Epilogue
Raven sighed softly and pressed herself closer to the sleeping Changeling. Just a few minutes more, she convinced herself easily while she absorbed the blissful sensation of his warm nearness and dove deep into the painfully joyful feelings that swelled in her heart and filled her soul to overflowing.
Azar, how I love you.
Reluctantly, unwillingly, making use of all of her inner strength, she grumbled soundlessly and forced herself away. As much as she'd love nothing more than to remain in the rapturous delight that was his embrace for all Eternity, there were things she had to do.
Her hand slid up over his chest and cheek caressingly. A dark glow appeared on the tips of her fingers as they touched his forehead.
"Sleep, my love," she whispered. "Sleep and wait. I'll be back soon enough."
With another regretful sigh she called on her power and levitated up. Her mangled body was just a minor inconvenience now that her abilities were fully restored and her control over them completely reestablished. She used them to dress herself and clasp the cloak around her shoulders, then opened the door and floated silently into the hallway.
Her empathic sense flowed out, seeking the Tower's inhabitants and making sure she would not be disturbed. A small smile appeared on the unscarred half of her face. As late as it was, not everyone was sleeping. Normally she would blush and quickly shut herself off from the sensations she felt coming from Kori's room, but this time she let them wash over her and deepen her joy.
It's about time.
She let out a small, happy giggle and shook her head, then wrapped herself both in her cloak and in the familiar self-imposed calmness and glided towards the Containment Room.
The wards around Trigon's body have been restored. Cyborg had wisely wasted no time repairing the damage Gar caused when he tried to claim her father's power. She frowned. Cyborg was not stupid; he probably boosted the security of the system with additional measures. She will have to be careful about it unless she wanted to wake the whole Tower.
Luckily, the half-robot might be an electronics genius but he knew next to nothing about magic. She sent a sliver of her soul-self inside the computers and traced carefully the digital pathways, leaving a small spot of blindness on every alert junction she could find. It took a while; it was delicate, exhausting work, but whenever she felt tiredness creep over her she simply thought of Garfield and her power would recharge itself on the limitless spring of love that flowed from her soul.
She needed almost two hours to finish. Tracing another path through the machines with her soul-self to make sure all alarms were silenced, she deactivated and removed the protective layers. She tensed for a moment, listening carefully and feeling with her empathy, waiting breathlessly for a reaction.
Reassured, she removed the sensors and IV drips from the comatose body and enveloped it in dark mist. Her hand rose and a portal grew from it, shimmering with black light. She gathered her strength and courage and stepped through, carrying with her the mortal cocoon with her father's essence inside. As the portal vanished the room's protection reactivated and the alarms snapped back into wakefulness, oblivious to the fact that they had nothing left to guard any more.
-=oOo=-
The scalding wind roared furiously, tugging at her short hair and whipping the cloak around her. It chilled the bones and burned the skin, and the stench of decay and brimstone it carried was overpowering. But none of the discomfort she might've felt showed on her face. She had learned a long time ago to compartmentalize such unpleasantness into a remote corner of her mind, to shut it off and ignore it.
Her gaze swept over the dismal landscape she found herself in. A scorched, parched desert where dunes writhed and snaked endlessly, tortured by the howling gale into ever more twisted, sickening shapes. Tall obsidian slabs jutted in drunken angles out of the ground, sharpened to a bitter edge by the abrasive sand blasted over them relentlessly by the unceasing tempest.
Inhuman cries, tittering and shrieks mingled with the wind's deafening ululations. She knew she was being watched by eyes hungry for more than just her flesh, but she spared it barely a thought. There was nothing here that could harm her. The hidden watchers could feel who and what she was and remained unseen, careful not to offer any challenge or aggression. Even their insatiable hunger would not drive them to such an act of self-destructive insanity.
