A terrible revelation, a death sentence and the return of Beast Boy and Cyborg…

Again, for Coolteenzz.

Robin Dies at Dawn

"Revolution, Cy!"

Cyborg looked up from the pyramid of monkey nuts he was constructing, not really interested in whatever Beast Boy was rambling about this time.

"What's a revolution, B?" He asked wearily.

Beast Boy was perched on the counter of the bar at the end of the lounge room, a huge sundae glass grasped in both hands. He had created himself the mother of all sundaes - a twenty-five-layer spectaculaire using just about every kind of ice-cream, sauce and topping he could find -which was leaning precariously to one side as Beast Boy held it aloft triumphantly as though he had just won the Superbowl trophy.

"This," Beast Boy explained happily. "It's a revolution in the way of sundaes! I have rocked the world of sundae-making, and it shalt never be the same again!"

"Uh-huh." Cyborg went back to his peanut-pyramid, not in the slightest bit interested; even the green changeling's use of the word "shalt" did not faze him. "Just be sure to clear up that mess you made when you're done."

"You don't even care!" Beast Boy said indignantly.

"Nope," Cyborg agreed cheerfully.

"Raven, do you care?" Beast Boy called across the room to the couch, where Raven was sprawled. She made a sort of half-moaning sound, implying "No, you know I don't; now leave me alone before I fry what little brains you have".

Beast Boy clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Where's Star when you need her?" He asked of the non-present alien girl. "She appreciates my brilliance."

"You mean she's the only one who laughs at your jokes," Cyborg corrected in a bored voice, taking another handful of nuts from the bowl on the mahogany coffee table.

"Same thing."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is," Beast Boy insisted. "Star thinks I'm funny. So does Robin."

Cyborg looked up again.

"B.B, Star only laughs because she doesn't understand half your jokes and therefore thinks everything you say is humorous," he said dryly. "And Robin has the same opinion of your comic talent as I do."

Beast Boy grinned.

"And what's that?" He asked smugly. "It's brilliant? Well-timed? Original?"

"It's non-existent."

Beast Boy's green face fell.

"Oh, one day you'll be sorry, Cy!" He said, hurt. "You and Robin and Raven, when I'm rich and famous from my talents as a comedian and I'm raking in millions of bucks per show. Then we'll see who's laughing, huh?"

"Perhaps," Cyborg agreed offhandedly. "Until then, Beast Boy, do us all a favour, and keep your big mouth shut."

Fuming, Beast Boy held his mountainous sundae in both hands and stalked off to the other side of the room. Cyborg shook his head and continued to build up his pyramid of monkey nuts.

"Why is it that this place has ice-cream, Chinese food and lattes, but no TV or pizza?" Beast Boy called from across the room through a mouthful of ice-cream. "It's just like Earth, but without the necessities. And how come all these people speak perfect English?"

Cyborg looked up again and turned to Beast Boy.

"You know, B, that's a good point," he said. He turned to Raven. "The man's on to somethin', Ray. Care to tell us why?"

Raven didn't open her eyes. She was lying on one of the huge red velvet couches, clad in a high-necked royal blue sleeveless silk dress and matching hooded cloak. Her feet were bare and her hood was down. She felt terrible; her head ached, she felt sick and she was completely drained of energy. And every now and then she would get a burning pain at the back of her mind, a reminiscence of the terrible evil Robin had somehow passed into her last night. She didn't know what he had done to her, but it had hurt, and she knew that whatever it was, it was not good. Had the demon somehow gone from him into her, and now she was the one who was possessed?…

It hurt her mind; and it burned her soul.

Bastard…

What the hell had he done to her?…

And that dream… it frightened her, even though she had read up on it. Knowing what those things symbolised – the ravens and her pregnancy – did not make it any easier…

"Hey, Raven?" Cyborg pressed. "You ok?"

Raven put a hand to her aching head and sat up.

"Yes, thankyou…" She pulled up her hood, the darkness relieving her a little. "I'm fine…"

Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged sceptical looks.

"Are you sure?" Cyborg went on, concerned.

