This one was originally two chapters, but I decided to combine them into one. Yeah that's right, it's basically a buy 1 get 1 free. Yah welcome. :))
Chapter XX - Sanctuary
A car drove towards the building and parked. Its driver stepped out of the vehicle, glanced onto a piece of paper with a name written on it, then looked up at the name of the building—Sanctuary. They matched. The man took off his sunglasses and squinted his green eyes at the building. "Raven," Garfield whispered. "I've found you."
It had been two weeks since Raven's disappearance. The Titans had found her the same way they had found him when he was teleported to Andern Falls eight years ago—by tracking her genetic signature. When she had disappeared five years ago, Raven had used her powers to mask her genetic signature to prevent the Titans from finding her. This time, she had no powers to use and no memory to remember to use them. At the same time, however, the suppression of her magic also suppressed much of her genetic signature, making it harder for the Titans' supercomputers to detect. However, soon enough she was found in a small place called Sanctuary, a safe place for those who are lost, dying, or wishing to die. Garfield stepped inside the building.
He was immediately met at the front door by a woman slightly older than him with long black hair. "Hello," she said kindly upon noticing his entrance. "What is your name?" Garfield looked around. The building held the appearance of both a hospital and a hotel, and the lobby was occupied by about a dozen men and women—most were elderly while others were severely injured. Still others seemed fine, but were very pale and had a deathly complexion on their faces. "Excuse me?" the woman repeated. "Who are you?"
"O—oh," he stammered. "My name is Garfield Logan."
"I see, Mr. Logan," she replied. "Are you here as a guest? Might it have something to do with your—pardon my mentioning—green skin?"
"What?—oh no! No, no, my skin is normal—well, not normal normal but it's normal for me. I'm fine. I'm actually looking for someone. Have you had a woman come here recently? Pale skin, blue hair, has trouble remembering things, is very weak?"
"Oh, yes. Are you talking about Miss Raven Roth? She had just arrived here about two weeks ago. You are her friend?"
Gar nodded graciously. "I'm her fiancée."
"Oh, I see. I understand. Come with me, I'll take you to her right away. She's on the second floor upstairs."
"Thank you," he said to her. The woman started walking away, to which Garfield followed eagerly. "How is she?" he asked.
"Well, I'm assuming you know of her symptoms… Her vomiting has continued, and she occasionally does get nose-bleeds. Her memory is weak and sometimes she completely blanks out as if she didn't have a thing on her mind for several moments. Sometimes she remembers easily, other times she has trouble dressing herself without our help. Her seizures are worsening though."
"S—seizures?" the changeling repeated. "What seizures?"
"Her epileptic seizures. Did she not have those before she came here?" Garfield shook his head. The nurse sighed. "Then she really is worsening very quickly…" The pair continued walking and went up a stairway. "When Miss Raven first came here, she gave us a strange request," the nurse continued. "'I am dying,' she said. 'I cannot explain everything to you, but please make sure that you kill me before I die. Please, I beg of you, make sure I am killed. Make sure my body is destroyed. Do whatever it takes, please.' To this day, I still do not understand what she meant. Do you?"
"I do." He clenched his fist as he walked. "Unfortunately, I do. Where is she?"
"Right this way," the woman said as she led him to a room at the end of the hallway. There, she stopped at a door with the label "Raven Roth" written on it. Knocking, she opened the door and slowly motioned Garfield inside.
The room was very clean, with white walls, white floor, and white furniture. A large window rested on the opposite wall, and was open, the wind gracefully blowing the white curtains in smooth tides. Sitting on a chair next to the window was a young woman wearing a white silk dress, her eyes wandering out the window into the skies above. The nurse walked over to her and gently placed her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Miss Raven?" she said softly.
Her head slowly turned to face the nurse. "Yes?" she replied.
"You have a visitor." The nurse smiled and looked at Garfield. The woman in white looked over as well, her eyes wondering slowly until they rested onto Garfield's.
"Raven," he called to her, taking a step forward.
Raven's eyes looked at him with interest. She stood up and faced him. She opened her mouth. "Hello," she said. "Do I… know you?"
Garfield swallowed any reaction he might have felt. He had prepared himself for this, knowing there was a chance she wouldn't recognize his face, but mentally preparing for it and having it actually happen are two very different things. "No," he said with a solid face. He smiled as warmly as he could and extended his hand. "My name is Garfield Logan. Nice to meet you."
…
Garfield, Raven, and the nurse ate lunch together in the cafeteria room. The cafeteria, like all other rooms in Sanctuary, was completely white from its walls to its tables, from its chairs to its plates. The nurses' uniforms were all white as well as the guests' clothes which resembled hospital gowns. Garfield chuckled. In a place filled with so much white, a green man like him must have stood out like a sore thumb. Earlier that day a man with dementia had confused him for a talking cactus.
