Garfield was woken up from a dead sleep by someone rapidly banging on his door. Grumbling incoherently, he glanced over at his digital clock and noted it was six in the morning. Making his way over to his door in a zombie-like state, Garfield wrenched open his door and yelled "WHAT?!"

...Only to find the face of a rather shocked and slightly hurt Tamaranean staring back at him. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves he said in as a polite a tone as he could manage "Can I help you Starfire?"

She stared at him a moment longer before saying in a slightly subdued voice "You told me to be up bright and early to go to the mall of shopping. Is it not bright and early? Did I do something wrong Friend Garfield?"

'Fuck me, and fuck my newly developed conscience.' He thought as he looked at the princess who looked like someone had just kicked her puppy or in her case mutant silk worm.

Sighing he stood aside and said "Why don't you come in Star?"

The alien girl brightened and took him up on his invitation, floating above his piles of clean laundry that he hadn't bothered to put into his drawers. Looking around at the state of his room he said sheepishly "Sorry about the mess. I guess I should clean this place up some huh? Oh, and feel free to have a seat on the bottom bunk if you like." He offered upon seeing her just floating in the middle of his room awkwardly.

Starfire graciously took a seat, while Garfield took out a swivel chair and sat on it backwards. The two Titans just stared at each other silently for a few minutes, neither knowing how to break the awkward tension that had settled between them.

Finally having enough of the silence Garfield said "Look Star I'm sorry about yelling at you ok? It's just that I am not a morning person in case you haven't noticed as I don't usually get up till ten most days, and then you come banging on my door at six in the morning? I assumed that someone was hurt so honestly I was a bit...edgy."

Starfire accepted his apology and explanation with a nod before giving one of her own "I understand Friend Garfield and I am sorry for making you needlessly worry over our friends. Never fear Friend, for all is well. It appears that I have simply once again misunderstood another earthling saying and awoken you from your rest. For that too I am sorry."

"Don't worry about it Star, but for the record, the mall doesn't open till ten in the morning anyway, so you kinda got up early for no good reason." He explained.

This caused the Tamaranean to frown slightly. "I was unaware of this, thank you friend for informing me. But what shall we do now that we are both up and have time to be killing?" She asked.

Garfield scratched the back of his head "Well we could always go back to sleep? I mean I do have bed so you can nap in here...if you want to that is." He finished quickly not wanting her to think he was flirting with her; because he wasn't, intentionally anyway.

'I'm nothing like the playboy Frank thinks I am, and I'm gonna prove it! I can be a perfect gentleman!' Garfield swore to himself internally.

He was brought out of his internal monologue when he heard Starfire giggle. Raising an eyebrow he asked "What?"

With a bit of mirth still in her bright green eyes she answered "Friend Garfield, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. On Tamaran, close friends would often share their bedding for warmth and on other times intimacy as well. Something I have learned over time is that Tamaraneans are much more open with and accepting of their feelings than people on earth. So if you wish to share a bed with me you may. Besides, do you honestly think you could get me to do something I do not wish to do?" she asked with a hint of challenge in her tone.

Garfield blinked in surprise for a few moments, processing all he had been told. When he finally spoke his was with a tone of seriousness and maturity she had only seen him display once before, during his command of the Titans in Paris when they had taken on the Brotherhood of Evil.

Garfield scooted his chair closer to where she sat on the bed up until he was almost invading her personal space and he said "Star, I would never ever force you to do anything you didn't feel comfortable with, and not just because I know you'd kick my ass if I tried, but because I respect you too much as a person to try in the first place."

This caused the princess to smile slightly, and apparently this had been the right thing to say as she once again gave him a gentle hug and said "I am well aware that you are much too kind to do anything untoward to me Friend. This new you, this more warrior-like you, it is the real full you yes? The true reason you hide behind the false smiles and not funny jokes?" she asked.

Garfield's eyes blue eyes widened in shock "What the hell do you know about that?" he said in a dangerous whisper.

"As I said, Tameraneans are much more in touch with their emotions, so it is easy to tell when someone is hiding theirs. Please Friend, I wish to help. I have always wished to help if you would just let me in." she asked.

Garfield was silent for a long moment, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of his friends' words. When he finally spoke it was in a heavily guarded tone. "I'll tell that I remembered my parents dying in a boating accident, and I vaguely remember bits and pieces after that. But if you want more you're going to have to wait a bit, cause I don't feel like talking about it. Not here, not now, maybe later on with Rae at the mall, ok?" he half promised.

