Author's Note: Ehehehehehe…guess I owe you guys an explanation, huh? One and a half weeks, did I say? Ahem…well, I'm terribly sorry but I don't really have an excuse. I'm slacker, I'm horrible, and I've never been good at slaving over stuff. -.-

Austria was freaking awesome, thanks to those who wished me a good time—and I was a good girl and worked on stuff while I was on the plane (eight hours in front of two drunken men give you plenty of time for inspiration xD), but as soon as I got back, I was like, "Crud. Guess who has writer's block?" And from there…well, there was summerwork and then there was the seventh Potty book. That didn't help much with keeping me on task. But I mean, come on, way to leave no room for speculation, huh Rowling? Poor little Potter fanfic authors. I mean, SHEESH, nineteen years later? And all the names confused me…desperately…I've never been good with names. It was a good read, I'll give it that—but I pride myself in having it all figured out (the main points, anyway) BEFORE the book even came out. Hehe, that's right, I'm bragging.

Ahem, so I guess that's kinda an excuse—a mix of writer's block, some summerwork guilt, and one big-ass distraction. Sorry…?

Dislaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Teen Titans show or comics.

The door to Gar's hospital room banged open, waking Gar from his half-dose and causing Raven to jump up from her chair, hood and battle stance in place. As soon as she saw who had burst in, however, she immediately relaxed.

"Gar! Thank god you're okay!"

Steve rushed to Gar's side, embracing him in a monster hug before he actually had pieced together what was going on. "Steve," he choked out quietly, "You're crushing me!"

"You are okay, aren't you?" Steve anxiously asked, appearing to pay Gar's remark no attention but releasing his foster son anyway, holding him out at arm's length for inspection. "Has the doctor seen you yet? When did you wake up? Is anything wrong?"

Raven watched Steve's worrying from underneath her hood, a small smile in place. And then she froze.

"You sound like a hen mother, Mr. Dayton," Kassie drawled as she sauntered up behind Steve, arms crossed and a grumpy scowl on her face. Her expression softened, though, as she looked at the still bleary-eyed Gar. "Hey, buddy—quite a night, wasn't it?" Michael was not too soon after, a relieved grin plastered on his face. "See, toldya he'd be alive and kickin'."

"Guys," Gar breathed, noticing the dark circles under Steve's eyes, Kassie's exhausted face and frazzled hair, Michael's tired eyes and smile. He knew they had been here the whole night without having to ask. He smiled warmly at them. "I'm fine, don't worry."

The three watched him, infinitely glad he was alive and seemed fine at the moment, albeit a bit worse for wear. "We ran into Nurse Beckett on the way over here, she said you had woken up and the doctor would be here shortly," Steve began, never letting his eyes leave Gar. His face went dark, his voice a bit lower. "It's about time we found out what happened, Gar—you were found unconscious in the bathroom…and—"

Knowing where this was going, Gar stopped Steve with a glare. "I didn't touch those pills, okay? I just wasn't feeling well, and apparently I managed to pass out before I did."

Steve looked slightly taken aback. "Pills…?" His face lit up with realization. "Oh, no, I wasn't—the doctors told me earlier that the tests didn't show any signs of drugs in your system…of course, they couldn't listen to me when I told them so." Steve suddenly sounded peeved, a mixture of exasperation and disgust on his face. "It's not like I'm practically your father or anything, no they had to go and make sure because of protocol…pfft…"

Gar's smile widened. He should've known better.

"Ahem—well, not to butt in or anything, but Mr. Dayton, speaking of what happened…or what's going on…" Kassie had moved around to the foot of Gar's bed while he and Steve had been speaking, and now sat down lightly on it, staring at Gar pointedly over her shoulder. "I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say it: you're not from Maine, are you?"

There was about twenty seconds of total silence while Kassie watched Gar expectantly before he managed a slightly strangled, yet beyond intelligent, response.

"Huh?"

Kassie sighed and stared over at the left of the bed, eyebrows raised. Gar followed her gaze to a stock-still Raven standing by the room's window, hood up with a mildly surprised expression on her shadowed face. Gulping, Gar turned back towards Steve, who was grimly watching Kassie, and then Michael, who was calmly looking at nothing in particular—but Gar could tell he was listening attentively. Gar faced Kassie again, who had switched her gaze to him, forcing a sheepish laugh. "You got me," he said weakly, holding his hands up, "I'm from Connecticut."

