A/N: Thank you guys for all the support. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter; I really enjoyed writing it. I'm sorry it didn't come out sooner. My writing abilities come and go and I prefer not to give you guys rubbish. Thanks to everyone who has done fanart.

Artemis opened the front door to her mother's apartment using her key. As soon she entered and dropped her school bag down on floor, someone rose up from the couch and walked toward her.

She socked him in the face. "Cameron! What the hell are you doing here?! What have you done to Mom?"

He stepped several paces and raised his hands in a sign of surrender. "Nothing. I wouldn't do anything to Mama Crock. She's got sharper teeth than you."

Artemis held her defensive stance. "Answer my other question!"

"What if I said I had come to chat, as old friends do?"

"I'd tell you to get out. And we're not old friends."

"No." He stepped toward her. "What are we then? Bickering lovers. You know, our fathers are best pals. I'm probably the only man Lawrence would give you to willingly."

"Don't kid yourself Cameron. You're not a big enough criminal to have my dad in your fanclub. And just for the record, if you were, you'd have less of a chance with me."

"Look, Artemis-"

"I don't want hear it Cameron. I thought you had reformed like I had and I gave you a chance."

"I did reform. After my father was convicted-"

She interrupted him. "You might have stopped committing crimes, but you didn't reform. You're a vicious bully and creepy!"

"It's not like you've become the kindest person out there, Arty," he sneered.

"You're right. I'm not. But I don't hurt people. Or at least, I try not to." She put her hands on her hips. "Why are you here, Cameron?"

"I've got a letter for you. One that's supposed to be delivered personally." He pulled out a folded envelope and held it out to her. Once she took it, he started to pass her to get to the front door.

"Wouldn't go that way, if I were you. Police Commissioner Gordon should be pulling into the parking lot any minute now. I'm going out today with his daughter. Wasn't he part of your father's conviction case?"

Cameron snarled. "How do you propose I get out then?"

"Same way you came in, I expect. The fire escape."

Artemis watched him leave the room. Then, satisfied he was gone, she sat down on the living room's sofa and unfolded the envelope. It was addressed to "Baby Girl." Her heart rate started growing. Gingerly, she opened envelope, half expecting anthrax to fall out of the envelope. When nothing happened, she unfolded the letter inside, gripping it sides tightly. She started reading it, hearing the words in her father's voice.

Baby Girl,

Word is you've gotten yourself a leading role in your new school's play. I've played nice here, so I think I might have a chance to leave to see the production, and maybe your sister's senior dance as well. Gonna have to thank Mr. Queen for sending you to such a fine establishment. Get some networking done while you're there. We'll be able to use it.

Of course, maybe you won't want to, when I get out. And I am going to get out, soon. Little Mahkent was here the other day. He said you'd reformed and thought yourself a hero. "Not my Baby Girl," I told him, "she's got too much fire. And whatever she's using it for right now, well I can control fire. She'll the best of us, better even than her older sister, who doesn't know how to listen."

Mahkent told me you're hanging out with a new boy. Good. Little Mahkent is defeated, won't amount to much as a crook. Use your new boyfriend. Use Jade's too, since he's Mr. Queen's heir. Kids would probably be a good way to control them. I think your sister already knows that know.

Say hi to your mother for me.

Artemis stared at the letter for a long moment, then crushed it in a fist. Her father's nerve! He was still acting as if she could be forced into being his accomplice, was even willing to help his crimes. She hoped he never got out.

Abruptly, she stood up. "Jade!" Her sister stood right in front of her, face unreadable. "Why is everyone I hate showing up today!?"

Jade stared at her, wide-eyed. "What's got you so upset that you didn't hear me come in?

"What are you talking about?"

"I haven't been able to sneak up on you in years. What's wrong?" Jade looked Artemis up and down, finally spotted the closed fist. "What's in your hand?"

"Nothing. Wouldn't want you to worry about me. Though why I think you might...after all, it's not like you worry about Mom."

"Artemis-"

"Fine!" Artemis threw the balled up piece of paper at her sister. Jade caught it and after straightening it out, began to read it.

