A/N: this is a nice long chapter for you guys. Enjoy.

Frustration was not an emotion Oliver handled well. He did not have the time nor the patience to deal with things not going his way. Which is why he broke one of Roy's bows; snapping it in half. He threw the broken bow against the wall of the arsenal with a shout. "Where is he?!" he snarled. A week and a half. It had been a week and a half and he had nothing! Not a single clue about where the League was keeping Roy. "That stupid kid," he muttered, grabbing his empty quiver. His frustrations last night had been taken out on the criminals in Star. "I should've known this would happen." He should've figured the Justice League would intervene. He'd been counting on their tentative truce to keep them away from Roy until he'd had the boy sufficiently trained. Granted he'd also thought that after two years he'd have gotten Roy to accept and use his methods. He smirked. If Roy had killed someone the League wouldn't have taken him. "They have no right taking him," he muttered as he filled his quiver with arrows. No matter how much he wished they'd kidnapped him Oliver knew Roy had gone willingly. Semi-Willingly. It was bad, yes, but he wasn't worried.

Oliver was certain that he'd sufficiently scared Roy enough that he had a few weeks before he had to worry. Roy would be terrified of the Justice League, especially Batman, and wouldn't trust them to take care of him. "He also knows the price of betrayal," Oliver muttered to himself as he double checked the number of arrows in his quiver. He smiled. Yes, he'd made sure Roy knew the price of giving away sensitive information to their enemies. It would take weeks, maybe even months, for the League to get Roy to trust them. "He won't be gone for weeks," Oliver decided as he stood up. "I'm getting that kid back before he can tell them anything or they can undo two years worth of work." He'd been so close to getting Roy to follow him. So close. He could feel it that night. Forcing Roy's hand like that wasn't the way he'd want to do it, but it had been necessary. The first time was always the hardest. Roy would've been ready to start killing on his own after that, Oliver was sure of it. Then the League had taken him. "I'll find you, Roy," he said as he grabbed his bow. "I'll find you and when I do, the Justice League will never be able to touch you again."

— 2 Days Later —

Dick noticed a change in Roy, but it wasn't necessarily a good one. He was a lot more fidgety. Like he was unsure about something. He'd started relaxing around Bruce, but now he was aloof and tense near him. Dick also noticed Roy always seemed to be somewhere else mentally. When the two of them watched tv or played a game, he'd stare out at the wall; like he was thinking about something important. After two days of this, Dick decided he needed to know what was going on.

"Roy," he said, muting the tv. "Roy."

Roy jumped and blinked. "Yeah, Dick?"

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing-nothing's wrong."

"Something's wrong. You've been acting really strange the last couple of days. Strange for you at least."

"It's nothing."

"Roy, you can tell me. We're friends remember?"

Roy hesitated. Dick was his friend and he was younger. Maybe he could understand Roy's position. "Ok. I-I saw a newspaper the other day." Dick blinked. This wasn't going to be good."

"What happened?"

"I read an article about Ollie and…." Roy hesitated for a second. "He misses me, Dick."

Confusion slowly dawned on Dick's face. "He does?"

Roy nodded earnestly. "He does. I saw it in the paper. He's really worried about me and he wants me to come home."

"Roy-"

"It means he cares about me, Dick! I was wrong about him!"

Dick frowned. 'I think this is why Bruce wanted us to keep him away from the news.' It occurred to him that Oliver was a really good liar. "Roy, you know that's not true."

"It is true! Why doesn't anyone believe me?!"

Dick tried to figure out how to explain it. "Roy, if he cared about you then he wouldn't hit you."

"No, Dick you don't understand!"

"Then explain it."

Roy leaned forward in earnest. "Ollie only hits me when I misbehave."

"Roy-"

"No, listen. He cares about me, so if I just apologize for running away again-"

"Wait, again?!"

"-and I just watch myself and behave then everything will be ok. It'll be fine!"

Dick really wanted to talk about the whole "running way again", but he sensed that was a conversation for another day. "Roy you know that's not true."

"It could be!"

"No, it couldn't. Think about this: even if Oliver stops hitting you, he won't stop killing people."

Now it was Roy's turn to be confused. "So?"

"So, if he keeps killing people, will you just go along with it?"

"No! I-I don't want to kill people!"

"I know that. Oliver isn't going to change. Not with killing people, and not with hurting you."

Roy shook his head weakly. "He cares about me though."

"I'm not saying he doesn't. Maybe he does." Dick highly doubted it though. Bruce had said Oliver only cares about himself. "Whether or not he does though, you going back isn't safe. You want to be safe, right?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah…."

"Then stay here. If Oliver really cares about you, and at some point, the League thinks it's safe for you to go back, then they'll send you back."

Roy perked up. "They will?"

Dick nodded. "Absolutely. I'll even take you back myself."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Ok." Roy sat back and seemed to relax.

Dick sat back as well and muted the tv. He felt perfectly fine making that promise. Bruce said that Oliver would never change his ways, and Dick believed it. He was mean hearted and a bad person. Dick believed people were capable of change, but after all, he'd seen Oliver do he didn't think he was one of them. Going back to Star would never be safe for Roy. He was never going back to Oliver. That much, Dick was sure of.

— 3 Days Later —

Barry had been having a perfectly acceptable day. He'd visited Wally at the Garricks before work, the kid was recovering quickly, and he'd made his way through a record number of cases. All in all, it was a good day. Which is why it went downhill immediately when someone yelled. Panicked yells in a police station were never a good sign. He sighed and put down the chemical he'd been grabbing from the shelf and followed everyone towards the hall. Even from the back of the group he could hear what was being yelled.

