A Hellhound is a Half Demon's Best Friend
Chapter 1: Sam
The Teen Titans were taking a well-deserved weekend off, regaining their physical and emotional balance after finally defeating Raven's father, Trigon the Terrible. The major villains and small-time crooks of Jump City had called an informal truce, as thanks for being saved from the brink of complete and total annihilation. Robin had expressed his usual skepticism at the good news, convinced that it wouldn't last for very long—but at least for now, the weary superheroes were all too happy to have some time on the sidelines.
Beast Boy and Cyborg had decided to go see an action movie at the nearby theater that afternoon, while Robin and Starfire had gone out for a date. Which left Raven home alone with a mug of tea on her left, an equally large mug of coffee on her right, and a nice book in between them. It was quiet and peaceful, a pair of words Raven didn't get to put together nearly often enough.
And then the phone rang.
Biting back a sigh, she let it ring on through to the end of the cycle. It was a coin-flip between being Kitten asking if Robin was doing anything that night, and Control Freak pretending to be a telemarketer in order to con Beast Boy into buying something worthless for an outrageously high price. Neither of them were people Raven had any desire to talk to at the moment, so she focused on reading her book instead. This one was the further adventures of Rorek of Nol, and it didn't have any dragons hiding out in its pages this time.
Raven had been very, very careful in looking it over.
The answering machine's recording clicked over to voicemail, and to Raven's surprise the voice that left a message wasn't Kitten's or Control Freak's.
"Oh," it began, definitely a guy, and sounding unsure. "I, uh, wasn't expecting to have to leave a message. This is kind of awkward. Well, if no one's around, I can try calling again later. But if anyone's there and you're just not picking up the phone, it'd be cool if you could. I'm in a phone booth right now, and people're giving me weird looks. Must be the fangs.
"Anyway," the guy continued, Raven's interest perking up at the mention of someone other than Beast Boy having fangs, "I'm looking for Raven. I heard she lives in this tower, and it's important. It'll only take five minutes."
There were a few moments of silence, as if the person on the other end knew someone was there. Raven inched her hand toward the phone receiver, curious.
"It's about Trigon."
The receiver was next to Raven's ear a second later.
"Hello?" She said. "Who is this?"
"My name's Sam," the voice on the other end answered. "Is this Raven?"
"The one and only," she said, feeling nervous and intrigued at the same time. "How do you know my father?"
"We go back a ways," Sam answered. "Are you free to talk for a couple minutes? I promise it'll be quick, but if it's a bad time…"
"No," Raven cut him off, "now's fine. As long as you're not planning to kill me."
Sam laughed.
"I wouldn't have called ahead if I was."
The other end of the line went dead, and the next sound Raven heard was a faint rippling in the air, similar to when she used her soul-self to teleport. Looking over, Raven saw a young man who looked to be her age standing in the middle of the common room, wearing plain black sneakers, blue jeans, a white shirt and a nondescript black jacket. He looked totally unremarkable until Raven's eyes wandered up to his face: his canine teeth were noticeably pointed, and his eyes were an arresting, decidedly inhuman orange color. His hair was dark black, wild and unkempt.
"You're Sam?"
"In the flesh," the young man answered with a smile, walking over and holding out a hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you!"
Raven was caught off-guard by the unexpectedly polite entrance, and didn't get up.
"I thought vampires had to ask for permission before going into someone's house," she said, and Sam's smile faded in favor of a raised eyebrow.
"You think I'm a vampire?" he asked. "Seriously? Do you not see how sunny it is outside?"
"Well," Raven said uncertainly, still at a loss for how to deal with the bizarre turn her day had just taken, "you do have fangs."
"Yeah," Sam said, clearly fighting not to roll his eyes, "because I'm a demon. It comes with the territory. Can you please just shake my hand? I look ridiculous like this."
"Oh, sure," Raven said quickly, slightly flustered. "Sorry," she apologized as she shook Sam's hand. "I just wasn't expecting you to be so…" she shrugged. "Polite."
"I get that a lot," Sam said, sitting down across the table from Raven. "Most people don't." He pulled a manila file folder out from beneath his jacket, putting it on the table. "That's what I'm here to talk to you about," Sam finished, pointing to the folder. Raven could see sheets of paper inside of it, but they weren't bound like a book.
Now it was Raven's turn to be confused.
"I thought you wanted to talk about my father."
"They're related," Sam explained. "That's a contract. My contract, specifically. It expired when you defeated your father in battle. You need to renew it."
