Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.
The ballroom was the scene of pure pandemonium as the guests fled in terror while the Titans ran to Raven's side. Her hands were still extended in the direction where Lamia had stood just a moment before, and Raven was in a daze before falling to her knees.
"Gar." She whimpered. "Where are you?"
Starfire was the first to reach Raven. She had seen Lamia appear but in the ruckus that ensued she had not seen the demoness vanish.
"Raven! Where is Beast Boy?"
Raven turned to face her friend who saw the tears streaming down her face.
"She's taken him; she's stolen my Gar from me." Raven wailed as she broke down and began to sob. Starfire wrapped her arms around Raven as she consoled her. Nightwing was the next to arrive.
"Who was that Raven?" He asked as the others arrived. The sheik's security detail was now in the ballroom, attempting in vain to locate the threat that had caused the disruption.
As Raven pulled herself together she noticed that Cyborg was tapping on a panel that had popped out of his arm.
"It was Lamia." She replied in her monotone. "She somehow got in touch with Terra and used her to kidnap Gar."
"Raven" Starfire asked. "What happened? Your white energy had no effect on her."
Raven stood back up. By this time the ballroom had been evacuated and the bodyguards were approaching the Titans.
"I don't know. I can't explain it, it's almost like she was prepared. Something was shielding her from my powers."
"Beast Boy!" Starfire exclaimed. It took a moment for Starfire's remark to register with Raven, but once it did she went slack jawed.
"Of course! How could have I been so stupid?!"
The other Titans looked confused.
"Gar is immune to my white energy because he's my mate. She used him as a human shield. He absorbed all the attacks I used and neutralized them." She explained as the tears continued to drip down her face.
Nightwing looked alarmed. "So you're saying we have nothing we can use against her as a weapon?"
"For now." Raven murmured as the bodyguards reached them. "But I'll find something we can use."
The bodyguards were brandishing their weapons as they addressed the Titans.
"Perhaps one of you can explain to us what happened here?" The lead guard barked at them.
"Put your weapons away." Raven snapped at them. "The threat is no longer present, and even if it was your weapons would be useless against it."
"Would you mind telling us what this threat was?" The leader replied without lowering his weapon.
"It was a demon."
Another guard ran up and joined the group.
"Everyone is accounted for Major." He panted. "We didn't lose anyone."
Raven turned to the panting bodyguard.
"You're wrong. We did lose someone."
"Wait!" Cyborg interrupted. "I have a lock on his communicator."
Raven's eyes widened.
"Where is he Cyborg?" She asked, unable to hide the pleading in her voice.
Cyborg looked surprised.
"If my sensors are working right, he's 1000 feet below…" Cyborg paused as he tapped on his arm panel one more time. "… your house?"
It was cold, very cold. Beast Boy woke up shivering and he could barely see in the dim light. He was lying on a hard, rough and cold surface and his body ached. As he tried to get up he realized that he was bound to the wall, with a rough, heavy shackle weighing around his neck. He also realized why he was cold: his captors had stripped him naked.
Great.
As he tried to acclimate to his surroundings he heard a faint whimpering. Straining his eyes he was able to detect that he had company here, wherever "here" actually was. He couldn't discern who it was at the other end of the room as the darkness shrouded the figure. He decided that he would morph into something smaller with better night vision in order to escape from his chains. He willed himself to become a lemur, but nothing happened.
So they neutralized my powers too. Nice.
It was then that he noticed that his head was hurting. As he rubbed it he remembered the last thing he saw in the ballroom: a red clone of his wife with white hair, a pure blooded demoness that just moments before had been Terra Markov.
"Terra." He moaned. "What did you do?" He asked as he stared at the floor.
With no warning the room was illuminated, the light flickered as if it were a flame. He looked up at its source and gasped.
It was the red demoness again and she was holding a flaming torch in her hand as she approached the wall behind Beast Boy. She mounted the torch on a wall bracket, freeing her hands. She was red with long white hair and 4 crimson eyes. She also had strange horns, shaped like the antlers Trigon used to have. Her attire had also changed as the only garment she now wore was a loin cloth. After she placed the torch on its mount she turned and grinned at Beast Boy, exposing her razor sharp teeth.
And I thought Raven was creepy when I met her.
But most unnerving of all for Beast Boy was that her face had the same features as Raven's. Beast Boy gulped as the sight of the pure blooded demoness reminded him that the girl he married a year ago had more in common with the monster that stood before him than he cared to admit. His heart ached for Raven, as he saw before him the unadulterated burden his beloved had endured her entire life until Raphael had set her free almost a year ago. His mind reeled at the thought of having this thing living inside you and constantly having to be vigilant against its cunning and treachery. He now understood why Raven was the way she was, why she was still inhibited and short tempered. The burden was gone, but the scars remained.
Of course, he knew who the demoness was.
"You must be Lamia." He deadpanned.
The demoness knelt down next to him, still smiling.
"I see my sister didn't take you on as her mate just because you're well endowed, you actually have a brain Beastie Boy!" She spoke in an otherworldly guttural voice that made Beast Boy's skin crawl.
Suddenly self conscious, Beast Boy turned away from Lamia to hide his manhood from her.
"Oh don't be shy Gar." She teased him. "If it will make you feel better I can lose the loincloth."
"Please, don't" He replied with trepidation.
Lamia laughed as she stood up again.
"Believe it or not Gar, you'll learn to love me."
"Don't call me Gar!" He hissed. "Only Raven can call me Gar. And if you think I could ever love you, you're nuts!"
"Am I?" She replied. "Am I really all that different from the demoness you married?"
"Have you looked in a mirror?"
"And you're witty too! I can't wait to make you my mate."
Beast Boy snarled at her.
"Why would I ever want to be your mate?"
"It's my appearance, isn't it? We can do something about that."
With no warning Lamia's image rippled and was replaced by Raven's old look. Beast Boy stared dumbfounded at the violet haired, gray skinned demoness who now stood before him. She had the look down pat, including the old black leotard, blue cape and boots and the chakra stone on her forehead.
She smiled softly. "Is this better?" She asked in Raven's own voice.
Beast Boy turned away from her.
"You're not Raven!"
The demoness leaned closer to him and kissed him on his cheek.
"Would you like to be immortal Gar? Become my mate and I'll share my immortality with you. That and the sex will be far better than anything you've experienced with my repressed sister."
Beast Boy rapidly turned around and spat in her face. Lamia instantly resumed her demonic form and hissed like a viper in reply.
"That was unwise, Garfield Mark Logan." A familiar voice called out from the far end of the dungeon they were in. Beast Boy looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Wild Man approach him. As the green savage drew closer he slowly began to transform.
"Mortals are rarely offered so precious a gift, changeling."
Beast Boy stared in abject horror as the Wild Man completed his transformation.
"No! It can't be! It's impossible!" He shrieked. "Raven took you down, way down! She destroyed you!"
"Yes mortal, it is possible, I am here. And know this green fool: the only reason you are still alive is because my daughter desires you. It would be unwise to reject her advances."
Beast Boy regained his composure and stood his ground.
"In case you've forgotten, I'm married to your other daughter."
The two demons roared in an otherworldly laughter.
"Raven wasn't a real daughter Gar." Lamia sneered. "She was merely the portal, a throw away, worthless. She's a bastard, illegitimate with no genuine claim on our lineage. And she insulted us when she accepted Raphael's offer. And after all father had done for her! So don't you dare mention her name in the same breath as ours!"
Beast Boy remained calm before replying.
"I won't do it. I won't betray Raven, not even if you kill me."
"What if we kill her?" Lamia said as she gestured to the far side of the room. Beast Boy shuddered when he saw that it was Terra who also shackled there. The blond was unconscious.
"I don't understand." He said in a bewildered voice. "I thought Terra became you."
Lamia smiled. "She did, when I abducted you. After that I was able to take what I needed from her."
Beast Boy looked aghast.
"What have you done to her?"
Trigon laughed as Lamia began to explain.
"Let's go back to the day you thought Raven destroyed father. The truth is she almost did and I lost most of my potency that day as well. Father had to save a small part of himself, to remain hidden while he regained his strength. And he hid in your mind Gar, yours unfortunately was the easiest mind to break into and hide. Eventually I was able to penetrate Terra's mind and hide there. It worked well for a while but once you and the traitor began your romance we had to put a stop to it. When we failed father moved into Terra's mind."
"So that's why you wanted to hook me up with Terra."
"The mortal is not as stupid as he looks dear daughter."
"And now you've sucked the life out of Terra and kept it as your own." He snarled.
"Not all of it." Lamia replied. "But I will destroy her if you do not obey me."
Beast Boy's jaw began to tremble.
"You're asking me to make a decision that I can't make."
"Fair enough, changeling." Trigon boomed. "Why don't you ask Raven?"
Trigon waved his hand and Beast Boy felt the telepathic link he shared with Raven restored.
"Ask her!" Lamia roared. "We shall see if she prefers to see you dead or not!"
The mood back at the house was agitated to say the least. While they had located where Beast Boy was being held they could not find an entrance to it. Cyborg had tried to use seismic charges with his sensors to map the labyrinth of caverns below, but his readings were always scrambled, as if they were being jammed. Meanwhile the other Titans had broken up into smaller groups, each one brainstorming to come up with a plan of attack.
Raven was in a corner, isolating herself from the others, and she was doing something she hadn't done in almost a year: she was meditating.
The years of controlling her emotions with the authority of a drill sergeant were paying off. The others were amazed that Raven hadn't suffered a nervous breakdown considering the dire circumstances of the situation. It wasn't everyday that demoness from hell would show up and kidnap one's spouse. And Raven knew that she had to remain calm and objective if she were to have a glimmer of hope in rescuing her beloved.
Raven levitated in the lotus position looking calm and serene. Still, she knew that there was much at stake. This wasn't just any demoness she was dealing with, the monster had indeed once been her half sister and one could make a compelling argument that they still were sisters, just as she remained Beast Boy's wife even after her transformation. Raven wasn't a demoness anymore, but as the old saying went: blood is thicker than water.
Just as Raven was about to stop meditating she heard a voice in her head.
Rae! Can you hear me?
Raven snapped out of her trance and fell to the floor.
Gar? GAR! Are you OK?
I've been better, but I'm not hurt.
Do you know where you are?
No I don't. All I know is that I'm in some cave.
He paused before continuing.
Rae, listen to me. Lamia isn't alone. Trigon's back.
The others had heard Raven fall to the floor with a thud and were staring at her. They saw her go wide eyed.
That can't be Gar, I destroyed him.
There's no time to explain Rae. Listen, whatever you do, don't try to rescue me. I think they're setting a tr..."
The telepathic link was severed before he could complete the sentence. Raven remained on the floor, still reeling from what she had heard.
"Trigon." She croaked as the others gathered around her. "Trigon's back."
Lamia slammed Beast Boy into the wall. The changeling saw stars and felt the taste of blood in his mouth.
"That's no way to treat your boyfriend." He taunted the demoness, who then zapped him with pure energy that emitted from her fingertips. Beast Boy's body arched with pain and he felt as if he were about to explode.
"Shut up, you idiot!" Lamia bellowed as she released his smoldering body. He could feel the second and third degree burns that now covered his body as he hit the floor in agonizing pain. Summoning all of his willpower he lifted himself and faced his tormentor.
"You might as well finish the job Lamia, because I'll never betray Raven."
Lamia grinned. "You have spirit, mortal. I've had over a thousand lovers over the ages, but you, you are different. Now I understand why my sister sought you as her mate."
Beast Boy collapsed, breathing heavily while trying to cope with the agonizing pain he was still enduring from his many burns. He lay still as he awaited her coup de grace.
Instead of finishing him off Lamia knelt down beside him and Beast Boy felt a familiar sensation: the healing blue light. He sighed as he felt his wounds close and heal, he dermis regenerate and the pain slowly receded until it was gone. In less than a minute it was done. He sat up and stared at Raven's evil twin.
"What do you want from me?" He said breathlessly.
"Give yourself to me Gar. Give yourself to me and I promise that nothing will happen to Raven or the Titans, I'll even release Terra."
Beast Boy frowned. "You couldn't hurt Rae if you tried."
Lamia morphed back into gray Raven and kissed the changeling, who recoiled at her touch.
"I can if father helps me."
"No, don't." He pleaded. "Don't hurt her."
"Then give yourself to me."
"I-I can't." He stammered.
"You will!" She demanded. "And you'd best comply soon. We both know that she will soon be coming to rescue you …"
"No! I told her not to come."
Lamia smiled the way Raven would.
"Oh, she will come for you Gar, she will."
I'm even more evil than Lamia! Another cliff hanger!
And it's mail bag time!
Demonking101 – "But who is the wild man then?"
Now you know!
Wolvmbm – "I didn't expect anything lke that to happen within the story. "
Bk00 – "That was so unexpected."
The Mighty One – "What will happen next? I have no idea"
Glad to hear I can still on the edge of your seat!
Anon – "Keep 'em coming mate! You write one helluva story!"
Thanks!
Hinn-Raven – "I'm a tiny bit confused about how all those people seem to know about Raven's transformation into an angel. I mean, most people aren't even supposed to know she wasn't half-demon in the first place!"
I see your point. I just threw that in there.
Novus Ordo Seclorum – "The dinner party sure was a blue-blood affair"
That was my favorite part of the chapter, even though it really had little to do with the main storyline."
Titanfan45 - "Great cliff hanger"
You must be the only reader who likes my cliff hangers!
GothicRavenRoth – "OH NOES! A cliffie!"
See? No one likes my cliff hangers!
Wonderless Angel – "I would love to see the cat fight!"
You might get your wish, but be patient!