"You wish to include Friend Raven as well?"

Garfield nodded "Might as well, in truth I'd like to tell you Rae and Cyborg but since it's just the three of us going to the mall he can wait."

Starfire was struggled with a something internally for a moment before asking "Why do you suddenly not trust Friend Robin?"

Gar blinked in surprise at the suddenness of the question, but answered none the less "I don't trust him for several reasons, but the main ones are these. One, he expects us to trust him when we've never seen his face and we don't even know his name. Two, I know his type. He's the kinda guy who thinks that as long as he stands on the moral high ground he can do no wrong and that anyone who doesn't conform to his ideas of right and wrong is the enemy. He sees the world in black and white in other words. And Three, he is just a wannabe hero who thinks that if you put people in jail enough times they'll change."

Gar stopped for a moment and gave Starfire an odd faraway look before asking "Star, do you know what the human definition of insanity is?"

When the alien princess shook her head he elaborated. "Insanity by human definition is doing the exact same thing over and over again and expecting a different result to take place. That is the kind of heroes you and Robin and the rest are, as you throw the criminals in jail again and again expecting them to change and become better people, but in all honesty that's just crazy talk. The only thing you can do to a rabid dog is put it down, and the only way to break a cycle of insanity is to do something outside the norm."

Garfield then gave her a slightly twisted smile "I rather like my method." He said forming his hand into the mock shape of a gun, before putting it to his head and twitching his thumb. "I find it very effective."

"I'll bet." a dry monotone voice from his doorway said.

Garfield glanced over to see Raven standing just inside of his room, a cup of warm herbal tea in her hands.

"Hey Rae didn't see you there...umm how much did you hear?" Garfield asked.

"I heard your entire tirade about Robin and your philosophy on insanity and the current trend of superheroism." Raven took a sip of her tea before continuing "As much as I hate to admit it you are for the most part correct about Robin. He is sadly paranoid to the extreme likely due to his long exposure to Batman, and he believes that he is protecting us by not showing his face or telling us his name. As for moral high ground can't argue with you there either though I won't say exactly why, I will say that the Batclan does not kill, no matter what, which is where his black and white view comes from for the most part. I personally think its ridicules. I mean, what about the soldiers who fight and kill in war to protect their homes? They kill, so then they, by Robin's, Batman's, and many heroes' logic would be considered evil. But they need to realize they world is not black and white." Raven said with a huff.

"It's about a million different shades of grey." Garfield finished.

"Exactly, just take me for example. I was supposed to basically be the biblical antichrist, yet I use my demonically given powers to fight for good. Hell, I banished my father and I stopped the end of the world; if that doesn't count as 'grey' I don't know what does." The empath said with a small smile.

"Amen to that sister!" Gar said with a toothy grin.

Starfire suddenly asked "Friends, what time is it?"

It was Raven who answered "It's almost 9:30 Star."

At this, the alien princess perked up considerably "Then the mall of shopping will be opening soon yes?"

Garfield nodded. "Yep, it should be open by the time we get there if we leave now."

"Then let us make with the haste Friends!" Starfire said before grabbing each of her friends' arms and dragging them out of the room.

The three super heroes did indeed make it to the mall just as it was opening as Garfield had predicted. It was also mostly empty as he had also told Raven it probably would be much to her secret delight. The first thing the trio did was head into various stores and help Starfire pick out a new wardrobe. Garfield took the two ladies to the one place he knew would have all the clothes they would need to reinvent themselves: Urban Outfitters.

Garfield led the way into the store, and Starfire was noticeably surprised by his sudden take charge attitude. The male Titan went to the closest clothing rack and after glancing at Starfire for a moment as if sizing her up, he started pulling clothes off the racks and placing them in piles according to what they were.

"I never knew you enjoyed shopping Friend Garfield, or that you had such fine taste in clothes." She said as she picked up a black sequined top and held it to her frame to see how it would look.

"I'm not, but I've had to go undercover a time or two so I know how to blend in if I know how I want to look. In your case, we want a 'badass Xenon Warrior Princess' look. Something that says 'I'm sexy I know it, and I can still kick your ass.' There, that should do it." He said putting the last of the outfits on the pile.

