Author's Note: Hm. Finally got it up. And today's my eighteenth birthday (I got a Sai plushie and the right to vote—I can die happy :D)!! So think of this as a reverse birthday-gift? Yeah, something like that.

P.S.- There's a lot of flying in this chapter. And I've never been electrocuted before. So. Be prepared.

P.P.S (or is it P.S.S.?) –The end is ebil. Very ebil, you might hate me. Be very prepared.

...Epilogue up soonish. Promise for reals this time, guys!

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

Steve Dayton awoke in his bed as the low, faint rumble of part of the Titan Tower collapsing sounded through his cracked window, nearly blending in with the soft rush of late-night traffic. Not realizing what had woken him up, Steve stared through sleep-filled eyes at the glaring digital clock that read 3:23 AM, sitting on his night stand. He would've most likely rolled over and started snoring again if he hadn't managed to sleepily think, Wonder if Gar's awake...

The worry that Steve had escaped with sleep now managed to slam into him full-force at the thought of his son who was not sleeping in the room adjacent to him.

After staring at the clock for a moment longer, Steve sat up in his bed and yawned, no longer able to go back to sleep. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Steve grabbed a robe that he pulled on as he stood and stretched, also slipping a pair of slippers onto his feet. Having no idea what he was thinking of doing at this time in the morning, and wondering if he should go back over to the hospital, Steve soon found himself turning the doorknob to Gar's room and stepping inside. His eyes surveyed the shadows of the room, the piled dirty clothes and random objects on the floor. The tousled, unmade bed.

The empty bed.

Steve stared, as if expecting Gar to pop into existence between the sheets at any moment, snoring loudly and not in a hospital dying from a fatal, persistent, mother-fucking disease, with some possible mental-case freak after him.

Steve's hand clenched the doorknob.

Just don't think about it. Don't think.

Sighing, Steve moved further into the room, crossing his arms as he did so. Scuffed a discarded comic book with a foot here, accidently kicked some boxers there. Steve went to the window, staring at the traffic light changing on the street down below. Slowly, he lifted his head to behold the view that he knew was his son's favorite thing about the apartment. The view of the bay and the Tower...

...Which should not be burning and exploding at various parts, like Gar should not be in the hospital dying.

"Oh, no," Steve breathed.

He bolted out of the room.

Raven swooped down between two buildings in the darkness and shadows, narrowly missing the nearly invisible clothesline strung up and waved her hand so that the Slade-robot chasing her was halted and thrown back in mid-air by the obsidian-power enforced clothesline, head wrenched off from the mechanical body. She smirked over her shoulder as the robot sparked and fell like a rock. She flew out of the alleyway and out into the night sky, hovering above the city as she reached out with her powers to make sure nothing else was following her. That was the third robot already! Well, third time's a charm, right?

Every time she had tried to start meditating somewhere in the city, one of Slade's minion robots had managed to pop out of what seemed like nowhere. Raven huffed a little, surveying the city lights from where she floated in the night sky. No telling how many were out there, waiting—how many had followed her. Slade appeared to have an endless supply. Frowning, Raven debated what to do; she needed to find Gar, and fast. It would be tricky, remaining in the air like this while sending her spirit-self to look for Gar—but that was her best option right now. Maintaining the energy needed to stay so far up, plus what was needed to maintain her spirit-self...Raven shook her head, dispelling the doubts in her mind. She could do this. She needed to do this.

Raven closed her eyes with a deep breath, focusing on her center to give herself more power. "Azarath, Mentrion, Zinthos," she chanted, folding her legs Indian-style. Keeping up the incantation, Raven started to enter her center—and felt herself drop at least ten feet. Eyes shooting open, she immediately steadied herself, gulping. So it was going to take a little—no, a lot more effort than she had initially thought. Sighing, Raven looked down at her bird's-eye view of the city, pondering what to do next.

Gar is somewhere down there.

The thought came unbidden as Raven watched Jump City below, and she felt a pang in her heart. Gar was down there. Most likely suffering.

What should she do?!

You know what to do, dumbass.

The answering voice was small but snide, and inside her mind.

Y-yeah, don't b-be afraid! Because it's f-for him!

You can't let some loser take OUR Gar away from us, you know?!

Right-on, it's time for some major butt-kicking, so get to it!

Yes, Raven, just listen to your mind—your heart.

