A/N: Yes! Dick's friends from the previous chapter were modeled after the Teen Titans. That was my little humorous homage to them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice…or Discovery Channel.

A Lingering Feeling
IV. Awakening
Maybe it's just my imagination / But I see you stare just a little too long / And it makes me start to wonder…
- Jordin Sparks, "Next to You"

Mount Justice
October 1, 3:15 EDT

Of course it would be Neapolitan ice-cream.

Wally put the tub on the counter and grudgingly grabbed a bowl and spoon. Ever since M'gann had discovered his habit of eating ice-cream straight out of the tub, she had taken a page from his parents, and had bought Neapolitan ice-cream.

There was probably nothing on the planet that Wally West would not consume, but the one thing he couldn't stomach (literally) was the taste of artificial strawberry flavoring. There was just something too fraudulent and cloying about the flavor. Therefore, if you ever need a certain speedster to halt his habit of consuming ice-cream straight from the container, you buy Neapolitan, where the strawberry flavor is situated so infuriatingly in the center, and forces him to physically scoop the two other superior flavors into an actual bowl.

Wally shoved his spoon into the vanilla ice-cream, and grunted out loud as he battled against the almost rock-solid frozen mass.

"Note to self", he growled, finally able to carve out a small chunk, "if I ever need an arm workout, become a full-time ice-cream scooper."

After a full three minutes of warring with the frozen ice-cream, muttering imprecations under his breath, and actually debating calling Supey for help, he had scooped out half of the vanilla and chocolate, and finally deemed his bowl worthy of Wally-West-consumption. He shoved the battered tub back into the freezer, grabbed his beautiful bowl of heaven, and plopped down on the couch and returned to the world of Discovery Channel.

Nowadays it wasn't rare for the Team to congregate at The Cave even without being called for a mission. Robin and Kaldur were currently sparring in the new training facility Black Canary had built, M'gann and Conner were busy working on a school project in her room (although Wally suspected they were also doing other…stuff), Artemis was in her own room using the computer and wireless internet for her English essay, and Wally—well he was here for the fully stocked fridge and glorious satellite TV.

He finished his last bite of ice-cream just as the television show ended and switched to commercial break. He set the empty bowl on the coffee table, and glanced at his phone. He realized he hadn't seen or heard from Artemis since she came over this afternoon after lunch, and with a smirk, he was willing to bet she had probably fallen asleep or something.

He picked up his phone and texted her, "Stop drooling while you sleep on the keyboard. You might dissolve it with your venom."

Mount Justice
October 1, 3:31 EDT

Artemis leaned back on her chair with a sigh and stared exasperatingly at the ceiling. Kicking villain-butt? Piece of cake. Hitting moving targets with near 100% precision? No problem. Understanding convoluted scientific terms and mathematical equations? Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

Writing an essay comparing courtly love from the Knight's tale and the Wife of Bath's tale in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales? Ugh. Artemis would rather take on Clayface by herself than type this assignment.

She spun her chair around to stare blankly at the rest of her room. She actually loved every aspect of this spacious and comfortable space, except for the lack of windows. She did suppose it would be impractical and strange for a natural mountain to have sporadic shutters lining the sides, but the absence of sky was claustrophobic at times, especially when she was already irked by how this damn essay couldn't just write itself.

Her phone suddenly buzzed, and she spun back and dug it out from under a pile of notes. When she saw who had just texted her, she actually laughed. Was it really too much effort to walk down the hall, especially for someone with super-speed?

"Saving that venom for you, actually," she typed back. "And I've been working this entire time, thank you very much."

"Going nuts yet?"

"More than usual."

"That's not good for my sanity if I have to be in the same building as you. I propose a trip to the park :) Get some fresh air, and all. Also, I need to stretch my legs."

Artemis glanced back at her computer screen, where she currently had…two measly pages out of the infernal five complete. She did suppose a change in scenery would be vital in preventing her from going completely bonkers, although if she was spending time alone with Wally, she wasn't too certain on that particular conclusion…but she admitted she would rather face Clayface than write this essay, and hanging out with Wally was probably the lesser of the two evils—quite literally also.

