Yiiiiikes!

A whole year, this is definitely not a fine record for me with this fic.

Anyway! I hope I made up for it with the really long chapter, where we introduce Artemis in her new life, and a glimpse at what's been happening.

Reviews will be replied through PM, unless you're a guest to which case that'll be replied when I update next, which will hopefully be soon [though I don't think anyone believes that one.]

Also, I had to re-read the fic to remember everything that happened, and after reading my writing from the past two years, and since I think I improved a lot, I just edited and updated all the previous chapters.

I think that's everything, so enjoy!

==8 years later

Artemis did a last minute check of her bag's belongings, and for the hundredth time, touched the manilla folder that held her resume, letting out a breath of relief. Here she was, Artemis Crock, now Linda Park, fresh out of Journalism college, and about to try and get a job at Central City News. She grabbed her keys and made her way to the door, before her nerves could get the best of her.

She exited the apartment and got onto the bus, still reeling from how far she'd come. Her mother still lived in Keystone, but Artemis wanted a bigger life for herself in Central City. She knew that a job with a news company would bring her closer to finding her dad, and taking him down.

Yes, despite her vow to Batman, she still wanted to catch the hated man, just to make him pay for all the damage he had done to her and her family. Her career as a journalist would help her accomplish just that; that wasn't to say she didn't like journalism, she had a crazy passion for it, it just got two birds with one stone. Plus it was either that, or the FBI, and Artemis knew her mother would have an attack if she became a cop. Paula became super protective of her child after their move, wanting her to reach a happy medium between staying safe, and being able to pursue her dreams, despite the hindrance of their new identities.

If Artemis had to be honest to herself, she had long accepted her transformation to Linda Park as a permanent one. At first she had been anxious every time someone knocked on the door or called their phone, wanting to hope Batman was coming in with the news she was desperately waiting to hear. But nothing came. After a couple of years, she just resigned herself to truly become Linda, leaving her hopes of Artemis Crock ever resurfacing behind; much less so Artemis, the hero.

She had seen the news a few years ago The Team's entry into the spotlight with a special celebration with the League, and she noted how they had grown in size and even the members she knew were now older. There was a new Robin, though she was sure the pesky original had grown into Nightwing, who also made his debut then. It wasn't as though she had been expecting them to honour her or something, but it still hurt her that they seemed to have just forgotten her.

They had all moved on, and as she saw the bus approach her stop, she shook those memories out of her head, determined to not let those memories cloud her day.

==5 years ago

"Wow, hard to believe we're finally becoming a real team!" Wally was beside himself in joy. They were inside the Hall of Justice, waiting while the Justice League started preparing for the presentation later that day.

M'gann laughed, "We've always been a real team, Wally, we're just going public."

"Yeah, but it feels more real now." He saw Barbara had arrived, and was chatting amiably with Zatanna and Raquel. "Yo Rob, your girlfriend at 7 o'clock chatting with your ex-girlfriend."

Dick visibly stiffened, and he glared at Wally. "First of all, she's not my girlfriend, and secondly,I told you, it's Nightwing. There's another Robin now."

Wally scoffed. He then pinched Dick's cheeks and in a baby voice, replied, "But you'll always be our wittle baby Robin."

Dick swapped Wally's hands away, and gave his own version of the Batglare that he had been perfecting, and Wally had to admit, he was getting too good at it.

As the three girls got to where M'gann, Wally and Dick were standing, they all greeted each other, everyone excited.

Some minutes later, Conner entered the inner sanctum, going to where everyone stood, followed by Kaldur and the new Robin, the latter who was grinning widely. "Nightwing! I got my card! I'm B-13!" He ran to show the card to his older brother, who ruffled his hair affectionately. Robin let out a laugh, trying to get away from the hair ruffling."Cut it out you troll!"

"Congrats Rob, but remember to behave." Dick added, feigning his strict Batman voice.

"Yeah yeah." He suddenly got serious as he looked around them, as if realizing something.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, kid?" Wally asked, resting his elbow on top of the young kid's head, eating a banana.

Robin was so in his thoughts, he didn't even shove Wally's arm away, as he would've usually done. "How come I'm the thirteenth member, and there's only 11 of us? I know Red Arrow's off to find his clone, but who's the other person?"

Wally removed his arm from on top of Robin's head, growing fidgety, and looking away. "It's a long story."

"We haven't heard it" Rocket interjected, "Plus until Donna comes back getting Kaldur's buddies, it'll take a while, so spill!"

The original five members of the Team were quiet. None of them wanted to start.

Wally finally cleared his throat. "Her name was Artemis..."

