Ok, here it is. This is going to be (hopefully) the big bombshell chapter. Read it and if you're able to...review. Did you know just 5 reviews can feed a starving child in...uh...my house? No...that's just bad on my part.

Chapter Nine: Secrets Revealed

Garfield spent the next couple of days alone, not that he enjoyed it since he would have rather been doing something with Tim or Victor instead of flipping through magazines or flipping through all the old TV shows on in the morning. He rarely saw his mother because she was working on a big case so that left Garfield alone to his own devices.

One Tuesday while he was out and about through town on his feet, he sat in a café with a small dish of penne with meat sauce when a familiar cold hand was placed on his shoulder. Garfield turned around and found none other but, "Raven."

She wore a blue jacket with a hood attached to it. In her hands was a wrapped package.

"Can I join you?" she asked.

Garfield nodded. "So…what brings you here?"

"I was looking for you, actually."

"Oh," said Garfield, feeling flattered. He gestured towards the presents. "Are those for Gavin?"

Raven's eyes moved towards the package. "Uh…actually…they're for you."

Garfield almost chocked on his noodles. "For me?" he coughed. "But…you already gave me-"

"I know but…I feel bad about Friday. I mean, I was giving you signs, the wrong signs. The half naked picture of you, the massage, telling you that you got a hot body…I was flirting with you and without knowing it, setting you up for heartbreak. God, what else did I do that was stupid of me?"

"Tying me up with chains," added Garfield, not remembering that that was a dream.

"What?" asked Raven.

Garfield had a short while to redeem himself. "Uh, I mean, this is tying you up with emotional pain, I see."

Raven sighed. "Yea…Garfield…you're a good friend and…I really like the friendship we have."

"So do I," agreed Garfield. "But…well to be blunt, why were you being such a tease."

Raven sighed. "Have you ever met my boyfriend Gavin?"

Garfield shook his head.

"Well, we've been going out since June…and well since then things have been steady but now…he says he wants to take things to the next level."

"Oh, you mean sex," summarized Garfield.

Raven's eyes went wide. She leaned forward on the table and whispered, "Do you mind?"

Garfield shrugged. "Sort of. I mean, I've heard sex is fun and that it feels good but I just don't approve of underage sex."

Raven laughed and gave a smile. "Only you, Garfield, can bring light on a bad situation."

Stuffing his face again Garfield asked, "What do you mean?"

Raven sighed. "If I tell you this…will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Garfield nodded.

"OK," began Raven. "Gavin called me Saturday night and said that he had to give me my present early. So I head over there and his house is all dark."

"Creepy," stated Garfield.

"I know," said Raven. "So I go to the door and there's a note that says, 'Raven, I had to leave with my parents. I left you a key in the mailbox. Your present is in my room' and it was signed by Gavin. So I go up the stairs, into his room and his whole room is lit up with candles."

"Whoa," said Garfield after sipping his 7-Up, "this is really creepy."

"It gets worse," said Raven. "So, there are candles all over. And right on the bed is Gavin, wearing a bear of black briefs that looked like a Speedo."

Garfield almost spat out his soda. "What was the gift?"

"He wanted to have sex," explained Raven. He put on a Speedo, thinking that seeing him like that…that I would want to do it with him."

"I take it you didn't," said Garfield, hoping to God that the answer would be no.

"No," said Raven. "I was a bit upset. He said that he had been waiting too long…that we had to have sex then and there because there were no other ways for us to show our affection for each other."

"And you disagree with that philosophy," guessed Garfield. "You're saving it until marriage?"

Raven nodded. "I-I know that sounds dumb to you but…I'm saving it for the one I love. I want the person I marry to be my best friend."

"I don't think that's dumb," stated Garfield. "Why would I think that?"

"Sorry," said Raven. "I mean…you're a guy and most guys…"

"We're horny little bastards," finished Garfield. "I know, I know. So does everybody else. But…I'm saving it for the right person also. I don't want to lose it in the back of some alley."

"Wow," chuckled Raven. "You're the first guy I've heard say that. So…does this mean that you big strong men have feelings?"

Garfield's face dropped. "No," he said monotonously, "we have no feelings. We experience neither hate…nor love."

Raven laughed. "Oh my god. That's so funny."

Garfield shrugged. "Well…I mean we do have feelings…but you'll never get us to admit it."

Raven smiled. "That's true. It's hard as hell to get Gavin to smile." She sighed and then looked at the wrapped package. "Have you noticed how boxing has changed you, Garfield?"

Gar shook his head. "No, I don't know what you mean."

Raven explained. "Well, when you first came into the club, I remember seeing you walk in. I was sparing with Kori and then you spoke to Alfred and went up to see Bruce."

"Yea," recalled Garfield. "I remember that."

"Well…I remember how shy you were. You looked frightened almost to speak to us, like we were aliens or…something else."

Garfield smiled. "Yea, I…I was pretty nervous. I'm always nervous about meeting new people. The one guy who really worried me was Tim cause he was just so…in defiance of Bruce."

Raven nodded. "Yea, he usually is. But ever since you came to the club, he seems more…happy?"

