I don't own Teen Titans.

"There'll be a security booth near the gate and cameras located around the perimeter," Richard was saying. "Do you think we should get dogs? I like dogs, but I think they might be a bit much."

Kori simply hummed, hoping Dick would make of it what he would. He did.

"Two dogs for the house then. They'll be trained as guard dogs, but they'll look like pets."

He was talking about the move again. He was so excited, repeatedly going over every detail of their plans for when they finally relocated to Bludhaven. To the world, Richard would be Dick Grayson, come to Bludhaven to launch a branch of Wayne Corp. She would be Kori Anders-Grayson, his supermodel philanthropist wife. The two of them, and of course Bruce Wayne, were being hailed as heroes by the press for launching a branch of one of the most successful companies in the Western Hemisphere in a place as poverty-stricken as Bludhaven. The men would bring jobs with their company. Kori would bring poverty relief with her charities. She was also playing with the idea of possibly starting either her own modeling agency or clothing line to be based in Bludhaven. That would create even more jobs.

She truly was looking forward to going to Bludhaven. Though she had only been there once, and many others in her acquaintance found its squalor disconcerting, she honestly found the city quite beautiful. Its stark appearance reminded her a bit of Tamaran. She was looking forward to helping the people, as both Starfire and Kori. The warrior in her relished the challenge a place like Bludhaven presented. She also appreciated how Dick included her in the plans for fortifying their soon-to-be home. The fact that Earth men often excluded women from this kind of planning still baffled her, even after several years on the planet.

However, she was not really paying attention to her husband's planning at the moment. Instead, now that the move was so close, she was thinking of how much she and her friends had changed since their first meeting so many years ago. Back then, Dick had just been Robin: an angry, militaristic boy with so much to prove to the world. She had been Starfire: an insecure alien constantly on the edge of being overwhelmed by a world she was sometimes certain wanted nothing to do with her. Victor had been Cyborg: a damaged boy who always felt like he was straddling the line between humanity and monstrosity. Raven's problem had been nearly identical, though she dealt with it in a different way. She'd hidden herself from the world, and it had been months before any of them had gotten any idea of what she was truly like. Garfield had been Beast Boy: a child; there truly was no other way to describe him.

Now, everything was different. Robin was now Dick, or Nightwing to the rest of the world. He was her husband and her everything. It had taken years, but he had finally opened up to her. He'd let her in, told her his name, and then eventually asked her to take it as her own. There was very little evidence of the angry boy she'd met. Now, he was loving and warm and so proud of his plans to make a difference in the world. He was a brilliant warrior and hero, and he no longer felt like he had to prove it every single day.

She herself had changed as well. Looking back, she realized her friends had protected her from many things when she was young, assuring her that it was perfectly alright that she spoke in a strange accent and didn't understand colloquialisms or the proper way to combine foods. Referring to her worth as a person, they were right; there was nothing wrong with enjoying a good mustard-frosted cake once in a while. As a hero however, those things did matter. Her naiveté and inability to blend in had initially made questioning possible suspects hard and undercover operations impossible. To improve herself, she had made Dick put her on numerous undercover and plainclothes missions until she learned. She was no longer as naïve as she was, and she thought she was much more effective as a hero.

"Razor wire would be more of a deterrent, but it might also send a message to the people that we don't trust them. That's not a good message to send when we're supposed to be offering them jobs and 'a better deal,' so to speak. What do you think?"

"Shards of glass." she said absentmindedly. Dick had already mentioned such a thing when he was planning the security measures around the house, so she didn't have to go into much detail about it.

"...embedded in the cement on top of the wall. It would deter actual criminals while being subtle enough to not broadcast a belief that we think everyone there is a criminal. Brilliant, Kori."

"Hmm..."

Cyborg was now Victor to her, though his codename remained unchanged. Overall, he was probably the one who had changed least. He was a bit larger, with more impressive armor and better technology, but for the most part, he was still the fun-loving, "larger than life" man who thought himself everyone's older brother. He still had his occasional dark moods, where he wondered if he could be counted among the monsters, but those instances were becoming fewer and further in between, especially his invitation to join the Justice League.

