There hadn't been a mission assignment in about a week. They had been told that Batman was away taking care of some business and would not be gone much longer, but that meant he was not able to assign them to anything for the time being. There was no suspicious activity that the League needed them to investigate either.

Artemis was not one to complain when there was no mission to be deployed on. Of course she would rather there be one than not, but she could wait. Eventually one would come. And besides, complaining wouldn't magically make a mission available. It was best to wait it out.

Training with Black Canary had not ceased. The sessions had even been made slightly longer since the team could afford the time. Still, they could only take up so much time.

Though Artemis would not complain, she couldn't help the bit of restlessness that she felt. She wanted to be out solving something, helping someone. It was a part of her. She almost felt a little useless, though logically aware that was not true, if she wasn't doing something, even if that something was small.

And that is what found her out patrolling the streets of Gotham. After finishing her homework and studying for the night, Artemis hadn't been able to get to sleep. She wasn't tired and knew even if she had continued to lay there, she wouldn't have fallen asleep anytime soon.

The cool night air was just the thing needed to clear her mind and put her more at ease. As Artemis crossed building tops and wound throughout the streets and allies, sticking to the shadows as much as possible, she felt built up tension leaving her muscles. She had yet to come upon any crime in progress, but that didn't bother her. That meant that the people in this area were relatively safe.

The young archer had been patrolling for nearly an hour when she caught sight of something in her peripheral vision. Instinctively, she pressed herself into the air conditioning unit of the building she was currently atop, taking advantage of the darkness it offered. She reached back to her quiver and quietly slid out an arrow. She readied it in her bow and prepared to approach the building's edge. Whatever she had seen had disappeared into the alleyway below.

Artemis threw several cautious glances around her as she headed towards the edge, always wary of her surroundings. The building she was on wasn't too high, about three stories. She would be able to peer over and see down without having to strain.

As Artemis approached, she crouched down and then turned into a sitting position, placing her back against the wall of the edge. She glanced around herself a few more times and then pushed the back of her head against the edge as well. For a moment, Artemis listened. Listened for any movement, breath, or sound that would indicate someone below. Upon hearing nothing, she deemed it safe to look. She turned over to rest her weight on her knees, still not exposing herself over the edge. Her bow and arrow were at the ready, should she need them. Carefully, she raised the top of her head up and leaned over the edge until she was satisfied with the view she had.

At first, Artemis saw nothing but the shadows below. She scanned the area and still saw no movement. Artemis was beginning to wonder whether or not her peripheral vision was playing tricks on her earlier. Her eyes scanned the area one last time, yet again finding nothing out of place. The blond decided this place had taken up enough of her time and turned to leave.

A noise reached her ears.

In an instant, Artemis was crouched back down, her eyes locked on the shadowed corner where she was certain the sound had come from. She wasn't positive what it was she had heard, but it had seemed like…a muffled cough? Artemis couldn't be sure, but at least she now knew she wasn't crazy. Someone, or something, was concealing itself down there.

The young archer contemplated going down to investigate. If it had wanted to attack her, it could have already. It had had a good opportunity when she turned her back slightly and her full attention had no longer been on the alleyway for those few seconds.

'Or it might want me to come down and I'll be walking right into its trap,' Artemis thought to herself. If there was a trap, though, and she just left it, someone else could be hurt and she wouldn't be there to stop it. That realization made Artemis's decision for her.

Without taking her eyes away from the corner, Artemis placed the arrow she had taken out earlier back into her quiver and retrieved a grappling one.

She knew this needed to be done swiftly. The quicker she got down there, the quicker she could be prepared to face whatever it was that awaited her. With this in mind, Artemis stood abruptly, arrow already locked and aimed in her bow, and shot for the bottom of a window frame farther down. The tip of the grappling arrow made contact and locked firmly. Artemis gave a quick tug to be sure and swung down.

She made certain to land just in front of the shadowed corner. As soon as her feet planted on the ground, Artemis had an arrow pulled out, locked in her bow, and aimed into the shadows.

"Show yourself," she stated in a calm but firm tone. She kept her voice relatively low so that it would only be heard in the immediate area. There was no need to alert anyone else to her presence.

