"Good morning, princess." Jason said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"What time is it?" She asked and Jason glanced at the clock.
"Almost seven." He replied
She realized she felt comfortable and content. She hadn't felt this way in a while. It was almost like it use to be in the beginning of their relationship. It just felt right.
"I'm so sorry, A. I shouldn't have over reacted last night. I was scared that I was losing you and I didn't know what to do. Please forgive me." He said, taking her hand in his and kissing it.
He couldn't stay mad at her. He wasn't even really mad. Just worried and scared he was loosing the only woman he could ever imagine loving.
"You had every right to react that way." Artemis said, still feeling guilty
"No, I shouldn't have said those things. I'm such a jerk." Jason said, caressing her hand.
"You were upset. It wasn't your fault." Artemis said
"It's not yours either. I can't imagine how you must feel. I just made you feel worse." Jason explained
"I shouldn't have hid anything from you. I foolishly thought that I could move on and leave the past behind." Artemis said; still feeling regret.
"I know you had a reason. Everyone makes mistakes. I just want you to be safe." Jason said
"I was just selfish. I never felt this way about anyone and I didn't wanna loose that." She admitted
"If you never trusted me again I wouldn't blame you."
Jason looked her in the eyes.
"I trust you with my life. I always will. You've always had my back and I will always have yours."
"I need to find him before he hurts anyone." Artemis said, thinking about dalkriig.
"You're not in this alone. I won't let you do this alone. He lost the right to be your husband long time ago." Jason stated.
"No, Jason. Please, this is my mess. I have to make things right." She said, sitting up in the large bed.
"We're in this together. I won't let him have you." Jason said, fearing what could happen.
"It's gonna be ok. I promise, we'll be ok." Jason said, putting arm around her waist. Artemis suddenly remembered something. Her other secret.
"I know we will. We're strong." She said, turning to kiss her lover.
"I love you, Jason." She said, loving the feeling of being close to him.
"I love you too. Forever." Jason replied, kissing her softly.
She kissed him back gently. They both needed this. This feeling of being free.
"So how do you feel about breakfast?" Jason asked
"Maybe later." Artemis said, seeming deep in thought.
"Wanna do a little work out?" Jason suggested with a smirk.
Artemis didn't react like she usually did. She wasn't feeling playful.
"I'm not in the mood." She said, staring at the comforter.
"You still tired?" Jason said, rubbing her back with his hand.
"I could use a drink." She said, getting up and grabbing a cold water from the mini fridge.
"For a second I thought you meant something stronger." Jason laughed
"I think you should stay at the palace. Just so I know you're safe." Artemis said
Jason shook his head.
"No. I'm not going back. I can't be around him. I don't trust what I'll say and I don't want another fight." Jason said
"Maybe he's right not to trust me." Artemis said, walking back over to the bed
"Artemis, he has no right to judge you. What you did in the past is in the past. He's wrong to hold that against you. You're better then that now." Jason said
"No, there's something else. "I'm the reason he won't accept me."
Jason wanted to ask her what she meant but he decided to let her talk first.
"A few years ago, I was chosen by the amazons of themyscira to take the mantel as the next Wonder Woman. I was looked down on by everyone because Diana was so admired and looked up to. When I attempted to join the justice league, some of them refused to show me respect. You're father was the worst." She started as she toke a seat on the bed.
"He refused to let me sit in Diana's chair at meetings and he looked at me like I disgusted him. It was obvious that he resented me for taking Diana's place. He told me I would never be good enough. That made me angry." She said, a regretful look on her face.
"Sometime later, I found an opportunity to get revenge. I snuck into the palace and stole some jewelry that belonged to his mother. It was something dear to him and I wanted him to pay for how he treated me. When the royal guards caught up to me, I toke one of them out and sent the other one back with a message."
"I threatened him. I told him that's what happens when you disrespect me. He came after me and I told him that if he ever was hateful to me again, I would take something precious from him again but next time he would never get it back."
When she finished, Jason sat there in silence and Artemis wondered if he was angry with her. She didn't think she could forgive herself if he was once again pissed at her for keeping something from him.
