Quick AN: Just wanted to let ya'll know, this is the last chapter of the story. HOWEVER, the story continues in my sequel, which you can find the link to in my profile! So don't be distraught at the abrupt ending!

Chapter Twenty

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Artemis awoke refreshened; alive. It had been so long since she had slept through the night peacefully. She changed into fresh clothes and made her way to the kitchen. She was alone, as she had assumed she would be. Jade had not made an appearance since she left the night of the bombings, not even in the battle the day before. Artemis wondered if she had skipped town with Red Arrow to escape the madness, or if she was hiding out some where, helping the cause of the Shadows in secret. She hoped it was the latter.

Of course her father wasn't going to be showing up. With all the pressure on him to please the Light and the Shadows, she was probably his lowest priority, and even then, that priority would probably be to kill her. She knew he still didn't approve of Nightwing. He had only caved in because of the stress and the deal he made that he had probably thought wasn't going to work out.

Artemis stopped chewing her cereal at this thought. Why had he made that deal?

Nightwing was his enemy, and he had forbidden Artemis from seeing him completely. The only benefit of Nightwing's victory would be that he wouldn't have to deal with being replaced by Deathstroke, but even then, the Light would still be after him.

Suddenly, the food turned to ash in her mouth. How could Sportsmaster benefit from Nightwing's failure?

No more of Batman's apprentice watching his every move, the Shadows could easily slip into the control of the Light, and on top of it all, his daughter could stay safely alone inside the prison he'd made for her. He hadn't expected Nightwing to win. He hadn't wanted Nightwing to win. Nightwing was the only thing standing in between him and the separation of the Shadows from the Justice League.

A knock at the door woke her from her reverie. She hastily got up and answered it. It was Nightwing. Artemis had been planning to pour out her thoughts to him the minute she saw him, but when that minute came, she couldn't. Just the sight of him made her heart beat faster with joy. He embraced her and smiled into her hair.

He let go reluctantly. "What do you say we go to the gym and train, now that you're allowed to?"

She pursed her lips. "You need to rest. You're still injured!"

"I'm fine," he rolled his eyes. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'll take it easy."

"It'll make you feel better, hopefully." She grabbed a jacket and started for the door. "I don't even want you using that left arm. Not after being stabbed yesterday. And don't think I'm taking a step out of here if you do."

As if to prove his point, he grabbed her waist with his left arm and hoisted her over his shoulder. "We're going," he stated in reply to her protests.

oOo

After a long practice consisting of archery, combat, and some other mischief not usually found in a gym, Artemis and Nightwing took a walk outside with the purpose of finding a restaurant to eat at, but not really going in any particular direction.

Suddenly, a small pellet fell from the sky and exploded into a cloud of smoke, enveloping the two. Caught completely off guard and unarmed, Artemis frantically dove to the ground for protection from their attacker. Nightwing threw a barrage of batarangs in every direction, and knew he had hit his mark when he heard a grunt of pain. The fog began to clear, and he could make out several figures surrounding them.

Artemis scrambled to her feet and summed up the situation. She too noticed the assailants and glanced at Nightwing uneasily. She knew she couldn't pause for too long; they would attack any second. Nightwing gave her a slight nod, and the two sprang into action.

"Stay behind me!" Nightwing ordered Artemis, knowing they could easily get separated in the fog. The warning came too late, and she was suddenly no where to be seen. Panicking, his eyes scanned his surroundings desperately to find her.

He was suddenly hit hard on the back of the head and fell to the ground, but was still groggily conscious. He shook his head and tried to clear the fog, and was suddenly thrown into a panic at the sight before his eyes. Artemis was being held firmly by one of Deathstroke's henchmen, unable to move, with a blade to her throat. She was breathing heavy, panicked gasps of air.

"Get your hands off of her." Nightwing's voice was a low growl.

"How about a trade?" the henchman barked in return. "Surrender yourself and we'll let her go."

