A/N: Hey, look at that. I remembered to update on Wednesday, lol. Let me know what you think!
Roy sighed as he looked over the file in his hands one more time. 'All of the evidence is here,' he decided as he slowly closed the file. His fingers drummed off the file as he looked at the clock on his desk. 'Five minutes,' he thought. 'Detective Rodgerson should be here in five minutes.' The urge to re-open the file hit him, but Roy resisted. "No. I don't need to keep checking it. I triple checked all the evidence I doctored before I put it in here." The door to his business opened and he quickly flattened his hand on the file. "Detective Rodgseron," he said in greeting.
"Raymond," Detective Rodgerson replied. He shook the private detective's hand, then sat down across the desk from him. "Good to see you again."
"And you. How've you been?"
"Good. Just closed a big case."
"I read about the capture of the bank robbers in the papers. Glad to know those dangerous criminals are off the streets."
"It is. So…you have your conclusion to the Roy Harper case?"
"I do." Roy tapped his fingers off the file for a brief moment. "First, I want your word, Detective, that whatever I tell you, you will let this case go when I'm done."
"…What do you have?"
"First, you should know that I believe Roy Harper is alive."
"You do?!"
"I do." Roy slid the file across the desk. "I think you were right about the abuse theory. It would certainly explain why he ran away."
"He ran away?"
"It appears so. I found a person who looks remarkably like him working at a factory in Metropolis."
Detective Rodgerson opened the file and began looking at the pictures Roy had doctored. "Are you sure it's him?"
"Pretty sure. He's going by the name Isaac Begay."
"It looks like he dyed his hair too." Detective Rodgerson looked at him. "How did you find his out exactly?"
"I have my contacts."
"Mhm. And how exactly did a 14-year-old kid make it from Star City to Metropolis?"
Roy shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Detective Rodgerson gave him a look of disbelief. "Do you really expect me to buy this?"
"I don't expect you to buy anything, Detective."
"So is this some kind of joke to you?"
Roy folded his hands on his desk. "Detective, I'm presenting you with evidence that Roy Harper is alive. Because I believe he is. Whether or not Oliver Queen killed him would be irrelevant because Mr. Queen is also missing. You'd never get a satisfying answer. So I'm giving you one. If you want to believe Roy Harper is alive, then believe it because I've provided you with the evidence to do so."
"…That wasn't exactly what I hired you to do."
"Sometimes you can't close a case, Detective. Sometimes the best you can do is have peace of mind."
Detective Rodgerson was quiet for a few moments. "I want to believe he's alive. That he survived and found a place where he was safe and happy. That I didn't let a pompous billionaire get away with murdering a child who was under his care."
"I don't think that's what happened."
"…And you have the evidence to prove it." Detective Rodgerson looked at him. "You're not what I thought you'd be, Raymond."
"How so?"
"Most private detectives would have just said Roy was dead and taken the fee. You went to the trouble to…find evidence because you wanted to give me peace of mind."
"It sounds like you were testing me."
"I was…in a way." Detective Rodgerson closed the file and put it in his bag. "Sometimes I need a little…help with difficult or sensitive cases. It'll be nice to know there's a reasonable and ethical person I can turn to. I hope?" He held out his hand and Roy hesitated for a moment before he shook it.
"Of course. I look forward to potentially helping you in the future, Detective."
"Thank you, Raymond. I mean it."
"You're welcome." Roy watched him leave, then sat back in his chair and sighed. 'I don't know if it'll help him sleep at night, but God I hope so.' It drove a spike of guilt through him to know Rodgerson, a good and dedicated man, was haunted by the disappearance of the man he'd sat across from. It wasn't fair. 'I wanted to come here to heal the wounds Ollie left on the city…and that includes the police who got wrapped up in this mess just trying to do their jobs.' It might not have been a great ending he could give the case, but it was the best he could do. 'And I've once again proven myself to Rodgerson as a good ally.' There hadn't been a lot of thawing between Rodgerson and Red Arrow, but the detective hadn't shot at him in passing so that was something. Roy checked the time, then sighed again and heaved himself to his feet. 'I have to get home. Big plans tonight.'
