Garfield sat at the table, chatting cheerfully with several reporters that had shown up. The smile on his face masked the deep annoyance he felt at their presence. Things had been going so well with Raven. He couldn't recall a time where she had been more expressive. It absolutely lit up his world. She had actually laughed, laughed, at his stories, and The Beast had been blessedly quiet for once. He'd been on cloud nine until these damn reporters showed up. Raven immediately closed up again, her expression becoming stoic and cold. She'd wanted to leave of course, he could tell. Garfield knew how she loathed the media, but after seeing him exposed like this he also knew they wouldn't let up, and would most likely follow them back to The Tower. So he had charged headlong into the enemy line, as it were, to nip the problem in the bud.

Now Raven sat alone in the booth, drinking her tea, while Garfield dealt with these parasites. And they were parasites, pestering him with frivolous questions that held no meaning, asking about every little unimportant detail, looking to suck up any information at all. Who designed your uniform? Cut your hair? What brand of toothpaste do you use? It was enough to set his teeth on edge. But he supposed that was the price he paid for sitting out in the open, idly chitchatting. One moment in her company, and he'd dropped all his defenses. Amateur. So he sat there, making jokes, answering questions, and generally making sure they stayed the hell away from Raven.

"So what made you decide on Wildling?" One reporter asked.

"Well, originally it was going to be Changeling, but that didn't quite have the vibe that I was going for." Garfield replied, leaning back and hooking one arm over the back of his chair.

"Why's that?"

"I came up with Changeling a little over five years ago, as a sort of way to rebrand myself. Being called a boy in your late teens isn't exactly great for your self-esteem. Or image." Garfield grinned. "But then, while I was on my, ah, walkabout, I spent a lot of time in nature. You know, camping, hiking, eating bugs, that sort of thing. I guess it changed my perspective on a lot of things, and in turn changed what I thought my new moniker should be. I mean honestly, I think it just sounds cooler. Edgier."

"Well, whatever you choose to go by, I'm sure Jump City is glad to have you back."

"Thanks, it's good to be back."

"So, what are you doing here with Raven?" The reporter known as Karen Cardinal was sitting a little too close to him for comfort. Garfield knew that question was coming, it was a fairly obvious thing to ask when two high profile celebrities were found sitting alone together. But he hadn't expected them to plow right into it. Apparently subtlety was not Ms. Cardinal's thing.

"Just chatting. Haven't seen each other in a while, so there's a lot to catch up on." Garfield replied smoothly.

Karen leaned in a little closer. "Just chatting? Are you sure there's nothing you'd like to tell the people of Jump City?"

Garfield fixed a knowing smile on his face. "Oh, I see. No, Raven and I are not dating. We're just good friends. The eligible women of Jump can rest assured, their favorite green Titan is still on the market." He announced with a grin, winking into the camera.

"We're all very glad to hear that." She responded flirtatiously, and placed a hand briefly on his knee under the table.

Yikes.

I suppose you missed her obvious interest as well? That open invitation?

No, that came across loud and clear.

So then what's the problem?

The problems, plural, are that I don't trust you because I don't know what you're capable of, I don't trust her because she's with the media, and that Raven is sitting not six feet from me.

That last one is a moot point since you refuse to do anything about it.

"Wildling?"

Garfield blinked, realizing he'd been asked a question. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"I was asking since we're on the subject, what do you look for in a woman?"

Resisting the urge to look at Raven, he leaned forward. "Like, what's my type?"

"That's right." Karen smiled expectantly.

He tented his fingers in front of his face. "That's a pretty tough question, considering I've never actually been in a proper relationship. Also considering the last two girls I took interest in didn't exactly work out."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yeah. You guys remember Terra? The Titans ended up taking her in as a member, right? But it turned out she was working for Slade the whole time, and they took over the city and everything. We got along really well before she betrayed everyone, and I was completely infatuated with her. The whole thing left me kind of brokenhearted. She did redeem herself in the end though, by stopping a volcano from melting the whole city. Got turned to stone for it."

There was a heavy silence as Garfield quietly relived those moments. Then he smiled brightly and continued.

"Then the other girl was in Tokyo. She was just some schoolgirl, or so I thought. Turned out she was working for the bad guys as well, and on top of that wasn't even human! She was some kind of cat-girl ink-lady that had been specifically created to kill me! Just my luck, right?" Garfield grinned ruefully, and rubbed the back of his head. "So to answer your question, I guess the very first thing I look for in a woman is honesty. She has to be completely honest."

"What else?" Karen asked.

"Well, being compassionate, and having strong moral fiber have always been huge turn-ons for me." He said with a cheeky grin. "All in all I'm just looking for a decent human being. Though I guess that won't cut it for an answer, huh?"

