A/N: Hey guys; midterms are finally over at my university, so I can update once more. Sorry for the break; but thanks to those of you who left reviews for the previous two chapters. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I didn't receive any email notifications for the chapters for nearly two weeks- thought I'd lost some readers or something; but those who were faithful for the first two left their two cents and I was pleased to hear your feedback. Now, next chapter coming right up!

The introduction for this story is over, so now it's time for the plot to truly begin to unfold. Which means longer chapters and introduction of the other Young Justice characters into this crazy plot. Let's go!


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 Case"

Artemis stirred her spoon around slowly in her glass of coffee, mixing in creamer and sugar to sweeten its taste. The spoon tapped loudly against the inside of her mug as she stared down into the dark liquid that was beginning to melt into a creamy brown. When she finished, she tapped the spoon against the lip of the mug before looking across the diner booth towards Wally who was watching her in interest. The redhead leaned back in the booth of their favorite diner, picking up is own coffee mug in the process to take a sip.

"Something on your mind?" she asked with a smirk, interested in what had her husband so quiet. "You've barely said anything all morning. Hell, you haven't even touched your food. Are you sick or something?"

Wally chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Nah, I'm not sick babe. I just have a lot on my mind is all."

Artemis slowly lifted her cup to her lips and took a slow sip, her eyes never leaving Wally's. To anyone who happened to pass by, Wally would seem to be perfectly fine; but Artemis was his wife and had been the love of his life for seven years. She knew him better than anyone ever had or ever would, and she knew that he was nervous. She could see how tightly his hands were gripping onto his coffee cup and how worry was pooled in his eyes. He had been holding back something all day, and Artemis had seen the various time he'd parted his lips to speak his mind. However, the words kept stopping mid-production in his throat, refusing to make the rest of the journey down the assembly line.

Artemis set her mug down before reaching across the table and placing her hand on his wrist, forcing him to set his mug down.

"Spill it Baywatch. What's got you so nervous?"

Wally sighed before grasping her hands within his own. Artemis could feel her heart beating hard against her chest, her stomach fluttering nervously in anticipation. Could whatever was wrong be bothering him that bad?

"I finally have the 'okay' to get my book published." he said, a smile spreading across his lips.

Artemis's mouth fell open at the news, her lips moving to form words but none actually coming out. Finally, she inhaled sharply before letting out a tiny squeal to avoid attracting to much attention to their booth.

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed as Wally nodded in response. "Babe, that's wonderful! You've been trying to get your novel punished for months. Looks like things are finally starting to look up, huh?"

Artemis's smile suddenly fell when she noticed that Wally's had left his face. She released his hands and folded her arms across her chest, watching as he averted his gaze to the tabletop. There was more to the story than what he was letting on and the little voice in the back of her head was groaning in disapproval.

"There's something else." she stated simply. "Something that I'm not going to like."

Wally took a deep breath before lifting his head, emerald green eyes meeting a pair of stormy gray ones. "My editor and I took the book to a new publisher- Seth Biggs. At first, he wasn't sure if he wanted to publish the novel. Something about it missing something real and concrete that would make it more realistic. I mean, my novel is a crime novel that focuses on murder and injustice. I have completely rounded out characters, clear plot points, and a concrete conflict and resolution. I mean, my editor and I have polished over the draft at least forty times over the past few months."

"So what made him change his mind?"

"Mr. Biggs's assistant knew who I was and after the receptionist let us into the building, he went off to speak to her privately. When he came back, he said he'd learned some interesting information about my personal life that he felt would add that extra spice that my story needed. He then brought up the fact that I was married to you."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of that little detail. "What does us being married have to do with your novel?"

"Mr. Bigg's secretary is...Linda Park."

"Wait a minute, Linda? Linda as in stuck up, former cheerleader, hates the fact that you left her for me...That Linda?"

"Yes, that Linda." Wally said as he scratched his head once more. "She told him that we were married and he recognized your name from your dad's trial. He then made the suggestion that I use part of...your life story in my book."

Artemis's eyes narrowed. "So what you're telling me is that the only way your book can be published is if you divulge intimate details about mine and Jade's case with Lawrence."

