Author's Note: So whatever happened to that Desmond guy? I mean, he seemed pretty cool, right? Things were going good, but then he just sort of stopped doing things. I know, I know, it's been way too long. I don't really have an excuse; it started with long weeks, then months, and at some point I just stopped wanting to write. But I suddenly got a second wind, and now I'm back. So, if you need to reread a few chapters to remember where you left off, go right ahead. The continuation of 'A New Addition' will be here when you get back.

Disclaimer: I own none of Young Justice, only Desmond. Man it's been a while since I've done one of these.

Chapter Twenty Six

An Unexpected Guest

After a sparring session with Kid Flash, Desmond reclined M'gann, Kaldur and Conner in the TV room. Zatana and Wally were in the kitchen, snacking on something or other. The day had been spent with training exercises, and Artemis had left for home a few hours before. The others would be leaving soon, wrapping up a busy day. Well, that had been the plan anyway.

"Recognized, Green Arrow, 08," came the voice of the Zeta-Tube. Everyone looked towards the cave, Desmond and Wally getting up in preparation to meet the hero. Desmond assumed he would be accompanied by Artemis. Then the Zeta-Tube continued reading designations, and Desmond almost fell back in his seat. "Recognized, Speedy, B06." Speedy? Red Arrow?

"What's he doing here?" Desmond whispered to Conner. Wally and Kaldur had quickly made their way to greet their old friend. They were followed by M'gann and Zatana, but Conner and Des held back.

"More importantly," said Conner in Desmond's ear. "What's Green Arrow doing without Artemis?"

"Should I call her?" Des asked, pulling out his cell phone. Conner shook his head, and Desmond shrugged. The two boys walked in the Mission Room, and found Kaldur and Wally chatting with Roy, and Zatana and M'gann hanging back a bit.

"I can't believe it!" he heard Wally exclaim. "Took you long enough!" Desmond wondered what was going on, and walked over to M'gann and Zatana.

"What's all the commotion about?" he asked.

"Green Arrow said Roy's joining the team," Zatana informed him. "Isn't that great?" Desmond and Conner exchanged worried looks, and then Desmond looked to Roy. Wally was buzzing around him, telling him how great things were going to be and what not. But Desmond definitely caught Roy looking back at him, giving him a glare. Desmond glared right back at the red clad archer.

"Does M'gann know about the mole thing?" Desmond said. He made his voice barely above a whisper; he almost couldn't hear himself. But he knew Conner's super hearing would pick it up. He turned slightly, and watched the Kryptonian nod. Desmond looked to the Martian, and saw she had an uneasy face on as well. Wally and Kaldur walked over to the others, leading Roy to them.

"Zatana," Roy said, taking her hand. Desmond saw the magician blush slightly, and made a mental note to keep the two away from each other. Sure he trusts HER, Desmond thought. She's been in the hero business as long as he has. No way she's a mole.

"Nice to see you again, Red Arrow," said M'gann politely. Desmond knew she didn't mean it, and so did Roy. "Glad you're joining the team." Roy faked a smile, and shook her hand as well.

"Yeah," said Desmond quietly. "Thrilled." He smiled as he grasped Roy's hand, but made sure he gripped tighter than need be. Roy returned the pressure in his own handshake.

"Nice seeing you again, Shifter," he lied. Then he leaned in closer. "I've got my eye on you. On all of you." Desmond smiled, covering up the anger he wanted to express.

Just then the Zeta-Tube flashed again. "Recognized, Artemis, B07." Desmond quickly brushed past Red Arrow to head for the only archer on Young Justice he had any liking for. When Artemis saw Roy and her mentor in the room, she stopped in her tracks.

"Artemis!" called Green Arrow. "Just in time. Look who's decided to join the team!" She glared at Roy for a moment.

"Good," she said quietly, but loud enough for all to hear. "Team's needed a real archer." What was that all about? Desmond considered asking her about it, but didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone.

