Chapter 12: Galtry and the Hendrickson's

Mary stared at the man in front of her, he had stopped laughing several seconds ago and now he was just staring at the woman with an evil smile. She felt nothing for the man, except for fear.

"You know who I am, don't you?" Galtry said, the cynical smile never leaving his face. "I'm sure your husband said something about me at one time or another." His laugh echoed through the room again. "After all he was the one that shot me." Galtry kept his gaze on the frozen woman. She truly was a beautiful woman; her long brown hair reached her elbows and her hazel eyes focused on his dark brown ones.

"Yes I know who you are. I was there when they raided your house. You nearly killed your nephew that night." Mary said trying to sound calm. Galtry pretended to look offended.

"What he got was what he deserved. He disobeyed me, and he needed to be punished. I was done for the day until your husband barged into my home and shot me." Galtry said. He was slightly losing his temper.

"That boy was just a child. He did not deserve what you did to him." Mary countered. Galtry eyed her.

"Of course he did. Did you see what he looked like? He is an abomination. He needs to be purged from this world. I was going to do it myself… eventually, but I wanted to have a little fun with the boy first. That was all I was doing, having my fun. At least until your husband ruined it. But now I'm here to finish what I started." Galtry said simply.

"Having green skin and the ability to change into animals doesn't make you a monster." Mary said hesitantly. Galtry laughed at this.

"Are you kidding me? Of course it does. There isn't a single thing in him that is remotely human and I'm not the only one that thinks that. Just ask around the city. Everyone thinks he is a monster, especially after he stole that statue." Galtry said with an evil smile.

Mary looked at him defiantly. "He is more human than you." Galtry narrowed his eyes.

"You better watch what you say, girl. You don't know how fast I could end you right now." Galtry threatened. Mary froze for a second as she took in the meaning of his threat. She realized she had no way out of this situation.

Mary was stuck, she couldn't call for help, and the two men would catch before she could even leave the living room. Running was not an option, the door was too far away and she couldn't leave her child at the mercy of these two horrible men. Mary suddenly felt a second wave of fear run through her body. Where was her boy? Did he already escape or was he hiding? Mary broke her gaze from the man and looked around the house; her eyes caught two legs dangling in the air from a high chair in the kitchen. He didn't even know he was in danger.

Galtry followed her gaze to the kitchen and saw the boy sitting at the table eating his breakfast quietly. His smile came back to his face as he looked back at the woman. "What a lovely young boy. What's his name?" Galtry said sinisterly. Mary's eyes widened with fear when she looked back at the evil man

"Gar…Garfield. His name is Garfield." Mary stuttered causing Galtry to let out another dark laugh.

"Garfield? You must be joking. You named your child Garfield? That is one of the worst names, don't you agree Reaper?" Galtry mocked as he looked toward his accomplice. The hooded man nodded his head but said nothing. Galtry looked back at the child and smiled again.

"Garfield." He called. The child turned his head and saw the man who had just addressed him. Galtry spoke again. "Can you come over here for a second? I would like to meet you." He looked back at Mary and nearly laughed. Her face was of pure terror. The boy stood up from his chair and approached the living room. He looked at his mother before he curiously turned his glance at the two strange men on the couch.

"Who are you mister?" Garfield Hendrickson asked. Galtry smiled.

"I'm a friend of your fathers; it's nice to meet you Garfield. Tell me, who's your favorite Titan?" Galtry asked. The small boy smiled at the question.

"Beast boy." the boy said with great enthusiasm. Galtry let out a laugh that scared the child.

"He's mine too. I know him personally you know." the boy looked at him with surprise.

"You do?" the boy said with excitement. Galtry nodded his head and placed a hand on the boys shoulder. Mary cringed at the sight and a sudden rage burned into her soul. She had enough of this man.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Mary seethed as her eyes narrowed. Galtry looked up at her with surprise and then smiled.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend of your husbands? I'm sure Jack would not be happy to hear that you were rude at a guest." Galtry said. Mary narrowed her eyes.

"You are not a friend, you're a monster." Mary said harshly. Galtry quickly grew frustrated. He stood up from the couch and stepped closer to her.

"What did I just tell you girl? Do you really want to test my patience? You are in no position to insult me. I…" Galtry paused when he heard the door slowly open. He glanced toward the door and smiled, his anger quickly subsiding. He turned back to Mary.

"The man of the hour has finally arrived." Galtry said his smirk growing more intense.


(Back at the Tower)

Raven stepped out of her room with a large book in hand. It was still early in the morning so she figured Gar wouldn't be awake just yet. She followed the hall to the common room door and stepped through. She wasn't surprised to see that her boyfriend wasn't at the table yet. Both Starfire and Cyborg were in the kitchen making their own breakfasts while Robin was probably still in the gym working out like he always did in the morning. Raven stepped closer to her friends and greeted them.

