Author's note: WOW it's been a while. Really sorry about that, to anyone who couldn't wait to find out what happens next. Well, I'm back, and I'll try not to disappoint. Without further ado, here's chapter twelve. And in case you're wondering, yes, I stole the chapter title from an episode of Lost. Sue me (but don't really, please).

Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me!

Chapter Twelve

All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

The next few days were pretty uneventful. School was… well, it was school. No missions, so the team spent most of their time training. Desmond was feeling kind of awkward around Artemis since that night at the boardwalk. It didn't help that she was oblivious to his thoughts. She wasn't even aware that she'd fallen asleep; once the wheel continued to move Desmond had helped her walk back to the bus station, and roused her on the ride home, leaving out the details about how the night had ended. He hadn't even told Conner or M'gann, which was strange, since they told him things constantly. Desmond had been trying to ignore the strange tension he felt around the archer, and in order to do that he needed to spend some time with her antithesis: Wally West.

"So the bartender said," Wally concluded his joke, as he, Robin and Desmond walked down the sidewalk. They'd gone for some fast food. Yeah, they could get food at Mount Justice, but it was nice to feel like a kid, not a hero, sometimes. "That's no nun, that's my wife!" The joke had been poor, and was met with looks of disapproval from the two other boys. Wally wouldn't give up, however. "I said; that's no nun, that's my wife!" Robin shook his head.

"Not your best, Wally," he said, drinking some of his chocolate shake through a straw. Desmond nodded in agreement with the Boy Wonder, as he munched on some fries. The three friends all wore fleece jackets, as the crisp October air was getting chilly in Happy Harbor. Wally shrugged.

"Oh well," he said, taking a bite of his double cheese burger. "So… M'gann…" Desmond and Robin groaned loudly. This didn't dissuade Wally, however. "She's totally into me, right?" Desmond clapped him on the shoulder.

"Totally man," he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. "She's head-over-heels in love with you." Wally grinned broadly.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed, not understanding that Desmond had been joking. He dropped the subject, thankfully, and moved onto yet another topic. A downside of hanging out with Wally was that he was constantly changing the topic of conversation. Being a speedster comes with just a hint of ADD. "You guys think we'll get a mission soon? I'm bored cooped up in that cave." Desmond shrugged.

"I hope so," he said. "I really want to punch something, you know? You're lucky, Rob." Robin, although a member of Young Justice, was still Batman's side kick. The Dark Knight would still call on his protégé to patrol the streets of Gotham with him rather often. Wally would occasionally go on missions with Flash, Artemis would sometimes patrol with Green Arrow, and Aqualad was periodically called back to Atlantis, but neither saw as much action as Robin. The sunglasses-clad boy shrugged.

"What can I say, duty calls," he said. Wally giggled at the word 'duty' and Desmond punched his arm for being a doofus. Robin had a laugh at this, and the boys continued on chatting, joking, and laughing until they found the Zeta-Beam to Mount Justice.

"Recognized, Robin B01," it blared. "Kid Flash, B02. Shifter, B08." They were instantly transported to the Cave, where they found Artemis sparring with M'gann. Wally grinned wickedly, and gave a small wave to the two boys he'd arrived with. He zipped over to where the two were sparing, and knocked M'gann off her feet. In the blink of an eye he was behind her, catching her as she fell.

"Hey there gorgeous," he said, winking. "Careful. Don't want to bruise that pretty face, right?" M'gann giggled and thanked Wally for the assistance, while Des and Robin groaned.

"Great," complained Desmond. "He's so fast he can be his own wingman." Robin snickered as KF approached them again, looking smug at his tactics to woo the Martian.

"Pretty smart, right?" he asked, holding his fist out to be bumped. Desmond and Robin shook their heads and went to walk away. Suddenly, however, the Zeta-Tube glowed orange, and in walked Batman, Zatara, and a girl behind him. She looked to be about fifteen, but it was kind of hard to tell. She was dressed in a magician's get up, much like Zatara, minus the hat, and replacing the pants with leggings. Without acknowledging the quizzical looks he was getting from the team, Batman used his communicator to call Superboy and Aqualad into the Mission Room. They arrived quickly, and matched their teammate's quizzical looks upon seeing the teenage girl. Batman turned to face the entire team.

"Team," he said, gesturing backwards at the girl and Zatara. "This is Zatana, daughter of Zatara." Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"You joining the team," he asked the girl, Zatana. She opened her mouth to answer, but her father intercepted the question.