Green Arrow, not seeming to notice hi9s "niece's" snide comment, moved over to the holo-computer. "Alright people, listen up," he said. He began typing something in, and images began popping up. "The dynamic duo's on a case in Gotham, but Batman gave me a heads-up. Sportsmaster's been spotted coming through Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport." Desmond glanced to Artemis, who was starring at the screen, mouth agape. "Find out what he's up to."

"All of us?" asked Conner, clearly hoping to stay away from Red Arrow. "It seems a little much for a shadow job."

"Thought the sidekicks," Began Green Arrow. But he quickly caught himself. "Sorry, ex-sidekicks, could handle this one. Aqualad, Kid Flash, Red Arrow." Desmond breathed a sigh of relief, also having no wish to spend time with the new archer.

"I want in," said Artemis suddenly. What was she dong? "With M'gann and Robin out of the picture, I have the most time logged piloting the Bio-ship." Desmond tried to catch her gaze, but the teenager was dead set on this.

"Are you sure?" asked Green Arrow. Artemis nodded solemnly.

"Then I'm in too," Desmond said, stepping up from the back of the room. All eyes, including Artemis', shifted to him. Great, now I need an excuse, he thought to himself. "If Superboy's staying behind, you might need some muscle on your side. Unless Roy's been benching a lot since we last met." The snarky closing remark made Wally, Conner and Zatana smile, but Roy scowled.

"That sounds smart," said Green Arrow, not allowing his former protégé decline Desmond's request to join in. "The five of you should make your way to the Orleans Parish as soon as you can." There was a pause. "That means now, people!"

XxXxX

The Bio-ship sailed over a lake near the Orleans Parish. Desmond, Artemis and Kid Flash were sitting in the cockpit area, while Aqualad and Red Arrow were prepping something in the back.

Eventually, Wally stood up. "I'm going to see what's taking them so long back there," he said. He moved to the door, but took a quick glance back. "Don't make out while I'm gone; Artemis still has to fly this thing." Desmond chuckled good naturedly, but knew that making out was the last thing they'd be doing. As soon as Wally was gone, Desmond walked over to Artemis' seat, and kneeled down so they would be leveled.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded him in a whisper. "Why'd you come with on the mission?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Desmond countered. "Are you trying to prove something with Red Arrow here?" Artemis looked like she wanted to give a rebuttal, but instead shifted her gaze away. Desmond suddenly lost his anger, seeing how insecure about this Artemis truly was. He took her chin in his hand and pulled her face back to his. "Hey, are you serious right now? Artemis, you don't need to prove anything to anyone here. You're the best archer I've ever seen." He took a quick glance to make sure no one else was around. "And you're not a complete ass like another archer nearby." She smiled, but it quickly flitted away.

"It's not funny, Des," she said quietly. Determination covered her face once again. "I know I don't have anything to prove to you. But to Wally, and Kaldur, and Robin. To Green Arrow…" She trailed off, and turned away again. Desmond sighed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Fine," he said. "Then prove it to them. Prove it to all of them that you're a thousand times the better archer. I'll be with you every step of the way." She still didn't look back, so Desmond slowly walked back to his seat to prepare for landing in a few minutes. And he knew now that Artemis wasn't trying to prove it to the team, or to Green Arrow. She was trying to prove it to herself.

XxXxX

From his perch atop a rather tall, leafy tree, Desmond watched Sportsmaster's power boat speed down the river. He looked back a bit, and saw Red Arrow following on a wave runner. He knew Aqualad was somewhere below the river, and Artemis somewhere above, in the Bio-ship. He was to hop on his motorcycle (a recent addition the ever growing group of cycles stored in the Cave) and meet up with Kid Flash, also on a motorcycle. Desmond leapt from the treetop and hit the ground with a thud, making a small crater. He walked to where he'd stashed his bike, propped it up, and revved it to life. It sped him along the road, and soon enough he was next to KF.

