Hello everyone. I am so very sorry for the delay but unfortunately, i work in retail in these can be THE most stressful days of the entire year as my schedule has been out of whack. But, to compensate, i made this chapter a bit long, i hope you enjoy.

Wont keep you anymore and if by some reason i cant update before Christmas, I wish you all Happy Holidays in advance.

Chapter 53. Nightmares.

"… Gar, that baby is not yours" Leonore said. Garfield gasped and Meliah stepped forward.

"Are you sure? " Meliah asked quietly,

"Are you absolutely positive?" Garfield said, finally out of his shock. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

" I'm sorry, I had my suspicions but I wanted to run some more tests to be sure. On a normal day, without you being exposed to the drug, your sperm would have found a way to overcome her exposure and surely you would have been able to get her pregnant but, since your entire metabolism was dormant at the time of intercourse, you were only shooting blanks"

There was certain relief on everyone, especially Meliah who's face slowly softened with a smile. She was happy to say the least as she was no longer burdened with ruining Garfield's and Raven's young relationship and let out a relieved sigh.

Raven also felt relieved because, even though she had made peace with her future husband being the father of another woman's baby, the fact that he wasn't after all, made all the difference in the world. Of course she would never dance around and rub it on Meliah's face but she was truly, deeply happy that he will no longer have other connection with her other than their friendship and she could live with that.

Garfield however, could only smile politely. He was torn between jumping around the room, making cartwheels as he went and hurting his friend's feelings because now, there was only one other candidate and he didn't know how would that turn out. But, if he was truly honest with himself, there was something else that nagged at his heart that suddenly made him feel empty but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Did you hear that Raven? Now, I will no longer be in the way" said Meliah with a smile.

"Meliah, I never …"

"Its ok Raven, I'm actually happy for the news. It was killing me knowing that I could ruin what has cost you two so much to achieve"

There was silence for a moment and the others decided to give the trio some privacy but as they made their way to the door, Robin looked around and noticed someone missing.

"Where's Michael?" he asked out loud to no one in particular. Everyone looked around and realized the thief was no where to be found. A low growl broke the silence and everyone turned in its direction. Garfield was huffing and puffing, hands balled into fists, barely containing his anger.

"That scumbag! I will find him and he will take responsibility" he said as he started to walk towards the door.

"Gar… Where are you going? Why…" Meliah tried to say but he didn't let her.

"No Meliah… I know that if I wasn't the father, he is the only other one to blame."

"Garfield!" Meliah tried again, her voice rising.

"How dare he disappear at a moment like this… wait until I find him…" Garfield kept on walking, even Raven moved out of his way as the others dispersed as well, but another growl just as feral was heard and Meliah came around and firmly put her hand on his chest to stop him and came face to face with sneers and bared fangs.

"Garfield Mark Logan will you shut up already and listen to me… let it be. I don't want anyone to be with me out of responsibility"

"How can you say that M? He seduced you… he…"

"He didn't seduce me. I seduced him…" Meliah yelled, that took Garfield by surprise "How do you know anyway?"

"He told me"

"He did? Why?" Meliah said with suspicion.

"Because he heard you say out loud that you were pregnant, ok? Look, I don't care how it happened, the fact is it did and now he has to face the consequences." he said and tried to get passed her.

"No!… My child. My decision"

"Meliah…" he said her name quietly, all anger gone. Meliah's features softened at his shock.

"Look Gar, even if it was yours the same thing applies. I would've preferred no one knew and if it wasn't for this wretched condition I would've left before any of this got out of hand"

"M… what your saying?…you want to die? ?" with disbelief in his voice and more hurt that he could contain.

Meliah sighed while she shook her head. "Gar, all I'm saying is that I don't expect anything from anyone… I didn't lie when I told you he was a gentleman with me when we first met… a bit too much if you ask me… I guess I was too much of an animal…"

"Ok everyone, that's enough excitement for one day and my patient needs to rest" Said Leonore, trying to defuse the tension in the room. When Garfield tried to reach out for Meliah however, Leo gently pushed him away and silently shook her head no. "Out everyone… off you go" .

Everyone got out and from the door they watched the changeling walk away and the farther away he got, his shoulder slumped further. Raven made an attempt to go after him but a heavy, metal hand gently placed on her shoulder stopped her.

"I got it Rae" said Cyborg with a smile and left after their green friend.

