Well, did anyone see this one coming? I certainly didn't. Especially considering before a few weeks ago I had never even read Teen Titan fanfiction, nor seen more than a handful of the episodes. This is a short-fic for me, RaeBB with some RS, and it looks like Cyborg's getting left in the dust with this one. That's ok, he's getting the opportunity to develop some prime blackmail. :)

I don't own them, sue me, and you get nothing. Except maybe an empty container of applesauce, I might be able to manage that. I also don't own Lambchop's Play Along, Star Wars, or anything else that might get a passing mention in this story. Again, I have nothing, so trying to get money from me is pretty pointless.

"Spoken"

'Raven's emotions'

:Anyone's thoughts:

-o-

"Raven?"

The resident 'queen of creepiness' as she was occasionally dubbed looked up to see Starfire standing hopefully in her doorway. The three guys on the team knew better than to open her door without knocking first, and even Starfire got yelled at for it occasionally when the timing was particularly horrendous. But today wasn't one of those times so she merely asked, "What?"

"Beastboy, Cyborg and I where just playing the game of the questions of the favorites. We guessed all of friend Robin's answers correctly, and we wished to see if we had done the same for you," the bubbly alien explained as she floated over and plopped down beside Raven on the bed. "Is that alright?"

"Uh…" The pale young woman crossed her legs and set aside her book with a shrug. "Sure, I guess."

"Oh, that is most glorious!" Starfire went to her sheet of paper, starting at the top. "Ok, what color is of the favorite kind?"

Raven let out a ghost of a smile from the time-honored traditional first question of favorites. "What's my favorite color? What did you think?"

"Cyborg guessed black and myself purple. Beastboy seemed to think it would be a darkish blue," she replied as she read over the paper.

"Beastboy is right," admitted Raven grudgingly though it inwardly grated to do so for some reason. "My favorite color is dark blue."

"Really?" Her friend cocked her head to the side, tapping a finger to her lip. "That is most interesting, that friend Beastboy would be correct."

Raven looked away, immediately coming up with a diversionary tactic. "Yeah…what else?"

Starfire immediately complied. "What is the favored time of day?"

"Sunrise, that's why I get up so early every morning." Her reply was immediate and sure.

Her companion clapped her hands with joy. "Truly? Mine as well! It is so wonderful to be up when the glorious orb of warm ascends into the sky…!"

Raven nodded, trying to move things along now that the end might be in sight. Her book was particularly good, and she wished to finish it before the day was through. "Right, any others?"

"Hm…oh, yes! What is the favorite kind of animal of yours? All of us except Beastboy thought it was ravens, of course." Starfire made a motion around the room at her various raven-like pictures or artifacts that were connected with her power as if to say how someone could possibly think otherwise.

"And what did he guess?" asked Raven, feigning disinterest though she somehow really wondered what he thought it might be.

"Actually, our friend of greenish hue did not guess at all," Starfire replied in puzzlement. "But he did say with a spirit of great conviction that assuming a person's interested based upon their name is of a foolish nature. An example would be his name has 'beast' within it, but he himself does not care for the beast within. Is he correct?"

Raven grumbled slightly before sighing. "Yes, he is, irritably enough. Ravens are cool and all, but I actually really like cats the most."

The orange alien frowned, obviously confused. "Then how are you able to resist the face of cuteness when Beastboy becomes a kitten? It is so gloriously adorable that I must give in to it every time!"

She gave a dry chuckle. "Kittens aren't the same. I don't like kittens; they're disgustingly fuzzy and annoying." She gave a small shudder of irritation. "Cats are independent, and they only do what they want to. Cats carry themselves with dignity, and choose their companions rather than chasing after anyone who gives them an ounce of attention."

Starfire nodded in comprehension as her eyes lit up slightly. "Ah, I had never seen the feline of pets in such a manner before. Thank you, friend Raven!"

"Anytime. Anything else?"

"Yes. When given a choice between the destroying of Slade or the possibility of reading a book on a sunny afternoon, which would you choose and what would your reason be for choosing it?"