"Wait, slow down," Raven interrupted. "A contract? Since when do demons have contract negotiations?"
"We don't," Sam clarified. "That goes against the whole 'Dictator For Life' thing that demons like your father have going on. It's just a binding agreement that forces lesser demons into a life of complete and total servitude. Standard stuff," he said casually, as calmly as if he was talking about the weather.
"What? No," Raven said flatly, pushing the folder back across the table. "I'm not signing that. I'm not my father, and I don't want to force anyone into anything. Especially not unending servitude."
Sam sighed.
"I figured you'd say that," he replied. "Look, Raven, I really appreciate that you're not a crazy, homicidal demon overlord. Really, I do. That's great. But you have to sign this thing, or I'm going to get killed." Sam paused, seeing the puzzled look on Raven's face. "Like, actually brutally murdered. Painfully. It would suck."
"But why?"
Sam took a breath, before looking over at the mug of coffee.
"Could I have a sip of that?" he asked, and Raven nodded, handing it to him. "Thanks." Sam took a long drink and sighed happily. "That's good stuff.
"So," he continued, putting the mug down and clapping his hands. "I guess I should tell you how this whole thing works. Let's start at the top. You fought your father in single combat, right?"
Raven nodded. That wasn't something she'd ever forget.
"Right."
"And you managed to shatter his soul into a bunch of pieces and send it flying off to various dimensions. Sound about right?"
"I guess."
"Nice. So, here's where it gets tricky," Sam continued, waiting until Raven had finished drinking some more tea before speaking again, "You defeated Trigon, but you didn't take his place on his throne in the Lower Planes. Which is usually how the whole succession thing works, if you didn't know."
"I did know that," Raven replied, testy. "I just had no interest in taking my father's place. I hate him."
"You and a bunch of other people," Sam said. "He was a huge asshole. But that's neither here nor there," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "What matters is that I had a contract with your father, and now he's gone. So a couple of other Demon Lords have started taking his territory over, since you left his front door open."
Raven nodded, drinking some more tea.
"Here's where I come in," Sam continued. "When I had a contract with your father, that was enough to keep the other minor demons from trying to kill me. They didn't want to get on Trigon's bad side, see? But now he's out of the picture, so I don't have that protection anymore."
"And you think my reputation will be enough to scare other demons off," Raven finished, seeing where this was going. "So you want me to sign your contract in my father's place."
Sam smiled wide.
"Exactly," he answered. "You don't even have to do anything else. Just read that, sign it, and we're good. I'll come whenever you call if you need something, and you'll never have to set one foot down in the Lower Planes if you don't want to. Out of sight, out of mind."
Raven stared at Sam as she moved the folder back over in front of her, thoroughly confused by him.
"You don't seem like much of a demon," she said. "They don't know what the word 'nice' even means. And how old are you, anyway?"
"Well, that's a pretty personal question," Sam said, looking slightly offended. "But if you have to know, I'm twenty."
Raven almost choked on her tea.
"Twenty? You're only one year older than me?"
"That's what I said."
"I heard you," she replied. "I just don't believe you."
"You caught me at the beginning of a reincarnation," Sam explained. "Whenever one of my ancestors died or got killed, a new version got created. I'm the newest one."
"But then you're actually two thousand years old, or something?"
"What? No. Memories don't carry over. Just power and form. What if you'd had to kill a previous version of me because they'd disobeyed you? Pass on those memories, and it might just happen again. Major pain. So every new version of me is a blank slate."
"That still doesn't explain why you're not a murderous fiend, though," Raven said, prompting Sam to arch an eyebrow again.
"Would you prefer it if I was? Because I totally can be. I murder with the best of 'em."
"I never said that," Raven was quick to reply, shaking her head. The more she talked to Sam, the more he reminded her of a dog. A demonic, potentially homicidal dog, but the eagerness was the same.
"One of Trigon's rivals, a demon named Neron," Sam said, "thought it'd be funny to play a prank on your father. So he caught me right at the beginning of my reincarnation, and planted the concepts of love and compassion into my soul."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Well, if your job is usually to kill people in various ways, it is a bad thing. You think Trigon liked hearing that I wasn't really in the mood for ripping people apart? He was beyond furious."
Raven suppressed a shudder, not even wanting to think about how much Sam had suffered because of something that hadn't even been his choice.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
"It's not that big of a deal," Sam said, but Raven could tell he was putting on a front. "I'm still alive, and that's what matters."
He had another long sip of coffee, and Raven started looking over the contract.
