Artemis Crock – AKA Artemis – January 21st, 2010 – 3:12 pm

The gulls were crying overhead, still startled by the steady curls of smoke and the thundering roar of the blaze from the crash site, but Artemis barely recognized the sound. Even the cries of concern and fear from her teammates were muted by the screams of pain that sounded from the beach. Artemis pulled away from Robin's support and ran towards the sound, stumbling as the loose sand shifted beneath her feet. By the time she reached the injured Speedster, Artemis practically fell at Wally's side. Her muscles ached in protest of her hurried pace, but the archer's mind was far too concerned about her fallen teammate to even register the pain.

Connor had carried Wally to the beach and laid his black, Superman t-shirt on the ground to keep the sand away from the shredded skin on the Speedster's back. It looked like he tried to straighten Wally's leg as Robin told him to, but the sheer pain of that shifting motion woke the redhead with an agonized scream. Wally's emerald eyes stared wide and unseeing, evidence that although he was awake, he was certainly not coherent of his surroundings.

"Shh, Wally. You're ok. We're here; you're going to be fine." The Archer whispered as soothingly as she could with her hoarse, shaky voice. She placed a gently hand on his burned cheek and used her other to brush the blood-matted hair from his forehead. Artemis suppressed a pained sob as she watched the Speedster's wide, fearful eyes stare right through her as if he didn't even know she was there.

"Robin, how is he?" Kaldur's voice finally ripped Artemis' attention away from the Speedster's face, towards the youngest member of their team. Robin was kneeling by Wally's injured leg, making sure the bones were correctly set and there was no further strain on the dislocated knee. The young ebony took his time to answer and Artemis knew he was desperately trying to control his tone, but that crease in his brow betrayed just how worried he was about his best friend.

"There's no permanent damage to the leg, as far as I can tell, but he's in a lot of pain. His head is much more of a concern. It looks like a Grade Three Concussion to me."

"Will he be alright?" Connor asked timidly, his hands hovering over the Speedster's injured leg as if he was afraid to touch him. Even as M'gann knelt at his side and wrapped her comforting arms around him, it seemed to do little to lessen the blow of Robin's uncertain answer.

"He's not healing as fast as he should be… the concussion, the dislocated knee, the cuts and burns from the crash, that will all take time, but the minor bruises should be fading by now with Wally's accelerated healing." Robin admitted, provoking shared looks of worry and concern amidst the group.

"Maybe he's hungry? Wally needs food to heal, right?" M'gann suggested, and Artemis couldn't blame her for looking for an explanation that they could easily fix. The thought of being trapped out here with no way to contact the league and no way to leave the island was troubling enough without the fear of their friend's life on their minds.

"Yeah, but he shouldn't be this starved." That set off all the alarms in Artemis' mind. A guilty pit grew in her stomach and she suddenly found it very difficult to swallow.

"Unless he didn't eat this morning…" The archer added softly, though not enough to escape the attention of the team. The guilt that burdened her words was more than evident and caused the youngest of her friends to narrow his eyes accusingly.

"What happened Artemis?"

Artemis Crock – AKA Artemis – January 20th, 2010 – 9:03pm

Artemis was just folding the last of her clothes into the suitcase that lay on the bed of her hotel room. This vacation had been great, for the most part. It had certainly given the Team the break they needed from their mentors. Artemis had to admit that she hadn't suffered nearly as much as the others. While it hurt to have Green Arrow shooting at her that night at the Watchtower, he had only been her mentor for a few months. Most of the Team was forced to fight the heroes that had been at their side for years and in most cases, the mentors were actually family to the young protégés. Of course, none had it worse than Robin. Despite being the youngest, Robin had been in at Batman's side for the longest out of all of the protégés, and regardless of the rumours that Batman and Robin weren't related, Artemis couldn't help getting a father-son vibe from the two Gotham Vigilantes. Robin had taken over a week to recover from the damage Batman had dealt him, and even now Artemis hadn't seen the Dark Knight look at his protégé with anything less than guilt and self-loathing. She understood completely. It was the worst pain in the world to know you put someone you love in harm's way. That's what started this whole mess with Wally…

*Knoockknockknockknockknock*

The rapid pounding at her door couldn't only belong to one person. Artemis gave a heavy sigh, as her hopes for a peaceful final night were shattered. She had been avoiding Wally all week, despite his valiant efforts to confront her, but now it appears her luck finally ran out. Wally was nothing if not persistent. Artemis took a deep breath, stealing herself for the unpleasant discussion ahead. She knew as soon as she opened that door, Wally wouldn't leave without an explanation. Unfortunately, it wasn't one he would be happy to hear.

It's ok. Just keep it short and simple. Remember, you're doing this for him. She told herself as she reached for the bolt on the hotel-room door.

Just as predicted, the instant Artemis opened the door, a gust blew past and before she could turn around, Wally was standing in the middle of her hotel room with his arms crossed in front of his chest and an anxious expression on his face.

