It was much harder now for Garfield. Sakutia was taking an obvious toll on his frail physique. He could no longer find the strength to even hold a glass of water let alone morph to a single animal resulting in effectively making the Titans a three-member team as Rachel relegated herself to caring for her beloved full-time.

Coughing, Garfield smiled at the empath who was feeding him some oatmeal porridge from a spoon. The two were where they always were; in their shared bedroom which used to belong to the empath. The sight that would meet anyone who happened to walk in was a pale, purple-haired young lady tending a gaunt young man with a skin complexion that spoke volumes of his dire condition.

"What did I do to deserve you, Rae?" asked the changeling appreciatively in a raspy voice.

Making a shushing noise to soothe him, Rachel gave a small smile as she wiped some porridge off her boyfriend's mouth.

"You shouldn't be the one to ask that, Gar. It should be me," whispered the young woman as she beamed sadly.

"You're joking, right? How could you possibly say that?" asked Garfield incredulously. His widening eyes made larger by his pallid-greenish face and swollen eyelids.

The empath knew that the young man was going to respond as such. Beneath Beast Boy's loud and optimistic demeanour laid a very insecure individual. It was made worse with the fact that he could no longer contribute to the team in a manner that he would have liked. Sick and bedridden, even the most cheerful person would succumb to depression after awhile.

Caressing her beloved's messy mop of hair, Rachel spoke.

"For one, I wasn't even supposed to live this long."

"Aw c'mon, Rae. That was a long time ago. Besides, did you really think we were going to just hand you over to Trigon just like that?"

"Yes."

When Garfield stared back at her in shocked silence, Rachel continued.

"Because I thought that if you knew what I was, you would not want to be my friends anymore. I am more stupid than you think I am, Gar. I let my insecurities blind me to the people that mean more to me than life itself. Even if I didn't realize it then; it has always been you who meant the most to me."

"Come here," said Garfield softly as he drew his girlfriend into a warm, comforting embrace. Cuddling in her boyfriend's arms, Rachel could not help but sob as she was overcome with emotion. At the same time, her powers resulted in a few objects in the room to levitate. Concentrating hard enough, the empath directed her powers to a harmless rocky outcrop at the bay. No harm could be done there.

"I love you, Gar. I love you so much and I don't care that I say it so many times each day. Each one I mean it from my heart," sobbed Rachel.

"I know, Rae. You show it too every single day. I'm sorry if I-…"

"Please, Gar. Don't ever apologise. Every time you do that it just breaks my heart, do you know that?"

"Sorry, Rae."

Pinching the changeling's arm lightly as a sign of mock annoyance, the purple-haired girl looked up to give her boyfriend a kiss on his nose.

"You're so cute when you do that, Rae," remarked the ailing changeling with a pained chuckle.

Rachel struggled to put on a brave smile.

"And if you want more where that came from, Green Bean, you'd better get well soon."

The bowl of oatmeal was soon forgotten as the two lovers shared a tender moment together.

"No dad, he isn't getting any better…well the symptoms have been slowed but it's just delaying the inevitable which I am not willing to accept…he is not going just like that dad…I know, it just hurts, you know. Knowing I can do little for him. He's like a brother to me."

Those were the words that Rachel heard as she paid Victor a visit in his workroom.

"…Yes dad, I understand…I- oh hey there, Raven. Dad, I gotta go. Place a rose on mom's grave for me. Thanks dad. I love you too. See you soon. Bye."

Deactivating his hands-free communicator, the cybernetic young man gave his teammate a wide smile.

"Come on in, Raven," said Victor as he gestured her in.

Nodding politely, Rachel glided into her friend's abode.

"Thank you, Vic. I apologise if I came at a bad time…"

"Nah, it's nothing. Just the latest update from my dad at STAR Labs that's all."

"And…?"

At that, Victor's easygoing smile seemed to falter a bit.

"Same old…same old…"

Giving an understanding nod, the purple-haired Titan placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"All of us want a speedy recovery for Gar, Victor. Progress may be slow but we will find a way. Don't give up hope just yet. He wouldn't want you to," assured Rachel as she gave Victor an encouraging smile.

The cyborg smiled back.

"Thanks, Rae. I needed that. You know, STAR Labs is the only real hope we have and being that I'm our liaison to them sometimes sucks considering I'm always the bearer of bad news."

"No one is blaming you, Victor. Especially Gar. So stop feeling like you're letting us down. You're not. In fact, I believe you've done the most in helping Gar."

"I don't think so, Raven. It's always been you."

"I may be a reason for him to keep on living. But I am not a doctor or a geneticist. Nor do I have the resources or the means to come up with concrete help. You do."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Raven."

"And neither do you."

The two stared each other down before Victor began to crack a grin causing Rachel to smirk a little. Very soon the two were chuckling at the ridiculousness of their self-depreciation.

"Good to hear you laugh li'l birdie, as rare as it seems nowadays," remarked Victor with his grin still on his face.

"Well don't get used to it. I've got a reputation to keep after all," said a smiling Rachel.

The two close friends shared a warm hug. It had been a strenuous ordeal dealing with the ongoing crisis and the few light-hearted moments which pop up once in awhile were a godsend to soothe the tortured souls of the Titans in the face of such adversity. The pleasant moment was interrupted however, as the communicators started beeping.

"Yo, what is it, Robin?"

"Guys, we've got an unidentified vessel heading straight for the island at high speed. The Coast Guard is in pursuit but they doubt that they'll be able to catch up with it in time. Take the T-ship and intercept that vessel now. Star and I are on our way to back you guys up. We're gonna take awhile though as we're at the other side of the city."

"We're on it," said Victor before switching off his communicator. "Rae, go tell Grass Stain what's happening and meet me down at the quay."

Nodding, Rachel disappeared in a swirl of black light.

"How is he?"

The question was asked as soon as the blue cloaked sorceress teleported herself in her seat in the Sub T-Ship.

"He's fine, Victor. Reminds us to be careful."

"He's one to talk," grunted the cyborg.

"Focus on the mission, Tin Can," came the deadpan reply.

"Sorry…okay gunning turbojets. Let's go."

With a thunderous roar from its twin turbojet engines, the T-ship burst forth through the waterway leading to the quay's exit and into the sunlight of Jump City Bay. Without further delay, the fast moving craft sped towards the unknown intruder.

"So they've taken the bait?"

"Hook, line and sinker, Mr Galtry."

"Excellent, initiate the next stage of our plan."

"Yes, sir."

From his seat on a bench overlooking the bay with the Tower in plain sight, Nicholas Galtry, former guardian of Garfield Mark Logan, smiled menacingly at the thought of his unraveling plans; plans that took years before finally bearing fruition.

It was time.

Chapter 6! It has been awhile but guess what I'm still alive:) I chose this story as the first update in a renewed commitment to this site and to you readers. I apologise for the long hiatus. For a long while, my desire to write was missing in the clutter of what we call life. Well, hope this update brightens your day. As you all can see, the story is taking a dramatic turn for the worse as the Titans are going to be reminded that threats are always present from within and without. Please review and give me your thoughts. Any would be deeply appreciated.

Until the next update:)

-spartan585