A/N: What is this, another update! Since it's Christmas Eve, I decided I'd post two chapters today. So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

It kind of surprised Bruce that Roy still chose to continue his training. He would've thought that the teen would give up on his vigilante endeavors, considering how little trust he now had in him. Yet, every morning Roy would practice his archery, spar with Dick in the gym, study maps of the city (with Dick quizzing him), as well as former cases, and attempting to build his prototype arrows. Originally Bruce was trying to avoid Roy, even when he was in the Bat Cave. Roy would work on his arrows, he seemed to be coming up with new ways to fix them in his solitude, and Bruce left him alone, simply hovering just in case Roy electrocuted himself. After a couple of days though, he began to notice Roy was struggling. He obviously didn't know how to do it all by himself, but Bruce was hesitant to offer his help. After several instances of Roy sighing in frustration he finally decided he needed to step in.

"Do you need help?" Bruce asked. Roy jumped a little. Obviously, he hadn't known Bruce was staining right behind him.

"I'm just…I'm fine."

Bruce examined the arrow. "The flash grenade arrow?"

"Yeah."

"It looks good. A few tweaks and you should have a working prototype."

"It's just….not working."

"What isn't?"

"Any of it."

"Can I see it?" Roy hesitated for a moment before he slid over. Bruce sat next to him and examined the arrowhead. "Try it like this." He carefully began re-wiring the arrow. He waited for Roy to ask what he was doing or for clarification, but he just sat silently. His eyes did follow Bruce's every movement. Noting which wire was connected where.

"Where can I test them?"

"There are some deeper sections of the cave we don't use. I think one of them is big enough for you to test your arrows." Now that he thought about it, it'd make a good indoor range for Roy as well. The weather in Gotham wasn't always conducive to outdoor activities. Roy would need a place to practice his archery inside. There was a tense silence as Bruce continued to work with Roy watching. It wasn't a lot, but Roy could stand to be near Bruce, so on some level, it was a little better.

"Can-can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." It was quiet for a minute.

"….I just…Why did you come for me?" Bruce frowned. "Why did you finally try to get me away from Oliver?"

"When I watched you and Oliver on the streets. I finally saw how many bruises you had. Considering you never went to school or were barely seen in public, I thought maybe it was because of criminals. But even when you weren't out for a couple of days, you'd still be hurt. I deduced the only person who could be responsible, was Oliver."

"Oh…What-what did you know before? You know…two years ago?"

"I saw that you had a couple….suspicious bruises. They weren't as noticeable or as incriminating as the ones two years later though. Just…a little inconsistent."

"Huh…" Roy was quiet after that and Bruce didn't try to talk to him after that.

— —

Bruce leaned against the wall, eyes following the boys as they sparred. He'd subtly requested Dick suggest Roy start sparing with a bow. Since he didn't have another option Roy was using the compound bow Bruce had bought him. He moved pretty well with it. There was a flash of shock on the teen's face, but Dick was back up and attaching before Roy could do anything further. He was attempting to use his bow and Bruce had to admit he wasn't bad. He could adjust his grip to quickly throw a pumice and would swing it when needed. It defiantly needed tweaking, but he was still a natural with the thing, even when doing hand to hand combat. Bruce raised his eyebrows a little bit when Roy landed a punch on Dick's jaw. The two went back and forth for another 15 minutes before stopping.

"You're getting so good!" Dick beamed, leaning against the wall as he took a drink of water.

"Thanks," Roy replied, sounding winded. They both did. Bruce checked his watch. They'd been going for almost 40 minutes without a break! He almost smiled. Working with Roy was making Dick better too.

"You've shown a lot of improvement," Bruce said, directing his words at Roy.

"Thanks." Roy glanced away.

"I think it's time to start implementing some more advanced techniques."

"Advanced?" The hint of fear in Roy's voice didn't surprise Bruce, but the slight curiosity did. Improvements every day.

"I've been designing a special fighting technique that incorporates your archery. It's similar to who Dick fights incorporates his acrobatics."

"Sounds…exciting." Roy stood up. "Can-can we start now?"

Bruce nodded, stepping on to the mat himself. "Of course."