Karen smiled. "You know your fans won't be satisfied with such a politically correct reply. Answer honestly, what do you find most attractive about a woman?"

"The neck." Garfield's response was automatic. He almost accidentally said her neck, but caught himself at the last second. "It sounds a little weird, I know, but I'm a highly animalistic person. To animals the neck, particularly the throat, is an area that holds a lot of power. It can mean a lot of things to expose your neck, like submission. Submission to death, a stronger foe, or the leader of the pack. And mothers often carry their young around by the scruff of their necks, so it can be seen as a symbol for possession, nurturing, or affection. So yeah, if I had to pick one specific thing, it'd have to be the neck."

"Makes you sound almost like some sort of hunter."

Garfield laughed. "I wouldn't say that. If I was, then I'm not a very good one."

Garfield answered a few more questions about where he went during his travels, his daily life in the Tower, and what his work out routine was like. It was incredibly boring. Garfield glanced out the window and saw that it was already dark out. How long had he been sitting here, answering these mindnumbing questions? Too long. He was about to cut the interview short when he felt a hand tap his shoulder from behind.

"We need to go. Everyone's probably waiting for us to have dinner." Raven said, talking to him but also addressing the reporters.

Garfield tried not to act too relieved. "Well, I guess that's it guys." He started getting up from the table.

Karen let out a little sound of disappointment, pouting. "But I still have more questions."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Raven muttered under her breath.

"I'll be able to answer your questions another time, but it really is getting late." Garfield said, then turned to Raven. "Ready when you are."

Dark magic rose up from the shadows at Raven's feet, circling them both. Garfield turned to the reporters and waved goodbye, giving them one more wink before being completely enveloped.

"Thanks for bailing me out of there, Raven." Garfield said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you were having a terrible time. Especially with that Karen fawning all over you." Raven teased in her monotone.

"Hey give me some credit, even I have standards." Garfield visibly shivered. "Jesus, it's like the girl never heard of personal space."

"You could do worse. She's…" Raven paused, trying not to be overly caustic. "Pretty. At least."

"I could also do a lot better." Garfield glanced at her. "Women like her are only seeking the thrill of sleeping with a celebrity, plus she's already with the media. Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather not end up in some tabloid scandal."

Raven hummed her agreement.

They were back in the tower, walking down the hall towards the common room. Back in the café Raven had been waiting for the interview to end, and looked at her phone to see it was almost time for the party. She didn't waste any time getting him away from those reporters, now that she had an excuse. Today they had been especially annoying, particularly Karen Cardinal. Raven couldn't quite put her finger on why, but she really hated that one.

A thought occurred to Raven. "So am I supposed to call you Wildling now?"

"Well, it is my codename, so…"

"Pity. I'd almost gotten used to calling you by your real name."

"You can if you want. It's no big deal."

"Okay." Raven said, not really sure how to feel about the situation. "I will."

They walked in silence for a few seconds before Garfield spoke up again.

"Um, I'm sorry that those guys got in the way." He and and said tentatively.

"In the way of what?"

"Of our conversation. I was really enjoying myself, and it looked like you were to. I'm sorry those guys ruined it."

Raven stopped before the doors to the common room. Slowly, she lifted her hands up to pull down her hood to look him in the eye. "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but still. It sucks."

Now or never. "Well if you really want to make it up to me, then–"

"SURPRISE!" The doors to the common room suddenly slid open, and they were assaulted by the cheers of all the Titans, West, East, North, South, and Central. A banner hung from the ceiling that read "Welcome Home!" in huge letters, there was confetti and streamers, and someone had been very liberal handing out party boppers.

"Oh man! You guys!" Garfield stepped into the room, smiling brightly. "I had no idea!"

"Well, duh, that's the point of a surprise party!" Cyborg replied, giving Garfield a hug.

"This is awesome! You guys are the best!" Garfield proclaimed before running over to give StarFire and Nightwing hugs.

Nightwing put a hand on Garfield's shoulder. "We all really missed you. Consider this a small way of showing that."

StarFire suddenly grabbed his arm and began dragging him over to the other Titans. "Come, Friend Garfield, you must meet all the new friends we have made in your absence!"

Raven watched all this from the doorway, a little annoyed at the bad timing. Pulling her hood back up and stepping inside the room, she made her way over to a chair along the wall and sat down. That had been an almost perfect opportunity for her to force an explanation out of him for his weird behavior, and she had missed it. Across the room Garfield was being introduced to the Titans that had been inducted after he left. Music started playing as Cyborg got behind the DJ booth. Raven sighed, giving up on talking to Garfield any time tonight. Now he'd be too distracted for a serious conversation like that, and she didn't want to ruin the party for him. Contenting herself to let the party unfold around her, Raven crossed one leg over the other and settled into her seat.