"Okay fine," she eventually replied, "but I need to grab my coat in the living room. Meet you there in a bit."

She stood and pocketed her phone and grabbed her collapsible crossbow, because you never know if you'll be attacked by evil squirrels during an afternoon stroll through a park, right?

And also, she needed something to threaten Kid Mouth with if he got too obnoxious.

Mount Justice
October 1, 2:38 EDT

Soon Wally heard the tell-tale deep clicks of Artemis's boots approach the kitchen. A wily grin crept onto his face and he zipped off the couch and stood with his back against the wall next to the entrance. His plan was to pull a Supey and jump out as she walked by in 5…4…3…2…

"Nice try Wally, but I can see the reflection of your obnoxiously bright shirt in the oven window."

Wally scowled and stepped out from behind the corner. "Next time, I'm hiring a vampire."

Artemis laughed and walked past him to grab her black pea-coat from the back of the sofa. "First demons, now vampires… is it going to be zombies next?" She balanced her crossbow on the side-table and slipped her coat on.

"Nah." Wally walked back to the coffee table and turned off the television. He grabbed his spoon and empty bowl and made his way to the kitchen, where he dropped them in the sink and turned to Artemis with a grin. "Zombies go after brains, so it would be a waste to hire one to use against you."

Artemis paused in buttoning her coat long enough to raise an eyebrow at him, but then she shrugged. "Actually, I do feel pretty brain dead after working on that essay for—" she glanced at the oven clock and groaned, "—nearly four straight hours."

"Wow, no witty comeback?" replied Wally, genuinely surprised yet slightly smug. "I definitely believe you."

He walked to the front of the hallway and waited for her as she slipped her neatly folded crossbow into her coat pocket.

"Nice coat," he said, half sarcastic, but also half sincere, because that coat did look nice on her, but the hell he was ever going to admit that.

"Um, thanks?" responded Artemis, catching his opposing mixture of tones.

"If a zombie did get you, black is a nice color to hide the blood stains," Wally continued, returning to his usual 100% mockery.

Artemis stuck her tongue at him. "If a zombie attacks, I'm tripping you." She walked past him, and Wally followed.

"You do realize I'm the fastest boy alive," he said.

"Not after I trip you, no you're not!" she countered.

"And just how are you going to trip me if I run faster than you."

"Rocks don't run and you still trip over them."

Wally glowered at her sassy comment. "Hey, even so, I saved our butts from those Bialyan tanks!" he argued. Should have left her there, he muttered silently to himself.

"That doesn't erase the fact that you still tripped over a rock," Artemis continued, glancing at him with silent mirth.

"So you're just going to what, continuously shoot pebbles at me with your bow?"

"That would be called a sling-shot, Kid Genius," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

Wally made a face at her. They reached the front entrance, and he activated the doors to open. A rush of cool air greeted them and they stepped outside under a cloudy autumn sky. They walked in silence for a while, until Artemis realized for the first time Wally's absence of outerwear.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked.

"Super fast-metabolism means I'm toasty year round!"

What a lie, Artemis thought, thinking back to their early-morning-splash-around.

Happy Harbor Park contained a playground, swimming pool, sports courts, and picnic tables on one end, and then about a mile of meandering trails through forested areas and grassy knolls. Wally and Artemis skipped the Saturday crowds, and turned down the fork that would lead through the quiet trees.

The sky above was an ashen blanket of gray, but what the sky lacked in vitality, the earth redeemed itself with a palette of bright hues. Almost every tree was ablaze with crimson, gold, and orange, and when a slight breeze rustled through, the leaves drifted down like brilliant rain to join the eddying ocean of their brethren sprawled on the light green grass. The everlasting emerald pine trees stood majestically as sentries to winter and Christmastime, finally able to highlight their calm jade hue amongst their fiery neighbors. It was hard to imagine that this explosion of color was merely the prelude to a winter slumber; a visual lullaby before nature closed her eyes.

Everything also had a crispness to it—from the clear air tinted with foreshadowing notes of frost, to the satisfying crunch of leaves echoing each step, and of biting into apples and pecans. In the cold, every sound was reminiscent of delicate, harmonious bells—an audio masterpiece of the snowflakes that would surely come in a few weeks.

