Always Traught Part II

It Shouldn't Matter

"You can't leave!" Dick yelled at her. Artemis turned around to raise an eyebrow at him, pausing as she packed her bag.

"What are you talking about, Dick?" She asked him. It wasn't very often Dick came to visit. Ever since high school they grew farther apart. And since she became the Outsider's den mother, she was busy most of the time. Living with superheroes and looking after teenagers was difficult enough. Relationships would just add more stress to her life. So Dick running into her room while she was packing was more than unexpected.

The raven haired man glared at her, "You know damn well what I'm talking about, Artemis!"

The archer kept her brow lifted, "I really don't?"

"Don't play stupid with me. Violet told me you're going to Themyscira! And so did Terra and Victor! And you didn't think to tell anybody? What the hell were you thinking!?" He continued to scream at her.

Artemis dropped her brow. She facepalmed too, "Dick, it's not that big of a de-

-You know how the Amazons are. Once you step foot on that island, you're one of them. There's not getting out of it. You're throwing your whole life aw-

-I'm going to school for one year. I'm not becoming an Amazon. Maybe if you had shut up and listened, you would know that," The blonde interrupted him. She rolled her eyes before she continued packing.

Dick looked at her in confusion, "Oh."

"Themyscira has a good selection of literature, so my school is letting me go. Plus I can still train just as hard as I do here. It was a good choice. I'm leaving with Donna tomorrow. Now that Dianna's back on earth, there's no need for her here," Artemis explained to her friend, "I'm not throwing my life away like you think. However, I'm not opposed to living on an island far from boy wonder's who jump to conclusions like it's the damn olympics."

"So a year?" Was the only thing he asked. He crossed his arms and bit back on a sigh. She could tell he was disappointed, and she didn't like to disappoint. But there was no way Artemis was backing out on some puppy dog eyes. Finishing her education was her dream. Nothing was going to stop her.

She nodded, "Yeah, for a year."

Dick sighed, "Goodbye then."

And just like that he left her to pack.

A year later

Dick didn't like the thought of Artemis leaving. Being raised by Batman didn't always leave him the best in expressing his emotions. So when Artemis said she would be leaving to Themyscira for a year, he just said goodbye and walked out of her room. There were no hugs goodbye or begging her not to leave.

To be frank, Dick almost told her that she was running from her issues. He knew that wasn't the case, however. She had coped with Wally's death and Jade's disappearance. Artemis wasn't trying to get away from the team either. She loved them too much to do that. The blonde was only looking to kick off her adult life again. Artemis was taking a great opportunity for her education. It was far from running.

Still, the former Robin kept making excuses for her. It wasn't until Barbara sat him down and told him that he was clinging to the past he stopped. Kaldur was Aquaman. M'gann and Conner had gotten married. Wally was gone and Artemis wasn't nowhere near the same person anymore. This was their life now. He needed to accept it. And trust him, it took awhile.

"Snacks?"

"Check."

"DJ?"

"On his way."