Raven needed help eating. The nurse had to hand her the fork to use and take it back from her when she was done. The same with the spoon and the cup of water. Garfield had thought about offering to help her, himself, but decided against it, figuring it would be strange for her to have a stranger help her eat. He looked down at his own bowl of soup. Chicken soup. It reminded him of the soup he and Raven had eaten at the mysterious restaurant in which they were given the body-switching wine in the first place.
"Raven," he said to her. "Do you really not remember anything?"
She took a gulp of water, handed it to the nurse, and said slowly, "No. Not really." It was weird. Her voice was just as monotonous and deadpan as it had always been, but now it certainly felt deader.
"Does the name Starfire mean anything to you?" he asked. "Or Cyborg? What about Nightwing?" Raven stopped for a moment, but then shook her head.
"What—what about Raphael?" Gar asked hesitantly.
Her eyes wandered for a moment in thought. "No," she answered.
He did not know whether he felt relieved or disappointed. On one hand, that meant that Raven did not even remember Raphael anymore. But on the other hand, that meant that Raven did not even remember Raphael anymore.
"Did you sleep well last night, Raven?" the nurse asked her as she handed her a spoon. Raven accepted it and, with some difficulty, picked up a piece of egg white and bring it to her mouth. She slowly chewed it and swallowed before replying.
"I had the same dream again," she said.
"The one about the train?" the nurse asked. Garfield looked up.
"Yes," Raven said. "And then, I had another dream, one that seemed too real to be a dream, but also too strange to be real. I dreamed there was a boy, and a he was being attacked by a man—attacked horribly. I couldn't stand it anymore and I cried out, 'Stop!' Then there was some kind of black orb surrounding my hands and I pointed them at the man. The man—he was wearing all black clothes, I remember—looked scared at me and told me to put it down, but I didn't. I knew that the boy would die if I didn't stand there and protect him."
Garfield clenched his fist. He knew that Raven was remember the day he and her had won the crystal bell on their first date at the carnival, the time when Anna had been captured by the Brotherhood of Evil and Rift had nearly killed him in a rage. He would have died, had Raven not been there to protect him.
"Stop!" a cry was heard. Rift's arm stopped in midair as he looked up with bloodthirsty eyes that widened in shock. Before him stood Raven, her hand encased in a dark orb that was aimed directly at him. He lowered his arm.
"Put that down," Rift instructed her. She did not relent. "Would you please put that down?" he repeated with much more force. Raven suddenly felt her arm go down but forced it back up. He was trying to control her, she knew. But she resisted, knowing fully well what would happen to Beast Boy should she submit.
"Leave. Him. Alone," she shot back.
Rift looked at her, then back at Beast Boy, then back at her. "This is not the end, Raven," he roared. Raven suddenly felt time stop as all movement was frozen. Everything felt a blur as she heard a single voice in the air: "I will take two revenges on you for your two sins against me. One for today… and one for the first sin."
That night, Raven had told him what she heard from Rift—his "two revenges". It was now that Garfield understood what the two sins and the two revenges were: for protecting him and defying Rift that day, Raven was to be punished by having her body violated by Rift; for defying and defeating Trigon, the "first sin", Raven was to be punished by becoming Trigon, himself. And though Garfield had never told anyone else, not even Raven, he too had heard a voice that day. As he saw Raven protecting him, putting her life at stake to save his, shielding him from Rift, he heard a voice in his mind: "Do not rest easily, for I, too, will take my revenge on you for your sin today."
He shuddered. His sin against Rift was letting Anna go. And yet, after all these years, he still had not been punished. One of Rift's revenges on Raven had been fulfilled, and the second one was going to be fulfilled soon enough. But Garfield—he had not been punished. Not for letting Anna go, not for hurting Raven. And perhaps because of that—he was suffering inside. Deep down, Gar realized, he was dying because he was not punished. He longed to be punished. He desired to be punished. He wanted to, because only with punishment can there be redemption. Raven was punished. Rift—Malcolm—was punished. And yet, Garfield had not been.
It pained him inside, the knowledge that Raven's punishment was fulfilled through Gar, that he had helped bring about her pain. That day eight years ago on their first date, she had protected him. Three years after that, he had hurt her. For him, she could have done everything. For her, he had done so little.
"Mr. Logan?" Raven said to him.
He snapped back to the present. "Y—yes?" he said.
The woman raised a finger and pointed at him. "You, you're—crying."
Garfield blinked. He suddenly became aware that his eyelashes were wet. Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out his sunglasses and placed them on his face to hide his tears. "No—no, I'm not," he stammered. Again, he tried a smile.
"Mr. Logan," she said. "Why are you here?"
He sighed. "Do you really not remember me?" he asked in a low voice. "Please, tell me you remember me. Don't you remember Garfield Mark Logan?"
