Author's note: GASP! two chapters in one week? Say it ain't so. Yes, yes, I'm writing yet another chapter because I got a really freaking amazing idea for a chapter after posting the last chapter. One that is more Artemis oriented. Mama Arty has gotten very little time with her babies. Also there are mentions of public breastfeeding in here, mainly because I support that shit and so would most female heroes. And teasings of Spitfire ;) Ok, Read, favorite, review, etc. Etc.
In the warm summer evening, Artemis pushes a stroller down the streets of Gotham. She and her family are visiting her mother, the first trip the Wests had taken since Jania had been released from the NICU two months ago. Her beautiful daughter looks much healthier than she did half a year ago. She'd put on a fair amount of weight. Her skin is now the same lovely shade as Artemis's. Her bright green eyes look up at the sky, occasionally focusing on her mother, gurgling. Jania's golden hair pokes out through a tiny baseball hat. Artemis hated most little girl clothes, never seeing the cuteness in ruffled skirts and sparkle shirts. Jania looks just as happy in her shorts and a Flash onesie. Wally insisted his children carry on his nerdy legacy. Neither of the kids cared at this point and Artemis nearly cried laughing the first time Barry saw Matty in a Green Arrow t-shirt.
Jania grunts in frustration. Artemis reaches down, handing her her blanket," I know, Jani. You're hungry. We'll be back to Bà nội's soon, and you'll get to see Daddy."
Jania cries out this time. Artemis sighs, pulling over to a bus bench. Jania fusses as her mother unbuckles her. Artemis pulls up her shirt and sports bra on one side, Jania happily latching on.
"That's disgusting," A man walking by sneers. Artemis meets his eyes, unwavering.
"So's the fact you're staring at my tits, but you don't hear me bitching about it," The man's face turns bright red. He shuffles off. Artemis hears a low chuckle behind her.
"That's my little sister." Jade slides beside her. Her sister's dark bushy hair is pulled up in ponytail, dark red ball cap pulled low over her eyes.
"Where's Lian and Roy?" Artemis asks.
"Visiting Green Arrow. Lian begged to see her Uncle Ollie," Jade rolls her eyes. Jade couldn't seem to understand why her daughter was fascinated with the heroic side of her family," I decided to come see my new niece."
Artemis snorts," Is that all you wanted to do?"
"You might have been a consideration as well." Jade looks at the baby," I can't believe you let your husband put that shirt on her."
"Actually, Matty begged me to put it on her today." As Jania finishes, Artemis pulls her shirt down. She burps the little girl and holds her there against her shoulder. Jania grabs at her mother's braid, gurgling.
"So how do you like having two kids?" Jade asks.
"Before two a.m. or after," Artemis snorts. She adjusts the baby so her hair isn't being yanked," I love both of them. Matty is a little ball of energy, never stops babbling, telling Matty loves Jania so much. It's kind of scary how protective he is of her."
"What do you mean?"
"When we brought her home the NICU a couple of months ago, some of our friends came over. He followed anyone who was holding her. He would glare at the person and say 'My Jani.'" Artemis places Jania back into her stroller.
"Well, his mom has good instincts, it's genetic." Artemis relaxes back next to her sister," Did you ever think this would happen?"
"What?"
"Us being wives and mothers?" Jade watches a bit of the light fade from her little sister's eyes.
"Not at first. Living with Dad, I figured I would just up and leave, kind of like you," Artemis once said this with bitterness, particularly when she was younger. Now, she understands why her sister left. She didn't like it, but didn't have to," Once I joined my team, I had some hope that I could at least live a normal life. But normal for us is not exactly normal for anyone else. I did not expect to fall in love. Or get married. Or have two adorable children. Didn't see any of that happening for you at all. No offense."
"None taken," Jade sighs," I wasn't expecting to fall in love slash marry a clone or have a daughter."
"At least Lian is safe from Dad." Both sisters were familiar with their father's views on weakness.
"Yeah, but you know where Jania was born. Matty has an actual bed to sleep in. Neither of them has heard gunshots in the middle of the night. Or been toted into a dangerous situation. Or told what to do in case-" Jade closes her eyes," in case you and Wally are killed."
Artemis takes her sister's hand," We got out, Jade. We got out and found amazing guys who love us."
"Mine was definitely not love at first."
"I was ready to skewer Wally our first mission." Artemis reminds her before she checks her watch," I need to get home soon."
