A/N: So I have been watching all of the seasons of Arrow recently and I have come to love the character Roy Harper and his friendship/brother relationship they have. This is going to be focused on Roy. I haven't found any stories so far that are focused on Roy and not Oliver or Felicity. This is going to be in Season three near the start, but it will be before the episode where Roy thinks he killed Sara. Everything else still applies up until that point. The only change I am going to make is that his mother died and his father abandoned him. Roy assumes he is dead, but you will come to find that he is not dead in my story.

Summary: Roy has been troubled by nightmares that are keeping him awake at night. He hasn't been sleeping and it is starting to show. He is working during the day to pay his bills and at night he is going out on the streets helping Oliver keep the city safe. The last thing he needed was an old face appearing in his life, making it even harder. With this old face now giving Roy problems his low self-confidence and feeling of worthlessness is increasing more and more. Oliver, now worried about the young man that has slowly become like a brother to him. He tries to reach out to Roy to see what has been bothering him. Oliver won't lose another member of his family, he won't bury any more friends. He's not going to let Roy go through this alone and he's not taking no for an answer.

Warnings: Swearing, drug use eventually, torture, violence and rape eventually in later chapters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 1

It was just after six at night and Roy was making his way through the side entrance to the Foundry or Arrowcave as Felicity likes to call it in secret from Oliver. Roy was exhausted and he was doing his best to ignore just how exhausted he was. His mind couldn't help, but think back to early that morning when he had arrived back at his place to find someone there waiting for him.

Flashback

Roy had been out all night with Oliver helping him to catch up a few more criminals that the police were having difficulties with. He had been spending more and more time out at night because he was afraid to fall asleep. He had been struggling with nightmares for months now, ever since Sara's death. It started out as once in a while and now it was happening every time he closed his eyes. He just couldn't handle seeing the nightmares anymore and as a result he was pushing off sleep as long as he can or skipping it completely some nights. He discovered he could go three days without sleep before he got too exhausted and he needed a few hours to be able to keep going. He knew Oliver would be pissed if he ever found out. It was okay for Oliver to go out with very little sleep or injured, but he wasn't allowed. Roy knew it was because Oliver cared about him and didn't want him to get hurt, but sometimes that little voice in his head told him it was because he was a burden to Oliver. Roy did his best to fight that voice down, but sometime when he was exhausted and it was a shitty day it got hard to fight the voice back. Roy walked into his rundown apartment, the same one he has been in for a few years now. He closed and locked the door and turned around, but he was so exhausted he didn't notice that he wasn't alone until a strong punch landed on the left side of his face. It knocked him into the wall and down to the floor. Roy looked up stunned at the person who had punched him. Roy recognized the man immediately. He hadn't seen him in fifteen years, but there was no mistaking that face, as it held features that he sees in the mirror every single day.

"Hello Son." Roy Harper Senior said with disgust laced in his voice before he gave another powerful punch to the left side of Roy's face once again.

Roy Senior turned around and went to look around the small apartment. Roy was stunned and shocked at seeing his father after all of these years. Roy began to stand up not wanting to be on the ground defenseless should his father attack him again.

"What are you doing here?" Roy said with as much anger as he could in his voice to mask the fear surging through his body.

"Watch that tone boy. You know how much I hate when you talk back." Roy Senior warned in a deadly tone.

Roy could all too easily remember how his father got when he even suspected any attitude in someone. Roy had been on the receiving end of his father's hatred and anger many times. Roy's mind was becoming very flooded with painful memories that he had wished he had long forgotten.

"Why are you here?" Roy asked more calmly not wanting to get hit again.

This was the man that his anger was all about. Roy's anger was from everything his father had done to him. It was from being on the street since he was eight years old. Roy always believed that if he ever met his father again he would give him one hell of a beating and release all of that built up anger. Yet after fifteen years Roy thought his father was dead, but he was finding the anger wasn't there when he looked at his father. Instead it was a paralyzing fear that was filling his body at the sight of his father.

"A father can't come and see his son?" Roy Senior asked with a false innocence.

"It's been fifteen years since you left. You were dead for all I knew. So why now?" Roy asked as he thought about trying to get out of the door before his father would notice.

"I have some business to handle in town. And some unfinished business. I don't see why I couldn't come and see my only son, only child while I am in town."

"What business?"

"See there has been this interruption with my supply line. It goes through here to reach my main distribution centre. The drugs though keep getting apprehended by the police with the help of this Arrow freak. I had plans of sending someone down here to kill him, do a little surveillance on him. Imagine my surprise when I see you speaking with him. Meeting with him in secret. So I decided to come down here and ask my son who the man under the hood is."