"I told you he has a reason not to trust me. I'm the reason he'll never accept our relationship." She said sadly
Jason moved closer to her.
"What you did doesn't matter. Your past doesn't define who you are. Everyone has something in their past they regret." Jason said, taking her hand in his.
"I'm so sorry, Jason. I don't know how to fix anything anymore." She said
You deserve better. You deserve someone who can make you happy and who will be accepted by your father." Artemis said
"No one can ever make me as happy as you do. I can never love anyone else. You're the only one for me. If I can't have you, I'd rather be alone forever." Jason said, wanting her to know how much he truly loved her.
"You're all I want and if my father can't accept you, that's his problem. He said
"We'll figure it out together." Jason said, stroking her hair.
"I feel like such a failure sometimes." She confided
"You're not a failure. You don't know how to fail. That may be you're only flaw." He said, wiping a tear away from her face.
"You're such a Prince Charming." She said with smile
"And you're my princess." He said, kissing her once again.
It was getting late at night when Artemis returned home. Everything was dark and she had a terrible feeling in her stomach and a feeling of dread came over her.
"Jason?" She said, walking further into the house.
She heard something near the kitchen and began walking towards the sound.
"Jason, are you there?" She said, her voice hopeful.
As she rounded the corner, she saw her worst nightmare. Dalkriig was standing in the kitchen holding a large knife in his hand. On the floor was blood. So much blood.
That's when she saw him. Jason was laying in the floor surrounded by blood. His own blood. It was obvious what had happened. Dalkriig must have snuck up on him when he was off guard. He always had a way of doing that to people.
"You see what happened? This is your fault. You should never have left me, Artemis." He said with an evil grin.
Artemis let out a scream she hadn't realized she had been holding.
"Jason!" She awoke on the bed, finding herself alone. She began taking deep breaths to calm herself. She tried not to panic as fear set in. Her heart was beating so fast and she tried tell herself it was only a dream. Everything was quite. Almost too quiet.
She grabbed her phone and dialed Jason's number, desperate to hear his voice, her hand shaking. She noticed the sun had gone down so it was getting late.
"Hello," Jason's voice said
"Jason, are you ok?" She breathed
"Of course I'm ok. What's wrong? Do I need to come home?" Jason asked getting worried
Artemis toke a second to catch her breath.
"No, it's fine. I just... needed to hear your voice." She said, wiping a tear away
"I'm still at the meeting. I'll be home soon. I promise." Jason said. The anxiety wasn't good for either of them.
"Take your time." She said
"I'll see you soon, princess. I love you." Jason said
"I love you, too." She replied hanging up the phone.
She was relieved that he was ok but she still feared what Dalkriig would do. She needed to find him and soon.
Jason returned home less then an hour later. When he found no one downstairs, he descended the stairs and entered the master bedroom.
"Artemis?" The door was half opened and he opened it all the way to find no one. His heart sped up at not seeing her there until she emerged from the bathroom.
"Hey," Jason greeted, noticing her hair was wet.
"Are you ok? You seemed shaken up on the phone." He said
"Yes, I'm fine now. I just needed a shower to clear my head." She said
She saw he carried a dozen red roses.
"What are those?" She asked
"They're called roses."
"You know what I mean." She said, rolling her eyes
"I still feel bad about over reacting last night. You deserve so much more then this but this is the best I can do for now." Jason said as she toke them from him.
She smiled, knowing he meant well.
"You didn't need to do that." She said, gently placing them on the bed.
"I wanted you to know how sorry I am. I don't want anything to happen to us."
"Do you think I'm gonna give up on us just because of some stupid argument? Artemis asked
"No. I know you would never give up on us. I just don't want anyone trying to take you away from me. I'm selfish too. I want you all to myself." Jason said as he pulled her close.
She couldn't help but smile again.
"You really shouldn't have. I don't deserve this." She said
You deserve the world. I would give you the world if I could." Jason said, wrapping his arms around her.
"You are the world to me." She said, realizing how cheesy she sounded.
