- Gar always thinks out of the box. Often making his gifts meaningful and heartfelt. Like collecting Raven feathers that the birds had shed to form a trail to the kitchen where he has a homemade meal all spread out. Or making mementos for varies dates or missions he and Rae go on.
- Wally and Jinx don't put too much stress on Valentine's Day. Of course, he gets her flowers and chocolates. He also takes her out to a nice dinner. But in all honesty, they can't wait to just take their night to the bedroom.
- Dick is very old fashion. You can't go wrong with flowers and chocolate covered berries, Kori's favorite. And of course going on expensive dates, like taking a private jet to Paris for dinner on the Eiffel Tower.
- Vic takes Karen out on the town. She loves going dancing and hitting the bar. Of course, first he has to get her to step away from her work, which is the biggest challenge.
- Drake is a secret romantic. He somehow always manages to sneak Kole away for the whole day. The day usually begins with breakfast in bed and ends with dessert in bed.
- Landon likes to pretend he forgot about Valentines Day just to keep Arella on her toes. She knows he's messing with her, but can't help feeling a little frustrated by the end of the day, when everyone is celebrating but her. Finally, Landon shows up with a big Landon-gesture and makes it all worth the wait. Yes, they end up dancing together in the dark to the sound of classical music.
- Bottom line is, all the guys spoil their girls, somehow, someway. And the girls definitely show their appreciation. 😉
Every King Needs a Queen Chapter 6: Secrets and Memories
Prologue <-------------> Previous Chapter
A pleasant, greasy smell drifted through the vents and the cracks of her bedroom door, tickling her nose with delight. Her stomach bubbled, then growled causing the sleeping young woman to wither slightly with discomfort. With an annoyed groan rumbling up her throat, she pushed her body up with a heave. She sat up for a moment, allowing her brain some time to catch up to her surroundings. She brought her thin hands up to her salted eyes and rubbed the stinging away. She became all too aware that she had once again cried in her sleep.
It didn't matter how nice things were with Landon, or that this has been the happiest week of her life. No matter what she did, nightmares plagued her mind like a virus that she couldn't cure. Visions of her past sins followed by the angst she had put her family and friends in this past week kept guilting her during her slumber. She recalled the moment she killed that monster, Marcus Cassidy, his name bringing up bile in her throat even as she simply thought it. She remembered the thrilling feeling that coursed through her veins as she ripped into his. Like an addict reaching a new high, she had crackled in a wicked laughter and looked unto him with crimson eyes that burned with the fires of Hell. Oh, how intoxicated she felt as his screams filled his bloodied mansion that was now the place of a massacre. This was all she felt at that moment. It was like having someone crack her open, pour out her humanity, and then leave behind her demonic shell. Only that someone was a terrible cook because they threw away her good parts and left behind the shell.
Another cramp of her stomach, followed by a loud, gurgling noise made her realize why she was thinking in terms of food. With a deep inhale of air, she could practically taste the meaty flavors of the bacon being grilled just down the hall. The smell alone filled her with life and she quickly changed out of her pajamas and into a nice, lime-green blouse with matching black slacks and a black blazer. She completed the outfit with a pair of bright green heels that matched her blouse, then went to her vanity mirror to fix her hair into a nice bun. When she finished she paused to take in her reflection. She almost didn't recognize the person looking back at her. Back home, the only time she wore civilian clothes was when she had a day off. Leaving her silky black dress and velvet green cloak folded neatly on her dresser, while she was preparing to go to work felt wrong. Then again, her "work" wasn't exactly right.
Shaking her head free of those thoughts, she used her magic to sink into the chair she had sat in and reappeared into the open concept living room, where she was greeted with a bizarre sight. It wasn't something she hadn't seen before, she's seen it 8 times to be exact, but each time still baffled her. In the kitchen at the stove with his back toward her was a neatly dressed Landon, humming to a tone she didn't recognize. He had out a pan that he was currently using to scramble a couple of eggs. To his right, sitting on the counter, was a waffle maker surrounded by waffle ingredients and a bowl half-full of the batter. In the oven, the strips of bacon she had smelt before popped and cracked as the heat warmed them up.
It had come as a great shock to her on her first morning, to see the king of Hell cook her breakfast. That's when she learned his first secret, the king likes to cook. He claimed that food tasted better cooked the mortal way, and by that, he meant without magic. She remembered because it was an opinion shared by her father, one she had heard many times before and not just regarding food. Her father was very adamant about using magic unnecessarily. "It's borderline cheating!" He would claim. "And no child of mine will be raised a cheater!"
Hearing her father's voice in her mind made her heart twist and ache, but she squeezed her eyes shut and forced the memory back into the depths of her mind.
"Morning darling." The sound of a familiar English accent pulled her attention back to reality. "Sleep well?"
Every day started with Landon asking her the same question. It was as if he knew that each night since she left home, she would spend the middle of the night whimpering and wetting her pillow with her tears as her subconscious forced her to confront her guilt and grief. But how could he know, when every morning she replied with the same, ironic lie.
"Like a baby."
He snorted. "So, you were up every two hours needing your bottle?"
She responded with a firm glare and red cheeks. If Landon did know the truth, he never mentioned it and with an amused smirk, continued preparing their breakfast. Arella observed him for a moment, then she took her seat at the dining table that was placed just off to the side of the kitchen. The table was oddly long for a demon who lived by himself, but who was she to judge. It did, however, make eating there feel awkward and lonely. She was so used to a full table, that seeing one as grand as this so empty was just sad. Yet she took her seat anyway, the one to the right of the head of the table.
Above the regular racket of cooking, the young demoness heard a blaring beep followed by another.
"Perfect timing as usual." She thought as watched Landon pull out the pan of bacon from the oven, then use a fork to remove the Belgian waffle from the waffle maker. He placed the waffle on a plate, then used another plate for a couple strips of bacon plus the scrambled eggs. Though he refused to use magic to cook, he did allow himself the convenience of using it to set the table.
"Bon appétit!" He announced in a strained French accent as the plate of food found its way in front of the girl. Right on cue, her stomach growled once more, letting her know the meal had its approval.
"Thank you, Landon." She said respectfully, before digging into the scrumptious meal. She may not have believed that the lack of magic made a difference, but she did believe the man had a gift for the culinary arts.
"Still like the food?" He asked her fondly as he watched her eat while taking his seat beside her.
