Hey guys, long time to see eh! I am so sorry for this delay, school hit me hard and I had a little bit of writer's block. I feel so bad about not updating this sooner, but I have a week till I go back so I'm going to try really hard to finish this story up for you guys. I have some ideas for what I would like to write next, as always if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know, leave it in the comments or send me a private message. I did write a little one shot about Wally coming back as requested, so feel free to check that out, I don't know if it's much good or not, I have mixed feelings about it, so leave a review on it. As always I hope that you are alway happy and healthy and enjoy this next chapter, please feel free to leave me a review, I love feed back! lil-fledgling.

Chapter 8

Wally and Dick stared astounded at the ailing women who was working to make them tea and scrounging around in her bare cupboards to find them something to eat.

"You're Huntress," Dick said faintly "You're are, were, a famous villain." Paula Crock chuckled weakly.

"I haven't been called that name in a very long time," She admitted, handing a chipped teapot to her daughter. "Can't say I miss it either. It's like if I call you two sidekicks." The boys stiffened at the insult and Artemis couldn't help but chuckle. "Call me Paula," The woman in the wheelchair continued. "There's no need to worry about me either," She said pointedly, looking Dick who was fingering something in his pocket. "I'm too old and sick to pose any threat to you, even if I wanted to."

The boys were silenced by this admission and Artemis rolled her eyes, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Sit down already," she snapped at the boys, setting a box of saltine crackers down on the table.

"Artemis!" Paula scolded, "That's no way to treat guests or friends." Paula smiled sympathetically at the boys, "My daughter can be quite…intense, can't she?" Dick agreed weakly, but Wally just stared wide-eyed at Artemis, occasionally looking at Huntress, before he burst out.

"What about Sportsmaster?" Both mother and daughter froze and Dick repressed the urge the face palm. Idiot.

Artemis growled and launched forward, grabbing Wally by the front of his shirt, bringing the two super hero's nose to nose.

"Artemis!" Again Paula called off her daughter, giving Artemis an appalled look. "Apologize to your friend." The woman ordered. Artemis opened her mouth to argue and then closed it when she caught sight of her mothers glare. "Sorry Baywatch," Artemis muttered before stalking off to the sink to angrily wash cups in a defeat only a mother can dish out.

"Lawrence and I are not longer together," Paula explained, motioning for the boys to sit on the threadbare couch. "A marriage is bound to end when your husband pushes you off a building in order to save himself from incarceration." Paula smiled, seeming to find humor in the rather terrible situation. "He also drove my eldest child away from me and into villainy and then abused my second daughter into someone I barely recognize." Paula glanced sadly at Artemis who hadn't heard her mother's admission in her concentration to scrub the dishes. "So to answer you're question again, Lawrence and I are no longer together. And it will remain that way."

For the remainder of their stay Wally and Dick were entertained with baby stories of Artemis and faded pictures of a blond headed child in various stages of life. Bubbly baby in a bathtub, a giggling toddler chasing seagulls at the beach, and a young elementary school child climbing trees and making macaroni art. Nobody said anything when the pictures stopped suddenly at the age of nine. It appeared as if Lawrence Crock didn't believe in documenting important milestones as Paula had.

Artemis sat quietly for the most part, adding details as she remembered them to her mothers stories, and even once laughing with the boys when her mom recounted the time Artemis and Jade had tried and succeeded in hiding a litter of kittens in their room for nearly a week.

"What can I say," Artemis laughed, wiping away a stray tear. "When you're the child of two master villain you learn a thing or two about stealth and secrecy. Paula chuckled, "I suppose you're right."

Dick called Alfred soon after and requested he come pick him and Wally up outside of Artemis's apartment building, neither boy felt much like walking across Gotham late at night, even if it was their sworn duty to protect the innocent of the city. But even teenage super hero's needed time off and they both felt like the saying 'see no evil, fight no evil' applied to this particular situation, or how ever the phrase went.

"Be sure to stop by anytime you like," Paula told Dick and Wally earnestly, gripping both their hands in a warm, surprisingly motherly embrace. "It's so nice to have visitors, next time we'll cook you a proper meal, won't we Artemis?" The archer crossed her arms and shrugged.

"We'll see." And then the boys were off and Paula continued to ramble about how nice her daughter's friends were and Artemis felt a strange sense of loneliness and hesitation. She had let people in, let them see her life outside of the team and part of her, liked it. She felt relived at letting someone in on her secret, but at the same time, would they be able to keep it from the others? Even if he didn't mean to, what were the chances of Wally running his mouth and letting something slip? Artemis rubbed her temples, trying to ward off and impending headache. What was she going to do?

"Oh and Artemis? Remember you're scheduled to work tomorrow, 10pm till 5am."

Great.