I know I haven't updated in a while. Please accept my standard "I'm a lazy jerk" apology.


Leroy's life was just as bad as Dick's.

He had lost both of his parents at a young age, even younger than Dick had been when his parents were murdered. It's a funny thing, to be a little kid and have the whole world ripped from their fingers. Hilarious. The ache is unbearable. Orphaned children would wake up every morning wanting nothing more than their mother to run her fingers through their hair or have their father tell them that he loved them one last time.

Grace-Ann Peach had children young. She also died young. At the age of sixteen she had her first child, a boy, Leroy Jethro Gardner. At seventeen she married the baby's father, twenty-one year old Jared Michael Gardner. A year later, the young couple found they were pregnant with a second child, a little girl whom they named Jennifer Paige Gardner.

Jared, though considerably older than Grace-Ann, was not a bad man. He loved his wife and children unconditionally and would do anything for them. He was clean, he had never done anything bad until he had been caught messing around with the Peach girl. In a way, it was the best accident that had ever happened to him. He loved Leroy and Jenny more than life itself, he would die for them. Truth be told, he wanted more children, but Grace-Ann had set the limit at two.

Grace-Ann on the other hand, was not a good person. She had a history of drug abuse and cutting, which doesn't necessarily make one a bad person, but theft does. She had started out with shoplifting, then it became grand theft auto. She and James, her boyfriend, had stolen a police cruiser and drove it all the way from Pennsylvania to New York, where they had sunk it in Darien Lake. Grace-Ann made Jared wait on her hand and foot during the day, catering to her every need. She repaid him by betraying him and partying with James every night. She was indifferent to Leroy and Jenny. She didn't feed them, bathe them, tuck them in, or tell them she loved them. That was Jared's job. She could really care less if they lived or died.

One night, lost in their delirium of drug induced hallucinations, James and Grace-Ann decided to play Russian roulette. They sat in a dusty apartment that had been abandoned for years, only to be broken into by two druggies. Seven guns were laid out before them. Earlier in the night, they had James' friend Mason put a bullet in one of them. All the guns were identical. Each was small, no bigger than a Gameboy, and silver with a six chamber revolver.

James' hand hovered over the guns and he closed his eyes as if he were trying to find the one with the best aura. Finally he chose the second to last on the right. He carefully pulled the hammer back and placed the cold round tip to his temple. With one last longing glance at Grace-Ann, he pulled the trigger only to receive a click indicating the gun wasn't loaded.

Grace-Ann breathed in a lungful of weed smoke and giggled loudly. She pressed her lips hard against James', his tongue slipped through her lips and explored every nook and cranny in her mouth. Soon they were on the floor, laughing so hard they thought a lung would come up. After they settled down, Grace-Ann selected her gun without much though and placed it to her temple and continued to giggle.

A gunshot rang out and Grace-Ann fell limply to the ground with the gun still in her hand. Blood and bits of brain splattered onto the floor and onto James' shocked face. He emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor next to the still corpse of Grace-Ann. He quickly stood up and made a mad dash for the door. His girlfriend killing herself wasn't worth being arrested for drug possession, drug use, and using guns without a permit. Grace-Ann's body lay in the apartment for three days before a homeless man stumbled upon it and called the police. When it was found, maggots had already begun to eat the flesh of the dead woman.

Leroy had been six at the time of his mother's death. Jenny had been four. They grieved, but not as much as they would have if it had been their father who died. Jared Gardner had not taken the death of his wife well. He would sit up late at night and drown his sorrows in large amounts of booze while quietly calling out his wife's name. To put it simply, Jared was like a duck, he could never love again. Even his children became less important to him.

Everything went downhill when the police discovered the affair between James and Grace-Ann. Jared, exceedingly distraught over his wife's betrayal, neglected Leroy and Jenny. He spent all his time plotting ways to kill James. After the police learned of Jared's issues, they set a date to have the children removed from the unstable environment. But no one was prepared for what happened next.

Leroy held Jenny's small hand in his own. Rubbing sleep out of their blurry eyes, they walked into the kitchen to find their dad at the table sipping beer and smoking a cigar. The smell of alcohol and tobacco was so strong that their eyes watered. They wanted to hightail it back into the safety of their bedroom, but they didn't for their father had called them out to the kitchen and they both knew they had to obey their father. Jared talked nonsense to himself for a while before realizing Jenny and Leroy had arrived. He pulled a small silver gun seemingly out of nowhere and aimed it at them. He launched into a speech they didn't quite understand, but they got the gist of it.

He was going to kill them.

