75AN: Okay, so I got a surprise day off, meaning that I finally, finally get to update this story. I haven't forgotten about it, by any means (I've still got tons of plans left for this fic) but updates are going to be quite sporadic due to life getting in the way. Also, this chapter will be centered on the fallout from last chapter's vote, so enjoy the drama of democracy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the grades I'm going to get for midterms.
Previously:
"Since Artemis, Raven, Zatanna, Rocket, and Superboy all voted against Tara, this matter will be announced to and decided by the Justice League. Your votes will also be taken into account when we make your final decision, which a League member will inform you of."
Aqualad, ever the collected one, recovered from the shock first, and rose to properly address the Dark Knight. "Understood. Is there anything else?"
"Not unless the people who objected want to tell me why they were against this."
Rocket and Zatanna looked towards the archer, curiosity in their eyes. She rose shakily, meeting the whites of Batman's cowl and taking a shallow breath.
"Maybe one day." Artemis said, her words quiet but resolute.
Maybe Artemis was still too euphoric to think straight, or maybe she was just tired, but she could have sworn she saw the Gothamite's lips twitch to form a smile even fainter than Raven's as she held her ground.
She pondered her sudden loss of sanity as the Dark Knight left for the Watchtower, leaving her to deal with the consequences of her vote and the confused and angry teammates it left behind.
'Stupid democracy.' She griped internally, feeling the weight of multiple glares on the back of her head.
Chapter 23: Old Wounds and Trust
"You should get out too, you know. You're better than this." Those eyes had one emotion-sorrow.
"I'm staying, and you should too. You keep telling me that I'm better than this, but what could be better than what we have right now?" They widened now, and were met with a small, smug smile. Any break in the pitiful expression was preferable, even if it was just shock.
"What are you-"
"I like this life. I like the feeling I get from it, and that I affect people's lives. I like making an impact-being something. I like that I'm not just some bystander-some puppet that's affected by a fight they can't participate in. I can control something, and I like that."
"You're being an idiot."
"You would think that. Well, I've got news for you, Deathwish, you might think I'm an idiot, but to everyone else here, I'm the best. Or, at least, I will be when you leave."
Flashes of the life they'd led consumed them both, and they wondered when things went so, so wrong.
The snow fell, shielding their conversation from prying ears.
"What the hell, Artemis?"
Wally's voice shocked her out of her stupor, making her wince. She had known that Wally would be upset, and she'd been prepared for it, but she hadn't expected him to be so aggressive so quickly.
Oh well. If she could stand up to Batman, she could stand up to Wally. Especially on this.
"What?" she bit back, icily, idly noticing how curt and defensive she'd become. "He asked whether or not we wanted this girl on The Team, and I said no. Am I not allowed to have an opinion?"
"You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion, Artemis. I believe what Wally is…upset…about is that you did not voice any concerns you may have had with the Team first. If you had come to us with any concerns beforehand, we would, of course, have listened." Kaldur interjected, being as careful as possible with his choice of words.
"Yeah, instead you made it so that what was supposed to be our decision is going to be decided by the League!" Robin cried.
"I'm sorry, alright? I just…have a bad feeling about her."
"So, as per usual, this is because you don't trust anyone." Wally snarled, causing Raven to shoot him a glare that rivaled Batman's.
"Watch it, Wally." The empath growled. "Artemis made a decision based on her intuition and she had every right to do so. If she doesn't trust Tara, she doesn't trust Tara."
"And we don't trust her either." Zatanna stated softly, causing Raquel to nod in approval.
"But why?" Gar asked, frustrated. "She might have been really cool! You judged her without even knowing her!"
"So, did all of you. It's just that you decided she's a good person 'without knowing her', so somehow your judgement is justified." Raven replied. "Sounds to me like the pot calling the kettle black." Noticing the changeling's befuddlement, she added "Look it up."
"But that's different!" M'gann exclaimed, speaking for the first time since Batman left.
"It's not, though. That's what I'm trying to tell you."
"Giving someone the benefit of the doubt gives them the chance to prove themselves. If we did not do it, none of you would be here." Kaldur pointed out.
"We're here because you trusted your instincts and let us on, not because you gave us chances we didn't earn. We trusted our instincts and voted against her. There's nothing wrong with that."