Michael gave a chuckle and Kassie rolled her eyes, the tension that had escalated considerably within the past couple seconds deflating somewhat. Steve rubbed his temple with a slight smile on his face, deciding to take over the conversation. "I'm not sure this is the best time to talk about this, Kassie…Michael," Steve said, a stern edge to his voice.

Kassie furrowed her brow and opened her mouth impatiently, but Michael beat her to it. "Sure, Mr. Dayton," he said quite cordially, earning a confused glare from Kassie. "Seeing as Gar barely survived the night, is most likely exhausted, and the doctor's about to come, I totally understand." Kassie lowered her head ruefully, almost abashed. "But we will discuss it later, right?"

Steve watched Michael's politely grinning face, and gave a quick nod. And right then the doctor chose to walk in, undeniably pushing the discussion to later.

Letting herself into the room quietly, the doctor smiled at the gathering that had formed around her patient. "Quite a party you have in here, Mr. Logan," she said not unkindly, shooting a smile in the direction of the bedridden Gar while she shut the door behind her. Kassie, Michael, and Steve turned towards her as she walked up to the bed, Raven watching her warily. She was middle-aged, between forty or fifty, and Gar couldn't help but smile back, instantly taking a liking to her. She had a motherly air about her, the frazzled loose bun at the nape of her neck and warm brown eyes doing nothing to discourage the feeling. Her smooth, light-hazelnut skin was only broken by worry wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, giving her a wizened look. Thin-framed glasses balanced on her nose as she studied the medical charts she was holding before speaking again.

"I'm Dr. Ronnie Smith, Mr. Logan, and you, I have a feeling, are going to be my most interesting patient for the next couple of weeks." Looking away from the charts, she held out her hand, which Garfield shook after a delayed second. She smiled at him again. "As I'm sure you're wondering, Gar, I am here to brief you on the situation as of now and help by answering any questions you may have—which I'm sure there are a lot. But first—" She looked over her glasses in Steve's direction. "—yes, Mr. Dayton, I am from the S.T.A.R. facilities and I am well aware of everything about your son's conditions." Steve nodded, his unspoken question answered.

"Now, before we get started…" Dr. Smith glanced over at the eager-looking Kassie and slightly bemused-looking Michael as she flipped through some pages of the charts, marking something with a pen. "Are we sure everyone in this room is…appropriately here?"

"Yes."

It was Gar who had spoken, surprising quite a few in the room, but his quick, firm tone denied argument. Realizing everyone in the room was looking at him, he then cracked a bit. "I mean," he said nervously, "anyone who's willing to stick around all night for little ol' me has my stamp of approval."

Dr. Smith smiled, and Gar didn't miss the grateful looks sent his way by both Kassie and Michael—nor the slightly piqued one by Steve. But he really did think they deserved to know…plus the fact that they already seemed to know enough…Gar had a feeling he'd really get a scolding for that later on.

"Okay, then." Dr. Smith placed the charts aside, removing the stethoscope hung around her neck. "First I'm just going to do a routine check-up." She moved around the bed until she was right next to Gar, opposite of Steve. "You can ask basic questions, but I'll get down to the mechanics of what's going on as soon as I'm finished."

As Dr. Smith began her examination by first checking Gar's lungs with her stethoscope, the room was surprised yet again by who chose to speak first. "I believe this'll be basic enough, Dr. Smith," Raven droned from beside the doctor, having moved up during the previous conversations. She still kept her distance, of course. "Are you bringing us good news, or bad news?"

Dr. Smith didn't answer for a minute, and Gar knew she was hesitating when she kept the cold stethoscope on his bare shoulder blade for a bit longer after she had asked him to breathe out. While the others had accepted Dr. Smith readily, as soon as she had walked in, Raven had been able to push aside the professional yet comforting façade Dr. Smith had developed over the years to confront her patients with—it helped sometimes to be an empath. But then again, what she had felt…a mixture of puzzlement, and subtle sadness…almost fear for her patient—for Gar.

Dr. Smith finally answered. "Well, I did say you would be my most interesting patient for now, didn't I?" She gave a small chuckle, and this time it didn't take an empath to hear the hidden tones of worry. Steve and Raven exchanged glances across the bed.

The room was silent for the remainder of the quick examination—and awkwardly so. There was a shared eagerness between everyone, but no one seemed courageous enough to actually speak up as Dr. Smith took notes and prodded this or tapped that. It wasn't until she was checking Gar's lymph nods and whatnot for swelling that the silence was broken—and by she herself.