"I don't know and even if I did I wouldn't be telling you." Roy said with determination in his voice.

"Still as stupid as ever I see. I won't ask you again. Who is he?" Roy Senior said in a deadly tone.

Roy knew he didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't tell his father about Oliver. He wasn't going to betray him like that or put him or Thea in danger. Roy ran to the door and tried to unlock it before his father could reach him. The problem was his place was not that big so it only took his father two long strides. Roy Senior slammed Roy into the door with all of his might. His father was a large man, around Diggle's size in height and weight. Someone that size against Roy's size in a space this small was not helpful to Roy at all. Roy felt blood going down his face from his nose smashing into the door before he took three hard and fast punches to his right ribs. Roy struggled to get off from the door and his father grabbed him by his biceps in a bruising grip and threw him away from the door down the hallway. Roy landed on the floor and his forehead banged against the floor. More blood started to go down the side of his face. His father was relentless and uncaring. He went over to Roy and began to kick him in the stomach and ribs with all of his strength. Roy tried to curl into a ball to protect his stomach and ribs, but it didn't do much. He put his arms over his head to protect it from serious injury.

"Who is he!" Roy Senior yelled as he continued to kick his son as hard as he could in any place he could hit.

"I don't know!" Roy yelled back hoping his father would accept that answer and leave.

"I don't believe you. What is he your hero? What a joke. You think he cares about your safety or you? He doesn't. He's just using you for information. You are nothing more than some worthless pawn to him. He won't care what happens to you." Roy Senior said as he continued to kick Roy.

"I don't know who he is I swear!" Roy yelled back doing his best not to listen to his father's poisonous words.

"You tell him to come to 2918 Jackson. I'll be there waiting for him and if he doesn't show I'll be back." Roy Senior said with one final powerful kick to Roy's head knocking him out cold on the floor. His father just smirk before he turned and left the house. Slamming the door closed behind him.

End of Flashback

Roy had been out for a good five hours before he had come to. When he did finally come to there was a small pool of blood around his head and his whole body hurt. Roy tried to keep his eyes open, but he just couldn't and he feel back under for another five hours. The next time he woke up he was in even more pain and his whole apartment was spinning. Roy knew he needed to get some doctor to look him over, but in order to do that he would actually have to get up. Roy had forced himself to get up off the floor and out the door. There was a free clinic a few blocks from his place that would be able to look him over. Roy had managed to stumble over there. The sunlight had hurt his head even more and he couldn't wait for when it would get dark. He had gotten looked over and then began to make his way to Verdant so he could be in the Foundry. He always felt safe there and even though he knew he should be at home resting he just couldn't bring himself to go back there yet.

Everything was painful and each step he took his swayed slightly. He had a concussion among other problems, but with no medical coverage he just had to push on and get to Verdant so he could rest there. He stumbled to the side entrance outside so he could get in without Thea noticing him. He opened the door and headed down the stairs slowly. When he finally made it part way he saw Felicity had turned to see who had walked in. Her eyes went wide when she saw the condition that Roy was in she got up out of her chair and went over to Roy as she yelled.

"Oliver!"

Felicity went up the rest of the stairs to help Roy walk down them as he swayed slightly.

"I'm ok." Roy said through clenched teeth from the pain.

"This does not look okay to me." Felicity said with worry and concern in her voice for her friend.

Oliver and Diggle came around the corner and they were both shocked to see Roy injured and Felicity trying to help him get down the stairs.

"Roy, what happened?" Oliver asked with anger and concern in his voice as he ran over to help take Felicity's place.

"Long story." Roy said through clenched teeth as Oliver helped him over to sit down in one of the chairs. Roy didn't want to sit though so he just half leaned against the desk. Sitting had hurt a lot at the free clinic's office.

"You need to sit or lay down Roy." Diggle said.

"Hurts too much to sit." Roy said.

"Shouldn't you be in a hospital right now?" Felicity asked with concern.

"Free clinic down the street from me checked me out." Roy said with a shaky voice.

"Injuries?" Diggle asked as Oliver was already undoing Roy's sweatshirt to check him over himself.

"Concussion, cracked jaw, bruised kidney, three broken ribs, cracked wrist, four sprained fingers and bruising." Roy said with pain all throughout his voice.

"Oh my god." Felicity said sadly.

"You should be in a hospital Roy." Diggle said.