"No, no I don't. I told you already I don't." Her voice seemed to get slightly more distressed.
"Please!" he implored. Reaching into the large pockets of the jacket he was wearing, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he read its contents aloud to her.
"'I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me. I never meant to do that. I never meant to break your heart like that.' Don't you remember writing that? 'Look at me through my words, through this letter, through my writing. Look through it and look at my heart. Let me show you my heart and who I truly love: I, Raven Roth, will forever love you, Garfield Mark Logan. You, my Garfield Logan.' You wrote that to me. You did!" He showed her the letter.
"I—" Raven stammered. "I did not write this. I didn't."
"It's your handwriting," he insisted. "Look!—'Oh my love, Garfield Mark Logan. Do not believe me when I forget your name. Do not believe me when I forget who you are, because I promise you that you are the one I love.' Don't you remember writing that?"
"I don't!" she raised her voice. She turned to the nurse, as if asking her for help.
"'I am thankful for having met you and I am thankful for having had you in my life. I don't have to remember you. You're a part of me. I don't have to be scared of dying. I will always live inside your heart. I, Raven Roth, now and forever love you, Garfield Mark Logan.' You wrote that! Those are your own words, Raven. And down here, down here you signed your name. You! You must remember! You have to remember!"
"Stop it!" she said exasperatingly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Logan, but I don't know what you're talking about! Maybe I'm the wrong Raven or maybe you're—you're sick enough to wrote this yourself and pretend like I did, but I promise you I did not write this. I didn't! I don't know this and I don't know you, now please just—just leave!"
Garfield swallowed his emotions, and stood up. "I'm sorry," he said to her quietly. "I'm sorry." He turned and left.
Raven stood with an indignant look on her face. "What a—what a weird man," she said to herself.
"Stay here, Miss Raven. I'll clean up the food," the nurse said to her. Raven stopped her.
"No, let me help. You know I like to help with the dishes." She tried a smile and picked up Garfield's bowl of chicken soup, which he had left untouched. "Tch, he didn't even touch his food," she mumbled. "What is he, a vegetarian?"
She brought the bowl to the kitchen while the nurse brought Raven's food. Raven went to a sink, dumped the bowl's contents down the drain, poured some soap onto the bowl, and turned on the faucet. As she began scrubbing the bowl clean, she mumbled under her breath, "Weird, weird man. He didn't even touch his food. Why did he just come up to me like that, confusing me for someone else? I hope he never comes back."
She started breathing faster as she cleaned the bowl. She suddenly felt a strange feeling in her chest and her heart suddenly felt warm as if she was flustered. There was a strange pressure in her eyes, and as she blinked, small tears dripped down. "What the?" she said to herself. "What is—" She suddenly stopped cleaning and let go of the bowl. Her body tensed and froze up for a split second. Raven shook it off and took a deep breath. A small whimpering sound emerged from her lips and she felt her eyes begin to burn. "Why—why do I suddenly feel so sad?" she asked herself. She tried to swallow, but her throat felt dry. Her knees gave in, and she sunk down into a kneeling position before the sink, burying her face into her arms and sobbing uncontrollably.
That night, Raven and her nurse went out to buy groceries, another hobby of hers as she liked to get fresh air as often as possible. The sky was dark and clear, and a fresh breeze was gently blowing. The two walked slowly together arm in arm, for Raven had grown too weak to walk quickly by herself. As they exited the gate outside Sanctuary, they came across a figure leaning against the gate under a light pole.
Raven was the first to take notice of him. He was wearing a dark trench coat, and her eyes were a bit weak in the darkness, but she recognized his green skin immediately. "Mr. Logan?" she said. His eyes were closed, but slowly opened as he heard her voice. Raven furrowed her eyebrows and turned to her nurse, telling her to go back inside and give her and Garfield a moment alone, assuring her that she'd be alright. After the nurse went back inside, Raven turned her attention back to the man. "Why are you still here? Were you standing there all this time?"
Garfield was silent. His eyes were low and tired, his gaze unfocused. He was illuminated only by the light of the light pole above him, which cast a yellow tint onto his green skin. Underneath his eyes, Raven could see what appeared to be a sort of wetness, as if he had been crying, though it was mostly dried up by now.
"Go home, Mr. Logan," she said to him. "It's cold. You'll get sick if you stand here all night."
"Raven…" he said in a low voice. Sluggishly, he turned his head to face her, and his eyes focused on her own. "Hug me, just once."
"What?" she replied. "Are you drunk? Did you turn crazy?"
"Hug me like you did once upon a time, Raven," he said. "Before all this happened. Before five years ago when I hurt you. Hug me, just once. Let's be kids again. Please."
