A/N: Today's the last day of the holidays... and I've written zero, zilch, none. I'll manage... somehow. I was going to prolong this chapter since it was so short, but I'm completely late, so here it is!

Thank you so much to all these lovely people for your time: Angelgirl18647, BerryEbilBunny, Black Bat Girl, Cinomen, GorgeousChaos, Misa3000, MusicLoverBLD, Ninja Bagel, Phantresss212012, Saturngirl16, Zatanna Carrile, ZeroV, billyisabelo, ingrid, littlea16, maewander25, marinelife2299, spitfireforever, star-eye, the royal bookworm of all dork, thestoryreader99, Arrowlover17, BittyCatt, doggybye, kateygirl7, PaaaalomaH, Pen Name Enter Here, PolkadotBunny, PythianPickles, jennelyn12, Amissproduct54, hanjoh1, roseliehale1

PS: I don't know if I should keep listing all your names, considering it's a huge chunk of text (again, thank you), but I will since it all means so much to me :) Thanks, guys!

Chapter 8: Revelation

Of all things Wally West didn't have, it was often his tact- or lack of it- that got him into trouble. He had about as much subtlety as a llama and even then, llama's at least had the decency to be cute while they spat in your face.

When Artemis had appeared the next morning after Halloween, it was that exact lack of sensitivity that got him on her bad side- again. The irritated blonde had been sore, riddled with bruises and aches from the showdown with Harm the previous night, and had dragged herself across the city to get to the zeta-tubes just for a briefing at the Cave. She wasn't even technically supposed to be awake, and the scowl on her face said as much, but as usual, Wally had completely missed it.

"The hell is wrong with your face?" Wally blurted when she entered his view, his face a shade paler than usual and his green eyes flashing an odd mixture of concern, shock and irritation.

"Maybe you should look in the mirror," the archer snapped back, her sudden hostility taking Wally by surprise and he shut up immediately, gaping at her as she stormed towards the debriefing room.

The others were in clusters around the room with M'gann and Superboy in their own little world as they lounged on the couch together- no, surprise there- and Kaldur stood behind the Boy Wonder and Wally as they shared a bag of potato crisps.

A gasp escaped from the martian's lips though, when she shifted her attention to the black and blue hue of Artemis' cheek. "What happened?" She echoed, and immediately moved closer to inspect the archer's injury.

Artemis internally groaned as she stopped in her tracks, and she held up a hand at M'gann's advance, "I'm fine."

M'gann frowned, noticing the way the blonde had avoided her question. "Do you need some ice?" She asked tentatively, and across the room, the freezer door opened and out floated an ice pack.

The archer gave her a brief grateful look that was returned with a bright smile, and the ice pack landed in Artemis' hands as she held it against her cheek with a soft groan.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The Martian questioned, and Artemis waved her hand dismissively in reassurance. Hesitantly, the Martian sat back down and Artemis continued across the room.

She hadn't gone far when another teammate spoke up. "Good job," came a boyish, teasing voice from behind and Artemis turned around to lift up one corner of her lip in reply. She had expected Robin would know, and she gave him credit for not pouncing on her for details.

"Where's Zatanna?" He asked a little too nonchalantly.

"Probably grounded," she replied, wincing as her smirk tugged at her cheek when the younger boy practically deflated in his seat. "Her dad was furious when he picked her up from the station last night."

Wally's shock finally subsided and putting two and two together, he raced to stand in front of the exhausted archer, noting the tiny scratches and faint bruises that stained the rest of her body. "That's where you went gallivanting off to last night? With Harm, the psychopath?" He demanded, surprised by the growl in his voice.

"What's it to you?" She asked, her eyes narrowing into slits.

Wally scoffed, his fists clenched to his sides. "You could've gotten hurt. You're so... So reckless! You could've gotten yourself killed."

Artemis was practically dead on her feet, and though a little part of her knew that Wally was right, and that she had bitten off more than she could chew last night, she was still pissed. "But I didn't," she hissed. "And I succeeded so no other innocent civilian would be in harm's way again."

