SAY WHAAAA? Is that a longer chappy? Yes, it is! I could NOT stop writing and you would have hit me in the face had I split it up, so in honor of my spring brizzle starting, have an extra 1000 words.

Also, this chapter will be where I finally divulge the fate of Dick's relationshippy stuff. I took each and every single comment and vote into consideration, as well as my own thoughts. That poll went back and forth, I swear! In the end, I think what I have works best with the story.

The week passed slowly for Artemis as Friday approached. Work was a drag, and her coworkers seemed to notice the absence of Wally on Thursday. Bette, being the first person to notice Wally in the first place, was quick to point out that he was gone, joking that Artemis had scared him off.

"I did not scare him off. If anyone did it was you and the way you would literally stare him down when we were talking." She threw a shirt at Bette's face who easily caught it.

"Don't know what you're talking about." She quickly folded the top before tossing in onto a pile of clothes waiting to go back onto the floor. "So was he a creep or something?"

"He's normal, thank you. We're going out tomorrow so he can meet my roommate and some other people. Nothing fancy."

"Ooh!" Bette's taunting was cut short as a handful of more tshirts were tossed her way. Artemis laughed as they all landed right in the middle of Bette's face. Served her right...

When Friday finally rolled around Zatanna started bouncing off the walls, fussing over her own outfit as well as what Artemis should wear. Should she wear heels? Is he bringing a friend? Are you really wearing those boots? Why are you wearing that, you wore it all day! It smells like the library. You should wear his shirt from last week. Guys think that's hot. If she didn't love her best friend so much she'd punch her in the face.

Zee finally approved their outfits, wearing black heels to match her skinny jeans and bright yellow top. It took a lot of persuasion, but somehow Artemis found herself talked into a more fitted version of the white tshirt she had planned on wearing as well as a trendy faux army jacket found in the back of her closet.

"I don't see how this is any batter than what I had picked out." She grumbled as they headed out the door.

"You mean besides this being flattering and hot? Yeah, your worn out sneakers and baggy flannel would have been totally working it."

"I love my flannel," she grumbled. "It was thrifted and already worn in the right places."

"The pockets are ripped in and you can't keep anything in them," Zatanna retorted. "If I buy your first drink will you shut up? We look good, we're going to hang out with friends and have a good night." She slipped her arm through her friend's as the turned the corner towards the bar. "Let's at least pretend to be happy."

The bar was one of the more popular ones on campus, but there always seemed to be room, not matter the hour. Every night offered some sort of drink special, tonight's being half priced Long Islands. Zatanna's eye's lit up at the offer as she turned to her roommate who quickly shot down the idea. Long Islands were the absolute last thing she needed tonight.

Inside they headed towards the back where Karen had texted to look for them. There in the corner she sat with her fiancé Mal, who always seemed so infatuated with Karen, no matter how long they had been dating. Artemis found incredibly sweet even if she wasn't the most romantic person. She was always so happy people could find such joy with others, she just doubted she'd ever be that lucky.

"So where's your man?" Karen asked through sips of her drink.

"He should be here eventually. I texted him to get here around now. I think he's bring a friend, too."

Mal laughed. "Good. He'll need backup between these two, and I'm going to need some more testosterone if we're going to be doing girl talk all night."

"Baby, I told you you didn't have to come."

"You know I just like spending time with you, girl." He planted a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek as she blushed from his compliment. "What's this guy look like anyways?"

Artemis shrugged. "Tall, red head, lot of freckles. A dork."

"He looks like Ron Weasley." Zatanna said as she magically appeared with drinks in hand. "Rum and Coke for you, m'lady." She handed her the drink, and Artemis gladly accepted.

"Like that kid right there?" Karen asked.

The four turned around to see Wally and Dick make their way to the table, their own drinks in hand.

"Looks like Ron brought Harry," Karen joked. "Does that make you Hermione?"

Zatanna turned to Artemis with playful grin on her face. "Dibs."

