10. Love will Set You Free

Unsurprisingly, Jinx was the first to realize what was going on. She did not know what the mirror was, but she could sense the powerful magic aura emanating from it. She strode quickly over to Raven and sat down on the bed beside her, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Rae, what happened? That mirror… Did Garfield use it? What did it do to him?"

Raven's mouth worked soundlessly, shudders shaking her body, tears flowing unchecked from her good eye. She grasped Jinx's hand and squeezed, looking at the pink sorceress pleadingly.

"Get him out, Jinx. Please…" she managed to whisper, still unable to regain control of her voice.

"I'll do everything I can. Get him out of where? Where is he?"

"The mirror is… for meditation. It's… a portal… into my mind."

Jinx's eyes widened. "He's in your mind? Right now?"

Unable to reply, Raven just nodded. Jinx sighed and tightened her grip around her friend's shoulders.

"Then you need to calm down, Rae. If he's in your mind, you need to calm down. You can't have him go through all your anguish. Relax."

The truth of Jinx's words almost made Raven fall into panic. The hand holding Jinx's convulsed painfully; her eye closed and she took a deep, shuddering breath as she forced calm on herself.

"You are right," Raven said in a much more normal voice. "I will try to meditate and relax. It is the best I can do for him now."

Jinx nodded. Starfire floated over, folding her legs in lotus position.

"I shall join you in the meditation, friend Raven," she said quietly, "unless you feel that my presence would be of the distraction."

Raven managed to force out a small smile. Starfire may look and sometimes behave like a bubblehead, but she was far from being stupid.

"It would help me immensely, Kori."

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed. Jinx helped Raven sit on the bed, placing her stiff left leg into the proper position and bracing her left arm on the knee. The two girls synchronized their breathing and started droning the mantra.

Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…

Jinx grinned. "I'll leave you to it, then. I'm not much for meditation myself. Anything you need, I'll be just a holler away."

Starfire cracked an eye open and nodded at Jinx, smiling. The pink sorceress responded with a widening grin, then turned and walked out, extending her arms into shooing motions, getting Nightwing and Red Star out of the room. The door closed as they left.

"Will someone show me some mercy and tell me what the hell happened?" Nightwing asked, flustered. Red Star said nothing, but his full-green eyes had a tint of reddish anger. Same as Nightwing, he obviously wasn't too happy about being left in the dark.

Jinx let out her breath in a heavy gust, finally allowing her concern to rise to the surface. Her eternal smirk was gone; her face was serious as she spoke.

"Gar used that mirror to enter Raven's mind. I have no idea what he's trying to do, but he probably wants to help her somehow. The problem is that much of her memories and feelings have been corrupted by Trigon. There's no way of knowing what kind of horrors Garfield will have to face."

"What can be done to help?" Red Star asked.

"Nothing," Jinx replied flatly. "It's all in Gar's hands now."

The ground shook violently again and Changeling fell down, unable to stand on the heaving surface. He got up to a crouch, using his hands to give him additional support while he waited for the latest earthquake – mindquake? – to end.

The quake diminished to a tremor. He risked straightening up and reviewing his immediate surroundings. He was in a familiar place; stone walkways hung from nothing as they crisscrossed a dark sky where a myriad of unknown lights shone, providing weak but sufficient illumination. The span he appeared on was, luckily, quite wide. It led forward into the gloom, while behind him it ended in an abrupt chasm. Something warned him that flying around in this place was not a good idea. Having no other way to go, he followed the stony gangway to wherever it led.

Garfield was aware that he would be heading into danger. But he was also aware of another thing. Something that all his friends have witnessed, but hadn't ever given much thought to. He smiled; not even Raven ever questioned him about it. The first time it happened it surprised him, too. But it interested him enough to think hard about it and draw a few logical conclusions. If he managed to get it to work, it would make his job a lot safer and easier. If not… But he would not allow himself to lose his optimism.

Puddles of black, tarry, sticky goo could be seen everywhere. He didn't remember them from before. A revolting stench of corruption wafted from them. He frowned; his sensitive nose could sometimes be a liability. He crouched and forced himself to inspect one of the puddles. It was black as soot, reflecting no light. Fighting his revulsion, he poked a finger carefully into it. The black slime bent inwards, avoiding his touch, as if it was afraid of making contact with him. He pushed his finger farther down until he could touch the ground with its tip. The tarry goo had created a cylindrical sleeve around his finger, keeping itself less than half an inch away from his skin.

He got up and shrugged. It may be important, but he didn't have time to worry about it. He came here with a purpose. He should go on.

He opened himself up, trying to feel her. The bond they shared was gone, but he still kept his half of it. Maybe now that he was in her mind their bond will be strong enough to pierce Trigon's taint and connect them.

The ground shivered again, but this time it was a lot milder. It would seem that Raven was calming down. Good. The last thing he needed was to battle whichever horrors her fear and anguish could create.

A slight, almost gossamer touch of emotion caressed his soul. He couldn't identify the specifics, but his smile widened. Their bond was working. It was a lot weaker and less reliable than what he remembered, and yet it was still there. It was another confirmation that she had not lost her powers; they were just hidden, smothered and obscured by Trigon's filth.

