To those of you who are reading this and thinking, "What's this, a new story? Where the heck is the next chapter of Silver Wing?"—don't freak. I swear I'll do everything in my power to get that up within the next few days. I still have a bit of chapter seven to rewrite, but I'm working on it.
Okay, now for everyone else. This idea popped into my head last night, and I had to write it. This is a one-shot, alternate version of the episode 'Mother Mae-Eye'. You know the part where Cyborg's explaining how he got the pie, and he mentions the other items the gypsy lady had for sale? Well, one of them was a monkey's paw, and if that wasn't a reference to the short story "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, I don't know what it was.
"The Monkey's Paw" is about a cursed…well, monkey's paw that will grant a man three wishes. But see, the wishes don't exactly turn out the way they're expected to. It's a very creepy, and very good story. I know you can find it online if you search on Google. Anyway, this fanfiction is based on that short story.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or the "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. I don't even own the English book that I read it in for my English class last year. Oh, and as for pairings, there is some slightly implied BBRae, but it really has little effect on the story, and has little importance. I just implied it because my sister was begging me to.
This is rated is for blood, death, and grossness. Oh, and it's kinda creepy. But I promise, it's not as bad as it sounds.
Enjoy!
Monkey's Paw
"Hey y'all, check this out."
The Titans looked up at Cyborg, who was proudly waving around a brown paper back. Figuring it was just another piece of junk that'd he'd probably paid too much for, Raven returned to her book, and Beast Boy and Robin continued their game. Only Starfire ventured over to him.
"What delightful new oddity have you purchased today, friend Cyborg?" she asked, eyeing the back curiously.
Cyborg grandly tipped the bag onto the countertop, and the item inside spilled out.
"It's magic," he said proudly, flipping it over.
"My, it is most…interesting," Starfire said politely. "May I ask what it is?"
By then, Robin and Beast Boy were slightly interested, and put down their Gamestation controllers and approached the counter.
"That's disgusting," was Robin's immediate reaction. "What is it?
"It's a monkey's paw," Cyborg responded happily.
"You cut a monkey's hand off?" Beast Boy glared at him. "How could you? Poor little monkey…"
"I didn't cut it off," Cyborg said defensively, "somebody else did. And like I said, it's magic."
"How?" Robin asked skeptically.
"Well, it grants whoever owns it three wishes," Cyborg said, suddenly excited. "And that'd be me."
"Right…and who told you this, exactly?" Robin clearly still thought little of the idea.
"Some gypsy lady," Cyborg said, shrugging. "She was selling all kinds of weird stuff. This thing, brains, a pie."
"Perhaps you should 'give it the try,'" Starfire suggested.
"Alright, what should I wish for?"
Raven had finally given up her attempt to ignore her friends, and had come over. She was now looking at the paw warily.
"Don't wish for anything," Raven warned. "You shouldn't use it."
"Why not?" Cyborg asked, crossing his arms.
"Because it's evil," Raven told him seriously. "You should just get rid of it."
"Aw, Rae, come on," Beast Boy protested. He'd apparently gotten over the monkey cruelty idea. "It's just for fun."
"I'm telling you, that thing is bad," Raven said firmly. "If you won't listen to me, fine, but I don't want to have any part in this." With that, she picked up her book and headed to her room, only pausing to give them one last warning glance before she climbed on to the elevator.
"Whatever," Cyborg muttered, shaking his head. "I don't see what she's all worked up about."
Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Who cares, just make a wish!"
"I'd wish for more wishes," Robin suggested.
"That never works," Cyborg pointed out.
"Oh, I know," Starfire said suddenly. "Ask for a Kelforn! On my home planet they are the source of great enjoyment!"
"How about money?" Beast Boy suggest brightly.
"Okay, money," Cyborg agreed. He picked up the monkey's paw, took a deep breath, and said…
"I wish for a million dollars."
Silence. The four Titans exchanged glances. The silence continued for a few more moments, until Robin decided to break it.
"You know, Cyborg, I think your next wish should be for your money back," he said with a chuckle. He went back to the Game Station, and Beast Boy followed him, laughing.
"Then it did not work?" Starfire asked dejectedly. Cyborg set the paw back down on the counter.
"Naw, it's just a piece of junk," he said with a shrug. "A piece of junk that I wasted $25.50 on…"
He too headed towards the Game Station, leaving Starfire to linger alone beside the strange relic. At last she too left it, and joined the boys, watching their game in silence. After that, the paw was almost forgotten.
Almost.
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The next evening was like any other. The Titans enjoyed relative peace and each other's company (for the most part, anyway), until they were called out on an alert to protect the city. They assumed it would turn out just like every other bank robbery.