"Morning Starfire, Cyborg." Raven said in a surprisingly happy tone, at least as happy as Raven could express. Both heroes looked toward the empath and smiled.

"Morning little lady, did you sleep well last night?" Cyborg asked as he continued to cook his eggs and bacon. Raven nodded.

"Actually I did. I slept better than I usually do." Starfire beamed at her friend and floated toward her friend.

"That is because you have told your beloved of your feelings. You must be so happy to now be doing the dating with friend Beast boy." Starfire said. Her happiness for her friend was evident for everyone.

Raven had to blush after what her friend just said, and a small smile appeared on her face. "The thought had crossed my mind. I guess it's good to have that secret off my chest." Raven explained. The others nodded. Raven looked at them for a second, before she walked past them and prepared her morning herbal tea.

"So where is the grass stain this morning?" Cyborg asked. Without looking up from her tea Raven answered.

"He's still asleep, you know how he is. He's nearly twenty two and he still doesn't wake up until noon time." Cyborg grunted in agreement.

Just then Robin walked through the door with a water bottle in hand. Starfire caught sight of her boyfriend and greeted him with a small kiss. He kissed her back and greeted the others.

"Morning guys." He looked around the room. "Beast boy isn't awake yet?" the others shook their heads. Robin turned serious. His team keeps their eyes locked on him.

"I've been thinking a lot about Galtry. We have no idea who we are dealing with. We don't know what this guy looks like and we have no idea what connections he has. We are going to need more information about Galtry if we want to keep Beast boy safe."

The others nodded their heads. Robin looked pleased.

"Good, I'm glad everyone is on the same page here. Now comes the hard part, in order for us to get the information we need we're going to have to confront Beast boy and pull the information out of him. I know we agreed we would wait until he felt comfortable with telling us. But I feel like that would be irresponsible of us and at any moment Beast boy could be in danger. We need as much information on this guy we can get and we need it now. Beast boy's not going to like this idea so I need everyone's support." Robin waited for the others to respond. Cyborg was the first.

"I understand what you are saying Robin. Believe me I want Beast boy to be as safe as possible, but I don't think it would be a good idea to push him this early. I mean we just learned about his parent's death and that Galtry is his uncle yesterday. Can't we let him tell us when he feels comfortable? I'm sure the grass stain will tell us soon." Cyborg said. Raven shook her head in disagreement.

"I don't think so. We don't know anything about this man and we need to know everything we can to keep Gar safe. I don't want to see him get hurt again. If we don't push he'll never tell us. He kept this a secret from us for seven years, Cyborg. What makes you think he will suddenly open up to us? He won't." Raven said from under her hood.

"But what makes you think we can make him talk? If he doesn't feel comfortable with what we're asking he could just morph into something small and get away from us. We can't keep him under restraints. He needs to tell us under his own free will or he'll never talk." Cyborg argued. The others knew he was right. Beast boy was a master escape artist. He could get out of any type of restraint due to his shape shifting abilities. The only way to restrain him was to place a power canceling collar on him and they didn't want to do that. And the fact that Beast boy kept all this information to himself for seven years was another problem. If he didn't feel comfortable to tell the others about his past over the years what made them think he would tell them under pressure? They had a problem.

"We need some way to get him to talk." Robin said in deep thought. Suddenly Starfire spoke.

"Why don't we have friend Raven talk to him in the private? He told her about his past alone. Maybe he will do it again." The other looked at her with astonishment.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Raven asked herself. "Star's right, if we want the information we need I'll have to talk to him in private." Raven said in agreement. The others nodded their heads.

"Then it's settled, Raven will ask Beast boy about Galtry in private once he wakes up. In the meantime we all can just relax while we wait." Robin said as he prepared himself some breakfast.

Having her tea and book in hand Raven walked toward the couch. "Now if you excuse me, I would like to enjoy my book before Gar wakes up." Respecting her privacy the others did not object and just carried on with their morning routines.


(In Beast boy's room)

Beast boy tossed and turned in his sleep. His forehead was covered in sweat and if one walked past his room they would have heard slight whimpering.

"No. Please, let him go." Beast boy heard someone beg from across the room. Recognizing the familiar voice he opened his badly beaten eyes and he nearly gasped.

Across the room was a bleeding Raven. Her gray skin was covered in cuts and burns. Her eyes were blood shot and he could see crystal tears falling down her cheeks. She was trying to reach him but she was restrained and a large blade was being held against her neck.

