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Author's notes: This is intended as a finale to this series. After some consideration, I have decided to retire this continuity. There were many directions I would have liked to have taken this series if I carried on, but I have been working on a fresh new series for Teen Titans that I will be working on next year instead. I am very excited to begin working on it, so I will be back soon, but I wanted to give this series a little bit of closure, kind of like the 2003 series did with its endings. I learned a lot from doing this series, and I appreciate all the kudos and comments on every work so much and will continue to reply to any new ones.
So here it is as a finale to this universe, based on an old story I did last year.
Again, thank you to everyone who read this series.
Disclaimer: Finale of 'The Extremityverse', the story is standalone but shares continuity.
Built on the (2003) animated series canon, but it is not the same universe. Think of these as lost episodes.
Once We Hold Hands, I Won’t Let Go
Like thousands of winters had passed by against a barren landscape wrapped in ruin but riddled with vivid memory, one of former glory and status. Broken monuments to a time long gone and buried. The snow was fierce, carried along by wind that cut through the air with vicious daggers, cutting through everything that wasn’t strong enough to resist the powerful elements.
Shattered ruins like flakes of grey across the seas of pitch white landscape, unrecognisable, the only remnants of what was here before, spread out, standing up against the tides of ice and wind. One in particular stood unique amongst the rest, isolated and without much wear; the elements had made their mark on its familiar structure. Familiar with the two figures making their way to the T-Shaped building standing tall in the storm.
Layers of wrapped clothing shielded them both in a cloak of protection from the bitter cold, but it made seeing through the blizzard almost impossible. The taller male figure in front had the second figure's hand tight in his grip, as if frozen to it. Placing his other hand out in front as if expecting to hit a wall coming up towards them soon. His palm collided with the cold metal at the structure's base. He became overcome with memory, flooding back despite the lack of visibility or familiarity in any regard. His senses were his guide, wall received a firm push, only resulting in the eerie sound of shifting metal.
"The door’s not budging, come on, come on! give out…!” The man didn’t let go of his partner's hand, instead pushing against the frame with his body weight. “Come on, come on” The second figure tried to push as well, still never letting go of their partner's hand either. After a series of strong motions against the massive frame, the door gave way.
“YES! Quick inside, Rae or else we might actually freeze to death first!" The man yelled as the storm poured into the old building, filling the large lobby of the structure with ghastly echoes of the winter wind. A white, dull light shone into the dark corridors they were staring into; barely anything was visible even under all their covers.
"I can't see anything, Gar?" The smaller figure called out steam from her breath, matching her words, scanning around the room, hoping some familiarity would make things easier, but without any light, it was next to impossible. Gar moved around pressing his hands against the wall, trying to find what he hoped was still there.
"Hang on, I wonder?” Gar managed to find a small panel and knew he’d found what he’d been looking for: “Ah, yes, the system still works!" A quick lever press brought the whirling sounds throughout the lobby as many but not all lights came on above them. Some settled, others kept flickering and then fizzled out, but they could see. Both of them pulled down the hoods of their cloaks, dripping snow down onto their shoulders.
The man revealed a full green complexion and pointed ears with a rather particularly cheeky grin as he looked around at the old place. The other figure was a woman with light grey skin and a vibrant red jewel placed square in the centre of her forehead; her lavender hair was long and straight, stretching down into her cloak.
"Well, Cyborg did put everything into that second rebuild. If anything was going to survive after all this time, it's this old place…" The woman said in a soft, stoic tone, looking around, admiring what she could see around her. Honestly, she had expected something far more dilapidated, the odd broken light and a bit of dust was hardly a problem, they had made the right call.
"I know, right? It’s nothing but ruins out there, and she’s still standing… amazing really... Ah, the memories are already coming back," Gar smiled, looking around inside like his partner had been.
"Even in the lobby?" She asked him.
"Especially the lobby, Raven!" He replied.
Raven closed her eyes and smiled looking down, the kind of smile that crawled on her face with a common amount so much so that it became second nature but also as if it still always managed to surprise her, “Do you think there’s any chance the heating still works? We can't exactly build a fire everyday there are no trees left out there" she questioned.
