I'm sorry it's been a long time. It's a big one, so I hope that helps a little.

This has been pretty much finished for a very long time. It's no where near perfect, but it's time to just upload it.

Enjoy!

~Aa

Motion

Rebellion

"B01, Nightwing." She can hear the faint announcement, just, from her bedroom. Her eyes narrow. He left the cave just over two hours ago and he was already returning. She looks to the digital clock on her bedside table, and it's just past two in the morning. She already knows what's happened.

She waits to hear his movement down the hall. Quickly, she presses the button to open her door. It slides open and her timing is almost perfect. He had just passed her room. She pokes her head out of her room, and winds her body around the door frame to catch him.

He looks like a dark shadow, almost blending into the hall, dressed completely in black.

"Dick," she whispers, "Is everything okay?"

He doesn't respond and continues to his room. She steps out of her room and into the hall. "Dick?"

He spins, revealing only a portion of his face, the rest of him still shadowed. He gives her an icy look. "Artemis, I'm not in the mood," he deadpans, not even bothering to whisper.

Her brow furrows, but she lets him go. He hasn't spoken to her like this in a long time. He backs himself into the dark, vanishing, but she can hear him enter his room. She backs herself into her room and closes the door.

She looks pensive for a moment, before her brow furrows again. Something suddenly triggers inside of her and she has to act. Determined, she goes for her wardrobe, deciding she needs some more substantial clothing on, just in case.

She pulls on a pair of daggy shorts and quickly reaches for a tee from her washing basket tucked into the corner of her wardrobe. She yanks the tee over her cami and pauses, just to check if he's left his room yet. She hears nothing and sprints to the other side of her room in search of her phone. She swipes it off her duvet and instantly begins typing.

She hears the jiggling of some keys and instantly drops her phone. She rushes for the door and fumbles her fingers across the pad trying to open it. By the time she opens it, he's already at the end of the hall and in the common area. She quickly glides down the hall and through the kitchen. She catches the sight of his frame rounding the corner to the garage.

She quickly sprints after him, but this ends abruptly as she enters the garage. She feels her confidence drain away as she sees his dark figure. She knows she shouldn't push him when he's like this, but she can't let him go without trying.

He turns, stopping her dead in her tracks. "Artemis, what do you want?"

She looks stunned for a moment but recovers quickly. "Maybe I should drive."

He shoots her a look. "I don't need this from you too," he sighs.

She bites her tongue briefly but pushes forward. "Dick, what happened?"

He was struggling to stay in control. His fingers curl into his palms in tight fists, his lips purse and his brow deeply furrows. "Just leave me alone," his tone is ominous; a clear warning.

She attempts to push a little further, hoping she can sway him. "Dick-"

He sighs again, in frustration this time, before he steps towards her. His eyes narrow as his brow furrows even further. His face just inches away from hers, towering over her by almost half a head. "Artemis," he begins with a growl, "leave me the fuck alone."

She doesn't look the least bit frightened. "No," is the defiant response from her.

She notes his jaw grinds from side to side for a moment. "What will it take for you to leave me alone?!" he almost shouts, well aware of the light sleepers on the other side of the cave.

"Let me come with you," she urges, still standing her ground.

He smirks, as his head turns from her for a moment. His head then realigns to look at her. It cocks to one side, and she knows he's about to deliver a jab. "So you can persuade me into defying Bruce even further?"

The blow hits her hard. She should have expected it. She doesn't think, she just responds. "No, to stop you from doing something stupid!" She fires back quickly, her anger flaring.

"Too late for that," he quips back venomously.

She instantly regrets the momentary lapse in controlling her anger. She swallows, partly to try and reset herself, partly to decide her next move. He turns quickly, hoping to end the conversation.

On instinct she reaches out, catching his wrist. She knew that was a mistake as soon as she felt his force pushing back against her arm instantly. She feels a sudden brute force moving both her arms moving against her will, tight grips around both her wrists. She's suddenly against the wall, both arms above her head.

His piercing blue eyes are staring icily at her, their faces merely centimetres apart. "Don't you dare follow me."

Her eyeline drops from his in defeat, showing him a slight flicker of sadness. He huffs before letting her wrists go. She brings her arms back to her sides. He turns, and this time she doesn't fight his departure. She looks up and sees a black car she's never seen before.

It takes all of her strength to say it, but it manages to come out of her mouth. "Be careful, okay?"

He doesn't respond.

