Chapter 51. Leonore.

"You seem to under estimate me once again Richard Grayson. Need I say more?" Slade taunted and knew the boy wonder was looking at him thru narrowed eyes.

Raven pulled him by the shoulder this time and said "C'mon Robin, don't let him get to you, besides, we already know that so he's got nothing on you" but at that moment, a gasp was heard and both titans winced at the fact that his communicator was still with an open conversation.

"No. Way. You are the famous playboy Richard Grayson?" another gasp "Oh dear… this is marvelous! You sir, are one of the hottest guys out there. I'm sorry for being so forward but I cannot wait to finally meet you" the girl squealed, even clasped her hands in excitement while an ear to ear smile revealed perfect white teeth. Robin could only clear his throat and try to hide a blush in embarrassment.

"Um…thank you…Leonore. But I'm sure you understand the importance of your discretion on this matter?" he said politely.

"Of course. Please forgive the girly fanatic in me. I am well aware of such protocols" she said, her expression somewhat serious now.

Raven only shook her head and softly said "Starfire wont like that"

Leonore however, didn't hear Raven in the background so she continued "… After all, I've known Beast Boy long enough to know that, of course not that it would matter with him, he's green after all…" she said with a thoughtful mild frown "… but the funniest, sweetest guy I have ever met…" she said

And at this Raven frowned and said a bit louder "Correction… I don't like that at all" and came into view and caught a fleeting glimpse of the dreamy eye expression the girl had before it was gone.

"…But back to business… oh, hello Raven. I've heard loads about you as well" said the girl with a smile at the frowning empath. "I cannot wait to meet you…but, enough of the fan girl, the matter at hand has turned a bit more delicate than what I expected. Please, excuse me for a moment…"

Both titans glared at the villain who was chuckling in honest amusement. "C'mon Grayson, don't you enjoy the attention the fan girls give you with or without the mask? And you Raven, you're not afraid of a bit more competition for Beast Boy's affection, are you?"

At this, Raven couldn't help but to let appear the second set of red, glowing eyes and make an attempt to kill the offending villain once and for all, but Robin, once again, stopped her. It took all his strength but finally was able to reason with her and slowly pushed her out of the chamber, slamming the door and muffling Slade's mocking laugh.

"Oh dear, that was not very nice at all" Leonore's voice was heard again. When Robin lifted the communicator, Raven snatched it and a trace of the glowing eyes met the girl in the screen.

"Of course it wasn't. now, please tell me you can crack the code on however Slade used your formula and get a cure for Meliah, because I swear…" but Leonore cleared her throat softly to interrupt her.

"Raven? May we have a word … alone" she emphasized as Robin was still within range of the screen. Robin walked away in understanding, taking her communicator with him. Once alone, Leonore continued.

"Raven, I heard what Slade said. don't believe him. He's a conniving, loathsome human being that revolts in his own loneliness. I can assure you, you have nothing to worry about me. Gar and I would kill each other with pranks and jokes before ever considering a romantic relationship, besides… I've known about his feelings for you for quite some time so I have no business sticking my nose where it does not belong. That said however, I must point something out. One of his favorite traits that you possess is the confidence to which you carry yourself in, but jealousy fits like that will not appeal to him after a while. Just a thought. The guy is not always all jokes." said the girl with as much seriousness that it was a wonder who the other squealing creature had been. But, before Raven could reply, Leonore excused herself once more, this time terminating the call as they were getting ready to land and promised to call back with more details of the formula as she could find.

Robin came back and saw Raven with a dumbfounded expression.

"Raven? Everything alright?"

"I just got schooled by a squealing fan girl" she said and shook her head while she handed him his communicator and he handed her hers back.

"Here, someone is been waiting to speak with you" Robin said and walked away once more. When she looked into the screen , a green, smiling face greeted her and melted the last traces of anger she still harbored.

"Hey babe. How are you?… I heard you already met Leonore"

"Schooled its more like it" Raven said quietly but he chuckled at that.

"Yeah, she can be brutally honest sometimes"

"How come you never mentioned her before?" she asked, somewhat shyly, remembering Leonore's words from a few moments ago.

"Of course I have Rae, I call her at least once a month but most of all when I need more uniforms when mine don't fit any more. Remember I told you Leo was cursing up a storm for the growth spur I was going thru a few months ago?"

"She's Leo? I thought Leo was a guy… the way you joke on the phone and…oh this is embarrassing" she was now trying without success to hide a blush. Garfield laughed even more.

"Yeah, that's Leo. She's like one of the guys that happens to have boobs and have a girly crush on Robin since she found out who he is"

"Wait, she already knew?"