"I've actually never realized how beautiful this season was," Artemis sad softly as she studied the brilliant foliage around them.

"Really?" Wally regarded her in amazement. "But haven't you lived on the East Coast all your life?"

"Yeah, but I've never actually taken the time to enjoy …" her voice trailed off as she paused for a brief moment before continuing more somberly, "I actually… used to dread fall and winter because it meant being cold all the time, and the only thing I ever focused on was how to stay warm."

Wally remained silent for a while, unsure of what to say. "What about…Thanksgiving…and Christmas?" he finally asked.

A cold breeze drifted by and Artemis stared up at the quivering leaves. "They would pass like any other day," she answered flatly.

"So no turkeys and stuffing, and pumpkin pie?" he continued incredulously. "And Christmas trees and stockings and presents?"

Artemis shrugged. "As I said, they were like any other day."

Wally looked away and gazed at the hidden trees deeper in the surrounding forest. He knew Artemis was tough as a result of the life she lived, but he never realized just how merciless her childhood must have been. Coming from a family that celebrated each holiday to its fullest and warmest extent, he couldn't fathom what it must have felt like to stare at your neighbor's dazzlingly lit Christmas tree, only to return to a cold and empty home.

What also amazed him was how Artemis never sought out any pity for her upbringing. When she admitted her lack of joyful holiday memories, she didn't appear dejected; she conversed about the topic like it was regarding, well, any other day.

"You're not upset?" Wally suddenly blurted out.

Artemis looked over, puzzled. "About?"

"About never having a proper Thanksgiving or Christmas?"

She shrugged again. "Not really. I didn't let it affect me too much. As a kid, it slightly disappointed me, because who didn't believe in Santa Claus as a kid?" A brief smile lingered on her lips. "But as I grew older, I realized if you can't bend the facts, you gotta change your attitude…Anyway, I was too preoccupied with archery or combat training during the school breaks to really notice what day it was, so, yeah."

They arrived at a small grassy clearing surrounded by bushes and trees, and Artemis stepped off the path and walked towards it, her boots snapping leaves and twigs in earthly staccatos. She let her fingers lightly brush against the dark trunks, and Wally watched her graceful movements with a perplexing and novel interest. There was just something so damn hypnotizing about the way her golden hair swayed back and forth against the dark backdrop of her coat, and the airy movements of her slender fingers against roughened bark.

Suddenly she turned her head around, and frowned at his transfixed state. "Wally?"

"Huh, what?" He snapped out of his reverie and realized Artemis was staring awkwardly at him, and hurriedly smiled and returned his facial features to their usual lighthearted expression. "Oh don't mind me; I was just telepathically communicating our location to some zombies nearby…"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "So you share a mind connection with the brainless dead? Not surprised."

Wally scoffed and stepped into the clearing with her. "No," he argued, "because that would mean I would be able to hear your thoughts too."

Before Artemis could reply with her usual rejoinder, the two were suddenly startled by a sharp rustling in the bushes behind them. They whipped around and Artemis automatically reached for her crossbow, pulling it out and unfolding it in one fluid movement. Wally took a step forward and partially shielded Artemis with his torso and stretched arm, and normally she would have snapped for him to move out of the way, but all her senses were already preoccupied.

"Are these the zombies you were mentally chatting with?" she muttered from behind him, aiming her crossbow at the shrub. Or maybe they're evil squirrels, she thought sardonically.

But instead of a red-eyed rodent foaming at the mouth or a herd of undead, something else tumbled out of the bush, and landed on the ground with a soft crunch of leaves.

"Wow," laughed Wally, relaxing his stance. "We are way too paranoid."

It was a chubby Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy, probably no more than two or three months old, with a tan body and white paws, giving it an appearance of wearing tiny socks. One of its large ears flopped backwards as it stumbled up and stared at Wally and Artemis with curious brown eyes.

"Aww." Artemis collapsed her crossbow and pocketed it. She lowered herself to her knees, and stretched out her arms. "Come here little guy. You must be lost," she said gently.