"Mr. Logan—"
"—Do you remember Malchior? Do you remember after you defeated him? I told you that night that you weren't alone. That I'd always be there. That you'd always have me as a friend. And then you hugged me. Out of nowhere, you came up to me and hugged me. Don't you remember?"
Garfield stood up straight and looked at Raven's violet eyes, pools of wonder. They darted back and forth, nervous and afraid, it seemed. They eventually found themselves back at Gar's and, with a look of solid resolve, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around him. He could feel the warmth of her body pressing against his.
"I think—I think you're a crazy man," she whispered to him. "I think you're weird and lovesick and crazy… but why does my heart beat faster now that I'm hugging you?"
The changeling sighed. "Even if you don't remember me, I'll stay here. I'll see you every day until you do. I promise you."
The woman was silent for a moment, but then answered, "Take me inside, Mr. Logan. I'm too weak to walk by myself."
"Okay," he nodded, and turned around, allowing her to climb onto his back in a piggy-back ride. Securing her with his hands, he effortlessly turned towards the gates and walked back inside. He walked as slowly as he could, wishing to treasure every second he had with her. "It's cold outside, isn't it?" he whispered.
"Mmm, yeah," she replied softly. "But your back… your back is warm."
Garfield paused for a moment and smiled inside. He was reminded of the time he had carried her on his back in Azarath just a few months ago.
The trek to Raven's room was far, but he did not mind. His muscles had loosened from years of retirement as a superhero, but he was still very capable of carrying a fully grown woman on his back. He was a bit disappointed in finally reaching Raven's bed and almost hesitated in letting her off. One of the nurses had noticed him carrying her up and, since it was already late, welcomed Garfield to stay at Sanctuary for the night, allowing him the room next door. He nodded a thanks and proceeded into his room. Once inside, he took off his coat and set it down, removing the contents and setting them onto a nearby table: the letter Raven had written for him, his sunglasses, and the crystal bell.
Turning, he saw Raven standing at the doorway. "Thank you," she said to him. "For helping me inside. The restroom is down the hall, fourth door to your left."
"Thanks," he said to her before walking out the door.
"Do you really believe I'm the one you're looking for?" she called after him.
He stopped in his tracks. "I know you are," he answered immediately.
"I want to believe you," she said. "But it's just… I know my mind and my memory is foggy, but I think that if you were telling the truth, then I'd feel it, you know? Somehow, deep down inside, I'd feel something. Something right."
"It's alright," he said back. "I have faith in you. I won't be scared and I won't be insecure. I'll be right here. I have faith in you." He gave her a short smile and began walking down the hall.
Raven lowered her head and stepped inside his room, noticing with interest the items on the table. Raising her eyebrows, she immediately was drawn to the bell that glistened in the light of the room. "What a pretty bell," she said to herself. Her fingers stretched out and curled around the cool glass. With eyes of curiosity, she lifted the bell and gave it a small shake. Its ring resonated in the air. Upon hearing it, Garfield suddenly froze and slowly turned around.
The chime of the bell gave Raven a small smile, her ears pleased at the euphonious sound, and she rang it again. Slowly though, her smile began to fade and a sliver of realization began to dawn upon her eyes. She rang the bell harder and harder, her smile fading and her eyes widening more and more with each shake. When she felt like she couldn't take it anymore, a green hand firmly covered hers, muffling the bell and coercing her to stop.
Raven looked up and saw Garfield Logan staring back at her. "G—Gar?" she gasped.
"Raven," said he.
She raised her pale gray fingers and gently laid them on the man's cheeks. "You came for me," she said.
A smile burst on his face. "Of course I did."
"I—I remember. I remember now. I do."
Gar couldn't help but chuckle. "I know," he said, his lips smiling so broadly they hurt. "I know."
"How long have I been gone? How did you find me?"
"About two weeks. It wasn't too hard. It could've taken years and I still wouldn't give up."
Raven gave a content and weary sigh. She blinked and looked around. "What happened to the lights?"
Gar furrowed his eyebrows and looked around in confusion. The lights were fine. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Did the lights go out or something? It just got dark."
"No… it didn't," he replied cautiously.
"I—I can't see you. I can't see anything," she said, her voice growing increasingly frightful.
The man's eyes slowly widened in realization. "Lapses in vision and momentary blindness," he whispered under his breath, remembering one of the worst of the possible side effects.
"Garfield. Gar!" Raven began to panic. "Gar, where are you?"
"I'm right here, Raven," he said to her, clutching her hand.
"Gar, where are you? I—I can't see. Garfield, I can't see!" she shouted. "I can't—" she began to choke and gag on her words. Covering her mouth with her hands, she began coughing horrendously, and Garfield could see drips of blood flowing from her mouth.
"Coughing blood…" he said. "Raven, Raven! Are you okay?"
