A/N: Good news everyone! I've finished writing this story! (That doesn't mean it'll end soon, cause its long.) It'll be updated every 3-4 days just so you know. There's some language in this chapter. Things are going to pick up pace for a few chapters after this, so read on!

After a successful patrol, successful by Gotham standards, and Bruce had sent Dick up to bed, he sat down at the Bat-computer to do some things before he went to bed himself. The first thing he did was get into the security cameras in Star. It wasn't lost on him that he was lucky Green Arrow tended to stick to certain neighborhoods. He started looking through the footage, trying to get a look at Speedy. He'd kept Robin home in an attempt to not scare him off. This was the most delicate part of the plan. If they pushed Speedy too hard, too fast then he'd cling to Green arrow harder. Bruce was just wondering if it would be worth sending in Kid Flash with Robin again when he realized that he couldn't find him. Green Arrow was out by himself.

'Strange,' Bruce thought. 'Why did he keep Roy home? did he get hurt?' It took only a few keystrokes for him to get into the cameras' memory. (These things were ridiculously easy to hack.) The day before showed no signs of Speedy either. Just his mentor. Determined to see if the boy had been injured, he searched even further back. He then, finally, found Speedy on the cameras. He watched as the young archer cornered a guy in an alley. He couldn't hear what was going on, but it was logical the guy would be negotiating for his life. Green Arrow joined the two and Bruce felt his blood boil. He watched as the emerald archer encouraged his young partner, at least that's what it looked like. Bruce leaned forward, studying Speedy's body language. The footage was grainy and shot from a distance, but he could tell that the teen wasn't happy about the position he was in.

'It's ok Roy,' he thought. 'Just put the bow down. You don't need to kill anyone.' He watched as Roy did just that. He felt a stab of pride for the young vigilante. He knew it couldn't have been easy for the boy to refuse Green Arrow. His pride was short lived though as he watched Green Arrow kill the criminal. His eyes narrowed when he saw the archer punch his younger partner, then shoot him in the leg. Bruce stood up so fast he pushed his chair back. "That son of bitch!" he hissed. He only saw red as Green Arrow grabbed Speedy and dragged him off. Bruce didn't waste any time getting into the camera of his that was in Oliver's study. He skipped quickly though the footage, searching desperately. He finally found Oliver in a frame and played it. Fury coursed through him when he saw Oliver pulling Roy by his hair. His knuckles started to turn white from how hard he was squeezing his hands. He watched Oliver beating Roy without really blinking. He could only get a glimpse of the man's hands around the teen's throat, but that one glance was enough to make the rage build up inside of him. When Roy was crawling away he felt a moment of relief, only to have it replaced with horror. Oliver Queen was beating his ward with a fireplace poker! He could feel himself shaking from the rage. Roy's terrified begging cut his heart. It took every ounce of self-control he had to stop himself from going straight to Star that night and beating Oliver Queen until he stopped moving for good.

Unfortunately, the horrors were far from done. Oliver stomped on Roy's chest and ether broke or dislocated his arm. Bruce stopped the video and physically took a step back from the monitor. He closed his eyes and took very very deep breaths. It took 10 minutes and every focusing technique Bruce knew to get his anger down to a semi-manageable level. He stepped back to the monitor and checked the time stamp on the videos. His heart stopped. 2 days. Those videos were 2 days old. He went through the other footage, first from the camera in Oliver's office. He then remembered how the security cameras showed only Green Arrow for the past two days. The office camera showed no more beatings, thankfully, but they showed no signs of Roy either. He checked the bugs that Dick had placed in Roy's room, but all of them were silent after the day in question. Dread started building in Bruce's gut. He went to the security cameras and ran all the videos at once. Over the two days he found footage of Green Arrow from multiple patrols, so his vigilante schedule hadn't changed. If he had been anyone besides the Dark Knight his dread might have become full-blown panic. Instead, he activated his. "Superman," he said to the member on monitor duty. "Call an emergency meeting."

"Why?" Superman asked, sounding concerned.

"I'll explain when we're all there." He quickly put the footage and recordings he needed in a flash drive and put it in his utility belt. He ran to the Bat mobile and tore out of the Bat cave. While he drove his mind tried to figure out a way to explain his theory to the League. They wouldn't take it well. Some members in particular. He stopped by the zeta tube and activated the Bat mobile's clanking device. He took the zeta to the Watchtower, arriving just after Aquaman.

"Batman, what's going on?" the Atlantean king asked. "Superman has called an emergency meeting-"

"I know. I told him to."

"Why? What's happened?"

