The Less You Have

by DelinquentDream

At the age of 8 Sam's mother died and his family fell apart. His father couldn't handle her death and lost himself to drugs and alcohol in his attempts to cope. Now at the age of 14, Sam is forced to live a life of crime to support himself and his 7 year old brother, Miguel. Surviving in Gotham city isn't easy, but Sam knows that in this life? All we get, is all we take.

3. Aftermath Part 1

I own nothing but my original characters.

Enjoy!

Chapter 3:

Aftermath: Part 1

She gave her heart to a falling star

When news filtered through of his tragedy all the walls went up

Around a world she declines

As the tears from her eyes fall

No one understands, and no one will

All she has lost

If he's not here, then where?

If he's not here, then where?

If he's not here, then where?

If he's not here, then where?

When she found it there in the cold, blue glare

The words distressed and unfamiliar where the feelings seared

An emptiness had hung, and in her chest, she clenched

Reality settled as the memories raced while on the screen he lived

She teared; "Your selfishness has robbed you of the man you could've been

I wouldn't change a thing about you. I love you dearly, my friend"

- Coheed and Cambria, The Afterman

Chapter 3:

Aftermath: Part 1

Present day

Artemis pov

As Artemis sat alone in her living room staring at the tv as the news announced the verdict of Sam's trial, she couldn't help but wonder how everything had gone so wrong.

When Sam didn't return that night she was worried, but ultimately brushed her concerns aside. When social services showed up the next day looking for Sam's dad, she knew something must have happened. Of course they never found him. All they found was Artemis and Miguel alone in her apartment, and since they were both minors with no parental supervision they were taken into custody and placed in a temporary group home.

That was when Artemis learned the details of what had happened to Sam during the job he was on. At that moment all Artemis wanted to do was cry, but she couldn't. She had to be strong for Miguel. So she buried her pain and focused all her efforts on comforting Miguel, and reassuring him that everything would be fine. Somehow, they would figure a way out of this mess. They both knew she was lying, but Miguel allowed himself to believe her since the alternative was too painful to think about.

Two weeks later, some people came and took Miguel away, claiming that they found a good foster family for him. That wasn't a good day. Artemis fought as hard as she could, and ended up having to be restrained while they took Miguel away. Even now, the last moments of Miguel sobbing and begging her not to let them take him away made regular appearances in her nightmares.

A week later, Crusher finally returned from whatever job he was on and brought Artemis back home. That week that Artemis spent alone in the group home after Miguel was ripped away from her was the hardest week of her life. She spent almost the entire week alone sobbing in despair at all she had lost. Even the night jade left hadn't hurt as bad. She was such an emotional wreck that she cried tears of joy when crusher finally showed up. She ran straight into his arms and cried, and to her surprise, he returned the embrace and comforted her. She couldn't remember the last time Crusher had acted like an actual father.

When they returned home, Crusher was back to his usual gruff self and simply demanded to know what happened. And so she told him. She told him about the day they spent at the carnival, the death of Sam's father, how Sam took a job from Isaac so he could buy medicine for Miguel, the time she spent at the group home and how they took Miguel away. She told him everything, while Crusher simply stood there and listened. He didn't even reprimand her when she began to sob as she talked about everything she had endured.

Crusher didn't say anything when she finished speaking. He simply closed his eyes and sighed. This was a new experience for Artemis. Crusher was someone who cared a lot about his image. He never showed weakness. Artemis always viewed her father as a borderline antagonistic figure in her life. Crusher was a dangerous criminal who regularly put her and Sam through brutal training. His behavior drove her sister away. He often seemed to care about nothing but his strength and reputation. But as Artemis watched her father experience a rare moment of vulnerability, all she could think about was how tired her father looked.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and he was back to his usual self. He told her to hand over the envelope of cash Sam had given her saying that he would use it to help Sam in jail.

"What about Miguel? Is there anything you can do to help him too?" Artemis asked as she gave him the envelope. Crusher simply scowled at her question.

"No, the most I can do for him is look into where he ended up. If he's in a good home then that's all there is to it. If he's not, then I'll pay a visit to his new foster parents and make sure they understand that there will be consequences if they mistreat him," Crusher said before he left the apartment. Artemis never thought she'd be grateful to have a father so willing to harm others but in that moment she was.

Artemis found the atmosphere of the empty apartment unbearable, so instead of simply waiting for Crusher to return, she chose to find Zatanna and deliver the letter Sam had left for her. She made sure to grab one of the extra burner phones in the apartment and sent a quick text to Crusher so he would be able to reach her if he needed to. It was just past noon so Artemis figured she would just go to Zatanna's school and wait outside until classes ended.

As she left her building and began making her way towards the school, Artemis couldn't help but notice how the neighborhood had changed while she was gone. There were less people out than there normally would be around this time of day, and the atmosphere was tense, as if violence could break out at any moment. Isaac's death had created a power vacuum, and it was only a matter of time until someone managed to claim his vacant throne for themselves. Artemis didn't really know Isaac all that well, but she still mourned his death. All things considered, he was a force for good in the neighborhood, and she doubted whoever took his place would be as well intentioned as he was.