"I'm fine," Raven repeated irritably. "I've just got a bit of a headache… What was it you asked me?"

"We asked why this place is so much like Earth," Beast Boy told her.

"I don't know," Raven moaned, lying back again. "Why would I know? Maybe some of the travellers like Seth Elliott bring back customs from Earth and other dimensions… Does it really matter?"

"No," Beast Boy muttered. "'Cept there's no TV…"

"Who the heck is "Seth Elliott", Ray?" Cyborg asked, puzzled.

"Head of the Azarathian Senate," Raven replied, putting an arm across her hooded face. "He's going to save Robin, when he eventually turns up…"

"Where is he?"

Raven shrugged.

"That's what I'd like to know…"

Silence reigned again as Beast Boy went back to his sundae, Cyborg went back to his nut-architecture, and Raven went back to feeling sorry for herself.

Suddenly the huge polished oak doors to the lounge room swung open, signalling someone's arrival.

"Hey, Star," Beast Boy said, not looking up.

It wasn't Starfire.

"Raven, we need to talk," Marcus Vandiver said firmly, not bothering with any kind of formal greeting.

Raven sat up again and looked at him. At once something about him struck her as… odd. The way he carried himself, it was sort of… unnatural. Not that noticeably, but she noticed it all the same because she had known him so long.

Beast Boy and Cyborg looked up at the senator too and exchanged awed glances; well, those purple and silver flowing robes were kinda awe-inspiring.

"What's wrong, Marcus?" Raven asked, struggling to her feet. She went to him and he took hold of her hands.

"It's… your friend…" He said gently, looking down at her pale fingers.

Raven felt her stomach clench.

"Robin? What's wrong with him? He's… he's alright, isn't he?"

Marcus was quiet for a while; finally he looked up at her and she saw the sadness in his eyes. But there was something else there too; or rather, lack of something. Behind the sadness, there was… emptiness…

As though the "sadness" was a mask.

"No. He isn't."

Raven stared at him; Beast Boy and Cyborg were staring at the Vice-Head Senator too, speechless.

"What… is he…?" Raven closed her eyes; she could barely dare to ask… "Is he… dead? Did the demon… kill him?..."

Marcus shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's worse than that, Raven…"

"How could it be-"

"Come with me," Marcus interrupted softly, tugging at her hands. "Come with me and I'll show you."

Raven nodded, feeling even more sick. She turned to Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were watching her intently.

"Stay here," she told them. "I'll be back as soon as I can. If Starfire comes in, don't mention anything."

The two boys nodded, gazing after her as she left with Marcus.

She did not speak at all as he led her through the Senate House, right down below ground-level to the old meditation and sacrificial chambers that had lain here for centuries. She knew that sacrifices to the goddess Arella (Azar) were not practiced anymore, but the dungeon-like chambers had never been removed.

She watched him walk and could not place what it was that unsettled her about him. She remembered when the boys – Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg – had had their bodies stolen by the Puppet King, leaving her and Starfire (in each other's bodies) to save the day. She remembered how the zombified male Titans had carried themselves and found that she could not compare Marcus' behaviour to it; the "puppeted" Titans had walked slowly, slouching unnaturally, and their faces had been slack as though it was too much effort to manifest an expression on them. They had been unable to talk as well.

Marcus was not like that.

So what was it that unnerved her?

He eventually stopped outside the metal-enforced door to the furthest chamber. Torches hung in brackets on either side, casting a flickering orange light that now scared her.

"Marcus, why is he down here?" She asked, her voice little more than a whisper. Marcus didn't answer her, instead occupying himself with unlocking the door. It swung open and Marcus gestured for her to go ahead.

She stepped into the cool dungeon and Marcus came in after her, pulling the door shut behind him. Further torches lit the room with a dull, unstill orange glow.

"The altar," Marcus said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked across the room at the altar and gasped when she saw him. She broke free from Marcus' grip and ran in her bare feet over to where the boy, once human and once her friend, lay curled up on his side, fast asleep, his wrists tied together to the iron rung sunk into the stone.

He was not human anymore.

