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[loubuggins]

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.

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[reminotsundoku]

Birdmen #1 Yellow Tanabe Vega Un très bon premier volume qui prend son temps pour poser les bases et ses personnages avant de démarrer dans les dernières pages. C'est frais, souvent comique, les héros immédiatement sympas et le déroulé de l'histoire bien maîtrisé. #LectureManga @vega_editions #ComicBook #BookStagram #BookPhotography #Geek #Otaku #ReviewManga #JapanAddict #MangaStagram #InstaBook #MangaFan #MangaLover #LivreStagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ZEW-eKnQe/?igshid=2d2by5xwozs3

[loubuggins]

EKNQ Ch. 5

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.

[loubuggins]

Every King Needs a Queen

Chapter 4: A Deal with the Devil

Three years ago.

The voice.

The anger.

The blood.

What had she done? What had she done?

"Ary? You okay? It's me." The familiar voice of her best friend sounded behind the door. The girl inside the darkly lit bedroom was laying on her queen size bed, her hands clutching her purple pillow as her tears soaked the soft cloth. Objects around her room were randomly encased in dark green magic and either exploded or were sent flying across the room. The young girl blinked her tears away as she glanced in the direction of the door.

"Not…now, Chloe." She tried to yell, but her voice was still shaky from her crying.

"Ary, open this door or I'll open it for you." The other girl threatened.

Arella closed her eyes and whispered her mantra. The door was suddenly covered with dark magic and swished open long enough for her friend to step past the threshold. Her best friend sat at the foot of the bed, and looked aimlessly around the torn-up room.

"Did Maria call them?" Arella asked, her body shivering from exhaustion. The 'them' she was referring to was her parents, who her older sister, Maria, had threatened to call after the sorceress's little episode earlier today.

Chloe shook her head, the two long pink locks that framed her face whipping about her slightly rounded face. "Not yet. She may have just been bluffing."

Arella let out a sigh of relief. "Good. For once, her caring more about her precious reputation than me may just save my life." Arella lifted her purple-green eyes over to her friend, but was surprised to see her looking away.

"Oh no, not you too Chlo." Arella cried out, and she began shaking again, her powers sparking around her like a broken wire. Seeing Arella's reaction, Chloe reached over and took the frightened girl by her hands. The anxious teenager flinched away at first, but reluctantly allowed the other girl's touch.

"Arella, look at me, you've got to calm down or you'll bring this whole tower down." Chloe's serious aura and steady words anchored Arella back down to Earth. She sucked in a few deep breaths, before giving her friend a reassuring nod. "Okay, good." Chloe relaxed a bit. "Now stop your worrying. I'm not afraid of you, Ary. We've been through a lot together and I trust you."

Her caring words and affection put a small smile on the pale girl's face. "Thank you Chlo." However, her smile quickly fell. "But I'm afraid you are the only one who feels that way."

Arella took her hands back before buring her round face into the fluffy pillow. "Even Reed is afraid of me!" She yelled, but her voice was muffled by the pillow. Chloe couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Relax Ary, I'm sure your little boy toy is just . . surprised is all." Arella let out a grunt at the way her friend described the boy who had been crushing on her for the past year. "Honestly, I think we are all just surprised." Chloe admitted. Arella lifted her head to meet her friend's deep blue gaze.

"Surprised?" She parroted, confused by her choice of words.

"Well yeah." Chloe shrugged. "Can you really blame us? I mean, we've all seen you angry before, but never that angry."

The violet-haired girl dropped her gaze, remembering the nightmare she had lived just a few hours ago. The masked man, the small revolver in his hands, the click of the trigger. After that, the world became painted in red, and all she could hear was that voice screaming in her mind.

KILL HIM!

Arella gave her head a violent shake to rid herself of the disturbing memories. "How's Cassie doing?" She asked.

It was Chloe's turn to look away. "She'll be fine. It was definitely a close call, but I was able to heal her from the bullet."

Arella simply nodded her head in agreement.

"Hey Ary, do you think I could ask you a question?"

Arella looked back at her friend curiously. Normally, she would have sarcastically told her she already did, but decided now was not a good time for jokes. "Sure, Chlo."

"Well I understand why you snapped back there, I think we all would have if you hadn't of beat us to it, but…why did you kill him?"

Arella knew someone was going to ask her that, but she didn't expect that person to be Chloe. She honestly didn't know why she did. It was like she was possessed, but she wasn't. There was no doubt in her mind that this was all her. She was the one who threw him around like a ragdoll, who used her magic to break each one of his fingers, one at a time. She was the one who enchanted the gun, and turned the barrel to face the man's head. At that point, it wasn't the voice or her rage that made her pull that trigger.

It was all her.

But she could never explain that to anyone, including her best friend, so she lied.

"I don't know Chlo. I guess the demon inside me decided to hop in the driver's seat, and there was nothing I could do to stop it." Okay, so maybe not a complete lie.

Chloe nodded her head, accepting her explanation, but there was still one more thought that she couldn't shake. "So Ary, what if this happens again. What if you lose control again? What if…you can't come back next time?" Her last question came out just barely above a whisper.

Arella gave this some thought. Chloe was right. What if she became evil? Who could stop her? Then a lightbulb lit up over her head. She looked down at Chloe's waist, and sure enough, there was the blade, laying peacefully in its holster. "That. The broken blade your dad gave you. The one forged with angel blood."

"What?" Chloe looked at her oddly, before tracing her line of sight back to her knife. Then it all became clear. "Oh no, no way, not happening!"

"Please, Chloe!" Arella begged, scooting closer to her. "That knife is the only thing that could stop me if I ever lose my humanity. Please, Chloe. You are the only one I trust to make the right decision. Promise me, Chloe, that if I ever lose my humanity, you'll stop me before I can hurt anyone." Arella looked to her with big, round, pleading eyes.

"Please?"

Chloe remained persistent, even going as far as to look away from her eyes. How could she? How could she kill the one person who had been with her through thick and thin? She COULDN'T . . . but then who would. "Alright. I'll do it, but only IF there ever comes a day where you lose all sense of good. Which will never happen by the way."

Arella smiled at her and wrapped her arms around the girl in a rare embrace. "I hope you're right, Chloe."

I really do.

Present Day

A dark verdant portal appeared on the beaches of San Diego California, two teenage girls stumbling out onto the loose sand below them. The girl in the dark green cloak fell to her hands and knees and dry heaving the empty contents of her stomach.

"Whoa, watch the boots. These were my mom's when she was a Titan." Chloe backed away from her vomiting friend.

She spat a few times to clear her mouth, "What just happened, what just happened?" she whispered to herself over and over.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. What the hell happened back there? Why did I just knock out your sister?!"

"Stop yelling at me!" There were a few explosions from some of the sand dunes and out into the ocean, "Just...give me a second." She panted, as she used her cloak to whip the corners of her mouth.

Chloe stomped off, tossing the laptop she had in her hands onto the sand. She began frantically pacing back an forth and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited.

"I messed up, Chlo . . . I messed up bad." Arella finally spoke up again. She was sitting in the sand, with her legs pressed up close to her chest and her arms wrapped securely around them. Her forehead was sandwiched between her legs. She's never looked so small and vulnerable.

Chloe knelt down in front of her friend, not quite sure where to start. "How bad?" She settled on. With her head hanging low, Arella used her abilities to float the laptop to her fingers. Once in her hands she opened it, pressed play and turned it to Chloe. There was no audio so the two sat in silence as it played out, but Arella knew when the section of the video came to the right part. Arella looked up to her friend, whose hands were over her mouth, and though she was shocked by what she was seeing, she wasn't horrified per say. Once the video ended, Chloe stood and began pacing again, her boots kicking up sand as she did so.

"That's pretty damn bad, Ari!" The pink-haired girl growled in frustration.

"I know." Arella whispered, her voice barely audible. They stayed silent once again, with Chloe pacing a few feet ahead, while Arella simply sat there, staring at the ocean waves as they came crashing against the sand, then sucked back into the large body of water.

"You know what you have to do right?"

Arella broke the silence, looking away from the ocean and over to her friend. Chloe spun around, looking at the other girl with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Chloe spat at her.

The purple-haired demoness raised her right arm and pointed to the shining object sticking out of the dragon knight's belt. Chloe looked down, but when she realized what her friend was referring to, she quickly shook her head defiantly.

"No-"

"-Damn it Chloe you PROMISED!" Arella was on her feet in a heartbeat, practically begging at this point, "You promised me."

Chloe walked up to the broken girl, grabbing her by her shoulders and meeting her terrified gaze, "I promised you I'd kill you IF I can't save you. Now I want you to look me in the eye and you TELL me, there isn't an OUNCE of good in you?"

Arella opened her mouth to speak, the words died in her throat. She suddenly saw her parents, her brother and sister, her best friend, her aunts and uncles, the thank you's of people she had saved, the people she had helped, the kindness she had received. She remembered the love, all the love her family has given her. Suddenly it wasn't so easy and somehow, she managed to choke out the word..."No."

Chloe exhaled, her head hanging in relief. "Well then, that's good enough for me." Chloe dipped into one of the pouches of her belt and removed an old flip phone.

Arella, eyeing the curious object, went on the defensive. "What's that?"

"It's a phone moron and don't worry. I wouldn't knock out your sister, and aid and abed a criminal if I was just gonna call them now."

Arella scoffed, "So now I'm a criminal?"

She hit the speed dial, "Well yeah."

Arella folded her arms, but was happy for the fact that Chloe was still able to joke and play with her. She could hear the phone ringing from the other side, but no one answered, instead someone had joined them on the beach.

"Hello, darlings." Landon pocketed his matching phone and he stood before the two girls. His eyes moved from one to the other, then the computer on the ground that had stopped at the end of the video. He let out a long breath and pursed his lips. "Oh dear...you girls are in quite a pickle." He laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Arella looked to her friend with angry red eyes. "Are you serious? This is your plan?"

Chloe held up her hands defensively. "Just listen for a sec alright. Remember when we made that pledge, to kill you if you ever go completely bat-shit crazy?"

Arella rolled her eyes, but gave her a small nod.

"Well after that, I decided to do some digging into demon lore. I wanted to see if there was another way to stop the demon inside you from taking the reins. Then I thought, who better to dig of dirt on demons than the dirtiest demon of them all."

"Oh, Chloe darling, you flatter me." The demon in question teased, but the girls ignored him.

Chloe continued her explanation, gesturing to the man in the suit. "I called him wanting to know if there was any other way. He gave me this phone and told him to call him when things started getting harry, and I think this qualifies."

Arella listened to her friend intently and finally just shook her head. "So, this was your plan all along." She turned to the well-dressed man, who was looking towards the ocean, pretending not to be listening to their conversation.

"Oh, are you talking to me? Sorry, I thought you forgot I was standing right in front of you." He deadpanned, scowling at the girls with slight annoyance.

"Thanks for not killing me Chloe!" The pinkette mumbled to herself. "Oh no problem, Arella that's what friends are for."

But Arella and Landon purposely ignored her. "You've been trying to get me to work for you ever since I was a little girl!" Arella pointed an accusing finger at the disinterested demon. "I saw you talk to my mom that day in the Congo! You tried to convince her to send me to live with you! Then you make this secret deal with my best friend five years later, and then you show up again, conveniently after Maria discovers my secret, to try and talk me into going with you...AGAIN! Did you plan all of this? Is this part of some sick, twisted plan of yours to get me to come with you? Why do you even want me so badly?!" When Arella's rant finally came to an end she was out of breath.

"Wait, Uncle Landon, is all that true? Have you been pressuring Arella to go with you?" Chloe questioned as she stepped up protectively between her best friend and uncle.

The composed king tightened his plain red tie, before motioning Chloe aside. "Let's have a little chat." Chloe narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, but decided to play along. Arella, growing frustrated, pulled Chloe back by her bicep.

"Answer my question first, Landon." The irritated empath demanded.

Landon let out an uncharacteristic sigh, and rubbed his temples, clearly running thin on patience. "Calm yourself, love. You'll get your answers, but for now, I need to speak with my niece. Now save me the trouble, and make yourself scarce."

With a frustrated huff, Arella, for once, did as she was told. She left the two to their devices and settled down on a nearby sand dune. She folded her legs in lotus position, and it didn't take long for her body to begin floating in the hot air as she fell into a deep mediation.

Chloe turned to the ocean, allowing the cool ocean breeze to brush against her skin. How she wished for the days when things seemed simpler. "To answer your question, dear, no I have NOT "schemed" for Arella to join me in my ranks of hell. Now my question to you is, why are you working so hard to save her life?"

Chloe shut her eyes and took a deep breath of the salty sea air. "Arella and I have been through a lot over the years. We were both unplanned babies, we were both ridden pretty hard by our parents, and we both saved each other's assess more than once," she turned to face him, "And Dragon's, by instinct, are loyal friends."

Landon examined her features, seeing the same steely expression he had seen on her father. "I see. And what did your parents say when you told them of this plan of yours to save Arella's life?" There was a small minute twitch of her jaw, something Landon was able to catch. "Oh god, they don't know do they?"

"No," she closed the distance getting into his face, "and they're not going to find out."

