Disclaimer: Same as always.

One note: Wintergreen's referral to Slade as a madman is out of both respect and fear, not hatred. You'll see what I mean.

Epilogue

He strode down the hallway. After that exciting day when the Titans had showed up to try to make Slade pay, he'd been quite busy. He gathered his laundry, and as he did, a note fell out of one of the pockets of his clothes. Wondering what it could possibly say, he read it, putting the rest of the laundry off for a moment. It was neither adressed nor signed, though after reading a few paragraphs into it, he knew who it was from:

My old friend:

If you are reading this then I was successful in delivering it. It was quite a challenge getting it to you, for it was quite hard to do so undetected, seeing as we both live in different worlds now. I would like to thank you for the role you played in my life for the brief year that I knew you. Although you and I really never spoke, I enjoyed both your maturity and our quiet friendship. It was nice to have somebody else who understands what it is like to work for the madman.

Furthermore, I would like to express my deep concern for you. I was unable to find out what happened after the rockslide and whether you were injured severely. Although my sources tell me that you made it out, I've heard rumors from several villains that I've come (unfortunately) into contact with that you have not been seen for some time. Though this is unsurprising, for you are quite quiet in nature, I wanted to make sure that you were all right.

Again, thank you for the positive influence you had on me for that brief year. Although we had a somewhat rocky beginning, often with plates being chucked out of windows and hurtful words, you really were an example to me in your unwavering faith, especially your faith in me. Despite the fact that our conversations were quite short, you could always seem to tell when I was disappointed or angry, especially when it came to matter of a certain villain.

I hope that this letter reaches you safely and that it has not been destroyed or any such thing. Although I would invite you to come visit me, I'm sure that the people you and I acquaintance ourselves with would not allow you to come or go. Still, I wish to espress my deepest gratitude for all that you taught me about enduring to the end and being steadfast in your faith.

Sincerely,

Your old friend.

He folded the paper up and put it in one of his many pockets. The letter was even typed to prohibit any who intercepted it from understanding who it was to and who it was from in order to protect them both. He thought about that year as he proceeded to resume carrying his laundry back to fold it. He laid it down, then decided to put it off for a while and just think.

His old friend. Believe it or not, he actually missed the poor guy. He hoped everything was going well. After that day, he had returned to life the way it was before. Although he had originally been changed because of what had happened, he had eventually reverted back to his old habits of not speaking and keeping to himself, which, in a profession as dangerous as his, wasn't neccessarily a bad thing.

"Are you going to do the laundry or not?" a different voice asked, the owner of said voice not present, but watching him nonetheless. He smiled, thinking it a bit humorous that he had let his thoughts drift so much. He resumed his daily life, finally returning to his own room at the end of an exhausting day of chores. Why he still worked in this profession where there were so many dishes to be washed and so much rubble to clean up after long fights, he still wasn't sure. Maybe he enjoyed watching his two old acquaintances go at it, he couldn't really pinpoint it.

He took the letter back out and reread it. They really had been good friends, hadn't they? He pondered on the impact that the other had had on his own life. As he did so, he couldn't help but smile at certain memories. Throwing plates and stopping tantrums... Believe it or not, the two old friends actually had made good memories during those hard times.

He put the letter in a drawer in his room, folding it carefully and neatly. As he did so, Wintergreen smiled.