She opened her eyes. The sunlight leaking through the window hadn't been enough to bother her as of yet, but she had grown accustomed to walking early in the day. In her life, living each day as it was her last was more pertinent now than ever. She had always known that life was precious, especially with the life she had lead, but it had taken those fateful words a year and a half ago for her to realize the gravity of what life truly meant.
Sitting up slowly, she took a deep breath, letting the air permeate her lungs. Any day you could get up and move is a good day, she surmised. No pain as of yet. Organs didn't feel like Lars Ulrich's drums after a show. Not a bad way to start the day.
Reaching over, she pulled a small bag from the nightstand. No need to run the risk of things getting worse, she thought. The paper crinkled as she rolled it into a thin tube. Still a little sloppy, but she was getting the hang of it. Pretty good for someone who had no experience in rolling.
The flint of the lighter crackled as she lit it up. Tossing back her dark hair, she drew the smoke deep down into herself. She fought back the urge to cough up the offending aerosol. Her lungs could deal with it. For the past year and a half, her lungs had been the least of her worries.
As she exhales, she could begin to feel the stimulant take effect. She smiled. Looks like today would be, as Dr. Dre would say, just another day.
The fourth floor of Titan City Medical was hustling and bustling again. If there was any work that could be considered more important than saving lives in the eyes of management, it was the paperwork that accompanied it. And Rebecca Harris was simply flooded with it. As the nurse stationed at the front desk, she was responsible for keeping all the files of patients past and present in line. Hell, she would probably have to organize future clients if she had known of them as well. Her other responsibility was to greet visitors and other hospital personnel in her free time, of which she had very little of. So it was simply routine as another person made a stop at the desk, inquiring about a patient in the local ward. Someone named Rachel Roth, apparently. A sigh let loose from the nurse's lips as she escorted the man to Room Number 413. Simply routine.
"Hey, you in the mood to see a friendly face?"
That voice resonated deep with in Rachel Roth. She had known that voice for many years. Whether it had been serious or goofy as it often was, she could recognize it in a heartbeat as the one that always seemed to be after her, all the way back during her early years when she had gone by only a single name: Raven. Turning her head towards the doorway, she smirked at the sight before her. "Yeah, but I guess I'll have to settle for yours," she said, jokingly.
Beast Boy smiled back at her. Rather, Garfield Logan did. He had retired his name not too long after Cyborg's passing. Without him, there didn't seem to be a reason to keep the persona any longer. That and just about every punk who thought he could get away with murder were making career plans that included steering well clear of Titan City. The years had not been too kind to the former Titan, as a pair of bifocals sat upon his face and his hair had all but disappeared from the top of his head. Still, his face had changed little from his hero days, with the possible addition of a few extra laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. Raven, in comparison, looked as if she had walked straight from his memories – with the exception of her hair. Over the years, it had grown even longer.
Logan hid a smile as he recalled seeing Raven again for the first time since Cyborg's funeral. It had been nearly two and a half years ago. He had just happened to meet her at the local mall while she was looking for hair dye. When she had hung her hair in front of her face in order to compare the colors, she had been a carbon copy of Cousin It from the Addams Family. Of course, a lot had changed since then. Since that night she arrived on his doorstep with a surprise that had been most unexpected…
"You look like the world just collapsed around you," Raven's voice broke the man's train of thought, but he was rather glad for it. What had been on his mind was not exactly the most pleasant thing in the world.
"Yeah, well, business is tight," Logan said, shaking his head. "I never thought that a vegetarian deli would be such a hassle. I mean, with all the expenses and the advertising and the traditional bullshit of small business I'm practically a nervous wreck. I'm telling ya, if it wasn't for Kate, I'd have a hole dug for myself halfway down to China."
The woman took another deep breath from the cigarette in her hand. "So, it's been almost three years, hasn't it?" she asked, a weak smile on her face. "I swear, I'll never know exactly what she saw in you."
"Hey, I might not be a looker, but I have my own special methods of persuasion," the man said, grinning. "Truth be told, she thought I was really funny."
"Yeah, after how many drinks?" Raven said, sneering.
"Only two," Logan said sarcastically, sneering back.
The two retired heroes sat in silence for a moment. The level of bickering that had occurred between them disguised the fact that the two rather enjoyed each other's company.
"Hey, you know I actually managed to get your name right this time around?" Logan said, a look of relief on his face. "Kinda glad there's always been a different person here each time I came to visit you. Otherwise, things could have gotten embarrassing."