"Looks like it’s already warming up”, Garfield observed.
"Thank, Azar"
"Might be an idea to check for any broken windows, probably check for any broken windows since we'll be here to stay,” Garfield suggested.
"Good plan", Raven agreed.
The lobby was in a much better condition than either of them assumed it would be. Dust littered every surface. Dirt and evidence of small leaks littered the walls and ceilings. Evidence of long absence was clear, not damaged, but forgotten. Though as both of them pressed forward up the stairs, searching for any sign of compromised structure. It didn’t take Garfield’s senses long to confirm that the Tower was still indeed intact. They made their way up towards what was left of the Towers' living room, still looking rather familiar if a little run-down. The kitchen, sofa and massive television were all still here, neglected and shoddy but still as they remembered it.
"Hey, not bad Rae, apart from the tons and tons of dust, it's just like I remember, isn't it, Rae?... Rae?" He spoke up, nostalgia plastered on his face.
He glanced over towards Raven, who seemed to have left her own body, like a spirit hovering in the soft velvet of comfort and memory.
"You, ok?" Garfield called over towards her, but she didn’t answer straight away. She was letting the feelings absorb her.
"You know, they say in life there's only one place you think of as your true home... You know what I mean, Gar?" She finally said, turning slowly back towards him, a soft smile on her face.
He loved seeing her smile, no matter how long it had been or how many times he’d seen it, and every time he couldn’t help it, he’d have his own smile crawl on his face every time too. Though, like most times, he’d opt to throw in a joke to help ease the mood, second nature to him even back when this Tower was new and that nature hadn’t really changed now.
"Hey, I always loved 'The Bloody Awful' that ship saw us through some unforgettable adventures" He giggled, his mind remembering old adventures on their travels out into the stars. Raven rolled her eyes, of course.
"By unforgettable, I assume you mean that time you got trapped in a virtual fantasy world for a decade when we crashed on that Dyson sphere?” She reminded him, eyebrow raised.
"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"
“It was like being trapped in one of your old, stupid video games”, she grinned.
"It was a great time…would do it again if I could”, Garfield smiled.
"You would?" she questioned him. She had an instinctive feeling he had always felt this way, but it still felt odd to hear.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t trade anything for these experiences...” Garfield affirmed, his loving smile was contagious, throwing itself back at her, melting her curiosity at his revelation away in moments.
Garfield’s demeanour shifted as his eyes drew focus to Raven’s hand, which was now exposed clearly now that they were inside, and a slow wave of anxiety rolled over his spine.
“Rae, love your hand?" he commented softly.
Raven felt his emotions like a wave enveloping her, "Hmm?... oh yeah. It's been getting worse, I must look awful", she remarked, examining her hand, as if she’d just gotten used to it, accepted it. Across her skin, cracks were spreading, like a living fracture on her form, creeping across her.
“Hey, you still look as beautiful as the day I married you”, Garfield remarked.
Raven smirked at his comment, “Flatterer”
Garfield grinned as he looked at her. His lips trembled; he didn’t want to ask this question, he felt it wasn’t fair, but he wanted to help her as much as possible.
"I know you said you weren't sure, but... how long do you think... If you had to guess? He asked quietly.
"I'm not sure, it could be months... maybe weeks? Who knows, I didn’t exactly get a proper demon manual from Dad" Raven genuinely didn’t know; she wanted to give him an answer, she knew it would help him in the end, she almost didn’t notice his gesture as his hands wrapped around hers, intertwining their fingers. He brought himself in front of her, taking his other arm around her waist, pulling her in tightly.
"I'll be with you to the end", Garfield smiled down at her. His smile was different. Not his usual cheeky grin, but more comforting.
"Thank you, Garfield... for everything" Raven once again threw her own smile back up at him; with him here, she didn’t need to feel afraid.
"You're welcome, love"
“You said you didn’t wanna talk about it, but have you given any thought to what you’ll do afterwards?” Raven murmured, asking her own nervous question.
