Summary: Garfield may not have been a superhero, but he was a hero to the kids he helped. So when a super-villain attacks the orphanage, he does what he can to help them.

WARNINGS: Kidnapping, violence, and future non-con.

Orphans and Ordeals

Sometimes Garfield wondered why he lived in Jump City of all places. Sure, it was the hub for abnormal humans and supers, but it was also a place of crime. Then again, what place didn't have its share of villains? At least the city had the Titans to protect them. Couldn't say the same for other cities.

"Garfield, dear?" A feminine voice startled him. "Could you take the children to the playground? They're getting antsy."

The young man swiveled his gaze across the barf covered tiles of the bathroom and lifted the mop to ready a protest. At least, until he saw how exhausted the old woman looked. He leaned the mop against the weathered wall.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Ross." He sighed. "How's Olivia?"

"Still sick." The elder shook her head and guided him out of the bathroom and down a large hallway. "Between the transition and the stomach bug, she hasn't slept properly in days. Oh, I just wish there was more I could do for the poor thing. If we could just earn some funding from the Urban Reconstruction fund, we'd able to afford proper medicine for our children rather than just over the counter pain relievers."

"We do what we can." He offered a gentle touch to her shoulder. "I mean, it's hard to lose both parents, especially so young! But that's why we are here. To help them."

"You're right." She dabbed at the tears atop wrinkled cheeks. "You're right, yes. Thank you, Garfield."

They descended the stairs. They entered an open room with a few doors leading to different rooms and a connected hallway. They travelled down the steep stairs beneath the first staircase and emerged into a large room where loud chatter overwhelmed his senses. Boys and girls alike played with tattered board games, grimy stuffed toys, or read ripped books. In the midst of the chaos was a rumpled-looking volunteer.

Garfield clapped his hands twice and sang. "Ba da da-da-da!"

The children chorused. "Da dum!"

With their attention zeroed on him, he cranked up the theatrical charm. "A little birdie told me you'd all like to visit the playground. This true?"

Children surged to their feet, toys abandoned, and crowded around him. He laughed and raised a hand.

"But wait!" He pitched his voice over their own. "How can we leave when there's all this stuff on the floor?"

The children groaned.

He laughed. "Hey now, it's a race! I bet I can army-crawl to the door faster than you all can put the stuff back where it came. Ready? Go!"

He made a show of dropping to the floor, humorously wiggling in place as he creeped towards the door. The orphans, well-versed with his games, launched into action. They shoved the toys and books and games back onto the bookshelves (messily and out of order but on the designated bookshelves all the same) and raced for the door. Mrs. Ross gently reminded them to order in a single file line and offered him a hand that he reached for before dramatically falling to the side and gasping.

He placed a hand over his heart. "Go on without me! I have been…" he flopped an arm over his face and cried. "Defeated."

A mix of groans and laughter erupted from his audience. He sprang to his feet and took the lead of the line. "To the playground we go, kiddos!"

They walked the short distance to the rusty old playground. Clouds blocked the sun and it would've been too chilly without a jacket if he knew the children weren't about to run around and keep themselves warm. Despite the way the playground was falling apart, the kiddos loved the place. To be fair, it did have (rusty old) monkey bars and (gross moldy) slides, and of course the (creaky shaking) swing-set. He was willing to bet someone had already barfed in the public playground's bathroom since yesterday They were living in the slums of Jump City, after all. What did he expect?

Regardless of the grime and muck of their living conditions, the children didn't seem to care as they bounced from one part of the worn down play structures to the other. Content to let them play, he sat next to the hole in the broken bench and scanned the group.

Margie talking at Luke who twisted on the swing-set, kicking dirt. Jackers sitting atop the slide and arguing with his imaginary friend. Tommy sitting atop the monkey bars while flailing his legs at Betty who tried to tie his shoes. Finally, Sally sitting alone on the sea-saw with a curled up form, waiting for someone to notice and play with her. Again.

"Hey Sals," he approached the sea-saw. "Mind if I join?"

She brightened and uncurled, chirping. "Of course, Mr. Garfield!"

He swung a leg over the cold metal and tried not to wince. "Arent'cha cold, Sals?"

"A little." She admitted before bouncing in place, little feet pushing against the stained ground. "Now let's go!"

He laughed and obliged. Garfield slowly let his weight sink and lift her high. She giggled and kicked her feet. A dirty pink shoe flew off and he couldn't stop a snort as she just giggled and kicked off the other shoe.

"Sals, you know you gotta keep those shoes on!"

A cold breeze tousled their hair. The little girl only giggled, clearly proud of herself, until she abruptly paled and gasped. He stood to let her sink back to the ground and hurried to her shivering side.

