Thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews guys! You have no idea how happy it makes me feel getting messages that people are reading what I wrote. You are all awesome!

This is a bit of a recap of chapter one. Some chapters connect to each other if you haven't noticed yet. And I forgot from the beginning to apologize for any OOCness and other mistakes. I think Roy was a bit here, but oh well. I wanted to do this. With excuses aside for not updating sooner other than babysitting the past couple of days, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Oh and this was a song suggestion by Shapeshifter99. I originally had something else planned for Roy, but this song worked out much better. Hopefully you all like it. :)

Roy

Your heart is full of broken dreams
Just a fading memory
And everything's gone but the pain carries on
Lost in the rain again
When will it ever end
The arms of relief seem so out of reach
But I, I am here

Roy was in utter shock when he first learned of the tragedy from his former mentor. As far as he knew, Artemis had retired over a year ago along with Wally to focus on their studies and have a somewhat normal life. A few memories of the young talented blonde archer girl flashed through his mind as Ollie hesitantly explained her great fall. The girl he had despised the first moment he met her. The girl who had rightfully earned her place with the young heroes. The girl who he later could pass as bickering siblings with, especially when he'd secretly married her sister. It couldn't have been the same Artemis.

Jade came in during the last half of his upsetting phone call. When she heard her sister's name and a failed mission spoken of along with Roy's deep frown and shrugged shoulders, she attacked him. Her husband pinned against the wall, the assassin followed through with a deep interrogation of what happened. After sad explanations, she practically collapsed on the floor. Roy had never seen Jade break down like that. Her visual grief was short lived, she became convinced that it couldn't have been Artemis that was killed. Her sister was too strong for that. There must have been some mistake or this was some kind of cruel joke the heroes were trying to pull.

It took Roy a bit of convincing and some threatening for her to come to the funeral. After they returned to their rundown apartment and Lian asleep in her crib, he found Jade leaning against the wall, her mind obviously elsewhere. Jade had hardly spoken a word today and was completely silent since her sister's service. Jade normally was quiet, but it bothered Roy more now until she finally spoke in a barely audible voice.

"She's still alive," Jade kept her gaze intently at the wall. Roy exhaled, letting his hands drop in front of him.

"Jade…"

Her head snapped to the left, her eyes burning assuredly at him.

"Roy, I know it in my gut!"

He shook his head slowly. "We just buried her."

It had taken him a while to get over the fact that his formal rival died. He lost hope of any possibility Artemis ever returning when at the funeral.

"Didn't you notice that the casket was closed? They could have been lying!" She exclaimed.

Roy momentarily shut his eyes tightly before trudgingly moving forward towards his wife. He attempted to reach out to comfort her before dismissing the idea. He knew she would only smack his touch away.

"Jade," He softly replied, "I couldn't believe it either, but I've had to come to the fact that Artemis is gone. I know it's hard. You just have to accept it."

If Jade had heat vision, Roy was sure he would be dead by now from the angered look she gave him.

"Artemis is alive! I saw her Red. After the funeral when everyone else left." She saw the doubt linger in his eyes. "I know now that I couldn't have imagined her. She was too real—and I'm not giving up until I find her."

Jade snatched up her pack with all her things and had her mask in one hand. Roy grabbed her empty hand tightly. He searched for the right words to say. As his mouth opened with no sound, Jade pressed hard on the pressure point in his arm, automatically releasing from his grasp. He looked at her with a panged expression, her own softening slightly.

"I have to,"

The door slammed hard behind Cheshire, the walls quietly shaking. Roy stared at the closed door. Soon, cries from the bedroom rang out, diminishing the silence that he was left in. Roy sighed before going to coax his daughter back to sleep. As he gently patted Lian on the back while holding her comfortably against him and slowly swaying back and forth, Jade's words echoed through his mind. Roy had a right to be worried about his wife's emotions and actions, just as she and Lian had started helping him get back into better living.

The father put the baby back in the crib as she resorted back to her light snores. Roy quietly closed the door behind him and sat on the couch, his mind running. Jade was stubborn and had great persistence, yet Roy wondered just how much she was certain of, was true.

I had to have some suspicions rising. Jade I could easily see as the plausible choice and she gets Roy to question it himself. More to come fairly soon and don't forget to leave me a review!