"This contract," she read half out-loud to herself, "binds the demon hound Samael to the undersigned party, the greater demon who will assume total control over him. Samael, also known as The Hellhound, The Reaver, The Howling Devastation, The Fanged Bane, The Darkness Within the Void, The Unending Hunger, et al. Hereafter referred to as 'Sam'."
"I put that last part in there," Sam said, looking slightly embarrassed. "All the other names made me sound pretty awful."
Raven heard the words he was saying, but her mind was still hung up on the first part of Sam's contract.
"You're a dog?" she asked, understanding her feeling from earlier now.
Sam nodded.
"Well," he qualified, "I can be. That's my normal form. But it's pretty scary, and dangerous. Besides, I really like this look better. It's a lot easier to go places with, and it doesn't scare people quite as easily."
"But how is your normal form dangerous?"
"Dangerous as in, if people who aren't at least half demon see me looking like that, they go crazy, Cthulhu-style. And then they usually just have a heart attack and die on the spot. It's a really bad way to meet people," Sam added, sounding sad. "I mean, you'd be fine," he added quickly, "but I don't want to scare your friends to death in case they show up."
"Right. Good idea," Raven agreed, nodding. "So, I just have to sign this?"
"In blood, sorry," Sam said. "Traditions die hard. You changed your mind?" he asked, sounding cautiously optimistic.
"I did," Raven answered. "You clearly don't belong in the Lower Planes, and I'm not going to let you get hurt if I can stop it."
Sam stared at her, seeming to be at a loss for words. His gratitude was plain to see, and Raven thought sadly that this was probably the first moment in Sam's entire life that someone had actually been kind to him.
"I do have a few conditions, though."
"Yeah?"
"First, I'm only going to order you to do one thing. But I expect you to take that seriously, got it?"
Sam nodded.
"Of course."
"Good. Never kill anyone or anything."
"That works for me," Sam said with a sigh, sounding relieved. "I'm assuming I can still beat people up though, right?"
"At the appropriate times, sure," Raven replied, smiling.
Sam smiled as well.
"Okay. Anything else?"
"I want you to promise me three things," Raven said, "and I'm trusting you to do them without me having to order you."
"Just say the word. You're the boss."
"Never lie to me," Raven began, holding up one finger, "never betray me for any reason," she continued, holding up a second finger, "and never, ever, ever try to eat me," she finished, holding up a final finger. "Think you can manage that?"
Sam glanced at her skeptically, but nodded all the same.
"Yeah," he said, "definitely. If you'd looked at the rest of the contract, you'd know I couldn't do those first two things anyway. But that last one's a little specific… I hope you're not speaking from experience."
"It's a long story," Raven said bitterly, "and I don't want to get into it right now. Or ever."
"Fine by me," Sam replied hurriedly, sensing he'd stepped onto thin ice. "Didn't mean to pry, sorry. Here's a quill," he said to change the subject, pulling one out from another pocket in his jacket. Raven took it, and then beckoned Sam to lean in closer. He did so, and Raven pressed the tip of her forefinger against one of his fangs until it broke the skin. Biting back a hiss, Raven held the small bead of blood up to the quill to fill it, while Sam tried his hardest to keep himself from blushing.
"Before you sign that," he told Raven, "there's one last thing you should know."
"And that is?"
"After the contract is signed, the servant and their master are bound together, mentally. That makes it easier for one of us to call the other if we have to. But there are some side effects."
Sam was nervous as he finished, waiting for Raven to refuse once he finished explaining.
"Go on."
"When the binding happens, you'll see my most important memories. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, since the contract is usually signed before I even have memories, but this time is different."
"Why would that be part of the ritual, though?" Raven asked, but Sam shook his head.
"Beats me. It probably started out as a way to look for weaknesses in someone's past, in order to exploit their emotions and keep them subservient."
"That's horrible," Raven said, wanting for a minute to drag her father back into existence just so she could punch him in the face. "And you can't control what I see?"
"Nope. It's technically a two-way street—I can see your memories, too, but only if you let me. You can control your side of things, but I can't. It's the whole master-and-servant thing, see."
"That's totally screwed up," Raven said, before shaking her head.
"I figured you might want to back out," Sam said sadly. "I understand."
"Stop assuming things I don't say," Raven replied, looking over at Sam and holding his eyes in hers. "I'll still sign. But if we're doing this, we're doing it as partners. I see your memories, you see mine. Deal?"
Sam was stunned into silence once again, and Raven took that as her cue to sign the contract. She did so, and no sooner had the blood begun to dry on the page than she was hit by a sudden barrage of images in her mind; pieces of memories that weren't her own.
