A/N: Tangled Web has reached over 150 reviews now! How awesome is that? This fic is ALWAYS on my mind (seriously, I'm not joking) and all the wonderful reviews (I've even gotten two in Spanish and I don't speak much Spanish (I did Japanese in college) lol but I was able to get the gist and appreciate them all the same!), and support from you guys keeps me driven to see it all the way to the end and make it the very best I can. Thank you all so, so much :) Now if stupid Cartoon Network would stop putting YJ on hiatus for no apparent reason I'd be even more motivated. The worst part is new eps are always TBA it seems so we can't even look forward to the day the next one will air. Jerks . . .
Disclaimer: "I don't own Young Justice, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network have the rights to it. I'm just having some fun :)"
Rated T for some language, suggestive themes, and descriptive violence.
Italics mean thoughts
"Italics within quotes" mean telepathy
Ask no questions and you'll hear no Lies . . .
Tangled Web
Chapter 9: Her Cross to Bear
Mount Justice
October 7, 15:45 EDT
"Recognized, Artemis, B07."
Wally's head shot up – almost knocking it on the cabinet he'd been rummaging through in the process – as the computer announced the archer's arrival overhead. Artemis hadn't been back at the cave since she'd been released from the Mount Justice Infirmary five days ago. She'd missed practice all week. When he'd questioned Black Canary about Artemis's absence, she was as evasive as ever about it. To say Wally was getting antsy was an understatement, especially after Sunday's events. Any time his mind had a chance to wander it seemed to focus on Artemis and the painful scars she bared. Questions assaulted his mind daily: Who'd done that to her? When? Why? With constant questions and no answers it was enough to drive a person crazy. But the harder he tried not to think of it, the more he thought of it. It was becoming a vicious cycle. Concerned for the blonde's wellbeing, Robin had agreed to help find out what was going on, but so far even the Boy Wonder hadn't discovered anything new regarding their mysterious teammate. All Robin knew was that practice at the cave wasn't the only thing Artemis had been missing; she'd been absent from school all week as well. Dying to know that Artemis was okay, Wally had been on the verge of storming her apartment. Unbeknown to her, she'd saved him the trip by showing up at the cave today.
Before Wally could actively seek her out, she appeared in the kitchen, stopping in the doorway. His eyes immediately swept over her figure, reassuring himself that she was indeed safe and in one piece.
"Where have you been all week?" he asked, finally finished with his assessment of her well-being.
She shrugged nonchalantly as she headed for the island in the middle of the kitchen and leaned against it. "Busy doing stuff."
Wally raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What kind of 'stuff'?"
Artemis didn't look at him as she replied, "Does it matter?"
Her response had that hallow, lifeless quality that reminded him of utter hopelessness. That tone of voice was always accompanied by a far away, haunted look in her deep blue eyes that he simply couldn't ignore. He didn't think she even realized when she entered that state, but he did and it unnerved him every single time. It was a clear indication that there was more going on in her life than she let on and it drove him crazy with curiosity . . . and concern.
In an effort to hide how anxious he'd been over her absence he scoffed and said, "Uh, yeah, it kind of does. We've all been to each practice this week busting our butts to get better while you've been M.I.A."
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Well if you're so tired of being here from practice, why are you here tonight? We don't have practice on Fridays."
"Me and Rob are gonna veg out and play some video games. What are you doing here?"
"I promised Megan last week that I'd help her pick out a Homecoming dress for next weekend."
"Only Megan?" he asked, a small bubble of hope appearing in his chest at the possibility that Artemis wasn't attending her Homecoming dance after all. "Don't you need one too?"
"No," Wally felt relief wash over him, "I already have one." That same relief that sprang up only a second before was extinguished, immediately replaced with disappointment.
Artemis didn't notice the rapid change in demeanor as she asked, "Are you going to your Homecoming?"
"Nah, there's no one I really wanted to go with," he replied, trying to keep a note of disinterest in his voice.
"Meaning you couldn't get anyone to go with you," Artemis jabbed.
