Much longer this time, due to it being the actual first chapter. The actual foundation of the story is built here, expect more references in future chapters.

Speaking of which, did anyone get the reference of the Prologue's title? A hint: It's musical. Come on people, these are the jokes. Can't you hear them knocking? (that was also another hint)

Chapter One: Unwitting Faust
By: Shawn "The Unfunny Joke" Wheeler
Disclaimer: All characters are property of their rightful owners.

Beast Boy had never been a believer that the weather and how a person was feeling could be connected. However, he found slight humour in the coincidence that, during a major storm that had forced the Titans to actually move inside for their weekly meal at the pizza place, he had just been put in a position that would normally make someone feel very low.

But, he knew that wasn't the case at all. It wasn't the weather, it was his friends. Specifically, his friends not laughing at any of the jokes he had just told. Even more specifically, his friend Raven not laughing at any of the jokes he had told, or the jokes before those, or the ones before them.

Truth be told, it had been almost two years since Raven had found anything he said to be worthy of a laugh. At least his other three friends found some of his humour to actually be worth a chuckle.

But Raven had not. Instead, during the last of his joke attempts she had rolled her eyes as she excused herself from the table stating that she was about to be sick and needed to use the restroom.

Okay… sure, he was being a little melodramatic. He wasn't particularly upset with the way things had gone. They pretty much always went that way, and he had gotten used to the kind of relationship the two shared. But, he thought with an internal smirk, best to milk the situation for whatever he could.

"Makes her sick?" He rolled his eyes towards the direction that Raven had gone. "You know, a smile would have been nice; at the very least from one of you."

He pointed an accusing slice of pizza towards each of his other three friends while making a ridiculously overdone face.

Starfire, to her credit, seemed to feel quite upset about apparently causing such disappointment and immediately attempted to apologize.

"I am sorry Beast Boy, the next time you attempt a joke I shall smile despite my actual understanding."

This managed to receive a snicker from both Robin and Cyborg, and elicited a small groan from Beast Boy himself.

"Don't worry about it Star. You guys aren't even the one's I'm worried about. At least you find some of what I say funny." He took a bite of his cheese and veggie pizza before waving a hand back towards Raven, as she walked back towards the table. "She on the other hand is enough to drive someone crazy. Sometimes I think I'd sell my soul just to have Raven laugh at one of my jokes again."

"That's a little much, don't you think?" Cyborg had said it, and Robin was quick in agreement.

"Yeah Beast Boy, come on now, what's the big deal?"

They were probably right. What did it really matter if he ever got her to laugh again? Did his ego really need stroking that badly?

"It's not a big deal per se." It was true, in the greater scheme of things it really wasn't. He could admit that much. "It's just a promise I made, and that I intend to keep. One of these days, she will laugh at my jokes again."

He pounded his fist lightly on the table for emphasis, only drawing a few strange looks from around the restaurant.

"Wonderful," The dry voice of Raven stated as she returned and quietly retook her seat. "I now have further confirmation that I will never be rid of you."

Beast Boy's defiant tongue stuck out in protest to this comment, while at the same time Starfire asked about her wellbeing. She had excused herself due to illness after all.

"Are you alright? You could have asked me to accompany you if you needed any assistance."

"I'm fine Starfire, I was able to keep my dinner down. I think I'm starting to develop immunities to his jokes' side effects."

…

The remainder of the dinner went by in typical casual conversation, much like what would be seen among any close group of friends. Topics ranged from what was on television that evening to when the next planned training session was to take place.

Cyborg was the last to finish eating, a fairly normal occurrence. Beast Boy often wondered how his friend was able to keep up with his own animal metabolism. He probably cheated somehow.

When the last of the pizza had been finished, the cybernetic teen nodded his head towards the remaining Titans. Beast Boy and the others knew the signal; it was time to head home. Communication without words was also a sign of being around people for a long time.

Almost in unison, the five heroes rose from their seats and headed towards the exit. Beast Boy however did not hurry to join them.

"You guys go on ahead and pull the car around; it's my turn to pay." He then gave a small thumb up motion towards Cyborg with a small wink. "And try and park close to the door, okay Cy? It's still raining cats and dogs out there."

He got grumbles in return. Something about only remembering to pay when it stopped him from getting wet. He didn't really pay too close of attention to the whole thing.

Giving one last wave to his friends as they walked with frowns into the rain, Beast Boy thrust his hands into his pocket looking for the money he had grabbed on his way out of the Tower. While doing this, he also quickly turned on his heals to face towards the register.

Unfortunately, the combination of having one's hand in one's pocket while spinning haphazardly in a semicircle tends to cause one to not notice their surroundings. In this particular instance, Beast Boy was completely unaware of the attractive red haired girl walking by him until he had collided into her with his shoulder.

She was a fairly petite girl, roughly seventeen years old at quick estimation. Of course, she had fallen like a sack of bricks causing the poor green boy to feel about as bad as humanly possible; of all the rotten luck.

"I am so sorry!" He really, really was. "I wasn't looking where I was going! Are you alright? You didn't break anything did you? If you did, I have a friend… she can fix you right up!"

She took the hand that was offered to her and quickly brushed off whatever dirt might have attached to her. She was tall, only an inch or so shorter than Starfire. She was also quite good looking.

"I think I'll be fine Beast Boy, no need to go dragging Raven back through the rain for a few bruises. Besides, Cyborg won't want his upholstery to get any wetter than it needs to be."

"Okay…" It wasn't out of the ordinary for people to know who the Teen Titans were, but it was very strange how the girl in front of him talked about his friends in such a familiar way. "…do I know you?"