…

…

Robin walked in the common room with Raven and Starfire who, as soon they enter the kitchen, started to prepare something to eat while the other two sat at the table. Raven sat quietly and turned her face to the window which she realized it was no longer broken. She looked around the common room for the first time since entering and noticed it had been repaired completely as if it had never been destroyed.

"The crew Rita sent did an incredible job repairing the tower in such short time" commented Raven.

"Yes, they did… Raven? …Are you ok? I thought you might be thrilled knowing that your boyfriend is no longer the primary father candidate for Meliah's baby." asked Robin, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together mimicking Raven's pose. Raven locked eyes with him for a moment before looking away with a sigh.

"I am…" she said and got up and started to walk away.

"But?" Robin asked, prompting her to continue. Raven stopped and slightly looked over her shoulder and said "I'm just not sure Gar is anymore" and walked into a portal that vanished a second later.

"I am concerned about our friends" said Starfire as she approached the table with a tray. She handed him a cup of coffee and she started to glide away with the tray in her hands.

"Star, where are you going? I don't think the others are hungry anymore"

Starfire turned around in the air and with a smile she said "Robin, Slade might be our prisoner but he's also entitled to eat"

"Then let me come with you. I don't want you to go alone anywhere near him. Even if he's inside the force field"

"It is not necessary Robin. For what you've told me, he will not try to do anything to me at this time" and with that, she flew away without waiting for a response.

When she arrived at the lower level where Slade was kept captive, she found him standing, his back to the door and hands behind his back. Starfire silently glided and set the tray on a small counter on the side of the force field and pressed a button. The tray sank a few inches into the surface and a small window opened while she pushed the tray inside. Once the window closed, she started to glide away.

"You know princess, I cannot help but admire how different you and your sister are. She's just as evil as you are good" Slade said as he turn slowly on his heel to face the departing princess and swiftly glanced at the tray. A bowl of fruit cut in pieces, a plate with a stack of bacon, sausage and eggs and a steaming cup of tea. All part of the breakfast Cyborg had prepared earlier.

"Yes, we are different but no matter how many worlds apart we are, physically and in character, I will always love her for she is my only sister… do you … have any siblings, Slade. Or family of your own?" she asked hesitant. Not really sure why would she be compelled to strike a conversation with the villain.

"No" he plainly said and took a few steps towards the table where the tray was and tentatively picked up the mug and took a sip. He immediately liked the taste. It was soothing and sweet.

"No siblings. I no longer have a family and my children want nothing to do with me" he said and took another sip of the beverage.

"I did not know you are a father. Do you miss them?" Starfire asked innocently as she slowly approached the cell. He looked at her over the mug and after another sip, placed it back on the tray.

"Why are you really here, princess?" his tone was cold and his eye was narrowed with suspicion.

"Forgive me. I did not mean to intrude" she said with a solemn expression and caught him glancing at the food "Please, you do not need to worry, the food has not been tampered with and I can assure you is quite delicious" she said and once again, started to glide away and right before she got out the door she heard him say a quiet "Thank you" . she stopped and looked over her shoulder and nodded once before flying out of the room while the villain tasted his food.

…

…

Cyborg had looked all over the tower for Beast Boy. He wasn't in his room or the roof or even in the common room where he thought he might have been frying his eyes, playing video games. No, of all the places, he found him in the least expected. The gym.

Garfield on the other hand, had been looking for the elusive thief relying on his sense of smell but soon gave up on that since his suit guarded him from everyone of the members of the team. Robin had designed it of course all those years ago and having in mind he didn't want to be discovered by his friends he had reinforced the wretched suit. The cape was able to withstand great amounts of heat and even dispelled Cyborg's sonic cannon blasts and Starfire's star bolts. Even his mask protected him from Raven's empathic powers and that's why she never knew who was behind it and of course, Robin is too agile for him to even get a punch close enough in animal form or otherwise.

So, after failed attempts of finding the man and all the penned up energy and anger he still had bottled up, he decided to do what Robin seems to find so relaxing. The Gym. Big enough for an army with enough equipment of all kind and sizes according to the team's needs. Robin had made sure everyone had at least a couple of rounds on each section just so everyone knew their limits and not hurt themselves or others.

Star's and Cyborg's areas where were the real heavy work was. Certain equipment had seemed simple enough, like the one the metal man liked to use. It looked like the one football players used in the field to practice. The one where they shove their bodies full force in an attempt to tackle their opponents, but, given the fact of the unearthly strength both of his teammates possessed, the machine posed more than enough resistance.