Raven blinked; suddenly getting the feeling it was going to be a very long, long morning.

-o-

"Hey, boys."

Gizmo flicked on the light attached to his forehead, finding Adonis lounging on the couch in a corner.

"Though you were in jail," he said as he motioned for Mammoth to come along side him, the pair watching the ex-convict carefully. "Nice place you got here."

"Got out early on good behavior, but being incarcerated has a certain negative affect on your income," he replied lazily. "Have you ever noticed how when you get rid of one of the Titans, the rest just fall apart?"

"Yeah, but they don't stay down," Mammoth grumbled under his breath. "They always get back up!"

"What if I had a plan, one to get rid of one of them in particular…would you help me? I'd need your help if I want to get this off the ground, and with mine you could rule this town."

Gizmo glanced at Mammoth who shrugged. "How good is this plan of yours?"

Adonis smiled as he hefted two pouches of liquid, one bright green in color and the other a bright gold. "Good as gold, boys, good as gold."

-o-

Beastboy was the first to arrive on the scene when the call came, having been out shopping for new video games that afternoon. The biochemical lab was a place of study for new medicinal alternatives and also studied the relationships between humans and animals. He had personally donated blood more than once here to help with the research, and he didn't like the thought of a possibly criminal getting a hold of that kind of leverage over him.

The others arrived only moments later, locating the lab and finding Beastboy dodging out of the way of a series of darts only to have the final one barely slice through the arm of his uniform.

"Beastboy!" cried Robin as they rushed around him, forming a protective circle. "Are you ok?"

"I'm good, it just stings," he replied, checking the wound. "It's hardly even bleeding."

"Who is it?"

"Couldn't see."

"Can you get behind them?"

"Maybe, I'll try."

"They trashed this place pretty well," observed Cyborg as he scanned around. "I'm not picking up anything, Robin."

"Keep trying, they have to be here somewhere."

No one noticed the green titan falling into a small, furred form or the way his eyes suddenly dilated and his head snapped back before crumpling over into a small pile for at that moment entire room exploded into shards of glass and light, Raven throwing up a protective shield as the pieces shattered forcibly against the barrier.

"Titan's, GO!"

As the smoke cleared, Mammoth lumbered into view, immediately locking hands with Cyborg in a battle of strength as Gizmo popped out from behind him with his spider-legged backpack on and engaged Robin and Starfire in a battle of duck-n-dodge.

Raven hung back, waiting because even though she knew Jinx had left the team she doubted the pair would try and engage the entire team alone. Her intuition was right as a second set of darts came flying out of nowhere, one catching Cyborg above his human eye and putting the machine man down for the count. Starfire easily dodged and Raven hid behind another of her shields but Robin was scratched by one across his cheek and stumbled to his knees.

"Feeling tried, Boy Blunder?" the mechanical whiz taunted as he leapt back from another of Starfire's star bolts. "C'mon, Mammoth, it's done."

The two villains disappeared as a cloud of smoke billowed up from underneath them, Robin coughing as he inhaled some of the gas with a worried Starfire helping him to his feet.

"Friend Robin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, the dart was laced with knock-out stuff," he replied, shaking his head to clear it before moving away to stand on his how. "Are you ok?"

"I am fine."

"Raven?"

"Here."

"Where are they?"

"They've left the building, but I can't tell which way they went."

"Cyborg?"

"His system is already working to get rid of the stuff, he caught one right in the head," said Raven as she removed the dart, checking the systems analysis on the Cyborg's arm. "He should wake up in about fifteen seconds."

"Good. Beastboy?"

The silence was deafening, all the Titans immediately looking around.

"Who saw him last?" asked Robin when a second call failed as well and his communicator only brought up static.

"Uh…what's happening?" Cyborg sat up as everyone gathered around him, rubbing his head slowly. "Hey, where's Beastboy?"

"We don't know, can you track him?"

"Sure. It says he's…right over there."

