AN: I do not own Teen Titans and Please Do Not Review Until End of Fic

Chapter 1: The Malchior Widow

The night air was full of life and excitement. Friday nights in Jump City could do that. Gar had always loved visiting the city and even though he was living there now he still loved the energy the evening air could give off.

He wasn't a tall man, but he wasn't all that short. He was medium, in between each extreme. He had a thin, lean body thanks to his vegetarian diet and wasn't afraid to boast about his charming good looks. He had sandy blond hair that was between being long and short, allowing him to spike it up. He had also frosted the tips green, since it was his favorite color. It was also the color of his eyes that held a spark of excitement, impulsiveness, and inviting warmth.

Mr. Garfield Logan, that being his full name, had just graduated college with a degree in zoology and had been hired at the Jump City Zoo as a tour guide. He had moved in with his best friend Vic Stone three days earlier.

Vic owned his own auto shop, the best in the city in fact, and was Gar's friend since college. He had graduated two years before since he was two years older. He, unlike Gar, was tall and built like a football player. His skin was a dark chocolate and he religiously shaved his head so that it shined. Everyone loved Vic.

So, now that Gar was finally moved in, he was ready for a night on the town. He thought they were going to a nightclub, but Vic had other ideas.

"A night lounge?" asked Gar, skeptically, as he looked up at a sign that read 'The Gem Night Lounge'. "Dude, are you kidding me?"

"Hey, this is my favorite nightspot," said Vic, opening the door. "Trust me, you'll like it."

"Why can't we just go to a club or something?" whined Gar as he watched Vic enter the building. "I'm way too wired up to sit in some dank night lounge."

"Just shut up and get your ass in here," Vic sighed. Gar groaned and walked inside. How was he going to meet chicks in a lounge?

The two walked in and soft music was playing. The large room was softly lit and there was a decent amount of people inside, sitting at the tables or at the bar. Vic began leading Gar towards the bar, but suddenly the two heard their names called.

"Vic! Gar!" shouted a male's voice. The two turned and saw their buddy Dick and his girlfriend, who was also their very good friend, Kori. They were sitting at a table and already had drinks

"Whoa, didn't know you two were gonna be here," Vic laughed as he and Gar made their way over to the table.

Dick and Kori were also friends from college. They had all planned on moving to Jump City after graduating, and here they were. Richard Grayson was a detective in training and Kori had graduated with a degree in English, which was her second language. Dick had black hair and sky blue eyes, which he usually kept concealed behind dark sunglass, and was a few inches taller than Gar, but still shorter than Vic. Kori had deep, red hair and bright green eyes that sparkled when she smiled. And Kori Anders was never seen without a smile. She, too, was taller than Gar.

"It is most wonderful to see you friends," said Kori with a large smile.

"I can't believe you got Gar to come in here," said Dick.

"He's not happy, but I told him he'd like it," said Vic, sitting down.

"Yeah, this place is so much better than a nightclub," said Gar sarcastically, sitting down as well.

"You've been in here less than three minutes!" said Vic. "Give it a chance."

"Whatever," said Gar, looking for whomever it was who took drink orders in this place.

Gar and Vic ordered drinks and the group of friends began to catch up. Gar was a year younger than Dick and Kori, so he'd been the last to graduate. He'd seen them whenever he came to visit Vic, but he had still missed them terribly. Plus, he missed making fun of the couple who had only become a couple their senior year of college.

"So, do we get free admission to the zoo now that you work there?" Vic teased.

"Oh, that would be most wonderful!" said Kori, clasping her hands. "I enjoy going to the zoo very much."

"I'll see what I can do, but I haven't even started working there yet," said Gar, taking a sip of his beer.

"When's your first day?" asked Dick.

"Tomorrow," said Gar.

"And you're out drinking?!" said Dick. "You better not over due it and you better show up on time tomorrow."

"Dude, chill," Gar laughed. "I was joking. My first day's Monday. Like they would really have me start on a Friday."

"Oh… well, that's true," said Dick.

"I still can't believe our little Garfield got himself a job," said Vic, ruffling Gar's hair.

"Why's that unbelievable?" asked Gar, slapping his hand away and fixing his hair.

"Maybe because you didn't have a single job all through college?" said Dick.

"And you yourself said that you do not like to work," said Kori.

"I meant I don't like to work when it's boring and has nothing to do with what I love," said Gar. "I love animals, I have a job in animals, and therefore, I want to work."

"Did he just do some sort of equation?" asked Dick to Vic.

"I think he did," said Vic.

"Shut up," said Gar, sipping his drink again and looking around the room. And then, his eyes caught sight of her. He actually did a double take. And when he was sure his eyes weren't failing him he felt his heart jump and his breath catch in his throat. In all his years, not that there were that many, he had never seen such a creature of beauty.

Her skin was as pale as the moon on a clear winter night. Her long hair was as black as the midnight sky and reflected blue in the light. Her eyes were dark blue and the sparkle of the lights in the lounge made it look as if the night sky was residing right beneath her long, dark lashes. She wore a long sleeved, tight fitting turtleneck with a long, black skirt that hung loosely around her crossed legs. In her hands she held a book and on the table sat a half drunk glass of soda water.

"Who is that?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else, but his friends heard him.

