Chapter Four

The two archers froze standing mere feet apart, locked on the other's eyes, waiting for their counterpart to strike. After the longest five seconds in recorded human history, Roy made the first move, instinctively reaching for his bow when he remembered not only was he unclothed, but unarmed as well. Artemis drew her weapon and aimed it center mass. She wasn't going to kill him, she didn't even want to hurt him, but if Nightwing's reaction was indication of how welcome she was back in Gotham, Red Arrow's was bound to be worse, much worse.

Dick Grayson had once been a close friend and confidant, but Red Arrow was a completely different matter altogether. Roy Harper never liked her, never trusted her. He'd always felt Artemis had been forced upon his friends, fellow protégés who were like brothers to him, as a replacement that no one had asked for. Had Harper been given a chance to clear his head and think it through, more than likely he would have joined his friends to form a team even stronger than the one he'd hungered for all those years just to spite the mighty Justice League, but thanks to Green Arrow and Batman, he never got that chance, and now with her actions from almost a decade ago, she'd proven him right once again. This unintended reunion was only going to fuel that fire even more.

Artemis's muscles tensed as she waited for Harper's next move when suddenly a familiar voice came out from the bedroom.

"We'll this is awkward," Jade spoke amusingly, strolling into the den as if she didn't have a care in world, equally as naked as the man in front of her.

Artemis's brow furrowed at her sister's sudden arrival and finally the pieces all fell into place.

"You've got to be kidding me," Artemis groaned lowering her weapon, "How long?"

"Oh a few months or so on and off, what the Shadows don't know won't hurt them. Besides Red's always been good at keeping secrets haven't you Roy?"

Roy rolled his eyes and cursed to himself, turning back to the bedroom to put something on. Artemis tried her best not stare as the archer walked away, much to the amusement of her sister. When she turned back towards Jade, the blonde had fire in her eyes.

"If the Shadows had found out you'd been communicating with someone on the outside they would have killed us both!" she barked. Jade shrugged off the remark and walked past her towards the dilapidated kitchenette.

"I assumed they were going to kill us anyway, but they didn't dear sister. So take a deep breath and relax. No harm no foul. I'd offer you some breakfast but Red evidently has never heard of fresh fruit or coffee."

Roy retuned moments later, tying off the string of his sweatpants as he entered the room. Surprisingly he didn't seem as angry or venomous as Artemis would have predicted. She doubted he'd mellowed that much over the years, but something was different.

"For the record I only found about you a few days ago," Roy stated. "I should have known the Crock sisters would stick together."

"Yes you should have," Jade smiled, sitting down on the coach and patting the dusty cushion for her lover to join her.

Artemis stared at her irritably, not happy with sister's lack of honesty and even more so with her lack of clothing

"Do you mind?" Artemis frowned.

"Do you?" Jade grinned tauntingly before standing and kissing Roy on the cheek.

"Fine. You weren't' such a prude a few weeks ago when you and Zane were breaking the box spring in that villa in Laos. I'll be right back. Red be nice, and Artemis…behave." Then she walked out of the den, closing the bedroom door behind her.

Roy stared at her from across the room, his expression unreadable. Artemis grew frustrated with herself that even after all these years he could still make her feel like an insecure thirteen year old girl with just a glance. She didn't owe him any explanation, but chances were that he know the whole story anyway, or most of it

"Do I need to ask who Zane is?"

"No," she replied sharply, trying to move past the subject as quickly as she could.

"So I guess you're probably pretty pissed at me?" the blonde delivered sarcastically, knowing that question to be a gross understatement.

His gaze never wavered, but his tone softened, not as accusatory or antagonistic as she'd expected. He sighed, "You had your reasons."

His attitude and demeanor confused her. This was not the person she remembered at all. It had been almost ten years, and he still looked just about the same, a little leaner than she recalled, but still just as muscular, now sporting a large oriental dragon tattoo draped across his shirtless back. But something was different; he was different. Mellower maybe, less accusing than the man who'd threatened her in that Gotham alleyway all those years ago. She still remembered that moment quite vividly.

"Don't hurt my friends."

Now his eyes look tired, weary, as if he'd been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for years. When Artemis looked down towards his arms, she noticed the scars, not battle wounds but something else entirely. Roy caught her staring and crossed his arms self-consciously across his chest to hide them from her gaze.