For a vigilante, big plans normally meant closing an important case or a stake-out. Tonight though…it meant double-dating with Tula and Garth at a sushi place. 'And leaving Connor alone on a Friday night,' Roy thought as he walked home, the early spring air chilling as the sun began to set. 'And right at the start of the kid's spring vacation too. He seems pretty excited about not needing to go to school for a week.' Part of Roy wished that he could make Connor like school— knowing first hand how awful it was to be separated from your same-aged peers— but he also understood why socializing was so hard for the teen. He walked into his apartment to find Connor sitting on the couch, doing homework. "Homework, really, Connor?"
"What?" Connor asked. "I was assigned homework over spring break."
"You have all week to work on it. Pace yourself."
"Well…you're going to be gone all night, so I can't patrol- right?" He twisted around and craned his neck to look at Roy.
"Correct. If Red Arrow doesn't patrol, neither does Green Arrow."
"Right…"
Roy paused at the disappointed tone in Connor's voice. "But…if you wanted to go to the Arrow Cave and…practice your archer then I wouldn't mind."
"Really?!"
"Yes, but you have to give me your word that you won't go out and patrol without me."
"Absolutely!" Connor practically jumped to his feet. "Thanks, Roy!"
"You're welcome, kid. There's some leftover eggplant lasagna in the fridge, don't forget to eat tonight."
"I won't."
'The last thing I need is for CPS to think I'm starving him.' The thought made him wince. 'I'd never do that to Connor though. Never.' Roy quickly put on something more suitable for his date and was just buttoning up his shirt when he heard a knock on the door. "Connor?!"
"I got it, Roy!" Connor quickly ran to the door and opened it, only for his mouth to fall open a little bit.
"Hello," Kaldur greeted. "I am-"
"Aqualad…" Connor blinked, then his cheeks got warm. "I mean Kaldur. Sorry."
"It is fine. You must be Connor. Roy has told me a lot about you."
"He- He did?"
"Indeed. I hope you will be ready to join the Team soon. We could use a skilled archer."
"Th-Thanks."
"Putting ideas in my partner's head?" Roy asked with a playful smile as he approached.
Kaldur caught sight of him in a dark red, button-up shirt, and black pants and whispered under his breath in Atlantean. "You look breath-taking," he said.
"You don't look so bad yourself." Roy kissed Kaldur, then looked at Connor as his fingers absentmindedly intertwined with his boyfriend's. "You gonna be all set, Connor?"
"Mhm," Connor nodded. "I-I'll be fine."
"Ok. Have fun. Remember to…lock up. Got it?"
"Yup. Have fun…" He glanced at Kaldur. "N-Nice to meet you, Kaldur."
"You as well, Connor," Kaldur replied.
"Home and in bed by 10," Roy added as he left.
"I got it." Connor didn't move until Roy and Kaldur had left and the door shut. "I just met Aqualad…" He smiled to himself. "Awesome…"
Meanwhile, Roy pulled Kaldur closer as they walked down the stairs of the apartment building. "I think Connor was a little star-struck by you," he teased.
"I do not understand why. I have never been as pubic a protege like Wally," Kaldur replied. "If anything, I have been in the background."
"Connor's kind of a…background kid anyway. Maybe that's why he likes you so much."
"Perhaps."
They exited the building, where Garth and Tula were waiting for them. "You guys look great," Roy said. 'Can't even tell they're Atlantean.'
"I do not like…shoes," Garth said with a face. He kicked one of his feet for emphasis. "Why do you wear shoes?"
"You think wearing shoes is weird…I think eating raw meat is weird."
Tula rolled her eyes. "Let's go, before Garth complains more," she suggested.
"The restaurant is just a few blocks away."
"How have you been, Roy?"
"I've been fine. Busy with wrapping the bank robbery case as well as tracking down some runaway teenagers in my private business."
"You have a weird job," Garth observed.
"I have a job that lets me help people. Especially victims of abuse and trafficking."
Kaldur smiled at Roy and squeezed his hand. "You are noble and kind, my love," he said. "You have a good heart."
"Awww," Tula cooed.
"Don't let him fool you, he wants to spend the night."
"Not our Kaldur!" Garth declared with faux outrage. With slightly faster than human speed, he broke away from Tula's hand and jumped between Roy and Kaldur. He threw his arm over Kaldur's shoulder's protectively. "Kaldur is a baby and would never seek out illicit activities!"
"Garth-" Kaldur began, voice tinged with embarrassment, but Garth put a hand over his mouth and pressed on.
"How dare you insinuate that otherwise, or even attempt to corrupt his innocent mind! Shame on you, surface boy!"
