"So Artemis dumped you and has gone to work for her criminal father?"

"Yes."

"And you're going to drive to Gotham to convince her to be with you again?"

"Yes."

"Even though she did all this to protect you and make sure daddy didn't come for you?"

"Essentially." Wally tossed a pile of clothes into his duffle before assessing the rest of his room. "There's just something not right about the whole situation. She was so mad when her dad came a few weeks ago, and now she's driving up there like it's no big."

"Maybe you don't know her like you think you did," Dick mentioned from the door. Wally shot him his coldest clare he could muster from his closet. "Look I don't mean that she's not a cool girl. You know I think she's great. It's just maybe there's more going on than you know."

Wally instantly stopped rummaging through his closet, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. It was all making sense - Dick's nonchalance, Artemis's sudden change in mind, why her mother hadn't seemed as worried as she should have...All of it clicked. Slowly he rose to his feet, hands rubbing his eyes and forehead.

"What do you know?"

"What?" Dick wasn't paying attention, just playing with his phone. It was his tell. Technology was always able to distract him just enough so that he could pay attention without giving anything away with his body or face.

"You know something about Artemis and her dad. Like why she decided yesterday was an excellent day to pack up and leave. Why. Tell me why." He strode across the room to meet his roommate. Glancing down at his phone he found he was right. One of those games where you had to match up the colors. Dick was way too good at these games...Unless he was lying.

"You have to promise to keep your cool, because," he paused to laugh, "you're going to hate me."

Artemis woke up on the couch of her mother's living room wrapped up in blanket upon blanket. Instantly she was reminded of all the times she and Jade would awaken like this. They would smell bacon in the microwave and strudel in the toaster. It was always their ideal morning...up until her sister left. That was when Artemis remembered what today was.

D-Day.

She sat up to stretch as she looked out the window. Dawn was barely breaking over the Gotham skyline. Sleep started to crawl back into her mind as she stood up. She could easily get a few more hours of sleep, but something in the far back of her mind kept her alert. Glancing down at her phone she saw a couple of texts and missed calls, all from Wally. All the messages sadly sweet.

I'm sorry.

Be careful.

I'm also still kind of waiting for you to coming running back to your apartment, so feel free to do that.

It stung. It hurt so much, but this was the only way. Soon everything would be over, and then what? She mysteriously shows up on Wally's doorstep and apologize? They would reunite in some sort of crazy passion filled night and things would be back to normal? She was just going to have to hope and pray.

She shook her head as she walked into the kitchen to look for the coffee. Her mother was always a tea drinker, but made sure to keep some on hand. Sure enough, in the very back of the pantry was a half empty tin waiting to used once more. It was undoubtably old, yet it still retained its glorious aroma. She flicked the switch on the ancient coffee maker and listened as it slowly came to life. The idea of getting her mother a new coffee maker had crossed her mind many times. One of the ones where you can use the little containers of coffee or tea, but she knew her mom would never use it. She preferred her kettle, the one that had belonged to her mother and would one day be given to Artemis or Jade.

Time passed slowly and filled with many cups of coffee. After her third or so, Artemis checked the clock to find the time at only about half past nine. In the back, she could hear her mom getting ready for the day, showering, bumping into the same doorframe that she had been hitting for years. Artemis smiled at how her mother hadn't changed through the years. Still caring, still a little bit clumsy. Eventually she wheeled her way out of her room with her purse on her lap.

"I need to get some groceries if you're going to be here for a few days. l'll be back around lunch." Paula rolled over and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"You should have told me. I could have picked some stuff up on my way in. Why don't you let me get dressed. I'll go with you." Artemis put down her coffee to get up, but her mother's hand stopped her.

"Don't worry about it. One of the neighbors has been helping me, and you have enough on your plate today. Just relax, and I'll be home to make you a good lunch." She squeezed her hand and gave her a smile. "I love you, Arty. Everything will be fine." Artemis smiled in return and followed her mother to the door.

"I love you, too, ma."

Wally sighed as he finally made it to the city limits of Gotham. The drive had been long, and flat, and while that meant he could drive faster, it also meant lots of people would drive slower on the road. And Wally hated slow drivers.

It was a bit past two in the afternoon, so hopefully his timing was alright. Mrs. Nguyen had mentioned something about Artemis leaving sometime after lunch, but that was only a vague enough time that he found himself driving around town. He had only been to Gotham a few times to visit Dick, but they never really went out to see the sights. Things had changed in the last few years, buildings taller, the cars nicer, but some areas seemed to be locked in time. Crime, poverty, bad luck. That was the Gotham that always came to his mind.

Closer to three Wally headed over to the apartment building at the address Paula gave him. Up the stairs, down the hall and to the right was her door. He stood outside contemplating his options. He could knock and plunge head first in to the drama, or walk away like Artemis had. Or was forced to. Or whatever. He straightened himself and rapped on the door. Moments later Paula answered as Wally adjusted his vision, remembering the wheel chair.