The next few hours were spent with Bruce refining Roy's fighting. He was good, no doubt. He'd spent the last few months working hard and he'd made incredible progress. He wasn't perfect, nor was he the best, but he was good enough Bruce was starting to think he could hold his own on the streets. True to his previous work, Roy gave it his all with his new skills. Even if it was hard, he kept trying and trying. Eventually, Alfred made them eat and he went off to do other things. School work, studying cases, studying maps, and working on his arrows. It never ceased to amaze Bruce how much dedication Roy had to this. By the time he and Dick left to patrol Roy was taking some mandatory relax time that had been instituted by Alfred. After that, he once again decided to forgo sleep and went back down to the gym. He kept working on his new way of fighting until Alfred came to see him.

"Master Roy, don't you think it's time you want to bed sir?" he asked.

"Do I have to?" Roy asked cautiously.

"You should."

"I'm not tired."

"Did you sleep last night sir?"

Roy shifted uneasily. "Maybe….A couple of hours."

"A few hours is better than none sir."

Roy sighed. "Fine." He let Alfred led him back up to his room. 'Maybe I can sit quietly instead of going to bed.'

The following morning was the day to test the trick arrows. Roy grabbed a bow from his room and followed Bruce to the back of the bat cave. "There's smaller cave's off this way," Bruce explained as they walked. "There's a deep one that's perfect for this."

"You think your arrows will work?!" Dick asked Roy excitedly.

"Uh…I hope so," Roy responded. He held the prototypes in his hand carefully. 'What if they don't work?' he thought worriedly. 'What will Bruce do then?' He was actually starting to hate the anxious feeling that could suddenly pop up in his brain, but he had no way to stop it. So he just lived with it. They reached the cave and Roy blinked. The ceiling was about as high as it was in the main cave, but this smaller cave was more of an oval shape. On the far side of the room was a couple of human targets and a regular one. "Those-those are fake, right?"

"Of course."

"Let's see what those arrows can do," Bruce said, stepping back.

Roy nodded and handed all but one of the arrows to Dick. He nocked it to his bow and fired. The arrow hit the first human target and Roy could see the electrical buzz that went through it. "Looks like it worked."

"Looks like it. Next up?"

"Flash grenade arrow." Dick held the arrow out with their fletchings facing Roy. His finger skimmed them for a second before he pulled out the correct one and nocked it. He fired the arrow at the ground. They all looked away or shielded their eyes from the small explosion. Luckily it didn't bring the cave down on them.

"I think it worked," Dick smiled. "The criminals will never see that coming."

"Glue arrow is last?" Bruce asked as Dick handed the final arrow to Roy.

"Yes," Roy nodded. He nocked the arrow to his bowstring and fired. It hit the ground and a fast-acting glue spread out. Roy walked over to the targets to get a better look at the damage. The glue had already dried by the time he reached it. A few quick taps confirmed that it was rock hard. No one short of Superman would be breaking out of it. The damage caused by the flash grenade arrow was minimal. Scorch marks on the ground, but nothing more. The taser arrow didn't cause any damage to the dummy it hit. It'd be unpleasant for anyone on the wrong end, but definitely not life-threatening. He collected the arrows and returned to Bruce and Dick. "They work."

"That's good."

"It's awesome!" Dick cheered.

"Thanks," Roy mumbled.

"All we need to do now is make more. Lot's more," Bruce said.

Roy nodded. "Ok." He started heading back to the main cave. Dick frowned at Bruce and nudged him.

"What?" Dick titled his head at Roy, then nudged Bruce again; harder this time. "Oh…Roy!"

"Yeah?" Roy asked, looking back.

"You um….you did a good job. Good job with the…arrows."

"Uh…thanks, Bruce." Roy kept walking and Dick gave Bruce a smile.

"Was that so hard?" he asked.

Bruce didn't answer and just walked away.

— —

The next couple of weeks Bruce started to notice Roy looked tired. He looked really tired. When he was studying maps his eyes would start to droop or his head would nod. Sometimes his reactions during sparring would be a little slow. His punches would get sloppy and needed more correcting. Such as today.

"Stop," Bruce told the boys. "Roy, what's wrong?"

"What'd you mean?" Roy asked.

"You're acting weird," Dick said. "Your balance is all off and you can't focus."

"How long did you sleep last night?" Bruce asked him.

"Um…." Roy looked down. "I-I didn't."

Bruce sighed. "Roy-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I just can't."

"Roy not sleeping is affecting you."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"I can't sleep."

Bruce sighed. "Go take a nap."

"I'm fine."

"Roy. Go take a nap. Now."

