Artemis got up from the floor where he had been kneeling. Paint dripped from his finger tips and was spattered all over his designer pants but, miraculously, he didn't care. He had other things to think about aside from some water-soluble paint.

A small hand covered in yellow paint reached up and grabbed the sleeve of his light blue dress shirt.

"Daddy look," stated a little boy with dark auburn hair and striking blue eyes. He held up his extremely soggy piece of paper that was covered in an exorbitant amount of paint. The picture was lost to Artemis in a mess of color. But it was his son, and his couldn't do anything but say that it was amazing.

"Very nice Finn. Once it dries, we shall hang it on the fridge so that Grandma and Grandpa can see it."

"And Butler and Juliet?" inquired Finn.

"Butler and Juliet too," confirmed Artemis as he took the painting from his six year old son. He placed it on top of a high counter so Finn couldn't reach it.

"Now make sure that you go wash up Finn!" he called as the little boy very nearly placed his paint-covered hand on a very expensive sofa.

Finn nodded and ran off to the bathroom.

Artemis sighed as he wiped his hands on his pants. They were going to have to be severely dry-cleaned anyway. He examined the splotch of yellow paint on his sleeve and smiled a little to himself. But it was a sad smile. He loved Finn very much, but he never thought that it would be this difficult. She had helped him in the beginning, but duty called and he hadn't seen her for at least three years now. Finn hadn't seen her since he was one and a half and no doubt he didn't remember her.

Artemis closed his eyes tightly and sat carefully on the couch so as not to ruin the expensive material with children's finger paint. What he had been painting still lay on the floor. He hoped Finn didn't come running in here and slipping on it.

Artemis held back the tears threatening to spill over. He was not going to cry. He was twenty six. He would not stoop so low. Artemis Senior had always taught him that to show emotion was to show weakness. Myles and Beckett had not had such training. The twins were fourteen now. Both had girlfriends, along with other friends that were human. They played video games, went out at night, things that normal teenagers did. Myles was still quite a bit smarter than Beckett, but it didn't matter. They were normal and their parents treated them normally. Artemis had never had such luxuries.

Especially since they didn't have a child. Or a child and not a wife. When Artemis had brought Finn home, his parents had been angry. They'd wanted to know who the mother was, and Angeline had guessed it. She'd given him a strict lecture, even though he was twenty and legally adult. His father had been mad that Artemis hadn't told him who it was. But how could he? He would have given everything away.

Eventually Angeline and Artemis Senior had warmed up to Finn, but the cold edge was always there when they spoke to Artemis. At least they didn't kick him out. They loved Finn too much.

Artemis heard little footsteps in the hallway and got up quickly so as to move his painting to ensure that Finn didn't slip on it. The six year old barreled into the room, completely paint free. Artemis had made sure that he knew how to wash himself and change his clothing by the time he was three.

Finn ran over to Artemis and grabbed his pant leg. "Daddy, you're still covered in paint!" he exclaimed.

"Yes Finn, I am. I suppose that I should go wash up too, shouldn't I?"

Finn nodded seriously. "Can you come back and tell me a story though?"

Artemis nodded and patted his head. "I will, I promise. Stay in this room though and keep out of the paint," Artemis said and he detached his pants from Finn's grasp and went upstairs quickly to change.

Once he had put on a clean shirt and pair of pants and washed the paint off his hands and out of his hair (who knows how it got there), Artemis went back downstairs.

He found Finn sitting on the couch, crying, a little bit of blood dripping down his index finger.

Artemis sighed and went over to Finn. "What happened?"

Finn held up his bleeding finger. "I poked it on that sharp thing over there," he said, pointing his good finger at the desk in the room.

Artemis sighed. The letter opener. He'd forgotten that Finn didn't know it was sharp.

He kneeled in front of the crying boy and wiped a few tears off his cheeks. "It's alright Finn, we'll get you a band-aid and-" Artemis didn't finish his sentence. He sat with his mouth open slightly as a few blue sparks traced over Finn's finger, dissolving the wound effortlessly.

Please Read and Review. I have more, but people have to like it first :)

Peace out ~theSunlitEarth