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: I realised that we hadn't had a single chapter from Aqualad/Aquaman's son, so here goes. Don't forget to review so I know you're enjoying the story!

Chapter 13 – Willow West

Sat in a slightly rundown internet cafe, I waited for my mother to arrive. There was a lot that I wanted to say to her, but I was worried how my nerves might get in the way. The cafe was sparsely filled and I felt out in the open as I took the middle table, facing the window. We had agreed to meet out of the way where we wouldn't be spotted.

The coffee I had bought and not touched was cold by the time my mom arrived. I stood up abruptly when I saw her, nearly knocking the coffee over had my reflexes not been what they were.

"Willow... it's been too long." Artemis went to hug me, but I stepped back. "Oh. I understand that things can't go back to what they were, Willow, but I want you to know that- that I want us to be a family. Me, Cameron, you and Isabella..."

My stomach was twisting at the thought of playing happy families with Icicle Junior and his daughter. My stepsister.

"Are you- are you wearing makeup?" Artemis asked.

I could feel her reaching out to touch my face. "It's for the freckles. I don't like them so I cover them up..."

"And I take it the hat is to hide the hair colour hat you don't like, right?" She exhaled heavily. "I used to love those things about you."

"Yeah- doesn't stop me not like them just because someone else likes them." I scratched the back of my hand. "I want things to go back to being just you and me. Why can't we do that?"

"Because I can't do that to Cameron. We- I know this isn't the right way to tell you, but he's asked me to marry him. I said I couldn't decide there and then so he's given me a week whilst he and Isabella go to visit some relative. Obviously he's angry, but I wanted to talk to you about it."

I saw a notification pop up on my phone from Mari asking why I wasn't at training this morning. Putting my phone faced down on the table to stop me from being distracted. "Mom, I love you, but I'm still hurting. Your happiness has to mean something to me. I'm not the same girl that left home to get away from it all."

"Hmm... I hear that you're following in your father's footsteps, by joining the subdivisions of the Justice League."

I tried to force a smile. "They were your footsteps too, and they still can be." I ignored the expression on her face that told me otherwise. "Nightwing and Aqualad- make that Aquaman actually. They would always welcome you back with open arms."

"Things are different, Willow."

"They're not!" I raised my voice, standing up abruptly. "This was a mistake. Things can't go back to the way they were. I guess I won't be having the archer mother daughter bond I was hoping for." I bit my lip as I hastily left, trying not to cry.

As I ran around the corner, I darted my way across the construction site, crawling through a metal cylinder and coming out in a dark alleyway. The wind whipped up the leaves around my legs and I suddenly felt anxious.

"Oh Twiggy, what's wrong?" A masked figure dressed in black jumped down in front of me. "You look like you're upset by something. And I'm not about to make things better for you..."

I held my fists up.

"Put them down. I don't want to fight you. I'm here to recruit you."

"Recruit me?" I murmured, lowering my fists slowly. "Recruit me for what?"

"The Salvation. You're what we're looking for and we think the same- you and I." The person produced a sleek black calling card. "Tell then Assassin referred you."

As I took the card hesitantly, I gazed at the gold lettering embossed on the card. "But I-"

They were gone. Gone before I could do or say anything.

-o-

I didn't tell anyone about the meeting with my mother, or Assassin accosting me in the alleyway to offer me a job with the Salvation. The Justice Squad has enough on their plate already.

Tensions were high between Lola and Ryan. Lola was being incredibly distant with Kyle who was too engrossed in his romance with Chelsea to notice this. Fina'barra was away a lot, probably on a secret mission. Mari was only just allowed back into training after the incident with Ryan and her star bolts earlier in the month. As for Max- he was the only one of us who wasn't causing trouble, but at the same time, he wasn't really one of us. Yet.

I was working in my room when the intercom buzzed.

"Willow- it's Nightwing. I need you to step outside..."

Fear washed over me like a wave. I had no idea why, but I knew I shouldn't leave him waiting. I put my school books back into the top drawer and stepped out into the corridor, asking what was wrong.

Nightwing directed Green Canary to go into my room. Further down the corridor, Angel was going into Kyle's room as he stood gormlessly in the corridor.