The crippled human form that she was carrying enveloped in black mist was lowered to the searing sands and released. As soon as it touched the cursed ground its color turned a sickly yellow and it bloated until the skin began splitting to reveal masses of pallid maggots that burst out and spilled down and burrowed into the sand with surprising speed. In less than a minute nothing remained of the fleshy form where her father was imprisoned.
She waited.
An enormous hand erupted from the sand, followed quickly by another. The ground shook and she staggered, then levitated up while the sand heaved under her like a storm-tossed sea. An antlered head broke the surface, followed by the rest of the giant red form of the Arch-Demon. She glided back to remove herself from under the deluge of sand, rock and dust cascading down the huge body. Her good hand pulled the hood back from her head and she waited patiently, gazing calmly at the snarling visage before her.
Trigon lifted his arms. Colossal thunderclouds the color of infected wounds gathered with astonishing quickness over him, and poisonously green lightning crackled into his fingers. He bellowed in exultation as the power of his own realm filled him again.
The clouds cleared. The arms fell. The ubiquitous gale quieted to a dead calm. The four eyes blazed a murderous crimson as they descended to glare at the small, blue-cloaked form waiting patiently below.
"Kindness, Raven?" the deep voice rumbled menacingly like a volcano about to explode. "Was defeating me not enough? Must you humiliate me as well?"
A small shrug lifted Raven's shoulder almost imperceptibly. "You're not an idiot. You know full well that I couldn't leave you on the mortal plane, and throwing you in Limbo is asking for trouble."
The four eyes narrowed. Searing red fires roared through them. Gargantuan claws clenched into massive fists.
"This is not over, dear daughter! I will grow stronger and –"
"Enough!" the word shot from Raven's mouth in a whispered explosion that made the Demon Lord reel. "You can't touch me, Father. Not any more. Not ever again."
A fit of uncontrollable rage clouded Trigon's mind and he bent to seize the insolent, offensive presence that dared defy him. Raven's eye blazed white and a mirrored glow appeared on the ruined side of her face. Trigon screamed, clutching his head and clawing at his eyes.
"That was Love, Father. Just a little Love," Raven remarked in a dry, clinical voice as she watched Trigon writhe in agony. "The tiniest portion of the smallest shard of the love I feel for him."
Trigon fell to his knees, wailing. The ground cracked and heaved; obsidian cliffs were vomited up in twisting violence only to shatter like glass and fall in a shower of glittering black dust.
Raven levitated closer. "Remember it," she continued in the same dispassionate, lecture-like tone, observing with cool detachmesnt her creator as he thrashed and squirmed under the agonizing assault of the one thing he couldn't withstand. "Remember it well. Because if you ever try to get at me by plotting against him, I will know it."
Trigon moaned and mountains crumbled. The storm began howling again, shrieking its mindless fear and overwhelming agony. Forked strands of eye-searing lightning crashed between roiling thunderclouds that swirled and churned above them. A layer of billowing dust rose from the shaking ground and geysers of sand burst upwards into the sickly-colored sky. Trigon's daughter stood calmly in the middle of it all while the fury of Hell roared around her, too terrified to touch her.
"I will know it, and I will make you feel all of it," Raven's quiet voice pierced the cacophony and hammered her soft words excruciatingly into the demon's mind. She rose higher to be level with him and her eyes split double while the freezing blaze of the deepest Pits of Hell lit up inside them. "And after it burns your twisted mind into gibbering insanity, I will show you what real Hatred and Rage look like."
With a final glance of mixed loathing and pity directed at the utterly defeated demon, Raven created a portal back and stepped through it.
-=oOo=-
She materialized out of the portal and into the dark, deserted Ops room. Floating quickly to the counter, she filled the electric kettle with water and turned it on before finally allowing her feet to touch the ground. She leaned heavily on the countertop and took a deep breath. Her confident stance and threatening words were not mere bravado, but the enormous effort she had to invest to block out Trigon's elemental malice and fury was exhausting.
The water boiled and the kettle clicked off. She made herself tea and floated over to the couch. There were enough minutes left before dawn for her to relax, recover and finish what she had to do.