Wally nodded slowly as he studied his wife's face. It was a mixture of uncertainty and anger, her eyes narrowed dangerously low. Her lips were struggling between the urge to snarl or stay in a thin line, her fingers gripping onto her shoulders so tight that they were turning white. Slowly, the thunderous clouds rolled away as Artemis took a deep breath to calm herself. She then looked up to meet his gaze.

"If I agree to let you do this...you have to allow me to read over whatever details you decide to include in the book. What Lawrence did to me and Jade is all in the past and we have been doing our best to get over the shame and humiliation of it. I don't want to be put on display again for the whole world to see."

"And you know that I would never do that to you babe." he said quickly as he stood from his seat and moved to sit beside her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she looked up to meet his gaze with a sad, yet proud look on her face.

"I know you wouldn't." she said with a smile before leaning forward and kissing him softly, resting her head against his shoulder when she finished. "Suddenly, I don't really feel much like eating. I'm gonna head into the office early and get a jump start on today's cases."

"Are you sure that you're okay with this?" Wally asked as he bit his bottom lip.

Artemis lifted her head from his shoulder and kissed him again. "I'm sure. If I was meant to play a vital part in your dream coming true, then I'm glad to help."

"Babe...you rock."


Artemis's car pulled up outside of St. Anne's Foster Home, one of Gotham's largest foster home agencies. She cut the engine off and grabbed her favorite leather brown briefcase before stepping out of the car and heading towards the stone steps. She admired the freshly trimmed hedges boxed around the building that hid rows of beautiful flowers behind them as she walked through the door. In spite of the brick building looking rather plain itself, the landscaping had been done rather nicely, making the foster home a much more beautiful and pleasurable place to visit.

"Ah, Mrs. West." The receptionist spoke as she spotted her coming in. The receptionist, Jeannie, had become well acquainted with Artemis during her first work as a social worker and they would occasionally meet up for coffee or lunch breaks several times throughout the month. Jeannie was a very thin woman with high cheek bones, pale skin, and super thin red hair. She had a pointed nose that her reading glasses were currently sitting on top of, and her hair was in a messy bun, some stray strands hanging over her cheeks. She wasn't a drop-dead beauty, but she was very sweet and Artemis enjoyed her company from time to time.

"Good morning Jeannie." Artemis said with a smile. "I'm supposed to be monitoring a visit today."

Artemis reached into her briefcase and pulled a manila folder out the top before handing it to Jeannie. Jeannie opened the folder and read over the information presented, her eyes narrowing the further down the page she read. She sighed before removing her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Is something wrong?" Artemis questioned her.

Jeannie gave Artemis a look of hesitation before closing the folder and handing it back to her. "I take it this is your first time dealing with Miss Larson's case?"

"Well, yeah. My supervisor said there was a new case that needed handling and thought I would be the perfect candidate for the job. Why, is there something wrong with the fact that I am now her case supervisor?"

Jeannie looked around the room cautiously before standing from her desk and placing her "out to lunch" sign up. She then motioned for Artemis to follow her towards the elevators. The rode up to the third floor in silence, Artemis wondering what had her so tense about the case. When they stepped off, they were standing at the end of a long hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. The sound of children playing, their little screams and yells muffled by closed doors could be heard. There was also music playing in several of the closed rooms and the sound of things occasionally falling over and doors being slammed could be heard. Jeannie began walking again and Artemis followed after her as they passed doors with one-way windows beside them. The layout sort of reminded Artemis of some sort of asylum. There were children and teenagers in the rooms that they passed as they played or sat upon one of the two twin-sized beds provided in each of the rooms. Some of them were sleeping, some of them arguing, and a few of them were doing something artistic like painting or coloring in jumbo sized coloring books.

"Paige is a very troubled girl." Jeannie spoke suddenly for the first time since they'd left the front desk. "She's been within our foster care system for almost a year now. DCFS brought her to us after she was taken away from her mother."