Roy shook his head as Tula laughed and Kaldur grabbed Garth's arm in a move the archer knew would result in him being thrown over Kal's shoulder. He intervened quickly, grabbed Garth's hand and pulled it off. "Why don't you keep the 'surface boy' comments to a minimum while we're in public," he suggested.
"I'm just protecting my friend."
"I hate you," Kaldur said as Tula pulled Garth away and wrapped her arms around one of his.
"Of course you don't."
"Ignore Garth," Tula suggested. "We've been so busy with our studies we haven't been on as many missions. He's got pent up energy."
"It's fine," Roy assured her. He took Kaldur's hand again and squeezed it. He nodded his head at a dim neon sign ahead of them. "That's the restaurant right there."
"Is the food good?"
"It is." And it was out of the way and usually not highly trafficked, even on a Friday night. The perfect place for four young superheroes trying to keep a low profile and have a fun, quiet evening. 'I hope Connor's night is just as fun.'
— —
After a quiet dinner with a book and the eggplant lasagna, Connor made his way to the Arrow Cave for archery practice. 'This is nice,' he thought as he walked down the stairs. 'Just a nice, quiet night of practicing.' The silence in the cave— which wasn't actually a cave he didn't get that— was a little unnerving. It spurred him on to grab his bow and get to work. Connor shot arrows at the target for half an hour without stopping. When he'd emptied his quiver for the fifth time, he stopped for a moment.
'I don't like being alone,' Connor thought as his chest tightened. 'Alone is so…alone.' Alone is how he'd felt for the past nine months since he'd found out about his mom. Alone is what had driven him to run away from his foster parents and hitchhike to Star. Alone was a state he'd become intimately familiar with. Connor didn't like it. He sighed and looked around the empty space. "I should probably just…keep shooting." He glanced in the direction of the computer monitors. "Or…I could do some research." Some unsupervised research on something he'd wanted to know for a while, but Roy never wanted to talk about.
Connor sat down at the monitors and thought for a moment, then carefully put in Roy's login. The teen had his own, but he knew it only allowed him to access certain programs and information. His mentor's on the other hand…was completely unrestricted. Once Connor was in, he started poking around in the files. "Let's see… Where would he keep information about my dad?" After a few minutes of not finding anything, Connor did an old fashioned internet search. It gave him articles about Oliver Queen's disappearance and Roy's "disappearance" before that. "I already know all this though…" he muttered as he clicked out of an article. "I want to know… I don't know…" Connor sighed as he leaned back in the chair and turned himself back and forth idly. "I don't know what I want to know."
Which wasn't completely true. Connor wanted to know what his father was like. What had attracted his mom to someone who'd caused so much pain and suffering? "How could she sleep with someone who killed so many people and was so terrible to Roy?" Even if he didn't know what exactly had gone down. (Which he also wanted to know.) "But I can't ask… Roy will freak out if I do. Everything is better and if I ask it'll make everything weird and awkward again." Connor crossed his arms and sighed low again. 'Why is everything so hard? Is 13 supposed to be this difficult?'
— —
Roy tried not to laugh as he watched Garth and Tula struggle with chop-sticks. "You guys can just use a fork you know," he said.
"No!" Garth objected. "If you can eat with these…sticks, then so can we. It cannot be that hard." He tried to prove his point by stabbing a piece of sushi with one of the chopsticks, but the piece slipped off and onto the plate.
"It's not that hard," Kaldur agreed as he leaned over and ate a piece of sushi off Roy's chopsticks. "See?"
"That's not fair. You cheated."
"It's not cheating, it is using my resources."
Tula giggled as she slyly picked up a piece with her fingers and popped it into her mouth. The movement was still caught by Garth's keen eyes and he gave her a look of betrayal. He said something in Atlantean and she shrugged. "I was hungry," she replied simply. "And the…chopsticks were not helping."
"I can show you how to hold them again if you like," Roy said. Tula nodded and he leaned over to adjust her fingers on the thin sticks. "You guys have great hand-eye coordination, this should be no problem for you."
"Not all of us are as talented as you, Roy."
"Oh please…" Garth muttered as he rolled his eyes. "He's not that impressive."
"And yet he can eat right now and you cannot," Kaldur replied. He took another bite off Roy's chopsticks and smiled at his best friend.
"You are just eating off him!"
"This food is good," Tula said. "Surface people do know who to eat raw fish. I do not understand why you have such fascination with cooking it."
"Because most fish, and most meats, can't be eaten raw," Roy replied. "We'll get sick."