"Hey," he said to the speedster through their radio-connected helmets. "So what's the plan?" Kid Flash shrugged (at least it looked like a shrug, though it was hard to tell on the motorcycle.)

"For now?" he said. "We tail him. But at a distance." Desmond nodded, and the two continued along the road. For a while nothing happened; they couldn't see Sportsmaster or Red Arrow, but were told that they should keep on the same path unless directed otherwise. Then, suddenly, Red Arrow called over the communicators.

"Sportsmaster's stopped," he said. "Hold your positions. I'm going in for a closer look." Shifter and Kid Flash slowed down their bikes to a stop, and then propped them up against some nearby trees. KF removed his helmet, and wiped his brow of sweat.

"So?" he asked. "Whatd'ya think of Red Arrow, huh? Good addition to the team or what?" Shifter looked at the ground.

"Or what," he said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing," said Desmond. He was hoping Wally wouldn't bring it up again. Luckily for him, he didn't. But that was only because, just then, both their headsets came alive with the sounds of a struggle. He heard Red Arrow say something, but it was kind of muffled. Then he heard Artemis say something, and the sound of an arrow being released. "They're in trouble!" he exclaimed, mounting his motorcycle again. Kid Flash didn't bother, and ran alongside Shifter's bike as they moved towards where Red Arrow had reported his position to be.

They arrived at the scene of something unexpected. Red Arrow, on the ground, pinned down by Cheshire. Making out.

"Weird," said Desmond under his breath. KF raced forward and knocked Cheshire off his old friend's body. Red Arrow quickly ran to the shore of the river, and launched an arrow after a speeding boat (which Shifter assumed was Sportsmaster.) It didn't hit, but something small fell out of the tip, and Desmond assumed it was a tracker. Red Arrow jumped back on his wave runner, and sped off down the river after Sportsmaster.

"Well well well," said Cheshire, her mask back on her face. "When one cute boy leaves the party, two more show up. This'll be fun." Desmond hardened himself.

"Let's dance," he said, sounding cliché even to himself. He lunged at Cheshire, who easily side stepped it. Artemis fired an arrow, but she knocked it away with her sai. Kid Flash sped over and tripped her, but she quickly did a handspring and was back on her feet. Desmond came from behind and tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but she jumped into the air. She landed on his chest with enough force to pin him momentarily. He quickly phased through the ground, and Kid Flash rammed into her, sending her into a tree. Desmond came up just in time to have Cheshire throw KF directly at him. The two boys tumbled backwards, colliding with Artemis into a heap on the ground. When they stood, Cheshire was gone. Kid Flash and Shifter looked to Artemis expectantly.

"Tracer's on her sword," the archer confirmed. Desmond and Wally smiled. Just then, the sound of Red Arrow's wave runner approached, and Wally and Desmond went to meet them. Artemis caught up after a moment, and held up a tracker. "Cheshire's heading north."

"Sportsmaster was heading south," said Roy, sounding annoyed. "Kind of like this mission."

"Maybe one of them will double back," Shifter suggested. "They'll have to meet up eventually, and when they do, we'll get to them,"

"Sportsmaster acquired an attaché case," said Aqualad. "We need to find out what it contained," he looked to Artemis. "If you had stayed aboard the Bio0ship—"

"I saw Cheshire sneaking up on him," she said, gesturing to Red Arrow.

"Then you radio a warning," he said.

"And is she found you by hacking our frequency?" Artemis retorted. The two were toe to toe in a verbal battle at this point; the animosity between Green Arrow's protégés was clear.

"Let's just stop this arguing, and start looking for Cheshire," Desmond suggested. Artemis tossed Roy the tracker.

"Here," she said bitterly. "Since clearly I can't be trusted, you track her." Desmond and Wally exchanged a look, and Desmond went and grabbed the tracker from Roy's hand. He held it back out to Artemis. She sighed, and turned to walk away. "It's fine, I'll… follow in the Bio-ship." Desmond quickly placed the tracker back in Roy's hand, and jogged to catch up with her.