Robin snickering went unnoticed behind them. "No pun intended."

The others groaned, but said nothing else as they watched the two argue heatedly with one another. They knew with experience that the two were best left alone, unless you wanted to be dragged into the nuclear war.

"You could've died, does that mean anything to you?" Wally's voice rose in volume, and Artemis almost stepped back in surprise. "You always think you're all that, but you're not Artemis. Some things you can't do by yourself, and you could've called me."

As if noticing the presence of the others in the room suddenly, Wally almost blushed and added, "I mean us- the team."

The comeback on Artemis' tongue faltered, and her eyes widened along with the rest of the team. For the archer, Wally's words echoed in her mind like a reprimand, a reminder that she had been wrong last night not to call for backup, but she had been too proud and too hurt. The archer had not wanted to see the lovesick couple flaunt their relationship right in front of her.

However, the others were shell-shocked at Wally's little slip up. Robin had always known Wally was curious about the archer. He hadn't been sure why, and he didn't think Wally did either, but now the Boy Wonder pondered if there was something more going on with Wally when it came to their blonde friend.

The rest of the team seemed to be on the same line of thought as they shared a look and tried to hide their amused grins.

Though Artemis knew it was futile, and that she had been wrong, her pride once again took dominance. "I was with Zatanna, we handled it."

"Barely," Wally snorted.

Artemis rolled her eyes as she pushed past the speedster, not willing to admit that she'd lost this one though she knew Wally would break out into a victory dance as soon as she left.

But unbeknownst to her, Wally's cheeks flared red the moment she exited the room, and he plopped himself down on the edge of the couch, placing his head in his hands.

What was happening to him?

Artemis was a member of the team and a vigilante like all of them were. They all risked their lives for their roles and Wally understood that, but there was a reason why he wanted to keep her safe. The speedster wasn't sure how he would handle if the events of the simulation became reality.

A part of him knew it wasn't his role, but the larger part wished it was and for the first time in months, clarity struck him like one of Artemis' sucker punches.

Black Canary had been right. Wally was in denial. But Artemis was Artemis, and if the months since she'd joined told him anything about her, he was so out of his league.

Wally West was never one to feel insecure. He'd always had straight A's, loving parents, a comfortable life, and since not long ago, he'd also become the fastest kid on earth. He wasn't bad looking either, years of orthodontics had corrected that, and he'd always thought he was a smooth talker. Who didn't love a suave, handsome superhero?

Obviously, Artemis didn't. Maybe her indifference made her different to Wally. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and didn't seek approval from anyone, especially him. She was fierce and harsh sometimes, but Wally had seen the soft, open expressions she was capable of making in rare occasions, and he liked them. He liked her.

Wally let out a groan and threw himself backwards into the lounge. Perfect.

"What's shakin', bacon?" came a teasing voice and Wally opened his eyes to see his best friend grinning down at him.

"Honestly? The worst and best thing that could ever happen to me."

Robin's eyes narrowed behind his mask, and his gaze drifted to the exit for a moment. "Which is it?"

Wally sighed, sliding his hands down his face dejectedly. "I don't know, and I don't know if I'll ever know."

The Boy Wonder froze for a second, and he looked down at the slumped posture of his best friend with inquiring eyes. It was his honed bat senses or his well-developed knowledge of his best friend that alerted Robin to what was going on. If he had been unsure before, he wasn't now, and he almost laughed at the irony of the situation. Dislike? More like Like.

The only thing keeping him from cheering and clapping Wally on the back for coming to terms with his feelings was Artemis, and though he knew a lot about the archer that most didn't, her feelings were something he couldn't figure out. It was the first time he'd heard his best friend so vulnerable when it came to his personal life, and Robin couldn't help but sigh. It just had to be Artemis.

"You won't know until you try," he replied earnestly, patting Wally on the back.

At his words, the speedster sat up abruptly, and his green eyes shone with newfound determination. "You're right. What is there to lose?"

Robin frowned and looked away. Being the only person who knew Artemis' history, the Boy Wonder would say he had everything to lose.