Wally's face soured at her bluntness. Megan chose that moment to walk in. She greeted both her teammates with a warm smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Artemis. You ready?"
"Lead the way," she answered as she pushed off from the counter.
"See-ya later, Wally!" Megan called over her shoulder as she headed back out of the kitchen.
Artemis gave a silent wave before disappearing as well. The girls were barely gone a minute when Robin popped into the kitchen.
"Figured you'd be in here," he said in a teasing tone. Robin tossed an already open envelope on the countertop as Wally handed him a can of soda he'd pulled from the fridge.
"Who sent you a letter?" the speedster asked with a nod of his head.
"Actually it's for you and Artemis. It was sent to the Justice League headquarters in D.C."
Wally quirked an eyebrow in surprise.
"Batman gave it to me to pass along to the two of you."
"Well, you just missed Artemis," Wally informed as he snatched the white envelope up. "She and Megan were gonna go look at dresses for Homecoming. Although Artemis already has hers . . ." Wally trailed off bitterly.
Robin tapped his can of soda as he said, "Yeah, about that . . ."
x x x
Artemis knew Wally was suspicious, that he suspected she was keeping secrets. With the scars he knew she bore and her recent string of absences, she wasn't surprised. What was surprising was how much lying to him was starting to hurt. It bothered her that she was lying to all of them. Megan was the only one who knew anything, and even she didn't know everything. The Martian was still unaware that Artemis's father wasn't the only family member she had working for the Shadows, or about her role as a double agent. Wally wasn't the only one she was lying to, but if she was completely honest – something she seldom got to be – he was the one that bothered her the most. It was a complication she hadn't foreseen . . .
"Earth to Artemis."
At the sound of her name, Artemis blinked her eyes and raised them to look at Megan. The two teenagers were standing in a department store at a mall in Happy Harbor, a rack of elegant dresses in front of them.
"Hm?" Artemis questioned distractedly.
"I've been trying to get your attention for the last minute. Are you okay?" Megan asked, genuine concern evident in her lithe voice.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine."
Megan looked unsure but she didn't push it. She held up a pink dress constructed of smooth satin. "What do you think of this one?"
Artemis scrutinized the garment. "It's very . . . pink . . ." was all she could come up with.
"Well, duh," Megan giggled as she slung it over her left arm already laden with several dresses in a myriad of colors. "That's what makes it great."
Artemis didn't look convinced that being pink automatically made something great, but she decided to keep that to herself. Instead she asked, "I still don't understand why we had to go dress shopping. I've already got my Homecoming dress, and you don't actually need clothes since you make them organically with your mind, or whatever it is you do."
"Well, I still needed ideas on what to fashion for myself."
"You couldn't have just flipped through a shallow teen magazine for inspiration?"
Megan rolled her eyes as she lifted a gauzy chocolate brown dress from the rack and examined it. "I suppose I could have, but where's the fun in that?" She turned the dress around once and put it back on the rack. "Besides, this is all part of the 'Earth experience' I came here for!"
Artemis didn't bother pointing out that Megan was getting a United States experience more so than an Earth experience. "Okay, well why didn't you go with some of the girls from the cheerleading squad or something?"
"Because . . . this is the kind of thing you do with a best friend. At least, that's what I saw on all the sitcoms I've watched."
Artemis couldn't keep a small chuckle from escaping. Megan compared everything she experienced on Earth to things she'd seen on cheesy American sitcoms. It was funny and enduring at the same time. It was official. If the Shadows didn't kill her, getting so emotionally attached to the members on the team would. Growing up the way she had, Artemis never let anyone close enough to reach best friend status. Without meaning to, she'd inexplicably acquired one who not only thought of them as best friends, but 'Earth sisters.' In a way it was mind boggling. She'd spent the greater half of her life keeping people out with an emotional wall, but after being on the team for a little over a month, that wall was riddled with gaps and holes where the members of the team had unwittingly broken through. The funniest part was that they hadn't even done anything special; they'd pretty much just been themselves.