"The scanners said it was Green Arrow! Near the Flash museum!" a cop yelled from somewhere in the hall.

"Three civilians injured! EMTs on route!" another shouted back.

The CSI's started whispering amongst themselves. "Green Arrow what's he doing here?"

"Why would he come to Central?"

"Will Flash stop him?"

'Of course Flash will stop him,' Barry thought, silently making his way to the back door. He slipped out while everyone was distracted and ran down the back stairwell. He opened his ring while he ran and quickly changed into his suit. As soon as he was in it he kicked he speed up and ran to the museum. He stopped outside the structure and lightning started sparking around his feet. Civilians were on the ground screaming in pain. Arrows were sticking out of various parts of their bodies. Arms, legs, stomachs, hands, feet. Another arrow shot into his line of vision. Flash saw it in slow motion. It was heading for a kid. He dashed forward and caught the arrow out of the air. He looked back at the kid and his stomach dropped. The kid was crying over his father, who was moaning with an arrow in his leg.

"Flash look out!" the kid yelled.

Flash turned around just in the to catch another arrow. Three more arrows shot towards civilians huddled against a wall. He ran towards them and snatched the arrows away. He barely had time to stop before another arrow shot towards an already injured woman. He could see the ambulances and cursed. 'I can't let the EMT's out here when it's still a war zone.' Flash set the arrows down to free up his hands. He ran up to the roof of the museum to get a better vantage point. Then a second later he had to run back down to keep a paramedic from getting hit with an arrow.

"Flash we need the arrows to stop!" one of them yelled as he stopped two more.

"I know!" Flash replied. He ran across the street and up the next building. "Where are you?" he hissed. He found Green Arrow a block away. Flash wasted no time getting over there and stepping in front of him. "What the hell are you doing in my city?!"

"Target practice," Green Arrow sneered.

"Get out."

"Give Speedy back."

"You're never getting near the kid again!" Flash ran forward before Green Arrow could blink and held the vigilante over the edge of the building. He held the archer by the front of his shirt over the road below. It was a little 'Batman' for his style, but it worked for his current intentions. "Stay out of my city! Stay away from Speedy! Stay! Away! From! Kid! Flash!"

Green Arrow laughed. "You're not going to drop me Flash."

"Try me."

"I know you won't. You're too soft."

'Dammit, he's right!' He really hated the smug look of victory on Green Arrow's face. Flash slowly backed away from the edge and set Green Arrow back on the rooftop. "Get out."

"I'm going. Give your League friends a message from me first. Tell them to give Speedy back. I won't stop until you give me back what's mine." Flash was about to say something when a sudden explosion stopped him. He glanced back and his heart stopped. There was black smoke rising from the Flash museum. Green Arrow chuckled. "Whoops. Looks like I accidentally mixed in one of my new explosive arrows."

Flash looked back, but Green Arrow was gone. He didn't have the time to care though. With speed that was kind of astounding even for him, he ran back to the museum. He stopped in the front the building and dread gripped him. "Oh no…." The wall where he'd placed the bundle of arrows had a huge hole in it. He ran forward and stopped inside. Smoke from the burning exhibits choked him as soon as he stepped inside. "Is anyone in here?!"

"Help!" a small voice yelled. "Help, please!"

Flash ran toward the voice. "Where are you?!"

"Over here!" He followed the voice again. There was a young girl, no older than 7 or 8, trapped under an overturned display case.

"It's ok," Flash assured her as he gently lifted it up. He gathered the girl in his arms as she started coughing. "Hang on." He ran her out to the awaiting paramedics. "Better call more," Barry said as he laid her down on the gurney.

"Already done," the paramedic said quickly as they started working on the girl.

Flash ran back inside. 'Prioritize,' he told himself mentally. He nodded to himself and quickly started putting out the fires. He was pushing his body pretty fast, so it only took a minute to get them under control. Once they were out though and the smoke started to clear he almost fell to his knees in despair. People, the innocent citizens of Central City, were lying injured all over the room. Some of them were moaning, others yelling in pain or crying out for help. So many people were calling his name. Desperately trying to get their hero's attention. 'Prioritize,' he reminded himself sternly. 'Prioritize.' He started with people who'd been knocked unconscious by the explosion. Next were people with injuries that were bleeding. A lot. He ran them out to the EMT's. More ambulances hadn't gotten there yet, so he set them down gently on the ground. He didn't stop running until he'd saved every person from that wing of the museum. Once he finally stopped he stood in front of his statue, watching the scene with wide eyes.

Central City didn't have a lot of big emergencies like this, but when they did, they were more than capable of handling it. There still weren't enough ambulances for all the injured, and oh there was a lot. Luckily the paramedics were keeping cool because they started working on people with what supplies they had. Police officers are helping out, using their jackets or shirts to tie tourniquets or stem bleeding. They comforted small children who were clearly upset by the events, or whose loved ones had been injured. Firefighters were wrapping their jackets around people as make-shift shock blankets or offering them as pillows. They helped treat injuries and were placing their own oxygen masks over people's faces when needed. Flash could only shake his head. So many victims. So many people hurt. Some of them were young, teenagers and children, and it made his blood boil. Green Arrow had purposefully put all their lives in danger. He'd targeted innocent people to try and force Barry's hand in turning over Roy.

'Not gonna happen,' Flash growled silently. 'For every injured person here, Green Arrow will get a super speed punch to the face!'

— 3 Days Later —

"Come on Roy!" Dick smiled, pulling the teenager along.

