When he walked into the Justice League meeting two weeks later, Batman was very aware of the stares he was getting from the others. Not that he particularly cared about what they thought, but it was very different from how he was usually greeted at meetings.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Superman demanded as soon as Batman sat down.

"You have to ask?" Wonder Woman asked skeptically.

"What're you talking about?" Batman asked, knowing exactly what they were referring to. He'd skipped the meeting the previous week for this exact reason.

"You made Roy a vigilante!" Flash yelled. He stood up and Green Lantern put a hand on his shoulder. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"Again, I wonder why you have to ask," Wonder Woman said.

"Flash, sit," Superman instructed. Green Lantern pulled the speedster back into his seat while the Man of Steel turned to Batman. "Do you want to give us an explanation?"

"No," Batman responded.

"Now is not the time to be secretive," Martina Manhunter wanted him.

"I don't answer to any of you."

"We answer to each other, that's the point of the League," Superman told him. "Why would you make Roy a vigilante?"

"To help him."

"He's not you," Green Lantern said, a hard edge to his voice.

"I know."

"Explain Batman," Wonder Woman said in a tone that chilled a couple of members. The Amazonian was dangerous when she used that tone of voice. More dangerous than normal at least.

Batman's mouth tightened "I asked," he put emphasis on the word, "Roy if he wanted to be a vigilante. He chose to become one."

"Why?" Superman repeated.

"To prove a point."

"You made him a vigilante, after all the trauma he went through with Green Arrow, to prove a point?" Flash asked carefully.

"The trauma Green Arrow caused is exactly why I did this. Roy has always believed that it was wrong to kill criminals. It was this attitude, his resistance and questioning, that frequently caused Oliver to beat him senseless. I offered to let Roy become a vigilante in Gotham to show him that my way works. That there was a good reason for him to resist Oliver. So that when he looks back he can know he was in the right and Oliver was the one who was wrong." No one said anything. "I have made it very clear to him that if he wants to stop at any point he can. I'm not making him do anything, this is completely his decision and what he wants."

"Why though?" Aquaman asked. "After the horrible things Green Arrow forced him to take part in, why would he want to re-live that?"

"Why did he become a vigilante in the first place?" Flash asked. Everyone looked at Batman.

"I won't tell you why," Batman said. "That's his business. I will tell you that his reasons were noble. He's a good person and he just wants to help people. That hasn't changed. Queen wasn't able to beat that out of him."

Despite his misgivings about this, Superman was amused to see how attached Batman had become to Roy. "Just be careful," he advised. "We didn't get him away from Green Arrow just to have him fighting for our side."

"I know. Have you been eavesdropping on Queen?

"Yes. He's not planning anything."

"Maybe he's finally given up," Flash said optimistically. He hoped so. It'd be great to finally say they could put the archer behind them.

"We could hope so."

As per the usual, Batman was the pessimist of the group. "I don't think so," he growled.

"Do you always have to look on the negative side?"

"I look on the realistic side. If Queen's coming after Roy I want to know and be prepared." Again, Superman was amused by how attached Batman had clearly gotten. Batman's comm beeped. "What?"

"The Bat signal is up," Robin said.

"I'll be there soon."

"Trouble in Gotham?" Superman asked as Batman stood up. He said nothing in reply and simply left the room.

Despite his belief that the League had no say in what happened in Gotham, it was easier if they approved of Arsenal. The last thing he wanted was any of them coming into his city and trying to stop him; or, God forbid, moving Roy to another city because of this. He was surprised that they'd accepted it so readily, considering how long it had taken them to accept Robin. He was also surprised Roy's work as Arsenal went as well as it did. The teen was efficient and did exactly what he was told in the field. His ability to disable guns from a distance had proven to be extremely useful. The trick arrows were used well and only when necessary. All in all, this was going far better than Batman had expected it to. Unfortunately, it wasn't giving him the results he wanted. Not that he'd expected it to work automatically, but Roy still had nightmares every night and his confidence hadn't improved. It was unfortunate, and frustrating, which Batman noted as he left through the zeta. These thoughts were gone from his mind by the time he went to go pick up the boys though. There was crime to stop, and that's what they needed to focus on for the moment.

"What'd you think's going on?" Robin asked as he hijacked the police radio frequency.

"We'll know soon," Batman said.

