A/N: There's getting to be too many different parts to this story, it's beginning to confuse me. Wow the reviews on this story have just beaten my record! Thanks to all reviewers, and readers! Well, sorry this is late-ish. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: If anyone had any reason to think that I own Teen Titans speak now or forever hold your peace because you're an idiot if you do.
Chapter Fifteen: Release the Hounds!
The back of her skull ricocheted off a rock causing it to split open. She blacked out for a few seconds after she collided with the earth. Twisted behind her back in a grotesque manner, her arm had probably taken the worst of the fall.
It took only a few moments before she began to gain consciousness, which was undoubtedly a miracle because most people would be in a coma or worse by now. While at the same time Raven found herself wishing she were still unconscious. The impact on the arm had torn that shoulder from its socket, and the shards of glass from the broken window carved small holes into her back. She knew that there was a very high chance that she would be paralyzed after this, if she even lived through it. There was no possibility of escape now.
When she opened her eyes her vision was distorted and blurred not only from the fall but from the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She could hear the waves crashing on the rocks only a few feet away from her head, although her ears seemed to ring a little. After blinking a few times her vision improved and she spotted the small, but well-groomed bushes beside the wall of the mansion. If she did somehow manage to get over to the bushes there was no way she would be overlooked, especially because there would probably be a long a path of blood they could follow. Tristan's men could be dense, even outright idiotic at times, but they weren't blind.
Finally she made up her mind. She had to escape, either that or die trying.
Garfield glanced up at the clock on the wall for the twenty-fourth time in the last minute and a half. With a sigh he stood and snatched his jacket and car keys before he left. He didn't say a word to his mother and hoped she wouldn't hear him leave.
It had been a little over three hours after Mark had left, and Gar was getting anxious. He didn't want to wait any longer, so he didn't. Yet it was a crazy idea, he had nothing: no plans, no weapons, and no backup. If things looked too dangerous he would merely do a quick reconnaissance mission around the mansion. Sure, he wanted to help Raven more than anything, but it wouldn't be helping anyone if he ran in and got himself killed.
Richard hadn't yet managed to find Slade's well covered trail, and was about to give up when he saw a man wearing all black and gold jump over an alleyway from rooftop to rooftop. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Slade. The black and gold outfit of Slade's was infamous, anyway no one else would be crazy enough to make such daring leaps.
Deciding to take the easier, not to mention safer way, Richard began to run down the sidewalk trying to keep up with Slade, while Danny tried to keep up with Richard. Then, Richard suddenly stopped and Danny almost ran into his back.
"What's up?" Danny panted.
"Damn it, I lost him..." Richard growled.
"Uh, chief...?" Danny asked as he tapped his shoulder.
"What is it, Danny? I'm busy."
"It looks like we have bigger things to worry about right now, boss," Danny informed him.
"Huh?" Once Danny pointed down the street Richard quickly understood what he meant. Down the street stood Dr. Logan, and he appeared to be looking for something or rather someone. Of course, he looked over just in time to make eye contact with Richard.
"Go!" Richard yelled, and they both took off running. If only Mark had been ten years younger he may have been able to catch up with the two, yet still he tried.
Mark managed to chase them for a few minutes until they disappeared down an alley which was empty except for a large concrete wall separating it from the other side. When Mark finally climbed over it he could find no sign of them, while, little did he know, they had used the wall to climb up onto the roofs.
Although he didn't want to, Mark knew it was time to give up his chase, at least for today. The police were informed that Richard and Danny had ran away, but they explained that they were too busy looking for Slade at the moment to look for the boys.
Slade suddenly got the odd feeling that he was being followed. Trying to seem as if he had no idea he just kept running in the same direction. It was possible that he was just being paranoid, but he couldn't afford to take any chances considering that Tristan and the police were out to get him. If there was one thing Slade had learned over the years it was to trust his instincts.
Once he was sure they were still tailing him he stopped on one of the rooftops and crouched down out of sight. He waited for a few moments until he was sure he lost them, and changed directions. If he was being followed there were sure to be more of them, so he would have to stop wasting time and take the shortcut to the Roth Manor.
Finally, Raven managed to drag herself into the bushes using only one arm in record time, which was just in time. Footsteps ran around the corner of the house and came to halt right where she had landed.
"Where the hell is she?" a man yelled. "Search everywhere, she couldn't have gotten far."
Raven tried her best to stay calm, although she was positive they would find her. Even though her bleeding wasn't bad enough to leave a trail towards her location, she hadn't gotten very far. Boots scratched the small layer of sand against the rocks underneath as they approached the brush she hid under. The man's approach seemed to be in slow motion as Raven held her breath and prayed he wouldn't accidently shoot her, knowing how jumpy all the guards could be.
