Ch 15

"Are you sure?" asked Gar as he saw the Doom Patrol headquarters in the distance. "I mean with everything you went through with yesterday I—

"That's very considerate of you Garfield, but I'm sure seeing your former team again will be more pleasant then what we just went through. You're worried about something, what is it Gar?"

"I'm sure that Rita, Cliff, and Larry will like you, but Mento—

"He's the strong, cold silent type. He'll insult me right to my face and try to get a rise out of me, but it won't work. I know how to hold my own."

"You have no idea how hot you sounded just now," he smirked.

Raven rolled her eyes and smiled. "You are something else Garfield Logan."

"What, I can't find your powerfulness sexy?"

"I've never thought of my power as sexy."

"Well that's because you don't see yourself through my eyes."

"Do I want to know what you really think of me?"

Gar smirked. "Oh Raven you couldn't handle what I really think of you," he said as he stood so close to his girlfriend that he could smell her breath. A smirk was on his face.

"Is that a challenge?" she smirked. "You know I could just feel it off of your body without you saying a single word."

"What's the fun in that Rae?"

"I'm just teasing you Gar."

"You know what teasing could lead to?"

"What?" she asked as his arms found their way around her waist. She put her arms around his neck.

"This," he said as he softly kissed her on the lips.

She kissed him back before she pulled away. "I think we've kept them waiting long enough Gar."

"How do you know that?"

"Well because they're coming this way."

"Oh," said Gar as he blushed in embarrassment.

Raven smiled at the look on her boyfriend's face before they walked over to the Doom Patrol. She could feel Gar's nervousness.

"Welcome home kid," said Robot man as he picked up Garfield and hugged him.

"G—good to see you to Cliff," he said before he put Gar down.

"How was the trip?" asked Negative Man.

"Good, it's nice to be back Larry," he smiled.

"Garfield," said Elastic-Girl as she hugged him. "You've grown so much since the last time we saw you. You're a man now."

Mento snorted. "Hardly, he still acts like a child."

"Gee you really know how to make a person feel welcome," said Gar.

"So your team disbanded?" asked Mento.

"We all grew up Steve. Everyone had lives they wanted to live besides being heroes," said Gar as he saw Mento look towards Raven.

"It looks like you brought one of them with you."

Gar smiled. "Yes," he said as Raven stood at his side. "You remember Raven."

"The empath," said Mento. "Why is she here?"

Gar took Raven's hand in his. "She's my girlfriend Steve. We've decided to have our own adventure together."

"Well it's nice to see you again Raven. We hope to get to know you better," said Elastic-Girl.

"You to Rita I hope to get to know you all better as well," said Raven.

"I just can't believe the little runt got a girlfriend," said Robot Man.

"Me either," said Negative Man.

"Hey I heard that Cliff, Larry," said Gar.

"I guess I forgot about your elf ears," Robot Man laughed.

"Well let's get you two settled," said Rita. "You must be tired from your trip."

"Not really Raven has the power to open a portal to anywhere," said Gar.

"Wow, that's amazing Raven," said Rita.

"It comes in handy, but it can be draining on my body if I do it too often," said Raven.

"Man I wish I had that kind of power," said Robot Man.

"You'd be up to no good with it Cliff," said Larry.

"A robot can dream," said Cliff.

Raven wasn't all right as she sat up in bed in one of the Doom Patrol's guest rooms. She was catching her breath as she felt the sweat on her skin slide down her back. Looking back on it, she really should have bought more civilian clothes. She was wearing her leotard to bed, and the material wasn't exactly breathable. Remembering the nightmare she had, she stood up front bed, opened the window, and let the air travel into her room. She was just thankful she hadn't screamed bloody murder, waking up the Doom Patrol and Gar. She knew she wasn't ok about the words her uncle had spoken to her yesterday. They were filled with such hatred and rage that it hurt her.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she took her leotard off, hung it in the bathroom connected to her room, and slid under the covers in her bra and underwear hoping she could get back to sleep. Lying on her back, she stared at the ceiling as a knock came to her door. Sensing it was Rita, she wrapped the blanket around her body, sat up, and opened the door with her powers.

"Rita?"

"Are you all right?" asked Elastic-Girl as Raven shut the door with her powers behind Rita.

"How did you—?"

"I heard a gasp as I was walking down the hall."

"Just a nightmare, it's nothing unusual."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Raven. That must be hard on you."

Raven smiled. "I can see where Gar gets his compassion from."

"I raised him the best I could, but he's always been a compassionate person. It's nice of you to say so though. So, what's wrong?"

"W—well Gar and I went to visit my relatives I didn't know I had until recently. I told my uncle who I really was, and he called me some horrible names. There was so much rage in his voice. I tried to act like it didn't affect me, but it hurt me," she said as she felt Rita's hand on her shoulder.

"I've been called horrible names for what I looked like. Being an actress was no picnic for me. It hurt to hear everything they thought was wrong with me and what I needed to fix about myself, but it's important to value yourself. If you know your worth, nobody can take it from you."

Raven smiled. "Thank you Rita, that's just what I needed to hear."

"Good," said Rita as she got off Raven's bed. "You should try and get some sleep, and I'll take you into town tomorrow for more clothes."

"Ok, how did you know?" asked Raven.

"I didn't," she smiled. "It's just nice to have another woman around to spend time with."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes tomorrow. Oh and I think it's sweet that Gar's been hanging outside your window as a monkey. I'm sure he was concerned about you to Raven."