So yeah, two chapters one night. Hope you guys are enjoying the story. :) This story will probably be arranged in story arcs: A: Early Years and B: Season One Team Years. Lots of spitfire goodness - although not sure yet what the final destination of their relationship will be. There will be bonus episodes also outside the realm of the series that will add a lot of character development. Thanks for reading thus far.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or its characters.

Siblings

Chapter 1: Fall

Six year olds don't know very much about gravity or the concept of sharing for that matter - especially her. But when one is on a swing that you have rightfully claimed as yours after punching some annoying little red haired boy away you're not expecting to find yourself flying off said swing when said little boy comes back and grabs the chains yanking them back so hard that you keep going forward till eventually your momentum slows down and you ram head first into a sandbox. (If the last thought that Artemis has before she completely wrecks a little Asian girl's masterpiece with her face is that the brat had guts she'll never tell anyone.)

It was supposed to be a "treat" or at least that was how her father had framed it. Artemis had been suspicious but then there had been ice cream and really, what was the worse he could do? They were between homes traveling by car so her father could avoid incarceration for one of his crimes or another and her arm had finally healed from when she had broken it so she could now participate in his full training regime. Jade and mom might be gone but she was trying her best not to cry anymore. So somewhere in her naive six year old mind she decided to trust him one more time. So where was her father when that brat threw her off the swing?

"She's…to. Hel-…Hello!?" Artemis rolled over groggily blinking blearily as harsh fluorescent light assaulted her eyes. She was in an incredibly white room which she assumed must be a hospital room - she'd only ever seen them on TV - but this one wasn't empty or antiseptic it was full with strange red haired people who were earnestly bustling about the room calling for nurses and doctors and such. Where was dad?

Artemis recoiled terrified when a kindly looking red haired woman reached over to pat her arm but instead of getting angry at Artemis's defensiveness she merely smiled slightly and attempted to coax her out of her huddled position. "It's okay. I'm Mary and you've been asleep for a little while due to a nasty fall," she paused making a rather angry face, "That reminds me. Wallace Rudolph West you have something to say to this girl, don't you?"

A sour faced, even redder, boy poked his head out from behind what was clearly his mother's legs. It was the first time she had noticed that he had bright green irises as she stared into his red rimmed eyes. His nose and cheeks were puffed up from crying and he just looked red all over. But she instantly recognized him.

"You pushed me."

"Projected."

"What!" squawked Artemis indignantly instantly sliding across the mattress and leaning over the bed railings towards her challenger, or Wallace as he appeared to be called. What a stupid name. Wallace.

"Projected. I projected you off the swing." He grinned smugly because he must know that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Wallace!" hissed the woman tapping her foot on the ground. "You owe this girl an apology."

"No I don't," he muttered defiantly, "She wasn't sharing."

"That wasn't what you said while you've been crying," prodded a mustached man kneeling beside the boy patting his head.

"I wasn't crying," pouted the boy running a sodden sleeve beneath his nose before glancing at her. "I wasn't."

That must be nice. Artemis mused idly as the boy hiccupped a bit. Her father never did those kinds of things. But she abruptly shook her head this was not the time to be thinking about those things. She needed to focus on getting home! Where was dad?

"Where's dad?" she asked and slowly the room got quiet and everyone turned to look at her as she posed the innocent question. "Where's my dad?"

Another red haired woman stepped forward and gently placed a hand on hers, "Hi I'm Iris West. I work for GBS News and we've been showing your picture on the station but no one has come forward. We're doing everything we can to reunite you with your family." Artemis resisted the urge to laugh. She was a goner now. There was no way her father was stepping forward to get her with all this publicity. He was a criminal. Then again maybe his plan all along had been to ditch her. He'd been itching for action and training his infantile, wimpy daughter without results had been getting to him, or maybe it was just another one of his tests. Either way it didn't look like Artemis would be going home anytime soon. Not that it was much of a home to return to.

In the awkward silence that followed where Artemis just sat staring dumbly at Iris and Iris was gently squeezing her hand Wallace decided it was his cue to have the spotlight. "I'm sorry, okay?" Artemis remained stoic. "Really sorry."

Artemis raised her unoccupied hand and motioned the kid forward and after some none to gentle prodding he ended up beside her bed where she promptly punched him in the arm. "That's for projected me off the swing. We're good."

"You said it wrong. It's projecting."