"I won't explain until everyone is here." The two of them walked into the meeting room where Superman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter were already waiting for them.

"Batman, what's going on?!" Superman demanded.

"I'll explain when everyone's here."

Flash ran in, followed quickly by Green Lantern. "Batman-"

"Sit down and I'll explain." The two final members sat down and everyone looked at him expectantly. There was no way around it. "I have reason to believe there's a chance Roy is…." The word got caught in his throat and choked him.

"Is…" Superman prompted.

"Dead." There was silence, Tense, heavy silence. Not surprisingly, it was Flash who broke it.

"D-dead? As in….not alive?"

"Yes."

"Why do you think that?" Superman asked in a restrained voice.

Batman's response was to plug in the flat drive and showed them the first set of recordings. Horror and anger spread over their faces as they watch Queen beat his ward senselessly. He stopped the video in the same place he'd stopped it himself. "That was two days ago."

"Two days?!" Green Lantern demanded. "We didn't know about this for two days?!"

"Green Lantern," Superman said sternly.

"In those two days, there's no footage of Roy ether in Oliver's office or on patrol. The bugs in his room have also reported no sound."

"….So…essentially….he hasn't been seen or heard from in days after…..that?"

"Yes." More tense silence.

"Oh my god he's dead," Flash whispered, putting his head in his hands. "We let a teenager die! What kind of superheroes are we?!"

"Flash, breath!" Green Lantern said. "This doesn't mean that for sure."

"Green Lantern is right," Batman agreed. "This isn't definitive proof."

"It definitely doesn't mean anything good happened to him!" Wonder Woman snapped.

"Fighting with each other isn't going to help," Superman reminded them. "Batman, can you confirm, indefinitely, that Roy is dead?"

"No," Batman replied.

"Ok. We can't ignore that the chance is there, but we can't panic."

"What do you want us to do?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"Wait."

"I will be keeping a very close eye on the cameras," Batman informed them. "As soon as I have proof, either way, I will inform the rest of you."

"Don't tell the kids either," Wonder Woman said. "Neither Aqualad, Kid Flash, or Robin should know."

"Agreed," Aquaman said.

"Absolutely," Flash nodded. Everyone looked at the Dark Knight. "Batman?"

Batman nodded. "Of course," he replied stiffly. This he did actually agree with. He was already facing the possibility of having the life of an innocent 14-yard-old on his conscience, but he didn't want that on Robin's. The boy was far too young to be carrying that kind of weight around. If it was true, and he held onto the desperate belief that it was a huge if, then he'd have to tell Robin in a way that kept blame off the small bird's shoulders. Judging by the look on Flash's face, he was worried about the same thing. This situation was terrible and clearly getting out of hand, but he still couldn't think of an appropriate way to handle it. With the meeting over, he snatched the flash drive and left the meeting room. He didn't wait for anyone or talk to them. He just wanted to go home. So he took he zeta tube back to Gotham and drove straight back to the Bat cave. He could feel the knot of guilt pressing against his chest. It was weighing him down, making it hard to breathe.

Alfred was waiting for him when he got back to the Bat cave. "Something came up Master Bruce?" the butler asked as the vigilante pulled the cowl off.

Bruce walked over to the Bat-computer and leaned on it. He closed his eyes for a second, allowing himself a moment of weakness. "Alfred…how do you survive knowing you're not doing all you can?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"When you're trying to fix something, something that feels like it can never be fixed, how do you go on knowing that it's pointless?"

"This is about the situation in Star, isn't it sir?"

"He's right there! Roy is right there in Star and I can't help him!"

"Sir, you've been trying-"

"It's not working!" He banged his fists on the table. "Something terrible might have happened! The worst fate that could befall someone in his position, and I did nothing to stop it!"

"Master Bruce-"

"I'm not doing enough….. Tell me how I can live, knowing I didn't do everything I could to help him?" He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Master Bruce." Bruce turned around, leaning back against the Bat computer. "You have made decisions, right or wrong, and now must live with them."

"Roy has to live with them too." If he was alive.

"Which is one of the consequences. However, I have faith in you. You will find a way to rectify this situation, I am sure of it."

"If I can't?"

"Sir, I have no doubt that you will. You are, after all, the Batman. If anyone could have saved this boy in a way that respected his ability to think and decide for himself, as well as recognizing that he needed to be in a certain state of mind for this rescue to work properly, it is you." Bruce sighed. "Mast Bruce. I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but its the truth. What matters is that someone cared enough to give all their energy to a single child in a terrible situation."