The puppy hesitantly took a step forward, and then looked anxiously at Wally, who then swiftly knelt on the ground as well. The puppy wagged its tail in approval and bounded joyfully towards Artemis. She scratched its fuzzy neck and it rolled onto its back, exposing its pink belly for a rub that she was more than happy to give.

"Well, at least we know it's a boy," Wally pointed out, and he playfully wiggling his fingers in front of the puppy's snout.

"And he belongs to someone," added Artemis, noticing the red collar. "But there's no tag."

The puppy's tongue lolled gleefully as the two continued to rub and tickle its belly. Suddenly it flipped to its side and emitted a high-pitched sneeze, ears flopping with the sudden movement. Startled by the noise, it tilted its head to the side, clearly wondering, "Did I just do that?"

Artemis laughed and looked around at their surroundings. "I wonder if his owners are nearby."

Wally stood up and scanned the area. "I don't see anyone," he observed, "nor do I hear anyone yelling out puppy-names."

"Well, I'm sure this little guy has a home," reasoned Artemis, watching the puppy sniff at her boots. "He's too energetic and tubby to have been lost for too long." She scooped him up in her arms and stood up. "Come on little guy, let's find your family." The puppy nestled into her warm arms and opened its mouth into a wide and content smile directed at Wally.

"It's like he's mocking me," he laughed, reaching over to scratch the puppy's head.

Artemis lifted the dog close to her face and smiled playfully at Wally, "You mad?"

"As if," he scoffed, following her back to the main trail.

She looked down the path, and then started back towards the park entrance. "Let's walk around the park. If anyone's looking for him, they'll be sure to recognize him and come up. I don't just want to give him away to anyone pretending to be his owner."

"So thought out," said Wally, acting impressed. "Is this what keeps you up at night?"

She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "No, but plotting all the ways to torture you is."

Wally comically gasped. "Is that why you lured me into that secluded clearing? Thank you Corgi for showing up in the nick of time!" He reached over and gently tapped the puppy's nose, causing it to sneeze again with another spastic flop of its ears.

Artemis twisted her torso to shield the puppy from him. "Corgi is obviously allergic to stupidity."

"Dang. I should hold him them, or he's going to be covered in hives by the times we reach the end of this trail!"

"You really want to hold him?" Artemis asked, her tone sincere.

Wally shrugged in response. "Nah, it's okay. He looks comfortable already."

They walked the entire circumference of the park, passing by families playing games by the picnic tables, children cheerfully running through the playground, and solitary joggers and bicyclists, but no one frantically approached them with outstretched arms and a name fit for a cute dog on their tongue. In the end they situated themselves on a small grassy hill overlooking the park entrance, reasoning that anyone searching for the dog would be able to see them clearly.

Artemis sat down on the grass and the puppy clambered out of her arms and gamboled into Wally's lap, enthusiastically attacking his fingers.

"Looks like he hates you just as much as I do," Artemis joked.

"Ha, very funny," retorted Wally with a grin. "Why does he keep gnawing on my fingers? I mean, not that it hurts, or anything," he added quickly, "but does he think my fingers are kibble or something?"

Artemis laughed. "He's teething," she noted. "Here, I have an idea…"

She reached behind her and tugged her ponytail loose, and Wally became suddenly fascinated by the seemingly slow-motion way her long golden strands cascaded around her shoulders in waves of soft light. With her other hand she fingered through her roots, giving her hair a sudden feathery semblance. A stray breeze carried over her familiar scent of lavender, and he was immediately reminded of the night their movie night a few weeks ago…

He didn't even realize he was staring at her until he felt the nibbling of little teeth on his fingers suddenly cease. He peered down, and saw that Artemis was dangling her hair-tie in front of the puppy. It excitedly batted at it like a kitten, and then tumbled out of Wally's lap as it tried to bite the circlet. It finally accomplished in chomping down on it, and proceeded to engage in a game of tug-of-war with Artemis while emitting baby-growls and yips. Artemis laughed and let go, and sent the unsuspecting puppy plopping onto its bottom. But being ever so plucky, it resumed its frisky attack on demolishing the hair-tie, rolling onto its back and accidentally threading a tender pink paw through it. The harder it tried to pull its paw back, the more it struggled with his teeth.

