A/N: Hi, everyone! Once again, welcome to Spitfire!

Thank you all so much for all the positive feedback I've been getting for my other stories, they really mean a lot to me. Those were my first fanfics ever, and I'm just surprised that it got the attention that I never expected. Thanks to every YJ reader out there, and I really hope you'll like this one too.

After a lot of thinking, I realised that I wasn't creative enough to come up with a plot that would run with the canon, so these are just related spitfire moments that happen in between episodes in Season 1 or during. I really, really hope you like them! Don't be shy to speak your mind, all criticisms are welcome here :)

Chapter 1: Initiation

There were a lot of people Artemis Crock didn't get along with. Maybe it was her indifferent manner of speaking, or her dislike for all things sunshine-y and sparkly, or her involvement with the wrong crowd, but she knew that if such a list existed, the boisterous, obtuse, annoying kid speedster would be first on her list.

She had remembered the time she'd first been introduced to the team, remembered the suffocating weight of their calculating stares on her masked face, her weapons, and the green arrow on her chest flashing like a blinding headlight. There wasn't much Artemis was afraid of, other than the common fear of death and the afterlife, but in that moment, she'd experienced for the first time in her life the paralysing fear of stage fright.

"I'm his niece," she'd told them- and partly to herself too, as if saying it would make it come true and alleviate the heaviness of guilt and anxiety that had pressed onto her. Artemis couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so jittery; her past had steeled her for every situation she could think of. But, as she stared at their costumes that they had definitely earned along with their title, she had felt incredibly... incompetent. She hadn't done anything in her life that she'd been proud of, nothing that made her deserving of the role that Batman and Green Arrow had given her. Though she hid her insecurity well behind a mask of superiority and indifference, his words had affected her.

Never heard of you, the speedster had said.

In his defence, the archer had been the one to initiate the insults, but there was no way Artemis would admit to that. Especially since his attire was practically asking to be commented on.

Never in her right mind would she ever tell him, but he'd been almost a situational relief for her that day. In his utterly comical state, he'd almost seemed normal compared to the suited up superheroes around them and despite feeling as though she stuck out like a sore thumb, she'd only taken a jab at him because he had been worse.

The effect had not gone her way though, and she had not expected the speedster to retaliate so furiously. Besides, what kind of name was Kid Flash anyways? And who wore obnoxiously blinding colours like yellow and red?

Artemis couldn't place her finger on what it was about the annoying sidekick that irritated her. Maybe it was the fact that he'd been so openly hostile to her when she'd been a hot mess inside, or the fact that the reason why was because he had been looking out for a friend. Like loyalty mattered in a world like theirs. The archer knew better than that.

You get a job, you finish it, and then you get out. It was their way of life, and blind loyalty got you killed. Like Jade had said: 'Every girl for herself.'

It really wasn't a surprise when her daddy dearest dropped by for a visit the next morning. In a flurry, she had ushered her mom into her bedroom but the headstrong woman had nearly run over feet on her way out. Whether it had been her innate instincts or her intensive knowledge on her dad's behaviour that had prepared her for this confrontation, she wasn't sure, but she was thankful for both.

Sportsmaster's feet were propped up on the dining table as he drummed his fingers on the table in a steady rhythm, and his hockey mask hung from the back of the chair. It wasn't the rigid set of his shoulders, nor his clenched jaw that gave away his anger; it was his face that had been eerily neutral, and it was a look he always had before he did something explosive- literally.

"Artemis," the name was strung out as he levelled his freezing stare onto her.

Her mother had wheeled herself forwards a fraction in front of her, and her heart stopped when her mother glanced back, her dark eyes steely as they cautioned her. There were bags under her eyes and Artemis knew that her mother had got just about as much sleep as she had the previous night.

Paula's shoulders were set with determination despite her small frame and her disabled state, and Artemis could see the silhouette of her old identity-Huntress, one of the greatest assassins of her time- shimmering under the retired ex-con's form.