Jeannie slowed to a stop outside of one of the many rooms in the hallway and motioned for Artemis to look inside the room. There was a teenage girl sitting on one of the beds in the room, her knees pulled up to her chest as she stared blankly at the wall in front of her. She was of a mixed race, possibly half Hispanic and half Caucasian. She had long brown hair, naturally curly, that was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her face had a little roundness to it, almost like she hadn't completely lost her baby face, but she was beautiful and looked rather mature for her age.

"That's Paige."

"Doesn't she have a roommate?"

Jeannie shook her head as Artemis turned her attention away from the moment and back to her skinny companion. "Remember what I said about Paige being a troubled child? It's one of the reasons we've opted to give her a private room to have to herself. She throws...tantrums. She has issues handling her anger and she likes to be left alone most days. We've had her room with a few of the other teens within our care throughout the year, but there always ends up being some sort of altercation. Once, things got pretty physical and the security guards and myself had to intervene."

Artemis nodded as she let the information sink in. None of Paige's behavioral issues had been listed in her file, nor had any of Artemis's colleagues mentioned the girl's issues when she asked them about taking on their former case. Artemis stepped closer to the window to get a better look at the young girl. Even though her hair was in a ponytail, it appeared to be very long, pretty close to Artemis's length. She was wearing ripped jeans with mismatched socks- one yellow and one blue. She also wore a plain white t-shirt; but what caught Artemis's attention the most was the sight of definitive marks on her wrists.

"The case file was pretty vague about why Paige was separated from her home." Artemis spoke, her eyes never leaving the girl. "Do you happen to know what happened?"

"A neighbor in the apartment building phoned the police reporting a domestic dispute. When the police arrived, Paige's mother had her in a choke hold on the floor while her youngest two children screamed for her to let Paige go. The mother is a heavy drinker and from reports we've managed to gather, she and Paige have a very troubled relationship. When the officers brought her here, Paige was in hysterics demanding that they take her back home. The whole situation was rather appalling. I mean...why would she want to go back home to her abuser?"

Artemis's thoughts turned back to her five a.m. archery training sessions on the roof of her old apartment building with Lawrence. Memories of his fist connecting with the side of her face over missing a target flashed her mind. She then recalled the day he held her over the ledge of the building, having found out about her nightly excursion to the school dance, in which he sliced off a large amount of her beautiful hair and let it fall onto the fire escape below.

"I'm supposed to be taking Paige to meet with her mother today." she said as she watched Paige move to lay sideways on the bed, her feet dangling over the edge. Her thoughts suddenly turned back to a time when she was fifteen lying on her bed back in that small, dark apartment. A time when she used to stare up at the ceiling wondering when her day of freedom would come too.


Wally sat at his desk in the office of his and Artemis's home as he crumpled up what felt like the one-hundredth piece of notebook paper that afternoon. Since he'd gotten home from the diner, he had been trying to decide what details of Artemis's life he actually wanted to include in his novel; but every time he felt like he was breaking ground with a good idea, guilt would creep inside his heart and begin to gnaw at his conscience. He groaned before leaning back in his chair and rubbing his tired eyes.

The doorbell rang suddenly, and he sighed in relief of the idea of taking a break. He stood from his swivel chair, the seat spinning a few times due to the absence of his weight. He then stretched his arms above his head to relieve his back muscles of their built up tension before heading down the stairs to the door. His eyes widened in surprise when he opened the door to find Dick Grayson standing on his doorstep, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his black trench coat.

"Dick..." he said as he blinked a few times.

"Hey there Wally." Dick said as he scratched the back of his head. "I know, I probably should have called first...but I saw your car in the driveway and thought I should stop by. I've been wanting to see you since Artemis and I made up a few days ago. I was sort of hoping that we could do the same."

Wally's surprise wore off as an awkward tension grew between the two of them. Dick began to nervously move back and forth on his feet as he debated on whether or not to head back to his town car and leave for Wayne Enterprise's afternoon luncheon, but Wally stepped to the side and motioned for him to come inside. Dick nodded in thanks before stepping into the front hall and heading into the living room. Wally joined him a few minutes later, the front door slamming loudly in the hallway behind him as he made his way over to the love seat.

"Wow." Dick said as he looked around the room. "This place hasn't changed one bit. I've missed it."