"Sals? What's wrong? Sally? Sally, are you–"

The cold breeze returned and he looked around. The other children were all in a similar state, shaking in place with scared expressions. He grasped Sally's hand and hefted her upright but her legs folded beneath her like jello and he found himself hefting her into his arms. Other than the kids being terrified, there was nothing to be terrified of.

Nothing was around.

Nobody was around.

Right?

Still, he couldn't shake the children from their trances. They wouldn't move on their own and he couldn't just leave them to get help from the orphanage volunteers. He didn't have a phone either! So what could he do?

Something whirred and creaked and he spun around. Other than the play-structures with he frozen children, there was no one there! No one but himself and–

Wind whistled and a force slammed into his back, shoving him to the ground and pinning him there. The temperature continued to drop and he shivered beneath the cold, hard weight. What held him down? It felt too hard to be a person, so then what?

His face ached against the concrete and he craned his neck. He readied a glare at the attacker only to freeze himself.

Sladebots. That was a Sladebot, wasn't it? One of the things the Titans fought regularly?

Curses flew through his mind as more of the robots creeped into view. He wriggled and inhaled sharply as the metal knee dug into his spine. The scent of sulfur flooded his senses as well as something else…lavender? It made his head feel fuzzy and he started to shiver as cold, drowsy fog seemed to crawl across his mind.

All the same, the orphans were in danger. He forced back the mind-numbing sensation and wriggled, forcing his mouth to move. "Leggo!"

Metal pressed harder and the pain helped him blink back the fog. Voices flooded his senses and alarm gave him the strength to wiggle hard enough the robot had to readjust and he wriggled free.

"Kiddos!" He called and ran to the nearest screaming child. Sally. He swept her crying form off the sea-saw and ran to Luke and Margie by the swingset. The sladebots had the whole playground surrounded but he had to do something!

"Follow me," tucked her beneath an arm and grabbed the two children. He sprinted and rounded up the other children. The sladebots slowly closed in on them. He herded them atop the slide and bodily protected them in a hug as the robots creeped close.

What do they want? He held the children tighter. They're just kids!

Metal wrapped around his ankle and he yanked just as someone shouted. "Titans, go!"

The robot dragged him off the children and into a strong hold. He wriggled as the other sladebots turned away from his kiddos to face the threat.

"Help them!" He called. "Please!"

Metal slapped across his jaw, sealing his mouth shut as the Titans dived into the fray. Cyborg blasted the robots with his sonic cannon, clearing a path to the orphans. Raven shielded the terrified children with a black dome of magic. Starfire scorched the Sladebots with neon green laser beams who neared the black dome. And Robin? Robin launched himself at the robot holding him hostage but several other bots blocked his path.

Steadily, the sladebot retreated, forcing him to back up as well. More robots appeared from the shadows and another shot Raven in the back. The Titan slammed against the ground and the black dome dropped. Sladebots swarmed towards the children and he only managed a muffled scream in warning.

"Titans," a calm voice projected across the playground, dangerously loud to his pointed ears.

All fighting stopped. Robin snarled, an ugly expression on his masked face.

"Slade."

"Pleasure to see you all again." The robot holding him passed him to the masked man and he stiffened. "But unfortunately you have something I want."

Starfire's eyes burned neon green. "Let him go!"

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed. "He's just a civilian. They all are."

"On the contrary." Cold hands jostled him into a one-armed hold. "They will grow to become perfect apprentices. All orphans do. After all, you were perfect once, Robin."

"You're a monster." Robin spat. "These are just children. Children! And you want to turn them into little killing machines?" The leader shifted into a fighting stance. "I don't think so."

With a yell, the Titans re-engaged in the fighting. Garfield darted his gaze across the scene. The Titans were clearly outnumbered and the children were being grabbed one by one. Desperate, he looked up at his captor.
"Please," he begged. "Don't do this to them! They don't have any family left. They're just kids! Please, have a heart! Let them go!"

His pleas went ignored. He twisted in the one-armed hold just enough to be face to chest with the other and tried to push away. Green fists punched helplessly against metal armor as he cried. "Let them go! Don't do this!"

The visible eye curved upwards as it watched him struggle, noticeably amused before it flicked away. He followed the gaze and begged more as he saw his terrified children held in robots' unrelenting holds.

"Don't hurt them!" He tried instead only to crash to the floor when the villain threw him aside.

Frantic, he shoved himself to his feet and ran for the nearest robot. He reached for the little girl but the robot only kicked him aside.

"Mr. Garfield!" Margie squirmed in the villain's hold as she cried. "Don't hurt him!"

"How quaint." Slade appeared over his fallen form. He sucked in air. Damn that hurt. Fighting continued in the background. "But I don't need you so why not just–" a foot slammed into his stomach. "–stay down."