"No," Artemis started. "No, no, no. He has a girlfriend, they're adorable and happy."

"But-"

The argument was quickly ended as Artemis gave her the look. Dick was off limits.

Wally quickly spotted the group and lead Dick to their table in the back. He really had no idea what to expect when it came to her friends, but could only assume they were nice...in that Artemis sort of way. It became apparent everyone knew who he was before he had even reached the table as everyone was watching him.

"Do I have something on my face?" he cautiously asked Dick, who also noticed all the attention.

"Maybe they're just surprised that of all the people in the world, she's going for you. I know I am," he replied with a pat on his back.

"Why didn't I bring someone else?" Wally muttered, mostly to himself.

"You have no other friends, man." With that, Dick took the lead towards the table. "This must be the right place. I'm Dick, not the one you're excited about." He introduced himself.

Artemis introduced the rest of the table before turning to Wally, who felt a blush slowly crawling up his neck. "This...is Wally, my..." She paused and gave him a confused look. "This is Wally."

He felt excitement growing as she had started giving him a title, but wasn't too surprised when she failed to find one. They were kind of dating, but it wasn't exclusively, nor did he think it was open. How many weeks of limbo am I going to be in?

The night seemed to pass smoothly, and as far as Wally could tell he was making a good impression. He loved talking with Zatanna and could easily see why Artemis would have her as a friend. The brunette brought out a different side to her roommate that was a bit zanier than he had had a chance to see. Karen and Mal gave him that high school sweethearts vibe, and he could tell they were both head over heels, Mal especially.

Once the smalltalk had passed the night slowed down as he stood in a corner taking his surrounding in. Wally felt a small tap on his shoulder and turned to find Zatanna's blue eyes about a few inches from his.

"So I heard you learned about the family the other night..." she started. Something about her voice and posture told him this was going to be a serious conversation.

"Uh...yeah. It's really tragic," he replied. He could only hope that was a decent response.

"Tragic doesn't begin to cover the men in her life."

"Well, hopefully I won't fit in that category." Nervousness was growing inside him and Wally quickly took a drink in an effort to fight it off.

"For your sake, I hope so. If you break that rock hard heart of her's, I will break you." The air around them seemed to darken with Zatanna's threats, and the look on her face was equally dark. Wally swore somewhere he heard thunder clapping off in the distance, but that had to have been his imagination. Within seconds, her face changed to a bright smile. "But you seem so great, Wally, really! Artemis really seems to like you a lot! I really hope we get to hang out more. Do you have any single friends?"

Artemis sat in the booth facing the wall sipping her drink. The night had calmed down despite the relatively early hour. Mal and Karen ran into an old friend and were off somewhere in the bar, Dick was outside calling Barbara, Wally was in the restroom, and she had no clue where Zee had disappeared to. Hopefully not stalking "Harry", which she insisted on calling Dick behind his back. It was just then that her friend slid into the booth opposite her, anxiety clear on her face.

"We need to leave."

She raised an eyebrow at the demand. "What? It's barely midnight. Calm down." She probably just saw one of her exes or something.

"No, I'm not kidding. You go outside and wait with Harry, I'll grab everyone else." Something on her face made Artemis think this was serious, but it was always hard to tell with her best friend.

"Wally's in bathroom I'm not just leaving him in here. That totally sends the right message, ya know?"

Artemis watched as Zatanna closed her eyes for a moment, planning her words. "Artemis. We need to go. Someone showed up." The last sentence felt like it weighed fifty pounds, but it was nothing compared to what followed.

"Now I know that isn't Artemis Crock."

Artemis instantly tensed at the sound of the all too familiar voice. The look on Zee's face was almost too painful to regard, and suddenly she wished she had heeded the warning. The blonde mentally prepared herself as she slowly turned around in the booth. Standing behind her stood the last person she had ever hoped to see. What started out as a great night quickly turned south.

"What are you doing here, Cameron?"

The already smug look on his face somehow managed to grow more so. Cameron had never been a very handsome guy, which was a real waste of his ice blue eyes. His harsh features had always appeared rather sharp, but his efforts to grow a goatee only made them more pronounced.