Artemis made a mental note to ask Crusher to look into what was done with Isaac's body. Artemis knew that Isaac didn't have any living relatives, and she didn't want him to simply be forgotten. Even if she wasn't close to him, she knew Sam was, and he would've wanted Isaac to get some form of funeral rites. Artemis sighed and shook her head. It seemed as if there was no end to the problems that needed to be solved.

After a while, Artemis arrived at St. Rita's School for Girls (the girls only private catholic school Zatanna was forced to attend by her father) with some time to spare before classes ended. Artemis didn't want to just loiter around the entrance, so she decided to wait in the small cafe across the street.

After receiving her drink, Artemis took a seat with her back against the wall near the front window so she'd have a clear view of the school along with the rest of the cafe. It took her a moment to adjust to the spot she chose as sitting in such an exposed position went against some of the training Crusher had drilled into her and Sam. Even as she tried to simply relax and enjoy her drink, she couldn't help periodically scanning the nearby rooftops for any potential snipers.

With nothing to do but wait, Artemis allowed her thoughts to drift as she sipped her drink. She could still remember the moment Sam became someone precious to her. For a long time they had been nothing more than casual friends who lived in the same building and walked to school together. They were on good terms with each other, but they never discussed their personal hardships with each other. They always kept their conversations lighthearted. That all changed when Jade left.

/

Artemis skipped school that day as she wasn't in the mood to be around people, and instead chose to simply stay at home and watch tv. It still hadn't really sunk in yet that her sister had chosen to abandon her until after Artemis woke up and saw Jade's empty bed and remembered that she had in fact left the previous night. Artemis didn't cry, at that point it was simply another struggle that had been inflicted upon her. She spent that day moping in her pajamas and watching tv. She was all alone.

Crusher had left for a job the previous day, which is probably why Jade had chosen to leave that night in order to maximize the amount of time that she would have to get away before Crusher returned and noticed her absence. As a result of this, Artemis was left on her own. Crusher was off on a job, her mother was in prison, and her sister had abandoned her. Artemis was distracted from her misery by a knock at the door. She glanced through the peephole and saw that it was Sam, so she opened the door and wordlessly invited him in.

"Hey, I noticed you weren't in class today so I brought you a copy of the homework that was assigned," Sam said as he entered

"Oh, thanks. You didn't have to do that for me, I'm sure missing one assignment wouldn't have mattered too much," Artemis replied

"Ah, don't worry about it, it's not a big deal. So, what's up? You don't usually miss class, are you sick or something?" Sam asked

no not really just wasn't really feeling like going to school mental health day I get it he said as I let him into the apartment and he dug through his backpack to hand me a few papers the homework had missed

"No, it's nothing like that. I just didn't feel like going to school today, so I took a mental health day." Artemis said as Sam handed her the assignment he brought.

"You sure you're alright? You seem a bit down," Sam said as he looked her over. Artemis knew she must've looked a mess since she hadn't even bothered to comb her hair when she woke up, but she didn't feel like sharing the details of her life so she tried to play it off.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Artemis said

"If you say so," Sam said as he glanced around the apartment, "You all alone? Shouldn't Jade be home from school by now?"

"No, she's not here right now." Artemis said with a tremble in her voice. She could feel her eyes growing watery despite her best efforts to suppress the emotional response her words had elicited. Sam noticed this, and Artemis could see him grimace as he thought about whether he wanted to pry into her affairs, or to simply mind his own business. He made his decision a moment later and began to speak.

"Hey, you good? If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here. I know we never really talk about our respective home lives, and I've always appreciated you respecting my privacy so I tried to do the same for you," Sam said as shuffled awkwardly, "That being said, I do consider you a friend. If there's anything bothering you that you wanna talk about, I may not be able to help, but I am willing to listen. So, what's up? Did you get in a fight with your dad or your sister?"

Artemis was momentarily speechless at Sam's words. She knew he was being honest, the raw sincerity in his tone was plain to hear. She couldn't remember the last time someone had shown genuine concern over her emotional well being. Sam's words broke through the facade Artemis had been trying to maintain and she felt tears spilling from her eyes as she began to sob. Sam hadn't been expecting such a visceral response and began to run damage control.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. It's fine. I'm sorry I asked or if I overstepped." Sam said in a hurried tone as he assumed he was the cause of her emotional distress.

"No, it's not you," Artemis managed to choke out, "It's Jade…sh-she's…gone." The words were painful to say, scraping against her throat as they made their way from her vocal chords to her lips. It was as if simply saying them was her confirming the situation. Artemis was no longer able to entertain any delusions of Jade changing her mind and coming back home. Artemis was forced to face reality head on. Jade was gone. Artemis had been abandoned.

"What do you mean? Are you saying that she…" Sam asked in a worried tone as he misinterpreted what Artemis was saying and assumed that Jade had died.

"No! No, it's nothing like that," Artemis exclaimed as waved her arms in front of her to dispute Sam's line of thought, "She's fine! I think. I hope she is. As far as I know, she's fine. Although, I guess something could have happened to her and I wouldn't know about it."

Artemis knew she was rambling, but she couldn't quite get her thoughts together enough to properly express herself. A distant portion of her mind was embarrassed as she realized how she must've looked at that moment with tears and snot running down her face as she stumbled over her words.