"Still the best meals I've ever had." She told him in between bites of her waffle. Landon winced at the sight.
"You mean that as a compliment, but I take it as an insult, considering all the much finer meals I have prepared for you."
This was a funny little secret about Landon that she took great pleasure in exploiting. The king hated breakfast food. Since he had long since forgotten what hunger felt like, he had no reason to crave the first meal of the day. Not only that, but he felt the whole concept of breakfast food was childish and unnecessary. All some human needs is a cup of hot coffee to start his or her day. The same principle applied to the demon lord.
So why did he make her such a bountiful breakfast feast? Because she had asked. It still baffled her as to why he had been so incredibly accommodating to her, and she made it a point to look more into those reasons, but she was not the type to look a gift horse in the mouth. When she had mentioned on her first morning that her favorite breakfast was waffles with real bacon and eggs, he had instantly pulled all she needed right out of thin air - literally. He had sworn to her though, that he would teach her to improve her palette. An oath he was still Hell-bent on living up to.
"Well, there's not a meal on Earth that could beat waffles, eggs, and bacon." She exclaimed as she tore off a piece of meat with her teeth.
"Only a food virgin would speak such blasphemy." He retorted with mock offense.
Arella tried to fight off the blush that spread across her cheeks at the word "virgin." She knew what he meant by it in this context, but the word still held some taboo to it. Landon easily caught the red tint and a delightful smile formed on his face.
"Stop blushing. You're a grown woman for Christ's sake."
"Shut up!" She cried as she tried to use her hand to shield herself, but no matter how annoyed her voice sounded, it could not mask over the smile that tugged at her lips.
Another secret of his: his laughter was contagious.
"Just...tell me what to expect today. You didn't exactly give me a handbook."
His laughter died down and he returned to his normal "business as usual" demeanor. "No, I suppose I didn't, but no need to worry. The job is pretty self-explanatory." He shrugged as he took a sip of his black coffee.
"Well I have a little bit of an idea of what a secretary does, but what does the private secretary to the king of Hell do?"
"It's simple, darling. Just do whatever I say, exactly the way I want you to do it." He offered with a wave of his hand. "Simple."
"Right." The purple-haired sorceress huffed as she began to play with her eggs.
"Don't play with your food, dear. It's unprofessional."
Arella looked up to catch his crimson gaze, but instead, he had his face hidden behind an unfolded newspaper he had conveniently just opened. With a roll of her purple-green eyes, she muttered just loud enough for him to hear. "Alright...Dad."
She heard the newspaper crinkle and looked back to see two blazing red pupils glaring at her just above the top of the paper.
"Never call me that."
Arella swallowed her laughter at his sudden seriousness and continued eating her meal while he went back to his paper. While they allowed a comfortable silence to settle between them, it was soon interrupted by an alarm coming from Landon's old fashion watch. He pressed a button on the side of the clock to stop the noise, then folded up his paper.
"Well, duty calls my dear."
Standing up, he took one last sip of his drink before setting the mug down and offering his arm to the girl on his right. "Shall we?"
Arella gave him a small nod and stood up to link her arm around his. Before they could leave, Landon looked down at her curiously for a brief heart-beat.
"Don't be nervous." He blurted out, taking Arella by surprise. Her eyes shot up to meet his gentle gaze, the usual flame that burned in his eyes dimming and giving off a softer glow. "You'll do great."
His last-minute words of encouragement made her chest swell up with a confidence that could be seen shining through her gem-like eyes. With a nod of her head, Landon took his cue and the pair vanished in a puff of obsidian smoke, headed for the kingdom of damnation.
"So, this is... Hell?" She glanced around feeling more confused than anything. She looked like she walked onto the set of Downtown Abbey with Victorian furniture decorating an office space.
"Sorry to disappoint," Landon said strolling behind his large oak desk.
She moved her hands along the books sitting along the bookshelves and removed one flipping through it absentmindedly. "I was expecting, ya know, fire and brimstone type of atmosphere."
"I've always dreamed of having an office like this," he said, "so that's what we're standing in."
She was about to inquire further, but something caught her attention. None of the books had words on them and after opening one saw that it was completely blank. She returned it and continued her examination. The office had no doors, no windows, no way in or out. Her ear twitched drawing her attention to the walls. She crept closer, training her ears to the sounds.
First, it was light scratching on the walls then slowly intensified to clawing, then pounding.
She yelped, practically leaping backward. The pounding was soon joined by shouting, then screams, manic laughter, wails, and pleading that was coming from all around her. Her ears burned with their screams, bled from their pleading. She dropped to her knees, covering her ears and shrieking for the sounds to stop.
With the walls closing in and the sounds pounding into her center, she curled into a ball and begged for it all to stop. Screaming furiously until all she could hear was the sound of her voice cracking.
"ARELLA!"
Landon's frantic call made her eyes snap open and she found herself still standing beside the bookshelf, book in hand. Landon took two long strides across the room and snatched the book from her grasp, slamming it shut in the process.
He grabbed her by the sides of her face. "Come back to me, love. Come on. It's not real darling. It's not real." Arella took a few deep breaths, listening to his voice to keep herself grounded. After a minute or two of this, she had finally settled and the voices faded away into nothingness. He pulled his hands back. "Haven't your parents ever taught you to look with your eyes?" He scolded out of frustration and worry, his eyes igniting with flames.
"N-no." She stuttered sheepishly, her eyes still wide and swimming in confusion and horror.
Seeing her reaction, the demon king forced his eyes shut and took in a deep breath, calming himself down. When he opened his eyes, they had returned to their soft crimson glow.
"Well, you have your father's curiosity that's for sure. Look, darling, I know this may just look like your average study, but do try to remember you are in The Pit." He cautioned her in a gentler tone as he placed the book back where she had found it.
His reassuring voice did ease her nerves to some degree and she visually relaxed a little bit. "Right. My bad." She apologized as her eyes returned to the bookshelf with a fearful glare. "What kind of books are those, anyway?"
Landon followed her gaze. "The important kind. That's why they have a protection spell that keeps the riff-raff from reading them."
"So, making the pages appear blank isn't enough? They have to torture the reader too?"
Landon openly chuckled at her silly question. "This is Hell, darling. Torture is our bread and butter."
Just then, the two were interrupted by a knock on the door. Before answering, Landon leaned closer to Arella and whispered in her ear, "Remember, just do what I say and try to keep up."
Before she could question him, his majesty had already called for the newcomer to enter. The doorknob twisted, then the door was swung open, revealing a thin, white-haired older man. He had a pair of plain black, square-framed glasses that sat in front of his beady red eyes. He wore a striped black suit with a light blue dress shirt underneath. Around his neck was a bright royal blue bow tie that really complimented his nerdy aesthetic.
"My apologies your majesty, but would you like to go over your schedule for today?" The strange man asked as he held up a clipboard with an elaborate schedule printed on it. Arella was taken back at how kind this man seemed to be. His red eyes led her to believe he was another demon, but his warm aura made her feel comfortable under his presence.
"Very well." Landon waved him in as he walked over to his desk and took a seat in the big, black leather chair. He spun around about 90 degrees and stopped behind his desk, placing his folded hands on the wooden surface. "What have we on the docket today?"
Though she could not tear her eyes away from him, still perplexed by his abnormal demon behavior, he ignored her as he approached Landon's desk.
"So, you have a luncheon with your dealers in Moscow at noon, two rouge possessions, three Cambion registrations, and forty deals to sign off on." The male secretary read off, making his superior stare back at him with boredom. Once he finished, there was a pregnant pause that passed between them.
Then Landon sighed leaning back in his chair. "Oh, I love a Monday."
"Is there anything I should amend to this, Sir?"
Landon shook his head, waving him away. "No, Terrance, that should be all."
Terrance. What an odd name for a demon? Then again, everything about this situation seemed odd to Arella. Nevertheless, she watched on as Terrance turned to leave, but was stopped by a lady second call from Landon.
"But do free up your schedule for today. I have an important task for you."
Both Arella and Terrance met Landon's smug look with confusion.
"And what is that, Sir?" The inferior demon asked as he clutched tightly to his clipboard as if he feared for the life of his precious calendar. Landon ignored his nervousness as he gestured toward Arella, who still stood awkwardly off to the side of the room. Terrance's beady eyes followed Landon's gesture and regarded the girl in the room for the first time. Arella waited for his reaction, perhaps an apology for not addressing her sooner. He seemed like the type to care about chivalry. Only by the expression on his face, he didn't seem to care at all. He seemed rather annoyed.
"Terence, this is Arella -"
"Say no more Sir," Terrance interrupted with a lifted hand, stopping Landon mid-sentence. "I'll be sure to hang your special necktie on the doorknob so no one disturbs you."
Now that was certainly unexpected. Arella's blush came back with a vengeance, and she was surprised nothing in the room combusted from her powers. She assumed it was due to her being in another realm. Landon didn't seem embarrassed, just narrowed his eyes with a shake of his head.
"No, you bloody idiot! That's not what I was going to ask!" He hissed, his eyes burning as he slammed his hands on his desk and jumped out of his chair. Terrance appeared taken back from this reaction but bowed his head submissively.
"My apologies, your majesty."
Landon remained scowling. "Arella is my new private secretary, and as my office administrator, I'd like you to give her the grand tour. Answer any questions she may have and do try to be polite to the lady, for your sake."
Landon secret #3: He has an office administrator.
Terrance clenched his jaw, fighting back the urge to protest. "Right, Sir." He forced out, then with an annoyed glare he motioned for the demoness to follow him. "Right this way, Mrs. Arella."
Arella had a scowl of her own. She glanced over at Landon, who simply gave her a small nod of encouragement. With no good way out of this, Arella took her time to exit the room.
Landon secret #4: His office administrator is a class-A jerk.
"Have fun you two!"
A splash of holy water elected another ear-shattering scream from the demon hanging by her wrists. She spat out the remaining water before speaking barely above a whimper, "I. Don't. Know."
Raven swished the water around the open thermos, making sure her captive could hear that she was ready to drench her again. "I'm really losing my patience- "
"And I'm telling you! I don't know where Landon is! Ask him!" She motioned to the Dragon Knight lurking in the shadows. "Do you think Landon would tell us grunts on the ground where he's playing house at-AGH!"
Another splash of holy water before Raven growled through her teeth. "That's my daughter your talking about."
The tethered demon took a moment to gather herself. "I swear to you on my gravestone, I don't know where they are. Landon moves around maybe once a twice in a couple of weeks. This time he's moved three times in nine days. He's got safe houses all over the planet, Hell his safe houses have safe houses, it's impossible to pin down where he'd be. That's all I know I promise."
Raven began shaking with rage and raised the thermos to douse her again, but a strong grip stopped her. "That's enough," Drake stated firmly before turning his attention to the demon. "The human your possessing, is she still alive?"
She nodded. "A dental hygienist two towns over."
"Let her go and we'll forget this ever happened." The dark being wasted no time evacuating the human host to points unknown.
A frustrated Raven slammed the door of the T-car as Drake finished leaving the formerly possessed girl at the hospital. "I told you it was a waste of time."
"No, it wasn't. We know he's been moving around- "
"Raven, it's been weeks and still nothing. I know him better than anyone and if he doesn't want to be found. He. Won't. Be. Found."
She folded her arms in a huff. "I'm not trying to find him, I'm trying to find my daughter. She just confused and needs to come home." There was silence in the car telling Her that her companion didn't share her beliefs, "just take us back to the tower."
Drake rolled his eyes, but put the car in gear and pulled away for a very tense car ride. In an attempt to ease the tension, Raven cleared her throat. "Have you told Jackie about all this?"
"Oh god no. You know how protective she is, especially with her little sister. And don't know how she'd handle Chloe never leaving the tower unless Maria says so."
Raven leaned against the door of the car, her violet eyes watching the buildings and people passing by, "that's right. They've never liked each other."
Drake stole a glance at the demoness, before flicking his eyes back to the road. "That's not... completely true."
Raven turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, really? Then explain why anytime the two are near each other, I can sense a mixture of irrational fear and mild irritation coming from them?"
"Probably because she threatened to freeze Maria and use her fingers as ice cubes, but in her defense, the twins did lose Chloe and Arella while babysitting."
Raven sighed in frustration. "She didn't lose them, Arella accidentally sent them to another dimension. But at least it was filled with unicorns and cupcakes."
Drake chuckled. "And you wonder why we never asked them to babysit." With a huff, she folded her arms again until Drake started laughing. "Do you remember that time, it was like the first Teen Titans dance or something."
