A/N: Finally, this chapter is up. To be honest, I fell out of the YJ loop for a bit and had to rewatch the first season again. I had a plan way before I started this fic, but it swerved out of plan around two chapters ago and I'm just winging it now. (Get it, it's a ba(t/d) pun). So sorry for everyone who's kept up with this fic, and thank you so much for reading. Please leave comments to suggest what you want to read next! I'm lost. It should be close to the end.

Thanks again, seriously. I never realised so many people actually read this fic, and thank you so much. Thank you so so so much, all your reviews have made me all warm and fuzzy.

PS: It's been a year and my writing style has definitely changed, I've tried to imitate how I wrote last year but it's hard? I hope this is decent too. Thanks again! Happy holidays, everyone!

Also, I changed it to Christmas instead after realising I made a serious error in the dates.

Chapter 19: Christmas Dinner

Wally was never known for his patience. He was always the one who blindly rushed on ahead and left the others behind. So, it had taken Artemis by surprise when he paused in the middle of the foyer and gestured her forwards into the hallway. And when he followed behind her in the average pace she was walking at, Artemis wanted to turn around to gauge his behaviour, but she could feel his gaze on her back and it was still too early into the dinner for the much anticipated awkward encounter.

She could hear the clinking of silverware and chattering of guests in the dining room a few feet away, and had almost made it to the doorway when Wally cleared his throat. Had Wally not known how sharp her hearing was, Artemis would've pretended she hadn't noticed, but as he did, she sighed before turning around to appraise him.

At her sudden turn, Wally took a subtle step backwards as he scratched his neck that was surely red with the warmth that was prickling up his spine. The archer's usually tan cheeks were more flushed than usual, and he had heard her sniffling ever since he'd caught her in his front yard. He tried a sheepish smile as she levelled him with a look that clearly demanded, 'What?'.

"Uh… Sorry. For being late, and for you having to get here yourself, and if you catch a cold tomorrow, I promise you can beat me up?" He offered with uncertainty, not quite sure what was needed to make up for everything he felt guilty for.

The harsh angle of her eyebrows softened, and she uncrossed her arms. Artemis cursed the niceness that every West seemed to embody. Her immaturity had been to blame and she was sure the speedster hadn't even been late, but he had offered the first apology and Paula's lectures about behaving and being a decent guest dusted itself off in the recesses of her mind.

Now it was her turn to feel guilty as the tightness in her chest grew, and her hair tickled her jaw as she clenched it before releasing it with a deep breath. "Not your fault," the words gushed out, and she swallowed. "I wanted to be early. You weren't late."

Wally scratched his neck again, looking at the worn carpet that decorated his hallway. "Oh."

He just wished she would say something to acknowledge his apology, even though he knew that he hadn't clearly stated what he was sorry for, he just wished she would just say it was okay, to alleviate some of the guilt he was feeling for shunning her so quickly weeks before. The speedster looked up into grey eyes as he tried again. "Still, I'm sorry. For… you know."

A booming laugh echoed around the corner, one that sounded quite like Barry's, and Artemis suddenly wished this conversation had taken someplace else. But as she watched the redhead squirm under her stare, a smirk curved on her lips.

"For what?" She pressed.

Wally's eyes widened a fraction at the first sign of emotion he'd seen from the archer in weeks. He took it as encouragement and before he knew it, the words that had been rolled tightly behind his tongue came crashing out of his lips. "I don't know why you did it but I shouldn't have doubted you so quickly, and you know that I know you are definitely one of us and I meant what I said, about not having to prove your worth and I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, definitely not after Roy was giving you so much- you know, shit- about being the mole, and I'm sorry."

Artemis' smirk had dropped into a bewildered stare during his rant, and despite the extremely fast speed at which the redhead had been talking, she had more or less understood his apology. She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out, and she had given up in even replying when Mrs. West appeared in the hallway.

"What are you two standing around for? Dinner's all set up."

The blonde whisked around as quickly as she could, giving the now speechless Kid Mouth a brief look before marching into the dining room.

Dinner had been quieter than before, since it was usually Wally who kept the ambience levels high, and the adults chatted to themselves whilst the two teens kept their eyes downcast on their plates. Barry had interrupted their staring contest with their food to ask briefly where the others were, but his questions were easily answered by the mumbling speedster.

Robin was compromised- family stuff, he had answered- since it had been the truth; Wayne Enterprises usually held an annual Christmas ball to promote charity and other rich people stuff. Zatanna had wanted to spend Christmas alone, and had gone back to visit her dad's place to search for some mementos to keep. And M'gann and Conner were still in the honeymoon period of dating, and the martian had planned their Christmas date days before. He'd glanced at the archer from the corner of his eyes as he'd said this, before abruptly shoving a gigantic piece of ham into his mouth.

Barry had cast a strange look at his nephew, before shifting his stare onto the archer, who looked up to raise an eyebrow before spearing her food with fervour. Teenagers, he had shaken his head before going back to addressing his wife.

The meal had ended not long after, and since the speedster had been put on dish duty by his mom, the archer took it on herself to find her belongings and head for the door as quickly as she could. But before she could even slip on her coat, Mrs. West caught her.

"Artemis, dear. Leaving already?"

The blonde blinked, scavenging through her brain for an excuse. Suddenly, she couldn't find a reason why she was leaving so quickly. It was as if Wally's apology had paved a way through the antagonistic views they had had of each other, and had erased every logical and determined reason she had had in her mind about keeping her distance. Artemis wanted to leave way, way before anything else could surprise her.

She licked her lips before trying again. "My mom. Um. She wants me back early for Christmas. Thank you so much for the invitation though, it was really amazing."

