Chapter 8: When the Flower wilts

Willow enjoyed her time under the sea, having explored a great expanse of Atlantis with Garth and grew fond of Orm, Aquaman's wife. They would sit alone together, Willow playing with the baby which helped to give Lady Orm a bit of a break. The baby would bubbly giggle, Willow making faces. Garth, however, would stay away while she was with Her Majesty but would come back to the room, clingy and affectionate. However, once two months had passed, Willow began to feel very strange. She would feel very lethargic some days, snuggling with Garth for several hours if not days. Her physical appearance was changing as well.

Willow's hair, a once chocolatey brown was becoming a little dirty in color with her skin becoming a little paler, steadily. Some days, she would look so distressed and weary that Garth had to escort her everywhere to make sure she didn't topple over. Arthur equated it to the plants on the surface that needed a lot more light to grow. Willow herself had characteristics of a plant. One evening, Willow didn't show for dinner. Or the next. Garth would go check on her and she would be curled up by the window in the daytime, so close that when he picked her up, her back would be freezing cold. Now, it was apparent that something was wrong.

The second time he had gone to remove her from the window, she stirred and woke up looking at him. Garth was startled with he saw that her eyes, normally brown, were a milky green in color. "Willow…your eyes…."He said in surprise, lying her down on the bed. Willow let out a whine of protest.

"Window…"She whispered, bringing a hand, covered in green veins, to point to the window.

"No…No you're very sick. You need to rest…I'm…I'm going to go get a doc-No, I'm going to take you to a doctor."Garth said, picking her up again and heading out of the room. Some of the servants questioned him, but he ignored them promptly and fled down the halls to find the Royal physician. He found the older Atlantian dozing off in one of the beds, Garth giving him a quick kick. He woke with a start, saw Willow and sat up.

"What's this?"He said, getting up and gesturing to the bed.

"She's been like this for a while now. Just now I found her again by the window and now it looks like she's going under a change…like…"He said, not coming up with the term for it immediately.

"Wilting…"The doctor said as he picked up Willow's wrist, feeling underneath it to take her pulse. "She's slowly dying."

"Dying? What can I do? Is there anything…"Garth said, collapsing in a nearby chair.

"Mm…"The doctor said as he observed her for a little bit longer before looking to him. "You said she was by the window…Perhaps what she needs is sunlight?"

"Sunlight? I brought her down here to protect her but now you want me to take her back up?"Aqualad questioned.

"She will die if she doesn't. It is common with surface plants. They need the sunlight, oxygen and a good watering. The girl needs to be taken above the surface for a while to regain her strength before she can return to Atlantis. I will make some arrangements with His Highness."The Doctor said, bringing a blanket over Willow who seemed to reject it for a moment before she relaxed. The doctor left the infirmary to go discuss the matter with the King.

Arthur wasn't pleased…but he didn't reject the idea of sending the surface girl back up again, even if it was just for a while. He made arrangements for a pod to be readied to take Willow up to the surface with Garth as her guardian. There was an island in the Pacific, safe from all humans and a getaway for Orm and himself. It would be a safe haven for them until Willow as back to her old giddy self again. Garth held onto Willow as the transporter took them just up to the shore of the island, Garth carrying her in his arms up to the bungalow. It had a very…Atlantian romantic feel to it. Lots of seashell windchimes, some old spears and so many other items he recognized. As he walked up to the shack, he could see Willow's color returning some.

He made sure to move the bed closer to a window where she could benefit from the most sunlight while she rested. By nightfall, Willow seemed more rested and the green veins were almost completely gone from her skin. She stretched out on the bed with a long yawn, blinking and sitting up, not recognizing where she was.

"Gaaaarrthh…"She called, a little panicked.

Garth came running in, soaking wet from having gone hunting for something for them to eat. He had a few fish speared on a harpoon. "You're awake…Good…We're not in Atlantis anymore."He said as he dropped the fish for a moment to go to the bed, hugging her despite his soaking wet suit.

"Why…I don't remember anything about…"Willow said, confused.

