A/N: Time for another chapter! Read and enjoy!

The morning more or less went downhill when Alfred placed the paper in front of Bruce. "It appears we have a small problem sir," Alfred said as Bruce picked it up.

"What's it say?!" Dick asked, craning his neck to look. He couldn't see from this angle, so he got up and read over Bruce's arm. He gasped when he saw the headline. "That's not good."

"What's not good?" Roy asked as he walked in.

"Nothing," all three of them answered as Bruce quickly folded the paper and Dick slipped back into his seat.

Roy sat down and Alfred gave him his breakfast. "Thank you." While they ate he couldn't help but notice the agitation on Bruce's face. His stomach started to flip-flop nervously, and the worried look on Dick's face didn't help anything. 'What did I do? Or is it something Dick did? No, it's probably something I did.' Every time Bruce moved Roy froze. HIs eye kept flickering between the man and his food, keeping a constant surveillance on him. This wasn't missed by Bruce. He tried to school his features to something neutral, but every time he managed it the headline popped into his head and he got angry again. He wanted to say something to Roy to assure the teen he wasn't angry with him, but he also didn't want to tell him about what was in the paper. He glanced around. It probably wasn't helping that Dick was playing with his food with a worried look on his face and Alfred, who was usually very calm, also looked concerned. Both kept looking at Roy, no doubt making the teen more nervous. Roy did his best to keep his panic under control. Right now his stomach was twisting so much he couldn't think straight, much less eat. Finally, Bruce finished and took his plate into the kitchen. Alfred followed him; as did Dick not two minutes later. Roy glanced back, just barely able to hear their whispers. He stared at the newspaper on the table. He bit his lip. Taking a chance, he got up and pulled it towards himself.

In the kitchen, Bruce was in the middle of directing Alfred and Dick not to tell Roy what the newspaper said when they heard a scream followed by a crash! They all ran back not the dining room. Roy was the ground, along with his plate, broken, and his food was spilled everywhere. Roy was curled up against the wall, hyperventilating and shaking. The newspaper was on the floor in front of him, boldly displaying its front page headline. "Billionaire Oliver Queen's Ward, Roy Harper, Missing". Dick dropped to his knees. "Roy," he said. "Roy calm down." Roy just kept hyperventilating without even acknowledging Dick's existence. Roy could barely even hear him. All he could hear was his heart pounding against his ribs. A sharp pain was building his chest and he was starting to feel like he might pass out. Bruce knew he had to step in. Dick was wholly unprepared to talk someone out of a panic attack. So, he gently pushed Dick aside and knelt down in front of Roy.

"Roy look at me. Look at me." He spoke directly to the teen, practically ignoring Dick and Alfred. Roy's eyes flickered to Bruce's face. "Breath in slowly." He took a deep breath himself, moving his hand with the rhythm of his breathing to emphasize it. "In. Out. In. Out." Roy was able to focus enough to take smaller breaths, a little more in rhythm with Bruce. "Good job. Deep breath. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you. Keep breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Good job." After several minutes of assuring Roy he was safe and guiding his breathing, Bruce looked at Alfred. "Can you get him some water?"

"Right away sir." Alfred left while Bruce kept guiding Roy's breathing. By the time he came back Roy's breathing as under control, as was the shaking.

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce took the water from Alfred and carefully handed it to Roy. "Small sips." Roy held the glass with two hands, disturbing his sling, but it did nothing to hide the tremor that was going through them. He took a couple of sips. He felt shaky all over. Like all his muscles had been loosened. He took another few sips and Bruce gently took the glass. Dick knelt next to Bruce, still looking really worried.

"Roy are you ok?"

Roy swallowed. "I should've known this would happen…" his whispered. "He's going to find me now."

"Roy," Bruce said. "Roy look at me." Roy's eyes flickered to his face. "Oliver will not find you. This doesn't change anything."

"But the police are looking for me now."

"They have no reason to believe that you're in Gotham. I promise you they're not going to find you here."

"No, no, he's going to find me. He's going to find me. I'm going to be in so much trouble." Roy pulled his legs up to his chest and started rocking slightly. Bruce sighed and stood up while Dick scooted closer to Roy to try and calm him down more. Bruce gently pulled Alfred aside.

"Keep an eye on him today Alfred. I'm sure he'll be shaken up after seeing that."