"Yeah. Years ago. Why?"

"Oh nothing, she just embarrassed the hell out of him, that's all"

Garfield laughed even harder at that "I wished I could have seen his face. She can squeal like those fan girls on the streets"

"I know, we noticed" Raven said somewhat mortified. "But how did you two meet?"

"Jealous?" he taunted with a smile.

"No…not at all…just curious…that's all" she said, avoiding eye contact, but he knew better and smiled once more before answering her question.

"I met her right before joining the Doom Patrol. She's a science prodigy. She was solving chemical formulas before she was eight. She never met her dad and her mom sent her away on a scholarship to a school overseas for the gifted like her. When she was ten, she developed a deadly formula and the school was attacked, and she was kidnapped by her father that, not only tried to sexually abuse her but also wanted to use her formula for who knows what, but she escaped and that's when Mento found her. She was in such shock that she didn't want to talk. It was a good month before I got her to loosen up"

"You helped her out of her mental state? How?"

"Jokes, mostly. At first there was no change, but eventually she did. Mento also suggested to keep her mind occupied, and what better way than doing what she enjoyed best. He asked her to come up with an idea for my uniform, something that it could transform with me and she did. After that, there was no stopping her"

"She's very pretty"

"Yeah, she's pretty but you my lady, are the most beautiful and the one I love, don't ever forget that" he said softly and winked at her and she couldn't help but smile and feel embarrassed at her momentary low self esteem.

"I'm sorry Gar, I know I shouldn't feel jealous, I just cant help it sometimes"

"Its ok babe, it means you love me and want me all to yourself and that's all I have ever wanted"

"There you are silly goose, are you hiding from me?" Raven heard the enthusiastic Leonore. The screen moved violently for a moment until it settle somewhat in almost an upside down position, showing them both in a hug.

"Hey Leo, its so great to see you…look at you… You look great"

"I know. I finally grew a pair of these" said Leonore and Raven could only arch an eyebrow at what she might be referring to. Garfield's response was an amused chuckle. "Anyway, I just came to say hi. I was reading the charts your friend Cyborg has prepared on the way here. It was quite unexpected. I was not aware the patient is pregnant. That is a serious complication in itself and if Cyborg's speculations on the matter are correct, we cannot use the formula while the baby is in her womb. But we cannot remove it as that is her only life support at the moment. The formula is not developed yet."

"But I thought Slade had come up with a solution with that formula"

"A temporary one. You see, my formula was developed the very first time in five stages. All preliminary attempts of the study of their different uses, but after finding out what the last stage can do, it was banned from any kind of experimentation. Slade was able to steal the only one sample of it in its third stage. But after that security breach, no one has been allowed to study it beyond stage two. Now, Slade has had plenty of time to play with it, maybe that's how he came up with a possible permanent cure, but as we stand, to get to that point, it will take months."

"But you can find it?" he asked, his tone hopeful.

"Of course dear. I will do everything I can to help. Now I have to go back downstairs. I asked Cyborg for a sample of the serum. I wish to start right away… are you coming?"

"I will in a few minutes."

"Oh dear, were you talking to Raven? Forgive me for interrupting. I'll see you later"

There was silence for a few moments. Raven couldn't tell whether he had forgotten about her or just trying to get a hold of his bearings. She didn't know how good this Leonore was but, by the looks of it, he had great confidence in her to come up with a solution.

"Rae? Are you still there?" he asked and brought his communicator back in front of him.

"I'm here Gar. Are you ok?"

"I will when you get here" he smiled at the screen.

"We'll be back no later than tomorrow. How's Meliah doing?"

"Not happy. She's not used staying in the same place for long, let alone trapped in a bed but she's growing weaker. Rae, I'm worried. She tries to fight it but she seems to be getting worse. If Leo and Cyborg cant find a cure soon, I don't know what will happen… I don't want to think about it" he said his voice shaking slightly.

"Then don't. Try to remain positive Gar. For her. She needs you to be strong, otherwise she'll lose hope… now, go back and do what you do best, cheer her up, make her smile. Remind her she's not alone and neither are you Gar, I'll always be there for you no matter what"

"Thanks babe. I needed to hear that almost as much as I need you here with me. I cant wait till tomorrow…I love you"

"I love you too" with a last look at his smile, Raven closed her communicator and sighed to herself. She knew she had to tell him what was going on but couldn't bring herself to give him something else to worry about. Having his friend dying in front of him was bad enough, telling him that her father was planning for a second appearance would be too much. No, she would not tell him. Not until the entire process was done and over with, which, she was almost sure she could perform without a problem.