Sam walked forward and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug causing Artemis to flinch at the unexpected contact. Sam noticed her reaction and simply chose to respond by tightening his embrace. Artemis froze for a moment, before she hugged him back and held on tight as she sobbed into his chest.

Artemis couldn't remember the last time she had received a hug from someone. It had been years at least. Crusher wasn't one to show open affection, and Jade had followed his example. Artemis knew Jade cared for her, but she was always distant when it came to emotional displays. She preferred to avoid any sort of emotional issue and pretend it didn't exist rather than acknowledge it. No doubt hoping that if she ignored it long enough then it would simply go away on its own.

"Hey, take you time, there's no need to rush. I'm here for you, okay? You can talk when you're ready. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Sam whispered in her ear as he held her tight with one hand and gently stroked her hair with the other. Artemis found Sam's words funny, which caused her to make an odd noise as she laughed and sobbed at the same time.

Last night Artemis had been abandoned by her sister, and now she found herself in the arms of a boy who she considered to be, at best, a casual friend while he promised to stay with her. The juxtaposition between these two events was so jarring that she couldn't help thinking of it any anything but comical.

Eventually, Artemis managed to calm down enough that she felt comfortable ending the hug. She wiped her tears as she backed away and walked to the kitchen to grab a tissue and blow her nose and take a few breaths to further calm down. Once that was done she walked back to Sam and began to speak.

"Thank you, I really needed that. I…I'm not okay. I'm not even sure where to begin. You don't have to stick around if you don't want to, you've already helped more than you had to. It's fine if you want to just walk away and avoid getting dragged any further into my family drama. I won't hold it against you" Artemis said in a rough tone. Sam took a moment to observe her slouched posture and how she had her arms wrapped around herself before he responded.

"Thanks for the offer, but I've already decided to involve myself. I meant what I said. I'm here to listen if you feel like talking. So don't worry about troubling me, I'm fine with it." Sam said in a resolute tone while making eye contact with Artemis.

"Suit yourself, don't say I didn't warn you," Artemis chuckled as thought about how to proceed before ultimately deciding to simply start talking.

"Jade left last night, and I don't think she plans on ever coming back. Crusher's away on a job and won't be back for about a week. I guess she saw it as her chance to make a clean getaway and couldn't pass it up." Artemis said in an even tone that caused Sam to frown.

She spoke as if she was giving a report, doing her best to be as emotionally detached from the subject matter as she could be. She wasn't even making proper eye contact. Sure she was looking at him, but Sam could tell that she was staring at the gap between his eyebrows rather than looking directly into his eyes. He'd used the same trick enough times to recognize when it was used on him. He didn't like it.

"Jade left you. As in, permanently left you?" Sam asked in a gruff tone as he clenched his fist.

"Yup, that about covers it. My older sister abandoned me last night. Jade decided that she'd rather be homeless and alone than stay here with her family. I'm on my own until Crusher gets back, and I don't even have the slightest clue how I'm going to tell him that she's gone." Artemis said with a shrug. "I can't even say I'm surprised she left, it's not like either of us would choose to live here if we had a better option. Although, I am surprised she chose to leave now, instead of waiting a few years until she was a bit older."

Artemis paused and seemed to contemplate what she just said.

"I wonder what set her off. I always thought that we'd either tough it out until mom got out of prison, or that she'd wait until she was older before running away. I guess I always thought that she would take me with her if things were ever actually bad enough to justify running away. She wasn't exactly a model sister, but I never expected her to leave me behind," Artemis frowned as she wondered about her sister's motivations for leaving. A sad look soon replaced the frown as Artemis thought of something else.

"Did I do something to upset her? Did Jade decide she didn't want me around so that there was no point in waiting any longer? Is it my fault she left?" Artemis whispered to herself in a soft tone.

"No! It is not your fault that Jade left!" Sam yelled which startled Artemis and made her flinch. She had gotten so lost in her own thoughts that she had forgotten he was even there.

Artemis looked at Sam and was both confused and surprised at what she saw. Sam was looking at her with fury in his eyes and an odd expression on his face. Artemis had no idea what could've elicited such a reaction. She could tell that Sam's anger wasn't directed at her, but it was still present.

Artemis watched as Sam took a deep breath and made a visible effort to calm himself down. He succeeded. Mostly. While the rage in his eyes had diminished significantly, it hadn't fully abated.

Sam didn't speak immediately after his outburst, and Artemis had no intention of rushing him. She was perfectly fine waiting for him to proceed at his own pace. Years of living with Crusher had taught her to be cautious around angry men. She didn't think Sam would hurt her, but she'd still rather avoid provoking him if at all possible.

"Look, I get that she's your sister and you love her. But, honestly? Fuck her! She doesn't deserve you! And, from my perspective at least, you're better off without her!" Sam said in a voice so utterly filled with confidence in what he was saying that Artemis couldn't bring herself to contradict him even though she wasn't sure she agreed with him.

"It's not your fault that Jade left. It's hers. That's all there is to it. Nobody put a gun to her head and forced her to leave. She made her own choices. That's all there is to it. I may not know much about your family, but I can tell you that much." Sam said in a firm tone as he stepped forward and gripped her shoulders while making direct eye contact with her. "It was not your fault. I'll say that to you as many times as you need to hear it until you believe it."