Then, the footsteps just walked right past not even stopping to check the brush. The hiding place probably seemed too obvious to the thickheaded guards, even though they should have realized that a girl with a broken ankle and shoulder was hardly in any condition to hop a fence or run. Raven was just glad that the guards around her house were all the men who were too stupid to work out in the field, in short they were the men who would get caught dealing in front of a police station or kill someone in the middle of a busy street.
Clenching her teeth together as another wave of shooting pain ran from her shoulder, Raven gripped her shoulder. The worst of the bleeding from the gash on her head had stopped and her ankle had gone generally numb, but her shoulder hadn't. The pain was unbearable, and she couldn't wait any longer. Sure, she wasn't a doctor, but she did have a little medical training, and she knew that the bone had to be moved into the socket. When she was sure there was no one nearby, Raven reached up and ripped a small branch off of the bush and pulled the leaves off of it. Then, she put it between her teeth and gently bit down while she reached back to her shoulder. The wood was merely to keep her from swallowing her tongue. Gripping her upper arm with the other hand she pulled down on it as hard as she could and jammed it back up into where she guessed the socket was.
Like I said, Raven was not a doctor, and she never had any experience in relocating bones. Although she was extremely close, she missed the socket by just a couple centimeters, which caused the too bones to scrape together in effect causing terrible pain. Then, the sudden rush of pain caused Raven to jerk her other arm back and accidently dislocate her shoulder once again as she gave a muffled cry.
The stick between her teeth had almost snapped from the pressure that her jaw was putting on it. After making sure no one had heard her scream and regaining her courage and composure as much as she could, Raven was ready to try again. Once again she repeated the procedure and this time when the bones touched she didn't pull back. Finally it slipped back into the socket, although it hurt like hell and this time her scream wasn't quite as muffled. Raven clamped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late.
Boots pounded on the rocks running right towards where Raven was hiding. Normally she would have almost no trouble out running these bulky guys, but it wasn't completely easy with a broken ankle. Yet, she was certain they had found her know and at best she would have a few seconds head start if she ran now. So, without another thought Raven stood up and tried to run, although it turned out to be more of a lame hobble than a sprint.
Until now she hadn't realized how bad her back was either. Her shirt clung to her back and felt rather damp and she was certain there were still a few shards of glass stuck under her flesh.
Attempting to cast all of her pains out of her mind, Raven had a sudden burst of energy that just barely got her to the fence before the guards caught her. Despite the fact that she couldn't leap over the fence and its barbed wire, there was one thing Raven could do that she was certain the beefed-up criminals couldn't. Which was fit between the bars of the fence which she did quite gracefully. The men tried to bust down the gate to no avail, and Raven didn't intend to find out how long it took them to realize they couldn't climb barbed wire or that the gate was only one-hundred feet away from them. They almost looked like ravenous pitbulls as they tried to reach her through the bars. It was a good thing her father had ordered them not to shoot and even better that they actually listened.
Mark returned home, exhausted and flustered after continuing such a fruitless hunt. "Sorry, Gar. I didn't think it would take me so long to find them. Well, I guess finding them was the easy part- catching them, now that's the hard part. I know how much you wanted to find Raven." Then, Mark walked into the dining room to find that he was talking to himself, which seemed to be happening a lot.
"Gar?" Mark called. Then, he saw the note his son had left beside the map they were previously using. In messy handwriting Gar had scribbled down a quick note telling his dad where he was. "Dammit, Gar," Mark grumbled as he crumpled up the note. "I just hope you don't do anything stupid."
After accidently pushing Raven out of her window, Tristan ordered some men to retrieve the body and then left to his office. He had no idea how to explain that Slade had snuck into his house and threw his daughter out of the third floor. If he were going to move the body and make a fake crime scene it was going to need a lot of planning, and he could afford a few employees to add to the scene if need be.
Suddenly his huge door swung open and one of his men ran in. "Sir, she got away!" he panted while pointing out the door.
"What are you talking about? Who got away?" Tristan stood with his hands on his desk.
"Your daughter, sir. She wasn't dead!" The man ducked just in time to dodge a lamp that came straight towards his head.
"Impossible!"
"She slipped through the gate and got away."
"Then, what are you doing here wasting time. Go after her, you idiot." Unfortunately, he didn't see the paperweight coming which left a large welt on his forehead.
Once she had caught her breath, she ran as far as she could down the perfect sidewalks beside the manicured hills that she was certain her father had purchased just so no one could live near him. Halfway down the street Raven glanced over her shoulder to see a car coming down the street. It sped down the street towards her with its headlight glaring menacingly at her. It was beginning to get darker outside as the sun sank below the horizon and it got harder to see the sidewalk in front of her.