"Where are we going?" Roy asked, following with little complaint. He was used to Dick simply dragging him around. He preferred to sit in his room where he wasn't at risk of getting in trouble or doing something wrong, but Dick clearly had better ideas. Dick pushed a door open to a room Roy had never been into before, which was honestly most of the Manor. They walked into a gym like space that surprised Roy. It was filled with gymnastics equipment and weights. "Wow."

"I know, right? Here," Dick guided Roy to a bench and made him sit down.

"What're we doing here? I can't really do much." He briefly lifted his injured arm, which was still wrapped in the sling; and his burned hand that was tightly bandaged.

"I know! I wanted to show you my acrobatics!"

"That's right, you're an acrobat."

"Yup! So….you wanna see?"

"Sure. Is it safe though?"

Dick laughed. "Of course it is! I'm a professional."

Roy gestured with his free arm. "Let's see it then."

Dick whopped and did a backflip. He ran over to the high balance beam, figuring he should work is way up to the best stuff. Roy sat back against the wall, making himself comfortable for the show. Dick didn't even stop as he flipped up onto the balance beam, landing perfectly on top. He fell forward into a handstand and smiled at Roy upside down. He fell back, letting his feet touch the beam. His back arched easily, fowling the movement. He pushed himself up, then cartwheeled twice in a row and did another flip. He did a backflip off the other end when he was done.

"That was amazing!"

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Dick replied. He ran to the high bar and quickly dusted chalk onto his hands. He jumped up, pulling himself onto the lower of the uneven bars. He swung his body, gaining momentum. He let go and threw himself onto the taller one. Roy watched in amazement as Dick seamlessly flipped over one, moving his body with an unreal grace. When he stopped for a moment on the higher bar, feet pointed in the air, arms holding his entire body up. He let himself fall with one hand and let go, flipping between them and catching himself on the lower bar. After rolling over each bar several times, he threw himself between them with ease. It made Roy kind of nervous since Dick was like 4 feet tall and the high bar looked like it was a good 10 feet off the ground, 7 feet for the lower one; and they were three feet apart. That didn't hinder Dick though. He just threw himself in-between them and flipped off one bar to land on the other. The look on his face was so happy while he was doing it that Roy found it hard to stay nervous. He found himself relaxing as he watched the younger boy. At the end Dick flipped off, doing a double-backflip. He landed on his feet happily. "Ta-da!"

Roy clapped his hand gently against his injured one. "Cool!"

"Wait till you see this!" Dick was running again. He jumped up and used one of the tall punching posts Bruce used as leverage. He caught himself on the rings, doing a flip while he still had the momentum. The rings were a little hard for him, due to his small size, but he really wanted to show off for Roy. He swung himself upside down, grinning at the inverted world. He spread his arms out, lowering his body down a bit. Unfortunately, his miscalculated the distance and his hands slipped. He quickly flipped around and landed in a crouching position.

"Are you ok?"

Dick popped up. "Fine!" He did a flip and pulled himself up onto the punching post. He stood on top of it and spread his arms. "See?"

"That was still pretty cool."

"Thanks. I'm a little small for the rings."

"You did really good."

"Thanks!" Dick glanced up and an even bigger grin spread across his face. "Now for the grand finale!" He jumped down and ran to the far wall. Roy looked up. He hadn't noticed it before, but hanging from the ceiling was a trapeze. Dick climbed up the ladder rungs on the wall. "You're gonna love this!" He reached the top and quickly undid the rope that held the bar to the wall. Gripping the bar with his hands as he carefully turned around on the top rung, using the arches in his feet to balance himself. Dick took a deep breath and jumped. He swung across the room to the next one and let go. With his arms spread open as he flew, he didn't even hesitate to bring them back down in time to grab the next bar. He swung on that one, then flipped out to the next one. While he was in mid-arc, he carefully moved his body to the other side and swung back out toward the middle. Roy watched him from down below, mesmerized. Dick's earlier feats had been amazing, but this…this was something else altogether. He was speechless. There was something so graceful, so natural about the way Dick moved.

'Didn't he say he grew up in a circus?' Roy thought to himself as Dick easily did a triple flip between two of the bars. 'That would make sense.' It must've been one heck of a circus. He also wondered why Dick had ever left the circus. He looked so happy on the trapeze. Moving with an energy and freedom that Roy had never seen before. Like a little bird, flirting back and forth. It made Roy smile. He didn't know when was the last time he'd felt this. It was a feeling he'd forgotten about. It was joy. Pure joy.

When Dick finally ended the routine he swung himself back to the ladder rungs on the wall. He reattached the first bar to the wall and looked over at Roy. Shock froze him for a second. Roy was smiling! Actually smiling! There was no fear or tension in his body. He was relaxed and calm as he clapped his hands. There was no sound that could reach Dick, but he loved it all the same. He climbed down to the ground and ran to his friend. "Did you like it?"

"I loved it! That was amazing!" Dick sat down and the two of them sat sideways so they could face each other.

Dick grinned. "I'm glad you liked it!"

"It was beautiful! I've never seen anything like it."

"Thanks."

"Where did you learn to do that?" The smile disappeared from Dick's face. Sudden sadness filled his features. Roy's face morphed from happiness to confusion in only a second. "What's wrong?"

Dick looked down, playing idly with his bare feet. He sniffed. "My-my parents taught me."

"Oh?" Then he remembered that Dick had also said his parents were dead. "Oh." Dick could only nod. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Its ok," Dick assured him, looking up again. "You couldn't have known."

Roy bit his lip. "How-how long ago did….did they?"

"Almost two years."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"We were performing. When it….happened."

"You were?"