"But what if-" Artemis said

"No. No buts, no ifs, no nothing. It was not your fault, Artemis. Jade is your older sister! It doesn't matter how bad your home life is, or how shitty your father is. It's her responsibility to look after you, and she chose to leave. That's on her. I may not have known her that well, but honestly? I'm disgusted with her right now." Sam said

"Why? I don't understand. It's not like her leaving has any effect on your life. Sure, we're friends, but we've never really been that close so I doubt my drama would have spilled over onto you. Why does this bother you so much?" Artemis asked in a confused tone as she tried and failed to understand where Sam was coming from.

Sam simply smiled at her as a wistful expression appeared on his face.

"It bothers me because I have a little brother. Maybe I'm biased, but as an older brother the thought of abandoning my baby brother is already bad enough. But abandoning him to save myself? That infuriates me more than I could ever put into words." Sam said as a dark expression briefly flashed across his face, "Artemis, we don't get to choose what family we're born into, and sometimes we get dealt a bad hand. That's just the way life works. All we can do is make the best of it."

Artemis opened her mouth to respond but didn't get to say anything before she was interrupted by her stomach rumbling loudly. Artemis was mortified, but Sam simply laughed.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Sam asked

"Um…there's not really anything to eat. Crusher left us some money to buy groceries, but Jade took it with her," Artemis mumbled as her face lit up bright red with embarrassment. Sam scowled when he heard that, but chose to ignore it. No sense beating a dead horse and all that.

"Well that settles it, you're coming over to my place for dinner. Let's go" Sam said as he turned and led her out of her apartment without giving her the chance to object.

"Make yourself at home, I'll get started on dinner. I hope you like spaghetti, because that's all we got." Sam said as they entered his apartment before he walked into the kitchen.

"Sounds good to me," Artemis replied as she followed Sam into the kitchen and leaned on the counter, "Need me to do anything?"

"Nah, I got it. I may not be a very good cook, but I can handle this much." Sam chuckled.

"If you say so" Artemis replied as she watched Sam place a pot of water on the stove to boil and pull a box of pasta out of a cabinet. Artemis and Sam soon found themselves simply waiting for the water to boil, and started chatting to pass the time.

They made sure to avoid certain topics and keep the conversion light. They joked about the kids at school and laughed at the expense of certain teachers. This continued until they were interrupted by the sound of a child crying. Artemis was confused for a moment, but then she remembered that Sam had mentioned having a younger sibling. Although he never specified how much younger they were.

"Looks like Miguel finally woke up from his nap. I'll be right back" Sam said as he walked away only to return a moment later carrying a small toddler wearing Superman pajamas, "Artemis, this is my baby brother Miguel. Miguel, this is my friend Artemis." Sam said as he introduced them.

"Uhh, hello? I'm not really sure what to say. I've never really had any kind of contact with a kid as young as your brother before" Artemis said as she smiled nervously and waved at Miguel.

Miguel, excited to meet a new person, promptly laughed and waved back at her. Artemis felt her heart turning into mush at the adorable sight in front of her while Sam simply grinned knowingly as he observed the exchange.

"Here, how about you hold onto him while I finish cooking dinner." Sam said as he handed Miguel over to her and returned to the kitchen.

Artemis was caught off guard for a moment, but before too long she found herself seated at the kitchen table, bouncing Miguel on her knee, and chatting with Sam as he made dinner.

This was a novel experience for Artemis. To an outside observer, this scene would be perfectly normal. But normal is a relative concept. For Artemis, this moment was so utterly domestic that it felt surreal. As if any moment now, her alarm would go off and she'd wake up and realize that she'd been dreaming this entire time. But that's not what happened. This wasn't a dream, this was real.

Artemis loved everything about the current moment. She loved how simple and domestic it was. It felt right to her. She was happy. Artemis basked in the moment, and felt something click in the depths of her heart.

"This is what I want. I'm going to have a family of my own and I'm going to do my best to have every single day be as perfect as this moment,"Artemis silently promised herself. It might take her a long time to achieve her goal, but she knew that she'd manage it eventually.

Eventually the food was ready, and Artemis found herself laughing as she watched Sam making 'choo choo' noises to get Miguel to eat his food.

Artemis and Sam kept talking as the evening progressed. Eventually, Artemis felt comfortable enough to talk about her family. Once she started, it all seemed to pour out of her. She ended up telling Sam everything, and with every word she spoke she could feel a weight lifting from her shoulders. A weight she'd been carrying for so long that she had forgotten it was even there. She felt lighter than she ever had before.

Artemis found it funny how simply speaking honestly with someone about your burdens made them easier to carry. It made Artemis wonder if part of the reason Jade found their home unbearable to the point of running away was simply due to her not having someone she could share her troubles with. Artemis would have listened to her if Jade had only given her the opportunity, but she never did. Would Jade still be here if she had a friend like Sam to confide in? Someone she could allow herself to be vulnerable with? Artemis didn't know the answer to that question, and she probably never would.