"Yes, Bruce." Roy let the gym, letting his feet drag all the way to his room; knowing the nightmares that awaited him when he closed his eyes.

— —

Unfortunately, mandatory naps didn't help Roy much either. He always looked too pale, except for the skin under his eyes, which were getting darker. It was startling, but Bruce didn't know what else to do. Over the course of a week, Roy would have a nightmare every night. Some nights he woke up screaming, refusing to go back to sleep, others he woke up, stayed up for a couple of hours, and went back to bed. Everyone tried help, but they were at a loss for what to do. So they developed a system. Alfred would make sure Roy went to bed, Bruce and Dick would check on him when they got home. If Roy refused to go back to sleep he could stay up as long as he had gotten at least 4 hours of sleep and took a nap during the day. The didn't stop Roy from trying to stay up though.

At first, he would just pretend to sleep when someone came to check on him, but Alfred and Bruce always knew when he was faking it. Despite everyone's best efforts, Roy's sleeping habits didn't improve. It was really weird in a way. When he'd lived with Oliver, Roy had been used to getting by with just enough. Just enough food. Just enough safety. In Gotham though, with Bruce, he always had more than enough. Now though, he only had just enough sleep. Which was weird, because, despite the constant abuse, nightmares had never really been a problem in Star. Now though, the nightmares were always present. So he tried to let his training and other things distract him. Like Dick going back to school.

"There's really nothing special about 5th grade," Dick said as he pulled on his uniform. "Besides getting to be the biggest kid at the elementary school of course."

"You're going to be the biggest kid in the school?" Roy asked skeptically.

"I'll be the oldest."

"As exciting as that is, please stand still Master Dick," Alfred instructed. He stepped back, examining the sleeves. "You do need a new uniform. This one is looking a little short."

"Yes!" Dick leaped forward and did a cartwheel. "You know what that means Roy?"

"You get a new uniform?" Roy asked in confusion.

"It means I grew!"

"You're still short to me." He pulled his legs up onto the bed when Dick's foot came at them.

"We will go shopping this weekend," Alfred told Dick. "You need school supplies as well." He looked at Roy. "As do you."

"He doesn't go to school," Dick said.

"He does so, he's going here."

"It's not real school though."

"Better than yours," Roy cut in. "At least I don't have to wear a uniform." Dick stuck his tongue out at him.

"That's enough you two," Alfred said.

"Besides, I'm just doing the same thing I've been doing since I got here. Just the same catch-up I've been doing."

"Master Roy I think it wise we leave so Master Dick can change."

"Ok." Roy left the room and Dick snagged Alfred's arm before he could leave.

"You didn't tell him?" Dick asked. "Alfred, I don't think we should be keeping secrets from him."

"I'm not keeping secrets," Alfred replied evenly. "I merely thought it would be better to surprise him."

Dick grinned mischievously. "I like surprises."

Alfred gave him a small smile in return. "I know."

— —

The following night Roy was studying cases in his room. He flipped slowly through the file, reading through the murders with care. 'Gotham has some crazy people,' he thought. His door banged open, causing him to jump back and flinch at the same time. "Dick! Why did you do that?!"

"Sorry," Dick apologized.

Roy took a breath to steady his nerves. "What is it?"

"Alfred says you gotta come downstairs."

"Ok." He followed Dick downstairs, trying to resist the urge to panic. There was no reason he should worry. It was still so hard to keep himself calm though. They walked into the dining room and Roy frowned when he saw Alfred and Bruce there.

"What's going on?"

Dick grinned as he pulled him over to the table. "We're celebrating!"

"Celebrating what?"

"You got caught up on your work," Bruce said as Dick made Roy sit down. He placed several papers down in front of Roy. "You're more than proficient now."

Roy's hand shook slightly as he looked through the papers. "I passed them?"

"With flying colors sir," Alfred said.

"You're officially ready to start high school!" Dick cheered. "Kind of…"

"Uh…Thanks," Roy said, squirming under the praise.

"To celebrate…" Dick said, pausing for effect, and drummed his hands on the table in anticipation.

"Dick…" Bruce said in a warning voice.

"Ice cream!"

"Ice cream?" Roy asked. As if on cue Alfred suddenly appeared beside him and place a dish of ice cream in front of him.

"It's a banana split!" Dick explained, already happily digging into his own. "It's the best!"

Bruce wasn't sure if the shocked look on Roy's face was amusing or depressing. Possibly both. "It's ok Roy, you can eat it."