"Could I hold my niece first? I can walk with you." Artemis nods. Jade picks up Jania. The baby girl looks up at her aunt. Jade gives her the same chesire smile Artemis had gotten for years," You know, sis, I bet this one would be a great archer."
Artemis has a sudden image of a young woman. Her thick blonde braid flying behind her as she flips through the air. Her bow drawn back as she fires half a dozen arrows. Her brilliant green eyes darting around. A brilliant, satisfied grin on her face. Oh, if only her sister knew how right her comment was. At their mother's apartment building, Jade places Jania back in the stroller. Artemis takes a second to tuck her daughter in," Let's go see your bà nội, baby."
"Bà nội?" Jade gives Artemis a strange look.
"Mom insisted that the kids call her that." Artemis shrugs," Something about them connecting with their vietnamese roots. Matty just says Bah no."
Jade rolls her eyes, but doesn't make any comment. Instead, she pulls her little sister into a hug. Artemis rests her chin on her shoulder," Take care of yourself. Do you understand me?"
"You too, big sister." Jade tweeks Artemis's nose, one of the only kind gestures from their childhood. She presses a small kiss to Jania's forehead.
"You be safe, Jani girl," Jade winks, flashes her signature smile, and is gone. Artemis rolls Jania into the entry hall and up the elevator. Jania fusses as the creaky elevator moves.
"Shh, shh," Artemis rocks the stroller back and forth slowly. Jania yawns. Her tiny eyes flutter shut. Artemis touches her soft cheek. She unlocks the door to her mother's apartment," Hey, we're home."
The apartment is eerily quiet. Artemis freezes in unbuckling Jania," Mom? Wally? Anyone home?"
" No one but us, baby girl." Artemis spins around, her hand going for the gun in her purse. Her father smirks at her from the couch.
"Where are they?" Artemis growls.
"I didn't do anything to them. Your mother had a work emergency. Your worthless husband took my grandson out for a walk." Sportsmaster stands up. Artemis blocks the stroller.
"Don't you dare come near her." Her voice is deadly soft.
"Why? Can't a proud grandpappy see his new granddaughter?" Artemis aims her gun at him," Please, you've been here for two days. If I wanted to kill her, I would have had more than enough opportunities."
Artemis keeps her gun trained on him. Sportsmaster maneuvers around the small space. A good two feet away, he glances into the stroller. Jania yawns, snuggling in deeper. Sportsmaster sneers at her. Artemis pulls the stroller towards her," There you saw her."
"Pathetic." His words make her feel like she's eight years old again. She tightens her grasp on the gun," At least Matthew was useful when he was born."
Artemis feels her chest squeeze painfully," What? What do yo-"
"Who do you think offered him to Savage?" All the breath leaves her lungs. Sportsmaster waves his hand at her pained expression," You got him back."
"Dad, you took my son. Minutes after he was born."
"And four years ago, I helped attack that thing," He gestures to Jania.
"You're a sadistic bastard."
"Watch it, young lady." He goes for his belt. A gesture that use to send her into a panic. Now she clicks the safety off of her gun.
"Get out. Now." She growls through gritted teeth. Sportsmaster grins. Artemis's stomach rolls as she notices he has Jade's smile. He glances down at Jania.
"I'll be back, baby girl." He winks at her. Just like with Jade, he disappears. Artemis slumps into a kitchen chair, gripping the gun. She forces herself to breathe evenly. She's not sure how long it is before the door swings open. Wally wheels in her mother. Matty sits on his bà nội's lap. He speaks in choppy, sleepy sentences. Her mother rolls into the living room and Matty slides off of her lap. He toddles over to the couch, climbing up to reach for his teddy bear. Artemis quickly clicks the safety on the gun and slides it into the waistband of her jeans.
"Hiya, Jani," Wally whispers as he reaches into the the stroller and picks up his daughter. Jania yawns, cuddling against his shirt. Wally looks up to smile at his wife. He notices her tense posture," Artemis, you ok?"
"I'll tell you later," She picks up Matty," Oh, goodness, you're getting heavy."
"Mama, Dada pun a meanie." Artemis looks over at her suddenly bashful husband.
"A man may have been making racist remarks in the park at a young couple with their daughter. I may have told him to be quiet. He might have told me to do some unpleasant things to myself. We might gotten into an altercation." Wally admits. Artemis rolls her eyes, an exasperated smile on her face. Matty slides out of her arms, toddling to his father. He grabs on to Wally's jeans.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I called a guy out for staring at me when I was feeding Jani." Artemis tells him. Her mother snorts.
