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Intertwining Hearts	By : Comrade Category: DC Verse Cartoons - Teen Titans > Threesomes Plus Views: 15145 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Intertwining Hearts
- 2-Epilogue
- 1
- 2
Trying to get back to the tower as quickly as possible, Cyborg gripped the steering wheel in frustration as he sat in hours worth of traffic. Why he had thought that it was a good idea to take the highway at this time was beyond him, rush hour going into the city was always backed up. But it gave him time to think about how his day had gone. And everything he could think of in his current situation was pretty good. What he had set out to do, help the Titans East in setting up their security system and inspect the wiring job that the five of them had done, was finished. All he needed to do now was to get back home, charge up his power cells, and for the first time that day he could completely relax. Just sitting on the sofa, watching a movie with the others while they ordered take out was going to be a very welcomed rest.

But while that all seemed well and good, something was pecking at the back of his mind, like something had completely been forgotten in all his activities. And even as traffic slowly started to move again, Cyborg couldn’t quite remember what it was. In hopes that he would remember what he was forgetting by going through his day, the cybernetic titan ran through what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Robin and Starfire were being as distant as ever while the Tameranian was becoming ever closer to the Goth, assuming that was even possible. That morning at about seven past eight, the boy wonder waved goodbye and left for the day, returning when he finished whatever he was out to do. Ten minutes before he himself had left the tower, the cybernetic titan watched as the dark sorceress and alien princess take to a conversation in hushed tones. But he didn’t remember seeing Beast Boy that morning at all.

“Oh shit,” Cyborg shouted to himself, “that’s what it was. You said you were going to be back for BB’s birthday. Now look at the time. Damn it, why did you have to take the freeway?” Gritting his teeth in what he was thinking as his own stupidity, the metal titan just wanted to hit something, anything that didn’t include his car. How could he have let himself forget about his little brother on his special day? What kind of friend was he when he let himself not remember the importance of one day out of the year? How was he going to look at Beast Boy and tell him how sorry he was that he had forgotten?! It was just an all around mess now. From feeling like he finished everything, now he only had more work for himself. Even if the day was almost over, there were still some things that needed to be taken care of before the clock struck midnight.

Thinking about it a little more, he wondered to himself if Beast Boy had bothered to open the present that had been left that morning. Really, Cyborg didn’t doubt that the changeling would have done so. At times, the green shape shifter was still a little kid, letting his curiosity get the best of him and causing him to react sometimes irrationally. Still, there was also a mature side that was rarely seen. Maybe that part of the changeling had allowed him to resist temptations. It was a twenty-five to seventy-five percentage odds in that Beast Boy hadn’t waited. Was Cyborg upset that he wouldn’t be able to see his little brother’s reaction? Yes, of that there was no doubt. But was he going to get on the changeling’s case about it when he himself hadn’t even been there to give his present? No, the cybernetic titan would just swallow his loss in silence.

“You know, I should have thought about it and told Bee and the others that I needed to be here today,” the cybernetic titan told himself as sat about a mile out from the exit that he needed to take. Creeping up on the off ramp, he went back to thinking that he had made a serious mistake in agreeing to help the Titans East with something that could have waited. The security system that he had installed after Blood’s final stand was more then adequate for the Steel City protectors. It wasn’t like they had to deal with the same threats that their allies did. They didn’t have to face someone as tactical as Slade. Nor did they have to face villains like Overload and Plasmus. In comparison, the only thing that the Titans East had yet to face were the purse snatchers and occasionally bank robbers. It could have waited; Cyborg didn’t need to miss the day with his little brother.

But there was no way that the cybernetic titan could go back and change the facts. He couldn’t go back and stop himself from agreeing to help his friends. As far as the cybernetic titan knew, time itself was completely irreversible. The only thing that permitted travel on the fourth plane was magic, the same magic that a witch had used to pull him into the past, the same dark magic that Raven had used to pull him back into the present. And there was nothing in his scientific arsenal that even came close to matching the arts. So now, as far as Cyborg was concerned, he had missed his little brother’s birthday and quite possibly his party as well. Being a little late was something that he knew the changeling would forgive. But coming back with only an hour until the day was over? Could Beast Boy just overlook that and move on without a word? Or did the shape shifter’s big brother have to find some way to make it up?

If he did, how was that to be done? What could he give that could make up for the time lost? How could he give back the day that the changeling waited all year for? Could there just be another party thrown for the changeling? Sure, there was no trouble in arranging that. But wouldn’t that just remind Beast Boy that he hadn’t had a great one the day before, if he had one at all? And in the long run, couldn’t trying to make up for the past in such a fashion only cause the wounds to fester instead of heal? It seemed that there really was no point in trying at all, just let the chips fall as they may, take the hand that was dealt him. Compared to everything else that he could think of to do, that was the best solution for the cybernetic titan to go with, right?

“No,” Cyborg answered as he looked out the windshield and up to the diamonds in the sky, “I have to come up with something. He’s always looked up to me, even if I haven’t been that nice to him lately. I should have just stayed and none of this would be happening. I blew it. What kind of friend am I?” Caught in his miserable circumstances as he crossed the water to the tower, he was thinking that maybe he had to do something extra special for Beast Boy. But it had also to be something that showed that the changeling wasn’t just being pitied for missing out on celebrating his day. Whatever the cybernetic titan did, it needed to show that he really wanted to be as good a friend as he portrayed himself to be when the five titans were out for pizza or on a mission. He needed to find something that would counteract everything that he had been overdoing as of late: the teasing, taunts when playing on the Gamestation, the pranks, and the other jokes that he had unleashed on the changeling. Feeling like he had been an asshole lately, Cyborg told himself whatever was given needed to go far above what any of the other titans would be willing to give away.

But that only left him where he had started, how was he supposed to make up for not being there for his little brother? Being willing to do something was one thing; knowing what it was that he was going to do was quiet another. He had already ruled that throwing a surprise party was out of the question since the damage could be made worse then it already was. Did he dare to ask what Beast Boy wanted in addition to his assumed to be opened gift? That would take away all the fun that the changeling enjoyed when he opened presents. That couldn’t be done. The more Cyborg thought about it, the more he felt that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Thinking back of the past couple weeks however, the cybernetic titan remembered how down the changeling had been. Lonely, that was how his little brother had been feeling. Ever since Terra’s demise, he hadn’t really tried so hard to find love. Maybe that was the answer to his question; revive Terra to rid that downtrodden attitude in the little grass stain. While scientific technology couldn’t start to touch time traveling, resurrection and revitalization were right up the titan’s alley. And knowing full well that Terra had undergone a rapid fossilization, the assumption was that there was still a life inside the rock. Believing that he had a little time, Cyborg decided that he would figure out the molecular structure to the cure. From the very moment he found the answer, the cybernetic titan would take the chemical, use it on the statue, and bring the revived girl back to the tower. But would the shape shifter even want to see her again much less restart a relationship after she cut it off with her treachery?

On the one hand, Beast Boy had hit rock bottom when the blond had betrayed them. And as far as Cyborg knew, the changeling didn’t want to have to face the girl again. Who would? Why would he want that? She had broken his heart and went so far as to try to murder him in her gratitude to Slade. Wouldn’t looking her in her blue eyes remind him of how cold she had been? Wouldn’t that only add to the pain that the other four titans had given? Raven had been cold. Starfire ignored him. Robin was more of an asshole to the changeling then any of the others. And Cyborg hadn’t exactly been the kind of friend that he knew he should have been. With that pattern, didn’t adding Terra only mean more mental anguish for the changeling to have to deal with, aches that he didn’t need?

But one the other side was the chance that Terra was just what Beast Boy needed. At the end, when she had ended up killing herself to stop the city from being buried under molten rock, she had cried on the changeling’s shoulder as she hugged him one last time. Did that constitute complete and utter regret on Terra’s part while Beast Boy had been more then willing to forgive her? It somewhat made sense since the blond girl was the only girl that had tried to understand the shape shifter as more then a wannabe prankster. Even if her stay had been less then a year, the time that she had given to the changeling must have at least been partially treasured. Wouldn’t he want to have more of those gems in his life?

No matter how Cyborg turned it over in his mind, all the knowledge in the world couldn’t predict something so volatile. It was a case of going all in on a single hand of poker, double or nothing, win all or bust. There simply was no way for the cybernetic titan to actually figure out the changeling when there were so many different factors that could be added in. And with everyone, the answer became that much more fogged and hidden from view. So there was the question that Cyborg needed to answer, was he willing to risk his little brother’s heart on something such as love?

Driving into the garage, shutting of the engine, and walking over to his workbench, Cyborg took a seat and restarted mauling over his question from the beginning. Did the pain that he was going through justify taking any chances with how the changeling would end up feeling? Was making himself happier with himself allow him to risk someone else’s life? The answer to that was simple, no. Whatever the cybernetic titan couldn’t carry the risk of causing severe psychological damage. Robin might have been willing to take that chance with anything, just to carry his own head higher. But Cyborg wasn’t like that, never wanting to make his little brother feel bad about himself. Even if he had been doing that lately, the time for that was over. Now he needed to make himself the friend that he made the public think. And to do that, the extra step couldn’t lead of a cliff. Thus, now, Terra was pretty much completely out of the picture.

Deepening his thoughts further, minutes flew by like seconds. And as Cyborg glanced up at the clock, three minutes before Beast Boy’s day was over, he lost the hope that he could make things right with his little brother. One bad interaction after another, this just added to the stack was it were. Now all the metal titan could do was to just cross his fingers for good luck when the shape shifter saw him later on. And imaging how much he had failed his friend, he shook his head at his disappointment. Crossing his arms and setting them on the table, all that Cyborg could do now was to just try to sleep. Let the exhaustion of the day carry him into dreams. Maybe there he would find a solution to yet another problem he had allowed himself to create. Hopefully in his mind the key to his making things right would be discovered, hopefully.

Hours later at about dawn, Beast Boy started to wake up to his new life, one that had reason and purpose. While he didn’t need to think about the past since it was dead, he did reminisce about it none the less. Just twenty-four hours ago, he would never have imagined that he would be waking up between two angels. One thousand eighty minutes prior to his waking up, he wander the halls as he remembered only his failures and weaknesses. And minutes later after he brought his spirits down to the point that they lay in the mud, he had been ready to leap off the top of the tower and end his misery. Fifteen hours ago, Raven and Starfire saved, showing him that he mattered to them as their friend. Just moments after that, he was told that he was more then what he thought. And drifting off into the memories of being given love in the most complete form, Beast Boy smiled wide. What he was given, he was going to experience to the fullest no matter what the other guys could or would say.

That thought raised an interesting question; what was going to happen around the tower now that Beast Boy wasn’t just with one woman but two? The way that he interacted with the other guys was bound to change, as was his attitude towards everything else that happed around the tower. Before, always having to deal with training and the like, he had only gone along with it because he had to. Now he could look forward to it as a time that he got to spend a part of his life with the women that he adored. When he had to go on night missions, the one assignment that he hated more then any other one that the boy wonder assigned, maybe he could get Starfire and Raven to tag along. They would be there to help keep his mind on the task at had, they were all business when the occasion called for it. And when it came for slumber, he was sure that he needn’t be alone in his bed any more. If he asked, couldn’t at least one of them stick around just for cuddling and comfort sake? They soothed the pain inside him with just a touch; his desire for life had been rejuvenated with only a kiss; his light now burned brighter then the sun, allowing all the people that ran into him to feel a little better about themselves. All because two women had shown him the way, he could truly be what he wanted to be, happy.