Roy moved cautiously, slowing taking a bite. "Mmm…" He couldn't remember the last time he'd had ice cream. "Thank you."

"You deserve it," Alfred told him. "You've worked very hard."

Roy kept eating, relishing the surgery treat.

— —

Summer ended and unfortunately, Dick had to return to school. For Roy though it was an exciting time. He was actually in a really good mood as Alfred sat down to go over what he'd be learning.

"Full of energy this morning Master Roy?" Alfred asked.

"I'm just….sorry."

"It's quite ok sir."

"I just…After how terribly I did the last two years with Oliver and I was so behind when I got here… I thought I'd never get caught up."

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself, Master Roy. You're very capable."

"Thanks."

"Let's get started, shall we?"

Roy nodded. "Of course."

Unfortunately, beginning the new school work meant that Roy had less time for training. He kept trying anyway, putting more of his focus on areas where he was weaker. This was also not lost on Bruce, who was always watching Roy's progress. He continued to refine the teen's fighting skills, slowly becoming more convinced he was going to be capable on the streets. Which Dick didn't fail to bring to his attention.

"When will Roy come on patrol with us?" Robin asked, double-checking to make sure this belt was secure.

"When he's ready," Batman replied evenly.

"He's been training for months."

"He'll join us when he's ready."

Robin sighed dramatically. "It's taking forever."

"He can't come until he's ready."

"I know. Do you think it'll help his nightmares?"

Batman sighed himself. "Maybe. Let's go."

"To the Bat mobile!"

— —

When they got home from patrol later that night though, Bruce had barely made it out of the grandfather clock when Dick came running up to him.

"I can't find Roy! Bruce's he's gone!" he cried.

"Dick calm down," Bruce instructed. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"I went to his room, but he wasn't there!"

"He could be somewhere else in the house. I'm sure he's fine. We'll look for him."

"Ok."

Bruce had a feeling, so he followed his gut. Relief washed over him as soon as he opened the door to the gym. Roy was practicing his fighting techniques against his punching bag. "Roy," he said, getting the teen's attention. "You should be in bed."

"I can't sleep," Roy murmured.

Bruce sighed quietly. "I know sleeping is hard, but you need to try-"

"I tried earlier."

"You did?"

Roy nodded. "I-I feel asleep a couple of hours ago."

"You had another nightmare?" Another nod. Bruce swallowed. "What was your nightmare about?"

Roy turned away and began to idly play the string of his bow. "It-it was nothing…"

Bruce frowned. "Doesn't sound like nothing."

"Really…" His voice started shaking.

"Roy you can tell me."

"It's nothing…."

"Roy." He could see Roy was starting to shake. It was silent as he waited for Roy to do or say something. After a few seconds though he released Roy was crying. He could hear the quiet sobs coming from the teen. "Roy…"

"I didn't mean it," he said shakily. "I didn't mean it- It was an accident."

"Roy, what happened in your nightmare?"

"I-I was only 12… I'd just started out as Speedy. I didn't see them, I swear. I didn't know they were there."

"Who?" Bruce wanted to get closer, but he didn't want to scare Roy off.

"The men. I don't know who they were. They snuck up on me and knocked me out."

"What happened?"

"They tied me up. They wanted to know who Green Arrow was. They just kept asking and asking. They were beating me and I could take it, but they just wouldn't stop! Eventually, they got tired and they locked in a freezer."

"A freezer?"

Roy nodded. "It was so cold. I couldn't move and I couldn't breathe. My limbs started to hurt and I couldn't think." Roy took a shaky breath, but it didn't calm him down. He said something so quietly Bruce couldn't hear him.

"What did you say?"

"I told them!" Roy snapped. "I told them Green Arrow's identity. I didn't mean to and it just kind of slipped out!"

"Roy, it's ok-"

"No! It's not!" He threw his bow on the ground. "Ollie was so mad…" His heart started beating faster. "He killed all the guys so it didn't matter that they knew, but it still happened. He yelled at me. Told me I was a traitor and weak." His breathing got faster. "He was hitting me and then he started strangling me."

"Roy breathe-"

Roy took a few quick breaths, but now that he'd started he couldn't stop. "I just kept telling him I didn't mean to, but he was so angry. Then he locked me outside."

"Outside?"