"Wallace." The boy flinched at the weight of his mother's words but was rewarded with a smile from the red haired woman when she congratulated him. "That was very nice. Thank you Wally."

"That's a dumb name," stated Artemis bluntly.

"You're a dumb name," riposted Wallace-now-Wally sticking his tongue out.

"Is that any way to treat a lady?" commented a new voice as a blonde haired man entered the room.

"Barry!" squealed Wally launching himself into the man's open arms excitedly.

"Hi there kiddo," chuckled the blonde before turning to Artemis. "And Thing 2. I'm Iris's boyfriend, Barry Allen, and I need to ask you a few questions."

"Why?" asked Artemis defensively looking towards the door.

"Okay squirt down you go," grinned Barry depositing a despondent Wally on the floor. "They're just routine questions because of the circumstances surrounding your accident. You can choose to pass on any of them, okay?" This man was clearly somehow involved with the police. It was unnerving. From a young age Artemis had been instilled with the proverb to never, ever approach the police for anything. So as Artemis stared helplessly up at the kind, smiling man she had no idea what she was supposed to do. He was nice and nice was something so foreign to her that all she could do given her circumstances (there was an army of redheads blocking the door after all) was hesitantly nod.

"Thanks," the man grinned jovially pulling out a pad and pencil. "How about we begin with you telling me your name."

"Artemis…"

"Ha! I was right you did have a dumb name."

"Okay that's it mister. Outside now," his mother ordered as she ushered the boy from the room. "Honestly I raised you better then this." Everyone shared a chuckle in the room once the bickering parent and child were gone before Barry again began to press her.

"Last name? It would help to find your parents." Crock. But there was no way she was saying that. Not only would they find out who she was but her father would kill her for using his real name. Better not to raise that red flag.

"Nguyen." At least it was safer then Crock. There was at least fifty other Nguyen's in her old apartment building alone, there must be thousands in the whole world.

"That's a very pretty name," encouraged Iris and Artemis felt her cheeks pinken.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

"No."

"Any relatives?"

"Dead."

"You're doing great. Just one last question okay?" Feeling encouraged Artemis gave a wane smile.

"When you came to the hospital there were other boo-boos then the ones you got from the fall…" Artemis tuned him out. She felt as if the rug had been ripped out from beneath her feet why of all things did he have to ask that? She couldn't explain those injuries without implicating her father, heck, Jade would be locked up for life for sure.

"Artemis?" she snapped her head up at her name, "Was someone hurting you?"

"Pass."

Wally looked between the conversing adults above him boringly idly smashing his fingers against the buttons of his Aunt's cell phone as he played a game. His parents, Barry and Iris were whispering in hushed and hurried tones above him talking about the girl again. He wasn't really interested. It was entirely her fault anyways for not sharing the swing. Sharing was about taking turns and she was hogging his favorite thing in the playground.

"She can't stay here forever," stated Iris concerned. "Her family is out there somewhere. Little girls don't just wander into parks."

"We have to consider the possibility that Artemis is a runaway," warned Barry, "She clearly comes from an abusive home. Her injuries may have been taken care of properly but Doctor Altman believes she's been sustaining critical attacks for at least three years."

"Heaven forbid! We can't just let her go home," sighed Mary, his mother, tugging distractedly at the macaroni necklace she was still wearing from earlier that day when she had picked him up from Kindergarten. "I feel so responsible. If only Wally hadn't catapulted her from that swing."

"It wasn't my fault!" piqued Wally for what felt like the fiftieth time. Why did everyone always blame it on him?

"Shhh, Wally," admonished his mother, "The adults are talking."

"If her parents don't come forward she'll have to go into foster care."

"Absolutely not! Have you read the horror stories recently about those parents that took in six kids and starved them? No. No way."

"Mary."

"Don't Mary me. We are the only thing standing between that girl and death."

"I think you might be over exaggerating a bit," snorted Rudy running his hand through his hair and smoothing down his mustache before sighing and glancing at the hospital door. "You always said you wanted another." Wally looked up startled dropping his Aunt's phone. Were they suggesting…

"Are you sure?" prodded his mother gripping her husband's hand firmly when he nodded before she turned to Barry. "Is this even legal?"

Barry shrugged. "I'm sure we can work something out. All I can say is your cooking is a million times better then hospital food."

"What's going on?" sputtered Wally frantically looking between his parents as they shared wide smiles.

"Wally," began his mother kneeling down, "How would you like to have a sister?"

"Is no an option?"

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