"So does Ollie know?"

Roy paused for a moment. "No. We don't talk all that often anymore."

"How is he?" she asked hesitantly.

"Good from what I hear. He sold Queen Consolidated a few years back, but still remains the majority stockholder. I saw him about four or five months ago at a shareholders meeting. We hit the streets, did a little hero work, but that was about it. Oh yeah…he and Dinah finally got married."

Artemis smiled at his statement. "Bout time," she added pleasantly. It was the first bit of good news she'd come across since returning.

Roy continued. "So now he just plays philanthropist for Star City, vacations A LOT, and he and Canary show up whenever the League needs them. Not a bad life all things considered."

"Why didn't you tell him?" she asked curiously.

"Like I said he and I don't talk much, besides it's not my place. He took your death pretty hard, we all did."

"Even you?" she asked disbelievingly

"Even me," he nodded, frowning irritably at her question, "but Ollie blamed himself for getting you involved in this life in the first place. If or when he finds out, it's going to be from you. If you're not planning on sticking around then it's probably better off if he doesn't know."

"What if Nightwing's already told him?" she asked.

That question caught him off guard. "You talked to Dick?" he asked surprised.

"Not really talked to, as much as talked at."

"What did he say?" Roy asked.

"Not much, just that he and Bruce had known for years, that he never told anyone, and that everyone would be better off if I stayed dead. Charming huh?"

"Wow," he chuckled, "that's pretty cold, even for him. I'm not all that surprised that he knew. He always kept things close to the vest."

"I guess I can't blame him," she replied disheartened

"He's changed Artemis, we all have."

"I guess I just didn't expect that from him, you maybe…." she smirked.

Roy retuned the smile.

She sat down next to him on the couch and turned her head quizzically. "Why are you being so decent to me? You've always hated me."

"I didn't hate you Artemis , I just didn't trust you. Bats and Ollie had their reasons for bringing you in, but they never shared them. I don't know if I was more pissed at not being chosen for the League or getting replaced within weeks of leaving, but I have trust issues, my sponsor reminds me of that constantly."

"We'll I ended up screwing everybody over just like you said I would," she replied bitterly.

"Look Artemis, if it makes you feel any better I am pissed. You caused a lot of people a lot of heartache, people I care about."

Artemis nodded silently, staring at the floor unsure what to say.

"I know you had your reasons, I really do, but how did you think this was all was going to play out?"

She shook her head slightly, staring off in the distance, reliving the moment when she triggered the bomb and said goodbye to the people she loved.

"Not like this," she spoke barely above a whisper.

She'd hoped to feel some sort of fulfillment for putting down her mother's killer, the man she constantly disappointed, the man who mentally abused her and stole her childhood. She'd wished for some kind of coldblooded satisfaction, but to her surprise she'd felt nothing. Even as she watched Jade drag his lifeless body into that tub, filing it full of acids and compounds that would dissolve the last remnants of Lawrence Crock into nothingness, all she felt was numb and cold, just like she did after every death that had come at her hands since then.

"Look, you're not the only person who's screwed over and hurt people. I've been to some pretty dark places, places that I put myself. I got involved with the wrong people and ruined a lot of relationships in the process. I know you saw the tracks on my arms. I'm an addict" he shrugged, "pure and simple. I might be clean now, but I'll always be an addict."

She stared again but this time he didn't try to hide the tracks, instead looking at the scars with her, trying to remember back to a time he wasn't haunted by demons of one kind or another.

"After fuck up after fuck up and more relapses than I can count, just about everybody washed their hands of me. I don't blame them, but there were a few that never gave up on me and gave me more second chances than I deserved. One of the steps I learned in recovery is about making amends, and after all the shit I pulled over the years I'll probably be doing it for the rest of my life. It would be pretty hypocritical of me to judge based on my track record. I do have one question though, what are you hoping to accomplish by coming back?"

Artemis frowned. "I don't' know. It's just…" she sighed wearily, "This was the only place that ever made sense to me. It was the first time in my whole fucked up life that I felt like I fit in, like I belonged somewhere. I don't know if I came back to explain myself, to make amends, or just say goodbye. Whatever the reason it's too late. I realize that now. Dick's right, I should just vanish."