"No, she's not," he said, in his accent. "She is not joining. Not yet at least. But Batman has… encouraged me to introduce her to you all, in case the day does come when she will join your ranks." Batman nodded, and stepped up again before the teens.

"I'd hate to ruin any plans of a tour," he said. "But I do have a mission for you, as well. Dr. Jonathan Crane, AKA the Scarecrow, has gotten out of Arkham somehow. While I could handle this myself, I think it would prove an excellent mission for the team. And Zatana, if I have your permission?" Batman addressed the young girl's father. Zatana looked at his as well, but with pleading, puppy-dog eyes. The sorcerer looked from the two of them, and sighed heavily.

"I suppose—" but he didn't have time to finish his sentence before his daughter wrapped her wrists around his waist, and squeezed him tightly, squealing with joy.

"Thank you, dad!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, thank you a thousand times!" The rest of the team smiled and giggled at her eagerness. She realized she was making a fool of herself, and quickly straightened up, clearing her throat. "Uh… let's go." And with that, they showed Zatana to the Bio-Ship.

XxXxX

The team was in the air, nearing their destination in Gotham. They had filled in Zatana, and she them, on the way over. Robin was leaning over her chair, pointing out Gotham buildings and telling her what they were. Desmond presumed the boy wonder had a crush on the young magician, but didn't want to say anything. Soon the ship was hovering over the warehouse that Batman's coordinates had sent them to.

"Activate your camouflage," Aqualad advised the team. They touched their chests, the color of their outfits changing to darker hues. Aqualad continued his guidance. "We'll enter from different locations. Robin, Kid Flash, M'gann and I will take the front door. Superboy, Shifter, Zatana and Artemis will enter from the roof. Only speak through the mental link once inside." Conner and Robin were visibly disappointed that they weren't assigned to the same group as their favorite females on the team, but Des was secretly ecstatic, though he wouldn't let it show. The team exchanged looks, nodded, and Des, Conner, Artemis and Zatana dropped onto the roof. They watched the Bio-Ship re-camouflage, and fly away to drop off the rest of the team. The four on the roof turned to each other, and Superboy gazed at the roof below them.

"Alright," he said, getting onto his knees. "Just let me pound a hole in this, and we'll drop in." Artemis quickly grabbed his shoulder before he could begin hammering away.

"No, don't!" she exclaimed in a sharp whisper. "We're supposed to be stealthy. Smashing a hole in the building will let everyone inside know that we're here. Desmond will need to phase us in." All eyes turned to Shifter, who looked back, wide eyed.

"Me?" he asked. Artemis nodded. "I don't think I can. One person is fine, two maybe. Phasing in three other people, plus myself? I don't know if I could get us all in." Artemis walked up to him, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Desmond," she started. "We need to be stealthy about this, and don't have enough time for return trips. Besides…" She looked him in the eyes. "I believe you can do it." Desmond thought for a minute, and nodded. He held out a hand, which Artemis grasped tightly. With his free hand he gestured Superboy and Zatana over. Superboy grasped his shoulders, and Zatana held onto his other hand. He inhaled deeply.

"Wish me luck," he whispered, and lowered his density quickly, along with that of his three teammates. Slowly they began sinking, their feet and legs passing through the roof smoothly. One they were about halfway, around their waists, the process slowed a bit, and got a bit jerkier. Desmond let out an involuntary groan, not sure how much further he could go. Artemis, sensing his distress, grasped his hand tighter, wordlessly reassuring him in his ability. Desmond gritted his teeth, and willed their bodies to pass further through the roof. Slowly but surely their bodies sunk lower and lower, and eventually dropped to the floor inside the building. Des let out a huge sigh of relief.

"That…" said Zatana, who was staring at Desmond. "Was very cool." Superboy pat Desmond on the back, and Artemis gave him a smile and a nod. Des smiled back, feeling proud of himself. He didn't dwell on it for long, though, because almost as soon as they had entered the building, the lights went out. Desmond stood, hardened himself, and prepared for a fight. Suddenly there was the sound of metal scraping against metal, and a loud clang. Then the lights went back on, and Desmond was alone. He turned, and found the source of the noise. Four large, metal walls had come down, separating him from his friends.

"You guys okay?" he called out.

"I'm good," replied Superboy, though it was muffled.

"Me too," said Zatana. "Artemis?" There was a pause, then… nothing. "Artemis?" Zatana called out again. This time there was a reply.