"Next time they need to eat a…hamburger," Kaldur added.
"Megan talks about those," Tula said. "They sound delicious."
"Then we'll have to go to a burger joint next time," Roy said. He looked across the table at Garth, who'd finally given in and started picking at his sushi with his fingers. "Don't worry, Garth, you can eat with your hands there."
"You are doing this to humiliate me and I will not forget it," Garth muttered.
Tula smiled and rubbed his back. "Do not take his threats to heart," she said. "Garth knows you mean him no ill will."
"Uh-huh…" Roy took a drink of his soda while he gave Kaldur a look. 'And he says his friends like me.'
Kaldur cleared his throat a little. "I believe you also had a dessert planned?" he asked Roy.
"Yeah, I was thinking we can grab some ice cream."
"Ice cream is good," Tula said, elbowing Garth so hard Roy almost winced. "We like ice cream, right, Garth?"
"Hm?" Garth looked up from his plate and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Conner and Megan made us try it. I liked it. Even if it was very cold."
"I was thinking we could get some warm brownie sundaes."
"What is a brownie sundae?" Tula asked, clearly intrigued. "It sounds very good."
"It is. You guys will like it." Roy ate his second to last piece of sushi, then fed Kaldur's last piece to him. "I'll go pay the check and then we can leave if you guys are done."
"And now he rushes us…" Garth muttered as he quickly ate the last two pieces of sushi.
"Please be nice," Kaldur asked, his voice low as he dropped into Atlantean. "You know how much I care about Roy."
"I'm not saying you don't love him."
"But you keep giving him a hard time."
"Someone has to. Its important surface boy understands how lucky he is to have you."
Kaldur felt his cheeks heat up and he looked at Tula in a clear plea for help. She rolled her eyes a little. "Boys…" she muttered, then looked at Garth. "Be a little nicer to Roy."
Garth took a long sip of his soda, then gave Kaldur a mischievous look. "I could be nice…or I could tell the king where you really are some nights when you claim to be at the mountain."
"Garth-"
"You guys ready?" Roy asked as he returned.
"Yes, let us go." Kaldur took Roy's hand as he slipped out of his seat.
"Is it safe to be walking around at night like this?" Garth asked as they left the restaurant.
Roy snorted. "I think we've got it covered," he said.
"I feel perfectly safe with you," Kaldur said as he drew closer, his arm intertwining with Roy's. "You are so brave, my love." Behind them, he could hear Garth making loud kissing noises. "Garth!"
"That was Tula!" Garth objected.
"It was not!" Tula interjected. "He lies!"
"Why are my friends so weird?" Kaldur muttered as he put his head on Roy's shoulder.
"You're talking to a guy who had exactly two friends for like four years," Roy reminded him. "And one of them isn't even human."
"Right…"
"So, Roy, is this what you and Kaldur normally do on dates?" Tula asked.
"Do we really want to know what you normally do?" Garth added quickly, but his girlfriend shover her hand over his mouth.
"Normally we sit and talk by the water," Roy said. "We're both pretty busy, so that's usually all we have time for."
"But once a month we have a…long date night," Kaldur added. "Where we have dinner, sometimes a movie, and I try to spend the night."
"It's true…he tries."
"We should go to a movie," Tula said. "Wally told me about those and they sound like fun."
"And a sports game," Garth added. "I want to see what surface sports are like."
"Movies and a sports game," Roy nodded. "I'll add them to the list of surface activities we need to try."
"Good."
"The ice cream parlor is just around the corner."
"Excellent. I want to try this…brownie sundae you keep talking about."
"You won't regret it."
"You said the same thing about the sushi."
"And was it good?"
"…It was good, but it was a lot of work for such little reward."
"But it was good."
"…Fine."
Kaldur chuckled and kissed Roy's head gently.
— —
Connor was ready to admit defeat when he found the shortcut. It was labeled BCC, and while he didn't know what the letters stood for, he quickly didn't care because a ton of files suddenly popped up on the screen. He scrolled through them, eyes skimming cases and names of villains he'd only ever seen on the news. 'A lot of these guys are in Gotham, aren't they?' he wondered. 'Joker… Riddler… Two-Face… Yeah, they are.' A frown slowly crept across his face. 'Why would there be files for Gotham villains on here? Roy did live there and he trained under Batman for a while. Maybe that's it…' His eyes widened when it hit him and he threw himself back from the monitors. "Oh my… BCC…. Bat Cave Computer…" he whispered. "I think I just accidentally broke into Batman's computer." His heart pounded a little in his ribs and he took a deep breath.