No response was received, but a second later, Artemis heard another muffled cough, much quieter this time, to her right.

Immediately the blond archer spun in the direction. Her face was scrunched in annoyance and she drew her arrow back a little further. She was getting sick of being toyed with tonight.

"Come out. Now," Artemis commanded in a threatening tone. She was half tempted to simply fire her arrow and force whatever this thing was out into the open. That wouldn't end well though, and she knew better than to be that rash. She settled for glaring harshly and taking a step forward, still ready to release her arrow if need be.

Soft chuckling was the last thing the blond anticipated hearing. Her glare slowly melted to a look of mild shock and surprise as she heard the familiar voice accompanying it.

"I must be a little off tonight if I couldn't get past you," the voice said lightly as a figure finally emerged from the shadows.

Artemis's eyes widened a fraction and she subconsciously lowered her bow. "…Robin?" the archer all but whispered. He was right; there had to be something off if he wanted to sneak away from her and couldn't. Granted, the cough was the only thing that had given him away and she hadn't heard him at all when he moved to her right until he'd coughed again, but normally he disappeared so fast without even being noticed.

There was more light chuckling as Robin stepped more into the light, allowing Artemis a better view of him. "Yeah, it's me," he confirmed, smirking at her still slightly shocked expression.

"Is Batman back?" she asked without really thinking, still keeping her voice quiet. Batman and Robin usually always patrolled Gotham together. Her mind had concluded that if Robin was here, Batman shouldn't be too far away.

Robin shook his head, letting the smirk fade. "Nah, just me for tonight."

Artemis nodded mutely, still taking in her teammate's appearance. It was barely noticeable, but his skin was a little paler and she could see small beads of sweat on his face and forehead. His posture was slightly slumped as well. "It was you I heard coughing then."

Robin visibly tensed at her statement. He couldn't very well deny it. His coughing was what had alerted Artemis to him.

Since she wasn't getting an answer form the Boy Wonder, Artemis closed more of the distance between them. "You're sick," she said bluntly.

Robin averted his gaze so that her eyes weren't boring directly into his own. "It's nothing, really. I'm fine," he told her, offering what he hoped would be a reassuring smile. He didn't want Artemis prying any further. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

The blond archer gave him a disbelieving expression, one that clearly showed she wasn't about to buy what he'd just said. "Robin-"

She stopped her sentence short and she and Robin both tensed as they heard heavy footsteps approaching. Robin took hold of Artemis's wrist and pulled them both back into the cover of the shadows. They pressed themselves against the wall and stayed silent.

The footsteps grew louder with each passing second. When they sounded like they were right near the entrance of the alley, the footsteps merely stopped, causing the acrobat and archer to tense completely.

They listened intently, scarcely daring to breathe. After around thirty seconds of an uneasy silence, the footsteps came to life again, this time going back in the direction they had though.

Artemis and Robin waited until no more sound could be heard before they allowed their bodies to relax in even the smallest amount. Artemis waited for some sort of signal form Robin. He knew the streets of Gotham and what to expect better than she did. Not that she couldn't handle herself if a situation arose, she just trusted Robin.

After several more moments of quiet, Robin relaxed his body more, Artemis following suit. "I think we're safe," he said so only she could hear. He released a low breath as he wiped his right wrist across his brow.

Artemis was about to ask the Boy Wonder if he was alright, as she had tried to do earlier, but she didn't get the chance. Said Boy Wonder suddenly launched into a coughing fit, his left hand covering his mouth, attempting to muffle the coughs as much as possible.

The young archer was promptly by his side, helping to steady him as the coughs racked his frame. Artemis stayed unspeaking. It would be pointless to ask him anything since he could probably barely breathe much less talk to her at the moment. For now, she tightened her grip a little as his coughs became harsher.

It was at least a full minute before Robin was able to get the fit under control. His body still shook slightly as he panted softly to regain his breath. Artemis loosened her grip but didn't let go.

"Sorry…about that," he whispered, his breathing still somewhat labored. He stood up straighter and Artemis released her hold on him. "We need to move from here. Someone may have heard," Robin informed her, some strength returning to his voice. He took a step forward, but his teammate intercepted him.