"I'm coming with you," he told her. She was acting strange and, frankly, he was concerned. She held up a hand.

"No, Des, it's fine," she assured him. "Go with the others. Keep an eye on Roy, okay?" Desmond looked conflicted, but eventually sighed. He leaned in and gave Artemis a kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful," he said, then ran off to join the others.

XxXxX

Red Arrow, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Shifter raced along, either in land or in the water. Roy's tracker had fallen off, but he assumed Sportsmaster was still going south. The four teens sped along, barely saying a word. Shifter couldn't stop thinking about Artemis, and how strange she was acting. He hoped she wouldn't do something stupid to prove her place on the team. It might backfire horribly.

Just then, Red Arrow came to a stop on his wave runner. Aqualad surfaced next to him, and KF and Shifter stopped their motorcycles. "I see Sportsmaster' s boat," radioed Red Arrow. "Aqualad, Kid Flash and Shifter, hold your positions. I'm going in."

"No way," radioed Shifter. "Not without me you're not."

"Stay put, Shifter," repeated Red Arrow. "That's an order." Desmond wanted to retort. Wanted to tell off the newest member, let him know the only reason he was here was because the three founding members were his friends. He wanted to tell the others about Red Arrow's thoughts on a mole on the team, and that Desmond and Artemis were his prime suspects. But instead, he sat on the seat of his parked bike, crossed his arms, and hoped for the best.

Wally walked over. "Hey Des," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "Listen, I know Roy can be… hard to swallow sometimes."

"No kidding," mumbled Desmond.

"He's always been like that; really competitive and assertive. But, if you can see his good side, he's actually not such a bad guy. So… maybe you and Artemis should give him a chance."

What about Superboy and Miss Martian? Desmond thought. But instead he sighed, shrugged and said "I'll try." Just then, Aqualad radioed Desmond.

"Red Arrow has located Cheshire and Sportsmaster," he informed the teen in a rushed tone. "They're in a warehouse just north of here. Get there, now." He didn't have to tell Desmond twice. The hero hopped on his motorcycle, and was off.

When Shifter arrived, he saw several explosions coming from inside the warehouse. He assumed it was Red Arrow dealing with Cheshire. He spotted Sportsmaster, moving to enter the warehouse as well. Desmond leapt off is motorcycle, glided through the air, then hardened himself and delivered a kick to the back of Sportsmaster's head. The villain sprawled across the ground, but quickly picked himself up. He held a javelin in his hand.

"Well well," he said cockily. "The Demon's Son is here to save his teammates, huh? Do they know who you really are? Maybe I should fill them in." Desmond sprinted at Sportsmaster, and kicked him in the chest. He flew through the air, into the warehouse, and collided with an empty wooden crate, sending splinters of wood everywhere. Desmond ran in after him, and found Red Arrow and Artemis dealing with Cheshire. He had only stopped to look a moment at his two teammates when he was struck in the shoulder by Sportsmaster's javelin. Desmond's density was still high, so the tip didn't pierce him, but it did knock him back a few steps. Shifter returned fire with the same javelin, but Sportsmaster knocked it aside. An arrow came out of nowhere, and the small explosion that erupted from it sent Sportsmaster down. Desmond looked to Artemis, but she was busy with Cheshire. Then he noticed Red Arrow, facing him. Desmond nodded to the archer, then leapt at Sportsmaster, delivering a punch to his chest. He fell, and stayed down for a moment.

Suddenly there was a bright red light, and the three heroes looked to the back room that it was coming from. Cheshire took the opportunity to jump Artemis, but Shifter tackled her to the ground. "Go see what that is!" he called to Artemis. She nodded, and ran to the door. Cheshire flipped Desmond over, but, he sunk both of them through the floor. Cheshire knew better than to wrestle herself away from Desmond's grasp, seeing as she would no longer have the lowered density. So she let herself get dragged as far away from the door as possible, and when Desmond resurfaced, she delivered a swift kick to his gut.