Artemis had never felt more vulnerable than she did when she finished speaking and waited for Sam to respond to everything she had just told him. Despite knowing he wouldn't, she found herself worrying that he would reject her. She did her best to ignore the little voice in the back of her mind that was screeching at her, saying cruel things and trying to convince her that there was no way Sam would want to be anywhere near her now that he knew how broken she really was.

The cruel voice was proven wrong a moment later when Sam, instead of rejecting her, chose to reciprocate all the trust and vulnerability she'd shown him with his own. Sam began to speak, and didn't stop until he'd told her everything about himself and his unfortunate circumstances. When he finished speaking, Artemis realized he was likely experiencing the same thing she did so she made sure to silence the cruel voice in Sam's head as soon as possible.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. Miguel is really lucky to have you as his big brother," Artemis said as she smiled at Sam. She noticed Sam was staring at her with a pensive look on his face, then he simply nodded and began to speak.

"All right, I've made up my mind," Sam said

"What do you mean?" Artemis asked

"If Jade is dumb enough to abandon a sister like you…Well, her loss is my gain," Sam said as he grinned at her.

"What are you saying?" Artemis asked in a soft tone.

"I'm saying that I'd be happy to be your brother, if you'll have me. I'm sure Miguel would say the same thing if he knew how to talk. So? What do you say?" Sam asked

Artemis was speechless, she hadn't expected Sam to make an offer like that. Then she was laughing. This had been a miserable day for her until Sam showed up and decided to flip the script. Artemis looked at Sam with tears in her eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that." Artemis said

"That's all there is to it. I can't promise to be a perfect brother, but I can promise I'll do my best to always be there for you and help however I can," Sam said as he grinned at her. Artemis simply laughed in response.

Artemis lost a sister that day, but gained two brothers.

From that point onwards, no matter how bad things got for either Sam or Artemis, they knew that they could always share their burdens with each other so they wouldn't have to carry them alone.

/

A melancholic smile found its way onto Artemis' face as she thought about that day. Even after all these years, the memories hadn't faded in the least. She felt immense gratitude towards Sam for what he did that day and every day since. She never realized how lonely she was until after Sam and Miguel became constant figures in her life.

Artemis never wanted to feel like that again. Unfortunately, now that her brothers had been ripped away from her, it seemed like that would be the most likely outcome.

Artemis was brought back to the present moment at the sound of her ringtone going off. She checked her phone and found that she had received a message from Crusher.

Crusher: I did some digging and found out what happened to the kid after social services took him from you. Apparently, he went and got himself taken in by old moneybags Bruce Wayne himself so there's no need to worry about him anymore. Wayn might be an idiot with more money than brain cells, but he's not the type to mistreat the kid.

That being said, don't even think about getting in contact with that kid. Everyone knows that Wayne funds Batman. If Wayne asks Batman to look into you, it'll inevitably lead him straight towards me. I don't need that kinda hassle. Forget about the kid for now, he's fine right where he is. We can revisit the situation later on when he's a bit older, all right?

Also, I got my hands on the police report from the night Sam got arrested. Get this, Sam almost managed to get away from that whole mess!

According to the report, he managed to break out of the initial police encirclement. He was practically home free, but then lady luck turned on him and he ran into Robin. Then boy wonder managed to subdue him after a short altercation.

Artemis grimaced as she read that. Sam just couldn't catch a break. She would have found it funny if it wasn't so tragic. Crusher was correct in his assessment of Sam's luck, but wrong about the timing. Lady Luck turned on Sam long before he ran into Robin. In the span of a single day, Sam lost his father and the entirety of his savings. Running into Robin was just the cherry on top. Artemis knew that Sam was no slouch when it came to a fight, but against Batman's protege? He didn't stand a chance. The training they both received from Crusher simply wasn't enough to beat an opponent like that.

It actually reminded Artemis of a quote from Shakespeare.

"When sorrows come, they come not not single spies, but in battalions"

AKA, When it rains? It pours.

Artemis took a moment to reply to Crusher.

Artemis: Thank you for looking into Miguel's situation. I don't like having to stay away from him, but I'll do it. I can't deny that he's probably better off with Wayne than anywhere else he could have ended up. Also, I left the house to deliver Sam's letter to his girlfriend so I might not be there when you get home.

Crusher: Alright. Be careful, and contact me if you run into any trouble.

Artemis smiled as she read Crusher's text. It wasn't much, but it was enough to show he cared. Crusher may not have been the perfect father, but he was far from the worst she could've gotten. Sam had taught her the importance of family. After years of watching how Crusher interacted with Sam whenever they would train together, she'd come to realize that Crusher truly did care about her.He just sucked at showing it.

Artemis also knew he still cared about Jade, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Whenever anyone mentioned Jade, Crusher would always scowl and call her a disgrace to the family. For a while, Artemis believed that was actually how Crusher felt about Jade. It wasn't until she offhandedly mentioned one day how she wondered if Jade was all right and Crusher replied that she was doing fine that Artemis realized he still cared about Jade.

Crusher said it in a rude manner and scoffed about how she was off embarrassing both herself and him as his daughter. He ranted about the substandard jobs she would take to support herself and the barely acceptable work she did. Although he did begrudgingly state that at the very least she always completed her jobs to the satisfaction of her clients.