Most of the outfits Raven noted were colored purple, red, or black, colors that would naturally accent and highlight the Tamaraneans' beauty.

While Starfire took the huge pile of clothes into the dressing room to begin trying them on he turned to her and said "Ok, looks like your next Rae."

"Huh?" she said dumbly.

Garfield just smiled at her "What, you didn't think Star was the only one I was gonna buy clothes for today did you?" he asked rhetorically as he began perusing the clothing racks again.

"But were superheroes what's the point?" she argued.

Garfield just laughed. "Exactly Rae, we're superheroes so what's the damn point of being in costume all the time if everyone already knows who we are on sight? Seems kinda redundant if you ask me, so why not go around and save the day in normal clothes? I mean undercover cops do it all the time right? Why not us?" he retorted as he continued to sort through the clothes.

"Holy shit."

"What is something wrong? Garfield asked, turning around and finding the empath staring at him in shock he said "What is it Rae, your scaring me here!"

"You just made sense...if I hadn't already stopped it; I would've considered it a sign of the end times." She replied in her still shocked monotone.

Garfield in turn gave her a sour look "Ha hah very funny Rae." He said before he went back to picking out clothes.

One outfit, a thin black dress made her quirk an eyebrow and say "While I'm all for going plain clothes, I don't think I'd be comfortable flying around in a dress where people could look up it."

Looking at the item in question Gar said "This? This is for special occasions Rae."

Now the demoness' curiosity was peaked "What would I need that for so soon?" she asked.

Garfield suddenly became nervous and she could feel fear as well as anxiety coming off of him in droves.

"Garfield?" she asked inquisitively.

The changeling shuffled his feet nervously, looking at the ground while he asked "Rae, would you be willing to go out with me someplace nice sometime soon, and possibly wear this dress?"

Garfield could bring himself to look up as he heard Raven's footsteps draw closer, he didn't know what she was going to do to him and he was afraid that if he looked up he would see a four-eyed crimson cloaked devil stalking towards him.

'What's she gonna do? Slap me probably.' He rationalized.

As her footsteps stopped in front of him he was surprised to find her hand gently lifting his face to meet hers. Her amethyst eyes were full of some kind of emotion, but he wasn't sure what it was. Surprise? Guilt? Shock? Maybe all three? He didn't know for sure, but he did know that he wasn't expecting what happened next.

"Garfield, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes?" he said unsure of where this was headed.

His shyness only caused Raven to smile ever so slightly before she said "Then we'll need to buy that dress now won't we?"

It took him a moment to piece together what she had meant, but when he did Garfield couldn't help but grin and ask "Do you mean it? I mean, I don't want to pressure you into anything and-"He was silenced by Raven putting her finger to his lips and saying "Yes I'm sure. Besides, this new more confident you...intrigues me. I can't help but want to know more about you and I sense the same feeling from Starfire and Cyborg. You're a real enigma Garfield Logan." She finished with a bit of humor lacing her monotone.

"The names Logan; Garfield Logan." He said imitating his best British accent.

"Whatever you say, double-oh-seven." Raven responded with an eyeroll before she levitated the outfits he'd chosen for her and headed towards another dressing room.

After he was sure she had gone, Garfield did a little victory dance. 'Oh yeah, Bonds' got nothing on me baby!' he thought happily.

Robin stomped through the Tower in a foul mood. The insinuations Beast Boy made yesterday still ringing in his head. His friend was usually very laid back and agreeable about most things except when it came to the consumption of meat. Now, since his accident he was bold and cocky, daring to mock his leader and insinuate...

'Don't let it get to you Dick.' Robin told himself as he made his way into the living room, hoping to find Starfire and the others but instead he merely found Cyborg playing Gamestation alone.

"Cyborg, where are the others?" Robin asked.

Cy paused his game and said cynically "Good morning to you too dude, as for the others; Grass Stain took Rae and Star to the mall. They could be gone all day for all I know." He finished before turning back to his game.

Robin meanwhile stood there in shock as his mind raced with thoughts.

'Raven and Starfire went to the mall with a known killer? Someone who should by all rights be behind bars at this very moment. Why? Don't they understand that he's dangerous, that he could possibly be unhinged from mental trauma and even be desensitized to violence and have no problem killing?'