"Do you think it could be the gang we've been tracking?" Arsenal asked quietly, which surprised Batman. He didn't usually contribute a lot of conversation on patrol.

"Could be. We've derailed their last three attempts to get any major arms. They could be striking back out of retaliation although most groups of this nature choose not to draw excessive police attention to themselves."

"That would make sense. We still don't know what they want those semiautomatic weapons for."

"That's true. They're too bulky for the normal activities they'd be partaking in."

"So, this could be them for all we know."

"Bank robbery," Robin said suddenly as the information came in over his comm. "Someone is robbing the First National Bank of Gotham." He paused for a minute. "Didn't we just stop a robbery there two months ago?"

"Yes," Batman agreed. "We did."

"Penguin was- Do you think it's him again?"

"Gordon hasn't told me about anyone breaking out of Arkham recently."

"Well it's been 3 weeks, I'd say we're about due."

Batman simply clenched his fists. While Penguin was one of the…less dangerous of the Arkham inmates, but he was still more dangerous than the average criminal. "Stay sharp," he told them. "We'll go in from the roof." He parked the Batmobile on a back street and within minutes the three of them were on the rooftops.

It was hard for Arsenal to stop the anxious feeling that was clawing at his mind. 'Focus,' he told himself sternly. 'Stay focused on what you're doing. Don't be incompetent.' He could hear the police cars and see the light bouncing off the buildings before they even reached the bank. 'Good thing this isn't a residential area.' They stopped on the building next to the bank.

"What're we doing?" Robin asked.

"Robin, I want you and Arsenal to find a way into the building."

"Got it."

"Arsenal?"

"Yes, Batman," the archer said quietly. He followed Robin to the roof of the bank, moving with easy stealth. "How're we getting in?"

"Right here," Robin whispered. He crouched next to the edge of the building and lowered himself down. Arsenal stowed his bow on his back, momentarily grateful Batman had designed it that way and followed him. They carefully climbed down the side of the building until they'd reached a window. "Hold my cape." Gripping a ledge with one of his strong hands, Arsenal used his other hand to hold onto Robin's cape.

"Why?"

"In case I fall." That suddenly made Arsenal very anxious. Robin's life was in his hands. If he messed up his friend would die. Granted this was a usual feeling when they were on patrol, but it had never been so literal. Robin meanwhile was working to get the window open. He used the edge of a bat-a-rang to pry the window open. It was clear no one had tried to open it in years. He dug the sharp edge of the weapon into the slim opening further. "Almost there…" The window creaked open and they both froze.

"That's not good."

"No." Robin examined the opening which was a little less than a foot wide. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but it'll do." Arsenal released his cape and Robin pulled himself up, then lowered himself down into the building. Arsenal followed, easily lowering himself down with his upper body strength. He couldn't see where he was landing, so he had to feel with his toes to find a stable ledge. It was only a few inches wide, so he had to balance on his heels and put his hands on the ceiling to brace himself. Robin was apparently just able to balance with natural ease. "My holo-glove is picking up body heat signatures near the vault," he whispered into his comm. "Let's go." He moved along the ledge, slowly mapping their way to the vault. Arsenal followed just as slow, careful to not lose his footing.

They eventually made it to a wall and Robin dropped down to the floor. Arsenal followed, landing silently beside him. They were in an office that likely belonged to one of the bank higher-ups. The two, young vigilantes crept out of the room and into a wide hallway. "Do you know the layout?" Arsenal whispered, securing an arrow to his bowstring.

"Yes. This isn't the first time this bank has been broken into. Especially by Penguin." They turned another corner and Robin stopped. Arsenal stopped right after him, now that he was getting used to working with Batman and Robin. He stayed silent and still while Robin did a quick survey of the area.

"Move down towards the vault," Batman said, appearing suddenly behind the two. He disappeared again and the two moved down the hall. They quickly discovered a large, marble staircase that led to the first floor. Arsenal slipped an arrow out of his quiver and nocked it to his bow. He kept his bow drawn and ready as they moved down the staircase. He moved his gaze back and forth, ready to shoot the first bad guy he saw. Robin tilted his head in a 'this way' motion. They moved around the right side of the staircase once they were on the first floor. It led them to a narrow hall that opened into a wide room. Arsenal dropped his arrow hand down and pressed himself against the wall. They moved silently, sneaking up on the robbers. Once they were right around the corner from the vault, they were rejoined by Batman. Arsenal had gotten used to Batman doing things like this. The three of them turned the corner and immediately, two Batarangs and an arrow flew through the air.