"Lets go out tonight. I have things to do in the morning but we can go to a nice dinner tonight." Jason said
Artemis looked at Jason's watch on his wrist. It was still kinda early.
"I thought we didn't want the press bothering us." She said
"I'll risk it. I don't care anymore. I want the world to know you're mine." He said, kissing her softly.
They still had problems but they felt they were strong enough to stand anything.
Jason found a way to get into the restaurant without being noticed and they were taken to a secluded area of the restaurant for privacy. They both dressed casually as they didn't want to draw attention to themselves.
"This is nice." Artemis commented.
"We should do this more often." She flashed Jason a smile and Jason's heart melted. Seeing her smile made him happy and he prayed he would someday see her smile at their wedding.
"I agree." Jason said
"I've been thinking." Artemis said, watching as Jason looked up from the menu.
"I'm sorry about what happened with your father but I think there's a way to talk to him. Maybe the two of you can come to an agreement." She said, hoping Jason could recline with his dad.
"I don't know, Ar. I was really pissed when I left that night. What if he doesn't wanna talk to me. I probably just made him mad." Jason said
"Besides, he won't change his mind. He's never gonna see you the way I do."
Artemis noticed the sadness in Jason's eyes and she wanted so much to make it better. She didn't want him to loose his family. She knew how much they meant to him.
"I wish there was something I could do." She said, wanting to help Jason
"It's ok. It's not your fight." Jason replied but then Artemis looked up at him.
"No, my fight is with someone else." She said
"I told you, I won't let you deal with him alone. I can't trust what he'll do." Jason said, knowing Dalkriig was dangerous.
"I can take him out with my bare hands. I don't need someone to protect me." She said and she meant it. Jason knew she could literally take a man out.
"Just because I know how strong you are doesn't mean I'll just stand by and do nothing." Jason said, determined to stand by his princess.
Dick lightly knocked on Bruce's office door.
"Are you busy?" He asked
"Not too much. Just going over some papers. What do you need?" Bruce asked his oldest son.
"I wanted to talk about Jason." Dick said, walking into the office.
Bruce looked up and Dick sat down on the large couch that sat in front of the King's desk.
"What about Jason?" Bruce said
"I talked to him the other day and he was really upset. He told me what happened." Dick explained, hoping Bruce wouldn't shut him out. He really needed to talk to his second son. They needed to work something out. Dick didn't want their relationship to be strained once again.
Bruce let a deep sigh.
"I tried to talk to him about his relationship with Artemis. He just got angry and left. I doubt he'll come back for a while. If he even comes back at all." Bruce said, the last part sounded broken.
Dick knew Bruce wanted Jason to come home.
"He'll come back, Bruce. You just need to try to understand. He's very much in love with her. He's happy with her. All he wants is for his family to be happy for him and he deserves that much. Am I right?" Dick asked
Bruce kept his eyes on his desk.
"Yes, he does deserve to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted for him. I'm just afraid he's going to get hurt and there's nothing I would be able to do." Bruce said
"Get hurt? Bruce, she would never hurt him. She would do anything for him. Just like he would for her. Why can't you see that she feels as deeply for him?" Dick asked his father
"I can see how in love with her he is but the last time I had an encounter with her, she wasn't too friendly." Bruce said, remembering the past.
"That was a long time ago. People change." Dick said
"She's trying to make amends. Trust me. I've met her and she's nothing like what you think she is. She's great and she's perfect for Jason." Dick said, trying to convince his dad
"So you came here to tell me how great Artemis is?" Bruce asked
"No, I came to tell you you're wrong about their relationship and if you can't like her then at least put aside your feelings for Jason's sake. You're only hurting him. That's not fair." Dick said, getting up to leave the office.
"I'll think about it." Bruce said
Jason and Artemis left the restaurant when the sky was getting even darker. They walked to their car and Artemis noticed someone standing in the shadows not too far away. She paused for a moment and turned to look back at the figure. She couldn't tell who it was but she knew it was him. Something in her gut told her he was watching.
"Artemis?" Jason noticed she was staring at something but she turned back around and shrugged it off.
