For The Love of Robin

Artemis Crock

      July 12th, 6:54a.m.

       I awoke to the smell of frying bacon and scrambled eggs. It took me awhile to remember where I was but I remembered upon looking around the room. I removed my blankets and ran to the kitchen.

        "Good morning." I said happily as I stole a piece of bacon from the pan. She laughed while smacking my hand with the metal spatula.
"I was going to wake you up," she checked her watch, "in six minutes. You sure do wake up early for not having an alarm." I shrugged my shoulders as I put some scrambled eggs on my plate.

       "So... Are you gonna tell me about what Oliver is doing with someone who isn't Speedy?" I asked as if it were more of an affair than a replacement. She gave me a few pieces of bacon then sighed.
"Her name is Artemis. Arrow's training her. She's really good. We're hoping to have her join the Young Justice League soon, but we can't be too sure. I'll let Oliver explain the rest to you."

     July 12th, 7:30a.m.

       I sat on a black leather couch next to a blonde girl which they called Artemis. I felt close to her. Laurel and Oliver sat across from us on the other side of the coffee table.
"I know this will be a shock for the both of you." Laurel began, "So before I tell you we want you both to know that for the next week instead of us you'll be training with one another."

      Artemis and I looked at each other, then back at the adults and nodded. Artemis seemed kind of stand-offish when I first saw her- like some people say I am when the first meet me. She wore a brown tank top with jean shorts, had a feminine and muscular build- like me. She had my same blonde hair only straight and much longer. We had the same nose and eye shape but hers were brown. She was also a little tanner than my peaches-and-cream skin.

      Oliver ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply.
"Well?" I asked impatiently.
"What is it?" Artemis demanded. An uncomfortable silence filled the room until Laurel spoke once again.
"Do you know every last name you've had?" I shifted uncomfortably at the question directed at me.
"W-well, most recently Wayne. Before that was," I released a shaky breath, "Avery, before that Johnson. Bruce told me that my birth parents last name was... Crock." Artemis' eyes grew to the size of saucers. She shot up off the couch.
"D-dolly? As in short f-for Dolores?" She asked with doubt. I looked at her with a confused look prior to nodding very slowly.

       She gave me a tight hug around my shoulders which rendered me breathless until she let go.
"I haven't seen you since you were a baby." A tear slipped down her cheek. I gained a confused expression, raising my left eyebrow. I looked at the two adults.
"Are you saying...?" I pointed towards Artemis.
"We aren't. She is." Oliver answered. I stood up and looked at Artemis.
"Are you- are you the daughter of Sportsmaster?" I whispered his name, looking deep into her brown eyes.
"Y-yes." I wrapped my arms around her her waist, since I was shorter hers went around my neck, and I sobbed on her shoulder.
"We're sisters." She cried.
"I have blood family." She hugged me tighter, resting her chin on top of my head.

      "We have another sister." She told me about an hour later when we were sitting outside on a porch swing out in a grass field not too far from the mansion.
"Really?"
"Yeah. But she's dangerous. Still with dad." I nodded, then asked about our mom. She looked down at her lap, another tear slipping down her cheek.
"In a wheelchair. Very sick. Is it true? What they said when they took you away?"
"What did they say?"
"That dad was experimenting on you. Gave you powers and that's why they took you away." I confirmed with a whisper. She wrapped her arm around me.
"Let's get to training." I said glumly for I was trying to move on. We stood up and went back to the mansion after our heart to heart.

       "You girls ready?" Oliver asked softly.
"Yeah."
"Of course." Our voices crossed over each others, if she were Robin we would have said the same thing at the same time- perfect sync. I guess he and I had a connection I didn't seem to have even with my sister. I looked at my lock screen; it was a picture of Dick and I making fish lips at the camera.
"He's cute." Artemis said looking over my shoulder, "Boyfriend?"
"Best friend." I corrected quickly. She laughed and we drove to Arrow's training facility after I had changed into my Blue Jay unform and Artemis into a green suit, full body suit (it didn't show her stomach yet).

       She put her mask on the fixed her ponytail.
"You need to touch up the blue streak in your hair." Artemis stated while picking up the inch wide strand.
"I'll do that later tonight." I responded while patting my hair down.
"Sorry. I've just never been the older sister." She apologized, I punched her shoulder lightly.

       "Let's go." Oliver demanded as we covertly made our way out of the house and onto the street. It was fairly busy so I wasted no time before grappling to the roof top, before anyone noticed.

        Over the next week Artemis and I bonded as much as we could over the five day stay. We trained, talked, patrolled and tried our best to do sisterly things but it was new to us. We had to keep her a secret from Roy. I did see him once throughout my stay, he seemed slightly content to see me, we were friends after all but he was just a bit upset still, until I tried to convince him to join the YJL, then he was very upset.