He gets into the car and it quickly comes to life. The headlights shine directly on her, causing her to squint. She turns her back to the car and heads back to the common area. She feels the headlights on her fade away as the hangar door opens. She makes her way back to the kitchen.

Almost silently, she opens the fridge and grabs a cold bottle of water. She closes it, turns and comes face to face with the other blue eyed, dark haired member of the team.

Her face gives nothing away. "Did you hear the whole thing?"

"Just about."

There's a silence.

"Are you okay?"

She nods a few times. "I'm fine," she shrugs it all off, side stepping around him and heading for the hall. "He can do what he wants."

Luckily Connor knew better than to push the Blonde. He doesn't follow. She follows the hall down to the gym.

888

It's seven the next evening and there's still no sign of Dick. Something stirs in her gut. It's concern and anxiety rumbling away inside her, but she's trying to ignore it. She knows the dark-haired teen is more than capable of looking after himself. He would've called if he needed help. She just has to keep telling herself that.

She pulls the gloves off her hands and sits them on top of the workout bench in front of her. A two hour session was pushing her limits a little, especially after her 2am session earlier that morning, so she decided to call it quits for the night. She begins to unwind the wrappings around her hands as her mind wanders to the night's plans. She couldn't see Wally, so she had to ride solo through this gnawing anxiety about Dick.

She can hear the gym door open behind her and her hopes rise. She quickly turns, but it's not who she expects. It's Black Canary.

Artemis' eyes narrow for a moment. A well-known Batman manoeuvre, sending the teams so called 'psychologist' and sometimes den mother, to deal with the team's non-mission related problems.

"I presume this is about Dick?" She's straight to the point. She couldn't care less if she's coming off as rude.

Black Canary sighs, understandably empathetic towards Artemis' situation. "Artemis," she speaks softly.

Artemis drops the wrappings in her hand to the floor and reaches for the towel on the bench next to her boxing gloves. "He can't ask me himself?"

The older blonde doesn't say anything, but shifts uncomfortably. "Superboy heard him last night."

Artemis sighs. "He came through for about 5 minutes."

The blonde league member steps forward. "You spoke to him?"

Artemis nods before wiping the sweat from her face with a towel. "If you could call it speaking."

Black Canary gives a faint amused smile. "Did he say where he was going?"

Artemis shakes her head. "He told me to leave him be."

The older blonde nods. "Anything else?"

The young teens eyes drop to the floor, her mind scanning her memory. "He had a car I'd never seen before," she pauses, her eyes squinting slightly, trying to remember. "A black BMW, I think."

Black Canary nods again, which makes Artemis want to end the encounter. The leaguers passiveness always makes her feel slightly judged and often, inadequate. The young blonde turns away.

"Thank you, Artemis," are the soft and calm words from the older blonde.

She can hear the blonde press the button for the door. Artemis suddenly feels guilty, so she turns quickly, acting impulsively before she changes her mind. "Canary," she calls, stopping the superhero halfway through the door.

She bites her lip as her mind briefly flashes through a flashback from last night. "He's really angry," she begins softly, "I've never seen him like that before."

Dinah nods, with a sad smile. "Batman is concerned, Artemis," she reveals, "he just wants to know that Dick's okay."

Artemis nods.

888

She looks across the books strewn across her bed. She'd moved from her desk to her bed, to her floor and back to her bed again, attempting to actually get some study done. However, she wasn't succeeding. Her mind constantly wandering, the gnawing worry about Dick clouding her concentration.

Her phone rings. Her eyes quickly shift to the singing and vibrating smartphone on her bedside table. Her mind scrolls through the list of people that would possibly call her - and there were only three people on that list. Her mum, Wally and Dick. She's currently at her mums, and she's already spoken to Wally today. Delayed, her eyes widen quickly. She clambers over her bed and doesn't even check the caller ID.

Her finger swipes across the screen and she shoves the phone to her ear. "Dick, are you okay?" Her voice is concerned, but quiet.

She feels all animosity towards him drain away from her as she lets her body rest in a kneeled position on her bed, waiting for him to speak.

There's a short silence. "Yeah, I'm okay," is the solemn reply.

"Where are you?" she whispers.

"I'm outside," he replies nonchalantly.

She does a double take. "My apartment?" her voice jumps back to normal volume.

"Yep."

She blinks, bewildered at how casual he's being. "You drove an expensive car through my area?"

It's almost like she can hear him shrug through the phone. "Yeah."

"You're lucky you didn't get car jacked," she breathes out as she reaches for her keys.

