Redefining Hero A Roy Harper Story
The real Roy Harper wakes up after three years and he's got a lot of catching up to do in a world that's strange and familiar at the same time. And he's not the only one that has to adjust. Time may have stopped, but the world has moved on. A different kind of journey that takes place for a hero that was given the short end of life and how he picks up, falters and ultimately discovers who he is a person.
A story of rediscovery in six parts.
Part 3 of 6: "Breaking Down"
Words: 5,247
Notes: There are many things going on in this chapter, most especially the deviation from YJ and delving into Roy's comic history. I promise that it will be fixed next chapter but this chapter is a MAJOR part of this story, if not the most important. Because it's where he falters. There are topics here that are very sensitive and touchy for some but please don't let it deter you.
Just trust me.
And please read the Author's Note at the end of the chapter. Thank you.
WARNING: There is drug usage in this chapter. Not heavily described.
Disclaimer: See Part one!
He chooses the name Arsenal for himself. It just…clicks. When he tells Ollie, Dinah and Hal about his name choice, they nod in approval. Ollie and Hal make a dirty joke about it while Roy groans and Dinah rolls her eyes and playfully slaps Ollie on the arm. Hoping to find more mature responses to his choice, Roy decides to tell his friends. They approve as well and Kid Flash attempts to make a joke, though his is watered down compared to Ollie and Hal's. Arsenal. The name rolls off his tongue and he feels that he could warm up to it over time, if he hasn't already.
After all, this is his identity.
"I'm going after Cheshire." He announces one day as Green Arrow and Red Arrow are suiting up. There's a beat of silence between Green Arrow and Arsenal as the other Arrow continues to suit up. Roy has wrestled with this decision for a while because he knows the ramifications of this choice should he make the wrong decisions.
"You sure you're up to it?" Ollie asks. The Emerald Archer won't bother talking Roy out of this; he understands the need to hunt down part of the past. It's part of the path that Roy need to walk down. But Ollie's afraid that Roy will be consumed by a darker drive; it's happened to the best in their business. The trick is to walk the line between revenge and closure; Ollie isn't sure Roy can do that just yet. Because Batman's the only one who's walked that line 'successfully' and he uses that term very loosely.
"Doesn't matter if I am," Roy answers tersely, "I need some answers and I've waited long enough."
It's Red Arrow who places a hand on Roy's shoulder. The feeling of staring at a mirror is prominent and Roy is slightly taken aback by the motion and the feeling. He's kept his distance from Red Arrow for as long as he could, and vice versa, but it seems that tonight, both of them won't be able to run any longer.
There's conviction in Arrow's blue eyes, a sense of need that Roy is sure mirrors his own. "I'm coming with you." He says and his tone brooks no argument. When Roy begins to argue, Arrow narrows his eyes. "This involves me as much as it does you. I have every right to do this and you know it."
Of course Roy knows. Both of them were wronged in this, but Roy wants this to be his own thing. He needs it to be his own. Yet, this is his clone, so isn't it something he needs too? There's a conflict of interests for Roy; part of this 'mission' is to find some answers for himself, about why he was the one chose. The other part is to give him a chance to be away from all of this.
There's a prolonged silence as the two mirror images stare each other down. Ollie busies himself with getting ready for patrol that night.
"No." Roy finally says.
Red Arrow's eyes narrow further. "And why the-"
"You've spent the last four years living as me. I think it's time I take back my life, don't you think?" He interrupts.
"Sure," Red Arrow's brows furrow, "but-"
"Finding Cheshire, on my own, is the first step in achieving that. And," Roy sheathes another curved knife, "I suggest you stop living my life and live your own."
"Roy, that's-"
Arsenal leaves the room before Ollie can finish chastising him. A deeper part of Roy knows he should have agreed. But the bitter side of him doesn't want to allow Red Arrow that right. He's taken Roy's life, his mentor, his superhero path, his friends…Roy won't let him take his revenge.
His first few weeks are spent tracking down Cheshire's trail. And it's not an easy thing to do. After all, she's become a master assassin; he'd be disappointed if it was easy to find her. But she's not the only one who's been practicing; he's been cultivating his detective skills and while they may not be as good as Batman's, he knows it'll be good enough to find Cheshire.
The trail heats up while he's in Brazil. He confronts her in a shady looking hotel, doing some mercenary work, unsurprisingly. Blood is a heavy scent in the room and she's finishing off the last of the bodyguards of the target she's just killed when he walks in armed and dangerous.