"Get back!" came the voice of Artemis, followed by a few muffled cries, and the sound of one of her explosive arrows detonating. Desmond banged on the wall.

"Artemis!" he yelled, to no response. "Superboy, smash into the next room. I'll meet you there." Desmond heard a few pounds on one of the walls to his left.

"Be right— AH!" The banging stopped as Superboy's sentence was cut short. Desmond realized something must have happened to him as well. Zatana realized it too, as she began banging the wall and screaming.

"Superboy, Artemis," she called out. "Desmond, they're both gone. We need to…" But she didn't finish her sentence. Desmond immediately assumed the worst, and lowered his density. He passed his foot through the wall, and was about to go and find his teammates, when a voice called from behind him.

"Don't you want to stay and chat?" Desmond froze mid-phase. He pulled his foot out, and whirled around. Now he was face to face with his father, Ra's al Ghul.

"What're you doing here?" Desmond hissed. "Working with Scarecrow? I always had you pictured for a solo act, dad." Instead of responding with a clever retort, Ra's pulled a large sword out of a sheath on his belt. "Not in the mood for talking? Fine, let's do this." Desmond hardened himself, and charged at the centuries old man. Ra's easily side-stepped his advance, and sliced out at Desmond's back. It collided, and though it didn't cut him, it did knock him off his feet. Desmond stumbled, but regained his composure and swung back at his father. This time the punch connected, and Ra's was knocked into a metal wall. He picked himself up, and dropped his sword.

"I see this will be more of a challenge than I had anticipated," he said. He shrugged off his large green cloak, and revealed his bare chest. For a seven hundred year old man, Ra's al Ghul was built. Actually, he was fitter than most men, no matter what their age. Desmond didn't care. He ran at his father, and sent a punch for his chest. Ra's blocked, and delivered a sharp kick to Desmond's knee. The hero fell to his knees, letting Ra's kick him in the face. He flew back, but quickly got back up, and went back for more. This time Ra's couldn't block Desmond's quick jabs, and the son managed to get his father on the ground. Desmond put his foot on Ra's' chest, and began pushing down. Ra's made a strangled coughing sound, and moved like he was clutching for air. Desmond sneered for a second, finally about to be free from his father's tyranny. Then Ra's smiled. "Just like your old man," he managed to choke out. "A ruthless killer." Desmond didn't know what to do. He realized his father was right; this was no better than something Ra's would do. But the immortal man took this moment to grasp Desmond's ankle, twist it, and fling him across the room. Desmond had involuntarily lowered his density, and when his head hit the metal wall, he blacked out almost instantly.

XxXxX

When Desmond came to, he was tied to a chair. Again. He growled and rocked back and forth.

"This again!" he exclaimed. Suddenly there was movement to his left, and he looked to see Superboy, also tied to a chair, stirring to consciousness. "Conner, what happened?" Before Superboy could answer, there was a groan to his left, directly behind Desmond.

"Who's there?" came Zatana's voice. She must've turned to the right, because she noticed Superboy. "Superboy? Where are the others?"

"I'm behind you," said Desmond. He turned to his right, and saw Artemis, still unconscious. They were all tied up. "And Artemis is on your other side." As if she'd heard her name being said, Artemis slowly woke up.

"Huh?" she said, realizing what was going on. "Alright, where are you?" She thrashed around, but Desmond intervened.

"Artemis," he said quickly. She turned, and saw the predicament her teammate was in. "Calm down. It's just us in here. Zatana's next to you, and Superboy is behind you. We're tied up."

"Not for long," Zatana muttered. "Sepor Eitnu!" The ropes around her untied themselves, and removed themselves from her body. Superboy just ripped his off, and Desmond phased out, and then went to untie Artemis. The four friends, now free from their binds, went to search for a door to the small room they were in. Upon finding none, they decided to contact the others.

Aqualad, M'gann, KF, Robin, come in, Desmond called tried. He waited for a minute, before sighing and addressing his teammates. "Nothing, guess we're on our own." The others groaned, and began looking for a way out. After a moment of silence between the four of them, Superboy spoke up.

"What actually happened to you guys?" he asked. "I mean, to get you in here?" The three looked at each other, and realized no one wanted to share. Superboy spoke up again. "I think it must've been Scarecrow's fear gas or something, making us see things that weren't really there." Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said. "That makes a lot of sense. Why do you think that, though? What'd you see? What'd you go up against?" Superboy averted his gaze, but still answered the question.

"I…" he started. "I saw, I fought… Superman." The room was dead silent, no one daring to say anything. Until Zatana spoke up.

