A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story. I know I squeezed a lot into the opening chapter, but there are so many characters that I am working with and so many subplots that are going to contribute to the overall plot of the story that I have to get a lot of information out of the way as soon as possible. So, I hope you all don't mind. Any who, let's get on with the next chapter!


Disclaimer: I do not own the Young Justice or the Young Justice: Invasion series. Both series were created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti and were written by a team of writers consisting of Greg Weisman, Kevin Hopps, Andrew Robinson, Nicole Dubuc, Jon Weisman, Tom Pugsley, and Peter David. I do however own the entire plot of this story and all of the original characters featured in this story. This is simply because I created them from scratch and have turned them into characters and a plot that you will grow to love. With that being said, DO NOT REPRODUCE THIS STORY IN ANY WAYS, SHAPE, FORMAT, OR POSTING. I CREATED THIS STORY, AND ALL OF THE RIGHTS BELONG TO ME. Please read, memorize, and abide by this disclaimer.

Sincerely,

KairiAngel13


"The Visit"

Artemis had been through her fair share of hell throughout her twenty-three years of life that she should be used to the feeling of fear nesting in the pit of her stomach; but in all honesty, she wasn't. As she sat in the waiting area of the ADX prison in Colorado she could hardly contain her fear and what she was about to face in a few short minutes.

A warm handed rested on her back and Artemis sighed before turning to face the owner of the hand- her Wally. He smiled at her lovingly before kissing her forehead and wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. He simply held her for the next ten minutes that they spent waiting and she couldn't thank him enough for the comfort he brought her. She still couldn't get used to how the simple beating of his heart could make her feel so at ease even in the most stressful of times. Perhaps it was because it served as a constant reminder that he was alive and breathing and that she was the only person who had access to the valued organ?

"Artemis West?" the guard called her name from his place at the counter. Artemis stood to her feet quickly and smoothed out the wrinkles in her blouse. She then took Wally's hand as he stood beside her before the two of them walked towards the counter.

"I'm Artemis." She said as she forced a smile.

The Warden, an older and larger black gentleman who appeared to be in his late fifties gave a simple nod before grabbing two visitors' badges and passing them to her. She turned to Wally and clipped his onto his yellow and blue striped polo while he attached hers to her blouse. They then took each other's hand again before following after the guard who motioned for them to follow him towards a security locked door.

"I'm afraid I can only allow one visitor at a time with the prisoner." The Warden spoke as they walked down a long concrete hallway that smelled like a mixture of mothballs and a locker room at a recreational center. "I'll let your husband wait outside the room for you so he won't be too far away, but you'll be the only one allowed in the room."

"Wait a minute, are you serious?" Wally asked suddenly getting upset. "Do you have any idea what kind of man that monster is and the hell he put my wife through for most of her life? I'll be damned if I let her face him alone."

"Wally, I'll be fine." Artemis reassured him once they'd reached the back entryway to the visitor commons. Wally was about to protest, but Artemis reached her free hand up to cup his cheek They locked eyes for a moment as Artemis silently tried to reassure him that everything would be alright.

"You have ten minutes." The guard spoke as he swiped his security card in the provided scanner to unlock the door. Wally released Artemis's hand and she gave him anther reassuring smile before heading into the room, the door beeping as it closed behind her.


It had been three years since Artemis had visited ADX and she never thought she was going to have to set foot inside of the dangerous containment unit ever again. She was alone in the small room that was about the size of her living room back home and she didn't like it one bit. The door connecting to the prison unit beeped before it was open and Artemis took a deep breath as a man with dirty blonde hair, carrying a briefcase stepped into the room. The sound of shackled chains could be heard as he stepped aside to let his client into the room and Artemis's eyes widened in disbelief as the man who had summoned her stepped into the room.

He had a shaggy blonde beard clinging to his jaw and his hair had grown well past his ears, causing him to look almost like a shaggy dog. His eyes were a dull and worn out gray with dark circles rimming them like a racoon and he was extremely skinny, all of his muscles having lost their mass long ago. This man looked deathly ill and it worried her. This man was her father- Lawrence Crock.

The lawyer led her father over to Artemis before helping him sit in one of the provided metal folding chairs. He himself then took a seat before motioning for Artemis to sit down; but the blonde shook her head quickly, not wanting to join in on their close circle. The guard who had brought Lawrence into the room stood by the door he'd came through, his eyes watching his prisoner the entire time. One mistake and Lawrence would be drug back to his cell for a few hours until the slop was ready for his daily nourishment.

"My, my, look at you." Lawrence spoke in his familiar tone- his throat sounding rough as though he'd smoked an entire pack of menthols and choked on the smoke for two hours. "You look like you're doing well baby girl."

Artemis flinched as his old nickname for her passed through his lips. Her right hand started pulsing with the urge to slap the taste out of the man's mouth, but she took a deep breath and decided to use her mouth instead.

"Thanks. I can't say the same for you. What the hell Lawrence? You've really shot yourself straight to hell haven't you?"

He chuckled for a moment, and stopped as he started hacking. Artemis flinched as she watched him cough. The sound was horrible and made her think of the engine of an old motorcycle popping as it struggled to keep the bike alive and running.

"Can't say I don't deserve it." He admitted once his coughing fit finished. "I'm glad you showed up baby girl."

"Well I'm not." Artemis snapped. "You sent me a letter saying that you're in the ending stages of lung cancer and that you needed to see me right away. Tell me why?"

"Allow me to explain Ms. Crock." The lawyer spoke up suddenly.