Bruce actually smiled. "Thank you Alfred," he said, head bowed.

"Of course sir."

"Oliver Queen has crossed a line I wasn't aware existed. He took in a boy who needed him, only to manipulate and abuse him. Someone who trusted him. Someone who looked up to him. He beat a child half his size senselessly."

"We cannot rid the world fully of monsters. Oliver Queen is unfortunately, one such monster."

"I'd feel better knowing Roy was safe."

"We all would. Do you require anything else sir?"

"No, thank you Alfred." Alfred started to walk away. "Is Dick in bed?"

"Yes sir, Master Dick was in bed within minutes of arriving. I assume your patrol was eventful."

Oh yeah, they'd patrolled that night. So much had happened since then that the patrol felt like it was weeks ago. "Ok. Thank you Alfred. For everything."

Alfred smiled. "I try sir."

"You certainly do," Bruce muttered, turning to look at the Bat computer. He checked the camera in Oliver's office, but still found no evidence of Roy. He sighed sadly and changed out of his suit. Before ehe went to bed though, he stopped at Dick's bedroom. Since starting this case he'd found himself doing this more and more. He opened the door stealthily and snuck in. From the light of the hall he could see Dick. The boy was fast asleep, oblivious to the chaos around him. Bruce sat down on the edge of his bed and took Dick's hand gently in his. If he was hones, Bruce preferred it this way. For Dick to oblivious to the terrible aspects of the world. Part of him wondered when was the last time someone had shown concern like this for Roy. He reached out and gently stroked his son's hair. He would've done anything to keep Dick safe. As far as he could tell, Aquaman and Flash get the same about their sidekicks. It was beyond him how such a strong obligation could be beyond Oliver Queen. How could anyone look at a child and see an opportunity to harm instead of a chance to protect and do good? He knew he would never understand the inner workings of Oliver Queen's mind, and if he was being honest with himself he never wanted to. The only thing he could do was try to get Roy the hell out of there and try to repair the damage Queen had done. He gave Dick's hand one last, gentle squeeze before he stood up.

Dick mumbled something incoherent under his breath and snuggled down deeper into his blankets. Bruce smiled and pulled the blankets up. He smoothed back Dick's hair one last time before leaving. He made sure to shut the door silently, not wanting to wake his son from his peaceful sleep. 'Sleep well Dick,' he thought as he walked slowly to his own room. 'I won't didn't give up on you, and I won't give up on Roy. I promise.'

— The Next Day —

It was impossible to tell how long he was in the closet. At some point Roy lost feeling in his dislocated arm and it became hard to move. The darkness and silence was wonderful for his head, since it pounded constantly. His torso was so sore that sudden movements sent pain shooting up and down his whole body. He did run his non-dislocated arm over his body to check for broken bones. He found none, other than a couple of ribs, but there was dried blood on the back of his head. His back muscles were tense and keeping his body from relaxing in anyway. After a while though everything went kind of numb and he was just able to sit in the corner without moving. The lack of food made his stomach growl almost non-stop. It had started hurting almost as much as the arrow wound in his leg. The thirst was the worst of all though. His throat and mouth went dry after a little bit, and his body had started to feel fuzzy and dull a little bit after that. He could feel his muscles spasming at random points, but his brain was so fuzzy he couldn't bring himself to care. He also started to get cold and had constant goosebumps. He just let himself sit in his corner and stare at the darkness without too much thought. Which is why he was so surprised when the door was suddenly thrown open and light flooded in. Roy slammed his eyes shut against the sudden assault. They'd adjusted to the complete darkness that the closet left him in, so the bright light of the hall was blinding.

"Let's go," Oliver growled, dragging Roy out of the closet. Still unable to see, Roy had no choice but to let Oliver forcibly drag him whenever they were going. The sudden movement caused pain to explode all over is body, getting a cry of pain from him. The cry was hoarse and barely audible through his dry lips, but Oliver still heard it. "Shut up." Roy clenched his teeth to keep another cry from escaping him. He stumbled along beside Oliver and realized they were going up the stairs. His legs didn't want to listen to him and his brain wasn't working fast enough to keep up. The arrow wound made walking on his left leg difficult, but just walking in general was hard at the moment. At some point he realized they were on level ground again. He wanted to curl up and go to sleep, but Oliver kept making him move. His brain couldn't find the energy to care, so he just followed, doing his best to keep his feet under him.