"There's only two ways out of this place," Robin said to the culprits. "We walk you out, or we drag you out." He pulled out his Bo Staff. "It's up to you."
In response, all seven thieves charged at the Titans. Robin barely had time to register and eighth that slipped into the shadows before the fighting began. He knocked down one of the thieves with his staff, only to have another come at him.
Beast Boy shifted into a ram and plowed into one of the attackers, and Starfire zapped another with a succession of starbolts. Across the room, Cyborg blasted at the thieves with his sonic cannon.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" As Raven shouted, three of the thieves were frozen in black energy.
With almost half of their enemies out of commission, the rest of them went down easily. But nobody heard the shots until it was too late.
One shot, two shots, three shot all in rapid succession. Before anyone could call out, Raven was down, and she didn't stir.
The shooter was the eighth man, the one that had slipped into the shadows when the fight began. In anger, Robin charged at the man, his staff unfolded, but a fourth bullet stopped him in his tracks and sent him to the ground.
In a matter of seconds the shooter had been blaster by Cyborg's sonic cannon, and the half robot was on him, pummeling him into the ground.
As Starfire tried to pull Cyborg off the man, Beast Boy raced for his fallen friends. He reached Robin first. The boy wonder was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. There was a small, round hole in his mask between his eyes, and Beast Boy knew without checking that his friend had died the instant the bullet struck him. Holding back tears, he passed by his leader and continued to Raven.
Raven was still breathing shallowly when Beast Boy knelt by her side. She'd taken two shots in the abdomen and another in the chest. He took one of her hands into both of his own, and she turned her head to him.
"Hang on, Raven," he pleaded. Already he could hear sirens approaching—someone must have called for ambulances. "Help's coming."
"No…" she whispered. She coughed, and a little blood came out in a fine spray. "Too late…for that."
"Don't say that," Beast Boy said quickly, squeezing her hand. It was already starting to get cold—she didn't have much time left. "Don't leave, Raven."
"Robin…is he…" Raven couldn't finish her question, but Beast Boy understood it, and forced himself to not. "Don't use that…thing," she managed to whisper. Her breaths were becoming even more labored.
"Raven…" A few of the tears he'd been trying to hard to control escaped and fell to her pale face. "Please, Raven, hold on. You're gonna be okay." The sirens were louder now.
Raven shook her head slightly. "Promise me you won't use it," she croaked.
"Raven…"
"Promise."
"Okay, I promise," Beast Boy told her. Seeming to accept this, she closed her eyes…
Her hand went limp, and her ragged breathing stopped. Beast Boy sat with her body in silence, refusing to believe what was happening.
Starfire had to physically pull Cyborg off of the man that had shot Robin and Raven, or else he would have beaten him to death. She also wished to hurt the man, but she wouldn't let Cyborg get himself into trouble.
The man was very unconscious, so they were safe stepping back and leaving him be for a moment. The rest of the thieves were unconscious as well, and Starfire searched the prone forms for her friends. Beast Boy was only a few feet away, cradling Raven's still and bloody body in his arms.
"They're gone," was all he could say as Starfire approached him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "They're gone."
A little while later, the three remaining Titans stood in silence as the criminals were loaded up to be taken to the jail. The chief of police was speaking to them, but they weren't really listening.
"Samuel White and the Seven Thieves," he was saying as the last man, the one that had murdered their friends, was loaded up. "Wanted across the county for crimes exactly like this. It's about time that someone brought him in."
No response. The chief cleared his throat and continued. "I'm very sorry for your loss," he added solemnly, nodding towards a nearby ambulance. Two bodies covered in white sheets were being wheeled inside. "I know this won't help much, but I suppose you'll be eligible for the reward for catching these guys."
The Titans still didn't answer, but the chief went on, well aware that he was essentially talking to himself. "Yes, and it's quite a reward. One million dollars for bringing those guys in. A million dollars…."
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Three months later, after the funerals and the kind words and the initial shock, life at the Titan's Tower was about as normal as it was going to be. Mostly it was silent, as nobody was willing to talk about what happened or what they felt. The paw lay undisturbed on the counter, in the same spot where Cyborg had left it the night he brought it into their home.
Cyborg and Starfire seemed to ignore the relic, but Beast Boy loathed it. He kept quiet about his hatred for the object, until one morning when he couldn't take it anymore and finally exploded.
He and Cyborg were attempting to play Game Station, but neither of them was really into it. After losing again, Beast Boy threw down his controller and stood, glaring at Cyborg.
"What'd you have to make that stupid wish for anyway?" the changeling shouted at his friend.
"What are you talking about?" Cyborg asked, confused.
"The wish," Beast Boy hissed. "On that…paw. You wished for a million dollars."
"So?" Cyborg was quickly going from confused to angry.