"I will never understand the disgust with that. If a baby is hungry, the baby needs to eat." Paula declares.
"Unfortunately, most people never mature past ten years old." Wally shrugs. He smiles at his sleeping daughter. Artemis imagines if he had gotten here a few minutes sooner. If he had gotten home before she had. Her father never held back how much he hated his sons- in- law. He saw them as distractions, as targets, as weak points. Artemis sees her husband, looking at their daughter like she's going to save the world. Matty looks up at his father. Like Superman had arrived to save the day. Her son with his fiery hair and curious gray eyes. Her daughter with soft gold hair and bright green eyes. Artemis sees her family and fears losing them.
It's about two hours before the kids are fed, bathed, and sleeping. Artemis, Wally, and Paula sit down to a late dinner. Artemis begins to explain what had happened earlier. When she gets to the part with Sportsmaster approaching Jania, Wally nearly explodes with rage," Did he touch her?! I swear to God if that son of a bitch touched our daughter, I'll-"
"I wouldn't let him." Artemis puts a calm hand on his. She finishes the story, both Paula and Wally visibly upset.
"I never should have left the apartment," Her mother looks down in shame.
"Mom, there's nothing you could have done to stop him from coming in. God knows he'd find away in." Artemis feels a little better now that she had told them. At least she feels lighter, sharing part of her burden.
"He took Matty?" Wally asks in a rough whisper.
"He was part of the group that did."
"And Jania, Future Jania, he watched as they tortured her?" Artemis nods. Wally looks at both his wife and mother- in- law," Please know that I love you both when I say who the fuck could put up with that sadistic bastard?"
"It is a fair statement," Paula agrees," When I was Huntress, I never really saw the bad parts. If I did, I would find excuses or I would find them useful. It wasn't until I was in jail that I realized what he was. By that point, there was nothing I could really do to help either Jade or Artemis."
"Yeah, Dad wasn't exactly known for being supportive or understanding of mistakes." Artemis rubs her arms, a habit Wally noticed she did when talking about her father," I still don't know how you managed to get him out of the house."
"Well, you know that Green Arrow agreed to take you on as his si-his protoge after I told him about Sportsmaster," Paula begins. Wally looks at his wife. She doesn't look at him.
"Yeah, you said you wanted me to have a better life. I believe that was the same argument you make when having me transfer to Gotham Academy."
"That's true, but I also wanted you to be part of a team. Being a villain is
lonely, even if you work with someone. They don't always come back." Paula grips her armrest tightly," But heroes, I realized, took care of each other. They had each other's backs. They loved each other. I wanted you to experience that."
"So basically, I owe you for my husband and kids?" Artemis asks with a smile. Her mother laughs.
"I couldn't control your heart, but I'm sure you joining the team played some factor." Paula teases. Wally and Artemis smile at each other. Both remember how much they hated each other. How many times their friends wanted to lock them in a room and not let them leave until they hashed everything out. Wally smiles a little more, remembering the day he proposed. Artemis remembers the way he nearly burst into tears when he found out she was pregnant with Matty," You two could face a thousand hardships, and never stop looking like you're two teens in love."
"Well, we were two teens in love," Wally points out.
"Yes, but to keep that look is something special indeed," Paula takes their empty plates," If you two want to go out, you can."
"Mom, we just-"
"Artemis, you know what I mean. When was the last time you two fought bad guys together?" The couple exchanges a bewildered look. Artemis had been benched during both pregnancies, to her dismay, but after Matty was born both of them took time off. After that, they were switching off missions, so someone was always with him. Then Jania was in the NICU. Her mother gives them an I- thought-so look," Both of you go on."
"Are you sure?" Wally asks, itching to take her up on the offer.
"I managed to change your wife's diapers and rob banks. I think I can handle my sleeping grandchildren."
"But Dad-"
"Sportsmaster," her mother says firmly," will face my unholy wrath if he so much as thinks about it."
After much persistence, Paula manages to convince them to suit up. They sneak into the guestroom, quietly removing their uniforms from the suitcases. Matty rolls over in his sleep. Both his parents freeze. Seeing he doesn't wake up, they escape to the bathroom. In the small space, both manage to undress. Wally takes a moment to look at his wife as she pulls on her pants. The little baby fat she got with Jania is practically gone. Some stretch marks intersect a few of her scars. She pulls her top on, this one long enough to tuck into her bottoms, noticing Wally staring.
"Having fun there?" She asks, sitting on the toilet to lace up her shoes. A hand tilts her chin up. Wally kisses her the way he did when they were younger. Artemis nearly breaks the kiss with a smile, remembering what happened the first time he kissed her like this in here.