So how were the other guys going to react to all of the developments that had occurred when they were away? Would they be happy for them? It would be nice if they just nodded, smiled, and offered their support for such a complex relationship. There could be some bonding, real bonding between the titans as Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven all gave their stories about how the loving trinity had come to be. Then Robin and Cyborg could see how good it was for their three friends that it had happened at all. For the first time, they could really be a family. No more charades for the public to see. No more lies about their team and how wonderful they were when they were fighting each other hammer and tong. It would be real, all of it; truly friends, truly a family.

But more then likely was that there were going to be some serious obstacles for Beast Boy and his angels to overcome. Assuming that Robin would be happy for him was almost laughable. The boy wonder had broken up with a perfect girl when he didn’t like one thing about her sexuality. Surely his thinking would be across the same lines when he was told that the changeling had in someway taken his place in the Tameranian’s heart. And to boot, Raven was with him too so there was no break up for the titan leader to even consider. Not that it was likely since the Goth was also a bi-sexual. Reject one and accept the other? The unstable relationship would crumble to just dust on that single accord. No, Robin was pretty much up the river when it came to establishing a bond with either girl now.

However, when it came to Cyborg, Beast Boy was completely in the dark on the matter. In all the time that the two had been around each other, they only dealt in the realm of fantasy or fought on and off the battlefield. Something so serious had never come up, especially something so serious as a triple relationship. So there was no indication of what the cybernetic titan would say about the matter. He could choose either side, either one coming as a surprise to the shape shifter. Accept the facts and say that he would be there to help if he could? That would be wonderful, a friend to offer support from the outside, a fourth party that could stick up for people when there were bound to be instances when they were completely powerless to help themselves. Or he could denounce the idea just like Beast Boy expected Robin to do. Cyborg could just as soon want to cover the whole thing up and try to ignore the whole deal. Just give the changeling the shoulder and tell him that there he didn’t need to be bothered when there were two women that could use his company. That seemed to be a little out of sorts with what Beast Boy understood, but extreme times could call for extreme measures. And it was bound to bring out the metal titan’s sense of morals and acceptable behavior, whatever they might be.

“Garfield?” the changeling heard an angelic voice ask, pulling him from his considerably deep thoughts.

“Huh?” the shape shifter asked in a hoarse tone looking into the Goth’s violet eyes. “Yeah, how are you feeling?”

“Competed,” the Goth answered softly, not wanting to wake up the third member of their love triangle.

“Raven, can I ask you what would have happened if we had been together before you and Starfire did?” the changeling said pushing the tips of his index fingers together, looking at them as though he wanted to know something taboo.

“Don’t be upset with yourself for wanting to know, Garfield. Its just curiosity and your question is a common one. And as far as I know, things would probably have ended up the same way as they are now. You had a hole in your heart that needed both me and Kori. I had one for you and Kori. And I know that she needs us both as well.”

“So this was bound to happen?”

“I think so,” Raven answered, this time her voice a little louder, but not quite enough to wake the Tameranian up. “There is destiny, some things have to happen. But there are other things that are never known. The way that we ended up being together could have been different. It’s just that the results would be the same.”

“I see,” Beast Boy said nodding, trying to slowly shift so he could sit up without waking the princess up.

“No, you will not be taking him from me,” the Tameranian said in her sleep, her arms suddenly tightening around the changeling’s waist, “he is mine.”

“Heh, I guess you really don’t let go too easily,” the shape shifter joked as he felt all the air being squeezed from his lungs. However, his words were loud enough to cause the alien princess to open her eyes fully in the darkness that surrounded the three titans.

“Oh I am sorry, Love. I am quite strong,” Starfire said loosening her grip when she realized she was crushing her boyfriend all the while Raven hugged herself close to the changeling as well.

“There was only one mistake with what you said Kori. He’s not yours, he’s ours,” the dark sorceress informed, a slight grin showing on her face.

“Indeed,” the Tameranian confirmed smiling, looking into the changeling forest green eyes as her pupils dilated. “Ours.”

“Yep, I’m all yours,” Beast Boy said now fully sitting up with his back resting on the headboard of the Goths bed, wrapping an arm around his girlfriends as he smiled looking at the four eyes that fixated on his.

“Perhaps because we are awake it would be wise to take the shower and have breakfast,” Starfire reasoned as she continued to hug onto her changeling lover.

“Probably,” the Goth answered letting go of Beast Boy and tossing the blanket off the three of them, “let’s get moving. I don’t want the others to catch us looking like this.”

But even though Raven sounded like she was anxious to make sure that neither Robin nor Cyborg saw the lovers in their current condition, all three of them knew that the chances of being caught in the Goth’s room were slim to none. When had Robin ever come to her room for just a chat? Had the cybernetic ever asked her if she wanted breakfast? Answers to both were a flat out no. The boy wonder had ended his long standing relationship with Starfire because he didn’t like the idea of having a bi-sexual girlfriend. And since Raven was the other girl, odds of the titan leader coming by at all were so minuscule that it was pretty much laughable. As far as it went with Cyborg, he didn’t normally come by Raven’s room at all. And since it was just past dawn, visitation was made even more unlikely.

As they made there way into the bathroom, Raven used her powers to get the water heating up so they wouldn’t have to wait as long for a warm shower. And while Beast Boy stepped into the shower and offered out his hand to help Raven under the water, the Tameranian grabbed some bath towels and set them off to the side. Then, as she took a hold of the changeling’s hand, she joined her lovers under the water to get unusual smell of their loving making off their bodies. Cyborg and Robin would have to be told about the new relationship by either words or conduct, setting the ball in Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire’s court, just how the three of them wanted it to be.

“Shampoo?” the green changeling asked passing back the bottle over his head.

“Thanks,” the Goth answered as she took some and handed it behind her for the Tameranian to use.

“I believe that we will need to tell the others what occurred yesterday, yes?” the alien princess questioned.

“Do we have to? No, we don’t have to tell them anything, Kori. What we do amongst ourselves, as long as it doesn’t endanger anyone else or seriously threaten our lives, is our own business. Neither Victor nor Dick has any right to know our love lives. But will we tell them about it? Yes, we will,” Raven answered as she helped the changeling clean out his hair.

“Any idea what they’ll say?” Beast Boy asked as he wiped some soap from just above his eyes.

“In the long run, its not going to matter,” the dark sorceress answered as she felt Starfire’s hands rubbing her scalp. “All I am going to say is a guarantee is that both of them are going to be shocked. But other then that, nothing is certain.”

“But they will come to accept our relationships?” the Tameranian asked as she finished running her hands through Raven’s hair.

“If not, we’ll stand alone, together. What we have will never sway to the will of the others. We will never be alone again as long as we stand as one. I love you Koriandr, and you Garfield, too much for some backwards thinking to make me stop, ever.”

“Indeed, I too will stand against Victor and Richard should they refuse us.”

“And I third the motion,” Beast Boy said turned around to face both the dark sorceress and alien princess, a wide smile on his face that emphasized his words.

After a slight pause, Beast Boy turned back around as he let the water rinse off the remaining soup and shampoo from his body. And as he stepped out of the way for Raven to wash off, he slipped back to help the Tameranian clean off as well. All three of them knew the delicate balancing act that they were in for, keeping both their partners equals. Not aiding the alien princess would be a powerful blow to the trinity, amplified by the fact that the relationship was still in its infancy. The changeling didn’t want that, to make both his angels think that one was better then the other. And neither Raven nor Starfire wanted to make the other feel that they favored their boyfriend over each other; that was simply untrue.

Finished, one by one they exited the shower and grabbed a towel, proceeding to dry off. And moment by moment, each one of them started to think back to what they had talked about. How were things really going to change around the tower? How would Robin really treat them now? Did the happenings in the tower obliterate his tolerance? Was he going to try to keep them apart as much as possible because he simply didn’t agree with what was happening? Would he yell, scream, shout at the three of them because he believed that what was going on wasn’t just risky, but shameful in his opinion?

In truth, how Robin would talk to her and the others really did concern the Tameranian princess. Even if Raven and Beast Boy were there for her whenever she needed them for comfort sake, the boy wonder’s words were still going to hurt. The pain that she had felt when Robin had broken her heart when he severed his romantic intentions still lay dormant inside her. Bringing that agony back would be simple; all the boy wonder had to do was raise his voice at her again. And Starfire knew that she would just have to listen, understanding full well that taking physical action to challenge a leader wasn’t customary on Earth.

And even if she tried to talk to her past love in a calm, reasoning tone, her words would be either cut off or just ignored completely. After all, the boy wonder hadn’t even bothered to listen to her before, when it was just her and Raven. What would make her proclamation about her having another person in her heart, especially that person being Beast Boy? Seeing as how Robin and Beast Boy were more at odds with each other then any of the other titans, could Robin go off on some tangent about how the changeling was an immature kid? Admittedly, the shape shifter was at times, but there were also the times that he knew how to take charge of a situation and lead. Starfire had her defenses against that accusation, but as far as what else might come directly at her and what would come at her as a member of a trinity was unknown.

Likewise, Raven also concerned herself with what Robin could say to her, Beast Boy, and Starfire. If the boy wonder could live with himself after being so cold to the Tameranian who had been relatively close to him, what might he actual do to Raven and Beast Boy? He might not hit either one of the girls, but not assaulting the changeling wasn’t as guaranteed. The boy wonder and changeling were more at odds then any of the other titans. The high and might titan leader could use it as an excuse to get into a fight. If he was pulled away, he could manipulate the matter so he didn’t look so bad. Maybe he would need some anger management or something, but in the end his position on the team would remain as it had before. The only difference would be Beast Boy’s black eye and Robin’s bloody lips. It might have been the most extreme of cases, but Raven was very pessimistic when it came to most matters. Just came with the territory of being the daughter of the eighth devil.

The only one of the three lovers that didn’t concern himself with the boy wonder was Beast Boy. He had thought of the matter when he had woken up but not too deeply. His original question was if he would be supported by the titan leader. The changeling’s answer to that was still no. Yet as far as Robin would react to his being with the Goth and Tameranian, Beast Boy held little concern on the matter. After all, what friendship existed between the boy wonder and shape shifter was tenuous at best. So if Robin thought that it would be a great idea to give the third degree to him about having no one but two serious relationships while he was still on the team, then so be it. What could the titan leader really do to him that wouldn’t end up backfiring? As far as the green titan could see, there wasn’t a course of action that the boy wonder could take that didn’t have the definite possibility of coming back and biting him in the ass. Still, what were some of those things that Robin could do?

First off, there was that reprimanding that Beast Boy had already considered happening. But the changeling also knew that no matter what Robin told him, it wasn’t going to change anything. The green skinned shape shifter had given his heart to both the Goth and Tameranian. He wasn’t about to take it back when he needed someone else to take care of it for him. Plus, in return for his offer, he held Raven and Starfire’s hearts in his hands. He was in complete control of what he did with them. Robin couldn’t force him to give it all back, nor could the boy wonder make the changeling break the hearts that were given him. Strike one, the titan leader was down one possible approach.