"Hmm, and it only took you three times to get it," the woman said, still playfully teasing.
"Hey, I never said I was a rocket scientist," the man said, smiled. Then, his face became concerned. "So, how you been, kid?"
Raven shook her head, her eyes disappearing behind her now purple-and-black hair. "Okay as of the moment," she began, softly. "Changes from day to day. Sometimes I feel like I should be out there again, smacking around the bad guys. Other days I'm puking up my guts, wondering if I'm gonna live to see the next sunrise. It's kinda like a roller coaster from Hell, and I can't get my seatbelt off."
Garfield sighed, looking down at the floor. "You look a lot better than when I saw you last," he said, solemnly. "Guess that new stuff they got you on is actually working."
The woman got up from her bed, and walked over to the window. Her legs felt a little wobbly. She had been bed-ridden for the last few days, so her body wasn't exactly ready to be vertical again. Quickly realizing the mistake, she took a seat in the chair over in the corner of the room. "That's debatable," she said.
"Not from where I'm standing…"Logan paused. Sniffing the air for a few moments, a puzzled look came over his face. "What the hell is that smell?" he asked. "It smells like…weed." A look of shock came over his face as he turned back toward Raven sitting in her corner. "Are you getting high?" he asked, his jaw dropped.
The woman gave him a smile. "Relax, it's medicinal," she said matter-of-factly. "I have the prescription if you wanna see it."
"No, no, no…it's cool." Logan's words were rather hard. Raven was about to give him an earful when she remembered that Garfield was not one for drugs, especially since…
"Hey, you guys still decent in here?" a female voice interjected into the room.
The two turned their attention back to the door as Kate Logan stepped in. Her short-cropped brown hair, green eyes, and tanned skin were a stark contrast to Raven's grayish tone and multi-hued hair. Still, this was the woman that the former Titan had fell in love with not long after he retired and secured the funds to open his deli. She had stopped in for a quick bite, and ended up staying a lot longer than she ever expected. Not that she had any complaints about it.
"Well, as decent as we'll ever be," Logan said, smirking.
Suddenly, the woman took in the scent permeating around the room. "Somebody smoking a joint?" she asked, puzzled.
Raven let out a small laugh. Two for two. "Haven't you heard the news, Kate?" she said, smiling. "It's legal to smoke marijuana." She paused as she took another hit off of the roll, and gave an even bigger smile. "Of course," she continued, exhaling the smoke from her lungs, "you have to have cancer."
With that, she set into a fit of giggles. Despite the laughter that poured from her lips, her eyes began tearing up. Both Garfield and Kate stood in silence as Raven's laughter broke down into heart-wrenching sobs. Acting quickly, the former Titan walked over and embraced his friend tightly in his arms.
"I'm…gonna go get some coffee," Kate said, jutting a thumb in the direction of the lobby.
Logan nodded slightly. Within a moment, the two Titans were alone.
"Oh God, Garfield," Raven cried, her body shaking with tremendous force. "I know that I put up such a strong front. You know that more than anybody else alive. But it's all bullshit." She took in a ragged breath, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Gar, I'm so scared," she said, her voice cracking. "I might have always been one of those people who was 'doom and gloom', but I was young then. I had my entire life to figure out what the world was really about. Now I'm still not sure. Jesus Christ, I don't wanna die…"
Logan sat in silence, slowly rocking the grief-stricken woman in his arms. He remembered that night a year and a half ago when Raven had shown up at his home. Kate had let her in. It was nearly dinnertime, but the woman had seemed so anxious to talk to him that he took a seat on the couch with her to discuss the matter. The next thing he knew Raven's head was lying in his lap, her voice screaming in agony. He had never seen her so…helpless. She cried more than night that she had in the twenty-plus years he had known her. Turned out she had gone in for a biopsy after she discovered a strange growth in her right breast. The tests had come back to her that day: the tumor was malignant. Raven had developed breast cancer, and the realization of it had caused her to fall apart right there in his home. Since then, she had suffered a couple of episodes like this. Each time, it was his arms that held her close until she regained her composure.
He felt the tremors in her body slowly winding down. This episode was coming to a close. Now was the time to speak.
"Look, Rae," he whispered softly into her ear, "I'm not gonna pretend that everything's gonna be alright, okay? We've both been around this world a couple times, and filling you up with bullshit like that isn't gonna help anything. But if there's anyone I know who has the strength to lick this thing, it's you."