It was still Robin's body, but how it had changed… His skin glowed a deep orangey-gold, with darker stripes like a tiger, his fingernails and toenails were slightly pointed and were black. The only thing that spared him from indecent exposure was a red silk cloth over his hip-area, and from beneath this poked a tail; it was long and black and matched his wings, with a pointed tip on the end made of some kind of black natural enamel that looked sharp enough to cut flesh with ease. At present it was wrapped around his thigh, the end flicking every now and then, and it was covered in blood as his wings had been when he had first acquired them. From each of his forearms had burst three bony spines, long and sharp and bloody from where they had made their exit, and all down the length of his spine - from the back of his neck to where his new tail began – were little bony ridge-like spikes. His whole build was bigger and more powerful, and although he still wore his mask, she got the feeling that if she removed it, his eyes would no longer be that brilliant blue.

"Oh my… what happened to him?" Raven whispered, horrified, as Marcus's shadow fell across her.

"We do not know," Marcus said softly. His voice was emotionless. "Seth Elliott has arrived in Azarath, you might like to know."

Raven turned to him.

"And has he seen Robin?" She asked frantically. "Does he know how this happened? Can he save him?"

"Raven, I…" Marcus looked at the floor. "I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Tell me what?" Raven asked. She heard Robin shift behind her in his sleep but couldn't bring herself to look at him.

Marcus didn't answer; he seemed to be terribly interested in the stone floor. Her eyes narrowed; at any normal time she might have thought that maybe he just couldn't find the way to word whatever it was he wanted to say, but now, with him not acting himself anyway…?

"Marcus, tell me what?" Raven cried, taking the tall senator by the elbows and shaking him.

Marcus looked at her, his expression impossible to read.

"Seth has already seen him," he said quietly. "Seth was the one who tied him up down here; he says that the boy is dangerous. He says… I'm sorry, Raven, but Robin has lost the battle. He couldn't fight it off. As you can see, he's completely succumbed to the demon inside him…"

Raven stared at him.

"Robin… didn't beat it?" She asked faintly. "What… does that mean for him?…"

"Seth has been studying him all morning," Marcus explained dully. "He's never seen a case as bad as this… Raven…" Marcus sighed heavily and looked at the floor again. "Raven, I'm very sorry… there's nothing Seth can do. There's nothing any of us can do…"

"What?"

Raven slid down her hood, staring at the senator.

"I do not wish to upset you, Raven," Marcus went on softly, again his voice free of any kind of sadness. "But Seth has taken control of the situation now. Robin is fully demonic; Seth cannot help him. Your friend is no longer your friend, Raven; he's a very dangerous monster. And Seth has decided… that he must be destroyed."

"No…" Raven backed away from Marcus. "No, you can't…"

"Raven-"

"You're going to kill him!" Raven shrieked.

"Raven, he is not your friend anymore. Your friend has been destroyed in the process of the demonic transformation," Marcus said coolly. His voice lacked the compassion that she had come to expect from him.

"I can't believe it," Raven said, her own voice shaking like a leaf. "I can't believe it! You're an Azarathian senator, you and Seth are! How can you even think of killing…?"

"Raven, you know as well as I do that Seth would never order the death of a human or an Azarathian," Marcus said firmly.

"Robin is human!" Raven snapped.

"Raven, that thing tied up behind you is not Robin anymore, and it is not human anymore!"

"Don't talk about him like that!" Raven spat, backing away again towards the altar. "He's still my friend, no matter what he has become!"

"No, he isn't…" Something else shone in the Vice-Head Senator's dark blue eyes now; something else she couldn't place. "Raven, you think I want this? You think Seth wants this? You brought your friend here for help; do you think we want to end it by slaying him? Raven, I wish we could have saved him, but we couldn't. The demon was too strong for him and it took over him, destroying his soul and his mind in the process. There is nothing of Robin left in him. If you were to awaken him, he would not recognise you; he would try to kill you. You have to understand that."

"But you're going to kill him," Raven said, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, I won't let you… What's wrong with you? You know killing is against Azar's way!"