"Having the Star City police investigating his disappearance won't make this easier for him."

"No, it won't. When he gets calmed down some more can you talk to him, please? Just…assure him that we will do whatever it takes to protect him and that this doesn't mean Oliver will find him."

"I shall do my best sir."

"Thanks." He glanced back at the boys. "I'll take Dick to school today. I don't think we should leave Roy alone."

"A very good idea sir."

"Dick, get ready for school."

Dick stood up. "Can I call in sick?"

"No."

"Bruce, I can't leave Roy-"

"Alfred will take care of him. You can't miss any more school this month."

"But-"

"Roy will be fine." Dick looked doubtful, but sighed nonetheless, knowing it was useless to argue. He left to brush his teeth and grab his backpack. Alfred left to get Dick's lunch, leaving Bruce and Roy alone. Bruce slowly knelt down in front of Roy again. "Roy. Roy." Roy looked at him. "I know you don't trust me right now, and that's ok. If I was in your position I wouldn't trust me either. I just want you to know that I will do everything in my power to keep Oliver away from you. I swear that he will never hurt you again as long as I'm here. Understand?" Roy gave him a hesitant look.

"O-ok."

It was obvious he didn't believe Bruce. It saddened the man to see him in this state. He was so clearly convinced Oliver was going to find a way to get to him. Not even 3,000 miles away, hidden and protected by Batman himself, did Roy believe he was safe from that monster. Bruce stood up. He knew talk was cheap. The only way he was going to convince Roy he was safe from Oliver was to prove it to him. The only way to do that? Do everything ins his power to make sure the Star City police's investigation went cold and keep Queen from trying to locate Roy further. His phone when it started ringing and he groaned when he saw who it was. "What do you want Clark?" he asked quietly, leaving the room.

"Have you seen the news?" Clark asked.

"Yes, I have. I figured something like this would happen."

"And you didn't want to tell the rest of us?"

"Queen would've gone to the police eventually, he'd be a fool not to. It would look a lot worse if word got out Roy was missing and he didn't report it."

Clark sighed. "We're playing with fire Bruce."

"Good thing you're indestructible."

"I'm serious. What if Oliver tells the police Batman kidnapped Roy?"

"They'd probably laugh at him."

"And if they didn't? What if they bring it to Commissioner Gordon?"

"Gordon wouldn't believe Batman would kidnap Oliver Queen's ward. Even if he did, he doesn't know who Batman is so the case would still be a dead end."

"That still brings the case to Gotham."

"I'll monitor it closely. Tell Diana, Hal, and J'onn I want them to get rid of the zeta by Queen's house."

"Already done." Nice to see the Boy Scout on top of things for a change.

"Good."

"I have to go. Lois and I are going to Star."

"Why?"

"Why else? To interview Oliver Queen."

"Does Lois know?"

"She will. I'll try to find out what Oliver is saying and what he knows about Roy's possible location."

"Good. Update me."

"I will. Just keep Roy safe."

Bruce glanced back at Roy, who was still in a fetal position against the far wall. "I will." Bruce hung up and walked back into the dining room. Dick came in, now carrying his school bag. He knelt down in front of Roy again.

"I'll be back soon," he promised. "Everything is going to be ok." He gently squeezed Roy's hand before he stood up.

"Try not to worry Roy," Bruce said to the silent teen. "I won't let Oliver come near you. Come on Dick." He gently corralled the younger boy out of the room. Alfred knelt down in front of Roy after they left.

"Master Roy, perhaps you would like to sit in a chair," he advised, gently guiding Roy to his feet and led him to a chair. "I'm terribly sorry this has been such a stressful morning for you." He set Roy's water on the table next to him. "Drink some more. Small sips." Roy nodded and mechanically took a few sips of water. Alfred quickly took the paper away so that it couldn't trigger another panic attack. Roy's head finally started to clear and he was able to take in the situation around him. He was feeling pretty calm until he saw the broken plate on the floor.

"Oh no," he squeaked, drawing himself up into the chair more.

Alfred came back. "Have you- Master Roy what's wrong?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry, it was an accident. I didn't mean to."

"What was an accident?"

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Alfred frowned even more. "What-" he looked around and spotted the broken plate, which had been forgotten. Realization dawned on him. "Ah." He turned back to Roy who was staring at Alfred in fear.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. It was an accident." Roy's words started getting faster.