Landon couldn't help but smirk at the young girl he adopted as his niece. The beauty and elegance of her mother, the tough badassery of her father, and his mischievousness. And he had never been prouder.

"Just promise me one thing," she implored, "Just promise me, she'll be safe."

He gave a soft reassuring smile. "You have my word darling." Chloe exhaled in relief and wrapped her arms around his neck before they joined Arella in her meditation. "So, Arella, ready?"

Arella eased herself from her meditation and got to her feet. "I guess." Landon instinctively stepped aside for the two girls to say their good-byes. "You know your gonna catch hell for this right?" She glanced briefly toward Landon. "No pun intended."

Chloe shrugged, "Just don't make me regret it." Arella chuckled before the two shared one last hug before the demoness went off with the demon king.

Chloe remained stoic and collected as a scowling Maria slapped power canceling cuffs onto her hands. They were of a similar design as when the Gordanions captured Starfire which covered her forearms to her hands.

Maria finished locking the cuffs and stepped outside of the cell shutting the door behind her. The cell was especially designed to hold metahumans of ever factor captive. It was a small, square room, with white walls all around. Inside, there was a twin-sized cot pushed in the corner. There was also a couple of metal chairs and a table for eating or interrogating. Right now, it was being used for the latter. With folded arms and her scowl set firmly in place she stepped to the window, glaring at her carefree looking prisoner.

"So, what now Maria?" she asked, "you gonna call my parents? Tell them to come pick me up, because I've been a bad girl?"

"I don't want to, but you helped a murderer escape-"

"No, I helped your SISTER escape."

"Do you even know what she did?" Maria snapped.

"Irrelevant-"

"It's completely relevant! She killed people! Slaughter them like sheep! She committed an act that would have sent anyone else on our most wanted list, and you made it possible for her to do it again!"

"Well she won't!"

"And how can you possible know that?"

"Because she's-" Chloe suddenly shut her mouth tightly, a small twitch forming at the side of Maria's mouth. She almost had her. Chloe sat cross-legged on the floor and pursed her lips. "I'm done talking till my parents get here."

Maria sighed almost desperately. "Chloe just tell me where she is. She doesn't need protection, she needs help. We can help her."

Chloe fought the urge to laugh, in fact she fought the urge to talk at all, so instead she sat quietly, eyes closed and breathing deeply, letting out wisps of steam from her nose as she did.

Maria tried a few more times before finally giving up and leaving the young Knight to herself. Chloe waited until she was sure she was alone before heaving a sigh of relief. Hopefully between the time Chloe left Arella with Landon, and the time her parents showed up, that would give them time to put some distance between them. In the meantime she was in her own little cell with nothing but time to think. . . .

Five minutes later. . .

"Wow I'm bored. I still have no idea how Arella did this for hours." She let the back of get head hit the metal wall behind her in the hopes of maybe getting sleep, but twenty minutes later the door to her cell opened. She prepared herself to face Maria again, but to her surprise it wasn't her this time.

"Hey Chloe," Reed greeted, "I brought you some food in case you were hungry."

Chloe glanced at the tray in his hands and raised a brow. "You brought me a meat lovers sandwich?"

His grin faded, "I thought you loved meat lovers?"

She stared with a "really?" look, and showed him her hands concealed in the canceling cuffs. " . . . oh. . . " The fire ball flashed on his shoulder. "You're not helping."

Chloe chuckled while shaking her head. "I can feed you if you want?" Her smile faded at the thought. She was not one to accept help very easily, but her stomach began growling in protest of her hesitation.

"Fine." She mumbled with a slight blush.

His grin returned and he took a seat beside her. "Here comes the airplane. Brrrrrrrrrr."

The sandwich was by her mouth, but she only glared. "Do that again and I'll beat you within an inch of your life with my cuffs."

The poor boy paled. "Fair enough."

Chloe took a bite of the delicious sandwich, without noises.

"So . . . is it true?"

And there it was. "With all due respect, Reed, it's none of your business."

"Chlo, she's our teammate and friend-"

"-And you've been crushing on her ever since you first laid eyes on her."

The fire-bender's freckled face turned beet-red. "I just want to make sure I have all the facts."

"You want facts? Fine here's one for ya, it's none of your damn business." She spat after swallowing other bite of her sandwich. She instantly regretted her words when she saw him visibly flinch. It was like she had just kicked a puppy.

Chloe let out a defeated sigh, and scooted closer to the young man. "I'm sorry, I know your heart is in the right place, but believe me, you don't wanna get mixed up in this."

Reed pursed his lips in thought, giving Chloe a chance to take another bite. "She had to have been possessed, right? I mean Arella wouldn't really do that." He reasoned.

Chloe rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Look Reed, Arella has issues okay, I know you know that-"

"-Yeah but who doesn't?" He interjected, knitting his eyes in frustration.

"-No Arella is the very definition of complicated, I'm sorry but I'm just trying to protect you."

"Well don't!" The boy finally snapped. He tossed the sandwich back on the tray and jumped to his feet. He began pacing the small room and running his hands through his messy, auburn hair. Chloe stared at him in shock, not use to the sweetheart in front of her blowing a fuse. But he was quickly forgotten as she gazed longingly at the delicious sandwich he had abandoned.

"I'm sick and tired of everyone on this team treating me like some kid that can't handle bad news. In case you forgot, I'm the same age as you! I know I might not be as bad ass as you all, but I certainly know how to swallow a bitter pill!" He stomped over to where Chloe was seated, and grabbed her by the shoulders. He shoved his face close to hers, their noses just centimeters from each other. Chloe jumped at the sudden movement (she had been eyeing the sandwich the whole time), and her stomach began to do summersaults as she felt his hot breath tickle her face. His bright green eyes radiating with anger and concern. It was both challenging, and oddly alluring.

"Now I know Arella is your best friend, but don't make the mistake that YOU are the only one that cares about her."

Chloe's blue eyes looked down as she absorbed his words.

"If you can't tell me where she is, can you at least tell me she's safe."

Nothing.

"Please, Chloe." His grip got a bit tighter, but she barely registered it. "Just tell me she's gonna be okay."

Chloe glanced back up to meet his intense gaze. She gave him a small nod. "She's safe, Reed. Where ever she is, she's safe."

Reed sighed with relief and stepped away to give Chloe some space. "Thank you, Chloe. That's all I needed to hear."

She shook off the encounter. "Yeah sure thing. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my sandwich."

The boy looked back at the abandoned food, and with an apology scurried back to his seat, and picked up the sandwich.

"Okay, now open wide!" He said happily, as if his meltdown had never happened. Chloe shook head, bewildered.

"I can still kill you." She threatened, earning her a flash of fear in his eyes.

"Shutting up."

After Reed left, it was several hours before she received another visitor. The unbearably bored dragon knight was laying on the bed, when her sensitive hearing picked up the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the door, she prepared herself for her next guest. Only she was dismayed to see the older figure of her mentor step through the door.

"I told you, I'm not talking!" The prisoner snapped at the older women. Chloe got into a seated position, her cuffed hands dangling over the bedframe.

"I'm not here to interrogate you, Chloe." Maria began, her voice sincere and her eyes pleading. "I'm here, because I just want to know that she's safe."

Chloe regarded her a moment, in an attempt to gage her intentions. "Are you asking as her mentor, or her sister?"

"Her sister." Maria said without skipping a beat.

Chloe considered the woman's emerald eyes one more time, and with a sigh, she decided to put her mentor's mind at ease. "She's safe, that I can guarantee you."

Maria let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Thank you." With that she turned to exit the room, but only took a couple steps before spinning back around. "Just, one more question."

Chloe let out a frustrated sigh, but nodded her head nonetheless. "Fine."

"Why did you help her escape?"

Chloe met her mentor's serious gaze unshaken. "She's my best friend, Maria. She needed me, so I helped her. I didn't do it, because I thought she was innocent. I did it, because I knew what she needed, wouldn't have been found in a cell. I would think, you of all people would understand that."

They shared a knowing look. Chloe's words held a challenge, but Maria was in no mood to open that can of worms.

"I understand your intentions, but I also know, that isolating one's self, never solves the problem." She warned, memories of her past flashing behind her eyes.

Chloe sat back in her bed, a smirk over her lips. "Humph…who said she was alone?"

Maria's eyes brightened at the slip of the other girl's tongue. She could tell it was deliberate, however, because the pink-haired girl just continued to smirk. "Your parents have been notified of the situation." Maria deadpanned, pleased with herself when that annoying smirk fell to a frown. "Just thought you should know. They'll be here soon, as will some of the members from Leadership."

Chloe's nervous look perked up slightly at the news. "And by that you mean?"

"My parents. So, you won't be the only one who has some explaining to do." Maria growled.

Chloe let out an empty laugh. "Sounds like a grand 'ol time."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be." Maria bite back sarcastically as she turned and headed back for the door.

"Oh, and one last thing." She called over her shoulder, stopping at the door. "Did you have to hit me with a diamond bat?"

Chloe could pick up on the slight humor from the changeling's question, so her little smirk returned. "Don't be too pissed that I got the drop on you."

Maria scowled. "Have fun spending the rest of the day in a cell. I hear it's quite entertaining." The door was shut, but she could still hear Chloe from the other side.

"Just FYI, my dad's not big on cuffs and cages," An earsplitting roar coming from outside the tower, confirmed Chloe's words.

Author's Notes: So now the ball is rolling! Next chapter, we will explore what Landon has planned for Arella, and how she reacts to her new life. Then after, the parents are coming home!

As always, please leave a review! All reviews are greatly appreciated and keep bearhow and I's creative juices flowing! we also want to hear for our readers regarding our OC's. Who's your favorite? Who's your least favorite? What do you think will happen next? What would you like to happen? Share with us in your review! (Reviews can be sent as an ask or comment on this post. If you take the extra mile to review on FF.net, you will be our favorite person. Looking at you, @golemxiv! The MVP of readers.)

- LB

Disclaimer: OC's owned by either bearhow or Lou Buggins or both. DC character's owned by, you guessed it, DC Comics.

Previous Chapter

[loubuggins]

Every King Needs a Queen

Chapter 1: The Raid

Titan's Secret Safe House, Location: Classified

The tall and dense clumps of the lush, green blades of Elephant Grass blew gently with the light breeze. Water from the nearby river acted like a natural mister, cooling down the visitors that stood nearby in a small clearing of Bermuda Grass. One was a middle-aged woman with pale-grey skin that reflected off the vicious sun's rays. Her long, violet hair fell well past her shoulders and bellowed at the ends due to the wind. Her long blue cloak whipped with the wind, exposing her leotard and long, black boots. Across from her stood a younger version of what could have been the same person, had it not been for the little girl's green chakra, cloak, and the specks of emerald invading her amethyst eyes.

The two faced each other, the youngest standing in a fighting position with her arms up in defense and her little legs standing firm in the soft grass, her dark green boots standing out against the lighter yellow green ground. The elder stood with her arms at her side, and her blank stare pointed towards the child.

"Are you ready, Arella?" The women asked in her typical, monotone voice.

The little girl nodded her head, some of her long, violet locks falling in her face, forcing her to blow them away with a huff. "Ready, Mother."

"Go!" A blast of obsidian magic was sent barreling towards the small child. The girl reacted instinctively, a black shield forming over her crossed arms. The blast was strong, strong enough to push the girl a couple steps back, but not enough to break her shield. A few heartbeats passed while Arella's mind tried to catch up with what was happening. With a grunt, she sent a pulse of her own magic back at her mother, breaking the stream of opposing magic and sending the women back a couple of feet.

. . . Rip her apart . . .

There it was again.

Arella shook the voice off, getting back to her training exercises.

Arella was about to send another blast at her mother, but she got her attention, "Use the items around you! You'll expend less energy that way!"

"Oh yeah," Arella retracted her magic, then re-extended her emotions over a few large rocks around her. They floated into the air and began dancing around her mother in an almost playful, teasing manner. At first, she thought Arella was simply playing with her powers, but that theory was shot to hell when the rocks began shooting at her one by one. Arella giggled a bit watching her mother deflect her attacks, so she sped up her attacks . . . faster . . . and faster . . .

"Arella!" Raven was beginning to become exhausted, the large rocks coming at her from every angle. "ARELLA!"

The young sorceress gasped, wrangling in her emotions, but not before a loose boulder hit Raven in the back of the head. "Mother!" Arella screamed in fear as she ran over to her fallen mother. She came close to jumping her mother, but changed her mind last second, and instead took a couple steps back. Her hands were held up to her chest as she anxiously fiddled with her fingers. Hot, fresh tears ran down her red cheeks, and her breath quickened and became shallow. The wind picked up again and began swirling around the child, sending mud, rocks, and sticks flying about. "Ma…Ma…Mama I'm…so sorry Mama, I…"

The mother sat back up with a loud groan. She was covered in mud and blades of grass stuck to her wet skin. She looked up to see her young daughter sobbing and hyperventilating. Her maternal instincts kicked in, and forgetting her own pain, she pushed herself up on her legs and walked up towards the panicking child. She used her own powers to block the flying objects that came her way.