Oliver had Roy's shirt raised so he could look at the bruising. He gently touched his ribs and Roy let out a hiss from the pain. Oliver quickly checked Roy over before he put the shirt back down and took Roy's right hand in his gently. That hand was the one with the cracked wrist and it was wrapped in a tension bandage it also had his index and middle finger taped together. The left hand had his ring and pinky taped together. Both hands didn't have any bruising from a fight on them. Oliver pushed up Roy's sleeves and he was able to see the bruising on his forearms and Oliver knew that the injuries to his hands were from him protecting his face and head from the hits. Oliver put the sleeves back down before he looked at Roy. He could see the pain in Roy's eyes, but also fear, a very deep and dark fear and Oliver found his blood boiling at whoever put that fear into Roy.

"Dig, Felicity, give us the room for a minute please." Oliver said without taking his eyes off from Roy who was now looking down.

"Let us know if you need anything." Diggle said.

Diggle and Felicity both headed around the corner to give Roy and Oliver some space and time to talk in private.

"What happened Roy?" Oliver asked with patience in his voice.

"I can't tell you." Roy said as he kept his head down.

"Why not?" Oliver asked calmly once again. He could see the pain and fear in Roy's eyes and he knew it would take a little bit to get him to open up to him.

"Please Oliver just let this go please." Roy begged. He was exhausted and in a lot of pain the only thing he wanted to do right now was lay down and try to sleep. He didn't want Oliver going out after his father and potentially walking into a trap.

"I can't do that Roy and you know I can't. If you didn't want me to get involved then why come here?" Oliver asked calmly again.

"Because this is the only place I have ever felt safe. And I need to feel safe right now." Roy admitted softly.

"You always will be safe here Roy." Oliver said comfortingly. "Your hands are not bruised or cut up, which means you didn't fight back. So either you were attacked and you didn't have the chance to fight back or you were overpowered. My guess is that it's neither of those though. That all-consuming terror in your eyes tells me that you are terrified of this person. So terrified that you didn't even fight back. You need to tell me who it was that hurt you, who has you so terrified Roy?" Oliver asked gently.

"I can't tell you. If I do you could get hurt." Roy said looking at Oliver for the first time since being left alone together.

"And if you don't you'll be hurt." Oliver stated.

"I'm already hurt." Roy said sadly.

"And I'm not about to let you get hurt any further. Roy, you are seriously injured. You should be in a hospital right now. You need to tell me who hurt you Roy. I need to know what happened so I can keep you safe. Roy please tell me what happened." Oliver said and Roy could see the pleading in his eyes.

Roy was never good at not doing what Oliver had wanted him to do. Oliver had saved his life when no one in the world had even given a damn about him. For the first time in his life someone had cared and saw something in him. Oliver had given him hope, had given him a purpose and when he was injected with Mirakuru he didn't turn around and kill him. He had offered to help him, to train him and when he was no longer infected Oliver still made him a part of his team. Roy knew he would always do what Oliver asked of him, because he owed him everything.

"It was my father." Roy finally admitted.

Oliver let out a sigh. He didn't know anything about Roy's life outside of him dating Thea and him committing petty theft crimes. He didn't know where his parents were or what they were like. Oliver now knew that Roy's own father did this to him so growing up wouldn't have been ideal for a child. Roy also admitted for the first time that this place was the first place he had ever felt safe in, meaning growing up he never did. Oliver felt his rage increasing at the thought that Roy's own father had injured him this badly. Oliver looked at Roy like a younger brother and right now he wanted blood.

"What happened?"

"I got home this morning and he was there. I didn't notice. I should have noticed I've just been so tired. He punched me before I even knew someone was there. He wanted to know who you were, who the Arrow is. Apparently, he's been running this drug ring and you kept helping the police stop it. He had someone spying on you and taking pictures. He saw you talking to me and he thought I knew who you were. I told him I didn't know, but he didn't believe me. He kicked my ass and then said for me to tell you to come to 2918 Jackson, that he would be waiting for you. Then he left and I passed out for ten hours." Roy said with pain in his voice.

"Dig, Felicity come here please!" Oliver called.

"What are you doing?" Roy asked with worry.

"I'll take care of it."

"You can't it could be a trap."

"I can't let this go Roy. He will come back for you. I'm not going to let him hurt you again. I will get him apprehended and he can be arrested. You should speak to Detective Lance he can write the report for assault."

"I can't. I'm sorry I can't do that. I know that disappoints you but please don't make me do that." Roy said with complete terror in his voice.

Oliver went over to Roy as he spoke. He placed his hands gently on Roy's biceps and spoke gently.