The woman looked up at him, hand wiping tears from her eyes and face as she did so. "You…really think so?" she asked, her breathing slowly returning to normal.
"I know so," Garfield said, smiling. Standing back up, he helped Raven back over to her bed. As she sat down on the edge, she let out a sigh.
"I guess the one good thing about the drugs I'm on is that at least I get to keep my hair," she said, tugging on it for dramatic effect. "I don't have to spend my days looking like a reject from The Pirates of the Caribbean."
The man smiled. "To be honest," he said, sheepishly, "I like how long you've grown it."
"I don't," Raven said, disgusted. "This thing's just a royal pain in the ass. I try to sleep, it itches my back; I roll over, and it tickles my belly. The only reason I haven't gotten the thing cropped is the hospital says that I'm still too sporadic to leave, and they won't bring a guy in to do it."
Leaning back, she took another hit from what little of the joint still remained. "At least I know when I die I can have an open casket," she said, sadly. "I'll look half-way decent and not like some damn skinhead."
"Raven, don't talk about yourself like that," Logan said firmly. "Hell, as far as I'm concerned, you're gonna outlive us all."
The woman raised an eyebrow at that remark. "How do you figure that?" she asked.
The man laughed. "Come on, look at yourself," he began. "You look like you walked right out of a picture on my fireplace. Me – I look like the Pillsbury Doughboy. As for health-wise, I'm striking out there, too. First, I had to get these glasses because I couldn't walk more than three feet without stumbling over shit – and it wasn't because I'm a clumsy ass. Next, I started wrinkling up like an old plum left out in the sun, and now my hairline is engaged in an unsanctioned race to get to the back of my head." He paused, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. "I go see the doctor, and he tells me that I have hypertension, high blood pressure AND high cholesterol, okay? So much for spending my life eating tofu - I could have been sucking down cans of Cheez-Wiz for the past ten years and been in better shape. Speaking of shape, you might have noticed that I'm starting to carry out a spare tire right below my chest – just in case Kate and I have a blowout on the highway some day. And the best part – at my last physical, my doctor told me that the next time I come in, he wants to give me the 'middle-aged special'. You know, the one where I drop my pants, he puts on a glove, lubes it up real good, and he shoves his hand up my ass and uses me as a puppet!" Garfield punctuated the final remark of his tirade by holding his right hand up like a sock puppet and opening and closing its 'jaws'.
Raven looked at him, her eyes wide. Suddenly, she let out a snort, and burst into another fit of laughter. Seeing a smile on his friend's face meant more to Logan that she could ever know.
"I knew I could get you to laugh," he said, triumphantly.
"Don't take too much stake in this, Gar," the woman said, still giggling. "This is the weed talking."
"Hey, if it takes you being stoked to get a couple chuckles out of you, I'll live with it," the man said, grinning.
Raven took a deep breath as her laughter died away. She knew that what she was about to say could very well suck the life right out of the room. "Have you talked with Starfire recently?" she asked.
Logan's face hardened. His brow furrowed as he heard his teammate's name. "No," he said, coldly. "We haven't spoken at all since that day…"
That day had been a beautiful one. Logan had just closed up shop for the weekend and was on his way across town. While he had a nice home with a doting wife waiting for him in the suburbs, he was currently heading in the complete opposite direction. Home could wait for now. Now, he was heading down to the apartment that Nightwing and Starfire had used to share. Though the former Titan had moved on quickly after the bank incident, Star had never left. Guess she had too many memories in that place to just let it go, especially after her relationship with NW had ended that way, so abruptly and with too many questions that had no answers.
Garfield lowered the top of his '88 Town Car. The wind whistling through his hair (what was left of it) felt good. The temperature was just right – not overbearingly hot, but not too cool to induce chills. It had been some time since he had seen Starfire last. In fact, the last time they had a face-to-face it had been at Cyborg's funeral. That was about two and a half years ago, but the memory of Grayson's final speech still boiled his blood every time he thought of it. Still, Starfire had been a trooper. True, she had hit a rough patch right after her split with Grayson, and found herself introduced to a side of humanity that was less than savory, but she had recovered. The fact that she had called him the day before had piqued his attention, as she had been rather reclusive over the years. 'Can't blame her,' he thought to himself. 'She loved Grayson, and he just dropped her like a sack of bricks. Poor girl didn't deserve that kind of treatment.'
