A/N: I beg everyone for forgiveness for the long long long wait, this is the longest fanfic I've done yet but it will not be abandoned I promise (seriously hold me to that!) I'm not sure on this chap (hence the long wait) but we move on to new and better things ;) Anyway please enjoy and thanks to everyone for reading, it makes me smile to know there are people who like this.

EvilSis X

Chapter 19 – What brings us together?

I walked slowly behind Garfield as we headed back to Victor's apartment. I had felt something in that poor damaged house and it had scared me. I really was no more then a coward. Had I not just moments ago willed myself to protect my friends and yet here I was cowering away from what that meant, from what that will lead to.

Or perhaps here I should be more specific, for I surely knew why that wretched feeling came over me, why I felt the need to pull away and run now. My feelings were centred on one person and it was Garfield who I wanted to run away from. Or rather it was the kindness and…and I don't know what that was. But I felt the natural body reaction, fight or flight, and everything in my being was saying flight. And yet I knew I couldn't. I was being drawn into him just as much as I was desperately trying to pull away. This was like nothing I had experienced before. How could one person get me so confused over my own emotions? I knew myself, what I was capable of and yet none of that mattered. It was like he had opened me up and spilled every terrible and disgusting thing that was me. And he had done nothing! I had done it all to myself!

"Raven"

I blinked, startled to find that we were now outside of the apartment door. Garfield had stopped without opening the door. He just stood watching me before he reached out and took a hold of my hand. His hand felt warm against mine that I knew must have felt like ice. He held it as if he sensed my need to run, to keep me grounded and with him.

"Thank you for coming with me today." He said softly, still watching carefully for my reaction, "I'm glad that you were there."

Before I could say anything the door to Victor's apartment suddenly opened from the inside. We both looked startled to the door to see Richard standing there. I quickly took my hand out of Garfield's grasp as if I have been scolded and tucked it behind my back.

"There you are!" Richard declared before grabbing a hold of Garfield's shoulders and pulling him into the apartment.

"Seen as that you now owe me the rest of your life and then some, I figured I pretty much owned you now." Richard said as he moved backwards into the apartment taking Garfield with him, who now had a scared look in his eyes.

"Gar!" a high pitch voice cries out from the direction of the sofa.

"Hey little dude" Garfield greets back.

Tim, Richard's five year old stepbrother, sat on the sofa next to Kori but at seeing Gar he launched himself off the sofa and propelled himself into Gar.

"It seems my own little brother doesn't want to spend anytime with me" Richard announced in a mock hurt tone.

"Dick's boring!" Tim declared screwing up his face in disgust.

"I'll give you boring!" and with that Richard lifted Tim up in a fireman's lift and held him on his shoulder, "anyway that's where you come in." Richard continued turning back to Garfield, "You are to do everything and anything that Tim tells you to do."

"Seems simple enough" Garfield said shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh and he wants Raven as well"

Everyone then looked at me for the first time, where I stood still hovering by the door. I stared back blankly trying to register what Richard had just said.

"Me? What have I got to do with this?"

"Tell Raven what you just told me and Kori" Richard said to Tim who still wiggled around on his shoulder, Richard's arm across his waist to keep him in place.

"No! Dick no!"

"He told us that Raven is his Girlfriend" Richard finished ignoring the protests of his brother.

Tim screams out and kicks his legs so much that Richard is forced to put him back on the floor. As soon as he does Tim runs in the direction of me and hides behind my legs.

"Lucky kid" I hear Garfield mumble and I shoot him a glance which he just shrugs and grins at me in response.

"So there you have it, we'll be back at about four o'clock" Richard said picking his jacket up that is lying across the back of the sofa.

"Wait your both going?" I question as Kori also stands up from the sofa.

"Do not fear Raven, I am sure you will have fun with your boyfriend" she giggles.

"Catch you guys later" Richard calls as they both leave the apartment, the door closing behind them.

"Now what do we do?" I ask Garfield, slight panic in my voice. It's happening all over again, I am going to be left with a five year old boy and Garfield! And we are to do everything that the five year old says? The situation had just suddenly turned into my new nightmare.

"I don't know, what do you want to do little dude?" Garfield asks Tim who is still hiding himself behind my legs.

"Mega Monkey 3!" Tim shouts in response.

"Who or what is Mega Monkey?" I ask as Tim launches himself back onto the sofa once again.

"It's a game," Garfield laughs also sitting himself on the sofa with Tim, "don't worry you can watch."

"Oh goody" I respond dryly before positioning myself on one of the lazy chairs as Garfield began to set up the game.

This began an endless amount of time spent watching a series of loud music and flashing images on the screen resulting in me being completely clueless in what the game was even about, let alone if someone was supposed to be winning or loosing. Though the time seemed never ending as Garfield and Tim played the game, time nonetheless slowly ticked by and it wasn't long before Tim was declaring that he was now bored of the game.

"What do you want to do now little dude?" Garfield asked Tim yet again.