"Well, looks like he doesn't need me for a game of tug-of-war," observed Artemis with amusement.

Revelations are uncommon for humans, much less for a fifteen-year-old boy, but as Wally leaned back on his elbows and regarded Artemis playing with the dog with the backdrop of gray skies and golden trees, he felt like an electrode was suddenly implanted into his brain and had just zapped his neurons into a lightning storm.

He couldn't specifically conclude what the exact revelation was, but he could confirm that his view on Artemis had suddenly shifted—maybe by just a little bit, but it still shifted.

And it shifted because she all of a sudden seemed…softer, and he saw all that jagged armor forged from the fires of self-preservation crumble away. She was more relaxed than he's ever seen her, and she wore a tender visage that he didn't know existed. Her eyes were a sparkling bright grey that seemed to glow blue with an ethereal quality, and her smile—he hated to admit it, but she was really pretty when she smiled, because it further ignited her eyes, like a spark suddenly becoming a flame.

And then he wondered to himself, just how many times has Artemis smiled like this in her life—genuinely smiled and laughed and became so carefree—in her mysterious life void of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and every other warm familial joy?

"I wonder if he's thirsty," wondered Artemis out loud, startling Wally from his gradual epiphany.

"I got it," he answered, promptly standing up. He was slightly relieved to be free from his thoughts—he wasn't sure if he was ready to delve deeper into his reflections.

He had a wide vantage point of most of the park from where he stood, and was able to pick out a refreshments vendor pushing his cart of snacks and drinks on the path below them. He darted down the hill and purchased a bottle of water.

He turned to head back, but instead paused and quietly regarded the scene before him. Artemis, with her loose hair swaying in the breeze, was picking blades of grass from the ground and sprinkling them on the puppy as it danced mirthfully in the confetti of green and gold. The euphonic notes of her laughter flitted down the hill and tugged at Wally's lips until he smiled. He looked at a nearby pile of leaves, and a whimsical idea emerged. Confirming Artemis's attention was captured by the dog, he tucked the water bottle under one arm, freeing his hands scoop a clump of orange and gold leaves, and quickly ran to the other side of the hill. He then furtively snuck behind Artemis and before she could even register that he was behind her, dumped the entire array of leaves on top of her head.

She cried out in surprise, and then started laughing as the puppy pounced into her lap and began barking and snapping at the falling leaves.

Wally plopped down in front of them and grinned at the foliage clinging to Artemis's coat and tucked haphazardly all over her hair.

"You look like a crazy Leaf-Monster," he grinned facetiously.

Instead of glaring back at him, she continued to smile. "Well, then beware my powerful side-kick! Sic him, Corgi!"

Artemis dangled her hair-tie in front of the puppy to capture its attention, and then threw the tie at Wally. The puppy followed and jumped into Wally's chest. He tumbled backwards onto the grass, and pretended to be hopelessly overpowered by the squirming ball of fur.

"Ack! No!" he cried out, feigning distress. "A cute puppy…is my…only weakness!" And then he rolled his head to his side and closed his eyes.

"Good job, Corgi side-kick!" Artemis said gleefully through her laughter. "We have finally defeated my life-long arch-nemesis! Now I hereby claim this grassy knoll as the capital of Artemis-land!"

But as soon as she finished her triumphant conquest speech, Wally suddenly sat up, causing the puppy to slide into his lap.

"SYKE!" he yelled, and quickly grabbed the barking Corgi. "And now I have your side-kick!"

Artemis gasped and dramatically brought her hand to her chest. "Oh no! I'll do anything; please don't hurt Corgi!"

Wally raised an eyebrow and stared at her slyly. "Anything, huh? Well then, I demand that Corgi be my poison-tester on this bottle of sacred water! I have my suspicions that it's actually a plot to destroy me!"

While he held the puppy—who was unaware of his acting position and looked more than delighted to be a poison-tester—in one hand, he grabbed the water bottle with the other and passed it to Artemis.

"Open it, Leaf-Monster!" he demanded. "And feed it to your precious side-kick!"

"If Corgi dies," she continued as she twisted off the bottle-top, "I swear on chlorophyll I shall avenge his death!"