"Dick's not always right Artemis, he's had his fair share of fuck ups over the years too, my guess is he thinks that if you're just going to disappear all over again, it's not worth opening up old wounds. I can respect that, but if you're considering staying around for a while, sooner or later there's a chance you're going to run in to someone. It would probably be better if it's on your terms rather than theirs."

Artemis paused for a moment to contemplate his words carefully.

In her mind, she knew she'd come too far not to know, not to ask the questions that had haunted her for years. She needed to know what had become of them, what had become of him. After that she'd finally have the closure she'd sought for so long, after that she could finally move on.

Artemis was just about to start her inquiry when her stomach growled loudly and she realized for the first time she hadn't eaten since she'd arrived in Gotham. Only then did she recognize how shaky she'd become, as the last of her adrenaline worked its way out after their initial confrontation. From years of training she refused to show any sign of weakness, but unfortunately her stomach had decided otherwise.

"How long's it been since you ate?" Roy asked concerned.

"A while," the blonde answered wearily.

Roy rose to his feet and reached out for Artemis's hand "Come on, I know just the place."

xxx

If today had been her last day on earth, Artemis could have died a happy woman. After the last few years consisting of items that would make a Billy goat puke, she was now actually eating an honest to God greasy Gotham cheeseburger. Waves of pleasure washed over her as she devoured her meal. She knew she should slow down and savor every bite, but she had little self-control when it came to her first real American meal in close to a decade.

Roy and Jade watched amusingly as ketchup and mustard dripped down the ravenous blonde's chin, but Artemis didn't care, the burger and fries were heavenly. She couldn't recall a meal that had ever tasted so good. Her appetite had always leaned more towards Americana while Jade's chose a more traditional Asian cuisine, but Artemis decided not to point that out at the moment as Cheshire finished her second chili dog with extra onion. The Starlight Diner would never score highly on any Health Department's inspectors list, but for what it lacked in cleanliness it made up for in flavor.

Roy finished his BLT, wiping his mouth, and began his tale.

"Kaldur was the first to leave. He'd always been stretched thin with his obligations to Atlantis and balancing his time with the Team. He thought once he handed off the Team Leader title to Nightwing things would slow down, but you know in our line of work they never do. I know Dick tried to talk him out of it, but between Tula's death and yours, he'd had enough."

Artemis vaguely recalled the name, remembering her as Kaldur's one true yet unrequited one; however that story would have to wait for another day.

"Anyway we kept in touch on and off for a while, but it was never the same. A few years ago, he was named the Atlantean ambassador to the U.N. You could tell he'd missed the surface world, but his heroing days were long past. Unfortunately for me that was during one of my really low points. He tried to help, but I wouldn't let him. After a real knock down drag out he finally gave up and washed his hands of me. I can't say I blame him. Besides you can't have an Atlantean dignitary hanging out with some low life crack addict. I get an email from him occasionally, but that's about it."

Roy continued the roll call.

"I don't remember where Conner and Clark stood before you left, but they ended up becoming really close. Supes kind of became more of an older brother than a father figure, and that turned out to be exactly what each other needed. They've had a great relationship ever since. The Kent's took him in and Conner finally got what he always wanted, a mom and dad, a brother, you know; a real family. He deserved it."

Harper stroked his chin, trying to remember the exact order of things; it had been a while since he'd thought back on those days.

"I guess it's been about four and a half, maybe five years now since Jonathon Kent died. It was a massive heart attack from what I heard, Bruce had one of the best cardiac surgeons in the country flown in, but it was too late. It just crushed Conner. They were really close. So after the funeral Conner decided to stay with Martha and as far as I know he's been there ever sense; working the farm, taking care of her. I guess Conner decided the world only needed one Superman."

"Megan didn't leave the team by choice, J'onn made her. Since you've been gone her telepathy and telekinesis had gotten stronger, a lot stronger. I've seen her do things even the Manhunter couldn't pull off on his best day. He always said she was the most powerful telepath he'd ever seen, but…."

"But?" Artemis mirrored.