==Present Day

...and she was scared shitless as the elevator arrived at her floor with a lurch and a ding! She took a right as soon as the doors opened, and made her way into the CCN office, stopping at the receptionist's desk. The woman behind the desk was busy chatting on the phone with someone, and held up a finger, signaling Linda to wait.

While she waited, she looked around the office, seeing the chaos of journalism, people rushing around and out to break a developing story. Here were her people, people that she felt connected with, much more than she probably would've with the Team before, or even after this ordeal, if the latter ever came to happening.

"May I help you?" The receptionist cleared her throat, smiling sympathetically at Linda's gaping expression at seeing the office.

The new reporter regained her composure, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm here to see Mr. Mercer?"

The secretary looked down at her planner and searched through the appointments. "Ah, you're Ms. Park correct?" Once Linda nodded, the other woman continued, "Just down this hall to the end, and take a right, third door down is Mr. Mercer's office, good luck."

"Thanks" Linda flashed a smile, and followed the instructions to the office of her potential new boss.

She froze a few feet away, hearing a thunderous voice exclaim, "Goddamit Vince, I don't need this guy framed up like a hero! Too many newspapers do that! Get some dirt on the Flash and smear it all over page 1!"

A scared man burst out of the office she was headed to, glasses askew, charcoal hair neatly pressed down with gel. He offered an apologetic smile to Linda, and presumably scurried back off to his desk. She took a deep breath, and knocked on the door gently.

"Come in," A gruff voice called out.

Linda went inside the room, taking a good look at the man she was hoping she could call her boss soon. His attitude certainly matched his voice, not looking the least bit sympathetic as he eyed her warily, a middle-aged brutish man. After a few seconds, he barked, "Well? What do you want?"

Linda was determined to not show any sign of fear or weakness, and without missing a beat, replied, "My name's Linda Park, I'm here for an interview regarding-"

"Ah, yes yes, sit down." He beckoned her over to the chair opposite his desk, and Linda sat on it, nervously fidgeting with her bag, placed on her lap. "So," he continued, grabbing a piece of paper from underneath the pile of chaos building on his desk, and she noted it was her resume. "Miss- Park is it? Well, here at Central City News, we take our jobs very seriously, making sure to bring people the news, the real news, not that fancy schmancy fairytale people want to hear. We question, we press, and we uncover the truth, always. Are you able to uphold those standards?"

"Yes sir, I totally am." Linda nodded.

The interview went on for half an hour, him asking questions, her responding diligently. He nodded at her answers occasionally, leading her to believe she was doing fine, therefore boosting her confidence.

"Now, I'd like to know, what's your take on the Flash?"

Artemis' stomach dropped. She knew Wally was the Flash, she had seen the news report when the old Flash retired, and they made this huge ceremony where somehow Wally, in front of thousands of people, spun around fast enough to switch from his Kid Flash outfit to the crimson red of Flash, while the old Flash ran off, so Wally could take the center stage. She still held a hateful spot for him, for not being willing to understand her predicament, instead just being a sore loser for supposed taking over Red Arrow's place, which he hadn't even wanted.

Linda scoffed. "I hate him, I think he's a menace to society, with no care to this city, only to show off."

Mercer smiled widely, nodding. Before he could reply though, the guy she had seen earlier, Vince, burst in through the door. "Sir, there's trouble downtown, and everyone's off on another assignment-"

"Not a problem. Ms. Park here will do just fine. Vince, go get the equipment and ready the van, i just have a few last words to speak to her." Vince nodded and shut the door, while Linda turned back to her boss, brimming in anticipation to start her job so soon. "Now, Ms. Park, to me, there's no better way to test a person's skills, than a field test. So go out and do your report on whatever is happening, and depending on how it turns out, you might either start a wonderful career here, or have your shortest lasting job. Are we clear?"

"Very much sir, I won't disappoint." Linda got up and ran out of the office, bursting out onto the street, where Vince was waiting with the van started.

"There you are!" Vince smiled, seeing her jump onto the van, and he gunned it.

They heading to the site in what was probably borderline speed limit, the highway a blur rushing through her window. After a few minutes, when Vince turned and saw Linda hanging on for dear life, he smiled, wanting to break some of the tension, "And congrats on the job. Permanent or field test?"

"Field test" Linda blurted out, as he dodged a particularly slow mini-van, swerving around it, eliciting a round of honking and profanities aimed at him. "Is it a common thing?"

"Field tests or rush hour drivers?" Vince cheekily asked, knowing very well she was referring to the former. When he saw the glare she gave him, he added, "Yeah, Mercer loves putting people under pressure of delivering the news without screwing everything up."

"So, a lot of people get their jobs like this?" Linda asked, some relief in her voice.