Raven blinked a few times, noticing she had been staring at the closed communicator since the call ended. She lifted her gaze and immediately noticed Robin leaning on the doorframe, waiting for her to finish.

"You didn't tell him about Slade, why?" he asked while pushing himself off the doorframe and walking her way.

"I don't want to add anymore to his worries. I'll tell him when there is something to tell" she answered and started to walk back towards the chamber where Slade was.

"So, you having to use black magic to rid Slade of Trigon's influence and bring him back is nothing to tell?' he asked as he caught up with her a few steps in front of the door and stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She remained there. She didn't pull away or turned his way. She just looked down while she breathed in and out in careful intervals to calm herself.

Slowly, she placed a hand on his gloved one and gave him a gentle squeeze and without looking at him she answered "Yes" and walked inside the chamber, leaving a speechless Robin to ponder on her answer.

Once inside, Raven scanned the room and let out a small gasp that was replaced by a frown. Her prisoner was sitting on the make shift bed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. Unconsciously, her hands started to glow with her dark energy as she took a fighting position. Robin walked in when he noticed her tense and immediately took noticed of the villain and without hesitation, took his weapon out of its guarded place on his belt and stood next to Raven.

Slade chuckled in amusement.

"Relax Titans, I'm just as surprised as you are but I figured you were getting ready for the ritual"

Both Titans straighten up putting away magic and weapons but the tension was there.

"We're not performing the ritual here. We're going back to Jump City. Be ready to leave soon"

"Hey M, how you feeling?" Garfield asked as soon as he entered the med bay. Leonore was in the far end in the lab section, so engrossed in whatever she had been working on that she didn't even noticed him come in.

"Lousy. How's Raven?"

"She's fine. She'll be back tomorrow" he said with a smile.

"I'm glad for you Gar. Did she ever find out what Slade wanted with me?" Meliah said and slowly tried to sit up with one hand as the other one had two IV needles.

"I don't think so or she would have said something" he said as he climbed the other bed next to hers and as he tried to reattach the IV on his arm, Leonore came to his aid and without a word, prepared him for the next transfusion. She felt uncomfortable. Every move was a robotic and detached gesture. She had never liked to experiment on animals, let alone human beings and the only other time she had had to have Garfield like this, was when she was trying to study his transformations in order to come up with an idea for his uniforms, but even then, the samples of his blood were minimal, almost none existent but this… was pure experimentation. She knew his entire being was a science wonder and as such, she had been curious herself, but her own ethic and protocols had prevented her from pursuing the matter further.

And even though her expression betrayed none of her discomfort, there was something in her eyes that simply didn't match her demeanor and Garfield knew it.

"Leo? Its ok" he said softly. Her eyes diverted to his briefly and gave him a small smile a walked back to the console.

"What is wrong with her?" asked Meliah quietly "Does she have any idea of what she's doing?"

"I do…" Leonore intervened before Garfield had a chance to answer. "But it doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it" when she approached the beds, she had a chart in one hand and many other loose pages on the other and without looking up from the stack, she continued.

"Now, this is most peculiar and fascinating at the same time. You two possess similar DNA structure… I'm aware Meliah, that you used samples of his blood and that gave you your shape shifting abilities. His blood still contains traces of the Sakutia virus and his metabolism keeps fighting it" Leonore said with a frown. Never had she seen such results.

"We already know that. While his system is somehow still infected with the virus, his metabolism is still fighting it. It keeps a sort of balance that's also the cause for his skin color and shape shifting abilities but in my case, there is no virus to fight back and that's why my system runs at a faster pace." Said Meliah.

"There was not, but now there is. Or rather, its been there" said Leonore, finally looking up from the papers.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you were already infected with the virus before the ministrations of his blood. Very early stages of it that were almost untraceable. That's why you were able to survive it, your metabolism does have something to fight against." Leonore said calmly.

"But that's impossible. I was the only one that got bitten. How …" Garfield protested while Meliah was speechless.

"There is more than one way to get infected Gar. Meliah? Did that animal came in any kind of contact with you? A lick, a scratch. Any kind of contact with an open wound?" to all those questions, Meliah's answer was no with a shake of her head. "Your scars… how did you acquire them?" to this Meliah reacted.

"It was an accident. It was Gar's first time transformation. I startled him. I was too close…" she said as she watched Leonore's curious look turn to her green friend. "wait. You're not thinking he infected me with the virus, do you?"

"Hard to tell… Gar? May I see your hand please?" without a word he gave her his right hand as she approached his bed. Carefully, she pulled the glove and gently pressed the tip of each finger. His nails expanded each time, just like those of a cat when the same its done at their paws. And just as such, the nails retracted back inside. They were long and sharp.