"Raven… we cannot keep him alive. If we were to spare him, we would have to keep him locked up down here forever. We could not ever let him go, because he would kill people. If we were to keep him, what would we feed him on? These demons eat flesh, Raven, Azarathian flesh; we would have to slaughter people to feed to him. And that's just something we couldn't do. He's a lost cause, Raven, and he must be destroyed."

"No!" Tears started to run down Raven's face. "Please, Marcus… there must be a way! An exorcism spell, anything!" She looked at him despair, suddenly horrified by him. He was supposed to be helping Robin…

"Raven, what do you think Seth has being doing all morning?" Marcus asked quietly, the question rhetorical. "He's says he's tried everything he can think of, and nothing worked. He can't save him; no-one can."

"Then… there's no hope?"

Marcus shook his head sadly.

"Raven, I'm sorry. I wish there was another way. But Seth says there isn't; Robin must be slain."

"Will… Seth do it?" Raven asked shakily. Marcus nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. He'll do it himself, and he'll make it as quick and painless as possible."

"When?" Raven pressed.

"Tomorrow, at dawn."

"How?"

"Raven, I don't know. I do not wish to know, either."

Raven looked up at him and burst into tears. Instead of comforting her – as he should have, were he himself – Marcus grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and shook her.

"Raven, stop crying immediately!" He told her sharply. "Keep your emotions in check! You know how dangerous it is if you lose control!"

"I can't… help it…" Raven sobbed, shocked by his sudden rough treatment of her.

"Help it, and help it now!" Marcus snapped. "I don't know what's gotten into you; you seem to have lost all respect for the rules laid down by Azarath to protect yourself and others around you. I don't think you should go back to Earth."

"Stop it!" Raven cried, pulling herself from his grip. "You don't understand! You're going to kill my friend!"

She felt rage flaring up inside her and whipped around, presenting her back to Marcus – if it truly was Marcus – in time to hide her four crimson eyes. She fought it back down with effort and sank to her knees, burying her head in her arms as she sobbed on the altar. Near her Robin slept on, oblivious of the reason she was crying; him.

"Lady Raven, I am going to leave you alone for a few minutes," Marcus said coldly from behind her. "I'm going to call a senate meeting. Calm yourself down and be present in the council room in ten minutes."

He turned on his heel and swept towards the door.

"And Raven…" He turned back to her, but she did not look at him; she was too busy sobbing. "If, within those ten minutes, the demon boy mysteriously escapes his binds, you will be suitably punished, and the boy will die anyway."

He left, leaving the door ajar.

Still Raven sobbed. She couldn't stop; she felt so helpless. Marcus – one of the people she had always trusted – was acting strangely, agreeing with the death sentence. They were going to kill Robin and there was nothing she could do to stop them, nothing she could do to save him. He might have lost the battle to the demon, but to her at least, he was still Robin. She didn't want him to be hurt.

But if Seth Elliott could not save him, then how could she even begin to think that she could? Seth was magic; she was a telekinetic with a small knowledge of both white and black arts. She did not know even a quarter of what Seth knew.

Gradually her tears stopped and she looked up at Robin; he was still curled up, sleeping like a baby.

But he was no baby.

She could sense the demon in him without even concentrating. To her, the evil and malice now laced within him was almost like a barrier. She knew within her heart that she could not even touch him, because if she did, it would cause pain to her sensitive mind.

Marcus was right. This wasn't Robin, not anymore. She knew that.

But she still could not bring herself to accept it, to accept the fact that at dawn tomorrow, even this new demonic-incarnation of the Boy Wonder would be destroyed.

This Robin could not awake and smile and greet her, he could not promise that everything would be alright. He could not play silly hide-and-chase games in the dark with her, he could not kiss her, he could not make love to her; nor could he fight within the grip of fluid, deadly martial arts, he could not laugh or cry or get angry, he could not brood in his dark lonely room about Slade, he could not sulk when he didn't get his way…

He could not live…

Robin was dead. If she shook him awake, he would not recognise her. He would not recognise Starfire or Beast Boy or Cyborg, he would not recognise Slade, he would not even recognise Batman…