Pulling up to the side of the road in front of the two-story buildings, Logan parked the car and got out. Star's apartment was on the second floor, right side. As he headed up the stairs, he wondered what had motivated the woman to call him. Within a few moments, he stood before her door. Quickly, he rapped upon it.
"Star? Open up! It's Beast Bo…" he stopped himself. Force of habit. Going by that name for many years had made it difficult for him to simply drop it from his life. "It's Garfield!" he said, correcting himself.
No answer. No sound of footsteps walking towards the door. Maybe she was sleeping. Logan knocked again.
"Come on, Star! Open up!" he said, a little louder this time. Still nothing.
"Hey, quit playing with yourself in there!" he said, playfully. Silence. Now something was up.
"Man, what the hell is going -!" the man paused. He had reached for the doorknob to Star's apartment, and had found it twisted open in his hand. Not a good sign.
"Star?" he said, poking his head into the living room. To his surprise, all the lights here off, and the curtains had been drawn. The room was almost too dark to see anything in. "Hey, you here? If you are, you left your door unlocked."
An uncomfortable silence had settled over the apartment. Still, Logan's instincts told him something was wrong. Stepping inside, he closed the door.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he felt on edge. The apartment was a cluttered mess. Dishes sat in the sink, day-old food caked onto them. Clothes and belongings were scattered across the floor. If it wasn't for the layer of dust that covered much of the furniture in the house, he could have safely assumed a burglary had taken place.
"Star, answer me, will ya?" he said, fear slowly working its' way up his spine as he walked down the hall towards the bedroom. As he approached the door, he stopped cold. In the darkness of the room, he swore he could see two bare feet sticking out from behind one side of the bed. Definitely not a good sign.
Throwing caution to the wind, Logan charged into the room. As he rounded the bed, he gasped – Starfire was laid out, face down on the floor of the room! Quickly, he kneeled down by her side, and shook her shoulder.
"Star?! Star, speak to me!" he yelled, fear echoing in his voice. He had found one Titan dead in his life. He was not ready for another one.
"…Hmmm! Ummm!" The Tamaranean mumbled as she opened her eyes. Garfield slowly rolled her over onto her back. The sight of her was not a pleasant one. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying a lot recently and her hair was matted. Her body was clothed in simply a tank top and panties and, though he couldn't bring himself to say it, she smelled as if she hadn't bathed in days.
"Star, why are you sleeping on the floor?" the man said, jokingly. "You do know that beds are a lot more comfortable, right?"
"…G-Garfield?" the woman said, slowly. She still seemed groggy from being woken up in such a manner. "W-What are you doing here?"
Now Logan was perplexed. "You called me last night, Star," he said, explaining the situation. "Don't you remember? You sounded pretty out of it. What's going on here…?"
The man's voice trailed off as he found himself looking eye-level with the top of the bed. Much of the space had been taken up by dirty laundry and other things, but something sat out on the bedspread that caught his eye, just as plain as day.
A syringe.
A slow rage began building in the pit of Logan's stomach. Starfire seemed to know what he had been looking at, and her face melted into one of fear. Suddenly, she felt the man's hands grip her wrists with inhuman force.
"Garfield, please," she moaned. "Don't…"
As Logan turned her arms over, palms up, it all became clear to him. There was no hiding the evidence from his eyes. Track marks peppered the surface of the woman's forearms. So much for the recovery.
Starfire shrank down as Logan gritting his teeth. The truth was out, and her friend was not at all happy about it.
"You…bitch!" His voice was as sharp as a dagger as he stood up in a huff. "I can't believe you…Are you fucking using again?"
"Please, Garfield, listen…" the woman said, reaching upwards. Try as she might, her body refused to ascend to a sitting position. Whatever had been in the last dose had been a strong one.
"NO!" Logan said, his fury boiling over. "I can't believe you'd do this again! You told me you were clean! You said you would never relapse!"
"It's…It's not what it looks…" Star muttered, still trying to move.
"Then what the fuck is it, huh?!" the man asked, anger overflowing in his voice. "Am I just imagining that needle there?! What the fuck are you taking, huh?! Coke?! Crack?! Meth?!"
