A/N: You guys are awesome! I love all your reviews, thank you so much! This chapter is going to be pretty much everyone arriving home and then next chapter will be them all meeting up again. Also, I looked up Icon's name on Wiki since I had no clue and it said his alias is August Freeman. I didn't know that, and if anyone else didn't, well now you do:)

Without further ado, Chapter nine!

Home Sweet Home

"Attention passengers, we have just pulled into the port of Miami. On behalf of your crew aboard the S.S. Justice, we would like to welcome all of you back home to the States and next time you are looking for an idea for a vacation, call us first. Thank you, and welcome home." Clark Kent, the captain of the ship announced. Artemis finished putting her clothes in her backpack and walked out of her room, deciding to leave the rest of her things in her room since she was going to be back in two weeks.

Artemis joined Dick outside of the elevator. He had a small duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. He gave her his usual crooked smile when he saw her.

"You excited to be heading home Mis'?" Dick asked her.

"I guess. What about you?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to be able to see some of my old friends, which will be nice. You visiting any of your friends?" Dick asks with a grin.

"Um...no. Never really liked any of them." Artemis says with a shrug.

"Oh...that's to bad. I'm sorry." Dick says with a sympathetic look and pats her on the shoulder. Artemis rolls her and shoves off his hand. The elevator doors open and they step in.

"I'm fine with just Ollie and Dinah. And now I got you guys." Artemis says shrugging.

"Yeah, you do." Dick says, bumping his shoulder against hers.

"So...when are you and Zee going on your first date?" Artemis asks, smiling. Dick splutters, causing Artemis to laugh.

"What are you talking about?" Dick asks.

"I'm just joking, but you should have seen your face." Artemis states, laughing. "I wish I took a picture, we would totally laugh about it someday."

Dick scowls at Artemis as the elevator doors open and they step out.

"See you later Boy Wonder." Artemis says as she goes off in search of Oliver and Dinah.

**********************Kaldur***********************

Kaldur couldn't help but smile as Arthur and him stepped off of the boat. A small crowd of people and gathered at the dock to see the return of the ambassador of Atlantis and Kaldur'ahm, his star student.

A blur ran past Kaldur and it wasn't until the woman's arms were wrapped around Arthur's neck that he recognized Mera, his wife. Kaldur smiled and walked off to join his two best friends.

"Kaldur!" Tula said, hugging the boy. Garth smiled and he and Kaldur hugged as well.

"My friends, I have missed you." Kaldur said, smiling widely.

"We've missed you too Kal." Garth says. The three of them walk away from the dock.

"Tell me all about the world?" Tula asks. Atlantis was a small island off of the Georgia coast. People rarely ever left or came to the island, but a few months ago Bruce Wayne visited. He and Arthur immediately hit it off and when Bruce and Oliver started the cruise ship, Arthur was one of the first people Bruce offered a job to. Arthur took it to have the chance to see the world and promote the small island of Atlantis. Already tourism rates had gone up and more wealth was coming into the tiny island.

Kaldur was an orphan on the island, never knowing his parents. Mera was his teacher and she introduced Kaldur to Arthur. The two of them viewed him as a son and Arthur had offered to take Kaldur with him when he went to the ship. Kaldur had accepted, excited to see something other then the beautiful island he had grown up on.

Kaldur told his friends about the Roman ruins he had seen in Italy with Raquel and Conner. He told them about the truth or dare call Artemis had to make on the beach in Turkey. He talked about the amazing rainforest in Costa Rica and the beautiful beaches in Bermuda. He talked for so long that he barely even noticed when they approached the orphanage Kaldur had lived at since he was little.

"Wow, that sounds amazing Kal." Tula says, absentmindedly reaching for Garth's hand. They quickly pull them away though, but Kaldur was perceptive, and noticed it immediately.

Trying to betray no emotion he asked, "Are you two together?"

"I'm sorry Kaldur, but you've been gone for a while and your leaving again soon." Tula starts, staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry too Kaldur, we should have told you." Garth says sheepishly.

"It's okay. I wish nothing but happiness for my two best friends." Garth and Tula smile. "I think I am going to go to Arthur and Mera's now. Arthur said I could stay with him. I'll see you two tomorrow?"

"You will. Night Kaldur." Tula says, kissing his cheek. Kaldur watched the two of them walk off, hand in hand, and sighed. He had really liked Tula and he had thought that maybe there was something there. Now he knew there wasn't. He sighed again and walked to Arthur's. As much as he loved Atlantis, he was ready to be back on the S.S. Justice.

********************Raquel*************************

Raquel looked out of the speeding train, taking her and Augustus across the United States to Dakota City. Raquel watched the landscape change outside of their train car. Bruce had generously bought them their train tickets, giving them each their own cabin. She heard the door slide open and Augustus walk in.