Raven thought a moment then her face lit up at the memory. "Oh yes, I remember! Gar thought the kids could loosen up a bit, take some time to act like normal teenagers for a change. It took a lot of convincing, but once Dick finally approved the idea, the kids truly enjoyed themselves. I was very proud of Gar. Once again, he proved himself to be a very capable teacher."
Drake stole another glance at the woman beside him, taking note of her uncharacteristic smile as she took her gaze back to the passenger window. He realized it had been a very long time since he's seen her happy, even if it was just over an old memory. Catching her in such a good mood actually made him squeamish and he squeezed the wheel nervously.
"Yes, well, Kole and I were chaperoning that night and we saw what Jackie did for Maria."
Raven knitted her eyebrows curiously. "What are you talking about?"
Drake shot her a look but realized the empath truly was lost. "Remember what happened between Maria and Dick's kid? That night at the dance?"
Raven gave it some thought, then nodded her head. "Yes, now I do. Maria was upset because Johnny couldn't work up the nerve to ask her to dance and Maria was too stubborn to ask him herself."
"Right. I wonder where she got that from in the first place?" Drake teased with a smirk rising on his face.
Raven glared at him but shrugged it off. "Yes, well, the way I remember it, Johnny did finally work up the courage and the two started dating ever since."
Drake gave a small nod. "Yeah that's what happened, but you didn't notice Jackie talk some sense into him first. Told him something about taking risks, then threatened to ice him if he didn't go through with it."
Raven's eyes widen at this news. "Really? Well, I guess that's something your daughter gets from you."'
Drake looked at her with amusement sparkling in his eyes. "And what's that?"
"The need to threaten people until she gets what she wants." Raven deadpanned as she returned the look, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "And being acting like a badass when she's really a big softy at heart."
Drake scuffed at that, but Raven could sense the affection bubbling inside him.
"Well for what's it's worth, Maria got something else for you as well."
It was Raven's turn again to be curious. "Oh?"
"Yeah...she has a gigantic heart."
This time, Raven allowed herself to give a full smile, with a hint of a blush dusting her cheeks.
"Thank you, Drake." The mother returned to the view outside, just as they were passing the city park. Raven looked upon the sight fondly, enjoying the trees and the happy folks that walked on the cobblestone paths. As they came to a stop at a light, she caught sight of a young woman, sitting on a park bench with a young baby in her arms. The woman appeared content as she allowed her child to suckle her breast, and Raven could sense the bond that the mother and her child shared. As the car jolted forward once the light turned green, Raven watched the mother and baby slowly disappear.
With a heavy sigh, Raven's eyes fell to her lap and she fiddled with her purple cloak.
"Raven?" Drake's concerned voice reminded her he was still there. "You okay?"
The heroine closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that threaten to stain her face, but she shook her head in response. "I'm sorry, I just…" She caught herself before her voice could crack. "I can't help but wonder...what did Arella get from me?"
"So, she's become a demon?"
"No! Dick, argh! No, that's not it!" Garfield yelled as he slammed his gloved hands on the desk in front of him, making all its contents jump, including the laptop they were using to video chat with their leader.
"Then explain it to me again, Gar, because so far all I'm hearing is that one of our Teen Titans murdered a target, then ran away with the King of Hell with the help of one of our other students, who assaulted their mentor!" Even from the weak speakers on the computer, Richard Grayson, CEO of the Titans Organization, sounded frustrated and a tad intimidating. The scowl on his face and the crease in his mask that covered his eyes said it all.
Gar was about to retaliate when he felt a gentle squeeze of his shoulder. The changeling dropped his head and took a deep breath, before slowly letting the air out.
"Look Dick, I know this sounds bad, but you have to hear us out." He forced himself to reason calmly.
"Fine. I'm listening."
Gar let out a long, tired sigh, then he lifted his head to meet Richard's heated face. "Arella didn't know what she was doing. Her demon-side...took the reins like it did to Raven during Trigon's second coming."
Dick leaned back in his chair and pinched his chin in thought. "Okay...so this is Trigon's doing?" He offered, but Gar gave an unconvincing shrug.
"Well, probably."
"What does that mean!" Batman's ex-protege snapped.
Gar rubbed the back of the neck and looked away. "It's just that...I don't know for sure if it or not. I mean, Trigon was banished to another dimension. How can he possibly control Arella from where he is?"
"Are you disproving your own statement, Gar?"
"I don't know, Dick!" The shape-shifter howled as he tossed his hands in the air. "I'm just trying to figure this all out myself!"
"Well, you should have already done that, considering you waited a whole week to tell me all this!" The black and blue crime-fighter growled back.
"Enough! Both of you!" The pink-haired, geomancer standing beside Gar silenced both men. "Yelling at each other isn't going to solve anything. We're still not entirely sure of Arella's motive and we won't know until we find her. That's why our sole focus now should be on bringing her home."
"Kole is right," Dick admitted, much to both Kole and Gar's surprise. "But what about Chloe?"
"Maria has agreed not to press any charges for the assault and Chloe is grounded for the time being," Kole explained as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Both Dick and Gar gave her a questionable look. "You mean on house arrest?" Gar asked.
Kole shrugged. "Tomato, tomato."
Dick shook his head. "Right, well, I suppose that is good enough for now. But you better find Arella sooner rather than later. Until she can testify that this was indeed someone else's doing, we can only go forward based on the evidence collected against her."
Gar eyes narrowed at his friend's warning. "What does that mean?"
"It means, you better find your daughter soon, or she could end up on the Titans most wanted."
"Is that a threat, Nightwing!" Gar growled, eyes glowing and teeth bared.
"No Gar, it's a fact!" Dick spat back, then took a second to calm himself. He met Gar's protective stare with a solemn expression. "Look, not talking as your superior, but as your friend, my heart goes out to you and Raven. I know better than most what it's like to have your daughter go A-wall. I'll do what I can to stall things on my end. Just...bring her home, Gar. Before it's too late." And with that, the video ended.
Gar slammed the laptop shut then all but shoved it off the table in a huff. "Easy." Kole scolded.
Gar ran his hands through his hair. "Sorry. He just makes me so mad sometimes. Just like when we were teens."
