"Thanks dude," Roy said to Bizarro with a smile.
Bizarro was a very close friend of Jason and Artemis and made a great teammate.
"Hey, hope I'm not interrupting anything." Roy said, making his way to the bar.
Jason glanced up for a second.
"Hey, Roy. What brings you to my humble abode?"
"Just wanted to stop by and say hi. I know your royal highness has better things to do but if you don't mind, I thought we could hang out. It's your day off anyways."
"Day off? You act like it's my job being royalty. If I had it my way I wouldn't be." Jason said, closing his laptop.
"Wanna go spar in the training room?" Roy asked and Jason smiled.
"Sure." Was Jason's reply and they two friends made their way there.
Jason needed something to take his mind off of things. It was as if Roy knew that and had decided to distract him. He and Roy had been good friends for a while. They use to be a team until the team went their separate ways.
"So hows your princess?" Roy asked after the two were done.
Jason walked over to the mini fridge and toke out two bottles of water.
"You guys are a thing right?" Roy said hopefully
"Maybe. What's it to you?" Jason replied, tossing Roy some water.
Roy gladly opened it and toke a drink.
"I just thought that you two would have went public by now."
"Well, dad already knows and he's not too happy." Jason replied
"Uh oh. That bad huh?" Roy said
"How's Artemis taking it?"
Jason shook his head as if he was confused. In truth, he was a bit confused as he knew Artemis knew something but wasn't telling him.
"She seems a little stressed and worried sometimes but I can't say I'm not stressed either." Jason confided.
"He just never liked her. I hate that. You would think he would trust my judgment. I wouldn't want her as my girlfriend if I couldn't trust her." Jason said, frustration in his voice.
"I'm sorry, man." Roy said, knowing Jason's feelings for Artemis were strong and true.
"He's being a hypocrite. He's been with some pretty questionable women. Take princess Talia for example. She may be royal but she's so cold hearted she could make the devil himself flee." Jason said
"Maybe you should just give him some time. He might actually change his mind once he sees how happy you two are." Roy said
"Not gonna happen. I think he worked with her in the past and he didn't like how she was. She's never gonna be good enough for him." Jason replied, taking a seat to rest his legs.
"I hope it all works out. You two make a great couple." Roy said, being the supportive friend.
He thought that Jason wouldn't care what anyone thought but seeing him upset about the fact that his father didn't approve of Artemis proved that he cared very much what his family thought.
Artemis was quite when she and Jason got back from patrol later that night. Jason didn't think much about it but after arriving home, she started drinking. A habit Jason realized he was doing a lot lately."
"Is everything ok?" He asked gently
"Why wouldn't everything be ok?" She questioned
Jason blinked. "Well, you haven't said a word since we finished patrol. Wanna tell me what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Artemis replied
"I don't think that's fair. You want me to open up to you but you don't want to open up to me." Jason huffed
"I'm sorry. I'm just sorry about everything." Artemis said, not bothering to look up.
"Why? You didn't do anything wrong." Jason replied
"You have no idea." Artemis said under her breath.
"I just feel bad about this whole thing. You finally have a decent relationship with your family and now it could all be thrown away." She said, finally glancing up at him.
"Hey, it's not your fault. I told you, I'm the one who caused him not to trust me." Jason reasoned.
He walked closer to her and tucked her bangs behind her ear. She looked away and continued her drink.
"He has a reason not to trust me too." She said
Jason said nothing for a while. He didn't like how quite things were so he went to get himself a glass.
"Mind if I join you?" He said
"Promise me something?" Artemis said
"Anything." Jason replied
"Promise that if you do have to choose, you won't choose me."
"What?" Jason asked confused
"Just promise me. I wouldn't want you to leave your family. Not after you finally made amends with them." She said
Jason was silent and Artemis knew what he was thinking.
"Promise you won't choose me over them." Her voice was calm.
Jason looked down at the marble countertop, trying to find a way to avoid the question.
"I can't." Jason replied, his voice almost a whisper
"Jason, they're your family. You need them just as much as they need you." Artemis argued.
