Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.
Chapter 4: Always Yours.
Minutes after the beloved member of the Titans family vanished in the portal with Mandragora forever, movement was observed in Gar's body. Immediately the others ran towards the bed and looked at the shape-shifter hopefully.
He could listen their voices but the world around him continued to be blacked out. Slowly he came to his senses and opened his eyes, it was still blur but he could make out three figures standing next to him.
"Gar, can you hear me? Gar?" asked Nightwing.
"What happened?" Garfield asked as he massaged his temple and finally everything became clear.
"Well, you got hit right in the heart by Knut." said Cyborg.
"Yeah I do remember a sharp pain in the left side of my chest." said Changeling.
"Oh, friend Garfield we so happy that you are unharmed." said Starfire and hugged him, but it wasn't the bone crushing hug she used to give but very gentle one.
He then analysed the whole room but couldn't find the one person whom he expected to greet him first.
"Where's Raven?" he finally asked and the others exchanged looks.
"She's...not here." said Dick in low voice.
"What do you mean she's not here?" Gar knew something was definitely wrong, "she couldn't just leave me in such condition."
"She told me to give you this." said Kori handing him a folded piece of paper.
Where was she? Why wasn't she there? Did she ditch him in this condition? There were several questions inside his mind and the answer to all of them was contained in that thin, folded sheet of paper.
Dear Gar,
You might be wondering why I'm not there. But if I was there, you won't be here and I couldn't let that happen. After that bloody ass, Knut hit you with that dart, your pulse rate dropped, we needed a miracle to save you, well I found one! You see, while I was searching for a cure I came across a book which contained the instructions to summon a witch, Mandragora, she said she could grant my wish if only I gave her what she demanded. And she demanded me. She said if I left this world forever and went with her, only then she would save your life. Your condition was very critical and I couldn't heal you because of the chaos going inside my mind. You were dying and I couldn't save you despite having that power, I felt so guilty and miserable, and so I agreed. I love you more than anything else Gar, and the thought of never having you wake up next to me breaks me, but I guess I'll have to let myself shatter everyday. Funny isn't it, we were meant to be bonded together forever instead we got separated forever. Gar, promise me you'll fulfil all your dreams, all our dreams. Promise me you'll visit Africa and Venice, promise me you'll make Vic like tofu, promise me you'll play every video game that crosses your path, promise me you'll live life just like you wanted, with or without me. Promise me you'll think about me every night before going to bed by looking at the stars. Don't forget me Gar, that's my biggest fear. I hope you'll understand what I did.
Always Yours Raven.
Tears were sliding down his cheeks, he couldn't believe he lost her forever. "How could you?" he whispered, "how could you let her do this?"
"How could you let her go!" he yelled and Kori started crying hysterically again.
"Gar you're still feeble, you should rest." said Vic.
"No, I gotta find a way to rescue her." Gar said, getting up.
"Gar please, you need to rest." said Dick.
After several attempts and pleading by the others Gar agreed to go sleep. After he drifted into his slumber, the tired Titans went to their rooms to get some rest. But there was one thing they knew, it was going to be a long and sleepless night.
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As soon as Dick and Kori entered their room he buried his face in his hands and landed on the ground. He was experiencing a breakdown.
"It's-all my fault-my plan-I should've-" he said between the sobs when his wife interrupted.
"Shhh," she took his face in her hands, "it was not your fault Richard, it was no one's fault."
"I should've been the one not them." he said.
"Don't," snapped Kori, "don't you dare say that again, do you hear me. Do you have any idea what would become of me and our little bumgorf."
"I can't help but be grateful that it wasn't you." he said and kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head on his chest.
"Kori,"
"Hmm,"
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
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Raven was sitting in her cell clutching Gar's picture to her chest thinking that did he get the letter? Was he angry with her? Did he understood her? Many questions were swirling in mind and she knew that they will never get an answer.
Sitting there she also noticed that from the moment they entered Mandragora hadn't rested, she was preparing something, Raven wasn't sure what was it.
Then she heard a crack and Knut appeared, what was Knut doing here? The cell wasn't far so she could hear everything.
"I have completed the task," he said, "Where's my reward?"
Mandragora made an uncertain face and said, " What reward?"
"Stop lying," Knut was angry by now, "You told me that if I attacked the Titans and aimed that dart on Changeling and dropped that book so that Raven could summon you. You'd reward me."