"Came down to visit a friend, but imagine my surprise when I see your unforgettable mess of blonde hair." His eyes flicked to the top of the head but only stayed for a second before roaming south. Artemis could feel her blood beginning to boil.

"Well today must be your lucky day." There was barely a trace of emotion in her voice. She was so shocked to see him standing in front of her that she couldn't even muster the anger she knew she possessed.

He smiled. It was as lecherous as always. "So what have you been up to?" He took a quick swing of his beer, but his eyes never left her. "Seeing anyone new?"

"I fail to see how that's any of your business," she replied, her drink long forgotten on the table.

"Just curious, Arty. Some simple catching up between friends." His tone was playful, but it hardly lightened the mood. At some point during the conversation Wally had appeared at her side, but she didn't notice until Cameron motioned to something behind her. "This a friend of your's?"

She glanced back to briefly catch Wally's worried eyes before returning to Cameron's. "This is Wally. We're screwing," she said bluntly. Artemis prayed that Wally wouldn't get angry. Or excited. She just wanted Cameron gone.

Unfortunately, this only seemed to pique his interest. "You must be a lucky guy. I'm Cameron. Artemis and I dated...for a very long time." He returned his attention back to a fuming Artemis. "Daddy met your new man?"

Anger and sarcasm were starting to fuse within her. "No, you see...I don't let my dad choose my relationships, or my career paths. Amazing what happens when you grow up."

"Hey! I never heard you comp-"

"You know," Wally interrupted, his hand snaking around Artemis's shoulder, "I think we're gonna go home. Watch some Game of Thrones. Have you seen that show?" Something in his voice hinted that he wasn't getting ready to nerd out. His eyes darkened and his voice seemed to deepen. "There's this one kick ass blonde chick, but this guy she's known most of her life keeps giving her shit and just layin' in to her. Finally her boyfriend comes out and just starts kicking his ass. It was brutal."

Cameron regarded Wally with an equally dark stare, not backing down from the obvious challenge. "Can't say I've ever seen it."

"Oh. Well you'll have to check it out. It's my favorite show." Artemis had no idea if he was being honest, but she was thankful for the intervention. He turned to her, his eyes still dark. "You ready to go?" She nodded, but Wally had already turned to offer Cameron his hand. "Nice meeting you, Cameron. I look forward to hearing about you."

Cameron shook his hand, but Wally barely maintained a grip long enough for a proper goodbye. They quickly headed for the front door, neither looking back. Artemis looked up him, but his eyes were focused on the exit.

"What about out tab?"

Wally held open the door for her as she headed out. "Zatanna got it. Everyone should be out here."

The group appeared by the building no sooner than he had finished his sentence. Things were obviously tense, and really all Artemis wanted to do was go home. Lay in her bed. Wallow. Everyone said their goodbyes - Dick going to meet Barbara and Karen and Mal going back in to see their friend. Artemis rubbed her temples as she turned to Wally who met her with a concerned gaze. She took a deep breath.

"Do you want to stay the night?" she asked. "Not to...screw...or anything. Hang out..." She laughed. "I have been wanting to watch Game of Thrones!"

"They just shove him out the window?"Artemis turned to Wally, shock evident on her face. "And they're twins, but they're sleeping together." He nodded to both questions before she proceeded. "This is really your favorite show?"

He laughed. "One of them. It's very good. A little weird, but very good."

"Aw, it's just like you." Wally tried to slap her hand away as she leaned over to tussle his hair, but greatly underestimated her speed. Not that he minded the contact.

The two sat on her bed, the lit screen of her laptop providing the only source of light. Wally laid down along the side of the bed against the wall while Artemis sat in a nest of pillows against her headboard. They had both changed into comfier clothes, Artemis begrudgingly giving up Wally's shirt from the previous week. Things got awkward when no bottoms could be found in Wally's size "forcing" him to strip down to his boxers. Luckily Artemis was kind enough to remind him that he'd already seen her underwear. It was only fair. This was the first time he had seen her hair down, and boy, did she have a lot.