"In the rain. It was pouring. I didn't have anything to talk cover under and I got soaked-"

"It was just a dream," Bruce reassured him. "It was just a dream you're safe now-"

"No!" Roy spun around and Bruce was momentarily taken aback by how dilated his pupils were. "It wasn't a dream! It happened!"

Cold dread started to seeping into Bruce's chest. "It did?"

"6 months after I started living with him. He-he left me out there for four days… And-and It was raining the whole time-"

"Roy breathe! In…Out….In…Out…In…Out…" Bruce walked closer so he was only a couple of feet in front of Roy. He had to resist the urge to reach out and comfort the teen. "It's ok. It's ok." He very gently guided Roy to sit down against the wall. Luckily Roy was able to continue his breathing. Bruce sat next to him, making sure to keep a good distance between them. He waited while Roy calmed down a little bit. "So…Oliver…locked you out in the rain?"

Roy nodded. "For four days…" He took a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists. "It rained and it rained and it rained for four days. There was nothing to hide under so I was soaked. At first, I was just really wet. Then after two days, I went numb. I was cold."

"You didn't deserve it-"

"I did."

"No, Roy, you didn't."

"I gave away his identity."

"You were 12 and you were probably suffering from shock and hypothermia. Oliver doesn't deserve loyalty from you, Roy. He never did. Even if you told a few guys-"

"Three."

"Three guys his identity, that in no way gives him the right to lock you outside in pouring rain for four days."

"Would you?" Bruce was so momentarily shocked he didn't answer right away. "If I were to tell someone your identity would you lock me outside in the rain?"

"No, of course not! I would never do that! No one would believe you anyway." He could tell by the look on Roy's face his attempt at humor wasn't appreciated. Hence why he didn't do it often. "Roy, I swear I would never treat you the way Oliver did."

"You were fine standing aside and letting him do it though." There was no bitterness in his voice, just a dejected tone. Bruce swallowed. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, letting Roy sit in his silence. "I was so cold and upset when he let me back in that I begged him to forgive me. To not send me away. He's the one who locked me outside and I apologized to him."

"Roy-"

"I'm messed up."

"No, you're not. Oliver is the one who's messed up." Bruce would've preferred to use much stronger words, but he could never be sure when Alfred was listening.

Roy wiped his eyes quickly. He stood up. "I want to keep practicing."

"Roy, it's 3 am." Bruce stood up as well, caught between trying to reason with Roy and grabbing his arm to keep him away from the equipment. "You need to sleep."

"I don't need sleep."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't want to."

"Can you try?" Roy looked away. "What if I called Leslie? I'm sure she can prescribe something to help you sleep."

"Sleep medication?"

"It could help. If you're going to be spending your nights on the streets you need to sleep." Roy didn't say anything. "Have you had a good night's sleep since you came here?"

"….A few times."

Bruce sighed. "Just…please go back to bed. I'll call Leslie, maybe she can give you something to help you sleep."

"…ok." Roy didn't want to go to bed, but it seemed like Bruce probably wouldn't let him stay up. He sighed as he moved to walk back to his room. He had only made it a few feet though before Dick barreled into him. "What-"

"Where were you?!" Dick demanded, his voice quivering. He buried his head into Roy's torso.

"In the gym…"

"I couldn't find you!"

"I'm sorry Dick. I didn't mean to worry you. I just couldn't sleep."

"Don't do that again!"

"I won't."

"Both of you should go to bed now," Bruce said.

"Come on Roy," Dick said as he grabbed Roy's hand. Roy still didn't want to sleep, but he was starting to feel exhausted. As bad as it made him feel to have worried his friend, it gave him a warm feeling inside to know that Dick cared about him.

'Hopefully, Dr. Leslie can help me.'

— —

Bruce didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that Leslie wasn't happy with him; even if they were just talking on the phone. "Bruce," she said carefully. "You do know I'm a medical doctor, right?"

"Roy needs help-"

"Psychological help. From a psychiatrist."

"I can't take him to a psychiatrist. No one can know he's here, because, legally, he's not supposed to be."

"Then I don't know what you want me to do."

"Can't you prescribe him something to help him sleep?"

"I could give him something for insomnia since that's a medical condition, but from the sound of it that's not what's wrong."

"Then what is wrong with him?"

"Not a psychologist Bruce."

"Leslie, please. He has nightmares almost every day. He wakes up screaming and panicked."

"I wish I could help Bruce."

