Artemis Chapter 7: Learning to Cope

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN TEEN TITANS! SO BACK OFF LAWYERS!!! (picks up stick and starts swinging it around) Uh, hehe. No more Diet Coke for me. P.S. I am SOOOO sorry for the wait. My computer was having issues.

On with the story...

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Beast Boy awoke to the absolutely delicious smell of fresh waffles. He sat up immediately, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. He brushed his clothes from yesterday off his clock to see the time. The clock read 9: 34 a.m.

I should just go back to sleep, but I want some of those waffles. He changed quickly and opened his door. He found himself alone in the hallway. The others must be up eating already. Which means Cy is making the waffles! "Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "I bet he didn't even make soymilk waffles! I can even smell bacon from here! Is there no end to his tyranny?"

"Yo, BB! You're the first one up! What's the world coming to?" Cyborg paused and sniffed. "Hey! I smell waffles!"

"Cy?? If you're not making the waffles then who is? You don't think-"

"STARFIRE!!!" they both yelled.

Oh no. Whenever Starfire cooks, she makes some weird Tamaranean junk that tries to eat me! Who knows what would happen if she tried to make waffles!

"Beast Boy! Cyborg! Friends, why have you yelled my name in an extremely loud fashion?"

"Star?" Beast Boy sighed, rubbing his head. "This is getting weird! Who the heck is making the waffles?!" yelled Beast Boy.

"Your guess is good as mine."

The others turned around to see Robin.

"Robin?! Why are you here?"

Robin shrugged. "I smelled waffles."

"Dude! Who is making the waffles?" Beast Boy paused for a second to do a head count. "Wait. I'm here. Cyborg's here. Starfire's here. Robin's here. Which means, Raven is making the waffles?!?!" Beast Boy's eye twitched. "But they smelled so good. What is the world coming to?"

"You know, I can make more than herbal tea, but I appreciate the support."

Beast Boy turned around to find Raven. "Oh. Hehe. Didn't see you there Rae."

She frowned at him. "Don't call me Rae."

Beast Boy groaned in frustration. "This has gone on long enough! Who is making the waffles?"

"Beast Boy, I know even you aren't that stupid as to not know this. Who else lives here now?"

"Umm, Silkie?" Beast Boy suggested hopefully. Beast Boy suddenly imagined Silkie in a chef's hat making waffles. "Hey, it could happen."

Raven smacked her forehead. "Think about it. Who just moved in yesterday? She has black hair-"

The others around Beast Boy had already caught on to who Raven was hinting at. Beast Boy, however, had not. "Omigosh. Blackfire is downstairs?!?"

Why am I surrounded by such idiots? Raven let out a nice, long sigh. "You know what? Just go downstairs and find out for yourself."

"Fine." said Beast Boy. "I will. And when Blackfire is downstairs, you'll be sorry you didn't listen." With that Beast Boy strode off to the kitchen.

Starfire watched him leave with a confused expression on her face. "Friends? Why is my sister downstairs making the Earthly delight known as waffles?"

Robin was about to explain everything, but thought better of it. "She isn't Star. Just- don't ask."

"Uh, we better follow him." said Cyborg.

Beast Boy and the other Titans walked downstairs to the kitchen. But before they opened the door, it was opened for them.

"Hey! I was just about to wake you guys!" Artemis stepped aside and beckoned them into the kitchen. "Breakfast is on the table. My way of saying 'thanks'." With that, she walked past them and down the hall. The others looked at each other and walked in. Artemis was right. The table was filled with cereal, porridge, ham, eggs, and countless other foodstuffs. It was obvious that Artemis had lavished extra care in preparing breakfast, not only from seeing the foods that were laid out, but in the fact that she had even set aside a pitcher of mustard for Starfire, and a teapot of herbal tea just big enough for one person to drink. There was even a small plate of meat-free foods, and a pitcher of soy milk, clearly intended for Beast Boy.

