Happy Times

Raven opened her eye and let out a deep breath, allowing her consciousness to float up to awareness from the meditative trance she was submerged in. It was followed by a painful groan as a concerto of discomfort immediately assaulted her mind. Her right leg was cramped, her back ached and her butt was both sore and numb from sitting in lotus position for hours. Without her powers, she was unable to levitate and counteract the effects of gravity on her body. She stifled another groan and tried to shift her position, seeking to alleviate the unpleasant feelings without much success.

She grumbled quietly and looked around. A smile lit up the unscarred half of her face in spite of the pins, needles and soreness she felt. Unused to prolonged meditation, Starfire had at some point slumped over and was now in deep slumber, her long mane of fiery red curls strewn all over Raven's pillow, her arms and legs jerking in quick, tiny movements, like a sleeping cat dreaming of chasing mice.

Slowly and methodically, without waking the Tamaranean, Raven pushed her paralyzed left leg away. She twisted and braced herself on her right arm, carefully extending her right leg and wincing as the aches intensified and washed over her. With an ease born from long years of practice, she ignored it all and focused on disentangling herself.

The awkwardness of being able to use only one arm and one leg and the wish to avoid disturbing her sleeping friend made it slow and cumbersome, but soon enough she was able to sit on the edge of the bed. She waited a few moments to gather her strength before she heaved herself upright, leaning on her good hand, then straightened and limped slowly and carefully towards the door.

It swished open silently and her smile widened. Just as she hoped, Nightwing and Red Star were sitting on the floor on either side of it, both sound asleep, and both also in positions that promised much discomfort once they woke up. They had remained waiting beside her door, ready to assist at a moment's notice, even after Jinx and Starfire evicted them from her room. But as much as they wanted to be close at hand if there was any need, exhaustion eventually stole over them and they fell asleep. Raven shook her head in silent amazement. She'd never understand why Azar would deign to bless her with such friends.

He hand touched Richard's shoulder and his head shot up, the grimace of pain on it forced away almost as soon as it appeared. He looked at her and opened his mouth to ask, but she silenced him with a finger over her lips, then pointed back into her room. He nodded and rose from his sitting position in a fluid movement that showed none of the soreness and stiffness he had to be feeling. She hid a small, amused chuckle and moved back into her room, stepping aside to allow Richard to follow her in.

He glanced at the sleeping Starfire and his eyes flashed back to Raven. She nodded. They always understood each other at a level deeper than mere words; even with their bond gone because of her dead powers, he received her message loud and clear. He bent over the slumbering alien and scooped her up gently, carrying her out of Raven's room with a silent nod of goodbye. Raven's smile widened and her gaze followed him as he carried the sleeping Starfire away to her room, until they disappeared around the corner.

"Leo," she bent over her other sleeping friend. "Wake up."

The Russian's eyes opened. Just like her once-leader, he was instantly awake and ready, but he made no effort to hide his pained wince.

"Is everything well, sestrenka?" he frowned as he got up on his feet, stretching and shaking his arms and legs to get some blood circulating back into his limbs.

"Of course it is. Don't worry about me, I'm fine," she assured him. "Now go to your room and get some sleep."

His frown deepened. "I do not want to leave you –"

"I'll wake Jinx up. She'll keep me company. Stop worrying and go!" she said, trying to recall her best 'it-is-not-open-to-discussion' voice.

"If you wish so…" he surrendered with a grumble. "I could go and fetch Jinx for you."

"She's probably… engaged with Wally right now," Raven smirked. "I think it's better if I go."

Red Star's frown remained on his face. "You are not fooling me, Voronyonok. What is real truth?"

Raven sighed. She was able to use Starfire to divert Richard's attention, but Leonid was also a good friend, and he knew her almost as well Robin, Cyborg or Starfire. "I just need to be alone," she mumbled and looked away. "All of you have been so… As much as I appreciate the love and kindness everyone's been showering me with, I need some time by myself."

"To do what?" his eyes glowed with a cold green light.

Raven's head sunk between her shoulders, still avoiding his eyes. "I need to… to be me for a while."

"It is not wise for you to be alone now," his hand went up and touched her cheek, lingered there for a moment and then dropped. "But I will respect your wish." He turned and strode away. Raven watched him leave, sighed and retreated back into her room.

-=oOo=-

She climbed into her bed and relaxed, half-upright, into the pillows. Closing her eyes, she endeavored to chase away her fearful thoughts and calm the apprehension she hid so successfully from her friends. Her awareness turned inwards again, without the need to return into a meditative trance. Garfield's presence was getting stronger by the hour, which meant he was making progress. She could feel his determination, as hard and clear as an emerald; his love a warm tide that filled the dark places of her soul and brought light, comfort and relief.

But there was also pain. He was wounded, and badly. A cold trickle of anguish slithered down her spine. For an instant, her nails bit into the insensitive skin on her left shoulder as she tried to fight the despair that enveloped her in an icy embrace. If he failed… Azar help her, she didn't fear her own death. She already had more of life than she ever imagined she would, more than she had the right to expect –

No.

She chased the wretched thoughts from her mind. She had to remain calm and peaceful and give him a fighting chance. Gar would make it. He would make it because he cared, because he loved, because his selfless devotion simply would not allow otherwise.

A small smile spread over her ravaged features and she relaxed. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way for her to help him.

-=oOo=-

Nightwing laid Starfire down gently on her bed, pulled the blanket over her and stood watching her for a few moments, ignoring the burning sensation that tightened around his chest.

No, he mused silently. Gar was wrong. I wasn't a coward. I didn't push her away to spare myself the pain, I did it to spare her. But I ended up hurting her much worse than...

He shook himself off. What's done is done. The only thing I can do now is try to rebuild the trust she once had in me.

His eyes studied fondly the sleeping girl. She still loves me… but that's not enough. Maybe nothing will be enough now. But I know I have to try.

Sighing quietly, he finally headed for the door with stealthy steps.

"Richard," her soft whisper stopped him. He froze, unwilling to turn and face her. He heard a rustle of blankets and he knew she had straightened up into a sitting position in her bed. He felt her gaze burn holes in the back of his head. He swallowed to keep the hoarseness from his voice.

"You dozed off while meditating with Rae. She asked me to take you to your room," he spoke over his shoulder, his voice apologetic. "You should go back to sleep."

She was silent for a few moments. "I shall give her the scolding for that. She should not be alone."

Nightwing nodded, still refusing to look at her. He took a step towards the beckoning safety of the open door.

"Richard," she repeated. There was a small trace of sadness in her voice, and it plunged like a blade into his heart. His hands rose and grasped the doorframe, as if they wanted to help his paralyzed legs pull him out of her room.

"What is it?" he managed to strain through teeth clenched shut as tightly as his eyes.

More rustling of the blankets. The almost soundless steps of her bare feet approaching. Her scent becoming stronger, making his head spin.

"Your words… they were true?" she whispered. "Your decision, it was final?"

The knuckles on the fingers gripping the doorframe whitened. "For what it's worth, they were," he managed to keep the trembling away from his reply. "But I know… I understand. I just… I'm sorry I hurt you."

Her hand touched his shoulder. He flinched.

"You have said that you still love me," she said in an uncharacteristically hoarse voice. "And I have said that I would do the watching until I had the certainty."

He just nodded, unable to say anything. The pressure of her hand on his shoulder increased, demanding that he turn and face her. Slowly, painfully, his fingers released the doorframe and he spun around. His eyes searched the floor, the walls, anyplace but the soft green glow that called out to him.

Starfire's hands cupped his face. "I am watching, Richard. Watching and waiting for you to prove it."

It finally made him look up and meet the shining emerald of her luminous eyes, diving deep inside to drown and lose himself in them. His arms coiled around her hungrily and his lips fused with hers with starving abandon. The door hissed slowly closed, hiding them from view.

-=oOo=-

Everything hurt.

