Hello again!
I'm not going to bother with all this into stuff since that was in the last chapter which I updated like 2 seconds ago. Just read the disclaimer, enjoy the story and read the A/N at the end.
DISCLAIMER: Nope, don't own it. I wish I was cool enough to say that I did, but DC belongs to some other lucky, rich person.
Kid Flash and I sit there for a long time. He's one of the only people who actually understands me. I know he won't judge me, not anymore, not after this.
Eventually we part again and notice everyone staring at us.
"What? Never seen anyone hug before?" Kid Flash asks and I laugh.
"I suppose it's an improvement on hating each other" Batman mutters.
Kid Flash and I look at each other before bursting out laughing. His beautiful green eyes sparkle with happiness, their past pain gone. Wait, since when are his eyes beautiful?
Shayera suddenly runs into the room.
"Batman! Her health is fast deteriorating! She might not make it!"
My eyes widen and I start to get off the bed.
"No A! You can't get up now, you're too weak" Robin says.
"I don't care; I might be the only one who can save her. You can't stop me from saving her!"
"A…" Batman begins.
"NO!" I say and shove myself off the bed. My legs promptly collapse under me but luckily Aqualad is there to catch me.
"You can barely stand A, let alone help Artemis. Just rest for us, Batman will be able to save her" he says while moving me towards the bed again.
"NO! HE WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE HER! GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS!" I scream and thrash wildly. Aqualad drops me after I land a few well aimed kicks and punches but he's replaced by Superboy. Traitor.
"LET! ME! GO!" I shriek and then suddenly, there's another presence in my head, calming me enough so that I can shove it out again.
"I turn my gaze onto Miss Martian and she whimpers from the fiery anger in my eyes.
"How dare you go into my head again after what happened last time? HOW DARE YOU VIOLITE ME IN THAT WAY? YOU COULD BE KILLED BY DOING THAT! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT MY THOUGHTS ARE SO TWISTED, DARK AND WARPED THAT IF ANYONE VENTURED IN THEY WOULD EITHER COME OUT DEAD OR SEVERELY TRAUMATISED? THERE'S A REASON I DON'T LET ANYONE INTO MY HEAD!"
"A!" Kid Flash shouts at me and I look at him angrily.
"If you're going to help save Artemis, can you at least let me help you walk?" he asks softly.
I don't know what to say to that and instead stare at him in dumb shock, panting heavily from my previous efforts. He wants to help?
"Well?" he asks.
I nod slowly and he takes me out of Superboy's arms and races me to Artemis's side. For the next couple of hours, he stays there, even though it would be hard seeing the girl he loved lying there, potentially about to die and being cut open by someone he didn't even trust earlier that day.
Our efforts pay off though and a few minutes after I attempt to wake Artemis, her eyes open and she doesn't even grimace in pain.
Of course, the first thing she says is:
"What are you doing up you idiot! You should still be in bed after what you went through! What on earth possibly possessed you to think that you should be here with me instead of resting?!"
I should have known.
"You were dying and I was the only one who could save you. Oh and the only one who kind of agreed to me doing this was Kid Flash so don't get angry at everyone else. Besides, he only accepted it to stop me screaming."
"You were screaming?"
"In anger at not being allowed to help you, yes."
"She couldn't even stand up" Kid Flash adds and I growl. "I had to carry her here"
Thanks Kid Flash. Not even your pretty red hair can save you from my wrath now.
Wait, since when is his hair pretty?
"You truly are and idiot A"
At Artemis's words, I jolt back into reality and my anger.
"Well sorry for saving your life. Maybe next time I'll just leave you to die one of the most painful deaths I've ever experienced."
"You can't have experienced it, you're not dead!"
"The poison doesn't affect me; I'm immune because of multiple small doses of it being put into me. Believe me when I say it's one of the worst things that has ever happened to me."
"He- he used it on you?"
"And every single other poison in the world. I'm practically immune to everything. I can't even get food poisoning anymore. In fact, even poison ivy doesn't affect me."
"He did that to you?" Robin asks softly from the doorway. I didn't even notice him come in.
"He did a lot of things to me Robin. Slade making me immune to poison was nice. Believe me"
"What could he possibly do that was worse than that?" Kid Flash asks, horrified.
So he does care about me? Why does that make me feel so, good?
