You guys are officially asterous. Every single one of you who's reading this story. In less than 24 hours from when I posted the second chapter, reviews have more than quadrupled. Thank you guys for all of those reviews! And let's not forget the whooping 19 favorites and 37 follows!

I'm soooooo story this update is so ridiculously late. It took me far, far longer than the last one, and I really didn't think it was going to take that long. Plus, my computer has been acting kind of bleh lately, so I can't access FF very much. I've also been working on a collaboration fic with rikuseroth, which is a lot of fun. And I've been beta reading forthespeedforce4, who is the Kid Flash to my Robin.

I changed my username recently- same person, different title. Still Gadget, but I was thinking, wouldn't a utility belt related username make more sense? Hence the name heartfelt-utilitybelt. Geddit? Gadget, Utility belt?...

Weell anyway- Mailbag time! Anything that you want answered/clarified, or have any comments, suggestions, anything- contact me! Email, PM, even review and get mail back! I'm most likely to respond to either a review, or an email. Mailbag should be heavier today:

AirBourne3: Barbara is like a sister to them. She still lives with her dad and all, and she's still Batgirl. She isn't going to be a huge part of the story, because she doesn't live with them, and she's in college, but I thought she should still make a good few appearances as she's an honorary member of the Bat-family, even though she was never adopted by Bruce.

Tinybrowgirl: I had a feeling someone was going to ask about if one of the Bat-fam had their training. As for Cass, I'm going to say yes, because this is something she was raised with.

ariaT27: Actually, that's going to pick up this chapter. I hope. I didn't want to make her seem rude, since she's sort of trying to make a good impression, but since I did that I started to stray from her sassy, smart-alec kind of character. Thanks so much for the input; I'll try my best to stick to the canon character traits.

Guest (?): I will, thanks. I was thinking about it for a while and I think Bette can play a good role in this story.

Supernerdette: Thanks! I hoped it wasn't too too out there. I will try my very best to get in on the due dates, but the story definitely won't be abandoned!

Nomby: Lol, yes, I tried my very hardest to balance it. I hope I didn't completely overdo it. But thanks so much! I love that you say fellow Traught shipper. It makes me feel like there are more of us out there XD!

ArkieK: I love how you know your stuff, lol. That would definitely be me. I'm sort of writing this half AU. Artemis is the same age as Wally in season one, but that's kind of tough to pinpoint because he turned sixteen at one point, so you're right for sure. Robin is also one of those in between people; he turns fourteensomewhere in that S1 range, even though it's not mentioned (the whole secret identity thing). Canon-wise, this story is way off the rails. But sort think of it as during the timeskip, but as if Zatanna and Rocket hadn't joined YJ, and that Dick and Artemis are only a year and a half apart instead of two years (though it is possible that they actually are a year and a half apart…). And they're older. Wow, that is a lot to think about. I'm pretty sure Dami was born when Dick was fifteen (google-d it XD), but Bruce and Dick didn't know about him until he was maybe ten or so, because I know for a fact he started being Robin at ten. So in the process of making this story, I completely ruined the Batfamily timeline as well as the Young Justice one, but hey, like you said, you can't have the Batfamily without Damian.

?: Funny that you say that actually, because it's in this chapter! You would not believe how long it took me to find the age differences between everyone. After a while I realized that it probably wasn't going to work out properly since I messed with the timeline, lol. Soo- Babs is 19, Dick is 16, Artemis is 17, Tim is 8 (I know, I know), Jason is 11, Cass is 10, Steph is 9, and Dami... is less than one year old.

If I forgot anyone, big apology. The mailbag's just starting to get really heavy (That's a good thing!). Depending on how many reviews this chap gets, I'll be cutting down the mail that I send back. Apologies in advance if chap. 4 takes longer than the due date. This chap includes a Bette cameo in it (yay!), and for chap 4 I'll shoot the extra mile and include the rest of the team (which I just recently realized haven't been so much as mentioned). By the way, I forgot to actually tell you guys that I'm messing with the YJ timeline.

Well, I'm messing with the timeline ._. I very well realize that Dick is 13-14 and Artemis is 15-16 in S1, but in this story, Dick is 16 and Artemis is heading on 18. Deal with yourselves XD.