"Please…don't do this…" the Tamaranean said, tears coming to her eyes. "I…was just…thinking about the old days…it just happened…I swear, I'm not hooked again…honest, you have to believe me…"
"Not hooked, huh?" Logan said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Look at you! You can't even get to your goddamn feet! And as for you 'thinking about the old days', that's a crock of shit!" He paused, his mind giving him the perfect ammunition for his battle. "You know what happened to me a week ago? I had Raven come to my house. Now, she hasn't given me the time of day in twenty-something years and all of a sudden she needs to talk to me. No sooner than I sat her down on the couch she started bawling her eyes out like a baby. She's got fucking breast cancer, Star! She's dying! Granted, she still looks beautiful on the outside, but on the inside she's rotting away!"
The man paced the floor for a few moments, his hands shaking with rage. He wanted to choke her, to beat her, to make her suffer for the choice she made.
"Raven didn't get a choice in the matter!" he said, starting back up once again. "She's faced with impending death, and carrying herself like a goddamn saint, while you're here getting shitfaced! Look, if you wanna die like Raven, just keep doing what you're doing – you'll get there soon enough! But she didn't make the choice, Star! She didn't choose to have cancer! If you wanna die so fucking bad, I'll got get a gun from the pawn shop, load it up with a couple hallowpoints and pump them straight into your head! You want that, huh?! You fucking want that?!"
By now, tears were streaming freely down Starfire's dirt-stained face. "I…I couldn't help it," she cried. "I just kept thinking…about that day at the bank…about Nightwing…about what he did…"
"So, you were thinking about Mr. Hotshot Murderface, weren't ya?!" Logan hollered. Bringing Grayson into the equation did little to vent his anger. "Well that's no goddamn excuse! He fucked us all, Star, okay?! He fucked us all! The only difference between you and the rest of us was that he fucked you before he fucked you over! That's no excuse! You gotta get up and live! Use it to keep you going!"
Garfield's tank was running on empty. Seeing Starfire in her current condition sent a wave of nausea through his being.
"I'm done," he said, quietly, his rage subsiding. "I'm done, Star. Either you get up and fight, or you lay there and die, 'cause now you're on your own."
"Garfield…please…wait!" The woman's cries left on deaf ears as her former friend walked down the hallway. "Please…DON'T LEAVE ME!!"
The door slammed shut.
"So, you just left her there?" Raven asked, a stunned look on her face. She could not have imagined the former Titan turning his back on anybody, let alone Starfire.
"It was all I could do," Logan said, sternly. "She was gonna have to learn how to solve her own problems."
"I understand that, but why did you do it that way?" the woman asked, still pecking for an answer. "You left her in her hour of need. I mean, how do you know she's not lying dead in a storm drain somewhere in the city right now?"
The man looked over at her, his lips pursed together. "I still keep tabs on her," he said. "Called in some old favors."
"And?" Raven asked, still searching for some sort of closure.
"She's still alive, if that means anything," Logan said, sadly. His face seemed to show a man who knew he had made an error in judgment, but knew no other way to fix the problem.
Suddenly, the two heard footsteps running up to the doorway. They watched as Kate appeared, a look of shock on her face.
"Oh my God," she said, breathlessly. "Did you guys hear? Bruce Wayne is Batman!"
The two Titans looked at one another for a moment. To the woman's surprise, they burst out in loud laughter. Raven practically fell off the bed as she doubled over, drawing her knees up to her chest as she held her sides. Logan, meanwhile, was bent over and using the edge of the bed for support. After about ten seconds, they regained composure.
"I'm-I'm sorry, Kate," he said, grinning. "But we're Titans. We've been privy to that knowledge for quite some time now. So, Mrs. Sixty Minutes, can you tell us something we don't know?"
The woman frowned. "He's dead," she said, matter-of-factly.
The smiles disappeared from both their faces. That was something they didn't know.
"What?" Garfield asked, stunned.
"You're kidding?" Raven said, shaking her head.
"No, it was just on the news!" Kate said, sadly.
"Damn, now I was certain that guy was gonna outlive us all," Garfield said, running a hand over the top of his head. "He was always in good shape. Hell, he was still fighting crime in Gotham. Please, just tell me he didn't die on the toilet or something."
His wife shook her head. "News says they found him on the sidewalk. Apparently he took a swan dive from his executive penthouse about thirty stories up. The kicker was he was dressed in the Batman outfit," she explained.
"Are you saying it was suicide?" Raven asked, stunned. She had known Bruce Wayne was a man with a troubled past, but he was a multi-billionaire and lived for the night. Taking such a way out just didn't seem like something he would do.