"Lawrence," the older woman called in the same tone, her back straight and her hands on her lap; the epitome of calmness if Artemis hadn't noticed the way the woman's hands were subtly shaking under her false pretence.

She calculated that it would take her less than ten seconds to get to her room and contact the League with the com-link Robin had given her last night -the one she'd foolishly taken out when she'd gotten to bed- and she trusted her mother to be able to hold her dad off for ten seconds. The older woman was not to be underestimated.

Sportsmaster smiled, a twisted line on his face and Artemis shoved the cold feeling washing over her tight into her stomach, schooling her expression so that he couldn't see just how affected she was by a mere smile.

"I was working late last night," her father began, his tone a little too conversational and Artemis recognised it as the calm before the storm. "And I had been throwing out the trash as usual, when I heard an interesting piece of news." The rhythmic tapping of his fingers against the table ceased, and Paula grabbed her daughter's hand reassuringly.

"They said that they saw… my baby girl, fighting with the League. Isn't that strange?"

He smiled again, and the shiver that ran down Artemis' spine felt like she'd been doused with a bucket of icy water. She swallowed down the lump in her throat, and kept her shaking hands behind her back.

"I would say that it's stranger that you're in this house."

Her response sounded much more confident than she'd felt, and her mother's hand squeezed hers infinitesimally.

Paula nodded. "You're not welcome here, Lawrence."

His expression darkened as something in him snapped. Slamming his large fists on the table, the two women tried not to flinch when it made a threatening boom echo around the apartment.

"Do you know what happens when people- especially my family- directly disobey my orders?"

His voice was unnervingly quiet, and he had stood up -all muscles and scars- and involuntarily, Artemis' knees wobbled under her weight. Her mind scrambled to find a way out, the way he had taught her, and she almost exclaimed aloud when an idea came to her.

"Dad," she said, grimacing when her voice hitched off at the end. "Didn't you think we'd have made sure you were permanently unwelcome?"

Her father's eyes narrowed and she continued with courage she didn't know she had, nodding her head to the walls of the apartment. "There are surveillance cameras set up in this apartment and a back-up team ready to kick in at any time. So unless you want to go back to Belle-Rève; my advice is to stay out of our lives."

Sportsmaster snarled, but seemed to heed her advice as he moved towards the windows. "You're a waste of talent, kid. You think this surveillance is for your safety? They'll never trust you, just remember that. See you out in the field, baby girl, because you'll come crawling back soon enough."

His words had echoed long after he'd disappeared from their sight. There was a part of Artemis that knew that there was no surveillance and that it had all been a ruse, but his words had hit her front and centre. The archer knew she didn't have a clean record like the others; that was why she had joined in the first place- to make up for the losses she'd caused. She wondered if she would ever be trusted, would ever belong. Sometimes she wondered if her attempts to change for the better were futile, that she would forever be condemned, but then she would remind herself constantly that it didn't matter, at least she was trying.

As soon as the tension in the air dissipated and the dark material of her dad's attire had gone out of sight, she collapsed on the couch and her mother heaved out a relieved sigh before patting her knee.

"Good job, Artemis. You did well. I'm so proud of you."

She nodded at her mother's smile, swallowing down her fears before she remembered something she had to do. Standing up abruptly, she ran to her room and fumbled for the com-link before inserting it into her ear.

"Robin, it's Artemis."

There was some static before the Boy Wonder answered. "Hey, new girl. What's up?"

"Can you tell Batman that Spor-" She cut off, and her eyes widened when she realised what she had been about to do. No one knew. No one should ever know who her family was. And if she had told her teammate that Sportsmaster was here, they would all ask questions. Why was he there? What had he done? And most of all, why would he only target her?

"-ts, is one of my strong points," she finished lamely.