The car finally caught up with her and slowed down beside her, which made her sprint faster down the street, but it easily kept up with her. It was a small Honda which meant it wasn't meant for off-roading, so Raven changed directions towards the hills. She heard the car stop behind her and the door opened.
The small ditch was concealed by darkness and her ankle already fracture ankle twisted when she accidently stepped in it. With a gasp she fell to the ground clutching her ankle in pain.
"Raven wait!" Raven could have sworn her heart skipped a beat when she heard that voice. Looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, her suspicions were denied.
"Garfield?" she practically whimpered.
"Oh my god, Raven, what happened to you?" Gar questioned as he ran over and kneeled down beside her. Her only reply was a forceful kiss, but it didn't last long.
"We have to get out of here now, Gar," she said hurriedly.
Gar nodded, and then looked down at her ankle. "What happened?"
"I think it's broken," she hissed as he began to prod the swollen joint. Slipping one arm under her knees he positioned himself to pick her up, but when he reached around her back his arm caught on a shard of glass.
"Ow." He pulled back and looked at the tiny little cut on his arm.
"Are you okay?" Raven asked sarcastically.
"I'll live," he said with a grin as he picked her up. Although on the inside panic and concern were quickly consuming him, he put a fake smile on as not to scare here any further. The wetness on her back was rapidly soaking onto him and his worry only seemed to build.
Setting her in the passenger seat, Gar made a few reassuring comments and then ran over to the driver's side. He raced off towards the same hospital he had woken up in just a couple days ago. Little did they know they turned the corner just in time to miss her father's guards who were currently scouring the hills for Raven.
The engine was left running as Garfield raced Raven into the emergency room. Gar refused to release her hand while she they put her on the stretcher, but he was forced to stay out when they brought her into an operating room to remove the glass and stitch up her back and head. After he called his parents he was left to wait for the doctors to finish.
Finally, a nurse walked out and the doctor followed shortly after. Gar jumped up out of his seat. "How is she?" he asked anxiously.
The doctor looked him up and down quickly. "She's stable. We had to do a couple blood transfusions to make up for all of the blood loss, and she probably has a couple hundred stitches. That ankle is going to need some surgery once the swelling goes down a little, but she'll live. She'll moved into a room shortly," he informed the teen casually.
"Thank you," Gar replied sincerely. The doctor just nodded and walked off toward his next patient. He rushed into the room and saw her lying unconscious on the bed, undoubtedly doped on some drug or another. Picking up her pale hand, Gar kissed her knuckles tenderly with a smile.
It was amazing how fast rumors spread in Jump City's small underground. Slade was just happy he learned this information before he stormed Tristan's mansion. This would probably leave a larger scar in Mr. Roth's plans than he could have expected. Anyway, public hospitals are far easier to get into compared to highly guarded estates.
A/N: Wow, it looks like my updates went from once a week to twice, sorry about that. I have no idea what the title for this chapter has to do with, but it seemed funny at the time. Again, I wanted this to be a little longer, but it just seemed like a perfect place to leave off. Well, review if you want or if you just have nothing better to do... I think I just overdosed on anti-inflammatories, so I'm gonna go die a slow painful death in the corner. Have a good week!
talim9: Although it took awhile, Gar finally got to her in this chapter. You thought Richard worked at the hospital??? No, Richard was supposed to be insane, he was just a patient in the hospital, but he isn't all that crazy after all. Haha, sorry, I should have explained that better. :D
Kaos Kraze: I plan to write only a few more chapters. You were right, she wasn't actually dead, since this is AU I didn't want to have to think of a realistic way to bring her back. Of course I went! I have tons of candy and my friend got us into a gated community where they give out a lot of full-sized candies. This stash should keep me going for awhile. YEAH CANDY:D
Rainbow-Jess: Haha, thanks!
Luna Forest: Speaks with a mouth full of CANDY Calm down, I didn't kill her off... again. Haha, it would have been too hard to think of a way to bring her back. :D
K.C. Raven: Please no, I just want the sweet relief of death. Please someone kill me! Begins to cry Fine, I'll finish your story! Goes to type, but starts vomiting blood allover the keyboard I hate my life:D
Beast of Brisingr: Haha, thanks! Not too many people actually like the suspension. I'll type as fast as I can:D
Blueyedgirl: Sorry, but it was finally someone else's turn to be first. Whispers But you're still number one. lol Oh, you're so nice, but I don't want you to get in trouble because you were stuck reviewing my stupid story. Thank you so much!!! Don't worry, I'll finish this story no matter what, and I had the ending planned for a long time, so I should be able to get through it without completely losing interest. Ah yes, if it weren't for my loyal reviewers I would have ended this story on the first chapter. I am forever grateful to everyone who reviewed especially you:D
chittychittybangbang: Haha! Thanks? OMG! Sure I will:D
AureliusXsoul: Don't worry, I will finish no matter what, well unless I die or something. I promise I won't intentionally rush the ending, and I'll do it to the best of my writing ability. You reviewers make me excited to keep writing anyway, so thanks! Of course not, it's too hard to bring people back anyway. I'm so glad you like the way I made Tristan! I liked how in the old Wolfman-Perez comics how Trigon actually loved (in his own way) Raven because she was his heiress and his only child that survived, so I tried I kinda wanted to blend that with the cartoon, but I don't know. Haha, I almost called him Trigon several times in the story, it's hard to remember sometimes. Oh yeah, I was originally going to have Sade still working for Tristan and be hired to kill Raven, but then I got an idea while typing the last chapter. No, Danny is an original character, he's just some insane boy who often forgets who he really is. Aw, thanks, you're so kind. :D
Agent of the Divine One: Haha, yeah, she definitely didn't see it coming. I had to make her live, it's too hard to bring people back, especially in AU's. Of course, I'll as quick as I can:D
Steve-Racer: Oh, I can be very sadistic. Haha. I really would like to write a story like that, where everyone dies in the end except for the villain who walks of scot-free, but I just feel... guilty, I suppose. Maybe I'll do that in my next one. Damn you ":D", you ruined me again smiley! Don't worry, I have most of the ending planned out, but knowing me after typing the first word I'll completely change all of my ideas. Oh well, sorry if this takes forever like the last two. :D Noooo! Haha.
Overactive Mind: Yup, finally I have all six degrees! Haha, it's beginning to get confusing for me. Don't worry, I didn't actually kill her. "Weepy teen angst-fest"?! Please, if any of my stories turn out that way, tell me immediately, then shoot me. Anyone who writes a story like that is just a Shakespeare want to be. Don't you hate emo kids:D
addicted2danny: Haha! I'm wrote them into this just for you! I don't think Richard is really crazy. Oh, and Slade got out because Tristan got him out! I kinda like it, I might actually use it, but I can't make any promises at the moment.
Scribe of Aurora: I sure do love cliffhangers! Don't worry, I just gotten a new spark of interest, which should keep me going until the end. Hopefully you won't have to wait as long as the last two. :D
Linwe Ancalimon: Haha. It's shear madness! Sure, he can watch Lord of the Rings, but where's he gonna put his Dungeons and Dragons game? HAHAHAHA!!! FRODO NOOOOOOO:D
World of Nightmares: CALM DOWN! Raven didn't even die! Don't worry, no one will kill themselves in this story or at least I don't plan for that to happen. Aw, thank you so much!!!!!!!!! I'm glad that you're so into my story now, it's an honor! Haha, well I hope you weren't too torn up by that last chapter. :D
pinkparis: You're right, she couldn't be dead. Yeah, that hospital is so boring, Richard and Danny need to seem some action! Haha! Thanks, at least someone likes my cliffhangers! Oh yeah, I remember that movie, but I haven't seen it. That new Sandra Bullock movie looks pretty funny, but I don't think it's actually supposed to be a comedy. :D
Egglette: Thank you. I just guessed on most of the hospital stuff, but I'm glad to hear it was accurate. Yeah, it's a total cliche, but I felt I couldn't get around it because it was a main part of the plot. I'll try to squeeze Victor in a little more, but I can't make any promises yet. Sorry about your depression, but I'm glad to hear your out, and presumably better. :D
Django X: Hey, that happens to the best of us. Aw, you'd be willing to use a school computer just to read my story? I'm touched. Thank you. Well, you may sound a bit like a receptionist, but at least you're sincere. At least you have an excuse when you post your next chapters, then people won't be as mad. Don't worry, I'll finish this story no matter what:D
art-princess: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter, I'll do my best:D
Phantom5656: Haha! Don't worry she's fine, for the most part. I'll try my best:D
moo-like-a-floofy-llama: Sorry... Please don't be mad at me. Yeah, Danny is actually insane. It's probably getting pretty confusing about now because everyone is now connected in some way, but it'll make more sense soon... hopefully. Thanks! Of course, of course:D
Mothman X: Sorry for the late chapter, haha. I think I'm beginning to overdo the cliffhangers. Thanks! Well, I'm no genie, but it's possible your wishes will come true. :D
warprince2000: Thanks! I'll write as quick as I can:D
BbRaeLogan: Calm down, everything is alright. I just couldn't do it, and trust me I wanted to. Thank you. I won't let you down:D
Snea: Haha! It's alright, I just didn't have it in me to kill her. Slade will make sure her father pays, one way or another. :D
