Chapter Twenty-Five: Meeting the Parents
Artemis steps out of an abandoned photobooth in a hidden alleyway. She looks around not knowing where to go from here.
"Where are we?" she asks the tiny teenager in her purse.
"Keystone City," Wally replies happily.
"Why?"
"This is my home town. And, well, since I've technically met both of your parents..."
"You want me to meet yours? Oh, that's so sweet," Artemis replies happily.
She makes her way toward the picket fence on the far end of the alley. She stops when she hears Wally moving around in her bag. She looks down at him and sees him holding up her phone. She takes it from him.
"What's this for?" she asks.
"So you don't look crazy while I'm telling you the directions and talking to each other," he replies cheekily.
She blushes in response and thanks him.
Artemis pushes her way around a loose board in the fence at one end of the alley. She pretends to dial a number and then asks Wally which way to go. He guides her to his parents house with ease. To those around her, she actually appears to be person on her way to meet a friend or something. She fools everyone. Except for Robin, who is watching her from a building across the street as she exits the alley and walks down the sidewalk. He knows exactly where they are going.
Eventually, Artemis ends up in a neighborhood on the outskirts of town. Wally tells her the house number, and she goes to fake turning off her phone, but stops. She quickly puts it back to her ear.
"You still there?" she says, keeping up the guise. Her pace slows.
"Yeah," Wally replies. "What is it?"
"What if they don't like me?" Artemis says directly and worriedly, after a moment of tense silence. She stops walking.
Although he expected her to say something like this, Wally is shocked that she is being so direct about it. Usually, Artemis isn't this...open.
"I doubt that highly," Wally says reassuringly. "My parents are open and accepting people. They're used to stuff that's...unique. They have to deal with me, remember? You'll do fine. You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to. Besides, I'll be right there with you. If they have a problem with you, they have to go through me and my friends. I'm pretty sure your mother would help, too."
"As long as it's not Jade," Artemis chuckles.
She stops in front of the house and carefully places her phone back into her purse. Wally stands up and says that he wants to introduce her. Smiling, she agrees. She walks up to the door and knocks. She holds her purse up in front of her.
Martha answers the door. Before she can say anything, Wally speaks.
"Hey Mom!" Wally shouts taking Martha by surprise.
"Wally?" Martha asks the tiny figure poking out of the small hand bag. She holds the door for support.
"I'd like you to meet someone," Wally says, bringing her attention back to girl standing in the doorway. "Mom, this I my girlfriend Artemis. She's a member of the Team."
"Hi," Artemis says nervously.
After a moment of tense and awkward silence, Wally asks, "Can we come in?"
"Of course," Martha replies snapping out of her trance. "My apologies. Where are my manners? I'm Martha, Wally's mother."
"Nice to meet you," Artemis responds. "Is there a place we can sit? I kind of had to walk here from the center of town, and this bag is kind of heavy."
"Considering how much he eats, I don't doubt it," Martha replies jokingly, causing the two to laugh and Wally to grunt is disgust. "Please, take a seat in the kitchen. I'll get you something to drink. Is tea fine?"
"Tea would be great," Artemis says as she takes a seat at the table and setting the bag down.
Wally wastes no time in trying to escape the leather sack. He manages to get out of the bag without dumping the bag over, and he sits on top of it.
"Here you go," Martha says as she hands Artemis the cup of hot tea.
"Thank you, Mrs. West," Artemis replies politely. "And, if I may, where is Mr. West?"
"Please, call me Martha," Wally's mother says cheerfully. "And, Rudy should be down shortly. He's fixing the sink in the bathroom up stairs."
The room grows quiet-occasionally interrupted by the sound of power tools being used upstairs.
"I heard that you were the other victim of the accident," Martha states suspiciously. "So how are you...?"
"My normal height?" Artemis states nervously. "The Atom stopped by this morning. He was going to help Wally next, but his belt exploded after helping me. He said he'd be back tomorrow."
"Hmmm," Martha hums in agreement. "You're the archer, right?"
Artemis nods in agreement as she takes a sip of her tea.
"This is a pretty great house," Artemis says quickly trying to keep the room from falling into silence once more. "It's alot better than the loft my mother and I have in Gotham."
"Gotham?" Martha says confused. "I thought you lived with your uncle in Star City?"
"I do...just...," Artemis tries. She sighs and says, "Can you get Rudy? Because if I'm going to explain this, I'd like to do it only once. Please?"
"Of course," Martha says kindly. "Wait here."
Martha gets up and exits the room. She climbs the stairs; calling for her husband.
"I don't know if I can do this, Wally," Artemis tells him urgently-nervously fidgeting with her ponytail.
"Just relax," the speedster reassures. "You're doing fine. Besides, I'm right here with you if anything goes wrong."
Before the conversation can continue, Rudy walks into the room. He stops when he sees Wally sitting on the table. He stares at the couple in the kitchen for a few seconds.
"Wow. You weren't kidding," Rudy says refocusing on Wally. "She sure is beautiful."
Everyone breaks into a small fit of laughter.
"Hi. I'm Rudolph West. Wally's father," he says holding out his hand.
Artemis stands up and shakes his plaster covered hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. West," replies politely.
"So you're the girl he won't shut up about," Rudy chuckles. "And please, call me Rudy. Mr. West was my father."
Artemis nods in agreement as she sits back down. Rudy takes the seat across from her at the other end of the table.
"Sooo," Rudy says as firmly as he can. "My wife says you have something to tell us?"