"Sorry Willow- we've had a tip off that requires us to search the rooms within headquarters," Nightwing said, standing in the corridor between mine and Kyle's room. "None of us want this- so if you have something to surrender, please hand it over now. Otherwise we're going to turn you rooms inside out."

Kyle was quick to make a jibe. "Isn't it upside down?"

"Quiet Ky-El..."

We waited in the corridor until Green Canary emerged from my room holding the calling card from Assassin.

"I think this is what you were looking for, Nightwing?" Green Canary mumbled quietly. She held out the card to Nightwing. "Looks like the problem is far closer to home than we thought. Willow, where did you get this?"

My palms felt sweaty as I prepared to talk. "I want to talk to Green Canary in private, please?" I asked with my voice quivering uncontrollably.

Green Canary nodded and walked away with me. Her hand resting soothingly on my shoulder. "What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked once we were in the training room.

"I want to tell you some things, but I don't want Nightwing or any of the new Justice League to know, because I don't want them to think negatively of me."

"Willow- no one will think negatively of you if you just tell us the truth."

"Well there's kind of two things- three even. I lied about where I got the collapsible now from- it wasn't a gift from Artemis, Metallica forced me to take it." After saying one truth, I was on a role and let loose on everything. "And I wasn't a training the other day because I went to go and see Artemis. She's my mother and I needed to talk to her... then on my way home, I ran into someone called Assassin who insisted I take the Salvation's calling card..."

Green Canary was silent - probably from the shock of all tree bombshells I had just dropped at her feet. She inhaled slowly, plotting her next move. "There's no way that I can hide all that, Willow..."

The doors opened and Nightwing entered pushing Max into the room.

"Max says you went to see your mom... is that true?" Nightwing asked, not giving away any emotions. "He hacked into your phone's GPS and then the Internet cafe webcams. Why didn't you tell us? She could have-"

I shook my head rapidly. "No- she wouldn't do anything to hurt me." My heart aches when I looked at Max because of the betrayal and trust that he broke by delving into my privacy. "This is a set up. Why today of all days did you choose to search our rooms? A day later- isn't that too coincidental?"

Nightwing went to speak, but something stopped him. "Like I said, we had a tip off."

I grabbed a fistful of my red hair, feeling the exasperation and desperation growing. "I wasn't even going to contact them. Part of me forgot I even had the card in the first place."

Max looked up at his father. "She's telling the truth Dad- Nightwing. Willow wouldn't lie about this. The benefits of telling the truth in this scenario severely outweigh the cons." The younger boy tried to smile at me as if to say he was sorry.

Green Canary turned towards Max's father. "Willow has shown her loyalty to the team, Nightwing. I think we need to take that into account. The city and everyone in it need a strong team of supers on their side. With the likes of Metallica, Konstantin and the Salvation running free, we need as many supers as we can muster. They might not be strong enough now, but with missions and training, they'll be up to scratch in no time. Myself and Angel are sure of it."

I admired Green Canary's confidence and ability to stand up to her colleagues or superiors for what she believed in. Being one of the few heroes born into the Justice League system that wasn't a part of Nightwing's original team must have been hard, but she proved it wasn't a necessity. My body straightened out, trying not to hunch over like I normally would.

Nightwing's eyes narrowed at me from behind his mask. "You are lucky that Green Canary is fighting your corner... but I want to discuss Artemis in private with you, Willow..." His eyes relaxed and I saw the pain beginning to surface in them.

"Yes Nightwing," I mumbled, watching Green Canary escort Max out of the room. "I really am sorry- after hearing Hayden Kennedy-Dallas talking about her daughter that she gave away, I knew I had to talk to Mom. I didn't even think she'd respond when I reached out to her."

Nightwing started to pace the room slowly. "How- How is she?"

I paused, unsure of how to really answer the question. "She is... happy? She was happy to see me, but." I couldn't bring myself to say much more. "Mom wants me to go back to living with her and Cameron."

"What. What did you say, Willow?"

"I said I couldn't. I can't." My mind races with the memories of her disappearing into the night and not returning home until the hours of the morning. "Artemis- Mom, I don't think she's happy. I think she wants to come home, but feels like the bridges were all burnt after what happened with the Parasite..."

It went silent.

Nightwing went over to the curved control panel towards the edge of the training circle. "There's something I want to show you." He beckoned me over, bringing up a video feed. "Beast Boy put this together soon after your father- well I think you should see it for yourself."