When she was only a few inches away for the small girl, she bent down on her knees and took the child's head in her hands. The girl looked at her mother with frightened, tearful eyes. Her mother's face was emotionless as she leaned her head down, and touched their foreheads together, their chakra's glowing as they clicked together. An instant wave of calmness and security washed over the young girl. The last of her tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped into the earth. Her breathing became deeper and more even, and her arms fell to her sides.

Her mother, once satisfied with her daughter's condition, broke their connection by pulling away. She looked down at her daughter and gently rubbed her thumbs over the girl's hot cheeks, cleaning away the last of her tears. The girl's eyes were focused on the ground under her, too ashamed to meet her mother's gaze.

"I'm sorry, Mama." She whimpered sadly.

Her mother pulled the girl's small body into a loving embrace, one of her arms wrapping around the girl's thin waist and the other holding her head. Without hesitation, Arella wrapped her short arms around her mother's neck, her head burying itself into her mother's shoulder. Her mother stroked her daughter's long, silky hair as she whispered into her sensitive, pointy, little ears. "I love you, Arella. Never worry about me. You could never hurt me. I just need you to promise me something."

Arella nodded her head and her mother gently pushed the girl back, her hands now gripping the girl's shoulders. Arella met her mother's deep amethyst gaze. She could feel her mother's serious mood, and the deep rooted protective nature that she always felt off her mother.

"Promise me Arella, that you will do everything in your power to control your rage. That part of you is not the true part. You are not that monster, and I never want you to feel like you are, but you must learn to control that part of you, or else one day it may take control and never give it up. Promise me, you won't allow that to happen."

Arella searched her mother's eyes, seeing concern, worry, and worst of all, fear. What she could not decipher was rather that fear was for her safety or her mother's. A part of Arella told her not to make that promise. It was the scary voice that constantly whispered in her mind, telling her terrible things that would sometimes make her lash out or run to her parent's bedside in the middle of the night looking for sanctuary. Her mother once told her that the voice was not her friend, and that whatever the voice said was never true. She often tried to ignore the mysterious, deep-throated voice, but sometimes the ideas it came up with sounded so…good. Other times, she wouldn't even know she was obeying the voice until after the damage was done, and she was left to face the consequences. Now the voice was back, telling her that her mother was wrong, but if there was one lesson Arella learned, it was that Mother was never wrong.

"Okay, Mama, I promise." Her small voice squeaked as she nodded her head.

"That's my girl." Her mother's lips twitched up in a faint smile and she placed a brief kiss on top of Arella's head.

Suddenly, the warm air became chilling and the pressure dropped as well. A weird feeling built up in Arella's stomach, and her mother's smile quickly replaced itself with a frown.

"And here we have the elusive Raven. A solitary creature that prefers the company of books then to that of human contact. Highly intelligent, but drawn to all things green." Came the sarcastic, English voice of the demon king, dressed in his typical red Armani Collezioni three-button suit.

"What are you doing here, Landon?" The mother's gravelly voice was laced with suspicion and annoyance as she looked past Arella and stared pointedly at the nicely dressed demon. Instinctively she brought Arella closer to her.

"Now, Raven darling, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Landon pretended to be hurt by her sudden rudeness.

"It is if that friend only shows up when there is danger, you need a favor, or both." The women retorted, but he only shrugged.

"I suppose there is some truth in that." He said, then dropped his gaze to the little girl hiding under her mother's cloak.

A wicked grin crepted onto his face. "And who is this lovely young thing?" The demon king approached, Arella stayed at her mother's side, but she watched the king with curious eyes. Landon dropped down to the 10-year-old's height. His dark brown eyes meeting her purple-green ones.

"I believe we haven't had the pleasure of being properly introduced, little one." The king extended his hand, his smile never leaving his face. "Landon, King of Hell, at your service."

The girl eyed his open hand doubtfully.

"It's okay, Arella. He won't hurt you." Raven's last comment seemed directed more as a threat to the demon king than as comfort to the little girl.

Upon her mother's approval, Arella extended her tiny, pale hand and Landon instantly accepted it. He gripped the small hand and brought it to his lips, placing a polite kiss on her knuckles. The little girl blushed and quickly brought her hand back to the safety of mother's cloak.

"Now, darling, it's only polite to give your name after someone has introduced themselves to you. Honestly, has your mother taught you nothing?" He glanced up at Raven, who ignored his taunt.

"Arella Rita Logan." The girl recited like a line from a play she had to memorize.

"Alright, Arella, your training is over for today. Go teleport home, your father should be there." Her mother ordered. Arella immediately voiced her objections, but one stern glare from her mother was enough to make the child obey without another word. Once the young girl was swallowed up by a large black hole, Raven finally relaxed.

"Why did you come here, Landon?" She asked again, as she used her magic to begin removing the mud and debris from her person.

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop in on my favorite chromatically challenged family." With a snap of his fingers, all the dirt that had been on Raven vanished, and any cuts or bruises she had disappeared with it. Raven let out a sigh, but thanked the king anyway. "Anytime, darling. Now about your little training session."

"I knew it!" Raven interjected, raising a finger at the king. "This is a business trip."

Landon rolled his dark eyes at the women. "Of course, it's a business trip. All my trips are business trips. Now back to the topic at hand. I know what you have been teaching that girl, but it will never work."

"What are you talking about?" Raven growled at the overly-confident demon.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. The girl has a power inside her that could end us all, and all you are doing is adding fuel to the fire." Landon spoke calmly as he folded his hand together behind his back.

"I'm teaching her to suppress and control her demonic side, just as I was taught, and just as I taught my other two children." Raven explained, doing her best to suppress her own rage at the king's insult to her parenting.

"That may have worked for them, but for the girl, it's like fixing a leak with a band aid. It will not last forever, and when it fails, she'll drown."

The metaphor hung in the air as Raven allowed this warning to sink in.

"No." She objected. "You're wrong! My daughter will never fall to the darkness. Never!"

Landon simply blinked at her outburst. "So, what's the plan exactly? Tell her to stay away from the darkness and move on with life? That's not enough."

"Then what do you suggest?!" Raven's heart froze as she thought of her daughter being corrupted by her own rage. A vision of Arella covered in the Marks of Scath filled her mind, but she quickly pushed it away.

"You need to teach her about the darkness, show her the darkness, show her the consequences. You cannot hope to control something you suppress. That's not how it works." Landon implored. "That's exactly why you became Trigon's bloody portal! The only reason you survived is because of your friends were crazy enough to go to hell and find you."

"And Arella has even more friends and family than I had." Raven added.

"But what if that's not enough this time." The demon king challenged. "Trigon will try to return to this realm, and when that day comes, wouldn't you rather her be strong enough to resist him, rather than hope she'll come out the other end alive?"

Now this made Raven really think. Could this arrogant king of Hell, be right? Would giving into her demonic side, really protect Arella from her malevolent grandfather?

"Raven, please, all joking aside, let me help. I don't want her to be Trigon's plaything any more than you do. If you let her come with me, and learn how to properly use her demonic powers, spend some time in the darkness, she may just be strong enough to stop Trigon before he even knocks on the door." Landon was a lot of things, but she never would have pegged him as a beggar. Yet, here he was, practically pleading with her to give in to him. He had to feel strongly about this, if he was asking for her permission before he acted. However, no matter how important this was to the king of Hell, there was no way on Earth or Hell that she would let him take her daughter away from her.

This made Raven's answer easy. "No." She said meeting her scowling gaze. "I'm sorry, Landon, but she is my daughter. My responsibility. I will train her how I see fit, and use every last drop of my powers to make sure she is safe. My mother sent me away, because of my proclaimed prophecy, and I swore to myself that I would never do that to my own child. Keeping safe is important, but so is showing her love, kindness, and friendship. Those are what saved me in the end, and they will save her too."

Surprisingly Landon wasn't surprised by her answer. Memories of his own daughter being taken from him long ago helped him to understand her decision. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"While I respect your passion, and I understand your answer, darling, I must implore you to reconsider." He pushed one final time.

Raven narrowed her eyes at him, her own death glare rivaling his. "Read my lips, Landon. Not. Going. To. Happen."

"Very well. Can't say I didn't try." His eye darted from Raven to the thick brush of grass behind her, where a pair of amethyst/emerald eyes widened at being caught. "If you need me, you know the number."

Raven snorted, "Still 666?"

He smirked, A black cloud of smoke covered the demon king, and as quickly as he came, he vanished, leaving behind a confused Raven and a perplexed little girl.

Titan Tower West, Jump City, CA

Present Day

A lot changed over the years, that much is certain, and inevitable, but none more than the tower that stood guard in the bay of Jump City. The one shaped like a giant T. Though it had been there for years, it had gone through intensive remolding, and not just adding on rooms, or enlarging the ones they already had by putting their own bathrooms in them. No, the most impressive of these remodels was the enormous underground training facility, equipped with the latest and greatest in combat training, which was where the newest group of young heroes found themselves this morning.

With the combat simulation at the ready, the group of five teenage heroes began their training exercises to start the day. Of course, only one of them was excited to be up at five in the morning. A streak of gold zipped through the air fighting off her airborne opponents. Special armored bracelets helped her deflect the shots that were aimed at her.

Wonder Girl landed, while a red blur ran past her. "Gotta watch your back, Cassie." Impulse teased.

She rolled her blue eyes, removing a rope from her belt to lasso a hologram, and swinging it at another that stood behind the speedster. "How about we call it even."

He shrugged, "Works for me," and zipped off to help his teammates.

A young man stood surrounded by the computerized ninjas. With eyes glowing a fiery blue, large balls of fire shot from his hands and began consuming them. Once the way was clear the balls of fire shrank before merging to become one, then floated by his ear.

"Not bad," he told it, "still a bit slow on the afterburner though . . . whatdoya mean I don't know what I'm talking about?!"

"Reed . . . !" Instinctively Reed docked for cover just as a young woman with short spiked pink hair soared over him kicking away two of the ninjas in a splits kick. Once he hit the ground, she threw her arm at another group of charging ninja's, shards of crystal flying out of her arms and hitting each of them in the heads. " . . . watch out." She stood up straight, placing her hands on her hips in a sarcastic manner.

"Heh," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, ". . sorry." Chloe Daniels rolled her cobalt blue-eyes, before crystalizing her leg to send a spin kick to attacking ninja's behind her.

The holograms continued to come down on the team of Titans, well all but one who was safely floating in a meditative trance high above the training floor. She took a few deep breaths, the emerald chakra stone on her forehead acting as a third eye allowing her to see the battle field below her. With her eyes glowing a pale green she recited the spell.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Dark olive-green tendrils shot from the recesses of her cloak impaling each of the ninja warriors below turning them into digitized ash. Once the dust had settled (figuratively) the group of young heroes gathered in the center, the young sorceress floated into the midst of them.

"Nice shot, Ary." Reed complimented, the small fireball sitting calmly on his shoulder, twitching with hot energy.

With the hood of her dark green cloak hiding her face, she glared at him. "It's Arella."

"Wait, I thought Maria called you Ary?" Impulse asked.

Her eyes narrowed, "She's a unique circumstance that I shouldn't have to explain to you."

Impulse and Reed looked puzzled, "It means only her sister and brother can call her that." Chloe, with her arms folded and hip jutting out, informed them as she stood beside the cloaked girl, sending her a smirk, "And me on occasion."

"Only 'cuz my magic doesn't work on you," Arella grumbled.

A small aqua colored ruby sparked from her revealed midriff. "I still can't believe your dad allowed THAT." Reed gawked.

"Who said anything about him allowing it?" She grinned.

"That's enough." Wonder Girl stepped forward, but was specifically glaring at Arella. "I know you have the ability to wipe everything out in a single blast, but you were told NOT to use so much power."

The gothic sorceress scowled at her team leader. "Well sorry you all were taking too long." She mocked an apology. Wonder Girl narrowed her eyes even more at her sarcastic team mate.

"This is a training exercise. It's not about time, it's about endurance. What would happen if you used all your magic at once, and found yourself drained during the heat of battle?"

She scrunched her face, pretending to think. "I'd probably get the hell out of there."

Reed and Impulse shared a snicker, while Chole simply smirked at her best friend's comeback. Before Cassie could retort, another figure approached the group. She had light green skin, with dark emerald eyes and hair. Her ears came to a point and her nails were short and sharp like claws. She wore a tight spandex suit, sporting her family colors, purple and green. The suit hugged her hourglass frame perfectly, and when she spoke, her short fangs glistened in the light.

"And how do you suppose you'll do that?" Questioned the older new comer, known as Maria. If Arella was bothered by Cassie's annoying attempt at a lecture, she sure wasn't going to be in the mood for this.

"No one asked you." Her weak comeback made even herself cringe.

"No, no. I want to hear just how little miss 'all powerful sorceress' gets herself out of danger without the use of her powers." The green-haired women pushed, a knowing smirk spreading on her lips.

"Okay fine!" Arella finally gave in. "I'll…I'll…I'll hitch a ride with my pal Chloe over here." She said as she wrapped her arm over the pinkette's shoulders.

"Like hell you will." Chloe said as she shrugged Arella's arm off. "No one is riding me."

impulse and Reed glanced at each other. "Nope, to easy." smirked the speedster, but that only earned him an annoyed sort of smoke and tiny crystal flex from her nose.