Wally let out his best imitation of an evil laugh, and brought the dog to Artemis's cupped hands. It noisily lapped up the water and when its thirst was satiated, let out a tiny burp and cough.

"Oh Corgi, are you feeling alright?" Artemis asked.

Wally suddenly gasped and started leaning backwards. "No! The water…it…made him…more powerful!" He fell backwards onto the grass once again and released his grasp on the puppy, who merely remained seated on his chest, tilting his head from one side to the other with a quizzical expression.

Artemis laughed and began picking the leaves from her hair and coat. "That was so ridiculous," she remarked.

"Yeah," Wally agreed with a smile, gazing at the silver clouds above him. "But fun."

"FINNEGAN!"

A startled Wally and Artemis looked up to see a small girl in a puffy pink jacket running up the hill with out-stretched arms, followed by her mother. The puppy bounded off of Wally's chest, excitedly wagging his tail.

"Oh Finnegan! You found him!" The girl dropped to her knees and embraced the squirming puppy, who proceeded to lick every inch of her tear-stained face.

Artemis smiled at the girl. "Is this your puppy?"

"Yes oh yes! And you found him!" she repeated ecstatically.

The mother finally reached the top of the hill and clasped her hands together in silent prayer. Wally and Artemis quickly stood up, and the little girl's mother turned her attention to them.

"Oh dear Lord, thank you so much for finding our Finny," she said, overjoyed with relief. "Sasha here looked away for a second and he zipped away. Where on earth did you find him?"

"Actually," Wally answered genially, "he found us. He tumbled out of a bush in a clearing by the forest trails."

"Finny, you silly doggie!" Sasha giggled and Finny tumbled onto his back, smiling with delight.

"My oh my, we could not thank you enough," spoke the mother, grasping both Artemis and Wally's hands. "We've been searching for him for hours!"

Artemis returned the warm smile. "You're welcome, ma'am. And if I had a dog as special as Finnegan, I would have gone to the very ends of the earth to search for him too." She gazed tenderly at the puppy, which looked back and wagged his tail.

"Well bless your hearts," beamed the mother. "We're so glad Finnegan found such a beautiful couple today."

Wally and Artemis glanced and each other and nervously laughed.

"Oh, we're not—"

"We're just—"

The woman slowly nodded but her smile never faltered. "Oh, begging my pardon, it was wrong for me to assume. But you two are just absolutely lovely."

And maybe he imagined it, but the woman's eyes twinkled in Wally's direction for the briefest of seconds.

The woman turned back to her daughter. "Come along dear, let's go home. Daddy will be worried."

Sasha scooped up the puppy in her arms and beamed one last time at Wally and Artemis. "Thank you thank you thank you so much!"

Artemis knelt down in front of the girl. "You're welcome Sasha. Take care of Finny! We'll miss him." She smiled and gave Finny one last scratch behind the ears before standing back up.

The mother patted Sasha's head fondly, and waved a warm farewell to Wally and Artemis. "God bless your hearts!" she called out one last time.

The two of them watched with silent smiles as the happy pair walked away, with Finny peeking back over Sasha's shoulder. Artemis finally sighed and turned to Wally.

"Think Batman will let us get a dog at the Cave?"

Wally looked at her, and remembered the sound of her laughter as she played with Finny just moments before.

"We should petition for one," he replied, grinning. He suddenly felt a drop of water on his hand and glanced towards darkening sky. "Guess we should head back…"

They walked down the hill, and joined the crowd of families also hastily rushing out of the rain. Soon, however, the drizzle was transformed into a downpour, and the congregation of people into a frenzy.

"We're going to be soaked!" yelled Artemis over the clamor of rain and screaming children.

"No shit Sherlock!" replied Wally, feeling the cold rain seeping through his shirt, "And I, uh, can't zip us out of here because a) there are too many people and b) I kind of forgot my goggles back at The Cave..."

"Well then," Artemis turned to him, "time to be like everyone else!"

