There was still about an hour before Ollie wanted to head out for patrol, so Artemis decided to spend some time exploring the area that surrounded Queen Manor. She laced up her ratty old tennis shoes and headed out, but she didn't make it far. Shock glued her in place just outside of the door. Well, maybe shock was a bit too harsh of a word. It's not like Kid Mouth was a total jerk.

He had stopped mid-stride when she stepped out of the house. His body poised to race off the steps. Turning to face her, Wally laughed nervously. "Hey, Artemis. Funny seeing you here." His pale cheeks had turned so red that his freckles had disappeared.

"I live here now," she replied, wondering why he was on Ollie's porch. It's not like Roy lived here anymore and Wally knew that. More awkward laughing from the redhead.

"Um, yeah. Rob told me." Artemis brushed past him and down the steps. Whatever Wally was up to she wasn't falling for. She didn't think he'd be that heartless to mock a girl who'd just lost her mother but they had said some pretty nasty stuff to each other in the past. Though, not as much lately.

"That doesn't explain why you're here." She began down the long twisting driveway with Wally in tow. The sun was just beginning to fade, handing the sky over to the moon. The blonde glanced over at the bumbling speedster. Finally, he sighed and pushed past his fear.

His words came out in a jumbled mess, far too fast for her to comprehend.

"English, Wally, English," Artemis interrupted. He stopped rambling and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I came to let you know that I'm… here if you need… someone to talk to." The last part came out as more of a question than a statement. He continued slowly, for once, choosing his words carefully. "I know what it's like to have… family issues, even if yours are much worse than mine."

She had to stop herself from retorting with some spiteful preprogrammed remark. "Thanks." There was an odd, but not unpleasant, understanding between them. "Kid Perfect's life isn't perfect?" she said with fake shock, giggling a bit at the end. She couldn't help it.

He smirked back. "You'd be amazed, beautiful."

Both of them froze, realizing exactly what he'd just said. She hadn't anticipated that and, clearly, neither had he. Wally blushed again but this time Artemis' cheeks were just as red. In her embarrassment, one misstep sent her shoulder bumping into his. "Should I call you an idiot now or…?" She asked uncertainly.

"If anyone asks, I didn't just say that, ok? I have a reputation to uphold." She nodded, and he burst out laughing. After a moment of hesitation, she joined him. They continued down the driveway. Artemis actually found herself enjoying their conversation. They didn't talk about anything specific, just life in general. Although they kept a physical distance between them there was a certain closeness in their words. Eventually, they both began talking about more personal stuff, like school and Wally's family. They steered clear of her family.

In the middle of one of his stories about his aunt, Artemis stopped him. "You really love your aunt and uncle, don't you?" She was hit with a little jealousy. Both of her parents were only children as far as she knew, and both her grandparents had died long ago. Now, she didn't even have her mother.

Wally sighed, surprising her with the heaviness of it. "Yeah. I spend so much time at their house I sometimes forget they're not my parents. I hate when that happens." This sparked her curiosity. What, exactly, where his family issues? She waited for him to continue but he didn't. In the small amount of light left, she could see his eyes darken. His shoulders sagged and then he was lost in some painful thought.

"I'm sorry, Wally," She mumbled. He seemed to have been brought back the sound of his name. "I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry about it." His smile was back but it wasn't full. "We should probably head back soon if you're going out patrolling tonight." He was right. Ollie had wanted to leave once the sun had set. Wally walked her back to the manor. They continued to talk but steered clear of both their families this time.

By the time they reached the porch, the sun was completely gone from the sky. The only light came from the crescent moon. "Have fun patrolling," Wally said as he turned to leave. He had made it all the way down the steps before Artemis made up her mind.

"Wally," she called, not thinking of what she planned to do. He stopped and turned to her, his eyebrows raised. She ran down the steps and threw arms around him, ignoring all memories of their numerous fights. "Thanks for everything." Wally was taken by surprise. Of everybody, Artemis was the least likely to hug him. Timidly, he hugged her back.

"Anytime, Artemis."

They broke apart awkwardly. "See you tomorrow, beautiful." The ginger laughed with a wink. She wished him a good night and headed up the steps. As she stepped inside, she noticed Ollie standing by the staircase. He was already dressed as Green Arrow and his arms were folded across his chest.