"It is ok Master Roy. You were not in control of your actions." As much as he wanted to comfort the poor boy, Alfred knew that trying to touch him would just make things worse.

"I'm really sorry. I'm sorry I'm so clumsy-"

"Master Roy you must breathe!" Roy froze when Alfred raised his voice. "Breathe slowly. In. Out. In. Out. Good. Now, please listen. You are not in trouble sir. You were in the middle of a panic attack when you knocked it off, so you had no control over your actions. I understand it was an accident and I am not mad. I will not punish you, nor will I hit you. Do you understand?" Roy glanced at Alfred's hands. They were folded behind him, and nothing in his body suggested he was actually angry or ready to hit him. Feeling like he simply got lucky, Roy nodded.

"Yes."

"Good. Now, I want you to go lay down. You've had a very eventful morning. I'll bring you a small snack in a little while."

"Ok." Roy got up. He paused for a moment looking back at his water. "Can-can I bring my water? Please?"

"Of course sir."

"Thank you." Roy carefully grabbed his water and carefully avoided the shattered plate on his way out. He quickly went upstairs, making sure to shut his bedroom for behind him. He took a gulp of water and set it down before he curled up under his blanket. 'What will happen when Mr. Wayne comes back?' he thought miserably. 'I'm in for it then.' Plus not getting hit, yet, didn't mean he wouldn't get punished some other way. Oliver had many ways to punish Roy that didn't always involve hitting, although that had been his favorite way to do it. Roy closed his eyes. The past four days, as anxious as they were for him, had been relatively nice. Dick's company, as well as the consistent meals, were a nice change of pace for him. Then he'd gone and done something stupid like this. 'I'm so clumsy. Why do I have to ruin everything?' He'd done it with Oliver and now he was doing it here. 'Why can't I just do something right for a change?'

— —

When they got to California, Clark decided it was the right time to warn Lois about their interviewee. He waited unit they were in the rental car though and driving to Star. "Lois," he began. "I have to tell you something."

"Let me guess, the Justice League knows something about Roy disappearing?" she asked casually.

"How did you know?"

"I'm psychic." She caught the look on Clark's face out of the corner of her eye and laughed. "Iris has been keeping me updated."

"You talk to Iris?"

"Of course I do. How else are we supposed to talk about you and Barry?"

"Right. So, what has Iris told you?"

"She said that Oliver Queen is a special kind of scum bag. That he's the Green Arrow and kills people at night. Also that he was beating Roy, who was Speedy. Am I missing anything?"

"No."

"Good. Does he have any idea where Roy is now?"

"No, and we plan to keep it that way."

"It looks like he doesn't plan on just letting this go."

"Unfortunately, no. Barry and Bruce have both said that men like him don't give up easily."

"I can see why. With Roy on the loose, it gives the League leverage over him."

Clark looked at her in confusion. "How so?"

"Roy can tell you everything about him. His habits, his weaknesses. You have evidence of the abuse and first-hand accounts of the numerous murders Green Arrow committed. Not to mention how Roy was strong leverage over the League. You guys had to be careful how you dealt with him because of Roy. Anything you did could've put him in more danger. Now that he's gone you don't have to be as careful anymore."

It never ceased to astound Clark how smart Lois was. "That's….exactly. So you get it."

Lois smiled. "Yes, I do. Just try not to punch him through a wall."

"Ok, but you can't punch him either."

"My punches won't send him to the moon."

That was a good point. "I won't hit him. Besides, he hasn't been seen since he maimed Kid Flash."

"Iris told me about that too."

"I figured."

"This guy is really unstable."

"Yes, and for some reason, the Justice League doesn't scare him."

"Well, Batman and Wonder Woman are the scariest among you."

"Hey!"

"Doesn't Bruce call you the Boy Scout?"

"...So?"

"You're a Boy Scout, Barry is puppy with super speed, Hal is a green softie-"

"Aquaman is tough."

"He lives in the ocean. J'onn is endearing. Wonder Woman and Batman are the scariest among you."

Clark nodded. He could see her point now. "Yes, but if I let Diana and Bruce take care of Oliver alone there wouldn't be pieces of him left to find."

"Probably." They pulled up to the gate of Oliver's property and Clark slipped his glasses down when Lois did her thing. He looked inside the building and saw that Oliver was pacing around inside. Lois drove them up the mansion and he slid his glasses back into place. "Ready?"

