"You should consider yourself lucky Kaldur'ahm. Facing the likes of Solomon Grundy could have you in worst shape then this."
"I know my king. I owe it all to my team."
"Yes looks like your team has proven that you all should be given more responsibilities. That's if you think you can handle that"
"We can handle any situation that the League deems fit to assign us my king."
"Not to interrupt you two Aquaman but, this is a medical bay and Kaldur needs his rest." J'onn said while wrapping Kaldur's ribs.
"Sure J'onn. I will see you later Kaldur'ahm."
"Yes my king."
Elsewhere aboard Watchtower:
Artemis was in the girl's locker room changing into her street clothes. She noticed that she had a missed text on her phone. It was from her mother.
"Need to see you tonight. It really is important. Love Mom."
She guessed that it had something to do with the issue that was bugging her mother that morning. She sent a text back and put the phone in her pocket.
"Sure mom. Love you too."
Megan walked in just as Artemis was walking out. With her mom adding to an all ready full plate she hoped Megan wouldn't stop her. Still she had no such luck.
"Hey Artemis you got a second?"
"I have to go see about Kal."
"It won't take a minute. I swear."
"Alright. What's on your mind?"
"I just wanted to know something?"
"Go ahead and spit it out Megan!"
"Well. I just wanted to know if you remember what you said during the mission? When we were digging for Kaldur?"
Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose unknown to her much like her father does.
"I don't remember every word I say while on a mission Megan!"
"You said you loved him."
Artemis looked down at the floor with her cheeks framed with blush.
"So what if I did? What does it matter to you?"
"Well I just bring it up because… well because Kaldur came to me a while back and asked me for advice. Before you two started dating he came to me and asked me what to do if he liked someone. He didn't mention you by name but I pretty much figured it out on my own. The way he always treated you was a dead give away."
"I still don't see your point."
"Listen I have kept my mouth shut for over a year. If you haven't noticed Kaldur loves you he has from day one. It's okay to hide secrets for the rest of the team or even those you call your friends but, not him not if you really love him."
"What business is it of yours if I tell Kal every little thing about me or not?"
"Don't you get it? If you don't you will end up like me and Connor."
"Who says? You!"
"Listen it doesn't take a mind reader to see that's where you two will end up if you keep keeping secrets from him. You need to trust him Artemis! If you really love him you need to trust him!"
"Listen, Kal and I have an understanding. He doesn't need to know every little thing about me."
"Fine when you lose him don't pretend it's such a shock!"
"I don't have time for all this."
Artemis left Megan standing there. She started to walk to the medical bay she still had to see about Kaldur. After all what is it any of her business what she does or doesn't share with Kaldur. Still she wondered if she had a point. As she walked in the medical bay she was greeted by J'onn.
"Hey J'onn."
"Hello Artemis. How are you?"
"I've been better."
"What…"
"Don't want to talk about it. Where is Kal?"
"He is bay three."
"I will let you two have sometime to talk."
"Thanks J'onn."
J'onn walked out as Artemis opened the curtain to bay three to see Kaldur holding a piece of gauze to the side of his head with his ribs wrapped.
"Here let me take that", she said taking the gauze from him but still holding it to his head.
"Thanks."
"So what is the diagnose Kal?"
"The head wound should close in a few hours. As for the ribs maybe a day or two. Three at the most."
"You and that Atlantean D.N.A. of yours. At least it makes you cute."
"What does …"
"Just shut up and kiss me."
With a devilish smile all Kaldur could do was comply with her demand. Kal bent his and pressed his lips against Artemis's lips. All she could moan against his lips. Kaldur forgot just how much he liked that. Kaldur slowly let their lips part.
"What brought on that request?"
"Just trying to prove a point."
"To who?"
"Myself I guess."
"Really?"
"Long story Kal. Just to let you know I have to stop by moms."
"Oh okay. I should be wrapped up here in a few hours. I'll pick up something for dinner and have it waiting on you."
"What none of your famous Atlantean cuisine?"
"I thought you didn't like fish?"
"Every now and again I can stomach it."
"You're smiling. That means your lying."
"Just shut up and kiss me again."
Elsewhere in Gotham City:
The Penguin's club the Iceberg Lounge was not the best club in Gotham City not by a long shot but, if you needed something like an enough Ak-47's to arm a battalion of mobsters then you better stop by Penguin's place. It's the epitome of one stop shopping for all your black market needs. Cobblepot's motto is if he doesn't have it you don't need it. The reason Lawrence Crock was here was here was simple. He needed passports preferably with bogus names that could pass muster. He knocked on the back door of the club. The reinforced door had a tiny slit that opened revealing only the eyes of the man on the other side.
"What the fuck do you want?"
"I have an appointment with the Penguin."
"Name?"
"Sportsmaster."
The slit closed and two voices could be heard on the other side. Then the door open.
"Sorry about that Mr. Sportsmaster. You can never be too careful in Gotham City."
"No sweat. Where is your boss?"
"Follow me sir."
