D: I don't own Smallville or CSI New York. Just borrowing for some entertainment.

"This is a joke, right?" Bart asked him, still staring at Reed. Maybe if I poke him, he'll turn to smoke because I'm actually in a dream. Yeah, I'm in a lab and they're analyzing my dreams.

"No joke, Bart Allen?" Reed questioned, turning off the iPod that had been going. He slapped Bart's hand away, which had been coming up to poke him.

"The one and only. They really should have included pictures."

"I'm starting to agree." Reed took a seat at the table. "So, let's start off with some basics. Why did you get into journalism?"

"That's not basic. Basic would be parents, family, birthday. Mine happens to be June 19th."

"September 18th. Why did you get into journalism?"

"Ummm…" Bart was stalling. I got on to meet a girl who wouldn't date me in a million years. "I have this friend at the Daily Planet that's a journalist and she got me interested."

"Are you sure you just not interested in her?"

I am, but she's dating another guy and they're serious. "She's dating a photographer there."

"Anybody I know?"

"I think she was before your time. Which college?" Off the subject. Off the subject!

"Met U. Brothers or sisters?"

Whew. "No. Not unless you include some of my friends. You?"

"Wasn't that lucky. I was adopted; my Mom didn't have any more kids after me. My adoptive parents couldn't have kids."

"What about your Mom? Why did she give you up?"

"Too young to have a kid. What about your parents?"

"Both dead."

"Mom's dead too. Terrorist attack a few years ago."

"The towers?" Reed nodded. "Sorry." Bart patted him a few times on the shoulder.

"I never got to meet her."

Ouch. "What about your dad?"

"Don't know who he is."

Double ouch. "Kind of pales my situation."

"How does it do that?" Reed asked, then immediately stepped back. "Wait, the whole Don Allen thing a few months back. Did that concern you?"

He raped me. I'd say that concerns me. "He was my father."

Bad topic. Just like Mom. "Living with family now?"

One side doesn't exist. "No, with this guy that took me in. I ran after this accident and I didn't see Mom again. And I didn't see Dad until he tried kidnapping me." The other side doesn't want me to exist.

"Kidnapping?"

"I'm the legal ward of the guy that took me in. Dad didn't have custody anymore and he was wanted for the murder of Mom."

Really bad topic. Get off it. Something was bugging Reed. Bart was holding something back and his instinct was to go and run it down. Last time his instinct told him to run something down, he had been caught at the end of a gun and Mac had to intervene. You're the one that promised Mac that you wouldn't do anything like that again. "Sorry to hear that."

"At least I had time with my parents." Wow, me being so sentimental, when did that happen? His thoughts were cut off by the phone ringing. He checked and found AC calling him. "What's up?"

"Are you done yet with what you're doing?"

Bart looked at Reed. "Uh, no."

"Well, you're going to have to walk. Helping stake out a place with Clark. Watch out for the gangs that are going around," AC told him.

"What about Vic?"

"Still his business, not yours. Later dude," AC stopped him from talking and ended the call. Yeah, sure Ollie. AC's going to give me a ride. Figures.

"Bad news?" Reed disrupted.

"Walking home." More like running as soon as I get away from people.

"Bummer, can't you get a taxi?"

With these people? I'd have better luck meeting Lex and living. "At these rates? I rather walk."

Reed looked at the clock on his cell phone. "It's already eight. We should really get home."

"Good plan. How are you getting back to your place?"

"Subway, then four blocks to campus. Another two to the dorm I'm living in."

"You're worse than me. I'll walk with you. Get my ten-thousand steps in."

"How far do you have to go?"

"Not that far. The place I live is only a few blocks away from the campus." It's twenty, but I need a good run.

"Let's get going before the dorms decide to lock up."

"Lock up?"

"They lock up after ten."

"Must suck for snack runs."

"Definitely." Reed refreshed his coffee and Bart got another smoothie. They left talking about the basketball games that Met U had coming up. The subway was dimly lit. Reed and Bart were the only ones waiting up front for the train. There was another person waiting a few feet back that only moved up on them as the train came up and they piled in.

"Did you notice the guy that's been following us?" Reed whispered.

"Yeah. I don't recognize him, do you?" Reed shook his head. "Okay, so we're being followed. Any enemies?"

"None right now for me. My… uh … stepfather, I guess that's what you could call him, he's a crime scene investigator for the MPD. He's probably got a few enemies. What about your guardian?"

"I'd say he's got a few. None of them know about me, though." The only one that knows is Lex, and he isn't this stupid to try something like this.

"He's got a few?"

"Yeah, comes with the job. He's a businessman. CEO of a company." Don't make me name, don't make me name.

"What's the company?"

Damn. What do I say? What do I say? "Artemis Consortium." Bart almost breathed a sigh of relief as he remembered the shell company that Oliver used as a connection point between them and him during missions.

"What do they do?"

Oh, you know. It's a fake company and I'm a superhero trying to take down places that kidnap people like me and create super soldiers. "I signed up to be a currier. I can't remember what they do exactly."

