Sell you a Bridge chapter 202

March 19th 2016 Doomhallow Hall 12:00 PM EDT

The  next day saw another five Knights added to my growing regiment, and me  back at the hall spending time with my girls. Dreamer and I had a  wonderful time on our date and I felt like we were really connecting,  Zee had been happy but also extra clingy since we came back, which I  didn't feel any need to complain about. My girl felt amazing when she  was clinging to you. Sadly though, all of that had to come to an end  because Artemis showed up to remind me of a prior engagement.

She  rolled her eyes as the pile of gorgeous girl I was lying in when she  came into my room. "I suppose I should be grateful any of you nymphos  are even clothed. Time to go back out. I got a lead on my mom and Jade,  and you promised to come with me when I did." We'd headed out together  to look for Paula and her other daughter almost two weeks ago but hadn't  found anything. My detective vision needed recent traces. I'd  considered using some points to but a tracking method, but Artemis  dismissed that option. She said she was getting lazy depending on me for  everything. She would find a lead herself.

Which  apparently she had. "I got a tip from an old friend. My sister was  spotted in downtown Gotham, near Crime Alley. I need you to do your  detective thing and pick up the trail for me before it goes cold." Zee  gumbled against me but nodded, rolling to the side to let me get up. Zee  and Artemis were close, and she wouldn't get in the way of Artemis  finding her mother. Not when Zee would never see her own mother again.  Aside from that Zee liked Paula. They had gotten along pretty well when  the older woman was living here.

We  headed out for the teleporter, since it was cheaper than blowing points  on a shadow port and I didn't want Artemis to slowly turn into a  slobbering bloodthirsty nutcase after being exposed to the primordial  darkness beyond time and space. As we showed up in the empty clock tower  I turned to my best friend. "You know I could have helped with this  right? Could have used my powers to give you a hand. I get not wanting  to be dependent on my points but I WAS here either way."

She  sighed as we made our way out of the empty building. "I know you were  Morgan. You always have been. Since that first day up on the roof when  you brought me some of your birthday cake. Hell even before that you  were around as backdrop, even if I didn't really notice you. Which is  kind of the problem. You started where I did, but look at us now. Look  at the power you have. How much you're doing to help. Reggie is an elite  master thief now, and what am I? A slutty elf with a shocky bow?"

I  snorted at that description and she glared at me but I brushed it off.  "I'm not mocking you, stop being such a little bitch. I'm laughing  because you're being stupid. You're part god, you're stronger and faster  than most people on this planet. Reggie would give his right nut for  the kind of power you have. Sure he has some experience now and he can  keep up, but you are one of a kind. Hell, forget the powers look at your  life. Beloved boyfriend, kickass bestie, and a smoking hot surrogate  sister. You're a badass."

She  chuckled at that. "Humble. But I can see your point. I just feel left  behind. I love Wally and Zee, but I miss those days in the dungeon when  it was just you me and Reggie. When we were a family." She blushed. "And  if you ever tell anyone I said something that mushy I'm going to jam an  arrow made from lemon imbued bleach stone up your dickhole." Instead of  scaring me that threat made me smile.

I  spread my hands, showing myself off. "Newsflash Arty but we ain't the  ones doing the leaving. Not that I judge you for it, you love Wally,  even without aura sight I could see that much. He's good for you and I'm  happy you found someone. Gods know with our dysfunctional ass dads as  examples we weren't exactly shoe in's for stable relationships, but we  did ok. Still, you said it yourself. We're family. Just because you  haven't been spending all your time with just me doesn't change that.  You'll still be my sister, just like you'll still be Zee's."

She  blushed furiously. "Shut up. But...thanks. I know that you're there,  even if we don't spend every day together like we used to, I just feel  like even on New Genesis there was a wall between us. Like it's not the  same as it used to be." She huffed. "Sorry I sound stupid and needy.  Forget I said anything." I reached out and stopped her from walking,  grabbing her shoulder. She stopped but didn't turn around to look at me.

I  turned her manually, getting a scowl. "You sound like someone who was  abandoned by her dad and then her older sister. Someone who has gotten  used to being left behind. But you and I have been through too much for  me to bail." I gave her a teasing grin. "Sunk cost fallacy you know,  I've put up with your bullshit for almost a year now. If I took off I'd  have wasted all that time." Artemis was much more comfortable with humor  than genuine emotion. Making a cringey joke out of my reassurance would  put her at ease far more than a heart felt declaration of kinship.