"I like Daenerys, though, the kick ass blonde?" She leaned back into her nest and started fiddling with the ends of her hair. "Kinda relatable."

"What? Being sold to a guy you don't know in exchange for some muscle?" Wally started clicking through links for the next episode when he saw Artemis shrug out of the corner of his eye. "What?"

"When my dad finally returned home to, you know, take care of his children...he decided to make some...new business partners, one being Cameron's dad. Dad got a steady client and he got a good discount. As well as collateral should my dad not keep his end of any deals. Cameron's older than me, so I had the joy of growing up even more at a younger age than I would have liked."

Wally's attention was now fully on the girl sitting beside him playing with strands of her hair. Zatanna was right. Tragic didn't begin to cover it.

"Anyways there wasn't a whole lot of emotion there, just..." She rolled her eyes. "You know." She paused. "I hate talking about this, so long story short as soon as mom got out we moved, and I hadn't seen Cameron since."

Sometime during the story Wally had moved to sit upright next to her, his hand once again tracing lazy but comforting circles on her skin. It was hard not to feel sorry for her, but he was quite certain pity was the last thing Artemis wanted. Really all she needed was one guy who wouldn't let her down. Just one. He smiled.

"You're a lot like Daenerys actually. There's a lot of fire in your blood."

Her arms fell to her lap as she gave him a sidelong stare. "Fire in my blood?"

"Fire and Blood are the words of Daenerys's family. Like their house credo."

"Feels angry. What else you got?"

"Let's see..." he thought as he picked up her hands. Her skin was soft under his, surprisingly she didn't shy away from the contact. "There's House Martell..."

"What are the words of House Martell?" Neither one looked at the other, simply staring at their joined hands.

"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."

She gave a soft chuckle. "Are you suggesting that I should be bowed, bent, and broken?"

"Now I never said that." His thumbs began to trace down the length of her slender finders as if they had a mind of their own.

"So I'm not bowed?"

"Oh no."

"Not bent?"

"Not that I can tell."

"Not broken?"

He looked up to find two blue-grey eyes boring into his own. It seemed that without any warning, they had slowly inched closer until now their noses almost touched.

"You are definitely not broken."

With that their lips met. It wasn't nearly as heated as Wally had imagined (not that he imagined kissing her or anything), but carried a different kind of passion. The feeling of her lips moving against his was the perfect feeling. They were soft yet chapped in some areas where she bit them. Her hands moved to cup his face, lightly leaning into him as she move to sit on her knees. Wally's own hands rested on her thighs as he pressed into her weight. She smelled like some sort of fruit and vanilla. It was intoxicating.

Her hair seemed to dance around them when they finally broke apart. Wally placed a soft kiss on her forehead before leaning back to look at her. Artemis's face was slightly flushed. Her teeth immediately sought out chewing her lower lip in an effort to hide her smile, but it only managed to give her a goofier looking grin. She was beautiful.

"So, if I tell you you're not broken again, do I get another one of those?"

She placed a quick peck on his cheek. "Put on the next episode, Wall-man, and I'll let you know."

Wally returned his attention back to the laptop and quickly found a working link to the second episode. He turned the computer to face them both before situating himself into the corner between the bed and the wall. Artemis's head found his shoulder and curled her arm through the nook in his elbow.

"Thank you for tonight, Wally. Meeting my friends, standing up to Cameron, this...It really means a lot."

He placed another soft kiss on her head. "Anytime," he whispered into her hair. He struggled to place his head on her's from his position and settled for placing his hand atop hers. By the time the episode had ended, both were asleep in each other's arms.

~ROMANCE~ Ohhhhh! I mean I'm getting feels from my fic, guys, geez!

Hopefully being on spring break means I can churn out more of this and Reconciliation as a THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST READERS EVER gift.I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter as well as the thickening plot ;D

-Mags