WOOOP, IM BAAAACK! So sorry it took me so long to upload, but with school and my job and my brownie baking empire, it's been difficult to find the time (and let's be serious, the patience) to sit down and get this all written out. BUT HERE IT IS, and while not that much happens I guess this is all just set up for the next chapter, which you'll probably have to wait a while for. (Sorry)

Wally turned away from the door to Artemis' room, so deep in thought he almost walked right into the person standing in the middle of the hallway, dressed in red and gold.

"Kid."

Immediately, Wally was backing up, making sure he was between the man- who Wally now recognised as his uncle Barry- and the door.

"You're not going anywhere near her, I won't let you."

"Wally, it's fine." Barry pulled the cowl from his face, looking apologetic. "I just want to talk."

Wally was silent, and Barry took it as a cue to continue speaking.

"I know things have been... tough, recently, but all I wanted to say was..." He shuffled on the spot, then sighed. "I've been a bad mentor and a crappy uncle, and I'm sorry. None of us were sure, when we got you back, if you'd be different or not. If you'd changed. And when you woke up and started asking for some strange girl, I panicked. You needed understanding, and I didn't give that to you. And I'm sorry, kid, I really am." Barry reached out and placed his hand on Wally's shoulder. "I just want you to know, I've got your back- whether you want me to or not."

Words took a while to come to Wally and he stared at his uncle with wide eyes.

"So you believe me?" He asked, half sure he was making it all up inside his head.

"Do I believe that that girl risked her own life to save my nephew's? Yes. I do, of course I do, kid, and I won't ever stop being grateful because of it."

The pair fell into a bear hug, Wally desperately trying to his his shaking lower lip, Barry craving the sense of retribution.

"It feels like you're the only person who cares." He mumbled.

"Hey, I know you're still stinging from what the others did, don't be so hard on them. They did what they could to help, all they ever wanted was for you to be okay." Barry did not speak for a moment, his hand making thoughtful circles between Wally's shoulders. "When you were... taken, the team took it badly. We all did. They only left the cave to search for you, I caught Robin sleeping in front of computer screens more times than I can count, nobody spoke, there was just silence. I think that they were counting on you jumping out of bed and cracking a joke as soon as they got you back, but life doesn't work that way."

Barry let go of Wally and they drifted apart.

"Are you okay?" The man in red asked his protégé.

Wally nodded, then stopped.

"What's going to happen to Artemis?" He asked, glancing at the door to her room, or rather, cell.

Barry's forehead creased. "I think Batman wants to make it a league decision. I don't want her to be locked away any more than you do, and I'll do what I can. Try to be rational, Wally, throwing kitchen utensils won't help her."

"There's got to be something else you can do- you know what will happen if she ends up at Belle Reve." Wally's voice was quiet, but the feeling behind his words was raw.

"I said I'll do what I can, kid. I promise."

Wally chewed on his lower lip and nodded. "Okay."

"They're waiting in the mission room." Said Barry, giving Wally a slight push. "You'd better go."

With one final glance at his mentor, Wally was gone, a red and black streak through the cave.

He had reached the mission room in seconds.

"You're not sending her to Belle Reve." Were Wally's first words as he breezed in, marching straight for the small group of people in the centre of the room. The team was there, along with Batman and Black Canary, who had been talking amongst themselves until the speedster arrived.

Batman looked him up and down and Wally instantly felt one tenth his size.

"Incarceration is one of many possible options we are considering. Artemis' behaviour over the next few days will determine whether she goes, or whether we make... alternative arrangements."

"What do you mean?" Probed Wally.

"If Artemis is who you say she is, the League will provide protection from the Shadows." Kaldur interjected, his tone as cool as his demeanour. "But if she isn't..."

"Then Belle Reve is the only viable option." Batman finished.

"But she defected, she's not a Shadow anymore- isn't that enough proof she's on our side?" Wally asked.

"Or it's part of a plot to infiltrate the team." Said Batman. "Tomorrow I will interrogate Artemis, while Miss Martian uses her telepathy to gauge where her allegiance lies. I'm sure Black Canary would also like to make her own assessment."