"You excited to be heading home Raquel?" He asked her, taking a seat across from her. "I'm sure your parents will be happy to see you."

"I'll be happy to see them." Raquel simply replies, still staring out the window.

"But you are not looking forward to seeing other people." Augustus states. Raquel spins around in her seat. Augustus shrugs. "I used to be a lawyer before a chef. I got used to reading people."

"Yeah, there are some people I don't really want to see. I don't want to be the bad kid from Paris Island again, the one who broke into your house." Raquel states, pulling her knees up to her chin. Augustus reaches across the space between them and pats her on the back.

"You're a good kid Raquel. I saw it then and I still see it now." Augustus tells her. Raquel gives him a small smile. "I'm going to go back to my cabin. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Night Augustus."

"Good night Raquel."

The next morning was bland and gray day when Augustus and Raquel stepped into the train station in Dakota City. Very few people were getting on or off the train. The two of them made their way out of the station. A taxi was waiting at the curb for Augustus. The man turned to the teenage girl besides him.

"Do you want a ride Raquel?" He asks her.

"No thanks. I just have a few blocks to walk." She says. He nods.

"Alright. I'll meet you here in ten days, even though I suspect I will see you before then." The man flashes one of his few smiles at his young friend.

"You probably will. Bye Augustus." Raquel turns away and begins walking towards Paris Island, the most crime-ridden neighborhood in Dakota City. She looked at the familiar landscape around her. It was home, and yet not home at the same time.

"Yo watch out!" A voice shouted out to her. Raquel was able to step out of the way just in time as a kid on a skateboard went flying past, clearly out of control. He crashed into a trashcan.

Four other kids skateboard past her to go see their fallen comrade. One of them stops though and Raquel recognizes him immediately. She smiles, he was not one of them people she had been dreading to see.

"Raquel Ervin." Virgil Hawkins says with a smile. "Where have you been?"

"Around. What about you? You disappeared a few weeks before I did." Raquel asks him.

"My parents sent me to a boarding school out east. They thought it would help with my "issues." Virgil uses air quotes and the two of them both begin to laugh. "That's how I met these four losers." Virgil points to the other teens that were helping their friend up out of the trashcan.

"Do they have "issues" too?" Raquel asks. Virgil shrugs.

"Depends on who you ask. The two with the headbands are Tye and Asami. Tye is from El Paso and Asami is from Japan. Then there is Eduardo from Argentina and the guy in the trash can is Roy Arsenal from Star City." Virgil points to all of them. "Since I'm the only one on good terms with my parents, they're staying here with me for the next two weeks of our vacation."

"Cool. I'm here for two weeks too." Raquel tells him.

"Awesome. Hey, you want to hang with us? We were heading to the ice cream shop." Virgil asks.

"You know I always love my ice cream." Raquel states.

"Awesome, let's go." Virgil says. With one of her oldest friends, Raquel realized that Dakota was beginning to feel a little bit more like home again.

*******************Conner***********************

Conner kept his arms crossed across his chest, staring out the window the whole drive from Miami to Smallville. Neither him nor his "dad" had anything to say to each other. Conner knew that Clark never wanted a son but somehow got stuck with Conner. At least the rest of his family on the farm was nice.

As Clark maneuvered the car into the driveway, the Kents walked out. They quickly embraced Clark and then moved to hugging Conner. Conner couldn't help but smiled when they hugged him. They may not be related to him biologically, but he looked to them as his real family a lot more then Clark.

Jonathan and Martha immediately began asking the two of them questions all about their adventures on the high sea. Conner left Clark to tell them the stories and walked up to his room.

This was the room Jonathan and Martha had given him when Clark had first showed up with Conner in tow to tell his adoptive parents about his apparent son. Conner still remembered the disbelief in Clark's eyes when he had showed up at Clark's apartment with the documents. To think he had wasted his childhood searching for him, a man who didn't even really want him.

Conner dropped his duffel bag on the floor and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He was happy now that Martha had assisted on getting him one before they left so that he could send her pictures. Now he could use it to be having a conversation with Megan, Wally, and Artemis all at the same time. He looked at the screen seeing a new message from Megan. He smiled, picturing his beautiful girlfriend.

How is it? Megan asked.

Happy to see Martha and Jonathan, and happy to finally be out of a confined space with Clark.

Come on, I doubt its as bad as you think.

Do you know Clark?
He's very nice.

To everyone but me.

That is true. I'm sorry Conner.

It's not your fault.

Conner looked up from the screen of his phone to see Martha.