He scoffs and she can hear some life return to his voice. "You do remember who I am, right?"

She rolls her eyes. "I'll meet you downstairs."

She hears the hang up tone and she pulls the phone away from her ear. With a small click of a button, her phone is locked and being guided into her back pocket by her hand.

She hastily leaves her room. "Mum," she starts, walking to the door of the apartment.

"Yes, Artemis?"

She's reaching for the door handle. "Can I have a friend stay for dinner?"

She looks at the blonde with an almost excited expression. "Of course, Artemis," the hype in her voice is clear.

"I hope he likes Phở," her mum calls and she's already halfway out the door.

Without even taking in what her mother said, she shouts back, "He loves Phở," before closing the door behind her.

888

"Thank you so much for having me for dinner, Paula," Dick speaks quietly, his guilt now becoming visible to the blonde.

Artemis inwardly sighs, relieved that their family dinner has almost ended. They've danced around the tension and awkwardness between them with small talk and food. She's never seen herself, or Dick, eat so quickly.

The older Vietnamese woman smiles. "Anytime, Richard," she smiles, "Artemis' friends are always welcome."

Paula looks to her daughter with a smile, and it makes the dark-haired teen feel even worse. Friends. He swallows and shifts his weight on the chair awkwardly.

"Mum, just call him Dick, it's fine," the young blonde gives her mother a funny look.

Paula looks to Dick. "Are you sure?"

Dick smiles a little. "Of course," he insists, "even my Dad calls me Dick," the last part flows out with rehearsed ease. The two teens lock eyes at that comment. All he can see is the same look in her eyes a few nights ago when he basically yelled at her and told her to leave him alone. He can see that slight flicker of sadness in her eyes, but again only for a moment. His chest tightens.

"How do you two know each other again?" Paula breaks their connection as she looks between the two, clearly noticing the odd moment. "Are you two in the same year at school?" Her eyes narrow for a moment. "You seem to have known each other longer."

Artemis sucks a breath in sharply, caught out by her mother's comment. Thankfully, Dick is a little more composed than she is. Dick shakes his head, breaking eye contact with Artemis. The blonde looks at her mother suspiciously.

"I'm a year younger," Dick begins, making sure to wipe down his chopsticks with a napkin like Artemis taught him. "We have English and French together."

Artemis quickly grabs all three bowls, clearly trying to end the dinner - before her mother deciphers whose son is staying in her apartment. "He's very smart, Mum."

"Yes," she agrees, watching him wipe down his chopsticks, "and extremely polite." He bows his head humbly. "Artemis has taught you well," she motions to him wiping the chopsticks.

He grabs Paula and Artemis' chopsticks, following the young blondes lead. "She's a very good teacher." He wishes he could see the blonde's face, to give her some sort of smile or signal to ease the tension between.

He follows Artemis to the sink. The blonde dumps the bowls in the sink and reaches for the tap. But she can hear her mother suddenly speaking to her in Vietnamese. "He's not like his father."

Artemis looks to her mother like a deer in headlights as Dick places the three sets of chopsticks into the sink. "Mum, please," she ushers quickly, almost forgetting that their guest can't understand their mother tongue.

"Let's set up your bed, Dick," Artemis suddenly looks at the young teen, before gesturing to her room. Dick gives her a suspicious look, but doesn't press her.

They cross the apartment to her room and the Blonde passes a furrowed squint at her mum - a clear signal to the older woman.

"He is already a much better man than his father," the older Vietnamese woman looks directly at him as she speaks, still in Vietnamese.

Dick looks to Artemis, completely confused. She's looking back at her mother, thoughtful. The words resonate with her and she responds to her mum, "I tell him that every day."

There's a small smile on Paula's lips as Artemis turns and heads for her room. Dick is hot on her tail, his eyes scanning her back, trying to comprehend what that conversation was about.

Artemis shuts her door, and instantly goes to her wardrobe. "What did she just say?"

Artemis swallows, and then opens the double doors to her closet. She's glad he can't see her face. "You don't want to know."

Dick's eyes narrow. "Does.. she know who I am?"

Artemis looks back at him and pauses. She knows her face is probably saying it all. Dick shifts uncomfortably. Finally, she nods. "Yeah."

She turns away from him, before she can see his expression change. She pulls a rolled up mattress from the floor of the closet. "Makes sense why she let you stay."

He smiles faintly, but it fades by the time she turns back around to face him.