Cyborg immediately started drooling at the breakfast that was laid out. "Bacon! Waffles! Sausage! More bacon! Look at this stuff!"

"I would agree with friend Cyborg." said Starfire. "It is a most bountiful array of the breakfast foods."

Beast Boy had already sat down, and noticed the plate that Artemis had laid out for him. "Dude! Is this tofu bacon? And soymilk waffles? How'd she know I was a vegetarian?"

"You had your daily Meat versus Tofu argument with Cyborg yesterday, how could she not know you were a vegetarian?" replied Raven.

"She did this for us?" asked Robin.

"That's what she said. Now let's eat!" yelled Cyborg.

Robin grabbed Cyborg's arm. "Wait. We should check this stuff out first. We can't take any chances."

Cyborg sighed and held out his arm. An attachment came out of a small notch in the metal arm and bathed the breakfast in a greenish-orange light. A few seconds later, a small green light winked on and the attachment disappeared back into his arm . "It's perfectly safe to eat. Just your basic bacon, waffles, juice, and," Cyborg shuddered, "Tofu. So can we eat now, Captain Paranoia?"

Robin glared at him, not liking his new nickname. "Fine."

With that the Titans sat down and immediately began eating. Starfire slathered mustard on her waffle, and ate the entire thing in two bites. Raven picked at her waffle lazily, while a tendril of dark energy stirred her tea. She was reading yet another book. Cyborg was just being Cyborg and shoveling in all the food he could get his cybernetic hands on.

"Rell, I ror 'ne, fink 'dis is a breat greakfast. Rand dese affles! Der relicious!" said Cyborg, his mouth jam-packed with food. (Translation: Well, I for one think this a great breakfast. And these waffles! They're delicious!)

"Yeah, this is great! Why do you think she left though? She needs to eat too," said Beast Boy.

"Ro 'ares, as long's her 'affles are still 'ere?" asked Cyborg.(Who cares as long as her waffles are still here?)

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Well you can stuff your face with waffles all you want. I'm going to find her."

"Wh'ver, 'an."(This one is obvious)

Beast Boy left the kitchen and walked through the hallway to Artemis' room. But when he got there, it was empty, save for a small black cat curled up on the bed. "Hey Kahmet." The cat mewed and licked a paw.

"Have you seen Artemis anywhere?" In response, the cat got up and arched his back, stretching. Leaping gracefully from the bed, the cat walked over to the door. Ever so slightly, his paw twitched to the direction outside the doorway.

He then took off running through the halls, with Beast Boy following him. The cat ran through the hallways until it reached the elevator to the rooftop. When they arrived there he meowed loudly and sauntered off, probably to find a sunny corner to curl up in. "Uh, thanks Kahmet." The cat turned and seemed to wink at him before running off. "Weird cat," he muttered.

Beast Boy opened the elevator door and pushed the button that would take him to the roof. Leaning against the wall, he hummed various tunes until the ding of the elevator bell and the swish of the opening doors led him out onto the roof.

He spotted Artemis instantly. After all she was the only other person on the roof. She didn't notice him however. She seemed to move in a strange pattern, with what looked like a light blueish ribbon trailed behind her. What ever it was, it glimmered and shone in the morning sun. Then he noticed the copper jug that sat at her feet.

The ribbon was coming out of the jug and trailed through the air, following Artemis' every move. Then Beast Boy realized it wasn't a ribbon at all: it was water. She was using her powers to control the water in a thin stream. With every turn of her hands, the water changed direction. It soared over her head, and bent low to skim the ground. It gathered in a ball near her right hand, then detached and swirled around her waist, without touching her shirt. It was a kind of odd ballet, an intricate winding dance.

