Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or the original storyline of "Beauty and the Beast". I do own the changes to the original plotline, which I hope you will all enjoy

Opening Note: Quite a few of you are starting to get it. Though, it's not all that complicating.

Dedicated to sekai no yakusoku and castle in the air.

Also, to anyone who thinks I wouldn't give them the time of day. It is 10:17 am.

Gaston: If I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for this monster.
Belle: He's no monster, Gaston. You are!

-Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" (1991)

Part Five: The Darkest Room

For a few days, Arella would not emerge from her room. Raven was quiet and jumped at the slightest sound. Poe's pecking, the wind slamming doors, and the sound of Robin's footfalls were among the things that startled her. However, it was his communicator going off that made her dive under the table one afternoon.

"Tell Arella that I'll be back tonight," he said.

The Joker wasn't pleased that Batman had somehow managed to survive his brush with death.

So displeased was he, in fact, that he felt the need to do a little more damage. In the form of "capture-and-torture-the-sidekick". Namely Robin. So the Boy Wonder found himself spending the better part of Saturday night being chased by clowns, getting lost in mazes of fun house mirrors, and having everything from explosive pies to razor-edged magic trick cards thrown at him. He escaped the latter with a few cuts and earned a broken arm from falling from the height of the trapeze.

"I'm taking you back home," Bruce insisted.

Robin would have allowed himself to be carried back to Wayne manor were it not for Arella's words ringing in his ears. He was supposed to go straight back.

But what would happen if he didn't?

He thought of Raven, curled up in front of Arella's room with only Poe for company.

He thought of Arella, who needed him even though she denied it.

"Take me back to her," he said. "At least let her see that I came back... then she'll let me go."

Finally, the Dark Knight gave in. It was, after all, only a minor injury.

Raven nearly fainted when she saw the odd angle at which his arm hung. And the blood from the cuts. Even Poe flew off hastily, too bothered by the sight of it to peck at him.

"Robin's hurt!" Raven wailed.

He tried to calm her, but to no avail. Arella emerged from the shadows.

"Help me, Raven," she said.

The demoness's dark hand on his arm and Raven's pale hand stained with blood on his ribs.

"I'll be fine," he insisted.

"You can barely stand from the blood loss, fool," Arella said. Robin shook his head, but even as he did so he felt a wave of dizziness take over.

He felt rather than saw a faint blue light wrapping itself around him, and heard Arella's voice, from far off: "You may go now, Master Bat, Robin is safe."

He wasn't sure if it was hours later or days later when he next awoke. He wasn't in Wayne manor, but he wasn't in his bed, either. He tried to sit up, but realized something was holding him down. He looked to his left and saw Raven pressed against him, holding his arm.

My arm...

It was as though he had never broken it. Her pale face against his shoulder was so peaceful he didn't want to disturb her. He looked up and saw a dark canopy.

I'm in Arella's room?

He looked to his right and saw the demoness there, Her dark head pressed against his side, an ebony hand over his chest. Her eyes were covered by her hood, but he could see the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile, framed by her unkempt violet hair. He noticed then that his arm was around her waist, pulling her close.

The warmth of her made him smile, and he closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep.

The darkest room was quiet for once in a long time, the hideous whispers of the Beast hushed by the bond shared between the figures on the bed, deep in peaceful slumber.

When I woke up again, Raven was gone. I tried to sit up, but by this time, Arella had decided I was a pillow and her head was tucked under my chin. I wondered why she hadn't taken me to my room. Why bring me here?

"Robin?"

I looked around and saw Raven peeking through the door.

"Your breakfast is ready."

The door shut quietly behind her and Arella stirred. I held my breath, wondering what she would do when she realized how close she was to me. Some part of my subconscious came up with a few random scenarios and I mentally kicked myself.

"Stay a moment, boy," she said.

Fixing me with that gaze of fire, she slowly lowered her face to mine and brushed her lips over mine.

She sat up and pulled her hood over her head, throwing her cloak around her shoulders and gesturing toward the door, indicating that I could go now. I left the room, stumbling over my own feet, not daring say a word to anyone about what had happened.

As the door closed behind him, Arella stared into the shadows and smirked. The Beast fell back a step.

Ending Note:

Pray excuse the lateness of this chapter. I've been so busy and so stuck on where to go with this and I've been trying not to start writing a new one because I still haven't finished this one or "This Game We Play".

Not that I have any new ideas.

I'm mainly focusing on my original works at the moment. I've decided I'm not going to touch "Chaos and the Flute" again because it's fine the way it is. But "Shadow Striker" continues to give me problems...

Anyway.

A bit more in the next chapter, maybe.

Signed,

The Writer, you fools