Suddenly, just as Desmond was about to punch Cheshire in the jaw, she turned to solid ice. His fist smashed through, and sent chunks of ice everywhere. He turned to see Red Arrow in the same situation.

"What was…" he asked. Then Artemis walked out of the room.

"Klarion," she said. "He teleported away, and replaced their bodies with ice."

"Who was he with?" asked Red Arrow.

"I saw…" Artemis said, thinking for a moment. "I saw Professor Ivo, with his robot monkey. I saw Monsieur Mallah, and The Brain. And we know they're working with Cheshire and Sportsmaster." There was silence for a moment.

"Let's get back to base," suggested Shifter. "We'll piece it together there."

XxXxX

"Let me be clear," said Aqualad, addressing the team sternly. "We failed. Though the Injustice League is in custody, their allies still scheme. And we have learned nothing of their plans."

"Gee," said Red Arrow, crossing his arms and looking to Artemis. "I wonder why."

"Don't put this on her!" Desmond demanded.

"Hey!" she said. "Who found out Sportsmaster was working for Brain Klarion and Ivo?"

"Yeah, great intel," said Roy sarcastically. "Except Ivo's been in Bell Reve the whole time!" Artemis' eyes widened. "And the guards just checked; it's the real Ivo, not a robot. And there's this…" He held up one of Artemis' tracers.

"Yeah, so?" asked Desmond about the tracer. "Cheshire ditched it."

"No, Artemis ditched that," he said, motioning to the tracer that was now in Aqualad's hands. "To send us on a wild goose chase. She put this one on Cheshire." He held up a different tracer. Desmond and Kid Flash, both shocked, turned to Artemis.

"No," Desmond whispered. "Artemis, you wouldn't do that, would you?" She looked away.

"You had to prove yourself by bringing down the bad guys solo?" asked Kid Flash. "Well, what you proved, is that you're insecure, and selfish." Desmond wanted to tell Wally to back off, but he knew he was right. Artemis had really messed up this time.

"So how will you betray us next time?" asked Red Arrow angrily.

"Knock it off!" yelled Desmond.

"Enough," said Aqualad, putting his hands on Desmond and Roy's chests. "If making a mistake was a betrayal we would all be traitors. I must report to Batman. The rest of you… get some sleep." Aqualad walked towards the Zeta-tube, and Superboy, Miss Martian and Zatana walked off to their rooms. When just Roy, Artemis and Desmond were alone, Roy crossed his arms at the two of them.

"You're not who you say you are," he said stoically. "Neither of you. Desmond may have left my line of sight, but only because of you Artemis. But this isn't over for either of you. Not by a long shot." And with that he moved to the Zeta-tube, and was gone.

"What were you thinking?" Demanded Desmond. "I told you you didn't need to prove yourself. And what did you do? You cost us the mission."

"Okay, I get it!" she said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "I already feel crappy enough from Roy, I didn't think I needed to worry about it from you two, Desmond." Desmond sighed.

"I just…" he tried for the right words. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. You heard Roy, he's watching us. We've got to play it safe around him, for now anyways. I know you only did this because you thought it was the right thing to do, but next time…" he paused, hoping he wasn't offending her. "Next time think it through more." And with that Desmond moved past Artemis to his own bedroom. He heard the Zeta-beam flash, and laid down in bed, hoping Artemis would be more careful next time.

So not a bad comeback, right? Listen, my schedule keeps getting busier and busier, but I'm really going to try and update a lot more often. But no promises. Anyway, I really hoped you all enjoyed Desmond's return, and can't wait to read more. The fact that people kept reading even after a month or so of nothing really encouraged me to keep writing. So I thank you all, and hope to write more soon.