She knew Jason wouldn't want to but she couldn't let him choose her over his own family.
"Why are you asking me this? I won't choose. I'm not going to." Jason said, starting to get up and leave.
I want this to work just as much as you do. You know that but I can't let you walk away from them. I hate to think it would ever come to that but..
"I can't do it because I'm afraid of who I'll choose."Jason paused for a moment.
"I need you Ar. I can't just walk away from you either and if I did that would mean that he wins. That's not fair. Why can't I be happy?" Jason said, letting his feelings out.
"I'm sorry but I'm not making any promises."
Artemis got up and went upstairs to take a hot shower and head to bed, leaving Jason alone with this thoughts.
In the upstairs master bathroom, Artemis toke her hair down from its ponytail as she stared at her reflection on the mirror. She wished her life wasn't so complicated. She had waited so long to find true happiness and now that she did, there was something ,more specifically someone, standing in the way. She didn't want to think that Bruce would go to extremes to keep her from being with his son but she couldn't be sure he wouldn't.
She blamed herself for all the drama with Bruce and Jason. She knew wasn't responsible for all of it but she knew why Bruce didn't like her and she couldn't say she blamed him. Bruce had every right to protect his son. She wanted to tell Jason the whole truth about what happened a few years ago but she kept avoiding it. She wasn't sure how Jason would react if he was to find out. Not after he and Bruce seemed to have put their difference aside.
She felt like she was coming between them and that's what she had wanted to avoid. She didn't want to loose Jason. He was the only man she ever loved but there was that fear of being alone again. Artemis had another secret that she prayed Jason would never find out.
Jason came up behind her and hugged her from behind. He kissed her shoulder and she couldn't help but feel secure.
"I'm sorry if I upset you." Jason said
"I just can't loose you, A. I can't. I'm not strong enough."
Artemis sighed and placed her hand on Jason's head.
"I know. I feel the same." She said
"I have an idea. I'll clear my schedule tomorrow morning and we can go away for the rest of the week until the weekend. " Jason suggested
"Sound good?"
Artemis smiled at the though of just the two of them.
"Sounds amazing." She replied.
The next morning, Artemis woke to two voice mails from Diana, telling her they needed to talk and that it was very important. She wondered what Diana wanted to talk about. The feeling in her gut told her that it wasn't good and a sense of dread came over her after hearing Diana's worried voice.
"Jason, I need to leave. Diana called and she needs me." She said, coming downstairs already dressed. It was still pretty early but she wanted to get this over with.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked, a look of concern on his handsome face.
"I'm not sure. She didn't say but I'll be back as soon as I can." Artemis replied
"Ok, Let me know when you get home. I'll probably be out." Jason said before the two kissed goodbye.
"Of course." She said as her arms snuck around his waist.
Artemis had no idea what she was in for. She thought her past was behind her and she hoped it wouldn't find her.
She met Diana at a diner and they had breakfast. They both enjoyed themselves but Artemis could tell Diana was on edge.
"What brings you to Gotham, princess?" Artemis asked
Diana's smile faded and she looked out of the window.
"Let's not talk about it here." She said softly, as if she feared someone would be listening.
"Is everything ok?" Artemis knew something wasn't right but she didn't know what.
"We really shouldn't talk here. I'd rather be alone when we do." Diana replied
"It seems serious." Artemis said and Diana nodded
"So how is Jason?" Diana asked, attempting to change the subject.
"He's good." Artemis replied with a small smile
"You two seem pretty serious about each other." Diana said with a suspicious look.
Of course she knew.
"We're just friends." Artemis tried to play it off but she could tell Diana knew the truth.
"This is a dangerous game your playing, Artemis. I hope you know that." Diana said. Her coffee sat in front of her, barley touched .
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Artemis answered
"Just be careful. I worry about you." Diana said, reaching across the table to take Artemis' hand.
Artemis smiled half heartedly.
"I'll be ok, Diana. You shouldn't worry so much."
Artemis worried enough herself but she had no idea what trouble was coming her way.