Kori smiled at the memory. Once he'd finished screaming like an overexcited bumgorf—off-screen, of course, so Superman didn't see him—Cyborg accepted the job, and he would move to Seattle as soon she and Richard moved to Bludhaven. In addition to fighting crime on the streets, he would be taking a position similar to that of Oracle in Gotham. Between the two of them brokering information, Kori was sure they would be the only people left in the country with secrets. She suspected one such secret was that Victor and Barbara were much closer than they appeared. They presented a challenge to one another intellectually, they both understood the alternating moments of doubt and determination to overcome that came with being "disabled" superheroes, and she was sure Victor found Barbara's feisty nature most attractive. She didn't know Babs as well as Victor, but she did adore them both and wished them the best if her suspicions proved correct.

The happiness that would come with new love and relationships would be wonderful for their little family, especially after all they'd lost. She sighed at the thought of Raven. The sorceress had been more of a sister to her than Blackfire had ever been. A part of herself died when they lost Raven. Changeling, now Gar to her, died with her as well, in Kori's opinion. His body was still here; he still spoke in Garfield's voice, but the light in his eyes that had made him almost indistinguishable from the cheerful young boy she knew had been gone for a long time. She thought she had seen glimpses of it in recent months, like when he pulled several pranks during her and Richard's anniversary party three months ago, but now she was not so sure. In the three days it had been since their fight with Mumbo, Changeling had been acting very strangely. She was worried for him.

"Kori!"

Kori jumped. "Oh! Yes, Dick?"

"Everything okay?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"You seem kinda...distracted. Normally, you're more involved in this kind of planning."

"I am sorry. I was just thinking."

"What about?" Richard asked, rolling up the schematic for their soon-to-be home.

Kori sighed and reached across the table to grasp her husband's hand. She squeezed it before looking up at him. "I know you are excited about the relocation. I am as well, but do you think we could possibly postpone it? For just a little longer?" she pleaded when her husband's expression changed to one of exasperation.

"Kori, we've been putting off this move for over three years," he said, looking at her a bit reproachfully.

"I know, but we had very good reasons for it."

"I'm not arguing with you there, but I don't see what would be keeping us from moving now. We've outgrown the Teen Titans, Kori. We all need to go our own ways."

Kori sighed. Dick was about to launch into his speech about how they had grown up; that they needed to go their own ways if they wanted to be taken seriously as heroes, and Jump City no longer really needed them anyway. She could admit that she agreed with him; she had actually been wanting a more private dwelling since she and Richard married, but now was not the time for her husband's "team leader" rhetoric.

"Richard, I am worried about Garfield." she said quickly.

Dick stopped mid-speech. "Gar? Why?"

"I just worry that..." She paused, trying to think of the best way to say it. "I worry that he might feel we are abandoning him."

"We aren't abandoning anyone, Kori. We talked about this when started planning the move. We may not all be living together anymore, but that doesn't mean our friendship's over or that we won't help each other." he said reassuringly.

"Raven was still alive when we discussed this!"

Dick looked confused, so Kori explained.

"We are moving to Bludhaven. Victor is going to Seattle to work for the Justice League. Garfield was going to host a nature show after he and Raven went into semi-retirement to raise the baby. Our plans and Cyborg's plans have not changed, but a crucial part of Garfield's plans have. I worry that when we leave him, he will feel that he has no purpose." The thought of her dear friend spending his life alone and directionless broke her heart. Dick sighed and took her other hand, giving it a squeeze.

"We talked about this with Garfield at our anniversary party, remember? He said he was alright. He'd be fine if we went ahead with the move."

"Someone can say they are alright, but that does not mean they are!" Kori exclaimed, her voice rising. She tugged her hands from Richard's. "Garfield knows how much you want to move. He might have been lying, so he did not keep us back!"

"So, it's about how much I want to move now?" Richard demanded, standing. "You wanted to go too! You couldn't stop talking about it when I first brought it up! Going on and on about how we'll finally have a place of our own and how much good you can do with your charities!"

"I know!" Kori snapped, standing as well. "And I still wish to go, but not if it is at the expense of one of our friends! Garfield needs us!"

"It's been almost eighteen months! I loved Raven too! Next to you, she was probably the most important woman in my life, but I can't, we can't, put our lives on hold because she's gone. She wouldn't want us to do that, and you know it! We need to move on!"

"Raven would also want us to help our friends! We are a family, and Garfield needs us!"

"I don't think Gar is the problem here, Kori." Richard said derisively.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?!" Kori shrilled.

"It means," he drawled, getting up in her face. "That you're the one who doesn't want to move, and instead of telling me, you're using Gar as a crutch!"