Dick spared a glance at Wally who was staring at him impatiently, his arms crossed as his fingers drummed against them. The billionaire cleared his throat before turning his attention to the fireplace where several photographs of Artemis and Wally lined the mantle.

"You were right." Dick spoke softly as he watched Wally carefully out the corner of his eye. "When you came to confront me after Artemis and I had that fight last year...I shouldn't have treated her like that. I shouldn't have treated any of you like that. I just thought...that after the way I behaved and handled the breakup, none of you would forgive me for being so childish. Wally, I want things to go back to the way they were. I don't need first class trips across the world. I don't need fancy galas, parties, and celebrity-hosted events. I need to be able to spend time with you and the others. My friends. My real friends."

Wally sighed before leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. "Dick...Artemis and you are best friends. Hell, the two of you were friends long before you were even friends with me and the others. It's not like we were angry with you because you and Zatanna broke up. It's more like...we were mad over the way that you treated her in the end. You never lost us as friends Dick. You just chose to stay away, so I guess we stayed away as an ending result. However, the fact that you lashed out at Artemis was just...wrong. That is probably where I hold the most anger. It's because you hurt her just as badly as you hurt Zatanna. Do you have any idea what it's like to see the woman you love more than anything in the entire world so torn up and broken inside and you can't do anything to make her feel better? I'm her husband, and even I couldn't do anything to help her. I don't like feeling helpless Dick, and you made me that way. As much as I hate to admit it...the two of you have a relationship that I will never be able to touch; and when Artemis is in an emotional rut like that, you're the only one who can fix it. If it wasn't for Jade and me doing everything we could think of to lift her spirits, I doubt she would have forgiven you the other day. I don't think she would ever be able to get over what you did to her."

"I know Wally, and I feel horrible...but we managed to work things out that I truly can see us being friends again. I mean, having her over at the mansion again brought back so many memories. It was just like old times- me and her lounging around in the library talking for what feels like forever about nothing. Just enjoying each other's company and the simple things in life. I missed her...just as I have missed you Wall-man."

Wally couldn't help but to smile at the confession. "Well, I guess I can forgive you. I mean, who else am I supposed to nerd out over comic books with?"

"No one." Dick said as his laughter filled the room, melting away the tension that had been sitting around them. "Look, I've missed hanging out with you and Artemis. I was wondering if the two of you would like to have dinner with me at the manor tomorrow? I'd really like for you to meet Kori."

"Really?" Wally asked, surprised by the generous and unexpected offer.

"Yeah. It's nothing too fancy. Just one of Alfred's home cooked meals. I just want to spend some time with my best friends again, and Kori's been dying to meet you."

"I don't see why not then." Wally said with a shrug. "In fact, it sounds great. I'll talk to Artemis about it when she gets home."

"Great. Well, I'd better get over to the office. Maybe the luncheon will be over by the time I get there. I hate all of the interviews that usually follow them."

Wally nodded as he stood from his seat and walked over to his friend to shake his hand firmly.

"Welcome back Dick."

"It's good to be back Wall-man."


Artemis spared a glance at Paige as they rode across Gotham in silence. Paige hadn't uttered a single word since Artemis made her presence known in her room back at St. Anne's. Then again, Artemis hadn't bothered speaking to her either. She cleared her throat, deciding to thin the ice a little as she watched Paige acknowledge her out the corner of her eye.

"I believe this is the block." she said. "Would you mind pointing out which house is yours?"

"Last house on the right." Paige spoke, her voice hard and cold. Artemis nodded before easing her foot onto the brakes and signaling over into an available parking space. The street was lined with brownstone apartment buildings, the only indicator that they were different being their different colored doors. Artemis cut the engine off and made sure to grab her briefcase out the backseat before getting out to join Paige on the sidewalk.

"When was the last time you visited your mother?" Artemis asked. Paige simply shrugged, not bothering to give Artemis a verbal answer. Artemis sighed. "This visit will unfortunately only be fifteen minutes long; but if things go well, we can slowly start adding ten minutes to each visit. Sound good?"

