"I don't care whose blood's in her veins, she's one of the Queens now." Artemis whipped her head around in time to see the redhead smirk. It was the same mocking grin she had often seen on Robin or Wally. He stood on an adjacent building, looking down on them. Even from the distance, she could see there was a relaxation in his posture that Artemis had barely seen on him. Another arrow was notched and ready but this time it was aimed at center mass.

"You act like it's something to be proud of, boy," Sportsmaster retorted. He knew he was playing a dangerous game by toying with the guy who had the weapons. Lawrence was unarmed as he hadn't expected to come across anyone but his daughter, who wouldn't have shot him.

"It's better than you," Artemis jumped in. The spell was broken and everything came bubbling to the surface. "At least Ollie tries to act like a father. My mother dies and all you have to say to me is that I'll always be a Crock. She's dead, the woman you used to love. Does that even bother you? One of your daughters is without her mother. Do you even care? Of course, you don't. I've spent all these years trying to impress you while my mom rots in jail. When she finally gets out, you still don't leave me alone. In case you haven't noticed the 'loving family' ship has sailed." She didn't know where this was all coming from but once she had let some of it loose, it had all come out. All those pent up emotions just came pouring out of her. All because of Roy. "So, yeah, being a Queen is something to be proud of. Because at least now I'm not a Crock."

Sportsmaster's eyes narrowed behind his mask as he, at last, realized the truth; his daughter was no longer under his control. He had lost her to some rich playboy and his irritating son. "Fine, be a Queen. Tell me if it's as great as you believe it is." He pulled the arrow from his foot, dropped it to the side, and allowed his blood to splatter across the rooftop. There was only one way to end this night from his point of view. With a few strides, he ended up in front Artemis before either of the archers could move. "See how amazing it is to be a Queen," he hissed as he shoved her shoulders, sending her tumbling down towards the streets below.

Artemis barely had time to react. Glad that she had taken the quiver with more grappling arrows than the others, she sent an arrow flying into a building, slowing her fall enough to minimize the damage. Even so, she landed hard on the hood of a parked car. Pain shot up her spine. She gasped for air, trying to think through the haze that had settled over her mind. She was vaguely aware of the car alarm blaring but the sound was overpowered by the blood pounding in her ears. Pain radiated from a spot on her back that felt too warm, too wet.

Red Arrow rushed over to the edge. At first glance, he was sure Artemis was dead. Dazed as she was she took a moment before attempting to move. Luckily, the fall had been short and slowed by her arrow. Once he was positive the girl was still alive, he turned only to find Sportsmaster gone without a trace. Perhaps he could find him but Artemis would need medical attention. He shook his head and made his way down to the other archer. "Artemis," he called.

She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. "Somebody might need a new car," she muttered as she patted the dented hood. He actually chuckled a bit. What was with Roy today? Artemis attempted to stand but fell back as a wave of pain enveloped her. The warm spot on her back had grown and she may have broken a bone or two. Her head was throbbing, making it hard to think. "Do you think you can get me back to Ollie's?" she asked. "I have a first aid kit in my room."

"This is going to take more than a first aid kit," he replied shaking his head. He examined her back, noting the bleeding laceration. "You need to get to the hospital. Besides, Queen Manor is too far." In the distance, police sirens went off.

"I'm not going to a hospital." She finally managed to pull herself to her feet. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she took several steps away from the car. At least her legs weren't broken. "If you not going to help me get to Ollie's I'll crawl to the nearest zeta tube and head to the cave."

Roy shook his head again. "It's too far." Artemis fixed him with a steely glare that had the potential to grow into a Bat-glare. "Fine, but the nearest zeta tube is still too far. You're losing too much blood. I know someplace really close that has medical supplies. I'll fix you up there and then we'll head to the zeta tubes, ok?" Without waiting for an answer, he threw her arm over his shoulder and practically dragged her away from the car. He pulled her into a sketchy residential area. Artemis didn't even know Star City had 'sketchy areas'.

They entered a small and rather shabby apartment building and climbed the stairs. Halfway up, Artemis collapsed, her bow slipping from her fingers. Roy hesitantly picked her up bridal style and continued up the stairs. "So, this is what it's like to be an older sibling," he murmured. In truth, this isn't how he'd thought his day would end up. The younger archer's head now rested on his chest.

"Remember this," she muttered, surprising the both of them. "In case you end up with a child someday." He couldn't help but notice the weakness in her voice and how her eyelids dropped. His pace quickened until they stopped in front of the right door. Carefully adjusting the girl, he dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. It was dangerous coming here in costume but they didn't have much of a choice. At least none of the neighbors were out.

