter to discuss."

I looked across the room to see a middle aged man holding onto a walking stick. He had black hair and stood with a little hunch. At first, I didn't recognise him.

"Mr Wayne. There is no matter to discuss." Gordon opened the door for me to go in. "There was an altercation at the Gotham Art Gallery. It's being dealt with and this young scrap is responsible."

"Bruce Wayne…" I gasped.

This was Batman, or at least the man who was Batman before the Parasite crippled the Justice League. It happened years ago – a mass invasion to Earth that took most of the Justice League members out of action. Batman was in Star City, fighting the Parasite in a one on one battle that would have killed him if it weren't for Nightwing and Robin pulling him back. Now, he was still that millionaire playboy, but had a mobility issue according to the secret files hidden away in the database.

"Mr Wayne – as a patron of the Gotham Art Gallery, please know that you have my reassurance that everything will be fine." Gordon squeezed the doorknob tightly, his frail knuckles going white.

"She is under my protection, Gordon," Bruce Wayne replied quickly with a sharp insistence in his voice. "You have my word that this one had nothing to do with what happened at the gallery."

"I still want to answer her some questions – we can hold her for twenty four hours."

The police officer assisting Gordon had opened my bag and pulled out the collapsible bow. He was inspecting it closely and I was worried he would impale himself when it unfolded if he knocked the catch.

"Be careful with that!" I squeaked, trying to take it.

The catch was knocked and the bow extended like a robotic arm, taking its full form.

Gordon took the bow and pushed me into the interview room. "Sit down."

Bruce Wayne came slowly to the doorway, leaning heavily on his cane. "I believe you have my client."

"Client?" Gordon snapped. "Client! Come on Wayne, there's no way that I'm going to let you steam roll your way into this one. She's been connected to the previous attack on the art gallery and you are not her lawyer."

Bruce was calm and said coolly to me. "Miss West, do you require legal representation?" The intonation on the word West was in a subtle indication of my parentage.

"I- I- I do." I stammered, catching onto his way of thinking. "Police Commissioner Gordon, my attorney is here to sit in on the interview, if you are okay with that?"

Gordon was not happy to have been caught out and played so efficiently. "Fine." He dragged his chair from the table and slumped into it. "Miss West-"

I couldn't help but correct him. "My name is Willow Artemis Jade West. Willow will suffice."

"Oh so you're the daughter of the rogue hero Artemis, are you?" he taunted.

"Excuse me! She is still my mother-" I snapped, standing up, but Bruce put his hand up to silence me. "Continue with your questioning…"

"What is your association with the Salvation?"

"The Salvation? As in like the Salvation Army?" I asked naively, wondering what this group was.

"That isn't the question." Gordon scribbled a note down in his notepad, shielding it from my view. "And when did they recruit you to attack Ms Kennedy-Dallas?"

"What? I didn't- why would- no. I've never been recruited by anyone. The only association I have been recruited by is the Just… No- no one has ever recruited me. Only to be recruited into families." I sat up straight, maintaining perfect composure.

The questioning continued with Bruce sat beside me. There was something bizarre about the fact that the old Batman was sat right beside me as my fake attorney. Occasionally Bruce would murmur some kind of comment to ward me away from a particular line of answer. I was grateful for the assistance and almost friendly face.

"I think we're done here…" Bruce said slowly. "You have no evidence Willow is connected, and all your questions lead us to believe she isn't involved. Of course, should you wish to ask her further questions, you can find her at the Justice Headquarters. Come on Willow."

-o-

Nightwing and Aqualad were waiting for me with arms folded. Bruce's new manservant left me in the garage before returning to Wayne Manor. I squeezed my arm nervously as I approached my two 'uncles' and knowing that I was in for a huge lecture.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Willow." Nightwing led me to the break room of headquarters – where Lola and Kyle were sat at either end of the room. "Now it seems that neither Lola or Project Geno-"

"Kyle…" Kyle frowned at Nightwing, making a coffee cup tremble from the short table.

"Hmm… Seeing as neither of these two are willing to offer up a reasonable explanation, it falls to you Willow. They were lucky that Angel was merely your pawn in that charade otherwise who knows what would have happened."