Artemis briefly glances at him, catching sight of his emotionless face. A silence grows around them. She drops to her knees and lets the mattress unroll across the carpet next to her bed. She goes back to her closet to retrieve a set of sheets and she starts to feel uncomfortable. She can feel his eyes on her. She swallows. Turning quickly, she avoids his gaze, and begins to unfold the sheets on the mattress.

Her mind is screaming at her to say something as she tucks the sheet under a corner of the mattress. She shuffles on her knees to move to the next closest corner. Her line of sight stays low, intently focused on the sheet. However, her mind is swimming, the silence making her mind mull over all the possible things she could do to make the situation any different than it currently is. Time becomes excruciatingly slow, as her fingers begin to fumble tucking the sheet under the next corner. She has to say or do something, the silence is killing her. She knows she has to stand up and tell him how she feels. But the teens unpredictable and fragile state made her hesitant - and unusually flustered. Her fists clench together, the cotton sheet crumpling as she does so.

"Artemis?"

Her internal moment is instantly broken. She looks at him directly with impressive speed. "Yeah?"

He looks so torn. He sighs. He instantly drops to his knees, staying eye level with her. "I'm sorry," he closes his eyes as a hand goes to his forehead, "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

The torn expression stays as he looks down at his hands. She feels suddenly more at ease, well composed - almost. She takes a moment to take in his facial features; the expressions of guilt and sorrow briefly pass over his features, fading from one to another. She finally feels a little more understanding. "It's fine, Dick," he can hear the forgiveness in her voice.

He looks back up at her. "No," he replies bluntly, "it's not fine." He looks distressed as his eyes search her face. "I shouldn't have touched you like that."

Her understanding look doesn't change. "You were angry."

"That's not an excuse."

She lets an amused scoff escape her. "Stop being so hard on yourself," she says softly.

Now the teen looks confused. "Why aren't you angry at me?"

She pauses. Her eyes glaze over in thought for a moment. "Why should I be?"

His expression softens, and the question is genuine, "Why should I be?"

She doesn't even need to think about it, "because everyone else is." Something inside him flickers, and she can see it. The anger inside him boils as his eyebrows furrow and his jaw tightens. They both know she means Wally, and he can't express how furious it makes him. He was destroying her, and it was getting harder and harder to just sit on the sidelines and watch.

The tears are sliding down her cheeks now and he realises he needs to pull himself into line. His face softens as his anger fades. "You haven't done anything wrong, Artemis."

He looks at her intensely, the shame on his face so clear and so profound.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Dick."

The expression melts off his face when he hears those words. The corners of his mouth rise into a slight smile, remembering exactly what she was quoting, "baby Dick was full of wisdom, hey?"

She chuckles. "He sure was," she looks at him now, "he still is."

He rolls his eyes, and she notices the slight pink flush decorating his cheeks. "Please, stop," he sighs, dropping his eyeline to sheet on his mattress for the night. He grabs the edge of the sheet. "Can you just accept my apology and stop quoting pre-16 Dick."

She laughs harder this time. "Okay, okay," she stifles the last chuckle, "I've already forgiven you."

Together they tuck the remaining edges of the sheet around the corners of the spongy mattress. She gets back on her feet and goes back to the wardrobe for an extra duvet.

Before she can catch herself, it slips out. "What was it about it?"

Dick frowns. "The fight?" he questions, even though he already knows that's what she's talking about.

She nods, turning back to him with the duvet in hand. He's suddenly silent, unwilling to follow the path of the looming conversation.

She sighs heavily and drops to his level, the duvet still in her hands. "Don't you dare say it was about me and Wally."

He stays silent with his face stoic, completely unreadable. He pulls the doona from her hands and doesn't make eye contact, making his stance on the conversation extremely clear.

"Dick," she sighs.

He throws his hands up in a confused kind of questioning motioning, dropping the doona. His shoulders dramatically rise into an over animated shrug. "I don't know what you want me to say Artemis."

She presses her face into her hands, and they massage her face in an attempt to stifle her frustration. She sighs again.

"I'm not going to tell you," he's telling her straight, looking directly at her, "there's no point in asking me."

He pauses for a moment, clearly choosing his words wisely. "You just accepted my apology, and now you want to get into something else."

She gets to her feet and passes around the small mattress, clearly too small for his growing frame. She dumps herself on her bed and looks at him seriously. He was right. Why was she bringing this up now? As if nothing had happened she speaks, "Have you done your French homework?" She lets the foreign language flow freely from her.

"Of course not," he replies, rolling his eyes.