Garfield raised an eyebrow. "And you think I have something to do with that?"

"Yes, I do," said Raven. "You see, Tim is a guy who will stick up for anybody who's being oppressed. I think that when he saw you and met you he felt that he could keep you from feeling oppressed."

"I'm not feeling oppressed," stated Garfield. "I was more lonely than oppressed."

"Well, there you go," said Raven. "Tim wants to keep you from feeling lonely. That's probably why he invited you to his house for Christmas."

"Yea, I guess," said Garfield. "But…wait, how do you know about that?"

"I spoke with him last night on MSN messenger," she explained. "He sounded really excited about it."

"Really?"

"Yea," said Raven. "He thinks really highly of you. Says you're the kindest, funniest and yet mysterious person he's ever met."

Garfield could feel that flattery going through his body.

"Well, I feel the same way about Tim," stated Garfield. "I mean, he's really the first cool person to take a liking to me."

"He loves you, you know," said Raven calmly, almost like telling a person their favorite show was on.

Garfield almost chocked on his pasta. "Raven, don't say that."

She sighed. "Why do boys always assume that if one guy cares about another they think he's gay?"

"I don't make the rules on that."

"He loves you like a brother," said Raven. "How about that, is that better?"

Garfield nodded. "Yea…Tim is kinda like the older brother I never had. And he's the first athletic person to ever have an intelligent conversation with me.

Anywhere else, the most any athlete ever spoke to me was when they wanted to know how to spell something or for how much I would do their homework."

"Really?" asked Raven.

"Oh, yea," said Garfield. "I got it bad at my old school. The gym coaches had us shower after every class and…"

"Ah," Raven said simply. "I'm guessing that everyday was a contest then?"

Garfield bit his lip and nodded. "I mean, other people got it bad but…I got it really bad. You know Josh Richet?"

"The really ugly kid who makes sexist jokes simply because no girl will pay him any mind?" asked Raven. "Yea."

"He went to school with me then but he got transferred for trying to fight his English teacher. Luckily for him she didn't hurt him too bad. Anyway, he was always a prick to me. But I got back at him."

"So I heard," said Raven. "But you shouldn't dwell on the past. Screw Richet and all those other jerks that were jealous over you massive penis," as she said this she had a smile on her face because Garfield was laughing too much. "And-ha ha-and focus on the bond you share with Tim and Victor."

"Believe me, Raven," said Garfield, "I do. It was a very funny story when I first had to shower with them."

"No need to tell me," said Raven. "I think I get the idea. You were nervous and then the guys gave you some pep talk about it not being the size of the wand but the magic you make with it or something."

"Something like that." He looked at the package Raven had brought in with her. "So…can I open that now?"

She looked down at it. "Well, I think you've been waiting long enough. Open it."

Garfield took the package and looked it over. "What is it?" he wondered. He tapped it and remarked, "It's solid so it must be…"

He tore at the wrapping paper and looked at the front of the movie cover.

"Ghostbusters," he said with a happy tone. He then noticed that the package was rather thick so he moved Ghostbusters aside to find the cover to another movie. "Lost in Translation," he remarked. "Oh, yea. This is that movie that everyone said Bill Murray should have won the Oscar for."

"You did say you liked comedy movies," reminded Raven.

Garfield smiled. "So I did."

Raven looked at the clock on the wall and said, "Well, I should be going. Look, Gar, I'm really sorry again about how I acted earlier."

"Maybe it was a subconscious thing," Garfield theorized. "Maybe the qualities in me, the ones you want in Gavin, appealed to you and you decided to flirt with me."

"Maybe," said Raven standing up.

Garfield stood up with her. "Look, Rae, I want you to know that I'm not mad at you or anything. I hope you and Gavin are happy together and I hope you resolve the sex thing soon."

"I wish," said Raven. "I left him that night telling him that he would have to wait until I was married. If he asks me again…I'm going to tell him maybe we should see other people."

That would make you single, thought Garfield.

"Good luck," said Garfield, as he was about to sit back down at his table.

Raven held onto his arm. "Gar…look up."

Doing so, Garfield noticed the mistletoe dangling from the ceiling.

He chuckled at the thought that was cruising through his mind.

"Isn't that awkward?" he smiled.

Raven kissed Garfield on the cheek and Garfield could feel his body go cold.

"That was a plutonic gesture," Raven told him. "Do not expect me to pose nude for you."

"Noted."


Garfield spent Christmas Eve with his mother, going to church and watching It's a Wonderful Life. Afterwards, when his mother went to bed, he spent a half hour pounding his speed bag before going to sleep.

As Garfield slept, the snowflakes danced in the air, all the way from the clouds to the ground where they stayed.


In the morning, Garfield and his mother woke up and opened up the presents they had bought for each other. They watched the news and at 1PM, they got ready, preparing some desserts. When they finished, it was quarter to four.

"All right," said Sally. "We can get dressed and then head over to your friend's house.

Garfield got dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and a blue tie. He sprayed on some Swiss Army cologne and put on his nice dress shoes.

"Gar, you are so damn hot," he said to the mirror.