As Lawrence walked through the backrooms of the Iceberg Lounge he saw it all. R.P.G.'s being packed up to be shipped. Orders for sniper rifles were being taken. All while there was a set of immigrant women being sized up by some grab happy men. The best ones would end up working the Lounge if they were lucky; the others would be selling their ass on Gotham's red light district making Penguin another buck he assumed. Even if his daughters thought he was a bastard at least he never stooped this low to make a buck. He was led to another reinforced door which his tour guide had to open with a pass code on a nearby keypad.
"The boss is in the lab."
"What lab?"
"This lab."
When the man opened the door Lawrence's blood nearly boiled in his veins. Hundreds of children were inclosed in plexiglass cubes making and purfling cocaine. The oldest he saw couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen years of age. He though that if he could block out the immigrant women he saw he could just swallow the bile that rose up in his throat just from being there but seeing all those children just made the taste in his mouth grow worst. How fucked up do you have to be to use kids like this. This is why he taught his daughters to fight. So no one could take advantage of them like this. At times like this he didn't even mind that his actions had cause Jade to becoming a member of the "League of Assassins". As long as she was doing the killing and not the dying! Now all he had to do was keep it that way!
"Hey boss. I have a Mr. Sportsmaster here to see you."
"Get back to your post you bloody idiot!"
"Yes sir."
The man who his tour guide was afraid of was a least two feet shorter than him. The funny thing was that Oswald Cobblepot could stand toe to toe with the likes of Batman and whole his own. All of the time he spent in those English prisons gave him the chance to hone his fighting skills. Plus it was well-known that any fight with Cobblepot wouldn't be a fair one.
"Good help is so hard to find these days. Don't you think so Sportmaster or should I call you Lawrence?"
"Listen Penguin I don't scare easily like your do boys or these children who you having cutting up your drugs for you!"
"Good to see you still have that spark. The word on the street was that you where getting out of the game. Going legit. Maybe even working for the other side?"
"Fuck the League! I wouldn't work for them even if it was to save my life!"
"Good show old boy! Come to my office with me. By the way don't feel too sorry for the children. Most of them are dropouts from Gotham's school system. Some have been orphaned and have no one else to turn to. So on and so fucking on! They pack my drugs and I give them a square meal to fill those rattling bellies. It is a win-win kind of thing."
"I just need what I need so I can go."
"Oh right down to business. Okay what do you need so bloody bad?"
After their short walk the Penguin sat himself in his chair over looking his drug lab. Lawrence closed the door after he walked in and looked Penguin right in the eye.
"I need passports. A rush job but, it needs to be a damn good rush job with names that will pass international security checks."
"What the fuck? It would be easier to swallow a bloody diamond and pass in out of my arse!"
"I have money! More than enough even counting the rush job there is more than enough."
He pulled up his shirt and pulled out a huge dark brown envelope from his pants and tossed it on Cobblepot's desk. Cobblepot picked up the envelope and opened it. He couldn't believe his eyes. In the envelope was a deed for a rather large stock all that was needed was for it to be cashed. The first thing Penguin did was check the security measures on the paper.
"These watermarks on the stamps are real. The security ribbon is there and this is real fucking micro fibers that are stitched in here. Holy fucking queen this is a real stamped and uncashed stock and bond note."
"Told you I had more than enough."
"When do you want the passports completed?"
"They need to be wrapped up in no more than twenty-four hours."
With that the deal was done. Lawrence Crock had accomplished the first part of his mission. The idea was that with legal passports he and Artemis could freely move around the country of Japan without having to worry about Interpol chasing after them while they were trying to find Jade. Now all he had to do was wait for his burner phone to ring hopefully with a willing Artemis on the other end.
Elsewhere in Gotham City:
Artemis blinked again then twice more trying to process the information that was just given to her by her mother. Her father was here in her mother's apartment last night. The same night that had made her so damn happy today just seemed monstrous perverted now all because of him being there. Artemis just felt dirty and not in the good way. She turned and looked back at her mother in the eyes again.
"Does he really expect me to help him? Of all the people he could ask for help why does he want me?"
"I think he figured since it was your sister you would help Artemis."
"Mom Jade and I were never on the best of terms. Even when she gave up the villain thing for a while we barely spoke. For all know she hates me."
"My girls could never hate each other Artemis."
"Christ! What does he expect me to do? Just drop all my responsibilities and go to Japan!"
"Baby I asked the same question."
"Then there is Kal! He just told me he loved me. How the hell will it look if I just take off now!"
"What?"
"I said I have responsibilities to take care of."
"No after that."
"What mom?"
"The part about Kaldur honey. He told you he loved you? He actually said the word love?"
Artemis cheeks burned bright with blush at someone mentioning that Kaldur told her he loved her for the second time today. First Megan now her own mother.
"Yeah. We said it to each other for the first time last night when we had to stay over here."
"You said it back?"
"Yeah."
"Did you mean it?"
"Of course I meant it mom. This is tall, dark, and sexy Kaldur'ahm we are talking about here. I mean it's not every day you land an Atlantean Prince right."
"Why not just yet him know the truth then?"
"What?"
"Sit him down and explain the situation to him."