"Well it's not that hard to make out," she smirked, "I lied."
Ravens eyes widened with disbelief, "You bloody cheater!" she yelled, "You did all that on purpose. You freaking bitch! It's all because of you! Everyone was correct, you are evil!"
"And I was starting to worry that why it was taking so long for a bright girl like you to discover." Mandragora said.
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Anyone who saw Gar would think that he was in a peaceful slumber, but the truth was enclosed by his eyelids.
He was standing on a barren land calling out Ravens name when he saw someone with lilac hair, pale skin dressed in a white bridal dress, he immediately realised it was Raven.
"Raven!" he shouted and ran towards her, but as soon as he reached near her he saw that she was crying.
"Raven, are you okay?" he asked but she didn't reply and kept on crying. Then he saw someone approaching them.
She had blonde hair, sea blue eyes and was wearing a sleeveless red coloured dress which showed off her curves. He recognised her at once. Terra.
"T-Terra," he stuttered.
"Yes darling, it's me." she said.
"But I thought you-" he started but Terra interrupted.
"Left the Titans? Yes, but I came back for you, love."
"Quite it Terra. I don't love you, I never did." he spat.
"Too bad the only girl you loved is gone forever, and it's all because of you." she said, venom dripping in her every word.
"You never grew up Beast Boy." said Vic mockingly as he came out of the darkness.
"Why cannot you do anything correctly?" snapped Dick as he appeared just like Vic.
"You are the reason we lost Raven. We hate you." appeared Kori, now they were all standing around him. (typical, right? XP)
"No, that's a lie," he said, "Raven, tell them that's not true."
"Why should I?" she asked, "why should I stop them from saying the truth. Unlike you, I can't lie to my friends."
"Come back to me sweetheart."
"You were always that same old annoying goof."
"You don't deserve to be a Titan."
"You're a Clorgbag Vilkenark."
"You never loved me."
"SHUT UP!" he yelled and placed his hands on his ears, "I said, SHUT UP!"
His eyes shot open and he was sweating.
'I can't just sit here,' he thought, 'I have to find a way to save Raven.' with that he left for the gallery.
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The morning came and Dick opened his eyes and saw his wife sound asleep on his chest, he gently picked her up and lay her on the bed. She was so strong yet so delicate. He decided first go check on Gar and then make some breakfast for everyone.
As soon as he entered the Med Bay he saw an empty bed, Gar wasn't there. He panicked and ran towards Vic's room. He was literally pounding on the door and yelling.
"Vic! Vic!" he yelled.
"What the heck man, I just fell asleep." Vic whined.
"Richard, what happened? I heard you shout." asked Kori as she came running.
"Gar, he's not in the Med Bay." he said.
"What?!" others said together. They searched the tower but there was no sign of Gar. Tired, they thought of tracking him and so they went to the common room, but as soon they switched on the computer Gar's face appeared.
"I'll be out for a while to search for a way to rescue Raven. Don't worry." Changeling said. He looked as if he didn't sleep all night.
"When will he learn!" shouted Dick, "that childish attitude. Did you see him? He looked as if he didn't even sleep last night."
"We'll talk to him, let him come home." said Vic.
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Gar parked his car, he and Raven had bought it for themselves. It wasn't fancy like Cyborg and Nightwing's but a normal car. He then started looking for the correct house, after a few seconds he heard woman yell.
"Wally! Lily's doing it again." she yelled.
"Found it." said Gar. As he reached the gate he heard a voice again.
"Just stop her with your magic." the man shouted.
"I'm not gonna use bad luck on our daughter do you hear me." the woman yelled back.
"Okay I'm coming." the man said in defeat. A second later he heard the voice again, "here, it wasn't that difficult." he said.
"Easy for you to say." the woman replied and then Gar rung the doorbell. Kid Flash or now known as The Flash II opened the door.
"Hi Wally," greeted Gar, "heard Jinx yell at you."
"Oh yeah, Lily was running again." replied Wally. Lily was Wally and Jinx's two year old daughter. She had palish skin and bright pink eyes like her mother and fire red hair just like her father. She was a total mix of both her parents. She definitely did have Wally's powers but it was too early to tell that she possessed her mother's magic abilities or not.
"C'mon in." said Wally.
"Hey Jenn, look who's here." he said as Jinx slowly came out of the room and shut the door. She was dressed in casual clothes and instead of that weird hairstyle she had her hair simply pulled back in a ponytail.