"You were very sick…The doctor said you needed to come up to the surface for a while to recover. We're on an island…We have the whole place to ourselves for however long it takes for you to be healthy again."Garth said, letting her go and then going to take care of the fish that were no longer flopping on the end of the spear. "I'm going to make us something to eat. Stay in bed and rest."

"Okay…"Willow mumbled, lying back again though a little uncomfortably with the soaked bedsheets. She sighed, staring up at the sheer cloth that was draped over the frame of the bed, seashell wind chimes moving with the slightest breeze. It was like waking up from a long dream really…suddenly being under the sea to on land again. She let herself drift off again, bathed in moonlight. Garth came back with a tray of cooked fish, some edible seaweed and some fresh fruits from around the island. Willow was already wide awake and hungry.

In the morning, Willow and Garth went out to the beach, sitting on the sand with Willow resting against him with a contented smile. She reveled in the sunlight, sighing contently and sitting up to nuzzle against his neck. "This is a wonderful place…I wasn't so sure about this but I now know how much I missed the sunlight."She sighed, Garth smiling a little awkwardly. She was emitting the smell again, but after the second run in with the H.I.V.E, it hadn't been as strong as before.

"Good…Maybe while we're here, I can teach you how to swim!"Garth teased, getting a bop on the head from Willow.

"Ah ha…I don't think so…"Willow said as she got up from his lap, brushing the sand off of her legs. "I want to go explore."

"Alright, I'll come with you."Garth said before he saw Willow start to run down the beach, getting up a little faster and chasing after her. So she wanted to play hm? Garth didn't know if he liked this newfound energy, considering how quickly she was moving. He chased after her, her trail leading into the jungle-something more of her element. Aqualad snuck around, hearing giggling or something crack a branch somewhere around him. He had stopped in a clearing, listening around before he heard something drop behind him slowly. Garth grinned, turning around and seeing a Boa constrictor staring him in the face, making him nearly cry out in surprise.

Willow giggled, laughing a little louder a little ways away and up somewhere a little high. Aqualad spotted a little bit of cloth sticking out from under a tree, walking under it and seeing her up on one of the branches, holding her stomach. She waved down at him. "Your face was absolutely priceless!"She giggled, Garth making a face and crossing his arms. Willow climbed down from the tree, using the vines to lower herself down under her guidance.

"That wasn't very funny…"Garth frowned. "What if that thing bit me?"

"Silly~"Willow chimed, poking his nose with a dark little smile. "It would have strangled you first."

Garth rolled his eyes, smirking and grabbing her, putting Willow over his shoulder and starting to head back to the bungalow. "Har har, I'll show you something to be afraid of."He said, starting to head toward the shore. Willow writhed on his shoulder, pounding on his back and squealing a little. She had some idea of what he was going to do. Garth made it to the shore, starting to wade into the water.

"No! Hey! That's not fair! Put me down!"Willow cried as Garth gave a shrug, dropping her in the shallow water with a grin.

"If you insist!"He laughed, watching her sit up in the water, sputtering and wiping the water from her face. She stood up, kicking some water his way but falling back again. Garth would laugh a little, sinking down and starting to swim laps around her, bobbing a little with every little wave that came through while Willow gave him a disgruntled face. "Still angry?"

"Not angry, but the water's cold!"Willow said, splashing water his way before starting to try to doggie paddle back to shore, Aqualad swimming lazily behind her all the way up onto the sand. Willow wrung out her clothes, sporting a white sun dress that day. White seemed to be her more cheery of choices to wear since Brother Blood. Aqualad joined her on the beach, laughing a little throatily.

"Too cute…"Aqualad commented, bringing his black-gloved hands to move her hair back away from her face. She scrunched her nose at him a little though it melted when he gave her 'the look'. It was just a smirk, and his black eyes seemed to get darker with a mischievous yet serious haze to them. Starfire and Raven had told her about it when they had first met them on a mission and she could see why the other girls seemed to fall head over heels. She laughed a little goofily, Garth knowing that to be the sound of success. "Lets get you into some dry clothes…maybe a fruit salad for lunch and a nap in the hammock?"He asked, taking her hand.