"Oh, grow up," Kole gathered her laptop into her arms and headed out the door with Gar at her heels, "Your turning this into a pissing contest instead of focusing on the real issue here. Trying to keep our daughters from being caged for the rest of their lives."
Gar grabbed fistfuls of his hair and tugged, "I know. I just . . . I don't know..." The two entered the empty common room and headed straight for the kitchen. Kole waited for a beat before resting her laptop down on the kitchen table, but then heard sniffling. "What happened to my baby girl?"
Kole sighed, "She grew up. Just like we all did. And like the rest of us made choices she's going to have to live with." There was silence, except for the occasional sniffle. She would need a different tactic. "Just like when you had to ground the twins after releasing a baby eating demon."
The sniffling became a snort, "I see what you're doing. You're trying to get me to laugh, but it won't work. I'm so not in the mood."
"Fine. I'll just get you some water." She fumbled around the kitchen looking for a glass. "Hopefully I don't accidentally pour salt instead of sugar." He snorted again, almost a laugh this time. Though it wasn't his finest moment, he had once convinced the twins to put salt in their mother's tea. She banished all of them from the tower that day.
She sat beside him, handing him his glass of water. "Thank you." He didn't take it at first, just stared at it. "What am I going to do. Even if we find Arella, what then? They lock her up?"
"Not if we have anything to say about it. We helped Raven all those years ago, we can do it again."
He scoffed, "Well the situations are a little different."
"We'll even still. We can fix this . . . somehow."
He finally took a sip. "I know you're trying to be positive and all, but I'm too much of a realist I guess."
"Fine, be a Debbie Downer. In the end, it doesn't matter what happens. All that matters is if you'll be the kind of father Arella needs if or when she comes home. In the meantime, let's make sure she comes back to a home and not a cage." Though Gar still wasn't that optimistic about their situation, he nodded his head and committed to working with Kole, and at the very least do what he can for his little girl.
Author's Notes: Well there you have it! An update! Dedicated to our most patient and loyal reader, GolemXIV! Hope you enjoyed it Golem! And to any of our newer readers, if you're feeling confused by some of the references in this story, be sure to read @bearhow2′s Dragon Knight Series for some background on some of the characters featured in this story.
Disclaimer: OCs owned and written by myself and @bearhow2. Story is co-written by myself and @bearhow2 . Canon characters owned by DC Comics.
Author’s Notes: Hey y’all! Guess what we’ve got for y’all tonight! That’s right! An update! Be ready, because the parents are showing up in this one! I know y’all have been waiting for this for a while, so enjoy the show!
Prologue / Ch. 1 / Ch. 2 / Ch. 3 / Ch. 4
Every King Needs a Queen
Chapter 5: The Adults Are Talking
Maria used her dark magic to open a portal to the top of the tower. When she stepped through her breach, she had to use her arm to cover her eyes as the wind created by the wings of a dragon blew in her face. By the time she was able to see again, the obsidian, scaly form of the dragon had been replaced with the well-toned body of an obscure man. His shaggy, untamed hair was marbled with brown and grey. His deep hazel eyes dulled with age, but still burned with a heated passion for injustice. He wore his signature black coat, now stained, frayed and torn from his past battles. Around his waist was a belt that held his varies weapons that he had collected over the years.
In his arms he carried a woman, his wife and companion whom he placed gently onto the ground. She stood just under his chin, yet her small frame was misleading to those who knew of the power that ran through her veins and the experiences that flashed behind her crystal-like eyes. She stood with a confidence that made Maria envious. Her pink hair fell to her shoulders, and still looked as bright and as soft as ever. Clearly, this woman cared more for her appearance than the man at her side. And unlike her husband, she dressed in a more comfortable fashion, sporting a whimsical, baby-blue sundress that was patterned with bright yellow carnations.
As the couple approached the younger girl, her palms began to sweat, and she fought back the urge to run her gloved hands through her hair. Any nervous habit would be obvious to this pair and showing weakness in front of ones with such authority would look poorly on her part and undermine her own role here. So, the young changeling stood straight and bit the inside of her cheek as she looked upon the older duo with an empty gaze. She extended her hand out to the man who came to her first and offered a respectful greeting.
“Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, welcome to the Teen Titans West Tow- “
“Where is she?” He growled, ignoring her opened hand. The intensity of his glare made Maria’s figurative tail duck between her legs, but again she fought the urge to react.
“We do not have a location yet on Arella, but I have already assigned – “
He rolled his eyes “Not her! My daughter! Chloe! Where is she?”
Before Maria could answer, Mrs. Daniels came forward, placing a calming hand on her husband’s shoulder and pulling him back slightly. “What Drake means is that we appreciate you contacting us, Maria. Now if you could please escort us to Chloe, we would appreciate that.” Kole Daniels spoke with a steady and gentler voice, but Maria noticed the coloring of her knuckles as she held back her husband by his arm. Somehow, her reasonable request and peaceful presence diminished some of the tension that came off between the two other alphas on the roof. Maria nodded her head, as almost an unspoken thank you to the wiser woman.
“Right this way.” She said as she turned and led them back inside.
She led them soundlessly further into the tower, as they made their way to the special prison designed to hold even the strongest of metahumans. As they made their trip, Maria’s empathic senses picked up on the burning fury that came off the dragon knight behind her. She could smell the scent of cigar smoke, vinegar, and pepper that made up the distinct smell of anger. She clenched her fists, but kept a steady pace as she led them to their destination.
Once they entered into the small space that came between them and the containment unit, Maria took notice of the temporary prisoner inside. The pink-haired girl sat on the floor with her head against the wall and her eyes to the ceiling as if she were looking at something. Satisfied that her prisoner was being herself, Maria used one hand to pull off her glove and placed her exposed hand on the panel that was placed to the side of the door. The panel scanned her prints, then after a heartbeat, the it blinked green and the door slid open, granting them access.
Before Maria could take two steps in, Kole pushed past her and made a beeline for her daughter with open arms and wrapped them around her daughters neck. Not at all bothered by the cuffs that dangled around her hands between them.
“Oh honey, I’ve missed you so much! Are you okay? Why is it everytime we come to visit you, it’s because you’ve gotten yourself into some kind of trouble? Oh, it doesn’t matter right now. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She squeezed her tighter, pressing Chloe’s head into her chest.
“Mom...your boobs are in my face.” Chloe grumbled as she tried to squirm out of her mother’s grasp.