"But why? Why do you think she's bad?"
There was a pause then, before Raven spoke up, the steely resolve in her voice replaced by a quiet contemplation. "When we were in her home, I sensed a lingering negative energy. A darkness. I don't know what it means, but I didn't like it. It was…unsettling.
"I felt it too." Zatanna said gently, causing Raven's expressionless face to morph into one of shock, if only for a second.
"If you were both so unnerved, why did you neglect to mention it to us?" Kaldur inquired, causing Zatanna to laugh nervously.
"I thought I was going crazy! It's not every day you're overcome by a mysterious dark presence, you know!"
"I didn't think you'd believe me. As Zatanna said, it's a bit strange." Raven piped up.
"I…suppose that seems reasonable. But it does not explain why the rest of you voted in such a manner."
"Raven told me." Artemis replied, uttering the words a little quicker than she'd intended.
"And Zatanna told ME." Raquel interjected, causing the Team to focus their attention on the remaining voter.
Upon noticing the eighteen pairs of eyes on him, Conner shrugged. "I just figured there was no way four people objected to a new teammate without a damn good reason for it.
"What does 'damn' mean?" M'gann asked. "I've never heard it before." Despite understanding the severity of the conversation, she couldn't resist the chance to expand her vocabulary.
"Don't know. I just heard Mal use it the other day." The Kryptonian replied, much to the eager Martian's dismay.
"Can we get back to talking about the vote, please?" Wally interrupted, now agitated with both the vote's outcome AND the change in conversation. "Conner just blindly put his faith in the opposition without knowing WHY they were opposing!"
"And YOU put your faith in Tara without ever meeting her!" Artemis yelled. "At least SUPERBOY was trusting people he'd fought alongside for months. He had every right to choose to vote the way he did!"
"ENOUGH!" Robin cried, causing the arguments to cease. "Look at us. We're supposed to be heroes and we're acting like children about a stupid vote! Yes, it was wrong of Raven and Zatanna not to tell anyone, but it's not like they can change that now. So why don't we all just stop talking about it, go clear our heads, and talk about this when we're a little more traught. Okay?"
And with that, they were dismissed.
"Etatival em!" Zatanna yelled, floating up to one of the higher shelves of the Mount Justice Library. While some of it was destroyed in the fight against the Reds a few months ago, the protection charms placed on it ensured that most of the tomes it housed remained intact.
This was no ordinary library. It contained news articles and League reports dating back to immediately after the League's founding, as well as spell books, useful reference books (works on various poisons and antidotes, for example), and a vast array of blueprints. Robin had introduced her to it when she'd first moved in to the mountain, thinking (rightfully) that a chance to improve her sorcery could distract her from the crushing loss of her father, at least momentarily. Upon being dismissed from the main room, Zatanna had immediately decided to look for any and every ounce of information she could about dark auras, unsettling feelings, and strange, looming presences. So far, all she'd found was that ominous feelings could be caused by being in the presence of a psychopath, which wasn't very helpful. Tara may not be very trustworthy, but she didn't seem like a psychopath. Then again, Zatanna didn't really know her…
"I thought I'd find you here." Robin said softly, breaking Zatanna's thought process and causing her to go back to her search.
"I was looking for information on dark auras." She muttered, her eyes glued to the spine of yet another thick tome. "Any idea where they might be?"
"Well I think there's a sub section on magic-related superpowers…"
"Sounds like it could work. If I can just find that section, maybe I can use a spell to narrow it down…" she mumbled, becoming lost in thought as darted around the large room.
Robin ducked out of the way as Zatanna went zooming past his head, before stopping at the shelf opposite him to examine a leather-clad book. Sighing in frustration, she moved to the rack below it.
"Why didn't you tell me about the presence?" He asked, crouching down to examine some titles himself.
"Like I said, I thought it sounded stupid."
"You know I'd believe you." He stated, returning '100 Different Battle Formations' to its original place (seriously though, who wrote these things?).
"Why would you believe me if I didn't believe myself?" She replied, examining a copy of 'Archery Through the Ages' and mentally noting its location (she knew a certain archer who would jump at the chance to read about the evolution of the sport).