Secondly, if the boy wonder wanted to say that having a double romance was more dangerous then anything else anyone could do, then Beast Boy would just have to come up with some sort of counter. Currently, there were two ways that were apparent to the changeling. One, the changeling could point out the fact that Robin was alone and took unnecessary risks. If he had someone waiting for him back at the tower, would he still take a flying leap and trust that his tools would save him? If he was still special to Starfire, could he still take a chance on his own life knowing that if he never came back the Tameranian would be devastated? And secondly, aside from not taking a gamble on his life, Beast Boy knew that he could show that things could be safer in the long run. The shape shifter could fight harder, fight better then he had before. Instead of giving up with relative ease, a better warrior would make a stand on the battle field. Robin wanted to see his team give a hundred and ten percent? How about a hundred and fifteen or even a hundred and twenty? So Beast Boy would admit that love was dangerous; it was dangerous for those on the outside that tried to break them apart, enemies and allies alike. Strike two, the boy wonder had one less option to use.

And lastly, and the most extreme of all the ideas that Beast Boy could think of, was that Robin could just simply tell them that they were off the team and needed to pack their bags for doing something wrong. But again, that hit a brick wall. First off, when would the boy wonder have become an expert in human morality, deciding a standard of right and wrong for all to follow? Hadn’t he been the same guy that used his team in a failed attempt to catch Slade? Was he not the one that had been at least a small prelude to Terra’s betrayal? As far as the changeling was concerned, Robin was the same that he had been then and he would always be remain that way, stubborn and dangerously obsessed with every small detail of what could go wrong. Secondly, even if he was a resounding authority on good and evil, he wasn’t the one that decided when someone joined the team or went they were forced to resign from their position. Something that drastic required all the titans to consent in a four to one majority. Already a vote hit a snag. There were five titans. One would be against, but already three had made a decision on staying. If Beast Boy was told to leave, Raven and Starfire would defend him. Go after Raven, the changeling and Tameranian would come to their dark lover’s defense. Try to remove the alien princess from the team, the green shape shifter and demon sorceress would rise against whatever was brought against their princess. They were the majority; they held most of the power. So in some way, they were the true leaders of the team, Robin was more for show. And that was strike three.

But assuming that Robin really did get them of the team, most likely from literally pushing them out the door, he would lose over half his team right there. And instead of trying to somehow get back in the boy wonder’s good graces so they had a place to stay, the changeling remembered of his alien girlfriend’s status on a little planet in the Vegan system. Don’t bother with living in some apartment somewhere as they tried to make ends meet. Why not live in a palace? And since Starfire was so dedicated to her traditions, there was pretty much a guarantee that they would be readily accepted. Hell, Tameran would have two queens and a king. There was no love loss for the changeling, no sense of being without a place to stay, and he was pretty sure that both his angels felt the same way about a new home. And even if living on Starfire’s native planet didn’t work out for some reason, as far as Beast Boy knew there was always Azarath.

“Garfield,” Raven said, her voice sounding slightly distant to the shape shifter.

“Love Garfield,” Starfire repeated.

“Huh?” the changeling said snapping back to attention, finding himself standing in the dark sorceress’s bedroom.

“Clothes?” Raven asked pointing to a fresh, clean uniform on the bed. “Or would you prefer to walk about all day in a bath towel?”

“Depends, are we the only ones that are going to be here today,” Beast Boy said grinning, arching a single eyebrow suggestively. Already he was showing how much he had improved, almost overnight. If the Goth had made that comment the day before, his depressed nature would have taken it completely out of context and only brought a deep pain in his heart. But now, now he took that comment and made it into a joke. Moment by moment, his light was getting stronger, forcing his darkness and depression into the far corners of his mind.

“Kori, I think we created a monster,” Raven said looking over at the Tameranian as she was pulling up her skirt.

“I believe that we have,” the alien princess said as she straightened her back, smiling almost close to giggles. “Although, I do not mind the comment. It was quite amusing.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything when you girls don’t want it. I could just cuddle up next to you two and be just as happy,” Beast Boy assured as he dropped the towel and stated pulling up the boxers that had been brought to him. “Um, when did you get these?” he asked turning around to sit on the bed as he pulled up his pants, “I don’t remember seeing you have a change of clothes in here for me.”

“You weren’t paying attention to your surroundings,” Raven answered as she pulled up her leotard. “I figured that we would sleep the rest of the day yesterday. So Koriandr and I took the liberty of grabbing you an extra uniform. It was either that or letting you walk out of my room naked, dressing in a towel, and walking to your room carrying your laundry.”

“I can just imagine Cy and Robin’s face,” Beast Boy said laughing slightly as he imagined the two guys staring at him wide-eyed as he stood just outside of the Goth’s room, barely covered by anything. It would definitely be embarrassing; but since the changeling felt so much better about himself, he could just laugh off the awkwardness as he headed to his room to get some pants on. That wasn’t necessary since Raven or Starfire had generously retrieved him a fresh, clean uniform. And for the sake of his lovers, he wouldn’t do anything that could make them uncomfortable.

“So can I,” Raven answered as she started putting on her shoes, “but that doesn’t mean that it has to happen.”

“Oh, I won’t do it. I won’t embarrass you two, at least not on purpose,” Beast Boy promised as put on his shirt, “I don’t want you to think that I’m still some kid. I might make you guys laugh, but I still want to mature a little.”

“Couldn’t hurt,” the Goth responded as she hooked her belt, “Just remember I love light, not darkness. Never lose your light. I’ll be dark enough for the three of us.”

“I promise. I’ll be as light as I can be. But really, you’re both the reason for that. Without you two, I was pretty down on myself,” the changeling said as he finished dressing with tying his shoes.

“Indeed, I never realized that you could be so unhappy when you seemed to abound with joy,” Starfire answered as Raven finalized by putting on her cape.

“I guess appearances can be deceiving,” Beast Boy answered as he walked over to his angels.

“They can be,” the Goth said as she felt the changeling wrap his right arm around her waistline, her reaction being to do the same thing with him.

“We shall have our first breakfast together, now?” the Tameranian asked as the shape shifter put his left arm around her as well, she copying her green boyfriend’s action.

“Sure, do you want to go out somewhere? I know of a really nice diner downtown. We could go there if you two want to,” the changeling said looking from Raven to Starfire, Starfire to Raven.

“I will gladly follow you wherever you wish to go, Love Garfield. Do you wish to go to this eatery?”

“Raven, what do you say?”

“I think that it would be a wonderful idea. After all, we broke away from our traditions yesterday. Why shouldn’t we celebrate it?” the Goth answered as she opened the door to the hallway.

Nodding, Beast Boy smiled as he started to be bothered by the feeling like there was something that he was forgetting. And even though the changeling tried valiantly to get the mysterious question out of his brain, it refused to leave before being answered. The trouble was only amplified by the fact that everything was in perfect working order, at least for the new union. Starfire was happy with her lovers and didn’t desire another. Raven was free from her father’s strangle hold on her life; she had obliterated the powerful demon after the last day of the world. So she couldn’t be the source of the shape shifter’s odd feeling. It had to have come from inside him, like something he had done was supposed to have been worked out slightly differently. But what sort of mistake could he have made without having any of the other titans pointing it out to him?

As soon as he and his goddesses were in the main room, it ended up hitting him like a ton of bricks. Remembering back to the Tameranian straddling his hips and the Goth showing her kinkier side, Beast Boy realized that he hadn’t taken any precautions against getting either one of his lovers pregnant. And as far as he knew, neither one of them was on any form of birth control. Left up to what seemed to be a flip of the coin, Beast Boy felt that he stood very good odds of being a father of at least one child. Either woman might not get pregnant. Or maybe one of them would have to face a miscarriage. He was pretty sure that both women would be adamant about going through the whole ordeal and wouldn’t do anything to stop it. If nothing else, having a child with either of the angels would give Beast Boy the constant opportunity that he wasn’t just a hundred percent committed to his lovers; it was standing at a hundred and ten. Even though the idea was downright frightening to the changeling, he wasn’t going to waver, cower, or hide from the inherent responsibilities. Right as they headed towards the front door, he nodded his personal vow to Raven and Starfire about his being there in the hospital when they went into labor and gave birth to his child or children.

“Garfield,” Raven asked as the changeling opened the door for his girlfriends, “what’s wrong?”

“Um…I’m just a little scared is all,” Beast Boy answered as they resumed walked down to the beach front. “But I’ll be alright; I’ll be ready.”

“I do not understand what you are talking about, Love Garfield,” Starfire said looking at the changeling as they crossed the halfway point to the water’s edge. “What are you preparing for?”

“I just realized that I might be a dad soon. I need to get myself ready for that challenge.”

“Oh, please do not concern yourself with the matter,” the alien princess answered as she patted her abdomen with her free hand, “I am unable to give birth until after my twentieth anniversary of my birth, Tameranian birth control.”

“And I’m not going to have a kid either. I took my own precautions,” the dark sorceress answered. “Like Koriandr said, there’s nothing that you have to worry about. If we hadn’t taken measures, we would have made sure that you did. None of us are ready for parenthood.”

“Whew,” the changeling sighed with relief as the three of them came to the end of their path. “Here’s where we fly,” he continued, “follow me.” Starting to the transform into a falcon, he felt a soft hand grab his shoulder before he could complete the genetic alteration.

“Wait, I have a better idea,” Raven said with slight smile as she slid her hand down to grab Beast Boy’s hand.

“Fly with us Love,” the Tameranian said grabbing the changeling’s opposite hand.

“That was what I was going to do,” Beast Boy answered as he shifted back to his fully human form, his hands gripping his girlfriends’ out of pure instinct.

“We truly mean with us,” Starfire answered, a blissful glowing in her eyes. “We shall carry you and you can truly experience the joy of flight with us.”

“How can I say no to that?” the changeling said grinning as he felt himself being lift inches of the ground. “It’s been a dream of mine for a long time.”

“Good,” Raven said with a grin, “which way?”

“That way,” the green titan answered nodding in a north-northeastern direction.

“Then let us go,” Starfire said smiling. Both holding Beast Boy’s hands, Raven and the Tameranian flew off into the morning fog, carrying their boyfriend and letting him live out another one of his fantasies.

Minutes after the three titans left the tower and headed off into the morning sky, Robin woke up from his spot on the sofa. It took him a little while to get his bearings, but soon he was starting to make his way up to his room. But being so exhausted from being out all night looking for leads, every step took a great deal of effort. And since he was at least two hundred feet away from his room, it was going to take him a long time to get to his room and get into a clean uniform, something that he needed desperately since he was smelling like he had rolled around in the mud in some random gutter.

But at least the seemingly endless walk gave him time to think about everything he had gone through over the last couple of weeks. Beast Boy had been getting worse and worse in the fights with Slade or any other villain that the titans faced. And despite what he considered to be his best efforts, the changeling was only getting worse with every passing battle. That would be something that would have to be talked about when he saw the green shape shifter again. Then there was that he had broken up with Starfire after she had told him that she was a bi-sexual, something that made the boy wonder extremely uncomfortable for one reason or another. What it specifically was about sexual orientation only he knew; and he was going to keep it in the darkest corners of his mind so as to keep it from the other titans. And lastly was that he had been on a wild goose chase looking for Slade. All night he searched; every clue turned up empty. For all his efforts, the boy wonder was rewarded with nothing but a feeling of loss.