"Me? A father?" he asked trying to keep her awake. "That'll never happen." He carried her over to the couch, kicking some of the junk aside. She was laid down on her front. "Don't move." He disappeared into the apartment to retrieve his medical supplies.

"It could happen." She reached up and slid her mask onto her forehead. Laughing softly, she continued. "You could have a little girl and name her Lian. It means graceful willow. It's my sister's favorite name. You know, she not that bad… when she's not trying to kill you. She used to read to me when our parents were out. I miss old Jade." Artemis sighed and glanced around the small room. An empty pizza box sat on the coffee table with a few mugs. The walls were a dark shade of gray and completely bare. From her position on the couch, not much else was visible. She closed her eyes.

Roy, who was still frantically searching for his first aid kit, had been using her voice as a reassurance that she was still alive. The lack of noise caused him to panic. He found the supplies under a towel in the bathroom and ran out into the living room. "Artemis." He nudged her shoulder. "If you die, Dinah will kill me. Hell, so will Ollie. Please don't die." He gave up on trying to wake her and started on her injuries. Carefully, he swabbed the skin with iodine, checking to see if there were any debris in the wound. She yelped and groaned.

"Thanks for the warning," she mumbled, her eyes flying open.

"Hey, Artemis, I'm cleaning the area." Her arm reached back to slap at his arm. "I can still take you to the hospital." She stopped complaining at that. He patiently cleaned the wound and inspected it. "This is going to need stitches."

"Alright, I'll get it."

"You can't reach. Besides, I can do it. You have to stay still." She muttered something that sounded like, "It's not like I'm going anywhere", and closed her eyes again. He grabbed an individually packaged needle and some sterile thread. Roy began to stitch her up. "This would be so much easier with a professional doctor at a real hospital."

Artemis wanted to reply with something snappy but she felt the fog return to her head. All she could manage was, "You should name your daughter Lian." And then she was out like a light.

x

"Oh totally, I just snapped and tried to kill her, but I felt really bad about afterward, so I patched her up and carried her all the way here. Happens all the time," Roy snapped. "That's me, the cold-blooded killer with a soft spot for my victims."

Artemis struggled to completely wake up. She was aware of Roy's voice somewhere close. Her mind was whirling so she focused on it. Agitation laced his words. He was close but not right next to her. She pushed her brain even farther and tried to open her eyes but the light was too bright and she had to snap them closed again.

"Lay off him, Supey." This wasn't a voice she had expected. When she passed out, she was at Roy's apartment but clearly, that was no longer the case. "Roy, why don't you explain what happened."

"I didn't expect you to have a level head, Wally," Roy replied. He was met with a "shut up" from Wally. "Look, Dinah asked me to keep an eye on her just in case. Sportsmaster shows up, pushes her off the building, and leaves. She was injured; otherwise, I would have gone after him. She refused to go to a hospital so I had to patch her up and take her here."

Artemis tried to open her eyes again, with more success this time. From the looks of it, Roy had gotten her to the cave. The white ceiling of the medical room met her eyes first. She glanced around to find the whole team crammed into the room. Roy stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest while Conner glared at him. Wally was sitting in the chair next to the bed. The others stood awkwardly around the room until Kaldur noticed that she was awake.

"Artemis, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I fell off a building." Her head was throbbing but at least her back was numb. There was a tinge of pain coming from one of her arms. That same arm, her left one, was stiff and when she tried to move it there was extra weight. A glance down confirmed her suspicions. "A broken arm, too."

M'gann nodded silently. "Unless I can master the healing spell, which is highly unlikely, you'll be out for six weeks," Zatanna sadly explained. Artemis sighed. Six weeks of not using one of her arms was unthinkable. Things just weren't going well for her today. Well, that might just win understatement of the year.

The door opened and Oliver stepped in. He crossed over to her bed as everyone else filed out, knowing he was going to demand that anyway. Ollie was silent even after everyone was gone. His normally humorous attitude was gone and replaced with intense concern. Smoothing back her hair in a surprisingly fatherly manner, he sat down in the chair. "I become your legal guardian and you break your arm and get eight stitches. What does that say about me?"

"Nothing, but it screams loads about my- about Sportsmaster," she answered, unconsciously stroking her cast. She had been avoiding his gaze but her eyes finally got caught on his. "You shouldn't worry so much. I'm fine."

He laughed softly, startling her. "It's my job to worry, Artemis. I might not be your father but I still consider you my daughter."