Why hasn't she noticed me? I've been standing here for at least five minutes. Beast Boy looked at her face. Her hair whipped silently around it from her movements. She was calm and seemed contented, but Beast Boy saw the shiny twin lines that started at her eyes and ended at her chin. But what mystified him was that her eyes were closed. She had been performing this, whatever she was doing, with her eyes shut! She could have walked right off the rooftop! I know I would have walked off the rooftop by now. He moved closer, to tell her to come back downstairs. He reached out for her shoulder, still not announcing his presence. She wheeled around at the sudden touch, and her eyes suddenly snapped open. "Ahh!"

She jumped back and put her hands out in front of her. Unfortunately for Beast Boy, her power was still connected to the water. The ribbon of water lashed out like a whip and crashed into Beast Boy. Artemis severed the connection a little too late and Beast Boy was sent reeling to the ground, with his face now sopping wet.

"Beast Boy, I'm so sorry! You kinda snuck up on me." She extended a hand and helped Beast Boy up. He immediately shook his head to the side and emptied at least half a pint of water from his ear.

"Remind me to never ever surprise you again. Especially when you're doing, well, what are you doing anyway?"

"Noted. To answer your question, it was just one of my forms of relaxing, practicing, whatever you call it. Keeping my eyes closed helps me concentrate. So, why have you joined me on the rooftop?"

"You left before you could eat the waffles you made. I figured you might want some."

She shook her head. "No, I ate already. The waffles are for you guys."

Beast Boy didn't move. He could tell she was still shaken up about yesterday. "Look, if you need someone to talk to-"

Artemis silenced him with a wave of her hand. "I appreciate the offer, but I doubt there is anything you could say."

He thought over her words for a second. "Umm.. I could say that I know what it feels like. Which I do."

"Do you?" It seemed that Beast Boy had struck a nerve. "Do you know what it feels like to watch your family fall apart and you are powerless to stop it? To know that you survived but your family didn't?"

Beast Boy's pointy ears seem to droop and his eyes lost their glow for a second. "You have no idea."

Artemis' face softened, and her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry." She sat down on the rooftop. "This is just a bit much to wrap my mind around."

Beast Boy sat down next to her. "I know. She affected all of us. Starfire lost her friend, Cyborg lost a little sister, Robin took the responsibility for it, and Raven felt betrayed again."

"And you?"

Beast Boy seemed taken aback by the question. "Me? I guess I took it the hardest. Not much else to say." Beast Boy looked away for a second, before looking back at her. "So, do you wanna go back downstairs? Cyborg might have left the soymilk waffles alone. Can't promise much else is left though."

Artemis laughed. "It's a good thing to know my cooking is well received."

"So, is that a yes?"

"In a while. I want to stay up here for a few more minutes."

"Do you want to hear a joke?"

"No thanks."

Beast Boy pondered for a moment then came up with, what he thought, was the best idea in the world. It's so simple! And easy, too! "I have an idea. It's kinda crazy, though."

Artemis shrugged. "Hit me."

"Alright, alright. I'll be right back with the supplies." He laughed maniacally.

Artemis sighed, lowering her head into her palm. What have I gotten myself into?

Beast Boy ran to the elevator and pressed the button to go downstairs. When the doors opened, he ran to his room, and grabbed a bag of water balloons he had left on his desk. Then, he ran into the kitchen and grabbed as much of Cyborg's chocolate pudding from the fridge as he could. Running to the sink, he opened the pudding and dumped it into the water balloons.

"Ey! Dat's my 'udding"

"Sorry Cy! Need as much pudding as possible!" When he finished filling the balloons, he grabbed something purple out of the vegetable drawer. He put everything in a bag and sped off.

"Why did Beast Boy just fill water balloons with pudding and take an eggplant out of the fridge?" asked Raven.

"He may keep my plant of eggs. I have watered it every day for the past week and it has failed to produce an egg," said Starfire. The other Titans looked at each other. Robin explained to Starfire the proper use of an eggplant, and Raven and Cyborg just kept eating.

