"Daddy," I knocked on the door of Suite 139 at the Five Seasons. "It's me. You gonna open the door or am I just gonna sit here all day like an idiot?"

There was the sound of the deadbolt disengaging and the jingling of the chain lock being removed. When the door opened, my dad was standing there. He stepped to the side so that I could get my wheelchair through the door then proceeded to lock the door again. He hadn't told me what was going on so in the moment, I thought it was a bit overkill.

A woman, the woman from the other night at Pop's, stood quietly in the doorway to the bedroom. Her eyes were red, and her hair fell into her face. On her shoulders, she wore a black leather jacket, one that I had seen almost every day of my life. She was slender, a little on the shorter side but, who was I to determine someone's height? Everyone is tall to me.

"Artemis, I want you to meet my eldest daughter, TJ." My father said putting an arm around his friend who gave me a small, shy wave. "And TJ, this is Artemis."

"Hey." I smiled. "You can call me TJ or Tarot. Honestly, it's a 50/50 mix. People call me both. Some…well, they have their own names for me."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Artemis held out her hand which I took in mine. "FP's told me a bit about you. You're a drummer, right?"

I shrugged my shoulders and gave a half-smile. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's not like I play in a band or anything. It's more of a hobby."

"Either way, you're still a musician."

"A fantastic musician." Dad chimed in. "You gotta give yourself credit where credit is due, kid."

With a shake of my head, I replied, "Fine, fine. You win. Now, why did you call me here because it sure wasn't to brag about me."

"I've gotta go talk to Mary and Sierra about drafting a petition for a PPO for Temi. Also, about charging documents. And," He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to formally file charges. I don't think I realised how much paperwork this was actually going to be…"

"Wait, hold up." I held up a hand as I tried to gather my thoughts. "What are you talking about? 'Charges'? 'Personal protective orders'? Care to explain what's going on?"

"It's a really long story but, I need you to stay here and make sure that she stays safe." My father put a hand on my shoulder as if to emphasise the task he's giving me. He then walked over to Artemis whom he hugged, holding her in his arms. "I'll be back, I promise. Just stay here with TJ and call me if you need anything. I'll drop everything and be right there with just one call." She nodded and he made his way to the door.

"FP," She said before he shut the door. "Ani ohevet otkha."

"I didn't forget what that means." I just saw him smile. "I do too." And with that, he shut the door and was gone.

I looked up at Artemis who was still staring at the door with the traces of a smile on her face. The way she looked at my father and the way he looked at her, it was something that I'd never seen before. It made me happy to know that there was someone in his life besides us kids, who made him smile.

"Was that Hebrew?" I asked. "What did you say?" It wasn't like I needed to ask the second question because I was able to tell it was along the lines of 'I love you,' just by the way she said it and the way that he responded.

She smiled and looked down at me in my chair. "Yes, I speak Hebrew and Yiddish fluently. I was taught from a young age."

"So," I trailed. "You're Jewish?"

"Only all my life."

"That's really cool that you were taught Hebrew and Yiddish. The only other language that I know is French and I'm not even very good at it. I'm barely passing."

She chuckled and sat down in an armchair. "Is Madame Lawrence still teaching French at Riverdale?"

"Yes!" I replied with enthusiasm. "She's still teaching! I'm not sure how she's still alive! She looks ancient!"

"She was that way when I was taking French! God, how is that woman still allowed to teach? She's gotta be at least 90."

I started to laugh, and Artemis followed suit. "And she does this thing with her glasses—"

"Does she still put them on top of her head and 'lose' them?!"

"Yes! It drives me crazy! Like, how do you not know they're there?! Seriously, she's senile!"

"She always been that way, don't worry."

"Oh no, that makes me worry even more!"

We laughed until we couldn't laugh anymore. It was like I'd known this woman for so long. She was so easy to talk to and be around. I'm not sure what it was about her that made me feel that way. Maybe it was her smile, it could light up a room. Or maybe her laugh, it was gentle and warm. Who knows but, from then on, I knew that this was a friendship that would last.

"Hey, you hungry?" I asked as I wiped a tear from my eye that had formed from laughing so hard.

"I'm starving, honestly. I haven't eaten in a while."

"Wanna head to Pop's? Some comfort food'll do ya good." I jangled my car keys and smirked. "Only if you're comfortable with it though. I'm not sure why my dad's got you all locked up I this room but—"

"No, I'm more hungry than I am worried about going out."

"Then let's go get lunch before we both die from starvation!" I said dropping my keys into my lap and making my way to the door.