The drive there was relatively quiet until Garfield opened his mouth and said,

"Mom, whatever you do, try not to embarrass me."

Sally scoffed. "What makes you think I would do something like that?"

"Well, for starters you named me Garfield. I mean, they did have comics in the papers back then, right?"

"You have a very dignified name," countered Sally. "Besides, how many people have the name Garfield?"

"Are we talking real people or people and animals in general?"

"Just people."

"Only me. And there's President Garfield."

"Well aside from him, you're the only one."

"Well, yea, but how many kids do you know named Apple?"

"Well that's a dumb name. I don't know why celebrities choose to give their children the most ridiculous names."

Sally stopped the car. "What was the house number again?"

"1939," reminded Garfield. He rubbed his nose to conceal his nervousness.

What was I thinking, he thought. I'm spending Christmas with my friend and my boxing coach. This is going to be a disaster. She's going to beg Bruce to let me stop and…I can't really think of anything else.

"My god," gasped Sally Logan when she came to the driveway of the Wayne house. "It's…so big."

"It gets even bigger when you get closer to it," said Garfield as if he was speaking to a child.

When they got to the end of the driveway, Garfield exited and then moved to the back of the car where the desserts were waiting for him. He would probably have to make a couple trips to bring them all in. There was one lemon moraine pie, one cherry, one pumpkin and one plateful of brownies-all homemade and all for Bruce's family in thanks for letting them spend Christmas with them. Sally herself carried a jell-o salad, which was cherry at the top and lemon at the bottom. They approached the door and Garfield rang the doorbell.


Several minutes before the Logans arrived, Tim Drake pounded on the bathroom door.

"Damn it, Dick," he said to the door. "I need to get ready. You've been in there for almost thirty minutes. It doesn't normally take you that long to shave your ass!"

There was a click and Tim twisted the knob to find his brother wearing only a towel around his waist while shaving his face.

"Jeez," said Dick, "you seem wound. Are you angry because now you don't have enough time to shave your ass and your pubes?"

"Screw you," said Tim as he squirted the cellophane hair gel into his hand. He wore only a wife-beater and his black dress pants with the appropriate black socks on his feet.

"It's true," continued Dick. "I mean, ever since Gar said that him and his mom were coming over, you've just been really…bitchy."

Tim rubbed the gel through his hair. "I have not."

"Yea, you have. I mean, you're making sure that everything is right where it should be. Hell…you're beginning to sound like Bruce."

Tim stopped and looked at his brother. "Shut up."

"I just speak the truth," said Dick as he got under his nose. "So, why are you so excited Logan is coming over?"

"He's my friend," Tim said simply. "Plus, I don't like the idea of him and his mom spending Christmas alone. And…he's my friend."

Dick chuckled. "Maybe you want to be more than that."

Tim wiped his sticky fingertips on a washcloth. "What are you talking about?"

Dick smiled. "I'm saying that he's light on his feet. That he likes to drop the soap in the shower."

Tim could feel his cheeks going red. "Shut up," he said sternly.

"Oh, come on," laughed Dick as he got his right cheek. "I mean, he does exhibit some of the signs. Hasn't had a girlfriend yet, you said that he did stage work-musicals I might add, plus his voice has got that raspy squeak to it when he talks sometimes."

"Blow me," said Tim as he got out his toothbrush and after applying the Colgate, began brushing.

"I think you should say that to Garfield," smirked Dick. "Let's face it. The dude ranges up there on the Gay-O-Meter. I mean, I never thought you'd wind up there too."

"I'm not gay," said Tim as he continued brushing.

"Maybe he thinks you are," said Dick. "And now that he's going to be over here, he'll try to get alone in your bedroom and…stuff your stocking."

Tim stopped brushing and spit out the foamy saliva. "You're an asshole. Garfield isn't gay. If he was I doubt he would be heartbroken when Raven turned him down last Friday."

"Maybe he's bi," chuckled Dick. He patted Tim on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm only kidding about him being gay. He's a boxer and I've never seen him cry after taking a shot to the face. Relax, you know. Think I knew he didn't like Raven? The guy gets semi every time he sees her. Honestly, why are you so uptight about him coming over?"

A sigh was let out of Tim's lips. "I don't know," he said. "There's…there's something about Garfield that I can't put my finger on. I mean…he's got this genius IQ, he's got amazing artistic talent and he's moved up in boxing quite a lot and yet…he's hiding something."

Dick splashed water on his face and then rubbed his hand over it. "What is it?"

"I don't know," groaned Tim. "It's like…a pain. A hidden pain that he can't tell anyone about because he thinks it would hurt them too."

"Maybe his secret is he's gay," Dick said. A second later he burst out laughing.

"Whatever," said Tim. "I just-I want to know what it is."

"Maybe it's none of your business," advised Dick. "I mean, maybe it's something he doesn't want to talk about. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Right," said Tim as he exited the bathroom. "I'll try to remember that."


"Maybe you should ring it again," advised Sally when no one came to the door after the first ring, five seconds ago.

"Hang on," said Garfield, "I hear someone coming."

There was the sound of a click, and then the large wooden door opened and revealed the face of Bruce Wayne.