"Because I trust you enough to know that if you think something's off, you're probably right. And I guess I thought you trusted me enough to know I'd never doubt you."
"I DO trust you, Robin."
"Not enough, apparently."
"Well maybe if you trusted me enough to tell me important details, I would return the favor." Zatanna quipped, frustrated.
"What do you mean?"
"Robin, I don't even know who you are!" She blurted out, eyes widening as she realized what she'd said.
While she hadn't intended to say it out loud, she couldn't help but feel that it was the truth. The Boy Wonder was lecturing her on trust when he refused to tell his closest friends who he was! Didn't he realize what a double standard that was?
While she stood by her point, she knew she was being rude, so she decided an apology was in order.
"Robin, I-"
"No, it's okay. You're right. I don't get to tell you to talk to me about things when I won't do the same. It's just- I want to, okay? If I could, I would've told you who I was a long time ago. But I can't. I have to listen to Batman." When she didn't respond, Robin left the room, leaving her with nothing but her thoughts and dozens of unchecked bookshelves.
Conner wiped his forehead in a futile attempt to remove the beads of sweat gathering on it, panting as he did so. After being dismissed by Kaldur, he had made a beeline for the training room and spent the last thirty minutes lifting weights specially designed to give him a challenge. His arms ached, but he felt calmer than he usually did. More… docile. Taking a sip of much-needed water, he trudged back to his room, intending to sleep off the exhaustion and pain and take a shower tomorrow morning.
Instead, he found his girlfriend pacing outside his door.
"M'gann?" The Kryptonian called out hesitantly.
"Conner!" The Martian exclaimed, apparently caught off guard. "Hi! I was just-"
"Is everything okay?" He questioned, stepping towards her. "You seem nervous."
"I'm fine. I mean, I'm confused, so maybe I'm not COMPLETELY fine, but I'm not in any danger so-"
"M'gann." He said firmly, cutting her off before she could start rambling again. "Tell me what's wrong."
M'gann drew in a shaky breath then, doing her best to ignore the way her stomach fluttered at Conner's concerned tone. He could be stoic at times and a little off-putting, but Conner Kent was incredibly sweet. "I don't understand why you opposed."
"Like I said, four other teammates were against it."
"And five were in favor of it!" M'gann snapped, raising her voice for the first time since this conversation began. "One of which was me." She added, her voice softening. "I know I don't have Raven's empathy or Zatanna's affinity for magic, but I was close enough to sense Tara's psyche. As far as I could tell, there was no imbalance. I thought you of all people would trust me and not just jump to conclusions."
"I trust you, M'gann."
"Then why wouldn't you vote with me?"
Conner sighed, running a hand through his ebony hair, which was still damp with sweat from his prior workout. "Okay, I wasn't going to mention this, but I heard Artemis and Raven talking outside the mountain."
"I didn't know your super hearing had such a large range."
"Apparently, neither did they. Anyway, from what I heard, it sounded like they knew Tara from somewhere. I don't know how they know her, but they talked about her like they met her more than once."
"So what did they say?" M'gann asked, her eyes widening.
"It seems like Tara was doing something wrong, and Artemis gave her a chance to change. Tara didn't take it. Now Artemis doesn't trust that she changed on her own, and Raven is on her side. I don't know why Artemis didn't tell anyone though."
M'gann stood silently for a moment, contemplating everything she'd learnt. After hearing Conner's side of the story, it seemed logical that he'd vote against Tara. The question of why Artemis never td anyone was, in her mind, much easier to answer. She may not have understood a lot about Earth, but M'gann DID understand the Team's resident archer. Despite being brash and guarded, she was not as complex as she first appeared.
"I'm not an empath like Raven, but I can sense powerful emotions, like rage or grief. Sometimes when I'm around Artemis I sense a lot of pain. When she first joined the Team it was so powerful that I barely spoke to her because I was overwhelmed by it. I think being on the Team makes it better somehow, but there are still some things she'd rather not say."
"My point is, sometimes talking about things can be painful. Artemis likes to avoid that pain. She'll tell us the whole truth when she's ready."
"I guess that makes sense." Conner replied, mulling over the Martian's words. "But what are we going to do about Tara?"
"For now, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."