Raven was the closest in that direction. Coming upon a small form lying among the debris, she waved for the others to come over and knelt beside a furry mound to find it was a grass-colored cat.

"Guys…I think we have a problem."

Cyborg provided a light as Raven lifted the limp cat.

"He should have turned back if he passed out," observed Robin, about to touch the still form when its eyes opened and it hissed fiercely, claws coming out to swing at him in warning. "Hey! Cut it out, Beastboy, we need to you to help track the bad guys."

The cat seemed to sniff disdainfully, somehow working his way closer to Raven before rubbing his head under her chin affectionately. She dropped him like a hot brick instantly as a faint blush spread across her cheeks and she cleared her throat.

"I don't think that's Beastboy."

The cat sat at her feet, looking up at her expectantly as the rest of the Titans circled them at a safe distance.

"The tracker says it's him," Cyborg replied simply with a shrug. "Unless he's somehow directly above or below us."

"Raven, move the cat," ordered Robin.

"Why me?"

"You're the only one who's touched it without being scratched, and it obviously doesn't like me."

"And I also just dropped it on its head."

Robin just raised a brow slowly, the half demon grumbling but obeying. The cat twitched a whisker as she lifted it slowly, keeping it at arms length as she slowly turned in a circle. "Well?"

"It's him."

She shook her head, focusing her empathic abilities on him briefly. "But it doesn't feel like him. There's only basic, primal things coming from him. I know Beastboy's not the smartest guy in the world, but he does usually give off some form of emotions even when in animal form."

"There is a chance they're somehow redirecting my signal, but I doubt it," admitted Cyborg slowly.

"Until we get proof as to otherwise, that's Beastboy. Raven, take him back to the Tower and put him in the medical bay, let us know immediately if his condition changes. We'll try and track the others before we meet you there."

"Fine."

Raven kept the distance between her and the cat, appearing in the medical bay and quickly dropping the feline onto the bed there. She liked cats, generally, as she had told Starfire just a few days before. But the idea of Beastboy curled up to her chest was an unusually uncomfortable image.

'Cuz you might like it?'

:Shut up, Affection.:

'Alright, alright…'

Taking a seat, she pulled out a book and was about to read when something pounced on her lap, Raven finding the cat perched firmly on her knees.

"Down," she said, making shooing motions with her hands. The cat's head cocked slightly to the side, giving her an odd look. "Beastboy…down!" An ear twitch and a yawn, but still the cat would not move. Raven brought up her power, surrounding herself with a black aura as the room shook slightly from the energy she gave off. "I SAID GET OFF NOW!"

The cat blinked, twitched its tail, but would not move.

Slightly amused at its lack of fear, but still irritated, she engaged in a staring contest only to give up thirty seconds later. "Fine, whatever."

She picked up her book again, willing to let him remain there but barely finishing a page before he batted the bottom edge of the volume with a paw. She moved it aside, giving him a cold look. "What?"

Giving an arrogant flick of his tail, the cat dared her to object as he curled up in her lap with his nose nuzzling her navel.

"Hey!"

He gave her a distant look as through one eye, almost as if to say 'what? I'm fine, you're fine, go back to you're book' before he settled back in and lay completely still.

"I didn't say you could do that!"

The cat casually flicked an ear, ignoring her protests basically.

"Oh, no you're not."

Using her power, she dumped him off her lap and onto the floor, getting an angry yelp and a dark glare for her trouble.

"And stay off."

The cat stalked off, Raven checking that there were no doors, windows, or vents he could escape through before she went back to the book and ignored the green irritant. She had forgotten about his presence by the time she reached the second page, so when something pounced on her book from over her shoulder three pages after that she was more than a little surprised.

"Ah-! You!"

The cat sat firmly upon her book, giving her a very pleased smirk as his tail waved much like a banner of victory.