"Garfield," he greeted with a large smile. "Merry Christmas. Come on in." His attention quickly focused to Sally. "And Mrs. Logan," he extended a hand, "a pleasure to finally meet you at last."

"Oh, please call me Sally," she insisted. "Mrs. Logan is what the judges and defense attorney's call me."

"Very well," said Bruce. "As long as you call me Bruce." He turned towards the stairwell, "Tim, Dick, come on down."

From the large stairwell appeared Tim Drake, now dressed in a white shirt and black jacket to go with his black pants and a Christmas themed tie with Santa Claus golfing with a candy cane, followed by Dick in the same attire as his brother except with a dark blue shirt and a red tie.

Tim smiled when he saw his friend and gave him a hug. "Merry Christmas, Gar," he greeted.

"Merry Christmas, dude," Garfield greeted in return. He turned towards his mother. "You've met my mom, Sally."

Tim extended his arm. "Hello, Mrs. Logan."

"Hello," she said. "It's good to see you again, Tim."

Dick also introduced himself to Sally and gave Garfield a high-five. Now that the introductions were done, the true order of business had to be inquired by Garfield.

"How was your haul?"

"Oh, you should see what Bruce got me for my X-Box. Come on." He took off towards the living room and Garfield followed.

"We'll be eating in about two hours," called Bruce behind them. "I'll be in the kitchen."

"May I join you?" asked Sally. "I'd hate to just stand there while you're doing all the work."

"Thank you, if you don't mind," said Bruce.

"I'm a lawyer," reminded Sally. "I can handle things a lot more strenuous than a boiling pot."

They left towards the kitchen, leaving Dick standing there, feeling rather neglected.

"Right…" he said. "I'll just go into the living room."


"Plus I got Vice City for my computer," said Tim as he raced Garfield in his virtual car.

"Sweet, dude," said Garfield as Dick entered room.

"So, what'd you get?" asked Tim. "I mean, I've been ranting enough, let's hear your share."

"Two computer games, that other Family Guy DVD set, clothes and some really good books."

"You're into books?" asked Dick from the chair.

"Oh, yea," said Garfield with his eyes still on the game. "My mom got me the illustrated version of Da Vinci Code. Man, that book is awesome."

Dick nodded. "Yea, I heard about that book. You believe that stuff in there about Jesus and all the others?"

"Well," said Garfield, as his car tapped the side of Tim's, "I won't say yes or no but I'll just say this: There's a reason that book's in the fiction section." He smiled at his statement but it soon faded when his car began spinning out of control. "Oh, crap," he said through gritted teeth. "Come on, come on," he pleaded. But before he could say any more prayers, Garfield's car had blown up, giving Robin the easy victory.

"I'm bored of this already," said Tim as he shut off the game. "Come on, Gar, I'll let you play Vice City. I'll show you how to pick up hookers too."


In the kitchen, Bruce Wayne basted the turkey again while Sally Logan set up everything on the table in the nearby dining room.

"Your boys seem very nice," she called. "Did you make them take up boxing or was it something they wanted to do all on their own?"

"All theirs," responded Bruce. "I think Tim got it in him after he saw how strong it made me and Dick."

"Is it hard? I mean, to teach something that can be so complex?"

Bruce nodded as he put the turkey back in the oven. "Needs a few more minutes. Actually, it can be very trying at times. You have to help them correct their weakness because everyone has a different one. And then you have to teach them the basics and correct any faults they may have."

"And does there need to be a certain age to start?"

"In my opinion you need to be between the ages of 8 and 108 to start boxing," Bruce stated simply.

"I remember back in Gotham there was one club that had age restrictions and that was one thing I always despised. I believe that one is never too old to learn a new skill, no matter how many years it will take to perfect."

"You're very philosophical, Bruce," observed Sally. "How long does Garfield have until he has it right?"
Bruce looked her in the eyes. "Not as long as I thought. He is probably one of the most amazing students I've ever had. He's not afraid to admit a mistake and always willing to learn how to do it the right way. But when he fought that Adonis kid last Thursday, I never expected him to knock him out in the 2nd round."

Sally frowned. "I watched those tapes. And you say that his opponent had had 5 amateur fights before?"

Bruce nodded. "Won all of them by KO in the first round."

Sally sighed. "I can't believe it. Three months ago I would have laughed if someone told me he was going to win a boxing match. But now, he's so muscular and much more confident. And best of all…he's happy. More happy than I've ever seen him in all his life." She turned to Bruce. "Thank you."


"Why would you do that?" asked Tim as Garfield zoomed past two police cruisers that had been set up to barricade him on the road.

"Well, that cop's car hit me when I'm crossing the road so I just thought I'd give him a warning shot. How was I supposed to know that my warning shot would be a fatal shot?"

"You could have just blown out his tires," stated Tim.

Garfield squinted. "That's no fun. Plus this gets my blood pumping. I mean, what's better than a high speed chase?"

"Um, Gar, you're on fire."

Sure enough, the front of Garfield's Cheetah had large flames coming from the hood. Garfield hit the appropriate button and his character-Tommy Vercetti-leaped out of the car seconds before it exploded and right into a police cruiser that sent him flying.