"I agree that we shouldn't stay here. But Robin…you should head home, or even to Mount Justice so you can rest. That cough sounded bad," she whispered to him, hoping that not too much seeped into her voice. She'd never seen Robin ill before, though. She rarely even saw him injured. It had unnerved her that she had been able to find him in the first place without him wanting her to. It unnerved her even more to see him in this state. Artemis knew it wasn't her place to try to get him to stop patrol, especially since he'd been doing it for years and could easily handle himself. But she also couldn't help how worried seeing him like this made her feel.

Robin smiled and shook his head at her. "Nothing to worry about," he answered simply.

Artemis was going to attempt to convince him again when she abruptly felt something slice her right cheek and Robin roughly pull her towards him in the same instant. As she came to a stop, Robin let her arm go and stood rigidly in front of her. Her mind was barely starting to catch up with what was happening when she felt liquid trickling down the side of her face. She figured it was blood, but she touched her cheek and brought her fingers into her line of sight nonetheless. As she expected, the crimson substance coated her fingertips.

An eerie cackle echoed through the alley, effectively snapping Artemis back to the present. She hastily nocked an arrow, stepped a little to the side of Robin, though still staying slightly behind him, and aimed out in front of her.

"Artemis, you need to get out of here. Take the roof behind you and go. I'll cover you," Robin spoke hurriedly. He already had a birdarang out and ready. Artemis hadn't even seen him reach into his utility belt.

"You're crazy if you think I'll leave you," Artemis retorted, a glare returning to her features as she came to stand more beside Robin.

"Artemis, I'm serious! You don't understand-"

The returning cackling, now louder, cut Robin off. "Now, now Bird Boy let your little friend stay. I promise she won't spoil our fun," a voice taunted.

"Joker," Robin all but growled out. Artemis immediately tensed at his words. She knew who the Joker was. This was not good. Not good at all. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Robin wasn't up to taking on the Joker right now and she doubted she would fare very well without his help.

"Go while you still can!" he whispered harshly to her, narrowing his eyes at the psycho ahead of them.

He wanted to protect her. Wanted her to get away so she'd be safe even if that meant he wouldn't. He knew what the Joker was capable of and didn't want to risk her involvement. Artemis realized all of this. And that was why there was no way she could leave Robin alone.

Dark smoke started to seep into the alleyway from the Joker's figure. Robin could tell from the look of it that it was from a regular smoke bomb and, thankfully, not Joker Gas, but that didn't make him any less uneasy.

It took only a few seconds for everything around them to be consumed in the smoke, blocking their view of the Joker. If she hadn't been standing so close to him, Artemis doubted she would have been able to see Robin either. As it was, she couldn't make him out fully.

Joker's cackled echoed again. "Ready kiddies?" Artemis realized half a second too late that the voice was closest to her. Metal slammed into her left side, just above her hip, and sent her into the wall, the right side of her body painfully absorbing the impact.

She forced herself back to her feet as quickly as she could, collapsing her bow and hooking it behind her. It wouldn't do any good to fire blindly and risk hitting Robin or not hit anything at all and waste her arrows.

"What's the matter Boy Blunder? You can do better than this!" Ignoring the twinges of pain still coursing through her, Artemis started in the direction from which she heard Robin engaging the Joker. The smoke had begun to dissipate and she could just make out their forms.

A startled scream escaped her lips as large arms enveloped her from behind. "Sorry girlie, the boss doesn't like to be interrupted," a rough voice told her. 'Great,' she thought. Of course that maniac wouldn't show up alone.

"Artemis!" she heard Robin call out to her. The split second he'd spared to her was all the opening Joker required. He thrust his crowbar bard into the acrobat's stomach, sending him flying into the back wall. With the smoke mostly cleared and everything just a little hazy now, Artemis saw and heard Robin's head and back smack into the wall. He landed shakily on his feet, leaning against the wall for support. He was attempting to stand up more when another coughing fit struck him.

Artemis couldn't tell if she was more angry or worried at that moment. She had to get to Robin before Joker did. She tensed her right leg and hurled her ankle as fiercely as she could manage into the brute's kneecap. He howled in pain and loosened his grip immensely. Before he could recover, the archer slammed the back of her head into his nose for good measure. That instantly liberated her from the man's hold.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Artemis was running with all her might. She was bent on getting to Robin before Joker could.

