Just like any other mission, the Titans excelled at the roles they had been given.
Starfire rarely left Beast Boy's side, not that she minded, as she had to explain to the poor boy constantly when he noticed how much attention he was getting from her. Whether it was taking care of Silkie, joining him on long, wordless flights that helped to clear his mind, or just sitting nearby while he played video games, he was always near a friend, and after receiving that letter, he certainly appreciated it. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty, as if he was inconveniencing Starfire by requiring her self-appointed presence, but every time he voiced these feelings, she would reply "You never need to apologize for letting me spend time with one of my dear friends," and his guilt was replaced by a pleasant, warm feeling of comfort and security.
Cyborg had been relieved to discover that the history of Nicholas Galtry was fraught with minor criminal charges and even the occasional conviction and fine, but Robin's disappointed expression upon reading his findings had told him everything that he needed to know; that it may prove useful, but it certainly wasn't sufficient to quash the lawsuit outright. Still, armed with the knowledge that Galtry had an aggravated assault charge and two fines for drunk and disorderly behaviour, it was certainly better than nothing. Once, Cyborg had risked asking Beast Boy himself if he could recall any of the potentially illegal actions that Galtry had forced him to take, but unfortunately Galtry's total lack of ambition had saved him; there were no cold cases and no unsolved bank robberies, Galtry had just used his nephew to rob a few corner stores of probably less than a thousand dollars in total.
Robin had been hard at work calling in every favour from Batman and ensuring that Beast Boy would receive the finest possible legal defence; which he quickly learned from Bruce did not automatically mean the most expensive, although that didn't mean that he wouldn't have to ask his mentor for a little extra pocket money to cover it.
When Beast Boy was feeling better, he had tentatively asked Robin if any of his favourite lawyers could take the case, and it frustrated Robin that he couldn't tell if Beast Boy was trying to joke, or if he had confused fiction and reality. As he had to explain to his disappointed teammate, the musclebound green lady was not available in their area, the spiky-haired man who shouted 'Objection!' was on a business trip to Khura'in, and the man from Albuquerque – with questionable morals – had left abruptly and was now running a Cinnabon in Omaha. Nonetheless, he had eventually found an excellent and dedicated lawyer who Batman had recommended personally, citing that this man had the sharpest legal mind that had ever worked with, although he refused to disclose whether this was in the capacity of Batman or Bruce Wayne. Regardless, after a brief exchange from Wayne Enterprises and the firm of Nelson & Murdock, Beast Boy's defence was settled.
One of the first things that Robin had asked Beast Boy was how quickly he wanted this matter to be addressed. They couldn't put it off forever, but if he wasn't emotionally ready and needed more time to come to terms, there were certainly legal manoeuvres available to them that would push the date of any trial back. On the other hand, putting it off would just mean that it would linger over Beast Boy's head for even longer, giving him more time to worry and grow more afraid. After thinking it over for an afternoon, Beast Boy had reluctantly chosen that he would like to get the entire affair over with as quickly as possible.
It had been possible to arrange much more quickly than the team had anticipated; due to the matter concerning one of the city's active superheroes, Jump City wanted the issue to be resolved just as swiftly as Beast Boy did. As a silver lining, Robin had explained very carefully to the mayor's office that as they all intended to be present to support their friend, getting word out to the media that all five of Jump City's primary defenders would be indisposed on a certain day would be most unwise, and so the matter was being kept completely under wraps. Robin was pleased to hear from their legal team that apparently Galtry was extremely upset that he couldn't use the trial as an opportunity to gain media attention.
The only one of Beast Boy's friends not to step up to the plate was, oddly enough, Raven. She was never unkind or unconcerned towards him, but if there was any change in her behaviour, it wasn't the kind that her teammates could perceive. She hadn't taken Robin's suggestion to teach Beast Boy how to meditate, and other than the occasional "How are you holding up?" when they happened to be sat on the Common Room sofa at the same time, she didn't seem to be paying him any more attention at all. While Beast Boy was too preoccupied to notice, the rest of the team were all slightly displeased at her apparent apathy, although they kept their thoughts on the matter to themselves.
Just once, Starfire had suggested that Raven join her and Beast Boy for a day of activities to keep his mind off of the impending trial, and when Raven had succinctly refused, Starfire had asked, with not a hint of malice in her voice, whether she had any plans at all to interact with the boy before his appearance in court. Raven's response had been curt; "Not really. I don't want to make a big deal out of it and make him even more worried. Besides, it's not like Galtry's going to win." While Starfire accepted her rationale, even the most unobservant onlooker would have been able to tell that Beast Boy was already extremely worried, and the extra support from one of his closest friends might have helped.