Artemis rolled her eyes. Where are we, the Princess Bride? This guy seemed like someone who would have a sixth finger on his left hand. Her eyes met with Nightwing and she knew they weren't about to surrender. He put up his hands in submission.

In a flash a batarang appeared between his fingers and flew at the assailant. As soon as Artemis felt the grip around her slacken she elbowed him in the stomach and wrenched the knife out of his grip. The fog had cleared and while they were unarmed, the pair were more than a match for the group of assassins.

The head henchman pressed a button on his utility belt. "Disengage!" he shouted over the commotion, and suddenly the group of assassins were making a run for it. A helicopter appeared with a rope ladder hanging down from it, and they clambered up in an organized line. Artemis eagerly ran in pursuit but Nightwing grabbed her arm in protest.

"Leave them," he yelled over the sound of the propeller. "Let's get out of here."

Artemis was confused, but obeyed. They retreated back to her small apartment. Nightwing went immediately the sink, pouring water over his face and drying it with a hand towel. She noticed his palms were shaking.

"I'm assuming you planted a tracer?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"On the one who seemed to be the leader," he replied, not turning to face her.

"So should we gear up and follow?"

"No, we're not going to be doing anything. I'll follow the lead by satellite, and you're staying here, where you're safe."

Artemis pursed her lips. "I'll be fine if we're just going to find their location over the computer. They can't hurt us over cyber space."

"Don't you understand?" Nightwing finally looked at her. "As long as we're together you're in danger. I've put a target on your back by associating myself with you. We need to stay apart for you to be safe."

The blonde's eyes flashed. This wasn't what she was expecting. "I can hold my own."

"Yes, you can. Alone no one will attack you. But today," he swallowed hard. "If I had been a second too slow, that knife would have cut your throat."

"Nightwing," Artemis came a closer and placed a hand on his arm. "My father would never let them hurt me."

"No, Artemis, this is so much bigger than you realize. If your father doesn't kill me, they'll send someone else to do the job. And that someone else won't hold back just because you're Sportsmaster's daughter."

A knot twisted in her stomach as she realized the truth. Corruption and greed and power had put both of their lives at stake. She wrung her hands, searching for something inside herself brave enough to accept a life of running from danger. She wasn't sure she could do it, but she was sure she wanted to be with Nightwing.

"Please, let's just rest. You need time to think about everything." She rubbed his arm, hoping the touch would ease his tension. He let out the breath he'd been holding and moved towards the door. "I'll see you later?" she asked expectantly.

"Get some sleep," he gave her a small forced smile and left.

Artemis' stomach dropped. That wasn't a good sign.

oOo

The night dragged on. Exhaustion overwhelmed Artemis but she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, hoping sleep's peaceful mercy would overcome her, but her own mind tormented her till the early hours of the morning. Finally, she couldn't take it. Slipping on a sweatshirt and sandals, she crept out of the apartment, and headed for the west wing.

She knocked on his door softly, hoping she wouldn't wake him if he was in fact sleeping, which he probably wasn't. She was startled when the door swung open quickly and she was pulled into the apartment with a vice-like grip. He peered into the hallway quickly before shutting the door. Whirling around, he kept his voice at a loud whisper.

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep. I'm worried about you. You seemed so flustered earlier and I-"

"Artemis, you're not safe. As long as I'm around I'm only bringing danger to you and to the Shadows. I need to leave here. And you can't come with me."

Tears sprang to her eyes and her chest burned. Was it easy for him to just leave after all they had been through?

"How- how can you do that?" She choked out. "I can't stay here without you."

"And I can't stay here and watch you die. Not when I can do something to prevent it."

The tears spilled over her eyes. She didn't know what she could say to convince him to stay. She knew that once he had made up his mind there was no changing it. So she was going to be left alone. She felt him pull her towards him tenderly. He was the cause of all her pain and happiness.

"Shh..." he placed his lips to her forehead. "I'll come back for you when I know that you are safe."