Dick nodded. "We were the Flying Graysons. My family and I. My-my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and cousin. They had started the last routine of the night. We always performed without a net. Always. That night though….the wires- They snapped and my family….." He bit his lip and inhaled deeply through his nose. "They fell."

"You-you saw this?"

"I was on the platform. I couldn't-couldn't save them." Roy opened his mouth, but words didn't come out. That was terrible. Dick was such a kind and happy person. How could something so terrible have happened to him?! "The wires had been tampered with. By a mob boss called Tony Zucco."

"He killed your parents?"

"Yes. He murdered them." Dick took another deep breath and squeezed his feet.

"What happened to him? Tony Zucco."

"Batman and I caught him. We made sure he went to jail."

"That's….good."

"Yeah," Dick nodded. He looked at Roy again. "It is. I'm glad I was at least able to get justice for them."

"Me too. That's good."

"Yeah." Dick sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring you down."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not. You were so happy before."

"It's fine Dick. Really." Roy reached out and put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "It's ok."

Dick sighed. "Thanks." He stood up. "Come on." He pulled Roy to his feet. "We should go. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Ok." Roy let Dick pull him out, but he couldn't help but glance back at the trapeze as he led from the room.

— 2 Days Later —

The sudden flurry of movement in the newsroom surprised Clark when he came back from lunch. He made his way over to Lois, brushing past people who were moving with excitement and energy that they usually didn't have at the Planet. Granted it was busy, as most newspapers were, but this much activity was unusual for just after 12:30 on a Wednesday.

"What's going on?" Clark asked Lois.

"What're you doing here?" she hissed.

Clark frowned in confusion. "I work here? At least….I hope I still do."

Lois leveled him with a serious glare. "Green Arrow was seen in the city. Firing arrows at people!"

"Where?" Clark growled. After Barry's report about what had happened in Central, everyone had been on guard for Green Arrow.

"Lex Corp."

Clark rolled his eyes. Yeah, the day wasn't complete unless Luthor was somehow involved in making his life miserable. "Of course."

"What're you waiting for Farm Boy?" Lois smacked his arm. "Go! I'll cover for you!"

"Right." Clark made his way through the hectic room back to the strips. He moved efficiently, yet discreetly down the stairs. When he made it outside he walked quickly to the back of the building. He started running once he was back there and ripped his shirt open. Within seconds he was in the air, flying towards Lex Corp. 'He's got a funny way of keeping a secret identity,' Superman thought as he flew. 'Attacking someone who he's in town doing business with.' He could hear the screams before he even reached the building. The brought him down closer to the buildings and he saw people laying on the street, yelling in pain. There were arrows sticking out of them like pin cushions. He did a quick sweep of the building. On nearly every floor he could see people writhing in pain. 'Damn you Oliver Queen!'

The police and ambulances were already speeding down the street. Superman wanted to help the injured, he really, really did, but he had to find Green Arrow. He did another sweep of the building and found him. He was on the top floor….Luthor's office. 'Fantastic.' He flew up towards the top of the building and through the open glass doors. He landed in the office to find Luthor against the wall. He hands were up by his head and Green Arrow had two arrows pointed at him.

Lex Luthor saw Superman and for once he was actually relieved to see him. "Superman. About time you showed up."

"Good afternoon to you too Luthor," Superman replied. He turned his sharp graze to the emerald archer. "Green Arrow. What're you doing here?"

"Following up on my threats," Green Arrow answered. He fired the arrows and the hit the wall next to Luthor's head. Superman was surprised by the speed that he drew another arrow. "It's very important to follow through. You understand, right?" This question was directed at Luthor.

The businessman gave the vigilante a look of disgust. "Indeed. What threat would this be and why does it include me?"

"The threat," he fired another arrow, this time next to Luthor's throat. "that if the Justice League didn't give me back my partner, I was going to wreck havoc in their cities." He shot another arrow, this time next to the other side of Luthor's head. "As for why this involves you…" He shrugged and fired again. Luther flinched every time the bow twanged! "I had to get Superman's attention somehow."

"You have it," Superman said with a glower. "Let him go."

Green Arrow snorted. "Why?" He fired again. "How about we make a trade?" Superman suddenly moved in front of Luthor and the next arrow bounced off his chest.

"This isn't a game Green Arrow! Get out of my city!"

Green Arrow lowered his bow and glared right back. "Do I look like I'm playing Boy Scout?" Superman made a mental note to tell Batman to never call him that again. "Give him back!"

"No! We'll never let you near Speedy again!"

"You have no right to keep him from me!"

"Get out of Metropolis!"

"Make me."

'Don't tempt me.' Superman flew forward and picked Green Arrow up with one hand. He held the archer up by his neck effortlessly. "Stay. Out." He threw the vigilante across the room. Not hard enough to kill him, just hard enough to make sure he knew what a terrible idea this was. Green Arrow picked himself up and glared daggers at the Man of Steel.

"I won't stop until you give him back!" He turned and jumped out the window.

Superman turned around to face Luthor. "Are you ok?" he asked. With Green Arrow, you never really knew what he could've possibly done.

"I am," Luthor said, stepping away from the wall. He brushed his suit off. "Although I don't appreciate being shot at because you and your righteous friends decided to kidnap an archer."

"We didn't kidnap anyone. We rescued Speedy."

"From what?"

"That madman. Green Arrow was abusing him."

"Was he?" Luthor's lip curled in disgust. Superman was mildly surprised.

