Chapter 6-

Rome, Italy
7:31 CET December 16

Wally woke up, which was a surprise because his alarm clock hadn't rang.

He was about to get up when he felt something on his chest. He looked down and was surprised to see Artemis's head. Her long blonde hair pooled on the ground and she looked so peaceful. Wally would never admit it in a million years, but he thought she looked cute too.

He hated to wake her up, but they had a job to do. Plus, he was starving.

"Artemis," he whispered into her ear, gently shaking her. "Wake up."

Artemis groaned and rolled over. Wally caught her head before she hit it on the concrete. She stood up stretched. Wally was racing in circles at super speed.

"What in the (yawn) heck are you doing?" she asked.

"I gotta stretch." he said. 

"You are so lame." she said.

Wally opened his mouth to protest that she had used him as a pillow all night, but he quickly shut it.

"Let's just go change and eat." he said.

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Two hours later, Wally, Artemis, Connor, and Megan were all sitting at a table in a restaurant sipping hot chocolate, courtesy of Wally, and comparing notes about the Shadows.

Artemis's communicator, which was conveniently disguised as a cellphone dinged. 

"Moment," she said, excusing herself from the table.

"Yes?" she asked as soon as she was outside.

"Your mother is fine." Batman said.

Artemis breathed out relief. "Thanks." she said. "You don't suppose you could, you know?"

"No, I don't know." Batman replied.

'Thickhead.' Artemis thought. "Could you, keep an eye on her until I get back please?" Artemis asked.

Batman hesitated, but at that moment, her favorite fake uncle chirped in.

"Sure, kiddo. We will." Green Arrow said.

"We?" Batman said.

"Oh come on, Bats, you know it can't hurt." GA replied.

Artemis cringed.

"Excuse me?"

"Um, thanks guys, gotta go." Artemis said, and hung up.

She went back inside and sat back down at the table and picked up her hot chocolate. 

"So what did we find out?" she asked.

"Other than what you two have been through, nothing." Megan said.

"And that arrow." Artemis said.

"Arrow?" Megan asked.

"A red arrow. I think it's Red Arrow's arrow."

"What?" Connor asked, getting confused by all the arrows.

"Green Arrow's former sidekick, Speedy now goes by Red Arrow. Artemis thinks that the arrow she saw yesterday belongs to Green Arrow's partner, Red Arrow and that it is his arrow."

Connor scrunched his face trying to comprehend what Megan had just said.

"Megan," Artemis said, putting her hand on the Martian's. "I think you're confusing him."

"Let's just call him Speedy." Connor said.

"He's not going to like that." Wally said.

"Oh, it's not like he's in the booth next to us." Artemis said.

Wally looked around to be sure.

"Anyway," Connor said. "What's he doing here?"

"Probably chasing down Cheshire." Wally replied.

"What?" the three other members of the Team at the table asked.

"He had a nasty encounter with Cheshire and now he's hunting her down." Wally explained.

"Ah," Artemis said.

"So besides Red Arrow and Sportsmaster being in town, we've discovered nothing." Megan summed up.

"Yep, about right." Wally said.

"Let's get back to business." Artemis said, standing up. Wally didn't know what her hurry was for, but he headed back out into the chilly street.

As he and Artemis walked back to their end of town, it started to rain. Wally and Artemis ducked inside a building to keep from getting wet. 

"I wish I had brought my umbrella from the hotel." Artemis said.

"Let me guess," Wally said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You wish you'd brought the motorbike from the hotel." 

Artemis glared daggers at him. "Very funny Kid Idiot."

"Hey!" Wally whispered. "No superhero names in public!"

"Like these Italians can understand English." Artemis said.

"Shadows do." Wally pointed out. Artemis hated to admit it, but he was right.

"True." she said.

"How about this, I go buy us an umbrella." Wally said.

"Us?" Artemis asked.

"Uh, yeah." Wally said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I don't wanna get wet."

"Whatever." Artemis said, waving him off. Wally did the right thing and left.

Artemis's mind was whirling. Her sister was being hunted by a member of the Justice League that hated her, who just happened to be in town, her mother may be in danger and her father was definitely behind something the Mafia was doing.

Oh, and the worst part? She had to find out what he was doing with Wally of all people.

Wally returned and handed her the umbrella. They walked out into the rain.

"Gloomy, huh?" Wally asked.

"Yeah," Artemis said, referring more to her situation than the weather.

"You okay?" Wally asked.

"I'm fine." Artemis said.

Wally rolled his eyes.

"It's nothing, just being stuck with you on the other side of the world with my mother in possible danger is sort of upsetting." 

"Aw come on, I'm not that bad." Wally said.

Artemis gave him the look she'd been working on. He shut up immediately.

After a few more blocks, a nasty idea came into Artemis's mind. Knowing he couldn't use his super speed in public, she moved the umbrella out from over him. Wally glared at her and ran to get it. Artemis moved it again.

"Hey!" Wally protested, dashing for the cover of the umbrella again. Artemis kept moving it back and forth a few more times. Wally was wet and frustrated. The look on his face was priceless. Artemis couldn't help but laugh.

Wally's brain froze. He continued to chase the umbrella, but his mind was contemplating that sound. Artemis's laughter. That was something he had never nor expected to hear.

Wally made a grab for the umbrella and slipped, tackling Artemis into an alley. They continued to wrestle for the umbrella.

Artemis kicked Wally off of her and jumped onto the fire escape. She climbed up. Wally was unable to gain enough speed to go up the wall, and pursued the old fashioned way. A way that he wasn't very good at.

Artemis was standing on the roof of the building with the umbrella over her. At the site of Wally, she ran away and began climbing down the fire escape on the other side of the building.

Wally pursued and found her waiting for him in the street with a smile plastered on her face.

"For the fastest boy alive, you sure are slow!" she taunted. "Want the umbrella?"

"No I don't want the umbrella, because I couldn't possibly get any wetter!" Wally exclaimed.

At that moment, a car drove by splattering water all over him. Artemis laughed and ran down the street leaving Wally in the rain.

Wally climbed back up the buildings and backed up. He took off at top speed. He leaped the gap between buildings and arrived at the hotel. He ran upstairs, dried off, and changed. Wally was comfortably into Level Three of King Kong on the game station when Artemis arrived.

"Fastest boy alive." he said.

Artemis glared at him and went into the bathroom to dry off and change.