"Look," she suddenly said, dropping her hands into her lap and turning to face both Raven and Kassie and Michael. "While I'm sure you're all very concerned for your friend, I would feel better if I spoke with him and Mr. Dayton first—separately, alone. Then they may decide whether to or how to explain the situation to you."

At her words, Gar saw Steve's face turn an unearthly pale. Frowning, he looked away from his foster father towards his friends—and saw Kassie angrily preparing to protest; Raven and Michael didn't look all that happy either. Realization suddenly dawned on Gar as he absorbed everyone's expressions, and he decided to take the reigns on this one—they were practically waiting for him to do so. He cleared his throat lightly, gaining their attention before Kassie lost her temper again.

"Sorry, guys," he smiled sheepishly, "but you'll definitely be the first to know."

The three looked at him, but didn't object. However, the curt, tight-lipped nod Kassie gave before stalking out into the hallway was enough to make Gar feel extremely guilty—even Michael's apologetic 'sorry-she's-being-an-ass' shrug didn't help. And Raven…her eyes searched his face calmly, as if determining for herself whether Gar was being serious or not, before following the other two out of the room.

As the door clicked shut, Steve immediately switched his gaze to Dr. Smith. "Well?" he asked. He was still somewhat pale, and his voice wavered ever so slightly. "What was so bad you couldn't tell us in front of others?"

Dr. Smith smiled tightly, moving around to the foot of the bed once more, placing Gar's medical charts aside. Then she faced Gar. "I know who you are," she began, "but I had a feeling your two classmates…or acquaintances…didn't."

Gar eyed her suspiciously. "My friends…yeah, so what of it?"

"I've been on your case since your little incident—I was assigned shortly after my colleague, Dr. James Jameson, was. Mr. Logan…" she paused, looking down. Gar felt increasing apprehension as he realized she was contemplating what to say next. Bad news was always hard to share. "I really wish you had allowed S.T.A.R. labs to watch over for a while. I might have been able to see this coming sooner."

While shortly upset at her mention of the superhero medical facility, Gar's mouth went dry at her last words.

"What is it?" He felt the similar sense of dread rising in the pit of his stomach, like he had that fateful day so many weeks ago. "What's wrong with me?"

"Mr. Logan. Your sakutia has returned."

"Why? Why can't we know?"

Kassie paced up and down the hall outside the door, pivoting every couple steps. Michael watched her bemusedly as he leaned nonchalantly against the wall—more like he was waiting in line for a hot dog than waiting to hear an obviously bad diagnosis of what was a matter with his friend. Raven also watched Kassie on her place against the wall, further off—she was reminded of Robin, watching the redhead pace irritably.

"Now it's just even more obvious he's hiding something," she muttered to herself—though rather loudly.

"And you—" She was suddenly pointing at Raven, stopping her movement for a brief second. "You just confirm everything I thought in the first place. Why's he still hiding?!" She resumed pacing.

As Kassie continued muttering, Raven realized Michael had somehow sidled right up next to her on the wall, and was now leaning to the side to speak quietly in her ear. "Don't pay any attention to her. She's extremely grumpy without at least six hours of sleep. It's nothing personal." The two continued to watch Kassie, but Raven had the feeling Michael wasn't done talking.

"Er…" Raven smirked. She had been right. Michael didn't look at her, but continued following Kassie with his eyes. "So…would you like, smack me if I decided to take advantage of the situation—"

Raven narrowed her eyes.

"—and asked you for your autograph?"

Raven stared at Michael, not entirely sure whether he was joking or not.

And then Raven heard an all too familiar voice call from down the hall.

"Friend Raven!!"

Steve's jaw locked at Dr. Smith's words, and he immediately shot up from his seat at the head of Gar's bed, his stance defiant. "No. I don't believe you."

Dr. Smith's eyes were doeful. "Mr. Dayton…I'm sorry, but—"

"No," Steve spat. Dr. Smith looked taken aback, and frowned. "You're lying. You said you worked for S.T.A.R. labs, right? This is just some ploy to get him into your hands, isn't it?"

"…Mr. Dayton, I don't think you know what you're saying right this moment. Would you please sit back down—"

"A ruse!" Dr. Smith stared, shocked at the accusatory finger Steve was pointing at her. "That's all this is!! You BASTARDS!"