And before Raven realized what she was doing, she was remembering. Remembering when she had first met the Titans, and whose stupid grin and corny punch lines had made her want to roll her eyes for the first time in her life. Remembering when she had taken her first bite of pizza, and who had been there cheering her on with ridiculous, made-up cheers. Remembering the first time a prank had been pulled on her, and the good-natured laughter of the one who had pulled it. Remembering the first time she had hugged someone, and the warmth and acceptance of the one who she had hugged. Remembering the fired insults to create distance, yet in the end providing closeness when they were forgiven after attempted and failed returns. Remembering herbal tea prepared and set out in kindness and in an understanding. Remembering reading on the couch and him ignoring the television, the video games, to talk to her and make her real to the world, more than just a shadow.

Remembering the declarations that he would make her laugh, one day. That he would make her smile, one day. That he would make her happy, one day.

Remembering the days that he did.

Remembering the hope that she could do the same for him.

Gar! Raven wailed his name desperately in her mind as the memories and thoughts swirled, no longer aware of anything else but her desire and her need to find him—to not lose him.

What she didn't expect was an answer.

...Raven?

Gar was glaring into the growing darkness, trying to figure out where Ragonu had gone, when he suddenly heard a voice echoing in his head that nearly made him jump out of his skin.

Gar!

Gar glanced suspiciously around the darkened room before conceding that yes, he was hearing voices in his head. But more specifically...he furrowed his brow. More specifically a voice in his head that sounded incredibly like...

...Raven?

When there was no response, at first Gar thought he had just been kidding himself. Why the hell would he be hearing Raven's voice in his head?! He was just going crazy with the desperate wish that someone, anyone out there would come save his ass—because he certainly wasn't in any shape to do so himself. He sighed.

Gar? Gar, is that you?

Gar started. Raven??

It is you! Oh, god, I can't believe—where are you?

I don't know, it's too dark—WAIT, what the hell? What's going on?!

What? This? It's the link! The telepathic link we set!

...Oh, riiiiight. The telepathic liiiiink. Yeah, oookay—

Moron. Don't you remember? In the hospital.

Oh—OH! Right, right.

...

...This is kinda COOL!

Gar was pretty sure Raven was rolling her eyes. He had a feel for that, since she tended to do it whenever he was involved.

Suddenly the crackle of the intercom filled the room, and Gar's attention snapped back to his current situation. As he had been—uh, "talking" with Raven, the light had steadily grown dimmer. Now the room was almost completely dark, save for a faint glow emitting from behind a glass panel on the wall in front of Gar; most likely where Ragonu was hiding. A faint hiss sounded throughout the room. Gar narrowed his eyes.

"Ahaha, Logan, what's that endearing death glare for? I guess you've found me," Ragonu's voice sounded over the intercom, and the light from behind the glass began adjusting until Gar could see Ragonu, perched on a stool in some sort of—some sort of control room, it looked like. He could tell she was sitting in front of a computer monitor, and there were several buttons, flips, switches and whatnot on the wall behind her. Her creepy "pet" was squatted in one of the corners of the small room, its black visor pointed directly at Gar. Shuddering, Gar made a face at it.

Gar? Gar!

Gar started again. Huh? What?

I've been calling your name for a while now, but you weren't responding. Did something happen?

Gar blinked. Oh, er, um—sorry, I was...distracted for a minute.

...Try not to do that. You scared the hell out of me.

Gar blinked again. He scared Raven?

Listen, you need to focus—keep your thoughts directed towards me so I won't lose track of your presence.

What? How do I—what're you talking about?

I knew you wouldn't understand. Okay, I can sense your presence and I'm flying towards it right now—if you get distracted, it's harder for me to sense where you are and it'll take me longer to find you.

Find...me...you're on your way?! She told me Slade—

Yes, Slade attacked the Tower. Who told you that?

Ragonu. This chick that's got me, her name is Ragonu—she's INSANE, Rae—

Gar suddenly felt his heart jump, and stopped—a foreign, quick surge of happiness flowed through his mind. He frowned. What was...?

Well, Gar, supervillains do tend to run on the insane side.

Gar shook his head, even though Raven couldn't see him. No, it's not like that! I don't think she's anything but an insane woman! She knew my father, Rae—

There it was again. Foreign, quick, and happy—not as strong as the first but still there. He started to shift his weight some off a bruised foot. I swear she thinks I'M my father, it's really cree—ARGH! Shit!

What? Gar? GAR! What happened?

This time a strong surge of sickening fear flowed through Gar, consuming his mind for a second and making a cold sweat pop up on the back of his neck. Gar dragged in a rugged breath, trying to ignore the unpleasant needles left behind by the white-hot pain that had run up his side when he moved too much. Sorry, Raven, I think I've got a broken rib or two. Shouldn't've moved.

Damn. What'd she do to you?

Gar felt his face heat at least ten degrees in the darkness, a mixture of embarrassment and disgust rising in his gut. Time to change the subject. Ahaha—you know, Raven, I think you might be transmitting a few of your emotions through this link...

