It had been years since he spent any significant amount of time with his wife. Sure, he saw her pretty much everyday, but it was inconsequential. It wasn't like it was actually her that was walking around with her body. No, not since Giovanni had died, and she had no choice but to put that cursed helmet on.
She wasn't Raven anymore, just Doctor Fate. Nabu's latest host, and the guy didn't seem to have the decency to even care that he had taken Raven away from her family. Sure, he was "generous" enough to let her go for special days. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays to spend with him and their kids. It was all bittersweet, as the next day it was back to watching her body be used by an outside force, while he had to comfort the kids about seeing their mom again.
The kids probably had it even rougher than he did. At least Zatanna got to spend time with her Dad before losing him. Mark and Marie barely even got to have memories of Raven before she was taken away from them, and only got to spend time with her very few times throughout the year. Changeling was pretty sure that they knew more about their mom through him than from actually getting to speak to her.
The worst part of it for him was having to work with the new Doctor Fate. They had none of Raven's mannerisms. None of her dry wit, or ability to talk sense to him. None of those vulnerable moments where they really connected. Fate knew everything about Raven's past, but none of the understanding for why those experiences were so important to them. There wasn't a trace of Raven in there when Nabu was in control, and therefore, none of what made him fall in love with her in the first place.
It was purely business with Fate. Changeling couldn't even remember a time he had a casual conversation with her. Not that he was jumping at the chance to talk to somebody that stole his wife's body for their own use. It was always about superhero business when they talked, and having to resist the urge to grab out and hold her.
Talking with Zatanna helped a bit. She understood what he was going through pretty well, and didn't bother dressing it up for his comfort. It would always be very awkward at best working with Fate while they had control of Raven's body, and utterly depressing at worst. Having to watch as Fate fought her body, was wounded in it, nearly killed on multiple occasions. It was almost unbearable, but talking with Zatanna about it helped to vent at least.
"I hate how he doesn't even care about the fact that he's taken over somebodies life. I just get token visits from her every now and then, and that's supposed to make me happy with the situation." he complained.
"I know, it always made those times with Dad hurt even more the next day. I'm sure he means well, but I don't think he understands humans very well."
"No, he doesn't. He doesn't get what it's like having to see her everyday, but it's not really her. Just a puppet."
Conversations like that were common between the two of them. Just venting about a mutual dislike for something they weren't in any position to do anything about. It's not like they could petition to have them ejected from the League. Fate was a very competent hero, and a serious powerhouse for the team. They just had to suck it up, and enjoy the times they could rant about their situation.
"The worst part was when Fate got hurt in some way." Zatanna continued, "Knowing that my Dad might not even get to die as himself was a terrifying thought."
"That's been my biggest fear ever since this started. That Raven would have her last moments, and it wouldn't even really be her I'm spending it with. Just Fate again." he agreed, "Or maybe just as bad, if I were to be in that position and not getting to see her face one last time, just that stupid bucket."
It wasn't the actual worst thing. The actual worst thing had been how with both Giovanni and Raven, they had willingly agreed to be Nabu's host, and worse still, Changeling and Zatanna ultimately couldn't disagree that the world needed Doctor Fate around. However, they had long ago agreed to keep themselves from thinking about it as much as they could.
"I'm glad you're here to help me through this Zatanna, I can't imagine how you dealt with it with no one else to talk to about it."
There was a silence between them at that. Perhaps if he had less resolve, he'd have given into temptation and tried something with Zatanna. But he was loyal to Raven, even through this rough predicament. Plus, he could never live with himself if Raven found out and retreated into the helmet for the rest of her life.
"Hey, listen, thanks for talking to me about this so much, I know you and Raven didn't exactly see eye to eye." he began.
"It's not problem at all Garfield, I might have had trust issues with her, but I still wouldn't wish her fate on anyone, especially when she has such a loving family."
They shared a few more drinks, ranted some more about Nabu, and bid each other farewell. Tomorrow was Raven's thirty-ninth birthday, and he intended to make the most of it with her for as long as he could have her. Then he would count down the days until he could be with her again, while trying to keep himself civil around Doctor Fate.