"Is there anything you can do?" There was a sigh.

"From my very limited knowledge of mental health, Roy definitely has a psychological problem." That much Bruce had managed to figure out for himself.

"Just come to the Manor and talk to him."

"Bruce-"

"Leslie you're all I have. Please."

Leslie sighed. "The oath I took as a doctor states that I must first do no harm. Trying to treat a mental illness without knowledge of mental health would qualify as 'doing harm'."

"I don't know what else to do."

"I'm sorry Bruce, but I can't help you."

Bruce sighed. "I understand."

"If there's anything else I can do to help let me know."

"I will." Bruce hung up.

"I take it that didn't go well, sir?" Alfred asked.

"She can't help. She's afraid that because she's not a psychiatrist she could do more harm than good."

"What shall we do about Master Roy then?"

Bruce shook his head as he opened Roy's file on the bat computer. "We have to do something. He needs to sleep." He sighed as his eyes skimmed the information quickly, looking for any obvious mental health problems. "Maybe once I get him out on the streets he'll be better. Dick is."

"Master Dick and Master Roy have different problems and need different solutions, sir."

"I don't know what else we can do."

"Unfortunately, neither do I. Perhaps Mr. Allen would know."

"Maybe. I'll ask him at the next League meeting-" Bruce stopped abruptly. He had been about to close the file when something caught his eye. "Alfred, what day is it?"

"Wednesday, sir."

"The date?"

"The 19th, sir. Why do you ask?"

"Ask what?" Dick asked. He flipped over Alfred and perched on the back of Bruce's chair.

"Dick, did Roy happen to mention anything about his birthday last week?"

"Uh…no. Why?"

"Because it was last week."

"What?!" Dick leaned forward. "You're right!"

"Are you sure he didn't mention it?" Alfred asked.

"Positive. Bruce, this is terrible!"

"Calm down, Dick."

"No! Roy deserves to have a good birthday! He's been through so much!"

"Dick-"

"Besides, he probably didn't get to have good birthdays lately! Oliver probably hurt him then too!"

"Dick!" Dick quieted down. "If you stop, you'd hear me say that I agree with you."

"You do?"

"Yes. Roy does deserve to have a good birthday."

"So we're gonna celebrate it?!"

"Yes."

"Woo!" He did a backflip off the back of the chair. "He's gonna be so surprised! We're going to have cake and balloons and presents and-"

"Don't you have homework to finish?" Bruce asked him.

"Uh….right."

Bruce shook his head as Dick ran back upstairs. As overly energetic as Dick and been, Bruce did agree with him. He wasn't sure how Roy's birthdays were with Oliver, but he assumed they probably didn't go well. "Dick is right about Roy's birthday."

"Of course sir. Shall we plan to celebrate this weekend?"

"Yes." Bruce got up and made his way to the back of the cave where he had some things hidden. "I already have the perfect gifts for him."

— —

Saturday was unusually quiet in the Manor. Not that Roy was particularly bothered by it. He was in his room doing his "homework" while part of his mind tried to iron out the design of his newest trick arrow idea. After building the first ones with Bruce he was able to design them better. He shook his head and went back to his history homework. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn't even notice as time passed. Next thing he knew there was a knock on the door.

"Roy!" Dick shouted, running into the room. "Come on!"

"Where're we going?" Roy in confusion as he was pulled from his bed, into the hall, and down the stairs.

"It's a surprise!"

Roy sighed, deciding it was best to probably humor his small friend. They slowed down once they were on the first floor and Dick lead him into the dining room. "What-"

"Surprise!" Dick beamed. Roy defiantly looked surprised.

"What is this?" Alfred and Bruce were at the table. On the table, there was a cake and several wrapped presents. There were balloons tied to the backs of the chairs and a letter banner that said 'Happy Birthday' on the wall.

"I was on the Bat-computer looking at your file when I noticed your birthday was…last week," Bruce explained while Dick made Roy sit down.

"Oh…"

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" Dick asked, sitting next to him.

"I-I didn't want to be a burden…"

"Roy," Bruce said gently. He waited until he had the teen's attention. "You're not a burden. The Manor is your home now. We will always celebrate your birthday if you want to."

"Even if you don't want to, we still might," Dick added.

Roy looked at the presents. "Are those for me?"

"Of course!"

"And…the cake too?"

"Absolutely!"

