Chapter 11
It has been almost a month since New Year's. Dick and Barbara are doing well, but a legitimate proposal has yet to occur. School had been back in session for about two weeks, Artemis and William were enjoying their time together with no interruptions from nosy family, and tonight they were going to have dinner with Oliver and Dinah to make sure everyone was on the same page with the new relationship.
They met up at Spike's Junk Yard Dogs. William and Artemis were already seated when Oliver and Dinah arrived. William stood to get their attention.
"Hey kiddos!" Oliver practically skipped over and hugged William. Artemis stood to receive her hug as well. Dinah followed with a giddy smile and gave hugs before sitting down.
"So," Dinah said, "You two seemed to have something to tell us."
"Well," William started, "You two may have gotten a hint, but we wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. Artemis and I are exclusively seeing each other."
Dinah and Oliver paused.
"You owe me twenty bucks." Dinah held her hand out to Oliver who was removing money from his wallet.
Artemis and William looked at each other. Artemis spoke first, "I figured you guys knew something, but betting on it? Really?"
"Oh, we didn't bet on you guys seeing each other. We were betting on how soon you'd officially tell us. I thought you'd wait a little longer and Dinah said two weeks to a month, so she wins," Oliver clarified.
Dinah rolled her eyes. "You two clearly got along, but we thought a bet would be fun. Plus you two are adults and would understand better than anyone the difficulties that could arise from your families."
"Fair enough," Artemis muttered, still slightly annoyed by the bet, "Let's order."
The group ordered and got hot dogs and endless fries. The night went well. Oliver and Dinah seemed to have worked through what had been bothering them last time. It was nice to know that important people in their lives supported them.
William was driving Artemis home from dinner when he realized something. "Hey, did I ever tell you my mom came to see me?"
Artemis coughed down her water and looked at him. "No," she said indignantly.
"Ok, well she visited on New Year's day and knew I had a girl over and said she was going to look into it. I told her I liked you, but wanted her to figure it out for herself. I told her to come to me first with what she finds."
Artemis licked her lips and stayed silent for a moment to process. "Well," she paused, "I guess this is going to complicated faster than I thought it would. I thought you and your mom weren't speaking much right now."
"The visit was a surprise, I promise." William pulled up to Artemis's apartment. They both sat for a moment.
"Okay, I think you should come up and we should make a plan."
William raised his eyebrows, "What kind of plan?"
"A plan for if your mother decides she wants me dead, or if she just doesn't like me."
"That seems fair."
The two got out of the car and headed up the steps to Artemis's apartment. The door was already unlocked and open, but not enough to easily see inside. William took a step back to check surroundings and pull a collapsible baton out of his coat. Artemis reached to her boot and pulled out two short serrated knife good for throwing or stabbing. William gave a nod to let her know he was ready when she was. Artemis pushed the door open quickly ready to attack.
A woman wearing a Cheshire mask and a green kimono sat on her counter. "Hey, sis."