The little boy merely shrugged his narrow shoulders at the question before seemingly to decide to entertain himself by jumping up and down on the sofa.

"Well Dick said we have to do whatever you want us to do, so name anything and we'll do it" Garfield persisted.

"I'm hungry" he answered still continuing to jump up and down.

"I'll go see what Vic has in" I pipe up quickly, anything to just be able to do something. Sitting down and merely watching was giving my mind too much time to think of things I just didn't want to face.

I moved over to the fridge and cupboards of the kitchen, calling out what there was as I went. "There's Ice Cream or some popsicles, I could do burgers or…what is this?"

"That's my tofu" Garfield answered.

I put the suspicious coloured block of what was apparently food back away before continuing, "I could make a sandwich or –"

"Alfred makes me cookies or cake and Ice cream" Tim suddenly said.

"Well there's not everything here to make that, so how about just the ice cream part."

"Oook but it has to be chocolate, Alfred always gives me chocolate" Tim affirmed, all seriousness in his small voice.

I thanked the gods that be that the ice cream I found was chocolate.

I scooped some ice cream into a bowl before handing it over to the eager little hands of Tim. I took my place back on the lazy chair only to be stopped.

"No Rae Rae sit here" Tim protested pointing to the space next to him.

I hesitated a second before sitting myself down on the sofa where he had pointed, in the middle of Garfield and Tim. The couch wasn't really made for three people so I found myself a little squashed up against Garfield.

"Do you want some of my ice cream Rae Rae?" asked Tim, chocolate already around his mouth.

"No thank you, you eat it all for me."

"Why does your eye look funny Gar?" Tim suddenly asked.

I found myself unable to look at anyone, I had gone so long ignoring Garfield's black eye that the question suddenly threw me. I felt uncomfortable even if it didn't make Garfield.

"I fought against a gorilla but it hit me and that's why my eye looks funny."

The little boy giggled with laughter at this, "No you didn't!"

"I so did little dude," Garfield said getting up from the sofa, "It was a gorilla this big" he said doing an impression of a gorilla, swinging his arms back and forth and grunting. Tim continued to laugh along with him.

"But I karate chopped that ugly gorilla out of town" Garfield continued now going into a series of karate chops and exaggerated noises.

"You shouldn't encourage him to fight." I stated dryly.

"I'm not, just fighting against gorillas." Garfield smirked back.

"My new daddy says you shouldn't lie." Tim said as if he was also scolding Garfield.

"Umm Tim I don't think you have to call him 'new daddy'." Garfield said.

"But he is."

"Yes but I don't think you have-"

"My daddy is dead so he's my new daddy." Tim interrupted, he looked down at the bowl he still held in his hands and I saw that there was now sadness in his pale green eyes.

I shot Garfield a glare.

"Of course he is and that's fine for you to call him that if you want to." I said softly placing my hand on his small back.

"I'm sorry little dude, I didn't mean to upset you" Garfield apologised kneeling down in front of Tim, finally realising what he had done. "My dad's dead too."

"Really, do you have a new daddy too?" Tim asked timidly.

"No I was never that lucky."

"You can share my new daddy if you like and you can be my new big brother like Dick."

"How about you keep your daddy all to yourself but I'll be your new big brother anyway. Is that cool?" Garfield suggested holding his fist out to Tim.

Tim smiled back at Garfield as tapped his small fist to Garfield's, "That's cool."

The upset had been avoided and I couldn't help but smile to myself. This was a very brave little boy and I couldn't imagine what he had been through. He put me, who was considered an adult in comparison, to shame for how I had dealt with my life so far. I suddenly felt my resolve return to me when I looked at this five year old boy.

We sat in comfortable silence watching cartoons on the television, the laughter of Garfield and Tim filling the apartment. It was where we still were when Richard and Kori returned to the apartment.

"This looks cosy" Richard commented, regarding all three of us sitting on the sofa.

"Oh friends have you enjoyed your day?" Kori asked.

As Tim began to reel off what he had done that day, even the things he had done with Richard and Kori, I stood from the sofa and asked "Dick could I have a quick word?"

Richard followed me as I stood just at the edge of the room. "What's up Raven? Was everything ok with Tim?"

"Everything was fine," I reassured, "I just wanted to ask if your job offer was still available?"

"Of course it is" Richard answered smiling. "When can you start?"

"When do you want me?" I said slightly taken aback but I wasn't about to back out now. This was just one step into sorting myself back out again. I wasn't going to run anymore.

"How about on Monday, it gives you the weekend to get your head around it. You don't know how much this is a relief to hear Raven."

"Monday it is then" I smiled back, my fate now sealed.

Richard moved back over to the rest of them but I stayed where I was for a moment. Kori now sat on the sofa with Tim sitting in the middle, they all chatted and laughed together that it looked the perfect picture. My eyes moved and rested on Garfield, his laughter ringing out the loudest. The strange feeling came in my chest and I realised it didn't feel as uncomfortable as it had done before.

I wasn't going to run away anymore.