I looked up at the feed being projected in front of us. My parents fighting together, happy. The original Kid Flash and Artemis... It made me think of the reflex and marksmanship skills I had inherited from them. The feed flipped between various events and I wondered what the significance of it was. The focus gradually shifted to Wally West, until the news reports of what happened over fifteen years ago. Some interference and static affected the screen so much that I could see much else. By this point, Nightwing paused the transmission.

"Willow- with things the way they happened, I can't say that we would be able to welcome Artemis back into the New Justice League. Personally, I would love to be able to welcome her back, by there's a lot that has been left unsaid- and..." He froze when he heard the automatic doors slide open.

"Better suit up, Willow." Green Canary entered, quickly followed by Max who was now wearing his Firewing suit. "Firewing and I will fill you in once you're ready. Nightstar and Jester will be waiting for you, so quickly now."

-o-

Wearing my Diana outfit, I secured my brown mask over my eyes and tied my thick hair back into a high ponytail with two strands hanging down either side of my face. It was becoming more like a second skin and like I was beginning more accustomed to it. Diana was growing on me. With my collapsed bow in hand and quiver on my back, I ran through the corridors of he headquarters to find Jester, Nightstar and also Stealth waiting for me.

"Come on Diana," Jester moaned, flexing his arms to show off his intimidatingly large muscles. "Villains don't wait for us to get ready." He ran a hand through his light hair, slicking it back off his face. "Team- let's go."

Nightstar smiled reassuringly at me. "I'll fill you in on the way."

-o-

We arrived at an old warehouse and I immediately recalled Metallica and Uppercut abducting me months ago. Nightstar divulged that the Salvation has been operating from within the warehouse and we were to investigate further. As we were meant to be sneaking about, I clipped my collapsed bow to the belt Firewing had crafted for me when he noticed that I was faster in a hands free situation.

Stealth pointed at the belt and hook, elbowing Nightstar. "I got to hand it to Firewing- he knows how to craft utility belts. Do you think he would make me one if I asked?"

Before I could answer, Jester interrupted ruthlessly, snapping at us to be quiet and focus on the mission rather than accessorising our hero outfits.

I pulled away from the group, going down the side of the warehouse. Climbing up onto a large, green dumpster, I leapt through the air, grabbing onto a cold, rusted fire escape ladder. Up at the top of the fire escape, I was able to climb into the roof where there were a lot of filthy glass windows looking down into the warehouse.

Inside the warehouse was a stack of boxes that were taped up and had red letters on the sides. Squinting my eyes, I saw the word was "Salvation" and that meant we were in the right place. A blur of yellow from inside signalled that Stealth had scouted around for any sign of trouble, but there didn't appear to be anyone.

Jester slid in through an open window, jumping down onto the warehouse floor.

Leaning forwards, I saw a black figure hiding behind a stack of boxes in the corner. My hand planted itself onto the glass, not realising that it was actually a flimsy plastic. It immediately caved under my weight and I fell through.

I jolted mid air as Nightstar caught me under my arms. "Jester- company!" I shouted pointing as the black figure flung itself through the air, tackling our leader.

It was Assassin.

"Jester, hold them still!" I cried, opening my bow and trying to get a good aim.

Jester killed Assassin square in the stomach, knowing them into the wall. Clutching their side, Assassin jumped up onto the wall and squeezed agilely through the window Jester had entered through.

I tried to help Jester up off the floor, but he ignored it and went over to a box nearby. He retrieving a metal card from his suit and sliced into the tape.

"What is it?" Nightstar asked as we drew closer to the box.

"Get out!" Jester shouted. "Get out now!"

Before I had time to see what was in the box, Stealth raced into the building to grab Jester as Nightstar dragged me up into the sky. The momentum made my stomach turn- like when you do a tight turn on a rollercoaster. Just as we looked around for Nightstar to lower me to safety, an explosion ripped through the air. The force threw me from her grip and we slammed into the ground. I scraped my cheek and shoulder on the ground as I rolled along it. Curling up quickly when I saw a beam of wood hurtling towards me.

A bright glow of purple light destroyed the wood, splintering it completely. My fellow hero collapsed beside me, panting heavily.

"What- what happened?" she asked with laboured breath.

"I don't know." My mind clicked. "Stealth!"