She didn't wanna seem paranoid if it turned out to be someone else. She knew she was already on edge and she didn't want Jason to worry.
"I'm fine." She smiled reassuringly.
Jason gave her a worried look. She put her hand on his arm
"It's gonna be ok. Really." She said, gently
Jason opened the door to let Artemis in and after getting situated, Jason shut the door and walked around the car to the driver's side.
Artemis glanced back to see if the figure was still there but she saw no one.
They headed back to Jason's safe house which was basically a condo near an empty road. No other houses was near by. Jason liked it that way. As they drove down the street that led to the house, the entered an intersection and was suddenly blindsided by another car.
After the ringing stopped, Artemis looked over and noticed Jason was unconscious as it had hit his side of the car. She reached over and toke his arm to shake him awake.
"Jason, wake up. Please, Jason." Artemis pleaded. There was blood coming from somewhere on his head and she worried that he would have a concussion.
She then turned to look at the car that hit them and saw that it was actually a large truck. It was him. She knew it.
She slowly opened her door. She realized her head was pounding but she couldn't let that stop her. She had to get rid of this evil man for good.
"Artemis. Ohhh Artemis." Dalkriig said, slowly walking up to the car.
No. She wasn't going to let him get by with this. He's gotten by with so much and this was it. All the people he had hurt and the lives he's destroyed and he got by with it because of his title. No more.
She pushed opened her door and helped herself out of the car. She fell to the ground as her legs gave out. She then heard him approaching her.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find you? I'm not stupid. I know how to track someone down. How's life with your prince by the way? I'm sure you two have a great time together." Dalkriig mocked
"But tonight is your last night together." He said, a sinister grin spread across his face.
"You bastard. You'll regret ever coming here. You should have stayed away." Artemis said, anger in her voice.
"You think you can get rid of me? Honey, I'm still your husband. You belong to me!" He said as he grabbed her by the throat.
"Screw you. I'd rather die then be your wife." Artemis said through her teeth.
"That can be arranged." Dalkriig said
Artemis brought her knee up to his groin and he doubled over in pain. She then toke him by the hair and kneed him in the face. When he tried to hit her,she grabbed his arm and twisted it until he screamed in pain. She then kicked him in the stomach and he landed on his back. He tried to sit up as he groaned in pain.
"You stupid bitch!" He yelled
"Watch your mouth. That's my girl your talking to." Jason said coming up to stand beside Artemis. He held his a gun. He was always prepared.
Dalkriig looked surprised to see him but his anger got stronger at seeing them together.
"You're not leaving here alive!" I'll kill you both." Dalkriig boasted as if that was something to be proud of.
He pulled out his own gun and aimed first at Artemis then at Jason.
"Wanna play that game? The cops are on their way." Jason said
"Of course they are. His highness had to get the police involved." Dalkriig said, sarcastically.
"I'm not the one who called them. Artemis did." Jason said with a smirk. She had called before getting out of the car but Dalkriig was too obsessed with confronting her.
"You both have another thing coming if you think you can get rid of me that easily." He said
Jason walked over to him slowly, he was bent over holding his injured arm.
"You just can't stand to loose, can you? She's right. You should have stayed away. She's not yours anymore. You never deserved her." Jason said, feeling his blood boil at the thought of him hurting Artemis.
Jason started to walk away but then turned back to Dalkriig.
"Oh and one more thing." He said before punching him hard in the face. He watched as the man fell onto the ground.
"You loose." Jason stated before walking back to Artemis.
She held out her hand for the gun and he gave it to her and Jason watched as she aimed it at his head.
"You won't kill me. You had your chance before. Before you left. You won't do it." He mocked as he laughed.
"You don't know me." She said before pulling the trigger and watching her sorry ass husband fall back onto the road.
Artemis breathed a sigh of relief at seeing that horrible man dead. He could never hurt anyone again. The couple happily embraced each other as they heard sirens in the distance.
"We're gonna be ok." He reminded her as he held her close. Both of them taking comfort in each other.
"I know we will. I love you." Artemis said
"I know you do, princess. I never doubted you." He replied.
"I love you, too."