A small part of robin's conscience told him that he too had seen people die and he himself wasn't a killer that maybe he was blowing thing out of proportion again, but he ignored it. The lives of his teammates were in danger, and obviously he was the only one who realized it. With these thoughts in mind Robin left the living room to do the only thing he could...

Frank Castle was annoyed. Why you ask? Well, he had just spent the last six hours on an airplane with his business partner Wade Wilson which for any normal person is enough to drive them to suicide or murder.

'All I need to do is take my thumb, and crush his windpipe that'll shut him up.' Fran reasoned as he watched his partner yammer on about some old friend of his called Logan or something.

"And then, Logan cut off my hand the jerk! I mean sure, I was trying to kill him but still! Doesn't he know how much that, that stings?!" Deadpool ranted oblivious to his counterparts mounting annoyance.

Suddenly Frank got an idea.

"Hey Wade how about we play a game?" he asked slyly.

"A game oh, oh, what kind of game?! Pin the sword in the drug lord, Russian roulette, bobbing for pipe bombs?!" he asked excitedly. (I'm really, really bad at Russian Roulette though...for some reason I always end up getting shot; Every single time!)

"Nope, this is a very special game. Here put this on." Frank said handing him an electric dog collar.

Once the device was around the Merc with a Mouth's neck, Frank continued "Ok, now this game is called the quiet game. What you have to do is say nothing for as long as possible. If you say something, you'll get a shock like this."

Frank then hit the button on the remote control and watched in sadistic glee as Deadpool spams' in his seat.

"Wow I like this game! This is even better than when we went to Taiwan for my birthday and you let me walk through that old minefield!" ("Frank is so considerate! I don't know what I'd do without him guys!")

Frank grinned maliciously which Deadpool missed and said "Yeah, that was fun wasn't it? We had to put you back together like what, eight or nine times?" he asked.

"It was eleven I remember cause the last two times those damn birds kept trying to make off with my fingers." ("Stupid rats with wings will eat anything, even me!")

"Oh yeah that's right." Frank said nodding in remembrance before he hit the button and watched as Deadpool squirmed in agony again.

"You talked by the way." He said afterwards.

"Don't worry buddy after this you won't hear a peep outta me, no sir, not a peep!" Deadpool promised to which Castle shocked him again as he rolled his eyes.

'Well, this is one way to alleviate my boredom.' The Punisher thought as he shocked his companion again.

This went on for another half hour in which time, Wade was shocked a good fifty-six times, before the pilots voice came over the intercom announcing that they would be arriving in Jump City Airport in t-minus ten minutes and to please have their trays locked in the upright positions.

"We should get ready to move Wade." Frank said after hearing the announcement.

Deadpool being well Deadpool sniffed the air around him and asked "Hey partner, what's cooking? It smells kinda good." ("Smells like...Chimichangas.")

Frank just sighed. "It's you stupid, now c'mon take that thing off and get ready to go." He said.

As the plane began its descent, he couldn't help but think 'I hope the kids date is going ok, cause it's probably gonna end a little earlier than he thought.'

Meanwhile the other three Titans were almost done clothes shopping, and so far the girls had liked all the outfits that had been picked out for them and unbeknownst to their male companion, they enjoyed modeling his choices off for him to see.

"Hey Starfire come here for a minute." Raven said conspiratorially as the two girls were in the one area of the store Garfield refused to tread: The lingerie and underwear area.

"What is it friend Raven?" the princess inquired.

Raven let a small smirk cross her face "Seeing as we're modeling for Garfield, don't you think we should model everything?" she said holding up a lacy almost see-thru black lacy piece of silk lingerie.

"Oh yes, I do believe Friend Garfield should be consulted about all purchases today." She said, gaining a smile matching the demonesses'.

Once they were ready for their little prank, Raven called him over to the changing room. "Garfield, we need your opinion on something please."

They heard their target approach and ask "What is it Rae?" That was when she opened the door to her changing room and reveled in the shocked look, as well as the blush that threatened to consume his face when she did.

"Well, what do you think Garfield? Should I get this?" She asked her voice sultry as she stood there in nothing but a black silk camisole and black lace shorts, both of which perfectly hugged her figure and covered everything up while leaving little if nothing to the former child soldier's imagination.

"You-you look...holy shit Rae..." he managed to get out unable to take his eyes of the empath's figure.

Garfield's gaze was stolen from the empath when he heard Starfire ask "And I Friend Garfield? How do I look?"