BIG THANKS TO RANDOMKITTY101! I COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS CHAPTER WITHOUT YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH RK, YOU ARE TOTALLY CRASH!

Special mail for RK: Thanks sooo much, you have very awesome ideas. I declare you my official ACS advisor. I used like everything you suggested, as well as some more stuff. Thank you!

**WE INTERRUPT THIS NOT-SO-REGULARLY SCHEDULED TRAUGHT FANFICTION** **FOR A BREAKING PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!**

So guiz. I was watching Batman Begins and I realized they say Ra's Al Ghul WRONG. ALL of the Christopher Nolan Batman series movies do too. My friend didn't believe me and I went on this big spree to prove to them that it was indeed wrong, including the Batman Beyond clip where Talia literally corrects Terry after saying it wrong because he learned the name from the databases and pronounced it how it's spelled. Ra's Al Ghul is Arabic, roughly translating to "Demon's Head", so that means there's an accent mark over the a in Ra's (that I have no idea how to do on the computer). It's not pronounced Razz Al Ghul, it's Raysh Al Ghul.

So my dearest readers, don't be idiots. Please.

It's not Razz.

It's RAYSH.

Thanks for reading guys, and enjoy!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Artemis opens her bleary eyes and yawns. Homework, a nuisance almost provenly created to strip kids of their free time, suckered her out. Again. Meaning she forgot to set her alarm clock. Again. School starts at 8:00. It usually takes her 15 minutes to get dressed, brush her teeth, and wash up, another 20 minutes to do the morning exercises she's been in the habit of doing since her dad lived with her, and 25 to walk-really-fast to school. The only two complaints she has about the school is that it (1) was positively crawling with rich, popular, and smart people who thought about nothing but what was theirs, and (2) the fact that it's so far away. She isn't a slow, casual walker. Artemis usually went to school with a brisk, hurried pace, and even with her faster-than-normal speed it takes almost half an hour. Then again, she doesn't exactly live in the best part of town.

Her clock reads 7:30.

Shoot.

Artemis grabs a random array bookmark from her dresser, jabs it in her sign language book, and shoves it in her already overly-large school bag. The book is fairly heavy, but she figures it's worth it. Her closet isn't exactly a teen girl's dream, making it easy to pull her uniform out of it and slip on the skirt, shirt, and blazer. Another complaint; the ridiculously short skirt. She runs a brush through her thick blonde hair a few times. The prongs catch the tangles a few times and she has to pull a bit harder, but she ends up just tying it back in her trusty ponytail. Though she loves not having to worry about her hair because it's tied at the back of her head, it makes her a bit nervous. Artemis, that new Star City heroine sidekick of Green Arrow, has the same hairstyle as well as the same name. Coincidence? Some might not think so with this pattern going on. After gurgling some mouthwash quickly (bad breath = a disgusting amount of self-consciousness), she runs to her mom's room.

She's sleeping in her wheelchair with the back extended and a makeshift bed of pillows and sheets. She looks frail, weak, defenseless.

Artemis never remembered her mom being physically strong. The accident was much too early in her childhood for that. But she always remembered her with a strong, fierce personality, always being the backbone of the family.

Maybe that's why when she went to jail the family fell apart, the seams seemed to be cut harshly one by one, until they weren't even a family anymore.

Though she's sick and tired most of the time, Artemis likes to talk to her a lot. Between her and Bette, she really doesn't have anyone to talk to. Sure, she holds somewhat normal conversations with M'gann, Wally, Robin-whatever the heck his real name is-, and Kaldur, (Conner doesn't quite seem... the talking type, to put it gently), but absolutelynothing having to do with her secret identity. And her mom, well… she listens. She told her about all about Tim, Steph, Tim, Damian, and Dick and how nervous she was to meet Bruce and how they won't have to worry about the money problem anymore. There's only a few more days until eviction and she's just itching to give the bank back someof the money at least.

She scribbles a note to remind her mom to take her medicine, grabs her backpack, and leaves the apartment. The air is crisp and cool, fall slowly making its appearance, and Artemis is glad she put on her blazer.