Her mask is still on, but he hears her laugh and one of her Sais is pointing at his replaced arm. "Oooh, aren't you a big boy now?" She teases and slides nimble out of the way when he pulls the trigger. "Bullets? Really?"
"Just for you." He growls and ducks when she throws a few shuriken his way. As he hits the floor, he pulls the trigger on both guns, and she deflects them easily with her weapons.
"I'm flattered, really." She drawls. "But you know," he hears her smirk, "I'm sort of seeing someone right now. He kind of looks like you." The bait is dangled so blatantly before Roy.
He bites. After all, his temper is the only thing he still hasn't reigned in yet, and coming face to face with the woman who all but took away his life is doing nothing to quell the silent rage that's been slowly burning in him the past couple of months.
In a flash, he reholsters his guns and pulls out the knives in his calf sheaths. With speed that doesn't befit someone of his build, he's lunges at her, managing to swipe her mask off her face. But her reflexes are just as quick as his, if not better, and she sidesteps Roy as he slashes again, blocking his attempted uppercut with her Sais.
"Someone's been practicing~" Cheshire sings and backflips out of Roy's way, landing with a slide as the floor is still coated with blood. "But I thought," another duck, "you," block and punch, "were," a grunt as Roy kicks her in the stomach and sends her crashing into a wall, "an archer?"
Cheshire picks herself up off the floor, grimacing as the blood of her victims cling onto her clothes. "Or maybe that's your clone?"
"Shut. The hell. UP!" Roy yells and throws a knife at her, and it somehow lodges itself into Cheshire's shoulder.
Both combatants freeze in surprise before Cheshire laughs. Her fingers curl around the handle of the blade and her lips smirk as she throws Roy a look that states how impressed she is. "Well, look at that. You can aim after all."
And out of seemingly nowhere, she pulls out smoke bombs and as the room is enveloped by the gray haze, Cheshire's laughing again, this time light and taunting. "Let's hope you bring a better game next time, Arsenal."
It's only after he's cleaned himself and berated himself for his poor control over his temper does he realize: Cheshire still has his knife.
He finds her four day later, in Indonesia. This time, he manages to stop her before she completes her assassination. And it doesn't make her happy. He shot the dagger out of her hand when he burst into the room and her intended target scrambled past him as he stared her down, not allowing shock to color his face; because she's actually quite attractive without the mask on.
Cheshire's smile is annoyed, but her eyes are twinkling. "Persistent aren't you? Shame I have to reschedule; I'm a bit preoccupied." She tries to move past him, to chase after her target, but Roy stops her by attempting to grab her wrist. It's the wrong move as she whirls and her nails leave raked scratch marks on his cheek. They both step back and he pulls a gun on her. With a smile befitting her namesake, she observes her nails. "Isn't using a gun a bit extreme for heroes?"
A small chuckle escapes him and his smile turns almost cruel. "Whoever said I was a hero?" He pulls the trigger as she tries to lunge at him again, but the bullet only grazes her hair. He crouches to avoid the swing of the Sais she's pulled out and sweeps her feet out from under her. She pulls off a flip at the last second and they regard each other carefully.
"Mmmm…rebel, huh?" Her eyes travel up and down his form languidly, resting on his arm before she smiles finally. "Never told you that I liked your arm, did I?"
"No, but I'm sure you know how I lost the original."
Her eyes sparkle in realization. "Ah…is that why you're pursuing me?" She chuckles. "Your Q and A will have a price, you know?"
His eyebrow quirks slightly at the purr in her voice. He doesn't know how he should feel about that. "I think my three year imprisonment and loss of my arm is payment enough."
"I charge very exorbitant rates." She says and her arm twitches in the smallest way, giving her next move away to Roy.
Instinctively, Roy raises his right arm in defense and her shurikens (no doubt poison laced) bounce off the metal and clatter harmlessly to the floor. He lashes out his left arm when he sees a flash of green try to step by him and brings his other arm around in an attempt to trap her.
Cheshire's head is a lot harder than he expects. She thunks her forehead against his and Roy staggers back and rubs the targeted area while she hisses in pain. They recover at the same time and lock eyes. Half a second later she's darting the opposite way towards the window and he's hot on her heels. Or at least, he deludes himself into thinking that.
Atop the roofs, he finds that she's disappeared and he doesn't know how. Somewhere, he knows, she's laughing at him.