Roy eyed it longingly. It was a circle cake that had 'Happy 15th Birthday Roy' written on it in icing. "Thank you…"

"Open the presents!" Dick handed one to him. "This one's from me!"

Roy tore off the wrapping paper. "A book?" He turned it over. "History of archery."

"It looked like something you'd like," Dick explained as Roy opened it and flipped through the pages. "Do you?"

"I do, thank you." He took the next one.

"This one is also from me."

"They're all from him," Bruce said, feeling like it might save Roy some time.

The second and third gifts both turned out to be new games. One was a hunting game where you could shoot a virtual bow and arrow, and the second was a race car game. "Thanks, Dick."

"You're welcome!" Dick beamed, leaning over and giving Roy a hug.

"These are from me, Master Roy," Alfred said, sliding a card and a plate of brownies across the table. "The treats are all for you and not for Master Dick."

"You'll share though, right Roy?"

"Maybe…" Roy responded mysteriously as he read the card. "Thank you, Alfred."

"You're quite welcome sir."

Bruce stood. "I have something for you too." He started walking out and gestured for Roy to follow. Roy got up and followed him, quickly followed by Dick and Alfred. Confusion and curiosity started to creep into his brain, but when he relaxed when he realized they were going downstairs.

'What could it be?'

"Ready?" Bruce asked him. He'd led Roy to a part of the cave that was dark.

"Yes…" The lights came on and Roy gasped. They were in the part of the cave where Batman and Robin's suits were hanging. Except now, hanging on the other side of Robin's suit was a new one. It was incredibly simple with black boots and pants. The top was mostly black as well, save a red section on the front that included the small collar. Grey bands wrapped around the edges of the armholes, connected by a grey band across the top of the chest. The armguard and glove for his shot hand were also black. He crept closer and touched the side of both legs of the pants had a little pouch on them, connected with a leg harness. Hanging off the back he could see a black quiver. The whole thing was completed with a black domino mask, identical to Robin's. "Is- Is this for me?"

"It is. It's your suit."

"Wow…"

"It's lightly reinforced with kevlar, very lightly. Less than Robin's because I didn't want to constrain you due to your archery. You need to be able to move your torso. The grey padding on the knees is very light as well and should allow you to drop into a kneeling position to shoot with ease. The pouches are for whatever you may need them for. There are some things you'll be required to keep in them, like a tracker and an extra comm."

"Cool."

"I still think it needs a cape," Dick said.

"He's an archer, Dick," Bruce reminded him. "A cape would just get in his way."

"Still…"

"Over here, Roy."

Roy tore himself away from his new suit to follow Bruce to the place where the equipment was stored. "Whoa…" The newest addition was two racks of arrows, some with traditional arrow hands, but others with the modified the ones he'd designed. Hanging on the wall above the racks were two red and black bows. Bruce grabbed one and handed it to Roy.

"The bows are made out of an incredibly flexible, yet lightweight metal Wayne Tech has been developing. The bowstring is incredibly strong and resistant to cutting and snapping."

Roy held it in his hand. It was pretty light, but when he pulled back the thing he could feel the weight behind it. "This is cool."

"Glad you think so." Bruce put the bow back for Roy.

"This stuff is…for me?"

"Yes, it is."

"Thanks."

"Does this mean he's coming on patrol with us?!" Dick asked excitedly.

"I want to test him a little more," Bruce said. "However, I think next week he can come." He also had an ulterior motive for this decision. That being, wanting to make sure all the Arkham inmates were locked up before Roy's first patrol.

"Yes! Hear that Roy?! You get to come out with us next week!" Roy nodded.

"As exciting as this is, I think we should move upstairs for some cake," Alfred told them.

"What're you gonna call yourself?" Dick asked Roy as they headed back for the staircase. "Are you still going to be Speedy?"

"No!" Roy answered immediately. The other three looked shocked at his sudden outburst. "Sorry I- It's just….Speedy was the name Green Arrow gave me. Speedy isn't….wasn't a hero. He was an accomplice. He worked for a villain. He was weak."

"Roy-" Bruce said, but Roy cut him off.

"I don't want to be Speedy anymore."

"That's fine. You can pick a new name." If anything, Bruce preferred it that way.

"Any idea what you want to call yourself?" Dick asked him.

"No," Roy admitted.

"That's ok, you have time to figure it out. Now let's go eat cake!"

Roy let himself be pulled up the stairs, eager to have his first bite of cake in three years.