The relationship between the empath and the changeling had always been something of a mystery to the rest of the team; sometimes it seemed as though she barely tolerated him, and he was more than happy to keep his distance, unless he had a target for one of his bad jokes, or worse pranks, but at other times – usually in the wake of incidents such as Terra, Malchior or Adonis – they were each other's lifelines, the closest of friends; perhaps even more than friends. But they wisely decided not to ask Beast Boy or Raven what they were to each other; after all, this was assuming that they knew.
Robin had received the news from City Hall five days after Galtry's letter had arrived; the court were willing to fit them in for an emergency hearing in just over a week. He had to run it past Beast Boy first – and while the changeling had been hoping to get this over and done with quickly, he hadn't quite anticipated it being so near in his future – who agreed. The rest of the week, when they weren't fighting crime, was spent preparing him for the trial; mentally, more than anything. Robin had even demanded they buy Beast Boy a presentable suit, on the basis that it would show the judge that he was treating the situation with dignity and respect, as any citizen should. Beast Boy asserted that this wasn't necessary, and that his regular superhero attire wasn't just more comfortable, but might remind the judge that he had saved the city several dozen times over; a cheap tactic, but one that couldn't hurt. Cyborg had agreed, and so had Starfire, and even Raven added that Beast Boy didn't need to wear a suit if he didn't want to. It was four against one, so Beast Boy was sure that he had the argument in the bag.
…
Shopping for a suit hadn't been as bad as he'd feared, but it was still exhausting, embarrassing, and Starfire blushed and said "Oh! My friend! You look so handsome!" at every single combination he tried on, which after the thirty-seventh try, was beginning to sound somewhat insincere, even though he knew that she meant it. He didn't want to choose any outfits that he didn't dislike, but it wasn't fair to the ones that he liked either; once the trial was over, the suit would forever be 'that suit I wore for the custody trial with my abusive uncle', and he would never wear it again. Or he could burn it, that was also an option.
He eventually let Robin pick a suit so that they could return home sooner, and in exchange, he was allowed to choose the film they watched that evening. It was one of his and Cyborg's favourite comedies, but even with freshly-buttered popcorn at the ready, he didn't laugh once. Even Raven found amusement in a few scenes, but the intrusive thoughts swirling around his mind and the dread at the prospect of the upcoming trial were too heavy on his shoulders, and when the movie was finished, he quietly announced that he would be heading to bed early. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, and he expected that it would take him some time to fall asleep.
Several hours later, when most of the rest of the team had also retired to their rooms, Raven heard a soft knocking at her door. She could sense the anxiety before she opened it, revealing a very tired and worried Beast Boy. Before she could ask him what he wanted, and whether he was okay, he spoke.
"Hi Raven. Um… could I ask you for a favour?"
She nodded impassively.
"… You know when I got that letter, and I was freaking out, and you did… that thing, that made me go to sleep? Could you do that again, please?" Raven involuntary let out an exasperated sigh – it was far from the first time that he had requested the use of her powers, "Hey Raven, it's raining, could you teleport me to the comic book store?" "Rae, when the guy at the stall isn't watching, could you just… nudge one of the coconuts a little? I really want to win you something!" and she usually denied his requests – but he hurriedly added before she could answer him.
"I know, I know, your powers are serious, and not to be taken for granted, but… just this once? Please?" She could tell that he meant it, and her features softened. From the looks of it, he had already spent a few restless hours failing the task himself.
With a reassuring half-smile, she replied "Sure. Just this once." Beast Boy exhaled with relief, while Raven opened a portal directly to his room and led him through it. He was fortunate that he hadn't woken her, but even if he had, she probably still would have complied. As she approached his bed, she noticed two damp patches on his pillow, on either side of where his head would usually be laying, and frowned. While he was still following through the portal, she quickly seized the pillow with her powers and flipped it over. She didn't want him to notice that she had noticed something.
The portal closed, and Beast Boy quickly got into the lower bunk of his bed; it felt strangely embarrassing to do so in front of Raven, but without her help, he knew that he would never have fallen asleep tonight. Raven took a few deep, meditative breaths, before he interrupted her process with a question.
"So, can you like, use this on yourself too?"
