Description: A tired Oliver visits a disillusioned Roy after The Siege. Two hardened softies match whits.

A/N [For those who read the first 3 chaps. of this fic]:
So, things have changed a bit for me. I won't be writing 18 of these anymore. I may write more than 18, I may write less, but it's no longer a specific number.

Instead, I'll be posting the scenes and things I had written for my own version of Arrow's third season. They won't be whole eps' because that would be a lot to write, and even more to read. I've boiled it down to just the scenes and story-lines I was most passionate about.

There are a few more shorts before my S3 season actually starts, like this one.
~•~

Refresher [unfortunately I couldn't find most of the clips I needed, so I summarized instead]:

Slade kidnapped Thea. Roy was mad at Oliver for this, and left. Roy went on a rampage. Moira (Oliver and Thea's mother) was killed. Oliver told Thea it was a good idea for her to leave Starling after their mom was killed. Thea met Roy at his home the night of the Siege. Thea discovered Roy was lying to her and left. Roy was devastated. Oliver gave Roy his mask.

Like a mother with her child it seemed as if Starling City's weather patterns had some sort of meta-physical bond to the The Arrow's emotions.

It had been raining almost non-stop for over two weeks casting the city into a dreary and gloomy state.

Today was the first day that the sun had come out to reminded everyone that it was still overhead.

Oliver Queen was grateful for the nice weather as he walked to Roy Harper's home deep in the Glades.

He had never actually been to Roy's apartment before. He felt somewhat guilty for this, especially since Thea had been living out here for a while.

Just then Oliver's destination came into view.

It was less of an apartment and more of a trailer sans the wheels; a very small, long-box with some steps leading up to a small porch. The front door had a storm-door, but that seemed to be one of the few "luxuries" the place had going for it. The way the structure was raised it looked as if their could be a basement, but given the neighborhood it was more likely a crawlspace.

Oliver stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the metal frame of the storm-door. He waited for a while, but no one answered. He tried to look through one of the windows, but it was dirty.

He was about to leave and try Roy's phone again when a red and black motorcycle drove up. A moment later Roy stood up off the seat taking his helmet off as he did.

"Hey," Oliver called in a friendly tone.

Roy didn't say anything at first, his eyes darting up and down Oliver's frame. Oliver was a little surprised by the response, since they were working together, but decided to dismiss it.

"Hey," The younger man replied finally as he put his helmet on the seat.

"Where you been?" Oliver asked making tactful conversation.

"Bluddhaven. Just, went back to get my stuff." Roy replied.

Oliver nodded. He walked over to Roy. "Want some help bringing it inside?" Oliver asked.

Roy hesitated looking back at the boxes cabled to his bike. "…No, I can get it. It's not that much." Roy turned back to his bike.

Oliver was thoughtful as Roy unhooked one of the boxes from the back of his bike. "I can open it up for you?" He said.

Roy looked unsure for a moment then dug into his pocket and handed Oliver a set of keys.

Oliver walked up to the door and unlocked the screen, then the wooden door. He held both open as Roy carried in a box of his belongings.

"Thanks." Roy said over his shoulder as they both came inside.

"No problem." Oliver said letting the door close behind him.

Roy set the parcel in his arms on the floor in front of some cubby-like shelves. "Uh…I have a few more things to get…. You can sit down if you want."

Oliver nodded as Roy went back outside.

Oliver took this opportunity to look around the small sixty-five by twenty-eight apartment. Their were no family photos anywhere, not that he really expected to see any since Roy did say he had just brought back his belongings.

For all they had worked together, which still wasn't much compared to himself and Diggle or even Felicity, he didn't know much about Roy except for what Thea had told him which also was not much. Oh he had done a back ground check on him, right after he said he could help the Arrow that night in the alley behind Verdant before the boy knew his identity, but it didn't have much in it: a few misdemeanors, dead father and sister, missing mother. Still, that was probably more than most people knew about him. Roy was always so closed mouth about anything that had to do with his personal life.

Oliver noticed some red neon pictures on the walls. Red hoodie, red car, red neon; this guy really had thing for the color.

Just then, Roy walked back inside carrying a small cardboard box.

"You sure do like red," Oliver commented.

Roy set his stuff down. "Yeah?" He looked around the room and seemed to notice what Oliver had. "Guess I didn't notice before." He said, shrugging off Oliver's comment. "So, what's up?" He asked.

Oliver meandered around the room for a moment, "I came here to talk to you; see how you were doing. How are you feeling?"

"Tired." He said heaving out a sigh.

"Right. Anything else?"

"You trying to figure out if I'm still mirikuru free?"

Oliver narrowed his gaze at the young man. "Yes."

Roy shook his head unfazed by his mentors glare. "I don't know why you can never be honest with anyone. Oh wait! Forgot who I was talking to for a second."

Oliver's nose bunched in annoyance. "Do you feel any effects of the mirikuru?" He asked.

"No, not that I can tell really. How long was I out?" Roy asked suddenly.

Oliver took a deep breath thinking for a moment; searching for a safe answer. "Just over a week." He said finally.