"Oh, come Chlo!" Arella batted her big, purple-green eyes. "Not even for little ole' me?"

"Sorry Ary, but you gotta be at least this tall to ride this ride." The dragon knight lifted her hand a few inches over both their heads. "And that includes these two idiots." She said with another glare in the direction of the snickering boys.

"Alright," The oldest announced. "Arella, you know this already, but since you never seem to grasp the concept I guess I'll just have to repeat it again. Do. Not. Use. All. Your. Magic. In. One. Strike. Do I make myself clear?" The women stared the younger girl down.

Arella rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom." She said with dripping sarcasm. Maria was not amused, but before she could scold the girl, the blaring sirens of the mission alert interrupted their little chat.

"Trouble. Titans Go!" Maria shouted as she quickly teleported out of the room. Cassie flew off in the direction of the exit, Impulse hot on her trail. Arella grabbed Chloe's arm and the two were swallowed up in her own portal, leaving an irritated Reed behind.

"Man, why am I the only one stuck getting around the old fashion way?" He asked as he threw his arms in the air in exaggeration, and begin the long trek to the common room. The fire ball on his shoulder flashed a few times, as if it were trying to speak.

"What do you mean, you can get there faster than this? You can't do anything without me telling you to."

Flash. Flash.

"Well I don't care if you were just stating a fact. It was a stupid fact." The brunette continued to banter with his pet fire ball as they were the last to exit the room.

"Well look who finally made it." Reed had finally made it to the common room in time for Impulses comment.

"I thought we agreed you weren't allowed comments like that since you get everywhere in two seconds anyway?" he growled, the ball of fire floating around him flashed in agreement. "You said it."

"Anyways," Maria got everyone's attention, "this is our bad guy for the day." With a couple commands typed into the computer, the round silver haired face of a man flashed across the screen. Everyone gave a collective gasp, then growls of rage. "I don't think I need to tell you just how important this mission is," Maria continued, "Marcus Cassidy is one if the worst sex traffickers in the world and he's setup shop in our own backyard. Now that he's surfaced again we CAN'T afford to lose him again." There was a silent wave of agreement amongst the group. Maria motioned for wonder girl to take over.

"Not only do we need to make sure we get Cassidy alive, but we also need the location of every one of his operations, and get any and all captives out a safe. Bart, you'll be responsible for hacking their computers. Arella, you and Maria will work on getting the innocent out of there, while Reed and Chloe will take care of any obstacles that we'll run into. And I'll make sure Cassidy is going nowhere. Sound good?"

Everyone gave a nod of agreement, including, to everyone's surprise, Arella. She had excepted a long time ago that she was essentially babysat during missions, especially by wonder girl, who still didn't fully trust her, and Maria when she was there. It was different when her older brother, and Maria's twin, Mark was around since Arella felt genuine love and concern when he was with them, plus he wasn't such a tight ass. Chloe, whose emotions Arella couldn't feel, was also genuinely concerned during missions, unlike the rest of her teammates, but again she stopped arguing a while ago.

"Alright then. Titans..."

"...GO!"

The group of young heroes took off into the construction site, Impulse zipping through to a nearby trailer, Reed, or the Fox, threw a slew of fire balls that began reducing the automatic weapons being fired at them to Ash, and any that planned on escaping were blocked in by a stream of red hot fire from above.

A pale green rhino charged towards a mobile home looking building, a bubble of dark green energy that helped to shield her from the gun fire. Rhino Maria smashed through the trailer, Arella continuing to shield them.

"Good job Maria, leaving a huge hole open for the bad guys!"

Maria shifted back, "Just keep that shield up!" was all she could say. Arella growled in frustration, but from the safety of her barrier, saw a blur of dark pink and sapphire scales land in front of the gunfire, and changed into solid diamonds, resulting in the bullets bouncing off her sold form.

Arella dropped the barrier, "Thanks Clo." and she took off down the trailer were Maria was already waiting for her.

Huddled around her was a group of malnourished, dehydrated, beaten and frightened young women, each giving off a mixture of fear, gratitude and uncertainty.

"Arella, you need to teleport them to the Jump City Police Station." Now Arella knew that the magical power that she inherited from their mother was stronger in her, and would make sense for her to teleport them to safety. However, since the two sisters never really got along, Arella didn't really think about the next words that came out of her mouth. "well why can't you do it?"

Maria gave a look of annoyance and disbelief as if Arella was only batting her into admitting that her younger sister was better than her in this regard. Before she could scold her, a rough explosion rocked the earth beneath them. "Arella just get them out of here!". Maria changed into a squirrel and scurried out of the trailer to join the battle outside. The group of women looked up at the young girl with confusion, not sure what was about to happen.

"Hang on," she advised. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her dark green ethereal energy washed over the group and herself transporting them to somewhere safe.

It was a full thirty minutes later before Arella could get back to the battle. Once the women were situated, Arella informed the police department where they were and that they could use the backup. Once she emerged from her portal, she was met by a disturbing sight. A gentleman with a large blaster in his hands was shooting beans of green light at her teammates, a weapon she recognized as a power canceling gun. Fox, and Maria were already down, but Impulse, Wonder Girl and Chloe, still in her dragon form, were attempting to take out the gunman. Before Arella could help her friends, her pointed ears picked up the sound of a rocket launcher being fired and the projectile coming right at her. instinctively she threw up a shield around herself but the resulting explosion knocked her into a nearby Office trailer. she broke through the wall knocking around papers computers and documents but was unharmed. she quickly got to her feet and flew from the trailer to her teammates. out of the corner of her eye she saw Marcus Cassidy climbing in to an SUV to make his getaway.

Kill him now!

There is was. the deep guttural voice that had haunted her for years once again commanding her to kill, to rip, and to dominate. But a roar of her friends in peril got her attention.

DO IT!

Once again Arella fought the voice back, a practice that was becoming tiring, and done for her teammates. summoning all her remaining energy, she wrapped her team in her power and teleported them all to safety.

Arella, still dressed in her uniform, stared blankly at the ceiling of her bedroom, which just happened to be her mother's old room, a pair of large headphones covering her ears to drown out the conversation taking place down the hall. she had heard it all before. Maria and Wonder girl would argue that Arella screwed up while Chloe would stand up for her, and would most the time end up right. These arguments we're often likened to the fights between the former Doom Patrol leader, and her grandfather, Mento, and her dad. But Arella stopped participating in the fights years ago, some they always ended the same. "trying to protect you", "we're in charge" blah, blah, blah. Again, Arella stopped caring a long time ago.

Glancing at the clock on her nightstand she decided it was time for bed. She stood, keeping the headphones on, and undid her cloak and kicked off her boots, when something caught her eye. Within the folds of her cloak that she hadn't noticed till now, were loose pieces of paper that she didn't recognize. she scooped them up and began sifting through them, discovering that they came from the trailer that she was thrown into earlier. Looking through the stack she didn't see anything that Impulse wasn't able to download, but one stood out from the rest.

It was a photograph of a younger looking Marcus Cassidy with a woman and two kids taken in front of a sign that led to a campsite.

Huh, why would he have this with him? Is this a safe house? The deductive reasoning skills that had been hammered into her by Nightwing began to put the pieces together. This MUST be a safe house. Why else have this photo? Yes! this had to be it! I gotta tell Maria!

Why?

There it was again. That infernal voice that was with her twenty four seven. At first it was bothersome, but now...now it's presence brought something out in her.

A familiar...itch.

Taking the photo in her hand she headed for her closet rummaging for a trunk shoved into the back.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

She froze, extending her senses beyond her door.

She relaxed when she felt it wasn't her sister, her esteemed leader, or Chloe, but she still wasn't wanting company.

She floated to the door, opening it just a crack to peer at her visitor.

"Hey Arella," Reed greeted nervously. He was a slightly taller boy, with shaggy auburn hair that came down to eyebrows, forest green eyes, and a splash of freckles painted along his cheeks.

She waited a beat. "Um, hi?" She responded awkwardly. She could feel his anxiety and apprehension, it was practically chocking her, but perhaps the most unnerving emotion she felt from him was attraction. She was used to picking up unsavory feelings from guys, but this poor kid had it bad for her. It was somewhat flattering, and if she were a normal eighteen-year-old girl, she probably would have returned the feelings. Reed was, after all, one of the sweetest and most attractive guys she knew. He was honestly the only guy outside of her family that didn't make her want to send him to the pits of Hell. However, she was not a normal girl. She was Raven's daughter after all, and she certainly did not inherit her father's people skills.

"Hey!" He said with a sickenly sweet smile.

"You already said that." She deadpanned, hoping he would catch her disinterest and leave her be.

"Heh, heh. Right." He laughed anxiously as he rubbed the back of his neck in an old nervous habit, much like her father and brother. "So, um, I just thought I'd check in on ya. I know today didn't go quite as well as we wanted, but at least we got those girls out, right?"

Ugh, she should have known. Every time a mission went awry, she was to blame. Every time she was blamed, Reed would show up at her door to try and cheer her up. She supposed it was nice of him to care so much, but it honestly didn't bother her anymore. What was bothering her was this interruption.

"Thanks, Reed." She replied with a fake smile. "That helps. Now if you don't mind, I was just getting ready for bed." If the boy picked up on her lie, he didn't show it.

"Okay! Yeah, um, great! Okay, I'll, um, see you tomorrow?" He stuttered as an embarrassed blush creeped up his freckled cheeks.

The dark-haired demoness simply nodded her head. The lovesick boy waved goodbye as he stumbled down the hall to his room. Arella watched him go for a quick moment, making sure he was in fact going to his room. Once she was sure she was in the clear, she used her powers to slide the door shut.

Arella raced back to her closet and her trunk. She was already shaking with anticipation, but she had to calm her nerves, she couldn't afford to be jittery. This was a secret mission, after all, and blowing up things in her room or around the tower was not exactly stealthy. Opening the trunk, she proceeded to dress herself in its contents which consisted of a one-piece, skin tight, pitch black leotard and black sweater, with black leggings and boots. To finish the outfit, she placed a black mask with white mesh over her eyes just like Nightwing's.

She grabbed the picture that held the name of the campsite. Camp Catalina. She knew that campsite. It wasn't too far from here.

Stuffing the picture into her boot, she threw her hood up over her face, and with a flick of her wrist, a black portal grew out of thin air. Without looking back, Arella stepped through the portal, leaving her home behind.

She couldn't remember her first time. All she remembered were colors and shapes, the stench of metal and the feel of sticky hot liquid. Once the smoke cleared and she saw the after effects of what she had done, she vomited, she vomited so much there was blood tearing form her throat. There was one other thing she remembered about the experience though.

The pure, untamed, exhilaration. The feeling was... orgasmic. She had to do it again . . . and again . . . and again. And now she was here, washing the warm sticky liquid off her hands at the sink. She no longer blacked out. She no longer vomited. She no longer felt nervous. Now it came naturally to her, and she remembered every second of it.

She felt a chill run down her spine at the memory. Their cries for mercy, their pathetic attempts at pleading for their lives, just like the women they ripped from their homes. She felt it. She felt their delicious fear, their intoxicating pain, she felt every inch of it and GOD she had never felt so alive! The best part was justice had been served, justice for those women, and everyone in the future whose lives they would have ruined had they been allowed to live. She did a service, she did the right thing. She finished washing her hands and moved into the living room, taking count of the bloody corpses that were strewn across the floor. Marcus Cassidy and five of his men were dead by her small, delicate hands.

"Okay," she sighed, "Now it's time for the hard and boring part," she opened a portal to a pocket dimension and removed a few cleaning items. Bleach, gloves, towels, plastic wrap, and trash bags, "Cleaning." By the time she was done, there was no way on heaven or earth she would be found out.

It took her about two hours to clean the cabin of blood, "Note to self, put plastic wrap around everything to minimize cleaning." she told herself. She glanced back at the bodies, making sure they were all wrapped neatly in plastic bags. "Alright, time to go." She opened a portal and with another wave of her hands the bodies floated through the portal to their final resting place. She glanced around the cabin, and being satisfied with her work followed after the corpses.

She had done a perfect job.

Too bad she had forgotten the broken security camera.

Russia.

She enjoyed exotic places, the wind blowing through the trees, a babbling brook in the distance. It was peaceful, even though the earth was disturbed by several holes dug into the ground for Marcus and his friends. The last body was placed into the hole, and she began moving dirt to cover them up.

"The best part about these powers, no shovels." she said to herself.

"I agree,"

Arella jumped out of her skin, the body falling to the ground with a crash and dirt exploding in every direction. She spun around, not sure what to think of whoever had disturbed her . . . but she knew him.

"Hello darling," Landon greeted coolly, "Fancy a chat?"

Author's Notes:

So another jam-packed chapter! Arella has been a naughty girl. Will Landon set her straight? Find out in the next chapter!

Lot's of OC's being introduced in this story. Tell bearhow and I which one's your favorite in an ask or message!

Make sure to check out bearhow's latest drawling of Chloe Daniels! Find it here.