"Oh… 'Kay," he answered, and Artemis could almost see his eyes squinting with suspicion. Batman's protégé was the one she had to watch out for the most, even though the Dark Knight had given her his word that her parentage would be strictly confidential. Who knew what tricks the kid had up his sleeve?

"Yes," she said awkwardly.

"Well, since you've finally put on the com-link, we have a training session tonight with Black Canary. We usually have it on the weekends; less clash of schedules and commitments."

"Sure, thanks."

"Oh, and Artemis?"

"Yeah?"

"Welcome to the team."

It was expected that someone with the archer's circumstances would be able to fight brilliantly, but that did not lessen the surprise their training mentor felt at her skills. Though she was no Black Canary, she had managed to get a few hits while sparring against their mentor and the archer could certainly hold her own against her teammate's varied skill sets. It was apparent to Black Canary, however, that the young girl seemed to do her best fighting when it came to showdowns with the speedster.

The adult superhero chalked it up to the fact that the air was charged with animosity whenever both of them were in the same room, and to Artemis, her internal reasoning had only been different to a certain extent.

The archer merely wanted to prove her skills, and even if she was a replacement like the Kid Flash had accused her of, she wanted to be the better replacement. She was also aware that he moved faster than anyone she'd ever gone up against, and to be provided such a challenge to have quicker reflexes than the fastest kid on earth was one she did not take lightly, though she did not deny the fact that she'd also been itching to disfigure his face since their introduction.

"Again," Black Canary had ordered when Kid Flash's back had hit the floor for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. The thudding sound of his shoulders against the floor sent waves of smug satisfaction washing through Artemis, and she couldn't help the little smile that curved her lips.

"She's actually trying to kill me, this is unfair," the redhead complained, rubbing his sore neck as he got to his feet. "This is just training."

Whatever pleasure she'd felt before ceased, and Artemis' eyes narrowed as her nails dug into her palms. He was also a sore loser, she mused. Obviously, if he was blaming his incompetency in hand to hand combat on her. Just training? What did he think they were training for, a ballet recital?

Black Canary sighed as she looked at him pointedly. "Training is the difference between life and death. She should be hitting you like she would if it was Bane or Dr Freeze."

"But I can't hit her!"

Their mentor raised a cynical eyebrow at his answer.

Feeling eyes on him, the speedster shifted onto his feet, his reasoning on the tip of his tongue, until he realised that her gender didn't really matter. Wally had fought plenty of women before. "She's a… A… lunatic!"

Artemis scowled and she swung a low kick that swept him off his feet. He landed on the floor with another loud thud, a regretful groan escaping his lips and Robin cackled in the background before Kid Flash's head whipped towards him.

"Dude, some best friend you are."

A lazy grin stretched on Robin's face as he lounged on the chairs with the others. "She's right, Wall-man. We're not going to go up against people who fight us because they want to invite us to a tea party with their leader."

The speedster's expression was stony underneath his mask and he shot her a glare before returning into his fighting stance. Artemis watched as he circled her, slowly at first before he increased in speed and became a blur around her. Her instincts were running wild, and he'd managed to clip her ribs as his blurred fist came for her torso, but she'd dodged low, before swinging her leg around to trip him again.

He laid on the floor, wincing at the new bump he felt growing on the back of his head, before he jumped up abruptly, his pointer finger raised at her accusingly. "You cheated!"

"I'm going easy on you, kid," she snapped, her non-existent patience wearing thin. Her muscles had been coiled up ready for combat since her father's little drop in and he had already wasted ten minutes of her sparring time before.

"She is," Robin added in a smug tone. He was facing Artemis and she did not miss the knowing quirk of his lips, but before she could ask what it meant, Batman's stoic profile flashed on above them.

"Attention, Team."

PS: I have a guilty confession to make... Yes, Young Justice is the first fandom I read on this website, but I've been straying... *sobs* I'm sorry, I cheated on YJ with LOTR. They're just so many good authors and stories out there. But I promise I'll try to keep writing this one! Spitfire never dies!