"It's Mrs. West." Artemis corrected him as her eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes, my mistake." The lawyer said uninterestedly as he dusted off his shoulders and forced a smile. "Your father's physician has given your father only a few short months to live- six to be exact. Being that he's locked up here, he hasn't been able to receive the proper health care needed for him to get better; but Lawrence has decided to accept his fate as punishment for his crimes."

Artemis could feel her chest constrict painfully as the lawyer explained her father's situation more in depth than he had in the letter. She cleared her throat before crossing her arms over her chest.

"What does this have to do with me?" she wondered.

"Well Artemis, you and Jade are the only living relatives that your father has and being that your father isn't legally married to anyone, he has no one to help in handling his affairs. Jade would never be a willing participant in these matters and your father was well aware of that. So he told me to contact you and make you the beneficiary of his will once his six months are up. You are officially his next of kin and you are responsible for handling his affairs from this day onward."

"What makes you think I want any part of this?" Artemis shouted in disbelief as she waved her arms about. "You abused me and Jade for years and whored us out to your debt collectors in order to make up for your mistakes and you honestly believe that I would want to help you?"

"Of course I believe that baby girl." Lawrence said as he stared at her sadly. "Look, I know that I will never be able to make up for the hell I put you and Jade through, but I was a different man back then than I am now. I honestly just want to die in peace knowing that I was finally able to do something right for you."

"Stop it!" Artemis shouted as her throat constricted painfully, her eyes starting to burn. "There is absolutely nothing you can say that is going to get me to help you. Why should I help you, huh?"

"Because you're my daughter." Lawrence said, his voice cracking. Artemis gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief as for the first time since she could remember, tears streamed down Lawrence's face. "You and Jade are my daughters and I know I didn't treat you right. I know I didn't care back then but I care now."

Artemis was silent as she watched the frail shell of the man she once knew cry. She looked away from him and closed her eyes.

"Why?" she managed to get out.

"Because of you."

Artemis turned back to him and shot him a glare, demanding that he hurry up and explain why she was the reason for his change of heart.

"What did I do?" she wanted to know.

Lawrence sighed as he wiped away the tears staining his cheeks. "When you came to visit me a few years ago, the last time that I saw you…you told me you forgave me for everything that I had done. Don't you remember?"

Artemis's eyes narrowed as she thought back to the visit she'd paid to her father a few months before her wedding two years ago.


Artemis glared at him before her look softened into one of pity. "I just wanted you to know that in spite of everything you have done to me in the past…I forgive you."

Lawrence's eyes widened in shock. He certainly hadn't been expecting to hear that. His eyes studied his daughter's face and it suddenly dawned on him how much more mature she looked. Her hair had grown back twice as long as it had originally been, but she wore it loose instead of pulling it back into a ponytail. Her eyes looked worn and tired, yet they looked so full of wisdom. Her face had matured and she no longer held that youthful glow. She looked like her mother and that scared him to the core.

"You hurt me so deeply with all of the abuse, neglect, and exploiting that you did to me and Jade when we were younger dad…but in spite of all of the hurt and pain you put me through, I managed to make something of myself. I just wanted to come here to finish off this chapter of my life so I can move on.


"What you said to me that day really hit me hard baby girl." Lawrence said as he stared down at his hands that were folded in his lap, resting on the pants of his orange jumpsuit. "I wanted to hate you. I wanted to be angry at you because you were the main reason I was put in here; but after hearing that after everything I did to you that you forgave me…it hurt worse than anything I have ever felt in this world. You don't have to believe me Artemis, but I am asking you to please…at least consider this offer. It would be nice to die with a clear conscience. I want you to handle the rest of my affairs. I want you…the one person who managed to get me to see just how much of a bastard I was back then to benefit the most from my death."

The burning in Artemis's throat and eyes was starting to become unbearable as she stared at Lawrence in disbelief. She cleared her throat before focusing her attention on the lawyer who was watching the situation with interest.

"I need some time to think." She spoke, her words coming out in a whisper as she struggled to hold it together.

"Very well Mrs. West, I understand." The lawyer spoke as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. "My phone number is on the bottom. You give me a call in about a week with your decision. I hope that you will help put Mr. Crock's mind at ease."

Artemis took the card and nodded before locking gazes with her father once more. He smiled at her.

"Mrs. West huh?" he said as he eyed the ring on her finger. "It has a nice ring to it. Looks like that redheaded kid I thought was no good actually turned out to be something special. He managed to take the broken girl I raised and made her into a strong, beautiful woman."

Artemis backed away slowly, her mind screaming for her to get away; so she did just that. Spinning on her heels and offering no words of goodbye, she ran from the room and out the door until she was halfway down the hall. She didn't realize she was crying until she took a sharp intake of breath, the sound of her gasp echoing loudly around her and ringing throughout her ear drums. She collapsed to her knees and sobbed as she wrapped her arms around her waist, the business card she'd taken from the lawyer being crushed in her grip as she rocked herself back and forth.

A few seconds later, she could feel Wally's arms embrace her from behind as he pulled her close and held her as she continued to fall apart.

"I'm so weak." She choked out as she struggled to breathe, the frail image of her father burned into her memory.

"You're not weak babe." Wally said as he tried his hardest to console her. "Being able to face the guy who tortured you for sixteen years is probably the strongest thing that anyone can do."

"That's just it Wally, I can't face him. Not like that. Seeing him like that…it really got to me. How can I be strong when for the first time in my entire life…I feel bad for my father?


A/N: Okay, so it was a lot shorter than the first chapter and no one else was featured but our beloved Spitfire; but I had to introduce the purpose of the letter! So what's going to happen next? Review, and I'll be back soon to let you know!