He turned towards Starfire's voice, and nearly had a heart attack at what he saw. The alien princess too was dressed in lingerie, but while Raven's was conservative, Starfire's own was provocative. She was wearing a two piece outfit the top of which was simply a red silk bow tied around her bust. It was as if she was wrapped as a present and was presenting herself to him, just waiting to be unwrapped. She wore a pair of lacy red underwear that was connected to some stockings.

Apparently, seeing Starfire right after Raven was just too much for him, as his face became tomato crimson and blood leaked from his nose before he passed out.

"Friend Garfield!" Starfire shouted alarmed catching him before he hit the ground "Speak to me friend! Raven is Garfield..."

"He's fine Star, we just overloaded his brain is all." The empath said with a chuckle.

"Does that mean he liked the clothing?" She asked as she gently deposited him on a nearby bench.

"Oh yes, I believe it's safe to say he liked it a lot." Raven replied as she wiped away the blood from the changelings' nose with the hem of her blue cloak.

"Then we shall be buying them yes?" the princess asked.

"Oh yeah." The demoness replied.

After they managed to wake Garfield so he could pay for all their purchases, the trio of superheroes was still in the mall, however now they were in a book store which smelt strongly of paper and incense, and gave off an air of peace. In other words it was Raven's kind of place. After spending several hours shopping for clothes, the other two were more than happy to spend some time in a book store if it made their friend happy. And judging from the content look Garfield could see on her face Raven was happy indeed.

"Find anything good Rae?" he asked coming over to the empath who seemed to have sequestered her off in a corner with a book.

Glancing up briefly she said "Yes, a very interesting set of books involving a hitman called John Rain trying to 'get out of the life'. Apparently the series is written by a former CIA operative turned author, Barry Eisler." She said in her monotone.

"Is there something you wanna ask me Rae, or did you really just suddenly become interested in killer for hire novels?" Gar asked.

Raven gently closed the book she was reading before looking her friend in the face and said "That's part of it; but honestly I'm trying to understand why you do what you do."

"And what would that be Raven?" he asked cautiously.

Raven gave her friend a hard look "It's obvious from the way you took out Mammoth and Gizmo that you've had some kind of military training, the way you broke Mammoth's neck...it was far to clean and prescise to be anything other than that."

Garfield could see Raven's eyes suddenly became inquisitive and slightly fearful as she asked "What do you plan to do now that you have your memories back?"

Realizing then what she was really asking he moved forward and put his hands on Raven's shoulders, causing her to look away. But Garfield was having none of it. Using one of his hands he tilted raven's chin till she was looking him in the face, after she was he said "Rae, I'm not gonna be going anywhere anytime soon ok? I promise." He enforced this by giving her a smile and a sudden light peck on the cheek causing her to blush at the contact.

After that he let her go and she looked away, embarrassed but thankfully nothing broke. The empath then glared at the changeling and said "You need to stop doing that Garfield, it's dangerous."

"But you like it, don't you Rae?" He asked slyly.

Raven looked away, unable to meet his gaze as she responded "It doesn't matter how much I enjoy it. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you or anyone else." She said her monotone now heavy with sadness.

She then heard Garfield sigh and say "You know something Rae? That's funny coming from a girl who thought it would be fun to make me pass out just a few minutes ago. And another thing; have you ever thought of, just maybe, for once in your life just saying "Fuck it." And doing something solely for your benefit and not giving a damn about everyone else?"

She was going to retort, but her words died as she looked up and saw him walking away.

Starfire was enjoying looking at a book full of various places and animals on earth, when Garfield came up to her from behind and simply said "Hey."

"Hello Friend-Friend Garfield is something wrong? You look the upset." Starfire said upon seeing the troubled look on her friends face.

Garfield scratched his head in frustration, sighing once again before he said "I'm a bit confused with Rea at the moment.

"Did you two do the fighting again?" She asked.

"Yes, I mean no, maybe? I'm not sure honestly. I'm just tired of the fact that she refuses to feel anything even though her dad is gone. For the record, I'm not mad at Raven; I'm mad at the people who made her the way she is, her father for giving her powers, those damn monks for teaching her that feeling nothing at all is a good thing. It's not fair to her, she didn't ask for any of it and she deserves some semblance of a normal life." He complained.