"Ouch," he cringed. He moved the scroll on the mouse to select the bazooka weapon. "Time to take out the trash." He aimed his weapon and fired at the oncoming police vehicle. The missile hit and blew up the vehicle.

As he heard an oncoming siren approach Garfield turned and saw an undercover police car strike him down, killing him instantly. The computer showed his virtual body laying there, just above the large green words, 'Wasted'.

Tim sighed. "You used to be a big shot…and now you're dead."

Garfield shrugged and got up from his chair. "C'est la vie."

There was a knock at the door and the two teens turned to find Dick there.

"Dinner's ready," he said and he left as quickly as he came.

Tim clapped his hands together and began to rub the palms together. "Oh, man, I can't wait for this. Bruce has been there for most of the afternoon mixing away at all sorts of stuff. Man, you're gonna love the turkey."


At the table, Bruce sat at the front, Mrs. Logan sat to his left, Dick to her left, and on Bruce's right was Tim and on Tim's right was Garfield.

"Dick," said Bruce, "would you care to lead us into grace?"

"Oh, sure," said Dick. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, and let the words flow.

"In the name of Allah the beneficent, the merciful. All praises due to Allah, lord of all the worlds. The one god to whom praise is due forever. The one who came to us in master Fard Muhammad and brought up the honorable Elijah Muhammad. Amen."

Tim and Garfield began to giggle at his prayer but Bruce raised an eyebrow over it.

"Tim," he said, "would you like to give it a shot?"
Tim put his hands together and bowed his head, and after closing his eyes, began a sincere prayer: "Uh, God, thank you for the…bountiful food you place before us. Thank you for family and friends, especially those friends and families that join us now. Amen."

Just as everyone else was about to say 'amen' Tim finished real quick. "Oh and thank you for Mrs. Logan's jell-o entrée which is separate from the rest of the desserts. So…thanks. Amen."

"Amen," chorused everyone else.

After several minutes of passing every item on the table around, everyone had their plates full of something that they enjoyed.

"Great turkey, Bruce," said Garfield as he swallowed his first bite. "It's so moist and tasty."

"I'm glad you like it," thanked Bruce as he poured gravy on his potatoes.

"Man," said Tim as he dug his fork into the two jell-o with the cherry and lemon in it, "this is amazing. I've never had anything like it before. And the best part is you can have it with dinner."

"Bruce never gives us dessert with dinner," complained Dick.


Dinner soon passed and dessert soon became the new item on the agenda.

As Sally poured some coffee for herself, she turned to Bruce and asked, "So what did you get for Christmas?"

Bruce smiled. "Well, Tim and Dick pitched in and bought me a hot tub."

"It was more my money than Tim's," said Dick.

"We set it up last night since we always open up one present the night before," said Bruce. "They're wonderful for relaxing. And then there was a present I bought for myself."

Sally sipped her coffee. "You buy a present for yourself?"
Bruce nodded. "But not every year. I like to save my money until I have enough for what I want. I'm putting an addition onto the house and building an indoor pool."

Garfield gasped and almost chocked on his piece of cherry pie. "Holy crap," he said. "An indoor pool?"

Bruce nodded. "I hope to begin sometime in the New Year. And then of course, there's the club."

"What about it?" asked Tim.

"I'm going to buy new equipment in March."

Tim sighed. "For a minute I thought you were gonna say we were moving out of there. Man, don't scare me like that."


Dessert came and went and forty minutes later, Tim and Garfield found themselves bored out of their minds. Video games seemed to get tiring and watching TV just seemed inappropriate at the moment.

"Man, it's only 8:30," groaned Garfield. "If you got any ideas, I'm interested."

Tim snapped his fingers. "Let's use the workout room. I mean, our folks are talking their heads off and Dick's in his room talking with his girlfriend."

"I don't got my clothes here," objected Garfield.

"Pfft, use some of mine. I got some hangers for your clothes, don't worry."

They made their way up to Tim's room. As they stripped with their backs to each other, Tim asked, "Is everything OK?"

"Yea," Gar replied as soon as he slipped on the shorts and pulled the waistband. "Should it be?"

"Oh, yea," said Tim as he slipped on his shirt. "I mean, I'm just making sure you're all right. I mean, nothing's bothering you, right?"

Garfield grew suspicious around this line of questioning but said nothing.

"Everything's fine," he said with a smile.


Throughout their hour and a half workout, Garfield could feel the stare of Tim Drake pierce his body like a bullet through a ripe watermelon. Whether he was running for ten minutes on the treadmill, working on his biceps or benching 100, he could see out of the corner of his eyes, that Tim's blue eyes were watching him while he did his own exercises.

At first, Garfield chose to ignore him. Maybe he was just checking out to see if he needed help or anything. But after a half hour, Garfield grew even more suspicious.

Why is he staring at me like that, he thought. He's really starting to creep me out and if I didn't know any better I'd say that he was…

Garfield stopped the bicep curl and set the weights down, thinking about what he had just thought.