"Hi Jinx." greeted Gar.
"You could always call me Jenn, you know." she said
"Nah, I'm cool with Jinx." he said. She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry we couldn't attend the wedding, Lily was suffering from food poisoning," she said, "by the way, where's Raven? Why didn't she come?"
"She's not here." he said lowly.
"Of course she's not here, she's at the tower, right?" she said.
"No, she's not there either." he said.
"Then where is she?" she was worried by now, "Gar please, you're scaring me."
He then told the two everything that had happened yesterday, how a day which was supposed to bring enormous joy to their life became a day that brought nothing but sorrow.
"No," Jinx whispered as she buried her face in her husband's chest and started crying.
"Jinx I need your help to get to Raven, it's still not too late, she can still be saved. Just let me know if you find something." and with that he said goodbye to the Wests.
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Jinx was sitting in Lily's room stroking her daughter's cheeks with silent tears rolling down her face when her husband entered.
"She was like a sister to me." she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"We used hangout together, go shopping with Kori," she said, "she helped me pick my wedding dress."
He knelt to the ground and took her hands in his.
"You know, our pain is nothing compared to Gar's. I can't even imagine a day without you in it." he said, she sniffed and nodded.
"Don't you ever leave me." she said and hugged him.
"Why would I? I have to chew your brain everyday," he said, "remember?" she gave a watery chuckle at this.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and asked, "now, where would you go if you were that Mandragora?"
Jinx thought, "if I was Mandragora I would..." at this her eyes went wide and something clicked in her mind.
"I love you, Wally. You're the best!" she grabbed his face and kissed him and bolted out of the room.
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Gar was really tired from all the work. He entered the common room and saw a sobbing Starfire, an impatient Nightwing pacing back and forth and a silent Cyborg looking out of the window. He knew he was gonna get into trouble but he didn't care at the moment.
Dick noticed Gar standing at the door, "Well, look who's here," he practically yelled, "a man in his mid twenties who thinks he's still a fourteen or fifteen year-old!"
"Where were you? Do you have any idea how worried sick were?! Look at you, so week! Leaving the house without even informing, and only a message which didn't even tell where you were going!" it took both Vic and Kori to calm him down.
"I told you I was going to find a way to rescue Raven." Gar said in defence.
"Gar Raven's gone!" Dick yelled.
"How easy for you to say!" Gar yelled back, "Well, unlike you I'm not loosin hope."
"Friend Garfield we have already have lost Raven." said Kori, "we cannot loose you."
"No you haven't," Gar said, "we can still save her."
"Gar try and understand, this can't go on," said Vic, "Raven told us herself, she's gone forever."
"No!" Gar shouted, "these words are really simple for you! What would you do if it was Karen, you'd see her lifeless body lying in front of you even then you won't believe it! You guys don't know the pain, because she was my fiancé not yours!"
Vic could slap him right now but remembered Raven's words and sighed and placed his hand on Gar's shoulder and asked, "do you think that Raven can still be saved?"
"Yes." Gar said.
"Then I guess there's enough hope for all of us." Vic said. Suddenly Gar's mobile phone rang and he picked it up.
"Hello-hi Jinx-yeah-you did? Great- that'd be awesome-oh, okay-yeah-bye."
"I went to Wally and Jinx's today, to ask Jinx of she knew how to reach Raven and I just received her phone call, she says she does know a way." Gar said, "are you guys coming?"
"I am." said Starfire.
"Count me in." said Cyborg.
"You wouldn't go without me, would you?" said Nightwing.
Within the next hour everything was set, Jinx had arrived.
"Okay guys, I won't able to open the portal for long, it takes a lot of strength to open inter-dimensional portals, so you'll have hurry." Jinx said.
Jinx raised her hands and chanted the mantra. The portal opened and the others quickly jumped in.
~TT~
I love CLIFFHANGERS! Sorry for the extreme delay, but I had the chapter complete by first week of March, but then my phone stopped working and I write Fanfics through my phone. So I sent it for repairing but it got formatted so all my work was lost and then the exam season in my school started! I did all this in three days and I barely slept, so I'm gonna go sleep after this! *yawn* I haven't even started writing Prom Dare, so you can pretty much understand my situation. Until next time my sweeties! And don't forget to review!
Fawhead.