Silence for a moment. So are you. What'd she DO to you?

Look, can we talk about this later?!

Fine...are you in an old warehouse?

How would I know? I told you, it's completely dark in here!

Right. Sorry.

Gar wrinkled his nose, trying to calm the itch that had started on its tip. He laid the back of his head against the pole behind him, staring up into the darkness.

Rae. Hey Raaaeee. Rae, Rae, Rae. Rae-rae.

WHAT?

...Nothing. I just didn't know how much you loved me calling you that, Rae!

A surge of hot embarrassment filled Gar's body. He snickered.

YOU—YOU—

Calm down, Rae! No, actually, wait—calm down, Rae-rae!

GARFIELDLOGAN. We WILL talk about this later.

Gar felt his lip split as he cracked a grin, despite the current state of things. Haha, sorry Rae, I couldn't resist!! Go easy on me, plea—

"AAAAAAARRRUUUGGHHH!! AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The scream that tore from Gar's lips as his back arched and his body convulsed was brutal, and multiplied a hundred times over in his mind.

GAR!

The pain was immense, tearing, and searing, everywhere all over his body at once, blinding his senses to where both his screams aloud and Raven's screams in his mind did not reach him. Blood speckled his chin only to evaporate off, his dry lips splitting open again and again as his mouth grew wider with his agony.

...And then, it was over, just as instantly as it had begun. Gar continued screaming for a moment longer, before his throat closed off and he was gasping for air. Wha...? What...?

GAR! Dear GOD, ANSWER ME!

Rae, he thought weakly as his body collapsed against itself, his fingers and eyelids twitching, mouth flopped open. He felt like jelly. It still hurt, everywhere, GOD it hurt EVERYWHERE...!

"Oh dear, looks like I nearly overdid it." Ragonu's voice cackled over the intercom, full of twisted mirth. "But you didn't look like you were paying attention to me, Logan darling, and so I though a jolt to the sense would do you some good. I do hate being ignored."

Gar gasped in pain, forcing himself to look at Ragonu as she smiled cruelly. Did she just electrocute him?

"Oh, but don't worry about dying too soon, Logan," Ragonu purred into the intercom. "My nanomeds are surrounding you, are probably inside of you by now, and they'll let me know if I'm pushing too hard. Now onto what I was saying before."

Gar's eyelids fluttered. Nanomeds...the hiss he'd heard! So, she was monitoring his vitals in the control room.

"I have quite a time planned out for us tonight, Logan." Ragonu's voice was eerily cheerful—if she were five she would've been skipping around in a circle. "I'm rather excited. It got rather boring in Africa, although I pretended the monkey was you, and I was so anxious to see your precious face. But once I saw, of course..." She clicked her tongue, chuckled throatily.

"Well, you know what they say—keeping the hunger at bay only makes one more ferocious."

Gar felt the shock coming as hair all over his body stood on end a split second before scorching agony, once more, hit. He knew his screams were inhuman, although he couldn't hear them. And then, of course, as quickly as it began it stopped—Gar whimpered pitifully, twitching.

GAR! I'm in the warehouse where I feel your presence but nothing's here. Nobody's HERE! Help me, Gar!! Where ARE you?!

Suddenly, with a small click a blinding light surrounded Gar, making him yelp feebly and squeeze his eyes against the burning white light.

Raven's voice in his head...sounded so far away...he lay still for a while longer, head buzzing, before cracking his eyes open. Gar blinked as his watering eyes adjusted to the harsh light causing tears to leak down his face. Slowly shapes and shadows came into focus, albeit a swimming and foggy focus, and Gar realized he wasn't in a room.

He was in a glass box.

Well, not a box, exactly. More like a really small room, the size of a large closet, made of glass. More like a large cage really. A large, glass cage.

Outside was the control room Ragonu was sitting in, made of some sort of metal. And beyond that...a huge room, with huge, hanging florescent-light lamps swaying, which had been dark before but now shone brilliantly. The room was at least the size of half a football field, with no windows or door. Well, only one door, at the far end of the room atop a long flight of stairs.

Rae. Hey, Rae...

Gar??

...I think I'm in the basement.

"Really," Ragonu's voice crackled over the intercom again, "it was a shame it only took me a couple years to discover and unfold what your father meddled in and fretted over for decades. To undo in mere seconds what your father sweat over for weeks with the life of his son at stake. Because now it's all over and done with so quickly..."

Gar could barely focus on the words, but...to undo...?

And that was when the ceiling crashed down.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted as he brought his staff down atop Cinderblock's head, just managing to dodge the cement-morphing fist the mutant threw at him. "To your left!"

Starfire turned and aimed her laser-vision to her left, vaporizing the acidic loogie Plasmus had hacked at her.