A big thank you to all who have reviewed so far! Y'all are the best! To those who are just now joining in on this story, please leave bearhow and I a review! We would both really appreciate it. So much time and energy is going into this story, so please, if you read, take 30 seconds to drop a review! It goes a long way! (You can do so in your message, reblog, or in the form of an ask. You can also go to FF.net and leave a review there!)

Until next time,

L.B.

Disclaimer: Landon and Chloe Daniels owned by bearhow. Arella Logan and Maria Logan owned by Lou Buggins. Reed owned by both of us. All other character's property of D.C. Comics.  

[loubuggins]

EKNQ: Ch.2 A Family Matter

Eight Years Ago

The middle-aged women, dressed in a simple blue sun-dress, leaned her petite frame against the kitchen counter of her home. She winced slightly at the pain of her stomach pressing onto the counter's edge, but she leaned further in, and used her hands to lift herself up to have a better view past the window. On the other side of the grass, far out on top of a nearby hill, she could just make out the small silhouette of her daughter hovering above the ground.

"Raven?"

The familiar sound of her name stole her attention away from her daughter, and over to the jade-skinned man that had called for her. Before she could turn around to address him, she felt his strong, lean arms wrap themselves around her thin waist. His broad chest pressed against her slender back, and he rested his chin on her exposed, pale-grey shoulder. Instinctively, she leaned back off the counter, and into his embrace, allowing her slim fingers to fall over his calloused hands. The man behind traced back her stare toward the little girl meditating outside.

"Are you spying on her again?" He asked in an accusing voice.

"I'm not spying." She insisted. "I'm observing."

He let out a chuckle at her expense. "That's what you keep saying, Rae, and yet I still don't see the difference between the two."

Raven huffed in annoyance. "Alright, fine, I'm spying. Happy now?"

"Ha! I knew it!" he straightens his back, a large grin spreading across his face. Raven slapped his hand playfully.

"Shut up, you big green lug! I'm her mother, and I have every right to spy on my daughter, so don't judge me."

"Oh, don't worry Rae! I judged you a long time ago."

The women in his arms rolled her eyes ay her husband's childish antics.

"In all seriousness, though, you really shouldn't be spying on our daughter."

Raven turned herself around without breaking his embrace. Her face falling into its signature monotone, but her violet eyes shined with worry.

"I need to keep an eye on her, Gar. What if something happens to her? One of us should be ready to protect her." She voiced her concern.

"Rae, even mama bears let their cubs out of their sight every now and then. This place has some of the best magic, warding, and protection around and no dumb-ass villain, demon and anything in between is getting in here anytime soon."

Raven wanted to believe him, but his words did nothing to ease her fears. "I understand that she is safe from the outside world, at least for now, but what worries me is keeping her safe . . . from herself." She admitted while looking down in shame.

"Is this about what Landon said to you?" Garfield growled as he thought of the well-dressed demon that had showed up unannounced early that week, the only reason he was allowed to come around was because he had been invited. Raven had told him of the conversation she had with his majesty. Garfield and Landon had always had a bit of a strained relationship. The King of Hell had his own agenda, and Garfield was not a fan of being kept in the dark when it came to the welfare of his family. Sure, he owed the businessman for saving the life of his mate and cub . . . . a couple of times . . . okay a lot, but Landon had been a-wall before that. The Logan's had begged Landon to help them defeat Carnus, but it seemed killing Carnus did not fit well with the demon king's agenda. That was, until something changed that night in Mexico, and what really bothered him was that Landon had left just as he came, quickly and without explanation. Now he shows up again, in typical Landon fashion, and pleads for Garfield's child. Yeah, Landon was not on Garfield's top list of favorite people right now.

Raven closed her eyes, trying and failing to hold back the tears that formed in her amethyst irises. She gave the man before her a weak nod.

"Oh, Raven my love, don't do this to yourself." Garfield begged as he pulled her body closer to his. He had one arm wrapped securely around her thin waist, and the other around her shoulders, his hand gently petting her lilac locks. He could feel a warm wet spot form on his shoulder as her tears soaked his red and white jump suit. He placed a tender kiss on top of her head, and whispered sweet nothings into her silky hair.

"It's not your fault, Rae."

"But what if he's right?" She sobbed. "What if everything I'm teaching her is only pushing her further away into the darkness? What if my mother was right to lock me up and thrown away the key? Maybe Arella should go with Landon. Maybe the real threat to her safety...is me." Raven's outburst caused multiple objects around the house to fly around or combust, as her magic swirled around the small safe-house. Neither paid much mind to the destruction her powers were causing.

"Raven, look at me." The changeling growled as he gently pinched her chin and tilted her head up to face him. Tears ran freely down her pale cheeks, and Garfield had to hold back his own whine at the sight of his upset mate. "After all these years of being with you, I have to come to learn many surprising facts about you. You talk in your sleep. You don't let your food touch. You take really long showers."

"Get to the point, Garfield." The sorceress sniffled.

"Heh, right. My point is, perhaps the worst thing about yourself, is that you can't help, but be your own worst critic. You are always so quick to fall into this spiral of self-doubt, and it pains me every time I must watch you do that to yourself. You aren't perfect Rae, not even close, but to me, you're better than perfect. You are the most beautiful, humble, and caring person I know. It's those things that Arella needs right now, and no one, especially that emotionless shark in a suit, can teach her those things better than you."

A small smile formed on her full lips." That was a wonderful sentiment, Gar," She spoke softly. "But there is one problem. You can't teach beauty."

Garfield chuckled at her. "I meant, beauty on the inside. My girls don't need help in being beautiful on the outside." He winked at her, causing a blush to rise up her tear-stained cheeks.

"Watch it, before you go and ruin this moment." She mumbled as she buried her head in his shoulder once again.

"Hey, I made the moment, I can ruin it." The shapeshifter teased.

"And there it is. Moment ruined."

Garfield laughed once again, and Raven couldn't stop the amused smile that showed up on her face.

"I love you, Raven." He cooed as his laughter died down, and he became serious once more.

"I love you too, Gar." She returned, then moved herself so that she was hugging him from the side and looking back out the window, towards their mediating daughter. Her face resuming its worried gaze. "What happens if we can't be there to protect her?"

Garfield gave her arm a comforting squeeze as he followed her gaze. "Then someone else will."

Present Day

Arella heaved an enormous sigh of relief. "Not right now, Landon, I'm busy." The young women turned her back to the King of Hell as she used her powers to finish burying the body of Mr. Cassidy.

"I can see that," he began walking around her staring down into the hole, "Late night gardening?" She ignored his comment, so he began sauntering around clearing, "So how many victims does this make-"

"He's not a victim!" Arella snapped, "He's a criminal, there's a difference." She grumbled under her breath as she finished with the hole.

"And yet, who here is committing a crime?" Landon laughed devilishly.

She huffed turning away from him and crossed her arms, "I lost my temper, okay."

Suddenly he was in her face, looming over her by at least a full head. Her breath hitched in her throat at his close proximity, his dark eyes staring into her amethyst pools, his voice low and sultry as he spoke to her. "Now, darling, we both know that isn't true. I can see it in your eyes. I've seen that look for centuries. You. Enjoy. It."

It took her a few moments to get her breath back, "Look, this creep has ruined countless lives and has threaten me and my family. I did what ultimately had to be done." She looked away from him, attempting to conceal her blush. Wait, blush? Why was she blushing?

"Oh really? And why not just hand him over to the police, hm? Why kill him instead of sending him to adult daycare, or prison as you mortals call it."

Her eyes glowed a dark green, "Because men like him, don't deserve to live." She stared back at him, meeting his dark gaze. Her voice laced with a demonic presence.

A smirk twitched at the side of his lip, but even he had to acknowledge the shiver that ran down his spine. "I like your answer. Only one teeny, tiny problem with that. You can't just go around killing mortals, simply because you think they deserve it." He said with a tap of her small, pale nose, causing another blush to appear on her cheeks, but a scowl to form from her mouth.

"I don't kill just any mortals. Only the really bad ones."

"I see, then any reason why there aren't any 'super villains' among your collection?"

"Well I can't just go around killing those that the league knows about." Her hand slapped over her mouth as soon as she realized what she just admitted to.

"Is that so?" The king smirked knowingly. "Well if you're doing the right thing then why not let the League know?"

Arella growled, her razor-sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight, and eyes a blood red. "Why are you here?"

There it was again, the shiver. "Right." He said as he straightened his tie. "Well as the king of Hell, it is my job to make sure the balance between good and evil stay, well balanced. And unfortunately, you little birdy, are tipping the scale ever so slightly, which is bad for business. How do you think I found out about you and," he gestured to the make-shift graveyard around him, "this? Your new friends have graced my kingdom with their presence ahead of schedule. A few here and there is fine, but to many and I have to intervene."

Arella settled slightly, but still maintained her hard glare. "And that's my problem, because?"

Landon got closer to her, "Because, I am a business man, and you, my little bird," he pinched her chin and lifted her head slightly, "are becoming a liability. And I don't take kindly to liabilities."

Instead of allowing herself to get flustered, she decided to play along. "And what are you going to do," she said in her best teasing tone, her pale finger tracing the lines of his suit coat, "all powerful king of demons, ruler of all things evil, fancy suit enthusiast? Send me to Hell?"

"Why yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do." Landon deadpanned as he released her chin and took a couple steps back.

Her playful tone vanished. "Wait what?"

"Relax, darling, you aren't going to Hell as a prisoner. You'd go as my honored guest." Her confusion told him to elaborate. "You see, I have job opening that needs filling, and who better to fill it than a lovely lost soul like yourself."

She rose a brow in disbelief, "Isn't that what Drake used to do?"

He shrugged, "Once upon a time, but he's retired now, and made that clear . . . painfully clear. Bottom line is that you'll work for me, and I'll have a new assistant and I'll be able to keep a better eye on my adorable little liability." He winked flirtatiously, once again provoking an involuntary blush from the sorceress. "It's a win, win for me."

The game was back on, "And why should I accept?"

"Well you'll get benefits. Full dental, medical, a 401K, and every Friday is 'wacky tie day'."

"Sounds like a dream job." She muttered, meeting his sarcasm.

"Well you would be able to learn how to properly use that better half of yours." He through in causally.

Now he had her attention. "Are you saying you can help me suppress it?" Just asked hopefully.

He closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration. "Look darling, the whole 'conceal, don't feel thing' trope doesn't agree with me.

She snorted a laugh, "Wow, Landon. Never pegged you for a 'Frozen' fan."

He narrowed his eyes, "You'd be surprised. Anyways, I am saying I can help you control it. Suppression doesn't work, when really you should be learning how to use that power to your advantage. Each time you push your demon away, it comes back twice as hard. You keep this up, and you'll be the next 'Titan's Most Wanted'." He approached again, "Listen, I know this is a big decision for you, so I'll let you sleep on it. But do take my advice, love. Don't deny who you are. You're a demon, and who better to teach how to be one than the king of demons himself?"

With one last wicked smile, Landon snapped his fingers and everything went black.

XXXXXXXX

Beep! Beep! Beep!

A small cloud of black magic consumed the small, old fashion alarm and within seconds the little device combusted into hundreds of tiny pieces. The source of that magic, a petite, pale-grey women, shifted in her queen-sized bed with a loud groan. As the tired women tried to fall back into unconsciousness, a loud knocking could be heard from her bedroom door. The young women let out another groan, and buried her face into her pillow in an attempt to drown out the sound.

"Arella, it's Chloe, time to wake up sleepy head!"

Arella heard the cheery voice of her best friend from the other side of her door. She turned onto her side, lazily mumbling "Five more minutes." Luckily, Cloe's dragon hearing could pick up on her muffled words.

"It's ten in the morning, Ari. The others thought you were dead."

At the sound of the word dead, Arella's eyes snapped open in fear. She quickly sat up and through off her thick covers to reveal her blood-stained clothes, the mask still on her face. Trying to hold back her panic, she jumped out of bed and ran over to her closet.

"Alright, Chlo, just give me a minute!" She called over to the door as she began to strip herself of the soiled garments.

"No way! I know you too well to fall for that one! You're just going to fall back asleep as soon as I leave."

"No, I won't!" Arella denied. "Use your ears, I'm getting dressed as we speak."

There was a short pause as Chloe pressed her ear onto the cold metal door. Knowing she was listening, Arella made sure to be unnecessarily loud while dressing herself.

"Alright, fine, but I'm still waiting here until you finish."

With a huff, Arella wrapped a clean, green cloak over her body and clasped the locket on the front, holding the fabric together. She then floated over to the door, and used her powers to slide it open. The familiar image of the slightly taller, pink-haired girl stood outside waiting for her. Chloe's crystal-blue gaze took her in.

"You look awful." She blurted out.

Arella's face fell at her friend's bluntness. "Gee, thanks."

"Well sorry, but it's true. I mean just look at your hair, it looks like a rat's nest up there." She said as she motioned to Arella's tangled purple locks. "Not to mention you smell like legit death." She said with revulsion as she wrinkled her nose.

Arella tensed, but when she met the dragon knight's gaze, she knew she did not mean anything by her choice of words. Swallowing down her anxiety, Arella decided to play along.

"Yeah, well at least I don't smell like a swamp."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "It's the lake, a forest, and a roaring flame . . . . my mom would say."

