Before you all yell at me: Plot is used from Beauty and the Beast but with my own twist. It won't be following the Disney plot exactly because… well it's my own story version. So don't expect it to be the exact same. As a matter of fact there are some huge differences.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or the Disney plot to Beauty and the Beast.

A/N: Enough with all the pointless gibbering on with the show. Enjoy the story guys and gals ;)

Acceptance

Chapter One: Cursed

The fresh air blew along his back and rustled in his hair. He turned his cheek slightly so that the wind caressed his skin as well. He sighed feeling his body relax. It had been a long day but it paid off. It was just another day for the Prince of Thieves, the most exhausting one he had encountered lately. He allowed himself to be guided inside, lost in his own thoughts as loud conversations broke out around him.

His followers had found an abandoned castle and decided to make it their camp for the night, and while one night turned into several weeks he felt his restlessness begin to rise. There was no adventure if one just stayed in the same area. He had been lucky to learn in town one day that there was an abandoned treasure because it was supposedly 'cursed'. Cursed or not it was still money that could be spent and with his mind made up he started searching for it. Out of luck he found the cave where it was hidden, and out of even more luck the treasure was within easy hauling distance of his castle. He didn't believe in something as silly as curses and couldn't help but laugh the whole time. What idiot would just dump a treasure here in plain view, it was hardly a challenge. He distributed the treasure amongst his men but still fights seemed to break out among the bandits. They were the cause for his never ending headache.

Things like a miscounting or harsh words exchanged seemed to set them off and a full out brawl within the group and was the last thing he wanted. He didn't need fighting on the inside when they were playing such a dangerous game and staying in one area. It was his third most important rule, never stay in the same spot for too long. Staying in one area bred familiarity and if one became too familiar one could become too cocky and get caught. There was another reason familiarity was bad, it made one too comfortable with the locals. Other than the biggest heists he didn't like to get too familiar with his victims. Not because he felt bad, he just had to look out for number one himself, but because he didn't like creating memories of people that would surely betray him in a heartbeat. He didn't like to think about them in his free time and wonder how they were doing. Feelings like that don't belong with someone who has earned the title the Prince of Thieves.

He didn't want the role of Prince but he had been given to him, and no matter where he ran to people had a knack for following him. Again a sigh escaped his lips. He didn't want to stay here any longer. He would have to find a way to leave soon. He felt his head ache grow as loud shouts echoed down the hallway towards him. He didn't like this role that he was forced to play. He didn't like leading a bunch of useless servants, who merely waited around for their next order. No one else took initiative to do things for themselves. It was tiring. His appetite left him as the volume in the dining hall echoed back to him. He paused for a moment, his hand resting on the door handle as he contemplated about the pros and cons of sitting through dinner with his men. The cons won out as another deafening roar was heard on the other end of the door. Without a sound he turned his heel to head away from a room that was filled with the boisterous noise of his followers and slinked away towards his area of the castle. The most abandoned part of the castle, the west wing. For some reason his group seemed to stay away from the area. He didn't care about the creeping feeling that sank into his stomach when he came here; all that mattered was that he got away from everyone for a little while. He just needed long enough to rest his head and get away from all that noise.

Before he could reach the stair case however, a thundering boom reached his ears. He turned half expecting the others to come spilling out of the dining hall to see what the noise and answer the door, but their own noise had probably drowned out the loud knock. He could feel his veins rising in anger as his feet led him to the door. As long as it wasn't the authorities he didn't see why the hell this person couldn't let themselves in. And if it was a villager he would be damned before he let one of them in among his men. He couldn't become all chummy with the locals asking for favors. That could lead to an endless possibility of disasters.

Forgetting his own strength he ripped open the door, causing it to crash against the wall loudly. This time the noise from the dining hall seemed to quiet down almost immediately and the faint patter of footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. It was too late now; he would take care of this matter.

"What?" he snarled, eyeing the old woman in front of him. He couldn't help but feel suspicious. How the hell had this old woman managed to make such a loud noise on the door?

"Won't you let me stay here for the night?" she coughed. "In exchange I'll give you something this world covets."

A small sliver looking glass appeared out of her sleeves. It was pretty but it couldn't have been worth much. The sliver looked like it needed a good polish and there was even a crack along the outer rim of the mirror. How the hell was this something the world covets? He snorted before eyeing the old woman again. Everything to the eye was unflattering about her. She had a haggled smile, a large warty nose, and sunken eyes. Her face was so covered in wrinkles he wasn't sure if he was even staring at a human face or a withered tree.

"I don't need such a gift. Don't you know where you are old woman? Get lost," he growled starting to close the door as a few men chuckled behind him. Everyone in town knew to stay away from here. That should include the old woman. She shouldn't expect hospitality from a bunch of thieves. The thieves had made their presence quiet known throughout town and in the surrounding area so she should have been warned before she had even traveled here.