He then heard that evil laugh. Looking up Beast boy saw his uncle standing above him with a bloody knife in hand, his smile was cynical and his eyes betrayed how much he was enjoying this situation. Galtry looked toward the sorceress.

"Sorry girl, I can't do that. It' time I finished what I started sixteen years ago. Say goodbye Raven. This will be the last time you'll see him alive." Galtry said as he raised his arm with the knife in hand. Beast boy couldn't do anything but watch the blade slowly move closer to his chest. It felt like forever, but the knife finally pierced his chest. The blade dug deep into his chest and Beast boy could already feel himself fading fast.

His eyes felt heavy and as he closed his eyes he once again heard that evil laughter.

"NO!"

Beast boy sprung up from his bed and was panting. This was the fourth time throughout the night where he woke up from a horrible nightmare, each one being very different but having the same villain and same outcome. Galtry always stood above him ready to end Beast boy's life. To say it was exhausting was an understatement. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. To his relief he wasn't at Galtry's mansion but in his own room at the tower, safe.

His relief was short lived though. The nightmares he had all night quickly flashed back into his mind and suddenly he remembered something he seemed to have forgotten.

He wasn't going to make it out of this mission alive.

Fear and hopelessness once again took over. He swung his legs around the bed until they were touching the floor and he placed his head in his hands. How could he have forgotten something like that? He pondered the thought for a few seconds before it suddenly hit him. It was because of Raven.

"Crap!" Beast boy said under his breath. He was too distracted by Raven's affections for him to remember that he had a huge problem. He couldn't have a relationship with her, not now. He knew he loved her but he couldn't take the chance of breaking her heart. He already promised himself he wouldn't break her heart. How could he have already forgotten about the promise he made himself just two days ago? He was screwed.

Soon another emotion came rushing into his heart, regret. He never should have let her kiss him, it was a mistake. Sure she was happy with him now but he knew that wouldn't last. Once Galtry laid him to waist Raven's happiness would be shattered. Her heart will break and she will revert back to what she was seven years ago, the emotionless shell of a person.

He couldn't let that happen, he needed to fix this before it was too late. He needed a miracle. He looked up from the floor and looked out his window. The sun was shining brightly and the entire city had a golden glow to it. The city seemed to be at peace for the time being. Beast boy wasn't even close to feeling peaceful, he considered going back to sleep and stay in his room for the rest of the day so he could be alone with his thoughts.

He quickly discarded the thought when he heard his stomach growl. Getting up from his bed Beast boy stepped toward his closet so he could get ready for the day. He pulled a fresh new uniform out and headed out the door for his morning shower.

Ten minutes later he was walking down the hall toward the common room in deep thought.

'What am I going to do? I can't have a relationship with her, not now. I could be dead in a matter of days. I have to let her go before I hurt her even more.' Beast boy's face looked forlorn as he stepped closer to the door. 'The next time I see her I need to do it.' Beast boy stepped toward the door. Before the door opened he took a deep breath.

As the door slid open Beast boy noticed that everyone was awake. Robin and Starfire were talking by the coffee table, Cyborg was in the kitchen eating his meaty breakfast, and Raven was on the couch silently reading a book. He kept his gaze on the empath, she seemed to have not seen him yet, none of his friends had. 'Maybe I should have some breakfast before I talk to her.' He thought. Nodding his head he walked toward the kitchen and finally Cyborg noticed him.

"Hey BB, how you doing?" Cyborg said. His face held a gentle smile as he turned back toward his food. Beast boy ignored his best friend for a moment and walked to the fridge pulling out the soy milk. Once he poured his cereal and soy milk did Beast boy finally answer his metal friend.

"I've had a lot on my mind this morning. I didn't get much sleep last night." Beast boy said sounding tired. Cyborg looked up from his meal and his expression betrayed his interest.

"Oh and what have you been thinking about?" Cyborg asked. Beast boy looked at him with his tired eyes.

"Some troubling things dude." Beast boy said as he ate his cereal. Cyborg shook his head. He didn't need Beast boy to explain what he meant by troubling things. Galtry was on everyone's mind even if some tried to hide it more than others, Raven mainly.

"Galtry?" Cyborg said already knowing the answer to his question. Beast boy put down his spoon and closed his eyes.

"Yeah." Beast boy said, his voice wavering a little. He picked up his spoon again and resumed eating his breakfast. Cyborg placed a hand on his friends shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about him. We'll find him, then we'll kick his butt to jail and we all can forget about this craziness." Cyborg said trying to sound assuring. Beast boy looked up at his friend, doubt clouded his mind.

"Thanks Cy, but I can't relax until Galtry is finished. In the meantime I'm just going to have to try and think of something else." Beast boy said, he chose not tell Cyborg that he already knew how this was going to end.