"Oi," Kid Flash gasped from his position of defending Robin and Cyborg while they battled Cinderblock and Plasmus. Sweat beaded around his eyes and on his upper lip, and his legs were beginning to feel the burn. "How much longer...are we gonna hafta keep this up?!"

Robin frowned as he dodged Cinderblock yet again. He knew the rest of the team wasn't much better off than Kid Flash—Starfire was getting sloppy with her marksmanship, Cyborg was still mentally exhausted from his previous night of hacker-tracing antics, and Robin himself wasn't at his height either. Not to mention they'd been holding off Slade's minions for the better part of an hour now. And speaking of Slade...Robin was honestly surprised the villain hadn't tried to pick on him, or any of the other Titans, for the past almost-an-hour. No snide marks...nothing.

Hence, instead of answering Kid Flash: "SLADE! I know you're still here!!" Robin shouted into the darkness of the battle. He threw a couple of birdarangs at Cinderblock for cover. "What is this?! What game are you playing?!"

There was no answer for a second, and Robin almost cursed. But then, that haunting laughter echoed through the ears of the battling teens.

"Why Robin, I thought you seemed to be enjoying yourself down there. You do like a challenge, don't you?"

"SLADE!"

"It looks as if Ragonu's work is proving to be quite the masterpiece. For a moment there, I almost thought of letting them finish you off."

Robin ground his teeth, and rolled to avoid another of Cinderblock's attacks before leaping and landing a rather ineffective blow with his staff. Ragonu...that name sounded familiar. But what the hell was Slade talking about?!

"Then again..."

Suddenly a shadow landed beside Robin, and he was sent sprawling away from Cinderblock. The shadow cracked its knuckles, laughing menacingly and sauntering towards the fallen Robin. Cinderblock moved his full attention onto Cyborg. Robin managed to pick himself and dodge Slade before another hit could take the breath out of him.

"...that would take all the fun out of it for me, wouldn't it? I'm so glad you brought that to my attention."

For a few heart-hammering seconds, Gar was sure he had finally reached the end as dust billowed into the basement along with raining slabs of cement and plaster. The whole room seemed to shake, and Gar squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the glass around him to shatter and pierce his body, as tons of broken cement crushed him into nothingness. However, after the abrupt rumbling of the room had stopped and nothing seemed to be piercing or crushing his body, Gar cautiously cracked open an eye—and found a pretty impressive sight.

Raven hovered overhead amidst the flying dust and dirt, facing the control room, hands raised, and every single piece of rubble halted in midair, encased in black energy. She hung in the air for a second longer, before giving a flick of one of her wrists.

The control room was instantly buried.

Gar's eyes were now completely open, and wide at that. He didn't even realize for a few moments now Raven had been standing outside the glass, pounding on it furiously with her fists and calling his name.

"Gar! Are you alright?"

Her voice was slightly muffled, but he could still hear her.

"Stay low to the ground."

What? Well, whatever. Like he had a choice...

His vision darkened without warning and Gar nearly panicked until he realized it was due to the obsidian energy covering every inch of glass around him. Gar's eyes grew considerably bigger as a loud splintering crack sounded, and Raven's magic carefully discarded what was left of the shattered and demolished glass cage in a heap a safe couple of meters away. Gar barely had time to ogle at the act, however, before he felt a shadow fall across him again. This time, very Raven-shaped.

"Gar."

"Raven," he called weakly, and he found himself buried in the folds of purple-blue cape as slim arms snaked quickly around his limp body and held him fiercely. He held back a hiss of pain as Raven's warm body pressed against his wounds, instead hiding his face in Raven's hair as she hid her face in his neck.

They remained like that, hearts pounding against each other's chests, for a sweet moment before Raven pulled anxiously away, holding Gar at arm's length as she began to silently inspect the damage. Gar dazedly watched Raven's eyebrows draw together and a dangerous light glint in her eyes as they traveled down his torso, only for her face to erupt in a full-blown, extremely flushed blush when her eyes traveled a little too low. Her gaze immediately jerked back to Gar's face. A light bulb in one of the slightly swinging lights overhead exploded with a shower of sparks.

He chuckled faintly, cracking a tired grin despite the sharp pain and wetness that signified his lips had crack yet again. He felt dizzy. "Sorry, Rae, I should've...should've warned you the party was...X-rated."

A vein in Raven's forehead throbbed even though her cheeks were still pink. "That's nothing to joke about," she growled. She carefully reached behind Gar and with a wave of her hand his wrists, though raw and bruised, were free.

"Can you stand?" Raven asked, unclasping her cape from around her shoulders and moving it to Gar's.

