A/N: Here's the next chapter! Roy's...trying. Enjoy and leave a review to let me know what you think!

For the next few days, the tension between Connor and Roy was so thick that even Mia hesitated to reconcile it. The best Mia could do for the next few days was try to pry the story out of Connor. He refused to say though. Every question was deflected with a denial that anything was wrong or an irritated remark about Mia being annoying. But Mia persisted, wanting to know what could've possibly happened on the patrol that caused Connor and Roy to stop talking to each other. Finding out Connor had been benched from patrol only piqued her interest more.

Even celebrating Rōhatsu couldn't bridge the gap, with Roy seeming to go through the motions of celebrating mechanically and Connor doing his best to celebrate without concerning Roy too much. Meditating helped somewhat, but the anger and hurt still bubbled inside of him within seconds of stopping. It made him miserable to be failing at meditation. Teaching Mia about how to meditate helped. So did making leaf-shaped cookies and making tea for everyone. A petty part of Connor wanted to exclude Roy from this part altogether, but he knew in his heart those actions wouldn't be in the spirit of the holiday. So he included Roy but didn't say anything to his guardian. Even Jade joined in, although more out of curiosity for the palpable tension between Roy and Connor.

For Roy, the distance from Connor was like another tally mark on his list of ever-growing failures. As much as he wanted to talk to the teen, to try explaining it wasn't because he didn't like him, something in his brain stopped him. He knew he needed to explain Connor hadn't done anything and Roy just needed him to be patient. But it felt futile when Roy still wasn't sleeping or eating. So much of his energy focused on avoiding triggers and keeping himself together that having this conversation felt beyond his capabilities. Roy tried to leave Connor alone during Rōhatsu though. He made the meal of rice and milk for when Connor finished his all-night meditation and called the kids out of school on the day itself. It surprised him when Connor still left him tea and cookies, but the teen's silence was a clear indicator of how upset he still was. Roy made one of Connor's favorite meals for dinner, but it did nothing to assuage his guilt.

Which was why the universe continued to mess with him and he got the phone call at work, a week and a half after the incident on patrol. (2nd Incident for the part of Roy's brain keeping track). "Raymond Wayne," he said when he answered, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Mr. Wayne, this is Tegan Smith at the Women's Resource Center," Tegan said. "Your foster daughter Mia is part of our Escaping the Night program?"

"Ah, yes. What can I do for you?"

"Since the year will be ending soon, we usually have meetings with our participants and their guardians. I wondered if you'd be able to come in with Mia this afternoon."

"Of course. What will this meeting be covering?"

"Mia's progress in the program and what our plan will be going forward."

"I see. Mia and I will be there this afternoon. Does 4 pm work?"

"It does. See you then."

Roy hung up and sighed. 'Mia's progress, hm? I hope, it's good news. We could use some right now.'

— —

Because of the meeting, Roy decided to pick Mia and Connor up at school. They looked shocked when they saw him waiting in front of the gate, and potentially suspicious on Connor's part.

"What's wrong?" Mia asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Roy reassured her. "Someone at the Women's Resource Center called today to ask if you and I could meet with her."

"Oh."

"Come on, the meeting's at 4. I'll drop you off at home on the way, Connor."

Mia set her face in a purposefully unworried look. 'Why am I so worried?' she thought once they'd dropped Connor off at the apartment. 'Everything's ok. I haven't done anything wrong. I don't have any reason to be worried.' Then again, Connor absolutely never did anything wrong and he'd somehow gotten on Roy's bad side. 'And he's Roy's monastic, golden boy.' If the quiet vegetarian couldn't stay on Roy's good side, what chance did Mia have? Just the thought made her heart pound and her palms started to sweat. 'Calm down! God! For all you know, they're going to tell Roy I don't have to go to the stupid therapy anymore. Maybe it's nothing. Just a formality.' She could hope.

When they got to the center, Roy glanced at Mia, but she simply shrugged, then got out of the car. 'Well, if she isn't worried, then it must all be good,' Roy thought. 'Beside her walking out of group therapy a few times, I haven't heard anything negative about what she's been doing here, so it must be all good.' They walked into the main office and the woman sitting at the desk.