"Please I beg you I don't have the strength to make it to town," she whimpered and bent over to make a show of holding her back.

He scoffed. This was obviously some type of plot and he wouldn't let this woman in. She'd probably attempt to steal all of his treasure he had just found. He hadn't been very quiet about his intentions when he discovered it.

"I said get lost grandma," he growled slamming the large door shut behind him.

There was a blinding flash and smoke began to emerge from under the door. No one made a noise as a beautiful woman opened the door and stepped in. Her hair was a pure white, not of an old lady but of pureness. Her eyes were a deep ice blue that held everyone in the room captive. Her figure was covered by a large white gown with a dark blue cloak over her shoulders. The only thing that was at fault with her angelic appearance was the frown that was sprawled along her lips.

"I'm disappointed Jason," she said addressing the Prince of Thieves. "For the merciful Thief Lord you don't seem to have much of a heart."

He couldn't even apologize. He was frozen to the spot. What in the hell was going on? Smoke, a beautiful woman? Where did the old hag go? How the hell did this bird know his name?

"You shouldn't take something without knowing its background story," she smiled, only it was more of an evil smirk. Her face was too perfect to look evil though. He could just feel the sinister feeling behind her words and the tone she used.

"You've been tested and you failed. I'll give you a chance to prove yourself before the curse claims your life. You have to fall in love with a girl before your twenty first birthday and get her to exchange the feeling," she paused dramatically as if waiting for him to protest.

He still couldn't get his head to wrap around what exactly was happening. Curse? Love? Laughter bubbled up into his throat. Her eyes narrowed at his laughter before she slapped him hard across the face. It shook him to his core and he felt the wind being knocked out of him. He fell to his knees gasping for air as his insides twisted around painfully. What the hell was that? The area where her hand had touched his skin burned, and it felt like a shock was coursing through his body. He felt his body fall to the floor with a violent thud and convulsed on the spot. He felt the witch lower herself to his level and still him. The pain was abruptly gone as soon as her hand caressed his skin that was exposed on his arm. He could only stare at her in wonder as she leaned down to press her lips against his ear.

"Beauty isn't just skin deep," she purred so the others couldn't hear.

"You're insane," he barked out.

The woman's flawless head shook sadly at him. Her hands curled around the mirror for a moment before she tossed it into the air to him. He caught it out of instinct.

"You have until midnight of your twenty first birthday. Good luck Jason," she whispered before she stepped out the door.

Nothing happened. There was no earthquake and everyone appeared to be breathing and alive. It was just some freak woman going around slapping people like she owned the place. The room was deathly quiet but was slowly filled with nervous chuckling. Slowly but surely the mood from earlier returned and he wanted nothing more than to escape into his quarters for a little bit. After that the rest of the night went how it always did, loudly with lots of celebrating.

As soon as his head hit his pillow he was out cold. Nothing could wake him as he slumbered peacefully through the night.

()()()()()()()()()()

He awoke the next morning feeling pain throughout his entire body. He winced as he stretched. It felt like his body was heavier than it had been. He yawned hearing an odd rumbling noise escape his throat. Was that a growl? A real growl, the kind of growl you would expect to hear out of a monster? He must have been imagining it, he chuckled but stopped suddenly when he heard the unfamiliar rumble. Maybe he had caught a cold? His head was killing him, and there was a ringing in his ears.

He felt his hand reach up and scratch his face, surprised when he felt the sting of a claw scratch his skin. Only his skin was slightly protected by hair. That was weird; he hadn't been growing out a beard the last time he remembered. Blindly he reached over his bedside table and searched for the mirror that the witch had left him.

His fingers found the smooth surface of the mirror but his hands felt bulkier than normal. His heart pounded in his chest with a little more force as fear began to take over his body. What was happening to him? Sitting up fully awake now he glanced down at the mirror. Only the reflection that met him wasn't the reflection that had met him the night before.

To say he looked different was an understatement. Where light skin had once been dark black and brown hair covered, where teeth had been fangs now stood, where his nose had been a snout was now in place, and where his ears had been short pointy ears now twitched restlessly. The only thing that looked the same was his eyes, light crystal blue eyes; they looked so out of place in this monsters body. He was a creature now, no longer a man. A roar bubbled up into his throat as he flung the mirror away from himself. He was dimly aware that there was no satisfying shatter as he reached out to pull the curtains away from his bed. His nails got caught in the fabric and another roar escaped his lips.

He heard panic outside his room and painful shrieks of his companions. It looked like he wasn't the only victim of this curse. That offered little comfort as he stumbled around his room, smashing everything in his way. The only thought he could think was a doomed thought.