"Right. I can see that now. Hey dear remember that dark and shady past I never told you about well here is my soul to bare. Oh it's a little to ugly and you want to break up. Sure why not. It isn't like any of the other women in the League want to scream your name while your face is between their legs!"
"First of all, you have spent too much time thinking about that evidently. Second Kaldur loves you always has. Trust me on this. He has wanted to tell you for a long time now. So anyone like that won't just up and leave you cause of a few issues here and there."
"How do you know how long he's been in love with me?"
"Artemis. It's plain to see. No one has to be the world's greatest detective to see how you two act around each other. Or how your whole attitude has changed since you and him have started dating."
"Really?"
"Yeah really. Listen Artemis you don't have to lay your soul bare just take baby steps."
"Baby steps?"
"Yeah little by little. Listen it's getting dark and you have to get home. Oh I almost forgot. I packed you up some essentials if you make the decision to go with your father."
Paula wheeled to her room and returned with a duffel bag and handed it to Artemis. Artemis unzipped it and saw her old Tigress uniform and a set of katanas, a fully stocked utility belt, crossbow with spare crossbolts, a set of batons, and some anchor guns along with a few other items.
"You packed me a go bag?"
"Just a few items I thought you might need."
"Why did you keep my old Tigress uniform?"
"Well I was thinking if you ever needed to do anything under the radar of the League then Tigress would be a good cover instead of Artemis."
"Thanks mom. I need to get going…"
"Wait! Don't forget this stupid burner phone."
"Right. Thanks mom for everything."
"Don't mention it. Love you and send my best to Kaldur."
"I will mom. I love you too."
With that Artemis left her moms apartment and started the walk back to her place. She half hoped that a bank would get robbed or she would come across a mugging or something. She didn't want to let Kaldur in not that deep anyway but, why was she so afraid? He loved her and she loved him there was no question in that fact. Then there was what Megan said to her in the locker-room. Could she really lose him if she didn't let him in? So she had to make a choice either risk losing Kal or let him in. All she knew was she didn't want to lose Kal and if she had anything to say about it she wouldn't. Not in this lifetime anyway. She opened the door to their apartment and was greeted by Kaldur.
"Hello Artemis!"
"Hey Kal."
"I went to Tony's and got us some dinner. I didn't know if you wanted lasagna or spaghetti with meatballs so I got us the lasagna. Plus I got you this."
Kaldur turned around with a bouquet of flowers. All Artemis could do was smile. She sat the duffel bag down and grabbed the bouquet. All of her favorites where there. Lilies and roses among others. She could feel her nose ruffle when she smelled them. Kaldur was the only guy she had ever dated that would buy her flowers just because he cared about her. Not to apologize or to get out of the dog house. With Kaldur it was just because and she loved that. She sat the flowers down on the kitchen table.
"Thanks Kal. I love them."
"I am glad you like them. How was your mother?"
"She's good. She sends her best like always. Hey Kal before we eat do you think we could talk?"
"Sure. Is there something wrong?"
"I may have to go away for a little while."
"What for?"
"…"
"Oh. Is this part of the secret thing we talked about last night?"
"Damn it Artemis just take baby steps. Look at him he would follow you into the gates of Hell and you know it. So say something to the man of your dreams you big idiot.", she said thinking to herself.
"I need to help my father with something Kal. You know I don' like to talk about him."
"I am sorry if I pushed the subject Artemis."
"No you didn't. It's just I don't like talking about him that's all. Since you brought up secrets anyway I have a few things I want to tell you."
"Like what?"
Artemis closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Even if Megan and her mom were wrong she still knew deep down that if she never shared these things with Kaldur then she would always wonder which version of her he loved. She started by taking off her shirt leaving her in her bra and pants. Needless to say Kaldur was not following her but; she took another deep breath and pointed to her shoulder. Kaldur followed her finger and watched it land on an x shaped scar on her shoulder.
"This was from a crossbolt. It was my turn to be the target when my sister and I were being trained. The person training us said that shooting at live targets would give us real world experience."
Kaldur fell silent as her hand moved again to her stomach.
"This is a scar I got when I had to fight two dogs over a piece of meat. Survival training he called it."
"Artemis I am so sorry."
"Wait Kal. There's more."
She pointed to her wrist and the five straight lines going across it. Not every seeing scars like this before Kaldur didn't really know what they ment.
"These are some of the few scars I have given myself Kal. When I thought I couldn't go on I took a razor and tried to cut my wrist but, I didn't go deep enough."
It all clicked into place for Kaldur after she spoke. The love of his life had tried to commit suicide at some point in her life. He rushed over to her and took her in his arms cradling her against him. Artemis didn't notice it but, her eyes were full of tears.
"No more Artemis. No more. Not now."
"Kal I have to open up to you. I have to let you know."
"I know Artemis. I know but, please not now not after that. I promise I will listen I want to hear every word I just don't have the will after that."
"Do you still love me?"
"Yes of course I do!"
"Say it. Please Kal I need you to say it!"
"I love you Artemis Crock. I love you with every fiber of my being!"
"I love you too Kal! I love you so much!"
To Be Continued: