Chapter 9: Hope

Rating: T

Date: Monday, January 7, 2019

A/N: I'm starting school tomorrow so that means less frequent updates. Sorry y'all!

Hope

"Come on, Rae! Pleaaaase! You said you'd try to have fun! I don't see how this is having fun!" Garfield insisted as he plopped down next to Raven on one of the tables by the food stands. He crossed his arms and pouted like a little kid, "You promised."

"I didn't, actually. I said I'd try," Raven deadpanned as she took a sip from her water bottle.

"I'd hardly classify this as trying!" he grunted. They'd been at the fair for barely half an hour, and Raven was already seemingly getting fed up with being there.

"Why don't you just go bother Vic?" she grumbled, her eyes wandering across the crowds of people sauntering along, chatting amongst each other, and overall making a racket. The sounds of game alarms blaring and vendors shouting at people to try their impossible games overwhelmed her ears. She grimaced, placing a finger at the bridge of her nose and massaging it gently.

Garfield huffed as he eyed the back of his best friend's head, "He's too distracted trying to win a stuffed animal for that redhead. Can't we do something together?" he frowned, though he didn't really believe she'd listen.

As predicted, Raven ignored him.

"Friends!" Kory cheered as she approached them with Dick beside her. Garfield couldn't help the bitter sensation of jealousy that pooled within his gut when he noticed they were holding hands. He absent-mindedly glanced at Raven's hands before quickly looking away to prevent her from noticing.

"Hey, Kory! How was the Ferris wheel?" he forced a smile (his expertise).

"Oh! It was glorious!" Kory unlatched her hand from Dick's and bounced around in her spot. She rambled about the wonderful view and the romantic ambiance (causing Dick's face to go red) for a few minutes until she finally noticed Garfield's dismal smile as she spoke. Her eyes landed on Raven's indifferent expression before she sent Garfield a sly grin. "Perhaps you and Raven could also ride the wheel of Ferris!"

Garfield felt his face warm up, and he peeked at Raven nervously. Though he was fully aware of what her answer would be, he couldn't help the twinge of hope that arose inside his stomach. Raven glared at Kory and shook her head, "Being trapped with him for fifteen minutes in an enclosed space? No thank you."

"Oh, but it would be-"

Garfield interrupted Kory, "It's alright Kory. Raven doesn't want to get on, and I'd honestly rather keep my life…" he chuckled while rubbing the back of his head to disguise his disappointment.

Raven arched an eyebrow but said nothing of it.

"Oh," Kory clasped her arms together and gazed down. "Okay…"

Dick cleared his throat, "Would you like to get some cotton candy, Kory?" he offered, his face a bit flushed.

She suddenly perked up, and she squealed, "What a wonderful idea!" She grasped Dick's hand and dragged him towards the food stands, once again leaving Raven and Garfield alone.

"So… Are you just going to sit here for the rest of the time..?" Garfield questioned. "If that was the case, then why did you even come?" he couldn't help the denunciatory tone his voice adopted.

It was subtle, but Garfield noticed the way her back straightened as if the question had caught her off guard. Then, she stood up and faced him with apathetic eyes, "Fine. What do you want to do?"

Garfield practically jumped to his feet, "I know exactly what!" he beamed as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards one of the game stands.

"One please," he asked the vendor. The old man handed him a few balls. Garfield turned to Raven and grinned cockily, "Watch this." He shot a few balls at the bottles. Two of them flew past their targets before one finally knocked down the bottom right bottle and sent the tower barreling down. "Woo!" he danced around in his spot cheering for himself. He faced Raven who was watching him with a raised eyebrow but otherwise unimpressed.

"Aw, come on. You're the one who said these were impossible, didn't you? You gotta admit, it was impressive," Garfield stroke a victorious pose with arms akimbo and a goofy grin.

Raven rolled her eyes, "You're insufferable." Her eyes traced the crowd carefully, and Garfield tried to spot what she was searching for but after finding nothing, he whispered "What are you looking for?" in her ear.

She visibly tensed below him, and she moved away from him, "Nothing."

He shrugged nonchalantly and turned back to the vendor. His eyes browsed the prizes until they landed upon one—the gold nugget amongst them.

"That one," he pointed at it. The vendor snatched it from the hooks above him and handed it to him. Garfield turned to Raven with a wide smirk, "I got you something," he told her.

Raven locked eyes with him just as he handed her the huge, rubbery toy. "A giant chicken… I must be the luckiest girl in the world," she stated in a deadpan tone.

"I know right? You can thank me later," he wiggled his eyebrows innocently.

Raven huffed and let the chicken go. Garfield caught it with one swift motion, "Gee, you could've just told me to hold it for you," he smirked again. However, his smile faded in an instant and his eyes turned as wide as saucers when he caught glimpse of a familiar blonde walking towards them. They locked eyes—green to blue. She muttered something in her friend's ear before she headed straight towards them. A sense of panic engulfed him and without thinking he grabbed Raven's wrist and hauled her away in a hurry.

"What the hell are you doing?" Raven demanded as he dragged her along at a hasty pace, though she didn't try to stop him.

"Wejusthavetogetoutofherebeforeshecatchesup," he sputtered incoherently, his eyes wandering across the crowds of people and attractions in search of a safe house. They landed on a secluded tarp a few yards away from a lone hot dog stand. "There!" he uttered before they rushed inside. He let go of her, placed his hands on his knees, and attempted to catch his breath, "That… was… exhausting…"

"Would you mind explaining to me why you just dragged me across the whole carnival like-" he slapped a hand over her mouth to shut her up. Outside, he could hear footsteps approaching, and a feminine voice called out his name. Garfield's face turned beet-red, but he didn't remove his hand from over Raven's mouth, who observed him skeptically yet also curiously.

When the footsteps diminished and the voice faded away, Garfield let go of his hand and chuckled sheepishly, his hand rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry about that… I saw someone I didn't exactly want to talk to…"

"And you dragged me all the way to a…" Raven examined her surroundings, unsure of where they were. "What is this place?" she asked.

"I'm… not sure, actually," Garfield meandered further down the dark hallway.

"Yes Garfield, let's walk into a deserted place that we have no remote idea of what lies within. Such a wonderful idea," she muttered sarcastically, though she followed closely behind him.

He dismissed her words, pushing past some kind of disheveled curtain and into a large arena full of discarded tables with cloths over them and chairs knocked on their sides, all surrounded by an arc of leveled benches.

"This looks…"

"Like I circus?" he finished the sentence for her. He traced his finger across the frame of one of the tables and revealed a thick layer of grime. "This place is old… I wonder why they don't use it."

"We should get out of here. I have a feeling we're not supposed to-"

"Hold on," Garfield placed a finger to his lips and shushed her, his ears catching the faint sound of voices outside. Raven was about to speak when he abruptly pulled her under one of the tables. He contained the need to sneeze from the dust particles all around them.

"What are you doing?" Raven whisper-yelled.

"Just shut up, someone's coming," he retorted.

Raven scowled at him but obeyed. The voices grew closer and closer until the individuals appeared to have walked into the arena. Garfield noted the way Raven's breath hitched when an unheard voice spoke.

"Perhaps we could make use of it? It used to be a circus, did it not?" what sounded like a British man asked.

"Yes, sir. It ran out of business back in the 2000s. This was the last destination it ever traveled to. I believe it occurred after some kind of accident," a second voice responded.

"Interesting. I believe an international circus would be the perfect place to smuggle merchandise, don't you think?" the British voice posed.

A third voice pitched in, "But, sir, how are we going to kick-start this place back up?"

Footsteps approached them slowly until the individual seemingly froze in front of them. Garfield felt Raven scurry closer to him. He noticed her scrunched up expression and the way she chewed on her lip nervously. He instinctively placed a hand around her shoulders and pulled her closer. For a second, he thought she was going to jerk away from him, but she simply froze in her place—neither moving closer nor moving away.

"I believe this place needs a new face. Someone who might appeal to both men and women, girls and boys alike. A friendly mascot, dare I say," the British man spoke.

"You know, Mr. M, family businesses appeal better to customers, and it would especially benefit a circus business considering it is family-friendly entertainment. Not to mention having a family pet as a mascot who can also work as the sole animal attraction will satisfy customers who enjoy animals while also preventing pesky nonconformists from accusing the business of animal abuse. Additionally, who would ever suspect anything malicious of a loving family?" the third voice suggested.

"You hold a good point," the British man voiced.

"But, Mr. M…" the second voice began. "Where are you going to obtain what you refer to as a willing 'loving family'? A married couple who does not have a tainted image yet is still well-known enough to have a good customer base?" he asked.

"Why, I thought you'd never ask. There's a beloved soon-to-be husband standing right in front of you," the British man announced. Raven seemed to shift uncomfortably next to Garfield, and he eyed her with concern. Why was she acting so jumpy all of the sudden? "As for a good image… What works better than the daughter and son of two famous CEOs of worldwide entertainment companies? The circus would be a valuable asset to our joined companies, and it would improve our reputation."

"But, sir, I thought you and Trenton's daughter were no longer together?" asked the second voice.

"It's all in good time. My little bird will come around soon enough," the man leaned against the table, causing a few dozen dust particles to shower from above them.

"Very well, sir. In the meantime, where will we store the… merchandise?" the third voice inquired.

The man above them chuckled softly, and for some reason, it sent shivers down Garfield's back. "Oh am I glad you asked. There's a club not far from here, very on the low, perfect for temporary storage and the perfect way to, as you Americans put it, cash in some extra dollars. Let's go there right now."

"After you," one of the voices muttered, and the footsteps began to grow fainter and fainter until they disappeared.

Though they both knew the intruders were gone, Garfield and Raven stayed rooted in their places on the ground.

Garfield broke the uneasy silence, "So… I think we stumbled upon something we shouldn't have…" he unintentionally murmured.

"You think?" Raven snapped. She slapped his hand off her shoulder and scooted away from him. She crawled out of the table, and Garfield followed shortly behind her.

"Do you think we should call the police or something..?" Garfield suggested, unsure of what they had exactly run into.

"And tell them what? That we heard three strangers talking about something we have no knowledge of?" Raven huffed as she dusted her jeans. "Like they'd help. The cops won't do anything, trust me." She spoke like she had experience with it, and Garfield felt a sense of curiosity overcome him, but he didn't ask as he was fully aware that she'd never answer him.

Garfield buried his hands inside his pockets nervously, "Uh, so what? We just forget about it? It sounded pretty serious... "

"It is the best course of action," she affirmed, her voice quivering in the slightest, an ephemeral detail no one but Garfield could've caught (but he was a master at suppressing his emotions, and he knew what that sounded like).

"Are you alright? You seem… on edge?" he questioned with apprehension as he strolled towards her.

Raven glared at him, as usual (he was starting to think it was a defense mechanism), "I'm fine. Now let's get out before they decide to come back." She started to walk away, but he grasped her wrist gently and pulled her close before she could.

"Hold on, are you sure?" he turned her around to face him, and his palms held the sides of her face in a somewhat affectionate manner. She seemed too stunned to push him away. He scrutinized her visage carefully, searching for any alarming signs. His eyes caught sight of an odd detail cloaked behind her raven-colored locks. His thumb brushed her hair to the side and scraped over the faint bruising. His finger seemed to have rubbed off some type of layer of powder as it revealed a darker, uglier bruise beneath. He glanced at his finger with furrowed eyebrows. Though Garfield's expertise wasn't make-up, he was one hundred percent sure that was some sort of make-up powder.

"Were you trying to hide this..?" he asked quietly, concern tainting his expression.

Raven seemed to recover from her trance as she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back. "That's none of your business," she murmured.

"How did you get that bruise? Don't tell me you fell again?" his tone suddenly shifted from worried to accusatory.

"Idiot…" Raven rolled her eyes. "It was from the same fall."

Garfield was unconvinced. He shook his head and replied, "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe me. It's my business. I don't need a pretty boy like you to try to pry into my life to satisfy your need to act like a valiant hero," she grimaced.

Garfield sighed, lowering his tone to adopt a different tactic, "Raven, please tell me the truth."

"That was the truth. If you don't believe it, so be it."

"I'm your friend," he abruptly stated as he strode forwards. "I just want to help you."

"I don't need any help, Garfield," she breathed out. "I'm completely fine. I don't know what kind of ideas you're putting into your head about me, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with me. If you were my friend, you'd understand that."

Garfield stared at her, scrutinizing her face once again for any sign of insincerity. He didn't find any. Either she was an expert at lying to people's faces or… "Sorry, I'm just… Very protective of my friends," he muttered, his gaze hitting the ground and feeling slightly guilty about his accusations.

"Forget it, it's fine. But please stop trying to pry into my life," Raven told him. "If something were wrong... " she paused momentarily. "I'd confide in you… as a friend."

Garfield gaped at her with astonishment, "You… consider me a friend? And you trust me?" he stuttered, convinced that his ears were playing a trick on him.

Raven took a second, but she nodded. Garfield contained the need to pull her into an embrace, and he beamed at her, "I trust you too." He walked beside her, making sure to keep a comfortable distance for her as to not scare her away, and signaled towards the exit, "Let's get out of here."

Raven bit her lip and ambled beside him. A swirl of remorse tormented her stomach when she realized how excited her words had made him. Sometimes, she wished she wasn't so good at lying.