"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry," the woman apologised, squeezing Artemis' hands. "It was a pleasure to have you this time. Wally told me you were coming, and it was really nothing to add another plate to the table. I'd just assumed you were staying the whole night like Robin usually does."

Artemis' eyebrows knotted together in confusion, and she glanced behind the woman and into the hallway for a second.

"Though, you can't leave in this weather at this time, and all by yourself," Mrs. West continued fussing, taking the archer's coat out of her hands.

The blonde girl plastered a polite smile on her face, wanting to protest that she could handle herself. Really, she could. But Mrs. West had already put her coat away, and had come back with a broad grin on her face.

"I'll ask Wally to take you back once he's done, why don't you just relax and wait for a while."

"Thank you," the archer said awkwardly. "But I don't think that's such a good idea, I can make it home easily, Mrs. West."

"Not a problem, Wally's always got time on his hands anyway," the woman answered with a wink before bustling away.

Heaving a deep sigh, Artemis looked around the foyer and had almost gone to the living room before realising that the other guests were there, and she'd rather not deal with 'Uncle Barry' and his knowing looks at the moment. Instead, she paced the room, glancing occasionally at the hallway leading to the kitchen for any sight of red hair. She wanted to take her coat and just leave, but Mrs. West had insisted and despite her streak of challenging authority, she still had a conscience. Leaving Wally without a reply would be heartless, and if she'd been in this situation months ago, she would not have cared less.

If only things were that easy now.

The archer had just stopped to lean on the banister when Wally appeared to her right, soap suds still clinging to his hands.

"You're still here?" The redhead asked, astonished.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Your mom said to wait."

"I didn't think you'd listen."

Yeah, I didn't think so either, Artemis grimaced.

"Give me a second," Wally said, holding his hands up to show his still soapy hands. "Be back in a-"

The archer hissed as she scowled at him.

Wally shook his head, a smile growing on his face and both his hands still up. "Fine, whatever," he said as he backed away before he disappeared into a blur again.

She had only paused for a few moments when the speedster re-appeared again to slide to a stop at the front door, hands clean and the red sweater he'd been wearing when she'd bumped into him outside earlier in his hands.

"Uh, let's go," he motioned her out, before tugging on his sweater.

She'd been too nervous earlier to notice his attire, but now that the red sweater was on again, Artemis pressed her lips together to keep from grinning when she noticed the image woven onto the front. The archer slid on her coat and picked up her bag, before brushing past the speedster, who locked the door behind her in a flurry and was behind her in the next second.

She couldn't help but feel as though Wally was afraid of her, veering clear of her space like he had in the hallway before, when he'd been walking behind her instead of rushing off like he usually did.

A cold gust of wind blew her untied hair, and she pulled the collar of her coat tighter. Unbeknownst to her, Wally's ears flushed red when he caught the whiff of daisy in the air again.

"The Cave, right?" Wally asked to cover up his embarrassment.

Artemis glanced behind her, before nodding.

"Why don't I just take you back to Star City?" He asked, oblivious to Artemis' jolt of shock at his words.

She pursed her lips, wishing she could tell him everything now, since it was her that owed him an apology, but she owed the entire Team too. Artemis stopped in her tracks, and Wally looked up from the snow in confusion.

"Artie?"

The nickname made the archer grit her teeth as she whirled around. Her fingers were gripping onto the handles of her bag tightly. "Hey, Baywatch. Listen-" she cut off as she considered her words.

Wally scrunched his nose up after a few moments of silence. "I'm listening. I'm standing right in front of you, literally five feet away."

Artemis scowled. She wanted to turn around and just tell him to forget it, but she felt like she owed him because of his apology, and if there was anything she hated more than being belittled, she hated owing someone.

"I don't live in Star City," she stated slowly, knowing that she could at least disclose that much. For now.

"Right," Wally narrowed his eyes.

Artemis wasn't subtle. That much was obvious. Whilst other girls hinted at what they wanted or weren't happy with, Artemis was the rare oddity that bluntly stated her thoughts. So, Wally wasn't sure why he was surprised with her outburst.

"You obviously don't trust me," she started. "And I wouldn't trust me either."

The redhead shook his head. "Look, I meant what I said. Nothing to prove. Not to me, at least."

Artemis wrapped her arms around her torso. The falling snow had slowed somewhat since her last trek through the freezing temperatures, but she felt especially cold this time. "I'll tell you, soon. The others deserve to know too. I promise. Just… trust me, I'm not the mole- I wouldn't- not even if-"

Wally stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing to prove," he repeated firmly.

Maybe it had been too difficult for her brain to handle both warming her body up and containing her emotions, but as the snow stuck to the ends of his red hair, Artemis started laughing.

The speedster blinked at her, his hand dropping back to his side as he felt warmth rushing to his cheeks. "I mean it."

Artemis waved her hand. "Oh no, I know," she said in the midst of her laughter. "I just- you'll know soon. Sorry, for everything. And thanks."

Wally wondered if someone had snuck alcohol into the archer's eggnog as he registered the fact that she'd both apologised and thanked him in the same sentence. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

She waved him off again, before turning around to walk forwards. Still chuckling, she glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's hard to take you seriously in that sweater. Nice to know you're 'Mamma's superhero, hugs and kisses.'"

The speedster peeked down at his sweater, before groaning out loud. He knew he shouldn't have worn it, but his mom had been looking at him so expectantly.

"Merry Christmas, Baywatch," she said without turning back, hiding her smile as she walked towards the zeta-tube.

"Wow, you have a heart after all," the redhead muttered and grinned when his comment earned more laughter from the archer.

I'll tell you soon, the archer promised. Don't hate me.