He then decided to go to Robin's. it was a mix of acrobat/martial arts boot camp drill training the boy wonder followed every early morning or rather anytime and more than once, Raven had gone through it as well due to Robin's insistence of her being able to defend herself and not depend so much on her powers.

He knew Robin used it to blow steam but after half hour of free style punching and kicking, he realized how liberating that was. It took his mind away from the current events as the soreness of his muscles started to be painful.

Cyborg watched how his friend let out his frustration and anger on the punching bags and other obstacles he found in his way. As he saw him wind down and settle for a punching bag in a corner, he walked to the changeling and grabbed the back side of the bag to keep it steady. Each punch was delivered with precision and determination and as he picked up momentum once more, Cyborg had to really hold his ground as the final punch was so strong and fast Beast Boy was able to push him back.

Cyborg peeked around the bag to make sure his friend was still there.

"You alright there?"

"… yeah" Gar said and walked over to a bench nearby, sat down and grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off his forehead and neck.

"What's the matter grass stein. I thought you might be happy about the news" asked Cyborg as he sat down next to his friend.

"I am… its just…never mind, you wouldn't understand" said Garfield and got up.

"Try me. Just because I'm half robot, doesn't mean I don't understand feelings… c'mon man, something's eating at you, I can tell"

"I'm sorry dude, I know, its just that…I don't know…you might laugh" Garfield said as he rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat embarrassed but he sat back down.

"Whatever has you like this is no laughing matter man, now, tell me what's the matter?"

"well, at first I was freaking out about M being pregnant because for a moment I thought I would lose Raven but then, she accepted the fact that the baby was mine and well, I guess I was thrilled, but when Leo said there was no way it was mine, something inside me shattered. And when I realized that Michael was gone, it made me angry beyond reason. I looked for him everywhere but when I didn't find him, it made me angrier, so I came here and I realized that… it wasn't only the fact that the scumbag was gone but… I… think I was used to the idea of …becoming a dad"

He looked at his friend almost sheepishly as if expecting him to burst out laughing but instead, his eyes were soft and a slightly arched eyebrow told him his friend wasn't expecting that answer but was quickly replaced by a slight frown.

"Then it's a good thing Rae has already said yes. Soon you'll have not only the girl you've been fantasizing about for years but you'll also have all the kids you want. Have you told her yet?"

"No dude, I don't think I will… at least not yet and you have to promise me you'll not breath a word of this to anyone, especially Raven" he said as he got up to faced his friend.

"But why not. It makes all the sense in the world"

"No man, I don't want to pressure her in any way. I promised her I wasn't expecting her to marry me in less than a year. She just said yes to my proposal, but, we have never, ever discussed kids… she thought a marriage proposal at this time was a monumental decision to make… dude, imagine what she'll say if I even mention kids of our own"

"Don't you think it would be a good time to do that now?"

"No, not the time. Too much going on…" Garfield said and sat back down, threw the towel over his shoulder and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"Have you considered that maybe kids had already crossed her mind?" Cyborg asked quietly gaining a questioning look from his friend so he continued "I mean, in between the time you proposed and the time it took her to say yes, I'm sure kids crossed her mind at some point. I mean, this is Raven we're talking about. She never makes a decision without taking every possibility into consideration"

"Perhaps. But I rather wait until she's ready"

"I hope you know what you're doing green bean"

"Me too"

…

…

Raven stepped out of the portal that opened in her room. Upon touching solid ground, she noticed the chill. The darkness that always prevailed in her room had always been comforting but today, that same chilling darkness was touching her very core. With a wave of her hand, several candles came to life. The dancing shadows of the creepy artifacts she had collected over the years stared at her with mocking smiles and disgusted sneers and reminded her what she truly was. A pang of regret clawed at her heart but dismissed it just as fast and headed to the trunk where certain book resided.

"The fair maiden has finally arrived" he said as she carried the book silently to a stand in the middle of the room.

"Lets get to the point Malchior. I want to get this ordeal done and over with"

"Is there something bothering you? Because you know we need your full attention"

"Nothing that I cant ignore" she lied. "…Now, where do we start?" Malchior sighed but decided not to pursue the matter yet. He'll have plenty of time to find out and more.

"First step is to control the influence that black magic has over you, once you have achieved that, you can do anything" he said a soothing, compelling voice but that only aggravated her further.

"That would be like trying to control Trigon's influence over me and that took years, we don't have that luxury, there's got to be another way"

"You know what it does to you Raven. If you cant control its influence over you then how can you expect to control its power to do what your need to do?"