"Hey it's okay. I understand why you can't. I'm not disappointed in you Roy. I know he terrifies you and charging him and being in a court room with him would be very difficult for you. It's okay you said he's part of a drug ring then we will get him that way. I'm not disappointed in you. I'm proud of you. Even after everything he did to you, you still kept my secret. I'm going to finish this for you. He will never hurt you again Roy."

"I don't want you hurt because of me. It could still be a trap."

"What could be a trap?" Felicity asked as her and Diggle came back around the corner.

"Felicity, pull up 2918 Jackson please." Oliver said.

"What's going on Oliver?" Diggle asked.

Oliver looked over at Roy. Oliver had removed his hands from Roy, but he was still standing closely beside him. Oliver was only going to tell them that it was Roy's father if he said it was okay. Roy just gave a small nod and Oliver spoke.

"Roy's father attacked him looking to discover my identity. Turns out his father has been running drugs and we have put away his men and his drugs. He told Roy he would be at that address and to tell me."

"So a trap is looking more and more likely here." Diggle said.

"2819 Jackson Street is just an old warehouse, it's been shut down for five years. It's all industrial there. I can get the blueprints online though." Felicity said as she typed away.

"So what's the plan?" Roy asked.

"Dig and I will go and check it out. I'll call Lance and let him know so he can be in the area with a patrol to help make the arrests. You need rest. There's a cot still here you can rest here."

"And if it's a trap?" Roy asked with worry.

"We will handle it. We've been in tough situations before. Try not to worry." Oliver said.

"Ya." Roy said sarcastically.

"It'll be fine Roy. We can handle ourselves. If we have to get out then we will." Diggle said trying to comfort Roy.

"Ok I got the blue prints. The city really should work on putting up better firewalls. So the warehouse was just used as storage for a furniture company. There shouldn't be anything you need to worry about, but if they are making or keeping drugs there to ship out then you might have something explosive there. From what I can see the electricity is still on, but it's manual because it's so old. I can't turn it off from here that would have to be you." Felicity said.

"What about eyes on the place?" Diggle asked.

"I'll see if there are any working cameras in the area." Felicity said as she began to type.

Roy sluggishly brought his right hand up to his forehead. His eyes were starting to get black dots in front of them. His head felt weird and he didn't know what was going on. He had never felt like this before. Diggle could see Roy sway slightly and he wasn't looking too good. He was getting pale.

"Roy, you alright?" Diggle asked with concern.

Oliver turned his head to look at Roy and he could tell something was seriously wrong with him. Oliver placed his hands once again on Roy's biceps as he spoke.

"Roy, what are you feeling?"

"I don't… I don't feel so good." Roy swayed and he placed his hands on Oliver's forearms to try and keep his balance.

"What's going on?" Felicity asked with worry.

"Roy, listen to me. You are fainting right now. It's okay just relax I got you." Oliver said as he recognized the signs.

He held onto Roy and brought him against his chest. Roy dropped his forehead onto Oliver's shoulder and Oliver wrapped his arms around Roy as he spoke.

"It's okay I got you. Don't fight it, it'll only make it worse trust me. Just relax, it'll be over soon." Oliver said trying to comfort Roy. He had fainted a few times himself and the first time he didn't understand what was happening and he felt like he was never going to wake up again.

Roy's leg gave out and Oliver had him. He gently lowered Roy down to the ground. He placed Roy's head on his knees to keep him from being on the floor.

"I can't help, but think he should be in a hospital." Felicity said with worry.

"There isn't anything they can do for him. He wants to be here. He told me this was the only place he's ever felt safe in. I'm not about to move him to a place he doesn't feel safe in. He can rest here while we are gone and then I'll spend the night with him and make sure he is okay."

"His own father did this to him? I know we see some cruel and horrible things, but this seems worst then all of them. He's a sweet kid. To just beat the crap out of him and he's your own son. No wonder the kid doesn't have much confidence." Diggle said.

"You think he has low confidence?" Felicity asked.

"You don't?" Diggle asked slightly surprised.

"I don't know. I always just thought he was the quiet and easy going type."

"He might be, but he's got a confidence issue. You can tell he's unsure of himself. The only time he isn't is when he's fighting."

"I'm trying to help him with it. I make sure I tell him he did good when we were out." Oliver said.

"His father might be the root of all of that. What do we know about him?" Diggle asked.

"Nothing." Oliver said.

"I'll find everything I can on him." Felicity said.

"Keep an eye on him when we are out." Oliver said.

"I will." Felicity replied.

Roy let out a moan and they knew he was coming to.

"It's okay Roy." Oliver said gently.

Roy slowly opened his eyes, but he squinted them and let out a groan as the lights were now shinning down into his eyes.