A few minutes later, Beast Boy was back on the roof. He ran over to Artemis and shoved half of the balloons in her arms. He took the other half for himself. The eggplant he kept hidden in the bag. Artemis examined the balloons that she was holding. They were filled with some soft, squishy brown substance, which Artemis hoped was chocolate pudding. "So, I'm guessing we just throw these? Which is supposed to cheer me up, how?"

Beast Boy sighed. He would have buried his face in his hands dramatically, had they not been holding pudding-filled balloons. "It's not supposed to cheer you up, it's supposed to help you relieve all of your pent-up anger. And it works, too. Let me explain it to you."

Artemis fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she was happy she was doing something semi-fun for a change. "Explain away," she said.

"Alright." He was explaining the 'fine art of roof-throwing' like it was something that could win him the Nobel prize, with a fake French accent included. "First we walk to ze edge of ze roof like zis." He walked over to the edge, the balloons wobbling precariously. He picked one balloon out of the pile, and raised it over his head. "Then, we lift ze balloon over our 'ead and THROW!" He threw the first balloon off the roof. It hurtled down like a small, oval rocket, until it was dashed against the rocks that surrounded the island. Even from way up on the rooftop, they could both see the brown goo that was the chocolate pudding.

Artemis seemed intrigued. The task was too simple to find an excuse to get of it, and it did seem fun, in a way. Besides, Beast Boy had gone out of his way to make sure she was alright. Might as well humor him. "Alright," she said. "I'll give it a try."

With that they threw all the balloons over the edge, one at a time. At first, Artemis seemed bored, and she tossed the balloons without a second thought. But by the fourth balloon, her demeanor changed, and she started to get more into it. She even started cheering when the balloons exploded. Beast Boy smiled with satisfaction. See? She just needed to have a little fun. When the balloons were all gone, Beast Boy pulled the eggplant out of the bag. "And now, the pièce de résistance!" He extended the eggplant to Artemis who took it gladly. "Would you do care to do the honors?"

Artemis bowed, laughing at the audacity of throwing an eggplant off the roof of the Tower. "I would be glad to."

She raised her arm and hurled the eggplant off the edge of the roof. It tumbled in the air, gaining momentum, until it crashed to the ground near the water's edge with a sickening splat. Bits of eggplant coated the black rocks that stood by the water. "I do not envy who cleans that up," she said.

Best Boy clapped, and patted her on the back. "Wow. You threw like a pro. Are you sure you've never done this before?"

Artemis grinned. "Not this specifically, but my friend and I were once very interested in how Earth's gravitational pull really works. Although, I must admit he was more interested in watching things go splat."

Artemis smiled slightly. "You and he would have a lot to talk about." A few moments passed without them saying anything. "I think I'm ready to go downstairs now," said Artemis.

Beast Boy smiled at her. "Me too. Let's see if I can't get you that soymilk waffle I promised."

They walked to the door to the elevator together, leaving the remains of chocolate pudding filled water balloons and one eggplant to be washed away by the tide.

End

Author's Note: Those who enjoy this fic will probably like my other story: Of Love and Betrayal, which is an Artemis flashback fic. The first chapter of that is up, so R&R!!! Oh, and this chapter is set the morning after Artemis moves in with the Titans. And no, I was not trying to make Beast Boy overly stupid in the beginning of this chapter. I was just inspired by my two friends, who when asked something, they'll comes up with the craziest answers, and then try to defend them in the funniest of ways. But I still love them. R&R!!!!!!!!(Or just review, because if you've gotten this far, I can only assume you've read the chapter.)

Also, the next bunch of chapters won't have as much action(fighting, etc.). They'll be more of Artemis bonding with the other Titans.(Her bonding with Raven will be most interesting, journeys into someone's mind included.) But I can promise the last two chapters will an action-packed, Slade-fighting, drama-laced funfest! And the sequel- well, I'm getting ahead of myself. Just keep reading.

Artemis out.