One bat-a-rang hit a stack of cash, knocking out of the crook's hand, while the second one hit a second crook in the arm. The arrow hit a stack of money as well, knocking it to the ground. Arsenal had seen pictures of Penguin in the cases he'd studied, but suddenly faced with someone who was an Arkham inmate was a little intimidating. Even if that person was short and dressed in a suit.

"Batman," Penguin snarled. "So nice of you to join us."

"Give yourself up Penguin," Batman said. "The police have the bank surrounded."

"Ha! As if." The seven men who were around Penguin suddenly started doing forward.

"Split up." Batman, Robin, and Arsenal all moved in three opposite directions. Robin moved to one side while Arsenal moved to the other. He shot off an electroshock arrow close enough to one of the men to get his attention. He kept moving backward, shooting arrows to draw their attention. He'd successfully drawn the attention of three of the men, while Batman and Robin were each facing off against two. 'Not very fair odds,' he noted silently. The men were bigger than him by several inches and way stronger. 'I can take them.' He dodged the first man who came at him, driving his bow up into the man's face. He stumbled back in pain and Arsenal grabbed an arrow. He shot an arrow at the feet of the man closest to the wall. The man kept backing up until his back hit the wall and Arsenal quickly fired a glue arrow. The arrow hit his arm and the glue exploded over the appendage; trapping him. He barely had time to react before one of the guys behind him grabbed his arm. He twisted the teen's arm behind him, which sent all too familiar feelings of panic to his brain.

'Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic,' he chanted in his head as he reached for an arrow in his quiver. 'It's not Ollie. It's not Ollie. It's not Ollie.' He found an electroshock arrow and jumped up. There was the familiar tweak of a muscle spraining in his arm, but he managed to dig the arrowhead into the man's neck. The grip on his arm loosened in a second and he broke the weak grasp, then flipped over the man's shoulder. He pounced on the back of the man and pulled his bow against his neck. He pulled the bow against his windpipe until he brought the stunned man down. The third one pulled out a gun, but that just made Arsenal smile. He dodged several bullets, shooting an arrow down the barrel of the gun while he was on the move. The man stared at his now useless weapon in confusion, giving Arsenal the opportunity he needed to smash his bow into the man's head. He kicked him in the stomach, then sidestepped the man's sloppy attempt to punch him.

Arsenal tripped the man, letting him fall, then trapping him with a glue arrow. The man glared at him, but Arsenal was unaffected by his malice. Working quickly, he handcuffed the men so they couldn't cause any more trouble. He ran over to Robin, who was still fighting his two guys. His back was turned to one of them, who suddenly pulled a gun from under his jacket. Arsenal didn't think; he shot. The arrow was on his bow, then in the air before the man could realize what was happening. The arrow hit the man's hand, knocking the gun out of it. Robin spun around, then smiled his thanks to Arsenal. He finished taking down the man he'd been fighting, flipping up onto his shoulders and using the momentum to pull him to the ground. The force knocked the man unconscious, then he handcuffed the two men.

"Let's go help Batman," Robin said. The two of them ran to Batman's aid just as his last opponent went down. "You normally have more goons than this Penguin."

Penguin glared at him. The sack of money he was holding suddenly spilled open when an arrow cut it. "What-" He stopped when he saw Arsenal, actually seeing the teen for the first time. "You got another one?! One Robin wasn't enough for you?!"

"Hey!" Robin objected as the three of them attacked him. He punched Penguin in the face. "I'm the one and only!"

"I'm Arsenal!" Arsenal stated, shooting a glue arrow at the ground in front of the villain. He ran straight into the glue and fell.

"Robin, you and Arsenal go tell Commissioner Gordon we have Penguin and his men apprehended," Batman said.

Robin did a backflip and Arsenal followed him towards the front door. Robin opened it, shouting, "Don't shoot! It's Robin!"

"Guns down!" Gordon yelled to his men. The last thing he needed was for one of his officers to shoot Robin or Arsenal.

"We have Penguin apprehended!" He and Arsenal stepped aside as Batman walked Penguin out of the bank. Several officers came forward to take him to the transport van.

"Several of Penguin's men are unconscious and handcuffed by the vault," Batman said Gordon.

"Captain, take some men to the vault," Gordon instructed. "Good work Batman."