We tried to climb the rubble of the destroyed warehouse. There were no other people around for maybe miles.

Without a moment's thought, I pressed the button on our earpiece. "Green Canary... we need assistance... A dispatch team or something..." I grunted in pain as I pulled myself up off the floor.

Her voice was calm in my ear. "Diana- Angel and Mentalist are on their way. What happened?"

"Warehouse... boxes... explosion. Stealth and Jester trapped within..." I planted heavily.

"Stay right here, Diana- do not try to find them by approaching the remains. Hats an order."

-o-

I respected Green Canary enough to honour her orders, but Nightstar was keen on burning her way through some of the building's broken foundations.

It wasn't long before I got the fright of my life when Angel and Kyle- new name Mentalist arrived by flight.

"Stealth and Jester- they're trapped inside," I said, pointing to where a warehouse once stood.

Mentalist's eyes widened and I watched as his hands began to curl as he channelled his telekinetic energy into the shattered walls of the warehouse. Slabs of concrete rose into the air. Mentalist's face writhed and screwed itself up as he tried to lift more and more. The floating remains were tossed aside, slamming down in an empty space behind the warehouse plot. Rather than try to move more, Mentalist and Angel floated down to search for Stealth and Jester.

I noticed a gloved hand and raced across to it. "Angel! Mentalist!" I cried out.

They rushed towards the square of concrete that was propped up against a metal beam.

Dropping to my knees, I crouched down to see Stealth lying almost face down. My hand reached out to touch her shoulder , but I the gap was too tight. I looked wishfully at Angel, Mentalist and Nightstar. The three of them lined up together to lift the broken square. Their grunts and straining noises filled he air as they removed the square, letting it fall to one side.

"Stealth?" I whispered, rolling her body over gently. "We need to get her home- to Stem Cell."

Mentalist winced. "I will take her." He held his hands out with a delicacy about them - as if he was about to hold a new-born baby.

Stealth's body rose from the ground, rolling over limply. It looked almost like a magician's trick as Mentalist rest his hands slightly under her body and carried her back to the headquarters.

"What about Jester?" Angel asked, scanning our surroundings. "You said he was trapped, but he's not here... I'll call in Superboy and Miss Martian to clear some more of this rubble and bring transport for you two. Green Canary will want a debriefing over what happened."

-o-

The debriefing was put on hold until Stem Cell had worked her magic on Stealth. Mentalist stayed glued to the speedster's side, eager to be there when she awoke. Once Stem Cell came to the end of the healing process, she nearly collapsed into the chair beside the bed. Beast Boy was in the infirmary room like a rocket, helping her up to her feet.

"Is she okay?" I asked, offering to help.

Beast Boy smiled nervously at me. "It's nothing. She's fine."

Stem Cell placed a hand tenderly on Beast Boy's face. "Perhaps we should have a proper discussion with Nightwing about our- situation. Diana, would you ask Nightwing to meet us on the next room?"

I nodded enthusiastically and went to retrieve Nightwing who was a little aggrieved to be interrupted. I told him it seemed urgent and led him towards the infirmary to the room next door to the one Stealth was in.

As I went to leave, Stem Cell stopped me. "You ought to hear this too. You seem to be next in command to the others without Jester here."

My hands felt clammy as I closed the door. Stepping back into the corner, I wondered if I would be able to get sucked into the walls and vanish from the room. Obviously the answer was no, but I couldn't help but wonder.

Stem Cell laughed nervously, standing up beside Beast Boy. "Now- this isn't exactly easy for me to come out and say, but since the mission mishap with Metallica earlier this month, things have been thrown up in the air. I have to think about our safety..." She paused, unable to hide the broad smile growing on her face. "And when I say our safety, I'm not just talking about me and Beast Boy..."

Nightwing's face lit up and he smiled. "You mean- you, and BB are...?"

Stem Cell nodded. "It's still early days, but we think so."

"I mean, this is incredible news. Congratulations, both of you!" Nightwing embraced Stem Cell, squeezing her tightly and bumping fists with Beast Boy. "I take it this means we aren't going to have our personal first aid kit forever, huh?"

"My strength is not what it used to be. The missions the teams are going on have required a lot of my abilities. If I could do this forever, then I would... but I have to take a step back. If not for me then at least for little B Cell..."