Artemis waited, arms crossed, for her sister to finish reading the letter. Jade muttered, "That goddamn bastard! How does he know!" before looking at Artemis. "Is this why I saw Mahkent scampering down the fire escape?"

"Yeah. He was delivering the letter for Dad. Jade, we...we can't let Dad get out of jail. I'm happy, for once in my life and Mom just got a new job at the library."

"Is that where she is now?" Jade said. Artemis nodded. With a sigh, Jade sat down on the sofa. "I'm not sure we can. He only convicted for robbery. We know he killed those people, but the jury didn't think so...Maybe we could dig up evidence of a different crime, one he wasn't tried for before, but we could be tried for obstruction of justice. Certainly I could. I'm eighteen now."

Artemis looked down at her sister for a long moment. Jade looked back. "We can't tell Mom. She'd..."

"No. We can't. You're right. She'd be very distressed."

Artemis sat back down on the sofa. "Jade, I'm going to spend the night at a friend's night."

"Does Mom know?"

"Of course. I let her know where I'll be sleeping." Jade made no comment. "Can't you spend the night here? At least tonight?"

Jade hesitated, but finally conceded, "Roy and I will come for dinner. Maybe we'll stay."

Artemis stood up. "I need to pack. But, Jade, why were you here in the first place?"

Jade gave a giant grin. "I was just seeing what Mom hadn't thrown out since I was last here." Artemis rolled her eyes and walked to her bedroom.

"What would you do if Artemis liked you?"

Wally spluttered and started coughing. Once he had regained composure, he stared at Dick. "What?"

"What would you do if Artemis liked you? From the look of it, more than just whelmed."

"One," Wally held up a finger, "Artemis does not like me. Especially like your talking about. Two," he held up a second finger, "I do not like her."

"I never asked," Dick said, grinning. Wally glared at him. "If you're going to be like, I answer the question as myself. If, hypothetically, Artemis liked me, Dick Grayson, then I would be quite pleased, because she is attractive."

"Dude, you're already chasing after too many girls. Barbara, Zee, and possibly this Bette?"

Dick looked a little pink, but didn't give Wally the victory of a reaction. "So, Wally, what if, hypothetically, Artemis liked you?"

Wally made a strangled noise. He answered Dick's question slowly and carefully. "I suppose I'd be pleased too, because, as you say, she-she is attractive."

Dick stared at him. "Is that it?"

Wally looked away from him and at the large tv in front of the two boys. Wally's parents had left New York for the weekend in order to attend a friend's wedding in Chicago. They told him he could stay with his Aunt and Uncle (and Bart) or with Bruce Wayne. They had so far spent the night watching various movies and tv shows Dick owned. The current movie they were watching involved Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter traveling through time in a phonebox that wasn't bigger on the inside. "What's this movie called again?"

"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. There's a sequel too, but it's not as good. You were saying?"

"Nothing. I was saying nothing."

Dick snorted. "Whatever you say, Wally, whatever you say."

Artemis looked down at the empty dinner bowl before her. The bowl of gnocchi had tasted very good and she was sorry to finish it, although she was too full to justify asking Mr. Zatara for another bowl.

Barbara and Artemis had arrived at Zatanna's Manhattan apartment to find that she and her father cooking two pasta dishes for dinner: gnocchi and spaghetti with red sauce. By the time Megan arrived, the food was prepared. Now the four girls sat at the apartment's dining room table, finishing up dinner.

"Are we going to have dessert, Zee?" Artemis asked.

Zatanna said, "Does biscotti and hot chocolate later count?"

"That certainly sounds good," Barbara said.

"Dad?" Mr. Zatara walked in from the kitchen. He was still in the nice suit he wore to work everyday, which was at odds with the girls' t-shirts and shorts. "We're done eating. Could you start making the hot chocolate?"

He nodded. "I'll bust the table too."

Zatanna jumped out of her seat and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Dad." She looked at the three girls. "Come on! Let's go to my room."