"So how was it?" She asked, sitting besides Conner on the bed. She looked at the screen of Conner's phone. Zatanna had changed the picture from the boring standard background to a picture of the eight of them all making goofy faces at the camera. "I see you made some friends."

"I did. But they're not just my friends, they're my family." Conner states. Martha smiles.

"I'm happy for you Con." She said smiling. "Now wash up for dinner young man."

************************Megan************************

Megan and her Uncle John got out of the taxi that had driven them from the airport to John's apartment. They were going to freshen up from the long plane ride here before going to Megan's family's house.

Megan finished her conversation with Conner and stepped into the shower. Once she was dry, she threw on a beaded t-shirt she had bought in Puerto Rico and a simple blue skirt. She slipped on some ballet flats and then repacked her stuff. She couldn't wait to see her four sisters and six brothers again. (A/N: I know in the show she has 12 sisters and 17 brothers, but that is a little high for an Earth family.) She had gotten them each a gift on her travels and she couldn't wait to see their smiles when they received their gifts.

"Megan! Are you ready?" Her uncle John shouted down the hall to his guest room that she used often.

"Coming Uncle John!" She shouts, throwing the towel on a hook to dry and rushing out of the room, her rolling suitcase right behind her.

"I have a cab waiting to take us to my sister's house." John says.

"Good. I'm sure mom will be happy to see you too." Megan tells him, smiling. She kisses her uncle on the cheek and rushes out the door. John follows behind her at a more leisurely pace.

"Do you think my parents will be really mad at me?" Megan asks her uncle as they sit in the backseat of the cab taking them across town to her family's home. "I mean, I kind of joined you on the ship without their permission."

"They've told me that they are fine with last time I talked to your mother." John replies. "You've been talking to them too right?"

"Yes! Hello, what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't call them every night?" Megan asks, smiling. "Plus, I've sent Lizzie a picture of every place we've been like she asked."

"Technology, what a wonderful thing." John says, shaking his head.

"It is an amazing thing." Megan said smiling. She looked down at the picture Dick had sent her of him and his Gotham friend.

Hello from the crime-ridden city of Gotham.

Megan smiled, missing the black haired boy as well as the rest of her friends. She took a picture of the Chicago skyline from her seat in the cab.

Hello from Chicago, not the most crime-ridden city in the country

***********************Dick************************

"You suck. I hate you. You went to Greece and you didn't take any pictures for me?" Barbara asked him accusingly.

"Sorry Babs. I got distracted." Dick admits.

"With what?" Barbara asks. The two of them were sitting in their favorite restaurant, the one they would eat and do homework at almost everyday after school freshman year.

"Um...I don't remember." Dick says. The truth was that he had been distracted by the smell of Zatanna's hair that had pretty much drove him crazy the whole time they were on land. He hadn't been able to even think straight, let alone remember to take a picture for his best friend.

"You totally do, don't lie to me Dick Grayson." Barbara states, picking at the Caesar salad in front of her. Realization dawns on Barbara's face. "You met a girl." Dick shakes his head quickly. "You totally did. Tell me her name squirt."

"Don't call me squirt. I'm taller then you now." Dick says.

"Freshman year you weren't pipsqueak. Spill. Now." Barbara demands, stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork.

"Her name's Zatanna." Dick finally admits.

"Ohhh...Exotic." Barbara says with a smile. "How did she end up on Bruce's ship?"

"Her dad is a magician. He does shows every other night on the ship and then lends a hand around the ship." Dick tells her.

"Is she pretty? Funny? Would I approve of her?" Barbara asks.

"Yes she is pretty and funny and I don't know, I would hope so since you're one of my oldest friends along with Wally, Roy, and Kaldur." Dick says, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"That I am. Speaking of the three stooges, how are the other guys?" Barbara asks.

"Wally is the same old same old, Kaldur too. Roy..." Dick trails off.

"What did Mr. Teen Angst do?" Barbara asks.

"He's just been really moody lately, and he keeps lashing out at this new girl on the ship." Dick tells her.

"New girl?"

"Her name's Artemis. Oliver and Dinah took her in. Everyone is really tight lipped about her. Even Bruce won't tell me anything."

"Is she nice?"

"Yeah."

"Then what is Roy's problem?"

"He claims that he doesn't trust her. He basically gave Wally and I an ultimatum to choose between the two of them." Dick explains to her.

"He didn't." Barbara says in disbelief.

"He did."

"That jerk."

"I don't know what to think of him anymore. Enough of me, what have I missed?" Dick asks.

"Well Bette keeps making me go on all these blind dates with her." Barbara tells him.

"No way."

"Yes way."

"I want to hear all about this."

"Why would I tell you? It would just come back to haunt me, troll." Barbara replies.