Her eyes unfocused and her knees began to wobble. In an instant, her eyes rolled back and her legs gave way as she fell unconscious onto his arms. "Raven!" he shouted at her limp body. "Raven!"
"Is everything alright—ah!" a nurse yelped upon hearing his screams and seeing Raven falling unconscious.
"Call an ambulance!" he roared at her. "Call 911! Call an ambulance! Now!"
The nurse rapidly obeyed, returning moments later with a phone to her ear. "Yes," she said to the phone. "A woman has just fallen unconscious. She is dying. Please send help right away."
"Vir—Virgil Medical Hospital!" Gar panted. "It has to be Virgil Medical Hospital."
The nurse nodded. "Yes sir!—Yes, hello? Her friend is requesting Virgil Medical Hospital. Yes, please come as soon as you can."
"Raven… Raven…" Garfield moaned as he clutched her near lifeless hand, which was steadily getting colder and colder. "Please stay with me."
…
Raven was in a coma. Her heart rate was inconsistent and egregiously low, while her brainwaves were substantially high. Her body temperature clocked at 28 degrees Celsius or 82 degrees Fahrenheit, a number so low the doctors had to recheck multiple times. As soon as they checked up her systems, she was immediately placed into the safe room that was designated for her. By the time she was wheeled in by Garfield and the doctors, Dick, Starfire, Victor, Raphael, and Dr. Veritas were already waiting for them.
"What happened?" Dick asked the changeling.
He shook his head. "I—I don't know. When I first found her, she couldn't remember a thing. Suddenly, she remembered everything and then she passed out like that."
Victor turned towards Veritas, whose eyes were eclipsed by deep, dark circles. "How is everything, doc?"
She replied with a weak voice, "Bad. Bad. Everything's so bad. I don't know what to do. None of us do." She threw her hands up in frustration and defeat. "I've contacted all the most renowned doctors in the world, kept in touch with Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter—you name it—I've spent the past few weeks with the Azarathean monks trying to figure out what we can do, but—but nothing! The doctors have no clue what to do because this isn't even technically a disease or anything that we know on Earth, the superheroes have no leads, and the Azaratheans—well, the only thing they know was that ten years ago, a prophecy said that Raven would be the gem to unleash Trigon. They knew nothing on how to stop it; they said that Raven actually defeating Trigon ten years ago was a miracle. Now that it's happening again, they don't know what to do."
"So, what? You're saying there's no hope?" Raphael questioned between gritted teeth.
"I'm saying there is nothing we can do," the doctor sighed. "I haven't slept in the past two days… We're all exhausted. Trigon seemed to make sure that there would be nothing we can do to stop him except—"
"Except what?" Dick asked, almost afraid of what he would hear.
"—except kill Raven," Dr. Veritas sighed.
"No. No, no, no. We are not doing that," Raphael refused. "No. I'm not letting that happen."
"It's the only thing we have left to do. We don't even know how long she has before his spirit begins to take over, but by the look of how things are, I doubt it's very long from now."
"G—guys," Starfire stammered, her eyes widened as if by a sudden realization. "Do you remember… do you remember when the first time Trigon attacked was?"
The others looked at her strangely. "The first time?" her husband answered. "I remember it was calculated to be seventy-two days after her sixteenth birthday, right?"
"That is what the prophecy said," Raphael nodded. "Seventy-two is a very magical number."
"Right… seventy-two days after her sixteenth birthday," the Tamaranian nodded. "So… how long has it been since Raven's twenty-sixth birthday?"
Dick and Victor looked at each other. "About two months ago, right?" the latter said.
The former Robin did the math in his head and his eyes slowly understood what his spouse was saying. "Today, it's been seventy days exactly since Raven's birthday."
This evoked a response from all those present. "So in two days," Garfield said. "In two days, it would've been exactly ten years since Trigon's first attack."
Dick looked at Dr. Veritas. "I think we know how much time we have left now."
The doctor only responded by burying herself in her hands out of stress. "I don't know what to do. None of us do. There's nothing we can do but—"
"No!" Raphael barked, letting the room shake with his anger. "I told you already. I am not letting you kill Raven. There must be another way. There has to be!"
"Raphael—" Starfire interrupted, trying to appease the man.
"You had so much time!" he ignored her. "So much time, and you could not think of a single thing to do? What about Raven, huh? What about her? Why should she have to die? Why should she, when she has done nothing wrong? When she has only been a victim all her life—a victim of her circumstances? She escaped her circumstances ten years ago when she fought back and defeated Trigon. And now—now it's happening all over again, but this time there's no hope for her! There has to be something we can do. There has to be something! I'm not letting her die like this! She can't die like this!"
"I'm so, so sorry," Veritas relented exasperatingly. "But there's nothing I can do."