The guy never came closer on the subway, but he got off at the same stop as them as they went up to the local bar section for the college kids. There was a loud party going on a few doors down, so it didn't take long for the guy to come only a couple of feet behind them without suspicion. Reed started asking about the jobs Bart had taken during the job.

"The funniest one had to be the piece of artwork for this small business owner. It was in a tube, so the security guys thought I was delivering a gun. While they were checking the package; the head guy was asking everyone I had been working with, my contacts and whether I was shooting someone in one of the other buildings. Finally, the guy I was supposed to be delivering for came down and opened the package. The whole thing was three hours. My boss wanted to kill me."

Both Bart and Reed were laughing at this as they were about a block away from Reed's dorm. Three other guys started surrounding them as the guy that had been following them came up and pointed a gun at them. Another one trained a second gun. "Now, what would you two twins be doing out at this time of night?" one of them taunted.

"Study session. Big exam coming up," Bart bantered, moving up just ahead of Reed to step in front and if necessary, push him out of the way when something was going to happen. He was pushed back by Reed by the second guy with the gun.

"Nice try, smart aleck. Wallets, now," the second gun guy ordered. Reed and Bart both brought out their wallets. The guys that didn't have guns were taking the wallets. Instead of taking the credit cards and money, they were looking at the driver's licenses.

"Reed Garrett, 20 years old. Student of Met U. What year?" one guy asked.

"Why do you need to know?"

"Curious. What year?"

"Sophomore."

"Sophomore year. You're not that old."

"What's yours?" the second gun asked to the guy holding Bart's.

"Let's see, a learner's permit for Bart Allen. Kid doesn't even have a license yet," the guy reported. Both guys threw back the wallets. While Reed was picking his up, the guy that threw it back punched him in the jaw.

"Hey!" Bart yelled, moving forward to help him out. Two of the guys kept on him while the other ones beat up Reed.

"Little advice, Reed. When you pick a story about the rise in gang crimes on campus, make sure someone near you isn't on the gangs you're writing about," one of the guys shouted, delivering a kick to his abdomen. Reed shouted in pain and tried to curl into himself, except two of the guys were holding him flat while the third kept beating him.

The person holding Bart heard something behind him. He twisted his head to try and glance at the source, but couldn't see anything. He turned his attention back to the squirming kid in his grasp and tried to get a better hold. He failed to notice the six foot guy dressed in green that was now currently standing behind him. The guy knocked him out with a solid punch to the spine just under the meeting of the head. His heavy weight threatened to bring Bart down if the guy hadn't kept him up.

Bart turned to see the Green Arrow holding him. "Just in time. I think they're about to put him in a coma," he muttered. The Arrow chose to ignore him and took the guy delivering most of the punches. Bart kicked one of the guys holding down Reed before the other started moving on him. He was stopped by the second guy, who both looked at the Arrow and took off after that.

"He's knocked out. Who is he, Bart?" Oliver asked in his normal voice.

"My college mentor through the newspaper. His dorm's over there," Bart pointed out like it mattered.

"What are you doing? I told you to call AC to get a ride. This is exactly why," he berated.

"Like it was my fault. AC was going with Clark for surveillance; Vic and you were out of the question. Who the hell was I going to call?"

"Chloe, Jimmy, Lois. Hell, let's try Mrs. Kent. You don't go out alone, Bart and this is the reason."

Bart wanted to scream at him. Yeah sure, let's bug everyone else by the fact that I need a ride. "I was just planning to run after I got him back."

"And look how well that turned out."

"This is not my fault. All right, they were after Reed, who is waking up." Bart was looking over to him, seeing him start to turn a bit on the sidewalk. "Get out of here, now!"

Oliver went off, leaving Bart to kneel by him. "Uhh, who was the other guy?" Reed mumbled, cracking a blackened eye.

"Someone who helps out. Should I call the police or something?"

"Yeah, we should call my stepfather. And maybe an ambulance."

"Bart!" someone yelled. Bart groaned as he turned to see Oliver walking in plain clothes. Great Ollie, come back three minutes you save us. "What is the matter with you? You were supposed to be home…" He cut off perfectly after seeing Reed.

"Bart, who is this guy?" Reed asked.

"Reed, this is my guardian. Oliver, this is my mentor through the newspaper program, Reed Garrett."

"Too bad this isn't under different circumstances. Bart, have you called an ambulance?"

Typical Ollie. "I was just about to." He turned back to Reed. "Do you want me to use your phone?"

"Yeah, just call Mac. He'll arraign for an ambulance."

"Mac?" Ollie questioned.

"Yeah, Mac Taylor. He's with the crime lab."

One of the investigators on Don's death. Oliver started taking in the wounds over Reed's body before setting to work."Your worst problem is your left wrist. It's broken." Several places had already started bruising.

They were waiting for the ambulance when Reed decided to spill. "Hey, Bart, I noticed you never said Oliver's last name when introducing us. Is that because you were worried I was going to recognize him as Oliver Queen?"

Bart and Oliver looked at each other. Busted.

Okay, so Reed has been beaten before because of a story. Actually, he's almost been killed over a story. Somehow, it will all tie in. I think I got a plan. I hope.

Also, as a small joke, the birthdays are not their birthdays, but releases of movies that I want to see.

Review please.