"Ahem," Robin coughed.

Commissioner Gordon smiled. "You too, Robin and Arsenal."

"Let's go," Batman said to the boys. As they grappled up into the rooftops, no one noticed one of the officers taking a picture of the three of them. Consequently, he also didn't notice Penguin watching Arsenal. A smile crept across the villain's face. Looks like he had some news to tell the others once he was back in Arkham. Meanwhile, Batman, Robin, and Arenal had arrived back at the Bat-mobile.

"You just handled your first real Arkham inmate," Robin said as they got in the Bat-mobile. "Good job."

'What about Catwoman?" Arsenal asked in confusion.

"Cat woman isn't in the same league as people like Penguin, or Scarecrow, or Joker. Actually, no one's in the same league as Joker."

Arsenal blinked. He'd yet to meet the Joker after only being on the streets for two weeks, but he was fine with that. Everything he'd heard or read about the psychotic clown had told him he could live without meeting him. Realistically, he knew it would be inevitable, but that didn't mean he had to look forward to it. "It seemed like Penguin didn't have a lot of goons with him."

"He usually has more. I think he was just really excited to rob something after breaking out of Arkham, so he probably didn't have time to get a whole bunch of guys."

"That would make sense I guess."

"He was really surprised to see you! It was great! You surprise everyone!"

"That won't last forever."

"I know, but while you're still a surprise and it's great! They definitely don't expect your skills."

Arsenal looked down at his bow. "I'm not that good."

"Don't say that you're amazing!"

"You're better than I am at fighting and figuring things out."

"True, but I've been doing it for 2 years. Someday you'll be as good as me." The conversation honestly almost made Batman smile. Almost. This was one of the positive aspects of having Arsenal around: he kept Robin company. They got back to the Bat cave and the two boys were still talking as they walked off to change. Batman left to continue his patrol as usual. The boys went upstairs and ate cookies while debating tactics to beat a rough spot in a video game they'd been playing. Alfred sent them to bed and Roy shut himself in his room. He laid down under the covers with the lights on, staring up at his ceiling. Exhaustion was pulling his eyes shut, but fear of his nightmares was pulling them open more forcefully.

'I need to sleep,' he told himself silently. 'I need to sleep. I need to sleep.' The mantra wasn't helping though. After an hour he was still in the same position, staring at the ceiling in a haze. He sighed and threw the blankets back. "I'm not going to sleep," he decided, sitting up. Two weeks of being a vigilante and he was still having terrible dreams. Which was how he found himself sitting at his desk and getting ahead on his school work. At one point he shut off his big light and kept his desk light on. His eyes burned after a couple of hours, but he didn't care. Anything was better than nightmares. On the plus side, Alfred seemed pleasantly surprised Roy was eager enough to get ahead, but the definite negative side was that patrol suddenly became a lot harder. Roy's arm was still injured and it was hard to concentrate when he was so tired. He was used to patrolling when it was hard to concentrate, but he really didn't want to disappoint Bruce. If he started messing up, it would only prove to Bruce that he didn't deserve to be treated well. Neither of these things really became a problem for a couple of days.

"Let's go upstairs!" Dick said to Roy, just as the teen was hanging his quiver up. It was Friday, so Dick was usually energized and insisting they stay up late after patrol. "Let's go!" He grabbed Roy's arm and pulled him, causing Roy to cry out in pain. Dick let go immediately and gave him a worried look. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…" Roy said. He held his arm close.

"May I look at your arm Master Roy?" Alfred asked, always the composed one.

"It's fine, Alfred."

"Roy," Bruce said sternly. "Let Alfred look at your arm."

"But-"

"Roy." He was probably being a little harsher than necessary, but it had been a long day and he was tired.

"Yes, Bruce."

Alfred gently corralled Roy over to the Bat Cave's infirmary. "Please sit on the table sir," he said. Roy hopped up while Dick stood next to the table. Alfred took Roy's arm gently and examined it. There was some bruising along the inner forearm, but nothing too deep or dark. The arm was swollen when compared to the other one. "Are you having trouble using your arm, sir?"

"Not really," Roy muttered.

"Does it hurt to use it?"

"Yes."

"Have you been having any spasms or cramping in the muscle?"

"Some spasms…"

"What's the diagnosis, Alfred?" Bruce asked, walking in.