"Yes," Artemis states, staring at the table. "For starters, I'm not Green Arrow's niece. I'm not related to him whatsoever. That was a cover story so that the Team would trust me when I joined."
"So who are you then?" Rudy asks, suspicion dancing across his face.
Artemis takes a breath, looks both of Wally's parents in the eye, and says, "I'm the daughter of Huntress and Sportsmaster."
Shock falls upon the parents' faces.
"And Cheshire is my older sister," she continues.
There is a short period of silence.
"Well," Rudy stutters. "That's alot to take in."
"There's more," Artemis states dimly. "I'm the reason this...happened."
She points at Wally. Rudy goes to ask why she thinks that, but is stopped when Artemis gives them the answer.
"This wasn't an accident," Artemis says with tears pooling in her eyes. "This was done on purpose. It's just that Wally got in the way. The machine was calibrated for me and only me. I would have been smaller than a quark, thinner than a string. Spor...My father wanted to get me out of the way. He couldn't stand the thought of his youngest daughter working against him. So he tried to harm me with a weapon he didn't know how to use. In the end, he almost...he almost killed me."
Artemis sobs for a little bit, then says, "And Wally...wWally just got in the way. He...He could of..."
Martha quickly gets up and hugs Artemis as she cries into her shoulder. Rudy gets up and hugs her from behind, while Wally rubs her arm comfortingly.
"My poor child," Martha says comfortingly. "Everything's going to be fine. Okay? This isn't your fault. Okay?"
"How is this not my fault?" Artemis asks, sobbing. "I was the one he was after. I was the target. Wally just-"
"Was trying to save you," the tiny speedster exclaims, fed up with her self-degradation. "I didn't care if I died, as long as I was trying to save you. The one I love. Because I can not stand the thought of waking up one day and not hearing you insult me or keeping me from doing something stupid. I...I just...couldn't. I didn't care if I survived. All I cared about was the thought that you would live to see another day.
"Artemis. None of this was your fault. Your father is to blame, not you. He kidnapped a scientist to build that weapon. He tied you to that chair. He pushed the button. And he left the door open. Yes, you were the target. But, he was the man behind it all. And I was the one that was stopping at nothing to get back to you."
"You're right," Artemis says strongly as she wipes her tears. "It's not my fault. Thank you, Wally."
She scoops him off the table and draws him in for a kiss. A very awkward, yet passionate, kiss. When they part, they are greeted by the sight of Martha and Rudy staring at them uncomfortably.
"Sorry," Artemis states as she sets Wally back down on the table. "That was..."
"In the heat of the moment?" Rudy states, chuckling. "We were young once, too, you know."
"And that's not the weirdest thing we've seen him do," Martha adds. "For example, have you seen him eat?"
The three of them share a laugh, as Artemis hugs them once more; thanking them for being so understanding and accepting.
"Artemis," Martha says. "You may not be like most other people, but we've come to accept such things from Wally's friends."
They embrace once more, before sitting back down. Martha is about to ask something when there is a knock at the door. The back door.
While Artemis and Wally are led to the kitchen, Robin watches them from his perch in the tree next to the kitchen window. The late afternoon shadows and late fall folliage conceal him from view. He planted a bug on the window to listen in on the conversation. Right as Artemis is handed her tea, Robin hers a slight rustling of branches above him.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Robin says cheekily. "Jade."
More rustling and some curses are heard as his guest approaches him.
"How did you know it was me and not Red?" Cheshire says flirtatiously from behind her mask.
"Roy's not that stealthy," Robin replies smirking. "Plus, he trusts Wally too much."
"And you don't?" the cat purrs.
"No. I just don't trust those that aren't my friends."
"So, why aren't you attacking me right now?" Jade purrs as she presses her sai against the young bird's throat.
"Because, right now, we're on the same side. We want to make sure that my friends and your family are safe. Deal?"
"Fine," Cheshire grunts-lowering her sai and taking a seat next to Robin. "Can you even hear what's going on in there?"
In response, he hands her a small earpiece.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
The conversation in the kitchen drags on for a little while. Then Artemis, asks for Martha to get Rudy. They both know what's going to be said next.
During the pause, Robin asks, "So how did you know that they were here?"
"Aqualad called Roy's apartment in Star," Jade replies. "Except only I was there. Fishboy can be very forthcoming when pushed hard enough."
"You mean he left a message on the machine?" Robin concludes, showing her a recording he made of the phone call.
Jade just sighs, and says, "I called him back and asked for an address. He also said that he was calling The League as well."
"Wait!The League!?" Robin states hurriedly. "Then that means..."
"That means that you both are busted," the Scarlet Speedster fumes. He stares up at them through the base of folliage.
"I'm out," Jade says as she tries to make a run for it. Emphasis on tried.
"Really?" Flash says as he drags her back over to under the tree. "You were going to try to run away...from the fastest man alive?"
"And from the first sign of trouble while protecting your sister?" Robin adds as he drops down next to Flash.
"Fair points on both counts," Jade replies calmly. "So I guess I won't throw gas pellets in your faces."
"Just for that I'm gonna do this," Flash scowls.
In the blink of an eye, he vanishes and reappears this time as Barry Allen.
Jade takes notice of his changed appearance as Barry picks up both of them by the back of their collars and drags them toward the back door.
"Nice wardrobe change," Jade teases. "But who are you now?"
Flash doesn't answer, but Robin does.
"Jade meet Barry Allen," the bird says worriedly. "Wally's very pissed off and overprotective Uncle."
"You got that right, Rich Boy!" Barry adds sternly.