The Emerald

Chapter 46 - Home Again

Roy let out a small sigh of relief as he lay in the back of the SUV with his head on Thea's lap. It felt good to be going home again, even if it was the Queen Mansion. In all fairness though he hadn't spent much time at his own house since the Dealer arrived in town. He had spent most of his time in the lair with the Team, or at the Mansion. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Thea running her hands through his hair. It was comforting. He found that if he focused on what Thea was doing then he didn't notice the bumps in the road as much. He knew Oliver was driving carefully, but it still hurt a bit when they hit one.

"Roy?" Thea said quietly.

"Hmmm?" Roy answered sleepily. If Thea kept massaging his scalp he could almost fall asleep.

"I'm glad you're okay." Thea whispered as their eyes met.

"Yeah, me too." Roy smiled back. He could see that she had really struggled with the fact that he had been hurt so much recently. He just hoped that she understood why he did what he did. Maybe Felicity can talk to her. It's not like she doesn't know what it's like. He thought to himself.

The rest of the ride to the Queen Mansion was spent in silence. Roy managed to keep his discomfort to himself except for twice when the road wasn't as smooth, and even then he had only allowed a small groan to escape. Finally, Oliver parked in front of the mansion and it was time to get out of the SUV.

Oliver quickly jumped out of the drivers seat and went to open Roy's door to help the younger man out of the vehicle. Andrew assisted as well and the two men were able to help Roy get out of the vehicle without too much pain. Once Roy was on solid ground Oliver pulled Roy's good arm around his shoulders in order to support him and they began to slowly walk inside. Oliver knew that under normal circumstances Roy would balk at being helped like this, however, he could see the fatigue in Roy's eyes again and knew that the sooner Roy could rest again the better.

Andrew was starting to worry about Roy again. His younger brother had spent an awful lot of time sleeping since they had been rescued and he couldn't help but wonder if Roy really was okay.

"He's going to be fine Andrew. Really." Caitlin said quietly from her place next to Andrew.

"Thanks." Andrew whispered as they neared the front door.

"I could tell you were worrying. He's strong. He'll pull through." Caitlin smiled at Andrew and was relieved to see that he believed her.

As the group approached the mansion Andrew sprinted forward to open the front door for Oliver and Roy. If he hadn't been pre-occupied he would have been in awe of the sheer size of the house and the beauty of the grounds. As things were though he would have to admire the Queen Mansion at a later date.

As the group stepped into the foyer of the Mansion Moira, Felicity, Diggle, and Walter emerged from the kitchen.

"Good morning everyone." Moira welcomed with a smile. Felicity had given her some information on what had happened, and the condition of young Roy. However, hearing it was one thing, and seeing completely different. She could see that Oliver was now supporting Roy's entire weight and that the younger man was extremely exhausted. Moira could also see the worry etched in her daughters face. "Why don't you take young Roy upstairs to rest. Then you all can join us for some breakfast."

Oliver gave his mother a warm smile in thanks as they passed to go up the stairs. She laid a gentle hand on his arm for just a moment and in that brief contact he knew that she was proud of him, of who he had become. He allowed a brief smile to cross his lips as he all but carried Roy up the stairs, Thea, Caitlin, and Andrew following closely behind.