"Does this hurt?" she asked. He shook his head no in response. "Can you expand them at will?" to this, he nodded once and slowly, his nails expanded to a good inch longer. The young scientist could barely conceal her fascination. She didn't smile but her curiosity was obvious. But when she run the tip of her fingers to the very sharp point of one of his nails, he quickly pulled his hand away, startling her. "I'm sorry" she said.

"If these are the cause of Meliah's problems, then I don't want you anywhere near them" Garfield said with a serious but sad expression while he balled his hand into a fist that he guarded behind his back.

"Of course. I understand. Forgive me" she said and handed him the glove. Reluctantly, he took it, avoiding eye contact. He felt ashamed for reacting like that with Leonore but his fear of infecting her with the virus as well was greater.

The day progressed without much change. There was an alarm going off due to a bank robbery downtown but Starfire took care of it by herself. Cyborg had come back to the lab and went thru the information Leonore had found in the recent hours. Garfield however had remained silent. Even Cyborg had commented about it but when Leonore explained to him why, he didn't bring it up again.

Meliah had tried to reassured him it was not his fault. There was no way for anyone to get that result back then. But his only answer was a quiet "I'm sorry" and had turned on his side, his back to her.

It was well passed two AM when Meliah woke up, unable to sleep as her body screamed for some activity. She got up, careful not to wake Garfield up in the other bed and stretched as best she could. There was a small lamp that illuminated the med bay and another one in the lab section and noticed Leonore leaned over the counter, fast sleep. She had refused to go to the room that was assigned for her down the hall and had fallen asleep only an hour earlier.

Cyborg had left as well. The lack of a charging station in the med bay made him retire when his energy levels where precariously low and made a mental note of adding one soon. He had been awake without a break since arriving from Tibet and now was in much need of a nap.

Meliah flexed her legs. Opened and closed her hands and carefully watched as her own claws appeared and disappeared in her skin. Wondering if she carried the virus in them just like Garfield. Then something occurred to her and decided to transform into a leopard. After checking all the needles and other cables were securely in place, she tried again. This time a bear, a cat, a bird but flapping her wings had been too much strain and transformed back in midair, barely able to hold her weight on the edge of the bed.

She was panting and slowly pushed herself to a standing position. She looked up at the monitors behind the bed. Not a spike on her heart monitor readings and yet, she felt beyond exhausted. Slowly, her breathing became steady again and Meliah sighed. She turned her head back to look over her shoulder at Garfield. He stirred for a moment but never woke up. She tried to walk but almost lost her footing. Her legs felt weak again.

"Please don't tell him. He has enough as it is" Meliah said quietly as she straighten up.

"You shouldn't be on your feet" said Raven just as quietly a few feet behind the girl.

"And you shouldn't try to sneak up on me. I thought you were coming back until tomorrow" she said as she turned around. The dark figure gliding silently towards her. Raven stopped and moved towards Garfield instead. Gently moving a strand of hair away from his eyes.

"We left as soon as I finished talking to Gar. How are you feeling?"

"Lousy. This is the most exercise I've been able to do and I'm already exhausted but, I'm glad you're here. He's missed you terribly" Meliah said, nodding towards her sleeping friend.

"I've missed him too" said Raven as a tiny, content smile made its appearance but a noise in the far back caught her attention and saw the other girl leaned precariously towards the edge of the chair and sliding off the counter but soon was encased in a cocoon of dark energy and very gently, Raven lifted her and deposited the girl on the nearby bed. Lifted the bars on each side to prevent her from falling and a sheet levitated above her, falling gently over her body. The girl stirred a little but remained asleep, clutching the sheet around her shoulders and turning away from the dim light of the lamp.

"I'll take it that's Leo?" asked Raven.

"Yes. She's been working nonstop since she arrived. Cyborg offered her a room but she refused. She fell asleep not too long ago.

"Any progress?"

"Well, she found out Gar infected me with the virus when he made the scars on my face.. Or at least that's the speculation. He didn't let her get too close to his claws in fear of infecting her as well. He's been quiet ever since."

Raven raised an eyebrow at that remark and suddenly understood his sleeping position. He was on his right side, facing away from everything and both his gloved hands, one under the pillow where he was resting his head, the other almost under his ribcage with an Iv still attached to his arm. His entire body in a fetal position towards the edge of the bed.