'Good to know there are some things in this world beneath him.' Although this also meant Oliver Queen was even with Lex Luthor on Superman's enemy list. "The police should be up here soon." He turned and flew back out the door. Once he was certain that Green Arrow was gone, or at least not attacking the citizens of Metropolis, he'd aid the first responders in helping the injured. 'He wasn't joking,' Superman thought as the screams of his people drifted up to his ears. Loud and clear. He heart clenched. 'That archer is playing with fire and unlike me, he's not fireproof.'

—2 Days Later —

It wasn't as scary for Roy to meet with Leslie the second time as it had been the first time. He knew the kind doctor was only there to make sure he was healthy. She wasn't threatening either. Which was why he went downstairs to the Bat cave with a lot less apprehension than he had the last time.

"How've you been Roy?" Leslie asked him as he sat on the examination table.

"I'm good."

"You look better." She examined his bruises, gently probing some of them. The handprints on his neck were still present, but they weren't as dark and intimidating looking. The smaller bruises were turning green and yellow with healing. "Let's have a look at that arm." She gently helped him take the sling off. "Can you take your shirt off?" Roy nodded and slowly took it off. Leslie noted with satisfaction that he didn't grimace or hiss in pain when he did. She gently lifted his arm and placed her hand firmly against the joint. "Had you been taking your medicine?" she asked as she felt it move.

Roy nodded. "Yes, Dr. Leslie."

"Good." She let go and stepped back. "That joint looks good. I think we can keep the sling off, but I want you to use it if that shoulder starts to cause you extensive pain. Otherwise, don't over exert yourself. No archery for at least another week. Understood?"

"Yes, Dr. Leslie."

Leslie moved to his back. She still had a moment where her lips thinned at the scars, but the wounds looked better. "These are all looking very nice." She moved back to his front and lifted the bandaged hand. "Have you been using the ointment?"

Roy nodded. "Yes, Alfred applies it once a day and changes the bandages."

"Good." She unwrapped then hand and examined it closely. "The blisters have healed very well. Unfortunately, it looks like I was right about the scarring." She started re-wrapping it. "I'm very sorry Roy. The skin on your hand is always going to be red like this."

"That's fine."

"It's really not." Roy took his hand back and put his shirt back on. "I'm going to give Bruce and Alfred some exercises that will help with mobility in your hand."

"Mobility?"

"Scars can sometimes cause mobility issues because of the way they heal, but with simple exercises, we can make sure it doesn't decrease the mobility of your hand."

"Thanks… Is-is that it?"

"Looks like it." She sat down in a chair. "How've you been?"

"…..uh…..what?"

"How have you been coping with living in Gotham?"

"I-I'm good." His hearted started pounding.

"Roy, you can relax sweetie. I'm not integrating you. I'm just asking."

"It's been good. Like I said."

"Are you and Dick getting along?"

"Yeah….. He's…..he's cool."

"What about you and Bruce?" Roy froze. Why was she asking? Was there a reason she should be asking about Bruce?

"What-what do you mean?"

"Have you been getting along with Bruce?"

Roy nodded earnestly. "Yes. Yes of course."

"Good, I'm glad." She stood up. "I know Bruce seems like a scary man, but he's really only scary to those who hurt his someone he loves. Like Dick."

"He-he is?"

"Yes, so you have nothing to worry about."

"O-ok." Roy hopped down from his seat.

"I want you to continue to eat. Alfred will make sure you do."

Roy nodded. "Yes, Dr. Leslie."

"Good." Leslie smiled at him. "You're safe in Gotham Roy. Which isn't something I get to say often. I don't know a lot about this….superhero world everyone is involved in, but I do know Bruce would never let someone hurt you. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Come on, let's go tell Bruce that you're on your way to being perfectly healthy and injury-free."

'Huh,' Roy thought as he followed her back upstairs. 'Perfectly healthy and injury free. There's something I haven't experienced in a while.'

'If you can manage to not be a total screw up,' a voice in his head reminded him.

'Right. If I can manage to not be a total screw up.'

—3 Days Later —

Green Lantern ground his teeth together as he flew through the buildings. "Green Arrow's not hurting people in my city," he muttered. "Not on my watch." He heard screaming a couple blocks away and cursed. He flew faster. When he was over a public park, the biggest one in Coast City, he barely had time to register the injured before he blocked an arrow from hitting a woman with a baby. He created a net with his ring and caught the arrow before it could hit. He flew closer to the ground, trying to catch arrows before they could hurt people. "Hide!" he shouted as he flew. "Hide!" He would tell them to run, but he felt like Green Arrow would just take that as a challenge. A boy scrabbled under playground equipment just as Green Lantern caught another arrow. The arrows were falling faster than he could catch them though.

A man was hit in the leg. A woman hit in the arm. A child hit in the shoulder. Green Lantern's heart clenched at every scream of pain. He threw the arrows into a pond and flew up. "Green Arrow!" he shouted. He sent a quick blast of light with his ring to knock an arrow off course. "Green Arrow!" He raised his ring hand and did a quick scan. "Found him." He flew down at tree where Green Arrow was hiding. He crashed through the branches, bringing the vigilante down the ground. As soon as they were on the ground he used his ring to wrap Green Arrow in green light. "Go! Get out of here!" he yelled to the civilians. "Go!"

Green Arrow glared at him while everyone ran. "Well done," he said sarcastically. "You caught me."

"You're gonna wish I hadn't!" He punched the immobilized archer, sending his head snapping to the side. "How do you like someone stronger beating on you?!"

"You self-righteous idiots don't know what're you're talking about!"