"Good to see you, Mr. Wayne," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm Tegan Smith. Thank you for coming in, especially on such short notice. Can you close the door, Mia?"

"Of course," Roy replied. He sat down in one of the chairs across the desk from Tegan, then Mia joined him a second later. "So, you said you wanted to talk about Mia's progress?"

"Yes. As you know, all the girls enrolled in our Escape the Night program has specific goals to reach. These goals are designed to address traumas experienced from trafficking, give them important coping skills to reduce the chance of going back to the life and provide them with the tools they can use in life going forward. We submit reports to the juvenile judge who ordered the girl to attend, determining if these goals have met and the girl is ready to graduate from the program. Unfortunately, it's my opinion and the opinion of our staff that Mia is not ready."

"What?!" Mia snapped. "That's bullshit!"

"Mia," Roy said sternly. "Language." He looked at Tegan. "I'm sorry, but why do you think that?"

Tegan looked down at the file open in front of her. "Nicky Robbins, her individual therapist has raised concerns Mia hasn't fully processed her trauma, and Kylie Johnson, our group therapist agrees. Both of them emphasize that Mia doesn't fully participate in her assigned therapies. She avoids answering questions about her past and refuses to have any conversations of substance in individualized therapy. In group therapy, she doesn't say anything and has walked out on multiple occasions."

"So what does this mean?"

"It means that our social worker will be recommending Mia be ordered to stay in the program for another year."

"I don't want to stay!" Mia objected.

"I'm sorry, Mia, but we have your best interest at heart. You have to trust this is for the best."

"Ro- Ray!"

Roy sighed and rubbed his hands on his pants. "Sorry, Mia," he said quietly. "But, it looks like it's out of my hands." He looked at Tegan. "You're certain that another year of the program will help her?"

"The program will help only if Mia wants to participate. As long as she continues to resist, she won't be able to benefit from the program in a way that will be meaningful. And the greater her risk of re-victimization."

"I'm not a god damned victim!" Mia snapped.

'I'm starting to understand why they think she's not ready,' Roy thought. He sighed quietly. "Thank you for keeping me informed. I appreciate it."

"Of course," Tegan said. "We want Mia to be successful."

"I'm glad. Is there anything else?"

"No, that's it."

"We should head home, so Mia can get her homework done." Roy stood and shook Tegan's hand again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Have a good holiday. Mia, I'll see you in January."

Mia simply rolled her eyes as she followed Roy out of the office silently. She didn't talk until they'd gotten back in the car. "Can you believe this?!" she demanded.

"If by this, you mean you haven't participated in your therapy, then no, I can't," Roy replied slowly.

"You're not taking their side, are you?!"

"Yes, Mia. I am."

"Why?!"

"Because you should be going to therapy! What you've been through… It's traumatizing, Mia. It hurts and I know it's hard to talk about stuff that can upset you-"

"I don't need therapy. I'm fine."

"Clearly your therapists don't agree."

"Who cares what they think! They're dumb!"

"Dumb or not, it's what's best for you."

Mia crossed her arms. "I won't go. I refuse."

"You will go."

"No, I won't and you can't make me."

"Think so? If you don't keep going to therapy and start taking it seriously, then you won't be going out as a vigilante."

"…What- That's not fair!"

"Fair or not, it's what's happening."

"I hate you." The words slipped out of Mia's mouth before she could stop them. She considered apologizing as soon as she said it, but instead firmly closed her mouth.

Roy winced at her words and didn't try to pick up the conversation after that. 'So I've managed to isolate both kids and I'm losing my mind. Fantastic.' It honestly made him feel like they couldn't have gotten home fast enough. Mia seemed to feel the same way because she jumped out of the car as soon as they got home and didn't even look back. Roy sighed and silently followed her. As soon as they got upstairs she disappeared into her and Connor's bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Should I ask?" Jade inquired.