When she arrives at GEA (Gotham Elite Academy), her hair is back to its regular lion's-mane-in-a-scrunchie, and she's panting to catch her breath. She swiftly puts her locker combo in and takes the supplies that she needs out of her backpack. There are a few kids left in the hallway, which is a good sign. Maybe a few minutes left or so until the late bell. Artemis can't be late. She can't let asingle tardy mark appear or her report card, because from what she's heard,Bruce Wayne gets her report card as well as she does. If she messes up just one day or grade, she's toast. It's especially important now that she's working for Dick, it's extra important. Surprisingly enough, there seem to be a good amount of kids on scholarships. She's seen ones for William Dozier, Basil Bowman, and even John E. Carson. But it seems as if there's no one else with Wayne funding, and if there is, she has yet to find them. Dick technically doesn't count. Though he's technically on Wayne funding, it's not because of some anonymous scholarship he got.

She shoves her backpack into her locker and locks it, rushing to homeroom, making it just by the bell.

"Artemis!"

Artemis turns her head to her name. AM classes went quickly, and lunch just started a few minutes ago. People are getting their lunches and joking around with their friends and she can't find who was calling her, until Bette Kane runs up to her, eyes lit up and blonde hair even more frizzy than usual. "What's u-"

"You went with Dick Grayson." Bette interrupts her, sliding into her usual seat next to her. She says it in a "matter of fact" tone, like she knows more than Artemis does about the subject.

Artemis rolls her eyes. "I didn't go withhim go with him. Not even close to date. Bette, I barely know the guy."

Leave it to Bette to come to flirtatious conclusions.

Bette gives her a confused stare. "So then what were you doing?"

Artemis shrugs a bit. "He hired me to babysit his…" She suddenly realizes that she still doesn't know how the heck the kids are related to him.

Bette doesn't seem to notice.

"WHAT?!" She practically shrieks, grabbing the attention of a few around them.

"Shhhh!" Artemis whispers loudly, her hand shooting up to cover Bette's mouth.

"You get to go to Wayne Manor every day?!" Bette asks, awe completely evident in her voice. Bette was a complete fan-girl at heart.

"Not every day. Just weekdays."

Bette crosses her arms. "How in the world did you nail a job like that?"

For the first time, it crosses Artemis how weird it was Dick's ad was a grimy piece of paper stuck to the school cork board. This is a kid who could have it written across the sky, who could have hundreds lining up at his doorstep in minutes. She imagines all the different ways he could advertise the opening in staff, each getting crazier and crazier.

Bette snaps her fingers. "Earth to Artemis!"

Artemis blinks largely. "Sorry… I was thinking."

Bette nods, apparently moving on, and takes a moment to grab her pink lunchbox. School lunches at the moment is wasted money for Artemis, and Bette, being the oddity that she is, actually prefers her simple packed lunch. She opens it and takes out a container of mac and cheese.

"So…." She starts, giving Artemis a mischievous glance. "Did you get a chance to check him out?"

Artemis flushes slightly and facepalms. "Seriously? Bet, I know you're all over boys like him-"

Her locker is completely covered on the inside with pictures of celebrities, but especially, and hilariously, Robin. Robin is the sole center of attention in Bette's mind, and Artemis chuckles a bit every time she sees her locker (as well as when she sees Robin later that day).

"-but I'm not. Plus, that's a little creepy, don't you think?"

Bette shakes her head. "No."

Artemis sighs.

The sun is out now, and it's a little warmer than it was in the morning. She waits the the same place for Dick. He comes there again, with the usual amount of people following him.

This time, though, Artemis notices the slightly irritated expression on his face.

Luckily, it was just for a split-second.Good. She isn't good with outbursts of emotion, and she doesn't need anymore awkward in her life.

He looks up at her and waves. "Hey Artemis. Ready for the first day on the job?"

"I guess." Artemis says, shrugging.

Dick grins. "Come on, we need more enthusiasm than that!"

Artemis gives him a look.

"Point taken."

She snickers and follows him to his car. This time, it's a different one. An old fashioned deep blue car. It looks old, and at the same time it looks new. The actual design must be old, but the car itself is gleaming.

"Nice car." she comments as Dick unlocks it.