Telepathy... Wally felt relief surge through him. That was all the proof he would need, once M'gann saw for herself what the pair of them had been through, what Artemis had done for him, there was no way the League could prosecute. He just wasn't so sure about the term 'interrogate'.

Wally's gaze flitted across the teams' faces, deep in thought. None of them looked at him.

"Fine." He said. "But at least take the stupid collar off her, it's not necessary."

"The matter has been discussed and the team agreed that it was fair, given the circumstances." Batman replied.

"What circumstances?" Wally struggled to control the volume at which he spoke.

"Whether or not she is now, Artemis was an assassin, Wally." It wasn't Batman speaking now, it was Robin. "That's a very specific skill set, and it doesn't make somebody particularly trustworthy."

Wally shot a glare at him. "Trustworthy?" He scoffed. "That's rich, coming from the guy who double-crossed his best friend, right after leaving him to rot for three months."

Across the room Dick dropped his head, shoulders slumping with shame.

Wally almost felt bad.

"If that's it, then I'm going back to look after Artemis." He said, already backing towards the door.

Nobody spoke, and Wally took it as his cue to leave. The doors had just swung shut behind him when a small voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Wally?"

He spun round to see M'gann, her face half hidden by a curtain of hair, her hands clasped close to her chest, fidgeting. Hovering inches from the ground, she was painted with uncertainty.

"I was just wondering... I made some cookies earlier, could you take some to Artemis?"

Wally's mouth opened, but he didn't say anything. Already, M'gann faltered.

"Sorry, that was stupid." She turned away, muttering; half to herself, half to him. "Of course she won't want any, she probably hates me... stupid, stupid-"

"No, no, that's a good idea." Wally interrupted. "I don't think Artemis has eaten in a while..." he glanced at M'gann, settling for a reassuring tone, "So she'll appreciate it, I'm sure."

The Martian almost glowed with pride.

"Great!" Then M'gann seemed to remember something, and her grin faded. "Listen, Wally... about this thing with Artemis tomorrow- you know how I feel about going inside people's heads uninvited..."

"No, you've got to, it's the only way they'll believe us." Wally urged, gripping her shoulders. "I'll talk to Artemis and it'll be fine."

M'gann pursed her lips and shrugged him off. "I just... Whatever I find, Wally, I just want you to know- I believe you."

It was a few seconds before Wally was able to reply.

"Thanks. Seriously, it means a lot."

She was beaming again, but when M'gann started to speak, Wally cut her off.

"The others, they're-"

"I don't want to talk about the others, M'gann."

"But Rob-"

"I don't care! They made their own choices, and I've made mine."

An awkward hush fell across the pair as they made their way to the kitchen. The warmth of chocolate chips hit Wally's nose like the scent of home. He had grabbed a plate and was loading it up with cookies in a heartbeat.

"They're good," he called to M'gann, but she was nowhere to be seen. Wally felt a twinge of guilt, perhaps he had been too blunt with her.

He had stacked about two dozen cookies on the plate when M'gann rematerialised, a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"For Artemis," she muttered, her head bowed. "I'm not sure if they'll fit, but she seems about the same size as me."

"Thanks." Said Wally as he took them from her, placed the plate of cookies on top and, almost as an afterthought, grabbed a carton of orange juice from the fridge.

"Um, Wally." M'gann muttered, and he turned back to face her. "Tell her I'm sorry. About... everything."

Wally nodded, then, not knowing what else to say, he sped out of the kitchen, supplies in his arms.

"It's me." He called, pushing open the door to Artemis' room after it unlocked.

There she was, sitting on the edge of the bed where he had left her, only now she was prying at the inhibitor collar around her neck.

"Hey, stop- they might use that thing if they think you're messing with it!" Wally dropped the clothes and food on the bed and rushed to pull Artemis' hands away. "Let- go!"

Artemis snarled, but released her grip. "Can't you get them to take it off?" She asked.

"I've already tried, but they won't budge."

Wally followed Artemis' line of sight, to the plate of cookies.

"What's that?"

"Oh, I brought you some food, I thought you might be hungry."