"You're taller than I expected." Her face was stern as she inspected him.

"Thank you?" Wally ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"You're just in time. She left about twenty minutes ago. Come inside."

Artemis stood outside the same sports shop her father had been running for years. It look almost the same as it had all those years ago before the shoot out. The shop seemed to be getting some actual business though, which was admittedly a nice change from its humble beginnings. She opened the doors to find that despite it's social facelift, the interiors still needed work. The men behind the counter were thuggish and huge, while the woman helping customers was deceivingly petite. Cameras all over the store told Artemis that despite its seemingly growing reputation as a family store, Lawrence still held on to his old paranoias. Breathing in some semblance of courage, she walked over to the counter.

"I need to speak with Lawrence Crock." Her eyes burrowed into the face of the man in front of her, but it was no use. He only ignored her.

"So do lots o' people. He ain't in."

"Tell him it's important." The man continued to ignore her, spending more time admiring the hunting rifles in the case in front of him. She slammed her hands on the counter. "Tell him it's his daughter, and if he doesn't want to lose the opportunity, he'll get up here pronto."

That seemed to grab both men's attention from the firearms. The first man looked to his associate who nodded solemnly. The man jerked his head towards a door behind him which Artemis knew lead to the basement. She followed him, grimacing as the smell of booze and cigars hit her nose.

"There she is," her father's voice was heard saying. "The newest edition to the family business."

"So how long have you been dating?" Paula handed Wally a glass of water as she wheeled herself across from him.

"Couple months? Pushing six maybe. We haven't really been keeping track."

"Why not?"

"There are more important things to worry about?" Wally felt himself shrink under her gaze. For such a small woman, she was unbelievably intimidating.

"You're taking care of her?

"Of course."

"You love her?"

Lawrence sat at a table surrounded by his greatest "friends." Cameron and his dad, Slade Wilson, it was meeting of all the men Artemis wanted to punch in the face.

"Let's get this party started." She looked around the room at each of the men. The only girl. They probably think that's a good thing. "Get out. All of you."

"Is that any way to talk during a job interview, Arty?" Cameron asked. Her gaze hardened. This kid somehow managed to always make her feel dirty, unwanted...broken.

"I'm not going to repeat myself." Her eyes flicked back to her father's. He mouth slipped into a sick smile.

"You heard the lady. She wants to go one on one, so let her." The men filed out the room, each one looking her over. That one thinks I'm an idiot. That one still wants to bang me. That one thinks he can take me in a fight. That one knows he can. She sat across from the man that looked way too much like her and refused to smile. "I've got your contract right here."

The water in his mouth came flying out before he could stop it. "What was that?"

"I asked if you love my daughter. It's a simple enough question." Something about Paula Nguyen looked very important despite her surroundings. Maybe it was because she was Artemis's mother. Maybe it was because she had already rolled over Wally's foot once on purpose.

"I-I...I mean I think it's a possibility, but I'm not looking to get married or anything. I'm only 22, so I'd still like to graduate, and get a dog, and -"

"I see." That's all Paula said for a very long time.

"I think contracts are a little premature. I'd like to know what I'm doing, first of all."

"You'd be managing the front. Jade told me about your fancy business degree. That could help out a lot with all these morons. And you know your way around a gun. Always a plus."

"I haven't fired anything in over five years, but that's beside the point. What kind of protection do I get. And mom."

Lawrence scratched at his chin before proceeding. "Your mom gets completely left out of all of this. So long as you don't drag her into it, she's safe. As for you, well...that all depends on your own discretion."

"So I go in blind and hope you don't mess up again?"

"In so many words, yes."

Wally looked around Artemis's room as he sat on one of the beds. The blankets were a soft purple color that he thought he remembered seeing in her apartment back at school. On the walls posters hung, most a variation on Alice in Wonderland. On her bedside table was one lone picture of four individuals. Two had dark luscious hair that could only belong to Paula and Jade. In the middle was Artemis holding a small baby with a puff of dark hair in a small bow. Probably a niece or cousin. Wally smiled at the picture of the cheerful women before glancing at his phone.

Five pm. This was lasting much longer than he thought it would.

"Now go a head and sign the damn thing," her dad said as he pushed the contract towards her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Artemis replied. She savored the look on his face before pulling a few folders out of her bag. Sliding them over she smiled.

"What's this?"

"Your file. See I've got this friend who...-well you could say he's got a great internship. He was able to get me a copy of your file, and well as some other important cases here in Gotham."

"Yeah so? I've seen the evidence they have on me. Nothing they can pin me with. Plus this building is still in Paula's name."

"That's true, but you're not looking at the big picture."