"Thanks. 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. I'm kind of a geek for old cars." he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Artemis finds it funny how he seems embarrassed about that, of all things.

The two go into the car and Artemis narrows her eyes.

"Do you even have a license?" Artemis asks suspiciously.

And there's the grin again.

"Yes and no."

Artemis raises her eyebrow. It doesn't seem very… safe to be driving with a kid that might not have a license, to put it simply. Dick laughs at her expression and starts that engine.

"Don't get your pretty little face in a twist, I know what I'm doing."

Artemis facepalms for the second time that day.

They get to the manor unharmed (thank goodness) and Artemis feeling the little butterflies again raging in her stomach. She won't really admit it, but it's a little nerve-wracking, the first real day. She unconsciously rubs the outside of hand cheek; a habit she developed soon after donning the hero name Artemis. She's soothed by the feeling of her bare skin. As Artemis, she always has to be brave and bold and tough.

Artemis, on the other hand, simply has to be a normal girl. Maybe a little bit overly-sassy, and with oddly long blonde hair, but still, a normal girl.

They get to the kitchen and once again Jason, Tim, Cass, Steph, Damian, and Barbara sit around the table.

Barbara looks up and waves; Artemis smiles back. Barbara has a large book splayed over the table, much like her own, and Barbara is pointing something out to Cass. Tim has his hand in the cookie jar (again) and Jason's eating a bag of potato chips noisily. Steph snatches a cookie from Tim every once in a while for herself, much to his dislike. Damian has a little bottle of baby food in front of him, ready with the little spoon.

"Damian won't eat." Barbara tells Dick, sticking her thumb behind her in the direction of Damian.

Dick purses his lips and pulls the baby out of his high chair. "Why won't you eat your food Little D?" he asks.

Artemis isn't sure, but it sounds like Damian hisses at him.

Dick tsks him and feeds Damian a spoonful of orange goop. He spits it right out with a rebellious expression. Dick tries again, and Damian projectile-spits it, and suddenly there's baby food on Dick's forehead. Artemis attempts (poorly) to hold back her laughter as he thrusts the baby towards her and scrubs his face with a napkin.

"Gross Dami, totally uncalled for!" he complains.

Barbara rolls her eyes. "I tried to tell you." She checks her watch. "Gotta go Dick, my next class starts in 15 minutes."

Dick sticks her tongue out at her. "Have fun in calculus."

Barbara rises out of her chair and takes a pen and scrap of paper of of her lime green purse. She scribbles down something on it and hands it to Artemis.

"Text me if you need me, kay hon?"

Artemis shifts Damian to the side and takes the number. "Thanks Barbara. Will do."

Barbara waves again and navigates out of the kitchen. Artemis grabs a baby food bottle instead and starts to feed Damian. She's extremely careful with her fingers, but he doesn't seem to be ferocious. Yet. If anything, watchful. Dick gives Damian an indignant look.

"So how long are you usually going to be here?" Artemis asks, sitting down and typing in Barbara's number in her phone with her free hand.

Dick leans over and checks the fancy clock on the wall. "Tuesday and Thursday I tutor, and I also have tennis on Tuesday and swim on Thursday. Wednesday I have basketball, soccer, and hockey, and Monday I have baseball, football, and track. Then adding daily homework, music and drawing practice, and actual sleeping time, I'm not going to be here virtually at all while you're working. I should get home at six every day, and Alfred won't mind watching them for a bit. He'll drive you home too if I don't get here it time."

Artemis widens her eyes a little. And she thought her schedule was busy. "Busy much?" She thinks for a moment. "Anything on Fridays?" she asks.

Dick purses his lips a little before answering. "I… 'train' with Bruce. Usually he's off on Fridays, and you know, being the oldest, I'm going to be the successor of the biz eventually… So he preps me for when that happens."

Ah. Oldest. There's that word again. Plus the fact that Barbara includes herself as a sister. Brothers and sisters. She frankly thought Dick was an only child. Lone and behold, there are five others. Artemis realizes she's starting to zone out nods. "Right. Anything else I should know?"