“Not really, right now I just wanna be here for you”, Garfield replied. He was sincere; she didn’t need her powers to know it. He hadn’t even considered it.
"You promised me you'd find happiness with the rest of your life", Raven reminded him of the promise he’d made to her.
"I know, I don’t think I’ll ever find happiness like the way I have with you”
Gar witnessed her lavender eyes widen, "Oh, Garfield..." She whelped, the smallest tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She pressed her head into his frame, still not wanting to let him see her cry after all this time. He gripped her tightly, wrapping his arms around her softly; he wouldn’t have ever wanted to let her go.
"Besides, wherever you go next, I'm coming too, whenever that is; you may need backup”, he chuckled. She couldn’t help but laugh at that sentiment.
“You really think there’s going to be an after, especially for me?” she questioned.
“Oh, come on, Raven. Your Dad was a demon, we’ve fought ghosts, and we’ve rescued one of our children from Hell. I don’t know where were going be it’s somewhere.” Garfield argued, surprised she would still contemplate the notion of nothing afterwards, part of him wondered if she felt she didn’t deserve one. She was still blaming herself all this time onwards. Raven felt her emotions betraying her again, this time her tears ran hot as she pulled herself into him tighter.
"I love you so much, Garfield, I wouldn't have traded any second of our life together for anything, not a single second", Raven tried murmuring between her breaths. He pulled himself in to cradle her again.
"I'll always be here for you, always" his warmth radiated over her. As he observed how she was clearly still trying to hide her tears from him, his mind was brought back to memories in the Tower, as if she had returned to her old self in these old walls. “Still find it weird how much you hug now, even after all these years”, he commented.
Raven pulled her face back, still looking a little red-eyed. "If it's still down there, Garfield..., do you mind if we pay our respects?"
"Of course, Rae"
The trip downstairs was filled with melancholy, memories flooding back to both of them, no matter how insignificant or small. It was overpowering, despite such a short time compared to the rest of their adventures in their long lives; neither had expected to live so long, or remain as they are. Garfield had the right genetics and Raven the right heritage, though finally, after millennia, her human side had finally caught up with her.
The sounds of their footsteps slowly softened, the staircase felt like it was about to reach its end, and the crypt was almost in their sights.
"There they are", Raven observed, staring up at the large wall across the large room, layered with stone. Names and plaques covering every inch of the back wall in a monument of respect. Two names, sitting together side by side towards the wall's centre was the centre of their focus.
“Dick Grayson” and “Koriand’r”
"Together as they should be, Rae", Garfield agreed, thinking about the two of them and all the others who filled the wall of the old T-shaped ruin. Then he remembered one important person who wasn’t.
"It's a shame Cyborg never made it back here, this is where he should have been laid to rest", he added, regretting that they never found him. Raven’s mind went to Cyborg, too, where they last saw him and what may have become of him.
"It is, but he could still be out there in some form… at least Richard and Star are where they should be", she remarked.
"If they were here right now, what do you suppose they'd think of everything?" Garfield asked her with a cheeky smile.
Raven had to think for a moment; she channelled her old sarcasm into a thoughtful response. "Hmm, Starfire would probably be happy to see how well New Tamaran is doing, as for Richard, well...he'd just find some crime to fight regardless of what century it is", She chuckled to herself.
"Can't argue there, he was doing it until the end. He’d probably still find something to hit with his bo staff even with that storm out there” Garfield took a look around the room, observing the elements of Victor's work throughout the years. "Even now... I know Victor's not here, but I still think of him when I'm in the Tower," Garfield commented.
"I know what you mean", Raven agreed. "That's why I wanted to come back here, be with my first real family at the end" she added, thinking about the five of them in the beginning, the memories, the laughs and the warmth of their faces.
"Well, I don't think we could find all our descendants if we tried", Garfield laughed. He knew that he wasn’t exactly joking; it had been hundreds of generations.
"I had to go with the one guy who could give me kids despite me physically not being able to"
"I never doubted you'd be a great mom, even Richard didn't", Garfield reminded her.
"I'm not complaining, like I said I wouldn't trade anything for our life together"
Garfield noticed her eyes droop, her heartbeat mellow, and her stance went a little weaker; it was subtle, but he noticed it still.