"And what, Little Girl, is the big picture?" Lawrence was trying to hide his worry, but it only manifested as confusion.

"The big picture would be the one on the security cameras that prove no one in this family except you has entered this building in at least 5 years. There's also the one on your computers that show none of us have called you or the shop in that long as well." She paused. The scowl on the man's face showed that he knew exactly what she was going to say next. "And the only thing left to connect this file," the pointed to her father's, "and these is a witness. Like a daughter who grew up in the shop and saw all of these men on a daily basis."

He looked up to her from the files. She had him. Hook, line, sinker. She had him.

"What do you want?"

"Me? Want something? Never."

"Then get out!" He slammed his hands on the table, sending papers flying everywhere. Artemis quickly gathered them up before leaving. Just as she reached the stairs, she turned.

"Well, now that I think about..." Sarcasm danced in her voice as she met her father's eyes. "Stay away from mom. And Jade and her family. And me. You keep paying for mom's bills, but you will ask for nothing in return. Between this and the actual respectable shop you have upstairs, you'll have more than enough money. But if you ever try to threaten her again, I'll have these files in the commissioner's hands faster than you can blink. Do I make myself clear? You leave us alone or suffer."

He stared at her. Cold hard stare meeting an even colder stare. Artemis waved the file in the air as she climbed the steps, taunting him with her new found power. Reluctantly, he looked away. "Clear."

Wally was sitting on the couch when the door opened. He heard a thud and the sound of steps before he finally turned to greet her. Five feet from him stood a very tired and very surprised Artemis. He had never been more happy to see her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Originally this was going to be a big romantic gesture of me saving you from your dad, but then your mom and Dick filled me in on your plan, so now it's just kind of a road trip. And as happy as I am that you're ok, please don't do that again."

Artemis visibly fought back the smile forming on her lips. "You mean fake break up with you and plot to blackmail and bring down my father with your best friend?"

"Yeah, if you two could give me a little bit more information that would be swell."

He stood to walk towards her, take her in, but she fell into his arms before he could bring himself to take a step. Her arms wrapped around his torso and her face found its usual home on his shoulder. He brought his hands up to pull her in tighter, hands messing her hair and trying to grab at her chin. Finally he brought her lips to his and he melted. It had only been two or three days since he had seen her, but in that time he had worried about her more than anything else.

His hands moved to cup her face, holding her there a moment longer after the kiss broke, thumbs running down her cheeks and across her smile. She shook her head.

"What?"

Artemis shook with laughter as she looked up into his eyes. "You're an idiot, but I love you."

Wally picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He attempted to continue kissed her through gasps and laughs, but each try was met with another eruption of laughter.

"Now would be a good time to respond," she breathed.

"I'm pretty sure I said it first and this is just a very late response." He voice teased through the biggest smile he could manage.

"Wallace West, if you don't tell me you love me right now, I'm going to go back to my father and te-" Her sentence was lost as Wally managed to land a second kiss on her lips.

"I love you. Now shut up so we can go to bed." With Artemis still in his arms, he turned and headed towards her old room. He took three steps before Mrs. Nguyen stopped them.

"You sleep in separate beds," her voice yelled from her room.

"Mom, we're not even going to do anything, the bed's too small!"

"Well I was going to try, but fine we can just say "I love you" and sleep in separate beds like the 1950s no big deal," Wally muttered. Artemis smacked his head.

"Goodnight, Ma!" They exchanged goodnights before Wally set her down in front of her room.

"Well, this is my stop. I believe I'm on the couch tonight, and I'd really rather not piss off your mom." Artemis smiled as she kissed his cheek. She grabbed the pillows of her bed before turning back towards the living room leaving Wally staring into an empty room. "Where are you going?"

"She said we couldn't sleep in the same bed, but she never said anything about the same couch. Come on, there's got to be a good movie on." She winked over her shoulder as she threw pillows and blankets on to the couch.

"Have I ever mentioned that I love you?" He ask as he sat down and pulled her closer. Her head fell on to his shoulder and kissed his neck. His hand played with her hair as he watched her watch the screen.

"I think so. Feel free to mention it again."

D'AWWWWWWWWWW. AND SOME OF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE SAD AND FILLED WITH DRAMA. Nope I'm too much of a sap for that.

I'd like to thank each and every single person who read this and commented and followed and everything. This story would have gone absolutely nowhere without you. You've inspired me and made me grow more confident in my writing and as a person, and that is more than I could have hope for when starting this little idea out.

I hope you have enjoyed the ride and will be back for future stories as well as the sequel. I'm in one collab as I type, picking up Opaul's Ice, and toying with the idea of a Gatsby inspired AU (if anyone wants to help with that let me know!).

Be on the lookout for a sneak peak to the sequel which I will be posting on this fic :D

Again thank you so much and have a great summer!

:3 mags