Cyborg gave him a smile. "You could always talk to your new girlfriend. I'm sure after you two cuddle for a while everything will be forgotten." He joked. Beast boy gave him a look.

"I doubt Raven will let me cuddle, she hates people invading her personal space and I would rather not be thrown out a window." Beast boy said as he got up from his seat and threw his bowl into the sink.

Cyborg's smile grew even larger. "I'm sure you're an exception, after all she has been trying to get your attention for five years. I bet if you asked her that you wanted to stay the night with her, she would say yes." His smile became mischievous. "Who knows she might even allow you to make me a proud uncle." Cyborg started to laugh when he saw his best friend's reaction. Beast boy's eyes were wide and he spat out the water he was currently drinking causing him to choke a little.

"Dude that is not funny, you know neither of us is ready for that. I didn't even know she liked me until yesterday." Beast boy whispered harshly. Cyborg just laughed.

"I know grass stain. It was just a joke to get your mind off of Galtry. Do you feel any better?" Cyborg said.

"A little better I guess, but dude you need better jokes." Beast boy explained as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"Ha like you're one to talk?" Cyborg said to himself before he went back to eating his food. His thoughts quickly turned to Galtry. What were they going to do? They had no way of finding this villain and he already proved himself as a silent killer. He somehow got to Beast boy at the mall undetected by any one and escaped before any of them got to the bleeding changeling. It didn't help that they didn't know what he looked like. Cyborg grew frustrated, how could he help his best friend if they didn't know what this man looked like or what he was fully capable of?

He hated to admit it to himself but the others were right. They were going to have to interrogate Beast boy to get the information they needed. He felt guilt rise up as he looked at the changeling slowly walking toward his girlfriend not knowing he was about to step right into a trap. He looked away and tried to push the thoughts out of his head.

Unknown to Cyborg, as Beast boy was walking toward the empath he was having an internal battle with himself. He knew he had to do it but he didn't want to hurt her. Taking a deep breath Beast boy moved toward the couch and sat next to the girl that loved him.

Raven looked up from her book for a brief second before she completely dropped her book and stood up from the couch.

"Good you're awake. I need to talk to you in private." Beast boy looked at her in surprise. He was not expecting that.

"Um, okay. Where do you want to talk?" Beast boy asked as he got up from the couch. Raven gestured him to follow her.

"I'm thinking the roof. I could use some fresh air at the moment and it's the furthest can you get from the tower." She said. Beast boy nodded his head before he looked at the others who were strangely watching him. Cyborg look upset, while the other watched him with straight faces.

The couple walked down the hall in silence for a few moments before Beast boy made a small noise when he felt his hand being held by the empath beside him. Raven looked at him and he could tell there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. Beast boy laughed nervously.

"He he, I guess I'm not used to us being a couple yet." Beast boy said sounding extremely dumb. Raven just nodded her head and gave him a small smile. "Um Raven?" Raven looked back at her boyfriend. "There's something I need to do when we get to the roof." She looked curious for a second before she nodded.

Once they reached the roof Raven turned to the green hero and stepped closer to him. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before she looked into his eyes, he could see that she was nervous.

"Gar, the teams been thinking. In order for us to be able to stop Galtry we're going to need more information… from you." Raven said nervously, she was not sure how he would react to what she just said. His reaction was worse than she expected.

"No! I can't tell you." Beast boy said as he backed away from her. His voice sounded shaken. Raven took a step closer to him in a non-threatening manner.

"Gar, please. We need to know what happened between you and your uncle. Your past is the key to bringing Galtry down. You already told me about your parents, why can't you tell me about him?" Raven asked. Beast boy took another step away from her and turned his back away from her.

"I'm sorry Raven I can't." Beast boy said. His resignation frustrated her. Even after they confessed their feelings for each other he still didn't completely open up to her. She thought it would have been easier now that he knew she loved him, apparently not.

"Why can't you tell me? I wouldn't be asking you if it wasn't important." Raven said. Beast boy looked out at the ocean.

"Those three years of my life were hell, Raven. Just thinking about those years is too painful to bear. Please just let it go." Beast boy pleaded. Raven was shocked.

"You lived with your uncle for three years?" Raven asked trying to keep her monotone. Beast boy nodded his head but didn't look at her.

"He tortured you didn't he?" Raven asked. "Those scars on your arms are all from him." Beast boy looked at her. His eyes were slightly damp from unshed tears. He nodded his head before he looked away.

"Yeah, they're all from him." Beast boy said. Raven stepped closer to him and took a hold of his right arm. She slowly rolled up his sleeve.