Four hours later Raven had just about had enough. It wasn't enough that she had to deal with the loud music, excessive of amount of people, and alcohol, but she also had to watch Garfield make a complete idiot out of himself. After being introduced to all of the new Titans, he had gone and flirted with all of the Titan women who were not currently in relationships. Literally all of them, she counted. Raven couldn't care less if he flirted with anyone, but everybody? Now he was just being an ass. She sat there glaring at him over rim of her glass, not particularly listening to Aqualad who was talking next to her. Garfield was sitting on the couch with Wonder Girl, Zatanna, and Argent. He must've said something hilarious, because now they were all laughing. Raven seethed inwardly.

First that ditzy reporter, now three women at the same time. All in the same day no less. Pretty soon he'd be bringing home one girl a night. Just thinking about it made Raven want to grind her teeth. There is a limit to how callous one could be. Didn't he care about anyone in the tower, or the image of the Titans? They couldn't afford to be seen doing things like that, and Raven couldn't imagine Garfield being subtle enough to pull it off in secret.

Speaking of secrets, he never revealed to her the reason for his departure. In fact, aside from today, it had seemed like he had been avoiding her. That was the worst part of it, the fact that after everything she'd been through, things were not back to normal. He was still hiding something from everyone, from her. Raven had thought that when she found him that she'd at least have their quiet conversations back, but no, now he was tiptoeing around her. Before he left she'd come to consider him the closest person to her, and thought that he felt similarly. Apparently not, considering how thoroughly he had walled her off.

Suddenly the glass in her hand exploded, dropping champagne and bits of glass into her lap. Raven sighed angrily, brushing away the mess and standing up to get something to clean up. She ignored the offer of help from Aqualad, and Speedy, who she hadn't noticed was also sitting nearby. Walking over to the kitchen, she grabbed a handful of paper towels and started cleaning herself up. When she was nearly done, a hand appeared with another glass of champagne. A green hand. Raven straightened up from wiping herself off and took it.

"You all right?" Garfield asked, taking a sip from his own cup. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, I'm perfect." Raven answered, laying on the sarcasm. "How could I not enjoy myself?"

Another song started blaring over the speakers, peppy synth notes setting the tone.

"Well, you've stayed long enough." Garfield said. "You could go to bed if you want."

"Afraid I'll cramp your style? Am I bringing down the mood of the party?"

Since my heart is golden,

I've got sense to hold in,

tempted just to make an ugly scene.

No I'm not as proper,

my money's in copper,

ripped down from the brownstones to the streets.

His eyebrows shot up. "What? No! I'm just saying if you're uncomfortable, it wouldn't be rude for you to go."

"I'll stay." She said firmly, taking a large sip from her glass. "Someone's got to make sure you don't embarrass your self, or the team."

"Hey, I've been fairly tame this entire evening."

"If you consider tame being a drunken ass, then yes, you've been very tame."

Listen,

I'm your friend don't quote me,

but not a friend worth noting,

yes, please don't ever note me as your friend.

Who says we have cold hearts?

Acting out our old parts,

let's perform our favorite little scene,

whoa oh oh oh

"Uh, have you been drinking too much? I've only had this one drink for the past hour." Garfield gave her a concerned look.

"So you've been crudely hitting on all the women while sober? That doesn't make me feel better."

"Hitting on?" He scoffed. "It's called being friendly, Rae. Not that you'd know."

I get carried away,

carried away from you,

but I'm hoping and I'm praying,

'cause I'm sorry, sorry 'bout that,

sorry about things that I said,

always let it get to my head.

"Raven." She corrected. "Maybe you should get back to your 'friends', and try to come up with stupid nicknames for them instead."

"What is your deal? I'm just trying to see if you're all right." He was starting to look hurt now, but Raven didn't care.

"That's your first mistake. I don't need anyone to take care of me."

Oh European,

once again with feeling,

higher education making sense.

Justify your thesis,

certain that you need this,

tell me what your point is in defense.

"Okay, wait a minute, back up." Garfield said, making a placating motion with his hands. "What happened? I thought we were getting along."

Raven knew she should feel bad for snapping at him, but she felt so mad at him for some reason. She couldn't stop herself.

"We don't get along. You're a nuisance, and I tolerate you. The end."

Listen,

I don't think I know you,

and I don't think I want to,

but I think I can fake it if you can.

Let's agree there's no need,

no more talk of money,

let's just keep pretending to be friends.

Oh oh oh oh

Garfield crossed his arms. "I remember. Good times. But I was hoping that we could be a little more civil this time around."