We sat in that booth at Pop's for hours. We talked about life, who we are, where we come from, and the biggest events in our lives. I learned that her name is Artemis Naomi Ivers but her Hebrew name, the name she was given and uses in aspects of Jewish life, was Naomi Shoshana bat-Avigdor. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and her mother passed away when she was only a few months old. Her father took care of her for ten years until he passed away as well. That's when she was placed into the foster care system and they moved her to Riverdale where a family was going to adopt her. That adoption fell through and another family fostered her.

When she graduated high school, Artemis went to West Virginia University where she started a major in nursing but, after two years, decided to switch to forensic and investigative science. She went so far as to get a PhD in the subject and moved to Colorado Springs where she was offered a job with their police department. Not long after being there, she met a man and got married.

"Wait," I stopped her. "But you're not wearing a wedding ring."

She looked down then moved her gaze out the window and rubbed her left ring finger where her wedding ring should be. There was a pain in her eyes that I'd never seen before in anyone. I hit a fresh wound and I knew it.

"Hey, look," I tried to get her attention again. "I'm sorry if I touched a nerve. I didn't mean—"

"My husband beats me." She said unblinkingly. "For 5 years, my husband has beaten me and the other day, I ran. I'd had enough."

"Oh my god, I…I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"That's why I'm in that hotel room. That's why your dad's been with me. It's why I passed out in the parking lot. I ran away from my husband and he's going to show up here in Riverdale any day."

We sat there in silence for a minute then I promptly grabbed my crutches and stood up. "I wanna show you something. No one other than people from here know about this place so if anything happens, come here. You'll be safe."

Artemis looked at me with confusion. "What are you—"

"Just follow me. Come on." I walked to the counter then instead of turning right to leave the diner, I turned left towards what looked like a closet and opened a door behind which, stairs descended.

There was a very 1920's vibe once walked down the stairs and entered La Bonne Nuit, the speakeasy run by Veronica Lodge. The lighting was dim and ambient and the decor very cabaret. The bar was set to the left of the stairs and the stage right across. There were tables and chairs with tea lights, a microphone set up on stage with an emerald green drum kit in the back, and a man stood behind the bar.

"TJ?" He asked.

"Sweet Pea!" I made my way over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck letting my crutches fall to the floor.

He kissed me and set me on the bar. "What are you doing down here? I thought you weren't gonna rehearse until the weekend."

"Yeah, well, plans change, don't they?" I teased as he handed me my crutches and helped me off the bar. "By the way, Pea, this is Artemis. Artemis, this is my boyfriend, Sweet Pea."

She walked over and held out a hand. "Pleasure."

Sweet Pea took her hand and smiled. "TJ told me that one of her dad's friends was in town but she never said who. I've heard of you. You're the one they call 'The Siren Song' right?"

She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. "Yeah… That was me. That was a long time ago though. I'm not the same person I was then."

I hit Sweet Pea in the ribs and raised an eyebrow. He just looked at me innocently like he always did and shrugged. Sometimes I wondered why I was with an idiot like him but then I'd always remember that it was because he was there for me when I needed someone. It was kind of like how Dad was with Artemis, always there no matter what was going on.

Sweet Pea had taken me in when I refused to stay in the same house as my mother. I had a bad feeling that she was up to no good when she decided to come back to Riverdale all of the sudden and sure enough, I was right. She was back to make a power play and I refused to be a part of it. He was there for me when I first started school at Southside High after my father was sent to prison. Sweet Pea was there.

"Are those Martins?" Artemis asked as she walked over to a stand of guitars sat near the stage.

"Yeah." I said and walked over to her. "Go ahead."

"No, I— I couldn't." She stammered and backed away.

"I saw the guitar case in your hotel room. I know you play. Now, go ahead, pick one, hook it up, and play." I encouraged.

I watched as she examined all four of the guitars sitting in the stand, two acoustic/electric, one a hollow body electric, and the other one a solid body electric. She went for the mahogany acoustic/electric with a single-cutaway. It fit in her hands perfectly and when she sat down on a stool and set the instrument across her knee, it looked like it melted seamlessly into her silhouette. After turning and a few warmup chords, she began to play "Shelter from the Storm" by Bob Dylan.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on!" I stopped her then turned to Sweet Pea. "Hey, Pea, can you go grab my bodhrán from backstage for me please?"

He ran to the back and brought back a round, black case a little smaller than a snare drum. When he opened the case, inside was a small, emerald green, wooden drum with a goatskin head and a snakewood stick. I sat down in a chair near Artemis and put my crutches on the floor beside me. With the drum rested on my kilted knee, I made sure that it was in tune then looked over at Artemis and nodded. She began to play.