Was Tim really checking him out? No, not Tim. This guy had to be 100 percent heterosexual. But then did he turn away when Garfield went to look at him?

It's not like he drops the soap in the shower, thought Garfield. But…why else would a guy stare at another guy unless he had a whole bunch of tumors all over his body?

"Why are you staring at me?" asked Garfield franticly to Tim.

Tim was caught off guard by this question and slowed down the step machine.

"Sorry," apologized Tim, "it's just…you look like something's bothering you."

Garfield sighed. "It's Raven."

Tim shrugged. "You gotta forget about it, man. I mean, she's still your friend and-"

"I know that but…I can't stop thinking about her. I mean, I don't want to pine away at her forever."

Tim got off the machine. "So don't pine. Go out there and find someone you like. There's someone for everyone…or so I hear. Like, do you still dream about her?"

"Yea."

"Regular dreams or…?"

Garfield sighed. "Naked," he replied. "I have never felt this way about someone before. But I want it not just to be lust."

"Do you, uh,love her?" asked Tim.

"I'm not going to answer that," said Garfield. He sighed and waved his hand at Tim. "Just forget about it. It's my problem, not yours." He wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm done, how bout you?"

Tim nodded. "Yea. So…" he checked the clock, "its 9:15. Chances are Bruce is still talking your mom's ear off."

"Or the other way around," said Garfield. "So, what do you wanna do know?"

"Well…unless you wanna watch that Charlie Brown Christmas special-"

"Lucy's a bitch," Garfield blurted out.

Tim laughed. "Y-yea, she really is." He put his hand through his hair in thought and then snapped his fingers. "Let's use Bruce's hot tub," he exclaimed.

Garfield's eyes went wide and the suspicions he had came back.

Now he wants to get me in a hot tub with him? Danger, danger, Gar Logan!

This certainly was the double-edged sword for Garfield. If he said yes then he might end up with someone's hand on his upper thigh but if he said no he might have to spend the next two hours in boredom.

Doing the best to keep his bottom lip from trembling, Garfield simply said, "Sure."

Tim's face lit up. "Great, come on up to my room. I'll give you a suit and you can change in the bathroom."

Garfield did his best to forge sincere interest. "Awesome," he said.


Dick Grayson had been talking with his girlfriend for over an hour when he heard a knock at the door. "Hang on, babe," he said. Though he was on a portable phone, he didn't want any sound to interrupt him. When he saw Tim was there, he wasn't too happy to be interrupted by his younger brother's antics.

"What do you want?" he asked Tim.

"I need to borrow one of your beach towels," was the reply.

"Dumbass," muttered Dick. However he soon found out that his girlfriend misinterpreted his insult. "What? Oh, no. No, I was talking to Tim. I wasn't talking to you, boo."

Dick instantly cringed at the pet name he secretly gave his girlfriend a few months ago.

Tim began to laugh. He found the towel and just as he was about to leave, he heard Dick say, "Hold on, Babs." He put the phone on hold and asked, "What the heck do you need a towel for?"

"Me and Gar are using the hot tub," Tim stated simply.

Dick's jaw dropped. "OK, bro, do you remember the conversation we had a few hours ago?"

Tim groaned in disgust. "Look, you know, you're just starting to bug me now."

"Oh, wake up," stated Dick. "You're going in a hot tub with a…questionable sort of kid. Wait, who's idea was it?"

"Mine," answered Tim sternly.

"And did he say yes instantly?"

"He…I'm…I'm not sure," Tim said sincerely. "Oh, god. What the hell am I doing? What if he is and he thinks I'm attracted to him?"

Dick laughed. "Well…there are ways to see if you float his boat."

"How?" Tim asked.

"You know that Speedo you got? Wear that and he'll be finding some reason to move closer to you."


Garfield looked in the mirror and gazed at the bathing suit that was obviously shorter than the ones he usually had. While previous bathing suits went down to his kneecaps, this one sat three inches above them.

All I need is a pink shirt that's two sizes too small and I'll be ready to move to San Francisco.

There was a knock at the door.

"Hey, Gar, you decent?" asked Tim through the two inches of wood.

Garfield wiped his brow and unlocked the door. Instead of looking at giving Tim the opportunity to comment him on his appearance, he turned the conversation towards the length of his suit.

"Would you look at this?" he asked. "Honestly, these are short shorts."

"Uh…yea," said Tim. "They sure are."

Oh, god, thought Tim, he's having me check out his suit and now he's saying how short it is!

Garfield suddenly realized that his idea just backfired on him.

Oh, god, he thought, he's staring right at my crotch 'cause of these damn shorts!

"Well, you could always go commando," joked Robin but as soon as he said it he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

Great, now he thinks I want to get him naked.

Garfield had the exact same thoughts.

Great, now he wants to get me naked.

"No thanks," he said. "Besides…I'm self conscious."

"Ah," said Tim. "O…K then."

"Lead on," Garfield quickly spoke.

Tim handed him a towel and marched on at a quick pace.


A hot tub is always a difficult thing to get into. As soon as your foot touches the water, it recoils because you expected the water to be not as hot as what your foot was in. But then you stick it back in and slowly submerge the rest of your body, gasping the more of your skin the water takes in.