"Please Babs? Pretty please?" Dick begs. Barbara smiles.

"God, I've missed you around here boy wonder. Okay, I'll tell you."

The two teens stay in the booth at the cafe for hours, talking and laughing, just two best friends, reunited again.

**************************Zatanna*****************************

Zatanna clutched the flowers in her hands tightly. So tightly, she was sure she was crushing them. Besides her, she could see tears dripping off of her father's face. That was always the saddest thing. She never really knew her mom, but it always pains her to see her father in so much pain. She gently places the flowers on the grave and walks away, giving her father some alone time.

She wiped a tear out of her eye. The graves stones were all aligned in perfect rows. She studied some of the names, realizing that they all had people like her and her father who missed them. She wiped away another tear. The phone in her pocket buzzed. She pulled it out and looked at the message from Dick on the screen.

I'm sorry that today is a pretty disastrous day. Try to stay traught. We're all here for you.

Zatanna laughed as she swatted at another tear running down her face. She knew her mother, wherever she was, was looking out for her. She may not have the perfect family with a mom and a dad, but she had a dad and a great group of friends. That was the next best thing.

***********************Wally*********************************

"Wally, Wally, when are you going to race me?" Wally's annoying thirteen-year-old Cousin Bart asked him for the tenth time since he had walked through the door. His first excuse had been that he wanted to visit with his parents, Aunt Iris, and Jay and Joan. The next was that he was hungry. But he was slowly running out of excuses. Lucky for him, Iris interceded at that moment.

"Bart, why don't you go hang out with Jaime or Cassie or someone? I bet Logan is back from visiting his grandparents. I need to have my Wally time now." Iris said to her son, ushering him towards the door. Bart was soon running out the door to join his friends. Iris turned to her favorite nephew. "Sorry about Bart, he's just excited to see his older cousin again."

"It's no problem Aunt Iris." Wally says smiling as his aunt sits next to him on the couch. The both stare up at the track meet on the TV.

"I will never truly understand yours, Barry's, and Bart's fascination with this sport. Its just people running." Iris states.

"It's very entertaining." Wally weakly replies.

Iris laughs. "Just don't tell Barry."

"Just don't tell Barry what?" Barry asks coming in from the kitchen with a bag of Doritos.

Iris sighed. "You've been home for less then twenty four hours and you've already found the secret chip stash."

"I know all your secrets." Barry says, pulling his wife up off of the couch and pulling her close.

"And that is my cue to leave." Wally says standing up.

"Your mom and Joan are making lunch and Jay and your dad are outback." Iris tells him, before looking back at Barry.

Wally walks away, smiling. He knew it was hard on his aunt to have Barry away for the past three months. She Iris and Bart had spent two weeks with them a month ago, but it was still a challenge.

He walked into the kitchen and went right to where he knew Bart had a secret stash of chips. He pulled out a can of Pringles but was quickly admonished by his mom.

"Wallace West. We are eating in fifteen minutes. I'm sure you can hold out until then." Mary admonishes.

"But mom, I'm starving." Wally complains. Joan laughs.

"You sound just like Barry not even five minutes ago." She says laughing.

"He is my uncle." Wally states, but he puts away the can.

******************************Artemis**************************

"You sure you'll be alright in there?" Ollie asks concerned.

"I'll be fine Ollie. I miss my mom, and I really want to see her." Artemis assures him. "And if anything goes wrong, there will be police officers right outside of the door."

"Alright, but I'll be waiting right out here when you come out." Oliver tells her. Artemis rolls her eyes.

"Okay Ollie." She turns to walk down the long hallway, but Oliver pulls her back to give her a quick hug.

"She's lucky to have such an amazing daughter." he whispers to her.

"Thanks Ollie." Artemis replies with a watery smile. She turned away and followed the officer down the hallway. Her mom had been on her best behavior so she earned some time to spend with family members in an interrogation room, rather then the long room with the wall between them.

Artemis hadn't seen her mother since she was twelve, before she was moved from Gotham to Star. But she sent her mom letters everyday, and now Oliver had taken her back to see her mom for the first time. She tried hard not to cry.

The officer led her into the room. He told her some stuff about how they were being monitored and some basic rules, but Artemis wasn't listening. She was staring at the door, waiting for her mother to be pushed in.

The officer walked out and a minute later her mom was rolled in, already teary eyed. She looked the same as she remembered, brown eyes, brown hair, same features. She rushed over to her mom, hugging her, tears rolling down her eyes. Her mom was crying too.

"My baby girl. My little Artemis."

A/N: Wow, that was way longer then I originally intended. I hope you all liked the snippets into each of their lives, as well as all the appearances of other characters. Review!