Roy hesitated. "She started to became a danger to herself and everyone around her. On more than one occasion she got a little extreme with the guys they fought. Dick said she showed little remorse about doing it. She almost lobotomized a few bad guys and from what I heard damn near killed Psimon. The official story was she was having problems keeping everyone's voices out of her head and she finally broke, but I know it was more than that. Kaldur told me she tried to…I don't know you'd call it… alter maybe?.. everyone's memories, trying to cover up or fix the things she'd done. She just wanted to make things the way they were before, but once you've crossed that line you can't go back. J'onn took her off the team, they gave up their civilian I.D.s and moved off somewhere up North, tranquil from what I understand, but isolated. Zatanna keeps in touch with her. Zee says she pretty fragile, but doing better. The bad thing was Conner had known what she was doing the whole time, but kept it to himself. That didn't sit well with the others. Not long after that they broke up and went their separate ways."

Artemis sat silently in disbelief. This was not the news she was expecting. Her life had taken some drastic turns over the years, but she assumed…hoped that the ones she'd left behind had fared better. With Roy's news she sadly realized that was not the case.

"Zatanna still plays Vegas and a few other places a couple times a year, they're crazy for her magic shows out there, but mostly she stays close to home and takes care of her dad. Giovanni just has never been the same since Dr. Fate released him. It's kind of ironic that Zee was the only one of us that made it to the League and she was probably the one that cared the least about it. But the League needed a sorcerer and there was no way Zatarra was going to be able to come back, so she said yes. She told everyone it was to honor her father, but I think Zee also needed a change of scenery. Things had become kind of toxic between she and Dick towards the end."

"They were still a couple?" Artemis asked surprised.

"I don't know if you'd call them a couple, they'd both deny it if you asked, but teenage crushes can't last forever. She was ready to take it to the next level and he wasn't. It became all about the next mission for him, sound familiar? Dick took your death really hard. It was the first and only time anyone had died on his watch. Back in the day he wanted so badly to lead the team, to be the guy, after that he just wasn't the same."

"It's funny; I can still remember him swearing up and down that he never wanted to be "the Batman", but we don't always get what we want. Now he runs an off-shoot of Wayne Enterprises; Wayne Tech. Yeah I know, real creative name right? Dick does a lot of research and development for special cyber projects for the Air Force, it eats up a lot of his time, but he loves it. And when he's not doing that, he's usually getting his picture taken with some supermodel or debutante under his arm. He and Bruce have the playboy persona down pat. I guess you noticed the new Robin huh?" Roy asked.

Artemis nodded.

"Dick kind of became the odd man out when Bruce brought the kid in. Trust me I can relate," his brow furrowed looking at the blonde archer. "I know for a fact he was asked to join the League several times, but he always said no. I'd like to think it was because the four of us didn't go in together that first day we were invited into the Hall of Justice, that had always been our dream, but more than likely he just didn't want to. So now he does the solo thing mostly and keeps to himself. Occasionally he patrols with Barbara, but that's about it. We hook up for dinner about twice a year just for old times, but things aren't the same anymore."

Jade yawned, tiring of their trip down memory lane. Finally she stood and stretched her arms above her head contorting in all different directions, the sound of every joint in her back and neck popping simultaneously.

"As much as I'd love to hear more of this little soap opera, I thought I spotted an antique sword shop on the way over. I think I'll browse their inventory while you two finish up. Red be a dear and catch the check for us, I'll make it worth your while," she purred in his ear, biting gently at his right lobe before walking out with a sway of her hips.

Roy smiled to himself, briefly imagining the different scenarios that promise could entail when he turned back to Artemis to notice the concern on her face, the worry in her normally unreadable eyes. She knew there was a reason for the order in which he'd shared, why someone who had been so important to her had been relegated to the end. The elephant in the room had been there long enough when she finally slayed it.

"What about Wally?" she asked, her husky voice cracking slightly.

Roy frowned. "It's complicated," he spoke softly, watching the condensation drip off his glass to the table below, remembering moments that made his troubles seem pale in comparison

"It all started with a man named Eobard Thawne."

xxx

A/N. I've been asked about this a few times, so for those of you who are curios this is a complete rewrite of the first story I ever published - The Long Road to Redemption. I went back to clean up the typos and such, and when I re-read it realized it was pretty terrible - with cheesy over dramatic dialogue and storylines. I had a few plot ideas floating in my head and realized I had much better use for this story, so I deleted it and started completely over with just a few similarities for structure. Anyway I'd like to think I've grown and improved as a writer, and I really wanted these characters to seem and act real. I hope I'm accomplishing that. Anyway some reviews would be greatly appreciated if you have the time and the next chapter will be out shortly. - GD

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