When Paige still refused to respond, Artemis brushed it off before walking up the front steps to ring the doorbell beside the purple painted door. The sound of something falling over inside could be heard followed by the sound of someone shouting. Artemis couldn't quite make out what was being said on the other side of the door; but judging by the tone of the screamer's voice, it wasn't good.

The door swung open a few minutes later and a Hispanic woman who looked as though she was in her early forties was standing there. She had long brown, curly hair just like Paige's and her face appeared to be very tired and worn out. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the woman had been drinking. In spite of the fact that she was dressed presentably for the visit, the strong scent of tequila was emanating off her.

"Ms. Larson I presume?" Artemis said as she put on her best smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Artemis West, the new caseworker for you and your daughter's case."

"Yeah, yeah, come in." the woman spoke, her voice raspy as though she had woken up not even thirty minutes ago. Artemis spared a glance at Paige whose cold demeanor had melted into one of nervousness as she stared down at her feet. Artemis gave her a questioning look as the girl walked past her and led her into the house. Artemis followed after her as they passed walls lined with pictures, none of them being of Paige, as they made their way into the living room. Two younger children with jet black hair, one boy and one girl, were sitting on the couch still wearing their footie pajamas. When they spotted Paige walking into the room, their faces lit up.

"Paige!" the little boy exclaimed as he jumped off the couch and ran over to her. A smile broke across Paige's face as she crouched down to hug the boy. The little girl slid off the couch to join them, a soft smile on her face as she held them tight. The sight warmed Artemis's heart, especially because Paige was finally wearing a smile for the first time since they'd met.

"Lindsay, Lucas, I've missed you so much." Paige said, her voice strained as she did her best not to cry.

"Go into the other room you two." Ms. Larson's voice came from the doorway. The young ones looked at Paige sadly before running into another room of the house to play quietly. Ms. Larson then walked into the room and collapsed in the living chair as she glared out the nearby window that overlooked the street just outside the front of the house. Artemis and Paige took a seat on the love seat as Artemis pulled a clipboard and pen from her briefcase.

"Okay Ms. Larson. There are a few questions I need to ask to familiarize myself with your case before we begin today's evaluation."

The woman scoffed earning a raised eyebrow from the blonde, but Artemis cleared her throat to continue.

"It is listed in the previous caseworker's notes that you were unemployed two months ago and have been since Paige was initially removed from your custody. You were advised to find a steady job to provide for your two remaining children and you were also advised to attend mandatory parenting classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. Have you gotten started on either of these tasks?"

Ms. Larson shot Artemis a glare. "I had a job at the diner until a few weeks ago when they fired me. I don't have a car. Couldn't make it in for one of my shifts and they canned me. No car, means no transportation. So that crosses parenting classes off my list too. Next question."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at the woman's snarky behavior. "You do realize that there are cab services in town. You could easily purchase a bus pass and make it to both a job and parenting classes."

"I am not riding the bus. There are too many weirdos that ride; and don't get me started on those damn cab companies who charge you a quarter for every mile they drive. I'm not paying twenty bucks to get to work and twenty bucks to get back every day. What, do you think I'm made of money?"

"Okay then...next task on the list. After a home inspection by your previous caseworker, it was recommended that you buy child safety locks for the cabinets in your home, and your were advised to purchase or rent new beds for your children's bedrooms. Have you done that yet?"

"I have a better idea of something we could do. How about we move past these unimportant questions so you can leave my home."

Artemis set her clipboard down and folded her hands gently in her lap. "With all due respect Ms. Larson, it would seem to me that you haven't made any changes since the last social worker came to visit. It seems you have no interest in solving any of your problems that would help you regain custody of Paige."

Ms. Larson stood from her seat and glared at Artemis, making the blonde rather uncomfortable. "Listen here bitch, I don't know what you were told, but this case is not something I want to be pursued. I didn't ask for anyone to try and fix my life just so that nightmare child could be allowed back in my house."

"Excuse me?" Artemis said, confusion running through her mind.

"This case that you're dealing with is a case that she is pursuing, not me. I do not want her back in this house. I am doing just fine with Lindsay and Lucas. I don't need her here."