"What happened?" Roy asked with a heavy and shaky voice.

"You fainted. You're okay you just need rest. If I help you, do you think you can stand up?" Oliver asked calmly again. He knew Roy was still terrified and he didn't want to make it worse by pushing Roy to do something he want ready for.

Roy just gave a small nod as his eyes flicked closed again. He forced them to open and to stay awake for a little while longer. Oliver moved so he had his left forearm under Roy's neck as he spoke.

"Put your arms around my neck and stand up."

Roy moved his arms and grabbed onto Oliver and together they got Roy up onto his feet. Roy swayed slightly and his legs gave out for a second, but Oliver had him. Diggle came over to make sure that Oliver had Roy enough. He could tell Roy was getting weaker and weaker and Diggle knew that if they didn't get Roy laying down and resting there was a good chance he would faint again. Oliver walked with Roy around the corner and over to where the cot was. There was still a couple of pillows and a blanket as well.

"Grab a cold, damp cloth and a cold compress Dig." Oliver said as he got Roy over to the cot.

Diggle went to grab the cloth and cold compress while Oliver got Roy down onto the cot. Roy let out a small scream at the movement. His ribs were in a lot of pain and having to bend down just made it even worse.

"I'm sorry." Roy said with a shaky voice.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for." Oliver simply said, but he was worried about why Roy would feel like he needed to apologise.

"Not supposed to make a sound." Roy said with a distant voice with pain in it.

Oliver could tell that the concussion was bothering Roy more as time went on. Roy was clearly getting confused and lost in memories long ago.

"It's natural to make a sound when you are in pain. I do it all the time Roy. It's not weakness or anything you need to apologize for." Oliver said calmly.

Diggle came back over to them with a cold compress in one hand and a damp cloth in the other. Oliver took them and he spoke to Roy as he folded the damp cloth.

"I'm going to put a cold, damp cloth on your forehead it will help make you feel better. I'm also going to put a cold compress against your ribs to numb them and help with the pain. Did the doctors at that clinic give you anything for the pain?"

"No coverage." Roy said with a shaky voice.

"I got some Oxycodone at the house. I'll pick it up on the way back here tonight." Diggle said.

Oliver placed the cloth against Roy's forehead before he unzipped Roy's sweater and lifted his shirt slightly. He placed the cold compress against Roy's broken ribs on his right side. Roy clenched his teeth and bit down on his bottom lip to keep from making a sound and both Oliver and Diggle were concerned by it.

"It's okay Roy. In a minute your ribs will be cold and you won't feel it. Just try and sleep it's the best thing for you. We'll be back soon with pain medication for you." Oliver said.

Roy just gave a small nod and they could tell he was trying to will the sleep to come. Just looking for any form of an escape from the pain. Oliver got up from kneeling on the floor next to the cot and him and Diggle headed back out to where Felicity was.

"How is he?" Felicity asked with concern.

"He's in a lot of pain. I'll get him some medication tonight it should help." Diggle answered.

"Tell me you found this son of a bitch." Oliver said with anger. Showing just how anger he was for the first time tonight.

"Oh I found him. Roy Harper Senior, fifty-one and an all-around dirt bag. He's suspected in five states for multiple charges, but he's never been caught. It's mostly drug related. He likes to produce the drugs and ship them all over the states to different distribution centres. There are a bunch of assaults, but the charges were dropped once the victims were mysterious killed in car accidents or killed themselves."

"Ya I'm real sure that was natural." Diggle said sarcastically.

"Ya my favorite though would be the human trafficking. He's suspected to be working within a human trafficking ring. He kidnaps prostitutes, run-aways, orphans and homeless people all within the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight. Both males and females. The F.B.I suspect that he is the one that is holding the victims and torturing and raping them into submission. Once they are broken they are then passed along where they are solid. Fifteen years ago the F.B.I started to look into him when they got word that he was trying to go after young children to put into the trafficking ring. They suspected that he was pruning children as young as five to be accepting of being sexual touched and performing sexual acts so later they would be willing to be solid." Felicity said sadly.

"Father of the year." Diggle said with anger.

"No kidding. Roy is the last person who deserved this. His life has been hard enough. I found an article and a police report while I was looking into his father. Roy's mother was addicted to heroin for over ten years before Roy was born and she continued to use afterwards. His mother had been losing her mind from the heroin after so many years and she became really unstable according to reports. When Roy was three him and his mother were alone while his father was away on quote business. She slit both of her wrists in the kitchen. Roy was only three and he couldn't really talk about what happened for obvious reasons, but it was a week before the police were called and she was found. The patrolman was called because the neighbor reported a weird smell coming from the house. He walked in and found a three year old Roy sitting in the kitchen covered in his mother's blood. He was filthy, starving and dehydrated. He had been there with his dead mother for a week while her body started to decompose on the kitchen floor." Felicity said sadly.