"Eh heh heh…"Willow laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes."Garth said, grinning inwardly knowing that she would be more than willing now. Back at the Bungalow, he let Willow get dressed on her own, chopping up some fresh fruits for her for lunch and a bit of oyster that he had caught earlier that morning with the low tide. Willow ate quietly, seemingly a little spacey now. With her time on the island, she was slowly getting better. Her hair had taken to the light well, returning to the normal deep brown but she still had the sickly green veins and her eyes still had a bit of milkiness to them. Garth had also noticed that, in the glimmer of light, her hair had seemed to have a red hue to it. Perhaps Robin and everyone was correct…which meant Brother Blood was also right. Garth settled himself on the Hammock, having rolled the wetsuit to about his hips to let his chest air dry a bit with the sun.

Pamela Isley…Aqualad was beginning to ponder just what purpose was Willow made for? Robin was beginning the research, that he knew. While they were traveling, though he didn't tell Willow, Robin was already diving into finding out the who, the whats and the whens of Willow. Poison Ivy didn't keep much research physically there. A noise made him look up, seeing Willow with a bit of a smile. "Looks like you went to Tameran and back for a little while."She laughed softly, moving and sitting on the hammock, moving so she was lying beside him.

"I was just thinking…"Garth said as he let her use his arm like a pillow, bringing his hand to twirl a bit of wet hair around his finger a little.

"About…"Willow yawned, though still questioning.

"Family…"Garth admitted, though still avoided an obvious answer.

"I see…Are you thinking of starting one?"Willow asked in a purely innocent manner. Garth flinched a bit, surprised but laughed a little nervously.

"Not now. At least not until I'm older…I mean…I wouldn't mind having my own family instead of relying on Aquaman and Orm."He laughed, hugging her head to his chest but Willow looked at him a little awkwardly, rolling her eyes at him a little. Garth was acting a little suspiciously, but she had a feeling it would have been an uncomfortable topic to bring up.

"Right…I think if I could, I would start a family…not young though, but I want to eventually. As much as taking care of flowers or growing trees, theres something about mammals that still interest me."Willow hummed a bit.

"Mammals? Do you not consider yourself human?"Garth raised an eyebrow.

"Not really…I don't feel any real attachment for some reason to animals or humans. Like…I was just conceived through a seedling or something, but somehow artificial. I don't feel like a real human."Willow wondered, frowning. "A human can't kill with a kiss…but a non-human can."

"But a human can have the consciousness to fix things they broke."Garth said, running the backs of his fingers along her cheek that was a little flushed from sitting out in the heat, rubbed smooth from the sand and the salt. Though she had the veins, she had begun to sport a little bit of speckling across her cheeks. He enjoyed kissing every little mark.

"Mmm…They do, don't they?"She chuckled, tilting her head a little so he could reach some of the ones just along her neck. "I kind of have to wonder…Just what my mother was thinking…"

Garth stopped kissing along her neck, looking up at her with his onyx-colored eyes. "Thinking?"

"Well…Passing me off as a human to other humans…making me…She's a villain isn't she? Can villains have children?"Willow asked as she put her hands on top of his head, slicking back his hair a little. She sighed. "That is a silly question…"

"No…It isn't. I mean, there is a reason for everything…I question why I'm born when I'm not Atlantian at all…I'm from some culture that died out."Garth said, burying his face in her chest a little that made Willow chuckle a little. "We're not so different…"

"Except my mother is some crazy green woman bent on killing humanity?"Willow said as she pat his head. Garth couldn't help but laugh just a little. He peeked up at her, his eyes like a shark's…just piercingly staring at her. Yet, they were beautiful and deep.

"And my step-father the King of the 7 Seas and despiser of those who walk on land? Its not that much different Willow…just he knows that not all land-walkers are bad. Some are actually quite…beautiful."Garth smiled, Willow feeling the flush spread across her face again. She brought her hands though his hair, just holding him to her bosom.