"You hurt that kid!" Green Lantern flew up, bringing Green Arrow with him. He changed the construct so that it was a giant hand holding Green Arrow; keeping his arms pinned to his sides. "You hurt him and you scarred him." He bashed Green Arrow into the ground. "You hurt Flash's kid!" Another hit into the ground. "You hurt Flash's people!" Another hit. "You hurt Superman's people!" Another hit. "You hurt my people!" He threw the vigilante into the playground equipment. Green Arrow groaned but made a quick recovery. He fired off three arrows at Green Lantern, who made a shield to protect himself.

"You're a real pain, you know that Green Lantern?!" He dove to the side to avoid a glowing fist that tried to punch him. "Give Speedy back!"

"How many times do we have to tell you, you're not going near that kid!"

"You think I'm going to give up?!" He flipped back to avoid a rope that tried to wrap around his legs.

"I'd hope you'd come to your senses!" Green Lantern made a giant boxing glove with his ring and punched Green Arrow. The archer flew back several feet and hit the ground hard. He dodged to the side as the boxing glove attempted to literally pound him into the ground. "You can't win against the Justice League!"

"Looks like I already am!" Green Arrow fired off five arrows in the span of 30 seconds. Green Lantern didn't bother with a shield since it would just slow him down. He dodged the arrows with ease and tried to punch Green Arrow. The vigilante dodged him though and hit him in the head with his bow.

"Hey!"

"I warned you I wouldn't stop until give Speedy back!"

"Why do you want him?!" Green Lantern created a net and attempted to throw it over Green Arrow. Screw the League's regulations! This guy needed to be taken off the streets. "All you do is hurt him!"

"I do what I do to help him!" He fired off several more arrows to redirect Green Lantern's attention.

"You hurt him!"

"I'm toughening him up!"

Green Lantern figured if he could've redirected all the rage he felt in that one instant from anger into willpower, he would've been the most powerful Green Lantern in history. It probably would've overloaded his ring. "Toughening him up?! Is that what you call beating a teenager senseless?!" He started blasting green light at the archer, hoping to hit him.

Green Arrow rolled his eyes. "I don't answer to you!" He glanced to the left and smiled. "I'll be taking my leave now. I just came to prove my point."

"I'm not letting you go! You're injured dozens of people in two majors, now three, majors cities!"

"You want to stop me? Go ahead." He fired the arrow. "Just don't expect any parades."

"What?" Green Lantern quickly followed the trajectory of the arrow. He cursed and sped toward it. Some of the inured hadn't been able to make it too far and had taken refuge behind an overturned picnic table. He flew out in front of the table and quickly put a bubble around himself and the injured. He felt the energy of the blast ripple through his construct as the arrow exploded against it. He tightened his ring hand and his mental strength increased. He made the construct disappear. Green Arrow was gone. 'Coward.'

"Green Lantern?" He turned around. One of the injured, a teenager, had stuck his head out from behind their hiding place. "Is it safe?"

"Yes." Green Lantern flew over the barricade and landed in front of them. He made a large disc with his ring. "Everyone get on, I'll transport you to the hospital."

— 3 Days Later —

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Roy asked as Dick dragged him along.

"Nope!" Dick replied cheerily. "Step up. Up. Up. Up. Up-"

"Can I at least open them so I'm not going up the stairs blind?"

"Can't take that chance. Keeping stepping up."

"Why won't you tell me whats going on?"

"Cause if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise!" Roy really didn't like surprises. Surprises with Oliver were either A: I smacked you around for no reason so here's a gift or B: I have a training exercise/bonding game that will either terrify or exhaust you. Although it was highly unlikely it was either of those.

"Can you at least give me a hint?"

"Hm…you're going to love it!"

"Not what I had in mind." They came to a sudden stop. "Can I open them now?"

"Wait a sec." He heard a door open. "Is it ready?" Whatever "it" was must've been ready because Dick whooped and dragged him inside….whatever room they were in. "Ok, open!"

Roy opened his eyes. He blinked and his mouth opened in shock. "Whoa…." He was in his bedroom, but it looked…..different. The plain bedspread had been replaced with red ones. The once empty shelves now contained books, music, video games, and action figures. There was also a tv, a DVD player, and a game console. The desk now had official supplies organized on it neatly. Along one wall was a rack that contained two bows, one compound and one recurve, along with two quivers full of arrows. He blinked. It hadn't looked like this when Dick had insisted they spend the day playing video games in the den.

Dick stood next to Bruce, beaming radiantly. "Do you like it?"

"It's….it's great."

"We weren't sure exactly what you liked," Bruce admitted awkwardly. "So we had to guess."

"Luckily Master Dick and his amazing social skills were able to get us the help we needed," Alfred said.

"Don't forget my awesome powers of deduction!" Dick said.

"Of course young sir, how could I forget?"

"Do you like it?" Bruce asked hesitantly. Roy had still been refusing to tell Bruce about anything he wanted, so he'd decided to take a chance and just fill the boy's room.

"I do."

"If you don't Roy it's fine."

"No! I like it!" He actually kind of did. Although he'd swore to himself he wasn't going to fall for any tricks this time, he found it was hard not to like his room. He wandered over to the bows.

"I figured you would like those two. Do you?" Bruce was afraid for a moment that he'd gotten the wrong kind of bows. He was a filly skilled archer, but he was far from an expert like Roy.

"They look pretty good." Roy picked up the compound and gave it a test draw. "The draw weight is a little low, but I can fix that easily." He put it back and picked up the other bow. "I've never shot a compound before."

"You haven't?"

"No. Only longbow or recurve."

"What about a crossbow?" Dick asked.

"Uh…no."

"I don't think he needs one," Bruce said to his younger ward.

"Now you can practice your archery again! And you can show us how good you are!"