But even that was not the worst of it. What upset her the most, what drove her into the depths of utter despair, was the thought that she was somehow responsible for this. The thought of last night's events haunted her; Robin's possession had been driving him - not his own teenage hormones – and she should have resisted him, for his own sake. But she hadn't; she had given in to him, given him his way, and he had not been able to see where to draw the line. He had tried, and so had she, but something had been driving them both, beyond the demonic possession, beyond the raging hormones, beyond even the realisation that she had never stopped loving him. Something stronger than them both had intoxicated them and let them do the rest. She not been able to see the insanity of it all, the danger to Robin and to herself… she hadn't just had sex with him - she had made it worse, she had touched him and sucked him off and given him just about every kind of sexual indulgence going. That was why this had happened to him, because she had been too concerned with her own selfish pleasures to think about giving Robin a sharp slap across the face and telling him to snap out of it.

Live for the moment…

She started to cry again. She had never felt so desperate and helpless.

She thought about the meeting as she cried. Perhaps… they could be talked out of their decision. They would all be there; surely some of them would side with her? Jonathon, Michael, James, Zachariah, Lawrence… none of them really got on with Seth Elliott. Maybe they would take her side just to be awkward; she knew for a fact that that was just the kind of thing Jonathon Vaughan in particular would do.

She rose, wiping her face. Hope glimmered somewhere in the distance, and it all rested on Jonathon Vaughan's obnoxiousness. She hoped he wasn't in a good mood…

"We're going to save you, Robin," she whispered, stepping back. "No matter what it takes…"

Robin, understandably, didn't respond.

Raven left the chamber and made her way to the council room, pulling up her hood to hide her red-rimmed eyes. She was not crying anymore; she was all-business, and she was not going to allow Seth and Marcus – however good their intentions – to have their way.

If they were going to kill Robin – even if he was not technically Robin anymore – they would have to go through her, and the other Titans too, first.

She swung open the heavy door to the council room and strode in, her eyes narrowed within the shadow of her hood. She stopped in the middle of the room, before the semi-circle of chairs, and looked around at them defiantly.

Her defiance soon faded.

Two were missing; Arella, her own mother, and…

…Jonathon…

Even though she knew that the opinion of Jonathon alone would not have saved Robin, her heart sank. Where was he? Maybe he was just late; he often was…

She looked around again and felt cold; they were all staring blankly at her, as Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg had done during their possession by the Puppet King. Their faces registered no expression, not even Marcus'; he too was gazing at her, his head a little to one side as though he had never seen her before.

This was not even the same Marcus she had been with mere minutes ago.

Then she noticed that 13th chair, usually empty, was occupied by its rightful owner. Seth Elliott, Head of the Azarathian Senate, sat before her in his throne-like chair, smiling warmly at her.

"Hello, Raven," he greeted her, his voice soft.

Raven uttered a stifled squeak and immediately went to one knee, bowing her head.

"Raven, how many times have I told you not to do that?" Seth reprimanded her in amusement. He stood up and the others all rose too, as though he had them on strings. However, when he approached her, they all stayed put.

He took her shoulders and pulled her to her feet again, then took one of her hands and kissed it.

"I have missed you, Raven," he said, lifting his mouth from her hand. He reached out and pulled down her hood. "You are even more beautiful than I remember."

Raven blushed a little; even in the midst of her anger at him, she could not help but be charmed by him. He was so nice; he always had been.

"But what's this?" Seth went on, frowning. His fingertips touched her pale cheek. "Your eyes are red. You have been crying."

"No I haven't."

Seth smiled in amusement.

"You never were a very good liar, were you, Raven?" His smile faded. "I know why you are upset. It's about your friend Robin, isn't it?"

Raven hesitated, then nodded. Seth touched her face again.

"Raven, I am truly sorry," he said quietly. "There is nothing I can do. I have tried every kind of exorcism charm and spell I know, but the demon has become infused into his body. I cannot remove it. I tried and tried and tried, but now, even if I were to somehow get it out of him, there would be nothing left but an empty shell. His soul has been destroyed – devoured, I fear – by the monster within him. He would not be alive; he would be inanimate. He would not respond to anything, he would not answer to his own name… tell me, Raven, what kind of existence is that?"