"With you, beautiful, always." He kisses her again with the same enthusiasm.
"Mmmm, Wally," She laughs," We really should be leaving soon."
"Fine," he kisses her one more time, before pulling on his uniform in the time it takes her to finish lacing her boots. Grabbing her gear and kissing her mother, Artemis escapes into the night with Wally close behind.
The both slide into their stride remarkably fast. They jump from rooftop to rooftop, vaulting over chimneys and satellites dishes. Artemis fires an arrow into the side of a skyscraper, her bow catching the rope as she swings down. Wally flashes down the building, careful of his footing. They never say a word, just knowing where the other is the entire time. By midnight, they both stop on a rooftop to catch their breath.
"God, I forgot how great this was," Artemis reties her ponytail, cheeks flushed.
"How the hell did you grow up around here?" Wally asks. He knew that Gotham had a high crime rate, but stopping three muggings and two break ins in four hours was ridiculous.
"There's a reason that it takes a group of vigilantes to save the day." she gives him her usual grin. All the tension from earlier had disappeared. In fact, this is the first time since either of the kids was born that she looked this alive. Between her job and being a mom and being a hero, he never sees her like this. Now, he sees the vibrant spitfire that he fell in love with a decade ago. Artemis glances up at him as she checks her arrows," What's with the weird face?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're looking at me like I just grew horns."
"I- sorry, just you seem happy," he stutters. Artemis adjusts her quiver, a soft satisfied smile on her face. Ten years together plus two kids, and she can still leave him speechless.
"Well, I get to beat people up with the love of my life. And after seeing my dad, I needed some sort of distraction," She faces him straight on. Wally moves forward, grabbing her hips and backing her against a wall. Artemis bites her lip, grinning.
"If you were looking for a distraction," His low voice makes her stomach flutter," you should have told me sooner."
Artemis gives him a half smile, grabbing his hips as he had her, pulling her as close as she could. She glances down before meeting his gaze," Looks like you were looking for a distraction too."
Wally takes in her hooded face. When they were first going out, they couldn't keep their hands off each other after training or a mission. If it was training, they would zeta to her apartment. Wally can remember the rush when she pulled her shirt off the first time. His hands now pull the tight fabric of her costume, fingers barely brushing her skin. Artemis pulls his hood back, so she can see his freckles. God the constellations that she had found in those freckles. Wally mimics her movement, pulling her mask back, releasing her hair so it falls between his fingers. He pulls her neck forward, letting his lips fall onto hers. The kiss leaves them breathless in a matter of seconds. They grip each other, pressing against each other so tightly it hurts. Wally pulls away, which Artemis answers with an angered," hey!"
"Arty," Wally pushes hair from her face," I really hate to be the one to cut this short, but it's almost 1 am."
Artemis groans. Both kids had the annoying habit of waking up at five am every single goddamn morning. She keeps her hands on his neck," Do you think we could get away without any sleep?"
"I value my life too much to let you do that," He laughs, kissing her deeply," We leave tomorrow afternoon. One quick zeta trip and a short walk then we're home."
"And?"
"And," He kisses the spot under her ear making her shiver," We can continue this."
"Are you sure we won't be caught up with our kids?" she teases.
"Artemis, as much as I love our children, neither one of those tiny humans could stop me from making love to you. Besides both can be easily dealt with a tiny dose of baby benadryl," Artemis gives him a short laugh. She has teased him mercilessly in the past about him using the term making love, but secretly she loved it. A few of her civilian friends had complained about how their siginificant others fucked them. They complained about the lack of passion. Artemis never felt like Wally and her were simply fucking. Despite being one of the fastest men alive, they always took their time. He knows just where to press on her skin to send her mind into dizzy circles. She knows exactly how to push him over the edge.
Adjusting their uniforms, Artemis ties her hair back. She gives him a grin over her shoulder," Race you back, Baywatch."
Wally grins at her teenaged nickname for him. She doesn't wait for him, leaping to the next roof. Wally flashes down the fire escape, racing through the streets. He is less than a block from the apartment when he trips. He looks up seeing his wife jumping from a roof, his legs tangled in a net.
"Cheater!" He calls.
"I call it being resourceful," She shouts back. Wally untangles his legs, chasing after her. She scales the fire escape outside her old room, trying not to squeal with laughter as Wally catches up. He wraps his arms around her from behind.
"Cheater," He reiterates.
