Chapter Twelve

oOo

"Again."

Whiz

"Again."

Whiz

"Again."

"Damnit, am I ever going to get a break?"

Artemis, beads of perspiration threatening to drip down her brow, threw her bow down in frustration. The week she had spent practicing with Red Arrow had taught her two things: Archery was harder than she had thought, and Red Arrow was a hard-ass teacher. She sometimes wondered if he was just suffering from PMS and taking it out on her.

"You're doing great; keep going." Nightwing was lounging in a chair on one side of her, tipped back on the hind legs. He unfolded a batarang and threw it so that it barely missed her ponytail as she prepared to shoot again.

"Must you keep throwing those at me?" She lowered the bow once more and gave him an eye roll.

"You have to learn to shoot perfectly without distraction." He unfolded another one and aimed. "Now, shoot again."

Artemis tried not to cringe as she lifted the bow and listened to the batarang fly past her. If it was any one other than Nightwing, she wouldn't have put up with it. However, she knew his aim was right on, and that he wouldn't hit her as long as she stayed still and focused.

"Stop acting like you're going to get hit," Red Arrow suddenly commanded. "Or you will."

This comment caused Artemis to suddenly and aggressively turn with the bow aimed straight at him, releasing one of the soft- tipped arrows she had been using. He easily dodged by rolling out of the way.

"Perfect example," he smirked. "You didn't hit me because I knew you wouldn't hit me."

In a flash the bow was reloaded and another arrow was flying towards him. When he dodged that one as well, she sent a whole barrage of arrows following him around the room. With sweaty palms and gritted teeth, she tried her hardest to focus until she could hit her mark. It was about time for Red to get what was coming to him.

The situation became more complicated when Nightwing began to throw more batarangs in her direction. She groaned and threw a withered look in his direction, but he just grinned and encouraged, "No, no; this is good practice!"

So she tried her best to ignore him, but dodge his weapons at the same time, while simultaneously shooting at the furtive Red Arrow. The training she had done morning and night had definitely paid off, as she quickly remembered that the shadows could be used to her advantage.

She slipped behind a pile of boxes, then stealthily dodged behind a pillar, making her way closer to where she suspected Red to be hiding. Nearer, nearer, she was almost there. She peeked out from her hiding place to see him scanning the room for her. She let herself smile at how dopey he looked.

Silently she strung her bow, and, focusing on her target, pulled back.

"Ah!" she cried out in surprise as she was suddenly tackled, sending her arrow askew towards the ceiling. She rolled a few times on the ground, then leapt to retrieve her weapon. She quickly aimed an arrow at Nightwing, who was standing a good two feet away in a fighting stance. Staying conscience of her two enemies, she quickly backed away and leapt up onto the uneven bars in the gymnastics section of the gym. The high ground was always an advantage.

She spotted a confused Red Arrow almost immediately and aimed for him. The arrow knocked over the boxes he was hiding behind, and he leapt from the spot like a rabbit scared from its hole. Nightwing was sprinting towards the uneven bars, leaping, catching them in his hands, and swinging upon them before she had time to think.

A brief engagement ensued at this point, and though Artemis had never fought while trying to keep balanced on a thin bar, wondering if anyone had, she was able to defend herself against Nightwing and slip from the bar after a few moments.

She tried to get out of danger of Nightwing, then realized she had lost her bow. She turned to see if Nightwing was still pursuing, when she was faced with the tip of Red's arrow aimed at her. She froze and stared at the arrow. "Hands up," he smirked at his own cliche. Her eyes began to search for a way to escape. Her bow was laying just a few feet away. She slowly put her hands up and prepared to dive for it.

Both her arms were suddenly pinned behind her back and she was thrown face down on the floor. Nightwing triumphantly kept her there. "I give!" She cried, barely able to lift her head in the difficult position.

"Say it," he prodded.

"Say what?" she gasped for breath.

"You know," he bent lower as if to emphasize his grin.

Artemis muttered something unintelligible under her breath. He bent closer to her ear. "Louder."

"No!"

"I could do this for hours."

"Fine! You were right! You do know what you're talking about."

She felt him release her arms and begin to stand up. "Oh, no," she smirked and flipped over on top of him, pinning his arms over his head.

"It's time for you to confess," she prompted. "I kind of kicked your ass. Both of you." Red Arrow refused to speak, but Nightwing grinned. "I wouldn't call it an ass-kicking, but you were pretty good."

Artemis narrowed her eyes at him, but for the sake of getting out of her awkward position and away from Red Arrow's indiscreet stare, she helped Nightwing up and went to get her bow.

"Oh my fucking arms!" She yelled dramatically as she lifted them to place the bow back on the wall. They were shaking and gleamed with her sweat. An object suddenly hit her in the side of the head. She leaned down and picked up a sports bar.

"The carbs will help you refuel; the protein will help you recover." Nightwing nodded to the bar, biting into one of his own.

"Thanks," she managed to say before biting into it hungrily. It was ten o' clock, four hours since she'd eaten dinner. She was starving. After she had devoured the bar, a wave of exhaustion swept over her.

"Ok, I need to go to bed," she stumbled off towards the door. The two boys exchanged glances and Red Arrow raised an eyebrow before heading towards the locker room. When he had gone, Nightwing swiftly caught Artemis' wrist while she was opening the door to leave.

"Yeah?" she asked in a sort of daze.