Finally reaching his room and realizing that he was only being rewarded with an emptiness that couldn’t very well be explained, Robin stumbled into his room to take his shower and try to start over. Maybe he needed a new approach with the changeling and helping his fighting skills. Being asinine and just demanding more during training was getting the team nowhere. If anything, the more the boy wonder pressured the shape shifter, the worse the problem became. If he wanted to be a good leader, then maybe he would have to consider an alternative tactic. Only question about that was, what could the high and mighty titan leader do that could allow Beast Boy to improve himself while still being the one in charge? And maybe he needed to rethink his approach to the Tameranian’s interest in both men and women. They could start over, work out some of the fears that the boy wonder had. Maybe, just maybe the two titans could pick up from the beginning. That could soothe the emptiness in his soul. As for finding Slade, a slow and steady approach might help him think better. The quick bursts and sudden stops wrecked havoc on his attitude. All that it ever achieved before finding the boy wonder’s nemesis was that the other titans had to suffer though his idiotic behavior as he ran on and on about how there was impending doom for the city and the other titans.

Getting in and out of the shower, he dressed as he thought more about how he might want to turn over a new leaf. It couldn’t hurt to be friendlier with the others, regardless of the current situation. Currently, he was very pliable. When the situation was dark and abysmal, he appeared to be light, talking about hope and the whole nine yards. But when the situation was peaceful and serine, he at least appeared to be dark, separating himself from the others because of the conspiracy theories that ran through his mind. He needed there to be trouble for a sense of purpose. And if he kept that sort of attitude until he was set in the grave, how was he ever to accomplish his dreams of joining the Justice League, aligning himself with some of the most well known heroes in the known universe? How was he ever to be accepted when he was paranoid beyond belief?

Sighing, Robin decided that the only way that he was going to ever have another chance with the Tameranian was to talk to her as soon as possible. Every moment that passed was a double shot to the boy wonder; Raven gained time with her girlfriend while he lost it. So making sure that he looked as good as he could possibly make himself out to be, the titan leader walked the distance to the Tameranian room, his energy spiked by being awakened by the shower. Somehow, someway, he wanted to convince the alien princess that he was all she would ever need.

As soon as he was outside the Tameranian’s room, he knocked and waited to see if the alien princess would want to speak to him one on one. If she did, there was something else that the boy wonder could do. Since it was time for breakfast and Starfire usually ate something in the morning, Robin considered the idea that they could go somewhere and speak in private. Hopefully, there was something that he could say that could reach back into the past and bring back the alien girl that loved to be around him. Over a nice breakfast out, the boy wonder believed that he still had some chance in going back to the beginning and starting things anew.

But nobody came to the door when he knocked, neither Starfire nor Raven. The only reason the idea of the dark sorceress would be in the warrior princess’s room popped in the boy wonder’s mind was because he had come to the room once before, only to have the Goth answer the door. Since then, he hadn’t gone to the alien princess’s room. But having noticed that Goth had been looking at Beast Boy a little more lately, Robin was putting all his eggs in once basket with the assumption that it was deadening the romance that she and Starfire shared. It was cruel, completely heartless to hope for such a thing to happen between lovers. But Robin was only human and thus was inherently corruptible by lust, desire, and jealously.

Taking one more swing at seeing the Tameranian before he had breakfast, Robin beat on the door a little harder, a little louder. He didn’t even think that Starfire needed to sleep for some reason. All he could focus on was himself and his needs as a person. He needed someone to love him, someone that he could love back. Having once tasted it, the feeling was a poison in his system, a venom that had no cure. He needed to have the alien princess back in his arms. The boy wonder needed Starfire to carry his heart since he was doing a poor job of it himself. He just needed someone to help him carry out his hopes and dreams.

Finally giving up after several minutes with zero results, Robin headed downstairs to have his breakfast, alone. What was the point of waiting outside the princess’s room when she didn’t seem interested in talking to anyone at the moment? But even though he felt rejected, the titan leader wasn’t about to give up, not yet. Somehow, someway he was going to make it so he was the Tameranian’s one and only. The question was how that was to be done? How could Robin pull himself away from Starfire’s bad side, get back on her good side, and push Raven out of the picture? Whatever he did needed to come from the inside. After planting the seed, he would just have to sit back and wait for the warrior alien girl to come back to his side, telling him that she was sorry for being who she was. Farfetched, yes. Practically inconceivable, yes. Selfish, of course. But with the loneliness setting in the boy wonder’s heart, any and all costs were considered a minor technicality.

“Morning, Rich,” Robin heard as he walked into the main room and headed for the kitchen, his mind becoming more corrupted by jealously by the second.

“Hey,” the boy wonder answered, not really interested in talking to anyone about what he was thinking. He knew that they weren’t going to be too supportive of the idea, not Beast Boy, not Cyborg. Even if Beast Boy could greatly benefit from the scheme, Robin knew that there wasn’t even a sliver of a chance that the changeling would want to join in. And since the cybernetic titan got nothing, there wasn’t anything at all alluring to him. The titan leader was on his own with this one, complete going against the other titans just so he could get what he wanted.

“Nice to see you too,” Cyborg muttered as he resumed eating his breakfast.

“Sorry, just had a long night. Came up with absolutely nothing,” the boy wonder said grabbing some leftover pizza from the fridge before he sat down. “What’s up with you? You look like you’re upset with something.”

“You forgot about BB’s birthday too?” the metal titan said putting down his fork.

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah, oh shit is right. I feel terrible. I told the girls that I’d be back to give BB his gift. I completely forgot about it all day,” the cybernetic titan said setting the tips of his index and middle figure of his left hand to just above left his eye while his thumb slightly pressing against the bone just below the same eye as he thought about how he had broken his promise.

“I know what I’ve gotta do. Tell me when you see Beast Boy again. I haven’t seen him all day,” Robin said getting up and practically running from the room, some twisted idea running through his mind as he closed the hallway door behind him.

“That was weird,” Cyborg thought aloud, though he was feeling jealous that Robin seemed to have something in mind to make up for missing Beast Boy’s birthday. Of course, the boy wonder had a lot less to make up for since his friendship with the changeling was sometimes completely non-existent.

Sighing, the cybernetic titan felt that he was the only one that couldn’t make it up to Beast Boy. There was no way that he wanted to copy what Robin was going to give him; that would seem like there was some party line that the titans were following. But then again, he had no idea what Starfire or Raven gave to his little brother. All they had said when he ask about it was that it was going to be very special, a once in a lifetime opportunity for the changeling. What that amounted to, Cyborg couldn’t even begin to think of. It didn’t matter that he was incredibly intelligent. He still didn’t understand what traveled through either of the female titans. Now the cybernetic titan felt the walls closing in around him, and there seemed to be no chance of escape. Soon, very soon, he felt that he was going to be crushed under the weight of the guilt that held so tightly to his soul.

Not knowing what else there was for him to do other then to just hope that something would come to mind, Cyborg got up, put his plate in the sink, and headed into his room to power up his cells. Maybe he could think of something while he was charging up. Maybe he could figure something out about Beast Boy that none of the others knew about. Maybe the cybernetic titan just needed to think a little longer, a little harder, and a whole lot faster. When he saw his little brother again, time would be up. Cyborg understood entirely that he wouldn’t have any place to go, no words or actions to hide behind. All that was possible for him to do was to watch and listen as the changeling said something to the extent that he was hurt for being forgotten on his birthday, how half the team abandoned him on the single most important day do his life.

Meanwhile across town, Beast Boy was far from being sorrowful like either of the other guys thought. In fact, the changeling couldn’t be any happier. Nothing was going wrong; everything was going right. He had good food, perfect company, and the other guests that had seen the walk in more or less ignored the fact that the changeling was holding the hands of two women. That gave all three titans a better feeling about how people thought about two girls sharing a heart. Maybe, just maybe they would be wrong about the doubts in their friends. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be the war inside the tower. It would save a lot of trouble for the loving trinity. And if there was still the fight that they were expecting, at least they now had something else to back them up, the approval of the public. If the city didn’t have a problem with it, why should Robin and or Cyborg disapprove of the three titans’ relationship?

“Loves, have you noticed that nobody here has spoken against us?” Starfire asked as she ate some eggs slathered in mustard.

“I know,” Beast Boy said pointing to his ears as he ate his salad, “not a word. Makes me feel a little better about what the other guys might say about it.”

“Just because these people accept us, doesn’t mean that Robin or Cyborg will,” Raven answered playing devil’s advocate. “Those here see us fight and eat, not how we live. What does it matter to them what we do? I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean to bring either of you two down.”

“There’s nothing wrong about it,” the changeling said as he grabbed his Goth’s hand, “you made a good point. You’re right. The other guys see us all the time. These people don’t. And besides that, we’re their heroes. What person says what their idols do is wrong?”

“Yes, Love Raven. Do not be upset with yourself,” the Tameranian said looking over at her girlfriend, “Love Garfield and I would prefer you to speak what is on your mind rather then for you to keep it to yourself.”

“I promise to tell you two whatever is on my mind, good or evil. But I am half demon so…”

“Please, don’t tell me that your part demon, because you’re not,” the changeling said gently turning Raven’s head so he could look her directly in the eyes, “your father was demon. But you aren’t. I know who you are. You’re a goddess, my goddess.”

“Always my light, Garfield, you’re always going to be half the light of my life.”

“Love Garfield, you proclaim Love Raven to be a goddess,” Starfire began.

“And so are you,” the changeling interrupted looking over into the Tameranian’s bright green eyes. “You’re my goddess of light, Raven my goddess of darkness. I feel honored to even be around you two like this.”

“You are a god as well,” the alien princess answered as she leaned in close to her boyfriend. “And I am very happy to know you and to love you as I do.”

“Well, I don’t think that I’m a god, just a…”

“You call us goddesses. To be with us like you are, you must be a god,” Raven interrupted with a slight grin.

Smiling, Beast Boy put his arms around his girlfriends’ shoulders without fear or shame. And since he was still looking at the Tameranian, he leaned over and gently kissed her soft lips. It was pure ecstasy, remembering that several months ago this was the woman that wouldn’t have dared to do such a thing with him. It was a forbidden passion, something that wasn’t supposed to be. But it was, so the two of them enjoyed it for what it was worth, heaven on earth. But knowing that it wasn’t fair to keep Raven just watching, Beast Boy slowly pulled back to see the joyful glow in his goddess of light’s eyes.

Looking over to his right side, he grinned at the dark sorceress as he stared into her violet eyes, deep and dark, soft and beautiful. How someone so wonderful and perfect could be the daughter of the incarnation of evil Beast Boy didn’t know. No matter how true it was that Trigon really was her father, she was still going to be a goddess in the changeling’s eyes. And as though kissing her deeply would convince him of that fact, Beast Boy leaned over for a soft, tender kiss with the dark sorceress that also held his heart. Just as he had done with his Tameranian girlfriend, the changeling pressed his lips against Raven’s, gently forcing his tongue into her mouth as he enjoyed the pure bliss that the Goth provided him.

Tender moments over, the three titans just looked at each other, knowing that what they had just done had confirmed what the other guests were thinking. The three titans were together, in perfect union, in what could easily be considered a forbidden pact of love. But now feeling slightly uneasy with the display of affection, they all thought the same thing, get out and get out now. Breakfast over, Raven slid off the bench, followed by Beast Boy, Starfire bringing up the rear. Grabbing his girlfriends’ hands, the changeling walked out of the diner, knowing that there was still going to be some sort of reaction from what they had just done. But the three titans didn’t have to wait long. As soon as the changeling opened the door for his goddesses, they left to the applause of the crowd. Now the titans really did know where they could seek for a little support. The city was behind them, at least a crowd of about fifty was.

“You realize now that word of this is going to spread like wildfire,” Raven said as she and her girlfriend lifted their boyfriend into the air to return to the tower.

“Yeah, but I think that we have the city behind us,” Beast Boy answered.