Gar hugged the cape around himself, still leaning heavily on the pole behind him. "I...I'm not sure." He grunted, and attempted to steady himself in a standing upright position—until the world suddenly swam around him, and he was falling forward towards the floor. "Gya!"

Gar squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the impact—an impact that never came. Instead, he felt a cold hand grasp at his arm frantically and then he was being pulled backwards until he collided with Raven, and she was clutching his shoulders again, but this time keeping him upright as he collapsed against her. "Gar!"

"Ah...I guess that's a no," Gar gasped, swallowing his dizziness down. Something was really wrong; it felt wrong in the pit of his stomach. He leaned into Raven, trying to get rid of the sense of vertigo that seemed to be coming over him.

"Well. This is...definitely not what I had in mind," Gar breathed. He could sense Raven's confused look without having to turn towards her face. "You know, I always wanted to be the knight in shining...shining armor. But it kind of...turned around on me." He looked up at Raven's face, and tried to ignore the worry and fear echoing in the back of her piercing, navy orbs. "No fair." He cracked a smile, and succeeded at bringing on another violent coughing fit.

"Gar?" Raven's panicked voice cut through his hacks and wheezes as she gripped his shaking body tighter, at the same time shifting his weight so she could feel his face with the back of one of her hands. "You're—you're burning up. We have to get you out of here..."

Gar's coughs subsided, and he struggled to lift himself up more before freezing completely. Somewhere in the background, the clatter of loose debris falling sounded in the silence. His eyes locked on Raven's, and he smiled again gently before slowly bringing up a trembling hand to brush against her cheek softly. Her eyes widened as she found herself pulled into those forest green depths, unexpectedly swimming with tears.

"Yeah...I thought..." He caressed her face lightly. "For a moment there, I...thought I'd never see you again before I..."

And without warning his lips were crashing into hers, burning with a feverish heat, passion, and desperation that took Raven completely by surprise. His brow was furrowed with an anguish she didn't recognize, and she could do nothing but hold him up as one arm encircled her waist, the other still cupping her face. Without thinking much, Raven closed her eyes and accepted the kiss, returning it even, ignoring the emotions running rampant through her head and the crackling energy inside threatening to break loose. Something wet on her cheek distracted her, and Raven cracked open an eye to see tears running freely down Gar's face.

Delicately, Raven broke the kiss. The two stared breathlessly at each other for a moment before embracing each other again, Gar letting out a strangled, "Rae!"

"I'm here." Raven felt her own eyes tearing up, but also a peace beginning somewhere in the abyss of herself that soothed and put the roaring, crackling energy to rest. "You're still here. I'm here. We're here."

Gar nodded into Raven's shoulder. "We're here," he echoed quietly.

For now, he was still here.

Carefully Raven slipped Gar's arm around her shoulder so she could help him walk him over to a particularly large chunk of ceiling to sit him down. "I'm going to try to fix those ribs of yours and your burns before teleporting to the hospital. You won't make it through my dimension in this condition, so—"

With no warning, a black streak came out of nowhere and slammed into Raven, effectively sending Raven and Gar sprawling—in opposite directions.

Gar hit the ground hard, rolling and scraping along the floor, wincing. Every bump and touch felt hypersensitive and uncomfortable, as if sandpaper were grinding against his skin. When he came to a stop, he was panting and the world was spinning worse than ever before. Something akin to sour bile rose in the back of his throat. Gar groaned.

"You!"

At the sound of Raven's cry, Gar drowsily lifted his head—and his heart nearly stopped when he saw her being held at knifepoint by Ragonu's strange henchman. Raven was glaring at it like she wanted to rip its head off, seemingly unaware of her dangerous situation save for the fact that she wasn't actually ripping its head off. Yet.

"Well, well, well," a voice all too familiar purred silkily, the harsh click of stilettos growing slowly closer to where Gar lay. Panicking, shuddering uncontrollably, Gar tried to get up to no avail—all the strength seemed to be seeping from his limbs. The advancing footsteps stopped. "Logan, I didn't say this little date we were having was open to invitation."

Nails dug into his scalp as a hand gripped his hair, yanking his head up and off the floor to meet the blinding light of the swaying lamps above and the crazed, coal-black gaze of Ragonu. She laughed wickedly in his face. "But, she seems to know my pet—so maybe they can keep each other company while we play some, hmmm?"

She laughed again.

The clink of steel blocking steel sounded as Slade blocked yet another attack by Robin. The Boy Wonder dodged the counterattack and landed neatly a few feet away, breathing heavily.

"What is this, Slade? Who's Ragonu? Why do you know about Beast Boy?"

Slade chuckled. "So many questions, Robin. It's always interrogation with you."

Robin simmered. "RAGH!!"