Raven's concentration was broken, but she wasn't upset about it; when they had first met, she had assumed that questions like this were Beast Boy's attempts at making small talk, before she realised that he was just genuinely a very curious young man who liked to find out as much as possible about people. "Not really," she answered, "I need to be awake and alert for it to work, so if I started to fall asleep, then it would stop working."
"Oh," replied Beast Boy. "That's not fair. So you can help everyone else, but not yourself?" He sounded offended on her behalf, as if he would be willing to personally travel to Azarath and berate the ancient order of monks for their lack of consideration. She had no doubt that he would have done it, too. But she was used to the drawback of her powers, and simply shrugged, before stepping forwards and placing her hand firmly on his forehead, as she had done before.
"Oh, ok, so… good night, I guess." Beast Boy quickly stammered, blushing slightly at her touch. Raven paused, leaving her hand in place but not beginning to calm his mind just yet. Before she knew what she was saying, she was trying to soothe his nerves with words instead.
"I know that tomorrow is going to be hard for you," she stated sincerely, "but… do you remember last night?"
Beast Boy felt a twinge of panic, as if he was missing something important. "Uh, what about last night, Rae?"
"I mean, it probably feels like it was only five minutes ago, right? You were probably already asleep. The present always feels slow, but the past always feels like it rushed by so quickly, right?"
Beast Boy still felt as though he was failing a test. "Um… I guess."
"Well, tomorrow night, you're going to be here, and you're going to be so relieved that it's all over, and you're going to look back on it and realise that it just flew by, okay? We just need you to hold on until then."
"… Um, sure," he replied, appreciative but clearly not wholly convinced. Raven frowned.
"No, I mean it. Tomorrow night you will be back in your bed, in your home, with your friends, and it will all be over for good, and you will never have to think about him ever again, okay? I promise. I'm certain of it." Raven smirked as she felt her caustic sense of humour bubble up again. "And I'm a lot smarter than you, so you'd better believe what I'm saying."
The comedy movie that evening hadn't done the trick, but that had gotten Beast Boy to laugh. Only a quiet chuckle, but still enough to assure Raven that she had done the right thing having this talk with him. "Okay Rae. I believe you."
"Good," she replied curtly, before finally focussing her energy and beginning the process of clearing his mind. The effect was almost immediate, Beast Boy's shoulders untensed, and he sank lower into his mattress with a contented sigh.
"Rae… thanks," he barely managed to murmur before her work was complete, and he was fully asleep, once again free from the potential harm of any nightmares. Raven admired her handiwork – and certainly nothing more than that, she told herself – with a smile, before teleporting back to her room and preparing for bed herself.
After all, Beast Boy wasn't the only one with a big day tomorrow.
.
The hearing wouldn't officially start until 10am, but Robin insisted that the team try to make it there by 8 at the latest. He knew that being there wasn't exactly going to be pleasant for his friend, but hopefully the longer he was there, the less uncomfortable he would feel. Being cross-examined five minutes after he had arrived would surely not put him in the best of spirits. And so, the team awoke surprisingly early – normally, Raven would have joked about how unusual it was to see Beast Boy up at 6am, but it didn't seem appropriate today – and with a hearty breakfast of waffles and syrup prepared by Cyborg, they were dressed and ready to go by 7, with Beast Boy grumbling that none of the others had to wear a suit.
The drive over was as tense as it was silent; the only conversation was a brief exchange after a minute of uncomfortable dead air in which Cyborg asked his green friend if he would prefer to have the radio on, which Beast Boy quietly declined. The silence was uneasy, but everyone was happy enough to leave it unbroken; nobody was sure what they would have wanted to say anyway, least of all Beast Boy.
As they arrived at the courthouse (to avoid unwanted attention, they would be allowed to use the internal parking usually reserved for judges and legal staff) they were each – except for Robin – slightly taken aback at the sheer size of the building. It was ironic; every one of them had been involved with putting hundreds of criminals behind bars, but the process for them had always ended with waiting for the authorities to arrive. None of them – again, except for Robin – had ever really understood how much more there was left to do after handing them over to the police. But now wasn't the time to think about it.
Robin led the way, with Beast Boy trailing nervously behind him, and after checking into the reception, where they were instructed where to go by a clerk who was trying very hard not to act starstruck, they arrived at Courtroom No. 3. Robin placed his hand on the door handle, then paused for a moment and turned back to his friend. "The trial doesn't start for a few hours. Do you want to go to the canteen or something, get something to eat, or some fresh air?" Beast Boy was tempted to ask where this considerate side of Robin had been the day before, when he was insisting that they all wake up at 6am, but it hardly felt appropriate.