Almost all of them featured her father in some way, and almost all of them were painful.
When the torrent of memories ended, Raven groaned and blinked a few times to clear her vision. The look she saw on Sam's face was an expression of shock, pity, and a few unreadable emotions—probably the same look Raven was giving him right back.
"I'm so sorry," they both said at the same time. Then they stopped, looked at each other again, and started to laugh.
They laughed at what had just happened, they laughed to forget the pain in their memories, and they laughed with happiness at the realization that they understood each other in ways that few other people ever could.
When the moment had passed, Sam sighed and rose to his feet, wiping a small tear out of the corner of his eye.
"Well," he said, "I guess this is goodbye, boss."
"What?" Raven asked, getting up as well. "Why?"
Sam looked at her confused.
"Because this is the part where I go back down to the Lower Planes," he said. "And I assume you're not coming with me, for obvious reasons."
"What did I just tell you about assuming things?" Raven replied, half-glaring at him. "I'm not letting you go back down to that hellhole. You're staying here, Sam."
"But—"
"Don't you even start," she cut him off, giving him her best stern look. "We have enough space in this Tower for at least a hundred guests. And if Robin has a problem with it, he'll have to come through me to get to you."
"I—" Sam started, before his words caught in his throat. He swallowed and tried again. "I don't know what to say."
"How about 'Thank you very much, Raven.'?" She said with a smile, and Sam chuckled.
"Thank you very much, Raven."
"You're welcome, Sam." The sound of her stomach grumbling caught Raven off-guard, and she looked down at it in surprise.
"Guess it's lunch time," she said. "You hungry?"
Sam nodded.
"Starving."
Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg had all met up after they'd finished their afternoons out, deciding to head back to the Tower together. When they got there, they were greeted by a sound that made them all stop in their tracks.
Raven was laughing. And not just chuckling, snorting, or even chortling, but full-on laughter.
"What the…?" Beast Boy said, immediately going into sneaky stealth mode as the rest of Titans followed his lead. Careful not to make any noise, they moved slowly down the corridor and towards the common room.
"Wait, seriously?" They heard an unfamiliar voice ask, through chuckles. "Magic, mind-controlling pies?"
"I know, it sounds ridiculous," Raven's voice answered. "But it happened. And then she tried to eat us."
"Oh, man. The world's most insane Hansel and Gretel fan."
Raven laughed again, and by now the rest of the Titans were thoroughly weirded out.
"But that's nothing compared to the time we got pulled into a magic hat."
"Do I even want to know where this story's about to go? Does someone get turned into rabbit?"
"Yes."
"Wow. You guys have a lot more fun than I do."
The pair laughed again, and the four Titans looked at each other in confusion.
"Since when did Raven get herself a new boyfriend?" Cyborg asked in a hushed whisper, and Beast Boy shrugged.
"I dunno," he said, "but I just hope he isn't a murder-crazy dragon."
"He isn't," Raven called out from behind the closed door, causing the eavesdropping Titans to snap to attention. "And you can come in, it's fine."
The door to the common room slid open. The four other Titans quickly entered, trying not to look embarrassed.
"Robin, this is Sam. Sam, this is Robin." Raven said as an introduction, gesturing from one to the other. "Sam's staying with us, Robin."
"Who is Sam, exactly?" Robin asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I'm a demon," Sam answered helpfully, smiling and revealing his fangs in the process. "I used to work for Trigon, but now I work for Raven. Nice to meet you!"
"He's a demon?" Cyborg asked, skeptical. Both Raven and Sam nodded in unison. "And you think this is a good idea?"
"I think it's a great idea, Cyborg," Raven insisted, staring him down. "Trust me, I know he's good for it. You have nothing to worry about."
Robin looked at Raven, and then over at Sam, and then back to Raven.
"You vouch for him?" he asked Raven at last, and she nodded.
"Good enough for me, then," Robin said, walking towards Sam and holding his hand out. "Glad to have you aboard."
"Glad to be here," Sam said with another smile, shaking Robin's hand. Robin could feel the strength in Sam's grip, and could only begin to guess at how powerful he actually was.
But as long as he was on their side, and as long as Raven trusted him, that was all he needed to know.
And besides, a friend of Raven's was a friend of his. That's how family worked.
…
…
…
A/N: Holy crap, I wrote something that was overly serious or depressing! It's a miracle. I hope you all enjoyed it, and please let me know what you thought. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope it was fun to read, as well.
Thanks for reading!
- JP