Arella snorted at her. "It's a swamp Chlo."

The two girls continue their conversation as they walk down the hall.

"Hey, just a heads up, everyone is pretty on edge today."

Arella shrugged. "What else is new."

Chloe shook her head, "No, you don't understand. That mystery guy struck again last night. Took down all of Cassidy's men and Cassidy himself is at large. Although, police report says they found a lot of his blood at the scene. I'm convinced he's dead. All the guys Mr. Mystery captured have never been discovered. Logic says it's because they are all dead. Although, Impulse thinks they are…"

Arella stopped listening. Her mind was too busy replaying the events of last night. The sound of their screams, the look of absolute fear in their eyes, the metallic taste of their sweet, hot, sticky blood.

"Arella!"

The sound of her name snapped her out of her thoughts. Arella violently shook her head clear of the memories, and blinked over at Chloe, who was staring at her oddly.

"Sorry, what'd you say?" Arella asked.

"I asked you what you thought, about the mystery guy thing. Did you just ignore everything I told you? And what was up with that smirk?" Chloe questioned accusingly, her hands falling to her hips.

"Kind of." Arella admitted. "Sorry, Chlo, but my head isn't quite ready for social interaction."

Chloe's sharp glare softened into a sympathetic gaze. "Was it another nightmare?" She asked softly.

Arella was surprised for a split second, but then she remembered her go to excuse for her exhausted state. She gave her friend a brief nod. When she asked to talk about it, Arella declined as per usual. Chloe knew her friend would open it up when she was ready, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, Cass and your sister are pretty pissed because of this guy, so just gird your loins."

Arella gave her friend a grateful nod. "Thanks, Chlo."

With that the two girls entered the common room, where everyone was chowing down on their breakfast. Just as Chloe said, Cass and Maria were seated next to each other, going over the police report concerning the murders at the Cassidy residence. Arella could practically choke on the frustration that rolled off her two leaders. Over at the other end of the table, the boys were sharing different theories as to who the mystery person could be.

"What if it's Slade, back from the dead?" Impulse offered.

"No way, dude! Slade hasn't been in the picture for decades. Besides, attacking sex-traffickers isn't really his style." Reed objected.

"Oh, like you know his style? You said it yourself, the guy's been gone for over twenty years."

"Yeah, but unlike you, I actually spend time in the library."

". . . . We have a library?"

Arella rolled her eyes at the boy's pathetic banter. Chloe left her side, and went to sit back in her spot next to Maria and Reed, an empty chair in between her and freckled boy. Arella continued over to the kitchen counter, where she proceeded to make herself a cup of green tea. The other's seemed to be lost in their own conversations to pay her any mind, which she was quite grateful for. It wasn't until she was taking her seat in between Reed and Chloe, full cup of tea in hand, that someone decided to acknowledge her.

"Oh, hey Ari, who do you think the guy is?" Bart asked from across the table. All eyes turned to her, and she had to fight back the urge to scream. Instead, the sorceress sent the speedster a cold glare.

"Don't call me Ari, and I don't care." She said pointedly, before taking a small sip of her tea.

"Well I'm still convinced it's someone we know." Bart announced proudly, ignoring Arella's attitude.

Reed shook his head, his shaggy auburn hair falling in his face. "I say it's a new guy. Maybe a metahuman we haven't seen before."

"Excuse me!" Chloe interjected. "Who said it had to be a guy?"

Bart rolled his eyes at her. "Don't go turning this into a feminist thing."

"I'm not. I'm just saying, it could be a female." Chloe clarified.

"What do you think, Arella?" Reed's question took the reclusive girl by surprise. She looked up from her tea mug, with a confused expression.

"Huh?" She asked.

"The mystery person. Do you think they are male or female?" Reed asked again.

"Oh, uh…" Arella cast a nervous glance over to Maria, who was now eyeing her and awaiting her answer. She then glanced over to Chloe, who was watching her expectantly.

"Definitely a male. A woman could never overpower that many guys."

Her answer had a mixed reaction. Bart looked smug, while Chloe looked disappointed. Reed just looked at thoughtful, and Maria just continued to eye her younger sibling.

"I agree with Arella." Reed stated out of nowhere.

Everyone rolled their eyes at the foolish boy. "Of course, you do. You agree with everything she says." Bart teased the poor boy. The fire-wielder huffed in annoyance.

"I do not!"

Over on the boy's shoulder, the little fireball flashed brightly. "Even your little fire thingy agrees me." Reed blushed and looked the other way, mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

"I wouldn't be so quick to rule out possibilities, Arella." The teens all looked over to Maria, who was still staring at the young empath. "This person, whoever he or she is, appears to be metahuman, meaning this person could easily be a female."

Arella forced herself to meet her sister's emerald gaze, her fear threatening to bubble over. Arella repeated her mantra in her head, desperately trying to calm her emotions. She watched as her sister's mouth fell slightly, a sign she was scenting the air. Maria's dark green eyes narrowed, and Arella knew she had caught her fear-scent. She prayed to whoever was listening that Maria wouldn't say anything.

The other's around them seemed to be blissfully ignorant to what was happening right in front of them. Arella felt a pounding in her chest and head, and her mouth became dry and sticky. After what felt like a century, an unexpected savior came to Arella's aid.

"Okay Titans, breakfast is over! Everyone meet in the gym in five!" Wonder Girl announced, before flying off toward the elevator. Bart, Reed and Chloe all stood up and began clearing the table. Arella and Maria continued to stare at one another, before Maria finally broke her gaze with a shake of her head. "Go on, Ari, don't want to leave your teammates waiting."

Arella blinked at the older women, but then hesitantly stood up and carried her mug over to the sink, where she poured out the remaining liquid, then followed her friend to the elevator. All while Maria's stern glare never left the back of her head.

Cassidy Cabin

In the form of a pale green chipmunk, Maria scampered into the Cassidy Cabin, shifting back to her normal form as soon as she was inside. She opened a small pocket dimension with her powers and grabbed the police report. How the police could clean up the crime scene, take photos and gather evidence this quickly was a mystery to her, but she wasn't arguing. This person who was killing off these criminals was nothing more than your average, run of the mill serial killer and had to be treated as such.

She prayed she was wrong though.

She opened the file going to a particular photo of the blood bath and something that stuck out to her when she and Wonder Girl were going over the photos earlier. Sometimes demons leave behind a trail of sulfur, why, no one really knew, but Azarathian demons left behind a trail much stronger. A black and blue glittering powder that no one would look twice at, but she would.

Over at the door that led to the kitchen there was still a small pinch of the odd powder against the doorframe that hadn't been clean. With gloves on her hands she rubbed her fingers against the power and took a sniff.

" . . . No . . " it was a familiar scent. It had to be a coincidence. Maybe some of the powder got onto him from the attack earlier, yeah, that's what happened. Before she decided to leave she caught something out of the corner of her eyes. Something underneath the couch that she the police hadn't found. She took it in her hands, a small smashed up, security camera.

Titan Headquarters, Washington D.C., USA

A medium-sized, obsidian portal opened in front of the towering T-Shaped building. Stepping out of the portal, Maria looked around to take in her surroundings. The Titan Headquarters was founded by her mother, father, and several of the original Titans back in 2011 – 31 years ago. The place made you feel like you were Marty McFly stumbling into the future for the first time. The most modern and superior technology was made inside this very tower. As Maria walked up the stairs that led to the entryway of the building, she passed by many familiar faces of her fellow Titans. Being that she had green skin and pointy ears, it was hard for her not to stand out, even in a place full of metahumans. By now though, she was comfortable in her own skin, and was used to lingering eyes. She was, after all, the daughter of two founding Titan's.

As she walked in, she was instantly greeted by five humongous statues. Each a monument to the Titan they replicated. It was strange and intimidated to see her parents amongst the five, staring down at her as if they knew who she was and why she was here. She quickly brushed it off and stomped past the grand decor. She made her way over to the elevators, and thanked God for it being empty. Although, her prayers were too soon, because right as the doors began to close, a speedster swooshed past them and made it in.

"Floor 6 please." Came the peppy voice of the young, pink-haired, female speedster. She glanced over in Maria's direction, but had to do a double take once she noticed who it was she had intruded on. "Oh, my gash! Maria, what are you doing here?" She asked as she zoomed up to the slightly older women and trapped her in a tight embrace.

"Hey, Janet." Maria greeted politely, but was inwardly cringing. This was the very type of encounter she was hoping to avoid. Last thing she wanted was for leadership to know she was here, and by leadership she mainly means Mom and Dad. Janet released her from her hug and began bouncing up and down, rocking the elevator. The animals in Maria's mind did not appreciate this.

"Janet, stop bouncing!" Maria scolded while having her back pressed up against the wall, claws scratching the blue-painted walls.

Janet stopped what she was doing, and instead decided to tap her foot like the rabbit from Bambi. "Sorry, M! Superfast heartrate, remember? Gotta stay moving!" She spoke swiftly and sporadically, which quickly gave Maria a splitting headache.

"So, what brings you to HQ? I thought you were mentoring a group of TT's back at Titans West?"

Before Maria could respond, the spunky pinkette spoke again.

"Oh, are you in trouble?" She taunted with a mischievous smirk. "What did you do this time? Threaten to eat one of the kids again? Get in another fight with your sister?"

Maria's eyes fell to the floor at the mention of her sister.

"Oh, you did! Give me all the dirty deets!" The young women said excitedly.

"I did not get into another fight, Janet, and I'm not in trouble. In fact, I would appreciate it if you not mention I was even here." Maria growled softly.

"Why not?" The speedster/sorceress tilted her head in confusion.

Maria had been around for a good chunk of time now, and she had been in the superhero work all her life, so coming up with lies on the fly was anything, but a hardship for her. "Because I'm just here to visit Susan and I rather the leadership not know I abandoned my post in doing so."

This seemed to please the short gossiper. "I gotcha! Don't worry, M, your secret is safe with me." Her bright pink eyes dropped down for a moment and landed of Maria's purse that hung over her shoulder. "Hey, since when did you carry around a purse?" The cheerful speedster asked as she pointed to the offending object by Maria's side. Maria subconsciously pulled the bag closer to her, a quick comeback playing on her lips, but before she could respond, the elevator dinged and the doors opened on the 6th floor. "Guess this is my stop. Nice seeing ya, M! You'll have to stop by more often!" She said as she sped away out of sight, but as quickly as she left she zoomed back over just outside the elevator and called out, "Oh, and say hi to Marky for me!" With that the doors closed again and as Maria waited to arrive on her floor and for the headache she had acquired to go away, she couldn't keep from wondering why a certain daughter of Jinx and Flash wanted her to say hi to her twin brother – Marky?

The elevator dinged once again, and the doors opened to reveal the open-concept floor of the Titan Research Laboratory. Created by none other than Maria's adoptive uncle, Victor Stone otherwise known as Cyborg. The lab was state of the art and was the birthplace of some of the most advance weaponry in the world. Maria vaguely remembered the controversy that had come up not long after this place was built. Every military in the world wanted a slice of the pie, as it were, and the Titans became deeply divided by the issue. Cyborg thought it was his patriotic duty to hand over weapon designs to the U.S. government. Nightwing wanted to sell the designs in order to help fund Victor's "science experiments" as he often referred to them. Maria's parents, the legendary Changeling and Raven were adamantly opposed to the whole idea, and at one point wanted the whole thing to shut down. Maria was only a toddler during those days, but she remembered not seeing very much of her favorite uncle and cousin that year. It was settled upon that any Titan Technology would remain in the hands of Titans only.

Today, the lab was more focused on enhancing metahuman powers, than building an arsenal. Metahumans from under the globe would come here to learn more about their powers and how to properly wield them. Basically, adding science to the traditional training methods, making them all far more powerful than they could have imagined. It was an ingenious idea, and Maria was proud to say it was all led by her best friend and adoptive cousin, Susan Stone.

Maria had walked through the lab, eyeing all the different kinds of experiments taking place around her. It took her a while before she finally came to a door marked "Susan Stone: Head of Research and Development." Maria smirked at the big shot title and decided to bring back an old joke between them.

The tall, slender frame of a brown-skinned, dark-haired beauty sat behind her wide, metal desk as she typed away on her holographic computer. She was humming to herself, the large white wings on her back twitching the beat. Suddenly, she felt the air pressure drop and saw a familiar black hole form over her door. Stepping through it was a woman wearing a dark violet and lime-green suit, with short green hair and emerald eyes.

"Holly Heisenberg! What the hell, Maria? You know how much I hate it when you do that!" Susan exclaimed as she threw her hand over heart to calm herself down, and starred pointedly at her visitor.

Maria simply grinned and walked up closer to her friend's desk and took a seat in front of it. "Which is exactly why I have to do it." She teased.

"Ha. Ha. Laugh it up. As soon as you leave, I'm requesting a ward for my door!" The woman behind the desk said with a playful smirk.

"Yeah we'll see about that." Maria's grin faded to a frown as she cast her eyes down at the bag in her lap.

"I'm guessing you didn't come all this way just to scare to crap out of me, right?"

Maria nodded her head. "Yes, unfortunately this isn't one of those visits. You know about that human trafficker my team had been tracking, down right?

