Ch 36

"Raven, I'm so sorry you had to find out the hard way. I just didn't want you to get hurt," said Alice as she was waiting for her niece to close up the bookstore/cafe for the day.

"It's all right. I know now it was to protect me," said Raven as they walked down the street.

"Well, I'm glad that fiancee of yours went with you. When I introduced Jack to my parents, they were less than pleased and it took all of my self-control not to yell at my mother. Your uncle had to drag me out of the house."

"Wow. Why were they unhappy with uncle Jack?"

"He doesn't believe in God," she sighed. "That's all it took."

"So why do you still keep in contact with them?"

"Despite everything, they are my parents. I still love them. I know my husband and sister would never understand. I keep my distance from them, but I still communicate through letters. While I do love them, it's too hard to look at them and not see what they did to Angela. I'm just so torn, but that's my problem, not yours Raven."

Before Raven could cross the street with her aunt, a chill went down her spine, and she knew instantly why she was feeling that way as she saw Adonis at the other side of the crossing. She knew what she wanted to do to him right now, but there were too many civilians. She felt her aunt's hand on her shoulder as they crossed the crosswalk. "Aunt Alice goes home, I'll be fine. I promise."

"Be careful Raven," said Alice before she turned another corner to get to her home.

"You know you're going to jail," said Raven.

Adonis smirked. "Oh I don't think so feisty, I saw what you did to Galtry. Now, what's stopping me from going to the cops."

"They wouldn't believe your word over mine. What you saw is just the tip of the iceberg with my powers. You don't want to push me."

"Do you even see what that green freak is doing to you? He's turned you into a monster, but I can help you. You don't have to be in such a toxic relationship anymore."

"You have got to be kidding me. You're more delusional than I thought. Gar is not a monster. You're the true monster if you think that blackmailing me is going to make me want anything to do with you romantically. Besides, when you saw what I did, you ran for your life."

"I will admit that you're something to fear, but I had time to think about and I can help you."

"I DON'T need saving. I've accepted who I am, and I'm not changing for anyone, especially you. So whatever your plan is, it will not come to fruition."

"Do what I say and I won't have to turn you in."

"You have no proof that anything happened to Galtry. It's over Adonis!" she exclaimed as she walked away from him.

"Don't walk away from me Raven!" he exclaimed as he followed her retreating back. "You know I can make your life pleasant or a living hell. It's your choice."

She turned abruptly to face a startled Adonis. "You're just like Brother blood. I WON'T be controlled by you or anyone else. If you don't walk away right now, I'm going to make you regret running into me. Now turn around and don't look back. I've given you the same warning many times before. Do you really want to test me?"

"I have you on tape Raven," smirked Adonis. "You only thought I ran away from what you've done. Now the question is this. Do you kill me right here, right now, and scar your soul even further or do you come with me?"

"And then what? You convince me that you love me, your the perfect person to save me, and hopefully, someday I'll fall in love with you too. I don't think so."

"Tell me, whatever happened to Brother blood? I heard he died, and I know you, that green elf and some of the other Titans fought him and his followers."

"Your point being?" she asked, getting annoyed with this conversation.

"How did he die?"

"His followers killed him."

"You know I find that hard to believe. I know how much you hated him. I know how much that green goblin hated him so which of you did it?"

"I told you what happened, and this conversation is over."

"I still have evidence, Raven. Did you forget about that?"

"I haven't, so why haven't you turned it into the police yet?"

"It's true that I don't want to see you behind bars, but I'm giving you a way out."

"No. I'd rather go to jail than go anywhere with you."

"What would your friends think about that?"

"They would be disappointed for a while, but they would understand why I did what I did."

"And why did you do it?"

"He's a monster for what he did to the person I love the most in the world. Who knows what he would have done to Gar if I had allowed Galtry to live? I couldn't take that risk. You wouldn't understand what it's like to love someone so deeply that you would do anything not to see them hurting. I could never love you that way," she said as she walked away again, not hearing any footsteps behind her.

Making her way home, she shut the door as soon as she came in and then shut the door to her meditation/yoga room. Sinking to the ground, she took some deep breaths in and out before deciding to meditate. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next. She only hoped she had persuaded Adonis to leave her alone. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she spoke for a while until she felt herself relax for the moment.

Gar had a bad feeling all day that he tried to shake off of, and he felt it get worse as he entered his home, closed the door, and put the Thai takeout on the kitchen counter. When his eyes met the closed door of the meditation/yoga room, his feet carried him there. Leaning his ear against the door, he heard her mantra and felt a sigh of relief but he still had a feeling something was wrong as he knocked. "Rae, everything ok?"

The door opened as Raven looked up into the worried eyes of her fiancée. She sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid what happened today. "Adonis."

Gar growled. "What did he want?"

"He has a video of me killing Galtry. He didn't run away because he was afraid. He ran away to make sure he got everything on tape, so he could blackmail me into coming with him. I might be going to jail, but I'm not so sure. He was foolish enough to think I'd rather go with him than to jail. At this point I believe he doesn't know what to think."

"That bastard!" exclaimed Gar.

Raven could sense his rage. "No more killing Garfield. Nothing good comes from it."

Gar sighed. "I know Rae. That guy just doesn't know when to quit, and that's what I'm afraid of Raven."

Raven couldn't help but wrap her arms around him, holding him close against her body. Feeling his arms around her waist, she felt all her stress melt away and suddenly she was lifted into his arms and carried into their bedroom. She watched as he ran a warm bubble bath for her while she was still in his embrace. She smiled. "So, are you going to undress me in your arms to or—?"

Gar laughed. "I wish I was that talented," he said as put her down in front of the tub. "Now I got an idea," he said as he left the bathroom. Raven undressed, got in the tub, and sighed in pleasure. She smiled as she sunk into the bubbles. "Well, someone looks comfortable," he smiled.

"You brought the food into the bathroom," she said as he pulled up a stool by the bath and placed her noodles with chopsticks down along with a mug of herbal tea.

"Come on Rae, don't knock it till you try it."

Raven sighed. "Just this once."

"Yes!"

Raven rolled her eyes but smiled as she ate her Thai noodles in the tub. "Honestly I feel the same," she said before drinking her tea.

"Well, you look stunning," he said as he ate his noodles.

"I'm not making this a regular thing Garfield, but this was nice and unusual."

"You're welcome."

"But," she smirked, "I am feeling kind of lonely in this tub all by myself," she said as she watched him undress in record speed and join her, leaving the food forgotten.