Raven looked away, of course he was right. If she couldn't overcome the overwhelming influence then she had no hope of succeeding. She had had a taste of it and almost lost control, if it wasn't for Robin, who knows what would have happened.

"Fine, just …tell me what I have to do" she said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"First, we'll start with meditation. I can tell you're on edge and that will not help. First calm your mind and your heart, then, we'll be ready to start"

Raven locked eyes with the being trapped in the book for a moment before looking away, folded her legs mid air, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before chanting her mantra.

…

…

The following weeks were of excruciating mental training for Raven. She was exhausted to say the least and she barely came out of her room. Garfield had taken it upon himself to bring her food at every meal time, not only to make sure she ate but also to make sure she was ok. Last time she had tampered with black magic she had changed. It had seemed a good change at first but as she made more use of her new acquired knowledge, it gave way to a more despicable way about her.

Fortunately, she had realized the wrongs and defeated the one who's influence was at blame but as circumstances were precarious at the moment, she had had to swallow pride and ask the wretched being for help. Now Garfield only had a few minutes a day to spend with her in which they spend in each other's arms. Robin had caught them several times outside her door kissing. She seemed more aggressive but by the looks of it, Garfield had no complains.

" And to think that he was the most immature, annoying teen in the world and now look at you. You cant keep your hands off him" Malchior said one day, after witnessing her brief make up session with Garfield,

"I'll take what little I can of him every chance I get. I barely see him any more"

"Would you like to see him more often?"

"I would but he and I know that what I'm trying to accomplish is more important at the moment"

"Well, you don't have to leave your room to do it. Go on, try the portal spell from page 362"

"Are you sure? We haven't tried any real spell from that book yet"

"Its ok Raven, you have made more progress in this short time than what I expected. Go on"

Reluctantly, Raven opened the book at the said page. There was a tingly sensation upon touching it but nothing more, she had come a long way and now the black magic's influence was no longer a threat.

Raven chanted the spell and with a gesture of her hands, a ripple in the air made way to an image. An image in the medical bay where she saw Garfield walking briskly towards the hospital bed where Meliah was laying down with her midsection exposed. Leo was sitting on a chair next to the bed in front of a monitor and was squeezing a tube over Meliah's stomach from which a clear gel emerged.

"Leo wait, I told you I wanted to do it" said Garfield as soon as he approached the bed.

"You do it every time Gar" said Leo with a smile.

"Exactly" he said with a smile of his own. Leo moved away from the chair to make room for him and gave him a small, round instrument that he gently rubbed around over Meliah's stomach and then, all three looked at the monitor. And there, on the black and white screen was the unmistakable figure of a growing baby along with the rapid heartbeat sound that broke the room's silence.

Garfield's smile spread and looked at Meliah with affection. "There she is" he whispered. Meliah was looking at the monitor and then glanced at his smiling face and couldn't help but give him a tiny smile of her own before looking away. He was so engrossed on the screen again that didn't see Meliah, glance directly in the direction of the open portal above their heads. On her end however was like a blurred, almost distorted piece in the ceiling but she knew better.

Raven closed the portal with a flick of her hand and stared at the empty space in silence.

"If I were you, I'd take that as a hint dear Raven" said Malchior maliciously behind her. With a sudden turn that revealed four bright red eyes under the hood of her cloak, Raven enveloped the talking book in her dark energy and smashed it against the wall before disappearing into a portal on the floor.

…

…

A few more weeks went by with similar occurrences. Tried as she might, Raven could not help but open a portal and look into the image. Is not that she was spying on Garfield but, she had never seen that glint in his eyes or that smile. They were different, special and Meliah was the only one who received them. There was a pang of jealousy every time, specially now that Meliah started to show her baby bump. She was now a little over six months along.

One night, after much deliberation with herself, Raven appeared in the lab of the med bay where Leonore was intensely studying a molecular structure on the computer screen late at night. Softly, Raven cleared her throat so as not to startle too much the young woman.

"Oh, hello Raven, I didn't hear you come in"

"Most people don't. may I have a word with you… in private?" she asked quietly.

"But we are alone now" Leo said gesturing to the open door that showed the two changelings in the other room, sleeping in separate beds.

"Trust me, they can tell when I'm around. Come with me"

Leo nodded her agreement and after closing the computer screen she followed Raven towards a nearby wall where the sorceress had opened a portal. As they walked into it, Leo could feel the chill of the darkness but Raven placed a hand on her shoulder and led the way. When they emerged from the portal, their surroundings where completely different. An open terrain and a dark sky above with floating boulders all around that suddenly changed into a bright spring touched garden. This was the most peculiar place the young scientist had been in when suddenly, Raven placed an arm around her shoulders and with a playful smile she had never seen on the empathy's features, greeted her.