Slightly embarrassed, She let go of her daughter and stood back up to give her some space. “Sorry.”
“Hey what about me?” Kole glanced at Drake who had been stuck in place by solid crystals around his ankles formed by his loving wife.
She glared. “Are you gonna behave?”
He rolled his eyes and put on his widest, fakest smile. She scrunched her nose. It would have to do. She waved her hand and released him, but his smile quickly vanished with the crystal.
“Dad, just let me explain.”
“Somebody better. We get a call saying you’ve been ‘detained’ and Arella has gone missing, but no one is telling us why!”
“Don’t forget she knocked out her leader.” Maria glared.
Drake waved her off, “Yeah I don’t care about that.”
Chloe stood up beside her mother, but kept a bit of a distance between her and her father. “Okay so about a week ago -”
“Hold on.” Drake interrupted her. It only took him three strides to cross the room. When he reached her, he held out his hand, ready to clutch the chains of her cuffs and melt them on the spot, but Chloe stepped back, out of his reach. Before he could protest, Chloe wiggled her arms, and out popped both her hands, now free of the power-canceling cuffs.
Both Maria and Drake starred at the young girl in amazement. “What the hell?” They said in unisine.
Chloe simply shrugged. “Oh come on, like you didn’t teach us how to escape power-canceling cuffs in the first week of training?” She said as she looked over at Maria who huffed and crossed her arms.
“Anyways, back to what I was saying. About a week ago, Uncle Landon came to me-“
“-oh god!” Both Kole and Drake groaned facepalming.
“ANYways he was asking me for a favor.” Drake and Kole glanced at her in horror causing her to roll her eyes. “Shut up, I kept my soul. He told me that Arella was about to get blamed for something bad, and when that happens, I should give him a call on this.” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a classic flip phone about the size of her thumb. She held it out for everyone in the room to see, but Drake quickly snached it from her hand.
“That crazy mother fucker gave you my old phone.” He mumbled under his breath, but it was still loud enough for everyone to here.
“Drake, language.” Kole scolded her husband, before turning back to her daughter. “Go on Chloe.”
The younger knight nodded her head at her mother in gratitude before continuing. “So anyway, I didn’t understand what he was blabbering about at the time, but when I overheard Maria accuse Arella of murder, I just knew that was what he meant. How he knew that was going to happen is beyond me, but I did as he told me. Arella teleported us to some beach around here, and I gave him a call.”
A scary silence settled over the cell. “M-Murder?” Kole squeaked.
“Arella is a suspect in a series of murders.” Maria spoke. “I have the evidence to back it up.”
The scary silence again this time causing Drake to begin pacing the cell, rubbing his face with his hands. He stopped at the wall, the overwhelming information buzzing around his head like killer bees. “So Arella is with Landon then?” Drake questioned.
Chloe answered him with a nod.
“Damnit.” Drake cursed once again, ignoring the scaving look his wife was sending him. “Chloe, what did I tell you about him?”
Chloe wasn’t in the mood for a lecture, or stupid questions, so her response was as snippy as she could get. “Don’t trust him.”
“And what did you do?”
“I trusted him.” She sighed. “But you don’t understand, Dad, Arella had no one else to turn to! If she had stayed here, she would be the one locked up right now, not me and god know what else. Besides YOU trusted him before!”
“That was different!” He barked. “We did what we HAD to do! This is just two teenagers in way over their heads!!”
Chloe narrowed her now slitted eyes, but before anything could escalate further, Kole stood between them, but spoke to Maria. “Maria, have you contacted your parents yet?”
“No ma’am, not yet. I’ll go ahead and do that now.”
“Good. As both your father and your boss, Gar deserves to know as soon as possible.”
Maria nodded her head in agreement, but before she could excuse herself to make the call, a flash of red showed up in the doorway. Bart Allen caught his breath after coming to a stop by the door.
“Hey boss, we’ve got some more visitors.”
“What? Who?”
Just then, the tower’s security system sounded throughout the tower. “Welcome, Changeling and Raven.”
“Oh crap.” Maria muttered, but begrudgingly stepped out of the room and went to accept her fate.
When she entered the common room, she was met with the backs of her parent’s who were currently conversing with the other members of her team. Her father was the first to hear her enter the room, and his worried gaze fell upon her as she approached them. Raven followed his line of sight to her daughter, whom was quickly taken into her arms.
“Maria, thank goodness, is everything alright?” Her mother asked her in her signature gravelly voice.
“How did you know if anything was wrong?” Maria answered with another question.
“Mother’s intuition.” Raven deadpanned.
“Plus your mother just happens to be the greatest empath in the universe, so of course she knows if something fishy is going on between one or more of her kids.” Garfield added as he stepped closer to Maria. The older man may have been as fit as a whistle, but years of battle still made themselves known. His once thick, forest green hair, now shining with grey streaks and thinning over the top. The corners of his mouth now wrinkled from every past smile and frown. His suit mirrored her own, white with purple around the sides and collar. Only his had no emblem over the chest.
His wife and mate beside him nodded her head in agreement. Her own features aging as well. Her once deep violet locks that fell past her shoulders now had grey roots, and her small body had some added weight, compliments of her child-bearing years. She had no wrinkles though, and in fact, her skin looked as flawless as ever, due in large part to her self-healing abilities. Her long, navy blue cloak just barely missed the floor and hung against her wide shoulders. She addressed her daughter with a sense of urgency.
“Now where is Arella?”
For some reason, Maria felt a spike of jealousy rise within her. Even though Arella was the problem at the moment, it still felt wrong for them to immediately worry about her baby sister before her. Would it kill them to think about her for a change? But Maria had to shove those feelings away, for there were more pressing matters to attend to.
“That’s the problem Mom. You see,” She hesitated. Was she really about to tell her own mother that her sister, their daughter was a killer? No going back now. “About a week ago the guy we were after was brutally murdered before we could get to him. Just like twelve others before him. So I went to the crime scene to investigate, to see if this was more than a coincidence.”
Raven wide eyes urged her to continue. “And?”
Maria gulped. The eyes of her parents plead for the truth, but, how could she tell them. She inhaled through her nose. “And while I was there, I picked up . . . Arella’s scent.” Raven let out a gasp in horror, her hands shooting to cover her mouth, while Garfield looked away in distraught, but Maria hadn’t finished. “I also found a security camera that I had Susan salvage for me.”