"Yeah, Marcus Cassidy, right? Have you guys kicked his butt yet?"

Maria's gaze fell once again to the bag. "Well, not exactly."

Susan titled her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

With a heavy sigh, Maria explained everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. The only detail she was not yet ready to share was the fact that she caught her sister's scent at the crime scene.

"And I found this on the floor nearby." She finished her story and pulled out the mangled remains of what used to be a security camera.

"I know the camera took quite a beating, but I was hoping that if anyone can recover the video, it'd be you."

Maria gently placed to remains onto Susan's desk, while Susan pulled out of her drawer a tiny magnify-glass. The half insect began to inspect the pieces of the destroyed camera like an archaeologist inspecting human remains. Maria waited with baited breath as Susan finished her inspection.

"I'm not gonna lie, this thing is pretty messed up." She said bluntly as she sat the small magnify glass down on the table. "But for you, Mar, I'll give it a looksie. I just can't promise I'll be successful."

Maria gave her friend a sincere smile. "That's alright, Sue. I just ask that you try. And um…there is one other thing." She said as her face grew uncharacteristically serious.

"What is it?" Susan asked curiously.

"If you do recover the video, do not let anyone else see it, okay? It is imperative that this stays between you and I."

The two friends shared a tense look, as Susan tried to study her friend's odd behavior.

"Well sure, Mar, but can I at least ask why all the secrecy?"

Maria set her emerald gaze back on the camera. The memory of all the blood and destruction at the Cassidy Mansion replayed in her mind, and she could not help, but imagine her baby sister being the cause of it all.

"For now, Susan, let's just call it a family matter."

Author’s Notes: So we threw in some bbrae love in this one. Hope y’all enjoyed that!  We also gave you a look into the future of the Teen Titans. Let me know what you think about it! Has always, please reblog and review! Your feedback is always greatly appreciated! 

Disclaimer: Maria Logan, Arella Logan, Janet West, and Susan Stone created by @loubuggins. Landon, Carnus, Cassidy, and Chloe Daniels created by @bearhow2. Reed created by both of us. All other Titans owned by DC Comics. 

Previous Chapter: The Raid

[loubuggins]

Every King Needs a Queen

Chapter 3: A Demon's Dilemma

Four years ago, Africa.

A fourteen-year-old Chloe Daniels gracefully navigated her way through the thick forestry, her senses on high alert for anything out of the ordinary, her crystal blue eyes struggling in vain to see the sun through the canopy of leaves above her. With a small towel, she whipped the sweat from her forehead, true the heat NEVER bothered her, but the humidity was another thing, and it was torture on her hair, hence why she kept it short. She placed the towel away in one of the pouches on the harness her father had given her and continued on. As she clambered over the extensive undergrowth of the Congo Rainforest, but even with the sound of her feet crunching leaves and the surrounding sounds of the forest, her sensitive ears could distinguish a shuffling of bushes a couple of feet behind her.

Chloe spun around, drawing the angel blade from a pouch on the harness, and readied for an attack. The yellowish-green bushes rustled some more, and the pink-haired warrior tensed. Dark violet hair appeared out of the bushes, quickly followed by pale skin, purple-green eyes, and an emerald cloak that blended perfectly in the forest backdrop. Before Chloe could register who it was, she lunged forward with her knife pointed right for the stranger's chest.

"WHOA CHLO! IT'S ME!" Arella threw up her hands, a dark green magic shield appearing between her and the knife.

Chloe sighed with relief placing the blade away, "Damn it, Arella, I told you not to come."

"Hey, your dad said you had to do this . . . whatever alone, but didn't say anything about me tagging along from a safe distance . . . yes I'm aware of the irony."

Chloe scowled, "This isn't 'whatever', this is an ancient Dragon Knight tradition that I have to keep going." Chloe turned away and continued her trek through the muggy forest, Arella following from a few steps behind by floating a few feet in the air. "You know it wouldn't kill you too walk once in a while."

"True, but why take the chance," Arella floated with her hands behind her back, as if she was roller skating in mid-air, "So what's the point of this anyways? Your supposed to get your dragon jewel thingy, but you can just make your own?"

"It's about the journey, Ar. All 'rites of passage's' are like this."

"Well how long is it supposed to take?" Arella sighed, but sounded more like a whine.

"No one asked you to come, you can zap home at any time."

Arella sighed again, this time getting a bit more serious, "Well you've been with me through some tough times-"

"SHH!" Chloe throw up her hand silencing her companion, her senses opened and on high alert. She took a deep breath of the air, her ears twitching ever so slightly. Her fingers slowly began to create to encase themselves in crystal creating blade-like claws. Arella stiffened, her own animal-like instincts warning her of the appending danger. Arella opened her mouth, not to talk, but to scent the air around her. Hundreds of different smells filled her senses, but years of practice taught her how to zoom in on particular ones. Chloe must have picked up the scent at the same time as her, because the female dragon knight suddenly launched her crystal claws into the clump of bushes to her left. A loud yelp came from the bushes, followed by a thud. Arella narrowed her eyes at the spot and with the flick of her out stretched hand, used her magic to float the now dead body out in the open. She laid the furry and bloodied body on the ground and stared curiously at it.

"What the hell is that?" Arella floated over to the red and tan furred canine.

"Adjule. It's a wolf-fox," More rustling came from the bushes, "And they don't hunt alone. RUN!" The teenage friends took off, Arella gliding through the air, while Chloe went on foot. Making her elbow crystal, she threw it into a nearby tree knocking it over in front of the attacking animals, but did little to detour them. "Arella, get outta here this isn't your fight." Chloe yelled over the Adjule's snarling.

"Hey, I can handle these things-"

"-No, I have to do this myself."

"Are you sure, because your running out of land."

Chloe's eyes widened. A cliff in front of her, and the pack of fox-wolves behind them, not a good combination. Once again, her fingers became crystalized and she leapt for a nearby tree, digging her claws into the bark. She pulled herself up as fast as she was able, but still had to kick off a few of the Adjule's as they bit into her legs. She moved onto a large branch, checking the bite marks on her legs.

"Oh Azar!" Arella joined Chloe on the branch.

"I've had worse," she groaned. Slowly her wounds began to seal themselves. Arella looked down at the barking creatures.

"So now what? Just wait till they leave?"

"Nope," Chloe got to her feet, and grabbed onto a nearby vine, "Time to put into practice was Uncle Gnark taught me." The young girl formed her left arm into a solid crystal battering ram, and with a high-pitched battle cry, jumped from the branch and swung on the vine. She used the vine to swing her into the group of yapping and biting canine hybrids. Her crystal arm slammed into the Adjules that had the great misfortune to be in her path.

Arella watched the scene unfold from the safety of her branch. Furred bodies were sent flying each way, some landed on others, while others hit nearby trees. The forest echoed with the whines and whimpers of the frightened pack. Arella watched as Chloe used the last of her energy to land on another tree branch. Before the canine cryptids could regather, Chloe developed more crystal claws and threw them like daggers at the remaining Adjules.

Once the last creature fell, Chloe took a seat on the branch and caught her breath. Arella kept her gaze on the lifeless bodies that now littered the forest floor. A small part of her twisted with nausea at the sight, but that was a very minute part of her. Excitement at the intoxicating metallic smell of blood began to bubble inside of her.

"Arella!" Chloe called. Arella's mixed amethyst eyes snapped up from the carnage to her friend. "Stop looking at those things like that. It's weird."

The young sorceress shook her head clear before retorting. "I'm weird? You just took out a pack of mythological fox-wolves like freaking Tarzan with a crystal bat, and you have the audacity to call me weird?"

The pinkette rolled her deep blue eyes. "Always so dramatic." Standing up again, Chloe looked down from where she stood, judging the distance.

"Don't! I can take us down there." Arella offered, having read her mind. Figuratively, not literally.

Chloe shook her head. "No way! It's not that far for me, and it beats your weird magic."

"Again, with that adjective."

Instead of coming up with a witty reply in return, Chloe bent her knees, and extended her arms and with the elegance of a gymnast, leapt from her branch, kicking off the trees around her to land firmly on the ground. Her bones shook, but only for a moment. Her abnormal strength, and the dance and gymnastics she had learned from her mother, allowed her to land unscathed. As she straightened herself and brushed off any leaves or dirt that may have stuck to her body, she felt the familiar change in air pressure that lasted only seconds. Once she was satisfied, she turned to the person who had decided to join her.

"Look Ari, I know you just want to help, and believe me I wish you could stay."

"But…"

"But I need to do this alone."

The violet girl huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms in a pout. "Why? Because some tradition says so? Screw tradition!"

Chloe sighed and her shoulders fell. "I don't expect you to understand, but I do expect you to respect my wishes." Her blue gaze met Arella's purple-green's. "Please Ari. You know I wouldn't be asking you this unless I truly meant it."

Arella gave her friend's solemn words some thought. "Alright." She let out her own sigh of defeat. "I'll go, but I don't like it."

"I didn't say you had to like it, just accept it." Chloe smiled at the other girl.

"Yeah, yeah. Just promise me, that if you need me you'll call me?"

Chloe nodded, her pink strands falling slightly in her face.

"I'm serious now. I don't care what tradition says, if you even think you could use some help, you call me, okay?"

"Yes Mom!" Chloe teased, but Arella could feel her friend's affection toward her. "Really though. I can take care of myself. I've been taught by the best." With one last glance, Arella wished her good luck, before disappearing in a dark green portal.

Present Day

The teens compromised and claimed a couple of lanes in the back corner farthest away from the civilians. They dressed in civilian attire as well, in hopes to blend in as much as possible. They didn't come all this way for photo-ops, that's for sure, but the only ones who were ever asked were Bart, Cassie, Reed on occasion, and Chloe. When Chloe was asked, Arella found it quite entertaining especially when the guys would try to get fresh with her. The last time that happened they were faced with fangs and fire. It was wonderful to listen their screams of fear . . . and pain.

While Arella waited for her turn, she sat in the bulging red booth, whispering her mantra repeatedly in order to calm her constant headache. While this place was not the worst place they could be, it certainly was far from the best. The sorceress glanced over at her best friend, who was currently in a heated game with Bart. Those two were always the most competitive. It was somewhat amusing to watch Chloe easily antagonize the red-head by using her super strength to hurl the ball in the direction of the pins, earning her a strike every time. The boy cried cheat every time, especially when they said no powers, but he was just sore, because his powers would send him flying into the pins alongside the ball (and yes, he had to learn that lesson the hard way).

It wasn't like Chloe was cheating on purpose though. Cass had the same problem. One cannot simply stop being strong. Only, unlike Cass, Chloe had to make a major production out of her so called "skills", thanks to her mother's dancing lessons. It never took long for those two to start arguing over who was the better bowler. It was a very similar agreement they would have over video games.

Yes, Chloe played video games. When she told her father, he damn near disowned her.

While listening to those two bicker was not the most pleasurable thing to do, they certainly had their moments. However, what really rubs Arella the wrong way was how easily Chloe could distract herself from all these stimuli. The dragon knight had just as good of hearing and sense of smell as Arella, maybe even better. So how she could avoid these splitting headaches, Arella may never know.

Over in her lane, was Cass, Reed, and herself of course. While Cass was a natural due in large part to her super strength, Reed held his own. He was the only one in the group to have actually had professional bowling lessons (something Arella didn't even know existed until she met him). Cass and Reed shared in friendly competition, unlike those other two crazy people next to them. Although, Arella couldn't help, but feel bad for the fire-bender whenever he'd make an unavoidable human error, and especially when his little fire ball would start flashing at him, apparently teasing him. Either he just didn't have enough power behind his swing or his foot would slide causing him to spin harder than he wanted.

Cass was friendly, but Arella would be lying if she did not say she had a sweet spot for the lanky boy. Arella knew the charming lad had a crush on her, he's carried those feelings around for a while now, but Arella never did find herself returning those feelings. There was just something about him that kept her from feeling attracted to him.

That's because he's weak.

Arella's violet-green eyes widened when she heard that unmistakable voice that raked through her brain. Usually the voice wouldn't bother her for weeks after a kill, but the time between was getting less and less.

"He's not weak." She thought back, looking toward her friends to be sure they could not hear her secret conversation.

He's a pathetic weakling. A worthless mortal, just like your father.

"Stop it!" She shouted angrily, only this time, it wasn't in her head.

"Arella are you alright?"

The young empath looked up at the freckled face of Reed Williams, who was staring intently at the young beauty.

"Huh?" Was the only word she could utter.

"Are you alright?" The young man repeated. "You sort had a random outburst."

Arella blinked at him registering what had just occurred. "Oh, um, I um…." She blushed in embarrassment as her eyes darted around the bowling alley in hopes of an opportunity. Her eyes landed on Chloe and Bart arguing a few feet away.

"I just meant I wished those two would stop arguing with each other." She shrugged.

Reed, who was sitting next to Arella in the booth, followed her gaze over to the bickering teens.

"Yeah I don't blame you. Wish they'd just get a room, you know." He joked as he turned back to the girl beside him, flashing her a boyish smile. Arella, not understanding the joke, knitted her eye brows together in confusion.