Starfire nodded in agreement "I understand how you feel friend, I too wish for nothing more than Friend Raven's happiness. Yet we cannot expect her to change the way she has been all her life overnight can we?"

"I did, from what Cyborg told me last night before I went to bed." He argued back.

Starfire frowned at her friends' argument. "That is different and you know it Friend, you had the amnesia, Raven does not." She chastised.

Garfield looked down and nodded "I know, I just think she's being too hard on herself sometimes."

The redheaded princess patted the changelings arm reassuringly, offering him a smile saying "Worry not Friend Garfield, all things will work themselves out in time."

Gar just chuckled and said "You know Star, for an alien who doesn't get most earth wordplay, your pretty damn wise you know that?"

"Why of course, did you think I was just a beautiful face?" she asked rhetorically while raising an eyebrow.

Raising his hands in mock surrender Gar responded "Oh no, I know for a fact that going along with that pretty face is one equally killer body, a cleaver mind, a compassionate and protective personality, and a mean ass right hook. Not to mention the starbolts."

Starfire nodded sagely "Good, than you are already wiser than most Friend Garfield."

"Thanks I try." He said, giving her a winning smile.

"That is what I like about you Friend Garfield; you never quit trying, no matter how badly the odds are stacked against you, you persevere. It is quite admirable." She said her eyes narrowing seductively as she smiled at him.

Suddenly Garfield felt awkward as if he were about to break some unwritten rule or cross some uncross- able line. He knew what she wanted; he could smell the pheromones coming off of her, which gave her a scent of wildflowers to his keen and sensitive nose. And although he didn't like Robin and enjoyed making fun of him yesterday, that was for fun. This, this on the other hand was serious.

Which is why; when the princess leaned down, intent on crossing that line herself he put a finger to her lips and asked in a husky whisper "What about Choir Boy?"

This caused Starfire to straighten up, and adopt an angry look on her face. Thinking she was mad at him, Gar asked "Did I say something wrong?"

Starfire shook her head in response "No Friend, I am not the upset with you, but with Robin. After Tokyo, I became his girl who was more than a friend or so I thought. Yet, within that time he has never asked me out on the date, nor has he even bothered to take off his mask or tell me his real name which Friend Raven already knows! Then, when you did the killing of Mammoth in order to save both Friend Cyborg and myself, instead of congratulating for saving your teammates as he should've done, he wished to throw you into the jail with all the rest of our foes." By now the princess's eyes were glowing emerald green and her body quivered with rage.

Garfield put his hand on her shoulders and drew her into a hug. Stroking her long crimson hair he assured her everything thing was fine, and there was no reason to be so upset. From where her head lay upon his shoulder she said "But everything is not the fine. You are changed, Robin is turning his back upon you, Friend Cyborg is confused as is Friend Raven though neither will admit it and I? I am beginning to like this new you Beast Boy." She said calling him by his old moniker.

"That sentiment goes double for me." Raven's monotone voice said as the empath herself emerged from the shadows.

Garfield instantly went into 'oh shit mode'. Breaking off the embrace he asked "Raven, how long were you standing over there?"

"Since the beginning, I followed you-"She said before she threw her arms around Garfield and said "Thank you for caring about me Gar, but you shouldn't worry so much."

"You're my friend, how can I not worry about you?" He asked while returning the embrace.

"I never said don't worry, just don't worry to the point, you become frustrated, ok?" She said giving him a look.

"Right, I think I get ya...so do you two just want to head or are we ok to continue?" he asked after a pause.

"I'm ok to continue." The empath said with a nod before she turned to the changeling and said "But about what I brought up earlier?"

Garfield's guard was instantly raised again as he asked "What about it?" his face becoming a mask of neutrality.

"I just want you know that, that worry you feel for me? I worry about you too. So if you ever want to talk about what you went through, my doors always open alright?"

"And I too, am here if you wish to do the talking Friend Garfield." Starfire offered once again.

Garfield smiled at his two female teammates "Thanks girls I'll keep it in mind count on it. Now, if you've both found what you're looking for let's take it up front and pay for it and then I'll take you somewhere you need to check out."

Their purchases paid for, and after a quick lunch and Raven sending all their bags back to the Tower via teleportation; Garfield then took them to the last place they probably intended on ever going into...a shooting range just a block or two away from the mall.