Artemis smiled when she heard that. Not because it confirmed that Jade was out in the world working as a criminal, but because it showed that Crusher had made an effort to keep track of his wayward daughter and was concerned for her well being.

Artemis glanced out the window and saw that students had begun exiting the school and making their way home. Artemis left the cafe and crossed the street. She decided to wait near the school gates so she would be able to see every student as they left the building to minimize the chance of Zatanna slipping past her.

It wasn't long until she spotted Zatanna. Artemis began to call out to her before she paused and chose to observe her for a moment longer. Up until that moment Artemis hadn't really how the entire ordeal had affected Zatanna, but looking at her now she could tell that it must have hit her hard.

Zatanna was walking by herself without interacting with any of her classmates. Her posture was slumped as she walked. Her hair was in a loose ponytail and noticeably greasy, showing that she hadn't washed it in a few days, maybe even a week or more. She had a gaunt expression on her face and visible bags under her eyes. She obviously hadn't been sleeping well.

Artemis found herself hesitating as she noticed all of these details. It was obvious that Zatanna wasn't in the best place, emotionally speaking. Would she be able to handle reading Sam's letter? Or would it just make her mental health deteriorate even further?

Artemis thought about leaving and coming back another day, but decided against it. Artemis had promised Sam that she would deliver it and she had no intention of breaking that promise. Even if Zatanna reacted negatively to the letter, she still had a right to choose for herself whether or not she would read it. Artemis sighed and decided that she might as well get it over with.

Artemis let out a loud whistle and called out to Zatanna.

"Hey, Z! You miss me?" Artemis yelled

Artemis watched Zatanna look up and glance around in confusion until she spotted Artemis grilling at her. Zatanna's face immediately lit up with an excited smile.

"Artemis!" Zatanna yelled as she sprinted forward and nearly broke Artemis' ribs with a strong hug.

"Whoa! I missed you too, Z, but would you mind easing up? Kinda hard to breathe with you crushing my ribs." Artemis gasped as she struggled to get the words out. Zatanna released Artemis when she heard that and took a step back before she resumed speaking.

"What happened after the carnival!? I tried texting you and Sam, but neither of you responded! I wasn't worried at first since I know that Sam is usually busy and forgets to reply to texts. I didn't know what was going on, but I figured we could just talk in person the next time we went to church, but then I saw Sam on the news! He had been arrested, no one knew where his father was, and Miguel was with Social Services, and you weren;t answering the phone! So much was happening and I didn't understand any of it!" Zatanna exclaimed as she began to cry.

"Slow down, Z! I'll explain everything, I promise! Just not here, ok? People are staring at us right now, and this is a conversation best had in private." Artemis said as she gestured towards all of Zatanna's classmates that were watching the scene unfold.

"Oh, yeah that makes sense. Do you want to come over to my house? We can talk there." Zatanna asked, causing Artemis to frown in confusion.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't your Dad have a problem with me there? He wasn't exactly a fan of me and Sam before this whole mess. I can't imagine his opinion of us has gotten any higher." Artemis asked and watched as Zatanna scowled at the mention of her father.

"No, his opinion of you and Sam hasn't gotten any better. He's made his thoughts abundantly clear. Thankfully, he's out of town right now, so we don't have to worry about him. I'm sure my mom would love to see you, but she's volunteering at the church today and won't be home until later so we'll have the place to ourselves." Zatanna replied

"Works for me," Artemis shrugged as they began to walk away towards Zatanna's house.

/

"Nice place," Artemis said as she walked into the foyer of Zatanna's home and observed her surroundings. Zatanna wasn't rich, but her house made it clear that her family wasn't hurting for money.

Zatanna lived in a two-floor townhouse in a nicer part of Gotham. Artemis didn't know what Zatanna's father did for work, as whenever the subject came up she would evade the question and do her best to change the subject, but whatever he did clearly paid well.

Artemis and Sam never minded this. Zatanna was entitled to her privacy, besides it's not like Artemis had any room to judge as she never told her what Crusher did for work either.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to tell my mom you liked it. She's the one who picked out all the decor," Zatanna replied as led Artemis into the living where they both sat down on the couch.

An awkward silence followed as neither of them were really sure how to begin the conversation, but eventually Artemis decided she might as well just dive in head first.

"So, Z, be honest with me. How have you been?" Artemis asked in a concerned tone and watched as a sad look appeared on Zatanna's face before she looked down at her lap to avoid eye contact.

"Not too good. I think I can confidently say that this has been the single worst month of my life," Zatanna said in a dejected tone with her voice cracking ever so slightly, "With everything going on I haven't been able to focus in class so my grades are awful, that's actually one of the reasons I'm technically grounded right now. I also haven't been sleeping much, which hasn't helped the situation. My parents have been arguing a lot lately which has made the atmosphere at home somewhat uncomfortable. I've also started seeing a therapist. I didn't really want to, but my parents insisted. That's probably the only thing they've actually agreed on in the past month. Honestly, things have just been bad all around."

Artemis could see how much Zatanna needed to vent so she chose not to reply and simply nodded as listened to her friend speak.