"You're scared of Superman?" she asked, confused. She was not aware of Conner's back story yet. "I mean, isn't he, like, your dad?" Conner balled his hands into fists.

"He's not… technically my dad," said Conner. He then explained (an abridged version) of how he came to be. "I'm a clone, created by Cadmus. I was made to replace Superman if he died. Or to… destroy him…" Zatana seemed to understand now, why Conner would see his "father" when hit with fear gas. The fear of standing up to Superman would probably be enormous for anyone, let alone his supposed replacement. He looked at Zatana. "What'd you see?" Her face got slightly red.

"I don't want to sound like a hypocrite," she said. "But I saw… my dad, too. But not regular him. Like a fifty foot tall version. He was trying to squash me; literally. I think it's cause he's always so over protective of me. I love him with all my heart, and he feels like that about me, but it's a little too much, you know. Meeting you guys wasn't a spur of the moment thing: I've been pleading to join for weeks now! Batman needed to do the convincing, and I'm not even an actual member, I'm just along for the ride. I guess I'm scared the most of my dad's oppression." Suddenly Artemis spoke up.

"This is too weird," she said. This was met by raised eyebrows, so she explained her thinking. "You both saw your dads, right? Well… I did too. My biggest fear is… well, it's people finding out who my real dad is."

"Who is it?" asked Desmond. He realized this sounded rude, as she had just told them she didn't want anyone to know. But he knew it was like to conceal a secret about family, with his own father. He was hoping for someone to commiserate with, and if it was Artemis, that was just a bonus. She looked at Desmond, and sighed heavily.

"It's… Sportsmaster…" The groups eyes widened. Even Zatana and Desmond, who had never met Sportsmaster personally, had heard stories of his terrible crimes. And Artemis was his daughter? The girl who'd done so much good for the team, and for the world? Desmond shouldn't be surprised they could be so different, seeing the difference between himself and Ra's. But the experience when fighting the hallucination, when he realized how similar they really could be, left his rattled. "So now you know. But you can't tell anyone, please!" The three others looked at each other, and nodded. Desmond rested a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your family that defines who you are, Artemis," he said. "It's you. You define who you are." He said it to reassure her, but he was also trying to reassure himself. She smiled, and sniffed.

"Thanks," she said after a moment of silence. "So… what'd you see?" The other two in the room looked to Desmond expectantly. He looked them all in the eye, and sighed heavily.

"You're not going to believe this," he said, trying to avert his gaze. "But I saw my father too. I saw… Ra's al Ghul…" The gasps were audible this time. Desmond looked up to see the looks of shock on everyone's face, as if Desmond had just confessed to murder.

"Your dad…" Zatana said, but trailed off, probably not believing what she was being told. Artemis locked her eyes on Desmond's.

"You didn't want us to find out," she whispered. "That was your fear, just like me." Desmond shook his head.

"Yes and no," he said sadly. "I didn't want you to find out, for obvious reasons. But there's more than that." And he explained the fight with Ra's. "See, my whole life I've been trying to distance myself from Ra's. That's why I was on the road for so long before joining the team. He wanted me to join him; he said with his power, and my gifts, we could rule the world. But I didn't want to rule the world. I realized I wanted to save it. So I joined up with Young Justice. But back in that room, when I was fighting my father, I got him pinned down. I pushed down on his chest, harder and harder. I thought it was really him, and I was going to kill him, and end all my worrying. But he stopped me, by saying how alike we are after all. That is my fear; to end up like my father. To end up evil." There was a long silence, and then Artemis grabbed Desmond's hand.

"Hey, knock it off," she demanded of him, but gently so. "You told me a second ago that it's not your family that defines you. Who cares who your dad is? He could be the most evil human being on the planet, and it doesn't affect who you are. Got that?" Desmond looked her in the eye, smiled, and nodded. She smiled softly back. "Good." Once again, silence. Desmond eventually let out a long exhale.

"Wow…" he said at last. "We've all got some pretty serious daddy issues, huh?" Despite everything that had recently happened, the others managed a light chuckle. Then Conner stood up.

"Come on," he said, determined. "Let's find this freak, and get him back to the madhouse he belongs in."

Pretty good from my first chapter in a while, right? This one will be continued in the next chapter. Well, now Conner, Artemis, and Zatana know Desmond's secret, and Desmond, Conner, and Zatana know Artemis'. Will they continue to look at each other the same? Will the others find out? Keep reading to find out!