At this, Raven held up her hand to silence her. “No. I-I don’t want to hear this.” She looked over to her husband who was now pacing the common room floor.
“Sorry Raven, you’ll need to hear this.” The sarcastic voice of Drake Daniels came from behind Maria, forcing the girl to turn her attention to him. Raven regarded the dragon knight with a suspicious gaze. Garfield stop his pacing to do the same.
“Drake.” Garfield scuffed as he stepped in between the other man and his wife and daughter. “What are you doing here?”
“Dealing with my out of control daughter, same as you.” Garfield opened his mouth to retort, but his reply was cut off. “I’m not here to start a fight with you. It seems that my Kid, helped your kid escape. With him.”
“Landon.” When Raven said the name, the temperature in the room dropped and her eyes transformed into red burning slits.
Drake shrugged, “And you win the trip to Maui.”
Raven snarled, a more disturbing noise than anything Gar could do. “That bastard has been hovering around Arella ever since that night he killed Carnus.” She said through clenched teeth, the rage in her voice sending a chill down the normally tough as nails demon killer. However, it only took the calming touch of her green husband to return her features back to normal.
“Where are they?” Gar asked.
Drake shrugged again, “I don’t know-“
“-your bffs and you don’t know!?”
“Settle down!” Drake commanded, “A) were not joined at the hip and B) we don’t speak unless he visits Chloe. But I may have a clue.” He reached into his coat and pulled out the phone he confiscated from Chloe and waved it in the air.
“Seems his royal pain in the ass gave a parting gift to Chloe.”
Gar moved quickly to try and swipe the little device, but Drake (even after all these years) was still quicker.
“Give me the phone, Drake!” Gar growled. During his years as an authoritative figure, Gar had learned how to be more intimidating and direct, but even if his temper could make the young heroes he trained wet their pants, it was useless on the even scarier monster slayer.
“We both know you are the last person Landon will talk to.” Drake reasoned.
“Maybe so, but I know he will talk to me.” Raven spoke up, slightly startling the two grown men who seemingly forgot she in the room. Before Drake could protest, Raven was already halfway to the door. “Come on, we’ll do this in the old study.”
Drake cast a curious gaze over to Gar who looked as if he were pouting like a child. Seeing that he was not going to make a move to stop his wife, Drake figured he shouldn’t either.
“I guess we’ll go see what we can find out from Landon, in the meantime, maybe Maria here can catch you up in what’s been going on here.” Drake offered to Gar as he followed Raven out the door.
Raven’s scowl never left her face for the entirety of the journey to the study, which was the very same one used by Dick Grayson himself all those years ago. Such simpler times they were, when she only had her teammates to worry about. Once they went inside the smaller room, she began pacing, mentally screaming her mantra to calm herself.
“This all makes sense now,” she mumbled, “he’s watched us for years, waiting and plotting.”
“Don’t give him so much credit.” She wiped her head to Drake’s direction, “he didn’t plan on what Arella would do, he just knew she would snap eventually.” He lowered his tone as he reached for the phone, “just like we all did.” She fought the urge to rip his head off, but deep down she knew he was right. With the phone dialed he turned to her. “You ready for this?”
She sighed walking to his side. “Sure.” He hit the speed dial.
“I was wondering when I would hear from you.” The Englishmen spoke from the other end of the line.
“Where’s my daughter?” Raven snapped, the sound of his arrogant voice making vile rise in her throat.
“Raven? I thought it would be Drake calling me?” He seemed genuinely surprised.
“Don’t worry I’m here too.”
“Aw! There’s my second favorite dragon!”
Raven ignored their banter, “Last time, where is-“
“She’s fine darling, she’s resting.”
“That doesn’t answer my questions-“
“-relax.” He said again more forcefully. But now it was Drake’s turn.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve involving my daughter in all this.”
“Yes, yes I’m a horrible person, I will burn in Hell. Oh wait, I already did that. Here’s the situation we find ourselves in. Arella has, by my count, killed at least twelve, all current guests of my kingdom so no worries there, and before she gets to far gone I’ve taken it upon myself to stop that. Which you obviously FAILED to do in the last eighteen years.”
“AS IF YOU EVER GOT THE PARENT OF THE YEAR AWARD!”
Raven slammed her hands onto the table, shrieking into the cellphone producing a good three to five minutes of silence from everyone in the room, including Landon. Drake placed a hand on her shoulder to ease her tension when Landon spoke again.
“Toushay, but you have to agree things are a bit out of hand at this point and ‘hoping’ things will get better isn’t going to cut it.”
The two were quiet for a moment as they let this new information marinate, “I’m going to put you on hold.” He hit the mute button and turned to a confused Raven. “Listen. Rav-“
“No.” She shot. “I’m not considering letting my daughter stay with him.”
“Raven, just hear me out,” his tone was as calm as he could make it. “I love Arella like she was my own. She has been a sister to Chloe in every way imaginable, and I don’t want her to give in to Trigon’s influence as much as you don’t, but if Landon-“
“NO!” She screamed. “She is my child, and her family will handle this!”
“How? Raven, Arella killed people. I don’t know the circumstances, but it won’t look good to the League, or anyone else and you can’t protect her from that.”
Her eyes were narrow, hateful slits and her tone even and flat. “Watch me.” She grabbed the phone, unmutting it. “Give her back to me. NOW!”
Landon let out a growl of frustration from the other line. “Why can’t you understand?! I. Am. Not. The bad guy!”
Once again, Raven’s tone was flat, even, and threatening, “Your a full blooded demon. You will ALWAYS be the bad guy. Now give her back to me, or you WILL know pain.”
The other end was silent for a few heartbeats. “Darling. I already know pain. I’m doing this, because I want it to stop.” And the phone went dead.
Raven buried her head in her palms, and her body began to shake as sobs began to escape her lips. Objects around the room were encased in black magic and began floating about. Drake stood there awkwardly, as he stared at the weeping mother. The gears in his mind began to turn as he tried to figure out their next move. For now, however, he realized the best thing to do was to let his old friend mourn the disappearance of her daughter in peace. Oding the only thing he knew how to do, he reached out a tentative hand over Raven, and placed it gently on top of her silky hair. Raven stilled for a moment, as if she was reminded of the other person in the room, but then turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. Drake stood frozen as she continued to cry. Slowly, his arms wrapped around her own body, and he simply stood there while she stained his shirt with her tears.