She gave a surprised yelp as her eyes widened, obviously understanding exactly how strange she had just sounded.

"No, no, no." She waved her hands in front of herself frantically. "I just follow you."

"Uh-huh… maybe getting the others isn't such a bad idea."

"No! I didn't mean that. I don't follow you in the literal sense; I'm just a fan. A really big fan."

Alright, that wasn't so bad. Beast Boy could handle fans; in fact he was quite fond of them. Especially the 'girl around his age' variety.

"Well it's always great to meet someone that appreciates what we do. Did you want an autograph or anything?"

The girl's eyes shot open and a smile grew on her face.

"You mean it? Oh man, all my friends are going to be so jealous."

She quickly grabbed for a pen and paper out of the small purse she was carrying and handed them over to him. He accepted the items and led the enthusiastic fan over to a table so he could more easily write.

"Alright, so who am I signing this for? I try to keep them personalized so they don't just end up on Ebay."

"If you wouldn't mind," The girl seemed to contemplate for a second on how to continue. "Could you make it out to Scratch?"

"Scratch, huh? That's an… interesting name."

"Not particularly, it's actually just a nickname I go by in some places. My real name is Lucy… but everyone always makes Charlie Brown jokes. You know, 'Where's Linus?' and stuff like that. Do you have any idea what it's like being compared to a character from a comic strip?"

Beast Boy had to stop from choking on the laughter that threatened to bubble out of his mouth.

"I think I can see what you mean." Not wanting to get into the conversation about his own name, Beast Boy was quick to change the subject. "So, what do you do; still in school?"

Lucy answered with a shake of her head.

"I'm not a fan of teachers, so I'm out on my own. I've been doing a bit of writing for the newspaper recently, but that's only to help supplement my income until my other job picks back up again."

The remainder of the conversation was short. Beast Boy had finished writing out the autograph for Lucy and handed it back to her, giving a large smile before getting up. He was about to say his goodbyes and leave, but a quick look at the fan's face easily showed that the girl wanted to ask, or at least say something else.

"So, did you need anything else?" She didn't look as if she was in any trouble, but it never hurt to ask. "Can I do something for you?"

"No, I'm fine." Her eyes seemed to sparkle, something that caught Beast Boy's attention and didn't want to let go. "But… you know, I think I might just be able to help you."

"Uh-huh."

He found he really couldn't say too much in reply to that, though for the life of him he couldn't understand what help she could possibly be.

"I overheard you during your meal, about how your friends wouldn't laugh at your jokes. Especially Raven. So, I thought I might offer you some help."

"Help?" Beast Boy said, as a strange shiver shook down his spine. "Getting Raven to laugh at my jokes? Look Lucy, as great as that would be, I really don't see you being successful at all. Why would you offer anyways?"

She looked so serious now. Still with a smile on her face, but now with the look of a used car salesman trying to strike a deal instead of the shy smile that had been there only moments before.

"Because, Beast Boy, I like to think I'm able to do what I can to help people. And I'll tell you what, if she doesn't laugh at a joke you tell by the end of the week, I'll take you out for dinner. It'll be my treat, just you and me."

Beast Boy's mouth dropped slightly, a sense of realization dawning on him. He was being asked out, but Lucy was obviously so nervous around him (and for good reason, he was very famous and very good looking) that she had had to make up a ridiculous situation just to ask.

It was all very flattering, if only a little complicated. But, she did seem to be fairly nice, when she wasn't all business serious. And he did think she was pretty. Perhaps he could just play along.

"That sounds great," He said with a wink. "But what if, by some strange twist, Raven does laugh at one of my jokes before the end of the week?"

Lucy paused and placed a hand on his shoulder while once again establishing that very entrancing eye contact. Her hand was very cold to the touch, even with a layer of clothing between them.

"Didn't I hear you mention to the others that you would sell your soul?" She giggled, and Beast Boy could almost see a slight flush come to her cheeks. "I think that's fair compensation. Besides, that way I get to have my favourite Titan either way."

Beast Boy laughed, blushing slightly himself. He still wasn't completely used to having girls flirt with him. It was usually the other way around.

"Yeah, sure, why not? Do you need me to sign somewhere?" He wasn't really taking any of this seriously. Even when Lucy pulled out paper and started writing what looked to be a contract, Beast Boy wasn't too concerned. Surprised, yes, but he simply chalked it all up to sticking with the joke, and he appreciated it.

When the 'contract' was finished, Lucy had scribbled an illegible signature at the bottom that would rival those of any doctor. She then proceeded to slide it over to Beast Boy who quickly glanced over it.

He was surprised to see that it was very thorough in its description, using many legal sounding words that Beast Boy had only heard on television. The terms were all there, however, in black in white. Lucy had until Friday, five days, to help get Raven to laugh at one of Beast Boy's jokes. If she did, then his soul would be transferred to her belonging. If not, Lucy and Beast Boy were to go on what amounted to a very nice sounding date.

Beast Boy openly laughed as he signed his name at the bottom. He didn't really notice that Lucy was laughing as well.

With a promise of meeting back at the pizza shop in six days, Beast Boy paid for the Titan's meal and headed outside and into the T-car.

The Titans themselves seemed only slightly angry about how long it had taken for him to pay the tab, but Beast Boy simply explained that he had signed an autograph or two for a fan and that he was sorry.

The remainder of the day went by as any other, calm and without incident. No mention was made of the contract, and no thought of the occurrence with Lucy seemed to cross Beast Boy's mind until it was time for bed.

That was when the nightmares started.