I  knew she knew what I was doing too. I could see the gratitude in my  aura. Artemis never learned to be open about her feelings, her dad had  beaten the sarcasm and stoicism into her at a young age. I'd gotten  lucky since I had mom, but even I was still learning to open up with  Dreamers help. I saw the knot in Artemis untwist a bit though. She'd  been really worried about this. I smiled. "I was thinking we should  start doing family dinners every week. At my moms place if we can't get  your mom to forgive Jim, though I'm hopeful there."

She  smiled softly. "That sounds pretty nice. I'd love to get to know Hana  better. She's adorable. You've been slipping off to spend time with her  between study sessions right?" She smirked at me, clearly aware I had  been trying to be sneaky about that. My little sister was the cutest,  and spending time with her was a joy, but I didn't want to get a rep as a  big softie even amongst my own friends. I supposed my journey to  emotional honesty still had quite a ways to go, Dreamers help or not.

I  huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and mock. I've never had a  sibling before, and she's the cutest. Though she's basically  narcoleptic. Her six eyes really wear her out. Gojo got her an adorable  little pair of pink sunglasses but they annoy her and she takes them off  all the time. Seeing him fawn over her is kind of hilarious. He's got  this whole devil may care mentality most of the time but he's the  biggest helicopter parent I've ever seen. being able to see everything  all the time makes him insanely paranoid she's going to fall and skin a  knee or something."

She  giggled at that. "I could see it. I'm surprised he doesn't carry her  around in one of those baby slings or something." She shook her head  with a smirk. "I'm happy for your mom. She was always really sweet to  me, and she deserves to be happy. She's obviously been missing you bad.  It's nice seeing her so thrilled all the time." Her smirk became a  snicker she had clearly been unable to hold in. "Plus her face when she  realized you're dating two girls was hilarious. It made my day."

My  answering eye roll went on longer than it needed to, but she deserved  it. "Get a life. Aren't you supposed to have a boyfriend? Do you really  have nothing better to do than gloat over my romantic drama?" Still, I  had to pause to smirk slightly. "And he tried to buy one of those  carriers, mom put her foot down. Said he was being ridiculous." We  stopped finally, and I turned to look at Artemis. "This the place they  were seen?" I needed a recent location for detective vision to function.

She  nodded. "Just Jade, but yeah. They'll be together I'm sure of it.  You've seen Jade before so I know you can find them." I waved her to  silence, ignoring the surroundings as I turned on detective mode,  triggering my aura sight at the same time. It took me a minute or two to  sort through the auras and find Jade's. I'd seen her during the Amazon  War when we rescued Paula from Devastation and co, and with my perfect  recall it was easy to match the traces to what was here.

Once  I found a trail I took off, not running, but moving at a brisk pace,  and Artemis trailed silently behind me. Say what you would about Jade,  but she was a paranoid nutcase when it came to being tracked. We ran on  circles following that damn trail for at least an hour. She went up  buildings, into sewers, and at one point literally dove into the fucking  Gotham Harbor and swam for a quarter mile to make sure no one was  tracking her. It made me wonder if she might have picked up a tail in  real time too, because a heat run this convoluted if she hadn't would be  madness.

Still,  despite the insane lengths she went to avoid us we FINALLY managed to  track her to a run down tenement building in the Narrows. The place was  one step from condemned, but it was pretty quiet, without much gang  presence or any notable criminal hangouts. The kind of place you go to  disappear when you don't want to deal with even local scumbags. It was a  hell of a safe house, and it took me a good half hour to case the place  and make sure there were no traps or ambushes waiting nearby.

Finally  we got to the door of the apartment I tracked them to and Artemis  knocked on the door. I stood back, hands loosely at my side, ready and  willing to shield her if needed. A peephole slid open, a single eye  pressed to it, and then there was the sound of a lock and chain  scrabbling before the door was hurled open and Paula flung herself at  her daughter. She clutched Artemis desperately, sobbing into her hair  and bawling something in vietnamese. They stood there like that for a  few minutes before she pulled back with a sniff, wiping her eyes.

She  turned them on me with a fond smile. "Morgan. I should have known my  girl would be fine with you looking out for her. You always did take  care of her." She looked around. "Please, come inside. We can't stay out  here for too long. Isn't safe in this neighborhood." We followed her in  and she closed the door and relocked it. "Jade and Roy are out at the  moment, and Lian is sleeping." She paused. "I guess you wouldn't even  know who Lian is. Here, follow me and be quiet. I know you two can move  around silently at least."

We  chuckled at that, and Artemis, still overwhelmed trailed behind her  with me on her heels, both of us walking in complete silence. She  brought us into a bedroom where a small child was asleep in a crib and  smiled fondly at the little girl, who was even younger than Hana. She  gestured us forward. "Artemis." She whispered. "This is your niece. Lian  Harper. Jade's daughter."