"Doubtful," the woman said. "News also reported that a lone gunman infiltrated Wayne Enterprises. Killed two guards on the main floor, and about fifteen guests in the penthouse. Then he took out nine members of Wayne's elite riot team. He even killed Commissioner Gordon!"
"You serious?" Logan said. His mind flashed to that old man. Hell, he didn't deserve that. Not just a few weeks from retirement…
"Yeah, Acting Commissioner Barbara Gordon," Kate said. "Took three shots to the chest. As far as the police are concerned, the same man killed Wayne. They found a gunshot wound to his right eye. Probably the kill shot. They think he was likely dead already when he went out the window."
The two former Titans sat in silence. All those dead, and all the work of one man? It just didn't seem possible. Batman alone could have taken out five thugs, even at his age. There was no one now who could have that kind of prowess and strength…at least, they weren't sure.
"Do they have any idea who did it?" Raven asked, tossing her hair back.
"Well, that's the funny thing," the woman said. "Police and witnesses aren't saying a word, but Jim Gordon says he saw it all. Of course, he's still suffering from shell shock, so it's hard to gauge whether he's being rational or not. I mean, he watched his daughter and one of his closest friends die right in front of him. Who knows how that can warp your mind."
"So, don't keep us in suspense," Logan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who's the culprit?"
"Well, like I said, because of Gordon's mental state, you should probably take this with a grain of salt, but he swears up and down that Slade Wilson killed them," she said.
Slade. The name sent a tremor of fear through both former Titans. Ever since Grayson had begun his 'Crusade', Slade had been associated with him from the get-go. But that the merc was linked to the deaths didn't seem too likely. Slade Wilson was on death's door ten years back. He should be dead and forgotten in some nameless grave down in Africa, not splitting wigs up in Gotham City.
"Slade? I highly doubt that," Raven said, shaking her head.
"Why do you say that?" Kate asked, confused.
"Because Slade had…" Garfield stopped. He couldn't bring himself to say it, not with his friend sitting next to him. It just wasn't right to constantly remind her of her situation in his opinion. "…Slade was in really bad shape by the time Nightwing retired."
Raven smiled. Garfield was trying, but she was a big girl. She could handle it. "It's okay, Gar," she said to him. "I can deal with it." Turning her attention back to Kate, she continued. "Slade had melanoma. It had spread throughout his body by the time Grayson ended 'The Crusade'. Without any kind of medical assistance, he would have been dead within a year. The chances of him still being alive, let alone having the strength to kill almost thirty people, is astronomical."
"I agree," Logan said, thoughtfully. "Chances are we're dealing with a copycat situation. I mean, not many people know what Slade looks like without the mask. For all intensive purposes, Slade is the mask, and the outfit. Anyone could put it on and assume his identity. It would be simple."
Kate walked out to Logan, and put a hand on his shoulder. "I sure hope you're right," she said, a weak smile in her face. "Well, we oughta get going. Jessica's probably wondering where in the world we are." Looking at Raven, she nodded. "It's good seeing you, Rachel," she added. "You know, if you want, I could ask the hospital chaplain to come to your room. He could help you free yourself from all of your life's transgressions through the word of God."
The woman smiled, sadly. "Thanks, Kate," she said, slowly shaking her head, "but my transgressions are all I have left."
The other woman smiled, and nodded. She understood. "Offer's always open," she said.
As Kate walked out the door, Raven looked at Garfield, a perplexed look on her face. "Who's Jessica?" she asked.
"Oh, she's the curator of the local rummage sale we have up at the church every week," he said. "Kate and I promised to give her a helping hand getting set up."
Now the woman was really perplexed. "Church?" she asked, a playful grin on her face. "I always thought you were an agnostic."
Garfield looked at her, and sighed. Glancing back out the door as his wife, he shrugged his shoulders, a weak smile on his face. "Well, you gotta change for the ones you love," he said, sheepishly.
As he turned to depart, something about his words stirred something inside of Raven. She had never thought of bringing up the topic in recent years, but for some reason now seemed a good enough time as any.
"One last thing, Gar," she said, her voice practically a whisper.
"Yeah, Rae?" Logan said, turning his head back.
The woman swallowed hard, and her bottom lip quivered very so slightly. "Do you think…we coulda had something?" she asked, quietly.
The man gave a rather sad smile. "I know we could have," he said, just as quietly. "I was always ready. I was just waiting for you." He nodded, slowly. "I'll see you soon."