"Hey Leo, what's up. How was the trip?"

"Um… A bit cold but, ok.. I guess. Um… where am I?" she asked, looking around as they walked along the colorful path.

"Prepare to be amazed. Welcome to Raven's mind" Raven said excitedly while she gestured with her hand at their surroundings that soon changed into a grand library lobby. "Oh well… see ya Leo" and she disappeared into a pink puff of smoke.

"Do not pay attention to her, she's overly excited no matter what" came the emotionless voice of Raven behind her.

"This place is incredible Raven, are we really inside your mind?"

"Yes, but I brought you here to speak to you in private. Rather, to ask you to do something for me"

"Of course. What can I do for you?" Leo said while looking around at the grand collection of books around them.

"I want to know how compatible Garfield and I are" this caught the other young woman's attention.

"Compatible?" she asked with a tilt of her head in curiosity.

"I want to know if I can get pregnant" at the curious look the girl gave her, Raven continued as she started to pace "I assume that by now you know what I am"

"Y-yes. Gar mentioned once you were half demon, correct?"

"Correct. I'm a half breed and as such it could be difficult to achieve pregnancy as it is…"

"Raven, I don't understand "

"If a man made chemical could make Gar unable to get Meliah pregnant, I want to know if a half breed from another world can have the same effect"

"Raven… if you're worried that you'll get pregnant then…"

"I'm not worried if I get pregnant Leonore, what worries me is what if I cant get pregnant at all. Look, you can run all the necessary test needed and get as many samples as you want but… it has to remain our secret. I don't want anyone to know. Specially Gar"

"Why not? Surely he'll be the most interested to know the results. Have you seen him lately, how excited he is about Meliah's pregnancy"

"Yes, I have and that's exactly why I'm asking you this. Because if the result is no then at least he'll have someone that has a baby on the way that he can enjoy"

"Raven, surely you're aware that Gar would never leave you. He loves you to no end. Kids or not"

Raven sighed. "I know, but I love him enough to know that he would be miserable without kids of his own and if I cant give him any, then he'll be better off with someone that can"

"Raven…"

"Please Leonore, no one is to know about this. You must promise me that whichever the result, it has to stay between you and me"

After a moment of deliberating, Leonore nodded her agreement somberly. Raven took her back to the medical bay but when she was ready to leave, Leo asked quietly "What if the result is negative? Will you tell him still?"

"I'll do what I have to do then. When do we start?" Raven asked. Leo looked at the clock, it was almost five thirty in the morning.

"Come back tonight. I'll take the samples then"

Raven came back that night and after going through a brief check up the gathering of samples she left to go back to her training.

…

…

Over the following days, Leo had run several tests in between working on the serum for Meliah. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she knew about half breeds. True, Raven's human side prevailed but her physiology was completely different. It wasn't until Leo decided to do the one thing that was probably the easiest way to get real answers and that was to do an in vitro fertilization.

It worked and soon she had a fertilized egg but when she implanted it in Raven's womb, it died within hours. Raven's hopes almost shattered but Leo assured the empath that it was normal. Not even full human females were able to conceive that way at the first try. So, Raven allowed a few more tries but each time, her heart shattered further until she told Leo that that was going to be the last trial. If it didn't work, there was no point. Leo sadly agreed and both decided to let Raven's body some rest before the next trial.

One night, after a stressful day of training, Raven had one of those nightmares that plagued her dreams long ago, before her sixteenth birthday. But this one was different. This one was new because instead of people and her friends turned into stone, there were remnants of unborn babies scattered around her. Blood was dripping everywhere and a bloody trail that led to a chamber that started to spin as soon as she stepped inside. And when it finally stopped spinning, a bear paw came down on her and threw her against a wall.

"Face it Raven you'll never be able to give him what I already did. Did you really believe that this wasn't Gar's baby? You have to be absolutely delusional. In denial. Because no matter how many times you try, I will always be his first and the one that gave him his first child" Meliah started to laugh maniacally and soon that laugh grew deeper and her face distorted until what was in front of her was the face of her father.

"Soon my daughter. Soon we'll see each other again and next time, no one, not even you will live to tell the tail"

Her own scream woke Raven up. She sat down on her bed, drenched in sweat and panting while her eyes wildly looked at her surroundings.