Leroy yanked Jenny towards the door, but it was too late. The gun went off and Leroy fell flat on his face. The bullet had torn through his back and came out his chest. Jenny hesitated a moment and that was all it took. Jared fired a bullet at her and it hit her right between the eyes. Through his darkening vision, Leroy watched his sister tumble to the ground like a ton of bricks. He also saw his father put a bullet in his own brain. Then he let the darkness consume him.

"A neighbor heard the gunshots and called the police. After I was released from the hospital, I was thrown into an abusive orphanage. I ran away when I was nine and have been a wanderer ever since," Leroy finished.

Dick couldn't bring himself to look at Leroy. Both of them had tragic pasts that haunted their every waking moment. Their pasts were heavy bags that weighed them down. A lone ant wandered along the floor of the train car. It was alone, like Dick. But Dick wasn't alone anymore. He had Leroy and they were well on their way to Star City where they would find Oliver Queen and be safe. He planned on returning to the tower with Leroy and allowing the older boy to stay with him and his team until details could be worked out.

Surprisingly, Dick was very open with the wanderer. He had no problem telling him about his past or his secrets. Leroy understood everything he said. He didn't try to comfort him or tell him everything was okay, because it wasn't. He had pretty much told Dick to rub some dirt in it and move on. He didn't give empty promises or lies. He just said to leave the past behind and live in the present. That is exactly what Dick did.

"I'm hungry," Dick complained. And then he added, "Ugh, I sound like Wally."

"Who's Wally?"

"A close friend of mine."

A smirk crossed Leroy's face. "Aww, Dickie, you don't have to lie to me. I know you don't have any friends."

"Stuff it," Dick said with a chuckle. "Do you have anything to eat?"

"Nah, we'll grab something when we get to Star."

"Do you have any money?"

"Yeah," he said sarcastically. "Just let me check into the First National Bank of I'm Broke."

"Are you proposing that we steal?" he asked, shocked.

"Don't think me lame for quoting this, but," Leroy took a deep breath, "'Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat.'"

"'Otherwise, we'd get along.'"

"Man, when was the last time you ate?"

Dick thought for a moment before answering. "I had a bowl of soup yesterday morning."

"You're nothing but skin and bones!"

He stared down at his body. He was skin and bones. Sometime in the night, he had taken off his sweatshirt and tied it around his waist. Pulling up the hem of his too big t-shirt, he examined his stomach. It was caved in, it almost looked like a bowl. His ribs stuck out much too far for his liking, he could count every one. He had lost a lot of muscle due to the fact that he didn't train regularly. Hunger pains ripped through his stomach and a dull moan escaped his lips. He was starving, literally.

He was hungry, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to resort to stealing in order to be fed. He had stolen before under Slade, and he had both liked and hated it. The thrill was like that of riding a roller coaster, but the guilt that followed in its wake was too much for him to bear. Slade had tried to teach him how to use a gun, he had much bigger plans than just stealing.

Leroy stood up and moved to the open door of the car. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"To jump," he said like it was the most normal thing in the universe. "The train isn't stopping in Star."

Dick wearily stood up and made his way to Leroy, adjusting his feet to the way the train car moved so he didn't do a face plant. The thought of jumping out of a moving train sent an electric thrill through his body. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. He wanted to jump, he was ready to go. As Robin he had jumped out of many odd things, including burning buildings, cars, helicopters, even a thirtieth story window. But never had he jumped out of a train.

Leroy felt it unnecessary to teach Dick the proper way to jump, he was Robin after all. Bending his knees, Leroy launched himself out of the train and hit the ground with a thump. His body ached, but he didn't give himself time to recover. He jumped to his feet and ran alongside the train, screaming at Dick to jump.

Taking a deep breath, Dick bent his knees and jumped. He was smoothly soaring through the air when a tree popped up seemingly out of nowhere. Tucking his body into a ball, he planted his feet on the tree and pushed off hard. Suddenly, he was tumbling through brush and sharp rocks down a steep slope. He cried out as a jagged rock cut a large red line into his cheek. Throwing his hands out to try and stop himself proved to be a fruitless effort because it only left his body open.

Leroy stood in utter shock as he watched the terribly scene play out before his eyes. Dick was falling. His body twisted in strange shapes as he bounced down the hill, hitting every bush and rock on the way down. Finally he lay still at the bottom. Leroy slid down the slope calling his name, but he never received an answer.

His body lie motionless, all four of his limbs stretched out as if they were reaching for something. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth and the many other wounds he had received on his way down. Leroy lightly ran his hands over the younger boy's body, looking for any broken bones. The paleness of Dick's skin terrified him. He searched his brain and tried to remember if he had always been that pale, but his memory failed him.