Kori gasped. "I would never do such a thing! I know how important this is to you, to us, but—"

"But what then? And don't bring Gar into this!"

"Why do you refuse to believe that he is still mourning his notha lek bumgorf!?" she demanded, slipping into Tamaranean.

"I have no doubt he's still mourning them!" Richard yelled, also Tamaranean but with a heavy accent. "I'm sure he'll mourn them the rest of his life, but he's been getting better for months now, Starfire! He gets up at a reasonable time. He eats regularly and socializes again. He even pulled those stupid pranks at our anniversary party! The only reason I didn't kill him for embarrassing me like that is because that proved it for me!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little. "If he's okay enough to put Bruce Wayne in a tutu or tell us he's okay with us moving, he's okay with us moving!" he finished in English.

"Three months ago, I would have agreed with you, Richard. I would have agreed with you one week ago, but ever since the battle with Mumbo, I am not so sure." Kori stopped, ready to cry at the memory. She had not seen so much pain and rage in Garfield's eyes since Raven's death. It made her heart ache for him.

At the sight of Kori's obvious distress, Dick sighed and dropped his hands from Kori's shoulders. "You really are worried about Gar, aren't you?"

"That is what I have been trying to say!" Kori snapped, exasperated. "In between your accusations that I wish to ruin your career!"

"I never said that, and you know it." Dick said patiently.

Kori huffed and looked away from him.

"Kori?" Dick asked. She didn't move. "Kori, look at me."

After a moment, she did, expression sullen. "I find it hurtful that would accuse me of being cowardly enough to jeopardize our future without giving you an acceptable reason why." she said coolly.

"I know, and I'm sorry," he said, leaning forward so his forehead touched Kori's. "It's just this is the kind of thing I've been waiting to do my entire life. I don't regret my time with Batman, and I definitely don't regret my time as a Titan, but I'm ready to do something on my own terms, without having to worry about following someone else's orders or watching out for a team."

"Does this mean you would not want to work with me?" Kori asked. Her tone was sad, but she knew Dick had caught on to her trick years ago.

He grinned at the knowledge that she was no longer truly angry with him. He kissed her forehead, making her smile. "There's honestly no one I would rather work with."

"I feel the same way." She was silent for a moment. "but that does not stop me from worrying about Garfield." she added, making Dick groan in exasperation. He looked her in the eye.

"I know you are. I am too, but like I said, we can't continue to put our lives on hold. He can't put his life on hold. The thing with Mumbo... it was just a bit of a setback. That's all. It happens during the grieving process, but Gar will be fine."

"He is acting the way he did immediately after Raven's death. He is sleeping nearly all the time, and I do not believe he is eating well."

"He's not that—"

"Have you seen him today, Richard?" she interrupted. "I have not, and it is one-thirty in the afternoon. I just fear that this 'setback' will get worse if we leave him now."

"Kori, I—"

Before he could finish his sentence, an inhuman scream ripped through the tower.

Kori bolted in search of the source, Dick hot on her heels.

It had been a long time since he'd last been in a nightclub, and sadly, it wasn't really as fun as he remembered. The rapidly blinking strobe lights made him dizzy, the music's throbbing bass and ridiculously high volume was murder on his enhanced hearing, even though he was wearing mostly hidden earplugs, and he was kind of disturbed by just how much semen he could smell among the alcohol and cheap cologne and perfume. That was just wrong.

However, he couldn't say he was bothered by the company. He gave the woman sitting next to him in the booth a grin, and she rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the dance floor. As usual, she was the responsible one of the two of them, trying to get their job done. Tonight, that was trying to find the source of a new club drug that had been found in all the systems of a recent string of dead bodies. It was starting to get out of hand, so JCPD had called the titans for help. Dick now had them all working undercover, scouring the clubs until they found something.

Changeling wanted to be responsible, but so far, he hadn't even caught a whiff of what they were looking for. Nearly every other drug, yes, but not the big one, so instead, he focused his attention on his surly partner. Like him, she wore a holo-ring to disguise her distinctive coloring; her light gray skin was now on the pale side of the "peaches and cream" coloring (whatever that meant), her hair was black and cut into an edgy pixie cut that made her already striking eyes look even more aamzing in his opinion, and she'd been forced into the most out-of-character outfit Kori could think of: a tube top that looked like it was made completely of silver sequins, black leather pants, and a silver pair of strappy, sky-high torture machines, er, heels. As usual, he thought she looked gorgeous, but knowing how much she hated the outfit, he knew not to say much about it or she'd hit him. She groaned in annoyance, and he quickly looked back at the floor.