Roy nodded as he put the bow back. "Sure Dick."

"I'm glad you like it," Bruce said, relieved. He didn't miss the way Roy was tense and kept glancing around. He frowned. "Dick, why don't you and Alfred go get the cookies?"

"Indoor speed please Master Dick," Alfred said as he followed Dick out. "We live in a civilized manner."

"Roy," Bruce began after they left.

Roy jumped and his heart started pounding. 'Oh god, this is it.' "I-I like it. Really. I do. It's great."

"Roy, I'm not mad at you." He stayed where he was, knowing trying to walk towards Roy would only result in him moving backward. "I just….I just want to understand."

"I-I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful. I'm really not! I swear!"

Bruce frowned, which only frightened Roy more. "What-" He stopped and suddenly remembered one of the videos he had. The one where Oliver had whipped Roy with his belt. Afterwards, he'd called the teen an "ungrateful bastard". It took every ounce of self-control Bruce had not to curl his hands into fists. 'That probably wasn't the first time he heard that from Oliver.' He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Roy, I'm not mad. I don't think you're ungrateful. You just look tense and I was worried about you."

"I-I'm ok. Really."

"Ok."

Roy looked around again. The room really was nice. "Th-thank you….Bruce."

Bruce blinked. Three and a half weeks. It'd taken three and a half weeks for Roy to use his name. "You're welcome."

— 2 Days Later —

Out of all the places he could've picked next, Green Arrow chose Coast City because the glow stick was easier to fight than anyone else. He'd yet to check Gotham, but he loathed going there if only because he enjoyed being able to move. Stealthily, he followed Green Lantern as he flew over the city. Wherever he was going, there was bound to be civilians. He ended up at docks. Green Arrow silently crept onto a warehouse roof and laid down on it. A smile crept across his face. Aquaman was talking to Green Lantern; Aqualad standing just behind his mentor.

Down on the ground, Green Lantern and Aquaman finished making their plan of attack.

"Black Manta will undoubtedly be prepared for us," Aquaman warned his teammate.

"We'll be ready too," Green Lantern assured him, raising his glowing ring.

Aquaman nodded, then turned to Aqualad. "Aqualad, I need you to stay out here. If any henchmen try to get away, you stop them."

"Yes my king," Aqualad replied, bowing his head. "I shall do my best."

"That's all I ask." He just hoped everything went exactly according to plan, so Black Manta need never know Aqualad was here. He turned back to Green Lantern. "Let's go." Green Lantern flew into the air and Aquaman followed at a run on foot.

Aqualad pulled out his water bearers and used the ocean next to himself to make two swords. He looked around, alert and ready to stop anyone trying to make a getaway. Which is why he was caught off guard by the arrow that came out of nowhere. he quickly dodged it, but it managed to scratch the side of his face. Green Arrow suddenly jumped down ten feet in front of him. Aqualad raised his weapons so that his back was to the ocean. "You are Green Arrow," he said, eyes narrowing.

Green Arrow smirked. "The one and only. I don't think we've met before."

"I am Aqualad."

"Aqualad."

"You should not be here."

"Oh?"

"This is Green Lantern's city. You are not supposed to be here. The members of the Justice League do not want you in their cities."

Green Arrow rolled his eyes. Damn, this kid was naive. It almost wasn't fair. He sighed as he nocked two arrows to his bowstring. "Just wow kid."

Aqualad took a ready stance. "Aquaman and Green Lantern-"

"Aren't here. So just remember that what happens next is their fault really, for leaving you alone." Green Arrow shot his arrows. Aqualad dodged them, but the archer reloaded before he could react. An arrow hit him in the stomach.

"Ah!" He staggered back, dropping one of his weapons to put his hand on the wound. Another arrow his leg and he went down on one knee. "You….do not fight honorably."

"Honor? There's no such thing as honor kid." Green Arrow punched him in the face, sending the young Atlantean onto the ground. Aqualad summoned a whip with the water bearer he still had. He flicked it at Green Arrow. It hit him in the chest but only made him move back a couple of feet. "I'd kick you into the water-" He shot the young hero, hitting him in the stomach again. "but, I think that might actually help you. You being a freak fish hybrid or whatever you are." He kicked Aqualad in the face and he grunted.

"You….are no hero…." Aqualad managed.

"You don't know me."

"I know what you have done. You hurt Speedy. You hurt Kid Flash." Aqualad rolled over onto his stomach as Green Arrow walked away. He gripped his water bearer tight as he pushed himself back his feet. "You are a monster."

Green Arrow's eyes narrowed and he spun around. "That's what I hate about your mentor and his precious League." He nocked another arrow. This time he hit Aqualad in the webbed hand; pinning his water bearer to it. Aqualad screamed. "You all think you're so much better than me!" He pulled out another arrow and nocked it. "I will get Speedy back and I will turn him into the vigilante I know he can be!" He fired the arrow and it hit Kaldur in the chest. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it was an exploding arrowhead. The explosion knocked Aqualad unconscious and threw him back several yards. Green Arrow moved to walk over to him, only to find himself suddenly encased in a green bubble. He turned around and glared at Green Lantern. "Let me go!"

"You think I'm letting you go after you just tried to murder Aqualad?!" Green Lantern demanded.

"Well you could hold me here, or you can go help your friend with his dying fish boy."

Green Lantern looked past him. His heart dropped. Aquaman was kneeling beside Aqualad, obviously distraught. He snarled and released the archer. "Get out." He didn't bother looking at Green Arrow again, and instead of flew over to Aquaman, who was trying to wake up Aqualad.