"So? So we got it, didn't we? You know, for catching that guy that killed Raven and Robin!"
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," Cyborg shouted, standing. "It's not like some stupid piece of junk made that guy shoot them!"
"How do you know?"
"Are you trying to say that if I hadn't made that wish they'd still be alive!" Cyborg was livid now, and looked ready to choke Beast Boy.
"What do you think I'm trying to say?" Beast Boy shouted back.
"I'm not the one that said to wish for money!"
"Well, I'm not the one who brought that thing here in the first place!"
"Friends, stop!"
Starfire had been in the kitchen making her thousandth pudding of sadness since her friends' deaths. Now she came into the living room, something clutched in her hands.
"I have realized that the solution to our problem," she said, her voice trembling. Both boys stopped arguing and turned to look at her, and the monkey's paw in her hand.
"No way," Beast Boy shouted. "That thing's the reason this happened—we can't use it again!"
"But there are still two wishes remaining," Starfire pointed out. "We can wish for our friends to return to life."
"Star," Cyborg said gently, "I don't think it works that way."
"Why not?" Starfire asked sadly. "If it can take life away, why can it not restore it as well?"
"We can't use it!" Beast Boy shouted vehemently. "I promised Raven that I wouldn't. Right before she died, I promised!"
"You do not have to use it," Starfire said calmly. "Cyborg is the one who owns the paw. They are his wishes to make."
Two sets of eyes turned to Cyborg, both pleading, but for different reasons.
"Don't do it," Beast Boy said firmly.
"Why do you wish our friends to remain deceased?" Starfire asked bitterly.
"That's not what I meant!" Beast Boy protested. "You saw what that thing does, how it works. It'd bring them back as zombies, or something."
"Zombies are unreal," Starfire said, crossing her arms. "You are being 'silly.'"
Cyborg though it over. Maybe Beast Boy did have a point—but then that'd mean that it was his fault that Robin and Raven had died in the first place. If Cyborg knew anything for certain, he knew he wasn't to blame.
"BB, I think Star's right," he said finally.
Beast Boy was horrified. "What? No! You can't use that thing!"
"It can't hurt to try," Cyborg stated. "It probably won't even work."
"Yeah, that's what Robin thought," Beast Boy shot back. "You know what, fine. Get yourselves killed--see if I care!" He turned and stormed away to the elevator. No one else spoke until he was gone.
"You should ask for the wish now," Starfire said with hushed excitement.
Cyborg sighed—now he was starting to get nervous. "Star, are you sure about this?"
"I am most positive," Starfire exclaimed. "Please tell me that you do not also wish our friends to remain dead."
"No, of course not." His mind made up, Cyborg took the paw from Starfire's outstretched hand. He closed his eyes and held the paw tightly.
"I wish Robin and Raven were alive."
It sounded almost silly, saying it out loud. But still, if it could bring his friends back…
As before there was a moment of silence. Only this time, Robin wasn't there to break it.
"I supposed it will not take affect immediately," Starfire said finally. "The first wish did not."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. All in all, Cyborg was feeling very uneasy about the situation. They put the paw back on the countertop and left it alone. The rest of the day passed in silence. Beast Boy didn't come back from his room, and Starfire just kept aiming meaningful glances at the paw. Cyborg tried to distract himself with Game Station, be he just couldn't keep his mind off the wish.
It was late that night before anything happened. Around two in the morning all three Titans were woken by a dull pounding that shook the walls of the tower. They met in the living room, Beast Boy refusing to look the others two in the eyes.
"Somebody's knocking on the door," Cyborg said in amazement. Realization suddenly dawned on him. He studied the footage from outside in growing horror.
"It is our friends!" Starfire shouted gleefully, shooting up into the air. "I knew the wish would be successful!"
"Star," Cyborg said nervously as the alien girl headed to the elevators. "You better come see this."
"I do not need to," Starfire replied, too excited to think logically. "I am already certain our friends are outside. Come, we must not keep them waiting."
Beast Boy stepped up and stared at the screen.
"Nice job," he muttered, then turned and raced after Starfire. "Hey, Star, don't go down there!" he called as she floated into the elevator. Still beaming, Starfire ignored him, and instead pulled him in with her.
"Glorious, friend Beast Boy, you have decided to greet our resurrected friends with me!"
That was the last thing Cyborg heard her say before the doors slid shut. Instead of following them like he felt he should, Cyborg watched the events unfold on the computer screen.
When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, Starfire rushed out, dragging an obviously protesting Beast Boy behind her. The pounding continued as Starfire pulled the front door open, expecting to find her smiling friends, alive and well, behind it.
Instead she was faced with the two most hideous creatures she had ever seen. In an instant they were upon her, viciously beating and clawing at her. In the corner of the screen Cyborg saw Beast Boy retreat to the elevators. The half robot turned away after that, unable to watch the two monsters continue to mangle Starfire's hopefully dead body.