He was so out of it, Roy didn't even notice that they'd stopped and Oliver was making him lay down. He blinked at the soft, supportive structure under his body. He finally opened his eyes a crack. The light was still too bright, but he could just barely make out the blurry Oliver moving around. Something was pushed against his lips and the few drops of water that hit his lips made him reach out. "Drink," Oliver said. Roy drank the water slowly, taking small sips of the cool liquid. It was euphoric how it quenched the dry feeling in his throat and mouth. He started drinking faster, taking bigger and deeper gulps. "Don't drink so fast." The water was taken away and Roy let out a whimper. He reached out for it blindly, but Oliver kept it out of reach. "Give it a minute." Roy lay back dejectedly and started licking his lips. He could still feel water on them. After a minute Oliver let him drink some more and Roy once again took huge gulps. This continued, with Oliver letting him drink a few gulps at a time, then taking the water away for minute so the teen didn't make himself sick. After emptying 2 bottles, Roy's head started to clear and he started to become more aware. Unfortunately, with more awareness came more pain. It was still dull,d but he could feel it burgeoning at the edge of his consciousness. "Here." Oliver handed him a water bottle after easily removing Roy's hand from his bow and setting it aside. "Drink in small sips." Roy nodded as Oliver mood to the other side of him. He took a sip of his water periodically while Oliver examined his dislocated arm. He bent Roy's arm at the elbow and held him firmly. "Brace yourself." Before Roy could really react or move, Oliver moved his arm and popped his shoulder back into place. Roy yelled in pain, voice cracking his his still partially dry throat. He took another sip of water, probably bigger than he should've been, to fix that.

Next, Oliver unwrapped the bandages from around Roy's leg. He exhumed the wound, trying to see if it was infected. Roy was still pretty out of it, robotically drinking water and staring at the wall. Oliver disinfected the wound, making sure to clean it and the skin around it, before re-wrapping it. He stood up and gave Roy another bottle of water to keep him quiet. Roy accepted it without question and kept drinking. His awareness kept increasing, causing an increase in pain as well. His eyes adjusted to the lighting and he could see the things that weren't three feet in front of his face. They were blurry, but they were there. Next Oliver gently took off Roy's shirt. Roy hissed at the jarring movements from his newly fixed shoulder. He held his breath as fingers probed his ribs, expertly finding all the breaks. "Sit up." Oliver helped Roy sit up, who was hit with a wave of nausea from the sudden movement. His stomach heaved a little, bit there wasn't even anything in it so he was pretty sure he wouldn't throw up. "Arms, up." Pain flared across his shoulder blades as he raised both his arms, including his recently dislocated one. While he dd this, Oliver wrapped his ribs. Afterwards Roy happily put his arms down, took a sip of water, and laid back down. "Don't move." Oliver left the room and he looked around to figure out where he was. He realized he was in his bedroom and blinked.

'Why would Ollie bring me back to my room?' he wondered.

'Don't question it,' a voice in his head hissed.

Oliver came back with a bowl. He set it down on Roy's desk before helping the teen sit up. Roy sat back against propped up pillows, pain burning at his body. "Ollie," he said, voice weak, "p-please…. hurts…."

"You can have pain medicine after you eat." Oliver settled the bowl in Roy's lap. Roy squinted at it, trying to make out what it was. A spoon was pushed into his hand and he stated eating regardless. His stomach cramped slightly at the sudden nourishment, but it tasted so good and made him feel so good that Roy didn't care. He ate, ignoring Oliver completely. With his senses and consciousness returning, he was also aware of how nervous Oliver being there made him. He eyes his charred longbow a foot away, then glanced at Oliver. Despite how hungry he was, Roy found it impossible to eat more than half the bowl. "Eat."

"I can't…."

"Eat."

"My stomach hurts-"

"Eat!"

Roy flinched and started eating again, and shaking sightly. Despite the protest from his stomach, he kept eating spoonful after spoonful of soup. Finally he finished it all, only to stumbled off the bed in a haze. Oliver caught his arms as he fell, which resulted in Roy throwing up on him. Oliver shoved him back in disgust while Roy kept vomiting. Roy sat back against his bed when he was done, shaking and sweating. "S-sorry…"

"Ungrateful little bastard," Oliver muttered. He grabbed the bowl and walked out of the room. Roy flinched when the door slammed shut. It took him several minutes to find the energy to get himself up onto the bed. He laid down, curling his body around his longbow again. His breathing was labored and it was hard to draw a deep breath with his ribs wrapped so tight.

'He didn't give me any pain medicine.' He knew he needed to clean up both himself and the room, but he was too tired. So instead, he contented himself with snuggling under the blankets, still curled around his bow, and passed out from pain and exhaustion.