Raven had to hold back a gasp when she saw all the scars again. It looked like there were more than the last time she saw them. Beast boy watched her cautiously from the corner of his eye. He was surprised when she hesitantly brought her hand to one of the larger scars and traced the scared flesh with her finger.

"These are awful Gar." Raven said without looking back at him. Beast boy couldn't take it anymore and he ripped his arm out of her grasp, pushing his sleeve back down as he stepped away from her.

"Yes they are. That's why I never wanted anyone to see them." Beast boy said as he once again looked out at the sunrise. Raven tried a different angle.

"Gar, please it isn't good for you to keep all this to yourself. You've been keeping this from us for seven years. I told you everything about my past and I've been waiting patiently for you to finally tell me yours. I think I've waited long enough. Please." Raven said in comforting voice she was proud of.

Feeling guilty, Beast boy realized she was right. He knew everything about her but she didn't know anything about him. Sighing in defeat he looked at her. "Alright, I'll tell you about Galtry. We should sit down though this could be a while."

Raven looked pleased but she didn't say anything. She kept her gaze on the green changeling waiting patiently for him to start his story.

"Nicholas Galtry, my uncle… is a monster. When my parents were still alive, my dad would never talk about him. I never understood why he didn't talk about him. At least not until my parents died and I was shipped off to meet him for the first time. When I finally reached his home, I noticed that it was secluded from everything else. His house was hidden in a dense forest and the closest house was at least a mile away. In woods that dense, you can't see ten feet in front of you. So his home was well hidden. His home is actually not that far from Jump." Beast boy said. He noticed Raven's eyes grow and he quickly started talking again.

"Before you ask, no I don't remember where that house is. The Chief already asked me but I couldn't answer him." He explained. Raven looked slightly frustrated but nodded her head in understanding.

"By the first month with him, I already knew I didn't like him and he didn't like me. But things were civil between us, well as civil as Galtry could be. He neglected me and when he did talk to me he would insult me. Though he did feed me and gave me comfortable living quarters."

Beast boy sighed. "But after six months of living in that damned mansion things began to change. One night he pulled me out of my room and threw me into a dark concrete prison cell and locked the door behind him as he left. The next day he came in with a knife, He had an evil look in his eye and that was when I knew this man was evil. He took the knife and cut deep into my arm. I screamed and cried with the first cut and I can still remember his crazy laugh. He cut my arm several times before he left the room and locked the door. I can't tell you how long I just sat there crying as I held my bleeding arms. I was so scared and I kept asking why he did this to me? I didn't know what changed in him. One day he was sane, the next he was a killer psychopath." Beast boy said as he took a deep breath. Raven was disgusted but she didn't show it.

"It wasn't until a week later did I learn the truth. It turns out for the six months a social worker from child services was keeping an eye on Galtry and me. Galtry had to act like he was a responsible guardian for me. I also found out that my dad was actually very wealthy and when he died, his fortune was passed down to me. I couldn't touch the money until I was eighteen of course, so it was on hold. When Galtry had found out about the fortune, he knew that if I was out of the picture he would inherit the fortune. But he couldn't get rid of me with the social worker around and the papers not fully signed. So he had to wait six months for the papers to be signed so he could have his fun." Beast boy said with tears in his eyes.

Raven couldn't believe it, Beast boy had a fortune? And his uncle was willing to kill his nephew for said fortune. She couldn't decide what was worse, the fact that Beast boy was tortured or that he was tortured because of greed. She swallowed the lump in her throat before she spoke.

"Gar, that's awful." She said as she took his hand.

"It gets worse. After every beating he would look at me and tell me I deserved these scars. He told me that I was a monster and I was better off dead." Beast boy closed his eyes as he fought back tears. "After two years of torture, when he was finished I would beg him to kill me. I couldn't take the beatings anymore; they took their toll on me. His response was always a laugh. He'd laugh and tell me that the end would be coming soon." Beast boy was silently crying now. Raven had unshed tears in her eyes as she gazed at the man she loved.

Taking a deep breath Beast boy got himself back together. "Finally one day, when I turned six Galtry forgot to lock the door to my cell. Seeing my opportunity I escaped and ran from that house as fast as I could. Galtry saw me run into the woods and he started to pursue me. I ran for at least a mile or so nonstop before I saw a house in the distance. I ran to the home, broke in and tried to call the police. But before I could press the last number Galtry and caught up to me and dragged me back to his house for a beating I would never forget." Beast boy said.

"After the beating, he left the room for at least ten minutes before he came back in with a fury in his eyes I've never seen before. He told me that the cops were raiding the house and he accused me of calling them." Beast boy gulps. "That night he promised me he would come back eventually and finish the job. That was when he carved the letters into my hand." He says as he took of his left glove to look at the letters.