Garfield, who had been relatively silent, turned his back on the others. Muttering under his breath, he said to himself, "No. There is one thing I can do. The thing that started everything…"
…
It was evening when Starfire heard the doorbell to her house ring. She sluggishly made her way to the door and opened it to reveal a melancholic looking Victor and Raphael. "Hi, Star," the former greeted.
"Greetings, friends," she replied. "What brings you all here?"
"Just decided to stop by, that's all," Victor said. "It's hard being alone with all this happening," he said, referring to Raven. "And you always cook when you have something on your mind." Starfire's cooking had improved tremendously since their childhood years as she grew accustomed to Earthly culinary styles.
"Yes, of course. Come in. Garfield and I had just made some food a few hours ago."
"Really? That's odd," the robotic man noted.
"What is?"
"Never mind. Where's Bird Boy?"
"Present," Dick said, emerging from the restroom with a head of wet hair. He dragged himself towards the dinner table and sat down. "I'm guessing you guys are joining us?"
"If it's all the same to you," Raphael said.
"Of course. Make yourself at home, though sorry we don't know any Azarathean food."
"Should we invite Garfield? He had helped make this food," Starfire suggested.
"I was just with him. He said he's busy," Victor replied, sitting down at the table.
"You were just with him?" Dick said in a confused voice. "I was just with him a few hours ago."
"Wait, hold up. Did he visit all of us?" the former Cyborg said. He turned to Starfire. "Star, what'd you say before? He made this food?"
"Y—yes," the Tamaranian princess answered. "He came to me this morning and he said that I always cook when I'm upset about something, and offered to help me cook a big dinner for you all. After that, he left."
"Did he say anything? Anything a little… off?"
Starfire placed a finger on her lips in thought. "Well… He told me he just came back from visiting his parents' graves that morning. He said he wanted to see them one last time and left behind some flowers. When he was cooking, he did seem to be happy and enjoying himself. His joy made me forget Raven's situation for a moment. Oh!—and then right before he left, he said to me, 'Starfire, I'm glad to have met you,' or something."
"He did?" Dick said. "He did the same to me, too. Around afternoon, he visited me at the gym and told me that I always work out when I have something on my mind and offered to join me. We sparred together for hours, and he put up a decent fight, too. Then, before he left, he told me the same thing—'Richard, I'm glad to have met you.'"
Victor sighed. "The same thing with me," he told them. "A few hours ago, Gar came to my house with a couple beers, saying that I always drink when I want to forget something. He offered to join me. We drank and talked for hours about everything. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't really recall him drinking at all, really. He just sat there and talked to me. Then when we were done, he said to me, 'Vic, I'm glad to have met you in my life.' Then he left. After I sobered up a bit, Raphael came to me and we drove here."
"That's so weird," Dick said. Turning to Starfire, he realized, "You know, we forgot to tell him the news."
"That Starfire's pregnant?" Victor asked.
Starfire nodded. "We were going to wait until he came back with Raven so we could surprise them both, but…"
They were silent for a while, and slowly began to start eating. Halfway through the meal, however, they received a call. Dick went up to the phone and answered. His face slowly grew pale, and as he hung up, he said to the others the news. "That was the hospital. They said—they said Raven's gone."
"Gone?" Raphael immediately repeated.
"What do you mean?" Starfire asked her spouse.
He shook his head. "They said that she's disappeared…"
…
One hour earlier
…
Garfield Logan sat in the room of his apartment, watching with red eyes a video of Raven magic dueling in her youth. Years ago, back when he and she were still dating, he had often asked her to work the Azarathean movie player to let him see her old magic dueling videos, which she had first shown to him eight years ago when he was severely injured in her body by Rift after their fight with a possessed Titans East. In order to stop bothering her, he took a camcorder and recorded the videos, so that he wouldn't have to pester her about getting out the old Azarathean machine anymore.
While it bothered him to see Raphael in the magic dueling videos with her, he learned to ignore him and focus on Raven, herself. She was so young back then, only about thirteen years old, but seeing her perform all those moves, all those flips and spins, all her expertise with the sword and with her magical powers, made him gaze in awe at her. "She was always so cool," he said. "Raven Roth, who was always cool."
Surrounding him were a plethora of photographs of him and her, taken in their years together. All these, he looked at one last time, as if saying goodbye to each of the memories that the photographs represented. His eyes then rested on the shelf in his bedroom, where he spotted several vials of red liquid—the last remains of the body-switching potion. He was reminded of his mission, and—wiping away his tears—took out a pen and paper and began writing his final letter.
"Raven," he wrote with quivering hands.