Places, organs and limbs he didn't even know he had hurt like hell. Some rational part of his mind suggested that it was probably due to the wounds received while maintaining a taxing transformation, but he pushed it away with an unreasonable, furious growl and propped himself up.

"What the Hell –" he shouted as soon as his vision cleared and he saw Yellow and Purple sprawled on the ground. His mind still not working clearly, he jumped on his feet and swayed, keeping himself from falling only with an enormous effort of will.

"Relax," a cold voice followed the restraining grip of a small but strong hand on his arm. "They're fine, just exhausted."

His gaze fell on the hand holding him and slid up until he met Green's cool gaze. The cobwebs in his mind cleared a little.

"What happened?" he managed to croak, the hairs on the back of his neck still standing at attention and the fire of his anxious anger only subdued, not extinguished.

Green sneered and cast a meaningful glance at a red-cloaked figure nearby. Without bothering to think about what Green meant, Gar snarled.

"I should've finished you when I could!" he growled and stepped towards Red threateningly. She remained silent, but her four eyes blazed and she grinned, revealing rows of sharp, triangular teeth.

He felt a sudden slap on the back of his head. "Down, boy!" Green snapped. "It's over!"

The sting of the slap brought him back to his senses. "Ow!" he complained and turned to frown at Raven's bellicose aspect, rubbing the back of his head and giving her an irritated look that demanded clarification.

"She's cleansed," Green explained impatiently. "Not that there's much difference," she added with a smirk.

Gar's frown deepened. "Then what –"

"Smartass and Heart-Eyes had a lot of healing to do," Green chuckled. "You two went all-out on each other." Her face split into a large, appreciative grin. "That was a nice fight!"

Garfield scowled at Red, his anger simmering down but still smoldering. Red snapped her teeth at him viciously and he bristled, the animals in him recognizing and reacting instinctively to the challenge.

"Knock it off!" Green growled in exasperation and stepped between them. Red's eyes flared, then dimmed. She pulled the hood over her head and sat in lotus position on the ground. She appeared to calm down for now, but four blazing red slits still glared at them dangerously from the dark depths of her hood.

Garfield grumbled, gave Red a final, warning look and turned his attention to Green. "They're exhausted from healing us?" he asked unnecessarily. Green just rolled her eyes at his dumb question and nodded. "They need to sleep it off and recover. We're not finished yet."

"I suppose so," Gar muttered. "So we just have to wait, right?"

Green just waved her hand, not deigning to answer that question. She lowered herself on the ground and sat cross-legged with an impatient frown on her face. Gar grinned and sat down behind her, leaning his back against hers. He felt her stiffen for a moment and tensed, expecting the sting of slap or even the smack of a fist, but she relaxed and eased back into him. His grin widened, his eyes closed and he quickly dozed off.

He woke up still sore but much refreshed. The first thing he was aware of was her scent; the well-known essence of his love, combined with a hard, unyielding undertone that reminded him immediately where and in whose company he was. He also became aware of gentle fingers going through his hair and of the warmth of smooth skin pressing on his cheek. He squinted, careful not to move any other muscle. He was laying on the ground and his head was resting in Green's lap; it was her tender caress that he was feeling.

His eyes opened fully and swiveled up to meet her gaze. She scowled down at him. "If you even hint to anyone that this ever happened, you'll regret it for a very long and very painful time!" she whispered menacingly, but her hand continued running its fingers though her hair. He smiled, nodded slightly, closed his eyes and relaxed.

After a couple of minutes, however, Green suddenly got up and Garfield's head bonked on the hard ground. He choked down a pained exclamation but couldn't hold back an angry rumble. Green ignored him and strode off, heading for her two sister aspects that had finally recovered from their exhaustion.

Gar heaved himself up and joined them. On an unspoken agreement, Green helped Purple while he offered Yellow his hand and pulled her up. After a few moments of dusting off and quiet conversation, they were ready to continue their quest.