“I do understand that there are newspapers that spread harmful gossip about celebrities. Do you believe that there were people in there that would submit slanderous material about us?” Starfire asked her lovers.

“The press doesn’t hang out there, which is one reason I thought it would be a nice place to go,” the changeling answered with a smirk as he felt the wind rush past him as the dark sorceress and alien princess picked up speed, making it more a thrill for their boyfriend.

“Comforting to know,” Raven said as the three titans closed in on their home.

“Indeed, I do not wish to be degraded,” the Tameranian added.

“If anyone ever did,” the changeling growled, showing that his beast still lived well, “I would make them take it back, every word of it. I don’t care what it would take.”

“Please, do not harm anyone, Love Garfield. We are not to hurt those we swear to protect.”

“Sorry, but I’ll do anything it takes to make sure that some jerks don’t start make up things about you two. I’ll do anything and I mean it.”

“Garfield, your beast, watch out before it takes over,” Raven warned. “I know how rage can take on a life of its own.”

“Ok, ok I’ll calm down. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to lose it there. I just want to protect those that I love,” the shape shifter apologized.

“I understand that you don’t want for our names to be ruined, but Kori and I will not stand for it at the risk of losing you,” the Goth informed.

“We will help you, Love,” Starfire added as the three were about to set food on the roof of the tower. “Love Raven and I will protect you as well.”

Meanwhile, Cyborg was pacing back and forth in his room as he wondered what he was going to do when he saw the changeling again. And as long as he stuck in his room, he wouldn’t have to see the disappointment on Beast Boy’s face. Any confrontation that would come along when the two came in contact with each other was simply avoided if the cybernetic titan kept away from his little brother. Maybe it was better to stay in his room until the whole thing just blew over. Let the shape shifter move on and get back to his happy, cheery self. Then the two could do something together: play videogames, watch movies, prank each other for fun and not out of spite while they double teamed the other titans in the tower. If he was to just wait, let the clock run its course, then maybe, just maybe it would all turn out for the best and the good old days could make their return.

But on the flipside of the very same thought pattern, there was the distinct possibility that Beast Boy could become embittered by his supposed big brother’s actions. Instead of facing the problem, it would be like he was trying to run away instead. Then, as time continued to pass the two titans by, there would only be pain and resentment from the changeling. The frail friendship that had once been, the worn association Cyborg and Beast Boy had for each other, the tattered brotherhood that had been constructed on day one, would be completely buried under the weight of all the time that had passed the two of them by. And as long as both didn’t work in finding common ground once more, which was what the train of thought lead to, the chance to resurrect even something to being more then just being acquaintances wasn’t near impossible; it was impossible.

Somewhere there had to be an answer, somewhere in the middle of what Cyborg was thinking to himself. Maybe going to see the shape shifter right away wasn’t a very good idea. But that didn’t allow for a complete severing of the ties that the changeling and cybernetic titan shared. That was ridiculous. Let it set for about a day or so while still somehow showing that they were still friends. It gave time for both titans to collect their thought and mellow out a little bit. Then, once Cyborg was sure that it was safe to talk about the situation, he would take his little brother off to the side and try to say something meaningful that would show how deeply he had hurt himself the whole time that he had remembered about the birthday but was too afraid to speak of it because of the trouble that it could cause to their friendship. That way and only in that way, did the metal titan hope to save his friendship with the changeling. It would allow Beast Boy to decide what happened next, be friends or just people that lived around each other in the same place and occasionally enjoyed doing the same thing?

Confused and not really sure of the conclusion that he had come to, Cyborg refused to count out any possible course of action. And as he did, the idea of bringing Terra back to life came back to his mind. This time however, the cybernetic titan thought of a different course of action that would follow. Instead of leaving with the cure and bring back the geomancer as a surprise for the changeling, how about just handing over the chemical agent to the changeling along with instructions on how to use it? That way the loss of time could be explained away and Beast Boy got to decide whether or not Terra got to live, breathe, and walk again. Everything that could be done could be left to the shape shifter’s authority, a force that the green titan rarely if ever showed.

That idea really did start to appeal to the cybernetic titan. And no sooner that he thought of it did he start to act on it. Taking out a book about rapid fossilization and the theories that explained the phenomena, Cyborg took a seat at his computer and started to read at a breakneck speed. Seeing as how he had an astronomical intelligence quotient, one hundred eighty to be exact, the fact that he literally had a photographic memory thanks to half his brain being made of computer chips and circuits, and he could scan it all into his mind with his cybernetic eye, Cyborg was almost through with the book when Beast Boy returned with his angels. And within minutes of completing all the script and memorizing the graphs and sketches of the hypotheses, he was off and typing his possible cures for the geomancer.

And by the time that the three titans were back inside the tower, there were five completely different chemical compositions that Cyborg had created. At a glance, the first chemical compound that the cybernetic titan came up with looked very promising. And he would have gone though with the whole thing except for the fact that the agent was chemically unstable and could cause Terra’s statue form to explode rather then reanimate. If it didn’t do that, it was poisonous to the human touch. Either way, Terra would end up being dead again; only this time it would be permanent. One down, four to go. The second one, although was quite likely to make the geomancer breathe again, was composed of so many elements that were so rare that there was little chance that Cyborg could get what he needed. Two down, not only three remained. The third composition had everything going for it, except for one detail. The way that the compound worked based itself on generating extreme amounts of heat that could excite the geomancer’s molecular structure. That wasn’t the problem exactly; Terra would heal from the burns while she was completely numbed from the pain. The trouble came in with the fact that a rapid temperature increase could cause the stone to crack and break apart. That wouldn’t just kill the blond girl off entirely; it would decimate the shine that the changeling had constructed in the fallen titan’s honor. Whether he went there at all or not anymore, the cybernetic titan didn’t know. But that didn’t make a difference. If the last part of the blond girl was obliterated, Beast Boy would end up being worse then before. Process three was not an option. Number four ended up being the cure that stood up to all the tests that Cyborg ran the first three through. The chemicals were easy to come by, some even right in the tower under the sink. It non-toxic and didn’t rely on anything other then time to take effect. And best of all, there were no side effects that would end up killing the blond girl, at least any that the metal titan could foresee; and he had noticed quite a few with the others. Chemical X 4, the best bet to being the solution to the problem.

And even if it didn’t work, if the chemistry failed to resurrect the geomancer, the cybernetic titan considered the idea that Raven might be willing to use some sort of dark incantation to assist him. But there was only one way to find out, try.

Feeling light footed and somewhat question free, the cybernetic titan printed off a copy of the formula and started heading downstairs to his workshop. And being so happy with the fact that he had come up with something that nobody else could give the changeling, he started to feel better and better with himself as he walked on. Robin had connections, could pull strings to get almost anything from anywhere. Name it. Tickets to closed out gatherings whether they were movies or concerts, highly exclusive and private restaurants, basically anything that took money the boy wonder could get his hands on. Raven always had her dark magic that would allow her to communicate with the dead. As long as Beast Boy did exactly what she told him to do, the Goth sorceress could very easily get him in contact with his parents or other family members that he lost to death. Starfire, well Cyborg wasn’t exactly sure what the Tameranian could offer but it would probably include something from her planet. Her being of the royal line only added to the fact that whatever she offered could be very exclusive. Finally, the cybernetic titan arrived at a conclusion that allowed him to use his intelligence to the maximum.

As he started down the hall, he came increasingly closer to the changeling’s bedroom. Maybe it would be a good idea to stop by and say ‘good morning’ or something like that to his little brother since he hadn’t done so the day before. Ten feet away, he thought back to his decision about not seeing Beast Boy for a little while longer, only to decide that saying hello could be the exception to that choice. Five feet away and he was starting to count on what comradery he had with the changeling a little more, hoping that he wasn’t putting himself in a meat grinder. After all, Cyborg had originally planned on not talking to the shape shifter until he was sure that everything had settled down a little. But was too late now; he was standing right in front of the shape shifter’s bedroom door. Yet as he raised his fist to slam, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye.

Dropping his hand to his side, Cyborg turned his head to see Robin walking towards him. Usually the metal titan didn’t mind talking to the boy wonder, but this time he had a glazed over look and a rather smug look on his face. Normally such a thing was normal for the other titans to witness; Robin was always putting himself on the top of the ladder. But to look like he was now, it was causing the cybernetic titan to feel slightly uneasy about what the titan leader was up to. This was not a time to be focusing on himself, not when there was a changeling’s birthday that was all but completely forgotten. There were only three explanations that Cyborg could think of as to why the boy wonder was looking like he did. First, he had once again forgotten what was going on and had started to look for Slade again, this time finding something that would lead him to his nemesis. Second option, the boy wonder had come up with some new strategy for the other titans to follow that was supposed to guarantee ultimate victory. Or finally, whatever he was getting for the changeling was already available and he had managed to already get his hands on it. As much as he didn’t want to, Cyborg chose option number one. He truly believed that Robin had gotten distracted with being trying to be the hero of the day.

“Hey, Cy,” Robin said as he stood next to his cybernetic ally, “what are you doing here?”

“I was going to go downstairs. I stopped by to see BB, tell him that I’m sorry, and promise that I am going to make it up to him as soon as I can. What are you doing here?” Cyborg responded.

“I was just passing by actually. I want to talk to Starfire, Raven, or Beast Boy. The girls aren’t in their rooms so I was just going to go downstairs and watch TV until I see one of them or the alarm goes off,” the boy wonder answered.

“Are you serious? You weren’t thinking about beating Slade?” the metal titan asked arching an eyebrow.

“No…I wasn’t. Why do you think that?”

“Because of the look you have on your face, Dick. Really, you seem to have three trains of thought. Take, make others give something up, or you give something. There aren’t any other options that do through that head of yours.”

“Gee, thanks,” Robin said with his voice edged with sarcasm.

“Sorry. Anyhow, I am still going to talk to B.”

“If he’s in there, tell him that I want to talk to him too. I’ll be downstairs,” Robin said starting to walk off.

“Yeah, I’ll tell him,” the metal titan called after the boy wonder. “I still think that you’re up to something, man. I don’t know why, but I have that feeling,” he added mentally.

Turning back to what he had intended to do, Cyborg stopped himself and took a second guess at what he was about to do. There was a very good chance that Beast Boy was asleep, enjoying the complete serenity that it was capable of bringing. If the changeling really did have his spirits broken by not having his big brother around on his birthday, then being forced to face the day would only make him feel his pain inside his heart for a longer period of time. How could the cybernetic titan do that to someone that he cared about as the kid brother that he never had? Why would Cyborg want to make the changeling hurt more then need be? When Beast Boy was good and ready, he would come out of his room and Cyborg could talk to him about what he was going to do, just skip the wakeup call all together.

Or better yet, he could try to find Starfire or Raven. Robin might not have been able to find them, but for the moment the metal titan believed that he could. It really didn’t matter which one he talked to. Either one of the girls could probably explain how to talk to someone that was so broken in spirit. Starfire had been that way when Blackfire had tried to frame her for capital theft and had nearly been forced to marry something that resembled a living blob of snot from some swamp lands at the far reaches of the universe. And Raven was sure to be able to understand what it was like to feel like the whole world was against her. After all, she was the one that had brought the world to its needs, froze it in suspended animation when Trigon had temporarily set up his throne on the earth. Even if the eighth devil’s reign was short lived, the side effects of scarring the Goth’s mind in making her do what she never desired for her home had to still be fresh enough that she could tell the cybernetic titan all that he needed to know.