Though Raven still appeared tense, they spent the rest of the night playing games (well, more like Gar did), and he was able to win two more prizes for Raven. She was hesitant about it, but in the end, she accepted them. They met up with Kory, Dick, and Vic (who had seemingly been successful in his mission to woo the redhead considering they were walking beside each other arm-in-arm, and she was holding a stuffed rabbit in her hand) a little later and stuffed themselves with some unhealthy dinner (Gar's dinner was the healthiest considering the few vegan stands had mostly vegetables in their menu).

Then, around eleven, they headed out of the carnival. Kory and Dick said their goodbyes before they walked to Dick's adored Porsche together with Kory giggling about something while clutching tightly to his arm, which he appeared to be very happy about. Victor offered a ride to his new red-head friend and left shortly after his own goodbye, leaving Raven and Garfield alone by his car.

"I should get going, my father isn't fond of me getting home so late," Raven told him.

"You're going to be okay?" Garfield asked with furrowed eyebrows.

She sighed and nodded, "I'll be fine," she forced a small smile, and a swirl of butterflies flooded Garfield's stomach. Despite the smile being faint and fleeting, it undoubtedly made Garfield's night one hundred times better.

"Well, good night. I'll see you Monday?" he couldn't help but ask considering she was constantly missing classes at random periods.

Raven nodded before strolling away to her vehicle. Garfield waited for her to get inside her car and pull out of the parking lot before jumped inside his own car grinning like an idiot. He turned on the engine and drove home, his mind clouded with excited and delighted thoughts about his new breakthrough with Raven. He had gotten her to admit she was his friend and to smile all in the course of a few hours!

It had been such a long time since he'd felt like this about a girl, and he couldn't help the ecstatic sensation that pooled inside his stomach. And despite Raven still acting closed off and somewhat impassive towards him or undeniably giving him an expression of irritation every so often and telling him to stop bothering her, one emotion overrode them all—hope.

"Alright, Gar, we examined the x-rays, and it looks like everything is stable. Your next appointment is in a month. We'll see you then," Lucy smiled at him as she handed him his results.

"Thanks, Lucy. Tell the kids I said hi and that I'll go visit them soon," he smirked.

"You better," Lucy chuckled. "You know they love it when you come to visit. Not even the clown gets them as happy as you do. How do you do it, Gar?"

Garfield shrugged his shoulders casually, "It's a gift, I guess. I realized a long time ago that I shouldn't let my illness keep me from enjoying my life. If it ends on short notice, at least I lived to my fullest."

"If it happens, but you know it won't. You've only had two relapses since you contracted the illness, and both times you mysteriously got better. I'm starting to think you have some sort of superpower," Lucy replied while she walked him to the front.

"You never know, but if you say so," he considered it for a moment. "If I do ever relapse… And if I'm unable to myself, I want you to assure my parents that I was happy. That I did live my fullest, and that everything's okay. That is if I don't wake up again."

"Don't say that!" Lucy lightly slapped his arm. "You won't get to that point as long as you keep taking care of yourself. You'll grow up to go to college and attend vet school, meet a beautiful woman who loves you for who you are, and you'll raise a great family together in your parent's animal sanctuary," she assured him.

"You know, I thought nurses weren't supposed to promise anything to patients," Garfield pointed out amusingly.

"We're not, but you're a special case, Gar. I've known you since you were a little boy, and you're a fighter. You're also the most cheerful and hopeful patient I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in my twenty years here. That's saying something."

Garfield snickered, "Thanks, Lucy. I do try."

"Take care of yourself, Gar. And find yourself a girl to make you happy," she sent him a playful wink before she disappeared behind the hospital's door.

Garfield buried his hands inside his pockets and smiled to himself as he walked out. He opened his car door, and he was about to get in when something stopped him.

"Gar…" the unwelcomed familiar voice called out.

Garfield clenched his fists and slammed the door shut. He turned to her and regarded her with a blank expression. He leaned against his car door and huffed, "How did you find me, Tara?"

"I still remember your hospital schedule…" she admitted. She put her hands behind her back and regarded the ground with a certain interest. He grimaced when he realized she was trying to guilt trip him into talking to her.

"What do you want?" he spat out.

"Gar, I just want to talk. I promise I won't try anything, just… Can you please listen to me? I promise I'll never bother you again after this…" she murmured, her hair shrouding her face and preventing him from determining if she was being sincere.

He toyed around with his keys, pondering her words carefully. He sighed, "Fine. Not here though."

A/N: I'm hoping things will pick up from here! Can't promise anything, but I might be able to update by next Monday.

LightAngelHiroko - Thanks! I'm really trying! I tried to incorporate Gar's illness a bit more in this chapter. I assure you it won't be the only time, however. It'll play a big role in this story later on.

VladimirVamp - Your wish is my command!

Guest - Thanks! Wally's revenge will be featured soon!