-=oOo=-

Gar shuddered. He remembered this realm well, it was one of his fondest memories. But as much as his mind tried to reject what his eyes were showing him, he had to accept the horrible reality of it all. Pink's domain was hideously changed; it was perverted and twisted into a sickening parody of itself.

The happy pink of the sky was now suffused with a filthy grey, leeching out all of its joy and making it look like the splotchy skin of a drowned corpse. The green meadow was a sea of disgusting, oily mud covered with rotten fibers of dead grass whose tentacle-like roots writhed with a vile craving to coil around their ankles and mire and trip them. Sweetly smelling flowers were replaced by loathsome abominations whose thick, meaty petals stank of carrion. What once were colorful butterflies were now huge flies of a venomous, metallic green, attracted by the stench to buzz around the repulsive growth, only to be captured in the sticky, noisome goo and be devoured slowly while still fighting weakly to escape.

"This is wrong," Gar whimpered. "How… how is this possible?"

"Trigon," Yellow shrugged, as if it was self-evident, but Gar noticed an apprehensive gleam in her eyes. Purple's hand touched him in a reassuring gesture. Green scowled and Red grinned – amused or enraged, Gar couldn't tell. Orange snored.

There were no real landmarks except for a few gnarly, stunted trees and the archway behind them. Picking a random direction, Garfield set off with Raven's aspects in tow.

"I was expecting sadness and sorrow," he muttered in a low voice, feeling a terrible wrath building inside. "But this… This is not sad. This is repugnant. What did he turn Pink into?"

"If anything, she shouldn't be dangerous," Green growled. "Big Sis never gave her much power."

"Thank Azar, she didn't," Yellow mumbled under her breath, but Gar caught it and scowled at her. The rational aspect arched an undaunted eyebrow at him.

"Whatever happened, we can take her," Green cracked her knuckles. "She was always a wimp!"

"Not to mention dumb as a stick!" Yellow sighed. Garfield had enough; he was just about to give them a piece of his mind, when a malicious titter rang out, seemingly coming from everywhere around them.

"Is that so, sisters?" A black portal opened beneath Garfield's feet and he fell into it with a surprised cry. "Let's see what Beastie-Boo thinks about it!"

-=oOo=-

Garfield squirmed, but the strands of dark energy that held him spread-eagled on the muddy ground were as unyielding as they were ethereal.

"What the Hell?" he muttered apprehensively, trying unsuccessfully to morph into a small bird and free himself. A menacing chuckle made him look up at the pink-cloaked figure looming over him.

"Oh, Beastie-Boo," she crooned in a hoarse purr that made his hackles rise for some reason. "Do you really wish to run away and leave poor Pinky-Winky alone, all by herself, without her fun?"

"Fun? Whaddaya mean, fun?" Gar frowned. Could it be possible that she wanted to… but no, Passion and Lust were Purple's domain. What did she want?

She lowered herself beside him, crossing her legs. "The fun I'm going to have with you!"

"Look, if you wanna, y'know, do that, I can promise it's better if my hands are free!"

"Yuck!" she exclaimed with a disgusted expression. "Keep that stuff for Purple Sister!" She bent over him and lifted a hand, the index finger pointing skywards and a small, inch-long blade of black power forming over it. Her eyes blazed and split into four.

"I want to hear how loud you can scream," she chuckled wickedly and dragged the blade under his cheekbone. It split the skin effortlessly as it moved towards his nose, leaving a long but shallow gash behind it. Blood welled out and dripped over his cheek.

"OW!" Garfield shouted and jerked uselessly against the mystic restraints. "Hey, that hurts!" What was going on? This couldn't be the same sweet, innocent, downright silly Pink he knew and loved. What did Trigon do to her?

She gave him a depraved grin. "Of course it did, you idiot. And it's going to hurt a lot more soon enough!"

Her nostrils flared as she made another incision on the other side of his face, symmetrical with the first. Gar inhaled sharply and grit his teeth to keep himself from crying out again. Her grin widened.

"Interesting," she hummed. "Your blood is red. I was expecting it would be green. You must have a lot of mutated melanocytes in your skin." She dismissed the blade and tapped her finger thoughtfully on her chin.