Those first two meetings define his 'relationship' with Cheshire for the next few months. Most of his time is devoted to catching her for answers, but the confrontations become less confronting and more like…quirky dates. Roy, being under the care of Ollie and sometimes Hal, was ahead of his friends when it came to members of the opposite sex. So yes, he knows that Cheshire flirts with him.
And yes, he flirts back.
She kisses him on their fifth encounter. He kisses her on the seventh. After that, things get steamier, even when his life is plagued by other events. It's gradually stopped becoming about the answers and more about seeing her. Roy doesn't recall when the change happened, or when it came, but somehow, through some sick cosmic joke, he thinks he's fallen in love with the assassin named Cheshire.
And Roy knows that it's bad, wrong, but it feels so. Damn. Good.
Roy takes his first shot in Myanmar, or Burma. He's been out of touch with the world for a while; the last time he talked to any of his friends and family was about a month and a half ago. The last time he's seen them was when he started hunting down Cheshire. That was about seven months ago. But they aren't trying to contact him and Roy's not exactly trying either. When he sees the news report, he thinks he understands why.
Back in America, Star City's Arrow 'family' have been making big headlines. The newest protégé, Artemis, is in the "Young Justice" (who have earned their respect in the hero community as well), but it's the duo that calls the most attention. Green and Red Arrow are commanding more fame than the Dynamic Duo of Gotham City.
He can't explain what drives him to do this. Maybe it's the footage of the Arrow duo working seamlessly together. Maybe it's the smile the Green Arrow gives his partner, a smile that Arsenal has always craved but never been given. Maybe it's the frustration of not being contacted for almost two months.
Aqualad's words haunt him. 'You are not being replaced.'
'Lies.' His mind screams at him. Maybe Aqualad was telling the truth, Roy doesn't know. But he does know this: he's hurt, he's angry and he needs an escape. And he's willing to try something he's spent his time as Speedy fighting against.
While the rest of the superhero community is combating this particular type of evil, Roy is going to embrace. After all, how bad can it be? Because, if he's been lied to before about certain things, who's to say he hasn't been lied to about this?
Since he's in Burma, it's really not that difficult to find a dealer. Just swing a dead cat and you're sure to find one. And find one Roy does and he takes back his purchases to his room and sets up his table. The liquid heroin, the needle, he sets down. It takes him but a moment to tie the piece of cloth he has around his arm and his vein is throbbing and he thinks this is a bad idea but, hey, how bad can it really be? He goes through the steps meticulously; it wouldn't be very…flattering if someone finds him dead on the ground because he didn't know how to shoot up properly.
They syringe provides him with an issue only because his right arm can't exactly manage it. Roy doesn't know if it's because the arm's not flesh, if it's because he's nervous, because he's excited or what. He figures it's an odd combination of the three. But he's finally managed to get a good grip on the syringe and next comes the difficult part. He's not used to using his robotic arm for something like this, so the first time he punctures himself, it hurts. But, Roy's okay and he tries again and he gets it this time. He gets it.
A few days later, he starts thinking.
He looks at the syringe that he hasn't touched since the first day, sitting so innocently on the table and he begins to contemplate: taking that hit wasn't so bad. He doesn't understand the big deal about drugs; it's not like they made him do anything. The small amount he feels after taking the drug is almost the same as before he took it. There is the small twinge of guilt in his chest when he admits to what he's done: he's injected heroin into himself. But…he's Roy freaking Harper. He's seen and done things that are considered impossible, worked with people that most consider untouchable. He's different from those addicted to these substances.
He'll know when to stop.
Roy keeps telling himself that after the second and third shots. By that time, he knows the right amount of pressure to keep the injection from hurting. A part of him knows he should be scared that he knows that, should feel guilty for succumbing to this feeling not twice or three times, but even once.
It gets to a point where he knows he hooked but he won't admit it. The shame of that would be impossible to bear, but he thinks he should go get help from Ollie and Dinah and Hal and everyone he trusts and he's scared, frightened but he's Roy Harper. So he swallows his damn pride and it's hard to stomach, and he returns to Star City. They'll sympathize, right?
The first thing he does is get in with the dealers. And he pays them in a different way. These guys are fixated on Ollie's arrows and Roy can supply those. He knows how, has his own supply that are almost like Ollie's. And that alone drives him to avoid telling his surrogate dad that he's back in town.