Clark nodded as they got out. "Let's go get the story."

"Without murder."

"Without murder." Clark let Lois knock on the door, fearing he might accidentally break it down. The urge didn't go away when Oliver opened the door.

"More reporters?" he asked with distaste.

"Good afternoon Mr. Queen, I'm Clark Kent-"

"I know who you are, we've met before."

"Right. This is Lois Lane, we're from the Daily Planet."

"I know. I suppose you want to ask me some questions." He stepped aside so they could enter. "Come on in."

"Thank you," Lois said politely. They walked in and Oliver shut the door behind them. Clark looked around. Oliver's home was nice enough, but he couldn't help wondering how many times Oliver had pushed Roy into a wall, or if he'd ever pushed Roy down the stairs. He must've looked mad because Lois cleared her throat, just quiet enough for him to hear.

"This way." They followed Oliver down a hall and into a room that Clark recognized and sent anger surging through him. Oliver's office. The place where he'd whipped Roy with a belt and beat him senseless. Lois cleared her throat again and Clark carefully unclenched his fists. Oliver leaned against the desk, giving the two reporters a look. "Well?"

"Of course Mr. Queen," Lois said, taking the lead since it was obvious Clark wanted to drop kick Oliver Queen to the moon. "First off, I would like to express how sincerely sorry we are to hear about Roy."

"Thank you. It's been a very hard 3 days."

"Why did you wait 3 days before reporting him missing?"

Oliver sighed. "Roy has always been a troubled kid. I thought that maybe he'd just run away."

"Why do you no longer think he left of his own accord?"

"He would've come back by now. He's trouble but Roy and I have a good relationship. He really respects me and I know that if he left he would've come back." Clark wondered how much of that "respect" had been beaten into Roy. "Which is why I now think that he was kidnapped."

"Right." Lois glanced at Clark, making sure he was writing it down. "Mr. Queen, does it worry you that Roy was kidnapped 3 days ago and you still haven't received a ransom demand?"

"Yes. When he was kidnapped 2 years ago after he first started living with me it only took a few hours to get a ransom demand."

"Last time Roy was rescued by the Green Arrow, do you think the same thing will happen this time?"

"I sincerely hope the Green Arrow will get Roy home to me safe and sound."

'Not if I have anything to say about it,' Clark thought. He decided he'd better start asking questions too. "If you could say anything to the people who….have Roy, what would you say?"

Oliver seemed to consider it for a minute. "I would tell them that I care about Roy very much and I just want him to come home safe."

"You really care about him a lot?"

"Mr. Kent he's like a son to me." Clark could just barely keep from rolling his eyes. "I'd die before I let anything hurt him." The pencil in his hand snapped and small pieces of it disintegrated.

"Sorry," Clark said quickly, smiling in a way he'd been assured by Bruce made him look, quote, "like a dumb farm boy". "I grip my pencils too tight sometimes."

"Huh." Oliver's eyes narrowed a little bit and started surveying Clark a little more closely.

Lois noticed and redirected the conversation away from him. "Have the police given you any idea on their leads?"

Oliver looked at her. "No, they haven't."

"Do you have any ideas as to who could've possibly done this?"

Neither of the reporters missed the way Oliver's mouth and jaw tightened. "No. I don't."

"If Roy is out there somewhere, and could read this, what would you say to him?"

Oliver seemed to become saddened. "I would tell him that I miss every day and I can't sleep I'm so worried. If he's been kidnapped I'd tell him to stay strong because I'll bring him back."

"Uplifting words Mr. Queen."

"Thank you. Is that all? I don't mean to be rude, but I do have a lot of work to do and talking…." He seemed to stumble over his words. "Talking about Roy is very emotional for me right now."

"Of course we understand." Clark very wisely didn't speak, but merely nodded. "Do you have a picture of Roy we can possibly use?"

Oliver shook his head. "No…..Roy didn't- doesn't like having his picture taken. You know how teenagers are."

Lois smiled sadly. "I can imagine."

"I'll show you two out." They followed Oliver back to the front door. Clark put his things back in his bag as they walked. He just had to make it a few more minutes without punching Oliver and they'd be in the clear. Deep down, he hated everything about this. He hated how the League's hands were tied. How an innocent child had gotten caught up in this kind of situation. He especially hated how angry this made him. Clark wasn't exactly known for not having good self-control, but being around Oliver seemed to make everyone lose their cool. Except for Lois, who'd remained perfectly calm throughout the whole thing. Oliver opened the door and Lois shook his hand.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Queen," she said politely.