"What?" he asked, like he hadn't just been staring at her.

"I don't know why Dick thinks we'd be of any use in this place. I feel like I'm being bombarded by the emotions of excitable people, and I imagine all you can smell is alcohol and semen."

Changeling snorted. It's funny 'cause it's true, he thought. When he spoke though, he thought he made a pretty good point.

"It's not just us doing this, Rae. The rest of the team and a good chunk of JCPD are in places just like this, trying to find these creeps."

Raven huffed. "It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"The only reason you don't like this kind of scene is because you're not doin' it right."

Raven stared at him. "I'm not dancing or drinking, Gar."

"I didn't think you would," he snickered. A guy on the dance floor caught his attention, and he grinned. "but those are just two ways to have fun in a club. The third way is much more your style." He pointed to the guy on the dance floor as subtly as he could.

Raven looked in the direction he indicated, and her eyes went wide. "What is he doing?"

Gar snickered again. "I think that move was called the 'Trip Hop' back in 1995."

"It looks like he's having a Charley Horse."

"You know, I'm pretty sure that's how that move was invented." He snickered again and cocked his head in the direction of another dancing clubber. "What do you think's going on over there?"

Raven focused on the woman for a second, and Gar, realizing what she was doing, gave her shoulder a hard shake to distract her. She snapped her head in his direction and glared at him, outraged at his audacity.

"No powers!" he chided, ignoring the terror that came with doing something that annoyed Raven. "It's funnier to make up your own commentary for what's happening with bad dancers and drunk people."

"I don't do funny," the sorceress deadpanned.

"But you do mock other people's stupidity. The whole time we've known each other is just one big, shining parade of you making fun of mine."

Raven appeared unconvinced. "You do realize that woman might actually be having a seizure, because of these stupid strobe lights, right?"

Gar rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Fine. If you legit think somebody's having a medical problem, you can use your powers. Other than that," He gestured toward the crowd of dancers. "have at them."

"Can I at least check on seizure lady before we play your stupid game?"

"Yes."

Raven focused on the dancing woman, and her expression turned thoughtful. "She's not having a seizure. She really is just dancing that badly."

"Told you." Gar laughed. He pointed to a drunk girl wailing loudly in the opposite corner. He was fairly certain she wasn't really that messed up, because the girls she seemed to be with looked annoyed and exasperated, rather than sympathetic or worried.

Raven focused on the girl, and Changeling gave her another shove. She glared at him.

"Would you stop that?"

"No powers!"

"If you keep shoving me, you won't have to worry about powers." Raven snapped.

"Alright!" Gar held up his hands. "Just don't forget the 'no powers' thing."

"Fine," Raven huffed. She looked back at the woman. "That girl is crying pathetically because," Gar opened his mouth to tell her she was being kind of harsh when she pointed to someone else in the club. "she likes that guy, and he is clearly gay."

Gar followed her gaze and let out a braying guffaw before he could stop himself, drawing curious stares from the people in the booth next to them. He clapped a hand over his mouth, but it didn't completely stop his laughter. The man Raven pointed to looked exactly like his old team leader Mento. Or would have if Mento had ever been on Ru Paul's Drag Race. The man's long, multi-colored hair had been bound into seven ponytails and arranged in a mohawk, clearly reminiscent of that one American Idol contestant from years ago, he wore more makeup than Kori did when she first learned about the 'delightful, paint-like substance,' and his outfit consisted of a red, poet-style shirt open to his navel with leather pants tighter than Raven's.

"You did that on purpose." he accused when he saw Raven's smirk.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she replied dismissively. "I was merely following the rules of your game."

"Uh-huh. Sure you were," he chortled. He made the mistake of looking back at the Mento lookalike right when he started to dance, and Gar let out a howl before slumping forward, beating the tabletop with his fist in his mirth.

"Well, that was an unexpected bonus," Raven commented, her amusement evident. She cocked her head as she examined the flamboyant man. "I wasn't aware that men... what's that move called again? Twerking?" That started a fresh round of howls for Garfield. "I wasn't aware men twerked."