To her shock, Joker made no attempt to halt her as she passed. He merely watched her go, his lips twisted in a sick grin. This should have been a major warning sign, but the blonde's mind was too focused on reaching Robin to really register the fact.

Robin was breathing heavily, his left hand holding his stomach where he'd been struck while his right shoulder leaned against the wall, when Artemis reached him. She allowed herself a quick moment to look him over, assuring that he was relatively alright, before she retrieved her bow, nocked an arrow, and took a protective stance in front of Robin.

The creep that had attempted to restrain her was crumpled on the floor, one hand on his knee and the other on his more than likely broken nose, screaming obscenities. At least he wouldn't be a problem for a while. She turned her attention back to the Joker, glowering hatefully. "You won't touch him again!" she seethed. Artemis could feel more blood ooze from the slice in her cheek, probably due to the adrenaline rush, but she ignored it. It could be tended to later.

The Joker's grin became even more sickening. "I'm far from done here little girl," he said, his tone becoming eerily serious.

The next thing Artemis knew, Robin had swiftly tackled her to the ground from behind. She lost the grip on her arrow and it shot off somewhere to her left as she landed on top of her bow. The archer heard something hit the wall behind them at the same time she saw the crazed clown's feet running towards them. Artemis and Robin rolled apart just as the Joker brought his crowbar crashing down between them.

Artemis tumbled to a crouch to see…confetti floating about her? She looked up to see several of what could only be Joker's henchmen, considering they were wearing clown masks, on the rooftops above. This night just kept getting better and better.

"You're disappointing me tonight Boy Blunder!" Joker's voice tore her gaze away from the henchmen. Robin was managing to dodge the wild swings of the crowbar, but just barely, and he would be backed against the wall soon.

The blond archer stood and sprinted forward. She couldn't let Robin get hit again.

Joker was ready for her. As soon as she was close enough, he ceased aiming for the Boy Wonder, spun around, and rammed the end of the crowbar into her torso, right above her belly button. He then used the momentum of the force, keeping the crowbar lodged in her stomach, to crash her body to the ground.

A strangled gasp came from Artemis's throat as she hit the alley floor. The wind was completely knocked out of her. She struggled to breathe again, but the psychopathic clown simply pushed down harder.

"Stop!" she dimly heard Robin yell. She was becoming really disoriented with the lack of oxygen and Joker seemingly trying to get her stomach to collapse in.

Robin lunged for them, and Joker had apparently been hoping for this, if his twisted smile was any indication. In a haste motion, he yanked the crowbar off of Artemis.

And used it to bash Robin in the side of the head. He rolled a few times upon hitting the ground, stopping a couple of feet from Artemis on his side, his back to her, and lay there, unmoving.

With the pressure relieved, Artemis was coughing and gagging for breath, but her eyes were glued to the still form of her teammate. She made herself to roll to her knees, though she couldn't yet breathe properly. Artemis knew she couldn't stand, so, as much as she hated it, she crawled her way to Robin. Fortunately, he wasn't too far, and although it felt agonizingly long, it was no more than twenty seconds before she made it to his side.

Gently, Artemis placed her hand on his left arm. "Robin," she choked out quietly. No response. She felt herself begin to panic, but it was alleviated slightly when she heard him breathing. New worry surged in her as she realized how congested it was however.

"Looks like I got to touch him again after all," Joker mocked, his laughs erupting once more.

Artemis turned around, still on her knees, and spread her arms out in front of Robin in a protective manner. "You're sick!" she spat, disappointed that her voice came out weak and dry and couldn't convey the absolute hate she was feeling.

"Why thank you," he answered merrily. Artemis glared as harshly as she could. "Such an attitude. Take a nap with the Bird Boy there," he stated, snapping his fingers.

White smoke began to emit from the squares of confetti scattered about. Artemis immediately felt her vision blur. 'Knock out gas,' her mind vaguely registered. She tried to fight it, willed her body to stay awake, but to no avail. Her body slumped against Robin's and her eyes closed heavily.

Joker's hysteric laughing was the last thing she consciously heard.

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