"No thanks Rob, let's just…" he couldn't find the right words, but Robin knew what he meant. Robin took a deep breath – while Beast Boy took a deeper one – and opened the door.
The courtroom was vast and intimidating, but mostly empty, except for one elderly court stenographer who was slightly surprised by the appearance of anyone else, but also one other solitary figure, sitting in a dark red suit at the defendant's bench on the opposite side of the room. His head turned in the direction of the door, and he smiled a warm, confident smile.
"Hey, my client's here!" He rose from his seat, and while Beast Boy was initially thrown off by his decision to wear dark sunglasses indoors – to court, no less – it made sense when his lawyer grabbed his nearby stick and strode calmly towards them, half-heartedly waving it to ensure he didn't bump into anything… or rather, to give off the impression that he was ensuring he didn't bump into anything.
"He's blind?" Beast Boy whispered to Robin, not judgementally, but just in surprise, as if this was something that he would have expected his friend to informed him of in advance. Robin appeared to be just as surprised as Beast Boy, however. It seemed that Batman hadn't mentioned this.
Beast Boy had thought that his whisper would have gone unheard, but apparently his lawyer had heard him anyway, although fortunately, he just let out a chuckle and extended his hand for a friendly shake. "Guilty as charged. And don't worry, I've heard all the jokes. Turning a blind eye, the blind leading the blind, all of that. But hey, justice is blind, right?" Beast Boy was too nervous to laugh, but he at least accepted the handshake. Who was this guy?
"Sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself yet. My name is Matt Murdock, and I'm here to help in any way that I can, Garfield. Can I call you Garfield, or would you prefer something else?"
"Uh… no," Beast Boy hesitated and then answered too quickly, "Garfield is fine, I…" He suddenly remembered. Garfield had been on the letter that had been sent to him. Garfield Logan. Nephew of Nicholas Galtry. Beast Boy's heart raced as he tried to correct himself. "I mean… maybe I…"
"Alright, Beast Boy it is," cut off Matt, seemingly able to tell his client's wishes while placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Well, Beast Boy, it's very nice to meet you. I have a few small matters to discuss with you, your friends are more than welcome to join us if you'd like."
"How…" Robin finally spoke up, voicing something that had been nagging at him for the last minute. "How did you know it was us when you heard the door open?"
If Matt Murdock was alarmed by this question, he didn't show it, but he did pause for the slightest of moments, whereas everything that he had said before was curt, concise and immediate. "The receptionist gave me a call to let me know when you arrived."
"You have a phone?" Beast Boy asked, immediately feeling stupid as soon as the words had left his lips. He got the feeling that if it wasn't a stressful day, Raven would have many things to say about this, but as he glanced back at her, he was shocked to see that she already had her head in a book, barely paying attention to the conversation in front of her.
Matt Murdock laughed the question off in good nature. "Yes, Beast Boy, I'm blind, I'm not deaf." Beast Boy tried to apologize, but Matt brushed it off before continuing, clearly having not taken offence. "Apologies, lots of hands here that I haven't shaken yet. Now, can I give you the good news?" That got the whole team's attention; even Raven glanced up from her book. There was something about this 'Matt' character, something charismatic, but also extremely trustworthy, that put Beast Boy at ease; or at least, as far at ease as he could possibly be in this situation.
Sensing no protests, he continued. "Well, the good news is that frankly, in my professional and personal opinion, this is the easiest case I've ever come across. When the mutual acquaintance of your friend here," he briefly indicated towards Robin, "got in touch with me, I figured that it was probably something difficult. But honestly speaking, this is one of the most blatant open and shut cases that I've ever seen. So, I know you're probably still nervous, but just be aware; you've won. There isn't a chance in hell that you're going to lose."
Beast Boy's resolve hardly changed. He had known from the start that there was almost certainly nothing to worry about, but that wouldn't make this day any easier. Still, he didn't want to appear ungrateful at the sound of such good news, so he forced a smile. "Thanks, Mr Murdock. That's good to know."
Matt placed a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder again. "I understand that this must still be unpleasant for you, but I just want to be absolutely clear. I worry that you think I am saying 'We have a very good chance,' and that's not what I'm saying. What I am saying, is that if for whatever reason, the Judge ruled against you, you would have a successful lawsuit against the city and the Judge would be disbarred within the hour. There are zero outcomes to this situation which end in anything other than you returning home with your friends at the end of the day. Zero. Believe me on that."