However, the question of where the girls were hadn’t been answered. And there was really no indication of where they might be. It was like Starfire was taking on a few of the mysterious characteristics of the Goth, their hobbies becoming more and more secluded. Raven now rarely meditated in the main room or even read while the others watched television. The Tameranian didn’t even cook her concoctions at any time of the day. And going on the assumption that they were not in their rooms, they had to be somewhere outside the tower. That made it virtually impossible for them to be found. He might as well do what Robin did, go downstairs and do whatever until he ended up bumping into either girl that he wanted to talk to. And the cybernetic titan was just about to do so, go to his workshop and create the cure that would free the geomancer, when he heard a very familiar and very happy voice. And it belonging to Beast Boy, Cyborg couldn’t explain to himself who the changeling could be so happy when two of his friends had basically abandoned him on his birthday.

“….and then we’re done. We can do something else for fun. How about it?” the changeling was finishing up.

“That would be glorious,” Starfire answered as she, Beast Boy, and Raven came around the corner and into Cyborg’s view.

“I think that we’re going to have to explain it a little more then that,” Raven answered before she and her lovers noticed Cyborg standing by the changeling’s door, his face explaining all that the three titans needed to know.

“Greetings, friend Victor,” Starfire greeted the metal titan, ignoring the look on his face, “it is a wonderful morning, yes?”

“Um…yeah?” the cybernetic titan answered as the idea about bringing Terra back escaped his mind in a heartbeat.

“Go ahead, Garfield, tell him,” Raven said to her boyfriend.

“Tell me?” the cybernetic titan asked, arching an eyebrow. “Tell me what?”

“Um, dude, what would you think about me loving Star and Raven…at the same time?” the changeling asked as he firmly yet gently wrapped his arms around his girlfriends’ waists for emotional and physical support as he waited for his big brother to respond to the apparently rhetorical question. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to deal with too much of an argument, but the way that Cyborg was just looking at him, Beast Boy wasn’t too sure that it was going to be that easy.

“I take it that is why you’re touching both of them,” the metal titan finally said as he tried to think about what was going on right before him. Was he going to be able to be asked to support the unusual relationship that he assumed that he was witnessing? Did his opinion really make that much of a difference to the three of them if his conclusion was correct? If he said no, if he said that he didn’t think that it was alright, was that actually going to make that much of a change with the decision that his friends had made? Would the three of them just break up and be as they were before just because he wasn’t behind the idea? Were his words really going to be that important in retrospect? Or was this just a way for the three titans to tell him what was going on amongst his friends so that later on he wouldn’t start to think that they were acting really strange?

Whether or not his feelings mattered to Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire, Cyborg really didn’t know where his thoughts were going to take him. Even as the three lovers waited patiently for his response, he was no closer to a decision then when he had first asked himself the question. So in hopes he could speed up his conclusion while maintaining as much accuracy as possible. First, did he want to see the three of them happy with themselves and with their lives? Of course he did. Of all the people that he knew, they had dealt with the most shit in their lives. Raven had brought about the supposed end of the world. Starfire’s own sister had tried to make her look like a thief. Plus, he and the other titans knew how much the Tameranian princess valued her friendship and family. It had to have cut deeply into her heart. And lastly, Beast Boy seemed to be getting the short end of the stick in relationships with girls from day one. If he was happy and wanted to fight for an even more volatile relationship, then let him shoot for the moon, right? Secondly, was he even that much of an authority on what was right and wrong? If it didn’t apply to the letter of the law, he had no right in telling someone to stop doing whatever they were doing. Not one of the three titans was breaking any laws with what his heart was telling him. And they wasn’t hurting anyone either. From that view point, the cybernetic titan just had to say let it be so. And lastly, could he support the oddity no matter what anyone else said? Could he just say yes and let it be the end of his part in the whole thing? Could he just want what was best for his friends?

“What do you want to know?” Cyborg asked as he tried to answered the last question as best he could, although he was much closer now then when he began.

“We wish to know if you will you support our relationship?” Starfire asked as she innocently leaned her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder as her hand slid across the changeling’s back and grabbed her girlfriend’s hand, Raven returning the gesture to her Tameranian lover.

“But it is your decision,” the dark sorceress finalized. “We are not going to force you to say yes. We just want to know.”

“Indeed friend. If you do not believe that it is ok, may I ask you to not make us feel badly?” the Tameranian asked sweetly.

“I won’t say anything bad about it…I just…its really unexpected,” the cybernetic titan answered.

“What are you saying dude?” Beast Boy asked, wanting to know if Cyborg was going to be for or against the new relationship that had been revealed him.

“I’m…confused. I don’t want to say anything bad about it, but at the same time I really don’t know if I can say that it’s alright. So here’s what I’ll do, you three just do what you want and I won’t stop you.”

“That’s enough,” Raven said nodding, “and all we can ask for. Thank you.”

“Indeed, we are most grateful friend,” the alien princes answered with a great smile on her face, not moving her head from her changeling’s shoulder.

“Um…no problem, I guess,” Cyborg answered even though he was still shaky on his decision. “Oh, B, before you say anything about it, I’m sorry about not being here yesterday. I feel bad about it and I was thinking that I would…you know, finally try to bring Terra back. I guess it was a waste of time. Now I don’t have anything to make up for missing your birthday.”

“I don’t need anything else,” Beast Boy answered with a grin. “Just get me something for Christmas.”

“Are you sure you don’t want anything? I mean really, I owe it to you.”

“You don’t owe me anything. You showed me that you’re my friend. That’s all I really want anyways. You can’t put a price on that.”

“Where did that last line come from?” Cyborg asked arching an eyebrow, knowing that the shape shifter never thought like that much less talk in such terms.

“Raven,” the shape shifter answered matter-of-factly as he nodded over to the dark sorceress, “I wouldn’t have thought about saying that.”

“Oh. Well, um…good luck you guys. I…have a few things that I need to do. I’ll play some videogames with you later ok, B? Just like the good old days,” the cybernetic titan said nodding before he left his friends behind, satisfied and at peace with himself, happy that Beast Boy and he were on good terms again, and completely stunned that the changeling didn’t want anything for his birthday. Beast Boy had changed; there was no question about that. Maybe his relationships would be easier to stand up for then Cyborg had anticipated. Maybe the side effects of what happened would provide an easier defense and those that detested the trinity.

“What now, my loves?” the Tameranian asked as the cybernetic titan headed downstairs and out of view.

“Now, now we tell Robin,” Beast Boy answered with his confidence boosted.

Knowing that she was going to have to face the boy wonder again about something that was deep and personal, Starfire froze up as she was being force to face her ex-boyfriend. All she could see before her were the questions that started to race in and out of her mind. What would Robin do with the new situation? What would he say about the whole thing? How was he going to look at the three of them, even after all the facts had been explained in detail? Would he allow himself to be angry, force himself to remain that way as he let his bitterness swallow him whole, and never speak to any one of the three lovers unless they were on the battlefield and he needed them to do something to win? Or would he, after some time, just suck up his losses and move on? Could the boy wonder unpredictable take the same path that Cyborg had taken, just be neutral and let things be as they were going to be? Or would he start to play the devil’s advocate and point out all the possible faults that he would say were bound to happen sooner or later?

“Kori? Kori, what’s wrong?” Beast Boy asked as he softly shook his Tameranian princess from her seemingly uncharacteristic dark thoughts.

“I cannot join you in telling Richard my loves. I am sorry,” Starfire apologized, looking to the floor in slight shame and despair. “I know I spoke of standing against Richard and Victor should they disapprove. However I am how do you say, suffering the cold feet?”

“It’s ok, Koriandr,” Raven answered as she came around to the Tameranian’s left side, “I understand what you’re dealing with. I’ll stay here with you until we work through this again.”

“I do feel bad about this. I had believed that I was not very concerned with what Robin may say.”

“Kori, look at me,” the Goth requested.

“Yes?”

“You have a good heart. Still want to be Robin’s friend, even after everything he said.”

“But I do not understand why? I do not love him as I love you and Garfield. I should not worry so.”

“I have an idea,” Beast Boy stated, stepping in. “I don’t mind Robin yelling at me, not as much anyways. I’ve taken it before and whatever.”

“You’re going to tell him alone?” Raven asked as she looked over at her boyfriend, her arm coming around the Tameranian’s shoulders for comfort sake.

“Sure, why not?” the shape shifter answered shrugging.

“I cannot ask you to do that for me,” the Tameranian answered as tears streaked her beautiful face.

“You’re not. I’m doing it because I want to, Kori. I won’t let anyone hurt you or Raven,” the changeling answered, his tone unwavering.

Without giving Starfire the opportunity to say anything more about how he need not go off by himself, Beast Boy dropped his hand from her waist, leaned over to softly kissed her on the forehead, smiled and nodded to Raven knowing that she was the one to take care of the emotional distraught that had captured their Tameranian girlfriend, and walked off to find Robin. He was going to do what he had sworn he would do for his saviors, be their protector as best he could be. This episode with Starfire crying about how Robin had been so ruthless to he in the past was quite possibly the best way that he could show that he would not, could not back down from any challenge that was thrown at him. If he could take on his own leader, who could stand against him? What person could be around him and his goddesses more the boy wonder? Cyborg was there but was more off to the sidelines, just someone that could watch the whole thing play out. But other then the cybernetic titan, there was nobody else. And that would suit the changeling, princess, and sorceress just fine.

And as he walked off to find the boy wonder, Beast Boy was trying his best to keep his beast under control. Even though Robin being an asshole about the revelation was just an assumption, it didn’t make that much of a difference to the changeling’s increasingly powerful animalistic side. Fifteen steps away from the main room and Beast Boy was about to lose control of the terror that lurked inside his heart and soul. Twelve left before reaching the hallway doors that lead into the main room, the shape shifter’s mind imagined the boy wonder beaten down, bloody nosed and black-eyed as he begged for Beast Boy to stop what he was doing. Ten more to go, the beast controlled the changeling’s imagination further, showing how cold he could be with a swift kick to Robin’s jaw as he told him how much suffering he and his lovers had gone through for their so-called fearless leader. Seven left before he ended up walking into the same room where the boy wonder was, Beast Boy snapped from his trance. He had to fight that part of him that assumed too much and wanted to react before there was much of a chance for anyone else to do anything. Five to go and he pictured Raven and Starfire beside him, the only ones that could stop him from being a wild animal. Three, two, one, he pressed the button to open the door to the main room, tell himself that he was just going to talk, nothing more then that.

Meanwhile, Raven was starting to feel slightly hopeless as she couldn’t pull the Tameranian up from her depressive state. The words that had once gotten the alien princess to smile and wipe away her tears were no longer working. She needed to do something new, something that was more powerful then anything that could even be said. And the only thing that Raven could think of that was more comforting then a constant reassurance that she would never leave her girlfriend was a kiss, much like the first one the two girls had shared. It would remind Starfire of how much they had gone through to reach this point, how far they had traveled in their relationship. It at least seemed to be the perfect solution to the matter at hand.

So that was precisely was Raven did. Placing her hands on either one of the alien princess’s cheeks, she looked into Starfire’s emerald eyes as the tears continued to fall. Softly, gently, tenderly the Goth pulled her girlfriend into a kiss, hoping that it would show the warrior princess that there would he nothing to be afraid about. Even if their worries about Robin’s reaction were going to end up being the truth, they would always have each other and Beast Boy. They had both sacrificed so much to reach this point, experienced the worst of everything just to have what they now had. It had to be protected, to be comforted, to be reinforced constantly. Had Raven do it? Did she fix the Tameranian’s broken heart once more? Once she took a step back and looked in the alien princess’s eyes, Raven would be able to tell for sure.