So far everything was working as he had expected. His smile became a grin as he walked resolutely forward.

He came to a crossroads of sorts, where two of the walkways intersected. He paused, not certain which way to go. He tried to open himself up again to their bond. The feeling he sensed a while ago returned; it was weak and the direction where it was coming from was quite difficult to determine. But it was enough to tell him which path to choose. Wasting no time, Changeling followed it.

A stone archway appeared from the gloom, right before the stone wall that ended the path. If he remembered correctly, that was the entrance to one of the domains of Raven's aspects. It was just what he was looking for.

He approached the arch quickly, keeping alert to any signs of danger. His caution paid off as suddenly two nightmarish figures formed from puddles of sooty slime and rose before him.

The creatures unfurled and spread leathery wings, soaring up before swooping down on him. He recognized the attack pattern; it was a very basic one, and many flying villains tried to use it against them. It was expected that he would duck the strike of the first attacker, losing sight of the second one and allowing him – it? – to fall on him from behind. It was simple, quick and deadly.

And it was something he was prepared for.

The first creature was almost upon him. It looked like a classical representation of a demon; snarling mouth full of sharp, jagged teeth, thin but powerful arms ending in claws with scythelike talons, bat-like wings a full twelve feet in span now half-furled, not beating but only guiding the demon's dive. Garfield observed it calmly, then at the right time he morphed into a green grizzly and stepped out of the way. As the demonic creature sped past him the bear's paw struck it in the back, making it crash beside Changeling onto the stony ground. A moment later, a green elephant's leg landed on its head, crushing it.

The second demon howled in fury. Garfield smiled to himself, hearing the sound approach him from behind. A triumphant leer started to form on the demon's face as it realized his quarry still had his back turned to it. Its mouth opened and its claws twitched eagerly, expecting soon to sink into soft flesh.

The spiky ball of an ankylosaur's tail struck it in the head, almost ripping it off its body. It smashed to the ground and rolled, the fire in its four eyes extinguishing.

The arrogance and fierceness of demons was working in his favor. They had little wish to bother with advanced tactics or complex manoeuvers. Garfield could take on several of them, even out of training as he was.

Changeling's smile turned grim. He had no moral qualms about killing these creatures. They were unnatural travesties, creations of a diseased mind that only knew how to twist and deform the beauty of the natural world for its own obscene purposes. His eyebrow lifted in surprise as the bodies of the two demons disintegrated into ashes and black smoke. He shrugged and walked through the archway.

The place he found himself in was pleasantly gloomy. It reminded him of Raven's room. A glimmer of soft light shone ahead, beckoning him. It seemed as good a place as any other to go to. Without hesitation, he headed there.

He saw her soon enough. She was waiting for him, aware of his presence. He felt her through their bond, sensing the love flowing from her. Her purple cloak hid her almost completely, but her eyes shone from the darkness under the hood.

Her hand went up and caressed his face as he stood in front of her. He pulled her hood down gently, his heart bursting with joy seeing that she was undamaged and unscarred. He embraced her lovingly and sighed.

"I'm so glad to see that you're well," he whispered. She huddled closer, then looked up at him, her eyes sorrowful. "I am. Trigon could not touch me. But the others…"

"That's why I'm here," he smiled at her. "It's time to finish this. It's time for him and his filth to move out and for you to recover. It's time for us to be happy again."

"It's not going to be easy, Gar. He has twisted and tainted my sisters. They are not the same ones that you remember. Some of them may even attack you."

He frowned. "Can you help?"

She sighed. "I can help with healing and being supportive. But my power is not a destructive one. That's… Red's domain."

He nodded. "That'll have to be enough. I think I have enough destructiveness for both of us."

Her eyebrow lifted in puzzlement. He gave her a crooked smile. "My turn to be mysterious."

"Gar, if you mean the Beast, I don't think it's a good idea –"

"No. That part of me is locked way too deep. You'll see."

She smiled at him, her eyes glowing. "Before we go…" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss.

For a moment he was too surprised to react, but the sweet taste of her lips, her intoxicating scent and the heat that burned him everywhere their bodies touched overwhelmed him and he responded with everything he had. He quickly lost all awareness of his surroundings, releasing himself to the tide of emotions that she awoke in him. This was Raven's pure loving, caring, affectionate side, undiluted by shyness or reason or anger. It was overpowering, unstoppable, irresistible.

He felt his body react immediately and automatically as she pressed herself closer to him. The sudden burst of passion that flooded him was so strong that it scared him for a moment. He quickly grasped that fear and used it to clear his mind, pushing her gently away.

"I know you represent more than just Love," he said hoarsely, trying to slow down his breathing. "But we have other things to do first."

She pouted, then nipped his lower lip. "I know. I will not apologize. This is who I am."

He chuckled, realizing Raven would probably blush and look down in such a situation. But Purple held his gaze locked, her eyes shining with love and desire. He felt his own passion rising again and shook himself like a dog, trying to clear it. "We have to focus. We'll have time for that, and much more when we finish."

She smiled crookedly at him. "I'll hold you to that promise."