As Logan walked out the door, Raven found herself left with only her thoughts, thoughts about what might have been…
The morning sun was in full form as the black limousine pulled in front of Titan City Medical Center. As it came to a stop the door opened, and a pair of well-polished Gucci loafers hit the pavement. It was time for the first act in his new regime…well, first unofficial act, that is.
He smiled as he made his way towards the entrance. A little girl in Room 413 was about to have a very rude awakening.
"Man, I can't believe you said what you did when you came into Rae's room," Logan said to his wife as he shook his head. "What, you don't trust me or something?"
Kate laughed. "Of course I do," she said, smiling. "It's just that, despite what she's going through, she's still quite a looker. I'm not surprised you had a crush on her back in the day."
"That I did," the man said. Then he sighed. "But that ship set sail a long time ago. She just never opened her eyes to life until she found out that fate was gonna take it all away from her. Now it's just too little, too late."
Suddenly, he came to a dead stop. His eyes squinted. Just might be his mind playing tricks on him. He blinked a few more times, and let everything come back into focus. No, his mind and eyes weren't lying. He could recognize that suit anywhere. The long black hair, the smell of $400 cologne, the air of an ingenious bastard. No mistaking it. It was him.
"Grayson," Logan said, spitting the word out of his mouth like month-old-tofu. "What the hell's he doing here?"
"I don't know," Kate said, concerned. "Looks official."
"Official my ass," the man said, hate spewing from every word. "Nothing's official about that man. He's a goddamn tool, that's what he is!"
"Garfield, please," his wife said, placing a hand on his chest. "Just remember: 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'."
"No problem," Logan said, grimacing. "I'd like to throw a goddamn mountain at that giant forehead of his." With that, he started walking towards Grayson and his security team.
"Gar, not here!" Kate said, trying to keep up with his pace.
"Hey, relax, Kate," he said, looking at her with a grim smile. "I'll be subtle. I'm good at subtle."
Grayson had just finished signing into the log when he heard a voice call out from behind him.
"Hey, Grayson!" it said.
Turning towards the shout, the businessman found himself staring at Garfield Logan. The woman next to him must have been his wife. 'Not bad looking,' he commented to himself. 'Wonder how good she is in bed?'
"Very subtle," Kate said, glaring at her husband.
"Thanks." The reply was dripping with an equal amount of sarcasm.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my old Bunkie back from the Tower days," Grayson said, smiling. "Heard you got a deli now up on Jane and Irwin. I just might have to stop in someday and give your place the official 'Grayson seal of approval'."
"Cut the crap, Dick," Logan said, his words just as sharp as the claws of the Marvel hero who shared his name. "What the hell are you doing here?"
The CEO pursed his lips. "I just came by to say hello to an old friend," he said.
"Morgue's empty right now," the former Titan said, jabbing back. "Unless you plan on coming out of retirement," he added.
The two were surprised as Grayson let out a laugh. "You really are a funny little man, Logan," he said.
"So I've been told," Garfield said, his brow furrowing.
The man chuckled. "So, tell me Garfield," he said, slowly, "How's Raven looking these days?"
"What's it to ya?" Logan asked, his voice like a knife edge chop.
"Just figured I'd ask," Dick said, smiling. "So, how is she?"
The other man just stood in silence, glaring back at him.
"Oh, come on, man," the businessman said, playfully. "You can tell me. Is she still good? Would you fuck her?"
Logan took in a deep breath, shaking his head. "Grayson, you better start walking," he said, delivering an ultimatum, "'cause if you're still here after three seconds, I'm gonna…"
"You're gonna what?" Grayson said, his face becoming grim. "Look at yourself. You're fat, bald, you can barely see, and you're way out of your league. I could stomp your ass right now with both hands tied behind my back and blindfolded!"
Despite the probable truth to those words, the little green man stood firm. "They why don't you?" he asked, defiantly.
Grayson merely sniffled, and adjusted the collar of his jacket. "Because I don't need to be ruining this suit," he said, stuffily. "It probably costs more than you do."
The two men stood toe-to-toe. The hatred Logan felt for Grayson was practically radiating off of him. Kate knew she had to defuse the situation quickly.
"Come on, Garfield," she said, tugging on his arm as if she was a little girl. "It's not worth it. Let's go."
With a reasonable amount of restraint, Logan finally relented, and let his wife drag him down the hall towards the elevators.