888

He clearly didn't want to rebel too hard, because they had been going to school together for the past two days. "Can I please stay at yours again tonight, Artemis?"

She sighs. "You really need to stop asking," she nudges him with her shoulder, before giving him a toothy grin, "you can stay as long as you like."

He bears his bright white teeth in a small smile. "Thanks Artemis, I really appreciate it."

She rolls her eyes. "Dick, stop," she says bluntly, "just be ready for Bún bò Nam Bộ tonight."

He nods, "oh, yes," he responds, playfully pretending like he knows what she's talking about, "whatever that is, I'm ready."

She laughs. "Meet back here."

She watches him merge with the drones of other teenagers in uniform heading for class. He melts into the crowd and she reaches for her phone in the pocket of her blazer.

She probably should have done this sooner, but it was too late to contemplate other possible outcomes. She already felt guilty enough. Her hands instantly glide over her phone screen. She presses the phone to her ear.

She feels something in her gut stir, and her face melts into remorse. As the ring tones vibrate into her ear she begins to lose her nerve.

She's about to hang up, but it's too late. "Artemis?"

She stays silent for a few moments. "I heard from Dick."

There's a sigh of relief, and the young teen feels somewhat relieved too. Maybe she was doing the right thing - just not by Dick. "Thank god," the older woman pauses, "where is he?"

Now the young blonde sighs. "You know I'm not going to tell you, Dinah."

The older blonde chuckles quietly for a moment. "I thought I could try."

Artemis smiles. "Tell Bats I'll try my hardest."

"Thanks Artemis."

She hangs up and the relief is short lived. The guilt instantly returns.

They wander down the street, their backpacks heavy with books. Her mind runs over the possible consequences of the conversation she's about to start. Dick's sudden flair for instant anger was a new outcome she had to account for now.

She thinks of her own mother. She knew the pain her mother went through with losing Jade. She feels those extra tight embraces from her mother when she gets home later than expected. She feels that anxiety from her mother constantly, knowing that all she wants to do is protect the only important thing she has left in her life. Artemis knew that despite being Batman, Bruce was just as human as her own mother. He cared and worried just as much as Paula - just as much as any other parent.

Artemis knew she just had to do it. Bluntness was her speciality, and she knew there was no way to dance around this topic. "I think it's time you go home, Dick."

He gives her an icy look, and she realises it's still very raw for him. "I think you've made your point," his response is sharp, bitey and sarcastic.

"Dick, he's given you space," she sighs, "he hasn't contacted you in four days."

He doesn't respond. He doesn't even look at her.

"And I'm the one updating him on you."

He looks at her, completely surprised. Quickly his face fades to unimpressed. "That's interesting," he begins, his tone still caked in sarcasm, "considering he has a vendetta against you."

Now she looks unimpressed. "Don't give me attitude, Dick," she frowns, her tone slightly annoyed, "I'm not against you."

They stand in silence for a moment. She leaves the ball in his court, allowing him to act however he feels. Despite the response she's attempting to prepare for, at least she knows she's told him how she feels, and more importantly, she's told him the truth.

She looks at him, surprised that the silence is lasting so long. Unexpectedly, his features aren't showing signs of anger. Instead, he just looks pensive.

"I'm not ready." The response is defiant.

She bites her lip for a moment, and realises she should maybe explain her train of thought. "I'm sorry, Dick," she begins, her eyes flickering to the pavement beneath. "I just keep thinking of my own mum."

She can feel a shift in the young teen. His eyes look at her with curiosity, so she continues. "I just.." she trails off for a moment, "I know how much my mum struggled letting go of Jade."

His eyes break contact with her and drop instantly. She can see his mind retreating, his inner monologue taking over.

"As much as I love you staying," she begins gently, trying to coach his attention back, "-and I'm pretty sure my mum thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

He chuckles and looks up at her. "Your mum is so sweet," he pauses as his face droops into a pensive frown, "but I understand I can't stay."

"Not that I don't want you to," she reiterates, but fumbling to try and find the right words. "I just can't keep lying to bats about where you-" she stops herself. "I just can't help thinking about.. how my mum would feel."

"I understand," the reply is calm, but solemn.

He steps away from her instantly, his mind clearly already removed from the moment. Her eyebrows rise instantly and she leans into a step, reaching to grab his hand. She hadn't expected him to go straight away. Their hands lock together.

He looks back at her, their hands still locked. "Where are you going?"

He gives her a faint smile. "Don't worry, Artemis," he reassures her softly, "I'll be fine."