"The next thing I know I hear a gunshot and I see Galtry fall to the floor. I thought he was dead, so I ran. I made it to the backyard before I was stopped by a cop, Police Chief Hendrickson. He told me he was the one that shot Galtry and he wanted to help me. I reluctantly agreed and followed him back to the house, at least until he saw what color my skin was." Beast boy said before he paused.

"What happened next?" Raven asked, trying to push more information out of him.

"He tried to act like the skin wasn't a problem, but I recognized that look. He was freaking out on the inside. Thinking he thought I was a monster I ran when he wasn't looking. I ran in the woods and tried to get as far away from that place as possible. After that I basically lived in the shadows of society until the Doom Patrol found me and you know the rest." Beast boy finished.

Raven looked out into the horizon. She obviously had a lot to think about now. Although she was glad he opened up to her, she still didn't have any idea what this man was capable of besides torture.

"Can you describe your uncle for me? So we know what we're up against. What's his strength and weaknesses?" Raven asked. Beast boy went into deep thought for a brief moment.

"He has a short temper. He can get angry really easily. He doesn't have super strength, but he is slightly above average. He's a lawyer so negotiating with him is useless; he'll just turn everything you say against you. He's always armed, so we should approach him with caution. Even without my fortune, he is a very wealthy man, so he most likely has some hired muscle that could buy him time to escape in case or worse use against us. Never underestimate his intelligence. He always has something up his sleeve that could quickly become fatal for any of us. You might think he is just a normal human being but you could be more wrong. He is a devil in human skin."

Raven took in everything she heard and made a note to tell everyone about all this. She then heard him sigh.

"That's all I know, I'm sorry." He said as he looked at her. Raven touched his cheek.

"Thank you Gar, I know it wasn't easy for you to tell me these things." Raven then leaned in for a kiss but he pulled away. Raven looked at him with hurt in her eyes.

"Gar, what's wrong?" Raven asked in concern. Beast boy looked at her.

'Alright Garfield, you can do this. You need to end this before you hurt her more than you already are. Just let her down easy.' He told himself.

"Garfield?" Raven asked again. Beast boy opened his mouth for a second before he closed it again.

"Rae." Beast boy said, he saw the hurt in her eyes.

"Yes?" She said as she moved closer to him. He tried to say what he wanted to say but he couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

"I'm sorry you just surprised me, that's all." Beast boy said.

'YOU COWARD!' He shouted in his head.

Raven smiled softly before she leaned in again, this time he didn't push away and they shared a passionate kiss.

Raven pulled away and Beast boy could see the happiness in her face. "Come on we should get back downstairs. The others would like to know what you just told me." She told him. He nodded his head and Raven got up.

He followed her to the door and walked beside her back to the common room, hand in hand.

'You know that not ending it now will only hurt her more when you die at the hands of your uncle.' His conscience told him. He frowned.

'I know but I couldn't do it. The look she gave me when I pulled away nearly broke my heart. I don't think I can let her go.' He retorted.

'That was only a fraction of the pain she'll feel when she finds your dead body in the hands of your uncle. You're only digging the dagger deeper into her heart.'

'Shut up! You don't think I know that. I just couldn't do it, I love her too much to do that to her. I wouldn't be able to live knowing I broke her heart.'

'But you're going to break her heart either way.' His conscience said back.

'Not if the team finds a way to stop Galtry.' He thought back. He thought he heard a sigh.

'You're making a big mistake. You'll regret it once you're at death's door.' the voice warned before it vanished. Beast boy shook his head a little after the voice left. He never had an argument in his head before; the thought of it was ridiculous.

'That's what Raven probably feels like every day.' He thought before he and Raven stepped through the door to the common room where the others were waiting for them.

"We have a lot to talk about this morning." Raven stated as she looked at her boyfriend. "Garfield's told me everything and it's time you all know everything." The others looked at the changeling before they nodded their heads.

"We can talk on the couch." Robin said as he moved toward the table with the others not far behind him. Sitting down Robin looked at Beast boy.

"Alright, tell us everything." Robin said.


(The Hendrickson's residence)

The door slowly creaked open and Jack Hendrickson stepped through. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and he looked disheveled. He didn't notice the guests that were staring at him at the moment.

"Jack." His wife said sounding shaken. Finally looking in the room the chief of police noticed the two strangers with her wife and child. He instantly became alarmed. Galtry stepped away from Mary.

"Good morning sir. I have been looking forward to meeting you. It's been too long." Galtry said with a cynical smile. Hendrickson looked at the familiar man before he looked at his wife.