Raven let her eyes glow black, gripping the feline in a claw of her dark magic as she rose from the chair, bringing the cat even with her face as her hair began to float from the raw energy surrounding her. Her voice was barely above a hiss, a dark voice of the night. "You should be afraid of me…"

The cat looked back at her with an air of boredom, giving a yawn that seemed to say, 'Sh'yeah right.'

"…damn cat." Dropping him to the floor, she sat down once more, trying not to growl when he promptly leapt back in her lap and settled himself down as before. She debated whether it was worth it to continue this when her book beckoned to her from the table. Besides, it wasn't entirely unpleasant to have him there simply…different. "…you start purring, and I'll lock you in a cage."

The cat ignored her, seeming to fall asleep as she picked the book back up.

"If you can hear me, Beastboy, know that you will very likely die a painful death when you're back to normal," she added for continuity's sake, just in case he could really hear her. After all, she couldn't have him getting the wrong ideas.

'Like what?'

:Go away, Affection:

Raven went back to her reading, and had almost managed to push from her mind the fact that a fellow titan was probably in her lap in a way that wasn't exactly unpleasant but was most certainly suggestive when Robin finally called over the communicator saying they were coming back.

"Did you catch them?"

"No, the trail was too cold and we needed Beastboy's nose. Has he-?"

"No."

"We're on our way."

Raven looked at the cat still in her lap, and decided it wasn't worth the trouble trying to move him at this point.

'Maybe because you really don't mind him there at all…'

:Affection:

'Teehee.'

"Raven?" asked Cyborg when he entered the sickbay, pausing in the doorway. "Why is he…?"

"It wouldn't leave me alone," she replied coldly, fixing him, Robin, and Starfire with a glare that dared them to comment on the situation. She also pulled up her hood, which she firmly told herself was not to hide the blush across her cheeks because she most certainly wasn't blushing.

"Let's see if there's anything wrong with him," said Robin, wisely leaving it alone. "Raven, Cyborg?"

The two Titans went to work, the machine-man setting the controls of the sick bed while the other tied the cat to the bed with a rope of her magic to keep him in place.

"Vitals are fine, for a cat," Cyborg said as he read the data that flowed across the screen. "And it's definitely BB's DNA. Huh…brainwaves are good, but showing only basic processes."

"He must have lost control, and even the normal things like knocking him out or surprising him won't snap him back," Robin mused as Raven began to meld into the background, feeling slightly silly as though she was running away. Telling herself it was nothing of the sort, she waited by the door while still holding the cat to the bed.

"What can we do?" asked Starfire as she carefully pet the restrained animal, him giving her a patient look. "Friend Beastboy is trapped!"

"We'll have to keep him here until we can figure out a way to change him back," Robin replied. "I bet Gizmo and Mammoth know how, too, and whoever else was working with them. Cyborg, search for any sightings of those two. Starfire, see if you can get him some water and food. Try fish or tofu, he'll probably eat one of them. Raven, let me know if you feel any sudden emotions in him."

"If he's in the tower, I'll be able to tell from my room. Good night."

The pale young woman disappeared before anyone could protest, the black aura around the cat dissipating. Starfire scooped him up, being unusually gentle as if she knew Beastboy's current form couldn't withstand her usual strength.

"What is wrong with friend Raven?" she wondered aloud as she brought the cat up to her face. "You have not angered her, have you friend Beastboy?"

The cat meowed, struggling suddenly until she let him go. Prancing a bit, he headed to the door and scratched it before looking back at them regally.

"Ah, yes, let us go forth to find you sustenance."

"What do you think?" asked Robin once he and Cyborg were alone.

"I think that dart he got hit with earlier has something to do with this, I wish I'd thought to grab one on the way out," he replied grimly. "Someone wants our boy out of the game."

"The question is why."

"I dunno, but I'm gonna do a search on all the past criminals we've canned, see if any of them might have it out for BB."

"Good idea, I'll go back tomorrow and see if I can get a hold of one of those darts. Let me know if you find something."

Robin left as Cyborg gave him a mock salute, heading to the main room to find Starfire crouched beside their teammate turned pet coaxing him to eat his dinner.