"Some plants are poisonous."Willow chuckled.

"Some fish are too…well…at least to humans."Garth smirked.

"I'm not going to win at this am I?"Willow sighed, Garth peeking his eyes up again before he shifted, moving so he was over her and looking into her eyes.

"There is one thing you win at though…I think you win at making me feel enamored with you without your powers. When I first touched my lips to yours when we rescued you…I knew you were a kindred soul."He said, bringing his right hand up to brush along her sun-kissed cheeks. She looked up at him, reading his face. She brought a curious hand across his face, his skin buffed smooth from years of swimming in salt and sand with an olive hue from basking in the sunlight on the surface. He was beautiful and every time he was over her, she felt like she was prey in his eyes that were like large, shark-like dolls eyes.

Willow reached a hand up, feeling through his hair and pulled him down for a long kiss. She let her head fall back against the rope netting of the hammock, smiling and holding him close with his head tucked against her neck. They let the island's breeze rock them into a light sleep, listening to the colorful birds sing against the wind. Willow awoke, and it was nearly evening with Garth having went to start a fire on the beach so they could have a late night dinner by the fire. Willow admired the fact that when he wasn't a hero, he was aware that being alone let him be a bit of a romantic. The Teen Titan was not really a Teen anymore.

She smiled, seeing him praise himself in success, getting to his feet and cheering, looking over to her and seeing that she was awake. Moving over to her, he scooped her up out of the hammock proudly and then carried her over to the fire, sitting down with her in his lap. "Look at you, you're all smiles right now."Willow chuckled, getting a small kiss from him.

"Because I'm proud…I see why man is so giddy when he's able to make fire. Its like creation."He beamed. "Which on top of that, I need to go create some dinner."

"What's on the menu?"She chuckled.

"Whatever I can catch. Will you wait here?"He asked, Willow nodding. She slipped off of his lap, the Atlantian jumping up and running to the beach. The ocean came alive during the evening, and Willow watched him disappear into the sea. Resting her head on her knees, she stared into the fire.

Willow would not admit it openly, but she was concerned about having to hide away from the world. "I feel like I'm more of a prisoner sometimes than one of them. What can I do? I'm THE Poison Ivy's kid…but is evil genetic? Can I live with heroes while I'm a villain's offspring?"She thought a little darkly. A splash made her eyes dart up and she saw Garth return with a few fish on the end of a spear made of beach wood.

"Not much out tonight….They're saying the sharks have come to feed, so they're hiding. A few have offered themselves."Garth said as he returned, picking up two smaller sticks and skewering the fish, setting them close so they could cook. Willow didn't edge near him until he had dried off, tucking herself under his arm.

"Garth…Have you heard from Robin about anything about Pamela Isley?"She asked boldly.

The dark haired Atlantian paused, having been petting her hair that was soft like petals. He looked to her, frowning. "Yeah…Yes…While you were napping on the hammock, I got a message from him. They found her in Gotham where she normally hides…its just a matter of getting her attention."He said, looking down slowly at her, starting to pet her again.

"Then…What are they going to do?"Willow asked, Garth going to collect one of the fish skewers to check if it was cooked. He set it back in.

"They want us to return to Jump City, then make our way to Gotham. They want you to talk to her, see if you can get more information than what we might since she made you. They're going to come get us in three days…"He answered, pressing his lips to her temple. "Which is still plenty more time for you to recover and for us to spend more time alone."

"Ha ha, of course."She smiled. Garth picked the fish out of the fire again, offering her one skewer while he took the other, both enjoying their dinner fresh from the sea. They were quiet for the longest time, laying out on the cool sand as the stars came out for the night. Willow had never been outside the city, but this was truly paradise. She felt her calling in the isolation, surrounded by Garth, the sea and the jungle behind them along the beach. If she had the option of continuing a life like this, she would consider choosing a life working with plants sand saving them much like how Aquaman and Aqualad were for defending the seas. Of course, now she was starting to sound like Ivy.

The fire slowly died down, both of them retiring to the bungalo but their events for the evening were not over.