"Come on, Jason. Just do this for me." Dick's voice came through Jason's screen. He had been trying to get Jason to agree to coming back to the palace to talk to their father. Jason hated the idea of going back and hadn't spoken to Bruce since their little argument.
"I'm not going back there. I have nothing to say to him." Jason said as he continued to cut some vegetables for soup.
As a child, he had gotten use to doing things for himself and didn't like the idea of hiring a servant doing this for him so he never hired one for himself.
"He's only looking out for you, Jay. It's gonna be ok. Just give him another chance." Dick was usually the peace maker in the family.
"He's being a hypocrite and he has no right to judge her." Jason said, still upset about the heated argument.
"I should have known you would take his side."
"I'm not taking anyone's side." Dick defended.
"I'm not saying he's right but you're not exactly understanding either." Dick replied
Jason dumped the rest of the vegetables into a big pot and began stirring.
"What more is there to understand? I don't have the same relationship with him that you do." Jason retorted
"Whats that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing, it's just you were always the one he could trust no matter what." Jason said
Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"He trusts you, Jason. He just doesn't trust other people and that's how he's always been."
"If he trusted me then he would be happy for me. He wouldn't look down on the woman I love." Jason said, turning away from the stove and looking at his brother on the screen of his laptop.
"I'm sorry things are bad between you two right now but I promise, things will get better. He hadn't always trusted people I dated either." Dick pointed out.
"He never gave you the hell he gave me." Jason reasoned
"I think you need to talk to each other instead of yelling. Maybe you can both come to an understanding." Dick said."
"I don't think that's gonna happen." Jason replied, his voice low.
"Look, I have to go." Jason said
"I'm sorry about all of this." Dick said, truly feeling sympathy for his brother. He just wanted to see his brother happy after all he's been through.
"Yeah, me too." Jason replied.
Jason had already made up his mind. He couldn't go back. Not after what Bruce had said but it wasn't so much what he said, just the fact that he thought Artemis was bad for Jason was not acceptable at all. Either Bruce had to accept her and see her for who she was or Jason couldn't see himself returning to the palace. He didn't want to see his father for a long time. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold back on another argument and next time would be worse.
It's not that he didn't respect his father or care what Bruce thought. In fact, he did care very much. He also knew Artemis wasn't a big fan of Bruce and he hated to think what would happen should they ever come face to face. He knew how protective Artemis could be and there would be nothing stopping her from throwing punches.
However, Jason didn't know the truth about why Bruce didn't trust Artemis and he was starting to think that Artemis didn't want him to know.
Diana and Artemis sat in Diana's car as rain clouds loomed above them. The air was getting colder. Artemis pulled her cardigan around her as she watched the rain fall.
"So, what's so important you had to talk to me in private?" Artemis asked. She almost didn't want to know.
Diana sighed heavily and readied herself for what she had to tell the other woman.
"It's him." She said, looking over at Artemis.
"Dalkriig. He's looking for you. He found me and asked me where you were." Diana said
Artemis froze at hearing his name. She knew somehow her past would catch up to her. She swallowed hard as she fixed her eyes in front of her.
"What did you tell him?" She asked
"I didn't tell him anything. I wanted to be sure you were safe." Diana replied
"Why now? After all this time why now?" Artemis asked, more to herself then Diana.
"I don't know but you know this could put other people in danger. He'll stop at nothing to get to you. That means Jason could get hurt. I know you don't want that." Diana said
"I would never let that happen. If he wants me he can come get me. He's gonna get a rude awakening." Artemis said.
She couldn't hold back the fear that ran through her at the thought of something happening to Jason.
"You can't fight him alone. I can help you put him away." Diana offered
"I don't want your help." Artemis said harshly
"This is my mess and I'm going to make it right." Artemis said after a moment of silence passed.
"He's dangerous, Artemis. You could get hurt or worse." Diana said but Artemis shot her a glare.
"I don't care what happens to me. I won't let him hurt anyone else."