"Do I need to kill him?" he asked, completely serious. Artemis rolled her eyes, finally realizing why her school friends had always complained about their overprotective dads. Ollie raised an eyebrow and waited for a response. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, please. He wishes." She hurried up to her room to change. As she slid her bow out from under the bed, she felt in control of her life for the first time today. Before she left, she glanced down at the photo of her mom. "I'm doing this for you, Mom," she whispered, wiping away her tears. Downstairs, Ollie stopped her, reminding her she didn't have to patrol tonight. He understood. "I'll be fine. I need to do this." He hesitated but let her go anyway. Even so, she noticed how carefully he was watching her.

A while later she stood on top of Queen Industries, finally facing Star City as a citizen. Ollie had just left to hit his half of the city. Using grappling arrows and plain old jumping power she made her way across her area. It was a quiet night. No robberies, no attacks, and no villain sightings… so far. The young archer stopped and absently watched late night traffic. This city was very mild compared to Gotham.

Gotham, home. The poor grimy neighborhood her mother had wanted to get out of before she died had swallowed her up. That's what Gotham did to you. It took everything away until all you have left is your sanity, then it takes that too. It leaves you an empty husk shivering in a cell at Arkham Asylum. And yet, Gotham was her home. She was born and raised there. It was a part of who she was. And she missed it.

Life was so different now. Star City with its clean streets and kinder outlook, Ollie with his diverse lifestyle, and her without her mother.

Artemis stood up with anger. The whole point of patrolling was to get her mind off of her current situation. She squeezed her eyes shut but all she saw was her mother's blood pooling on the carpet. She notched an arrow, spun around, and sent it flying into the wall behind her.

"That could have hit me," murmured a familiar voice. Artemis quickly notched another and watched her father step out of the shadows. Despite his mask, she could see bags under his eyes. He looked a little frazzled. "Is that any way to treat your father?" He waved his hand at her weapon, paying little attention to it. "I just came to talk to my favorite little archer."

She was almost glad to see him. He was the perfect target to take her anger out on. If she was lucky, he'd try something and she wouldn't hold back.

"You never come to just talk." He just shrugged. She kept her arrow trained on him but her grip was tighter than normal. Shooting him now would end most of her problems. But she just couldn't release the arrow, even if it was only a trick arrow. She hated that about herself. "The last time we 'just talked' was before Mom went to jail. Who are you planning on attacking this time? What did you really come for? And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not in the best mood today, so make it quick."

"I'm serious this time, Artemis. I just wanted to talk." He pulled off his mask as a gesture of good faith. It didn't completely convince her but she lowered her bow. The arrow stayed ready, though. "I heard about your mother and I thought you might want to be around your family."

The young archer almost laughed. "Newsflash, you're not a part of my family anymore. You gave up that right a long time ago."

What seemed like an everlasting silence stretched on between them. The breeze coming off the Pacific was cold and caused goosebumps to pop up on Artemis's arms. She shivered slightly, wishing her suit had sleeves. Sportsmaster sighed and stepped closer to his daughter. In response, she raised her bow again. The message was clear.

"I did love your mother at one time. We just grew apart." She rolled her eyes; if that's what he wanted to call it. The older man crossed his arms. "Now that she's … gone, I thought you might need a place to stay. After all, you're still my daughter."

"I already have a place to stay," she retorted.

He nodded. "I gathered that much. In fact, I heard you were staying with that Queen guy. No, what I meant is, if you want to stay with someone who actually cares for you I'm here. It can be like it was before Jade left."

"You care for me?" She let out a harsh laugh. "More like you need me back as an assassin, which isn't going to happen." Sportsmaster chuckled softly and slipped his mask back on. Playtime was over. Artemis squeezed her bow a little harder, ready to take aim and shoot if necessary.

"Is it that little Flash Boy? Because I can take care of him." He smirked. Her face showed that he'd hit a nerve. "Just remember, no matter where you go or who you call dad, you still have my blood pumping through your veins. You'll always be a Crock, and Crocks are either criminals or dead."

Artemis raised her bow and taking aim. This time she wouldn't miss, she wouldn't hold back. If there wasn't already a trick arrow notched, she would have shot him with an actual one. Hatred pulsed through her in waves.

"Are you really willing to lose both parents?" He grinned as she stiffened. Taking a step back, he prepared to leave. "Whatever fantasy you're living in will come crashing down eventually. And when it does, hopefully, you finally remember that you are a Crock."

Artemis stood there, unable to move. She was just going to let him get away. He had threatened Wally and she was just going to let him get away. Like she always did. She always would. Her anger pushed at her mind, trying to get her to fire the arrow.

But these factors weren't what had unfrozen her. It was the arrow that lodged itself in her father's foot.