His words were starting to sink in, and Beast Boy was starting to feel a hint of relief in the bundle of screaming, anxious nerves that was his mind. It was nice to know that no matter how badly things went, it would all be over soon enough. But there was something about the way Matt had phrased this news that piqued his unease again.
"You said that this was the good news. So… does that mean that there's bad news?" he asked tentatively.
Matt smiled in response, but not quite as warmly as before. "You'd make one hell of a lawyer, kid. But… no, honestly, no bad news, beyond what you already know."
"What do we already know?" Beast Boy's voice was already growing smaller, more afraid, more paranoid.
Matt tried to force more sincerity into his smile, and it half-worked. "There's nothing that I'm not telling you, I promise. There's no way in hell that you're losing this." Beast Boy could feel the 'but' coming and stared back until Matt relented. "… But, the other side also knows that there's no way that you're losing this. They have no leg to stand on; trust me, I've checked every avenue of this, family law, estrangement, emancipation protocol, they have zero chance of winning. But, they must know that they have zero chance of winning, which means that… this man-" Matt wasn't sure if Beast Boy wanted to hear the name of the figure behind his unfortunate experience.
"Galtry," cut in Beast Boy, still afraid and a little nauseous to think about him, but not wanting to afford his abuser the power to upset him merely by hearing his name. "You can call him Galtry."
"Right, thanks," continued Matt with a nod. "Well, Galtry's team know that they're not going to win. Which means that they're likely going ahead with this either in an attempt to get attention – which I understand your friend here," he indicated towards Robin again, "shut down immediately, very nicely done, I might say. Or alternatively, and most likely, it seems, this is just one final attempt by him to… harass you. From what I've heard, he may well be foolish enough to think that he's got a chance at winning, and I'm sure the lawyers he's paying are telling him that, but… more often than not, a case like this, it's just one last-ditch effort to inflict harm. But that's nothing that we didn't know, and it's nothing that we haven't prepared for."
"So, what do we do?" asked Beast Boy, his voice still weak and childlike, but at least showing signs of being proactive.
"We play along. We let him ask his questions, we let him try to steal your limelight, and we let his legal team humiliate themselves pretending that they have a case. Then, at the end of the day, we win and you go home. I can't pretend that this is going to be easy for you, but there is nothing that you could do or say that would change how this day is going to end. If you ever feel overwhelmed, we can call a recess. I'm here for you, your friends are here for you, and while it might not feel like it, the legal system is here for you." Matt Murdock had a way of delivering lines that felt completely natural, but sounded pre-prepared. "Now… there's still more than an hour before this starts, would you like to go grab a sandwich or something, stretch your legs?"
Beast Boy wanted nothing more than to leave, but he knew that if he did, there was a good chance he would never have the courage to come back. "No thanks. I'm ready."
Matt nodded sympathetically. "Alright then. Come sit over here with me, and your friends will be sitting just two rows behind you the entire time."
As Beast Boy began to follow his lawyer, he turned to face his friends. It would be a while until he was this close to them again, in more ways than one. "Um… I guess this is it, then."
"I guess so," replied Robin, patting him on the shoulder. "Just stay calm, remember what we practised, and know that we're all here for you." He was trying to put on a strong front, but it was clear that it hurt him as the team leader to have not been able to prevent this experience from happening.
Starfire was next, and she decided to forego the shoulder-pat in favour of one of her trademark bone-crushing hugs, which Beast Boy didn't complain about. "We will be back home before you know it.
Cyborg had always been a man of few words in tense situations. "You've got this, man," he affirmed with a solemn nod, giving his best friend a soft punch in the shoulder.
As the rest of the team made their way to the rows behind, only Raven was left. He was never certain how their interactions would go; sometimes she was the closest of his friends, and sometimes she treated him like a colleague she barely tolerated. Still, he braced himself for whatever words of wisdom she had to impart for a moment like this.
Raven raised her eyes from her novel, briefly nodded in sympathy, and then followed the rest of his friends to the back of the room.
Beast Boy was slightly bemused by her behaviour, but grateful in a strange way, that at least it gave him something else to think about. With his mind mostly on the upcoming worst day of his life, but also slightly on the odd behaviour of his teammate, he followed Mr Murdock to the defendant's bench and tried to mentally prepare for what was to come.