"Oh, God." Gar gasped. He'd quit beating on the table, but his forehead was still pressed against it. He turned to look at Raven. "That was great."

"Does this mean I win?" Raven asked, examining their drink menu disinterestedly.

Garfield shot upright. "It means we are just getting started, Missy, and you just brought it."

"I am shaking." Raven replied, rolling her eyes, but he could see she was still amused.

For a while, that was how they kept themselves entertained. One would pick a club patron, and the other would either comment on their dancing or come up with a reason for their sudden emotional outburst, be it laughter, tears, or amorousness. The longer they did this, the more Raven seemed to get into it, much to Changeling's delight. She came up with increasingly elaborate back stories that had him howling in laughter more than once, especially since they were delivered in that deadpan tone of hers. He was also thrilled when he actually made her laugh out loud one time. It was after that turn when he saw his next target.

"What about that guy?" He directed Raven's attention to a douchey looking guy chatting up a girl at the bar who clearly wasn't interested. The dude reminded him of someone, and he wanted to see if Raven could see it too.

"Oh God," Raven drawled, making a disgusted face. "and you accuse me of picking someone on purpose." Apparently, she could see the similarities.

"Dude looks just like Adonis, right?"

"If I wasn't sure he was in prison, I'd be arresting this guy right now."

"Any comments?" Gar asked.

"He's a jerk who doesn't understand the word 'no'?"

"Besides the obvious."

"No, and I'm not interested in thinking about that guy long enough to come up anything." Raven said dismissively. She picked up her largely neglected green tea spritzer and took a sip.

"Fair enough," Gar replied. He winked at Raven. "Besides, I don't like you thinking about other guys that much either."

"And there goes my plan to leave you for Mento and Sanjaya's lovechild."

Gar choked back another guffaw. Choosing to ignore her unexpected knowledge of American Idol trivia for now, he looked at her with wide, earnest eyes. "I'm sorry I'm standing in the way of your happiness, baby."

Raven snorted. "Don't call me 'baby.'"

"Yes, ma'am." he replied, rolling his eyes playfully. He looked back at Adonis-Clone and stuck out his tongue in distaste. "Okay, dude needs to be stopped, seriously. Look at that."

Raven looked in the other man's direction and narrowed her eyes.

Adonis-Wannabe had gotten even more up in the girl's face, leaning on the bar and leering down her shirt.

"Should we intervene?"

"I think this needs more...finesse." Gar replied, grinning slowly.

"How so?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"We should pants him."

Raven raised a brow at him. "Ignoring the fact that that is blatantly juvenile, even for you, what about that requires finesse?"

"In a normal situation, nothing. But in this situation," Gar waggled his eyebrows at her. "I have a lovely assistant who can move stuff with her mind."

Raven went back to her drink "No."

"Come on, Rae!"

"No. I refuse to use my magic for something so stupid."

"What would make it un-stupid?" Gar asked.

Raven stared at him. "Nothing, now that you've used the word 'un-stupid.'" She picked up her drink with both hands and sipped at it the way she would her normal cup of tea.

"Come on, Rae..." Gar coaxed. He moved closer to her and pointed to Adonis 2.0. "Look at him. Dude clearly deserves it. He looks like that creep Adonis. He won't leave that poor girl alone. He's wearing his pants in that stupid swag style you hate..."

He almost missed it, but he was sure he saw Raven's thumb twitch against her glass right before a loud exclamation of "What the fuck?!" rang across the club. He swiveled his head in the direction of the source and let out a bark of laughter at the sight of Adonis-Person. Somehow, he'd been moved to the center of the dance floor, and his pants were now around his knees, revealing his holey Spongebob Squarepants boxers. Everyone directly around him was laughing, including the girl he'd been harassing.

"Nice underwear, dude!" Changeling called, drawing the attention of more clubbers and making them laugh. Face beet-red in both embarrassment and anger, the guy yanked his pants back up and quickly shuffled out of the club. Changeling looked back at Raven, his grin even bigger.

"I saw that."

"Saw what?" Raven asked, taking another drink. To the casual observer, she'd be the picture of nonchalance, but Gar could see her staring at him over the rim of her glass, daring him to tell her just what it was he saw.

He just laughed and threw an arm over her shoulder. She didn't buck him. "Hilarious how he lost his pants like that," he commented. "Must have been the girl he was bugging."

"Must have been," Raven said neutrally. She put her drink down and looked at him. "You know, we came here to do a job. Remember? Catching criminals?"