"Come on, Dick!" Leroy practically screamed. "We're almost there. Come on, all we gotta do now is find Queen."

Dick remained still. Leroy dropped to his knees and places his head on the young hero's seemingly unmoving chest. He heard his shaky lungs draw in air and the dull thump of his heart beating. The sound was so beautiful it nearly brought tears to his eyes. The small boy moaned and his blue eyes fluttered open. The world was blurry, but he could make out the shape of Leroy.

The older boy was moving too fast. Dick promptly turned his head and vomited what little was in his stomach. He heaved, but he had nothing left to throw up. Leroy pushed his raven bangs out of his face and began to speak, but Dick couldn't make out what he was saying. He was numb all over, but feeling was slowly coming back to him. One feeling in particular: pain.

"'m…ired…" he moaned.

"You gotta stay awake, Dickie. You may have a concussion."

"'ired, Roy…"

Leroy didn't know if he was referring to another Roy or if he had mispronounced his name. It didn't matter either way. He gripped Dick's shoulders and a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air. A large rock stuck out of his shoulder and he whimpered. Tears trailed down his face, mixing with his blood and turning the salty tears a rosy pink. Leroy warned Dick that he was going to move him and another earthshattering scream rocked the world.

He moved Dick into a sitting position and lightly tugged his blue t-shirt over his head. Leroy almost threw up himself when he saw Dick's body. He was far too skinny for a boy his age and size, but it was the bruises and cuts that got to Leroy. They were everywhere, marring his perfect porcelain skin. He used the already bloody shirt to wipe off more blood from Dick's shaking body. The rock that stuck out of his shoulder wasn't in very deep, so he pulled it out. Instead of screaming again, the young acrobat passed out altogether.

Leroy took off his own shirt and put it on Dick's too small body. His shoulder would need stitches. He was grateful the younger boy had passed out for he didn't want to cause him anymore pain. He gently picked up Dick and slid him onto his back. Grabbing a nearby stone, he started his long climb up. Pebbles imbedded in his hands, making the climb that much more difficult, but he didn't care. His only concern was getting Dick to safety. Every once in a while, the raven haired boy would moan or stir, but he remained asleep. Leroy would have to wake him as soon as they got to the top. It was not a good idea to let a possible concussed patient to sleep.

He pulled himself and Dick up over the edge and stumbled over the railroad tracks. Laying him against a tree, Leroy began to shake Dick awake.

"Dick, you need to wake up." He didn't stir. "Come on, Grayson, this is a life or death situation."

Slowly his eyes began to open. "Roy….?"

"Yeah, it's me," Leroy replied, still not sure if Dick had mispronounced his name.

"Wha….happened?" he slurred.

"We were on our way to see Oliver Queen, jumped out of a train, and you fell pretty hard."

Realization dawned upon Dick. "Leroy…."

"Hold still, I'm gonna get you to a hospital."

"No!" Dick suddenly shouted. After he calmed down he said, "No…get me to Ollie…"

Dick's head throbbed and he wanted to go to sleep, but awareness had come back to him. His tongue was heavy and thick, he found it extremely hard to form words. His legs didn't want to work right, but he could walk with help from Leroy, a lot of help. The world rocked back and forth like a boat on the ocean. It made him sick to his stomach, but when his body tried to vomit only acid came up.

They walked along a road that led into the city and tried to wave down cars that passed by, but nobody wanted to stop for the two boys that looked like they had been mauled by bears. Finally a small red Ford truck pulled over for them. A young blonde sat at the wheel and a young brunette man who looked like a football player sat next to her. Fishing gear was in the back, but both boys suspected something other than fishing had happened.

"Are you guys okay?" the blonde asked. "What happened?"

"We were walking through the woods checking our traps when we branched off from each other. A few minutes later, I heard my brother screaming," Leroy lied.

"He's your brother?"

"I got the looks," he said with a small smile, "But we both got momma's eyes."

The answer seemed to satisfy the blonde. She gestured for them to get in and they graciously complied. Dick leaned his head against Leroy's shoulder and closed his eyes. Everything was so blurry and nothing made sense, but he trusted Leroy to take care of him. The football player studied them in the rearview mirror with a worried expression, the youngest of the two boys wasn't looking so good.

"What are your names?"

Leroy was quick to reply. "I'm Brandon. And my brother's name is Landon."

"Ooh! Rhyming names!" the blonde exclaimed.

He gave a short laugh. "It's better than the names Dad picked out. Sodapop and Ponyboy. Yeah, we're not going to get beat up with those names."

"I wish I had a cool name. Christine is so boring," she said, eying her boyfriend. "But at least it's better than Chuck."