"Mr. Dayton! I beg your pardon—"

"What does it take for you all to leave him alone?! WHAT do you honestly want?!" Steve gave a hysteric laugh, no longer pointing but running a hand through his hair, pacing, his eyes distant. Dr. Smith watched him, a mixture of pity and slight anger on her face. "He's…he's been through enough…but this. This…! What will it take, YOU SONS OF BITCHES, TO LET HIM BE!!"

"Mr. Dayton!" Dr. Smith barked, her face flushed. "That will be enough! SIT DOWN, now!"

Dr. Smith watched, quite incredulously, as Steve continued to ignore her. Never…such denial—glancing at Gar, she saw not only had he not said a word, but also hadn't moved since her announcement. Instead, he was staring straight ahead, mouth slightly agape—he didn't flinch at his foster-father's raised voice, seemingly oblivious to everything around him. His eyes were unblinking, blank—vacant…Dr. Smith suddenly forgot about the still raging Steve, apprehension creeping up her spine. Too vacant, and he was too still…

"I can't believe the LENGTHS you assholes would go through JUST to get your hands on him, it's unbelieva—THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!!"

"Don't you dare jump at me, Mr. Dayton, I WILL CALL SECURITY! YOUR SON—"

"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT MY SON, YOU BITCH—"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, STEVE?!"

Silence. Both doctor and Steve froze at the furious new voice, too involved in their shouting match to even notice the door had opened and closed, admitting someone else into the room. He now stepped forward, calmly watching the nearly-rabid Steve.

"Sit. Down. And stop being a dick." Steve worked his mouth for a minute, and then looked around the room, as if suddenly coming back to himself. He caught a glimpse of Gar, motionless on the bed, and seemed to physically deflate. Dr. Smith gave an audible sigh of relief, realizing the man was cooperating.

After another pause, Robin stepped forward. "Now what is going on?"

Dr. Smith decided she wouldn't kick him out.

"That was really creepy." Michael shivered, shaking off the last effects of Raven's teleportation powers. After a second of thought, he added with an apologetic look towards Raven, "No offense."

Kassie stood statue-still, thin-lipped, and looking as if she was about ready to explode. "What. Are. We. Doing. Here?"

The last word came out strangled with rage, causing Michael to flinch.

Raven chose not to answer, secretly satisfied with Robin's signal for her to dump the two in a locked room down a couple floors in a vacant hall. Things had gotten messy when Starfire fired herself down the hall to engulf Raven in one of her monster bear-hugs, messier when the rest of the Titans had shown up right behind her, and even messier when—after a few moments of awkward and confounded silence between the four super-powered teen crime-fighters and the two average high school students—yelling voices had erupted behind the door of the room they all surrounded. Very many things had happened at once: Kassie began to demand explanations, Cyborg began to demand what was going on, Michael began to demand what exactly the Titans had to do with this, Starfire began to demand to be let in the room to protect Gar, and Robin had more or less screamed in Raven's mind 'Get those two the fuck outta here!' before barging in the room himself, ordering Starfire and Cyborg to stay put.

So, Raven guessed it needn't have been a locked room, necessarily—but the jealous little voice in the very back of her mind couldn't help but whisper, Hell yeah, Gar's OUR friend, bitches!

…Right. Maybe she would find a quiet place to meditate after all this.

"Hello? Did you hear me? What the fuck are we doing here?!"

Raven prepared to teleport back up.

"Kassie, calm down and watch your—hey, hell no, where do you think you're going?!"

Raven felt a hand roughly grasp her shoulder, gripping a fistful of her cape as well. She froze, and struggled to keep her temper in check.

"Please remove your hand from me."

"Not until we get some freaking answers!!" She felt his grip slacken, though, and closed her eyes, fighting down rage.

"Your hand. Now."

Michael was a smart boy, and heard what was usually hidden seeping through Raven's voice. He let go.

Raven remained for a moment more, calming herself, repeating all too well-known words in her head…Azarath, Mentrion, Cinthos…involuntarily, she felt her powers sensing the auras confusion, anxiety, fear, anger, and grief surrounding the two behind her. She softened a tad.

"Look," she droned, not turning around. "I'm sorry you two have been pulled into this. I believe you know more than you should." She shifted so she could just see them out of the corner of her eye, over her shoulder. "Don't let on that you do."

The both stood, speechless, as she eyed them for a moment longer. Then darkness started to surround her.

"Someone will come down to retrieve you later. Do not try anything…I'm sorry."

Her words echoed eerily through the room as the last of blackness swallowed her into nothingness, leaving Kassie and Michael to stare at empty space.