"Kaldur'ahm," he said, sound more panicked than Green Lantern and ever heard him. "Kaldur'ahm can you hear me?" There were four arrows in the young hero, and the wounds they'd created were bleeding. A lot.

"Aquaman we need to get him to the Watchtower-"

"No!"

"Aquaman-"

"He needs the healers in the city!"

Green Lantern nodded. They didn't have time to argue. "We should take the zeta. Swimming would take too long and could jostle him too much."

"Agreed." They stood up and Aquaman carefully picked up his injured sidekick. "Hang on Kaldur'ahm."

"Allow me." Green Lantern carefully wrapped Aqualad in a construct to keep him immobilized.

"Be careful with him!" Aquaman snapped as Green Lantern flew a couple of feet into the air to test it.

"I am." He nodded to himself in satisfaction. "Let's go." Green Lantern flew to the zeta while Aquaman followed on the ground with ease. Worry and guilt coursed through him as he followed his glowing friend through the city.

'I shouldn't have left him out there alone,' he thought miserably as he ran. 'I shouldn't have left him alone.' They made it to the zeta in record time and Green Lantern took only a few seconds to get himself through. Aquaman was right behind him. As soon as he swam into the waters he found Green Lantern waiting for him, unclear of where to go. In the water, the green light surrounding him glowed strangely in the water. "You two!" Aquaman shouted, startling two students from the conservatory. "Get the Queen! Tell her I need her and our best healers in the infirmary! Now!"

"Yes your majesty!" the said in unison, before swimming away.

"This way." Aquaman led Green Lantern through the city. The palace infirmary was the best place to treat Kaldur'ahm. Once they reached it Green Lantern gently placed Aqualad on the stone table.

"Doesn't look comfortable."

"It's a healing table. They'll move him to a bed once he's stable."

Queen Mera came in, followed by two men. She gasped. "My goodness! What happened?!"

"He was attacked by the Green Arrow." He practically spat the archer's name.

"Stand aside, let us work." Aquaman and Green Lantern moved back as the Queen and two men stood on either side of Aqualad.

"Aquaman," Green Lantern said, looking away as they started casting spells over their injured teen. "I'm sorry but I have to go back to Coast City and make sure Green Arrow is gone."

"Of course," Aquaman nodded.

"Do you want me to tell Supes and Bats?"

"No, I shall do it myself."

"Ok. Let me know when he's ok."

"I will." Green Lantern left and Aquaman looked back at Aqualad. No one was better at magic than Mera, and he knew the other two were the best healers in the city. Healing spells couldn't fix everything though, and the younger hero was in for a lot of pain when he woke up. Aquaman decided to stand outside so he wouldn't get in their way. He leaned against the wall. 'I should've left him home,' he thought miserably. When Black Manta had escaped into the sea, he'd been frustrated, yet grateful he hadn't seen Kaldur'ahm. Then he'd heard the boy's screams of pain. The sound had made his heart stop. Then to see that arrow explode against him…. He sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "Please, let the boy be ok. Let him live." It was hours before Mera came out. "Well?!"

She smiled at him, tiredly. "He will be fine."

"You are sure?"

"Yes, I am. We have done everything we can for him. He is in pain, but he's going to live. Luckily."

"Luckily?"

Mera nodded gravely. "His injuries were quite severe, Arthur. He is very lucky you got him here so fast." Aquaman nodded, making a note to thank Green Lantern. "He's awake and asking to see you."

"He is?"

"Yes." She put her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Go to him. You're his mentor. He needs you."

Aquaman nodded and swam into the infirmary. He found the healers settling Aqualad down in one of the recovery rooms. He stayed near the door while they did final checks on him. They turned around to leave and bowed to him. "Your majesty," they both said.

"I wish to speak with him alone please," Aquaman said.

"Of course Sire," one of them said. They left the mentor and protege alone.

Aquaman swam closer so he was beside Aqualad. He looked so tired and young. He couldn't discern any injuries due to the blanket. Aqualad tried to sit up and raise his fist to his chest but Aquaman quickly intervened. "None of that," he said, gently guiding his protege to lay back down. "You need to rest. How do you feel Kaldur'ahm?"

Kaldur grimaced. "I'm in some pain."

"Did you tell the healers?"

"Yes, my king."

"Good."

"My king….I-I am sorry."

Aquaman blinked in confusion. "For what?"

"I failed you today."

Sadness filled the Atlantean king. "You did not fail me."

"I couldn't fight Green Arrow though-"

"No, this wasn't your fault. It was mine."

"My king-"

Aquaman shook his head. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone. You have only fought on the surface a few times and I knew Green Arrow was on the loose with a vendetta against us. It was foolish of me to leave you there alone, and for that, I'm deeply sorry Kaldur'ahm."

Kaldur frowned in confusion. "You are the king. You shouldn't apologize to me."

"A good king knows when he is in the wrong. As does a good man." And at the moment he didn't really feel like either of those things. "I'm sorry, son. This shouldn't have happened."

"Green Arrow is very skilled."

"He is, which is all the more reason I shouldn't have left you alone. The League is going to put a stop to Green Arrow though. I can promise you that."

"Next time I will be prepared."

"There won't be a next time." If Green Arrow came within 10 feet of Aqualad again, Aquaman planned to drag him to the deepest depths of the ocean. "I'll go. You need to rest. I'm ordering you off duty until your injuries are healed."

"Yes, my king." Kaldur yawned and his eyelids drifted shut.

"Sleep well Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman said, briefly placing his hand on the boy's head. He quietly turned and swam out. "I shall not let this happen to you again. On my honor as king, you have my word."