"What—"

Before he could finish his question, Artemis grabbed his wrist and starting running through a world washed with silver sheets of rain, dodging through the crowd and splashing through puddles. Wally couldn't remember the last time he ran through the rain at normal speed, and the strange feeling of every icy raindrop hitting his body and blinding his senses was oddly refreshing. He wasn't sure how Artemis was able to see through the swirling rain, but he trusted her, and allowed her to continue the hold on his wrist as she pulled them towards home.

When they finally arrived at the entrance of Mount Justice, both were breathless and thoroughly drenched.

"I feel like…I just took a cold shower…on a treadmill," gasped Wally through his smile.

She grinned back and removed a strand of wet hair clinging to her face. "So apparently that fast-metabolism of yours doesn't keep you toasty all the time."

"Hey," he countered as they stepped inside the warm Cave, "even toast can get soggy."

Mount Justice
October 1, 4:56 EST

Robin put down his glass of water just as Artemis and Wally sloshed into the kitchen, leaving tiny puddles of rainwater in their wake.

"Geez," Robin smirked. "Do you two always have to end up soaking wet when you hang out alone? Or do I not want to know." He wiggled his eyebrows at them.

"It was raining outside!" retorted Artemis, taking off her waterlogged coat.

"Mmhmm. You were makin' it rain?" He winked at her. "Gotcha."

And it was a good thing he was the Dark Knight's protégé, because if Robin hadn't slipped away behind the kitchen counter and disappeared out of the room, Artemis would have used him as live target practice. Tough-girl armor: activate once again.

She turned to Wally and let out an exasperated sigh. "He's thirteen. Is he supposed to know what that phrase means?" She unfolded her crossbow and set it down on the counter to dry, and then set her dripping coat on the back of a kitchen stool.

Wally shrugged. "Dude, the kid knows how to hack motion sensors. Who knows what else he's been hacking." He tugged at his shirt and shuddered. "Ugh. This is like sleeping in your own drool..."

Artemis looked up from wringing her hair into the kitchen sink. "What?"

"Nothing!" Wally replied quickly, and with one smooth movement, took off his shirt. "Much better." He caught Artemis raising an eyebrow at him and grinned. "So these are the abs I was referring to the other day, by the way."

Artemis rolled her eyes and glared silently at the faucet, resuming squeezing out the water from her hair. A soaking wet emerald-eyed Wally with glistening muscles was so not her (flustered) cup of tea right now.

Wally, however, nonchalantly made his way to stand next to Artemis. She saw him (and his infernal abs, curse them) out of the corner of her eye and looked up to see him wearing the same chummy smile he had given her when she had woken in the Bialyan desert, but this time he had dripping red hair and no uniform on. She definitely preferred amnesia in a desert over this.

"I need to wring this out," he said casually, holding up his balled up and dripping shirt.

"There are other sinks in this cave, you know," Artemis replied, her voice unusually loud.

"Yeah, but that would mean I'd have to drip water all the way there. There's only so much cleaning up Kaldur can stand." He paused and smirked at her. "Plus, it's not like I'm also taking off my jeans also."

At that moment Robin was making his way back into the kitchen, but he paused in the hallway, and he mischievously decided to eavesdrop on Wally and Artemis's conversation.

"Hey Wally?"

"Yes Arty?"

"Have you ever been slapped in the face by wet, long, hair?"

"Uh, no…"

"Then I suggest you shut it."

There was a laugh from Wally, followed by intermittent sounds of water splashing into the sink.

"And Wally?"

"No, I have never been slapped by a wet wool coat either."

"Thanks…" Artemis's voice was quieter. "For dragging me out. I needed that…"

There was a slight pause before he replied, "You're welcome. So… plus one for me again?

"Are you really keeping track of all your points?"

"Why not? I do get to redeem them for something, right?"

"Hi-fives."

"I don't believe you."

"Low-fives?"

Robin silently inched forward until he could catch a glimpse of the two standing by the sink. Wally's expression was full of mirth and he was standing so close to Artemis that their arms were nearly touching.

"I'm sure I'll think of something."

A/N: Satellites on Parade drew a picture of Artemis, Wally, and Finnegan playing on the hill! It's still a sketch, but it's cute! (And gave me a heart-attack when I saw it because I was like OMGOMGOMGOMG) But anyways, the link to it is on my profile :)

Thank you once again for all the lovely reviews!