"Why would you say that? I do not detect any feelings of affection from either of them."

Reed's eyes widened comically, completely ignoring Arella's literal interpretation. "You can feel their emotions?" He asked in amazement.

Arella rose an eyebrow at him suspiciously. "You've known me for four years, and you are just now realizing this?"

"Oh, no!" The boy shook his head. "I meant, can you like, feel their emotions right this second?"

Arella nodded her head. "Yes, I can feel everyone's emotions at all times. I just don't always pay attention to them."

Suddenly, the young man's face heated up and Arella could feel his nervousness and worry rolling of him in waves.

"You…you mean…you feel everyone's emotions? Like, all the time?"

Arella stared at him, matching blushes appearing on their faces. She could feel his anxiety build like the pull of the ocean before a large wave came crashing down on the shore. Once again, she found herself putting her foot in her mouth.

"Uh…yes?" She answered weakly and watched as the young man paled in front of her. "I…I mean not all the time. Just most of the time, and only when I my terms. I have to let my mental barriers down to feel what others are feeling."

"Oh, so you don't, say, feel my emotions, do you?" The fire ball twitched, "Shut up." he snapped at it.

Arella quickly shook her head. "Nope. Not at all."

Reed let out a sigh of relief and turned away from her, focusing back on the game. "Okay, well that's cool, I guess." Flash flash. "I said shut up!"

Arella felt relieved. She was so not ready to confront him about his feelings yet, and honestly, she prayed to Azar he would forget about them sooner rather than later. She was not like normal girls her age, falling head-over-heels for a guy, longing for a romantic future. Dating just wasn't her style. Sure, she had her fair share of lustful urges, but nothing a make-out session with a random guy at the club couldn't fix. Chloe has always pushed her to pursue a long-term relationship with someone, mainly Reed, but she just couldn't picture herself as someone's girlfriend. Knowing this, the last thing Arella wanted was for Reed to confess his feelings to her, and then making her the bad guy when she, inevitably, turns him down.

"Arella, it's your turn!" Cassie snapped Arella out of her thoughts as the blonde demigoddess strolled on over to the booth, the screen above her changing from her name to Arella's. The young enchantress reluctantly stood up and floated over to the ball return, where she pointed a pale finger at the ball of her choice (a plain red 10-pounder), then floated with the ball over to the starting line at the edge of the lane. Before she could flick her wrist and send the ball rolling down the lane with her magic, Cassie called from behind her.

"No powers, Arella!" Her leader reminded her. Arella rolled her violet-green eyes and grabbed the ball floating beside her.

Ignorant slut.

Arella shook the thought away. As soon as her magic wore off, the ball's weight made the girl stumble a bit. Though she wasn't completely useless when it came to physical activity, she was certainly the laziest on the team. Everyone chastises her for her excessive use of magic, even her magic-loving mother. With a slight grunt, the female conjurer stepped back up to the line. Sliding her fingers into the proper sockets, she lined herself with the center pin, and with a deep breath, she slung her arm back and pushed it forward. The ball released from her hand and rolled down the slick lane until it began to curve toward the end. The ball ended up knocking over only a few pins on the left.

Behind her, Reed was quietly applauding her, while Cassie gave her a supportive smile.

"See, Arella, wasn't that much more fun without your powers?" The team leader probed.

Imagine how much better it would be with powers. Images of the bowling ball wrapped in dark green magic being sent flying at your pretty face!

"Not by a long shot." Arella mumbled grumpily as she floated back over to the booth.

"Where are you going, Ari? You still have one more frame." Reed reminded her with a sickenly sweet smile.

"No thanks." Arella waved him off as she took her place at the booth beside the boy.

"Oh, come on Arella, you at least have to finish this game." Cassie reasoned with her, but Arella only shook her head some more.

"Someone else can play for me, or you can delete me from the game, but I'm done being social for the day." The introverted girl declared as she lifted her arms over her head, and pulled back the hood of her sweat jacket.

While Reed looked genuinely concerned, Cassie seemed rather annoyed with the irritable sorceress.

"Fine. Don't play." The blonde bit back as she slid out of the booth to let Reed out. "We'll just have fun without you." She goaded, but Arella did not take the bait.

"Perfect." She deadpanned as she slumped further into her seat, leaning her head against the hard cushion.

While the others played their game, Arella did her best to nurse her ever-growing headache. That damn voice was becoming more and more intrusive with each passing day, forcing her to push down her demonic urges just as frequently. This, on top of the hundred or so emotions she had to block, resulting in a painful migraine and zero patience.

Let. Me. Out! The voice came again.

"No, not right now." She thought back, as she began to massage her temples.

You'll feel so much better, look. Arella looked over a few lane's down to a group of obnoxious, loud, drunken idiots. Wouldn't it feel so much better to silence them once and for all?

There was a tiny twitch at the side of her lip. "Maybe so, but that is irrelevant."

The demoness's head pounded harder, causing her to suppress a painful groan. That was the final straw.

"I need . . I need to go home." She announced, and without another word or hesitation, a portal opened under her, swallowing her up in the darkness. She heard Reed call after her, but his words faded into oblivion.

The portal reopened in the mysterious room of the dark enchantress, and the bright light shining from her ceiling stung her eyes as she left the puddle of darkness.

Wait, bright light?

Arella spun around as quick as a top, and stared wide-eyed at the older women standing by her window sill. "Maria?" Arella asked hesitantly. Maria stood as still as a statue, looking outside the window. On Arella's bed, was an open laptop, with a video paused on the screen. The young demoness looked back to her sister, her fear rising within her, and mouth running dry and hot. "Wha…what are you doing in my room?"

"This was my room first you know." Maria's attempt at humor fell short. The tension in the room refusing to be broken. Maria turned away from the window, but her emerald eyes wouldn't meet Arella's. Arella noticed they were red from tears, and her cheeks were still wet.

Something was definitely wrong.

"You're aware of my investigation of that 'mystery guy' that keeps interfering with our missions, right?"

Arella slowly nodded her head.

Maria went on. "Then it should come as no surprise to you, that I took the liberty to go to Cassidy Lodge and investigate the crime scene."

That came as a huge surprise to the youngest Logan member. No one knew about that place. NO ONE!

"And…and did you find what you were looking for?" She forced herself to find her voice.

"Well, no, not exactly."

Arella's shoulders fell, heaving out a mental sigh of relief.

"But I did find something I wasn't looking for."

Arella's head snapped back up, her body becoming rigid once more. All she could do was watch as Maria walked up to the laptop, and clicked the space-bar. Arella took a couple of steps closer, staring down at the screen as it played a video feed of the murder of Cassidy and his goons. The night those men died. The night she killed them. Viciously and without remorse.

"Arella," Maria's voice broke with sadness as the video of the heinous act played before their eyes. "What am I looking at?"

She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. All she could do was stare at the video of herself ripping apart Marcus Cassidy and his thugs, all while she wore a smile of pure demonic ecstasy.

Maria attempted to school her emotions, but the panic was already setting in, "Arella, please, tell me this isn't you." The shapeshifter begged. "Or tell me you were possessed, that you don't remember anything, that you just woke up in the midst of these corpses. That's all you must tell me, and all of this can be fixed."

Arella didn't say a word. Instead she stood there, staring at the video, her face void of any emotion. Her sister was right. It would be easy. To simply say she were possessed, that say she didn't remember. It could buy her time to find a way out of this and continue on with her life. Maybe even place the blame on someone who deserved it. Psimon, Phobia, any of them. She was clever, she could figure it out.

"Arella," Maria was practically begging at this point, "please . . . tell me-tell me you don't remember any of this . . ."

Arella pried her violet gaze away from the monitor and stared into her sister's eyes. Eyes that were filled with confusion and panic, but also torn between her love for her baby sister and her duty as a hero.

"Arella," she whispered, "Tell me. . . "

"I. . . . can't . . . " Her words were so hushed that even Maria had to strain to hear them. Arella's muddled eyes filled with fresh tears as she tore her gaze away from the screen and over to her sister. Amethyst met emerald, both broken and afraid. The air around them picked up and began to swirl around with great force. Arella's solid green cloak blew in the wind, while both the girls' hair lifted at its ends. "I can't." Arella repeated, this time louder, but muffled by the wind and the sound of objects breaking or crashing into one another.

Maria's deep green eyes painted crimson and her nails turned into claws. The women shook with fury as her rage filled eyes bore into Arella. "How could you?" She growled. With the force of both their powers, the tower walls vibrated and parts of the roof above their heads began to crumble. Arella's belongs began to soar around the room.

Arella fed off her sister's rage, and her own demon emerging from its suppression. Eyes like fire, teeth like daggers, and claws like swords. Her voice dripping with rage. "I did what had to be done!"

"What had to be done?" Her sister spat back. "You murdered people. Your duty as a hero is to protect the innocent. Your job is to force criminal to answer to justice. What you did was not justice!"

"Maybe not to you, but to the women who lost their own lives to those men, I did! All you ever do is tell me how wrong I am! Pointing out every mistake, every misjudgment, every misstep. Not once have you ever considered my point of view! Not once have to ever praised me for a job well done!"

"You are a hero, Arella. Hero's don't need praise, and they certainly have no room for error. What you did was way out of line!"

"Well I didn't ask to be a hero! I didn't ask to join this team or to follow in my family's footsteps!"

"Then why are you here?" Maria shouted.

"I don't know!"

The flying objects flung themselves one final time as the young girl fell to her knees. She had her hands out in front of her, supporting her as she hunched over with her head bowed. Her long violet hair falling over the sides of her rounded face. Tears fell freely with her eyes and landed onto the hard floor. Maria's own eyes reverted to normal as she held her head and stumbled over to the wall, pressing her body into it for support. The two remained silent for some time, with only the sound of their heavy breathing being heard. Arella was the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry, Maria."

Maira lifted her head in the direction of her sister.

"I'm sorry, for everything. For killing those people, for disobeying you, for ruining the family name, all of it. I'm sorry."

Maria stared intently at the younger girl, her face unreadable, but shook her head. "No . . no you're not. You aren't sorry. You're only sorry you were caught."

Arella met her gaze for a brief moment, before looking away, "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Maria took in a few deeper breaths before she stood back on her feet. "You know what I have to do." She spoke as if she was trying to convince herself.

Arella nodded her head solemnly.

"If you come quietly, I can take you to Mom and Dad. They can help you, Arella, we all can."

This time Arella did something she rarely ever does, she laughed. "Help me? They've been trying to help me for eighteen years! No, I don't need their help and I don't WANT IT!"

Maria's emotionless expression turned to one of sympathy. "You aren't a demon, Arella." She offered thoughtfully.

Arella looked up at the women who now towered before her. Her eyes flashed red as she gave her a wicked smile.

"Come here and find out."

Maria's eyes glowed white as she extended her hand out to launch an entrapment on the girl, "Don't make me do this Arella!" but before she could utter her spell, a large crystal knocked into the back of her head. Arella's eyes went bug-eyed when she saw her elder sister collapse onto the floor unconscious and standing behind her, was the familiar pink-haired face of Chloe Daniels.

Chloe slammed the laptop down and took it under her arm, and said only two words. "Let's go."

Author's Notes: So I apologize for the delay. That's my fault. Took me some time to retain my momentum. Things are starting to heat up, and this story should be in full drive very soon. So stick with us! A big thank you to all who reviewed so far! Y'all are awesome! If you haven't reviewed yet, please do so. Your feedback is very appreciated and useful! Reviews add fuel to the fire, so if you want to help bearhow and I update regularly, we need to hear from y'all!

Have a favorite OC? Send one of us an ask!

Predictions for what's to come? Send one of us an ask!

Thank you all!

Until Next Time,

L.B.

Disclaimer: Arella Logan and Maria Logan are owned by Lou Buggins. Chloe Daniels and Marcus Cassidy are owned by bearhow. Reed is owned by the both of us. DC owns everyone else.

Previous Chapter

[loubuggins]

Writing for "Every King Needs a Queen," has officially begun! You know this is serious business, because my G.P. Bruce Wayne is helping me write tonight. Lol Also helping me is @bearhow2, but he's not as cute, so he doesn't get a picture. Lol jk! 😜

[loubuggins]

Arella Logan & Chloe Daniels created by @loubuggins and @bearhow2, respectfully. Featured in "Every King Needs a Queen."

[loubuggins]

Feed Back Wanted

I'm starting to doubt if people actually like @bearhow2 and I's story, Every King Needs a Queen. I know our amazing friend, @golemxiv, is enjoying it. Thanks Golem! But what about the rest of y'all? If you read the prologue and 1st chapter, could you please send me an ask, letting me know what y'all thought? Good or bad, just try to include reasons for either. @bearhow2 and I would really appreciate the feed back. Otherwise, this story may just lose its momentum. So please, let us know what you think!

[loubuggins]

Every King Needs a Queen Update

@bearhow2 just published a new chapter for his story, Being Evil Has a Price! Go check it out if you haven't already. Now we are officially beginning construction on Ch. 1 of EKNQ! Planning to have it published by either Saturday or Sunday of this week. Stay tuned! 😉

[didarida]

Fotoblog ff ver.

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