Artemis and the two other girls followed Zatanna through the living room and into her bedroom. "It's pretty small," Zatanna said, gesturing around the room, "but we'll all fit." Artemis didn't think there was a danger of them not fitting; while the room was a few square feet smaller than her bedroom in her mother's house, there was easily enough room for three sleeping bags to be rolled out parallel to the single bed pushed against one wall.

"That's okay, having an apartment in Manhattan is luxurious in and of itself," Barbara said.

Zatanna shrugged. "Dad comes from old money. This apartment—well, I guess it's more of a condo-has been in the family a century. Um, Dad's already brought your stuff in here." She pointed to a row of duffel bags, overnight bags, and rolled up sleeping bags pushed up against one of the rooms periwinkle walls. "You girls can go ahead and change into the pajamas if you want. I am." She walked over to a chest of drawers at the foot of her bed and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a short, dark purple nightgown. "Be right back."

A few minutes later, the Artemis, Megan, and Barbara, all dressed in pajamas, sat on top of the now unrolled sleeping bags. Megan was dressed in a delicate white nightgown, whose hem rested below her knees. Artemis wore green sweat pants and a tank top, while Barbara wore a blue pajama shirt over shorts. Zatanna came back into the room hold a box, her nightgown resting just low enough on her legs that it didn't count as neglige. She set the box down in the middle of the three girls and grinned down at them.

Artemis looked inside the box. There was a huge array of fingernail polish. She looked up at Zatanna. "Do people actually do each others nails during sleepovers? I thought that was urban myth."

Zatanna shrugged. "We don't have to do nails, if you don't want to. I enjoy it but-"

"I've never seen someone own so many colors!" Megan looked up from the box apologetically. "Sorry Zee, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Don't worry," Zatanna chuckled, "it's fine."

"Are you okay with this, Artemis?" Barbara asked Artemis.

"It's fine, just-it's been awhile."

Zatanna sat down cross legged in front of them. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'm not sure what I want to paint my fingernails, but I'd like this color for my toes." Megan held up a bottle of luxurious dark pink nail polish.

Once the girls had decided on their colors (Artemis choosing a pastel yellow for her toes and neon green for her fingers) and they had begun decorating one another, the conversation began to drift.

"So Barbara...how is Dick?"

Barbara looked at Zatanna. "He's fine, I guess. Aren't you two in the same grade?"

"Yeah, but he's very good at deflecting questions about himself. You're one of his best friends."

Barbara grinned. "You've met Bruce, err, Mr. Wayne, haven't you?"

Zatanna nodded. "He and Dad have become really good friends since my father started working at school."

"He's ten times worse about taking care of himself. Fortunately, they have butler who makes sure Bruce stays home when he's really sick."

"Does he...confide a lot in you?" Zatanna's voice was so delicately eager, that Artemis looked up from Zatanna's toes to watch the conversation.

"Um...well we tell each other other people's secrets, but it's been awhile since we shared our own secrets with each other. I used to tell him things like...my secret crushes on boys, but then he got older and those things started to make him uncomfortable, not that he ever said anything. I'm pretty sure that he's had a crush on me for a while; he sure acts-shit!" Barbara looked straight at Zatanna. "That's what you were asking about, isn't it? My relationship with Dick?"

Zatanna looked away from Barbara and nodded. "Yeah...I..."

Barbara looked guilty and rushed to say something to make the girl feel better. "I wouldn't worry, Zee. I know Dick likes you a lot. And I wouldn't get in your way at all."

"But I don't want to get in your way either."

"You won't! I...Look I really do like Dick and, though I might want something different later, when we're older, right now anything except friendship would make me, and probably him too, extremely uncomfortable. He's just-even though it's only two years, there's a big difference between fourteen and sixteen year olds. I wasn't planning on inviting him to prom."

"Who are you planning to invite?" Megan asked.

"Jason Bard. He's a senior, son of an officer in my dad's force, he-"

"He's in the dance department," Artemis said, "And hot damn! Nice choice Babs."

Barbara grinned at Artemis, then looked back at Zatanna. "So don't worry about me, Zee, unless you're planning to make this a really long term thing."