"Uh," he stood there stupidly for a moment. He hadn't actually planned out what he was going to say, he just knew he wanted to talk to her. "You did a good job tonight. Your practice is paying off."

"We went over this already," she said with a supercilious smile. "It won't be long before you need training from me."

"I hope it doesn't come too soon," he smiled and released her wrist, only to slide his fingers between hers. "I like how it is now."

Artemis paused for a moment, brow furrowed. She then spoke, "Figure out how you want to keep it." Then slipped between the door and vanished.

oOo

It was just too much.

She didn't know what to think any more.

Artemis bit her lip as she made her way back to her apartment. One minute Nightwing was giving her the cold shoulder, the next making her melt with just one look. She clutched a fistful of hair on each side of her sweaty head in frustration, then paused and looked behind her to make sure he wasn't following her. He had an oh-so-sweet tendency to keep her safe.

When noting that he was not behind her, she fell back into her brooding stalk down the hall. As she passed the swimming pool, already dark from the inactivity, she slowed, then stopped. Looking both ways before going in, she silently pushed the door open and let it click shut behind her.

When she was home free, she stripped off her clothes and jumped into the pool, enjoying its cooling effect on her body and let the water seep into her hair. She waded on her back for a while, blowing streams of water from her mouth and enjoying the peaceful quiet. It was a stress reliever, to say the least. She knew she had less than 6 hours before she had to be up for her morning training. Another night with little sleep. Another confrontation with the confused-emotion Nightwing.

The reminder made her tired once again, and she slid out of the pool and grabbed a towel. She didn't bother to put her underwear back on, sliding her tank over her head and slipping on her shorts. She would be home in minutes and could change then.

The apartment was once again dark when she reached it, but a light flicked on as she entered the kitchen for a snack.

"Where were you?" Jade asked, seated on the couch with one leg crossed over the other.

"Training. Like I do every night." Artemis shrugged.

"Your hair's wet."

She had temporarily forgotten about that. But for right now, she really didn't give a damn. She was just about to tell Jade that, yea, she had gone for a swim by herself naked, when:

"Look, I really wouldn't care what you've been doing, but I don't think you understand what you're getting into."

Artemis stared blankly at her sister.

"Nightwing," Jade gave her a significant look.

...

"Oh, come on! You two are hopeless! But I'm not stupid, and I know that there's no way that you can spend all that time with someone and not have, ug," she groped to find a word, "feelings for each other."

"What would you know about that?" Artemis flared. "You don't even know me! You never bother to get to know me! You wouldn't know anything about feelings, or, or-"

"I know this: when you spend as much time with someone as you do with him-" the room suddenly seemed quieter, "day after day after day, just the two of you; he teaches you and helps you grow, and he's your best friend; your only friend. He's all you know beyond the shadows."

Artemis peered at her sister, trying to understand the delicate look on her face. "You can't stop it," Jade finished. "I know, Artemis."

Everything suddenly dawned on her. She did know. And she was telling her, telling her something she had never told anyone. Jade was confiding in her. And even though she hadn't really said it out loud, Artemis felt pleasure in knowing that Jade had spilled one of her biggest secrets.

Red Arrow.

She loved him.

And Artemis was the only one who knew. At least she thought.

"Does he know?" she asked, noting that Jade didn't seem the least bit set off by the question.

"Only a mutual affection could result from something like this, otherwise we would have abandoned the training, the relationship, long ago. And that's why I know it's happening to you. Except in your case, it's much more dangerous."

"Dangerous, how?"

"Do you think Nightwing has enemies, Artemis? Do you think that Batman, Nightwing's partner, has enemies? Do you think that there's a possibility one of those enemies might be our own father?" The words hit home, and Artemis sank down on the couch.

Jade sat next to her and put an hand on her shoulder. "He will leave, Artemis, if it gets too hot. And he can't take you with him. You'd be a liability. And besides, I wouldn't let you go. Mom's gone, and it's my job to keep you safe. I already talked to him-"

"You talked to him?!" Artemis suddenly exclaimed. "Jade, we're not a couple! We're not even close to being a couple! I don't even think he likes me that way!"

"Listen to me," Jade's grip on her shoulder grew tighter. "I told him to keep you out of danger, okay? If he has feelings for you, which he does, then he'll take the meaning."

Now Artemis understood why he had been so bipolar lately. He was scared to get too close to her, at least she hoped that's why he stayed away. She was going to have to find a way to change his mind, and Jade's. She needed him, she realized now, more than anything. Knowing Jade wouldn't yield easily, she decided to work on a plan later, after a good night's sleep.

"Thank you, Jade. Good night." She got up and smiled to herself as she went to her room.

So, it wasn't exactly the way normal teenage sisters talked, but it would suit her. It was a small start, but bigger things were to come.

oOo

Okay, really hope you guys enjoyed that one. I promise it's going to get better soon! Just keep leaving me feedback like all you lovely people do and I will be spurred on to write the angst!

For those of you who were kind enough to ask, my favorite episodes are probably Bereft, Homefront, Failsafe, Coldhearted, and Summit.

One of my Young Justice confessions: Although I love Nightwing, and I love Artemis, and I love them together, I'm a Spitfire shipper all the way. Can't help it!

Random Justice League Fact: In the Young Justice comics, Secret has a crush on Robin. D'aww! I know that doesn't really have to do with the JLA, but it was just too cute to pass up (: