A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! Things have been busy for me as summer is winding down… I have work, plus I'm moving into my dorm room soon, so I have to get things ready and hang out with some friends before we all move off to college. So sorry if this installment is a little bit late. Also, I've been picking up another fic that I left unfinished (it's Pokemon, not Teen Titans… sorry! But check it out if you have the time - its called Operation: MATCHMAKER.) Heh. Sorry for the plug :-P

Responses:

xox.Annie Potter.xox. - Heh, thanks for the compliments. I guess I can probably write Beast Boy so well because I act a lot like him. Heh, or so my friends tell me. Sheesh, I thought Robin was a little bit OOC, but I couldn't resist the RobxStar fluff! Gah, maybe I should change it… but I'm too lazy. Plus, it didn't seem like you minded, haha. And I'm working on Operation: MATCHMAKER as we speak… err, I mean type.

gladdecease - Thanks. Heh, I'm resisting the urge to turn the rest of the Titans into random items of furniture, but I'm trying to find a way to get that in, and I think I have one, although it is a little farfetched. And don't get me started on the songs! Haha.

Overactive Mind - Good thing for me, I have cable internet, so you CAN'T reach through the phone lines. MWAHAHA! Just kidding. Don't worry, your BBxRae will be coming sometime in the future… maybe! Haha, sorry, I'm being mean, but I don't want to spoil the plot! Heh, just kidding. Maybe this'll be a little comforting -- it says BBxRae in the summary!

Sinner666 - Thanks for the review! Don't worry, the summary does say BBxRae :-)

WickedWitchoftheSE - Yeah, needles suck. I had to get some shots last week, and I could relate with Beast Boy. LOL, I'm such a loser.

DazedGal911 - Here's the update! Thanks for your review!

PastelStorm - Aww, and I thought I was being original with this fic, darn. Sorry for kinda pre-stealing the idea. I'd like to read your version though, out of curiosity!

VeelaChic - Yeah, I was laughing while I wrote about Robin's dream. It kinda made him OOC, but I couldn't resist! This fic is supposed to be Romance/Comedy, after all, although it's been neither in the first two parts. Haha.

aZn dReAmEr xD - Thanks for the review! Here's the next part!

CrazyFreak-o-Maniac - Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're liking the story. Thanks for the idea for the fic, but I have another plot bunny in the works for how things are gonna work out. And the teacup and the lantern don't get together in the end of BATB, the latern and the feather duster do. LOL I'm such a loser… haha. Forget I said that. :-)

All disclaimers can be found on part one.

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Beauty and the Beast Boy
By: xSPiNx
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Chapter Three: Enter the Villain
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The night that Beast Boy ran away had been perhaps one of the most restless nights that Robin had ever had, Slade included. And that was making a statement. An uneasy feeling was steadily growing in the back of his brain. It was like a creature, thriving in the recesses of his mind. For a moment, he thought it was guilt, because, after all, Beast Boy had not exactly left the tower on the best of terms with Robin.

But as the night drew on, Robin knew that it was more than that. A whole spectrum of emotions bombarded him. On top of it all, there was fear -- he still didn't know if Beast Boy was dangerous or not. Even though Starfire swore on her supply of weird alien foods that he was, the little nagging feeling in the back of Robin's head couldn't help but being a little bit doubtful. And, although somehow he knew that Beast Boy wouldn't hurt them, he could never be too sure.

As if guilt and fear weren't enough, more strange emotions flooded his mind. Uncertainty, doubt, anger… and, maybe the strangest of all, sorrow. The howls that penetrated the night when he left sounded ferocious, yes, but on top of everything, Robin felt the unmistakable note of sadness that pierced him to the very bone.

His heart went out to Beast Boy. Dangerous or not, Beast or Beast Boy, he was a Titan. A teammate. And from past experiences, Robin learned that his team meant everything. Together, they could withstand anything. But apart, they would crumble…

He just hoped that the latter wouldn't take place before they could find out just exactly what happened.

Before, everything had been so black and white. Robin wasn't used to seeing life in these strange shades of gray.

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Just as a lone cloud passed slowly in front of the moon's bright rays, a lone figure darted swiftly between the alleyways of the outskirts of the city. This area of the city was not exactly well known for it's saint-like inhabitants; in fact, it was the known notoriously for the exact opposite.

In short, it was known as the bad part of town. It was somewhere where children were grabbed tightly by the hand by their parents, and not let go until they were at least five hundred feet away. Somewhere where the local authorities, the Titans included, knew that something was going on, but were helpless to stop it.

Dubious characters could often be seen patrolling the streets during all hours of the day and night. Many looked characteristically disheveled, dirty, or suspicious. From the dark and damp corners of the streets, many vendors beckoned to those unlucky enough to make eye contact. Their wares included many things available only on the black market: weapons, drugs, and one time, even the rare chemical xenothium. Although the unusually power and unstable element was confiscated by a police raid, it still led some to wonder where these people got their goods.

Despite this, the block of the city was eerily silent, devoid of the usual police sirens, loud arguing, and scantily clad people that usually littered the air and the streets. As another puffy cloud shattered the moon's serene rays into harsh slivers of light, the shadow darted again, in perfect unison with the dark sky.

As the second cloud disappeared into the horizon, the figure looked up into the night sky. It was unusually clear, except for the two clouds which were now melting with the line of the city as they floated carelessly past the city limits. The moon was almost unbearably bright, illuminating the parts of the street that were not shrouded between the dilapidated buildings that lined the sidewalks. This would make it unusually harder for anyone to go somewhere that night without being seen.

The figure smirked. The bigger the challenge, the better.

In another lightning fast move, it bolted silently to another alleyway, getting closer to it's target. It was a building, located at the very edge of the city. The building was built on a cliff, and appropriately, resembled a lighthouse. It seemed to be ever-watching, ever patrolling the city.

Sneering in contempt, the figure bolted behind another building, moving slowly, but surely to it's target: the Titan's Tower. Something had happened there that night, the figure was sure of it. Everyone from the outskirts of town had seen the weird rose-red flashing that occurred earlier that night. And, for those who were oblivious to the light show, the violent howls that soon followed woke many of those sleeping in Jump City.

The figure's lip curled upward in scorn. Something had happened, and the figure would use that to it's full advantage. The Titans would get what was coming to them. And the shadowy shape would soon get what it lost from them…

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"Robin?" Starfire poked her head from behind the doorway of the lab. "Should you not rest?"

Aside from letting out a troubled sigh, Robin was silent. He had been sitting in the wreckage of the lab for who knew how long, lost in his thoughts. He knew he should have been trying to sleep, and every once in a while he could feel his eyelids lazily fluttering down as he almost dozed off. But he was too troubled to succumb to the sweet release of sleep. Plus, the steady blaring of the horn that resonated through the tower was not helping his cause. And also was the fact that he refused to turn it off, and only he knew that security combination to do so.

"Don't worry, man." Cyborg's head popped out on top of Starfire's. "I know how you feel. We all do."

"Well," Raven piped in dryly, her head appearing below Starfire's. "Most of us do. But Beast Boy was a part of our team. And…" she trailed off, clearly contemplating what to say next. "And, we need him back."

Robin hid a wry smile despite the ambivalent thoughts running through his mind. His team always had a certain quality that cheered him up. But as he thought of the word team, his thoughts jumped instantly to Beast Boy, and his mouth was again set in a contemplative frown.

Assuming that his silence was a safe sign, Starfire, Cyborg and Raven silently entered the room. Each sat around Robin, forming a mini square; Raven to his left, Cyborg to his right, and Starfire directly in front of him.

"We will get him back." Starfire said, looking Robin square in the eye. "And if we don't you can call me the sibling of the parental unit of a simian infant!"

Cyborg's mouth literally dropped open, forming an "O" of disbelief. "Starfire…" he trailed off, incredulously. "I think the term you're looking for is 'or you can call me a monkey's uncle.'" He put a finger to his chin, in thought. "And you used it in the wrong context, anyway. People usually say that when -- oh, heck, never mind." He looked quickly to his right at Starfire, who was The point is, Robin, we will find him."

"But how?" Robin finally spoke, his voice soft.

"Ahh, how easily you forget!" Cyborg butt in, a cheesy smile on his face. "Raven?"