They walked through the archway and back where he came from.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," he said, not looking at her. "Please don't misunderstand me, I'm overjoyed to have found you, but I thought…"

She laughed. "Gar, I may be Raven's loving and even lustful aspect, but I'm still her. I'm not stupid."

He chuckled back. "Good to know. So how come that you seven have been released? You melded with her many years ago. You were not separate entities like you used to be. Was it Trigon?"

"Of course. It was easier for him to… corrupt us this way." Her face was frowning. "Only I could resist him." Her frown cleared and she gave him a small smile. "Because of you."

He blushed and looked away. She giggled. "Don't do that! You're absolutely adorable when you blush!"

He grinned back. "If you like it so much, why should I avoid doing it?"

She stopped and looked at him. Noticing she fell behind, he also stopped and looked over his shoulder. Her face was serious, but her eyes…

"You have one guess," she said in a deep, husky tone. He gulped and quickly resumed walking. She fell in step beside him, giggling softly into her hand.

They reached the crossroads that he saw earlier.

"Now where?"

She shook her head. "I don't really know, and it shouldn't matter. At this time, any road will lead to one of us."

He scratched the back of his head. "It's just that I'd try to avoid Red," he said wryly.

Purple looked at him, her eyes full of concern. "You'll have to face her, too, eventually."

"I know. I just hope it doesn't come to blows."

"With Red, it always comes to blows."

Trying to change the awkward subject, Garfield quickly chanted an 'eeny, meeny, miney, mo' in his mind. "We'll go that way," he said and started down the path he chose. Purple walked beside him, silent.

After a few minutes they arrived at another archway. As it hove into view, Garfield stopped and turned to her.

"This is a good place for an ambush. Stay back and don't expose yourself."

A flash of anger crossed her face. "Don't be an idiot. Trigon's creatures can't touch me. The one who's in danger is you."

He frowned. "Just stay behind me and don't do anything foolish."

Her eyes glowed as she looked at him. "Doing foolish things is something I'm very good at," she crooned back, stood on tiptoe and stole a quick kiss from him. "Go now. I'll cover your back."

He rolled his eyes and turned to the archway, then felt a slap on his rump. He whirled and scowled at her.

"Do you mind?"

"I just couldn't resist it," she answered with a grin. "You have such a delicious butt."

He sighed in exasperation, realized he was doing it and smiled. It occurred to him that this was probably how Raven felt when he was acting impulsively. Talk about revenge served cold. "Good to know. Raven would never admit to something like that."

"Of course not. She allows Grey too much influence, if you ask me." The violet in her eyes deepened and her finger traced down his chest to his belt. "There are some other parts of you that I also like, you know. If you want, I could show you…"

He gulped and took her hand into his, just in case she had the intent of going further down. "How about a rain check on that?" he grinned at her.

"You're running quite a tab here, Gar."

"I'll be more than happy to pay it when I get back!"

"Promises, promises!" she told him playfully, but then her eyes looked over his shoulder and widened. "Look out!"

Again two demonic forms rose from the tarry puddles, but this time they were bigger. Like double the size bigger. Garfield scowled.

"Be careful!" Purple said anxiously.

"No worries. These two are going to be a pushover!" he replied over his shoulder, watching the demons as they strode towards him.

The creatures charged at them, bellowing deafeningly. Garfield morphed into a green hummingbird and flew between the legs of the lead monster. Both demons stopped, confused, looking for their opponent. A ground-shaking roar came from behind them; they quickly turned around to face a green smilodon, its muzzle open wide, already aimed at the closer demon's throat. The powerful jaws closed. Twelve-inch canines tore effortlessly through the scaly hide, the flesh and the vertebrae. Changeling shook his prey like a dog shaking a captured rat, then dropped it. It was dead before it hit the ground.

The second demon hissed menacingly and approached him warily. Changeling switched into a more nimble panther form and jumped at its face. The demon was expecting an attack and tried to swat the feline away, but the panther vanished from its sight as Garfield morphed into a dragonfly. Again confused and frustrated, the demon howled, lifting its powerful arms up a sign of defiance. It was just what Garfield was expecting.

A ton and a half of green rhino suddenly appeared and launched itself at the demon, skewering it with both its horns. The creature's claws raked over the animal's back, leaving deep gouges on its tough hide, but it was all over. The red blaze in the four eyes dimmed and extinguished. The demonic form slumped and dissolved into smoke and soot.

Transforming back into himself, Garfield tried to dust some of the stinking ashes off. Purple approached him. "Turn around!"

"What for?"

"Your back's all torn up. Let me heal you."

He leered at her. "You left worse on me quite a few times, if I remember correctly."

She frowned, but her eyes shone. "And I want to keep doing it. So turn around and let me heal you."

He allowed her to heal him, enjoying the touch of her hands on his back and neck. "Don't get adventurous," he warned her as he felt her hands caressing his shoulders. "We have to go on."

She finished and walked over to face him, pouting. He smothered a laugh, then embraced her and gave her a quick kiss. "Another one on the tab?" he asked her, smiling. She lifted a corner of her mouth in response and turned flirtatiously, heading for the archway.