Slade dodged the kick, and brought and hand down on the back of Robin's neck, causing the boy to choke and stumble, though he quickly rolled out of range. Slade smirked under his mask. "In answer to your questions: my aim is always the same in your respect, Robin. To break up the Titans, and break you. Ragonu was merely my ticket to do so this time around. And honestly, Robin, what do I not know?"

"You planned all of this from the start, didn't you?!"

Slade ducked a punch thrown by Robin. "I planned? I'm flattered, Robin—you give me too much credit. I simply took advantage of the situation, as good criminals do."

"What do you mean?" Robin snarled.

Slade's explanation was cut short when the Tower suddenly shook rather violently.

"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHRRRR!"

Cinderblock's roar echoed off the walls of the Tower, causing both Robin and Slade to pause in their combat. For the roar wasn't one of anger or triumph, or even savagery—instead, it sounded distinctly of horrified confusion and pain.

Following the cry almost instantly was a terrified shriek—one that sounded distinctly of—

"Starfire!"

All thoughts of getting information out of Slade fled Robin's mind as he immediately ran towards the direction of Starfire's scream—and surprisingly, Slade let him go.

"Starfire!" Robin cried again as he came into view of the ongoing battle; or at least what had been ongoing. Now, much to Robin's relief, all the remaining Titans were lined up against a shaky-looking wall, uninjured and apparently fine—aside from the absolute looks of shock and repulsion painted on their faces. Cyborg's eyes were wide and his mouth open, Starfire's eyes were as big as saucers and her hands covered her mouth, and Kid Flash...well, Kid Flash look like he had just swallowed sour milk.

After assessing his team's condition, Robin deemed it time to look at what exactly was so ghastly—and regretted doing so when he did.

What Robin guessed had used to be both Cinderblock and Plasmus was now a collective and moaning mound of heavy, cement-textured, yet purple-greenish, goo. Moving goo, too. But moving rather pathetically. And still somehow managing to burn holes through the floor.

"What the...?" Robin was pretty sure his face looked very much akin to his comrades.

"What?" Slade's voice echoed sinisterly from above, sounding none too pleased. "What is this...? Ragonu...!"

Robin pulled his eyes from the villainous disaster in front of him, blindly glancing around for any signs of his archenemy—though his heart wasn't really in it—looking at anything other than the gooey, glowing mess in front of him was pretty difficult—

"Titans, you have the pleasure of escaping my attention yet again for now. Please do give the demon girl and...previous...shape-shifter my regards." Slade's voice grew fainter and Robin growled in frustration. "Oh, well—that is if you see them alive again."

A menacing laugh echoed through the now destroyed Tower, and Slade was gone.

The Titans stayed silent for all of three seconds before Cyborg pointed at the glowing, groaning sludge and burst out, "You mean we have to clean up that shit?!"

No one answered him. Instead, Robin asked, "Yeah...what happened here?"

Silence, again, before everyone tried to explain at once.

"MAN, it was crazy—"

"I was just minding my own business, fighting the freaking robots—"

"There was this most dreadful scream—"

"And then BAM—they liquefied, there's no other word for it—"

"Melted, like in The Wizard of Oz, you know—"

"Most horrifying, Robin, it was—!"

"Wait," Robin broke into all the explanations. "You're telling me they just...dissolved into this or something?"

The other three Titans looked at each other, and then nodded in unison.

"Oooookay."

All four Titans looked at the slime-pile of used-to-be-villains. It was still moving.

"Right...so Cyborg, get some back-up on the line to help us with this. We gotta go after Raven and Beast Boy."

Gar struggled to keep his terrified gaze focused on Raven, eyes drooping from exhaustion and fever. The light glinting on the knife made the sharpness of the edge all too real as it pressed against Raven's neck, making a frightening indent on her pale skin. I can't pass out now, I can't pass out now, Gar told his rebelling, fading body. Raven's...she's...Rae's in trouble! I have to—!

"You do have the rudest friends, Logan," Ragonu commented lightly from above Gar, still gripping his scalp and head. "Dropping tons of rubble on top of the hostess is no way to make an entrance at the party. Good thing my little theater box was steel-enforced, and not so easily crushed."

"You...leave Rae out of this..." Gar managed weakly, drawing in rasping breaths.

Ragonu looked down at Gar as if she was seeing him for the first time. "Oh? The damsel has a name?"

Gar expected some snide remark to follow, but Ragonu remained silent, focusing her dark eyes on Raven, seeming lost in distant thoughts.

"I don't know who you are," Raven called from across the debris, tendrils of anger beginning to seep into her voice, "but you're the cause of all this, aren't you?"

