Ch 32

Gar woke up his eyes roaming around the room and realizing where he was and everything that happened. Sitting up in bed, he realized he was alone. Hearing the sound of water running, he walked towards a door he assumed was her bathroom. As much as he wanted to be with her, he turned away and walked out of her bedroom into the living area where he heard the sound of something vibrating in his pants pocket.

"Nightwing calling Changeling, Changeling come in."

Gar couldn't help but smile at the face of his leader, and it was then that the memories of being a Titan came back to him. He frowned, knowing things would never be the same again. "This is Changeling, but how did you know I—

"Star, Cyborg, Bumblebee, and I are in Jump City. We were called back about the murders of the villains and Brother Blood. Do you know anything about it?"

"I'm not in Jump City anymore Nightwing. What have you found out so far?"

"Cyborg found some fragments of what looks like a gem at the scene. It actually made us think of Raven."

"That is strange so is there any footage of what happened?"

"No, there's too much destruction for any camera to capture anything. My question is what are you hiding Changeling?"

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

"You're covering for Raven, aren't you? Something bad happened, didn't it?"

"Honestly I didn't see what happened. I was um killed. After—

"WHAT!" Changeling heard Cyborg in the background. "How are you alive?" he asked as he came into the frame of Nightwing's communicator.

"I was brought back to life by a woman Rae and I visited in Azarath. She brought me to her and well things have changed. Raven's not the same."

"Where are you?" asked Nightwing. "It will be better if we can figure things out together."

"I—

"There's nothing to figure out." Gar felt her breath at the back of his neck and while it felt good, he was still a little unnerved by her.

"Raven," said Nightwing in surprise, "you look different. Whatever happened, we can fix."

"There's no fixing what I've done Nightwing. I can never go back, and I won't allow you and our friends to come here. You'll never be able to return. Goodbye forever," she said as she left to her room.

"I'm not giving up Nightwing," said Gar as he saw Starfire move into the frame to as well as Bumblebee. They smiled at him. "I miss all of you. I'll figure this out I promise."

Gar found Raven sitting on the ledge of her balcony, her feet hanging off edge and into the wind. Sitting beside her on the ledge, he saw nothing in her eyes as she stared out into the dark depths of the cave.

"What happened the day I died Rae?"

"Something broke inside me. All I could see was red and then I let go of everything. I didn't care anymore about who I use to be. I just felt rage overcome me, and I became my demon form."

"It's my fault Rae. I let you down. I wish I could have been stronger for you."

"I felt you. You did everything you could Garfield until you faded away from existence. It's not your fault. I chose to react the way I did."

Gar smiled. "You sound more human then you did yesterday."

"You bring out that side of me Garfield," she smiled and then sighed. "The more I stay here, the more demon I will become. At some point it won't matter if you're here or not to try and bring me towards the light."

"Then let's leave while we can Rae. I know going back to earth is not an option right now, but—

"It's too risky to go anywhere else. I may get the urge to bring more destruction to other beings," she said as she looked away from him, "but you have the option to go back to earth. You don't have to stay with me. I—she felt his hand on top of hers.

"I'm not going anywhere Rae. Nightwing said he found fragments of your gem at the scene. Maybe—

"There's no way to gather all the pieces of my gem."

"Is it possible to make a new one?"

"I can't do this," said Raven as she flew back inside.

"Why not?" asked Gar as he followed her inside.

"If I become my half human form again, I don't know if I'll be able to handle everything I've done. It's easier to remain this way and become—

"Numb. That's no way to live Rae. It just sounds like you're running away," he said and suddenly he found himself pressed up against a wall by her powers.

"You have NO idea what I went through. I killed villains and innocent beings! I can't come back from that. The best thing for you to do is leave and forget you ever knew me. I can make that happen if that's what you want."

"I all ready made my decision Rae," he said as her powers dropped him on his feet.

"I'm afraid of what this place will do to you Garfield."

"I'm not giving up like I said. There's still some humanity in you. I will bring you back, and I will help you heal if you'll let me."