This is a really long one and the whole "knock before you enter" thing is just wedged in there. Mostly it was just a chance to have Artemis and Wally have a moment.

Nothing like a fresh pan of burnt cookies to make his day even worse. Still, it was food and he had a very high metabolism to maintain.

Wally sighed as crunched down on the cookie. It was hard as a rock. Maybe some milk would help.

"No energy," Wally moaned, casting a forlorn glance towards the fridge. He rested his cheek on his hand as sighed pathetically again. "Need milk," he whined.

"Oh for the love of-" Artemis stomped into the kitchen and yanked open the fridge. "Here's you milk, Kid Whiney!" She slammed the jug down on the counter in front of him.

Wally's eyes lit up as he grabbed it, popped off the cap and brought it up to his lips to drink.

"Glass!" Artemis cried before he had a chance to take a sip.

"Cupboard," Wally sighed. "Too far away. Need energy. Can't make it."

"I cannot believe I have to do this for a perfectly capable superhero!" Artemis growled.

"Hey, no one asked you to," Wally pointed out.

She just glared at him and set the glass down by the milk. When Wally made no indication of moving, Artemis huffed and poured some milk into the glass for him. "I know no one asked, but you're just so pathetic. And that is not a good thing. It's not adorable, it's not cute or clever. It's just plain pathetic. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

"You sound like my mom," Wally grumbled as he dunked his charred cookie into his milk. He sighed again.

Artemis was quiet for a moment and Wally could feel her gaze on his, studying him like a bug under a microscope. Finally, she sat down on the stool beside him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Wally mumbled.

"Fine."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Wally tried not to look at Artemis, keeping his eyes firmly planted on his milk glass. But he could feel the archer watching him, waiting for him to crack and tell her what was on his mind. Why did she even care? It wasn't like they were friends or anything.

Well, he'd just ignore her. She'd go away eventually. And if she didn't, well, there was no way he was going to tell her what was wrong. She would just laugh. Call him pathetic again. And he'd deserve it. Gosh, he was worthless. What kind of a speedster…

Wally sighed at that thought and the memory of failure it quickly brought to mind. "You ever feel like you'll never be good enough?" Wally finally whispered.

Beside him, Artemis arched an eyebrow. "Sometimes, I guess…"

Wally shook his head and looked down. "Never mind."

"No, what is it?" Artemis urged. Wally glanced up at her. She really did look concerned. Her! He really must be pathetic to elicit her sympathy.

"You know, I got my powers because I wanted to be just like The Flash. I did all these experiments, nearly got myself killed, but it was worth it. But I'll never be him. I'll never be as fast or as smart or…" Wally sighed.

"Where is all this coming from?" Artemis asked.

"I… I tried to vibrate through a wall today. Just ended up with a bloodied nose. Like always."

"So… Maybe it just takes time. Practice. You'll get the hang of it eventually." He glanced at his doubtfully. "Look, I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when I first started archery."

"Really?" Wally asked, perking up. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Artemis was a great shot. She could probably give Green Arrow and Roy a run for their money.

"Well, no," Artemis admitted somewhat sheepishly. "But that's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" Wally grunted.

"The point is, you just can't go comparing yourself to everyone else. Don't sell yourself short. After all, you're the best speedster we've got on the team."

"I'm the only speedster on the team," Wally grumbled, but he felt a little better.

Artemis just shrugged, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Best is best, don't question why. So don't worry about vibrating through walls so much. You do just fine the way you are. Don't rush things. And when you do learn, well… just make sure you don't go through any walls you shouldn't!" Artemis waggled her eyebrows, making Wally laugh.

"Thanks Arty."

Artemis' eyes suddenly narrowed. "Don't call me that. Creep!" And with that she stormed off, leaving Wally completely clueless.

Wally's gums flapped for a moment. All he had done was call her Arty. Sure, she didn't like the name but… but they were finally getting along for once! Surely she could've let the nickname thing slide! Women. Archery women. They were so frustrating. Hot one moment, cold as ice the next. He had half a mind to race after her and… and… and kiss her or something.

Whoa! Wait. What? Where the heck had that come from? Gross. Disgusting. Wally shook the horrendous thought from his head and kicked it across the room.

Glancing down at the milk, an evil smirk crossed his face. Oh, he wouldn't kiss her, but turn about was fair play. If she could go from nice to frustrating in an instant, so could he.

Wally jumped off his stool and raced off in the direction Artemis had left in. "Hey Arty, you left the milk-" He opened the door to her room and stopped. "Out…"

Okay, wrong room. Very wrong room….

But since when did a white, freaky looking monster have a room in Mount Justice? "Umm…"

The white monster gasped and held up a clawed, three fingered hand. Wally immediately flew back through the door and hit the wall outside. With a groan, he fell to the ground. Something tickled in his mind and the edges of his vision went black. The rest became blurry and garbled. Before he went unconscious, he could barely make out a green figure with red hair hovering over him.

Wally groaned. Where was he? What happened? What…

"Wally?"

"Artemis?" Wally cracked open an eye, instantly regretting it as the bright lights assaulted him. He groaned again and covered his eyes with his arm. "What… Where am I?"

"You're here. In the cave."

"Cave?" Wally repeated. That wasn't right. The last place he remembered being was at home. "How…"

"You tried to vibrate through a wall. Gave yourself a bloody nose."

"Wha?" Gingerly, Wally touched his face. His fingers came away coated in blood. "Dang it. Must've been bad if it knocked me out. I don't even remember trying it. I don't even remember coming to the mountain today."

"So I guess you don't remember the whole 'you're the best, don't worry about going through walls' heart to heart we had?"

Wally snorted incredulously. "We had a heart to heart? You? Me?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Whatever, Kid Moron. Here." She tossed him a cloth and got up. "And the next time you ignore my good advice, you'd better hope that all you get is a nose bleed." And with that, she marched off, muttering to herself about how dumb he was.

Wally rolled his eyes. He didn't remember her good advice, but next time, he would just avoid talking to her all together.

Women.

Archery women.