"Yes, go to God, Mr. Logan," Dick said, grinning. "Feel his undying love. And hey, while you're there, say a quick prayer for Cyborg would ya?"
Logan stopped yet again. His head whipped around, his filled with unbridled fury.
The CEO laughed, knowing he had struck a nerve. "That is," he added, "if he can hear it over his own screaming down there."
"MOTHERFUCKER!" the former Titan exploded, charging back down the hallway straight towards Grayson. Once again, the businessman's security team caught him up and held him firm. "Don't fucking talk about him like that! Don't you dare fucking talk about him like that! He was a better man than you'll ever be, asshole!"
Grayson simply smiled and waved bye-bye as his boys 'escorted' Logan to the elevator, his wife following quickly behind. Such a loser, he surmised. He didn't have time for this bullshit. He had business to attend to.
"Hey, you in the mood to see a friendly face?"
Raven heard this phrase again for the second time that day. This time, however, she recognized the voice and knew exactly what was going on.
"What do you want?" she said, coldly as she spotted Dick Grayson standing in the doorway.
"Come on, Rae," the man said, smiling. "Now is that the way to treat an old friend?"
The woman laughed bitterly. "Some friend you are," she quipped.
"Oh, really?" Grayson said, stepping into the room. "I'd say that a person who is willing to put up a couple of million dollars to support a former teammate in her time of need is a very 'good' friend."
He stood over Raven as she sat on the bed, his figure imposing itself upon her. "I just had a little run-in with your old wannabe fuck buddy, Mr. Logan." He smiled down at the woman, making her feel uncomfortable. "You haven't told him, have you?" he said, grinning. "Just can't bring yourself to explain to one of the only friends you got left on this planet that the man he hates with all his heart is the same one who's keeping you alive. Now, that's fucked up."
"What would you know about friends, Dick?" Raven said, defiance in her eyes. "All the friends you ever had wouldn't even spit in your direction now. Not after all the shit you pulled."
"Hey, not my problem," Grayson said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't care if they hate me, worship me, or masturbate screaming my name. The truth of the matter is, I'm the most powerful man in Titan City, and I'm the only thing standing between you and a nice little plot right next to Stone's."
"Fuck you," Raven's voice was emotionless. She wasn't about to grovel on the floor before this asshole for anything. If anything had survived from her life before cancer, it was her pride.
"Now, now, is that the way to thank the man whom you owe every waking moment to?" Grayson's tone was patronizing, like he was speaking to a child. She didn't like that, and it was time to let him know.
"I don't owe you shit," she said, bitterly. "I know you don't give a good damn about me or my condition. You're just buttering up to all the people in this city to hide the fact that underneath your smile and your thousand-dollar suit you're just a piece of shit who doesn't care at all about anyone except himself. All I am is a PR stunt for you, something to make this people of this city goo like little babies whenever something comes along that ruffles their feathers. You're a sad, pathetic, little man, you know that? Garfield's got more balls now than you ever will, you sad sack of-!"
Raven's words were cut short as Grayson's right hand grabbed her throat with unbelievable force. Her eyes went wild, and her heart skipped a beat. Was she next in his little black Book of the Dead?"
"You ungrateful little whore," the man hissed, keeping his body positioned so no one in the hallway could see the death grip he had on the woman's neck. "You know, you'd probably have been half-dead by now, sitting in a medically-induced coma if it wasn't for me. Do you have any idea how much it's costing me to keep your sorry ass alive?"
As quickly as it had come, the pressure on Raven's throat released. She collapsed on the bed, gasping for air.
"You know something, Raven?" Grayson said, smoothing out his hair and again adjusting his jacket. "All you are to me is a bad business decision. As a businessman, I know that in order to move forward, you have to cut your losses. So, listen up, sweetheart: the fairy tale ends now. You have two days. Then, I cut my funding."
Raven couldn't say a word. She simply stared in shock, listening Grayson's heartless words. The sheer fact that he could do that, to one of his own, was utterly ruthless.
"Enjoy whatever time you've got left, Rae," Grayson said, walking towards the doorway. Halfway out, he paused, and looked back at her. "You were a hero once…so do me a favor, and try to die with a little fucking dignity."
As the woman watched her life literally walk out the door, she drew her knees back up to her chest, and clutched them. Soon enough, the tears would come. Raven had just found out that Garfield had been wrong. She was going to die after all.