"Jesus. The kid really can't get a break." Diggle said sadly.

"They left him with his father?" Oliver asked with his own sadness edging his voice mixed in with the anger.

"They did. At the time they didn't have any reason to suspect that he was doing anything illegal. I don't know what happened after that. Five years later he is being investigated by the F.B.I, but there is no mentioning of where Roy was. We know Roy grew up in the Glades and he has a record of small time stuff. But I don't know how long he had to live with his father after that. It's something only Roy would be able to answer. Assuming you could even get him to." Felicity said.

"He's never even had a family." Diggle said.

"He has one now and I'm not about to abandon him. We take his father down and Roy can be safe from him forever." Oliver said as he turned to head over to where he kept his suit.

Diggle got ready himself and once they were set they both headed out and made their way to Jackson Street.

"How are you holding up?" Diggle asked as they were driving to the location.

"Fine." Oliver said back with a tight voice.

"I know you are not fine Oliver. The kid got the shit beat out of him because he refused to give up your name by his old man none the less. You aren't fine. You're blaming yourself."

"I brought him into this team, but his father suspected he knew who I was from before that. When he was helping me find information. I don't blame anyone, but him for what he did to Roy. There is no telling what he did to Roy growing up. He's terrified of him Dig. So terrified that he didn't even fight back. He apologised for the small scream he made when I got him down on the cot. He said he's not supposed to make a sound. He was confused from the concussion, but still he picked that up from when he was younger. His father probably taught him that, enforced it. I knew he was lacking self-esteem and confidence, but I always thought it was from being on his own for so long. I never expected it to be from another reason."

"You think he was abused." Diggle stated.

"You don't?"

"I think any father that comes into town just to beat information out of his own son has done it before. You saw how bad of shape Roy is in, there's no way that was the first time. And with all that he is suspected in there's no telling just what Roy has been through or seen. I mean to actually be three years old and trapped in a house where your mother's dead body was decomposing. There's no telling just how messed up the kid could be."

"We'll get him through it. He's not alone anymore and it's time he realises that."

"It won't be easy Oliver. If in fact he was abused, we don't know how bad or for how long. There's no telling just what has been beaten into him. He might not open up that easily."

"He will in time when he is ready. But he will know that we are there for him. He doesn't have to go through life alone anymore."

They drove the rest of the way and when they were a block away they got out of the van and headed for the perimeter. Diggle would stay outside and ready just in case something happens. Oliver went and did a quick sweep, but he didn't find anyone. The only person he could find in the warehouse was Roy Harper Senior. The warehouse was empty of everything. If there had been any drugs or equipment within it before it was long gone now. Oliver made his way through the door with his bow in his hand. He wasn't going to take a chance tonight. He wasn't going to get hurt and have Roy feeling guilty over it.

"What do you want?" Oliver said as he came out of the darkness.

Harper Senior turned to face Oliver. He had a smirk on his face as he spoke. "So my worthless son does know who you are. Or at least how to get a hold of you. Did he call you or show you my handy work?"

"What do you want?" Oliver said with anger slowly.

"For you to stop interfering in my business. I thought seeing as how we are both men we could have a civil conversation and an agreement. You stay away from my business and we won't have a problem."

"We don't have a problem. You do. I don't make deals with criminals."

"Fine then do it for that worthless piece of shit. If my drugs keep getting seized by the cops I will come back and make sure he is the one that pays for it all."

"Stay away from him." Oliver said in a threatening voice.

"Why do you care what happens to him? He is nothing but some worthless piece of shit. He's broken, I made sure of it. He hasn't shown you yet just how fucked up he really is. He knows the second you see it you'll leave his ass behind. You'll abandon him and he knows he deserves it. He knows he will never be good enough for you, worthy enough. You'll see it eventually and what little trust he has in you will be broken. You'll abandon him and he knows it. You don't care about him. You're not going to stop me. You don't kill anymore and you are not about to break that vow for someone as worthless as him." Harper Senior said with a smirk.

Oliver grabbed an arrow and pointed it at Harper Senior.

"For him yes I would." Oliver said as he released the bow and the arrow pierced Harper Senior's right thigh. He let out a scream as he fell to his left knee. "Stay away from him this is your only warning." Oliver said in a deadly tone before the front door opened and officers filled the warehouse.

