"AAAAHHHHHGGGGG!"

Roy threw whatever he could get his hands on into the ocean: grass, seaweed, but mostly sand.

It was all his fault. He had gotten Erin involved in this. If he had just kept his distance. If he had just been satisfied seeing her, not needing to touch her or feel her lips against his. Now he never would again. It's his fault Erin was dead.

It took the team an hour and a half to get Roy to let go of her body. Finally, Oliver had arrived and coxed Roy to let her go.

Now Roy was in their spot. So many memories happened on this beach. It gave him comfort and agony at the same time. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her face, her smile. Erin's laugh echoed through his ears.

Oliver and Dinah were informing Erin's mother this very moment. Roy didn't know, nor did he care, what lie they were telling her.

"Roy," a soft voice whispered underneath the wind.

Roy turned around and exploded at the sight of Jade.

"Get out of here!" he yelled. He didn't want Erin's memory desecrated by the woman who hated her the most.

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am," Jade said sincerely.

"You don't care," Roy spat. "You tortured her for months. You're secretly jumping for joy that she's now out of the picture! Or you did it yourself!"

"I'm not murderer!" she snapped.

"Lies! You're a trained assassin and we both know it!"

Jade's face twisted up in anger. "I don't kill innocent people!"

Roy wanted to fight back, but instead he sank to his knees, exhausted and drained.

"It's nobody's fault but my own," Roy murmured.

"No," Jade said as she kneeled in front of him, "no, it's not. It's the leaders of the Light. They hacked the computers, let the league know their whereabouts, and planted the bomb. They just weren't counting on Erin being there."

Roy's head shot up. "How do you know?" He grabbed Jade by her upper arms. "How!"

"My father's a member of the light. I forced him to tell me how the plan was worked out after I had heard what happened," Jade explained.

Roy deflated again. "Why did they attack the Cave?"

"Because the sidekicks were giving the Light more trouble than the league ever did. The Light thought if they could disband you, their plans wouldn't be interrupted anymore."

Roy shook his head. "I should've made M'gann erase Erin's memories."

Jade grabbed Roy's chin. "You have to stop blaming yourself. She made her choices. She was one of the most loyal and bravest girls I had ever known. I may have hated her, but I still respected her. Be proud of her bravery. She deserves that much."

Roy looked her in the eye and sighed. "You're right. She deserves that much. She'd be punching me if she could see me now." Roy pulled away from Jade and stared out into the ocean's horizon. "And I have a new mission now. Because one more person needs to know that Erin's gone." Roy looked Jade right in the eye. "I need to find the real Roy Harper."

AN: That's it. This is the end of this installment. Stay tuned for the next story. Coming soon: In This Next Life.