"I think this is enough," Megan suddenly said lifting the huge pile of dresses in her arms.
Together they headed for the dressing rooms. Megan had Artemis hold each dress up while she copied it to see how it looked on her.
"So, who are you going to your Homecoming with? Anybody special?" Megan asked as she copied a white strapless knee-length gown made out of some silky material.
"Just a guy I know from my grade."
"What's the theme?"
"Fairytale masquerade."
"That sounds like fun!" Megan exclaimed as she copied the next dress Artemis held up.
"Yeah, because I don't spend enough time with a mask on my face," Artemis responded, her voice holding a note of displeasure. "My school gets zero points for originality."
"Ours is 'a look to the future.' I think that means they're gonna do some kind of futuristic space theme," Megan explained, copying another dress and spinning around to watch the long emerald green pleated skirt flare out. "I don't know which I'm more excited for, the big football game, or the dance."
Artemis scoffed. "I'm definitely skipping Gotham Academy's football game. I don't really care if they win or not."
"Oh, well, if you aren't going to your school's football game, how about coming to mine to see my halftime performance? I'd really like you to see the end result since you've helped me with the routine so much. I already invited the others earlier in the week and they agreed to come."
Despite her vow to spend less time bonding with the team in an effort to stave off the growing attachment, Artemis couldn't bring herself to turn Megan down. She was clearly excited and really wanted her friends there. Even though school events weren't really her thing, Artemis sincerely wanted to support Megan.
"Sure, you can count me in."
"Great! I can't wait for you to see the final product with the whole squad." Megan's face suddenly became almost shy. "Thank you, for making my participation possible. I never would have gotten good enough quickly enough to keep my spot on the squad if you hadn't helped me practice or given me the idea to use my ability to fly. I couldn't have done it without you, Artemis."
"Don't worry about it. Besides, it's not like you aren't doing something big for me."
Artemis didn't have to explain that she was talking about who her father was and her resurrection mark, Megan knew.
"About that . . . that wouldn't have anything to do with why you were missing all week, would it?"
"To an extent," was all Artemis said.
What else could she say? She couldn't very well tell Megan that she'd been gone all week because she'd been detained by the Shadows for several days and had literally been beaten to death for saving Wally and nailing a fellow member with an arrow on purpose. Even after they'd felt her punishment had been severe enough and had let her return to Gotham, she'd needed a little time to recover. Despite her incredibly fast ability to heal, she still looked pretty banged up after she left Infinity Island the day before. She almost had to cancel her plans to accompany Megan, but the bruises had almost completely disappeared by the time she had to leave her apartment for Mount Justice, so she decided not to bail on her friend. The bruises were so faint that, coupled with her naturally tanned skin, someone would have to get pretty close and really take a good look at her to even have a chance to notice them.
"You're okay though, right?"
The question was subjective. Was she physically okay? Sure, her resurrection mark made sure of that. But psychologically? Emotionally? She was far from okay. In fact, she'd probably never really be okay at this point.
"Yeah, I'm fine," was her reply. Another lie, like everything else that seemed to come out of her mouth.
Megan looked appeased and went back to staring at herself in the mirror. Artemis sighed and leaned against the wall. If her friends would just stop asking questions like that she wouldn't have to tell so many lies, and maybe she wouldn't lay awake at night as each lie she told them slowly chipped away at her soul.
x x x
Mount Justice
October 7, 18:03 EDT
Artemis flopped down on the common room couch with a sigh and closed her eyes, head resting against the back. She'd lost count of how many stores Megan had dragged her through in the hunt for the perfect dress. Spending time with Megan hadn't been bad; it was the pedestrian activity of mindless shopping that had been torturous. The couch cushion suddenly dipped next to her.
"So, how was shopping?" Wally asked and Artemis could hear the mischievous smile in his voice.
"Like you really don't know."
"Yeah but it's so much funnier to hear you say it."
"Artemis would have rolled her eyes if they weren't still closed. "If bothering me is the only reason you came over here then get lost."