Roy nodded.

"Have you heard from Thea?" Oliver asked.

Roy was stiff for a moment. "No," he threw over his shoulder as he started going through a nearby box. "Not since the night of the siege."

Oliver didn't know Roy had seen his sister that night. Thea should have been out of the city by the time Roy woke up. Oliver felt a knot forming in his stomach. "Did she make it out of town alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, she was fine." Roy replied, but his voice was strained.

Oliver could feel his pulse speeding up. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure." Roy's voice was still off. "She came to my place, we talked things over, then she left." Roy added seeing that he was not satisfied.

Oliver could tell something was still off, but it seemed that Roy was being truthful that Thea was safe so he decided to drop it, but he would call her as soon as he left. "Good."

"I'm sorry," Roy said suddenly. "About your mom."

Oliver dropped his shoulders that had risen at the news of Thea and nodded. "Thank you." Roy looked as if he felt guilty. "What's wrong?"

Roy shrugged. "I don' know…. I, just kinda feel like I should have been there, for Thea, you know." Oliver nodded thoughtfully.

There was another long stretch of silence save for the clanking of Roy's junk in boxes as he dug around in them. "Is that another reason why you came here? T' ask about Thea?"

"No. No, actually," but he was glad he did. "So, we have a lot of work to do at the foundry," Oliver began changing the subject.

"I though it was 'compromised'." Roy said, making air-quotes.

"We're cleaning it up." Oliver said a little defensively.

"Doesn't change the fact that the League of Crazy-A** Assassins know where it is."

Oliver scrunched his lips in frustration. Why did Roy always see the need to oppose him constantly? "Look, we're cleaning things up, and we could use your help with it. Have you gotten things together to where you could come back yet?"

Roy didn't say anything. Oliver saw him chance a glance in his direction then quickly look away.

Finally, he rose up from his boxes and went to the tiny kitchen area. Oliver heard a cabinet close a moment later before Roy reappeared.

"Here," Roy handed him a box. Oliver opened it. Oliver saw a flicker of red.

It was a matte red mask, the mask he had given Roy about a week earlier. "You can have this back, I don't need it anymore." Roy went back to unpacking his boxes.

Oliver just stood there for a moment staring at the box in his hands.

Since the moment he had met Roy it seemed all the boy wanted to do was meet the Arrow, help the Arrow, work with the Arrow. Now he had accepted him. This was everything he had worked for, but now he was telling him he didn't want it.

Maybe he just did not understand what Roy meant. "What's this?"

"A woman's severed head. Oh wait, you probably don't get that reference."

Oliver leaned back onto his heel taken aback by Roy's remark. "First, I saw Seven, and second, I'm not letting you out in the field without a mask." He said.

Roy turned and gave him a confused look. "Slade's gone…in jail now, I mean."

"So?" Oliver snapped.

"So, you don't need me. Slade's gone, the League of Assassins is no longer a threat to you guys, and Brother Blood's dead. So, you don't need me."

Oliver's jaw went slack in his head as he tried to get his head around what was going on. "Just because Slade's gone doesn't mean I don't need help, just ask Diggle."

"You didn't want it before." Roy snarked.

"Well, I want it now." Oliver sighed before looking at the ceiling trying to gather his thoughts. "So long as there's a Starling City the people here will always be in danger, and I've realized that I will always need help to protect them." Oliver held out the box, "and I want your help to save the city."

Roy looked away from him to the floor. "I quit," he said quietly. "I quit before already."

He had. Oliver remembered now. With all that was going on the last time they were together he had forgotten. "You helped during The Siege."

"…I know…I owed you." Roy would not look at him now.

"And now you don't?" Oliver crossed his arms.

"Not as far as I can see."

"You should have your eyes checked."

Oliver stuffed the box into his jacket, and headed for the door. He stopped short and turned around. "You know, I thought you were someone who wanted to help this city! Someone who cared about the people and wanted to do whatever it took to fix things. To right his past wrongs, and make up for them! That's who I thought you were. I thought, Roy Harper was someone I could count on."

"Guess you were wrong, as usual." Roy's hardened features were rigid and his voice stone cold.

He had to leave. He had to get out of there. "…Guess I was." Wouldn't be the first time. An image of Slade flashed through his mind for a split second.

Oliver let the screen door slam behind him.

It was raining again. Thunder rolled overhead.

~•~

Alone again in his tiny box.

He gripped the counter of his almost non-existent kitchen trying to hold himself together as his body shook with emotion. Liquid splashed in all directions as hit the counter from its source above. The side of one of the cabinets splinted with a 'crash' as he laid his fist into it.

Why did he always end up back here?

Why was he always so empty?

Why did he always lose?

If you like this story feel free to check out my other ongoing staring Bucky Barns and Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing, called The Bird & the Soldier. Shameless self-promotion? You bet!

Roy's line about a woman's head comes from the movie Seven, which Stephen Amell has referenced (along with David Ramsey) at panels.

Thanks for reading,

~T. W. Quill