Belatedly, Ragonu registered Raven was speaking to her and after a slight delay chose to laugh wickedly rather than acknowledge the accusation with a direct answer. "Foolish bitch!"

The lights above flickered forebodingly; a dangerous hum resonated through the air. The knife wavered some as Raven's hair suddenly began floating, the edges of her eyes turning red. "Tell me if you value your lives: what game is this you're playing?"

Any mirth left Ragonu's face in an instant at Raven's words, a murderous intent rolling off her as her black eyes darkened. She dug her nails further into Gar's scalp, causing him to cry out. "Game? What game am I playing?" she spat.

She peered down at Gar again, with an expression of utterly demented disdain. Then she darted out her other hand, grabbed his neck, and began to squeeze.

"The same game this BASTARD world decided to play with ME!"

When Raven saw Ragonu's hand squeezing Gar's throat, she did not think. She did not hesitate. She did not panic. She reacted.

In a blink of an eye, Ragonu's pet was flying through the air, being pummeled in midair further and further back by black energy until it smashed into a wall, going at least thirty miles an hour. The impact smacked loudly throughout the room, and the figure crumpled into a heap on the floor. Within another instant, Raven was floating in the air before it, tentacles of obsidian energy crackling around her, three pairs of red, demonic eyes glowing heinously as they glared down. All six eyes narrowed, and then suddenly the figure was buried in black-encased debris. All the debris lifted up again. The figure twitched. The debris slammed down again. Up. Slam. Up. Slam. Up. Slam. Up...

The helmet was crushed and cracked open. The body was splayed at odd angles and broken. Something wet and pinkish was inside. Whatever it had been, it hadn't been human. Now it wasn't moving.

The debris slammed down again.

Bloody eyes turned towards Ragonu, who was still squeezing Gar's neck. He struggled weakly.

It takes nine seconds to choke a person.

It had been six seconds.

All six eyes narrowed again. Black energy surrounded an oblivious Ragonu's wrists.

A sharp crack sounded.

"AAUUGGGH!"

Ragonu launched herself away from Gar, pain twisting her face and her wrists hanging limply, dangling—at odd angles. Gar collapsed onto his knees, coughing and wheezing. And then, Ragonu was sent flying.

She landed with a thud and a shriek, sliding, skidding and rolling until she came to a stop. Moaning, she curled into a fetal position. Dirt and blood covered her, new scrapes and gashes present from her flight. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. "No," she groaned, as if possessed. She rose to a crouch and shakily stood, only to come face-to-face with the red eyes of Raven. Ragonu stared. Her face morphed into a snarl of wrath and frenzy, a wild light in her eyes.

"NO!" she screeched, and lunged—past Raven, and back towards Gar.

Before she could take two steps, she was flung again...this time straight into the pile of glass shards.

"ARRGHHHH! AAAH!"

Ragonu's screams echoed like the harsh sound of her body hurtling into the glass. Blood oozed from cuts and gashes as the shards buried into her skin, splintering and piercing. "NO!" She screeched once more, gurgling slightly. Scarlet stained various parts of her clothes, slowly spreading. Tinkling and scratching sounded as she heavily got on all fours, attempting to stand but only staggering and falling back. Red eyes glared down at her. She coughed and spat blood. A lot of blood.

"NOOO!" she more or less moaned. "I loved him! I LOVED HIM! All he stood for, I stood for! And then they...! Bastards, BASTARDS! In the end I...! TAKE HIM! Take him. Aha. HA. HAHAHA. I took from HIM. RUINED. LOOK AT HOW RUINED YOU ARE. Like me, finally like me. Look at you, LOOK AT YOU!"

Her eyes were wide, wild and deadly, like those of an excited predator, but unfocused and cloudy. She was, however, looking towards Gar.

"You will die like this, DIE! The same way I did ALL THOSE YEARS AGO! YOU KILLED ME! You...killed me...you...killed me...but now..."

Her voice was quieting, fading. She coughed up blood again, made a feeble move as if to get up, but to no avail.

"Now...it's YOUR TURN! FILTTH! You...you will rot...I will see you rot, ROT! DIE! Die. Die, die, die, die, die...die...die...die...die—"

Her eyes rolled. Her voice was a deadbeat whisper.

"Die..."

Her head fell to her chest and her body slumped.

All was silent.

Raven stood there, facing the now-still Ragonu buried in the glass, and lowered her arms, eyes strong but no longer crimson.

All was silent.

She turned away, mouth set in a firm, grim line, and rushed over to Gar.

"Gar," Raven breathed as she knelt by his trembling form. He was wheezing quietly. She carefully got him into a sitting position, and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. "Gar, are you still with me?"