"Mary, who are these men?" He asked as he slowly reached for his gun on his hip. Galtry responded.

"You don't remember me? I'm offended. I would have thought the man that shot me would at least remember my face." Galtry sneered in mock hurt.

Finally recognizing the man, Hendrickson quickly pulled out his gun and aimed it at the man in front of him.

"Galtry! How did you find me?" He shouted as he aimed the gun at the man's head. To his surprise the man didn't even looked worried, in fact he was laughing.

He gave Galtry a cross look before his vision was clouded by a large cloud of black smoke. In seconds Hendrickson was forced against the wall and a large blade was being held against his throat. His gun was wacked out of his hand and slid across the floor. He forgot about the second man.

The chief of police looked into the eyes of Galtry's accomplice and saw nothing in them. The eyes were completely black. A second later two pale lifeless green eyes stared at the man against the wall.

"That was a very stupid decision, Jack Hendrickson." The accomplice said. Hendrickson felt shivers run down his body as he looked at the man. He then heard Galtry laugh again.

"I see you met my friend. Hendrickson I would like you to meet Reaper. Reaper here is someone you don't want to get on his bad side." Galtry said. Hendrickson looked at the evil man.

"How did you survive? The bullet should have broken your spinal cord. You should have been dead in seconds." Hendrickson stated from against the wall. Galtry walked up to the man and placed a hand on his accomplice.

"Let's just say I have friends in very low places. Friends that have the power to bring the dead back to life, friends like Reaper here." Galtry said. Hendrickson growled. Galtry stepped away from the police chief and walked toward the discarded gun on the ground.

"You have a very lovely family Hendrickson. It's a shame you had to drag them into this mess. If you weren't married I would only have to kill you, but now you left me with no choice." Galtry grabbed the police chief's gun and aimed it at Mary. "I can't have any witnesses. You understand of course." Both Hendrickson's eyes went wide.

"No please, you don't have to hurt them. I'm the one you want not them." Hendrickson pleaded as he struggled against the blade that was on his throat. Mary stared at the gun that was in the evil man's hand. She was on the brink of tears and she was trembling drastically now.

"What I want is my revenge. You denied me my destiny sixteen years ago. You must be punished for your crimes against humanity. You let that monster live." Galtry said bitterly.

"That boy was your nephew and he is not a monster. He saved this world more times than you can count. He is a hero." Hendrickson retorted. Galtry frowned.

"What is with you people and caring for that abomination? He is a plague on this planet that must be destroyed. I'm doing what is best for mankind." Galtry argued. The small boy flinched at the tone of the voice; he was currently hiding behind the seat.

"What you were doing to that boy was evil, you can try and justify your actions all you want but in the end they are still disgusting acts of cruelty." Hendrickson said. Galtry had enough.

"ENOUGH!" He yelled as he now pressed the gun against the Mary's head. "I DON'T NEED TO BE LECTURED BY YOU. WHAT I DID WAS NECESSARY, HE IS A MONSTER THAT NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED. I AM DOING THE WORLD A FAVOR. I SHOULD BE THANKED FOR MY CHARITY!" Galtry yelled. He took several deep breaths before he spoke again. "And since you prevented me from fulfilling my destiny you must be punished." Galtry cocked the gun as he held it against the woman's head. Mary whimpered in fear as tears poured out of her eyes.

"Galtry get that GOD DAMNED gun away from my wife." Hendrickson yelled. His eyes trembled as he stared at the evil man. Galtry removed the gun from the woman's head and Mary released a sigh of great relief before she choked on a sob. Galtry walked back toward the chief. He leaned in toward the man that was pinned against the door.

"I want you to watch this carefully. I want you to watch me take a life." Galtry whispered in his ear before he pulled away. Hendrickson instantly began to struggle against Reaper with ferocity. Galtry aimed the gun at the woman and pulled the trigger.

BANG

"NO!" Hendrickson yelled in horror as he watched his wife's now lifeless body crumble to the ground. The next thing he heard was a scream come from the living room. He saw his boy run toward his mother's dead body. A puddle of blood was now soaking the carpet. Tears stung his eyes as he looked at his wife.

"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" Hendrickson shouted as he fought even harder against the Reaper. Galtry turned to look at him.

"Don't worry you'll be joining her very soon." Galtry sneered before he fired two shots into both of Hendrickson's knee's causing him to scream out in pain. Reaper released him and he fell to the floor, his broken knee caps no longer having the strength to hold him. He slowly tried to crawl to his wife's body before Galtry stopped him. He looked up at the monster of a man. Galtry smiled down at him.