Ollie's protecting the city on his own recently, with Red Arrow being called more frequently on League missions. So one night, when Roy and a few others who are as addicted as him are hanging around, he should have known things would go downhill fast. Because the skeletons in the closet are always brought to light sooner or later.
The three of them are just sitting and talking and someone asks Roy about why he's taking these drugs. He declines to answer just as something green appears in the ceiling and, he wants to freeze or run and hide or just die, but it's Hal and Ollie in Lantern and Arrow gear. Lantern catches the two who run away, and they're screaming and ranting about how they're clean and Green Arrow threatens them with jail.
Roy decides that's a good a time as any to make his presence known. "You gonna lock me up too, Green Arrow?"
The Emerald Archer turns and his face brightens. "Roy! Well, I figured I'd find you here!"
That throws Roy off. "You-you did?"
"Well, with drug problems increasing here, I figured it had something to do with more than just your average crime lord. And I figured you might be on the track while following Cheshire. You always liked playing undercover agent." He reminisces fondly
"Right. Undercover." Roy nods and Ollie tells him to head to the house while he and Hal drop the other two off somewhere. And when they disappear, Roy lets out a shaky breath because he can feel that something big's about to happen and he's nowhere near prepared.
"I still don't understand why people would do this type of thing…." Green Lantern shakes his head sadly as he walks around the living room, after he and Ollie have dropped the junkies off. Walking helps him think, helps him try to fathom how snorting or shooting a lethal substance could be glorified so much.
Roy clears his throat but keeps his eyes on the ground. "Maybe I can shed some light on that, GL." He sighs deeply and clasps his hands together. "Let's just say…there's this guy, right? And he has this person he looks up to, a lot. Someone older. And let's just say that one day this older person forgets about the guy and replaces him, you know?" He wonders if they can hear the uneasiness in his voice. "Maybe…then maybe the guy will need something to substitute for that lost friendship…he might find it in these drugs."
The green clad heroes exchange looks and Green Arrow can't help but smirk. "Jesus, Roy. All you need is some sad music for that tale! Don't you know that I lose my lunch everytime I hear a sob story like that?" He chuckles and pats Green Lantern on the back as the guardian of the sector walks out the front door.
Outside, Green Arrow chuckles. "Can you believe that? Anyway, you're welcome to stay the night if you want, Hal. I'm sure the couch's comfortable."
"No, no, Coast needs me too. But I'll see you in the morning and we can keep at this case." He says, lighting up his ring. "You think…you think Roy's trying to tell us something?"
"Roy? Pfft, nah!" Ollie waves his hand dismissively. "That boy's always been like that, you know?" As his friend flies away, Green Arrow waves before turning to head back into the house. Roy's not where he was in the living room so Ollie shuffles off his quiver and sets down his bow as he searches for him. "Roy! I'm going to cook some of my special chili; you want some?" There's no answer, but there's a light on in Roy's room and Ollie invites himself in.
And is disturbed by what he finds.
"Oh, dear god! You are on drugs!" Ollie exclaims as he walks into the room and catches Roy, his son, just about to shoot himself up. "You're really a junkie?" He's not sure if that came out as a whisper or a yell. Maybe it was between the two.
"Who else did you think I was talking about?" Roy says with a bitter smile, gripping his forearm tightly. "Wally?" He barks out a laugh and sets down the needle as Ollie stands stunned at the doorway for a moment.
But only for a moment.
The disbelief in the older man's eyes quickly gives way to a hotter emotion; rage rushes in, pure, raw and at a level so intense, it's like Ollie's green eyes are burning brighter than a Lantern's ring. He reaches Roy in one stride and picks up his son by the collar of his shirt and before he knows it, Roy's being flung out the doorway. Ollie's hand stings and he makes the connection.
He just punched Roy. Roy. Who's doing drugs. Roy. His Roy. For a brief moment, the anger is replaced by a guilt that pierces his soul. He's hit Roy. He doesn't want to believe his eyes. Roy wouldn't do something like that. It's like he doesn't even know his own son. And that thought alone brings back the anger, sweeps away any sympathy he has and the rage that is in him is something Ollie has never felt before and he snaps because the pain is too much and he doesn't know how to deal with it any other way.
"YOU'RE A LOUSY JUNKIE! NO BETTER THAN THE REST OF THOSE PUNKS!" He roars and he grabs the item nearest to him, chucking it at the wall just behind Roy. The picture frame smashes as Roy tries to pick himself up off the ground.