Clark shook his hand as well. He couldn't help the thought that popped into his head and saw that very hand hitting Roy. He took his hand back, afraid he was going to break Oliver's. "We hope you find Roy soon," he said quietly. "If there is anything we could do to help, please contact us at the Planet."

"Thank you Mr. Kent, I will," Oliver said. Clark and Lois left and he shut the door behind him.

"That," Lois declared as they got in the car. "Was some grade A bullshit."

"No kidding," Clark agreed.

"What's with the look?"

"What look?" They started driving away.

"I can smell your gears turning from here. Something not right?"

"None of this is right. It's just….None of it is right."

"The world is full of bad people Clark."

"He has so much power and money, why does he want Roy? Can't he just leave that kid in peace?"

"I'm confident you're doing everything you can to keep him safe."

"It'd be easier if Oliver would just leave Roy alone."

Lois shrugged. "Like I said, it's bullshit. Him, his excuses, this situation."

"I guess. We should go to the-"

"Star City police station, yes Clark I'm heading there right now."

"Good. Do you want me to talk to the lead detective on the case?"

Lois snorted. "In your dreams Farm Boy. I've got the detective. You go snooping among the beat cops. Get a feel for their view on the case."

"Got it."

— —

The next few days were a game of "How Long Can We Keep Roy Away From the News?" Upon hearing from Clark how Oliver's interview went, Bruce decided that Roy had to be kept from the media at all cost. He didn't want Queen's lies and bullshit getting into Roy's head. More than it already had at least. The paper was easy. He simply asked Alfred to simply throw out any newspaper that had Queen's name in it. The tv, on the other hand, was another issue. It helped that Roy didn't seem that interested in watching tv, but that only lasted a couple of days. A couple of days after the original incident of Roy finding out Oliver was looking for him, Bruce came home to find Dick and Roy watching tv in the den. It was a cartoon of some kind that A: normally wouldn't be interesting to Dick and B: looked a little young for Roy. They didn't notice him in the doorway watching them though, and Bruce could tell that it had relaxed Roy, so he'd quietly left them alone. After that trying to keep Roy from the news got a lot harder. While Bruce was happy that Roy was relaxing enough that he would venture out of his room to watch tv, it added the risk of Roy seeing a news report about his disappearance. Bruce tried to solve this problem by having Alfred monitor Roy during the day and to intervene if the news came up. The next few days were fine and Bruce started to think that maybe Roy would never know about Queen's latest lies.

A week after the first paper appeared those hopes were dashed.

Roy was wandering around the Manor looking for Dick. He should've been home from school by now, but he'd yet to come running into Roy's bedroom to drag him out and make him do something. "Dick," he said quietly, poking his head into the kitchen. Not to eat of course, but just to see if Dick was sneaking a snack again. There was no one there though. "Dick." He took another quick look around and was about to leave when something on the island caught his eye. It was just a newspaper, but a small headline on a side column drew Roy in. "Oliver Queen Sets Reward for Return of Ward". His heart started racing a little bit as he flipped the paper over and read the article. He started to feel numb as he read. When he reached the end of the column he didn't wast any time getting to the page where it was continued. "Mr. Queen says the last week and a half of his life have been hell," he read quietly to himself. "When asked if what he would say to Roy if he could, Mr. Queen said, quote, 'I would tell Roy that I miss him a lot and will do anything to get him home.'" Roy had to pause for a moment before he could continue. "Mr. Queen also had some words for whoever may be keeping Roy, 'Whatever problems you may have with me don't include him. Roy is an innocent teen and doesn't deserve to treated like a pawn. Please just return him to me safe. All I want is for him to come home.'" He slowly closed the paper, letting his fingers stay on the headline idly.

"Master Roy?" Roy jumped and turned around. Alfred gave him a curious look. "Are you hungry sir?"

Roy shook his head. "No-no thank you, Alfred."

Alfred watched him go curiously. He noticed the newspaper on the island and frowned. "Oh no." When he picked it up, he noticed the headline on the side almost immediately. He quickly scanned through the article. "Oh dear." He took the paper straight to Bruce's study, not bothering to knock before he entered, which caught Bruce's attention right away.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" Bruce asked, stopping with his pen mid-stroke.