This was exactly how Garfield entered, though Tim was a bit more silent in his descent. Air leaked into Garfield's suit and made it rise with a huge bubble.

Though he pushed it down, it was visible long enough for Tim to laugh and say, "Gar, is that an air bubble, or are you just happy to see me?"

Garfield gave a small smile and thought, Oh, no, he's being flirtatious.

Tim suddenly realized his error and thought, Oh, no; he thinks I'm flirting with him.

They both gave an insincere laugh though neither of them knew that the other's laugh was insincere.

"This, uh…this feels nice," said Garfield. "Very…relaxing."

"Yea," agreed Tim. "It's good to, uh, relax the muscles and…stuff."

"Totally," agreed Garfield.

"Hang on," said Tim, "there's something I gotta do."

Garfield closed his eyes and let the water's relax him. He was soon jolted out of that relaxation when he felt a hand touch near his ribs.

Tim soon realized that his hand had come within contact of Garfield's body and they both shot out, standing instead of sitting.

"Holy crap," they cried together.

"Look," began Garfield while Tim also spoke, "I'm sorry but I'm not in to you."

"Look, I was reaching for the thermometer, I don't want you to think I was trying to get to any base or something."

They both stopped and heard each other's words.

"You were reaching for the thermometer?" asked Garfield.

"Yea. So…when you say you're not that into me…you mean you're not gay?"

"What?" Garfield exclaimed. "I thought you were gay! And when you touched my ribs I thought you were gonna pull me closer to you so you could kiss me."

Tim began laughing. "Oh, my god. When I touched you, I thought you were gonna kiss me cause you thought I was feeling you up."

"So you're not gay?" asked Garfield.

"Are you?" asked Tim.

"No."

"Then you have your answer," smiled Tim.

The two boys looked at each other, laughed and then sat down, now sitting at opposite ends of the tub. They spent the next few minutes speaking about life in general.

"Do you believe we have a purpose?" asked Tim as he looked up at the full moon.

"Like…one that's destined for us or one that we make on our own?"

"Either one."

"Yea…I think we're all destined for something."

"So…if I were to scratch my head…is that part of God's plan?"

Garfield shrugged. "I don't know, I never saw the plan."

"What about death?" Tim asked.

Garfield gulped. "W-what about it?"

"Like, what do you think happens to us when we die? Do we live on as ghosts, do we go into the afterlife, do we have a choice in the matter…or do we just…do nothing?"
Garfield thought of his mother, the pain she went through that day and the pain she would go through the rest of her life until…

"What do you think?" asked Tim.

Garfield's lip began to tremble. And before he could do anything to stop it, he began to sob. He covered his face with his hand, ashamed of the behavior he was emitting.

"Are you all right?" asked Tim with concern in his voice. He moved over so he was a bit closer to Garfield.

"Oh, god," sobbed Garfield. "Oh, god, oh…god."

"Gar…what's the matter?"

"Death," was the reply. "Death is the matter."

Tim moved close. Had it been when they first got in then both of their red lights would have been going off but now he knew that it was time to act as a friend.

"What do you mean?" asked Tim.

Garfield sniffled and ran a finger under his nose. "If I told you something…would you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I would," Tim answered immediately.

"Especially don't tell my mom that you know. She's…she won't want anyone's pity."

Tim put a hand on Garfield's shoulder. "Garfield, you can tell me."

This is it, thought Tim. This is the pain I could see. That look that he always had with him. This is it. It must have to do with his mom.

Garfield looked into Tim's blue eyes and told him what was the awful truth, "Tim, I have cancer."

There was dead silence. The only thing that could be heard was the hot tub whirring throughout the Christmas night.

Tim felt a shotgun blast impact right in his chest.

Cancer? No, it can't be. Not Garfield…it can't be him. No, Garfield was a happy, energetic person and…people like him don't get cancer. No, not Garfield, not…Beast Boy.

"Holy Christ," whispered Tim. "W-when did you find out?"

Garfield wiped one of his eyes. "Thursday, after I got home from the club. I went last Sunday and I told the doctor, 'Doc, you guys always say that if you got something it's positive, it's bad, but if it's negative, you're good. I don't get it and I don't like it. If I got cancer, tell me it's negative, because I find nothing positive about results that say I have cancer.' And when I got home, my mom told me…the results were negative." He stayed silent and then chuckled. "My mom…almost acts like it's her fault, you know? I mean…how the hell is it her fault? She didn't give it to me, I just…oh god."

"How…how long do you have?" asked Tim.

Garfield shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Tim. It's skin cancer and it is treatable but…you know, they can't save everyone."

Tim leaned back against the inner wall of the hot tub. "Gar…why didn't you tell us before?"

Garfield laughed. "Well for one thing it would have ruined the night. I mean, we're out celebrating Christmas, handing out presents and I drop the bomb that I have cancer? Jeez, Kori would have cried double that night."

Robin nodded. "Yea. And Million Dollar Baby was just a movie…" He looked at Garfield. "Are you going to start treatment or something?"