"By the time you read this, I'm sure you would have understood what I had done. I'm sure you would have understood exactly why, and I'm sure you would respect my decision. I have told you before that all that is mine is yours. All that is mine is yours, Raven, especially now more than ever. I am sorry that all of this had happened. I am sorry that we could not be together. But now that you have switched into my body—now that you have become me—for the final time, perhaps, we could be together in that way. I think I understand now why we switched bodies in the first place. Maybe, after all it was Fate that had us switch bodies, so that now, I could know what it is that I am supposed to do. This is my second chance. This is my destiny, Raven. I cannot protect you in any way except this. If this is the only way I have to protect you, so be it. I will accept it graciously with all my heart. You told me that you don't have to remember me, because I am always in your heart. You told me that you are not afraid of dying because you are always a part of me. Now, I am telling you that I'm always with you, too. Forever, and always. Raven, although we're parting now, although I won't ever see you again, I have for you one final request. There is nothing else I can do for you now but let you go in peace. Promise me one thing, though it pains me to write this down. Promise me this one thing, these Difficult Words to Say:
"All the memories of our love, the joyful and sorrowful ones, the good and the happy, the sad and tearful ones, forget them all, one by one. Let them disappear from your mind. Don't hold onto my fading memory. Don't live miserably and painfully because of me. Don't look back on the time you had with me, but keep on looking forward and moving forward. Live happily in a life without me. Don't live in regrets or sorrow. There will be someone else far greater than me, someone who can protect you more than I can and make you happier than I ever did. Someone who will never hurt you. The best thing you can do for me now is forget me and love someone else. The only way for me to rest in peace is knowing that you will be happy. I am thankful for having had you in my life, Raven. I am so, so thankful. You, too, made me happier than I ever thought I could be. I, Garfield Mark Logan, will now and forever love you, Raven Roth, with all my heart, with all my being, with all my soul.
"I will be alright. I will be fine. Even if loving you by myself becomes too difficult, I will continue to love. Even though we are parting, even though I will never see you ago, I will always hold you in my heart.
Garfield"
…
"What?" Dr. Veritas gasped. "You—you really want to?"
"Yes," Garfield nodded unflinchingly, handing her several papers. "I've already done all the paperwork with the other doctor."
"But—but why?"
"Trust me, this is the best way."
"Are you really telling me to—to kill Raven?"
The man nodded. Garfield and Dr. Veritas were sitting together in Malcolm Crowe's hospital room. The little girl, Lucie, was also with them, but paid little attention to their conversation. Garfield continued, "Tomorrow. Destroy her body tomorrow. Even if the others say no, even if the others refuse, don't listen to them. I've already signed all the legal paperwork. They can't stop you from destroying her body."
Veritas sighed. "But why? After all this time, after everything. Have you given up hope?"
"No," he answered positively. "I am the most hopeful I have ever been."
"You really want to do this?"
"Yes. Even if I tell you no, don't listen. Even if tomorrow, I come back and beg you to let her live, don't listen to me."
"Mr. Logan," she said in a shocked and confused voice. What are you talking about?"
"If it seems like I've changed my mind and tomorrow I come begging you not to kill Raven's body, don't listen to me. Understood?" he ordered.
Dr. Veritas hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"Thank you," Gar said, placing a warm hand on the doctor's shoulder. "For everything you've done, thank you."
"I had done nothing to help her," she admitted.
"There was nothing you could do," he replied. "You've done enough."
Veritas gave a tired smile and gazed at Malcolm Crowe's unconscious body. "He's been here for a while but has shown no progress," she said to Garfield. "Who knows? Maybe it won't be long until he has to go, as well."
"Malcolm," Garfield said. "He was a disturbed man. He's someone to be pitied. He's not a bad man, but his situation drove him to do horrible things."
Veritas nodded. "Everybody has their own story. Everyone's story has hardships and struggles. My job is not to judge the good from the bad, but to try to save both. Who am I to judge people I do not know?" The Titan nodded in agreement. "It's funny," she continued. "Lucie's taken a liking to him, I think."
"Has she?"
"I think it's just me, but it seems like every time she's near, or when she absentmindedly placed a hand on Malcolm's finger, his systems go up ever so slightly. When she touches him, his heart beats faster as if he were nervous or scared or something."
Gar shook his head. "His systems are probably all sensitive after the fire." He turned his attention towards the girl. "She's an orphan, right?"
Veritas nodded again. "Children like her never knew their parents. The matron of the orphanage doesn't know who Lucie is or where she came from. She was just left at the orphanage years ago." Calling towards the girl, Veritas said, "Lucie! Come on, let's go."
As the woman and the girl said goodbye to him, Garfield turned back and made his way towards the underground safe room. Upon reaching it, he unlocked the door—a somewhat lengthy process involving several fingerprint and cornea scans among others—and entered the safe room, walking towards Raven, who was lying peacefully asleep on the bed inside the safe room. Walking towards her, he gazed at her sleeping figure. She was deathly pale and looked horribly sickly. But she was still beautiful.
