"So how's your family?"

Artemis threw a pillow across the room towards Wally.

"Wally! I told you not to tell anyone!"

"Do you want me to spill your drink? And I couldn't help it!" he shrugged. "That's some heavy stuff. I can't keep that bottled up."

That weekend had been declared a double date night for Artemis and Wallly and Dick and Barbara. Wally was standing at the counter gathering "supplies" while the rest of them set up "The Throne" - a stack of all the pillows and blankets in the house, perfect for endless hours of pizza and movies.

"Heavy is putting it lightly," Barbara mentioned as she hefted an armful of blankets onto the pile. Artemis shot Dick a menacing glare which he nonchalantly waved off.

"You two keep this up and we're going to be watching every version of Pride and Prejudice tonight. Not even kidding."

"Aw, babe, anything but that. I thought it was action double feature night? Expendables? Inglourious Basterds?" Wally kissed his girlfriend's cheek as he set the drinks down.

"Red and The Raid, but that's not the point. Why did you tell them? Wally, this isn't some Disney Channel whatever. This is like...General Hospital level drama." She turned back to face Dick and Babs. "Like I'm glad you care and all, but I'd rather not get anyone involved that doesn't need to be."

"We just want to help," Dick offered. He offered a smile that Artemis gladly accepted.

Barbara threw an arm around her shoulder. "We also want to watch gory movies with you so that you may forget the stress of the world."

Before she knew it, two strong arms were pulling her down into the mess of pillows and blankets, a veritable cloud of comfort. She turned over in Wally's arms to look up at his face. A knowing grin graced his features as a smirk danced across her own. Her arm wormed its way up his chest to point in his face.

"You're still not in the clear," she mocked. His face slid into his trademark over dramatic frown. "You told them when I asked you not to. It's a big deal." Her finger tip lightly tapped his nose with each emphasizing statement. "Now do you want Red or the foreign movie first?"

Wally laughed. "Uh, Red. Because I am a red-blooded American, and I speak American. We will not be watching any of these...foreign fasco-communists on my tv God bless America."

Artemis laughed as she snuggled in closer. Sometimes it really sucks. He's such a great guy, but he has to deal with all of...this. She felt felt her head naturally fall deeper into his chest. Ugh why am I so self depreciating? Just kill me.

Wally woke to the sound of someone's phone ringing. His head rose from the pillows. On the coffee was the culprit buzzing loudly against his keys. Ringing. Buzzing. Ringing. It was Artemis's phone, but someone had to shut it off and looking at the screen to see Jade's name...Well she doesn't exactly call often, so...

"Hello?" His voice was still heavy with sleep, and Jade was undoubtedly thinking something vulgar. Great. I get to start my day off with an earful.

"Put it back in your pants, and put my sister on the phone."

"Good morning, Jade. You sound cheery as always." Oh look, I was right. At this point everyone else had started waking up, except for Barbara who was burrowing further into the pillows.

"Sister. Phone. Now. I'm sure you know what this is about."

He rolled his eyes as he turned to the waking blonde. She grabbed the phone from his hand as Wally placed a quick kiss on her lips. Her head nodded towards his room as she stood. It was hardly a first thing in the morning with everyone listening.

"Family business?" Dick asked. His arm had snaked around his girlfriend's midsection as she continued to bury herself, placing a pillow over her red hair.

"Probably. She doesn't talk about it with me. Ever since I supposedly told her I loved her-"

"Can't believe you did that."

"-And her dad showing up, she's kind of retreated." Wally yawned. "Like we'll sleep together, but no more sex. She hasn't been nearly as cute. Not that she was ever...you know..." He made a whimsical gesture with his hands. Artemis was never especially affectionate, but that was ok with Wally. She was when it counted, and it was always the smaller actions that meant more. She started sleeping through his snoring. There was always extra milk in the fridge if he was coming over. They watched all the trailers on the DVD before the movie. All because she knew that's what he liked, and to Wally, that meant the world.

"Have you...asked her about it?" Dick's voice was slipping back into sleep, but Wally couldn't blame him.

And he hadn't. If there was one thing he had learned while dating her, it was that she would avoid serious conversations like nothing else. He had mentioned something about living together in passing to which she mumbled something about her lease before asking him to pass the salt. Zatanna said it was something you get used to, something you learn how to talk about. But it was also one of those things she was going to have to learn to deal with. If this was going to be a real relationship, they were both going to have to learn how to communicate.

"Yes?" Artemis mumbled into the phone as she fell onto her boyfriend's bed. Finally! A real mattress! Sure the date nights were fun, but they were hell on her back.

"You get a visit from dad?" Jade's side of the line was quiet. She had probably woken early enough not to disturb Roy or Lian.

"Yeah. His usual - blackmail, weapon biz., jackassary..."

"What did he say this time?"

"How did you even know da-he came down here?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. What she would give to go back to bed.

"Take a wild guess," Jade mused.

"Next time I see Cameron, I am punching his right in his face." There was no doubt in Artemis's mind that none of this would be happening if she hadn't of run into him at the bar. Since then her life had been upside down. Before it was just work and school. Now it was work, school, Wally, new friends, mom, Lawrence...Too much.

"Anyways," Artemis continued, "he offered to pay off all of mom's loans so much as I came home to work for him. All he said was, "You don't want to know what would happen if you said 'no'."

There was a pause on the other end. "No offense, because obviously this is hardly an ideal situation, but why you?"

"Probably that business degree I'm getting, but that's just a guess. A good front and all." Suddenly sports medicine was sounding a lot better, like it had 3 years ago. "I'm also slightly more "available" than you."

There was a long pause after that. Artemis drank it in. It was obvious where this conversation was going, it was just the exact opposite of what she wanted. What she wanted was for Jade to say it would be ok. That she would come down, and together they would tell their dad off. The thing was...they had nothing against him, and he had all the leverage on them. Proof that at one point or another they were less than outstanding citizens, knowledge of Paula's location and stability, and worse yet, a handful of men who would do anything to make a quick buck or impress a growing crime lord.

Your average Gotham family.

"You know what you need to do, right?" The sound of her sister's voice startled Artemis from her thoughts. It was amazing how she knew exactly what Jade was going to say, yet it still managed to sadden her all the same.

"Yeah..."she replied. "I know exactly what I have to do, but he's going to hate me for it."

::Cries:: I AM SO SORRY. There was just finals, and personal things, and financial things, and fics had to take the back burner. It just got lost in life. Good news though! I know A)exactly how to end this. B) that I will probably do a sequel (no promises but, a very good chance). 3)Like...2 ideas for oneshots?

I am so thankful for all of you who have stuck with me and this story, especially through the "hiatus" of sorts. I'm picking up WAY more hours at work, but hopefully I'll be back onto a weekly thing for the ending. If not and you need a good pick me up in between, you should really check out geekdad's Lightning Strikes, like holy shit that's some good stuff. Not at all what I was expecting from the summary, so def give it a try!

Hope to see you all next week, and again thank you! I love your reviews, your time, and your usernames.

~mags