"How would Jason feel if something bad happened to you! You have to think this through, Artemis." Diana exclaimed
"If you hadn't stopped me from killing him in the first place, he wouldn't be here looking for me and no one else would be in danger." Artemis stated.
"Maybe I was wrong but I didn't want you to do something you'll regret and have to live with for the rest of your life but that's in the past. We need to focus on what to do about this." Diana said
"I told you, this is my mistake. I'll be the one to take care of it." Artemis said, hoping her husband didn't already hurt someone to get to her. She knew she would never forgive herself if anything happened to Jason.
"Jason, we need to talk." Artemis said, after dinner. She knew she had to tell him. He deserved to know everything.
"What is it?" Jason asked, knowing Artemis had been struggling with secrets.
"I haven't been completely honest with you and thats all my fault." She said softly. She almost backed out but she couldn't.
Jason deserved the truth but if he was in danger, she wanted him to be safe. She knew her husband would do anything to hurt her.
"Whatever it is you can tell me." Jason said, reassuring her
"I told you about Dalkriig and how I killed him in self defense but that wasn't true. I never killed him. I escaped and I ran as far away as possible. I now realize my mistake. I should have finished him when I had the chance." She said, regretfully.
Jason stared at her. Almost not believing what he was hearing.
"What? Why are you telling me this now?" Jason asked, obviously confused.
Artemis took a breath
"He's here. He wants me and he'll hurt anyone to get to me. I won't let him do that. I'm gonna stop him for good. I just haven't figured out how." She said, trying to remain calm.
"How could you not tell me? Your husband was never dead? What makes it ok for you to lie about that?" Jason was now raising his voice and Artemis sighed.
"I know I was wrong to keep it from you. I didn't want to lose you. I was afraid of what you would do if you found out. I can't imagine what your father would do if he found out. He hates me as it is." She paused, as if to gather her thoughts.
"I'm so sorry, Jason. Please don't hate me." She said, her voice shaking.
"This isn't right. Nothing about this is right." Jason said, getting up from his place on the long couch.
"What were you thinking! You should have told me from the start. You know I would have had your back."
There was a long pause that seemed like an eternity.
"So our relationship meant nothing to you? Were you just playing me the whole damn time!" Jason asked turning to her
"No, of course not. You mean everything to me, Jason. You know that."
"Then why wasn't you honest with me in the first place? You were my best friend. I was always open to you. I thought you could do the same with me." Jason replied
"I'm not gonna try to justify what I did but I thought I would be safe here. I didn't plan on falling in love with you and I couldn't turn back once I realized how I felt about you. If I had known he would come after me, I never would have kept it from you."
Jason listened to what she was saying but he didn't understand how she could not tell him she was still married.
"I told you everything. I was always honest with you.."
Artemis felt guilty but keeping Jason safe was her first priority.
"I would do anything to take it back. I admit I was wrong" Artemis said
"How did you get away and why is he looking for you now?" Jason asked
"I'm not sure why he's looking now. Maybe it just toke him this long to find where I was."
"The last night I saw Dalkriig we had a big fight and he told me he would see me dead before he let me go. I wanted to kill him to escape but Diana convinced me not to. She said if I killed in self defense that would be ok but any other reason would be wrong and I would have to live with it the rest of my life. I know now I should have never listened to her."
"The moment I was as far away as possible I toke off my ring and trashed it. As far as I was concerned, he was no longer my husband." Artemis said, feeling tears in her eyes.
She feared she was going to lose Jason no matter what she did to fix things. He was angry and confused and it was her fault.
"Jason, say something." Artemis said after a few minutes had passed. She hated how quite he was.
"I love you. I've always loved you. If you can't believe anything else, believe that." Artemis said as tears began to fall.
"I don't know what to believe anymore." Jason said. He turned to go upstairs, leaving her alone. All she could do was watch as the only man she ever loved was lost to her. The next thing she knew, she was laying on the couch, crying into a pillow and wishing she could go back and correct her mistake.
She had been happy with Jason and now she feared she had lost him. She also still had Dalkriig to deal with and she was going to make sure he never saw the light of day again.