"Actually, I came to give you this."
Artemis felt a feather-light weight grace her lap, forcing her to open her eyes. A small, already opened envelope was lying across one of her thighs. She picked it up gingerly. "What's this?"
"It was sent to the Justice League headquarters in D.C. It had our names on it, so Batman passed it along to Robin to give to us."
"Who sent it?" Artemis asked as she pulled a hand written letter out of the envelope and unfolded it.
"The mother of the little girl we rescued from the funhouse. She wanted to thank us for saving her daughter and her nephew."
"But, there was no way they knew who we were. You had your goggles on and I'm a nobody."
Wally frowned at her referring to herself as 'a nobody.' She certainly wasn't a nobody to him, to the team.
"She explained in the letter that it was my super speed. The kids told her how fast I moved and she assumed I must be involved with the League in some way. She hoped if the letter managed to get to me, that you'd end up get to see it too."
Wally watched her face closely as she scanned the contents of the letter. When he saw a delicate flush ting her sun-kissed skin he knew what part of the letter she was reading. The kids hadn't been able to peg Artemis for a superhero like they had Wally, but that didn't stop them from theorizing about who she might be. They'd apparently thought she'd been some kind of guardian angel. It clearly embarrassed her, and Wally couldn't help but find that cute. The smile on his face suddenly turned into a frown as he stared at her profile. He hadn't been close enough to notice it a few hours ago when they were in the kitchen, but now that he was sitting right next to her there was no denying it. The skin above her right temple was slightly discolored. It was yellowish with a very faint purple tint. It looked like a bruise that'd almost healed. His hand had gripped her head, the pad of his thumb gently brushing the spot, before he even realized he'd moved. Artemis froze at the contact, the rosy blush that had covered her cheeks gone in an instant. The sudden contact and Wally's gentleness had surprised her, but more important was the spot he was touching. He'd noticed one of the lingering bruises from her week spent locked up on Infinity Island.
"What the hell . . ." Wally trailed off as he moved even closer, eyes narrowed. And then it was like he could see everything because he knew to look for it. He noticed the long, white laceration across her neck, the yellowish freckling along her collarbone, the telltale marks of rope burn around the wrist nearest to him.
He opened his mouth to speak but Artemis beat him to it. "Don't," was all she said, her eyes staring straight ahead.
Wally spoke anyway, his voice low but firm. "What happen after you left here on Sunday? Where were you all week?"
Artemis tried to look exasperated but Wally could tell it was forced. "Fine, if you must know, I was busy with Green Arrow."
"That's crap and you know it. Green Arrow wouldn't have kept you out of school all week." She didn't have a response to that, so Wally continued, "Were you gone all week by choice," his eyes fell on the circular shadow that surrounded her wrist, "or by force?"
"I'm telling you, I spent all week in Star City with Green Arrow."
"Stop lying!" Wally suddenly yelled, losing his cool.
Artemis jerked away from her teammate and stood up abruptly, the letter she'd been reading moments ago falling to the floor forgotten. "Then stop asking me questions about things that don't concern you! My problems are my cross to bear."
She stormed out of the room in a rush, and a half a minute later Wally heard the security system announce her departure over head. He fisted his hands in his hair and let out an agitated sigh. Why couldn't she just be open and honest with him? Was she afraid of the truth, or did she really not trust him? His fear for her safety escalated yet again and he didn't know how much more he could take. It was constantly present, heavy and suffocating, threatening to overwhelm him.
Megan suddenly poked her head in the room, oblivious to the argument that had just taken place. "I'm almost done with dinner if you'd like some."
"I'm not hungry," Wally said much to the Martian's astonishment as he stomped out of the room. He was too frustrated with Artemis to eat, too angry.
Too worried.
To be continued . . .
A/N: So, this chapter was originally going to take us through Homecoming, but it was going to be too long, plus I really wanted to post an update for you guys already, so I decided to make it two chapters, splitting it here. Anyway, if you have a moment, let me know what you thought of it :)
SakuraJade