He groaned as the wind knocked out of him and he lay there, gasping for air. HIs kiddos screamed and absently he realized they were screaming his name but blackness dotted across his vision and ringing assaulted his ear. The force against his stomach ebbed and he curled into a ball, wavering in and out of consciousness until his body caved and it all went dark.

~oOo~

His surroundings blurred into focus. Paint peeling off the white wall. Lumpy mattress. An elderly lady entering the room.

"Oh, dear. How are you feeling?"

He forced himself upright despite Mrs. Ross' fussing. "Where's…?"

Her expression softened as she whispered. "Gone."

"No…" he studied the hands in his lap. "I can't believe it."

"The Titans brought you here." She grasped his limp hand into her own. "They did what they could." The grip tightened. "You did what you could."

"But it wasn't enough." He bit his lip. "They're gone, Mrs. Ross."

"Oh, dearie." She gathered him into a hug and he sobbed.

"They're gone because I couldn't protect them! Now who knows what gonna happen to them! They could be hurt, or-or tortured, or worse!"

"The Titans will save them." She soothed and rubbed his back. "They always save the day, remember?"

He sniffled and nodded against her snot-covered shoulder. He struggled to even his breathing and she settled him back onto the bed.

"Rest, Garfield." She patted his head and he leaned into the motherly warmth. "When the Titans rescue them, we'll welcome them back and help them with this too."

He nodded and drifted to sleep.

Days passed and the children still hadn't reappeared. Days blurred into weeks. The Titans had yet to save his kiddos and he was slowly losing hope. There hadn't been any other attacks on the city, thankfully, but he couldn't help but worry. What was taking them so long? Why hadn't the kiddos been found yet?

He adjusted the hold on the grocery bags. Though they were short several orphans, Olivia was still sick and even the volunteers needed to eat despite such a dark time. He walked down the grime covered street and absently kicked an empty beer can.

What could he do? There was nothing for him to do, right? He had no resources. No way to find the kids. No way to do anything useful. He almost wanted to cry. Again.

Footsteps fast approached and he turned just in time to freak out because that's a sladebot before a metal hand slapped around his jaw and muffled his scream. It dragged him into the alley, kicking and screaming, and readjusted its hold to cover his face with a soaked cloth. The sharp scent of chemicals overwhelmed his senses and then darkness.

~oOo~

This time when he woke, it was to a dimly lit room with young faces huddled around him. He groggily sat up even though his head pulsed and croaked. "Kiddos?"

"Mr. Garfield!" They cried.

Margie latched onto his arm. Luke grabbed his other arm. Sally crawled onto the bed to cuddle the blanket covering his leg while Jackers mimicked her with his other leg. Tommy and Betty squeezed between him and the headboard to hug his torso. He stared at them, disbelieving.

It was then he noticed the uniforms. Black and orange, complete with masks. His heart dropped like a stone plummeting into his stomach.

"Kiddos?"

Tears pooled down little faces and wet his shirt, the blanket, his arms and his heart burned. Unbidden, tears flooded down his own cheeks and he gathered the children into a large hug and they snuggled close to him, desperate and sobbing which only made him cry harder.

"Enough." An icy baritone made the children freeze before throwing themselves off of him to stand at attention. "Better."

Garfield couldn't decide what to focus on: his terrified kiddos acting like soldiers, or the masked man acting like a war general to little soldiers.

"Now, then." Slade loomed over him and he instinctively inched backwards. "You are here to act as a caretaker; ensure my apprentices are properly fed, hydrated, and sanitized after training."

His jaw worked soundlessly.

"I do not have time to be a caretaker. You will be an excellent one, won't you, Garfield Logan?"

He swallowed and glanced at the orphans he had cared for in the past year or two. "Y…yeah…?" The visible eye pinned him with a glare. "Yes?" He tried.

"Good." The man turned away. "And while you're at it, prepare dinner for me as well. I expect a steak and a salad, understand?"

"S…sure…" he stammered. "W-wait!"

The criminal paused in the doorway.

"I don't…" He had no clue what was happening but if it meant helping his kiddos then he'd do it. "….where's the kitchen?"

"Lucas will show you. Oh, and Garfield?"

He forced his eyes up from the hem of the blanket. "Yeah?"

"Traitors do not survive here. Get dressed. I'll return in thirty minutes."

The villain left and he sagged to the pillows. With their master no longer in sight, the children relaxed and scrambled to cuddle with him. Stomach churning, he waved them off and forced himself to grin and crack some jokes. The children were visibly relieved to see him. And with the way they latched onto him? They were desperate for some love and affection and damnit if he wouldn't brighten their day. His life may have been toppled in just a month or two but he still had a job to do.

Protect his kiddos.