"Wally, I'm tired. We're leaving early tomorrow, can't this wait until…"

"Until we're on the Bioship? So you can chit-chat with M'gaan the whole trip and avoid the issue like you did on the flight over here?" Artemis cringed at the accusation, not used to dealing with such bitterness from Wally, even if it was deserved. She couldn't even bare to meet his eyes, afraid of what those emerald orbs might hold. By the time she had gained enough nerve to raise her gaze, any anger or blame in Wally's expression had given way to the apologetic, longing she'd become familiar with these past few weeks. Damnit Wally! Why do you have to make this so difficult!

"I'm sorry Babe, I didn't mean… It's just… Artemis please! Please just talk to me! Look, whatever I did, I'm sorry!" Wally apologized after stumbling over his own excuses. It was easy to see how desperate he was to fix things between them, but Artemis couldn't take that chance. The Speedster stepped forward, closing the distance between them and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, allowing all the pain and desperation to shine in his vibrant green eyes.

"Artemis, I miss you. I want to be with you." That was Artemis' breaking point. She knew she wasn't strong enough to keep avoiding Wally if he was going to act like this. But if she didn't convince him to keep his distance, he was going to get hurt! Just last week, Roy Harper was found stumbling into the Mountain bloody, beaten, and barely alive after her father found out Jade was interested in him. Of course, the Team didn't know the motives behind the attack but Artemis knew, even before Jade showed up on her doorstep with a warning from their father: This is what happens to heroes who think they're good enough for Sportsmaster's Daughters. Artemis couldn't let him do the same to Wally! But the only way to protect him was to keep her distance, and the only way to maintain that distance was to be cruel.

"Well, maybe I don't want to be with you! Jeez, Baywatch, you just can't take a hint, can you? I'm not your girlfriend! I'm not your Babe! And I don't want you following me around like some lost puppy! Leave. Me. Alone!" Artemis shouted back, knowing every word was a lie. She missed him. She cared about him. Hell, she might even love the guy – though she'd never admit it – and the last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt him. She had hoped it would never come to this, but Wally was so damn persistent! The only way to protect him now was to shatter any hope he had of winning her back.

"But… New Years Eve… the kiss…" Artemis could feel the ache in her chest at the broken tone of Wally's voice, but she couldn't back down now. She was doing this for his own good. He'd understand that one day… wouldn't he?

"It didn't mean anything Wally." Artemis retorted bluntly, not trusting her own voice to give any more of an explanation than that. It was an empty victory to see the fight leave Wally's eyes. His entire posture sagged with defeat and his gaze dropped to the floor. The silence that stretched between them was agony for the archer, but nothing was as painful as seeing Wally turn on his heels and walk out of the room with slow, sullen steps, she didn't know the Speedster was even capable of.

Wally paused at the door, muttering something beneath his breath before he disappeared into the hall. Artemis didn't know how long she stood there, numbly staring at the closed hotel door, before she finally dragged her feet towards the bed and sobbed herself into a restless sleep, dreaming of nothing but those last four words that left the Speedster's lips:

"It did to me…"

Artemis Crock – AKA Artemis – January 21st, 2010 – 3:27pm

"So you crushed him. You broke his heart and left him so miserable…"

"Robin…"

"…that he starved himself all day, and now he doesn't have enough energy…"

"Robin!"

"…to heal himself after his almost died to save your life!"

"ROBIN! That is enough!"

By the time Kaldur's raised voice broke through the ebony's rants, the entire team was staring in shock and Artemis was struggling to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Robin was always so calm and composed, so…traught… it was terrifying to see him with such lack of restraint. That only proved how bad the situation was with Wally. If he truly had been too upset to eat all day before the crash, his Speedster's metabolism would be starving him by now! Wally would barely have enough energy to run, never mind to heal! Oh Wally… what have I done?

"Whatever happened between Kid Flash and Artemis is none of our concern. Our first priority is to ensure our friend can recover. Once Kid Flash has been treated, we will focus our efforts on escaping this island and getting everyone home safely. Is that understood?" Kaldur's calm authority seemed to pacify the team for the moment. No one dared to speak. If Artemis was bold enough to glance up at her team, she would have seen the nodding heads and silent agreement to Kaldur's request, but for now, her stormy, grey eyes were fixed on the wide, fearful emerald orbs of the Speedster that stared blindly up at the sky.

"Good. Kid needs food in order to heal. Miss Martian you will search the island for something to eat. Superboy, you will return to the crash site and see if any of our supplies can be salvaged. I will look inland for a source of fresh water. Robin, Artemis, you will stay here with Kid Flash. Make sure your own injuries are attended to as well." Kaldur ordered. He and M'gann had recovered slightly, now that they were far from the draining heat of the flames, and Conner was desperate to help in any way he could, making those three the best candidates to explore the island. Of course, that left Artemis and Robin sitting in awkward silence, watching as Wally's agonizing screams began to fade into groans and gasps of pain.