“Raven,” Starfire said softly as she felt their lips part, “would it be good for me to be there when Love Garfield tells Richard?”

“It’s good for both of us, Koriandr. And I would like it if we were both there when Garfield tells Richard. But I am not going to leave you before you are ready to see Dick again.”

“I believe that I am ready, Love.”

“Are you sure?” Raven asked, coaxing the confidence back into the alien princess’s heart.

“Yes. I will go. I will proclaim my undying love for Garfield before Richard. I will not cower any more. If it is permissible, I wish to kiss Garfield as well to prove that I will not allow my fears to control my actions. I do not want to hide the truth of my hearts desires, Love Raven. Please, let us rejoin our friend who is a boy that we may stand with him.”

“Of course,” Raven said grabbing one of her girlfriend’s hands in her own, glad to see the fire in the Tameranian’s heart burn in defiance against her fears. “Let’s see if Garfield’s found Robin. And just to remind you, we’re all equals here. You don’t need to ask for permission to show how you feel.”

Smiling once more, Starfire’s spirits rose on the wings of her Raven’s actions. And with every step her emotions returned to their norm, only this time they were becoming far stronger then before. Broken and put back together, every time it happened the healing would make Starfire more resilient then before. Now should very well be the last time. Once she was able to face Robin about his place being more then filled by her green lover, her Beast Boy, hers and Raven’s god, there would be nothing more for the three titans to have to face. The public would support them, least that’s what the alien princess now believed thanks to what Raven and Beast Boy had mentioned earlier. But if there was still someone out there that wanted to stand against the trinity, it wasn’t going to last for very long. Especially now that the scars on the Tameranian’s heart were finally starting to completely fade away.

At about the same time the girls finished their conversation and started to look for their boyfriend, Beast Boy stood behind the boy wonder to see how long it would take for acknowledgement. In the meantime he would think about the perfect way to bring up the news about his relationship with both the girls. He could just jump over the sofa and blurt it out. But where would the fun be in that? Unlike how he done with Cyborg, Beast Boy really wanted to flaunt the fact that he had not one but two women that loved him and would be with him until the end of time. After all, Robin had hurt him in the past a multitude of times, made him feel like he was scum of the earth and was worth nothing to the team unless he spent half the day in the gym and the other half trying to be the superhero that none of the titans really were. So why shouldn’t he enjoy himself a little?

“You know, Dick, it would be nice if you said good morning to me. After all, you did miss my birthday,” Beast Boy finally spoke up after he came to the conclusion that he was going to have to start the conversation.

“Huh? Oh, Beast Boy,” Robin said getting to his feet as he pressed the mute button on the remote, “I didn’t notice you there. Guess I had the volume up too high. Sorry about that.”

“I’m not really surprised,” the changeling answered as he crossed his arms over his chest, “I just thought that it’s interesting that you ignore me all the time.”

“We talk,” the boy wonder responded coming around the sofa and standing a couple feet away from the green titan. “We talk all the time.”

“About something other then how I’m not good enough for the team?” the shape shifter asked, preparing for his revelation.

“I never said that. I never told you that you weren’t good for the team,” Robin replied. “You just need to be a better fighter.”

“So I can’t be me,” the green titan calmly shot back while he felt his beast getting ready to break free.

“Look, if this is about yesterday then…” the titan leader started to say before the situation escalated into an argument.

“It’s not just about yesterday, Dick,” Beast Boy interrupted as he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to focus his energy on making sure that his beast didn’t make him break his promise to his girlfriends. But it was becoming increasingly difficult the longer that the changeling talked to the boy wonder. Second by second, the rage in the changeling’s soul pushed harder and stronger. The longer that the shape shifter tried to push off giving the news, just in hopes that he could watch the shock on the boy wonder’s face a little longer before denial set in, the worse his attitude was becoming. Wanting to give a little payback was one thing, wanting to make Robin break down and suffer was something else entirely.

“What then?” the boy wonder asked, wondering where the changeling was going.

“Have you noticed that you have been meaner to me then anyone else on the team? Haven’t you seen that I needed help? But you never gave it to me, did you? You help everyone else you know.”

“I’m sorry about that…but I’m going to make it up to you,” Robin said reaching behind his cape. “I got you something.”

“What makes you think that you can ever make it up to me?” the changeling asked, honestly wanting to know what the boy wonder considered restitutions, especially him.

“Oh, I think that we can start to get along a little better,” the titan leader said holding over a plain white envelope, smirking like it was the greatest thing that the changeling would ever get his hands on.

Toying with the percent in his hands, Beast Boy rolled his eyes at the boy wonder’s comment about how it was supposed to smooth out everything that was between the two titans. How many times had he wanted to punch holes through the tower walls to vent out all his pent up frustrations? How many times did the green titan just go to his room to throw whatever he could around as he screamed out countless curses on the boy wonder’s head? How many times did the changeling question why he was even sticking around as a titan when he was always being shoved around like a kid that had no idea of what to do or when to do it? Did Robin seriously believe that whatever he was giving was going to make him feel any better? Either the boy wonder had found something really great or had been hit on the head one too many times. In any case, Beast Boy lifted up the flap and looked inside.

“Holy shit!” the changeling exclaimed, thoroughly surprised to see a pair of tickets to see a movie later that day, along with a note for a reservation at an exclusive restaurant.

“Told you you’d like it,” Robin said crossing his arms. “You’ve got the day off too.”

“Damn!” Beast Boy answered, his eyes wide as saucers.

“Anything else?” the boy wonder asked.

“Um…yeah,” the shape shifter said looking inside the envelope again, “thanks.”

“Yep, now you can take Raven out. I know you’d like to ever since she killed Trigon,” the boy wonder said with a smirk.

“Um…yeah,” the changeling stammered as he thought that there might be something going on. First of all, Robin was giving him and Raven the evening off from almost any and all missions that might happen throughout the rest of the day. Unless there was a dire emergency like Slade was about to blow up the entire city, the two communicators around the seemingly opposite titans would remain completely silent. Secondly, since when did Robin consider himself to be the dating expert? Even if Beast Boy hadn’t been all that successful in hiding how he was feeling with the sideways glances that he gave every now and then when he felt that he was only going to get to see the dark goddess in battle or around the tower, how did the boy wonder have the remote clue about how Raven truly felt about him? And that brought up the third point, one that made the beast nearly lash out with fiery passion. Robin had to know that Starfire and Raven were together. Who did he think that he was? Was he trying to do what first came to the changeling’s mind, break up the romance between the alien princess and dark sorceress? Why? For what reason did he have to make such a travesty happen?

“Beast Boy,” Robin said seeing a dangerous glare flashing through the changeling’s eyes, “What’s wrong? You like Raven, right?”

“I love her,” Beast Boy said through clenched teeth.

“Then there isn’t a problem.”

“There is a problem, Dick. And I think you know what I am talking about. You are really up to something, aren’t you?”

“What? No, of course not. Why do you say that?”

“Nothing is right, nothing. First the first time, you are being way too nice to me. You have never let me off for anything other then to cry about losing Terra. And even then, I had only a couple days because I needed to go back on the missions. Now, you just missed my birthday and you’re giving me the evening off to take Raven out. You’re setting me up on a date. Don’t you think that would be a little strange? Hmmm?”

“Beast Boy, I…I’m just trying to be nice,” Robin answered, not seeing this course of action when he had thought about what he was going to do.

“No,” the changeling said putting the tickets in his back pocket, “you don’t like Raven being with Kori. So you want to use me to break them up, don’t you?”

“Why did you call Starfire by her real name?” the boy wonder said sidestepping the question.

“Why did you just dodge my question?” the changeling asked with his beast getting ever stronger. “You know, I shouldn’t be surprised. You always took what you wanted no matter what it cost anyone else.”

“This isn’t like you,” the boy wonder reasoned out.

“What? Smart, standing up for myself, or refuse to take you at your word, which is it? I might not be the smartest guy in the world, but I’m not stupid either. I have reasons, two of them on why I should stand up for myself a little more. And you might as well just said that you didn’t like Kori and Raven being together instead of telling me that I should take Raven out of the evening, just us. Those girls love each other. They’ll do anything for each other and there aren’t that many people that are that committed. You realize what you are telling me, right?”

“Beast Boy, I was just trying to be nice. I didn’t mean any…”

“Dick, I heard that you broke up with Kori because she’s bisexual. And it’s sad that you would be like that. You hurt her, broke her heart, dude. But I guess I really should thank you for being a cold hearted bastard. So, thanks again.”

“Huh?” Robin asked, arching a brow as he wondered what the changeling meant.

“Dick, I’m in love. From the day that I saw them I wished to be with them. From all the shit that you put us through, I got a chance to have what I always wanted, love. Kori and Raven love me. They’re my angels, my saviors, my everything. I’m just telling you that when you see us together, don’t say anything about it. I know I’ll be spending as much time with them as much as I can. But don’t worry, I promise to tell you when we’re going out so you don’t worry about your team leaving you. Just treat us with respect and you’ll see the team get better and better. But do what you did to Kori to Raven or Kori again and I swear that you are going to regret it,” the changeling answered with his tone getting cold and more threatening as he finished his personal mission.

Staring blankly, Robin wasn’t sure if he was supposed to actually believe what he was being told or not. Beast Boy sounded very compelling, having the tones down perfectly and his thoughts lined out beautifully. But that was where the boy wonder got caught up. The changeling never said anything that was remotely close to what he had just uttered. It was just too perfect, like it had been practiced time and time again, almost like the green shape shifter was breathing life into a script that he had seen somewhere. And going on with that flawed trail of thinking, the boy wonder continued to miscalculate until he had all but completely convinced himself that Beast Boy was trying to get back at him for the day before, just one more jab before they could finally just coexist without any ill will between them. So with a smirk, Robin nodded and applauded his green ally for a very compelling acting job.

“Are you congratulating me, Dick?” the shape shifter asked as he raised an eyebrow. “Or are you mocking me?” he asked with a less then friendly tone as he pushed his rage back again, still keeping his promise to his lovers.

“Beast Boy, now I can see why you want to be an actor. I guess you might not be a great fighter but when it comes to acting, I don’t know if I can make myself sound that convincing. You sounded real,” the boy wonder answered as he dropped his hands to his side, “For a second, I believed you.”

“I wasn’t acting, Dick.”

“If you’re not, where are they? Why aren’t Starfire and Raven with you?” the boy wonder countered.

“Because Kori was crying when we were going to find you and tell you what happened between us. Raven is with her right now to make her feel better.”

“I saw that answer coming from a mile away, Beast Boy. You’re trying to get back at me and I’m trying to be your friend.”

“If I wanted to get back at you, I wouldn’t have said anything and just let you see me kissing Kori and Raven when we watch a movie or something,” the changeling answered as he heard footsteps coming from down the hallway. “But I can tell you right now that if you don’t want to believe me, I can prove it to you, show you that I’m not lying. I’d even make a bet with you.”

“I don’t bet on anything.”

“Then you believe me,” Beast Boy reasoned.

“No, I don’t take gambles on things when I know I’m right,” the boy wonder answered, defending himself.

“I think you’re scared, Dick. You’re scared that I might be telling the truth and you don’t like it,” the changeling countered as he slightly grinned.