Raven's hand disappeared behind her cloaks for a while, and Robin could see the purple robe ripple as she rummaged for something. When her hand reappeared, it was holding a test tube of a harmless looking clear liquid. In fact, if Robin hadn't known better, he would have thought it was water.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"Yes, Cyborg," Raven echoed. "I've been dying to know myself."

Cyborg shrugged in response, gesturing to his body. "Sorry, Raven, I needed you to hold it because I don't have any pockets." He frowned. "I should really get that fixed…"

"Cyborg." Robin's voice sounded dangerously exasperated. "What is it?"

"Right," Cyborg said, twirling the test tube in his hands in little circles, so that the liquid in it made soothing swishing noises. "It's the antidote."

Robin almost slapped his forehead in realization. Of course! The antidote! Because of all the commotion that happened that night, he had totally forgotten about it! Robin's thoughts eased a little bit, yet the little nagging feeling in the back of his mind continued to be an annoying voice in the back of his head. It almost seemed too easy…

"I thought that Beast Boy freaked out at the needle?" Raven asked, sounding like she was repressing curiosity.

"Nope," Cyborg replied. "He started freaking out after I put the needle in his arm. But luckily, before he threw me to the side --" Cyborg rubbed his head gingerly -- "I managed to inject him with about half of the antidote." He beamed proudly.

Starfire gasped. "So, does that mean…?"

"Yup," Cyborg interrupted, clearly proud of himself. "Since I only injected him with half of the antidote, the results will be a little bit delayed… but, it should still work."

The reality of Cyborg's words hung in the air for a moment, until Robin interrupted the silence sharply. "Cyborg," Robin replied, "Is that the same mixture we used to cure him last time?"

"Yeah, why?"

"How do you know it'll work?"

Cyborg was at a loss for words. "What do you mean?"

"How do you know it'll work?" Robin repeated.

Cyborg stared at Robin blankly. "Well… because it worked last time." He paused. "Duh," he added as an afterthought.

"But last time, Beast Boy's transformation was triggered by the toxic waste that Adonis dumped on him." Robin pointed out.

"So?"

"We're not sure that that's what made Beast Boy transform this time."

Cyborg frowned. "You're right."

"Well then, what are you suggesting, Robin?" Raven piped in.

"I don't know," Robin admitted. "But until now, we've all assumed that Beast Boy's transformation was triggered by some after effect of Adonis' toxic waste. But what if we're wrong?"

The four superheroes were silent as the severity of Robin's words sank in.

"So, the antidote will not be effective?" Starfire asked softly, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't know. If it is some after effect of what happened last time, then it should." This brought a smile to the Tamaranean's face, but it faded as Robin continued. "But, if it isn't, then who knows what will happen. In fact, depending on the circumstances, it might even make things worse…"

Cyborg frowned this time, looking slightly offended. "Of course," Robin stated quickly, "Those are just my speculations."

"How do we know if you're right?" Raven asked, her voice steady.

Robin grimaced. "I guess we'll have to wait and see." Robin yawned, his body reminding him that it needed rest. "We'll start tomorrow. Bright and early. And remember, be careful. If there's anything we've learned tonight, it's that he can be dangerous."

And witha turn of his cape, Robin was out of the door.

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The strangely bright rays of the moon cast soft shadows across the smooth, rippling waves of the ocean that surrounded the Titan's Tower. Beast Boy trudged ungracefully through the foliage to nowhere in particular. He didn't care where he was going, as long as he could just get away from the tower. Now that his head was clear, he was starting to feel a little bit embarrassed.

His departure from the Titan's Tower had been a dramatic one -- just his style -- but he was starting to think that he had made the wrong decision. Maybe he had overreacted just a tad? But still, it wasn't his fault! How would Robin feel if Beast Boy had stuck him with a needle as long as a ruler?

Even better, Beast Boy smirked, an idea starting to form in his head. But, it would have to wait until later -- after all, it involved Robin, and a very strange, very familiar looking green mosquito…

Shaking his head, Beast Boy tried to concentrate. He could put the mosquito plan into action later, but right now he had other things to worry about. For one, how exactly would he turn into a mosquito? He had tried, and tried, and tried some more, but no matter how hard he concentrated the night before, he couldn't turn into anything. And that in itself was totally, utterly frustrating. And lame.

He guessed that he would just use the idea of turning back into a mosquito as encouragement to find out what exactly went wrong with him.

"Some motivation that is…" he sighed. As much as he hated to admit it - or show it outwardly - Beast was worried. For example, although he was just brushing it off like it never happened, Beast Boy's reaction at the tower kind of scared him. The untamed anger that boiled through him at the Titan's Tower was unlike anything he had ever felt before. The rage seemed to leak into every crevice of his mind until it was the only thing he could thing about. And then, the next thing he knew, he was blindly swiping his lion like paws at anything he could get his hands on…

It was not something he wanted to think about. Valuable equipment had been in that room. His friends had been in that room…

He just hoped that nobody had gotten hurt. He was starting to feel homesick already. He needed his friends right now. Robin, and his crazy, paranoid, yet ultimately brilliant ideas. The game station and the TV. Starfire, and her wide array of alien knowledge and funny realizations about Earth. Cyborg, and all his junk and machinery. The game station and the TV. And Raven, with her… well, with her weirdo chants and lame put downs.

Beast Boy snorted. That, he would definitely not miss. What was with her, anyway? Just 'cause he joked around all the time and actually showed his happiness didn't mean that he didn't have feelings…

Yet for some reason, as Beast Boy trudged along the unbeaten path of the forest, swiping stray branches and twigs out of his way, he couldn't take his mind off of her. It must've been that weird psychic thing she always did. Like when she healed him, after his fight with Adonis the first time he became a beast. And earlier that night, when she was checking whether or not he was dangerous or not. He had thought he felt some weird kind of psychic-like prying going on in his head.

A sharp poke to the side of his arm snapped him out of his contemplation, and he rubbed his arm gingerly. "Why did that thing have to be so sharp, anyway?" he complained, trying to get his mind refocused on the problem at hand. He pouted, snapping the branch that was in his way like a twig. "It wasn't even my fault. Stupid needle."

As Beast Boy's feet continued to wander, so did his mind. Through his musings, he hadn't realized where he was going. Yet when the foliage subsided and he got to a clearing, Beast Boy knew exactly where he was. It was a place that sometimes haunted his dreams, a place that seemed burned into his mind's eye.

The cave's walls hadn't changed since that fateful day. They were as cracked and jagged as ever. The ground was dusty, and starting to grow weeds, evidence that this secluded place was probably rarely visited. Although it was almost pitch black in the cave, the eerie light of dawn cast weird shadows on the wall, which by some trick of light, seemed to reflect a soft blood red.

Various boulders and stones littered the ground, dull and pointy. A growth of straggly and bushy vegetation lurked in front of the cave, ready to trap any unsuspecting travel in it's torrent of needles and vines. Beast Boy continued to trudge through, recklessly hypnotized.

Throughout the chaos of the scene that bombarded him, his eyes stayed transfixed at the center of the cave, where there was an small uprising that formed a small cliff. Almost like a shrine, the cliff rose above the rest of the ground in a tribute to the stature resting at it's peak.

It was of a beautiful girl, one who's face often appeared in Beast Boy's dreams. Her blonde hair flowed behind her eerily, caught in some breeze that had ran through the area sometime in the past. Her face looked triumphant, yet slightly saddened.

And before Beast Boy knew it, his feet had subconsciously lead him to peak of the cliff, where he was now staring into those beautiful, determined eyes. Terra's statue looked strangely realistic to him, although he knew it was nothing but cold, hard stone. Fittingly ironic.

"Stupid needle…" he muttered again, softer this time. Turning around, he trudged slowly back through the greenery to nowhere in particular as long as it was away from the cave, not turning around until the statue and the cave were nothing but indistinguishable dots blending into the now rising sun.

To be continued…

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A/N: I know, I know, this part was kind of boring, and short, but I neededto lay down some stuff. And I know this fic is archived under Romance and Comedy, and it has been neither romantic or funny up until now. I apologize. Haha. I suck at starting fics. And ending them too, actually. But things are starting to build up, so maybe I can get into the flow of things.

Btw, if there were some sort of site other than that archived Teen Titans fanfics, plus author interviews, awards, etc., would you visit it? An idea is starting to form in my head… J