So he hauled himself off the bed and Margie shoved a handful of folded clothing into his hands. Reluctantly he eyed the black and orange fabric but sighed and asked about the bathroom. The children showed him the way to the bathroom despite it being attached to the bedroom they were already in. They really didn't want to leave his side. Though flattering, the thought hurt. What had Slade done to make them so attention starved?

Luke, apparently remembering Slade's words, took the reigns and led the whole group to the kitchen. There, the kitchen opened into a dining room and after that looked to be a doorway leading to a…living room? Were they in a house? Were they above ground? Where were they?

"Mr. Garfield?" Luke prompted. "What will you cook?"

"Oh! Uh…" he hesitated. "I'm not sure? It depends on what you have?"

The children showed him the various cabinets and drawers. Wether it be utensils, packed ingredients, or even fresh produce in the fridge, he felt overwhelmed by it all. There were a lot of things he could cook and though he didn't like to cook meat, there was a lot of it. And the children liked meat more than tofu. And with Slade apparently being a meat eater too? He sagged.

"Alright. How's spaghetti with meat sauce sound, huh?"

The children cheered and clamored to hug him. Many offered to help but he waved them off with a playful smile and told them to wait in the dining room. With that, he was alone to cook. And to think.

How did his life spiral so fast?

All the same, he had a job to do. So he whipped up the pasta and cooked the steak and fluffed the salad and held his breath. Stars, hopefully things would turn out okay.

~oOo~

Things didn't turn out okay.

"Betty?" He gasped as he took in her bloody thigh and immediately dove to check it over with a first aid kit in hand. "Betty, how did this–"

"Do not worry, Garfield." Slade cut him off. "It will heal."

He scowled as he shifted from a crouch to a kneel. "Dude. Do you not see all this blood?" Anger made his tongue move more than it should've. "What kinda jerk are you to do this to a little kid?"

"It was training." Though the tone was even, the atmosphere seemed to drop. "Wounds are expected."

Still, he couldn't keep his big mouth shut as he cleaned her cut. "I don't see a scratch on you. Maybe if you weren't such a–"

Betty tapped him on the shoulder and shook her head, desperately pleading with him to shut up. He pursed his lips but obliged.

"After you tend to my apprentice," Slade brushed a hand through his green hair, "we will have a proper discussion, understand?"

He grumbled and resisted the need to pull away. "Understood."

With that, Slade vanished down the hallway and presumably headed to his office. Garfield silently simmered as he wrapped gauze around the poor girl's thigh. When he finished, he checked her over one last time, gave her a pain reliever pill, and carried her to the orphan's room. He knew he'd be in a for a hellish punishment from Slade but that didn't stop him from being angry. Why was Slade such a villain?

Once he settled her atop her bunk bed, he bid farewell and hurried to Slade's office. The man never liked to wait. He knocked on the door and a monotone answered.

Slowly, he turned the knob and shut the door behind him and his mouth moved before he could stop it. "Look, Slade, I don't know why you chose to be a villain but I do know–hrnk"

The hand at his throat wasn't unexpected, but the hand on his hip? That was new. He wriggled in the hold as the gloved thumb slipped beneath the hem of his shirt and stroked the soft, sensitive skin there.

"Slade, wha…?" He choked as the hold tightened.

"Temptation is hard to resist." The masked man leaned close and murmured into his pointed ear. "I have been patient but you prove to be insufferable."

Garfield squirmed as the hand slid over his stomach and croaked. "I don't understand!"

"Why do you think I let you live?" The chokehold loosened and he greedily sucked in air. "I could've easily killed you."

Thoughts ran a million miles a minute in his head. "I don't…"

"You have a, hmmm, attractive face." Rough fabric glided upwards as Slade explored his chest. He whimpered. "And maternal instincts. At first you would be suitable as a caretaker for my apprentices."

Teeth nipped his ear and his heart stopped. Teeth? Had the man actually–

"But watching you care for the children so deeply? To be so bold as to question me? It seems your face is not the only attractive quality you have."

"Wait–"

Lips covered his own and he couldn't stop his eyes from snapping up to meet a pair of steel gray ones. He stiffened. Two eyes? The man pulled away and he traced the face. Sharp and angular. Short cut blond hair that parted in the middle. Crooked nose. Thin lips that curled into a lethal smile. His heart stuttered.

"In private you may call me Grant."

His heart dropped as the man pressed close and he felt a distinct bulge through the other's pants. "No, no way, no no no–"

"You will enjoy this, Garfield." The man kissed his cheek. "Because I don't let treasures leave."

~oOo~

Notes: Scribbled this down and thought I'd share it. Someone other than me might like it too, ha!

The reason Slade kidnapped the orphans was because he figured he could manipulate them into hating the Titans. "It's the Titans fault you lost your parents!" But then I ran outta steam, so.

Thanks for reading!