"Dami's six months old, Jay is eleven, Steph is nine, Tim is eight, and Cass is ten. If worst comes to worst, leave Cass in charge. She's the oldest one who's least likely to blow up something." He says, shrugging. "No sugar, or snacks before dinner. Alfred will have my head on a silver platter if they eat snacks again. Homework has to be done before playing. Cass has something against diapers, particularly the dirty ones... And that's about it. Call Babs if you need any help; she won't mind answering her phone, it's not like she's learning anything anyways."

Artemis chuckles, relating to Barbara's boredom. "Ok, thanks."

Dick nods, and he's off.

Artemis turns around in her chair to face the kids. Each is looking at her with big, bright eyes.

"So… What do you guys usually do after snack?" she asks, running her fingers along the back of the opposite hand.

"Dick makes us do our homework." Steph pipes up. Jason makes a face at Steph; it's obvious he doesn't like homework.

"What, were you expecting me to lie?" She counters, giving him a feisty look. Artemis decides she likes her. Steph reminds her a bit of herself. And Jason is like Conner and Wally all rolled into one (she can't tell if that's good or bad just yet).

Cass brings her hand to her heart and does a pinching motion, gestures her hand outwards, then to the side of her head and does the pinching motion again, all in about one second. Artemis recognizes the last one easily; hair. Everything else was a bit jumbled though.

"She said she likes your hair." Steph clarified.

"Thanks." Artemis smiles, and Cass blushes a bit and smiles back. "Alright, time to do homework. Do you guys do it in the living room?"

They all nod and grab their backpacks. Their backpacks are small, elementary school ones, and Artemis reminisces to when she last needed one. Everyone heads to the living room, and Artemis notices how Jason leads them. He seems headstrong and bold; something that reminds her a bit of Roy. Steph holds Tim and Cass's hands; Steph is more dependent on Cass, relishing her touch and letting her lead her along. Steph holds Tim's hand tightly; he seems to lag behind a bit and be more dependent on Steph to get him there than his own feet. It's cute, to see their comfort with each other.

They seem to have special spots where they all lay out, as well. Jason reserves himself directly in front of the TV, while Tim takes a more withdrawn spot near the bookcase in the corner. Steph and Cass plop around the same area in front of the couch. There's a baby chair next to the couch as well, and Artemis slips Damian in it and takes out her own homework.

As soon as she sits, though, a huge gassing noise fills the living room. The kids can't help their giggles, and Artemis pulls a whoopee cushion from underneath her seat.

"I wonder who put this here?" She says, her voice thick with mock curiosity.

Everyone's eyes probe Jason, and they start giggling again.

"Aren't girls supposed to be like allergic to farts or something?" He asks accusingly.

After that it's mostly quiet, for a little while, everyone coloring in something idly with a crayon or concentrating. Damian, luckily, doesn't seem to be a very needy baby, and occupies himself with small toys in front of him. Soon enough everyone's done but her, their small worksheets tucked away neatly for the next day. Artemis is still working on the stupid math packet, with ridiculously long problems that seem to have no answer.

Jason mumbles that he needs to go to the bathroom and leaves quickly. Artemis takes a short break from her homework to see how everyone is doing. Tim is reading in his corner, but Artemis can't see exactly what.

"What are you reading Tim?" She asks politely.

Tim looks up and blushes. "Comic books." he mumbles quietly.

"Can I see?"

Tim shuffles over and hands her the comic book. A detailed picture of Iron-Man is portrayed on the front.

"You like Iron-Man?" She asks, flipping through it. She's always been a big superhero fan, especially recently. There are so many scenarios she can relate to these days that it almost made her think of the comic-book ones as close friends, though she already had some real life superhero friends.

Tim nods. "A little bit."

"How come?" She asks curiously. He doesn't sound very sure of it.

"He's a lot like Batman." he says, shrugging. "But he's got a bigger mouth and he likes to brag."

Artemis almost laughs. If there wasanyone, anyone at all, to be similar to Batman, Iron-Man would be way below the charts. They're both intelligent and wealthy (Batman has to be; she only needed to glance at the Batmobile to tell), but that's just about where the similarities end. Of course, Iron-man is friendly enough, if she remembers correctly. But still, it's odd that a kid like him would be seemingly fond of Batman, especially since he's not exactly the most cheerful of the bunch anyways. Batman is dark and brooding and intimidating. But apparently he seems to be somewhat good with kids- Robin's definitely happy enough.

