A/N: Wow, thank you all so much for your reviews! Seriously, I didn't think this story would be so popular but thank you all so much!

Just a note that the rating will probably change in the coming chapters as this will be a bit of a dark/twisted tale and will merit an M rating later on. Just an fyi in case some people don't want to deal with things like that.

As always, please read and review!

"Are you sure this is the right place?" The girl asked, her hand pressing against her ear talking into the communicator that was buzzing softly. It wasn't as immediate as their mental link and the buzzing sound was starting to give her a headache but there wasn't much choice and if she asked M'gann to make a link, the martian would start asking question.

"Yeah, this is the right place." Robin's voice echoed in her ear. Currently, the boy wonder sat hundreds of miles away in the batcave no doubt still chuckling about her request. After all, he would have never thought Artemis of all people would ask him for Roy's address.

"Thanks. Artemis out." Were her last words to Robin before turning off her communicator. The last thing she needed was him listening in on what was about to happen and using it against her.

The outside of the apartment building didn't look too impressive and it sure as hell was a lot less swanky than Ollie's . Where Green Arrow owned a penthouse suite on the rich side of town, Roy's apartment was just one of many a little too close to the other side of the tracks. Sure, it wasn't nearly as run down as the Gotham slums she was used to but there were still broken windows and cracked sidewalks showing that the people who lived here either didn't care or didn't have the money to do anything about it.

Hell, being a superhero didn't exactly pay well and all the other members of the league had other jobs to work and support themselves. Roy was only twenty after all and there wasn't much he could do. Though Dinah had told her that Oliver had set up a fund for Roy to use if he was ever low on money. So far, that fund remained completely untouched due to pure stubbornness.

You couldn't exactly claim to be independent if you still had to use daddy's money just to survive.

Must be nice to have a dad that cared so much. Just thinking about it, Artemis could feel jealousy swelling inside of her. Roy had a father who cared, a mentor who loved and protected him and who would do everything he could to keep him safe.

And still he threw that all away. Everything she wanted he had but that still wasn't good enough for him.

Dropping down from the roof, she hit the iron bars of the fire escape right outside his window. There were thick red curtains blocking her from getting a good view inside but, from what she could see through the gap, it seemed to be just like any other apartment. Still, this was Roy she was talking about and who knew if he had traps set up against intruders.

She'd made the mistake once of trying to sneak out through Ollie's window and had found herself wrapped up in a net for a good hour.

Placing her hands on the edge of the window, she pushed it up hoping that it wasn't locked. To her surprise, it rose with ease giving her access to his apartment.

'Weird, I thought it would be locked.' After all, this didn't exactly look like the safest neighborhood around and they were always taught to take every precaution they could to protect themselves. He probably thought that no one would ever find him here. That no one would be stupid enough to break into Red Arrow's apartment.

God he was full of himself.

Sliding the window completely open, she slipped one foot inside while the other followed. She was lucky it was late at night with the darkness giving her cover and shielding her from prying eyes. The last thing she needed was one of the neighbors calling the police about a possible break in.

Silently, her feet hit the wooden floorboards as she looked around for any sign of life. All the lights were off as far as she could see and there was no way Roy was asleep this early. He was probably still out on patrol which should give her enough time to snoop around and be out of here before he even saw her.

Just what she was looking for was another mystery altogether.

Ever since he cornered her in the alley he'd been on her mind constantly and their little run in last week hadn't helped that. No matter what she did, she couldn't get Roy Harper out of her mind and it was really starting to tick her off.

'Huh, figured it'd be messier.' A lone man living by himself usually spelled disaster but that didn't seem like the case here.

Sure, she could see a few dishes piled up in the sink and the trash needed to be taken out but, as far as she could tell, there was nothing festering in the corner and he didn't have trash all over the floor. Hell, this place hardly looked lived in at all.

TV on the wall, a simple table with a book on it and just a couple of chairs and a sofa made up the majority of the living room. It all looked so plain, so untouched.

Walking over to the table, she ran her finger over the surface and brought it up to her face where she could see the dust coating her digit. It was like he only used this place to sleep with very little living actually going on. Just what the hell did he do during the day when he wasn't out patrolling or acting the big bad hero?

"Figures, he probably doesn't even have a life." She sneered thought that didn't make her feel any better. After all, his lack of a life wasn't what she was after.

She'd heard stories about Roy from Ollie and the others but that wasn't enough. Artemis wasn't content with secondhand information about the man and the exploits he got into with Wally, Robin and Kaldur. Somehow, she wanted to know more about him.

Every time he looked at her, it was like he was looking into her very being and all the cracks and flaws she tried so desperately to hide. She felt so naked in front of his gaze and she wanted something to even out the playfield. Maybe she hoped to find something in his apartment that would give her insight into who the man behind the mask really was.

Something she could use so she wouldn't feel so weak in the knees whenever he looked at her.

Something to stop the constant beating of her heart.

Sighing, Artemis took one last look around the living room knowing she wouldn't find what she was looking for there. If there was any chance of her getting some dirt on Roy, it would be in his bedroom.

Luckily, the apartment only had one bedroom so it was easy enough to find as Artemis pushed open the door and tried to peek around in the dark.

"Fuck, I can't see anything." The blonde muttered as she flipped on the light illuminating the room and letting her take a better look at it.

It seemed a bit more lived in than the living room but not by much. It was simple, really, with only a bed, a dresser, closet, end table and a desk and chair. The walls were completely bare from any posters or any hint of a personality. It was simple, clean but expensive. Artemis may not know much about furniture but even she could see that everything was made from a fine dark wood and the crimson comforter on the bed looked really pricy.

Hell, the room looked like it could have belonged to anyone if it wasn't for the two pictures on the end table near his bed.

Walking over to them, she picked up the first one running her hand over the golden frame as she took in the sight of a young Roy grinning between Ollie and Dinah as they all held up their ice creams laughing. It had to have been taken when Roy was still a kid and they all looked happy, like one big family.

Artemis didn't have any pictures like this.

She didn't have any pictures of their family laughing, smiling and pretending to be normal.

Putting it down, she grabbed the next one that was composed of four boys smiling and laughing. Roy, Kaldur, Wally and Robin grinning like madmen looking as if they were having the time of their life.

In these pictures were the only people Roy cared about.

Swallowing, Artemis felt a knot in her stomach as she put down the picture. Why did it matter to her if she wasn't in any of them? They had never been friends and there was no hint of friendship between them. At best, he was an ass as she was a replacement.

They weren't friends.

They weren't even rivals.

They were nothing.

Fuck, she had to get out of here. She had to leave before she lost her damn mind. Artemis could already feel her hand starting to shake and her breathing getting heavier just by being in this room.

He didn't even have to be here to make her crazy.

"Going somewhere?" The dark voice whispered in her ear as Artemis froze, her eyes wide as saucers looking at the blank wall before her.

She hadn't even heard him come in but now she could feel his body pressed against her own as she felt the cool steel against her neck.

Roy was here. He had caught her snooping and now he was holding a dagger to her throat pressing the blade just enough so she could feel a trickle of blood spill down her neck staining her tan skin.

Artemis couldn't move, couldn't talk. All she could do was stand there as she felt his hard body holding her in place, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other holding a weapon to her throat. He could kill her now; slit her throat and let the blood spill from her body and she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"I believe you and I have something to talk about." He husked, his voice seductive and deep with a hint of pleasure buried somewhere.