Roy sighed and sat on the couch so he could put his head in his hands. "Mia's not graduating from her program at the Women's Resource Center. She has to return for another year of therapy in January."

"Doesn't sound too bad."

"Except Mia doesn't want to go to therapy and doesn't care about it at all!"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Of course it is! She's been through a horribly traumatizing situation! I know how hard it is to recover from abuse, so I know the therapy will make this easier for her."

Jade didn't say anything for a few seconds and simply surveyed Roy's body language. "Maybe you should take a nap-"

"No. I'm not tired."

"Everything will look better when you're well-rested-"

"Being well-rested isn't going to happen anytime soon!" Roy stood and rubbed his hair agitatedly. "I'm going for a walk." He grabbed his jacket as he left wanting to be out of the apartment and away from all his failures. The walk to the Cave felt too long. Like he would never get there. The people around him on the sidewalk all seemed too close and too loud. Everything was so…everything. It exhausted Roy. He didn't want to deal with anything right now. And there was only one activity that could take his mind off everything.

So when he got to the Arrow Cave, he grabbed his quiver and bow, then started shooting. Shooting arrows, watch as one after another, the projectiles buried themselves into the bullseyes at the center of the targets…it was therapeutic in its own right. It gave him a sense of calm and control; two elements that had been severely lacking in his life lately. So Roy shot his arrows only stopping when his quiver emptied and removed them from the target as fast as he could to get back to shooting. He lost himself in the movements, eventually only somewhat aware of his shooting.

— —

When Mia slammed the door of their bedroom shut, Connor lifted his head from A Tale of Two Cities. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Roy's dumb!" Mia yelled as she threw herself down on the ground. "He's dumb and mean and- and- frustrating!"

"What happened?"

"They're making me go through the program at the women's resource center again!"

"…Ok-"

"And Roy agreed with them!"

"Well, what did you think would happen? Roy's always talking about how important your therapy is."

"Maybe for him, but I'm fine. I don't need any."

'Yeah, because those nightmares you have a few times a week are the signs of a person who doesn't need therapy.' Connor agreed with Roy, but he was still kind of mad at the man, so he took Mia's side. "That's too bad."

"It sucks! And he says I won't be allowed to patrol until I start taking therapy seriously!"

"Well, I'm not patrolling ether, so we can brood together."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Why is he being so difficult? Ever since Kaldur broke up with him it's been so…different…"

"I think it's related to his trauma somehow. You know the PTSD and stuff."

"Yeah, but it's so…different from normal. He's not usually like this."

"I know." Connor laid down on his bed. "Everything was so easy when we were on patrol. Even when things were hard as Connor and Roy…I could always count that when I put my mask on it would all make sense. We were partners. We could trust each other. Being out in the city with Roy, saving people and doing good… It was amazing."

Mia frowned at him. "You say it like you're never going back. He'll let you back on patrol soon."

'That's if he lets me stay…' Connor hesitated. 'I don't want to upset her. Or she could go to Roy and it could give him ideas. Unless he already has those ideas and is going to get mad at me for bringing it up.' With his nerves jangled Connor got off the bed to meditate. As he did, Mia moved from the floor to the top bunk to work on her homework. Both of them were quiet for a few hours, with only Mia occasionally making a comment about her assigned English book.

Eventually, there was a knock on the door. "Dinner," Jade said through the closed door. "Let's go, or you're both starving tonight."

Mia rolled her eye as she closed her book. "At least she's honest."

'Figures the one person with actual honesty around here is the assassin,' Connor thought as he stood. 'Because why wouldn't it be?' He followed Mia to the kitchen and sat silently in his seat, staring silently at the table.

Jade noticed and rolled her eyes. "Why the kicked-puppy-look, kid?" she asked as she joined them at the table. "Not getting to play hero isn't the end of the world."

'It is if you're me.' Connor just stared at his plate as he pushed the grilled veggies and tofu around his plate. "It's not even my fault. Roy's being irrational."

"So? He'll get over it."

"…But what if he doesn't? Mental illnesses are…lifelong a lot of times, aren't they? What if he's always this…paranoid and anxious? Do I not get to do the best thing that's ever happened to me?"