"Raven," he said to her. "It's time." One by one, he removed the tubes that were attached to her to measure her systems and, once he was done, picked her up in his arms, calmly walking out the door of the safe room. He moved quickly down the hall and towards a window. By the time he reached a window and opened it, he had already attracted the attention of a few doctors, who yelled at him asking what he was doing. As he sat on the windowsill with Raven's unconscious body in his arms, he gave them a quick smile and jumped out the window of the hospital. The doctors rushed to the window to see a large green phoenix flying away with Raven lying on its back.
…
The rooftop of Garfield's apartment complex contained a small garden that was kept nice and neat by a local hired gardener. Roses were in season, and at the time most of the garden was bathed in red petals. In the center of the garden was a small bench, where lovers often came to sit at and gaze at the sunset in the midst of the roses.
By the time Garfield received a call from Victor, he and an unconscious Raven had been sitting on that very bench for several minutes.
"Hello?" he answered his ringing cell phone.
"Gar! Gar, where are you?" Victor's voice called back loudly. "Raven's been kidnapped!"
"I know."
"The hospital said—wait… what do you mean you know?"
"She's with me, Victor," Garfield answered calmly.
"What? Why? What did you do? What's going on?"
"Victor… I'm beginning to understand now."
"Gar," Cyborg's voice said in a panicked tone. "You visited me, Starfire, and Dick. You all told us the same thing: 'I'm glad to have met you.' You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?"
"Victor, I've found a way to be good again."
"Garfield! Don't you do anything crazy now, you hear? Don't do anything stupid!"
"Trust me," Garfield assured his best friend. "My mind is the clearest it's ever been. I've learned how to be a man now."
"Garfield! Listen to me—!"
"We're on the roof of my apartment building. Come find us."
"Garfield! Do you hear me?"
"Put your phone on speaker, Victor. I want to talk to the others, too."
There was a short pause, then Starfire's voice could be heard. "Garfield! Please come back with Raven."
Dick's voice followed. "Don't do it, Gar! Whatever you're thinking, don't do it!"
"Guys," he said in a peaceful voice. "This is the only thing I can do to save Raven. Don't ever forget. I'm glad that I've met each and every one of you."
"Garfield!"
"Thank you for everything. I'm glad," Garfield gave a smile. "Goodbye."
"Gar!" Victor's voice bellowed before Gar ended the call. Tossing his phone aside, the changeling took out the letter he had written for Raven and placed it gently in her hands. Standing up, he picked up the tray of body-switching potions. Removing one bottle, he walked over to the edge of the building and threw the others away.
"I'll make sure that you won't try to switch back tomorrow," he said. He then held up into the light of the setting sun the vial in his hand—the final body-switching potion left. "I first drank this eight years ago because I hated you," he said. "Now, I drink this for the last time, because I love you, Raven." Unscrewing the cap, he threw his head up and drank the crimson red potion, letting its liquid flow down his throat in one massive gulp. He threw the empty vial off the building.
Garfield walked back to the bench and sat next to Raven, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "This is the end," he said, partly to himself, partly to her. "After eight years, everything is coming to an end. I'm finishing this story once and for all." As the sun began to disappear beyond the horizon, he said, "Raven, you are the most beautiful person I have ever met. I will freely and gladly give up my life for you."
He kissed her forehead. "Stay cool, Raven," he said. He kissed her one last time before he felt his chest begin to warm and his soul begin to leave his body for the last time.
"I love you."
~Difficult Words to Say~
CleoArrow - She was trying to keep him from being hurt! And Gar did handle it much better than he did the first time she left.
JasonVUK - Good prediction! I can't tell you if you're right or not, but it's good that you are anticipating the ending (a few more chapters and all will be revealed). In the meantime, keep on reading! :)
BartWLewis - Yes, he has found her again, but now it seems like they're forced to part! What will happen? Keep on reading to find out!
Lilypad009 - Hey, it wasn't her fault! She's dying here! Cut her some slack. :)
Thebookthief18 - Raphael had to mess things up? All he did was love her! Haha, alright, alright. And yes, Garfield is slowly but surely learning how to truly become a man now. As for Lucie being one of the Magi, that's a very interesting prediction. Let's see how things play out! Thanks for your review!
Kaarlinaa - Thanks! Don't worry, he found her fairly quickly, though now it seems that Raven's going to lose him next.
Bluedog197 - A lot of interesting and good theories you got there. Keep on reading to see if they come true! Thanks for your review. I hope this chapter was good as well! :)
DarkPhoenix - You forgot the title? Would you say they were... difficult words to remember? ba dum tss... :) Anyway, thanks for remembering and for catching up!
lunae57 - Thanks for the review! Hope this chapter was good as well!
TomaMaier - Thanks though! It would give me encouragement to hear more reviews from you, but one's just as good as any. Hope you liked the story so far and keep on reading! :)