Unbeknownst to them, across the ocean, sitting back in a chair as the fire of the fireplace crackled in front of him, casting a soft glow upon his body in the dead of night, was the demon king himself. He sat in his chair, staring off into the dancing flames, an old cell phone in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other. Not far from him, a young girl slept peacefully in her room, safe and sound. Just as he had promised. Yet the words of the girl’s mother rang in his ears, just as harsh as the first time they had hit their target.
“As if you ever were the parent of the year!”
His thoughts strayed from the girl sleeping in the room to an even younger girl, curled up in a peaceful slumber. Her skin white as milk and her hair dark as the feathers of a raven. And with these thoughts, a single tear left his eye and slid down his cheek, until it fell onto the phone that still read the caller-ID.
RAVEN
Author’s Notes: So there is a lot of significance into this ending that will make more sense as we progress. If any of you read BH’s stories, you may already know what I’m referring to, so yay for you! Again, I apologize for the unplanned hiatus. It was entirely on me. I write when I can, and when I feel inspired to do so. Not only do I need time to write, I also (more importantly) need the right mood to write. So for that reason, this story may come and go in spurts, but I promise you all that BH and I will make it worth the ride!
As always, if you read it, please review it! Your support is always appreciated!
Many thanks,
L.B.
Disclaimer: Drake Daniels, Chloe Daniels and Landon owned by @bearhow2. Maria Logan and Arella Logan owned by Lou Buggins. All other characters owned by DC Comics. Story co-written by @bearhow2 and Lou Buggins.
Just a goofy drabble about these silly next-gen Titan babies. Idea given to me by my best pal @bearhow2. Enjoy!
Why was she having so much difficulty? It was just two kids. Two tiny, innocent toddlers. She was an adult, a meta-human, a Titan. So why were these two little girls giving her a run for her money?
Kole pondered on this as she took a short break from chasing the children to catch her breath. She may have been a superhero, but spending the past three years in motherhood has put her out of shape. Although, chasing two three-year-olds should help restore her endurance. The pink-haired woman leaned back against the kitchen counter, pressing her hands over the edge to support her weight. Her chest heaved as she sucked in rapid breaths of precious oxygen, beads of sweat falling down her forehead and pooling between her breasts. Even the center of her back was wet from perspiration. Her long pink hair was up in a messy bun, and a few lose strands stuck to her damp forehead.
“How…does Gar and Rae…do it?” She questioned out loud as she steadied her breathing. She was referring to her good friends and fellow Titans, Garfield and Raven Logan. The couple had raised twin shapeshifters that everyone knew to be a hand full, and after their third child came along, they often babysat for Kole’s daughter and their own. This was actually the first time Kole had been left alone with both the girls, and so far, things were not turning out well.
What had started as an innocent playdate has turned into a “wreck-the-house-and-torture-mommy/auntie Kole-party.” Kole had originally planned for the young meta-children to play in her daughter’s bedroom. She had laid out all of Chloe’s favorite dolls, stuff animals, and other miscellaneous toys, ready for the impending company to play with. This plan only worked for about five minutes before the two she-devils decided to play “witches and dragons,” which resulted in Chloe (her daughter) lighting things on fire while her friend Arella either blew things up or melted them where they stood. Soon enough, Kole could be seen chasing after the screaming toddlers as their laughs and squeals of delight pierced the woman’s ears and made her head throb. Speaking of which…
“Try to catch us, Mommy!”
“Yeah, Auntie Kole! Try and catch us!”
The high-pitched calls of the girls interrupted the adult’s short break. Kole shot a deadly blue glare at the teasing toddlers, who were now dancing a few feet away from her. “Chloe Daniels, Arella Logan, if you two don’t stop this instant, I’m calling Arella’s parents and she will go home!” Kole’s warning caused the two mischievous rascals to shout in defiance.
“No Mommy! Arella can’t go home!” Little Chloe Daniels challenged as she waved her stubby little arms in the air frantically.
“No! Please don’t call Mama and Daddy!” Arella begged, her playful attitude dissolving into worry. Her tiny body shook as her pale face became red and tears instantly fell from her purple-green eyes. “Please…don’t call…Mama and…Daddy.” She whined as she grabbed a chunk of her small, emerald cloak with her baby fist and pulled it close to her mouth.
Now Kole had been a mother for three years now. She was well aware of the difference between a “help me, I’m hurt” cry and a “help me, I don’t want to be in trouble” cry. Whenever her own daughter whined in this manner, she’d simply ignore it. However, Arella’s powers made this strategy impossible, because as quickly as her mauve eyes filled with water, lights around the tree house began to burst from the powerful dark magic that radiated off the child. The lights were soon followed by lamps, furniture cushions, and even some of the kitchen appliances. Kole needed to act fast if she was to save her belongings, especially her husband’s favorite lounge chair.
“No, Arella, don’t cry. Please don’t cry.” Kole pleaded with the young sorceress as she approached her like she would approach a wounded animal. Once she was close enough, she fell to her knees and became eye level with the girl. She wrapped her hands around Arella’s miniscule shoulders and rubbed her fingers gingerly against the soft fabric of her cloak. Kole attempts to console the child fell flat as she only began to sob louder and harder. Chloe took a couple steps back to observe the scene from a safe distance. More and more expensive objects were enwrapped in dark-green magic and destroyed, causing panic to rise in the older woman.
“Oh, please stop crying, Arella! I won’t call your parents, okay? I won’t call them.”
The mini-magic-bearer paused from her sobbing to observe the desperate woman. “Y-you won’t.”
“I won’t.” Kole repeated.
Out of the blue, the child did a complete 360. Her tears dried on the spot, while her face quickly returned to its natural gray hue. “Thank you, Auntie Kole!” She shouted before pulling away from Kole’s grasp and running toward her friend.
“Come on Chloe! I want to teleport you!”
“Okay!” The slightly older girl agreed, before the two ran away enthusiastically.
Kole was left still on her knees. She was baffled as she watched the girls turned the corner out of the kitchen. She blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what had just occurred.
“Was I just duked by a three-year-old?” She wondered. “Oh, wait! Did she say teleport?”
“Wait girls! Come back here!” Kole yelled as she took off after the silly children once more. These kids were certainly a hand full.