Gar nodded numbly, although Raven's voice was muffled and distant, like she was talking to him through water. His body was hot, so hot. His breath came in short, sharp bursts and his throat seemed to constrict more with each breath, like Ragonu hadn't stopped choking him, like her incredibly strong, cold and clammy hands where still wrapped around his windpipe, crushing—

S-stop, Gar reprimanded himself somewhere out of the deliria he could feel overcoming him. Look, Rae's lips are moving, she's talking...focus on what she's saying FOCUS.

Raven stopped speaking and Gar weakly nodded his head again, as if he had heard and understood whatever she had said—he vaguely registered her reaching for her Titan communicator on her belt, saying something into it, listening to it; Gar tried to support more of his own weight, so her hands were more free to work the gadget. His fingers brushed against a large chunk of cement, about the size of his hand. He poked it absently, squinting and turning his head upwards. Why had it just gotten like a million times brighter in here? He laughed softly, whoever was turning up the lights wasn't very nice, it was hurting his head—that shadow looming over Raven was almost a relief—

His thoughts froze and body jolted.

Ragonu's face was twisted, leering and estranged as she prepared to bring the glinting, jagged dagger of glass down into the unsuspecting Raven's back.

"RAAAAAYRHHGGG!"

Both Gar's battle cry and Ragonu's crazed scream of pain sounded as one as Gar grabbed the chunk of cement, used Raven's shoulder to push himself up, and slammed the rock into Ragonu's head with all his strength.

In that split second after the rock connected, as the glass shard clattered to the ground, as both bodies fell—Gar's into Raven's waiting arms, Ragonu's with a harsh thump to the ground—their eyes connected. And in those coal-black depths, underneath the crazed lunacy, there was something more.

A look of betrayal. Of pathetic hurt, and of a desperately broken faith.

And then it was gone.

When Gar's body crashed down atop Raven, it was all she could do to catch him, and then immediately duck away and out of reach from Ragonu's body.

"Raven?!" Robin's voice crackled over the communicator held tightly in Raven's left hand. "What was that scream? Are you guys alright?!"

Raven didn't respond to Robin's yell for a minute. She stared at the body lying in front of her.

"Is she dead?"

Raven almost jumped at the sound of Gar's voice, as hoarse and dry as it sounded. He was pretty much draped across her, and Raven was sure the only reason he was upright was because she was supporting him. He seemed as if he was about to fall apart at the joints. He faced over Raven's shoulder with his eyes closed.

Raven looked at Ragonu's frozen face, her eyes wide but unblinking and unseeing. The way one eye was crunched and raised unnaturally, the temple next to it split and oozing, and the surrounding area purple.

"Yeah." Raven swallowed. "She's dead."

"RAVEN!"

Raven cleared her throat. "Robin! We're fine," Raven said into the communicator.

"We're in the warehouse now! We're headed towards the basement door!"

"...Watch out. There's a hole in the ground."

"What? ...Oh."

Raven gave a tiny smile. She could hear faint shouts and footsteps from up above.

"Gar?" She shifted Gar in her arms, made sure his back was kept to Ragonu's body. "Gar, hang in there, the other Titans are coming."

Gar looked up at her, his eyes clouded and shining feverishly. "The others...?"

"Yes, they're coming now." Raven frowned a bit, her brow furrowing. His breaths were way too shallow and short, he was burning up, his lips and mouth looked awfully dry, and he was awfully pale...

"Hey," he whispered chidingly, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He raised a shaking hand, and caressed gently one of her cheeks with his thumb. "Don't...make that f-face."

A pained look flashed across Raven's face, but then it was gone. "Right. Let's get you up."

As soon as they had eased to standing up and facing the staircase on the far end of the basement, Gar clinging to Raven with one arm around her neck as she supported the rest of his weight on her hip and holding his waist, the door to the basement exploded open and shouts echoed throughout the room.

"Raven!"

Raven's head snapped up. "Robin! Hurry!"

Robin started bounding down the stairs followed closely by lots of people in uniforms, both blue and lab-coat white. Cyborg and Kid Flash appeared at the door not a moment later, followed by a fraught-looking Steve Dayton. Starfire suddenly appeared flying down through the hole in the ceiling with a cry of indignation at the sight of her worse-for-wear friends.

Eagerly, Raven stepped forward. Head pounding and still in a haze, Gar made to step forward too...and felt his stomach drop as the world titled sharply. Gar's arm slipped from around Raven's neck, and his body from her tired grasp. The world flashed an unbelievably bright white as Gar fell, then back so Gar could glimpse all the frantic, panicked, fearful, and dread-filled faces of his loved ones as he collapsed to the ground...especially Raven's...

"Rae..."

Gar managed to mouth three words.

The world went black.

All was silent.