"I don't think it's broken. An x-ray shouldn't be necessary. I think he has a muscle sprain. Some ice and rest and he'll be fine."

"When did you hurt your arm?"

"A few days ago," Roy answered quietly.

"You strained your arm a few days ago and you still used your bow?"

"Didn't that hurt?" Dick asked.

Roy shifted uncomfortably while Alfred wrapped a compression bandage up his forearm. "Yeah, but I didn't think it was a big deal. I've patrolled with a sprained arm or wrist and broken fingers or ribs before." Dick's eyes were so wide they practically popped out of his head.

"Roy," Bruce said, sounding more irritated than he meant to. "If you're injured you need to tell Alfred or me."

"I'm really fine-"

"Understood?"

Roy shrunk down a little. "Understood."

"You are not to patrol for a few days sir," Alfred informed Roy, putting some pain medicine in his other hand. "Nor are you to use your bow at all. I expect you to rest and allow your arm time to properly heal."

Roy nodded and swallowed the pills quickly, a little fried they'd be taken away. "Yes, Alfred."

"Come on Roy, you can watch me play the game," Dick said, grabbing his friend's non-injured wrist.

"I don't want to just watch you!" Roy objected as he followed. "I can still play!"

"Alfred said you need to rest."

"He didn't say I couldn't play video games."

Dick smiled mischievously. It definitely wasn't like Roy to find a loophole in something someone told him. "Fine. If we get caught though, it's your fault."

"Alright." The two of them settled down in Dick's room and started playing. It was a little difficult and slightly painful for Roy to play, but as the pain medicine kicked in it became easier. A sprained muscle was only a minor inconvenience for him. They played for several hours until Alfred sent them both to bed, insisting that they needed rest. Roy did go to bed but was woke only a couple of hours later in a cold sweat and his heart pounding against his ribs. After that he stayed up, once again trying to get ahead with his school work. Unfortunately, his strange sleep schedule was exacerbating his mental state. The very next morning at breakfast, he was more withdraw then usual, prompting concern from Dick.

"Are you ok Roy?" Dick asked. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," Roy assured him. He kept eating, hoping Bruce wouldn't notice or comment on his obviously sleep deprived state. He was so out of it and trying to look normal that he forced himself to eat all of his breakfast, even though he wasn't that hungry. His stomach started churning, prompting him to leave the dining room. He moved as calmly and normally as possible, but once he was out of sight of Bruce and Dick, he ran upstairs. Despite his sprint, he barely made it to the bathroom before he started throwing up. The coughing and hacking made his whole body shake. Once he was finished he sat down and leaned against the wall.

"Are you alright, sir?" Alfred asked.

"I'm sorry."

"Master Roy, I thought we had discussed how you don't need to eat everything on your plate."

"I just….I'm sorry."

Alfred sighed and gently felt the teen's forehead. "I think I should start giving you smaller portions-"

"No! Please don't take my food! Please, Alfred, I'll be good-"

"Master Roy." Roy went silent. "I'm not taking food away from you because I'm trying to punish you. I merely think that for now, I should give you smaller portions so you don't make yourself sick. If you want more, you can always ask for more."

"I can?"

"Have I lied or tried to trick you in the 7 months you've been living here?"

"…No."

"Ok then. Come now, you should lay down."

Roy got up and Alfred guided him gently to his bed. As he passed his bedroom door he noticed Bruce standing just outside it. When Roy passed Bruce left, but not before the teen could see the irritated look on his face. Roy swallowed and curled up under his blankets. 'Just try to be good,' he told himself mentally. 'Just try to be good.' He laid in bed, staring at the wall for a couple of hours before Dick came in.

"Are you sick?" he asked.

"No. Alfred wanted me to lay down."

"Probably because you look so tired."

"I feel fine." Roy sat up. "Why'd you come in here?"

"I wanted to see if you would come train with me."

"Ok." Roy got up and followed Dick downstairs to the gym. The two of them sparred until lunch time. Alfred walked in and cleared his throat. "Master Roy. What did I say about resting your arm?"

Roy looked down. "Sorry."

"It is time for lunch. When you've finished I expect you to do something that will allow you to rest your arm."