"If I drain you of blood completely, I'll be able to see your real skin color," she mused to herself, then fixed him in a fiendish gaze. "It's a good idea, but I'll have to leave it for last. First I want to enjoy myself for a while." Her four eyes blazed with infernal crimson. "A long while."

She hopped to her feet and waved a hand. Wisps of ethereal blackness erupted out of her fingers and solidified into several pieces of furniture and equipment. There was an examination table, complete with restraining straps, a metallic stand holding a tray with medical instruments, and several pieces of machinery. The latter were created almost clumsily; the dials were placed haphazardly over the surface and the screens were filled with gibberish. They were apparently only for show, created based on a not-too-certain memory.

Garfield gulped. If there was one thing he was utterly terrified of, it was –

"Remember when you told Ravey-Poo what your greatest fear was?" she glanced at him, the grin on her face now transformed into a perverse leer. "We'll enjoy it together!"

He felt himself lifted and placed on the examination table. Thick leather straps wrapped themselves around his legs, arms and chest. A wisp of black mist still remained coiled around his neck, not allowing him to morph. His fear grew into terror and approached panic; he twisted and writhed, trying desperately to free himself. Pink's satisfied grin grew even wider.

"It's scary, isn't it?" she teased him. "I wish I had my empathy. I'd really love to feel the fear in you." She pursed her lips in disappointment and leaned closer. "I suppose I'll have to be satisfied with watching the pain and terror in your eyes. Before I carve them out, of course."

A mix between a moan and a whine escaped Garfield's throat. His arms and legs jerked and struggled, his back tensed and arced again and again, flopping like a fish out of water. The animals inside him screamed their reasonless, horrified fright into his mind, drowning out any rational thought. His fearful whine rose into a howl; droplets of sweat flew off his forehead as he whipped his head against the restraints. His eyes bulged out, watching her without blinking as she selected a large saw from the tray and turned to him.

"Wrist or shoulder?" she frowned as if in thought, then broke into a happy smile. "I know! I'll split the difference. Elbow it is!"

She brandished the saw and stepped closer, her four eyes burning with morbid hunger and her mouth twisted in a snarling grin, revealing triangular, slavering teeth grinding against each other in anticipation. Garfield's mind went completely blank and for a split second all the animals quieted, as if to take a deep breath to shriek in unison their instinctive terror and obliterate any humanity left in him. But before the primal scream could be released, a soft, dry voice echoed in the empty vault that was his brain.

Having that thing inside doesn't make you an animal. Knowing when to let it out is what makes you a man.

This was not a time to let it out. This was a time to be smart, not that he had much experience with it. He felt the panic leave him; he was still terrified, but his mind was working again.

She noticed his eyes clearing and her grin turned into a snarl, a soft hiss of anger and disappointment flowing from her throat. The crimson in her eyes flared dangerously and she stepped closer, lifting the saw.

"Wait!" he shouted, but she ignored him. His brain worked furiously, looking for a way out. The happy, innocent, childish aspect was corrupted by Trigon into a sadistic brat that enjoyed ripping legs off ants and putting them on a hot plate to watch them squirm. She still represented Joy and Happiness, but she looked for them in pain, torture and despair. There had to be something that he could use to bring her back –

The saw bit into his arm and he screamed.

"Yessss," she whispered sibilantly. Blood spurted out and a few drops splashed her face. She wiped them off with her hand and licked her fingers. "Mmmm. Delicious."

The first incision was not deep, but it was agonizingly painful. Garfield grit his teeth. "Wait," he repeated.

"I can go more slowly if you want," Pink cooed, moving the saw forward again. Garfield gasped, squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the pain.

"Knock knock!" he groaned.

Pink scowled. "What?"

"You're… supposed to… say 'Who's there?'"

"Rrrngh!" she growled and pushed the saw a few inches further. Gar inhaled sharply and let out a moan. The grin returned to her face. "Who's there?"