"And hitting me will make you feel better? Then you should do it again!" The red head on the floor spits at him.
"Maybe you're right! What the hell were you thinking? Oh, wait. YOU WEREN'T!"
"Sorry that I can't get high off self-righteousness like you!" Roy snaps back. "Or that I'm not the Roy Harper you want! Isn't that why you replaced me?"
"SHUT UP! I'm not interested in hearing your fucking excuses! Hell, I'm not interested in you! Not anymore. Just. Get. OUT!" Ollie can't even stand to look at the boy he considered his son as Roy drags his body up and manages to walk to the door.
He pauses there. "Don't worry. I'm going."
The next thing Roy recalls is waking up in a room that's not his. But he knows whose it is. He's in Hal's apartment, in Coast City. He wonders how he managed to make it from Star City to Coast City without dying at some point. His head is pounding as he tries to bring up the memories and he suddenly wishes he hadn't.
He's managed to make it to Chinatown; it's where they all go when they need a hit, need a fix and need it fast. At least, that's why he thinks he's there. His mind's muddled and he can't think clearly or logically for that matter. That's probably why he ends up in the alleyway, making his bed among the trash and the garbage cans.
He doesn't know how long he's been lying there but there's a bright light, green. Green…GREEN! It's too bright though and he moans, trying to retreat deeper into the darkness. But the light's persistent and suddenly, Green Lantern's there, shining that light directly on him.
"Roy! Hey, you okay?"
The question's stupid and they both know it.
"S-sure…I'm fine! My gut's on f-fire…..chills….hands shaking…." He shudders and resists the urge to vomit. "Yeah. I'm in great fucking shape."
Green Lantern's helping support him and he's holding onto him right now like Roy's the most fragile thing he's seen. "What's wrong? What are you doing here? In the freaking alley?"
He laughs, but it's cut off quickly because he feels like hurling. "What's wrong is that I'm a junkie who needed a fucking fix."
"I'll get you to a doctor! Come on!" There's panic in Hal's voice laced with a twinge of disbelief. Seeing his almost nephew like this is killing him and it frightens him because he doesn't know what to do.
Roy reaches out for Hal's arm and his blue eyes are wide as he stares at the Green Lantern. "NO! I've gotta….kick this habit on my own. Prove…prove to Ollie that I'm as strong as him." Roy takes a breath. "Then…I'm gonna laugh at him."
Hal's hand keeps Roy steady as the young man struggles to stand. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I've no experience with drug withdrawal, Roy. But I can take you to my place."
The flight to Coast is riddled with conversation; Roy recalls trying to explain his reasons to Hal but it's blurry at the most. When they reach Hal's place, Roy slumps to the ground and Hal places a call to Dinah, who's in the area because when Ollie wanted Hal to crack the drug case with him, the Black Canary offered to take over as Coast's guardian for the while.
She arrives in almost no time flat.
And Roy has to explain again to Dinah what's occurred and he curls up against the wall, hugging himself, trying to avoid human contact. When Dinah tries to comfort him, he shrugs off her arm and snaps at her. "Just leave me alone, damn it!"
There are tears forming in her eyes and she bites her lip to keep from sobbing but Roy's not that strong right now. He thinks he can feel the tears prickle his eyes and he staggers to Hal's sink and runs the water, sticking his head in the flow. Something, anything to wash this away.
But he can't support himself for long and he sinks to the ground again, crying and he doesn't even know why. This time, when Dinah offers comfort, he doesn't reject it. He leans into her touch and sobs on her shoulder, hugging her for dear life and is glad that at least his pain can come in the form of tears, not drugs.
Hal is shaking his head from the entrance to the kitchen. "Where are we supposed to go from here?" The question is mostly to himself, meant to be unheard.
Roy wishes he knew the answer.
This reminds him of the time when Hal and Ollie argued about allowing him to train as a weapons expert. The time seems so far away now and Roy wistfully recalls how that day seemed to be one of the worst. Now, he sees that it was only a precursor to this day, to this argument, to this defining moment. And he can't believe that Hal is still sticking up for him. The trust his Uncle has in him is astounding and Roy knows he doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve anything.
The scene is different, as are the circumstances, but the feeling's the same. Part of Roy wants to have another fix, craves it. He needs to escape this reality and just go. But that's what lands him here in the first place; his inability to face his life, to learn how to deal. Instead, he chose to escape and it's Hal who had to rescue him, and it's Ollie who's going to have to snap him back to reality, even if it kills them both. Even if their relationship will never be the same.