"I'm not going to kill you with this." Galtry said as he emptied the gun and through it in the corner of the room. "I'll let Reaper have all the pleasure of taking your life." Galtry then heard weeping from behind him. He turned and saw the little boy. "It seems I forgot about your son. Tell me Hendrickson, what should I do with him?" Galtry said as he knelt down to the man.

Hendrickson glared at the man with burning rage. "Don't you dare touch my son." He said through his teeth.

"You should have thought of that before you killed me." Galtry said as he stepped toward the boy who started to back away from the man.

"P…p…please s…st…stay away from Me." the boy said as he cornered himself into a wall. His eyes were filled to the brim with tears. Galtry cocked his head.

"But my boy, don't you want to be with your mother?" Galtry said. The boy looked at him in confusion.

"Where di…did she go?" He asked. Galtry stepped closer and pulled something out of his back pocket before he knelt down to the child's height.

"She is in a better place, and you'll be there with her soon. I promise." Galtry said trying to sound comforting. He reached for the boy but the child escaped his grasp and ran to his father who was still lying on the ground. Reaper was going to grab the child but Galtry stopped him.

"No, let them talk. This could be interesting." Galtry said. Hendrickson looked at his son with pleading eyes.

"Garfield, you need to get out of here. I want you to run out the back door and get to the station and tell them to call the Titans. This is very important; the Titans need to know about this. Don't look back. I need you to do this, can you do that?" Hendrickson whispered to his son so the others couldn't hear them. The boy slowly nodded his head before he looked at the hallway that leads to the back door. He then looked back at his father.

"But daddy, what about you? What are you going to do?" the boy asked. Hendrickson looked at his wife's lifeless body and his eyes trembled.

"I'm going to see your mother." He looked back at his son. "Just remember that I love you." Hendrickson said before he kissed his son on the forehead. "You need to run now, I'll buy you some time." the boy nodded his head. Hendrickson pulled out something from his belt that looked like a retractable night stick.

"Alright times up." Galtry said as he stepped closer to the father and son. Just when he was going to grab the boy, Hendrickson pulled out his nightstick and whacked the man in the leg. Galtry shouted out in pain as he fell to the floor.

"Garfield now!" He shouted to his son. The boy got up and sprinted for the back door. Reaper was about to pursue when Hendrickson grabbed a hold of his legs and tripping Death's servant.

When he saw his son reach the back door he tried hitting the Reaper with his nightstick but did not succeed when he felt Galtry jump on top of him.

"You're going to pay for that." Galtry said as he pulled the injured cop up and pressed him against the wall holding him there. Reaper stood up and walked toward the cop.

"Any last words?" Galtry asked as he stared at the man. Hendrickson shook his head.

"Go to Hell." Hendrickson said as he spat on the man. Galtry wiped the spit of his face and turned toward his companion and nodded his head.

Galtry stepped away from the cop but still held him against the wall. Reaper pulled out his scythe like blade and impaled the man in the chest, pinning him against the wall. Jacks eyes grew and he could feel all the air in his lung being pressed out of him. Blood dripped from his mouth now as he looked down at the blade that was now covered in his blood. He started feeling faint and his eyes were growing heavy.

He bowed his head and closed his eyes. And that was when he heard her voice. He quickly opened his eyes and he saw her smiling at him. He returned the smile before he no longer felt pain.

Galtry watched the man's last seconds of life before he stepped away from the Reaper. Reaper's eyes were flashing green as he was transferring the life force of this man to another world. His eyes turned back to his normal and he turned toward Galtry.

"It's done, Jack Hendrickson is dead and his soul has been judged." Reaper said as he pulled out his blade. Galtry didn't even look at him but he did have a pleased look on his face.

"Good and now you have the soul I owed you. My debt has now been paid." Galtry said as he looked at his companion. Reaper nodded his head but didn't say anything.

"What about the child? He escaped and the police are most likely already on their way here." Reaper said. Galtry looked out the window.

"We don't have to worry about the child. He won't be a problem to us." Galtry stated as he walked out of the building. "Come on, we're finished here. I got my revenge and you got your soul. We have other matters that need to be attended to." Reaper nodded as he stepped closer to his companion. When they were close enough, Reaper's eyes turned black and a large cloud of black smoke to the place of the two villains leaving the massacre unattended to.


I would like to apologize for neglecting this story for a while, but i have had a lot on my mind lately. Most definitely my most gruesome chapter thus far but it had to happen eventually. i planned on ending Hendrickson's life since the beginning so it was bound to happen. At first i killed off the kid, but now i'm glad i didn't. i felt like i was stepping over some type of boundary that i know would bother some people so i went against it. next chapter the titans meet Galtry and his team. enjoy

-Greenhatred77