Roy still couldn't believe it. After five years of wishing, he finally had Erin in front of him, had felt her skin against his, and now she was gone.
Again.
She had faded away like a puff of smoke. He reached for the space where she had been, but it was useless.
Part of him wanted to slip back into that deep, empty depression that had plagued him for so long. The other part of him was screaming. Screaming at him to get off his ass and rejoin the team like Erin had told him to. She was his life and knowing that she was watching over him made him want to be the old Roy again. The better Roy.
So he did just that.
Roy jumped up and wrote a short note to Jade. He didn't tell her where he was going or when, or even if, he would be returning. Heck, he didn't even say goodbye. He didn't even know why he was leaving her a note. Jade hadn't said anything when she left, just took off, knowing that she was carrying his child.
Roy crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash, knowing that Jade would see it sooner or later.
Next, Roy went into the bedroom. He grabbed his duffle bag out of the closet and stuffed it full with clothes. Pausing at the dresser, a certain object catching his eye.
It was a picture of his daughter, Lian. The picture rested in a frame that he had engraved with her name. Roy felt a little guilty for leaving her, but she needed a dad she could be proud of when she got older, especially with the mother she had.
Roy took the picture and placed it safely in the folds of the clothes.
After double checking that he had what he needed, Roy grabbed his bow case, swung the duffle bag over his shoulder and exited through the window to avoid running into Jade if she happened to be in the hallway.
On the roof of his apartment building, Roy took a deep breath and started on his way to the one place he had avoided for five years.
Happy Harbor.
()*()*()*()*()
It was nightfall when Roy arrived. He rested on a rooftop where he could see the Cave. Sitting down, he leaned against a brick chimney.
"What are you doing here?"
Roy looked up to where the voice came from to see Dick standing over him. Roy smirked and shrugged.
"I'm doing what Erin told me to do," Roy said.
Dick was taken back. "Erin, but–"
"I know she's dead, Dick, but she came to me. She's been watching over all of us and she told me to rejoin the team. And that's what I'm doing."
Dick raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think we'll take you back?"
Roy sighed and removed the watch from his neck, opening it up so both of them could see Erin's picture. "It's been five years, Dick, since she died. I never got over her. Then she shows up like a ghost in my apartment for five minutes, tells me to do something and then disappears." He glanced up at Dick. "I'm doing what she told me to do. You can't stop me."
"Erin will always be a part of all of us," Dick said. "She was our first casualty. None of us can get over that." He smiled and nudged Roy with his foot. "Come on. I'm sure there's still a room with your name on it."
Roy returned the smile and returned the pocket to its home as he stood up and followed Dick to his new home.