The calming silence of the empty room and the hot tea she carefully sipped had the same effect on her as a satisfying meditation séance. She allowed herself a small smile, placed the empty mug in the sink and floated out towards the infirmary.
"Mother?" she inquired quietly as she entered. Arella lifted her head and smiled radiantly at her daughter. "Raven?"
The empath floated closer and embraced her mother in a loving, one-armed hug. Arella returned the gesture gently, then pulled back. Her eyes studied the maimed empath carefully before she nodded lightly in understanding. "You've been… cleansed. This is his doing, isn't it?"
Raven bit her lip and assented. "Without him... I would've been gone, and Trigon would've had me. I never…"
Arella's hand caressed her cheek. "That is true, my dear. But the battle was yours. Never forget it."
"I suppose so," the sorceress sighed and her good eye turned to the leader of Azarath, floating an inch above the infirmary bed in a healing trance. "How is he?"
"Almost healed," Arella glanced at the man and ran a tender hand through his hair. "He will be coming out of the trance very soon now. We will return to Azarath as soon as he does. Please say goodbye to the others for us"
A small, knowing smile spread over the undamaged part of Raven's face. "He's a good man," she stated with a hint of amusement in her voice. Arella looked back at her sharply. Raven's smile widened. Arella's expression relaxed and she gave her daughter back a small, crooked smile. For a moment Raven had the feeling she was looking at herself in a mirror.
Her mother's hands reached for and clasped her own. "They both are."
-=oOo=-
"That's enough, y'all!" Cyborg cut through the deafening shouts of excitement and joy that exploded all over the Ops room when Raven walked in, leaning on Gar and sporting a happy smile. "You!" He stabbed a thick, metallic finger at her, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the side door. "Infirmary. Now."
Raven knew better than to argue with Cyborg when he went into full-on Big Bro mode. Garfield's arm around her waist gave her a gentle push, making it completely clear that he was in full agreement with his best friend. The half-demoness realized this was a fight she could never even hope to win. She rolled her eye, sighed and meekly allowed herself to be guided to the infirmary.
"No changes," Cyborg scowled as he studied the results on the console and while Gar helped Raven dress. "When will you start healing yourself?"
"Right away. Use today's results as a baseline," she replied. "I'll be entranced for about twenty hours every day, but I'll have to come out of it to eat, shower, go to the bathroom and fulfill all the other needs that I have. We should plan to use part of my waking time for regular check-ups."
Cyborg grunted his agreement. Raven's hand reached for Garfield's shoulder and he helped her get up. She leaned on him and his arm went around her waist to give her support.
They walked slowly towards her room when a thought struck him. Why was she leaning on him when now she could…
"Uh, Rae?" he asked, his voice betraying his confusion. "Can't you fly?"
"Figure it out, lover boy!" she smirked and leaned on him more heavily. Gar grinned. Indeed, he should've known better than to ask such a silly question. Raven would never let pass the opportunity to have his arms around her.
He smirked back. "Well, if that's the case…" he quickly scooped her up in his arms and carried her bridal style. "Now this should be even better!"
Raven sighed in contentment. "Azar help me, I've got an idiot for a husband!" she mumbled as she rubbed her face on his chest. "It sure took you a while!"
-=oOo=-
There was one thing about Raven's healing process that Gar really disliked. Twenty hours a day of repairing and regrowing tissue during her trance left Raven with an almost demonic craving for protein. And there was one thing about which he was resigned that Raven would not change her mind, no matter how much he knew she loved him.
Every night Cyborg outdid himself in preparing a protein-rich dinner for his 'little sis', and every night Gar had to look away with a queasy feeling in his gut while his wife devoured the meat, eggs, sausage and cheese so generously laid on the table by his best buddy. But the worst thing about it all was the victorious grin spread all over Cyborg's features, as wide as it was evil.