"It's very simple. He wanted my pain tolerance up. This means that he beat me regularly, poisoned me, and purposely made me sick so I would become immune. He would also send me on missions to desensitise me to blood, stealing, murder and crimes."
I say all of this calmly, even though it hurts me so bad and all I want to do is die when I think about it.
I hear a strangled noise from the doorway and see the rest of the team there, standing in the doorway.
"And that was just what he did after he took me away from the Batcave" I add softly and the tears begin to silently fall.
My legs finally give out as I begin to sob. I land on my knees and then curl into a ball, my wings wrapped around me, hiding me from the world.
A soft hand begins to stroke them and soon I'm sobbing into the owners shoulder.
It's Shayera; she's the only one who would know to touch my wings for me to open up.
Silently, she picks me up and carries me back to my room, laying me on the bed. I fall asleep within seconds, fully embracing the darkness that curls around me and hides me from myself.
# # #
Of course, no one can hide forever and especially not in darkness. I eventually wake up to blinding white light and the worried faces of my friends.
"Just how exhausted were you?" Artemis snaps angrily, "you've been out for two days! Do you know how long that is?"
"Well there's 48 hours in two days, but if you want something more specific I could say that there are 2880 minutes in two days or maybe 172800 seconds in two days is more to your liking?" I retort, a bit peeved at being woken up with a scolding. I mean a scolding? And from Artemis no less, the girl whose life I saved!
"This is not a joke" she hisses back "You could've died!"
"You really think that I would've died? I've suffered worse than exhaustion Artemis. Or don't you remember what I told you two days ago? Do I need to repeat it for you?"
"Guys, calm down, this isn't helping anything"
"Go ahead. Maybe then you can fall unconscious again and realise how stupid you were for getting up when you were already exhausted and then doing crazy stuff to me!"
"That crazy stuff saved your life, unless you want to be dead?"
"Guys!"
"Batman could've saved me. I didn't need you to be an idiot and risk your life"
"And here we are again when I say that I was nowhere near to death! There's only one idiot in this room and it sure as hell isn't me!"
"How dare you!"
"GUYS! SHUT UP!"
Suddenly I notice the other people in the room with us. I especially notice Robin who looks like he's about to explode with his flushed face and narrowed eyes.
"If I hear one more peep from the two of you I swear I'm going to permanently silence you both!"
Artemis gulps. Pathetic. I simply stare at Robin, challenging him to even try.
He meets my glare and his eyes narrow even further.
"Don't do anything stupid A. You don't want to lose anyone else's trust."
It strikes a nerve and he knows it. I don't know whether I want to punch him or cry in the corner. Instead I decide to get out of bed and walk out the door.
"Don't follow me unless you want a few shattered bones" I say and then leave the room.
Some may call it defeat, cowardice or retreat. I just call it not killing people. If they want to stay healthy, they should stay away. If they don't, that's their fault. After all, I did warn them.
I enter the training room and begin to work out. I work on my agility, flexibility, strength, acrobatics and speed until I'm too exhausted to move off the wall I've slumped against. I slide down and experience dejavu. Didn't this happen just a few months ago?
I stay there for who knows how long before Batman comes in. Obviously he found out what happened and is unafraid of what I can do. Besides, I'm not really that much of a threat right now.
He silently sits down beside me and for the life of me, I can't understand why. I acted like a real stuck up brat, insulted his medical abilities and threatened to hurt his son! Why would he care about me?
"I know it's hard A, but you need to try and see it from other people's perspective as well. Not everyone is like Slade. Not everyone is trying to hurt you or hinder you from saving others. You don't have to do everything alone anymore, you have us now."
"I'm so sorry." I whisper, "I don't know what came over me. I was just so mad. It felt like everyone was against me, like everyone just wanted to stop me from helping someone. Even the person I saved didn't like me."
"You're misunderstood A. You've never had this sort of relationship before and it feels like no one is willing to help you. But that's where you are wrong. If you give people the chance to see the real you, then you can make your true friends. Friends that will teach you. It's scary, but in the end it's worth it. Trust me"
"I'm willing to give it another shot" I say eventually after a long moment of thinking.
"You're a brave girl A; don't let anyone tell you anything else." He says, smiling.
"Thanks"
"Now, if you're up to it, how would you feel about a bit of sparring?"
"Bring it on old man!"
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Have a lovely rest of morning/afternoon/evening/night (depending on what time you read this!),
JuliaPossum