"You are a carnivore of scaled creatures, you should enjoy these processed sticks of fish."

"Starfire, fish sticks aren't exactly appetizing, ever," Robin chuckled as he picked up the place. "Especially not cold. I didn't even know they were in the freezer."

"Oh, sorry, I was not aware of the heating up part."

"That's ok."

The black haired young man took out a bowl and filled it with water, setting it before the cat that lapped it up thirstily. Pulling out a carton of tofu, he tried to ignore the weird texture and smell as he chopped it up and placed that before the cat as well. That was gobbled up instantly their feline friend licking up every last crumb before he stalked off through the door and down the hall through the still-open double doors.

"Where is he going?" asked Starfire as she watched him leave, Robin putting the plates in the sink.

"I dunno, let's go see."

They found the cat outside his room, staring up at the door expectantly. Robin opened it for him, watching curiously as he sniffled around a bit before stalking out again and heading further down the hall.

Rounding the corner, he sat himself in front of Raven's door, scratching it twice before sitting back patiently. The door opened, one purple-haired half demon poking her head out to glance at the cat before looking to Starfire and Robin who stood a few feet away.

"It wasn't us," rushed the Titan's leader when she fixed them with a murderous look. "He came here by himself."

"Right." Looking down at the cat, she scowled before simply saying, "No." The door was shut quickly, and the cat paused as if waiting for something to happen. When whatever it was never happened, he backed up a pace, taking a deep breath before yowling so loudly Starfire clapped her hands over her ears and even Robin stumbled back a step in surprise.

The unholy sound stopped the moment the door flew open, Raven now glowering so fiercely that her doorframe began to glow and creak ominously. "You've got your own bed in your own room down the hall, go sleep there!" she yelled, slamming the door shut.

Silence reigned for close to five seconds before the cat let loose again, Robin convinced his ears were about to bleed and Starfire close to passing out.

"Friend Raven, please, this sound is worse than the death cry of a snorfle blax!" she cried over the yowl, the door opening after a few more minutes of the excruciating aural torture.

"He's not sleeping in my bed," she growled firmly, her scowl so deep it seemed permanent.

"I'll get some pillows and a blanket from his room, he can sleep on the floor," Robin replied quickly, hurrying to do so before they ended up with a cat in multiple pieces.

"I believe the drum of my ear has suffered greatly," Starfire groaned as she held the said appendages. "Never have I heard such a cry!"

"We'll get you some painkillers in just a sec," Robin replied, feeling a little harried as he crept into what could be described as a cavern of darkness. Raven hadn't changed the décor much since the battle with Trigon two years before, and he still felt the shadows were watching him whenever he went in there. For all he knew, they were. "I think I need some too…Raven?"

"Put them over there," she said from by the bed, pointing to the part of the room furthest away from her by the door.

"Ok…" Setting them down quickly, he left as fast as he could and shut the door with a prayer that Beastboy would be alive in the morning and Raven in a better mood. "Alright, let's get you that aspirin Starfire."

Raven frowned as she dropped her cape on its usual hook, removing her belt, shoes and wrist ornaments to hang or sit beside it. The leotard wasn't her favorite thing to sleep in, but there was no way she was changing clothes with him in the room. Finding the cat sitting at her feet, she roughly picked it up and dumped it on its bed. "You will stay there, or you will die."

The cat rolled its eyes, as if to say 'that was hardly necessary' before he settled himself down as he had earlier and promptly fell asleep.

Grumbling about idiots who deserved a slow and painful death, Raven switched off the light and crawled into bed, quickly drifting off while curled up on her side under the covers and did not stir until morning.

-o-

And that, my friends is Chapter 1. Expect number 2 in about a week, yes it is already finished, but I'm putting some space in between them to prolong the enjoyment. At least on my end, anyways. Please review, comments are always greatly enjoyed, and even flames have their uses if they tell you what you did wrong.

Until next time!

CB

Witty remarks won't save you from hell.

-Anonymous