"I'm sorry, Gar!" she tried to speak around a huge mouthful of very tender and very rare steak, specially prepared for her by Cyborg. "You know I can't stand tofu."
Raven swallowed the meat, then stuffed a large forkful of eggs into her mouth. "I just can't understand how something so tasteless can taste so bad!"
Gar sighed, then chuckled to himself. Raven would make it up to him soon enough.
-=oOo=-
There was little change in Raven's outward appearance in the first week, but the ever-widening smile on Cyborg's face and the increasingly positive results of her daily check-ups did show she was healing herself at an accelerated rate. Either her control over her powers has improved or those powers themselves increased after Trigon's defeat. Whatever it was, her healing was quicker than even she anticipated, and Gar could barely keep his joy contained.
In a little more than a week Cyborg declared her out of danger, and ten days later completely healed – at least on the inside. It was after that when he noticed the scar across her face receding. Slowly, over many days it retreated and diminished while her smooth, pale skin advanced and the destroyed nerves and muscle regenerated under it. Hair grew again from the bald, wrinkled patches of scalp and the hole in her left cheek shrank, puckered and vanished. Her arm began regaining some movement and her limp wasn't so pronounced.
As Raven healed herself, the other Titans resumed their patrols. While Gar watched over his recovering wife, Jinx, Kid Flash and Red Star replaced them during their absence. It was enough to keep the Jump City underworld in check, even if the criminals quickly noticed a lack of leadership in the superhero team.
Nightwing had refused to take again the role of the leader, considering himself not qualified after his actions of two years ago. He would visit Gar and Raven in their room and spend quite some time watching Raven in her trance and talking with Gar about small things. Garfield let him battle it with himself, knowing that every day Raven showed an improvement it made Richard reassess himself in a more positive way. Starfire was always close by, her buoyant optimism and energetic enthusiasm also helping along Richard's own recovery.
The scar finally released its grip over her eye. It remained closed, not fully healed yet, and for days Gar had the impression Raven was winking at him constantly. He mentioned it to her, only to receive back a "Maybe I am" and an enigmatic smile.
And then the day came. Her lids fluttered and her eyes opened, the left one twitching a little, unaccustomed even to the subdued lighting of their room.
Gar could only stare breathlessly into those twin amethyst pools that captivated him since the day he first saw her. She returned his gaze, cupped his face and gave him a long but light and tender kiss. She pulled back a little, looking into his eyes and pressing her forehead to his own.
"I love you," she whispered and his heart exploded.
-=oOo=-
"We shall have the greatest party for the celebration of your full healing, friend Raven!" Starfire clasped her hands and flew a loop around the Ops room. Raven winced, rolled her eyes and tried to sink into Garfield's reassuring embrace.
"Of course, Kori!" she agreed with a somewhat lackluster enthusiasm. She frowned at her grinning husband. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"What can I say? You know I love parties –"
The Crime Alert blared. Everyone looked at the large screen where a map appeared, together with information about what was happening.
"Dr. Light?" Cyborg commented in amused disbelief. "The guy really knows how to pick the worst time – for him!" he laughed and turned to Raven. "Whaddaya think, little sis? Care to open a huge barrel of whoop-ass on the good Doctor?"
"I'm sure I'll enjoy it," Raven smirked. "As soon as…" her voice trailed off and she paused, casting a meaningful glance at Nightwing.
Richard swallowed, then looked at Starfire. She nodded and smiled her reassurance. His gaze swept over the rest of his old team.
"Are you guys sure? After all I've…"
"Just say it, dude!" Changeling chuckled. Nightwing swallowed again, pulled himself together and looked once more at each of them, as if to confirm what they were telling him. A huge grin split his face.
"Titans! Go!" he shouted.
They ran.
-=oOo=-
Author's Note:
It's finally over, after more than two years. I'm sorry for all the delays, but I hope the end result is pleasing enough. Thank you all for reading, liking and reviewing! It motivated me to push myself to finish it!