Beast Boy growled light-heartedly. "I thought we weren't telling anyone about that!"

Stem Cell squeezed Nightwing's hand and took one of mine. "I know that everything will be okay here. With you two at the helm of the Justice League and Justice Squad, how could things possibly go wrong?" She smiled again and went slowly out of the room.

Beast Boy shook Nightwing's hand. "You still got me, Nightwing. I promise you that."

-o-

Knowing Stem Cell would be taking a leave of absence from the Justice League was a daunting thought. She wouldn't be there to bail us out of injuries and sticky situations, but we couldn't force her to be out forever medi-pack.

A few days passed and Jester still did not return - nor was he discovered in the warehouse remnants.

I decided to take Lola out to grab a bite to eat one evening, hoping that it would take her mind off of the dramas going on in her life.

In the booth of the diner we sat at, Lola seemed down about everything. She pulled the sleeves of her cardigan down over her wrists, pinching the material with her thumbs. Her normally immaculately styled hair looked limp and straggly.

Dinner came to our table and I watched as Lola pokes her food about her plate. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

Lola inhaled sharply, her bottom lip quivering.

"If you don't want to talk about it you don't have to," I quickly added. "I'm your friend, Lola. I just want you to know that."

"Thanks Willow. I just don't know if you'll understand..."

"Well I'm prepared to listen either way." I cut into my burger, choosing to dissect the dish and eat it as a deconstructed meal.

"I'm worried about Ryan. Him disappearing like that. Whilst things may not have been great between us, I don't like not knowing where I stand. Sure, we had this big argument the day before the mission... but I still sort of miss him."

I nodded. "I get that."

"And if I can be honest with you. The whole Kyle thing really messes with my mind," Lola sighed, grabbing the tissue and dabbing her eyes gently. "I hate being emotional."

"It's okay. Everyone needs to have a moment like his every once in a while and-"

The diner door swung open and my heart dropped for Lola. Kyle and his friend but not girlfriend, Chelsea, burst into the diner laughing loudly. If they had come in quietly, Lola probably wouldn't have even turned around to notice them.

"We can go if you want," I whispered, before Kyle noticed us and immediately dragged Chelsea to stand by our table.

"Willow- Lola. You're here too?" Kyle said cheerfully with Chelsea clinging to him like an overgrown baby monkey. "This is Chelsea, my friend from our school. The one who said my jacket was made from boyfriend material."

Chelsea laughed in an obnoxiously high pitch. "Oh my god, hi! Isn't Kyle like- the funniest guy you've ever met? No way, you're Lola Allen-Reyes, you go out with that hottie Ryan, right?"

Lola managed to muster, "That is me, I guess..."

"You know, we should totally go on a double date some time!" Chelsea squealed enthusiastically before dragging Kyle away to sit at a table diagonally opposite us and in Lola's peripheral vision.

Lola poked her food with her fork some more. "Please don't offer to swap places with me. It's not like I need to completely avoid Kyle or anything."

"Yeah, but I just got the feeling that there might have been some-thing there between you." I tried to remain tentative and diplomatic.

A waitress walked past wearing the standard red gingham uniform and little white apron. On her tray was a large strawberry milkshake with top straws poking out of it. I watched Lola's blue eyes trace the movement of the waitress. When her gaze immediately was drawn out of the window, I couldn't help but glance over my shoulder.

Chelsea was leaning completely over the table to reach Kyle (I was thankful she was wearing jeans instead of a skirt.) She reaches her hand around the back of Kyle's neck and I grimaced as she forced her tongue down his throat.

The bell on the door rang and I knew Lola had darted. I chased after her, throwing some money down on the counter.

"Lola!" I called out, running across the parking lot towards her. "Please don't speed away!"

My friend turned around and I could see the tears in her clear blue eyes. "I need to find Ryan..."

"It's late, Lola. Let's get you home first, okay?" I put my arm around her and walked her home.

At their doorstep, her dads invited me in and insisted that I stay the night - I was thankful to have a night away from the headquarters. More importantly, I just wanted to show Lola that I would be there for her as a friend. Something told me she didn't have a lot of friends who happened to be girls. In a way, I felt like she was the opposite of me.

Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = I love, love, love writing this story – Please review and let me know what you're thinking because I want to know what you'd like from future chapters and characters