Robin pulled his utility belt out of the secret pocket in his torn sweater and retrieved a roll of bandages and medical tape from one of the compartments. Just like a bat – prepared for anything. As he began tending to the Speedster's injuries Artemis, desperate to be helpful, scoured the beach for some relatively straight sticks that they could use to brace Wally's knee. Neither the archer nor the Boy Wonder showed much concern for their own injuries until they were certain their Speedster was well taken care of.

From what Artemis could tell, Robin seemed so be alright. He had numerous cuts and bruises from the crash and by the blood that matted his hair, Artemis could guess he had a mild concussion himself, but she had seen her young teammate fight with far worse. What worried her more was the Boy Wonder's deliberate refusal to talk or to even look her in the eyes. He really did blame her for this.

"You should let me take a look at your ribs." Robin finally stated after the silence had stretched on past what either of them were comfortable with. Artemis responded with a look of confusion before glancing down at her own blood-soaked shirt. With her panic for Wally and the shock of the crash, Artemis barely noticed the tearing pain in her side until her youngest teammate pointed it out. She gingerly lifted the edge of her tank top, grimacing as the bloody fabric stuck to the wound. The sight beneath almost made her sick: a sharp shard of shrapnel was buried into her side – not deep enough to cause any serious harm, but certainly enough to lose a dangerous amount of blood if not treated.

"Artemis! Why didn't you tell me?!" Artemis wasn't sure whether to be annoyed that the Bird had found yet another reason to be angry with her, or relieved that he at least felt some concern for her after what happened. It probably looked a hell of a lot worse than it was, but damn, did it hurt! Artemis could hardly feel the gentle prodding of Robin's fingers above the pain that radiated from the wound. Despite their earlier fight, the little bird looked genuinely sorry as he painfully pulled the shard from her skin, cleansed the wound and began to stitch a neat, practiced line of sutures to close the tear. Once finished, he covered the wound with a fresh bandage and tucked the remnants of his medical supplies back into his utility belt, casting apologetic glances towards the archer as he did – all-the-while, Artemis kept her eyes fixed on Wally, repeating the words from their fight over and over in her troubled mind.

"I didn't mean to hurt him…" She muttered, answered by a frustrated and guilt-ridden sigh from her youngest teammate.

"He's going to be fine Artemis. Once he gets some food, Wally…"

"Special delivery!" Robin's words were dropped as soon as the chipper tone of their Martian comrade echoed through their minds. It wasn't long before the green-skinned ginger was landing back on the beach, levitating a pile of fresh Island fruit behind her.

"Alright M'gann!" Robin cheered, looking a little more hopeful now that he had a way to help his best friend's recovery. Robin selected a couple of the softer fruits (a banana and some berries) that would be easier for the Speedster to eat at first, while Artemis helped prop their unconscious teammate up into a seated position and M'gann tried to psychically ease him into consciousness. None were happy about the groans and grimaces that contorted their wounded friend's face, but at least he was awake – if not entirely coherent.

"A-art…-tm's…" Wally slurred, trying to fight through the pain enough to recognize who was holding him up. His emerald eyes looked frighteningly dazed, but Artemis saw it as a good sign that he was trying to speak.

"I'm right here Baywatch. You gotta do me a favour, ok? You gotta eat something, Wally." The archer tried, allowing Robin to step forward with his selected fruit. The Speedster did his best to choke down a few of the berries, growing more alert with each bite – as if even the taste of food was building back some of his strength.

"That's it KF. There's more here when you're feeling up to it." Robin assured him, grabbing another armful of the fruit M'gann had collected.

"I can gather more! I wanted to get this back to Wally as soon as possible, but there's lots of fruit in the forest!" The Martian was eager to help, but Wally reached out his weary hand to stop her – seeming reluctant to let his friends out of his sight now that he was fully conscious.

"K-Kal? Con-..C-conner?"

Artemis ran her fingers through the Speedster's blood-matted hair, trying to offer what little comfort she could. It was such a relief to hear his voice that she allowed herself to ignore the frightening weakness betrayed in his tone. Despite herself, Artemis scoffed and rolled her eyes at her downed teammate. Of course Kid-Compassion would be more worried about his two super-powered friends than about his own stubborn self! She had just opened her mouth to reassure her fallen comrade when a sharp, piercing sound through all her assurances into question.

Robin and M'gann were on their feet in seconds and Artemis' arms tightened protectively around Wally's shoulders as the gunshots – two…five…eight…at least a dozen shots – cut through the ambiance of the island, drawing all eyes towards the swirl of billowing smoke that rose from the crash site.

"Superboy!

"M'gann wait!" Robin called, unheeded, as Miss Martian took off in the direction of the shots, once again leaving Robin, Kid Flash, and Artemis alone on the beach, fearing for the lives of their Team.