Captain Lance went over to Harper Senior and cuffed him as he spoke.

"Roy Harper Senior you are under arrest."

"For what?" Harper Senior sneered out.

"You can take it up with the F.B.I. when they get here. For now I suggest you shut the hell up." Captain Lance said as he hauled Harper Senior up to his feet and passed him off to an officer.

Lance looked over and saw Oliver still standing there and he went over to him. He spoke quietly so the others wouldn't hear the conversation.

"Is there a reason I am arresting him and he has an arrow in his leg?"

"In case the name didn't give it away that is Roy Harper's father."

"Ya I got that. I thought he was dead."

"So did Roy. Roy came to me an hour ago he was badly beaten. Concussion, three broken ribs, cracked jaw, cracked wrist and four sprained fingers. His father did it looking to get my identity from him. He wanted me to meet him here and make a deal that I would stop helping the police where his drugs were concerned."

"And you put an arrow in his leg to warn him off from the kid." Lance stated without any judgement.

"My finger may have slipped."

"Gloves can be very slippery. You really should watch out for that. Where is the kid now?"

"He's safe. He was attacked in his home. I'm going to be with him tonight in a safe place."

"Did he get checked out by a doctor?" Lance asked with concern.

"He went down to a free clinic and he was checked out there. A friend is going to get him some pain medication. He doesn't have any coverage."

"Let me know if he needs any help or something stronger. If he gets worse take him to the hospital and I'll make sure it's covered."

"I will. I thought you didn't like him."

"It's not that I don't like him. He's just a kid that grew up in a bad area. He's different though, he felt bad for the things he did. He was just doing it to survive and not get killed. I can understand that. He's a good kid and he's trying to better himself. I'll do anything I can to help a kid like that."

"He is a good kid and can use as many people looking out for him as he can."

"Let me know if there is anything I can do to help with the kid. Now what am I arresting him on? I'm assuming the kid isn't pressing charges."

"The F.B.I. has him as a suspect in drug and human trafficking. You can hold him until the F.B.I. arrives. I'm sure he's got some outstanding warrants if you run his name."

"I'll check. If nothing else I'll keep him in a cage until the Feds get here. Tell the kid I hope he feels better."

"I will, thanks."

Lance gave a nod and headed back towards the front door. Oliver made his way to the back door and headed back over to Diggle who was watching and waiting.

"Well that didn't go over so well. What is going to happen if the cops can't hold him on anything?"

"The Feds are going to be taking him. Hopefully they will take him some place far away. Roy can stay at the Foundry for a few days until he is feeling better and can be on his own with his injuries. I want to keep him around for a few days at least."

"He shouldn't be on his own with his head injury anyways. His father is quite the character. Very loving and caring." Diggle said sarcastically as they made their way back to the van.

"He's an asshole. I don't know how long Roy had to put up with him, but any time with that man would have been damaging to his mental health. I need to talk to him about it and make sure he is okay after this attack."

"I don't think he'll be okay for a little while after this."

"He doesn't need to be. He just needs to know that he doesn't have to be going through it alone." Oliver said as they got into the van and Diggle headed to his place to get the drugs for Roy.

"He knows that Oliver, but you know Roy isn't one to talk about his feelings. This might take a while before he is able to talk about it. I could be wrong though. Maybe he's just waiting for someone he can trust and someone willing to listen to him before he talks about it."

"What makes you think that?"

"He's been alone for most of his life, even if he was living with his father you know he wasn't there for Roy. He grew up hard and in a bad area. He didn't have a safe place to be or anyone there that cared enough to sit there and listen to him. Maybe that's all he needs right now. Just someone that cares enough to sit there and listen to him."

"You might be right on that one Dig." Oliver said calmly as he looked out the window.

Diggle knew that Oliver needed some time to get passed what had happened tonight. They went to Diggle's place and he just ran into grab the bottle of pain medication before he headed back out and got into the van. They then headed back to the Foundry and went inside the side entrance so they wouldn't get caught upstairs as the club was open. They headed inside and Felicity was sitting down at the computer looking very worried.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked with concern.

"He's in a lot of pain. He won't sleep either. I don't know what to do."

"I brought back some pain medication for him and it should help him sleep as well." Diggle said.

Oliver put his bow and quiver back where it goes before he grabbed the bottle of pills from Diggle as he held them out to him.

"I'll stay here tonight with Roy you both go home and get some sleep." Oliver said.

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying." Felicity said.

"It's fine. There isn't anything you can do. Go home and get some sleep you have work in the morning." Oliver said.

"Come on I'll give you a ride home. Call if you need anything." Diggle said to Oliver.