"At least he let you start," Mia said, stabbing a piece of chicken. "He's intent on holding me to some…impossible standard that he had! Maybe I don't want to be like him! Did he ever think about that?!"

'God, why are teenagers so overdramatic?' Jade wondered. 'I wasn't like this at 14, was I? I hope not.' Overdramatic or not, it was clear to her that Roy wasn't thinking straight. 'Looks like I'll have to deal with this before he somehow loses his mind.' She quickly finished her own dinner, then left her plate in the sink. "One of you take care of the dishes. Fight each other if you can't decide; loser does it."

"Where are you going?" Connor asked.

"For a walk. Don't talk to strangers and all that."

Mia gave Connor an intrigued look when they heard the door closed. "What'd you think she's up to?" she asked.

"Don't know, don't care," Connor replied. 'I've got more than enough to worry about now.'

— —

When Jade walked into Roy's hideout, he was shooting arrows at the targets. She stopped and watched him silently for a few minutes.

By the time Roy stopped firing, his fingers were sore from holding his bow and drawing the bowstring back so often. He took several deep breaths.

"Having a good time?"

Roy spun on his heels and his hand jumped to his quiver. It dropped after a few seconds when he realized it was just Jade. "Why are you sneaking up on me?"

"It's fun."

"What are you- Wait, are Mia and Connor home alone?!"

"They're 14, Roy. When I was 14 I was basically a fully functioning adult. They'll survive I promise."

"But-"

"But, what?"

"…What if Kaldur comes after them?"

Jade frowned in confusion as she approached him. "Seriously? You're worried your ex will come after two teenagers?"

"He's a villain now! Who knows what he'll do!"

"Some villains have morals, you know. You just happen to have a lot of personal experience with one of the few who didn't." When Roy flinched she didn't back down. Someone needed to slap some sense into him and she really wanted to avoid doing it physically. "Did he say or do anything to make you think he'd come after the kids?"

"He triggered my PTSD! I haven't been this out of control in years and- and-" Roy shook his head. "I- I can't…"

"Can't what?" No response. "Can't what, Roy?"

"I can't deal with anything! I can't face Connor and Mia. Not after how much I've clearly failed them. I took my anxieties out on Connor when he hasn't even done anything wrong… I clearly haven't been paying enough attention to Mia if I didn't know she was so lackluster about her therapy…" Once again, he was hit with the reality that he had no clue how to raise teenagers. "I'm not even capable of taking care of myself half the time. Especially right now…"

"So…what did you do last time?"

"What do you mean?"

"Clearly you had this under control before. How did that happen?"

"…I had therapy and medication."

"Do you have the meds now?"

"No."

"Can you get some?"

"Yeah…" Leslie would almost certainly help him get the medications necessary as she'd done for Bruce when he was a teenager. "But…I don't like the meds."

"What do they do?"

"Help me sleep without nightmares."

"You really need some of that." When Roy opened his mouth again, Jade pressed on. "You want to be a good parent for Connor and Mia, right?"

"Of course! Obviously."

"Then you need to sleep. Teenagers are like…God's test to humanity, so you need to be well-rested. What about that therapy?"

"There's another hero who's a licensed therapist. I saw her regularly for four years but I stopped when I moved to Star because I was able to handle everything without it."

"Would she listen if you called and asked to see her?"

"Yes. Without hesitation I'm sure."

"Then do it. You clearly need it."

Roy eyed her suspiciously. "Why do you want to help me so much?"

Jade shrugged. "I don't want to. But I owe you one, so I figure I can keep your little family from falling apart from under you." She reached out and tugged the bow from his hands. "Make the calls, hero. If you really want what's best for those kids, then you need to do what you have to do." She walked away to put his bow back while Roy sighed and rubbed his face.

'She's right,' he thought. 'Jade's right. I have to do what's best for Connor and Mia. I have to.' He nodded as he took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up one of his contacts. "Hey, Dinah? It's Roy. Can- Can we meet?"