"... You look tired, Rae, you wanna see if your room is still there?"
"It better be..." she grumbled.
The corridor to Ravens' room looked just like they had both remembered it, as if some kind of spell had preserved it, retaining its memory. Garfield gestured towards Raven to go in first, as always, he valued his manners towards her. The door slid across as it always had, just as it had back in their youth. The memories of her room came flooding in like a tsunami. Her lair was exactly how she remembered it.
"Just how you left it", Garfield remarked.
"No one goes into my room... present company excluded"
The two spent hours just reminiscing inside the Tower, moving to different rooms, letting feelings of nostalgia wrap over them like a comforting warmth. Eventually, they both moved back to the living room, taking rest on the old couch that still somehow felt comfortable; it was like they had both never left.
Garfield had placed the Towers systems back on a cleaning cycle, hoping to have the pace back to some resemblance to its former glory. He was shocked that anything like that in the Tower was still working, but this was Cyborg's old work; it should never be doubted.
"The old cleaning systems actually still work, wow, before you know it, it'll be just how it was before... outstanding"
"Are you planning to go out and fight crime again?" Raven wondered, sitting beside him on the couch
"Ha ha, no... It'll be just like when we all used to live together. We can create some new memories together before you go"
"I'd love that..."
"Do you want to lie down?"
"I may be thousands of years old, Garfield, but my body isn't"
"Hehehe, sorry, I forget sometimes… I’m old, too,” Garfield stroked the back of his head just like he had back when they were both young. Garfield's eyes were then drawn to the dusty old box sitting at the base of the large screen situated in front of them with surprisingly little damage. “Hey, I wonder if the old game systems still work, maybe my old files are still on there?!" Garfield wondered, crawling down towards the box.
“Really, Gar? Old video games, that’s how you want to spend one of what could be my last days of life?” Raven raised a brow at him.
“Come on, Rae, you know you can’t resist kicking my butt”, he grinned back at her.
She couldn’t help it; it was impossible to resist that smile. “Still the same person after all this time, aren’t you?”
“You know it, Rae, come on!” he called over to her and with a long eye roll, she shuffled down towards them, with a loving smile on her face.
Raven had assumed that she wouldn’t last that long, as she had said; she hadn’t been given a guide to her father's effect on her lifespan. She had concluded that she’d have gone on forever, something she had come to terms with years ago, especially since Garfield had discovered his own potential immortality early on. Destiny had been kind to both of them in later life.
Though Raven had managed to hold on for at least a few months, giving both of them the time to make beautiful final memories to finish her time on, they had plenty of adventures across the stars and ending on a quiet, familiar note seemed the most comforting for both of them.
They played games, read old books, messed around, and just recreated a lot of their experiences when the Tower was still fairly new. Mainly, it was about being together in these final days, some of which they would just lie with each other for hours, safe in each other’s comfort and protection. Exactly how Raven wanted to spend her final moments.
It was a succession of days that Raven noticed herself deteriorate more and more, her grey skin cracking like stone as if she would break any moment, her body felt weak to the point that in the last few days she could no longer stand without her powers, which were no longer working properly.
***
It was late hours on a particular evening, the old Tower calendar said August, not like it was obvious, given the storm outside constantly battering against the old building.
The two of them had retired to Ravens' room; he wanted her to be comfortable, she knew it was almost here. Both were laid out on her old bed, Raven’s face and body looking like a damaged statue.
“I think it’s almost time, Garfield,” Raven murmured, her voice sounding more gravely than it ever had.
Garfield couldn’t help but fight back tears to little avail, “I don’t want it to be, Rae…”
“I know, but we knew this was coming for a while. I’m just happy you’re here with me at the end”, she said, pulling her fingers through his green hair, gently caressing him, trying to tell him it’ll be okay in her own way.