"If you weren't such a gargantuan imbecile then maybe we could be." She sneered.

I get carried away,

carried away from you,

but I'm hoping and I'm praying,

'cause I'm sorry, sorry 'bout that,

sorry about things that I said,

always let it get to my head.

I get carried away,

carried away from you,

but I'm hoping and I'm praying,

'cause I'm sorry, sorry 'bout that,

sorry about things that I said,

always let it get to my head.

"Look, if I've done something to upset you I'm sorry." He said earnestly.

"I don't need you to be sorry, I need you to be gone."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"You first."

Wake up in the morning,

wake up in the evening,

wake up when you want to,

'cause no one's really watching,

Garfield's eyes widened. "What?"

"Friendship is a two-way street, Garfield." Raven tossed back the rest of her drink.

Well she'll have something to say about it,

'cause we all have problems,

we're all having problems,

and we all get carried away,

"Seriously, how many of those have you had?" Now he had something akin to worry in his eyes.

"Don't avoid the question!"

"You haven't asked one!"

I get carried away,

carried away from you,

but I'm hoping and I'm praying,

cause I'm sorry, sorry about that,

sorry about things that I said,

always let it get to my head.

Raven slammed her hand down on the counter next to her. "When you first got back I asked why you left! You've been avoiding the question since then!"

While she had much greater control over her powers, and could afford to express herself more openly, Raven still had to watch out in case her emotions got the better of her. Judging by the floating objects nearby, she wasn't doing such a great job of it.

Garfield suddenly broke eye contact. "It's my own problem to deal with."

"Then I guess our conversation's done." Raven made a shooing gesture with one hand and started walking away.

Raven felt Garfield grab her wrist and pull her back towards him. She stumbled and fell against him. In her fuzzy, intoxicated mind, she silently reveled in the firmness of his chest and stomach as she pressed up against them. She looked up and saw that same inscrutable expression he wore the day he got back, when they had argued in his room. For some reason, it excited Raven. This is dangerous.

"Raven, I–"

I get carried away,

carried away from you,

but I'm hoping and I'm praying,

cause I'm sorry, sorry about that,

sorry about things that I said,

always let it g–

The music suddenly cut off as Garfield was flung bodily through the air and crashed into the speaker system. The ensuing silence was punctuated by the doors to the hallway slamming shut as Raven made her escape. Cyborg was there immediately, helping Garfield up out of the wreckage.

"What did you do, B?" He asked when Garfield had settled down on the couch, no worse for wear.

"I don't know, I just wanted to make sure she was all right in this party." He replied, rubbing a sore spot on his head. "Suddenly we were arguing, and next thing I know, I'm flying through the air."

"You didn't do anything to piss her off?"

"I swear, I was the perfect gentleman."

Nightwing stepped forward, one hand rubbing his chin. "Raven was acting different when you left, so maybe she's just trying to readjust."

"Trying to readjust my spine maybe." Garfield half joked.

"Just let her calm down, talk to her in the morning." Nightwing said with a laugh.

"Are you all right, friend?" StarFire asked, concern written on her face.

"Nothing a little ice can't fix." Garfield grinned.

Cyborg finished putting the speaker system back together. "Then let's get this party back on track!" He yelled. Everyone cheered, and the music started up again.

Garfield stayed on the couch, preferring to talk instead of dancing. He made the excuse that he was sore from being tossed around, but really he couldn't stop thinking of how Raven looked. Like she was hurt, and he was one who hurt her.

God. Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. I just couldn't figure out how the interview, or argument should go. In the end I think it feels kind of forced and clunky. But I hope you enjoyed anyway. The song is Carried Away by Passion Pit, if you didn't know that. I think it's a good song to describe Raven and Garfield's relationship. The first verse is about how Raven always tries to act proper but can't really control herself all the time around him, so she ends up lashing out. Then how she feels bad for treating him poorly, and subconsciously really loves him and doesn't want to be considered just a friend. Then how she doesn't really know how to interact with him, so she just starts an argument. Then the chorus is her apologizing for being so mean and hoping that he'll forgive her. The second verse is Garfield complaining about how she always tries to act superior and use her intelligence to win the arguments they have. And how he doesn't understand what brought about this sudden attack from her, but is willing to pretend it didn't happen if she backs off and acts nice. The breakdown at the end is Garfield empathizing and sympathizing with Raven's loneliness and trying to comfort her by saying she is not alone in her problems. Or at least that's how I interpret the song, for the sake of this story. Anyway, read and review, it's always appreciated and it helps for motivation. Question, should I be answering back questions and statements in the reviews? I generally don't, but am I being rude by not doing so? Let me know.

– Mocha