Aqualad nodded in agreement. "We can not have this insubordination on the Justice Squad. You are the futures of our city and one day, you will be the ones to take up our mantle. Willow, you out of everyone was highly recommended to be progressed onto mission work with Fin'abarra and Ryan… Now, I'm not so sure."

"The Salvation were behind it…" I said dramatically, keeping my eyes down on their feet. "Police Commissioner Gordon left slip about it in questioning because he thought I was involved."

There was definitely a look exchanged between Nightwing and Aqualad that you couldn't have missed.

"What's wrong?" I asked again. "You know something about Salvation?"

Lola looked up. "Are they out to eradicate the ones that they call mutants?"

Nightwing towered over Lola, standing beside me. "You're on thin ice, Lola. Impulse and Blue Beetle might not have wanted to bring you into the Justice Squad, but you can guarantee that you'll be out of it if you continue to behave this way. There are a lot of things going against you right now."

The coffee mug quivered again, shaking towards the edge of the table. Before my own eyes, everything went in slow motion, the mug whittled through the air which is when my abilities kicked in. My hand shot out and caught the mug just inches from Nightwing's face.

"Kyle…" I said sternly. "You can't do that. That is not okay."

His amber eyes grew wide and then he looked away with clenched fists. "He doesn't understand."

"No Kyle. You don't understand," I replied, taking up a diplomatic approach to the situation. "Whilst you are a part of this team, we need you to help us, not create drama. I- erm- I get that you and Lola have this strong bond since she brought you out of your hibernation, but you need to realise that you are a member of the team- not the leader. Under this roof it is me, you and Finn… Here, we report to any of the supers, whether that is Nightwing, Aqualad, Miss Martian- or any of the others." I paused, waiting for him to look up. "Kyle, you're one of us. You are our friend, but you need to learn our ways. Green Canary, AJ and Quill will work so hard to train you to become the best super you can be."

Nightwing smiled, folding his arms and standing up straight beside me. He watched Kyle closely, just in case.

Kyle relaxed momentarily. "He started it."

"Nightwing – forgive me for speaking out of term, but I think that we should give Kyle some freedom. Give him a guest designation and enrol at the school. He needs to learn our way, and that's only going to happen if he can live our way of life." I bowed my head down to Nightwing. "I'm only suggesting a way of encouraging him to be normal. And in a world where you have teens with lightning reflexes and can move faster than the speed of light, wouldn't it be great to lead normal lives? To go to school dances and worry about being late for algebra class or something?"

There was something on Nightwing's mind, another glance at Aqualad. "What do you say, Kyle? Can you learn to be a normal kid for the future?"

Lola snorted. "May some father bonding would assist in the situation, right Nightwing?"

I wasn't sure about the meaning behind her comment, but I shrugged it off just as Kyle accepted Nightwing's offer. It made me feel excited that my idea was being taken up and they were doing something about it.

-o-

Me and Finn waited for Kyle in the garage. I had explained everything that had happened the day before and how Kyle was going to be normal like us for a while to help with his transitioning. Hopefully, it would tone down his overprotective nature.

"Woah…" Finn mumbled.

I turned around to see Kyle in an outfit that wasn't a hand me down. It consisted of a long sleeved grey top with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark wash jeans and lace up boots. Hanging from his hands was a dark brown, distressed leather jacket that I was sure I had seen Superboy wear in the past at random events.

"You look the part, but can you act the part?" I asked, smiling softly. "Don't look so worried- me and Fin'abarra will be right there with you – apart from during lessons of course."

"I am… ready." Kyle tried to smile, but it seemed slightly forced.

Our ride to school was relaxed with me and Finn talking to Kyle about school, lessons and general cafeteria etiquette. We left it up to Kyle to choose who he would rather sit with and be associated with. It wasn't our place to determine what kind of student Kyle was going to be. Part of me was intrigued to see what kind of person Kyle would become.

I was utterly surprised by what I saw.

Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = It was great to write another chapter from Willow's perspective – what sort of person do you think that Kyle is going to be?