"But this is my home!" Paige shouted suddenly, surprising Artemis. The teen stood from her seat and shot a glare back at her mother. "I don't want to be in foster care anymore. I want to be here with you and the twins because I love you guys and I want to come home. Why is that so hard for you to understand? I want to come home mom!"

"This isn't your home Paige." The woman hollered back at her. "It has never been your home. All you've ever been is a burden that I was forced to carry for fourteen years and I'm at my breaking point. I have had enough!"

"That's enough." Artemis snapped as she stood up quickly to stand between the two of them. "Yelling at each other won't solve a thing."

"Neither is your being here." Ms. Larson bit back. "I don't know why you people continue to bring her back here. You think that bringing in a new social worker will work and make me change my mind, but it won't. That girl is nothing but trouble and I don't want her back in this house. Get out both of you. Get out now!"

"Mom please." Paige begged as tears filled her eyes.

"I said get out!" Ms. Larson snapped, her voice slurring from her drunken state.

Artemis turned to Paige whose tears had spilled over, her bottom lip quivering in utter despair. "Come on Paige, let's go."

"No." Paige shouted, her voice sounding desperate. "I'm not going back to St. Anne's. This is my home! I should be able to stay here with my mom. Please, please, please don't let me go back!"

"Get out." Ms. Larson warned as her body began to sway.

"Mommy, please." Paige begged as she stepped around Artemis and reached a hand out towards her mother; but to Artemis's horror, the woman shoved her daughter to the floor roughly.

"That's enough!" Artemis shouted as she moved to shield Paige from her mother. "You can't just put your hands on her and treat her in whatever way you want. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Get out of my house!" Ms. Larson roared as she pointed towards the front door.

Artemis helped Paige onto her feet slowly before glaring at the older woman. "You will be receiving a phone call from the DCFS office about your behavior. You have two other children living in this house and quite frankly, I don't believe it's best that they stay with you until you can learn some self restraint and get your behavior under control."

"You are not taking my kids away from me!"

Artemis ignored the woman as she wrapped an arm around a crying Paige's shoulders and led her out of the living room. Lindsay and Lucas watched sadly as their sister was escorted out of their home with the blonde stranger. Ms. Larson continued to shout profanities, knocking things over as she followed after Artemis, demanding she leave her family alone. Artemis ignored her as she helped Paige into the car before starting the engine and taking off.


"Things couldn't possibly have gone any worse." Artemis groaned into her phone as she watched Paige sitting alone at the table she'd gotten them at a local Steak 'N Shake.

"Artemis, you can't expect every client to go along with what social services wants them to do." Wally's voice floated through her ear.

"Yeah, I know. It's just that you should've seen this woman babe. She was absolutely disgusted by the mere sight of Paige. She refused to even acknowledge Paige as her daughter and she wanted her out of her sight more and more with every second that passed. Look, I shouldn't even be talking to you about this. I could get into serious trouble; but I just can't help but to dump all this on you. It really bothered me you know, with the way that Ms. Larson shoved her."

"I can only imagine. Did you contact your boss about the visit?"

"Yeah, I did. Ms. Larson was taken into custody for child endangerment. The other kids were sent to stay with their grandmother. I guess Paige is only their half-sister, which would explain why Paige was sent into foster care instead of being sent to live with another relative. Records show that Ms. Larson has been married twice."

"So what happened to Paige's father's side of the family then? Couldn't your department send her to stay with another family member just like her other two kids?"

"That's just it. Ms. Larson informed the police when Paige was first taken into custody that her father was killed years ago in a drug related incident and he had no one in his life. I guess he was a runaway and cut off all ties with his family. So unless Paige agrees to undergo D.N.A. testing to find any traces of a biological family member, she's stuck in the system until someone agrees to take her in. It really breaks my heart Wally. She has no one to turn to and all she wants is to be accepted by her mother. Her mom can't bear to be around her though and I don't know what to do."

"You'll figure it out babe. Try not to worry too much about it. Just finish up your other cases for the day and come on home. I'm making tomato soup and grilled cheese tonight."

"Sounds great babe, but I'm not really thinking about food right now."