"Resourceful," She turns around so he can face her. She kisses him, so suddenly that he releases her waist. She crouches by the window, jimmying the lock she installed when she was 15. They slip into the bedroom. Matty doesn't look like he's moved since they left. Jania rolls onto her belly. They change out of their uniforms, crawling into bed. Wally pulls Artemis close, resting his chin on the top of her head. She wraps an arm around his waist," I love you."
"I love you too," He murmurs. They fall asleep holding each other. Artemis wakes up to a fussing Jania. She rolls over, finding Matty curled up against his father. Matty looks up at his mother sleepily. She kisses his messy red hair.
"Good morning, sweet boy." She gets out of bed, going over to the old cradle. Matty follows her out into the living room. Artemis holds Jania in one arm," Are you hungry?"
"Wan nannas," Matty answers. Artemis raises an eyebrow at him," peas, Mama?"
"Much better," She goes to the kitchen, pulling a container of already cut up bananas from the fridge. Matty shoves a few into his mouth, cheeks puffing out adorably. Artemis laughs," Don't eat so much. You'll choke."
"I think I said something similar to you when you were that age," Her mother wheels out of her room," Though you hated bananas."
"I have yet to find a food he won't eat," Artemis feeds Jania a bottle of special formula. Most of the time she breast feed, but the formula provided more calories for the kids to gain weight. Matty now had a dissolvable version they mixed in his juice.
"How are you adjusting to two kids?" Her mother asks.
"Ok. Wally and I are having a hard time getting them to both sleep through the night." She shrugs," A two bedroom apartment is really all we can afford right now. It's a touch cramped."
"I remember the same problem with you and Jade. Jade wasn't quite four when you were born, and Sportsmaster and I didn't see the point in giving you your own rooms."
"Dad wasn't exactly too keen before Jade left either." She notices her mother give her a strange look," What?"
"Why do you still call him Dad?" She asks.
Artemis pauses. She looks at Matty and then Jania. Matty babbles at his teddy bear, snippets of a wild story only half in actual English. Jania sucks on the bottle, eyes drooping sleepily," I call him Dad because it reminds me of what I will not be. I will never force my children to train until they pass out from exhaustion. I will never force my daughter to fire arrows at words like love and hope, telling her that they are for weak, pathetic worms. Never make them spar so much that they have to wear long sleeves to cover up the bruises. Never tell them that their best isn't enough. Never make Matthew or Jania feel like they have to run away.
"I call him Dad because when I train them, and I will train them one day, I'll know where to draw the line. Biologically I am half him, but I will never be like him. I will not have my son or my daughter grow up holding onto their anger until it consumes them, until they beat their fists bloody to feel something other than that rage," She meets her mother's eyes," I call him that because I refuse to be like him."
"How did you become such a brave young woman?" Her mother cups her cheek, a gesture that Artemis once flinched at. Now she presses her face into her mother's warm hand.
"I learned from you," She tells her. Her mother gives a bitter laugh," I'm serious. You made mistakes, I won't deny that, but you changed. Despite the joking last night, I really do owe you. Not just for my family. You pushed me to go to a prestigious school and I got to go to college. You told me to pursue what I was passionate about and now I'm working a job that I love. Mom, you have pushed me so much and I can't thank you enough."
"No, Artemis," Paula shakes her head," Do not thank me. You have done all this for yourself. You persevered against odds that I did not consider before having children. You did more with your first twenty five years of life than I have accomplished with my whole life."
Artemis looks down at Jania and holds her out to her mother," Does Bà nội want to hold Jani?"
"I would love to." Paula takes her granddaughter, gently cradling her little blonde head. Aside from the tiny spray of freckles and curious green eyes, Jania strongly resembles her mother at that age. Matty comes over, mashed banana on his face," do you want to see you sister, cháu ngoại?"
"My Jani," Matty places a protective hand on her head. Artemis and Paula laugh.
"Yes, your Jani." Paula assures him. Artemis scoops up her son, kissing him. Paula sees the look Artemis gives her son, one of pure love and joy. One that Paula never was able to give her until she was older. They both hear Wally getting up. Wally and Artemis tease each other throughout the day as they pack. They take breaks, chasing Matty and tossing Jani into the air, both children shrieking with laughter. When they leave, with kisses and promises to see her soon, Paula finds herself beaming. Her daughter is happy, an amazing wife and mother. It's more than she could have hoped for.
Author's note: I hope you all liked that as much as I did. I love writing for them. Next chapter will be some identity crisis between Wally and Dick. Love you all!