"Yes, Alfred." Roy did notice that he was given less food than usual, not a lot, but a small amount. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't stop the voice in his head telling him it was because he was misbehaving. The anxiety was filling his brain and there was only one thing he could think to do to make it better. So, after lunch, he went downstairs to the cave where Bruce had set up the range for him to use. He practiced his archery for hours without stopping. He was so absorbed in his task that he didn't notice Bruce sneaking up on him. Bruce shook his head when he saw Roy. Of all the things for him to disobeying Alfred over, it as practicing his archery. He was about to go over and make Roy stop when something made him freeze. Roy and shot another arrow, but it landed a little off. It hadn't hit the target at all. Roy froze as well. His breath hitched a little, but he was so tired and his brain so foggy that he simply dropped his arms and turned around. Bruce hid in the shadows as Roy passed.

'He shouldn't have been that calm,' Bruce thought. There was an obvious answer. The tired look. The dark circles under his eyes. The delayed and subdued reaction. Bruce rubbed his face and waited until he was certain Roy was gone until he went upstairs so he could talk to Alfred.

— —

Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes. "He missed the target, Alfred."

"I don't see why this is such a big deal, sir," Alfred responded, placing a cup of tea in front of Bruce. "Besides him not resting. None of us are perfect."

"Roy never misses Alfred. I expected him to have a panic attack or something but he just stood there blinking!"

"You're unhappy that he didn't have a panic attack?"

"He's only half-awake Alfred!" Bruce sighed again. "He's not sleeping."

"Master Bruce-"

"Please just go get Roy and bring him here."

"Only if you count to 10 while I'm gone." Bruce did his best, but his frustration was budding too quickly. He knew he needed to calm down, but he couldn't. By the time Roy knocked hesitantly and opened the door, Bruce had just barely managed to keep his cool.

"You wanted to see me?" If he wasn't concentrating on stay clam Bruce might've noticed Roy didn't sound as scared as he normally did.

"Have you been sleeping?" Bruce asked, taking his normal route and just being blunt.

"I- sleeping?"

"Yes, Roy." Bruce's tone made Roy's muscles tense. "Have you been sleeping?"

"I- I-"

"Answer me." Try as hard as he might, Roy couldn't help but hear those words echoing in his head; just in Oliver's voice.

"No…" Bruce sighed and Roy took a step back, which he noticed.

"Don't back away, Roy. You're 15, you need to learn to not shy away from your problems." Roy wanted to run. He wanted to crawl under his bed and hide, but he stayed rooted to his spot. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I'm sorry-"

"You can't be that sorry!" Bruce snapped as he stood up. "We're trying to help you, but you won't help yourself! Why won't you take care of yourself?! You won't sleep! You won't eat properly! You won't tell us when you're hurt!" Roy flinched, but Bruce didn't notice. He wanted to run away, but then he remembered what Bruce had said and forced himself to stay.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he thought. 'I'm so stupid, why do I have to keep messing things up?! Why am I so awful?!' In his panic, Roy saw Bruce taking a step towards him and he fell back in his panic. Bruce didn't seem to notice.

"I don't understand Roy! Why won't you just listen?!" Bruce heard a noise that made him freeze. It was a whimper. A very frightened whimper. He looked down and his heart stopped. Roy was on the ground, staring up at him in fear. He was tense and his arms were up by his head. Something cold gripped his stomach. Roy was cowering from him. Roy was afraid of him. He took a deep breath and a literal step back. 'What am I doing?' he thought. He was yelling at Roy because the teen was scared of his nightmares. Nightmares Roy couldn't control. Not just that, but other things as well. His eating habits and his inability to report an injury. Bruce cursed himself. He was yelling at Roy for things he couldn't control. For things, he did because he was traumatized. He might as well have been yelling at Roy for being traumatized! 'Even worse,' he realized, watching as Roy's eyes never left him, 'I'm yelling at him because I'm frustrated. I'm taking my frustration out on him. Just like Oliver used to.' He rubbed his face. 'Calm down Wayne. You need to calm down.' He turned to Roy and crouched down, reaching out to him. "Roy-" He froze when Roy flinched. "Roy-"

"I'm sorry," Roy whimpered. He shrunk down even more. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It's ok."

"I'll sleep. I'll sleep I promise."

"Roy-"

"I'll sleep. I'll sleep, I'll sleep-" Roy just kept repeating it, not even listening to Bruce. Bruce sighed and put his hands on Roy's shoulders, ignoring the violent flinch. Roy went deathly silent, staring at Bruce with wide eyes.