Garfield nodded. "I'm going on the second of January to see about that."

"Good," said Tim. "That's…good."

Garfield bowed his head and stared at his legs. "I'm sorry, Tim."

"For what?"

"I kind of just ruined your Christmas and you're probably gonna be thinking about me all night."

Tim smiled. "I'm going to be thinking about you all night? Gar, I thought we established the fact that I'm not gay."

Garfield looked at Tim. A genuine smile appeared on his face followed by genuine laughter.


They got out of the hot tub, redressed in their dress clothes and resumed playing video games, since now they felt the urge to play them coming back.

"Who the heck is shooting at me?" asked Garfield to no one.

Tim shook his head. "I don't' know, man. This guy's been killing everyone. I'll try to sneak around and-"

Tim was cut off by the sound of gunfire and his character groaning and then his part of the screen going dead.

"Never mind," he said. He then looked at Garfield's screen and said, "Holy crap, that's him. Sniper him out."

Garfield switched his onscreen weapon to a sniper rifle, activated the scope and lined it up so that his target was in sight.

"Watch the birdie, you bastard," said Garfield a second before his finger pressed the button. Garfield's target was killed.

"Gar," called his mother from the living room entrance. "It's late. We should get going."

Putting down his controller, Garfield stretched and yawned. "OK, mom. Whatever you say." He got up and went to the door with his mother. She handed him empty plates from the food they had brought. In her hands was a huge paper bag, which she held on its side.

"Is there pot in there?" asked Garfield as a joke.

"It's some of the turkey on a paper plate," answered Sally.

"I ran out of plastic wrap," admitted Bruce.

Dick came down the stairs to say goodbye to the company. He hadn't socialized with them much but he didn't want to seem like a recluse.

Before Garfield left, Tim hugged him again holding him tight as if he was a rope in a tug of war contest.

Tim could feel his eyes burn and the rest of his face go hot.

Garfield could feel his air being cut off. He patted him on the back and said, "I'm OK." He thanked Bruce, Dick and Tim again and wished them a merry Christmas.

"Oh, Garfield," called Bruce. "If you want to come by the club anytime during the break, go ahead. We'll be open all day."

"Thanks," replied Garfield.


Tim sat in his room, reading The Sweet Science, the book Garfield had given him when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he permitted.

The door opened and Bruce stood there, now in jeans and a black shirt. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Tim smiled. "Fine. I had a good time today."

Bruce nodded. "So did Garfield and his mom. I'm glad we did this also. Thank you for suggesting it to him."

"No problem, Bruce…" Tim squinted and looked closely at Bruce's face. "Hey…what's that stuff on your lip?"
Bruce moved his hand towards his lips, wiped them and looked at the red substance on them. His face turned a bit awkward but then he looked like he was trying to cover for something.

"It's, uh…that cherry part of the jell-o. That's all."

Tim's face dropped. "Shit, Bruce, you didn't put the moves on Gar's mom did you?"

"We're not having this conversation," said Bruce. He shut the door before Tim could get another word in.

Tim groaned and went back to his book. He couldn't stop reading. The words just seemed to flow and the pages were moving like they were in a tornado. God, how he loved this book. He would have to thank Garfield again the next time he saw him.

And then the secret that Garfield let out came back to him. He had put it aside ever since he had made that joke but now it came back. And now that he was alone, Tim Drake felt safe enough to cry.

He was sure Bruce wouldn't hear him but the one person he didn't count on hearing him was Dick, who heard and opened up the door.

"Are you crying?" he asked.

Tim looked up and then looked back down at the desk where he was reading. "I'm not," he said, though he knew it was a terrible lie. You could still see tears dripping from his eyes.

"Yea, you are," said Dick as he entered the room. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," sniffed Tim. "I'm fine."

Dick chuckled. "Let me guess. Gay Garfield said he wanted to get to know you better before he lets you stick your cock in his ass?"

That was the last straw for Tim. He shot up from his chair and grabbed Dick by the arm with one hand and by the neck with the other. With all the strength (with the added rage) he could muster, he pushed Dick towards the bedroom door, shutting it.

As Dick began gasping for air, Tim spoke into his ear.

"You listen to me, Dick, you ever say anything bad about Garfield Logan again and I will personally kill you like I saw so many people killed on the streets. And I don't care if you think you're joking or if you think you're funny. Gar Logan is one of the nicest people I've ever met and if I were you, I'd shut the hell up and try to get to know him."

Tim pushed off of Dick, who bent over and coughed like he had a bad cold. He looked up at Tim with bitter cold eyes.

"I don't know what the hell your problem is…but I suggest you get over it. You're not on the streets anymore, so don't try any of that street-life shit with me." With that, Dick left the bedroom.

But even though he was gone, Tim was still mad. Mad at Dick for being an asshole, mad at people for being too judgmental and just plain pissed off for Garfield having cancer. He went to the corner where his speed bag used to be but then remembered that he had given it to Gar.

Would he even live long enough to use it as long as Tim had?

The anger now leaking from his pores, Tim drew his fists back and began pounding the hell out of his wall.

To Be Continued...

Was that shocking? R&R