Vince, distracted with the road, simply replied, "Nope, actually just the opposite."

"Great, no pressure or anything." Linda groaned; this wasn't going to be easy- if she managed to survive this trip. "Please tell me you aren't the usual driver?"

"Well, we're usually assigned partners, and I just became yours, so if you get the job, most likely yeah, I'm your new driver, so it's great for some bonding time!"

"I'll be sure to invest on some driving lessons for Christmas," Linda muttered, squeezing her eyes shut, toes curling as Vince crossed the entire highway in order to take the exit, nearly missing the concrete slab that would've impaled the van.

"Now, a few tips. Don't ramble, and make sure to get the interview, I don't care if you have to kiss the Flash-"

Linda whipped around to face him, all fear of the road in front of her forgotten. "Do WHAT?!" She screeched, eyes wide.

"Yeesh, it's the Flash, not a diseased frog, chill." Vince replied, chuckling. When he saw Linda still holding the flabbergasted expression, he continued, "That's what we're heading towards, intrepid reporter, so if you forgot to brush your teeth, there's some mouthwash in the back."

Linda shook her head, trying to make sure she heard correctly. "I'm sorry, did you just say you're risking my life to drive at breakneck speeds to report on what the Crimson Moron is doing?"

"You do want the job right?"

"Well yeah-"

"Then yep." He turned to Linda, seeing disgust on her face as she resigned to her fate, slumping in her seat. "You and Mercer will get along so well, you guys can start the anti-Flash club! I mean really, he's a nice guy, I don't see the problem-"

Linda glared daggers at her roadmate, "The problem is that he's rude, selfish, inconsiderate-"

"Whoa! Okay, save the energy for frying him!" Vince chuckled. When they arrived at the scene, he slammed on the breaks, and Linda thanked her belt for stopping her from going through the window. Vince turned off the engine and went to the back to grab the equipment.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning," Linda winced, massaging her right then burst out of the van, Vince in tow, and they ran to the site of the commotion.

"Oh also, don't forget, you're an acting reporter." Vince smiled as he handed her her microphone, and gave her the thumbs up.

"This is Linda Park, acting reporter for Central City News, coming to you live where the Flash is battling yet another villain to hit the streets. Let's get a close up now." And then Linda finally got a good look at the man who, as a teen, had made her very short tenure with the team an annoying one.

Flash was battling Captain Cold, who was shooting ice blasts in an attempt to freeze the hero. Of course every blast was consistently avoided, but they were instead hitting innocent bystanders, that the police were trying to evacuate from the area before more got hurt.

Vince himself was nearly iced, ducking with expertise, camera steady in his hand as he kept filming the scene before him. He made a gesture to Linda, trying to get her to talk more.

"As you can see here, Flash is going at it with Captain Cold, once again disregarding the safety of all bystanders, letting the freeze rays hit average citizens, who have no way of protecting ourselves. If he doesn't be careful, he's gonna be shattering some windows next!"

Behind the camera, Vince groaned internally, oh this was going to be a picnic.

==Some minutes later

Wally was seriously getting pissed with Cold. The guy never got the hint that no matter how many upgrades he made to his guns, he'd always be able to outmaneuver them. He finally managed to get close enough to punch him in face, knocking him out. After he handed Cold over to the police, he stepped over to the waiting crowd of reporters, anxiously hoping to somehow snag an interview with him.

Most of those women though, just wanted him to get close enough to get a smooch in, and as much as Wally loved the ladies, some of these reporters could be crazy stalker-ish. He then saw someone new, and boy she looked pissed. Her eyes, furiously glaring daggers at him every once in a while, seemed somewhat familiar to him, as he saw her recount the mess he'd just cleaned up. He figured it was anger for Cold, and that she maybe was someone he'd rescued before, and would probably throw her arms around her hero.

Boy was he wrong.

Tadaaaaa!

I left it at a cliff-hanger, aren't I nice? Anyway, I sometimes switch back between Artemis and Linda because Artemis still thinks of herself as Artemis, Linda's just the name she has now, so when she's thinking, I'll probably use Artemis, and when it's just her talking to other people, it'll be Linda.

Next chapter we get Linda going toe to toe with Flash, and meeting Wally! It'll take a while for those two to start seeing each other as anything more than nuisances, and we'll see how it goes!

Also, everything in the show happened, except no Artemis, since I really don't want to make a new timeskip backstory and then explain it all, not that it matters too much to the main fic, but I might switch back a few times, not too often, but to establish some things.

I hope everyone enjoyed it, and I'm really sorry for taking so long! I'd love it if you guys left reviews letting me know what you think!

Hezpeller