"Another woman you'll only know in your dreams," Vic chuckled, putting an arm around his friend, startling from his thoughts.

"Dude, isn't she beautiful?" asked Gar. "I gotta find out who she is."

"Well, that, Gar, is The Malchior Widow," said Dick.

"Who?" asked Gar, confused. His three friends stared at him with shock.

"You have not heard of The Malchior Widow?" asked Kori.

"No," said Gar. "Should I have?"

"Her story was only in all of the papers and on the news all over the country!" said Dick.

"What? When?" asked Gar.

"A little over a year ago," said Vic. "Man, I can't believe you don't remember."

"Hey, unless something's happening right in front of me, I don't pay attention to the news," said Gar. "You guys know that."

"I suppose we shall have to tell friend Garfield her story," said Kori.

"Yes, please," said Gar. "I gotta know."

"Alright," said Dick. "But let's keep our voices down. I mean, she's right over there."

"Well, her name's Raven Roth," said Cyborg. "Her father was crime lord Trigon Roth and please tell me you at least know who that is."

"I'm not that out of the loop," said Gar. "Whoa, so she's his daughter?"

"Yup," said Vic. "So, like, two years ago he arranged for her to marry this guy Malchior Draco, who was workin for him."

"She was married?" said Gar, shocked.

"Well if she's a widow, she was obviously married, Gar," said Dick.

"Anyway, yeah, she married this guy Malchior," said Vic.

"What kind of a name is Malchior?" Gar scoffed.

"Would ya shut up and let me tell the story?" said a frustrated Vic. "Okay, so like a year after they were married it turned out Malchior'd been secretly workin for Trigon Roth's rival and givin all of the crime lord's information away."

"And Trigon killed him, right?" said Gar, predicting the end.

"Yeah, but it wasn't as simple as you think," said Dick. "Trigon and his assassins broke into Malchior and Ravens home and tried to do it while they were sleeping. Somehow, Malchior woke up, grabbed his gun, and began shooting. He killed the assassins hiding in the house, but before he could get Trigon, he was shot several times. Raven attempted to stop her father from killing him, but he pushed her down the stairs in the scuffle."

"Well, that sucks," said Gar.

"You don't know the half of it," said Vic.

"She was five months with child," said Kori.

"And after Trigon pushed her down the stairs Malchior got a good shot and hit Trigon right in the head," said Dick. "By the time the police got there, everyone in the house was dead but her, who was at the bottom of the stairs going into premature labor."

"Poor thing," said Vic, shaking his head.

"Her baby died two days after its early birth," said Kori. "I heard it was a little boy."

"And when did this all happen?" asked Gar.

"A year ago," said Dick.

"And how do you guys know that's her?" he asked, indicating to the young woman a few tables away from them.

"Cuz we asked the bartender one night," said Vic. "Evidently she's here every night."

"She simply sits and reads quietly," said Kori. "I have long wanted to go up to her and ask to be friends."

"Why haven't you?" asked Gar.

"Because she's cold, quiet, and from what I've heard has a sharp tongue," said Dick. "But, we've never actually heard her say a word. She sits down and is automatically brought her usual drink."

Gar thought for a moment then smiled. "Well, I'm gonna go talk to her," he said and with that stood up.

"Gar don't!" said Vic, grabbing his friend by the arm.

"Why not?" asked Gar.

"Trust me, she ain't your type," said Vic with a slight chuckle.

"Besides, you don't want to get involved with a girl like her, Gar," said Dick. "She's got baggage. She's seen traumatic things all her life and what happened a year ago is probably still fresh in her mind.

"I don't care," said Gar. "I've got to at least introduce myself to her. I mean, what if we're soul mates?!" And with that he headed over to the young woman known as Raven Roth.

It was clear to his three friends that he was smitten. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Gar had just come out of a bad relationship himself and the last thing he needed was for his heart to be broken all over again by a damaged young woman who's troubles ran deep. But Gar always seemed attracted to girls who were hard to get. And it would take a lot to convince him to give up on this exceptional woman.

He walked up to her table and waited for her to acknowledge his presence. Such acknowledgment never came. Three minutes passed and the only movement she made was to turn a page in her book. He felt his heart racing and he wondered if she even knew he was there. He cleared his throat, to make sure she knew. Finally, he decided to just speak.

"Hey, uh, I was with my friends and I saw you sitting here all alone," he said, rather nervously, but doing his best to play it cool. "And I was wondering if I could join you. Would that be okay?"

The young woman lifted her hand and from her pocket took out a small bell. She gave it a good jingle and then put it back in her pocket. Gar watched this, a bit confused. Within thirty seconds the bartender was at her table, escorting Gar back over to his.

"Sorry, sir, but the lady doesn't like to be disturbed," said the bartender.

"I wasn't disturbing her," said Gar as he was hauled off. "I just wanted to introduce myself to her."

"Yeah, well, she doesn't like that either," said the bartender, releasing his arm as they reached the table.

Gar felt quite embarrassed as his three friends started laughing. He looked over to the girl again and it looked as if he'd never even been there, trying to talk to her. She still sat, silently reading.

"So much for that, huh?" laughed Vic.

"Oh no, I'm not giving up yet," said Gar. "It'll take more than a bell and a bartender to keep Gar Logan down."