Artemis had already snatched up the plate and fallen upon the cookies, her mouth full, eyes closed in rapture. Slowly, she exhaled through her nose.

"Are they okay?" Wally ventured.

Her eyes snapping open, Artemis nodded furiously. After catching sight of the juice, she grabbed the carton and took a great swig, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand then devouring more cookies. Wally wondered if this was anything close to watching himself eat.

"So, I talked to the others about what's going to happen."

Artemis showed only the subtlest signs she was paying any attention.

"Batman and Black Canary want to ask you a few questions."

"When?" Asked Artemis, spraying crumbs.

"Tomorrow."

She took another bite and nodded while chewing. "'Kay."

"And... they want M'ga- um, Miss Martian to use her telepathy, to check if you're lying or not."

Artemis froze.

"What?"

Wally was quick to respond. "It's okay, it's not what you think- she won't hurt you or dig around, she just needs to know what happened while I was... with you. That's good, right? They've got to believe us when she tells them we're on the same side."

Artemis suddenly looked very serious, her brows knitted together.

"No." She said, swallowing the last of the cookies. "Because we didn't always get along, remember?" Her hand reached up and she jabbed at the inhibitor collar. "Don't forget that you were wearing one of these, not too long ago, and don't forget that I fucking shocked you until you were twitching on the ground, okay?" Panic took control and Artemis let out a noise of pure frustration, her hands nesting in her hair. "No, nonono.." She murmured.

"Hey." Wally shuffled closer and rested a hand on her forearm. "It's fine, they'll see everything else, too: you still patched me up and saved my life- they'll know about how you sent that distress signal to the League."

Artemis lifted her head away from her hands. "You know about that?"

"Of course I do." Said Wally. "Trust me, Artemis, everything will be fine."

She seemed to relax under his touch, if only a little.

"What if they see what I did to you and decide it's not worth it?"

"Then I'll... I'll quit the team and help you escape and we can just... hide somewhere." Wally finished lamely.

Artemis snorted and nearly choked on her orange juice.

"I hope you're not the one who comes up with plans around here." She said, taking another gulp of juice. "Because that one sucks."

"Its better than your escape plan, remember?" Wally switched his expression to something sober and cold, raising the pitch of his voice to imitate her. "Let's just turn the lights out and run away; if things start to look really bad, we can always blow everything up."

Artemis was not impressed. "At least that plan actually worked. And I don't sound anything like that."

Wally grinned, and flicked his head as if tossing an imaginary ponytail.

"Uh, my name's Artemis and my hobbies include frowning, swearing and shooting arrows at inanimate objects. I feed on other people's disappointment and- Aaargh!"

At that moment, Artemis had stretched out her good leg and shoved Wally off the side of the bed. He hit the carpeted floor with an 'Ooof' sound and Artemis began to laugh, loud and completely carefree. From the floor, Wally giggled too, reaching up to grip her ankle and before she could react, pulling down, hard. Artemis fell to the floor with a yelp and Wally's laughter bordered on hysterical.

"That was my bad leg, you idiot." Grunted Artemis, giving Wally another shove. He wiped the tears from his eyes with one hand, and used the other to push himself up so he was sitting.

"Sorry." Wally mumbled, before a foot planted itself squarely on his chest and forced him onto his back.

There was the sound of Artemis' laughter again, and when Wally looked up, she had pulled herself onto the bed and was staring at the pile of clothes.

"What's this?"

"Oh, those belong to Miss M, she thought you might want some new clothes, and that those might fit."

"She's the green one, right?" Asked Artemis, unfolding a sweater that was a similar colour to M'gann's natural skin tone.

"Uh, yeah." Said Wally. "Martian is the more politically correct way of putting it, though."

"She's the one that knocked me out?"

"...yes."

"She's the one that's going to read my mind?"

"Also yes."

"Riiight

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That'll probably be it for a while, my holiday only lasts a week and I'm still working, so idk if I'll get any more done but hey, things will get a lot more interesting from here on out :D AND AS ALWAYS, A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS, YOU ARE THE SHINING LIGHTS IN THIS DARK, UNFORGIVING WORLD AND I LOVE YOU ALL.