“I wish it wasn’t the end”
“Everything ends Garfield, I know it’s not been perfect and we didn’t get to do everything we hoped but it’s been unforgettable making these memories with you, sharing this life with you so thank you for being with me, loving me after all this time, I hate the thought of leaving you behind but you’re the strongest person I ever knew, you’ll have to be strong again without me” Raven tried to make it easier for Garfield, who she knew was struggling with this reality. They had been together for so long, neither had anything else. “…Gar?”
Garfield’s face was held down as he felt the streaks of tears coat his face. “I don’t want you to go, Rae”
“Hey, hey, I know… I know… I don’t want to go either. You don’t know how scared I am,” Raven admitted, cradling him tightly.
“You, you are?”
“Unbelievably... but knowing you’re here makes me know I’ll be okay”
“I’ll never let you go, Rae”
“I know, Gar”
“I love you so much, you couldn’t believe how much”, Garfield sniffled through heavy breaths, letting all his emotions pour out.
“I love you too, you are everything to me, you are my everything,” Raven basked in the warmth of his glow in her final moments, content and happy to be with her soulmate at the end, exactly how it should be. Together at the end.
“Come now, Garfield, rest your eyes, were home, were both home…” Raven cradled his head with the gentlest of strokes as she felt him close his eyes. She wrapped herself around him. Both lay together through the night, never letting each other go. Raven’s breath slowed, eyes grew weaker, closing them one final time in the old T-shaped Tower on an old blue marble…
***
Raven felt nothing but darkness; she couldn’t remember how she’d gotten here, as if she’d always been in this void, the weight of the darkness crushing around her. No escape, no light, no hope. An almost nothingness…
Where is this? …Is… is this my fate? My eternity?
Her consciousness was weak; she felt herself, but her body felt disconnected, unplugged and floating. Like she was trapped in a nightmare, one that she had accepted long ago as her punishment for her birthright. Not as bad as she’d thought, still she prayed that she’d stop comprehending this dark sea and be left to simply be, forever. She had no concept of time here, and every moment of consciousness felt unreal.
“RAVEN!”
The echo almost didn’t sound real; against the darkness, she assumed it was what little was left of her mind, playing a cruel trick on her in this infinite prison.
“RAVEN!”
The voice called out again, louder but not clear enough for her to pinpoint a direction it came from. She knew it, she felt hope ripple through what was left of her form like a burning sensation.
“Gar…?”
A brilliant light sparked before her eyes; it was like a supernova, radiating warmth against the darkness enveloping her as she saw it, the silhouette of a hand reaching out.
“TAKE MY HAND!”
Raven didn’t hesitate; with what strength she had left, she took it. His grip held on tight, tighter than it ever had.
“I’ve got you!” Garfield’s hand pulled her through the light, as the darkness tried to wrap around her, she felt a second hand grab hers. “Come on, that’s it, I got you” Raven felt herself reformed, as if all parts of her had escaped, body, mind and soul. It took her a few moments to find her bearings; she was aware of herself now, her form. Where she was, surrounded by a white void, nothing but a glistening sea of light in every direction. She looked upon her rescuer, her love, as he always had been.
“Garfield?” She was in awe.
“Told ya I’d find you on the other side”, he grinned.
“But… how?”
Before she could even finish her question, Garfield pressed a finger on her lips. “Shhh… don’t worry about that, what matters now is that we aren’t late”
“Late…?”
“Yeah, everyone’s waiting, have been for a while, it’d be rude to keep them any longer”
“Everyone?” she asked.
“Who do you think? Come on, Rae, ready for another adventure?” Garfield placed his hand out to her, waiting for her to take it. She looked down at it. In this moment, in this strange place, she felt a sense of comfort and relief; eternity wouldn’t be so bad after all.
She reached her hand out and received his grip with a loving smile, the kind that said she knew everything now was going be okay, ready to walk into the light.
“Always, Garfield”
Always…
There we go, I wanted to keep this short as a little wrap up, throwing hints at little ideas I didn’t get to do, but again Thank you all for all who stuck with this series from its first stories.
Again, I will be back next year with my next Teen Titans series, which is a big undertaking, but I’m eager to start properly working on it
Until then, I hoped you enjoyed this continuity and this final story for BBRAE, and I’ll be back soon!