Once they were inside Garfield went up to the counter and quickly came back with two .22 caliber pistols and a .45, several boxes of ammo for each gun, and three sets of ear muffs before saying "Ok now I know this may be an odd question, but have either of you ever fired a gun before?"

"Garfield, I'm a telepath and Starfire is an alien princess with super strength, and the ability to fire lasers from both her palms and eyes. So I think I speak for both of us when I say no, no we haven't and for that matter why would we even need to?" Raven asked.

The formerly green changeling's rebuttal came in the form of four words "The Puppet King Incident."

It was then that Raven understood.

'So, your idea of a date is teaching us how to protect ourselves just in case, huh Garfield?' she thought amusedly as she silently took her ear muffs and made her way towards the shooting area without further comment.

As it turned out, the changeling was a fairly good teacher when it came to the competent use of firearms, and though Raven had her reservations at first about using a gun, something designed solely to kill and with her pacifist society upbringing it was hard for her to pull the trigger...at first.

"Ok Raven, let's try a little something." Garfield said as he called in her target which she had been unable to bring herself to shoot for the past five minutes.

Raven huffed in annoyance. "I don't know why you bother, I'm not going to be able to do this Garfield, I don't have that nerve to pull the trigger and it's just not in me."

"We'll see about that." He said in a way that meant he had a plan. "Wait right there I'll be right back."

While Garfield left to put his plan into action, Raven watched Starfire shoot at her paper target...and nearly reduce it to shreds.

While Raven couldn't even bring herself to pull the trigger, Starfire on the other hand took to shooting like a fish took to water. It was almost like she was born with a gun in her hand. Her style of shooting was wild and erratic, yet strangely accurate most of the time. It was much like her usage of starbolts when in battle, in other words quantity over quality.

'Imagine Starfire with a couple of Uzi's in her hands instead of just .22's...now that's scary.' The empath thought suppressing a shudder.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Garfield returned, and with colored markers of all things. Utterly bewildered, she could only watch as he drew something on the paper target. When he stepped back he proudly portrayed his masterpiece: A crude if recognizable depiction of her father, Trigon.

"Ok, now this is the plan Rae. You hate your dad right?" he asked rhetorically.

"More than you could ever imagine." Raven responded with a slight growl in her monotone.

This response caused Garfield to smile "Now that's what I like to hear! What I want you to do Rae, is channel your anger at daddy dearest and then..." Garfield paused for dramatic effect "Pull the trigger. Think you can do that?" he asked.

Receiving a resolute if silent nod from the empath, Garfield sent the target out. He then watched in amazement as she not only fired the gun, but shot out all four of the drawn on eyes, with one of the other six shots landing in the throat, three dead center in the chest, one right in-between the eyes, and the last one in the 'groin' causing Garfield to wince even if it was a paper target.

Raven kept pulling the trigger long after the final bullet had been spent. After a moment, Garfield came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. He was going to say something comforting, but all that was cut off when raven grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into a searing hot kiss.

After Raven broke it off she said "That, felt really good."

"Kissing me or shooting the target?" he asked in a slight daze.

In response, Raven gave a smile. Not the usual small but sweet smiles she sometimes gave, but a wicked curving grin that rightly belonged on the face of a demoness' as she said "Can't it be both?"

Garfield adopted his own smirk in response "I don't see why not."

"That was a most glorious display of the shooting Friend Raven! And it is good to see you so open to your emotions for a change." Starfire praised, floating off the ground slightly.

"Thanks Starfire, I'm actually surprised nothing exploded to be honest." The empath said looking around the room to note the fact that, nothing had been damaged by her powers.

Garfield too looked around the room "Huh, well would you look at that? So, do you want to keep shooting?" he asked.

"Does Trigon want to take over this dimension?" She asked rhetorically.

Bruce Wayne, known in Gotham City as a millionaire playboy by many, but better known as Batman by its criminal underworld, had just finished a phone call with someone he did not expect to call and ask for his advice. Worse yet, he had no clear cut answer for him. Not in this case.

"A penny for your thoughts, Master Bruce?" Came the English accent of his butler, friend, and longtime confidant Alfred Pennyworth as he approached carry a silver tray laden with an antique china tea set.

"Alfred, Richard just called." The Wayne Scion said without turning around from his seat at his supercomputer in the batcave.

This surprised the Englishman "Master Richard, what did he want Master Bruce?"