"I understand. Look, I've got to get back to working on my book. Just finish up what you can and come home okay. I love you...so much."

"I love you too Wally." she said with a smile before hanging up and heading back to the table. Paige was finishing off the rest of her chili cheese fries on her plate, her burger having been gone since Artemis first left to speak to Wally.

"I take it you liked the food?" Artemis asked with a smile.

Paige looked up at her for a moment before looking down at her plate stained with chili sauce. "It was good. Thanks."

Artemis nodded before taking a seat across from the girl and pulling a new file folder out of her briefcase. A little boy had been placed with his grandmother temporarily after his mother's drug habits nearly got him killed. The mother had been six months clean and had been visiting him regularly, proving to Artemis and her mother that she was really trying to get her life together for the sake of her little boy. Artemis smiled as she looked at the two-year-old's picture before reaching to grab a pen. When she looked up, Paige had pulled the folder over to look at it. Artemis pulled it back quickly, shooting her a warning look.

"Sorry." Paige said as she hung her head. "I just saw the baby in the picture and wanted to get a better look…He's one of your pity cases too, huh?"

"He's not a pity case." Artemis replied. "And neither are you for that matter. I do this job because I want to help kids who have been wrongfully done in their lives by their parents. I like to help kids out of bad situations and bring them new ones."

"Well, you're wasting your time with me." Paige said as she stared off into space at nothing in particular. "You can just pass my folder along to someone else in your office just so they can run away with their tails in between their legs too."

"About what happened back at the house." Artemis said as she slowly started to bring the subject up. "Your mom mentioned that this case is your case. That you're the one who's wanting to go back home in spite of your mom feeling indifferent about the situation."

Paige sighed as she stared down at the tabletop, her eyes blurring with tears. "I hate that foster home. I don't like the other kids. I just…I want to go home and be with my mom, and my brother and sister. I'm trapped in that nuthouse and I can't take it."

"It's only temporary hon."

"Temporary?" Paige said with a sarcastic laugh. "Who are you trying to kid lady? I've been stuck in that place for almost a year now and everyone thinks I'm some sort of lunatic with a mother who could potentially be some kind of homicidal maniac…The other girls tease me and start fights and make it seem like I'm the bad guy. They locked me in that room by myself and refuse to let anyone hang out with me. I defend myself and that makes me the bad one? I just want to go home just like everyone else in that place…only I have no home to go to."

Artemis sighed. "I know how that feels."

Paige looked up in disbelief. "Really…? You know how I feel? I sincerely doubt that Mrs. West. I mean look at you! You're beautiful, you obviously have a husband that loves you and you seem pretty damn happy to me. You don't know what it's like to live at home with someone that wishes you were dead. You don't know what it feels like to love someone so much because they're your parent and they are supposed to look after and protect you…only for them to treat you like an infectious disease that they want to disappear forever but there's no cure. You wanna know why the social workers took me away and threw me into that nuthouse? Because mom and I were fighting and I gave her a hug and she slapped me. My own mother slapped me and called me filth. Something inside me snapped…and I hit her back, and you know the rest. How could you possibly know what I'm going through?"

"Because I used to be you." Artemis said. Paige gave Artemis a confused look as tears filled the older woman's eyes.

"Tell you what Paige, you and me are gonna take a little trip for a while. Think you can handle being away from St. Anne's for a little while?"

Paige nodded slowly before standing from the booth and following Artemis out of the restaurant.


Paige looked around, nervousness filling the pit of her stomach as Artemis drove them into the Gotham slums. Graffiti was smeared across the walls, homeless people slept on street benches, and gunshots could be heard off in the distance. Artemis put her car in park and took a deep breath before getting out of the car.

"What are we doing here?" Paige asked as she looked around the rough neighborhood and got out of the car to stay with Artemis.

"I'm going to tell you a story and I promise that by the end of it, you'll understand why you and I are more alike than you think."


A/N: And I'm going to end it here. So Artemis has a client who she can relate to. What could possibly come from this relationship? A lot folks. A LOT. Any who, leave me a review. See you at the next update!

-KairiAngel13