"I'm afraid I accidentally left this out." Alfred handed the paper to Bruce, who started reading the article immediately. "I believe Master Roy has read it."

Bruce sighed. "Dammit. I was hoping we could stop this."

"I'm terribly sorry sir."

"It's not your fault Alfred."

"I think you should go talk to him, sir."

"Well, Dick isn't here." Why did he have to be on a field trip today of all days?

"Sir," the sternness of Alfred's voice surprised Bruce. "This is a problem that you cannot delegate to Master Dick. If you really want to help Master Roy, you must show him that you are a better caretaker than Oliver Queen."

"I've been trying-"

"In some respects, you have been successful. You give him space and never let him starve, but it's not enough. If you want Master Roy to trust you then you need to address his psychological problems as well."

"Alfred he doesn't even want to be in the same room as me." Which wasn't completely true. Roy had been relaxing a little around Bruce when they were in the same room; as long as Dick and/or Alfred was in the room also.

"You need to try sir. If you truly want to help Master Roy you have to start actively showing him that you are a much better man than Oliver Queen."

Bruce sighed. "Why are you always right?"

Alfred's mouth quivered. "I try sir."

Bruce stood up, folding the paper in his hands. "I'll talk to Roy." On the walk to Roy's room, he tried to figure out what he would say. If he knew beforehand what he would say, he hoped he could refine anything that might make this worse. Unfortunately, it didn't help that he didn't know how Roy was reacting to this. Based off of Alfred's reaction, it probably wasn't good. He knocked on the door to Roy's room. "Roy? Can I come in?"

"Yes."

Bruce opened the door and found Roy sitting on his bed. He walked in and looked around, knowing he was trying to delay the actual conversation. Due to Roy's constant instance that he didn't need anything from Bruce, Dick had taken several books from the library, as well as several things form his own room, and put them in Roy's so that he had something. It made the room look more lived in. Bruce sighed and held up the paper. "Alfred said you read this."

"Was-was I not supposed to?"

"No…I just-" He didn't know how to approach this. "Roy-"

"I want to go back."

"What?" There's no way he could've heard that correctly.

"I-I want to go back to Star."

Bruce sat down on the edge of the bed. "Roy-"

"Did you read the article?"

"Yes. I did."

"He wants me to come back. Oliver really does care about me."

"Roy-"

"I can go back. If-If I just apologize for running away and take my punishment then maybe everything will be ok."

It truly hurt Bruce to see the desperately hopeful look on Roy's face. He was suddenly hit by a painful realization. Roy might've been 14, but he was still young. A kid who'd been orphaned twice before he was a teenager. As terrible as it was, Oliver Queen had offered Roy a home and another chance to have some family. Bruce could see it written all over Roy's face that he wanted that. He wanted to believe Oliver was the good man he'd believed him to be. Which is why it made Bruce feel so terrible to say what he knew he had to say next. "Roy, I need you to listen to me. Really listen. I know you want Oliver to be….someone he's not-"

"You don't know that."

"I do. I'm sorry Roy, but I can't let you go back."

"You-you can't keep me here!"

"I can and will. I'm sorry Roy, I really am. You have to understand though, you can't go back. It's not safe. Oliver won't stop hitting you."

"He cares about me though! If I just do better and-"

"Roy he won't stop. I know this hard for you to hear. It's terrible, I know, but this is a terrible situation."

"He will stop!"

"Roy-"

"He cares about me!"

Bruce felt like he'd been cornered. Roy wouldn't see reason. Even worse, he truly thought Queen cared about him. No matter how dangerous that thought might be, Bruce couldn't bring himself to tell the teen the truth. He swallowed. "You're not going back, Roy. You know deep down that Oliver will never change. There's nothing you can do."

Roy shook his head. "No…he-he does care about me."

Bruce realized this conversation wouldn't get him anywhere. "I'm sorry Roy. You can't go back to Star and you can't go back to Oliver." He got up, making sure to take the paper with him. "You'll see in time." He left Roy alone, hoping some time alone would help him realize the truth.

Once Bruce was gone, Roy curled up. "He cares about me," Roy muttered. "He cares about me." His mind wandered to the bow under his bed. He saw the wood burning in the fireplace and the charred surface that replaced the bright, yet slightly chipped red paint. "He cares about me. He has to."