"There's nothing you can do?" Raven asked, her voice quavering. Her violet eyes met Seth's large green ones.

"Raven, I'm sorry… I know why your beautiful eyes shed tears, and if I were not a man, I too would cry at the hopelessness and sadness of it all."

Raven looked at the floor, biting back tears.

"Please, Seth…" She looked back up at him, her eyes wet once again. "Maybe I can-"

Seth put his finger to her lips.

"Raven, there is nothing you can do for him. I have already told you that the demon has become a part of him now. There is nothing of your friend left in him."

"At least let me try!" Raven cried. "He's my friend!"

"I could not allow that, Raven. The evil which has overtaken him would overpower your fragile mind."

"You can't kill him, you can't… please, Seth, you can't…"

Seth removed his fingers from her cheek; he sighed heavily.

"Raven, how can I make you understand?" He asked her softly, not expecting an answer. "I'm sure Marcus has already explained why we cannot keep him alive. Raven, please, you must understand… this is painful for me. You think I want to kill him? But it must be done. It is kinder for him; I am sure the former Robin would not want to become a monster."

"Can't you wait just another day?" Raven begged. "Please? Maybe I can look through some of my books, please, Seth; just one more day…"

"Raven, I'm sorry, but I have the matter of the missing Orb of Azarath to attend to as well," Seth said softly. He put his arms around her shoulders again as he saw her dissolving into tears.

"Please do not upset yourself, Raven," he whispered in her ear. "It must be done; Robin dies at dawn."

He allowed her to cry into his shoulder. She did so, and then looked up past him, still sobbing slightly. Her eyes met with Marcus', but he simply stared blankly at her, blinking slowly every so often. His gaze frightened her, and as she looked around she saw that they were all the same; Michael, Lawrence, Calica, Sarah, Emma, James, Catriona, Zachariah, Aurora… they were all just gazing at her lifelessly from where they stood in a perfect semi-circle, with only a few gaps marking the absences of Jonathon, Arella and Seth himself. She had never seen them this way; they didn't even appear to be breathing. They had not spoken at all, not even Marcus. It was as though they were all in some kind of… trance…

"Raven, I would not put this idea forward without the consent of a vote of the Senate," Seth said. "They all agree that it is for the best."

Over Seth's shoulder Raven saw them all nod in exact unison; she shivered. There was definitely something up with them…

And somehow she got the feeling that, despite their "agreement", they didn't have much of a choice.

"Seth, what's…?" She trailed off.

"What's what?" Seth inquired.

Raven shook her head.

"Nothing… it was nothing."

Seth held her away at arm's length, frowning.

"You sure?" He queried. "There's nothing you wanna ask me? Nothing at all?"

Raven shook her head and wiped her amethyst eyes.

"No, I'm fine…"

She offered him a weak smile. He smiled in return.

"Well, if you're sure…"

"Mmm…" Raven removed herself from his grasp. "I should go and see my friends," she told him. "You know, to…"

"Tell them the terrible news," Seth finished quietly. "Very well. I'll check up on you later."

Raven nodded and pulled up her hood. With one final look at the senators, and then at Seth himself, she turned on her heel and swept from the room.

Even as she did so, she got the feeling that their lifeless eyes were all fixed upon her, not to mention a glittering green pair that were all too alive…

She had come to a decision.

The Teen Titans were leaving Azarath tonight.

All five of them.

Ooh… tension…

Soooo… Robin might not be the only one possessed… and speaking of… what will become of him now? Yes, really and truly, no bluffs; he has been taken over. Hope y'all liked the description of him; he's a pretty lil' demon…

…or not. :P

Next up: The Teen Titans (except their leader, obviously) take matters into their own hands. Including Jonathon Vaughan once again proving he's the only senator with any sense at all, a book of spells and Robin and Starfire suddenly finding they have a lot more common now that he isn't human either… Yes, all of the Titans suddenly have a huge part!

Review and you'll get it faster (if the site lets me…)!

And once again… there's an AMV. By Coolteenzz. Check it out or face my wrath. I will set my sock-puppet minions on you…

- RobinRocks xXx