"My favorite heroes are the real ones." Artemis whispers to him, like she's telling a secret. He seems to be more willing to talk to her now.

Tim nods. "I like the real ones too. My favorite are Batman and Robin." He confides to her.

Artemis can't help herself. She begins to enlighten Tim of the tales she "heard" about many real heroes. The most common of them are about a mysterious hero who seems to be related to Green Arrow. This girl officially now his sidekick, as she's been told, because she's on a group of young superheroes named "Young Justice". Eventually Steph and Cass come around to listen. She goes on about the missions they've been on.

"And so they caught the Terror Twins, and they were ready to put them in jail, but Batman said that he had a plan. He told them that he wanted Miss Martian and Superboy to dress up as the Terror Twins and actually go to Belle Reve for them, because there was some mysterious stuff going on in there, and he wanted them to check it out." Artemis pauses for a moment. Something's not right. She does a quick head count. One baby, one blonde, and… two ravens.

"Where's Jason?"

Cass and Steph shrug.

"I think he's still in the bathroom." Tim suggests.

Artemis sighs and gets up. "Just a minute. Everyone stay here."

Suddenly, something drops in her face.

She plucks it off quickly, scrunching her nose. Fake grooved hairs and pinchers and palpably painted colors; it's a plastic spider. Artemis looks up to see Jason hanging from the chandelier with a fallen face.

"Jason! Get down from there right now!" She shouts.

Jason sighs and flips down, and Artemis nearly has a heart attack.

"You could have gotten hurt or broken your neck or-" she starts, dusting him off.

He pushes her off. "I'm fine, I'm fine." A proud smile forms on his face. "You were scared."

"Scared that you jumped off of the ceiling, yes!" She proclaims.

Jason hmphs. "Not fair."

Steph swats him in the back of his head, and he cries out indignantly. "Stop being an idiot!" She says, rolling her eyes.

Jason sighs. "I'm bored." Artemis checks the time- 4 o'clock on the dot. Two more hours.

"What do you want to do?"

"Can we play a game?" Steph asks.

Jason's eyes lit up. "Hide and seek?"

Artemis gave him a cautious look; his expression was much too devious for anything good to come out of it.

Steph caught his glance and her face transformed as well. "You're so on." Cass' hands moved rapidly in front of her- Artemis didn't catch anything.

"NOT IT!" Jason, Tim, and Steph yelled in unison. At the same time, Damian yelled out as well (Artemis was sure that in baby language, it meant the same).

Jason points towards Artemis. "She's it!" And suddenly everyone's running and screaming around her, and even Damian manages to wiggle out of his baby seat and slip away.

Artemis groans inwardly. Hopefully this won't be too hard. They're kids; probably hiding in ridiculously obvious places, like under a vase or in the corner.

One Hour Later

"I can't find them anywhere!" Artemis has to wring her hands so that she won't rip all of her hair out.

Barbara makes a sound of sympathy. "Hide-and-seek is a deadly game with those ones. Did you try the couch?"

Artemis nods vigorously. "On top, behind, under the cushions-

"No, in the couch."

Artemis raises an eyebrow and returns to her original spot, crouching down and peering underneath. She almost jumps- a pair of eyes are looking down at her. She sighs in relief. "Cass?"

Cass slides from underneath, signing something to her. Artemis recognizes good and arms. "Uh... let's find the others." Cass nods in agreement.

"I found Cass!" Artemis says into her phone. Barbara sighs-"Good. Finding the others will be easy now- Cass will help you."

Artemis thanks Barbara and hangs up. Within minutes, Jason, Steph, and Tim are rounded up. "Did I win?" Steph and Jason ask simultaneously, following Cass to her next finding destination.

Cass shakes her head and picks up Damian out of a spare empty punching bag in the gym.

Soon everything is back to normal, and everyone is back in the living room. Artemis collapses with relief on the couch.

She looks down again to see Cass and Steph ogling up at her with gleaming eyes. "Yes..?" she asks tentatively.

Steph grins. "Weelllll,... we were wondering if we could do your hair."

Artemis unconsciously puts her hand to her ponytail. "Why?"