Chuck wasn't buying any of it. Landon and Brandon most definitely sounded like fake names. What kind of parent would be cruel enough to give their kids rhyming names anyway? The kid with the black hair could have just murdered someone for all he knew. Slowly, so Brandon wouldn't see, Chuck opened the glove box and removed a gun. The two boys were too vague for his liking. He couldn't be too careful.

"Hey, kid," he said. "What happened to you?"

"The guys…" Dick slurred, "…'ook my 'oney…"

"We need to get you to a hospital!" Christine squealed.

"Not 'ecessary….stop here…"

The car slowed to a stop and Leroy was mildly surprised to learn they were already well into the city. Why Dick told Chuck and Christine to stop where he did, he would never know. The streets were empty, no watching eyes peeped through broken windows. The city block looked to be a high crime area, but it was dead. Leroy couldn't quite understand why criminals weren't all over the place. Had some terrible accident occurred?

He would never know.

Leroy helped Dick out of the truck and the younger boy hissed in pain, but otherwise said nothing. His head was beginning to clear and his speech was less impaired, but he still needed Leroy's help in order to walk. They watched as Chuck and Christine sped off, happy to get rid of the strange boys. Dick instructed Leroy to go into an alley off to their right and the older boy reluctantly complied. Even if it was a ghost town, it still gave him the creeps. The alley led to a dead end, a phone booth sat in the far corner and a garbage container sat parallel to it. Other than that, it was empty.

"Call 411…" Dick instructed. "And call Ollie…"

"Do you have a quarter?"

"Check the coin slot…"

He gently removed Dick's arm from around his shoulder and moved him so he was leaning against the alley wall. Leroy slowly made his way to the phone booth. What was going to happen to him after Dick was saved? Surely he wouldn't leave Leroy to rot on the streets. He quickly shook the thought out of his head. They were friends. He had saved Dick's life and Dick trusted him with his secret identity.

A cry of pain brought Leroy back into the real world. His head snapped up to see Dick lying on the ground with his hands tied behind his back, his face was pressed into the pavement and he was saying something Leroy couldn't quite comprehend. Forgetting about the phone, he ran to the young acrobat's side and gently rolled him over. His eyes were filled with fear and focused on something just over the older boy's shoulder. Turning to see what it was, Leroy received a hard blow to the face. His lip split open and blood spilled out of it as if it were anxious to escape. Above him stood a man with an orange and black mask, his sole eye took Leroy in and a dark chuckle rose in his throat. He kicked him in the chest and the boy cried out in pain.

"Are you ready to go?" Slade asked.

"No," Dick sobbed, "P…Please let us be…."

Slade stepped over Leroy and seized Dick by the throat. At that point, the young raven haired boy was shaking uncontrollably. It was obvious he deeply feared the masked man. Tears spilled from his eyes and he begged Slade to let them go, but it only brought a sense of authority to the man. Slowly crawling backwards, Leroy's hand found a metal pipe. He could save Dick.

Gripping the pipe like a baseball bat, Leroy jumped to his feet and rushed at Slade. The pipe hit him between the shoulder blades. For a moment all three stood in shocked silence, then Slade dropped Dick and turned to Leroy. Ripping the pipe from his grasp, he brought it against the left side of his head, cutting it in the process. Leroy's head rang and he didn't have time to recover as the pipe was brought down on his knee. He screamed in pure pain as he felt the bones shatter. He heard Dick shout his name, but he couldn't call back for Slade had hit him on the head so hard he had bitten off part of his tongue.

Blood gushed from his mouth as he sobbed into the pavement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Slade pick up Dick and smash the back of his head into the alley wall. His small body slid to the ground where he received a kick to the chest. Leroy closed his eyes, unable to take anymore, but the sound was just as bad as the sight, if not worse. Dick was screaming for Bruce, several members of his team, and an assortment of names Leroy didn't recognize. His hands found their way into his hair as Dick began to scream for help. He hated himself for being so weak and useless.

His eyes snapped open when the screaming stopped. Dick lay in a bloody heap at his feet, sobs racked his body and his eyes had seemed to lose all of their spark. He was begging Slade not to do something, but the masked man was nowhere to be seen and then he knew what Dick was begging him not to do. His neck shattered into a million pieces as the cool metal pipe was brought down upon it. And then he felt it.

Death had come for him.


Excuse me while I go drown in my own tears over that ending. Charlie is pretty much a soulless jerk. But of course, I knew ever since Charlie told me about the character of Leroy that he was going to die, and I ended up getting attached to him anyway because I'm stupid.

Anyway...I promise I will post chaper 9 soon. Possibly Monday, if I remember.