"Raven! What's the matter?" asked Malchior but soon he was ignored as someone broke down the door. It was a gorilla that soon turned back human and Garfield came running to her aid.

"Raven, what happened? Did he hurt you?" he asked, gesturing to the book.

"I most certainly did not" answered Malchior in the most indignant way.

"No, it wasn't him. I had a nightmare…Gar, we have to perform the spell now. We're short on time."

"Raven, a-are you sure? Are you ready for it?"

"I'll never be more ready than now if I wait any longer. Get ready, I'll get Robin. We're leaving in fifteen minutes" reluctantly, he let go of her hand and ran to his room.

"Raven, are you certain you feel ready?" asked Malchior following her every move with his gaze.

"We're out time. If I don't do this now, Trigon will take us by surprise and by then it will be too late" she said right before melting into the ground in a portal and appearing inside Robin's room. She quickly turned on the lights and as he woke up with a start, she tossed his uniform in his face and boots by his feet.

"Quickly, get ready. Its time"

"I thought the baby was coming in another month and a half.. What…" Robin said as he rubbed his eyes under the mask.

"Not the baby, Trigon. And we're out of time. We'll get Slade and Gar on the way out" she said as she phased through the door to give him privacy. Not two minutes later, he was walking out the door and Raven took him into a portal that appeared in the holding cell room and noticed that Slade was already up and pacing in the cell.

"I'll take it Trigon spoke to you as well" said Raven as she approached the console and after entering a few commands, the force field vanished. Robin was already waiting with a special pair of handcuffs that kept his forearms and hands securely tied against his chest. When that was accomplished, all three disappeared in another portal that took them to the medical bay where Gar was giving Leo and Meliah instructions on how to seal the tower once they left.

"Gar, its time. We have to go" said Raven in her usual monotone while standing next to the villain and their leader. Cyborg and Starfire were to stay behind to protect the tower. As soon as Garfield joined them they disappeared once more.

"What exactly are they doing? Where are they taking Slade" Leo asked Cyborg before he left to the control room and monitor the surroundings.

"Its complicated Leo. I don't fully understand it myself."

"Let us hope our friends return safely soon" said Starfire and walked out of the room as well.

As soon as they were left alone, Leo went back to her computer across the room while Meliah stayed in her bed. But anxiety got the best of her and got up and just as before, she started to morph into different animals. At first it was uncomfortable because the baby was bigger now but soon she was able to do it with easy, just as before.

"I saw that" said Leo from the other side of the room.

"Well, I have to stretch somehow. Being stuck in a hospital bed day in and day out was not my idea of recuperating"

"You have a high risk pregnancy Mel, even transforming can be harmful"

"How can it be harmful if it comes just as naturally as breathing?"

"I guess I have to take your word for it. So far it hasn't shown any signs of danger to you or your baby but it is a stress that can make you feel exhausted sooner. Just rest as much as you can"

With that Leo got up and headed for the nearest bathroom. Meliah however, walked to her desk and look at the screen she had seen Leo study so intensely the last few weeks. At the lower, right corner of the screen was a dimly, flashing icon that indicated an incoming message. Upon reading it, she bolted out of the room and run along the corridor where she came across the mangled door.

"Raven? Is that you?" came a strange voice from within. Meliah cautiously walked inside and started to look around. The room was dark, barely lit with the dim light from the corridor and she hissed as she walked further for she could sense another magical being in the vicinity.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" she ordered.

"You're Meliah, correct? Quickly. You must not waste time. You must stop Raven from performing that spell" came an urgent voice from the darkest corner of the room. Meliah was intrigued and soon found a lamp nearby and the light erased the shadows further but there was no sign of anyone in the room.

"Meliah, please. You must stop her at once"

"Where are you? Why cant I see you"

"I'm in here, in the book" she walked closer and to her great surprise, there he was, the hidden face of a man with piercing light grey eyes.

"This is impossible… did Raven do this to you?"

"No time for explanations lad, you must stop her" he said with more urgency that bordered desperation.

"Why? What's going to happen?"

"it's a trap, if she goes thru with it, she'll be trapped in there… forever"

So what you think?

Btw, i thought of this earlier and thought they were the funniest lines. Who can tell me what character said this:

"Oh, how should i do it?...Oh i know, i'll turn him into a flea... a harmless little flea, then... I'll put that flea inside a box, then i'll put that box inside another box then i'll mail that box to myself and when it arrives... (evil laugh)... I'll smash it with a hammer!"

(puff)

"Or, to save on postage, i'll just poison him with this!..."