Because Roy has crossed a line that can't be forgiven, no matter how sorry he is.
"What do you want me to do, Hal? The kid's a fucking addict!" Ollie's voice carries through wall of Hal's living room. He hears the disgust and disappointment, can hear the disbelief and the hurt.
"You ever stop to think why he ended up that way?" Hal's voice snaps back and Roy is in disbelief over this still. For as long as he has remembered, Hal and Ollie have been friends. Even when Roy decided to train with other weapons, the fight that should have driven two friends apart only helped to bring them a bit closer together. The tone of this argument is different. One wrong word, wrong step from either of them, and years of friendship will vanish.
"I taught him to be strong, to be independent, to hang tough. Obviously, I didn't raise him right."
The words hurt and cut deeper than Roy is comfortable admitting.
"No. You didn't raise him at all." Hal's voice drips with pure venom and that really wakes Roy up. He pulls himself out of the bed and tiptoes to the door, peeking to glance at the living room. Hal and Ollie are standing off against each other in civilian clothing, but the ring on Hal's finger glows brightly and Ollie grips his bow with enough pressure that it should crack. "He needed HELP after the ordeal with Cheshire and, hell, even before that! HE WOKE UP AFTER THREE YEARS IN CAPTIVITY and you did nothing!"
Ollie backs up, defensive. "I TRIED! I LET HIM DO WHAT HE WANTED TO DO! What else was there?"
"You didn't let him do what he needed to do. And that was follow you. He was lost, Ollie! Of course drugs were his only option!" Hal yells. "What was he supposed to do? Talk to you? In case you didn't notice, he's tried that before and you shut him down!"
"I found my own path when I became Green Arrow." Ollie hisses and his eyes are narrowed into slits. " Roy was supposed to do the same. He could have done the same. What he did? That was a cop out and you and I both know it. He doesn't need the attention at that age so don't you dare pin this on me!" The Emerald Archer exhales deeply. "He's not my son. Not right now."
When the door slams and signals Ollie's departure, Hal sinks into his couch. "He doesn't' mean it." He tells Roy without turning around. The Green Lantern lets the emotional drain of the argument show on him; he body limps and his head falls back, his eyes closed and his face in a muted sort of pain. The kind of pain that occurs when you've fought with one of your best friends and you know that things won't be remedied for a while. If ever.
Roy joins Hal on the couch. "Didn't sound like that to me."
Hal groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Ollie…he doesn't know how to deal with this. Frankly, neither do I, Roy. He'll come around. Eventually. This is….it's a big blow for him." He says quietly. In truth, neither of them know when or if Ollie will recover from this.
But Roy knows that he will. He's lost an important relationship with Ollie and he considers himself lucky that Hal and Dinah, even his friends, have accepted that he's made a major mistake. They will forgive him with time. Ollie will be up in the air, but that convinces Roy more to give up on his escape, to never look at heroin again and think of it as a chance to run away. Because he meant it when he said he was going to kick this habit and rub it in Ollie's face. He knows that Ollie's not entirely blameless in this situation, but Roy's not going to judge his surrogate father's inability to own up to his actions. Or lack of.
He's tired of running and he's tired of going at it alone. Roy knows he needs help and he's willing to accept it this time. After all, he's not the only one running a race.
Author's note: First off: In no way, shape or form, do I or have I ever condoned the usage of illegal substances. I do not think they are or will ever be the answer to anything. However, it was necessary to include it in this story as it is a big part of what comic writes did to him. The story it was exposed in actually won a prize. That whole explanation on the story, "Snowbirds Don't Fly" can be found on my profile page at the bottom of my profile.
Second, if you have an aversion to Roy/Cheshire and don't see how it came to be in this, my failsafe: It's canon. It really is. And it'll bring up some fun confrontations in the future, yeah?
Finally, this chapter was very difficult to write. It probably underwent about four or five rewrites and edits. Parts were added or taken away and this wasn't written in one sitting like usual. I had some help in the drug scenes because I couldn't write that on my own and make it realistic enough. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and needed. This chapter is the turning point of the whole story, in my opinion.Any comment, questions or concerns that are directed to me could and probably will influence how the rest of the story is written.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this and read the note and thank you to all who have reviewed, alerted, or added this to their favorites. It's truly an honor.
.chary