"It just feels so surreal, you know? Everything fell apart so quickly! I remember how I felt after the carnival. I was so happy! It felt like nothing could possibly ruin my mood. And then…well…it got ruined. That's actually why I haven't been sleeping. I told my parents it's stress induced insomnia. My dad bought it, but my mom didn't. She thinks I've been having nightmares. She's wrong, I've actually been having really good dreams. I wish it was nightmares, that would probably be easier to deal with." Zatanna sobbed as tears began to spill from her eyes. Artemis saw this and scooted closer to Zatanna and pulled her into a hug. Artemis stroked Zatanna's hair as she cried against her chest.

"I keep dreaming about the carnival, and all the other happy moments I spent with Sam. Not just him either. I dream about you and Miguel too. I'm so happy in the dreams, but then I wake up and reality hits me all over again."

Artemis was touched that Zatanna valued their friendship so highly even as she felt her heart breaking at the pain her friend felt.

"Then there's the whole thing with my dad. When he saw how my mom and I reacted to the news report about Sam, he began to question why we were so invested in the situation. Which led to him finding out about my relationship with Sam. Needless to say, he wasn't too happy about that. He blew a gasket and grounded me on the spot. Then he started yelling about how I was dating a criminal and arguing with my mom. He was furious when he found out that she not only knew about the relationship, but supported it!"

"Meanwhile, My mom and I were so worried about you, Sam, and Miguel that we kind of just brushed aside his concerns. Which didn't exactly help the situation. Then we found out what happened to you and Miguel. My mom wanted to adopt Miguel and have you come stay with us until your father got back. She knew that without Sam to look after him, Miguel would be left at the mercy of the foster care system. Honestly I think she wanted to adopt you too. She ranted quite a bit about your father leaving you all alone, but I think she wanted to talk to you before getting into a custody battle with your dad."

Artemis was shocked when she heard that. Artemis knew that she had a good relationship with Sindella, and that the woman cared about her (which was mutual). Whenever they saw each other, Sindella would act as a mother figure towards her. She always fussed over Artemis and inquired about her well being. Sindella was never overly intrusive and made sure to respect her privacy, which Artemis appreciated. Truth be told, at this point Artemis had more memories of Sindella acting like a mother towards her than her actual mom. Even so, Artemis was astounded to hear just how far Sindella was willing to go to ensure her well being. It made Artemis appreciate Sindella even more than she already did.

"I can't believe she was willing to do that for me," Artemis whispered, causing Zatanna to snort.

"Are you kidding? Artemis, my mom loves you! She already thinks of you as a second daughter." Zatanna chuckled, before she continued speaking.

"So yeah, my mom wanted you and Miguel to come live with us, but my dad was adamantly against it. I've never heard them argue as much as they did during that period of time, which was surprising. Usually, my mom can get my dad to fold without too much difficulty, but he refused to budge on this. Then my mom found out that someone else had taken Miguel before she could. She was furious, especially since we didn't know where Miguel was or who had him. I've never seen her that mad before. She directed her anger at my father. She yelled that because of him Miguel was now on his own with people he didn't know instead of her with people who loved him. She even asked my dad how he could consider himself a good catholic man in the eyes of God when he not only turned his back on an innocent orphan boy in his time of need, but forced others (referring to herself and me) to do so as well?"

Artemis winced at that. She knew how seriously Sindella took her faith. She must have been beyond furious to wield it as a weapon in an argument against her husband. Especially since as far Artemis knew, Sindella was a dutiful wife who didn't openly oppose her husband. Sure she might try to convince him otherwise in private, but if his mind was made up then she would accept it.

A good example of this would be Zatanna attending an all girls catholic school. Originally, Zatanna wanted to attend a regular public school, or at least a mixed gendered private one, but her father refused. Even after Sindella spoke to him he refused to budge on the matter, and so she chose to respect her husband's decision.

Of course, Sindella was more than willing to make decisions she knew her husband wouldn't approve of so long as he didn't find out. This was why she made sure to do whatever she could to hide Sam and Zatanna's relationship from her husband.

"Obviously, my father didn't enjoy hearing that, but he still refused to budge on the matter. He still thought he was right, he said he didn't want his family involved in any way with criminals or their relatives. I guess he thought you and Miguel were guilty by association." Zatanna scowled before she sighed and sat up straight so she could make direct eye contact with Artemis.

"Artemis, even now I only have a vague idea of what caused all this. So I have to ask, what happened?" Zatanna asked

Artemis sighed before she began to speak. She told Zatanna everything that had happened from the moment they had arrived home from the carnival to what she had spoken about with Crusher earlier in the day. She left nothing out.

When she finished speaking she simply waited silently for Zatanna to process the information and respond. Artemis watched as Zatanna's face seemed to shift between a multitude of emotions before it settled on one she couldn't quite identify and began to speak.

"Two- hundred dollars?" Zatanna whispered to herself before continuing to speak. Her voice grew louder with every word she spoke.

"All Sam needed to pay for Miguel's medication was two-hundred dollars!? That's it!? Why didn't he ask me for the money!? I would have helped him in a heartbeat! So would my mother! He didn't have to be at the docks that night! All of this could have been avoided! He would still be here right now if he had simply asked for help! So why didn't he!?" Zatanna asked in a desperate tone as tears cascaded down her face. She stared at Artemis with a stricken expression on her face as she waited for her to answer the question. Artemis didn't think she would like the answer she was about to receive.