Bruce sighed before he turned and accepted the offered teacup. He took a small sip of the Earl Grey before continuing "One of his Teammates killed someone yesterday, he was asking me for advice on how to handle it."

This caused the butler's eyes to widen in shock! "Oh dear, who did the deed? Was it the princess, or Mrs. Roth?" He asked naming the two most likely suspects.

Only for the Dark Knight to shake his head in response "No, it was the Changeling, Beast Boy who did it, but the reasons why and how are why I can't give Richard sound advice Alfred."

At this, the Caped Crusader's confidant quirked and eyebrow "Oh, and what may I ask is the how and why Master Bruce?"

"First off, Beast Boy killed to save his fellow teammates from certain death, as the Hive Five a group of usually inept if super powered criminal teenagers, had somehow got their hands on military grade weapons. Secondly, the way he killed, via a neck twist using his thighs. Something only someone extremely skilled in lethal martial arts and who had been practicing them for quite some time would be able to pull off." The Batman finished.

"But, and correct me if I'm wrong Master Bruce, isn't young Mister Garfield the youngest of the Titans at sixteen?"

Batman nodded "Yes, and that's what worries me the most. For him to be so lethal so young, he must have been trained since he was a small child."

For the third time in the last ten minutes, Garfield sneezed. Starfire, growing concerned asked "Friend Garfield, are you coming down with the cold?"

"Nah Star, I think someone somewhere must just be talking about me is all." He reasoned.

"I think that's just a superstition Garfield." Raven commented causing the changeling to shrug.

"Maybe, maybe not, all I know is I'm not getting sick. I don't get sick, ever. I haven't since I got my powers." He stated matter-of-factly.

This proclamation caused Raven to ask something she had always been curious about "How did you get your powers anyway? You know my and Starfire's origins' what about yours?"

This caused the empath to get feeling of dread, sadness, and fear from her changeling friend and she automatically regretted asking.

"The reason I got my powers' is...complicated." He said at last.

Starfire was confused now "How so Friend?"

"I-I'd rather not talk about it right now ok? It's pretty heavy shit and it would put a real damper on what has otherwise been an awesome day." He said.

As Starfire opened her mouth to retort Raven intervened saying "Of course we understand, just feel free to come talk to us about it when you're ready, right Starfire?" She finished by shooting the princess a glare that clearly said 'Don't!'

Shooting Raven a smile of gratitude he was about to ask them if they were ready to return home when the decision was made for them when Garfields' Titan Communicator went off.

Seeing it was Cyborg he answered it saying "Yo Cy, what's up?"

"Umm, Grass Stain I'm not sure how to tell you this so I'm just gonna come right out and say it ok?" the robotic teen began hesitantly.

The changeling suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach "Ok~ what's going on?"

"Two of the most wanted killers in the world, one a vigilante and the other a mercenary just showed up at the tower claiming to be your uncles' crazy right?"

"Frank and Wade are here already?! Damn that was faster than I-wait; you said they were at the Tower? Like right now at the Tower?!" he yelled becoming frantic.

Now it was Cyborgs turn to be shocked "Yeah, you mean you actually know them?"

"They raised me since I was eight! Cy, buddy I'm asking you to hold them off until I get there ok? I'll explain when I do." he said before cutting off the transmission and turning to raven and saying "Rae, we need to get to the Tower, NOW!"

Raven didn't argue, not when he was this serious.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She chanted covering the three of them in a black orb before it shrank into nonexistence...

The three remaining Titans had arrived back home to absolute anarchy. Their couch had been flipped over and was now full of both bullet holes as well as slash marks, the tv was shot literally shot, and it looked as if several explosives of varying intensity had been set off if the scorch marks and all the broken glass were any indication.

Hearing gunfire coming from the kitchen, Garfield rushed towards the source of the noise. He burst into the kitchen, and it was only his instincts that saved him as he caught a vertical downward chop from a katana that would've split his head in half if it had landed. He looked into the crimson and white mask of someone he hadn't seen in a long time, and then looked over his shoulder and saw a man with dark hair wearing a black trench coat over matching combat gear. And just on the edge of his peripheral vision, he saw two battered and bruised but still breathing Titans.

Smiling slightly to towards the saner of his two uncles' he said "Did you miss me, Uncle Frank?"

With a slight smirk playing on his lips the Punisher responded "Garfield! Damn is it good to see you boy."

Chapter End