"Roy, calm down. Please, just…..calm down. Breathe. In…Out…In…Out…" Roy tried to focus on his breathing.

"I'm sorry…."

"You have no reason to be sorry."

"I was bad. I misbehaved-"

"No!" Roy's breathing hitched and Bruce made himself back-off, literally. He removed his hands and put at least a foot of space between them. "You did do something wrong. You should've been sleeping, but I should know that your nightmares are scaring you and that you can't control them."

Roy swallowed. "I'm sorry. I'll be good."

"I know."

"I'll sleep, I promise." Roy pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Do you really think I'm going to hurt you?" Roy nodded. "Why?"

"I-I made you mad."

"No, Roy. I'm frustrated, but not at you. I'm frustrated with the situation, which is still no excuse. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. That was wrong."

"No, it's not."

Bruce blinked. "Why do you say that?"

'He's really going to make me explain it?' Roy thought. He looked down. "You-you helped me. You took me in. I owe you, so you can treat me any way you want." Horror really wasn't the word to describe how Bruce felt. It wasn't nearly strong enough.

"No, Roy. Look at me." Roy lifted his head. "You do not owe me. Do you understand? You do not owe me. I took you in because it was the right thing to do. I do not want anything from you. It also doesn't give me the right to treat you any way I want. You deserve to be treated with respect and decency." Roy didn't look convinced, which really broke Bruce's heart. "You don't owe me anything, Roy."

"I should've known it would make you mad though."

"Even if it did, I should've controlled myself."

Roy shook his head. "I knew my nightmares were bothering you and I should've tried harder to sleep." This whole conversation just kept getting more and more depressing. "I'll try to stop being so bad, I promise."

"Roy…" Bruce took a deep breath. "Yes, I want you to sleep, and eat properly, and tell us when you're hurt, you should be doing all those things. However, I need to remember that you can't control all your actions."

"I'm trying…."

"I know you are."

"I'll be good, I promise."

Bruce sighed. "You can go. Try to get some rest."

"Yes, sir." Roy left quickly and Bruce got up off the ground.

'I'm in no way qualified to handle this,' he thought. 'Roy needs help. He needs psychological help and I don't know what to do.' Bruce wasn't usually in situations where he didn't know what to do, but he really, really didn't like it.

— —

Meanwhile, Roy was upstairs, hiding under his bed. He was curled around his bow, trying to stop shaking. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he thought. 'I'm so stupid. Why do I have to ruin everything?! Why can't I just behave?!' A knock on his door made him flinch and brought him out of his thoughts.

"Master Roy," Alfred said. "May I come in?"

"Y-yes," Roy replied. The door opened and he saw Alfred's feet enter. They stopped next to his bed.

"Are you ok young sir?"

"I-I don't know…."

"I heard Master Bruce yelling." Roy didn't say anything. "He didn't mean it, sir, I'm sure."

"I misbehaved, Alfred."

"Yes, you did, but Master Bruce should've controlled his own temper better."

Roy pulled his bow tighter. "I hate this…."

"Hate what, sir?"

"Being scared. I don't like worrying if Bruce is going to hurt me."

"He's not going to sir."

"I want to believe that. I really do, but I just….I always freak out and I can't control my reactions. I can't stop myself from having nightmares or convince myself that it's ok to tell you if I'm hurt. I thought I was getting better, but then I do something like this and I just…."

"Master Roy, you had a bad day. There will be bad days sir, but that doesn't mean you're still not getting better."

"I don't want to be scared all the time."

"I know. You need to focus on all the good progressions we've seen so far. You've healed physically. You allow Master Dick to give you hugs and comfort you when you need it. You usually have good eating habits. You've been brave enough to start fighting crime again. One bad day doesn't erase all your progress, sir."

"Why can't I just be better? Why can't I control my reactions?"

"I know this seems long and slow, but you can overcome this. I have absolute faith in you."

Roy blinked in confusion. "You do?"

"I do, sir."

"Oh…thanks Alfred."

"Of course. Are you ready to come out?"

"…not really."

"Very well, sir. I shall send master Dick to retrieve you when it's time for dinner."

"Ok." Roy stared at his carpet while Alfred left. 'I don't want to misbehave,' he thought sadly. 'I want to be good and happy and safe.' He blinked and pulled his bow even closer to his body. 'I want to be safe. I want to feel safe.' If only he could align his brain with what he wanted and what he was capable of.