He would never get a girl to love him in this form.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Two Years later in the town

Richard Grayson danced on his feet nervously as he peered into the window of the house he was standing outside of. He saw a flicker of movement in the corner near the fireplace and saw the unmistakable owner of the infamous purple hair turn a page in some book. Grinning, he hopped up onto the porch and knocked loudly. He heard the gentle patter of footsteps and he could have even sworn he heard a groan before the door opened slightly to reveal her.

She was the most beautiful girl in town. Raven Roth, a foreign wonder for all the townsfolk. Her nose was almost always stuck in a book and her oddly colored hair and eyes made her the talk of the town for a year straight when she first moved in.

"Are you just going to stand there and gape at me all day Wonder Boy or are you going to tell me what you want?" she asked.

Her voice was flat and monotone but that didn't bother him. He knew that was just a ruse for her. He had made her laugh once or twice in the past. It was definitely something he didn't mind working for. Her laughter was lighter than bells and more heavenly that anything he had heard on this earth. That might be a bit of an exaggeration but he didn't care. He loved it and he loved her and today was the day he was going to proclaim it to her.

"Well?" she asked opening the door slightly wider so she could look at him better. Her purple iris's had him captivated and he had to swallow and take a calming breath before he flashed her his infamous smile.

"Care to join me on a walk Miss Raven?" he asked extending his arm.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically and studied him for a moment before she accepted it and stepped out of her house. Closing the door behind her with a soft snap, she stared at him for a moment longer before leading the way to a well-worn path.

"Isn't it nice to get some fresh air?" he asked teasingly as they strolled further from her house.

"Yes, I was just about to head outside myself. Maybe climb a tree and finish up my book," she said absentmindedly as she surveyed the sounding trees. It was almost as if she was trying to pick out what tree to climb to escape him now. He let out a nervous chuckle and dragged her forward.

"I've heard reading too much is bad for your eyes," he offered politely.

"I've heard not reading at all leads to a dull mind," she fired back obviously offended by his comment.

That was the thing that always threw him off about Raven. She was on the same level with him and she often knew his intentions. He couldn't make polite small talk with her without it becoming some type of duel of wits. He sighed. He didn't want this today. He stopped walking and turned to face her. He felt his heart jump into his throat as he really looked her over. Even if she was in plain peasant garb she still looked gorgeous. Her curves couldn't be hidden from the large fabric and her face was more than enough to attest for her beauty. Her pale skin seemed to radiate in the soft light and her violet eyes seemed to shine brightly with laughter.

"No come back?" she teased and pulled her arm out of his grasp. Her arms folded over her chest and she mocked a disappointed face perfectly.

"Not today Rae," he responded smiling and shaking his head. He got the expected response. A blush stole over her face and she quickly shot her eyes to the ground.

"I told you not to call me that," she mumbled but her voice was softer now, losing the monotone that had been there seconds before. He smiled. He was getting quicker at breaking down her daily defenses. He grabbed her hand and held on to it with his increasing the shade of blush on her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly trying to hide the nervousness she was feeling. He knew her too well.

"Raven Roth I wanted to ask you something," his voice was calm but he felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest as he dropped to one knee.

"No," she hissed whipping her hand out of his and taking off back to the path towards her house. He felt his heart crack slightly but he grinned to himself. He had gotten a lot further today than he had expected. Tomorrow for sure he would manage to proclaim his love. He grinned as he whistled some nameless tune as he strolled back towards town for the day. He would go after her again tomorrow and tomorrow for sure she would accept his love.

()()()()()()()()()

She slammed the door loudly behind her feeling her heart beat so loudly in her chest she thought anyone within a one mile radius would be able to hear it. Every day for the past two months Richard had been doing this. It was nearing unbearable. The friendship they had once had was slowly being lost and turning into something she wasn't quite sure what to make of. It didn't help that those blue eyes held her captivated, and that she secretly liked his advances.

She couldn't have that though. She was here for a reason. For Kori until she became of age and was no longer threatened to bring her back home to her father. She had promised she would, both her and her brother had promised. Time had passed more quickly than expected. While days had turned into weeks the Princess's convoy had grown accustomed to peasant life but Raven was starting to get frustrated. Their other goal was to show the Princess the people's lives so that she could understand every situation in her kingdom. That she could see that money wasn't something so easily obtained in this part of the country. While a few of the guards slacked off and started consorting with the locals, the real goal was starting to lose focus. Only Raven and her brother Victor were the only two that had been able to keep serious for this long. And even with Raven's focus and goal in mind she still couldn't stop the fact that she was now no better than the rest of the guard party. If anyone heard of this they would give her grief until the end of her days.