“Fine, you want to gamble on something so stupid I’ll take you up on it,” the boy wonder said caving in. “Here’s the deal, without telling them what is going on you have to put your arms around them at the same time and kiss them in either order; I don’t care. And when you lose, you go on the night patrol for a week.”

“And if I win?” the green titan asked wanting to know what he was about to win, “What then?”

“I’ll give all three of you today off to do whatever you want to do.”

“Shake on it?” Beast Boy asked putting out his hand.

“Have fun,” Robin answered grinning as he shook the changeling’s hand. “I hope you like long nights.”

“Oh, I do,” the shape shifter answered with a smirk, not really believing that the boy wonder didn’t back down. “I really love ‘em.”

Waiting for the girls to show up, Beast Boy just crossed his arms and waited to show the boy wonder how wrong he was. His whole ‘making a beat’ deal was supposed to have made Robin back down and see the facts without everything having to be spelled out to him. But if that was how it had to be, to show that things could happen amongst three people, to prove that an unshakable, steadfast passion could exist amongst three people, then so be it. If Robin didn’t want to trust anything other that what he saw with his own two eyes, then his lack of believing in his own teammate would come back and end up hurting him more then a brutal stabbing to the chest. Robin may have had suffered more then any of the other titans, but now he was about to know what true pain was all about. Fifteen seconds since the bet was passed and Beast Boy turned to watch the doors open before his girlfriends. Down to seven and he turned back around to face the boy wonder as Raven and Starfire took to either side of him. Three seconds before acting without a word and the changeling almost considered letting Robin out of the deal that he was guaranteed to lose. One second and the shape shifter told himself that he was going to teach his leader a lesson in trusting his team. Zero hour, the time was now.

Before a word could be spoken about anything, Beast Boy wrapped his arms around both girls and smirked at the boy wonder. Neither girl protested what he was doing and in fact seemed to be happy to feel his touch, almost like they had missed it for far too long. Did Robin take the major hint that was screaming right in front of his face? Had his mind finally comprehended the complex relationship did indeed exist? And not only that, it was quite resilient even though it was still in its infancy? Or would Robin just keep denying the whole thing as a charade, an act that the changeling had put the girls up to? Could he still rationalize himself to believe a lie that was falling apart?

Not caring what Robin was going to say and knowing that he as going to enjoy every bit of what was going to happen, Beast Boy wasted no time in getting Raven’s attention. For just a moment, the changeling just let himself be completely captivated by the Goth’s eyes. But just like he had at breakfast, he leaned in for a kiss, deep and powerful as the emotion could trace itself to the very core of the changeling’s heart. It didn’t matter that the boy wonder had made a wager that he couldn’t kiss both women. What had happened when Robin had talked to him, saying that he could have the evening off to take the dark sorceress out for a nice dinner, faded into the shroud as through it was to be never brought up again. Nothing other then providing perfect evidence that Raven and he were joined in the heart made a difference.

But since he was still going to have to show that Raven wasn’t the only one that loved Starfire, Beast Boy slowly parted his lips from the dark sorceress’s before he turned to face the other woman that he completely devoted to. Again staring into the Tameranian’s eyes, the warmth of her light surrounded him, and any anxiety that was left after tenderly kissing the Goth was soothed away. Without any fear, he leaned in to kiss the alien princess with the passion that the two of them shared, to again feel an ecstasy that couldn’t be described. Locked together physically, bound as one in spirit, the only thing that could compare to the feeling that Beast Boy shared with his Tameranian lover was the emotional high that he felt with Raven.

“That was…” Starfire began as soon as she and her boyfriend broke their kiss.

“Unexpected but very enjoyable,” Raven finished, her blush just fading.

“This is bullshit!” Robin shouted, his face red with the fury that was taking a hold of his mind.

“I do not understand why you would be so upset, Richard,” the Tameranian responded as she turned to look at the boy wonder with only a little confusion in her eyes and a little self-satisfaction that she wasn’t backing down from her ex-boyfriend in her heart. “But nor do I care what you will say to me now. I have a new love. Garfield loves me for me and accepts me without holding anything back. He stands up for me and is not afraid to show how he feels for me. Love Raven is wonderful when I need to be comforted.”

“K-Kori, no. You’re just angry with me and will do anything to get back at me, right? That’s all. You’re teasing me, testing me, right? You can still give me another chance, right? Tell me I’m right, please.”

“Richard, we are through. There is no course of acting that you can take that would make me reconsider anything. And furthermore, you will not call me Kori again. You may address me as Princess Koriandr or Starfire. Do I make myself clear?”

“But, you know I can change,” Robin answered as he felt true fear rising in his chest.

“You do not understand, Richard. I do not love you.”

“No, no this can’t be happening. It’s just a dream.”

“Um, Raven, Kori,” Beast Boy said looking from Raven to Starfire, Starfire to Raven as he bit his bottom lip and dropped his arms to his side, “I should tell you that I made a bet with Dick. Just so you two don’t get upset, I kinda got today day off for all three of us.”

“How? What did you have to do?” Raven asked as she looked at her boyfriend with an inquiring look.

“Well, um…I told Dick that I would be willing to bet on the fact that you two loved me. Don’t be upset, the kiss was all me. I didn’t even remember it when I…I’ll shut up now,” the changeling responded, cutting off in mid-thought.

“Explain what happened,” the dark sorceress pressed. “Everything, now.”

“Well, when you were helping Kori, I told Robin. Then I waited to see what he said; remember that, Dick?”

“Whatever,” the boy wonder shot back, obviously upset that he had been dead wrong with everything, even getting himself on his ex- girlfriend’s bad side.

“Please continue,” Starfire urged.

“Well, Robin thought that I was just joking around, acting. You know how dream about going to Hollywood; I guess he thought that I was practicing. Anyhow, I told him that I was serious, enough to place a bet. If I lost, I went on the night patrol for a week. But if I won, Robin would give all three of us the day off. When I said ok, I thought he would back out. Guess I was wrong.”

“That’s why he kissed you two,” the titan leader said with pure envy towards Beast Boy for having both girls loving him enough to let him kiss them both without a word of protest.

“I would have done it anyway. I swear, you couldn’t have stopped me, Dick. Even if you had tried,” the changeling barked, glaring at Robin.

“So you’re worried what we think about you now?” Raven asked her boyfriend as she felt the tension that was gripping him.

“Yeah, if you’re upset for me doing…that…I don’t blame you and I’ll do anything I can to make it up to you two,” the shape shifter offered. “Anything you want, you got.”

“If you did that because you just wanted to be lazy for the day, then I am very upset and Kori and I will decide a punishment for you. But you didn’t do it for the reward, did you?”

“I did it because I love you two. But if you want me to, I’ll still go out on the patrols. I mean it, honest.”

“I could agree to that,” Robin shot from the bitterness in his heart.

“Richard, be quiet,” Starfire demanded. “You are not helping matters.”

“Damn it,” the titan leader thought as he bit his tongue, “Damn you, Beast Boy. I used to talk to Star whenever I wanted. This is your fault.”

“Anyhow,” the dark sorceress continued as she ignored the atmosphere she was feeling coming from the boy wonder as he continued to brew in his own jealousy and contempt for the green changeling, “I know your honest heart. I know that you wouldn’t lie to me or Kori. And you never want to hurt us in any way. But what impresses me the most is that you didn’t hide it from us. You told us what you did and you’re willing to face any consequences to make it up. It takes a real man to do that. Because of your honesty and my undeniable love for you, you don’t have to do anything. Its not that big of a deal to me so it makes it even easier for me to completely forgive you.”

“As it is for me, Love,” the alien princess confirmed on her side, “I forgive you, even if I do not fully believe that there is anything to be forgive.”

“Well, I guess that that’s everything that I have to say, anything else anyone what to talk about?” the changeling asked the three other titans.

“No,” Raven answered.

“Nor do I,” Starfire added.

“I do,” Robin spoke up, contempt apparent. “I don’t like this at all. It’s dangerous and is going to create problems for the team. Sooner or later, this is going to fuck up everything.”

“Richard, I don’t want to be here longer then we have to be,” the dark sorceress answered on behalf of herself and her lovers, “so I am make a something thing very clear to you. There won’t be any problems if you don’t start making them. There won’t be any fuck ups if you mind your own business and do your job as the leader of a team that protects a city, not council people on their love lives. And for your information, your opinion in the matter of our hearts has already become irrelevant in our eyes,” Raven finished.

Turning to face her boyfriend and girlfriend, the Goth nodded that she was ready to go. And without another word to the boy wonder and before the titan leader could come up with something to counter what the dark sorceress had told him, the three turned around and walked back down the hall to spend their free day however they saw fit.

Staring blankly as he watched the of his teammates leave with their arms around each other’s waist, Robin didn’t know what to do or what to say now that his plans for the day were shot. Starfire was completely over his breaking up with her and there was nothing that he could say or ever come up with could ever changing that that. The boy wonder had already tried with saying that he could be everything that she needed, that there was no need for her to resort to someone else for something that she might look for in a relationship. But now, now all that he had left was an aching emptiness in his heart, a void that was fast becoming infected with his anger, jealously, and seething hatred that he now held for the changeling. Even though the course of events had been largely started by his actions, it made no difference. All he could see was red.

“No!” he finally screamed again as soon as he snapped from his near bloodthirsty trance. “This isn’t fair. None of this is fair. Why?” he asked as he kicked the back of the sofa. “Why does shit always have to happen to me? Why? I sacrifice and get nothing. He’s lazy and gets everything. It’s not fair,” Robin screamed louder, enough to make Cyborg come in from his workshop.

“Man, what’s wrong?” I can’t concentrate when it sound’s like someone’s dying in here,” the cybernetic titan asked as he nearly ran in with a worried look on his face.

“Raven…Beast Boy….Starfire…they…they,” the titan leader stammered, still choked up by his fury.

“What about them? They’re all together?” the metal titan asked, more like he was looking for confirmation of his suspicions.

“You knew? You were told before me?” the boy wonder exclaimed as though he meant that he was just being told because he had a position on the team.

“I’d be willing to bet that that it was just a coincidence,” Cyborg stated, remaining calm in the face of irrationality.

“Yeah, sure, whatever. What are we going to do?” Robin asked frantically.

“Do? Do about them?” the cybernetic titan asked.

“Yeah, I want Starfire back.”

“Man, Star gave you a chance to be with her. And if you really want to care about her, just be happy for her and others. Let her go.”

“But…”

“Just let her go, Rich. Just let her go.”

Having nothing to counter what Cyborg reasoned, Robin did the only thing that he could think to do, be alone. Taking a slow pace, his mind raced with the facts. No more Starfire hugging him and welcoming him to a new day. No more seeing her smile and knowing that she was looking at him. No more being the one that she relied on for all her needs. Raven and Beast Boy took his place, his foothold in the alien princess’s heart removed. Nine steps away from his room and he started to grow weary of holding onto his hatred and rage. Five steps away and he blocked out all sounds around him: the air conditioner, the sound of heavy hammering from the cybernetic titan’s workshop, Beast Boy telling some jokes, some good and some bad, and the laughter that came thereafter. Standing in front of his room, he opened the door, walked in, and slammed it shut. Five seconds, he walked over to his bed and sat down. Four seconds and he took off his mask. Three seconds to the end and he buried his face in his hands. Two seconds, the boy wonder bit his bottom lip. One second and his mind echoed the metal titan’s words, “Just let her go”. No time left, the boy wonder did something that he hadn’t done in a long time, not since the time he lost his parents to cold murder; he broke down and mourned his permanent loss.

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Intertwining Hearts