"G – Gar," he gasped.

"Gar… who?" she crooned and pushed the saw again. Garfield choked another scream, breathing heavily.

"Gar… dian of… your love," he managed to gasp. She glared at him and guffawed, then her face sobered up. "Stupid!" she growled and pulled the saw back. This time Gar could not hold back his scream.

"This is really fun!" she purred approvingly. His breath was ragged and his throat was dry; it was almost impossible for him to speak. But he had to try. Not for me, he reminded himself. It's for her.

She pushed the saw again and it scraped against the bone. He almost bit his tongue off trying to prevent a painful shriek from bursting out of him. "How many… Tamaraneans… does it take… to change a light bulb?"

Her eyebrows went up. "I don't know," she grumbled. "How many?"

"Five," he wheezed. "One… to hold the light bulb… and four… to turn the house."

Pink guffawed again. Garfield saw the opening and gritted his teeth against the pain. This was his chance.

"A human, a Tamaranean and an Azarathian walk into a bar…" he began.

-=oOo=-

"I'll kill her!" Red snarled.

"You said that already," Green growled back at her. "A couple hundred times!"

Red glared at her, black mist forming around her fists. Green's eyes narrowed. Yellow stepped between them.

"You are wasting time and energy in pointless squabbles!" she chided them, brushing off their furious stares. "We need to find them quickly, before Pink Sister can bring any harm to him!"

"Then stop trying to be Miss Obvious and let Purple Sister guide us!" Orange grumbled, then yawned. "Now let me sleep. This was exhausting."

Yellow blinked; Green and Red exchanged confused looks. "Purple?"

"I… we still keep a small part of our bond," the loving aspect muttered, blushing. "It's far from perfect, but I can sense him somewhere…" she waved a hand in a discouragingly large arc, "… over there."

"Rrragh!" Red roared. "Now you tell us? I should rip your throat out! And pluck your eyes for being so useless!"

"Cool down!" Green gripped her arm. "It's not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than what we had!"

Red yanked her arm free and snarled at Green, but quieted down. They started walking in the approximate direction where Purple had pointed.

"I'll tear her heart out and make her eat it!" Red droned in a hoarse growl. "I'll rip out her guts and strangle her with them! Trigon help me, if she touched a single hair on his head –"

"– then you'll have to wait in line behind me!" Green interrupted her. Yellow rolled her eyes, tuning out their bickering and focusing on following Purple and carrying Orange. They trudged along through the sticky, sucking mud.

"Is it me or is this Trigon-cursed mud getting drier?" Red mumbled. "I wish I could fly!"

"The sky seems a little lighter, also!" Green nodded. Purple looked at them over her shoulder. "We're getting closer to him!" she said excitedly. "But it's not only that. The bond… it's getting stronger!"

"What does that mean?" Green grunted. "Can you get a more precise location now?"

Purple nodded happily. "Just follow me!"

Yellow stopped suddenly in her tracks. The magic carrying Orange dissipated and the slovenly aspect fell on the ground.

"Ooof!" she complained. "What's the idea, you four-eyed bitch?"

Yellow extended a hand with a pointing finger. It trembled almost imperceptibly. "Is that a… butterfly?"

They quickened their pace, following Purple who was almost running by now. The ground became ever more solid and tufts of sweetly-smelling grass appeared, widening and spreading into small islands, merging with others and expanding further. Many-colored flowers opened everywhere and swayed on a gentle, refreshing breeze. Strawberries, peaches and oranges floated through the air giving it a delightful scent.

"Just behind that hill!" Purple shouted breathlessly and ran. The other aspects followed.

"I'll kill her when we find her!" Red grumbled. "How does she dare change everything on us?" Green rolled her eyes.

They finally reached the top of the hill and looked down in disbelief at the scene below them. Garfield was sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding firmly a bloody arm, his face split in a pained but happy grin, while Pink rolled on the ground, her hands holding her belly and her cloak covered with flower petals and seedpods, while her musical laughter filled the freshly-smelling air with joy.