"I'll be fine." Oliver reassured.

Felicity grabbed her coat and her purse and left with Diggle. Oliver quickly got changed out of his suit and put on some jeans and a t-shirt before he went into the back to see Roy. He saw Roy laying down on the cot and he was shaking slightly from the pain. Oliver went over to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle and a fresh cold compress before he went over and sat down on the edge of the cot. Roy turned his head at the noise and he saw Oliver sitting there.

"What happened?" Roy forced out through clenched teeth.

"He was there alone and he was arrested by Captain Lance. The Feds will be here to pick him up. The F.B.I have him as a suspect on multiple crimes for drugs and human trafficking. He won't be a problem anymore."

Oliver went and gently lifted Roy's shirt up so he could remove the cold compress that was getting warm from Roy's body heat. He replaced it with the new cold one and Roy let out a hiss from the change. Oliver put Roy's shirt back down and then he opened the pill bottle and removed one of the pills.

"Here Roy I have some pain medication for you."

Roy held his hand out for the pill and Oliver put it in his hand. Oliver then opened the water bottle and placed his left hand under Roy's head to help hold him up so he could take the pill. Roy put the pill in his mouth and Oliver brought the water bottle up to Roy's mouth and Roy took a drink to get the pill down. Oliver then carefully put Roy back down on the cot.

"Thanks." Roy said through clenched teeth.

"I know you are in a lot of pain right now. I just want you to know that I am here for you Roy. There isn't anything you could say or do that would change that I care about you. I'm not going to abandon you Roy. You can tell me anything."

"Did he say something?" Roy asked with a slight fear in his voice.

"He didn't say anything intelligent. Felicity did some research before we left and found out your mother killed herself and your father had been suspected by the F.B.I fifteen years ago."

"Maybe. I don't remember my mother and I haven't seen him in fifteen years, not since he left me in some back alley. I haven't heard or seen him since."

"Fifteen years ago you were eight."

"Just, maybe a little before. I don't know. I didn't know my birth date until I was arrested that first time when I was twelve." Roy said with pain in his voice, but not as much as before from the pain medication taking effect.

"You didn't ever celebrate your birthday?" Oliver asked slightly hurt.

"Still don't. It's never meant anything, still doesn't." Roy said with a heavy breath as the drug started to kick in.

"Birthdays mean something Roy. Where did you live when you were eight?" Oliver asked with concern.

"The street. Didn't manage to get my place until I was nineteen."

"You slept on the street?" Oliver asked doing his best to hide the hurt in his voice.

"Couldn't go to a shelter or the cops would be called. The streets was better than being with him. The streets toughened me up."

"It's no place for a young child to be. It couldn't have been safe."

"Never. I've never known safe until here." Roy said as his eyes began to close. Roy blinked the exhaustion away and fought to keep his eyes open.

"You'll always be safe here Roy. Your body is exhausted. You need to sleep, don't fight it just let the pain medication work." Oliver said calmly.

"Afraid." Roy said weakly as the pain medication was winning out over him and his eyes were closed once again.

"Of what Roy?" Oliver asked gently.

"Nightmares. I can't keep seeing them." Roy said weakly as he was barely awake.

"I'll be right here Roy all night. I'll keep you safe. Let your body sleep it's what it needs. The pain medication will keep you from dreaming. It's okay focus on your breathing. In and out, don't fight it just relax and breath in and out nice and slow. I'm right here with you Roy." Oliver said soothingly and he watched as Roy's body naturally did as Oliver said.

Oliver sat there on the edge of the cot just watching as Roy slept. He was hoping that Roy was going to sleep the night away without any problems. Oliver didn't know that Roy had been having nightmares and that was what was keeping him awake at night. Oliver thought it was from him working at night as well and that was making him more tired. Oliver was worried now that he knew that Roy had been having nightmares at night. He knew he would need to speak to Roy about it tomorrow and see what his nightmares were about. For tonight he was just going to sit here and be there for Roy in case he needed someone. Oliver hated knowing that Roy had been on his own, living on the streets since he was eight. It was no place for a young boy to be and Roy seemed too vulnerable and young even though he had been through his own pain and trouble. It was no wonder he had so little self-confidence and self-esteem. He didn't have anyone in his life to ever help him build either of those things. Oliver was going to make sure he worked on it with Roy and helped him find confidence in himself and find his own self-worth. Oliver saw Roy as a younger brother and he wasn't going to abandon him or leave him alone to deal with this on his own. He had dealt with life enough on his own and this wasn't going to continue. Tonight was the first night of change.