"When will that be?" she asked the fateful question that she knew couldn't be answered. He only looked at her sadly. This would be their last time together for a while, and they both knew it. He brought his lips to hers and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. She pressed into him, absorbing all of him before they would be separated.

She paused for moment and looked away. "How much time do you have?"

"I have reason to believe they'll come for me tomorrow. I need to leave tonight."

She shook her head. "You were going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"I thought it would be too painful for both of us. And it does hurt. But now I'm glad we have this time."

"If only we could pause time, just for a bit," she sighed, looking out the window at the night sky. Nightwing placed a finger under her chin and tilted it upwards with a smile. "Let's take advantage of what we do have," he whispered before kissing her gently.

Artemis' body burned at his touch, and she suddenly poured out all her emotions into the kiss. She wouldn't cry, but she would focus her emotions on making these last moments count. She wanted all of him.

He responded with a passion equal to hers, holding her as close to him as he could and claiming her mouth with a possessive faithfulness. Suddenly he slowed until he was placing little kisses on her lips and cheeks. He smiled again, taking both her hands and leading her towards the sealed door that she assumed opened into his bedroom. A nervous excitement ran through her like a chill at the sight and smell of it. Her heart hammered in her chest as she was overwhelmed by the strong presence of him in this room. Her pulse quickened and their lips collided an instant later, unable to keep themselves away.

He roughly brushed her hair away and tangled his fingers in it, absorbing everything she was giving to him. Soon they were falling onto the bed, untangling and retangling themselves in a flash. Artemis' senses were heightened like never before. The sensory overload had her head spinning with every movement. She couldn't help but gasp when his lips found her neck and began to suck lightly. Feelings she didn't even know existed welled inside of her and her fingers dug into his back at each movement.

A loud bang brought their worlds crashing down. Artemis' head was still spinning as Nightwing rolled off of her and paused to listen. Another bang and he was moving like lightning to the closet and speaking rapidly.

"They're coming for me. I need you to get up and go over to the bookshelf. Take the third book from the right on the second shelf and you'll see a lever. Press it and wait for the bookshelf to slide open. Then get inside." He had a duffel bag in one hand, already partially packed, and was continuing to throw more items into it.

Artemis, still out of it, couldn't do anything more than obey. Once the shelf slid open, she turned back to him. "What about you? Are you coming in?"

He slowed down and came to a halt in front of her. Taking her hand and placing it to his lips, he struggled for a moment to find words. "I need to go Artemis. I've already put you in too much danger. If I leave now I can draw them away from you. Wait in here until you can be sure they're gone."

"No, no please!" Artemis screeched. "You can't leave! What am I supposed to do alone?!"

"You need to be brave, Artemis." He gripped both of her shoulders and backed her into the hidden room. "Remember everything I taught you. You're strong and capable of taking care of yourself."

She wept and clung to him, unable to let go. He forced her away from him and held her face, looking into her eyes. "You can do this."

His lips found hers and they shared a lingering kiss. Is this our last one? Nightwing held her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I love you. I'll come back for you, I promise."

The words rang in Artemis' ears. When did her life become so chaotic? Happiness and heartbreak like she had never known had engulfed her, and only time would tell whether it was worth it in the end. All she knew was that Nightwing had turned her world upside-down, and now he was leaving.

With that, the door slid closed and Artemis was left in the lonely darkness.

oOo

THE END

To be continued...

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Longer AN: So after almost four semesters of college completed, I'm finally gonna try to return to this storyline. I'm so sorry that it's been so long, but I've been through a ton of change the past couple years and I wasn't going to force myself to write if the passion wasn't there. I'm excited to continue though! I'm not sure if any of you caught on, but this story is actually based off of the Biblical story of David and Michal.

Things to expect in my sequel: A more Young Justice Artemis. She was pretty OC in this story because her character had yet to develop and experience the bitterness that makes her... Artemis. Also, most likely some more adult themes, because in my sequel we're going to be skipping forward in time just a bit!

Again, I apologize for the delay and hope that all of you would do me the honor of giving me another chance! I still love all of ya'll (: Have a great week!