Still her frustration shouldn't be allowing herself to get caught up emotionally with someone from here, she had to go back eventually and it would just lead to a heart break for both parties involved. She would have never guessed that this would become a problem since all of the townsfolk considered her weird for always reading and the fact that her hair and eye color was considered unnatural in this part of the world. She had been using that to her advantage, but no, he just had to come along and make her heart pound this loudly in her chest.

"Get a hold of yourself, Captain," she grumbled leaning her head back with a little more force than necessary against the back of the door. "Damn," she cursed rubbing the back of her head where a lump was quickly rising.

"Is that you Rae?" she heard a deep male voice call from somewhere near the back of the house.

Her brother Victor was the only one that was allowed to call her that name. It just so happened that was the name that got under her skin the most. Maybe that was why it bothered her so much to be around Richard. She sighed. She would sacrifice her feelings if it made her friendship with him last. Now she just had to go and tell him to never kneel before her again. Didn't he know that would blow her cover? Noble guards don't spend two years in a tiny cottage pretending to be poor peasants for no reason. She just hoped it wasn't the peasant form in proposing. She wasn't sure what she would do if he had feelings like that for her.

She was almost positive that Richard knew who she was now. He had been dropping subtle hints for a while now. She sighed and shook her head. He was really too smart for his own good sometimes. Then again he might not have figured out and it could be that problem. She refused to acknowledge it if that was the case. She had already promised that her feelings couldn't get involved with someone from here for several reasons.

"Yeah it's me," she called back out of her daze to her brother. She heard him rummaging around and then a loud bang in the background. Looks like she was wrong, he was in the basement.

"Can you help me out here? I'm having some trouble with this invention," he sounded positively irate, and as much as she wanted to refuse to finish her book she loved helping her brother out with his projects. It was often a good time they used together to bond. Besides she wasn't sure if she could wrap her head around a book at the moment anyways.

"Raven! Hurry up!" he called.

"Coming Victor. Hold your horses," she called back, hearing him swear loudly from the basement. She chuckled to herself a little as she grabbed a tool box near the door and made her way down to him.

The wagon was upside down and her brother's legs were sticking out from underneath it. The first time she had ever seen this scene it had scared her. She had thought that he was trapped beneath it and freaked out. She had pushed it and it had cracked a wheel bearing which landed on her brother and given him a nasty scar up one of his arms. She couldn't help but feel guilty every time she saw his arm. He normally covered it up though; he could tell when she was sending guilty looks at his arm. He always told her not to worry about it, that he was just glad to be able to use his limbs still so he could work. She supposed she should feel thankful for that but a ping of remorse always shot through her when she saw that nasty scar.

"Rae, can you pass me that dohicky?" her brother's gruff voice asked interrupting her from her thoughts. Wordlessly she handed him the tool he had pointed too. It was nearly impossible for her to tell what tool was what when he often referred to them as 'dohickys', that 'thingymabob' and just 'that thing'. Not that it bothered her but she would never be able to help another soul with inventing something. She grinned to herself as she sat down cross legged next to him as he worked.

"So you left earlier?"

"Mhhmmm. With Richard," she told him.

She could practically hear his frown as he let out a deep breath of air.

"He's a handsome fellow. Just be careful Rae."

"I will don't worry. I haven't forgotten my duty as a guard," she said feeling a laugh bubble over her. It was weird; it was almost like she had admitted she liked Richard just by telling her brother she had been on a walk with him.

"I'll have to give him a talking to over drinks later," Victor grumbled under his breath. He rolled out from under his contraption to send her a piercing look and shook his head slowly as he read her facial features.

"A talking to over what?" Raven asked feeling like teasing her older brother.

"About his intentions with you. You can't be that blind Rae. I know you don't talk to the townsfolk but even they can see it."

"See what?"

A sigh was all she got back in response.

After that short conversation the two siblings worked together in silence for the rest of the night. As the candle light became more hazardous to work in Raven insisted that they call it quits for the night.

"You'll have time to work on it tomorrow," she told him as she grabbed his ankles and yanked him out from under the wagon like contraption. It hardly looked like a wagon now but she wasn't sure what to call it.

"I have to leave tomorrow afternoon!" he exclaimed making a wild grab for something to hold on to as his sister pulled him out.

"You need rest!" she insisted as she finally managed to get him to the door way. With a swift kick she had him jumping up and away from her and dashing into the other room. She wasn't sure what she would do without his childish antics some times. She shook her head grinning as she shut the door to the basement behind her.

She would miss her brother while he was gone for his inventor's convention the next week and a half.

Oh well she supposed she could manage on her own for that time.

A/N: So what do you guys think? TheMaskedShuppeteer has been exteremly awesome and encouraged me to write this even if it meant a delay in another story she wants to see me finish. I think I was pretty good at double checking myself this time around but no beta for this story. If you want to offer your services that would be much appreicated ;).