In a few moments the elevator doors slid open again, and a very pale and shaken Beast Boy stepped out.
"Look what you've done!" he shouted, his voice trembling with anger. "You created those things!"
"They're supposed to be our friends," Cyborg mumbled in shock.
"They killed Starfire!" Beast Boy's voice was anguished. "She's dead—and what do you think will happen when they get up here?"
Even as he spoke, the power flickered out, leaving the two Titans in complete darkness. Cyborg numbly turned on his light, illuminating his green friend's terrified face. Suddenly a scraping sound could be heard, and both heads turned towards the source.
"The elevator," Cyborg whispered tersely.
"Oh man, they're climbing up the shaft!" Beast Boy was shaking almost as much as his voice. "What do we do?"
"I don't know," Cyborg replied, hanging his head.
"We can't fight them," Beast Boy was trying to think, but his thought were spinning around his head too quickly to sort them out. "Make another wish!" he blurted suddenly turning to his friend.
"What?" Cyborg looked at him in confusion. "I thought you said Raven made you promise not to."
"That was before she tried to kill me! Make them go away!" he shouted pleadingly.
"Yeah, but where will they go?" Cyborg countered.
"Somewhere! Anywhere! Just not here!" Beast Boy was near hysteria—the scraping sounds were louder and louder until—
The elevators doors screeched open, and the creatures climbed out. Cyborg's small light shone on them for a second. The first two, Robin and Raven, were decayed—bits and pieces of them were gone, their clothing was tattered, and neither of them appeared to have eyes or tongues. As they rose onto shaky, rotting legs, Cyborg could see a third figure emerge behind them—Starfire. Chunks of her flesh were missing, and she was covered in blood.
The two living Titans and the three dead ones locked "eyes" for a moment. Then, the three monsters charged, and Beast Boy and Cyborg ran. The creatures were surprisingly fast for dead things, and they quickly gained ground as the other two headed for the emergency stairs.
Cyborg's hand was on the door leading to the stairway when Beast Boy fell behind him. He heard his friend call out in fear, but forced himself to keep running. As the door slammed shut behind him, he could hear Beast Boy's cries of pain as his "friends" tore him apart.
Trying to stay calm, Cyborg thought about his options. He was almost to the roof—when he got here, he could jump. But he'd die for sure. Or he could stay and fight… and be torn to shreds by his zombie friends.
Why hadn't he listened? If he'd just done what Raven said the first night and thrown the stupid paw away, none of this would have happened.
The paw—that was it! Beast Boy had been right; he probably could make a wish to save himself. But considering the way his first two wishes turned out, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all.
But it seemed to be the only idea. The paw was back where he'd left it, on the counter. To get there, he'd have to fight his way past three—no four, zombie Titans.
There was no use waiting to build up his courage—without letting himself think anymore he turned around ran back down the stairs. About three flights down he met the zombies, Beast Boy now among them, in a similar state as Starfire. With a roar of angered fury he barreled straight through them, trying to ignore the slimy feeling of their skin and the horrible stench of decay.
The monsters were only a few steps behind him as he burst back into the living room. He jumped over the sofa, stumbled, and was quickly was on his feet. He dove for the counter, and the paw, and barely managed to grasp it as he fell to the floor. As the monsters cool hands grabbed at him, he held it tight, shut his eyes, and wished…
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…he picked up monkey's paw, took a deep breath, and…
…set it back down on the counter. He'd suddenly got the strangest feeling, and was wary about wishing for anything with that paw.
"Oh, forget it," he said with a shrug. The other Titans stared at him in shock.
"You mean you're not even going to try it?" Beast Boy asked in disbelief.
"Raven's right, this thing's creepy," Cyborg said. He started to walk away, but thought better of it. Instead, he powered up his sonic cannon and reduced the paw to dust. He then quickly swept the remains into the brown back and threw it away.
Starfire looked at him curiously. "That was… 'weird.'" she said finally.
Robin looked up at his friend in confusion as well. "It probably wouldn't have worked anyway." He turned away and headed back towards the Game station. Cyborg looked up and was surprised to see Raven standing beside the elevator. She gave him an encouraging nod, and a little…smile, and took back her seat on the sofa.
Beast Boy shook his head and laughed. "Dude, you should have bought the pie."
FINISHED
7/6/05
Mwahahahaha. See, I do have the power to kill almost everyone and still make the story turn out okay. And let me tell you, this has a much happier ending that the real "Monkey's Paw" story.
Well, I'm very glad I got this idea written out—and I'm rather pleased with it. I hope you all were, too. Please review!
Child of a Pineapple