Her head cocks to one side as a puzzled expression crossed her face. "At least come home with me and I can give you a lift," her eyes desperately scan his, "or you can at least come back and take your car."

He pulls her hand and she fumbles, tripping over her own feet into his chest. He wraps his arms around her, steadying her and pulling her tightly. Her face stays confused, as her hands instinctively wrap around him too. She can feel his chest expand and sink rhythmically. They stay like this for a moment. "I said I'll be fine Artemis," he reiterates again, almost whispering it this time, "thank you for the past few days."

Their embrace breaks and he gives her another small smile. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

She nods, somewhat comforted by the confirmation of his attendance tomorrow. He turns, but not before giving her a quick wave.

She watches as he strides away from the bus stop. Her mind struggled to comprehend what just happened. As his figure slowly fades, she's unsure if she made the right decision.

888

She hears her phone vibrate from the table. It's Wally. She swipes a lazy finger across the screen and a message instantly pops up.

Sorry for the late reply babe. I just dropped Dick home.

Her eyes widen. She sits up, both hands gripping her phone. Her digits quickly type a response.

Thank god he went to you. You convinced him?

She lays back down and rolls over in bed. Her eyes stayed glued on her phone waiting for his reply.

Only just. He was pretty quiet and spacey.

She pulls the blanket up tighter around her. Her fingers quickly tap across the screen again. She feels her heart sink a little in her chest.

Did you see Bats?

She couldn't imagine the reception the young teen would receive when he finally returned to wayne manor. She could only assume he would be lectured to no end and be off missions for at least a month.

Nah, told me to just drop him off out the front. Tomorrow night will be interesting.

She let a slow breath escape her. It sure would be interesting. The rest of the team had been kept in the dark about Dick's hiatus. Wally and Artemis had been unsure if the others had been in contact with Dick, nothing was ever spoken out loud.

Mm. Be ready for a lecture from Bats.

Batman had been more up and down than usual, which was to be expected under the circumstances. However, the team had been suffering terribly because of it. No one could do anything right, not even aqualad.

Maybe I'll ask Barry if he needs a sidekick for the night ;).

A little smile graces her lips. If only she could ask Green Arrow to sub out for the night, but he wasn't the type to stray from Batman's orders. Plus, there was no doubt that Canary had made him aware of the whole situation, including how she was involved in Dick's sudden rebellious tendency.

Her mind quickly shifts back to Dick. She quickly responds to Wally, probably her last for the night.

I hope Dick's okay.

She brings the duvet closer around her face. The guilt returns, in the form of a slight sick feeling at the pit of her stomach. She wishes this whole situation had gone differently. But, she couldn't change any of it now.

Me too, Babe.

888

"Nightwing won't be joining the team on missions for the next few weeks," the classic Batman monotonous tone is back, "so the team will continue without him," but he slips for a moment, and you can hear the slight anger in his voice.

Confused faces look around the room. Artemis looks down. She knows this is partly because of her. She looks to Wally who looks equally guilty too. They both know the punishment will be enforced on them too.

"Aqualad, Miss Martian and Kid Flash," Batman begins, "Prepare the bioship."

"Superboy, Artemis and Zatanna," He looks to Artemis, "Prepare the cycle.

"Aqualad has been given instructions that will be delivered on arrival."

The unanimous wave of nods among the team indicate the instructions have been received. The team begins to move and Artemis, for a split second, believes she's off the hook.

"Artemis, I need to speak with you,"

She feels a shiver run down her entire spine. She wasn't ready for this. She sucks in a breath. "Sure."

She looks to her teammates for a moment, each giving her a comforting look as they disperse.

She stays still, her eyes cautiously searching for Batman's gaze. He double checks that it's just to the two of them in the immediate vicinity, before locking eyes with the blonde. He takes a few steps toward her and her body tenses up.

"Artemis," he begins, sternly, "Thank you."

She looks completely bewildered. The tension melts away from her body. "For what?"

The tip of his mouth rises into a small smirk and it suddenly clicks. She's glad she can't see the look on his face right now. Luckily he couldn't see the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

"Uh, you're welcome," she finally replies, tentatively.

"Can you thank your mother for me too?"

She looks surprised for a moment. It was moments like these that really made her appreciate her mother more than ever. She swallows and then a small smile grows on her lips. "I will," her response is more confident this time.

The tall dark figure turns and heads for the tubes. Something inside her lifted, and the world seemed a little bit brighter.

It was a small step in the right direction.