"This is Batman's computer… I have access to Batman's files…" The excitement started to join the fear the initial realization caused him. "I have access to Batman's files!" In an uncharacteristic moment of impulsiveness, Connor rolled back to the monitors and scrolled through them more slowly. 'I bet if I study some of these cases it can make me a better hero.' And if he was a better hero, he'd be less like his father. "And if I'm less like Oliver then Roy will like me more." He clicked on a file labeled 'Penguin' and stated reading cases. Some of them involved Roy and some of them happened before he was Arsenal or Red Arrow. After several cases, Connor switched to a different file. The file with Poison Ivy's name had more…interesting cases. He winced internally when several of them involved Roy being drugged.
The next file name made Connor freeze though. "….Roy. This- This one says, Roy." He clicked on it. The file contained several videos, photos, and typed reports. 'This is what I was looking for…' There it was in front of him. Everything that had happened to Roy. He moved the mouse to click on one of them, but a hand suddenly settled on his. Connor blinked, then slowly looked up. "Uh…hi, Roy."
"Evening, Connor," Roy replied. His voice was neutral, but his mouth was set in a frown of displeasure.
"You're home early…"
"Am I though?"
"Uh…" Connor looked at the clock in the corner of a monitor. His stomach dropped. 11:45 pm. "Guess you're not…"
"Do you want to explain why you're 1) Not at home, 2) Not in bed, and 3) Inside the Bat-computer's files?"
"Well…I kind of lost track of time. And…I accidentally found the files. I didn't know they were at first."
"And what part of practicing your shooting required you to be on the monitors with my login and not yours?"
"…I just wanted to look…"
"Look at what?" Roy crossed his arms as he watched the teen swivel idly in the chair. Connor's fingers dimmed lightly off his legs and he refused to meet Roy's eyes. "Connor."
"…I just want to know what happened to you." Connor swallowed and glanced up at Roy, then back down. "With Oliver."
Roy sighed as he leaned against the desk and rubbed his face. "Connor-"
"I just want to know what happened!"
"You know what happened."
"No, I don't. Not really. You said he- that he abused and neglected you, but you never told me specifics."
"I didn't tell you because you don't need to know. Why do you want to know anyway?!"
"Because… I just do."
Roy shook his head. "Connor…listen…. What happened between me and Ollie has nothing to do with you."
"Easy for you to say! He isn't your father!"
'He was the closest thing I had for a while,' Roy thought with a wince.
"I just want to know what he was like. You know…besides being a murderer. I- I want to know why my mom would sleep with someone who was like that. You didn't know her, but she would never have had a relationship with someone so…awful!" Connor looked at Roy.
The man studied him for a moment before taking a deep breath. As he did, his eyes closed and he tipped his head back. He exhaled and let his head drop, but didn't open his eyes. "Oliver was…charming." Roy's face contorted a little as his mouth thinned and his fists clenched. "When you first met him, you would've never been able to guess what he was really like. He was like a chameleon who could blend in anywhere. When he wanted something from you, he was anything you wanted him to be. A friend, someone you could turn to. Oliver was charming and kind and generous and fun. Until he wasn't. But by the time you realized it, it was too late." Roy finally opened his eyes and gave Connor a sad look. "I can understand why your mom was attracted to Oliver and I understand why she wouldn't have told him he had a son. Because he was, as they say, the devil; but he looked like an angel. That's what your father was like."
Connor studied his hands for a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you. I just want to understand."
Roy put his hand on Connor's shoulder. "Maybe someday, I'll tell you the whole story. Every last detail. But for now, you know everything you need to know. Trust me when I say that you can't let Oliver's shadow cloud your future. Because he can cast a very deep and dark shadow if you let him."
"I understand." Connor looked back at the monitors, then quickly closed out of the files and logged out.
"Good."
"I'm in trouble though, aren't I?"
Roy sighed as he thought about it for a moment. "I think keeping you from patrol until Monday will be sufficient. Don't you?"
"…Sounds fair."
"Good. Now let's go. It's past your bedtime."
Connor stood and let Roy lead him out of the Arrow Cave. "How was your double-date?"
"Fun."
"I'm glad. You deserve to have fun."
"So do you kid."
'I don't need to have fun, I need to be a good hero. A great hero. My father's shadow will never be able to touch me then.'