"Honestly, It just didn't occur to any of us. So much happened that night and things were so intense that it never even occurred to us to reach out to anyone. Especially after Sam asked Isaac for help. I didn't even tell my father until earlier today. I guess we thought we had it under control." Artemis said in an even tone. She certainly couldn't refute Zatanna's point. She was right. Mostly. Even if Sam asked Zatanna for help, he still would've needed to involve Isaac to deal with his father's corpse.

"Even if we had thought to ask you, I doubt Sam would've been willing to involve you unless he had already exhausted every other option. He's always been adamant about keeping you as distant from the more negative aspects of his life as possible. Especially the illegal ones. He's never wanted to burden you with that." Artemis said in a solemn tone.

"What if I wanted him to burden me? Huh? How about that? Don't I get a choice in the matter?" Zatanna asked indignantly, "He's my boyfriend! I love him! I know he'd be there for me if I ever needed his help! So why couldn't he let me be there for him!?"

"I don't really know what to tell you, Z. Sam just doesn't really like asking for help. He prefers to handle things himself whenever possible. He's always been that way. Even with me. We were friends for months before he accepted my help babysitting Miguel. Even then, he wasn't asking me for help, I was offering." Artemis said calmly as she shrugged, "I think it's because of his parents. I think he just got so used to being disappointed and having to do things on his own that eventually he just stopped asking altogether. I doubt it was a conscious decision on his part, more like a habit that's been reinforced over so many years that at this point it's second nature to him."

"Yeah, that sounds like him all right." Zatanna said in a defeated tone as she slumped her shoulders. Zatanna was silent for a while as she processed the information she had been given. Then she sighed and continued to speak.

"Well, at the very least, it's nice knowing that Miguel is okay. Even if it is hard to believe that he managed to get adopted by Bruce Wayne of all people. I wonder how that happened." Zatanna said wistfully with a slight smile on her face.

"I know, right!?" Artemis exclaimed with a laugh, happy to have moved on to a lighter topic. Then she paused as she remembered the reason she had come to see Zatanna in the first place.

Artemis pulled out Sam's letter and handed it to Zatanna.

"Sam left that for you before he left for the job. Just in case things went back, you know? He made me promise to deliver it to you. I don't know what he wrote. There's a chance that anything he wrote is something we've already talked about." Artemis said as she watched Zatanna gently hold the letter as she stared at it. Then she opened it and began to read.

Zatanna smiled as she read the letter and cried a bit, but overall seemed satisfied with it.

"Yup, we've pretty much already covered everything he wrote." Zatanna laughed as she wiped away a tear, " Even so, it still makes me happy to see his handwriting."

They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company, for Zatanna glanced at a nearby clock and noted the time.

"Do you want to stay for dinner? My mom will be home soon, and I know she'd be happy to see you." Zatanna asked

Artemis paused to consider her offer before shaking her head and turning down the invitation.

"I better not. I don't know if Crusher had any evening plans for us, and I honestly don't know if I could handle talking about everything all over again with your mom right. Some other night maybe. Although, be sure to tell your mom I said hello, yeah?" Artemis said as she and Zatanna stood up and hugged each other briefly.

"Sounds good to me," Zatanna said with a smile, "Thank you for telling me everything, and for delivering the letter."

"Don't mention it, That's what friends are for right?" Artemis asked as Zatanna led her to the door.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Zatanna said as she and Artemis shared one final hug before Artemis left and began to make her way back home.

Man this chapter was a pain to write, but I finally finished it. No Sam this chapter, but we got to see some of the aftermath of the previous chapter. Sam isn't the only one suffering the consequences of his choices.

Also we've learned where Miguel ended up. I wonder how Sam will react once canon starts and he learns that not only did Robin get Sam locked up, he's also been living with his little brother and flirting trying to put the moves on Zatanna?

How do y'all think he'll take it? lol

Next chapter will be similar to this one, but it will feature Sam. After that we get the next arc which will be centered around Sam's time in jail.

Anyway, be sure to leave a review and let me know what you think. Remember, the more y'all review, the more motivation I have to write and the faster these chapters get released.

Also if you of you want to support me and my work just search for DelinquentDream on P t-r3-0n

Now onto Review responses.

Son of Sparda2099- Bad things happen to good people. It sucks, but it's a fact of life. As to a potential prison break…well I won't spoil anything ;) I definitely have some good stuff planned for Sam and Zatanna don't you worry. As for his skill set, all I'm going to say is that he's received a similar amount of training as Artemis from Sportsmaster. Interpret that how you will.

Incarnate47: It's gonna be a while before we start seeing more canon characters. Sam won't be joining the Team. their stories will intersect and Sam will have an affect on canon, but he has his own story to follow.

DDot Omega- I don't know if I'd go that far, but Sam will definitely have some interesting interactions with the bat family. Especially now that we've learned that Bruce Wayne has adopted his little brother.

Doc. Spontaneous- Yeah, writing the bat family will definitely be interesting.