"I may be in ninth grade, Barbara, but I'm not that naive." Zatanna smiled and turned to Artemis. "Who are you going to invite prom? Wally?"

"Very funny Zee, but no, I'm not going to invite, quote, 'The Wallman' to prom. Jeez, you guys, if I hadn't already decided that boys are hot and actual relationships tend to be healthier than hooking-up, your teasing might have put me off relationships."

"Well," Barbara said, "Who are you inviting?"

"Since I decided I don't need boys to have a satisfying life-"

"But boys are fun!" Zatanna said.

"I never said they weren't, but I don't need them. I'm inviting Megan to come with me."

Megan smiled at Artemis. "If you want to invite someone else-"

"There aren't any boys I'm interested in. Well, maybe Conner, but-"

"Artemis," Zatanna said, "Don't you know? Conner and Megan are dating?"

The room went silent as Artemis stared at Megan. A moment later, she found her voice. "Megan, I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know. If I did-"

"It's okay, Artemis, it really is. Conner's...flattered by the attention, but I don't think he's very interested."

"Someone needs to tell Wally. So he'll stop tormenting you."

Megan shook her head. "That's probably a good idea. You should try breaking it to him gently, Artemis."

"Why do I have to tell him?" Artemis asked.

"He talks to you the most," Barbara said, "unless you count when he's talking to me and Dick at the same time."

Much later, after the girls had turned off the lights and slipped into the sleeping bags, Barbara asked Artemis, "Are you really not attracted to Wally?"

Artemis let out a really long sigh. "I'm not attracted to him physically."

"He's got a fairly athletic build. Lankier than Conner's, but...I actually prefer lanky boys."

"I'm not attracted to his personality."

"Okay...I admit the personality he greets people with is kind of revolting, but it's really only one aspect of his personality."

"Stop trying to convince me to like him!" Artemis said in a loud whisper.

"Okay. I'll shut up."

Both girls fell silent for a moment. Then Artemis whispered, very quietly. "My hormones...are attracted to his. And it doesn't help that we're so similar to the characters in the play."

"Goodnight Artemis."

"'Night Babs."

A/N: Look, I managed to have my characters talk about boys and still pass the Bechdel test. Hurrah! As always, I enjoy reading your reviews.

Theatre kids:

Benedick—Wally West, 11th grade; Beatrice—Artemis Crock, 11th grade; Claudio—Conner Kent, 10th grade;

Hero—Megan Morse, 10th grade; Don Pedro—Richard Grayson, 9th grade; Leonato—Kaldur'ahm, 12th grade;

Don John—Psimon, 10th grade; Borachio—Cameron Mahkent, 11th grade; Conrad—Klarion, 9th grade;

Margaret/Ursula—Zatanna Zatara, 9th grade; Dogberry—Bart Allen, 8th grade; Verges—Garfield Logan, 8th grade;

The Sexton/The Friar—Tim Drake, 8th grade; The Watch—Cassie Sandsmark,8th grade

Other kids:

Barbara Gordon—Math/Science, 11th grade; Roy Harper—Dance, 11th grade; Jade Nyguen—Dance, 12th grade;

Bette Kane-Visual Arts, 10th grade; Jaime Reyes-Creative Writing 8th grade; Raquel Ervin-Creative Writing

Adults:

Bruce Wayne—Principal; Oliver Queen—school sponsor/Board member; Dinah Lance—head theatre teacher;

Giovanni Zatara—head music teacher; Barry Allen—head dance teacher;

Much Ado About Nothing:

Act I: Don Pedro, Claudio, and Benedick arrive at Leonato's house. Benedick and Beatrice quarrel. Claudio and Hero fall in love

Act II: Don John schemes to prevent a marriage between Claudio and Hero. Don Pedro and company decide to matchmake Benedick and Beatrice.

Act III: Don Pedro's plan is executed. Possibly, it has worked. Don John convinces Claudio that Hero is not a virgin.

Act IV: Hero's family tries to defend from slander. B&B proclaim something akin to love for one another privately.

Act V: Happy ending. It is a comedy after all. Pretty much everyone, including B&B, gets married.

Thanks.