They shrug in unison. "Because it's really long and pretty."

Artemis actually considers. Usually anyone who would even suggest anything of the sort would suffer a consequence similar to that of the fate Wally issues to the first cookie batch M'gann just pulled out of the oven after a particularly tiring mission (AKA- the victim's head would be savagely and mercilessly severed from their throats). But this, unfortunately, is a punishment to harsh for the children. (And, if it prevents Steph from having another one of her wonderful ideas, it's worth it.)

Artemis fidgets a bit anyways. As simple as it is, she just doesn't like people touching her.

She sighs. She wants them to think she's at least somewhat nice- not exactly who she really is. "No tugging, pulling, ripping, tearing, hard brushing, cutting, and especially no braiding."

The two nod eagerly and climb up onto the back of the couch behind her. She tries to ignore the slightly unfamiliar and definitely unwanted sensation of fingers and brush bristles and the hair iron Steph somehow got her hands on to in her hair and continues her homework.

It's finally about time for Dick to be there, and he waltzes in the room slightly late, his hair messy and still wet. "So how was the first day Artemis?" he asks, picking up Damian's forlorn toys and Tim's neglected comics.

Artemis shrugs. "Pretty good."

Dick turned off the TV and ruffled his brother's hair. "That's enough for now. Why don't you try reading like Timmy?"

Jason gives him a blank stare.

Dick sighs and continues on. "Did they give you any trouble?" he says, eyeing all of them.

Steph smiles sweetly. "We were angels." Cass nods in agreement.

"Oh really?" Dick says, glancing at Artemis. Before she can say anything though, his eyebrows quirk up momentarily, then he turns away and starts to picks up the mess of hair ties and clips Steph and Cass made. "I see you were a victim of our fabulousstylers."

Artemis nods simply. "I was." She quickly wonders what exactly they did, and hopes it's not completely horrible and embarrassing. But it's not like she cares anyway. She packs her homework away neatly in each color-coordinated-to subject folder and slips it in her bag.

"Ready to go?" Artemis nods. "Bye guys, see you tomorrow." she says before following him out of the door.

"Did they really give you trouble? They tend to like to scare away babysitters they don't like." Dick asks, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Babysitter-s?" Artemis verifies.

Dick nods and grimaces. "I've tried guys, girls, nannies, grandmas, 20-year olds, mothers, and middle-aged women. All resigned."

Artemis's eyes widened. "Wow. That's a lot. Does your dad help you at all?"

Dick gives a tense little shrug. "Legal guardian. Not really."

Artemis give a little 'oh' and mumbles what could be an apology, and gets in the front passenger seat of his car. Like all other people in Gotham, she knows who he is. There's a slight awkward pause before she continues. "They played a game of hide-and-seek, and it was a little hard to find them." she says cautiously. "But no biggie, they were fine."

Dick nods. "Good."

They spend the rest of the trip in silence, but not an awkward one. Artemis gets out of the car and thanks him. "And by the way Artemis-" Dick says, grinning.

"I like your hair." And he drives off.

Artemis curses and quickly goes upstairs to her apartment door. She forgot about how she let a nine year old and a ten year old do her hair. It must be bad if he felt the need to poke fun.

She unlocks the door and makes her way to her room, tossing a greeting to her mom over her shoulder, and looks in the mirror. She could already obviously tell that the two took the ponytail out. The lion's mane poofiness is miraculously gone, and the kink her hairband usually created is nonexistent as well. Artemis scowls- they clipped a small braid of her bangs to each side of her hair, even though she told them not to. Braids are a pain to get out. But overall, it looks ok enough. Maybe evengood enough. She remembers her thoughts earlier that morning. Artemis, that new Star City heroine sidekick of Green Arrow, has the same hairstyle as well as the same name. Coincidence? Some might not think so with this pattern going on. And somehow, Dick's comment gets mixed in between. And by the way Artemis- I like your hair.

She just might wear it like that more often.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Finally, finally, finally done. If you noticed, I mentioned an episode, which has a lot of significance *hint hint*. Go look it up, and you might get a clue into what's coming next! Longest chapter yet! So hope it was adequate, reviews are appreciated, see you next time! (expected date for chapter four- 2-12-14)