Gar looked her over, his gaze lingering on her hips and legs. Her incredible legs drove him crazy any time, but when she did something as hot as letting her inner prankster out, they became even more irresistible right along with the rest of her. "You know what's really criminal around here?" he asked conversationally.

"What?" Raven replied, her tone letting him know she wasn't in the mood for funny business. She dated the wrong guy for that.

"Those pants. They are definitely criminal."

"My pants?" Raven drawled, humoring him.

"Yeah. They're made of leather, which some poor animal had to die for, and the way they hug your legs and butt is practically indecent exposure. Criminal," He shook his head in apparent sadness and then looked at her solemnly. "You should take them off."

"God, that line is terrible even for you." Raven snorted, making Garfield grin.

"I'm serious!" he protested, though he was sure Raven could hear the laughter in his voice. "I'd even say those pants are evil. The way they look on you is tempting me from the Vegetarian Path of Righteousness."

Raven stared at him. "Vegetarian Path of Righteousness?" she deadpanned.

"Yep." Gar nodded sagely.

"The only reason I haven't hit you is because I don't want to discourage your sudden use of polysyllabic words."

Gar laughed and tightened his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer. He nuzzled her neck, smiling at the sensation of her hair, her real hair just beneath the hologram, tickling his face. "Love you, baby."

"Something's wrong, Garfield." Raven replied, her voice cool and forceful like it would be during a battle.

That wasn't right, Gar thought vaguely. Puzzled, he straightened. "What do you mean, Rae?"

When she looked at him, her expression wasn't that weirdly cute combination of relaxed and exasperated. Instead, she looked a bit sad. And confused. Suddenly, he noticed the club was completely silent: no people or music.

"This isn't where we were."

He'd heard those words before, but he couldn't place them. All he knew was that they caused fear and anguish. "Rae, what—"

Before he could ask his question, a voice he hadn't heard in years—had hoped to never hear again—rang out.

"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east..."

Gar looked wildly around the room. It was completely empty. The tables and bar, everything but the booth they were sitting in, was gone, and the lights, almost blinding compared to the original dimness of the club, were on. It should have been easy to see the source of the voice, but the speaker was nowhere to be found.

"Rae," he said cautiously "We have to get out of here now." He turned to look next to him and was horrified to see the seat was empty. "Raven!" he yelled, panicked. The voice spoke again.

"When the seas go dry..."

"Garfield!"

He whirled and saw Raven standing in the center of the brightly lit dance floor. Her holo-ring was gone, her coloring back to its usual gray and purple. She wore civilian lounging clothes, and her stomach was distended. She was pregnant.

He jumped out of his seat. He tried to run to her, but he didn't seem to get any closer. He poured on more speed, sprinting now, and still he couldn't get to her. He turned into an antelope, cheetah, T-Rex.

She never got any closer.

"When the mountains blow away in the wind like leaves..."

A gash appeared in the center of Raven's stomach, spurting blood and making her scream in agony.

"Raven!" Gar shouted, trying to run even faster. She was only twenty feet away! He had to get to her. He had to save her! He watched in horror as the area around her wound, clothes and all, began to turn dark gray and crack like burning wood.

"Find me, Gar!" Raven called. "Find us!"

"When you find another woman able to carry a changeling's child..."

A second gash opened up over Raven's heart, making her cry out again, weakly. There was more blood, and then the area around it also began to turn dark gray and crack.

"RAVEN!" He looked wildly around the room for the source of the voice. "LET ME HELP HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he bellowed. There was no reply.

He looked back at Raven. To his horror, the grayness was spreading. The infection around both wounds met, and almost all of Raven's upper body, from her shoulders to hips, looked like it was made of ash. He tried to run even faster.

Suddenly, whatever spell that had kept him in place was lifted, and he bolted to her. The grayness was spreading quickly. By the time he was a couple of feet from her, everything but her head was gray and cracking. The areas right around the wounds were now pale gray and seemed to be crumbling away.

"Find us." she repeated in a whisper, right as the grayness overtook her head.

"RAVEN!" He reached for her, and she collapsed into a pile of ash. "NO!" he roared, dropping to his knees. He stared at the ashes, hands held out impotently in front of him. "No..."

Suddenly, a pair of black and gray combat boots materialized in front of him, opposite Raven's ashes.

Changeling looked up.