Raven went around the bed adjusted the length of the Iv then ducked under the cord and sat down at the edge. Meliah saw Raven's intention and she too laid down on her own bed, turning away to give them as much privacy as she could. Raven appreciated the gesture and silently laid down behind Garfield. Close enough to feel his warmth but away enough so he wouldn't wake up and feel uncomfortable. Sleep came without delay. After over twelve hours flying in the cramped T-ship, laying down had relaxed her greatly and having him so close, made her feel safe and for a moment, she mused at the prospect of everything being ok in the world.

It was almost six when Garfield woke up. The daylight started to make its appearance thru the window across from his bed. He pulled his arm from under his stomach, flexing his fingers then, pulled the other hand from under the pillow and did the same. As he tried to turn on his back however, his elbow gently hit something behind him. Slowly he turn around and to his surprise, there laid Raven, asleep, with her cloak tightly wrapped around her. He smiled and couldn't help but sigh and carefully turned his entire body to face her and leaned his head and rested his forehead on hers and with a content smile, closed his eyes again and nuzzled her nose playfully.

Finally, Raven opened her eyes and both smiled at each other and as Garfield slid a hand under her chin, he leaned over and puller her face slightly up and kissed her gently.

"Good morning" he whispered when they finally parted.

"Good morning to you too, but who told you to stop?" she said, not able to conceal a slight blush that warmed her face. He arched an eyebrow in mocking surprise.

"Oh, shut up" she said and pushed him on his back and kissed him while resting an elbow on the pillow by his head and her other hand on his chest. Her hair tickling his neck.

After a few minutes however, someone cleared their throat discreetly behind them and both pulled away, startled at the unknown presence.

"I see it is not necessary to wish you good morning as you're already having one beyond of what I can provide" teased Leonore with a smile, chart in hand at the foot of their bed. Raven sat up, slightly annoyed, blushing profusely, Garfield was also blushing and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Um.. Morning Leo. Um, this is Raven" Garfield said with a nervous laugh.

"I gathered as much. Its good to see you in better spirits than yesterday dear friend. Hello Raven, glad you made it back safely…now, we've got much to do…"

"Wait, Leo, can I at least go take a shower before and maybe breakfast?" he whined as he got off the bed and attempted to remove the needle from his arm.

"No food yet. I have some test to run before you consume anything but shower? Yes, go ahead and while you're at it, get me a sample" she said and tossed a small clear container at him that he barely was able to grab when it bumped on his hand, before touching the floor.

"A sample? O-of what exactly?" he said while eyeing the container with suspicion.

"Oh c'mon Gar. don't be so freaked out about it. I need a semen sample and, I figured, since you'll have some help, why not take advantage of the opportunity" she said while writing something down on the chart.

Raven was now more embarrassed now and was barely able to see her fiancé in the eyes and almost shooting daggers at the girl.

"Um… Leo? .. Well… you see…um…" upon hearing his hesitation, Leonore looked up and saw his embarrassed expression while fidgeting with the empty container. A quick glance at Raven told her what he couldn't say.

Leonore tried not to be so amused and simply say "Oh… do you mean you two never…?" Gar shook his head more vigorously.

"Hmmm, no matter. In that case, just… do whatever boys do when they're alone and get me that sample" Said Leonore and turned around and started to walk away.

"Um…But, w-why do you need it for?" she stopped. A bit annoyed at having to repeat her request once more, she clutched the clipboard to her chest, turned around and had to smile. He was blushing.

"Darling? I am a scientist. I will exhaust every option at hand. Your blood can only go so far and I have to explore other venues. Now, for the last time, be a dear and get me that sample" when he still didn't move from his spot she walked to one of the side tables and rummaged thru one of the drawers while she said "Or… I can do it for you but…" she turned around when she found what she was looking for. In her hands was a catheter still in its packaged bag and made the attempt to open it "… the medical version is not at all comfortable, let alone pleasurable".

His eyes almost popped out of their sockets and paled visibly not only for the item in her hands but the determined look on her face. He turned into a cheetah and bolted out of the room, skidding, sliding and bumping on the wall across the hall as he made the turn at the door, careful not to crush the container in his mouth.

"Yo B, you ok? Where are you going?" said Cyborg coming from the opposite side of the hallway and stopping at the door and watched him slide on the floors once more trying to slow down his momentum with his claws with a look of fear before he disappeared into the other hallway.

"Hey, what's wrong with Beast…" he stopped and saw Leonore stretching the small tube in her hands as she spoke.

"…its all about incentives ladies" she said, Meliah was awake now, sitting on her bed and Raven sat on the opposite one where Garfield had been. All three girls turned around at the same time when they heard him talk. He only heard her last sentence before he too bolted out of the room.