"That is when Raven will return to you." Slade said.

Garfield woke screaming, the inhuman sound torn from his throat with enough force to strain his vocal cords. He felt a hand grab his shoulder, and he swung in the direction he thought it was coming from. He felt his fist connect with a face and saw his assailant sailing through the air away from him out of the corner of his eye. He leapt to his feet. Someone else reached for him. They were right in front of him, but he didn't, couldn't, see their face. He just saw hands reaching for him.

He shifted into a tiger and leapt at the attacker, but before he connected, he saw a blur of purple and orange leap in front of his target. A blow to his chest sent him into the opposite wall. Though the first hit hadn't deterred him, his connection with the wall was enough to disorient him. Shaking his head to clear it, he finally saw that he wasn't in an empty club, and it wasn't Slade or any other enemy after him. He was in his bedroom, and his friends were there. Victor was using a wall to help pull himself up, cradling his jaw, and Kori was hovering in front of Dick, her hands glowing with green energy. They all looked at him with extreme caution... like they were trying to approach a dangerous animal.

"Guys?" Gar asked, dread creeping up inside him. "What just happened?"

"I think that's our line, Green Bean," Cyborg replied, working his jaw. Once he seemed to be satisfied that it wasn't broken, he turned his full attention to Garfield. "If I had to guess though, I'd say you had a night terror. One bad enough to make you give me one hell of a left hook and go Jungle Book on Dick."

"Guys..." Remorse and shame mixed with the dread in him. "I am so sorry."

"You were not yourself." Kori replied, gently touching back down to the ground and extinguishing her starbolts. "Are you alright?"

Gar let out a bark of bitter laughter. "I think that is my line."

"The worst you did is something that can be fixed in just a few minutes," Dick said, stepping around Kori. He looked to Cyborg, and the bionic man nodded in agreement. He looked back at Changeling. "That sounded like a really bad nightmare though, Gar."

"You screamed," Kori added. "It was very alarming. You did not sound like you."

"You okay, man?" Victor asked.

"Fine," Gar replied quickly. "Just a bad dream."

His friends had just started treating him normally again, like he wouldn't shatter into a thousand pieces if they did or said something that even sort of reminded him of Raven or the baby or the monster that killed them. He didn't want to go back to that place where they walked on eggshells around him and pretended to be happy when they weren't. One mention of Slade or a dream about Raven dying would send all that progress to hell. His friends trying to play therapist was the last thing he needed right now.

"You are certain?" Kori asked.

"Yes." Gar said, kind of stiffly. His friends exchanged glances, not even trying to be subtle about it, and that annoyed him. They could at least pretend they didn't think he was cracked in the head.

"Um, you know Gar—" Dick started.

"I said I'm fine."

"But you have not had nightmares this bad since Raven..."

"Can you guys leave please?" Gar interrupted Kori. "I need to get dressed."

"Man, the thing with Mumbo—" Vic started.

"This has nothing to do with the thing with Mumbo!" Gar finally snapped. "It was just a bad dream! We all have them. That kind of shit happens!"

"You experienced a vivid hallucination of your dead wife three days ago," Dick broke in with his 'leader' voice. Vic and Kori cringed at his bluntness, while Garfield just stared. The only person to ever come out and just say his wife was dead was Bruce Wayne. Most people just trailed off meaningfully or said things like 'passed away.' "It's completely normal for you to have a mild setback grieving-wise, like a nightmare, after something like that. It doesn't make you less of a man to react that way." Gar cringed noticeably, but Dick ignored him and kept speaking. "All I ask is that you talk about it. It's better if you do, alright?"

"Fine," Gar replied rigidly. "Will you guys leave now?"

"Gar..." Vic started.

"What?!" he snapped. "I had a nightmare, okay? It was bad, and it was about Raven, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?!"

"If it's the truth." Dick answered, still in leader-mode. His other friends were looking at him sympathetically, in that way he hated.

"It is, but I don't want to go into details, alright? It was just an ugly dream that I want to forget. It won't make me turn into a mess like I was when Rae died, okay?"

His friends looked at him for a moment. Dick nodded first and left the room, Kori at his heels. She turned in the doorway and gave him a reassuring smile before stepping out of the room. Vic slapped him on the back and then followed the others out.

In the hallway, Kori gave Dick a pointed look. He looked back in the direction of Gar's room. He sighed and looked back at Kori.

"One more month."

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